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YALE
UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

THE
DIVINE ORIGIN
OF
PROPHECY
ILLUSTRATED AND DEFENDED.

THE DIVINE ORIGIN'OF PROPHECY
ILLUSTRATED AND DEFENDED
IN A COURSE OF
S E R M O N S
FKEACHEO BEFORE
THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD,
IN THE YEAR MDCCC.
AT THE
LECTURE FOUNDED BY yOfTN EaM^TO^, M. A.
Cki^ON.QF SALISEURX.

THE REV. GEORGE RICHAltC'S', M. A.
VICAR OF BAMPTON J AND RECTOR OP LILLINGSTONE
LOVELL, OXFORDSHIRE ; AND LATE FELLOW
OF ORIEL' COLLEGE.

De divinatione, quae eft earum rerura, quae fortuitae putantur, prae-
di6lio, atque prasfeniio; id, fi placet, videamus, quam habeat
vim, et quale fit. Ego enim fie exillimo ; fi fint ea genera divi-
nandi vera, de quibus accepimus, quasque colimus, effe Decs.
Cic. deDiv. li^. i. fea. 5.

OXFORD:
AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS, FOR THE AUTHOR ;
SOLD BY HANWELL AND PARKER;
AND F. AND C. RIVINGtON, AND T.^ HATCHABD, LONDON.
1800.

IMPRIMATUR,

Coll. Dt. Joh. Bapt.
8 Mail I Sop,

MICH. MARLOW,
Vice-Can. Oxon.

TO THE HONOURABLE AND RIGHT REVEREND
SHUTE HARRINGTON, LL. D.
LORD BISHOP OF DURHAM,
WHOSE ,ZEAL IN PROMOTING SAfRED LITERATURE,
AND FAITHFUL DISCHARGE OF THE DUTIES »
OF AN EXALTED STATION,
EFFECTUALLY- CONTRIBUTE
to THJE SUPPORT
OF THE .
CHRISTIAN RELIGION ;
WHILE HIS UNREMITTING ASSIDUITY
IN IMPROVING THE CONDITION
OF THE HONEST AND LABORIOUS POOR
ADORNS JTS PROFESSION
AND ILLUSTRATES ITS PUREST PRECEPTS ;
~ THESE LECTURES,
COMPOSED IN rrS DEFENCE,
ARE RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED
BY HIS MUCH OBLIGED
AND VERY GRATEFUL SERVANT,
G. RICHARDS.

BxtraSt from the lajl Will and Teftament of
the late .Rev. ^fohn Bampton^ Canon of
Salijhury. ^
 " I direct: and appoint, that the
" eight Divinity Led:ure Sermons IhaH be
" preached upon either of the follovv^ing
*' fubjeifls — ito confirm and eftablifh the
" Chriftian Faith, and to confute all here-
" tics a»d fchifmatics — upon the divine
*' authority of the Holy Scriptures, &c. —

SERMON I.

ZECHARIAH vli. 7. , ¦
ehOULD YE NOT HEAR THE WOkD, WHICH
THE IiORD HA'TH SPolCEN BY THE PORME^
^PkOPHETS, WHEN JERUSALEM WAS IN-.
HABITED AND IN PROSPERITY ?
X HE prevailing Infidelity of the prefent
times has diverted attention from all in*
ferior confi derations, to a defence of the
fundaqje^tal arguments in favour of Chrif-
tiani.ty. The fubjed:s, w^hich were" once
difcufled as the moft important in Theo
logical warfare, are difregarded, and al-
moft loft, in the momentous conteft, to
which the Ghriftian champion is now fum-
mbned. We no longer ftrive for the fub-
ordinate parts of our Religion ; the whole
has bcQn aflailed. The controyeriy is not
s confined

a S E R M O N I.
confined to a fingle article of faith, to a
few difputed paflages in the facred Writ
ings, or to the particular difcipline of a
favoured Church. Our adverfaries have re-
jeded all articles of faith, have renounced
the holy Scriptures at large, and have de-
jplafed their hoftility againft the very prin
ciple of a Religious Eftablifliment. Ar
guments the moft fubtle, and raillery the
moft infidious, have been but too luccefs-
fully employed in diminifhi|jg the effedt of
the evidences of ChriAianity, and releafing
the mind from the falutary influeace of
Religion. Though the writings of thefe
daring unbelievers are diftinguilhed by
palpable mifreprefentations, wh-ich the xao&
fhamelefs alone could venture to obtrude,
and which the moft ignorant alone can be
induced to credit j yet they deliver their
fentiments with a perfpicuity and fami
liarity, which the meaneft underftanding
may apprehend, with a flow of vulgar
pleafantry, whrich is peculiarly calculated
to -afFeft the im^inations of the lower or
ders of foci«ty, and with an authoritative
decifion, which the fchokr only can firmly
and effedually refift. The faith even of
the

SERI^ONI. 3
the inhabitants of our own happy country
has of late been feverely tried by thefe
impious produiSions. While moft of the
great kingdoms of Europe have not. only
been inundated with the pernicious works
of the blafphemers ; but in too many in-
ftances the people at large have fallen the
xnelaiicholy vid:ims of the fatal delufion.
But Infidelity has not merely been pro
pagated in the writings of the pretended
philofopher with a degrfee of zeal which
is without example ; it has alio beeo.
adopted as a powerful inftrument of am-
. bition : it has fallacioufly been propofed to
the people of all nations, as one of the prin--
cipal means, by which they may arrive at
an ideal ftate of liberty which is really im-
pra^icable, and of happinefs which is really
unattainable ; and, in its later ftages, it has
rigceived a temporary addition of authority
and importance, from the Iplendor of fuc-
cefs and the fword of the civil magiftrate.
To oppofe the effrontery of thefe nu
merous and powerful adverfaries, and to
deted and remove thefe pernicious errors,
B ^ we

4 .SERMON' h
we muft recur to the fundamental argu
ments in defence of our Religion. On all
occa;fions, but efpecially in feafons like the
prefent, we fliould more particularly la
bour to convince the young and the unin
formed by ftatements, which in the judg
ment of cool and reafonable enquirers- may
appear irrefiftible, that Chriftianity is not
an human fiftion, but the undoubted Re
velation of God. All inferior confidera-
tions fliould in the firft i'nftance be entirely
tiegleded ; and the attentipn fliould be
folely directed to this one momentous
truth. When, after a full and candid in-
veftigation, it has been deeply impreflcd
upon the mind, the fubtleties of the-fophift
will be vain, and the wit of the fcoffer
will be heard with indignation or diiguft.
One decifive teftimony in favour of a mi
raculous interpofition, when eftabliflied be
yond the poflibility of doubt, muft operate
upon the mind of the modern Chriftian,
with the fame refiftlefs effect, which was
produced among' the early converts> when
they beheld Chrift and his Apoftles by a
word, or by a touch, reftoring fight to the
blind, and making the lame to walk. Meta:-

SERMON I. 5
Metaphyfical difcuflaori, fallacious rea-
foning, and brilliant wit, have been di-
refted, with uncommon energy, againft
the preternatural evidences, which efta
blifh the divine claims of Revelation. The
exiftence of Miracles, and the truth of
Prophecy, have been affailed by every fpe-
cies of attack, which could fiiggeft itfelf to
men, who.feem to have been adluated by
a ipirit of fyftematic oppofition, of hard
ened prejudice, and fometimes, it is to be
feared, even of inveterate 'malignity,
I fhall not, therefore, I truft, undertake
an ufelefs or unwelcome ofiice, if I dire^
yovur attention to one of the two great
preternatural evidences, by which the di
vine origin of Chriflianity has been aflertqd .
and confirmedn
That men would not be left to the in-
fufficient and treacherous guidance of their
own unaided leafan, upon the fubjedl of
Religion, but that their v Maker would
afford them additional affiftance, and re
veal the important truths, upon which
their eternal happinefs depends, muft be
B 3 allowed.

6 S E R M O N I.
allowed, by all candid and difpaflaomat^ 'pn-
quirers, to be in the higheft degree probable.
We are indeed compelled to: admit this
probability both by our juft conceptions of
the benevolence of the Creator, and by the
urgent wants of the creature, as acknoW"
ledged in the modeft confeffions of the
wifeft philofophers ^ of antiquity, and de-
monftrated by the religious ignorance and
moral depravity of the whole Pagan world.
The hiftory of all nations frona, which the
light of Revelation has been withholden,
the prevailing unconfcioufnefs of a fuper-
intending Providence, the horrid rites by
which they have fometimes been polluted,
the corrupt fentiments by which they have
always been partially degraded, the' errors
of principle, and the. bafenels of practice,.
which they exhibited, and the cheerlefs
uncertainty,, with which, even in ages of
fcience and refinement, they contemplated
theprqfped; of a future world, ^— thefe cir-
cumftahces eolledively confidered abun
dantly juftify our expedation, and even
• Plato in Aldibi^deM;, Id. in Apol. Socrat. Cic.TufcuL
Quseft. 1. i. Plato de Republica, 1. vi. See alfo Clarke's
Evidence of Natural and Revealed Religion, fe£l. 6, y.
clearly

S E R M O K I. 7
clearly demonftrate the ftrong neceflity of
a divine Revelation.
But it is indifpenfably requifite, that he,
who offers himfelf to the notice of man
kind as the Meffenger of the fupreme
Being, fliould afford indubitable proofs of
the reality of his facred commiffion, Thefe
proofs muft confift of a difplay of powers,
which exceed the utmpft poflible efforts of
mere human ability. He, Who acknovv-
ledgeS, that the Almighty was able to
create and give order to the whole uni-
Verfe, muft affuredly allow, that he is able
alio, by a miraculous interpofition, to fuf-
pend that general order in any Subordinate
part. That he would be induced toflifpefid
it, for the fake of affording a! divine fan6tion
to his own gracious Revelation, is a flippofi-
tion rendered highly probable by the pecu
liar circumftances of the occafion. In the
corrupted ftate of mankind, even the pureft
lyftems of moral and religious inftruft'ion
tnuft be rendered eminently more effedtive
by the authority of a-divine atteftation. The
irtquifitive and the confiderate may, not
unreafonably perhaps, hefitate to receive it
B . 4 as

8 S'E R M O N I,
as the wiU of the fupreme Being, unlef^
it is autheuticated by vifible proofs of lii§
interpofition in its favour; The paflions of
men are fo inordinate, and their depravity
fo flagrant, that if the truth of a Revela
tion depended upoii affertion alone, the en-
^;erprizing and the wiclced would often im-
pioufly preteud to a divine commiffion, in
order to : jncreafe their authority, and pro-
mpte their worldly defigns. Thus ,unle;ft
the real Revelations of the Almighty had
been? eftabliflaed by proofs of divine perfec
tion, which are raifed far above tl^e.reacl^
even of the moft ingenious artifice, man
kind would be conftantly perplexed by the
claims of contending lyftems of Religion j
and, not being able to afford implicit con--
fidence to any one in particular, might at
length become incredulous and indifferent
towards all. s; / ' i,
A preternatufai evidence, ^therefore, ii^
proof of Pi vine Revelation, not Only may
be reafonably expedled, but appears to be
indifpenfably requifite.
Jt has pleafed the Almighty to atteft th?
truth

SERMON I. 9
truth of Chriftianity by Miracles; and by
Prophecy; by a fufpenfion of the laws of
riature, which, Omnipotence alone could
effect ; and by a developemerit of the fe-
crejts of futurity, which Omnifcience alone
could fprefee.

\ .To the latter of thefe evidences I mean
to folicit your attention in the following
Difcourfes, j -.

I have already remarked, that, from the
unhappy temper of the prefent times, it is
neceffary for 'the Ghriftian teacher to recur
to the fundamental arguments in favour of
our Religion. It may with equal juftice be
obferved, that, in feafpus like the prefent,
±he argument from Prophecy in particu
lar is Ijkely to attrad:, a more than ordi
nary attention, and to make a very ftrong
¦jmpfeflionupon the public mind. The ages
of great revolutions excite in an uncom
mon degree the curiofity of mankind.
The Chriftian* on fuch occafions, is natu
rally induced to look up with additional
reverence to, the fupreme Being. Unable
%g t^tTign any a(^e(|uate human caufe for

IO S E R M O N I.
the' mighty tffeds which are difplayed
around him, he recurs to an higher agen
cy. When he is filled with apprehfenflori,
he flies to his almighty Protestor ; when be
is blefled with uncommon profperity, he is
animated by gratitude to afcrib^ the praife
to his gracious Benefador. Knowing that
many important tranfadlions of thefe later
ages, involving the interefts of Chriftianity,
were difcloied to the view of the ancient
Prophets, he is induced humbly to expe(fl the
completion of fome of the facred Oracles, in
the extraordinary events, in which he beaffe
a part : and 'thus awakehed to a ftrong
ienfe of divine prefcience, in examining
the momentous occurrences of his own
times, he is prepared to contemplate, with
increafing ferioufnefs and a more lively in-
tereft, .the inftances of divine prefcience in
the times which are paft. Peace and fecurity
frequently produce a torpor and iha«ftion of
the mind. The wonderful revolutions of
former agfis, which were peculiarly the
fubje^s of Prophecy, are fo very different
from the tranquillity which then prevails,
that they aflume in fbme degree the ap
pearance of fable and romance, and do
not

SERMON I. II
not ojpetate with their Jull natural force
upon the mind. But when changes of an
equally high imporiiaiice are pafling dread
fully before our view', vy^e .are roufed to
more cnfcrgetic conceptioris. of the revolu
tions of former times, i JCindred ideas and
congenial i feelings tenable us to ..difcera
them with' quicker perceptionj and to re
gard them with keener fenl^bility ; as he*
who has been expofed to the terrors of a
tempeft on the ocdan, liftens with more
than common earneftnefs to the recital of
the dangers of the mariner.
From" thefe obfervations it appears, that
the wonderful fcenes, which have of late
been prefented to the view of the Chrif
tian world, are particularly favourable^ to
the enforcement of the argument from
Prophecy, and that they feem to render it
more peculiarly incumbent upon , us, to
place it in that high rank among the evi
dences of Chriftianity, to which, from its
impreflive nature, it is juftly entitled, but
from which, for a confiderable length of
time, it appears to have been undefervedly
degraded. . To

i% SERMON I. J
To this ^argiirnertt very different degrees
of importance have been attached, in the
leveral ftages of Chriftianity. /Sometimes
it has been' enforced with: imprudent and
unjuftifiable Zjeal : ifemetimes it has been
treated -with u nmerited indifference arid
even' negledl. During one period it .-has
fe^n injudiGioufly- advanted, fo as to fuper-
fede all pther teftimonies : during another
it has been ftink to a low and unimpor
tant fituation among the evidences, of. the
t^hriftian Religion. - i

In the Apoftolic age, the Miracles, which'
wei-e performed in the pr^fence of theiafto-
niflied muMtude, were fometimes fc?arcely
urged by the firft. preachers of the Golpel ;
and the accorn'pliftiment of Prophecy was
principally employed as the j^^pology of
faith, or the inftrument of converfion. But
let it be obferved, that the argument thus
diftingiiiihed with pre-eminence was folely
applied tp the Jews. The Jew's poffefled
the prophetic writings.: they revered them
as divine ; and founded upon their own
erroneous interpretations of theni, their
fondeil hopes andTproudeft expe<3:ations. It

S E R M O.N I. i3
It was natural, therefore, that the Apoftles,
in recommending Chriftianity to them,
fliould accommodate theit arguments to
the peculiar circumftances of their hearers>
and particularly labour to reprefent it as
the full and adequate comipletion of their
national Oracles, i
The Gentile world, at the time of the
promulgation of the Gofpel, was inflamed
with a ftrong deiire of exploring the events
of futurity. This ardent propenfity may
be difcovered in the writings of the fatirifts,
hiftorians, and philofophers, in the attach
ment of the people at large to the arts of di
vination, and in the reverence with which,
at Rome, through fo long a Jeries of years,,
the myfterious volumes of the Sibyl had
been contemplated. So generally, indeed,
did the defire of forefeeing future events
prevail, that the, Roman empire was over-
fpread with the caves and fliady receffes of
the pretended prophets. The moft illuf-
.trious perfonages were fometimes employed
in the prophetic oflice : while > the great
body of the' people revered the effufions of
the prieft? as the undoubted revelations of
the

14 SERMON r. s
the gods. Oracles were the chief cre
dentials, which the Heathen produced in
fupporting the divine pretenfions of his fu-
perftitiori : and at the firft propagation of
Chriftianity, the public curiofity was ex
cited, and a fpirit of enquiry almOft< uni-
verfally prevailed '', in confequence of the
declining authority and gradual Ceffation of
oracles through the whole Roman -world.
It was natural, therefore, that the early Fa
thers fliould avail themifblves of the popu*
^ lar fpirit ; and, exerting their warmeft elo
quence in ftipport of th© prophetic evi-
- dence, fliould appeal to it as peculiarly de
cifive of the truth and divine nature of the
Religion, which they laboured to promul
gate. ,To thefe obfervations it may be
added, that, from the general belief of the
extraordinary influence of magical arts, the;
refult of mere human ingenuity, the knowr
ledge of future times was confidered as a
fiirer and more ftriking proof of Divinity "^
than a fufpenfion of the order of nature.
^ Plutarch, lib. de defe6i. Orac. Julian, apud Cyrillum.
PUny the elder, &c. &c.
' Juftin. Apol. prima, p. 48. Iren. 1. ii. c, 57, Laflt.
V. 3.
The

SERMON I.

15

The fjrft Apolpgifts, therefore, were morQ
willing to reft their claims upon Prophecy, '
which was the acknowledged infpiration of
God, than upon Miracles, 'which were re-
prefented as the effe<3;of' magic and a de^
moniacal aJgency. , ^ -
Through the long courfe of the dark
ageft, the more iinportant lubje<3:s of theo-
lo^ appear to have been totally neglected.
The genuine truths of Chriftianity were
buried undei^ a, load of corruptions : while
the flender portion of literature which ftill
remained, was folely employed in fcholaftic
jargon, metaphyfical fubtleties, and perti
nacious bigotry, coUeftively exerted in fup-
port of the moft frivolous and abfurd opi
nions, which it was equally unneceflary
and impoflible to fettle.
At the revival of learning, an enquiry
into the genuine fpirit of the Gofpel was
vigoroufly profecuted; and the feparation
from a corrupt Church was attempted
with fuccefs over a confiderable portion of
Europe. The advocates of the Reforma
tion reforted to the facred Scriptures, not
' ' only

1^ SERMON t
only for proofs' of the grofs abufes of tb^
Romifh fee, and for the eftablifhment of
the real doftrines of Chriftianity ; but alfd
for the prophetical delinieation of the mon-*
ftrous corruptions, from which they earneft-
ly ftruggled to, feparate themfelves. They
found among the Prophets the moft aiilple
encouragement, not only in the defcrip-
tions, which they gave of the fpiritual
uflarpation, but in the earneft arid impfef-
five exhortations, which they addreffed to
the Chriftian,. " Come out of her, my peo
ple, that ye be not partakers of h6r fins."
It cannot, therefore, -furprife us, that the
enemies of the Papal corruptions, thus. de
riving from the prophetic writings a con
fiderable authority to their cauf^, fliQuld
elevate the teftimony of ancient prediftiona
above all other proofs. Perhaps the appeal>
which was then made to the authority of
the ancient Fathers, might farther .inducfe
the theological champion to afford to
Prophecy that fuperiority over pi^J other
teftimonies, which had been allowed to it
by thofe venerable Writers, by whofe in
terpretations of Scripture he fortified his
faith in many of the moft important doc
trines

SERMON I,

17

ttines of Revelation. Thefe circumftances,
together with an enthufiaftic curiofity in
developing, by the arts of divination, the
fecrets of futurity, influenced, the charadler
of a part of the Chriftian world, . even
through the fucceeding ages.
This injudicious and unwarrantable ex
altation of a fingle evidence, the fa.gacit:y
of our adverfaries quickly difcerned, and
•artfully converted to their advantage. They
reprefented our Religion as depending, even
for its ^ exiftence, upon the fole fupport of
Prophecy. And then, with an energy pro
portionate to their increafing hopes of
triumph and final fiaccefs, they laboured to
weaken its authority, by magnifying the
difficulties, with which, from its nature.

I ^ Tindal laboured to prove, that Chriftianity was founded
upon Judaifm. Collins, in his Difcourfes on the Grounds
and Reafons of the Chriftian Religion, endeavoured to fhew,
that Chrift and his Apoftles founded the divine authority of
tljeir Religion folely on the Prophecies of the .Old Tefta
ment. A paffage from the-fecond Epiftle of St. Peter
(2 Pet. i. 19.) erroneoully explained, afforded to the Deifts
a plaufible argument in fupport of this part of their theory. ,
The fenfe of this text has been clearly and fully afcertained
by Biftiop, Sherlock. " See Sherlock's Difcourfes on the Ufe
and Intent of Prophecy. Difc, i.
. ~ . C it

iS ,S E R M O N I.
it is in fome degree neceffarily perplexed -,
and which have been confiderably height
ened by the erroneous explications of ig
norant or enthufiaftic fupporters. The
defender of Chriftianity inftantly diverted
his attention to other incontrovertible evi
dences ; and, by a fate to which all hu
man affairs are fiibjedt, the argument fuf-
fered from abufe, and has not fince been
generally admitted to that high name a,ud
commanding ftation% to which it is unqiief-

* if we allow, what cannot, it b'. apprehended, be fairly
controverted, that the teftimony of Jefus was the (pirit, end,
and fcope of Prophecy; we fliall not te. able to agree with
the learned and moft able author of Difcourfes on the Ufe
and Intent of Prqphecy, who -fuppofes, that the predi&ions
of the Old Teftament were cbiejly intended to fupport- the
faith and religion of the Old World. See Sherlock's Difc.
&c. D_^ii. p. 37, 58. , ' '
Dr. iPaley, in his recent publication, the general merits
of which cannot be too highly appreciated, has ranked Pro
phecy among the auxiliary evidences of Chriftianity, has
refted almoft the whole weight of this teftimony upon twa
prediftions, and has confined his remarks to the particular
circumftances of the inftances which he fekfted. May I
venture to obferVe, that his yaluable work would, perhapsf
have been rendered more complete, if he had afligned a
higher rank to this evidence, confidered it in all its impor
tant parts, and afforded tb it the advantage of his clear,
eomprehienfive, and forcible method of ftating an argument.
Sec Paley's Evidences, vol', ii. tionably

S E R M> O N I. 19
tionably entitled among the evidences of
the Chriftian Religion*
The friend of facred Infpiration will
furely hefitate, before he confents to affign
to the prophetic teftimony fo degrading' a
fituation. The forefight, with which the
ancient Prophets were endowed, was emi
nently more than human, and was alone
abuAdantly fufficient to eftablifh the cer
tainty of a divine miffion. The frequent
difplay of a diftant and unerring prefcience,
at which the unaffifted mind of man can
never arrive, is a decifive proof of infpira
tion, and bears upon it the feal of divinity.
Miracles and Prophecy are the two great
preternatural teftimonies, by which the truth
of Revelation has been fand;ioned. And we
may juftly contend, that it would be diffi
cult to fhew in what refpedts a feries of
Prophecies, all of which are acknowledged
to be accompliflied, is inferior in its effects
upon the mind to a feries of Miracles, all of
which are acknowledged to, have been per
formed. They were both employed in the
fame holy , and momentous caufe ; they
both demonftrate a fupernatural interpo
fition : and when we have once confefledly
c 2 ^ ad-

20 S E R M O N I.
advanced beyond the limits of humaii abi
lity, we furely muft not venture to affix
different degrees of credibility to different
difplays of Omnipotence. We muft bow
down with equal adoration beforfe the fu
preme Being, whether he attefls his divine
perfedlion, by difcovering a prefcience of
diftant events,, which exceeds the knOw-
ledge pf man; or by performing tKofe. Won
derful works, which exceed the powers of
man. We cannot decifively acknowledge
his interference in the one inftance, and
hefitate equally to acknowledge it in the
other. Far be it from me to infinuate,
what our injudicious friendsand infidious
adverfaries h^ve not unfrequently in former
ti^es afferted, that the truth of Chriftian
ity refts folely, or chiefly, upon the evidence,
which it will be my object in thefe Lec
tures to confirm. While, On the one hand,
it is fuppofed, that the -feries of predictions,
which we poffefs, is alone fufficient to
eftablifh the ' certainty of a divine -Reve
lation'; it may truly be declared, that,
had it pleafed almighty Wifdom not tp-
hive fandlidned his Religion by Prophecy,
had not a fingle inftance oP divine pre
fcience been admitted into the fyftem of
Revela-

SERMON I. 11
.Revelation, the Gofpel of Chrift would ftill
have been fupported by a weight of pre
ternatural evidence, from which no candid
enquirer could withhold his affent. But in
unfolding that wonderful fcheme, which
has afforded the means of immortality and
final happinefs to the whole human race,
our Maker has gracioufly doubled the proofs
of divinity, and multiplied the fources of
convidiion. Different minds are influenced
by different modes of perfuafion. He, for
whom Miracles may have been wrought
in vain, may be converted, by the flire
word of Prophecy. Inftances have not
-been wanting in thefe later ages, in which
the dying profligate has been reclaimed
from a ftate of the moft ftubborn Infi
delity, by the authority of the ancient Pro-
¦ phets. And circumftances will fully war
rant the fuppofition, that, in the days of
our Saviour, the Jewifh people, though
they' beheld without conviction his won
derful fiifpenfion of the regular courfe of
nature, would have proftrated themfelves
in dutiful fubmiffion before their Lord
and their God, could they once have been
perfuaded, that in his "divine Perfon the
long train of their national Oracles had re
ceived ^ full completion. C3 , It

^z S E R MrfO N I.
It may not be improper, before I enter
upon the inveftigation of this evidence, to
exhort the younger part of my hearers, to
endeavour folely in the firft inftance to ar-^
rive at a firm conviClion of the reaUty of a
preternatural foreknowledge in the Pro
phets. When this conviCtion has once
been deeply fixed in the mind, it ought to
be allowed conftantly ijio operate with its
entire force. We oughr frequently to re-
cal to our recoHeClion the principal circum
ftances, by which it was originally pro
duced, as furq prefervatives againft the ef-
feCls of the flud:uation of human opinion,
the allurements of novel doctrines, the in
fidious obtrufion of real or pretended diffi
culties, and the prejudicial influence of the
want of extenfive information in all the
branches' of the fubjeCl. Againft the force
, of fuch a perfuafion, rationally produced,
it is not unreafonable to expedt, that no
fubordlnate confiderations will be able ef
fectually to prevail.
It cannot be denied, that the Chriftian
may fometimes encounter very ferious dif
ficulties. In confequence of minute re-
fearches Into the inferior parts of the fub-
jeCt. And, unfortunately for the caufe of
truth.

3 E R M ONI. ^3
truth, the fiiperficial enquirer too often en
tangles himfelf with thofe perplexities, be
fore he has difcovered \the fundamental
principles, upon vyrhieh the certainty of the
evidence depends. But if, in the moft im^
portaiit parts, facred Prophecy indifputably
rifes above the pow;er of the unaflifted
human inind, no circumftance of inferior
confideration can deftroy or weaken the
proof of it? divinity. Revelation will ad
mit of no compromife. There can be nq
fellowfliip between light and darknefs. If
Prophecy be not in all its parts human, it
muft be divine. And if the evidence of
its celeftlal origin is really incontrovertible,
and irrefiftibly commands our affent, we
are- bound, by the common dictates of rea-
fon, to reprefs all fufpicion, and to diftrufl
the fufficlency of our own judgrnents or^
thofe points, which may appeat uhfatisfac-;
tory, and may really occafion perplexity.
The obfcure and uniiitelligible nature of
fome parts pf fome Prophecies cannot
weaken the fo^ce of thofe, which may be
^learly underflood. The parts, which, frona
the peculiar nature of the difpenfation, are
involved in obfcurlty, or, at prefent, are
c 4 really

¦a4 . SERMON I.
really incapable of a fatisfaClpry applica
tion, poffefs no more influence in the quef-
tion, than if they had not appeared in the
facred Volunrie. They neither augment nor
dimlnifh the effeCl of thofe, which are free
from perplexities. Of fome inferior parts
of the human frame, and of fever al of the
vi^orks of nature, we know not yet the ufe.
But we do not, on this account, refiife to
a,cknowledge the intention of utility in
others, without the aid of which,/exiftence
would inftantly ceafe. We do not with
hold our affent from the intelligible and^
juft opinions of an author, becaufe we may
be unable to interpret a few difficult fen-
tences in the obfcure or mutilated -parts
of his compofitlon. We decide upon the
fentiments which we comprehend, with
out any reference to the paffages which
are not underftood.- ^In the fame manner,
the Prophecies, which have received a clear
and fa'tisfaCtory explication, poffefs their en
tire: foYcej nqtwithftanding even the ap
parently impenetrable obfcurlty of others-
^
Whether the Prophets always underflood
their own predictions, or whether they un-.
derftood them in a fenfe- different from that

SERMON I. a5
that which was really inteiided, are confi
derations totally irrelevant to the queftlon.
Our conviction of a preternatural interpo
fition will be but little aided by difcover
ing, either that the holy Being, by whom
the Prophets were infpired, endued them
with his own unerring prefcience on the
fiibjeCl upon whiclv he employed them,
or that he only rendered them the paffive
inftriiments of difclofing to mankind his
^knowledge of futurity. The Chriftian con
tends, that they were the agents of a fu-
perior PoWer. If the divine agency is ad
mitted, all which he demands is granted. '
Every other enquiry may more or lefs be
fubjeCl to error and difficulty. By carrying
his. refearches farther, he may gratify a juft
and pious curiofity ; but can derive no advan
tage effential to the interefts of his Religion.
To endeavour to difcredit Prophecy by
cenfurihg the means, which were ufed in
its delivery, has long been one of the fa
vourite practices of the Infidel. The means
have been artfuHy reprefented, either as
fubjeCts of indecent ridicule, or as -'ill,
adapted to the. ends, for which they \were
employed. S-Uch confiderations are en
tirely

a6 S E R M O N I.;
tirely independent of the great queftion.
We cannot confiftently with reafon per
mit our faith to be deftroyed, or even
weakened, becaufe the mode, in which the
divine foreknowledge of the Prophets was
conveyed, was not fuch as to our finite un-
derftanding may appear the moft fuitablc;^
or the moft dignified. We muft not deny
the reality of an Omnipotent agency, be
caufe we approve not of the manner in
which it has been exhibited. With equal
propriety might we deny, that the great:
luminary of day was created by the Al-
m^ighty, becaufe fome of its qualities may
not accord with ^ur prefumptuous de
terminations refpeCting fuch a production
of divine Wifdom. With equal propriety',
might wfe deny, that the gift of intel
lect was Imparted to man by his Maker,
becaufe it may not appear to exhibit that
kind or degree of perfection, with which
we rnay arrogantly fiippofe that fuch a
work of the Almighty piuft neceffarily be
endowed. With humble curiofity we may
explore all the fubordlnate parts of the won
derful fcerie. of his Omnifcience, which^tha
facred Writings lay open to our view : but
we fhould explore them, not for the pufpofe of

SERMON I. a7
pf prefumptuQufly arraigning the wifdom
of his meafures, and perplexing our minds
¦yvith ufelefs doubts and fufpiclons; but with
the pious defign of acquiring a more perfeCl
knowledge of the nature of his proceed
ings, in an aftonifhing aCl of his Provi
dence, in vsrhich we have been previoufly
corhpelled to admit his divine interference-
In this manner it may be eafily fhewn^,
that all the inferior objections, with which
the argument from Prophecy has been af
failed,' are rendered nugatory and ineffec
tual, by a clear and decifive proof, that, as'
far as the peculiar circumftances of the
difpenfation required, the events fore
told have all actually occurred; and that
the Prophets and their predictions were
dlftinguifhed by numerous peculiarities,
which bore l;he vifible marks of a pre
ternatural and over-ruling influence. If iil
thofe parts, which are the moft important
in their nature, and effential to the con
firmation of the argument, the Oranifclent
Infpirer has abundantly provided for the
removal of all reafonable doubts, and for a
firm eftablifliment of the truth, we cannot
jufjly expeCl an equal degree of clearnefi and

aS S E R MO N t
and fatlsfaCtion on every other pdint,
which from ignorance or prefuanption we
may labour toes^plain. While we poffefs
the free and unbiaffed exercife. of reafon,
we ought not to renounce that conviClion,
in confequence even of inextricable diffi
culties in the inferior parts of the fulgeCt,
which divine Wifdom may have purpofely,
ordained ; which the revolutions of ages,
Ijbgetker with the changes of foeiety, naain-
MGss, and language, may have neceffarily
©ceafioned ; which the peculiar nature .Qf
the difpenfation may have inevitably re
quired ;, or which the pride of human rea
fon, and the arrogant curiofity of man,, may
have ufelefsly raifed. ' ,
Before I quit this part of the fubjeCl^
let me be allowed to fubmlt to the judg-r
vsnent of the candid and the unprejudiced,
otne further remark- upon the rational and
well-grounded perfiiafion of a divine tef^
timony in favour of Chriftianity. As it
has been already urged, that fuch a divine
teftimony ought not to be weakened by
the confideratlo'n of any particular circum
ftances attending the inferior parts of the-
Revelation; fo it cannot juftly be re
nounced

SERMON I. 29
nouncedin confeqxience of the arrogant
affumptions and plaufible theories of t^ie
Infidel, and of the pretended Philofopher.
It has been the policy of the fceptical wri
ters of the:prefent age, to prejudice the
niinds of their readers againft the proofs of
revealed Religion, by fraudulent endeavours
to eftablifh, - through metaphyfical fubtle
ties, fallacious general principles, fubverfive
of , all particular teftimony. " The invefti
gation of the refpeCtive evidences has been
carefully avoided ; while ftrenuous though
ineffectual attempts have been made, to
prove the ufeleffnefs of a Revelation, the
univerfal prevalence of impoflure, the falli
ble nature of human teftimony, the abfo-
lute invalidity even of the ftrongeft force
of evidence, the influence of our own per-
fbnal inexperience of fupernatural effeCls, to
gether with the improbability and even the
impoflibility either of a miraculous aCllon,
or of a knowledge of futurity ^ By thefe
fpeclous but delufive theories, our adver
faries hoped to prepoflefs the- minds of
their hearers, and to, harden them againft

/ See- Philofophy of Hiftory., by Voltair^ : Article. Ora-
eles. ' , -
the

30 S E R M O N L
the admiffioh of thofe incontrovertible evi
dences, which can be adduced in favour of
Chriftianity. Such a fpecles of attack i'^
peculiarly fubtle and infidioul : among the
weak and the uninformed, rit may give
birth to doubts and perplexities, which
fcannot, without long and ferious inveftiga
tion, be effectually removed. .But when the
Cjiriftian has once been convinced by teftlT*
monies in themfelves unanfwerable, dravvn
from the particular circumftances of the di
vine mahifeftation, that there has been an
actual difplay of fupernatural power, nd
fpeculative opinions, or arbitrary pofitions,
however plaufible, ought to fliake that ,
perfuafion. There is a folid and durable
force in real faCls, when the proof of them
amounts to a moral certainty, againft which
it is a folly to allow any fbphiftry to pre
vail. As it has already been remarked, that
neither real nor pretended difficulties, nor
the fpecioufnefs of general principles, pof-
fefs any aClual power of weakening- the
truth of Revelation, againft the weight of
pofitive evidence ; fo it may not be^ un-
fervlceable to difmifs fronqi the difcuffion thofe

SERMON I. -31
thofe parts, which are unimportant, and
Jittle connected with the general merits of
the queftion. The betiever, unintentionr
ally from error, and the Infidel, infidioufly
for purpofes of delufion, have not unfre-
.quently diminifhed the btherwife irrefifti-
i)le force of the ftronger parts of the evi
dence, by too fully occupying the atten
tion in minute enquiries, which, after the
cleareft and moft fatisfaCtory iffue, are in
their very nature incapable of powerfully
producing conviCtion. For the purpofe,
therefore, of prefervirig the force of the ar
gument unimpaired, and of employing the
mind upon objeCts of the moft important
confideration alone, it may not be impro
per to omit all inftances of ordinary and
inferior Prophecy ; and to confine the at
tention to thofe Minifters of heaven, who
went forth upon extraordinary miffions,
and were endued with pre-eminent gifts
of prediction. All thofe .modes of pre
fcience will be excepted from the difcuf
fion, \vhich feemed to be adopted for tem
porary purpofes alone, and were folely or
principally employed, as inftruments of
theocracy. Thus the Urim and the Thum-
mim were appointed by the Almighty to
reveal

'32

SERMON t

'reveal in certain cafes ^is divine purpofes i
yet they will be dlfmlffed from our confi
deration in the following enqiiiryv-becaufe
they were never employed in the deVe-
lopement of diftant events, but were folely
intended to dired the immediate proceed
ings of the JeWilh people. '-The fchools of
the Prophets. appear to have 'been' infti-
tuted for the ufeful purpofe of qualifying
the prlefts and minifters of the theocracy fot
a juft dlfcharge of their facred duties. The
more celebrated Prophets were in many inr
ftances feleCled from thefe pious fern ina-
ries. But as the extraordinary degree of
infpiration, with which they , were gifted,
was totally • ^ independent of their connec
tion with fuch inftitutlons, . thefe fchools
w^^ill not be admitted to bear any part
¦whatever in the general argument from
Prophecy. Upon the fame principles, it may not
be improper to exclude from the' prefertt
difcuffion, except as far as they were'illuf-
trative of the principles and conduCl of th*
Prophets, all thofe predictions, which were
e See Stillingfleet's Origines Sacrse, 1. ii; c, iv.
more

S E R M ONI. 33
iiiore particularly delivered in aid of the
divine adminlftration in Judea, and re^
ceived almoft an immediate completion.
They. appear to have been given, in fome
degree, in compliance with the ftrong pre
judices refpeCtlng divination, which then
univerfally prevailed ; and to have been ra
ther ah inftrument of the theocratic go
vernment, than the means of convincing
future ages of the extraordinary foreknow
ledge of the PrOphets. In fubfervlence to
the peculiar purpofe, for which they were
principally defigned, they partook, not fo
much of the nature of dlreCt and abfblute
ProphecieSi..as of promifes and commina-
tions, the accomphfhment- or failure of
which was determined by the fubfequent
conduct of the people, for the benefit of
whom they were delivered. Though it
may clearly be fhewn, that they bear the
moft vifible marks of a divine prefcience;
yet, as Pagan countries pretended to a fpe-
cies of divination in fome degree fimllar,^
and as divine Revelation exhibits a long
train of Prophecies, which are more ftrik-
ingly preternatural, and are much more
capable of overpowering the mind with
conviction, under the reftriCtlon which has
D already

34 SERMON I.
, already been propofed, they will generally
be omitted in the courfe of the following'
enquiries. The modern enemies of Chriftianity
have dlfingenuoufly and bafely confounded
the various fignifications which are con
veyed by the terms Prophecy and Prophet.
To declare "^ to the woi^d the mind of the
Almighty, as received by immediate reve
lation from himfelf, is the firft and high-
eft duty of a Prophet. With this primary
meaning of the word, the prefent argu
ment is not in the flighteft degree con
cerned. It refers only to that fpecies of
Prophecy, which was intended as an infal
lible teftimony of the reality of fuch a di
vine Revelation. The fecondary fenfes are
numerous and varied. They were by no
means limited to the difplay of a real
knowledge of futurity. To pretend to di
vine infpiration, to perform a miracle, to
explain the facred Writings, to deliver mo
ral fentiments, to be convulfod with vio
lent agitations, to affume a poetic charac
ter., and even to fing, to dance, and to play,
'' See Stillingflert's Origines Sacrae, B. II. c, v. f. 4.
were ,

SERMON I.

35

were all promifcuoufly denominated by the
common term of Prophecy. The youth
ful ftudent cannot too forcibly imprefs
upon his mind thefe various ufages of the
word. It may at firft appear, perhaps, to
fome of my hearers, that I ftand in need
of an apology, for defcending to explica
tions, which a common vocabulary affords:
but I have been induced to allude to them,
in confequence of the unmanly arts, and
of the effronterv, with which a confufion
of fenfes, too grofs, and too palpable, it is to
be feared, to have originated in ignora'nce,
has of late been infidioufly adopted by our
adverfaries, in order to hold up the' general
evidence of Prophecy to the derifion and
contempt of the uninformed and the cre
dulous. On occafions like the prefent, in
which an attempt is made to fhew the
certainty Of a fupernatural Interpofition in
the inftance of Prophecy, the friend of
Chriftianity confines himfelf to that accept
ation of the word, which implies a know
ledge of futurity exceeding the reach of
any created underftandlng. The argument
is not, in the flighteft degree, implicated
with any other fenfe of the term.
D 3 Thefe

36 S E R M O N I.
Thefe exceptions being made, the en
quirer after truth fhould, in the firft in
ftance, folely endeavour to convince him
felf, that, during a period of an extraordi
nary interpofition of the Almighty in the
affairs of a chofen people, certain perfon?,
^independently of all local inftitutlons and
cuftomary modes of divination, came forth
as extraordinary meffengers of heaven, and
exhibited indubitable teftimony, that they
were favoured with fiich a knowledge of
future events, as could only be derived
from the immediate infpiration of the
Deity. • In examining the evidence from Pro
phecy, the principal force of the argument
is found to He in the firm eftablifhment
of the following pofitions : that, the books
containing the predictions being genuine,
the Prophecies were ' feverally delivered
prior to the time of their accomplifh-
nient ; and that events have aCtually oc
curred, which accurately coincide with the
predictions-. From a clear and fatisfaCtory
inveftigation of thefe points, refults the
moft confiderable part of that powerful ef-
leCt, which this evidence is capable of pro
ducing.

S E R M O N I. 37
ducing. But it muft immediately occur
to every hearer, who is but moderately ac
quainted with' -the fubjeCt, that the full
difcuffion of thefe important branches
would carry me far beyond the limits,
which the nature of thefe LeCtures, pre-
fcrlbes. They have frequently undergone
the fulleft and moft fatisfaCtory inveftiga
tion. ' I mean, therefore, entirely to omit
the confideration of them on the prefent
occafion. It will rather be my objeCt to direCt the
attention of the ftudent in facred literature
to the difcovery of the moft ftriking cha-
raCterlftics, by which Prophecy is dlftin
guifhed. Of thefe cJiaraCte^ftics, fome are
indifpenfably requifite for the prqper fup
port of this teftimony j and others, though
not abfolutely effential, are yet eminent
ly important, and peculiarly calculated to
ftrengthen our confidence in - Revelation,
and to effeCt in every candid mind an un
alterable perfuafion of its truth.
There are various circumftances, which,
in tracing Prophecies from their delivery to
their completion, muft come under the
D 3 confi-

^.8 S E R M O N I.

o

confideration of the Theological fchola^.
He renders himfelf acquainted with the
general nature of Prophecy, the conduCt
and condition of the Prophets; the pecu
liarities of the feveral predictions, and the
relative fituations of the countries and per-
fons concerned either in the delivery, or
the accomplllhment, together with a va
riety of important circumftances attending
the feveral pretenders to divine infpiration
in heathen nations. This enlarged know
ledge of the feveral parts of the fubjeCt
will prefent to his view a number of thefe
charaCterlftics, which, as 1 have .already ob
ferved, contribute additional force to the
argument, and place in a ftronger point of
view the divine nature of Jewifh and ,
Chriftian Prophecy. When it has 'been
clearly demonftrated, that there is a co
incidence, which it is morally impoffible
that either chance or human ability could
fo invariably produce, between the predic
tions, which were uttered, and the events,
in which they were fulfilled, though, in
fome inftances, the reality of their ^ivine
origin does not, perhaps, become aCtually
more certain ; yet it Is rendered,' by a
knowledge of thefe diftingulfliing marks, more

SERMON I.

