The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1849-04-14

Know that distinguished men entertain
different Opinion-maintaining that the I
bic authorlses slavery. have not so stu
led 1t as TO have their opinion confrme
but contrary-wise, every successive exaI
NATION OF il convinces me more fully,
. possible, THAT Con NEVER LEeIsLArED II
SLAVERY EXCEPT TO ABOLISH 1T.
IL is not my intention IN defend this pr
position at any considerable length, b.
content myself with the collection Of
few facts on which it is founded. Keep
mind the definition have given of slavery
Slavery Is state. or condition Of involuI
airy servitude in which the individual ca
have no redress for wrongs committed again:
aim.
Whatever was the precise character @
hat servitude authorised, and regulated b,
The Mosaic law, 1T WAS NOT SLAVERY
Because, 1. The children of Israel coulr
not enslaye one another. For they are M
servants, which ] brought forth out of tn,
land OF Egypt: they shall not be sold al
oondmen. Leviticus XIV: AZ.
:. There was positive law against tht
,lave trade both foreign and domestic. He
bat stealeth man and selleth him, or i
he>be found in his hand he shall surely be
put to DEATH Exodus xxi: 16. This wa.
an actual prohibition Of the foreign slave
trade.
P IL man be found stealing any OF his
brethren Of the children Of Israel, and
makelh merchandise Of him, or selleth him,
then that thief shall die, and thou shalt
pa, away eril from among you Deuter-
onomy XIV: Z. Ii is impossible TO frame
laws more explicit, or give to an act deep
er infamy than is here stamped upon the
initiative Of slavery.
3. The law for bids all unkindness to
strangers. Thou shalt neither per a stran-
ger nor Cypress him; for ye were strangers
in the land Of Egypt Exodus xxi: 81.
But the stranger that dwelleth with you
shall be unto you as one born amongst you
and thou shalt love him as myself: for ye
were strangers in the land OF Egypt. Lee
viticus xix: 81. Under such laws how
could slavery exist Can you tell!
The bond-service so frequently mention.
ed in the Bible and so confidently appealed
to by our pro-slavery men. was not slavery,
as appears from the fact that the law secur-
ed to the 'bondman' the most important
personal rights. /. If master manned
his servant, all obligation on the part Of
the servant ceased, and he went free: And
It man smite the eye Of his servant, or
the eve OF his maid that il perish, he shall
let him go free Tor his eyes sake. And If
he smite out his manservant's tooth, or his
msid-servant's tsoth, be shall let him 20
free for bis tOoth's sake Exodus xxi 20
-27; .
2. A 'bondman' who submitted to he
was placed on an equality with
the Hebrews, and thus incorporated into
The Hebrew nation would no longer serve
as bondmsn but have his full liberty after
serving six years. This is the ordinance
Of the passover; there shall no stranger
eat thereof bet every mans servant that is
bought for money, when thou hast circum-
cised him. then shall he eat thereof. A for
egner and an hired servant shall not eat
thereof = And when a stranger
shall sojourn with thee and will keep the
passover to the Lord, LEI all his males be
and then let him come near
and keep it; and he shall be as one that is
born in the land; for no uncircumcised per-
son Shall eat thereof One law shall be to
him that is home-bon, and unto the stran-
ger that sojosrneth among you. Exodus
XIII 43. As, as, 40. Hence il appears that
those who were circumcised were no longer
strangers and foreigners, but lellow-citi-
zens OF the Commonwealth OF Israel. And
70 well was this law understood by cotem-
poraneous nations that the Persians awaited
OF its protection in the days OF
Mordecai. Esther viii: II. And in Ju-
dith we are told, And when Athior had
seen all that the God Of Israel had done he
believed in God greatly, and circumcised
the flesh OF his foIeslkin, and was joined
unto the house Of israel unto this day.
Chap. xiv: 10.
3. II bondman escaped from his mas
ter he was not to be taken up and put in
all for safe-keeping until the owner came,
proved property, paid charges, and took
him away; but the law was. Thou shalt
not deliver up to his master the servant
which is escaped from his master unto thee;
be shall dwell with thee, even among you
in the place which he shall choose in one
Of thy gates where il liketh him best; thou
shalt not Cypress him. Deuteronomy xiii:
~, 16. Is this consistent with slavery!
A. The law threw itssshield around the
bondman's family snd gave him possession
Of his wife and children. and then shall
he depart from thee both he and his chill
dren with him, and shall return unto bis
own family and unto ne possessions Of his
fathers shall he return Leviticus XIV: Al.
Nor was he to be sent away empty. And
when thou sendest him out free from thee,
thou shalt not let him go away empty
Deuteronomy Nv: Is, /. s.
am awsre that the law in Exodus xxi:
PC, seems to contradict this position. III
he came in by himself he shall go out by
himself If be were married there his wife
shall 90 out with him; if his master have
given him wife, and she have borne him
sons or daughters, the wife and her children
shall be her masters and he shall 60 out
by himself Be it remembered that this
regulation relates TO Hebrew, who could
not be enslaved; and that the same law
applied to men and women.--Deut. xvi
IL. A married man in selling himself
would sell his fsmily-s single man him.
self only. Now, suppose that after serv-