m 
 
LIBRARY 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. 
 
 GIF"T OF 
 
 Mrs. SARAH P. WALS WORTH. 
 
 Received October, 
 ccessions No . Class No. 
 
LECTURES 
 
 ON 
 
 SCRIPTURE FACTS 
 
 BY THE REV. 
 
 WILLIAM BKNGO COLLYER, D,D. 
 
 Monumentum sere perennius, 
 
 Regalique situ Pyramidum altius; 
 Quod noa imber edax, non Aquilo impotens 
 Possit diruere, aut innumerabilis 
 Annorum series^ et fuga temporum 
 
 UHJVBR.SITT 
 
 HOR, 
 
 BOSTON: 
 PRINTED AND SOLD BY SAMUEL T. ARMSTRONG, 
 
 No. 50, CORNHILL, 
 1813 
 
TO THE 
 RIGHT HONOURABLE 
 
 THOMAS LORD ERSKINE, 
 
 LORD HIGH CHANCELLOR. 
 
 MY LORD, 
 
 IF flattery be essential to a Dedication, I shall 
 never write one: but in the present instance I have the 
 satisfaction of believing that an attempt at adulation 
 would be as disgusting to your Lordship, as I feel it 
 would be unworthy the dignity of the subject of this 
 volume, and degrading to me as a minister of the sanc- 
 tuary. It would be easy to tell your Lordship that 
 I admire your talents, and that the world admires them 
 too: this would not be adulation; but it would be a 
 tribute unconnected with the cause of Christianity, and 
 I shall therefore wave it altogether. Permit me, then, 
 to remind your Lordship, that you descend from 
 an ancient and noble House, which piety has dis- 
 tinguished as well as rank; and that in various 
 branches of your family, religion has shed a lustre 
 more dazzling and more glorious than the radiance of 
 nobility. Providence has placed your Lordship high 
 in the sphere of society; and it is in your power to do 
 much to serve the cause of revealed truth. With the 
 confidence inspired by your public and admirable de- 
 fence of Christianity; and with the affection kindled 
 
by the distinguished honour I have enjoyed in the 
 friendship of an illustrious Relative; I presented, in an 
 early stage of this work, an outline of it to your Lord- 
 ship, and received from you a note, authorizing me to 
 assume the sanction of your name in the eyes of the 
 public, and expressing, in your own energetic language, 
 your persuasion of the infinite value of ''Revelation, 
 without whose hopes and consolations, all human dis- 
 tinctions are nothing." Under these auspices the 
 work was carried on, and is now brought to a conclu- 
 sion: and I have the honor to present to your candor, 
 with my most grateful acknowledgments, the offspring 
 of your own indulgent patronage. It is my sincere 
 and earnest desire, that the power of that Religion, the 
 evidences of which your judgment approves, may be 
 the consolation of your heart; that its influence may 
 shed a divine light upon the elevated orbit in which 
 you move; and that its unfading honors may be 
 your future recompense, when the distinctions of rank 
 shall indeed be lost, and when the only nobility allow- 
 ed will consist in an alliance with HIM, who in the 
 days of his pilgrimage upon the earth, had not where 
 to lay his head. 
 
 I have the honor to remain, 
 
 \\ith high consideration, 
 
 MY LORD, 
 Your Lordship's much obliged 
 
 and most obedient servant, 
 WILLIAM BENGO COLLYER. 
 
 BLACKHEATH HIM,, 7-V, r,,i807. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 a 
 
 IT would be an unprecedented act, to send 'into the 
 world, without a preface, a work of the magnitude of 
 this volume; and 1 am glad to avail myself of the per- 
 mission and of the opportunity which custom not 
 merely allows, but prescribes, to say something respect- 
 ing the succeeding Lectures, before they are dismissed 
 to the candor of the public, which could not be said 
 in the course of their delivery. 
 
 The history of the publication is simply as follows. 
 It was suggested to me about five years 'since, in a 
 cursory conversation, that it would be a desirable 
 thing to produce a confirmation of the facts recorded 
 in the sacred writings, from contemporary historians, 
 so far as these could be obtained; and where the re- 
 moteness of scriptural narrations stretched beyond the 
 chronology of heathen compositions, to adduce such 
 fragments of antiquity as time has spared to us, so far 
 as they bear any relation to events transpiring at the 
 earliest periods. It was justly observed, that while 
 many and successful efforts have been made, and are 
 daily making, to elucidate and defend the doctrines 
 and the precepts of Christianity, the facts recorded in 
 the Bible have not been placed in the same advanta- 
 geous point of view. Some have perhaps been deter- 
 red by the toil necessary to collect such testimonies, to 
 select from the mass evidences which are more prom- 
 inent than others, and to discriminate such portions of 
 heathen records as mingle truth with iable, to dctcc: 
 
t> 
 
 and expose the one, and to produce and enforce 
 the other. It is also probable that not a few have de- 
 clined to adventure upon this plan, because it is so un- 
 like the usual and popular modes of pulpit discussion. 
 Thus while the citadel of revealed religion has been 
 ably an^zealousiy defended, the out-works have been 
 abandoned, or at least overlooked; and the posts 
 where some veterans of old times fought, have, since 
 their removal by death, remained unfilled. Upon re- 
 volving this conversation in my mind, I felt that the 
 remark was important, and I began seriously to think 
 of undertaking the proposed discussionjust so far as it 
 might be useful to my own congregation, and would 
 not interfere with the other arrangements of my min- 
 isterial labors. My first object was to discover by 
 whom the ground had been trodden before me. I 
 well recollected that Grotius had expressly set apart a 
 portion of his treatise on the Truth of the Christian 
 Religion, to the consideration of Foreign Testimonies: 
 and in that useful little volume will be found many 
 of the authorities produced in the following pages. 
 But Grotius has written in Latin, and is not, therefore, 
 accessible to an English reader. He lias been trans- 
 lated; but the plan proposed forms a very small part 
 of his production; and the whole work can only be 
 considered as an epitome of the Evidences of Chris- 
 tianity, where tiie principal arguments in its favor are 
 enumerated and stated, but never dilated, and seldom 
 more than barely named. Various have been the 
 productions which tend to this point, under the sanc- 
 tion of such illustrious names as lYideaux, Lardner, 
 Briant, Stillin^nVet, Pearson, Doddridge, and others. 
 But these ail enter only into a part of my scheme 
 . elueiJ.'itc a particular portion of the sacred writ- 
 
ings, or advert in general terms to the stability of the 
 whole. Above all it appeared to me that there was 
 yet wanting a work, which might interweave foreign 
 testimonies to the truth of Scripture history, with the 
 discussion of the history itself; which might admit gen- 
 eral and important remarks with a selected subject; 
 and which might relieve the barrenness and languor 
 of mere discussion, and of a series of extracts from 
 heathen writers; by assuming the shape and the ardor 
 of pulpit and popular addresses. Such was the design 
 of the Lectures now submitted to the public, and it 
 would ill become me to conjecture how far I have 
 succeeded in filling up the outline. The plan was 
 sketched for the use of my own congregation; and 
 delivered in my own pulpit. It was afterwards desir- 
 ed by some, who perhaps thought too favorably of 
 the execution, that it should be brought into a larger 
 circle; and the Lectures were accordingly delivered 
 during two winters in London. By the importunity 
 of the same persons, the work is now committed to the 
 press; and time must decide (while I anxiously wait 
 its decision) whether I have done well or ill in yielding 
 my private opinion of the demerits of the execution, 
 to their flattering prepossessions in favor of its utility. 
 Respecting the work itself, I have little to add to 
 the remarks which will be found to introduce the first 
 Lecture. Using freely different writers, I have also 
 candidly acknowledged my obligations to them, I 
 have carefully read over, and have endeavored faithful- 
 ly to translate the passages produced from antiquity: 
 and separating them from the body of the work, I 
 have preserved their original form for the use of the 
 scholar who may choose to hear them speak their own 
 language, and yet might be unwilling to take the trcub- 
 
B 
 
 le to hunt them down through various works, in notes 
 at the end of each Lecture. I have subjoined a list of 
 the names of the principal writers quoted in this work, 
 and have placed over against their names the periods 
 in which they flourished. The list of errata in the 
 work appears large, but will be found in few instan- 
 ces to affect the sense: the principal errors in it are the 
 substitution of one Greek letter for another in various 
 instances. I will venture to affirm that its magnitude 
 has not arisen from my indolence; and the candid 
 Reader will know how to make allowance for imper- 
 fections in sending out such a volume as the succeed- 
 ing one, especially when the correction of the press 
 rested with myself alone; and was performed amid 
 weekly and daily, public and private, pressing engage- 
 ments.* I expect to derive much advantage from our 
 public organs of criticism; and to candid criticism, crit- 
 icism such as it ought always to be, willing to allow 
 a merit as well as a defect, to point out a beauty as 
 well as a fault, I shall always bow with respect, and 
 shall always, be happy to avail myself of its corrections 
 and of its advice. If I could write a faultless volume, 
 I must possess more than human powers: if I have pro- 
 duced one which shall be useful to the cause of truth 
 and religion (and such was my design,) I shall rejoice 
 in my general success; and, I hope, be willing to listen 
 with gratitude to the candor which discovers to me 
 where I have failed. 
 
 W. B. C. 
 
 BLACKHEA.TH.HILL, March 20, 1807. 
 
 * It was judged unnecessary in this edition to print the notes in their 
 
 . -iff/form; but a translation of all of them and references to the ori- 
 
 tfinnU will be found, either in the Lectrres when; tho quotations are 
 
 made, or in their order at the end of the volume. The Errata mentioned 
 
 above have been carefully corrected in this edition AM. En. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 LECTURE 1. 
 
 PAGE 7-41. 
 INTRODUCTORY THE NECESSITY OF A DIVINE REVELATION. 
 
 Jr E, xi, 79. Apology for the undertaking. Statement of 'he plan of 
 the Lectures-Mode of discussion proposed, by an appeal to the heathen 
 world Their ignorance of the nature and attributes of God Commence- 
 ment of man's errors Source of polytheism --Rise of imai;e worship-. 
 Visible objepts-. -heroes- benefactors- deified Impurity of 'heir -wor- 
 shipSacrifice of human victims- Contrasted with Christianity - '; in it- 
 civil institutions- -their defective morals-- their s;. stems too refined for 
 the multitude- Universal adaptation of Christinn'ny --Their uncenainiy 
 respecting- the future, instanced by Homer and by Pan! at Athens - Rev- 
 elation has removed these difficulties- I'.iid -my anticipates annihilation - 
 Objections against Kevelation refuted-- Stare of man without it deplora- 
 bleexpectation of Socrates-'-Revelunon possible, probable, found in ihe 
 Bible alone. 
 
 LECTURE II. 
 
 PAGE 42 r 4. 
 
 THE CREATlON-^-THAT THE MOSAIC ACCOUNT OF IT IS THE ON- 
 LY RATIONAL ONE WHICH WE HAVE RECEIVED. 
 
 GEN. i. 1. The province of sense, of reason, and. of faith* Incite* 
 ments to inquire into the origin of all things -all ages have attempted 
 it---The several opinions of mankind reduced to Two First, that the 
 world was produced by chanceexamined on acknowledged principles 
 refuted by Cicero - Appeal to the human frame, and the conversion of 
 GalenHypothesis of the Egyptians--a disfigured copy of Moses hypo- 
 thesis of modern philosophy Second opinion, that the world is eternal- 
 By whom held Refuted by the world's mutability by philosophical 
 and astronomical laws^by history by ;he arts and sciences by the or- 
 igin of nations Objection raised from some recent discoveries in volca- 
 nic irruptions considered tradition of the creation universal The being 
 of a God inferred, and our connexion with him exhibited Mosaic ac- 
 count of the Creation Dr. Geddes Light created Longinus Work. 
 of the six days Inquiries answered respecting primeval light astron- 
 my sxlent of the Creation ihe six days the information of Moses. 
 
 LECTURE III. 
 
 PAGE 75103. 
 THE DELUGE. 
 
 GEN- vn, 11 24. 2 PET. in, 5 7. Ruins apostasy of man pro- 
 gress of vice antediluvian longevit) Union between the sons of God 
 and the daughters of men Giants State of the world at the time of the 
 Deluge Plan of the Lecture The fact established By the general 
 con-sent of all nations Testimonies of Abydenus Berosus, Lucian re* 
 
 2 
 
10 CONTENTS. 
 
 mark of Grotius By the existence of marine productions on land Hy- 
 pothesis of volcanic irruptions examined objections of Button and others 
 opposed Hypotheses "of Burnet, IVhiston,' M. de la Pryme, and St. 
 Pierre statedEffected by Divine interposition Objections, respecting 
 the ark, America, ir.fants, and the rainbow, answered Improvement 
 appeal to the last judgment. 
 
 LECTURE IV. 
 
 PAGE 104131. 
 
 THE DESTRUCTION OF BABEL, THE CONFUSION OF LANGUAGE, 
 THE DISPERSION OF THE PEOPLE, AND THE ORIGIN OF NA- 
 TIONS. 
 
 GEN. xi, 1 9 OBADIAH, 3 & 4. Noah's mingled emotions, of pity, 
 of gratitude, and of faith The fear of man impressed upon brutes, and 
 the law for murder Noah's failing his death genealogy of his des- 
 cendants his predictions Nimrod the' original tongue Situation of 
 Shinar Building of Babel its design and form Imagery of the Bible 
 Confusion of language, what? Dispersion of the people, how effected 
 Origin of nations supposed uncertain Ancient testimonies Fable 
 of the giants one of the Sybils Abydenus Inquiries \\hether the at- 
 tempt was criminal? whether man would have separated without a 
 change of language? whether language would have changed without a. 
 miracle: Improvement Our errors spring from the pride of our hearts 
 appeal to Nebuchadnezzar and to Belshazzar Prosperity often ex- 
 rebellion There can be no security when God is our enemy . 
 
 LECTURE V. 
 
 PAGE 131--163. 
 
 THE DESTRUCTION OF SODOM AND GOMORHAH. 
 
 GE.V. xix. 1526. 2 PET. ii, 6. Domestic scenes of Genesis-- 
 f rastcd with profane writers-. -the patriarchal tents welcomed Abraham. 
 introduced Idolatry of his country triumphs of faith titles of Abra- 
 ham his infirmity in Egypt his memorials of gratitude liis separation 
 from Lot the battle of Siddim, and Lot rescued Mrlchisedt c Inter- 
 view with Jehovah Religious worship to be guarded Domestic con- 
 tenlion---Hagar's Might prediction respecting Ishmael Circumcision, 
 and Abraham's name changed Three angels visit him --Go<l i< 
 his designs against Sodom, and Abraham pleads for 5l-Two angels visit 
 Lot Danger threatens the city in the morning Lot hasteiu 
 to the mountain objectsplead! for Zoar- -obtains his re-. 
 
 iclion of Sodom sudden-.-how eflected---tliu Dead Sea Lot's \\ile 
 Testimonies of Tacitus, Philo, Pliny, Diodorus Sicultis, Strai 
 Solinus, to this fact Modern writers Evidences remaining on th- 
 U( presentations of the Bible concerning its appearance in different 
 a^es correspondent fratun-s remain tes' iniony of Joscphus ---Changes 
 -,ed to be ctierU-d 1 y time, ami their immediate cav sub- 
 
 ject improved--. Judgments delayed will }etbe executed Tl. 
 
CONTENTS. 11 
 
 LECTURE VI. 
 
 PAGE 164191. 
 
 THE HISTORY OF JOSEPH. 
 
 GEN. xlix, 2226. ACTS vii, 9- 16. Intervening- history slightly 
 touched Sacrifice of Isaac Death of Sarah-Subsequent events enumer- 
 atedJoseph's history commences with his mother's death and at an 
 interesting- age- Jacob's partiality, and its effects upon his sons Jo- 
 seph's dreams His brethren remove from home- -Joseph visits them 
 progress of sin in their bosoms, and they resolve to slay him---Reu- 
 ben's interference Joseph assumed nothing- inconsequence of his father's 
 partiality-- He is sold, and his coat dyed in blood Jacob's anxiety and 
 despair Joseph in Eg\pt, and in temptation Joseph in prison, and his 
 acquaintance with Pharaoh's chief butler and baker The chief butler's 
 ingratitude Pharaoh's dreams Joseph's elevation Justin's remarka- 
 ble testimony Joseph's brethren visit Egypt, and know him not Simeon 
 bound They return dismayed Benjamin brought into Egypt on their 
 second return Benjamin is arrested Judah pleads for his brother Jo- 
 seph discovers himself Retrospection They tell their father of his 
 prosperity Jacob and Joseph meet Their after-feelings supposed Ja- 
 cob introduced to Pharaoh Israel dies Joseph's mourning He returns 
 to fulfil his duties in Egypt -and dies also Concluding- Remarks on 
 Genesis It relates facts in which we are concerned, and which revela- 
 tion must necessarily contain Moses is the author of it The connex- 
 ion between it, and the succeeding books, is inseparable. The historian 
 writes like a man convinced of the truth of that which he advances 
 The difference between the style of Genesis, and thai of his other writ- 
 ing's, noticed and accounted for. 
 
 LECTURE VII, 
 
 PAGE 192213. 
 
 A SCRIPTURAL REPRESENTATION OF THE NATURE AND DES- 
 TINATION OF MAN. 
 
 GEN. n, 7. JOB xxxn, 8. -Introduction Vegetable world Ani- 
 mal world Man his natural dig-nit} \Vhat is spirit? Its operations 
 traced Understanding- Passions Memory Imagination Dreams 
 Its separate state 'Hie Soul sleeping- scheme examined How repre- 
 sented in the Scriptures capable erf separate joys or suffering's Source 
 of human dignity Life secretly communicated by God Intelligence 
 distributed variously by the same hand Madness Spiritual knowledge 
 the gift of God The future existence of the spirit flows from him -Re- 
 flections How high is the destination of the spirit! Its powers should 
 be devoted to the Deit\ How vast is its loss! How diligently should 
 it be cultivated Concluding 1 remarks A skeptic is an enemy to him- 
 self and to mankind- Humanity is concerned in the progress of Chris. 
 
12 CONTENTS. 
 
 LECTURE VIII. 
 
 PAGE 214 241. 
 THE SLAVERY AND DELIVERANCE OF ISRAEL IN EGYPT- 
 
 GEN. xv, 13, 14. ACTS vn, 35, 36 - The Bible recalls past events-- 
 Man always man his information confined to the pas' and the present--- 
 he knows no'hingof the future Commence ment of Exodus- -Subject 
 proposed, and its arrangement sta'ed-.-Changjs effec'ed in a few years 
 How much often depends upon an individual---Ravages of time im- 
 pressively pourtrayed by the inspired writer - Multiplication of Israel--- 
 Their bondage-- Children slain Birth of Moses and his exposure-- He 
 is rescued by Pharaoh's daughter her blindness to the future Educa- 
 tion of Moses---Difference between man and man in talents, in litera- 
 ture, in rank of life, and in piety-- Silence of Moses respecting the first 
 40 years of his life-- He slays the Egyptianand fiies- -He marries Zip- 
 po<*ah He approaches the burning bush---his commiss.on openshe 
 meets the Magicians before Pharaoh- General statement of his miracles 
 i'h of the first born- -the Israelites depart -Critic ism on the word 
 "To BORROW''- The\ pass the Red Sea- -Foreign testimonies to this 
 fact There was such a person as Moses, proved by Justin ami Longi- 
 nus He brought Israel from Egypt, proved by Justin, Manetlio, Ttici- 
 tus, Pliny, Trogus Pompeius The Jews could not have asserted these 
 things, unless they had been true, without detection-. -Testimony of 
 Numcniusthe Jews themselves could not be imposed uponThese 
 facts are kept in remembrance by their rites Ancient custom of the 
 Egyptians on the dav before the Passover Testimony from Diodorus 
 An appeal to Skepticism. 
 
 LECTURE IX. 
 
 E 212 2CG. 
 
 i'HE JOURNEY OF ISRAEL IN THE WILDERNESS: THEIR ES- 
 TABLISHMKKT IN CANAAN; AND THE CIRCUMSTANCES 
 ATTENDING THKSB EVENTS. 
 
 JOSHUA, xxiv. 2- 13. - lie; son is to the mind what the eye is to the 
 
 Tod\, and Keve.lation s to reason what Sight is tothee\e- -the one is the 
 
 organ-- the- other the medium 'Jevelat i<,.. , to elucidate Nature 
 
 -and to drv.-!o;>e fiitu.-i'.\ the Si.hj.jrt stated in its ex- 
 
 cording to the Scripture- h;stor\ --Cliai actrr of the- 
 
 -They murmur for water Manna and quails sent a fresh sup- 
 
 f water. i distinguished They .siih.luc Amalek '1 ho 
 
 ijiven Contrast be', -uul Calvary-- J hj Golden Calf the 
 
 vjl report ol Can. .an .\ general eitni'ii-ration of su- 
 
 , tribute to liis memoi-y J(.-hua 
 liationol Israel s::,ted --Tlu-y puss Jordan- - The 
 
 lhoW( r of stones, 
 in and mo ' til Foreign testimonies Positive e\ i- 
 
 ro the mot . Jtory kt large --from Ari- 
 
 tobulus, thf Orpine ver . ! Siculus, I'lmy, 
 
 Tacit' ippas, and the 1'ocis in grncral---Tt.st imony >( 
 
CONTENTS. 13 
 
 Publicity of the Law adherence of tlie Je\vs to it- its perfectionim- 
 possibility of impo.sition--.So also of the miracles of the journey Cus- 
 toms of the Jews, perpetuated to tins hour, refer to these events Rea- 
 son for the reservation of the Canaanites aspect oi the whole to the 
 Messiah Objections that the conduct of the Israelites was immoral 
 'hut h was cruel that the instruments us.ed to punish these nations 
 were improper refuted- ImproremeBt the harmony and success of the 
 designs of God contrasted wiih human fluctuations- he presides in the. 
 councils of princes It is pleasant to see the gradual devclopement of 
 his plans it will be delightful in heaven to review the whole. 
 
 LECTURE X. 
 
 PJCJ2262 292. 
 
 THE GOVERNMENT OF THE JEWS INCLUDING THE THEOCRA- 
 CY AND MONARCHY, TO THE BUILDING OF SOLOMON*S TEM- 
 PLE! WITH A CONFIRMATION OF SOME SUBORDINATE FACTS. 
 
 1 SAM. viii, 6-lC> & 19, 20. Ac rs vu. 44 -48. HEB. xi. 32 54 
 Revelation to he examined with reverence, with caution, and with caw- 
 dor Retrospection the subject stated An inquiry ino the rise of 
 government The parental and the patriarcha' Nimrocl Origin of mon- 
 archy Selection of Israel Theocracy -derivation of the term Three- 
 fold relation of God to the Hebrews Distinction of the terms, statutes, 
 commandments, judgments, and testimonies Scripture epithets expres- 
 sive of God's choice of the Jews Appointment of their rulers ^amuel 
 and his sons Expiration of the Theocracy; and in what sense? Monar- 
 chy of the Jews The change of government displeasing to God and 
 why? Saul anointed his alienation from God David brought to court 
 his friendship with Jonathan Saul and his sons slain? David's lamen- 
 tationHis succession, his character, and his trials His design to build 
 a temple The monarchy traced to its close absorbed in the spiritual 
 reign of Jesus Solomon'' s temple Evidences respecting it God's pres- 
 ence unconfined Subordinate Scripture facts confirmed-- Gideon's ac- 
 tions by Sanrchoniathon Jepthai's vow, by the story of Iphigenia --Samp- 
 son's foxes, in Ovid's Roman feasts --Delilah's treachery, in the story of 
 the daughter of Nisus---The strength and valor of Sampson, in the la- 
 bors of Hercules The vic'ory of David over the Syrians, by Nichelaus 
 Damascenus--The taking of Jerusalem, and the destruction of Senacha- 
 rib's army, by Herodotus - The Translation of Elijah, in tlie story of 
 Phaeton Jojnah's preservation by the whale, is related of Hercules by 
 Lycophron, and by yEneus Gazeus The dearth in the days of Ahab, by. 
 Menander and \he tire from Heaven v,hich consumed Elijah's sac- 
 rifice, by Cypria/, and by Julian- -Conclusion-. -Christ compared with 
 Solomon, 
 
 LECTURE XI. 
 
 PAGE 2,3319- 
 THE CAPTIVITIES OF ISRAEL AND OF JUDAH. 
 
 2 KINGS xvn. 1 - 6. 2 CHRO*. xxxvi. 14 21. The history of en.- 
 pires is the record of the human heart The Bible makes us acquainted 
 with MEN- --Cautions arising from Solomon's fall --Succession of Keho- 
 boam, and division of the kingdom- -The captivity of Israel, when? and 
 l >y \vhomN--Sumaritaris. -Cause of the captivity-. -MtnandcT's testimoM -- 
 
14 CONTENTS. 
 
 Man's abuses of pv/er---contrasted with the Benevolence of the Deity- 
 i Ti,( ten tribes - Inferences- The Messiah was the great object 
 of the Old Testament dispensation- -The very existence of the Jews de- 
 penned upon their connexion with the Suvior-.-The captivity of Judah, 
 \vher.? and by whom? Intermediate events- -The reading- of the roll 
 Nebuchadnezzar's first vision explained by Daniel* Total ruin of Jerusa- 
 lem-. -Description of Babylon -Its wallsThe bridge and banks of the 
 river -Canals -Palace, hanging gardens, and temple- -Nebuchadnezzar's 
 pride and fall; related in his decree ---Obscurely hinted in Abydcnus.-- 
 Confirmed by Herodotus Asserted by Josephus Gathered from Ptole- 
 my's Canon--- His reign and works mentioned by Berosus, Megasllxenes, 
 Diocles, and Philoatratus- Evil Merodach succeeds h-m Then Nt-rii^. 
 lasser Then Helshazz'ar Babylon taken by Cyrus-- The Jews restored 
 - -Improvement The facility with which God can punish nations- Ele- 
 vation sometimes bestowed upon the worst of characters- -The power of 
 the .wicked limited War a dreadful cursc---Let us seek a better world! 
 
 LECTURE XII. 
 
 PAGE 320347. 
 
 THE LIFE, DEATH, RESURRECTION, AND ASCENSION OF JESUS 
 CHRIST, PROVED AS MATTERS OF FACT. 
 
 LUKE n, 1-7. 1 Cou. xv, 3--S. 2 Pet. i, 16. -Sublimity ftllied to 
 terror-- God alike great in every point of view --The former dispensa- 
 tion has yielded to one more simple and more spiritual The obscurity of 
 antiquity left bchind---The subject stated It relates to facts transpiring 
 in the zenith of the glory of Rome -Expectations of the world at this 
 period Extract from Virgil's Pollio --compared with Isaiah's predictions 
 -.-Ti-anquillitv of all nutions--The decree of Augustus --Conjectures 
 
 iting- this tax, and its extent Inns of the East--- Poverty of the Sa- 
 vin'r's birt!)--lt is announced to the Shepherds. ..Journey of the Magi 
 who they were---tbe star which conducted them-- their country "Testi- 
 monies of Pliny and Chalcidius to this circumstance --Cruelty of Herod 
 
 lence that Christ had been in EgyptTestimony of Josephus res- 
 pec'.ing him-- Julian, Porphyry, and Celsus allow his works His death 
 Acts of Pilateasserted by Justin Marur and Tertullian - Manner of 
 it mentioned by Tacitus and by Lucian Miracles attending his death 
 Darkness supernatural -- Testimony of Phlegon-- of Suidas--und the re- 
 mark of l)i.)f.ysius the Areopa^ite-- -Burial of the Savior .-Evidences of 
 the rcs'in-ectiou-.-PK a of the guards answered in seven different \\ 
 
 , ^ii;;:---Tes'imony rtf l : iiny to the early worship of Christ* General 
 evidences of Quadn.'us- -Ttrrtullian, and Amoblos--. Improvement Jlev 
 guiding Siar-.-in its nature - in it:; sou:x'j--in i^s 
 object-'-and in its issue. 
 
 LECTI in; MIL 
 
 -348 , 
 
 THE CHARACTER OF THE WHITKHS O AND NE\V 
 
 VI S. 
 
 1 Jon s I. 1 . H !'. at'd 
 
 ,!ated 'J I of tie 
 
 Old ai 
 
 ' 
 
CONTENTS. 15 
 
 of all nations They wore for the most part eye-witnesses of the facts 
 which they recorded What they did not see they derived from the most 
 r.ertain evidences Their integrity Their impartiality Their candor 
 I'lifii- wisdom Their holiness Their lives contrasted with those of 
 their opponents Their motives disinterested proved by their actions 
 and by their preaching Their testimony respecting- themselves They 
 believed what they taught proved by their sufferings Tlu-y were 
 guided by that which t'hey preachedproved by the correspondence 
 of their lives They could not be deceived in the facts which they re- 
 late They would not deceive proved from their acknowledged charac- 
 tersand from their criminality, supposing it possible Their views 
 stated, and their prejudices Their appeals considered The concession 
 of .their enemies Improvement The allowances to be made in reading 
 the scriptures and the spirit in which they should be consulted. 
 
 LECTURE XIV. 
 
 PAGE 377 39r. 
 
 THE UNSEARCHABLE GOD: OR, AN ATTEMPT TO PROVE AN 
 ANALOGY BETWEEN THE RELIGION OF NATURE AND THAT OF 
 THE BIBLE, BY SHEWING THAT THE SAME OBSCURITY WHICH 
 OVERSHADOWS REVELATION, EQUALLY OVERSPREADS NATURE- 
 AND PROVIDENCE. 
 
 JOB xxxvi. 14 Man*, a needy dependent creature in his infancy 
 his childhood his youth his manhood his death Kevelution meets 
 him on the terms of his nature Magnitude, beauty, and wisdom, com- 
 parative terms Limitation or hum an powers Created minds swallow- 
 ed up in the Deity The subject slated God unsearchable in the works 
 of creation Ignorance of man in early ages Progress of philosophy 
 Our present ignorance of the planetary system Attempts to reach the 
 poles -frustrated Our ignorance of the minutiae of nature, and of the 
 structure of the human frame God unsearchable in providence Its mys- 
 teries relative to empires The assistance of Revelation Its perplexi- 
 ties relative to individuals Partial illumination from the Bible Our ig- 
 norance of the invisible worlds These were once unknown altogether 
 Their existence is now clearly proved in the Scriptures Their nature iu 
 general is ascertained But few particulars respecting them have - 
 pired God unsearchable in the word of Revelation Its general truth? 
 exhibited Its promises Concession respecting its difficulties: bin in 
 this very point consists its arfalogy with nature and providence These 
 all are but partial views of the Deity The thunder of his power is 
 ceivable Illustrations Conclusion. 
 
Writers quoted, or refej^red /o, in the coitrtte of tht 
 Lectures, with their respective dates. 
 
 ORPHEUS 
 
 Hesiod 
 
 Homer 
 
 Sanchoniathan 
 
 Xenophanes 
 
 Herodotus}^ 
 
 Plato 
 
 Aristotle 
 
 Diodes 
 
 Abydenus 
 
 Megasthenes 
 
 Menander 
 
 Strato Lampsacenus 
 
 Lycophrou 
 
 Manelho 
 
 Aristobulus 
 
 Diodorus Siculus 
 
 Cicero 
 
 Trogus Pompeius 
 
 Catullus 
 
 Virgil 
 
 Nicholnus Demascenus 
 
 Suidas 
 
 Ovid 
 
 Strabo 
 
 Apion 
 
 Philo about 
 
 .Lucanus 
 
 Seneca 
 
 Pliny the elder 
 
 Solinus 
 
 Joscphus died 
 
 Pliny the younger 
 
 Plutarch 
 
 Juvenal 
 
 /Elian 
 
 Justin 
 
 Justin Martyr 
 
 Luciun 
 
 Origcn 
 
 Clemens Alexandrinus 
 
 Philostratus 
 
 Ocellus Lucanus 
 
 Cyprian 
 
 
 
 B. C. 
 
 
 A.D. 
 
 1000 
 
 Chalcidius in the third cer 
 
 i- 
 
 . 900 
 
 tury 
 
 
 850 
 
 Arnobios 
 
 300 
 
 . 760 
 
 Porphyry 
 
 304 
 
 620 
 
 Eusebius 
 
 342 
 
 484 
 
 Julian 
 
 363 
 
 413 
 
 P .,. 7 f Alexandria 
 
 386 
 
 . 348 
 
 3 of Jerusalem 
 
 444 
 
 . 322 
 
 Epiphanius died 
 
 403 
 
 321 
 
 yEneus Gazeus 
 
 490 
 
 300 
 
 Alexander Trallianus 
 
 520 
 
 298 
 
 293 
 . 288 
 276 
 
 Hermippas ~\ 
 
 Numenius | 
 Eupolcmus J 
 
 
 261 
 
 
 
 124 
 
 MODERNS. 
 
 
 . 44 
 
 
 
 43 
 
 Pearson 
 
 1600 
 
 . 41 
 
 Grotius 
 
 1645 
 
 40 
 
 Usher 
 
 1655 
 
 - 18 
 
 Milton 
 
 1674 
 
 A. D. 
 
 Addison 
 
 1719 
 
 6 
 
 Rollin 
 
 1741 
 
 . 11 
 
 Saurin 
 
 
 17 
 
 Burnet 
 
 
 . 25 
 
 Whist on 
 
 
 35 
 
 M. de la Prvmr 
 
 
 . 50 
 
 Taylor 
 
 
 . 65 
 
 Prideaux 
 
 
 65 
 
 Hrvant 
 
 
 . 80 
 
 Shaw 
 
 
 81 
 
 Pocoke 
 
 
 93 
 
 Volney 
 
 
 103 
 
 IJi.ssolius 
 
 
 119 
 
 Allix 
 
 
 128 
 
 DmVlridge 
 
 
 . 140 
 
 Home 
 
 
 148 
 
 Poole 
 
 
 163 
 
 Bruce ^ 
 
 
 . 180 
 
 Watson 
 
 
 200 
 
 Geddcs 
 
 
 . 220 
 
 Burn 
 
 
 241 
 
 h>t. Pierre 
 
 
 250 
 
 Ancient Universal History 
 
 
 258 
 
 Humph rys's Annotations 
 
 
 273 
 
 Encyclopedia liri tannicu 
 
 
 276 
 
 
 
LECTURES 
 
 ON 
 
 SCRIPTURE FACTS. 
 LECTURE I. 
 
 INTRODUCTORY THE NECESSITY OF A DIVINE 
 REVELATION. 
 
 JOB XI, 7 9. 
 
 Canst thou by searching find out God? Canst thoufind 
 out the Almighty unto perfection? It is high as 
 heaven, what canst thou do? deeper than hell, what 
 canst thou know? The measure thereof is longer 
 than the earth, and broader than the sea! 
 
 JL o enlarge the sphere of knowledge, and to increase 
 the sum of happiness in the present world, is an object 
 worthy the attention of every friend of human nature; 
 and the effort, ev 7 en should it fail, deserves the appro- 
 bation and the applause, of wise and good men: but 
 to provide consolation against the severest moments of 
 trial, to disperse the cloud which hangs over "the valley 
 of the shadow of death," and to conduct the immortal 
 spirit safe to the throne of the invisible God, is a pur- 
 pose far more sublime, and an exertion of still greater 
 utility. To shed lustre over a few years, or to 
 live in remembrance a century or two, and then to 
 be forgotten, is comparatively of small importance: yet 
 for this the scholar labors, and the hero endures hard- 
 ship this is the summit of human ambition, and the 
 boundary of its most sanguine expectations. To shine 
 on the roll of science, to pluck honors which fade like 
 3 
 
18 
 
 tlie flower of the field, while you gather them, or to 
 sparkle among the favorites of fortune, is of little avail to 
 man, who must soon resign to the merciless grasp of 
 death, even the sceptre of the world, were it committed 
 to his possession. Yet these things are sought amid re- 
 peated disappointments; and the golden bait is received 
 with increased avidity, although barbed with anguish 
 and sorrow. But who regards the silent finger of reli- 
 gion pointing to an inheritance above the stars, prom- 
 ising splendors which shall never expire, and waiting 
 to crown the man, who obeys her gracious admoni- 
 tions, with honor, glory, and immortality? 
 
 When I remember the occasion on which I stand 
 before this large assembly, and the awful engagement 
 which, at the solicitation of many among you, I have 
 undertaken I shrink from my subject, and enter up- 
 on the discussion ol it with "fear and trembling." To 
 throw down the gauntlet, and to enter the list with win- 
 ning and attractive fashion, is a bold and daring effort. 
 Jt will be admitted that this is a day of prevailing infidel- 
 ity; and surely it will also be allowed, that it is the duty 
 of every man, who sustains the sacred office of a Chris- 
 tian minister, to "contend earnestly for the faith once 
 iV.ivered to the saints," and to "give a reason for the 
 hope that is in him." On this principle the Lecturer 
 presumes to offer his mite to the Lord of the Treasury 
 towards the support of this great and common cause. 
 It may be asked, why hoary ;ti^ should not rather en- 
 ter upon this arduous work? Would to God that more 
 efforts NVLMC inaiJr on tin- part of able and faithful 
 miu; ruble for years and for litera- 
 
 ture, against the common enemy! Tho<e, however 
 who imagine that uge should exclusively wield the 
 >rcP' against $keptk*ftnv, will dowelltora- 
 
19 
 
 member, that the opposite cause is not supported alto- 
 gether, or tor the most part, by years, experience, and 
 learning. No, these are far from being exclusively our 
 opponents: The young, the inexperienced, and the illit- 
 erate, have united with the sage and the philosopher, 
 against the claims and obligations of revelation. While. 
 even school-boys daringly renounce asystem which they 
 have not examined, which they cannot, alas! appreciate, 
 and embrace one which they do not understand, may 
 it not be permitted to a young man to say something 
 in favor of a volume, which, if lie should not succeed 
 in defending it, he can truly say he admires and loves? 
 Let the wise and the learned rouse to action, and pro- 
 duce their "strong reasons"! shall be among the first to 
 sit at their feet: but upon persons of my own age, I feel 
 that I have a peculiar claim; I trust that they will hear 
 me with candor and respect; and for them principal- 
 ly I have suffered this engagement to be announced to 
 the public. Let youth be opposed to youth, age to 
 age, talent to talent. Let the enemies of revelation 
 know, that we can ascend to their eminence, or sink 
 to their level. Let it be seen, that some are growing 
 up to support the Redeemers kingdom, while others 
 finish their course, and are gathered to their fathers. 
 
 It may be said, that so many have undertaken this 
 cause, and acquitted themselves so ably,that neither any 
 thing new can be advanced, nor is it indeed necessary. 
 It is readily granted, that I am to tread in a beaten 
 track; but while skepticism continues to press upon us 
 old objections in new forms, we must follow their ex- 
 ample in refuting those objections: and it is as necessary 
 as it ever was to oppose the standard of truth to that of 
 error, so long as our adversaries determine to keep the 
 field, and to maintain the combat. So far from flattering 
 
20 
 
 myself that I am striking out a new path, I shall profes- 
 sedly set before you^ from time to time, such arguments* 
 and testimonies as I am able to collect from others; and 
 shall freely use every author that may be servicable to 
 the cause which I attempt to defend. And if I shall be 
 able to set an old argument in a new light, or even to 
 bring one to remembrance only, I shall be satisfied to 
 be regarded a compiler of evidences, rather than a cre- 
 ator of them; I shall be amply rewarded for my labor, 
 nor will you regret your attendance. When however, 
 I recollect, that we all gather our stores of knowledge 
 from the writings or conversation of others; that the 
 experience and observation of the wisest of men could 
 furnish him with comparatively little intelligence, were 
 it never permitted to advance beyond its own imme- 
 diate sphere; and when in addition to these considera- 
 tions, I remember that every man has his own train of 
 thinking, and a mode of expression peculiar to himself, 
 I flatter myself that all which shall be said, will not 
 be h ' ' wed, if all is not exclusively my own; and that 
 som viy be advanced in the course of these lec- 
 
 tures, which, if it should not surprise by its novelty, 
 may be candidly received for its justness, and attract 
 by its simplicity and sinceri 
 
 It will be proper, in a lew vv s to state the im- 
 mediate purpose of these lectu: the object of 
 the plan which I am about to - it is simply to 
 meet skepticism on its own ground in relation to first 
 principles. Is it ass-rtcd that the facts recorded in 
 this volume have no evidence? We shall endeavor to 
 prove that they are furnished with all th- evidence 
 which events so remote can have, and which reason 
 ought to require of time. Is it said that Christianity 
 is a modern invention? On the contrary, if our pur- 
 
21 
 
 pose be established, it will appear as old as the creation. 
 Is the authority of the scriptures questioned? We vv 
 produce other testimonies. Is its history condemn* i 
 as absurd? We shall attempt to shew that it is perfect- 
 ly rational; and that all evidences weighed, and all 
 circumstances considered, it is clear that events could 
 not have taken place otherwise than as they are re- 
 corded. Is it objected, that it claims support from mi- 
 racles? It will follow from our representations, if they 
 are made with the strength and clearness which we de- 
 sire, that such a book, so written, and so supported, 
 could it be proved to be false, would be of itself a 
 greater miracle than any which appears upon its pag- 
 es. The facts which it records, are the immediate sub- 
 jects of examination in the present course of lectures; 
 and these will be considered in connexion with their 
 history, and confirmed by foreign and ancient testi- 
 mony, under the following arrangement. 
 
 1. The present lecture, which is merely introducto- 
 ry, will be an attempt to prove the necessity of a divine 
 Revelation. 
 
 2. The Creation: that the Mosaic account of it is 
 the only rational one which we have received: 
 
 3. The Deluge: 
 
 4. The destruction of Babel, the confusion of lan- 
 guage, the dispersion of the people, and the origin oi 
 nations: 
 
 5. The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrha: 
 
 6. The history of Joseph; which will bring us to 
 the close of Genesis: 
 
 7. Intermediate Lecture: a scriptural representation 
 of the nature and destination of man: 
 
 8. The slavery and deliverance of Israel in Egypt: 
 
 9. The journey of the Israelites in the wilderness: 
 
21 
 
 their establishment in Canaan; and the circumstances 
 attending these events: 
 
 10. The government of the Jews; including the the- 
 ocracy and monarchy, to the building of Solomon's 
 Temple; with a confirmation of some subordinate facts 
 recorded in the scriptures. 
 
 11. The captivities of Israel and Judah: 
 
 12. The life, death, resurrection, and ascension of 
 Jesus Christ, proved as matters of fact: 
 
 13. The character of the writers of the Old and 
 New Testament: 
 
 14. Concluding Lecture the unsearchable God; 
 or, an attempt to prove an analogy between the reli- 
 gion of nature and that of the Bible, by shewing that 
 the same obscurity which overshadows revelation, e- 
 qually overspreads nature and providence. 
 
 The present subject of discussion is, 
 
 THE NECESSITY OF A DIVINE REVELATION. 
 
 A fair trial of the powers of human reason was 
 made during that long and dreary period in which the 
 scriptures were confined within tlie walls of Jerusalem, 
 and the world at large was left in the unmolested ex- 
 ercise of all the means furnished by nature and philo- 
 sophy, to conduct the mind to God. To that period 
 we shall therefore recur; and shall endeavor to ascer- 
 tain what were the discoveries made by the most 
 enlightened among the Heathens, respecting the na- 
 ture of Deity, the relation which he bears to us, the 
 obligations under which \ve, are laid to him, the con- 
 sequences of death, the secrets of futurity, and all those 
 things which an; so interesting to man, as an immor- 
 tal being. It is fair to judge of the powers of nature and 
 of reason, from the eik"jb produced by their agency, 
 
23 
 
 when they were left altogether to themselves. It is 
 unfair in the advocates of skeptiscism to avail them- 
 selves of the superior intelligence afforded by revela- 
 tion, and to usi3 this knowledge against the volume 
 from which they derived it. It is not possible to de- 
 termine with any degree of precision, what discove- 
 ries the unassisted light of reason is capable of mak- 
 ing, while it is aided, and indeed absorbed, by the su- 
 perior illumination of revealed religion; it must there- 
 fore be admitted, that a fair and accurate investigation 
 of its powers, can only be made by looking at it as it 
 really appeared when it was seen alone. We ask 
 with confidence, whether at that period of the world, 
 when science unveiled all her splendors, and irradia- 
 ted the discovered globe from pole to pole; when phi- 
 losophy sat upon her throne enjoying the zenith of 
 her power; and when reason had attained the meridi- 
 an of her glory; a system more honorable to God, 
 more adapted to the wants and the felicity of man, 
 and more productive of moral excellence, than that 
 which is suggested in the Scriptures, was produced? 
 We defy skepticism to answer in the affirmative. Did 
 the mild philosophy of Socrates and of Plato; did the 
 elegant mind of Cicero; did all the heathen philoso- 
 phers in their combined exertions, ever produce such 
 affecting elucidations of divine goodness, such consol- 
 ing demonstrations of divine mercy, such delightful 
 discoveries of life and immortality? They never did. 
 And \ve shall attempt to prove to you the necessity of 
 a divine revelation from the state of the world, at that 
 very period when these eminent persons flourished. 
 We shall not cause to pass before you, rude and bar- 
 barous nations; but we shall bring to the test scientific 
 Greece, learned and polite Athens, polished, proud, 
 imperial Rome. We solicit your attention to 
 
24 
 
 I. THEIR SUPERSTITIONS AND RITES OF WORSHIP: 
 
 II. THEIR CIVIL INSTITUTIONS AND THEIR DEFEC- 
 TIVE MORALS: 
 
 III. THEIR UNCERTAIN CONJECTURES IN RELATION 
 
 TO FUTURITY. 
 
 I. THEIR SUPERSTITIONS AND RITES OF WORSHIP. 
 
 And in contemplating the state of religion during 
 the boasted reign of reason and philosophy, we can- 
 not but be struck with their ignorance of 
 
 1. THE NATURE AND THE ATTRIBUTES OF GoD. 
 
 When man was left to wander over this wide globe 
 without one cheering ray to guide his feet, the light of 
 nature excepted, the progression of erroneous conclu- 
 sions founded upon one false principle was rapid and 
 extensive. He beheld this fair world covered with ev- 
 ery thing necessary to his existence, and to his enjoy- 
 ments. Spring enchanted all his senses: a summer's 
 sun poured hie glories around him: autumn furnished 
 his table; and experience taught him to secure 
 her bounty in his rude habitation, while the blasts of 
 winter howled round his dwelling, and spread desola- 
 tion over the plains. He perceived that these seasons 
 regularly returned, and that they departed in their or- 
 der, lie concluded that they had their appointed pe- 
 riods; and this suggested to him the conviction of a 
 supreme, over-ruling Intelligence. In every nation, 
 and in every age, the conception of the being of a God, 
 uted itself to the human mind; and an Atheist 
 ,i monster even in the days of heathenism. He 
 had no clear conception, however, of spirit distinct 
 from matter; and therefore conjectured that this God 
 might be Visible. HF.RK COMMENOKH ins ERRORS. He 
 looked around in search of this great first cause. H< 
 Id the sun as he performed his apparent journey 
 
rid the globe. When his beams were tempered 
 with gentleness, it was spring: when they poured their 
 most fervid radiance upon the earth, it was summer: 
 their continued vivification produced the maturity of 
 autumn; and their total absence, or partial influence, 
 the storms and the gloom of winter. But, when he 
 re-appeared, the snow dissolved, rivers flowed afresh, 
 and the face of nature was renewed. Of all the ob- 
 jects around him. which could be so likely to be the 
 God of nature? or, in the eye of philosophy itself, what 
 presented so perfect a resemblance of the Deity? The 
 Persian raised him an altar, and bowed with fervor 
 before his shrine. 
 
 But the sun was not the only benefactor of man. 
 Night spread her mantle over him. and he sought re- 
 pose. The moon lighted him from his labor, and dif- 
 fused a silvery, partial illumination upon the face of 
 creation, which before her rising was enveloped in per- 
 fect obscurity. In her appearance she resembled the 
 ruler of the day; and the conclusion was irresistible,, 
 thai she ought to divide with him the honors of wor- 
 ship. Thus while the sun scorched the head of the 
 adoring Persian: the worshippers of the moon rent the 
 air with shouting, "Great is Diana of the Ephesians." 
 Still but two of the hosts of heaven were considered, 
 The smaller appearances of light, kindled in the skies, 
 during the absence of the sun, were deemed of the 
 same nature, and supposed to answer the same purpo- 
 ses, with the larger; and it was at length inferred that 
 they also should be remembered as objects of adora- 
 tion; although possibly subordinatdy to the others, as 
 they were inferior in glory. HENCE SPRANG POLY- 
 
 THEJSM. 
 
