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‘CHEROKEE PHOENIX A1VD IXBtAXS’ADVOCATEj
Fiomiti N< tv YorkObserve!.
Th* ,1 > trims i espivling itit: rights
of imitlilS ft* .mil iy illlvilUOtUt III S01IIL-
Oi oar ouo i iiriiVs and oven hi our
jut 11.- doiuuieiit*. arc so absurd that
th y hardly merit serious refutation.
Irony in sum casts is the proper
vcapon, and is justified by the exam
ple of Elijah in his interview with the
prophets uf B'til- tVe tie not hesi
tate (her-d'ore. to admit the lollow-
ing k ti le into our columns, premis-
in •■.)•• the sake of weak minds, that
Ho'. Mihsiandinx the signature it ivas
Ho written by a Persian, but by an
.American citizen, who shocked at
the m mstrous principles recently ad
vanced by the State of Georgia and
the Secretary of War, has taken tins
method of exposing them.
Fo- the Now York Observer-.
AH A 3 8t JEZEBEL VINDICATED
IN T1IF. MVTTElt OF XABOTli’S VInEYA .D.
in tho twenty-first chapter ot the
First Bo <k of Kings we tind the fol
lowing story.
,\il it ca ne to pass after these
tin igs that Naboth tno Jezreelite, had
a vi icyard w!iich ica* in Jezrcel hard
by t ie palace of Aliab ki :g of S un -
rh. And Alia!) spake unto Naboth,
B v.in, Give mo thy vineyard, that I
in..y have i: for a garden of herbs
be-'iusett is near unto my house; and
I v U give thee for it a belter vine-
p i than it; or, if it seein good to
t i v. I will vive tli *e toe worth of it
no.-ioy. And Naboth sai i to Auab,
e Lord forbid i' me, that l sliould
o tile inhe itance of mv fathers un
to thee. An ! Ahah cams in o bis
bouse heavy and il soleased because
o'the vord which Naboth the Joz-
r<* -|il“ lied sooken to him lor he had
sii.l, 1 will not give thee the inherit
fin"<• of mv fathers. And lie laid him
ilo .n noon his bed and turned away
his face and would eat no bread.
IV:• I 'Hohel his vile came to luoi,
aid unto bi n, Why is thy spun
1 ihu thou eatest no bread:—
c s id unto ter because 1 sprn.e
N dinl'i the dezi'i < lite, and sjk:
mu (T' e tin* ''ey \ meya 0 lo.
if jileasi tnte, »
an /A"' * inoy«ird i0r it:
d I will not give Uieo
in -
T !
giv
an
And
lit to
II"'O
jn > I
u
«>•
riv.
6 a'
the
brea
f vi
both
I. > '■
*v: or el s
give 1'ipe
he nns.ve
viio-v ird
unto hint
A ud
Dost
dozchei ins ulie
thou turn govern
I: anse, (inti eat
Heart be niei;y:
vineyard ol N.i-
So siic wrote
Allah’s name, and sen leu
kingdom of Is'ac
;d and let thine
I 1 give thee ;lie
the Jezreelite.
* C. 'll
vitl 'is
seal, r.nd sent tiic Jo
tiers
U‘" >
iV* ;•*! h:
rs. and to the uobies
tma
W-
in 1;is
-i> * . dw •.‘iliiig uitti
Na-
h lb
A J .
w , o!• mi the lellois.
t> yi:
tg P
m . st, and Sv.-t
A a-
1)0* .1
nil .: gn
,n the people:
AnU
s- 4
wo i'.i-:i
. sons of Bvlial, beloie
bin)
to bear.
lvitness ngaiiiit him
8 T
Lug
ITiou di 1
•s' bins iheine God
..ml
the
ing. \
.ml then carry him
out,
P.tt'l !
s one b in Hi t lie may die.
A: id
tl|(* 1
n in of l
iis 'ty, C'ich the eld< i s
n-id
lu* no!)h
■s o tvei'e the inh
a hit-
{l
in th
the n
An i
c
Cii<
f a
o
b; .o
ti
his itv, did as Jezebel had
to tTietn mu! as it ions wrii.cn
; i r rs which she had sent unto
They pro laim-cd a lust, and
-i.h on hi h . mung the people.
