3. It was framed with the purpose of reaching the highest moral standard practicable in the circumstances of the people――the highest which it was possible to enforce. This doctrine assumes that any special statute which is so far above the moral status of the people as to be practically inoperative and void may be for this very reason an evil rather than a good inasmuch as it may break down rather than build up the law-abiding spirit of the people. Consequently the best statute for any given people may be the best that can be in the main enforced――the best which they can be brought up to respect and obey. Hence it may happen that some of the statutes in the best practicable system will be only second best――_i. e._ not theoretically perfect, but only the best practically for the circumstances. We may illustrate this by the law of divorce, as to which Jesus himself remarks that Moses “because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives, but from the beginning it was not so” (Mat. 19: 8). The provisions for an easy divorce were a concession to a sadly low morality among the people――the best under the circumstances――the best that could be made operative with that people, but by no means theoretically perfect.――――The reader will take note that we had no occasion to apply this principle to the moral law of the ten commandments, nor indeed to the underlying principles of this code of “statutes and judgments,” but only to some of its practical applications of these principles. 4. It is an inference from our last-named point that this code must needs _take the people as they were_; must have regard to existing usages, to the common law under which they had been living, and perhaps must be compelled to tolerate some undesirable usages until better principles could be inculcated and a higher moral tone of public sentiment could be established. Illustrations of this principle appear in the prevalent system of servitude, and in polygamy. 5. Another inference from the point above made is that this code can not be held responsible for what was in existence before its promulgation; _e. g._ personal slavery. It can be held responsible only for doing the best that could be done with such a people――a people so educated, accustomed to such usages and trained in such ideas. 6. That this code, though given by the Lord himself, was not theoretically perfect but only the best practicable, is obvious from the fact that it was from time to time modified. Cases of this appear in the law respecting the six years’ emancipation of Hebrew servants (compare Ex. 21: 2–7 with Deut. 15: 12–17); the taking of pledges from the poor for the payment of debts: (compare Ex. 22: 26 with Deut. 24: 6, 10–15). See also the law of inheritance in a family consisting of daughters only (Num. 36).