 The arts and sciences in the mean time advanced: 
 
 4 
 
and while they were erecting tor themselves splendid 
 habitations, they thought that their deities ought to de- 
 rive some honor from the enlargement of useful knowl- 
 edge. Temples arose, and altars were elevated. There 
 the worshipper adored his supposed deity with greater 
 convenience. A resemblance of his God occurred to 
 his mind, as desirable. The idea was eagerly adopt- 
 ed. On some altars the fire flamed, as the purest em- 
 blem of the sun. Others copied the figure of the wax- 
 ing moon, and described a crescent. Others adored the 
 resemblance of a star.* But the Egyptian ever ready 
 in symbols, considered the qualities of his deities; and 
 whether they were energy or fervor as in the sun, or 
 gentleness and softness as in the moon, he represented 
 them by the unbending strength of manhood, or the 
 mild, dignified chastity of the woman. When the 
 mind had once seized the counterpart of its imaginary 
 god in nature, there quickly sprang up an Apollo, and 
 a Hercules,and a Diana. HERE AROSE IMAGE- WORSHIP. 
 Nor did human infatuation end here. Every object 
 around them was deified. The heavens, the air, the sea, 
 the very earth, were adored under the names of Ju- 
 piter, Juno, Neptune, and Cybele. The catalogue was 
 swelled to infinity! Their fellow men whom they either 
 feared or loved, were exalted to heavenly dominion. 
 A conqueror deluged the world in blood. Desolation 
 attended his footsteps. The wreath with which he 
 bound his forehead was nurtured in the field of slaugh- 
 ter, and washed in the tears of widows and orphans, 
 Sighs filled the floatings of his banner; and he drove 
 his chariot with fro/en insensibility over the slain in 
 the midst of the battle. He was a curse to the earth, 
 and execrated by the nations. He enlarged indeed 
 
 Acts vli, 4>. 
 
27 
 
 the limits of his empire; but every inch of ground add- 
 ed to his own dominions, was an encroachment upon 
 those of his neighbors, and was purchased at the ex- 
 pense of the heart's blood of his contemporaries. Af- 
 ter his death, dazzled by his exploits, his infatuated 
 subjects paid him divine honors, and placed him 
 among their worthless deities. One man taught his 
 countrymen to cast seed into the ground, after it had 
 been broken up, and thus to cause "the little one to 
 become a thousand:" and he was worshipped as pre- 
 siding over the fruits of the earth. Another availed 
 himself of the cloudless atmosphere of Babylon, and 
 ascending a lofty tower, made early observations on 
 the heavenly bodies: he was adored as the king of 
 heaven. A third by dint of attention, foretold the re- 
 turn of periodical winds; and he w ? as worshipped as 
 having charge of the storms, under the name of ^Eolus. 
 A fourth crossed the ocean, and in a frail bark com- 
 mitted himself to the mercy of the winds and waves. 
 Both the hero and his ship were instantly translated 
 to the skies; and at this hour a constellation in the hea- 
 vens bears their name, and keeps the daring enter- 
 prise in remembrance. While a fifth discovering me- 
 dicinal virtues in plants, and applying them with suc- 
 cess in certain cases, became the god of medicine, was 
 said to unpeople the grave, and was adored under the 
 name of Esculapius.* To pursue the subject, would 
 be useless and wearisome; every part of the heavens, 
 the earth, the air, the sea, and the supposed infernal 
 world, w r as crowded with deities; and every succeed- 
 ing tyrant, as the first act of his reign, gave his merci- 
 less predecessor a place among the gods. 
 
 While they all professedly admitted that there was 
 
 * See note 1, at the end of the Volume. 
 
one supreme being who presided over their multiplied 
 divinities, and held them all in subjection, they per- 
 petually disagreed on the point to whom this honor 
 belonged; and the supreme deity of one country, held 
 only a subordinate place in another. 
 
 Respecting the attributes of the objects of their wor- 
 ship, they discovered unequalled ignorance and impi- 
 ety. We are compelled to draw a veil over the prin- 
 ciples and operations of these pretended deities; for the 
 tale is too gross to recite in the ear of modesty; and 
 the picture could not meet the eye, without calling up 
 a blush of shame, sorrow, and indignation, on the 
 cheek of innocence. Who must not shudder with 
 horror when he reads, that thfese sons of reason and 
 philosophy, ascribed to the holy and invisible God, un- 
 'iness, and every detestable vice?* We will pass on 
 from the nature and number of their deities, to con- 
 sider, 
 
 2. TiiEiB WORSHIP OF GOD. Their religious adora- 
 tion, so called, was such as would have been better 
 suited to the house of an harlot, than to the temple of 
 God. Lasciviousness was sanctioned, encouraged, and 
 practised, under the holy and venerable name of reli- 
 gion. The more infamous the rites, the more accept- 
 able were they supposed to be to the Deity. The 
 apostle Paul has delineated in strong colors, the affect- 
 ing depravity of that dreary and comfortless period. 
 
 "B-rause when they knew God. they glorified him 
 
 ': Ir.'t became vain 
 
 rt was dark - 
 
 he wise they became 
 
 , ,ind <; ihr uncorruptible God, 
 
 M ' riS 
 
 The Y ' 
 
 MCiibed in I , their nr^rwnr 4eity 
 
29 
 
 into an image made like to corruptible man, and to 
 birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things. 
 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanne: 
 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and wor- 
 shipped and served the creature more than the Creator, 
 who is blessed for ever, amen. For this cause God 
 gave them up unto vile affections." 
 
 The whole of this awful and well-founded accusa- 
 tion, which contains in it things not to be so much as 
 named among us, is given in the first chapter of the 
 Epistle to the Romans, from the twenty-first verse to 
 the end. And he who has read the Satires of Juvenal, 
 or is at all acquainted with the history of those times, 
 cannot dispute for a moment the fidelity of the apos- 
 tle's testimony. 
 
 It is the first principle of our nature to believe the 
 existence of a God; and the first dictate of oor reason, 
 that, admitting this existence, we are bound to serve 
 him, to obey him, and to sacrifice whatever we hold 
 most dear to his demand. This is the dictate of 
 reason, assisted or unassisted by the light of revelation. 
 The Bible has directed this conviction to a proper ob- 
 ject; and has specified the sacrifice which we should 
 make, and the offering which duty requires us to pre- 
 sent, when it says, "I beseech you, brethren, by the 
 mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living 
 sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your 
 reasonable service." When "darkness covered the 
 earth, and gross darkness the people," the self- same 
 principles were held; but alas! they were not directed 
 to a right object! It is affecting to see the wretched 
 and ignorant sons of men obeying the dictates of rea- 
 son on this point, and, convinced that sacrifices ought 
 to be presented to the Deity, concluding that he was 
 
30 
 
 "altogether such an one as themselves," and forming a 
 false estimate of his character and perfections, offering 
 ail that was most precious to them, to the extinction 
 of parental feeling, and in contempt of the voice of 
 humanity. See yonder Druid, with fierceness glaring 
 in his eyes, and the consecrated branch in his hand, 
 polluting thy soil, O Britain! with the ashes of hundreds 
 of victims consumed in an enormous image! But soft 
 we promised to produce examples only from polish- 
 ed nations, and from empires at the zenith of their glo- 
 ry. And we shall not have read far in the pages which 
 record the brightest splendors of antiquity, before we 
 find the "pitiful w r oman," offering her first born for her 
 "transgression, the fruit of the body for the sin of the 
 soul;" the mother "forgetting her sucking child," and 
 "ceasing to have compassion upon the son of her 
 womb." My heart fails me, and the blood curdles in 
 my veins with horror, when I recollect that it was a 
 custom common among the Carthaginians to sacrifice 
 children to Saturn. The statue of that idol was of 
 brass, and formed with extended arms; but so con- 
 structed, as to suffer whatever was placed upon them, 
 to fall into a fierce fire; ilaming in a furnace at the foot 
 of the image. The trembling parent approached with 
 a countenance of ease which ill concealed the anguish 
 of the heart, and presented his child. The distracted 
 mother imprinted, with a parched lip, a last kiss upon 
 the blooming cheek of her smiling infant. The fero- 
 cious pr'u.^t, clothed in scarlet, received the uncon- 
 sciou- babe from the maternal embrace; and placing 
 it on the arms of this infernal image, it fell into the 
 inc. At that instant the drums wore beat, and the air 
 rang with acclamations from the surrounding multi- 
 i ud<\ to cover the agony of the bereaved parents, and 
 
31 
 
 to drown the shrieks of the consuming victim! On 
 one occasion,* two hundred children of the first fami- 
 lies in Carthage were thus immolated! and on their an- 
 nual sacrifices, those who had no children were accus- 
 tomed to purchase those of the poor for this horrible 
 purpose, t 
 
 These are thy boasted triumphs, O reason! May God 
 graciously preserve to us the teachings of the scriptures! 
 At this mournful review of the blood-stained trophies 
 of cruel and inexorable superstition, surely every pa- 
 rent must feel the necessity, and value the blessing of 
 a divine Revelation! Hail Christianity! It was thine to 
 teach us "a more excellent way:" it was thine to over- 
 throw the altars erected to an "unknown God," and 
 defiled with human blood: it was thine to do away the 
 impure rites which cannot be named without a blush, 
 for the weakness and the wickedness of human nature: 
 it was thine to roll the dark protentous cloud from the 
 understanding: it was thine to demand the peaceful, 
 noble sacrifice of the body by the crucifixion of its lusts 
 and passions! And it is a reasonable service; for it is 
 consonant with the purest dictates of reason: it is not a 
 grievous service: it violates no principle of nature: it 
 tortures no feeling of humanity. It is the only reason- 
 able service which man can offer, and which is wor- 
 thy the acceptance of Deity: yet which, but for the 
 light of Revelation, had never been discovered. Thy 
 peace-speaking voice requires no blood to be shed; 
 for the "sacrifice for sin" has already been presented 
 in the death of Jesus Christ: it requires no mortification 
 of our feelings but such as are depraved, and which 
 were introduced into the mind by sin; but which are 
 
 * When Agalhocles was about to besiege Canhag-e. 
 f Plutarch de Supcrsthior.e. See tUso note 2, at the end of the volume. 
 
32 
 
 net the genuine feelings of humanity, because they 
 were not implanted in the day when God made man 
 <; in his own image.' 7 The only slaughter demanded 
 on thy altar, is that of vice and immorality, of a bitter, 
 unforgiving spirit, of a proud, imperious, untractable 
 disposition, of a useless, ungodly life! 
 
 But we passion to another review of the state of the 
 heathen world; and argue the necessity of a divine rev- 
 elation, from 
 
 II. THEIR CIVIL INSTITUTIONS; AND THEIR DEFECTIVE 
 
 MORALS. 
 
 1. THEIR CIVIL INSTITUTIONS. V r ice was tolerated; 
 the principles of humanity were violated; and parental 
 feelings tortured. Suicide was esteemed the strongest 
 mark of heroism; and the perpetrators of it, who ought 
 to have been branded with everlasting infamy, were 
 celebrated by their historians and poets, as men of supe- 1 
 rior minds. Implacable hatred to enemies was deemed 
 a virtue; and an unforgiving spirit was cherished, and 
 esteemed manly fortitude. Hamilcar, the father of 
 Hannibal, caused his child, at the age of nine years, to 
 swear, that he would never be reconciled to the Ro- 
 mans. The infamous traffic with human blood was 
 permitted in its utmost extent; and, alas! is continued 
 this day among nations professedly Christian: although 
 the mild and gentle precepts of the gospel plead aga 
 it; and religion and humanity unite their voices to 
 demand of the oppressor, "What hast thon (i 
 The voice of thy brother's blood crieth from UK* 
 ground!" IVriii;: -ion wu-' given to the citizens, on 
 ns, to kill their slaves. One of the \vis- 
 Uurs i.f the heathen world, commanded that 
 all children should I- ;:<!. who appeared in any 
 
33 
 
 respect maimed or defective, and thus was the horrible 
 practice of destroying infants who did not seem likely 
 to be of service to the state, not merely openly tolera- 
 ted, but expressly instituted. The result of these pre- 
 vailing opinions and pernicious institutions, was as 
 might be expected, 
 
 2. A MOST DEFECTIVE SYSTEM OF MORALS. De~ 
 
 pravity was the inevitable consequence of so barbarous a 
 system. The world was an aceldama-a perpetual scene 
 of violence on some occasions, when it was agitated by 
 ambition; and on others, in seasons of peace, was pollu- 
 ted by every abominable and nameless vice. Virtue 
 was a mere shadow a name. It was serviceable as a 
 subject of eulogy in the schools; but was little reduced 
 to practice; and for the most part, their very virtues 
 leaned to the side of unnatural severity. In the frag- 
 ments of antiquity, we meet with some beautiful 
 pieces of morality: but unfortunately the history of 
 those times proves, that the deportment even of the 
 persons who wrote these admirable precepts, contra- 
 dicted all their recommendations; and that they broke, 
 one by one, every rule which they prescribed to others. 
 We are moved with pity in reviewing ages when men 
 thought and wrote so well; and lived so immorally. 
 So many vices were called by the name of virtue, that 
 it is difficult to imagine, what they would call vice, 
 save cowardice. Their most eminent and enlightened 
 characters were guilty of crimes not to be recited; and 
 the general character of the whole heathen world 
 was, that they were "given over to a reprobate mind, 
 to do those things which were not convenient." The 
 palaces of the Cassars raised their imperial turrets to the 
 skies, crowned with matchless magnificence: but with- 
 in, they were stained with every species of impurity. It 
 
34 
 
 is not possible to read the account given of these morf- 
 archs who held the sceptre of the world, without pity 
 and indignation. The narration of Suetonius, alter- 
 nately elevates and depresses, informs and pollutes the 
 mind of the reader: and if one moment we follow the 
 warrior through his victories with delight, and parti- 
 cipate his triumph, the next discovers him to us in 
 his retirement, an object of horror and disgust, "com- 
 mitting all manner of uncleanness with greediness.'" 
 The general contamination may well be imagined, 
 when Horace obscures his genius with shameless inde- 
 cency, and the elegant pen of Virgil sullied his pages 
 with impurity. I dare not refer to my authority for 
 this mortifying statement; but it is a subject which, alas, 
 admits of no dispute. We observe in general, respect- 
 ing the heathen world, 
 
 3. THAT THEIR SYSTEMS WERE TOO REFINED FOR 
 THE COMMON PEOPLE. And here Christianity triumphs. 
 Its morality is pure, simple, intelligible, adapted to the 
 meanest capacity. All other religions on the face of 
 the earth were formed, for the most part, for the rich, 
 and for the wise. This was a grand defect in their sys- 
 tem. Their theology was so complex, that the phi- 
 losopher alone could comprehend its refinements, 
 while the vulgar were abused with the grossest fables, 
 as a substitute for religion. Its mysteries were profes- 
 sedly held back from the scrutiny of the crowd. But 
 the gospel is the consolation of the poor. It has no 
 mysteries which are dark to a plain understanding, and 
 fathomable by the wise: no mysteries but such as are 
 necessarily beyond the limitedcomprehension of reason; 
 therefore equally obscure to the peasant and to the 
 philosopher. Of its fundamental principles, "a way- 
 luring man" is a competent judge; and they descend 
 
So 
 
 to the level of his uncultured intellect. Other religions 
 required splendid sacrifices, such as a poor man could 
 not present; priestly demands were made, beyond his 
 ability of performance; and the temple was barred 
 against him, because he could not pay the fee of en- 
 trance. But the religion of Jesus addresses itself to 
 every description of men; and hides the poor under the 
 shadow of its wings, from the ills and the injuries of 
 life. Its adaptation to human infirmity, is universal. 
 Other religions were the religions of the city, of the 
 empire, of the century: and varied with the changes of 
 custom. But Christianity is equally suited to the East, 
 the West, the North, or the South; it is adapted to the 
 European, the African, the Asiatic, and the American: 
 all are implicated in the charges it brings against human 
 nature, all are drawn in the characters it delineates, and 
 all are interested in the discoveries which it makes of 
 life and immortality. But we forbear we are not 
 desirous to pronounce an eulogium on Revelation, but 
 to prove its necessity from the state of the heathen 
 world before its introduction; in order to which, we 
 request your attention further, to 
 
 III. THEIR UNCERTAIN CONJECTURES IN RELATION 
 
 TO FUTURITY. 
 
 To the mind even of the philosopher, futurity was 
 like the chaos of Moses, fathomless., empty, without 
 shape or order, and "darkness was upon the face of 
 the deep." The poets sang of Elysian fields and Tar- 
 tarean punishments; but these were regarded as the 
 flights of an ardent imagination; and the fictions un- 
 der which their theories were buried, w r ere openly re- 
 jected by the wisest among them. Who does not pity 
 the genius of the immortal Homer, laboring under 
 
36 
 
 the pressure of this mournful ignorance? In vain he 
 stretches the wing of his imagination to penetrate the 
 secrets of futurity not an object could be seen through 
 the gloom. In vain he would carry the torch of rea- 
 son into the world of spirits the shadows of death ex- 
 tinguish it. When he draws the picture of eternity 
 with the pencil of fancy, he makes his greatest hero 
 prefer a miserable life, ladened with all the woes of 
 this valley of tears, to the highest honors which can 
 be bestowed after death.* Some of the most enlight- 
 ened among them, agitated the question respecting the 
 immortality of the soul; yet their reasoning led them 
 no higher than conjecture, and they could not attain 
 the firmness of persuasion. Nor had it ever entered 
 into their most sanguine expectations respecting the 
 body, that HE who first constructed the machine, 
 and took it in pieces, should again put it together, and 
 frame it for immortality. This was an idea so totally 
 novel to them, that when Paul preached at the Areo- 
 pagus, before the polished and enlightened Athenians, 
 " Jesus and the resurrection of the dead, some mocked:" 
 otHfcrs said, "He seemeth to be a setter forth of new 
 gods;" while a few concluded that they would "hear 
 him again of this matter." 
 
 Revelation has done that for man, which neither 
 reason nor philosophy could effect. In the exercise of 
 the powers of our mind, upon the scenery by which 
 we are surrounded, we rise to the great parent of all; 
 and deduce some .conclusions respecting his natim-. 
 from the operations of his hand: yet have vvr seen that 
 these conclusions were frequently erroneous. The re- 
 ligion of nature cannot go further than to (c:\c\\ us, 
 that there is a Go?l, all powerful, all-wise, all good; 
 
 See note 3, at the end of ihe volume. 
 
37 
 
 and this is more than it taught the heathen world per 
 fectly. But it leaves us ignorant of our relation to 
 him: it is unable to unravel the more interesting parts 
 of his character; it cannot develope the harmony of 
 his attributes. A thousand inquiries are suggested, to 
 which we receive no answer. We are placed in cir- 
 cumstances for which, on principles of reason, we can- 
 not account; and perceive the existence of evil, unable 
 to discover its source. We labor under a curse, from 
 which, by the light of nature, we see no deliverance; 
 and are in possession of an existence, for which we 
 perceive no adequate end. Those things which are the 
 most interesting, are also the most uncertain; and that 
 which we know naturally, only serves to kindle a 
 thirst to learn more, which, on the principles of nature 
 and reason merely, cannot be satiated. For what 
 has the light of philosophy done, but rendered dark- 
 ness visible? It has strained the powers of reason and 
 imagination, till they could be stretched no further; yet 
 without bringing one hidden truth to light. it has 
 perplexed and bewildered the mind by contradictory 
 hypotheses. It has exhausted the charms of eloquefice, 
 and enervated the force of argument, in establishing 
 favorite systems upon the ruins of those which preced- 
 ed them, only to be pulled down in their turns, to 
 make way for others equally absurd, and equally false. 
 After dragging us through mazes of intricate reason, 
 ing, it leaves us precisely at the point at which it found 
 us. all uncertainty, obscurity, and suspense. "The 
 world by wisdom know not God." We appeal to 
 facts they are before you and we confidently expect 
 your decision upon their testimony. 
 
 It is here that Revelation takes up the process, and 
 disperses the mist of uncertainty. It professes not in- 
 
18 
 
 deed to reason upon subjects beyond the comprehen- 
 sion of the human mind; but it reveals the fact and re- 
 quires our assent to it: which we may safely give, al- 
 though we do not comprehend the whole of that 
 which is revealed. Those parts which we do compre- 
 hend, \ve conceive to be true and wise: may we not 
 reasonably conclude that those which we do not com- 
 plctely understand are equally so; and that the defi- 
 ciency is in our natural powers, and not in the sub- 
 ject investigated? Those who call upon you to relin- 
 quish your Bibles, have not attempted to fathom the 
 depths of futurity. They rather wish you to consider 
 the scanty period of ''three-score years and ten," the 
 boundary of the hopes, the joys, and the expectations 
 of man. They place beyond death ANNIHILATION! 
 The thought is insufferable! Say, you who have drop- 
 ped the parting tear into the grave of those whom you 
 loved, is this a consoling system? Are the most tender 
 connexions dissolved to be renewed no more? IViubt 
 I resign my brother, my parent, my friend, my child 
 FOR EVER? What an awful import these words bear! 
 Standing upon the grave of my family, must I say to 
 its departed members, "Farewell! ye who were once 
 the partners of my joys and sorrows! I leaned upon 
 you for support; I poured my tears into your bosom; 
 1 received from your hands the balm of sympathy 
 But it is no more! No more shall I receive your kind- 
 : no more shall I behold you! The cold embrace 
 of death claspd your mouldering bodies; and the shad- 
 ows of an impenetrable midnight brood FOR i.vr.u up- 
 ulchrcs!" No! We cannot relinquish Chris- 
 tianity for a system which conducts us to this fearful 
 When skepticism shall have provided a substi- 
 
39 
 
 itute for our present hopes,, we will listen with more* 
 confidence to its proposals. 
 
 And yet the cry of modern philosophy is against the 
 only pledge of immortality afforded the human race. 
 Where is the gratitude of such conduct? Are we not 
 indebted to it for all the illumination which we enjoy? 
 Did Paganism disappear, till Christianity exerted her 
 benign influence? Did not man in a state of nature de- 
 mand and offer human victims? And did not Revela- 
 tion stay the effusion of blood, and abolish these infa- 
 mous rites? Is it not friendly to science and civiliza- 
 tion? Is it not inimical to whatever is injurious to the 
 interests of man? Where is the wisdom of such an op- 
 position? Before you banish this, produce a better sys- 
 tem: shew us "a more excellent way:" teach us mo- 
 rality more sublime! What is its crime? Sedition? Im- 
 possible! It "puts us in mind to be subject to princi- 
 palities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready 
 to every good work." Want of philanthropy? Surely 
 not! Some may bear its name who do not breathe its 
 spirit: but their bigotry and illiberality are not charge- 
 able upon Christianity Christianity, which teaches 
 "to speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, 
 shewing all meekness unto all men." It substitutes 
 faith for good works; audits professed teachers set up 
 opinion against morality? It is a gross calumny! It 
 blends these nominally jarring principles: it assigns to 
 eacii its proper place: it requires the influence, and 
 commands the agency, both of the one and the oth- 
 er: it joins together those things which men frequently 
 separate; and with equal consistency and plainness, 
 traces the causes and effects of salvation: it has pre- 
 scribed "these things I will thatthou affirm constant- 
 ly, that they which have believed in God, he careful 
 to maintain good works." 
 
40 
 
 Extinguish the light afforded by this despised vol- 
 ume, and you are precisely in the situation of the hea- 
 then world. I close the Bible; and there remains to 
 you a hope without a foundation, assaulted by a thou- 
 sand dismal apprehensions. The planets which roll 
 over your head, declare matchless wisdom, and incal- 
 culable immensity. They write in the heavens, the 
 name of Deity; and the attributes of power, majesty, 
 and immutability. But where is the record of pardon? 
 It is neither written by the sun beam; nor wafted on 
 the breeze. Where is the record of immortality? It 
 is not inscribed on the face of the heavens; nor reveal- 
 ed by the operations of nature. "The depth saith, 
 It is not in me!' and the sea saith, 'It is not 
 in me'!" Look abroad into creation. "Canst 
 thou by searching find out God? Canst thou. find out 
 the Almighty unto perfection? It is high as heaven, 
 what canst thou do? deeper than hell, what canst thou 
 know? The measure thereof is longer than the earth; 
 it is broader than the sea!" 
 
 From what has been advanced, we conclude, that 
 the state of man, considered as destitute of a revelation 
 of the mind and will of God, is truly deplorable. So 
 convinced was Socrates of this, that, from the uncer- 
 tain decisions of reason on the most important sub- 
 jects, he not only concluded that such a divine revela- 
 tion was necessary; but expressed his persuasion, that 
 such a communication would be made.* 
 
 I ['you admit the existence of a God, you -mist 
 grant, that it \s possible for him to give such a revela- 
 tion. When it is so essential to the happiness of man, 
 ran we believe that a Being so infinitely gracious as 
 
 '< 4, at the c-iul of ilic volume. 
 
41 
 
 the Deity, would suffer us to remain without this 
 source of consolation? If a revelation be necessary, it 
 is probable, and if it be probable, where are we to ex- 
 pect it? In the mythology of the heathens? In the Ko- 
 ran? In the "Age of reason?" or in the Bible? Has there 
 ever been a book produced, that has any pretensions 
 to inspiration, this volume excepted? And are not its 
 claims arising from external and internal evidences, ir- 
 resistible? "We speak as to wise men, judge ye what 
 we say!" 
 
LECTURE II. 
 
 THE CREATION. 
 
 GEN. i, 1. 
 
 In the beginning God created the Heavens and the 
 
 Earth. 
 
 SENSE, Reason, and Faith, may be considered as 
 progressive steps, by which the mind ascends to the in- 
 visible God. Creation is an object of Sense. The 
 light which shines upon my path is an emblem of the 
 purity of Deity. The meridian sun is an image of his 
 uncreated glory, who is the centre of every system. 
 Whether I gaze upon the heavens, and trace the rev- 
 olutions of orbs which move there: or follow the ec- 
 centric comet through its protracted sphere, so far as 
 it is visible: or examine the insect that flits by me, or 
 the blade of grass upon which I trample: I perceive 
 the operations, and adore the wisdom of the Divinity. 
 His voice speaks in the thunder-storm; and when his 
 lightning bursts from the bosom of the dark cloud, 
 "my flesh trembleth for fear of his judgments." Fan- 
 ned with the breath of the morning, or the gale of the 
 evening: standing in this plain, or on that mountain: 
 dwelling on the dry land, or floating on the surface of 
 the deep I am still with God. 
 
 Reason takes up the process where Sense fails. It 
 deduces inferences respecting invisible things from 
 those "which do appear." Nature watts the mind to 
 the Creator. From its majesty. Reason argues his great- 
 ness: from its endless variety, his bounty; from its uses, 
 his wisdom. The foundation of the Temple of Knowl* 
 
43 
 
 edge is laid deep, wide, and lasting on the face of the 
 universe. Reason seizes such materials as Sense can 
 furnish and carries on the building. But, alas, the ed- 
 ifice remains incomplete! The architect is skilful; but 
 the materials are scanty. Those which are most es- 
 sential to crown the work, lie far from this country 
 beyond the grave. In vain imagination lends her as- 
 sistance, and attempts to explore the land of spirits, 
 where only they are to be found. Bewildered, ex- 
 hausted, and powerless, the artist sits down in silent 
 despair. 
 
 Here faith takes up the tools which fell from the 
 hand of Reason. Revelation ascertains all that futu- 
 rity had concealed; and faith draws her materials 
 from Revelation. The building rises and shall contin- 
 ue to rise, till 'the top stone is brought forth with 
 Shouting." For "faith is the substance of things hop- 
 ed for, and the evidence of things not seen." 
 
 Sense cannot introduce us to the invisible Majesty 
 of heaven. It can only present us with his image. 
 The pure, ethereal light the blaze of a noontide sun 
 the azure heavens and revolving orbs the mysteri- 
 ous, eccentric comet the insect curiously wrought, 
 and the grass simply elegant the thunder-storm the 
 lightning vivid and irresistible the morning and eve- 
 ning breeze the verdant plain and the elevated moun- 
 tain the s )lid earth, and the rolling seas these all 
 reflect the glory of Deity, all bear the impress of his 
 hand, all develope his wonderful agency but they 
 are not GOD HIMSELF. 
 
 Reason ascends a little higher; and from the volume 
 of nature, through the medium of sense, unfolds a jittle 
 of the divine nature, and a few of his perfections. His 
 immensity, his wisdom, his liberality, may be inferred 
 
44 
 
 from every thing which I behold: but, alas, J am still 
 at a distance from God! What is he to me? What 
 does he require? Have I disobeyed the dictates of rea- 
 son at any time? or neglected to serve him? If so will 
 he pardon sin? and how am I to receive forgiveness? 
 Neither reason nor sense can answer these inquiries, 
 nor silence the clamors of conscience. 
 
 It is faith rising on the wing of Revelation that 
 introduces me into the heaven of heavens, unlocks the 
 mystery, and unfolds the seven-sealed book. Here I 
 read the covenant of mercy. Here I receive the 
 promise of pardon. Here I learn all that I would 
 know, and anticipate all that I shall hereafter enjoy. 
 The pressure of the ills of life is lightened; and I "en- 
 dure as seeing Him who is invisible." 
 
 Who can behold the fair structure of the heavens and 
 the earth without feeling a powerful desire to under- 
 stand their origin, and to be acquainted, in some meas- 
 ure at least, with the architect who reared them? Cold 
 is the heart which kindles not into devotion, when the 
 skies blaze with a thousand lamps; and grovelling the 
 mind, which rises not through the system of the Uni- 
 verse to the Great First Cause! Blind is that understand- 
 ing which cannot see, amid the vicissitudes of seasons, 
 and the changing blessings of the Spring, the Summer, 
 the Autumn, and the Winter, the superintendence of 
 a faithful friend, and the bounty of an unwearied ben- 
 efactor! Insensible is that mar* who can look upon 
 this grand machinery, and live in the bosom of crea- 
 tion, yet perceive no harmony, no order, no loveliness, 
 no design; or upon whom they make no impression 1 
 Let the friend of HZ// choice be one who can relish tho 
 majesty of nature: who, on the elose of the day, from 
 the summit of some lofty mountain, will \\ at<-h the 
 
45 
 
 rising cloud, and observe the evening spread her gray 
 and dusky mantle over the features of the landscape, 
 till they are lost and extinguished: whose eye is fixed 
 with delight on the stars as they break one by one 
 through the increasing obscurity; and who withdraw- 
 ing from the world, and penetrating the forest, can re- 
 joice with the laughing scenes around him, and can 
 relish retirement, nor envy the dissipation of life, as 
 he hears its noise swelling on the gale of the evening, 
 The Friend of God, and the Admirer of nature, is the 
 man whom I would choose as my companion, and 
 love as my own soul. 
 
 It is not possible for the spirit of man to be encircled 
 with the present Deity, without inquiring after the 
 fountain of existence. Every thing above us, around 
 us, beneath us, lives. Every clod of earth teems 
 with animation. Every drop of water swarms with 
 animalcules; imperceptible indeed to the naked eye, 
 but plainly visible when the organ of vision receives 
 assistance from art. Probably myriads floating in 
 the air which we breathe, are drawn into the lungs in 
 the act of respiration. Curiosity must stimulate our 
 inquiries, even if we had no other, and no better mo- 
 tives: nor can we examine, without emotions of grati- 
 tude, a system in which every thing ministers either 
 to our necessities or to our convenience. 
 
 In truth, men of all ages, and at every period of 
 time, have been solicitous to understand their own or- 
 igin and that of things around them. Every power 
 of the mind has been exerted, and no pains has been 
 spared, in attempting to unravel this mystery. The 
 spirit has been overwhelmed with extravagant and 
 clashing hypotheses: or the man has sat down con- 
 tented with uncertain rumors, and mutilated tradi- 
 
4(5 
 
 tions. The stream of his knowledge rose from the 
 pure and undeliled fountain of Revelation; but it gath- 
 ered pollution from the channels through which it 
 passed, before he stooped to drink its defiled wave. 
 The systems formed by Reason, and that suggested by 
 Revelation, are each to pass in review; and when they 
 are contrasted, we hope to prove, THAT THE MOSAIC 
 
 ACCOUNT OF THE CREATION IS THE ONLY RATIONAL 
 ONE WHICH WE HAVE RECEIVED. 
 
 The different hypotheses of men, who either had 
 not received Revelation, or who have refused its testi- 
 mony and denied its pretensions, may be reduced to 
 one of these two divisions: either that the world was 
 the production of chance, or that it is eternal. The 
 several opinions of ancient and modern times, appear 
 to be neither more nor less, thin ramifications or mod- 
 ifications of the one or the other of these systems. 
 We shall examine them separately. 
 
 I. THAT THE WORLD WAS PRODUCED BY CHANCE. 
 
 When we behold a complicated, yet harmonious 
 and well-constructed machine, we may be ignorant of 
 the hand that formed it, but we find no difficulty in as- 
 signing it a maker. No rational man would ever imag- 
 gine that it was the production of chance: and if the 
 idea were suggested to him, he would reject it with 
 disdain as an insult to his reason. I gaze with de- 
 light upon a beautiful landscape-painting; color melts 
 into color, and shade softens into shade. By the 
 artful intermixture of light and of shadow, in some 
 parts it dwindles into perspective; in others, it appears 
 raised from the surface. Here, the figures seem to 
 project from the canvass; and there the distant moun- 
 tain bounding the horizon, just shews its diminished 
 
47 
 
 elevation, scarcely distinguishable from the azure of 
 the surrounding heavens. So exquisite is the combi- 
 nation of the various tints; that the instant I see it, I 
 discover in it the hand of a master. Who in this 
 assembly gazing upon a transparent orrery, to have a 
 correct idea of the motions of the earth, and of the heav- 
 enly bodies, would suffer his imagination to rest for a 
 moment on the supposition, that the machinery so ad- 
 mirably adapted to a certain definitive purpose, was 
 constructed merely by accident, without design, with- 
 out skill, and without a maker? And shall any man 
 attempt to persuade you, that the solar system, of 
 which it is but an imperfect resemblance, was formed, 
 arranged, and regulated by chance? Let me see it 
 produce the orrery, before Igive it credit for the con- 
 struction of the system! It is strange that men should 
 so easily agree in assigning to inferior productions some 
 adequate cause, yet deny it to superior operations: that 
 they should with such facility discover the agency of 
 man in all his works, and yet not discern the hand of 
 God in the visible creation, 
 
 Plain sense, independent of laborious investigation, or 
 superior intelligence, uncontaminated by corrupt princi- 
 ples, and unbiassed by inveterate prejudice, is sufficient 
 to overthrow this absurd system. Let but the man of a 
 common understanding look abroad into the economy 
 of nature, and give in his evidence. Ask him. whether 
 chance placed a boundary to the restless waves, and said 
 "hitherto shall ye come, but no further?" cr command- 
 ed the mountain to rise decked with verdure, and break 
 the clouds as they passed? or clothed the valley with 
 corn, and turned the course of the rivulet through 
 it, to water the young plantation? or drew an atmos- 
 phere round this globe? or bade yonder worlds preserve 
 
48 
 
 invariably the same orbit, during six thousand years, 
 around the same luminary? Propose these questions to 
 a mind of a common standard, accustomed to the ex- 
 ertion of its own powers, and unacquainted with the 
 dispute between Revelation and Skepticism: and it is 
 impossible that they should be answered in the affirm- 
 ative. It would be less insane to conclude that the ma- 
 chine were self-constructed, and that chance disposed 
 the several parts of the painting. 
 
 Those who demand the voice of reason on this sub- 
 ject shall be gratified by the testimony of a great man, 
 to whom the light of Revelation never appeared. 
 The mind of Cicero was too exalted to stoop to so de- 
 grading an hypothesis. He asks, "Can I forbear to 
 wonder that there should ever be a man who could 
 persuade himself, that this beautiful and well-finished 
 world was produced by the fortuitous floating together 
 of certain solid and indivisible bodies, necessarily mo- 
 ved by the force of their own gravity? J cannot im- 
 agine why he, who can thus conclude, should not also 
 think, that if innumerable types (formed of gold or of 
 any other substance, and representing the letters of the 
 alphabet,) were cast carelessly upon the ground, they 
 would form the annals of Ennius, so as to be perfectly 
 intelligible: but I much doubt whether chance would 
 be able to produce a single verse. I low then can these 
 men assert that atoms without color,* without any 
 of that quality which the Greeks call wo/or^t, and 
 without intelligence, floating together at random, 
 should by accident form a perfect world; or rathrr 
 
 The Epicureans imagined that color, heat, and similar qualities, b<>- 
 longed only to rompmmd bodies; and that si/.e and weight were the 
 only properties of" atoms; or roughness and smoothness, resulting from 
 their configuration. 
 
 f Plastir. 
 
49 
 
 ii infinity of worlds, some of which are at every 
 point of time produced, as others perish? But if this 
 accidental concourse of atoms can make a world, 
 why does it never form a portico, an house, a temple, 
 a city, which might certainly be effected with much 
 greater ease?" * 
 
 Let us for a few moments select a part of the crea- 
 tion of God as a full answer to the absurd system under 
 consideration, and as an indisputable evidence of infi- 
 nite skill and of omnipotent agency. We are about 
 to turn your reflections upon yourselves. Contem- 
 plate your own body: observe the union of its several 
 parts, and their adaptation to the particular purposes 
 for which they were designed. Mark the composition 
 and configuration of the whole. What grace in move- 
 ments! what beauty of countenance! what endless diver- 
 sity of feature! what incomparable workmanship is per- 
 ceptible in the whole frame! You discover bones,marvel- 
 lously united, presenting a skeleton of the human form: 
 iibres and nerves, tine and delicate in the extreme: mus- 
 cles, possessing incredible strength, and singularly dis- 
 posed: vessels, through which the stream of life flows, 
 complicated, and branched into every part of the body: 
 n spirit, at an unknown moment, and in an unsearch- 
 ale manner, superadded to give impulse to the whole 
 machine. In consequence of every volition of the 
 mind, this and the other muscle is in motion: but no 
 one can define the union between matter and spirit: 
 and philosophy in vain attempts to lay her finger upon 
 the spring which agitates the vibrations of ten thou- 
 sand invisible fibres. The whole mass of blood is per- 
 petually circulating through every channel, and return- 
 
 ' Cic. e!e nut. c!e or. ii, 3f, 
 
 7 
 
 
50 
 
 ing to the heart black and improper for the purposes of 
 life, till it has undergone an instantaneous chemical 
 change, which is effected in the lungs by the air, and 
 it flows on purified to pursue its unwearied course. 
 If the air inhaled be unsuitable to perform this process, 
 and unable to effect this change, immediate death is 
 the inevitable consequence. Air, which has lost its 
 elasticity in mines and similar places, or which is im- 
 pregnated with mortal particles, has this sudden and 
 awful influence upon the human frame. Who, with 
 the smallest pretensions to reason, can affirm or believe 
 that such complex machinery is the production of 
 chance? Galen, a celebrated heathen, w r as converted 
 from atheism by contemplating an human skeleton, 
 persuaded that workmanship so exquisite, and design 
 so manifest, demonstrated the existence of a Creator. 
 Yet is this human frame but a very small part of the 
 divine agency. Tiie same skill is visible in every, the 
 meanest, insect, submitted to our inspection. 
 
 The Egyptians maintained the irrational system un- 
 der consideration; and One should imagine that a more 
 complete refutation could 'not be made, than their 
 own statement of it. Diodorus Siculus has preserved 
 it, and we submit it to your examination. 
 
 "At the commencement of all things, the elements 
 of the heavens and the earth were blended, and they 
 wore an uniform appearance. But afterwards these 
 parts separated from each other, the world assumed 
 the shape which we now behold, and the air received 
 its perpetual motion. The fire ascended highest be- 
 cause the lightness of its nature impelled it upwards; 
 and for the same reason the sun and the j-tais move in 
 an invariable circle. But tiiat part which was gross 
 and muddy, as also the fluid, sank down into one 
 
51 
 
 place, by the force of gravity. These elements per- 
 petually floating and rolling together, from their mois- 
 ture produced the sea, while from their more solid 
 particles sprang the earth, as yet extremely soft and 
 miry. But in proportion as the light of the sun began 
 to shine upon it, it became solid; and the surface of it 
 fermented by the warmth extracting its moisture, 
 swelled, and exuded putrescences, covered over with, a 
 kind of thin skins, such as may still be observed in 
 marshy or boggy places, when, the earth having been 
 cool, the air is heated suddenly, and not by a gradual 
 change. These putrescences, formed after this man- 
 ner from the moisture of the earth extracted by the 
 warmth, by night \vere nourished from the clouds 
 spread all around, and in the day were consolidated 
 by the heat. At length when these embryos were ar- 
 rived at their perfect growth, and the membranes by 
 which they were enclosed were broken by the warmth, 
 all sorts of living creatures instantly appeared. Those 
 that had a larger proportion of heat in their natures, 
 became birds and soared on high. Those that were of a 
 gross and terrestrial kind, became reptiles and animals 
 confined to the ground. While those who drew the 
 most of their qualities from moisture, were gathered 
 into an element corresponding with their natures, and 
 became fish."* 
 
 It is scarcely possible to conceive of any thing more 
 confused, inexplicable, and uh philosophical, than this 
 hypothesis. Yet even in this account, deformed as it 
 is by alterations, disguised by absurdity, and clouded 
 with obscurity, something of the Mosaic system may 
 be traced, which renders it probable that it might orig- 
 
 * Diod. Sic. Lib. I. 
 
52 
 
 inally have sprang from his representation of chaos, 
 There is this essential difference: he makes order and 
 beauty to arise out of confusion and deformity under 
 the forming, superintending hand of Deity: they as- 
 cribe it all to the agency of chance. When I speak 
 of the Mosaic hypothesis, I would be understood to 
 prefix his name to the scriptural system, only because 
 he committed to writing the tradition of the genera- 
 tions which preceded him up to the birth of time, and 
 not to insinuate that he was the inventor of the ac- 
 count contained in the first chapter of Genesis. 
 
 On the present occasion, and in the discussion of 
 the present subject, I trust that it will be deemed suf- 
 ficient if I merely mention a more modern hypothesis. 
 It remained for the philosophers of the eighteenth cen- 
 tury to discover that the earth and the other planets 
 were originally parts of the sun, struck off from that 
 immense body by the concussion of comets, and 
 whirled into infinite space, by the rapidity of their mo- 
 tion acquiring their spherical form, and assuming their 
 present appearance. It may be thought that this ac- 
 "count of the creation evinces the fertility of their im- 
 aginations; but it may also be questioned whether it 
 will place the laurel upon their heads, as accurate rra 
 soners, or as illumined and sound philosophers. Yet 
 these are the men who arrogate to themselves the 
 claim to reason, a;ul who condemn as supersti- 
 tious and irrational, all who, rejecting their crude and 
 
 ;h<T(> to the plain, concise, and 
 luminous account, traiuiinittrd to us by IV], 
 
 But it is time that we should puss on to the ccmsiclt r- 
 ation of the remaining hypothesis, viz. 
 
53 
 
 II. THAT THE WORLD IS ETERNAL. 
 
 Many celebrated names among the ancients sup- 
 ported this opinion; of whom were Ocellus, Liicanus, 
 Aristotle, the later Platonists, and Xeno|>hanes, the 
 founder of a sect called the Eleatic. Plato himself ac- 
 knowledged that the world was created by the hand 
 of God. It was more over supported by many mod- 
 ern philosophers; among whom we may number, 
 Spinoza, Amalric, and Abelard; not to name those 
 of our own day, some of whom hold the eternity of 
 the world in its full sense; and. others assign to it an 
 antiquity much more remote than the scriptural ac- 
 count will allow. The heathen poets at large counte- 
 nanced the former opinion, which proves that the 
 popular sentiment of the Pagan world was, that what 
 we deem creation, sprang from a chaos of which they 
 appear to have no correct notion, under the influence 
 of mere chance.* 
 
 There are several modifications of the hypothesis 
 of the world's eternity: but we feel it our duty to as- 
 sign the reasons which appear to us to overthrow it 
 rather than to state the several senses in which it was 
 held. 
 
 1. A valuable svritert has laid it down as an axiom, 
 that if any thing be eternal it is also self-existent and 
 immutable. For a being is the same with all its prop- 
 erties taken together. We can have "no conception 
 of any substance distinct from all the properties in 
 which they inhere." On this principle, if any property 
 be removed or destroyed, a part of that being would 
 necessarily perish; which is inconsistent with its being 
 
 * See note 2, at the end of the volume. 
 | l)oddr!dge's Lectures, xxiv, Part II, page 47. Demonstration 
 
 connected with the preceding chain of propositions. 
 
54 
 
 necessary, and subverts its eternity as a whole. It can- 
 not be said,that it is impossible for alterations to be made 
 on the face of this globe, when its several parts are in- 
 cessantly changing; and the inference, allowing this 
 fact, is against its eternity. 
 
 2. The same ingenious author has collected and 
 enumerated at length, t several philosophical and as- 
 tronomical objections against this system. These 
 have been urged by various writers; and we shall be 
 satisfied with simply naming them. They are found- 
 ed upon those immutable laws of nature by which the 
 several parts of this grand system act in unison, so far 
 as they have been discovered, and are comprehensible 
 to us, and which are acknowledged by the world at 
 large. They are to this effect: That the projectile force 
 of the planets is continually diminishing, therefore, had 
 the present system of things been eternally the same, 
 they would long since have fallen into the sun. That 
 the sun itself is continually losing some of its light,how- 
 ever small the proportion may be; and of course must 
 have been utterly extinguished. That as the sun and 
 the fixed stars are supposed to attract each other, they 
 must, ere this, have met in the centre of gravity com- 
 mon to the whole universe. That as many substances 
 are constantly petrifying and ossifying, the whole earth 
 must have undergone the same change. And that as 
 hills are continually subsiding, the surface of the whole 
 globe must, ages ago, have been reduced to a level: for 
 if it be urged that the numbers of those so subsiding 
 are counter-balanced by others which we may suppose 
 to have been raised by earthquakes and other violent 
 convulsions, we answer that the numbers so raised 
 
 f See Dodclridgc's Lccturr, Part II, page 4750. Quarto edition. 
 
55 
 
 must be small compared with those reduced: not to say, 
 that mountains raised by earthquakes are for the most 
 part hollow, and arc therefore naturally more dispo- 
 sed to subside and fall in. This hypothesis supposes 
 that all mountains with which we are now acquainted, 
 are the effects of earthquakes, (admitting that the ori- 
 ginal ones, through the effects of time, had been level- 
 led, which would doubtless have been the case had the 
 world been eternal;) a supposition so absurd, that we 
 need only appeal to such mountains as the Alps, the 
 Peak of Teneriffe, and others, to overthrow it. Many 
 others have been proposed, but we cheerfully leave 
 these hypothetical speculations to the learned and the 
 curious, the philosopher and the naturalist, and pass on 
 to other considerations which we deem more important 
 and more satisfactory. 
 
 3. We have no credible history of transactions 
 more remote than six thousand years from the present 
 time. The Chinese, the Egyptians, the Chaldeans, 
 and the Phenicians, have all laid claim to much high- 
 er antiquity; but in bringing these pretensions to the 
 teet, it is clearly manifest that they do not deserve 
 the credit which they demand. Their chronology is 
 so absurdly extended, as to exceed the bounds of pro- 
 bability, and to excite suspicion in respect of the facts 
 themselves, which are the subjects of their calculations. 
 It has been stated, and rendered probable by the learn- 
 ed writers of the Universal History, in their account of 
 the Tartars and the Chinese, that a great part of China 
 was very thinly peopled so late as the year before 
 Christ six hundred and thirty-seven, when the 
 Scythians, under the conduct of Madyes, made an 
 irruption into Upper Asia. We have a singular fact 
 to state, which will prove that their boasted antiquity 
 
56 
 
 really falls within the limits of the Mosaic chronology. 
 For the evidence which we are about to produce, 
 we are indebted to the discoveries of modern astron- 
 omy. The Chinese have ever made a point of insert- 
 ing in their calendars remarkable eclipses, or conjunc- 
 tions of the planets, together with the name of that em- 
 peror in whose reign they were observed. To these 
 events they have also affixed their own dates. There 
 is a very singular conjunction of the sun, moon, and 
 several planets, recorded in their annals as having ta- 
 ken place almost at the very commencement of 
 their remote history. The far famed Cassini, to as- 
 certain the fact, calculated back, and decisively proved, 
 that such an extraordinary conjunction actually did 
 take place at China, on February the twenty-sixth, two 
 thousand and twelve years before Christ. This falls 
 four hundred years after the flood, and a little after the 
 birth of Abraham.* Here are two important facts as- 
 certained. The one is, that the Chinese are an ancient 
 nation, although perhaps not at that time a very large 
 one; and the other, that their pretensions to antiquity 
 beyond that of Moses are unfounded: because this 
 event, which they themselves represent as happening 
 near the beginning of their immense calculations, falls 
 far \vithinthehistory and chronology of the scriptures. 
 
 The Egyptians pretended in like manner tu 4 
 iin exact narration for some myriads of years. Their 
 inaccuracy is demonstrable from a plain matter of fact. 
 