< . .‘.til. in t \ o men, children
i’ *i.l sat before him: «nd the
f. i I ilnecs d against him,
, Naboth in the presence i
no.'; it;, s.-iing Naboth did j
i.i * God and ih«‘ king. 'I'lien
t him f. 'ili out of the city,
.ud dim \t ill. stones, that lie
.no to , :ss. wlieu Ahah
Nn’ontli ■ . s dead, that A-
tr go < n to fhe vihe-
n the (ireclitc, to take
1 it.
u d of the Lord came lo
Elijah the Tial ibile. saying. Arise, go
down to meet Ahull king of Israel,
v. ;i *h i» in S- maria: he win the vine-
y M | if Naboth, whither lie is gone
dm. il to possess it And thou shall
sue >I- until him, saying, Thus saith
t-.e Loi.d Hast thoi killed, and also
tn' i possess! n? And thou slialt
s oak unto him s • ing Thus sailli the
Lorn I., the . where dogs licked
the 1 |u d of N both shall (logs lick
beard th
hub run' .
Vaid o' N
pur,SC- n.;?.
And ■
thv
s * ; !
O
b •
0 d
of*
blood, even hiue. Vul Ahah
■1 Elijah. Hast thou found me,
■»■ n.■ ent iii* ? And lie answered, I
found ihft; because l lion hast
•hvsulf to work ovil in the sight
Load.
In perusing tins story the unlearn
nt leader is very apt to receive lli«
impression that. Aliab was a wn ki>.
man, itiat Jezebel was an artlul cm
el woman, and that Naboth, a peace
able inoffensive vine-dresser, was un
justly uepmed oi his property and Ins
hie. That tins view oi the case snout,
be almost universal among Christians
is not surprising. Christians have al
ways been no ed lor their squeamish*
ness hi regard lo what they call “ the
rights ol man. i'he distinction oi
master and slave, or vassal and lord,
aie almost unknown to tneir laws, a no
hence it is not strange that they blun
der, w hen they attempt to pass judg
ment upon the conduct ol men slanu-
mg in these relations lo eiuh other.—
It was my privilege, Air. Editor, to
be born and educated in a land wiiert.
these distinctions have always been
known and \ here the rights and du
ties whit.li they involve are tnoiougii-
ly understood. 1 leel, therein.e,
that 1 am better qualified than any
Christian can be, lo judge ol uliai
was proper in this allair ol Aliab and
Nairn.h; end as f perceive that some
ol your Editors, with their perverse
views of the meaning of the story, are
making a wicked application ol il to a
i use w hich now excites n.uch atten
tion among you, and in winch they
would lain involve lhe character ol
youv government. I must beg the priv
ilege of your toluinns while I prove
1. That Naboth had no right lo hit.
vineyard.
2. That Ahab was a kind and gcu-
eront master.
d 'i lia; Naboth was a foolish, ob
stinate. ungrateful vassal; and
4 Thai Jezebel's plan ol getting
rid oi Naboth was the must politii that
could have been devised and v>; s no!
inconsistent with the slit; ii-st justice.
1. Naboth had no right to Ids vine
yard.
The vineyard was Ahab’s by right
of inheritance Loin the cotiqueiois oi
tile country. Naboth was a J( zrcel-
ito. jt-zrcel, ;.s vvc learn liom Jofeli-
ua xv, bb, was one of the tew ns ot tije
Cum,a.tiles, the aborigines cf the land,
who weie srbdued n. the time ol Josh
ua. Fiotn the circumstance that Na
irn'..t is called a Jezreelite, it is lair
to inter tin.I be was a ties, endant ol
ilie aborigines, and of course bad no
right lo j roperty or privileges ol any
kind, except so long as suited the ( on-
veiiience ot Aliab his lotd and sove
reign. lie was a tenant at will, lia
ble lo be ord< led offal any time, and
at moment s wanting.
If ii should be said that Allah’s of
fer lo buy the vineyard is prool that
lie himself considered k abotii as hav
ing a tight m it. and that probably
there were trealh s in which the kings
ot Israel bad guamntied to the Jez-
reeli.es the quiet possession of their
lands, l answer, th t even il it were
so, Ahab would have been a very
weak titan, if he bad allow d liimseli
to be influenced by considerations oi
tins kind. lie was lord and master
..fine Jezi'..elites, and lie must have
had a very imperfect sense of what
Delongs to the relation, ii he felt him
self bound to fulfil the foolish promises
wbi n he may have made them.—
vVtuit are the rigols of master!) w orth,
if they may be frittered away by ev
ery vvi ding lo which they happen to
pul their name J& real. It is said of a
late emperor of Morocco, that when
called upon by an Englishman to fulfil
him, hen promise which he had made
indignantly replied, •■Thinkcst thou
that l am.ui infidel (that is. a Christ
ian 4 ) that! should be the slave of my
word ’’The emperor was a Mahomet
an sovereign. &.had a high sense ol the
digiiMy of his station. He had no idea
of nuking himself a slave or a Chris
tian. And what would Ahab have
been but a nlcre Christian, if lie had
allowed the claims of Naboth?
