The great design of God seems to have been to transfer the territory of the Canaanites to the Israelites, and along with it, absolute sovereignty in every respect; to annihilate their political organizations, civil polity, jurisprudence, and their system of religion, with all its rights and appendages; and to substitute therefor, a pure theocracy, administered by Jehovah, with the Israelites as His representatives and agents.  Those who resisted the execution of Jehovah’s purpose were to be killed, while those who quietly submitted to it were to be spared.  All had the choice of these alternatives, either free egress out of the land[A]; or acquiescence in the decree, with life and residence as tributaries, under the protection of the government; or resistance to the execution of the decree, with death. “And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, to swear by my name, the Lord liveth, as they taught my people to swear by Baal; THEN SHALL THEY BE BUILT IN THE MIDST OF MY PEOPLE.”

[Footnote A:  Suppose all the Canaanitish nations had abandoned their territory at the tidings of Israel’s approach, did God’s command require the Israelites to chase them to the ends of the earth, and hunt them down, until every Canaanite was destroyed?  It is too preposterous for belief, and yet it follows legitimately from that construction, which interprets the terms “consume,” “destroy,” “destroy utterly,” &c. to mean unconditional individual extermination.]

* * * * *

[The preceding Inquiry is merely an outline.  Whoever reads it, needs no such information.  Its original design embraced a much wider range of general topics, and subordinate heads, besides an Inquiry into the teachings of the New Testament on the same subject.  To have filled up the outline, in conformity with the plan upon which it was sketched, would have swelled it to a volume.  Much of the foregoing has therefore been thrown into the form of a mere skeleton of heads, or rather a series of indices, to trains of thought and classes of proof, which, however limited or imperfect, may perhaps, afford some facilities to those who have little leisure for minute and protracted investigation.]

No. 4.

THE

ANTI-SLAVERY EXAMINER.

THE

BIBLE AGAINST SLAVERY.

AN INQUIRY INTO THE

PATRIARCHAL AND MOSAIC SYSTEMS

ON THE SUBJECT OF

HUMAN RIGHTS.

Third Edition—­Revised.

NEW YORK: 

PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN ANTI-SLAVERY SOCIETY, NO. 143 NASSAU STREET.

1838.

This periodical contains 5 sheets.—­Postage under 100 miles, 7 1-2 cts; over 100 miles, 12 1-2 cts.