Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1838-03-14

NJ 1l1>,eaey By general eontribution.
t64 - = rsnsnbssed. the Mosaic law
~ gwen. while Israel was - ne wilder
nfsk and only one statute was ever kiten
respeciing fks dispos;tion 10 Be made of
fie inbabitdnfs Of ne land. II the sem
tence Of death was FIRST pronounced against
them, and afterwards commntld, when 2
where3 BY whom and in what terms
Was the commuiation And where is il
recorded Grant, for arguments sake.
that oil the Canaaniies were sentenced 10
unconditional exiermination as there
was no reversal Of the sentence, how can
. right 10 fnsiave them. be drawn from
such premisesi The punishment OF
death Is one Of the highest recogniiions Of
mans moral nature possible. Il pro-
claims him man--inielllgent accountable,
guilty man. deserving death for having
done bis utmost 10 cheaper hrman life. &
make It worthless when the proof Of its
priceless value. lives in his own nature,
But to make him sIaOe, cheapens to moth
ing EniUersal human nature, and instead
Of healing wound. gives dealh stab !!
What repair an injury done to rational
being in the robbery Of one Of It's rights.
not merely BY robbfDg il Of all. but by an.
Initiating the very Foundation Of them
that everlasting distinction between men
and things7 To make man chattel.
IS otthe Yaaisimssf, but the annihiia-
tioa OF a hnmas being, and, so far as it
goes. Of all human beings This commu-
taiion Of the punishment OF death, into
perpetual slavery. what fortunate dis
coveryi Alas for the honor Of Deity.
if commentators had not manned the for
lorn hope. and rushed TO the rescue Of the
Divine character at the very crisis of its
fate, and. BY = timely movement, covered
It's retreat from the perilo1s position in
which inspiration had csrclessly left It'll
Here question arises Of sufficient i'm
portance Tor . separate dissertation; but
must for the present be disposed of in a
few paragraphs. Were THE CANAAN
TITS sENTENcED ny GoDro INDrvIDu.
AL AND UNcoNDITIoNkL ExTERMINA-
TIoN9 That the views generally prcva-
lent on this subject, are wrong, we have
no doubt; but as the limits Of this Inqui-
~ forbid our going into the merits Of the
question, 50 as to give all the grounds OF
dissent from becommonly received opin-
ions. the suggestions made. will BE- thrown
out merely as QUERIES. and not as for
NAL laying down Of doetriaes.
The leading directions as to the dispo-
sal Of the Canaanitps are mainly in the
following passages, Exod. xiii. 23-33,
and 3o--5l, and "a. ll-Deui. vii To-
25, aud *. 8, and XXI 8. ], q. Inthese
verses, the Israelites are commanded 10
destroy the Canaanites'' TO. drive out"
CONSUME" -" utterly overthrow ..put
on" -" dispossess them" SC. Quest. Did
these commands enjoin the unconditional
and universal destruction Of the isdtvidu-
ais. or merely Of the body politica Ans
The Hebrew word Haram, TO destroy,
signifies national. as well as individual
deafuciiou; political existence, equally
with yeysonal; the destruction Of govern
mental organization. equally with the lives
Of the subj CTS. Besides. il we interpret
1.-The words destroy. consume. overthrow,
Sc, to mean personal destruction, what
meaning shall We give to the expressions,
"drive out before thee !" cast out be-
fore thee" expel.n put out .cispos-
sess." &C., which are used in the same
passages1
Foo clue TO the sense in which the
word destroy" is used. see Exodus xiii.
81. :. will destroy ell the people to whom
thou shalt come, and win make all thine
enemies tnrR their backs anto ihes. Here
al thsir enemiss' were to farm Their
backs. and all iAe people, 10 be . Iestroq
sk" Does this mean that God would lei
all their eneWies escape. but kill ali theiI
tr.esis or that he would first kill = all
the people" and THEN make them turn
their backs 10 flight, an army Of runa.
} way corpses7
The word rendered bae!s, is in theor.
igipal. nee&s. and the passage mag mean
; will make all your enemies turn their
) necks unto you that is. be SO ject 10 40.
) asfrijEtsries, become denational;z theiI
civil polity. state organization, pliitical ex
2 istrnce, destroyed-lheir idoIatrous tenn
Piles. affairs, images. groves, and all hea
Z then rites destroyed; in a word, thei
whole system. national, political. civil, AM
I religious. subverted. and rhe whole PEG
4 pie pnt under tribute. Again; if thes
, commands required the unconditional de
{ strurtlon Of all the In licidnaLs Of the Ca
. haanites. the Mosaic law was at war wit
. itself. for the directions relative to IN
= ltreaiment Of native residents and soiourn
: ers. form large part Of it. .The strar
= ger thai dwelieih with you shill be uut
i you as oae born among you, and tho
q shalt lovehim as myself" !. II thy brotl
K er be waxen poor, thou shalt relieve hin
y yea. though he be stranger or sojovT,
, er. that be may live with thee" Tho
? shalt not Cypress sfraager.n Tho