The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1851-08-10

VI jacob
greatly and had among other property "much cattle,
and servants, and maid servants. and cames, &c
In all OF these is evident. not only from the
knowledged meaning OF the word susd, but from Its
position that represented property goods, chattes for
is enumerated with cattle, camels asses, silver, and
gold. and every species OF personal property known al
that day. and represented being bought, Sold trans
fered given and inherited like them. That the servant
Cor eve was slave for life is apparent also from the
duration OF his seryude which was evidently unlimited
Job ( 49, speaks of the grave the only place where
he was free "The small and great are there, and The
slave is free from his master" The is indicated.
ALSO by the distinction between the servtude OF Jew
and the coed servant-Lev, XIV, 80 and 40. Thou
shalt not compel him (the Jew 10 eued Cor
bond servant he shall thee till the year of jubilee"
When Hagar, the female slave of Sarah. driven to
fight by the treatment OF her MISTRESS It is said
Gen xiv and y that the Lord met her and said "Ketun
to thy MISTRESS and submit myself under her hands"
Such was slavery under the patriarchs when God
directly communed with earth, before the enact
men of the Mosaic law and we see II everywhere ana
upon the most solemn occasions recognised by the Al
mighty, and He is represented bestowing slaves on
those whom he favored, we may add approved by HIM
represented of the results OF Gods blessing
upon Abraham that, among other property, lie had gwen
him men and maid servants He is directed TO seal the
covenant with the blood OF his slaves well as win
that of his son and in regard TO this sacred ordnance
II.
my establishment that any who profess TO regard this
covenant as the charter of the Christian church, which
to us our place and privilege and hopes as Gods
people, should venture 80 to modify either lis iorm or
spirit as to exclude any man from its privileges because
he is master having slaves bought in his house, or
bought with his money" Is it not literally, we would
inquire, accounting the blood Of the covenant an un-
holy thing r
Here we might pause in our argument. We have shown
that slavery-such as is known in our southern
Sates-as established from the earliest times recognised
and approved by the Almighty, and that the very system
against which such outcry now raised by our over
righteous neghbors in the North. and their coadu.ors
across the water ourished and increased under Divine
protection, and with the Divine blessing. Here we
might safely rest. and call upon opponents to show
that the institution had ever been abrogated, or
the system rescinded discarded, by the author
ty, or demand the why they pronounce unclean
what God himself has purified Were we to do so, how
ever, we should wait long before received any
swer in justification, supported by the sanction of Holy
Writ. The further proceed in examination OF
the Old Testament, the fully shall find the inst.
tuition Of slavery recognised and the various rights and
duties OF the bond and the free prescribed by the law OF
God The Mosaic dispensaion be it recoeced, did not
establish savey-so that being part of the ceremonial
law, it cannot be claimed that it done away with by
the dspensaon of the Gospel-but it found it in exist
ence by Divine permission and appreciation, and legisa-
dition. We quote from Mr.. Graham: In the law in
suling the passover the first and most memorable
cred feast OF the church. and typical OF the great pascha
sacrifice Exodus xiii 40 and 44) find it thus written:
And the Lord said unto Moses and Aaron this the
dinance OF the passover There shall stranger eat
thereof But every mans eued Tor sevan that as bought
ruth money when thou hast crcumcised him. shall eat
thereof" Again, in Lev, xxi, 10 and H. there IS
this singular provision recognising the priests slave
holders and sanctifying the relations I" There shall
stranger of the holy thing sojouner of the priest
or hired servant shall eat Of it," "Bu, if the priest
shall buy any SOU, ruth his money he shall of il, and
he that born in his house, Chat u.s. the slave that he
raises, they shall eat of the meat"
Ii would that in that day not only members of The
church Shareholders, but pastors and the Divine
law indicates that the position of the slave very
much what il is in our own day. His connexion with
his master and family closer than that OF visite or
sojourner, or even hired servant and his privileges
greater is only necessary refer the we'll
known fact that by the Mosaic law the Hebrew might be
reduced temporary servitude reduce himself TO il in
ways for the sake of the exhibited be-
tween the regulations prescribed in regard these tenn
poay servants and the bondsmen who are known under
the OF eoed OF the first. il is said they aH not be
sold bondmen, ev, 42) while in the 44,h verse
OF the chapter ii is said in regard TO the latter
Both thy bondmen and thy bondmaids shall be of the
heather tina, round about thee. OF them shall thou
buy bondmen and bondmads."
The same law recognised the authority OF the master
over his slave. He was permitted TO chasse him in
reason though provision is made that it, in chastsing
slave, the should main him. the slave becomes
Free and if he dies under his hand the master is pun
shed as a maefacior. Our laws are even more favor
able to the slave (Ex, xxi, 81 %, and 27) singular
expression made of in the law prescribing the penalty
for killing slave indicates precisely the light in which
the eped bond servan considered IL is provided
that if he live time after the injury is inflicted dong
enough probably, to raise doubt of the cause of his
dea,h) the shall be punished because he is has
money.
The right OF the master 10 sell his eued Tor bond ser
van) is recognised by that provision OF the law which
prohibits the selling of Jewish servant as the eped Tor
bond seruanD is so and also in that clause OF Deut
xxi, 10, Ia, which forbds 10 sell female slave
captive whom be has married aad repudiated Here
is said the master shall not make merchandise OF her
because he has hunbied her" The right to reclaim fu-
gitive slave also quite clear In the only cases
mentioned in the Old Testament where slaves had es-
capped, they sent back in the of Hagar by
the Lord himself reaken by the master in the case
OF the servants of Shme q Kings, 2, 80, 4o.) The
provision contained in Deut, XIII, Is and 10, I" Thou
shalt not deliver his the which is
capped from his master to thee, evidently only refer
slaves escaped from the heather nations round about
!" To apply it to the slaves owned by Jews" says Mr.
Graham, would not only conflict with the text, but
involve the whole law in the absurdy OF granliag an
absolute property in the eyed Tor bond servan by
and abrogaing it by another"
Some detached portions OF Scripture, requiring the
Jews to open their mouth for the dumb" "to break