39

more ftriking, and more forcible in pro
ducing' conviCtion in the mind. When a
fimple narrative of fads, eftabliffiing an
allegation, has been fubmitted to the opi^
nion of the Jurors, their judgment may
be quickened, and their confidence ftrength-
ened, by remarks, judicioufly made, upon
the long train of attending circumftances.
What before was indlfputable, then be
comes more palpably certain.
To this particular part of the fubjeCl I
propofe to limit my enquiries, and fhall
endeavour to prove.
That the events foretold were frequent
ly REMOTE, were defcribed with minute
ness, were fometimes novel, and i were
very numerous : \
That in the age of the refpeCtive Pro
phets, by whom they were predicted, they
muft have appeared often improbable,
and fometimes the exaCt reverse of
what might have been reafonably ex
pected :
That, in numerous inftances, the fub-
D 4 jeCts

40 S E R M Q N I,
jeCts of the predictions were peculiarly un
favourable to the WORLDLY VIEWS of
the Prophets, and the contrary to thofe,
which, it is reafonable to fuppofe, impos?
TORS w.oul.d have chofen :
That there is a propriety and cont
sistency in all the parts of Prophecy,
conftituting one great and harmo
nious SCHEME, which it feems morally
impoffible, that the Prophets could have
imparted to it, if they had not been really
infpired ;
That the general coNDUCTof the Pro
phets is, inexplicable uporl human
principles, and can only be fatlsfaCtoriJy
accounted for by an acknowledgement of
their infpiration :
And laftly, That from the means which
they employed, and the end which they
purfued, from the clrcumfta!nces attending
the ORIGIN and termination of facred
Prophecy, and from the present situa
tion of a confiderable portion of mauT
kind, affording a sensible demonstr.a-
TiON of the prefcience qf the ancient Pro-

S E R M O N I. ' 41
Prophets, a ftrong prefumptlve argument
may be derived in favour of their preten
fions to a divine Revelation.
• Though in the early part of this Dif-
courfe: I have fpoken in general terms of
the peculiar force of the evidence from
Prophecy, yet it is not my intention to
urge it in thefe LeCtures, as a teftimony of
the -Chriftian Religion. I fliould occupy
too large a portion of your time, if I were
to dlfcriminate with the clearnefs and ac
curacy, which the nature of the fubjeCt re
quires, between thofe predictions, which
were, more particularly intended to au-*
thenticate the divine character of Chrift
and his Religion, and thofe which were
delivered, principally as inftruments of the
theocracy, during the long courfe of a mi
raculous interpofition of the Almighty in
the .affairs of a chofen people. It is boldly
and ftrenuoufly afferted by the Infidel, with
refpeCt to facred Prophecy at large,that the
predictions were delivered for purpofe^ of
impofture ; and . that their completion ei
ther was forefeen by human fagacity, or
was the fortunate refult of chance. ' To
deteCt the fallacy of this objection, and to
fhew

^2^ ' SERMON^ r.
fliew the certainty qf a miraculous prefcience
in the Prophets, is the fole objeCt, which
it will be my endeavour tq attain.
The preliminary obfervations have now
been ftated, which appeared moft requifite,
previoufly to our entrance upon the fub
jeCt, which is about to be difcuffed. The
stec^ffity of recurring in thefe times to the
principal evidences in favour of Chriftian
ity" has been\ ftrenuoufly urged. The fe
veral degrees of importance have been
pointed out, which at different times have
been attached to this argument ; and the-
propriety of affording to it the high autho
rity, to which it is unqueftionably entitled,
has been fuggefted, and earneftly recom-
m.ended. The fubjeCt has been difen'-^
cumbered from all inferior topics, which
either poffefs no influence in producing a
conviction of the divine origin of the facred
Oracles, or cannot reafonably be allowed
to weaken that conviCtion, when it has
once been thoroughly produced. And an
endeavour has been made to fhew by what
m.anner of treatment the argument from
Prophecy may be enforced with the falreft
probability of fuccefs. In my next Dif-
courfe

S E R M O N I. 43
courfe I fliall enter upon the propofed
difcuffion. And with fervour and humi
lity let us implore the high Omnifcient
Being, whofe Revelation we labour to
confirm, to prevent us with his moft gra
cious favour, and further us with his con
tinual help.

SERMON II.

ISAIAH xlvi. 9, IO.
REMEMBER THE FORMER THINGS OP OLD,
FOR I AM GOD, AND THERE IS NONg
ELSE ; I AM GOD, AND THERE IS NONE
LIKE Me ;
DECLARING THE END PROM THE BEGIN-
KiSTG, AND FROM ANCIENT TIMES THE
THINGS THAT ARE NOT YET DONE.
J-T has been afferted by the enemies of
Chriftianity, that no evidence can be fuf-
ficiently ftrong to eftablifh a miracle *.
Though this is a pofition, to which it is
impoffible that the impartial enquirer after
truth fhould affent ; yet the teftimonies
adduce,d in favour qf a preternatural inter
pofition in the affairs of mankind ought
» See Hume's Effays. to

46 SERMON II.
to be received with caution, and examined
with feverity. Trifling 'and unimportant
occurrences may, perhaps, be credited jupon
, vague report and the flighteft appearance
of truth : but our belief ought to be the
refiilt of fuller and more accurate enquir
ries, in proportion as the faCts, which claim
it, advance in dignity and importance.
The farther we .may recede from the regular
occurrences of human life, and the more
extraordinalry may be the character, which
events bear, with the greater diligence
ought we to collect all the proofs , which
their peculiar nature admits. Their diftin-
guifhing charaCterlftics and minute fingu-
larities ought to be fully confidered, for
the fake of fiippreffing fufpicion and con
firming faith. We have no inducements
to rejeCt the truth of an ordinary event,
to which we are familiarifed by dally ex
amples, and wbich the relator has no in-
tereft to pervert, or the hearer to credit.
But miraculous interpofitions, which the
weak and the fuperftitiqus are naturally
difpofed to believe, and the crafty and the
atnbitlous are peculiarly interefted in feigur
ing, ought to be minutely inveftlgated in
all their circumftances, before we afford
* them

SERMON II.

47

them our unqualified affent. Theeffed:,
which is produced in the mind by the
knowledge of all the moft ftriking circum
ftances, is fcarcely inferior to that of the
pofitive affiirance from an eye-witnefs of
the reality of the.faCt. On that, which
before, perhaps, we were unable to deny,
we repofe, after fuch an inveftigation, with
entire and unfufpeCting confidence. With
refpeCt to the miracles dlfplayed by the holy
Founder of our Religion, ;had we only been
informed that, on many occafions, the or
der of nature was fufpended, though we
might not have been able to dlfpute their
authority, yet we could not have felt their
full and overpowering effeCt. But when, in
addition to the ftatement of this fimple
faCt, we are told, that the miracles were
frequently repeated ; that they were per
formed in open day, before a l^rge and ever
varying multitude, and frequently in the
fight of inveterate and vigilant enemies ;
that they were uniformly exerted in the
caufe of benevolence ; that many of the
fiifferers relieved were publicly known to
have been born with their infirmities, and
yet were healed in an inftant ; that the
eye-witneffes of thefe miracles not only per-
1 fevered.

4S SERMON II.
fevered, amidft continued perfecutions, lit
attefting their reality, but even laid down
their lives in confirmatlqn of their tef
timony ; aQid> laftly, that the Religion,
for the proof of which fuch miracles
were vvrought, in advancing* to eminence,
triumphed over obftacles, which, without
the affiftance of miracles, according to
human appearances, it was not capable of
fiirmounting ; . when all thefe attending
circumftances, with many others, which
it is unneceffary to enumerate; are added
to the plain hiftorlcal faCt, that the laws
of nature were . fuperfeded, / we are over
powered with coriviCtlort, and yield to the
authority of fo manifefta difplay of Om
nipotence. The peculiar and extraordinary clrcurri-
ftances conneCted with Prophecy, that-
other fupernatural proof of a divine Reve
lation, are not lefs numerqus and convinc
ing, than thofe, from which the authority
of miracles receives fo confiderable an ad
dition of fupport. , It will be my objeCt iii
the following LeCtures, as it has been al
ready ftated, to bring the moft important
of _ thefe clrcumftaAces fucceffively under our

SERMON ZI. 49
our confideration. On the prefent occa
fion, I fhall examine the predicted events,
with refpeCt tq their remoteness from
the time, at which they were feverally
foretold; to the minuteness and no
velty of their dlftinguifhing charaCterlf
tics ; to their numbers; and to their
EXACT coincidence wlth the previous
defcriptions of the Prophets. ^
AVhen powerflil principles have begun
to operate upon the public mind, and the ,
aCtors already appear upon the flage, human
fagacity, affifted by long experience, may
fometimes forefee the confequences with a
confiderable degree . of accuracy. Yet fo
fluctuating are human affairs, and fo fiid-
den the revolutions of foeiety, that even
the events of th.e approaching day, which
may frequently be conjeCtured with fuc
cefs, can never be prediCled with certainty.
Though free agency is the noble privilege
of man ; yet, in confequence of the imper-
feCl and corrupt condition of his nature,
his aCtion^ are often the effeCls of fudden
impulfes and of a mqmentary caprice, ^^ven
his moft favourite fchemes, and the de
figns, which moft truly harmonize with his
E - natural

50 SERMON II. •
natural dlfpofition, are not unfrequently
counteracted either by his own perverfe-
jiefs, or by the malignity or the oppofing
interefts of others. Hence we may eafily
difcern the impqffibility, as far as human
means of prefcience extend, of foretelling
with any degree of confidence even oc
currences probably approaching, which de
pend upon the voluntary exertions of fuch
an agent. '
The impoftor, who, like the minifters of
Pagan fuperftitidn, confines his predictions
to his own tiraes, like them muft be fre
quently expofed to error, and thus forfeit
all pretenfions to divine infpiration. But
to look down through a courfe of ages,
and to difclofe with accuracy the fecrets
of a remqte futurity, is one of the moft ,
dlftinguiffilng attributes of Omnipotence. '
This .unattainable ^excellence of the real
Prophets has indeed been feldom attempted
by the boldeft and moft prefumptuous pre
tender to infpiration. The inftances are
very rare, in which the Prophets of Greece
and Rome extended their conjectures be
yond the times, in which they flourlflied,
In^ that interefting treatife upon Divina tion,

- SERMON II. 51
tiort, which ^as compofed by the Roman
Orator, when he retired from the ufurpa-
tion of Caefar to folltude and philofophy,
and in which are , collected the ftrongeft
examples in favour of Heathen Oracles,
toot a fingle Prophecy is recorded ^ which
reached beyond the ordinary period of hu
man life. It may be prefumed, therefore,
that a foreknowledge of remote events was
in general not even pretended in the fyftem
of Pagan impofture. Indeed the prlefts of
that fuperftl tion were in general lefs anxious
to afford proofs of their knowledge of fu
turity, than to difplay their iacquaintance
with the events of the paffing day, tranf-
aCted in a remote region, the knowledge
of which rhuft have appeared, to their ig
norant votaries, to lie far beyond the teach
of an uninfpired mind.
The Chriftian difpenfation alone can
with truth exhibit, among the proofs of its
divine origin, the long courfe of time,
through which many of its Prophecies ex-
^ A general expreffioii uttered by an augup (feft.. xxii.)
refpedting the future greatnefs jof Rome, cannot be confi
dered as a reafonable exception to the truth of the obferva-
tion. E 3 tended.

5a SERMON II.
tended. A period, comprlfing agqs, fre
quently Intervened between their delivery
and their completion. Many of the moft
important changes in the Eaft were antici^
pated in the animated defcriptions of the
Prophets, even previoufly, to that pecuUar
dlfpofition of human affairs, in confequence
of which they were eventually effeCted.
. Some of the moft illuftrious charaClers
in facred hiftory, Jofias ", Cyrus ^, the
Baptifi^ and the bleffed Son ^ of God,
were promifed in the prophetic writ
ings many centuries before their birth.
The rife and even the charaCler of ^ na
tions was prediCled, while the Patriarchs
yet lived, from whom thofe nations were
to defcend. The effeCt of particular prin
ciples was developed, before the principles
themfelyes had been difcovered to man
kind ^. Thus the benevolent influence of

\

' I Kings ,vi!i, a. "^ Ifaiah xliv. 38. xlv. I.
. e Malachi iii. i. * O. T. paflim.
6 See the Book of Genefis. ' ¦ ,
^ To fome of the ancient philofophers this circumftance
iecmed an abfolute impoffibility. " Qui poteft provideri,
" quidquam futurum effe, quod neque caufam habet ull^m,.
" neque notam, cum futurum fit ?" Cicero de Divinatione,
lib.^ii. feft. 6.
Chrif-

S E R M O JSr II.

i3

"Chriftianity, and the baleful confequences
. ; of the Papal ^ ufurpation, appeared in the
prophetic Writings, when the world was
an entire ftranger to an authority like that
of the Roman Pontiff; and when doCtrines,
like thofe of the Gofpel, had never entered
into the human mind. Even conditions,
which were never to be changed, but were
to reach to the end of time, were fre
quently the fiibjeCls of facred Prophecy.
Such were the predictions, which fixed the
final doom of Babylon ^, Nineveh "*, and
Tyre"; and which determined the unal-
' terable charaCtei" of the Arabs ?, who were
; ;. to traverfe the deferts ; and of the defcen-
dants of Ham p, who were to fpread over
Africa. In the inftances now feleCted, it is not
poffible to conceive, that the predicted
events could have come within the verge
' See Ifeiah and the later Prophets.
' a Theffalonians ii. I — ip. i Tim. iv. i — g. Da-.
niel vii. 24, 2j, ,Revelations xiii.
'. Jeremiah 1. 39, 40.
"> Nahum i. 8, 9. Zephaniah ii. 13, 14, i^.
" Ezekiel xxvi. 3, 4, 5, 14, 2 1,
' Genefis xvi. la.
F Genefis ix. a j, a6, 27.
E 3 - of

54 SERMON IL
s
of probability ; and they were altogether
unfit for' conjecture. So frequently was
the attention of the Prophets occupied
upon the occurrences of a remote futurity,
that this confideration alone effentially
^contributed to Weaken their authority
among their eontemporaries, and to render
their revelations lefe interefting. And' that
peculiar circumftance was then urged for
the purpofe of derifion and reproach, which
may now be feleCted as one of the falreft
fubjeCts of praife, and one of the ftrongeft
arguments for our confidence. " The Vi-
fionsi, which they fa w, were for many, days
to come, and they prophefted of the things
that were far off ^."
With whatever particularity of defcrip-
tion the predictions, to which I have ap
pealed, might be delivered, the Prophets
have hitherto been confidered as cxpreff-
ing the events foretold in general terms
^lone. But had facred Prophecy fimply revealed
remote events^ without marking them by

' Ezekiel xii. 27,
fome

SERMON ir.

55

fome of their attendant circumftances, and
dlftinguifhing charaCterlftics ; though, upon
a candid inveftigation, the predictions would
undoubtedly have appeared to lie out of
the reach of human fagacity ; yet by the
Infidel they might, ' with fome degree of
plaufibility, have been wrefted to the pur
pofes of fcepticifm ; and even upon the
mind of the fincere and ardent believer,
they would not, perhaps, have operated
with the immediate and ftrong cpllxviCtion,
which they are rea:lly calculated to pro
duce. General expreffions are fo accom
modating in their nature, and are capable
of fuch varied application, that they may
fometimes be hazarded, with a faint ex
pectation of fuccefs, even upon fome of
the moft. momentous tranfaCtions of future
ages. Amidft^ the tegular pa:t)grefs of hu
man affairs, the frequent repetition of th^
fame events, and the'-fimilari ty of effeCts
produced by fimilar caufes, it is not fur-
prifing, that conjeCtures of a peculiar kind,
cautioufly expreffed in general terms alone,
fhould fometimes be apparently juftlfied
by the events. In our own times, in which
a confiderable portion of the weftern, con
tinent, enriched with the moft valuable
E 4 gifts

S6 S E R M O N II.
gifts of nature, and poffeffed by an aClive
and enterprizing race of inhabitants, has
burft afunder the bonds, which united it
to the parent ftate, and ereCted itfelf into
an independent nation, the philofopher
and politician have indulged their fpecula-
tions, by foretelling, in general terms, the
future importance and celebrity of the tie w-
born republic. Their conjeCtures, it is pro
bable, may be fanCtioned by the event.
Fourteen hundred years before -the birth of
Columbus, a Roman ' poet, roufed, per
haps, by the knowledge of remote iflands,
which had, been acquired by his enterpriz
ing and fuccefsful countrymen, in a beau
tiful and romantic flight of imagination,
enlarged upon the future difcovery of a
mighty continent, rwhich was concealed
beyond the untraverfed ocean; The happy
fiction; of the poet was realized, when the
intrepid ;advent-urerj. conducted his followers
' The following are the words of Seneca s :
 venient annis
Secula feris, quibus Oceanus
Vihcula rerum laxet, et ingens
Pateat tellus, Tiphyfque novos
Detegat orbes ; nee fit terris
Ultima Thule,
^ Medea, v. 374-, to

S E R M O N II. ^7
to the other hemifphere. The. Roman
empire advanced in the courfe of about
fix centuries to the meridian of glory, and
to univerfal dominion. The fymptoms of
its declelifion foon appeared. In kingdoms,
as in the works of nature, the period of de- '
cline is often nearly equal to the period
which has paffed in their progrefs to ma
turity. The fagacious augur % therefore,
who could difcern the latent but increafing
caufes of decay, might, without the impu
tation of raftmefs, hazard a conjeCture' re-
fpeCling the duration of the empire ; while
the principal circumftance * attending the
augury.

' Seven hundred years after the building of Rome, Vet-
tius Valens, a celebrated augur, afferted, that the twelve
vulturs, which appeared to Romulus, portended, that his
city fliould continue through twelve hundred years 5 ona
hundred years being fuppofed to" be iignified by each bird.
This circumftance has come down to pofterity, upon the au-
thbrity of M. T. Varro,
See Cenforinus de Die natali, c. xvii. p. 97,. See alfo
Kurd's Sermons, V. i. p. 10 1. ,
*. More than feven hundred years had elapfed fince tTie
age of R.omulus. A century, therefore, was the only cycle
of timej Vrhich he could reafonably pretend to have been
Iignified by each bird. He was abfolutely excluded from
all leffer cycles. And had he proceeded to a longer period,
he would, probably, have been obliged to allow a thou- fand

S8 SER MON ir.
augury, upon which he founded his ficti
tious Oracle, appears to have limited him
to a pq^ticular period of time. He, there
fore, boldly declared, that at the founda
tion of the city it. was foreffiewn by the
gods, that Rome fhould enjoy fovereighty
through twelve centuries. At the expira
tion of the predicted time, the imperial
city fell, and fubmitted to the tiCtorious;
arms of the Goths.
Thefe, perhaps, are the moft remark
able inftances recorded in the annals of
paft ages, of a fortunate infight into the
fcenes of a diftant futurity. But ftill they
are no more than the unaffifted efforts of
the human mind, and could be effeCled
without the aid of divine infpiration. The
expreffions are general, and are' confined to
a fingle idea. The naked event is alone
foretold. Had a variety of the minut© '
and dlftinguifhing peculiarities, which cha-
taCterize it, been prediCled, there would
have been that wonderful difplay. of pre
fcience, which, it may juftly be contended,.
fand years for each bird, and thus have rendered the Sc- -
complifhment of his prediftion incredible,
can

S E II M O N II. 59
can only proceed from the inimediate re
velation of the Deity. Were it now de
clared, at what precife period the celebrity
of America will commbnce ; i what will be
the diftinguifhirig marks of her greatnefs;
what particular countries fhe will fubdue
during her profperity, and ; to what indi
vidual nation ffie will in turn fiibmit, when
fhe declines :- — or had- it been fignified by
the Roman tragedian, in what age the new
hemifphete would be difclofed, what king
dom would render itfelf illuftrious by the
difcovery, what 'would be the moft re
markable features of the new found conti
nent, -and what the confequences to Eu
rope of fo vaft -an acceffion of territory and
riches : — or, again, had the Heathen prieft
fpecified the particular; nations of the
world, who were - to be the conquerors
of Rome -, had he defcribed their language,
their perfons, their manners, and their
arms ; had he traced the gradations of their
conquefts, and marked out the peculiar
changes of foeiety,, which fliould take place
at the fall of the empire : — in all thefe in
ftances, by fuqh a minute difcrimlnation of
the attending circumftances, the philofo
pher, the poet, and the augur, would have
' advanced

6o SERMON n.
advaneed'far beyond the limits of the 'hu
man underftdnding ; and might not un-
juftly, perhaps, have been brought into
competition with the favoured Prophets of
^ Moft High.' .
The author of the Rellgio Medici, a writer
whofe learning and fagacity have feldom
Ijeen rivalled by the profeffors of modern
literature, in a fhort Effay " indulged his
imagination with forming conjeCtures, un
der the fhape of Prophecies, upon fome of
the moft momentous changes, which' to
him appeared likely to diftingulffi-. future
ages.' His predictions relate- to the proba
ble aggrandizement of North America, of
Jamaica among the weftern iflands, and of
Batavia in the eaft, to the triumph of the
Turks along the fibres of the Baltic, to the
emancipation' of the nations of Africa from
the infamy of foreign fervitude^ to the dif
covery of the northern*- paffage to China,
arid to the'iinion of Venice with the con
tinent. Thefe importa;nt conjeCtures re
fpeCtlng the great changes of future times.

' See certain mifcellany Tra£b,by T. Brown, K'. Tra£t
12th. of

SERMON II. 6i
of which it is already evident that fome
muft fail, while a few have received their
accomphfhment, and others may yet bc;
fulfilled, were alL delivered in the moft
.general terms: the expreffions refer folely
to the one great event ; minute difCrimi-
nations and attending circumftances are
entirely omitted.
What we require in vain in the con
jeCtures of uninfpired man, is 'abundantly
dlfplayed in the facred Prophets. In pre
dicting the fate of the great cities of the
eaft, the Prophets foretold, not only the
general overthrow of all, but the particular-
and charaCteriftic ruin of each. Of Tyre ^
it was predicted, that the foiitary fifher-
man fliould fpread his nets ovef the rock-s,
on which her towers and palaces were
raifed ; of Babylon, that her ruins fhould
bear the appearance of a defolation,- occa-
fioned by, the overflow of waters ; that the
y fea ffibuld come up upon her, and that
fhe ffiould be covered with the multitude
of the waves thereof; that fhe ffiould be
* flzekiel xxvi. 14. **
, y Jeremiah Ii- 4^. Ifaiah xiv. 23,
made

6% S E R M O N IL
made a poffeffion for the bittern, and fof
pools of water i and of Nineveh, that ffie
fhould entirely ^ difappear from the earth,
and that her fituation fhould no where bd
found. Again, in anticipating the great ernpires
of the world, the Prophets did not fimply
enumerate their regular fucceffion ; th-ey '
marked alfo their diftinCt^ and appropriate
features. The Macedonian * was pour-
trayed by rapidity of conqueft, and by the
quadruple partition. The Roman ^ was dif-
tinguiffied by a peculiarity of government,
a tremendous and irrefiftible power, uni-
^ The entire deftrudtion of' this city was clearly (and
ftrikingly predicted by Zephaniah. (ii. 13, 14, i^.) But
Nahum proceeds even farther than Zephaniah, and in morei
than one paffage ftrorigly intimates, that, in future ag'es, the
plape fhould not be known, on which it flood, (i. 3, 9. ii. 11.
,iii. 17.) And fo Complete has been the defolation,, that
travellers, critics, and hiftorians, cannot agree in fixing thd^
precife fpot, on which it was fituated. See Herodotus, Dio-
dorus SIculUSj and Ammianus Marcellinus ; Sir John Mar-^
ftiam's Chron.' Saec. Lucian-, the riati\'e of a city on the iuJ,
jjhrates, fays exprefsly, that it had utterly periflied in his
time, arid that ^here was no footftep of it remaining. See
Benjamin of Tudela, Thevenot, and Tavernier*
^ t)aniel vli. 6; viii. 32;
^ Daniel ii. 40. vii, 7,, 23, "' verfality

S E R M O N II. 53
verfality of dominion, and a final divifion
into ten independent kingdoms.
, Of , Egypt '^, the lafting mqnument of
divine difpleafure, they not only denounced
the perpetual fervitude, but even expreffed
the particular infamy of its unceafing fiib-
jeCtlon to a foreign Prince. Mahomet, the
Arabian conqueror **, if we may venture to
give entire ' affent to the explications of
fome qf the moft able interpreters of the
Revelations, was deforibed, many ages be
fore his birth, by the fierce -countenance,
but eflemlnate hair, and peculiar head-
drefs of his followers, by the rapidity of
his victorious career, by the fuperlor ex
cellence of his cavalry, and by his remark
able anxiety for the prefervatlon of the
fruits of the earth, joined to a feemlng
contradiction of imagery, in the happy
comparifon of his tribes to a defolating
army of locufts. When the Apoftle of the
Gentiles % eager to preferve the difciples
of Chrift from the corruptions of the Papal
fee, prediCled the rife of that ftrange and
^ ' Ezekiel xxx. 13.
^ Revelations ix. 3, 4, 7, 8, 9.
' I Timothy, iv, 3. a Theffalonians ii. 4, 9, lo*
monftrous

64: SERMON II.,
monftrous ufurpation, he accurately marked
it by^ fome of the minuteft traits, which
afterwards dlftingulffied that power j the
abftinence of its adherents from meats,
their renunciation of marriage, their im
pious pretenfions to miracles, and their
blafphemous exalteition of a frail inortal,
the follower of the humble Jefus, to an
equal worffiip and authority^ with the in-
vifible Lord of heaven and earth. The
minute traits of charaCter, which continue
to diftinguiffi the tribes of Arabia s, were
revealed by an angel, in the infancy of the
world, to the favoured Hagar, when ffie
fled in terror to the wildernefs. In ex- ,
amining the awful defcription, which was
given by our Saviour ^, of the deftruClion
of the holy' city, we feem to be carried out
of the regidns of Prophecy, and to perufe
the detail of an inhabitant, who had wit- '
neffed the overthrow of Jerufalem, and
efcaped in peril from its ruins. The pre
dictions of Daniel are fo full and fo mi-
^ a Theffalonians ii. 4. For the application of this
ftriking paffage to the head of the Romifti Church, fee
JJewton on tha Prophecies. Diff. xxii.
8 Genefis xvi. 1 2.
^ Matthew xxiv. Mark xiii. Luke xxi. nute.

S E R M O N II. 65
nute, that no fingle record of the Eaft is
fiifficient to explain them. Events are
more circumftantially ftated by the Pro
phet than by tne Hiftorian. So ftriking,
indeed, is the refemblance, which fubfifts
between his Prophecies and the Eaftern an
nals vvhich illuftrate them, that the fceptic
has been obliged to ffielter himfelf from
the force of fo irrefiftible an evidence, by
difputing their authenticity, and reprefent-
ing them as forgeries fuccefsful^ executed
fubfequent to the events, of which they
treated. In the facred records of the Jews,
which confift of almoft, an uninterrupted
feries of Prophecies, delivered in one period,
and accompliffied in anotheV, the Prophets,
who were the principal agents employed
by the Almighty in the divine government
of that people, appear tq have been inti
mately familiarized with the fcenes of dif
tant times, and to have looked onward into
the future, and back upon the paft, with an
almoft equal degree of mlnutenefs.
But the cleareft proof of a preternatural
foreknowledge difplaying itfelf in the dif-
cqvery of minute' circumftances, may be
derived from the preclfion, with which the
P Pro-

66 S E R M O N iL
Prophets frequently fixed a particular time
for the accompllffiment , of events, even
when no human motive could be affigned
-for their preference of that to any other
period. The augur, as we have already
feen, was ftrongly induced, if not abfo
lutely impelled, by the clrcurnftances of
J the cafe, to eftimate by a particular calcu- -
lation the duration' of the Roman empire.
But no neceffity or inducement whatever
appears to have aCtuated the Prophets of
Ifriael. Now of occurrences, likely to take
place after a ffiort interval, it is highly im
probable, ' that' the exaCt time ffiould be
foretold. But to determine the particular
years, in which very remote events, the
caufes of which have no't yet beguh to
o{)erate, will be brought to pafs, cannot be
attempted with any reafonable hope of
fuccefs, and may almoft be pronounced
impoffible. Inftances have not been want
ing, in w:hich a precife period was deter- ^
mined for the accompllffiment of a parti
cular event. An ancient ' Father of the
Church has recorded a fictitious Oracle, ,
which ventured to limit the duration of
i Auguftin. de Civ, Dei, lib. xviii, cap. ^3.
. Chrif-

SERMON II, 67
Chriftianity to a definite period of time''.
The appointed fpace foon elapfed : and our
holy Religion has fince continued to floii-
rlffi through more than a thoufand years.
The authors of the Sibylline^ verfes repre
fented the ruin of Rome as Certain to be
effeCled in a particular ' year ; beyond
which, however, the city long remained
the capital of the empire, and the feat of
the imperial refidence.
. The facred Prophets alone have been
able to mark their productions by this de
cifive prqof of infpiration. Thus a period
of four hundred ™ years wais named for the
fojqurning of the people of Ifrael in Egypt;
feventy for " the temporary puniffiment of
Tyre ; feventy for " the captivity of the
Jews in Babylon ; and four hundred and
ninety for f the interval between their re
turn to Jerufalem and the appearance of
their expeCted Meffiah. The time fixed
for the continuance of the Papal ufurpa-
/
^ Three hundred and fixty--five years.
1 The year 195 of the Chriftian era. See Gibbon's Hift.
vol. i. p. 618. :
"¦ Genefis xv, 13. " Ifaiah xxiii. 15.
^ Jeremiah xxv. 11, la. ^ Daniel ix. aj, 26.
F 3 tion

^i SERMON II.
tion 'is ftill more extraordinary, beqaufe it
is much more extended. The moft able
. interpreters of the facred Scriptures have li
mited it to twelve hundred and fixty years,
upon the concurring teftimony of Daniel
and St. John. The fevcre ffiocks which
it has received^ and the weakened condi
tion in which we -now behold it, juftify
the fuppofition, that the period of its du- -
ration, no lefs than the charaCterlftics by
which it has been diftinguiffied, will be
found faithfully to coincide with the de
fcriptions of the Prophets.
It was the chief intention of the Jewlffi
Prophets, and of the founder of the Jewlffi
difpenfation, to prepare the way for the
Meffiah, by completely foreffiewing his
moft wonderful aCtions, and the moft mi
nute difcriminations of his charaCter. In
numerable' events were foreffiewn, too un
important perhaps in themfelves to have
deferved notice, even in the hiftory of that
exalted Perfonage ; but deriving an inefti-
mable value from the additional confirma
tion, which they afford to his divine pre
tenfions, as the completion of ancient Pro
phecies. A celc-

S E R M O N II. 69
A celebrated poet of antiquity, Wrho has
rarely been exceeded in genius, and never
perhaps even equalled in judgment, in the
great work which immortalizes his name,
has afforded a ftriking inftance of the moft
exalted conceptions of the human mind, re-
fpeCling the perfections of the divine na
ture, in revealing the events-of futurity. But
this perfeCl example of a fuppofed difplay
of Omnifcience is undoubtedly fiirpaffed
in the real Revelations of the Moft High.
In the higheft and moft flourlffiing ftate
of Roman grandeur, he produced his fub-
lifne compofitlon. It was his principal ob
jeCt to celebrate the glories of his country,
and to do honour to his imperial patron.
He feleCted his fable from the uncertain
records of remote antiquity ; and, by the
happy artifices of poetic anticipation, he
embelliffied his work with all the moft
fplendid events, which had diftinguiffied
his country and his emperor. The effii-
fions of Prophets, typical characters, the
revelations of fuperlor beings, and an in
troduction by vifions into the imaginary
fcenes of other worlds, were all fucceff-
fully employed to fliado'^ forth the future
F 3 triumphs

70 S E R M O N II.
triumphs of Rome, and the fame of her ci
tizens. Every important event was minutely
dlfcriminated. And it may be inftantly
difcerned upon perufal, that the poet was
intimately acquainted with the occurrences
of many fucceffive ages fubfequent to the
times of his hero. As he fpoke only of
events, which had paffed before the period,
in which he flouriffied, our adrhiration is
excited by the happy fklll, with which he
introduced into his poem fuch an inter
efting variety of fancied predictions. ^ Let
us now fuppofe, that the fame work, with
out the variation of a fingle paffage, had
appeared foon after the arrival of iErieas
in Italy, or at the founding of the City by
Romulus : let us fuppofe, that the changes
of government in Rome, the moft cele
brated victories, the nations fubjeCl to the
Roman power, the univerfal dominion of
the city, the dlftinguiffilng charaCterlftics
of the moft renowned chiefs, and the cha
racter of Auguftus "in particular, had all
been pourtrayed with mlnutenefs alid ac
curacy, in the very words, which^ Yirgll
has adopted ; — furely we ffiould not have
rhe'fttated to pronounce fuch a Work to ex
ceed the ability of the human intellect, and' to

S E R M O N II. 71
to be a manifeft difplay of celeftlal infpira
tion. What, under thefe circumftances, we
fliould have regarded as divine in the hea
then, poet, we are bound to receive as fiich
in the holy Scriptures. The hiftory of the
Jewlffi nation feems but a fecondary ob
jeCt in the facred records of that people.
The difplay of a miraculous prefcience in
a continued developement of the future,
forms the ftriking and prominent feature
of that wonderful hiftory. It might with
out difficulty be fliewn, that the pretended
anticipations by Virgil, of eyents, which had
already paffed, were neither fo numerous,
fo particular, nor fo intimately connected
with every extraordinary aCtion recorded,
and every eminent charaCler defcribed, as
the real Prophecies delivered in the facred
Writings. The charaCter of Auguftus, ty
pically 'reprefented by .^neas, .and brought
forward, in the courfe of the poem, on
every .favourable occafion, is not fo fully
nor fo accurately pourtrayed, as the pro
phetic picture of our Saviour : it is not
equally vifible in every part, it does not
equally animate the whole production.
Every eminent aCllon,. every celebrated
perfonage, the whole fyftem of the national
F 4 polity.

7a ' S E R M O N II.
polity, and even the moft unimportant
^arts of the religious ceremonies of the
Jews, all partook of the prophetic) charac
ter, were predictive of futurity, and the
ffiadows of better things to come.
This accurate detail of minute circum
ftances attending a remote event, it may
boldly be declared, lies far beyond the
reach of the unaffifted human intelleCt.
When we behold fuch a Prophecy fulfilled
in all its leffer parts, we acknowledge the
interpofition of an Omnifcient Being, and
feel at once an irrefiftible conviCtion. No
further proof is neceffary, or can reafon
ably be expected. The acceffion of ftronger
evidence appears to be hardly within the
bounds of poffibillty, Yet upon the aw^-
ful fubje<ft of divine Revelation, our fjiU
¦ affent to vvhich is indifpenfably requifite
for the attainment of eternal happinefs, the
Almighty has gracioufly multiplied the
fources of conviCtion, and left the incre
dulous without the means of excufe. Many
of the predictions are altogether novel in
, their . nature. What in all the variety qf
human affairs has never occurred, cannot,
withqut a confiderable degree of hefita- tiqU;,

S E R M O N II. 73
tion, be admitted even by the fpeculative
philofopher into the number of future pof-
fibilities. Its pfqbabllity muft be altoge
ther denied. What then ffiall we think
of thofe men, who prediCled the pofitive
occurrence not only of a variety of future
events, of which the time, the place, the
agents, and the precife dlfpofition of hu
man affairs, under which , they would fe
verally come to pafs, were accurately
marked, but of events, which were with
out exkmple ? Surely we cannot refrain
from afcribing fuch inftances. of foreknow
ledge to the only caufe which is capable
of producing them, the -immediate infpira
tion qf the Deity.
The dtying up of the waters of one
of the largeft rivers which flow through
the earth, muft furely rank in the num
ber of the. moft noyel events, and muft
be acknowledged to lie far beyond the
reach of human fagacity qr prefcience. Yet
it was predicted in the plaineft and moft
diftinCt terms by Ifaiah and Jeremiah ''.
The prefent condition of the Jews, upon
9 Ifaiah xliy. a7. Jeremiah 1. 3§. Ii. (5.
which

74 SERMON II.
which I ffiall have occafion to enlarge
more fully in a future LeCturp, in niany
eminent circumftances is unexampled in
the hiftory of mankind. Yet the Prophets*'
prediCled the exiftence of fuch a peculiar
ftate' of foeiety, exprefsly named the peo^
pie among whom it ffiould take place, and
defcribed the particular period of their hif
tory, in which the fmgular prediction ffiould
be accompliffied.
It muft have been obferved by the moft
fuperficial enquirer into the annals of paft
ages, that no power fimilar to that' of the
Papal ufiirpation has ever obtained the
afcen^ancy over a confiderable portion of
the globe. Yet that uffirpafion was pro
phetically anticipated in full and exprefs
terms by St. Paul ° and St. John, fome
ages before its own commencement ; and
at an earlier period ftill by Daniel, be
fore the commencement of the rellgioiis
fyftem, upon the perverfion of which it
founded its impious pretenfions.
' Deut. xxviii. xxix. Daniel ix. 26, 37. and the three
Evangelifts, Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
' I Timortiy iv. i, a, 3.^, a Theffalonians ii. 3 — la.
Revelations xvii. < r-The

SERMON II. 75
The Prophets of * Ifrael break forth into
expreffions of the moft rapturous exulta
tion upon the profpeCt of a future Revela
tion, which fliould be rriade to all the
earth, and be received by the whole hu
man race. Thife wonderful Revelation has
been gracioufly imparted. Its divine claims
have been admitted over a Confiderable
portion of the globe. Acceffions are daijy
made tON the number of its followers in
new regions and unknown climes, the fu
ture feats perhaps of fclence and domi
nion. And the full completion of the Pro
phecy appears to be more eafy and probable
than the partial accompllffiment, which
has already taken place. Now an univer
fal Religion, fo far from having ever been
admitted among mankind, had not entered
into the imagination of the rrioft fanguine
and romantic fpeculatlft. The ancient
lawgivers, who were frequently the inven
tors of new refigious fyftems, adapted' them
each to his own polity, and neither endea
voured nor wiffied to extend their influence
to independent governments, or even to
the neighbouring kingdoms. The phllo-
¦ « Ifaiah more particularly, and the later Prophets. , fophers.

76 S E R M O N IL
ibphers, who were the founders of ancient
feCls, corifcious of the infuperable difficulty
of controuling the varied opinions of man
kind at large, did nqt expeCt to unite even
their own countrymen in the belief qf one '
common fyftem of philofophy. The Ro
mans, who feftabllffied their fame upon the
fubjugation of the perfons of all mankind,
attempted not to deftroy their freedom
upon facred fubjeCts; but, fearful of the
hazardous experiment, generally permitted
the inhabitants of the enflaved provinces
to preferve the religious worffiip, which
thev had cultivated during the period of
independence and fecurity.
In the character of the bleffed Jefus, as
defcribed by the Prophets, there are many
circuihftances of a very peculiar kind,
with which no perfon had previoufly been
'marked, and which have never fince dif
tinguiffied an human being. His mira^^
culous " conception, his ^ refurreClion, the
fpirituality y qf the new covenant, and the'
" Ifaiah vii. I4>.
* Ifaiah Iiii. lo, ii. Pfalms xvi. lo, ii, et alibi. Hofea
xiii. 14.
y Jeremiah xxxi. 31, 3?, &c. xxxiii. 8,
inward

SERMON ll. - 77
inward efficacy of his laws, the apparent
^ contradictions in his charaCter, the univer
fal benefit of his ^ death, and the aftoniiliing
influence of the Holy ** Spirit, with numer
ous other circumftances predicted of himfelf
and of his kingdom, were nOvel in their
kind, and had not even occurred to the
imagination of the moft daring theorifts.
It is notj perhaps, unworthy of remark i.i
this part of the fubjeCl, that crucifircioa,
the peculiar kind of death prediCled of the
Meffiah in the cleareft terms by David %
was a f'^ jde of puniffiment entirely un
known among the Hebrews in the days of
the Pfalmift, and was firft introduced into
Judea, after an interval of a thoufand years,
by the Romans.
It would not be a difficult talk to ex
hibit a variety of other inftances, in which
the circumftances predicted were not only
diftant and minute, out alfo without ex
ample. But thofe, which have been al
ready adduced, are abundaintly Sufficient
* See the _53d chapter of Ifaiah, and the Pfalms paffim,
more particularly the a7th and the iioth.
» Daniel ix. 26. Ilaiah Iiii. 4, ^, 6, 8, 9, 10, la.
•> Joel ij. at3 — ^31. ' Pfalm xxii. 16. for

SERMON II.
for the eftablifhment of this branch' of the
argument. Before this part of the fubjeCt is clofed,
it may be ufeful to obferve, that the
holy Scriptures contain numerous Prophe
cies, which are diftinguiffied by one or
other, or by all the charaCterlftics, which
have juft been 'Confidered. It is not in a
few foiitary predl.Ctions, extracted from a
large collection, that thefe ftriking marks
may be found: , They abound univerfally.
They are fo numerous, and ^re mingled fo
intimately together, that, tike the ftars
which ffiine in the heavens, they cannot
accurately be numbered-. A fingle' coinci
dence, even under ffich peculiar circum
ftances,- in the infinite variety of humaii
chances, might perhaps have cafually oc
curred : and the ingenuity of man might
occafionally be able, without any violent
injury to the fenfe, plaufibly to accom
modate a few foiitary predictions to fome
fucceeding, events. But many Prophecies '
marked by fuch minute and ftriking dif-
tinCtlons, ,when faithfully accompliffied,
exhibit inconteftable proofs of divine pre
fcience, which cannot be refifted. I do
not'

S E R M O N II. 79
¦not mean to affert, that in proving the di
vine -origin of Prophecy, numbers finiply
imply , a fupernatural agency. The falla
cious predictions of the Pa.gan Oracles were
innumerable. The pretended miracles of
the Romiffi. church exceed all calculation.
But it is maintained by the Chriftian, that,
if Prophecies, containing the ftrOngeft in
ternal evidence of a knowledge more than
human, have been frequently delivered,
numbers in fuch a cafe become a ftrong
additional proof of the certainty of a di
vine interpofition. It cannot be conceived
.poffible, that, where there is that union of
attending' peGullarities, which has been al
ready defcribed, either chance or human
fagacity can often produce fo exaCl a co-
•incidence between the Prophecy and the
event, by vvhich it is completed. Fre
quency un4er fach circumftances muft
carry the force qf deraonftration.
But this part of the argument is capable
of a ftatement even more forcible. We may
confidently affert, not only that in many
inftances the event ha^ cqrrefponded with
the Prophecy, but that almoft every pre
diction has been verified. With a limita- ! tion.

So S E R M 0 N II.
tion, which is very flight, and which we
ffiall have occafion to examine in a future
Difcourfe, all the predictions uttered in t\te
courfe of divine Revelation, of which the
time of completion has paffed, and which
conftitute almoft the whole number de
livered, have received their full accom
pllffiment. It was the fevere and juft re
mark of the Roman philofopher upon the
pretended divination of Heathen antiquity,
that thougli fome of the Oracles had been
cafually fan<9ibned by a feemlng comple
tion, yet that far the greater number had
been contradicted by fubfequent ¦ events.
The charaCler of Scripture Prophecy in
this important particular rifes above all
comparifon.,. In the facred Volume con
taining innumerable predictions, which
from its firft publication has been generally
confidered through all fubfequent ages as
the repofitory of divine infpiration, all the
predictions , have been realized. It is not
that many have fucceeded, but that not
one has fajiled. /
Frorci the prefent enquiry it ajipears, that
t)ie facred Writings contain a great variety
of predictions, which were delivered long
before

S E R M O N il. 8i
before their accompllffiment, of the parti
culars of which many were circumftan-
tia.lly delineated, and fome were novel in
their kind. In numerous inftances thefe
predictions were applied by the Prophets
themfelves, at the moment of delivery,
either nominally, or by dlftinguiffilng cha
raCterlftics, which cannot be miftaken,
each to the particular perfon, place, or na
tion, to which they were refpeClively in
tended to refer. Of thofe, which are hot
fo circumftantial, the application is in ge
neral equally juft, though, perhaps, not
equally palpable and ftriking. No Sceptic
will be hardy enough to deny, whatever
he may fuppofe of the real inl^ntion of
the Prophets, that moft of them are capable
of being referred each to fome one particu
lar fiibfequent event, and in general to no
other. Now it is contended, that fuch a
coincidence is a proof of a divine origin.
The fitnefs implies a defign. It is not in
the courfe of human contingencies, that
in a fingle compofitlon, profeffedly pre
dictive, a great number of paffages, if they
had really been written without any de
terminate .meaning, ffiould correfpond, in
6 ~ a very

Sz S E R M O N II.
a very eXaCt and ftriking manner, with the
CA'cnts of future ages.
The celebrated leader of Infidelity ^ in
France, and many of the Sceptics of our
own country, have earneftly laboured to
reduce the predictions of the facred Writ
ings to the calculation of chances. But
their theories have been in dlreCf oppofi
tion to the common dictates of reafon,- as
well as to the uniform experience of all ,
paft time. Let any other hiftory be taken ;
let any collection of pretended Prophecies
be examined ; and let a trial be made, whe
ther they can be forced, by the moft vio
lent ca'f'9:ruClions, to correfpond in any
degree wbatever with fucceeding events.
The enemies of Chriftianity have been at'
all times fufficlently a.Ctive : and were it
poffible to weaken by fuch means, even in
the flighteft degree, the influence of the
argument from Prophecy, the attempt
would undoubtedly have been made. The
Delft has repeatedly laboured to confound
Chriftian Prophecy with the Oracles of the
^ See Phllofopl^y of Hiftory : article Oracle.
' Hea-

S E R M O N II. 83
Heathens. But an attack like that, which
we are now fuppofing, even our moft dar
ing and ffiamelefs adverfaries have never
ventured to attempt. It is impoffible that
it ffiould be attended with the flighteft
appearance of fuccefs ^ Of an uniform
* cor-

« The folWing paffage from Cicero de Divinatione
upon the powers of chance, though fallacioufly urged as a
proof of the divine nature of Heathen Oracles, may in the
jufteft an3 fulleft fenfe be applied to the ftriking circum
ftances at prefent under our confidefation in Chriftian Pro
phecy. " Quid quaerisj Carneades, cur haec itafiant, aut qua
arte perfpici poflint .' Cafu, inquis. Itane vero ? Quidquam
poteft cafu effe fa£tum, quod omnes habet in fe numeros ve-
ritatis ? Quatubf tali jafti cafu Venereum efficiunt ; num
etiam centum Venereos,fi 400 talos jeceris,calli futures putas ?
Adfperfa temere pigmenta in tabula, oris lineamenta effingere
ppffunt ; num etiam Veneris Coae pulchritudinem effingi
poflie adfperfione fortuita putas ? Sus roftro fi liumi A 11-
teram imprefferit ; 'num propterea fiilpicari poteris, Andro-
macham Ennii ab ea poffe defcribi .' Fingebat Carneades,
ih Chiorum lapicidinis faxo difliflb caput extitiile Panifci.
Credo, aliquam non diflimilem figuram; fed certe non ta-
lem, ut eam faftam a Scopa diceres. Sic enim fe profe61:o
res habet, ut nunquam perfefte veritatem cafus imitetur."
'Lib. i. fefl. 13.
This agreement would undoubtedly have been conclufive
in favour of the infpiration of Heathen Oracles, had all the ¦
predidtions been fulfilled ; whereas from the general hiftory ,
of Oracles, as well as from the aiHhority of Cicero in this
G a very

S4 S E R M O N II.
correfpondence in fo many inftances, we
need not hefitate to affert, that where it
exifts, it cannot be the refult of accident ;
and vvhere it does not exift, it cannot, by
the moft ingenious and laboured efforts of
art, be plaufibly made to appear.
For the purpofe of rendering the pi'e-
.fent argument ftill clearer and more forci
ble, let us fuppofe that the general atten- ,
tion was now for the firft time direCled-to
a feries of maps, in which were marked
out many great and fplendid cities, their ,
gates, their temples, their palaces, and
their caftles, their principal ftreets, the rivers
t)iat flow through them, and in many in-
ftanCes even the fmaller and more obfcure
avenues. Let it be fuppofed, that fuch a
collection was prefented to public view,
without a Angle explanatory fentence ;
that the contents were .examined by men,
who poffeffed an extenfive Idiowledge of
foreign countries; and that they unani-
moufly agreed in applying the feveral
very treatife, it is evident, that they mojl frequently failed.
On the contrary, as it has been already ftiewn in this Lec
ture, the Chriftian Prophecies invariably received a comple*
tion.
maps.

