YALE
UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

TRACTS. VOL. V.

TRACTS
PRINTED AND PUBLISHED
RY
THE UNITARIAN SOCIETY
FOR PROMOTING
CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE
AND
THE PRACTICE OF VIRTLE.

VOL. V.

CONTAINING

THEOLOGICAL DISQUISITIONS ON NATURAL RELIGION,
AND ON THE JEWISH DISPENSATION.
By T. COGAN, M.D.

LonUoii :
SOLD BY R. Hl'NTER. ST. PAUL's CHL'RCH\ ARD ;
D. EATON. 187 HIGH HOLBORN:
AND C. FOX AND CO., THREADNEEDLE-STRELT.
1825.

THEOLOGICAL DISQUISITIONS;

OR,

AN ENQUIRY

INTO THOSE

PRINCIPLES OF RELIGION,
WHICH ARE MOST 1KFLUENTIAL IN
DIRECTING AND REGULATING THE PASSIONS
AND AFFECTIONS OF THE MIND.

I. Disquisition, — On Natural Religion.
II. Disquisition, — On the Jewish Dispensation,
respecting Religion and Morals.

By T. COGAN, M. D.

Jlonfoon :
rBINTED FOR T. CADELL AND W. DAVIES, STRAND J
10NGMAN, HURST, REES, ORME, AN» BROWN, PATERNOSTER-
ROW ; JOHNSON AND CO. ST. PAUL'S CHURCH YARD J
AND J. BINNS, AT BATH.

By G. Sidney, Northumberland-street, Strand.'
1812.

PREFACE.

The Reader cannot be more
displeased at the inconveniences which at
tend the publishing of an extensive work,
in a detached manner, and at different pe
riods, than the Author of these disquisitions.
This mode holds the one in a disagreeable
state of suspense, and it may prevent the
other from making that accurate and ac
ceptable arrangement of the various parts
of his subject, which would have been more
practicable, had the whole been completed
before the publication. But the Author was
ignorant, when he began to apply the analytic
method of reasoning, to moral and religious
subjects, to what an extent it might lead him ;
nor could he conjecture to what a degree the
a 2

iv PREFACE. v
attempt would ' meet with an encouraging
acceptance. It is twelve years since the introductory
treatise was sent to the press. This tedious
delay has been extremely unpleasant, and
obviously injurious to the work. But va
rious circumstances conspired to render it
inevitable. Minute investigations of a moral
and religious nature are not calculated for
popularity. Nor is the attention or appro
bation of the contemplative few to be spee
dily procured. It was these considerations
which held the author for some time in sus
pense, whether he should venture to prose
cute his ethical enquiries.
The disquisitions which are now sub
mitted to the candour of the public, were
printed two years ago, with a view to an early
publication : but they were composed under
50 many unfavourable circumstances, arising
from personal indispositions, and family afflic
tions, that he was compelled to suppress that
copy entirely, and submit to the expence
incurred, rather than to expose the many
errors obvious to himself, to the public eye.

PREFACE. v
that he might not again trespass upon
the patience of his readers, he resolved
also not to publish this more correct edi
tion, until the final volume, on the character*
istic excellencies of Christianity, should be
in such a state of forwardness, as would
enable him to announce that it will be pub
lished early in the ensuing spring. With that
volume will be delivered, to those who may
honour the whole set with a place in their
library, an appropriate title-page, denoting
the connection of the different parts with
each other.
He may farther urge, as an apology for the
extent of this work, that from the analytic
method, brevity cannot be commanded. Who
ever undertakes to defend or confute a par
ticular hypothesis, is, in a considerable de
gree, master of his own operations. He
has it in his power to limit the boundaries of
his subject ; to bring forward the choicest
pf his arguments, and to suppress those
which he deems to be of an inferior im
portance. The analyzer is deprived of
these privileges. He must continue his re-

vi PREFACE.
searches until his own investigations are ex
hausted, or the analysis will be incomplete ;
and those principles which are requisite to
form the solid basis of speculative opinionsj
will, even in his own conceptions, remain
imperfectly explored. But the analyzer has
the prospect of being indemnified, for the
superior trouble which he has taken, by esca
ping many errors to which a partial view
of subjects must be exposed ; and by the
discovery of some important facts, which
systematic writers are prone to overldbk.
Notwithstanding his expectations of being
somewhat prolix, the author confesses that
his researches have conducted him much
farther than he could have imagined. He did
not conceive that the 'theological part would
have required so much attention. Although
the subject of natural religion did not demand
particular enlargement in the present work,
it could not be omitted with propriety. It
was introduced in order to maintain a kind
of unity in his plan ; and it furnishes an
opportunity of making some observations
which appear of considerable importance.

PREFACE. vii
The author had at first expected that a
cursory view of the Jewish religion, merely
as introductory of the Christian, would have
been sufficient for his purpose. But, in pro
portion to the minuteness of his enquiries,
was he the more strongly convinced, that
this dispensation deserved deeper researches ;
the more clearly did he perceive an inte
resting uniformity through its various parts ;
each of them, like the radii of a circle,
tending to a central point ; and in this cen
tral point, are placed the interests of the
Gentile world, as well as those of the Jewish
nation. The accumulating evidences of the
importance of that dispensation, that it is
worthy of God, and that it came from God,
augmented his pleasure as he proceeded.
To such causes must be ascribed the extent
of the disquisition.

Several writers who have been zealous
to support the credit of the Jewish history,
have manifested great solicitude to confute
the detached objections of unbelievers;
and they have displayed much learning and

viii PREFACE.
soundness of judgment in their endeavours.
But they have proceeded upon the suppo
sition, that the objectors were intimately
acquainted with the nature, contents, and
objects of the sacred records ; and that no
thing further would be requisite, to dispose
them to walk in the paths of truth with an
even step, than tp remove certain obstacles
which lay in their way. It was the con
trary supposition which induced the author,
to treat the Jewish dispensation with such
minuteness of detail. He has presumed,
that very few objectors have studied the
Jewish history with attention and impartia
lity ; for to readers of this description, there
is every reason to imagine that all the ob
jections advanced will appear trivial. It
may be acknowledged, that some remaining
difficulties require the elucidations of the
learned, while they are impotent to silence
the Oracles of Truth.

The evidences of a divine revelation are
usually classed into two kinds ; the external,

PREFACE. ix
and the internal. The external evidence
depends entirely upon human testimony ;
and the credibility of human testimony, rests
upon the opportunities of information
which have been enjoyed by the witness;
the powers of his mind, rightly to under
stand and comprehend ; and the integrity of
his heart, preventing him from being influ
enced by any motive whatever, to invent a
falsehood, or misrepresent the truth. For
the external evidences relative to the Jew
ish history, we must refer to other authors.
To have enlarged upon these, would have
been a deviation from our plan ; which has
been to investigate the moral history of
man ; to trace the consonance between
his moral nature, and the obvious designs of
Providence respecting him ; and to prove,
that all the leading facts related in the Jew
ish history, are worthy of our belief, from
their intrinsic nature and peculiar charac
teristics ; that they are perfectly consonant
with the nature, state, and exigencies, of
the human race; and that they perfectly
harmonize with the most rational conceptions

x PREFACE.
which can be formed of the perfections and
providence of God. This internal evi
dence, connected with the external, forms
an union not easily to be resisted ; and it is
most worthy of being received, for it is
the confirmation of principles, which are
the only preservatives against the horrors of
superstition on the one hand, and the extra*
vagancies of scepticism on the other.
In the pursuit of this object, the author-
was resolved to apply to no other source of
information, than to the Sacred Oracles them
selves. He is fully convinced, that a revela
tion from heaven cannot be so obscure in
its essential points, as absolutely to demand
the assistance of the Literati, however ser
viceable this assistance may be in articles of
inferior consideration ; or necessary to com
bat those objections which may arise from
ignorance, and misconceptions, in their va
rious branches.

There would not be much extravagance
in the apprehension, that many pious «and
zealous Christians are not acquainted with

PREFACE, xi
the history of the Old Testament, in the
manner and to the extent which it deserves ;
or they would peruse it with greater plea*
sure, and treat it with more respect.
The indifference with which this dispensa
tion has been too generally treated, even
by those who deem it of a divine origin, may
perhaps be ascribed to confused and imper
fect ideas respecting its immediate object;
and these, again, may proceed from an appa
rent defect in the arrangement of the mate
rials which compose the Jewish history.
The Sacred Records are journals of various
events, with all the peculiarities attending
them as they arose. Histories national and
personal, institutions civil and religious, na
tural occurrences, miraculous interpositions,
conquests, defeats, obedience, disobedience,
trangressions, threatenings, rewards^ punish
ments, Pagan rites, Jewish corruptions ; these
are related with great simplicity, but in a style
and manner very different from modern com
positions. The object of the historians was to
perpetuate important events, establish impor
tant doctrines, deeply to impress the minds of

xii PREFACE.
a perverse people, with a sense of their duties
and their privileges ; and to preserve them
from the contaminations of their idolatrous
neighbours, to which they were exposed
for a series of ages. But to answer such
purposes, no other order was necessary or
practicable, than the order of time. This
mass of materials, however, so heteroger
neous to us in its appearance, contains incon
testable evidences of wisdom more than hu
man, in the execution of a plan worthy of
the Deity ; and truths in which the whole
rational creation is equally interested. But
these important subjects are blended toge-,
ther, in a manner which embarrasses a super
ficial reader, and with various other sub
jects, in which we seem to have no inte
rest. The author hopes that many of these
difficulties will be effectually removed, sim-
ply,by arrangements more adapted to modern
readers ; and by his having collected in
a more conspicuous point of view, sub
jects which, in the current history, are
separated from each other by the intervention
of adventitious matter. The mercantile reader
3

PREFACE. xiii
will fully comprehend his meaning, when
he intimates, that he has attempted to digest
the miscellaneous contents of a day book,
into a methodized ledger.
The particular object which the author
had in view, when he applied himself to the
perusal of the Old Testament with attention,
was, that he might extract and arrange
those doctrines respecting religion and
morality, which were correspondent to the
principles investigated in his Ethical dis
quisitions ; and this "eircum stance has, at
the same time, enabled him to trace the har
mony that pervades the whole, notwith
standing the great diversity of the parts ;
and also the relation of this whole to the
common interests of mankind.
It would, at all times, have been desirable
to render the moral history of the world,
which is contained in these Sacred Records,
more intelligible, pleasing, and instructive
to biblical readers. But at the present
period, the pious ardour which is diffused
over these happy lands, the unanimity

xiv PREFACE.
with which Christians, of every denomina
tion, exert themselves to communicate light
and knowledge to the Pagans in distant re
gions, and to instruct those who are nearly
as ignorant as Pagans, at home, render every
attempt to remove some of the obscurities
which hang, like a mist, over the Divine
Book, of peculiar importance. The period
is approaching, and must arrive, in which
that Book will become perfectly intelligible
to believers, perfectly rational to unbe
lievers, and most acceptable to those who
sit in darkness and in the shadow of death ;
and happy is every one who can accelerate
its arrival.

CONTENTS.
THEOLOGICAL DISQUISITIONS.
ON XATIR.U AND RKVEALKB RELIGION, AS CONNECTED
WITH HUMAN HAPPINESS. Page
Introduction __-_-_____ ~i
DISQUISITION I.
ON NATURAL RELIGION'.
CHAP. I.
On tlie being awd attributes of Deity - - - - IS
CHAP. II.
On tlie distbictions in the divine attributes. - - - 2?
CHAP. III.
On the justice of God, as a modification of his
goodness. -__-_----_ 34
CHAP. IV.
On the ascription of passions and affections to
the Divine Mmd. --------- 40
DISQUISITION II.
ON THE JEWISH DISPBNSATIpN.
Preliminary observations ------- 63
CHAP. I.
% On tlw bemg and attribiUes of God, and the duties
of morality, as revealed inthe Jewish dispensation. S5
CHAP. II.
On tlie manner pursued by Providence to pre
serve tlie Hebrews from Idolatry, - - - - 146
Sect. I. The early state of the world respecting
religion -------- M8

xvi CONTENTS.
IL The selection of a particular family
from surrounding idolaters - - - 155^
IIL The religious ceremonies of the Jews,
their object ------- 180
IV. The propensity of the Hebrews to idola
try, its causes, dangers, and preven
tions --------- 195
V. The religious and moral character of
the Hebrews, at different periods,
and its consequences - - - - 240
VI. The instrumentality of the prophets in
the preservation of true religion - 275
VIL The captivity of Judah and Benja
min, and the consequent establish
ment of Monotheism in Judea - - 304
CHAP. IIL
The selection of the Jewish Nation from the
Pagan World, was not for their benefit exclu
sively ---- -_-_-__-
Sect. I. The moral character of the Jewish na
tion did not entitle them to this ex
clusive honour ------ 32S
II. Express declarations respecting the dif
fusion of happiness, through the me
dium of this dispensation - - - 343f
III. On the natural and moral influence of
the Jewish religion, in mitigating
the horrors of Paganism - - - 357
CHAP. IV.
Observations and inferetKes respecting the divine
origin of the Jewish dispensation - 428

INTRODUCTION.

Religion is every thing, or it is nothing. It
is the one thing needful, or it is a phantom
of the brain. If a being or beings exist, who
possess the power, and the disposition, to inter
fere in the concerns of mortals, and who are
perpetually engaged in conferring favours, or
inflicting evils, a most important connection, a
relationship exists also, which no human being
can dissolve, or elude ; and it becomes an act
of the highest prudence to turn this connection
to the best account. Our earnest enquiries
should, therefore, be into the reality of such an
existence and agency, and in what manner we
shall be able to secure the complacency, or avert
the displeasure of these beings : and we shall
naturally be induced to shape our conduct,
B

1 INTRODUCTION.
according to the ideas wc may form of their
character and requisitions.
That a being, or beings, exist superior to
Man, and exert an influence over him, has
been the universal opinion in all ages. No
country has been totally destitute of some spe
cies of religion, or of superstitious rites ; which
confirms the universality of the opinion. But it
is on this point alone that mankind have been
unanimous. The notions entertained respect
ing the number of these deities, their characters,
their offices, their demands, the extent of their
power, have been infinitely diversified, and most
contradictory to each other; and this diversity
of opinions has lead to correspondent ac
tions, which have had a momentous influence
upon the moral world, and largely contributed
to the happiness or misery of the human
race. We have, upon a former occasion, traced some
of the evils arising from absurd and supersti
tious notions of Religion. We have also com
bated the inferences which philosophic atheism
has drawn from these ; and we have endeavoured

INTRODUCTION. s
to prove, that a total abnegation of Religion
would become a source of greater evils, thau
those which this philosophy professes to dread.
We proceeded to show, that there are senti
ments ' entertained respecting Religion, which
are most conducive to human happiness ; such
as perfectly correspond with the state, exigen
cies, powers, capacities of man, and form the
basis of that felicity to which he ardently as
pires. We observed that a Religion of this de
scription must be consonant with the reason of
all rational beings ; that it must exert a similar
influence upon all its votaries; — it must cherish
the pleasant affections of love, gratitude, ad
miration, reverence, and hope ; — it must be cal
culated to administer consolation to every sin
cere worshipper, in every situation of life ; — it
must accord with the social character of man ; —
it must authorize the expectation of more ex
alted happiness than this world can bestow.
In a subsequent Disquisition, we endeavoured
to prove, that rational Religion not only
administers personal consolations, but it places
before us the most powerful motives to the prac-
b 2

4 INTRODUCTION.
tice of all those moral and social duties upon
which social happiness depends. It teaches us
to adore one universal sovereign, who loves vir
tue, has a perfect knowledge of human conduct,
is wise and just to punish and reward ; and who is
the benevolent father of the whole human race.
In the Disquisitions to which a reference is
now made, we confined our attention to the
natural effects of these principles upon the mind,
and their tendency to annihilate human misery !
And from the above statements a very important
question presents itself, "What are the evidences
upon which the above desirable principles are
founded? A deep and permanent conviction of
their reality is necessary to give them the ascen
dency over inferior pursuits. Nothing enervates
action so much as the prevalence of doubt; and
nothing invigorates equally with hope.. But
hope, to be continually active, must be inspired
by a conviction that has a solid basis : and it
is most desirable that doubts should appear to
be as opposite to reason as they are inimical
to inward tranquillity.
When sensible objects affect the mind, their

INTRODUCTION. 5
existence is not doubted, and we presume that
their qualities are known to us ; but, whatever
is not the object of our senses, can alone be
come impressive through the medium of belief.
This belief can alone be distinguished from a
mere creature of the imagination, by its being
founded upon competent evidence, which it is
more rational to admit than to reject. The
question is, Does such evidence exist? Why
may we not suspect, that the most favour
able sentiments of Religion are merely opi
nions; like those entertained by the Pagan
world concerning their gods ? Why ought they
not to be rejected also as creatures of the imagina
tion, which, although they may be more pleasing,
are equally delusive ? These questions are per
tinent, and demand a serious consideration.
But, before we proceed to an immediate
answer, it may be proper to ask in return, what
degree of evidence will prove satisfactory ? In
order to be consistent with itself, ought not the
mind of the inquirer to be contented with such
evidences of the consonance of the above reli
gious sentiments with truth, as are universally

6 INTRODUCTION.
allowed to be sufficient encouragements to pursue
good, by any other means ? No one has ever
demanded absolute demonstration in what con
cerns his' secular affairs. High degrees of pro
bability are always sufficient to encourage the
mind to the most arduous undertakings. We
are incessantly forming plans and projects which
cannot promise a certainty of success. A re
luctance therefore to admit the truths of religion,
without absolute demonstration, has a very sus
picious appearance. The virtuous principle must
be very low in the barometer of that man," who
will not cultivate a contented and patient dis
position of mind; who will not be temperate,
diligent, frugal, chaste, without an absolute cer
tainty of some tremendous punishment hereafter,
for the neglect of these virtues ; or of an im
mense reward for the observance of them ; and
he that would resolve to be unjust, oppressive,
or cruel, if he were not terrified by the appre
hensions of future condemnation, is a very
worthless member of society. Vice has never
demonstrated to her profligate votaries, that she
could communicate happiness. They always

INTRODUCTION. 7
act upon trust, when they pursue her pleasures,
and they are always deceived ; which has never
been proved to be the case with the man of true
piety ; and this affords a presumption, that his
principles of action are founded upon a more
solid basis. If therefore we can adduce argu
ments to prove, that the sentiments of religion
stated in the preceding Disquisition, are equally
certain with the most prevalent inducements, by
which mankind are constantly influenced, every
rational being must confess, that he relinquishes
his rationality, if he do not act upon them with
a similar assiduity.
When*the christian philosopher attempts to
prove the truth of religion, he makes a distinc
tion between natural and revealed religion. The
first is confined to such conceptions of a Deity
as may be formed by contemplating the works
of nature, which accord with our reason, and
which reason itself, under advantageous circum
stances, might be able to discover. The know
ledge of God by Revelation, is not eonfmedi

8 INTRODUCTION.
simply to the being and attributes of Deity, but
extends to a supernatural communication from
heaven, which has a respect to some specific
commands to man, or to the manifestation of
particular plans and designs of the universal go
vernor concerning him. It is supposed to pro
mulgate important truths, unknown to a world
immersed in ignorance ; and which the most
enlightened minds either had not, or could not,
have discovered.
The subject therefore divides itself into two
parts ; and in conformity to the above distinc
tions, we shall, in our first Disquisition, attend to
those evidences of the being and perfections of
deity, which are founded upon natural principles,
and approve themselves to the understanding :
and we shall attempt to show, that the sentiments
of Religion most conducive to human happiness,
and influential to the practice of every virtuej
are consonant with the truest reason. We shall
afterwards examine, whether they be not the
immediate objects of a divine revelation."

DISQUISITION I.

ON NATURAL RELIGION;
OR,
The evidences of the Being and moral perfections of
a Deity, deduciblefrom the works of nature, and
encouraging to the practice of virtue.
" He that cometh to God, must believe that he is, and that
he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." Heb. xi. v. 6.

DISQUISITION I.

ON NATURAL RELIGION.

It is not our object to enquire whether the
sentiments which are classed under natural reli
gion have been discovered, or could have been
discovered, by the powers of reason alone.
Admitting the first conceptions of true reli
gion to have been derived from a divine revela
tion, the reason of man must be convinced that
they are worthy of God. It perceives at once
their infinite superiority to absurd extravagances
of paganism, and confirms our belief in revela
tion by the consonance of its doctrines with the
principles of reason.
In subjects of human science every one per
ceives the distinction between discoveries made,
and a perception of the truth of these disco
veries. The architect designs and executes ;
the multitude approve and admire, what they
could not have planned. The profound Phi
losopher alone may be competent to the inves-

12 ON NATURAL RELIGION.
tigations of science ; a man of common under
standing will be able to profit by his investi
gations. If the most desirable views of reli
gion be in conformity with the first principles
of reason, it is of inferior importance whether
they were, or could have been, discovered by the
exercise of intellect ; or whether they were
revealed by that being, who gave to man those
powers of intellect, by which he is able to dis
tinguish between supernatural interpositions,
the pretensions of imposture, and the visions of
fanaticks. As our chief attention will be directed, in
these theological disquisitions, to the grand
objects of an immediate revelation, we propose
to treat the article before us with all possible
brevity. The analytical method which we have
adopted, cannot be prosecuted to its due extent,
in scrutinizing the natural arguments for the
existence of an intelligent first cause. For
every thing that exists in the immensity of space
would present its claims. The author's sole
motives for introducing this Disquisition, were
a desire of preserving an unity in his plan ; and
the hopes that his observations, which respect
the distinctions subsisting in the divine attri
butes, although they may appear to be novel, will
not be considered as unimportant.

( 13 )

CHAPTER I.
SUMMARY VIEW OF THE ARGUMENTS ON WHICH
A BELIEF IN THE BEING AND PERFECTIONS
OF GOD IS FOUNDED.
Philosophical Theists unite in contempla
ting God as one, living, intelligent, spiritual,
immutable, operative, and happy being; the
source of all other beings : whose existence is
from eternity : whose presence is universal :
whose power is irresistible : whose knowledge
embraces all real and possible existences : whose
wisdom is unerring : whose goodness is as un
bounded as his power and his wisdom ; extend
ing to every proper object in universal nature.
Theists maintain, that these sentiments of
deity are not the hypothetic visions of the brain,
but that they are supported by all the evidences
which the immensity of the subject, and the
contracted, limits of the human faculties, will
admit. They are embraced, because they alone

U ON NATURAL RELIGION.
can satisfactorily explain the various and wonder
ful phaenomena in nature ; because they are most
consoling in themselves, and most correspondent
with the existence and state of moral agents.
From the many arguments with which they
support these doctrines, we shall select the fol
lowing. When we contemplate the Universe, we con
template a most extensive, curious, ana complica
ted system, which bears innumerable marks of
design in its conformation ; and as naturally sug
gests the idea of a designing cause, as any well-
contrived machine of human construction, indi
cates a contriver. Nor would it be more ab
surd to deny design, in the latter case, than it is in
the former, were the nature of the workmanship
found, upon comparison, to be merely equal. If
therefore, the former be infinitely more surprising,
extensive, complicated, and effective, than the
latter, the absurdity of the denial is proportion-
ably increased. It is irrational to acknowledge
an intelligent cause in the formation of an
Orrery, and refuse it to the formation of heavenly
bodies, which it so imperfectly represents.
The more we contemplate the system of na-

ON NATURAL RELIGION. 15
ture, and the more intimate our acquaintance
becomes with its different parts, the more forci
bly are we struck with indications of design ; of
wisdom in the plan, power in the execution,
goodness in the object ; and the more are our
evidences multiplied, of the existence of a de-
signing Cause, who is wise, powerful, and good.

As the inanimate creation indicates a certain
arrangement of different and heterogeneous ma
terials, endowed with various properties, corres
pondent to the rank in which they exist, and
contributing to the unity of the whole ; and as
these materials contain rib marks of self-existence,
or of natural activity, it is rational to consider
the material world as a production ; and as the pro
duction of a cause xlistinct from,, and superior to
itself. As organized bodies, both vegetable and ani
mal, manifest a vitality, which is not necessarily
inherent in matter; as they are endowed with
numerous diversities and gradations in powers
and faculties, which have no affinity with the
accidental arrangements of matter, it is most
rational to ascribe their existence to an
higher origin.

16 ON NATURAL RELIGION.
The perpetual changes that take place in the
material world ; the production, dissolution, and
re-production, of animal and vegetable life, demo'd-
strate that Eternity does not necessarily belong
to them ; and that the ascription of this attribute
to them is arbitrary and conjectural. If they be
not eternal, from a necessity of nature, they must
have a cause prior to themselves. Notwith
standing the most extended concatination that
may exist in the series of productions, effects
succeeding to their causes through incalculable
ages, yet the mind must ultimately repose itself
in a first Cause; who, being uncaused, must exist
from eternity. If matter have no apparent
claim to existence from eternity, of which there
is not one vestige in its nature, and if it could
not create itself, it must have received its exist
ence from a Being, whose nature is different and'
superior.

To a Being who exists, distinct from and
superior to matter, we ascribe the attribute of
Spirituality.

Ah material forms depend upon the arrange
ment of their parts, and the dissolution of these

ON NATURAL RELIGION. 17
forms proceeds from the dissolution of their
parts ; the Being, therefore, who is superior to
matter, not consisting of parts, must possess a
nature free from dissolution. No supposable
change can alter his mode of existence, or dis
solve his being : therefore, no law of his nature
can prevent his being eternally as he is.

By ascribing the works of creation to this un
caused Being, we acknowledge that he possesses
power equal . to the production ; the marks
of design stamped upon the works of creation,
indicate that this powerful Agent is not an un
meaning, unintelligent Agent, but that he must
possess wisdom and knowledge, equal to the
undertaking.

This intelligent Cause, not being subjected to
any of the laws of that matter which he himself
created ; nor to any superior power, for all
power is an emanation from him ; and not being
necessitated to exist in one part of boundless
space, more than in another, there can be no
natural impediment to his omnipresence. If
creation imply the operative presence of the
creator, and if created beings exist through the

18 ON NATURAL RELIGION.
infinitude of space, his presence must be uni
versal.

His knowledge accompanying all his works,
and these being infinite, he must be omniscient.

When we contemplate the wonderful adap
tation of various parts of the system to each other,
and the harmonious result which characterizes
the whole, our minds are deeply impressed with
the marks of wisdom and active intelligence,
inscribed upon every part, which fully manifest
an unity in the whole. The more extensive our
knowledge is of the productions in nature, the
more extensive does his Wisdom appear; and if
we have reason to conclude, that these are infi
nite, we must infer that his wisdom is infinite
also. In like manner, wherever we remark that the
exertions of power, and the execution of plans,
indicate some useful purpose, we form concep
tions of that wisdom which not merely indicates
skill, but which manifests Goodness. We conclude
that the Being who forms purposes of good,
must possess a goodness of character. The more
these purposes are displayed in the diversities of

ON NATURAL RELIGION. 19
creation, and in its established laws, the more
conspicuous is the union of benignity with wis
dom, in the productions of an intelligent agent.

Not being in subjection to his own produc
tions, being superior to all foreign opposition, and
his wisdom invariably discerning what is best,
the Will of this intelligent cause must be wise,
immutable, and above controul.

Being incapable of deceiving or of injuring
the meanest or the most exalted of his creatures ;
having a right, by the law of creation, to obe
dience to every duty enjoined upon his intelli
gent creatures ; knowing the full extent of their
powers, and viewing them with the eye of a
benevolent source of their existence, he cannot be
unjust, either in his requisitions or his punish
ments.

Not deriving his perfections from any one;
knowing, without possibility of mistake, in what
perfection consists, and possessing wisdom to
give it the preference to the contrary, his per
fections must be as boundless and uninterrupted,
C £

20 ON NATURAL RELIGION.
as his knowledge, his wisdom, and his will. Thus
as no interposition of matter can circumscribe
his existence ; as no part of space can refuse his
presence ; as no intellectual defect can obscure
his knowledge; as no power can resist the source
of all power ; as no will can controul his, who
gave to every being the power to will ; as he
must prefer perfection to imperfection, as deci
dedly as he discerns the distinctions ; the neces
sary result is, that this great first Cause must
possess every possible perfection.

As to enjoy existence is the incessant desire
of every created being ; for it is this enjoyment
alone which renders existence a blessing ; as he
himself has implanted these desires in all sen
sitive and conscious beings, and has pointed
out to intelligent beings the way to procure it;
this Being must know in what happiness consists;
he must know its indispensable value, and he
must enjoy it to an extent as unbounded as his
own perfections.

These attributes and perfections prove to us
the unity of the divine nature. The supposition
of two or more eternal, self-existent, neces-

ON NATURAL RELIGION. 21
sarily existent, independent, omnipresent beings ;
possessing equal power, wisdom, and goodness,
is absurd and contradictory. If one be equal to
every possible production, the others would be
unnecessary; might remain inert without any
deficiency in the creation; and the attribute
of necessary existence, respecting them, would
be annihilated.

Although our minds be lost in wonder and
astonishment, when we employ their faculties
upon the unoriginated existence, the spirituality,
omnipresence, omniscience, and universal irre
sistible energy of the one intelligent Cause, yet
our embarrassment is the natural, and necessary
result of the infinite disproportion between our
powers, and the subjects they contemplate. Fi
nite conceptions cannot possibly grasp the whole
of what is infinite. But incomprehensibility
implies no other contradiction, than that which
would consist in pretending to fathom it. These
sentiments oppose not any one principle of rea
son. Our reason confesses the necessity of ad
mitting them, in order to explain the phaeno
mena of the natural and moral world. The
more we exercise our rational faculties ; the
more we attend, inquire, reflect, investigate,

22 ON NATURAL RELIGION.
contemplate, the more clearly shall we discover
the necessity of a first Cause ; the more nume
rous will be the proofs of his existence ; and
with the greater confidence will our judgements
decide that there is a God, possessing every
natural and moral excellence. These senti
ments are founded upon the indisputable axioms,
that every effect must have a cause ; that the
cause must be adequate to the effect ; and that
the nature of the cause is known by the nature
of the effect. Such are the principles univer
sally received, whenever human plans, and hu
man inventions, become the subjects of inves
tigation. In no case whatever, do we refuse
to acknowledge the hand of an intelligent agent,
where the workmanship abounds with marks of
intelligence and design : and as the signatures
of skill, in the most exquisite productions of
the human species, are confessedly inferior to
the lowest productions in nature, the arguments
in proof of the operations of an intelligent first
cause, acquire a force proportionate to the dif
ference. ?

The above concise summary is sufficient to
show? thatabelief in agreat first Cause, possessing
every possible perfection, and the source of all

ON NATURAL RELIGION. 23
existence, is not an irrational belief; — that it has
not the character or appearance of being the crea
ture of the imagination, or a mere vision of the
brain ; — that it is founded upon much surer prin
ciples, than those which peopled the Heathen
nations with multitudes of deities, of various and
opposite powers and propensities ; — that such a
being is not the production of fear, nor is he a frail
creature, elevated to deification by servile flattery,
or even by a spirit of gratitude ; nor is he the per
sonification of qualities and attributes, which ig
norance had finally mistaken for real existences ;
nor can the existence of such a being be ascribed
to any other cause of credulity, which had such
an empire over the regions of Paganism. Our
belief is founded on rational principles ; will
stand the test of reason ; and is surrounded with
evidences, of which every other hypothesis is
totally destitute. The notion that the universal
system of nature exists, by an eternally blind,
unintended succession, is as extravagant as it is
hypothetical. It is a mere assertion without a
single argument for its support, and it is inconsis
tent with every phenomenon in nature. To assert
that the world was made by chance, is to attri
bute an infinitude of power to a word without a
meaning. It is to suppose that a fortuitous
concurrence of atoms, possesses all the secrets

24 ON NATURAL RELIGION.
of infinite intelligence ; and that a power which
has never been suspected of building the cottage
of a peasant, has built the Universe !

We have thus taken a general survey of the
proofs, on which the belief of the Theist is found
ed. These arguments would receive infinite force,
could the immense extent of the subject permit
us to particularize. Nay, a minute attention to
any part of this vast creation, which might be
selected for our researches, would manifest to us
innumerable traces of exquisite skill, to effect
the purposes of benevolence. There is not any
one subject of knowledge, in which the attentive
and unprejudiced mind does not perceive the
marks of wisdom, at every stage of its progress;
and the greatest proficients will be the most for
ward to confess, that evidences multiply beyond
the power of calculation. All the occupations
of intellect consist in making perpetual discove
ries in the state, properties, relations, connexions,
accordances, and beneficial influences, which
exist in the subjects of every branch of science.
But we shall content ourselves with simply re
ferring to the subject which has been occupying
so much of our attention ; in treating of which,
every page is replete with evidences that a Being

ON NATURAL RELIGION. 25
exists infinitely superior to man. The whole
history of human beings, and of the develope
ment of their moral and intellectual powers ; —
their primitive state of imbecility and ignorance,
contrasted with their ability to make unlimited
advances in every thing desirable and useful, and
to work their way through numberless impedi
ments, to those improvements which ornament
and dignify their nature ; — the passions and affec
tions with which they are endowed, to stimulate
themtoaction; — the provision made for the remedy
of those errors and evils, which an ignorant or a
perverse abuseof their free agency occasion; — their
intellectual powers, and the nice adaptations of
these to the many contingencies to which they are
subjected ; — the infinite superiority of Man to
every other being on the globe, approaching to
the dignity of superior intelligences ; — the rich
abundance of the means of good, which is spread
before him, and the diversified sources of his en
joyment; — hisbeingconstituted amoralagent ; —
and his perceptions of that line of conduct, and of
those duties, which constitute individual and
social welfare; — the refined affections of which
he is made susceptible, by which he is attached
to his associates by the most delicate ties, and
which are in exercise according to the degrees
of merit in the objeet, expectancy of good, or

26 ON NATURAL RELIGION.
sense of obligation ; — his capacity to search after
a great first Cause, and to entertain conceptions
of him in the plenitude of excellence, arrayed
in such attributes of power, wisdom, and good
ness, as are calculated to inspire the. love and
admiration of all intelligent creatures ; such as
implant confidence in seasons of difficulty and
clanger, and encourage the brightest hopes, under
the deepest sense of demerits ; — are phaenomena
not to be explained by any other principle, than
by the admission that we were created, and thus
richly endowed, by an intelligent, wise, and bene
ficent first cause !

( 27 )

CHAPTER II.
ON THE DISTINCTIONS, AND GRADATIONS OF
EXCELLENCE, IN THE DIVINE
ATTRIBUTES.
According to the view we have taken of the
Nature and Attributes of God, a distinction pre
sents itself, between the attributes essential to
his being, and mode of existence; such as eternity,
or self-existence, spirituality, omnipresence ; and
the attributes which belong to him in the cha
racter of Creator. He possesses the former, by
what may be termed a physical necessity, uncon
nected with his productions, or with any plan
respecting creation. The others are strictly rela
tive ; for they belong to him solely as they relate
to some exertions, or proposed exertions, of the
divine energy ; or to beings whose existence is
actual or pre-ordained. Of this kind are the
Power, the Knowledge, the Wisdom, and the
Goodness of God. Power expresses actual ex
ertion, or the capacity of exertion. It is seated

28 ON NATURAL RELIGION.
in some cause manifesting its own existence by
its operations. The power of the Deity must be
irresistible, because' he is the source of power,
and of every other being invested with it.
Every exertion of irresistible power must pro
duce an effect. Hence we form the idea of that
connexion which subsists between cause and
effect ; and which is so intimate, that the one
cannot subsist without the other. Infinite Know
ledge expresses the divine perception of the
whole chain of effects in their causes, and a per
fect acquaintance with all actual existence, and
every possible existence in nature. Infinite
Wisdom refers to plans worthy of its author, and
to the best mode of executing these plans.
Goodness has objects whose benefit it promotes
or consults. All these attributes have a manifest
reference to existences. They are in their very
nature relative ; for we cannot suppose them to
exist, or to be possessed, totally unconnected
with their objects, real or proposed. According
to these positions, the great Creator, although
he exist distinct from, and independent of, the
works of his hands, has, notwithstanding, insti
tuted the most intimate connexion between him
self and all his creatures, in this his relative
character : the exercise of these perfections ne
cessarily implies the existence of created beings.

ON NATURAL RELIGION. 29
Notwithstanding the absolute perfection of
all the divine attributes, yet we necessarily con
ceive of some as being more exalted than others ;
and they excite in the contemplative mind, those
affections which are most correspondent to their
character. The natural attributes of the Deity,
Eternity, Self-existence, Spirituality, Omnipre
sence, are calculated to impress the mind with
the profoundest wonder and astonishment !
They amaze and confound the intellectual facul
ties of all created Beings ; and the most stupen
dous of the divine productions become dimi
nutive, and, as it were, shrink into nothing be
fore them ! Power, simply considered, is cal
culated to oppress and overwhelm the mind
with dread ; for it may be exerted to our misery :
but Knowledge is allowed to be entitled to
respect ; an affection which is not applicable to
power, abstractedly considered. Wisdom, which
is the proper direction of knowledge and power,
is venerated and admired ; but still we may not
be interested in its plans and operations. .Nei
ther of these attributes have primarily a claim
to our Love, unless they be under the direction
of Goodness; which attribute describes the dis
position to promote our interests. To the union of
these attributes belongs the mixtureof reverential
awe, profound admiration, and confidential love.

30 ON NATURAL RELIGION.
Power is in itself a property merely physical.
In the abstracted idea it is unconnected with
design or merit ; for power is a property pos
sessed by inanimate bodies ; and it is acknow
ledged to exist by those who deny a Deity.
Knowledge, or the capacity of discerning exist
ences, properties, possibilities, &c. is of an intel
lectual nature. But although it belongs to Mind,
it does not necessarily imply any kind or degree
of moral excellence. Wisdom, which indicates the
capacity of making the best possible use of this
knowledge, is as superior to knowledge, as agency
is to the instrument employed. This is intellec
tual in a higher degree of excellence. It also
possesses something of a moral character ; for
there can be no wisdom, either in plan or exe
cution, where "some kind of Utility be not the
object ; still, however, it may be considered in
the light of means solely valuable as they respect
the end. But Goodness is strictly, and eminently
Moral. It is in its nature of a boundless extent.
If it be not universally operative it cannot exist
as a perfection : it degenerates into partial
attachments, and a partial fondness ; and thus
the idea of an exalted and amiable principle of
action is destroyed. This attribute must be
universally relative for Good. It is, in the Di
vinity, a pattern and prototype of the moral

ON NATURAL RELIGION. 31
relation of man to man. Hence we give it the
title of Moral; borrowing the term from those
social acts, which the divinity has rendered
obligatory upon his intelligent creatures, in their
relative capacity. This is the attribute upon
which the chief excellence of character depends.
It is a perfect security against the abuse of
power ; it renders knowledge truly valuable ;
and it diffuses a charm over all the plans of
wisdom. The right direction of power, know
ledge, and wisdom, consists in their being the
instruments and means of goodness, and in the
accomplishment of all its beneficent designs.*
Hence we perceive that the harmony of the
relative attributes of God admits and demands,
that those which possess the least of what we
deem excellence, should be subservient to those
which possess the most. Power has no claim to
precedency over knowledge or wisdom, but it is
to be directed and controlled by them. Wis
dom, to maintain its character, requires for its
object some plan of high importance, that its
operations may be directed to some useful end,
that is, to something productive of good. The
action of a wise and beneficent cause, implies a
motive of action correspondent to his moral cha-
* See Note A.

32 ON NATURAL RELIGION.
racter ; to the nature and extent of his intel
ligence; and to his power of execution. The
most excellent, the most wise, and most power
ful Cause of all things, must operate to the best
of purposes, and according to the wisest plans.
But no purpose can be equal to the production
of Good; that is, to the possession of bliss, and
to the communication of such portions of enjoy
ment, as are best adapted to the state of indivi
duals, and most consistent with the good of the
whole. To him who is in the full possession of
All, the exercise of his perfections must proceed
from the determination to impart good.
Although to will, to plan, to execute, be equal
and instantaneous, respecting the divine mind,
yet in the order of our conceptions, the Good
ness of God prompting him to create, is the first
attribute that presents itself. The next is that
of boundless Knowledge, by which he discerns
effects in their causes, and every possible result
from every possible energy. From such sources
Wisdom is enabled to form its plans of exten
sive good, and to establish those laws, by which
life shall be diffused, and its enjoyments multi*
plied : that Wisdom which has devised and con
stituted such a diversity of powers and proper
ties, in the material and inanimate creation; of
instincts and propensities in the animal king-

ON NATURAL RELIGION. 33
dom ; and has endowed the human species with
those intellectual and moral faculties, which are
the inexhaustible sources of the most exalted
and refined enjoyments. Such plans of wisdom
and beneficence will be indubitably accom
plished in their order, both of time and place,
by a power which conquers all opposition; coin-
pels apparent obstacles into its service ; changes
disorder into harmony; and distressinto blessings:
brings light out of darkness, and cherishes virtue
in the midst of depravities that confound and
appal ! !

( 34 )

CHAPTER III.

ON THE JUSTICE OF GOD, AS A MODIFICATION
OF HIS GOODNESS.
In our analysis of the Social Affections, under
the article Benevolence, we endeavoured to
shew, that this principle indicates itself in the
human species, under various characters, ac
cording to the state and circumstances of its
objects. It is sometimes confined to sympathy;
at others it assumes the title of generosity, of
pity, commiseration, compassion, mercy. These
terms express, in a concise manner, the distinc
tions which take place in the exertions of
Benevolence, according to the exigencies, men
tal distresses, dangers or delinquencies, of those
upon whom it is exercised. The same distinc
tions are applicable to that Being who implanted
the benevolent principle within us. For,
although the goodness of God be immutably
the same in its nature, yet the manifestations
of it are diversified, according to the state and
situation of the subject. The inanimate creation

ON NATURAL RELIGION. 35
cannot be susceptible of the divine goodness ;
but as its formation, and every law by which it
is regulated, respect the accommodation of
living and susceptible beings, and their various
powers of enjoyment, the material world is
an evidence of the Divine goodness. In the
different endowments of living Beings with
capacities for enjoyment, the goodness of God
assumes the character of beneficence ; and when
the number and greatness of his gifts forcibly
strike the mind, we prefer the term Munifi
cence, as more ample and dignified. In relief
administered to distress, it is compassion; in
the suspension or remission of deserved pu
nishment, it has the character of forbeaiance
and mercy; in the approbation of right con
duct, it is complacency. Nor is the Justice
of God to be considered in any other light
than as an emanation from the immutable prin
ciple of goodness.
When we were examining the nature of Jus
tice, we perceived that it consists in that con
duct towards others which preserves their rights
inviolate; and we remarked that a regard to
equity is essentially obligatory upon moral agents,
because it secures to every man a certain portion
of good, which he claims as his own, or which
is according to the extent of his rights. The
d 2

36 ON NATURAL RELIGION.
deprivation which it prohibits, is always the de
privation of a good, which is the property of ano
ther. It restrains from the infliction or diffusion
of evil; and thus it secures to every one his
portion of welfare. It co-operates, therefore,
with benevolence in the production of beneficial
effects ; and, whenever the laws of justice are
respected, more from the love of order, and the
desire of promoting good, than from theapprehen-
sion of a penalty, or the expectation of a reward,
it is a most valuable species of benevolence.
The truly benevolent man cannot be unjust.
His earnest desire to promote the welfare of
another, will secure him from committing an
intentional injury. When we apply this mode
of reasoning to the Deity, it acquires strength
in proportion to our conceptions of his benig
nity. In contemplating the moral government of
God, as it respects his intelligent offspring, the
character of a Legislator immediately presents
itself; and we cannot advert to those laws which
we pronounce to be of moral obligation, without
perceiving how essential they are to universal and
permanent well-being. The wisdom and good- '
ness of God have adapted all the duties of mora
lity to the state and situation of moral agents,
because personal welfare, and the felicity of social

ON NATURAL RELIGION. 37
beings, so immediately depend upon the obser
vance of them. Therefore it is that the divine
governor has annexed punishment to guilt, aud
recompense to obedience. Human laws may be
unjust and cruel in their penalties, by rendering
the suffering much too severe for the demerit of
tlie offence ; and they are seldom capable of distri
buting rewards according to theextent of merit.
To the supreme legislator these imperfections are
unknown. It is in the power, and also in the
nature, of infinite ben'eficence, to reward far
beyond the deserts of the obedient; but the
attribute of Justice cannot punish beyond the
degree of criminality.
Thus it appears obvious, that the divine justice
itself co-operates with beneficence in the produc
tion of good. In its principle, it protects from
the violation of rights ; and it is the guardian of
laws which have no other object than the general
welfare.

In the above statement our readers will ob
serve, that our attention has been solely directed
to that conduct which is due from one being to
another, in their social or relative characters.
Nor can it, strictly speaking, be considered in
any other point of view. For, although it be

38 ON NATURAL RELIGION.
self-evident that whatever is due to ourselves
we have a right to claim, yet we are not abso
lutely compelled; by the law of justice, to receive
according to the extent of our claim. We are
not guilty of a personal injustice when we yield
up, for the benefit of others, what is properly
our own. This would annihilate every species
of liberality. Nor are we compelled to demand
satisfaction for every injury ; for this would an
nihilate mercy. It may sometimes be prudent,
and highly necessary, "to punish offenders, for
the sake of example, or for their reformation,
but never to satiate revenge. A benevolent dis
position will, if possible, cheerfully remit the
punishment, whenever there is reason to believe
that the penitence is sincere, and the refor
mation is accomplished. A total change of
character deserves a change of conduct; and
justice now inclines the balance in favour of
the offender.
In the application of these principles to the
justice of the Supreme being, a complete paral
lel does not exist, because he cannot suffer per
sonal injury by the most nefarious practices;
nor can he feel the resentments of impassioned
man. When he inflicts punishments, denounced
against transgressors, it is in his official charac
ter of Legislator and Judge, who demands a

ON NATURAL RELIGION. 39
strict observance of those laws upon which the
felicity of moral agents depends. He may be in
flexible respecting the obdurate and impenitent,
but he cannot be vindictive ; nor can the most
rigorous exercise of the divine Justice, forbid
the manifestations of his mercy to the humble
penitent. <

CHAPTER IV.
ON THE ASCRIPTION OF PASSIONS AND AFFEC
TIONS TO THE DIVINE MIND.
The above observations concerning the divine
attributes, united with the extensive view that
was formerly taken of the nature, origin, effects,
and final causes of the various passions and emo
tions in the human breast, may enable us to
form some consistent ideas respecting the Ascrip
tion of human Passions and Affections to the
Deity. In times of gross ignorance, when the ima
gination is in vigorous exercise, and reason
in its infancy, there is nothing too absurd to
become an article of the most obstinate belief.
But in proportion as reason gains the ascen
dency, will such absurdities be rejected. The hea
then world, in the days of deep ignorance, saw no
incongruity in ascribing the worst of passions
to the most exalted of their Deities. But
according to the advancement of civilization,

ON NATURAL RELIGION. 41
and refinement in manners, did their sentiments
concerning the nature, character, and offices of
their gods, become more refined ; although a
large portion of anthropormophism remained in
their creeds. Nor will unworthy notions be entire
ly banished from the mind, until we shall have
fully ascertained the nature of moral perfection,
and have learned to draw just inference from that
knowledge. Incur analysis of the Passions it was observed,
that they originated from the two primary or
cardinal affections of love and hatred. But
it was also shewn, that these are resolvable into
that one grand principle, — the love of good, of
well being, or happiness. We have also shewn,
that these passions and affections possess various
characters : some are considered as innocent,
others as criminal ; some manifest superior ex
cellence in a character; some superior deformity ;
some arise from our wants, desires, and apprehen
sions; some from our acquisitions, or from ex
pectations of good; some from our sufferings;
some are the sources of all the happiness our
nature can possess; and others of all its misery.
It has been further proved, that the affections
which promote our happiness, in various degrees,
and in various ways, possess different modifica
tions of Love as essential ingredients; and that the

42 ON NATURAL RELIGION.
attention is always fixed upon some apparent
good, by which are excited the pleasing sensa
tions of hope, joy, satisfaction, benevolence, gra
titude, admiration, &c.&c. It has also-been shewn,
that Hatred and Aversion are concomitant vv^th
unhappiness, in all its modifications; for evil is
the most conspicuous in all their existing causes.
These aversions are- manifest in anger, sorrow,
fear. It was farther remarked, that the mos.t noble
affections are those in which we discern that the
mind is warmly interested in the welfare of
another ; and the most ignoble, are those which
are designedly productive' of misery, or wish
evil to others.
With this short summary in view, we may
easily ascertain which of the Passions are totally
unworthy of the divine Being, and inconsistent
with his attributes.
It is self-evident that none of those passions
can be ascribed to God, which arise from suffer
ing of evil, or apprehensions of its approach; or
from the privation of good. No dangers can
• awaken fearful apprehensions, no loss can inspire
grief, no error can occasion repentance. That
Being who is above all controul, who is actuated
by the best of principles, to effect the best of
purposes, whose wisdom foresees the most
remote consequences in every determination of

ON NATURAL RELIGION. 43
his will; who cannot be unjust to any of his
creatures, that Being must be an eternal stranger
to sorrozv, repent ame, self-reproach, and dread.

Weak and frail beings are naturally struck with
awe at a power which is capable to do them an
injury, and which no one can avert. They know
that their own revengeful passions are quickly ex
cited by a sense of injuries; and that a conscious
ness of having offended, fills them with dismay.
Hence it is, that the first attribute that attracts
the notice of the ignojant is irresistible power.
Fear is the first, the strongest, _and, perhaps, the
only incitement to the worship of superior beings,
in minds totally uncultivated. Oblations of
praise and thanksgivings, are secondary ; they
are generally occasional and transient. The
performance of any religious act, expressive of
gratitude, is an indication that the mind is emerg
ing from barbarism. Although Fear could not
make the gods, but phenomena, which mani
fested a power superior to .every thing human,
and, consequently, exciting fear, yet it certainly
armed these gods with terror. Fear is not only
the first, and the strongest, but it is the most
permanent of all the Passions, The terror that has
been impressed upon young and tender minds,

44 ON NATURAL RELIGION.
by the superstitious tales of the nursery, is not
always removed by a subsequent conviction
of their absurdity.
These considerations may, perhaps, explain the
reason why numbers who have formed very
exalted sentiments of the divinity, are still prone
to connect the idea of personal wrath, anger, or
displeasure, at offences committed against the
laws of God. They seem disposed to think
that a resentment is excited, in the divine mind,
against the sins of men, in a manner analogous
to the sensations experienced by human beings
from similar causes. The numerous and aggra
vated crimes committed by dependant creatures,
surrounded with blessings, and endowed with
powers which might be subservient to the highest
purposes, arc in themselves provocations of
the greatest magnitude, and might justify the
severest manifestations of indignant wrath; but
that the all-perfect mind is not subjected to the
passion of Anger, is demonstrable from the
effects of that passion in us, the manner in which
it is excited, and the nature of its exciting
causes. Although the anger of man should be jus
tified by the provocations received, although its
exercise should not exceed the boundaries of
justice or discretion, and although the desire to

ON NATURAL RELIGION. 45
punish," to which the mind is instinctively
prompted, may produce beneficial effects ; yet it
is a turbulent emotion which every wise man
attempts to subdue. It disturbs every calmer
and more refined pleasure ; and it is totally in
consistent with that fullness of enjoyment,
which is alone to be found in the indulgence of
the benevolent and complacential alfec tions.
If the transports of passion be so comfortless
in the human breast; if they disrange the whole
frame, and render it difficult to return to a placid
state of mind, how tremendous the effects upon
the supreme Being must be deemed, by those
who think him, altogether such an one as our
selves! They would be infinite in their intense-
ness ! Every cause of anger being founded in
justice, and causes perpetually recurring, effects
would be reiterated to an infinite accumulation !
The paroxysms of Anger are always excited
in us by the sudden surprise of a recent pro
vocation, by which they are distinguished from
habitual icsentment, or permanent disapproba
tion. But no excitement of this nature can affect
that mind which fore-knows every event, has
pic-ordained every principle of action within us,
and is intimately acquainted with the result.
The wrath of man is excited or quickened by
a sense of personal injury experienced or appre-

46 ON NATURAL RELIGION.
hended; but who can injure the Omnipotent, or
diminish his bliss ?
The passion of Anger in us, according to its
legitimate exercise, is implanted that we may
repel some injury, or prevent a repetition by the
instant punishment of a delinquent. It is some
times a necessary protection against repeated
acts of inconsiderationand insult. Where this
provocation is great, or the danger extreme, it
communicates extraordinary strength to the
corporeal system, and, by its sudden impetus, it
gains a momentary triumph over the love of
ease, fond partialities, and even the apprehensions
of danger, in order to inflict the punishment due
to an offender.
The transports of Anger are always the most
violent in irritable habits, where there are no laws
to protect; where there is a prevalence of selfish
ness and pride; and the greatest ignorance of
human nature. Just laws render the irritations
prompting to self-protection, the less necessary.
The man who has subdued inordinate self-love^and
has cultivated the social virtues, is most disposed
to forgive injuries. He who knows the workings
of the mind, and can make due allowances fot
the inadvertencies, situations, habits, the sudden
impulse of a passion, and the force of surround
ing inducements, will be most disposed to mo-

ON NATURAL RELIGION. 47
derate liis resentments, and will sometimes per
mit compassion to. subdue them.
In these remarks no particular application is
necessary. The Being whom we serve is infi
nitely above such sources of irritation.

If we advert to those passions, and affections,
in which we discover Good, and which are
most conducive to our happiness, we shall
see that they are excited by the peculiarities of
our state. Surprise, wonder, astonish ment, ma
nifest the feebleness and ignorance of our minds.
Desire and hope indicate our wants and defects ;
Joy is the pleasing impulse excited by the
sudden possession of Good. Contentment acqui
esces in the deficiency observed: and Satisfac
tion is the completion of a previous wish.
Respect, reverence, admiration, gratitude, confess
inferiority and dependence. Compassion, sym
pathy, &c. are painful sensations, excited within
us to subdue indolence or selfishness. They, as
it were, compel us to alleviate distress, and
solace the afflicted.
These also are inapplicable to a perfect Being.

In a former work we observed, that Love may
be considered either *s& Principle or as vaiAjfec-

4S ON NATURAL RELIGION.
tion. As a principle it was defined to be an
invariable preference of Good ; and an universal
attachment to well-being and happiness.''*
As a principle it predisposes to action ; as an
affection it attaches itself to particular objects.
Wherever there is an attachment, there is a
source of happiness. An attachment is of itself
pleasing, notwithstanding the imprudences
and improprieties that may surround it : and
where there is no obstacle to the indulgence of
it, the enjoyment is complete. The more it is
extended, and the greater the number of the
objects it embraces, the more copious will be the
sources of enjoyment.
In Complacency, love is united with approba
tion. This complacency may respect the conduct
ef those interesting to us, or our own conduct
towards others. It is always produced by the
perception or discovery of moral worth ; of
some Good attempted, produced, or enjoyed,
in consequence of worthy designs, or worthy
actions, performed from worthy motives. The
discernment of moral worth inspires approba
tion in every lover of virtue. Complacency
approves of motives ; it approves of the
choice and application of the best means of
producing good ; and it enjoys the beneficial
result. * See Phil. T. on Pats. p. 2-4.

ON NATURAL RELIGION. 49
¦ These affections, therefore, possess the cha
racteristics which are truly worthy of an in
finitely perfect Being. His benevolent affec
tions, with reverence be it spoken, must
be inexhaustible sources of his felicity. He loves
every being he has formed, or he would not have
ens tamped the epithet of Good upon all, at the
period of their creation. He loves the wicked
with the love of compassion, for they are still
his offspring ; and he has complacency with
the righteous, as his favourites. Since he must
be pleased with every object he has created, in
finite and inexhaustible are his sources of bliss.
He has complacency in all the plans which his
infinite wisdom has formed, and in every exer
tion of his Almighty power, even the most tre
mendous, for he knows the good they produce;
and he foresees that the final issue will be the
diffusion of happiness.

Notwithstanding these irresistible evidences,
that the immutable. God is above all those pas
sions and affections which perpetually agitate
our breasts, it is confessed, that the whole tor-
jent of language has constantly flown in direct
opposition to the doctrine. Not to mention the
ignorance of Paganism, which literally ascribed

5P ON NATURAL RELIGION.
all the human passions to riie deities worshipped,
without excluding the most depraved; those who
have fqrmed the sublimest conceptions of the
Divine Being, still retain modes of expressiqn
which are not consistent with the acknowledged
perfections of Deity. Not only has the general
language of mankind, in different ages, ascribed
various passions and emotions to God, but such
ascriptions perpetually recur in thoge sacred scrip
tures which contain a revelation of himself
to man. They perpetually describe him as
being susceptible of passions, a,nd as being ac
tuated by them in his conduct towards the
human race. The Anger of the Lord, his severe
wrath and indignation, are frequently denounced
against sin. Men are said to " provoke the Lord
jto anger by their abominations." He is fre
quently represented as repefifing pf his conduct.
It is asserted that " when God saw the wicked
ness of man was great in the earth, it repented
the Lord that he made man on the earth, and
it grieved him at his heart." He is also describ
ed as repenting of his anger. " He regarded the
afflictions of the Israelites, who were brought low
for their iniquity ; and when he heard their cry
he repented according to the multitude of his
Mercies." In some passages it is said that he is
wearied of repentance. He is said to be ajeq-

ON NATURAL RELIGION. 51
lous God, to be provoked to jealousy. In other
places he is represented as being full of com
passion, and the strength of his affections is
compared to the feelings of a fond mother for
her favourite child.

In the solution of this difficulty we shall
observe first that,
Although philosoph}- may affect to despise
vulgar phraseology, and be alarmed at metapho
rical language, ou account of the obscurities it has
sometimes occasioned, yet metaphorical forms
of speech constitute the bulk of all languages;
are the grand sources of their copiousness, energy,
and, in many cases, of their precision : for
nothing contributes more to a precision in our
ideas, than a pertinent allusion to something
that may be similar to the subject under consi
deration. The origin of language may be traced
to sensible objects ; but every idea beyond sensi
ble objects, was primarily expressed by metaphor.
The first act of the mind is to perceive existen
ces; the next is to discover certain characters,
attributes, andqualities, iuherent in existing sub
jects ; to this succeeds the perception of various
kinds and degrees of resemblances, in things
which are not essentially the same, and in which
e 2

52 ON NATURAL RELIGION.
there may, in various other respects, be great and
striking dissimilarities. Hence, our early attach
ment to fables and allegories, which teach
some important truths by suppositions, which
are in themselves absurd and extravagant.
The imagination is in vigorous exercise much
earlier than the reasoning powers of man.
The earliest modes of expression have always
consisted in borrowing imagery from the sur
rounding objects; and the warmer the imagination
the bolder has been the imagery. In active
minds resemblances are seized with eagerness; and
these resemblances perpetually recurring, enrich
all languages with a great diversity of idioms
and forms of speech. In consequence of this uni
versal propensity, metaphorical expressions have
always obtained a precedency to the language
of philosophy ; nor can they be totally subdued by
philosophy. Through a frequency of repetition,
many expressions will lose their metaphori
cal appearance, and be considered as merely
technical ; but the most abstract terms could *
not have been introduced, nor would they have
been intelligible, did they not retain a relation
to objects of sense.*
If, therefore, subjects which are immediately
* See Note B.

ON NATURAL RELIGION. 53
within our reach, and which are confined to
sublunary affairs, require the aid of metaphorical
allusions to express them with perspicuity and
force, it is not to be supposed that sensitive.
man would be able to invent such modes of
expression as should do justice to those abstrac
tions surrounding a Being, spiritual in his
nature, and elevated infinitely above every object
of sense,

We may observe, secondly, that such modes
of expression respecting the Deity, are a neces
sary accommodation to the nature and situ
ation of man. That great Being who is
immutably the same, who is infinitely exalt
ed above our versatile passions and affections,
employs all his relative attributes to pro-,
cure to the human race, what they are at-.
tempting to procure for themselves — Happi
ness ; and to promote this object, "his eternal
thought moves on his undisturbed affairs." But
although his purpose is immutably the same,
yet his conduct must be adapted to the circum
stances and situations of his creatures ; mani
festing kindness, severity, complacency, chas-
tizement, according to the dictates of his wis
dom. To express these different modes, in all

54 ON NATURAL RELIGION.
their ramifications, philosophy possesses no
appropriate terms ; nor could any appropriate
term be rendered intelligible to minds deriving
asll their ideas from sensible objects. Recourse
must therefore be had to a species of analogy;
and the conduct of God towards his intellectual
offspring, is ascribed to the same passions- and
affections by which men are actuated, in their
conduct towards each other. Because we so
frequently change our purposes, in consequence
of our experiencing sorrow and contrition, for
our past actions, thus is a change or diversity
in the divine proceedings ascribed, by a bold
metaphorical figure, to the repentance of the
Deity, as if he was also mistaken or disappointed
in his object. Because human beings are pronef
to feel the turbulent emotions of anger, at inju
ries received, or offences committed, which
excite in them a desire to punish the offender,
thus is the incessant disapprobation of the
Supreme Ruler, of vice and impiety, forcibly
expressed by bis anger, wrath, indignation: and
the tremendous effects of his displeasure are
denoted, by the sinner's " treasuring up wrath
against the day of wrath." As we are excited
by compassion and sympathy to pardon the crimes
of the penitent, or to alleviate the distresses^of
our fellow creatures, similar emotions of com
miseration and tenderness are ascribed to God,

ON NATURAL RELIGION. 55
in ther diversified manifests tidhs; of his bene
volence;

A^gaiin, it is riot the sole object of language to
stater facts. It is also destined to give a
powerful efficacy to these facts. It is frequent
ly intended to excite in the human ; breast, cer
tain feelings aud emotions. For this purpose it
vises' imagery, by which, through the medium
of fancy, distant objects, and even abstract
truths^ are rendered conspicuous and striking.
It ventures to borrow' resemblances from every
quarter, in order to produce sOme: particular
iiflpressiorrupon the mind:

In time's of simplicity1, when knowledge is
Very limited, and ideasacquired by thought and
reflection are comparatively few ; when language
is barren of accurate and appropriate terms;
when the niind is neither diverted nor distracted
by a variety of subjects ; when the feelings are
warfnj and the imagination vigorous ; when ab
stract notions and minute investigations do not
check the impulses of nature, by demanding
precision, the mind naturally and inevitably
bursts' forth into metaphor ; and every emotion

56 ON NATURAL RELIGION.
is made known by the boldest and most anima-.
ted terms. It eagerly seeks to do justice to its,
feelings, by imagery borrowed from every
surrounding object. In proportion as a people
become less simple in their state and manners ;
in proportion as general knowledge increases,,
and ideas multiply, a calmer spirit of investi-.
gation succeeds to the strong impulsive feelings
of sense; precision takes place of animation,.
unequivocal terms are preferred to those which.
are more bold and indeterminate; the metapho-,
rical style is consigned to poets and orators,
whose professed object it is to please the fancy
or move the affections ; and the language which
ceases to be popular, although it should not be
misunderstood, begins to appear extravagant.
The Scriptures of the Old Testament were
penned in times of the greatest simplicity. They
were intended for the use of a people, whose
ancestors had been slaves for several ages, who
were just emerging from ignorance and barba*
rism, and whose ideas could never have been
expanded, without the medium of sensible;
objects, and the bold imagery which they present
ed to the imagination. To such a people philoso
phical abstractions would have been uninterest-,
ing, had they not been unintelligible. Their law
givers and prophets were compelled to use figu-

ON NATURAL- RELIGION. 57
rative and metaphorical expressions, in order to
awaken the attention and influence the heart.
To realize to their minds, in the most forcible man
ner, the presence, inspection, authority, approba
tion, and displacency of the Deity, they incessant
ly represented the great universal Spirit in a lan
guage which in its stricter applications, belonged
to human beings alone. To impress a conviction
of his universal knowledge, it is said that " the
eyes of the Lord ran through the earth." Divine
power is represented by the human instruments
of agency. In issuing his commands, or in the
manifestations of his designs, he is always repre
sented as speaking ; and to demonstrate the faci
lity with which he can destroy the wicked, it is
said, " by the blast of God they perish, and by
the breath of his nostrils they are consumed."
And, as we have already shewn, it is upon these
principles that all those passions and affections
are ascribed to God, which have the strongest in
fluence upon the human heart. Although such
expressions are not adapted to the divine nature,
abstractedly considered, yet there are points of
resemblance by which they are peculiarly adapted
to the nature of man ; and they are calculated to
convey more impressive sentiments of awe, rever
rence, love, and gratitude towards the Supreme
Ruler of the universe, than could be effected
by any other mode.