 M ;IV : , rrmminrMid a small and well composed 
 
 Officer's l\itif,J>!; t " writ Urn by 
 
 MOW living, and pcrsoiKilly kr.oun to me? Ii i.- published 
 ,l:u-fac' is recorded in "this lilt'.- 
 : ivor of llu- liil.: 
 
 en. Theftylcof writing adopted is ai 
 dives and i ' 
 
57 
 
 *They professed to preserve the records of other ancient 
 nations as well as of their own; and their evident falla- 
 cy in relation to other empires, marks the dcpendance 
 which we ought to place in their history respecting 
 themselves; and proves that we should receive their 
 calculations with great caution, and under considerable 
 limitations. When Alexander entered with his victo- 
 rious army into Egypt, the priests professed to shew 
 him out of their sacred annals an account of the Mace- 
 donian and Persian empires through a period of eight 
 thousand years: while it appears from the best histor- 
 jbal accounts, that the Persian empire was not then 
 three hundred years old: nor had the Macedonian been 
 founded quite five centuries. In order to establish 
 their chronology, they make their first kings, on their 
 own calculations, reign above twelve hundred years 
 -each; and for the same reason the Assyrians make their 
 nionarchs reign above forty thousand years. We 
 might adduce a variety of similar instances of unbound- 
 ed license in the pretensions of the Chaldeans, Pheni- 
 eians, and some other nations. But it is unnecessary 
 to pursue the inquiry farther. Such extravagance de- 
 feats its own purposes; since no dependance can be 
 placed upon calculations so chimerical.* 
 
 4. We are able to ascertain the periods when the 
 most useful arts and sciences were invented; which 
 j'ould not- be done with certainty, had the world been 
 eternal, because many of them would have been invol- 
 ved and buried in the mist of extreme antiquity. Mark 
 the progress of science. Observe how soon it arrives 
 at the perfection of which it is capable! What elucida- 
 tion the revolution of a few ages throws upon theories 
 
 * See Pearson on the Creed: page 58 CO. Folio edition ofl59. Con- 
 sult also SiilLingfleei's Origins ISacrse. 
 
 8 
 
58 
 
 previouslyobscure! In the lapse ofcomparatively a very 
 few years, the hand of time uncovers a fund of knowl- 
 edge, which was veiled in perplexity and uncertainty. 
 How many useful arts are invented, and how many 
 interesting discoveries are made in the course of a sin- 
 gle century! Calculate upon the most tardy progress 
 of the arts imaginable, and determine whether those of 
 which we are now in possession are at all equal to that 
 which we might reasonably expect, if the world had 
 been eternal, and if human genius and industry had 
 been gradually, however slowly, penetrating the dark- 
 ness, and dispersing the cloud of ignorance? If it be 
 urged that floods, and fires, and wars, with ten thou- 
 sand nameless hypothetical desolations, may have de- 
 stroyed a multitude of useful inventions; we answer, 
 that the number of these must have been prodigious 
 indeed, and absolutely inconceivable, to produce a de- 
 vastation of the arts which should be able to counter- 
 balance the inventions of science, \\hicb, on the suppo- 
 sition of the world's eternity, might be expected. Nor 
 could we with such facility determine the periods when 
 these useful arts were discovered, if the chronology of 
 the world really extended far beyond the Mosaic his- 
 tory. Admit that the world were twenty thousand 
 years old: we should necessarily be in uncertainty with 
 i ro ard to the rise of the most simple and useful inventions, 
 because of their extreme antiquity. The fact, on the 
 contrary, is simply this: that the necessaries and con- 
 \enicnces of life, civilization and commerce, the inven- 
 tions of the arts and sciences, the letters which we use, 
 language which we speak, have all known origin- 
 als, may all be traced back to their first authors, and 
 these all fail far within the circle of six thousand yc; 
 while none are found to exceed it no, not onr 
 
59 
 
 5. In the same manner we are able to trace the or- 
 igin of different nations; which we could not do with 
 certainty had the world been eternal. We can look 
 back to the beginning of the greatest empires of the 
 present day; and we can also mark the rise, the merid- 
 ian splendor, and the decline of those which preceded 
 them, till we arrive at a certain point beyond which 
 we know nothing; and this point extends to about the 
 standard assigned in the Mosaic account of the crea- 
 tion. Should earthquakes and floods be again plead- 
 ed as having destroyed nations as well as sciences, 
 and thus reducedthe world to a second infancy if any 
 had remained,we might naturally conclude that the most 
 useful arts had been preserved, and that some wrecks 
 of mighty nations would have survived the desolation, 
 at least, to tell the tale of woe to succeeding genera- 
 tions. But a system begins to be in danger, when 
 those who maintain it are reduced to the necessity of 
 supposing things which might, or might not, happen 
 where probabilities arc against them and when if 
 their arguments are admitted, the slender causes they 
 assign, are in themselves inadequate, to the production 
 of effects so extensive as they wish to establish. 
 
 6. It may be necessary to notice a modern objection 
 which has been urged against the Mosaic chronology; 
 and which is designed to prove, that if the world be not 
 eternal, it may still claim a much higher antiquity 
 than is allowed in the Bible. It is in substance as fol- 
 lows:* 
 
 * These objections to the Mosaic chronology are stated and refuted 
 very much at large in the Encyclopaedia Britunnica, article Earth. To 
 th * urriter of th.s article I am indebted for the statement given above; 
 anl for the mos; part I have adhered to his language as best conveying 
 his thoughts up m the subject. 
 
iu 
 
 "In pits or openings of ground in the neighborhood 
 of Vesuvius and JEtna, beds of lava have been discov- 
 ered at considerable depths below each other; and these 
 in some places are covered with successive strata of 
 vegetable mould. These different strata have pro- 
 ceeded, it is said, from an equal number of irruptions 
 from the mountain. Ten or twelve successive strata, 
 overlaid with soil, have been discovered in the bowels 
 of the earth; and it is strongly asserted, that, by dig- 
 ging deeper, many more might be found. It is ASSUM- 
 ED that a thousand years at least are necessary to 
 the production of a soil sufficient for the nourishment 
 and growth of vegetables upon these volcanic lavas. 
 If this be granted, and twelve such strata have been 
 discovered, the antiquity of the earth is immediately 
 swelled to, at least, twelve thousand years: which is 
 more than double the Mosaic chronology. This, then, 
 is the point upon which the whole controversy turns; 
 and the answers that have been given to this objection 
 may be laid down in the following order: 
 
 1. It is granted, by those who have written upon 
 this subject, that some lavas are very solid, and others 
 much less so. The one, of course, resists the opera- 
 tions of time much longer than the other. This also 
 is admitted. 
 
 2. They have not determined of which sort the la- 
 vas in question are, which is a material inquiry: since, 
 if a thousand years were rcquiu'd for the more solid, 
 a much less time would be necessary for the farina- 
 ceous. 
 
 3. Soil gradually increases l.y decayed vegetables, 
 and the sediments O!"M.OUS ai.d rain: the, thickness or 
 thinness of the soil must ti determine whether 
 a greater or less time has been employed in the accu- 
 
61 
 
 mulation: but these writers have not informed us of 
 the dimensions of these subterraneous vegetable strata 
 another material circumstance in the calculation. 
 
 4. Volcanic ashes and muddy water arc sometimes 
 thrown out, designed, as it should seem, by nature to 
 repair the sterility occasioned by the lava; and these 
 ought to be taken into the account, as materially as 
 sisting quickness of vegetative soil. 
 
 5. They have, however, furnished us with the fol- 
 lowing fact. The town of Herculaneum was destroy- 
 ed by an irruption in the ninety-seventh year of the 
 Christian era. 'There are evident marks, that the 
 matter of six irruptions,' say they, 'has taken its course 
 over Herculaneum; for each of the six strata of lava is 
 covered with a vein of good soil. 7 Here then, we have 
 their own authority for six strata of good soil accumu- 
 lated in less than seventeen hundred years: which, sup- 
 posing them of equal thickness, instead of a thousand 
 years, leaves us not three hundred for the production 
 of each." 
 
 At best, then, this objection is hypothetical merely; 
 and upon the testimony of the objectors, a thousand 
 years are not only unnecessary to the production of 
 such strata, but six of them have actually been formed 
 in less than seventeen hundred years; or less than three 
 hundred for each: and we therefore see no solid reason 
 to induce us to sacrifice the chronology of Moses, to 
 the uncertain doctrine of vegetable strata. 
 
 We produce only one other consideration against 
 the opinion of the world's eternity; and that appears 
 to us of very great importance: 
 
 6. If the world is eternal, how has the tradition of 
 its beginning every where prevailed, although under 
 different forms, among nations both barbarous and 
 
62 
 
 civilized? We leave the skeptic who disputes the Mo- 
 saic history, and the philosopher who asserts the eter- 
 nity of the world, to answer this inquiry it is not our 
 business. The fact cannot be denied. Not only is it 
 to be found among the refined nations of antiquity, 
 but barbarians who then chased, and savages who stiii 
 pursue, the wild and brute inhabitants of their own 
 inaccessible forests, had, and yet have, some tradition 
 of the creation of all things. It is not merely in Eng- 
 land's metropolis, that infidelity is encountered with 
 the history of the beginning of the world; tradi- 
 tions of it are to be met with on the plains of Indostan, 
 on the banks of the Ganges, and among every tribe 
 and every nation, from the line of the equator to the 
 circle of both the poles. It forms a part of every re- 
 ligion in the known world. Every country, although, 
 perhaps, claiming an antiquity higher than we allow, 
 and supposing the world to have been produced by 
 chance, does nevertheless admit that it had a beginning. 
 This was the universal doctrine of the heathen world; 
 excepting that some of their philosophers, from the love 
 of novelty, or the pride of distinction, disavowed the 
 public sentiment. It was the common faith of all na- 
 tions, and remains so. We appeal to the Phenician 
 histories, to the- Indians, and to the Egyptians. We 
 read it in Linus, in Hesiod, in Orpheus, in Aratus, in 
 Thales, and in a variety of Greek writers too large to 
 lay before you; all of whom embrace the idea that the 
 world was created, and not eternal. From these, the 
 Romans borrowed the same doctrines. Ovid, \vho 
 closely transcribed these opinions from the Greeks, has 
 given a long and eloquent description of the formation 
 of the heavens, and the earth, and its several inhab- 
 
63 
 
 itants.* We repeat our question, how was it possible 
 for the tradition of a beginning to the world, to be so 
 universally prevalent, and so universally received, 
 through every age, if it were indeed eternal? 
 
 From these representations we now wish to deduce 
 a most interesting and important inference; and to es- 
 tablish a truth which lies at the foundation of all relig- 
 ion, natural and revealed 
 
 THE BEING OF A GOD. 
 
 If we have in any respect succeeded in overturning 
 the two hypotheses which have now passed under 
 review: if the world be not the production of chance, 
 and if it be not eternal; it follows, that it must have 
 been created in order to which there must have been 
 an infinite Architect. We have seen human reason 
 led into labyrinths, from which it could not be extri- 
 cated but by the friendly assistance f Revelation. To 
 the eye of nature, all is obscurity. We have received 
 decisive evidences from notorious facts, that when an 
 investigation of these subjects has been attempted by 
 men of the first talents, independently of this infallible 
 guide, the mortifying and inevitable result has been, 
 bewildered systems, trembling uncertainty, clashing, 
 contradictory theories. "There is a path which no 
 fowl knoweth, and which the vulture's eye hath not 
 seen: the lion's whelps have not trodden it, nor hath 
 the fierce lion passed by it." These secret paths are 
 the operations of Gocl, sought out by those who love 
 him, and discovered only by the direction of his word, 
 and the agency of his Spirit. Admit the being of a 
 God, and all is clear and luminous. Every difficulty 
 vanishes: for what cannot Omnipotence perform? 
 
 * Mrfam, Lib. 1. See tlie quotation, note 4. :i' 1!^ en.l of Uie 
 
04 
 
 "The fool hath said in his heart there is no God. 7> 
 Can he deserve a milder name who holds his irration- 
 al creed? All nature proclaims his existence; and every 
 feeling of the heart is responsive to its voice. The in- 
 stant we begin to breathe, our connexion with God is 
 commenced, and it is a connexion which cannot be 
 dissolved for evex. All other unions are formed for 
 a season only: time will waste them: death will de- 
 stroy them: but this connexion looks death in the 
 face, defies the injuries of time, and is commensurate 
 with the ages of eternity. The moment we are capa- 
 ble of distinguishing between good and evil, our res- 
 ponsibility to God is begun it commences with the 
 dawn of reason, it looks forward to the judgment seat 
 as its issue. At every period, and under every circum- 
 stance of human life, man still draws his existence 
 from the "Fountain of life:" he may be cut off from 
 society, but cannot be separated from God: he may 
 renounce his fellow men, but never can burst the 
 bonds of obligation by which he is held to his Maker, 
 till he shall have acquired the power to extinguish that 
 immaterial principle within him, which can never be 
 subjected to decay or to dissolution. The last sigh 
 which rends the bursting heart, terminates the corres- 
 pondence between man and man; but strengthens tin- 
 union between God and man. All the springs of en- 
 joyment and of existence, are hidden in the Deity, and 
 Ihe fates of the human race are suspended in the bal 
 anccs sustained by his unshaken arm. It is an object 
 of the first magnitude, to learn something of the IK- 
 ing. with whom we stand thus intimately and insepar- 
 ably connected: who is light and warmth in the sun, 
 softness in the breeze, power in the tempest, and tht* 
 principle which pervades and animates, which regu 
 Jatcs and sustains universal nature: but to deny his ex 
 
65 
 
 istence, is the madness of desperation, and the temeri- 
 ty of presumption: of all insanity, it is the worst; and 
 of all ingratitude, it its the deepest. I see him rolling 
 the planets in their orbits, controlling the furious ele- 
 ments, and stretching an irresistible /sceptre over all 
 things created. 1 see the globe suspended, and trem- 
 bling in his presence; and the kingdoms of this world, 
 absorbed in his empire, rising to distinction, or falling 
 into irrecoverable desolation, according to the counsel 
 of his will. JMy heart is not at ease. I am instruct- 
 ed, but not tranquillized. The infinity of God over- 
 whelms rne: his majesty swallows me up: his inflexi- 
 ble justice and purity fill me with dismay: his power 
 makes me afraid. It is this volume which first brings 
 me acquainted with hi mas God, and afterwards as a 
 friend: which represents him at once the Creator and 
 Redeemer of the human race; and while his attributes 
 command my admiration, his mercy forbids my terror. 
 
 TIIC MOSAIC ACCOUNT OF THE CREATION 
 
 remains to be briefly examined. He conducts us at 
 once to this great Architect: "In the beginning GOD 
 created the heavens and the earth." He represents the 
 earth, after its creation, as a dark fluid, and an unform- 
 ed chaos, or mass of matter, which in six days God 
 reduced to order, and disposed in its present form. 
 "'And the earth was without form, and void, and dark- 
 ness was upon the face of the deep. And the spirit of 
 God moved upon the face of the waters." A modern 
 critic* has translated this passage, "a vehement wind 
 oversweeping the surface of the waters." He founds 
 his criticism upon the circumstance that the Hebrew 
 
 * Dr. "Geildes. 
 
66 
 
 language calls "thunder the voice of God; a great 
 wind his breath; the clouds his habitation, his chari- 
 ot; the lightnings and winds his ministers and messen- 
 gers, &c." and the possibility of rendering the words 
 SD^n^K rTH either the spirit of God, or the wind of God, 
 which he translates, a mighty wind. He produces va- 
 rious quotations from the scriptures, in which T\T\ 
 must be rendered wind, and accumulates much criti- 
 cism to prove that this is the primary sense of the 
 original word, and of the terms usually employed in 
 translating it. An equal number of passages might 
 easily be extracted from the sacred writers, in which 
 rrn would bear no other translation than spirit. Nei- 
 ther is it quite clear that rm signifies spirit only in a 
 secondary and metaphorical sense: since by their ar- 
 rangement of explanatory terms, lexicographers seem 
 divided upon the subject.t Respecting DVTJK there 
 can be but one opinion; and while our translators 
 have preserved the literal rendering of the words, the 
 translation proposed is confessedly justified only on 
 its resemblance to some Hebrew phrases, the corres- 
 pondence of which may or may not be admitted. This 
 premised, I object further to the rendering "a vehe- 
 ment \vind," because a very beautiful idea suggested 
 by the literal reading of the words is lost in that, 
 adopted by this critic: an idea which is so well expres- 
 sed by our inimitable poet,* who was himself well 
 versed in the original language of the Sacred Scriptures; 
 and who in his beautiful address to the Holy Spirit, 
 says, 
 
 f P.irklin-sl rrives, as its primary sense, <."> in inotir.r,,- \vliirh corres- 
 ponds with Dr. Geddrs's opinion: yet in his translation ot Gi-n. i, '2, P;nk. 
 hurst renders I IK- words "the spirit nf the Alt-ivi;" Siockins gives, as the 
 primary sense-, s/.iritus, then vent us, &c. II<\v luilc cun be inferred from 
 verbal criticism! 
 
 > Milton. 
 
67 
 
 "Thou from the first 
 
 Wast present, and with mighty wings outspread, 
 Dove-like, satst brooding' on the vast abyss, 
 And madstit pregnant. 1 * 
 
 But it was impossible to maintain the simple transla- 
 tion, without admitting a doctrine, which this critic 
 could not reconcile with the religious principles which 
 he had adopted, the personality of the Holy Spirit;t and 
 he therefore substituted one which did not clash with 
 his sentiments: and on the same principle I prefer the 
 common reading of our Bibles, because it accords 
 with a system which appears to me both rational and 
 scriptural, and which does include the personality of 
 this divine Agent; and because the words are by our 
 translators literally rendered. 
 
 The first thing which appeared was light; the separ- 
 ation of which from darkness, was the work of the 
 first day. "And God said, let there be light; and 
 there was light." A more simple and more literal 
 translation is, u Be light; and light was." This very 
 passage, in its connexion, has been marked by the ele- 
 gant Longinus, as a specimen of the true sublime.^ Nor 
 did it escape the observation of the psalmist, who has 
 well expressed it. "He spake, and it was done: he 
 commanded, and it stood fast." 
 
 On the second day, God made an expansion: for so 
 the Hebrew word jrp*l which our translators have 
 rendered "firmament," implies. It is derived from a 
 root which signifies " outstretching," and corresponds 
 with that beautiful passage in Isaiah xl, 22. "It is he 
 
 f Dr. Gedcles Iras said, "those who have found in this passage the 
 person of the r,ui.Y GHOS i, have been very little versed in the language 
 ot the East; and paid very little attention to the construction of the text." 
 So easy is it to dea* in bold and unqualified assertions, and call them 
 critical remarks. Surel} he forgot thai Milton was an Hebrew schix'ur 
 of no common standard. 
 
 t See note 5, at the end of the volume. 
 
68 
 
 that slretchdh out the heavens as a curtain, and 
 spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in." It is the 
 atmosphere which surrounds our globe, and which 
 possesses density sufficient to sustain the waters above 
 it. Its design said Moses, is, "to divide the waters that 
 are above this firmanent" or atmosphere, "from the 
 waters that are under this expansion." This atmos- 
 phere is perpetually drawing up particles of water, till 
 they accumulate, and become too heavy for the air to 
 sustain them, and fall in showers of rain. 
 
 On the ihird day, the earth was drained, and the 
 waters which before triumphed over its surface, were 
 gathered into one grand receptacle. The land appear- 
 ed, dry and fit for vegetation received the name 
 <*Earth" and produced, at the Divine command, 
 herbs, plants, trees, and all the endless varieties of the 
 vegetable world, bearing their several seeds and fruits, 
 according to their different kinds. The congregated 
 waters he called "seas;" and drawing boundaries 
 around them, he said "Hitherto shall ye come, but no 
 farther; and here shall your proud waves be stayed." 
 
 On \\\Q.fourth day, the sun and moon were formed, 
 and placed in the heavens to illuminate the earth, to 
 distinguish between day and night; to divide, and to 
 rule the revolving seasons of the year. 4w He made the 
 btars also." 
 
 On the fifth day, were created fishes, and the 
 swarming, multiform inhabitants of the hoary dr< j>. 
 the fowls of heaven, and whatsoever ilieth in the ( x- 
 pansion above us: these all were produced from the 
 waters. 
 
 On the xhrlh dity, were formed all terrestrial ani- 
 mals. Thru also MAN, his hist, best work, was -fash- 
 ioned" from the "dust of the earth," and animated 
 
69 
 
 with "a living soul." Of man he formed the WOMAN; 
 "to be an help meet for him." 
 
 'Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, ami 
 all the host of them." And "God rested from lii 
 work, and blessed the seventh day^ and sanctified il," 
 as a sabbath to the man and to his posterity. 
 
 Such is the Mosaic account of the creation, leading 
 us up to God as the Creator and Disposer of all things; 
 affording, beyond controversy, the most rational of the 
 hypotheses presented to you; and while it has left the 
 way open for philosophic inquiries, it has not said any 
 thing to gratify vain curiosity. We will attend to some 
 few questions which have been often suggested from 
 this representation of the beginning of all things, and 
 conclude this Lecture, which has already been drawn 
 out to a great length. 
 
 1 . What was the light that made its appearance be- 
 fore the creation of the sun? In considering this ques- 
 tion, which cannot be solved, and which is a matter of 
 opinion altogether, various conjectures have been 
 formed. Some have called it elemental fire. Some 
 have supposed that it resembled the shekinah. A sim- 
 ilar representation of it is made by our immortal bard: 
 
 ' 'Let there be light,' said God, and forthwith light 
 Ethereal, first of things, quintessence pure, 
 Sprung from the deep, and from her native cast 
 To journey through the airy gloom began, 
 Spher'd in a radiant cloud, for yet the sun 
 Was not; she in a cloudy tabernacle 
 Sojourn M the while-"* 
 
 The critic, to whom we have before referred, suppos- 
 es it to have been u an emanation of the same sun 
 that still enlightens us; and which, although it had 
 not yet appeared in its full glory, yet shed sufficient 
 
 Par. Lost, book vii, 1.C43--249. 
 
70 
 
 light through the dense atmosphere, to make the sur- 
 face of the terraqueous globe visible."! But as I ieel 
 inclined to give implicit credit to the Mosaic account, 
 in its literal signification, which affirms that the sun 
 and moon were made on tinefourth day, and that k 'God 
 commanded the light to shine out of darkness" on the 
 first, I should rather imagine it to be the same parti- 
 cles of light diffused, which were afterwards collected 
 into one body the sun.J But of these various opin- 
 ions the reader will judge for himself. 
 
 2. Does the Mosaic account oppose the present sys- 
 tem of astronomy? 
 
 The language of the scriptures expresses simply 
 the appearance of things, and neither sanctions nor 
 opposes any system of philosophy. It has left the 
 road of knowledge and research perfectly open; and 
 neither forbids, nor adopts, the hypotheses of those 
 who have explored the heavens, and with laborious 
 and useful skill, developed the laws by which the great 
 system, of which this globe constitutes a part, seems to 
 be regulated. When in common language we say 
 "the sun rises, and sets" we do not mean to oppose 
 the Newtonian, or any other astronomical system, but 
 merely to express the apparent motion of this grand 
 luminary. It is the beauty of the scriptures, that their 
 language is perfectly conformable to our ideas, and 
 therefore on most subjects falls within the grasp of our 
 comprehension. And we ought to recollect that the 
 d( sign of this volume is not to develope the laws of 
 nature, but to lead us along the narrow path which 
 
 t DP (".(-deles' Crit. Kern, on Gen. c, i.Arr. 3, vol. I. p. 14; quarto. 
 
 i I do nol profi-so '<> ol!cr ibis hypotlu : of cbjrctif/M and dif- 
 
 fic"!'y;bu' it is the best, \vliir h occurs to me, and is allowable vvheie 
 
 n.ereK hypothetical* I :>ni happy to l.tar that this 
 
 thought corresponds \\nli one suirjrcstcd in Mr. Fuller's conmviuioy 
 -on Genesis, just published; winch, t vcl h;d ;m op- 
 
 poriunity of consulting. 
 
71 
 
 conducts to heaven; not to guide our feet through the 
 orbits of planets, but to direct them to the throne of 
 the invisible God. 
 
 3. Does the Mosaic account of the creation extend 
 to the universe at large? This is an inquiry which 
 cannot be decided. Some have concluded that the 
 earth, the sun, and the moon, only belong to this histo- 
 ry. Others restrict it to the solar system. Others 
 extend it to the wide universe. The circumstances of 
 the creation, as related by Moses, apply principally to 
 the globe which we inhabit. The sun and the moon 
 are mentioned as formed at the same period, and 
 are evidently included in the account, because of 
 their connexion with, and advantage to the earth. But 
 the phrase, "He made the stars also" seems to advert 
 to the great universe; and may lead us to presume, that 
 the creation of all things was effected at one and the 
 same time. 
 
 4. In what sense are we to understand the term "six 
 days" as literal, or as allegorical? A critic,* whom 
 we have had occasion to mention more than once, 
 boldly pronounces it "a beautiful mythos, or philo- 
 sophical fiction." Some of the ancient Christian Fa- 
 thers esteemed it allegorical. I confess, however, that 
 my reverence for this volume, makes me very reluc- 
 tant to resolve into allegory, any thing which wears 
 the appearance of a fact on its pages; much more so, to 
 venture to call it a fable. The following reasons de- 
 termine me in concluding, that Moses designed it as a 
 statement of facts, and that we ought to understand the 
 phrase, "six days." in its literal sense: 
 
 The seventh day was instituted as a Sabbath, that 
 in it the man might rest from his labor, and more im- 
 mediately serve his gracious Creator; and the reason, 
 
 * Dr. Geddes. 
 
the only reason, assigned for it in the promulgation of 
 the law was, that "in six days the Lord made heav- 
 en and earth, the sea and all that in them is; where- 
 fore the Lord blessed the seventh day, and hallow- 
 ed it." 
 
 Thisis the reason always produced, when the institu- 
 tion of the Sabbath is at all named; and in consequence 
 of it, the seventh day was observed, till the resurrec- 
 tion of Christ on the first day of the week: when, in 
 perpetual remembrance of this great and glorious 
 event, theirs/ day became the Christian sabbath, and 
 the seventh was laid aside. 
 
 The apostle who wrote to the Hebrews, quotes this 
 passage from Genesis, in the second chapter, and at 
 the fourth verse, of his epistle: u And God did rest the 
 seventh day from all his works. 57 In his reasoning up- 
 on this passage, he makes no one remark, which dis- 
 covers the least approximation to an allegorical inter- 
 pretation; much less did he seem to regard it as "a 
 beautiful mythos:" on the contrary, every thing which 
 he says throughout that chapter, appears to ascertain 
 very clearly, that he understood the phrase, "six days" 
 used by Moses, in its literal sense. 
 
 5. Can any reason be assigned for the number of 
 days fixed upon, and occupied in this great work? 
 Certainly not. We dare not attempt to fathom the 
 divine designs; nor is the Deity to be jud.;c'd at a hu- 
 man tribunal. Perhaps (for what can be offered but 
 conjecture?) he carried on his work in progression, and 
 ix days for the performance of that, which he 
 could have effected, had he been so disposed, in an in- 
 t, to shew that he is a u God of order and not of 
 confusion." It is thus also, that he works in provi- 
 dence, and in grace. His plans arc gradually develop 
 ed; his wisdom gradully manifested; his will gradually 
 
73 
 
 accomplished; his designs gradually completed. And 
 possibly he chose only six days; to demonstrate his 
 unbounded power, that could perform so immense a 
 work in so short a space of time. 
 
 6. How could Moses be fitted to give an account 
 of the creation? There can be no difficulty in answer- 
 ing this question, if it be allowed that he was divinely 
 inspired: but we may account for his ability to record 
 the circumstances of the creation in a way which will be 
 more satisfactory to the wavering. It is no improbable 
 conjecture, that in the earliest ages of the world, God 
 communicated his will to pious individuals, and per- 
 mitted them to transmit it to others by oral tradition: 
 for in those days the longevity of man favored this 
 mode of conveyance. It will be admitted, that Ad- 
 am, could not be ignorant of the circumstances of the 
 creation. With Adam, Methuselah lived two hundred 
 and forty-three years: withMethuselah,Shern the son of 
 Noah, lived about ninety-seven years; and with Shem, 
 Jacob, the grandson of Abraham, lived fifty years, ac- 
 cording to the chronology of the history of Genesis, 
 On this calculation, no more than three persons, Me- 
 thuselah, Shem, and Jacob, were necessary to trans- 
 mit this account, together with the knowledge and 
 worship of God, from Adam to the time when the 
 children of Israel went down into Egypt, through a 
 period of two thousand two hundred and thirty-eight 
 years. It is easy to conceive how it came into the 
 hand of Moses: for his grandfather, Amram, lived a 
 considerable time, both with Joseph, the son of Jacob, 
 and with the Jewish lawgiver, the writer of this history, 
 himself. When the life of man was shortened, and 
 the nations had become corrupt through idolatry, 
 oral tradition was no longer a safe vehicle or convey- 
 10 
 
ft 
 
 ance; and God therefore communicated a revelation 
 of his mind and will, which was committed to writing. 
 In retracing the outline of the preceding Lecture; 
 and contrast ing the scriptural relation of the beginning 
 of all things with other hypotheses; I trust, that the 
 proposition, announced for elucidation this day, has 
 been established: THAT THE MOSAIC ACCOUNT OF 
 
 THE CREATION, IS THE ONLY RATIONAL ONE WHICH WE 
 HAVE RECEIVED. 
 
 "Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for 
 new heavens and a new earth; wherein dwelleth 
 righteousness." 
 
LECTURE Hf, 
 
 THE DELUGE. 
 
 GEN. VII, 11 24. 
 
 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the sec- 
 ond month, the seventeenth day of the month, the 
 same day were all the fountains of the great deep 
 broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. 
 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and 
 forty nights. In the selfsame day entered Noah, 
 and Shem. and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, 
 and NoaWs wife, and the three wives of his sons 
 with them into the ark: They, and every beast 
 after his kind, and all the cattle after their 
 kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth up- 
 on the earth after his kind, and every fowl 
 after his kind, every bird of every sort. And 
 they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and 
 two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life. 
 And they that went in, went in male and female of 
 all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the Lord 
 shut him in. And the flood was forty days upon 
 the earth and the waters increased, and bare up the 
 ark; and it was lift up above the earth. And the 
 waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon 
 the earth: and the ark went upon the face of the 
 waters. And the waters prevailed exceedingly up- 
 on the earth: and all the high hills, that were un- 
 der the whole heaven, were covered* Fifteen cubits 
 
76 
 
 upward did the wafers prevail ; and the mountains 
 were covered. And all flesh died, that moved upon 
 the earth, both of fowl and of cattle, and of beast, 
 and of evert/ creeping thing that creepeth upon the 
 earth y and every man. All in whose nostrils was 
 the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, 
 died And every living substance was destroyed 
 which was upon the face of the ground, both man, 
 and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of 
 the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: 
 and Noah only remained alive, and they that were 
 with him in the ark. And the waters prevailed up- 
 on the earth, an hundred and fifty days. 
 
 2 PET. in, 5 7. 
 
 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the 
 word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth 
 standing out of the water and in the water. Where- 
 by the world that then was, being overflovced with 
 water, perished. But the heavens and the earth 
 which arc now. by the same word are kept in store, 
 reserved unto fire against the day of judgment, and 
 perdition of ungodly men. 
 
 IT is impossible to read the history of empires which 
 once gave laws to the world, to trace the sources of 
 their gradual decay, and to contemplate them in ruins, 
 without emotions of pity and regret. The man who 
 visits the spot where ancient imperial Rome stood, 
 and held through many successive ages a boundless 
 dominion over the commotions of the world, and finds 
 only thesad monuments of decayed greatness, must pos- 
 sess IV( iii^s peculiar to himself, if no melancholy sen- 
 sations arise in his heart to accord with the desolations- 
 
77 
 
 without. Where her awful senate convened, time 
 strides over the ruin,and writes on the broken triumphal 
 arch, "The glory is departed/' The traveller, as he 
 sits upon a prostrate pillar, hears no sound but the pas- 
 sing wind, as it sighs along the weed-encompassed por- 
 tico of some mouldering temple. The amphitheatre, 
 once crowded with the masters of the globe, now shel- 
 ters the bat, and the serpent; and affords an asylum to 
 the owl from the glare of noonday. Who, that has 
 an heart to feel, can wander among the crumbling ves- 
 tiges of ancient grandeur, without dropping a tear over 
 the scene of desolation, and exclaiming, "So sets the 
 sun of earthly majesty, to rise no more for ever?" 
 
 But the destruction which now demands our atten- 
 tion, is of much wider extent, and of infinitely greater 
 magnitude. Not a city, nor an empire, but a world in 
 ruins, is the subject of contemplation. A new and 
 awful view of Deity is conveyed to the mind. We 
 behold him, not descending in mercy wafted on the 
 wings of angels, amid the full chorus of heaven, to 
 spread his golden compasses over the vast abyss, and to 
 describe the circle of the earth; calling universal nature 
 from discord and chaos; lending radiance to the sun, 
 and immensity to the spheres; impressing his image up- 
 on man; constituting him lord of the creation; placing 
 the diadem of glory upon his head, and the sceptre of 
 authority in his hand: but we contemplate the offended 
 Majesty of Heaven, arrayed in vengeance; terrible in 
 fury; clothed in all the thunder of his power; arming 
 the elements against his adversaries; and opening the 
 dreadful artillery of his wrath upon a guilty world. 
 
 When God completed the creation, ne beheld in the 
 harmony and magnificence of his work, the perfect 
 transcript of his own vast design, and pronounced the 
 
78 
 
 whole, and all its several parts, "very good." By an 
 early act of disobedience, man broke the law of his 
 Maker; and not only cancelled the bond of his own 
 happiness, but blotted the hand-writing of Deity in the 
 volume of nature. The fall of man, as a point of doc- 
 trine, comes not within the department of this course 
 of Lectures: it is our business simply to insist upon it 
 as a fact recorded in the Scriptures,which ten thousand 
 different and fatal effects produced by it, tend to estab- 
 lish. To this fact, as a source, must be traced up every 
 calamity which wrings a tear from the eye, every 
 pang which extorts a groan from the heart, and every 
 stroke of mortality which descends upon our connex- 
 ions. Sin having found its way into the world, was 
 followed by death and a long train of attendant miser- 
 ies. The yawning tomb presented itself to the man 
 at the end of this valley of tears, and the grave was the 
 termination of his fondest hopes: to the earliest race of 
 men, as to us, it was the limit to the longest period of 
 existence. A life of "nine hundred sixty and nine 
 years," like a summer's day, had its dawn, its morn- 
 ing, its meridian, its decline: it yielded to the lengthen- 
 ing shadows of the evening; and gradually sunk into 
 the gloom of a midnight silent and impenetrable. 
 
 Who will be able to set boundaries to vice? When 
 the floodgates are once opened, who shall presume to 
 check the torrent, or attempt to stay the impetuosity 
 of the rushing waters? The rivulet, increased in its 
 course by the constant accession of innumerable, tri- 
 butary stcsams, swells into a flood, and roils a deep, si- 
 lent, resistless river, which is at length lost in the bos- 
 om of the ocean. Such was the progression of iniqui- 
 ty. Small in its beginning; it rapidly augmented, till 
 it had covered the whole earth. A'Jan added sin to 
 
79 
 
 sin, till the measure of his transgression was full, and 
 the long-slumbering wrath of heaven burst over 
 unsheltered head. He who can think lightly of sin, 
 and wantonly or deliberately walk in the paths of 
 temptation, resembles a man who suffers his little bark 
 to approach the circumference of a whirl-pool: at first 
 the vessel glides on in gentle, wide, and almost im- 
 perceptible, circumvolutions: continually, however, ap- 
 proaching the centre, and bearing the wretch thither 
 with increased velocity, till in defiance of effort, the vi- 
 olence of the current prevails, and all is ingulfed in the 
 illimitable abyss. 
 
 Before the subject, which is to occupy our present 
 attention, is considered at large, the intermediate his- 
 tory, which demands elucidation, ought to pass in re- 
 view before us. One of the most extraordinary cir- 
 cumstances, attending the antediluvian history, is the 
 astonishing duration of human life in those days, con- 
 trasted with the brevity of our own. Some have con- 
 jectured, that the years ascribed to these first men, 
 were lunar, and not solar. To consider them as 
 months, would release us from one difficulty, but it 
 must involve us in another still more considerable. 
 Among other objections, the following may be deem- 
 ed unanswerable: First, this calculation reduces their 
 lives to a shorter period than our own: Secondly, 
 some of them must have been fathers under, or about, 
 six years of age: Thirdly, it contracts the interval be- 
 tween the creation and the deluge, to considerably less 
 than two hundred years even admitting the larger cal- 
 culation of the Septuagint.* 
 
 ^ The common calculation settles the date of the flood at lf>56 years 
 after the creation; but the Septuagint places it in the year of the world 
 
so 
 
 The account of this longevity, however, is not res- 
 tricted to the Mosaic history: but is corroborated by 
 various ancient writers. Upon this subject, Josephus 
 enumerates the testimonies of Manetho, Berosus, Mo- 
 chus, Hestaeus, Jerome the Egyptian; the writers of 
 the Phenician antiquities, Hesiod, Hecataeus; Hellani- 
 cus, Acusilaus, Ephorus, and Nicholas, who generally 
 agreed that Hhe ancients lived a thousand years."* 
 
 We have accumulated these names to shew, that 
 these men either were in possession of traditions relating 
 to this fact, upon which their assertions are founded; 
 or that they borrowed them from Moses: and in ei- 
 ther case our purpose is answered. For if they receiv- 
 ed them from prevalent traditions, it will be granted 
 that these traditions had originally some foundation in 
 fact; and they correspond with the sacred history. 
 But if they borrowed them from Moses, two points 
 are gained on our part, ft is proved, on this principle, 
 that such a man as Moses did really exist; that his 
 writings were then extant; that they were in substance 
 what they now are; and that they bear an antiquity 
 more remote than these, which are allowed to be the 
 most ancient of the heathen writers. It is proved fur- 
 ther, that his history was highly esteemed; and that it 
 was supposed, by these writers, to contain facts. 
 Whether they drew from Moses, or from tradition; and 
 whether their testimony sprang from his narra- 
 tion, or from any other source; either way, the Mosa- 
 ic account of these early ages, is corroborated by the 
 oldest fragments of antiquity. 
 
 Various inquiries have been agitated respecting the 
 principles on which we may reasonably account for 
 
 at the cmlof the volume. 
 
81 
 
 this longevity; and it will be readily granted that the an- 
 swers attempted are founded upon opinion only. 
 Some have imputed it to the temperance of the antedi- 
 luvians, and their simplicity of diet. Others have im- 
 agined that it arose from the superior excellence of 
 their fruits, or some peculiar salubrity in the herbs of 
 those days. A third class of philosophers have stated, 
 that it proceeded from the strength of their stamina, 
 or first principles of bodily constitution; that they had 
 an organization more vigorous, and a frame more ro- 
 bust. This has been admitted, by some, to be a 
 concurrent, but not a sole and adequate cause: since 
 Shem, who was born before the flood, and, it is to be 
 presumed, had therefore all the strength of an antedi- 
 luvian constitution, fell short of the age of his fathers 
 three hundred years. In addition, therefore, to natural 
 bodily energy, it is probable that there was a tempe- 
 rature of the air; and an adaptation of the general state 
 of the earth, to the production of this extraordina* 
 ry longevity, which temperature was destroyed by the 
 Deluge. But there is no way of completely answering 
 such inquiries, but by referring immediately to the will 
 and power of Him, who is "wonderful in counsel, and 
 excellent in working?' 
 
 Moses relates also an union which took place be- 
 tween the family of Seth and the descendants of 
 Cain: for so we interpret the phrase, "Sons of God," 
 and "daughters of men." It is generally believed that 
 the sons of Seth had, till that time, preserved the wor- 
 ship of God, with correspondent purity of life, while 
 it is agreed that the posterity of Cain were given over 
 to "vile affections;" and on this supposition the fitness 
 of the terms used, and the propriety of their applica- 
 tion to the respective parties, will not be disputed. This 
 11 
 
iatal union totally destroyed the principles of holiness 
 which a part of the human race had preserved from 
 extinction; and when from this commerce sprang 
 'mighty men,'" and "men of renown/' "the" whole 
 Dearth wab" quickly "filled with violence." "There 
 were," also, "giants in the earth in those days." We 
 understand the term literally, as implying, not merely 
 men of violence, but of extraordinary bulk and stature. 
 And why should this account be disputed, when con- 
 firmed by so many ancient writers? Pausanias, Philo- 
 stratus, Pliny, and others, speak decidedly of the re- 
 mains of gigantic bodies discovered in their days.* 
 ik Upon the rending of a mountain in Crete, by an 
 earthquake/' says this last mentioned natural historian, 
 "there was found standing upright a gigantic body." 
 Josephus speaks of bones seen in his days, of a magni- 
 tude that almost exceeded credibility. Even Homer, 
 who wrote three thousand years ago, speaks, from tra- 
 dition, that, in his "degenerate days," the human frame 
 was dwindled down into half its size. It is not necessa- 
 ry to contend, nor is it intimated in the Mosaic account, 
 that the bodies of men in general were of such prodi- 
 gious dimensions: all that we wish to prove is, that 
 -there were giants in those days;" that there were, prob- 
 ably, many of them; and that this scriptural relation 
 is abundantly confirmed by profane historians. 
 
 At this time, fraud and injustice, rapine and violence, 
 according to the sacred writer, extended themselves 
 >V<T the face of the earth. Is he singular in this declar- 
 ation? Who that has read the records of antiquity, may 
 
 ' r)oclclrid^c:'s Lectures, 1'arf v). Prop, rix.&r. p 2*A>. ~>, 4'.o. edit. 
 
 Gvolm.s <!< Vrrii Ki-litf. dins'. $\\ Plin. iNux. Jicst. 111). \.< . 
 
 16. C'i;,sult :tU<> Dr. (ii-ddcs' Criliri-m n (ii-n.vi, in \viiich li 
 JUMlScb ;r opj. " i tli:it tat< ('. abivi-; hut,:is it appears to the 
 
 \\r.ti/r)f ;lcjc I . "iu-,\\ !,;< l> It n i.ilu upon ilieverucily 
 
 oi Muts, us an liikUmun; uiul cicstioys liis claim to inspiration. 
 
S3 
 
 not gather a confirmation of his statement, from their 
 deposition? Who that is conversant with th<> 1-ibles of 
 the heathen poets, may not extract this truth from the 
 cumbrous mass of fiction by which it is overwhelmed. 
 A golden age gradually degenerating into an iron one, 
 has been sung by a thousand bards, whose silent harps 
 have long since mouldered away with the ashes of 
 their masters! Which of the ancient poets, did not cel- 
 ebrate these times? or deplore their extinction? Catul- 
 lus* has stated this fact nearly in the terms used by 
 Moses; and has amplified his expressions so largely, as 
 to present almost a commentary upon the sixth chap- 
 ter of Genesis. Ovidt tells the sarre tale; and repre- 
 sents his injured justice driven from men by the hand 
 of rapacity, and seeking shelter in her native heavens. 
 Amidst this general depravity, \vas issued a solemn 
 declaration from heaven; "My spirit shall not always 
 strive with man." Yet was not sudden and silent 
 destruction, commissioned to destroy the guilty. The 
 patience and pity of God, were manifested even in his 
 rising indignation. Enoch and Noah were "preach- 
 ers of righteousness;" and a space of one hundred and 
 twenty years was allotted to the offenders for repent- 
 ance. Enoch, in the mean time, was received into 
 heaven "without tasting of death;" and Noah having 
 closed his unavailing ministry, entered into the ark, 
 constructed according to the pattern given by God 
 himself with his family, and the pairs of all living ani- 
 mals. For the world they "were eating and 
 
 * In his Epithalamium of Peleus and Thetis: see rote 2, at the end t;i 
 the volume. 
 
 -f- Victa jacct p:etas; el virgo csjde madentes 
 Ultima coelestum terras Astrca veliquil. 
 
 OviSsMax- 
 
 Faith flies! and pie'v in exile mourns; 
 And justice, lie re oppressM, to heuv'u relu.ru$_* 
 
86 
 
 Josephus alludes, Bcrosus adds, "It is reported that 
 part of the ship now remains in Armenia, on the Gor- 
 dyasan mountains;* and that some bring thence 
 pitch, which they use as a charm. "t 
 
 Lucian speaks of a very remote history of the ark, 
 laid up in Hierapolis of Syria; and the account which, 
 according to him, the Greeks gave of the deluge is 
 as follows: "That the first race of men were self-willed, 
 perpetrating many crimes, regardless of oaths, inhos- 
 pitable, uncharitable: for which cause, great calami- 
 ties fell upon them. For suddenly the earth threw 
 out much water: a deluge of rain fell from heaven: 
 rivers overflowed exceedingly; and the sea itself over- 
 spread the globe to that degree, that all things were 
 overwhelmed by the water, and the whole of mankind 
 perished. Deucalion alone remained, the source of 
 another generation, on account of his prudence and 
 piety. He was preserved thus: In a great ark, which 
 he had prepared, he placed his wives, and his children, 
 and entered also himself. After them went in bears, 
 and horses, and lions, and serpents, and all other living 
 creatures upon the face of the earth, by pairs. He 
 received all these animals, which had no power to 
 injure him, but were extremely familiar, being over- 
 ruled by Divine influence. These all floated togeth- 
 er, in the same ark, so long as the waters were upon 
 the earth. '^ 
 
 We have already remarked, that the same person 
 was intended by a diveisity of names; and Grotius 
 says, that u Seisithrus, Ogyges, and Deucalion, are all 
 
 Same as Moses calls Ararath. See Grotius do Writ. UcTig. Christ. 
 $ 16 notes. 
 
 jjoseplnis roiiti'. Appion, primo; ct Antiq. His lib i. cap. 4. 
 U.ncian, lihro dc IX-u. S.rn, -t dc t:m/o v-m v is ,\\n > quo'l 
 
87 
 
 names signifying, in other languages, the same as No- 
 ah does in the Hebrew, the language in which Moses 
 wrote."! Now it is a fact well known, that the an- 
 cient writers, in copying from any original, did not 
 give in their translation the names used in that original: 
 but changed them for some other that had the same 
 meaning in the language into which they translated 
 them, as the original names had in that, from which 
 they transcribed, For instance, Alexander the histo- 
 rian, writing concerning Isaac in Greek, does not ad- 
 here to the original name, but calls him Gelota (FeAwra) 
 or "Laughter:" which is the interpretation of the He- 
 brew name Isaac; and was given him by Sarah in re- 
 membrance of some circumstances relating to his birth. 
 Thus, by the different names used in the accounts 
 which different nations give of the deluge, the same 
 person is intended and that person is Noah. Dio- 
 dorus says, it is the tradition of the Egyptians, that 
 'Deucalion's was the universal deluge." Plato cor- 
 roborates this testimony by saying, "that a certain 
 Egyptian priest, related to Solon, out of their sacred 
 books, the history of the universal deluge; which took 
 place long before the partial inundations known to 
 the Grecians." There is another remarkable coinci- 
 dence and correspondence with the Mosaic account: 
 the very day fixed by Moses as the beginning of the 
 deluge, agrees exactly with the day in which, Plu- 
 tarch tells us, Osiris went into the ark, the seventeenth 
 of Athyr; which is the second month after the au- 
 tumnal equinox, the sun then passing through Scor- 
 pio. It is thus that the evidence of the universal del. 
 uge, in this particular branch of it, corresponds with 
 
 fGrotius de Ve;it. Relig-. Christ. IS notes; where also these ex- 
 tracts from Lucian and oU.trs, arc quoted at leng'h, whL rnativ similifr 
 
88 
 
 that of the creation: that it is equally the subject of 
 tradition; and that tradition, varying a little in circum- 
 stance, is equally prevalent over the face of the whole 
 earth. This tact is farther proved by, 
 
 2, TllE EXISTENCE OF VAST QUANTITIES OF MA- 
 RINE PRODUCTIONS UPON THE TOPS OF MOUNTAINS, 
 AND UNDER THE SURFACE OF THE GROUND, TO CON- 
 SIDERABLE DEPTHS, OVER THE WHOLE EARTH, AND AT 
 
 ALL DISTANCES FROM THE SEA The earthquake that 
 shakes the towering palace, and the proud battlements 
 of the city to the ground, rends the bosom of the 
 earth, and discloses the shells and teeth of fish the 
 bones of animals entire or partial vegetables evi- 
 dently transported thither from their respective ele- 
 ments, by some grand and universal commotion, affect- 
 ing at one and the same time, the sea and the dry 
 land, and destroying the limits of their mutual separ- 
 ation. This was considered as a decisive argument 
 till the recent hypotheses of some modern philosophers 
 have furnished an evasion of its force. t It has been 
 proved that volcanoes are capable of forming moun- 
 tains of very considerable magnitude: that the fire of 
 them lies deep, and often below the waters of the ocean 
 itself. On this account, marine substances may be 
 found at all depths HI these volcanic mountains, 
 and yrt afford no proof of a deluge. There would 
 be some weight in this argument if these marine sub- 
 stances were found only in the neighborhood of vol- 
 canoes: but with all its plausibility, it is incapable of 
 universal application. It may be thought to account 
 for marine substanceslying deep in volcanic mountains, 
 or lands stretching along the borders of the ocean, and 
 liable to volcanic irruptions: but it will furnish no sat- 
 
 pir William Hamilton. 
 