S E R M O N II. 85
maps, each tb fome particular metropolis :
ffiould we not immediately conclude, that
fuch a refemblance was intended; that it
could not be the effeCt of chance, and that
the author purpofed to defcribe the feveral
cities, the defcriptions of which are re
fpeClively given ? It is not poffible that
any reafonable enquirer can entertain a
doubt upon the fubjeCt. Such in general
is precifely the cafe with refpeCt to Jewlffi
and Chriftian Prophecy. The coincidence
of the facred Oracles with fubfequent
events is equally ftriking, bears as evident
marks of defign, and is abundantly fuffi
cient to eftabliffi, beyond the poffibillty of
doubt in every reafonable mind, the divine
infpiration of the Prophets.

G 3

SERMON III,

DANIEL li. 10,11.
THERE IS NOT A MAN UPON EARTH THAT
CAN SHEW THE KING's MATTER : THERE
FORE, THERE IS NO KING, LORD, NOR
RULER, THAT ASKED SUCH IIHINGS AT
ANY MAGICIAN, OR ASTROLOGER, OR
CHALDEAN.
AND IT IS A RARE THING THAT THE KING
REaUIRETH. AND THERE IS NONE OTHER
THAT CAN SHEW IT BEFORE THE KING,
EXCEPT THE GODS, WHOSE DWELLING IS
NOT WITH FLESH.
IN order to prove the divine infpiration
of the Prophets, it is indifpenfably necef
fary to ffiew, that the 'events predicted
were of fuch a kind as to lie entirely out
of the reach of the natural forefight of
man. I have already obferved, that hu
man fagkclty, affifted by long experience,
may arrive at a very confiderable degree
G 4 of

88 SERMON III.
of excellence in difcovering confequences,
which a common mind is altogether inca
pable of difcerning. Let an accurate ob-
ferver ftudy the paffions of man, and the
hiftory of the human race ; let him ac-
cuftom himfelf to trace events from their
firft caufes, to their moft remote effeCls';
let him penetrate the latent policy of the
nations which lie iaround him, with the
power which they pOffefs of giving effi
cacy to their defigns : — he may at length
be enabled fometimes to unveil the fcenes
of diftant times, which are concealed from
general view, and to prediCt a variety of
events, fome of which, depending upon
caufes fubjeCl to his fpeculation,will occur in
their proper feafon, and feemingly. fanClion
his pretenfions to a knowledge of futurity.
Hence the perfon moft iTcilful in conjec
ture was reprefented by the Greek trage
dian ^ as moft worthy of the name of Pro
phet. And in the fpirit of the fame prin
ciple, according to the annals of antiquity,
" Manns y agtrof, otrrlt tixafsi xarw?. EuRlPinES.
Thus tranflated by Cicero :
Bene qui conjiciei, vatem hunc perhibebo" optimum,
De Divinatione, lib. ii. feft. 5.
a fpe-

SERMON III. 89
a fpecies of divination was fuppofed to re-
fide in Thakis, the Milefian phllofopher*-
and Epimeiiides, the poet of Crete. From
this fource alfo was probably derived the
opinion, prevalent among all nations, that
men at the approach of death are fome
times endowed with the gift of Prophecy.
And hence the experience of age has been
reprefented as bearing a diftant refem
blance to the ftrain of the Prophet.
The enemies of Chriftianity are fully
fenfible of the weight, which is due to an
objection draWn from this fource. They
have reprefented the facred Writers, as
men endowed with a keen difcernment,
^nd capable of forefeeing very remote con
fequences. They boldly fuppofe them to
have rifqued a variety of probable predic
tions, fome of which, being thus founded
upon an intimate knowledge of the na
tural courfe of human events, have been
accompliffied ; while others, which were
hazarded upon groundlefs conjeCture alone,
continue without application, and are fi-
lently negleCtedi^
Too fevere a wound might be given to
the

90 SERMON III:
tli6 feelings of the pious Chriftian, were I to
lay before him the expreffions of impious
levity, with which this artful objeCtion has
been repeatedly enforced. The danger,
however j, to which our Religion is expofed
by fuch a mode of attack, is alarming in a
very high degree. Though , the Theolor
glan may inftantly, difcern the falfehood of
the. affertion, the weaknefs of the argu
ment, and the 'indecent fourrility of the
language ;' yet the ignorant may be de
ceived, the gay may be dazzled by the vi
vacity of the thought, and the fuperficial
may be. mifled by the fpecioufnefs of an
objection, the futility of which they- pof
fefs not the ability to dlfeover. In this age
of daring Infidelity, when our adverfaries,
cafting afide all fenfe of decorUra and
manly ingenuoufnefs, for the fake of adapt
ing their objeClions to the capacities of the
inferior orders, have proceeded in open
defiance of truth and honeft argument, it
becomes u5 to be doubly vigilant, and not
only to enforce the evidences of Chriftian
ity, but to enforce them in fuch a manner
as may beft be calculated to oppofe the
particular mode of attack adopted by the
modern Sceptic^ In

SERMON III. .91
^n order to expofe the futility of the
objeClion juft ftated, it is abfolutely ne
ceffary to prove in a variety of impor
tant inftances, that the events prediCled
by the facred Writers were removed far
beyond the .reach of human forefight,
and could never have been feleCled as
fair fubje<9:s of ingenious conjeCture by
impoftors. In my laft Difcourfe I en
deavoured to ffiew, that thefe events fre
quently occurred in an age long fubfe
quent to that of the Prophet, were cir-
. cumftantially defcribed, were , frequently
novel, were very numerous, and aptly co
incided with\ the prediction. Through the
following Difcourfe it will be my objeCl
to prove, that, in many of the moft im
portant Prophecies, the occurrences fore
told muft, from their peculiar charaCter, be
univerfally and inftantly acknowledged to
have been indifcernible during the age of
the Prophet ; and that in others they were
the very reverse of what a judicious. de
ceiver, judging from the appearances be
fore him. Would have fuppofed likely
TO TAKE PLACE. I
On the days immediately preceding the
, , cru-

^2. S E R M O N IIL
crucifixion, our bleffed Lord difclofed witli
clearnefs and accuracy, which nearly refem-
Me the detail of the hiftorian, many of the
mioft memorable circumftances, with whidt-
the fiege of Jerufalem would be attended.
The aftoniffiing forefight, which he mani-
fefted, by defcribing the figns, the manner,
and the exaCt time of the deftruCtlon of
the holy city, muft, if maturely confidered,
overpower the mind of the Ghriftian with
wonder and conviCtion. But the circum-
Itance, which perhaps moft effectually
raifes this prediction asbove all fufpicion of
its being the refult of human fagacity, is
the entire deftruClion which it reprefented
as awaiting the vaft edifice of the Temple.
*' Before this generation pafs away," faid
the holy Founder of Chriftianity, when h©
bdield the magnificent pile, " not one ftone
ffiall be left upon another."' Even if vve
ifoppofe, what muft only be fuppofed for
the fake of the argument, that the conqueft
of Jerufalem could be conjeCtured from th«,
prevailing fpirit and circumftances of th©
times; yet the total deftruCtlon of th©
Temple was not the neceffary, or even th©
probable, confequence of fuch a calamitous
event* Its preferlation would rather. have,
' ' been

SERMON IIL

93

been the theme of a fagacious pretender to
Prophecy. I will not heire infift upon the
ftrength of this fortrefs, both natural and
artificial, which the Jewlffi hiftorian has
reprefented as one of the moft '' impregna
ble which had ever been ereCted in the
world. Even the conqueror, furveylng it in
ruins, and difcovering that it could not, if
IkilfuUy defended, have been ffiaken by mili
tary engines, nor ftormed by the moft intre
pid hoft, acknowledged the abfolute incom
petence of the human inftruments, and
afcribed its demolition to the manifeft in
terference of God*. Independently of thefe
confiderations, it muft have been evident,
in the age of our Saviour, that, whatever
might be the fate of the city and of its
inhabitants, in confequence of the ftub
born hoftility of the Jews, and the inve
terate fury of the Romans, it would be the
common objeCt, both of the viCtors and the
vanquiffied, to fave this venerable building
from deftruClion.
The Jews, trufting in their own mif
taken interpretation of the ancient Pro-
* Jofephus, h. v. 14; * Jofephus, b. vi. 43.
phets.

94 S E R M O N IIL
phets, confidered their Temple p^ced un^'
der the immediate proteCtion of the Al-^
mighty, "^s fecure from mortal violence,
and immoveable as the ground on which
it flood ^. So -infatuated were they by this"
blind confidence, that, when their city was
given up. for plunder to the legions, they
ruflied, fecure of fafety, into the burning
ifles of the SanCtuary, and thoufands pe-
riffied in the ruins.
If we examine the artnals of the Ro~
mans, we ffiall dlfeover, that, during the
period of their, grandeur and profperity,
which long preceded the fall of Jerufalem,
when the fpirit of rivalffiip no longer pre-"
vailed, which in the earlier ages of the re
public had occafioned .the deftruClion of
Corinth, Carthage, and Numantla, it was
the cuftom of that great people to pre
ferve entire the ftupendous monuments of
their victories. The chief cities of the.
conquered kingdoms were permitted to
flourlfli as tributaries of Rome. The
works of elegant art alone, with which
they were enriched, were carried aw^y to
* Philo de Monarch, p. 821. Vit, Mof. ii. p. 6^6. grace

SERMON III.

95

grace the triumph of the general, and
adorn the capital of the empire; Thus
Alexandria, the emporium of Egypt j A-
thens, the feat of fclence ; and the fplendid
and opulent cities of Afia Minor, continued
entire after their ffibjugatioU) and con
tributed to the glory and profperity of
their conquerors. In addition to the above
argument, let it be remembered, as ano
ther ftrong reafon for the probable preferv
atlon of the Temple, that it was the uni
form policy of the Romans to refpeCt the
religious prejudices of the conquered coun
tries. So accommodating were their max
ims of univerfal toleration, that within the
regions of Paleftlne, in compliance with
the wiflies of its inhabitants, they even
lowered, their imperial eagles, and defifted
from their defign of ereCling the ftatue of the
£mperor in the fanCtuary of Jehovah. So
powerful was the influence of this princi
ple among their commanders, at the pe
riod 'of which .we are fpeaking, that the
illuftrious chief, who conduCled the fiege
of Jerufalem, manlfefted a moft ardent
anxiety for the prefervatlon of the Tem
ple. At the commencement of his mi
litary operations, he repeatedly , folicited the

96 S E R M O N IIL
the Jews to fave the magnificent build
ing; and again, at the ftorming of the
city, when a brand had been thrown within
the pile by the hand of a foldier, he in
ftantly commanded his legions to extin-
guiffi the flames. It was natural, there
fore, to fuppofe, that, even under the moft
extraordinary and defperate circumftances,
they would be induced, in conformity with
their ufual principles of toleration, to pre
ferve the Temple of Jerufalem.
From thefe confiderations it muft ne
ceffarily be inferred,- that to a Jew, during
the reign of Tiberius, the demolition of
that facred edifice muft have appeared ab-
folutqly impoffible : and, even if its poffi
billty had been admitted, that its demoli
tion by a Roman ^ army muft have ap
peared fingularly improbable, as that peo
ple feemed to be engaged by the ftrongeft
motives to favour its prefervatlon.
In paffing from the confideration of fin-
' The Romans were marked out with a confiderable de
gree of precifenefs by our Saviour : and it was evident, that
they were the only people in the world likely to contend
with ths Jews before the pafling away of that genferation. glc

SERMON III. 97
gle edifices to that of the imperial cities, our
aftoniffimCiit will be ftill more powerfully
excited, by the extraordinary fubjeCts of
fome predictions fo oppofite to tkofe, which
an impoftor would have been induced to
feleCl. When Nineveh and Babylon, thofe
mighty feats of empire, the pride of early
ages, and the wonder of all fficceeding
times, had advanced to the higheft ftate of
greatnefs and fplendour, the moft ftriking
pictures were drawn by the Prophets of
their overthrow and defolation. The entire
deftruClion of two cities eminently the moft
formidable which have ever appeared in the
world, was in the higheft degree improba
ble. Much, undoubtedly, may be conjec
tured by the fpeculative mind, from a
knowledge of the revolutions of empires,
and of the in/labillty of human gran
deur : but vaft capitals, overflowing with
inhabitants, and enjoying dominion over a
confiderable portion of the earth, muft
have appeared to the fpeClator, who gazed
in aftonlffiment upon them, to be ex
empted from the general lot, and to be
raifed above the reach of fortune and mor
tal decay.

In

^8 S E R M O N IIL
In thofe early periods of foeiety, the
Prophet could not have been emboldened
by fimilar examples, colleCled from the
varied hiftories of nations. Cities, poffeffed
of fmall power, and of a limited territory,
might, in the time of the Prophet, have
been fubverted in war, or have filently
funk into ruin : but no inftance had then .
occurred, in which the metropolis of a
mighty empire, or even of a great king
dom, had been rooted up from its founda
tions, and had totally difappeared from the
earth. Even had the Prophets been gifted with
a knowledge of tjie fortunes of all the
great cities, which were in future to ap
pear, they would by no means have found,
that they all terminated in that complete
deftruClion, with which Nineveh and Ba
bylon were threatened. Though fpoiled of
their grandeur, and deprived of their autho
rity, they have generally continued to exift,
and have exhibited, even in their fallen ftate,
the monuments of their former magnifi
cence. Athens, Alexandria, and Conftan-
tinople; Bagdat, the pride of the Saracens;
and Rome, the miftrefs of the world; thefe, and

SERMON IIL 99
and many other places, once fplendid and
glorious, have furvlved the empires, over
which they prefided, and ftill occupy the
rank of cities.
But whatever may be the final condi
tion of great capitals in general, the pecu
liar character of Nineveh and Babylon
muft have appeared to exempt them from
the common doom. Their vaft extent,
the means of annually raifihg a great ftore
of provlfions within their circumference,
the er^ormous height and bulk of their
gates, towers, and walls, and the gigantic
appearance of their facred edifices ; all thefe
feemed to give them means of duration
eminently beyond what have been enjoyed
by any other city. They , appeared to be
rooted, like mountains, to the foil, and to
be unmoveable but by fome violent con-
vulfion of nature. Under thefe peculiar
circumftances, how oppofite to all, which ¦
human artifice would have uttered, were
the expreffions of the Prophets, which
doomed thofe' cities to complete and final
deftruClion !
Though this total demolition was an
H 2, " event.

loo SERMON III.
event, which no man could reafonably ex
peCt ; yet the particular fpecies of ruin,
which was prediCled to Babylon, muft have
appeared even more Improbable. They
were both' fituated upon the fide of great
rivers ; yet the defolation foretold to the
one was of that peculiar fpecies, which is
occafioned by the overflow of waters ; and
that of the other was entirely' independent
of the ftream, by which its walls were
waffied. In exaCl conformity with the
expreffions of the Prophet, the ^ traveller
now wanders in vain along the- banks of
the Tigris, in fearch of the ruins of Ni
neveh : whllft within the broken arches
and rifted walls .of Babylon s, burled in
filth, and loathfome with infeCllon, where
the foot of man feldom treads, the deadly
fefpents hifs, and' the owl and the bittern
inhabit. There the Arabian never pitches
his tent, nor does the ffiepherd make his
fold : but wild beafts. of the ifland cry in
the defolate houfes, and dragons in the
pleafant palaces. And let it be rememr
bered, that the means, without which.
f Nahum i. 8, o. Ii. ii. /
e Ifaiah xx. 20, 21, 22. Jeremiah 1. 35. this

SERMON III. lor
this city could not have been reduced to
its prefent peculiar ftate of ruin, muft have
been placed entirely out of the reach of
human forefight. It was occafioned by an
enterprlze perhaps the moft wonderful
which hiftory records, the turning of a
^reat river from its channel, and the de-
pofition of its waters in a vaft artificial
bafon. The ftream was never again con
fined entirely -siv^ithln its natural bed ; and
the vapours engendered by its ftagnation
in the furrounding plains and marffies,
drove away the fiokening inhabitants, and
thus gradually dlfpeopled the city.
If the complete and lafting defolation
of a great city cannot be forefeen by hu
man fagacity, ftill greater muft be the dif
ficulty of foretelling the permanent de-
bafement of a powerful and extenfive ter
ritory. Yet Ezekiel declared, in the moft
exprefs terms, that the kingdom of Egypt
fliould no more be governed by its own.
native princes,, but ffiould fink for ever
into the bafeft and moft fervile condition.
More than two thoufand years have now
elapfed fince this Prophecy was delivered
to the world. The fortune of kingdoms
H 3 bear^

loa' ¦ SERMON IIL
bedrs a ftriking refemblance to the for
tune of individuals. The fluctuations of
adverfity and profperity may be equally
9bferved in both. There is not, perhaps,
a fpot upon the globe, of which, look
ing down through the long fucceffion
of time, and contemplating the capricious
reverfes of fortune, we m;ght venture to
declare fuch a continued humiliation, as
that which the Prophet pronounced againft
Egypt. Even the unfruitful marfhes of
Batavia have rifen to opulence, dlftlnClion,
and power. While upon the fmall and
barren iflands in the Adriatic, whofe tops
fcarcely rife above the waters, the Vene
tians ereCled a power once formidable
throughout the world, which the united
efforts of nearly all the moft powerful na
tions of Europe were unable to ffiake.
I
But of all the c6untrfes of the world,
Egypt, in the age of Ezekiel, was that, .upon
which it was peculiarly Improbable, that
the hard condition of unceafing fervitude
fliould be Impofed. There . the human
mind had made fome of its earlieft and n^oft
aufpiclous efforts. It was long the gene
ral opinion, that there t^e laws of foeiety
> had

SERMON III. 103
nad been difcovered, and the fountains of
fcience opened. Though the refearches of
the modern fcholar into Indian antiquities
may at length induce us to ffippofe, that '
the inhabitants of a more eaftern country
are juftly entitled to the honour of many
of thofe ufeful difcoveries, which have hi
therto been afcribed to the Egyptians ; yet
unqueftionably that ingenious people were
very early dlftinguifhed by an ardent fpirit
of enterprlze, and a peculiar happinefs of
invention. The ftupendous- monuments
of art, which ftill lie fcattered over the
banks of the Nile, atteft the vaftnefs of
their defigns, and the extent of their power.
The earlieft profeffors of literature, and
the firft founders of civil polity in Europe^
and in the more weftern provinces of Afia,
travelled into Egypt, and there acquired a
knowledge of the fundamental principles
of fcience and government, which, at -their
return to their refpeCtive cotintries, they
advanced to a very high degree of perfec
tion ; and thus moft effentially contributed
to the ornament and dignity of human
life. But if we omit the confideration of
thefe advantages, which muft be acknow-
H 4 ledged

104 S E R M O N IIL
ledged to be-tranfient, thbugh experience'
had not then, even in a fingle inftance,
difcovered their inftablllty, Egypt was pof
feffed of natural refources, which could
feldom fail, and which feemed to promlfe
a continuance of independence, wealth,
and power. _The fituation of the country
was fingularly calculated to defend it againft
the attacks of foreign Invaders. Surrounded
almoft entirely either by feas, or by a
vaft expanfe of deferts, it might eafily be
rendered impenetrable to the inroads of
hoftlle arrnies, except in the narrovv ifth-
mus, which connects it- with Paleftlne and
Syria. Befides, the uncommon fruitfulnefs,
occafioned by the inundations of the Nile,
vs^hich might determine the firft founders
of this kingdom in their choice of a terri
tory, which afterwards rendered her the
granary of Rome, and which, in later ages,
has often refcued Europe from - the dreary
apprehenfions of famine ;— this uncommon
fruitfulnefs, I . fay, promifed to fecure the
country, which it enriched, from poverty,
'bafenefs, and fnbjeCtlon. Agriculture, fuc-,
cefsfully promoted, is one of the moft cer
tain prefervatives of national independence.
Yet after a long courfe of grandeur, before
any fymptom of decline appeared, in con
tradiction

SERMON III. 105
tradiCtion to the general fluctuation of em
pire, in contradiction' to the ftrong ex
pectation, which would naturally be enter
tained, from the fuccefsful progrefs of ci-
Yilizatlon and the. arts ; in contradiction to
the peculiar improbability arlfing from the
natural advantages of fituation, and the-
extraordinary fertility of the foil; Ezekiel
pronounced that the kingdom ^ ffiould be
the bafeft of kingdoms ; and that ' there
ffiould be no more a prince of the land of
Egypt. The event has exaClly correfponded
with the prediction. The Egyptians have
fucCeffively ffink under the dominion of
the Babylonians and the* Perfians, of Ma-
cedon and Rome. When th© laft great
empire was dlffolved, and many of the tri
butary provinces arofe out of its ruins to
freedom and importance, Egypt did but
change her tyrants. She groaned through
many ages , under the bppreffion of the
Greek emperors, of the Saracens, and even
of the fervile Mamalukes. In our own
times, we have feen her an inglorious ob
jeCt of contention between foreign inva
ders, and foreign ufurpers ; and ffie is nov?-
'' Ezekiel xxix. 15.- ' Ezekiel xxx. 13.
prepare(^

10& S E R M O N. IIL
prepared to yield herfelf, a weak and igno-
ble province, according to the decifion osf
diftant kingdoms, whofe interefts are in
volved in her fortunes. ^ ¦
To predict the dlfcriminating charaC
terlftics of the inhabitants of a large terri
tory, which would be unchangeable through
all fixture time, muft, if poffible, lie Itill
farther out of the reach of human ability,
than to foretel their endlefs fubjeCllon,
This ftrong proof of divine infpiratibn is
ftrikingly exhibited in the. Prophecy deli«
vered refpeCtlng the defcendants of Iffi-
mael. Even when a people have arrived
at maturity, and have dlfplayed the dif-
tingulfelng features of their national cha
racter, it is impoffible to forefee, that thofe
features will for ever remain unaltered..
The great map of the world, even upoA a
fuperficial ffirvey, will fiipply us with forci
ble evidence of the raffinefs of fiich an at-
tem^pt. The countries^ which it brings,
within our view, will recal to our imme
diate recolleClion the varieties of charaCter,
through which their inhabitants have fe
verally paffed. The vaft continent of'A-
merica is gradually undergoing an entire
change,.

SERMON IIL

?o7

change, in confequence of the difcoveries
of Columbus. The Europe of the ancient
world differs as widely from the Europe
of' the prefent age, as the haughty and
oppreffive principle of republican Rome^
from the meek and benevolent fpirit of
Chriftianity. The vales and mountains of
Greece, once the feat of freedom, eleganccj,
and the arts,. are now ignobly tenanted by a
race of flothful and willing flaves.
If then we are compelled, by the force
of general experience, to allow, that the
permanence of any peculiarities already
exjfting among a pfeople can not be fore-j
feen even with the flighteft degree of cer
tainty, we ffiall be obliged to acquiefce in
the divine origin of the Prophecy now iin-
der confideration, which was delivered un
der circumftances fingularly unfavourable
to ffich a foreknowledge. Before this pe
culiar eaft of national charaCter had begun
to difplay itfelf, before the child was born,
from whom the nation was to fpring, it
was clearly and ftrikingly delineated.
The very charaCterlftics, , it may further
be urged, wpre fingular in their kind ; and
have

io8 SERMON IIL
have not fince been paralleled in the annals
of - hiftory. The Arabians were to be a
wandering and '' unfettled people ; they
were never %o be fubjeCt to a foreign yoke;
and they were to be at conftant enmity
with all mankind. If, therefore, we were
difpofed to allow, that, in the greater num-'
ber of inftances, the national charaCler' con
tinues unvaried through the revolutions of
ages, ftill it was in the' higheft degree im
probable, that fuch diftinClions as thofe, by
which the Arabs are marked, would un-
ceafingly remain j and it is an abfolute ab-
ffirdity to fuppofe, that their continued,
duration could have been forefeen by the
natural penetration of a .theorift, befor©
they had even begun to exift.
¦ The region inhabited by the Arabs is
not remote or Infulated, feparated from fo-
cial life, and therefore exempt from the
influence, which naturally refults from in-
tercourfe ,with other countries. It is fi
tuated in that portion of the globe, in
which .foeiety .originated, and the firft
kingdoms were formed. The greateft em-
^ Genefis xvi. 12. pires

SERMON III. 109
pires of the world arofe and fell around
them. They have not been fecluded from
correfpondence with foreign nations, and-
thus attached through ignorance and pre
judice to fimple and priniltive manners.
In the early periods of hiftory they were
united as allies to the moft powerful mo-
narchs of the Eaft : under their victorious
Prophet they once carried their arms oyer
the moft confiderable kingdoms of the
earth :. through many fficceeding ages, the
' caravans of the merchant, and the compa
nies of Mahornetan pilgrims, paffed regu
larly over their deferts : even their reli
gion has undergone a total change. Yet
all thefe~ circumftances, which, it might
^ be fuppofed, would have fubdued the moft
ftubborn prejudices, 'and altered the moft
inveterate , habits, have produced no effeCt
"upon the Arabs, and they ftill preferve un
impaired a moft exaCt refemblance to the
firft defcendants of Iflimael. '
Their habits of life, far from inducing"
the furrounding nations to leave them to
a peaceable enjoyment of their native wild-
nefs and independence, muft have con
ftantly awakened a general fpirit of refent- ment,

iio SERMON IIL
llient, and given birth to combinations
moft dangerous to their fecurity. Exclu-
five of the love of glory and empire, which
would prompt the more ambitious fove-
reigns to annex Arabia to their dominions,
it muft have been the common caufe of
kings and of ^people, to reduce to ffibjec-,
tion, or utterly to extirpate, a race of law-
lefs and daring wanderers," who confidered
themfelves as releafed from the opera
tion of the eftabliffied laws of fecial life,
and arrogated the right of violence and,
plunder, as an heritage bequeathed to them
from heaven. They were not therefore
neglected or defpifed. The moft illuftrious
conquerors of the world marched their ar
mies againft them. But in vain was their
fubjeCtlon attempted by the Egyptians, the
Affyrlans, and the Perfians, 'when in the
meridian of their power.' Alexander, after
fubduing the kingdoms of the Eaft, was
preparing an expedition againft them, when
hb death intercepted the defign. Five
times did the Roman legions, conduCled
by their moft renowned generals ' and em
perors, attempt to reduce Arabia toi a tri-
^ Lucullus, Pompey,.iElius Gallus, Trajto, SeveruS; butary

SERMON llL It J
butary province: and five times did. they
return unfuccefsful from the deferts, and
leave the Arabs free. This uniform failure
muft not be attributed to human caufes.
alone. Large armies have frequently fub-.
fifte4 within their hot and fandy plains,
which are interfperfed with rich and moft
delightful fpots, where the fountain and
the grove of palm afford ffiade and refreffir
ment to the exhaufted foldier. But the
expeditions were fruftr.ited, fometimes bj
unexpected revolutions among their ene
mies, and fometimes by the moft tremen
dous interpofition of heaven ™. And to the
divine Infpirer alone, the Lord of heaven
and earthj can we attribute this anomaly
in the ftate of foeiety, the work of his
power, as well as the fubjeCt of his Pro
phecy, which it is equally impoffible that
human ability ffiauld produce, or human
wifdom forefee.
But the Oracles of God do not refer to
individual kingdoms alone ; they include
" PartioulaTly in the expeditions conduSled by Trajan
and Severus. See Dionyf. Hift. lib- Ixviii. p. 78J. lib. IxxVi
V-^SS- ' ' ¦
within

, 112 SERMON IIL
within their comprehenfive fcheme the
''fortunes of the greateft empires of the
world. Thofe, which were given for this
momentous end, are diftinguiffied by a
ftriking fingularity in the mode of their
delivery. The Prophet not only ujtered
the prediCtijOn, but ffibjoined the interpre
tation. This circumftance, added to the
peculiar clearnefs of the expreffions, has
caufed the writings of Daniel to bear a ,
nearer refemblance to Hiftory than to Pro
phecy, and has induced fome bold and ffi-
perficlal unbelievers unwarrantably to con
demn them, as the forgeries of an age fub
fequent to the refpeftive events.
The four great empires of the world,
with the triumphant ftate of Chriftianity,
were clearly and .ftrongly pourtrayed. We
ffiall be filent refpeCtlng- the firft and fe-
cond empire. The Babylonian had reached
the fummit of profperity in the age in
which the Prophecy was delivered : and
the Perfian,.by which it was overthrown,
fucceeded after fo ffiort an interval of time,
that its rifing fortune may be fuppofed to
have been difcernible by a fagacious politi
cal obferver. , In

SERMON IIL 113
In the age of Daniel, which preceded
the conquefts of Alexander more than two
hundred years, Macedon was a fmall and
uncivilized kingdom, fituated amidft- wilds
and mountains, undreaded and unknown.
It was not dlftinguifhed among the nations
of the world by military valour, fuperiority
of internal policy, or a national fpirit of
enterprlze. It had not even obtained a
name among the Grecian ftates : nor had
thofe ftates, upon whofe ruins it afterwards
arofe, advanced far in the attainment of
that greatnefs, which for a time ffione forth
with fuch uncommon brightnefs.
In the^ge of Daniel, Rome could fcarcely
be ranked among cities. It was^ a mean
and unimportant town, placed in a reniote
and unciviliz.ed quarter of the globe, th©
name of which had not reached the im-
"perial court of Babylon. She was expofed
to conftant wars with the petty ftates
around her, in each of which her very ex
iftence was endangered.- Long did ffie
continue to ftrtiggle humbly in Italy, and
even centuries elapfed before ffie took her
flight above"^the nations, and feared to
fame and emplreT I Five

114 SERMON IIL
Five hundred years after the age of Da
niel,' a perfonage, who, uniting in, a mira
culous manner the divine and human na
ture, has been regarded through all fuc
ceeding times as the everlafting Son of the
high God, born in an obfcure^ village of an
obfcure territory, poffeffpd of no human
means of attraCtloft, and fupported by no
earthly authority, promulgated a new Reli
gion, and dlfplayed figns and mighty won
ders. Though he was defpifed and rejeCted by
his countrymen, and, after a ffiort miniftry,
' was cut off by an ignominious death; yet
his Religion, triumphing at length over all
oppofition, overthrew the altars of poly-
thelfm ; while the temples of the God,
whofe will he revealed, were , ereCled
throughout all the falreft provinces of the
globe. Now it cannot be conceived poffible,,
that any caufes favourable' to the propaga
tion of Chriftianity could have been fub
jeCt to the obfervation of the Prophet.
Though human affairs were undoubtedly
fo difpofed by divine Wifdom, as peculiarly
to favour its fuccefsful progrefs ; yet they
could not, it is prefumed, have been ren
dered

SERMON III. 115
dered effeCllve, except in conjunction with
thofe miraculous powers, which were ac
tually dlfplayed. And it may with truth
be afferted, that in the age immediately
preceding its rife, and everi at the time
when its divine Founder, firft appeared
among mankind, no appearances could be'
difcerned, which to an uninfpired mind
would afford the flighteft prefage , of the
extraordinary event about to be accom
pliffied. No intimation of it could be dif^
covered, except in the writings of the in
fpired Prophets, and in general rumour
vague and fallacious, the confequence of
erroneous explications of their meaning.
Yet in the age of Daniel were clearly
predicted thefe three changes in the affalirs
of mankind, the moft momentous which
hiftory records. The charaCterlftics, by
which, they were refpeClively diftinguiffied,
were accurately delineated ; and the order,
in which tliey fucCeffively arofe, was faith
fully defcribed. The figures, under which
the atchlevements of 'Alexander were re
prefented, point out the rapidity of his
conquefts, the univerfality of his domi
nion, and the quadruple dlvlfion of his
I Z • I epipire

ii6 SERMON III.
empire among his favourite chiefs. Rome
was depicted by the difference of its go
vernment from that of the preceding em
pires; by its greatnefs, and by its terrible
and irrefiftible power in war, by the fub
jugation of the nations under its iron yoke,
and by its proud -rule over the whole
'globe^ Chriftianity was defcribed as fi
lently emerging without the aid of human
policy, holy and fpiritual in ' its naturS,
extending over all nations, and enduring.
through all time.
Weak, indeed, muft be the Sceptic,
who, after a candid inveftigation of the
fubjeCt, ffiall aferlbe to the natural pene
tration of the human mind ' fuch a fore
knowledge of the greateft kingdoms and
of their charaCteriftic differences. Let the
boldeft and moft fubtle fpeculator ftand
forth, and take the next thoufand years for
the wide field of his Prophecies. Let him
foretel the grandeft and moft furprifing re-*
volutions, which will occur during that
period, in the importance of which all
other events are fwallowed up and loft:
let the principles, and the agents, by which
they ffiall be effeCled, be fuppofed to be
-- ' at

SERMON III.

117

at tl^is moment entirely concealed from "his
knowledge: let the order in which they
ffiall arife, and the dlftinguiffilng- features
by which they ffiall be characterized, be
accurately pourtrayed : let the firft empire,
to be founded upon the ruins of the moft
flourlffiing -monarchies of the earth, be
predicted as about to come forth, not from
the bofom of civilized foeiety, from a po
pulous territory, or a powerful' kingdom,
but from fome rude and mountainous
country, remote from the refidence of the
fpeculator, and now bbfcurely known : let
the fecond empire, the future miftrefs of
the world, be deftlned to arife, when the
firft ffialLhave paffed away, from fome dif
tant and unimportant town, the name of
which has not yet reached our ffiores : let
the third revolution, far the-moft remarkable
both in its nature and its duration, and un
paralleled in the annals of all paft ages, be
filently efleCled by a poor and humble in
dividual, wandering among unfoclal and
bigotted tribes, the members of which are
regarded with contempt by the inhabitants
of civilized regions : let, the Sceptic, I fay,
fubmlt to our obfervation fuch a map of
future hiftory, in which the events recorded
I 3 are

ii8 S E R M O N IIL
are few, fimple, and in the higheft degree
important; and let but one obferver, pof
feffed of cool and dlfpaffionate judgment,
malntaih, either that future occurrences fo
fingular and momentous, the caufes of
which have yet fcarcely begun to operate,
with all their moft dlftinguiffilng pecu
liarities, can be brought to our knowledge
by the happleft effort of human wifdom,
or that, when boldly conjeCtured, it lies
within the compafs of our ideas refpeCtlng
the nature of human Contingencies, that
they ffiall all really take -place in the pre
cife order, with, the feveral peculiarities,
and to the full extent predicted : let but
one dlfpaffionate obferver be found, who
ffiall maintain either of thefe pofitions,
a!nd we may almoft venture to declare,
that' we will forego our belief in facred
Prophecy, and no longer exalt the predic
tions of Sion above the frantic effufions of
Heathen Oracles, or the wild conjeClures of
Heathen Augury. ^^
But the fpirit pf Prophecy was once
manifefted on an occafion even more fin
gular perhaps than any, which has already
been confidered. It fbreffiewed the future
exiftence

SERMON III. 119
exiftence of a fpiritual tyranny the moft
extraordinary, to which the ambition and
ingenuity of man have ever given birth.
I ffiall be pardoned, I truft, for repeating the
defcription of this ftrange and moft formi^
dable power. In the fixth century before
Chrift, and again in more exprefs terms
during the age immediately fubfequent to
his appearance, it was prediCled, that, at a
diftant period ", when the Roman empire,
then triumphant over the world, ffiould
fall into decay, a power °, the name of
which was hieroglyphlcally fpecified, ffiould
arife from its rulfls, and fix p its feat of
dominion in the ancient capital of the
world ; that this power ffiould be founded
in the myftery of iniquity, and exhibit
that prodigy in the moral and political
world, which the Prophet emphatically de
nominated the Man of Sin ; that it ffiould
impofe upon the credulity of its followers,
by flagrant falfehoods, and an abandoned
profligacy of deceit ; that it ffiould alter
the courfe of foeiety, and even abrogate
the laws of nature, by forbidding both
" Daniel vii. ), 8, 34. a Theffalonians ii. 6, 7.
* Revelations (xiii. 18. J" Revelations xvii. 9,
14 mar*

120 SERMON III, I
^ marriage and the ufe of meats ; that it
ihould fupport its ufurped authority by the
moft relentlefs cruelty, by deluging ' its
extenfive territories with the^ blood of its
enemies, or by driving ^ them forth, help-
lefs and hopelefs, from all the comforts
a^d charities of fecial fife ; that it ffiould
* impioufly lay claim to a fupernatural in
fluence, and fubdue the untutored mind
by pretended aCts of Omnipotence ; that, ¦
deviating from thq, pure and fimple wor
ffiip of the firft Chriftlans, it ffiould intro
duce " idolatry and the doCtrine of demons ;
and, negleCling the mediation of the ever
bleffed Jeffis, ffiould fupplicate the divine
Power through the intervention of departed
mortals ; that it ffiould carry up its blaf^-
phemous pretenfions ^ to an height, which
it is fcarcely poffible to contemplate with
out feelings of awful apprehenfion, ffiould
arrogate the incommunicable attributes
and omnipotent authority of the fupreme
' I Timothy iv. 2,
¦¦ Daniel vii. 21, 2^. Revelations xvii. 6. xviii. 24.^
' Revelations xiii. 16, 17.
• 2 ThefTaloniatis ii. 9, 10. Revelations xiii. 13, 14.
" 1 Tippthy iv. i. Daniel xi. 38.
^ Danipl yii, 25. xi, 36. a Theffalonians ii, 4;
Being,

SERMON UI. 121 :
Being, ^nd, feated in his hallowed temple,
ffiew itfelf to an idolizing world, as the
eternal and incomprehenfible God, the
Lord of heaven and earth ^ : and laftly,
that, having tyrannized mote than twelve
hundred years over the minds as well as
perfons of the greateft portion of the
Chnftian world, it -ffiould fall at length
into decay, and be ^ delivered oven to con
demnation and endlefs perdition.
Such are the features of the Papacy,
than which no fyftem could have been
devifed, more unlikely to arife from a
perverfion of the doCtrlnes and fpirit of
the Gofpel. Though, hi the Apoftolic age,
to a prophetic eye the fatal power was
then ffiewn to be working ; yet by un
affifted human reafon the dawn of fuch a
tyranny could not furely be difcerned.
The' imagination could fcarcely have con
ceived one more inconfiftent with the fpot -

f Compare 2 Theffalonians ii. 4. with Bifjliop Newton's
account of the adoration paid to the new-elefted Pope.
•" ^em. creant, adorant," was the infcription ufed on the
medals of Martin V. See Newton's Differtations on the
Prophecies. Diif. xxv.
^ Daniel vii. 2,5. Revelations xix,. 19, 20. lefs

122. SERMON IIL
lefs and unaffumlng charaCler of primitive
Chriftianity. Had the ingenuity of man,
fpeculating upon the corruptions by which
even the pureft gifts of divine benevolence
are liable to be deformed, been employed
during thofe early times in divining the
probable perverfions, to which Chriftianity
would be fubjeCt in its progrefs through
a vicious world, he would not furely have
been induced to prediCt the proud pomp
of fuperftltion, nor the arrogance and 'ty- '
ranny of , predominating power, nor the
impious pretenfions of an affumed divinity.
With much greater probability might he
have apprehended the temporary preva-
, leiice of that lawlefs fpirit, of ' that equal
diftrlbutlon of property, and of thofe vlfion-
ary plans of foeiety, which gave dlfturb-
ance to fome parts of Gerrnany at the
period of the Reformation, and were the
ffibjeCls of dangerous fpeculatlon in our'own
country during the civil dlffenfions of the
laft century. Let me not be fuppofed to
infinuate, that our pure and holy Reli
gion affords the flighteft fanCtion or coun
tenance to fuch deftruClive principles. No.
It marks them with decifive and unquali
fied dlfapprobation. I vviffi merely to ob
ferve.

SERMON III. 123
ferve, that, from the peculiar nature of
feme of the original doCtrlnes of Chriftian
ity, and from the probable effeCl of their
operation upon corrupt or fanatical minds,
fuch a fpecies of abufe was more likely
than an/ other to arife. Hence it is rea
fonable to ffippofe, that an impoftor would
naturally have feleCted this particular kind
of perverfion, as the moft proper fubjeCt of
conjecture. But the real Prophets were
filent upon this part of the fubjeCl ; and
dlfplayed their eloquence in defcribing
events, the poffibillty of which could
fcarcely have been admitted, till it wis
fenfibly demonftrated by their occurrence.
From the whole tenor of the preceding
Difcourfe, it appears, that, in many of the
moft momentous inftances, the ^events fore
ffiewn were not only all in the higheft degree
IMPROBABLE, but fomc the very reverse
of thofe, which might naturally have been
expected from the general courfe of hu
man affairs, or the peculiar charaCler of
circumftances, as they exifted in the age of
the Prophet. To aferlbe therefore fuch a
prefcience of the Prophets to a mere fpirit
of conjecture, or to confider the comple tion!

124 SERMON IfL
tion of their predictions as the fortunate
coincidence of circumftances, appears to be
an aCt of grofs ignorance, of obftinate blind-
nefs, or of wilful perverfion of^the truth.
Let it not be imagined that inftances
illuftrative of the argument are rare, and
that thofe, which I have now adduced, can
alone be difcovered among the numerous
predictions of the' Old and New Tefta
ment. I have expatiated more fully upon
thofe few, for the fake of exciting the cu
riofity of the inqulfitive, and of inducing
them to contemplate Prophecy at large,
with a reference to the particular propofi-
tion, which I have now endeavoured to
/ confirm. When attention has Once been
"awakened, numerous prediCtlonfe will pre
fent tbernfelves, by which the truth of the
pofition will be amply illuftrated.
What but divine infpiration could have
inftruCted Noah in that intimate know-
ledge of futurity,, by which he forefaw *
the unceafing fervitude of the defcendants
of his three fons ?

