thee unto the Lord, and it be a sin unto thee, Deut. xxiv. 14, 15.

I will give you a few more passages out of the New Testament: some may read your publication who do not read the Scripture with much attention, Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Mat. v. 7. Therefore, all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them; for this is the law and the prophets, Mat. vii. 12. Thou shalt love thy neighbour, (that is all men,) as thyself, Mat. xxii. 39. Seeing he (GOD) giveth to all, life and breath, and all things; and hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, &c. Acts xvii. 25, 26. Be kindly affectioned one to another, with brotherly love, Rom. xii. 10. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law, Rom. xiii. 10. Ye are bought with a price, 1 Cor. vii. 23. And y masters do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him, Eph. vi. 9. Masters give unto your servants that which is just and equal: knowing that ye also have a master in heaven, Col. iv. 1. Behold, the hire of the labourers which have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth; and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of Saboath, James v. 4. The merchants (of beasts and sheep, and horses and chariots,

ye

and slaves and souls of men,) shall stand afar off, weeping and wailing, Rev. xviii. 13, &c. &c.

These passages need little or no comment to any who wish to see what is right; and that traffic in slaves is totally irreconcileable with the principles of justice and humanity-not to say christianity.

As a believer in the Holy Scriptures, and minister of the gospel, I attended the Camp-meeting in Washington county, in August last, and on the sab bath, after two sermons were preached, and a short intermission (not succeeding in getting a preacher to preach the third,) I preached the sermon of which you have the substance, or the leading ideas; in which I strove to give a portion to every one, either in season or out of season; so I drew the gospel bow at a venture, quite willing that every shot that missed should go for nothing. I desired to do good, to gather up the fragments that nothing should be lost, but to my grief, I found some did not like the manner in which I served out the different portions, some went away grumbling and talking; others, when they found their portion so honestly allowed them, even by their neighbours, looked rather cross; not well pleased: resolved not to hear or pay any more attention. Some heard, or recollect, nothing of the sermon except some words which I never said. Many, who intended to prove all, and hold fast what was good, heard me out, and have not forgot the text, nor a considerable part of the sermon;

yet I laboured rather under a disadvantage, being a stranger in the place. I knew that I was in a free country, (free to all that were not slaves,) but I did not know that I was in the very county where liberty and independence were in bloom, so that even the state was to be blessed with a Governor that grew in it. As for politics, you know, I never meddle with them in my administrations or discourses; for, to be candid, I dont understand some of their phrases. I have heard of Republican slave-holders, but I understand no more what it means than Sober Drunkards.

It happened so, that I dropt a few hints about slavery or oppression: some of the great men went and got a state-warrant for me; (a copy of which you have to publish,) about two months after the warrant was issued, I was arrested at a Quarterly-meeting, in Williamsport. I gave security for my appearance at court, to be held in November, as the recognizance will show. I was arrested for felony, and had to give security for one hundred dollars. With serious inconvenience, trouble and expence, I had to leave, or give up, my regular course of appointments, and attend the court in Hagers-Town. I appeared the first day, heard the charge given to the Grand Jury, which was short but full of meaning; I suppose much better understood by the Jurors than by me, who was not accustomed to hear such charges. I waited from day to day, and you may be surprised to hear, that I had to wait more than two weeks before they found a

bill against me. In this time they surely had time to get Slave-holders, Overseers, Churchmen, Metho dists, Free-thinkers, Half-thinkers, and No-thinkers, to bear witness against me, about the rebellion and insurrection. So abundant and so clear was the evidence in this dark business, before the Grand Jury, that after two weeks sitting twelve or thirteen could find a true bill without suffering any statement to be made by sore of their body-for, you must know there was near a half dozen of men on the Grand Jury who had heard my sermon, but they were not allowed to say what they saw and heard themselves. The indictment came out for Misdemeanor, Mutiny, Inciting revellion, Disobedience, &c. &c. as you will find in the copy of the indictment, which you have. I think it rather a fortunate circumstance that the indictment did not include or mention an intention to effect or bring about a resurrection among the slaves who had been dead for years; for this might have been put in with as much truth as either of the other

counts.

As soon as they brought in the TRUE-BILL, I resolved to remove it out of the county, for which I had a sufficient reason. In removing my trial, I had the privilege granted, to take it to Frederick county. I gave security for $400 for my appearance on the first Monday of March. I appeared, and on the second day had about twenty evidences ready, but the state's evidences did not get ready, at least the trial did not come on, till the tenth day; from which time

you have all the proceedings, which you may publish as full and clear as you can, so that my friends and enemies may see this new thing under the sun and under the moon, and learn to understand a matter before they pass sentence; for, I am sorry to say, I have heard of some in your county, who were very free in speaking, and liberal in their way of blessing me→ some wished me hung-some sent to the penitentiary

others would have been almost satisfied if I had got thirty-nine lashes, perhaps altogether, if they had had the honour of laying them on. What a pity that such dont move to Washington county to get into office.

I have only one remark more to make and I am done. Some have been in hopes that I had learned a useful lesson in my trial. But whatever I have learned, I can assure you, I have not yet learned to call good evil, or evil good. I hope, while I keep my senses, I shall consider involuntary perpetual slavery miserable injustice; a system of robbery and theft. I hope I never shall rank men, women and children, with horses, and cows, and property, and countenance or justify such sales and merchandize. May our merciful God save us from this sin and reproachand let every honest man say, AMEN.

JACOB GRUBER.

June, 1819.

SKETCH OF THE SERMON.

PROVERBS XIV. 34. Righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.