But. indepe idently of bis rights as
s.uvf s-or to Joshua, and as Naboth s
unsltM' Aliab had a peifeet title to
Hie vineyard on another ground. He
wan ed L for a “-gatden.” Naboth
us d it merely for tlie purpose of
raising grapes. Grapes, it is well
known, contain very little nutriment
Probably the herbs vliidi Ahab could
have raised, would have fed ten times
as many persons as eould have been
snpoort.'d on Naboth’s grapes. On
the general principle then, that they
have the best right to land who can
make the best use of it,—a principle
which has or ouxht to have a place in
every system of international law.
And <if J<*7ftbftt son! c the Lord,
s vine 'he Hoys fc,, all cut Jezebel by
the wall of JozreeL
Utah bad a sound and clear li.fc to
.0 vineyard.
‘ 2. t,ihab teas a kind and generous
.aaslet.
tv e have shown that he could have
nade out a perfect title to the vine
yard on any one ol three distinct
,.ounbs. Go would have deeu justi-
iicd, therefore, in ousting Nauoth
without notice or ceremony of any kind.
But did he oust him. lusleau oi tins,
lie condescended to negotiate wall
nun, he offered him anoHer vineyard,
a uetter vineyard, or if tie prefeitd it,
the worth of the vineyard in money,
tnd when Naboth declined all Ins
offers, what was the effect? Aliao
was grieved to think that the poor
man should be so blind to his own in
terest. It touched him to the heart.
■ lis compassionate feelings were too
powerful for his feeble frame. He
returned to his palace, laid him
town up oh his bed, — turned away bis
lace, and would eat no bread.” Mow
ould lie have manifested more kind
and generous feeling!
J Naboth s a foolish, obstinate,
ungrateful tuissui.
The tender concern which Aliab
manifested for tbe improvement ot Lis
condition was met with - old inseusii i-
lily and stupid indifference. T o i.II
Ins offers of money, of a better vine
yard, and a bt tier title (lor doubtless
Altai) offen d to guaranty the title oi
(he new vineyard) lie turned a deaf
ear. And what reason did lie. assign?
V*. hv forsooth, he was attached to Ins
vineyard, because il had ( ome down
io him from l is anoslo s l -l lie
Lotd forbid it nte’ he says, “that I
should give, the inhn itam e of my fa
thers unto thee. The veiy > ii< nm-
stonce which should have remind, d
him of the 1 cue d. bt of gratitude
hich his family ow ed to (lie kings of
Israel is assigned as a reason for n -
'using their n quest! He had been
permitted to o cupj tin vineyaul so
long that lie now claimed it as his on n!
To be stoned to death was too mild a
a | unishment tor such ingratitude.
4. Jezebels plan of getting rui cf
Naboth vas tie most pc litic that could
have been derma, and was not inconsis
tent with the strictest justice.
To appreciate lull) the merits of
Jezebel, we ne. si eoi.snlei the i n-
i umstanec s in nbi. li she v.as placed.
— Nabo b although poor and mi alien,
doubtles had friends among Ai.ao s
subjects They knew that he aim
his ancestO!s had always oci upieii the
vine.varil-— ihey would >!n reioie nat
urally presume that it was l is, and it
njisrht have been very diluculi to
convince him of the contra rj . ihey
may have heard t Iso ol the lit aties,
and there may have been among them
buhl sii« klers for the rights o. vasst.lt>, I
and for the. obi gntion of sovereigns to
fulfil their promises, tf Aiiait then
had attempted openly to drive Na-
botli away, it might have excited an
alarm among liis Israplitish subjects,
w ho would h:' e feat ed tbr.l their own
vineyards would soon share the late ol
Naboth's.
Jezebel w as aware of all this, and
with admirable dextertiy adapted hi r
measures to ‘he exigencies of tin i use.
She immediately extended the laws
of the Israelites over Naboth, brought
him before the court oil a charge ol
bitch a course was recent mended
'by tour powerful considerations.
1 First, it was the only feasible me
thod of saving Naboth from destruc
tion, lor Jezebel bad resolved that he
should emigrate or perish.
Seconuty, It would have spared
Jezebel the necessitv of planning
Naboth s death, and saved the sons of
Belial from tbe guilt of perju y.
Thirdly, It would have highly gra
tified Ahab, and
Lastly, It would have promoted
the personal interest ol Elijah.
Doubtless Ahab in return foi the
influence which Elijah might have
exerted, would willingly have sup
ported him ever afterwards from the
national treasury. Instead of wander
ing through the country, lodging in
eaves, and fed, sometimes by ravens,
and sometime by taking from tbe poor
widow her last mouthful of bread,
and her last drop of oil. he might have
lived at his e ise, and continued to
discharge the duties of his sacred of-
nee, cheered with tin approbation
o. Ahab and Jezebel, and all the sons
and daughters of Belial.
