Sermons upon Deuteronomy

And as touching the marking of them, it was a common thing in the East countries. And it is seen in other Countries also, that such as were marked, were of worse state and condition than other bond servants were: but in this place there is no meaning of any harder bondage than the rest. And because God had granted that privilege among his people; he addeth that if any man would needs be a bondslave of his own will, then he should bear some mark thereof. But yet was this mark made without any wounding, as if the tip of a mans ear should be bored with a pin or with an awl that were sharp, it could put him to no pain, and it was no more but to make the matter known. And whereas God saith that he should be so for ever,¹ we must understand that the year of Jubilee was excepted, as we may see in other places. And in very deed, the compass of fifty years was called a world, and the word that Moses useth is taken sometimes for the age of a man, His meaning then is, that he which consenteth to be a bondslave, shall abide in that state for ever, that is to say even until the state of the country be renewed, as well concerning mens Lands as their persons: at which time every man entered again into his own heritage, that God might always be known to be both sovereign Lord and as it were the only Lord of the soil, & that the inhabitants were not owners and freeholders,² but only as tenants at will, or farmers, for those are the very terms that our Lord useth. Therefore his will was that the parting of the Land which was made by his commandment should be kept: the mean whereof was that every man should return to his own inheritance & possession at the fiftieth year, at which time the whole state of the Realm was changed in all other things. Thus see we now what was the effect of this Law.

And as touching the marking of them, it was a common thing in the East countryes. And it is seene in other Coūtries also, that such as were marked, were of worse state and condition than other bondeseruauntes were: but in this place there is no meaning of any harder bondage than the rest. And because God had graunted that priuiledge among his people; he addeth that if any man woulde needes be a bondeslaue of his own wil, then he should beare some marke therof. But yet was this marke made without any wounding, as if the tip of a mans eare should bee boared with a pinne or with an awle that were sharpe, it coulde put him to no payne, and it was no more but to make the matter knowen. And whereas God sayth that he should be so for euer,