Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1864-04-08
RaiIgS atklligeutIst
q Fh9. I.slsevl...;vl 81 sldvsrT. !.


IAuoWledRe OF the Scriptures Ia the dim.
Guilty, 10 many places, Of aecnrat interpre.
tsnon. The advocates Of slavery cite lIexts
which trequently serve to puzEle, though
tney DO not convince, Bibleiteadets, and
even even students. But while these readers
aug students hesitate or refuse 70 yield
Ihelr convictions, they are incapable Of re
tntalson. A satisIactory,,uu q . derstandinv II
the Bible, therefore. involves q certain Sls.
gtee OF critical aeumsn, a certatnian1ount
OF historical knowledge, aud certain At.
tainments in linguistics: Ia ILLUSTRATION
OF this We have ouly to refer TO The omen.
log seutence'in Bishop Hopkins original
Pronuuctamento. which called forth the
protest OF the Episcopal clergy in Philas
delphia. Hessys "ihe word sIaps occ1rs
but twice. III 0lf E6Rlfs6 Bi6Ie.H But liS
nnits tolstate tlAt seed ID 6sse ihstk1css
ESt does Retottafi a 5isal. lii lbei6is, (,
Instauce=te teteniisil ~ X l-fiis litrd st,stS
u N ttakte. which shows t1at thsesFoFd. q
subslitpitd hy the trsGstatgts; aud is not
10 the .HehtoW. ttoccuEs again in Reve-
iatton xylIl. Is, but IL themarginal read.
iOg-Wbich is the literal rendering when
Il differs teom the Jext-it is bodies, show
ing THAI the word slave is noe in the
Greek. II sucn points frequently escape
the observation at Intelligent seekers after
truth. IS IL ANY wonder that tlcsultOry read )
ers and disouTsive thinkers may be victim
tEed by designing ,logiGiansf A system
compelled, on al occasions, to adopt a
Similar course of tallacy, misrepressnta.
tton, and omission Of the whole truth, the
successful effect of which issbased upon
advantage taken of popular ignorance,
may gain credit tor shreWduess rather than
honesty, bat cannot be permanently self
snstaining.
The distinguished prelats. like all spe-
oial pleaders tor Slavery, delights to re.
peat the tmprecadon Of Noah: "Cursed be
oanaAn; A'serTant of servants shall be be
to his brethren" But he fails to Inform
US how it happened that the Immediate
descendants OF Canaan we're couuuerin0
nations. He adds: can history proves
how accurately the prediction has been
accomplished, even to the present day. ]"
Bot he neglects to explain hoW this has
been done since the ful6lment ofa differ.
ent destiny, resulting 10 their total de.
strncuon. The Israeliies were positively
commanded to annihtlate them. ."Th0u
shalt save alive nothing. that breatheth,
But thou shalt utterly destroy them: uams-
", the Hittites, and the Amoritcs, the Ca.
naanites, and the PerrizEttes, the Hiyites,
and the Jehusites, as The Lord thy Cod
bath commanded thee."-Deut. xx., i6!l7.
Utter destruction and eusiavement are not
synonymous terms Nor does orr biblic.
ist obligs US by proving that the negroes
of the South are. lineal descendants Of Ca.
uaan, aud therefore legitmately under the
ban. On the contrary, the commentators
,ell agree that The black, saets drssdascend. 4
'ed tteta eash flle soa of Ham.
4e BAshpp quotes from LeSitiUns XIV,
- s,loss-lh lis iiput and D q6tRSea Abe
Temporary eeryit6ds 81 the 1sraelttesSaud |
tho perpetual ab1ndage ofSathe conduersd
heatben races. He also endeaVofS 10 show
that the euactment of a year of Jubilee on
" extended the benefits of emancipation
aud the blessings Of the liberty which was
to be proclaimed throughout the land 10
the Israelites,i aud, could not include the |
bOnd-servants Of the heatheu. AT the
same time he finds it convenient to over.
lOok the fact that the Jews were comy
manded to pFOselyte their heather slaves,
and ocircnmcissi Them; that sitter lhisitlis.
nngulshtng rite they Were adopted Into
the nation. aud became participants Nin all 4
the eercmonisls Of the Mosaic ritual, in. I
Guiding that high aud solemn comnemo-
ration Of Divine mercy TO them in Egypt
the. Passover that the descendants of
these proselytes, in the third generation,
became entitled to all other privileges and
immunities Of those to tue nauor BON;
and that consequently they were justified
in claiming their,freedom III thef6llowing
year OF Jubilee, or, for apght we know, ia
the succeeding year of "Felease."-TDeut,
xv., L. - a.N
Hebrew slavery, in its essential features
and provisions; IT'S limited term of service,
lie protection IRON injustice and tyrahny;
its reMuneratiVe requirements upon the
completion of the service, was 90 closely
allied to our modern system of apprentice.
ship that it presents none of the objections
able characters of the ''peculIar" instttu.
tion in the Southern States. Even the
bondage customary at that period in cases
of conquest, piracy, debt or crime, exhibits
none Of those harsher elements with which.
Americans have become so IamiliariSed.-I
We do not read that Moses hedgeti 10 his
system of servitude with Dread Scott de.
cisions, and with State laws, authorizing
oppression Of his 'ehattels pereonH4" to any
extent, sanctinuiug any degree of punish.
ment, and making religious instruction "a
penal ofFense. We do not find in bis books
accounts of slave markets aud insurrec.
tons, ot. .bloodhOunds and VigiIauce Com.
imfttees. We do Bot'discovef In bis Code
a Fugi1ive Slave Lev but weTfind spe-
cial prohibition against Remaining fu-
gitiye into the possession Of his late mas.
!St|7H4 !St|H pFonloiuon Nnlcn As great STUN :
bling block to our diocesan, as well as to
to all other pro.slayery commentators.-
We are told that amoug the Hebrews the.
issue Of The female slave always eu-
joyed the privileges Of the father. II,
the father was free man the mas
ter had no claim upon the Off
spring. HagaE's 500 was not Abfa.
ham slave. Dan and Nsphtali, Cad and
Asher, the -four children of jacob BY the
handmaids ZiIpah and BilhRh, were con.
sidered his sons, aud became The heads Of
their respective tribes. We are at d loss
TO fnd inthese facts the sources OF any
authority for the epslayement Of ones own
children. We cannot ses,,, nor does the
Bishop inform US, by what right mugEttoes
are held in slavery. We do not read of
Eforcible separations offamtlies in the Jew
iSh regtGle; aud we find that in the darkest