great-grandson of Noah, was proverbially distinguished as a "mighty hunter before the Lord." This phrase, "before the Lord," when applied to a good man, intimates that he acted as realizing the presence of God, and enjoying the Divine approbation and favour. Thus it is said that "Noah was righteous before the Lord;" and Abraham was thus addressed,-" I am the Almighty God, walk thou before me, and be thou perfect.' But when the phrase is applied to a wicked man, it generally expresses his presumptuous defiance of the Lord. Thus it is said, "the men of Sodom were wicked, and sinners before the Lord exceedingly." It is probable that the phrase, as applied to Nimrod, denotes his daring haughty spirit, which led him, in his ambitious pursuits, to disregard the laws of God and the rights of men. Up to his time, government had been patriarchal; that is, each father had governed in his own family; but Nimrod is the first mentioned king and conqueror. He might hunt wild beasts, but it is pretty evident that he also hunted down men, and made them subservient to his ambition and usurpation. He founded the royal city, afterwards called Babel or Babylon, and thence went forth to conquer and subdue, and usurp dominion over the inhabitants of other places. He was, in all probability, the leader of that presumptuous enterprise, the building of a city whose walls should reach to heaven, and should become the centre of a universal monarchy. In the prosecution of these ambitious designs, we can easily imagine that Nimrod must have reduced vast numbers of his fellow-creatures to subjection, either to the labour of slavery or the captivity of war; indeed we can scarcely suppose it to have been other

wise; and general surmise probably does not err in assigning to Nimrod the infamous distinction of being the parent of postdiluvian slavery. It is certain that, in the time of Abraham, some kod of slavery was very common, for we read repeatedly of servants which were his property, born in his house, or bought with his money, or presented to him by some prince with whom he was in friendly alliance, and from henceforward almost every endmeration of patriarchal wealth contains the item, "men-servants and maid-servants." From the character of Abraham, we have every reason to conclude that these persons were treated by him not only with justice and humanity, but with paternal kindness; and, in many instances, their being placed in his family was doubtless a great blessing to them, as the means of bringing them to an acquaintance with the true God. The same remark will apply to the pious patriarchs in general. Still we cannot but see the evil connected with a condition which entrusts one man with absolute dominion over another, the possibility and even danger that he may abuse it. It is very possible that humane and conscientious persons, living in times and countries where slavery was the usual mode of servitude, may have fallen into the custom without perceiving the danger of its principle, and without any disposition to abuse the arbitrary power they possessed; but such instances, however numerous, must be regarded as the exceptions, which do not set aside the general rule that fallen man, acquiring absolute power over his natural equals will, in all probability, abuse it.

About a hundred and fifty years afterwards, we find that the descendants of Ishmael, and of

Abraham's other sons, by Keturah, having greatly multiplied, carried on an extensive trade with Egypt, carrying thither "spicery, balm, and myrrh," the precious productions of their own lands, and, probably, bringing back in exchange the manufactures of Egypt. We observe, with regret, that they were also familiar with another, a most unjust and inhuman traffic in the persons of men. For when the unnatural brethren of Joseph were deliberating on taking away his life, the approach of a company of Ishmaelitish merchants struck into their minds the sudden thought of selling him for a slave. The proposal was made, and the transaction completed without any thing like an emotion of horror or surprise. It is evident that the sale of the human species was no new thing, and that the purchasers were not over scrupulous in their inquiries as to the right of disposal. Many years afterwards, when speaking of the transaction, Joseph said, "I was stolen out of the land of the Hebrews;" and this was a just account. The Ishmaelites, indeed, bought him and sold him; but they bought him of those who had no right to sell him, and no subsequent purchases could do away the guilt of the first theft, or give right to any successive proprietors. The same remark will apply to right of property in African slaves, a subject which, during the last few years, has provoked much discussion, but which is now, as far as England is concerned, happily set at rest.

When the astonishing vicissitudes of Providence, by which the history of Joseph is marked, had placed him on the second throne in Egypt, and brought his offending brethren to his feet in the character of humble suppliants, although cordially reconciled

to them, he observed a mysterious line of conduct, designed and calculated to carry to their consciences convictions of past guilt, and to manifest their present real state of feeling. Among other expedients, he caused his silver cup to be secretly conveyed into the sack of Benjamin, and then sent pursuers to search for it as stolen property. Conscious of their innocence, the eleven brethren challenged investigation, and proposed, in case of its being found with them, that the guilty individual should suffer death, and the rest become bondslaves. On the supposed conviction of Benjamin, Joseph still disguising his real character and feelings, sentenced him alone to bondage, and gave the rest liberty to depart. This circumstance is referred to, simply as an instance that, in those early times, slavery was made a punishment for crime.

The history of Joseph furnishes an example of persons being brought into a state of comparative slavery in another way, viz. as debtors, or purchasers of that for which they had no other means of paying. Under the wise administration of Joseph, an ample supply of provision was treasured up during the seven years of plenty, to supply Egypt and surrounding lands with food during the seven years of famine, which, according to the Divine intimation, were to succeed. It appears that the people in general were not inclined individually to lay up in store, as they might have done, each family for itself. Much of the extraordinary produce was probably consumed in luxury, and the remainder purchased by Joseph, and deposited in the public granaries. At the commencement of the dearth, the people gladly resorted to these stores, and

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purchased as they needed, for the supply of their families. "Skin for skin, all that a man has will he give for his life." Money seemed a thing of small value in comparison with bread, and the whole store of gold and silver was readily parted with for the means of subsistence. When their treasures of money were exhausted, the people brought their cattle in exchange for food, and, as the season of famine drew towards a close, they even sold their lands and their persons to Pharaoh, for sustenance and for seed, that the land might not be desolate, and the calamity prolonged for want of improving the seed time, when the Nile began to overflow. It does not appear that any advantage was taken of the clause which sold the persons to Pharaoh, so as to reduce them to personal oppression and slavery, but that one-fifth of the whole produce of the land in future became the property of the king.

The intimation that Joseph removed the people to the cities, probably means no more than he appointed central places in each district, whither the people from the distant villages were to repair for convenience of being supplied with food. But though no immediate inconvenience appears to have arisen from this surrender of the liberties of the people, it could scarcely exist without ultimately proving an occasion of tyranny and oppression. It has been very justly observed, that no prince ever obtained arbitrary power so fairly, yet, perhaps, it laid the foundation for the subsequent oppression of Israel."*

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The family of Jacob, who came down for succour to Egypt in time of famine, continued to

* Ryland. See Fuller on Genesis.