PART II1,

LECT. I.

DEUTERONOMY, xx. 16, 18.

"Or the cities of these people, which the Lord thy God "doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save no

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thing alive that breatheth; that they teach you not to "do after their abominations, which they have done to "their gods; so should ye sin against the Lord your God."

THIS command to the Israelites, to exercise such extreme severity against the nations of Canaan, whose land they were to possess, has been always considered as the strongest objection to the divine original of the Mosaic Law: it therefore demands a candid, and full discussion. For this purpose it seems necessary to enquire, whether this transaction can be reconciled with just ideas of the attributes and providence of God, so far as it affected the Canaanites; or in other words, whether the severe punishment inflicted on these nations, was justi

fied

fied by their crimes; and whether it is credible, that their destruction, and the settlement of the Jews in their room, should form a part of the divine economy. The next question that arises seems to be, whether the mode in which this punishment was inflicted, and this settlement of the chosen people of God secured, is reconcileable with just ideas of divine wisdom and mercy, so far as it regards the Jews: or in other words, whether it is credible, God should directly command the extirpation of the Canaanites by the sword of the Jews, rather than effect it by any other means. These two enquiries seem to include every question which can arise on this important subject.

Let us then first examine, how far the severe punishment * inflicted on the nations

of

* Before my reader proceeds in this enquiry, it is expedient to remark, that considerable doubt exists, as to the real purport and meaning of the commands, delivered by the Jewish Lawgiver on this subject, and the true extent of the severity ordered to be exercised against the Canaanites. The whole passage runs thus: "When thou comest nigh

+Deut. xx. from 10 to 18.

❝ unto

of Canaan was justified by their crimes; and whether it is credible, that the settle

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"unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto "it; and it shall be, if it make thee answer of peace, and

open unto thee; then it shall be that all the people that is "found therein shall be tributaries unto thee, and they shall serve thee. And if it will make no peace with thee, but " will make war with thee, then thou shalt besiege it; and "when the Lord thy God hath delivered it into thine hands, "thou shalt smite every male thereof with the edge of the “sword. But the women and little ones, and the cattle and "all that is in the city, even all the spoil thereof, shalt thou "take unto thyself; and thou shalt eat the spoil of thine "enemies, which the Lord thy God shall give thee. Thus "shalt thou do unto all the cities which are very far off from "thee, which are not of the cities of those nations. But of "the cities of these people, which the Lord thy God doth "give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing "that breatheth; but thou shalt utterly destroy them, as the "Lord thy God hath commanded thee: that they teach you "not to do after their abominations, which they have done. "unto their gods, so should ye sin against the Lord your "God." On this passage there are two opinions: one, that the injunction, "When thou comest nigh unto a city, to "fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it," extends only to the cities of the nations afar off, but does not apply. to the cities of the seven nations; who, according to the opinion of these commentators, were to be utterly destroyed without any offer of peace. The other, that this injunction applies to every city alike, which the Israelites approached against, even of the seven nations; and that the difference of treatment was not to take place, until after this proffer of peace was rejected, and the city in consequence subdued; when, if it were a remote city, they were permitted only

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ment of the Jews in their room, should form a part of the divine œconomy.

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to put to death those who bore arms against them, who, at that period, were all the adult males; but that if it were a city of the seven nations, all its inhabitants should be utterly destroyed; least, if permitted to remain, they should infect the chosen people of God with the contagion of that obstinate idolatry, to renounce which was always one of the conditions of that peace which they had presumptuously rejected. On this last supposition, the Israelites were to offer peace to the Canaanites and spare their lives, on condition of their emigrating for ever from their country, or renouncing idolatry, adopting the principles of the patriarchal religion, contained in the precepts of Noah, resigning their territory, dissolving their national union, and submitting to become slaves. For it is evident, that they could not tolerate idolatry, nor enter into any equal leagues, which the idols, who were worshipped as the guardian gods of the adverse party, must be supposed to witness and sanction; nor leave in the possession of their cities and lands, those nations, whose country the great Jehovah had assigned to them as their peculiar inheritance, to be entirely divided among their several tribes. But that if the nations of Canaan had renounced idolatry, and submitted to slavery or emigration, they might have been saved from extermination, is strongly confirmed by that passage of the sacred history, which, after relating the war carried on by Joshua against the confederated kings of these nations, and stating that "all the cities of those kings, and the

kings of them, did Joshua take, and smote them with the "edge of the sword, and utterly destroyed them, as Moses, "the servant of the Lord, commanded;" adds this remarkable observation: *" Joshua made war a long time with all these kings:

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* Joshua, xi. 18.

What then were the crimes, which, it is asserted in the Mosaic history, drew down

kings: there wAS NOT A CITY THAT MADE PEACE WITH THE "CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, save the Hivites, the inhabitants of "Gibeon. All other they took in battle, for it was of the "Lord to harden their hearts, that they might come against "Israel in battle, that he might destroy them utterly, and "that they might have no favour, but that he might destroy them, as the Lord commanded Moses." This passage evidently implies, that it was in the power of these nations, by accepting peace, to escape extermination; but that they were permitted to harden their hearts against all the wonders of divine Providence in behalf of the Jews, and by this obstinacy exposed to suffer the full weight of that punishment which their crimes deserved, and which God had denounced against them. All who are conversant ́in the language of the Old Testament know, that it speaks of every event which God permits, as proceeding directly from him; and describes him as hardening the hearts of those, who abuse the divine dispensations, to harden their own hearts in guilt; though these dispensations display a plain natural tendency to soften and reform them.

If this interpretation of the various commands, relating to the conduct of the Israelites towards the nations of Canaan be admitted, the true state of the question will be, whether it appears consistent with the divine attributes, to dispossess of their country a nation sunk in idolatry and vice, in order to place in it another people, selected to preserve a knowledge of the true God, and the principles of moral virtue and if the guilty nation refused to renounce idolatry, or to submit to the settlement of this chosen people, whether it was inconsistent with the divine mercy, to authorize the infliction of the severest punishment, even to extermination.

If