But Elijah seems to have been blind
to tbe advantages of Inis course, lie
chose rather lo take the part of (he
poor vassal, and to denounce Ahab in
the most harsh and bitter language.
Elijah was truly a singular man, a.id
il is impossible, to account tor ids cun
du.j, by ascribing it to any of the mo
tives which ordinarily govern men.
There was something invisible, on
which bis mini! s eye seemed to be
always fixed, and to which fie bad
reierence in all Itis actions, ft was a
som -thing, which 1 do not understand,
and about which, therefore, i will not
attempt to Bpe, ulate.
A riCKS I AN M00LLAI1.
Bug Bear —One of tbe Northern
papcis fcivcs us an account ol a Bear
that nus s.iol uy a youth while Hunt
ing. that was so completely covered
w till small bugs, similar to the spe-
cii-s that was so annoying to O oud
housewives, that he was ,i skeleton to
minutes after his death! i Ins ooulu
loll well in a second edition ot ruun-
chausens travels.
The Grand Jury of Wilkes County
S. C. congratulate their feilob *.m
zens on tin* dec.re. so in me sale ol
ardent spirits, and present usagiiev-
ntii e, ol incalculable evii, that men
notoriously intemperate in ide and
practice are permitted unuer the
constitution and lai.sof out state, to
bold offices of either honor, proht or
trust. ”
Liberality among printers.— Fropo-
s.Js have been received by tin gents
appointed for furnishing the State of
New Hnmpshiie with 600 copies of
the revised statutes. Mr. Long of
Hopkinton, made the lowest oiler,
which was accepted He gives five
dollars for the privilege of furnishing
the Stale with the 600 volums. (of
about Gl)0 large octavo jnigcs round,)
gratis.
PROSPECTUS
OF THE
BIBLICAL INQUIRER.
bla,,,I,,,,,,, am. « « | T^V^SL 1 ‘SKT 12^1
two sons of Belial v Ntibotli pionabiy udi bo. principally devoted to the interpie-
* The Mahometans call all Christians
inlidclsff
not being allowed by the laws of the
kthgdom to avail himself of the evi
dence of his own people,) had him
condemned and slotted to death.
Ttiis plan was certainly ingenious,
.anil it was not in onsistont with strict
justice. It is true. Naboth sutiered
for a crime w hi h lie never com
mitted, but no injusti e was done him.
He deserved to die for his obstinacy
in refusing to give up bis vineyard;
a id as there was no law lo punish this
offence, justice required that some
expedient should be devised to supply
the deficient y.
INFERENCE.
The inference from our exegesis
of this story is. tliiit Elijah. Hie. Tish-
bite acted strangely.
Elijah was a holy missionary. It
was bis business to instruct men in
their duties to each other. He was
a prophet; and doubtless understood
perfectly well the nature of the con
troversy between Ahab and Naboth.
Why then did he not go to Naboth,
and advise him to emigrate tn the new
vineyard which Altai) offered him?
Why did he not sav to Ahab -I see
the trying situation in which you are
•dnoed and ! pledge mvsell to eo-6p-
e-:<te with jou in ull four m'ea6ur-
| €8.”
^ 311^ devoted to the interpie
.ble. They (io not mean Ly
tins, that the pieces which the work shah
contain, will all he merely exegctical.—
V) hati-ver may contri! ule directs to lu 1 -
nish the Biblical student with the means of
exegesis, it. will be a leading design ol Uie
piopo -ei work to exhibit.
It is well known fo every one who has
any considerali'e acquaintance With Sa
cred Literature, that there is extant a
gn at nnmber of t ssa* s, critical, plclolrgi-
cai, hermeneutical, geographical, chrono
lu o‘-ai, lustoncai, etc. in respect to, the
bci.j iuits, winch lie dispersed in numer
ous volumes am. tracts, publish- d at dil-
rciciit pciiuis, anu by luttiiy dikerent au-
Uiors. volivciions ol these essays, n.o.e or
less extensive, Have not unlrcqucntly been
niaue anu puhlisficd on the continent of
n.u»opc. But most of these comprise a
g.cat treat w lncli is now supertluous, inas
much as it has been supeiseded bj the la-
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thoroughly versed in Sacred Literature.
The repubheation, therefore, of any col
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Theie are, however, in most ofthe cri
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bo l ed in a convenient work of a moderate
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paratus for sacred tn tv, *< r.a'" th- i-
bte and expense of procuring a ^um
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One object of the B blical Inquirer; 1^,.
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W hether the editors of the present work
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M. STUART.
C. F.. STOWED
Andover, Tlieol. Sem Aug. 18, 1929.
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