Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1850-02-27

want which is escaped from his master un-
to thee: he shall dwell with thee" The
master goes to the mag gstrate and makes his
statement of the case. The magistrate
summons the parties TO appear before him,
to wit, the master, the protector of the SER
want, and the servant The case is entered
into, and it appears that the six years ser
vice has not been fully rendered the SER
want has receIvdd no personal injury, his
eyes and teeth are in good condition. No
reason appears why he should not return
and serve his master, except that he prefers
not to do so, and claims the benefit of a
law which, as he understands it, says that
he with whom he has taken refuge shall
not deliver him to his master. Here the
two laws appear to be in direct conflict
The one says he shall serve six years, un-
less his master inhlcts grievous injuries up
on him. The other is understood to say,
that on leaving his master he shall not be
delivered to him. 1t is obvious that both
these laws, so understood, canno, be en-
forced. One or the other must be sacrl-
feed. But there remains more laws TO be
considered.
In the XIV chapter of Leviicus, the Ju-
bilee, or year of release, is instituted. A,
the 9th verse, it reads thus ''In the day Of
atonement shall We make the trumpet sound
throughout all your land. And We shall
hallow the finie,h year and proclaim .liber
ty throughout all the land unto all the in
habi,an,s thereof: it shall be jubilee unto
you; and ye shall return every man unto
his possessions, and We shall return every
man unto his family.'
The construction put upon the passage
in Deuteronomy by DR.. Wayland, contra
venes the purposes of the jubilee. The ju
bilee is intended TO confer oyful release
from bondage. Whereas it will find none
in bondage but such as prefer SO to be-
" e shall proclaim liberty throughout all
the land unto all the inhabitants thereof
and We shall return every man unto his ia
miIy." Every one in bondage has all The
time had the privilege Of dwelling "among
them, in that place which he should choose,
in one of their gates, where it liked him
best,' and for his family, he has no,
been long absent from them, unless he pre-
lerred so To be.
AT the 39th verse of the same chapter, ii
is written 'lf thy brother that dmellcM by
thee be waxen poor, and be sold unto thee;
thou shalt not compel him to serve as a
bond-servanl: But as an hired servant, and
as sojourner. he shall. be with thee, and
shall serve thee unto the year of Jubilee ::
aud then shall he depart from lhee." Thou
shalt not compel him to serve as a bond
servantn Thou shalt not compel him to
serve at all, If he may escape whenever he
pleases, and the whole nation, every ind-
vIdual in the nation, is commanded to pro-
tect him against thy claim. '.Ile shall serve
thee unto the year of jubilee: and then
shall he depart from thee" This is Who'll
iy inconsistent with the idea that he shall
not be delivered to his rghlfuI proprietor,
if he depart before tha, time. Besides, by
It's express terms, the law in question is in
applicable to Hebrew servants. Every He
brew servant must needs be member Of
some one Of the tribes of Israel, and still
more specifically Of some one of the par
tIcular families into which each tribe was
subdivided, and among whom the lands as
signed to each tribe were divided into cor
responding portions. In behalf Of an Isra-
, elite, therefore, who should on anv account
be sold to one of his own nation for linn
| tied time, 1t would be incongruous 10 pro-
vide, in case of his escape from his master,
"lle shall dwell with thee, euen among you,
lii that place which he shall choose in one
of thy gates, where it liketh him best: thou
shalt not oppress him." since if he were
righlfully at liberty, he would belong to a
specific family, and to a specific location.
The terms Of this provision in favor Of
, fugitive servants, suit only the condition in
! which heathen slaves, who had no por-
ton in Israel, would be found in case they
escaped from their masters. But universalty
OF application is the very essence of the con-
structlon which we are considering. Such
! Limitation would confine it to heather
servants, would be fatal lo< it. Therefore
It's inapplicabllty TO all cases of servitude,
is an objection to this construction. Thus
il appears that the assumed meaning of the
passage in Deuteronomy. would make the
laws which provide for Hebrew servtude
nugatory. 1t would have the same effect
on the enactments which provide for the
| perpetual bondage of heather slaves to Ile-
brew purchasers.
! This brings me to the second general
head OF our investigation, the subject of
heahen slaves. Heathen slaves in servi-
tude, to Hebrews, next made the sub
ject of legislation in the Judicial code on
serv1ude. These laws begin with the 44lh
verse of the XIV chapter of Leviicus
Both thy bond men, and thy bond-maids,
which thou shalt have, shall be of the hea-
then that are round about you; of them
shall We buy bondmen and bond maids
nj oreover of the children Of the strangers
that do sojourn among you, of them shall