The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1895-09-13

TUX .Kcrios includes only the lessor with
consiferat.oa 80 Is setting IL the midst % shs
a.lotr-t- - = Canaan @suons the tribes Also
Numbers sill-ss ard Deuteronomy 10 Ella
TfxE-B c issa not lons after the Lass
.essor
PLs0s-shiloh place OF rest chap 10 81.
TIE religious capital o: Israel. near the center
Of Palestine
ExPLASAroRY.
. -Appcin, out for you cities Of
refuge In circumstances like these
/, was absolutely necessary that there
should be places where the refugee.
falsely accused, should have the right
Of asylum. and where he would De safe
from all pursurers-
Whereof / spake unto you by tho
hand 1.-THE agency ~ Moses See
Mum S5.9-3i. Dcrt- 1918
For Whom Prepared.-s The slayer
that lxilleth any person unawares:- In
accordance with these regulations a
wide distinction was made between
the men who committed willful murder
and one who slew another by mistake.
In Ignorance AMI un.nten.ionally AZ
In the former case the guilty criminal
met with NO compassion from the Mosaic
code IIe was regarded a. accur~ei.
The horns Of the altar were 10 I've ND
refuge Tor him He was 10 be dragged
from shem by force 70 suffer his doom.
nor could rank or wealth exempt him
from il Mum. 35.gl. 81 To- Ia the
latter ease where life had been taken
una ares. "a more merciful system Of
legislation interviewed In contradis-
tinc-ion 10 tho customs of the Greeks
and Romans and even Of the Middle
Ages. which made places Of sanctuary
available - criminals OF every kind,
the Jewish lawgiver reserved them for
unin-enti0nal acts Of murder, and for
these alone.
How Managed--Firs. The one who
has killed another must flee TO a city Of
refuge In no other place was he safe.
Second. The preliminary examination
4 ~ hall stand a. the entering of the
gate 81 the city. l. e.. not outside Of the
gate Of the city. but in the forum. or
public place of Judgment compare Ruth
I: l. cl.-Cambridge Bible The gate
was sarnounted by an arch or by
beams which upheld the massive wall
above The gateway was thus sheltered
from sun and storm II was conven-
lent place for the sessions of the judges,
and was habi,ually used by them Its
publicity also tended TO prevent abuses
their authority shall declare his
cause in the ears of the elders l. E.. as
soon as the manslayer presented him
self a. the city Of refuge. the elders Of
the city were TO hold an inquiry. and
receive him professionally into the city,
If there should appear good prima facie
Gauss. for 50 doing. Cook
Third IL this examination was ia
vo-abl be was received into the city.
and the authorities assigned him a
place. that ne may dwell among them"
till his aecu>ers came. and he could
have . formal trial
Fourth The regular trial. g Until
he stand The judges and elders Of
the people. in trying civil and criminal
causes always sat: the person who
came for Judgment or who was tried.
always stoo<i--Bnsh. Before the con-
eregation.- The rulers and rePrcsen-
tatives Of the city. who are frequently
spoken Of as If they were the body OF
the people compare Josh l and -: ?,
~. Ell
Fifth The trial was fair. A strong
bar against the license Of private re-
venge was placed by the provision
which required the concurrence of at
least two witnesses in any capital ques-
ton Mum 35:19-30; Deut i-.5-l2:
l9:ia-l-i. Witnesses were restrained
from falsehood BY the just Requirement.
that they should be punished. IL guilty
Of perjury. by the same punishment
which would have fallen had their
testimony proved acceptable. upon the
person against whom they testified
tDeut- l9:i6-1I. Witnesses were further
restrained from untruth in capital
cases by the requirement that. If the
prisoner were condemned 10 die. they
should throw the first stones. thus
bringing to them the horror Of commit
ting actual murder by false testimony
(Deut- 1910: III: Josh. .:a5. John s:.l.
Sixth II he was exonerated from
willful murder. he was safe. but only 50
long as he remained within the city and
its suburbs IF one thousand cubits be-
yond the walls Mum sJ:e6-esl- He
must remain here. away from his home
and business. till the death of the
high priest This seeming hardship
was necessary and Just. because there
il usually some fault Of passion or care
iessne>s in even accidental murders.
and this great Inconvenience would
tend to carcfulness and safety. Until
the death Of the high PRIEST There
ought 10 b. some limit To this exile.
and this change of administration
would certainly BE- - good as any
The Cities Chosen There were sir
cities appointed for this purpose. three
on either side Of the Jordan. almost
equally remote from each other.
lal On the west kedesh. in Naph-
tall: >. Shcchem. in Mount Ephraim; 3,
Hebron. in Judah. tbi On the east.
Golan. in Bashan: .. Ramoth-Gilead. in
Cad; 3. Bezcr. in Reuben 1t requires
only 10 loek at the map To see how
wisely these spots were marked out. 50
as to make a city Of refuge easy of &C
cess from al parts of the land They
were chosen. IL will be observed. out Of
the pries;ly and Levitical cities. as like
IL to be inhabited by the most intelli-
gent part of the community.--Cam.
bridge Bible
WISE AND OTHERWISE