89 
 
 isfaetory reason for their existence in an inland coun- 
 try, free from volcanoes, and hundreds of miles dis- 
 tant from the sea. There are also appearances of des- 
 olation presented in nature, which cannot be accounted 
 for, even on the supposition of earthquakes; nor be 
 deemed the consequence of any convulsion, less pow- 
 erful than that of an universal deluge. 
 
 Another hypothesis is levelled against the system 
 which we espouse. Some philosophers have supposed, 
 that a perfect transposition of the order of things has 
 taken place: that what is land was once sea: and that 
 where the ocean rolls his proud waves, the earth pre- 
 sented her fair and cultivated face.* If this, indeed, 
 was the case, as the sea is liable to the same volcanic 
 irruptions, the existence of marine productions, on ev- 
 ery part of the globe, may be accounted for, without 
 the admission of an universal deluge: since we may 
 easily imagine, that when the waters retreated, they left 
 some of their spoils, deeply implanted, behind. The 
 observations which we have made, and are capable of 
 making, in the contracted sphere of our personal knowl- 
 edge and the changes which are effected on the face 
 of nature, in the narrow circle of the few years allot- 
 ted to us may not perhaps be deemed any thing: but 
 those of ages and generations long si nee roiled by, and 
 which are recorded on the faithful page of impartial 
 history, ought to be duly appreciated. The inroads 
 which the sea has made upon the land, recorded by 
 those who have measured and watched its boundaries, 
 in the remembrance of our fathers, have been compar- 
 atively inconsiderable: nor will any authentic history 
 of the most remote periods, furnish us with matters of 
 fact to justify, or even to countenance, an hypothesis 
 
 Buffbn. 
 
 12 
 
go 
 
 so extravagant. Every instance which can be produ- 
 ced of the ground gained by the waves upon the shores 
 of the globe, is so trifling, and the conquest was so 
 slowly acquired, that the system proposed must sup- 
 pose an antiquity of the world, very little different, as 
 it respects the objections that lie against it, from the 
 hypothesis which maintains its eternity; the answer to 
 which fell under the department of the preceding Lec- 
 ture. This wild opinion, moreover, seems to suppose 
 islands only the tops of mountains: but over the whole 
 face of our present continents is there no such moun- 
 tain, or chain of mountains, in shape or extent, as our 
 native country whose hoary cliffs stretch their bar- 
 riers wide and firm, frowning defiance equally upon 
 the waves which assault her shores, and the power ot" 
 nations who insult her majesty? On the whole, we 
 think, that only on the principle of an universal del- 
 uge can the existence of marine productions found 
 scattered wide, and buried deep, over the whole globe, 
 be accounted for: since the theory which supposes the 
 retreat of the ocean from our present earth, and that 
 which rather suggests, than asserts, that all dry land 
 was thrown up from the bottom of the sea, by volcan- 
 ic, subterraneous fires, are equally preposterous and ir- 
 rational. Now, the waters were long enough upon 
 the earth, according to the Mosaic account, for shell- 
 fish to breed on land, and to increase from spawn to 
 their full size; the action of the waters upon the earth 
 would greatly soften it; and the spoils of the deep, at, 
 and before, the retreat of the waters, would be deeply 
 i bed, and covered by the perforated and broken soil. 
 There appears to us to be but one way of determining 
 upnn this point: the Mosaic history is so express, that 
 either an universal deluge must be admitted, or the 
 
91 
 
 whole narration rejected. Had the deluge been only 
 partial, some winged animals might have niu.ie their 
 escape from it, since it gradually and progressively ex 
 tended; and time was consequently afforded them for 
 flight from the encroaching waters: but it is said, "all 
 flesh died, that moved upon the earth, both of fowl 
 and of cattle." And if the waters were restricted to 
 only a portion of the earth, a constant miraculous 
 power must have been exerted to keep them at an el- 
 evation so immense, as to cover all the high hills of the 
 immersed part, from running off into the sea, supposing 
 the sea to have preserved its usual level. Nor is it 
 easily ascertained, how far the human race had spread 
 themselves over the face of the earth, or the degree in 
 which man had multiplied. When, therefore, we speak 
 of the Deluge, we mean an universal flood; and mean 
 to distinguish it from the partial inundations which 
 from time to time have laid waste particular countries; 
 and which, in more remote ages, were preserved in 
 remembrance by the heathen poets. 
 
 II. We pass on to present you with a selection of a few, 
 from the innumerable HYPOTHESES BY WHICH IN- 
 GENIOUS WRITERS HAVE ATTEMPTED TO ACCOUNT 
 
 FOR IT. 
 
 * 
 
 To all who have written upon this subject, the 
 grand difficulty appears to have been, the prodigious 
 quantity of waters requisite to such a deluge as that 
 described by Moses. There are two sources whence the 
 sacred historian deduces them: "the fountains of the great 
 deep were broken up; and the windows of heaven 
 were opened.' 7 The proportion of water necessary to 
 
02 
 
 constitute an universal deluge, has been by some esti- 
 mated at eight oceans; while others* have computed 
 it at not less than twenty two. The inquiry then is, 
 What did Moses intend by 'the fountains of the deep?" 
 and are these united with "the windows ot heaven,"' 
 sufficient to cause an inundation so immense? 
 
 1. Dr. BuRNETf supposes the world to have been 
 perfectly round, without mountains or any irregularity 
 of surface, incrusting a globe of waters, which he calls 
 the central abyss. He imagines that this exterior cov- 
 ering of earth, was broken at the time of the deluge, 
 and sunk down beneath the prevailing waters. This 
 system, it is necessary to observe, opposes the narra- 
 tive of Moses, which asserts, that "all the high hills 
 were covered." 
 
 2. Mr. WHISTON'J; imputes the whole to the interpo- 
 sition and agency of a comet: descending in the plane 
 of the ecliptic towards the sun, and passing just before 
 the earth on the first day of the deluge. He also con- 
 cludes that there is an abyss of waters under the sur- 
 face of the earth; and supposes the influence of this 
 body would produce a strong tide on the waters both 
 above and under the earth, which would increase in 
 proportion to the nearness of its approach. Those, 
 particularly, encircled within the globe, would form an 
 elliptical figure so much larger than their former spher- 
 ical one, that, unable to oppose a resistance equal to 
 its pressure, the surface of the earth would burst; 
 which lu! asserts is the meaning of the phrase-, 4k the 
 fountains of the L>T<-;it deep were broken up.' 1 He 
 further supposes, that, in its descent, the comet involv- 
 
 Dr. K.--1. | Ti 11'iris Theoria Sacra.. 
 
 .' ' trth: also, the cause of the dc.luge dcmoncira- 
 ted. 
 
93 
 
 cd the earth in its atmosphere and tail for a considera- 
 ble time; and the quantity of water left behind, when 
 rarified by the sun, would descend in violent rains; 
 which he imagines is intended by the opening of '-the 
 windows of heaven." The succeeding heavy rains, 
 recorded by Moses, enduring an hundred and fifty 
 days, he attributes to a second similar immersion, on 
 its return. In withdrawing these destructive waters 
 from the face of the ruined world, he supposes a ve- 
 hement wind to have arisen, which dried up a part, 
 forced more through the clefts out of which they issued, 
 and deposited the remainder in the bed of the ocean; 
 which he imagines not to have existed before. The 
 uncertainty of every calculation respecting comets, and 
 the possibility that their tails and atmospheres are 
 streams of electric fluid, and not aqueous vapors, ren- 
 der this ingenious theory very questionable. 
 
 3. M. DE LA PRYME,* concludes that the antediluvian 
 world resembled the present one: but that the deluge was 
 effected by violent earthquakes, breaking up its whole 
 surface absorbing continents, islands, and the whole 
 of the then dry land, correspondent portions of earth 
 emerging from the antediluvian sea. Three objections 
 rise against this theory: 1. The Mosaic history says 
 nothing of earthquakes. 2. Amid commotions so 
 terrible as those which must necessarily be caused by 
 the sinking of the earth, the ark itself could not have 
 been preserved without miracle. 3. Earthquakes op- 
 erate suddenly and violently: but the Bible affirms 
 that the flood came on gradually, although irresistibly. 
 4. The eloquent and ingenious ST. PiEiiRE.t imag- 
 ines that the deluge may be accounted for on the sup- 
 
 * See Enclyclopedia Britannica article Deluge. 
 v Etudes de la Nature. Tome 1., Etude IV. 
 
position, that on the year in which this, great event 
 took place, the action of the vertical sun, was not con- 
 fined to that portion of the globe, which is contained 
 between the tropics, but was carried over the accumu- 
 lated mountains of ice, at the northern and southern 
 poles: which extraordinary circumstance, he thinks 
 easily and naturally explained, by supposing that the 
 earth, instead of preserving the parallel position of its 
 poles, presented each of them, alternately, to the sun's 
 verticle beams. 
 
 It seems impossible to form any hypothesis free from 
 difficulty: and each of those stated, bearing a greater 
 or less degree of probability, supposes, what in fact 
 every theory must allow, an immediate interposition 
 of divine power and agency. Admit only the fact, 
 that HE who made the world, destroyed it by water; 
 and he could be at no loss for means to accomplish his 
 awful design. The quantity of water required is im- 
 mense: but not impossible to be raised.* Who has 
 descended to his central storehouse? or seen the maga- 
 zine of his rain and hail, treasured up against the day 
 of wrath? Who can affirm that God has not a sufti- 
 cient quantity of water in the earth for this grand pur- 
 pose? It has been proved, that no less than one thou- 
 sand six hundred gallons of water have been exhaled 
 from one awe of land, and dispersed into the air, in 
 twelve of the hottest hours of a summer's day, and 
 when thciv hud been no rain for above a month, and 
 the earth \vas parched by continual heat!"* Besides, 
 the sucrecl writer is consistent with himself. He repre- 
 the earth originally covered, in its unformed 
 state, with water, till the voice of God said, "Let the 
 
 Sec note C, if) this Lecture at the cwl nf thr volume, 
 j Sec nub. 7, at ilic end oi'tlie volume. 
 
95 
 
 waters under the heaven be gathered together unto 
 one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so."t 
 If this theory be just, then is the deluge effected only 
 by reducing the earth to its primeval state, and giving 
 it over again to the dominion of the waters. 
 
 Admit only, from the reasoning of the first part of 
 this Lecture, the fact of a deluge; and from the second, 
 the hand of Omnipotence in the production of it; and 
 there can be no difficulty which does not melt away 
 under his resistless operations. Had there been no 
 deluge, it were difficult to account for the universal 
 traditions respecting it: still more so, to explain the 
 appearances presented in the face of nature itself. It 
 was impossible for Moses to impose the belief of it 
 upon the Jews, appealing as he did to the names found 
 in the line of their immediate ancestors, and fixing a 
 certain era for this wonderful event. Many of them 
 were well acquainted with the contemporaries of 
 Joseph: Joseph with the particulars of the life of 
 Abraham: and Abraham lived in the days of the sons 
 of Noah. Now the Jews must have received tradi- 
 tionary accounts of every remarkable event, handed 
 down through successive generations, in other chan- 
 nels besides the writings of Moses. Had his history 
 clashed with these traditions, they could not have 
 failed to observe it; and had he attempted to impose 
 a fable upon them, they could not have failed to detect 
 it. And such a detection at the commencement of his 
 history, could not have failed to weaken, in the minds 
 of his contemporaries especially, the authority and 
 validity of the whole. 
 
 But we must notice 
 
 * Gen. i, 9- 
 
III. SOME OBJECTIONS. RAISED AGAINST Tl ACCOUNT. 
 
 OBJECTION 1, is raised against THE ARK ITSELF. 
 many have supposed it too small for the purposes 
 assigned to it. We might have presumed, had not 
 Moses informed us, that a vessel so constructed, so de- 
 signed, and so employed, could not have sprang from 
 mere human contrivance. The length of it was three 
 hundred cubits; the breadth, fifty; the height, thirty. 
 The difficulty is to determine what was the exact 
 measure of this cubit. Some fearing that the ark 
 would not be sufficiently capacious for its destination, 
 if measured by the common cubit, have enlarged its 
 dimensions to extravagance. It is generally agreed, 
 however, that they were common cubits: one of 
 which, although formerly estimated at eighteen of our 
 inches, is now allowed to contain twenty two. Ac- 
 cording to this measurement, the ark must have been, 
 in length 547 2- 10 English feet; in breadth, 91 2-10; in 
 in height 54 2-10; and its solid contents amount to 
 over 2,730.781: almost double what it would be by 
 tiu- former computation. The form of it was an ob- 
 square, with a ilat bottom, and a sloped roof, 
 rai.-t':l a cubit in the middle. It had neither sails, nor 
 rudder; and was admirably adapted to float steadily 
 on the water, without rolling, which might have en- 
 jrrcd the lives of the animals: but it was unfit to 
 endure ;i boislerous sea. It consisted of three stories: 
 eiich >f which might be about eighteen feet high; and 
 tied into numerous apartments. It was, 
 without doubt, so formed, as to admit a proper propor- 
 tion of li'jjit. and air, on the sides; although the par- 
 ticular construction of the windows, is not mentioned. 
 The whole seems to have had another covering, be- 
 
tor 
 
 sides the roof; probably made of skins, like that of the 
 tabernacle. Noah is said, after the flood, to have 
 removed the "covering of the ark;" which cannot be 
 supposed to be the roof, but something drawn over 
 it, like the covering of the tabernacle; which is also 
 expressed by the same Hebrew word; and such a cov- 
 ering was probably used to defend the windows.* 1 
 Upon this estimate, the ark appears to be sufficiently 
 Jarge and commodious, for the purposes for which it 
 was constructed. 
 
 OBJECTION 2, arises from THE DIFFICULTY OF AC- 
 COUNTING FOR THE PEOPLING OF AMERICA; AN 
 FROM THE SUPPOSED IMPOSSIBILITY OF WILD CREA- 
 TURES OF ALL KINDS EXISTING IN ONE PLACE. With 
 
 regard to the latter of these difficulties, it is removed, 
 if we suppose, what is at least probable, that there 
 might be such a temperature of air before the deluge., 
 as was suited to the constitution of every animal. 
 Respecting the difficulty of peopling America, it is 
 neither impossible nor improbable, after the pattern 
 afforded them in the ark, that some sort of a vessel or 
 flotilla should be constructed, which would be suffi- 
 ciently strong to convey them, by a north-east pas. 
 sage, to their destination. The greater difficulty is, 
 the existence of wild creatures, and mischievous ani- 
 mals: which men neither would, nor could transport; 
 unless some restraint had been laid upon their ferocity, 
 similar to that which existed while they remained in 
 the ark. But the modern geographical discoveries 
 have removed the weight of this objection. The 
 straits which divide North America from Tartary, are 
 so narrow, as to admit a very easy passage from one 
 
 " This account and calculation is principally extracted from Anr 
 Univ. Hist vol. i, c. 7o/i the Deluge. 
 
 13 
 
98 
 
 continent to the other; and it is not injpossible that 
 they might even have been united by an isthmus 
 which time and the waves, in their combined influ- 
 ence, have demolished.* 
 
 OBJECTION 3, has been urged against THE DESTRUC- 
 TION OF INFANTS AMONG THE INHABITANTS OF THE 
 
 OLD WORLD. We shall not attempt to develope the 
 reason why the Almighty permits devastation among 
 children: but we will venture to affirm, that this is no 
 objection against the Deluge itself, as a fact, any more 
 than against the existence of earthquakes, which 
 equally bury infants in their ruins. There is an equal 
 propriety in urging it against the one fact, as the 
 other; and if it will not be admitted as an objection 
 in the one instance, neither ought it to be pressed as a 
 difficulty in the other. Those who oppose the fact on 
 this ground, affirm that it is "contrary to the justice of 
 God." We contend, with a learned writert, that "they 
 have no right, in fairness of reasoning, to urge any 
 apparent deviation from moral justice, as an argument 
 against revealed religion; when they do not urge an 
 equally apparent deviation from it as an argument 
 against natural religion. They reject the former, and 
 admit the latter, without considering, that, as to their 
 objection, "they must stand or fall together;" because 
 the apparent deviation is the same in both cases. 
 
 OBJECTION 4, respects THE RAINBOW. The reason- 
 ing adopted is as follows: The same causes must al- 
 ways produce the same effects; consequently it is an 
 absurdity in the Mosaic relation, to speak of the rain- 
 bow, as formed after the flood, and as the sign of a 
 
 * The read, r may consult on this subject, Dodd. Lect. pt. vi. 8, under 
 prop. cxix. p. 3^0, 351, 4io edit. 
 
 f bishop Walton, in his excellent Aptlofyfor the Bible. 
 
99 
 
 covenant then made. We grant that the rainbow is a 
 phenomenon necessarily resulting from the nature of 
 light, and the form and situation of falling rain: yet 
 this objection may be answered two ways; 
 
 1. Some have supposed that the earth, like the gar- 
 den of Eden, was watered before the Deluge, not by 
 rain, but by mist; in which case, no rainbow could 
 exist. 
 
 2. The accouot of Moses does not directly assert, 
 that the rainbow was then first formed; but merely 
 that God appealed to it as a seal to his covenant, "I 
 do set my bow in the clouds; and it shall be for a 
 token of a covenant between me and the earth."* 
 The language may, without constraint; be understood 
 to imply, that the rainbow did exist before: but that 
 now, for the first time, it is appealed to, and appointed, 
 as the seal of a covenant. 
 
 We shall detain your attention farther, only while 
 we attempt, 
 
 IV. TO IMPROVE THE SUBJECT. 
 
 How can we better succeed in this great object, than 
 by pressing upon your consideration, the solemn event 
 which the apostle, in the words read at the commence- 
 ment of this Lecture, has connected with it? a The 
 heavens and the earth which are now, by the same 
 word, are kept in store, reserved unto fire, against the 
 day of judgment, and perdition of ungodly men." 
 
 , Carry forwards, therefore, your attention, and your 
 thoughts, to this "great and terrible day of the Lord." 
 You are interested in it; and it is inseparable from the 
 subject which you have been contemplating. Are 
 men insensible of its approach? So were they of the 
 threatening destruction hovering over the days of No.- 
 
 * Genesis ix, 13. 
 
100 
 
 alh; till one boundless scene of ruin opened upon tbeif 
 distracted sight, and swept them at once from life and 
 hope for everi Are those derided, who patiently wait 
 the accomplishment of the divine promise, and expect 
 the revelation of the Lord from heaven? It is no new 
 thing. The world have ever been blind to their best 
 interests; have ever sported with their own ruin. 
 When Noah laid the first beams of his ark across each 
 other, it is probable he did it amid the insulting shouts 
 of an hardened multitude. The building advanced. 
 Some admired the structure: some derided his plan: 
 some charged him with enthusiasm, or with insanity: 
 more were lost in sensuality; and all united in the 
 desperate resolution, to bury his admonitions in the 
 grave of oblivion. Still he entreated: still they spurn- 
 ed his instructions: still the edifice rose day after day: 
 still the voice of gaiety was echoed on every side. 
 With strange infatuation, they stopped their ears; and 
 refused to "listen to the voice of the charmer," who 
 solicited them with unwearied perseverance, and rea- 
 soned 4i so wisely." The roof is at length covered in. 
 The danger becomes every hour more imminent. He 
 presses his warnings upon them with increased energy: 
 but, pointing to the unclouded sky, they laugh him to 
 scorn, and load his ministration with contempt. It is 
 closed! The last exhortation has been given; ami I r 
 has wiped the last tear of insulted tenderness from his 
 cheek. Ye blind, insensible mortals! what charm has 
 *holden your eyes," that ye cannot see? Discern ye 
 not the cloud that gathers over yonder mountain? 
 The brute creation see it; anil hasten for shelter to the 
 irk. The family of Noah close the procession; they 
 have entered their rd'upr; and even now Hhe door is 
 '" Oh! it is too late! fraught with heavy ir . 
 
ioi 
 
 nation, the tempest lowers fearfully. Every "face 
 gathers blackness." Yet scarcely is it perceived, before 
 a new scene of ruin presents itself. Ah! there is no 
 escaping the hand of God! The skies pour an unabat- 
 ing torrent. An hollow groan is heard through uni- 
 versal nature, deploring the impending destruction. 
 The birds and beasts which remain, excluded from 
 the ark, scream and howl in the woods, whither they 
 had fled for shelter. The sea assaults the shore: the 
 restriction of heaven is removed: it passes its ancient 
 boundaries: its triumphs already over the plains, and 
 gains upon the hills. The ark floats upon its bosom. 
 The despairing multitude fasten upon it an eye of dis- 
 traction: they implore in vain the assistance of the 
 prophet whom they had despised, and whose pitying 
 eyes are again suffused with unavailing tears. He can 
 bear it no longer. He retires to the innermost recesses 
 of his vessel. In the phrenzy of despair, parents clasp 
 their children to their cold bosoms, and flee to the 
 highest mountains. Where else could they resort for 
 shelter? for the boundless sea saps the foundation of 
 the firmest edifices. What is their desperation as the 
 waves approach the summit! It is equally impossible tct 
 descend, to rise higher, or to escape. They have pro- 
 longed a miserable existence, a few hours, only to sink 
 at last! It is all in vain! "The waters prevail exceed- 
 ingly: every high hill is covered; and fifteen cubits"' 
 over their loftiest summits, the flood rises in haughty 
 triumph! 
 
 Do you turn pale at this sad relation? Ah! weep 
 not for these, "but weep for yourselves!" Do you 
 blame their blindness and infatuation? Behold, the 
 finger of conscience points to you; and its voice pro- 
 nounces of you individually, "Thou art the 
 
102 
 
 Arc there not "scoffers in these last days, walking af- 
 ter their lusts and saying, Where is the promise of his 
 coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things 
 continue as they were from the beginning of the 
 creation." Oh! this is wilful ignorance this is incor- 
 rigible obstinacy! The great event, discussed this night, 
 stands upon firm evidence; and it is the pledge of that 
 second desolation to which we ought to be looking 
 forwards. Are there not triilers with the long suffer- 
 ing of God; who presume upon his patience, and his 
 mercy; and slumber in the arms of thoughtless sensu- 
 ality? Let these remember, that judgment procrastina* 
 ted, is not indignation removed: that the storm, rising 
 slowly, accumulates more strength and fury than a 
 sudden, transient blast. "The day of the Lord will 
 come" will come '-as a thief in the night!" Man, re- 
 tiring weary from the labors of the day, and slumber- 
 ing under the mantle of darkness, shall be scared from 
 his sleep, "to sleep no more," by the roar of a thousand 
 thunders, and the crash of dissolving worlds! Darkness 
 shall reign at intervals, for the last time: and death shall 
 lay down his sceptre for ever! Shaking off the fetters 
 of sleep and of mortality, the man looks around him 
 with an inquiring, distracted eye. Great God! what 
 scenes of despair, and of ruin, present themselves! 
 What language shall describe the horror of that day, 
 in the contemplation of which, imagination fail.-. 
 Kings, starting from their couch of down, or bursting 
 from their tombs of marble, shall reluctantly resign the 
 sceptres of their burning empires! With what unutter- 
 able dismay will they gaze upon the globe itself, as it 
 rolls along infinite space, blasted, and consuming by 
 the lighteni ngs of heaven! 
 
103 
 
 Oh! it is no fable! we urge upon you no idle imagi- 
 nation! Already the day approaches it is even "nigh 
 at hand" "the judge standeth at the door!" The arch- 
 angel is preparing to blow that blast, which shall 
 "shake terribly" not only the earth, "but also heaven!" 
 The glorified saints are looking forwards with "earnest 
 expectation" to that day; and the spirits of the slaugh- 
 tered redeemed cry, from under the altar, "How long, 
 O Lord, how long!" All things are hastening to be 
 placed under the feet of the Savior. "And then com- 
 eth the end" the last, great day the day that shall 
 
 disclose 
 
 * 
 
 "A God in grandeur -ant! a world on fire!" 
 
LECTURE IV. 
 
 THE DESTRUCTION OF BABEL, THE CONFUSION 
 .OF LANGUAGE, THE DISPERSION OF THE PEO- 
 PLE, AND THE ORIGIN OF NATIONS. 
 
 GEN. XI. 1 9. 
 
 And the whole earth was of one language, and of 
 one speech. And it came to pass, as they journey ed 
 from the east, that they found a plain in the laiM 
 of Shinar; and they dwelt there. And they said 
 one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn 
 them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, 
 and slime had they for mortar. And they said, 
 Go to, let us build us a ciiy and a tower, whose 
 top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a 
 name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of 
 the whole earth. And the LORD came down to see 
 the city and the tower, which the children of men 
 builded. And the LORD said, Behold, the people i* 
 one, and they have all one language; and this they 
 btgin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from 
 them, which they have imagined to do. Go 'to, let 
 us go down, and there confound their Ianguage 9 
 that they may not understand one anoUic^s speech. 
 So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence 
 upon tlie face of all the earth: and they left off tQ 
 build the city. Therefore is the name of it call- 
 ed Babel, because //icLoRD did there confound the 
 language of all the earth:-* and from thence did the 
 \ AMD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the 
 cart If. 
 
105 
 
 OBAD1AH 3 & 4. 
 
 The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that 
 dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation 
 is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring 
 me down to the ground? Though thou exalt thyseff 
 as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among 
 the stars, thence will 1 bring thee down, saith the 
 LORD. 
 
 WE left Noah floating, with his family, upon the 
 bosom of an overwhelming deluge, which had ex- 
 haasted the fountains of the deep, to wash away the 
 stains of guilt from the surface of the earth. We are 
 now to accompany this favored family, from the ark 
 that preserved them, to the wasted, deserted plains,, 
 once more visible. What an interesting picture, does 
 the sacred historian present, to the eye of the imagin- 
 ation! Behold, an altar erected a family surrounding 
 it the rainbow extending its sublime arch across the 
 face of heaven and the Eternal himself appealing to 
 it, as the seal of a gracious covenant and a pledge of 
 security to the human race! On the one hand, may 
 be seen the ark on the elevation of Mount Ararath: 
 on the other, strewed thick and sad, the mournful re- 
 mains of those who had perished by the waters. All 
 is silent while the patriarch adores his omnipotent 
 Preserver; and presents his sacrifice, with the mingled 
 emotions of pity, of gratitude, and of faith. 
 
 Of PITY. Could he view the scene of desola- 
 tion around him, without suffering one tear of com- 
 passion to fall? Impossible! And well might a patri- 
 arch's bosom entertain this divine and generous prin- 
 ciple, when she takes up her residence, a welcome 
 guest, in heaven! She throws her softest tints over 
 14 
 
106 
 
 those blissful regions, without impairing either their 
 beauty or their tranquillity; and sheds her sweetest 
 balm upon their inhabitants, without destroying either 
 their happiness or their repose. Her lily is interwoven 
 with the roses which form celestial garlands; and her 
 drops of compassion mingle with the tears of exqui- 
 site delight, which glitter in immortal eyes. She takes 
 up her lasting abode in the bosom of the Son of God. 
 She conducted the Savior through every trying scene 
 which he witnessed in his passage through this valley 
 of tears. "He wept with those that wept;" and "in 
 all our afflictions he was afflicted." She accompani^ 
 him every step of his journey; and placed her chap- 
 let of cypress upon his conquering head, when he ex- 
 pired on Calvary. In proportion as we possess the 
 spirit of Jesus, we shall become the companions of pity. 
 She will teach us to bind up the broken heart: to 
 wipe away the tear from the eye of sorrow, and to 
 pour the oil and the wine of sympathy, into the wound- 
 ed bosom. O Religion! how have thy adversaries 
 slandered thee, when they represent thee, as harden- 
 ing the heart! Christianity instructs us to "love our 
 enemies:" teaches those to weep, who never wept be- 
 fore; softens the obdurate spirit; melts down the fero- 
 cious disposition; controls the furious passions; quick- 
 ens the sensibilities of nature; transforms the instru- 
 
 .ts of cruelty, into implements of husbandry; be- 
 comes the strongest, and most permanent, bond of 
 society; and, in every point of view, meliorates the 
 condition of humanity. 
 
 Of GRATITUDE. As the patriarch had seen, with 
 
 <nv, the destruction of the world, he was preserved, 
 ia mercy, to behold the renovation of it. His conse- 
 crated ark had floated saiVly, during the prevalence of 
 
107 
 
 the waters; and now, that they were abated, IK- de- 
 scended from it, upon the face of nature, smiling, as u 
 bride newly adorned. He received from HIM, who 
 is the Sovereign Disposer of all events, a promise, that 
 the serene sky should lower no more to destroy; and 
 that the hand that balanced the poles of heaven, should 
 roll the seasons round in their order. "I will estab- 
 lish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be 
 cut off any more by the waters of a flood." " While 
 the earth remaineth, seed-time and harvest, cold and 
 heat, and summer and winter, and day and night, shall 
 qpt cease." With the distinction which had been 
 made between himself and his family, and the whole 
 human race, in a moment of punishment so signal, 
 fresh in his memory; and with these words of mercy 
 sounding in his ears; surely, he could not but kneel 
 before his altar with gratitude. It is gratitude which 
 tunes the harps of heaven, and touches them with the 
 finger of harmony. And when gratitude was extin- 
 guished in the bosoms of "a third part" of the sons of 
 God, the order of heaven was deranged, the harmony 
 of heaven was suspended, the symphonies of heaven 
 were silenced, war first reared his hideous form, hell 
 first received existence, and angels became demons. 
 Nor can this sacred principle be annihilated in any 
 bosom, excepting those over which Satan holds undi- 
 vided empire. It could not, therefore, be excluded the 
 heart of Noah. 
 
 Of FAITH. There extended the seal of the cove- 
 nant over the retiring cloud. <4 Ile believed; and it was 
 counted to him for righteousness." He saw the fidel- 
 ity of God, sparkling in the brilliant colors, formed 
 by the rays of the sun, falling upon the descending 
 shower. And did he not look forwards to HIM, who 
 
108 
 
 should finally remove the curse, "plant a rain-bow* 
 round about the throne," and "make all things new?" 
 Surely, HE, from whom a new world was to spring? 
 was not suffered to remain ignorant of the Redeemer 
 of fallen man! He remembered the promise, that "the 
 'Seed' of the woman should bruise the head of the ser- 
 pent;" and his sacrifice ascended with acceptance, 
 because he beheld in the type, with the eye of faith, 
 Jesus, the great antitype. 
 
 Did Noah find acceptance in raising an altar to God, 
 and in collecting bis family around it? Every good 
 man may avail himself of the same privilege, enjoy 
 the same intercourse, and find the same acceptance. 
 Every Christian family will have an altar consecrated 
 to the Deity; before which, they will esteem it their 
 duty, their privilege, and their happiness, to bow; and 
 around which, they will assemble, to present their 
 morning and evening sacrifice of prayer and thanks- 
 giving. Permit me to press the question. Fathers of 
 families! have you a family altar? Do you statedly, 
 and constantly, bring your children, and your house- 
 hold, to a throne of grace, and present them before 
 God? Do you mingle your praise, and your supplica- 
 tions, as the morning pours a flood of light upon your 
 habitation, and the evening stretches her shadows over 
 it? No "flaming sword, turning every way," guards 
 from access, the throne of God: no darkness, and 
 thunder, forbid your near approach. A voice, from 
 the most excellent glory, proclaims, -'Draw near, with 
 boldness, to the throne of grace; that ye may obtain 
 mercy, and find ^race to lu-ip in time of need." To 
 this invitation, is added a command: "for all these 
 things I iiv'// he iMitirutcd." And woe to the man. 
 who lives in the habitual neglect of this command, and 
 
109 
 
 keeps his household back from God: for he will u j><v.ir 
 out his fury upon the nations that worship him not, 
 and upon the families that call not upon his name!" 
 
 Noah having built an altar, and gratefully surround- 
 ed it with his family, received the divine blessing on 
 himself and his household. Permission was granted 
 to man, for the first time, to eat, not only the produce 
 of the ground, but flesh also. Then also, was im- 
 pressed upon the brute creation, that fear of him, 
 which the revolution of thousands of years has not 
 been able to efface. "And the fear of you, and the 
 dread of you, shall be upon every beast of the earth, 
 and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth 
 upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into 
 your hand are they delivered." To this hour, there 
 are few among the beasts of prey which roam the for- 
 est, that will not avoid the sight of even an unarmed 
 man: unless driven to desperation by hunger, or pro- 
 voked to madness by pursuit. The noble, majestic 
 lion, loses his native fierceness, in proportion as he 
 dwells near human habitations. The horse, the ox, 
 the elephant, unconscious of their strength, are easily 
 disciplined, and freely lend their powers, to serve their 
 more feeble master. And this impress of God, this 
 fear of man, remains undiminished to the present 
 moment. Upoi. this occasion, also, the first denun- 
 ciation against murder was issued. " Whoso sheddeth 
 man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in 
 the image of God made he man." This solemn insti- 
 tution was confirmed, ratified, and enforced in the 
 laws of Moses: and it has ever formed a fundamental 
 law, in all civilized, and well-regulated states. 
 
 We have long dwelt with pleasure upon Noah's 
 piety: we are now to unveil his weakness. The char- 
 
110 
 
 acters portrayed in this volume are not perfect char- 
 acters: otherwise they would not be men; neither 
 would the history of their pilgrimage afford any solace 
 to us in this vale of desertion and misery. For, alas! 
 every day too sadly evinces that we are imperfect char- 
 acters; every day discloses to our astonished eyes, some 
 new trait of ingratitude, of disobedience, of sloth, and 
 of depravity. It would be no consolation to us, to be 
 informed, that God is now preserving their "eyes from 
 tears/' and their "feet from falling," for ever. "Ah, 
 that may well be true" would be our answer "for 
 their faith was always in lively exercise: their hope 
 was never shaken: their zeal always burned with in- 
 extinguishable purity: their love never waxed cold. 
 No difficulties impeded them: no enemies vanquished 
 them: no dangers affrighted them: no considerations 
 deterred them from running, with holy alacrity, the 
 race that was set before them. 'Therefore are they be- 
 fore the throne of God, and serve him day and night 
 in his temple: and HE, that sitteth on the throne, shall 
 dwell among them.' But tee are ever ready to turn 
 aside. At best, we advance, 'faint, yet pursuing.' 
 With wavering hopes, and a trembling faith; with 
 languishing affections, and perplexing fear; we hardly 
 reach forwards to our home; and are incessantly ap- 
 prehensive, lest we should eventually fall short of it!" 
 But what, if we should prove to you, that these were 
 characters imperfect as yourselves? Many spots soiled 
 their white raiment, while they walked through this 
 world: many blemishes stain their memory. V<7 
 "are they hel'civ the throne of God," for your en- 
 couragement; and as monuments of urs mercy, whose 
 grace shall finally make you more than conquerors 
 over your corruptions, and your enemies. In the 
 
Ill 
 
 mean time, observe, that as they were subject to your 
 imperfections, they also, while upon earth, participated 
 your chastisements, and were exposed to similar ca- 
 lamities with yourselves Behold, then, this great 
 
 man, this good man, overtaken by the sin of drunken- 
 ness! On this occasion, one of his sons forgot that filial 
 sympathy which should cover a parent's imperfections, 
 and which warmed the bosom of his brethren: in con- 
 sequence of which, Ham drew down upon himself, 
 and upon his family, his father's curse; while a bles- 
 sing, soft as the dew, descended upon the heads of 
 Shem and of Japheth, and upon their posterity. 
 
 At length, we arrive at that eventful period, which 
 is the winding up of the longest history: "all the days 
 of Noah, were nine hundred and fifty years and he 
 died!" Six hundred years of his life were passed upon 
 the face of the old world; and three hundred and fifty, 
 he walked upon the ground of the new one. Three 
 hundred and sixty-five days, had he floated upon the 
 surface of a boundless ocean: rescued with his family 
 from destruction; and bearing with him this testimony, 
 "that he pleased God." This, it was, that encircled 
 his hoary head with a diadem of glory: he was "found 
 in the way of righteousness." The longest life is but 
 as "yesterday, when it is passed:" but "Noah walked 
 with God" w r ith that Being, whose days are com- 
 mensurate with the ages of eternity; and who first 
 provided for him, and afterwards bestowed upon 
 him, an unfading inheritance. 
 
 When the sacred writer had conducted the venera- 
 ble patriarch to his last, peaceful retreat the grave; he 
 favors us with a genealogy of his descendants. As 
 his history particularly concerned the Israelites, he 
 has given us the line of Shem entire; and his only. 
 
As to the offspring of the other sons of Noah, his dc* 
 sign appears to have been, merely to bring them down 
 to the dispersion of the people; in order to leave to 
 posterity the names of the first founders of nations; 
 and then to dismiss them. Hence, although he men- 
 tions the Canaanites, as a people with whom the Isra- 
 elites were concerned, yet he deduces the genealogy of 
 Ham no farther; and it is shorter than those of Cush 
 and Mizraim,by one generation. 
 
 The predictions of Noah were remarkably fulfilled: 
 but to unfold the various events in correspondence 
 with them, were, of itself, the labor of a lecture; and 
 indeed belongs to the department of scriptural prophe- 
 cy. He had said, "Cursed be Canaan,* a servant of 
 servants shall he be to his brethren." This was ful- 
 filled in the reduction of the Canaanites, the immedi- 
 ate descendants of Canaan, by the Israelites, the pos- 
 terity of Shem. It was again fulfilled, in the subju- 
 gation of the Egyptians, the descendants of Ham; both 
 by the Persians, the posterity of Shem; and by the 
 Grecians, the offspring of Japheth. Tyre was built 
 by the Sidonians, the descendants of Ham; and was 
 twice subdued, and at length wholly desolated, by the 
 posterity of his brethren. The (Carthaginians were 
 descendants of Ham: the Romans, who subdued them, 
 derived their line from Japheth. The whole continent 
 of Africa, was peopled, for the most part, by the chil- 
 dren of Ham: it is become the mart of the whole 
 world for slavery; and the Europeans, the oppressors 
 of this wretched people, are the posterity of Japheth. 
 The blessing pronounced upon Shem, was, "Blessed 
 be the Lord God of Shem:" or rather, "Blessed of the 
 
 H is n s'-iijrulurity in this prophecy, that Ham was cursed in the name 
 fh is youngest son, C 
 
113 
 
 Lord my God, be Shem; and Canaan shall be his 
 servant." Shem was peculiarly blessed in two res- 
 pects: the Church of God was among the posterity of 
 Shem, for many generations; and from him, "accord- 
 ing to the flesh," the Messiah came Of Japheth, he 
 
 said, "God shall enlarge Japheth." All Europe; the 
 lesser Asia; Media; a part of Armenia; Iberia; Alba- 
 nia; the wide regions of the North, once in the hands 
 of the Scythians, now inhabited by the Tartars; India 
 and China; and, probably, the continent of America; 
 are the possessions of Japheth. Farther, "He shall 
 dwell in the tents of Shem." This seems to allude to 
 the unions, which sometimes took place, between the 
 posterity of these brethren, when they conjointly 
 fought against the descendants of Ham. There have 
 been some exceptions, when the descendants of Ham 
 have subdued those of Shem, and of Japheth; but, in 
 general, Ham has been the servant of his brethren: and 
 it is worthy of remark, that the four grand empires of 
 the world, the Assyrian, the Persian, the Grecian, and 
 the Roman, descended, the two former from Shem ? 
 and the two latter from Japheth.* 
 
 We are afterwards introduced to Nimrod, who is 
 called "a mighty hunter before the Lord." Com- 
 mentators have been greatly divided respecting this 
 extraordinary personage: since, the words of Moses 
 may be taken in a good or a bad sense. There is 
 nothing in his short history, bearing the least reproach; 
 except, indeed, his name, which signifies a rebel. 
 Enough, however, is said to render it evident that he 
 grasped at empire; and obtained it. Some ascribe to 
 him the project of building Babel; which, considering 
 
 *See JJewton on the Prophecies; vol. i, Dissertation 1. 
 Prophecy^ 
 
 15 
 
114 
 
 his enterprising disposition, so far as we can judge of 
 it, from the short narrative of the sacred writer, is not 
 improbable: Others say, that he left the country, be- 
 cause he would not consent to the scheme; which, for 
 the reason we have assigned, we do not think at all 
 likely. And not a few conclude, that he was, at that 
 period, very young. 
 
 Having passed over the link of history which con- 
 nects the deluge with the present subject of discussion; 
 we hasten to the immediate object of our meeting at 
 this time: to consider the fact THE DESTRUCTION OF 
 BABEL; connected with THE CONFUSION OF LAN- 
 GUAGE; and THE DISPERSION OF THE PEOPLE; and 
 thence to trace, THE ORIGIN OF NATIONS. We shall aim 
 simply, To illustrate and establish this event; and to 
 deduce from it some considerations adapted to our 
 individual improvement. We shall attempt, 
 
 I. TO ILLUSTRATE, AND TO ESTABLISH, THE EVENT. 
 
 In order to which, it will be necessary to consider 
 (he several parts of the history, as recorded by Moses; 
 to produce the testimony of other ancient writers; and 
 to answer some inquiries which may arise from the 
 subject. We shall consider, 
 
 1. TilE SEVERAL PARTS OF THE HISTORY, AS RE- 
 CORDED BY MOSES. 
 
 V. 1. "And the tvhole earth tim- of one language, 
 and of one speech. 77 Speech is the vehicle of commu- 
 im-ution, by which one man transmits his thoughts to 
 another: nor shall we burden your attention in tracing 
 its origin; an inquiry which, \vc think, would lead us 
 up to God himself. We take it for granted, without 
 wasting the time in frivolous discussion, according to 
 
the literal meaning of the express words of Moses. 
 that "the whole earth was of one language, and of 
 one speech." But it may be expected, that something 
 should be said, respecting the primitive tongue this 
 universal language spoken by our fathers, be/ore the 
 confusion of speech. In addition to those languages, 
 which arc commonly known by the title Oriental, 
 the Armenian, the Celtic, the Coptic, the Greek, the 
 Teutonic, and the Chinese, demand the preference on 
 this point. The Armenian, the Celtic, and the Coptic, 
 come before us laden with the venerable marks of 
 hoary antiquity; and the former builds its claim upon 
 the resting of the ark on its mountains. The Greek 
 appeals to its extent and copiousness. Some have at- 
 tempted to derive the Hebrew itself from the Teuton- 
 ic. The arguments produced in favor of the Chinese, 
 are principally, the antiquity of that nation: their early 
 acquaintance with the arts and sciences: their separa- 
 tion, in all ages, from ail other nations: and the sin- 
 gularity of the language itself; which consists of few 
 words, all monosyllables, and is remarkable for its 
 simplicity, having no variety of declensions, conjuga- 
 tions, or grammatical rules. These singularities have 
 been deemed strong marks in its behalf, as the original 
 language: besides the presumption that Noah was the 
 founder of the Chinese nation. Each of the Oriental 
 languages have strenuous supporters; but the palm is 
 more generally awarded to the Syriac. The Jews 
 warmly defend the Hebrew tongue; and refer to the 
 etymologies of the names transmitted to us by Moses. 
 In some instances the sacred historian himself lias 
 marked their propriety, and the relation which they 
 bear to the person, or place designed by them: but 
 there are others, not so distinguished, in which no 
 
116 
 
 such relation can be traced; and the question to be 
 decided is, whether he has preserved the original 
 terms, or, according to the practice of all ancient wri- 
 ters, accommodated them to the dialect of the lan- 
 guage in which he wrote? The most probable conclu- 
 sion, from this endless diversity of opinion, is either 
 that the original language is lost; or that it is spoken 
 under variations which render it equivalent to a new 
 tongue; or, that, even supposing it to exist, it cannot 
 be ascertained. 
 
 V. 2. "And it came to pass, as they journeyed from 
 the east, f hat they found a plain in the land ofShinar; 
 and they dwelt there." The extent and situation of 
 the land of Shinar, is not easily determined. There, 
 the city and tower of Babel were erected. Thither, 
 Nebuchadnezzar carried away the vessels of the tem- 
 ple, to the house of his god: w T hich, in all probability, 
 was the temple of Belus, in Babylon. This confirms 
 the general opinion, that the temple of Belus was 
 erected upon the ruins of the tower of Babel; or, at 
 least, that Babylon stood upon, or near, the spot, 
 where this vast design was projected, aj)d partly exe- 
 cuted. The part of Mesopotomia, chosen by the 
 astronomers, in the time of the Khalifah al Mamum, 
 for measuring the content of a degree of a great circle, 
 was the desert of Senjar; the nature of the experiment 
 required the selection of a large and level country; and 
 this is probably a part of the ancient plain of Shinar.* 
 Upon the whole, we will venturr to call it Chaldea. 
 
 V. 3 and 4. "And they said one to another, Go to, 
 let us make brick and burn them Ihorougly. And thwj 
 
 * Anc. Univ. Hist. vol. I, book i, clinp. 2. Tim rc:ilcr niny find much 
 
 -iun, on :ill ilic points utuliT review in lliis part of llur 
 , in that laboxicus \voik. 
 
117 
 
 X 
 
 had brick for stone, and slime had they for mwicti 
 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a 
 tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us 
 make us a name lest we be scattered abroad upon Ihc 
 face of the whole earth." It has been imagined by 
 some, that this elevation was reared in fear of a second, 
 deluge: we deem this improbable, from their choice of 
 situation, and because other, and sufficient, motives, 
 are assigned in the history. The celebrated and elo- 
 quent Saurin says: "The impressions which the waters 
 of the deluge had made upon the imagination of Noah, 
 and of his family, caused them to live in places the 
 most elevated, and the least accessible to inundations. 
 They dwelt upon the mountains of Armenia, in the 
 neighborhood of that place where the ark rested. But 
 an hundred and forty four years afterwards; according 
 to the computation of one of the most celebrated chro- 
 nologists; these fears were entirely dispersed: they dif- 
 fused themselves over the vallies and the fields; and 
 occupied the plains of Chaldea, or of Babylon."* Had 
 they designed this tower as a bulwark against a second 
 deluge, they would have chosen an elevated country 
 rather than a plain. Two reasons are assigned, in 
 their consultation, for this project: 
 
 1. That they might make themselves a name: that 
 they might leave a memorial behind them. The de- 
 sire of living in the remembrance of posterity, and of 
 securing an immortal renown, has burnt with inextin- 
 guishable ardor, in the human bosom, in every age. 
 Absalom &et up for himself a pillar; because he had 
 "no son" to "keep his name in remembrance." The 
 principle which laid the foundation of the tower of 
 
 * Saur. Disconrs. &.c. Sur la Bible, Sum. I. Disc, x, p 65 
 
118 
 
 Babel, raised the lofty pyramids of Egypt; iias reared 
 many a proud city; and, more than once, has turned 
 the world into "a field of blood." 
 
 2. That they might not be dispersed: "lest we be 
 scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth:" 
 Their project to live together, opposed the manifest 
 design of Deity, that the whole earth should be speedily 
 peopled. Some have translated the words <4 Let us 
 make us a sign, lest we be scattered;" and conclude 
 that they intended this tower to serve as a beacon, or 
 mark, by the direction of which, they might avoid 
 straying with their flocks, (for the first men were shep- 
 herds) and regain the city, which they had chosen for 
 their residence, after the temporary wanderings requir- 
 ed by their occupations. The result of their consul- 
 tations, whatever were their motives, was the com- 
 mencement of that stupendous work the tower of 
 Babel. 
 
 Respecting the tower itself, Moses informs us, that 
 "they used brick instead of stone, and slime instead of 
 mortar." This slime was a pitchy substance, called 
 bitumen, which abounded in the neighborhood of 
 Babylon; and, forming a strong cement, was admira- 
 bly adapted to their purpose. It is universally admit- 
 ted, that the tower had its ascent on the outside a 
 broad road gradually winding round it: of course, 
 the tower itself grew proportionably narrow as it in- 
 .-ed in height, and assumed a spiral form. If you 
 imagine a path, winding round the representations 
 which are made of the pyramids of Egypt, you will 
 form a complete idea, of the general description trans- 
 mitted to us of the tower of Babel. 
 