" Genefis ix, 3_5, a6, 27. "
¦- What

SERMON lIL laj
What but divine infpiration could have
enabled the favoured Patriarch to mark,
with fuch precifion, thofe dlfcriminating.
and feemingly inconfiftent circumftances
in the future fortunes of his two fons, Ja
cob ''and Efau ; that the elder ffiould de
light in war and violence, and yet be fub-
jeCt_ to the younger ? ,
Whaf but the forefight of God could
have conceived the poffibillty, and what
but the illuminating fpirit of God could
have excited in Balaam the opinion, that
the Ifraelites, a people entirely unknown to
the Prophet, ffiould, in oppofition to every
principle of national policy, and to fome
of the ftrongeft ilaclinatlons of the human
heart, always dwell " alone, in a feparate
and peculia* ftate of foeiety ?
What but the over-rullng influence of
divine Wifdom could have impreffed upon
.his mind the final extinction ^ of the Ama-
lekites, arid efpecially at that particular fea
fon, in w^hich they were confidered even

'' Genefis xxvii. 40. '^ Numbers xxiii. 9.
^ Numbers xxiv. 22.

by

iii6 ' SERMON IIL
by himfelf as the firft, the moft ancient^
and the^oft powetful among the nations,
which inhabited that part of the globe ?
Who on principles of mere human fpe
culatlon could have dared to predict the
overthrow of Tyre by the power of the
Chaldeans ^, in an age when Chaldea was
yet in the form of a tributary province ;
and when the Affyrian empire, advanced
to its ^higheft ftate of power and profperity,
was moft likely, if its overthrow vvasi at all
probable, to effeCt the utter deftruClion of
that haughty city ?
Was it probable in the age of Ifaiah,
that the glory of the God of the Hebrews
would be peculiarly advanced by the fu
ture fucceffes of a Perfian conqueror ? Is
there not a coincidence in the higheft de
gree extraordinary, and inexplicable upon
mere human principles, between the ^pre-
dliSions of that Prophet, and the aCtual
proclamations of Cyrus ? In the former it -
is afferted, that the founder of the Perfian
empire -would be elevated by the Almighty
* Ifaiah xxiii. 1,3. f Ifaiah xliv, xlv. , to

SERMON IIL lay
to an uncommon height of power, fame,
and riches, for the exprefs purpofe of mak
ing known his name and glory to all the
inhabitants of the earth. In the/ latter
the s royal conqueror, contrary to , the ge-<
neral praCtice, publickly afcribes the merit
of his victories, not to the Eaftern deities,
whom he and his fathers had worffiipped,
but to the one only God, the Lord God
of heaven, the Lord God of Ifrael.
Was it probable that the *¦ Egyptians
ffiould be converted to the knowledge of
the true God, and that the defcendants of
Abraham ffiould worffiip Jehovah in that
very land, in which their anceftors had
been treated with unparalleled feverity,
and the inhabitants of which had fince
been uniformly held forth as objeCts of
their juft abhorrence and continued en
mity ?
Was it not contrary to all probability in
the days of the ancient Prophets, in the
peculiar ftate of feparation in which the

E Ezra i. I, a, 3. a Chronicles xxxvi. 23.
^ Ifaiah xix. 18, 2^,
, Jewlffi

izS SERMON Itl.
Jewlffi people had been placed by the AI*
mighty, that an univerfal Religion would,
at a future period, be promulgated by an
inhabitant of Judea, or that it, would be
generally received at the preaching/ of a
Jew by the Gentiles ?
Was it -not contrary lo all probability in
the days immediately preceding the cruci
fixion, when the followers of our Lord, ter
rified, difplrlted, and defpairing, were about
to forfake him, and to flee, that neverthelefs,
before the paffing away even of that gene
ration, his ' Gofpel ffiould be publiffied in
all the world ; and that at length it ffiould
obtain a complete and lafting triumph over-
the fuperftitions of the earth, though in
evitably expofed to a general and moft in
veterate oppofition, from the mercenary
views of the artificer and the prieft, from
the pride of 'the philofopher, from the
power and policy of the magiftrate, and
from the religious prejudices and corrupt
paflRons of the people ?
Was it not contrary to all probability in
i Matthew xxiv. 14. Mark xiii, 10. the

SERMON IIL ^ 129
the days of our Saviour, that the inhabi
tants of Judea would be led away captive
into all nations by the Romans r They had
before yielded to the arms of Rome, and
no fuch calamitous confequence enfued.
Nay, it was the generous policy of that vic
torious people, almoft uniformly observed
in the later ages of the ftate, to leave to'
the vanquiflied kingdoms the fecurb pof-
feffion of the greateft part of their terri
tories, and, in general, their national po
lity and the exercife of all their religious
rites. In the inftance of the Jews alone,
this cuftom was flagrantly violated : and
it is not perhaps unworthy of remark, that
it was violated, not by a ftern, capricious,
and fanguinary tyrant, a Tiberius, a Cali
gula, or a Nero; but by a prince, who was
the brlghteft ornament of imperial Rome,
whofe charaCler was marked by an un
bounded fpirit of philanthropy, and who
was diftinguiffied by the godlike appel
lation of the love and delight of man
kind \
The time would fail me, were I to pro-
¦^ Amor et deliciae humani generi^.
K ceed

130 SERMON III.
ceed through all the numerous inftances
recorded in the facred Writings corrobo
rative of the principle, which has been ad
vanced. By thofe already given, curiofity
may perhaps be excited, and the fource of
enquiry opened. The more clofely this
part of the fubjeCl is purfued, the ftronger
conviction will be produced of the infpira
tion of Jewlffi and Chriftian Prophecy.
Let the unprejudiced enquirer, inftead of
feeking, like the Sceptic, for doubts, or
magnifying real difficulties and plaufible
objections, inveftigate the precife nature of
the Prophecies, and refleCt upon the pe
culiar circumftances, under which they
were refpeClively uttered. By fuch a
mode of examination he will be enabled
rationally to convince himfelf, that, at the
time of delivery, their completion muft
frequently have feemed direCtly oppofite
to prefent appearances, to reafonable expec
tations, and to the regular order of human
occurrences. And let it be remembered,
that he, who has once been firmly fixed
in this perfuafion, will fcarcely be induced,
even by the moft fpeciqus arguments, to
renounce his faith in their divine origin, or

SERMON IIL

231

or to unite with the Infidel in reprefent-
ing them either as the effufions of wild
vifionaries, or the frauds of artful impof
tors.

K. 2,

SERMON IV.

;k

pEUTERONOMYjv. 3a.
ASK NOW OP THE DAYS THAT ARE PAST,
WHICH AVERE BEFORE THEE, SINCE THE
DAY THAT GOD CREATED MANv UPON
THE EARTH; AND ASK FROM THE ONE
SIDE OF HEAVEN UNTO -THE OTHER,
WHETHER THERE HATH BEEN ANY SUCH
THING, AS THIS GR^AT THING IS, OR
HATH BEEN HEARD LIKE It.
In exhibiting the proofs of a divine in
terpofition in the inftance of Prophecy, it
•appears to be in the higheft degree ufeful,
if not abfolutely neceffary, to eftabliffi and
enforce the pofitions. advanced by multi
plied, exaniples. From the operation of
phyfical caufes, or from peculiar habits of
refleClion, or from favourite modes of re-
K 3'^ ^ fearch.

434 SERMON IV.
fearch, different minds are attraCled and
influenced by different illuftrations. Be
fides, the very circumftance of numbers
and variety in- the inflances , adduced is
productive of a powerful effeCt, and effen
tially contributes to the firm eftabliffiment
of our faith. And let it be remembered,
that the defender of Chriftianity is not oc
cupied, on thefe occafions, upon cold and
abftraCt reafonlngs, nor does he labour
merely to arrive at a knowledge of truth :
he ftrenuoufly endeavours, upon the moft
momentous fiibjeCl, which can engage the
attention or interefl the feelings of a rea
fonable and immortal being, to overpower
with conviction the mind, which may
anxioufly defire to be fatisfied ; but, from
the extraordinary nature of the ca^, may
be juftly fearful of affording a precipitate
affent.
' Though the predictions- confidered in a
former LeClure are eminently ftriking, and
ought tb fatisfy the moft fcrupulous en
quirer ;, yet they are unqueftionably ex
ceeded, in many important charaCterlftics,
by a Prophecy perhaps the moft wonder
ful, which was delivered in the long courfe of

SERMON IV. 135
of divine Revelation. As, in thp material
world, different degrees of fplendour and
magnificence are imparted to different pro
ductions of tbe almighty Creator: fo, in the
courfe of the awful manifeftation of his
Omnifcience, he has afforded a ftronger
appearance of divinity to particular parts
of his Revelation, though all are. undoubt
edly raifed above, human ability, and are
equally worthy of God.
The circumftance to which I allude is
the prefent aftoniffiing condition of the
Jewlffi people. As it is fubmitted to our
daily obfervation, and is fingularly calcu
lated both to excite curiofity and to pro
duce Conviction, I have referved it for
the fubjeCt of a feparate Difcourfe, and
ffiall now confider it at large as forcibly
illuftrative of the principle, which! have
advanced, refpeCtlng the frequent impro-
BABiLiTT of the events foretold by the
ancient Prophets.
In reprefenting with fidelity the prefent
„ condition of the Jews,, for the purpofe
of ftrongly illuftrating and confirming the
truth of Prophecy, it is impoffible not to
K 4 -admit

1^6 SERMON IV.
admit fuch fentiments and defcriptions, . as
muft give pain to that unfortunate nation.
Let it not, however, be fuppofed, that
this duty is performed by the advocate of
Chriftianity, w^ithout a confiderable degree of
reluctance. No fincere Chriftian can wan
tonly wound the feelings or aggravate the
miferies of an affllCted people '^. Perfecutlon, what-

* The fincere Chrifl:ian cannot without reluftance de
fcribe this humiliating condition of the Jews. The argu
ment however required a true and moft forcible ftatement :
and I am juftlfied in making it, not by general opinion
alone, which may .be erroneous from prejudice ; not by
the fentiments of Voltaire, which fcepticifm, may have
warped ; but by the confeflion of fome of the politeft and
moft liberal writers, who have ever appeared among that
unfortunate people. I allude to the Letters of certain Jews
to M. de Voltaire. Though coming forward in defence of
their nation in general againft the virulent attack and ex
aggerated reprefeiltatlons of the French Infide^, they feem
to defend only one particular feft of it. They make a wide
diflinftion between the Spanifh and Portugueze Jews, and
all other Jews, mentioned under the general title of Polifli
and Germans. Thefe latter, according to a ftatement of
the Monthly Review, which was thought worthy of being
admitted by them in a fubfequent edition into the body of
their work, " fcattered, over the whole Eaftern and Weftern
" empires, have always, lived, fince the time of Conftantine
*' the Great, in Greece and' Afia, and fince that of Charlemagne
"¦ in the weft, in oppreffion and mifery, looked upon as flaves,
*¦' and inhumanly treated as fuch. And they are treated much

SERMON IV.

^37

whatever form it may affume, is utterly
irreconclleable with the pure and gentle
fpirit of our Religion. Though we know,
that the lengthened fufferings of the Jews
were decreed in the councils of divine
Wifdom ; yet we alfo know, that th^ na
tions, whofe evil paffions have at different
times been rendered inftrumental in their
puniffiment, were frequently in their turn
rejected, when the dreadful office had been
fulfilled. We acknowledge, with fenfations
of grateful refpeCt, that from the Jews we
have derived the facred Oracles of God ;
" in the fame manner now, even in Europe, almoft in ' every
"part of Germany, at Venice, and in all the ecclefiaftical
" ftates." From this paflage, it is evident, that the Jews
called German and Polifli muft conftitute ¦ far the moft
confiderable portion 'of tjie whole people. In thefe letters
the Portugueze and Spaoifli Jews are reprefented as^not
diftinguiflied, like the other defcendants of Abraham, from
the reft of mankind by deficiency in elegance, refinement,
and literature, but as elevated in mind above their * bre
thren of other nations, infomuch that, even by the confef-
fion of thofe very brethren, it has been fometimes fcarcely
credited, that they were both of one common ftock. Ail
other Jews, it is allowed by thefe writers, " are defpifed and
" reviled on all fides, are often perfecuted, and always in-
" fulted : even human nature among them, it has been con-
" feffed, is debafed and degraded f."
* Letters of certain Jews, &c. vol. i. p. 66. f lb. p. 40.
that

138 SERMON IV.
that among them arofe the holy Prophets,
and the glorious company of the Apoftles ;
and'that from among their brethren, in the
fiilnefs of time, the Son of God, the Sa
viour of the world, was born*. We are
induced, moreover, to expeCt, from the
ftrong affurance of Prophecy, that their
difperfion and calamities will be but for an
appointed time ; and that they will finally
be reftored to the favour of God. And
with fincerity and earneftnefs we join in
the pious and charitable petition of oUr
Liturgy, that they may foon be brought
home to the flock of our bleffed Lord, and
become with us one fold under one Shep
herd, Jefus Chrift, our common Saviour
and Redeenfer. ^
On the prefent occafion, the argument
requires me to ftate in forcible terms the
fevere calamities, to Which they have long;
been fubjeCt, and which they ftill continue
in fome degree to fuffer.
In an early age of the world, more than
three thoufand years ago, a few poor and
^ See Newton on the Prophecies, Diff. viii. '
unim'

S E R M O N IV; 139
Unimportant tribes, delivered from a ftate
of bondage and oppreffion, were wander
ing over a barren and dreary wildernefs.
Their leader, the acknowledged minifter
of Heaven, at the cbnclufion of long and
fuccefsful labours, and the clofeofa holy
life', prefented to^ their view an affeCting
picture of their future condition, when
they ffiould have incurred the juft difplea-
ffire of their God. With a vigour of ex-
preffion, which has never been exceeded,
and with a mlnutenefs of detail, which has
feldom been equalled, eve/i by -the moft
accurate hiftorian, he reprefented to them,
that they ffiould be '^ feattered among all
people from the one end of the earth even
unto the other ; that '^ amoAg thefe na
tions they ffiould find no eafe, neither
ffiould the fole of their feet have reft ;
that they ffiould be fmitten ^ by the Lord
with madnefs, and blindnefs, and aftonlffi
ment -of heart ; that they fliould have a
^ trembling of heart, and failing of eyes,
and forrow of mind ; that they ^ fliould

¦^ Deuteronomy xxviii. 64. ^ Id. xxviii. 6_f.
* Id. xxviii. 28. ^ "Id. xxviii. 65.
8 Id, xxviii, 37.
become

I40 SERMON rV.
become an . aftonlffiment, a proverb, and a
bye-word ; that they ^ ffiould be oppreffed
evermore, and that no man ffiould fave
them. It is added, that their ' life ffiould
hang in doubt, and that they ffiould fear
night and day, and ffiould have none affur-'
ance of their life ; that, in the bitternefs
of angiiiffi, in the morning they ffiould fay,
''Would God it were even ! and at even
they ffiould fay. Would God it were morn
ing ! Furthermore, it is declared, that
though they ffiould be difperfed and af-
fiiCled in this fevere and awful manner,
yet that God ' would not eaft them away,
nor abhor them to deftroy them utterly ;
but that, as their •" plagues were great
and wonderful, fo ffiould they be of long
continuance ; and that " they ffiould be
upon them for a fign, and for a wonder,
and upon their feed for ever!
, From the defcription of the Prophet let
us turn to the annals of the Hiftorian. When
the holy city of David had yielded to the vic-

^ Deut. xxviii. 29,31. ' Id. xxviii. 66.
'^ Id. xxviii. 67. ' ' Levit. xxvi. 44.
" Deut. xxviii. ;59. " Deut, xxviii. 46.
torlous

SERMON IV. 141
torious arms of Rome, the inhabitants were
expelled from their native territory, and fcat
tered through all the kingdoms of the world.
Since the time of that calamitous event,
they have wandered over every portion of
the globe, without national poffeffions, an
acknowledged conftitution, or independent
laws. They were reprefented by the Ro
man hiftorian, as aCtuated, previoufly to
their difperfion, by a fpirit of hatred to
wards the whole human race.i Since that
dreadful calamity, they have lived almoft
conftantly in a ftate of rqciprocal hatred
with mankind. Though generally fub-
miffive to the laws, and ftrangers to poli
tical intrigue, they have frequently been
expofed to perfecutlon and plunder, even
¦>vith the connivance of governments, which,
in all other inftances, have guarded as fa
cred the property of individuals. Though
abundantly poffeffed of riches, which ufually
command the refpeCt of mankind, and en
noble even ignorance and folly, they have
been generally treated with contempt by
the powerful, and fometimes everi followed
with infult by the populace. They have
been driven frorii city to city, from coun try

J42 SERMON IV.
try to country : even their children ° have
fometimes been forcibly taken from their
parental protection, and educated in a re
ligion, which is the objeCt of their heredi
tary averfion. Their lives have not unfre
quently been eftlmated without any re
gard to the high importance ufually an
nexed to the exiftence of human beings.
In Chriftian countries, and under Regular
governments, they have in fome inftances
been facrificed to a wanton and unrelent
ing fpirit of cruelty, in violation of all
laws human and divine, and in oppofition
to the feelings of our nature. They feem,
as it were, to haVe loft their rank in the
creation, and to have funk nearly below
humanity. Their fellow- creatures appear
in many countries to have refufed to them
, alone the juftice due to all, and the com-
paffion inherent in man;
Such is the faithful though melancholy
picture of a people, once diftinguiffied by

" In RMMatt Catholic countries, particularly in Spain
and Portugal. See Newton on the Prophecies, and Pa
trick's Comrfientary on Deuteronomy xxviii. 32.,
the

SER MO N IV. 143
the peculiar favour of the Almighty ; for
whom the fea was' divided in Egypt, and
the fun ftood ftill upon Gibeon ; whofe
laws were brought down from heaven, and
whofe anceftors walked with God.
Yet amidft multiplied inftances of op
preffion, mifery, and contempt, they have
refolutely continued through feventeen hun
dred years a feparate and diftinCl people.
Their 'God hath p not eaft them away, nor
abhorred them, to deftroy them utterly ;
their great 1 and w'onderful plagues, which
were to be of long continuance, ftill re
main : the curfes are yet upon them, ,which,
in the ftrong language of Scripture ^ were
to be for a fign and for a wOnder upon
them and their feed for ever. Not mingled
and loft among the kingdoms, over which
they have been fcattered, they retain the
means, upon their returning obedience, of
beholding their ^ captivity turned ; and of
being gathered from the nations, and re
ftored to the land of their fathers *. This
r Levit. xxvi. 44. X Deut. xxviii. ^g.
** VDeUt. xxviii. 46, 59. ' Id. xxx. i, 3, j, 4.
' The paffages in the Pentateuch, which we have quoted, appear.

144 - ' SERMON IV.
This is the part of the Prophecy, .which"
inconteftably places it far above the reach
of human wif lom^ or the fufpicion of im
pofture. If the claim to divine Revelation
be rejected, it will not be in the power of
the hiftorian or the philofopher to affign
any caufe, which will -fatlsfaCtorily explain
this extraordinary condition of an whole
people. Their continuance in fuch a fi
tuation is unexampled, and we may even
venture to pronounce it miraculous. It
cannot therefore be ffippofed, that it could
have been anticipated, by the moft faga-^

appear, and are generally allowed, decifively to prove, that
Mofes forefaw this extraordinary circumftance in the pre
fent fortunes of bis countrymen. Our blelTed Lord, (Luke
xxi. 22.) when he predifted the.approaching calamities of
the Jews, exprefsly afferted, that thofe were the days of ven
geance, that all things, which were written, niight be ful
filled. Jeremiah (xlvi, 28. xxx. 11. xxiii. -3.) and many
other Prophets, (Ifaiah x. 21,. 22. Ezekiel vi. 8, 9.. Amos
ix. 9,) predifted it in the moft exprefs language, which
Cannot be interpreted in any other fenfe, nor referred to any
other times. The argument is here ftated as referring to the
Prophecy of Mofes ; though, if the application, of the paf-
iages from the Pentateuch fliould not be admitted, with fome
flight alteration of the manner, and with no diminution of
its force, it may be rendered equally applicable to the words
of the later Prophets, of the precife fenfe of which no. doubt
can be entertained^ clous

S E R M O N IV. 145

1-

clous penetration, or the moft fortunate
conjecture. If we reprefent to burfelves an impof
tor, in the age of Mofes, defirous of ac
quiring reputation by a pretended know
ledge of futurity, every argument, which
could have fuggefted itfelf to his under
ftandlng, muft have difcovered the ab-
furdity of the prediction, which he ven
tured to deliver; and he may juftly be
charged with either madnefs, or unpardon
able credulity, if he fuppofed, that its pof
fibillty would either be admitted by his
hearers at the moment, or confirmed by
the event in future. If he had turned his
eyes around upon the nations, which were
then prefented to his view, the general ap
pearance muft have forcibly diffuaded him
from hazarding fo unreafonable a conjec
ture. The prediCled condition of his coun
trymen was contrary to the ftate- of all the
natioiis, which had previoufly exifted in
the world, or were at th*t period in being.
In the more refined ages of mankind, when
the intercourfe between countries is fre
quent and extenfive, when commerce has
united by a common band the moftre-
L mote

146 SERMON IV.
i.
mote regions, and liberality of fentiment
has kindled a fpirit of toleration and- uni
verfal benevolence, the habits and cuftoms
of a foreign and diftant race of men are
not only endured, but are, in many in-
-ftances, even courteoufly received by the
natives. It is not fo among the rude hordes
of pripaitive foeiety^ The favage looks
down with difdaln, or rifes with indigna
tion, upon all who are not of his tribe.
He hates the cuftoms which differ frcim
his own. The unknown intruders are ei
ther exterminated at a blow, or gradually
exhaufted by unceafing oppreffion. When
barbarians leave their native land, they are
either borne away by conquerors, or are
animated to relinquiffi it by a fpirit of en
terprlze. In the former cafe, they are foon
reftored by the fortune of war to the coun
try of their anceftors, or they imperdbpti-
bly melt into one common people with
their conquerors. In the latter, under the
condv^d of a daring and fuccefsful chief,
they expel the natives from a favourite ter
ritory, or they found an infant ftate amidft
the waftes and folltude of nature. Such
was the conduCl of mankind from the ear-
" lieft seras of the world, to a period fubfe quent

SERMON IV. 147
quent to the times of Mofes. It was not,
therefore, from a fimilar fituation among
other people, into which, according to the
courfe of foeiety, it was natural to ima
gine, the defcendants of Ifrael might fall,
that the Prophet was induced to utter this
prediction. The condition, as I have be
fore afferted, was contrary to every exam
ple then prefented to his view, and un-
;paralled in the annals of all preceding
ages. Had the hiftory of the whole future
world been brought by anticipation within
the knowledge of Mofes, the uniform
courfe of fecial life muft have convinced
him, that even the exiftence of fuch a
ftate of foeiety as he defcribed, except un
der ati extraordinary and Immediate inter
pofition of God, was in the higheft degree
improbable. Foreign tribes, when admitted
into a country, gradually intermingle with
the natives, and, after the lapfe of a few
generations, are blended and loft among
the original inhabitants. Excited at once
by principles of intereft, and by a natural •
fpirit of imitation, they foon poffefs in
common the fame government, the fame
L Z laws,.

148 SERMON IV.
laws, the fame religion, and, after a longer
courfe of years, even the fame national
character, and the fame internal dlfpofition
of mind. The modern kingdoms of Eu
rope Were compofed, at their firft confti^-
tution, of very different races of men. The
ferocious hordes of the north, defcending
into the fertile and delightful provinces of
the Roman empire, united themfelves with
the natives of the difbriCls in which they
refpeClively fettled, and foon formed with .
them common and independent ftates. In
what kingdom at this day can we diftin
guiffi between the defcendants of the '
primitive inhabitants, and thofe of their
barbarous invaders.'' Who can feparate in
France the race of the indigenous Gauls,
from the fucceffors of the Franks and Bur-
gundlans ? Where are the dlftinCl traces in
Spain between the ancient Ibcrl, and the
defeendants Sf their Gothic conquerors ?
If we look round among our own coun
trymen, in vain ffiall we endeavour to dlf
eover the dlftinguiffilng charaCterlftics ofx
the refpeCtive femilies, which are derived
ffom the Romans or the Saxons, from the
Danes or the Normans, or from the ori
ginal inhabitants' of Britain. - If,

S E R M O N IV. i4(^
If, withdrawing our attention from the
generaf cuftom of mankind, we confine it
to the particular charaCler of the Jewiffi
people, we ffiall dlfqover that there was no
peculiarity in their dlfpofition, which could
authorize their leader to predict fo won
derful a deviation from the regular courfe
of human nature. When we examine the
moft remarkable features of their national
charaCler, as dlfplayed under the divine go
vernment, we ffiall find them to be of all
men the leaft likely to ,have experienced,
in thefe later t^mes, fuch a ftrlk?ng fingu-'
larity of fortune. In the early ages of
their hiftory, they were diftinguiffied by a
culpable, nay almoft an unnatural eagemefs
to forfake the Worffiip of their God, and
to adopt the fuperftitions of the furround
ing nations. While they were fupported
by the manifeft interpofition of the Deity ;
while his manna was falling from heaven
and the pillar of fire was yet burning be
fore their armies, they bowed down to
other gods, and imitated the forbidden
rites of idolaters. Even at the folemn
foundation of their polity, amidft the moft
awful manlfeftatlons of the divine prefence
upon the mountain, they ei;eCted the mol-
• L 3 ten

i^o S E R M O N IV.
ten image in the adjacent valley. In the
fiibfequent periods of their hiftory, while
ftill bleffed with the peculiar favour of the
Almighty, they were frequentiy feduced to
defert his worffiip, even while they beheld
his repeated miracles, and were dally ffip-
ported by his pOwer. Though they were
invited, on the one hand, to a dutiful ffib-
miffion, by the moft alluring profpeCt of
temporal rewards ; and were, expofed, on
the other, to an immediate infliction of
the tremendous punifliments,, with which
their rebeHlon was threatened : and though,
in moft inftances, thefe rewards and puniffi-
ments were the certain confequences of
their piety, or of their dlfobedience ; yet
they conftantly relapfed into idolatry, and
polluted themfelves with the forbidden
rites of the Heathens. While the tops of
the hills were every where illuminated with
the fires kindled to the bafe and imaginary
deities of the nations, feven thoufand only
in Ifrael rernalned faithful to the God who
had conduCled their fathers from the land
of bondage. Yet this very people, when
not only rejeCled' by the Almighty, but
fuiFerlng under his fevere and vifible dif
pleafure, when fcattered over all the ha
bitable

SERMON IV.

J 5-1

bitable globe, and expofed through their
whole exiftence to oppreffion, to forrow,
and to ffiame, notwithftanding all thefe
ftrong and multiplied caufes for an union
with the different nations of the world, were
inflexibly to continue in. a diftlnCl ftate, in
manifeft contra4iCtion to the uniform fpi
rit of their anceftors, and to the com,mon
propenfities of nature.
The hiftorian of the Decline and Fall
of the Roman Empire ", who has in many
inftances borne ftrong though perhaps un
willing teftimony to the truth of Pro
phecy ^, has\notlced in a manner peculiarly
ftriking the ftrange inconfiftency in the
charaCler of the Jews under the firft and
under the fecond Temple, and has thus un
intentionally given additional force to the
miraculous nature of this extraordinary
prediction. ,For the inconfiftency of the
modern Jews, in their inflexible attach
ment to the Law of Mofes, is incompara-
" See Gibbon's Roman Hiftory, v. i. c. xv. p. J39. 4'°.
^ See Whitaker's Pamphlet exprefsly written for the pur
pofe of flie.wing the numerous inftances, in which the truth
of facred Prophecy may be confirmed upon fhe authority
of the Infidel hiftorian,
L 4 bly

1^2 S E R M O N IV.
bly more extraordinary than that of the
inhabitants of Judea after ,the captivity,
at which the writer farcaftlcally expreffes,
amazement. The inference, however, wVich
he infidioufly endeavours to draw from the
circumftance, is very different from that,
which the Chriftian may juftly derive from
it. There could be no peculiarities in the
charaCler of the Jews, or in the nature of
their various eftabllffiments, ffibjeCl to ob
fervation in the age' of Mofes, which might
embolden an artful fpeculator to indulge
fo extraordinary and improbable a conjee-^
ture refpeCtlng their future condition. If
we examine their national charaCter, with
a reference to this particular fubjeCt, as
circumftances unfolded it in fuCceeding
times, we ffiall dlfeover the moft decifive
proofs in fupport of this affertion. When
fettled^ upon the Eaftern ffiores of the Me
diterranean, they confifted of twelve tribes.
Of thefe, ten were difperfed in captivity
over the Eaft. And though individuals may
|iave returned in the reign of Cyrus with
the inhabitants of Judah to Jerufalem ; yet
t^e people at large, falling aWay byanfenr
• ^ ''\ ' ' Plq

SERMON IV. 153
fibie intermixture, at length totally difap
peared among the natives of the countries,
into which they had been conveyed ; while
two alone have furvlved a fimilar difper
fion, perfevering in the religion and cuf
toms of their anceftors, and exhibiting
a wonderflil phasnomenon in the moral
world. The government, the facred rites,
the manners, the dlfpofition of the twelve
tribes, were uniform in the age of Mofes.
And- no poffible reafon can be affigned
why, while the greater number of them
have apparently melted away into the
ftream of fecial life, the remnant have
clearly, and in the fulleft manner, verified
the prediction, by refolutely rqfufing to coa-
lefce, and by viewing with a full en apathy
the alluring and fplendid examples by which
they are conftantly furrounded. Yet the
Prophet exprefsly predicted the peculiar
prefervatlon, which awaited the remnant
of a people, in contradiction not only to
general cuftom, but to the experience of a
great majority of their own nation,
One of the fundamental principles of
the Mofaic difpenfation, it might reafon^
^bly h^ve been fuppofed, would power-

154 SERMON IV-
I
fully incite the people, when placed in the
peculiar circumftances, which were pre
dicted, and which have aCtually attended
their difperfion, to renounce the law of
their Prophet, and depart altogether^ from,
their faith in the God of their fathers.
The bleffings which he had prbmifed were
temporal. Immediate rewards were to fol
low their obedience. The Chriftian under
the preffure of fevere and hopelefs affile*.
tions looks forward to a final recompence
in another world, and' receives fupport and
comfort from the firm expectation of a fu
ture ftate of happinefs. But the hopes of
the Jew were in a great degree confined
to his prefent exiftence. When worldly
profperity and comfort became apparently
unattainable, the ftrong tie, which bound
him to the obfervance of his law, it ffiould
feem, would, be dlffolved. To a rational
fpeculator it could fcarcely have appeared
poffible, that a people, placed under ' an
economy, in which temporal welfare was
the promifed reward of obedience, would
ftedfaftly perfevere in their fidelity, when
all temporal welfare was withdrawn, and
they were expofed to the longeft and moft
heavy calamities, which, in the adminlftra tion

S E R M O N IV. 155
tion of the moral governiAent of the world,
the great Difpofer of all events has ever
inflicted, upon any nation.
From the preceding remarks, the pre
diction of Mofes appears to be contrary to
the regular courfe of foeiety, to- the par
ticular dlfpofition of the Jewlffi people,
and to the particular fpirit of the Jewiffi
law. But in addition to the arguments
already adduced, there were to be peculiar
circumftances in their condition, by which
an impoftor muft have been convlnped,
that they would be more efpecially tempted
to coalefcc' with the inhabitants of the
countries, over which they would be dif
perfed. They were to be a :^attered peo
ple. They were not to be united and
fixed in one place, as were their anceftors'
in Egypt; In fuch a ftate, it 'would have
feenied nOt altogether improbkble, that
they might preferve their national union,
from the influence of numbers, of con
tinual intercourfe with each other, and of
hereditary customs and manners perpe-r
tUally prefent to their fenfes. But when
divided and fcattered, when poffeffed of nq
national eftabliffiment, whep daily con-
' verfant.

iS^ S E R M O N IV,
verfant, in all the affairs of life, with the
^principles and praCllces of other nations, it
might naturally be expeCled, that they
would gradually depart from the ufages of
their anceftors, and infenftbly intermingle
with the people, by whom they ffiould be
furroiirided. Again, it was natural to ima
gine, that the miferies, to which this un
happy people were devoted, would force
them to furrender through fear, or to re
nounce with indignation, the diftinClions
and' even the name of their tribes ; that
w^hen finking under the preffure of their
own calamities, and furveying the. fuffer
ings of their relatives and counttymen ;
when looking back upon the watched con
dition of thofe, who had gone before them,
and anticipating "with paternal apprehen
fion the WTongs and woes,) to which their
children muft be born j they would fly for
ffielter to an union with the native inha
bitants, and feek an equal participation of
their laws, and an equal protection from
their government :— -and, laftly, that when"
reflecting, in. addition to their fufferings,
upon the obloquy univerfally annexed to
their name, they would throw it off in a
fpirit of manly refentment, and bury in db-
' llvion

SERMON IV.

HI

llvion the records and the memory of their
nation. Marked out, on many occafions,
, for mockery and infult, Ilftenlng, not un
frequently, to the taunts of their paffing
fellow creatures ; in fome inftances, the
theme of national tales, and the fubjeCt of
national merriment; ffirely, according to
the common feelings of nature, they would
haften with eagernefs to adopt the means,
which might reQore them to the relpeCt
of mankind, to burft afunder all the bond^
of a feparate foeiety, and to regain, by a
mixture with other nations, the rank which
they could not enjoy during the continu
ance of their own.
In addition to thefe prediCled peculiari
ties of fortune, there are others not parti
cularly foretold, to which they might be
ffibjeCt, and which they have in reality ex
perienced ; which, according to the ufual
operation of human caufes, might reafona
bly be expeCled to fruftrate fo extraordinary
a Prophecy, and occafion the intermixture
and final extinction of the Jews among the
nations, over which they have been dif
perfed. They have lived in ages, in which
fcience and refinement have been advanced to

158 SERMON IV.
to an unprecedented degree of excellence.
Yet they have remained almoft entire
ftrangers to their influence. Surrounded by
fplendour, and overflowing with opulence,
they are, for the moft part, infenfible to
the elegant pleafures of cultivated foeiety:
educated in phllofophic countries, they are
in general, notwithftanding fome illuftrious
exceptions, little captivated by the charms
of literature, or animated by the effufions
of genius. All that is. fplendid, all that is
amiable in life, appears, in moft inftances,
to rife and fall before them unnoticed and
unfelt. Even imitation, which is natural
to man, feems almoft to have loft its poWer;
and the progrefs of foeiety,. which ever
keeps pace with opportunity, among them
alone has been ftrangely checked and pre
vented. Again, they have been devoted
to their fecular mterefts, and have been
engaged, even with the bafeft and moft
fervile fpirit, in the accumulation of wealth.
Now it was extremely natural, that, under '
fuch circumftances, they ffiould adopt, from
motives of policy, the manners, the go
vernment, and the religion of the people,
among whom they hoped to profper. By
thefe means they would conciliate general con-

SERMON IV. 159
confidence ; they would fecure their pof
feffions from violence ; and they would
enlarge the fphere of their commerce
under the aufpices of the government, to
whofe privileges and liberties they ffiould
be admitted.
Such a fituation indeed of an whole
people appears to be oppofite to the very
" nature of civil foeiety. No fimilar inftance
can be found in all the pages of hiftory,
amidft all the diverfities of climate and of
national charaCler, under all the changes
of government, and in all the ftages of
civilization, from the rude condition of fa_-
vage life, to the moft elevated ftate of ele
gance and refinement. Had any ventui'ous
thebrift in the age of the Prophet ^been
endowed with all the political knowledge,
which, in the moft favourable times, has
ever been attained by the wifoft and the
moft experienced ; had he been acquainted
with all the ages that were t& come, and
penetrated with uncommon fagacity into
the nature of all ffiture polities ; had he
revolved within his mind all the practica
ble combinations of mankind, all the capa
bilities of fecial life; and then, had he
been

i6o SERMON IV,
been called forth to pronounce upon the
poffibillty of the continued exiftence' of a
people in fuch an extraordinary condition,
he. muft have decided in the negative ; he
'muft have declared it to be contradictory
to the ruling principles of civil foeiety,
/and inconfiftent with the general nature
of man.
In vain then will the Infidel endeavour
to dlfeover any principles of human wif
dom, which could have encouraged an im
poftor, in the age of Mofes, to predict the
prefent condition of his countrymen. I
. have been induced to expatiate upon this
Prophecy, becaufe it is evidently of a na
ture fo fingularly ftriking, as to be calcu
lated, in an uncommon degree, to fubdue
the incredulity of the Infidel, and confirm
the faith of the Chriftian. For when we
revolve, in our minds, that it was delivered
in the early ages of the world, and has re
ceived its completion in thefe latter days ;
that the greateft atchlevements of the
human race, the rife and fall of the rnoft ,
illuftrious empires, and the moft momen
tous revolutions in the ftate of civil foeiety,
have intervened between its delivery and its

SERMON IV. i6t
its final accompllffiment ; that the condi
tion defcribed was contrary to the ex
perience not only of all the times that had
paffed, but of all that have finCe elapfed; and
was in dIreCt oppofition tq one of the moft
ftriking features in the charaCler of the
people, and even to a fundamental princi
ple in the Jewiffi difpenfation : that the con
tinuance of fuch a condition feemed to be
precluded by circumftanqes, of which fome
were abfolutely foretold', and others might'
probably occur i and moreover, being appa
rently incompatible with the general courfe
of human affairs, muft have been confidered
as morally impoffible : — when we bring
thefe ftrong confiderations to our minds,
and then refleCt, that the conditibn was
as fully, clearly, and precifely foretold by
Mofes, as it could now 'be defcribed by
the hiftorian, we difcern herein fuch an
inftance of foreknowledge, as can only be
fuppofed to proceed from the infpiration of
that pmhifcient Being, to whom the fu
ture is as clear as the paft, and in whofe
fight a thoufand years are but as one day.
It bears in all its parts the moft manifeft
figns of a divine origin, aiid is unqueftion
ably the Revelation of the high and mighty
,, M One,

1^2 SERMON IV.
Olie,^ who inh^biteth eternity. For, in the
bold and eloquent language of the great
leader of Ifrael, we may " afk now of the
days that are paft, which were before us,
fince the day, that God created man upon
the earth ; and we may afk from the one
fide of heaven unto the other, whether
there hath been any fuch thing as this
great thing is, or hath been heard like it."
I ffiall conclude the prefent LeClure with
fome obfervations refulting fromthe ffibjeCt;
which has been now under difcuffion.
The miraculous nature of the fituation,
in which the Jews are placed, might per
haps be intended by the , great Difpofer of
all human events, as an , additional and
moft powerful incentive to faith. In order
to aid the imperfeCtlons of his creatures, he
may gracioufly have ordained, -that the peo
ple, through whom his divine will has been
revealed, ffiould be diftinguiffied, through
their whole hiftory, by remarkable deviations
from the ordinary' courfe of their fellow
creatures. The ancient Prophets, in order to
imprefs the Ifraelites with an entire con
viCtion of their divine miffion, frequently accom-

S E R M O N IV. 163
accompanied their folemn revelations, with
an ad: of preternatural power. In con
formity with the fame principle, it may
benevolently be defigned, that the modern
Chriftian ffiould be roufed to; a bolder con
fidence in his Religion,- by beholding, as it
were, a continued miracle ^ dlfplayed on
its behalf
The prefent aftoniffiing condition of the
Jews is furthet calculated to ftrengthen and
illuftrate the teftimonies, recorded in the
y One of the principal human caufes of the continuance
of, the Jews in a diftinft ftate will be found' in the expedta-
tion of their.Meffiah, which they ftill fondly cherifti. But
furely this expeftation cannot deftroy the fupernatural cha7
rafter, which their difperfion exhibits. The caufe is not
equal to the effeft. Can we conceive it poflible upon prin
ciples merely human, that a people would continue to en
dure through two thoufand years the heavieft and moft ex
traordinary calamities, which have ever been brought upon
any nation, merely from the expeftation of attaining at
length a ftate of temporal ^^rofperity ? But whatever may
havfe been the influence of this caufe in former tirnes, it is
now confiderably diminiftied by their repeated difappoint-
ments in all the periods, at which they expefted the Mef
fiah. So far, however, is it from weakening the force ofthe
¦predi6tions relating to the J^ws, that it actually ftrengthens
and confirms theni. For it was clearly and forcibly foretold
by the Prophets, and is itfelf, therefore, a.decifive proof of
their real infpiration. M 2, , facred

164 SERMON IV,
facred annals, of a more immediate -difplay
of figns and mighty Wonders in their fa
vour during ancient times. Though we
no longer view the water burfting from
the rock, or the land enveloped at noon
in the gloomy ffiades of night ; yet We
cannot but implicitly affent to the tefti
mony" of fuch fupernatural appearances,
when we fee the whole Jewiffi nation
now exlftlng under circumftances inexpli- '
cable by human caufes, and oppofite to all
the eftabliffied principles of foeiety.
Again, it may be gracioufly intended for
our benefit, that, in' the prefent diftrefsful
ftate of -the chofen people, we ffiould be
hold an example of diyine juftice faithfully
coinciding with our natural conceptions
refpeCtlng the attributes of the Deity. The
more forcible wCre their incentives to duty, ,
the more heinous has been their crime of
dlfobedience. The more fignal were the
favours once indulged to them, the more
fevere, it is natural to expeCl, would be
the puniffiment, with which their aggra
vated guilt fliould be vifited; If the great
powers of nature were mlraculoufly di
verted from their courfe, for the fake of
animating

, SERMON IV. 165
animating and con^rming their faith, it is
not furprifing, that the laws of foclal life
ffiould ceafe to operate, and the natural
feelings of benevolence be fufpended, in
order that an extraordinary vengeance
may be taken upon them, for the cruci
fixion of the Lord of life, and for their
lorig and ftubborn rejeClion of his Gofpel.
If once, while placed under the folemn
trial of fidelity to their God, they appeared
among mankind with his glory vlfibly dlf
played before their armies, and awfully
prefent in their temple, it ffirely is Con-
fiftent with the plan of divine juftice, that,
after a lengthened courfe of rebellion and
iniquity, they ffiould be expofed to the
view of the human race, manifeftly im
preffed with the mark of his difpleafure.
This fingular condition, I have faid, may be
intended for our admonition. The fufferlng
Jew is a fenfible and moft folemn example
to the carelefs Chriftian and, the hardened
Infidel. If upon the favoured people fuch
a -fevere puniffiment has been infliCted, the
world at large can have no reafonable hope
of efcape. The guilt; of their incredulity
was aggravated in proportion as their means
of knowledge were more abundant. And
M 3 ' let

i66 SERMON IV.
4et him, who now perverfely turns away
from the volume of divine Revelation,
while he beholds their calamity, refleCt
upon its caufe, and prudently endeavour
tp know the things that belong unto his
peace j befoi^e they ffiall be finally hidden
from his eyes.
But if erroneous explications are not
given of thofe parts of the Prophecies re-
fpe^iing the Jewiffi people, which have
not yet been fulfilled,, we muft neceffarily
conclude, that Providence has yet another
grand defign in continuing them in fo fin
gular a condition. The fame Almighty
Voice, which pronounced that they ffiould
not be confounded with the nations, among
which they would be fcattered, has alfo de
clared, if we may venture to affix a full and
' precife meaning to the words of unaccom-
pllffied Prophecy, that, at a diftant period
of time, when their fufferings ffiould have
, ceafed,/ they ffiall be triumphantly reftored
to the land of their fathers. If fuch an
alteration of their worldly fortunes ' has
been decreed in the counfels of the Al
mighty, and is aCtually difclofed in the
Revelations of his Prophets, in the pecu
liarity

SERMON IV. 167
liarity of their prefent condition we ^ dif
cern the effectual and, perhaps, the only
human means, by which the accompllffi
ment of the prediction may be brought to
pafs. They are not confounded and loft
among the inhabitants of the countries,
over which they have been difperfed.
They have not acquired any local domi
nion, which they might be unwilling to
relinquiffi. They poffefs not in general
any fixed property, the defire of retaining
which might attach them too clofely to
their prefent habitations. They have no
fettled country, to which they might be
bound by the ftrong ties of natural affec
tion. On the contrary, through every re
gion of the habitable globe, they are wait
ing as it were in expectation of the mighty
event. When the enfign of Jehovah ffiall
be ereCled % and the Gentiles ffiall prefs
forward to bear them on their ffioulders to
Jerufalem **, they will be ready to ftart
forth on the joyful occafion, to unite with
vigour and alacrity in the hallowed caufe ;

¦'¦ See Clarke's Evidences of Natural and Revealed Reli
gion. Seft. xiv. '
> Ifaiah xi. 12. ^ '" Ifaiah xllx. 33.
, M 4 and.

i68 SERMON IV.
and, when re-admitted into their earthly
Canaan, and reftored to the favour of their
God, to bring to a final accompllffiment.
one of the laft in the long train of won
derful predictions, which were delivered hj
their Prophets of old.

SERMON V.