58 ON NATURAL RELIGION.

The above epitome of Natural Religion, and
its evidences from reason, manifest that' the
truest reason vindicates those sentiments of
the Deity, which are the richest sources of
happiness. They are sentiments which, to the!
pious mind, enhance fhe pleasures of every*
legitimate enjoyment, and afford the best con
solation in every affliction : for they are the!
foundation of hope and confidence in the
universal parent and governor of his intelligent
offspring. They are also sentiments which afford
the strongest inducements to the. practice of
virtue, by implanting a conviction that this is
the only acceptable oblation that can be offered
on the altar Of obedience. They assure us, that
the God whom We serve loves Virtue; he loves it
as the most permanent source of happiness to the
individuals who practise it, and also to the whole
of his extensive family ; and they assure us that
he will love those who imitate the benignity of
his character. Obedience to the commands of
such a Being, elevates every personal and social
virtue, however trifling in appearance, into an
act of Piety. It consecrates and ennobles every
branch of prudence; every instance of self-corn*
mand; every resistance to the seductions of vice".

ON NATURAL RELIGION. 5§
The hopes inspired by such exfalted sentiments,
while they soften, fortify the heart; render
patience and resignation pleasant duties ; and
they have enabled the pious even to rejoice in
their sufferings.
In contemplating the attributes of the power,
wisdom, and goodness of Deity, as relative, we
feel ourselves dignified, by the perception of the
intimate connexion subsisting between God and
his creatures. In consequence of which con
nexion, not only every motive of benevolence,
but every plan of wisdom, every exertion of
power, respects not himself but other existences :
they diffuse blessings over all the creatures of
God in his vast creation. We cannot form more
exalted, or more just conceptions of the divine
Felicity, than by the conviction that one essen
tial and inexhaustible source of it, consists in
the incessant communication of good ; and that
all the joys peculiar to benevolence, belong to
him who inspired the principle of benevolence,
in a supreme degree. The transcendant Attri
bute of the divinity is Love. — Love, which
delights in the contemplation, enjoyment, and
communication of good ; which diversifies its
operations according to the exigencies of its
objects ; forms every plan for their benefit, and
rejoices in the success. Benevolence thus ope
rative, has Complacency for its eternal associate.

60 ON NATURAL RELIGION.
—Complacency in all that is known, in all that
is planned, in all that is executed. It is the
peculiar and exclusive characteristic of this
Divine attribute, that it can look down upon
what we denominate Evil, with satisfaction ;
can view temporary sufferings, endured by pro
bationary creatures, with approbation; can
anticipate the good which result from these
sufferings ; foreseeing that the sufferer himself,
will, at a future period, rejoice in the distresses
which once tormented his soul !* '

* See Note C.

DISQUISITION II.

ON THE CHARACTERISTIC PECU
LIARITIES OF THE JEWISH DISPEN
SATION, RESPECTING RELI
GION AND MORALS,
*>
" These (the Bereans) were more noble than those of Thes-
salonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of
mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things
were so. Therefore many qf them believed. Acts, ch. 17. v. 11, 12.

DISQUISITION II,

QN THE JEWISH DISPENSATION, &c.
PREfJMI?f4&Y OptSERVATipNS.
When we were treating of the progressive
nature of Well-being,* we enumerated several
insurmountable obstacles which presented them
selves, during the early and uncultivated state
of human nature, to the acquirement of rational,
elevated, and influential conceptions of the
being and attributes of Deity. It was remarked,
that although such conceptions be of high
importance, yet, according to the slow progress
pf intellectual improvement, they could not be
formed by the power of unassisted reason, 'within
the space of a long series of years. The asserr
* See Vol. II. Disq. iii. Ch. iy. On the Progressive Nature
pf Well- being.

64 PRELIMINARY
tion was founded on facts. We know from his
tory, that the wisest nations upon the earth, have
degenerated into the greatest idolaters ; and that
they practised every superstition degrading to
humanity. Notwithstanding the discoveries
they might have made in various other branches
of science, which rendered them the admiration
of subsequent ages, the science of rational theo
logy was totally unknown to them. Nor can it
"be disputed that the whole Jewish nation, and
the most illiterate Christians of the present day,
entertain more just and exalted conceptions of
the Divinity; than had ever been formed in the
minds of the most enlightened Sages of anti
quity. It is therefore a legitimate inference, that
we are indebted to a divine revelation for the
sublime ideas of the nature and perfections of
a Deity, which are now so familiar to the mind.
For although such sentiments be perfectly con
sonant with reason, it does not follow that they
have been, or could have been, discovered, by the
unassisted efforts of the human mind, after they
were entirely effaced. We are so formed, that na
tive ignorance, passions, imagination, precede the
due exercise of the rational faculties; and although
the powers of just discrimination, and of draw
ing just inferences be of the utmost importance,

OBSERVATIONS. 6S
they are the latest acquirements of the human
mind. It is reasonable to suppose that mankind
enjoyed right conceptions of the unity and
moral perfections of God, in the earliest state
of the world ; but these were succeeded by
notions the most absurd, extravagant, and
impious, that the wildest imagination could
possibly form, or the most depraved heart desire.
We know that, after a certain period, polytheism
and idolatry prevailed, through the greater part
of the habitable globe. This deviation from
juster principles having once taken place, native
ignorance, the strength of depraved passions,
the influence of present objects, and the bound
less eccentricities of the imagination, before
reason could discover their absurdity, will enable
us to account for the subsequent degeneracy of
the human race.
The religion of the Pagan world was not
only an apostacy from the true God, but the
worship paid, and rites performed to mere-
images and emblems, and to all the creatures of a
wild imagination, were fatal to the best interests
of mankind. They weakened every moral prin
ciple, and gave strength to every vicious propen
sity. The practices which their own reason con
demned, in the civil offices of life, were frequently
F

66 PRELIMINARY
enjoined upon devotees as offices of devotion.
The best affections of the heart were over
whelmed and subdued by the omnipotence of
terror; and the most unnatural cruelties were
committed, with a view to appease the wrath
of avenging deities. We are assured, from the
most authentic testimony, that every vice which
degrades human beings, has been perpetrated as
an act of piety : adultery, sodomy, prostitution,
fraud, human sacrifices, even the immolation of
their beloved offspring, were frequently considered
as highly meritorious; or as the most infallible
method of averting tremendous judgments.
When we contemplate the perfection of the
divine nature, and that infinitude of majesty
which places the great God above every service
that human beings can bestow, we may rest
assured that his felicity can in no way be affect
ed by the perverseness of mankind. He can
not be robbed of any thing which constitutes
his happiness, by the negligences of men, by
their infidelities, or the alienations of their
devotional services. But they rob themselves of
happiness. They are perfect strangers to all those
consolations which true religion can alone be
stow ; and to all those virtues, and social quali
fications, which alone can be productive of per-

OBSERVATIONS. §7
"manent well-being ; while they patronize every
vice that can be productive of misery. It is
these consequences which render the character
and conduct of his creatures worthy of the
divine interference.
From the essential goodness of God, which
induced him to create sensitive and intelligent
Beings, that they might partake of the varied
blessings of existence ; from the peculiar en
dowments bestowed upon rational agents, and
the desires to enjoy happiness, so implanted in
their nature, that nothing can eradicate them ;
and from the means of good so amply bestowed,
we are authorised to conclude that he wills the
good of all his creatures ; and we are encouraged
to cherish the hope, that he is provident of
peculiar good, respecting man. This hope may
safely be indulged, notwithstanding our native
ignorance; notwithstanding the culpable irre
gularities of our passions and affections, and
the scenes of misery they occasion. The moral
history of man proves to us, that if we be not
happy, there are sources of happiness placed
before us ; if we err through ignorance, we
have intellectual powers, by which we are
enabled to correct these errors ; if the induce
ments to immediate gratification be strong, there

6s PRELIMINARY
are other considerations placed before us, of
sufficient moment in themselves, to arrest our
attention, and to act as a restraint upon every
evil propensity.
But the operation of these efficient causes
demands a process. We are not born in the
centre of perfection, either in principle or
example : We are not destined to be happy,
without a struggle to obtain happiness ; It is
not our lot to sit in indolent ease, without
purchasing a title to what we are to enjoy, by
the observance of right conduct, the pursuit
of right objests; and the cultivation of right
affections. Unless man had been created with that degree
of knowledge which is now the purchase of
much observation and experience, and with an
invincible bias towards virtue, acting as uni
formly as the instincts of animals in their
pursuits of good, he must be liable to many
aberrations. This proneness to erroneous
conduct may be considered as the natural
consequence of that free agency which is a
characteristic of man ; and for the exercise of
which, every other faculty he possesses is merely
preparative. To avoid metaphysical intricacies,
we have preferred that definition of free agency

OBSERVATIONS. 69
in which all metaphysicians will perceive their
peculiar principles are included. We have
directed our ideas solely to the physical power
of man ; to do what he wills to do, without
being restrained by any foreign impediment ;
and to the position that the mind is always influ
enced by inducements ; the strongest of which
becomes the motive, or the moving cause of the
subsequent act.* By this exalted privilege, of
which no human being is disposed to be
deprived, imperfect creatures are destined to
form their own characters. They are free to
act according to whatever line of conduct they
may prefer ; to seek whatever shall appear most
desirable, and by whatever means they may
choose; but it is upon condition that they are
to abide by the issue. This important, though
dangerous, privilege being possessed from the
commencement of existence, during our igno
rance and inexperience, we unavoidably are
subjected to great, manifold, and pernicious
errors. As all our powers, faculties, and natural
propensities, were implanted by the Creator,
we may safely conclude that he has designed
* See Vol. II. Disq. II. ch. iv. Volition.

70 • PRELIMINARY
them to operate to the utmost extent of their
beneficial energies ; nor can any supernatural or
miraculous interference, be requisite to produce
the good which they are able to accomplish. But
the deviations arising from the uncontrolled
liberty of following propensities of every kind,
may plunge us too deeply in the gulph of folly
and wretchedness, for exertions merely human'
to extricate us. By perpetually mistaking the
ideas which crowd into the imagination, for the
dictates of the understanding, and by repeatedly
yielding to the impulses of passion, which obscure
the understanding, the human mind may finally
be rendered incapable of acting rationally ; and
thus it will retain no counterpoise to the power
ful influence of present objects, or the imme
diate gratifications they propose. Such conse
quences may flow from the abuse of free agency;
and the history of the humarf mind testifier
that they have flowed in such an abundance as
to deluge the world.
Since a commencement of depravity must
have taken place, at a period when purer prin
ciples were professed, and before polytheism, the
worship of idols, and the observance of abomi
nable rites became universal, what reformation
could be expected from succeeding generations,

OBSERVATIONS. 71
born in the midst of ignorance and depravity ?
initiated into perverse principles from their infan
cy? surrounded with perverse examples, with
out a single ray of light to conduct them into
the right path? Opinions imbibed by those
who were taught that nothing deemed sacred
could be absurd, and practices rendered familar
by habit, which reconciles to every extravagance,
must erect an effectual barrier against the pos
sibility of a reformation originating from them
selves. Were it possible that the unity of the
Deity, his moral perfections, an universal pro
vidence, and, the obligation to practise every
virtue from a principle of duty, could have been
discovered by some individual of a superior
mind, merely by the light of nature ; yet the
salutary influence of these truths would be
almost imperceptible. The gross ignorance,
depraved passions, and inveterate prejudices of
inferior minds, would effectually prevent their
reception. The Multitude would reject the
sentiments of their teacher, with derision and
contempt. Nor would the Sage be qualified
to announce the plans of Providence, respecting
the moral interests of mankind, or enforce the
practice of any one virtue, with the voice of

n PRELIMINARY
authority, or by absolute promises respecting
futurity. But if we acknowledge a divine interposition
to be highly necessary, upon extraordinary occa
sions, it cannot with justice be considered as an
arbitrary violation of the established laws of na
ture, however great may be the deviation from
the usual course of things. Such an interposition
assumes the character of provisional aid, adapted to
the contingencies incident to that freedom of
agency with which our nature is honoured ; and
thus it constitutes, in reality, an essential part of
the divine plan. The power of the Almighty is
able, at all times, to exert a salutary influence
upon every individual mind ; it can illuminate
the understanding, and rectify the will, in such a
manner, and to such a degree, as shall effectually
annihilate the influence of every seduction;
but the constant exertion of this power would
also annihilate that optional power in man, so
essential to the character of a free moral agent.
It would render man a machine, He would
constantly go right ; but he would be compelled
to go right, and the most exalted motives of ac
tion could no longer exist. Since the excellence
of virtue is to be ascribed to the rational, con*
scientious, and triumphant exertions of a men-

OBSERVATIONS. 73
tal energy, in opposition to vicious inducements,
and vicious propensities, it cannot be practised
instinctively or by compulsion.
Another mode of opposing ignorance and
vice, and gradually destroying their mischievous
effects, more consonant with the nature of man,
consists in forming, by an immediate revelation,
a deposit of religious and virtuous principles,
to which the ignorant may at all times apply for
knowledge ; — by which the irresolute may have
their virtue established ; — in which the vicious
may view, as reflected from a mirror, the black
ness of their characters ; — the promises of which
may afford ample encouragement to the righ
teous, to persevere in the paths of virtue, as con
ducive to permanent happiness ; — and its threat
enings may warn the vicious and profligate of
their danger. By these means the darkness of
the moral world may be gradually illuminated.
Thus may right principles and dispositions
work their way, through the obstacles which
ignorance and vice have opposed to their pro
gress ; and in a manner which still renders the
love and practice of goodness the honorable
result of human efforts.
Such conceptions of the divine conduct per
fectly harmonize with the best principles em-

74 PRELIMINARY
braced by every one who believes in the being
of a God. They imply that the Deity superin-;
tends human affairs according to general laws;
that he knows in what manner, and to what
an extent, these laws will operate in the produc-.
tion of Good ; in what manner, and to wha^
extent, this production of Good will be delayed,
by the capricious free agency of ignorant and
perverse mortals. They maintain that the
power of God is able to make such changes in
his mode of government, as the aberrations of
his creatures may have rendered necessary for
the accomplishment of his designs ; that it is
perfectly consistent with infinite wisdom to exj-
ercise this power upon great emergencies; and
that his benevolence always disposes him to exer
cise the attributes of wisdom and power, in the
production of Good.
It must further be admitted, that these occar
sional interpositions may take place in a manner
best adapted to the nature of the occasion : that,
in some cases, the divine Being may openly dis
play the greatness of his power, either to strike
terror or to implant conviction ; and in others,
this power may be so imperceptibly exerted, that
no mortal shall be able to distinguish his extra
ordinary operations from the usual tenor of his

OBSERVATIONS. 75
conduct. With what facility may a train of
important events be produced by Almighty power,
.through the suggestion of a single thought to
the human mind, or by a single fiat of his will !

As tlie Deity cannot contradict himself; as we
expect from the divine power and wisdom an
uniformity of design, in the midst of the many
diversities which may be required for its comple
tion, we ma}- safely assert, that whatever he has
revealed, in a supernatural manner, must be cor
respondent to his nature, character, and beneficent
motives of conduct ; as well as to the nature and
immediate state of man, to whom the revelation
is made. If a knowledge of the existence of
the one living and true God, be essential to the
acceptable worship of him, or to an uniformity
in our services ; if a deep sense of the greatness
of the divine being, and the excellence of his
moral character, be important to mankind, ne
cessary to the cultivation of right principles,
and right affections towards him, we may justly
expect that correspondent signatures will be
strongly marked upon every immediate revelation
from heaven. If the practice of virtue be essen
tial to the production of personal and social well-
being, the God who desires human felicity will

76 PRELIMINARY
enjoin the practice of every virtue; — and as we
feel that human volition is finally determined by
motives, we have reason to expect that such in
ducements to right conduct will be placed before
us, as shall be vastly superior in themselves to
all the allurements to vice ; such as shall be cal
culated to operate with due force upon sober and
reflecting minds, and induce them to yield obe
dience to the duties enjoined.
To the Jewish and Christian Dispensations alone
can these characteristics be ascribed. They alone
entertain such conceptions of the divine being,
perfections, and conduct, as recommend them
selves to the truest principles of reason ; such
injunctions as uniformly inculcate the duties of
morality ; and such motives as recommend them
selves to the best interests, and most exalted
views of responsible beings. These dispensa
tions, therefore, demand our peculiar attention.
The important truths they reveal, are not only
consonant with those conceptions of a Deity,
which we have proved to be most conductive to
human happiness, and the most encouraging ex
citements to the uniform practice of virtue, but
they are the sources whence those conceptions are
derived. It is indubitable that, previous to these

OBSERVATIONS. 77
dispensations, the world was immersed in reli
gious ignorance-, and since their promulgation,
mankind have made a more rapid progress in re
ligious knowledge, than could have been ex
pected from the slow progress of ratiocination
for a long series of ages. If any just inferences
may be drawn from the many ages of total igno
rance which preceded, to these Dispensations
must the change be ascribed.

We shall therefore attempt to investigate the
important principles contained in each dispen
sation, as far as they respect the moral state and
nature of man, and as they discover to us the
plans of Deity, in promoting the cause of virtue
and happiness, through the medium of pure and
undefiled religion. This investigation will ma
nifest to us the close connexion that subsists
between the different parts of the divine ceco-
nomy, and enable us to trace a perfect corres
pondence between the nature of man, his best
affections, most exalted desires and expectations,
and the plans of Providence concerning him.

We are now advanced thus far in our in
vestigations respecting conduct : — ¦

78 PRELIMINARY
The practice of virtue, personal and social, is
essential to permanent well being : —
Pure and exalted sentiments of a Deity are
the best security to the stedfast and uniform
practice of every virtue : —
Such sublime and influential sentiments are
approved by the truest principles of reason : —
Human Beings were liable, and very prone,
to deviate from the paths of virtue and morality,
in a state of imperfection and ignorance ; and
it- is an undisputed fact, that they have de
viated : —
The Human race, universally plunged into the
depth of ignorance and depravity, could nothe
expected to reclaim themselves : — r .
Their restoration to knowledge, virtue, and
happiness, was an object worthy of the divine
interposition : — ,
It appears to be most consonant to the wisdom
of God, to respect that constitution of human
nature which his wisdom had ordained.; employ
ing the instrumentality of natural causes, either
physical or moral, to the utmost extent of their
beneficial influence, and reserving the extraor
dinary exertions of his power for extraordinary
occasions. Man being rendered susceptible of strong im-

OBSERVATIONS. 79
pressions from surrounding objects ; being fur
nished with numerous passions and propensities,
which were always operating, favourably or
unfavourably, in his pursuits of Good; being
endowed with rational faculties, bywhichheis
enabled to profit by his own observation and ex
perience, and by the experience and observation
of others, and also to bring every principle, de
serving to be received or rejected, to the test
of reason ; being honoured with the noble> but
dangerous power of free agency, by which he
chooses and determines for himself, forms his
own character, and greatly influences his own
destiny : — man, thus circumstanced, is ordained
to be governed by very different laws than those
which belong to physical impulse, or to the
instincts of the brute creation. The supreme
governor demands from him, in every stage of
his progress in the pursuit of well being, the
union of right affections and dispositions, with
the unsophisticated dictates of his reason.
It remains for us to shew, that the Jewish and
Christian revelations are founded upon the above
principles : that the grand design of the former,
was to promulgate those truths, concerning the
being and attributes of God, which approve them
selves to our reason, and are essential to our wel-

80 PRELIMINARY
fare; to inculcate those moral duties on which
personal and social happiness so much depend ;
and also to preserve just sentiments of the
Supreme Ruler, and the knowledge of religious
and moral duties entire and uncorrupted, amidst
the dark ignorance, and horrid depravities,
which were prevalent in the world, and which
must have been both universal and irremediable,
without the divine interposition. — We shall also
evince that the object of Christianity is to com
plete the plan of infinite benevolence, by
universally diffusing these pure principles of
religion and virtue ; by proposing the most en
couraging motives to the practice of them ; and
by insuring final happiness to the righteous, that
is, to such as shall be qualified to enjoy it.

We will presume that our readers believe in
both Dispensations, as being of divine origin;
nor would it be relevant to our design, were we
to adduce any other evidences of this truth than
such as are internal, and such as may present
themselves from the obvious correspondence
of the doctrines they teach, with the most
rational conceptions of the Deity, and the moral
state of the human race.

OBSERVATIONS. 81

We shall devote this Theological Disquisition,
to an enquiry into the Characteristic Peculiarities
of the Jewish Dispensation, respecting Religion and
Morals. They who believe that the history of the Jew
ish nation, as recorded in the writings of the Old
Testament, was written under the directing influ
ence of the Deity, will not be surprised that it
should deviate, in many respects, from the
modes of composition observed by uninspired
writers. The historical parts consist of a plain,
unadorned narrative of facts, which are of a pe
culiar nature. The narrative is given without
any attention to the beauties or elegance of
style, which distinguish the works of men of
genius and taste ; but with a dignified simplicity,
far beyond their imitation. The sacred writers
indulge in no speculations ; affect not a senti
mental language ; seek not td display their
sagacity ; form no conjectures ; draw no in
ferences. They mention facts as they were, or
as thej' appeared to be, in the eyes of the spec
tators, without comments or expletives. They
record the good actions of the Upright, with appro-

82 .PRELIMINARY*
bation, void of panegyric ; and their crimes
with fidelity, without palliatives or censure.
They publish the important truths of religion,
with, an elevation suited to the sublimity" of
¦the. subject,, and with an interest which. affects
the heart. They instruct, in all the moral dyties»
with simplicity and perspicuity ; they promise
rewards and denounce punishments, with a so
lemnity correspondent to the authority, under
which they act. This plan was adopted by the
author of the Pentateuch, and was strictly fol
lowed by every succeeding writer.
The sacred history commences with a slight
sketch of man, from his creation ; and also of
bis subsequent state, in the ¦ early periods <5f
human existence, as introductory to its grand
.object; which is, to present the world with a
theological and moral history of a select people, for
a series of many hundred years. It gives us
a minute detail of the Divine conduct towards
this people, respecting religion and morals ;
respecting the means pursued to promote a spirit
of obedience ; to correct their perverseness ;
.to inspire a confidence in the divine administra
tion ; to extricate them from dangers and dif
ficulties ; and tr>4ead them through a long train
pf extraordinary and : important events, which

OBSERVATIONS. 83
occurred from the days of Abraham, to the
final establishment of his posterity, in the land
of Canaan. It farther informs us that, in con
sequence of this divine or theocratic govern
ment, the Jewish people — and the Jewish "people
alone, — were ina great measure preserved from
the religious ignorance, idolatries, and gross
immoralities, in which every other nation was
deeply involved; that by these means the worship
of idols was gradually abolished ; a knowledge
of the true God was widely diffused ; and a
path was prepared for the advent of the Son
of God, to complete the plan of the Deity, in
promoting the happiness of man.
The peculiarities of this dispensation, which
respect our subject, are the following :
I. The Jewish religion promulgates those doc
trines relative to the Being and Attributes of
God, which are so consonant with our reason ;
and it enjoins the practice of all those moral
duties, which are essential to human well-being.
II. The Jewish history informs us of the man
ner pursued by divine Providence, to preserve
the doctrines of Religion and Morality from the
corruptions of surrounding nations.
III. The same history informs us, that the
selection of the Jewish nation, for this purpose,
e i

84 PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS.
was not for the exclusive benefit of that people,
but introductory to a dispensation, by which all
the nations of the earth were to be blessed ; and
it enables us to trace the preparatory progress.
IV. The union of the above peculiarities in
the Mosaic dispensation, presents us with strong
internal evidences of its divine origin.

( 85 )

CHAPTER I.
©N THE DOCTRINES CONCERNING THE BEING
AND ATTRIBUTES OF GOD, THE DUTIES OF
MORALITY, AND THE SANCTIONS OF THE
MORAL LAW, AS REVEALED IN THE
JEWISH DISPENSATION.
The sacred penman commences his history by
asserting the existence of One God, and as
cribing to him the creation of all things. He
gives us, with a sublime simplicity, a distinct
account of the process of creation, as it was
accomplished at different periods, — by that
Word which is omnipotent, — from the darkness
of chaos, to the preparation of inanimate nature
for the reception of living beings ; and from the
creation of the inferior race of animals, to the
formation of man.
Although theinspired historian particularly en
larges upon the formation of this earth, with its
various inhabitants, yet, lest the creation of
other worlds should be ascribed to other beings,
he attributes the existence of the heavenly bo-

86 ON THE JEWISH
dies to the same Almighty cause. " And God
made two great lights ; the greater to rule the
day, and the lesser light to rule the night; and
he made the stars also."
This simple and dignified narrative of Moses,
has been received as a fundamental article of
the public faith, by the whole Jewish people,
from' their first existence as a nation, to- the
present hour. Through every change- expe
rienced by them, they have as a body preserved
the one principle — that God is the creator of all
things, immutably the same. Although a belief
in the being of a great first Cause was professed
in the earlier ages, preceding the existence of
the Jewish ceconomy, yet by this people alone
did it continue Jto be acknowledged and prer
served, for a series of ages. It was perpetually
inculcated in every part of the Old Testament,
in opposition to the idolatrous notions of the
Gentile world. When the ten commandments
were proclaimed from Mount Sinai, in a manner
the most solemn and awful, they were introduced
by the majestic declaration, " I am the Lord thy
God who have brought thee out of the land of
Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt
have no other Gods beforeme,"&c.&c. While the
sacred Historians uniformly maintain the infinite
importance of ihis doctrine, and record the

DISPENSATION, gj
Repeated prohibitions to worship the cfelestiat
bodies, or the most remote emblems of power
and attributes of any kind, in imitationof the,
surrounding nations, — and that under the most
dreadful threatening, their Poets and Prophets,
proclaim and celebrate the great Creator of aU
things, in language the most solemn and sub
lime. " Praise him," exclaims the enraptured
Psalmist, " sun and mooril; praise him all ye
stars of light; praise him ye .heaven of hea?
vens ! Let them praise the naWe of the Lord,;
for he commanded, and they were created."
The prophet Jeremiah, speaking in the name
of the Being who inspired him, declares, " j
have made the earth, and created man upon
it. I, yea my own hand have stretched out the
heavens, and all their bosts have I command
ed." Expostulating with the " Israelites * for
their propensities to idolatry, he reminds them
that, " the Lord is the true God; he is the
living God and an everlasting king. The; gods
that have not made the heavens and the earth;,
they shall perish from the earth, and from under
the heavens." " He hath made the earth by
his power ; he hath established the world by
his wisdom ; and? he hath stretched out the
¦heavens by . hi s discretion." . , . > ± ' t
As the existence of one God is uniformly

88 ON THE JEWISH
maintained, in opposition to every imagined
deity, thus do these Scriptures repeatedly as
cribe to him all those attributes, natural and
moral, or relative, which we have shewn to be
so conformable to the truest reason, and essen
tial to the happiness of man r — Eternity, Om
nipresence, Power, Wisdom, Knowledge, Holi
ness, Justice, Truth, and Goodness in its
various branches. The passages in which these
perfections are ascribed to the one God, are
numberless. We shall select a very few under
each head. Their interesting sublimity will
prevent their appearing tedious to the devout
reader. ETERNITV.
" Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the
world, even from everlasting to everlasting thou
art God." " A thousand years in thy sight, are
but as yesterday When it is passed, and a watch
in the night." " Of old thou hast laid the
foundations of the earth, and the heavens are
the work of thy hands ; yea all of them shall
wax old like a garment ; and as a vesture shalt
thou change them, and they shall be changed ;

DISPENSATION. 89
but thou art the same, and thy years shall have
no end."* -
OMNIPRESENCE, AND OMNISCIENCE,
" The eyes of the Lord run to and fro
throughout the whole earth." " The eyes of
the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil
and the good." " Whither shall I go from thy
spirit, or whither shall I fly from thy pre
sence ?" " If I ascend into heaven thou art
there, if I make my bed in hades, behold thou art
there. If I take the wings of the morning, and
dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even
there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand
shall hold me. If I say surely the darkness
shall cover me, even the night shall be light
about nte : Yea the darkness hides not from
thee, but the night shineth as the day ; the
darkness and the light are both alike unto thee."
POWER.
" I am the Almighty God ; walk before me."
" I appeared unto Abraham by the name of
* We omit the numerous references as tedious and un
necessary.

90 ON THE JEWISH
God Almighty." "The thunder 4of his powef
who can understand ?" " He ruleth by hi?
power for ever." " He hath shewn his people
the power of his works." "The Lord reigneth,
he is clothed with majesty : the Lord is clothed
with strength, wherewith he hath girded him
self." "The floods have lifted up, O. Lord;
the floods have lifted up their voice : the
floods lift up their waves., The Lord on high
is mightier than the noise of many waters, yeaj
than the mighty waves of the sea."
WISDOM.
" The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth;
by understanding he hath established the. hea
vens; by his knowledge the* depths are broken
up, and the clouds drop down the dew." " Lord",
how manifold are thy wprks ; and in wisdom
thou hast made them all." " He establishes the
world by his wisdom." " Blessed be the name
of God for ever and ever ; for wisdom and might
are his." " He giveth wisdom to the wise, and
knowledge to them that know understanding."
purity; holiness.
The moral perfections of God are represented,
in these sacred oracles, under the characters of

DISPENSATION. §t
I Purity and Holiness, as well as Justice, Truth,
and Goodness. The Purity of God, is a term
now understood to express the perfection of the
divine nature hi general, both in principle or
rule of acting, and perfect equity of conduct.
But among the Hebrews it implied something
more. As the Jewish nation was surrounded
with Paganism, and deities were worshipped, to
whom, were ascribed, without a blush, the im*
moralities and propensities of wicked men, the
Purity of the onespiritual Beingand the true God^
was often placed in contrast to the imputed cha
racters and conduct of these imaginary beings.
Since tlie establishment of Christianity, the gods
of our ancestors are almost effaced from the me
mory. Our conceptions of superior intelligent
ces are now sublimated from the grossness of
matter; and we reject, with disgust and hor*
ror, every idea of corporeality . and depraved
affections, when we contemplate the divine
Being. The terms Purity and Impurity now
relate to Mind alone ; and we can form no other
¦conceptions of the divine Purity, than as imply
ing a total exemption from every thing that is
inconsistent with a perfection of character; as
perfect rectitude, or an infinite superiority to
every unworthy principle, improper motive, and

92 ON THE JEWISH
false disguise, which are so frequently blended
with the moral characters of men, and sully
their most splendid actions.
Holiness, when applied to God, conveys similar
ideas in more solemn language. The word ex
presses a consecration of whatever belongs to
Deity ; and as every thing which relates to reli
gion is expressed in select terms, our imagina
tion has annexed to it peculiar solemnity. The
term Holiness is devoted to religious subjects
exclusively ; and when applied to the divine
Majesty it suggests the idea of a sacred purity.
It is thus employed to inspire frail and imperfect
creatures with deep humility ; and it is calcu
lated to augment the devotion of the Pious, by
marking the awful distance subsisting between
this great Being, and the sincerest of his wor
shippers. When the term Holiness is applied to man, it
connects the religious principle with the laws of
morality. It consecrates Virtue by rendering
the practice of it a religious service. It extends
to that self-dedication to the] worship and ser
vice of God, which constitutes the sublimity of
a pious character. But when the holiness of
God is recommended to our imitation, the idea
is necessarily confined to that moral rectitude
which never deviates from the path of right ;

DISPENSATION. 93
and to the beneficence and mercy which he per
petually exercises towards all his creatures.
Innumerable are the passages in which the
purity and holiness of God are asserted in the
most majestic and awful manner. " The stars
are not pure in his sight." " Shall mortal man
be more pure than his Maker ?" " The words of
the Lord are pure words ; the commandment of
the Lord is pure." " Every word of the Lord
is pure; he is a shield to them that put their trust
in him." " I the Lord'your God am holy."
" For there is none holy as the Lord." " But
thouNart holy, O thou that inhabitest the praise
of Israel." " The earth is his footstool, for he
is holy." "And one cried unto another and said,
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts : the whole
earth is full of his glory."
The display of this purity and holiness, in the
divine conduct towards his creatures, is often
expressed by Righteousness, Justice, Truth, Good
ness. " Oh Lord God of Israel, thou art righ
teous." " The righteous God trieth the heart
and reins." " The judgments of the Lord are
righteous." " I have sworn by myself, the word
is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and
shall not return." " There is no God else beside
me; a just God and a Saviour, there; is none
beside me."'

941 ON THE JEWISH
- It is consoling to observe that the passages1
in sacred writ, proclaiming the goodness of God
in all its modifications, are the most abundant.
They pervade every part, whether it be histo
rical, poetical, or prophetic. They all declare
that, " the Lord God is abundant in mercy and
truth : that the earth is full of the goodness of
the Lord." " Oh taste and see that the Lord is
good," says the Psalmist. " Praise the Lord
for his goodness." " The Lord is good, his
mercy is everlasting, his truth endureth to all
generations. He is slow to anger and plenteous
in mercy. The earth is full of the mercy of the
Lord." " Mercy and truth shall go before thy
face." The application of the word Truth in
this passage, is connected with the display of
the Divine Mercy. Hence it obviously refers
to the fulfilment of his promises. His vera
city is pledged, as it were, for the accom
plishment of the designs of his mercy. As
the judgments threatened, may always be avoid*
ed by true penitence, thus have the righteous,
and the penitent, a claim upon the divine vera
city. The instinctive love of parents for their
offspring, is also adduced, as an emblem of the
divine commiseration. " As a father pitieth
his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear
him." " Can a woman forget her suckling

DISPENSATION. 95
ehild, • that she should not have compassion on
the son of her womb ? Yea, they may forget,
yet will I not forget thee."
¦:¦ Nothing can manifest the deep impression
Which the divine perfections, and a conviction
of his universal government, made upon the
Sacred writers of the Old Testament, in a stron
ger manner, than the triumphant exclamations
with which they call upon the whole creation,
to unite in the celebration of his praises. In
this, the psalmist David eminently excels.
" Oh clap your hands all ye people : shout unto
God with the voice of triumph : for the Lord
inost high is terrible, he is a great king over
all the earth." " Oh give thanks unto the Lord
for he ¦ is good ; for his mercy endureth for
ever." " Oh that men would praise the Lord
for his goodness, and for his wonderful works
to the children of men," &c. " Praise ye the
Lord, praise ye the Lord from the- heavens."

' From the above cursory survey of the reli
gious principles of the, Jewish nation, we per
ceive, that they were exactly- the. same with
those which we have proved to be conformable
to the dictates of reason, - in its severest scru
tinies'; and so essential to the interests of man-

96 ON THE JEWISH
kind. These principles pre-eminently distin
guish the Jewish dispensation. They filled and
elevated the minds of their poets and their pro
phets ; inspiring them with strains of devotion
which have never been equalled, and which
cannot be exceeded. How superior to the poe
try of the heathens, when they attempted to
celebrate their divinities ! When these poets
were the most successful, their excellence con
sisted in a brilliancy of thoughts, set off by all
the laboured arts of composition ; by which
they manifestly attempted to honour them
selves, while they professed to sing pasans to
their gods. The devotional language inspired
by the sublimities of true religion, immediately
flows >from the dictates of the Heart. The
glowing expressions manifest a Mind filled
with a sense of the matchless greatness, and
unbounded goodness of their God. Self is for
gotten, and as it were annihilated, before the
throne of so glorious a being !
These exalted sentiments respecting the great
first cause, were rendered perfectly familiar to
a people, who were despised by all their con
temporaries, and treated by the more polished
nations as ignorant and illiterate slaves. They
were carefully preserved among a people, , many
of whom, through the seductive influence of bad

DISPENSATION. 97
examples, manifested, upon various occasions, a
perverse disposition to worship the gods of
their neighbours. Notwithstanding such de
viations, although this people were so much
inferior in the other branches of science," they
eminently excelled in theological knowledge.
They alone embraced and retained such senti
ments of the great first Cause, as philosophy
had never reached, and which it were extra
vagant to expect from the ignorant and illite
rate, who had neither the power* nor the dis
position, to abstract their minds from things
mundane and sensual.
It was under a full conviction of the wisdom,
righteousness, and benignity of the divine cha
racter and government, that frequent exhor
tations were given to the people; by their in>
spired teachers, to place their sole confidence ia
God. " Wait on the Lord ; be of good cou<-
rage, and he shall strengthen thine heart ; wait,
I say, on the Lord." " I waited patiently for
the Lord, and he inclined unto me and heard
my cry." " It is better to trust in the Lord
than to put confidence in man ; it is better to
trust in the Lord than to put confidence in
princes." "Though I walk through the valley
of the shadow of death ; I will fear no evil ;
for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff
they comfort me." H

98 ON THE JEWISH .
We have remarked, that one requisite for the
steady practice of virtue, from religious motives,
is a full assurance that the practice of every
virtue is acceptable to the Being whom we serve.-
Such a requisition was not ascribed to the hea
then gods, by the generality of their worship
pers ; but it is evinced in every part of the'
Jewish religion. The strictest attention to virtue
and morality is conspicuous in their civil code;
in the repeated counsels and warnings of their
legislators and prophets, and all the sacred
writers ; in the rewards promised, and judg
ments threatened ; and in numberless events
recorded in their history, illustrative of the ex
ecution both of promises and threats.
In the ten commandments, which were anT
nounced with awful solemnity from mount
Sinai, we behold a summary of religious and
moral duties, the exclusive worship of the onft
supreme, observance of his ordinances, and the
practice of all the social virtues, emphatically
enjoined. The various species of injustice ate
enumerated, and forbidden ; Disobedience to
Parents, Murder, Adultery, Theft, Malice, artd
Envy. The civil and political institutions of their
appointed legislator, Moses, indicate the nicest
discriminations respecting the requisitions of

DISPENSATION. 99
justice and mercy. The penal laws were as cor
respondent as the nature of the offence would
admit, to the degrees of its moral turpitude ; by
which the practice of morality was invariably
associated with obedience to the laws of the
land ; nor was a greater immorality committed
by the legislator, in the undue severities of
punishment, than had been committed by
the professed criminal. The strict infliction
of penalties, proportionate to the turpitude of
the crime, became a great security to the honest
and peaceable members of society, without per
petually exciting horror in the breasts of spec
tators, overwhelming the innocent relations of
an offender with an accumulation of disgrace
which he did not deserve, or compelling com
passion to abuse its generous nature, by con
niving at every pitiful evasion, that the guilty
may totally escape punishment, rather than be
unjustly sacrificed by sanguinary laws.
Wilful Murder, Man-stealing, brutal and in-
. corrigible conduct of a Son towards his Parents,
Adultery, Idolatry, and Sorcery, unnatural Lusts,
being enormities of the greatest magnitude,
were considered as worthy of death. Some of
these offences were totally destructive of the
personal or social happiness of the parties in
jured ; others, as Idolatry and Sorcery, were
h 2

loo ON THE JEWISH
rebellion against the sovereign ruler; ah open and.
dangerous violation of that grand principle
Which constituted the basis of the Jewish cecettfr-
fny — the purity of religion. Incorrigible Disobe
dience to parents was deemed rebellion against
the representatives of Deity, as the sources of
existence and support, as wise and affectionate
instructors and protectors. The other crimes
reduce the criminal to a level with the brutes, of
sink him below them.
Culpable carelessness was punished according
to th* magnitude of the injury suffered, and the
degrees of demerit in the offender. Thus, if an
injury <Vere accidentally committed by an Ox,
the death of the animal taught the owner future
care and discretion, and Was a caution to those
who were witnesses to the punishment. But "if
the Ox were Wont to push with his hOrns in
time past, and it hath been testified to the t>' Wrier,
and he hath not kept him in," this inhuman and
destructive carelessness was considered as equi
valent to murder: the Ox was stoned and the
owner put to dea :.'h. Other instances of culpable
inattention were also punished, with a just seve
rity. ¦-' If a man shall open a pit, and not cover
it, and an Ox or an Ass fall therein, the owner
of the pit shall make it good, give money to the
owner of them, and the dead beasts shall be his.".

DISPENSATION. ioi
When fatal or pernicious consequences
were produced by thq indulgence pf the angry
passions, the offender was punished with va
rious degrees of severity, according to the de
grees of aggravation in the circumstances. In
the commission of " wilful injuries, the law of
retaliation required an eye for an eye, a tooth
for a tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn
ing fqr burping, stripe for stripe." A false wit
ness also was sentenced tp suffer the evil
which would have been inflicted upon the ac
cused person, had his testimony received credit.
" The judges shall make diligent inquisition,
and behold if the witness be a false witness,
and hath testified falsely against his brother,
then shall ye do unto him as he had thought to
l&ve done unto his brother ; so shalt thou put
the evil away from among you."
In cases of Theft, the Mosaic laws did not
place the value of an ox, a sheep, an ass, upon a
level with that of an individual of the human
species, They remained satisfied with the milder,
more equitable, and probably, more efficacious
penalties, of restoring threefold, fourfold, qr
fivefold, according to the degrees of criminality
attendant upon the offence.
The strictest equity in commercial dealings
is enjoined by the following law : 'f Thou shaft

102 ON THE JEWISH
not have in thy bag clivers weights, a great
and a small : thoU shalt have a perfect and just
weight ; a perfect and just medsiire shalt thou
have : — for all that do such things, and all that
do unrighteously, are an abomination unto the
Lord thy God."
In all their civil and municipal laws, the pre
valence of wisdom and equity, united with
mildness, is most conspicuous. The utmost
attention was paid to the distresses of the poor
and the debtor, in every injunction respecting
them. The regulations to be observed at the
season of harvest were kind and liberal. " And
when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou
shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of
thy field, when thou reapest; neither shalt thou
gather any gleanings of thy harvest; thou shalt
leave them to the poor and the stranger ; I am
the Lord your God." Again : " When thou
cuttest down thine harvest in the field; and
hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not
go again to fetch it; it shall be for the stranger,
for the fatherless, and for the widow ; that the
Lord thy God may bless thee in all the works
of thine hands." " When thou beatest thine
olive tree, thou shall not go over the boughs
again • it shall be for the stranger, the father
less, and the widow. When thou gatherest

DISPENSATION. 103
the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean
it afterwards ; it shall be for the stranger, the
fatherless, and the widow."
The, following, prohibitions are replete with
humanity : " Thou shalt not curse the deaf,: nor
put a stumbling block before the blind ; thou
.shall nOt avenge or bear any grudge against
the children of thy people ; but thou shalt
love thy neighbour as thyself. I am the Lord."
" When thou buildest a new house, then thou
shalt make a battlement of thy roof, that thou
.bring not blood upon thine house, if any man
fall from thence."

Every seventh year constituted a kind of
pause in. their secular concerns; and it had
some degree of influence, to check the increase
of that inequality to which there is a perpetual
tendency, in all civil societies. The law to be
observed every seventh year operated like a
stated bill of insolvency. " At the end of
every seventh year thou shalt make a release ;
and this is the manner of the release. Every
creditor that lendeth ought to his neighbour
shall release it. He shall not exact it of his
neighbour, or of his brother. Because it is
called the Lord's release." This law was only

104 ON THE JEWISH
obligatory towards a neighbour, or a brother j
the debt might be reclaimed of a stranger.
According to the principles of equity, a claim
of right might have been made in each case.
The remission to those who were so closely
connected, was rendered obligatory alone by
the command of God ; and the injunction was
doubtless to strengthen the bonds of friendship,
and @f brotherly love. Yet in cases of great
distress, a more remote connection than that of
neighbourhood or fraternity, was sufficient to
impose an obligation to benevolence. " If there
be among you a poor man of one of thy bre
thren within any of thy gates, in thy land which
the Lord .thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not
harden thine heart," nor shut thine hand from thy
poor brother ; but thou shalt open thine hand
wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him suffi
cient for his need, in that which he wanteth,
Beware that there be not a thought in thy wick
ed heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of
release, is at hand ; and thine eye be evil against
thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought;
and he cry unto the Lord against thee, and it
be a sin unto thee. Thou shalt surely give him;
and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou
givest. unto him." Regulations were also esta
blished respecting their domestic slaves, and the

DISPENSATION. 105
prisoners taken in war, which breathed a ge
nuine spirit of benevolence and humanity; having
a tendency to meliorate a state which the com
plexion of the times seemed to authorize ; and
totally different from that unlimited power ex
ercised by the heathen nations over their cap
tives and slaves ; or even by Christians in more
enlightened days.
The commotions which such changes had
a tendency to introduce, might have been very
injurious, had not the intervention of a sabbati
cal year been instituted ; preparatory to which
the sovereign of universal Nature augmented
the produce of the preceding year, to a degree
sufficient for the support of the inhabitants
during the seventh, in which those regulations
were to take place.*

The Fiftieth Year, or the year of Jubilee,
constituted an sera still more important. Its
grand object was still more effectually to coun
teract those inequalites, as far as it was practi
cable, to which all human affairs are perpetually
tending, from that diversity of talents and dis
positions which characterizes humanity, and
is predictive of the most opposite conse-
* See Note D.

106 ON THE JEWISH
quences, in situations apparently similar or equal.
, " And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and pro
claim liberty throughout all the land unto all the
inhabitants thereof: it shall be. a jubilee unto
you, and "ye shall return every man unto his
possession, and ye shall return every man unto
his family." Hence it was ordained that the
land should not be alienated for ever from the
original possessors and their dependants ; and
that the equalization should be restored at stated
periods, which had been adopted at the primitive
division of the country.
According to the original law of Nature, the
soil is common to every inhabitant on the globe;
and all have an equal right to its spontaneous
productions. The cultivation of the ground
gives an exclusive claim to its produce; and
it has finally terminated in an entire appropri
ation of the soil itself. To this state of things
many public advantages are annexed, notwith
standing the apparent hardships of privation. La
bourers, manufacturers, artists of various descrip
tions, become more expert and useful in their
employments, than if they were universally com
pelled to till the ground for their sustenance.
They are supposed to receive more than an equi
valent, for this alienation of the ground they
tread upon, through the means of a barter, or

DISPENSATION. 107
from the pecuniary rewards of their labour ; while
the soil itself is rendered much more productive,
by the skilful management of those whose time
and attention are entirely devoted to the object.
But the dispositions and conduct of different men,
and the various contingencies in life, inevitably
prevent a permanent adjustment of the balance.
In a series of years a nation divides into the three
orders of the rich, the middling class, and the
poor. The former become proprietors of immense
wealth; and without well-regulated minds, they
will employ the power which accompanies
wealth, in acts of tyranny and oppression. The
latter are deprived of every thing but the air
they breathe, and the water they drink; and they
are thrown upon the charity of those, by whom,
in the course of human events, they may have
been supplanted. The year of Jubilee was ap
pointed to counteract these pernicious effects,
to a considerable degree,' without invading the
property of individuals. As it was universally
known that every man would return to his pro
perty, and every man to his family, in the space
of fifty years, the price of land was regulated
accordingly. " If ye sell ought to thy neigh
bour, or buy ought of thy neighbour's land, ye
shall not oppress one another ; according to the
number of years after the jubilee thou shalt buy

I OS ON THE JEWISH
of thy neighbour, and according to the number of
years of the fruits he shall sell unto thee ; accord?
ing to the multitude of years thou shalt increase
the price thereof, and according to the fewness of
tlie years thou shalt diminish the price thereof,"
Sect &c. These regulations, however, were confined
to landed property. Whoever sold a house in a
walled city, if it were not redeemed within the
year, it was alienated for ever. " If it be not re
deemed within the space of a full year, then the
house that is in the walled city shall be established
for ever to him that bought it, throughout his
generations ; it shall not go out in the jubilee.
But the houses of the villages which have no
walls round about them, shall be considered as
tlie fields of the country"— rdoubtless because
they were destined for the habitations of hus
bandmen ; — " they may be redeemed, and they
shall go out in the Jubilee." But in respect to
the possessions of the Levites the rule was in
verted. " The cities of the Levites, and the
houses of the cities of their possession, may the
Levites redeem at any time ; and if a man pur
chase of the Levites, then the house that was sold,
and the city of his possession shall go out in the
year of the Jubilee, for the houses of the cities
of the Levites are their possession among the
children of Israel. But (he field of the suburb?

DISPENSATION. 109
of their cities may not be Sold ; for it is. tlieir
perpetual possession."
Hence it appears that the Levites were permit
ted as individuals, to possess private property
in the cities, upon terms more advantageous than
those granted to the laity, but not to possess land
ed estates. These were the exclusive property
of laymen for the term of forty-nine years ; the
tenth of their produce alone belonging to the
priest-hood.. Thus was the wealth obtained by
the care and ceconomy of individuals of this
Order peculiarly respected, while the prohibition
to possess landed property effectually prevented
the "too great accumulation of wealth, so inju*
rious to that devotional spirit, which was the
highest ornament of their sacred ,'character. It
interposed a barrier also to the Worldly aggran
dizement of the priest-hood, as a distinct and
separate body.
We do not mean to insinuate that similar regu
lations could, in every respect, be adopted by
Other communities. The people of Israel, upon
their taking possession of the land of Canaan,
were divided into distinct tribes, having a certain
pbrtidh of land allotted to each ; and these tribes
were subdivided into various families, whosenames
arid peculiar fights, were accurately registered
and carefully preserved. It was not therefore

ilO ON THE JEWISH
impracticable, or even difficult, at the expiration
of forty-nine years, to restore landed property
to the original owners, or to their immediate
successors, whatever alienations might, have
taken place in the intermediate time. The wis
dom, equity, and benevolence of this arrange
ment, where it was practicable, are very obvious.
It checked the habitual oppression to which the
inferior class are exposed by the exorbitantly
rich, particularly at the earlier and less civilized
period of society ; and it relieved the poor and
the slave, from perpetually remaining in a state
of subjection and bondage. It restored their
patrimony to those families which had been de
prived of it, by the misfortune, folly, or injus:
tice of their predecessors. It renewed to each
individual the power of enjoying a comfortable
subsistence, and gave him the opportunity of
returning to a more respectable class of citizens,
from which he had been unfortunately ejected.
These ordinances being the established law of
the nation, from the commencement of their
civil existence, the occupiers of land, at the
year of jubilee, could no more feel the injustice
of being compelled to yield up their tenure, than
the tenant in modern days, when he relinquishes
the occupation of a leasehold estate at the end
of the term.

DISPENSATION. Ill
The return of every family to its patrimony
at these stated periods, was also admirably, calcu
lated to increase, their attachment to their na
tive soil ; and thus prevent those emigrations to
which they might otherwise have been disposed
by poverty, internal troubles, or foreign entice-;
ments. The institution of a jubilee, therefore,
co-operated with various other means of preserv
ing the Jewish nation as a distinct people, for
the future plans of Providence.
A revolution of so great a magnitude must
necessarily place the whole nation in a state of
disorder, before the rights of property could be
accurately ascertained, and re-possession enjoyed
through every branch of the community. The
cultivation of land, during this season, must be
exposed to neglect. For they who were about
to relinquish, could not be expected to labour
for the succeeding occupiers ; nor could the latter
claim any right to an anticipation, or enter upon
.the property of another for the purpose of tillage,
before the appointed period. The God of Order
therefore promised, as in the Sabbatical year, that
the year preceding that of^he jubilee should be
peculiarly productive, and abundantly supply
their wants, until order should be restored.
Thus did he manifest his munificence, and fortify
.their belief in the existence of a God, who had

112" ON THE JEWISH
universal nature under his controul, in opposition
ta the seductive influence of Idolatry. .
The provision made for the Ministers of reli*
giofi was equitable and competent. It gave them
a claim which placed them above a state of
dependence, and the temptations to mean and
servile Connivances, which are peculiarly incon
sistent with the character of those who are ap
pointed to be the patterns of every virtue. But
it was not sufficient to produce the indolence and
carelessness incidental to affluence. It was or
dained, that their Priests should live by the altar.
They were prohibited from sharing in the parti
tion of lands ; and they were strictly commanded
to officiate in their profession themselves. They
had a divine right to the tenths of the offerings
from the people ; and the people had the divine
right to demand their immediate services. " And
the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Thus speak
unto the Levites, and say unto them, When ye
take of the children of Israel the tithes which
I have given you from them for your inheritance;
then ye shall offer up an heave offering of it to
the Lord, even a tenth part of the tithe, and
this, your heave offering shall be reckoned unto
you, as though it were the corn of the threshold
floor, and as the fulness of the wine press," &e.
" Therefore ye shall say unto them, when ye have

t i i

DISPENSATION. lis
heaved the best thereof from it, then it shall be
counted unto the Levites as the increase of the
threshing floor, and as the increase of the wine
press, and ye shall eat it in every place, ye and
your households ; for it is your reward for your
services, in the tabernacle of the congregation"

The above epitome, concise and imperfect as
it is, will be sufficient to manifest the equitable
spirit of the Jewish laws, and the strict attention
paid to moderation and clemency, in their penal
code; as far as was consistent with the purposes
of government. Therefore the strict injunction,
" thou shalt not spare, thou shalt not pity," those
whom the laws condemned, had the essential
good of the community for its object. Where
laws are wise and temperate, they cannot be too
punctually executed. Clemency and pitiful eva
sions form a league with the offender, to the pre
judice of that public whom the laws professedly
protect.

The precepts of Morality were also strongly
enforced, by many individuals in the Jewish
nation, who were not in the legislative character.
Their accurate observatipns upon men and
1

1 14 ON THE JEWISH
manners, upon conduct, and the consequences of
conduct, were numerous and striking. Most of
these were formed into, moral aphorisms, and
pious sentences ; which, for their justice and
poignancy, are the admiration of the present.
day. Those actions and dispositions which, in
modern times, are characterised by virtue and
vice, and virtuous and vicious, are uniformly
spoken of in the Scriptures as Righteousness,
Uprightness, Holiness, or as sinful and wicked.
It was remarked, in our analysis of virtuous
Conduct, that we usually apply the terms pru
dent and imprudent, to many actions which chiefly
respect personal accommodations or personal
injuries ; to these also we in general confine the
terms Wisdom and Folly. In the Jewish system,
the presence, the influence, the favour or displea
sure of the Universal Ruler, are incessantly
placed before the eyes of the people. Hence it
is that every branch of Virtue is considered as
the highest Wisdom, and vice is always deemed
synonymous with the extreme of Folly ; for by
the former, all the advantages flowing from obe
dience were perfectly secured ; and by the latter,
the miseries flowing from the Divine displeasure
were assuredly incurred.
The moral Writers among the Jews have not
left a single virtue, either personal or social,

DISPENSATION. 115
without a comment upon the excellences and
advantages of the one, or loading the other with
disgrace and ignominy. We shall adduce a few
specimens, in confirmation of the assertion.
The grand and comprehensive duty of Self-go
vernment, is repeatedly enforced. " He that
hath no rule over his own spirit, is like a city
that is broken down and without walls." , Keep
thine heart with all diligence, for out of it are
the issues of life." " He that is slow to anger,
is of great understanding; but he that is hasty
of spirit exalteth folly." " When wisdom en
tereth" into thine heart, and knowledge is plea
sant to thy soul, discretion shall preserve thee,
and understanding shall keep thee."
The 'virtue of Patience is frequently recom
mended. " My son despise not the chastening
of the Lord, neither be weary of his correction ;
for whom the Lord loveth he correcteth, even as
a father the son in whom he deiighteth." " If
thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength
is small," &c.
The virtue of Contentment is strongly recom
mended in the prayer of Agur : " Give me nei
ther poverty nor riches ; feed me with food con
venient for me," &c.
Resignation is generally expressed by trusting
in the Lord. " I will trust in the mercy of the
1 2

116 ON THE JEWISH
Lord forever and ever." " Although he slay me
I will trust in the Lord." " None that trust in
the Lord shall be desolate."
The injunctions to rejoice in the protection of
Providence are innumerable. " Ye shall rejoice
in all that ye put your hands unto, ye and your
household wherein the Lord thy God hath bles
sed thee." " Thou shalt rejoice in every good
thing which the Lord thy God hath given unto
thee, and unto thine house."
Pride and Arrogance are censured with the
utmost severity, and the contrary virtues of
Humility and Modesty are highly extolled.
" What doth the Lord require of thee, but to do
justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly
with thy God." " Before honour is humility."
" Let another praise thee, and not thine own
mouth, a stranger and not thine own lips."
" Seest thou a man that is wise in his own con
ceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him."
" The fear of the Lord is to hate evil, pride and
arrogance, and the evil way of the froward man
doth he hate."
The duty and advantages of Industry,
Temperance and Chastity, are also enforced
and exemplified in pointed language. " The
soul of the sluggard desireth and hath no
thing, but the soul of the diligent shall be made
fat." " Seest thou a man that is diligent in busi-

DISPENSATION. lir
ness, he shall notstand before mean men." " Go to
the ant thou sluggard, consider her ways and be
wise." " Wine is a .mocker, strong drink is ra
ging, and whoever is deceived thereby is not wise.''
" Be not thou among the wine-bibbers, among
the riotous eaters of flesh ; for the drunkard and
the glutton shall come to poverty. Who hath
woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contention?
who hath babbling ? who hath wounds without
a cause ? who hath redness of eyes ? They that
tarry long at the wine. They that go to seek
mixt wine." " The lips of a strange woman
drop as an honey comb, and her mouth is
smoother than oil, but her end is bitter as worm
wood, sharp as a two-edged sword." " Say unto
wisdom thou art my sister, and call understand
ing thy kinswoman; that they may keep thee
from the stranger that flattereth with her words."
The social virtues of Discretion, Justice, and
Benevolence, in their various ramifications, are
frequently inculcated, with no less energy of
thought and expression. " A soft answer
turneth away wrath, but grievous words stir up
anger." " The beginning of strife is as one
letting out water, therefore leave off contention
before it be meddled with." " He that answers
a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and
shame unto him." " A tale bearer revealeth

11? ON THE JEWISH
secrets, but he that is of a faithful spirit con-
gealeth the matter." " A fool yuereth all his
mind, but a wise man keepeth it in till after
wards." " Debate thy cause with thy neigh
bour himself, and discover not a secret to ano
ther." " Withdraw thy feet from thy neigh
bour's house, lest he be weary of thee, and say. I
hate thee."
Integrity, and Veracity are strongly enforced!
"The sacrifice of the wicked is an dboinin.itioa
to the Lord, but the'piayers of the upnght are
his delight." " Diverse weights and diverse
measures, both of them are an abomination to
the Lord." " It is not good to be a respecter
of persons in judgment." " He (hat say eth. to
the wicked thou art righteous, him shall the
people curse, nations shall abhor bun." " The
lips of truth shall be established for ever, but a
lying tongue is but for a moment." "Lying lips
are an abomination to the Lord, but they that
deal truely are his delight." " I am God, walk
before me." " He that walketh uprightly walk
eth surely," &c.
Benevolence and Compassion. " Withhold
not good from him to whom it is due, when it
is in the power of thine hand to do it." " A
friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born
for adversity." " Rejoice not when thine ene-

DISPENSATION. 119
my falls, and let not thine heart be glad when
he stumbleth, lest the Lord see it, and it dis-
pleaseth him." " If thy neighbour be hungry
give him bread to eat, and if he thirst give him
drink, for thou shalt heap coals of fire upon
his head, and the Lord shall reward thee."
" Thine own friend and thy father's friend for
sake not." " He that oppresseth the poor re
proacheth his Maker, but he that honoureth him
hath compassion on the poor." " He that
giveth to the poor, shall not lack." " He that
giveth to the poor lendeth to the Lord." " A
righteous man regardeth the life of his beast,
but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel,"
Sec.

In every command a promise or a threat is
implied, which distinguishes a command from
advice, persuasion, or intreaty. Commands are
issued by those alone who have power and au
thority to enforce ; which, as we have already
shewn, operate upon the passions of hope and
fear. Whoever obeys, expects some future re
compense for his obedience ; and whoever dis
obeys, has to expect certain pernicious conse
quences resulting from his disobedience. Under
the Jewish ceconomy, the most powerful argu-

120 ON THE JEWISH
ments to the practice of Virtue were not de
duced from its conformity to reason, or the
beauty of virtue ; nor was a confidence placed
in a natural love of justice, a benevolent dispo
sition, or the great conveniences it affords to
the social intercourse. The grand principle in
culcated was the ffar. o: God. "Ye shall
-walk after the Lord your God and fear him,
and keep his commandments, and obey his voice,
and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him."
" The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wis
dom." " Stand in awe and sin not." Salvation
is nigh unto them that fear him." " Let the
inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him."
" Unto the wicked God saith, what hast thou
to do to declare my statutes, or that thou should
est take my covenant into thy mouth ?"

It clearly appears from the above extracts,
that, according to the just conceptions of the
Jewish Moralists, wickedness was not confined
to the neglect of the Divine ordinances, or to
open profaneness, but it extended to the neglect
of moral duties also. All Vice in Scripture lan
guage is wickedness, and it is considered as an
immediate offence against the supreme Legisla
tor,

DISPENSATION. 121
The promises or threats to the Obedient or
Disobedient had, in the JewLh Dispensation, a
double reference. Being a people under an hierar
chical government, and the subjects of a Sove
reign who has all nature under his controul, and
can direct every event according to the good
pleasure of his will, national prosperity and na
tional adversity were continually placed before
them, as the rewards or punishments of obe
dience or rebellion. After Moses, the chosen
servant of the Lord, had instructed the. people,
by divine appointment, in the moral, civil, and
ceremonial law, in a minute and circumstantial
manner, so that no one could offend through
ignorance, he promises in the name of the uni
versal Sovereign, " If ye walk in my statutes,
and keep my commandments to do them, then
will I give you rain in due season, and the land
shall yield her increase, and the trees of the
field shall yield their fruit, and your threshing
shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage
shall reach unto the sowing. time, . and<ye. shall
eat your bread to the full, and. dwell in your
land safely. And I will give peace in the land,
and ye shalUie.down and none make you afraid ;
and I will rid evil beasts out of the land, neither
shall the sword go through your land ; and ye
shall chase, your enemies, and they shall fall

122 ON THE JEWISH
before ye by the sword ; and five of you shall
chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall
put ten thousand to flight ; and your enemies
shall fall before you by the sword. For I will
have respect unto you and make you fruitful,
and multiply you, and establish my covenant with
you. And I will walk among you and will be
your God, and ye shall be my people. But if
ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all
these commandments, and if ye shall despise
my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judg
ments, so that ye will not do all my command
ments, but that ye break my covenant, I also
will do this unto you ; I will even appoint over
you terror, consumption, and the burning ague
that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow
of heart ; and ye shall sow your seed in vain,
for your enemies shall eat it ; and I will set my
face against you, and ye shall be slain before
your enemies ; they that hate you shall reign
over you ; and ye shall flee when none pursueth
you ; and if ye will not for all this hearken
unto me, then I will punish you seven times
more for your sins ; and I will break the pride
of your power ; and I will make your heaven as
iron, and your earth as brass; and your strength
shall be spent in vain : for your land shall not
yield her increase, neither shall the trees of

DISPENSATION. 123
the land yield their fruits," lkc'8cc— (See; Levi
ticus, c. $.6. and also Deuteronomy, c. 28.) —
These chapters contain, as it were, a prophetic
history of the future conduct of the Israelites,
their obstinacies and rebellions, punishments, re
pentance and restoration to the divine favour.

