The Pulpit Commentary — Exodus — Volume 2 — Section 165

thnt they should suffer death. We may gather from the Mosaic legislation on the ~uhj('('t_:_ f. THAT THERE ARE C'mrnlfllTANOEB m""DER WHIOB BLAVERY SHOULD BB TEMl'ORARn.Y ~IAINTATl\"Ell. \\-here a whole community is uncivilised, or half-civilised, where slavery 1s an old-established in~t.itution, engrained not only into the laws, but into the habits and me.nnen; of the people-where there a.re no prisons or means of building them; and whero the alternative for slavery would be the rnas88Cre of prisonel'B taken in war, and of criminals, it may be well that even Christian legislators should for a time tolerate the institution. The Europeans who obtain political influence in Central Africa, and other 11iruilar regions arc bound to bee.r this in mind; and while doing their utmost to put down man-lltealing, should carefully consider in each case that comes before them·, whether slavery can in the particular community be dispensed with or no. To tolerate it for a while is simply to act on the lines laid dov.11 by Mo888 and St. Paul. JI. 'l'HAT IF UNDER A:t.'Y CJRCU1ilSTANCE8 ST,AVEBY HAS TO BB MAINTAINED, ALL POl!l!IBLE AMELIORATIONS OF IT SHOULD BE INTRODUCED WITHOUT DELAY. The slave is entitled to he protected in life and limb, to be decently lodged, fed, and clothed, to hlLve the enjoyment of the Sunday rest, t.o be undisturbed in his family relations, to have the honour of bis wife and daughters respected, t.o have an appeal from his master if he l'ej!lLl'dt; himself as in any way wronged. The efforts ofmissionariesand other humane men in uncivilised communities, should be directed primarily t.o the introduction of such reforms as theee into the syet.em.s which they find established there. Ill. 'lllAT, WHERE DOIIESTIC SEBVIClE BAS SUPERSEDED SLAVERY, THERE JB STILL ROOM l"OR AMELIORATIONS IN THE C01''1>ITION8 OF IIEBVICE. It is not the masters of slave~ only v.·ho are hard and tvrannical. In all service there is room for the exhibition on the part of the m&ster, of indulgence on the one hand. or strictness and severity on the other. We at the present day may either oppress our servants, or deal kindly with them. 'l'rue, they may leave us if we oppress them; but a good servant will not readily leave a respectable place, and a good de&I. of tyranny is often borne before warning is given. It is the duty of masters, not only t.o "give t.o their servants that which is just and equal" (Col. i\". 1), but to show them sympathy and kindness, to treat them with consideration, and avoid hurting their feelin,,as. More warmth and friendliness than are at all usual in the present treatment of servants, seem t.o be required by the fact that they are our brethren in the Lord. joint-heirs of salvation with us, and perhaps to be preferred above us in another world. Vers. 12-14 and 20, 21. Laws on homicuu. Here again, in the time of Moses, a custom, regarded as of absolute obligation upon all, held possession of the ground; and nothing was practicable but some modification of it. The next-of-kin was " avenger c,f blood." and was bound t.o pursue every homicide to the bitt.er end. whether it was inten- tional and premedit.ated ( i.e., murder), or done hastily in a quarrel (i.e., manslaught.er), or wholly unintentional (i.e., death by misadventure). Moses distinguished between delibe- rate murder, which the St.at.e was t.o punish capitally (vers. 12-14) and any other sort of homicide, which was left t.o the avenger of blood. In mitigatiCJn of the blood-feud, he interjJCJSed the city of refuge, whereto the man who had slain another might flee and be safe until his cause was tried. .And in the trial of such persons he introduced the di:;tinctk,n between manslaught.er and death by misadventure, allowing the avengc:r of blood to put the offender t.o death in the former case, but not in the latter. (Nwn. mv. 16--25.) Mercy and truth thus went together in the legislation. I. 'l'BUTH. The primary truth is the sacredness of man's life. In rude times, where it is everywhere" a word and a blow," very severe laws were Jlecessary, i! human life was not to be continually sacrificed; and so manslaught.er was pla.ced on a par with murder, made a capital offence; tb.e sudden angry blow which caused death, though d.-.ath might not have been intended, was t.o receive as its due punishment death at the l,aud;; of the "avenger of blood." II. MEBCY. The "avenger of blood" was not allowed to be judge in his own cau~o Ca,;c;; of unpremeditated homicide were to go before the judges, who were _t.o decidt wLether the death was intentional or by mischance. Mercy was to be shown to the 1JJan w)J(J ha.d bloud on his hands through accident. He was to be safe within the walls of ,he "city of refuge." Citieo of refuge were multiJ>lied, t.hat one migl1t be alway11 rn. xxr. l!i-li.] TIIE BOOK OF EXODUS. li3