ISAIAH xxx.'iao*
PROPHESY NOT UNTO US RIGHT THINOS,
SPEAK UNTO us SMOOTH THINGS, PRO
PHESY DECEITS.
± O judge of the prophetic writings by
the habits and fentiments which now pre
vail, is the moft dangerous error, into which
the ftudent in facred literature can fall.
The enemies of Chriftianity, fenfible of
the advantages, which reffilt from fuch an
uncandid trial of the ancient Prophets,
have artfully fpoken of them with a refer
ence to the cuftoms, the learning, and the
fpirit of thefe later times. It may with
confidence be maintained, that- their inde cent

170 SERMON V.
cent ridicule and authoritative, affertions
will gradually lofe their effeCt, in propor
tion as our knowledge increafes of the age
and ' fituation of the Prophets. We muft
permit ourfelves to be carried back into
ancient times. We muft imagine our
felves to be placed in the fituation of
Mofes, of Daniel, and of Ifaiah. We muft,
as it were, donvey ourfelves amongft their
countrymen, adopt their manners, glow
with their fentiments, and even imbibe
their prejudices. That we may fully en
joy . the fplendid productions of genius,
with which Greece and Rorhe were en
riched, we explore with laborious accuracy
the minuteft traits of charaCter, which dif
tinguiffi thofe illufblous nations. Let the
moft important circumftances relating to
the Hebrew tribes be examined with equal
induftry and zeal, and the Champiqn of In
fidelity will foon be compelled to relin
quiffi his prefumptuous hopes of triumph.
But we too often negleCt to contemplate
the real agency of a fupernatural power,
'the ffiblime and interefting manifeftation of
angels and of God, with the attention and
the earneftnefs, which we beftow on fub-
. . jeds

S E R M O N V. 171
jc&s merely human ; the failles of idle am-
^ bition, and the fiCtions of a bold imagina
tion. If we apply thefe general obfervations
to the particular fubjeCl, which it ^is my
intention in this LeClure , to dlfcufs, it
will be found, that the removal of objec
tions is not the only benefit, which we are
capable of deriving from an intimate ac
quaintance with facred antiquity. By an
enlarged knowledge of the real fituation bf
the Prophets, we are frequently enabled to
dlfeover additional teftimonies in favour of
their divine mlf^&on. Some of the pre
dictions recorded in the Old Teftament
are fo inconfiftent with the motives, which
uniformly aCtuate mankind, fo oppofite
to ^hofe, which rhight naturally be ex
peCled from the charaCler of tjie perfons,
who delivered them, if we confider thofe
^ perfons as impoftors,, and fo utterly irre
conclleable, upon mere human principles,
with the fituations- in which the Prophets
were placed, that we cannot conceive theni
to -have been given to the world, except
in obedience to the declared will of its al
mighty Ruler,. The holy men of old
could

I7S S E R M O N V.
could -not have adopted the prophetic cha-^
raCter, in order to prornote their wprldly
interefts, and conciliate the favour of man
kind ; becaufe their . predictions, from the
extraordinary nature of the fubjeCl, were
often peculiarly calculated td^ fruftrate
fchemes • of human policy, and to excite
the difcontent and indignatioh of the
hearers. In the former LeCtures I have confi
dered the events foretold as remote, cir
cumftantially delineated, novel, numerous,
exaClly coinciding with the predictions,
and in a very high degree improbable in
the ages of the refpeCtive Prophets. On
the prefent occafion, it is my intention
to ffiew, that they were frequently UN-
PAVOURABLE, In the higheft degree, tp all
thofe interefted designs, the profecution
of which muft tmqueftionably be the firft
and greateft objeCt of Impostors. This
pofition I hope to illuftrate and eftabliffi,
by a feries of examples, feleCled from the
Volume of divine infpiration.
The great leader of Ifrael, when he had
delivered the laws to his countrymen, and
. finlffied

S E^ M O N V. 173
finlffied the labours, which he was efpe
cially appointed to accompliffi, predicted,.
that, in a ffiture age, their God would raife
up among their , brethren a Prophet like
unto himfelf, who would be charged to
communicate his almighty will, and would
be entitled to their implicit belief and obe
dience, on pain of his moft fevere difplea
fure. The Prophecy, according to the
application even of an infpired Apoftle,
referred immediately to the Meffiah, at
whofe appearance the authority of Mofes
was fuperfeded, the obligation of 1 his law
ceafed, and all the inhabitants of the globe
were admitted to an equal participation
of divine favour, with the chofen defcen
dants of Abraham. Now , let it be fjup-
pofed, that Mofes was unconfcious of the
full extent of the prediction, and let us
attend only to the ^ literal fenfe of his
words, which they muft neceffarily have
borne at the moment of their delivery : we
ffiall furely be obliged to confefs, that
though admirably chofen, upon the fuppo
fition of a divine infpiration, as an effec
tual prefervative againft the rejection of
an)f future meffenger or new covenant, in,
confequence of the prejudices of the peo ple.

174 S E R M O N' V.
pie, yet, confidered folely in an human
point of view, they were moft unfavour
able to the caufe, to which the Prophet
had been entirely devoted, and dlreClly op
pofite to every known diClate of nature
and policy.
It has been the great .objeCl of all foun
ders of ftates and empires, to give ftability
to their iriftltutiohs, by guarding them
againft the raffiUefs of future innovators..
For this end, they have generally advanced
their own aut^^o^ity, as far as it has been
poffible, above that of their aimbltious de
feendants. When the Spartan lawgiver
had completely formed his republic, he
bound the citizens by an oath to maintain
its conftitution inviolate till his return.
He departed, and never mdre was 'feen.
The pretended Prophet of Arabia declared
himfelf the final meffenger of, the Al
mighty ; and thus endeavoured effeCtually
to fecure his religion from the dangerous
pretenfions of fucceeding impoftors. So
powerful in general is this ambitious wiffi
among leglflators, that it has pirevailed over
the fafclnating. allurements of dominion,
and fometimes even, over the love of life.
Lycurgus,

S E R M 0 N V. 175
Lycurgus, as I have juft obferved, retired
to voluntary baniffiment and folltude ; and,
in conformity with the fame principle, the
celebrated founder of the Northern king
doms is reprefented in their fabulous hif
tories as having plunged the fword into his
own breaft.
From this general principle, the predic
tion of Mofes can alone perhaps be ex
cepted. The great objeCt of his exertions
had been attained. He ha^ conduCled the
Ifraelites to the borders of the promifed
land. From the mountains of Plfgah he
had ffiewn them the fruitful- vales of Pa
leftlne, in which they we're to repofe after
their long and painful wanderings. He was
venerated by his countrymen as their de
liverer from fervitude, as the founder of their
kingdom, and as the meffenger of their
God. His charaCler had been fanCtioned
by the moft awful manlfeftatlons of omni
potent Power ; and his laws had been fo-
I'emnly received as the will of Hekfen.
The moment'of his death approached ; arid
he w,as about to bequeath his eftabliffi
ment, as a facred depofit, to the care of
future generations. Yet, far from hallow-
. ing

176 SER MO N V,
ing that eftabliffiment, by imputing an un
rivalled fanClity to his own charaCler, or
commending himfelf to pofterity as the
fole favourite of the Almighty, he pre
dicted the coming of a Prophet, whofe au
thority ffiould refemble his own. Far from
pronouncing a curfe upon thofe, who ffiould
transfer their obedience to another, Jie even
foreffiewed to them a future chief, whofe
mandates they would be bound to, obey.
In confequence of this prediction, his own
pre-eminence was diminiffied by the ex
pectation of the future Prophet : and an
opportunity was afforded to impoftors,.
who might hereafter found their impious
pretenfions even upon the perverted au
thority of his own prophetic. evidence. In
every other inftance, he had carefully pro
vided for the fecurity of the laws, which
he had delivered; and had branded with
the infamy of impofture all thofe, who
ffiould prefume to violate that facred frame
,of civil and religious polity, which, with
fuch vifible and awful proofs of divine ap
probation, he had firmly conftituted among
his countrymen. ^ ~ ,
In this prediction alone his conduCt was in

SERMON V.

'77

in direCl oppofition as well to his own ge
neral principles of aClion, as to the uniform
tenor of example, ,
J am aware that this prediction has been
confidered by fome interpreters, as expref-
five of the fucceffion of Prophets in Ifrael.
But though it may be fatlsfaCtorily proved,
that fuch a meaning was, at leaft, neither
the fole nor the primary one intended by
Mofes; yet, even to thofe, who adopt fuch
a confined interpretation, the argument,
which has been urged, will be fcarcely
lefs forcible. Under fuch circumftances, it
would have been the policy of a deceiver
to reprefent the fucceeding Prophets as
ffibfervient to himfelf, and as inferior agents
employed in ffipport of his inftltution. He
would neither have admitted them to a
complete equality, nor denounced tremen
dous threats againft thofe, who ffiould nOt
implicitly hearken to their voice.
r Of a fimilar nature with the prediction
of Mofes, relating to the advent of tlje
Meffiah, are the Prophecies of Daniel and
of Zechariah refpeCling the final deftruc-
tipn of the temple of Jerufalem. The
I? Jews

178 SERMON V.
Jews had been languilhing through fe
venty years in a diftant captivity : their
country had lain in defolation, and their
temple in ruins ; while the opulence aind
fplendour, which the fanCtuary had derived
' from the munificence, of former fovereigns,,
had long fince been transferred to the tem
ples and palaces of their conquerors. They
had returned to the ruins of Sion ; and, by
the 'permlffion of the Perfian monarch,
were rebuilding the houfe of their God.
At the commencement of every great un
dertaking, it is cuftomary, and perhaps nar
tural, to indulge the mind with imaginary
hopes of its future importance and cele
brity. When the . foundations of the Ro
man capltol were laid, the empire of the
world was promifed. Upon the prefent oc
cafion every encouragement was required.
The people were few in number, depreffed
and impoverlffied by captivity, and ob-
ftruCled in their pious work by the- mali
cious arts of the Samaritans. So humble,
indeed, . \yas the general expectation re
fpeCtlng the new edifice, that amidft the
fongs and rejoicings, with which the work
was commenced, the tears of regret burft
involuntarily from the eyes of the aged, at
the

SERMON V.

1.79

the recolleClion of that more glorious tem
ple, which had formerly been ereCled by
an united and profperous nation, which
had exhaufted the treafures of their two
moft, powerful monarchs, and to provide
materials for which whole armies had
been, employed amidft, the forefts of Le
banon. Above ^11, the glory of the Divine
.prefence, and other fenfible marks of a ffi,-
pernatural interpofition of the fupreme Be-r
ing, which had imparted an awful fanClity
to the firft building, could hot with ceir,-
tainty be expeCted, and in reality did not
afterwards appear.
Thus the returning exiles feemed to re
quire every poffible encouragement in the
profecution of their holy work. DanieJ
was fully fenfible of the neceffity of fuch
encouragement ; and in the prayer, which
he pioufly preferred at the termination of
the captivity, he ardently petitioned the
Almiglity to look upon the defolations of
his people ; to pity, and to forgive ; to
turn away his anger and his fury from his
city Jerufalem, and from his holy moun
tain, and to caufe his face to ffiine upon
his defolated fanCtuary. Thefe , were the
^'z fenti-

iSo S E R M O N V.
•fentiments Congenial with the fituation of
the Jews, and beft calculated to animate
them in the profecution of their work. So
ftrong, indeed, was the neceffity of fuch
an encouragement, that the fame divine
Power, who had fo long dlfplayed his om
nifcience in the caufe of his chofen If
raelites, again interfered in their favour*;
and made the laft communications of Pro
phecy under the Mofaic difpenfation, for
the purpofe of accelerating the completion
of his holy temple.
*What then can be conceived more im
probable, and more oppofite to true policy,
and the common dictates of reafon, than
that the deftruClion of this very temple, and
of the city, in which it was ereCled; tlie final
ceffation Cif the religious rites, with which it
was to be hallowed ; the triumphant entry -
of a deftroylng enemy, together with a moft
lively and tremendous fcene of complete
devaftation, fliould be predicted, in that par-.
ticular feafon, in which the pile was about
to be ereCled ? Yet the prediction w^s ut-.
* Haggai ii. 7, 9. See alfo feveral paffages in the writ
ings of the three laft of the-niinor. Prophets. - "" '
ter^cj J

S E R M 0 N V; i8i
tered ; and it was uttered by men the
moft interefted in promoting the work ;
obfcurely even in Jerufalem by ^ Zecha
riah, who was more efpecially employed to
overlook and infplrit the Jewsj and In
the cleareft and moft forcible terms. In the
capital of the empire, by '^ Daniel, the fa
vourite of fficceffive Eaftern monarchs,
through whofe powerful interceffion his"
countrymen were releafed from captivity,
and permitted to recover their ancient city,
and reftore their ruined temple.
The greater part of the Prophecies of
Daniel, indeed, are as fingular in the na
ture of their ffibjeCts, as in the exaCtnefs of
their agreement with fubfequent events.
The whole tenor of his predictions refpeCt
lng the empire and monarchs of Babylon,
if they be minutely explored, wlll^ be emi
nently illuftrative of the^ pofition, which
has been advanced. To convey unpleaf-
ing truths to royal ears, has been always
an irk feme and too often a negleCled duty.
The frequent ignorance of fovereigns, even
upon fubjeCts connected vvith their deareft
»> Zechariah xi. i, a. " Daniel ix, 26, 27.
N 3 interefts,

i82 SERMON V.
interefts, is a faCl of general notoriety.
The inftances, wherein a liberal and manly
intercourfe has prevailed between the mo
narch and, his minifters, may be naturally
expeCled, and will moft frequently be found
throughout the weftern portion of the
globe ; among kingdoms, vvhere the royal
authority has been happily blended with a
fpirit of rational freedom ; ¦ and in the ages
of refinement and feience, when the_ ac
tions and fentiments even of the moft ex
alted characters in the community become
the fubjeCts of an open and candid enquiry.
But it muft not -be expeCted in the vaft
empires of the Eaft, where imperial power
' degenerated into the moft wanton and in
exorable defpotifm, and where the obe
dience ,of the ffibjeCt was degraded into
the moft abjeCt fervitude, and an almoft
impious adoration. T^ the caprice of ty
ranny, to the fury of difappointment, to
the gloom of mortified authority, or to the
pangs of jealous apprehenfion, the faithful
cOurifellor might be precipitately facrificed,
who poffeffed tile boldrtefs to unfold, what
the fovereign might be afraid or unwilling
to hear. Hence we may obferve in the
annals of the Eaft, that in the progrefs of
plots

SERMON V. 183
plots or mvafions, of domeftic confplracles,
or popular infurreCtions, the emperors were
in general long retained in Ignorance ; and
frequently loft their diadems and their
lives, from the want of faithful and con
fidential communications. How little then
ought we to expeCt, that a youthful fo
reigner, brought in ignominious captivity
to Babylon from a diftant and unimpor
tant _ provlncci ffiould boldly communicate
the, moft- unfavourable intelligence to the
monarch, even at the moment, in which a
capricious and fanguinary decree had gone
forth, for the utter extermination of the
Chaldean magicians and aftrologers ! Flat
tering hopes and delufive- promifes would
have been the natural fubjeCts of irripof-
ture on an occafion fo pregnant with
danger. Far from adopting this principle
of worldly pOlicy, Daniel did not even con
fine his folemn communications to ap
proaching calamities : looking forward into
diftant futurity, he difclofed the fall of the
Babylonian empire, a ffibjeCt peculiarly
offenfive to the pride and ambition of the
monarch. In purfulng the hiftory of this Prophet,
N 4 we

i84 S E R M O N V.
we dlfeover during our progrefs the fame
cxtraordinarj\^ charaCleriftlcs in his predic
tions. When advanced to the higheft
^te of authority and royal favour, we
hear him at one time foretel the degrading
perfonal humiliation of his imperial pa-
troii''; at another, ,in accurate and circum
ftantial detailSji enlarge upon -the final ruin
of the kingdom, which he governed, and
upon the fame alnd profperity of fucceeding
empires ^ Thefe are fubjeCts, which even
a pious man, when infpired by his Maker,
could fcarcely have entered upon without
fome degree of apprehenfioUj and which
would have been avoided vvith the moft
fcrupulous care by an irhpoftor. Some of
the, early fathers, frOm a miftaken interpre
tation of the holy Scriptures,, believed that
the Antichrift of the Prophets reprefented
the Roman ernperors. But, though, they
had been incenfed by frequent and moft
cruel perfecutions, and though they cou-
rageoufly preferred the bitter fufferings of
martyrdom to the renunciation of their re
ligion ; yet they were unwilling wantonly
to provoke their imperial perfecutors, by fo
<* Daniel iv, 2^. ' « Daniel vii..j — 8.
fevere

SERMON V. 185
fevere an appfication pf the divine Oracles,
and in general were filent upon the fub
jeCt. - Jofephus, when he Introduced into
his Antiquities an interpretation of the
Prophecies of Daniel refpeCtlng the four
great empires of the world, was filent upon
the nature of the fifth, which was deftlned
to rife upon the ruins' of thofe, that ffiould
precede it ; arid was reprefented'under the
image of a ftone cut, out of the mountain
without hands. Jofephus was proteCted
by the Romans; their kingdom was doomed
to be broken to pieces by the ftone ; and,
though even the immediate infpiration of
the Deity ^ had revealed, the explanation,
he would not venture to repeat it^. When
the Poet and the Orator were anxious to
flatter the pride of the Roman citizens,
they employed the loftieft conceptions of
their genius, in afcribing extent and du
rability to the empire. In the elevated
language, in which the Eaftern fovereigns
were uniformly addreffed, the boundlefs
extent and eternal duration of their do
minion were ufually feleCted as the falreft
fubjeCls of panegyric and adulation. ¦

f Daniel ii. 19.
S Jofeph. Antiq. 1. x. c. x. fe6L 4. p. 457.

Such

i8'6 S E R M O N V.
Such is the conduCl ufually adopted by
mankind in fituations, like thofe in which
the Jewifh Prophet was placed. But no
interefted confiderations decided the ac
tions of Daniel. His unwelcome predic
tions, fo oppofite to the maxims of policy
and to the authority of general example,
could only haVe proceeded from the in
fluence of divine infpiration, or from the
wild ' ebullitions of infanity. The latteir
ffippofition is totally irreconclleable with
the eftabliffied charaCter and dignified fi
tuation of the Prophet. There is a won
derful confiftency in' the whole hiftory of
Daniel. It was the fame magnanimity,
the fame undaunted refolution, fuperlor to
the allurements of iiitereft, and even to
the terrors of death, which dlfplayed itfelf
in the caufe of divine truth, when, to
avoid the crime of idolatry, he entered the
lions' den ; and when, in obedience to the
will of his God, he hazarded the refent-
ment of the greateft monarch of the world.
1
I cannot refrain from adding one in-
ftanqe more, in confirmation of the argu
ment from the writings of the Prophet,
who has already occupied fo much of our
atten-

S E R M O N V. 1S7
attention. After the capture of Babylon
by Cyrus, Daniel appears to have been re
ceived with refpeCt and favour by the con
queror. Through his intereft with the nevv
Sovereign, the captivity was terminated,
and his countrymen were permitted to
return to Jerufalem. Yet. within a very
ffiort time after the acceffion of Cyrus to
the throne of Babylon, the Prophet fore
told the ruin of his empire, and the glory
of the kingdom which was to be exalted
by its fall. Such a communication, at all
times in the higheft degree unpleafing, at
that particular feafon muft" have been pro
ductive of real /danger, and was peculiarly
calculated to fill the mind of the conqueror
with jealoufy and apprehenfion. Among
a vanquiffied people, hardly beginning to
reconcile themfelves to their new yoke,
what circumftance would be more likely to
eheriffi an unfettled temper of mind, and
to excite commotions and dangerous ex
pectations of a change, than the delivery
of Prophecies concerning the final over-i-
throw of the empire ? And who could bc
fo unlikely to utter fuch Prophecies, as the
principal minifter of the vanquiffied mo
narch, who was received into the favour and

i88 S E R M O N V.
and protection of the conqueror, and whofe
former celebrity in divination, and exalted
ftation in the empire, muft have conferred
a dangerous authority on his -ffippofed de
velopement of futurity ? No principles of
human policy, no fuggeftions even of the
moft ordinary prudence, can poffibly ac
count for fuch conduCl. It appears to be
ftrikingly demonftrative of the interpofition
of the high and omnifcient DlreCtor of the
world, the God, as he is exprefsly called, of
Daniel, who is the living God, and ftedfaft
for ever, whofe kingdom is that which
ffiall not be deftroyed, and whofe dominion
ffiall be even unto the end.
To the inftances already adduced, may
be added * the ftill more ftriking example,
exhibited in the predictions fo frequently
and fully delivered, concerning the, rejeCtiori
-of the Jews, and the calling of the Gentiles.
That the time fhould ever arrive^ in which
the efpecial protection of the Almighty
would be entirely withdrawn from his, fa
voured people, was the moft unwelcome
intelligence which could be conveyed to
the ears of a Jew. But that the Gentiles
ffiould be admitted to the bleffings, which would

S E R M O N V. 189
would then be no longer enjoyed by his
nation, muft have been a circumftance pe
culiarly aggravating, and calculated to ex
cite his, utmoft indignation and refentment.
The Jews had, in the earlieft periods of
their hiftory, been feleCled as the favoured
people of God. With them he had efta
bliffied an efpecial covenant. He direCled
their temporal affairs, and had inftituted
their facred rites. The annals of their
nation were ennobled and fanCtified, as it
were, by innumerable inftanCes of his won
derful aCts of omnipotence. The plains of
Paleftlne had frequently been vlfited by his
heavenly meffengers ; and all the fcenes,
which were there' prefented to the view,
had been confecrated by vifions * and by
miracles. This conlinued experience of
the indulgence of Heaven to their tribes
had a pernicious influence on the dlfpofition
of the people. They were induced to con
fider themfelves as exalted above the other
inhabitants -of the earth, and became proud,
felfiffi, and contemptuous. Their higheft
hopes and warmeft feelings of glory arofe
from this exclufive .claim to the Divine
favour; and, in Confequence of this pleafing
pxpeClation, they contemplated the future
oelebrity

jgp S E R M O N V.
celebrity of their tribes, with fonder par-
'.tiality, perhaps, and a more ardent enthur-
,fia,fm, than has ever been indulged by
heroes or patriots, in the fanguine anticipa
tion of their favourite fchemes of fame and
; empire. Their abhorrence of other nations was
proportioned to their bigotted attachment.
to' their own. This averfion was height
ened, and in fome degree even fanClionecJ,
by, peculiar circumftances, ne(;effarily arifing
from the general nature of their religious
oeconomy. The fyftem of entire feparation,
which had been commanded by Heaven,
while it eventually gave birfhto the arro
gant .feelings of a fancied fuperiority, filled
them alfo, vvith contempt for the negleCted
votaries of Polytheifm. ¦»
To a people infpired with thefe fenti
ments^ no fubjeCt tan be conceived more
ungrateful, than the afffirance of their own
rejection from the Divine favour, and of
the adoption of Heathen idolaters. A fcene
of things entirely the reverfe, the final
depreffion of Infidels, and the triumphant
ejcaltation of Judea, would have been the
natural

S E R M O N V. 191
natural theme of impoftors. It is difficult
to fuppofe that a Jew, in the ages of the
Prophets, unaided by Divine infpiration,
could have brpught his imagination to con
ceive as poffible the prefent aftoniffiing fi
tuation of the Jewiffi and Chriftian world.
But it is abfolutely incredible, that a de
ceiver, even if he had admitted the fituation
to be probable, would have feleCled it as the
fubjeCt of his delufive Oracles. Yet the
Prophets not only conceived the pofBbillty
of the change, but in the ftrongeft and
moft precife terms repeatedly foretold it.
And feme of the loftieft conceptions, which
have ever animated the human mind, were
employed in giving weight and energy to
the unwelcome affurance.
The particular time fixed for the accom
pllffiment of thefe extraordinary Prophe
cies was as hoftile to the preconceived
opinions of the Jews, as the humiliating
event fo exprefsly foretold. The advent
of the Meffiah was the aera, to which they
looked forward with pride and joyful ex
pectation. All their . national inftitutlons
feemed to them to be formed with a view
to the. appearance of this exalted perfonage. This

192 S E R M O N V.
This expectation was their pride- in pro
fperity, and their confolation in defeat ;
arid at one period of their hiftory it pre-
ferved their national fpirit, and perhaps
their Very exiftence as a people, during the
defolation of their native territory, and the
ignominious captivity of its inhabitants.
Their own erroneous interpretations of
Prophecy had inflamed their imaginations
with the moft rorri antic hopes of triumph
and celebrity. Glowing with the fond
COriception, they ardently defired to fee the
falvation of Ifrael, and acknowledge their
deftlned Deliverer ;- and they had filled the
whole world with the anticipated fame of
the extraordinary Perfonage. Yet this fig
nal aera was fixed hy their . Prophets for
their lofs of the partial protection of Hea
ven, and for the re-admiffion of Heathen
nations to the Divine favour. Where are
the principles of human policy, wh'ich can
reafonably account' for the prediction ? No
parallel, or even diftant- refemblance, can
be difcovered among the effufions of the
Heathen Oracles." It was never declared
to the Romans by their Sibyls, that, in the
completion of their moft, ardent wiffies,
and the accompllffiment of their lofty
fcheme

SERMON V.

^93

fcheme of univerfal dominion, they would
find only their ruin and their ffiame. When
the enterprifing Macedonian prefented hirn-
felf at the cave of the Prieftefs, he was not
informed that, by a final decree • of the
gods, his glory, when it ffiould arrive at
its height, and the time of enjoyment ap
proach, would be terminated by a prema- ,
ture death, and that his empire would be
violently difmembered almoft at the mo
ment of its birth. To divine infpiration
alone, then, can it be afcribed, that the .
foreknowledge of a ftate of human affairs
fo peculiarly ungrateful was manifefted by
the Jewlffi Prophets; and that the parti
cular feafon was marked for its commence
ment, the choice of which was direCtly
' adverfe to the accompllffiment of all thofe
interefted defignsj which can induce an
impoftor tq affume the prophetic office. *
Many of the charaCterlftics, which the
Jewiffi Prophets affigned to their expeCled
Meffiah, are equally inexplicable, unlefs we
allow them to have been aCtually infpired
by God. They dwelt with peculiar dif-
tinCtnefs upon his rejeClibn by his country
men, his humiliation, his fufferings, and
o his

194 S E R M O N V.
his ignominious death. The earneft ex
pectations of an extraordinary perfonage, as
I have already obferved, had prevailed
among the Jews through every period of
their hiftory. They had fired their ima
gination with the moft romantic hopes of a
temporal fovereign, who would exalt their
nation by the fplendour of his triumphs,
and the extent of his dominion, arid under
vvhofe banners the idolatrous kingdoms of
the earth would bow down before their
victorious tribes.
, Novv had the expectation of ffich a de
liverer originated in uncertain tradition,
and been preferved merely by national pre
judice ; and had the Prophets, availing
tli^mfelves of the delufion, employed it as
an inftrument in impofing upon popular
credulity, they would ffirely have limited
their predictions to ffich circumftances re
fpeCling him, as would be attended with
fplendour and glory. Yet they adopted no ,
fuch limitation, but fpoke as fully of the
lefs f{)lendid parts of his charaCter, his
abafement, afflictions, and ignominious
death, as of the divine excellencies with
which he was vifibly adorned, and of his
, exaltation

S E R M O N V. 195
dxaltation and final triumph over hell and
the grave. '
I ventured to affert, in the beginning
of this Difcourfe, that the fubjeCts of many
important predictions could not, except
upon the prefumption of Divine Revelation,
be reconciled with the fituation of the
Prophets, by whom they were delivered.
The examples, which have been adduced,
are abundantly ffifficient to confirm this
pofition ; and, though I have expatiated
but upon few, a variety might be added
from the facred Volume, in which they
univerfally abound.
Though the impious pretenders to in
fpiration in Ifrael and Judah were con
ftantly Uttering the moft grateful but de
lufive oracles; and thoug|i the ignorant
and vicious multitude were repeatedly fo--
liciting the Prophets of God not to pro-
phefy right things, but to fpeak fmooth
things, and prophefy deceit'; yet thofe ,
holy men, in a manly fpirit of firmnefs and/
integrity, regardlefs of the nature of th/
predictions, repeated with fidelity whatey
- ¦ 02 i

196 • S^ R M O N V.
was revealed by the Divine Infpirer; and
fo generally unfavoiirable were the com
munications which they made, that they .
were fubjeCted thereby, through the lon^
courfe of their facred mirilftry, to the
conftant reproach and refentment both of
the princes and the people.
Was it the policy of an impoftor, ,^ to
appear, like the man of God, before the
altar at Bethel, and expofe his life to the*
rage of the fufpicious Jeroboani ?
Was it the policy of an impoftor, to
declare in the name of Heaven, like Elijah;^
in confequence of an injury offered tb a
private individual, the tremendous puniffi
ment of the immoral and Impious family
of Ahab, who had polluted themfelves with
blood ill the profecution of their unjuft '
defigns ? \
Was it the policy of an impoftor, when
two powerful monarchs were marching forth
at the head of a formidable army, and all the
numerous prlefts of Aftarte had gratified '
them with promifes of fuccefs and glory,
V like .

S E R M O N V. 197
like Micaiah, alone to prediCl misfortune
arid defeat, at the hazard of imprlfonment,
arid even of death.
A deceiver would not, like Elijah, have
.foretold the approaching death of an im
pious king ; nor, like Jeremiah, have pre
dicted the captivity and afflictions of his
fovereign; efpecially at a moment when
he had" incurred the perilous fufpicion of
favouring the caufe of the enemy.
A. deceiver would not, like Nathan,
have denounced a hjeavy judgment for a
fingle crime, though even of the deepeft
die, againft one of the moft moral and
pious, as well as the moft profperous and
highly favoured of all the kings of Judah.
A deceiver would not, like Ifaiah, have
foreffiewn to the good and pious Hezekiah
the approaching , ruin of his kingdom, on
account of the apparently trifling offence,
of oftentatioufly expofing his treafores tq
' the view of the Babylonian meffengers.
' What but the over-ruling fpirit of God
could have guided the Prophet of Moab,
o 3 when.

19S S E R M O N V.
when, dlfregarding thje moft iplendid al
lurements, in oppofition to the interefts of
his nation, to his own ardent wiffies, and
to the repeated and peremptory commands"
of his fovereign, he foretold in the cleareft,
fulleft, and moft eloquent terms, the pro
fperity and fame of the unknown and
hoftile armies of Ifrael ?
What but the 'agency of a fuperlor
Power could have induced the Prophets to
urge the inefficaCy of ceremonial rites, and
even to fix the period of their final abolition,
though at the fame time they ftrenuoufly
exerted their divine authority, to retain
their countrymen In a faithful obfervance
of the Mofaic law, and perpetually repre
fented It both as the gift and command of
their God ? i
Ifaiah predicted the reftoratlon of ge
nuine piety In Egypt, and the eftabliffi
ment of an Intimate religious connection
between that country and Judea. Now,
•Vvhether we confider the Prophecy as de
fcribing the temporary prevalence of Ju
daifm under the favour of one of the later
Ptolemies, or the converfion of the Egyptian people

SERMON V. 199
people to Chriftianity in a fubfequent age,
it cannot be fatlsfaCtorily accounted for
upon any of the ordinary motives which
influence mankind. All the Prophets anxi
oufly laboured to effeCl a continuance of
the entire feparation, which ffibfifted be
tween the two countries ; while Ifaiah in
particular exerted the utmoft force of his
divine eloquence in diffuading his country
men from repofing confidence in the Egyp
tians ; and, in profecution of this defign^
they repeatedly delineated, in the moft
ftrikirig colours, the heavy Calamities, to
which that devoted nation was doomed.
When Cyrus entered Babylon, the Jew
iffi Prophecies were fubmitted to his in-
^eClion. In them, the Lord, the God of
Ifrael, is reprefented as forming the light,
and creating darknefs. Now Light and
Darknefs were the two prefidlng deities in
the magi an fuperftltion, in which Cyrus
had been educated. If, therefore, the Pro
phecies of Ifaiah were not really the Re
velations of Heaven delivered in a preced
ing age, but forgeries Executed at the mo
ment for purpofes of deception, is it in the
flighteft degree probable, that fucK a de-
04 fcription

200 SERMON V.
fcription of the Almighty would have been
invented for the fake of conciliating the
favour of the conqueror, as was , in the
higheft degree likely to produce an oppo
fite effpCt, to provoke his indignation, and
to; render him, even upon religious princi
ples, hoftile to the caufe of the Jews I
When the time of the crucifixion ap-.
preached, and the difciples of our Sa-.
viour were about to be diffieartened and
perplexed by the apparent ruin of their
caufe, in the ftrongeft and moft impref-
five manner he prophetically delineated
their approaching perfecutions. He repre- -
fented to them, that they were deftlned to
the moft heavy calamities, which human
> nature can endure ; not only to prifons, to
ftripes, and to death, but to the general
hatred of mankind, to the apoftafy and
treachery, of their friends, and, what is
perhaps the greateft of all human trials,
even -to a general fpirit of indifference,
among their brethren, refpeCtlng their com
mon caufe. Surely the fpirit of truth, and
a certain prefcience of the efficacy of the
divine affiftance, vvith which he intended
to fupport them, could alone have prompted him

SERMON V. 961
hirii to make fuch an unwelQome repre-
fentation,' at a moment, when every en
couragement was required. . An ijjipoftor,
in commending a preteiided revelation to
the zeal "of his deluded follower^, .would
have endeavoured to .fire their imaginations
by expatiating upon its final triumph, and
delineating in the 'brlghteft colours fcenes
of permanent profperity and fplendour :
while the intermediate difficulties, to which
its propagation might appear to be fubjeCt,
would have been either entirely omitted, or
reprefented in the weakeft and moft general
terms, as Unworthy of the ferious confi-
deratlori of fincere and able ffipporters.
Though We are unable, in thefe numer
ous inftances, to reconcile the fubjeCls of
the predictions with any motives of human
artifice ; yet, if we admit the Prophets to
have been commiffioned by the Lord, the
God of Heaven, their communications will
appear perfectly confonant with that high
arid holy charaCter. They conftantly de
clared themfelves to be the rtieffengers of
the Moft High,; and it is abfolutely in- ,
credible, that they would have uttered
fuch extraordinary Prophecies, as thofe,
which

aoz S E R M O N ^V. -
which they frequently delivered, if his di
vine Spirit had not , really over- ruled and
guided their wills. When our Saviour
condefCended to anfwer the accufation of
the Pharifees, who afcribed his miracles to
a demoniacal agency, he overthrew the
blafphemous objeClion, by ffieys^ing the ut
ter inconfiftency of the pure and holy doc
trine, for the eftabliffiment of which his
fupernatural works were wrought, with
the pernicious principles, which a Demon
muft neceffarily labour to inculcate. In
like manner, we may reply with boldnefs
to the moderri Infidel, who arrogantly pro
nounces all Prophecy to be the offspring of
deception, that the fubjeCts of many of
the facred Oracles were totally irreconclle
able with the purpofe of a deceiver. If
the fuppofition of their impofture be ad
mitted, they inevitably tended to alienate
the affections of the hearers, and to injure .
the caufe, which they were intended to
fupport. " My thoughts are not your
thoughts, neither, are your ways my ways,"
faid the Lord of hofts to his chofen peo
ple of old. Moft ftrikingly is this fubllme
fentiment illuftrated in the pecufiar nature
of many of the' fubjeCts feleCled by the an-
cierit

S E R M O N V. 203
cient Prophets. Far removed from the
ways and thoughts of man, from the con
tracted views of human policy, and from
the petty artifices of impofture, they ex
hibit this clear and forcible evidence, that
they originated in the counfels of the Al
mighty, and were delivered in obedience
to his revealed will.

S E R M O N VI.

ACTS XV. i8.

KNOWN UNTO. GOD ARE ALL HIS WORKS
FROM the; beginning OF THE WORLD.
J. O judge of the truth of Revelation by
the "dogmas, .which the pride of human
reafon invents ; to affume arbitrary princi
ples, and to rejeCt or admit the narrations,
the *doClrines, and the evidences contained
in the fecred Writings, as they are found
to be more or lefs confiftent with thofe
principles, is a praClice at once arrogant
arid dangerous in the extreme. We thereby
endeavour to fet bounds to the aCls of
the Almighty, to reduce the high powers
of Divine wifdom to a level with fhe con
tracted intellect of man, to controul and
~ ' , give

ao& SERMON VI.
give laws to Omnipotence. It is not fur
prifing, that a practice fo contrary to the
natural dictates of reafon ffiould be the pa
rent of Scepticifm and Infidelity. The phi
lofopher prefumptuoufly 'determines,' what
the conduCl and the doCtrines of his Maker
ought to ,be ; and if the condud arid the
doCtrines, recorded in the volume of Reve
lation, do not coincide with his precon
ceived opinion, even though they be fanC
tioned by preternatufai teftimonies, which
he cannot . fairly difprove, he rejeCls them
as unreafonable and unworthy of belief.
This pernicious error will be found!, upon
examination, to be one chief caufe of the ,
increafed prevalence of Deifm. It is the
ftone, on which the pretended philofo
phers of the prefent age have fatally ftum-
bled. ,: V
Though there are firft principles, from
which we may venture, without preffimp-
tidn, to believe that .the Almighty will not
deviate ; yet they are few and fimple : and
whenever he appears to depart from any
one of them, it becomes us not, on that
account, arrogantly to rejeCl his revela
tion : we ought rather, with earneftnefs and

S E R M ON Vl. ao;
and humility, to feek the caufe of the de
viation in the exercife of fome other- of
his divine attributes, in conformity with
which, in the inftance under confideration,
from ' the peculiar Circumftances of the
cafe, he in his wifdom may have aCted.
Let it not be fuppofed, that I wiffi to
exclude the eicercife of reafon on the fub
jeCl of revelation. Far otherwife. It is
the principal charaCteriftic of Chriftianity,
the mark by which It Is peculiarly diftin
guiffied from all other religions, that it
fubmits its precepts and evidences to the
cool and impartial judgment of mankind.
Some of its doCtrines are above, but none
are contrary to reafon. It is the abufe and
not the ufe of this faculty, ..which is con
demned. The Chriftian teacher folicits his
bearers to decide in favour of the Gofpel,
by the dictates of their fober judgment.
The more accurately th© feveral parts of
our Religion fliall be examined, with a fin
cere defire of acquiring a knowledge of the
truth, the more clearly will the admirable
propriety and .excellence of the whole b^
dlfeerned.

In

eo8 SERMON VI.
In any great work, the fitnefs of a va
riety of important parts is an indubitable
evidence of defign.* The juftnefs and mu
tual connection of the feveral members of
the univerfe are vifible teftimonies of an
all-wife and' omnipotent Creator. When
Galen had examined vvith accuracy the
formation of the human frame, ftruck with
the admirable propriety and mutual agree
ment of all its members, hfe acknovfledged
it to be at once the work and the proof of
a God. In the fame manner, from the ffiit-
ablenefs of the different parts of the great
fcheme. of Prophecy, we may reafonably
ipfer the neceffity of an infpiring and over
ruling Mind.
By cafting our eye over the facred pages,
and bringing within our view the moft-
ftriking circumftances, illuftrative of this
obfervation, we fliall be ffipplied with a
forcible argument in fupport of the infpi
ration of the Prophets.
In profecuting this enquiry, we muft
not allow ourfelves preffimp.tuoufly to Af
fume arbitrary principles. We muft bear
continually in our recolleClion what was the

SERMON VI. 209
the real intention of Prophecy, as that in
tention has been gracioufly communicated
to us in the facred Writings. We ought.
then to examine whether a consistency
can be difcovered in the feveral parts. And
firially, with diligence and impartiality,
we ffiould endeavour to determine, whe
ther fuch a confiftency is not a vifible proof
of DESIGN ; and whether it is either rea
fonable, or even poffible, to fuppofe, that
it could really have been attained, unlefs
the extraordinary perfons, by whom the
feheme was gradually unfolded, had beeji'
,affifted by a divine Infpirer.
In my former Difcourfes I have been
chiefly employed in examining fhe moft
ftriking charaCterlftics of feveral particular
predidiions : let us now direCl our enquiries
by more comprehenfive principles, and con
fider the .general fyftem of Prophecy at
large. , .
In approaching, to this difcuffion, we
muft call to our remembrance the defign
of the Almighty, in raifing up his holy
Prophets. In the early ages of the world,
he eftabliffied a double covenant with his
p chofen

ai6 SERMON VI. ,
chofen people; the pne temporal, and con
fined to themfelves; the other fpiritual, and
extended to all mankind. , By the firft he
promifed a particular interference, during a
confiderable period of time, in the affairs
of the Ifraelites : by the fecond, a general
redemption of the whole human race. In
conformity with thefe promifes, the Pro
phets were Commiffioned to preferve among
the Jews a full conviCllon of the more im
mediate interpofition of God in their pre
fent government ; and- alfo to excite in
i their jiiinds an earneft expectation, of the
future Deliverer, and prepare tlje way for
his corning. Thefe were the general du-
"ties of their miniftry, the ^reat outlines of
• their hjgh commiffion.
In the propofed examination of the con
fiftency, which' dlftingulffies the writings
of the Prophets, it is my intention to con
¬fider, firft, the circumftances conneCted-
with tlje complex nature of the prophetic
office, and afterwards thofe, which referred
folely to the benevolent redemption, which
was ultimately intended.
, When we refleCt upon .the twofold na
ture

SERMON ,,Vl. £11
ture of the prophetic office, we may Rea
fonably imagine, that the' fpirit of Pro
phecy Would be dlfplayed with uncbrnmon
luftre in thofe periods of the Jewiffi hif
tory, in which the people were' more
ftrongly tempted to forego the expectation
of the future 'Deliverer, and, renounclris:
the worffiip of Jehovah, to bow before the
altars of the Heathen gods; .
, The perufal of the facred Writings will
confirm this reafonable preffimptlon.
Even in the ages^ which preceded the
eftabliffiment of the Mofaic law, the' be
nevolent Creator appears to have provided
for his creatures, by thefe exprefs means,
the aid more immediately required by
the preffure of circumftances at particular
times. When man had incurred by firt the for
feiture of his biifsful condition, 'and was
doomed to forrows arid to death, the pro
mlfe of ffiture reftoratlon was'peculiarly re
quired, to alleviate the feverity of the fen,-
tence, to baniffi the fatal effeCls of defpair,
and to maintain religion in the world. In
p 2, that

sra S E R M O N VI. ;
that melancholy hour it was gracioufly im*-
parted. At the time of the deluge, and through
thp firft of the fficceeding ages, no .fpiritual
promlfe was renewed ;, the vifible interpo
fition of God in that awful miracle hav
ing neceffarily made a deep impreffion
upon the minds of the few furyivors, and
of their immediate defcendants.
' When mankind again , multiplied, and
the holy Patriarchs were furrounded by a
corrupt and idolatrous world, they were fe-
cured from the contagion by the affuranCes
of Prophecy, and the promlfe of an univerfal
bleffing to mankind through their feed.
' When their defcendants were about to
.be oppreffed in a ftrange land, and to be
allured by univeffal example to the wor-
'ffiip of the Egyptian idols, not only the
precife period of their fufferings was pre
dicted, and the future glories of their tribes,
foreffiewn, .but, though in obfcure terms,
the coming of Shiloh was gracioufly pro
mifed, and the bleffing w/as afl'ured to Ju
dah. , On the other hand, during the theo
cracy,

SER MO N VI. aij
cracy, between the times of Mofes and of
the eftabliffiment of the royal authority,
when the power of Omnipotence was fuf
ficlently manifefted by figns and mighty
Wonders, a!rid by a frequent difplay of Pro
phecy upon temporal fubjeCls as an iriftru-
ment of divine government ; during that
wonderful period hardly any intimation
was given of the exalted Perfonage, in,
whom all the nations of the earth were
ultimately to be bleffed. ,
The fidelity of David was rewarded by
a plainer and fuller communication of the
Divine purpofe refpeCling the future Re
deemer. Soon after his times, when the
days of vengeance were at hand, when the
arm of the Almighty was terribly ftretched^
forth, and the people, expofed to his dread
ful refentment, were trembling before an
irrefiftible enemy, or languiffiing in diftant
captivity ; and when, overpowered by fuph
tremendous calamities, they were in danger
of being tempted to renounce the Gqd, by
whom they were apparently forfaken, and
to fly for fficcour to the idols, by whom they
feemed to be fubdued ; then the prophetic
povver was more particularly exerted to re-
p'3 animate

?i4 S E.R MON VL
animate their confidence and reftore thpis
hope, to convince them that the Almighty
was ftill their proteCtor, and that they were
fufferlng not from the prevailing afcendancy
of any other God, but under the juft indig
nation of their own. The ages of adver- ^
fity were more particularly the ages of Pro
phecy. In fuch feafbns, not only the temr
poral fufferings of the Ifraelites were accu
rately arid fully foretold, but the pIClure of
the Meffiah and of bis kingdom was drawn
with an aftoniffiing degree of mlnutenefs,
fplritj and fplendour. Thus the predic
tions of Ifaiah, of Jeremiah, of Ezekiel,
and of Daniel, were delivered in feafonj;
of apprehenfion, difrnay, and defolation,
amidft the Irripotence of defeat, and the
anguiffi and defpondence of lengthened
^captivity. ,
This fubordlnate defign of the holy Spi
rit, fo manifeft through the long courfe of
Divine infpiration, dlfplayed itfelf in a moft
ftriking manner, In one fignal inftance, at
the-clofe of Jewlffi Prophecy. The inha
bitants of Judah had returned from cap^
tivity in poverty and weakiiefs : reftbrlrig,
their, ruined te'mple, they w^re difplrked anc^

SERMON VI.

215

and difcouraged by the manifeft inferiority
of the new building to the -former pile, the
magnificent work of. Solomon. At thisi
feafon of defpondence, the promlfe of the
Meffiah was gracioufly renewed ; and a
mighty addition of dignity was .afforded
to the rifing temple,* by an anticipation of
the fplendour and folernnity, which it
ffiould' derive, in a future age, from the
prefence of the bleffed Son of God.
Even the fufpenfion of Prophecy during
the long period, which intervened between
Malachi and' the Baptift, affords a ftrong
confirmation of the principle, which' has",
been advanced. The Jewiffi charaCter, in
one moft important point, had undergone,
during the captivity in Babylon, a total
alteration. The ardour for Idolatry and
for the forbidden rites of Polytheifm, which
had been the caufe, through many preced-'
ing generations, of fo much, guilty and wOe,
was entirely extlnguiffied. From that fig
nal aera the Jews perfevered in a firm,.
though fometimes miftaken, attachment to
the precepts and ritual of the law. As
they' were,, therefore, no longer in, danger
of apoftafy, there was no farther neceffity.
- . " , -I" 4 of

ai6 SERMON VI.
of invigorating their confidence and re- ,
animating their piety, by occafional re
newals of the divine promifed In con
formity with this unprecedented fituation
of the Jews, we firid, that the fpirit of
Prophecy ceafed, and was never after exer-
cifed in aid of the Mofaic polity.
From this ffiort review of the prpphetic
hiftory, it is evident, that thefe. gracious com
munications were more efpecially imparted
at particular feafons, according to a fixed
principle for the attainment of a particular
end. To the unprejudiced enquirer it muft
appear morally impoffible, that, in a variety
of predictions, delivered through a long.
period of time, fuch an intention could be
made fo clearly and ftrongly to appear, if
the predictions had been enthufiaftically
and incoherently uttered, and no defign
whatever had been Intended. Chance could
not have produced fo certain an indication
of fyftem.
But though the expectation of -a Mef
fiah, the conftant theme of the divine pre-
, dictions, muft, when fully excited, have
been peculiarly calculated to preferve a
people.