 V. 5 9. "And the LORD came dmvn to see the 
 and the tower, which the children of men builded. 
 
119 
 
 And the 'Lonvsaid, Behold, the people is one, and they 
 have all one language; and this they begin to do: 
 and now nothing will be restrained from them which 
 they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down^ 
 and there confound their language, that they may not 
 understand one another's speech. So the LORD scat- 
 tered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the 
 earth: and they left off to build the city. Therefore 
 is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did 
 there confound the language of all the earth: and 
 from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon 
 'the face of all the earth" There is a merciful con- 
 descension to be perceived in all parts of the sacred 
 writings, in stooping to our conceptions, by the use of 
 familiar terms, and of language continually on our 
 own lips. Had the inspired penmen been commis- 
 sioned, at all times, to represent things as they really 
 are, we should have derived no benefit from their 
 communications: we should have had words, but not 
 ideas: we should have been incessantly floating on the 
 surface of uncertainty, bewildered and lost, in the lof- 
 tiness of the subject. But God speaks to us, as though 
 he were "bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh:" he 
 enters into all our passions: he uses our language: he 
 brings down heavenly subjects to the standard of our 
 comprehension. In travelling through the land of scrip- 
 ture discovery, we are at home; we are surrounded by 
 objects,and encompassed with imagery, perfectly famil- 
 iar to us; and "a wayfaring man, though a fool, cannot 
 err therein." The consequence is, that this volume is 
 found to speak to the heart: it "approves itself to ev- 
 ery man's conscience:" it possesses an irresistible influ- 
 ence over his life, while it descends to the level of his 
 understanding. Because we have no conception of 
 
120 
 
 pure spirit spirit distinct from matter or of its pow* 
 crs or of its agency or of its operations the Deity 
 is represented as acting like a man. We read of his 
 penetrating eye; his powerful hand; his majestic voice; 
 his trackless footsteps; his melting bowels; his com- 
 passionate heart. He is angry: he relents: he loves: 
 he entreats. He ascends and descends; he rides upon 
 the clouds; he walks through the earth. He is a father 
 and he has a father's heart. He manifests paternal 
 anxiety paternal affection-paternal superintendence- 
 paternal displeasure paternal forgiveness. Every one 
 feels the force of the image; every one sees in himself 
 the ungrateful, perverse child; every one understands) 
 his relation to God, and acknowledges the obligations 
 under which he is laid to him. The imagery renders 
 every thing luminous: while the representation of facts 
 as they are a Being without passions, and without 
 any resemblance to any one object with which we are 
 acquainted would overwhelm the mind with perplex- 
 ity, and overshadow the subject with impenetrable 
 darkness. Of the class described, is the passage before 
 us: in it are many bold figures of speech; fop the Eter- 
 nal fills all space with his presence, and can neither 
 ascend nor descend; and when such language is used, 
 it is in accommodation to our conceptions, and to our 
 modes of speaking. 
 
 The work was displeasing to God; and the source 
 of his displeasure was, that it opposed his express com- 
 mand, "replenish the earth:" which could not be done 
 while they continued in one place. In order to scat- 
 ter them abroad, he compelled them to relinquish 
 their project, by confounding their language: from 
 which circumstance, the city and tower took the 
 i)f IhibcL which signifies 
 
121 
 
 THE CONFUSION OF LANGUAGE, became the means 
 of the DESTRUCTION OF BABEL: and from its import- 
 ance and consequences, is an event worthy the place 
 which it occupies, in the Mosaic history. As to the 
 manner in which it was effected, as in every subject 
 so remote and undetermined by the historian himself, 
 there is a diversity of sentiment. Some suppose that 
 the words only imply a misunderstanding among the 
 builders; and that he set them at variance, by causing 
 a division of counsel. Others understand by them a 
 temporary confusion of speech; causing them to mis- 
 apply terms, and misconceive each other in the use of 
 the same language. Others are of opinion, that a va- 
 riety of inflexions were introduced, and perhaps some 
 new words; which disturbed and perverted the former 
 manner of expression. But the plain and express terms 
 of the history go beyond these hypotheses; it is evident 
 that the inspired historian designs to exhibit a com- 
 plete confusion of tongues; which will account for the 
 endless diversity of languages, and the source of the 
 division of mankind into different and distinct nations. 
 There are languages which have no visible connexion 
 with any other tongue whatever; and the Chinese is 
 an exemplification of our assertion. This could never 
 have been, had the confusion consisted of a mere va- 
 riation of dialect; and we wish it to be understood, as 
 our decided opinion, that at the destruction of Babel ., 
 new languages were framed; and this by the miracu- 
 lous and immediate interposition of divine power. 
 
 THE DISPERSION OF THE PEOPLE, which followed, we 
 do not imagine was a disorganization of the whole 
 mass of mankind, as a tempest terrifies and scatters 
 a multitude: but simply "a division of them; as at the 
 quiet Reparation of an orderly assembly, every 
 18 
 
122 
 
 fells into his respective party and seeks his home. Ev- 
 ery man it is probable, betook himself to the company 
 that spake his own new language; and consented, with 
 them to separate from others. We think that this is im- 
 plied by the language which Moses adopts in speak- 
 ing of the division of the earth by the several bands. 
 Of the sons of Japheth, it is said "By these, were 
 the isles of the Gentiles divided." Respecting the de- 
 scendants of Ham, he concludes, ''These are the sons 
 of Ham, after their families, after their tongues, in their 
 countries, in their nations;" unquestionably referring 
 to their situation after their dispersion. The same 
 language is used in relation to Shem. Nothing here 
 wears the appearance of hurry and disorder; on the 
 contrary, the inference appears to us to be, that the 
 dispersion of the people was regular, and the division 
 of the earth performed without confusion. 
 
 With respect to THE ORIGIN OF NATIONS, at this dis- 
 tance of time from the great event, little can be said 
 with certainty. A mere outline of the larger divisions can 
 only be made; and this, with scarcely any degree of pre- 
 cision. SiiEM,appears for the remainder of his days,to have 
 hovered about the plains of Shinar. From his descend- 
 ants sprang the inhabitants of Persia,* Nineveh, t China J 
 Mesopotamia, and Phrygia; comprehending the coun- 
 tries westward cf Assyria, as far as the Mediterranean. || 
 HAM, probably, dwelt in Egypt. His descendants oc- 
 cupied Shinar, Arabia,! Ethiopia,** Africa,tt Phe- 
 nicia, and the land of Canaan. * J When JAPIIKTH 
 left Babel, it is uncertain where he settled. His de- 
 
 * From LI am- f From Ashur- \ From Arphaxad. 
 
 }] From Aram- $ From JV. w..- II F.-om dish. 
 
 From Mi?.r t ,in:. } .ut. H From Canaan. 
 
123 
 
 scendants dwelt in Phrygia,* the eastern part of Asia 
 Minor, f Cappadocia, and Galatia.J Most of these 
 divisions, after all, must be considered as conjectur- 
 al. So far we have followed the Mosaic history: 
 we shall produce, 
 
 2. THE TESTIMONY OF OTHER ANTIENT WRITERS, 
 
 The confusion of tongues "is mentioned by profane 
 historians, who write, that mankind used the same 
 language till the "overthrow of the tower of Baby- 
 lon."|| The fable of the attempt of the giants to climb 
 the heavens; probably owes its origin to some tradi- 
 tions relative to this fact. It was a common mode of 
 speaking in many nations and in the East especially, 
 when things exceeded the ordinary height to say, 
 that c 'they reached to heaven. H When, therefore, it was 
 said, u Let us build a city, and a tower, whose top may 
 reach to heaven," no more was intended, than Let us 
 build a tower exceedingly high." But when the de* 
 sign descended, by tradition, in its native boldness of 
 expression, to nations unacquainted with the Mosaic 
 history, and with eastern language; who were, also, 
 fond of the marvellous, and skilful in fable; they rais- 
 ed the story of the giants' war with heaven, and cele- 
 brated this imaginary contest in verse, as harmonious 
 as majestic.** Josephus quotes one of the Sybils, in 
 the following words: "When all mankind spoke the 
 same language, some of them elevated a tower im- 
 mensely high, as if they would ascend up into heaven, 
 but the gods sent a wind, and overthrow the tower; 
 
 * From Corner. t From Ashkenaz- \ From Togarmah. 
 
 See, on this perplexed subject, the laborious researches of ihe wri- 
 ters of the Anc. Univ. Hist. vol. i, book 5, chap. 2, 6. 
 
 || Anc. Univ. Hist. vol. i, book i, chap. 2, 5, p. 439. 
 
 ^ Consult Homer, in various places; and read Deut. i, 28, also ix, 1. 
 
 ** Homer, Odys. 30. Ovid. Met. lib. 5- Virg. Georg-. i, &c- See 
 note 2, at the end of the volume. 
 
124 
 
 and assigned to each a particular language; and hence 
 the city of Babylon derived its name."* Abydenus 
 uses similar language: "There are, who relate that the 
 first men, born of the earth, when they grew proud of 
 their strength and stature, supposing that they were 
 more excellent than the gods, wickedly attempted to 
 build a tower, where Babylon now stands. But, the 
 work advancing towards heaven, was overthrown, up- 
 on the builders, by the gods, with the assistance of the 
 winds; and the name Babylon was imposed upon the 
 ruins. Till that period, men were of one language: 
 but then, the gods sent among them a diversity of 
 tongues. And then commenced the war between Sat- 
 urn and Titan."t Before we dismiss this part of the 
 subject, we will only add, that "it is a false tradition of 
 the Greeks that Babylon was built by Semiramis; and 
 this error is refuted by Berosus, in his Chaldaics, Jo- 
 sephus in his first book against Appion," and others.]: 
 It remains, that we attempt, 
 
 3. To ANSWER SOME INQUIRIES ARISING OUT OF 
 IIIF, SUBJECT. 
 
 Was there any thing criminal in the attempt to build 
 this city and tower, considered in itself? We feel no, 
 hesitation in answering No. But a thing perfectly 
 lawful, and innocent in itself, may become criminal 
 from the motives in which it originates, or the conse- 
 quences connected with it. There were two ways in 
 which this attempt, harmless in itself, was rendered 
 criminal. First, the foundation of the work was laid 
 in ambition* And what is ambition, but another name 
 for every complicated vice which degrades humanity, 
 
 " Sec Joseph, de Anlirj Jud. Lib. i, cap. 4, Tom. i, Hud.cdt. 
 f See note 4, ut ilie end of this volume. 
 * See note 5, at the end of this volume. 
 
an:l fills the world with sorrow? What so soon erases 
 human feelings, as ambition? What so hardens the 
 heart against the voice of woe, as ambition? What 
 violates the sanctity of truth, and disregards principles 
 usually deemed sacred in society, with such facility, as 
 ambition? What so completely transforms the char- 
 acter, as ambition? What so readily leads the bosom 
 astray, as ambition? What peoples the grave, like 
 ambition? How early it began to work in the world! 
 and how unceasing and unimpaired has its influence 
 continued! ; 'Let us make us a name!"' was the hope 
 that deluded these first men; and many a subsequent 
 projector, on the same vain principle, has built a Babel 
 to his own confusion! And what heart is altogether 
 dead to the passion? It was criminal, secondly and 
 principally, we presume, because it had a tendency to 
 counteract the designs of God: which designs had been 
 explicitly communicated. The mandate of heaven is, 
 "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth." 
 This required them to spread themselves abroad upon 
 its surface. But they deliberately and avowedly adopt 
 a contrary resolution; and "build a city and a tower, 
 lest" they should "be scattered abroad upon the face 
 of the whole earth." 
 
 Would not men, by degrees, have separated with- 
 out the alteration of language? It is very probable, 
 that ambitious projects, in which they might not all 
 concur, would have effected a separation: but in such a 
 case, we can scarcely imagine, that such a division 
 would take place without bloodshed. By the int^r- 
 position of heaven, they separated peaceably. Besides 
 time would slowly have brought that to pass, which 
 God accomplished at once; and had it been left to op- 
 erations so gradual, the replenishing of the earth had 
 
126 
 
 been greatly retarded. Not to say that without a dis- 
 sonance of language, to a great degree the divisions of 
 nations would have been lost; and they would, prob- 
 ably, have blended again together. To this hour, lan- 
 guage is the strongest line of separation drawn between 
 man and man; and one of the most powerful bulwarks 
 of the distinction subsisting between different nations. 
 
 o 
 
 Would not language of itself have changed, as the 
 people multiplied, without the interposition of Divine 
 power? Of this, there can be no question: but in this 
 case, it would only be a change of dialect, and not of 
 language. In the revolution of a few centuries, what 
 alterations have been made in our own tongue! Roll 
 back but three or four hundred years, and we feel 
 ourselves incapable of reading the dialect which our 
 forefathers spoke. Yet rude and barbarous as it ap- 
 pears, in it may be traced the basis of our present co- 
 pious language. And, estimating the changes which 
 time would have made, they will be found too grad- 
 ual to have effected any separation. The alterations 
 produced by years, are small, and slowly brought 
 about: they consist, in changing a few words in the 
 course of a century: forming a few others; and 
 dropping, as obsolete, an inconsiderable number be- 
 fore in use. This effects no division in a nation; 
 and the same progression would have brought about 
 none in the great body of mankind. Generation 
 after generation would have passed, while the most 
 trling changes were forming. No motives would 
 h'.-v'e been furnished for their living apart: no neces- 
 sity would have arisen, from this quarter, for their dis- 
 persion. But Deity interposed, to effect his own pur- 
 pose; which was readily and completely accomplished 
 by the confusion of language. We hasten, 
 
127 
 
 II. TO DEDUCE FROM THIS FACT, SOME CONSIDERA- 
 TIONS ADAPTED TO OUR INDIVIDUAL IMPROVEMENT. 
 
 The prophet, whose words, at the commencement 
 of the Lecture, we connected with the Mosaic history, 
 has furnished us with a thread of reflection, which can- 
 not fail to conduct us to the right use which .we ought 
 to make of this singular narrative. He has pronoun- 
 ced the application of the subject. "The pride of thine 
 heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwelleth in the 
 clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith 
 in his heart, who shall bring me down to the ground? 
 Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though 
 thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring 
 thee down saith the LORD!" Had he stood by and 
 seen the project of these men, in its proud advance, 
 and in its disastrous issue, he could not have painted 
 their presumption, their folly, and their humiliation, in 
 more striking language. - The following remarks ap- 
 pear clearly deducible from these words: 
 
 1. MOST OF OUR ERRORS ORIGINATE IN THE "PRIDE 
 OF OUR HEARTS;" AND THIS PRIDE WILL ALWAYS BE 
 FOUND TO HAVE "DECEIVED" US. 
 
 It was this pride that dictated the haughty language 
 of the king of Babylon, when, from the battlements of 
 his palace, he looked down upon his beautiful city, 
 and said "Is not this great Babylon, that I have 
 built for the house of the kingdom, by the might of 
 my power, and for the honor of my majesty?" O, how 
 the u pride of his heart deceived" him! ''While the 
 word .was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from 
 heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is 
 spoken; the kingdom is departed from thee!'' The 
 
128 
 
 u same hour" was he "driven from men," and his 
 "dwelling was with the beasts of the field:" his reason 
 was withdrawn, "and his body was wet with the 
 dew of heaven." Behold, he that would be thought a 
 God, is become less than a man! Nor were the balan- 
 ces of power again put into his hand, till he had been 
 brought te confess, "that the Most High ruleth in the 
 kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he 
 will;" and to acknowledge, in a repentant decree, that 
 "those who walk in pride, he is able to abase." 
 
 Happy had it been for his successor, if this awful 
 display of divine justice, had wrought in his heart, 
 obedience. But Belshazzar learned not wisdom from 
 his grandfather's humiliation. He exceeded his great 
 progenitor in impiety. He stood on the pinnacle of 
 empire, till he was giddy with gazing upon the rolling 
 world beneath him! The forces of Cyrus surrounded 
 the city: but, trusting in its impregnable strength, the 
 defence of the river, and the greatness of his stores, he 
 laughed his enemies to scorn. The feast was spread, 
 and the revellings had commenced. Death hovered 
 round his court, and destruction brooded over his city, 
 while he was sunk in senseless security. And now, 
 the voice of joy, and the noise of riot, resound through 
 the palace. The monarch calls upon his nobles to 
 devote the hours to gaiety; to scatter their fears to the 
 winds; to drink defiance to the warrior advancing to 
 their very gates; and, to fill the measure of his iniqui- 
 ty, to add insult to the miseries of his captives, to 
 crown dissipation with sacrilege, he requires, last of all, 
 the vessels of the sanctuary, that they might he profan- 
 ed by their application to not merely common -uses, 
 but tu tli" vile purposes of debaucheiy. it is done. 
 The king is lost in unbounded pleasure, and intoxicat- 
 
129 
 
 ed with unlimited power. In one moment, the voice 
 of riot ceases, silence, as profound as the stillness of 
 the grave, reigns through the whole palace every 
 tongue is chained every eye is fixed despair lowers 
 on every countenance the charm is broken and the 
 night of feasting is turned into unutterable horror! See! 
 yonder shadow, wearing the appearance of the fingers 
 of a man's hand, glides along the wall of the palace 
 opposite the monarch, arid writes, in mysterious char- 
 acters, '-MENE, MENE, TEKEL,, UPHARSIN." What has 
 changed that youthful countenance? What has chased 
 its bloom of beauty, and drawn on it the strong lines 
 of misery? Behold, this king, who lately dreamed that 
 he was more than mortal, trembling on his throne! 
 "The joints of his loins are loosed, and his knees smite 
 one against another!" What the army of Cyrus could 
 not do, a supernatural hand, writing four little words, 
 has effected; and his soul melts within him through 
 terror! But say, what is the cause of this premature 
 distress? Perhaps yonder inscription declares the per- 
 manence of his kingdom; and inscribes, in those hidden 
 characters, the destruction of his enemies? Ah no! 
 Conscience read to well the handwriting: and inter- 
 preted the solemn sentence of impending ruin, long 
 before Daniel explained the inscription! While all was 
 riot, during the first part of the night, and dismay, 
 during the remainder, Cyrus had diverted the river 
 from its course, had entered the city, through its ex- 
 hausted channel, unperceived and was now at the 
 palace gates. The empire was lost; the captive Jews 
 were liberated: and "that same night was Belshazzar, 
 the king of the Chaldeans, slain." Behold another, 
 added to the innumerable sad evidences, that the 
 17 
 
130 
 
 'pride of the heart" fatally "deceives," and finally 
 ruins those who cherish it. 
 
 2. SITUATIONS IN LIFE, WHICH SHOULD LAY THE 
 FOUNDATION OF GRATITUDE, WHEN UNSANCTIFIED, 
 BECOME THE BASIS OF REBELLION. 
 
 The prophet addressed those "who dwelt in the 
 clefts of the rock, and whose habitation was high:" 
 who enjoyed both an elevated, and a secure situation. 
 This should have ministered to thankfulness: it should 
 have reminded them of the hand that raised them to 
 the eminence which they occupied. But no: it kin- 
 dled "pride of heart:" it inflamed the imagination with 
 the desire of independence: it stirred up rebellion: it 
 implanted in their bosoms false confidence: it betray- 
 ed them to their ruin. They said, "Who shall bring; 
 me to the ground?" But the birth of their presump- 
 tion was the death of their security: for while they 
 spake these "great swelling words" of arrogance, the 
 protection of God was withdrawn. Adversity has 
 "slain its thousands:" but prosperity its "tens of thou- 
 sands." Those that have weathered the tempests of 
 suffering, have been ingulfed in the whirlpool of dissi- 
 pation. Elevation makes the head unsteady and the 
 feet totter; therefore, if providence exalt you, hold fast 
 the hand which conducts you to the perilous summit. 
 
 .'). No SITUATION IN LIFE, HOWEVER APPARENTLY 
 n>KTIFIFJ>, IS SECURE, WHEN GOD IS OUR KNKMY. 
 
 "Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though 
 thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring 
 down, saith the Lord." How clear and express 
 arc these words! "Though thou exalt thyxijf." When 
 God elevates a man, he gives him. jiml to his 
 
 temptations: but there arc, who makr haste to be rich 
 who press through every consideration to power 
 
131 
 
 who willbe great and "exalt themselves" at the sacri- 
 fice of every principle. Yonder city rises on that de- 
 termination. The tower rapidly advances. It is of 
 prodigious strength and magnitude. But its desolation 
 is decreed in heaven; and although it aspired to the 
 stars, it is brought down to the ground. Let us, there- 
 fore, stoop to rise. Let us "humble ourselves under the 
 mighty hand of God; and he shall exalt us in due 
 time." If we would build securely, we must lay the 
 foundation of jour edifice on the top of yonder ever- 
 lasting hills, and set up its walls in the unchangeable 
 heavens: for 
 
 "He builds too low, who builds beneath the skies!" 
 
 What, then, is their state, who are laboring to as- 
 cend to heaven by a superstructure of their own ele- 
 vation? who "reject the righteousness of God, and go 
 about to establish one of their own?" "The pride of 
 their heart hath deceived them;" and divine agency 
 alone can destroy the delusion. What shall be said 
 to those who imagine themselves in security, yet have 
 not "fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set be- 
 fore them?" Even now is the decree of heaven gone 
 forth against all ungodliness: even now is the sentence 
 of condemnation issued against the impenitent: even 
 now conscience thunders, "Thou art weighed in the 
 balances and art found wanting!" and Qod confirms 
 the decision! 
 
LECTURE V. 
 
 THE DESTRUCTION OF SODOM AND GOMORRAH. 
 GENESIS XIX, 15 26, 
 
 And tt?/?e?z the morning arose, then the angels hastened 
 Lot, saying. Arise, lake thy tt'j/e, and thy two daugh- 
 ters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the 
 iniquity of the city. And while he lingered, the men 
 laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his 
 wife, a -id upon the hand oj his two daughters; the 
 LORD being merciful unto him: and they brought 
 him forth, and set him without the city. And it 
 came to pass, when they had brought them forth 
 abroad* that he said, Escape for thy life; look not 
 behind //zee, neither stay thou in all the plain; es- 
 cape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed. And 
 Lot said unto them, Ok not so, mi/ Lord: Behold 
 ?z0tc, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and 
 thou hast magnified tin/ mm*//, which thou hast 
 shewed unto me in savi -g my life; and I cannot es- 
 cape to the mountain, lest some evil take me. and 
 I die: Behold now this city is near to Jlce unto, and 
 it is a little one: oh, let me escape thither, (is it not 
 a little one?)at>d wy soul shall live. And lie said 
 unto him, See. I // -rp/ed thic co;nrrni:\^ I/'tis 
 
 thing also, that / will not ovrrlhrow this <:////. for 
 the which thou hast xpokcn. I taste //ice, esc 
 thither; J'cr [ cannot do any thing till thou be come 
 thither. Thenfure the name of the city u-as called 
 
132 
 
 Zoar. The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot 
 entered into Zoar. Then the LORD rained upon 
 Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and ftre from the 
 LORD out of heaven; and he overthrew those cities, 
 and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cit- 
 ies, and that which grew upon the ground. But 
 his wife looked back from behind him, and she be- 
 came a pillar of salt. 
 
 2 PETER n, 6. 
 
 Turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into 
 
 ashes, condemned tTiem with an overthrow; making 
 them an ensample unto those that after should live 
 ungodly. 
 
 THE history of Genesis is peculiarly interesting, be- 
 cause it soon leaves the wide concerns of nations, and 
 attaches itself to individuals. It discovers to us the De- 
 ity commanding a light to shine out of darkness;" and 
 presents a short, yet comprehensive, account of things 
 the most sublime and difficult: it relates the destruc- 
 tion, and the revolution, of the world; it gives us a clue 
 by which we are enabled to trace the origin of nations; 
 and after having thus opened a boundless scene before 
 us, it relieves the mind, bewildered and wearied in its 
 researches, by fixing the attention upon one quiet ob- 
 ject. We find ourselves transported into the bosom 
 of a family; and are encompassed, before we are aware, 
 with the beauties and the pleasures of domestic life. 
 We unite in their devotions: glow with their ardor: 
 weep with their sorrows; and rejoice in their prosper- 
 ity. The fluctuations of empires, the revolutions of 
 states, the achievements of ambition, distract and tire 
 our attention: but in entering into the concerns of a 
 
I So 
 
 family, ev 7 ery man feels himself at home in pursu- 
 ing the hopes and fears, the labors and disappoint- 
 ments, of an individual, every man traces the image of 
 his own anxieties and pleasures. 
 
 When we turn over the pages of profane writers, 
 what different scenery is presented! We justly admire 
 the beauties of Homer: as a poet truly sublime; pos- 
 sessing a genius which soared high above the common 
 standard of human intellect. In energy of composi- 
 tion, in loftiness of language; in richness of imagery, 
 he stands unrivalled he ranks next to the sacred wri- 
 ters. But in his works, from first to last, we are drag- 
 ged through fields of slaughter: or trace the mortifying 
 windings of human corruption: or are surrounded 
 with scenes, over which humanity drops tears of uni- 
 versal regret, We hear ii> strains, the most harmonious, 
 a hero sung, returning from the battle, covered with 
 human blood. The martial music that announces his 
 approach, is drowned in the shrieks of orphans. The 
 laurel of which he proudly boasts, was nourished in 
 the empurpled plains of carnage, and snatched from 
 the field of death. 
 
 Hail, peaceful retreats! Ye calm, suquestered, tran- 
 quil tents, that stretched your quiet shadow over the 
 head of the venerable patriarch, and shielded him 
 from the heat of the day welcome to the mind's eye! 
 Far be the scene of desolation! Approach, ye gentle 
 shadows that once lived in this valley of tears; and 
 even now that ye are borne au\y to heaven, return to 
 our imagination, and revisit us in the sacred pages! 
 Let the maddening world seek -the battle of the war- 
 ri:>r with confused noise:" we love to observe the 
 pleasing bonds of friendship, and to admire the do- 
 he, felicity of a pious family. To the hero, who, 
 
134 
 
 delights in "garments rolled in blood," we consign the 
 pages that describe, in colors, alas! too natural, the 
 horrors of war. Be it ours, to listen to the music of 
 the grove; to trace the windings of the rivulet; to read 
 the name of God in the starry heavens; and to follow 
 the good man through his chequered life, to a "city of 
 habitation." While others burn with the ardor of the 
 warrior, let us glow with the exalted piety shining 
 through the character of those good men, who bor- 
 rowed all their lustre from friendship with God! 
 
 After the memorable event, which formed the sub- 
 ject of discussion in the last Lecture, we are introduced, 
 rather suddenly, to the great progenitor of the Jewish 
 nation: in whose "seed," it is promised, "all nations of 
 the earth shall be blesssed." Terah, the father of Abra- 
 ham,descended in a direct line from Seth. Idolatry had 
 already commenced, and was widely diffused, when 
 "Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Ha- 
 ran, his son's son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his 
 son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them 
 from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Ca- 
 naan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there. 
 And the days of Terah were two hundred and five 
 years: and Terah died in Haran." Idolatry was 
 probably the cause of this removal. The city in which 
 they dwelt was the centre of superstition: it was cal- 
 led Ur, which signifies fire, or light; a name which 
 was probably given it, like Heliopolis, because it was 
 devoted particularly to the worship of fire, and conse- 
 crated to the sun.* It appears that God had expressly 
 testified his will, that Abram should proceed to Canaan; 
 and, obeying the call of heaven, "he went out, not 
 
 * See note 1, of this koc'ure, at the end of the vo! 
 
135 
 
 knowing whither he went." At an advanced age, 
 this patriarch left his home, and his connexions: for 
 he was "seventy-five years old, when he departed out 
 of Haran." Lot, his brother's son, accompanied him. 
 Possibly, as he was childless, it was Abram's intention 
 to adopt him: but a better, and a stronger, reason, for 
 his attachment to his uncle, was, that the hand of 
 heaven had touched his heart; and that he acted in 
 obedience to the same divine mandate, which had led 
 Abram into a strange land, even when the pressure of 
 years was bending his steps towards the valley of the 
 shadow of death. 
 
 Oh, the triumphs of faith! It overlooks intervening 
 years, and regards the promised blessing as already in 
 possession! It removes every difficulty; answers every 
 objection; and never rests till its end is obtained! Exer- 
 cised by delays, it patiently endures: corrected by 
 trials, it prepares its possessor for the good to which it 
 is pressing forward; and crowned with ultimate suc- 
 cess, it throws over him a glory, undiminished by the 
 revolution of years, and untarnished by the hand of 
 age. 
 
 To manifest how large a portion of this grace this 
 truly great man possessed, he was named, "the father 
 of the faithful;" and so pleasing in the eyes of Deity 
 were the traits of his character, that God conferred 
 upon him a title more dignified, more glorious, and 
 more enviable, than the greatest monarch, and the 
 proudest conqueror, ever enjoyed he was called, "the 
 
 id of God." 
 
 Yet was he hut a man! His exalted character and 
 
 his holy life were sometimes tarnished with human 
 
 'viirss Oh! where was his faith in the protecting 
 
 ! of heaven, when unguardedly, yet deliberately, 
 
137 
 
 he sought refuge in prevarication, to save himself from 
 violence in Egypt, on account of his wife? "Say, I 
 pray thee, thou art my sister!" It was not indeed an 
 absolute falsehood in point of fact; but it was a wilful 
 intent to deceive, which enters directly into the nature, 
 and forms all the character, of lying. The compas- 
 sion of God to human infirmity, was manifest, in cast- 
 ing a mantle of forgiveness over this sinful pusillanim- 
 ity. The hand of Deity was still stretched out in his 
 defence; and his unchangeable Friend was better to him 
 than his fears. But as he used unlawful means to 
 secure his safety, his sin was made his punishment. 
 Pharaoh, justly exasperated at the deception practised 
 upon him; and fearing the anger of God, who had 
 afflicted his house with great plagues; restored his wife, 
 but banished him from his dominions. Thus, simply, 
 in the use of the means, to rely upon God, in the hour 
 of peril, will always defend us from danger, and deliv- 
 er us from evil: but to distrust the Deity, and to shelter 
 ourselves under our own unlawful, or sinful, devices, 
 exposes us to incalculable difficulties, and will involve 
 us in trouble, in the very midst of deliverance. 
 
 As Abram journeyed in the road by which he had 
 descended into Egypt, he came again to an altar, 
 which he had before set up, in his way thither. Sweet 
 are the recollections of kindnesses received; and pleas- 
 ant the memorials of mercies departed! If we were to 
 accustom ourselves to rear tokens of remembrance 
 for every assistance which we derive from God; and 
 to erect an altar where we receive a mercy; how many 
 evidences for good would be presented in the retro- 
 spection of our lives; and the review of the past, would 
 create confidence for the future. The moss might 
 grow over the pillar, and the fire of the altar would 
 18 
 
138 
 
 go out: but the inscription would be fresh on the tablet 
 of memory, and gratitude would kindle the purer 
 flame of affection in the heart. Thus Abram reared 
 an altar in his way to Egypt; and found it again on 
 his return. Thus Jacob elevated a pillar, at Bethel, 
 after his vision of God; and with what feelings did he 
 revisit it, when he was delivered from his fears, and 
 increased in his blessings! Thus '-Samuel" took a stone, 
 -and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called 
 the name of it Ebenezer, saying 'Hitherto hath the 
 Lord helped us! 7 r It is not necessary that we should 
 erect these outward memorials: but let the pillar be 
 raised in our bosoms, and the inscription read in our 
 lives! 
 
 Multiplied in goods, at length it became necessary 
 that Abram and Lot should separate. There are few 
 blessings of life unalloyed few trials unmixed. The 
 good that we pant after, has some unseen evil annexed 
 to it, which will arise to cloud it in the very moment 
 of possession; and the evil that we deprecate produces 
 some happy effect, which does not always cease when 
 its immediate cause is withdrawn. Adversity often 
 unites the various branches of a family prosperity as 
 frequently separates them. The one teaches them 
 that they ought to have a common concern the other 
 has an unhappy tendency to persuade them that they 
 have a separate interest and in many instances the 
 latter is but too successful! Prosperity divided Abram 
 a:id Lot. The place was too strait for their flocks; 
 and the herdmen, on either side, had augmented the 
 difficulty by contention. Oh! who will not admire 
 the spirit of Abram? "And Abram said unto Lot. 
 *Let there be no strife. I pray thce, between thce and 
 me between thy heixlinrn and my hmlmen for we 
 
139 
 
 are brethren! Is not the whole land before thcer Sep- 
 arate thyself, I pray thee, from me. If thou wilt take 
 the left hand, then I will go to the right: or if thou de- 
 part to the right hand, then I will go to the left!' " 
 Although the elder, he thought it no disgrace to yield; 
 and, by his submission, proved his greatness of mind. 
 As the younger, it was the duty of Lot to have stoop- 
 ed: as the superior, Abram might have commanded. 
 But no his language is, "We are brethren!" Lovely 
 spirit of pure and undefiled religion! how it fosters the 
 charities of human life! how it soothes the turbulence 
 of passion! how it promotes the peace of society! It- 
 quenches the spark that was just bursting into a con- 
 flagration. It unites more closely the knot that was 
 almost unfolded. It knits together the link that was 
 nearly broken. It extinguishes the torch of war; and 
 banishes contention from the domestic circle. Lot 
 chose the plain of Jordan, near Sodom and Gomor- 
 rah, into which he afterwards entered, and where he 
 resided; and it was "well watered every where, as the 
 garden of the Lord," 
 
 The chain of history is broken, to relate in its order. 
 a battle which was fought in the vale of Siddim. This 
 event is recorded in a style exactly suited to the con- 
 test. The abrupt manner in which it breaks in upon 
 the peaceful history, appears adapted to the relation 
 of a tumult, which suddenly destroyed the harmony 
 of the country, and depopulated cities, previously 
 slumbering in tranquillity. Where now is the fruitful 
 plain? the vallies watered by a thousand rills? and the 
 smiling pastures, which charmed the eye of Lot? Ah! 
 war has shaken his destructive scourge over them--, 
 has blasted their verdure and transformed, by his 
 withering frown, this terrestrial paradise into a. desa- 
 
140 
 
 late wilderness! Lot himself was taken prisoner. No 
 sooner were the tidings brought to Abram, than he 
 roused to exertion; and arming his household, to the 
 amount of three hundred and eighteen men, he rescu- 
 ed his brother and delivered the vanquished captives. 
 The only difficulty arising here is this: how was it 
 possible for Abram, with three hundred and eighteen 
 men, to oppose successfully four kings; and to prevail 
 over their armies already flushed with conquest? To 
 remove this apparent objection to the sacred history, 
 it is necessary to remark, that these kings were noth- 
 ing more than rulers of four little cities, close by each 
 other, whose combined forces, in that battle, probably, 
 did not so considerably exceed Abram's armed ser- 
 vants as a superficial reader might imagine. It should 
 also be remembered, that Abram closely pursued, and 
 overtook them, when they were wearied with the toils 
 of battle, sunk in revellings and unsuspicious of danger. 
 The nerve of war was relaxed; and the softness of sen- 
 suality had already overpowered them. The servants 
 of Abram possessed their full vigor; and the banner of 
 divine protection waved over their heads. 
 
 On his return from this conquest, we are introduced 
 to a very extraordinary personage. Melchisedec met 
 him, blessed him, arid received tythes at his hand. 
 Little is known, and much has been conjectured, re- 
 specting this august stronger. His names appear to 
 denote a character of moral excellence. J\lelchisedec 
 signifies Icing of righteousness; and Melchisalem, tran- 
 lated in our bibles, '-king of Salem," implies king of 
 peace. The apostle who wrote to the Hebrews, con- 
 siders him as a type of the Lord Jesus; and describes 
 him "without father, without mother, without descent; 
 having nei" -inning of days nor end of life." 
 
141 
 
 The obvious meaning of these declarations is, that we 
 know nothing of his birth nothing of lu . death 
 neither can we trace his genealogy. Introduced thus 
 abruptly, he disappears as suddenly; and we hear of 
 him no more. The veil is lifted to discover him; and 
 having just seen him, it is dropped and hides him 
 from us for ever! 
 
 The toils of battle are succeeded by a solemn inter- 
 view with Jehovah. "The word of God came to Abram 
 in a vision." It was a word of consolation; it was a 
 message of encouragement. A son was promised; and 
 t it was declared his seed should be, "as the stars of 
 heaven," innumerable. As a ratification of this sol- 
 emn engagement, he w r as commanded to prepare a sac- 
 rifice. During the whole day, he waited the promis- 
 ed visit from heaven; "and when the fowls came down 
 on the carcasses, Abram drove them away." But 
 "when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell up- 
 on Abram; and lo, an horror of great darkness fell 
 upon him." Then the Deity renewed the promise 
 before made to him; and predicted the slavery and the 
 deliverance of his descendants in Egypt. And this 
 was the sign of the covenant: "it came to pass, that 
 when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold, a 
 smoking furnace, and a burning lamp, that passed be- 
 tween the pieces>" 
 
 O Christian! in religious worship, guard against in- 
 truding thoughts: they are as the fowls descending to 
 pollute, and to devour, thy sacrifice: like Abram, let 
 it be thy effort to drive them away. Guard the offer- 
 ing from the unhallowed intruders; and if God delay, 
 patiently wait the manifestation of his presence. "The 
 vision is for an appointed time; it will come, it will not 
 tarry" beyond the moment of divine appointment. 
 
142 
 
 Enter with solemnity into the presence of God; and 
 approach him with seriousness. Every visit from the 
 Divinity, is awful. "An horror of great darkness fell 
 upon Abram." "And Jacob awakened out of his 
 sleep, and he said, 'Surely the Lord is in this place; and 
 I knew it not.' And he was afraid, and said, 'How 
 dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house 
 of God, and this is the gate of heaven!' ' 
 
 A new source of sorrow soon arises; and Abram's 
 domestic tranquillity is broken, by a contention be- 
 tween his wife and the servant whom she had given 
 to cover what she deemed her reproach. What a 
 chequered scene is the life of the best of men! Some- 
 times irradiated with the glory of divine intercourse: 
 at others, clouded by public, or domestic, trial. Abram 
 is "a stranger, and a pilgrim." The beauty of his 
 wife ensnares him in Egypt. His prevarication drives 
 him thence. Their mutual prosperity renders a sep- 
 aration between him and Lot necessary and effects 
 the division. War breaks in upon his repose; and 
 requires him to 'crush his aged limbs in ungentle 
 steel.' He forgets his labors and sorrows, in the bles- 
 sings of divine communion, and in the soothing prom- 
 ises of a gracious covenant; when a contention is kind- 
 led, which consumes his dearest comforts; an affliction 
 springs up, which touches him in the most tender- 
 part; and his house becomes '-divided against itself." 
 Trials from without may be endured; and the man 
 retires from the scene of strife and mortification, to a 
 smiling family circle: he i trains his temper, reasMime* 
 his tranquillity, renews his Mniles. ami forgets his vex- 
 ations; but when (Inmesiie harmon -iroyeil, the 
 very I of \>< a % e arc dried up; and it is in vain to 
 look abroad for coi isolation. The man's joys are pol- 
 
luted at their very fountain; and all their separate 
 streams will necessarily flow defiled through all their 
 ramifications. Peace affrighted, frequently flies from 
 the tumults of the world, and alights, an angel form, 
 in the bosom of a family: but if she is a stranger at 
 home, we shall look for her in vain at the exchange of 
 merchandize, and in the public walks of life. 
 
 The issue of this contest was Hagar fled. While 
 she was prosperous and vain, she was left to taste the 
 bitterness of her own folly: but the moment earth 
 abandoned her, heaven took up her cause: God be- 
 came the friend of the fugitive; and her name no 
 sooner appeared on the list of the desolate, than the 
 care of her fortunes was transferred from man to the 
 Deity; and he became her guardian. She was culpa 
 ble: and her fault had its correspondent penalty. Her 
 foolish pride had embittered the peace of the family; 
 and she lost the shelter of the roof under which .she 
 had introduced discord. We are displeased with the 
 culprit: but we are moved at her punishment. A voice 
 more than human is heard in the solitude; and arrests 
 her attention. An angel is sent to her with a message 
 full of consolation. Her eyes, which were clouded by 
 sorrow, no sooner glanced upon her unexpected and 
 illustrious visitor, than a gleam of hope illumined them: 
 but when he unfolded the singular character, and the 
 future fortunes, of her unborn child, they brightened 
 into the full radiance of joy. It was ordained that his 
 name should be Ishmael; and it was predicted concern- 
 ing him, "He will be a wild man; his hand will be 
 against every man, and every man's hand against him; 
 and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.' 7 
 His descendants, the Arabs, have well accomplished 
 the prophecy, at every period of their history. Living 
 
144 
 
 by plunder, and in perpetual warfare with all the 
 world remote from cities, and scattered in wandering 
 tribes over the desert resisted, yet invincible they 
 are "wild men;" their "hand is against every man" 
 and "every man's hand is against them" and they 
 "dwell in the presence of all their brethren." Heaven 
 does not interpose to cherish a proud spirit, but to sub- 
 due it; and Hagar, having provoked the harshness 
 with which her mistress treated her, is expected to 
 make concessions, and commanded to return to Sarai. 
 Her master's roof once more shelters her; and under its 
 shadow the promised child is born. 
 
 Thirteen years from this period, God renewed his 
 covenant with Abram; and gave the seal of circumci- 
 sion. On this memorable occasion, the names of the 
 patriarch, and of his wife, were changed to ABRAHAM 
 and SARAH, as more appropriate to the blessings that 
 awaited them. Abram signifies high, or exalted 
 father a name of great respectability: Abraham im- 
 plies father of nations a name that embraces the lati- 
 tude of the divine promise. Sarai signifies MY prin- 
 cess an appellation of fond regard: Sarah implies A 
 princess a title of honor, dignity, and dominion. 
 
 In the same year the Deity again visited him as he 
 sat at the door of his tent on the plains of Mamre. 
 Three personages, apparently men, approached him: 
 but although so thick a veil concealed them, he soon 
 discovered that they were more than human. The 
 promise o$ a child by Sarah, was confirmed by new 
 prote-hitioiis. We presume not to dcvelope the mys- 
 tery of these three extraordinary characters. Various 
 n formed n^pcrling them; and to 
 is a fruitless and an endless labor. 
 
 The p.-; MHI who remained with Abraham, when two 
 departed towards Sodom, carries features of marked 
 
145 
 
 pre eminence; and is expressly called JEHOVAH. Some 
 have supposed that an angel, bearing the commands 
 of Deity, was honored with that awful name, and 
 used the lofty and dignified language which appears 
 on this part of the sacred record. We believe that, 
 on this supposition, this instance is unparalleled in the 
 scriptures. Others again imagine, as it appears to us, 
 with greater reason, that it was the 6on of God, 
 attended by two angels. To him, this great and lofty 
 name belongs by right; and to him it is repeatedly 
 assigned in the Bible. Jeremiah applies it to Jesus 
 Christ without scruple. "Behold,, the clays come, saith 
 the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous 
 branch; and a king shall reign and prosper, and shall 
 execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days, 
 shall Judah be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely; 
 and this is the NAME whereby he shall be called 
 JEHOVAH OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.*" 
 
 The two angels having departed, the august person- 
 age, who bears every feature of Deity, and whom 
 Abraham addresses with all the humility which a deep 
 sense of the Divine presence alone can inspire, impart- 
 ed his displeasure, and his designs against Sodom and 
 Gomorrah, with the cities of the plain. t The remem- 
 brance of Lot, conspired with the feelings of human- 
 ity, to raise the combined voices of affection and of 
 pity on behalf of the rebels doomed to destruction. 
 Compassion touched his heart for the offenders, while 
 he loathed their guilt; and the residence of a part of 
 his own family among them, suggested a plea, "Wilt 
 thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?" His 
 language is powerful; for the heart dictated it: but it 
 
 * Jer. xxiii, 5, 6. 
 f See note 2, at the end of the volume. 
 
 19 
 
146 
 
 is submissive; for the spirit of real religion directed it. 
 What a pattern for us, in our addresses to the Deity! 
 "Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the 
 LORD, which am but dust and ashes!" '-Oh, let not the 
 LORD be angry, and I will speak!" and this humility 
 introduces and pervades every petition. What a re- 
 proof to those who dare to approach the Majesty of 
 heaven irreverently; and to speak with unhallowed 
 familiarity to the high and lofty One who inhabiteth 
 the praises of eternity! 
 
 According to the hospitality of the ancients, Lot sat 
 at the gate of the city to invite to his habitation any 
 stranger who might enter. To refresh the heart of the 
 traveller, wearied with the toils of the day, and way- 
 worn; to wash his feet; to give him a morsel of bread, 
 a pillow for repose, a smile of peace; and to send him 
 on his way rejoicing, in the morning this was practi- 
 cal religion, beaming forth in her native simplicity, 
 from a patriarch's eyes. The two angels, who hud left 
 Abraham, approached Sodom. Lot addressed them 
 in language which implied that he was about to re- 
 ceive, and not to confer an obligation. "Behold now, 
 my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, 
 and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall 
 rise up early and go on your ways. And they said, 
 Nay, but we will abide in the street all night. And 
 he pressed upon them greatly: and they turned in un- 
 to him, and entered into his house; and he made them 
 a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did 
 cat." This is the politeness of nature; and the true 
 method of conferring a favor. It docs not appear 
 that, at this timr, he knew them: and, referring most 
 probably to this event, the apo^tk- who wrote to the 
 ] lebrews directs, u Be not forgetful to entertain stran- 
 
147 
 
 gprs; for thereby some have entertained angels una- 
 
 wares." 
 
 We draw a veil over the brutal scene which fol- 
 lows. It is sufficient to remark, that such was the ex- 
 treme and unpardonable wickedness of those detesta- 
 ble cities, that the indignation of God, manifested on 
 their polluted plains, must be completely justified, even 
 in the apprehension of short-sighted mortals. 
 
 At length their commission is opened before Lot. 
 He is commanded to bring all that he held dear from 
 a place devoted to destruction. He was compelled 
 reluctantly to abandon his sons-in-law: who regarded 
 him u as one that mocked." The angels hastened his 
 lingering steps urged his immediate departure 
 snatched him from his dangerous hesitation and left 
 him not, till they had conducted him to a place of 
 safety. "Then the LORD reigned upon Sodom and 
 upon Gomorrah, brimstone and fire from the LORD 
 out of heaven." 
 
 We have now touched the principal point of the 
 present Lecture. THE DESTRUCTION OF SODOM AND 
 GOMORRAH, is confirmed and established, by evidences 
 at once short, comprehensive, and satisfactory. They 
 are included in the following arrangement: The nar- 
 rative of Moses: the testimony of ancient writers; and 
 the features of desolation remaining on the spot. 
 