Thus was worldly prosperity promised to this
people collectively as a Nation ; and the most
dreadful calamities, to which a nation could be
exposed, were threatened, should they prove
wicked and rebellious. But numerous were the
encouragements and warnings, pronounced tp
Individuals in their private character, according
to the tenor of their moral and religious conduct.
The rewards uniformly held forth to the
Righteous, were the natural advantages derived
from right conduct, the consolations of an
approving conscience, respect among men,
and the favour of the Almighty. The Wicked
were repeatedly warned of the natural con
sequences of their folly, the disgrace they
would incur in their social character, and the
severity of the Divine wrath. " Great peace
have they that love thy law, and nothing shall
offend them-" " Blessed is the man whose de
light is in the law of the Lord, he shall be like

124 ON THE JEWISH
to a tree planted by the rivers of water, that
bringeth, forth fruit in his season. His leaves
also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth
shall prosper. The ungodly are not so, but like
the chaff which the wind driveth away." " He
that walketh uprightly walketh surely." " When
a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even
his enemies to be at peace with him." " The
hopes of the righteous shall be gladness, but the
expectations of the wicked shall perish." " A
man shall not be established by wickedness, but
the root of the righteous shall not be moved."
" The memory of the just is blessed, but the
name of the wicked shall rot." " Surely there
shall be no reward to evil men ; the candle of
the wicked shall be put out." " The curse of
the Lord is in the house of the wicked, but he
blesseth the habitation of the just." Wisdom is
represented as expostulating with evil doers,
" Behold I have called and ye refused ; I have
stretched out my hand and no man regarded,
but ye have set at nought my reproofs; I also
will laugh at your calamity, I will mock when
your fear cometh as a whirlwind, when distress
and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they
call upon me but I will not answer, they shall
seek me early, but they shall not find me." &c.
It is a singular fact, that the promises and re-

DISPENSATION 125
wards to obedience or disobedience which are
explicit, are entirely confined to worldly' prospe
rity or worldly calamity; those that respect the
moral conduct of Individuals are general and
indefinite. This singularity has been adduced by
a learned prelate as a proof of the divine legation
of Moses. Since every other legislator was com
pelled to call in the aid of future rewards and
punishments, in order to procure obedience to
their injunctions, conscious that the powers of
nature were not at their command, they ventured
not to promise or to threaten what they could
not accomplish; lest a contrary issue should dis
cover the imposture. But although a reference
to a future state of retribution did not enter into
the system of the divine legislator Moses, it is
obvious, from many occasional expressions of
their devout moralists, that the righteous were
in expectation of greater rewards than it is in
the power of this world to bestow. The desire
of future happiness is natural to Man exclusive
ly. A conscious superiority of powers over
every other animated being; the experience that
sublunary good, when possessed, is not adapted
to ensure permanent felicity ; a perception that
some characters and dispositions are far more ex
alted above the common level than their for
tunes or enjoyments, and that others deserve

126 ON THE JEWISH
much greater evils than this world has inflicted ;
the remorse which accompanies great depravity,
indicating a consciousness of danger, these all
direct the attention to future scenes, and to fu
ture remunerations. Expectations of the kind
were indulged by numbers among the heathenSj
under circumstances much less favourable to
their hopes. It would have been strange if simi
lar hopes and apprehensions, had not existed in
the breast of the most considerate among the
Jewish people, in the midst of the numerous pro
mises and threats which surrounded them. Many
passages might be adduced to support the opi
nion, that individuals did entertain the expecta
tion. We may refer to some of those already
quoted ; as " the hopes of the righteous shall be
gladness, but the expectations' of the wicked
shall perish." " There is no reward to wicked
•men, the candle of the wicked shall be put out."
" Though a sinner do evil a hundred times, and
his days shall be prolonged, I know that it shall
be well with them that fear God, who fear before
him, but it shall not be well with the wicked;
because he fears not before the Lord." David
says, " though I walk through the dark valley
of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for
thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff they com
fort me." "Thou wilt not leave my soul in helL

DISPENSATION. 137
nor suffer thy holy one to see corruption." Al
though this be acknowledged as a prophecy
referring to Jesus, yet in its primary signification,
it probably relates to the hopes of David, con
cerning futurity. The argument used by our
Saviour to prove the resurrection of the dead,
in his discourse with the Sadducees, is an infe
rence which a pious Israelite would also be dis
posed to draw. " Now that the dead are raised,
even Moses shewed at the bush, when he
calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob, for he is not a God of the dead but
of the living. The phrase frequently used ex
pressive of death is, being gathered to the people,
Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, were gathered
to their people. "Aaron shall be gathered to his
people, for he shall not enter into the Land," Sec.
" And the Lord said unto Moses — thou also
shalt be gathered to thy people, as Aaron thy
brother was gathered. All that generation were
gathered to their fathers, &c." This kind of
phraseology has no reference to their being depo
sited in the same cemetery, which might con
fine its signification to an assemblage of indivi
duals, of the same community, in the grave:
It is applied to persons who died in different ages,
and at remote distances from each other ; and
naturally conveys- the idea of a deposit against a

128 ON THE JEWISH
future resurrection. " Thy dead shall live," says
the prophet Isaiah, " together with my dead body,
shall they arise. Awake and sing ye that dwell
in the dust, for thy dew is as the dew of herbs,
and the earth shall cast out the dead."* The fol
lowing singular passage is in the prophecy of
Ezekiel. " Then he said unto me, son of man,
these bones are the whole house of Israel. Be
hold they say our bones are dried, and our hopes
are lost ; we are cut off for our parts. There
fore prophecy and say unto them, thus sayeth
the Lord God ; Behold O my people, I will open
your graves, and cause you to come out of your
graves, and bring you into the land of Israel ;
and ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I
have opened your graves, and brought you up
out of your graves; and shall put my spirit in
you, and I shall place you in your own land.-f"
Again, " I will ransom them from the power of
the grave ; I will redeem them from death : Oh
death, I will be thy plagues ; O grave, I will be
thy destruction ; repentance shall be hid from
my eyes." % To this passage St. Paul obviously
refers in his exulting exclamation, Oh death, &c.
These remarkable expressions being uttered in
* Isaiah xxvi. 19.
t Exek. xxxvii. 11. See also the preceding verses,
\ See Hosea xiii. 14.

DISPENSATION. 129
prophetic language, which in general is highly
figurative, and being associated with declara
tions which obscure their specific meaning, the
mind is at a loss in what manner immediately to
apply them. But they are calculated to inspire
the strongest hopes that some extraordinary
events will take place, as a blessing to the righ
teous, far surpassingall that worldly prosperity can
bestow. The frequent exhortations to " trust
in the Lord, to put their confidence in the God of
their salvation," the assurances given to this peo
ple that "* the mercy of God endureth forever,
that he hath no pleasure in the death of the
wicked, but had rather that he would return and
live," appear to have a much higher reference thart
to sublunary good ; they must have had a
tendency to encourage and strengthen the desire
of future bliss so natural to man. The Jewish
history informs us accordingly, that when their
speculative philosophers were divided into two
leading sects, the Sadducees alone were sceptics,
but the Pharisees, Who were the most nume
rous, were believers in a future state.

The fundamental principle of all religions in
discriminately, is obedience ; a conformity of
conduct to the will and mandates of the Being
K

130 ON THE JEWISH
worshipped. This principle was very conspi
cuous in those cruel and infamous rites practised
by the heathen world, in order to obtain the
favour of their imaginary deities ; Rites which
opposed every natural feeling of the heart. En
lightened worshippers of the true God, are well
assured that his injunctions are not arbitrary,
capricious, and selfish ; like the supposed man
dates of those to whom human passions and de
pravations were ascribed. The obedience de
manded by the universal governor, is conform
able to the rule of right, which has for its basis
the diffusion of well-being. Such a character
cannot be bribed into reconciliation and com
placency, by the most costly sacrifices, or by
any voluntary sufferings, as substitutes for obe
dience to his moral laws. The Pagans, who
were not favoured with a revelation, had no
other guide than their own vague conceptions,
respecting the service which might prove ac
ceptable to their supposed divinities ; and they
were solely actuated by such hopes and fears as
were excited by their own superstitious notions ;
or at most by the imperfect and glimmering
light of nature. Those who enjoy an immediate
revelation from heaven, not only know what
services are demanded of them, but their hopes
are encouraged by express promises, and their

DISPENSATION. 131
fears alarmed by explicit denunciations. It is
therefore expected that a conviction of religious
truths should be productive of unreserved obe
dience. A transgression of the divine com
mands, is an incontestable mark of ungovern
able propensities, culpable inattention, incredu
lity respecting the threatenings, or a want of
confidence in the promises of God. Hence it
is that the Jewish people, were so frequently
and so severely reproached for their unbelief,
" Ye rebelled against the commandment of the
Lord your God ; and ye believed-him not, nor
hearkened to his voice." " A fire was kindled
against Jacob, and anger also came up against
Israel, because they believed not in God, and
trusted not in his salvation."*
In conformity to such principles, and such
declarations, and to evince that " the word
which is gone outof the mouth df the Lord shall
not return," ^he sacred historian has recorded
numerous instances of the accomplishment both
of promises and of threatenings ; in which the
Disobedience of individuals has been repeatedly
productive of the severest chastisement, and
Obedience has received the most signal eviden-
* Deut. ix. 23. Ps. lxxviii. 21, 22. See the whole of this
P»alm,
K 2

132 ON THE JEWISH
ces of the divine approbation. Of these facts
we shall adduce a few examples.
The first instance of a just and wise severity
against Disobedience, is recorded in the history
of our first Parents ; whose rebellious conduct
has spread its influence over all their posterity,
and introduced anew arrangement in the divine
administration. Death, the hated enemy of
man, which destroys his plans, terminates his
prosperity, inspires him with dread whenever
it arrests his attention, was introduced into the
world by Disobedience. The prohibition was
" of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, ye
shall not eat of it ;" the threatening, " for in
the day that ye eat thereof ye shall surely die."
Whatever explanation may be given to some
particulars in this narrative of Moses, concern
ing the transgression of Adam, whether the}}
are to be received in a literal, or in an allego
rical sense., the grand truth remains the same.
He transgressed. His guilt consisted in dis-<
obedience to a command. Whatever Ideas we
may entertain concerning the knowledge of
good and evil, the sin consisted in its being
unlawfully obtained. There is also a great di
versity in the sentiments of men concerning
this Death. By some it is supposed to signify
absolute annihilation ; an irrecoverable ex tine-

DISPENSATION. 133
tion of being, such as, in the general opinion, is
the destination of the inferior animals. Accord
ing to some, it is a suspension of vitality, a
total cessation of consciousness ; inactivity in
every natural, intellectual, and moral power :
It has been* considered as the separation of the
immortal and spiritual part of man, from that
which is material and perishable ; the soul or
conscious principle still possessing a separate
existence, and powers of reflection in an un
known state : Some have imagined that by
Death, in the language of scripture, is to be
understood a state of permanent misery to the
wicked. This diversity of opinions principally
arises from the different theories that have been
entertained, concerning the nature of the human
soul, and the absolute irremediable demerit of
sin. These theories, being venerated by their
supporters as first principles, the explanations
given of. particular expressions, have always"
been conformable to them. However, the Death
that was threatened and introduced into the
human race, is, according to every theory, a
destruction of that very interesting connection
which subsists between human beings, and the
present system of things. In consequence- of
this law of dissolution, Men, as well as all ani
mal and vegetable productions, experience a

134 ON THE JEWISH
rapid succession in existence, instead of that
permanency of duration which is ascribed to
superior orders of beings. The sentence was
intended to operate as a punishment to. the
offender. It was a threatening which terrified
our first parents ; and whatever may be the spe
culative opinions adopted concerning the nature
of the soul, or a state of future existence, a pain-#
ful uncertainty, and anxious doubts, are dif
fused over the whole human race, respecting our
future destination.
The second offence recorded, is the sin of fra
tricide. It proceeded from the evil spirit of envy
in Cain, who was " very wroth," because the
sacrifice of his brother Abel was such as rendered
it acceptable to the Lord, while his own was
rejected. He was sentenced to be " a fugitive
and a vagabond in the earth."
" Enoch walked with God ; and he was not,
for God took him."
In the destruction of mankind by the universal
flood, the piety of Noah not only preserved him
and his family from the general ruin, but he bad
the distinguished honour of being the parent
of a new race of inhabitants. " Noah found
grace in the eyes of the Lord." " He was a
just roan, and perfect in his generation; and
Noah walked with God," Concerning the ex-

DISPENSATION. 135
cellency of his faith, St. Paul thus speaks. " By
faith Noah, being warned of God, of things not
seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to
the saving of his house; by which he condemned
the world, and became heir of the righteousness
which is by faith."*
The very shameful behaviour of Ham towards
his father, as it marked his character at an early
period, so was it introductory to that depravity
of manners which characterised the descendants
of his son Canaan; and it was doubtless the occa
sion of that subsequent state of degradation
which Noah had predicted ; while the superior
virtues of Shem and Japheth, descending to their
posterity, entitled them to the blessings pro
nounced. " And he said, cursed be Canaan ; a
servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.
And he said, blessed be the Lord God of Shem,
and Canaan shall be his servant. And God shall
enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents^
of Shem ; and Canaan shq^l be his servant, f
In the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah,
the divine wrath was manifested against the ex
treme wickedness of the inhabitants ; but the
love of righteousness was most conspicuous in
the preservation of Lot and his family ; and also
in the declaration that had there been ten righ-
* Heb. xi. 7. f Gen. ch. ix. 25, 26.

136 ON THE JEWISH
teous men, the cities should have been spared for
their sakes.
To the signal faith of Abraham is ascribed the
honour of his being the father of a race, through
whose means all the nations of the earth are to
be blessed*. When mankind were rapidly dege
nerating into idolatry, he continued stedfast in
the worship of the true G^od. At the divine
command, he quitted his native country, to dwell
in the land of Canaan. " By faith Abraham,
when he was called to go out into a place which
he should after receive for an inheritance, obey
ed ; and he wept out not knowing whither he
went. By faith he sojourned in the land of pro
mise, as in a strange country." But a severer
conflict awaited him. Deeply impressed with a
sense of duty, he prepared to offer up his only
son Isaac. He was now placed in a situation th^
most extraordinary and unparalleled ; the act
was revolting both to the parental affections,, and
to the feelings of humanity. The injunction
seemed to be in direct contradiction to the pro
mise which had been repeatedly made, that " in
his seed should the nations be blessed." But he
conceived it to be his duty, and lie resolved to
obey ; " accounting that God was able to raise
him up, even from, the dead." As, Adam was
placed in a state of trial, by which, in case of

DISPENSATION. 13T
obedience, he might have been the happy proge
nitor of an immortal race, although he rendered
himself unworthy of the honour, by having been
subdued in the conflict, thus upon Abraham was
enjoined a command, apparently more severe and
difficult, yet he was found faithful ; and upon
him was conferred the honour of being the pro
genitor of the second Adam.
Isaac and Jacob also kept themselves unconta-
minated by the profligacies and idolatrous rites
of their surrounding neighbours. They mani
fested a zeal for the worship and service of the
true God, and they were associated with their
father Abraham in the patriarchal honours.
The chastity of Joseph, the integrity of his
moral principles, and his piety towards God, in
scenes the most trying and the most distressing,
were introductory to the subsequent eminence of
his station ; which enabled him to save the
lives of multitudes, during several years of
famine, and to become a blessing and consolation
to his aged parent, with his numerous family.
On the other hand, the perverse obstinacy of
Pharoah, in not permitting the children of Israel
to depart, after the repeated applications of
Mpses, supported by the manifestations of a
miraculous power, was the occasion of the vari
ous calamities. inflicted upon the Egyptians ; and

138 ON THE JEWISH
the final destruction of himself and his nume
rous hosts in the Red sea.
When the discouraging reports made by the
Spies, which represented the conquest of the
country as impracticable, excited a spirit of
rebellion among the people, who formed plans
of revolt,, saying one to another, " let us make
a captain and let us return unto Egypt," we are
told that the Almighty was incensed against the
rebellious race; and as a punishment for their
unbelief not an individual of them was per
mitted to enter the promised land, excepting
Caleb, and Joshua their subsequent leader,
" Because all those men which have seen my
glory, and my miracles which I did in Egypt,
and in the wilderness, have tempted me now
these ten times, and have not hearkened to my
voice, surely they shall not see the land which I
sware unto their fathers ; neither shall any of
them that provoked me see it : but my servant
Caleb, because he hath another spirit with him,
and hath followed me fully ; him will I bring
into the land, whereinto he went, and his-seed
shall possess it."
The destruction of three thousand men, whp
compelled Aaron to make a golden calf, to go
before them in the absence of Moses, and the
plague which followed; the destruction of

DISPENSATION. 139
Nadab and Abihu for offering strange fire,
although they were the sons of Aaron ; the de
struction of Korah, Dathan, antl Abiram, with
their dependants, for open rebellion against the
authority of Moses, in which not less than
" two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly,
famous in the congregation, men of renown,"
were concerned ; and other acts of a similar
nature, inflicted at different periods, were neces
sary manifestations how dangerous it is to
disobey the commands of God.
Even Moses, the chosen servant, by one act
which displeased the Lord, was not permitted to
enter that Land, to the borders of which he had
conducted the Israelites with such indefatigable
zeal. He who had sustained so many conflicts
with a perverse nation, and surmounted so many
difficulties, in a moment of vanity, arrogated
to himself a power independent of the Being in
whose name he was appointed to act ; and this
had a tendency to withdraw their confidence in
their sovereign ruler. When commanded to smite
the rock in the desert of Zin, " Moses and Aaron
gathered the congregation together before the
rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye
rebels, must we fetch ye water out of this rock?"
" And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron,
because ye believe me not to sanctify me in the

i'j.

140 OF THE JEWISH
eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall
not bring this congregation into the land which
I gave them."
To the various abominations committed and
sanctioned, by that powerful and splendid so
vereign Solomon, is ascribed the rending of
the nation into two divisions, the total separation
of the ten tribes from the house of Israel, and
the shameful civil wars which ensued. The
idolatrous practices commenced by Jeroboam,
who led the revolt against the successor to Solo
mon, continued and increased by a quick suc
cession of profligate kings, are declared to have
occasioned the total destruction of this revolt
ing branch, by their being carried captive into
Assyria, and dispersed among the nations.
In relating the numerous events which suc
ceeded to each other, during the space of several
centuries, from the first invasion of the inhabi
tants of Canaan by Joshua, to the Babylonish
captivity, one grand object of the sacred history
is, to evince that every instance of suecess ob
tained by the descendants of Abraham over
their numerous and powerful adversaries; — every
instance of their defeat ;— all the seasons of their
national prosperity ;— all their national calami-

DISPENSATION. 141
ties, were perfectly correspondent, either to the
degrees -of their faith and obedience to the
divine commands, or to their unbelief and dis
obedience. While they preserved themselves
secure from being corrupted by the maxims and
examples of the idolatrous nations, they were
triumphant; nor did the largest disproportion
in their numbers, prove an impediment to victory.
Their deviations were punished in an xeemplary
manner : but to repent of their folly was to be
replaced under the divine protection.
This subject constitutes so essential a branch of
the Jewish history, that it will be resumed in a
future section.

It is obvious, from several parts of their history,
that it was not enjoined upon the Israelites, in the
character of warriors, to deviate from those laws
of war which were admitted as just and reasonable,
through every part of the world. These san
guinary laws allowed, in many cases, of the total
extirpation of the conquered countries, if inte*
rest or convenience demanded, or a spirit of
revenge prompted to the execution. The most
severe punishments of retaliation, were not con
sidered as acts of crueltv, but acts of military
justice.. Every thing dear to Man, wives, chil
dren, every species of property, were at the sole

142 ON THE JEWISH
disposal of the conquerors; and a partial remis
sion of claims which no one, in these happier
days, would be entitled to make, was extolled as
the excess of liberality. It was not the object of
the divine Being, in the exercise of a peculiar
providence towards the Israelites, to inspire them
with transcendent virtue by a perpetual miracle;
but to preserve uncontaminated, those religious
and moral principleswhich should, intheordinary
course of his providence, ultimately improve the
human race. However, it is expressly declared, that
the Israelites were restrained from inflicting the
horrors of war, in the manner wars were at that
period conducted, until the iniquities of the inha
bitants of the land should render them ripe for
destruction. In the promise to Abraham^ after
predicting that his seed shall be strangers in a
land that is not theirs, and they " shall serve
them, and they shall afflict them four hundred
years," it is added, " but in the fourth generation,
they shall come hither again ; for the iniquity
of the Amorites is not yet full." When the
important period was arrived, had the Israelites
deviated from the usual laws of war, in this re
spect, the designs of Providence could not have
been accomplished. It is, however, a great and
triumphant peculiarity, observable in the legis
lation of Moses, and unknown in every other

DISPENSATION. 143
leader, that the most delicate attention to the
received principles of justice, was enjoined upon
their martial bands. They were commanded not
to invade any rights They never commenced hos-*
tilities. The nations whom they fought against
were always the aggressors. Thus we are told that
Moses sent messengers unto the king of Edom,
when they arrived at the borders of his land,
informing him who the people were, and what
they had suffered, soliciting a passage through
his country, and promising, " we will not pass
through the fields nor through the vineyards,
neither will we drink of the wells ; we will go
by the king's highway ; we will not turn to the
righthand nor to the left." Those who permit
ted them to pass unmolested, were treated with
the good faith due to the confidence reposed in
them. Although the Gibeonites, amazed at
the marvelTous reports that were spread concern
ing the Hebrews* and terrified at their power,
obtained a league with them by the artful man
ner in which they imposed upon Joshua, the
agreement was religiously observed until the
days of Saul; and he was punished for a vio*
lation of it. When the surrounding nations
resented the conduct of the Gibeonites, by
which the combination against these danger
ous strangers was weakened, and attacked them

144 ON THE JEWISH
as enemies, they were defended by the Hebrews
with vigour and success. The descendants of
Esau and Ishmael having retained, to a certain
degree, the religion and manners of their pious
ancestors, and not being as yet deeply contami
nated by the gross idolatry of the neighbouring
nations, were preserved, by the express com
mand of God, from the calamities that awaited
the more abandoned nations. " Command thou
the people, saying, ye are to pass through the
coast of your brethren the children of Esau,
which dwell in Seir ; and they' shall be afraid of
you, take ye heed unto yourselves therefore;
meddle not with them, for I will not give you
of their land, no not so much as a foot breadth:
because I have given mount Seir unto Esau fgr
a possession." — " And the Lord said unto me,
distress not the Moabites, neither contend with
them in battle ; for I will not give thee of their
land for a possession ; because I have given Ar
unto the children of Lot for a possession."* —
These injunctions, replete with clemency, are a
beautiful illustration of the declaration of God,
that although he " visit the iniquities of the
fathers upon the children, to the third and fourth
generations, yet he will have mercy upon thou-
* See Deuteronomy, ch. ii. 4, passim.

DISPENSATION. 145
sands of them who love him and keep his com
mandments."

Thus it manifestly appears to be a grand cha
racteristic of this Dispensation, that it com
municates a knowledge of the one true God,
and of his moral attributes ; enjoins the prac»^
tice of every moral duty from a principle of
Obedience; and presents us with numerous
instances of exemplary rewards and punishments,
according to the moral character, and religious
conduct of his peculiar people.

U6 ON THE JEWISH

CHAPTER II.
ON THE MANNER PURSUED EV DIVINE • PR0-
. VIDENCE, TO PRESERVE THE DOCTRINES OF
PURE RELIGION AND MORALITY/ AMONG
THE. HEBREWS, FROM THE COR
RUPTIONS OF SURROUND
ING NATIONS.
In the preceding chapter we have shewn, that
under the Jewish Dispensation, it was an im
portant object to inculcate just, reverential, and
sublime sentiments of religion, and to impress
upon the mind the grand duty of Obedience.
It was also proved, that this obedience consisted
in a perfect confidence in the Divine administra
tion, unreserved submission to the Divine will,
and a strict conformity to all the duties of
morality : that is, in principles and dispositions
essential to human happiness.
The Jewish people were instructed in the doc
trines of religion and morality, in a manner,
and to an extent, totally unknown to the Pagan
world. As this people were, in the course of
human events, to be perpetually exposed to all

DISPENSATION. 147
'the ignorance and vices of surrounding nations, *
and to the seductive influence of example, every
expedient was employed to counteract the inju
rious effects of example, that was consistent
with the primitive constitution of man ; that
might do honour to the freedom of his choice,
and render all the offices of piety, and the prac
tice of every virtue, the acts of a wise mind,
and well-regulated dispositions.
The accomplishment of this purpose required
a process which was to continue many ages, and
to be conducted through manifold contingences,
which might arise during so long a period. The
nature of these contingent circumstances, and
the manner in which the grand design was
effected, now demand our attention.
The subject is extensive, and it consists of
various branches, which, notwithstanding their
diversity, have an intimate relation to the grand
object. In treating it we shall observe the fol
lowing order.
I. We shall consider the early state of the
world, respecting Religion.
II. The selection of a particular family in
Order to prevent an universal apostasy from
Monotheism, or the principles of true religion;
and also the deliverance of this family from a.
state of bondage. L 2

148 ON THE JEWISH
III. The religious Ceremonies instituted du
ring the sojournment of the Hebrews in the
wilderness ; their nature and object.
IV. The propensity of the Hebrews to Idola
try, and its causes : The nature and pernicious
influence of idolatry ; and the injunctions ne
cessary to preserve this people from its fatal
seductions. V. The religious and- moral character of the
Israelites, under the different forms of govern
ment, with the correspondent consequences pro
duced. VI. The instrumentality of the Prophets of
Jehovah, in the preservation of true religion,
VII. The Captivity of the tribes of Judah
and Benjamin, and its salutary effects in the
final establishment of Monotheism in the land
of Judea. SECT. I.
CURSORY VIEW OF THE EARLY STATE OF THE
WORLD, RESPECTING RELIGION.
It being the chief object of the sacred histo
rian to treat of the theological and moral history
of this selected nation, the events of several
preceding ages are passed over in the most rapid
manner. Hints are simply given of certain

DISPENSATION. 149
facts which were introductory to his principal
¦design. Nor is it practicable for any modern to
fill up the large vacancies, observable between
different periods, with conjectures of a satisfac
tory nature, by the deepest researches into anti
quity. Yet these hints, concise as they are,
furnish a clue which enables us to trace, with
some degree of precision, the designs of the
moral governor of the world, and the manner
in which these designs are accomplishing.
Where there is great obscurity, and doubtless
for Wise reasons an intended obscurity, thrown
over the early state of mankind, it is indecent
to substitute vague conjectures, or hypothetic
doctrines, as absolute facts ; and it is danger
ous to venerate the particular opinions of the
wisest men, as if they were indubitable and
historical truths, ¦ or the infallible oracles of
God. As the sacred history commences with the
account of Adam's formation, and relates his
disobedience and punishment, thus it presents
us with some insight into his superiority as an
intelligent and moral agent. We perceive, in
this account, the distinguished honours conferred
upon Man, in the very mode of his creation,
as well as in his mental powers. God is repre
sented as ordering the Earth to bring forth

150 ON THE JEWISH
grass, and the herb yielding seed, after his
kind ; and also cattle and creeping things : and
the Waters to bring forth the inhabitants of the
deep, and the winged fowl after his kind : but
in the formation of Man the divine energy is
represented as being exerted immediately,, with
out any kind of instrumentality ; and " God
said let us make Man in our image, after our like
ness. "
We know of three very important characteris
tics of human nature, correspondent with these
expressions. The dominion over every other
sensitive being, and the power of converting the
inanimate creation to an infinitude of uses ; by
which he imitates the Sovereignty of his Maker : :
his Intellectual Faculties; and his Moral powers;
by the due cultivation of these — he is able to
imitate his Maker in the still more venerable
attributes of Wisdom and- Goodness, and their
concomitant Felicity. Of the precise degree of
Intellect possessed by our first parents, and how
far it transcended the powers of their offspring,
we know nothing ; for the scriptures have not
informed us. Of their moral Attainments, and
the sublimity of their Virtue or Piety, we are
not authorised to say much to their honour.
The restraint imposed upon them, in the midst
of the most liberal grants, as a proof of their

DISPENSATION^ 151
Obedience, does not appear to have been pe
culiarly severe and difficult, and yet they failed.
Indeed, it is not easy to conceive how, at the
early period of their existence, they could have
offended against any of the moral duties. From
theft, extortion, fraud, intemperance, debauch
ery, their primitive situation totally exempted
them. Falsehood and deceit, quarrels and con
tentions, are vices much too rude for the sim
plicity of their state, or the early endearments of
social intercourse. Thus, in the very infancy of
their being, it was scarcely possible for. a natural
temptation to exist. This peculiarity indicates
to us the necessity of their being prohibited
from the performance of an act, which was not
in itself immoral, as a test of their obedience.
By the commission of the offence they fully
manifested, that their sensual propensities were
not restrained by motives of reason or of piety :
They gave the reins either to a perverse appe
tite, or to a culpable curiosity.*
Better things could not be expected from their
posterity. Without having recourse to vitiated
propensities, communicated by the fall of their
parents from a state of primitive innocence, and
* See the Layman's letters to Mr. Wilberforce, upon Here
ditary Depravity, for a more ample statement of this subject.
First edit. p. 56, passim. Published by J. Johnson, 170.9.

152 QN THE JEWISH
admitting that the moral powers were, in every
view, equal, it is natural to expect that the mul
tiplication of the species, would be followed by a
correspondent multiplication of temptations and
desires. Oppositions of interests, and all the
discordances incidental to the social intercourse,
when the passions and propensities of numerous
•individuals were unrestrained either by reason,
by a refined perception of social interests, or by
the dictates of religion, must have given occa
sion to divers irregularities, immoral and de
structive. The second crime upon record is the murder
of a brother ; and this took place at a very early
period. The crime we are informed, was perper
trated through envy ; a vice which could not
easily be propagated by the first parents in their
Paradisaical state. This envy was excited by
the tokens of respect paid unto Abel and his
offering; " but unto Cain and his offering the
Lord had not respect. And Cain was very
wrath, and his countenance fell." The accept
ance of the one, and the rejection of the other,
' manifestly arose from some moral cause, for it is
added, " If thou doest well shalt thou not be
accepted? And if thou doest not well, sin lieth
at thy door."
We are further told, that the third son of

DISPENSATION. 153
Adam was named Seth ; that the son of Seth
was named Enos ; " then began men to call upon
the name of the Lord." This remarkable ex
pression naturally conveys to us the idea, that
impiety was prevalent even at so early a period,
and a distinction between the pious and the im
pious was commencing. In process of time,
when " men began to multiply on the face of the
earth, and daughters were born unto them, the
sons of God saw the daughters of men that
they were fair; and they took them wives of all
that they chose." As mention is here made of
the sons of God, in distinction from the daugh
ters of men, and as it is said in the preceding pas
sage, that men began to call upon the name of the
Lord, these are intimations that the human
race was divided into two separate moral charac
ters; that large numbejse of the inhabitants of
the earth were totally destitute of true religien,
> or that they were gross idolaters ; that a few were
reserved, who for some time retained the prin
ciples of genuine piety; but that these finally
became corrupted, in consequence of the se
ductive alliances which were formed with the
profligate and irreligious. The human race at
length became totally depraved. " And God
saw that the wickedness of man was great in
the earth, and that every imagination of the

154 ON THE JEWISH
thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."
And, according to the strong metaphorical
language of Scripture, " it repented the Lord
that he had made man on the earth, and it
grieved him at his heart. And the Lord said, 1
will destroy man whom I have created from the ¦
face of the earth."
The representation given us of the state of
morals before the deluge, and of the punishment
which followed, justifies and illustrates our as
sertion, that when human depravity is arrived
to a certain height, the mind will not make the
necessar}' efforts for its recovery. Hence it ap
pears that either the destruction of whole gene
rations, not to be reclaimed by the influenceof the
usual Dispensations of Providence, or the exer
tion of a miraculous power, renovating the heart
of man, by an immediate impulse upon every in
dividual, were the only alternatives. To- have
followed the latter mode, would have been to
repeal the important edict of man's free agency :
The former afforded a solemn and salutary warnr
ing to succeeding generations. The destruction
of every individual of the human species, that
was not to be reclaimed by any natural process
in moral discipline, appeared to the Divine wisdom
the only effective method to clear the world of
this moral pestilence. One family, which had

DISPENSATION. 155
distinguished itself by its faith and piety, was
saved from the general wreck; and this was
constituted the medium of recovering the human
race, by introducing a new ssra in the divine
government of the world.

After the Deluge, a distinction of moral cha
racter in the sons of Noah, soon became mani
fest in the conduct of Ham, towards their aged
father, surprised into ebriety, contrasted with
that of his brethren Shem and Japheth. These
distinctions of character were also conspicuous
in their posterity. Canaan, and the other de
scendants of Ham, being abandoned to idola
trous practices, much earlier than those either
of Shem or Japheth. SECT. II.
THE SELECTION OF A PARTICULAR FAMILY IN
ORDER TO PREVENT AN UNIVERSAL APOS
TASY FROM MONOTHEISM, OR THE PRINCI
PLES OF TRUE RELIGION ; AND THE SUBSE
QUENT DELIVERANCE OF THIS FAMILY FROM
A STATE OF BONDAGE.
From the line of Shem was Abraham de
scended, whom the Governor of the Universe

156 ON THE JEWISH
selected to commence the grand process, in
favour of future generations. We are told that
he and his family were settled in Chaldea; but
by divine appointment they removed into the
land inhabited by the Canaanites, under the
promise that they should " become a great
nation, and that unto his seed should the land be
¦given." It is obvious that one cause of their
residence in this country, was on account of its
being nearer to the land of Egypt, by which
the subsequent removal of their descendants
into Egypt was facilitated ; an event produc
tive of the most important purposes.
Isaac, the son of Abraham, was also destined
to be an instrument of carrying forward the
plans of Providence. That he might not be
contaminated, by the manners of the inhabi
tants among whom he dwelt, a wife was chosen
for him out of the house of his ancestors, whose
conduct was mpre exemplary. Isaac used a
similar precaution respecting his son Jacob ;
commanding that he should not take a wife of
the daughters of Canaan, whose characters were
so profligate that Esau, his elder son, in his first
marriages, "was a grief of mind unto Isaac
and Rebekah," by taking the daughters -of Hit-
tites ; and afterwards " seeing that the daugh
ters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father,

( i i

DISPENSATION. 157
then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto
the wives which he had, Mahalath, the daugh
ter of Ishmael, Abraham's son."
Although Jacob was thus preserved from
plunging into the sins of a perverse and idola
trous nation, yet it appears that the family of
Labant his father-in-law, was not perfectly free
from the spreading infection. They began to
worship household deities. Among other com
plaints against Jacob, he was accused by Labaii
of having stolen his Gods. Jacob himself was
innocent of the theft, but his beloved wife Ra-
chael was found guilty. The strength of the
propensity to the worshipping of idols, in the
family of this chosen instrument, is farther ob
vious from the narrative that " when Jacob
fled to Bethel from the wrath of his brother
Esau," he was obliged to make a close inspec
tion into his household, and enjoin them to put
away their strange gods that were among them.
It was probably, for the purpose of eradicating
a disposition to idolatry, that he erected an altar
at Bethel, for the worship of the true God.
From among the children of Jacob, no fur
ther selection was deemed necessary. They
were all admitted to the honour of being pro
genitors of a race that was to be separated from
an idolatrous world, and to promote the imporr

158 ON THE JEWISH
tant plans of Providence ; although the very
immoral characters of some of them, manifested
that they were undeserving of the honour.

The subsequent history of Jacob's family is
replete with the most interesting information;
and the concurrence of numerous events, some of
which appear of a most discordant nature, to
the promotion of one grand objects forcibly im
press the mind with a conviction, that they were
under the Divine direction. Consequences won
derful and momentous proceeded from incidents
apparently frivolous. To the separation of the
descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, from
an idolatrous world, that they might be a peculiar
people who should profess a pure religion, be go
verned by wise and equitable laws, and preserved
from the impious seductions of the nations around
them, every thing was rendered subservient. The
vices, the virtues of men, their good and bad dis
positions, their prevailing customs and preju
dices, co-operated with similar effect. It was the
dream of a Child which became the occasional
cause of a total change in the plans of this fami
ly; and prepared the way for their relinquishing
a country where their principles would soon have
been corrupted; as became too apparent 'from

* *

DISPENSATION. 159
the dissolute characters of several of Jacob's -sons.
The murderous designs of some of Joseph's bre
thren, which, if accomplished, must have destroy
ed the whole train of subsequent events, were
overruled by the more humane, and the more
profitable counsel of Reuben, which was most
favourable to the grand object. A famine com
pelled the sons of Jacob to apply to the Egyptians
for sustenance. In the eventful history of the
injured, virtuous, and pious Joseph, we admire
the extreme facility with which a path was
opened, for the establishment of the whole family
in the land of Egypt. This foreign country,
which was the chief seat of polytheism, and in
which, it was natural to imagine, that the
Israelites would be peculiarly exposed to seduc
tion, became the guardian of their religious prin
ciples. The strong prejudices of the Egyptians
against the occupation of a shepherd, was the
occasion of their having the Land of Goshen
allotted to them. It was by the beneficial opera
tion of these prejudices, that the descendants of
Jacob were kept, for ages, totally distinct from
the Egyptians; and they were thus preserved free
from the contagion of Paganism, which they
would never have been able to resist, had they
experienced an harmonious intercourse. In this
Laud of Goshen, they prospered, multiplied, and

160 ON THE JEWISH
acquired a national character of their own. Their
being despised by the Egyptians, would naturally
excite strong prejudices against the whole nation,
and render them less disposed to imitate their
superstitions. Thus they retained the knowledge
and worship of the true God, without being
deeply contaminated, by the customs and manners
of the most superstitious nation in the world.
After a long series of years, a Sovereign arose
who became jealous of their numbers ; entertain
ing apprehensions that at some future period,
they might become powerful auxiliaries to the
enemies of Egypt. According to the short-sight
ed policy of tyrants, who are always ignorant
how to govern the human heart; and whose plans
of security generally have a tendency to augment
their danger, this man attempted to diminish
their numbers, and restrain their power of becom
ing his foes, by reducing the Israelites to a state
of the most abject slavery, and by issuing the
cruel order, that every male infant should be
destroyed. The excess of oppression, if it do
not completely enervate, has a natural tendency
to excite a re-action, productive of the most
vigorous efforts to throw off the yoke. This
natural propensity became efficient by the very
singular preservation of their future legislator
Moses, from immediate death. The sympathetic

DISPENSATION. ?§i
heart of Pharaoh's daughter, counteraeted the
eruel plans of her tyrannical father ; and through
the instrumentality of her humane disposition, a
Leader was raised up, whose natural abilities, im
proved by the most liberal education which the
daughter of a sovereign could procure, peculiarly
qualified him for the important and arduous com
mission he was destined to undertake. His being
instructed, under the auspices of his patroness, in
ajl the wisdom of the Egyptians, in union with
the natural energies of his own mind, rendered
him a proper instrument to be employed by the
Almighty in rescuing an enslaved people.
The sacred historian proceeds to relate in what
manner the release of the Israelites was finally
obtained. The many interesting particulars is
this narrative demand our closest attention, as
they will lead to some important inferences.
When Moses was advanced to a state of mam-
hood, " he went out unto his brethren, and look*
ed on their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian smi^
ting an Hebrew, one of his brethren," whom he
slew. Being in danger of losing his own life
in consequence of this action, he fled into the
land of Midian, married Zephorah, a daughter of
the priest of Midian, and continued with the
family in the character of a shepherd, for the
spaee of forty years ; during which time the king
M.

162 ON- THE JEWISH-
of Egypt died, who sought to avenge the death"
of the Egyptian that had been slain ; but his
successor was equally oppressive to the Hebrews.*
While he was watching the flocks of Jethro,
his father-in-law, in the desert by mount Horeb;
Moses was surprised and terrified by a miraculous
appearance, by which he was informed, for the
first timej of the benignant designs of God to
wards the Israelites ; and that he would be conir
missioned to undertake the arduous office of being
their deliverer, from the yoke of oppression: He
was ordered to return to his countrymen, as
semble -the elders, and inform them, that " the
God of their fathers had appeared to him ;" had.
manifested his commiseration at their distress;
and his purpose to 'deliver them from servitudes
and to replace them in the land formerly inhar
bited by their ancestors. Moses was assured
that the Israelites with the elders would hearken
to his voice, and that they should conjointly
apply to the Sovereign for permission to go three
days journey into the wilderness, to sacrifice to
their God. He was also informed that the heart
of Pharaoh would be hardened against them;
nor would he attend to their supplications, until
Pharaoh and the Egyptians should be fully con
vinced of the divinity of his mission, by the
numerous plagues which he should be empowered

DISPENSATION. i63
to inflict upon the landpf Egypt: that finally, the
grant would not only be obtained from the Sove
reign, but the Egyptians themselves would , faci
litate the departure of the Hebrews, by accom*
modating them with raiment, and abundance of
wealth. 'K . 4
The narrative further informs us, that Moses
himself was incredulous and reluctant;.' and, that
he stated various impediments to; his being ac
knowledged as a messenger from Gpd. He was
immediately enabled to perform a miracle for his
own. conviction, and he suffered, a temporary
punishment for his incredulity. The rod in his
hand was turned into a serpent, and recovered its
form; his hand became leprous and was imme
diately restored. The diffidence of Moses ..in
his own qualifications induced him still to
'allege; that he was not endowed with the
powers of speech competent to the design.
This objection was removed by, the appointment
pf his brother Aaron to attend- -him and be bis
spokesman, who was a man of eloquent speech.
" He shall be thy spokesman unto the people^
he shall be unto thee instead of a mouth, and
•thou shalt be unto him instead of a God, and
jtbou;s,halt;take this rod in thy hand, wherevyith
thou shalt do signs."
Moses thus, convinced, commissioned, and
M 2

164 ON THE JEWISH
qualified, obtained leave of Jethro to return to
Egypt, with his family. Moses and Aaron first
went, and " gathered together all the elders of
the children of Israel ; and Aaron spake all the
words, which the Lord had spoken unto Moses,
and did signs in the sight of the people ; and the
people believed: and when they heard that the
Lord had visited the children of Israel, and that
he had looked upon their affliction, then they
bowed their heads and worshipped."*
Having thus obtained the unanimous consent
of the people, they delivered the message of the
Lord unto Pharaoh, and told Pharaoh, "Thus
saith tfaeLordGod of Israel, letmy people go, that
they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.
But Pharaoh refused, saying, Who is Jehovah,
that I should obey his voice to let Israel go ? I
%now not Jehovah, neither will I let Israel go."
He interpreted the application into an excuse
for indolence ; and he augmented the sufferings
of the Israelites, compelling them to employ
•much of their time to gather straw, in order to
make the usual tele of bricks, without grant
ing a diminution of the number required of
them as a task. This addition of servitude
excited their resentment against Moses and
* Exod. c, iv. ?9>

DISPENSATION. 165
Aaron, as the efficient causes of it : . who were
thus placed in an embarrassed and critical situ
ation. " Ye have made our favour to be abhor
red in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of
his servants, to put a sword into their hands to
slay us." " And Moses returned unto the
Lord and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil
intreated this people ? Why is it that thou hast
sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak
in thy name, he has done evil to this people,
neither hast thou delivered thy people at all."
Upon a second application to Pharaoh, Aaron
was empowered to work a miracle at the com
mand of Moses, in his presence, and upon his
requiring a miracle, as an evidence of their divine
mission. " Aaron cast down his rod before
Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became
a serpent." " Then Pharaoh also called the
wise men and the sorcerers ; they also did in like
manner with their enchantments."
It is possible that Pharaoh, imagining the
imitations of the Egyptians to be real miracles
also, performed by the power of his gods,-
interpreted them into a counter order, prohibit
ing the departure of the Israelites ; the repug
nance he felt to comply with the demand of
Moses, would thus be greatly strengthened,
and as it were respected. as an act of religion.
Nor did the obvious superiority of the miracle

166 ON THE JEWISH
performed by Moses, whose serpent swallowed
up those artfully substituted in the place of their
rods, by the sorcerers, appear to be of such im
portance as to change his resolution. His heart
was hardened, and he would not let the people
The miracle which succeeded was of a more
alarming nature ; and it induced a punishment.
" Aaron smote the waters that were in the river
in the sight of Pharaoh, and his servants, and
all the waters were turned into blood ; the fish
died and the river stank, so that the Egyptians
could not drink of the river;" and they were
obliged to dig round about the river to procure
fresh Water. The magicians are stated to have
imitated this miracle also. From the nature of
the case we may infer that the imitation must
have been upon a very small scale ; for as the
waters in the river and in the streams, ponds,
and pools supplied by it, were all turned into
blood, they could simply try their experiments
of deception by the water procured from the
wells recently dug. Pharaoh might possibly
ascribe the limitation of their power to this
circumstance alone ; and he still continued obsti
nate. After the respite of seven days, Moses was
ordered to renew his application, and to threaten

DISPENSATION. 167
a miraculous, injurious, and irksome increase of
frogs, that should come up and cover the land
of Egypt. Upon the inattention of Pharaoh
to the threat, it was executed in so severe a
manqer that he began to relent. For although
this miracle was imitated by the magicians, yet
"he called for Moses and Aaron, and said,' intreat
the Lord that he may take away the frogs from
me and from my people, and I will let thy peo
ple go that they may do sacrifice urito Jehdvah.'-
The imitation of the Egyptians must have been
very circumscribed, for reasons similar to those
we have just mentioned ; and Pharaoh now felt
himself compelled to acknowledge the superior
power of Jehovah. But upon the removal of
the evil he refused to perform the promise.
In the next miracle, "Aaron stretched out his
hand with his rod and smote the dust of the earth,
-anditbecameliceinman and beast, and the dust
of the land became lice throughout all the land
of Egypt." The magicians attempted to imitate
.this miracle in vain. It is probable that tlie
nature of the miracle, rendered a counterfeit
impracticable, as the minuteness of the object
would destroy the power of deception. They
were however obliged to confess their inability,
which' as naturally induced them to acknoW-

168 ON THE JEWISH

£e, " this is the finger of God." But Pfoae
raoh continued obdurate.
When " a grievous swarm of flies was seat
into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants?
houses, and info all the land of Egypt, and
the land was corrupted by reason of the flies,"
while the land of Goshen was perfectly free,
Pharaoh again relented. He was now willing
to permit the Israelites to institute a solemn
sacrifice to their God, in the land. This was not
accepted, because it would be obnoxious to the
Egyptians. " And Moses said it is not meet so
tb do : for we shall sacrifice the abomination of
the Egyptians to the Lord our God. Lo, shall
we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians
before their eyes, and will they not stone us?
We will jg© three days journey into the wilder-
Mess, and Sacrifice to the Lord our Gdd, as he
fehall command us." Pharaoh, under the in>
pression of the moment, consented, upon cota>-
dition that they should not " go very far away.
Intreat for me." In conformity to the request
and proposal, Moses said, " Behold I go out
frorh thee, and I will intreat the Lord that the
swarms of flies may depart." But upon their
removal " Pharaoh hardened his heart this time
also, neither would he let the people go."
The murrain inflicted upon the cattle was con-

.DISPENSATION. 169
fined tb the Egyptians : " of the Cattle of the
children of Isrjael died not one." The boils also
" which broke forth upon man, and upon beasts,
throughout all the land of Egypt," and with
which the magicians themselves Were afflicted,,
were manifestly confined to that nation. But
neither of these miracles subdued the obduracy
of Pharaoh's heart.
When the devastation by hail and rain was
threatened, the Egyptians themselves were ad
monished to avoid the impending storm, by
driving their cattle from the fields. "He that
feared the word of the Lord among the servants
of Pharaoh, made his servants and his cattle
flee into the houses: and he that regarded
not the word of; the Lord, left his servants
and his cattle in die field." When " thfe
bail, and fire mhngled with the hail, very griev-
<qus, such as there was none like it in all the
land of Egypt -since it feedan>re a nation, smote
throughout all the land of Egypt all that was
in the field, and brake every tree <©f the field •"
without injuring the land of Gdshen, Pharaoh
began to fed even the pangs of conscience. He
was convinced that he had been trifling with
Jehovah of Israel, and he deprecated his ven-
jgeance^ " Pharaoh sent and called for Moses
aud Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned

170 ON THE JEWISH
this time. The Lord is righteous, and I and
my people are wicked ; intreat the- Lord (for it
is ettough,) that there be no more thunderings
and hail ; and I will let ye gO, and ye shall stay
no longer." Thus under the impulse of terror
he gave his full consent, without reserve. But
no sooner was the calamity removed than his
relucatnce returned, with all its force. " The
heart of Pharaoh Was hardened ; neither would
he let the people go."
When the desolating swarms of locusts were
threatened, and the miseries they should pro
duce minutely foretold, the servants of Pharaoh
were alarmed, and endeavoured to persuade
their sovereign to comply with the demand of
Moses. They said, " How long shall this man
be a snare unto us ? Let the men go that they
may serve Jehovah their God. Knowest thou not
yet that Egypt is destroyed ?M He now sought
an interview with these messengers of heaven,
and proposed to let the Men go and serve the
Lord, but insisted upon retaining women, chil
dren, and the flocks, as hostages for their return.
But Moses said, " We will go with our young
.and with our old, with our sons, and with our
-daughters, with our flocks, and with our herds,
will we go ; for we must hold a feast unto, the
.Lord." The extent of the requisition enraged

DISPENSATION. 171
Pharaoh, and they were driven out of his pre
sence. But when the evil was inflicted, Pha
raoh, under the pressure of distress, called for
Moses and Aaron in haste, acknowledged his
crime, and supplicated for mercy. Yet " when
the Lord turned a mighty strong' west wind,
which took away the locusts, and cast them
into the Red sea, the obduracy of his heart re
turned. This calamity was succeeded by " a
darkness over the Land of Egypt, even a dark
ness that may be felt. They saw not one ano
ther, neither rose any from his place for. three
days; but all the children of Israel had light in
their dwellings.'' Pharaoh now becomes more
moderate in his demands, and is willing to per
mit men, women, and children to depart :
" only let your flocks and your herds be stayed.*'
Moses could not comply. He said " thou
must give us also sacrifices and burnt offerings,
that we may sacrifice unto the Lord our God."
¦Our cattle also shall go with us ; there shall
not an hoof be left behind ; for thereof must we
take to serve the Lord our God ; and we know
not with what we -must serve the Lord until we
come thither." , Pharaoh was so enraged that he
drove them from his presence with a threat.
" Take heed to thyself, see my face no more ;
for in that day thou seest my face thou shalt

172 ON THE JEWISH
die." Moses answers with an elevated and un
daunted mind, well becoming the dignity of
his mission ; " Thou hast spoken well, I will
see thy face again nomore." But before his depar
ture he solemnly announced the greatest cala
mity which can befall a people, and which was
to terminate the contest. He depicted in strik
ing colours its extent, and the universal con
sternation it should occasion ; and he foretold
with exultation, that they would finally be com
pelled to comply with his demand, according
to its utmost extent. The passage to which
these observations refer, is so important, we shall
transcribe the whole.* "And Moses said, thus
saith the Lord, About midnight will I go out
into the midst of Egypt ; and all the first born
in the land of Egypt shall die ; from the first
born of Pharaoh that sitteth upon the throne,
even to the first born of the female servant that
is behind the mill ; and all the first born of
beasts. And there shall be a great cry through
out all the land of Egypt, such as there was none
like to it, nor shall be like it any more. But against
any of the children of Israel, shall not a dog
move his tongue, against man or beast ; that ye
may know how the Lord doth put a difference
between the Egyptians and Israel. And all these
* Exod. Chap, xi. 4 — g.

DISPENSATION. 173
thy servants shall come down unto me, and bow
down themselves unto me, saying; Get thee out,
and all the people that follow thee; and after that
I will go out. And he went out from Pharaoh
in a great anger."*
Moses, by the command of God, prepared the
Israelites for their departure, which he knew
would be precipitate, instantly succeeding to the
last dreadful calamity about to be inflicted upon
the land, fie ordered them to apply to tlie
Egyptians, to give them such treasures as should
be competent for their journey ; " and the Lord
gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyp
tians : for the man Moses was very great in the
land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants,
and in the sight of the people." This event was
to constitute a new sera in the Jewish ceconomy.
" The month shall be unto you the beginning of
months : it shall be the first month of the year
unto you." The passover was also instituted as
a signal of safety; the manner of observing it
was minutely . described ; and the space of four
teen days was allowed to them for a due prepa-
. ration, and the solemn observance of the festival.
They were to eat it as upon the point of depar
ture, " with your loins girded, your shoes on
, your feet, and your staff in your hand ; it is the
* See Note E..

174 ON THE JEWISH
Lord's passover. For I will pass through the
land of Egypt in that night, and will smite all
the first born in the land of Egypt, both man
and beast ; and against all the Gods of Egypt I
will execute judgment. I am Jehovah." The feast
of unleavened bread' was also instituted, as a
memorial of their hasty departure from the land
of bondage. " And the children of Israel went
away, and did as the Lord, had commanded
Moses and Aaron, so did they."
When the awful moment Was arrived " it
came to pass that at midnight Jehovah smote all
the first born in the land of Egypt, from the first
born of Pharaoh that sat on his throne, unto the
.first born of the captive that was in the dungeon;
and all the first born of cattle." :
A judgment so tremendous was irresistible.
.The passion of Dread now manifested its sove
reignty, by subduing the most obdurate of hearts.
An universal Panic seized the land, and they
were as eager to dismiss the Hebrews as Pharaoh
-had been anxious to retain them. No further
conditions were proposed ; the permission, or
rather the command, was absolute and peremp
tory ; and the sovereign now implored the bless
ing of that Jehovah whom he had resisted and
despised. " And Pharaoh rose up in the night,
and he and all his servants, and all the Egyptians;

DISPENSATION.) 175
tand." there was a great cry in Egypt; 'for there
was not.' a house, where there' was not one dead.
And, he called for Moses and Aaron by night,
and said, Rise up and get you forth from among
my people, both ye and . the children of Israel,
and go serve the Lord, as ye haVe said ; and be
gone and bless me also." The' Egyptians also
were urgent, upon the people, that they might
send them out of the land in haste; for, " they
said we be all dead men." " And the people
took their dough before it was leavened, their
kneading troughs being bound up in their clothes
upon their shoulders." " For they were thrust
out of .Egypt and could not tarry, neither had
they prepared themselves any victual."

The sacred historian informs us that the
Israelites had sojourned in Egypt about four
hundred and thirty years ; and that during, this,
period, their population had increased to about
six hundred thousand Men. Thus it is probable
that the.number pf these emigrants exceeded two
•millions of souls. It is said that a mixed mul
titude went- up also with them, and flocks and
herds, even very much cattle." It is natural to
suppose that this mixed multitude consisted of
Egyptians, Ethiopians, and others, who-had be-

176 ON THE JEWISH
come subject to the dominion ©f Egypt. These
people being struck with the miracles which had
been wrought in favour of the Hebrews, were
either converted frprn the worship of the
Egyptian deities, or convinced of the gre..at
superiority of Jehovah, to tlie Gods whom they
had served ; and they were disposed to share.
the lot of a people thus wonderfully distin
guished. These are the strangers to whom fre
quent reference is made in the subsequent parts
of the Jewish history.
It was not the plan of Providence to conduct
this people immediately into the land of prp*
mise, by the short and frequented way. During
their bondage they could not have been trained
to the use of arms ; in their confused and un
disciplined state, they could not have been able
successfully to contend with nations inured to
War, without a perpetual miracle ; a regular
code of laws and national institutes, could not
have been planned and digested in the midst of
warlike conflicts; nor had the inhabitants of
Canaan filled up the measure of their iniquity;
—therefore " God led them not through, the
land of the Philistines, though that was near;
for God said, lest peradventure the people re
pent when they see war and return to Egypt"
This large, mixed, and unorganized multitude,

DISPENSATION. 177
was destined to travel as one immense family,
with their wives, children, flocks and herds.
Their herds would supply them with milk and
flesh, and the skins of the slaughtered beasts
would afford a partial covering. Of grain and
pulse, the supply must have been occasional,
and in small quantities. They were to cross an
arm of the Red Sea, without being accommodated
with vessels of any kind, or with any natural
means of making the passage; the road they
were to travel in the wilderness was intricate ;
and the supplies of water very precarious ; as
certainly therefore as they were the chosen
People of God, destined to inhabit the land of
Canaan at a future period, so certainly did
supernatural aid become occasionally necessary,
or the most important ends could not have been
accomplished. The first miraculous interposition of high im
portance was, to guide their paths through the
intricacies of a wilderness. This was accom
plished by a cloud which preceded their course
in the day, and by a fire that illuminated their
path by night.
But a still greater miracle was requisite for
their immediate preservation from the most
imminent danger. When Pharaoh discovered
that the Israelites had escaped from bondage, he

178 ON THE JEWISH
was enraged ; probably at the apparent deception
on the part of Moses, and certainly at his being
robbed of so large a population of slaves ; and
he resolved to pursue them with a powerful
force, to compel them to return, or to destroy
them in the wilderness. The Israelites were
sore afraid : " They cried unto the Lord for
help," and upbraided Moses for bringing1 them
into so perilous a state. The confidence of
Moses in that Being, by whose command he
had acted, was unshaken ; and he said unto the
people, " fear ye not, stand still, and see the
salvation of Jehovah, which he will show to you
to day ; for the Egyptians whom ye have seen
to day, ye shall see them no more for ever. The
Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your
peace." The event was as he had predicted. A
path was made for them through the Red Sea,
by the means of a powerful east wind ; while
Pharaoh and his hosts attempting to make the
same passage, the waters returned upon their
disabled chariots, and completely overwhelmed
them. A powerful, though ^ transient impres
sion, was made on the minds of the people :
for, " when Israel saw that great work which
God did upon the Egyptians, the people feared
the Lord, and believed the Lord, and his servant
Moses." '

DISPENSATION. (170
.The » deficiency, of pulse and grain, was sup
plied by their ; being miraculously fed jvifh
manna ; which was distributed to them in such
portions .as, to inspire them.with a conviction
of- their immediate dependence upon Jehovah.
In the. first. mouths of their, emigration, and
while> they. .were upon: the march, it being im
practicable to. slay their cattle in such an abun
dance, as ta feed . so, large a number, they were
miraculously fedvwith. Quails. When they be
came -stationary, this provision ceased ; obvi
ously because • they enjoyed, the opportunity of
(Slaughtering their cattle; for food, i, But. we are
told that the supply of .manna continued.during
the forty years of their abode in the wilderness.
When they were again in motion, as they were
passing through the desert of Sin, subjected to
the impracticability of providing animal food
from their. own. herds, they again .had a supply of
Quails. Because they had. manifested a discon
tent at the provision of manna as a substitute
for breadr they were punished by a superabun
dance- of Quails : For subsisting upon animal
food alone, without the usual corrective, they
were afflicted with a pestilential disease.
That they did not enter uponthe possession of
Canaan at an early period, is ascribed to their
cowardice arid unbelief, as the moral and prohibi-
n 2

18b ON THE JEWISH
tory cause. But the Being who can and does pro
duce very extensive good, from partial evil, ren
dered this delay productive of important advan
tages to the succeeding generation. As the in
creasing luxuries, and more dissolute manners of
the inhabitants of the country, were rendering
them the riper for destruction, thus the increasing
multitudes of the Israelites, and the various
hardships they suffered in the wilderness, to
which the succeeding race were inured from the
birth, produced physical effects most favourable
to their warlike enterprizes, and rendered the
enemies whom they were destined to encounter,
more easy victims to their conquering arms.

SECT. III.
ON THE CIVIL AND RELIGIOUS REGULATIONS
INSTITUTED IN THE WILDERNESS.
During their sojournment in the neigbpurhood
of mount Sinai, they possessed leisure to arrange
and organize their moral and civil constitution;
many particulars of which were enumerated in
the former chapter. Their time and attention
were also occupied in erecting, furnishing, and
adorning the tabernacle, which was to serve as

DISPENSATION. 181
an itinerary Temple. This seemed to be a popular
employment; for they contributed so largely to
the work, that Moses found it necessary to check
their liberality. Every circumstance relative to
the establishment of the Priesthood, the appoint
ment of sacrifices and oblations, and the religious
ceremonies to be observed, occupied their pecu
liar attention. Moses also, by the advice of his
father-in-law Jethro, made such arrangements as
alleviated his own burden, and facilitated the
administration of justice. He " chose able men
out of all Israel, and made them heads over the
people, rulers of-thousands, rulers of hundreds,
rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. And they
judged the people at all seasons ; the hard cases
they brought unto Moses, but every smaller
matter they judged themselves." It is obvious,
that ordinances and regulations so extensive and
minute, demanded tranquillity and leisure. They
could not have taken place amidst the tumults
of war. The numerous rites and ceremonies in
which these people were perpetually engaged,
afforded a beneficial occupation to those whose
situations entirely precluded agricultural employ
ments, and confined those of manufactories and
barter within very narrow limits. They had
also a natural tendency to direct their attention
to the grand object, the service of the one God\

Mi ON THE JEWISH
that they might be the less exposed fo the" seduc
tions of the nations, among whom they were
destined to dwell. It is' also possible that the
splendour accompanying these innOcent rites1 of
the Hebrew worship, might make a' favourable
impression upon the idolatrous nations surround
ing them. '
But the various oblations and sacrifices incum
bent' upon the Jewish people; had also a" moral
influence connected with them, in opposition to
the immoralities and enormities, practised by Pa
gans as acts of religion.
What was the Origin of Sacrifices is a question
that has been much agitated. Without entering
deeply into this" question, we shall just remark
as a fact, that in the ruder state of mankind, when
Objects of sense make impressions peculiarly
Strong, while refined and abstract ideas are
scarcely known, oblations and sacrifices were
the usual modes of expressing the grateful feel
ings of the heart, and also a deep sense of demerit.
These sentiments being implanted in our nature,
are common to all Religions. But as fearful
apprehensions are much more frequently excited
than a sense of favours conferred, thus have
supplicatory or expiatory sacrifice's, always^ ex
ceeded the oblations of gratitude. When it
became the prevalent opinion that the GodSs

DISPENSATION. 183
possessed human appetites and passions, ignorant
minds conceived that their peculiar deities were
actually regaled and fed by the offerings present
ed to them ; and that the omission would be
resented as a privation, not only of their rights
but of their enjoyments. Sanguinary victims
were peculiar denotations of demerit. They
emblematically shewed the punishment which
crimes deserved ; that is, the loss of life with all
its blessings : As such they were tokens of peni
tence. The depth of contrition was manifested
by the value of the sacrifice; until at length
human sacrifices, and the oblation of their beloved.
offspring, on the altars of their Gods, being the
most valuable offsprings that could possibly be
made, were considered as the most expiatory.
What was primarily devised as a. sign of con
trition, was afterwards considered as a true
expiation, and as apn'cepaid, equal in value to the
supposed offence ; and as the human heart is
prone to every perversion that favours its lusts,
sacrifices, and the strict performance of other
religaous rites, degenerated into compromises and
subsmuies. Signs of contrition were deemed
equivalent to contrition itself; and a strict at
tention to forms and ceremonies of their own
devising, was valued as a compensation for every
moral defect.

184 ON THE JEWISH
The above remarks are founded upon the
moral history of the human mind; they are
confirmed by the practices of the heathen world ;
by those corruptions in Judaism of which' the
Jewish prophets loudly complain ; and by num
berless evidences presented tons in the history
of the Christian church, of which there are too
many remains even in the present day.
The inspired Legislator Moses, was directed
to apply the innocent and laudable principles
pf the human mind to their proper objects, and
to guard against the deviations and corruptions
of ignorance or profligacy.