SERMON Vl. ai7
people, even under the moft calamitous
diftreffes, in a faithful adherence to the ffi-
preme Being, from whom the promifed
bleffings were to flow ; yet the fimple affur
ance of thefe bleffings, when unattended
with any vifible proof of a divine interpo
fition, would not have been capable of
completely producing the defired effeCl.
Promifes of fo extraordinary a kind ought
to be accompanied by circurriftances, which
may imprefs the mind with aftoriiffiment,
and produce a rational conviCtion of the'
certainty of their accompllffiment. Now
the miraculous pOw^ers,' which were pre-t
fented to the view of the Ifraelites, were ,
adapted, beyond any other means which
the hum^n imagination can devife, to fanc-
tion the predictions of the Prophets, and.
to keep alive among the people gi firm
expectation of the promifed bleffing. In
the later period of the Jewiffi hiftory, the
repeated accompliffiments of former pre
dictions,, in all the moft important and
many of the moft minute events, which
occurred in their refpeCtive ages, became
an additional and no lefs decifive tefti--
mony to the truth of divine infpiration.
The Prophecy fulfilled, as well as the Mi
racle

2i8 S E R M O N vi.
racle performed, 'was a pledge and earneft-
of the future completion of the mighty
promlfe, which was the ultimate end and
defign of all Revelation.'
In perufmg the. facred Volume, we not
only /behold the authority of Prophecy fup
ported by the pecull;ar nature of the dif- -
ferent mearis adopted by the Prophets, but
we I>ehold thefe means each more particu
larly employed in that period of the hiftory,
in which it was fingularly beneficial and
appr{)priate. In the infant ftate of the world, in whjch
Prophecy could not yet have acquired- that
high degree of authority which is obtained
by the frequent accompliffiment of former '
predictions,, miracles were moft frequefttly
employed. When the Children of Iftael,
departing from Egypt, were encouraged,
in their revolt againft a foteign tyrant, and
during their painful and dangerous progrefs
through the wildernefs, bythe fplendid and
.repeated promifes of divine Revelation,
then, the neceffity of their implicit reliance
upon thefe promises being more immedi
ately urgent, a long feries of miracles wa-3 ex-

S,E R MO N - VI. 219
exhibited, the -moft ftupendous, wljich the
hurhari imagination can conceive.
\ .,
When, in a later age, the calamities. ,of
the Ifraelites were rriultlplled, .and even,
their utter extinction fometimes appeared
to be approaching, extraordinary Prophets
^ere more frequently raifed up ; who, fOr
the, purpofe of upholding the faith of the
people, were commiffioned to defcribe in
full(pi:, riiore dIftinCt, and more glowing
terms, the charaCler of the Meffiah, and
the future glories of his kingdom. -!^ut,
as the divine governmerit had been carried
on, through a long" fficceffion of years,-
chiefly by the agency of Prophets j and
as almoft every eyent which took place
was,,the accomplifliment of a former prer,
diction, miracles were no, longer neceffary
for the purpofe of confirrnlng the promifes
of the Prophets, arid eftabliffiing the faith
qf the hearers. Accordingly few miracles
appear to have been performed. ^ Though
events the moft piomentous occurred ;
though the city and temple of Jerufalem
were deftroyed, and the Jews were carried
into diftant captivity, and after long exile
returned to their ancient land; yet no won
derful

220 S E R M O N VI,
derful aCts of Omnipotence were ,exerted
in their behalf; neither was the ftream
commanded to flow from the dry and
barren rock, nor were the. waters of the
Euphrates divided.
But though fuch frequent advantages
were derived from the communications
of the PrOphets to the generations, to which
they were refpeClively, addreffed ; yet to
deliver thofe communications in diftinCl
and completely intelligible terms, was nei
ther neceffary for the Important purpofe of
which 1 have been fpeaking, nor confiftent
with the peculiar nature of the fyftem,
under which the Prophets and their hearers
lived. Some of the moft ftubborn dlffi-
oultles, which appear to perplex the argu
ment from Prophecy, and which the In
fidel exaggerates with pride and exultation,
are not only capable of a fatisfaCtory fo-
lution, but may even reafonably be expeCled
from this twofold nature of the Prophetic
oeconomy. Of this kind is the obfcurlty,
in which the predictions are frequently in
volved. In affigriing the caufe of this ob
fcurlty, it is not fufficient that we fliould
expatiate upon the freedom of human
agency.

SERMON VI, aai
agency, by which alone many of the pre-
diClions were to receive their accomplifh-
ment, and which would have been fatally
interrupted by a clear difcovery ¦ of future
events. It muft be prefumed, that fuch
an obfcurlty would neceffarily be admitted
by meri, or rather by the Holy Spirit in
the infpiration of men, who were the
minifters of a twofold difpenfation, who
were employed at once ' to maintain the
honour of one oeconomy, and to prepare
the way for another; and with whom,
confequently, it muft have been a ruling
principle of action, not to weaken the au
thority of that which was prefent, by too
clear*' and fplendid a difplay of the fuperlor
excellence of that which was to come. A
confiderable degree of obfcurlty, therefore,
appears to be naturally conneCted with fuch
a fcheme of Prophecy; and in moft of the
predictions it will be found. ' They were
admirably calculated to give exercife to
faith, and encouragement to , hope : but
they were not fufficlently luminous to ali-
eriate affeClion from the prevailing fyftem,
I to excite iri:ipatience, or to nouriffi difcon
tent. ' I ' ' ' ' The

222 SERMON TI. /
- The means employed for the purpofe
of veihng from the Jews a part of the pro*
phetic ' fcheme of Chnftianity, appear to
have been admirably fulted to the occafion,
upon which they were ufed, and to the
peculiar , riature of the adminiftration, of
which the Pit)phets formed a part. " The^
double meanings, which many of the pre- , -
dictions convey, naturally refult from this'
double office of the Prophets. - Employed
upon two dl^enfations, it might naturally be
fuppofed, thdt they would frequently inter
mingle them J that, though fpeaking more .
particularly upon the firft, they would iook
forward to the fecorid, and hold it conftantly
in view ; .that, glowing yvith the twofold COn-^ ¦
ceptlon, they" would corifound in one picture
diffimllar images, which could never unite'
in a' fingle perfon, or a fingle, event ;
and would reprefent by one expreifion
fuch circumftances common to both, as
may notninreafonably be expeCled to occur ,^
in two oeconomies, fubfervient the one to
the other, both proceeding from .the fame
God, and both' conducing to the fame end^ .
But the types and figures, with which
the Mofaic eftablifliment and the lacred
,'- . hiftory

S E R MO N VI.

223

'.ir:'j-

liiftory 6f the" Jews univerfally ^h'ju
feem more particularly to fall in vnf\r. the
^rofeffed defign, of the Almighty Riiici of
that people. The laft great difpenfation;
whereby, the whole human race has beei.
raifed to life and immortality," was ufliered
in by an inferior one, which was admini-
/ftered, through many ages, under the im
mediate guidance of the Deity, and was
principally fubfervient to the purpofe of
introducing that, by which it was fuc
ceeded. Now it may be fairly fuppofed,
;under fuch, circumftances, that the firft
would be intimately connected with the fe
cond; that it would manifeft its entire de
pendence by types and figures, a mode of
expreffing ideas, which was In common' Ufe
among eaftern nations in thofe early ages
of the world, and was peculiarly adapted
to veil the prophetic fyftem in partiaLob-
fcurlty. The lefs Judaifrn had been inter
woven with Chriftianity, by this infeparable
community of images, the ..weaker would
have been its Influence upon the mind, and
the mofe faintly would it have appeared an
inftltution of the fame God, in fubordlna-,
tion to the fame defign. But the Jewifh
polity was in a great degijee typical; The law,

224 SERMON VI.
law, and more efpecially the ceremonial
part of it, was prophetic of the, Gofpel;
and from thefe unalienable charaCterlftics
it evidently appears, that they both pro
ceeded from one Almighty Power, and
tbat he was aCllng upon the fame harmo
nious plan, when he ffione before Mofes
upon Sinai, and when he poured, his glory
around our Redeemer upon the Mount.
The above obfervations will appear per
haps even more ftriking, if we recolleCt,
that the Gofpel difpenfation was final; that
it prepared not the way, nor looked for
ward to any other. It was not neCeffary,
therefore, to have recourfe to typical cere
monies, or fecondary fenfes, either in its
inftitutions, or in the predictions delivered
by its holy Founder , and his. infpired
Apoftles. COnfequentiy no traces of them
will be found in the New Teftament, if
we except the remarkable inftance of a
double meaning in the Prbphecy of our
Lord, in which he intermingled the de-
ftrudion of Jerufalem with the general
judgment of the world. ¦
In the courfe of my obfervations upon
double

SERMON VI. 225
double meanings in Prophecies, with a re-'
ference to the particular fubjeCt which is
now urider difcuffion, I ought not to be
entirely filent upOii- the peculiarity of the
language, in which they arfe in general con
veyed. It not only is riot vague, romantic^
and ridiculous, unworthy of the attention
of a rational being, as the ignorant and fu-""
perficial Infidel has wiffied to reprefent it j'
but it is fober and reafonable, reducible to
determinate principles, and capable of a
fatisfaCtory explication. It is in moft in
ftances highly figurative, and frequently
hyperbolical. As it is neither neceflary;
nor confiftent with my plan, to enter at
large into this difCuffion, I ffiall briefly ob
ferve, that to thofe who have ferioufly con
fidered the peculiar nature of the fubjeCt,
fuch a language has appeared fingularly
appropriate and ufeful, if riot abfolutely
neceffary. It has even been doUbted whe
ther the end propofed could have been
effectually obtained through the medium
of any other ftyle. And this ftyle, fo con
fiftent with the views of the Prophets,
was particularly adopted by them in thofe
predictions, in which they intermingled
fome important event, which was remot^
Q with

2i6 SERMON VI.
with the nearer tranfaClion, which was
the more immediate fubjeCl of their di
vine communication.
Before I quit the confideration of the
twofold nature of the prophetic commif-'
fiOn, let me be allowed to offer a few ob
fervations upon one peculiar circumftance,
connected with the predictions of the Old
Teftament. In the trial of the prophetic writings,
that high^fpeqies of evidence in favour of
real infpiration, which refults from a faith
ful accompliffiment of the predicted events,
is the moft fatisfaCtory which the human
mind is capable of receiving. The pre-
diClions were ,not indlfcriminately fulfilled.
- Thofe,. of which the accompliffiment was
indifpenfably neceffary, have been faithfully
completed ; while, in feme few inftances,
the events rforetold have not occurred. In
-thefe cafes, neverthelefs, the delivery and
the revocation of the Diyine will appear to
have been equally confiftent with that com
prehenfive fc^ieme of Revelatpn, which it
was the great objeCl of Prophecy to affift,
to illuftrate, and to confirm. In fubfer-
/ vience

, - ^ SERMON VI. 32,7
vience to this feheme, the Jews, I have al
ready obferved, were placed under the more
inimediate and vifible dIreClion of God.
The Prophets were his high minifters in
difpenfing this facred government. One of
the principal means, by which they at once
convinced the people of his miraculous in
terpofition in their favour, and moft pow
erfully incited them' to faith and a piouS
obedience, was the prophetic anticipation
of the calamities which would follow their
crimes, and of the bleffings which would
crown their piety. Thefe rewards and
puniffiments not taking place at the mo
ment when the predictions were uttered, it
may reafonably , be prefumed, that the ul
timate purpofes of the Almighty could not
be expreffed, as they muft have depended
upon contingencies, which might enfue,
between the delivery of the Prophecies,
and the period of their intended comple
tion. The threatened calamity might be
averted by repentance: the promifed bleff
ing might be forfeited by intermediate
.guilt. In conformity with this prefump
tion, which is infeparable from a juft know
ledge of the Jewiffi oeconomy, it will ap
pear from a minute inveftigation, that all
Q 3 the

428 SERMON VI.. ^
the Prophecies, which we're not verified by
the events, were delivered as a fpecies
either of commlnation or of encourage
ment; and that they were rendered void,
by a fubfequent change of conduCt in the
people to whom they were addreffed.
Let it not however be fuppofed, that
the defender of Chriftianity enumerates,
without any juft means of difcrimlnation,
among the immediate inftruments of the
theocratic government, all thofe Prophe
cies, which , have not been duly fulfilled.
The cleareft and moft ftriking diftinClions
may be difcerned. They gerierally referred
to approaching events, and were always ex
preffed in a language completely intelligible
to the hearers. Being intended as induce
ments to aCllon, it was abfolutely neceffary
that they fliould be clearly apprehended by
the agents. On the other hand, all thofe
Prophecies, eminently fuperlor in number
and importance, the accompllffiment of ¦
which was certain, were diftinguiffied by
higher charaCterlftics. Either they .were
concealed from the full knowledge of the
hearers, under the veil of a highly figura
tive language, and of types and fecondary
meanings j

SERMON VI. 229
meanings ; or they contained an accurate
detail of minute circumftances; or were re
peated by fficceffive Prophets; or they were
fanCtioned by an oath, or confirmed by a
miracle ; or they exceeded the probable
force of fecond caufes ; or they related to
the deftruClion of idolatrous kingdoms, and
the fall of future empires ; or they referred
to fpiritual bleffings, and ffiadowqd out
the gfeat features of univerfal redesmption.
Thefe charaCteriftic diftinClions, made by
one of the ftrongeft and moft fagacious
minds ', which has ever been employed in
elucidating the fubjeCt of Prophecy, fuffi
clently prove, that the predictions were
not the wild effufions of enthufiafm, or the
raffi fpeculations of conjeCture ; that they
were delivered in ftrlCt conformity with
fixed principles ; and that the friend of Re
velation does not without juft reafon refer
to the cjlafs of conditional Prophecies,' all
thofe, in which the event has not corre
fponded with the defcription of the Pro
phets An additional authority may bc afforded
» Stillingfteet, Origines Sacrae, book ii. chap. 6.
as to

230 SERMON VI.
to thefe obfervations, by recurring, as at
the conclufion of the laft argument, to' the \
writings of the New Teftament, When
the Meffiah appeared, the Almighty had
.ceafed to direCt, by a miraculous interfe
rence, any favoured portion of his creatures.
Conditional Prophecies were no longer re
quifite, as the appropriate and ufeful in-
ffiruments of a divine government. Ac
cordingly, no conditional prophecies appear
to have been uttered after the days of
Malachi. Not a fingle prediction was de
livered, either by Chrift, or by his firft in
fpired minifters, of which it can be ffiewn,
that the neceffary tirrie of completion has
paffed, and left it unaccompliffied.
But leaving the confiderations which ~
arife from the double nature of the dif
penfation, of which the PrOphets were the
minifters, let us now proceed upon more
enlarged principles, and dIreCt our enquiries
to fome of the general charaCterlftics of the
prophetic fcheme. ¦
It was the principal end and defign of di
vine infpiration, to bear teftimony to the
truth of Chriftianity. This being the great
( . objeCl,

SERMON VI. 231
objeCl, preerninently intended by the Omni
fcient Infpirer, it may naturally be fuppofed,
that the prefiguratlon of the Divine Founder
of the new religion, and of the. new religion
itfelf, would form the dlftinguiffilng feature
of the facred Oracles. It would occupy,
we may reafonably expeCt, the moft dif
tinguiffied place in the-facred Writings, be
held forth continually in view, and pervade
and animate all the fyftem. The aCtual
proceedings of the Prophets accord with
this reafonable expectation. The blefled
Jefus and his divine religion were the
conftant fubjeCls of their predictions. Se
condary circumftances were incidentally
mentioned ; but our holy ' Redeemer was
the favourite theme of all, from the open
ing of the revelation at the fall of man,
to the clofe of Jewiffi Prophecy with Ma
lachi. Even the minuteft traits refpeCling
him were accurately diftinguiffied. ' His
entire hiftoi-y may be colleCled with almoft
, equal precifion from the Hebrew Scriptures,
and from the writings of the Evangelifts.
If we ffiould expunge from the Old Tefta
ment all the paffages which relate to his
advent and religion, the remaining part
. . '¦ . Q 4 would

^3.2

SERMON VI.

would abound with a profufion of pre
dictions, which, though fingularly ftriking
in themfelves, would be deprived of their
bond of connection, and would not con
duce to any end of general and tranfcen-
dent importance.^
Since facred Prophecy has propofed, as
the final caufe of its delivery, the illuftration
of a fingle and moft momentous event, it
may be prefumed, that the fcattered pre
dictions will collectively compofe one uni
form and harmonious fcheme. Bearing
this circumftance in our recolleClion, let
us endeavour briefly to develope, in a few •
ftriking inftances, the fyftem of the facred
writers. They all unite in one common
defign of raifing the expectation of a great
and benevolent redemption. The moft ex
traordinary circumftances, by which it was
to be attended, are varioufly and minutely
pourtrayed. The prophetic delineation, ge
neral and indeterminate at its commence
ment, gradually affumes a fuller and more
diftinCl character, as the time of its fulfil
ment approaches. The fpirit of Prophecy
firft dlfplayed itfelf at the introduction of
fin:

SERMON VI. 233
fin: it clofed its heavenly career, when the
power of fin was broken in the triumphant
eftabliffinient of Chriftianity. The tem- "
poral events which it pourtrayed, the at
chlevements of celebrated monarchs, arid
the revolutions of mighty empires, were all
more immediately concerned in favouring
the progrefs of Revelation. The falfe pre
tenders to infpiration may in vain lay
claim to this incontrovertible teftimony of
an over- ruling influence. The predictions
of the, Pagan oracles were independent of
each other, and utterly incapable of uniting
in one grand and conneCted fyftem. Sacred
Prophecy alone combines its feveral parts .
in one perfeCl whole. The merciful fpirit
bf redemption breathes through every page
of the Prophets, and imparts the fame
beauty and harmonious agreement to their
numerous writings, which natural law and
order, as willed by the Almighty, beftow
upon the vaft and multiform fyftem of the
univerfe. A feries of Prophecies, of which it is the
great objeCt to difclofe all the illuftrious
diftinClions of one extraordinary perfon, in
whom they will receive their full and final
accom-

234 SERMON VI.
accompliffiment, if it be made to compre
hend a wider range of circumftances, wilt
exhibit a greater degree of confiftency ^nd
unity of defign, in proportion as it con
fines itfelf to thofe, which are in fome de
gree connected with his appearance. Other
human events, though eminently import
ant in the hiftory of mankind, if they are
independent of this primary intention of
the omnifcient Infpirer, will, we may juftly
fuppofe, be paffed over in filence.
If we recur, as in the early part of this
LeClure, to a brief examination of the
Prophetic Hiftory, we ffiall find that this
reafonable expectation moft faithfully coin
cides with the aCtual charaCter of Jewiffi
Prophecy. In its infant ftate, it was imparted to a
few humble and pious Patriarchs, then
wandering with their flocks over the Eaft.
But they were the appointed founders of
an extraordinary people, among whorn the
feheme of redemption was to be gradually
unfolded; and at length, in the fulnefs-of
time, the Meffiah was to appear.

At

S E R M O N VI,

235

At a more advanced period, when the
defcendants of thefe favoured Patriarchs
had multiplied into a numerous and pow
erful nation, and, conduCled by the arm of
the Almighty, were mlraculoufly fettled in
the promifed land, the prophetic fpirit ex
erted itfelf, as a powerful inftrument of
theocracy, both in encouraging their faith
ful adherence to the Mofaic eftablifliment,
and in favouring their martial enterprizes
againft the idolatrous nations which fur
rounded them.
When, corrupted by fuccefs, and de
voted to idolatry, they were fevered by
the avenging arm of the Almighty into
two feparate and hoftile kingdoms, the
power of Prophecy was more particularly
dlfplayed among the two tribes which
were fettled around Jerufalem; for they
were the more faithful adherents to the
religion of their fathers, and the immediate
progenitors of the Saviour of mankind.
In purfulng their hiftory, we dlfeover,
that the vices of the Ifraelites multiplied,
and the heavieft calamities approached.
The fcheme of Prophecy was enlarged. To

aiS S E R M O N VI.
To the defponding inhabitants' of Judahi,
eithar finkirig under a victorious enemy,
or languiffiing in captivity, was fotetold the
ultimate ruin of the neighbouring kirig-
doms and empires, then triumphant over
the people of the Lord, and exulting in
the fancied ftrength of their own idols.
The doom of nations powerful, and opu
lent was irrevocably determined ; of Tyre,
of Moab, and of Affyria ; of Egypt, the
mother of fclence ; and of Babylon, the
haughty miftrefs of the eaftern world.
The time bf the Meffiah approached.
The feed of Abraham had nearly com
pleted their part in the wonderful prepara
tion for his advent. Prophecy now forfook
the contracted limits of the Eaft, and, re
vealing the dlfpofition of human affairs
moft fultable to this ftupendoiis event,
foreffiewed the elevation of thofe vaft
empires, which facilitated the progrefs of
Chriftianity. The victorious Macedonian, by extend
ing his conquefts from the Ionian fliores to
the banks of Indus and the ocean, was the
principal means' of , introducing, through the

S E R M O N VI. 237
the moft confiderable part of his immenfe
empire, the knowledge of a language the
moft perfect and the moft general,- which
^has ever been ufed by mankind. It was
through the medium of this common lan
guage, that,- in the age of the Ptolemies,
the facred hiftory recorded in the Law and
the Prophets was laid open to the whole
Gentile world, and, in a fubfequent sera,
the Apoftles, ferit forth by our Lord, uni
verfally diffeminated the knowledge of a
Redeemer, and the joyful tidings of his
Gofpel. The domination of Rome, fo ftrikingly
predicted by Daniel, which extended over
all the civilized portion of the globe, pro
duced that arrangement of fublunary affairs,
which alone, perhaps, as, human means,
could have efferitially favoured the wide
dlffufion of Chriftianity. The various na
tions of the earth were all united by one
common band : an univerfal toreratlon was
indulged to all religions : the intercourfe of
ftrangers was facilitated and encouraged :
not only the progrefs of the firft teachets
of the Gofpel was expedited, but the ne
ceffary correfpondence between the nu
merous

23^ SERMON VL
merous focieties of fcattered Chriftians was
maintained by the vaft Roman roads, which
had been formed for the paffage of the le
gions, and united the banks of the Danube
to the coafts of the Mediterranean, and the
confines of Parthia and Egypt to the .ffiores
of the Atlantic.. ';',
' ' ' •
At length Chriftianity . was^ received as
the common Religion of the world, where-
ever civilization prevailed, and the Roman
arms had been dlfplayed. Thus, finally
triumphant, it became independent of mo
narchs and of empires. All tHe predictions,
therefore, which regarded the times fubfe
quent to this period, if we except thofe re
lating to the fall of the empire, an event
more immediately conneCled with the firft
propagation- of Chriftianity, negleCling tem
poral occurrences, the fortune of fove
reigns, or the fate of kingdoms, appear to
have referred folely to the fpiritual condi
tion of mankind. The Prophets were fi
lent upon mariy of the moft wonder
ful changes, which have taken place'- in
later ages; the, fingular fpecies of power
acquired by nautical fclence, the founding.
of a powerful emp'u"e over the regions of
the'

SERMON VI. ^ 239
the North, the* difcovery of another hemi
fphere, the intToduClion of civilization and
the arts among the favages of extenfive
iflands, which had lain concealed through
all paft time in the great Southern Ocean,
and the ftupendous revolutions inftanta-
neoufly effeCled over the whole Eaft, the
great fcene of Revelation,, by the defcent
of myriads of northern barbarians under
the fanguinary ftandards of Zlngjs and Ti-
rnOur. Our attention is confined to the
triumphs of the Arabian Impoftor, to the
nionftrous corruptions of the Papal uffirpar
tion, to the apoftaf}^ of later times, to the
unparalleled and awful calamities of the
Jews, arid to the univerfal propagation of
Chriftianity, and the final conffimma-
tion of all things in the fecond appearance
of Chrift, a triumphant and glorified Mef
fiah. Having enumerated fome of the moft
ftariklng circumftarices attending facred .Pro-
> phecy, as they referred to the objeCts re
fpeClively purfued in the courfe of Reve
lation, I wiffi, before I conclude the pre
fent LeClure, to dIreCt your attention for
a ffiort time to one dlftinguiffilng charaC
teriftic,

240 SERMON VI.
terlftic, fey Which it is indifpenfably requi
fite, that the real Prophets ffiould be marked.
The minifters of a true revelation, even
the adverfaries of Chriftianity muft allow,
will be diftinguiffied by a conftant enforce
ment of the pureft principles of rporality
and religion. When our affent to it is
demanded, it is not fufficient, that the
proofs of a fupernatural agency be clearly
adduced ; it muft alfo appear, that the
caufe of piety and virtue,' and the general
welfare of mankind, are either immediately
or ultimately promoted by the divine com
munications. An agency more Jl^an hu
man may lie, perhaps, within the ability
of evil fpirits, who may wiffi to favour,
by fuch means, their malignant plans of
wickediiefs and mifery. PerfeCl reCtitude
of principle, therefore, is neceffarily re-
q^ulred In the holy men, who declare them
felves to be appointed the meffenger^ of the
Moft High, and to be endued with ex
traordinary prefcience.
In referring to the Oracles of Paganifm,
we foon dlfeover, that the minifters of- the
delufive fuperftitions of the world were
fingularly

SERMON VI.

241

fingularly defective in this unerring teft of
the truth. It was their principal objeCl to
decide the temporal fortunes of individuals,
and to give eriergy to the defigns of national
policy. Precepts of morality and rules of
juft conduCt were feldom delivered from
the cave or confecrated tripos. The pur
eft fentiments prevalent among the Pagans
either were enforced bythe Philofopher, or
adorned the pages of the Poet. When
calamity threatened either the ftate or the
individual, if the Oracle was folicited to
reveal the caufe, which had provoked the
anger of the gods, the evil, on moft occa
fions, was declared to arife, not from fla
grant breaches of morality, from profligacy
of fentiment, or depravity of conduCt ; but
from a trifling negleCt of the external du
ties of religion, or from the unworthy jea-
loufies of contending deities, or from the
inaufpicious omens, which had imrriediately
preceded an enterprlze.
But happy had it been for the Heathen
-World, if, upon the fubjeCt of morality,
their Oracles had been invariably filent.
The few fentiments,' which they did deli
ver, were not always grounded upon the fe-
R vere

242 S E R MO N VL
vere principles of reafon arid truth: they
varied with the fluctuation of hurrian opi-.
nions, and were even accommodated to the
prejudices, the paffions, and , the vices of
their votaries. Nay, they frequently even
commanded the groffeft violations of mo
rality and decorum, and veiled,, under the
proftltuted name of religion, the moft fla- v
gitious and horrible abominations^ which
have ever been permitted to pollute" the
annals of the human race. *
The Prophets Of the true God were in
¬fpired by the pureft principles. They ac
tively and invariably exerted themfelves in
the caufe of virtue. The fyftem of mo
rality, which they fanClibned, was pure,
fevere,, .and founded upon determinate and
acknowledged principles. They tempered'
its feverity, however, with the love of
mercy and the gentle feelings of benevo
lence. With all the warmth of zeal, and
energy of eloquence, they recommended
the caufe of the ftranger, the widow, and
the, orphan. Neither the pomp of ftation
lior the tyranny of power could ffiield the'
offender from their manly and indignant
' rebukes : and exhibiting a boldnefs, which,
perhaps,

SERMON VI. 243
perhaps, is unparalleled in the whole hif
tory of mankind, and which could only be,
Infpired by the confidence of truth and the
certainty of Divine affiftance, they even
chaftlfed a powerful monarch for the un
lawful indulgence of his paffions ; and
openly denounced the vengeance of the
, high Being, by whom they were infpired,
againft a formidable tyrant, who had 'mur
dered, for the fake of plunder, the - poor
poffeffor of a neighbouring vineyard.
1 The. piety, which they required, was not
the cold and inefficient duty of an external
ritual ; it was the religion of the heart, the
controul of the internal feelings of the foul,
and an .inward and ever-aClive perfuafion
of the exiftence and providence of an all-
judging God. It earneftly excited gratitude
for his favours, fupplication for his forglve-
nefs, and reliance on his protection. ^
Thefe moral and religious duties were not
varied, with the progrefs of civilization, nor
made to bend to temporal occurrences, to
the will of a, favoured monarch, or the ca
prices of contending parties. They were
independent of human events, regular as
the order of nature, and eternal as the
R 5 Fouu-

244 SER M O N VI.
Fountain of infpiration. Their influence
was the moft extenfive which the ima
gination can. conceive. They were not
calculated, to aggrandize a favourite ftate,
nor appropriated to the inhabitants of a
particular climate ; but they were equally
ufeful to all countries, and obligatory on
. the .whole human race.
In eftimatlng the Excellence of the' mo
ral principle inculcated by the fuppofed
rninifters of fuperior beings, corifiderable
attention is due to their defcriptions of the
exalted Power, whofe will they pretend to
reveal, Unworthy reprefentaljlons of the
fupreme Being deg^rade the fentiments and
vitiate the heart ; while pure and exalted
conceptions of his divine nature are emi
nently calculated to refine the moral fenfe.
And let us not forget,: that they alone can
be reafonably fuppofed to have been the
reaf minifters of Heaven, who aferlbe com
plete perfection to the divine Perfon, in
whom is comprehended every excellence,
which it is poffible for the human mind to
conceive. The Pagan deities, irom the humble
rank of mortals, had been elevated to' the
'. ' honours

SERMON VI.

H5

honours of divinity, either by the gratitude
of an ignorant and fujierftltious antiquity,
or by the impious adulation of a corrupt
court. Their earthly characters had been
fullied by the blackeft crimes ; and they
were reprefented as ftill debafed by human
infirmities, and as enjoying, in imaginary
regions, a boundlefs indulgence of the' moft
impious and deftruCtrve vices. The go
vernment of the univerfe was fuppofed riot
to be directed by one' infpiring mind, nor
carried on by one Unvaried principle, but to
be diftributed among a piultlplicity of dei
ties, who were aCtuated by jealoufies, pro
voked by animofitleg, and divided by" con
tending interefts. The common happinefs
of mankind, and the facred caufe of virtue,
• .appear to have been, in general, remote
from their confideration, and difregarded
in their conduCt :. while In the honours,
which they demanded, they countenanced
the grqffeft. Impurities, and not urifre-
qiienfly delighted even in the effufion of
human blood.
But let us turn from this unpleafing
picture, and contemplate the Jehovah of
the Hebrews. The Prophets of Ifrael, in a
K 2 ftrain

246 .S E R'M O N VI.
ftrain of divine eloquence, prefent a de
fcription of the Godheadjr far purer and
more fubllme than any, which the unaf
fifted human mind has ever conceived.
He Is defcribed as the one fupreme Being,
exlftlng from all eternity, prefent through
all fpace, poffeffing all power, and know
ing all things, paft and prefent and to
come. He is repreferited as fpiritual in
his nature, 'the maker and the preferver of
the univerfe, the conftant friend of virtue,
and the certain avenger of vice. He de-
llghteth not, they explicitly declare, in the_
odours of incenfe, nor in the blood of vic
tims, but in uprightnefs of conduCt and
purity of fentiment, in aCls of benevolence,
¦ and in the duties of warm and unaffumlng
pletj^. Iri the courfe of the prefent LeClure, I
have endeavoured to ffiew the confiftency;
which runs through ancient Prophecy. It
feems fcarcely poffible not to' admit the
reality of thefe charaCterlftics, when we
recolleCt the feveral parts ,of the ftibjeCt,
which' have juft been' difcuffed. The pre
dictions were moftly delivered at. thofe fea
fons, ill wnich the fubordlnate^ advantage intended

SERMON VI. 247
intended to be derived, at the inftant of
their delivery,^ was more particularly ob
tained. For the more certain attainment.
of this advantage, miracles were neceffary
for the confirmation of the words of the
Prophets : and miracles were exhibited, not
iridlfcriminately in all feafons, but in thofe
chiefly, in which fuch a confirmation of
the ^vords of the Prophet was more efpe
cially required. It was neceffaryto veil for,
a time the fenfe of many Prophecies from
the knowledge of thofe, to whom they
were' addreffed. They were, veiled ; and the
means by which this temporary conceal
ment was generally effeCled, fecondary
meanings 'and types, were adapted with
fingular propriety to the complex nature
of the difpenfation, of which the Prophets
were the minifters. It was in the higheft
degree probable, from the particular defign
of one part of the Revelation, that. feme of
the predictions would not be^ verified by
the events. This revocation of the declared
.purpofes of the divine Infpirer took, place,
but in thofe alone in which the neceffary rea
fon can be affigned. Theone fole~and mo- ,
mCntous objeCi, the teftimony of the blefled
Saviour of the world, was kept, perpetually
R 4 in

243 S E R M O N VI.
in view by the Prophets, and intermingled
itfelf with almoft every circumftance -of
their divine miniftry. The accompliffi
ment of orieT. ftupendous event was the
great end of Prophecy j and the long feries
of prediCliops forms one uniform fcheme,
conneCled throughout with the completion
of this fubllme defign. Though many of the
fignal events of the moft illuftrious periods
of univerfal hiftory were foretold ; yet all
were not foretold. The predictions were
limited to the affairs i of thofe nations,
which the Divine wifdom rendered more
particularly inftrumental in effecting the
benevolent purpofe of promulgating a re
velation to mankind While through the
whole courfe of the miraculous interpofi-!
tion, the pure principles of morality, which
are Indifpenfably required among the marks
pf a : true religion, were forcibly and uni-^
formly inculcated.
Thefe circumftances, colleClively corifi-
dered, dlfeover the admirable propriety,
which dlftingulffies the feveral parts of the
facred Oracles, and the uniformity which
pervades the whole. In the light. In which
Prophecy has now beeri placed, it appears
- ¦ ' , V tq'

SERMON VI. 249
to have been one grancj, clear, and har
monious fcheme: The propriety and con
fiftency thus exhibited upon fo wonderful
a fubjeCl, and continued through a courfe
of fo many centuries, are alone, perhaps,
abundantly fufficient to excite in the un
prejudiced mind a ftrong prefumption of
, the interference of a fupernatural Power.
This prefumption muft be confiderably
ftrengthened, whep we remark the un
ceafing precaution and extreme nicety of
dlferimination invariably exhibited by the
Prophets, without the conftant exercife of
which they could not have fuccefsfully
executed the feveral parts of the ftupen
dous fcheme.
But this presumption, it is apprehended,
may be heightened into firm conviCtion,
and converted into a moral certainty, by
the following confiderations.
No fyftematic feries of predictions, either
fimilar, or marked even with the flighteft
degree of refemblance, can be found in the
annals of the whole human race. Pro-^
phets, or rafher pretenders to Divine infpi
ration, have appeared in all ages, and aU,
Pagan

256 SERMON VI.
Pagan countries.: They have generally been
heard with confiderable attention, and not
unfrequently have been prOteCled and en-
6ouraged, through a long courfe of time,
by the laws and by the' magiftrate. Yet
in none c^ the^r effufions can the fainteft
traces be difcovered of a conneCled plan,
or of unity of defign, much lefs of fuch a
plan and fuch a defign, as are exhibited in
the facred Writings. The priefts of Greece
and Rome, who perhaps advanced the 'art
of divination to thd higheft ftate of per
fection, to which it can be carried by mere
human ability, uttered a profufion of Ora
cles,, which were totally unconnected with
each other, and had no relation towards
the attainment of any common end.
y The Sibylline books, which, in the mo
ment of general calanvity, the magiftrates
of the Roman republic affeCfed to confult,
had they been fuch as were, pretended,
would have approached nearer than any
other compofitlons, withwhlch we are ac
quainted, to the . charaCler of the infpired
^Writings. The citizens were deluded into
an opinion, that thofe volumes contained
a fpecies of InfOTmation, which implied a
confi-

SERMON VI. 251
confiderable foreknowledge of the hiftory
of Rome ; and that they Were defigned
for the inftruCllon of the -future magiftrate,
and the confequent prefervation of the
ftate. Here ' then would have been con-
gruity of parts and a momentous erid. But
the whole vras a fiCllon. We can dlfeover
¦ no reafonable grounds of belief, that the
• books contained the information, which
was artfully pretended. The tale refpeCl
ing them was invented, from jpolitlcal mo
tives. In the Infancy of Rome, and was con
tinued through fucceeding ages as an ufe
ful engine of ftate, in appeafing the fears
of the- populac^, during feafons of ¦ tumult
and difmay, and affording a religious fanc-
tion to the extraordinary decrees of the
civil power. Had they really contained
X fuch information, though they would un
doubtedly have appeared to, be In a very
high degree miraculous, yet from the know
ledge, which we have been enabled to ac
quire reipeCtlng them from the Roman '
hiftorians, we may venture to pronounce,
that in the ftrong and dlfcriminating cha-
raCleriftics, which have been the fubjeCls
of difcuffion in the prefent Difcourfe, they
r* - would

253' ' ¦ S.E R M O, N. VI.
would ftill have funk in a comparifon
with the infp jred .writings of the Pro
phets. The vaft fcheme of facred Prophecy was
formed fdr the fubllme purpofe of reveal
ing remote events. It was not, difclofed
by the fuccefsful efforts of a favoured in
dividual, richly endowed by nature, and
highly improved by cultivation. The Pro
phets, through whofe agency it 'was gra
dually unfolded, were niany in number:
they appear not in general to have been
diftinguiffied by uncommon fuperiority of
sntielleCt ; and , they afffiredly were riot af
fifted by a fortunate dlfpofition of human
affairs. They arofe through fucceffive ge
nerations ; and uttered their predictions
under the' moft violent reverfes of fortune,
and the .moft ftriking variations of foeiety.
Sometimes they were invefted with the
dignity of an exalted , ftation ; fometimes
they. were difplrlted and debafed by an ig
nominious captivity. At one period of
their miniftry they w^^ere the founders of a
kingdom ; at another the^ mourned over
ihe ruins of their fallen country. They werp

SERMON VI.

^53

were not affociated*' into one body, con.-
trouled and direCled by known and efta
bliffied rules. It does not appear, that the
later Prophets were in all cafes even ad-r
mitted to a knowledge of the full inten
tion of thofe who' had preceded them : it
is not evident, that they always compre
hended the whole fcOpe of their own ,pre-
diClloris : and it may with confidence bc
afferted, that in general they were not en
couraged and fopported by the protection
and patronage of the; ftate.
Such agents, confidered as mere unaf-
fi^fted men"^, -we may boldly venture to de-
'' I fpeak of the extraordinary Pi;ophets, who, as I hav«
already had occafion to remark, thpugh fometimes felefted
from the fchools of the Prophets, were not connected in
their miniftry with that inflitution.
' '^ The following yigofous lines, in which Dryden has.
fpoken of the Bc/oks of divine Revelation in general, maj
with peculiar juftnefs be applied to the fpirit of Prophecy
in particular. Which is dlfplayed in. them all :
1 Whence, but from Heaven, could men unflcill'd in arts.
In feveral ages born, in feveral parts, >
' Weave fuch agreeing truths ? or how, or why, i
Should all confpire to cheat us with a lie ?
Unaflc'd their pains, ungrateful their advice,
.Starving tfeeir gain, and martyrdom their price.
^ Religio Laici. clare.

254 ^ S E R M O N VL ,
clare, were . totally incompetent - to aCl in
concert; for purpofes of tranfcendent im-
pbrtance, and t9 produce fuch a wonderful
and .perfect fyftem of Prophecy, as that
which the holy Scriptures exhibit. The
propriety- and beautiful confiftency, which
harmoriize its varied parts,; muft Jiave. beeri
the emanation ¦ of one infpiring Power, the
great Difpofer of all events. To his alL-feeing
mind were .manifeft from, the , beginning ¦
all the various parts of the ftupendous r
fcheme, which, in the progrefs of time,
were fucceffively unfolded to mortal know
ledge. He went on from age to age, a-
midft the rife and fall of empires,.' and the
fluctuations of his human inftruments, in the
regular profecution of one predetermined
and. unaltered plan.* And thus, the com
pofitlons of his Prophets, like all his won
derful productions, exhibit that unity of
, defign, 'and harmony of parts, which it is
equally impious and abffird to reprefent as
the fortunate refult of contingencies, or a
fuccefsful effort of ingenious impofture.

SERMON

SERMON VII.

3 PETER 1. 21.
PROPHECY CAME NOT IN OLD TIME BY THE
WILL OF MAN ; BUT HOLY MEN OP GOD
'spake as THJY WERE MOVED' BY THE
iHOLY QHOST. ' ,
JTEW ffibjeCls are more interefting to the
mind, or require a more intenfe exertion of
its difcrlminatlng powers, than the motives
of human conduCl. Curiofity, perpetually
alive to refearches of this nature, employs
itfelf, where its fphere of a(ftion is confined,
even in fcrutinizing the occurrences of
humble life, which, too infignificant to be
come objects of public enquiry, can only
attract the . notice . or engage the atten
tion of thofe, who are ftrangers to more
im-

256 SERMON VIL
portant tranfaClions. The political obferver,
not bounding his fpeculations within fuch
contracted limits, analyfes with fubtlety
of difcrimlnation the public events, which
are paffing within his view, in order to ex-
' plore the fecret principles. Which aCtuate
courts and councils. The fcholar, extend
ing ftill wider his refearches, and carrying
his imagination back into diftant ages, in-J '
veftlgates the genuine charaCter of an il
luftrious hero, and the real objeCt of a me
morable feci or party^ which were con
cealed under the popular mafk of patriot-^
ifm or piety.
It is reafonable to fuppofe, that this priri-
clple will operate with increafing efficacy,
in proportion as the objeCt of inveftigation
advances in fingularity and importance.
The., Hebrew Prophets exhibit an ap
pearance perhaps the moffi extraordinary,
which occurs in the annals of the hu
man race, A ferie? of individuals, rifing
almoft without interruption through the
moft confiderable part of the national hif
tory, affume a more than mortal charaCler,
determine with equal freedom upon the
copduCl

SERMON VII. 257.
conduct of the humbleft arid the moft ex
alted' members of the community ; and,
laying claim to a miraculous knowledge of
futurity, foretel the revolutions and the cala
mities, not only of their own ftdte, but alfo
of, the moft powerful and flourlffiing em
pires of the world.
An enquiry into the motives, by which
they appear to have 'been aCtuated, is not
merely calculated to gratify a barren curio
fity, but may prove of eminent importance,
and extenfive utility. I ffiall endeavour,
therefore, on the prefent occafion, to demon
ftrate, that there are no motives qf worldly
policy fufficient to render a fatisfaCtory ex
planation of their conduCl, as it is recorded
in the writings of the Old Teftament.
It was fo fingular in its nature, and fo
irrecoricileable with all the known princi
ples of aCtlon among deceivers, that it can
only be juftly accounted for by ad mi .ting
the interpofition of a divine agency, and
the irrefiftible influence of an alriiighty and
over-mling Spirit.
If the fcheme of Jewlffi Prophecy at
s , large

ajS SERMON VII.
large be not of divine origin, it muft have
been tl^e offspring either of impofture or
Enthufiafm. In profecuting our enquiries,
it is abfolutely neceffary to ffiew, that nei
ther of thefe caufes could have operated.
If Prophecy was originally invented, and
afterwards fuccefsfully continued, as an in
ftrument of deception, it muft have been
intended to promote fome human aim.
It muft have been conduCled^ by the Pro
phets with , the defign either of giving
energy to the political views of their coun
trymen, or traiteroufly aiding the enter
prizes of their enemies ; of conciliating
the favour of the fovereign, or acquiring
popularity among the multitude; or finally^
of accumulating riches and advancing their
temporal fortunes. It is fcarcely poffible
to name any other human caufe fuffi
clently weighty to account for their con-
dua. The political impoftor, though he may
throw a veil of impenetrable obfcurlty over
thofe fecret arts, by which religion is made
fubfervient to his views, muft yet unfold, ¦
in the moft explicit terms, the particular defign.

'SERMON VII.

