The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1872-01-16

war. 1t is either the act Of the individual,
like the violence Of the individual kid
napper falling upon his victim, and kill.
ing or euslaving him, by the strength of
his own arm or the act of the bauditti.
breaking forth in banded and systematic
violence, like the violence OF the slave
holder, sanding together, under the forms
Of law, but is really an impious social
conspiracy; or the act of civil govern
mcnt, breaking forth in the rightful or
perverted exercise Of its appropriate
prerogative The latter, when rghtfully
used, is the only justifable form of war
All else is forbidden by the sixth COM
mandment. Slavery" as the historian
IIildreth well said, "is state of war;"
and it is one or both or all of its un-
justifable forms. The social or govern.
mental wrong doer, by he oppresser, ex-
tortioner, prosecutor, spoier, Sabbath
breaker, or warrior are alike condemned
and prohibited.
But more. In expressly prohibiting
the customs and practices of the surround
ing nations Slavery was forbidden the
Hebrews. Speak unto the children
of Israel, and say unto them, / am tho
Lord your God. After the doings of the
land of Egypt, wherein yo dwelt, shall
ye not go; and after the doings Of the
land of Canaan whittier | bring you,
shall ye not do neither shall yc walk in
their ordinances. Ye shall do my judg-
ment, and keep my ordinances to walk
therein l am the Lord your Cod
Thus. by express prohibition nrc these
doings and ordinances specified. Now |
need not be at the trouble of proving
to any intelligent person, that among tho
doings and ordinances Of the nations sur
rounding the Hebrews, slavery was prom
in ent.
Thus, both by the Decalogue and by
this command, was oppression of every
kind forbidden of God, and justice declar-
ed to be the great element of the Israel
itish Theocracy.
If, howcver,the peculiar statutes which
God led Moses to enact, respecting the
regulation of servants, as for various rea-
sons, selling their service, not their per-
sons, be thought singular, it is so, from
not taking into account the fact, that in
dealing with moral beings, God has to do
for them, in the multitude of cases. what
he can, and not what be ,could. For ex-
ample, when Christ was about leaving his
disciples, he did not then unfold to them
all he would gladly have done, saying,
al havo many things to say unto you, but
ye cannot bear them now" And so he
withheld for prudential and necessary
considerations, what he subsequently after
the baptism of the Holy Ghost at Penta-
cost, made known to US, through the
writings and words of his apostles. On
this principal he dealt with Israel, re-
specting servants and service.
But every thing was calculated to
break up, and abolish system current
in all nations around them and, if it
could not wholly be done, in consequence
of the weakness and wickedness Of hu.
man nature-as we found it could not BE-,
for the same reason, even at so late a
day as the 10th century, and that with
so enlightened people as ourselves-yet
did Jehovah so arrange in the admira.
BILE anti-slavery economy of the Hebrews
that once in every seventh year, on thu
recurrence Of the sabbatic year, every
= one who had sold themselves out for ser.
vice was permitted release. IF thou
buy an Hebrew servant. six years he
shall serve and in the seventh he shal
60 out free for nothing" How long
could any system of slavery, like that o
our own have existed, under regula
ton like this?
But, in every fiftieth year, the great
release occurred This was the great
Jubilee. On its recurrence, all agricul
It tural labors ceased for two years, tn,
= lands being neither sowed nor reaped
all lands and houses that had been sole
or forfeited were restored to the origina
owners; all Israelites. who, on accoun,
of poverty, had sold themselves, that is
their service, to lsraeites. were released
from their bonds, and were permitted tc
, return to their families and fathers pos
: essons
!, And, if there were foreigners, who
were servants by availing themselves o
the ever open door Of naturalization, thes,
' provisions extended to them. Thus, eff
: tectually, did God, in his administration
: OF the political economy of the Jewisl
: people, rcpress the every where powerful
. tendency to oppression, and from tim
to time roet up and scatter all manifest
ations, which, through the wickedness o
: man, might have crept into the common
wealth, while, finally, no one who has at
tentively read the Old Testament, cal
: failed to have noticed how tenderly, an,
. with what regard to their rights, the poo
: and dcienceless are spoken Of.
"And thou shalt not CLEAN thy vine
!. yard, neither shalt thou gather ever
grape Of thy vineyard thou shalt leav
y them for the poor and stranger; an
the Lord thy God" Lev. 1910.
: "And at the end of three years tho
= shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine in
crease the same year, and shall lay it ~
u within thy gates, and the Levite an,
the stranger, and the iatherless, and tn
widow, which are within thy gates, shal
= come. and shall eat and be satisfied tha
the Lord God may bless thee in all tn
5 work of thine hand which thou doest
Deut. Ii: %, 20.
"For the oppression Of the poor, 70
: the signing of the needy, now will l arise
: saith the Lord will set him in safety
e from him that pufieth at him." Psall
J II: D.
!, "He preserveth not the life OF the lif,
: Of the wicked but giveth right to tn
= . poor" Job SO: 6.
"He that hath mercy on the poor hap
> py is he" Prov. II: 2l.
r, "Who so mocketh the poor reproachetl
> his Maker" Prov. II:
ale that stealeth man aud ,elet.
b, him, or, il he be found in his hand, h.