A close attention to the minuter regulations
which respect the various oblations and sacrifices
enjoined upon the Jewish people, discovers to us
also that they had uniformly a relation to the
moral character, or to the different degrees of
demerit in the subject.
Of this we shall state a few instances. In
the expiatory Sacrifices, where higher- degrees
of criminality wert obvious, burnt offerings
were commanded, in which the animal was
entirely consumed by fire, with the utmost solem
nity, one portion upon the altar, and the other

DISPENSATION. 185
without the gates ; whereas in meat offerings, for
slighter offences, the beast was not entirely
burnt, a portion of it was consigned to the
Priests. In sins of ignorance and surprise, the
sacrifices were not offered up with the degree of
solemnity that was enjoined for wilful and deli
berate offences. Again, as it was expected that
the Priesthood should be more holy and circum
spect than the Laity, their expiatory victims
were ordered to be more valuable than those of
the others. Thus, for the sin of Ignorance, it
was enjoined upon the offending Priest, to bring
a young Bullock without blemish, unto the door
of the tabernacle of the congregation. " When
a Ruler hath sinnted, and done somewhat
through ignorance, against any of the com
mandments of the Lord God, he shall bring his
offering a kid of the Goats, a male without blem
ish." "And if any one of the common people
sin through ignorance, he shall bring his offering
a kid of the Goats, a female without blemish,
for his sin which he hath sinned." " If any
soul hear the voice of swearing, and is a witness
and do not utter it ; or if he touch any unclean
thing," he is sentenced, by the mosaic law, to
bring for a trespass offering, a female of the flock,
a lamb or kid, or two turtle-doves or young pigeons,
or an ephah of fine flour, for a sin offering, ac-

186 ON THE JEWISH
cording, to his circumstances. But in the sins
of ignorance which related " to the holy things
of the Lord," the offence was considered as of a
deeper, dye, and- the expiatory offerings were, pro-
portionably : greater. In wilful transgressions of
a similar kind, the Ram that was to be brought
as a trespass offering, was sacrificed with pecu
liar solemnity ; and it was enjoined upon the
officiating Priest to change his garments in
different parts of the service. In those offer
ings which were not of an expiatory nature, but
expressive of gratitude or dependence, no vic
tims were to be slain at the altar: The meat
offerings, and oblations of the first fruits, were
not to be burnt on the altar. It was deemed
sufficient that a very small portion of it, should
be burnt as a memorial. f
On the great day of atonement, when it was
enjoined upon the Priest to offer up " the Bullock
for a sin offering for himself wdfor his hw$e,
and a Goat as a sin offering for the peqph" a pe
culiar ceremony was enjoined, as an emblem of
their acceptance with God ; or as an assurance
that their iniquities were pardoned. Its object
was to attach the people the more strongly to
the service of tlie true God, from a principle of
gratitude; for it was a striking manifestation
* See Note F. '

DISPENSATCION. 187
that he was* merciful, forgiving iniquities,, trans
gressions, and sins. Wlienthe Priest had made
an end " of reconciling the holy place, and the
tabernacle of the congregation and the altar,"
he was commanded to bring the living Goat,
which was destined by lot to escape, and con
fess over him all the iniquities of the children of
Israel, and aM their transgressions, and, all their
sins, putting them upon the head of the Goat;
"and thou shalt send him away by the hand of
a fit person into the wilderness ; and the Goat
shall bear all their iniquities into a land not inha
bited, and he shall let go the Goat into the wil
derness, and the Goat shall bear upon him all
their iniquities into a land not inhabited."
The above regulations and ordinances, may be
considered in the light of cautionary means to
preserve the Hebrews as a people, distinct from
the nations that should surround thein ; h*vmg in
themselves a beneficial tendency to counteract
the propensity to imitate idolatrous practices,
which was so prevalent among these people; and
to render a compliance with the divine com
mands, uniform and extensive.
To these means of preserving upon their
minds an habitual sense of religion, we may
also add the numerous Festivals, instituted in
leennnemoration of great and important events;

188 ON THE JEWISH
which, while they were expressive of gratitude
in the existing generation, became interesting
memorials to posterity, of those peculiar mani
festations of the divine interposition, with which
they were favoured. This was of the utmost
importance to a people whose ignorance pre
cluded an access to written memorials; while
the exhilarations these festivals occasioned,
impressed, through the influence of the social
principle, those events the more deeply upon
their minds.
But the observance of the seventh Day as a
Sabbath, holy to the Lord, or as a day of sacred
rest, was particularly enjoined upon them ; and
it was commanded that they should keep it with
peculiar solemnity. On that day the heads of
families, with their household, their slaves, their
cattle, were to cease from every kind of labour :
They were to assemble in a holy convocation ; and
it is probable, from the practices of the Jews
recorded in the New Testament, that some por
tions of the law were read. The usual sacrifices
were, on that day, to be doubled. " On the Sab
bath day, (thou shalt offer) two lambs of the first
year, without spot, and two tenth deals of flour for
a meat offering, mingled with oil, and the drink
offering thereof ; this is the burnt offering of every
Sabbath, beside the continual burnt offering,

DISPENSATION. 189
and his drink offering."* To inspire them with
the deeper reverence for its sanctity, a miracle
was statedly performed on the day preceding
the Sabbath, that it might not be profaned by
their collecting of manna on that day. In the
subsequent degeneracy of this people, the pro
phets frequently upbraided them with neglect
ing the Sabbath, as the source of their degene
racy ; and to delight in it was the leading cha
racteristic of a pious man. " Blessed is the man
that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it."<§ If
thou turn away thy foot from doing thy plea
sure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a de
light, the holy of the Lord, honourable — then
shalt thou delight thyself, in the Lord, and I
will cause thee to ride on the high places of the
earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob
thy father.''^
We are informed that the Sabbath was insti
tuted to commemorate two great events ; the
cessation of the great Creator from his work,
after the plan of creation was completed, at six
distinct. periods ; and the liberation of this peo
ple from the bondage of Egypt. The celebra
tion of these two events, with due solemnity,
enabled them habitually to contemplate their
Jehovah as the universal sovereign. It had a
*Numb. c. xxviii. v. Q, 10. f Isaiah Ivi. 2. J Isa. Iviii. 13, 14.

l§o ON THE JEWISH
tendency to check their perverse propensity to
serve other Gods ; to impress! their minds- with
the deep veneration of his transcendent attri
butes; and to inspire every pious principle
within them. It afforded' them leisure to recol
lect their sufferings, • and the sufferings >of their
ancestors under' the Egyptian yoke ; < to- cherish
every grateful feeling for their miraculous deli
verance ; and also for the high honour conferred
upon them, in their being selected as the-peculiar
people of God,' from- a 'depraved and idolatrous
generation. The mind of man is, at all times,
strongly impressed by sensible objects; nor is it
in the power of mental culture to render us in
different to their influence ; but those who are
uncultivated or grossly ignorant, will yield
themselves up entirely to such impressions, if
no means be employed, or opportunity 'afforded,
to direct their thoughts into another channel.
This people were minutely instructed in all the
tk5ctrines of true theology,- and in ali the1 duties
of morality; but such instructions would hare
lost their influence, without frequent and solemn
pauses for reflection.

At every period of the world, and in every
aation where a religion of . any kind was pro-

DISPENSATION. 191
fessed, a belief of an intercommunication be
tween the Being worshipped and his devout wor
shippers,' was necessarily an article of the public
faith; for it is essentially connected with the' ex
pectation or blessings, or calamities, rewards or
punishments; so that whenever there was ai per
suasion of the influence or superintendency of these
beings, some manifestations of their will were
always supposed to exist. Hence the numerous
tribes of Magicians, Diviners, "Soothsayers,
Astrologers, &c. that surrounded the' temples
of the heathen deities. These* principles, ' so
inseparable from the very idea of religion,1 were
confirmed to the Israelites by the only living and
true God; for his immediate interposition consti
tuted the grand characteristic of their govern
ment. In whatever manner the communica
tions were made., they were such as left ho room
for doubt upon the minds of the subjects. Noah
was convinced that it was by the command of God,
when he built the ark and prepared for the gene
ral deluge. Abraham knew that it was enjoined
upon hiin, by divine authority, to quit his coun
try, his kindred, and his father's house, and to
go to a country which he knew not; and alto to
sacrifice his son. The occasional appearances to
the other Patriarchs, Isaac, and Jacob, were ac
companied with sufficient evidences to inddce

192 ON THE JEWISH
tljem to act in a correspondent manner ; and the
events consequent upon their obedience, mani
fested the reality of the inspiration. The very
important office to which Moses was appointed,
with its various and complicated duties, rendered
the frequency of a divine intercourse absolutely
necessary; and the unparalleled wisdom of all
his ordinances, testified that they proceeded
from the fountain of wisdom.
To impress the minds of the Israelites with
a deep sense of the worship clue to the one God,
and to him only, and of the obligation to prac
tise every moral duty, was of infinite moment.
These were the grand objects to which every
other was merely subservient. On the obser
vance of these duties the felicity of each mem
ber of the community, in his individual capa
city, the felicity of the people as a nation, im
mediately depended ; and upon these does the
felicity of the whole human race depend. There
fore was the moral law promulgated from
mount Sinai with peculiar solemnity. It was
by the voice of Jehovah himself, without an
Intermediate, and the people were struck with
terror. " And all the people saw the thunder
ing, and the lightnings, and the noise of the
trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when
the people saw it they removed and stood afar

DISPENSATION. 19s
off. And they said unto Moses, speak thou with
us and we will hear ; but let not God speak with
us lest we die. And Moses said unto the people
fear not ; for God is come to prove you, and that
his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin
not."* In every other instance Moses was the sole
medium of communication, during the whole of
his official character. Joshua was appointed to
be his successor in the following manner. "The
Lord said unto Moses, take thee Joshua, the son
of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine
hand upon him, and set him before Eleazar the
Priest, and before all the congregation, and
give him a charge in their sight; and thou shalt
put off thine honour upon him, that all the con
gregation of the children of Israel may be obe
dient; and he shall stand before Eleazar the
Priest, who shall ask counsel for him after the
judgment of Urim before the Lord; at his word
shall they go out, and at his word shall they
come in, both he and all the children of Israel
with him, even all the congregation."!
The Supreme Being reserved to himself the
right of revealing his will by the mouths of his
prophets, or in whatever manner he pleased ;
whether it was to direct, encourage, admonish
* Esod. ch. xx. 18, 20. t Numbers xxyii. 18, 21 .
0

m ON THE JEWISH
or threaten ; but when it was the design of the
people, or of any individual among them, to
ask counsel of God, it was ordained to be in a
manner similar to the preceding. Application
was to be made to the high priest, and an
answer was returned from the mercy-seat. It
was thus, that Moses himself asked counsel of
God. " And when Moses was gone into the
tabernacle of the congregation to speak with him,
then he heard the voice of one speaking unto
him from off the mercy-seat, that was upon the
ark of testimony, from between the two cheru-
bims ; and he spake Unto him."* After the
death of Joshua, it was in this manner also that
Israel asked the. Lord, " saying, who shall go up
for us against: the Canaanites first, to fight
against them ; and Jehovah said, Judah shall go
up, behold I have delivered the land into his hand."
Thus was provision made for the directions
which their unsettled state, the multitude of
tlieir enemies, and their occasional embarrass-.
ments might require; the people were taught
their dependence upon the God of Israel, and
were rescued from the temptations to con
sult the fallacious declarations of the heathens,
under a plea of necessity. The mode was sim
ple, exempt from those superstitious rites and
ceremonies which are a disgrace to human
* Numb. vii. 89.

DISPENSATION. 195
beings* Th© answers were explicit and une-~
quivocal ; nor was it in the power of the priest
hood to be guilty of delusion.*

SECT. IV.
ON THE PROPENSITY OF THE. HEBREWS TO
IMITATE THE IDOLATROUS PRACTICES OF THE
pagans; the nature AND PERNICIOUS influ
ence of idolatry; the injunctions neces
sary TO PRESERVE THIS PEOPLE FROM ITS
FATAL SEDUCTIONS.
What has already been advanced is sufficient
to evince the fact, that peculiar care was taken,:
and peculiar means employed, to collect, and
preserve as a distinct class, a competent number
of people, who should be able to maintain all the
principles of Monotheism, in the midst of that
polytheism which deluged the world ; and our
subsequent history will entirely consist in the
statement of the various plans adopted by divine
providence, correspondent to the dangers and'
temptations which these people were destined to
encounter. The sacred pages inform us that, not
withstanding so many instances of the divine
interposition in their favour, and the astonishing r
* See Note G.
o 2

196 ON THE JEWISH
miracles wrought by the great Jehovah for their
preservation, notwithstanding . the. .care which
was taken to train them up in. a religion so infi
nitely superior to all others ; no sooner had they
approached the borders of Canaan, and begun
to intermix with the idolatrous people who dwelt
in its vicinity, than their propensities to imitate
were invincibly strong ; and through a series of
many ages, the most coercive measures were
necessary, to prevent their being absorbed and
lost, in the grand mass of depravity. These
circumstances render it necessary for us to en
quire, whence this strange propensity could be
derived ? What was the peculiar character of the
religions they were so prone to imitate? The
evils, of which they were uniformly productive,
and the preventives employed?
We do not learn from the earlier parts of the
Mosaic history, that the Israelites manifested any
particular predilection for the gods of the Egyp
tians, at the period of their emigration, not
withstanding the Egyptians were more supersti
tious than any other people, and idolatry had
assumed a more systematic form among them :
for although some objects of their worship were
of the lowest order, others were held in the high
est veneration, and their influence was deemed
peculiarly beneficent and extensive; which was

DISPENSATION. 197
particularly the case with their god Apis, whom
they worshipped in the form of a bull.
It is obvious that the cause which compelled
the Hebrews to live remote from the Egyptians,
was, in itself,, some preservation'against the im
mediate infection of an. example; yet their de
pressed state might have operated still more
powerfully. They might have had little incli
nation to imitate a people by whom they were
despised ; whose oppressions they resented, and
from whose deities they could not : hope for
deliverance. But, notwithstanding these impedi
ments, there was a latent propensity, for the
Hebrews were subsequently reproached by the
-prophet Ezekiel, for their attachment to the
idols of Egypt.*
The first symptom of an idolatrous spirit, after
their escape from captivity, manifested itself
during the absence of Moses, when they were in
the wilderness. The many and unexpected
hardships they had suffered, frequently, disposed
them to lament their emigration; when he was
receiving the Law in mount Sinai, they became
apprehensive that their leader had forsaken
them ; and they compelled Aaron to make them ,
a molten Calf; probably as a representative of
the god Apis, to whom they wished to recom-
* Ezek. ch. xx. 7, 8.

198 ON THE JEWISH
mend themselves, and under whose auspices
they entertained the design of returning to
Egypt. " Up, make us gods that shall go be
fore us ; as for this Moses, the man that brought
us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not
what is become of him." The return of their
leader, and the severe punishment of the most
froward, struck them with awe, and reduced
them to obedience, until they approached the
idolatrous nations, by whose example they were
so easily contaminated.
Some have thought it incredible that any
people so distinguished, could have acted in so
absurd and perverse a manner, as the sequel of
their history represents. But they who make
the objection, have not been sufficiently atten
tive to the influence of sensible objects, when
placed in competition with those of a more ab
stract nature. It is this influence which too
powerfully operates among a people more
highly distinguished v than the ancient Jews.
We daily observe that a professed belief in the
existence, and moral government of the Supreme
Being, united with the expectation of a future
state of retribution, according to character and
conduct, are not always sufficient to preserve
men from the seductions of sense, and from
those practices which are most correspondent
with atheistical incredulity. But there are many

DISPENSATION. 199
circumstances respecting the sitnatidn of this
people, which, although they cannot justify their
conduct, serve to explain it.
We should recollect, in the first place, that in
the records of their history to which we have
access, we are presented with an assemblage of
facts closely connected together, and making as
it were, one strong impression uppn our minds;
whereas the facts themselves occurred at diffe
rent periods, and under incidental circumstances ;
so that many Of the preceding facts would have
been effaced from their illiterate minds, without
the imperfect aids of rude pillars occasionally
erected, and the repeated celebration of various
commemorative festivals. Moses, who was con
scious of his being under the immediate direc
tion of heaven, spoke habitually of the divine
commands and appointments, in the most com
mon, as well as the more extraordinary occur
rences. Ashe acknowledged God in all things,
it was notnecessary for him to discriminate upon
every occasion, between the mediate, and imme
diate superintendance of God ; between those
events in which his more manifest, or his more
secret influence might have been immediately
exerted, and such as occurred according to, what
we term, the usual course of providence. When
their attention was not roused by some osten-

200 ON THE JEWISH
sible interference, and their minds deeply im
pressed by some very important occurrence, it is
not difficult to suppose that the Israelites would
relapse into that supineness, which Christians
themselves are so apt to indulge ; that is, into a
total forgetfulness of the providence which,
upon reflection, they acknowledge to be univer
sally operative.
Nor should we omit the natural influence of,
we had almost said, the sovereign power of ex
ample, acting repeatedly upon the human mind.
Foreigners readily conform to the customs of the
people among whom they' reside. Even their
primitive national prejudices, and the opinion
of a superiority, finally give way to this influ
ence. To feel as a stranger among the natives
who are completely at home, is not a pleasant
sensation ; and this sensation is rendered, by the
inhabitants, absolutely painful, where the sub
ject does not manifest a disposition to conform.
Respecting young minds, it is well known that
paternal example, instruction, and authority
united, are scarcely sufficient to prevent children
from intermixing with the children of the na
tives among whom they sojourn, and adopting
their principles, manners, and habits. In their
successors the primitive impressions and charac
teristic differences are still more enfeebled; and

DISPENSATION. 201
frequent intermarriages entirely efface the dif
ference. Such has been the universal process,
excepting among this nation of the Jews, whose
laws and customs, after much coercion and long-
discipline, have finally placed them in an insu
lated state, wherever they exist. Before this
habitual character was formed, their propensities
operated like those of every other people.
But there is another principle, which we may
justly suppose to have had its influence upon
the Israelites. It was a prevalent opinion, in
those early ages, that every minute event in life,
was under the immediate influence of invisible
agents. Indeed, this is always the theory of the
ignorant. Where the laws of nature are totally
unknown, every occurrence is ascribed to a su
perior cause; and where they are known in a
very partial and imperfect manner, the mind is
greatly disposed to conceal, while in reality
it is exposing its own weakness, by attributing
to a supernatural influence, whatever it cannot
explain or comprehend. It was also a prevalent
opinion, that not only every nation, but every
province and district, had its tutelar deity. They
believed in gods of the hills, gods of the valleys and
groves, gods of the rivers and woods, gods that
presided over war, communicated the blessings
of peace ; who inflicted or cured diseases ; blessed

202 ON THE JEWISH
the land with fertility, or chastised it with bar
renness. With these local deities, strangers as
well as natives, thought it their interest to in
gratiate themselves. Invaders were always so
licitous to gain over the gods of the invaded
country, as allies; and they thought no sacrifice
or oblation too expensive, that might serve as
a bribe upon such urgent occasions. This opi
nion being universally prevalent, it would have
been a singular phcenomenon if the Israelites
had remained perfectly exempt from its influ
ence. The opinion was not counteracted by
Jehovah the true God, by a specific miracle,
performed upon every individual mind, but op
posed by the preventives mentioned above; and
by presenting before them, upon extraordinary
occasions, such evidences of the real existence
and infinitely superior character of their God, as
should be amply sufficient to convince the judg
ment, and affect the heart of every thinking and
well disposed subject.
The thoughtless multitude, however, as soon
as they arrived among a people, whose religious
principles and habits were so different from their
own, became disposed to adopt and imitate; and
female seductions greatly facilitated the degene
racy. As the natives ascribed all the blessings of
life, fruitful seasons, success in war, and every

DISPENSATION. 203
ingredient in national prosperity, to their having
purchased the favour of their -gods, by sacri
fices and oblations, and ascribed also every
calamity to their resentment ; those Hebrews who
had not the strongest impressions of true reli
gion constantly upon their minds, would easily
yield to the fallacy; they might perhaps think
themselves more secure under the patronage of
the tutelar god of the district, than under his
government who brought them there.
This position is not hypothetical ; it is
founded upon facts, as the following instances
will evince. The profligate Ahaz, when he was
subdued by the Syrians, attributed the misfor
tune to his neglect in worshipping their gods ;
accordingly he sacrificed to the gods of Da
mascus, that they might assist him alsp
against his enemies.* When Jerusalem was
taken by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, in
the- days of Jeremiah the prophet, and num
bers were carried into captivity, they who
were left behind, being apprehensive of danger,
expressed a desire tp remove into Egypt, under
Johanan their leader. Johanan consulted the
prophet Jeremiah, promising that his orders
should be obeyed. The answer of Jeremiah was
* 2 Chron. ch. xxviii. 83.

204 ON THE JEWISH
prohibitory. Had his counsel been agreeable
to the inclinations of Johanan and his depen
dents, they would have obeyed cheerfully ; but
as it opposed them, sceptical doubts were enter
tained concerning the inspiration of the pro
phet. " Then spake Azariah the son of Hoshaiah,
and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud
men, saying to Jeremiah, thou speakest falsely ;
the Lord our God hath not sent thee to say, go
not into Egypt to sojourn there; but Baruch
the son of Neriah, setteth thee on against us,
for to deliver us into the hands of the Chaldeans."
Upon their flight into Egypt, the prophet re
peats, as a judgment upon them for disobedience,
those calamities which he had announced as a
warning. This produced the following remark*
able apology, which confirms the principle we
have advanced. " Then all the men which
knew that their wives had burnt incense unto
other gods, and all the women that stood by, a
great multitude, even all the people that dwelt
in the land of Egypt, in Pathaos, answered Jere
miah saying, as for the zvord which thou hast
spoken in the name of the Lord, we will not hear
ken to thee, but we will certainly do whatsoever
thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn
incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out
drink offerings unto her, as we have done, zveand

DISPENSATION. 205
our fathers, our Kings, and our Princes, in the
cities of Judah, and in the streets yf Jerusalem ;
for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well,
and saw no evil. But since we left off to burn in
cense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink
offerings unto her, xve have wanted all things, and
have been consumed by the sword and the famine*
To the above causes of seduction, we may
safely add the corrupt affections of their own
minds. These, instead of being restrained by
paganism, as they were by the commands of
God, were indulged to the utmost. An un
bounded license was given to the gratification of
every lust. The religious principles which fa
vour our propensities, have a powerful advocate
within; and by consecrating vice, they sooth
and appease the conscience.

The following are mentioned in the Old Testa
ment as the nominal gods of the Pagan nations,
against whose worship the Hebrews were so fre
quently admonished, upon their entrance into
the land of Canaan. Milcom, and Moloch, the
gods of the Ammonites ; Chemoth, Baal, Baal-
peor, &c. Gods of the Moabites ; Dagon, wor-
* See Jeremiah ch. xliii. xliv.

206 ON THE JEWISH
shipped by the Philistines ; Ashteroth, goddess
of the Zidonians ; Baalzebub, worshipped at
Ekron, near Samaria ; Baalim, and Baalperith,
of the Midianites; Merodach, Bel, Nebo,
gods of Babylon ; Misroth, a god of the Assy
rians. The Sun, the Moon, and the hosts of
heaven, were also objects of adoration ; it
being supposed that they were inhabited by
spirits of a superior order. None of the gods
of Egypt are mentioned, until the flight of a
remnant of the Jews after thcdestruction of Je
rusalem by Nebuchadnezzar ; nor were those
introduced into notoriety by the polite lite
rature of the Greeks, and afterwards trans
planted to Rome. Although the word Satani
is so frequently used in the New Testament, it
appears but comparatively seldom in the more
ancient records ; where it always denotes a
seducer, or betrayer, or enemy, but it never re
fers to an object of worship.* The Serpent is
frequently mentioned in the Old Testament, as
characteristic of seduction or deceit, but not
as a god of the heathens.
It has been supposed by some, that these
different idols were but varied representatives of
the heavenly bodies, which were ultimately the
objects of all worship ; under the belief that
* See Note H.

DISPENSATION. 207
they were inhabited by spirits of a superior
order. This may possibly have been the. origin
of their idol worship, but they did not adhere
to this more refined species of idolatry. The
ideas of the vulgar are always arrested by the
present object; expecting from that alone
some immediate emanations of power, without
paying the least attention to emblematical re
presentations. We may also observe that the
names of several of these idols, most probably
of all, are in the Syriac and Chaldaic languages,
significant of those characters, and attributes,
which correspond with the idea of local deities.
We are told that Baal, Milcom, Moloch, Mero
dach, signify a king, sovereign^ ruler ; that
the name of Ashteroth has a relation to flocks,
herds, and riches :; that Dagon, the god of the
Philistines, signifies a dispenser of corn, and also
of fish, and that Baalzebub of Ekron, was the
god of flies.* As both Palestine and Samaria
were situated near the sea coast, it is probable
that these names may have been deemed appro
priate to the peculiar supplies that were expected
from these local deities; or protection from the
peculiar evils to which they were exposed.
Proper names in ancient times were not merely
tokens of distinction ; they had always an im-
* See Note I.

208 ON THE JEWISH
port respecting power, character, office, or me
morial. It is highly probable that many of these
idols were erected and worshipped by the igno
rant and superstitious, according to the ur
gency of the occasion : and since to a people
who are in a state of perpetual warfare, the idea
of power, conquest, dominion, are the most pre
valent and flattering, titles expressive of these
would bev the most frequent. The gods of the
imagination having been created by every
passion and affection of the human mind, by
gratitude, by hopes, by fears, the term dasmon
which has been given to them, was originally
generic, without any immediate reference to
character or disposition : Good was solicited,
evil deprecated from one and the same object
of adoration. But as gratitude is, perhaps,
the least in exercise of all our respectable
affections, and as the fear of an overwhelming
evil, is much stronger than the most ardent de
sire of any positive good, thus dasmons began
to degenerate, in the conceptions of those who
believed in their existence, into beings of a re
sentful and vindictive character, requiring"
bribes to prevent their inflicting evil, instead of
continuing benevolent agents, disposed to con
fer favours.
These local deities were surrounded by various

DISPENSATION. 209
officers, who subsisted upon the bigotry and
superstition of the ignorant multitude ; whom, of
consequence, it was their interest to deceive.
The professed employment of the Priests, was
the service of the altar. It was exclusively
their ofiice to offer up sacrifices and oblations to
the gods. The province of a Magician chiefly
consisted in working miracles, and interpreting
dreams. Sorcerers, Soothsayers, those who prac
tised divinations, &c. pretended to foresee future
events ; read the destinies of men ; to explain
ominous appearances in the skies, in the flight
of birds, intestines of animals, &c. They un
dertook to procure, for particular votaries, the
blessings of health, worldly prosperity, or what
ever they might deem most valuable ; and also
to inflict diseases and other calamities, on the
disobedient and refractory.
That the populace were firm believers in the
superior knowledge and power of these pro
fessed Intermediates, there can be no doubt;
and that many of the Priests, Magicians, and
Sorcerers, believed also in the truth of the reli
gion they professed, is highly probable. But
this belief would be no impediment, in corrupt
minds, to their using deceit for the good of
mankind, or to promote their own interest. It
was an avowed maxim among the sages of anti-

210 ON THE JEWISH
quity, that the vulgar are best governed by
deceit. As it was an early doctrine in the Chris-,
tian church, that sacred truths may be supported
occasionally by falsehood, and that pious frauds,
committed with the best intentions, had more of
merit than of demerit in their contexture, it
cannot be expected, that those engaged in the
service of daemons would be more scrupulous.
If Christianity itself was thus perverted by its
professed advocates, through their ignorance of
its nature and design, what could be expected
from the advocates of a religion, of which mo
rality was not a constituent part ?
In the Jewish dispensation, no deceit of any
kind was permitted. The God of truth required
the promulgation of truth, and authorized his
messengers to expose every deception. He
aimed at their conviction that, while they were
demolishing idolatry, they were vindicating the
cause of human reason, by maintaining the ex
clusive empire of Jehovah.
From the numberless unequivocal evidences of
this fact, we shall select a few. When the Israel-:
ites were ordered to destroy every appearance of
paganism, they were assured that those whom
the heathens worshipped were false gods, were no
gods. After the establishment of this people in
the land of promise, as they were deeply corrupt-

DISPENSATION, UU
ed by the idolatrous practices of the surrounding
nations, their prophets expostulate with thems
respecting not only the wickedness but the absur
dity _of their conduct, and positively assert that
the gods of the heathens are a vanity and a lie.
" Behold, says the prophet Isaiah, they all are
vanity; their works are nothing; their molten
images are wind and confusion."* " The idols
have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen
a lie, and have told false dreams."f " The pro
phets prophecy lies in my name ; I sent them
not, neither have I commanded them, nor spoken
to them ; they prophecy unto you a false vision
and divination, and a thing of nought, and the
deceit of their heart "^ " Behold I am against
then? that prophecy false dreams, saith the Lord,
and do tell them, and cause my people to err by
their lies, and their lightness."|| " Will ye pol
lute me among my people for handfuls of barley
and pieces of bread, to slay the souls that should
not die, and to save the souls alive that should
not live, by your lying to my people that hear
your lies ?"§ Again, " Thus saith the Lord God,
woe unto the foolish prophets that follow their
ozvn spirits and have seen nothing."*^
* Isa. ch xii. v. 1Q. f Zech. ch. x. 2.
% Jerem. ch. xiv. v.'ig. || Jer. ch. xxiii. v. 32.
§ Ezek, ch. xiii. 19. f Ezek. ch. xiii. 3.
P 2

212 ON THE JEWISH
It has been asserted by some theologians, that
fchese imputations of deceit and imposture, do
not primarily respect tlie priests, prophets, divi
ners, dreamers of dreams, &c. but those invisible
agents or daemons who were worshipped, through
the medium of images, incantations, &c. and
who inspired the diviners, soothsayers, &c. with a
spirit of falsehood and lies ; so that being de
ceived themselves, they might not always be
conscious of deceiving others. We shall not in
this place oppose the supposition, by deducing
arguments from reason, but by the explicit, une
quivocal assertions of those whom all Christians
acknowledge to have been divinely inspired.
The declarations of Moses, and of all the true
prophets, against the very existence of these
beings, are numerous, pointed, and decisive,
Every argument employed to dissuade the Israel
ites from imitating the idolatry of the Gentiles,
is founded upon the nonentity of these sup
posed agents. It is natural to conclude that
when superstitious people formed an idol, they
expected some dasmon would make it his abode,
or at least the seat of his operations ; and that he
would become their patron on account of the ho
nour conferred upon him ; in the same manner as
our Christian churches were formerly dedicated
to some Saint, in order to procure his peculiar

I I I I I

DISPENSATION. 213
patronage. But it was the express object of in
spiration to guard the people of Israel against so
gross a delusion ; and to assure them that these
images continued merely images ; retaining all
the imbecility of the materials of which they
Were made, Priests, magicians, diviners, sooth
sayers, alone, are accused of the imposition.
The passages quoted above are taken from the
prophets of the Lord, commissioned to reproach;
and severely to censure the numerous Israelites,
who had learned all the arts of divination from
the Pagans, at the periods when the Jewish reli
gion was exceedingly corrupted ; and who im
piously attempted to worship JehoVah, by adopt
ing the rites of the heathens. It was also bei
come a familiar practice among them, to act the
part of sorcerers for a maintenance j for handfuls
of barley, and pieces of bread, like the wander
ing fortune-tellers of the present day. These
vagabonds were frequently accused of deceiving
the people, embarrassing their minds, and de
stroying their confidence in the true prophets
©f the Lord. But they alone were accused.
Not the most distant reference is made to any
daemon, as sharing in the imposture. Hence
We may safely conclude, that no daemon existed
to become a participant. The inspired pro1-
phets of God could not have concealed so im-

214 ON THE JEWISH
portant a fact, through ignorance, neglect, or
misrepresentation. Again, — The destruction of images, altars,
and groves, was always considered, by legislator
and prophet, as the abolition of the false reli
gion of the pagan nations ; which could not
have been the case, had invisible agents actually
existed, whose supernatural powers would still
continue, although the ostensible means should
be destroyed ; and who, according to the
opinion always, entertained of them, must have
been strongly disposed to avenge the affront,
instead of being thus debilitated in, their opera
tions. The whole force of the argument con
sisted, not in acknowledging thenr to possess a
power inferior to that of Jehovah ; not in their
being the tutelar deities of other nations, and
not of the Israelites, but that they were no
gods; they were nonentities ; that idols, so far
from being able to protect their votaries, could
not protect themselves from the attacks of a
destroyer. The conception entertained of a God, among
the ancient nations, was uniformly that of a
superior being, who had a power to influence
human affairs, direct the fate of mortals, foresee
future events, and communicate their knowledge
to others. These are also the characteristics of

DISPENSATION. 215
a God, given in the sacred scriptures them
selves. " Ye shall be ( as Gods knowing good
and evil." " I will make thee a God unto
Pharaoh." The prophet Isaiah maintains , this
to be the definition of a God, while he demon
strates that it does not belong to the gods of
the heathens. " Let them shew the former
things what they be, that we may consider them,
and know the latter end of them, or declare us
the things for to come. Shew the things that
are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye
are Gods."*
In the challenge given by Elijah to -the nu
merous priests of Baal, his satire would have
been irrelevant, and the irony have lost its
point, had he not considered them as serving a
Nonentity. These priests were, in the present
instance, much in earnest; for their lives de
pended upon success. " They called on the
name of Baal, from morning even until noon,
saying, O Baal hear us ; but there was no voice,
nor any that answered. And it came to pass
at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said,
cry aloud, for he is a god, either he is talking, or
he is pursuing, or he is in a journey ; peradven-
ture he sleepeth, and must be awaked. And
they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their
* Isa. ch. xii. T. 22,23,

216 ON THE JEWISH
manner with knives, until the blood gushed out
upon them."* This passage not only corres
ponds with the above definition Of a God, but
it proves that Elijah smiled at the absurd notioh
of his existence. When to avoid a suspicion
of his practising any of the deceits Which these
impostors used, Elijah had Ordered trenches t6
be made round his altar> and water to be plenti
fully poured into themj to evince that the con
suming fire must descend from above ; and when
the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the
burnt sacrifice, the people witnessing the truth
of his miracle, and the failure Of his antago
nists, " fell on their faces, and they said, the
Lord he is God; the Lord he is God" At that
moment they also denied the existence of Baal.
" Babylon is fallen, is fallen," exclaims the
prophet Isaiah, t " and all the graven images of
her gods he has broken to the ground !" In the
following animated and sarcastic passage, the
prophet fully declares his opinion of these gods.
Bell, boweth down ; Nebo stoopeth ; their idols
were upon the beasts, and upon the cattle. Your
carriages were heavy laden; they are a burden
to the weary beast. They stoop, they bow down
together ; they could not deliver the burden-, but
* l Kings ch. xviii. t 1 Kings ch. xxi. Q.

DISPENSATION. 217
themselves are gone into captivity.,,* Can impo
tence be more strongly characterized?
" Hath a nation changed their gods, which are
yet no gods? But my people have changed their
glory for that which doth not profit."f As the
thief is ashamed when he is found, so is the
house of Israel ashamed ; they, their kings, their
princes and their priests, and their prophets, say-
ing to a stock thou art my father, and to &
btone thou hast brought me forth. But where-
are the gods that thou hast made thee ? Let them
arise, if they can save thee in the day of trou«-
ble."J Had any intelligent agent existed, ren
dering these images the medium of deceit, such
expressions could not have been uttered.
The prophet Isaiah enquires, in the name of
Jehovah, " To whom will ye liken me, and make
me equal, and compare me that we may be like?
They lavish gold out of the bag, and weigh sil
ver in the balance, and hire a goldsmith, and
ke maketh it a god. They bear him upon the
shoulder; they carry him, and set him in his
place, and he standeth ; from his place shall he
not remove, yea one shall cry unto him, yet he
cannot answer nor save him out of his trouble." To
Suppose that this great prophet confines the sig-
* 1 Kings ch. xlvi. v. I, 2. f Jer. ch. ii. v. II.
% Jer. ch.ii. v. 26, 28.

S18 ON THE JEWISH
nification of such expressions to the mere" image,
while it was secretly known by him that the
daemon" it was intended to represent actually
existed, is to suppose that he resembled that
dasmon in his fallacies.
In perfect consonance with the position that
the gods of the heathens had no existence, but
in the imaginations of their worshippers, does
the God of the Israelites claim the title of- the
xiving God. Hence it is that the prophets who
speak in his name, so frequently introduce his
decrees or admonitions with the solemn asseve
ration, " As I live, says the Lord." Nor Can we
justly interpret in any other manner the repeat
ed declarations that he is the only God. The
' prophets of the Lord are not contending with
the Israelites about names but realities. The
subject in debate, is not by what titles those
beings superior to man shall be called who op
pose the will of Jehovah, but whether there be
any such beings in existence ? and the determi
nation is in the negative. For " thus saith the
Lord, the king of Israel, and his redeemer the
Lord of hosts, I am the first, I am the last, and
beside me there is no God. Is there a God beside
me ? Yea there is no God ; I know not any. " They
that make a graven image are all of them va-

DISPENSATION. 219
nity."* "Woe unto him that sayeth to the wood
awake; to the dumb stone, arise, it shall teach!
Behold it is laid over with gold and silver, and
there is no breath at all in the midst of it. But
Jehovah is in his holy temple; let allthe earth
keep silence before him."f " Ask ye of Jeho
vah rain in the time of the latter rain ; so Jeho
vah shall make bright clouds, and give them
showers of rain, to every one grass in the field;
for the idols have spoken vanity, and the divi
ners have seen a lie, and told false dreams ; they
comfort in vain."J
To him is ascribed the exclusive right to send
famine, pestilence, and the sword upon the earth,
according to the good pleasure of his will. It is
not admitted that the gods of the heathens, could
inflict the evils at which their votaries were so
frequently terrified. " I form the light and
create darkness ; I make peace and create evil ;
I the Lord do all these things. "§
In a word, the Creator of the. Universe claims
the sole empire of the universe, without rival or
competitor ; and he declares that he is jealous
pf his honour. " I am Jehovah, that is my name,
and my glory I will not give. to another, nor my
praise to graven images.j|
We shall conclude this article with the follow-
* Isa. ch. xl. f Habak. ch. ii. v. 19, 20. J Zach. ch.x.v.l, 2.
§ Isa. xlvii. v. 7. y Isa. ch. xiii. v. 8.

220 ON THE JEWISH
ing passage, as it contains a summary and a con
firmation of all the principles we have advanced.
" Thus saith the Lord, learn not the way of the
heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of
heaven, for the heathen are dismayed at then!*
For the custom of the people is vain. For one
cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the
hands of the workman with the axe. They fas
ten it with nails and with hammers, that it move
not. They are upright as the palm tree, but
they speak not. They must needs be borne
because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them
for they cannot do evil, neither is it in them to
do good. They are all the work of cunning
men ; but Jehovah is the true God, he is the
living God, and an everlasting King. At his
wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations
shall not be able to abide his indignation. Then
shall ye say unto them, the gods that have not
made the heavens and the earth, even they
shall perish from the earth, and from under
the heavens. He hath made the earth by his
power, he hath established the world by his
wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens
by his discretion. When he uttereth his voice,
there is a multitude of waters in the heavens,
and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the
ends of the earth ; he maketh lightnings with

DISPENSATION. sfil
rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his trea
sures. Every man is brutish in his knowledge ;
every founder is confounded by the graven
image ; for his molten image is falsehood, and
there is no breath in them."*
The prophets could not have expressed them
selves in so explicit a manner, had it been their
only object to warn the Israelites against the
worship of daemons who actually existed. The
strain of dissuasion would have been confined
to the folly of worshipping spirits, whose cha
racters were impure and revengeful, in prefer
ence to the God of perfect purity ; or of fearing
ah inferior power to the neglect of the great
Lord of universal nature, who made them a
tender of his almighty protection ; whereas it
wholly consists in expatiating upon the incapa
city of graven images to administer aid, because
they had no more power than the materials of
which they were formed.

Historical facts perfectly correspond with the
above explicit and unequivocal declaration.
There is not, in a single instance, any acknow
ledgment that daemons or invisible spirits worked
miracles, interpreted dreams, or foretold future
events. Every thing of this kind is ascribed to
* Jerem. cb. x.

222 ON THE JEWISH
pretended agents, to magicians, soothsayers, and
diviners themselves. That persons of this deJ
scription practised the arts of deceit is indubi
table. It is also indubitable, that they perpe
tually succeeded in deluding the people, which
has never been difficult in times of extreme
ignorance. If in christian countries, and even
in the centre of an enlightened community;
there be scarcely a village without its interpre
ter of dreams, and peasants who believe in
them : if the Initiated render themselves expert
in performing wonders, to the utter amazement
of the uninformed ; if men, well versed in the
physical sciences, and of keen penetration, can
not, even in modern days, always discover the
manner in which various deceptions are con
ducted, by those who do not claim a communi
cation with invisible agents ; how easy was it
for those who were venerated as the favourite
ministers of these agents, to impose upon minds
prepared to believe in the miraculous,, in times
when palpable ignorance was so prevalent!
Although the magicians in Pharaoh's court, upon
slighter occasions, might have given such inter
pretations to dreams as established their credit ;
and consequently gave additional weight to
every sentence they uttered, yet they confessed
that to interpret the dreams of the butler and

DISPENSATION. 223
baker, during their confinement with Joseph
in the prison, was beyond their art : as also the
two dreams of Pharaoh. These dreams pro
ceeded from a higher source than the ordinary
fancies of the brain; their ends and objects were
of great importance ; they were worthy of
being inspired, and worthy of the real inspira
tion of the interpreter. We are told that the
magicians imitated a few of the earlier miracles
of Moses, but the power was confined to the
magicians themselves, to which the skill of many
a modern conjurer is fully adequate. It is not
hinted that they were inspired by any daemon.
This is merely an inference suggested by a pre
conceived hypothesis, which cannot be admitted
until that hypothesis be fully proved. There were
no marksof peculiar expertness in the trick played
by the woman of Endor, upon the perturbed
mind of Saul. She told him whatever she
pleased, and he was determined to believe every
thing she told him. She pretended to see every
thing, but he saw nothing. Had daemons the
power to inspire, this woman needed not to have
consulted them, the work was so easy* When
Nebuchadnezzar had forgotten his dream, he
called the " magicians and the astrologers, and
* See 1 Sam. ch, xxviii. v. 12, 14.

224 ON THE JEWISH
the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans for to shew the
king his dreams." This requisition was far be
yond all their united powers. The king would
immediately have discovered the fallacy of
whatever they might have invented, to their
confusion and destruction : and as they had no
real daemon to suggest the truth, they were
obliged to acknowledge their incapacity. Could
the king have recollected his dream, they would
certainly have attempted to impose upon his
credulity, by some artful and evasive interpreta*
tion given to it. The king naturally concluding
that it was equally in the power of an inspiring
dsBmon to inform them of the dream itself, as of
the interpretation, began to suspect them of im
posture. " Ye have prepared lying and corrupt
words before me, therefore tell me the dream,
and I shall know that ye can shew me the inter
pretation thereof." The demand being unusual,
and far beyond the extent of their art, they
pronounced it to be unreasonable, confessing
" that there is not a man upon the earth that
can shew the king's matter, therefore there is
no king, lord, nor ruler, that asketh such things
at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean."
They were equally unable to interpret the hand
writing on the wall at the command of Bel-
shazzar, and for the same obvious reason.

DISPENSATION. 225
Their gods never inspired them concerning
things which it was not in their own power to
discover or invent.*

But although these gods were the mere crea
tures of the imagination, they had all the power
of realities. The ignorant and superstitious who
believed in them, were as influentially possessed
by the daemons of their own creation, as if real
existences had descended from the regions of
the air, and taken up their abode among them.
The same terrors were excited from the appre
hensions of having offended them; the same
horrid rites were performed to pacify their anger
and obtain their favour; and the same immo
ralities were committed, as( if patrons of every
vice had issued their absolute commands. Con
sequently the destruction of these idols of the
imagination, became as necessary as the destruc
tion of existing daemons would have been.; and
to chase them away from the human fancy, was,
in its effects, equivalent to chasing them from
the universe.
It is not difficult to discover what it. was that
* See Note K.
Q

226 ON THE JEWISH
constituted this necessity ; or to trace the abso
lute impossibility of advancing in the paths of
WelUbeing and Happiness, until such notions
are completely eradicated, and the most opposite
sentiments have taken full possession of the
human mind.
As Fear is the strongest of all the passions,
and the predominant passion of the ignorant, and
as uncontrolled power is the first quality that
strikes such minds, thus generally speaking, the
first, and certainly the most numerous gods
created by the fancy, will be objects of terror.
The deification of wise and benevolent characters
is a subsequent act ; and, notwithstanding its
absurdity, it is still the act of an observant and
grateful mind. Where Terror is predominant,
the next operative principle will be an ardent
desire to conciliate the favour of such beings;
and although no one can love their characters,
real hatred will be concealed under professions
of respect and confidence ; and a determination
will be formed to purchase protection from
greater evils, by the most costly sacrifices, or by
submission to the severest penalties. We must
also remark that, as the fancies of men are very
prolific, they will generate more of these formi
dable beings in a few years, than the slow pro
gress of reason will be able to subdue, in the

DISPENSATION? m
course of ages. Consequently, there will he as
many torments to plague and terrify mankind, as
there are unpleasant circumstances in life to sug,-
gest the opinion of their . existence. Thus, as
long as terrific spectres of the brain are continu:
ally present to a credulous mind, and their de
crees are inferred from every thing which can be
construed into an evil omen, misery must be. the.
inevitable consequence, from the habitual preva
lence of terror. 4
Another very important consideration is, that
wherever there is a belief in these agents, the
pider of nature, or in other words, the plans of
providence, are disturbed by the imagination, as
effectually as if rival powers were capable of in
terfering; and the belief itself equally becomes
an impediment to the progress of useful know
ledge. Although we are born in ignorance, it is
not the design of our Creator that we shall re
main in that state. The Deity has given us.men.r
tal powers, by which we are enabled to emanci
pate ourselves ; and these mental powers operate
by gradually and progressively introducing us
to an acquaintance with the real existence, na
ture, qualities, relations, and uses of objects,
their operations upon each other, and the re
sults. The more our knowledge increases, the
niore frequent will be our perceptions, and the
q 2

228 ON THE JEWISH
deeper our convictions of physical influence :
we shall obtain a more intimate acquaintance
with cause and effect, and a greater confidence
in their operations. By these alone we can be
confident of right principles and right actions,
in every circumstance, and respecting all that
is interesting to us. In proportion as we clearly
perceive that the effects of a preceding cause
become, in their turns, causes to succeeding
effects, in a perpetual concatenation ; in propor
tion as we learn the nature and characters of
each by their tendencies, we shall be enabled to
make secure and speedy advances in the path of
well-being. We shall finally pervade the uni
verse, until we prostrate Ourselves at the foot
stool of Jehovah, the great and universal Cause !
But these wretched agents, bred in a disorderly
imagination, throw obstacles in our way at every
step. We are no longed able to discern what. is
natural, from what is preternatural. Every cri
terion by which to judge is destroyed. Physi
cal causes and effects are annihilated : for some
sly, impertinent, and malignant daemon, that
hates light and knowledge, as moles hate the sun,
may invert the regular order of things in a mo
ment ; may' exert an influence of its own,
independent of all our established laws, and
leave us, after our best endeavours, a prey to

DISPENSATION., 229
chagrin and disappointment, and the sport of
his malignancy ! A wild imagination thus
usurps an unbounded, and a tyrannic empire,
over all the rational faculties of the soul ; by
which it ought to have been held in strict
subordination : Its mandates stifle every salutary
doubt, prohibit every rational inquiry, obscure
every truth, and compel us to follow phan
toms, as if they were realities ; ignorance is ren
dered permanent ; and while this remains perma*
nmt, there can be no progressive happiness.
But a belief in such beings not only impedes
the progress of knowledge, it rapidly promotes
that of vice and immorality. In place of having
a beneficial influence upon morals, it provides a
substitute. To obtain their favour, by worship
ping them in a manner supposed to be most ac
ceptable, is deemed sufficient for all the purposes
of safety, or of worldly advantage ; and beyond
these the ideas of happiness do not extend ; for
the desire of moral and intellectual pleasures has
no place in the breast. The greatest sensualities
are permitted, nay encouraged by their deities,
and they will certainly be indulged by the votary.
Their supposed influence over the mind, may fur
nish a plea for the commission of the most enor
mous vices. Those who think themselves to be
inspired by their gods, will feel an obligation to

250 ON THE JEWISH
"obey, whatever be the nature of the command;
It is not to be expected that human resolutions
should be able to resist the impulse of a superior
power, although the action may, in the Opinion
of mankind, be immoral, base, and cruel. Pro
fane writers give us a melancholy catalogue* of
the crimes committed by heathen nations, under
the sanction of religion; These are not speci
fically enumerated, according to the extent of
the catalogue, in the sacred writing ; yet refe
rence is frequently made to them. Idolatry and
wickedness, are always considered as being sy
nonymous'; and every profligacy is ascribed to
the worship of these imaginary beings. The
prophet Isaiah accuses the apostate Israelites*
with inflaming themselves with idols under every
green tree ; slaying the children in the valleys^
under the clifts of the rocks."* " The shew
of their countenance doth witness against them>
and they declare their sin as Sodom ; they hide
it not."f Jeremiah, exclaiming against the sin
of Idolatry, says, "in thy skirts is found the
blood of the sOuls of the poor innocents/'J
Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and
see where thou hast not been lain with. In the
ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in
* Isa. cb. lvii. v. 3. passim. f Is- ch. iii. v. 9.
% Jer. ch. ii. 34.

DISPENSATION. 231
the wilderness, and thou hast polluted the land
with thy whoredoms, and thy wickedness."*
" Behold ye trust in lying words that cannot profit.
Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery,
and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baak
and walk after other gods whom ye know notj
and come and stand before me in this house
which is called by my name, and say we are deli*
vered to do all these abominations ? Is- this
house, which is called by my name, become a den
of robbers ? &c.f ¦ '
But the vice against which they are the most
frequently admonished, and for the commission
of which they are the most severely reproved',
and a vice that is solely to be ascribed to idola
trous worship, is that of offering up human sacri
fices. This crime, as well as those unnatural
lusts to which idolaters were addicted, not only
violated all the principles of human nature, but
it was as cruel as it was unnatural.
We have upon former occasions, amply consi
dered the influence of true religion, both upon.
personal happiness, and the steady uniform prac
tice of personal and social duties. We have
endeavoured to prove that rational piety, and
* Jer. ch. iii. v. 2. 't Jer. ch. vii. v. 9. See also ch* ix. v. 3,
45 ; ch, xxiii. 14, 15 3 ch. xxix. v. 23.

232 ON THE JEWISH
rational piety alone, is the only source of present
consolation, the firmest foundation of future
hopes ; and that it affords the strongest and most
animating motives to practise every virtue, in
every state and relation of life. The statements
formerly made, and to which we refer our rea
ders,* clearly evince, that to forsake the worship
of the living and true God, is to forsake persdnal
and social happiness. There can be no motive for
a steady trust in beings as capricious as the worst
of men ; or to have a full confidence in those
whose wisdom is doubtful ; or to love those in
whom malignity and revenge are the prominent
characters. Nor can the uniformity of virtuous
practice exist, where the beings worshipped are
not only indifferent concerning a virtuous cha
racter, but enjoin rituals destructive of every
virtuous principle and affection.
Thus, if it be a truth that the supreme Being
loves mankind, that he wills their happiness, and
has communicated to them the power of becom
ing happy, by cultivating right principles and
cherishing right affections, he must determine to
sweep away all those obstacles, which, as long
* See vol. ii. p. 34Q, On Religion as a source of well-being ;
and vol. iii. p. 204, On the Religious Principles most conducive
to the uniform practice of virtue.

DISPENSATION. 233
as they exist, act as insuperable impediments to
the accomplishment of his benignant purppses.
If knowledge be preferable to ignorance ; if
walking according to the laws of nature be
superior to erring in the dark; if virtue be pre
ferable to vice; if love towards the most perfect
of beings, and a confidence in the wisdom
and benignity of his government, be more con
ducive to felicity, than the predominance of ser
vile apprehensions from unworthy and malignant
characters, he who loves the happiness of>man,
testifies his benignity by opposing these imperti
nent and pernicious idols of deluded minds, in a
manner most correspondent with the constitution
of human nature-
It is however obvious, that this important end
could only be Obtained by the destruction of
those, whose depraved habits were beyorid the
power of reformation ; and by employing every
proper means to prevent the chosen Nation from
being totally corrupted, by the depraved exam
ple of those that survived. In addition to the
precautionary measures stated above, they were
commanded, not merely to abstain from imita
tion, but to destroy idolatry in all its forms,
and with all its appurtenances ; to drive the in
habitants out of the land ; or put them to the
sword ; to break in pieces their images, over-

234 ON THE JEWISH
turn their altars, cut down their groves, that not
a vestige might remain. This command was ab
solute and peremptory; their prosperity or adver
sity as a people was always represented as being
dependent upon the observance, or non-obser
vance of it. " When the Lord thy God shall
bring thee into the land whither thou goest to
possess it, and hath east out many nations before
thee, and when the Lord shall deliver them before
thee, thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy
them, neither shalt thou make marriages with
them ; for they will turn aside thy son from fol
lowing me, that they may serve other gods."*
" Ye shall destroy all the places wherein the
nations which ye shall possess serve their gods,
upon the high mountains, and upon the hjJJs,
and under every green tree ; and ye shall over
throw their altars, and break their pillars, and
burn their groves with fire ; and ye shall hew
down the graven images of their gods, and de-.
stroy the names of them out of their place."f It
was also enjoined upon the Israelites to punish
with death, without favour or partiality, any of
their own people, who being seduced themselves,
attempted to seduce others. " If there arise
among you a prophet, or dreamer of dreams,
that proprietor that dreamer of dreams, shall be put
* Deut. ch. xi. f Deut. ch. vii.

DISPENSATION. '235
to death, because he has spoken to turn you
from the Lord your God." &c. If thy brother,
the son of thy mother, or thy daughter, or the
wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as
thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying let
us go and serve other gods, thou shalt not con
sent unto him, nor hearken to him ; neither
shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare,
neither shalt thou conceal him, but thou shalt
surely kill him." These commands were fre
quently repeated. Partial indulgences and for
bearances were resented as offences of the
greatest magnitude ; as acts of treason and
rebellion: and the subsequent events of the
Jewish history evince that they did not rebel
with iihpunity.
The author of life, bestows existence in what
ever state he pleases, and hath a right to call out
of existence whom he wills, and when he wills;
but he i permitted these idolatrous nations to
exist until they became ripe for destruction, by
being incorrigible in themselves, and dangerous
neighbours to the Israelites. He therefore en
joined their extirpation, predicting the fatal
consequences that would ensue from a neglect
or a partial execution of the command. Their
* Dent, ch.xiii.

236 ON THE JEWISH
total extirpation, would have been no other than
the summary execution of a sentence upon
delinquents, who were guilty of crimes, which
every well-ordered state would have punished in
a similar manner. When depraved lusts and cruel
murders -are enjoined as offices of religion, they
are not only rendered permanently pernicious,
by the supposed obligations of religion, but those
who commit them have forfeited their title to
life, according to the law of nature, and in the
opinion of those who have not been infatuated
by their delusive principles. The tribes of
priests, magicians, soothsayers &c. &c. being
prime agents and encouragers of these wicked
practices, deserved the severest punishment.
They were also egregious impostors. As their
religions did not enjoin morality, they practised^
deceit without remorse. For although they
might believe in the existence of the gods whom :
they served, they did not scruple to announce
the wicked purposes and suggestions of their
own minds, as the commands of these idols, or to
interpret ominous appearances as their own in
terests might dictate. Profane writers assure
us that the priests frequently exercised their
power of deception. It was not unusual for
sovereigns to obtain favourable predictions by
bribes, when in a state of warfare, that the courage

¦DISPENSATION. 237
of their own subjects might be excited, and that
of their enemies depressed. These false pro
phets also granted every species of indulgence,
and exercised their power of seduction, for gain.
Hence it is that they are so frequently and
severely stigmatized as deceivers and liars, in
the sacred records. Thus was Balaam hired by
Balak, king of Moab, to curse the Israelites, at
whose power and prowess he was greatly alarmed.
Nehemiah informs us that a prophet was hired
by Sanballat to terrify him. " I perceived that
God had not sent him, but that hepronounCed this
prophecy against me, for Tobias and Sanballat
had hired him ; therefore was he hired that I
should be "afraid and do so and sin, and that
they might have matter for an evil report, that
they might reproach me." It is not possible for
depravity to extend further; nor can the pu
nishment of such crimes be too severe. It is true,
most of the above instances are taken from the
conduct of the Israelites themselves in their dege
nerate state ; but their degeneracy is always as
cribed to their imitation of the idolatrous na
tions with which they were surrounded. Such
characters deserved therefore the severest pu
nishments in their double capacity of Idolaters,
and Impostors.

238 ON THE JEWISH
During the period that the Israelites wf re in
a rude and less disciplined state, pr before they
Were duly organised as a nation, extraordinary
modes of coercion became absplutely necessary
upon urgent occasions ; and the earlier approaches
of these people to an imitation of idolatrous rites
were punished with peculiar severity. Hence the
the miraculous destruction of the three thousand
men who compelled Aaron to make a golden calf;
the destruction of Horam, Dathan, and Abiram;
and similar acts of severity. It is obvious that
savage minds, and those who are destitute of
mental cultivation, are tp be held in subjugation
by terror alone : and if their rebellious spirits had
not been subdued, the plans of Providence must
have failed. But as a proof that the God of
mercy does not afflict willingly, as soon as the
Jewish constitution had acquired such a degree
of stability, that it could be supported by natur
ral means, these supernatural punishments were
very seldom inflicted ; and the offenders were, ia
general, left to the physical or moral consequen
ces of their own conduct. This will explain
the reason why the severe mandates to extirpate
the first race of idolaters, upon their taking
possession of the promised land, were not re
peated after the Israelites had obtained a perma,-
nent settlement; why the same awful judgments

DISPENSATION. 239
did not fall, in a supernatural manner, upon the
idolatrous Solomon, which were inflicted upon
his less culpable, because more ignorant, ances
tors:— why persuasions, promises, remonstran
ces, and threats, were employed, instead of an
immediate display of vengeance, in consequence
of the idolatrous practices of the house of Israel ;
— why their final punishment consisted in the
national distress, and subsequent captivity, to
which their abandoned principles had exposed
them, according to the more usual train of hu
man events. We perceive also, that the- imme
diate interpositions of heaven, of any kind, were
less frequent in the more advancd state of the
nation, than at its first establishment. Like
other human beings, they were left to the exer
cise of their own volitions, and permitted, to act
according to the suggestions of their own minds,
as far as the security of the grand object would
permit. , A concise epitome of the moral and religious
history of this people, from their first introduc
tion and establishment in the land of Canaan,
by Joshua, to their total disorganization under
the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar; and their subse
quent restoration after the days of their captivity
were expired, will illustrate and confirm the
above position ; and therefore it deserves our
peculiar attention.

240 ON THE JEWISH
SECT. V.
ON THE RELIGIOUS AND MORAL CHARACTER
OF THE ISRAELITES, UNDER THE DIFFERENT
FORMS OF GOVERNMENT, WITH THE CORRES
PONDENT CONSEQUENCES.
This chosen People, considered as a body, do
not appear to have possessed powers of intellect,
or degrees of mental improvement, superior to
the contemporary nations ; and they required a
very wise government to enable them to act with
tolerable decency and discretion. Their exalted
opinion of Moses,, founded upon their know
ledge of the wonders he had wrought for them,
and the wisdom that was so conspicuous in
every part of his administration, held them,
upon the whole, in due subordination, during
their emigration from Egypt, and their abode
in the wilderness. His successor Joshua,
was a man of sound judgment and undissem-
bled piety. He had himself the strongest assu
rances of the divine assistance suitable to his
exigences ; and he was able to inspire the Israel
ites with a confidence in his governments In
the course of his life, the children of Israel sub
dued many of their enemies, and took possCssi6n
of their lands; but not to the extent which had

DISPENSATION, mi
been commanded. It is said that, towards thfc
close of: his days, " the Lord gave rest unto
Israel from all their enemies round about them."
When he felt his end approaching, he enume*
rated the particulars of God's miraculous eotill-
duct towards the people; exhorted them inthf
most affectionate manner to pay a strict obedi
ence tb the divine laws; promised all the bles
sings .which Moses had formerly pronounced ; and
warned them of the dreadful consequences which
would issue from rebellion. Perceivmg that
the propensity to worship the gods of the nations
which they had subdued, began already to
operate, he earnestly expostulates with them, on
the folly of their conduct ; and he strongly
recommends resolution and consistency in the
service of the true God. "Now therefore fear the
Lord, and serve him in sincerity and truth, and
put away the gods which your fathers served, on
the other side of the flood and in Egypt; antl
serve ye the Lord ; and if it seem evil unto you
to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye
will serve ; whether the gods which your fathers
served, on the other side of the flood, or the godfe
of the Amorites in whose land ye dwell ; but as
forme and my house, we will serve the Lord."
The people, under a momentary impulse of pious
gratitude, " answered and said, " God fotfbM

242 ON THE JEWISH
-that we should forsake, the Lord, to serve other
gods } for Jehovah our God, he it is that
brought us up and our fathers out of the land
of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and
which did those great signs in our sight, and
preserved us in all the way wherein we went}
and among all the people among whom we
passed."* Joshua repeated his apprehensions of
their future apostasy, and they reiterated their
promises of fidelity.
. At this happy period they seemed to have ac
quired a consistency of character, and to have
been deeply impressed with the importance pf
true religion. They were obedient and prosper- >
ous during the administration of Joshua, and
his immediate successors. " The people served
the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days
of the Elders that outlived Joshua, who had
seen all the great works of the Lord that
he did for Israel." But "when all the gene
ration were gathered unto their fathers, and
^there arose another generation after them, which
knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which
he had done for Israel, the Children of Israel
did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served
Baalim ; and they forsook the Lord God of their
* Joshua ch, xxiv. v. 14.

DISPENSATION. 243
fathers who brought them out of the land of
Egypt, and followed other gods; of the gods of
the people that were round about them, aiid
bowed themselves unto them, and provoked
the Lord tb anger."*
Under the subsequent direction of their
Judges they became extremely profligate. After
some few efforts on the part of their" leaders,
some severe chastisements, transient penitence,
and partial reformations, they sunk into the
depth of human depravity. Forsaking the God
of their fathers, and forsaken by him, they
became, to a very great extent, pagans in their
religious principles, and consequently in their
morals, Their form of government from being
a complete theocracy, sunk into a disorderly re
public. As a republic cannot subsist in a flourish
ing state, without the most determined virtue,
without a strong perception of duties as well as
of right's, nothing but disorder and confusion
could be expected from a populace, too ignorant
to discern what is fight, and abounding with
strong passions and propensities impelling them
to follow every thing that was wrong. In vin
dication of this statement, we shall simply refer
our readers to the narrative respecting the LeVite,
* Jq$g. ch. ii. v. 7. passim.
R 2 ..

244 ON THE JEWISH
whose" concubine was given up to be abuseo by
fhe BenjamiteS in Gibeoth, in order to prevent a
hi ore flagitious crime ; the destructive wars Avhich
ensued, and the illicit measures adopted by the
Benjamites to replenish population. These were
transactions which incontestably indicate both
the depth and extent of depravity, by the
perpetration of crimes which could only have
been expected from the citizens of Sodom and
Gomorrah. But u in those days every man did
that which was right in his own eyes."*
Although the extent of their degeneracy, was
not so great as to subvert the counsels of Jeho
vah, yet he withdrew from them the patronage
they would have continued to enjoy, had they
proved themselves deserving of it. We are
told, in the book of Samuel, that et the word of
the Lord was precious in those days ;" yet in the
history of this eminent man of God, we per
ceive that another, and final effort was made
to reclaim them, before the dissolution of the
theocratic form of government. The prophet
Eli, who had directed the people for the space
of forty years, was destitute of that ienergy of
character which his important office demanded.
His paternal indulgences confirmed the profli-
* See Judges, ch. xxx. v. 20.

