And history affords a powerful argument in support of this position.
What was the practical operation of the law of Moses in relation to
foreign servants? If the pro-slavery view of that law be correct, then
history would record the fact that the commonwealth of Israel was a
slaveholding commonwealth. It would state that the Jews traded in men,
and that this traffic was important. We should read of poor, ignorant,
chained idolaters traveling in mournful procession to a great slave
pen at Jerusalem, situated under the shadow, perhaps of the temple of
God, and from thence into every part of the land. And when our Savior
appeared, he would have come into contact with those wretched slaves,
and would have said something about them. Do we find these facts in
history? No, not one of them. Jerusalem, thank God, was a free city.
Judea a free state. Foreigners were employed from age to age, as
servants, but as was contemplated, they embraced the religion of God,
became adopted citizens and were fully identified with the commonwealth
of Israel. "After circumcision they were," as Jahn says, "recorded
among the Hebrews," and after the jubilee they enjoyed all the
immunities of the children of Abraham. Such was the intention, and such
the results of Levitical servitude. Between that system and American
slavery there is scarcely any thing in common. Slavery originated in
piracy, is a system of savage tyranny, degrading to the intellect,
destructive of morality, blasting to hope and happiness, and tending to
barbarism and crime. Servitude under the law of Moses, originated in a
benevolent desire to open a door of hope to the heathen, was kind and
just in its requirements, guarding with extreme jealousy the interest
of servants, and admirably calculated to lead their minds to morality,
virtue and the knowledge of God. Slavery, therefore, can find no
sanction in the law of Moses. Why, if that law were applied to American
slavery it would abolish it. Compel slaveholders to use their slaves
as the law of Moses required servants to be used, and you will soon see
an end of slavery.
CHAPTER X.
Slavery and Religion--Continued.
NEW TESTAMENT AND SLAVERY.
Our Lord's New Testament is the bulwark of human freedom. Its great,
broad, solid truths constitute an impregnable foundation for a temple
of liberty capacious enough to hold the entire human race. This is the
last book in the world to search in order to find any thing favorable
to oppression; and oppressors have usually preferred to "burrow amid
the types and shadows of the ancient economy." An effort has been made,
however, to wrest a sanction for the abomination of slavery out of this
last and best revelation from heaven, and to convert some passages
found in the writings of the apostles into chains and fetters to bind
in hopeless bondage those very persons for whom Christ died.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account