Sewall's Reponse To Mather's “The Negro Christianized

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Sewall’s Response to Mather’s “The Negro Christianized”
Cotton Mather and Samuel Sewall clearly disagree on the legality of slavery. For Sewall, it is most important that slaves be given the same freedom as all men; for Mather, it is most important that slaves be Christianized and given the opportunity of eternal light through the grace of Jesus Christ. Christianizing slaves, according to Sewall, neither makes possession of them legal nor improves the providence of their masters.
Mather indicates that Christianization of African slaves will accrue benefits to their masters in the next life while Sewall believes that Christianization ameliorates the possibility of their masters receiving God’s grace. According to Mather, “You deny your Master in Heaven, if you do nothing to bring your Servants unto the Knowledge and Service of that glorious Master” (Mather, 335). So to Mather, a master disserves not only God and Africans but also himself by missing the opportunity to Christianize his slaves. On the other hand, Sewall writes, “The extraordinary and comprehensive Benefit accruing to the Church of God, and to Joseph personally, did not rectify his brethrens Sale of him” (Sewall, 326). Essentially, Sewall believes that any attempt to improve the quality of a slave’s life (Christianization or otherwise) does not outweigh the immorality of their purchase and possession. “For he that shall in this case plead Alteration of Property, seems to have forfeited a great part of his own claim to Humanity” (Sewall, 324). Consequently, owners, in Sewall’s view, jeopardize their own salvation (“Humanity”) by owning slaves.
In addition, Sewall feels that it is wrong to separate Africans from their native land and that attempts at Christianization, if any, should occur in Africa; however, Mather writes that Christianization offers both removal from their savage land and salvation. “To Christianize them aright,...