DISPENSATION, 24$
gacy of his sons. They prostituted the sacred,
office of a priest to the most iniquitous and las
civious purposes, without due reprehensipn ; and
they rendered themselves unworthy and unfit to
become his successors. The pious Samuel was
appointed to the priesthood in their stead ; and
he became, for a short period, an instrument of
great efficacy. He was able to check, to a con?
siderable degree, the iniquities he could not
entirely eradicate.
The sons of Samuel did not imitate their fa
ther's excellencies. They were vicious and de
praved, and thus bad they rendered themselves
disqualified for the high office of being Judge/5
in Israel ; " for they turned aside after lucre,
and took bribes and perverted judgment." As
Samuel was advanced in years, the people mar
nifested a strong desire to change their form of
government. They were induced by the gloomy
prospect of their being improperly governed by
unworthy successors, and also by an increasing
propensity to imitate the example of the nations
surrounding them. " The elders of Israel ga
thered themselves together, and came to Samuel
unto Ramah, and said unto him, behpld thou
art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways, now
make us a king tp judge us like all the nations."
" The thing displeased Samuel." He might pos-

U6 ON THE JEWISH
sibly feel a degree of resentment at this rejec
tion of his sons; but we may suppose that he
was principally influenced by the apprehen
sions, that, in making the proposition, they
openly renounced the government which had
conducted them through so many difficul
ties, and thus exposed themselves to the wrath of
God. He was divinely instructed to comply
with their request. " And the Lord God said
unto Samuel, hearken unto the voice of this
people in all that they say unto thee : for they
have not rejected thee, but they have rejected
me, that /should not reign over them." Samuel
was authorized to state to them, in the fullest
and most explicit manner, the consequences
Which would follow ; and to inform them that
an earthly monarch, whom they preferred to the
universal Sovereign, would be severe in his re
quisitions, and selfish in all his motives : that he
would consider their persons, their sons, their
daughters, their wealth in great measure at his
own command ; and employ them for the pur
poses of his own ambition, aggrandizement, and
pleasures. " Nevertheless the people refused to
obey the voioe of Samuel ; and they said, nay
but we will have a king over us, that we may
also be like all the nations, and that our king

DISPENSATION. 24?:
may judge us, and go out before us, and fight out
battles."* ,:,

The lot fell upon one who promised to bemos^
acceptable to a people, whose conceptions of the
qualifications requisite to form a good king and
a happy community, must have been imperfect
and confused. His external appearance at once.
rendered him popular ; for " when he stood
among the people, he was higher than any off
the people from the shoulders and upwards;
and Samuel said to ah the people, see ye him
whom the Lord hath chosen, that there is none
like him. among all the people? A^d all the
people shouted and said, God save the king."f
This man conducted himself with propriety,
while he was under the wise direction of Sa
muel, but after his decease, thehnbecilities ofhis
character manifested themselves in numberless,
instances. , He was. precipitate, superstitious,
irascible, anc| jealous. He profaned the sacred
office of the priesthood by officiating himself,
from a spirit of impatience. His indiscretions
^expose*! him. tp dangers, from which he could
* l Sfam. ch. viii. V. 3. passim. ' 1 * Sam.ch. x. v. 23.

*t* ON THE JEWISH
devise no other means of extricating himself,
than by an act of suicide. Upon his death the
government was transferred to another family.
David his successor, possessed every qualifi
cation to render a nation secure, respectable, and
happy. His talents and address discovered
themselves in his early youth ; his courage was
undaunted ; his plans and regulations were wise ;
and he had a well-directed zeal in the service of
his God. His piety Was ardent, pure, and subr
lime. His devotional spirit relieved the cold
formalities of external services, by inspiring the
sPul with the most exalted sentiments, the most
reverential fear, the sincerest love and gratitude,
towards the one God, the sovereign of univer
sal nature. Although he sinned ip some instan
ces, fat beyond what could have been expected
from such a character, yet his contrition was
deep and sincere; and it .reflected an honour
upon the purity of that religion, which alone
demands contrition, for crimes which are
perpetrated in other1 religions as acceptable
services. Had his successors uniformly imi
tated his exemplary conduct, the complacent
superintendence of providence would not
have been withdrawn; miraculous interfe
rences would have been, unnecessary ; and sove
reigns would have shewn themselves the genuine

DISPENSATION. 249
vicegerents of heaven, by a conscientious obe
dience to the commands of heaven. This ap
pears to have been the happiest period in the
whole Jewish history. Their dominions were
extensive ; they were in profound peace ; they
were the admiration and envy of surround
ing nations for their richness and greatness.
We may infer that they were, during this reign,
the most eminent for their piety and virtue, and
that the deity was making good his promise to
them, that their temporal prosperity should cor
respond with their obedience. But this prospe
rity soon became a snare unto them, and the
succeeding reign was the commencement of a
degeneracy which was never subdued.
The reign of Solomon was popular and splen
did. But religion began to degenerate from its
irrfkrential simplicity and pristine grandeur, into
external pomp and costly ostentation. The in
efficiency of these additions to cherish the devo
tion of the heart, was manifested by the conduct
of his more advanced years. They did not pre-"
vent him from patronizing an intercommunity
of deities. The rays of splendour, which he
primarily intended should illuminate the temple
of Jehovah, subsequently irradiated the groves,
high places and altars, of his numerous wives
and concubines. Thus he rendered idolatry

250 ON THE JEWISH
attractive and popular through the realm ; and
this laid the foundation of all those calamities
which were afterwards experienced by the
Jewish people.
In the character and conduct of his son Reho-
boam, we perceive the progressive influence of
power over weak minds ; and how soon that
prime object of government, the welfare of a
community, is neglected by Sovereigns who are
born to the luxuries, delusions, and flatteries
which surround a throne. R,ehoboam had for7
gotten the election of Saul, the renunciation of
that family, and a second election of David his
grandfather, who had been a shepherd's boyj
nor did he advert, from these examples, to the
incontestable maxim, that Sovereigns are or
dained for the people. He foolishly imagined
that the people were created for the pleasure of
their Sovereigns; and instead of redressing the
wrongs, and alleviating the burdens, under which
they groaned from the costly splendour of So
lomon, he upbraided the insolence of their appljU
cation ; and by the advice of ignorant coun
sellors he arrogantly told them, that he intended
still more completely to treat them as beasts of
burden ; " saying, my father made your yoke
heavy, and I will add to your yoke ; my father

DISPENSATION. 251
also chastised you with whips, but I will chas
tise you with scorpions."*
The applicants had political virtue enough to
resist the tyrant, without possessing the wisdom
requisite for the undertaking. The contest ter
minated in a revolt, which divided the Israelites
into two distinct nations, and was productive of
numberless wars, during several generations.

The adherents to Rehoboam enjoyed the
great advantage of locality ; which had a reli
gious influence of no small importance. Accord
ing to the established law, the city of Jerusalem
was the only place appointed for acceptable
service ; probably with a view of preventing
the people from intermixing their worship with
thatof the idolaters, surrounding their respective
districts. Jeroboam, whom the seceders had
chosen to be their king, perceiving the dangers
that would arise to himself from this circum
stance, attempted to counteract its effects, by
an expedient, which, as it was unlawful in it
self, and must have been considered as profane
by all true worshippers, had a natural tendency
to alienate the minds of the ten revolting tribes
* 1 Kings ch. xii. v. 14.

252 ON THE JEWISH
from the service of the true God. " Jeroboam
said in his heart, now shall the kingdom return
to the house of David, if this people go up to
do sacrifice in the house of the Lord in Jerusa
lem, then shall' the heart of this people turn
again unto their Lord, even unto Rehoboam
king of Judah, and they shall kill me and go
again to Rehoboam king of Judah." Where
upon the king took counsel, and made two calves
of gold, and said unto them, " it is too much for
you to go up to Jerusalem, behold thy gods O
Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of
Egypt ; and he set the one in Bethel, and the
other put he in Dan : for the people went to
worship before the one even unto Dan. And
he made an house of high places, and made
priests of the lowest of the people, which were
not of the sons of Levi," &c*
These proceedings had a natural tendency to
relax the genuine principles of Monotheism, and
to render the subjects an easy prey to the seduc
tions of idolatry. We read accordingly, that
in the space of about two hundred and fifty
years, the whole kingdom of Israel became pro
fligate as the surrounding nations ; and equally
ripe for destruction, as the countries which their
* I Kings ch. xii. v. l&i 32.

1 DISPENSATION* 253
ancestors were penaitff-ed to supplant on acoouat
bf their iniquities. They were completely sub
dued by Shahneriezer king of Assyria, carried
into captivity, were blended with other nations,
and as a distinct people, their names were effaced
from the earth.
It is a singular fact, that not one of the kings
of Israel was entirely free from idolatrous wor
ship : they all " did that which was evil in the
sight of the Lord ;" and some of them were
totally abandoned ; particularly Ahab the son
of Omri, who " did evil in, the sight of the
Lord above all that went before him." He did
not so much as continue in that wretched com
promise with true religion, which Jeroboam had
introduced, but "he took to wife Jezebel -the
daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and
went and served Baal and worshipped him ; and
he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of
Baal which he had built in Samaria ; and Ahab
made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke
the Lord God of Israel to anger, than all the
kings of Israel that wrere before him."*
Jehu made some exertions to check the pro
gress of idolatry ; but his manner proclaimed
the infamy of his own character. He was vio-
* I Kings ch. xvi. v. 80.

254 ON THE JEWISH
lent, savage, and treacherous; Being anointed
to the kingdom by the prophet Elijah, : he be
came a willing instrument in the hands Of pro-
.vidence, to punish the iniquities of the house Of
Ahab. " But he took no heed to walk in thelawof
the Lord God of Israel ; for he departed not from
the sins of Jeroboam, whp made Israel to sin."*
The degeneracy of their priesthood was
equally rapids From the commencement they
had no dignity of character, for they were not
of the tribe of Levi, but were taken out of the
lowest of the people ; and they always rendered
themselves subservient to the schemes and plans
of their sovereigns. They soon became the
priests of Baal rather than of Jehovah ; mani
festly learned the arts of divination from the
pagans, and practised their deceits to gratify the
ambition of their principals. Many instances
confirming this assertion might be adduced, but
Ave shall only mention the following : when
Ahab of Israel, in alliance with Jehoshaphat
king of Judah, proposed to seize Ramoth of
Gilead, Jehoshaphat hesitated, and " he said to
the king of Israel, enquire I pray thee at the
word of the Lord to day. Then the king ef
Israel gathered the prophets together, about
* 2 Kings ch. x. v. 31.

DISPENSATION, 255
four hundred men, and said unto them shall I
go against Ramoth Gilead to battle^ or shall I
forbear ? And they said go up ; for the Lord
shall deliver it into the hand of the king." Je
hoshaphat, not satisfied with the advice of these
prophets, said, " is there not here a prophet of
the Lord besides, that we might enquire of him ?"
The king of Israel mentioned one whom he
hated, because he never prophesied good con
cerning him. Upon his being consulted, he
asserted that under the government of Ahab>
the people were as sheep without a shepherd;
and also that the prophets whom he had con-
sultedr were possessed of a lying spirit. The
false ^prophets were believed and Ahab was
slain.* These were obviously the prophets whom Eli
jah challenged, ridiculed for their imbecilities,
and destroyed for their impostures. It Avas also
under the reign of this wicked king, that Elijah
supposed that the worship of the true God was
extinct. He was surprised at the information,
that there were not less than seven thousand
pious Israelites, who had not bowed the knee
to Baal. However large this number may ap
pear, collectively, it was obscured and lost in the
multitudes of apostates, or the prophet would
* l Kings ch, xxii, v. 8.

256 ON THE JEWISH
not have made the following complaint, " be*
cause the children of Israel have forsaken thy
covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain
thy prophets with the sword, and I even I only
am left; and they seek my life to take it
away."*

Having thus traced, in a concise manner, the
moral history of the ten tribes, we shall now
direct our attention to the tribe of Judah.
Rehoboam had taken the resolution to wage
war with the revolting Israelites, but he was
forbidden by Shemaiah, the man of God. He
received the priests and Levites that belonged
to the disaffected tribes, whom Jeroboam had
dismissed. His conduct during the three first
years of his reign was approved, but " when he
had established his kingdom and had streng
thened himself, he forsook the law of the
Lord ; and it is said, that as a punishment
" Shikah king of Egypt came up against Jerue
salem, and took away the treasures of the house
of the Lord, and the treasures of the king's
house ; he took all. He carried way alsO: the
shields of gold which Solomon had made."f
* 1 Kings, ch. xix. • f 2 Chron. ch. xii.

DISPENSATION. 257
Abijah his son who succeeded, adhered to the
service of the true'God. He engaged in a con
test against the hosts of Jeroboam and was tri
umphant; "so that Jeroboam did not recover
strength again in -the days of Abijah." " The
children of Israel were brought under at that
time, and the children of Judah prevailed, <¦ be
cause they 'relied upon the Lord God of their
fathers."* - ¦¦ - .'•¦'"' d) .. ¦ r-Jv
I' Asa was eminently pious. He exerted him1
self, with a well-directed zeal, to destroy ido
latry in all its forms: In his days the kingdom
acquired great strength. He was enabled'!' to
resist the attack of Zerah the Ethiopian, -who
came against him with a mighty host: > By the
advice of Oded the prophet, and of his' son
Azariah, he endeavoured to recover the ancient
forms of worship ; " Israel having been for a
long season without the- true God, without a
teachings priest, and without the law ;" and' he
entered into a solemn covenant to maintain the
principles of true religion.' Many subjects ; of
the rival kingdom, who retained a veneration
for the service of the true God, engaged also in
these solemn acts. " They fell to him out -of
Israel in abundance, when they saw that the
Lord his God was with him."f
* a Chron. ch. xni. '•* t 2 ChroD. ch. xiv. xv,
s

258 ON THE JEWISH
i
His son and successor Jehoshaphat, continued
the work of reformation. He gave orders to
men of high authority to instruct the people, ia
all the cities of Judah ; sending "Levites and
priests who taught the people, having the books
of the law with them." He appointed judges
also who should "judge righteously, without
taking bribes or respecting persons." The happy
result was, that " the fear of the Lord fell upon
all the kingdoms of the lands that were round
about Judah, so that they made no war against
Jehoshaphat. Some of the Philistines brought
Jehoshaphat presents, and tribute silver ; and
the Arabians brought him flocks, seven thou
sand and seven hundred rams, and seven thou
sand and seven hundred he-goats."*"
It was this sovereign who, in an alliance with
Ahab king of Israel against the Samaritans,
doubted the veracity: of the prophets of Baal ;
and in the issue of the contest he escaped
unhurt, while Ahab was slain by the enemy.
Upon the devout humiliation of his people
before the Lord, they were delivered from the
powerful host of Moabites and Ammonites, who
were collected together with a determination to
destroy them. * 2 Chron. xvi. xvii,

DISPENSATION. 259
Of the humiliation and piety of this king,
his dependence upon God at a season of ex
treme danger, when multitudes of the children
of Ammon, Moab, and the inhabitants of mount
Seir, combined together to invade and lay
waste Judea,, the animating promise of divine
aid, and the prosperous result, we have an
interesting account in the book of Chronicles.*
In two instances Jehoshaphat acted contrary
to the usual tenor of his conduct. He asso
ciated both with Ahab, and with Ahaziah, the
abandoned kings of Israel ; which displeased
the Lord.
Jehoram his son, formed an intimate alliance
with the house of Israel, by marrying the
daughter of Ahab : " and he wrought that
which was evil in the sight of the Lord, walk
ing in the ways of the house of Ahab." ff In
Ins days the Edomites revolted from under the
dominion of Judah." Elijah the prophet pre
dicted a plague that should fall upon the people,
as a punishment for the wickedness of their
sovereign, in wlrich they concurred ; and also
the premature death of Jehoram by a painful
disease. Jehoram was buried in the city of
David, but was not deemed worthy of being
* 3 Chron. ch.xx.
s 2

260 ON THE JEWISH
buried in the sepulchres of their kings." His
eldest son having been slain by the Arabians,
Ahaziah his youngest son, assumed the reins of
government. His mother was Athaliah, daughter
of Omri king of Israel. He also " walked in the
ways of the house of Ahab ; for his mother was
his counsellor to do wickedly."*
Jehu, who had overthrown the house of
Ahab for its wickedness, was likewise appointed
to be an instrument in the hands of Providence,
to avenge the. apostasy of Ahaziah. For when
he went. with Jehoram, the son of Ahab, to war
against Hazael, king of Syria, Jehoram was slain
by Jehu, "because he was the son of that Je
hoshaphat who had sought the Lord with all
his heart."
. Athaliah, when she knew that her son was
dead, destroyed all the royal seed of the house
of Judah, excepting Joash, who was secreted by
the daughter of ' king Jehoram. Athaliah wai
guilty of this slaughter, that she might usurp
the throne in security. The young prince was
concealed for the space of six years ; when Je
hoiada the priest, and several of the nobles, ;
Opposing the usurpation of Athaliah, by a well-
concerted plan, restored to Joash the throne of
* 2 Chroti. ch. xxii.

DISPENSATION. 261
his ancestors; and Athaliah suffered a death;
worthy of her infamous conduct. This prince.
conducted himself properly during the life, of
Jehoiada. He reinstated the .worship of the
true God ; collected treasures to repair the house
of the Lord, for "the sons of Athaliah, that wick
ed woman, had broken up the house of Qod, andr
also all the dedicated things of the house of the
Lord did they bestow upon Baalim." But
after the death of Jehoiada, the princes of Ju
dah left the house of the Lord God of their,
fathers, and served graven Idols. Zachariah
the prophet, son of Jehoiada, remonstrated
against their conduct; " and he was stoned
to death at the commandment .of the king, in
the court of the house of the Lord." Thus
" Joash remembered not the kindness which
Jehoiada his father had done unto him, but
slew his son."* We are informed that, as a punish
ment for his apostasy, the host of Syria came
up against him ; that they came to Judah and
Jerusalem, destroyed all the princes of the peo
ple, from among the people, and sent all the
spoils from them to the king pf Damascus;.
" They came with a small company of men, and
the Lord delivered a very great host into their
hands, because they had forsaken the God of their
* 2 Chron. ch. xxiv. v. 20. 24.

262 ON THE JEWISH
*
fathers." He was slain hi a conspiracyof his own
servants ; arid was not buried in the sepulchres
of his fathers.
Amaziah his son was a weak and irresolute
prince. Ln Some things " he did that which Was
right in the eyfes of the Lord, but not with a
perfect heart." About to wage war against the
Edbmites, he numbered his hosts; and although
he found that they amounted to three hundred
thousand chosen men, he entered into an unne
cessary alliance with the house of Israel, and
hired one hundred thousand men bf Valbur
from theiice. For this want of confidence in
Jehovah, he was reproved by a man of God ; and
By his advice he dismissed the Subsidized army;
Which was the Occasion of much discontent.
After he had vanquished the Edomites, he had
the extreme folly to adopt their gods. For
which " the anger of the Lord was kindled
against Amaziah, and he sent him a prophet who
said unto him, Why hast thbu sought after the
gods of the people, which could not deliver
their own people out of thine hand ?" But he
resented the reproof.* Elated with victory, he
wantonly proposed to try his strength with
jbash the king of Israel, whp in Vain admo
nished him of the unequal contest. The issue
. * 2 Chron, ch, xxv. v. 15.

DISPENSATION. 263-
was that he was carried as a captive to his own
city Jerusalem ; the house of the Lord was plun
dered of its. treasures ; in the subsequent part
of his reign a conspiracy was formed against
him, as being disqualified to govern, he fled
from the capital, and he was slain at Lachish. ;
Uzziah, the son of Amaziah, was aged sixteen
years when he commenced his reign. He
reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. " He
sought God in the clays of Zachariah, who had
understanding in the visions of God; and as
long as, he sought the Lord, God made him to
prosper," He was a warlike prince, and " had a
host of fighting men, that went out to war by
bands." — " The whole number of the chief of the
fathers of the mighty men of valour, was two
thousand and six hundred." " But when he was
strong btsheart was lifted up to his destruction."
Like Saul he invaded the sacred and peculiar
office of the priesthood, as established by the-
law of Moses ; for " he' went into the temple of
the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of in
cense," and was wroth with the priest that
reproved the profanation. For this offence he
was punished with a leprosy, which not only
rendered him incapable of governing, but he
was totally secluded from social intercourse. His
son Jotham administered judgment during the

264 ON THE JEWISH
remaindersof his life, and succeeded him in the
government. Jptham reigned only sixteen years. His reign
was favourable to the cause of true religion ;<
and he was prosperous ; but he was not able to
restore the worship of God in its purity, "for
the people did yet corruptly."*
His son Ahaz plunged into all the horrors of,
paganism. He walked in the ways of the kings
of Israel: he made molten images for Baalim:
he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hin-
nom, and burnt his children in the fire after the
abomination of the heathen. He fell a prey to
the Syrians, by joining with the king of Israel
against them. He formed an alliance with the
king of Assyria, by whom he was plundered and
betrayed. His afflictions rendered him more
obstinate in his idolatrous practices, for he sacri
ficed to the Gods of Damascus that smote him,
" saying, because the gods of the kings of Sy-'
ria help them, I will sacrifice to them that they-
may help me."f " He cut in pieces the vessels
of the house of God ; shut up the doors of the'
house of the Lord ; made altars in every corner
of Jerusalem ; and in every city of Judah he
made high places, to burn incense unto other
* 2 Chron. ch. xxvii. f 2 Chron. ch. xxviii. v. 23,

DISPENSATION. 265
Gods,' and provoked to anger the Lord God of
his father."
Hezekiah aimed at a complete restoration of
that religion which had been not only neglected,
but intentionally disgraced, under the former
reign. - He cleansed the temple, and prepared it
for the solemn worship of God ; he renewed the
sacrifices, that were appointed by the Mosaic
law for a sin offering, or to make atonement for
all Israel; issued orders that the passover, and
the feast of unleavened bread, should be solemnly
kept through the realm. " So that there was
great joy in Jerusalem ; for since the days of
Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, there
was- not the like in Israel."
Animated by his example, the conduct and
dispositions of the populace appeared to be
totally changed. They were at once inspired with
zeal for the honour of the true God. Those of
Jerusalem, " went out to the cities of Judah,
and brake the images in pieces, and cut down
the groves, and threw down the high places and
the altars out of all Judah and Benjamin, in
Ephraim and Manasseh, until they had utterly
destroyed them all."*
These acts of piety were amply rewarded.'
* 2 Chron. ch. xxxi.

266 ON THE JEWISH
They inspired the king and his subjects With
manly fortitude, and with a firm confidence in
the God of their fathers, at a season of immi
nent danger; and they secured the interposition
of providence in their defence. When Sennache
rib, king of Assyria, had triumphed over every
other opponent, and came up against Judah and
Jerusalem with a mighty host, confident of suc
cess, Hezekiah, after he had employed the pro
per means of defence, " gathered the people to
gether and spake comfortably to them, saying,
be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dis
mayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the
multitude that is 'with him; for there is more
with us than with him ; with him is an arm
of flesh ; but with us is the Lord our God to
help us, and to fight our battles. And the peo
ple rested themselves upon the words of Heze
kiah."* Sennacherib made use of every artifice
to repress their ardour ; boasted that the Gods
of other nations were not able to deliver their
votaries out of his hands ; and warned them not
to expect deliverance from the God whom they
served. He also wrote letters speaking con-
tumeously of the God of Israel ; and attempted
to terrify the garrison by addressing them in
their own language, and with a view to dissemi-
* 2 Chron. ch. xxxii. v. 6.

DISPENSATION. 26/
nate discord ; " speaking against the God of
Jerusalem as against the gods of the people of
the earth, Which were the work of the hands of
man." But "Hezekiah and the prbphet Isaiah
prayed and cried unto heaven," Their prayers
were answered. The leaders and captains in the
camp of the king of Assyria were destroyed by
the immediate hand of God ; Sennacherib re
turned home with confusion, and was slain by
his own sons. The prosperity of Hezekiah was
not favourable to piety. He became proud and
ostentatious, and thus offended the Being
Who had protected him, in so extraordinary a
manner. The long reign of Manasseh may be divided \
into two periods. In the first, " he did that
which was evil, like unto all abominations of
the heathen." In profaneness he exceeded the
most irreligious of his predecessors ; for he not
only rebuilt tlie high places, reared up altars to
Baalim, made groves and worshipped the host of
heaven, but he built idolatrous altars in the
house of the Lord. He also caused his children
to pass through the fire ; used enchantments and
witchcraft, and dealt with familiar spirits, &C;
Thus *' he made Judah, and the inhabitants of
Jerusalem to err, and to do worse than the hea>-
thens." But when he was taken captive by

268 ON THE JEWISH
surpfise, was bound in fetters, and carried to>
Babylon, his afflictions had the most salutary,
influence. " He besought the Lord his God,
and bumbled himself greatly before the. God of,
his fathers." In consequence of his humiliation
he recovered his liberty, returned to Jerusalem,
and became very assiduous to restore that religion
which he had so rashly attempted to destroy. -
His son Amon was an idolater ; he grew bold
in iniquity, rendered himself obnoxious to his
subjects, and was slain by his own servants,
Josiah, the son of Amon, though a child,,
was distinguished for his piety. He was but
eight years old when he ascended his throne ;
in the eighth year of his reign he began to seek
the God of the fathers ; and in the twelfth year
he commenced the arduous task of purifying
Jerusalem and Judea from the high places, and
the groves, and the carved and molten images,
&c. and he exerted himself to the utmost in the
restoration of true religion.
The following circumstance manifests to what
an extent the worship of God, according to the
command of Moses, had been neglected in the
preceding reigns ; and how imperfectly it was
restored by those sovereigns who had made the
attempt. As they were busily, employed in
examining and repairing the temple, " Hilkiah

DISPENSATION. 269
the priest found a book of the law of the Lord
given by Moses."* The discovery was an
nounced tb the king. The book was read be
fore him ; and, according to the ancient custom,
he, rent his clothes, as expressive of his surprise
and consternation at the deviations that had
been so long practised. He was terrified at the
Universal and habitual neglect of the divine
law; and dreading the judgments of heaven
upon so wicked a people, he consulted the pro
phetess Huldah. She unreservedly foretold the
evils that would come upon the land, after the
'death of Josiah ; " whom the Lord had spared
because his heart was tender, and he humbled
himself before his Gob1." He solemnized the
passover according to the law of Moses, and at
tempted to revive the service of the temple in
its original purity; He unadvisedly interfered
in a oontest between Nichd, king of Egypt, and
the king of Assyria ; and espousing the cause of
the latter, he was mortally wounded. The
solemnities observed at his funeral, were a testi
mony of his superior worth ; and these solemni
ties were enhanced by their being conducted by
Jeremiah the prophet.
This rash act of Josiah Was the GecasicnaPsd
2. Chron. ch, xxxiv, v. 14,

270 ON THE JEWISH
introductory cause, of all those sufferings from
a foreign bondage, which the nation was de§r
tined to experience. In consequence of the
victory obtained by the king of Egypt, the au^
thority of this conqueror over Judah became so
great, that he deposed Jehoabaz, whom the
people had chosen, substituting his brother
Eliakim, afterwards named Jehoiakim, in his
place. The deposed prince was conveyed tp
Egypt, After Jehoiakim had reigned eleven years,
" doing that which was evil in the sight pf the
Lord his God," he was bound in fetters and car
ried to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar, whp had
conquered Judea. His son Jehoiaehin, though
a child, in the space of three months gave suf
ficient indications of a depraved disposition,
and he suffered a similar fate. The temple wa^
plundered of all its treasures, and this youfcb
was carried to Babylon ; Nebuchadnezzar having
appointed Zedekiah his brother, king over Judah
and Jerusalem. This was after a lapse of some
years ; for Zedekiah was one and twenty years
old when he began to reign. He reigned eleven
years. Despising the faithful and alarming
admonitions of the prophet Jeremiah, " he? all
the chief of the priests, and the people trans
gressed very much, after all the abominations

DISPENSATION. 271
of the heathen, polluting the house of the Lord ;
and the Lord God of their fathers sent to them
by his messengers;" rising up by times, and
sending ; because he had compassion on his
people, and on his dwelling place : but they
mocked the messengers of God, and despised
his words, and misused his prophets, until the
wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till
there was no remedy."* This man had the rash
ness to revolt against a power so much superior
to his own,, by which he invited his own
destruction. The dreadful period, so frequently predicted,
was now arrived. ' The ages of their indepen
dency were passed; and a new epoch succeeded.
Jerusalem was sacked and destroyed ; the tem
ple which had been -so much neglected, and so
frequently profaned, was now burnt to the
ground, together with the goodly palaces of
the great.
The son of Zedekiah was slain in his pre
sence; his own eyes were put out, and he was
carried captive to Babylon, together with the
chiefs of the people. Gedaliah was made ruler
over Judah. During the life, and under the mild
administration of Gedaliah, those who remajne'd
* 2 Chron. ch. kxxvi.

272 ON THE JEWISH
in the land enjoyed some degree of tranquillity ,?
but he was murdered by a disaffected party ; and
all the inhabitants who Were able to escape, fear
ing a severer government, fled into Egypt for
safety, in opposition to the advice of the prophet
Jeremiah ; and in that land they suffered greater
calamities than those which they had endea
voured to escape.
These distressful events manifested, too late,
the dreadful consequences which followed the
neglect of their ancestors to obey the injunc
tions of Moses, utterly to eradicate the pracr
tice of idolatry in the land of Judea, lest it
should become a snare to them ; and they per
fectly corresponded with the' menacing predic
tions of that Legislator, announced previous to
their entrance into the land of Canaan.

The above epitome of the Jewish history,
respecting their religious and moral character as
a people, discovers to us their perverse propen
sities, and the persevering patience of Jehovah.
In almost every period there was an opposition
to the divine commands which astonishes ; and
the continued exertions of the Omnipotent, were
necessary to counteract the effects of their re
peated rebellions. Had not the divine energy

DISPENSATION. 27$
been in perpetual exercise, either by the direction
of natural events, or by the more open manifef
tations of an interference, they would have sunk
into all the horrors of idolatry without a reme
dy ; and the whole moral world would have been
involved in mental darkness. This energy was
finally efficacious, in establishing among a par
ticular people, an acknowledgment of the ex
istence, unity, moral attributes, and exclusive
sovereignty of the God of universal nature.
We were taught by the early part of the Jew
ish history, that no one can disobey the com
mands of God with impunity ; no one can mani
fest a disposition to obey without a recompense:
and we perceive from the minuter circumstances
in the history of this peculiar people, that their
idolatrous propensities constituted the great of
fence. Under the government that was strictly
theoeratical, their sovereign ruler considered this
as the act of rebellion. When that form of go
vernment was discontinued, rewards and punish
ments, the smiles and the frowns of Providence,
were dispensed in exact proportion, as king and
, subjects opposed or adopted, the impious absurr
Ndities of Pagan superstition. Whoever believes
in a future state, believes that the moral conduct
of individuals will be amenable to a future tri
bunal. There is also a righteousness which ex-
x

274 ON THE JEWISH
alteth a nation ; and there are immoralities which
conduct to ruin. Under the Jewish ceconomy
the unpardonable offence was Idolatry. The
national virtue consisted in the patronage and
observance of true religion. Neglects respect
ing these were invariably punished, obedience
was amply rewarded.
¦ When those persons whose general character
and deportment were acceptable and exemplary,
lapsedinto the iniquities of paganism, they were
still punished for this offence. Those who sup
ported the cause of Monotheism were prosper
ous; notwithstanding many depravities in their
character. After a contest with this people,
from the days of Abraham to- the return of the
house of Judah from the captivity of Babylon,
comprehending a space approaching to fourteen
hundred years, Jehovah at length prevailed, and
established his throne in the regions bf Judea.
But to producethis effect, the instrumentality
of the true prophets bf the Lord, constituted an
essential part of the divine plan. Its influence
and importance demand particular consideration.

DISPENSATION. 275

SECT. VI.
ON THE INSTRUMENTALITY OE THE PRO
PHETS OF JEHOVAH, IN THE PRESERVATION
OF TRUE RELIGION.
In addition to the promises and threats of the
Almighty, so frequently repeated in the mosaic
law; and with which the whole nation must, in
every age, have been made acquainted, as often as
the offices of true religion were performed; in addi
tion to the constant experience of rulers and
subjects in successive generations, assuring them
that " it cannot be well with the wicked;" holy
men, and inspired prophets, were repeatedly em
ployed to instruct, direct, exhort, and admonish.
These exerted every effort to stem the vast tides
of irreligion and infidelity which threatened, at
every period, to deluge the nation. Although
their success did not equal their zeal, they still
prevented depravity from being universal, and
irremediable. To these messengers of heaven, frequent refe
rence is made in the historical parts of holy
writ. They had different offices, and enjoyed
different portions of the divine communication ;
but the moderns are not agreed respecting their
t 2

276 ON THE JEWISH
peculiar characteristics. We read of the schools
of the prophets ; by which it is not to be under
stood that the power of predicting future events
was taught as a science. The term prophet is
of a general signification. It was applied by
heathens to all who were supposed to be conver
sant with divine things ; and in the Scriptures
many persons are considered as prophets who
did not possess the gift of prophesying; as were
* Abraham and Aaron. The schools of the pro
phets appear to have been seminaries where reli
gious truths, or the divine laws, were particu
larly taught; and as it is obvious from the pre
ceding hiftory, that the supreme Being prefers
the Use of Instruments to the utmost extent of
their influence, thus we perceive that, generally
speaking, those who were destined to higher offi
ces, were selected from these schools.
In the historical writings of the Old Testament,
these prophets are spoken of as holy men of God,
es Seers, and as Prophets, in the most exalted sense
of the term.
The first denomination seems to have been
sometimes applied to men of exemplary piety, who
assiduously studied the divine law, as communi
cated by their legislator Moses; who firmly
believed in the predictions of the good and the
evil that. should attend the Israelites, according

DISPENSATION. 277
to the tenor of their conduct ; who were obser
vant of the character of the times in which
they lived ; and who might be able to discern,
the natural and inevitable consequences of par
ticular modes of conduct, without the neces
sity of immediate inspiration. Knowing it to
be an immutable principle, proclaimed by Jeho
vah himself, and confirmed by all the historical
events with which they had made themselves
acquainted, that strictly to obey the divine com
mands was in all cases, the wisest mode of act-.
ing, they were abundantly qualified to give the
most salutary counsel, as often as they were con
sulted by their sovereigns, concerning the ex
pediency or probable result of particular plans
and enterprizes. We are told that Rehoboam was
dissuaded from waging war against the revolt
ing Israelites, by a man of God, without our
being informed that he was immediately inspired.
Amaziah, when he proposed to augment his force,
by an improper alliance with the house of Israel,
was prohibited by a man of God, who perceived
the inexpediency and danger of associating with
those, whose irreligious conduct foreboded de
struction, and whose intimacy was contagious.
In neither of the above instances is the neces
sity of an immediate revelation obvious.
But these men of God also received peculiar

278 ON THE JEWISH
communications upon certain emergencies. They
were divinely appointed to execute some impor
tant commissions, and to predict certain events,
which were not in the ordinary course of things,
and far beyond the reach of human penetration.
It was this which sometimes gave them the title
of Seers. Thus Samuel who was commissioned to*
anoint Saul to be king over Israel, and was subse
quently enabled to give him signs to direct his
course, is called a Seer, " Samuel answered Saul,
I am the Seer."* Hanan the Seer reproved Asa,
king of Judah, for a want of confidence in his
God, and predicted that he should have wars.
Elijah and Elisha were eminent for these oc
casional inspirations ; although they were igno
rant of events which personally concerned them
selves. But the higher class of Prophets were
those who foretold important events which
were to take place at distant periods ; in which no
human sagacity could avail ; and which were
most opposite to the natural conceptions or ge
neral expectations of mankind ; as Isaiah, Jere
miah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and the minor prophets.
These having predicted events, which were not
to be immediately accomplished, and some of
which respected future generations, their pre
dictions were committed to writing; and care*
* 1 S^m. ch. ix. v. 9. — ch, x.

DISPENSATION. ) 279
fully preserved, under a conviction that they-
contained important truths, ' to be hereafter
more fully revealed ; and which were to re
ceive their accomplishment at the appointed
periods. Opposed to these were constant successions of
false prophets ; who were extremely numerous
in seasons of great degeneracy. They also were
of different classes and characters., rIt appears,-"
evidently, from various passages in sacred writ,
that they were depraved or apostate Israelites.
When the ten tribes revolted, and Jeroboam had
introduced the worship of the two golden calves,
to prevent his subjects from going up to Jerusa
lem, they did not, at the commencement, en
tirely forsake Jehovah. They professed to wor
ship him under these emblems. But the adoption
ofone custom of the Pagans introduced another
and before they forsook totally the God who
jbrought them out of Egypt, they profanely
worshipped him with the rites of paganism.
The true worshippers of God being permitted to
consult the oracle for direction, advice, and as
sistance, the advantage, was too great arid ho
nourable not to be counterfeited ; and these
eorruptors of the true religion, in the progress of
their degeneracy, attempted to consult theoracies

280 ON THE JEWISH
of the living God, by all those superstitious
modes of divination, enchantments, and even
cruel and horrid rites, which characterised ido
latry. They also converted their influence over
the people into an engine of political power ;
making it subservient to their own interests,
by complying with the desires of the people,
and favouring the ambition of their sovereigns.
So great was their progress in apostasy frem the
true worship, that they learned all the tricks of
diviners and soothsayers of the heathens, and
then attempted to persuade the ignorant among
both princes and people, that they were inspired
by the God of heaven.
Notwithstanding this conduct appears too pro
fane to be credible, it is frequently mentioned as
a fact, particularly during the reigns of Ahab and
Hoshea. The false prophets who professed to be the
servants of Jehovah, claimed an equal power to
advise, direct, and control, with that which was
occasionally exercised by the true prophets of
the Lord. Thus, in the reign of Zedekiah, king
of Judah, Hananiah, the prophet of Gibeon,
foretold that the yoke of Babylon should quickly
be broken in opposition to the alarming denun
ciations of Jeremiah. He took the yoke from
off the prophet Jeremiah's neck, and brake it:

DISPENSATION. 281
<e and Hananiah spake in the presence of all the
people, saying, thus saith the Lord ; even so
will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar, king of
Babylon, from all the nations, within the space of
two full years." The word of the Lord by Jere
miah, spake a different language, " Then said
the prophet Jeremiah to Hananiah, the Lord has
not sent thee, but thou makest this people to trust
in a lie. Therefore thus saith the Lord, I will
cast thee from the face of the earth. This year
thou shalt die, because thou hast .taught rebel
lion against the Lord. So Hananiah the prophet
died the same year in the seventh month."*
It is plain also, from the instance already
mentioned, of the superior credit given by Joha
nan and his followers, to the false prophets, con
cerning the policy of flying into Egypt, that
they not only pretended to be inspired by the
God of heaven, but they ventured to oppose the
directions' and counsel of the true prophets ; for,
encouraged by their bold assertions, " Johanan,
and all the proud men, said unto Jeremiah, thou
speakest falsely ; the Lord our God has not
sent thee to say, go not into Egypt to sojourn.
there."t As imposition and- falsehood are founded upon
the most sordid self-interest, thus were the whole
* Jerem. cb. xxviii. f Jerero. ch. xliii. v. 2.

282 ON THE JEWISH ,
tribe of false prophets of a mercenary disposi
tion. They sold their predictions, their bles
sings, their curses, for gain. The prophet Micah,
complaining of the universal corruption of man
ners in Zion and Jerusalem, says, " the priests
thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof
divine for money ; yet Will they lean upon the
Lord and say, is not the Lord among us ? no
evil can come upon us." Nehemiah asserted, as
we have already noted, that a false prophet had
been hired by Tobias and Sanballat to contradict
him. Hence it was that they were always care
ful to utter whatever would be most grateful
to their employers. But it was characteristic of
the true prophets, that they were -no respecters
«f persons, disdained every bribe, and spake the
truth at the hazard of their lives. Micaiah was
hated by Ahab, because he would not counsel
and predict according to his desires, and was
incessantly opposing his plans. An attempt was
made, by the messenger that was sent to con
duct him to the conference between Ahab and
Jehoshaphat, to seduce him ; " saying, behold
now the words of the prophets declare good
things to the king, with one mouth, let thy
words I pray thee be like the words of one of
them ; and speak that which is good. Micaiah
replied, " as the Lord liveth what the Lord sayeth

.DISPENSATION? 283
unto me that, will I speak,"* Ahab enquires of
Elijah in terms of reproach, previously to his
triumphant contest with the false prophets ; " art
thou he that troubleth Israel ?" He boldly an
swers, ".-I have not troubled Israel, but thou and
thy father's house ; in that ye have forsaken the
commandments of the Lord, and thou hast fol
lowed Baalim."-)- When Jehoram, king of Israel^
and Jehoshaphat, kingof Judah, consulted Elisha,
whether they should go against Moab to battle,
Elisha testifies his respect for Jehoshaphat, who
continued to be a worshipper of the true God,
and his. contempt for the Idolatrous house of
Israel; saying unto the king of Israel, " what
have I to do with thee ? get thee to the prophets
of thy father, and the prophets of thy mother;
— As the Lord of hosts liveth, before whom I
stand, were it not that I regard the presence of
Jehoshaphat, the kingof Judah, I would not look
towards thee nor see thee." J
Elisha having cured Naaman, captain of the
hosts of Syria, of his leprosy, by ordering him to
wash in the river Jordan, Naaman was desirous of
expressing his gratitudehy a donation ; " now
therefore I pray thee take a blessing of thy ser
vant ; and Elisha said, as the Lord liveth before
* 1 Kings ch. xxii. v, 13. t 2 Kings ch. xviii, v. 17.
% 2 Kings ch. iii. v. 13.

*

284 ON THE JEWISH
whom I stand, I will receive none. And he
urged him to take it, but he would not." But
Gehazi, the servant of Elisha, ran after and de
manded in the name of his 'master, a talent of
silver, and two changes of garments, which he
proposed to secrete for his own use. Elisha de
tected the fraud, and was empowered to inflict
upon Gehazi, the disease of which Naaman had
been cured.*
While these false prophets assiduously courted
the favour of the great, many of the holy men
of God suffered for their integrity. The king
of Israel trusted to the more acceptable adviee
of his prophets, and confident of the success they
had promised him, gave orders for the imprison
ment of Micaiah, saying " put this fellow in the
prison, and feed him with bread of affliction, and
with water of affliction, until I return in peace."
Micaiah answered with the intrepidity of an
inspired prophet, " if thou return in peace at all,
the Lord hath not spoken by me." Ahab was
killed in the engagement by an arrow drawn at a
venture. Zachariah was put to death for remon
strating against the idolatry of Joash, notwith
standing he had ascended the throne through the
instrumentali ty of Zachariah's father. 1 1 is gene-
* 2 Kings ch. v.

DISPENSATION. 285
rally supposed that Isaiah was one of the righte
ous men murdered by Manasseh. Jeremiah was
imprisoned by Zedekiah, king of Judah, because
he had prophesied that Jerusalem would be taken
by the king of Babylon,

It was to secure both sovereign and subject,
from the deceptions of those pretenders, that
the command not to pay any attention to them,
should they happen to be fortunate in their
prognostications, was so absolute. They could
not be inspired by daemons, for none existed.
As their characters were infamous, and their
motives always selfish, they were unworthy the
inspiration of heaven, and they had it not.
Every pretended prophecy must therefore be
the suggestion of their own depraved hearts.
There might be some coincidence occasionally,
between what they had uttered with the im
posing solemnity of an oracle, and subsequent
facts; or delusion would tease of itself. In
contingent circumstances, probabilities may be
nearly equal, and a presumptive guess may be
fortunate-f and this a credulous mind will mag
nify into a prediction accomplished. The con
fidence reposed even in the present day, in the
residue of astrological pretensions with which

286 ON THE JEWISH
our Almanacks are filled, manifests, the disposi
tion to credulity which still exists ; and we often
perceive that one fortunate assertion establishes
a character for infallibility, which it is- not in
the power of numberless mistakes to destroy.
In order to protect the Israelites from such dan
gerous delusions, they were commanded not to
repose their faith upon what could not be dic
tated by inspiration. Every competition between
these impostors and the servants of the living
God, was to be rejected with disdain. The
promises, threats, and predictions of the latter,
were inspired by the spirit of truth, and uttered
w i th integrity. They could not deceive nor
mislead ; they related to important subjects, and
were followed by important consequences.
The more we attend to the Jewish history,
the more fully shall we be convinced, that the
instrumentality of the prophets constituted an'
essential part of the divine plan, in the preser
vation of this people from being absorbed and
lost in paganism. They were the leaven which
diffused a quickening power Over the whole
mass ; they were the salt which preserved it
from total corruption. They possessed various
portions of the divine illuminations, and a diver
sity of powers, according to the circumstances
which demanded their'aid ; nor was there any

*-

DISPENSATION. 287
one instance of what may be deemed a super
fluous communication.

In the high and important office committed
to Moses, the first and greatest of prophets
under the Jewish dispensation, the necessity of
superior aid is most obvious, and it was most
abundant. He was under the immediate direc
tion of the Almighty and the Ailwise, in every
step he took, and in every arrangement that he
made. It is manifest that three millions of
people could not have been dislodged from the
dwellings of their ancestors, in opposition to
their native habits ; be emancipated from a state
of abject bondage under a powerful sovereign ;
be conducted through numberless difficulties
and dangers ; be organized into a regular and
civil society ; be induced to receive religious
and moral discipline of the most perfect kind,
in the midst of universal ignorance and depra
vity ; be constituted a distinct people, in
the midst of surrounding nations, and in oppo
sition to their own propensity, without perpe
tual instruction and assistance from above. We
observe accordingly, that in the language used
by this great Legislator, and which pervades
the whole of his own history, every event, and

288 ON THE JEWISH
every act is ascribed to the agency of heaven.
But that peculiarity of style, indicative of this
minute agency, ceases with him.
To Joshua, who was appointed to be the sue*
cessor of Moses, and whose principal charge
consisted in being their General, destined to
lead them on to victory, the divine communi
cations were not so frequent nor so extensive.
The assurances and encouragements to him
were, that be should triumph over the nations
with whom he was to engage. " There shall
not any man be able to stand before thee all the
days of thy life." Have not I commanded yon?
Be strong and of good courage : Be not afraid,
neither be thou dismayed, for the Lord thy God
is with thee whithersoever thou goest."* The
history of this Chief informs us that wherever
human power was unequal to the purpose, the
divine aid became conspicuous. But that he
was not perpetually under the direction of
heaven is obvious, by the fraud imposed upon
him by the artful Gibeonites. This pious leader
perceiving the strong propensity of the Israelites
to associate with, and imitate the superstitions
of the Pagans, rather than obey the commands
of Moses to extirpate idolaters, warned them
* Jos. qh. i. v. 5, p.

DISPENSATION. 28ft
in prophetic language of the fatal consequences
that would follow their disobedience. " If ye
do in any wise go back, and cleave unto the
remnant of these nations, and shall make mar
riages with them, know for a certainty that the
Lord your God will no more drive out these
nations from among you ; but they shall be
snares and traps unto you, and scourges in your
sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish
from off this good land which the Lord your
God hath given you."* The events proved the
truth of the prediction. »
Under the Judges, the influence of the esta-r
blished order of things, and of natural cases,
was permitted to operate to a greater extent;
and the evidences of supernatural agency pro-:
portionably decreased. Whenever they were
successful, the hand of Providence was piously
acknowledged ; but their failures were imputed
either to their own vices, or to such impedi
ments as they were not able to counteract, by
any natural means. Thus it is said, " the Lord
was with Judah, and he drove out the inha
bitants of the mountains, but they could not
drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because
they ha'd chariots of iron,"f It was not in the
* Jos. ch. xxiii. v. 12, 13. f Judges cb. i. v. 1§.
V

290 ON THE JEWISH
plan of Providence always to insure success by
miraculous interpositions.
During the life of Joshua, and of the Judges
that immediately succeeded him, although there
Were several instances of an idolatrous propen
sity, and of partial deviations from the ordi
nances of Moses, yet, as a nation, " the people
served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all
the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who
had seen all the great works of the Lord, that
he did for Israel." But when " all that genera
tion were gathered to their fathers, there arose
another generation after them, which knew not
the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done
for Israel." Their history informs us that the
degeneracy was rapid and extensive. They
were sometimes severely punished by unsuccess
ful wars; and sometimes deliverers were raised
up to prevent their being totally subdued by
their enemies; by which their independence as
a people would have ceased, and the plans of
Providence would have been frustrated. The
success of Deborah the prophetess was^a re
markable instance of this kind. " She pre-_
vailed against Sisera, the captain of Jabin;
king of Canaan,* and who had for twenty years
* Judges ch. iv.

DISPENSATION. 291
mightily oppressed Israel." It was through the
medium of a prophet, that Gideon was a pointed
to deliver Israel from the oppression of the
Midianites; and the interpositions of Providence
in his favour were many and striking.
The character, qualifications, and important
services performed by the prophet Samuel, who
was destined to new model the government,
under the divine direction, have been particularly
noticed in the preceding epitome of the Jewish
history. The diversities of character and talents, and
the consequent diversities of conduct under
a monarchical government,, frequently de
manded directions, admonitions, and restraints.
Wherever there is a power merely human,
there will be a strong propensity to abuse
it; and the abuse of uncontrolled power must
be productive of the most pernicious con
sequences. Even the pious David, required the
admonitions and severe reproofs of a prophet.
During the early reign of Solomon, and while
he conducted himself in a manner correspondent
with the superior wisdom with which he was^
endowed, he was honoured with evidences of
the divine favour; but, upon his being seduced
into idolatrous practices, Ahijali the prophet
was ordered to predjct the division of his kiag-
v 1

292 ON THE JEWISH -
dom, which took place in the succeeding reign,
and was the occasion of so much, subsequent
wickedness and misery.
Thus were the holy men of God empowered
to act as legislators, rulers, judges over Israel,
and also, upon some occasions, to make impor
tant changes in the state. When the govern
ment had acquired a due consistency, and was
firmly established, they no longer acted as
judges, rulers, and authoritative directors, but
they appeared in the important character of in
spired monitors. Of this we have already ad
duced several instances. The total apostasy of
the ten tribes, and the successive impieties of
their sovereigns, the many dangerous aberrations
of the kings of Judah, would have proved fatal
to the cause of Monotheism, had not inspired
prophets arisen at different periods, to bear wit
ness to the truth, to admonish; to threaten, to
console, and to encourage.
Some of these prophets were raised up for par
ticular purposes.. Thus we hear no more of
Jonah than that he was appointed to preach
repentance to the inhabitants of Ninevah; and
we are told that in consequence -of obedience,
their destruction was deferred for the space of
forty years. ¦ As , far as the prophecies of Joel.
relate tp the period in which he lived, " they fore?.

DISPENSATION. 293
tel calamities, denounce judgments, and pro
mise future blessings," without the immediate
application of them to any particular people.
Hosea chiefly admonishes the ten revolting
tribes, and exposes their enormities with all
the poignancy of language. The denunciation's
of Amos are directed agaihst the kingdom of
Israel, predicting its total overthrow. They
extend also to the Syrians, Tyrians, and inhabi
tants of Palestine, and other surrounding nations,
who had been the principal seducers of Israel.
Several of these prophets explicitly foretel the
miseries that should befall the house of Judah
and the city of Jerusalem, for their repeated
rebellions and superficial reformations; and
warn them that nothing can prevent their capti
vity by Nebuchadnezzar, but a speedy repen
tance. The prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and
Daniel, possessed large portions of the prophetic
spirit, and in a manner peculiarly adapted to
their respective situations. Isaiah began to
; prophesy in the last years of Uzziah. He lived
• through the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah,
to the times of Manasseh. He exerted all the
2eal and energy with which he was so eminently
inspired, in pious admonitions, counsels, warn
ings, and also in the administration of comfort,

294 ON THE JEWISH
during a long series of years, according as the
character and conduct of princes and people
might demand. Isaiah was the friend and coun
sellor of the good Hezekiah, and inspired him
with courage to resist the boasting Sennacherib,
by the assurance that his numerous and proud
hosts should be destroyed, by the immediate
hand of Providence. His prophecies embraced
the history of all the nations that had an inter
course with Judea. They were not only direct
ed against the Moabites, and the countries
immediately contiguous, but they extended to
Asyria, to Egypt, to Ethiopia. He was empow-
ed to protract the life of Hezekiah ; to predict
the captivity of his descendants ; the restoration
of the Jews from their captive state ; their
return to Jerusalem, under the patronage of the
great Cyrus, king of Persia, and the total de
struction of their oppressors. His censures of
idolatry were peculiarly severe and poignant- :
his promises of reconciliation with heaven by
repentance, Avere most encouraging : and he
described their future peace and prosperity, in
the most glowing colours. His prophecies,
which relate to future ages, and to blessings
reserved for Gentile nations, were numerous and
striking ; of which we shall hereafter produce
instances.

DISPENSATION. 295
Jeremiah lived through the successive reigns
of Josiah, Jehoiakim, Jehoiakin, and Zedekiah;
He also continued to exhort, admonish, and
threaten; intermixing consolatory promises,
according to the prevalent dispositions of the
people. He personally witnessed the calamities
which finally overpowered the Jewish state ;
and strenuously preached repentance in every
stage, as the only method to escape more dread
ful manifestations of the divine wrath. He
incessantly opposed the false prophets who
soothingly spake peace, peace, where there was
no peace, and were thus inspiring the king and
the leaders of the people with presumptive
Jhopes, as from the Lord, while they continued
in a state of impenitence. His zeal was calum
niated ; he was represented as an enemy to the
state, by discouraging the government in its
resistance to Nebuchadnezzar's arms : he was
threatened with death ; treated with ignominy,
and thrown into a loathsome dungeon. But
his integrity was unshaken, and his ardour in
the cause of God undiminished. He not only
predicted the destruction of Jerusalem, and the
captivity of the chiefs, but he distinctly men
tioned the term of it, that its duration should be
seventy years. So confident was he of the
truth of his own predictions, that he afterwards

296 ON f HE JEWISH
Wrote letters to the captives, exhorting thftm,
in the name of the God of Israel, " build ye
houses and dwell in them, and plant gardens and
eat the fruit of them, take ye wives and beget
sons and daughters ; that ye may increase there
and not diminish, and seek the peace of the city
whither I have caused you to be carried away
captive 5 and pray unto the Lord for it, for in the
peace thereof shall ye have peace."* These
injunctions were founded upon the promise, " for
to ! the days come saith the Lord, that I Will
bring again the captivity of my people Israel
and Judah; and I will cause them to return to
the land that I gave to their fathers, and they
shall possess it/'f
When Johanan, in opposition to his counsels
and predictions, fled into Egypt with the rem
nant of Judah, taking Jeremiah with him also;
the prophetic spirit continued with Jeremiah.
He now admonishes, with equal zeal and fidelity,
the idolatrous Israelites who had fled into Egypt,
in contempt of the divine authority ; denounc
ing the dreadful sentence " that none of the
lemnant of Judah, which are gbne into the
land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall escape, of
remain ; that they should return into the land of
Judah, to Which they have a desire to return to
* Jerem. ch. xxix. f Jerem . ch. xxx. v. 3.

DISPENSATION. 297
dwell there ; for' none shall return," that is, in a
Collective body.* This prophet foretold also
the defeat of Pharaoh's army, and the Conquest
©f Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar ; the destruction
of the Philistines; the punishment, and subse
quent restoration of the Moabites and Ammo
nites, Sec. and finally, the invasion and total de
struction of Babylon, for the oppressions of
Judah. Ezekiel was among those who were taken to
Babylon with their king Jehoiakin. He receiv
ed the important commission to reprove the
idolatrous practices, which Were retained by
many of the captives ; to counteract the perni
cious influence which the false prophets" still
exerted over them ; and to assuage the spirit of
discontent and complaint, manifested by Others
at the severity of their afflictions ; assuring them
that Jerusalem was to suffer much greater cala
mities, than those to which they Were exposed
in their captive state, or to which they had
hitherto been witnesses. He reiterated the
necessity of repentance and reformation, as the
only means of being restored tb the divine
favour. His predictions extended to the nations
which had been the seducers of Israel to the
practice of idolatry, br had oppressed them by
* Jerem. cb. xliv. v. 14.

•

298 ON THE JEWISH
the power of their arms. He encourages a
spirit of repentance, and animates them to
return to the service of the God of Jacob, by
representing, in a prophetic vision, the rebuilding
of the temple, and restoration of the true wor
ship, the destruction of idolatry, as well as their.
happy possession of the abode of their ancestors.
Although the prophecies of Daniel chiefly
relate to future times, , and to events in which
Gentile nations were to become partakers, the
services which he rendered to the captive Jews
were eminently great. The superiority of his
wisdom over all the men in the realm, renowned
for that quality ; the facility with which he
interpreted dreams that were inexplicable by
others ; his conscientious adherence to the wor
ship of tlie true God, in defiance of every,
threat and every suffering, not only raised his
reputation in the court of his sovereign, but
extended their beneficial effects over the chil
dren of the captivity. When " the king made
Daniel a great man, and gave him many great
gifts, and made him ruler over the whole pro
vince of Babylon, and chief of the governors
over all the wise men of Babylon," we may rest
assured, that he would seek the prosperity of
the Lord's people. We learn accordingly, that
he obtained leave to place Shadrach, Meshach,

DISPENSATION. 299
and Abednego, over the affairs of the province
of Babylon. When his enemies sought his
destruction, by a proposal with Which they
knew he could not comply, but to which the
king, in an hour of vanity, consented, the per
severing piety of Daniel gained him an universal
conquest. He was miraculously preserved from
the destruction which his enemies thought to
be inevitable, while they were caught in the
snare they had invidiously laid ; and this mira
culous preservation not only triumphed over the
decree of the sovereign, but over his mind also.
He was taught by it to revere the God of the
Hebrews ; for " he made a decree that in every
dominion of his kingdom, men should tremble
and fear before the God of Daniel." A decree
of this kind, rendered the captives honourable
in the eyes of their conquerors ; was a pledge
that they would be treated with the kindness,
which should enable them to bear their capti
vity with patience, and prepare the way for
their subsequent release.
Upop the eve of their return to Judea, and
during that important period, the prophets
Haggai, Zechariah, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Ma
lachi, were raised up to persuade, animate,
counsel, reprove, assist. By their aid the
people were enabled to form the boldest resolu-

mo ON THE JEWISH
tions, and encounter many perils ; thus did they
finally rebuild the temple, and reinstate the
worship of the true God, in the midst of num
berless dangers and difficulties.
Through the whole of the divine ceconomy
respecting this people, from their emigration
but of Egypt to their return from the Babylo
nish captivity, embracing a period of nearly
nine hundred years, a succession of holy men
and prophets was thus appointed, who were
endowed with qualifications precisely adapted
to the exigencies of every stage. Notwith
standing the diversity of their gifts, the object
Was one. It was uniformly their aim to pre
serve or reinstate true religion ; and to coun
teract the disposition to apostatize that was so
prevalent among this people. They were autho
rized to direct, to counsel, to punish, to predict
punishment, to encourage or to reward, ac
cording to the exigencies of the case, or the
tenor of conduct. Some of these prophets
were enabled to penetrate deeply into futurity.
They foresaw calamities in the midst of pros
perity ; destruction in the midst of security;
and future deliverance through the gloom of
present consternation and distress. Although
many of their predictions were expressed in
figurative and obscure terms, yet no obscurities

DISPENSATION.^ 301
concealed the judgments which were denounced
against impiety, or the promises of felicity
to the obedient. The style a*d manner bf these
prophets were perfectly adapted to the cha->
raeter of those ruder times, and to the capacities,
and conceptions of an ignorant and perverse
people, While they possessed an elevation suited
to the cause which animated their breasts,;
soaring far beyond compositions merely human.
To conquer the prevalent insensibility of this
people, they borrow images and allusions from
every part of nature, from every habit and cus
tom with which the people were most familiar,
and which were most correspondent with their
prevalent ideas. As powerful hurricanes will
rouse chaff and dust from the earth, to a height
that creates sublimity, thus did the impetuous
earnestness of their expostulations, give an
elevation and grandeur to images most, adapted
to the comprehension of the populace, without
stooping to a refined attention to the materials
of which they were composed. Sometimes
with an indignant tone, and in sarcastic lan
guage, they pour contempt upon the folly of
" saying to the work of men's hands, be ye our
gods." Sometimes they attempt to alarm and.
terrify by a denunciation of judgments ; and to
inspire reverential awe by representing the

302 ON THE JEWISH
Creator of all things, in the plenitude of his
power, and insuperable majesty. At others,
their counsels, reproofs, admonitions, were
delivered in such pathetic strains of eloquence,
as must have affected every mind that was not
callous to the influence of moral suasion. The
adorable attributes of the God who demanded
their service, are placed in contrast with the
contemptible images, and nonentities, whom the
heathens vainly worshipped. The infinite benig
nity of his nature, is opposed to the ferocity of
the gods that required human victims, and in
spired their votaries with insufferable terror.
To win upon the ingenuous affections of the
heart, they -condescend to expostulate, as if
they were asking a favour in behalf of the great
Jehovah ; as if his felicity could be augmented
by their welfare. In a word, the grandeur, the1
importance of true religion, the stupidity of
pagan superstitions, and the still greater stupi
dity of the Israelites in giving them the pre
ference, are represented in such animated lan
guage, that nothing remained to complete the
folly of this obdurate people, but the prevalent,
indifference and contempt with which such
admonitions were received.
Yet these pious efforts were not in vain.
They greatly checked the profligacies of the- *

DISPENSATION. SOS
times : They were instrumental in preserving
Judah from too free an intercourse with the
apostate tribes of Israel : ,They encouraged all
their pious kings to oppose idolatry, and assisted
them in the work of reformation : They were a
powerful counterpoise to the destructive influ
ence, which the false prophets were perpetually
exerting, over both Sovereign and people. The
number of these false prophets must, at some
periods, have been immensely great ; for when
idolatrous worship prevailed, altars were erected,
and groves consecrated, in every part of the land ;
and as each of these required their officiating
priests, diviners, soothsayers, &c. the noxious
tribes of impostors thus generated, would have
become so extensive and powerful, that true
religion would have been completely extinguish^
ed, had not the prophets of the Lord intervened
upon urgent occasions, to detect their false
hoods, and alarm those who were tempted to
confide. in them. It was through their prophetic
warnings, respecting the dispersion of the ten
tribes, the captivity of Judah, the destruction
of Jerusalem ; their assurances that the house of
Judah should not remain in perpetual bondage,
but be restored to the divine favour, upon repen
tance and reformation ; it wras through their
influence over the minds of the conquerors, and

304- ON THE JEWISH
the assistance they afforded to the returning
penitents, that the great work of reformation was
finally accomplished. This brings us to the last
period of the Jewish history which demands out
attention. SECT. VII.
ON THE CAPTIVITY OF THE TRIBES OF JUDAH
AND BENJAMIN, AND ITS SALUTARY EFFECT
IN THE FINAL ESTABLISHMENT Ot MONOTHEISM
IN THE LAND OF JUDEA.
When the dreadful hour was come;-— when
kings, the princes bf the people, and the elders,
were led away into captivity ;, — when they
were torn from their native soil, leaving relatives
and valuable possessions behind, and hurried
into a foreign country, uncertain of The treat*
ment they should receive, and their fears por*
tending tlie worst; — the hour of reflection
might also be expected to arrive; and it did
arrive. The subsequent history of this extraor
dinary people evinces, that theinfluence of deep
affliction was powerful to effect a cure, although
every other expedient had failed. The alarms,
disgrace; and numberless sufferings incident to a
state of bondage, accomplished a purpose, to
which distinguished blessings, temporary punish-

DISPENSATION. 305
ments, and the most awful and reiterated threat,
proved inadequate. Their minds were no longer
agitated by the tumults of war, for the con
flict was over, and they were subdued. They
were no longer abandoned to their seductive
pleasures, which had hardened their hearts,
blinded their eyes, and rendered their ears deaf,
for they were in the abyss of distress. The
utmost they could expect, when settled in their
new abodes, would be, to become as it were one
passive body of afflicted members. They now
would have leisure to recollect their former state
of affluence and independence, and to lament
the contrast. The most considerate among
them, and the best informed, would now be con
vinced that the prophets who had promised
security and worldly honours, while they remain
ed slaves to idolatry, were lying prophets ; and
that those who had incurred their resentments,
who had been disgraced and calumniated, for
prophesying unpleasant things, were of a truth
the messengers of the living God. Now neglect
ed predictions assumed all their consequence :
warnings despised, became affecting realities :
unwelcome admonitions and threats now were
changed into historical events; and in that
afflictive form, forced conviction upon their
unbelieving minds. They would doubtless recol-
x

§06 ON THE JEWISH
leet the anticipations of Isaiah when he exclaim
ed, " woe unto them that rise up early in the
morning that they may follow strong drink ; that
continue until night, till wine inflame them ; and
the harp, and the viol, and the tabret, and the
pipe, and the wine are in their feasts ; but they
regard not the work of the Lord, neither con
sider the operation of his hands. Therefore my
people are gone into captivity, because they
have no knowledge ; and their honourable men
are famished, and their multitude are dried up
with thirst."* Nor wTould the predictions of
Amos any longer be considered as vain and
empty threats ; " Woe unto them that are at ease
in Zion, that put far away the evil day, and cause
the seat of violence to come near; that lie upon
beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their
couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and
the calves out of the midst of the stall ; thai
chaunt to the sound of the viol, and invent to
themselves instruments of music like David ;
that drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves
with the chief ointment, but they are not griev
ed for the affliction bf Joseph. Therefore shall ¦
they go to captivity, and the banquet of them
that stretched themselves- shall be removed."!
Those words of Jeremiah also, whom it is pre*
bable some of these captives had personally
* Isaiah ch. v. v. 11, 13. f Amos ch. vi. v. l, 7-

DISPENSATION. 307
insulted, as a lying prophet, would now b© re«
membered with compunction of heart; " T»
whom shall I speak and give warning that they
may hear? behold their ear is uncircunlcisedand
they cannot hearken ; behold the word of th4
Lord is unto them a reproach ; they have no
delight in it ! Therefore I am full of the fury of
the Lord ; I am weary with holding in; I will
pour it out upon the children abroad ; and upon
the assembly of young men together ; for even
the husband with the wife shall be taken, the
aged with him that is full of days ; and their
houses shall be turned unto others, with their
fields and wives together, for I will stretch out
my hand upon the inhabitants of the land, saith
the Lord."*
As most of the prophets predicted this
great event, we may presume that in their de
graded state, the captives would recall to theif
remembrance numberless passages of a similar
import. • Their immediate sufferings, and such recol
lections as these united, had a natural tendency
to wean them from a confidence in graven
images, and the worship of those that were no
gods ; and they would be disposed to exclaim-'
in the language of their ancestors, when they
* Jerem. ch. vi. v. 10—13.
X %

208 ON THE JEWISH
were surprised and confounded at the triumph
of Elijah over the false prophets, " Jehovah
he is the God ; Jehovah he is the God."
Such sentiments being deeply impressed upon
their minds at an early period, were obviously
preserved and cherished, not only among the im
mediate sufferers, but by the rising generation,
in the progressive years of their captivity, by a
series of interesting events which took place at
different seasons. They could not be ignorant,
that the elevation of their countryman and fellow
sufferer Daniel, to the most exalted station in
Chaldea, was entirely owing to the great supe
riority of his wisdom over that of the most
renowned magicians : and that he was inspired
with this superior wisdom by the Jehovah of
Israel. They were doubtless informed of the
danger and miraculous preservation of the three
conscientious Governors, when they were in the
fiery furnace, because they refused to worship the
golden image erected in the plains of Dura. The
triumph of Daniel over hisenemies, whenhe was
cast into the den of lions, and escaped unhurt,
because he persevered in his prayers and suppli
cations to his God, in opposition tp the royal
mandate, must have made a deep impression
upon their minds; must have had a tendency
to alienate them from the service of idols
which never had delivered, and never could de-

DISPENSATION. SO9
liver any of their worshippers. The solemn
acknowledgment also of Darius, the king,
when he was astonished at the preservation of
Daniel, that " the God of Daniel is the living
God, and stedfast for ever ; His kingdom shall not
be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the
end ;" must have inspired them with such an
exultation and confidence in the divine superi
ority, as would prevent them from relapsing
into their former follies.
Upon the eve of their return, the deep venera
tion expressed by the great Cyrus for the God
of the Hebrews, manifested by the peculiar
patronage bestowed upon these captives, be
cause they were professedly his servants, and by
his liberalgrants to enable them to rebuild their
temple, and reinstate thcWorship of Jehovah
in its pristine splendour, must have struck
their minds as a complete conquest over the
gods of the heathens.
Thus were they gradually prepared, during
the several stages of their sojournment in Chal
dea, to return to the land of their fathers, ac
cording to the predictions of their prophets.
Their knowledge of these predictions, united
with the events which gradually unfolded their
accomplishment, would naturally dispose and en
courage them to pursue the necessary measures;
when the favourable opportunity arrived.

