North Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1850-1852, 1851-09-20

: ming that he might rest.
s job is supposed to have lived before Abraham
and he is perhaps the first recorded example, nc
only in the church, but in the world, of lnaste
, owning slaves. In the 1st chapter and Sd rers
he is represented as having a very great household
the word translated household" properly mean
bond servants or slaves. In chapter 81, verse Is
he speaks of himself owning slaves or servant
and treating them uprightly. Yet IN the ISL cnap
ter and sth verse the Lord himself says that ther
is none like Job on the earth-a perfect ana up
, right man-one that feareth 0ou anu escne"eu
evil
, Abraham is everywhere recognised as an owne
Of slaves and in the 18th of Genesis, and 12tl
verse Cod himself in establishing his covenan
with him. recognises him not only owning bu
bnvino slaves; for he orders him to circumclse ev
erv man chid-he that is born in the house, anC
Ihe that is bought NTH money" And again, In
Genesis, XIV 35) God is represented as blessing
him greatly, and giving him other property, al
focks and herds, silver and gold, mem servants,
slaves, and maid servants"
Isaac is said Tin Genesis, xiv, 40 to have had
among other property, great store OF servants
(eOeds) or slaves.
Of Jacob Tin Genesis, XXX 43) it is said that he
increased greatly, and had among other property
" much cattle, and men servants, and maid servants
and cames," &c. In all of these cases it is evident
not only from the acknowledged meaning of the
word eUed but from its position that it represented
property, goods, chattes for it is enumerated with
cattle, camels, asses silver, and gold, and every
species of personal property known at that day,
and represented as being bought, sold, transferred
given, and inherited like them. That the servant
Tor eved) slave for life is apparent also from
the duration of his servtude, which was evidently
unlimited. Job iii, 19) speaks of the grave as the
only place where he was free: The small and
great are there and the slave is free from his
ter" The same is indicated, also, by the distinc
ton between the servitude of Jew and the eued
or servant-Lev., XIV, SO and 40: Thou shalt
not compel him 1.-THE jew to serve an coed Tor
bond servant) he shall thee till the year of
jubilee" When Hagar, the female slave of Sarah,
was driven to flight by the severe treatment of her
mistress, it is said (Gen., xiv, and 81 that the
Lord met her and said, "Return to thy mistress,
and submit thyself under her hands,"
Such was slavery under the patriarchs, when
God directly communed with men on earth, before
the enactment of the Mosaic law; and we see it
everywhere, and upon the most solemn occasions,
recognised by the Almighty, and, as He is repre-
sented as bestowing slaves on those whom he ia
vored we may add approved by Him. 1t is repre-
scented as one of the results of Gods blessing upon
Abraham that, among other property, He had Civ
en- him men and maid servants. He is directed to
seal the covenant with the blood of his slaves as
we'll as with that of his son; and in regard to
this sacred ordinance, Mr.. Graham eloquently re-
that any who profess to regard this covenant the
charter of the Christian church, which secures to
us our place and privilege and hopes Gods peo-
pie, should venture so to modify either its form or
spirit to exclude any from its privileges be-
cause he is master having slaves bought in his
house, or bought with his money" Is it not lit
orally, we would inquire accounting the blood of
the covenant an unholy thing?"
Here we might pause in our argument. We
have shown that slavery-such as is now known
in our southern States-was established from the
earliest times, recognised and approved by the AL
mighty, and that the very system against which
such an outcry is now raised by our over-nghteous
neighbors in the North and their coadjutors across
the water fiourished and increased under Divine
protection, and with the Divine blessing. Here
we might safely rest and call upon our opponents
to show that the institution had ever been abroga-
ted, or the system rescinded or discarded, by the
same authority, or demand the reason why they
pronounce unclean what God himself has purified.
Were we to do so, however, we should wait long
before we received any answer in justification, sup
ported by the sanction of Holy Writ. The furth-
er we proceed in our examination of the Old les
lament the more fully shall we find the institution
of slavery recognised and the various rights and
duties of the bond and the free prescribed by the
law food. The Mosaic dispensation, be it recol-
lected, did not establish savery-so, that being no
part of the ceremonial law, it cannot be claimed
that 1t was done away With by the dlSpenSatlOn OF
the Gospel-but it found it in existence by Divine
permission and appreciation, and legisated for it in
almost every contingency pertaining to the condi-
ton. We quote from Mr.. Graham " In the law
instituting the passover, the first and most mem
orable sacred feast of the church, and typical of
the great pascha sacrifice, Exodus, xii, 43 and A.
we find it thus written " And the Lord said unto
Moses and Aaron, this is the ordinance of the pass
over. There shall no stranger eat thereof. But
every mans eved Tor servamD that Is bought aoith
money, when thou hast circumcised him, shall eat
thereof" Again, in Lew. xxi, 10 and IL, there is
this singular provision recognising the priests as
Shareholders and sanctifying the relation There
shall no stranger eat of the holy thing A sojour
of the priest hired servant shall not eat of
it" But if the priest shall bay any soul a0itb
has money he shall eat of it. and he that is born in
his house, THAT is the slave that he raises,) they
shall eat of the meat" -E
1t would seem that in that day not only men,
bers of the church were shareholders, but pastors
and the Divine law indicates that the position of
the slave was very much what it is in own day.
His connection with his master and family was clo-
ser than that of a vsiter or sojourner, even a
hired servant, and his privileges were greater 1t
is only necessary to refer to the wel-known fact
that by the Mosaic law the Hebrew might be re-
duced to temporary servitude, or reduce himself to
it In various ways, for the sake of the contrast
hibited between the regulations prescribed in re-
gard to these temporary servants and the bondsmen
who are known under The name of eVed. Of the |
first, it is said they shall not be sold as 6ondmen,
Lew XIV, 42) while in the 44th verse of the same
chapter it is said in regard to the latter class !