Letter to Moses Brown, 1773-12-28

              Respected Friend Moses Brown 
Phila. the 28th of 12mo 1773
I was glad to hear of thy welfare and to 
understand by thy lass to our friend Willm Wilson the weighty 
consideration which has of late been the companion of thy 
mind relating to Slavery of the poor Africans: particularly 
in the manumissions of a number of thy own negroes 
I rejoice in hope that this good work will encrease & 
prosper thro the labour and example of faithful men
of different persausion & countries. In Portugal, Spain 
& France the concern gains ground. I have lately read 
four different publications made within these 
few years even at Paris declaration of the inconsistency 
of slavery with reason humanity & religion: 
proving from sound arguments that the work in the 
West Indies would be better & more profitably done 
by the Blacks when under proper regulations made free than in 
their present state of slavery. In some conversations I 
lately had with one called a great man, on slavery, at the
conclusion of our conversation, when the common arguments 
in defense of slavery were obliged to give way to truth 
he however concluded that in the present selfish corrupt state 
of things in the world there was little hopes of putting a stop 
to it. It occured to me to say so long as a faith 
remained that the power of God was stronger the 
power of the Adversary we had no reason to despair of 
the success of that or any other good work. 
The violence which we understand was lately commited 
at Boston in the destruction of the tea is matter of 
concern to us, we much desire the members of our society 
& others who profess to have a testimony to bear to the peacable 
suffering spirit of the Gospel will be careful not to 
join with ot strengthen in word or heart anything of that nature. 
Our blessed Savoir enjoins his disciples not to resist evil but 
to overcome evil by good. Himself overcame & gave a deadly 
blow to sin by suffering and letting evil spend his strength 
on him. "thinkest thou said, this meek redeemer to Peter