259

I 1

defign, to the profecution of which he
may labour to direCt the public mind.
That muft always be. a clear and ftriking
feature in his compofitlons, notwithftandr
ing the myfteries and ftudled perplexities,
in which all the other parts may be in
volved. Thus the immediate conqueft of
enemies, or the predominance of a favoured
faClion, events, which it was their objeCt
to facilitate, were fimply and boldly de
clared, by the minifters of the Greek and
Roman Oracles, to be the predetermined
will of the divine powers, by whom they
pretended to be infpired. '
Now the Hebrew Prophets rarely dwelt
upon great political events, which ffiould
be favourable to their countrymen ; they
never even alluded to domeftic dlfi'enfions
and civil animofities, except in thofe in
ftances, in which they were occafioned by
idolatry and a fpirit of^ ftubborn dlfobedi
ence to the Lord of heaven and earth.
They never complained of the difrefpeCl of
the people to their fovereign, of their inat
tention to the laws of their country, or of
their refraClory and mutinous fpirit toward
their military leaders in the camp. Their
,s 2 threats

%6o SERMON VII.-
threats were almoft invariably confined to
a fingle, fpecies of guilt, an ungrateful de
parture from the true God, and the confe
quent violation of his commandments.
The Oracles of Heathen antiquity were
artfully employed, on the eve of a battle,
in animating - the courage of the foldiers,
by prediCllrig the defeat of their enemies.
Very differerit was the conduCt of the Pro
phets of God. It was not their principal
objeCt to expatiate upon the tranfaClions,
in which their cotemporarles^wlli be en
gaged. In the inftances, in which they
alluded to approaching events, their Pro-^
phecies, as we have feen in a former
LeClure, were generally in the higheft de
gree unfavourable and alarming. But the
energy of their divine eloquence was moft
frequently and moft powerfully excited in
revealing the occurrences of diftant times,
the remote ruin of enemies, which was to
be accompliftied by agents unconnected'
with the Jewiffi ftate. Now a foreknow
ledge of the diftant fall of a victorious and
irrefiftible enemy, though it might footh'
the anguiffi of defeat, and lighten the
chains of fervitude, could not infpire pre fent

SERMON VII. 261
fent confidence,, or animate to immediate
exertion. While the rifing glory and approaching
profperity of their own nation was the con
ftant theme of the minifters of Heathen
Oracles, the Hebrew Prophets promifed'
to the remote pofterity of their country
men a period of uncommon felicity and
grandeur ; and at the fame time dwelt
with all the warmth and boldnefs of an
eaftern imagination, upon a long interme
diate feafon of ruin, fervitude, and difper
fion, and of debafement and miferies, more
iitter than even extinction and death.
In vain then ffiall we endeavour to aferlbe
to political mt)tives the conduCl of men,
who were in general filent upon' fubjeCls
merely political ; who fpoke rather of the
ultimate deftruClion, than of the approach
ing misfortunes of enemies ; who rarely
pictured fcenes of temporal felicity, of
which the feafon was near, but conftantly
delineated in the moft forcible manner
the fevere calamities, which impended over
their countrymen- s 3 A fyf-

26a SERMON VII.
A fyftem of Prophecy, unfavourable to
the profperity of our own couritry, may
¦not unreafonably be-fufpeCled of an intenr
tion to promote the caufe of our enemies.
If the Jewiffi ' predidioiis portended evil
to the children of Ifrael, they might be in
tended to fecond the efforts of the hoftile
nations, by whom the Ifraelites were fur-r
rounded. This pkufible fuppofition, though
fometimes artfully enforced by the adver
faries of Chriftianity, is contradictory to the
general terior of the moft faithful records
and of faCls, which cannot be difputed.
The facrfed Prophets unlforrnly inveighed,
with the fevereft indignation againft the ido
latrous rites of all Heathen nations : they
leprefented them as juft objeCls of dread and
abhorrence amongft men, and as expofed to
the certain confequences of divine venge
ance. This public avowal of determined
dlfapprobation and ^hoflility, conftantly re
peated, and not qualified by any intermin-
¦ gled expreffions of partial praife or admi-r
ration, cannot be reconciled with any pof
fible fyftem of political hypocri/y, or of
friendffiip. concealed by the refinements of
aft. 'Again,

SERMON VII. a63
Again, they frequently revealed the will
of the Almighty, in which he purpofed to
effect, when the appointed time ffiould ar
rive, the final ruin of all the enemies of
the Jewiffi people. There was fcarcely a
kingdom conneCted -with Ifrael or Judah, of
which the defiilation was not forcibly de
picted by the holy Prophets. And where
is tl\e man, who, traitor to his native coun
try, could hope to favour the fucceffes of
its enemies, by declaring their irremediable
ruin, as determined in the counfels of the
Moft High, and as certain to be executed
under his avenging hand } Though the
Prophets, therefore, in numerous inftances,
foretold to the Jewiffi people the miferies,
to which they were about to be expofed
from the victorious arms of the ffirrounding
kingdoms ; yet they cannot juftly be charged
with betraying the interefts of their coun
try. Independently of the exaCl accor
dance of fuch a fpecies of predictions with
one principal objeCl of their miffion, the
frequency and energy, with which they
denounced the inevitable deftruClion of
thofe very kingdoms, fupply them with
the moft ample means, of exculpation in
the judgment of all fobqr and impartial
s 4 enquirers.

264 SER MO N VIL
enquirers*. . , . Though this accufation- ' has
-often been preferred by our adverfaries, I
am not aware, that they have ferioufly en
deavoured to fubftantiate it by examples,
except in the fingle inftance of the cbnduCl.
of Jeremiah at the approach of the Babylo
nian army^. From the numerous examples
of fuch a fpecies of predictions recorded in
the facred Volume, only one has been fe
leCled, in which the attending circumftances
allow the daring and licentious Infidel of
modern times even plaufibly to ffipport his
charge, The barrennefs of the proofs muft
, ffirely be admitted as an Inconteftable evi
dence of the weaknefs of the caufe.
The favour of the monarch and the no
bles, is "frequently folicited with earneftnefs
by the ambitious and enterprizing mem
bers of the community. ' The efforts . of
genius have been often direCled to .this
end. By conciliating fuch efteem, either
vanity may be gratified, or intereft pro
moted. But hy the predictions conta,lned
in the facred Volume no objeCt qf this na
ture could poffibly be attained. The Pro-
* Jeremiah "^xxivi. - phets

S,E R M O N- VII. 265
phets uniformly arraigned with intrepid
boldnefs the immoralities or impiety of
the fovereign, and predicted the awful
puniffiments, which awaited fuch crimes.
They expofed themfelves in general to
thofe expreffions of bitter and Inveterate
hatred, with which the fon of Imlah was
received by the ' impious Ahab '', whofe re-~
fentment was avowedly excited by the ha
bitual oppofition, which he had experienced
in his guilty career from the intrepid mi
nifter of Heaven. They affumed an au
thority fuperior tO' all earthly: power. With
-a loftinefsr of conception, which mere hu
man ability never yet has reached, they
dwelt upon the inftablllty and emptinefs
even of the higheft ftate of temporal gran
deur and dominion, in comparifon with
the inexpreffible majefty of the Lord of
heaven and earth. They, approached the
facred perfon of the Prince with a freedom
of manner, and manlinefs of addrefs, which
are rarely exhibited in palaces, and muft
have .heen peculiarly abhorrent from the
baughty magnificence and fulfome adora-
'' I Kings xxii. 8,, tion,

S.6& S E R' M O N Vlf.
tion, by whlcfe the dignity of eaftern nm-
narchs is upholden.
' That national profperity may be ad
vanced, and national calamity averted,- by
the ability of the fovrareign, is a principle
of flattery, which often prevails among
fubjeCls, and is fOndly cheriffied by the
ruleps'. But what hopes of princely favour
or protection could reafonably be indulged
by men, who conftantly reproached their
countrymen for their confidence in a mor
tal arm, and piiblicly predicted the ruin of
imperial cities and extenfive empires, un
lefs averted by general repentance, and by
the reliance of both prince and people
upon the only true God ^ "^
Even thofe few Prophecies, which may
appear to have flattered the wl,ffies of
the monarch, were generally embittered.
by other lefs grateful communications.
Though the forfeited life of David was
fpared in confequence of his fincere re
pentance, yet the death of his child was
denounced by the Prophet. In like man
ner, when Ifaiah was commiffioned to
^v footh

SERMON VII. 267
footh the mind of Ahaz, by divine affur-
ances of fecurity, during the approaching
invafion of Syria and Ephraim, he fad-
dened the welcome intelligence by predict
ing the miferies" of his fubjeCls at a future
period, in which they ffiould be borne iri
.captivity tq the diftant banks of the Eu
phrates. tie, who cenfures the fovereign, may
wiffi to become the favourite of the peo
ple. To degrade by difrefpeCl, or abufe
the higher orders of the community, is not
unfrequently an eafy path to popular dif-
tinClion and applaufe. But the Prophets
of Ifrael were not pflamed with fuch de
praved ambition.^ Their predictions were
in general equally offenfive to all orders of
the ftate. To flatter the wiffies of the
multitude, to indulge them in their pre
judices, to re-echo their fentiments, and to
facrifice even truth and virtue to their ca
price and vicious inclinations, has been the
uniform praClice of faCllous demagogues.
The great Athenian Orator moft vigoroufly
and fuccefsfully expofed thefe unmanly ar
tifices, when he warned his countrymen
againft the. fpeclous declainiers, who, p—i-
tituted

a6S SERMON VII.
tltuted 'the nobleft effufions of genius to
purpofes qf flattery and deceit. It was in
a ftrain of captivating but infidious elo
quence, that the falfe prophets of Ifrael
addreffed themfelves to the evil paffions of
their hearers, and foothed their imagina
tions with pleafing but fanciful piClures of
profperity ; gave them affurances of peace,
when the banners of the enemy were un
furled; and promifed ferenity and funffiine,
when the fky was already darkened by
the clouds, and agitated by the whirl
wind. V
How different waS' the charaCter of the
, real Prophets ! Though peace and fecurity
were the ardent hope and fondeft wiffi of
their countrymen ; yet to their cotempO-
raries and their Immediate fucceffors, they
genera.lly-prediCted fevere calamities, and.
fometimes even inevitable ruin. The roll
of the Prophet was written within and
without, with lamentation, and mourning,
and woe. The forrows of defeat were em-
'-blttered by anticipatlcJn-; and flavery ap
peared with aggravated horrors in the my f-
tic vifions of futurity. With

SERMON VII. 269
With equal freedom they declared them
felves the irreconclleable enemies of ido
latry. They reprefented It as an Impious
provocation of divine vengeance, degrading
to the dignity both bf the creature and the
Creator. Yet the propenfity of the Jews
to idolatry was unconquerable. It was in
dulged in oppofition to the declared will
of God, and with a fearlefs defiance of
his almighty power, even while they yet
ftrongly retained in their memory Innu
merable inftances of his miraculous aCts
both of mercy and of vengeance. It was
indulged, while his fword was yet uplifted
in their caufe, and while the air was ftill
tainted with the peftllence, which their
former idolatries had provoked him to fend.
Yet notwithftanding the univerfal preva
lence of this crime, the Prophets, neither
publicly favouring, nor filently negleCling
it, boldly held it forth as the conftant ob
jeCt of their enmity. In their folernn ad-
¦ dreffes to the'people, they inveighed againft
them as loaded with, this particular fpecies
of Iniquity, as degraded by fuperftltion the
darkeft of errors, and blackened by ingra
titude the bafeft of crimes. All the moft
loathfome and terrible images of nature , were

270 SERMON VII.
were feleCled, as refemblances both of tneir
fin and their puniffiment. It is not fur
prifing, that a race of Prophets, proceeding
thus in determined oppofition to the inve
terate propenfities of the multitude, far.
from attracting reverence or conciliating af
feClion, ffiould be conftantly expofed to re
lentlefs perfecutions, to mockery, to infult,
and to death ; the objeCls of common ma
lice and common deteftation ; condemned
by the rulers, and yet unpitied by the peo
ple <=. t
The candid enquirer will combat equal
difficulties, if he endeavours to aferlbe the
conduCl of the Prophets to the bafe defire
of pecuniary advantages. It is by no means

•^ Even the Infidel allows, that the Prophets of the Jew-
ifti people were expofed to the fevereft hardfliips. , Alluding
to thefe hardfliips, the Letters' of certain Jews to M. de Vol
taire contain the following fentence : " Even according to
you (viz. Voltaire) moft of thefe holy men reaped nothing
from their labours, but the hatred of kings and the con
tempt of nations, perfecutlon, exile, death. Vol. i. p. 598.
So general, indeed, and indubitable were the hardfliips
endured by the, Prophets, that they have been chofen by a
modern Infidel, as one of the faireft fubjefts for tjie indul
gence of fcurrilous derifion and low buffoonery. (See Phi
lofophy of Hiftory.) ^ probable.

SERMON VII. 27*
probable, that a fucceffion of impoftors
ffiould have continued their arts througk
fo many ages' without deteCllon. Had the
accumulation of wealth been the principal
aim, to which their endeavours had been
diiaeCled, who can believe, that we ffiould
difcover among them thofe exalted per
fonages, who were of all men the leaft likely
to be allured by fuch unworthy and trifling
emoluments ? It cannot be fuppofed, that,
under fuch circumftances, we ffiould find
in the number of the Prophets, Daniel, the
favoured minifter of the Baoylonian mo
narch, Ifaiah, diftinguiffied by a noble and
perhaps d royal birth, and David, the power
ful and profperous fovereign of Ifrael. •
Again', Prophecy was exerted with more
than common fpirit in feafons of penury
and diftrefs ; when little profit could rea
fonably be expeCted from hearers, who
either languiffied In captivity abroad, or
were plundered and impoverlffied by a vic
torious enemy at home.
The general fubjeCls of their predi<Sions
are proofs of their integrity. The com
munications, which, in the awful name of
'God,

272 S E R M O N VII.
God, they ufually made to the moft ex
alted charaClers in the community, were, as
I have already had occafion to remark, ge
nerally unpleafing and fometirnes' even tre
mendous. Thefe were furely not the
means beft adapted' to infpire gratitude
or fecure reward. Flattering promifes and
pleafing pictures of the future would, on
fuch occafions, have been held forth by
impoftors. " Come and curfe me this
people," faid the king of the Moabites to
Balaam, " and I will promote thee unto
very great honour, and I will do what-
foever thou fayeft unto me." Thefe were
the offices, for which the rulers of king
doms and the leaders of armies were wil
ling to recompenfe the mercenary prieft,
to load him with riches, and to inveft him
with honours. But the Prophets of Ifrael,
in general, like the reluClant Balaam on
this occafion, were unwelcome meffengers
to their kings, and confined their predic
tions to ffibjeCts of calamity and difgrace.
Had their efforts been direCled to- the
accumulation of wealth, they would either,
like the Heathen priefts, have enjoiried
their votaries to approach them with rich and

SERMON VIL 273
and fplendid offerings', or, like the authors
and fupporters of Papal corruptions, have
reprefented the protection and favour of
Heaven as abundantly indulged to thofe,
who .ffiould exCrt their charity in-the fer-
vlce of God and his minifters. But ex
cept in thofe fignal inftances, where their
rank entitled them to opulence and dlftlnc-
tlon, poverty and folltude, voluntarjr nior-
tifications, and a contempt of worldly pomp
and pleafureSj appear to have almoft uni
formly marked thefe holy men of God;
Far from coveting riches, or feeking the
means of voluptuoufnefs, they were gene
rally influenced by the fame meek fpirit
with him, who was fed by the birds of
Heaven at the foiitary brook of Cherith,
and who ate his humble but miraculous
meal with the pious widow, of Sarepta^
To thefe obfervations it may be added^
that in almoft every age of the Jewiffi hif
tory, a compliance with the unconquera
ble propenfity of the people, in cultivating
the fraudulent rites of Heathen fuperftl
tion, would have opened the falreft prof
peCt of ample and immediate wealth; And
had the Prophets been aCtuated by worldly
T motives.

2H SERMON VII.'
motives, had they not felt the influence of
an infpiring and over-ruling Power, they
would have accommodated, their religious
principles to their temporal interefts, would
have fled from the temple, when it was
deferted by the people, and would have
uttered their predictions with equal in
difference at the altars of Moloch, or in
the fanCtuary of Jehovah.
Having endeavoured to ffiew the abfo
lute unreafonablenefs of afcribing to im
pofture the conduCl of the Hebrew Pro
phets, I ffiall proceed to examine, whether
it was not equally remote from the phrenzy
of enthufiafm.
In entering upon this difcuffion, it may
be ufeful to recolleCt, that there is a wide
dlftlnClion between zeal and fanaticlfm.
The former was boldly and unremittingly
exerted by the Prophets of Ifrael. , The
divine charaCler, which they affumed, ab
folutely required this exertion, and could not
other,wife be fupported. They declared,
that they were commiffioned in a folemn
and moft, wonderful manner, during the
courfe of an extraordinary interpofition, by
the

S E R M O N VII. 275
the almighty Ruler of the univerfe. It
may reafonably be fuppofed, that men,"
who came forth in fo divine a charaCter,
would difplay the mOft ardent zeal, and
adhere with unffiaken fidelity to their God,
notwithftanding the general prevalence of
idolatry, or even the univerfal apoftafy of
the people.
With this zeal the Prophets of Ifrael
were conftantly animated. But let not its
holy fervour be miftaken for the wild and
lawlefs emotions of fanaticlfm. The caufe,
in which it was exerted, was dlreClly op-
pofed to that, in which fanatics are uffial-
ly engaged. They are accuftomed to be
roufed and inflamed into aCtion by unuffial
convulfions of the ftate, or by fudden
changes in government and religion. But
the facred Prophets, far from favouring a
fpirit of turbulence, or yielding to the al-
lurerrients of novelty, were chiefly animated
by the defire of perpetuating the venerable
manlfeftatlons of the Deity, which had
been made in remote antiquity, of ftrength-^
enlng the attachment of the people to that
God, whom their fathers had worffiipped,
of preferving entire the religious eftabliffi-
' T 2 ment.

276 .SERMON VII.
ment, which had defcended to them from
their anceftors; and of fecuring the con
tinuance of a theology, which, having pre
vailed through a long fucceffion of ages,
was perpetually endangered by the fickle-
nefs natural to the multitude, and by the
pernicious examples of the furrounding na
tions. The conduct of the Prophets was not
marked by the wild extravagancies, which
are ufually the offspring of fanaticlfm.
They inflamed not their hearers to bol,d
and ambitioustenterprizes ; nor kindled the
heated imaginations, of" a faCtion ; nor fired
the imfpetuous fury of the multitude to
fudden violence and outrage.
The length of time, through which they
flouriffied, is an additional proof of juft and
properly direCled zeal. The vifibnary is
foon^confiimed in his own fire. The flame
is too; iritenfe for long continuance. The
phrenzy either exhaufts his ftrength, or
gives birtji to extravagancies, which .dif
grace and ruin his caufe. Thus the fpirit
pf licentious enthufiafm, which prevailed
in Germany at the period of the refo;rma- tion.

SERMON VII. 277
tion, arofe and died away within the compafs
of a few years. But the Prophets of Jehovah
continued their predictions, with few in
terruptions, through many fucceffive gene
rations. The prophetic mantle was deli
vered down in a kind of hereditary de
fcent. The light of infpiration, like the great
luminary of day, ffione forth from age to
age, without exhaufting its power, or do
ing injury by its heat.
The uniformity of principles among the
Prophets is equally ftriking with the cir
cumftance of their long continuance. Fa-
naticifrn could not thus proceed in an even
and uniform tenor, and upon one uninter
rupted plan. Its direction would have va
ried with the fluctuations of public opi
nion : its fentiments would have been
changed in compliance with the caprice or
phrenzy of its feveral votaries. But the
Prophets, arifing in lOng fucceffion, never
deviated, as Ihave already more fully de
fcribed in a former LeClure, from one
comprehenfive fyftem, fublime in its na
ture, .complex in its parts, and fingularly
difficult to be unfolded. They laboured
without ceffation from century to century
T $ tQ/

278 SERMON VIL
to refift the idolatrous prbpenfities of their
countrymen, to recommend the pure and
fimple worffiip of Jehovah, to open the
fcenes of futurity with a clearnefs gra
dually increafing, and to develope one con
nected and harmonious feheme of, revela
tion, defcending through all time, and
connected with all nations.
Even the exalted fituation of fome of
the Prophets may juftly fecure them from
the charge of faiiaticifm. The high of
fices, with which they were fometimes in
vefted, ought to place them far above the
fufpicion of a vifionary fpirit of wildnefs.
Religious hypocrify has often been artfully
adopted by fuccefsful innovators, and by
bold and ambitious leaders. But religious
fanaticlfm owes its birth to a weak and
precipitate temper of mind, which is pecu
liarly urifavourable to the ffibtle and ar
duous defigns of ambition. All ages have.
abounded with religious fanatics. But
where can one be found,, who, exalted. like
David from the ffieep-fold, filled, through
numerous years, the throne of. a large and
profperous kingdom, and left it as an in
heritance to his children ; or who,^ emerg ing.

SERMON VIL 279
ing, like Daniel, from a ftat^ of ignomini
ous captivity, direCled through a long life,
and under fucceffive monarchs, the admi
niftration of the greateft empire of the
world ? ,
If then the Books of the Prophets did
not owe their birth either to impofture or
fanaticlfm, they could only be delivered
under the influence of Divine irifpiration.
This is the high and, holy charaCter, to
which they uniformly affert a claim. Lpt
us therefore finally examine, whether the
general complexion of their writings ap
pears to fanClion and confirm ffich preten
fions. An affeClion or ftrong propenfity of the
mind, which is cheriffied during a long
period, and permitted to govern our fenti
ments and aClions, cannot be indulged in
fecrecy, cannot be concealed from public
obfervation. It will be unintentionally ma
nifefted on a thoufand trifling occafions.
It will imperceptibly intermingle itfelf with
actions, with which it is not neceffarily
connected, and give a tinge even to our
remoteft thoughts and expreffions. Thus
T 4 when

280 SERMON VIL
when the mind is depreffed by misfortunes,
and overcaft with, gloom and defpondence j
or, when enlivened by hope, it indulges
the failles of joy and romantic expectation;
in either cafe, it imparts the charaCter of
the particular feeling to the general tenor
of our fentiments, and gives a diftinguiffiing
colour to our intercourfe with foeiety.
Our profeffional employments, in propor
tion to the zeal with which they are pror
fecuted, determine , in a confiderable de
gree the diftinguifeing charaCter and ge
neral complexion of the mind- Into hif
torlcal and poetical compofitlons the fen^
timents of the writer both political and
religious imperceptibly Infinuate themfelves,
and beftow a peculiar eaft on the body of
the wo'rk. Though the real defign of the
poet may be pleafingly veiled under a fable
or an allegory, yet it breaks forth on fo
ihany occafions in the courfe of the narra
tive, that It cannot efcape the notice even of
the moft carelefs and fuperficial obferver.
From thefe obfervations, it appears al
moft impoffible, but that the principal ob
jeCt intended in any long feries of writings,
pr zealous order of men, muft of neceffitv be

S E R M O N VIL 28r
be clearly expofed to the notice of the ' Ac
curate and unprejudiced enquirer. In . di
recting our attention to the Hebrew Pro
phets, for the purpofe of arriving at a
knowledge of their real aim, we dlfeover,
that to fupport the honour of the true
God, and the authority of his revealed Re
ligion, was the fole defign, which they ei
ther openly avowed, or feemed in any way
\o favour. VV^hile we ate totally unable to
reconcile their conduCt with the views
either of impoftors or enthufiafts, this prin
ciple may eafily be ffiewn to have been con
ftantly and unremittingly purfued through
every period of their long and extraordi
nary hiftory. It was always aCtlve, always
kept in view. Like the fpirit of life, which
moves even the minuteft particles qf our
frame, it pervaded and animated the whole
fcheme of their Revelation. The nobleft
feelings of the foul were awakened by its
influence. It dlfplayed Itfelf fometimes in
the loftieft conceptions of the Deity, fore
times in the fevere inveCtlve of honeft indig
nation, fometimes with a manly, force of ar-r
gument, and fometimes with the tender per-
ffiafions of pity, of gratitude, and of love.
The-hvpocrlte will occafionally betray him felf

28s SERMON VIL
felf through inadvertence ; the moft cautious
will fometimes leave himfelf unguarded : he,
who poffeffes the objeCt defired, amidft the
triumph of the acquifitlon, may heedlefsly or
from oftentation dlfeover the artifice, which
he has previoufly employed: he, who repofes
in fancied fecurity, may nb longer be anx
ious to conceal the means, which facili
tated his fuccefs. But never did the Pro-'
phets of Ifrael betray any private or tem
poral aim, or deviate, even in a fingle in
ftance, from the pure and ffiblime objeCl,
which they avowedly laboured to attaih.
In wealth and in poverty, in triumph and
in defeat, when feated like David upon a
throne, or like Amos tending the herds,
they invariably declared themfelves to be
employed as the minifters of Jehovah in
revealing his will to mankind. <

SERMON

SERMON Vni.

EZEKIEL ii. 4, 5.
I DO SEND THEE UNTO THEM; AND THOTT
SHALT SAY UNTO THEM, THUS SAITH
THE LORD GOD.
<
AND THEY, WHETHER THEY WILL HEAR,
OR WHETHER THEY WILL FORBEAR, (pOR.,
THEY ARE A REBELLIOUS HOUSE,) YET'
SHALL KNOW, THAT THERE HATH BEEN
A PROPHET AMONG THEM.
X HE early agCs of nations have been uni
formly diftinguiffied by the popular befief
of a fupernatural gift of Prophecy. A fup
pofed acquaintance with futurity gratifies
the curiofity of man, and is peculiarly cal
culated to delight and overpower his ima
gination. He is naturally anxious with
refpeCt • to the probable events of futuretimes.

284 SERMON VIIL
times, the confideration of which awakens
fome of his ftrongeft paffions. The more
deeply he expeCts to be interefted in them,
the more powerfully he feels the alternate
afcendancy of hope and of fear. Which
fuch a prefcience is calculated to excite,
Aftoniffied at effeCls, of which, from the
feeblenefs of his intellectual powers, he is
unable to affign the caufe, and alarmed at
appearances, the confequences of which lie
out of the reach of his penetration, he re
curs for affiftance to the revelations of fu
perior beings, and receives with reverence
whatever he fuppofes them to difclofe.
Not yet enlightened by fcience and civili
sation, he is qn^ible to exarnine and deteCl
the grofs fallacies of the pretended Pro
phet, in whom he creduloufly repofes con
fidence : while the gloomy fuperftltion,
which at fuch an early ftage of foeiety
univerfally prevails, enforces upon him a
blind and unfufpeCting , affent. From the'
influence of thefe caufes, the belief of a
fpirit of Prophecy has always exifted in, the
infant ftate of foeiety, whether we examine
the records of the favage and gloomy
hordes of the North, or the milder and
piore fimple condition of primitive man ners

SERMON VIIL aS^
ners in the Eaft ; or attend to the inftinCt'-
Ive fuggeftions of nature as manifefted in
the inhabitants of the weftern hemifphere.
Even civilization, when arrived at its
nioft perfect ftate, and intellectual im
provement, when advanced to its utmoft
height, are unable completely to, difpel the
illufion. They may temper its groffnefs
and veil its abfurditles : they may par
tially weaken its Influence and deprive it
of fome of its moft illuftrious votaries;
but, unlefs affifted .by the authority of the
Chfift|an Religion, they can neither eradi
cate it from the minds of the ignorant and
fuperftitions multitude, nor wreft it from
the hands of the politician, who employs
it as a powerful engine of government, and-
an ufeful inftrument of arbbitlon.'
Let not the Believer, however, be dlf-
cou'raged, nor the Infidel prefumptuoufly
hope to triumph, becaufe. the numerous
fuperftitions ;of the world; equally w^ith our
holy Religion, lay claim to a fpirit of Pro
phecy. The pretenfions of Chriftianity to
this decifive proof of a fupernatural inter
pofition are fupported by evidence totally unat-

5t86 SERMON VIIL
unattainable by impoftors. In every point
of view, in which we contemplate the
Prophets of truth, the divine nature of
their miffion moft clearly and forcibly ap
pears. -Even from the detail of minute
circumftances,; conneCled with their holy
office, additional arguments may be de
rived, by which our confidence in revela
tion may be Invigorated and confirmed.
On a fubjeCl fo awful and momentous
as that of a miraculous communication be
tween the great Creator and his hunnble
Creatures, by the agency of infpired miriif-
ters, it may without preffimptlon be ex
peCled, that all the circumftances relative
to the OPENING and final close of fo
wonderful an intercourfe, together with
the means employed and the object in
tended, ffiould be in rio refpeCt unworthy
of the high and. holy charaCter implicated in
fuch confideration. It is my intention,
therefore, on the prefent occafion, to invef
tigate the particular parts of the fubjeCl, to
which I hate juft alluded, for the purpofe
of di-icovering farther evidence in favour of
the infpiration of the Prophets.

SERMON VIIL 287
A teftimony fingularly ftriking, in proof
of the divine origin of facred Prophecy,
appears at the opening of the wonderful
fcheme. In tracing back the hiftory of Re-
veljation, it is reafonable to expeCl, that when
we have arrived at the moment of its com
mencement, it will appear in its native
purity, unffilKed by mortal corruptions. As
the river flows with increafing clearnefs,
when we afcend towards the fountain : fo
religion, it may juftly • be fuppofed, will
bear the moft manifeft marks of divinity,
when W'e have reached the aufpiclous pe
riod, in which ffie firft defcended from
Heaven. If we explore the early ftate of Pagan
Ofacles, we ffiall find, that they ffirink
from the application of this juft and rea
fonable teft. Though the Chriftian be
lieves, that they originated in a corrup
tion of the traditions refpeCling the . real
revelations of the Almighty, yet fo humi
liating and bafe were the circumftances at
tending their firft inftltution, according to
the accounts of the, idolatrous nations, in
which they were either invented or pre
ferved, that the fimple recital of them will
fcarcely

a88 SERMON VII-L
fcarcely become the ferioufnefs and fo-*
lemnlty of the place, in which we are af->
fembled. They were fuppofed t© be in
fpired by deceafed mortals. No caufey
worthy of a divine interpofition, and, pe
culiarly operating at that particular mo
ment, is affigned for their comniencementw
Even the moft celebrated Oracles of anti
quity arofe upqn occafions the moft unim
portant and puerile, which the imagina
tion can conceive. They were the dif
grace of rational mart. And they exhibit
a ftriking inftance of the low ftate of de
gradation, into which the Almighty per
mits his creatures to fink, when th^y have
departed from the knowledge of his re
vealed will, and proftltuted their reafon in
the fervice of fuperftltion.
How^ awful and fublime was the fceneji
with which the Chriftian Revelation opened^!
It proceeded from the one God, pure, fpi-^
ritual, and invifible, the maker and the pre
ferver of worlds, the high and mighty One>
who is from everlafting. It began in the
infancy of nature, with the firft inhabi
tants" of the earth, from vvhom have been
derived all the nations of the , globe. It
was

SERMON VIIL V 28^
was oCcafioffed by clrcumftarices the moft
inteteftlrig dnd awful,' whfeh a reafonable
being cari coritemplate ; the fall of a new
race of creatures' by fin, and the, benevolent
iritisritibn of the Creator to reftore them tq
life and immortaKtyl'
From the origin of Prophecy, let us di
rect bur attention to its final clofe. When.-
the divine infpiration of the real Prophets
had Ceafed, the Pagan Oracles rio longer
Uttered' their predictions. Yet rio caufe,' in-
deperiderit of Chriftianity, and arifing from
their own nature folely, can be affigned
either for their ceflation or their continued
filence. No important end had been at
tained, by the accompliffiment of which
their future operation was reridered unrie-
ceffary. The fame circumftances, which
had fo long occafioned their delufive reign,'
feemed to require their uninterrupted con-
tiriuance through all fucceeding ages. The
imjJoffibility of affigriing a feady'and ade
quate reafon for the entire departure of the
prophetic fpirit, may be juftly inferred from
the futile and fanciful conjeClures, by which
the wondering Heathen attempted to exr
plain^ its ceffation. The Poet and ;the
u. Prieft

apo SERMON Vi;^.!
Prieft excited a j^pular. belief that the in
fpiring Deity ha^ yielded to mortality, and
was no longer numbered among t^e Gods.
While the grave and iriquifitiye philofo-
piier% with a credulity fc^cely lefs culpa
ble, declared, that the exhalations. :and va-
pours, which' had been the inftruments of
infpiring the prophetic phrenzy *?, had ¦ at
length, from continued ,ufe,~' exhaufted their
virtues ; and that, hence, the difappointed
votary flept in vain upon the bank, which'
was confecrated to the Deity, or drank of
the ftream, by which he hoped to be in
fpired. I
The real caufe of this extraordinary
event, the Pagan was either unable to dif
cern, or .unwilling to apknowledge. As
the Heathen Oracles ori^nated in the per
verfion of true religion, fo their final de
parture was occafioned by its wide and
glorious dlffufion. When Chriftianity be
gan to prevail, the evil fpirits, who had
* Plut. lib. de defefli. Orac. Julian. ?ipnd Cyrilluin. 1. vr.
'• Even Ariftotle and Pliny the Elder fuppoled, that cer-
taiq-exfaalations from the earth occafioned the phrenzy, in
wHieh the Oracles, called Natural, were delivered Ariflot.
iiin. de Muadp c. iv, p. ii. Plinius. 1. ii. Nat. Hift. c. Xcii,
pro-

SERMON VIIL 291
probably on fome occafions affifted, though
in a fimited manner, the artifices of hu
man impofture, were no longer permitted
to exercife their malignant power. Their
authority gradually declined j a^d the frauds
to which. :they had given countenance at
length were fully terminated.
When the pretended fpirit of Prophecy had
departed, no veftige of the Oracles rem ained^
which regarded fficceeding times. The pre
dictions had no reference to futurity, and dif
tant generations were totally unlnterefted
in their effufions. When the temples were ,
clofed, and the priefts had deferted their
caves, their influence among mankind, fi
nally ceafed; and they have been of no
more confequence to pofterity, than the
memory of the multitudes, whom- they had
deceived, and the ravages, which they had
impioufly fanCtioned. Such has uniformly
been the fate of deception. The volumes
of the Sibyl, which, during the ages of the
Roman republic, were fo often apparently
eonfulted for the purpofe of deluding the
ignorant populace ; when the temporary
purpofes, which they favoiired, had been
obtained, were difregarded and foon con-
u 2 figned

3^2 SERMON Vlll;
figned to obliyien. In the fame manner,
the Sibylline verfes, invented during the
early progrefs of Chriftianity, -were unable,
to endure the fcrutiny of liberal and un
prejudiced enquirers, - and have generally
been condemned as a contrivance of im
pofture, by all fucceeding ages. v v
The fate of the Heathen Oracles, in later
times has been not unworthy of their caufe..
Among the great mafs of mankind they
have, ffink into entire oblivion. By philo
fophers they hava been regarded as decep
tions, and have beeri treated fometimes
with contempt, and, fometimes with de
ferved negleCt. Their myfterious rites, ex
plored by the claffical. fcholar, and inqulfi
tive antiquary, have been exhibited as- ob-.
jeCls of pleafing though, barren curiofity ;
and fometimes 'they_have been brought
forward by the theologian as a fecondary
argument in favour. of real infpiration, the
authority of which is ftrengthened by a ju
dicious and caridid comparifon with t^e
moft. celebrated and fuccefsful fyftems of
prophetic impofture.
The gift, of Prophecy, wliich, through a
long

SERMON VIIL 293
long revolution of ages, had gradually pre
pared the way f6r Chriftianity, was with
drawn foon after its promulgation, becaufe
the grand objeCt was accompliffied, for
which it had been originally imparted.
The roll of facred Prophecy had been dif
clofed for the purpofe of becoming an in
ftrument of the divine government among
a chofen people, and of affording a- mlra-
<rulous teftimony to. the charaCler and doc
trines of the divine Founder of our holy
Religion. When the Jewiffi 'polity was
dlffolved, and when the Saviour of man
kind had concluded his benevolent work,
and the^. Gofpel was triumphant over the
world, the fpirit y)f infpiration for ever dif
appeared, Far from being oppofed in its
farther progrefs, like the Pagan Oracles, by
the over-ruling influence of a fuperior
Deity, or an hoftile religion, it clofed its^
career at a moment peculiarly favourable
to its farther exertions. That particular
Revelation, to the^ truth of which it had
borne the moft decifive and unqueftlon-
able evidence, was beginning, to poffefs an
unbounded Influence among mankind, and
was fconfequently enabled to afford an ad
ditional fanClion to its divine ^pretenfions.
u 3, . While

394 SERMON VIIL
While the condition, of the Jewlffi people,
to whom the communications of the divine ^
fpi,rit had been almoft ejiclufively imparted,
feemed at that important aera more efpe
cially to require the comfort arid affurances^
of divine Prophecy. " They, were about to
be expofed to the moft tremendous cala
mities, to civil dlffentlons, and a foreigiS
invafion, to the miferies of a fiege, the de
ftruClion of their city, the diffolution of
their civil polity, and a long difperfion of
their tribes. It Is amidft thefe awful fcenes
of national diftrefs, that pretenders to di
vine infpiration moft commonly arife. And >
Jet it not be forgotten, that in feafons of
fimilar calamity and defpondence in paft
ages, the communications of the Prophets '
had been moft frequently and moft earn
eftly Imparted to the people of Iffael. Had
facred Prophecy, therefore, been a mere
human artifice, the ftrongeft reafons feemed
not only to favour, but imperioufly to de
mand, its longer continuance. It was,
however, withdrawn, becaufe the fublime
fcheme was completed, for the due unfold
ing of which It had originally been dlf^
played. The effeCl ceafed, v^en the caufe
no longer operated. ¦ ^ ¦
But

SERMON VIJL 495
But though numerous ages have elapfed
fince the Prophets terminated their labours,
yet their writings engage the curiofity, and
are conneCled with the deareft interefts and
moft exalted hopes of the prefent inhabi
tants of the earth. Time, the great foe of
impofture, has confirmed many of their more
remote predictions, and thus has a\]gment-
ed the general force of the evidence, which
they afford. The generation now living,
though in circumftances m fome refpeCls
different, is no lefs interefted in them, than
was the favoured people, to whoni they
were origirially fent. The general eharac-
teriftics, and the diftinguiffiing peculiari
ties of fome of the moft remarkable na
tions, at prefent exifting in the world, were
d[efcribed by the ancient Prophets witlj al
moft the fame accuracy, with which they
may now be traced by the eye of the be
holder. The Chriftian, indeed, preferves with
the moft vigilant attention thofe precious
and holy remains, upon the credit of which,
in addition to other inconteftible evidences,
he has enlifted under the banners of a fpi-
ritiial Redeemer, and cheriffied the fure
u 4 , and

296 . SERMON VIIL
and certain hope of- a refurreClion to etpr-
^ nal life. - i ., •¦ ¦ .
fjehce the veperation, with which thefe
Oracles haye been received among man^
kind, has been worthy of their importance
and their truth. When' the difpenfation
was terrnlnated, during the progrefs of
which they had bgen gradually delivered,
they were carried forth from the contracted
llrnlts of Judea, and propofed to the world
at large Iri an age, pecullary diftinguiffied
by liberality of- fentiment, juftnefs of crlti-
clfm, and phllofophical feverity of Invefti
gation. Yet among the numerous nations
of the earth, united for the firft tlrne by
, one connecting government, in the com
mon exerplfe of reafori and of tafle, they
forced their way to general notice, and
were at length received with univerfal . af
fent by the whole civilized part of mankind.
At a la.ter ^ra, upon the revival of learn
ing, after lying for centuriesj together with
genuine Chrlfllanlty, In the graVe of igno
rance, and -darknefs, they, came forth in
their original purity, and excited! the irh-
medlate attention of tlje theological fcho-
'¦. ' ". ' '' "¦ "' ,lar..

