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This is prescribed by the order of nature: it is thus that God has
created man. For "let them," He says, "have dominion over the
fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every creeping
thing which creepeth on the earth." He did not intend that His
rational creature, who was made in His image, should have dominion
over anything but the irrational creation, not man over man, but man
over the beasts. And hence the righteous men in primitive times were
made shepherds of cattle rather than kings of men, God intending thus
to teach us what the relative position of the creatures is, and what
the desert of sin; for it is with justice, we believe, that the
condition of slavery is the result of sin. And this is why we do not
find the word "slave" in any part of Scripture until righteous Noah
branded the sin of his son with this name. It is a name, therefore,
introduced by sin and not by nature. The origin of the Latin word for
slave is supposed to be found in the circumstance that those who by the
law of war were liable to be killed were sometimes preserved by their
victors, and were hence called servants. And these circumstances
could never have arisen save through sin. For even when we wage a just
war, our adversaries must be sinning; and every victory, even though
gained by wicked men, is a result of the first judgment of God, who
humbles the vanquished either for the sake of removing or of punishing
their sins. Witness that man of God, Daniel, who, when he was in
captivity, confessed to God his own sins and the sins of his people,
and declares with pious grief that these were the cause of the
captivity. The prime cause, then, of slavery is sin, which brings
man under the dominion of his fellow, that which does not happen save
by the judgment of God, with whom is no unrighteousness, and who
knows how to award fit punishments to every variety of offence. But
our Master in heaven says, "Every one who doeth sin is the servant
of sin." And thus there are many wicked masters who have religious
men as their slaves, and who are yet themselves in bondage; "for of
whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage." And
beyond question it is a happier thing to be the slave of a man than of a
lust; for even this very lust of ruling, to mention no others, lays
waste men's hearts with the most ruthless dominion. Moreover, when
men are subjected to one another in a peaceful order, the lowly
position does as much good to the servant as the proud position does
harm to the master. But by nature, as God first created us, no one
is the slave either of man or of sin. This servitude is, however,
penal, and is appointed by that law which enjoins the preservation of
the natural order and forbids its disturbance; for if nothing had been
done in violation of that law, there would have been nothing to
restrain by penal servitude. And therefore the apostle admonishes
slaves to be subject to their masters, and to serve them heartily and
with good-will, so that, if they cannot be freed by their masters,
they may themselves make their slavery in some sort free, by serving
not in crafty fear, but in faithful love, until all unrighteousness
pass away, and all principality and every human power be brought to
nothing, and God be all in all.
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