310 ON THE JEWISH
In the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, we have
circumstantial narratives of the methods by
which the return of this scattered people, at
different periods, and their reorganization in the
land of Judea, was effected. We shall reft r our
readers to these records for numerous particulars,
introductory of a new and important aefa to
the children of Israel ; and shall solely direct
our attention to those circumstances, which
manifested and confirmed a total change of cha
racter. The first detachment under Zerubbabel, amoun t^
ing to upwards of fifty thousand souls, testified
their piety by immediately erecting an altar
" to offer burnt offerings thereon, to the God of
Israel, as it is written in the law of Moses the
man of God ; and although fear was upon them
because of the people of these countries, yet
they burnt offerings thereon unto the Lord morn
ing and evening. They also kept the feast of
tabernacles, and all the set feasts of the Lord
that were consecrated." But the foundation of
the temple of the Lord was not yet laid, and
they testified an ardent zeal for the work, by
*s giving money unto the masons, and to the
carpenters; and meat and drink and oil unto
them of Zidon, and unto them of Tyre, to bring
cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea of Joppa,

DISPENSATION. 311
according to the grant they had of Cyrus, king
of Persia."
Few of those who were carried captive at an
early period with their, king Jehoiakim, could
have remained alive ; but many of the younger
captives, when the city was sacked, and the
house of God destroyed by fire, under the weak
and wicked Zedekiah, might, in their advanced
years, be witnesses to the important change.
The multitude, however, were strangers to the
splendour of the first temple ; their joy and ex
ultation was great, and unalloyed by any un
pleasant reflections, which might have arisen
from a comparison of former days with the
present. The different emotions of these
two classes, are described in a simple but
affecting manner. The solemn act of laying
the foundation of the temple was accompanied
with every demonstration of pious joy. " They
set the priests in their apparerwith trumpets, and
the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbols, to
praise the Lord after the ordinance of David,
king of Israel ; and they sang together in course
injmiising and giving thanks unto Jehovah, be
cause he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever
towards Israel. And the people shouted with a
great shout When they praised the Lord, because
the foundation of the house of the Lord was

312 ON THE JEWISH
laid. But many of the priests and Levites, and
chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that
had seen the first house, when the foundation
of this house was laid before their eyes, wept
with & loud voice ; and many shouted aloud for
joy, so that the people could not discern the
shout of joy for the noise of the weeping of
the people."
Many of those who had continued in Judea,
and had been deeply contaminated with the abo
minations of idolatry ; and also the inhabitants
of Samaria, who were very imperfect proselytes
to the Jewish religion, were ambitious to share
in the honours of the new establishment ; but
they would have been dangerous associates, and
their application was rejected. The refusal ex
cited an inveterate resentment, and produced
such malicious and artful misrepresentations,
that the work was suspended during the life of
Artaxerxes. But in the second year of Darius,
the original grant of Cyrus was examined, and
enforced under the protection of the sovereign;
and the work was re-commenced with renewed
vigour. The undertaking of Zernbbabel and
Joshua was assisted and encouraged, by the pro
phets Haggai and Zachariah. The temple was
finally built and finished, " according to the
commandment of the God of Israel, and accord-

DISPENSATION. 313
ing to the commandments of Cyrus and Darius,
and Artaxerxes, king of Persia." The event
was celebrated with a religious solemnity suit
able to the occasion.
The sacred edifice being completed, the office
of restoring _ the worship of Jehovah in its ori
ginal purity devolved upon Ezra. He was a
priest of distinction, and " a ready scribe in the
law of Moses, which the Lord God of 'Israel
had given." Moreover " he had prepared his
heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it,
and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments."
The king not only granted his request, that he
might visit Jerusalem with as many of the cap
tives as chose to accompany him, but opened
his treasures in the most liberal manner, and
gave him full power to enforce the regulations
which he might deem necessary, by inflicting
punishments according to the aggravations of
the offence.
Ezra does not declare himself to be a prophet,
nor have we any evidences of * his having pro
phesied. In the office assigned to him the gift
of prophecy was not necessary. Accuracy,
fidelity, piety, and persevering zeal, alone were
requisite ; and these he possessed to an eminent
degree. To him is generally ascribed the com
pilation which is now received as sacred records ;

314 ON THE JEWISH
and if we compare them with the books of the
Apocrypha, we shall perceive their great superi
ority in a dignified simplicity of language, in the
harmony of the arrangements, in a correspon
dence with the divine character, as the unri
valled Sovereign over universal nature, and in an
exemption from every thing which is superflu
ously miraculous, or marvellous and unworthy of
credit. It is obvious that at this period Ezra,
with many other leaders and elders of the peo
ple, had acquired a minute knowledge of the
law of Moses, and of the divine ceconomy re
specting the children of Israel, during the many
ages of their existence.
Ezra and his companions, among whom be
took care to procure a competent number of
priests and Levites, set out upon their journey
from Babylon ; which, as they had many enemies,
was a dangerous enlerprize; but as it evinced
more piety, so in .this case it was more prudent,
to commit himself and his associates to the pro
tection of heaven, than to procure a military
escort from his sovereign, which might have been
interpreted by all, as a want of confidence in
his God: He therefore sought the divine pro
tection by fasting and prayer. " I proclaimed a
fast, says he, at the river- Ahava, that we might
afflict ourselves before God, to seek of him a

DISPENSATION. 315
right way for us, and for our little ones, and for
all our substance; for I was ashamed to require
of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen, to
help us against the enemy in the way ; because
we had spoken unto the king, saying, the hand
of our Godjs upon all them for good that seek
him; but his power and his wrath is upon all
them that forsake him. So we fasted and be
sought our God for this, and he was entreated of
us." Immediately upon his arrival at Jerusalem,
when he delivered his" commission to the king's
lieutenants, he was astonished and confounded
at the information that some of the captives,
who had returned with Zerubbabel, began to
deviate from the purity of their principles, by
intermarrying with the idolatrous inhabitants of
the land. Nor was the trespass confined to the
lower ranks, for the princes and rulers had set
the example. The. experience of ages had mani
fested the fatal effects of such a conduct, Ezra
pathetically describes the distress and anguish of
his mind, on account of this flagrant and dan
gerous impropriety. His lamentations, fastings,
and prayers, made such an impression upon the
offenders themselves, that one of diem, Sheca-
niah, the son of Jehiel, acknowledged the trespass,
and convinced of its extreme danger, as well as

316 ON THE JEWISH
impiety, proposed, " let us make a covenant with
our God to put away all the wives, and such as
are born of them, according to the counsel of my
Lord, and of those that tremble at the command
ment of our God ; and let it be done according
to the law." The proposition was universally
accepted, and the result was a complete reforma
tion.

They proceeded in the next place to rebuild
the ruined walls of Jerusalem. This was resist
ed by their enemies to the utmost of their
power. Nehemiah, who was at the court of Artax
erxes, being informed by Hanam of the vexa
tious opposition, was exceedingly dejected. The
king, who saw the sadness of his countenance,
and being informed of the cause, permitted the
prophet to visit the ancient city, for a limited
time. He was deeply affected at the inspection
he made of the ruined state of its walls, and he
animated the Israelites to rebuild them, regard
less of all opposition. The attempt was strongly
resisted by Sanballat and others, who for some
time concealed their fears, by the ridicule and
contempt with which they affected to treat it.
But when they were witnesses to the quick ad
vances made, they became virulent, and con^

DISPENSATION. 317
spired together to frustrate the design by trca,-
chery. The pious zeal of the Israelites was
manifested, by the persevering ardour with which
they exposed themselves to danger. The buil
ders, to prevent their being surprised by their
adversaries, worked with their swords by their
sides ; and the other labourers bore their bur
dens with one hand, and the weapons of defence
with the other. Sanballat attempted also to ter
rify Nehemiah, by making him acquainted with
a report which prevailed, but which he himself
had invented, that Nehemiah had seditious
views, and was making himself popular that he
might assume the reins of government. She
maiah also, a false prophet, was hired to discou
rage Nehemiah, by insinuating that the design
was so opposite to the will of God, that he would
certainly be destroyed, if he did not take refuge
in the temple. " He was hired," says the pro
phet, " that' I should be afraid, and do so and sin,
that they might have matter for an evil report
and reproach me."
The walls of the city being finally built, and
the community enjoying some degree of security,
" all the people gathered themselves together as
one man," and proceeded to the solemn act, by
which they acquired a more accurate knowledge
of the divine law, and their dispositions to

318 ON THE JEWISH
observe it were confirmed. At their request,
Ezra, with his several coadjutors, " read in the'
book of the law of God distinctly, from the
morning until mid-day, before the men and the
women, and those that could understand, and
gave the sense, and caused to understand the
reading ; and the ears of the people were at
tentive unto the book of the law. When Ezra
opened the book all the people stood up ; and
Ezra blessed the Lord the great God ; and all
the people answered Amen and Amen, with
lifting up of their hands ; and they bowed their
heads and worshipped the Lord with their faces
to the ground." The people were deeply affected
with the scene, and they wept when they heard
tlie words of the law. Assured of the sincerity
of their repentance, and firmness of their resolu
tions, Nehemiah, Ezra, and the Levites who •
taught the people, intimated to them their
conviction that the days of lamentation were
now passed ; for they were re-admitted into the
divine favour, and 'therefore it was a day for
exultation and- joy. " This, day is holy unto
our Lord ; neither be ye sorry ; for the joy of
the Lord is your strength."

To confirm these favourable impressions, and*

DISPENSATION. 3 19
to render them indelible, a general fast was
afterwards appointed and religiously observed.
" The seed of Israel separated themselves from
all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins,
and the iniquity of their fathers." The Levites
enumerated, in a devout address to their God,
the extraordinary blessings and deliverances by
which the nation had been distinguished, from
the call of Abraham to their ' return from cap
tivity ; acknowledged the numerous transgres
sions of their ancestors, and their own ; extolled
the patience and long-suffering of the God of
mercy, and earnestly prayed that the various
dispensations of Providence towards them
might not be in vain. " Now therefore our
God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible
God, who keepest covenant and mercy, let not
all the trouble seem little before thee, that bath-
come upon us, on our kings, on. our princes,
and on our priests, and on our prophets, and
on our fathers, and on all the people, since the
times of the kings of Assyria unto this day."
This devout act was suceeeded ;by their public
assent to a written covenant to which Princes,
Levites, and Priests, had set their seal, " that
they would walk in God's law, which was
given by Moses the servant of God, and that
they would observe and do all the, command-

320 ON THE JEWISH
ments of the Lord their God, his judgments
and his statutes ;" that they would break
through every evil habit, and resist every future
temptation.

They afterwards proceeded to regulate their
civil concerns, and to appoint the respective
abodes both of priests and people. The rulers
of the people dwelt at Jerusalem. Nine tenths
were destined by lots to inhabit the other cities
of Judah, and one tenth to continue in Jeru
salem. This being the post of the greatest
danger, " the people blessed all the men that
willingly offered themselves to dwell at Jeru
salem." The walls of Jerusalem were solemnly
dedicated with great festivity, and with every
mark of grateful joy. They separated" also from
the Ammonites and Moabites, upon discovering
that, by the. law of Moses, they were com
manded to be a distinct people. This command
was founded upon the refusal of these nations
to grant the assistance solicited by the Israelites,
upon their first approach to the land of Canaan ;
but its moral tendency is most obvious. Nehe
miah, being obliged to visit the court of
Artaxerxes at the stipulated time, the above
separation was not so complete as the law had

DISPENSATION. 321
enjoined ; for Eliashib the priest, manifested a
partiality for Tobias who was an alien, because
by marriage he became related to him. This
was resented by Nehemiah at his return to
Jerusalem, with great indignation. He cor
rected other abuses respecting the priesthood,
and the observance of the sabbath. He reclaimed
also some who had intermarried with the neigh
bouring nations.

Thus finally was a new sera introduced among
this wonderful people. Their religion was
restored to its primitive purity. Their former
sufferings, and their encouragements to expect
future peace and prosperity, by an observance
of the divine laWs, at length subdued their
minds to obedience ; and they made every sa
crifice required of them by those pious leaders,
Ezra and Nehemiah. As a people they did not
return to a state of independence, nor was the
royal dignity immediately restored. They were
tributary to foreign powers, and they had various
connexions with the neighbouring nations ; but
as a people they remained stedfast to their reli
gious principles. The general propensity to the.
worship of Idols was totally subdued ; and they
became Monotheists in the strictest sense of the

322 ON THE JEWISH
term. To this point all the Dispensations of
God were directed ; and it is precisely at this
point that the sacred history terminated.
The whole current of profane history bears
witness to the permanency of this wonderful
change ! A people whose ancestors were igno-
miniously prone to idolatry, through a series of
ages, in opposition to every principle of common
sense, to the express prohibitions of Jehovah,
and to every motive of gratitude or of interest,
have continued firm in their abhorrence of
idolatry, and in their adherence to pure Mono
theism, under every persecution. They have
carried their principles with them wherever they
were dispersed. They have submitted to every
indignity which ignorance or bigotry could
inflict, and resisted every temptation to adopt
the customs of the nations among whom they
• dwelt ; and they are, to this day, a monument
of the final and permanent efficacy of those
means which the Supreme Director employed,
completely to separate them from an, idola
trous world.* / * See Note L.

DISPENSATION. 3S3

CHAPTER IIL
ON THE SELECTION OF THE JEWISH NATION
FROM THE PAGAN WORLD, AS INTRODUC
TORY TO A DISPENSATION BY WHICH
ALL THE NATIONS OP THE EARTH
ARE TO BE BLESSED.
SECT. I.
The moral character of the Jewish nation did not
entitle them to this exclusive honour.
We have seen that the Jews, and the Jews
alone, as a nation, finally became Monotheists^
and that "unto them were committed the
oracles of God." We shall now enquire for
what purposes this people were chosen from the
general mass, and rendered a deposit of divme
truths ; that we may be able to trace the imme
diate effects of the plan, as introductory to the
Christian revelation. The enquiry will also
enable us to appreciate the national character of
the ancient Jews, in a proper manner ; and dis
cover to us the nature and extent of .the advan
tages derived to other nations, from this highly
favoured people, Y %

324 ON THE JEWISH
The distinguished honours conferred upon the
Hebrews ; their being selected and separated
from a world immersed in ignorance and idola
try; their possessing, for a series of ages, many
exclusive privileges ; — their being represented
in the language of scripture, as the peculiar
people of God, have induced many Christians to
entertain sentiments concerning that nation,
which are not supported by historical facts ;
neither are they consistent with our ideas of the
divine impartiality. Misconceptions also, re
specting this subject, have inspired the descen
dants from the faithful Abraham, with extrava
gant conceptions of their own superiority. Such
vain expectations have thus been fostered, as
became an impediment to their receiving a Dis
pensation, for which that communicated to
their ancestors was preparatory.
It is readily admitted that numerous passages
in the Old Testament, and particularly in the
prophecies, are expressive of an affectionate
predilection. Jehovah is emphatically styled
" the God of Israel ; the God of Jacob." " The
children of Jacob are his chosen ones." "I
loved thee with an everlasting love." "How
shall I give thee up Ephraim? How shall I
deliver thee Israel ?" Can a woman forget her
sucking child, that she should not have compas-

DISPENSATION. 325
sion on the son of her Womb ? yea, they may
forget^ yet will I not forget thee." These, and
many other expressions of a similar import,
seem to testify a peculiar attachment to this peo
ple, notwithstanding those enormities of con
duct which are so frequently and so severely re
prehended. Hence do these expressions appear
to be inconsistent with, that impartiality which
our reason ascribes to the universal parent, by
giving to this people an exclusive title to the
divine favour, which they deserved not. The
subject demands consideration.

When we were treating of the nature of
Love, in a preceding volume, we considered it
both as a principle and an affection. It was
observed that the principle of love, respects an
invariable predilection for good, seated in the
mind of a percipient, who knows, or thinks that
he knows, in what good consists, and in what
respects it relates to well-being. When the
principle is directed towards any particular
object it becomes an affection ; that is, the mind
is well disposed towards the object, or strongly
affected by it. This affection, as it respects
others, may again be distinguished into the love
of Benevolence, and of Complacency. The bene-

326 ON THE JEWISH
yolerii affections may be extended to all sentient
beings, whose susceptibility respecting good or
evil is sufficient to excite them. True benevor
lence requires no other quality in the object,
than his power of enjoyment, or exposure to suf- '
ferings. It may therefore be extended, not only
to strangers, but to enemies, even to those whose
demerits are great and conspicuous. It may some
times be alarmed by the perception of the dan
gers to which a subject is exposed, in consequence
of his demerits. In such cases its operations are
exemplified by the affection of a wise and good
parent, for a son who is precipitating himself
into ruin, by the profligacy of his conduct : they
are illustrated by the philanthropist, who con
sults the good of the most ignorant and deprav
ed part of .mankind ; and they shine with pecu
liar lustre in the merciful man, who remits the'
punishment due to an offender, and forms plans
for his welfare.
The case is very different in the love of Com
placency. In this, some degree of merit is
always presupposed. It can alone be excited
by some kind of apparent worth ; some real or
supposed excellence. It rises or falls, augments
or diminishes, according to obvious gradations
¦ in this scale.
The affection of Complacency may be much

DISPENSATION. 327
perverted, and it will have its partialities in
weak minds. But these partialities proceed
from a conception that pleasing and amiable
qualities exist in the beloved object, to a greater
degree than justice will allow. The slightest.
appearance of worth will thus be magnified,
while every fault will be concealed or palliated.
Where truth and reason preside over the affec
tion, this partial fondness cannot be indulged.
The manifestations of complacency will accom
pany real worth alone. It will always be with
drawn from obvious demerit, although it may
leave Commiseration to operate with the greater
force. There is, however, one mode of manifesting
complacency, exclusive of > any distinguished
merit in the object, which seems at first view
to oppose the above statement. Peculiar favour
is frequently shown to individuals, merely on ac
count of their close connection with persons, whose
conduct or character have obtained our warm ap
probation. A liberal mind is disposed to confer
, peculiar marks of favour upon those who' are des
titute of every personal claim, in consequence
alone of the complacent affections entertained
, for their relatives and connexions. This prin
ciple is not only implanted in our nature, but is
highly respectable ; although it is too often mis-

328 ON THE JEWISH
applied, through a total inattention to the par
ticular object for which it was implanted. It
has been frequently known, in human life, to
confer exalted and permanent honours upon the
worthless, simply because they had the advan
tage of being descended from worthy ancestors,
to whom they were a disgrace ; and upon descen
dants whose vicious courses may have been de
structive of that good, which rendered their pre
decessors so worthy of complacential affection.
By such mistakes, virtue and vice are strangely
blended. The same rewards are given to the
wicked as to the righteous ; attempts are made
literally to impute merit, and to transfer a worthy
character to the unworthy, without changing
their natures ; which is to confound identities
Tvhere there is no resemblance.
But the due application of this principle, is
an exalted reward, and an encouragement to
virtue. The love of parents to their offspring is proxi
mate to self-love ; nay it is a species of self-
love. It is the great object of good parents,
through every stage of life, to promote the wel
fare of their progeny. For this they are often
willing to sacrifice every personal enjoyment,
and personal advantage. Nothing therefore can
be more pleasing than the expectations, or per-

DISPENSATION. 329
ceptions, that the honours which they have been
assiduous to merit, should, to a certain degree,
be reflected upon their offspring. Parental
fondness will also cherish the expectation, that
the respect shown to their children, will be an
encouragement to imitate the example which
obtained it; aud the worthy offspring of such
parents, will be ambitious to acquire a real title
to that which has been bestowed by courtesy,
instead of becoming proud and supercilious,
sleeping upon their laurels, or sullying them in
the dirt. *
The supreme Being, who has placed this prin
ciple of complacential benevolence in our bo
soms, himself acts upon it; and he has set us an
example, in what manner it can be invariably
acted upon for good. In all those instances
upon record, where favours have been extended
to those whose personal merits have not attracted
them, we may perceive that this extension of
kindness, sometimes consists in appointing the
successor of his approved servants to the ho
nourable station of being the means, instru
ments, or mediums of conveyance of some essen-
sential good to others, in preference to the in
strumentality of those whose parents have not
merited this honourable distinction; sometimes
in acts of clemency to the undeserving, that the

330 ON THE JEWISH
righteous may not be afflicted by their punish
ment. Thus it was that after the destruction
of .an irreclaimable race of men, the family of
Noah was chosen to renovate the world ; and to
them was the opportunity conferred of dissemina
ting those principles of righteousness, upon which
its existence and welfare was to depend ; for
" Noah was a just man and perfect in his gene
ration, and Noah found grace in the eyes of the
Lord." Thus would the inhabitants of Sodom and
Gomorrah have been spared from total destruc
tion, out of respect to the character, and the
compassionate feelings of Lot, had not their
degeneracy been so universal. The exemplary
piety of Abraham, amidst an idolatrous people,
his ready obedience to the Divine commands,
and submission to the severest trial to which an
affectionate parent could be exposed, were pe
culiarly acceptable to God ; and were remune
rated by the peculiar privileges promised to his
posterity. He had assurances that they should
become a great nation ; that they should finally
possess the land of Canaan ; and that " in him
shall all the families of the earth be blessed." They
were accordingly selected from a wicked and
ignorant race of men, to be initiated in the prin
ciples of religion and virtue ; to be a deposit of
sacred tr.iths, which were hidden from the rest

DISPENSATION. 33J
of the world; and fo be the channel of commu
nication of spiritual blessings to mankind.-—
While other nations continued in palpable dark
ness, the light of Divine truths shone around
them : They had the first offer to become pious,
moral, and happy, to a degree not to be obtained
by natural means : They were promised the pe
culiar patronage and protection of heaven, upon
the condition of their obedience to the com
mands of heaven, which they were enabled by
a peculiar revelation to accomplish. Nor. was
there a single act of piety unrewarded, or mark
of sincere contrition rejected.

Similar to these privileges, which were com
mon to the whole nation of the Hebrews, we are
presented with some other evidences, of the ef
fects of Divine complacency being extended be
yond the person of the agent. The distinguished
virtue and piety of Joseph, procured, to him the
gratifying assurance, that his two sons, although
born of an Egyptian woman, should participate
in the honour of forming tribes in Israel. When
Solomon encouraged idolatrous worship, although
"the Lord was angry because his heart was turn
ed from the Lord God of Israel;" and it was tlie
determination of heaven to rend the kingdom ;

332 ON THE JEWISH
yet the suspension of so great an evil was ascrib
ed to the piety of his father David. " In thy
days I will not do it for David thy father's sake,
neither will I send away all thy kingdom, but will
give one tribe to thy son, for David my servant's
sake, and for Israel's sake whom I have chosen."
Thus far did distinguished and honourable ad
vantages extend, by the influence of compla
cency, from those who possessed singular merit,
to those who had no personal claim ; but no fur--
ther. The Jewish people were warned, from
the earliest period, and through every stage of
their political existence, that permanent prospe
rity, and permanent happiness, were alone to be
the result of their personal qualifications. These
were alone to be procured by the purity of their
worship, and the strictness of their morals. —
Accordingly, the whole of their history informs
us, that they were rewarded or punished, enjoy
ed national honours, and suffered national dis
grace, in a manner correspondent to the state of
their religious and moral characters.
Favours thus conferred upon the descendants of
those who were eminently pious and good, in
sulted no one; were an injury to no one. There
was not a privation to any one of a single privi
lege or right, to which he was naturally entitled.
The chief object of envy in their state, was the
power of communicating blessings; and there

DISPENSATION. 333
still remained, to the envious, the power of par
ticipation in these blessings. But aMreadfui
responsibility was attached to such distinctions.
The disgrace of their impieties was in exact pro
portion to their superior advantages. A deter
mination to shut the eyes, and not to walk in
the light of heaven, implies much greater cul
pability, than to wander in the ignorance and
darkness to which the surrounding nations
were involuntarily subjected.

It was remarked, upon a former occasion, that
the principle of displacency sometimes operates
in a similar manner; that the human mind is
prone to transfer, and, as it were, impute guilt, fo
the innocent, who are intimately allied to the
supposed offender. But this principle is confined
within very narrow bounds, and ought to be of
a short duration in its influence. It is founded
upon the assumption, that the dependants or
relatives of aggressors, are virtually partakers in
the offence : That they are the culpable parts of
a culpable whole, It is inferred, that persons in
these intimate connexions, possess the same spi
rit, approve of the same conduct, and are dis
posed to act in a similar manner. Nor are such
apprehensipns unfounded, as long as the only
laws of society which are avowed, consist in an

334 ON THE JEWISH
inviolate attachment to a particular clan or party.-
The progress of civilization ; greater freedom
of intercourse ; the diffusion of better principles;
and the discovery that individuals are not always
obstinate partizans in an unjust cause, gradually
moderate the severity of these early maxims,
and open a path for the exercise of clemency,
and for the more accurate discriminations of
justice. When the intentional punishment ofone mail,
or bodies of men, for the offences of others, shall
no longer exist, there will still remain that kind
of punishment for thexnffences of parents and
ancestry, which proceeds from the natural influ
ence of cause and effect. Advantages lost, or
calamities induced by the folly of predecessors,
will sometimes acquire a permanency, which it
may not be in the power of subsequent wisdom
speedily to remove. Degeneracy also propagates
degeneracy ; and, accordingto the usual process of
things, will be productive of all those miseries
which are the natural result of degeneracy.
Whoever admits the validity of the above ob
servations, must admit that the numerous ex
pressions of affectionate concern, uttered by the
mouths of the prophets, in the name of their God;
the frequent and earnest expostulations with this
stubborn people, so far from being indications
of personal complacency, are the strongest tokens

DISPENSATION. 335
of commiseration. The Supreme -Being, Who,
through the whole of his connexion with the
Jewish people, is represented as being actuated
by those passions and affections which influence
the minds of human agents, in similar circum
stances, manifests a reluctance to punish; ex
presses a sorrow at the very calamities he himself
has inflicted ; employs every argument, gives
every encouragement, uses every menace, that
they may repent, reform, and be happy. Instead
of seeing no sins in these his elect, he manifests
more solicitude on account of their sins, than for
the depravity of the heathens. Their history
shews that this solicitude, and these exertions,
availed not to the clue extent ; as the privileges
the Hebrews had enjoyed, in consequence of
their being descended from faithful Abraham,
were shamefully abused, the eminent piety of
their ancestors did not protect them from the
punishment which the abuse of their privileges
finally deserved ; and their punishment conti
nued until their reformation commenced.
Were we to take a view of the moral character
of this people, from their first selection, until
the days of their captivity, we should perceive
that one of the strongest marks of Divine com
placency in the pious conduct of Abraham, con
sisted in the patience and long-suffering exer-

336 ON THE JEWISH
cised towards his offspring, from generation to
generation : and we should be surprised, that so
few among them were exemplary characters,
notwithstanding the immense advantages* of a
religious and moral nature, which were commu
nicated to all.
But this will be unnecessary, as our remarks
concerning the moral character of the Jewish
nation, previously to their captivity, are confirm
ed by the incessant, terrific, and yet ineffectual
reprehensions of their prophets, through the dif
ferent stages of their political existence. Isaiah
takes the lead at a period when their depravity
was not at its height. For he prophesied during
the reigns of U zziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Heze
kiah ; of whom Ahaz alone was profligate and
abandoned. Yet we read the national character
in his introductory exclamation ; " Hear, Oh
heavens, and give ear O earth ; for the Lord
hath spoken. I have nourished and brought up
children, and they have rebelled against me. —
The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his- mas
ter's crib ; but Israel doth not know, my people
doth not consider. Oh sinful nation, a people
laden with iniquity, a seed of evil doers, chil
dren that are corrupters, they have forsaken the
Lord ; they have provoked the Holy One bf Is-

DISPENSATION. m
rael to anger, they have gone away backward.--
Why should ye be stricken any more? Ye will
revolt more and more; the whole head is. sick,
and the whole heart is faint," &c. The passages
to the same import, which might be quoted from
this prophet and most of the others, are innume
rable. It might have been imagined, that a people
who have received so many evidences of the di
vine interposition, who were surrounded with
moral and religious privileges, who are men
tioned in various parts of Scripture, with such
warmth of affection, and to whom blessings
were so copiously pronounced, would have been
signalized for worldly prosperity ; would have
been a happy people. But this was not eminently
the case. All the animating promises were con-*
ditional, and the conditions were never perform
ed on their part, to & degree that rendered their
prosperity permanent. " The Lord waited to be
gracious," but very few opportunities presented
themselves to manifest the richness of his good-'
ness. The rule of the divine conduct is expli1
eitly stated in the prophetic language of Jere
miah. "Behold as clay is in the potter's hand, so1
are ye in my hand, O house of Israel. -j— If thati
nation against whom I have pronounced, turn
from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I
z

338 ON THE JEWISH
thought to do unto them. — If it do evil in my
sight, that it obey not my voice, then will I re
pent of the Good, wherewith I said I would;
benefit them."*
, As their conduct strongly resembled that of
the surrounding nations, so did their civil and
political state. They had all the rest and peace
they deserved ; but these were unfrequent and
pf short duration, compared with trie tumults and
contests in which they were almost constantly
engaged ; but which they might, by their obedi
ence, have effectually escaped. The imperfect
manner in which they had executed the com
mands of Moses, exposed them equally to the
seductions and the insults of the surrounding
nations. The revolt of the ten tribes was fol
lowed by intestine wars- They were invaded,
conquered, and plundered, by the superior pow
ers of Assyria, Chaldea, and Egypt. After four
hundred years of severe bondage, the periods
which were strongly characterized by national
prosperity were extremely few. While they
were under the government of Joshua, and of
the Elders who immediately succeeded him, and
in the earlier times of the Judges, they enjoyed
national blessings to a great degree. But it is
* Jer. ch. xviii. v. 6—10.

DISPENSATION. S39
mentioned as a singularity that, after the death
of Sisera, " the land had 'rest forty years." Under
David they acquired ah honourable character
amoiig the nations ; and were indulged in that
gratification of the ambitious, the pride of con
quest. During the reign of Solomon; they ex
ulted in their national splendour. Exclusive of
these short eppxhs, they seem to have been near
ly upon a level with the neighbouring nations.
They Were alternately elevated and depressed,
triumphant and subdued. They were sometimes
envied, and sometimes envying; which occasion
ally induced them to worship the gods of the
Pagans, that they might enjoy the temporal
blessings the Pagans occasionally possessed.

1 Will not the above observations clearly eluci-
.date the nature and extent of the distinguished
favour, which Was conferred upon the descen
dants of Abraham ? Although they neglected to
profit by the superior light and knowledge they
enjoyed, respecting those important articles,
the nature of true religion, and of acceptable
service* yet they wefe destined to possess the
high honour of being the deposit of these prin
ciples, for the benefit of others. Whenever
any Superior proposes to execute a wise and
z 2

34Q ON THE JEWISH
beneficent plan, requiring the agency of his
dependants, although no individuals among
them may be entitled to the preference, yet it
must be enjoyed by some. Individuals must
be selected to the honour of becoming instru
mental to the general good. In such cases, we.
cannot conceive of a mode by which the neces-r
sary inequality can be produced, less offensive
to others, or more operative upon the minds of
all, than to render the superior virtues pf pa
rents or progenitors the motives of choice.
This manifests a marked respect for merit, which
all must approve, and by which numbers may
be encouraged. But the post of hp.np.ur is also
the post of danger. The man who is placed in a
distinguished station, has a character to acquire
and to maintain. Responsibility is attached to
his office ; for he has duties to perform which
are not expected from others. Marks of com
placency cannpt be conferred upon him in bis
new character, by a, wise director, until hedesemv^
them ; and if he fail, he incurs severe displea
sure, notwithstanding the virtues of his. ances--
tryi The conduct of the Israelites, as a peo^-
pie, could have no claim to approbation, not
withstanding their superior advantages. They
were frequently the objects of divine indignar
tion. The only indulgence shewn, on account.

DISPENSATION: 341
of their patriarchal ancestors, consisted in a
manifest reluctance to punish, and in the en
couraging assurances given them, that upon
reformation, they should return to the immedi
ate protection of heaven.
The dispersion and subsequent annihilation,
as a people, Of not less than ten tribes of the
house of JacobJ»illustrate and confirm these asser
tions. Had the chosen nation been the person
al favourites of the Almighty, in the manner
that had been generally supposed, his watchful
eye would have prevented their foul disgrace.
These tribes were in fact the bulk of the nation.
The two remaining tribes could not have been
sufficiently numerous, for the accomplishment
of the promises made to the patriarchs, if a
personal predilection for their numerous progeny,
had been the primary object. These promises
were fully accomplished by the exclusive
privileges which their descendants had enjoyed,
for a series of ages : but when their privileges
were abused, to the Subversion of the religion
they were bound to protect ; when they became
as' profligate as" the Antediluvians, as the' cities of
Sodom and Gomorrah, or as the Canaanites,
whose land's" they occupied, without attention to
the conditions of fhe tenure, they were also
swept! away as" abandbhed and incorrigible.

342 ON THE JEWISH
Miraculous interpositions were destined to high-^
er objects than to the protection of favourites,
Who were not to be reclaimed by. the usual
dispensations of Providence. The remaining
tribes, notwithstanding their degeneracies, were,
much less vicious, and were still corrigible; •
and, notwithstanding the comparative paucity
of their numbers, they were competent to all
the purposes of Jehovah ; consequently they,
and they alone, of the numerous tribes. of Israel,.
were appointed to bring these purposes to the
intended issue. A similar dispersion of these
must have left the plan unaccomplished. They
were therefore miraculously prevented from be
ing dissolved as a nation, punished with the:
severity which . their sins required, regenerated
by their afflictions, and then restored to the land
of their fathers.

Let the above statement correct those vague and
indiscriminating ideas which have been formed,
concerning the love of God to his chosen peo
ple the Israelites ; by which some minds have
been greatly embarrassed ; and others have been
induced to palliate .flagrant immoralities, as if
any among them had a prescriptive rigtit . fo
act as they pleased, without the charge of cul«
I

DISPENSATION. 343
pability. "Such sentiments are most dishonour
able to God, and totally inconsistent with those
principles of morality he incessantly commands
us to cherish.

SECT. II.
EXPRESS DECLARATIONS RESPECTING THE
DIFFUSION OF HAPPINESS, THROUGH THE
MEDIUM OF THIS DISPENSATION.
We have shewn, from every part of the Jewish
history, that the grand object was to destroy
idolatry, which is so fatal to human happiness,
and to establish, among a particular people the
important doctrines of Monotheism, or the
existence of one God, the great creator and
sovereign, ruler, without rival or. competitor,,
possessing every natural and every moral attri
bute. — We have shewn, from the very nature of
rational religion, or of such sentiments concern
ing religion as are most consonant to our reason,
that human happiness cannot be ensured in any
other way, than by submitting to their influ-,
ence. — We have also shewn that these very
sentiments of the Deity, and his moral relations,
are uniformly inculcated in the Jewish dispensa
tion ; that the practice of every moral virtue is

344 ON THE JEWISH
founded upon them, and represented as being
essentially necessary to obtain the favour of
God, or to enjoy that happiness of which our
nature is rendered capable.
But we are not to suppose that to destroy
idolatrous worship, and to establish, after the
lapse of many centuries, sublimer principles of
religion, among a small remnant of a particular
people, was the ultimate purpose of God. The
beneficial effects of this change would be too
circumscribed, and too disproportionate to the
length of time and complicated means employ
ed, and to the numerous obstacles surmounted.
The result of these unwearied exertions, would
have been of small importance, were it not pre
paratory for other blessings, for the enjoyment
of which religious ignorance was a total dis
qualification. The sacred history, which has
informed us of so many important facts, informs
us also that higher purposes are to be answered ;
-—that a much more extensive good is in reserve
for mankind at large, through the medium-
established, and the progressive operation of the
means pre-ordained ;— that the whole human
race shall be rendered partakers of signal bless
ings; — and that the descendants of Abraham
shall finally become the objects of the divine

DISPENSATION. 345
complacency, by their possessing a character
which deserves it.

Although the transgression of Adam, disqua
lified him for the immediate possession of
immortality, and deprived him of the honour of
being the parent of an immortal race, yet he
was not left in his humiliated state, destitute of
consolation. Whatever we are to understand by
the Serpent, and the sentence pronounced, " I
will put enmity between thee and the woman,
between thy seed and her seed ; it shall bruise
thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel ;" it is
universally acknowledged that these expressions
were intended to convey the consolatory pro
mise, that finally a victory shall be obtained,
greatly superior to the partial evils induced by a
compliance with the temptation ; and that this
final success respects the posterity of Adam as
one great family. Nor can it be applied to any
one particular people exclusively.
The promise pronounced to Abraham, several
ages afterwards, was full and explicit. " I will
make of thee a great nation, and I will bless
thee and make thy name great ; and thou shalt
be a blessing ; and I will bless them tliat bles&
thee, and curse them that curse thee ; and in thee

346 ON THE JEWISH
shall all the families of the earth be blessed."
After Abraham had testified his readiness to obey
the severe command, the Angel of the Lord said
unto him, " now I know that thou fearest God,
seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only
son from me." He repeated the blessing and
assigned the reason, " because thou hast obeyed
my voice." The same promise was repeated to
Isaac, during the season of a desolating famine ;
and the obedience of Abraham is alleged as the
cause. It was also confirmed to Jacob, as he
was on his way to Padanaram.
Among the predictions which were uttered
by this patriarch in his last hours, the assurance
that " the sceptre shall not depart from Judah,
nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until
Shiloh come, and unto him shall the gathering
of the people be,"* is the most remarkable. It
is not consistent with our design to state the
different opinions of commentators upon this
passage, much less to decide between them;
but to point out a fact in which they must all
concur. We learn from the Jewish history, that
after the revolt pf the ten tribes, the tribe of
Judah was the principal, and upon the return of
the Israelites from captivity, it was the only tribe
that was recognized ; the individuals of the other
* Gen. ch, xlix. v. 10.

DISPENSATION. 347
tribes, being blended, and as it were absorbed
by it. The descendants from this tribe remain
to the present day a distinct people, perfectly
insulated from all others among whom they
are resident. Thus they are under a theocratic
government to the present hour, so far as to be
preserved from intermixing with the nations
among whom they are scattered, and so as not
to lose the characteristics of a foreign people ;
which has been universally the case with all
other strangers, however opposite their primitive
characters and customs may have been. Their
original propensity to conform to the most
impious and absurd customs of the nations, with
whom they had intercourse, now yields to
insuperable aversions and prejudices, in things
apparently indifferent. Wherever there is a pro
fessed Jew, there is a strict observer of the
mosaic law- This fact is consonant with the
expression, nor a lawgiver from between his feet ;
which cannot refer to a succession of legislators
enacting new laws, for such could not be the
laws of God, but ofsuperintendants who should
preserve the law entire, until the Shiloh come.
Concerning the precise meaning of the word
Shiloh, commentators are notagreed ; but they are
agreed that the- character and qualifications it is
supposed to express, belong to a divine personage,

*•

345 ON THE JEWISH
under whose government all the nations of the
earth shall finally be assembled.
Moses, in giving directions concerning the
Priests and the Levites, admonishes them, when
they should come to the land which the Lord
had given them, not to learn to do after the
abomination of those nations, nor in any instance
to listen to deceivers ; and he adds, " the Lord
thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet from
the midst of thy brethren, like unto me, unto
him shall ye hearken." Some divines have con
sidered this passage as predictive of the advent
of the great prophet, " who shall more folly
instruct his people in the counsels of the Most
High. Others think that tlie context necessarily
confines it to Joshua the prophet, who should
immediately succeed him, or to the order of
prophets raised up in his plaGe to instruct thepeo^
ple,inwhatever related to their religious concerns.
Notwithstanding therefore its apparent relation
to our subject, we shall not venture to apply it.
Numerous are the passages in the prophecies
of Isaiah, and other succeeding prophets,
which confirm the above assurances. We need
¦pot subjoin, that the completion of various
events predicted by them are Vouchers of the
future accomplishments. " It shall come to
paiss," says Isaiah, " that the mountain- of the

DISPENSATION. S49
Lord's house be established in the top of the
mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills,
and all nations shall flow unto it.7'* The same
prophet, anticipating the future, as if the event
had already taken place, declares, " the people
that walked in darkness have seen a great light:
they that dwell in the land of the shadow of
death, upon them hath the light shined."j*
" The earth shall be full of the knowledge of
the Lord, a,s the waters cover the sea."$ u la
that day there shall be a root in Jesse which
shall stand as an ensign of the people ; to it
shall all. the GeniMes «ee#."§ " He shall bring
forth judgment to the Geatiles. ; — 'the isles shall
wait for his law," &c. | " Look unto me and
be ye saved, all the ends of the earth."^" " The
Gefttile shall come to thy light, and kings to
the brightness of thy rising."** " I am sought
of them that asked not for me, I am found of
them that sought me not. I said, behold me^
behold me, to & nation, that was. not called by my
name.'f'jr The extent of blessings in reserve for those
* Isa. ch. ii. v. 2. \ Isa. ch. ix, v. 2, 3. ,
% Isa. ch. xi. v. Q. § Isaiah ch. xi. v: 1 1
H Isa. ch. xiii. from v. 1 ta 12. ^f Isa. ch. xiv. v. 22.
** Isa. ch. Ix. v,. 1 to 11. ft Isa* ch; »fr' v- 1-

350 ON THE JEWISH
who are not of the house of Israel, is beau
tifully represented by Ezekiel, under the image
of a goodly cedar, under whose wide-spreading
branches shall dwell all fowl of every wing.*
The prophecies of Daniel respecting distant
ages, are expressed in obscure and mystical lan
guage. There is however one passage suffici
ently explicit for our purpose. " I saw in the
night visions, and behold, one like the Son of
Man came with the clouds of heaven, and came
to the Ancient of Days, and they brought him
near before him ; and there was given him
dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all
people, nations, and languages should serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which
shall not pass away, and his kingdom which
shall not be destroyed." *
We are moreover made acquainted with the
nature of this blessing. It will consist in the
universal and cordial admission of all those
principles, and in the cultivation of all those
affections, which we have proved, from the
nature of man, to be essential to his well-being.
Principles and dispositions that shall subdue the
ignorance, immoralities, and impieties which
have deluged the world, and introduce universal
* Ezek. ch. xvii. v. 22, 23.

DISPENSATION. 351
peace, prosperity, and social happiness. In
other words, the love of virtue, implicit obe
dience to the laws of moral obligation, and
the consolations of rational religion, shall
prevail. We are also informed that this new and desi
rable asra is to be introduced by a distinguished
personage, in whom are centered the sublimest
virtues ; in whom will be united superior dignity
and elevation of character, with a state of humi
liation and personal sufferings. To this state
of things is there a partial reference in the pas
sages already quoted. In other passages, all
the circumstances which are so conducive to
universal felicity, are, according to the impe
tuosity of prophetic language, collected toge
ther in one glorious assemblage. " There shall
come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and
a branch shall grow out of his roots, and the
Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit
of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of
counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of
the fear of the Lord ; and he shall not judge after
the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the
hearing of his ears," " but with righteous
ness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with
equity, for the meek of the earth ; and he shall
smite the earth," — not with a sword, — but " with

352 ON THE JEWISH
the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his
lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteous*
ness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithful
ness the girdle of his reins." The subjugation
of all the turbulent passions, which have always
diffused misery proportionate to their prevalence,
while they degrade rational man to a level with
the most noxious animals ; and the delightful
harmony that shall result from mutual good-will,
are beautifully described by those striking meta
phors, " The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the kid ;
and the calf, and the young lion, and the fatling
together ; and a little child shall lead them ; and
the" cow and the bear shall feed ; their young
ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall
eat straw like the ox, and the suckling shall play
on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child
shall put his hand on the cockatrice's den. They
shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy moun
tain ; for the earth shall be full of the know
ledge of the Lord as the waters eover the sea."*
Human ingenuity shall no longer be exercised
to invent instruments of destruction, to be ad
mired iis proportion as they become tremendous,
but to discover, multiply, and diffuse the means
* Is. ch. xl v. i, 9.

DISPENSATION. 35$
of good, and the blessings of peace. " They
shall beat their swords into plough-shares, and
their spears into pruning-hooks; for nation
ehail not lift up sword against nation, neither
shall they learn war any more."* Unto us a
"* child is born/' says the same prophet, " unto us
a son is given ; and the government shall be
upon his shoulders, and his name shall be called
Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the
everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Of
the increase of his government and peace there
«hall be no end." &c.f The meekness of his
character is thus represented : " He shall hot
cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard
in tlie street. A bruised reed shall he not breaks
and the smoking flax shall he not quench. He
shall not fail, nor be discouraged, -until he have
set judgment in the earth, and the isles shall
wait for his law."J His humiliation is thus
described : " He hath no form nor comeliness ;
and when we shall see him there is no beauty
that we should desire him. He is despised and
rejected of men, a man of sorrow, and acquainted
with grief." ** He was oppressed and he was
afflicted, yet be opened not his mouth; he is
brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a
*Ii. ch. u\v. 4. t Js.ch. ix. r.§. J Is. ch. xiii. v. 2, 4.
a a

354 ON THE JEWISH
sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened
not his mouth," &c* Yet " the spirit of God
is upon himj the Lord hath anointed him to
preach good tidings unto the meek ; to bind up
the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the
captives, and the opening of the prison to them
that are bound. "f
This great personage is further represented
under a character which denotes firmness and
permanency as a foundation, and as a chief corner
stone of the new edifice which is to be erected ;
that everlasting temple of universal holiness and
felicity. " Behold, saith the Lord God, I lay in
Zion for a foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a
precious corner stone, a sure foundation. — Judg
ment will I lay to the line, and righteousness tp
the plummet." %

From the above epitome of the moral and reli
gious history of the ancient Hebrews, united
with these prophetic declarations, it is manifest
that, in consequence of the separation of this
people from every other nation, and the peculiar
dispensations of providence respecting them, by
* Isa. ch. Iiii. v. 2/ 7. f Isa. ch. bu. v. 1, 2.
J Isa. ch. xxviii. y. 1 6.

DISPENSATION. 355
their instrumentality, and through their medium,
a preparation is made for the general welfare of
mankind, by the gradual progress of knowlege,
virtue, and piety, which are so essential to hu
man happiness. The works of righteousness can
alone be productive of peace, and the effects of
righteousness be quietness and assurance for
ever. Yet these people are not destined to be the
medium of important blessings to others, from
which they shall be totally excluded. Their
impieties have opened a way for the communi
cation of those blessings to thcGentiles, which
they had despised. But the same prophecies
give them the encouraging assurance, that they
shall finally become partakers of them. Their
continuing firm in the profession of Monothe
ism, and their scrupulous renunciation of those
idolatrous customs, to which they had formerly
been so prone, were not sufficient to secure a
perpetuity of the divine favour. They were
but as means for more important ends. These
people were still destitute of purity of morals,
and genuine devotion, which alone could render
them a consolation to each other, and secure the
favour of heaven. Their religious habits degene
rated into cold, uninfluential ceremonies, which
in place of forming tlie minds to the habits of
A a cl

US ON THE JEWISH
virtue, became substitutes for them. Their
prophets* in primitive times, frequently com
plained of their approaching to God with their
lips, while their hearts were far from hjm ; and
the great Prophet afterwards reproached them
with being scrupulously exact in the payment
of the tythe of mint, annise, and cuHmiaa, while
they neglected the weightier matters of the law,
judgment, mercy, and faithfulness. But as they
have, by the severe dispensations of providence,
been cured of idolatry, they are now under a
discipline which will correct tlieir remaining
depravities. When these important purposes
are accomplished, he that scattered Israel " will
gather them, and keep them as a shepherd
doth his flock." Many declarations of this kind
are so intermixed with the prophecies relative to
their return from the Babylonish captivity, that
it may be difficult to distinguish them ; but
others possess characteristic marks which can
not. be mistaken ; for they refer to a state of re
ligion and morality, which has hitherto been
unknown. " Behold the days come, saith the
Lord, that I will make a new.covenant with the
house of Israel, and with the house of Judah;
not according to the covenant that I made with
their fathers, in the day that I took them by the
hand to bring -them out of the land of Egypt;

DISPENSATION. 357
which my covenant they brake, although I was
an husband to them, saith the Lord ; but this
shall be the covenant that I will make with the
house of Israel. After those days, saith the
Lord, I will put niy law in their inward parts,
and write it in their hearts; and will be their
God, and they shall be my people. And they
shall teach no more every man his neighbour,
and every man his brother, saying, know the
Lord; for they shall all know me; from the
least of them unto the greatest of them ; for I
will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember
their sin no more."*

SECT. III.
ON , rHE NATURAL AND MORAL INFLUENCE
OF f&% JEWISH RELIGION, IN MITIGATING
TTiE HORRORS OF PAGANISM.
It would manifest great ignorance of the na
ture of man, and of the power which habits,
prejudices, and predilections have upon his mind,
to expect that the nations who were deeply im
mersed in barbarism and idolatry, who had de-
* Jerem. ch. xxxi. v. 31—34. See also Jer. ch. \..x. 20.
Eaek, ch. xxxiv. v. 11, passim. Exek. ch. xxxvii, v. 2lr-28.
2

35S- ON THE JEWISH -
rived principles from their ancestors which were"
deemed sacred during successive generations/
should, without a divine impulse upon every
individual mind, renounce immediately all their
gods,. and all their superstitious rites, upon their
becoming acquainted with invaders who profess
ed a purer and more sublime religion. The ut
most that could at first be expected must be a
perception that the God of the Israelites was
greatly superior to the deities whom they serv
ed. They would first learn to fear his matchless
power ; to wonder at the great things done for
this strange people; and to acknowledge that
this people must be happy under such a protec
tor. These impressions would prepare the way
for others, which had a tendency to mitigate the
horrors of a religion Which their habits would
not permit them to relinquish entirely, and ren
der them less tenacious of its most -profligate
rites. Such effects, Avhich it was natural to expect,
were produced to a considerable extent.
A multiplicity of Gods was essential to paga
nism. Most of these Gods were considered as
the tutelar deities of particular kingdoms, pro
vinces, minuter districts, and as agents in all
the personal concerns of individuals. This
very multiplicity generally rendered the. Pagans

DISPENSATION. 359
tolerant, and upon great occasions they readily
adopted the gods of their neighbours, or of their
enemies, of whose patronage they had formed an
exalted opinion. But the long captivity of the"
Hebrews, and the insulting hardships to which
they were continually exposed, could not in
spire these Egyptians with a favourable opinion
of the God of Israel. As the Hebrews were
suffered to remain in a state of the most abject
penitence, for so many centuries, the Egyptians-
would be disposed to infer, that their Jehovah
was impotent to save them from the hands of
masters, Who were under the protection of more
potent deities. Contrary to the usual custom
of paganism, this people were so far intole
rant, that they would not permit their slaves to
exercise the public solemnities of worship,
When Pharaoh was induced, by terror, to grant
them the indulgence of public sacrifices in the
land, the answer of Moses discovers to us the
severity of their restrictions. "Shall we sacrifice
the abominations of the Egyptians before their
eyes, and will they not stone us?" The severity
may be ascribed to the veneration in Which
those animals were held, which constituted the
most solemn sacrifice of the' Israelites ; but it
manifested the greatness of Pharaoh's panic in
being willing to grant an indulgence in a ritual
which insulted the divinities of Egypt.

380 ON THE JEWISH

The numerous and distressing miracles which
Jehovah wrought for the liberation of his peo
ple, finally convinced them of their mistake
concerning the impotency of Jehovah. Con^
tempt gave way to astonishment and despair.
The reiteration of the most dreadful calamities
proved to this superstitious nation, that the God
of their slaves was no creature of the imagine*
tion ; that his existence was real ; and that he
possessed a power far beyond that which they
could ascribe to their fictitious Deities. The
three trifling imitations of his magicians might
at first suggest to the sovereign, that his gods
were at least equal in power.
Yet the triumphs of Jehovah were finally
complete, although the tyrant was deeply inte
rested in the detention of so large a number
of laborious subjects, and used every evasion to
prevent their being rescued from his arm. The
magicians owned that the miracles which they
could not imitate were wrought by a more pow
erful God. Many of the people believed in his
judgments, and listening to the advice of Moses,
When he predicted a tremendous storm of bail
and rain, preserved their property from destruc
tion: and Pharaoh himself, who at an early

DISPENSATION. 36J
interview with the servant &f God, haughtily
demands who is Jehovah that I should obey his
Voice to let Israel go? 1 know not Jehovah, nei
ther will Ilet Israel go," was finally compelled
to intreat that Moses would intercede in his be
half, and to implore the blessing of the God
whom he had defied. " Begone, and bless me
also." But the greatness and extent of the impression
made upon the community at large is manifest
from the "mixed multitude" which accompanied
the Hebrews in their flight. We may suppose
this multitude to consist of Egyptians, and of
Ethiopians, and other sojourners in the Land,
who were so deeply convinced of the superior
powerof the God whom the Hebrews worshipped,
that they willingly relinquished every thing
which could have endeared to them their native
or adopted country, in order to place themselves
under his protection, and share in the destiny of
this highly-favoured people. They were doubt
less instrumental in preparing the way of the
Lord, by bearing testimony to the wonders
Wrought in Egypt, and proving to all the na
tions, with whom they had intercourse, that the
reports concerning the miraculous escape of the
Israelites, were neither invented, nor exaggerated.
We are informed by then leader, Moses, that one

362 ON THE JEWISH
object in miraculously preserving the Israelites
from the avenging pursuit of Pharaoh, was that
the Egyptians might be more fully convinced of
the power of Jehovah, and the certainty of his
protecting those who confided in him. " I will
harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they
shall follow them, and I will get me honour upon'
Pharaoh, and upon all his hosts, upon his cha
riots, and upon his horsemen; and the Egyptians
shall know that I am the Lord, when I have got
ten my honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots,
and upon his horsemen."
When Jethro, the idolatrous priest of Midian,
heard "all that the Lord had done unto Pha
raoh, and to the Egyptians, for Israel's sake, he
blessed the God of Israel, saying, "now I know
that Jehovah is greater than all gods', for in the
things wherein they dealt proudly he was above
them1." His education and his profession natu
rally induced him to believe in the existence and
influence of other gods, but the wonders of which
he was informed compelled him to acknow
ledge their inferiority.
Moses expected that these wonders, M'rought
for the chosen people, would make a deep im
pression upon the heathens. This is obvious
from the tenour of his expostulation with God,
when the people had provoked his wrath by
2

DISPENSATION. 363
murmuring at the discouraging report of the
spies, and God threatened " I will smite them
with pestilence, and disinherit them, and I will
make of thee a greater nation, and mightier than
they." This zealous and disinterested chief said
unto the Lord, " then the Egyptians shall hear it,
and they shall tell it to the inhabitants of this
land, for they have heard that thou Lord art
among this people, aud now if thou shalt kill all
this people as one man, then the nations which
have heard the fame of thee will speak, saying, be
cause the Lord zoas not able to bring this people into
the land which he sware unto them, therefore he hath
slain them in the wilderness."*
The dread and consternation of the Moabites,
when the children of Israel approached their
borders, was manifested by the expedient used
by Balak their king ; who, to revive their
drooping courage, was induced to bribe one of
his prophets to curse " this company that lick-
etli up all that is round about us, astthe ox lick-
etli up the grass of the field." The failure of
the attempt, the blessings pronounced by the
mouth of Balaam upon this people, and his de
claring " there is no enchantment against Jacob,
neither any divination against Israel, the
Lord his God is with him, and the shout of a
* Numb. ch. xiv. v. 12. \6,

354 ON THE JEWISH
king is among them," must have greatly increas
ed the terror of the Moabites.
We are also informed, that "when the kings
of the Amorites, who were on the western side
of Jordan, and all the Canaanites who were by
the sea, had heard that the Lord had dried up
the waters of Jordan, from before the chil
dren of Israel, that their hearts melted, neither
was their spirit within them any more." These
were wonders which no one had ever as
cribed to the heathen deities ; and from which,
as they could not avoid acknowledging, their
gods were unable to save them.
During the siege of Jericho, Rhahab the har
lot was induced to conceal the spies sent by
Joshua, from a conviction that his people were
protected by the irresistible power of their
God ; " and she said unto the men, I know
that the Lord has given you the land, and that
your terror has fallen upon us, and that
all the inhabitants of the land faint
because of you : for we have heard how the
Lord dried up the waters of the red sea for
you, when you came out of Egypt, &c. — and
as soon as we had heard these things our hearts
did melt, neither did there remain any more
courage in any man, because of you, for the
Lord your God he is God in heaven above, and in
earth beneath." This was a proof that they did

DISPENSATION. 365
not consider him as a mere local deity, similar
to the gods whom they served ; and it prepared
them for a confession that the Jehovaii of Israel
was the Lord of Lords, and the God of Gods,
The singular artifice used by the Gibeoraites
to form a league with the princes of Judah,
although it was by the sacrifice of their liberty,
evinced a conviction that the God of these
strangers possessed ** irresistible power." From
a very far country thy servants are come, because
of the name of the Lord thy God, for we have
heard of the fame of him, and all that lie did in
Egypt, &c. &e.
The triumphs of David over tlie gigantic
champion of the Philistines, who had pro
claimed defiance to all the hosts of Israel, was
considered as the triumph of Jehovah, over an
enemy who had defied the armies of the living
God, by the instrumentality of a youth who
appeared so unequal to the combat. Nor would
the impressions made upon the minds of the
Philistines be effaced by the subsequent accident
which befel Dagon their God, whom they found
prostrate and mutilated on tlie threshold of the
temple, before the ark of the Lord. Their su
perstitious terror upon this event was so great,
that neither priest nor people dared to tread
upon the threshold, for a series of years.
The rapid conquests of Joshua, and the still

366 ON THE JEWISH
more splendid and extensive victories of David,
during his protracted reign, must have mani
fested to the conquered nations the superiority
of the God of Israel over the deities whom
they feared ; and although their ignorance, inve
terate habits of idolatry, and attachments to
its obscene and lascivious rites, would prevent
their becoming proselytes to the Jewish religion,
they were compelled to acknowledge that the
God of this people was the Lord God Almighty ;
the Lord of Hosts, and terrible in battle. This
would teach them to revere his power, which is
the first object of reverence, and is the most
prevalent in uncultivated minds.
When Benhadad, the king of Syria, besieged
Samaria, in the days of Ahab, exulting in the
superiority of his numbers, he threatened their
total destruction. " The gods do so unto me, and
more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for
handfuls for all the people that follow me."
" And behold, there came a prophet unto Ahab,
kingof Israel, saying, thus saith the Lord, hast
thou seen all this great multitude ? Behold I
will deliver it into thine hand this day, and thou
shalt know that I am the Lord." The signal vic
tory obtained by the Israelites, struck their ad
versaries with awe. They ascribed it to the
peculiar aid of their God ; but they were dis
posed to consider him as a local deity. " The

DISPENSATION. $61
servants of the king of Syria said their Gods
are Gods of the hills, therefore they were stron
ger than we ; but let us fight against them in
the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than
they. And there came a man of God and spake
unto the king of Israel, arid said ; thus saith
the Lord, because the Syrians have said the
Lord is God of the hills, but he is not God
of the valleys, therefore will I deliver, all this
great multitude into thine hand, and ye shall
knczo that I am the Lord."
In the above interesting narrative we perceive
the extreme reluctance with which pre-conceived
opinions, however erroneous and absurd, are re
linquished; the power of the Almighty to sub
due them : and the objects for which such ex
traordinary occurrences were ordained to take
place ; that men might learn to knozv the Lord.

The Pagans not only attributed national
calamities, and personal afflictions, to the anger
of their goo's, but they ascribe national prospe
rity to their peculiar favour.. The concerns of
this life occupying every attention, these became
the sole criterions of good and evil, and con
stituted the sole motives of worship. Acting
upon these principles, they frequently forsook

368 ON THE JEWISH
the deities they were bound to serve, and adopt
ed those of their enemies, -who were more vic
torious, or in greater prosperity than themselves,.
This could be d©ne without any vjplenee being
committed upon their ancient habits ,a$d rites of
worship ; for these were universally similar in
their nature. Power being the primary attri
bute of their attention, they eagerly followed
its manifestations. The experienced imbecility
of their own gods weakened thejf attachments,
and induced a preference of those who seemed
to be more able toprotect them.

