feasts 11t the groat national festivals. 8. If they acccptcu freedom at the end of the sixth year, they were not to be sent away empty, but were to be furnished by their master, liberally and gladly, with a sufficiency wherewith to "start on their own account." 9. The idea of freedom was ever kept before them. They miaht not Rell themselves for lifo to any one. They were the Lord's freemen, and they ~ere not to pervert the Divine thought by becoming life-long bondmen (Lev. xxv. 42). 10. As the nation rose in intelligence, their laws became more and more liberal. Provi- sions which were intended at first only for the menservants, were extender!, even in the lifotime of Moses, to the. maidservants likewise (ef. Exod. xxi. 7 and' eh. xv. 17). 1 l. If a. slave did not accept his freedom when he might have it, he was to have his ears bored, that so he might bear about with him the brand that he had chosen servitude for life (vers. 16, 17). Surely the object of this apparently strange enactn,cn~ was to create among the people a disrespect for self-chosen servitude, and so, silently yet powerfully, to lift them above it. And yet one more feature should be noted, viz. : 12. ·when a foreign slave escaped from his master, the moment he touched the Hebrews' soil he was a free man! (eh. xxiii. 16). Surely no one can study all these details with- cut seeing that the entire tendency of the Mosaic Law was to lift up the people, to advance their happiness, th1:ir freedom, their intelligence, and their mutual regard! If now for a little we pass to the New Testament, to see bow the apostles of Jesus Christ regarded and dealt with slaves and slavery, and what their teachings were on this subject, we find that very little is said. There is no denunciation of the institu- tion, notwithstanding the very wide difference between slavery under the Hebrews and under the Greeks and Romans. But we find: 1. Rules for masters, demanding that they render unto their slaves that which is just and equal, since even they, with all their power, are not irresponsible, but have themselves a Master in heaven, to whom the slave is as precious as his owner. 2. They taught at the same time loyalty and obedience on the part of the slave, and urged on him the duty of so serving an earthly roaster that, in the very act thereof, he should serve a heavenly one. 3. That both roaster and slave would receive from their common Lord a reward according to their measure of fidelity; "knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free." 4. They laid down afresh, in the name of the Lord Jesus, the old Mosaic law, that" there is no respect of persons with God;" thus teaching the equality of all men in the eye of him "who jndgeth according to every man's work." Now, comparing the Ohl and New Testament treatment of slavery, what do we see? In the Old Testament a number of details which would work in the direction of freedom, and thoughts dropped which would bring slavery to an end. In the New Testament the details are not repeated. 1. Because, having been given once, repetition would have been of little service. 2. Because the apostles were not laying down laws for a commonwealth in the same sense that Moses was. But, though we have no repe- tition of details, we have (1) such an inculcation of kindness on one side and of loyalty on the other, as, when mutually heeded, would make slavery cease .'o be slavery in all save the name; and (2) such a clear enunciation of the truth, that in Christ there is neither bond nor free, that, when the power of this Divine impartiality was felt, slavery would ultimately cease both in fact and in name the wide world over! Thus we see that the Divine Being in his infinite wisdom has seen fit to adopt a similar process under both the Jewish and Christian dispensations, viz. that of educating meri by the power of truth and goodness up to such a level, that they volun- tarily put down this or that social wrong, instead of thrusting it out at once by a violent hand. Had e.g. this wrong of slavery been forcibly put down, the spirit of enslaving would have still existed on one side, and an opening for unbriJled lawlessness might have been created on the other. But bv the Divine process, slower though it be, the master is lifted up above the level of the tyunt, the slave comes to be regarded as a roan and a brother, and ultimately the last !ett3r shall be snapped, and men brought unto the glorious liberty of the children of God! Nor can we do justice to our thomc unless we point out, for practical use and ferv~nt exhortation, the spiritual significance of the whole. I. 'l'HE EQUALITY OF :MEN DEFORE Goo. 'l'he Divine love and regard embrace alL The overshadowing wing of mercy covers all, and the free offers of lllercy are made to ull (Isa. lv. 1-7). 260 THE BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY. [en. xv. 1-23.
IT. BECAUSE OF THE VALUE GOD SETS ON EVERY lllAN, HE FORDIDB ANY lllAN TO TAKJ!I ANCITHER CAPTIVE, AND FORBIDS lllAN SELLING HIMSELF INTO CAPTIVITY OF ANY KIND, "Ye are bought with a price; be ye not the slaves of men." Ill. WE ARE FREE FROM HUMAN FETTERS TllAT WE lllAY DE ADBOLUTEI,Y FREE TO ~ERTI GoD. " As free, but not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness; but as the servants of God." IV. AnsoLUTE LOYALTY TO GOD JS THE SUREST AND DEST GUARANTEE OF FIDELITY TOWARDS MEN. Nothing ,vould be wanting between master and servant now, if both were purely loyal to the Great Supreme. He who is bound ·by the vow of a holy con- secration to serve a holy God, may be trusted with any department of human service. V. To THIS OUR GOD WOULD WIN AND LEAD US, DY PATIENT TEACnING AND GRACIOUS TRAIKING. It takes Jong to perfect a world or even a class.