that slavery everywhere abounded; that it existed in forms of great severity and cruelty; that it involved all the essential claims that are now made by masters to the services or persons of slaves; that it was protected by civil laws; that the master had the right of transferring his slaves by sale, donation, or testament; that in general he had every right which was supposed to be necessary to perpetuate the system; and that it was impossible that the early preachers of Christianity should not encounter this system, and be constrained to adopt principles in regard to the proper treatment of it."

And, again, page 251: "It is fair that the advocates of the system should have all the advantage which can be derived from the fact, that the apostles found it in its most odious forms, and in such circumstances as to make it proper that they should regard, and treat it as an evil, if Christianity regards it as such at all."

And, again, pages 259, 260: "I am persuaded that nothing can be gained to the cause of anti-slavery by attempting to deny that the apostles found slavery in existence in the regions where they founded churches, and that those sustaining the relation of master and slave were admitted to the churches, if they gave real evidence of regeneration, and were regarded by the apostles as entitled to the common participation of the privileges of Christianity." But there are other errors in this "Scriptural View of Slavery," page 245:

*

"He (the Saviour) never uttered a word in favour of slavery, * not even a hint can be found, in all he said, on which a who meant to keep one already in his possession, could rely to sustain his course."

man

* * *

We ask that this assertion of Mr. Barnes shall be compared with Luke xvii. 7-11:

"But which of you having a servant (Sov2ov, slave) ploughing, or feeding cattle, will say unto him, by and by, when he has come from the field, Go, sit down to meat? And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken, and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? Doth he thank that servant (dov2, slave) because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not." "So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants; we have done that which was our duty to do."

And, again, Mr. Barnes says: "The nations of Palestine were devoted to destruction, not to servitude." See page 118.

Compare this with the following, from page 156: "There were particular reasons operating for subjecting the nations around Palestine to servitude, which do not exist now. They were doomed to servitude for sins.”

LESSON IX.

Deut. xxiii. 9. "When the host goeth forth against thine enemies, then keep thee from every wicked thing"-directions what to do, or what not to do, in time of war, being continued, the 15th and 16th verses read thus:

"Thou shalt not deliver up to his master the servant (slave) which is escaped unto thee."***"He shall dwell with thee, even among you in that place which he shall choose in one of thy gates where it liketh him best; thou shalt not oppress him."

This passage is quoted by Mr. Barnes, upon which he says, page 140

"I am willing to admit that the command probably relates only to the slaves which escaped to the country of the Hebrews from surrounding nations; and that in form it did not contemplate the runaway slaves of the Hebrews in their own land."

Pray, then, for what purpose does he speak as follows?

"A seventh essential and fundamental feature of the Hebrew slavery was, that the runaway slave was not to be restored to his master; on this point the law was absolute."

And to sustain this assertion, he quotes this same passage from Deuteronomy, and, commenting thereon, says, pages 140, 141"This solemn and fundamental enactment would involve the following results or effects. (1.) No laws could ever be enacted in the Hebrew commom wealth by which a runaway slave could be restored to his master. No revolution of the government, and no change of policy, could ever modify this principle of the constitution. (2.) No magistrate could on any pretence deliver up a runaway slave." Then, again, page 190:

"Slaves of the United States are to be restored to their masters, if they endeavour to escape. We find among the fundamental principles of the Mosaic laws a provision that the slave was never

to be restored, if he attempted to do thus. He was to find in the land of Judea an asylum. The power and authority of the commonwealth were pledged for his protection."

And yet, again, page 226:

"As one of the results of this inquiry, it is apparent that the Hebrews were not a nation of slaveholders."

We present these passages to shows Mr. Barnes's mode of argument. But let us examine, for a moment, the indications of the holy books on the subject of runaway slaves. When David had protected the flocks of Nabal, upon the mountains of Carmel, on a holiday, he sent his young men, to ask a present, as some compensation for the same.

"And Nabal answered David's servants, and said, Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? There be many servants ('y abadim, slaves) nowadays that break away every man from his master. Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men, whom I know not whence they be?" 1 Sam. xxv. 10, 11.

We think the indications are that for slaves to run away was a common occurrence, and that it was immoral to give them countenance or protection; and Nabal, pretending that David might be one of that class, excused himself from bestowing the present on that account.