It will appear, from a dose attention to sa
cred history, that the remarkable splendour which
distinguished the reign of Solomon, was permit
ted and appointed, not solely to indulge this
select people with the objects most congenial
with human ambition, but to convince surround
ing nations, that the God of the Hebrews was
the God of Peace, and of national prosperity,
as well as the Lord mighty in battle."
During the whole of this sovereign's reign,
the Jewish nation was advanced to the summit
of worldly grandeur, and worldly happiness.
The dominions of the Israelites were very ex
tensive, and they lived in peace and amity with

DISPENSATION. 369
all foreign powers. Solomon, made an affinity
with the king of t those very Egyptians whose
ancestors were their rigid oppressors ; and he
took the king's daughter in marriage. When
we read of bis forty thousand horses for his
chariots, and his twelve^ thousand horsemen, we
maybe assured that this extraordinary state of
the sovereign, would answer a much more impor
tant purpose than to gratify personal, or national
vanity. It would attract the admiration, and
awaken a salutary jealousy in the breasts of the
Heathens, respecting the peculiar patronage
conferred: by the Supreme Ruler, upon this
highly- favoured people. We are informedthat
the Wisdom of Solomon exceeded all the wisdom
of the east, 'and aH the wisdom of Egypt; and
we are informed also, " that his fame was in
all nations round about ;" arid we know that
his -superior abilities were ascribed to the inspi
ration of his God.
¦-. It appears; from the instances uponrecord, that
the wisdom of Solomon, during the earlier part
of his reign, was "of the popular kind ; and in
his advanced years, it was manifested by the
judicious and moral reflections which the
recollection of his own follies; in suffering so-
superior a mind to be corrupted hy worldly plea
sures, had inspired. By theste he inculcated
b b

370 ON THE JEWISH
principles which might become an antidote to
the contagion, of his example ; and leave the im
portant lesson to his people, and to the world,
that the highest sublunary enjoyment is but
vanity ; and that the whole of man is to fear
God, and keep his commandments^
We are informed that " Hiram, the Pagan king
of Tyre, loved David." He had liberally proi-
posed to give him every assistance which the
cedars of Lebanon, cunning workmen, and his
ina.ritime situation would afford, to promote the
design of David, in building a house for the
Lord. This, aid was afterwards given to his son
Solomon, in the most cordial and effectual man
ner. When he learned from Solomon the terms
upon which his proposals would be received,
v he rejoiced greatly, and said, blessed be the
Lord, this day, who hath given unto David a
wise son over this great people." Hiram also
assisted Solomon in his plan of forming a
large navy of merchantmen ; " sending his ser
vants, shipmen that had knowledge of the sea,
with the servants of Solomon." In consequence
of such aids Judea became a large maritime state>
under the. reign of Solomon. . The king wis,
also enabled to supply himself with the richest
ornaments for the house of the Lord, " bring*

DISPENSATION. 37 1
ing gold from Ophir, almond trees, and precious
stones."

Nothing could strike the Heathen nations
with deeper awe and reverence for the religion
of the Hebrews, than the building, decorations,
and sacred services of the Temple at Jerusalem.
A people who, in the days of their bondage,
were condemned to worship their God in pri
vacy, how attracted universal notice, and
Were become the admiration of the world, for
the extraordinary splendour of their public
Devotion. Every attentibn Was paid in its con
struction, to the grand objects for which this
temple was piously erected. The utmost skill
in architecture was exerted, and an exuberance
of the most costly ornaments was displayed.
While the pomp and soleriiriity of their public
sacrifices, particularly at the season of its dedi
cation, were grand beyond example, and be
yond description. These, which the1 Apostle
justly calls carnal ordinances, because they Were*
calculated to make ah impression upon a race
whose untutored and unreflecting minds requi
red the aid of sensible objects, had a moral in
fluence, both upon the Jewish pebple themselves,
aba

372 ON THE JEWISH
and upon all those who had an intercourse with
them." Solomon in his sublime and reverential dedica
tion of this temple to the true God, earnestly
supplicates that when the people shall pray to:
wards this place, in all their distresses, and in all
their sinful aberrations, they may receive assis
tance and pardon. He adds, " moreover, concern
ing a stranger that is not of thy people Israel, but
cometh out of a far country, for thy name-sake, (for
they shall hear of thy great name and of thy strong
hand, andof thy stretched out arm,) when he shalf
come and pray towards this house, hear thou
in heaven, thy dwelling place, and do according
to all that the stranger calleth to thee' for, that
all people of the earth may know thy name, to,
fear thee as do thy people Israel, that they may.
know that this house which I have built, is called
by thy name*
Thus we learn that there was a much more
important object in view, by the exhibition of
these instances of prosperity arid splendour,
than merely to excite empty admiration. It
was to impress upon the minds of the heathen
world, a solemn sense of the majesty of the
king of heaven, and of the blessings he was
* J Kirigs ch. -viii.

DISPENSATION. 373
able to cbmmuhicate to his faithful worship
pers: "
'The expectations of Solomon that strangers
would do more than gaze and wonder; that they
would also come and worship before the Lord
of Lords, were realized. The extraordinary visit
paid to Solomon by the queen of Sheba, demon
strates that, not only the fame of this sovereign,
but a reverence for his God, was spread to dis
tant lands. " And she said unto the king,
it was a true report that I heard in my own
land Of thy acts and of thy wisdom. How-
beit, I believed not the words until I came, and
mine eyes had seen it ; and behold the half was
hot told me; thy wisdom and prosperity exceed-
eth the fame which I heard. Happy are thy
men ; happy are these thy servants, which stand
continually before thee, and that hear thy wis
dom. Blessed be the Lord thy God which delight-
eth in thee to set thee on the throne of Israel ; be
cause the Lord loved Israel for ever, therefore made
fie thee king to do judgment and justice."

We might enlarge also upon the moral effects
produced by the sacred music which was so
much cultivated in the days of David and So-

374 ON THE JEWISH
lomon; and place in contrast those songs: of
praise and thanksgiving, which were chaunted
to the honour of the God of Israel, accompanied
by the cymbol, the sacbut, and the harp, with
the harsh and discordant notes, by which savage
nations make their earlier attempts at harmony.
We might enlarge upon the horrid noise of rude
instruments, and the loud acclamations of the
multitude which accompanied their execrable
rites, when they offered human sacrifices to Mo
loch, by which they attempted to silence the
groans of the victims, and the shrieks of relatives
and friends, who were making their last unavail
ing appeal to human feelings. We might compare
these with the sublime choruses of Priests and
Levites, singing with melodious voices, " Praise
ye the Lord ; O give thanks unto the Lord, for
he is gopd, for his mercy endureth for ever. It
is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord,
and to sing praises unto thy name, 0 most high;
to show forth thy loving kindness in the morn
ing, and thy faithfulness every night. Upon an
instrument of ten strings, and upon the harp
with solemn sound : for thou, O Lord, hast made
me glad through thy work : I will triumph in
the work of thine hands." Must not that heart
be more than sayage, which could be a frequent
witness to such edifying and solacing offiees of

DISPENSATION. 375
devotion, without being, in some degree, affected
and humanized ?

The Jews had at this period very extensive
commerce. It is generally supposed, that they
traded to Judea, as wrell as to Arabia and Persia,
and the more neighbouring districts. Although
the situation of the land of Ophir, which fur
nished almond trees, gold; and precious stones in
great abundance, is not precisely" known, it must
have been at a remote distance from India. This
is obvious from the present uncertainty of its
situation, and from the length of the voyage to
it. For we are informed that the king had at
sea a navy of Tarshish; " with the navy of
Hiram, once in three years, came the navy of
Tarshish, bringing gold and silver, ivory, and
apes and peacocks."*
The introduction of extensive commerce at
this period, not only presents us with another
evidence of national prosperity, but it became
the means of promoting civilization among the
ruder nations ; and thus were the Israelites highly
honoured, by being rendered the instruments of
good to different parts of the known world.
We have already had occasion to animadvert
* See Note M.

376 ON THE JEWISH
upon the beneficial effects of commerce, in sub?
duing what may be termed, the insulated se^-j
fishness of individuals, and of clans, or separate
bodies of men, so predominant ip the earlier
stages of society. When there is not some cause
of attraction in the human species, we gene-:
rally perceive a considerable degree of repul
sions. A stranger, and an enemy, are almost
synonymous in the conceptions of uncivil
ized barbarians. But whenever essential be
nefits are received, pr expected, by a mutual
intercourse, the most inveterate prejudices will
gradually subside, and those who were once
regarded with displeasure, or distrust, will be
come the objects of confidence and esteem.
This state of mind is the harbinger of many
virtues, personal and social.
The commerce began under the reign of
David, was augmented by Solomon to a sur
prising extent; and it may be considered as
forming a new and important sera in the his
tory of the world. Although Credit once ob
tained may be subsequently abused by men des
titute of principle, yet commerce^ can alone be
introduced by integrity of conduct, " inspiring-
confidence, respect, complacency, and good
will. The habitual perception of moral' con
duct, in a more civilized nation, may inspire

DISPENSATION; 377
shame j?and by awakening attention to the gros
ser irregularities, which custom had rendered
universal, gradually introduce a reform.
We have amply enlarged upon the strict
morality pervading the Jewish laws ; and who
ever compares these laws with the maxims and
habits of surrounding nations, must consider
them as a vivid light shining in a place of pal
pable darkness. What ppuld be expected from
those whose religion itself was immoral ? Who
were devoid of every other security against acts.
pf injustice, than the instinctive affections of
kindred, and the interested attachments of clans
and parties, which prompted to acts of violence
or deceit, towards those who were considered
as Aliens. In opposition to these narrow prin
ciple^, it was commanded, "if a stranger, sojourn
with thee, in your land, ye shall not vex him ;
but the straqger that dwelleth with you, shall
be unto you as one born among you, and thou
shalt love him as thyself." Instead of che
rishing the desire to retaliate, according to the
common maxims of the world, their own ex
perience of the severities they had suffered in
Egypt, was placed before them as a motive to a
contrary conduct, "for ye were strangersin the
jand of Egypt, I am the Lord your God. Ye
shall do no unrighteousness, in judgment, in

378 ON THE JEWISH
mete-yard, in weight, or in measure. Just bajafi*
ces, just weights, and just ephah, and a just bin
shall ye have. I am the Lord your God, who
brought you out of the land of Egypt." They
were perpetually reminded of these laws, by
the royal psalmist David, who declared " a
false balance, lying lips, and the sacrifices of
the wicked, are an abomination to1 the Lord '¦;"
and the splendid Solomon, who bad raised their
national grandeur to its height, frequently in
culcates the same doctrine. Sueh maxims, en
forced by such authorities, laid the proper foun
dation for a commercial intercourse with all
the nations in' the' World ; and by it, would its
inhabitants gradually learn righteousness alsrj.
Thus, if we admit that the Jewish people
took the lead in traffick, and that social .in
tercourse, by traffick, -has a direct tendency
to humanize the breast, and soften the asperities'
e*f character, so obvious in barbarous nations,
we must also admit that this highly-fitvoUTed
people were rendered a blessing to mankind, at
this season of their prosperity, by civilizing the
nations with whom they had commercial- inter
course* Such a: Combination of advantageous circum-1
stances must have had a favourable, although a
gradual influence; removing Pagan ignorance,

DISPENSATION. 379
and correcting the primitive savageness bf their
manners. The horrors of human sacrifices
would be less frequent, and their lascivious
rites less popular. It cannot be imagined that
the contemplation, though at a distance, of a
religion so pure in its principles, so dignified in
its object, and so impressive ifl its ritqals, should
be totally without effect. If numberless Jews,
seduced by their carnal propensities, or by a
distrust of the God whom their fathers had
served, imitated the example of their Pagan
neighbours, until they apostatized from Jehovah,
we may also conclude that the more attentive
afcrd considerate of the Pagans would adopt
some of the maxims of the Israelites, and place
them under the principles, and the: rituals of
their own worship. The clearest stream, by flow
ing over an impure surface, will become conta
minated; but a bed of pure materials will in
some degree filter and refine the most turbid
fluids. It waa a principte in paganism to admit of an
intercommunity of Gods. This principle was
adopted by the Israelites to their destruction;
for it both induced them to worship theidols of
tlie heathens, and to corrupt the worship of the
true God, by the incantations and superstitious
rites of those idojatefs, ; until they finally be-

380 ON THE JEWISH
came embarrassed in their minds, to which of
the tutelar deities they belonged ; and whom it
was their interest to serve. But divine wisdons
rendered perverseness of conduct subservient
to the cause of Jehovah in the Pagan world.
A minute attention to many incidental circum-t
stances in the Jewish history will evince, that a
miraculous interference sometimes took place,
in order to restrain the imitative and accommo
dating dispositions of the chosen people, or to
render it instrumental in spreading the knowledge
of true religion among the heathens. An ex
ample or two will suffice, in the conduct of the
two prophets Elijah and Elisha. -«*
Although Ahab, a king of Israel, " did evil in
the sight of the Lord above all that were before
him," yet he did not entirely renounce the
Lord. He and his people were sometimes in
clined to worship the true God, and .at others
they served Baal. It was this fluctuation in
their minds, which provoked the experiment
made by the priest of Baal "on the one side, and
of Elijah the true prophet, on the other. " Eli
jah came unto all the people and said how
long halt ye between two opinions, if Jehovah
be God follow him ; but if Baal then follow
himf* * 1 Kings eh. xviii. v. 21.

, DISPENSATION. 381
, When this king was besieged in Samaria by
Bahadad, king of Syria, who was a professed
Pagan, he was miraculously protected, in order
to convince both himself and his antagonist, of
the superiority of the God of Jacob. " Ahab
also terrified at the judgments pronounced
against him by Elijah, humbled himself before
the. Lord, renting his clothes, putting on sack
cloth and fasting;" and by this act of humilia
tion the judgment was suspended. "The Lord
said unto EJijah, because he humbleth him-
Self before me, I will not bring the evil in his
days; but, in his sons days will I bring the
evil upon his. house." Thus although he was
severely censured for his Idolatrous conduct,
in this instance he revered the God of his fa
thers. , ,
:„When Ahaziah his son was dangerously
wounded by a fall, he was sending messengers
to enquire of the God of Ekron, whether he
should recover; but Elijah was ordered to
meet the messengers, and " say unto them, is
it pot because there is not a God of Israel that ye
go and enquire of Baalzebub the God of Ekron f*.
Now, thereforei -thus saith the Lord, thou shalt
* 2 Kings ch. i. ?. 3.

382 ON THE JEWISH
not come down from that bed on which thou
art gone up, but shalt surely die."*
The widow who was so peculiarly distin
guished by Elisha the prophet, was a Shunamite,
and by birth a Pagan ; but on account of her
attachment to the true religion, she was miracu
lously favoured in two important instances, in
order to confirm her confidence in the God of
Israel, and spread the honour of his name among
her idolatrous associates.
¦ Naaman the leper was " captain of the host
of the king of Syria, a great man with his mas- '
ter, and honourable." Being informed by a
female servant, of the miracles wrought by a
prophet in Samaria, his sovereign sent large
presents to the king of Israel, in order to pur
chase the assistance of this prophet. When he
was advised to wash in the river Jordan, he was
offended at the simplicity of the prescription ;
but upon his compliance, which effected a cure,
" He returned to the Man of God, he and all
his company, and came and Stood before him,
and he said, behold, now I knozvthat there is no
God in all the .earth but in Israel"
It will appear to an attentive reader, that it
was the peculiar province of these two prophets
* 2 Kings ch.i. v. 2, 3.

DISPENSATION. 383
Elijah and Elisha, to eonfirm the wavering faith
of the apostatizing Israelites, and to dissemi
nate a knowledge of the true God among
those Pagans who began to have favourable im
pressions concerning the religion of the He
brews. To enlarge would be to transcribe too
large a portion of the first and second book of
Kings, which are worthy of a perusal, with this
object particularly in view.
The effects of such conformities and transmu
tations of religious principles, became most obvi
ous upon the captivity and dispersion of the
ten tribes of Israel. The strangers who were
sent from Babylon, and the adjacent districts,
to inhabit Samaria, in the place of the children
of Israel, became partial proselytes to the Jew
ish religion. It is said that " they feared the
Lord and served their own Gods, after the man
ner of the nations who carried them away from
thence :" and in process of time their principles
became almost as pure as those of the Jewish
nation who remained in the land.

We may also suppose that the alarming de-
ejwjciations uttered against the surrounding na
tions by many of the prophets, and the accom
plishments of these denunciations, would inspire 5

334 ON THE JEWISH
them with a superior reverence for the God of
the Jews, and lead them to suspect the imbecility
of their own Gods., Of their beneficial effects
upon the Ninevites, the preaching of Jonah is a
memorable instance. Such prophetic judgments
were also the more alarming, because. they were
peculiar to the oracles of Jehovah.
We /have no distinct history of the tribes
which were conveyed into distant countries.
But as the deep affliction of captivity was influ
ential in reclaiming the tribes of Judah and Ben
jamin, from idolatrous practices, at a subsequent
.period, and rendered them perfect Monotheists,
it is not an extravagant supposition, that corres-
pondent impressions were made upon a large
number of individuals ; and that they also would
become tenacious of those principles and
religious customs, which they had neglected or
despised, during their prosperity. Such princi
ples could not be devoid of influence upon the
people with whom they were intermixed, and
they would have a tendency to soften down the
horrors of pagan rites.
We are informed, by the sacred records them
selves, that the tribes carried into captivity by .
Nebuchadnezzar, were instrumental in shaking
the confidence of the Chaldeans in the power,
and probably in the existence of the deities to

DISPENSATION. 385
whom they had been the most firmly attached.
The astqnishing wisdom of Daniel; his miracu
lous endowments of interpreting of dreams, and
explaining visions ; his inflexible piety towards
his God, with the wonderful result; his subse
quent influence in the court of his Sovereign ;
the unsubdued piety and miraculous preservation
of the three provincial governors, Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abed-nego, finally established the
sovereignty of the great Jehovah, in the very
centre of pagan superstition, and brought their
renowned magicians and astrologers, those pro
fessed oracles of their assumed deities, into con
tempt. In our section on the instrumentalify of $he
prophets, it was observed, that they had their
peculiar offices, and distinguishing character?-
istics; and if we attend to the book of Daniel, wre
shall perceive that the designation of this pro
phet was to promote, and to proclaim, the progress
of true religion among the children of men. The
gift of interpreting the dreams and visions of the
sovereigns, with which he was so eminently en
dowed, was most efficacious in spreading the ho
nours of his religion through a very extensive
empire ; while his own visions and prophecies,
anticipated the advent of the great prophet, to the
conviction and consolation of succeeding ages.
c c

386 6N THE JEWISH
The singular events which took place during
the reigns of Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzer, and
Darius, are so closely related to our subject, and
illustrative of the principles we have advanced,
that we shall, as concisely as possible, state some
particulars. The interesting account commences with
informing us, that the king Nebuchadnezzar
deposited part of the vessels, which he had car
ried away from the temple of Jerusalem, into the
-treasure house of his god : which sufficiently
indicates the prevalence of pagan superstition at
this period. But a very considerable change
was afterwards made in his theological opinions,—
as in various other instances, — by the united in
fluence of natural and preternatural means. Da
niel, Hananiah, Michael, and Azariah, were, in
their childhood, selected from the captives, that
they might receive an education with other chil
dren ; which was to qualify them for the honour
to which they were destined, of standing before
the king. The appointment itself, manifests
both that they discovered unusual capacities, and
that the Israelitish character was not in a state
of degradation, notwithstanding the humiliating
circumstance of their captivity,
Daniel, in these early days, gavea rerriarkable
evidence of pious attachment to his religion, by

DISPENSATION. 387
being reluctant "to defile himself, as it is express
ed, with the portions of the king's meat, or with
the wine which he drank." He requested of the
prince of the eunuchs that he might not thus
defile himself, being assured that the nutrition
authorised by his own laws, would be as favour
able to the comely appearance desired, as the rich
est viands. He solicited that an experiment
might be made respecting himself, and his com
rades: "and at the end of ten days their counte
nances appeared firmer anil fatter in flesh, than
all the children which did eat the portion of the
king's meat." But they were endowed with
much higher qualifications than these external ap
pearances, for " God gave them knowledge- and
skill in all learning and wisdom, and Daniel had
understanding in all visions and dreams :" and
"at the end of the days that the king had said,
that he should bring them in, then the prince of
the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchad
nezzar, and the king communed with them, and
among them all was found none like Daniel,
Hananiah, Michael, and Azariah : therefore stood
they before the king; and in all matters of wis
dom and understanding, that the king enquired
of them, he found them ten times better than
all the magicians and astrologers that were in
his realm."
c c 2

388 ON THE JEWISH-
An opportunity soon presented itself, of de
monstrating the great superiority of Daniel.
When the incapacity of the magicians arid astro
logers to discover to the' king his dream concern
ing the image, formed of various and discordant
materials, exposed them to the destruction, in
which Daniel and his companions would have
been involved, " they desired mercies of the God
of heaven concerning this secret, that they might
not perish with the rest of the wise men of
Babylon." " Then was the secret revealed unto
Daniel in a night vision, and Daniel blessed the
God of heaven."
When he was introduced into the royal pre
sence, the king asked him, " art thou able to
make known unto me the dream which I have
seen, and the interpretation thereof?" Daniel an
swered in the presence of the king, and said, the
secret which the king hath demanded, cannot-
the wisemen, the astrologers, the magicians, the
soothsayers, shew unto the king : but there is a
God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh
known unto the king Nebuchadnezzar, what shall
be in the latter days." After Daniel had recalled
the dream to the king's remembrance, and gave
him the interpretation thereof, the king, asto-,
nished at his wisdom, concluded that Daniel
must himself be ^subordinate deity in an human

DISPENSATION. 389
form. " He fell upon his knees and worshipped
Daniel, and commanded that they should offer
an oblation, and sweet odours unto him. And
the king said unto Daniel, of a truth your God
is a God of Gods, and a Lord of kings, and a re
vealer of secrets, seeing thou couldst reveal this
secret." -Daniel was rewarded in the most dis
tinguished manner. "The king made Daniel
a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and
made him ruler over the whole province of Baby-
•lon, and chief of the governors over 'all the wise
men of Babylon. Then Daniel requested of the
king, and he set his three companions, whose
names were changed into Shadrach, Meshach,and
Abed-nego, over the affairs of Babylon : but
• Daniel sat in the gate of the king."
It appears, from the continued history, that
this singular event, although it placed before
the eye of the king the future dissolution of
his.mighty empire, made but a transient impres
sion upon his mind ; for not long after, " Ne
buchadnezzar, the king, made an image of gold,
whose height was threescore cubits, and the
breadth thereof, six cubits : he. set it up in the
plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon ; and
he sent to gather together the princes, the gover-
.nprs, the captains,' the judges, the treasurers,
the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers

390 ON THE JEWISH
of the provinces, to come to the dedication of
the image which Nebuchadnezzar, the king,
had set up : and they stood before the image : —
then an herald cried aloud, to you it is com
manded, O people, nations, and languages, that
at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet,
flute, harp, sacbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all
kindsof musick, ye fall down and worship the
golden image that Nebuchadnezzar, the king,
hath set up ; and whoso faileth not down and
worshippeth, shall the same hour be cast into
the midst of a burning fiery furnace."
It may, at first view, be difficult to accounj
for this solemn farce, and most extravagant
requisition. Had such a project been formed,
and such an edict been issued, posterior to the
time, when the king was afflicted with insanity,
we should imagine, that they proceeded from
a residue of the disease. There is one suppo
sition, however, which will explain his con
duct ; which is the more probable, as it is found*
ed upon the natural workings of the human
mind, in given circumstances.
We may be assured, that the triumphant suc
cess of Daniel, would excite the envy and jea
lousy of the astrologers, and magicians, whose
ignorance had been so fully detected, and ex
posed : and their rage was doubtless rendered

DISPENSATION. 391
the more implacable, by the fearful apprehen
sions, that their whole craft would be in dan
ger, and that they would sink into permanent
contempt. As it was universally the opinion
of Pagans, that they could create their own
gods, and that the work of their own hands
would be able to save them, these magicians,
soothsayers, and astrologers, were resolved to
make one grand effort to recover their credit
with the sovereign and his subjects ; and, esti
mating the beneficence of their gods according
to the value of the materials of which they
were made, and their power, according to the
magnitude of their sizes, they concluded, that
an image of gold, threescore cubits in height, and
six cubits in breadth, would become a very po
tent rival to this wonder-working deity of the
Hebrews. That the plan was theirs, and that
the king issued his commands by their sugges
tion, is plain, from tlieir not being included in
the injunction to worship the image, to which it
was enjoined upon' all the princes and nobles of
the lahd that they should yield obedience.
Although Nebuchadnezzar had been com
pelled to acknowledge the superiority of Daniel,
and of Daniel's God, to his magicians, and the
deities they professed to serve, he was still a
polytheist. His concession, that the Jehovah

392 ON THE JEWISH
of Israel, was the God of Gods, contained also
an avowal, that there were other Gods, besidfes
him. The early habits of superstition, and the
accustomed influence of the Pagan priests, over
the mind of the king, on the one hand, and the
miraculous interposition of this strange god of
the Hebrews, on the other, might, possibly,
create such an embarrassment in his mind, as
would dispose him to bring the contest to an
issue, by complying with the earnest desires of
the surrounding magi : and he was determined
to have the contest conducted with all possible
solemnity. This view of the subject appears to be well
calculated to explain the reason of those stu
pendous miracles, which have surprised multi
tudes, and staggered the faith of some.
The Hebrew chiefs did not obey the edict.
Nor could they consistently obey it, for their
principles were adverse to a plurality of gods,
although their Jehovah should be allowed to
preside over them. They remembered the great
command, " thou shalt have no other Gods
but me : thou shalt not make unto thyself any
graven image : thou shalt not bow down thy
self to them, nor serve them."
The absurdities of superstition, may accord
together. One error may, possibly, be less than

DISPENSATION. 395
another, or less injurious in its consequences,
without being fatal to its existence. But truth
cannot asssociate with error ; and to this obvious
impossibility , must be ascribed, that very un
pleasant and unaccommodating character, with
which unbelievers are disposed to stigmatise,
both the Jewish and the Christian dispensation.
The king condescended to expostulate with
the recusants: He warned them of the punish
ment threatened to disobedience, and asks " who
is that God, that shall deliver you out of my
hands ?" They firmly answer, " if it be so, our
God whom we serve, is able to deliver us from the
burning fiery furnace ; and he will deliver us out
of thine hand, Oh king : but if not, we will not
serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image
which thou hast set up."
" Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and
the form of his visage was changed against
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. And he
commanded that they should heat the furnace
one seven times more than it was wont to be
heated." And he commanded the most mighty
men that were in his army, to bind the recu
sants and to cast them into the burning fiery
furnace; "and because the king's commandment
was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the

394 ON THE JEWISH
flame of the fire slew those men that took them
to the furnace."
These minute particulars are indications of
a determined trial, and, as it were, a defiance of
the power of Jehovah, to deliver the offenders
from his resentment. But again, as in the con
test between the prophets of Baal, and Elijah,
did the God of the Israelites prevail. The tri
umph of Jehovah over Pagan superstition, and the
malice of impostors was complete. When " the
princes, governors, and captains, and the king's
counsellors being gathered together, saw these
men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power,
nor was an hair of their head singed ; neither
were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire
had passed on them ; Nebuchadnezzar spake,
and said, blessed be the God of Shadrach, Me-
shach, and Abed-nego, who hath sent his angel, and
delivered his servants, that trusted in him, and
have changed the king's words, and yielded
their bodies, that they might not serve, nor
worship any God except their own. There
fore, I make a decree that every people, nation,
and language, which speak any thing amiss,
against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abed-nego, shall be cut in pieces, and their
houses shall be made a dunghill ; because there
is no other God, that can deliver after this sort.

DISPENSATION. 395
Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abed-nego, in the province of Babylon."

It is probable that the permanent influence
of these two events, upon the mind of Nebu
chadnezzar, was confined to his admission of
the Jehovah of Israel, into the number of his
gods, and giving him the precedency over them,
as he had given to Daniel a precedency over all
the wise men of the east ; without his being
possessed of that devotional spirit, or impressed
with that reverential awe, which becomes the
service of the most high God.
But a subsequent event finally produced these
happy effects. He had another dream, for the
explanation of which he applied to his astro
logers and magicians in vain ; and the inspired
wisdom of Daniel, again became conspicuous.
The interpretation given to this dream was most
alarming. The tree which was represented in
the vision as an emblem of himself, and as giving
shelter and support to every living creature, was
to be cut down into a trunk. He was informed
by the faithful and conscientious Daniel : «' This
is the decree of the Most High, which is come
upon my lord the king : that they shall drive
thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with

396 ON THE JEWISH
the beasts of the field, and.they shall make thee
to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee*
with the dew of heaven, arid seven times shall
pass over thee, till thou know that the most high
ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to
.whomsoever he will. And whereas they com
manded to leave the stump of the tree and roots,
thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee, after that
thou shalt have knozvn that the heavens do rule.
Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable
unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteous
ness, and thine iniquities, by shewing mercy to
the poor, if it may be a lengthening of thy pros
perity." Notwithstanding his confidence in this pro
phet, neither the unwelcome interpretation, of
the dream, nor the admonitions of Daniel, seemed
to make a durable impression. Nebuchadnezzar
was the most potent sovereign on the face of the
earth. He was surrounded with riches and splen
dour; and with their inseparable companions, the
most servile homage and adulation. His frowns
were the signal of death, and his smiles ensured
the most enviable prosperity. Thus situated,
pride and vanity were still his ruling passions ;
and although he was forewarned that he was
soon to be expelled from the throne, his mind
was intoxicated with his greatness, which he

DISPENSATION. 397
proudly ascribed to his' own wisdom and prow
ess. At the end of twelve months he walked
in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon ; and
the king spake and said, "Is not this great Baby
lon that I have built, for the people of my king
dom, by the might qf my power for the honour of
my majesty f" While the word was in the king's
mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, " O
king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken, the
kingdom is departed from thee," &c. and the
same hour was the thing fulfilled.
Experience is a more effectual teacher than
admonitions the most solemn and authoritative.
This alone could completely reforrii the'tribes of
Judah and Benjamin from the practice of Ido
latry ; and it was this alone which could in-
spira^the proud king pf Babylon with pious
humiliation, and profound homage, towards the
universal sovereign. The depth of his degrada
tion subdued the haughtiness of his heart.
His restoration to the rank of human beings,
from which he had been expelled, and to the
enjoyment of his sovereignty, filled his breast
with devout gratitude. This proud boaster now
condescends to make a public statement of the
marvellous events which had befallen him ; to
ackowledge that his humiliating sufferings were
the just punishment of his pride ; to make

398 ON THE JEWISH
known the ignorance of his magicians, and the
other servants of false gods, and to celebrate the
wisdom of Daniel, the inspired prophet of the
true God; to express his sole dependence upon
Jehovah, and to propose his own conduct as an
example of the profoundest reverence towards
him. The following is the exordium of his public
declaration. " Nebuchadnezzar, the king, unto
all people, nations, and languages that dwell on
all the earth, peace be multiplied unto you. I
thought it good to show the signs and wonders that
the high God hath wrought towards me! How
great are his signs, and how mighty are his won
ders. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and
his dominion is from generation to generation."
Instead of concealing, he gives the most exten
sive publicity to the humiliated and insane state
to which he had been reduced, and confesses
the cause to have been the pride of his heart ;
closing his narrative in the following strain of
elevated Piety : " And at the end of the days, I,
Nebuchadnezzar, lift up mine eyes unto heaven,
and mine understanding returned unto me, and
I blessed the Most High, and I praised and honour
ed him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an
everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from ge
neration to generation. And all the inhabitants

DISPENSATION. 399
of the earth are reputed as nothing ; and he doth
aceording to his will in the army of heaven, and
among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can
stay his hand, or say unto him what dost thou ?
At the same time my reason returned unto me,
and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honour
and brightness returned unto me ; and my coun-
cellors, and my lords sought unto me : and I
was established in my kingdom, and excellent
majesty was added unto me. Now I, Nebuchad
nezzar, praise and extol, and honour the king of hea
ven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judg
ment: and those that walk in pride he is able to
abase."

We shall leave it to our readers to meditate
upon the natural influence of such extraordinary
confessions and acknowledgments, through the
extensive empire of this mighty Sovereign. In
most arbitrary governments the opinions of the
sovereign are adopted by his subjects ; and this,
adoption will be as extensive as the knowledge
of his opinions, in, states where scarcely an indi
vidual has been accustomed to think for himself.
The decree of prohibiting " every people, nation,
and language to speak any thing amiss against
the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego,
under the severest punishments, would not only

400 ON THE JEWISH
impose silence, but inspire dread; arid we may
safely conclude, that the God of these Hebrews
would, in consequence of such pious declara
tions, be revered by all the subjects of this
great monarch, not only in Chaldea, but in Sy
ria, Arabia, and Egypt; for to those regions did
the immediate sovereignty of Nebuchadnezzar,
and the power of his conquests extend. Al
though they, with the king, continued polythe-
ists, the God of the Hebrews must have been-
considered as the transcendant God; and they
must notonly have revered him as more powerful,
but as more wise and more holy than the Gods
they were accustomed to worship. Nor could
such sentiments prevail, without producing a
considerable degree of reform in their worship :
rendering their superstitious rites less impure
and immoral, than those which were transmitted
to them from their more barbarous ancestors ; and
greatly meliorating the state of the moral world,

Of Belshazzar, the son of Nebuchadnezzar,
who succeeded to the throne, the scriptures
have recorded nothing but his folly/ and his
ruin. He was manifestly a profane volup
tuary. He seems tb have placed the very extra
ordinary occurrences of his father's reign among

DISPENSATION. 401
those fabulous narratives with which supersti
tion always abounds : and to treat his solemn
and pious edicts as the 'effusions of a disorder
ed brain; for he instituted a festival in deri
sion of the Jewish religion, and in open con
tempt of the God whom his father had so pro
foundly reverenced. We are informed that " Bel-
shazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand
of his Lords, and drank wine before the thou
sand. Belshazzar, while he tasted the wine, com
manded fo bring the gold and silver vessels,
which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out
ofrthe temple which was at Jerusalem, that the
king and his princes, his wives and his concu
bines, might drink therein. They drank wine,
and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, qf brass,
qf iron, of wood, and of stone."
This was a determined insult of the God of
heaven, and setting that tremendous power at
defiance, which his father had with so much hu
mility ascribed to him. A conduct so impious,
unreproved, would have effaced all those impres
sions in favour of the new religion, whieh had
been made upon his father's subjects ; and the
thousands of his profligate lords would soon have
polluted the principles of the community at large.
An alarming .miracle interposed to prevent a
total relapse into paganism. The magicians were
d d

402 ON THE JEWISH
again applied to, but it was in vain. They could
not interpret the solemn warning inscribed upon
the wall of the palace. Their incapacity enabled
Belshazzar to recollect the inspired servant
of his father, to whom he offered themost splendid
-rewards. Daniel, in conformity to one character
istic of a true prophet, expressed a dignified in
difference to these promised honours, and answer
ed to the king, " let thy gifts be to thyself, and
give thy rewards to another j yet will I read
the writing unto the king, and make known
unto him the interpretation." Daniel faithfnlly
stated to him also the cause of this miraculous
interference, and of the terrible judgments de
nounced by it. After he had recalled to his re
collection the melancholy condition of his father,
as a punishment " because his heart was lifted
up, and his mind hardened in pride, until he knew
that the most high God ruled in the kingdoms
of men ;" Daniel adds, " and thou his son, O Bel-
shazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though
thou knowest all this. But hast lifted up thyself
against the Lord of heaven, and they have brought
the vessels out of his house before thee, and thou,
and thy lords, thy wives and thy concubines, have
drunk wine in them, and thou hast praised the gods
of silver, and gods of brass, iron, wood, and stone,
which see not, nor hear, nor know ; and the God in

DISPENSATION. 403
whose hands thy breath is, and whose are all thy
ways, hast thou not glorified."
"In that night was Belshazzar the king of the
Chaldeans slain ; and Darius the Median took
the kingdom."
Thus terminated the independence of this
mighty empire. Isaiah, who predicted its ruin,
considers the event as a triumph over those Gods,
whom the impious Belshazzar attempted to rein
state in all their honours. " Babylon is fallen,
is fallen, and all the graven images of her gods,
he hath broken unto the ground." ' " Bel bow-
eth down, Nebo stoopeth, their idols were upon
the beasts, and upon the cattle," &c. &c. &c*

Profane historians inform us that the city
was taken by surprise, under the direction of the
great Cyrus, and that it was in consequence
pf their intoxication, that the king and his nobles
became an easy prey to the conquerors. The
prophet Isaiah had pointed out this Cyrus by
name as the instrument of providence, and has
explicitly stated the important object of the se
vere judgments he was ordained to inflict. " Thus
saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose
right. hand I have holden to subdue nations beT
* See Isa. ch. xxi. xlvi. 1.
D d 2

404 ON THE JEWISH
fore him; I will loose the loins of kings, to
open before him the two-leaved gates, and the
gates shall not be shut. I will go before thee
and make the crooked places straight: I will
break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in
sunder the bars of iron, and I will give thee the
treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret
places : that thou mayest knozo, that I the Lord,
who call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.
For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine
elect, I have called thee by thy name : I have
surnamed thee though thou hast not known me.
/ am the Lord and there is none else ; there is no
God besides me : I girded thee, though thou hast
not known me : that they may know from the rising
of the sun and from the zvest, that there is none
besides me: I am the Lord, and there is none else: I
form the light, and create darkness : I make peace,
and create evil. I the Lord do all these."*
Every attentive reader of the sacred pages
will be convinced, that the denunciations pro
nounced against Babylon, are peculiarly frequent
and terrific. In some of these denunciations,
the manner of her destruction, and the imme
diate cause of it are so minutely described, that
they appear like a narrative of facts, rather than
prophetic threatenings pronounced. Isaiah
* Is. ch. xlv.v. l, 7. '

DISPENSATION. 405
takes the lead, with a dignified triumph. " The
burden of~~Babylon, which Isaiah the son of
Amos did see. Lift ye up a banner upon the
high mountain, exalt the voice unto them,
shake the hand that they may go into the gates
of the nobles. I have commanded my sancti
fied ones, — or those ordained to the office; I have
also called my mighty ones for mine anger, even
them that rejoice in my highness. The noise
of a multitude in the mountains like as of a great
people : a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms
and nations gathered together : the Lord of hosts
mustered the hosts of the battle. They come
from a far country, from the end of heaven,
even the Lord, and the weapons of his indigna
tion, to destroy the whole land," &c. &c. Behold
I will stir up the Medes against them, which shall
not regard silver, and for gold they shall not de
light in it. Their bow shall also dash the young
men to pieces, and they shall have no pity on the
fruit of the womb, and their eye shall not spare
children; and Babylon, the glory of kingdoms,
the beauty of the Chaldees excellency, shall be
as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
It shall never be inhabited ; neither shall it be
dwelt in, from generation to generation ; nei
ther shall the Arabian pitch tents there ; neither
shall the shepherds -make their folds there;

406 ON, THE JEWISH
and the wild beasts of the islands shall enter their
desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant
palaces ; and her time is near to come, and her
days shall not be prolonged.*

Jeremiah also ascribes the cause of her de
struction, to her idolatrous practices, in the
following emphatic manner : " The word of
the Lord, spake against Babylon, and against the
land of the Chaldean, "by Jeremiah the prophet:
declare ye among the nations, and publish, and
set up a standard; publish and conceal not: say
Babylon is taken ; Bel is confounded ; Merodach
is broken in pieces ; her idols are confounded, her
images are broken to pieces, &c. A sword is upon
the Chaldeans, saith the Lord, and upon the
inhabitants of Babylon, and upon her princes,
and upon her wise men, &c. &;c. A drought is
upon her waters, and t key shall be dried up; for
it is the land qf graven images, and they were
mad upon their idols," Sec. Behold a people shall
come from the north, and a great nation,
and many kings, shall be raised up from the
coasts of the earth. They shall hold the bow
and the lance ; they are cruel, and will not
show mercy, &c. The king of Babylon hath
* Is. ch. xiii. See also ch. xiv.

DISPENSATION. 407
heard the report of them, and his hands waxed
feeble ; anguish took hold of hir», a pang, ast of
a woman in travail," &c. " Wherefore, behold
the days come, saith the Lord-, that I will ah"
judgment upon her graven images, and through
all her land, the wounded shall groan. A sound
of a cry cometh from Babylon, and her mighty
men are taken ; every one of their bows is bro
ken, for the Lord God of recompence, shall sure
ly requitej and I wilt make drunk her princesi,-
and her wise men, her captains, and her rulers;
and her- mighty men : arid they shall sleep a
pei>petoal sleep, saith the king, whose name is
the Lard of hosts*
Had Jeremiah been> present with the army of
Cyrus, to witness the peculiar manner in which
the impregnable city was taken, by diverting the
waters of the river fr0-n» the usual channel ; and
to witness the consternation of Belshazzar and
his noblesj and the slaughter which ensued>
he could- scarcely have given a more lively de
scription of these horrid evenfs.'f
The above are concise extracts from nume
rous other denunciations of similar import,;
which evince the vast importance that was at-'
Cached to the destruction of the Babylonish em
pire1, in the moral economy'of divine providence.;
* Jeremiah ch. 1. See also ch. xii.
t SeeJNote N.

408 ON THE JEWISH
This public and miraculous disgrace of its gods,
and their deceitful priests,, was in fact an abp?
Iition of the empire of paganism in all the regions
of the east. Babylon was the chief seat of sysT
tematic superstition and idolatry. Its magi
cians and soothsayers, were men of. education
and learning. To them was the character of
wise men given almost exclusively. They were
the admiration of the nations. They professed
intercourse with the heavenly bodies, and , to
interpret the mandates of the deities, which.
were supposed to inhabit them. They were
always consulted upon the important matters
of state ; nor was any enterprize undertaken
without their advice and concurrence. The
abolition of such mental tyranny was, therefore,
prerequisite for the diffusion of superior light
and knowledge. But this tyranny was too ex
tensive, and too deeply rooted, to be eradicated
by means purely natural. The cause, of God,
and of truth, therefore, demanded preternatural,
means, and such as should impress terror and con
viction upon the servants of idolatry ; as should
console the house of Judah in its humiliated.
state, alienate their minds from the worship of
idols, and expedite their repentance, that they
might be qualified to return to the land of their
fathers; such as should convince the nations, that

DISPENSATION. 409
the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. The nature
of the miracles performed, was correspondent
to the causes which gave rise to them ; such as
fully demonstrated the interference of Israel's
God, and the infliction of retributive justice,
by his almighty power. The marvellous pro
tection of the three governors *in the fiery fur
nace, precisely corresponded with the nature of
the sufferings, which tyranny had dictated as a
punishment to disobedience. The instant de
struction of their adversaries by the same means,
marked, in the most awful and impressive man
ner, the distinction made between the friends,
and the enemies of the living God. The mi
raculous inscription was a demonstration, that
the approaching calamity was not to be classed
with the common rise and fall of empires ; that
it was immediately inflicted by the hand of
heaven, ; as a tremendous punishment of the
grossest idolatry, in its very act of insulting that
God, " who alone forms the laght and creates
darkness, makes peace, and creates evil" — and
" that they may know that there is none else."
Darius the Mede, " who took the - kingdom,"
was uncle to the great Cyrus, and the Cyaxares
of profane writers. He was the ostensible
sovereign of the kingdoms which the arms
of Cyrus had subdued. This conqueror was by

410 ON THE JEWISH
birth a Persian, and educated, from his infancy,
according to the strict discipline which was
peculiar to that kingdom. He was instructed
by his father, Astyages, in all the principles of
morals which were then known, and taught to
revere the Gods. He was also initiated in the
mysteries of Divination, which was considered
as an important science. This was, according
toXenophon, peculiarly necessary, that he might
judge for himself of favourable or unfavourable
omens ; and thus escape the deceptions to which?
he was exposed from unprincipled magicians
and soothsayers. Such an education, united with
the very superior endowments of his mind,
would -enable him soon to perceive the diffe
rence between the Jehovah of tlie Jews and the
Gods of his ancestors ; and the dispositions of
his heart would induce him to embrace the pure
and sublime morality of the Jewish religion.
Thus preparedr the miraculous events at Baby
lon, during the reign ©f Nebuchadnezzar, and
the astonishing scenes of which he was not
only the witness but the principal agent, were
calculated to make the deepest impression upon
his own mind, and also upon that of his uncle
Darius ; and which afterwards proved so pecu
liarly favourable to the Jews.
The wisdom- of Daniel, who was advancing

DISPENSATION. 4U
in years, and those miraculous endowments, by
which he had exposed the ignorance of the ma
gicians, entitled him to superior, honours. " It
pleased Darius to set over the kingdom, an hun
dred and twenty princes, which should be over
the whole kingdom, and over these, three presi
dents, of whom Daniel was first, that the prin
ces might give accounts unto them, and the
king receive no damage." The Magicians did
not appear to possess influence at his court; it
was now the Presidents and Princes who resent
ed that this Hebrew should become their supe
rior. But as his integrity could not be im
peached, they had recourse to his religion.
They did not attempt, like the magicians under
Nebuchadnezzar, to render the worship of ima
ges the snare to entangle him ; the veneration
of the true God was now too firmly established.
But they surprised Darius into an edict which
flattered his vanity, and of which he perceived
not the pernicious consequences. It was not
to enjoin an act of idolatry, but merely toproki-
bit the worship of any God, or presenting a
petition to any man, for thirty days, excepting
to the king himself.
The pious Daniel considered such an omission
as a breach of duty ; nor would he compromise
with his'conscience by the privacy of his wor-
5

412 ON THE JEWISH
ship. " When Daniel knew that the writing
was signed, he went into his house, and his
windows being open in his chamber toward Je
rusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times
a day, and prayed, and gave thanks unto God
as he did aforetime." The extreme sorrow of
the king when he was informed that Daniel had
disobeyed the royal edict, manifested at once a
just sense of his own folly, and the highest re
spect for this faithful servant of God. Instead
of being in a rage against Daniel, " He was sore
displeased with himself." When he found that
his decree was irrevocable, he indulged the hope
that the God who had preserved the conscien
tious Jews from the fiery furnace, would also
preserve Daniel from the rage of the Lions.
" He passed the night in fasting ; and he arose
very early in the morning, and went in haste
unto the den of Lions ; and he cried with a
lamentable voice unto Daniel, andi said, " O Da
niel, servant of the living God, is thy God whom
thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from
the Lions?" And when he heard that they had
done him no hurt, the king was exceeding
glad." Thus, in the whole of his conduct, did
this sovereign manifest the highest reverence
for the God of Israel ; and this reverence inspired
him with humility, justice, and humanity, infi
nitely beyond what was usually practised by the

DISPENSATION. 413
sovereigns in those days of absolute power. He at
tempted to compensate for his rash and inconside
rate vanity, by publishing a decree, of an op
posite tenor from that which had exposed his
servant to so much danger ; for it enforced the
reverence of that God unto whom he had for
bidden petitions to be represented. " He wrote
to all people, nations, and languages, that dwell
in all the earth," by which expression we are
to understand the great and unparalleled extent
of his dominions ; " Peace be multiplied unto
you. I make a decree, that in every dominion
of my kingdom, men tremble and fear before the
God of Daniel, for he is the living God, and sted
fast for ever ; and his kingdom that which shall not
be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even to the
end. He delivereth and rescueth, and he work
eth signs and wonders in heaven and in earth?
The above epitome of the religious history of
the Jews evinces the following facts : — It was
not the sole object of the Deity to favour a par»-
ticular people ; they were preferred on account
of the piety of their ancestors, but it was to
render the nations of the earth blessed by their
instrumentality, as well as to afford to them
an opportunity of being in reality the distin-
» guished favourites of heaven : — The grand ob-

414 ON THE JEWISH
jectof blessing mankind, was pursued in every
stage of the political existence of this selected
people : — The pre-requisites for these blessings
consisted in the destruction of idolatry with its
surrounding enormities: — All the means were
used, for this purpose, which could operate upon
the minds of the subjects to be influenced, and
which were consistent with the character of free
and moral agents : the obstinate, perverse, and
cruel, were chiefly subdued by terror ; but in
proportion as mankind became more civilized,
milder nfethods were pursued,and the allurements
of national prosperity were placed before their
eyes. Beneficial effects were thus introduced,
and diffused to a considerable extent; for, al
though a multitude of unthinking and profli
gate Jews apostatized from the true religion,
multitudes of Pagans " learned to know the
Lord :" In the land of Jewish captivity, when
the worship of the living and true God appeared
to be in such imminent danger, from the conta
gion of bad example, and the prevalence of Pagan
superstition, their religion took the deepest root,
and bore the choicest fruits ; by the miraculous
interference of Divine Providence, superstition
was subdued in the centre of its empire. The
great conquerors of the earth learned to revere
the Jehovaii of Israel, bore public testimony to

DISPENSATION. 415
die greatness of his might, and commanded
-the nations to stand in awe before him.

Thus far has sacred history conducted us. The
true religion having acquired, by the perpe
tual care and protection of the universal sove
reign, a due degree of energy and strength, os
tensible interference was withheld. But who
ever attend* to the series of events which fill
the pages of profane history, from the time
of the Babylonish captivity, and the geinstate-
ment of these captives, in the land of their
fathers ; whoever believes that the Deity has
not totally withdrawn his secret operations
from the concerns of mortals, will be disposed
.to ascribe various occurrences to the continued
interposition of Providence; for he will per
ceive the surprising co-operation of these natu
ral events, in the refinement of manners, im
provement of morals, and diffusion of know-
, ledge. With the Jews was the grand deposit
of religious truth; and whenever the Jews
individually or collectively were patronized
and protected, these were patronized and pro
tected. As their religion had for its basis a
much higher object than the pride of em
pire, t,hey were not reinstated in worldly gran-

416 ON THE JEWISH
deur ; they were placed in a state of infe
riority; subjected to other powers, and notunfre-
quently oppressed by them. But their religion
was revered. This was a clear demonstration
of its innate greatness; for it had not the impo
sing splendour of sublunary greatness to recom
mend it. Fully to elucidate this fact would be
to transcribe the history of many ages. We
shall simply hint at a few circumstances which
presented themselves, in the earlier periods of
their emancipation from the abject bondage of
Babylorfe The deep veneration entertained by Cyrus
for the God of Israel, is recorded by the histo
rians of his reign, in a manner correspondent
with sacred history. It was manifested by
the most splendid acts of benevolence and in
dulgence towards these captives. He restored
the rich treasure of their sacred vessels, which
had been profaned in libations to idols ; and hfe
made the most liberal grants to promote
the re-instatement of their worship in all its
splendour. Notwithstanding a temporary interruption by
Cambyses, the son of Cyrus, and the Artaxerxes
of the scriptures, his successors, Darius the
son of Hystaspes, and Xerxes the son of Darius,
named Artaxerxes by Ezra, greatly favoured

DISPENSATION; 417
the Jews. The former -permitted and promo
ted the building of the temple, notwithstanding
the strong efforts of the Chutheans to prevent
it ; and the latter " commanded that the remain
ing gold and silver in the country of Babylon,
which had been dedicated to the service of God,
should be sent to Jerusalem for the use of the
sacrifices." The following passage in his edict,
as recorded by Ezra, sufficiently indicates the
motives of his actions ; " whatsoever is com
manded by the God of heaven, let it diligently
be done for the house of the God o£ heaven ;
for why should there be wrath against the realm
for the king and his sons."*
The perilous state of the Jews, who re
mained under the immediate jurisdiction of
the Persian sovereigns, from the hatred of
Haman, and their subsequent advancement
into more exalted favours than they had ever
enjoyed, are recorded in the book of Esther,
and enlarged upon by their historian Josephus.
The same historian informs us, that in the days
'of Alexander, the Jews who were in Judea, in
curred his displeasure by a conscientious refusal
to assist him in the siege of Tyre, but that his
resentment was changed into the admiration of
their piety. Whatever credit may be given to
* .Ezra ch. vii. 23*.
e e

418 ON THE JEWISH #
his singular dream, and to the particular mode
pursued by the high priest which pacified his
wrath, it is a fact that he was appeased. We are
told also, and it is highly probable, that the books.
of Daniel were shewn to him, in which was
prophesied the overthrow of the Persian empire
by his victorious arms, at which he would doubt
less rejoice : and it is certain that he granted
them many privileges. Josephus asserts, that
" when the king came into the city, he went up
to the temple, where he sacrificed to God, ac
cording to the directions of the high priest,
whom he treated, together With the other Priests,
with great honour."*
" Ptolomy Soter,"says Josephus, "after the death
of Alexander, seized upon Jerusalem by strata
gem ; for, entering the city on the sabbath, un
der pretence of sacrificing,'' he got possession pf
the city without any trouble. In this event we
perceive the strong attachment of the Jews to
what they deemed to be an indispensable dutyj
and the popular respect shewn to the God Of
Israel, by those who still believed in a.plurality
of Gods. Many of the inhabitants of Judea and
Jerusalem, Samaria and Garizim, were carried
into Egypt." This treatment, however severe
* Antiq. of Jews, B. xi. ch. viii.]

DISPENSATION. 419
and unjust, had its moral and theological advan
tages. It proved honourable to themselves, gave
them an opportunity of displaying their supe->
rior virtues, and greatly contributed to the
spread of true religion. " Hearing that the
Hierosolymites zvere the most strict observers qf
their oaths and words, from the accounts which
Alexander's ambassadors reported, after the de
feat of Darius, he disposed many of them into
garrisons, and put them on the same level at
Alexandria with the Macedonians, exacting of
them an oath of allegiance to him and his suc
cessors." His son Ptolemy Philadelphus, ordered the
Jewish laws to be translated into the Greek lan
guage, which was the most extensively known.
He also liberated an hundred and twenty thou
sand persons, who were captives in Egypt,
generously paying, out of the public treasury, the
price of their redemption. It is obvious that
such proceedings were the strongest evidence
of the exalted opinion, entertained for the sa
cred writings, by a Gentile sovereign, which not
only was highly honourable to the Jews, but
was the means of rendering the duties of mo
rality more generally known, and a reverence
of the living and true God more extensively
diffused. We refer to our historian Josephus,
e e 21

420 ON THE JEWISH
for the particulars of this remarkable event, and
shallsimply advert to two circumstances eluci
dating our subject. When the petition was
presented by Aristeus to the sovereign, in fa
vour of the Jews, after orders had been given
for the translation of their laws, the follow
ing argument was used : " I presume to ask
by what means such a thing can be accom
plished, when so many Jews continue slaves
in your kingdom ? You will perform an action
answerable to your generosity and goodness, if
you set these at liberty, since the same God,
who bestozved upon them their laws, does preserve
and protect you in your kingdom, and both they
and we zvorship the same God, the creator qf all
things, calling him by one common name, Jupiter,
for as much as he bestows life upon all."
In the address of Demetrius Phalereus, his
Librarian, who first proposed to the king the
plan of adding the sacred manuscripts, to his
collection of books, is the following passage.
" It is necessary you should have them exact
and regular; for the institutions contained there
in, being God's own thoughts, are full of the most
profound zvisdom and integrity, which is the rear
son, as Hecateus says, that neither poets nor '
historians have mentioned them without reve
rence and awe,- because the system qf morality

DISPENSATION. 421
laid down therein, is the most perfect and agree
able to right reason."
The Jews received similar favours and protec
tion from those generals who succeeded to Alex
ander in the possession of the regions which
had submitted to his arms. " Seleucus Nicator,
made them free of all the cities which he had
built in Asia, and lower Syria, and also of An
tioch, the capital city of his kingdom ; putting
them upon the same footing with the Macedo
nians and Greeks who dwelt there." He paid
great respect to their religion. Antiochus, as
a reward for the assistance they had given him,
in his contest with Egypt, decreed to supply
them with every thing which related to their
sacrifices and religious services. He revered all
their laws, and issued proclamations through all
his kingdom, that no stranger should be per-*
mitted to enter the inward court of the temple,
or otherways violate any of their religious cus
toms. He gave orders to Zeuxis his general, to
place two thousand Jewish families from Meso
potamia and Babylonia, in the strong castles, and
other necessary places ; for, says he, " \ take
them to be friendly guardians of our affairs, both,
on account of their piety towards God, and the
great testimony of fidelity which they gave tp
my ancestors."

422 ON THE JEWISH

It will not -be necessary to proceed farther.
The above are sufficient testimonies of the supe
rior piety, and moral habits, of the Jewish peo
ple ; and of the deep impression their holy
religion had made upon the minds of the great
rulers of the world. An impression which could
not fail to extend its effects to their innume
rable subjects, and in some considerable degree
humanize their minds. The permission obtained
by the Jews to establish synagogues, and wor
ship the God of their fathers, wherever they
were placed, would have a tendency to extend
and confirm these impressions. Every syna
gogue was in reality a temple erected to the true
God, amidst surrounding Paganism, and thus they
shone as laipps in dark places. The superior
purity of their worship would gradually bring
the absurd and horrid rites of the Pagan wor
ship into disrepute and; abhorrence : and the mo
rality of their laws, would attract the notice of
all those who considered the moral duties of im
portance to the welfare of mankind. From these
sources, philosophers were able to derive their
maxims of wisdom, and the most renowned
reformers their theological tenets.

DISPENSATION. 423
It is a peculiarity which is worthy of notice,
that although the Jews were so tenacious of
religion, wherever they were placed, and pre
served themselves distinct, by holding inter
marriages with the heathen inhabitants, in
abhorrence, they were in other respects social and
accommodating; for in Chaldea, their inter
course with surrounding nations was so frequent
and intimate, that their own language became
corrupted, and, in some instances, it was totally
forgotten. Those also who were settled in the
Grecian provinces, acquired the title of Hel
lenists, from their familiar acquaintance with the
Greek tongue. These two opposite circum
stances united in the promotion of the grand
object. Their scrupulous attention to the pecu
liarities of their own religion, preserved it from
being blended with Paganism, as had been the
case with the Israelites in the land of Canaan ;
while their familiar intercourse with the sur
rounding Pagans, not only softened prejudices,
but implanted a conviction of the moral and
religious superiority of this singular people.
The reason of man readily assents to the ex
istence of one universal cause of all things ; the
reason of man informs him, that the existence of

424 ON THE JEWISH
more than one is not necessary. The Monotheist
must assert that superfluities '.are the creatures of
the imagination. When he attends to the nature
of superstition, he discovers that the Gods of
human formation have a shape and character,
analogous to the state and character of human
minds. If these be savage, brutal, timid, the
gods will be clothed with horrors, and become
the Molochs of their worshippers. When a per
ception of benefits awakens the grateful feelings,
and the designs of the cultivator, mechanic,
or navigator prosper under his endeavours, he
contemplates and worships the imaginary sources
of good, as the benefactors of the human spe
cies. Thus will Ceres, Pomona, Bacchus, Nep
tune, &c. take place of more ferocious deities.
The personification of wisdom produced a Mi
nerva ; of the arts and sciences, an Apollo ; of
beauty, Venus, and the graces. The civilized
imagination of poets finally became so playful
that it delighted to populate woods and groves,
rivers and mountains, with nymphs, naiads,
fawns, &c. animating the dulness of rural sce
nery, and introducing a vivacity of language,
to which the moderns themselves have recourse,
in order to embellish their descriptions, notwith
standing the delusion no longer exists.
Thus will the character of the divinity wor-

DISPENSATION. 425
shipped, always indicate the character of the
worshipper ; and whatever has a tendency to re
form this, will necessarily reform Paganism. The
admission of the Great Jehovah of the Jews
among the divinities of Pagan worship, and his
acknowledged superiority, introduced a new asra
in Paganism itself. He was doubtless their
Jupiter, the father of gods and men ; and not
withstanding the intermixture which absurd and
impure imaginations sometimes made, he was
considered not only as more powerful, but of a
more perfect character than the others. The idea
of a Supreme, reduced the other beings into a
salutary subordination. Their empire was more
limited, their morals were more pure. ' That
great Being, whose condescension is infinite,
winked at these times of ignorance, as the Apos
tle expresses it; resented not so unworthy an
alliance; for by these means he was gradually
leading forwards his untutored offspring, to a
more perfect knowledge of himself.

The Apostle Paul observed, when he was at
Athens, an altar erected to the unknown God.
Whether this was a general confession of the
ignorance and embarrassment of their minds,
respecting the great first cause, as some suppose,

426 ' ON THE JEWISH
or referred, as others suppose, to the desire of
the Athenians to honour some particular god,
who had averted a great calamity from their
city, it was still a confession of ignorance, and
also an indication of a grateful disposition. Both
were preparatory to the reception of the truths
of revelation. To be conscious of our own
ignorance is, in fact, an advancement in knowT
ledge. A mind perfectly in the dark cannot
perceive its own darkness. Their more savage
ancestors thought that they knew their gods
most intimately, and that they perfectly resem
bled the most tyrannic and depraved models of
the human species. When reason begins to
doubt of the absurdities which had checked its
exertions, it is weakening their influence. If
will find its way through one class of errors ; and
should it not immediately arrive at truth, the
new class pf adopted errors will not be so for
midable, or so tenacious of their hold. To doubt
of the existence of beings whose attributes and
characters are not as they should be, not only
manifests the struggles of a superior mind, but
it is a noble attempt to burst the chains of igno
rance. , It prepares the mind to yield to the
force of evidence which may finally lead to
truth. No season could be more opportune for
Paul to preach the knowledge of the true God

DISPENSATION. 427
to his audience, than when they confessed that
they were worshipping an unknown God.

It is hoped that the above strictures will mani
fest the designs of Providence in its various dispen
sations, respecting the heathen world : — silence
the cavils of unbelievers, against occasional mi
racles, as if their sole object were to amaze and
terrify :— enable us to trace an unity in the
divine plan, amidst the diversity of operations ;
and prove that this unity consists in the de
termined production of good by the diffusion
of light and knowledge in exact proportion as
the minds of men were prepared for their recep
tion : — that the heathen world was not ex
cluded from the divine favour, by the selection
of a particular people, to be the deposits of
moral and religious truths ; but • that their in
terest was also consulted by the great father
of all. In a word, Ave perceive that the hu
man race, which was plunged into ignorance
and vice, beyond the influence of their natural
powers to extricate themselves, have been gradu
ally conducted by a superintending providence,
from palpable darkness to dawns of light, which
increased in every age, until they became, as it
were, the Aurora, which ushered in the Sun of
Righteousness, destined to illuminate the world.

428 ON THE JEWISH

CHAPTER IV.

OBSERVATIONS AND INFERENCES RESPECTING
THE DIVINE ORIGIN OF THE
JEWISH DISPENSATION.
We have in the preceding Chapters stated every.
leading circumstance, in the history of this
wonderful people, that the grand object may>
appear in a conspicuous point of view, and the
characteristic excellences of the dispensation
become duly impressive. The whole history
of events, relative to the subject, is placed
before the reader, without the selection of par
ticular facts, in order to support a favourite
hypothesis. The reader is thus enabled to pro-?
nounce concerning the validity of the writer's
remarks, and the legitimacy of his inferences^ :
In his opmion, the preceding investigations
have established the position as indubitable, that
the Jewish dispensation is most worthy qf a divine
origin; — from its nature and tendency; — from
the peculiar manner in which the important plan

DISPENSATION, 429
has been executed ; — and from the moral cha
racters of the agents employed. With a short
illustration . of these three positions, we shall
close the present subject.

I. The Jewish dispensation, and this dispen
sation alone, communicated to mankind at a
very early period, while the reasoning powers
were in their lowest exercise, such sentiments of
the being, natural and relative perfections of
God, as perfectly correspond with the dictates
of the most enlightened reason ; and it has pro
mulgated, in the most am'ple manner, those
religious and moral duties, which we have proved
to be essential to human happiness. It has also
given the strongest evidences, that the perfor
mance of these duties is, in every age, and in
every situation, an acceptable service. Obe
dience has always been rewarded ; omissions
have always been punished ; repentance and re
formation have always been received with pardon
and complacency. We shall leave our readers
to compare these facts with the wisest insti
tutes of antiquity, which affect a divine origin,
or with the most renowned systems of ethics
which antiquity can boast., We are confident
that a comparison will produce the conviction

430 ON THE JEWISH
that, at no one period of human existence, have
such steady permanent efforts been made in any
other nation, for a series of ages, to maintain
the principles of rational theology in their extent
and sublimity; or to enforce the practice of
morality with such purity, and so correspondent
with the universal claims of men, as are emi
nently displayed through the whole of this dis
pensation. These singularities are alone to be
discovered in the legislation of Moses, and in
the pious zeal of his successors.*
One grand object of this dispensation was, to
render the principles of true religion, among a
distinct people, finally triumphant over the
ignorance and darkness which were prevalent in
the world. Without such a provision, there
is reason to suppose that the whole world would
have lost the knowledge of the true God. That
universal darkness and error cannot correct
themselves is most evident; and the extreme
difficulty with which the Jewish people were
preserved from idolatry, notwithstanding the
superior light and knowledge they enjoyed, ma
nifests the extremedifficulty which attends this
process under circumstances the most advan
tageous. * See Note O.