 I. THE NARRATIVE OF MOSES. 
 
 We have selected for our contemplation, the mo- 
 ment when the attention is arrested by the conviction of 
 impending danger; and the point of history where the 
 interest of the reader is excited in anticipation of its 
 issue. The sacred writer discovers in this, as in every 
 record of his pen, singular ability in touching the heart; 
 
148 
 
 while he preserves a wonderful simplicity throughout 
 the whole narration. Ail is nature in his descriptions; 
 and his assertions hear, on their very face, the impress 
 of truth. With what grandeur the scene opens upon us. 
 The day dawns, which is to vanish from the eyes of 
 the wicked before its meridian; and they gaze, uncon- 
 scious of danger, upon the earliest glories of the east, 
 which are so s-'on, as it respects them, to be extin- 
 guished in eternal night. Lot emerges from the pollu- 
 ^3 of depravity, an instance of the goodness of 
 ( I us the desolation which demonstra- 
 
 v And when the morning arose, 
 then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy 
 tc'ij'e, and ihy two daughters, which are here; lest 
 thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city." The 
 night istheseason of alarm and of danger. As the gloom 
 thickens, every object wears a portentous aspect. Its 
 solemnity deepens the cloud of affliction; and throws 
 a darker shade over sorrow itself. It is the time for 
 awful deeds. Then tiic murderer stalks abroad to de- 
 stroy; and his "feet are swift to shed blood." Then 
 the adultress spreads her toils to ensnare. Then vio- 
 lence is prepared to "smite with the fist of wickedness;" 
 and the thief treads softly, that he may^break through 
 and steal." The.; the sinner hastens to iniquity, in 
 imaginary security under the cuvrrt of midnight, and 
 says, in the ignorance and presumption of his heart, 
 "Tusl- 1 God th i^tseeP It was ;.t night, that the 
 1 | \.s-eu in-.'. iuh Egypt t< .-lay the first- 
 born: at n"'ghUhat thr 8*1 r-,i <> lh- Lurd penetrated the 
 camp o! i an hundred and eigh- 
 
 ty five t: i mrii: at ni:>ht. that the shadow of a 
 
 'vail of i*,:lbhaz/ar's palace, the de- 
 parture of his kirgdom, the close of his glories, and of 
 
149 
 
 his life together, and the scrutiny of justice, with it? 
 perilous consequences. But the day has ever been re- 
 garded as the season of security. The first ray oi'lhe 
 morning chases the phantoms of the imagination, and 
 terminates the horrors of fancy. Light discovers 
 real peril, and bears with it the means of escape. 
 When the day breaks upon us, it scatters peace, and 
 joy, and safety, in its smiles. Ah, how little do we 
 know where danger lurks, and when the dream of 
 happiness shall be broken! Sodom escapes the perils 
 of night, to fall by unexpected vengeance in the morn- 
 ing! " And while he lingered" who that had a heart 
 to feel, and connexions to relinquish; could refrain? 
 "while he lingered the men laid hold of his hand, and 
 upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his 
 two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him: 
 and they brought him forth and set him without the 
 city " A gentle constraint is laid upon him, to snatch 
 him from ruin. It is thus that we feel a divine power 
 gently attracting us from the world to the cross: we 
 are drawn with "the cords of love:" no violence is 
 imposed upon our will in leading us from the paths of 
 death: but we feel, and acknowledge, that it is HE, 
 "who worketh in us to will and to do his own good 
 pleasure." It is thus when our wandering hearts "fol- 
 low lying vanities, and forsake their own mercies, 57 
 that God sends some gentle and salutary affliction, to 
 chastise our folly, and to bring our spirit home to its 
 rest. "And it came to pass, when they had brought 
 them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; 
 look not behind thee, neither stay tliou in all the 
 plain; escape to the mountain lest thou be consumed." 
 Judgment once awakened is not always directed to 
 discriminate characters; and the righteous are some- 
 
15 
 
 times permitted to suffer in the general calamity. It 
 is not safe to dwell in the tents of sin; and those who 
 take up their abode in the tabernacles of the wicked 
 must be content to share their portion, and their pun- 
 ishment at least, in the present life. Nothing short, 
 of a total separation from them can afford security: for 
 to linger on the plain is as hazardous as to tarry in the 
 city. "And Lot said unto them) Oh, not so, my Lord*' 
 In the very midst of danger, and while the cloud of 
 ruin hangs over his head, self willed man cannot re- 
 frain from opposing his opinions to the arrangements of 
 Deity; and it must be "according to his mind," or he 
 will scarcely be satisfied with his deliverance. "Behold 
 now. thy servant hath found grace in thy sight" 
 should he therefore presume? "and thou hast magni- 
 fied thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in 
 saving my life;" should he not therefore be satisfied? 
 Is the goodness of God a reason why he should tempt 
 his forbearance? "and I cannot escape to the mountain" 
 why not? What shall hinder when God leads the 
 way? what can successfully oppose, when he com- 
 mands? "lest some evil take me and I die!" O thou of 
 little faith! wherefore didst thou doubt? Was not HE, 
 who led thee forth from the midst of a people given 
 over to utter desolation, strong to deliver? Was he 
 not able to preserve thee? And had he not given a tac- 
 it pledge of security, in the very command which he 
 issued? "Behold now this city is near tojlee unto, and 
 it is a little one" it is a small request that I prefer, in 
 comparison with the unsolicited mercy which thou 
 hast already manifested; or, it is a little city, and may 
 wrll In- spared in so wide and general a destruction as 
 thine offended justice meditates "Oh, Id me escape 
 thither, (is it not a li'fleoneV) and my soul shall live" 
 
151 
 
 What is the punishment which awaits the man who 
 dares to lift his little plans to a competition with the 
 wisdom of Deity? Let us adore the long suffering of 
 God! Heaven lends a gracious ear to this supplication; 
 "and he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee con- 
 cerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this 
 city, for the which thou hast spoken." How consistent 
 is this with the character of God, who delighteth to 
 have mercy, and to forgive! Lot had an high gratification 
 in seeing this little object of his compassion escape the 
 devastation of its vicinity, if benevolence urged his 
 plea: but if selfishness dictated it, as the narrative 
 seems to insinuate, he was greatly disappointed: for 
 although his request was granted, his terrors suffered 
 him not to derive from it the advantage which he pro- 
 posed: since he afterwards abandoned the retreat 
 which he had chosen, and fled to the mountain, whith- 
 er God had at first directed him, "for he feared to 
 dwell in Zoar." "Haste thee, escape thither;" thy 
 presence disarms my wrath, and withholds my right- 
 eous vengeance: '-for I cannot do any thing till thou 
 be come thither." Behold the value and importance 
 of one righteous man? It was the lip of infallible truth, 
 which said of his disciples "Ye are the sale of the 
 earth!" "Therefore" In remembrance of the success- 
 ful plea of Lot, "t he name of the city was called Zo- 
 ar." which signifies little,, and relates to the argument 
 which its intercessor used. Most of the names, given 
 to persons, and to things, in the scriptures, bear a ref- 
 erence to some signal circumstances, more nearly, 
 or remotely, connected with them. 
 
 " The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered 
 into Zoar." This calm is perfectly natural, and agrees 
 with almost every account transmitted to us, of tern- 
 
152 
 
 pests, earthquakes, and great convulsions of nature. 
 We know that the wind usually falls, and that there is 
 a profound serenity diffused over the atmosphere, be- 
 fore a storm. The former part of that day, in which 
 Lisbon was destroyed by an earthquake, was uncom- 
 monly fine; and the danger was not even apprehend- 
 ed, till an unusual subterraneous noise, and a slight 
 trembling of the ground, preceded, for a few moments, 
 the first great shock which almost levelled the whole 
 city. This same agitation of the earth was almost uni- 
 versal, and extended nearly over the whole globe; and 
 in every place where it was felt, the same tranquillity 
 was observed to reign, before the calamity was endured. 
 This calm, however, is unspeakably dreadful! Who 
 can read this single verse without shuddering? As the 
 destruction was unexpected, it was the more terrible; and 
 as it was sudden, it admitted of no escape. The sons- 
 in-law of Lot mocked his admonitions; and they were 
 roused to a sense of their importance and truth, only 
 by the hand of death. Let this consideration prepare 
 us for a still greater event, in the solemnities of which 
 we must all participate; and which will be equally sud- 
 den and unexpected: for "as it was in the days of Lot, 
 even so shall the coming of the Son of man be!" 
 
 "Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon 
 Gomorrah, brimstone andjire from the LORD out of 
 heaven; and he overthrew those cities, and all the 
 ]j(ain, and all the Inhabitants of the cities, and that 
 which grew iipon the ground." Some commentators 
 translate the words "brimstone and firr," brimstone 
 inflamed; and the interpretation which they build 
 upon this translation is. that brimstone inflamed, in the 
 Hebrew style of writing, signifies neither more nor 
 kss, than lightning. It is reasonable to conclude, that 
 
153 
 
 this lightning penetrated so far into the veins of bitu- 
 men, with which these plains are known to be impreg- 
 nated, as to enkindle the combustible matter; which 
 would quickly communicate its heat and flame to the 
 cities, and to the whole country, more entirely and ex- 
 peditiously than the lava of a burning mountain lays 
 waste the lands over which it flows: and after con- 
 suming all that was capable of such a destruction, 
 formed the heavy, fetid, unwholesome lake, called the 
 Dead Sea, from its wide expansion, and the stillness 
 of its waters. Justin observes, respecting this sea, that 
 it cannot be moved by the winds, by reason of the 
 large quantity of bitumen immersed in it; which also 
 renders it incapable of being navigated. The same 
 remark will not be found to apply to the same sea in 
 the present day; as we have instances of some modern 
 travellers having ventured to bathe in it: but this also 
 may be accounted for, on the same principle; the di- 
 minution of the bitumen; which is continually re- 
 moved, by persons on the spot, as it emerges from this 
 singular lake. Neither is it true, that no bird will ad- 
 venture to stretch his wing across it ? as some ancient 
 writers have asserted: for many have been observed to 
 sport along its dreary banks: but the salt with which 
 it is impregnated is inimical to vegetation; its waves 
 retain a sufficient degree of malignity to endanger the 
 health of those who are rash enough to plunge into 
 its unnatural waters; and it retains a sufficient degree 
 of desolation, to justify the description of the destruc- 
 tion suggested in the present Lecture; and to confirm 
 the general account of antiquity, making a reasonable 
 allowance for the alterations which time may be sup- 
 posed to have effected. 
 20 
 
154 
 
 "But his wife looked back from behind him, and 
 she became a pillar of salt" A learned writer* ob- 
 serves, '-The sulphureous storm did not begin to fall 
 upon Sodom, till Lot was safely arrived at Zoar. But 
 his wife looked back before he reached Zoar: for she 
 looked back^/row behind him. as he was going to Zoar. 
 When she looked back, Sodom and its plains appeared 
 as pleasant as before. She looked back with affection 
 to the place, and regret at leaving it: according to the 
 import of the original word. ' This implied unbelief." 
 She wavered "she stopped by the way, and left her 
 husband to go by himself" in the fluctuations of her 
 mind, "she would proceed no farther; and might be 
 at a considerable distance from Zoar, and so near to 
 Sodom, as, probably, to be involved in the terrible 
 shower, and thereby turned into a nitro-sulphureous 
 pillar:" or at least to be suffocated by it, and incrust- 
 ed with it. This gives proper force to our Lord's ad- 
 monition, Remember Lot's wife.'f Let the judgment 
 of God upon her, warn you, of the folly and danger 
 of hankering after, and being loath to part with, small 
 and temporal things, when your life and happiness, 
 the greatest, and most lasting concerns, are at stake." 
 
 We lead you forwards to another branch of evi- 
 dence; 
 
 II. THE TESTIMONY OF ANCIENT WRITERS. 
 
 It is asserted by Tacitus, that the traces of the fire 
 which consumed these cities were visible in his days. 
 "At no great distance are those fields, which, as it is 
 said, were formerly fruitful, and covered with great 
 
 *Hr. Taylor, in his Scheme nf Scripture Divinity: now out of print, but 
 preserved in Bishop Walson's Thcolo.;ii :tl I'racts, vol. i.chap. xxv, p.106. 
 I Luke xvii, 32. 
 
155 
 
 cities, till they were consumed by lightning: the vesti- 
 ges of whicn remain in the parched appearance oi the 
 country, which has lost its fertility.*" 
 
 The testimony of Philot and of Plinyt accords with 
 that of the Roman historian. 
 
 Diodorus Siculus describes the lake Asphaltites at 
 large, in two different parts of his work; and concludes 
 his account by saying, "The region round about 
 burning with fire, exhales a stench so intolerable, that 
 the bodies of the inhabitants are diseased, and their 
 lives contracted. " 
 
 Strabo, in writing on the same subject, thus con- 
 cludes: "There are many indications that fire has been 
 over this country: for about Masada they shew rough 
 and scorched rocks, and caverns in many places eaten 
 in, arid the earth reduced to ashes, apd drops of pitch 
 distilling from the rocks, and hot streams, offensive afar 
 off, and habitations overthrown; which renders credi- 
 ble, some reports among the inhabitants, that there 
 were formerly thirteen cities on that spot, the principal 
 of which was Sodom; so extensive as to be sixty fur- 
 longs in circumference; but that by earthquakes, and 
 an eruption of fire, and by hot and bituminous waters, 
 it became a lake as it now is; the rocks were con* 
 sumed, some of the cities were swallowed up, and oth- 
 ers abandoned by those of the inhabitants who were 
 able to escape || . 
 
 Similar to this is the language of Solinus. "At a 
 considerable distance from Jerusalem, a frightful lake 
 extends itself, which has been struck by lightning, as 
 is evident from the ground, black; and reduced to 
 ashes."Tf He goes on to relate the fable of the applet 
 
 Tacit. Hist. lib. v. fPhilo de Vita Mosis. 
 
 *Plin. Hist. lib. v. cap. 16. Diod. Sic- lib. ii. ef lib. xi>, 
 
 IjStraba. lib. xvi. ^Solinus, cap, xxxyi, edit, Salroai 1 -' 
 
156 
 
 growing near it, which were said to appear fair to the 
 eye, but to contain only sooty ashes, and upon being 
 touched, to exhale into smoke, or to vanish into dust. 
 The same fiction is mentioned also by Tacitus: but we 
 must learn, in receiving the testimony of ancient histo- 
 rians, to distinguish between truth and fable, to separ- 
 ate the former from the latter, with which it is often 
 found overwhelmed, to discriminate between the fact 
 and the legend, to divide that which they saw, from 
 that which they admitted only from tradition, to make 
 allowance for their credulity, and impartially to weigh 
 the evidence which they produce. Moses is not an- 
 swerable for the fondness which they discovered for 
 the marvellous, nor for the fables which tradition 
 blended with his history Neither is their ac- 
 count of that which they saw, to be rejected for the 
 easy credit which they gave to that which they only 
 heard, and heard from disputable authority. While 
 the facts of the Mosaic history are confirmed, his su- 
 perior purity, and consequently credibility is estab- 
 lished. 
 
 Among the moderns, Bissciius in his treatise on 
 illustrious ruins, and a great number of travellers, have 
 described this singular lake. Maundrel, Volney, Po- 
 cocke, Shaw, and other men of eminence, have com- 
 municated to the pi.'blic the result of their observations. 
 
 Alexander Tnillianus mentions an heuthrn form of 
 exorcism, that confirm* the srriptwo rrpn Dentation of 
 the calamity which oveilouk Lot's \\ifc. It runs 
 thus u ln the name rf (ind, who turned Lot's wile 
 into a pillar of salt. r * We have yet to examine 
 
 f 
 
 l~)o(M I 294, quarto edition. 
 
 Consult C uholc of OH M- 
 
 , note 3, ofilu- <>f the volume. 
 
157 
 
 HI. THE EVIDENCES REMAINING ON THE SPOT. 
 
 We remark, 
 
 1. THE APPEARANCE OF THE LAKE, AND OF THE 
 SURROUNDING COUNTRY, HAS BEEN VERY SIMILAR IN 
 
 EVERY AGE. It has carried the same mournful vesti- 
 ges of destruction. Not only do the respective testi- 
 monies of ancient writers agree with each other, but 
 the several subsequent representations of this fact, giv- 
 en in the Bible, accord entirely with the Mosaic his- 
 tory: a decisive proof that the spot has carried the same 
 features of ruin from the first; and a pleasing evidence 
 that the sacred writings preserve the most perfect har- 
 mony with themselves. A selection of a few passa- 
 ges, written at various and distinct periods, will exhibit 
 the appearances of these desolated cities, as they pre- 
 sented themselves to the different writers; and will 
 furnish a coincidence and concord which truth alone 
 can produce. It is worthy consideration, that, in these 
 several passages, appeals are made to this fact as an 
 event well known, and a subject on which the world 
 were, at that time, able to obtain ample satisfaction, by 
 visiting, and considering, the spot itself. Moses refers 
 the Israelites of his day, to the appearance which these 
 wasted plains then presented, as an image of what 
 their own possessions would become if they disobeyed 
 the commands of God. He threatens "The genera- 
 tion to come of your children that shall rise up after 
 you, and the stranger that shall come from a far land, 
 shall say, when they see the plagues of that land, and 
 the sicknesses which the LORD hath laid upon it; and 
 that the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and 
 burning, that It is not sown, nor beareth, nor any 
 grass groweth therein, LIKE THE OVERTHROW oy 
 SODOM, AND GOMORRAH, ADMAH, AND ZEBOIM, 
 
158 
 
 WHICH THE LORD OVERTHREW IN HIS ANGER, AND 
 
 IN HIS WRATH: even all the nations shall say, Where- 
 fore bp'h the LORD done thus unto this land? what 
 mean .th the heat of this great anger? Then men shall 
 say, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the 
 LORD God of their fathers; which he made with 
 them when he brought them forth out of the land of 
 Egypt."* When Babylon is threatened, another ap- 
 peal is made to this event, as to a fact well known, 
 and indisputably authenticated. Isaiah proclaims her 
 fall, and this is her awful sentence: "Babylon, the glory 
 of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, 
 shall be AS WHEN GOD OVERTHREW SODOM AND 
 GOMORRAH. It shall never be inhabited, neither shall 
 it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither 
 shall the Arabian pitch tent there, neither shall the 
 shepherds make their fold there."! Jeremiah beheld 
 the same face of things when he made these ruins pre- 
 figure the downfall of Edom. "Edom shall be a des- 
 olation: every one that goeth by it shall be astonished, 
 and shall hiss at all the plagues thereof. As IN THE 
 
 OVERTHROW OF SoDOM AND GOMORRAH, and the 
 
 neighboring cities thereof, saith the LORD, no man 
 shall abide there, neither shall the son of man dwell 
 in &"J Jesus, who is Truth itself, appeals to the 
 same desolation, and to all its circumstances, as an 
 image of his own visitation of the Jewish nation. 
 "As it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they 
 drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they 
 buildcd; but the same day that Lot went out of Sod- 
 om, it i I- 1 UK .AM) IJKIM STONE FKOM HEAVEN, 
 
 and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the 
 
 * Dent. x\ f Is- xiii, 19, CO. ; xlix, 17, IB, L. 40- 
 
159 
 
 day when the Son of man is revealed. In that day, 
 he which shall be upon the house top,* and his stuff 
 in the house, let him not come down to take it away: 
 and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return 
 back. REMEMBER LOT'S WIFE!" The apostle Peter, 
 in the passage read at the commencement of this Lec- 
 ture, admits this fact into the catalogue of divine judg- 
 ments against iniquity; and represents the offended and 
 insulted Deity, "TURNING THE CITIES OF SODOM AND 
 GOMORRAH FNTO ASHES, condemning them with an 
 overthrow, and making them an ensample unto those 
 that after should live ungodly." While the writers of 
 the scriptures thus strengthen one another, they evince 
 that the same characteristic ruin, has through all ages, 
 overspread the same country. We observe 
 
 2. THERE REMAIN CORRESPONDENT FEATURES OF 
 DESOLATION ON THE SPOT TO THIS DAY. It is readily 
 admitted, that travellers who visit the country in ques- 
 tion are liable to be deceived; and that in many instan- 
 ces the inhabitants of the surrounding regions have 
 imposed upon them. Josephus has asserted that the 
 pillar of salt was to be seen in his days, and that he 
 actually saw it. It is disputable, how far this testimo- 
 ny may be received; not that we bring the charge of 
 wilful misrepresentation against him, but that it is 
 probable he was himself deceived. The same credu- 
 lity which led him to admit the account of a sabbati- 
 cal river, would easily induce him, visiting the lake, 
 as he did, with a rnind prepossessed in favor of some 
 such monument of antiquity remaining, to mistake 
 some rude, mishapen rock, for a crumbling fragment 
 of the pillar of which Moses speaks. Nevertheless, 
 
 * These houses had flat roofs, and an ascent to them on the outside: of 
 course a person at the top would descend without entering the house, 
 t Luke xvii, 2832. 
 
we think that the general features of the country, and 
 particularly the lake, are standing memorials of this 
 awful fact. Some indeed have denied that the cities 
 stood upon this spot. But it must be admitted that 
 the universal appearance of the land sanctions the 
 common opinion, that here judgment was executed 
 against the unrighteous inhabitants of Sodom. The 
 description of the face of that unhappy country, given 
 in the passages which we have quoted from the scrip- 
 tures, and transcribed from ancient historians, accords 
 well with the whole aspect of the vicinity of the Dead 
 Sea. The country is stripped of herbage; the lake, 
 and the soil, are salt and bituminous; and vegetable 
 life seems extinct on all its borders. It would be diffi- 
 cult to fix upon any other spot in the known world, 
 to which the principal features of the narrative would 
 apply. It is to be supposed, from the uniform lan- 
 guage of the Bible, that the destruction of these cities 
 was to be a lasting monument of divine displeasure 
 against their wickedness: consequently that strong 
 vestiges of their desolation should remain through ev- 
 ery age. It is certain that all the ancient historians 
 who have adverted at a!l to this singularly awful dis- 
 play of divine justice, have also fixed upon this place, 
 as the theatre on which : t was exhibited. It is no less 
 remarkable, that all who have described this lake, and 
 its vicinity, have connected with it a tradition, more 
 or less explicit, respecting the destruction of the cities 
 of the plain; and some of them were men to whom it 
 arcely probable, that the writings of Moses were 
 ssible; and who must therefore have received the 
 knowledge of the event through some other channel. 
 May we not also reasonably suppose that some chan- 
 ges have been effected by time, which have considera- 
 
161 
 
 bly altered the aspect, and even the properties of the 
 waters, since the ancient writers, whom we have quot- 
 ed, visited this land of barren solitude? Time, which 
 alters the whole globe, and overturns empires, would 
 not spare the Dead Sea, and its deserted, naked shores! 
 Jordan perpetually roils his tide to this gulf: streams 
 of fresh water are continually pouring into it: the 
 Arabs diminish its salt, by draining its water into 
 large pits near the lake, leaving it to be crystallized by 
 the sun; and its bitumen is gathered by the same peo- 
 ple, whose ingenuity applies it to many purposes, and 
 who convert it into an article of commerce. We still 
 think, that the spot manifests marked features of deso- 
 lation at this hour; and the lake is said to be about 
 thirty miles long, and ten miles broad. 
 
 Before this subject is entirely dismissed, permit us 
 to make two remarks, which appear to arise out of it. 
 
 1. JUDGMENTS DELAYED WILL YET EVENTUALLY 
 BE EXECUTED. To other sins, the ungodly add that 
 of presumption. Because serenity reigns over the face 
 of the heavens, they apprehend no evil they conclude 
 that the tempest will never rise. When the cloud ap- 
 pears "like a man's hand," they flatter themselves that 
 it will extend no farther. When you warn them of 
 their danger, and foretel their approaching ruin, they 
 regard you as u one that mocketh." Even when the 
 heavens are overspread with blackness, and the thun- 
 der of indignation begins to roll, they imagine that the 
 storm will spend itself, and that the gloom will pass 
 away. But the day will arrive when the Savior shall 
 appear "to be admired in them that believe,' 7 and to 
 return on the head of his adversaries, the evil which 
 they have devised against his dignity; and that day 
 21 
 
162 
 
 shall "burn as an oven."* In vain shall the unright- 
 eous then cry for help, and seek a refuge from the 
 wrath of their judge. In vain shall they turn to the 
 east, the west, the north, or the south; every where 
 the sword of justice meets their eye every where the 
 tribunal of God rises before their sight every where 
 the clangor of the last trumpet assails their ears 
 and the grave itself forms no shelter from the gaze of 
 Omnipotence! In vain shall they call upon the rocks 
 to fall on them, and the mountains to cover them: the 
 earth and the heavens shall flee from the face of ''Him 
 that sitteth upon the throne." '-Now is the accepted 
 time: behold, now is the day of salvation!" 
 
 2. SECURITY IN EVERY SITUATION, BELONGS TO 
 THE FRIENDS OF GOD. You have seen Noah floating 
 securely on the bosom of a destroying flood, while the 
 whole world perished. You have beheld Lot safely 
 conducted out of Sodom, when the inhabitants of the 
 plain, and the perverse scoffers of his own family, 
 were consumed. What is the language of this dread- 
 ful event to the respective classes of mankind? To the 
 "ungodly" it is saying "Behold, yc despisers, and 
 wonder, and perish!" To you, who cast your eyes 
 over these desolated plains, it cries "Escape for your 
 life" flee to a refuge more secure than the mountain 
 and hide under the shadow of the cross! But what 
 is its testimony respecting the people of God? "They 
 shall not be afraid for the terror by night: nor for the 
 arrow that flieth by day: nor for the pestilence that 
 walketh in darkness: nor forth* destruction that wa^t 
 cth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at their side, 
 ten thousand at their right hand: but it shall not 
 
 * Sec note 4, of'ihis Li-c'.uic, at lle end of the volume. 
 
163 
 
 come nigh them! Only with their eyes shall they be- 
 hold, and see the reward of the wicked." The last 
 storm which shall arise to blot out the sun, to extin 
 guish the stars, to rend the sepulchre, and to raise the 
 dead, shall waft them to an everlasting kingdom. 
 They shall meet the Lord in, the air: they shall be 
 changed into his image: they shall appear with him in 
 glory. 
 
 O Christian, death is advancing to conduct thee 
 home, to terminate thine afflictions, and to hide the? 
 for ever from the storms of life! Even now the mo- 
 ment arrives! Hark the trampling of the horses at 
 the door and the "chariot of fire' 7 waits to bear theo 
 to heaven! 
 
LECTURE VI. 
 
 THE HISTORY OF JOSEPH. 
 
 GENESIS XLIX, 22 26. 
 
 Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a 
 'well, whose branches run over the wall. The arch- 
 ers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and 
 hated him: But his bow abode in strength, and the 
 arms of his hands were made strong by the hands 
 of the might y God of Jacob: (from thence is the 
 Shepherd, the stone of Israel:) Even by the God of 
 thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almigh- 
 ty, who shall bless thce with the blessings of heav- 
 en above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, 
 blessings of the breasts and of the womb: The bles- 
 sings of thy father have prevailed above the bles- 
 sings of thy progenitors, unto the utmost bound of 
 the everlasting hills; they shall be on the head of 
 Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that 
 was separate from his brethren. 
 
 ACTS VII, 9 16. 
 
 And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph 
 into Egypf: but God was with him. and adivercd 
 him out of all his ajji'ictions, and gave Jinn favor 
 and wisdom in the sight of l*haraoli, king of Egypt; 
 and he made, linn governor over Egypt, und all his 
 house. Now there came a dearth over all the land 
 of Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction: and 
 our fathers found no xm'tcndnce. But when Jacob 
 heared that there teas corn in Egypt, he sent out 
 
165 
 
 our fathers first. And at the second time Joseph 
 was made known to his brethren; and Joseph W 
 kindred was made known unto Pharaoh. Then 
 sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him, and 
 all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls. So 
 Jacob went down into Egypt, and died, he, and our 
 fathers, and were carried over into Sychem, and 
 laid in the sepulchre that Abraham bought for a 
 sum of money of the sons of Emmor, the father of 
 Sychem. 
 
 TO enter at large into the beautiful history that con- 
 nects the preceding Lecture with the subject which we 
 are about to propose for consideration, is not practica- 
 ble; we must therefore imitate travellers in a foreign 
 country, whose limited time will not permit them to 
 pass through the land in the length and the breadth of 
 it \ve must inquire what things are most worthy our 
 regard, and to them bend our attention. There are 
 two events previous to THE HISTORY OF JOSEPH, which 
 require us to pause, and to indulge the common feel- 
 ings of nature, and which cannot fail to impress, be- 
 cause they speak at once to the heart. It is impossible 
 to pass through Canaan without turning aside to the land 
 of Moriah, and contemplating the sacred mountain on 
 which a patriarch's faith triumphed over a father's 
 feelings. According to the promise of God, Isaac was 
 born when Abraham was an hundred years old. He. 
 had seen his son preserved from the perils of infancy. 
 His mother had gazed with unspeakable pleasure up- 
 on her child the son of her vows, who was now fast 
 pressing towards manhood. The parents of this ami- 
 able youth were looking forwards to a peaceful dismis- 
 sion from the toils of life, and to the happy te'rmina- 
 
160 
 
 lion of a tranquil old age. Abraham "planted a grove 
 in Beersheba," and rested under its shadow. This 
 quiet retreat, alas, is not impervious to sorrow! This 
 delightful scenery resembles the stillness of the air 
 which usually precedes a- tern pest it bodes approach- 
 ing trial. "And it came to pass after these things, that 
 G^d did tempt Abraham, and said unto him Take 
 now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, 
 and get thee into (he land of Moriah: and offer him 
 there for a burnt-offering upon one of the mountains 
 which I shall tell thee of." What a command was 
 this! To stain his hand with the blood of a lamb 
 which he had feJ, would be a task to a feeling mind: 
 but thi^ requisition is for a "Son." To select one. from 
 a nu. TH.-- . would be a cruel effort. Let the 
 
 mother look round upon her children, when they are 
 assembled before her like a flock, and say, which she 
 could spare from among them? But the demand is? 
 "take thine only son" in whom the life of both par- 
 ents is bound up. To part with an only child for a 
 season, opens the fountain of a mother's tears, and 
 adds to the grey hairs of his father. To lose him by 
 death, is to cause them to go bitterly in the anguish of 
 their soul all their days. \Vh;it was it, then, to offer 
 an only son as a Sacrifice, and to be himself the priest 
 who should plunge the knife into his bosom? But he 
 obeys obeys without a murmur! He rises early in 
 the morning to immolate his child, and to offer, on tho 
 altar of God. all that he held most dear in this world. 
 On the third day, the destined mountain marks its el- 
 'valion alon^ tin- line of the horizon, and meets the 
 eye of the a!il:rh-d parent. The servants are not per- 
 mitted to witness the awful scene, the solemnity of 
 which they m^ht disturb by lamentations or the c\- 
 
167 
 
 reution of which they might prevent by force or, 
 wanting their master's faith, might draw from it; infer- 
 ences unfavorable to religion. At this moment, to 
 awaken in his bosom extreme torture, "Isaac spake 
 unto Abraham hia father and said, My father: and lie 
 said, here am I, my son. And he said behold the fire 
 and the wood: but where is a lamb for a burnt offer- 
 ing? And Abraham said, My son, God shall provide 
 himself a lamb for a burnt ottering: so they went 
 both of them together. 5 ' But we will no longer at- 
 
 o o 
 
 tempt to scent the violet, and to paint the rainbow. 
 We must draw a veil oVer the scene: for who can en- 
 ter into a father's anguish as he raised his hand against 
 his child? and who shall be bold enough to attempt 
 a description of his rapture, when heaven, which had 
 put his faith to so severe a trial, commanded him to 
 forbear, and indeed provided itself a victim? 
 
 Before we enter upon the immediate subject of this 
 evening's discussion, humanity requires us to drop a 
 tear, also, over the grave of the once lovely Sarah, who 
 "died in Kirjath-arba." Twelve years after the trial of 
 his faith, this heavy stroke of calamity fell upon him; 
 "and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep 
 for her." Let not the unfeeling, and the gay, break 
 in upon the sacred privacy of domestic sorrow! It is 
 not the semblance of grief, which spreads a cloud over 
 the forehead of yonder venerable patriarch: real and 
 unaffected anguish causes those tears to flow. She had 
 been long the companion of his life she had shared 
 his joys and sorrows she had sojourned in tents with 
 him, a stranger in a strange land she had regarded 
 him with fondness up to her hundred and twenty-sev- 
 enth year. Her communion and friendship had 
 sweetened his distresses, and lightened his labors. The 
 
168 
 
 dissolving of this long connexion was loosening the fibres 
 which entwined about his heart; and while he exhibit, 
 ed the resignation of a saint, he felt as a man. Before 
 "the cave of the field of Machpelah" closes its mouth 
 for ever upon the precious dust, let the young and the 
 beautiful come, and look, for the last time, upon the 
 person whose loveliness had kindled desire in every 
 bosom, and had more than once ensnared her husband. 
 Let them gaze upon the dishonor of that, which even 
 time had respected, and age had spared. Let them 
 learn a lesson of humility, while they behold the tri- 
 umphs of death, and hear a husband entreating "a 
 possession of a burying place, that he may bury his 
 dead out of his sight," and hide that form from his 
 eyes, which he had never before beheld but with rap- 
 turous delight! 
 
 We pass over the events which occupied the few 
 remaining years of the life of Abraham, and the inter- 
 esting account of the marriage of Isaac. We leave 
 his two sons, to bury in the grave of their father their 
 mutual animosities; and we commit the dust of that 
 putriarch in silence, to rest by the side of his beloved 
 Sarah, till the morning of the resurrection. We pass 
 over the life of Isaac, whose disposition, according 
 with the kind dispensations of Providence, led him to 
 prefer the tranquillity of domestic life, to the* noise of 
 state, and to the applause of fame; and who was u a 
 plain man, dwelling in touts." In the bosom of bis 
 family, old age stole upon him, and he heard the voice 
 of years calling him to rest with his father Abraham. 
 The fraud of Jacob, and the sanguinary disposition of 
 ii, must uliko, be overlooked; nor can \vc pause to 
 comment upon that which might furnish so much in- 
 struction the sad consequences of the deception 
 
169 
 
 which he practised upon his father. Sin necessarily 
 brings with it its own punishment; and it made even 
 this tavored child an alien from his father's house, and 
 worse than a servant in the family of an avaricious, un- 
 feeling, unprincipled relation. His mother, whose par- 
 tiality to him projected and executed the plan for which 
 they both suffered so much in the event, advised him 
 to flee into Mesopotamia, and to "tarry for a few 
 days with his uncle Laban, till his brother's fury should 
 turn away." Alas! more than twenty years elapsed, 
 while he was a sojourner at Padan-aram; and when 
 he returned to the tent of his father, the maternal anx- 
 ieties and sorrows of Rebekah, werj buried with her, 
 deep and silent, in the dust of death! We must drop 
 these instructive records, and meet Jacob restored to 
 his father, just in time to close his eyes: and regarding 
 him henceforward but as the father of Joseph, we 
 must bring forwards so much cf his history only, as is 
 interwoven with the life and trials of his beloved son. 
 . Rachel had said u Give me children, or else I die! ' 
 How little do we know when our petitions are profitable 
 to us, and when they will prove injurious, if answered 
 in our own way! Not through the rejection, but in 
 the fulfilment, of her desire Rachel dies! That pillar, 
 which solicits, the eye of the traveller in the way to 
 Ephrath, tells a mournful story. It says, ''that the 
 hand of affection elevated it, as a memorial of "'depart- 
 ed joys, to point out the spot where a husband lost 
 the delight of his eyes, taken away at a stroke; that a 
 mother was slain upon her bed by the accomplish- 
 ment of her wish: that the cup of anticipated pleasure 
 was dashed from her pale lips before she tasted its 
 sweet u'ss; and that the man-child, so long desired as 
 the summit of her earthlv ambition, was named, as 
 22 
 
170 
 
 her soul was in departing, BENONI!" This is its sad 
 inscription and this is the grave of the mother of 
 JOSEPH! 
 
 Introduced under these circumstances, how inter- 
 esting he appears to every feeling mind! A child rob- 
 bed of his mother, 'excites universal commisseration, 
 and commands affection from every bosom. We 
 look forwards with anxiety to every future period of 
 his life; and our prayers, and our hopes, attend every 
 step of his journey. We mingle our tears with his, 
 on the grave of her, whose maternal heart lias ceased 
 to beat: for we feel that he is bereaved of the friend 
 and guide of his youth! His father would, but cannot, 
 supply her loss. In vain the whole circle of his friend- 
 ships blend their efforts to alleviate his sorrows, and to 
 fill the place occupied by departed worth: a mother 
 mast be missed every moment, by a child who has 
 ever known, and rightly valued one, when she sleeps 
 in the grave. No hand feels so soft as her's no voice 
 >ounds so sweet no smile is so pleasant! Never shall 
 he find again, in this wide wilderness, such sympathy, 
 such fondness, such fidelity, such tenderness, as he ex- 
 perienced from his mother! The whole world are mov- 
 ed with compassion for that motherless child: but the 
 whole world cannot supply her place to him! And to 
 interest your feelings, you are first made acquainted 
 with Joseph, at a period when he had lost the smile, 
 and the superintcndance, of his mother! 
 
 The history of his life opens upon us, also, when 
 he was of an age to command aftection, and to excite 
 solicitude. -Joseph, being seventeen years old, was 
 ig the flock with his brethren/' A youth of sev- 
 ifl placed in delicate, and dangerous, circumstan- 
 ces: he feels new passions and desires: he is assailed by 
 
171 
 
 new scenes and temptations: he is entering the most 
 perilous path of lite, with an immature ji^inent, a 
 vivid and deceptive imagination, a mind inexperienced 
 and impressible; and his whole life will be deeply af- 
 fected by the habits which he forms, and the princi- 
 ples which he assumes, at this early period. He, who 
 has weathered the storms, and experienced the wiles 
 of life, feels much solicitude for the unsuspicious youth 
 in taking this first step, which may, perhaps, for ever 
 afterwards, decide his character. The selection of his 
 society is an important concern: he will be moulded 
 into their image, and will be deeply influenced by their 
 example. Joseph associated with his brethren; and it 
 is fit, it is desirable, that "brethren should dwell togeth- 
 er in unity;" but experience teaches, that brethren are 
 not always the most suitable companions for each 
 other: too much is frequently expected on both sides, 
 of compliance, submission, or attention, and the bonds 
 of peace are broken asunder. Something like this, 
 appears to have been the case in the family of Jacob: 
 for "the lad was with the sons of Bilbah, and with 
 the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives: and Joseph 
 brought unto his father their evil report." In this one 
 instance, he does not appear in the most amiable light: 
 for, in every point of view, a talebearer is an odious, 
 and a dangerous person. 
 
 "Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his .chil- 
 dren, because he was the son of his old age: and he 
 made him a coat of many colors." Here lies the se- 
 cret spring of all the subsequent afflictions, both of the 
 parent, and of the child! Could any thing excuse pa- 
 rental partiality, the reasons alleged would do it: but 
 it is not to be excused; and he, who would keep his 
 best beloved safely, must not make it known that hf- 
 
is the best beloved: for it is a piece of injustice, which 
 nature, in the bosom of a brother, will never pardon. 
 And the fond father must publish his weakness, by 
 bestowing a mark of superior affection upon his darl- 
 ing boy, which would always meet the eye of his 
 brethren, and never could be seen without exciting the 
 worst of passions! Ah, Jacob! what are all the suffer- 
 ings of thy younger life forgotten? Did not parental 
 partiality drive thee from the shadow of a father's tent, 
 and the embraces of a mother's arms, to want and to 
 servitude? Yet all the afflictions which he endured in 
 the service of Laban, and all that he apprehended from 
 the murderous sword of Esau: all that he feared, and 
 all that he felt; had not guarded his heart against the 
 very weakness which had caused all his troubles. The 
 result was, what might have been expected "When 
 his brethren saw that his father loved him more than 
 all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak 
 rably unto him." When a parent feds, and dis- 
 covers, partiality to any one child above another, he 
 himself is the cause of all the evil that shall arise, to 
 wound his own peace, to render the object of his affec- 
 tion unamiahlc. to burst asunder the bonds of fraternal 
 unity, to destroy domestic harmony, and to promote 
 discord, strife, envy, and "every evil work." 
 
 God "who speakrth once, yea, twice, yet man 
 perceivrth it not;" who, -in a dream, in a vision of the 
 night, whrn deep sleep ialfeth upon men, in clumber- 
 ings upon thr bed, {.pcncth their cars, and sealeth their 
 instruction'' forrtold to Joseph, in two separate, yet 
 similar dreams, I, is future <v B fe the canon 
 
 of scripture was completed, divine designs were made 
 known i .-.rdiatc channels; and such 
 
 methods of communication, as those mentioned in this 
 
173 
 
 book, were frequent, before a written revelation waf 
 given, because they were necessary. 
 
 With more of honest simplicity, and of childish ex- 
 ultation, than of wisdom, and of prudence, he related 
 these dreams; and the rancor, which already corroded 
 fraternal affection, was increased in the bosom of his 
 envious brethren. They fed their flocks at a distance 
 from home, and it is probable had been absent seme days, 
 when the affectionate heart of Jacob yearned to know 
 of their welfare. He resolved to send Joseph, to bear to 
 them a parent's inquiries, and a parent's blessing. He could 
 not but have seen their smothered dislike to this amiable 
 youth: he had surely heard their half suppressed mur- 
 murings: and, no doubt, he marked them with fear and 
 concern. It is not impossible that he reflected upon 
 himself, for having, by his conduct, excited the ferment, 
 which he was now anxious to allay; and, perhaps, he 
 said in his heart 'By sending my child to inquire af- 
 ter their welfare, and making him the servant of their' 
 convenience, I shall wipe away their evil impressions 
 against him, and convince them of my regard for 
 them.' Little did he know the extent of the mischief 
 which his partiality had effected; and as little did he 
 appear to understand that "a brother offended is hard- 
 er to be won than a strong city!" 
 
 Behold, this lad in whom all his father's affections 
 centre, setting out from the vale of Hebron! Already 
 have the trembling lips of Jacob pronounced, "God be 
 gracious to thee, my son!" and now his aged eyes 
 are following him in his way to Shechem. Did no 
 presentiment of evil shake his heart with unusual fears, 
 when his faltering tongue, said, "farewell?" Yonder 
 youth, lightly treading the ground, and gaily pursuing 
 the path which led him from his father's trnt for ever. 
 
174 
 
 / 
 
 and from his father's presence for twenty three years ap- 
 prehends no approaching ill. And although his enemies 
 are cruel as death, there is ON& above, who shall de- 
 liver him from all their malice. 
 
 Wandering from place to place, his weary feet draw 
 nigh to Dothan; and lo, those whom he seeks are there, 
 watching his approach. Did not his heart leap for 
 joy, when he saw, once more, faces which he knew, 
 and brethren whom he loved? With sentiments far dif- 
 ferent do they gaze upon the lively hope of their fath- 
 er's old age! "And when they saw him afar off, even 
 before became near unto them, they conspired against 
 him to slay him." Ungrateful, and unnatural, that 
 they were! They could see a parent's failings but 
 could not recognize his kindness! In the person of that 
 beautiful youth, they only saw the favorite of their 
 father: envy had so blinded their eyes, that they did 
 not discover in him, a brother "bone of their bone, 
 and flesh of their flesh." 
 
 How does one vice lead the way to another! The 
 man who cherishes one evil passion cannot say where 
 it will end! He, who begins a course of iniquity, can- 
 not draw the line, and bay, "Thus far will I go, but no 
 further!" The brethren of Joseph first admitted envy 
 into their bosoms. After lying long, and being cher- 
 ished there, it generated the thought of bloodshed; and 
 the minds that entertained without pity the idea of 
 murder, easily contrived a lie to impose upon their 
 abused father. "And they said one to another, Be, 
 hold this dreamer cometh. Come now therefore, and 
 let us -!;tv him, and cast him into some pit; and we 
 will say, some evil beast hath devoured him: and we 
 yhall see what will become of his dreams!" 
 
175 
 
 i 
 
 Remorseless, and abandoned, as were this band of 
 ruffians (for who can pollute the sacred name of 
 brethren by applying it to murderers?) it appears that 
 amongst them there was one, in whom the flame of 
 duty, and affection, was not wholly extinguished. 
 Reuben retained in his bosom a small portion of re- 
 spect for his venerable and tried parent, of love to his 
 innocent brother, of the common feelings of humanity; 
 and he counselled them not to kill him, but to deposit 
 him in some pit; secretly intending to deliver him 
 from their hands, and to restore him to his father. 
 
 There is one thing worthy your attention, and 
 which renders their conduct the more cruel and unjust, 
 that, whatever might be the partiality of Jacob, Joseph 
 does not appear to have assumed any thing in conse- 
 quence of it, nor to have carried himself tosvards his 
 brethren with insolence. For aught that appears on 
 the sacred page, he seems ever to have treated them 
 with the utmost affection, and to have borne his ex- 
 altation, in his father's family, with meekness. 
 
 They stripped him of his coat, and having cast him 
 into a pit, ki sat down to eat bread!" At this moment, a 
 company of Ishmaelites passed by. And Judah said, 
 "What profit is it if we slay our brother? come, let us 
 sell him to the Ishmaelites!" Who does not blush to 
 be a partaker of human nature? of that nature, 
 which could coldly join the purpose of murder with 
 satisfying the common cravings of hunger and not 
 only unite the sacred name of brother with the design 
 of reducing that brother to the condition of a slave 
 but, to make the frightful picture complete, added to 
 all the rest the insatiable claims of avarice, and con- 
 sulted which method of disposing of their own "flesh* 1 
 would bring them the most "profit!" Surely in these 
 
bosoms nothing human was left undestroyed! To this 
 
 vile proposal the brethren consented (one only being 
 absent;) and they sold their brother to the Ishmaelites 
 for twenty pieces of silver. The absent brother re- 
 turned in an agony from the pit whence the child was 
 taken, and lamented his loss, with feelings worthy of 
 him, and with a sincerity that will one day shield him 
 from the pangs of conscience, which those unrelent- 
 ing bosoms shall feel. 
 
 It now remained, that they should complete their 
 purpose, and finish their unnatural plan, by deceiving 
 their too confiding father, and by persuading him, that 
 his beloved child was devoured by some wild beast. 
 This was accordingly done. A kid was killed, and 
 the fatal pledge of parental affection dyed in blood. 
 
 I see the venerable old man waiting at the door of 
 his tent for the return of his beloved boy! He says to 
 himself 'Several hours have elapsed since he depart- 
 ed! he might have returned long ere now! The shad- 
 ows of the evening are falling fast! He will be bewil 
 dered in his path! Why is he so long in coming? 
 Surely he is safe!' Now he walks a little way from 
 the door of his tent to meet him; and his eyes, far 
 more active than his feet, cast many a wishful, anxi- 
 ous look, towards Shechem. At length, a company 
 is seen at a distance his eager gaze impatiently exam- 
 them. 'Yes' he exclaims with exultation 'they 
 arc my sons' and his heart leaps for joy! As they 
 approach, all his fears, and anxieties, return with ten- 
 fold weight upon him. In vain In- runs over the 
 whole company with his eye, in search of the object 
 of his affection Joseph is not with them and they 
 draw near to confirm, too sadly confirm, his worst ap- 
 prehensions! The bloodstained robe met the distracted 
 
177 
 
 sight of the wretched parent. Most probably, hypoc- 
 risy shrouded the countenance of these unnatural sons, 
 with the borrowed mantle of seeming sorrow. Their 
 tale of falsehood is told: the witness of their story ap- 
 pears in their hand; and the silence of grief, at length, 
 gives way to the phrensy of despair. u lt is my son's 
 
 coat' 7 he exclaims ''an evil beast hath devoured him! 
 
 Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces. And he re- 
 fused to be comforted, and said, 1 will go down into 
 the grave to my son mourning!"' 
 
 In the mean time "Joseph was brought down to 
 Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of 
 the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of 
 the 1 shmaelites." Here the God of his father interfer- 
 ed, and was with the little Hebrew captive, and bles- 
 sed his master for his sake. So conspicuously was the 
 hand of Heaven seen in his house, and in all the con- 
 cerns which he committed to his servant that this 
 man, although a stranger to God, noticed it, and had 
 gratitude enough to reward it; "and he left all that he 
 had in Joseph's hand; and he knew not ought he had, 
 save the bread which he did eat." 
 1 The hour of temptation is at hand. Prosperity is 
 generally suceeded by trial. When thy day, my young 
 friend, is unusually serene, expect a tempest to follow. 
 I shall draw a veil over the scene of trial to which his 
 purity was exposed: for it would ill become us to en- 
 force even Joseph's piety, at the expense of a blush 
 from the cheek of modesty. All circumstances consid- 
 ered, the temptation was violent; and such as none but 
 those, who, like Joseph, have the fear of God before 
 their eyes, could have withstood. But his arguments 
 were strong, and unanswerable: "How can I do this 
 great wickedness, and sin against God?" This noble 
 23 
 
178 
 
 principle shall not go unrewarded. The righteous de- 
 mands of religion may for a season seem to expose us 
 to danger: but the eye of God beholds integrity in the 
 heart that cleaves to him, and the hand of God will 
 recompense it. 
 
 By the tongue of falsehood, his master was pre- 
 vailed upon to cast this injured and virtuous youth in- 
 to prison. We pause one moment to mark here I he 
 overruling hand of Heaven. DEATH was the punish- 
 ment inflicted upon those who are guilty of the crime 
 of which he was accused; and here is the first interpo- 
 sition of God in reward of his innocence. Yet his lot 
 was bitter; for he was immured in the king's prison, 
 and -the iron entered into his soul." 
 
 Behold him reduced to the lowest ebb of fortune 
 ; 'a stranger in a strange land" shut out from liberty 
 denied to breathe the pure air of heaven lying un- 
 der the imputation of a detestable crime and strip- 
 ped of every thing, except that which the world's 
 wealth cannot purchase, the testimony of a good con- 
 science, and the presence and Spirit of God. Yet the 
 hand of Deity is secretly working for him, both with- 
 in, and without, the place of his confinement. To 
 lighten his bondage, he now finds that favor in the 
 eyes of the keeper of the prison, which he formerly 
 found with Potiphar; and by the wise decisions of 
 Providence tvvo of the principal servants of Pharaoh 
 are sent to the same house of bondage." Long had 
 they not been under the same n>if with Joseph, before 
 the visions of the Almighty visited them; and two 
 dreams predicted the restoration of the one to favor, 
 and the termination of the hopes and fears of the oth- 
 er in death. With affectionate sympathy, Joseph in- 
 rjuired why the cloud of grief sat heavy on their coun- 
 
179 
 
 tenances; and, upon the relation of their dreams separ- 
 ately, he gave to each, with fidelity, their interpi 
 tion. Upon the conviction that the chief butler was 
 abjut to be restored to his oftice; he builds a hope that, 
 through his instrumentality, he may once more be 
 permitted to breathe the air, and see the light of heav- 
 en at large; and the sensibility with which he describes 
 his former situation, and his present circumstances, 
 while he entreats his fellow prisoner to remember him, 
 is so natural, and so pathetic, that none but an heart of 
 stone can read his melancholy tale without feel- 
 ing. "But think on me when it shall be well with 
 thee, and shew kindness, I pray thee, unto me; and 
 make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring 
 me out of this house. For indeed I was stolen away 
 out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also have I 
 done nothing that they should put me into the dun- 
 geon!" 
 
 Every thing took place precisely as he had predict- 
 ed: "Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph: 
 but forgat him." Such is the friendship of the world, 
 it is founded in interest, and dissolved for convenience. 
 It is all promise; and he who relies upon it, will sit 
 down in the bitterness of disappointment to deplore 
 his folly, In the hour of affliction, when this man 
 was a fellow-prisoner with Joseph, and was comfort- 
 ed by him, a transient emotion of affection for his 
 "companion in tribulation" stirred in his bosom. Na- 
 ture was not dead within him; and humanity plead- 
 ed for one so young, so kind, and so injured, as Joseph. 
 A string of tenderness was touched in his heart: but, 
 alas, its vibrations ceased, and it relapsed into a state 
 of rest, so soon as the hand which struck it was with- 
 drawn. When he was exalted to power, and restored 
 
ISO 
 
 to prosper!!}*, Joseph \vas left to pine amid all the hor- 
 rors of solitary imprisonment, and to feel the pang in- 
 flicted by neglect. 
 