"And it came to pass at the end of three years, that two of the servants (y abadim, slaves) of Shemei ran away unto Achish, son of Maachah king of Gath; and they told Shemei, saying, Behold thy servants ( abadeka, slaves) be in Gath. And Shemei arose and saddled his ass, and went to Gath to Achish to seek his servants ( abadav, slaves); and Shemei went and brought his servants (1'y abadav, slaves) from Gath.” 1 Kings, ii. 39, 40.

If it can be said that Jehovah has views and wishes, then it may be said, that the views and wishes of Jehovah on the subject of runaway slaves must, at all times, be the same. "In him there is no variableness, nor shadow of turning."

“And she had a hand-maid (♫♫ shiphehah, female slave), an Egyptian ( mitserith, Egyptian, a descendant of Misraim, the second son of Ham), whose name was Hagar." Gen. xvi. 1.

Upon a feud between her and her mistress, her mistress dealt hardly by her, and she ran away: "And the angel of the Lord

found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, oy the fountain in the way to Shur." (8th verse,) "And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid, whence comest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai." (The angel did not say to her, "Here is a shilling; get into Canada as soon as possible!") "And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Return to thy mistress and submit thyself under her hands." Gen. xvi. 7-9. On page 117, Mr. Barnes says

"In the laws of Moses, there is but one way mentioned by which a foreigner could be made a slave; that is, by purchase. Lev. xxv. 44. And it is remarkable that the Hebrews were not permitted to make slaves of the captives taken in war."

Let us compare this assertion, made by Mr. Barnes, with the 31st of Numbers:

"And the Lord spake unto Moses saying, Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites. *** (Verse 9,) And the children of Israel took all the women of Midian captives, and their little ones. *** (Verse 11,) And they took all the spoils and all the prey, both of men and of beasts. (Verse 12,) And they brought the captives and the prey unto Moses and Eleazar the priest. *** Verse 25,) And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Take the sum of the prey that was taken, both of man and beast. *** (Verse 27,) And divide the prey into two parts, between them that took the war upon them, who went out to battle, and between all the congregation. *** (Verse 28,) And levy a tribute unto the Lord of the men of war which went out to battle, one soul of five hundred, both of the persons and of the beeves. *** (Verse 30,) And of the children of Israel's half, thou shalt take one portion of fifty of the persons, &c. * * * (Verse 32,) And the booty, being the rest of the prey, which the men of war had, was *** sheep. (Verse 35,) And thirty-two thousand persons in all. * * * (Verse 36,) And the half which was the portion of them that went out to war, was, &c. *** sheep, &c. (Verse 40,) "And the persons were sixteen thousand, of which the Lord's tribute was thirty and two persons. (Verse 42) And the children of Israel's half which Moses divided from the men that warred *** was, &c. *** sheep, &c. *** (Verse 46,) and sixteen thousand persons. (Verse 47,) Even of the children of Israel's half, Moses took one portion of fifty, both of man and of beast, and gave them unto the Levites which kept the charge of the tabernacle of the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses."

LESSON X.

IN ancient times, all persons conquered in battle were liable to be put to death by the national laws then existing. If the conqueror suffered the captive to escape death, imposing on him only the cutting off his thumbs, hands, or ears; or, without these personal deformations, subjecting him to slavery, as was often the case, especially when the captive was of low grade,-it was ever regarded as an act of mercy in the conqueror.

In the 17th verse of the thirty-first chapter of Numbers, Moses commanded that "every male among the little ones, and every woman who had known a man," should be killed, even after they had been taken to the Israelitish camp; and that none should be reserved for slaves, except female children, of whom, it appears, there were thirty-two thousand. The booty taken in this war, was distributed by Moses, in comformity to the especial direction of God himself, as follows:-(Verse 25,) "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, (verse 26,) Take the sum of the prey that was taken, both of man and of beast, thou, and Eleazar the priest, and the chief fathers of the congregation, (verse 28,) and levy a tribute unto the Lord of the men of war which went out to battle: one soul of five hundred, both of the PERSONS, and of the beeves, and of the asses, and of the sheep: (verse 29,) Take it of their half, and give it unto Eleazar the priest, for a heave-offering of the Lord. (Verse 30,) And of the children of Israel's half, thou shalt take one portion of fifty of the PERSONS, of the beeves, of the asses, and of the flocks, of all manner of beasts, and give them to the Levites which keep the charge of the tabernacle of the Lord. (Verse 31,) And Moses and Eleazar did as the Lord commanded Moses."

Houbigant, in his commentary upon this chapter, has given us the following