DISPENSATION. 431
The happy consequences of religious know
ledge, were not confined to this nation. They
were introductory to blessings of which the
Gentiles were to become partakers. The re
peated annunciation of these facts, in conjunc
tion with the moral history of the Pagan
world, represents the Deity as universally bene
volent, by a conduct which, upon a superficial
view, may appear to have been arbitrary and
partial. The diffusion of religious knowledge, in a
manner perfectly adapted to the laws of human
nature, and the respected freedom of the human
will, are objects worthy of the Deity, and of
the relative character he sustains with all his
intelligent offspring; and they forcibly teach
human beings to respect themselves.
These truths have been rendered so conspi
cuous in the preceding epitome of the Jewish
history, that ^further enlargement will be unne
cessary.

II. As ,the plan was worthy of God, thus was
his superintendence, both ordinary and extraor
dinary, requisite for its accomplishment. No
one can deny the utility, or even the absolute
necessity, of those occasional appearances to the
patriarchs, at the commencement of this impor-

432 ON THE JEWISH
tant process, in order to call them forth from
the general mass of mankind, to direct their
steps, confirm their faith, and ensure their obe
dience. If it be admitted that the removal of
the Hebrews from a state of bondage in Egypt,
and placing them in the land of Canaan, was
an important part of the divine plan, the credi
bility, nay, the necessity of an extraordinary
and miraculous interference, must also be ad
mitted. For we cannot suppose that any means
simply natural, would have been influential to
remove them from a country, where they and
their ancestors had sojourned for the space of four
hundred years ; and where they had been accus
tomed to long and debasing habits of subjection.
Their inspectors, and task masters, their native
ignorance, and the extreme servility of their
state, precluded the possibility of any united
and personal exertion. They could not con
spire, much less could they act. Their impor
tant services, and their being employed in the
most laborious and degrading offices, rendered
it highly interesting, both to the Egyptians and
their sovereign, to detain them in the land of
their bondage. No voluntary concessions or
courtesies could be expected from these quar
ters ; and by what strong chain of natural events
could upwards of tzvo millions of people thus

DISPENSATION. 433
•situated, be at once wrested from the grasp of
*yranny? What could possibly induce the peo-
$«I* themselves to consent, with one voice, to
follow a leader who must have been unknown
to a very large majority of them ; and whose
absence of forty years must have rendered him
a stranger to them all ? The dangers, difficul-
iaes, and wants to which they were exposed on
their journey, and during their residence in the
wilderness, required a miraculous interposition.
Their organization as a nation that was to be
distinct and independent ; the wisdom that per
vaded their political institutions ; the purity of
all tlieir religious ordinances, without a single
model for imitation, manifest the importance
and necessity of a divine superintendence.
A people themselves grossly ignorant, sur
rounded by nations ignorant, depraved, and jsu-
perstitious in the extreme, must have required a
power superior to their own, to preserve them
from the influence of the examples they were
so prone to imitate. In what could this power
consist, but in juster concep tions of a Deity, of
douties, and of obligations, enforced by pro
mises and threats adapted to their situation?
Whence could these be derived but from the
grand source of all knowledge and instruction ?
Moses, it is true, was educated in all the wis-

434 ON THE JEWISH
dom of the Egyptians, but this wisdom would
not have made him a Monotkeist. It would not
inform him that the only living God, thecreator
and sole governor of the universe, possessed
every perfection natural and relative ; that he
indispensably required the strict observance of
every moral virtue ; and that he would in
variably punish and reward, according to the
moral deserts of his people. The Egyptian
superstitions would not have inspired those sub
limities of devotion which christians themselves
have never equalled ; with those rules of re
ligious discipline, and maxims of political jus
tice, which christians admire more than they
imitate. Upon the death of this leader, it was neces
sary that the same principles should be per
petually inculcated by precept and example,
and be rendered efficient by the influence of
encouragements or of terror. If this be ad
mitted, a succession of holy men, and of pro
phets, in the manner which has been amply
stated, must have been essential to the grand
plan of their preservation. Such perpetual re
quisites could not be expected from natural
sources, during these ages of deep ignorance and
depravity, but it is easy to advert to a source
whence they could be copiously supplied.

DISPENSATION. 435
The various miracles wrought during the Ba
bylonish captivity, strange as they may ap
pear to have been, vindicate their authenticity
by the circumstances which called them forth ;
and by the beneficial purposes to which they
were subservient. It was through their opera
tion that the divine plan received its final accom
plishment. Notwithstanding the miracles recorded in the
old Testament appear, in their collected state,
to have been numerous, yet when we reflect
that not less than fifteen centuries elapsed, from
the commencement to the final accomplishment
of the divine plan, respecting the Jewish nation,
we have reason to be surprised at the compara
tive paucity of their number. After those occa
sional appearances to the patriarchs, natural
causes were permitted to operate for a series of
years, without any ostensible intervention of
the Almighty. In the cruel treatment received
by Joseph from his brethren ; his being sold for
a slave ; being stationed in the house of Poti-
phar; his exciting the impure desires of a las
civious woman by his personal attractions ; and
his subsequent imprisonment from a spirit of
revenge, we perceive the subserviency of human
passions to. the purposes of God. When Joseph
»fs

486 ON THE JEWISH
was raised by the immediate interposition of
providence from a dungeon, and placed next to
the throne of his sovereign, he was recompensed
for his distinguished virtue, and rendered a pub
lic blessing by the wisdom of his administra
tion; and a new train of events was again made
to prepare the way for the promotion of the
great plan, apparently according to the natural
course of things. The famine in Egypt, and
in the neighbouring countries, became the occa
sional cause of an interview between Joseph
and his brethren, which issued in the removalof
Jacob and his family from their native land, and
was thus introductive of a new and important
epoch. The contempt in which the occupation
of an herdsman was held by the Egyptians,
and the Hebrews being, for several generations,
in a state of abject slavery, preserved the race
from becoming deeply contaminated by the
Egyptian superstitions, without any obvious
necessity for a miraculous interference ; nor do
we learn that it was exerted. Although a rapid
series of miracles was manifestly necessary, to
liberate these people from a state of bondage ;
and many difficulties were to be surmounted by
supernatural means, ag laws were to be institu
ted and habits formed, before their introduc
tion into the land promised to their fathers, yet

DISPENSATION. 437
in the midst of these divine interpositions, a
singular eec&nomy qf 'miracles, if we may use the
phrase, is observable. Thus the miraculous
supply of manna was continual, because it was
continually necessary, being a substitute for
gr-ain- and pulse ; when the people became sta
tionary, and had leisure to slay their cattle, the
provision of Quails was suspended; but it re
turned when they were upon the journey. The
communications to Moses the leader and legis
lator, Were perpetual and abundant, because
every institution was to be introduced and es
tablished, by his instrumentality; but when
established, it was expected to operate according
to its latent powers. Divine communications
accordingly became less necessary, and were
more sparingly granted to the succeeding pro
phets ; yet they were always proportionate to
the exigencies of the case. The history of all
the kings of Israel manifests, that from the
introduction of a monarchical form of govern
ment, to the Babylonish captivity, that is, du
ring the space of about four hundred years,
natural causes were permitted to operate in a
powerful manner, with varied effects. But when
the grand plan was in danger, and miraculous
intervention became necessary ; and when hu
man propensities and follies plunged this peo
ple into idolatrous practices, to a degree

438 ON THE JEWISH
which threatened a total apostasy, then, and
then only, were they checked in their sinful career
by preternatural interpositions. The miracles
performed during the Babylonish captivity were
few, but momentous; and they operated ac
cording to the natural influence of striking
events', upon the minds of their sovereigns the
Chaldi an s, upon surrounding nations, as well
as upon the captives.
It is also remarkable that, in the performance
of these miracles, natural means were rendered
the mediums of operation, wherever there, was
an obvious adaptation. In the miracles performed
before Pharaoh, many of the judgments in
flicted corresponded with the calamities inci
dent to the climate of Egypt, and the pecu
liarities of the country.* The miracle consisted
in the extent and boundaries of their operation ;
the most distressing of them being confined to
the Egyptians; their being produced upon a
particular occasion, and to answer a particular
purpose ; — being predicted ; — a pause being al
lowed for consideration, and their being re
moved at the instant of intercession. When
the destructive swarms of locusts were intro
duced, Moses stretched forth his rod over the
land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east
* See Note P.

DISPENSATION. 439
wind all that day, and all that night, and when
it was morning the east wind brought the
locusts." Upon the temporary remorse, and at
the earnest intreaty of the panic-struck Pha
raoh, "the Lord turned a mighty west wind,
which took away the locusts, and cast them
into the Red Sea ; there remained not one locust
in all the land of, Egypt." The passage of the
Israelites through the Red Sea was in like
manner effected by the power of an eastern
wind, which prepared a dry path, and it was.
by the influence of a western wind that the
waters were made to return opportunely, and
overwhelm their pursuers.
These modes, adopted by the great God of
Israel, are perfectly consonant with his character
as the sovereign agent through universal nature ;
but they are directly contrary to the expecta
tions of the inconsiderate, and the pretensions
of every impostor. He who has pre-ordained
whatever shall come to pass, reveres his own
wise arrangements ; he will not interrupt the
course he has appointed, until the exigencies or
follies of mankind, shall have rendered a tem
porary interference necessary for the object in
view, and most conducive to their good : nor
will he exert new powers where those, in exis
tence can be rendered efficient. Silly mortals

440 ON THE JEWISH
are always wanton in the display of their as
sumed powers. They aim at exciting perpetual
and universal admiration. Not being the crea
tors of the universe, they impiously triumph
in their pretended power over its laws, upon
the most trivial occasions; without reflecting
that he who ordained, holds them sacred upon
the most important. These are facts, which,
if they diminish the wonderful, render our ad
miration of the divine direction permanent and
reverential. If we admit fewer facts of the
miraculous kind, we believe them the more
firmly. Our belief in the truth of a divine re
velation, is not founded on the accurate repre
sentation of minuter circumstances of an indi
vidual miracle, but upon the importance of the
object, unity in the plan, consonance in the
execution, and final accomplishment of a pur
pose which, in its very nature demanded occa
sional exertions, beyond the limited influence
of physical laws. But to suppose an uninter
rupted series of miraculous interferences, for
the space of fifteen hundred years, is to suppose
a regular succession of interruptions to a pre-or-^
dained succession of natural events. It intro
duces one series of constituted laws in place of
another, to the destruction of a miracle. Let
us acknowledge that all is of God, and we

DISPENSATION. m
need not be anxious to distinguish in ev«y Case,
whether each event proceeded from the natural
course of things, his secret and consequently
unknown influence, or the more open and terrific
manifestations of bis powef.

III. The characters and conduct of the prin
cipal agents employed, are correspondent with
the divinity of the Jewish dispensation,, and
with no other hypothesis.
That Moses received his commission from
God; and was under his direction in the execu
tion of it, is manifest from various circum
stances which cannot be satisfactorily explained,
upon the contrary supposition. Moses could
not wish to aggrandize himself, for he was-
aged;: nor his family, for he earnestly intreated,
the Lord, that his son might not succeed to
his honours, The primary object was not td
lead a large multitude to invade and conquer,
for the sole purposes of ambition. It was to
counteract the prevalence of idolatry, by pre
serving a selected people from being totally
corrupted by its baneful influence. The Israel
ites were appointed to possess the oracles of
the true and living God, in opposition to the
oracular fallacies of superstitious impostoc*

442. ON THE JEWISH
which inundated the world ; and to maintain
pure morality, in opposition to the vicious prac
tices encouraged by false religions. To pro
mote this object was truly worthy of God;
but the accomplishment of it was inconsistent
with the character of an uninspired chief. The
enterprise demanded a full assurance in the ex
istence of such a God, in the necessity of moral
rectitude, and a firm confidence in the divine
support. It is perfectly distinct from the pro
jects of worldly ambition ; and it requires dif
ferent principles for its execution. Exalted
piety, implicit obedience to the divine mandates,
perpetual solicitude for the religious and moral
purity of the people committed to his charge,
a deep concern at their impieties, and unremit
ted efforts to reclaim them, are pre-requisites
for the execution of such a commission ; and
these were possessed by Moses in an eminent
degree. But they could not possibly dwell in
the breast of an impostor, or exist in a man
merely actuated by the principles of worldly
ambition. These principles operated with
equal power, when all the hopes of worldly
grandeur must have subsided. In his last mo
ments, anxiety lest the people shouldapostatize
from Jehovah their God, was predominant in
the mind of Moses ; and he composed an hymn

DISPENSATION. 443
for their instruction, that the being, superin
tendence, mercies, and deliverances of their
God, might be held in perpetual remembrance.*
Such a state of mind could alone proceed from
a consciousness that he was under a divine di
rection ; and from a confident expectation that
the purposes of the Almighty would ultimately
be accomplished. The same principles of true
religion and morality were conspicuous in his
successors, Joshua, Samuel, and other men of
piety ; and in the numerous prophets, who were
raised up at different periods, to make known
the counsels of God, to exhort, to threaten, to,
encourage; and in whom all the energies of
the soul were manifestly engaged to promote
true religion and piety ; and although they were
revered by their enemies for personal courage,
and high integrity, they were frequently ex
posed to their severest resentments. Who
would have undertaken such a cause under such
circumstances, if he were not conscious that
his commission was from above ?
In a word, the whole history of this ancient
people clearly demonstrates, that pure religion,
and the strictest morality, constitute the basis
of the Jewish dispensation. These are the
principles which take the lead and pervade every
* See Deut. xxxi. & xxxii.

444 ON THE JEWISH
part. In all institutions' merely hiittian, religion
is" considered merely as a secondary object, and
as subservient to the purposes of civil policy ;
here it is primary. To fear God and keep his
commandments, is the grand, the universal
principle, towards which every thing is directed.
Civil government itself is made subordinate to
it. Every event, natural or preternatural;
every situation, prosperous or adverse; every
human action, meritorious or culpable, contri
butes Something towards the final triumph of
true religion. .This one principle operates, and
the same plan is pursued through a long series
of ages. Its perpetual operation demanded the
instrumentality of men, of similar characters
and dispositions, at periods most distant from
each other; that they should be influenced by
motives, infinitely superior to those which usually
stimulate to action, and that these should con
spire to answer a purpose in which the principal
agents had no personal concern. If the senti
ments of religion, which We acknowledge to be
most rational, were merely the dreams of indi
viduals, how came Moses, Joshua, Samuel;, at
one period to dream of its importance, and nu
merous prophets at subsequent and very distant
periods, to take up the delusion, and continue
dreaming for the good of mankind, while the

DISPENSATION. 44$
world around them was awake to ^CKMjsumfnate
ignorance i ! Shall we suppose that these various
constellations were self-ereated, and undesign
edly composed a whole, as Atheists say ik& mm
was formed, or shall we acknowledge the uno-e--
mitted agency of a wise and beneficent power-.?
let common sense decide.^ Again,
A person much less sagacious ithan Moses
would have foreseen the insuperable difficulties
attendant upon such an enterprise ; nor would he
have encountered tfhem without depeadaneie
upon superior aid. Had the thought ibeen sug- .
gested by ambition, it would have been jabaar
doned through despair. This Chief perceived
tlie difficulties in all their magnitude. It was
a consciousness that he was under the divine
impulse which alone could subdue his extreme
repugnance ; and he confesses that miracles were
necessary to implant the conviction. His ad
vanced age, for he was eightt years old
when the Lord appeared unto him ; his long
habits of peaceful retirement in the bosom of
his family ;«— for he had lived with Jetihro
his father-in-lawjfor/y years in the character of
an husbandman ;— -his want of natural powers,
which he urged in vain \*~ -the discouragements
of his early attempts, by which the burdens
of the Hebrews were augmented, and he be*

446 ON THE JEWISH
came unpopular among them ; these united
with the exquisite wisdom with which the dif
ficult task was afterwards accomplished, secure
this great law-giver from the imputation of
being a forward ambitious adventurer, an im
postor, or a visionary enthusiast.
The minute and circumstantial narrative given
us, by this historian, of the release of the He
brews from their state of bondage, and of the
various miracles he was enabled to perform,
bears all the internal marks of a genuine his
tory. The reluctance of the Egyptian king to
relinquish his dominion over such a multitude
of useful slaves ; and the slow progressive man
ner in which this reluctance was finally subdued,
present us with so exact a statement of the na
tural workings of the human mind, during every
part of the alleged process, that it bears upon it the
stamp of truth, not to be counterfeited. Upon
his first application to the sovereign, both he and
his God were treated with haughty disdain.
" Who is Jehovah, that I should obey his voice
to let Israel go ? I know not your Lord, neither
will I let Israel go." The introductory miracle
being harmless, and being imitated by the' ma
gicians, it made no impression. Although the
second miracle was severer in its effects, yet the
imitation of the magicians still kept the mind,
of Pharaoh uninfluenced. Under the impres-
2

DISPENSATION. 44r
sion of the third, he began to relent ; he pro
mised, but revoked the promise upon the re
moval of the evil. As the magicians could not
counterfeit the succeeding miracle, they were
compelled to own that it was by the finger of
God. Conscious that themselves were juggling
impostors, they had entertained the same opi
nion of Moses, until his miracles were beyond
the reach of their imitation. But the effects
of this miracle were too inconsiderable to ter
rify and alarm. When afflicted by a grievous
swarm of flies, Pharaoh began to propose con
ditions. He would have permitted the Hebrews
to sacrifice in the land. This not being admitted,
he was afterwards willing to let them go to a
small distance, and condescended to supplicate
that the evil might be removed. But appre-
prehensive that the power to which he had thus
yielded in a moment of calamity, would ulti
mately deprive him of his numerous slaves,
his pride and obstinacy returned with all their
force, when freed from the pangs of suffering.
These apprehensions were probably the cause of
hiscontinuedreluctance under the severity of the
subsequent miracle. The devastation by hart and
rain which afflicted his people exclusively, again
awakened his fears ; nor could the security en
joyed by those of his own subjects, who had

448 <M THE JEWISH
followed the salutary counsel of Moses, and
the losses sustained by the incredulous, fail to
operate powerfully upon his agitated mind.
Under the influence of panic, he promised every
thing ; but the magnitude of the expected loss
induced him again to recant, during the respite
that followed. The menace of locusts excited
a general alarm among die Egyptians; and
moved by their inbreaties, he now proposes to
let the Men go. Duvmg the palpable darkness
spread over the land, he became willing that
the JVomen and Children should accompany them,
contenting himself with detaining the flocks
and herds, as hostages till their return. The
rejection of these terms by Moses, convincing
him that a full acquiescence in the requisition
would terminate in an escape, he resolved to
brave all the consequences of a refusal however
dreadful. It is characteristic of a despot to be
little affected by the calamities of his subjects,
where his personal interests, his pride ox ambi
tion, are deeply concerned. He might calcu
late that as long as the loss of his most faithful
subjects, by these awful judgments, was not
equivalent to the loss of his numerous slaves,
state policy would demand an obstinate resist
ance. But when the last affliction that was
threatened, actually arrived, it was too agoniz-
2

DISPENSATION. 449
ing to be borne. Terror and dismay seized every
bosom, and produced an effect to which milder
sufferings were inadequate.
If there be any narrative of facts possessing
the internal marks of authenticity, this must
be one. The gradations so observable in the
punishments inflicted, perfectly harmonize with
the character of the true God, who does not
afflict willingly. The first miracle was merely
indicative of a power superior to that boasted
by others. Previously to every miracle which
followed it was a menace and a warning; a
portion of time was also allotted for considera
tion. It was the pertinacity of the sovereign
which augmented the severity of each miracle ;
for the end was finally to be accomplished, by
the subjugation of his will. How consonant are
these gradations with the character of a Being
who is reluctant to punish ! How different from
the conceptions, which Pagans universally form
ed of their fictitious beings, whom they always
represented to be like themselves, swollen with
pride and resentment, hasty to punish, slow to
forgive, eager to manifest their sovereignty by
infusing terror, and strangers to the milder
attribute of mercy ! !
The conviction wrought upon the minds of
many of his subjects ; — the long and severe con-
g g

450 ON THE JEWISH
test in the breast of Pharaoh ; — the quick im
pulse of actual suffering, prompting him to
assent to propositions which he detested ;-— his
various efforts to procure some degree of se
curity against the escape of his slaves; — his
being compelled by punishments, or by fearful
apprehensions, to relax his demands at every
stage of the conflict ; are delineated with such
genuine touches of nature, as all the subtleties
of art Could never have imitated. To suppose
this minute account to be merely an invention,
is to suppose that Moses was endowed by nature,
with a deeper insight into the workings of the
human mind, in fictitious circumstances, than
was ever possessed by those who have made the
human mind their perpetual study. Nor was
he under the necessity of employing such ela
borate means of deception, had he been capable.
The ignorant people, of whom he was the
leader, could never have demanded so much
artifice in his statements; nor could there be
placed before him, in that age of torpid intellect,
prototypes of similar workings of the human
heart, from which he could have composed such
an assemblage of probabilities.

The exemplary piety of Moses; the integrity

DISPENSATION. 451
which shone conspicuously through the whole
of his legislative conduct; the care and assiduity
with which he always inculcated the moral
duties, in all their ramifications, ought to have
protected, him -from the ignominious charge, of
having conspired with his countrymen, to rob
the Egyptians of a rich booty before tlieir de
parture; or with having connived at the fraud.
No man could have more accurate conceptions
of justice than our legislator. Numerous in
stances have been adduced of the truth of this
assertion. Had he observed any impropriety of
conduct in the Hebrews, towards the Egyptians,
it would have been more consonant with his
personal character, as well as public office, to
have corrected, than to have encouraged it; and
certainly he would not have endangered his own
reputation, by scrupulously becoming so faithful
an historian of his own villany ! This heavy im
putation, is simply founded upon an arbitrary
interpretation given to general terms. Incidental
expressions can alone be explained, by an accu
rate knowledge of the leading principles, which
gave them existence; and tlie attempt to es
tablish any particular hypothesis upon vague
phraseology, has always been as fatal to the
truth, as an attempt to place a pyramid of Egypt
Gg2

452 ON THE JEWISH
upon its apex, would be dangerous to the in
discreet projector.
Moses informs us, in the unsuspecting sim
plicity of his narrative, that he was ordered to
let every man borrow of his neighbour, jewels
of silver, and jewels of gold. The same Moses
informs us also, that " the Lord gave them
favour in the sight of the Egyptians;" adding
moreover, that, "the man was very great in the
land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's ser
vants, and in the sight of the people." Will it
be asserted, that Moses intended to inform pos
terity, that the Lord predisposed the minds of
the Egyptians, to be deceived and robbed by the
artful and designed representations of the He
brews ? Would not this be to allege that, in the
opinion of our lawgiver, the Lord patronized fraud?
Or, that therenownacquiredby working miracles,
was converted by divine direction, into an in
strument of deceit? Shall we suppose, that the
Almighty was so exhausted by miraculous ex
ertions, that there was not one miracle^ in reserve
to keep his people honest ? Is it not a much
easier solution to conceive, that the object of
the narrative was, simply to state the deep im
pression made upon the minds of all the Egyp
tians, by the wonders which had been per
formed among them;— that in consequence

DISPENSATION. 453
of these wonders, they greatly relaxed their
usual severities towards the Hebrews ;— -that
their habitual contempt was changed into re
spect; — that they revered Moses, the great agent
of these miracles, and trembled before his God;
— and that they hastened to give every assistance
in their power to this protected people, lest
greater evils should fall upon themselves ?
The indecent imputation assumes it to be a
fact, that the Israelites professed to borrow what
they knew they should not be able to repay.
This assumption rests upon another, which is
also without its foundation. It assumes that
all the Hebrews were made intimately acquainted
with the plan of Providence, respecting them,
in all its branches. The fact is not stated ; it is
not consonant with the usual tenor of the di
vine conduct ; and it is destitute of probability.
They were inspired by previous miracles with
a confidence in the divine assistance, and with
the hopes of deliverance from their state of op
pression, and they were disposed to comply
with every injunction ; but nothing further was
necessary for them. Without divine communi
cations, they muAt have been as ignorant of the
minute particulars respecting their future situa
tion, as the Egyptians themselves. If both na
tions were in expectation of a return, to a meliq-

454 ON THE JEWISH
rated state perhaps, after a temporary absence,
the liberality of the Egyptians would be consi
dered as a loan. If no such expectations were
formed by the Egyptians, it niust undoubtedly
have been a free gift.
It does not appear, in any part of his history,
that Moses himself was,, at first, made acquainted
with every contingent circumstance. He sub
mitted to the impulse of heaven, and humbly
waited for the issue. The first requisition by
the divine command, was merely for the absence
of three days, that a solemn feast might be ce
lebrated in the wilderness contiguous. The de
mand was made in the name of Jehovah, in
simplicity, and with integrity. Had Pharaoh
complied with the requisition, we may rest
assured that he would not have repented of the
indulgence. Milder measures would have been
pursued by the Almighty to accomplish his pur
pose. But upon his refusal, this condition was
no longer urged ; nor was it afterwards enjoined
upon Moses to limit the period of their absence.
He Avas commissioned to rise in his demands,
in exact proportion as the heart of the sovereign
became more and more perverse ; and it is wor
thy of notice, that at the last interview, Moses
would not accept of any other terms than an
absolute, unconditional release. But whai would

DISPENSATION. 455
be the particular result; what the train of events
which were to follow; or what course he should
subsequently take, was left to subsequent reve
lations. Moses declared his ignorance of con-
tingences, when Pharaoh proposed that they
should go without their flocks and herds, " Our
cattle also shall go with us : there shall not an
hoof be left behind; for thereof must we take
to serve the Lord our God : andzve know not with
what we must serve the Lord, until we come thither."
Will not every one who professes to be guided
by his reason, consider this statement more
congruous and rational, than the strange sup
position that Moses should hand down to pos
terity his connivance at theft, and be the his-
toriographer of his own infamy, when no other
being could possibly have exposed him ?*
CONCLUSION.
Having thus minutely examined the Jewish
dispensation, respecting its primary objects, and
the manner of promoting these objects, and the
result, we will venture to pronounce that it bears
all the internal marks of a divine origin which
can reasonably be desired.
It proclaims the existence and universal go-
* See note Q.

456 CONCLUSION,
vernment of one God, possessing every natural,
and moral, or relative perfection, to a world
that had entirely lost every worthy conception
respecting him. It demands the obedience of
the heart to all the precepts of morality, in
opposition to profane and superstitious rites.
In its introduction, it was adapted to the rude,
ignorant, and depraved state of mankind ; and
in the progress of its developement, it has
equally respected the freedom of the human
mind, and the primitive laws of nature, never
violating the former, and as seldom as possible
deviating from the latter.
This dispensation has greatly benefited the
pagan world, by the light and knowledge it has
diffused. After many conflicts, and surmounting many
difficulties, this dispensation has been the means
of preserving the principles of true religion
and morality, through many ages of darkness,
ignorance, and moral depravity, which threatened
their dissolution in every period.
Finally, it gives us the strongest assurances
that these blessings, with their consequent ef
fects, are to be diffused over the whole human
race. The evidences of these facts, so correspondent
with our best conceptions of a Deity, are coj*
3

CONCLUSION. 457
lected from the general current of the Jewish
history itself, and from the exemplary characters
of the principal agents, who were instrumental
in accomplishing such important purposes!
We appeal to every one who professes to be
governed by his reason, whether the mass of
evidence which has been laid before the reader,
ought to yield to the captious objections of in
dividuals, which are so very liable to be founded
on ignorance; and which, after the short in-r
dulgence of a petty-triumph, have been so fre^
quently confuted by subsequent knowledge?
Should any one assert, that the primary object
of a divine revelation is to satisfy human curir
osity; to accommodate the indefinite but the
glowing languageof the East, to the frigid critic
cisms of distant ages ; or lo make us perfect and
unerring in the knowledge of minutiae, which
are in themselves of very little moment, many
and strong would be the objections to invalidate
that position. But when we maintain, that the
grand object is of so superior a nature as to
overlook these frivolities ; and that many in
ferior circumstances are left to be explained by
the minuter knowledge of facts, and the dis
creet exercise of our reasoning powers, the in
aptitude of such objections becomes most ap
parent.

45S CONCLUSION.
Many very important positions are established
which no objections can invalidate. The selec
tion of a particular people for a certain purpose,
the accomplishment of which could not have
been expected, according to the ordinary course
of human events ; — tlie importance of this pur
pose; — the preference given to the descendants
of Abraham, in honour of the exemplary faith
and piety of their progenitor ; — the means used
to preserve this people from the fatal contamina
tions of idolatry; — their deliverance from a state
of bondage, and their establishment in a land
promised to their ancestors ; — the superior wis
dom, strict morality, sublime piety, exemplified
in every institution, honoured in every punish
ment, and in every reward; — and the final
triumph of monotheism among these people,
are facts which cannot be denied or confuted
by frivolous disputes about daemons and witches,
and magicians, and borrowing and lending of
jewels; or the precise degrees of mspiration in
every individual agent of the divine purposes.
We know that the sun exists, and we consent
to be cheered with his light and splendour,
without waiting till astronomers shall have ex
plained the nature, or wiped off the disgrace of
those few spots, which our ignorance has placed
before his disk. When it can be proved, that the
5

CONCLUSION. 459
happiness of mankind is not an object worthy of
the Deity; that it is not the design of the Deity to
lead us, according to our nature and the extent of
our faculties, from gross ignorance to knowledge
and virtue ; that the numerous facts recorded in
the Jewish history have no relation to this ob
ject, and have contributed nothing towards its
promotion; then, .and not till then, may the
advocates for the divine legation of Moses be
alarmed, by trifling objections, urged respecting
minuter subjects, over which distance of time,
a difference in customs, manners, idioms of
languages, and other circumstances, have thrown
a temporary veil.
But if the legation of Moses be divine, then
it is an indubitable fact, that the great universal
Parent superintends the happiness of his crea
tures ; and it is proclaimed from heaven, that
HAPPINESS CAN ALONE BE OBTAINED THROUGH
THE MEDIUM OF PURE RELIGION, AND THE
PRACTICE OF EVERY PERSONAL AND SOCIAL
VIRTUE.

END OF DISQUISI-TION THE SECOND.

NOTES

TO THE

PRECEDING TREATISE.

.( 463 )
Note A.
After " Its beneficent designs." Page 31.
The usual distinction of the divine attributes is into
natural and moral. To tire latter, some writers refer the
attribute of power ; and most of them wisdom and know
ledge. But this division does not appear to be sufficient
ly accurate. Power conveys simply a physical idea;
Wisdom and Knowledge, abstractedly considered, are
intellectual. But physical and intellectual powers, can
alone.be connected with a moral character, by the manner
in which they are exercised ; for malignant spirits are
supposed to possess them to a great extent. As the dis
plays of divine power, knowledge, .wisdom, and goodness,
are solely made known to us by the works of creation, and
as they are equally operative, respecting this creation,
they may with strict propriety be termed relative. The
attributes essential to the divine existence not being ope
rative, cannot have a relation to other existences. They
are essentially inert. The Goodness of God, when duly
considered, will be found to comprehend every moral
attribute; for it is not only manifested in beneficenee,
compassion, and mercy, but it is the basis of righteous
ness, justice, and truth. The distinctions, therefore, of
the relative attributes introduced in the te\t, into physi
cal, intellectual, and moral, appear to be more consonant
with precision.
This mode of investigation naturally suggests to our
minds the idea of passive or inert, and active or rela
tive attributes ; the first, inspiring wonder and amaze
ment; the latter, fear, reverence, and love; and their
union overwelming the feeble faculties of man !

464 NOTES TO THE
Note B.
After " Objects of Sense." Page 52.
We refer our readers to a former note upon this sub
ject, in which several examples are given of terms ori
ginally metaphorical, becoming technical by perpetually
recurring. — See Ethical Treatise,. Parti. Note D.
In fact, a sentence can scarcely be used which does not
contain some expression, which would elucidate the
fact. The Analyser of language will discover many in
stances, in this and the preceding passage.
It is confessed by philosophers, that " there is no
greater impediment to the advancement of knowledge,
than the ambiguity of words j" and there cannot be a
more copious source of ambiguity, than indecision of
mind, whether ah expression should be taken literally
or metaphorically, or mistaking the one for the other.
By the former, the mind is held in the suspense of
ignorance; by the latter, ignorance absolutely mistakes
resemblances for the subjects themselves,; and mere
accidents are confounded with identities.
Note C.
After " Which once tormented his soul." Page 60.
We beg leave to refer our readers to what has been ad
vanced, in our Philosophical Treatise on the Passions,
concerning the peculiar and characteristic excellencies of
Complacency ; and they will perceive that this divine affec
tion is alone applicable, in its full extent, to a wise and

PRECEDING TREATISE. 465
perfect being. He that wills the good of his creatures,
who best knows in what that good consists, and by what
means it is to be accomplished, and who is fully assured
of the final issue, must enjoy the perfect bliss of this
blissful attribute ! He is not only acquainted with, but
he induces and approves of those temporary scenes,
which distress his creatures, and excite their impatient
and murmuring lamentations ; for he knows it is right
that they should suffer. Their sufferings are the effi
cacious means of improving their virtues, of forming
their moral characters to excellencies which he loves,
and which he will ultimately reward with permanent
felicity.
Note D.
After " Were to take place." Page 1 05.
That these miraculous interferences would exist as long
as they were necessary, there can be no reason to doubt.
But that they did take place periodically, does not appear.
It is possible that the disobedient conduct of the He
brews, might have made them unworthy of the honour.
It is manifest, however, that in obedience to the law, they
omitted cultivating the land every seventh year. For
among the privileges granted by Alexander in his in
terview with the high priest, we find that they were
exempted from paying tribute every seventh year : and
when the Samaritans requested the same exemption, they
alleged, that " in that year they did not till their lands,'
See Joseph, Vol. II. in loco. '
Bh

466 NOTES TO THE

- Note E.

After " He went out from Pharaoh in great anger."
Page 173.
A transposition of some verses in this and the pre
ceding chapter, is evidently necessary. In the tenth
chapter of Exodus, verses 28, 29, we are informed, that
Pharaoh said unto Moses, " Get thee from me, take heed
to thyself, see my face no more ; for in that day thou
seest my face thou shalt die ; and Moses said, thou
hast spoken well, I will see thy face again no more."
Yet from the fourth to the eighth verse of chap. 1 1,
it should appear that Moses had a subsequent interview.
The two last verses of the preceding chapter, should
manifestly be placed towards the close of the eighth
verse of the tenth chapter.
Note F.
After " Be burnt as a memorial." -Page 186.
A similar attention to the gradations of culpability is
observable in the laws respecting man-slaughter. Cities
of refuge were appointed at convenient distances, to the
nearest of. which the undesigning agent might flee.
Such dreadful accidents are frequently the result of in
advertency; for whjch this injunction was a proper
punishment. The injunction also paid due attention tg
the irritated state of mind, of the parties immediately
concerned ; while it protected the object from their re
vengeful pursuits.* * Deut. xix. 1—13.

PRECEDING TREATISE. 467
Again, if any one was found murdered in the fields,
the perpetrator remaining unknown, a law was insti
tuted, in order to excite universal horror at such atro
cious crimes, which, to a certain degree, seemed to im
plicate the adjacent districts in the offence. The elders
and judges of the city nearest to the spot, were ordered
to slay an heifer, in a solemn manner, wash their hands
over it, and make a public declaration of their inno
cence.* By these wise and salutary edicts, connected with the
paucity of capital offences which were admitted into the
Jewish code, this rude people were gradually civilized
into a benevolent regard for human life ; an indifference
to which, respecting others, is no equivocal indication
of a savage temper. The impressions thus made, might
also be the means of preserving the Israelites from the
sin of offering human sacrifices to idols, even in the
state of their greatest degeneracy.
Note G.
After " Guilty of delusion." Page 195.
When the author commenced his inquiries into the
Jewish history, for the purposes of this disquisition, he
resolved to confine himself to that alone, until he had
exhausted the train of his own ideas relative to the sub
ject, without calling in the aid of any other writer. He
was apprehensive that his mind might be embarrassed
by the diversities of their respective plans, or be seduced
into some particular hypothesis by the partiality of their
* Deut. xix. 1—9.
Hh2

468 NOTES TO THE
statements. But it gives him much satisfaction to -find,
that there is, in the essential points, a coincidence
between his sentiments, and those of the most distin
guished vindicators of the Jewish dispensation. To these
authors he must refer, for minuter statements of some
particulars than it was consistent with his plan to give.
In the excellent dissertation of Mr. M. Lowman on the
civil government of the Hebrews, the reader will find
ample and satisfactory information concerning the most
important points of the Jewish history; particularly
concerning the distribution of territories ; the peculiar
office of the Levitical order; the general government
of the Hebrew nation ; oracular communications ; the
equity of punishing the idolatrous Canaanites ; and a
vindication of several of the prohibitory laws of Moses,
which have been censured as frivolous, by those who are
not well disposed towards the legislator. Of the latter,
we shall transcribe the following instances. " However
trifling some of the Mosaic laws may appear at first
view, and unworthy the wisdom of God to enact them
as laws, yet the case will appear quite otherwise,
when they are considered as necessary provisions against
the danger of idolatry. ,The law, for instance, that
appoints, Ye shall not round the corners of your heads,
neitlier shalt thou mar the comers of thy beard, will
appear directions of importance, when it was to prevent
a magical custom of idolatrous priests, who made this
sort of cutting off their hair and their beards, essential
to their, worship ; and used them as things of conse
quence, in order to procure from their idols the
several blessings they desired and prayed for. In like

PRECEDING TREATISE. 469
manner, we may easily perceive a reason, why the law
should direct, neither shall a garment mingled of linen and
woollen come upon thee, when we understand, that such
mixed garments of linen and woollen, were the proper habits
of idolatrous priests ; and were supposed to have some pow
erful magical virtue in them. For the same reason, we
may easily understand the wisdom of appointing by law,
that the woman shall not wear that which appertameth
unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's gar
ment; for all that do so are abomination to the Lord
thy God; when it was an idolatrous custom of their neigh
bours that men ought to stand before the star of Venus
in the flowered garments of women; and women were
to put on the armour of men before the star of Mars."*
We might adduce from profane writers, innumerable
instances of the gross immorality that was encouraged by
pagan worship. It was absolutely the consecration of
vice. It authorized and commanded every enormity.
The rites observed in the worship of Bacchus, Osiris,
Ceres, and Venus, were too obscene to be stated in popu
lar language, and their very flagrancy prevents their ex
posure. The Phalli and Mylli, favourite rites in the
worship, of those deities, are thus described; "turn
privatim, turn publice, lignea virilia thyrsis alligata, per
earn solemnitatem gestabant, fuit enim Phallus vocatum,
membrum virile." (Shsedius de diis Germanis.)
Heraclides of Syracuse says, " ex sesamo et melle
fingi pudenda muliebra, qua? per ludos et spectacula
circumferebantur, et in tota Sicilia vocabantur Mylli."
Cicero accuses the poets of giving the following cha-
*See Dissert, page 18.

470 NOTES TO THE
raeter of the deities they celebrated, and who were the
patterns of imitation : "qui et ira inflammatos, et libidine
furentes, induxerunt deos ; feceruntque ut eorum bella,
pugnas, prselia, vulnera, videremus : odia, praeterea, dis-
sidia, discordias, ortus, interitus, querelas, lamentation es,
effusas in omni intemperantia, libidines, adulteria, vin-
cula, cum humano genere concubitus, mortalesque ex
immortaii procreatos," &c. &c. (De Natura Deorum,
Lib. 1. cap. 16.)
Concerning human sacrifices Justin remarks, " cruenta
sacrorum religione, et scelere pro remedio usi sunt.
Quippe homines ut victimas immolabant, et impuberes,
quee setas etiam hostium misericordiam provocat, aris
admovebant. Pacem deorum sanguine eorum pro quorum
vita Dii, rogari maxime solent." (Just. Lib. 18. cap. 6.)
Mr. Bryant, in his observations concerning the plagues
of Egypt, tells us from Plutarch, that the " Egyptians
had several cities styled Typhonian, such as Heliopolis,
Idithyia, Abaris, and Busiris. In these, at particular
seasons, they sacrificed men. The objects thus destined
were persons of bright hair, and a particular complexion ;
such as was seldom found among the native Egyptians..
Hence he infers that they were foreigners ; and that
they were chosen from the Israelites, while they resided
in Egypt. They were burnt alive upon a high altar, and
thus sacrificed for the good of the people." (See Ob-
serv. page 104.)
Note H.
After " To an object of worship." Page 206.
That learned and indefatigable Biblical critic, the Rev.

PRECEDING TREATISE. 471
Mr. J. Simpson, has paid peculiar attention to this sub
ject. He asserts that " the word Tw including its de
rivatives, occurs fourteen times in the book of Job,
and twenty times in the other books of the Old Testa
ment, in all thirty-four times. These are very few, he'
observes, if Satan be a real person, and had so large a
sphere of action upon this globe, as is generally assigned
to him, through so long a period as that to which the
several books of the Old Testament relate : especially
as these books consider the world in the peculiar view of
its being governed by God alone." He adds, " from a
fair examination of the several passages, it appears, that
the sense of adversary as an appellative, is the true one.
It appears also that the term is in all cases applied to
human adversaries, except in two instances, in which it is
used concerning the angel of Jehovah." See Essays on
the language of Scripture. By J. Simpson. 1806.
Essay II.
Note I.
After " Was the god of flies." Page 207.
Mr. Bryant observes, that the province of many of their
deities was to chase away flies. Even the great Jupiter
was sometimes termed the ^viay^ o? awo^uioj, the Fly-chaser.
Those who had no tutelar deity to protect them against
these insects, thought it prudent to worship the insects
themselves, that they might become less troublesome.
In some places, that most useful animal the ox, was
sacrificed to render these little torments more propi
tious ! In other places, where the whole race was not
worshipped, they had a select deus musca, a fly God.

472 NOTES TO THE
This god was worshipped at Cyrene under the name of
Achor, and was carried from Egypt to Palestine. He
was also called Zebul, which signifies a fly, and being
joined to the word Baal, represents this deity as the lord
of flies.
Mr. Bryant proposes a correction in a passage relative
to Ahaziah, the son of Ahab, in the first chapter of the
second book of Kings, where it is said that Ahaziah,
who was sick, " sent messengers, and said unto them,
go and enquire of Baal-zebul, the god of Ekron, whether
I shall recover of this disease." He maintains that it
should be rendered, go and enquire in tlie temple of Baal,
of the Fly-god Accaron. He supports this alteration by
the authority of Josephus, who in giving the same his
tory of Ahaziah says, that being ill he sent to enquire of
Accaron, the god-fly ; for that {Accaron) was the name of
the deity. The Greek version favours this opinion also,
which says, go and enquire in the temple of Baal, of the
Fly-god Accaron, if I shall recover of my infirmity. Mr.
Bryant further maintains, that the messengers were not
sent to Ekron, which lay south of Judah, but to Baal
of the Tyrians and Sidonians ; whose temple and oracle
was becoming famous. The worship of this god had
been introduced into the kingdom of Israel by Ahab,
the father of Ahaziah. (See Observations on the plagues
of Egypt, by Jacob Bryant, Esq. 1810. page 54.)
, Note K.
After " Discover or invent." Page 225.
After having adduced such a force of evidence from

PRECEDING TREATISE. 473
the highest authority, surely no one will urge the "frivo
lous objection, founded upon particular modes of ex
pression, which were occasionally used. It cannot be
expected, that even inspired writers should be com
manded to pay such a scrupulous attention to modern
.ideas as to adopt, by anticipation, the philosophical pre
cision which may be highly necessary for those who are
compelled to investigate truths, by the slow inductions
of reason, but not to those who are instructed from on
high. After it was repeatedly proclaimed, by the voice
of inspiration, that there are no gods, that they were
merely idols whom the heathens worshipped ; that the
priests were deceivers, and the people deceived, there
could be no danger in using the popular language, in
order to avoid unnecessary circumlocution, and oc
casionally to speak of things which are not, as if they
were. It is scarcely possible to. treat of acknowledged
non-entities, without giving them, at the moment, a kind
of existence in the imagination. We cannot attempt to
prove that a shadow is not a substance, or that it proceeds
from.the absence or a partial defect of light, in a given
place, without ascribing to it a substantial form, and
animadverting upon its properties. Language was formed
and became current, before science could take the lead;
and truths subsequently discovered, must submit to its
dictates. We no longer imagine, as formerly hinted,
that a splenetic person has a disease of the spleen; or
that it is essential to the choleric, that they should be
troubled with the black bile ; yet we tmploy the terms,
with our consciences perfectly at ease. Those who are
fully convinced of the truth of the copernican system,
still speak of the rising and setting sun, as incautiously

474 NOTES TO THE
as if it actually moved round the globe. Our youths
cannot be Instructed in the history and characters of the
heathen deities without being told, in positive terms,
that Jupiter was the father of gods and men, that Bac
chus was the god of wine, Mars the god of war, Venus
the goddess of love, Minerva of wisdom, &c. We do
not feel ourselves obliged to inform them, every moment,
that we have adopted the language of pagans, without
embracing their notions. Yet, if we may argue from
analogy, it is very possible that, after the lapse of ten or
fifteen centuries, some systematic or scientific theorist,,
may assert that the Christians of the nineteenth century
firmly believed in the heathen mythology, and produce
their current language as an evidence of the position.
When Moses informs us that the magicians did likewise
with their enchantments, it is easy to understand by
the expression, simply that they were such adepts in
their arts as to impose upon the spectators; and as they
were deceived, all the purposes of his history were
answered ; for the influence upon their minds was the
same. Thus also when we are told that Saul resolves
to consult " a woman who had a familiar spirit, and his
servants say unto him, Behold, there is a woman who hath
a familiar, in Endor ;" it is more rational to confine
these expressions to the credulity of the parties con
cerned, than to extend them, contrary to the most ex
plicit assurances, to a confirmation of their principles.
The supposed conversation between Samuel and Saul,
did not exceed the current reports and expectations of
the day, to which this artful woman could not have been
a stranger ; and which it was not difficult to impose

PRECEDING TREATISE. 47s
upon the disturbed mind of her sovereign, as a divine
oracle. We are perfectly satisfied with having stated, in an
ample manner, the positive declarations of Jehovah
upon this subject, by the mouths of his prophets ; with
which the narrative of facts in the Mosaic history is
so consonant. We shall not, therefore, enter into any
debate upon this subject, or attempt' to explain, in what
manner we are to understand those numerous expressions
in the New Testament, which seem to militate against
the declaration of Jehovah himself. Nor shall we en
quire how the land of Judah became populated, by these
aerial and invisible beings, about the time of our Sa
viour, when their existence was unknown to the ancient
Jews. When such men as Locke, Dr. Clark, Doddridge,
Benson, Taylor, and others, entertained the opinion that-
evil beings actually existed, the subjeet is not to be
treated with levity. They have, however, formidable
opponents in the Rev. Mr. Farmer on the subject of
demoniacs ; and the Rev, Mr. J. Simpson in the Essay
already quoted. Both these gentlemen have entered
very minutely into the question, and maintain their
tenets with a force of argument which merits attention.
It is a singular fact, which has not been sufficiently
attended to, that although the current language of the New
Testament seems to intimate a general belief in the exist
ence of malignant spirits, in the land of Judea, yet there
are no instances of the practical influence of the creed.
They were never worshipped ; there are no marks of in
cantations, or the use of superstitious ceremonies, to
soothe their malice; nor of any supplications to the

476 NOTES TO THE
true God, for protection against them. So that, if their
existence was believed, it was a mere inert opinion :
And it is as singular a fact, that the perverse imaginations
of numerous Christians have revived those works of
darkness, which the Saviour came to destroy. During
many ages, has the Christian church not only believed
in the existence, but in the perpetual agency of such
beings. Public prayers have been composed, and are
continually repeated, to be delivered from their malig
nancy. Credulity has compressed those mighty beings
" who once dared the Omnipotent to arms," into little
irksome mischievous imps; and has rendered them as
numerous as the flies that meander in the sun. Super
stition has consecrated the bells of our churches, that
their undulations may keep these evil spirits at a distance
from departing souls ; and it expects either to drown
the little immortals in holy water, or to inspire them
with a kind of hydrophobia, which makes them shudder at
its approach. So obstinately perverse have been these
errors, that pious and -learned divines have thought it
their duty to place those who disbelieve the existence
of such agents, in the rank of incorrigible atheists.
Notions like these are, in fact, the revival of paganism
in the very centre of Christianity. They are a close re
semblance of the perverse idolatry of the Jews, in spite
of the monotheism peculiar to their religion : and they
prove that Ignorance breeds daemons, fiends, imps, &e.
N&c. as numerous, and as various, as the animalculae
which are produced from putrefactions.

PRECEDING TREATISE. 477
Note L.
After " An idolatrous world." Page 322.
The reader will perceive that our attention is strictly
confined to the religious and moral history of the Jews,
and its influence on the Pagan world. Many other
writers have considered this favoured people as the
source of universal knowledge. To them is ascribed
the origin of language ; the inventions of art, the dis
coveries in sciences. They are considered as the patterns
of civil policy ; and from them are the most celebrated
philosophers of antiquity supposed to have derived
their choicest ideas, in morals and theology. In pro
portion as these positions can be established, will they
augment the lustre of the Jewish dispensation, by evin
cing the extent of the blessings diffused through its me
dium. But the subject is not in our province. See
Warburton's Divine Legation of Moses, Gale's Court of
the Gentiles, and other authors, for ample discussions.
Note M.
After " Apes and Peacocks." Page 375.
The learned have entertained various opinions con
cerning the situation of the land of Ophir; what is to
be understood by the navy of Tarshish ; and with what
propriety an extensive and uncertain voyage could be
stated with such precision in point of time. But Mr.
Bruce has thrown much light upon the subject. He
considers Monomotapa, on the .south-east coast of
Africa, and opposite to the island of Madagascar, to

478 NOTES TO THE
be the land of Ophir : and he asserts that to sail from
the extremity of the Red Sea to Monomotapa, and return
by means of the regular trade winds, which prevail in the
Indian ocean, requires precisely that space of time ;
the navigators being obliged to wait for these winds.
See Bruce's Travels, Svo. edition, 1805, vol. ii. ch. iv.
for a particular statement of his opinions, and his argu
ments in support of them.
Note N.
After " Horrid events." Page 407.
It is necessary to advert to the singular manner in
which Babylon was taken by Cyrus, in order fully to
comprehend the force of some of the above expressions.
At first he besieged the city for the space of two years ;
in the hopes that he should compel, by famine, the in
habitants to surrender. In this he was unsuccessful.
They boasted that they had provisions against a siege of
twenty years ; and, confiding in the immense strength of
the fortifications, they ridiculed every attempt that was
made against them. Cyrus finally resolved to turn that
branch of the Euphrates, which flowed through the city,
into an adjacent lake. This lake had been made arti
ficially, in a preceding reign, either by Nebuchadnezzar,
or his daughter-in-law, Nitocris. The original object
was to relieve the city, and the districts around it, from
devastations by the overflowings of the river. But a
design being entertained to form a communication under
the bed of the river, within the walls, from one part
of the city to the other, the lake was enlarged to the
size of forty miles square ; its depth was, according to
2

PRECEDING TREATISE. 4?9.
some, thirty-five feet; according to others, seventy-five.
Cyrus diverted the stream in a similar manner, into this
enormous lake; and marched his troops at midnight
under the walls, and through the bed of the river. He
chose the season of a great festival, for the execution of
his purpose. He knew that both princes and people
would be absorbed in pleasures, and rendered, by their
intemperance, incapable of making a formidable resist
ance. The walls of the city are related to have been
eighty-seven feet in thickness ; three hundred and fifty
in height ; and four hundred and eighty furlongs in cir
cumference ; forming an exact square ; each side being
fifteen miles in length : and each side had twenty-five
gates of solid brass.
These circumstances being recollected, will give a
peculiar emphasis to the expressions : " I will break in
pieces the gates of brdss, and cut in sunder the bars of
iron. I will loose the loins of Kings to open before
them, the two-leaved gates. A drought is upon her waters,
and they shall be dried up. The king of Babylon hath
heard the report of them, and his hand waxed feeble ;
anguish took hold of him, a pang, as of a woman in
travel. I will make drunk her princes, arid her wise men,
her captains, and her rulers, and her mighty men, and they
shall sleep a perpetual sleep.
For an ample description of this great city, see Prideaux's
Connect, vol I. For the particular manner in which
it was taken, see Xenophon's Cyropsedia, book vii.
Note O.
After " Pious zeal of his successors." Page 430.
When our acquaintance with the religion of the Hin-

480 NOTES TO THE
doos commenced, and their sacred writings were ex
plored by Europeans, the many sublimities in their theo
logy, made a deep impression upon divines and philo
sophers. Some believers were manifestly alarmed at
apparent excellencies, which seemed to rival the insti
tutes which Christians admit to be divine ; and un
believers, in the wantonness of their triumph, manifested
a much stronger propensity to become Hindoos, than to
embrace Christianity. But when a novel object is first
presented to us, its unexpected resemblance to some
thing known, is considered as a perfect likeness ; and
perhaps it will appear to a prejudiced mind, or a whimsi
cal fancy, as the more comely of the two. A more inti
mate acquaintance will, however, remove the deception ;
and deformities may finally be so conspicuous, that we
shall become ashamed at our having been deluded by
first appearances. This is exactly the case with the re
ligion of the Hindoos, that boasted rival of the Mosaic
laws. The admiration of the moment was a stimulus
to further researches ; and in proportion to the extent of
these researches, the more rapidly has admiration sub
sided, until it has given place to disappointment and
disgust. In the writings of the elegant Sir William
Jones, and in a comparison of the institutions of Moses
with those of the Hindoos and other ancient nations, by
the indefatigable Dr. Priestley, as well as in the works
of several other writers, conversant with the oriental
literature, we are presented with a digest of the various
tenets of the Hindoos, respecting their philosophy, their
speculative theology, principles of morality, religious
ordinances, rites, customs, &c. Whoever consults these
works will be amazed at the patience of the authors, in

PRECEDING TREATISE. 481
wading, with so much perseverance, through such a col
lection of absurdities, frivolities, immoralities, impieties,
and obscenity! If he be not prevented by the emotions
of indignation and contempt, at the extravagant prejudices
of professed philosophers, he will smile at their credulity
in believing that the Jewish laws should possess inferior
merit, or even be derived from so impure a source :
laws in which consistency, dignified simplicity, rational
representations of the Deity, unmixed with 'the eccen
tricities of a wild imagination, undebased by absurd and
fanciful emblems ; and the chasest morality, unpolluted
by impious, frivolous, or barbarous customs, are so con
spicuous in every part !
Note P.
After " Peculiarities of the country." Page 438.
Mr. Bryant, in the treatise already mentioned, endea
vours, with much ingenuity and learning, to point out a
peculiar propriety in all the miracles inflicted upon the
Egyptians, by tracing a correspondence between the
nature of each miracle, with the character, situation, and
religious prejudices of the people; and illustrative of
the declaration, " against all the gods of Egypt will I
execute judgment." The Egyptians not only worshipped
the River Nile, but they thought it the father of the
gods; by its waters being turned into blood, the impo
tency of this god was manifested in the most impressive
manner. Those impostors, the Egyptian priests, were
also punished with due severity ; for their aversion to
blood was extended to a ridiculous excess.
i i

482 NOTES TO THE
Frogs were sacred to Osiris ; and they were deemed an
emblem of prophetic influence. Hence the propriety of
their being inflicted as a plague.
The immense swarms of lice were peculiarly distress
ing to people who " thought it a great profanation of the
temple which they entered, if any animalcules of this
sort were concealed in their garments ; while their rites
were filthy, and to the last degree bestial and obscene."
It has already been remarked that flies were also ob
jects of adoration.
The murrain among the cattle was a just punishment
for their absurd adoration of the Cow, and the peculiar
veneration of their god Apis, in the form of a bull.
Concerning the plague of boils, " which was upon the
Magicians, and upon all the Egyptians," the author ob
serves that " this plague, like those which preceded, was
peculiarly well calculated to confound the Egyptians,
and to confirm the faith of the Israelites. For as the
latter are not said to have been involved in the calamity,
we may fairly infer that they were exempted from it ; this
must have increased their confidence in the God of their
fathers, and in his servant Moses. This instance of
divine punishment, was also of such a nature as shewed
the baseness and imbecility of the Egyptian deities, who
could neither ward off the evil when impending, nor
afford any alleviation when it was brought on. Yet the
Egyptians had many gods, and those of high rank, who
were supposed to preside over pharmacy and medicine ;
and to these the people looked up with great confidence,
in all those pains and maladies to which the human
frame is liable. Among these, Esculapius was held in
peculiar honour for his skill in this science, &c.

PRECEDING TREATISE. 483
The sprinkling of the ashes from the furnace towards
heaven, 'had a peculiar reference to the customs of the
Egyptian priests, who, when they burnt human sacri
fices, scattered the ashes in blessing the people.
The judgment of rain, hail, and fire, was calculated-
to excite the greatest consternation, as heavy rains were a
phenomenon in Egypt, where even the mildest showers
are scarcely known; while the injury done to the flax
that was boiled, by the dreadful storm, was peculiarly
distressing ; as flax and fine linen were the chief articles
of commerce.
Egypt was not peculiarly subject to the devastations
made by the swarms of locusts. They were brought
upon the land by an east wind ; and they came from
Arabia. The calamity inflicted by this punishment was
great; and it shewed also the impotency of those gods,
whose peculiar province it was to chase away such evils.
The Greeks, who derived their superstitions from Egypt,
styled locusts Cornopes, and they worshipped Hercules,
under the title of Comopion, for having freed their coun
try from locusts.
The Egyptians, as well as other heathen nations, wor
shipped darkness as the primary god, the first cause of
all things. The palpable darkness, therefore, inflicted
upon the land of Egypt for so long a period, while the
land of Goshen continued to enjoy the light, was calcu
lated to convince them of their extreme folly.
The Egyptians, as Mr. Bryant observes, " abounded
with emblematical deities, and were beyond measure at
tached to them ; and their learning, as well as their out
ward sanctity, made their religion very specious and

484 NOTES TO THE
captivating. Herodotus says, that of all the people upon
earth they were the most extravagantly devoted to their
gods and religion. They have distinguished more por
tends and prodigies, than all people in the world collec
tively. And when any thing esteemed a prodigy happens,
they observe and write down whatever ensues upon it ; and
if in process of time any similar appearance should occur,
tliey imagine that the same consequences will follow. If
this were the case we see a further analogy and propriety
in God's judgments. -He exhibited before their eyes
some real prodigies which could not be mistaken, and
punished them in their own way, for their credulity and
superstition," &c.
The tenth and last plague,, the death of the first-born
through the land, must have filled the minds of all peo
ple with horror and consternation. "But the Egyptians,
of all the nations upon the earth, were, according to
Herodotus, most frantic in their grief. When any per
son died in a family, all the relations and friends of the
deceased co-operated in a scene of sorrow. The process
was to quit the house ; and the women with their hair
loose, and their bosoms bare, ran wild about the street ;
the men also, with their apparel equally disordered, kept
them company ; shrieking, howling, and beating them
selves." If such were the distress for an individual,
what imagination can conceive of a scene that could
equal this !
These general outlines will be sufficient to. corroborate
our remarks in the text. We refer the reader to the
work itself for the enlargement ; and also to Mr. Bryant's
Dissertation upon the divine mission of Moses. In which

PRECEDING TREATISE. 485
the folly of the attempt to undertake so great an enter
prise, as that of conducting the Hebrews through such
numberless difficulties, by means merely human, is
stated with great force.-
Note Q.
After " Have exposed him." Page 445.
Bishop Warburton, in his treatise _on the divine lega
tion of Moses, introduces his subject with the following
pertinent observation : " The writers in defence of re
vealed religion, distinguish their arguments into two
sorts ; the one they call the internal, and the other the
exteiiial evidence. Of these, the first is, in its nature,
more simple and perfect, and even capable of demon
stration ; while the other, made up of very dissimilar
materials, and borrowing aid from without, must needs
have some parts of unequal strength with the rest ; and
consequently lie open to the attacks of a willing adver
sary. Besides, the internal evidence is, by its nature,
perpetuated ; and so fitted for all times and periods ;
while the external, by length of time, weakens and
decays. For the nature and genius of the religion de
fended, affording the proofs of the first kind, these ma
terials of defence are inseparable from its existence;
but time may, and doth efface, memorials independent
of that existence, out of which the external evidence
is composed,; which evidence must, therefore, become
more and more imperfect. But was there no other be
nefit accruing from the cultivation of the internal evi
dence, than the gaining by it a more perfect knowledge

4S6 NOTES TO THE
of revealed religion, this surely would fully recompense the
pains." The Bishop, complaining that the internal evidence has
been too much neglected, subjoins, " perhaps it is be
cause writers have, in general, imagined the difficulties
of effectually prosecuting the internal methods not to be
so easily surmounted, as those are which the writer in
the external is engaged in ; while they suppose that the
latter, to be master of his subject, needs only the usual
requisites of church history, common diligence, and
judgment : but that the reasoner on the internal proof
v must, besides these, have a thorough knowledge of hu
man nature, civil policy, the universal history of man
kind, an exact idea of the Mosaic and Christian dispen
sations, cleared from the froth and grounds of school
subtilties, and church systems ; and, above all, should
be blessed with a certain sagacity, to investigate the re
lations of human actions, through all the combinations
of natural, civil, and moral complexities,"*
Had the author of these disquisitions supposed, that
the possession of so many qualifications were necessary
for investigating of the contents of the Old Testament,
he would not have made the attempt. He imagined
that a minute attention to the nature and object of the
Jewish dispensation, to its different parts, their relation
to a whole, and to the infinite importance of this whole,
would sufficiently enable him to place the internal evi
dence of its divine origin, in a perspicuous and satis
factory point of view; and he hopes that he has not
heen totally unsuccessful. He thinks that he has ar-
* See Warburton's Divine Legat. B. 1. Sect. 1.
2

PRECEDING TREATISE. 487
ranged, as in a phalanx, a compact host of evidence,
vast, steadfast, impenetrable ; defying the sabres of any
irregular skirmishers to gain the least ground upon them,
or to make any alarming impression.
It'is however desirable that there should be a perfect
harmony between these two kinds of evidence ; and nu
merous are the writers whose works evince that such an
harmony subsists. The learned and elaborate Bishop of
Gloucester has, in his extensive treatise on the divine
legation of Moses, pointed out their intimate relation : we
might also refer to Mr. Lowth's vindication of the divine au
thority and inspiration of the writings of the Old and New
Testament; Harmer; Sir J. Chardin's Travels; Bruce'sTra-
vels ; Jew's Letters ; andLowman on the Hebrew govern
ment. But we beg leave particularly to notice, Lectures on
the four lust books of the Pentateuch, by the Rev. Richard
Graves, in two vols. Svo. a work lately published,
which proves, in a very satisfactory manner, that Moses
was the author of the Pentateuch, and instituted the
civil and religious constitution of the Hebrews ; and it
contains more minute and circumstantial answers to va
rious objections, than was consistent with our plan, or
our limits. A recent publication by Jacob Bryant, -
Esq. containing observations upon the plagues inflicted
upon the Egyptians, is worthy of great attention. It is
the object of the author to shew the peculiarity of those
judgments, and their correspondence with the rites and
idolatries of that people. See also Priestley's Scriptural
Notes, and Burder's Oriental Customs.

G. Sidney, Printer,
Northumberland-street, Strand.

ERRATA.
The following Errata influence the sense.
Page 302 1. 2, for insuperable r. insufferable.
359 10, for penitence r. dependence.
375 5, for Judea r. India.
 10, for India r. Judea.