a slave, cheapens to nothing universal human nature, and instead of healing a wound, gives a death stab.  What! repair an injury done to rational being in the robbery of one of its rights, not merely by robbing it of all, but by annihilating the very foundation of them—­that everlasting distinction between men and things?  To make a man a chattel, is not the punishment, but the annihilation of a human being, and, so far as it goes, of all human beings.  This commutation of the punishment of death, into perpetual slavery, what a fortunate discovery!  Alas! for the honor of Deity, if commentators had not manned the forlorn hope, and rushed to the rescue of the Divine character at the very crisis of its fate, and, by a timely movement, covered its retreat from the perilous position in which inspiration had carelessly left it!  Here a question arises of sufficient importance for a separate dissertation; but must for the present be disposed of in a few paragraphs.  WERE THE CANAANITES SENTENCED BY GOD TO INDIVIDUAL AND UNCONDITIONAL EXTERMINATION?  That the views generally prevalent on this subject, are wrong, we have no doubt; but as the limits of this Inquiry forbid our going into the merits of the question, so as to give all the grounds of dissent from the commonly received opinions, the suggestions made, will be thrown out merely as QUERIES, and not as a formal laying down of doctrines.

The leading directions as to the disposal of the Canaanites, are mainly in the following passages, Exod. xxiii. 23-33, and 33-51, and 34, 11—­Deut. vii. 16-25, and ix. 3, and xxxi. 3, 1, 2.  In these verses, the Israelites are commanded to “destroy the Canaanites”—­to “drive out,”—­“consume,”—­“utterly overthrow,”—­“put out,”—­“dispossess them,” &c.  Quest.  Did these commands enjoin the unconditional and universal destruction of the individuals, or merely of the body politic? Ans.  The Hebrew word Haram, to destroy, signifies national, as well as individual destruction; political existence, equally with personal; the destruction of governmental organization, equally with the lives of the subjects.  Besides, if we interpret the words destroy, consume, overthrow, &c., to mean personal destruction, what meaning shall we give to the expressions, “drive out before thee;” “cast out before thee;” “expel,” “put out,” “dispossess,” &c., which are used in the same passages?

For a clue to the sense in which the word "destroy" is used, see Exodus xxiii. 27.  “I will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee.”  Here “all their enemies” were to turn their backs, and “all the people” to be “destroyed”.  Does this mean that God would let all their enemies escape, but kill all their friends, or that he would first kill “all the people” and THEN make them turn their backs in flight, an army of runaway corpses?