“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 commonwealth
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 ( _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
(עֲבָדִים _abadim_, _slaves_) of Shemei ran away unto Achish, son of
Maachah king of Gath; and they told Shemei, saying, Behold thy servants
(עֲבָדֶיךָ, _abadeka_, _slaves_) _be_ in Gath. And Shemei arose and
saddled his ass, and went to Gath to Achish to seek his servants
(עֲבָדָ֑יו _abadav_, _slaves_); and Shemei went and brought his servants
(עבָדָיו _abadav_, _slaves_) from Gath.” 1 _Kings_, ii. 39, 40.
If it can be said that Jehovah has views and wishes, then it may he
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_ (שִׁפְחַה _shiphehah_, _female slave_), an
Egyptian (מִצְרִית _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, by 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.