Meimir of William Jloscoe, Esq. I99 



great question. The first was entitled " Original View of the 

 African Slave Trade ^ demonstrating its injustice and impolicy ; 

 with hints toward a Bill Jbr its abolition^ The second was 

 called forth by the publication of the Rev. Raymond Harris, 

 entitled " Scriptural Researches on the Licetness of the Slave- 

 Traded That author had shewn much dexterity as a contro- 

 versialist. The general scope of his argument is based on the 

 practice of possessing bond-servants being mentioned in the 

 Old Testament, without any condemnatory comment ; and from 

 the noted injunction of St Paul to the A«t;Aw of the New Testa- 

 ment, " Be obedient to them that are your masters^ according to 

 the flesh, with fear and trembling^ it is inferred, that Christia- 

 nity gives a warrant for holding our fellow men in slavery. 

 The first proposition was supported by the fact, that Abraham 

 and other very exemplary patriarchs purchased slaves or bond- 

 servants without any stigma being cast on their humanity or 

 rectitude ; and the second was defended by the repeated injunc- 

 tions of the apostles to their converts to fear those in authority ; 

 a mode of reasoning which has been lately borrowed by two 

 Presbyterian divines from this reverend Jesuit ; whose work, it 

 is said, was considered, by the Common Council of Liverpool of 

 that day, as worthy of a donation of L. 200 to the author. 



Harris's pamphlet caused a considerable sensation ; but was 

 soon attacked by the Rev. Mr Dannet, minister of St John's, in 

 Liverpool, who was evidently inferior as a controversialist to his 

 Catholic opponent ; but the doctrines of the latter were ably 

 and warmly attacked in Mr Roscoe's second essay, which bore 

 the title of " Scriptural Refutation of a Pampldet lately pub- 

 lished by the Rev, Raymond Harris, ^-c." on the Christian prin- 

 ciples that " all men are equal in the sight of God," and the be- 

 nevolent injunction of the great Founder of our religion, " There- 

 fore, all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, 

 do ye even so to them.'" 



The question of the slave-trade, at that period, so engrossed 

 the mind of Roscoe, that, in the same year, he published his well 

 known poetic effusion, " The Wrongs of Africa," in two parts ; 

 the profits from the sale of which he placed at the disposal of 

 the committee then formed for promoting the abolition of the 

 slave-trade 



