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.The same story line anddialogue, if not the same dialect, would have fi t two whites in the same situationequally well.But as Sambo’s eff orts to convert Toney proceeded, the issue of slaveryimpinged more directly on the unfolding narrative, revealing by degrees Botsford’sintent as author.As Sambo pleaded with Toney not to risk dying with his sins unfor-given, Toney expressed doubts that refl ected his status as a slave.“This religion forwhite men, not for negro,” Toney complained to Sambo, citing a white overseer’sdeclaration that “all black people will go to the devil.” Toney also insisted that “theminister never say anything” to “we black people.” Sambo disagreed, replying that“the minister preach to every body” and that “the word of the Lord speak to everybody alike, white people, black people, rich man, poor man, old man, and youngman,” and urged them all to repent.Though Sambo’s fi rst visit to the Lowcountryended with Toney still outside the evangelical fold, his proselytizing had at leastpersuaded the reluctant Toney to grapple with the likely fate of his soul.After thepremature death of a young friend and conversations with Davy, a black Christianclass leader near his plantation, Toney attended meetings where a white evangelistpreached about human sin and divine forgiveness.Toney fi nally converted, much tothe delight of his wife, Fanny, who also joined the church, and his master, a religiousman who encouraged Toney in his faith.71On Sambo’s next trip to Charleston, he met with Toney again and learned of hisconversion.“Blessed be God for his goodness,” Sambo exclaimed, praising Toney’swillingness to serve as one of “Christ’s soldiers.” While seemingly overjoyed, Sambo,ever the Baptist, also insisted on testing Toney’s faith with two questions.The secondquestion, which focused on Toney’s understanding that he could be saved not by hisworks but only through God’s grace, emerged logically from Baptist theology, butthe fi rst question Botsford’s Sambo posed rooted the conversion squarely in the con-text of slavery.“[D]o you now think it no harm to steal from your master?” Samboasked.Toney replied that he would no longer steal from anyone, whether master orstranger, but Sambo reiterated his point anyway, insisting that the “Christian man nothief.” Reassured of Toney’s true faith, Sambo promised to visit Toney on his homeplantation when possible.72On his promised later visit to Toney’s plantation, Sambo met Davy and Toney’swife, Fanny.They shared Christian fellowship, celebrating their growth in faith, andexplored, largely through Davy’s experienced guidance, the future challenges theywere likely to face on their spiritual journey.But in this dialogue, where his charac-ters pondered the practical impact of their Christianity on their daily lives, Botsfordinserted strong passages designed to convince his white readership of the advan-tages that the Christianization of slaves and the practice of Christian stewardshipby masters off ered to a slaveholding society.In short, he made his case for Christian160 P A T E R N A L I S MR I S I N Gpaternalism as a means of social control and community security through the dia-logue of his slave characters.Reminding whites of the ongoing need to off er fi nan-cial support for the mission to the slaves, Botsford had Toney, Fanny, and Davy alltout the success of the local white missionary in his ministry to slaves.“Our ministerhas been one good man for sure,” Fanny declared, “all the black people love him toomuch, he talk so plain we poor black people understand most every word he say.”Toney agreed, noting that the minister was “one very good man and love teach weblack people.” Nor was the broader impact of the mission eff orts understated.Davyremembered that when he was a boy “there was hardly any such thing [as the gospel]among black people.” Davy proclaimed himself “thankful to God” that now “mostevery plantation hear the word of the Lord.” Davy also believed that his master“would be glad if all we black people was converted.” 73But even more important to Botsford than highlighting the importance ofevangelical ministers and Christian masters as instruments of conversion was thedesire to emphasize the practical results of these conversion eff orts on the overallcharacter and conduct of slaves.Having praised God and white masters for thespread of Christianity, Botsford’s Davy went on to explain the responsibilities ofChristian slaves.The word of the Lord, Davy related to his brothers and sisters offaith, instructed believers “to do our duty to God and master, it tell us how to becontent and not murmur, and be honest, and how we should love our wives andtake care of our children, and try to live in peace with one another, and as much aswe can with everybody.” Davy taught the idea of domesticity as well as the gospelof Salvation.A life of peaceful witness, Davy insisted, served God better than “towrangle and quarrel and murmur.” Sambo agreed, and before leaving to returnupcountry, he admonished his fellow Christian slaves to “let your whole conductbe sober and steady as becoming men professing godliness.Learn to be contentwith what you have, and guard against a murmuring, discontented spirit
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