Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1838-03-07

XIX. Is. Another distinction between the
Jewish & Gentile bought servants, claims
notice. II was in the kinds of service as
signed to each class. The servants from
the Strangers, were properly the domes-
tics, or household servants, employed in
all family work. in Offices of persona! at
tendance, and in such mechanical labor as
was constantly required in every family,
by increasing wants, and needed repairs.
On the other hand, the Jewish bought
servants seem to have been almost exclu
sively agricultural Besides being bet
ter fitted for this by previous habits
riculture, and the tending of cattle, We're
regarded by the Israelites as the most hon.
orabIe of all occupations; kings engaged
in them. After Saul was elected king,
and escorted to Gibeah, the next report of
him isl "And behold Saul came after the
herd out of the feld."-l Sam. ii. z.
Elisha Twas blowing with twelve yoke
of toxen" when Elijah threw his mantle
upon him. Kings xix. le. King Uz-
zlah Loved husbandry.''-2 Chron. XVI.
10. Gideon, the deliverer of Israel, aoas
"threshimg ,oheat BY the wine-press" when
called to lead the host against the Midian-
ltes;-Judges vi. II. The superior hon
ora6IenesS of agriculture, is shown bv the
tact, that it was protected and Supported
by the fundamental lao of the theocracv
God thus indicating it as the chief prop of
the government, and putting upon it prcu-
liar honor. An inheritance Of land seems
to have filled out an Israelite's idea of
worldly Punishment. They We're like
permanent fixtures on their soil, so did
they cling to it. To be agrcul,uriss on
their own inheritances, was, in their no.
'lons, the basis of family consequence, and
the grand claim to honorable estimation.
Agriculture being pre-eminently Jeaoish
employment, to ASST On a native Israelite TO
0ther employments as business, was to
break up his habits, do violence to cherish.
ed predictions, and put him to kind of
labor in which he had no skill, and which
ne deemed degrading In short, it was,
IN the earlier ages of the Mosaic system,
practically to ~njeso him, a hardship and
r'gor grievous to be borne, as it annihia-
ted visible distinction between the de-
scendI nts Of Abraham and the Strangers
distinction vital to the system, and gIori.
ed in by every Jew.
To guard This and another fundamen-
tai distinction, God Instituted the repula-
ton contained in Leviticus XIV. 80, which
stands at the head of this branch of our in
quiry, IF thy brother that daorlleh 6v
thee be 10dxen poor, and be sold unto thee,
thou shalt not compel him to serre as a.
bond serrant." In other words, thou shall.
not put him to SERVANTS aoork-:o the bust.
ness, and into the condition Of douaestic.
In the Persian version it is translated
thus: "Thou shalt not assign to hun the
work of serpitude," Tor mental labor J In
the Sepuaglnt thus: "He shall not serve
thee with the service Of a domestic or
AoUsedoLd serUant." In the Syriac thus
"Thou shalt not employ him after The man.
ner Of servants" In the Samaritan thus
Thou shalt not require him to serve in
the service of servant" In the Targum
OF OnkeIos thus: He shall not serve thee
with the service of household servant"
In the Targum Of Jonathan thus: Thou
shalt not cause him to serve according to
the usages of the serviiude OF servants,"*
In hnc, thou shalt not compel him to
Serve as bond servant" means thou shall
not GssEg" him to the same grade. nor put
ha"' 10 the same services, 10Th permane
domcsticS.
We pass to the remainder of the reoula.
ton in the 4Oth verse;
"But as an hired seru4ut and as So
Journer shall he be aoith thee." Hired ser
wants we're not incorporated into the fami-
hes OF their masters they still retained
their own fami v organization, without the
surrender of any domestic privilege, hon
or, or authority; and this, even though
they resided under the same roof with
their master. While bought-servan.s were
associated with their masters families at
meals at the Passover. and at other fami-
~ festivals, hired servants and soiourners
were not.-Exodus xii AZ, As; Lev. xxi
H. IL. Not being merged in the family
OF hlS master, the hired servant was not
subject to his authority, Except 10 direc-
tons about his Iabor,) in any such sense
as the masters wife, children, and bought
servants. Hence the only form of oppres-
sing hired servants spoken of in the Scrip-
lures as practicable to masters, is that of
keeping back their ragex.
10 have taken away these privileges in
the case stated in the passage under CON-
slderatIon, would have ben pre-eminenl
rlg0r; for the case described, is not that
OF a servant born in the house of mas
tar, nor that of a minor, whose unexpir, d
had been sold by the father nei-
her was it the case of an Israeli,e. who
hough of age. had not yet acceded TO his
inheritance; nor, finally. was it that of one
who had received the assignment OF his in t
nerltance. but was. as servant, working I
off from it an incumbrance, before entering
mon its DoSsession and control~+ De