We have seen in the preceding pages, that slavery and all the evils and calamities appertaining thereto, were entailed on Ham’s posterity, as a penalty for the wilful violation of God’s laws; and, I shall attempt to show before I bring this essay to a close, that in consequence of disobedience on the part of masters, as well as servants, that the evils and calamities of slavery fall not alone on him who serves, but also on him who rules.  Therefore, the evils of slavery can only be mitigated, or removed by obedience to the requisitions of Divine revelations, on the part of masters and servants.  This is the only remedy.  There is no other.  Here is a great principle of God’s moral government of the world, which we should never lose sight of.  It is a principle of universal application.  All those evils that befal mankind in consequence of transgression, may be mitigated, or removed, or otherwise the penalty may be averted, by repentance and obedience to the requisitions of the Holy Bible.

CHAPTER IX.

I shall now take a glance at slavery under the Mosaic dispensation.  Whatever our views may be on the subject of slavery, if we have read our Bibles, we know that it was tolerated and regulated by the Divine Being among the children of Israel; no doubt for wise and beneficent purposes.  I know that it is vain for us to attempt to elevate our minds to a clear comprehension of the moral government of God.  There is much, I admit, that to us is incomprehensible.  Finite beings, cannot fathom the Infinite mind of Jehovah.  We can, however, if we will read our Bibles, learn the will of God concerning ourselves and our fellow creatures; at least so far as our respective duties are concerned.  This may be learned from the Old, as well as the New Testament.  Forms and ceremonies may change; but the eternal principles of truth, righteousness and justice, change not.

Prior to the Mosaic dispensation, we read that Abraham held servants, and that when Sarai treated her maid-servant unkindly, and she fled from her face, the angel of the Lord said unto her, “Return to thy mistress, and subject thyself under her hands.”  It is a notable fact, that when the law was delivered to Moses on Mount Sinai, he received from the hands of God Almighty the following words:  “In it,” (the Sabbath,) “thou shalt not do any work; thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant nor thy maid-servant.”  It appears that the Hebrews under peculiar circumstances became servants; and they were released, or went free on the seventh year.  If, however, they preferred to remain with their masters, they then became servants forever.  The Hebrews were not suffered to enslave each other, except for a limited time; their servants were taken from the heathen nations around them.  See Leviticus, 25th Chapter, from the 39th to the 55th verses inclusive.  Mention is frequently made of servants throughout the Old Testament.  Men women