SERMON VIIL 297
lar. During the three laft centuries, which
have ; been , marked by peculiar accuracy
and, freedom of refearch,, they have been
fubinitted to the exarnination of numerous
enquirers, unconnected with the facred mi'
niftry, and unlnterefted in the fecular emo--
lumerits of religion ; whofe names no fcho
lar can pronounce v/ithout enthufiafm, and
no Chriftian can hear without ve-neration.
They have not only endured the fevere
fcrutiny of thefe eminent and Impartial
crlt'cs ; but even acquired additional im
portance and authority from their unqua-
llfjed approbation and unffiaken belief.
So juft, indeed, and forcible are the
claims of the facred Prophecies to univer
fal belief, that even the Jewiffi people, to
vvhom they were originally addreffed, ilill
continue to contemplate thepi with un-
dimlniffied veneration. Though they have
exifted through many centuries, fufferlng
the moft tremendous InfiiCllons of Almighty
vengeance in confequence of their ftubborn
rejedion of t|ie' Chriftian Religion, the di
vine nature of which has been maintained in
pppofitlpn to their incredulity partly upon
the ^.uthority of thefe very Prophecies ; yet
. - ¦ they

298 ' SERMON VIIL
they firmly perfevere in regarding them as
the produClions^ of the omnifcient God, and
expeCl their full accompliffiment in future
according to their own erroneous interpre
tations. ,
The advantages, which, refult from an
intimate knowledge of the circumftances
connected with the opening and final clofe
of the great fcheme of Prophecy, will be
confiderably heightened by the farther pro
fecution of our enquiries. The means,
which the Prophets employed, and the end,
which they uniformly purfued, when clear
ly and fully underftood, become peculiarly
inftrumental in appreciating their veracity.
The more exalted is the office affumed,
the more ftriking are the charaCterlftics ex
peCled. Thofe, who prefent themfelves to
the notice of mankind, as niinlftera em
ployed for the folemn purpofe of maintain
ing an lmm,edlate and extraordinary inter
courfe between the Creator and the crea
ture, undoubtedly affume the loftieft cha
raCler, which can claim the attention,, or
Remand the reverence of an human being.
If, therefore, the means adopted, by thofe who

SERMON Vlil.

a99

who pretend to ffich a charaCler, be artful,
bafe, and myfterious, and the end propofed
be local, temporary, and merely human, it
is not unreafonable, that doubts ffiould be
w entertained of the reality of their Divine
miffion. While on the other hand, our
conviction of their aCtual infpiration will
be confirmed,' if it ffiall appear, that the
oppofite qualitieis unqueftionably predomi
nate ; and that the charaCterlftics dlfplayed
are altogether worthy of the exalted Being,
whofe Revelation is prefiimed to be un
folded. Thefe obfervations may be applied with
fingular effeCl, in the progrefs of our far
ther enquiries into facred Prophecy. While
the Hebrew Prophets exhibit the digni
fied charaCterlftics of a real Revelation;
the Heathen Oracles abundantly prove, that
thofe charaCterlftics will not be found a-
mong the falfe pretenders to infpiration in
the depraved fyftems of ffiperftition and
impofture. When we contemplate ' the means in
vented by the priefts of ancient Polytheifm
for the pretended purpofe of obtaining a
know-

300 SERMON VIIL
knowledge of the will of the gods, our afton
lffiment is ftrongly excited by the divcrfity
of unworthy ijnodes " adopted. They were
generally unntieaning"^, and fometimes even
bafe in the extreme. They lower the dig
nity of our nature ; and might be ex
peCled rather in an Indian tribe, a Tarta
rian horde, or a favage clan of Africa, than
in the bofom of refined and civilized , fo
eiety. And they manifeftly prove, that
mankind, everv when adorned with the
higheft intellectual improvement, become
debafed and degraded in their nature, if
fuperftltion be permitted to obtain its dire
ful afcendency over ^he mind.
The Oracles of Greece and Rome uttered
their predictions, not in fudden and unex
pected efffifions, when infpiration irrefiftibly
approached, and utterance was impelled by
the divine and overpowering fpirit : but
only at regular hours in the accuftomed
feafons of divination. At the delivery of
the pretended revelations, in die higher
kinds of divination, the moft palpable de-
' See Potter's' Antiquities, v. i. in which may be' found
an accurate enumeration of the principal kinds of di,vina-
tion ufed among the Groekg. ceptions

SERMON' VilL 301
Ceptions "^ were generally praClifed, to give
foleriinity to the ffClltious rites, and delude
the ignorant votaries. The irioft moun
tainous countries were ufually feleCled by
the. priefts for the imaginary' refidence of
the infpiring Deity ^ They ereC^ed their
temples and confecrated their altars in
woods and grbves, amidft the awful gloom
of folltude. They fent forth their voices
from the caves of the mountains, ffiaded by
branches, and clouded with incenfe. The
Sibylline books, the principal fourCe of pro
phetic inforrriation among the Romans, weref
eonfulted only' by the moft illuftrious rria-
giftrates of the republic, and in feaforis of
danger and turbulence alotte, in which it
was neceffary to overawe the minds of the
people, by the pretended admoriitions of
Heaven, and an authority, from which
there 'could be no appeal.' The Grecian
Oracles imitated the power of miracles, by
means of a machinery, the ' deteClion of
which exceeded the ability of an illiterate

^ Eufebius Praepar. Evang. 1. iv.c. a. Theodoret. Hift;
Ecclef 1. ii. c. 22.
t
' See Virgil. ^Eneid 1. vj. v. 42. See the account of
the Oracle at Delphi in Strabo 1. ix. Ifaiah xlv. 19.
and

3o;i SERMON VIII,
and credulous multitude. They agitated
and deformed their countenances by .ecfta-
fies and trances artificially produced ; j and
profanely reprefented the hideous appear
ances, which were the confequences of
fuch violent efforts, as the ^overpowering
emotions of the Deity, by whom/ they pro-
felTed to be infpired. The attendant myf
teries awed the trem-bllng Worffiipper into
a religious filence, and folemn apprehen
fion, which, while they, heightened the
fanClity of the prophetic ceremony, re-
preffed fufpicion, aijd intimidated the moft
daring Guriofity. But though, at the mo
ment of infpiration, the .body was appa--
rently convulfed, and the moft frantic gef^
tures were> dlfplayed, yet the language ut
tered by no means exhibited a cotrefpon-
dent energy. Far from being dignified by
the fublime ideas, which are conneCled
with the contemplation of facred fubje<9;s ;
or marked by that majeftic fimplicity,
•which accompanies the difplay of the di
vine will ; or elevated by that holy and en
thufiaftic fervour, which may be expeCled
to.be kindled by the immediate intercourfe
of the creature with the Creator ; it Was--
peculiarly unimpaffioned and mean, as well as

SERMON VtIL 503„
as incorreCl^ The poet and the critic, the.
mercenary minifters of fuperftltion, were,
frequently concealed within the myfterious
receffes of the temple and the cave^, for
the purpofe of affifting the imperfeClloris
of the prieftefs. The expreffions were not
only obfcure, but often equivocal, and eafily
capable of two interpretations'', (^ireCtly op
pofite the one to the other. By thefe am
biguities the credulous votary was mlflcd»
and the moft difaftrou? confequences pro
duced. Hence the wealthy Lydian mo
narch boldly croffed the ftream; and the.
lofs of the kingdom was the effeCl ^f his,
-ungrounded confidence.
•From thefe arts of bafe arid palpable im
pofture let us direCt our attention. to fcenes
altogether worthy of a moft ferious^ confi
deration. The firft Revelations of Jehovah to man
kind, as recorded in the facre^ Writings,
"iare the moft awful and fubfime, which it is
in the power of the imagination to conceive,,
f Pbtarch. lib. de Pythiae Orac. « Id,
* -Cicero de Divinatione 1. ii. left. S.6.: antl

SH S E R M 0 N: Vlfl.
arid! cart only be contemplated With fo-
leninity arid ferious devotion. The Deity
hirrifelf is reprefented as deigning perfon- '
ally to apJpear, 'and operf'tEe wonderful
feheme of Prophecy by the moft bene
volent promlfe, which could be made to
fallen man. At a later period the high
and mighty One fometimes fpake from out
of Heaven ; fometimes was he difcovered ini
the mldft of the burnirig buffi ; fometimes
did he reveal his divine glories, ineffably
effulgent, amidft the folemn folltude of na
ture ; arid fometimes did he appear vvith
clouded majefty in his temple. '
During the infancy of the world, the
holy meffengers of the Almighty frequently
vifited the venerable Patriarchs : and while'y
in the -dlfcharge of their high miffion, they
difclofed the fcenes of futurity, they unveiled
to mortal eyes the glory of celeftlal intel
ligences. When angels had ceafed to defcend
ariipng a corrupted race of men, the hu
man Prophet was infpired by the Holy
Spirit, a Perfon of the ever bleffed Trinity,
the lord and giver of life, from whom was
derived

SERMON VIIL

305

derived the aftoniffiing povver of fufpend-
ing the laws of the univerfe.
The Prophecy delivered was frequently
accompanied by fome immediate aCt of
Omnipotence. The prediction was uttered,
and the miracle performed in the public
ftreets in open day, and before a numerous
affembly- of witneffes. No myftery, nor
mechanical effort was attempted. .The
Prophecy was diffinClly delivered, and the
miracle fimply effeCted, without effort, and
without oftentation. Though, in conform
ity with one of the great ends purpofed by
the Almighty in his wonderful fchemd of
Revelation, the expreffions adopted were
fometimes defigriedly obfcure till the com
pletion of the predicted events; and though;
they weiK occafionally ca|)able of receiving,
and were ,aClually intended to bear, a dou
ble meaning, yet they were not ambiguous ;,
they could not even in a fingle"' inftance*
be juftly accommodated to cointrary inter
pretations : while in the greater number of
inftances the predictions were fingularly
clear, were intelligible before the feafon of
accompliffiment, and, the event " having
come to pafs, were calculated to ftrike the
X ^ mind

3o6: SERMON VIIL
' * - . '¦
mind with peculiar force, by the perfeC^
coincidence of the Prophecy wijth the oc-r
, currence. , }
, The exaCl words, in which the facred
Oracles vvere couched, w^ere received by
the moft exalted characters in the commu
nity from the infpired perfons by whom
they were delivered, and were preferved
with the moft religious fidelity. Tl^ey
were admitted, in the earlier ages of the
Jewiffi theocracy, into the ark', and, after
the reign of Solomon, into the temple of
Jerufalem. Before the final clbfe of infpi
ration under the Mofaic oeconbmy, they
were daUy recited in the temple at Jeru
falem as a part of the fervice of God. And,
fi in order that they might be preferved, from
the poffibillty of corruption,^he fentences,
the words, and even the letters were num
bered. With re^eCi to the peculiar' excellence
of the prophetic writings, it is not fuffi
cient to obferve, that the Prophets digni
fied divine poetry with fofty imagery, which,
', Deuteronomy xj^xi, a,6.
• ' - , isi

S E R MON VIIL 307
is fometimes dlfplayed in the romantic bold
nefs bf an eaftern mind.. It has alfo been
maintained, that even the moft celebrated
poets of antiquity were rivalled, and in fome
inftances excelled, by the infpired writers.
Virgil, the fuccefsful imitator of the great
Grecian Bard, the grace and pride of the
moft profperous age of Roman grandeur, has
been reprefented as 'cold and weak, even
upon a fimilar fubjeCl'', in comparifon with
the expreffiv,e and daring imagery of Ifaiah :
and no fimilar production, it has been
urged, in all claffical antiquity, can vie ^
with the fublime and animated ode, where
in the fame Prophet predicted the fall of
Babylon. It has alfo been frequently and
ftrenjuoufly afferted "", that the productions
of Horace and Anacreon, of Pindar, Calli-
machus, and the Greek tragedians, have
been excelled by David -and the infpired

* See Virg. Eel. 4.
^ Sea Bifliop Lo;wth on ^faiah xiii, and Michaelis,
¦" Lowth, Praeledl.'ap. compares thp Hymns of the He
brews, in celebrating the praifes of the Deity, with thofe of
Homer and Callimachus. The fame writer, in his letter to
Warburton, compares the Propbecies of Balaam with the
Pdes of Homer.
X 2 - com-

<>o8 SERMON VIIL

o

compofers of the Hebrew Odes and Hymns
in juftnefs of feritiment, boldnefs of tranfi-
tion, fervour of poetic enthufiafm, happi
nefs of dramatic effeCt, and the variety of
exquifite fenfations, which affeCl the heart
and overpower the rrilnd : — that in the
ftrain of tender and pathetic lamentation,
the elegiac productions of Ovid and of Ti-
bullus, will be fourid inferior to thofe of Je
remiah ; — that even the fimple wildnefs,
the vehemence, and the tremendous dig
nity of ^Efchylus ", has not' produced paf
fages ffiperior to fome bf the grand ima
gery of Ezekiel ; — and that the expreffions
of the Roman fatirift, who, amidft the erior-
rnousi corruptions of the capital, arraigned
the vices of his eountrymen in a ftrain of
the moft farcaftic feverity, though they
were excited by an honeft' indignation, and
invigorated by an uncommon genius, are
lefs ftriking and energetic than the, invec
tives of the Prophets of God againft the
dlfobedience and idolatry of their ungrate-i
ful countrymen.
' " See/ Lowth. Grotius corrtpares Ezekiel with Homer.
ISee the Biflidp of Lincoln's Chriftian Theology, v. i. p. 117.
See alfo Neweome's Preface to. his Ezekiel.
. Inde-

SERMON VIIL 309
Independently of the comparifon which
has thus been eftabliffied between indivi
dual compofitlons in claffical and Hebrew
antiquity, the genci;al fuperiority of the in
fpired Prophets, over the moft celebrated
poets of Greepe and Rome, has been
repeatedly and ftrenuoufly maintained ".
Whether the opinion be altogether juft. It
ffiall not be my bufinefs to enquire. Even
if the ffiperiority be not allowed to the in
fpired writers, it is fufficient for my ar
gument, that the comparifon has been in
ftituted by men of the moft extenfive eru
dition, and of exalted genius ; and that, in
their eftimation,' the writings of the Jew
iffi Prophets have been thought worthy
even of being brought into competition'
with thofe productions of tafte and genius,
which have been regarded through all ages
as the moft fuccefsful efforts of the human
mind. Let the refponfes of Heathen di
vination? be examined: let them be com
pared with the Greek and Roman poets;
" Addifon; Speaafor, J^". 453. Sir W. Jones's works,
V. i. See Sir I. Shore's Difcourfe as Prefident of the A'fiatic
Society in Calcutta, May azd. 1794- See alfo the opinion
of a ce^sbrated French writer quoted by Newcome in his
Preface to Ezekiel.
X 3 The ^

3^ SERMON VIIL
The idea cannot- be endured even for a
moment ; the inferiority is too palpable :
the boldeft Sceptic, however he may h^ve
laboured in general and indlfcriminate af
fertions to compare the Pagan Oracles with
facred Prophecy, has not ventured to infi
nuate an equality in this important point.
Such were the dignified means employed
by the Almighty in the courfe of his divine
Revelation through the agency of his holy '
Prophets. r ¦ '
The -Wonderful and morrieritous end,
which was propofed by Chriftian Prophecy;
is another corroborating teftimony in favour
of its divine prigin. • The degree of credit
due to any long feries of predictions, may
in fome meafure be afcertained by the im-"
• portance of the objeCt, which they are in
tended to attain. The Deity, it may be
prefumed, will not manifeft himfelf to his
creatures by fuch fupernatural means, ex
cept for purpofes of tranfcendent and uni
verfal importance. A divine manifeftation,
¦ which is ' gracioufly given Nto favour the
caufe of virtue, or to promote the welfare
of mankind, muft, even in the fpeculations of

S.E R M O N VIIL 311
of th,e philofopher, alone appear worthy of
that exalted Being, by whom the world
was made, and the race of man 'created.
The farther a religion recedes in its ulti
mate objeCl from this feheme of compre
henfive benevolence, the ftronger doubts
may be reafonably entertained of its excel
lence and of its truth. Upon this momentous
point, Chriftianity lays_ claim to a decifive
fuperiority. The fuperftitions of the world
exhibit indubitable figris of a mortal origin.
The religion of Chrift is ftamped with the
feal of 'divinity. The former originated in
fiction, and were degraded to the ufesof
impofture. Some human purpofe, fome
perfonal purfuit, fome natioual^aim, formed ,
the principal fubjeCl of the pretended in-
^iratiori. ' The Prophecy was confined to
a fingle people, or a favourite hero, to an
infurreClion, or a battle, to a fyftem of na
tional aggrandizement, the pride and folly
of the day, and to fchemes of pleaffire and
profperity, which were bounded by the
grave. It was given to flatter- caprice or va
nity, to indulge the lawlefs failles of ambi
tion, and fometimes even to fanClion the un
worthy efforts of hypocrify and injuftice.
X 4 ' Such

312 SERMON VIIL
Such are the features which may na
turally be expeCled to diftinguiffi all pre
tended prophecies : and fuch was the ge
neral charaCler of the Greek and Roman
art of divination. Among the higher or
ders of foeiety, who by their opulence were
enabled to reward the venal effufions of the
prieftefs, the Oracles were reforted to, and
the prophetic anfwers -were given in the
mpft unimportant occurrences of private
life P, altogether unworthy of an interpofi
tion of the Deity. In healing a difeafe,
iri leading forth a colony, in laying the
foundations of a city, and in promulgating
a new fyftem of legiflatlon, the aufpiclous
declarations of the mercenary prophet, were
carefully procured. When an ambitious
, demagogue was prepapng the chains of
fervitude for his free born fellow citizens,
when a victorious enemy was hovering
round a metropolis, when the populace
was either inflamed to madnefs, or de
preffed into defpondence; then was the
prophetic irifluence appfied, and the book of
fate opened. The favourable report of the
P Eufebius Prsepar. Evang. 1. ii, c. 29. ' •
augurs

SERMON VIIL 3I3
augurs was confidered by the Romans as a
fecurity equally neceffary to the fuccefs of
an expedition as the valour of the legions,
or the ability of the commander : and the
armies of the republic marched forth to
univerfal empire, animated by the flatter
ing predictions of the priefts. ^ven ,the
crafty politics of Philip "J, and the enthu
fiaftic fpirit bf Alexander, called in the aid of
infpiration, and fmoothed their way to vic
tory and empire, by the ; aufpiclous com
munications of the gods of their coun
try \ :
If Jewlfli Prophecy had been intended
folely to promote the temporal profperity
of the Ifraelites, to infpire them with con-
"fidence againft the armies of the Phllif-
tlnes, or to eftabliffi the throne of Jerufa
lem in the family of David, it riiight have

4 The (pthmm^eiv of the Pythian prieftefs, of which De-
mofthenes coiBplained, is well known. Perialla, a Pythian
prieftefs, ^waa deprived of her oftice on account of her being'
corrupted by one of the Cleomcnes's, kirig of Sparta. ,
"¦ For proofs of the frequency of divination among the
ancients upon fuch occafions as thofe enumerated in this
paragraph, fee Cicerp d'e-Divinatione, fei£t. I, 2. been

gi4 SERMON VIIL
beeti thought to fink to the comifion level
of fuperftitions predictions, and Would per-.
haps have been rariked wjth the numerous
oniens and portents, which arfe recorded
by Heathen hiftorians. It is ttue that
thefe national ends were frequently at
tained by a fubordlnate arid fecondary ufe.
The Jewiffi government being under the
immediate direction of Jehovah ; he aw
fully manifefted his paternal love and pro
tection in its divine difpenfation through
the medium of Prophecy.
But though temporal fuccefs was fome
times the fubjeCt of the facred predictions,
yet it muft not be confidered as their fole,
or even principal objeCt. The holy men
of God, who fpake as the fpirit gave them '
utterance, went not forth for the purpofe
of fwelllng the pride of the Ifraelltes> or
nerving their arm for viClory. No : they
were employed to convince a people of
their wickednefs, and calKthem to repent
ance ; to deliver the pure precepts of found
morality ; arid to preferve from abfolute
extinction, amidft a corrupt and impious
world, the knowledge of the true God.
They

SERMON VIIL 515
They ftrenuoufly endeavoured to withhold
one nation, at leaft, from burning incenfe
upon the altars of Baal, and from facri-
ficin^ infant irinocehce to the gloomy
power of Moloch; to alarm them into
,piety by a vifible difplay of miracles,
.and to overpower them with an irre
fiftible conviction of the fuperintendence
of the one fupreme Being, by Prophecies
publicly delivered, and often fpeedily ful
filled. This was doubtlefs an aim peculiarly
dignified, and fufficient to exalt the He
brew Prophets beyond all comparifon above
-^the priefts of Heathen fuperftitions. But
they direCled their labours to a, ftill more
exalted end. Under the influence of that
benevolent Being, who rejoices in the hap
pinefs of all his creatures, they carried on
the divine fcheme of univerfal redemption.
- When man had debafed his nature by fin,
and was become ffibjeCt to death, infpired
by the Almighty, they opened the great
fcheme of Revelation, which prOpofes, as
its ultimate objeCl, the everlafting falvation
of the whole human race. Independent of

3i6 SERMON VIIL
of kingdoms and of empires, they came
fofth as heralds to prepare the way for the
Son of the Moft High. In this lofty cha
raCler, they proclaimed the future appear
ance of that exalted Perfonage^ who, neg
leCling human praife, and averfe from tem
poral dominion, ffiould, by voluntary fuffer
ings and an ignominious death, reunite the
human race to God, and reftore them to
the hope of a joyful imrnortality ; ffiOuld
proniulgate a pure and moft benevolent
fyftem of moral and religious duty ; de
nounce eternal puniffiment againft hard
ened finners, and enfure to the righteous
a life of everlafting happinefs. At his com
ing, it was decreidd by divine Wifdom,
that the bloody altars of Moloch ffiould ,be
overthrown, and the ftar of Remphan be
clouded in perpetual darknefs. Before the
brightnefs of his prefence, all the objeCls of
Heathen idolatry, all the imaginary deities
of Greece and Rome, were gradually to
difappear. Till at length ,hls Religion,
pure and fpiritual, founded on perfeCl mo
rality and rational piety, promoting peace
on earth, and conducting man to Heaven,
ffiould triumph over Worldly fuperfti tions.

SERMON VIII. 317
tions, and unite all ' the inhabitants of
the globe in one bond of facred bro
therhood and love, obedient to their corii-
mon Redeemer, and prOteCled by the uni-
yejrf^l pod*

SERMON IX.

DANIEL X. 14.
irOW I AM COME TO MAKE THEE UNDER
STAND WHAT SHALL BEPAL THY PEOr
PLE IN THE LATTER DAYS.
In referring to the prefent- times, I have
already alluded to one important circum
ftance, which forcibly obtrudes itfelf upon
the obfervation of the ferious enquirer.
Many of the moft remarkable predictions
in the facred Writings are at this hour re
ceiving their accompHfhment, We are
enabled to bear wltnefs to their comple
tion from a knowledge of faCls acquired by
perfonal experience.
As this circumftance feems peculiarly
calculated to augriient the foree of the ge
neral

) )

320 S E R M O N IX.
neral teftimony, I fliall make it the prin
cipal fubjeCl of the prefent concluding
Difcourfe. The evidence fibm rialracles, in ffipport
of our holy Religion, produced a more
powerful and immediate conviCtion in the
mind, during the firft propagation of Chrif
tianity, than It Is capable ' of effeCtlng In
thefe later ages of the world. ' They were
then prefented to the fenfes ; but the truth
of them muft now depend upon the force
of human teftimony. The vifible perform
ance of a miracle Is a more powerful In
ftrument of converfion, than the moft au
thentic narratives of fiich fupernatural ef
fects'. The metaphyfical fubtleties, which
iare now vainly ufed for the purpofe of
proving the abfolute Incompetence of all
human teftimony for the confirmation of
a miracle, would have been nug-atofy and
abfurd, if they had been addreffed to thofe,
before whom the wonderful work bad been
recently dlfplayed. In the age of ffiperna-
tural interpofitions, therefore, the Sceptic
indulged his doubts upon the peculiar, nature
of that Power, which was able to ffifpend
the regular order of phyfical caufes and ef
feCls..

- SERMON IX. 321
feCls. Through fubfequent ages it has
been his chief endeavour to deny the real
ity of fuch a fufpenfion : what he does
not behold, he -is unwilling to believe.
That, which is reported to have occurred
only in a remote antiquity, and among a
particular people, he prefumptuoufly ven
tures to determine, has not occurred at
alL '
Of a miracle, which has been performed,
no traces in general remain at any diftant
period. Like the lightning, it appears "for
the moment, and then is withdrawn for
ever from the view. When the divided
waters of the fea h^-d returned to their an-
clerit courfe, every veftige of the wonder was^
removed. When the man, reftored to life,
was again brought down to the grave, no
vifible effeCls of his reffir-reClion remained
to affift the belief of pofterity. Among the
innumerable aCls of a fupernatural interpo
fition, with which, iri the early ages of map-
kind, the progrefs of divine Revelation was-
accompanied, in a few foiitary inftances,
on the mountains of Sinai and near Je
rufalem, fome durable marks were im
preffed upon natural objeCls, which, though
T juftly

322 'SERMON IX.
juftly entitled * to the affent of the ferious
and unprejudifced enquirer, are yet infuffi-
cient, perhaps, to remove the doubts and
command the belief of the Sceptic : and
they are alluded to, on -the prefent occa
fion, not as teftimonies in favour of mira
cles, but as proofs of the general defeCt of
fuch a fpecies of evidence in their flip-
port. The nature of a prophecy, in the pecu
liar circumftance now under confideration,
is dlreClly oppofite to that of ^ miracle.
Time,' which diminiffies the almoft irre-
fiftible efficacy Of the one, gives additional
ftrength and authority to the other. A
prediction, at the moment in which it is
delivered, receives credit in proportion to
the faith of the believer. But the event,
in which a prediction is completed, is cal
culated to impel conviction in all thofe,
who cari afeertain its reality by perfonal
obfervation, and can compare it with the
previous defcription of the Prophet.

* See Dr. Shaw's Travels, p. 352. and pQcock's Travels,
p. 148. See alfo Bifhop Clayton's Vindication of the Old
Teftament.
As

SERMON IX.

323

As we retrace the hiftory of the divine
government among the Jews, the higher
We afcend, the number of predictions ful
filled becomes proportionally diminiffied.
Prophecy has been juftly denominated a
growing evidence. Ekch fficceeding gene-
ratiori accompliffies particular "predictions ;
and thus, without diminiffiing the force of
thofe which preceded them, adds numbers
and weight to the general evidence.
To thefe obfervations it may be added,
that a courfe of ages, fo long as to conftitute
a very confiderable portion of all paft time,
has intervened between the delivery and
the fulfilment of thofe predictions. Which
refpeCt the prefent condition, of mankirid.
Revolutions in foeiety the moft ftrange and
unexpected have fince taken place;, and
confequently the exifting ftate of the king
doms, in which the refpeCtive completions
occur, miuft be Inftantly allowed to be to
tally uriccmneCled with that, w'hich was
.exhibited to the view of the Prophets. The
predictions, therefore, which are now re
ceiving their accompllffiment, are cjearly
exempt from all fufpicion of having been
,, Y 3 ' placed

324 SERMON IX.
placed withiin the reach of human fagacity
and forefight. " '
Furthermore, in the ancient world, an
opinion was generally prevalent, that fa
voured individuals, in all nations and underi
every fyftem of religious worffiip, were en-
dueclfwith a power of divination. , Hence,
no perfon, an Ifraelite alone excepted, who
witneffed the completion of an Hebrevy
Prophecy, could reafonably* be expeCled
on that account to allow an higher degree
of credibility to the Jewlffi religion, than
to his own natioiial, fuperftltion, the mi
nifters of which, he deemed equally capa
ble of revealing the fecrets of futurity. In
the prefent age fuch an opinion is altoge
ther renounced. While the unfounded
pretenfions of all the fyftems of worldly
fuperftltion to the arf of divination, have
been univerfally withdrawn; Chriftianity
ftill continues to advance ^and vindicate
this de.clfive proof of a divine defcent : and
he, who' from his own fpeculatlon upon ob
jeCls immediately fubmitted to his fenfes.
Is obliged to admit' the juftnefs of thefe
pretenfions, does not feet the force of the
teftl-

SERMON IX. 325
teftimony weakened by the contending
claims of rival fyftems of religion to a fi
milar fpirit of prefcience.
 ^ •
Thefe confiderations induce us to ehe
riffi the hope, that Prophecy, from the for-
turiate circumftance of its affording In
many inftances, like a vifible miracle, a
ftriking objeCt to the fenfes in thofe events,
by which Its reality Is confirmed, may be
rendered a powerful Inftrument at the pre
fent day In converting the Infidel, or fixing
the faith -of the Sceptic.
t w
In order to give the utmoft poffible ef
feCl to this peculiarly forcible teftimony,
the prefent ftate of all thofe nations, in
which the predictions of the ancient Pro
phets are verified, ffiould be recommended
to his moft earneft confideration. Lret him
eaft his eye over the map of our globe :
let him contemplate the vaftnefs of its ex
tent, and the variety of realms, into which
it has been divided : let him bear in mind
the great number of centuries, which have
elapfed fince t^e delivery of the lafl of the
long train of Jewlffi and Chriftian predic
tions: and then let him direCl his attention
y 3 to

.C.26 S E .R M O N , IX.

o

to all thofe nations now exifting under ffich
circumftances as to afford vifible and moft
decifive proofs of their exaCt completion.
If he hefitates to yield implicit credit to
the deferiptions of the traveller, and is uri-
willing to repofe entire confidence except
in objects fubmitted to the evidence of
his own fenfes, let him go ^ forth, and ffir
vey the feveral countries, in which the ac
compllffiment of the refpeCtive Prophecies
is at this ritioment taking place. Let him
begin his refearches in the Eaft, which has
been at once the favoured feat and the
principal fubjeCt of Prophecy. As he ad
vances on his way, let him contemplate
the fate qf the feven cities ^, which were^
once the glory of Afia Minor, and the orna
ment of the early Church of Chrift. In
the days of the Prophet they flourifhed in
nearly, the fame ftate of fplendour and of

^ For the predi£lio.ns refpefting the feven Churches fee
Kevelatidns i. ii. For the circumftances in their prefent
condition illuftrative of the truth of the predi£lipn, fee
Smi-th's Sept. AfiEE Ecclef. Notit. Rycaut's prefent ftate of
the Greek Church. Wheler and Spon's Voyages, Van Eg-
mpnt and Heyman's Travels. See alfo Gibbon's Hiftory of
the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, v. i. c. 15, 16.
power.

SERMON IX. 327
power. But they now appear in the ex
aCl .condition, to which they were refpeCl
ively doomed. Of the five, fpecifically
named, of which the entire fall was pre
diCled, the melancholy ruins will atteft and
illuftrate the truth of the Prophet. Thya-
tira, in which the pious Lydia refided, and
Laodicea, the head of fixteeri ' blffioprics,
are reduced to a ftate of entire defolation.
A few miferable hamlets, the habitations
of ffiepherds, which have been ereCled
amidft the ruins of temples, palaces, and
theatres, and in which no Chriftian Church
is eftabliffied, are now the fole remains of
Pergamos, the capital of a celebrated em
pire, of Ephefus, one of the eyes of Afia,
and of Sardis, the opulent feat of the Ly
dian monarchs. The two remaining cities,
the prefervatlon of which was promifed,
ftill retain fome portion of their form6r
magnificence. Smyrna in 'particular, which
was to have the crown of life, flouriffies
in a very confiderable ftate of profperity :
while in Philadelphia, which has been kept
from the hour of temptation, the holy rites
of Chriftianity are obferved under the go
vernment of Muffulmen, and near the
mofques of Mahomet. y 4 Upon

3a8 SERMON IX.
Upon the fpot, on which Tyre was
built, he will behold only a ftupendous
mafs of ruins ; and he may even mark the
foiitary fiffiermen'', who in exaCl confirma
tion of the words of the Trophet, fpread
their, nets over the rocks, which were once
covered with toWers and .palaces.
From the coaft of ancient Phaerilcla, let
him direCt his enquiries to the great rivers
of Mefopotamia. On the banks of the
Euphrates, he will be deterred from wan
dering over the foundations of Babylon ¦
from a juft and lively apprehenfion of the '
noxious animals, which inhabit the ruins.
Near the waters of the Tigris, he rnay ex
plore the ancient fituation of Nineveh :
but his refearches- will be Ineffectual. No
veftiges of that vaft metropolis remain : its
very ruins have perlffied : and the time is
now come, in which he may afk in the
daring and expreffive language of the an
cient Prophet; ',' where is the dwelling of
the lions, and the feeding place of the
young lions'* ?"
<= Shaw's Travels, p. 330. Maundrell's Travels, p. 48.
Volney, v. ii. c. 39. '
^ Nahum ii. 9.
In

S E R M O N IX. 329
In returning thr9ugh the Holy Land,
let him recoiled the uncommon fruitful
nefs, with which it once was bleffed ; and
then contemplate its prefent extraordinary
barrennefs. Within the region, where the
Prophets uttered their predictions, let him
recur to their precife^ expreffions * ; and he
will be convinced -by the evidence of his'
own fenfes, that even the qualities of na
ture have been fubjeCted to alteration, in
corifirmation of the truth of Prophecy ^.
In fome part of the Holy Land, the de
feendants of Rechab may be prefented to
his obfervation. Two thoufand four hun
dred years have elapfed fince it was pro
mifed to their pious anceftorby Jeremiah s,
that there ffiould not be wanting a man of
his family to ftand before the Lord for
ever. Amidft the moft remarkable , fluc
tuations of human foeiety, and the extinc-

* Leviticus xxvi. 33. Ifaiah i. y, 8, 9. Jeremiah xii.
10, II. ~^ J
' The barrennefs is fo ftriking, that Infidels have frequently
afferted the abfolute impoffibility of maintaining within the
limits of the Holy Land the numerous 'inhabitants, which
the Old Teftament fuppofes to have been refident.
s Jeremiah xxxv, 18^ 19, tion

530 S ,E R M O N IX.,
tion or extermination of all the families,
, by whom- they have been furrounded, they
have mlraculoufly furvlved ^. They conti
nue, to the prefent time, to preferve the
exaCt ftate, in which they were originally
placed during the life of the Prophet ; and
thus exhibit to the modern traveller a vifi
ble and unequivocal teftimony of the in
fpiration of the holy men of old.
When he has defcended through the de
fert Into Egypt, he will inftantly obferve
an exaCl completion of the words ' of Eze
kiel : he will fee that devoted country fllll
continuing in the wretched coridition, tor
which ffie has been doomed through more
than two thoufand years. He will behold
her, not exalting her head above others, or
tullng over the nations, but diminiffied and
fallen ; and, according to common eftima
tion, the bafeft of klngdon^s, fubmittlng,
as ffie has long fubmitted, to, the yoke of
a, foreign oppreffor.

^ See Brett's Narrative of ' the Proceedings ^f a gre^t
Council of the Jews in the plain of Ageda in Hungary, in
i6jo. ' Ezekiel xxix. 14, 'i^i xxx. 13.
'¦•.'¦..; ' ¦ From-,

SERMON IX;

33^

From this fruitful, but ill-fated coun-i
try, let him turn his attention to the de
ferts, by which it is partially furrounded ;
he wUl there fee the tribes of wandering
Arabs, preferving at this day the peculiar
features^ of national character, with which,
in the patriarchal age, it was predicted to
the mother of Iffimael, the founder ^ of
their race, while he was yet concealed in
the womb, that his pofterity ffiould be dif-
tlnguiffied. Though, in conformity with
the promlfe of the angel, they have been
multiplied almoft beyond number: yet they
have not adopted the cuftomary forms of
foeiety, nor feized the favourable oppor
tunities, which they have enjoyed, of adr
vancernent in civilization and refinement,
They are ftill wild : their hand is ftill
againft every mari, and every man's hand
^s againft theni,
Should he trace the Nile towards its
fource, and thence penetrate into the in-.
terior provinces of Africa, he will find the
inhabitants of that quarter of the globe fuf?
fpring at this day under the heavy curfe

* Genefis :fvi. lo. iz.
de-

33a ' S E R M O N IX.
denounced againft their ancient progenitor,
and exhibiting the precife appearance of
fervitude, which is defcribed in the writ-
ingS • of Mofes. The inhabitants of the
northern coafts of Africa, in which a fpirit
of civilization has in feme degree prevailed,
ftill generally remain in that ftate of fo
reign fubjeClloh, to which they werp ori-.
glnally condemned by the Prophets ; while
all the barbarous people of that extenfive
quarter of the globe, from the ffiores of
the Mediterranean to the extreme promon
tories, which project into the Southern
Ocean, prefent to the eye an awful pic
ture of human nature in its bafeft and
moft degraded ftate.
But it is not in fingle provinces alone
that the traveller may wltnefs the comple
tion of ancient predictions. This accom
pllffiment difplays itfelf over the whole
globe. It will be offered to his view in
almoft every country through which he
may pafs. Long before the appearance of
the divine Founder of Chriftianity upon
earth, it Was the conftant boaft of the He-

' Genefis ix. 2.^, 26, 27.
brew

SERMON IX.

33fl

brew Prophets, that his benevolent reli
gion ffiould be communicated to the Gen
tiles, and without any violent efforts, or any
confiderable addition of .mortal aid, ffioufd
eventually prevail among all the human
race. The hiftorian will inform him, that
Chriftianity was little benefited in its au
fpiclous propagation by the worldly power,
or worldly wifdom of its moft fuccefsful
miffionaries ; while ,his own eyes, wherp-
ever he riiay dired them, >vill convince
him of the wonderful completion of the
ancient Prophecies in the calling of the
Gentiles, and the wide effufion of Chrif
tianity. He will view the religion of Je
fus triumphant throughout all the nations
of Europe "*, the civilized parts of the im
menfe continent of America, and the Jn-
dian iflands of the Weft. Among- the
fevage tribes, which occupy thp r woody
and mountainous receffes of the new hemi
fphere, he will fee it increafing the num
ber of its converts, and extending its be-

"¦ Its prefent apparent extiniStion among the rulers of
France may furely be confidered as temporary, and feems
not to require any qualification of the alTertion, which I
have made. nevolent

334 SERMON IX.
nevolent influence. He may follow thd
miffionaries of the Gofpel to the iflands of
the vaft Southern and Pacific Ocean, to the
iandy wilds of Africa, and to the various
nations which have been laid opert to the
knowledge of Europeans by their com
mercial intercourfe with the Eaft.
Even thofe kingdoms once bleffed with
Chriftianity, in which its light has been
either partially obfcured by corruptions, or
totally extlnguiffied by apoftafy, will exhi
bit to his view, in thefe very circumftances,
a ftrong teftimony in favour of the truth
of divine Revelation. Within the walls of
Conftantinople, and over the weftern pro
vinces of Afia, the principal circumftances
in the cpmpletion of the Prophecies, which
relate to the Mahometan apoftafy, cannot
perhaps be difcerned with exaCt precifion
in thefe later times. They occurred at the
rife, and during the early progrefs of that
wonderful impofture. But the accurate
obferver may contemplate the vifible ef
feCls, which refulted from the comple
tion. He may fee the " fun and the air of

" Revelations ix. 2. the

SERMON IX. 335
the eaftern world ftill darkened with the'
fmoke, which arofe, when the bottomlefs
pit w^as opened. Amidft the violent con
vulfions, which now agitate the kingdoms
of Europe, he dlfcerns, it may be, the aw
ful accompllffiment of the ancient Oracles
of God. He beholds perhaps the tremen
dous operation of thofe means, which the
Almighty in his wifdOm may employ in
haftening the ruin of that fpiritual ufurpa
tion, of which the dlftinguiffilng features
were delineated, and the certain fubverfion
foretold : while through the ftates, in which
its declining authority is ftill acknowledged,
and its fuperftitious rites continue to .be
praClifed, is exhibited a vifible, though
faint reprefentation of moft of thofe enor
mous abufes, which were once permitted
to threaten even the utter arinihilation of
genuine Chriftianity, and which are , fo
ftrongly pourtrayed in the, energetic de
fcriptions of the Prophets.
When he has obferved in the refpedive
countries the accompliffiment of various
Prophecies, let him direCl his moft ferious
attention to an appearance fingularly won-
~ derful dlfplayed In all countries, and realiz ing

33^ S E R M O N IX.
mg one of the cleareft, fulleft, and moft
extraordinary pfediClions, which divine Wif
dom has condefcended to deliver. Let him
examine the fituation of the Jews. We
have already feen, that it is in its nature
miraculous; ,and, that the numerous and
ftriking peculiarities, by which it is diftin
guiffied, were clearly and forcibly fore
told. The confirmation of thofe Prophe
cies in the Pentateuch, in Jeremiah, and
in the Gofpels, which relate to the prefent
coridition of that unhappy people, may be
afeertained by the aCtual obfervations of
the moft common beholder in every king
dom of the globe. In Chriftian, in Ma
hometan, and in Pagan countries, the de
feendants of Abraham univerfally abouiid :
and they afford almoft as vifible and deci
five a teftimony Of the truth of Prophecy, as
the creation and the government of the-.
world afford of the wifdom and power of
God. Let the Sceptic contemplate with fe-
rioufnefs^ and impartiality all thefe remark
able circumftances in the prefent condition
of mankind, vvith which the defcriptions
of the ancient Prophets thus accurately co
incide.

SERMON IX.

337

incide. The reality of them does not de
pend upon opinion, which may fluCluate,
or upon hiftorical evidence, which may in
fidioufly be reprefented as erroneous. They
are objeCls of fenfe : they are faCls fub
mitted to his perfonal obfervation. They
are confiderable in number, and highly im
portant in their natuire. They are great
features in the portrait of the , human race.
It may, perhaps, be juftly afferted, that no
period has occurred fince the infpiratibn of.
the firft Prophet, in which a larger portion
of mankind, or a more extenfive range of
territory has been employed by the Al
mighty in fulfilling his revealed decrees.
When thefe confiderations have been
impreffed upon his mind, and thefe faCts
fubmitted to his infpcClion, if he ftill he
fitates, and is reftrained by apprehenfions of
deception <and impofture from yielding his
entire affent, let him enquire, whether de- •
fcriptive predictions of the prefent ftate* of
cities, kingdoms, and extenfive portions of
mankind, either fimilar, or bearing everi
the moft diftant refemblance, are evidently
apparent, or can by the moft forced con-
ftruCtions be naade even plaufibly to ap-
z pear

338 S E R M O N IX.
pear in any other compofitlon "of antiquity.
The 'Greeks and Romans boafted of nu-
riaerous Oracles, which preterided to deve
lope the future fortunes of individuals and
of ftates : many of their vaunted predic
tions have defcended to thefe later times :
but do they contain a prophetic picture
of any of the extraordinary charaCterlftics,
which diftinguiffi the prefent 'generation ?
Have we not feen, that not, one of their
numerous prlefts even attempted to difpel
the gloom, by which remote events are ne
ceffarily concealed from, mortal knovvledge ?
The moft celebrated hiftorians recorded in
numerable prophecies, in which the paf
fions of a fuperftitious people were pecu-
• liarly interefted : but do the annals of He
rodotus and Livy contain even the flight
eft marks of any prefcience refpeCling the
prefent condition of the human race ? Do
they in a fingle inftance afford a proof of
the acquaintance of their refpeCtive authors
W/ith the condition of any part of mankirid
in thefe later ages ? The ancient poets fre
quently broke forth-in bold failles of imagi
nation : the ancient philofophers frequently!
indulged themfelves in unreftralned fpecu
lations upon the poffible combinations of
X human

S E R M O N IX. 339
i
human foeiety. But where is the philofo
pher, and where is the poet, in whofe wild-
eft failles, or moft licentious fpeculations,
even a fingle clear and circumftantial de
fcription can be found applicable to the con
dition of any one part of the modern world ?
From thefe obfervations it appears, that
the prefcience of fuch riumerous and im
portant charaClerlftlcs of the prefent ftate
of mankind is at once ftriking and unpa
ralleled. The faCls, by which it is illuf
trated and confirmed, being placed within
our perfonal obfervation, are fubmitted to
the evidence of our own . fenfes. They
are indeed of the nature of a miracle ;
and are admirably adapted to produce the
fame unalterable conviCllon of the inter
ference of a fupernatural Pow-er, as would
imriiediately refult from a vifible fufpen
fion of the regular order of the univerfe.
r have now proceeded through the feve
ral part§ of the fubjeCt, which it has been
my object in thefe LeCtures tO inveftigate.
Through the whole of the difcuffion, I have
cautioufly endeavoured to reftrain myfelf
from indulging in hazardous conjeClures. It
z. 2 has

340 SERMON IX.
has been my fincere and earneft defire to
bring forward a feries of fuch faCls, and of
fuch obfervations grounded upon faCls, as
appear peculiarly Calculated to ponvlnce the
ferious and impartial enquirers of the di
vine origin of one of the j3rincipal evi
dences, by which our holy Religion is con
firmed. When the followers of Chrift are re
quired to affign a reafonable caufe for thelt
belief in the infpiration of the Prophets,
they will not, it is prefumed, appear either
precipitate or injudicious in their decifiOn,
if they reply In the following terms. Be
ing convinced of the public appeararice of
the feveral parts of the facred Volume prior
to the refpeCtive occurrences illuftrative of
the predi'Ctlons, and perceiving an exaCt and
ftriking coincidence between the prophecies
and the events in vv^hich they were com
pleted, we felt an earneft defire of know
ing, whethei: this cpIncldenCe might riot
be the effeCt of impofture, of human faga
city, of enthufiafm, or of charice. Profe-
cutlrig our 'refearches for this purf)Ofe, we
have difcovered, that the Prophets revealed
events of the moft diftant times, that they fre-

SERMON IX.

341

frequently defcribed the minute circum
ftances attending thofe events, that feme
of the peculiarities predicted were unex
ampled in the age of the Prophets, arid
that the predictions thus circumftantially
detailed were very numerous : — that the
occurrences foretold were often in the
higheft degree extraordinary or improbable,
and fometimes even dlreClly oppofite to
thofe, which, to a mere human fpeculator,
muft have appeared likely to take place :—
that the fubjeCls of the predlCtloris were
frequently hOftUe, and fometimes inevitably
ruinous to the woridly interefts of the Pro
phets; and, therefore, fuch as it is not
conceivable that an irnpoftor would have
feleCted: — that the diftinguiffiing charac-
teriflacs of the PrOphets and of their pre
dictions, are peculiarly adapted^ to the de
fign, for which Prophecy Uniformly pto-
feffed to have been given ; and that the
Prophets, if uninfpired, appear to haVe
beeri rnorally incapable of perfevering un
interruptedly through fo lorig a period, in,
the profecution of fo complicated a defign,
and of malntalnlrig. With fuch nicety of
dlferimination, the propriety of the feveral
parts : — that the conduCt of the Prophets,

as

3431 ' S E R M O N IX.
as recorded in the Old Teftament, is inex
plicable upon any principles of human po
licy, and can only be reafonably accounted
for upon the prefumption of a divine agen
cy : — that the means, which they em
ployed, and the ffiblime objeCl, which they
purffied, together with the circumftances
attending the opening and the flnal clofe of
their fuppofed intercourfe with the Deity;
are peculiarly calculated to ftrengthen and
confirm us in our beKef of their real inspi
ration : — and, laftly, that in cafting our eyes
over the feveral parts of the human race,'
we dlfeover the exaCt completion of many
clear and important predictions, in the pre
fent condition of a great portion of the in
habitants of the globe. We confider all
thefe circumftances taken colleClively as
exhibiting an accumulation of evidence,
which amounts to a moral certainty ; we
are utterly unable to refufe it our unequi
vocal and abfolute affent ; and we there
fore acknowledge the divine infpiration of
the facred Prophets. >
When, in addition to thefe confidera^
tions, we refleCt, thait the foreknowledge of
events, which depend upon the will of free
agents

SERMON IX.

343

agents not' yet in exiftence, evidently ex
ceeds the po-^ers of any finite being, whe
ther angel or evil demon; that it is as
manifeft a difplay of fupreme perfection as
the creation and prefervation of the uni
verfe ; and that it can only be imparted to.
man by revelation from God himfelf, we^
feel 'ourfelves moft forcibly corripelled to
believe, that the wonderful foreknowledge,
which Is difcovered in the, facred Writings,,
proceeded from the high and holy mini
fters, whom he, in his wifdom, infpired.
There is not a fubjeCt in theology more
capable of imparting pleaffire "in the profe
cution than that, which we have been in
vited to purfue iri the courfe of thefe Lec
tures. It carries us back into paft ages,
and interefts us in the moft important
tranfaClions, which are recorded Iri the hif
tory of the human race. By the abfolute
certainty, which it affords of the interpofi
tion of the ffipreme Being In the affairs of
the world, it is calculated to fill the mind
with aftonlffiment, and a kind of facred
delight. And when, in addition to thefe
powerful confiderations, we refleCl, that it
is one of the moft effeClual means of bring
ing the creature to a more perfeCl know ledge

344 S E R M O N IX.
ledge of the JCreator, and of flrengthening
the confidence of mankind in divine reve
lation, we need not hefitate to pronounce
it the moft interefting and the moft mo
mentous, which can occupy the attention
of a being, endued, like, man, with reafon,
and formed for immortal life. \
It has been afferted by the phllofophic
In:(;del, that ifthe Almighty had realfy dif-,
clofed his will to mankind, the revelation
would have been written in the heavens.
Such is the contraCled wifdom of the hu
man mind. But that exalted Being, who
only knoweth wjiat is good for his crea
tures, in order, to affift the imperfeClion of
our nature, has given us a Revelation, not,
like the affeClIons, InftinClively rifing In the
fpul, not, like the great objeCts of creation,
fpontaneoufly expOfed every moment to
the fenfes, but dependent upon the exercife,
of our underftandlng, and ffipplylng freffi
means 'of conviCllon at every repetition of
our enquiries. He forefaw, that even his
dlvlneft gift to man, if prefenting Itfelf to
his infant faculties, and perpetually felf ap
parent through his whole exiftence, might
Ipfe a confiderable part of its poffible in-"
fluence over his heart, and fall into negleCt or

SERMON IX. 345
or dlfufe. But that truth, which the di- .
ligence of men alone can fully, difcover,
•and which difplays more vifible. marks of
its divine origin at every "^renewal of their
refearches, is peculiarly adapted to operate
effectually upon the underftandlng, to pro
duce a continued affent to its dictates, arid,
finally to acquire an abfolute dominion over
the heart. Of all the evidences, by which.
Chriftianity is fupported, that of Prophe
cy moft abundantly poffeffes this quality.
When v^e have entered upon our exami
nation of this evidence, the e:!ialted cha-
TaCler of our Religion liegins to brighten
•on the view ; continually ffiines forth with
iireffi acquifitions of luftre ; and at length
:appears in all the glow and fplendour of
its divine nature. For when we thus be-
?hold, in multiplied inftances, a clear and
ample difplay .^f that ftupendous foreknow
ledge, which can only be poffeffed by the
great Maker and Ruler of the univerfe, the
.truth of Revelation does in reality, appear
:as manifeft and ftriking, as if it were in-
rfcribed in charaClers of light on the wide
«expanfe of Heaven* IF J JT I So

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