Communications: To The Monthly Meetings, Constituting Farmin...

One of the most vital testimonies taught by the Christian Religión, and which the Society of Friends, have alwnys considered of distinguished importance. is not to partake of nor countenance the eins of the people among whom we live. Heavy judgments, were, of old, pronounced on the children of Israel who did so, and as they had rpceived more light than other nations, their transgressions were more inexcusable. He that, knev his Lord's will. and did it not, was to be beaten with many stripes. Even Tyre and Sidon were to be Iess severely juoged, than some cities enjoying t'ie privileges of the knowledge of the true religión. The sin of enslaving immortal beings. and reducing them as íar as practicable, to the level of brutes, exists now in our country, to a degree and extent, rarely known among the most cruel nation of the earth; and its spirit pervades more orless, the whole lnnd. It was against this sin that the Society of Friends were long since called to bear-testimony, even to the excluding of all trom membership who were guilty of it, under whatever epecious pretence or alledged motivep. or whatever apparent kindness niight be shown to its victims. This testimony, so long and so repeatedly borhe, has been the means of creating in the mimhs of most of our menibers, in some degree, ajust abhorrence ot this dreadful iniquity. The menibers of the Society of Friends, who formerly held slaVea, il is believed, treated them :r. "r?.l with comparativa lenity. But this was by no means considered an excuse for the sin - A most 6olemn question to us, now arises; Are there not. at this mom nt, slnves toiling for us under the infliction of cruelties fiir greater than any our menibers were ever guilty of? Are we noi directly hiring oppression by purchasing :ts fruits? Are we not giving the slaveholder and overseer, the pay fcr which, chiefly. all this wrong and iniquity are comniitted? The original motive to slavery was the Jnpe of gain - the delire to obtain the profits of hard labor without payingfor it, "keeping back the hire of the laborerby ffaüd." This is still the chief object in view, especially in thosè parts of the Uniied States, where it exists in it severest formsvvnni greater encouragemcnt, ihen, can we givi it, tnan by paying the master and thus directh inciting this motive? If one person were know ingly the sole purchaser of all the produ .tions o shivery, would he not bc guilty os weil as tbc elaveholder? How then can we avoid the sin, because manyare the purchasets with us? The Society of Friends has forbidden its members to deal in prize goods - obtained by the plunder of vessels in war. Slave-labor goods are obtcined not lesa fraudulently, accomrjánied with ■ he commission of no less enormities Those who are robbed at sea, are deprived of their prop erty only, their lives being' rarelv endaogeredj except in caee of resistance; but the sla ves are nol only robbed of their earninrs through life. but of their liberty, their families, and so far as can be don, of their hopes; and rosistance is nearly always punished with cruel death. The fdr greater prevalence of slavery, and of its fruits which are every where around us, should urge us the more earnestly, to endeavor to avoid those fruits on nll accasions. And as objections and difficulties are not admitted in excuse, in the case of prize goods, neither should we suffer them to det?r us in riilding ourselves of the fruits ofoppression. We therefore urgently and affectionately entreat all oui niemhers not to suffer themselves to adrait any discouragemeats, either frofn difficulties in supplying their wants with free goods, or from objoctions which are olways made, wiih more or less plausibility, to what is right: but endeavor to adhere simply to this duty, and do what is in their power. There are articles, respecting which, doubts mayexist; but suchas are known to be, n all probability. tho fruit of Slavery, let us be careful to avoid, though we may have to pay a higher price for those of free origm. Free groceries are now easily obtained, and cottons may be had by applying für. when in market or linen eubstituted. The eacrifice we may thus havo to make, for the sake of clearing ourselves of this wrong, will, we doubt not, bring n blessing greater tlun that of the increase of eanhly treasure.nor are we to overlook other ways in whicb we mav partake of this evil but bear our tes:imony against it on every hand. When we consider the nature of the niquity of Slavery, opposed as t is to the spirit of Him, whohas cnjoined in ihc most solcmn manner, our duiies to him that is in hungered, athirst, naked, astranger, eick,and n prison, so often and so rcmarkably the condiion of the poor Siave; and that the Almighty, who ie just and equal in all his ways, has in al! ages declared by His prophe;s. his abhorrencc o' opprpssion- we cannot expect that he will show KUtihlity in our favor, nor overlook oar transgresssions, while we continuo knowingly to sfrengtlien the hands of the oppressor, in whatev or wny it nmy be; whether by paying ihe slavebolder for hia cruel exactioneor coutenanring byhe exercise ot our suflrage, those wlio in a direct or indirect mariner continue to legalizo it. If we thoü endeavor. first to purgc ourselVes f allparticipance in this wrong, and next to influence othera to do likewise, in humility and t'ear, acruated by the love whieh is enjoined towards our fellow immortnl beings, and which was compared by our Savior to the love we should feel tothe J-ordoúr God;- the n, may we not expect to be made pnrtukers m some degree. of the spiritual btes3ng3 which were pronounced by the mouih of the prophet, to thse wh ';drnw out their soul to the hungry and afflicted, whc undo the heavy burdens and let the oppressed go fjee." Signed by direction of Farmington Quarterly Meeting of Friends, held at Farmington, lst month 19th.l842.