 At length, when hope deferred made the heait sick, 
 the mercy of God interposed; and He, whose power is 
 manifested to deliver in the moment of extremity pro- 
 cured that enlargement for Joseph, which he had en- 
 treated from the friendship of the chief butler in vain. 
 Pharaoh had two remarkable dreams, and was troub- 
 led: his own distress, on a similar occasion, rose before 
 the eyes of the chief butler, and recalled Joseph with 
 all his amiable qualities to his memory. "Then spake 
 the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, I do remember 
 my faults this day. Pharaoh was wrath with his ser- 
 vants, and put me in .ward in the captain of the guard's 
 house, both me and the chief baker. And we dream- 
 ed a dream in one night, I arid he: we dreamed each 
 man according to the interpretation of his dream. And 
 there was there with us a young man, an Hebrew ser- 
 vant to the captain of the guard; and we told him, and 
 he interpreted to us our dreams: to each man according 
 to his dream he did interpret. And it came to pass, 
 as he interpreted to us, so it was: me he restored unto 
 mine office, and him he hanged." 
 
 Joseph was brought before Pharaoh, in consequence of 
 Misrepresentation; and liaving heard the dreams which 
 had agitat-J antl perplexed the king, he interpreted them 
 as imp] ii yearsof plenty and-seven years of fam- 
 
 ine, God luiil given to this young man a wisdom more 
 precious than all the treasures of Egypt; and Pharaoh 
 had hin > to value and reward it, where helv- 
 
 hcld ithinuril with, integrity and >vi,ith. Ilestq-pal at 
 once ft- i to a tlin ne; ftl <i ; B&sed, in-m tie 
 
 menial .t to the captain of the 
 
181 
 
 to the second chariot, and to the second office in the 
 kingdom. At thirty years of age, Pharaoh conM;- 
 ted him governor of all Egypt. All elevations 
 Dangerous: but those which are sudden, are of all oth- 
 ers the most perilous. Joseph needed more grace, and 
 more strength, to preserve him in his newly acquired 
 dignities and honors, than to support him in his afflic- 
 tions and persecutions. B>!t he, whose hand conduct- 
 ed him to fame and to splendor, preserved his heart, 
 that he was not ensnared by them. He, who made 
 him patient in tribulation, made him also faithful in 
 prosperity. 
 
 By the management of this extraordinary young 
 man during the years of plenty, enough was laid up in 
 store to supply the whole kingdom, so long as the des- 
 olating scourge of famine was shaken over Egypt, 
 and the adjacent countries. The history of Joseph, 
 and the circumstances of this famine, are mentioned 
 by Justin, in his abridgment of the history of Trogus 
 Pompeus: in w r hich, he has blended together, as is 
 customary in traditions, that which is true, and that 
 which is fabulous. He ascribes the knowledge of fu- 
 turity which this favorite of Heaven possessed, to the 
 
 exercise of magicial arts but you shall hear him 
 
 speak for himself. The following is his language, 
 "Among his brethren, Joseph, in point of age, was the 
 youngest; and fearing the superiority of his genius; 
 they surprised, and secretly sold him to foreign mer- 
 chants, by whom he was carried into Egypt; where he 
 exercised magicial arts with singular ability, which 
 rendered him much beloved by the king. For he was 
 most sagacious in the solution of prodigies; and first 
 found out the explanation of dreams; and nothing of 
 divine, or of human wisdom, seemed to be concealed 
 
182 
 
 from him! So that he foresaw the sterility of the lands, 
 many years before it took place; and all Egypt had 
 perished by famine, had not the king, by his admoni- 
 tion, in a decree, commanded the fruits to be preserved 
 many years. And such was his experience, that his 
 answers seemed to be given by a God, rather than by 
 a man."* Such is the testimony of this writer. 
 
 The famine extending to the land of Canaan, the 
 family of Jacob began to be in want. Poor old man! 
 his sorrows thickened upon his head, at a time of life 
 when nature demanded repose. Usually, after a 
 stormy and rough day, in eventide there is light: but 
 the lower his sun descended, the darker was the cloud 
 which gathered upon it. A numerous family age 
 infirmity want these are sad companions! What is 
 to be done? Tidings have reached him, that there is 
 corn in Egypt, and his sons are sent thither: but mind- 
 ful of his loss, the patriarch retains Benjamin, the only 
 pledge that remained to him of Rachel's affection. 
 And now is the divine prescience made manifest! This 
 knot of ruffians, whose eye had no pity, are to feel in 
 their turn the roughness of unkindness; and they who 
 sported with a brother's tears, shall see "what will be- 
 come of his dreams!" I am delighted to observe their 
 embarrassment, and their fears, while they are treated 
 as spies and Jicnjamin is required and Simeon is 
 bound before their faces as a pledge of their return 
 with their younger brother: rnd I love to listen to the 
 language of their guilty awakened consciences. They 
 had slept for twenty years, and it is time they should 
 be roused from their *lumlK*r.s. "And they said one 
 to another, We are verily guilty concerning our broth 
 
 * J. 
 
183 
 
 cr, m that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he 
 besought us; and we would not hear: therefore is this 
 distress come upon us!" 
 
 They left Egypt for their father's tent with heavy 
 hearts, although they were supplied with corn for their* 
 immediate necessities; and their anxieties were not a 
 little increased, when they found that their money was 
 restored. But while I enjoy their punishment, I 
 grieve to think how heavy all this will fall upon the 
 head of Jacob! As they told their tale, all the sorrows 
 of his heart were opened anew: but when they came 
 to require Benjamin, he could restrain his emotions 
 no longer; and he said "Me have ye bereaved of my 
 children: Joseph is not. and Simeon is not, and ye 
 will take Benjamin away. All these things are against 
 me! My son shall not go down with you: for \i,s 
 brother is dead, and he is left alone; if mischief befall 
 him by the way in the which ye go,then shall ye bring 
 dow?i rny gray hairs with sorrow to the grave!" 
 
 Bat the hand of God is heavy stiil on the land, and 
 the pressure of famine reduces them to the necessity of 
 agdin Visiting Egypt, With reluctance Israel parted 
 with his youngest son, and Judah laid himself under 
 the most solemn engagement to restore him to the 
 arms of his father. This engagement was put to a 
 severe trial! They were received more kindly than at 
 first; and Benjamin was distinguished by the peculiar 
 favor of the ruler of Egypt. The time of their de- 
 parture came and they commenced their journey in 
 peace with their number complete and with the 
 fairest hope to reach their home without evil, and to 
 gladden the eyes of their father with the sight of Sim- 
 eon, whom they had left bound, and of Benjamin with 
 whom he had so reluctantly parted. 
 
184 
 
 Now in order to detain them, Joseph had com- 
 manded his steward secretly to convey his cup into 
 the sack of the youngest; and when they had left the 
 city, he issued orders that they should be pursued? 
 charged with the theft, and brought back to his pres- 
 ence. They were overtaken; and the charge was pre- 
 ferred agaiilst them. Secure in their innocence, they 
 said, "Wherefore saith my lord these words? God for- 
 bid that thy servants should do according to this 
 thing! Behold, the money which we found in our 
 sacks' mouths, we brought again unto thee out of the 
 land of Canaan: how then should we steal out of thy 
 lord's house silver or gold? With whomsoever of thy 
 servants it be found, both let him die, and we also will 
 be my lord's bondmen." After this declaration, what 
 was their horror and distraction when tl the cup was 
 found in Benjamin's sack!" 
 
 In unutterable agony they are brought back into 
 the presence of Joseph and offer to become his ser- 
 vants! this offer is rejected, on principles of justice, and 
 he only is required, in whose sack the cup was found. 
 But this was all that they dreaded and to return 
 without him was worse than death! It was then that 
 the engagement of Judah presented itself to him in all 
 its force; and he pleaded for his brother with all the 
 eloquence of distress, and in a language which it would 
 .ijury to imitate. '-Then Judah came near unto 
 him, and said, Oh my lord, let thy servant, 1 pray thee, 
 speak a word in my lord's curs, and let not thine 
 :r burn against thy servant: for thou art rven as 
 .raoh. My lord asked his servant-. >ayii.g. Have 
 : father, or a brother? And we saivl unto my lord, 
 We have a father, an old man. and a child of his old 
 age, a little one: and his brother is 'lead, i-.nd he alone 
 
185 
 
 is left of his mother, and his father loveth him. And 
 thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down unto 
 me, that I may set mine eyes upon him. And 
 we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his 
 father, for if he should leave his father, his father 
 would die! And thou saidst unto thy servants, Ex- 
 cept your youngest brother come down with you, ye 
 shall see my face no more. And it came to pass, 
 when we came up unto thy servant my father, we told 
 him the words of my lord. And our father said. Go 
 again and buy us a little food. And we said, We 
 cannot go down: if our youngest brother be with us, 
 then will we go down; for we may not see the man's 
 face, except our youngest brother be with us. And 
 fchy servant my father said unto us. Ye know that 
 my wife bear me two sons. And the one went out 
 from me, and I said, surely he is torn in pieces; and I 
 saw him not since. And if ye take this also from me, 
 and mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my gray 
 hairs with sorrow to the grave! Now therefore when 
 I come to thy servant my father, and the lad be not 
 with us: seeing that his lite is bound up in the lad's 
 life; it shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is 
 not with us, that he will die! and thy servants shall 
 bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father 
 with sorrow to the grave! For thy servant became 
 surety for the lad unto my father, saying, If I bring 
 him not unto thee, then I shall bear the blame to my 
 father for ever! Now therefore, I pray thee, let ihy ser- 
 vant abide instead of the lad, a bondman to my lord; 
 and let the lad go up with his brethren. For how 
 shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me? 
 lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come on my 
 father!" 
 
 24 
 
186 
 
 O powerful nature! how irresistible is thy language! 
 No rules of composition could produce an effect equal 
 to this pathetic appeal to the heart! Eloquence flows 
 along in a soft, unruffled stream, which leaves no 
 trace on the memory over which it has passed: it 
 charms the ear with its selection of language, but dies 
 away with the vibrations which the tongue of the ora- 
 tor excites in the air: but the voice of nature leads the 
 bosom captive; and the heart of Joseph must have 
 been adamant had he not felt it! But he did feel it 
 and unable any longer to "refrain himself," he order- 
 ed all his servants to leave him, while he made himself 
 known to his brethren, and wept aloud! The scene 
 which follows is too affecting to delineate! Language 
 cannot describe it! The inquiries after his father, the 
 gentle forgiveness tendered to his brethren, and his 
 commission to Jacob all ail, transcend human 
 power to paint; it was the inspired penman alone who 
 could portray them! Here, then, we shall follow the 
 modest example of a celebrated painter, who unable to 
 delineate the agony of a father hanging over the corpse 
 of an only child, hid his face in the robes which veiled 
 IUT lifeless remains. 
 
 Here we might pause, for a few moments, to reflect 
 upon the wonders of Providence! Every thing predict- 
 ed in the dreams of Joseph was fulfilled, and the very 
 steps which his brethren took to prevent it, accomplish- 
 ed the whole. But we must bring you to the close of 
 this history, and we could make no remarks, which 
 are not already comprised in one text of scripture: 
 Many are the devices of a man's heart; nevertheless, 
 the counsel of the Lord, that *hall stand!" 
 
 Behold thnn once again upon their journry: but 
 with what different feelings to the day when they left 
 
187 
 
 Simeon bound behind them, and were required to 
 bring Benjamin? Now the way seems annihilated, so 
 swiftly do they pass, and so speedily do they reach the 
 tent of their father. With the abruptness of joy, they 
 tell a tale, which ought to have been delivered with 
 caution, and by degrees: "Joseph is yet alive! and he 
 is governor over all the land of Egypt!" and it is al- 
 most too much for that shattered frame "And Jacob's 
 heart fainted, for he believed them not!" But u when 
 he saw (he waggons which Joseph had sent to carry 
 him his spirit revived: And Israel said, It is enough! 
 Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see him be- 
 fore I die'/' 
 
 We will not accompany him along a journey, the 
 fatigues of which are lightened, by the anticipated 
 pleasure of feasting his eyes once more on the counte- 
 nance of his beloved child: but we cannot refrain from 
 gratifying you, by permitting you to witness the 
 meeting of such a father, and of such a son, after an 
 absence of more than twenty years. "And Joseph 
 made ready his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his 
 father to Goshen: and presented himself unto him: and 
 he fell on his neck, and wept on his neck, a good 
 while. And Israel said unto Joseph, Now let me die, 
 since I have seen thy face, that thou art yet alive!'" 
 
 When the first emotions of this meeting were over, 
 and they had separately time to collect their thoughts, 
 aind to talk calmly, how much each of them would 
 h'ave to relate! Joseph would mark with paVi, the rav- 
 agtes which sorrow and time had made on his father's 
 person, and the wrinkles which they had planted in 
 his 'face! Jacob would delight in retracing the reseuv 
 
 * See note 2, of this Lecture, at the end of the velum?. 
 
188 
 
 blance of the features of a man of forty, to those of a 
 lad of seventeen;' which was the age of Joseph when 
 he was snatched from him! And with what mutual 
 interest, would they listen to the alternate recital of 
 their mutual sufferings! 
 
 But it was necessary that Jacob should be introduc- 
 ed to Pharaoh, whose curiosity was probably greatly 
 excited to see the father of Joseph; and who must 
 have been much struck with the appearance of the 
 venerable patriarch. "And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, 
 How old art thou? And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, 
 The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hun- 
 dred and thirty years: few and evil have the days of 
 the years of my life been, and have not attained unto 
 the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the 
 days of their pilgrimage!" This was not only an an- 
 swer to the king's question, but an epitome of his own 
 life! 
 
 About seventeen years of tranquillity succeeded the 
 storms, and rendered serene the evening, of the patri- 
 arch's life and "the time drew near that Israel must 
 die!" His family were convened around him: and his 
 blessings poured upon the head of Joseph; and of the 
 sons of Joseph and of the brethren of Joseph with 
 parental tenderness, and with prophetic fidelity. "And 
 when Jacob had made an end of commanding his 
 sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yield- 
 ed up the ghost, and was gathered to his people." 
 
 This was a separation more awful and affecting tha.i 
 any which had yet taken place; and who docs no syni- 
 pathize with the pious and affectionate son, as he 
 "mourned with : and very sme lamentati* 
 
 and as he coi. ^ ;-neil the remains of his father to i'e- 
 pose by the dust of his family? "There they buried 
 
189 
 
 Abraham and Sarah his wife, there they buried Isaac 
 and Rebekah his wife, there he buiied Leah," and in 
 the same grave his beloved son deposited his body! 
 
 But to human grief there must be boundaries. The 
 imperious claims of public, of domestic, and of private 
 duty, called upon him to dry his tears and he obey- 
 ed them. He continued to serve Pharaoh with fideli- 
 ty to lead up his family in the fear of God to speak 
 kindly to his brethren and to nourish their little ones. 
 And this appears to have been his unremitting employ- 
 ment, through the space of fifty-four years: at the 
 close of which time, and at the age of an hundred and 
 ten, he followed his father down into the grave; and left 
 his bones to the charge of his brethren, to be deposited, 
 when the providence of God should see fit, by those of 
 his deceased family. 
 
 In concluding this interesting and pathetic history, we 
 arrive at the close of the book of Genesis; the follow- 
 ing remarks may not be deemed unnecessary, before 
 this portion of the sacred writings is entirely dismissed. 
 
 1. The facts which it relates, are such as it concerns 
 us to know, and such as an inspired communication 
 must necessarily contain: for they are such, for the 
 most part, as could be obtained through no other 
 channel than revelation. Who, for instance, but a 
 man divinely instructed, could give us an account of 
 the creation of all things, and of the destination of 
 man? And yet these are the first subjects after which 
 we naturally inquire; and we expect satisfaction from 
 a volume professedly inspired. 
 
 2. It appears that Moses is the true and sole au- 
 thor of this book and for these several reasons: He is 
 allowed to be, on the testimony of the heathens the 
 most ancient^ lawgiver: the Jews, who are governed 
 
190 
 
 by these laws, acknowledge no other legislator* and 
 when we are informed that Solon gave laws to A- 
 thens, and Lycurgus to Lacedaeinon, we credit the as- 
 sertion, because it is made by the nations themselves, 
 through the medium of their historians, and all gener- 
 ations have, in succession, admitted their testimony; 
 and we have the same evidence in favor of Moses. 
 Neither, even admitting a book of this description 
 could be forged, could it be imposed upon a whole peo- 
 ple, without detection, by any impostor of later date 
 than Moses himself. 
 
 3. The connexion between Genesis, and the suc- 
 ceeding books, is such that if this be removed, those 
 which remain are unintelligible; and preserving it, ev- 
 ery thing is connected and luminous: so that the book 
 which we have just finished, must be admitted into the 
 canon of scripture, and among the writings of Moses, 
 or the whole of the five books expunged; and then have 
 you wiped out the first record which Reason expects of 
 Revelation an account of things which necessarily 
 extend beyond our own province, and as necessarily 
 fall within that of Revelation. Besides which, the har- 
 mony of the whole volume is broken: for it proceeds 
 throughout upon principles contained in this first book; 
 and the authority of the scriptures, from first to last, 
 is destroyed: for an appeal is made in every successive 
 part of the Bible, to events which are recorded, and to 
 facts which arc stated, in Genesis. 
 
 4. The historian writes like a man convinced of the 
 truth of that which he advances. 1 Ie appeals to things 
 at that time well known, which are now lost; and it 
 
 ;isy to conceive how the several lads which he re- 
 lates were transmitted to him. Admitting that he 
 could impose upon us, and upon succeeding genera- 
 tions, who will be still more removed from the era of 
 
191 
 
 his facts, and the scene of transactions which he has 
 stated, he could not have imposed upon those with 
 whom he lived, and who were themselves by tradition 
 well acquainted with the facts which he relates. Should 
 any man be disposed, after all that has been said, to 
 determine that the whole is a fable, before he finally 
 draws his conclusions, we intreut him once more to 
 read over the history of Joseph, in all its native sim- 
 plicity, as recorded in the Bible, and we w r ould be 
 satisfied to rest our argument upon this alone: we think 
 that no one could for a moment imagine that it is a 
 fiction: we would even venture to appeal to skepti- 
 cism itself to determine, whether any thing could so 
 affect the heart, short of truth and nature. 
 
 5. The difference of style between the book of Gen- 
 esis, and those which succeed, which some have al- 
 leged as an evidence that they had not the same au- 
 thor, may be accounted for on this principle: that in 
 this he records things which took place before he w r as 
 born; in those, he relates the transactions of his own 
 day, to which he was an eye- witness. Those who 
 have supposed, that if Moses had been the author of 
 this part of the Bible, he would not have spoken of 
 himself in the third person, appear to us to have pointed 
 out one of his principal beauties, and to have confirm- 
 ed his general character: for egotism would have ill 
 become "the meekest of men" 
 
 But it is time that we retire to our respective hab- 
 itations, for meditation and prayer. 
 
LECTURE VII. 
 
 INTERMEDIATE LECTURE. 
 
 A SCRIPTURAL REPRESENTATION OF THE NA- 
 TURE AND DESTINATION OF MAN. 
 
 GEN. II. 7. 
 
 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the 
 ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of 
 life; and man became a living soul. 
 
 JOB xxxii, 8. 
 
 There is a spirit in man; and the inspiration of the 
 Almighty giveth them understanding. 
 
 WHY does my heart beat with pulsations of rapture, 
 when my eye measures yonder heavens, or glides 
 over hills and vallies along the surface of this beauti- 
 ful world? When the dew sparkles upon the ground, 
 a kindred tear glitters upon my countenance: but it 
 is not the tear of sorrow; it springs from a well of 
 unspeakable pleasure which I feel flowing within my 
 bosom! Is it merely the softness, or the grandeur, of 
 the scenery by which I am surrounded, that affects me? 
 No! but my spirit meets a Parent walking invisibly on 
 the globe that he formed, and woiking manifestly on 
 my right hand and on my left. All these lovely ob- 
 a;e the productions of his skill, the result of hi^ 
 wisdom, the tokens of his benevolence, the imperfect 
 images of his greatness. Every thing demonstrates 
 the, being and perfcetions of Deity. I see him em- 
 purpling the <:a^t before the sun in the morning, and 
 
193 
 
 wheeling the orb on which I live round upon its axis* 
 I behold him throwing the mantle of darkness over me 
 in the evening, and kindling the skies into radiance by 
 unveiling suns and worlds without number and with- 
 out end. I gather a flower, and am revived by its 
 fragrance; I see shade melting into shade infinitely 
 above any combination of colors, which art can pro- 
 duce. To aid the organ of vision, I inspect through the 
 microscope, an insect: I see it painted into a thousand 
 brilliances, and displaying a thousand beauties, im- 
 perceptible to the naked eye. I stand convinced 
 that no mortal pencil could delineate the loveliness of 
 its form. I perceive a grain of corn peeping above 
 the earth. It scarcely rears its light green head 
 over the ground. I visit it clay after day, and month 
 after month. It gradually increases. It is an inch 
 it is a foot in height. Now it assumes a new shape. 
 Tt vegetates afresh. The ear begins to form to 
 expand to fill. Now it has attained its growth it 
 ripens it is matured. I have narrowly watched the 
 progress of vegetation; and have seen its advancement. 
 I beheld every day adding something to its height, and 
 to its perfection: but the hand which raised it from "the 
 blade to the ear, and to the full corn in the ear," escaped 
 iny researches. I find a crysalis, and watch the secret 
 movements of nature. The insect is shrouded in a liv- 
 ing tomb. It begins to stir: it increases in strength 
 and the butterfly breaks from its confinement. Meeting 
 with ten thousand such wonderful productions every 
 day I recognzie in them the great Spirit that ani- 
 mates all created nature, and I am compelled to ac- 
 knowledge, "O Lord our Governor! how excellent is 
 thy name in all the earth; and thou hast set thy glory 
 above the heavens." 
 25 
 
194 
 
 I pass on to the animal creation. There I perceive 
 other operations, and am overwhelmed with new won- 
 ders. The principle on which they act, and which is 
 termed instinct, is the gift of God; and it appears to 
 differ from the immortal principle in man, in its con- 
 finement to a certain inferior standard, and in its di- 
 rection to one particular pursuit, adapted to the pecul- 
 iar nature and exigences of its possessor. I see the 
 timid acquiring courage while they have a maternal 
 part to perform; and, forgetting to measure the dispro- 
 portion between their own strength and that of their 
 antagonist, boldly assaulting those superior animals, 
 which designedly or unintentionally, disturb the repose 
 of their young. Their instinct enables them to per- 
 form those things to which it is particularly adapted, 
 with more order and facility than man, with his supe- 
 rior understanding, can accomplish; and, with the sim- 
 ple tools of nature, they effect that which the complex 
 machinery of art cannot produce. All that animate 
 creation, from the elephant, and fct that great leviathan, 7 ' 
 among animals, to the bee, and the ant, among insects, 
 still conduct us to the invisible God; and we say, "The 
 earth is full of thy riches; so is this great and wide sea. 
 wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small 
 and great beasts. O Lord, how manifold are thy 
 works! in wisdom hast thou made them all." 
 
 B.it all these are far inferior to man. He blends in 
 his own person, the nature and properties of all. He 
 has the vegetation of the plant for his limbs expand 
 and grow; and he combines with it the properties of 
 the animal for he lives and moves: he possesses also 
 their distinguishing principle of action, instinct for his 
 rye closes self instructed against the i\y which blindly 
 rushes upon it, on a summer's evening. But he has a 
 
195 
 
 superior principle; and here is he in truth the Lord 
 of Creation. "There is a spirit in man; and the in- 
 spiration of the Almighty giveth him understanding/' 
 These words well express the substance of the Lecture 
 proposed for this evening: the subject of which is 
 
 A SCRIPTURAL REPRESENTATION OF THE NATURE AND 
 DESTINATION OF MAN. 
 
 While Elihu declares what man is, Moses leads us 
 back to the contemplation of what he was; and both 
 develope how he came to be what he is. "And the 
 Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and 
 breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man 
 became a living soul." The combined testimonies of 
 these scriptures require us to declare the NATURAL 
 DIGNITY of man, and to unveil THE SOURCE of his 
 greatness; and from each of these considerations some 
 REFLECTIONS will arise, important to us, as intelligent, 
 responsible beings. 
 
 The passages we have selected convey a forcible 
 description of 
 
 1. THE NATURAL DIGNITY OF MAN. 
 
 "There is a spirit in man" "Man became a living 
 soul." And 
 
 1. WHAT is SPIRIT? Every inquiry into the nature, 
 power and phenomena of mind every search into its 
 union to matter, its mode of operation, its dependance, 
 or the contrary, upon this exterior vehicle and instru- 
 ment of its volitions every question agitated respect- 
 ing its modes of existence, and their several relations 
 is interesting and important. But these inquiries 
 should be made with humility, these researches pur- 
 sued with caution, these questions agitated with diffi- 
 
106 
 
 dence, and the several conclusions which we deduce 
 in support of any favorite hypothesis, should be in- 
 ferred and maintained in a spirit totally opposite to 
 dogmatism: since, such is our uncertainty after the 
 most laborious investigations, and our darkness in de- 
 fiance of the lights which Revelation and philosophy 
 have respectively furnished, that little more than con- 
 jecture can be obtained after all; and while the pride 
 of man on the wing for information, aspires to noth- 
 ing less than demonstration, his reason, fatigued 
 with her daring flight into regions so unexplored, 
 is compelled, for the most part, to sit down at the 
 lowest stage of evidence probability. 
 
 Our object is not to render this Lecture a mere 
 philosophical essay, but simply and seriously to in- 
 quire what we are, and to what we are destined. We 
 shall not attempt to enter far into that, which has been 
 the mj 7 stcry of every age: but shall be satisfied with 
 proving the position laid down, that "there is a spirit in 
 rhan." We shall describe some of the more obvious 
 properties of mind, in answering the inquiry, "whul i> 
 spirit?" without laboring to "darken counsel by words 
 without knowledge," in attempting a solution of //*,', 
 which in this world can never satisfactorily be sol 
 
 I feel within me a principle superior to the tab ; 
 cle which it inhabits. I mark a similar principle in 
 my brethren of mankind: at least I see them alVectcd 
 in the same way, and I conclude that they are agit:. 
 from the same causes. I discern these impressions in 
 a child but faintly: they wax stronger and stroi> 
 they grow with his growth, stren^lhen with his 
 vigor, and increase with his age. 1 discover inii 
 
 ifi on the animal creation resembling those: but 
 they are limited; they act always in the same way; 
 
19? 
 
 in we, they are illimitable; they assume a thousand 
 different shapes; and they are confined to no certain 
 standard. I conclude that "there is a spirit h; usan.' 7 
 But this spirit is not to be defined; and is best iL.der- 
 stood by the effects that it produces. Let us therefore 
 inquire, 
 
 2. WHAT ARE ITS OPERATIONS? On all occasions it 
 compares, it combines, it reasons, it judges. Whenever 
 a subject is presented, it considers its parts, compares 
 its probabilities and the contrary, and forms its decis- 
 ions upon the preponderance of the one or the other. 
 I see my friend; and the sound of his voice commu- 
 nicates joy to my bosom; its tones vibrate upon my 
 heart, as well as upon my ear. The blood circulates 
 along my veins with greater rapidity. Pleasure di- 
 lates all my powers, and the feelings of my heart rush 
 to my eyes. I read the same emotions in his coun- 
 tenance. I see the same rapture thrilling through his 
 frame. It is the mingling of kindred spirits. Some- 
 times the communication is made through the medium 
 of the eye, and his hand-writing imparts the same 
 pleasurable sensations as the tones of his voice: but it 
 
 is still the spirit that speaks within me. He dies 
 
 and all is changed! The face of nature seems no more, 
 lovely. The vicissitudes of seasons charm me no lon- 
 ger. My bosom is oppressed; and as 1 stand over the 
 grave of my departed comforts, my sorrows fo A ce 
 their way to my eyes, and my tears fall upon the un- 
 conscious dust. I wander, in an agony of grief, over 
 his deserted habitation. Time> which mellows my af- 
 flictions, is unable to remove it altogether, and it irsc!l-> 
 only into the softer shade of melancholy. The sun 
 shines, and the seasons return, since his departure as 
 before: but they are not the same to me! Whence is 
 
198 
 
 is this change? or why these emotions and passions at 
 all? "There is a spirit in man!" 
 
 When I raise my hand, it is in consequence of an 
 impulse of my mind; and when I walk out, my will 
 determines the road which I shall take: but 11 tnere 
 were u no spirit in man,' 7 there could be no will o de- 
 termine, and when that spirit is removed, the b 
 sinks into a state of rest. Year after year, I lose my 
 connexions: but the bond of our union is inais^oiuoie 
 even by death. Memory uncovers the grave, 
 and the form of those whom I ioved, rises per- 
 fect before me. 1 meet them in the room which they 
 occupied; and the ground on which they trod becomes 
 holy. As the man sinks into the vale of years, the 
 scenes of his former days recur, in all the vivid colors 
 in which they were presented to him in the days of 
 his youth. He well recollects the house in which his 
 childhood was passed; and the field over which he 
 strolled in quest of the wild flow r er, or in pursuit of the 
 insect; and as he reviews these early enjoyment?, he 
 seems to live them over again. This is another of the 
 operations of the mind; and it furnishes another evi- 
 dence that "there is a spirit in man." 
 
 The radiance of yonder orb scarcely reaches the 
 man. Science discovers that it is a sun, or a planet; 
 and imagination pursues the thought. He roves 
 In: jugh the fields of infinite space, and without quit- 
 ting the globe which he inhabits, strays beyond the 
 vast confines of the creation, presses into the invisible 
 worlds, enters the "heaven of heavens," and loses him- 
 self before the throne of God. 
 
 He si- <-;>s 'but his heart waketh." The body re- 
 quires repose; but the mind, ever active and awake, 
 wanders unfettered through all the labyrinths of fancy. 
 
199 
 
 It converses with departed spirits: it is recalled only by 
 the light of the morning chasing its visions. Whence 
 is all this? These operations, from what source do 
 they flow? This understanding these passions this 
 memory this imagination these dreams what is 
 the spring of them all? "There is a spirit in man!" 
 
 But when the body grows cold and its members 
 are stiff and motionless the spirit is withdrawn. The 
 clay tabernacle is reduced to its original dust: but res- 
 pecting the mind a new question suggests itself: 
 
 3. WHAT is ITS SEPARATE STATE? While our 
 dearest friends are dying around us, and we ourselves 
 shiver on the brink of eternity, this is no unimportant 
 inquiry. We understand, however, so little of spirit in 
 its union with matter, that our researches into its state 
 of separation must be very confined; and we are ac- 
 quainted in so small a measure with its modes of ex- 
 istence in this world, that we are not to expect very 
 extensive information of those in which it shall exist in 
 futurity. We cannot doubt the fact that it can exist 
 separate from the body, when we consider some phe- 
 nomena in its present state. When the powers of the 
 body are suspended in sleep, those of the mind are in 
 action; and when the eye is closed, the spirit in dreams, 
 sees without the aid of that organ. A separate state 
 of existence for the spirit, when it has left the body, is 
 not impossible; and it appears to us that the tenor of 
 the scriptures is against the soul sleeping scheme. In 
 vain- did Paul wish "to depart," in order to "be with 
 Christ," if the soul sleep with the body till the resur- 
 rection of the dead; since he would not be nearer the 
 accomplishment of his wish in dying, than he was 
 while he yet lived: nor, if this hypothesis be true, is he 
 nearer to it now, than he would have been, had he 
 
 - 
 
 .-' 
 
200 
 
 lived to the present hour. Neither indeed is he su 
 near the attainment of his desire now, as he was dur- 
 ing his life: for while he lived he enjoyed divine com- 
 munications; but being dead, if the spirit sleep with 
 the body , even those communications which he did 
 enjoy are cut off and all intercourse with the Deity 
 is suspended in long oblivion till the morning of the 
 resurrection. For Jesus says, "God is not the God 
 of the dead, but of the living:' 7 Yet said he to Moses 
 
 "I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, 
 
 and the God of Jacob," three hundred years after 
 their dust had been consigned to the cave of the field 
 of Machpelah. The inference we deduce is, that their 
 spirits exist in a separate state, while their bodies sleep 
 in the grave. 
 
 This state is revealed in the scriptures as a state of 
 happiness or misery; and it is not impossible for the 
 spirit to suffer and enjoy independently of the body; 
 and by consequence in a state separate from it. Ob- 
 serve yonder man suffering even to agony. What 
 horror is painted on his countenance! What distrac- 
 tion looks through his eye! What groans burst from 
 his bosom! From what does his anguish arise? His 
 body is in health: no disease wastes him; no illness 
 shatters his frame. Ah! it is an inward sorrow 
 that devours him an inward sickness that con- 
 sumes him! "The arrows of the Almighty are 
 within him, the poison whereof drinketh up his spir- 
 it." It is conscience that suffers: it is the spirit that i* 
 ! Awl oh, how sharper than all external calami 
 ty is this disease of the mind! 'The spirit of a man 
 will sustain his infirmity: but a wounded spirit who 
 .-.an bear? 1 ' lie, who can thus aiilict the spirit when the 
 body is in health, and cause it to suffer independently 
 of the bodycan fill it with unspeakable anguish in 
 
201 
 
 a state of separation from the body,, and, by a parity 
 of reasoning, cause it to enjoy the most exquisite hap- 
 piness. The assertion of the text appears now to be 
 established ."there is a spirit in man." A spirit, such 
 as we have described, must in the nature of things be 
 immortal. And the happiness or misery of this spirit 
 in a future state, one might rationally conclude, even 
 did not the scriptures positively affirm it, must be 
 commensurate with its existence. But what shall be 
 the modes of its being in a separate and eternal ttate, 
 as we are so partially acquainted with them in its 
 present union with the body, we must die to learn. 
 One thing is clear man is 4i a living soul;" and the 
 Bible furnishes us with the most rational and valuable 
 account of his natural dignity and of his future des- 
 tination. By this Revelation we are made acquaint- 
 ed with 
 
 II. THE SOURCE OF HIS GREATNESS. 
 
 "The Lord God breathed into his nostrils the 
 breath of life:" "the inspiration of the Almighty giv- 
 eth him understanding." The amount of these de- 
 clarations, and of the combined testimony of the scrip- 
 tures, seems to be comprised in the following arrange- 
 ment. 
 
 1. "IN HIM WE LIVE, AND MOVE, AND HAVE OUR 
 
 BEING." This is the leading sentiment of the Bible, 
 and it is strictly reasonable. It was not more imme- 
 diately the work of God to create the man at the first, 
 than it is to give life to every individual that is born 
 into the world. He organizes the human frame; and 
 bestows the adaption of its several parts to the pur- 
 poses for which they were designed. A wondrous 
 piece of machinery, secret in its most important oner 
 26 
 
202 
 
 s, and unsearchable in the finer parts of its con- 
 struction! Internally, how complicated! how harmo- 
 nious! A thousand springs act upon each other a 
 thousand fibres are necessary to lite, which escape the 
 eye of scrutiny. To guard these, what care, what 
 wisdom, are displayed! In the whole machine, what 
 compactness! uhat strength! Externally, what uni- 
 formity! and yet what variety! What grace, what beau- 
 ty, what perfection! The spring of all this is life! The 
 several parts of the machine we are able to take in 
 pieces, and to comprehend their operations: but this 
 secret spring life altogether escapes us. We see 
 not the hand that takes it away; we know not the 
 moment when it was first given. Watch as narrowly 
 as you please, the precise instant of either will remain 
 undiscovered. The child comes into the world pos- 
 sessing this principle, and announcing its existence, and 
 the sensibility connected vvit'i it, by tears! The last 
 pulsation of the heart ceases, ere we are aware of the 
 spirit's departure. The closest observer of the commu- 
 nication and of the cessation of life, can only say, in 
 relation to the first, "It is there!" to the last "it is 
 withdrawn!" An invisible hand forms the body, ani- 
 mates it with spirit, expands the limbs, fixes the stand- 
 ard of stature, and sets bounds to the stream of human 
 rxistence. He confines it now to eighty years, as for- 
 merly he extended it to nine centuries. Who will not 
 say ' 1 will praise tlnv," O God, ''for I am fearfully 
 and wonderfully made? Marvellous are thy works, 
 and that my soul knmveth right well. My substance 
 .ui.^not hid from thre, wii-.-n 1 \va> made in seeret, and 
 curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 
 Thine evi> '' ! BCC my re, yet being imperfect, 
 
 and in thy book ail my members were written, which 
 
203 
 
 in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was 
 none of them!" By thfe "inspiration of the Almighty" 
 we are wnat we are. in relation to natural life, which 
 is given, withheld, limited, and extinguished, at ins 
 pleasure. 
 
 2. "THE INSPIRATION OF THE ALMIGHTY GIVETH US 
 
 UNDERSTANDING." The dawn of reason at the first 
 is lighted up in the mind of a child by a Divine hand. 
 He causes it to brighten, as the limbs enlarge their 
 size, and acquire vigor. He leads the powers of the 
 mind to perfection, and fixes their standard. He makes 
 all the difference which we perceive subsisting between 
 man and man. He distributes, according to his pleas- 
 ure, to some one to others, ten talents; and he pro- 
 portions their responsibility to each respectively. The 
 spirit which in this world seems unconfmed, and 
 which roves at large, with growing delight, through 
 all the works of God; and that which is barely suffi- 
 cient to carry its possessor through life, came from the 
 same hand; and however different in their capacities, 
 are equally immortal. Through a thousand invisible 
 channels, the Father of Spirits visits our spirit; and it 
 is in vain that we desire to trace the modes of his com- 
 munications to his creatures. "God speaketh once, 
 yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not. In a dream, in 
 a vision of the night, when deep sleep fallethupon men, 
 in slumberings upon the bed: then he openeth the ears 
 of men, and sealeth their instruction." 
 
 He touches the nerve of the brain, and the under- 
 standing seems to be lost. The spirit doubtless is per- 
 fect: but the instrument upon which she operated, the 
 vehicle of her impulses, the fibre upon which she struck, 
 is deranged and impaired. We are presented with 
 that melancholy union, the stature of a man and the 
 
264 
 
 ignorance of a child! All is mystery. A mind Iittk-. 
 inferior to what we conceive of angelic powers, is de- 
 stroyed by the resistless force of its own imagination; 
 and reason is subdued by the uncontrolled power of 
 fancy. Like a majestic building raised upon too lofty 
 a scale, it sinks under its own pressure and from the 
 very grandeur of the design becomes an heap of ruins. 
 Like a bright meteor, shines the blaze of genius for a 
 season; but, from some unknown cause, it is precipi- 
 tated from its exalted sphere in a moment, and the ray 
 of intellect which illumined the world expires. We 
 deplore in vain the ruins of that beautiful fabric, the 
 human mind; and with anguish of spirit we discern 
 the light of the understanding extinguished. But we 
 are not ignorant of the hand which quenches it. It is 
 the same, that kindled it at the first. These are the 
 mysterious transactions of the Fountain of Life: "For 
 there is a spirit in man, and the inspiration of the Al- 
 mighty giveth him understanding." 
 
 SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE is THE GIFT OF GOD. 
 We too frequently see men of distinguished talents, 
 it deplorably ignorant in that knowledge, which of 
 itself is able to counterbalance the want of all others; 
 and without which, all science is less than nothing. 
 We stand astonished, and look upon the man as some- 
 thing more than mortal. What admirable powers of 
 intellect! What a capacious understanding! What 
 greatness of soul! What genius! What acquirements! 
 What intelligence! What pity is it the picture is not 
 I'mMied! But the noble outline wants filling up by 
 moral worth; and wanting that, it wants every thing. 
 Ala.-! '-one thin : > , needful" and the lack of that one 
 thin worth of all! Without this, that 
 
 godlik'- rapacity is degraded: those superior power- 
 
205 
 
 arc abused. They are mischievous rather than useful. 
 They are ruinous to their possessor, and injurious to 
 society. They are turned against HIM who besi.-vu J 
 them. They are wasted in wanton profusion; but 
 they are followed by a dreadful responsibility. If it 
 should please God to kindle a ray of spiritual light in 
 that mind, what might not such a man, in the right 
 employment of such distinguished talents, perform! 
 But in the mean time our position is established that 
 spiritual knowledge is the gift of God. "A man can 
 receive nothing except it be given him from above. " 
 We are naturally ignorant in all spiritual concerns. 
 Still worse than this, every power of our mind is di- 
 rected against divine knowledge. "This is the con- 
 demnation, that light is come into the world, but men 
 love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are 
 evil." He, who leads the morning stars, and kindled 
 the radiance of the sun; He, who "in the beginning," 
 said, " 'Let there be light,' and there was light; 17 He, 
 who bestows natural and intellectual life upon the 
 man; He it is, who pours spiritual knowledge into the 
 mind, and to Him is it ascribed in the scriptures. 
 "There is a spirit in man, and the inspiration of the 
 Almighty giveth him understanding." 
 
 4. THE FUTURE EXISTENCE OF THE SPIRIT WILL 
 FLOW FROM GOD. Leaving this woi 'Id, our prospects 
 are unbounded, The word of God draws aside the 
 veil, and transports us to the foot of the eternal throne. 
 The eye of faith numbers the different orders of glori 
 ous spirits which bend before the Deity. Fir^t, the 
 various ranks of those pure Intelligences, those myste- 
 rious Beings, who never sinned, pass before the eye of 
 the mind. These evermore cry, "Holy, holy, holy 
 Lord God Almighty" and hide their faces before un- 
 
206 
 
 created Excellence. And these derive their existence, 
 and their powers from Him, before whom they do 
 homage. Then, the myriads of the Redeemed pass 
 along before us, divided into their companies, and pos- 
 sessing their respective degrees of glory: but it is u a 
 great multitude which no man can number." Patri- 
 archs, prophets, and apostles, lead the way: the noble 
 army of martyrs follows: the general assembly and 
 church of the firstborn, the spirits of the just made 
 perfect, from Adam to the last spirit that fled from 
 this vale of tears, are in this illustrious crowd, each of 
 them clothed in righteousness, and bearing the emblem 
 of victory in his hand. And these all live upon the 
 "Fountain of Life" all derive their superior intelli- 
 gence from the "Father of Lights." "The inspiration 
 of the Almighty giveth them understanding." We 
 have contemplated the natural dignity of man, and un- 
 covered the source of his greatness; from all that has 
 been said, his destination may be prejudged; and in- 
 deed it has been interwoven throughout the texture of 
 the whole of this Lecture: we may keep it in view 
 also, in setting before you 
 
 III. SOME REFLECTIONS ARISING OUT OF THIS SUBJECT. 
 
 Is there "a spirit in man?'' 
 
 1. How men is ITS DESTINATION! It was not de- 
 signed to be immured in these walls of flesh for ever. 
 The harps of angels invite us to our rest. Departed 
 saints attract us forwards. The voice of God himself 
 calls us home. It is the combined testimony of 
 the scriptures, of reason, of conscience, that this imma- 
 terial principle is destined for the enjoyment of God 
 for ever. He who buries his expectations here forgets 
 ii'j-nity. Like, his divine Lord, the Christian pas- 
 
207 
 
 ses through this world in the shape of a servant; in the 
 world of spirits, he shall appear in all the majesty of 
 an heir of glory. Yonder sun shall be extinguished; 
 those stars shall fade; the beauties of creation shall be 
 blotted out; the trump of God shall announce the 
 dissolution of nature; the heavens shall be wrapped 
 together as a scroll; all shall be consumed; all shall be 
 destroyed; the whole globe shall be a mass of ruins; 
 but at that instant the concealing curtain shall fall; the 
 new creation shall burst upon the enraptured sight; 
 the redeemed spirit shall be put in possession of its 
 everlasting habitation; and the man shall enjoy God 
 for ever. Such is his high destination. 
 
 Does c *the inspiration of the Almighty give us un- 
 derstanding?" 
 
 2. HOW OUGHT THE POWERS OF THE SPIRIT TO 
 
 BE DEVOTED TO HIM! Shall I deem his service a 
 drudgery, who made me what I am? who requires in 
 return only that I should fear him, and love him? and 
 who in order to induce me to obey his commands, as- 
 sumes and exercises the most tender of characters and 
 of relations? O, ungrateful that I am! shall I deem the 
 gentle requisitions of a father; the claims of an elder 
 brother, founded equally injustice and in kindness; the 
 expectations of a friend an hardship? Impossible! 
 No had he demanded the unceasing tribute of my 
 spirit; had he marked out every moment of my life; 
 as a season of worship; I ought not, even then, to 
 have deemed it an hard service! Did he not bestow 
 those powei a? Has he not a right to do that which he 
 will with his own? Does he ask more than he gave? 
 Did not Jesus die to save that spirit? Surely his com- 
 mandments are not grievous: but "his yoke is easy, 
 and his burden is light." And are there any who live 
 
day after day without bowing their knee to God? Are 
 there any who live in the neglect of secret prayer, up- 
 on whom he has bestowed an immortal spirit per- 
 haps distinguished talents? How are they to be pitied! 
 the voice of joy from nature reproaches them the 
 voice of conscience from within reproaches them the 
 
 voice of the scriptures reproaches them: for it says 
 
 and reason seconds its injunctions "Thou shalt love 
 the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy mind, 
 with all thy soul, and with all thy strength." 
 
 Is there "a spirit in man?" 
 
 3. How VAST is ITS LOSS! I shudder to paint the 
 lightest shades of this horrible picture. To die an en- 
 emy to God, is to have all the powers and capacities 
 of the mind blotted out I correct myself not blotted 
 out, but continued, and enlarged, only to increase the 
 agony of their miserable possessor. The tortures of 
 futurity will be augmented by the bitterness cf reflec- 
 tion and of self-reproach. The memory will be tena- 
 cious of all the scenes of the past life and strong to 
 recall the opportunities which were neglected, the time 
 which was wasted, the ordinances which were despis- 
 ed, the salvation which was proffered, and which is 
 now for ever hid from their eyes! What a dagger to 
 the heart is the reflection, '-I have done all this! my own 
 hand lias pulled down ruin upon my head; my own 
 hand ha? extinguishishr-d the ray of hope for ever: my 
 own hand has fixed the eternal bars of thib evrr-dur- 
 ing dungeon!" Is it not enough that now, when the 
 spirit is wounded by the arrows of the Almighly, the 
 accusations of conscience torture the bosom beyond 
 the utmost stretch of thought, but will you tempt the 
 worst, and dare the arm of Omnipotent vengeance to 
 strike, and '-to cast body and soul into hell?" Is it not 
 
209 
 
 enough that the groans from that prison reach our 
 ears? and that, through the medium of scripture, their 
 language is conveyed to us? while they cry in cease- 
 less despair "Oh! how have we hated instruction and 
 
 our heart despised reproof; and now we eat of the 
 fruit of our own way, and are filled with our own de- 
 vices; now he laugheth at our calamity, and mocketh, 
 seeing our fear is come as desolation, and our de- 
 struction as a whirlwind!" Will not these mournful 
 shrieks arrest your attention, and shake your purpose 
 ye thoughtless and profane! but will you rush headlong 
 to the same ruin? and do you with desperate rashness 
 demand to be "tormented in this flame?" Yet pause 
 one moment are you prepared to endure the worst? 
 Have you asked yourselves the question which Isaiah 
 puts into the mouth of the sinners and hypocrites in 
 Zion, "Who amongst us shall dwell with devouring 
 fire? Who amongst us shall dwell with everlasting burn- 
 ings?" Before you risk your spirit for the fleeting 
 allurements of time, and sacrifice your eternal interests 
 to the gratifications of this transient life, consider how 
 vast is its loss! Before you quite make up your minds 
 that these things are "cunningly devised fables," calcu- 
 late your damage, should all this prove at length a tre- 
 mendous reality! 
 
 Is fct there a spirit in man?" 
 
 4. HOW DILIGENTLY OUGHT IT TO BE CULTIVAT- 
 ED! It is the happiness of man, that he has the power 
 of increasing his talents, and enlarging the sphere of 
 intellect, by diligence and by application. To the hu- 
 man spirit no boundaries can be prescribed. Has God 
 given thee, O young man, extensive powers? Do not 
 diminish them by sloth: do not destroy them by in- 
 temperance: do not waste them in wanton expendi- 
 27 
 
210 
 
 ture: do not direct them to purposes offensive to God, 
 injurious to society, and, in the event, destructive to 
 thyself. Keep them as the sacred deposit of God. 
 Hide not thy talent in a napkin. Bring it forwards 
 for the service of religion, of humanity, and of reason. 
 It will increase by use; and the approbation of God 
 shall be thy reward. 
 
 Brethren, "now are we the sons of God, and it doth 
 not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that 
 when He, who is our life, shall appear, we shall be 
 made like him: for we shall see him as he is, and ap- 
 pear with him in glory." The present state of the 
 spirit, in its highest perfection of natural and religious 
 culture, is nothing to the ;t glory that shall be revealed." 
 But the time presses on, when bending before the 
 throne of God, it shall blaze forth, in the full perfec- 
 tion of its beauty and immortality. 
 
 Such is the scriptural account of the nature and 
 destination of man; and we now make our appeal to 
 you, whether it is not rational and animating. It 
 sanctions all that experience teaches us respecting the 
 natural powers of the mind. It leads us up in grate- 
 ful remembrance to him, who bestowed the principle 
 of life, at the first, and who continues to impart it 
 through all successive generations. It enhances its 
 value by asserting and proving its immortality. It 
 renders the man useful to society, in cherishing the 
 love of goodness, and in superinducing hatred to vice, 
 by unveiling the future destination of the spirit to cter- 
 nal happiness as the free reward of piety, or eternal 
 misery as the just judgment of sin; and thus furnishes 
 a more powerful guard of virtue, and barrier against 
 vice, than all the laws pf society could ioipose and 
 preserve. 
 
fcli 
 
 He, then, that is an enemy to Revelation, is an ene- 
 my to HIMSELF. He that opposes religion, oppos< s his 
 best interests. He is extinguishing, so far as he can 
 extinguish, the light which is s t to guide him home; 
 and to absorb the feeble, inefficient ray of reason and 
 of nature. He is refusing the only cup of consolation 
 put into his hand to counteract the bitter draught of 
 sorrow. He is rolling a great stone over the mouth 
 of his own sepulchre, and sealing it with his own seal, 
 and making it as sure as he can in the hope (if anni- 
 hilation can be a subject of hope to the human bos- 
 om!) that he shall sleep there for ever: but he shall 
 find, to his utter dismay, that the angel of the Lord 
 can roll away the stone, and that the mandate of heav- 
 en will rouse his slumbering dust. He is the enemy 
 of MANKIND. For he is robbing society of the cement 
 which holds it together: of the light which has illu- 
 mined these latter days: of the source of its intelli- 
 gence, of its happiness, of its consolations, of its best 
 principles. And he who is the enemy of man, is the 
 enemy of God; far HE is the Parent of the universe: 
 the Friend of man; HE stamped human nature with 
 his own image, and he loves it still. 
 
 There is but one principle on which we can account 
 for the hatred of the world against revelation; and that 
 is- this very revelation asserted from the first, "the 
 carnal mind is enmity against God, it is not subject to 
 the law of God, neither indeed can be." And the 
 very persecutions it has endured, are evidences of its 
 authenticity: the very existence of skepticism, so far as 
 it goes, is an unanswerable argument against infidelity 
 because it was foretold and accounted for, by the 
 Bible itself, at the very moment of its promulgation. 
 
212 
 
 One should have imagined that the gospel of Jesus, 
 could have had no enemies. It breathes only peace. 
 It has but one object to promote the felicity of man- 
 kind. It sweetens every connexion of human life. 
 It strengthens the cause of philanthropy. The only 
 favor it entreats is, that men would love themselves; 
 and while it pours a thousand blessings on the present 
 transient existence, and lightens all the trials of the 
 way, it shews wretched, erring man, "the path of life." 
 And yet every man's hand is lifted up against itl 
 From its birth to the present hour, every age has 
 blended all its wisdom and all its force, to crush Chris- 
 tianity. Had it required the man to sacrifice "his 
 first born for his transgression, the fruit of his body for 
 the sin of his soul" who would have wondered that 
 nature should rise up against it? Yet strange to say 
 the horrible religion of the gentiles, which actually did 
 require this unnatural offering, was supported, and de- 
 fended against Christianity, with vehement obstinacy. 
 The rage of man, on the one side, exhausted itself in 
 defence of altars on which their children had been im- 
 molated; and on the other, was directed against a re- 
 ligion which hastened to overthrow these blood-stain- 
 ed altars, and which said, "Suffer little children to come 
 unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom 
 of heaven!" Had it destroyed the peace and existence 
 of society: had it scattered war and bloodshed over the 
 earth: had it trampled on the dearest rights of human 
 nature why then, some reason might be given for the 
 wrath of man against it. But it disseminates "peace 
 and good will to man," abroad upon caith, while it 
 brings in a revenue of "glory to God." We can take 
 its most furious persecutor by the hand, when heravrs. 
 "Away with it from the earth!" and say, "\Vhy? 
 
213 
 
 
 
 What evil hath it done?" And he shall be unable to 
 assign a single reason for his conduct: unable to lay 
 one sin to its charge: unable to prove that in ::ny one 
 instance it is injurious to society: unable to deny, that 
 it has been productive of the most beneficial effects 
 that it has removed all the clouds of heathenism that 
 it has extinguished the fires through which wretched 
 parents caused their children to pass, and in which the 
 fruit of their body was consumed that it has given to 
 the world a new and perfect code of morality that it 
 has thrown open the gates of mortality that it has 
 removed the bitterness of death and that it has estab- 
 lished, solely and unaided, the doctrine of the resur- 
 rection of the dead: he shall be compelled to admit all 
 this, and yet, without a single reason, merely from his 
 natural enmity to it, he will continue to despise, to re- 
 ject, and to persecute it! Humanity is concerned in the 
 progress of this religion: Humanity raises her voice in 
 favor of revelation, and entreats, "Rise up, Lord, let 
 thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate thee, 
 flee before thee!" 
 
LECTURE VIII. 
 
 tHE SLAVERY AND DELIVERANCE OF ISRAEL IN 
 
 EGYPT. 
 
 GEN. XV, 13, 14. 
 
 And he said unto.Abram, Know of a surety, that thy 
 seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not their's, 
 and shall serve them, and they shall afflict them 
 four hundred years. And also that nation whom 
 they shall serve will I judge: and afterward shall 
 they come out with great substance. 
 
 ACTS vil, 35, 36, 
 
 This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made 
 thee a rider and a judge? the same did God send 
 to be a ruler, and a deliverer, by the hands of the 
 angel which appeared to him in the bush. He 
 brought them out, after that he had shewed won- 
 ders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the 
 Red Sea, and in the wilderness forty years. 
 
 THERE is a mournful pleasure in recalling the words, 
 and reviewing the feelings, of those who are gone 
 before; and whose lot in this world, like our own, was 
 mingled in almost equal proportions of good and evil. 
 Time has effected changes, by his slow devastations, 
 which speak to the heart; and we cannot hear the 
 voice of years departed, without feeling our attention 
 arrested, and amid the suspension of our employments, 
 giving reverence to the testimony of those, whose wis- 
 dom, snatched from that all- destroy ing hand, remains 
 
215 
 
 upon record, for our instruction. We open- this vol- 
 ume, and are surrounded by scenes now blotted out 
 from the face of nature: by actors who have perform- 
 ed their parts, and have vanished out of our sight. 
 Here we see Babylon rearing her majestic head, in 
 awful dignity, over the plains extended on every side. 
 
 We shut the book, and the mighty empire disappears 
 
 "Babylon the great, is fallen! is fallen!' 7 Oblivion has 
 spread an impenetrable mist over the spot on which 
 this queen of the nations stood, and we look in vain for 
 some traces of her former greatness. In the Bible we 
 are introduced to Jerusalem in all her glory, We see 
 the tabernacle of God lifting its hallowed curtains on 
 the summit of Mount Zion. We hear the voice of 
 the "sweet singer of Israel" rising amid the devotions 
 of that dispensation, and his words are chanted to the 
 harmony of a thousand stringed instruments. We 
 withdraw our eyes from the sacred page, and imagina- 
 tion loses her power, the visions which the pleasing 
 enchantress painted before us, vanish; and we see the 
 shadows flit away, with regret. But all is not delu- 
 sion the words which we hear the experience of 
 the persons whole lives we study the precepts which 
 
 were given them, and which still remain upon record 
 
 are engraven upon our hearts in characters never to be 
 obliterated. 
 
 Customs change with years. Yet is man in the 
 present day, what he was in ages that are passed: on- 
 ly he was surrounded by different scenes, he was led 
 by different habits. His peculiar situation, his local 
 circumstances, exist no longer: but he had the same 
 principles common to human nature, the same feel- 
 ings, the same necessities, the same expectations. Our 
 fathers felt, like ourselves, the pleasures of hope, the 
 
216 
 
 anguish of disappointment, the pantings of suspense, 
 the throbbings of joy, the pangs of fear. They lived 
 uncertain of the future. They trembled as they ap- 
 proached the brink of time. The world which they 
 now inhabit, and the mysteries of which are now laid 
 open to them, was once as secret, and as much an ob- 
 ject of the mingled emotions of apprehension and of 
 hope, to them as to us. There were moments when 
 their faith was not in lively exercise, and when the 
 fear of death was as powerfully felt in their bosoms 
 as in our own. Then they fled to this word for support, 
 and derived from it the sweetest consolation. Yes * 
 and we are hastening to be what they are. After a 
 few years, we shall join their society. We are float- 
 ing down the same stream, over which their vessels 
 have already passed: borne along by the same current, 
 we sail between the same winding banks, pass through 
 the same straits, meet with the same rocks and quick- 
 sands, and are agitated by the same tempests: but they 
 have safely anchored in the haven, and we are stretch- 
 ing all our canvass to make the same point of destina- 
 tion, that, with them, we may be sheltered from the 
 storm, for ever! We avail ourselves of the directions 
 which they had left behind them, because in all ages 
 "the Author and Finisher of our faith" is the same. 
 He will be to future generations) what he was to them, 
 what he is to us. When our posterity {.hall trample 
 upon our dust, when our very names shall have per- 
 ished 'from the record of time, when new faces shall 
 apjK'ar on this wide and busy scene of action, the 
 name of God will remain to our children, the same 
 as it appears this night to us, the same as it was an- 
 nounced to Moses from the bush which burned with 
 fire and was not consumed "I AM THAT I AM!" 
 
217 
 
 The channels of a man's information are confined 
 io the past and to the present. He travels with a mist 
 perpetually before his eyes: but when he looks back 
 the road which he has already trodden is clearly dis- 
 cernible: no vapor hovers over it: it is visible in alt 
 its parts, except those very remote portions of it which 
 have dwindled into the obscurity of prolonged per- 
 spective. The faithful and impartial record of the in- 
 spired pages, causes the earliest periods of time to roll 
 back for the instruction of these latter days. In a 
 moment we feel ourselves transported into the garden 
 of Gou> and hear his voice whispering amid the trees 
 of Paradise in the cool of the day. We accompany 
 the patriarch from his country and his father's house: 
 we traverse with him, conducted by an invisible hand, 
 the land, in the "length thereof, and in the breadth 
 thereof:" we rest wherever he pitches his tent: we par- 
 ticipate his d )iiu'stic joys and sorrows; and at length we 
 follow him to his Kong home, and see his body deposit- 
 cl in the grave, there to slumber "until the times of 
 the restitution of all things." We are hurried into 
 the camps of the Alexanders and Csesars of the day; 
 we visit their tents, and listen to their projects to dis- 
 turb the repose of mankind: we perceive these designs 
 carried into effect, just so far as the wisdom of Provi- 
 dence permits, and no farther: and we see these de- 
 iroyers of the order and harmony of society, sinking 
 one after another into the dust and the silence of death. 
 History snatches from the hand of time, all that is val- 
 uable and useful. By her magic pencil the departed 
 visions of ancient days return, and the fathers pass and 
 repass before our eyes, that we may see, and admire, 
 and imitate their excellencies: that we may abhor and 
 avoid their vices: that we may pity and escape their 
 8 
 
218 
 
 weaknesses: that our understandings may be enlight- 
 ened, our judgments established in the truth, and our 
 minds conducted through the lowly and peaceful paths, 
 of religion to the eternal temple of God. 
 
 And we derive information from the sources of pres- 
 ent knowledge, and from the teachings of present expe- 
 rience. Every day adds something to the intellectual 
 stature of an intelligent man: every day developes some- 
 thing important and interesting. The moment reason 
 dawns upen the mind, the man finds himself surround- 
 ed by beings occupying the same rank with himself in 
 the scale of creation: he feels his destiny and his hap- 
 piness inseparably linked with theirs; and he awakes 
 to a sense of new duties, involving ia them a corres- 
 pondent responsibility. He can no longer deem him- 
 self an idle spectator of the bustle and activity around 
 him. Every day something transpires which affects 
 his interests and his peace: or the interest and the peace 
 of those whom he loves; and he is drawn from his 
 solitude in spite of himself he is roused into exertion 
 in defiance of his preference for inactivity. He is soon 
 involved in a thousand perplexities. He calls in the 
 assistance of his contemporaries, that he may avail him- 
 self of the aid of their observations, in connexion with 
 his own, to learn something of the road which they 
 are mutually travelling; and that by their combined ex- 
 ertions they may more successfully combat, and more 
 effectually subdue, the temptations by which they 
 are mutually assaulted. We are justified then, my 
 friends, in trying every source of information which 
 (i-)d permits to us and not only in availing ourselves 
 of present experience, but in plundering, as at this time, 
 the past of its treasures. 
 
219 
 
 But we know nothing of futurity. God has reserv- 
 ed to himself the knowledge of that svhich shall be: and 
 he conceals it from the highest orders of his intelligent 
 ereation. 
 
 Chain'd to his tin-one a volume lies, 
 
 With all the fates of men: 
 With ev'ry angel's form and size 
 
 Drawn by th* eternal pen. 
 
 His providence unfolds the book 
 
 And makes his counsels shine; 
 Each opening leaf, and ev'ry stroke, 
 
 Fulfils some deep design. 
 
 Here he exalts neglected worms: 
 
 To sceptres and a crown: 
 Anon*he following- page he turns. 
 
 And treads the monarch down. 
 
 Nor Gabriel asks the reason why, 
 
 Nor God the reason gives; 
 Nor dares the favorite angel pry 
 
 Between the folded leaves 1 . 1 * 
 
 ^ 
 
 We may go back to the creation of the world, but we 
 know not what shall be on the morrow. He alone 
 knoweth the end from the beginning; and we shall 
 have occasion to notice a most decisive evidence of 
 this foreknowledge, in the prediction with which we 
 commenced this Lecture respecting the subject of the 
 present discussion, and which was delivered four hun 
 dred years before the event to which it relates was ac- 
 complished, i 
 The book of EXODUS commences with a recital, 
 by name, of the eleven patriarchs, who accompanied 
 their father into EGYPT, God having sent Joseph be- 
 fore them, to provide for them, and to nourish their 
 little ones. With conciseness characteristic of the sa- 
 cred wri tings, Moses sums up the number of the family 
 
 Dr. \V alts' L^ric Poems, b 1. poem 
 
220 
 
 of Jacob, sweeps off that generation, exhibits the in- 
 creasing population of their descendants, and hastens to 
 
 THE SLAVERY AND DELIVERANCE OF ISRAEL Il4 
 
 EGYPT: which part of his narration is to occupy your 
 attention at this time. We shall, as usual, simply de- 
 tail the facts as they are recorded by Moses, and cor- 
 roborate them by foreign testimonies. Let us 
 
 1. DETAIL THE FACTS AS THEY ARE RECORDED BY 
 
 MOSES. 
 
 In discovering the sources of the slavery and suffer- 
 ings of the Israelites, we are naturally led to contem- 
 plate the wonderful changes effected by the lapse of 
 a few years. Nor shall we find it difficult to persuade 
 those, of the truth and fidelity of the sacred historian's 
 representations on this point, who have accustomed 
 themselves to mark the vicisitudes around them, caused 
 by the revolution of a few months, not to say years. 
 What changes are effected in one year! When we 
 separate, who can say whether we shall see each oth 
 er's faces in the flesh again? We meet at the house of 
 friendship we behold the father of a family happy 
 and exulting. The bloom of health blushes in UK- 
 cheek of his children. The partner of his life enjoys 
 Unusual vivacity. We return but grief spreads her 
 shadow over his countenance. In the intermedia! r 
 space of a few weeks, the spoiler, death, has rubbed 
 him of his wife, or of some of his children: or perhaps 
 we find the mother a widow, and the children lather- 
 less. A man who travels along the 'sale of years, frnds 
 himself deserted by his contemporaries, an! j 
 through the most gloomy part <! his \\^y. uh'ile th* 1 
 evening sun sets upon him. alone. Frme have left hir* 
 from mutability of disposition: re <livi<:ed ' 
 
him by distance: some have been separated from his 
 interests, by forming new connexions, some have been 
 driven from his embraces by the envenomed tongue of 
 calumny: some have gone before him into the lane (if 
 spirits. And thus the sons of Jacob sunk one a TUT 
 another into the grave, till Egypt was covered with a 
 new generation, mutually strange to each other. 
 
 How much is suspended upon the life of an individ- 
 ual! What an object of weakness, what a broken reed, 
 is that individual sinking into the arms of death! How 
 soon his services are forgotten, and his memory is bu- 
 ried with him in his sepulchre! Connected with'liie, are 
 all the diversified comforts with which the human mind 
 has formed any acquaintance. The charities of friend 
 ship, the blessings of society in all its ramifications, the 
 felicity of domestic enjoyments, the relations of father 
 and child, of husband and wife, of a man and his broth- 
 er, the reciprocal duties arising out of these, the con- 
 solations immutably connected with them are all sus- 
 pended in this trembling balance LIFE are all oblit- 
 erated in the instant of its expiration all vanish, when 
 the spirit quits the clay tabernacle! Yonder fragment of 
 the human form the wreck of man all that has fal- 
 len into the relentless hand of death, once enjoyed 
 the comforts, the magnificence, the pride of power 
 diffused the felicity whrdi he participated acted and 
 moved a prince in the circle of society-- a ccl, a star ot 
 the first magnitude, irradiated the satellites which re- 
 volved around him. To him the young looked up 
 for intelligence: his tongue moved only to utter wisdom, 
 and his words dropped as the latter rain. When he 
 opened his lips every murmur was hushed, and thou- 
 sands moved not, held, as it were by enchantment, and 
 hound by the rnagic of his eloquence. Such he was!' 
 
222 
 
 but all these honors stood inseparably connected with 
 life, and with its exhausted lamp, the ray of intelligence 
 which illumined the world expired! Such was Jo- 
 seph but when he died, the light of his brethren was 
 quenched, and the staff of his father's house, broken! 
 
 "And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that 
 generation." Who is not charmed with this impres- 
 sive mode of describing the revolutions of time? Other 
 writers with me, would have dwelt long upon a theme 
 so copious, and would have exhausted all their elo- 
 quence upon a subject which furnishes such ample 
 scope for description. But what prolonged narrative 
 could be equally striking with this single verse? Its 
 brevity in a moment sets before you the velocity with 
 which the stream rolls ages and generations along to 
 the illimitable abyss of eternity. There is not a peri- 
 od to the sentence till a whole generation is swept 
 away! One should imagine that Moses had snatched 
 a feather from the wing of time, to record the swift- 
 ness of his flight, and the rapidity of his desolations! 
 
 Joseph died but the God of Abraham lived lived 
 to remember and to accomplish his promise. "And the 
 children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abun- 
 dantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty: 
 and the land was filled with them." Their preserva- 
 tion in this deserted condition is rendered credible by 
 that which our eyes witness every day, in their pres- 
 ent population, the marks which they carry in their 
 countenance decisively characteristic of their nation, 
 and their separation from all the people among whom 
 they dwell, although scattered over the face of the 
 whole earth. This is one of the standing miracles 
 which infidelity can neither gainsay nor resist 
 
223 
 
 "Now there arose a new king over Egypt who 
 knew not Joseph." It is not improbable that he 
 might be a stranger, or a foreigner, exalted to the 
 throne, for the government of Egypt was elective, and 
 their princes successively took the name of Pharoah, 
 as it was the custom of the Roman emperors long 
 afterwards to bear that of Caesar. And if this mon- 
 arch was chosen from among the Egyptians, seven 
 kings had reigned, and sixty years elapsed, between, 
 the death of Joseph and his ascension to the throne; a 
 space of time more than sufficient to obliterate the sig- 
 nal services of a minister from the bosom of princeSo 
 The bodily strength of the Israelites, and their pro- 
 digious numbers, alarmed this jealous monarch; and 
 with narrow, barbarous policy, he "set over them task- 
 masters to afflict them, and they made their lives bit- 
 ter with hard bondage." It was now that the prophecy 
 delivered to Abraham began to be accomplished: for* 
 they were "strangers in. a land that was not theirs" 
 and that, in a state of servitude. 
 
 The hand of God continued to work in defiance of 
 the weak and cruel king of Egypt, a4id "the more they 
 afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew." 
 The measures of Pharaoh became proportionably se- 
 vere; and not satisfied with imposing the fetters of sla- 
 very, he commanded that every male child should be cast 
 into the river so soon as it was born. This decree, a& 
 unnatural as it was sanguinary, was executed but too 
 severely by those to whom the commission was given! 
 The voice of lamentation was heard throughout the 
 land; "Rachel, weeping for her children, refused to be: 
 comforted because they were not." Day after day 
 the sun arose and set in blood. In childbirth thr- 
 
mother felt the double pangs of nature: she no longer 
 rejoiced when a man child was born into the world as 
 the recompense of her pains: she could no longer look 
 forwards with pleasing hope, and say, "This same shall 
 comfort us, concerning our work and the toil of our 
 hands:" the moment the infant beheld the light, the 
 stern decree of the inhuman monarch consigned it to 
 the grave! 
 
 At this perilous period Moses was born. Three 
 months, three anxious months, maternal tenderness 
 eluded the vigilance of the king, and the mother con- 
 cealed her child. She struggled to save his life so long 
 as it was practicable: the danger became every day 
 more pressing; and there remained to her but one des- 
 perate resource if resource it might be called, which 
 hope scarcely dared to flatter, and which was no less 
 than to expose her babe on the banks of the river. 
 What could she do? Say, ye mothers, what would 
 you have done? If she kept him he must die: if she 
 exposed him there was a possibility a bare possibility 
 that he might live! An ark of bulrushes was quickly 
 framed; and in this frail casket, she laid the jewel 
 more precious to her than thousands of gold and silver, 
 in the flags by the river's brink. Tearing herself from 
 the spot, she consigned to his sister the cruel task of 
 watching what would become of him. Yonder he 
 lies, sleeping on the banks of the Nile, unconscious of 
 th<! dangers which hover around his defenceless head. 
 Under the surface of the waieis, slumbered the fierce, 
 unpilying crocodile, the, native of that river. Should 
 a breath of wind arise, the bulrush ark would be waft- 
 ed from the flags, and precipitated into the midst of 
 the stream, alas! too trail long to resist the 
 
 vvav 
 
225 
 
 In this interval of bitter suspense, the daughter of 
 Phanioh drew near to the river, and discovering 
 the ark, commanded that it should be brought to her. 
 "And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and 
 behold, the babe wept." The pressing calls of hunger 
 broke his repose, and he missed the warm, affectionate 
 embrace of his mother. His limbs were chilled by the 
 cold waves, and his tears excited the compassion of the 
 princess. His sister, who stood by, with feelings 
 which cannot be described, a spectator of the whole 
 scene, was sent to call an Hebrew woman to nurse 
 him: and "the maid went and called the child's 
 mother/' 
 
 Ah, little did the princess imagine, when she snatched 
 this helpless babe from a watery grave, that she was 
 the instrument of raising up a deliverer toihe Israelites, 
 who should shake the throne of Egypt to its founda- 
 tion. She little thought that the deserted child of a 
 wretched Hebrew slave, when increased in years, 
 would acquire unparalleled glory, as a legislator, as a 
 prophet, as a general, and as a monarch. She did not 
 foresee, when she beheld the ark floating, the sport of 
 winds, and the child exposed equally to the waters, 
 and to the crocodiles of the river, and pity touched 
 her bosom, that he would stand upon the shores of the 
 Red Sea, not only the witness, but the instrument, of 
 the destruction of the flower and strength of Egypt: 
 and that he would thus become the righteous avenger, 
 at once of the cruelties of her father and his successor, 
 and of the wrongs of his brethren, which they had so 
 long endured, in patient submission, and with broken 
 spirits! 
 
 "And the child grew" and Stephen adds ; he "was 
 learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians." With a 
 29 
 
226 
 
 modesty becoming the meekest of men, Moses passes 
 over his several attainments: but the testimony of the 
 first martyr for Christianity is abundantly confirmed, 
 by the intrinsic excellence of those very compositions 
 which are now passing under our review. CLEMENS 
 ALEXANDRINUS* asserts, "that Moses was taught 
 arithmetic, geometry, physic, music, and hieroglyph- 
 ics: to which Philo adds astronomy. "t Should any 
 one be disposed to insinuate, or to imagine, that from 
 the fables of Egypt Moses framed his history of the 
 creation, let him compare the Egyptian hypothesis, 
 which is all confusion and absurdity, with the scriptu- 
 ral account, which is all order and perspicuity: besides 
 which, we have the most decisive evidences, that the 
 Egyptian hypothesis is later by far than the Mosaic 
 writings. The oldest writers extant yield to Moses in 
 point of antiquity; and however distorted their com- 
 positions are, they betray their source, and k bear strong 
 internal evidences, that they are imperfect traditions 
 from these pure records. 
 
 If Moses was indebted, in the first instance, to the 
 literature of Egypt, for the high rank which he holds 
 among the ancient writers, he was indebted still more 
 to the capacious natural powers which God bestowed 
 upon him, without which, no culture of science could 
 have elevated him so high, as an historian of such lit- 
 erary eminence. lie furnishes one among im:i.y > i vi- 
 dences, that in a variety of respects one man dill- rs 
 from another. In respect of TALKNTS, man differs 
 from man. We sometimes meet with a spirit emerg- 
 ing from its native obscurity, and attracting the admi- 
 ration of the world. Every thing conspired to throw 
 
 lib. i- Sec Anc. Univ. Hist. vol. II. b. i. cljap. 7, note N. 
 t I'hil > in vit. Mosis. 
 
227 
 
 the man into the shade. Poverty frowned upon his 
 birth, and shut the doors of knowledge against him. 
 When he entered life, he mingled unnoticed with the 
 crowd. But none could close the book of nature be- 
 fore him, and no disadvantages could suppress the vig- 
 or of a spirit, born to rise, and to astonish. Follow- 
 ing only the benignity of nature, he brings from his 
 mind such ample stores of observation, and discovers 
 so much native genius, that he ascends at once to em- 
 inence; and like a sun veiled from his rising, reveals at 
 once to the world his glory in its noontide brightness. 
 Hard by him stands one, forced into notice. He was 
 born noble and affluent. Every possible mean of im- 
 provement was put into his hand, and the book of 
 knowledge was opened to his view. No pains were 
 spared, no expense was withheld, in his education. 
 And yet his very elevation is painful. It is that of 
 fortune, and not that of nature He is always placed 
 in a conspicuous situation, to be always despised; and 
 the literary advantages which he enjoyed, have been 
 unable to correct the deficiences of nature. They de- 
 scended upon his unfruitful mind, like the showers of 
 the spring upon the sands of the desert, which imbibe 
 the rain, but return neither grass nor flower. In respect 
 of LITERATURE, one man differs from another. Here 
 stands a favored son of science, who has access to na- 
 ture in all her parts, through the avenues of deep and 
 learned research. He has made the dead, and the 
 living, contribute to his pleasure, and to his improve- 
 ment. He has plundered time of all the treasures, 
 which he had snatched from falling empires, and res. 
 cued from the greedy grave of oblivion. And he 
 moves among his fellow men, an angel for illumi- 
 nation, and an oracle for wisdom. There slands his 
 
228 
 
 neighbor, gazinp with unconscious eyes upon the pag 
 which he is devouring. He sees no beauty in that 
 oration no force in that train of reasoning no con- 
 clusion in that demonstration no order in those star- 
 ry heavens. All access to the tree of knowledge is 
 denied to him; and he turns from the page full of ge- 
 nius, of energy, of intelligence, and says, "I cannot 
 read it, for I am not learned." In respect of RANK IN 
 SOCIETY, one man differs from another. One is born 
 to sway a sceptre, and to rule a powerful empire. 
 Nations tremble at his frown, and princes are his ser- 
 vants. His navy thunders along every hostile shore, 
 and the sword of his army is drunk with the blood of 
 the slain. He travels and a whole country is in mo- 
 tion. Harbingers precede his face, guards encompass 
 his person, a willing people bow the knee to him. Net 
 daring to lift his eyes, yonder peasant retires, as the 
 equipage passes, and turns hisrough hand, rendered hard 
 by labor, to the most menial services. He eats bread, 
 and drinks water, with heaviness of heart. A large 
 family multiplies upon him. His children cry with 
 hunger. He gives them all he divides the last loaf 
 among them, und returns himself faint to the labor of 
 the field, without tasting a morsel, lest he should dimin- 
 ish their scanty pittance. And yet he also is a child 
 of humanity! In respect of RELIGIOUS PKINCIPLI;, one 
 man differs from another. Here, is a man who 
 ceives every blessing us the gift of heaven with thank- 
 fulness: who bends with lowly resignation under the 
 stroke which robs him of his comforts. Jn his habi- 
 tation, however humble, the voice of prayer and of 
 praise; is constantly heard; and his comfoits, however 
 few, are augmented by .lign influent <-s < l l 
 
 piety. There, is a wretched man, <.!< en.cd happy by 
 
220 
 
 the world, who never bowed his knee before God his 
 maker; and never knesv a gratification beyond pain 
 pering his appetite, and amassing wealth. Yet both 
 are men, and equally responsible to G^l. With grrut 
 natural genius, Moses enjoyed profound literature: 
 from an obscure situation he rose high in the rank of 
 society: to all these, he added fervent piety; and for 
 all, he was far more indebted to God than to man. 
 
 Respecting the first forty years of his life nothing i 
 recorded by Moses himself; and we shall not fill up the 
 blank by reciting the fables of the Jewish rabbles. 
 But one thing stands on record, by the pen of an apos- 
 tle, and that is to his everlasting honor: that, "when 
 he was come to years, be refused to be called the son 
 of Pharaoh's daughter; choosing rather to suffer afflic- 
 tion with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleas- 
 ure of sin for a season: esteeming the reproach of 
 Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt: for 
 he had respect unto the recompense of the reward." 
 
 Having attained the stature and strength of a man, 
 the first effort of Moses was to break the rod of op- 
 pression. Seeing an Egyptian smite an Israelite, one 
 of his brethren, with much barbarity, he slew the of- 
 ficer, and buried him in the sand. It should seem, that 
 this action was performed under a divine commission, 
 since Stephen says, "he supposed his brethren would 
 have understood, how that God by his hand would 
 
 deliver them; but they understood not." So far from 
 
 it, that the next day, when two Hebrews strove, and 
 he interposed his friendly offices towards healing the 
 breach, they not only did not accept his mediation, hut 
 accused him of the slaughter of the Egyptian. The 
 thing reached the ears of the king; and Moses finding 
 that it was known, and that his life was in danger, {led 
 
280 
 
 into the land of Midian, in Arabia Petrea, the me- 
 tropolis of which was called Petra, not far from Ho- 
 reb: which was either a mountain near that of Sinai, 
 or Sinai and Horeb were two summits of the same 
 mountain, or Horeb was the common name for the 
 whole ridge of mountains upon which Sinai was situ- 
 ated: so denominated probably from their excessive 
 dry ness.* 
 
 , In his banishment he married Zipporah, the daugh- 
 ter of the priest, or prince, of Midian: by whom lie 
 had a son, whom he called Gersham, which signifies, 
 "a stranger here" in allusion to his own situation. 
 About this time the king of Egypt died: and his succes- 
 sor, in compliance with customs of the time, was also 
 called Pharaoh: but this change in the government of 
 Egypt, effected no relaxation in the sufferings of Israel. 
 But at length the hand of God was interposed; and 
 the set time for the expiration of their bondage having 
 arrived God "heard their cries remembered his 
 covenant looked upon his people and had respect 
 unto them." While Moses kept the flock of his fa- 
 ther-in-law at the foot of Horeb, he saw a bush which 
 burned with fire, and was not consumed: striking em- 
 blem of the state of his brethren, who were at that 
 time '-persecuted, but not forsaken cabt down, but 
 not destroyed!" Turning aside to examine this phe- 
 nomenon, the voice of God addressed him, and com- 
 manded him to draw off his shoes, because the ground 
 on which he stood was holy. Perhaps the custom of 
 persons putting off their shoes when they entered a 
 'mplr, of which we read, might arise originally from 
 B niie tradition of this history. 
 
 Anc. Univ. Hist Vol. ii. b- i. cliap. 7- nole Q. 
 
231 
 
 And now opens his awful commission a commis- 
 sion so novel in its kind, so difficult in its execution, 
 and so important in its consequences, that we cannot 
 wonder at the reluctance which Moses felt and mani- 
 fested, when commanded to undertake it. But who 
 is able to withstand the counsel of God? His objections 
 are overruled: his difficulties are removed: his brother 
 Aaron is joined with him in the embassy; and the 
 great and awful name, JEHOVAH, is the name by which 
 God sends to the Israelites. This name was after- 
 wards never pronounced by the Jews but once a year, 
 and then by the high priest only, in dismissing the 
 people. 
 
 Who is not prepared for some great events, when 
 the embassy is not from one prince to another, but 
 from God to man? The commission of Moses open- 
 ed and closed with miracles. God had said that he 
 would "judge the nation" which should "oppress" the 
 seed of Abraham; and he therefore permitted the 
 heart of the king of Egypt to be hardened. Upon 
 this principle, perhaps, we may account for the circum- 
 stance, of his suffering the magicians successfully to 
 imitate some of the miracles of Moses. A question 
 has long been agitated respecting the operations of 
 these men, the power by which they were performed, 
 the agency of demons, and the existence of magical 
 arts. It is a discussion foreign to a simple narration 
 of facts: and would your time allow us to bring for- 
 wards the various opinions of those who have written 
 on the subject, we should only weary your attention, 
 and bewilder your imaginations.* 
 
 *See note 1. of this Lecture at the end of the volume. 
 
232 
 
 It could afford you no pleasure to-night to recount 
 the unequal contest between Pharaoh, and the Deity: 
 to see a worm of the dust, lifting up his hand against 
 God; or to dwell upon the afflictions which he brought 
 upon himself, and upon his people. All nature was 
 armed against this rebel. The water throughout 
 
 turned into blood: and when it recovered 
 its natural color and qualities, it became prolific, and 
 was the source of a new plague, in sending forth 
 swarms of frogs. The very dust of the earth was an- 
 imated, and was made an instrument of torture. The 
 air was filled with insects. The cattle, and the inhab- 
 itants of the land, died, with diseases new and intoler- 
 able. The artillery of heaven opened upon this stub- 
 born empire: God "cast forth his ice like morsels;" 
 he "thundered in the beavens," and "the fire ran along 
 the ground." And what the hail and the tempest had 
 spared, the next display of divine power utterly de- 
 stroyed. An east wind blew a day and a night, and 
 an army of locusts rode upon its rough pinion. Ter- 
 rible beyond description is the desolation effected by 
 these irresistible invaders in a few hours; and unhappy 
 is the country wherever they alight for they leave it 
 "a desolate wilderness!" When these fearful enemies 
 were withdrawn, a darkness, prolonged three days and 
 three nights, brooded over this wretched people a 
 darkness which might be felt! 
 
 "Not such as this; not such ris nature mates; 
 A midnight, nature shuddeiM to h- '.ioU ; 
 A midnight ft ;<<1 eclipse (without 
 
 ,'os.ing split-res) from her Creators frown!"* 
 
 Night Thoughts: Night IV. 1. C4r--250. 
 
233 
 
 With inflexible obstinacy the king refused to release 
 the Israelites, and the last blow was now to be struck. 
 Behold then, the families of Egypt retiring to rest, as 
 every family retires anticipating the pleasures and 
 the duties of the morrow. The young man bounds tu 
 his chamber, with a foot unwearied by labor. The 
 only son of the widow, the hope and staff of her age, 
 receives the evening salutation of maternal tenderness, 
 and sinks to repose. The mother who has just enter- 
 ed upon that tender relation, and has just begun to 
 feel its pleasing anxieties, lays her sleeping babe upon 
 her bosom, and smiles upon him, with inexpressible 
 delight. Even the captive in the dungeon is bound in 
 the softer fetters of sleep, and his first born reposes by 
 his side, a voluntary prisoner with his father. Pharaoh 
 yields to a milder dominion, and a more gentle sceptre 
 than his own; and hard by rests his eldest hope. All 
 is silent; and of this multitude who have fallen asleep 
 without apprehension, how many shall never see the 
 morning rise! It is the hour of midnight and in an 
 instant sleep is chased from every eye a general groan 
 reverberates from the palace to the prison "there is 
 not an house in which there is not one dead!" From 
 this terrible plague the family of every Israelite was 
 exempted. A lamb, the type of HIM who was to be 
 slain in the fulness of time, to take away the sin of the 
 world, was crucified; and the blood sprinkled on the 
 lintel and on the two side posts of the door: and over 
 all the houses, upon which the blood was seen, the de- 
 stroying angel passed, and the inhabitants remained 
 unhurt. 
 
 Before the morning rose, the Egyptians were urgent 
 with the people to depart, and Pharaoh sent them forth 
 w'.th haste. '-And the children of Israel borrowed ofti*> 
 
 30 
 
234 
 
 Egyptians, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and rai- 
 ment." We notice this passage, because from ittheoppos- 
 ers of revelation, have been pleased to deny to the Israel- 
 ites common honesty. We wave the principle upon 
 which they might be justified, in contending that they 
 had amply earned all that they borrowed of the Egyp- 
 tians, by the works which they had performed, during 
 their bondage, without recompense; and shall only 
 submit a plain criticism on the Hebrew word, which 
 our translators render, "/o borrow" It is, V?KtJW de- 
 rived from StfCf a word the primary sense of which is, 
 not/o/;07T0t0,but to ask as agtft; as may be seen by the 
 following passage, where the same word is used "Ask 
 of me, and I will give thee the heathen for thine in- 
 heritance, and the uttermost part of the earth for thy 
 possession."* Josephus, in his ancient history of the 
 Jews, puts this construction upon the text, and says, 
 "The Egyptians honored them with pwsents, partly to 
 induce them the sooner to depart, and partly on ac- 
 count of their intimacy with them."t 
 
 The plains of Rameses near Goshcn, the land which 
 Joseph gave to Israel, and which was the part of 
 Egypt the nearest to Canaan, was the place where 
 they assembled: and they numbered kw six hundred 
 thousand on foot, that were men, beside children.'* 
 They left Egypt, according to the prediction, at the 
 
 Ps. ii, 8- Tli*- phrnse is, nanxi "2ST2 bxir In \] c inu -rpn <'i><on n-hicli I 
 have given of Sxcf,I li:ive not i. l.<.\v. u HI. < p.-ijilK r , 
 
 v. ho ai 1 n c tli.it it '"it up m > 
 
 umination .>!' tl:c ditii-rciit senses in \\hich the M -<<! m \i,e Biliir. 
 
 in pursuing- \\liich I followed , I joiu*l 
 
 :mor> iniiiinu'i jea requiring 1 t!> , ut (our \\li>'h 
 
 tvoulubeftr the interpret ition fo iwri-i,-.: .HIH! 01 
 in question tUe other, ilie dedication <>t ' 
 
 service uf (ind. The remjUniftg t^<>, .'ire in '.] Kin^s i\, i, :.:.d r ^, 1 
 vi, 5, whe 1 it can Irne no oilier uic.-'nir,^ ', l.;.n to i, 
 
 \ Joseph Ant'u). j I. Tom. I, , j>- f.7- ii 
 
 h^i T- : 
 
 I 
 
235 
 
 expiration of four hundred and thirty years, computing 
 from the time when the promise was first given to 
 Abraham. And they carried with them the bones of 
 Joseph, in obedience to his dying requisition.* 
 
 One more struggle was yet to be made. Notwith- 
 standing the evils they had endured, Pharaoh, and all 
 ; >t, regretted the departure of Israel, and resolved 
 to pursue after them, to reduce them to their former 
 state of servitude. He overtook them by the brink of 
 the Red Sea and in the moment when no way of 
 escape appeared, and they had given up all for lost, at 
 the command of God the sea was divided, and they 
 passed through, "as upon dry land." The king of 
 Egypt ana his army followed hard after them into the 
 sea: after being terrified and discomfited the whole 
 night by the power of God, in the morning they wish- 
 ed to relinquish the pursuit. But the Israelites had 
 now reached the opposite shore; and the sea, return- 
 ing in its strength, buried the king, and his army, un- 
 der its billows. 
 
 Such is the Mosaic record of the slavery and deiiv r ' 
 erance of Israel, upon which we should not have de- 
 tained you so long, were it not, that the remaining 
 part of our subject is very short, and we entreat your 
 patient attention for a few minutes, to 
 
 If. THE FOREIGN TESTIMONIES WHICH REMAIN TO 
 THESE FACTS.f 
 
 Respecting the authority of that portion of sacred 
 history over which we have now passed, let the fol- 
 lowing particulars be observed: 
 
 1 See note 2, of this Lecture, at the end othe volume. 
 f The statement* which follow, are selected principally from BlshoB 
 Watson's Theological Tracts: vol. i, p. 294, Sec. 
 
236 
 
 L it cannot be denied that there did exist such a 
 person as Moses; and that he was the Jewish legisla- 
 tor. JUSTIN, in his abridgement of Trogus Pompeius,* 
 mentions his beauty; and Longinus cites him by name, 
 in his character as a lawgiver, and quotes the begin- 
 ning of Genesis, as an instance of the true sublime, 
 
 2. It will not be disputed-ihat Moses brought the 
 children of Israel from Egypt. This fact is not only 
 asserted throughout the whole of the sacred writings, 
 but confirmed by the combined evidence of all ancient 
 historians. 
 
 MANETHO gives an account of the time, the manner, 
 and many of the principal circumstances, attending this 
 event; as we learn from JOSEPIIUS in his first book 
 against Apion.f 
 
 JUSTIN mentions their departure, but assigns a false 
 reason for it: this, however, does not invalidate his tes- 
 timony respecting the fact in question; and so far as 
 his authority goes, it proves that the departure of Israel 
 from Egypt under the conduct of Moses, was acknowl- 
 edged in his days.* 
 
 TACITUS records the same event; and asserts that 
 the Jews were expelled Egypt on account of the lep- 
 rosy. This conjecture, for it is no more, is perfectly 
 groundless: because it is well known that thr leprosy 
 was a common distemper among the Egyptians and 
 for this reason, the law of Moses calls the leprosy the 
 disease of Egypt, and banishes lepers from the congre- 
 gation. 
 
 f M: 
 
 liwi: ' \\lifnrc i. iiMiN drawn, I. 
 
 iruili will , ':s- 
 
23? 
 
 PLINV confirms this assertion, by speaking of the 
 leprosy (which he calls Elephantiasis) as common 
 to the Egyptians. They might possibly communicate 
 it to the Israelites: but it is improbable that they should 
 expel them for a distemper which they themselves im- 
 parted to them. But 
 
 TROGJUS PCMPI-IUS says that the magicians caused 
 Moses and the Israelites to be expelled, because they 
 themselves were afflicted with a kind of murrain or 
 leprosy, and were afraid lest it should spread through- 
 out the land: which account probably refers to the 
 plague of boils, which was brought upon all Egypt, 
 because Pharaoh refused to let the people go.* Still 
 observe whatever reasons these heathen writers give 
 for the departure of the Israelites from Egypt, they all 
 agree in confirming the fact, that the descendants of 
 Abraham were enslaved in Egypt, and that they 
 departed out of it under the conduct of Moses. 
 
 3. The Jews could not have asserted these miracles, 
 and the deliverance of their fathers, supposing no such 
 miracles to have been wrought, and no such deliver- 
 ance to have been effected, without exposing them- 
 selves to contempt, and their fid ion to detection, among 
 all the nations by which they were subdued, alter the 
 death of Moses and Joshua. Whereas, it does not 
 appear that their records were disputed: and the writer 
 of the first book of Samuel, (who was probably Sam- 
 uel himself; or some contemporary, so far as his his- 
 tory is concerned in it,) represents the Philistines as 
 saying, when the ark of God came into the camp, 
 "Woe unto us! who shall deliver us cut of the hands of 
 these mighty Gods? These are the Gods that smotq 
 
 * Justin vit supra- See note 3. of 1 bis Lecture, at the end of the volum 
 
the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness:" 
 evidently an imperfect tradition of these facts, as they 
 confound the transactions of Egypt, and those of the 
 wilderness, together. Now what purpose could it an- 
 swer to put into the mouth of the Philistines, such a 
 declaration, if they did not really utter it, except to 
 expose the historian to contempt? as, at the time, any- 
 one was able to contradict it, if it were not true. But 
 it is evident that the remembrance of these miracles 
 was not confined to Egypt: and that other lands had 
 heard of them, and believed them. 
 
 4. NUMENIUS, a Pythagorean philosopher, relates 
 ihat Jannes and Jambres (as is recorded also in the 
 New Testament) were chosen by the Egyptians, to 
 oppose Moses, and "to hinder the effects of his mira- 
 cles and prayers, which had brought down many 
 grievous plagues upon Egypt, just about the time of 
 the Jews' banishment from that country." 
 
 5. The Jews themselves, upon whom Moses could 
 not have imposed in the first instance, kept in remem- 
 brance all the principal facts which we nave recited 
 this night, by their rites; which rites received birth 
 with the events themselves, and were kept up till the 
 coming of Christ; and some of them, connected in- 
 separably with the departure from Egypt, are celebra- 
 ted to this hour among the Jews: such are the pass, 
 over, and the redemption of the fust born. 
 
 0. In a most able work, entitled "reflections upon 
 the Books of the Holy Scriptures, to establish the 
 Truth of the Christian Ucligion," a custom of the 
 ptians is mentioned, which continued till after 
 Jesus Christ: '-They used to mark with red, their 
 sheep, their trees, their houses, and their lands, the day 
 before the passovcr; as may be seen in 
 
239 
 
 which custom could proceed from no other cause, 
 than from the tear of the Egyptians lest the same- 
 plague and mortality should come upon then), which 
 was inflicted upon their forefathers, and from t he hope 
 of preventing it, by the use of a talisman, sumewhat 
 resembling the sprinkling of the blood of the paschal 
 lamb on the doors of the Israelites, which was the 
 method prescribed to Moses, for the deliverance of hi** 
 people from that great plague*." 
 
 Lastly, These miracles were confirmed by succeed- 
 ing ones equally important, and equally authenticated. 
 Among others the pillar of fire and cloud, which 
 preceded the Israelites, and which was so serviceable 
 to them, and so injurious to Pharaoh, during their 
 passage through the Red Sea, is mentioned by EUSE- 
 BIUS. who says, "that the remembrance of it was pre- 
 served, to his time, at Memphis." DIODORUS SICULUS 
 also, when he is recording the history of the Troglo- 
 dytes, mentions a tradition, among the native inhabit- 
 ants of the spot, of the division of the Red Seaf. 
 
 Such was the slavery and the deliverance of Israel, 
 according to Moses: such are the reasons upon which 
 we present this account to you as strictly true; and 
 such are the testimonies which we have -been able to 
 select from other ancient historians; and we think we 
 may venture to affirm, that God has not left his word 
 without a witness. It is easy for infidelity to imagine, 
 
 * This work was composed by P. AHix, a French refugee: it was 
 published in London in 1688: this extract is in chap. iii. on the four fas: 
 hooks of Moses: the general arguments used above will be found in thj* 
 work, which is preserved in Bishop Watson's Theological Tracts. VuS. ir 
 IT. 295. 
 
 f Diud. Sic. lib. iii. p. 122. This tradition is noticed also in Biucc's 
 Travels, Vol. II. p. 136, 137, new 8vo- edition. For the oritriml f : 
 <ee note 4, of this Lecture at the end of the volume. 
 
40 
 
 that such and such things are impositions now: the 
 question is, how were they imposed upon mankind at 
 the timt And by what means, supposing they were 
 impositions, did they obtain credit in the world? Why 
 have they not been detected and overthrown, with 
 other impositions? How is it that these fables have 
 survived the attacks of time, when so many authentic 
 histories have sunk under them? In short, it is much 
 easier for skepticism to raise objections against revela- 
 tion, than to remove the difficulties which clog its 
 own system. When you consider the distant period 
 in which these events took place: the darkness and 
 idolatry of the heathen world: the separation of the 
 Jews from all other nations: the difiiculties of a lan- 
 guage no longer in use: the mere fragments of heathen 
 historians which have come down to us the wonder 
 is not, that obscurity should rest upon the evidences 
 of the Mosaic account of things so remote, but that 
 such decisive and numerous testimonies of other wri- 
 ters should remain. It becomes skepticism to urge its 
 objections against the Bible with caution, and to op- 
 pose it with decency. The testimonies which we have 
 produced deserve, at least, some small regard, and are 
 not to be overthrown by ridicule, by witticisms, by the 
 sneer which distorts the countenance, the contempt 
 which swells upon the lip, or the scorn which looks 
 from the eye, of a deist. We feel no apprehensions 
 in submitting this volume to the attacks of infidelity. 
 These writings have stood too many ages, to excite any 
 alarm in oui I, from assaults such as those which 
 
 are levelled against them in the present day. Let its 
 adversaries produce a better system: let them \r\\ 
 something more consolatory to the heart, and more 
 adapted to human Mini's, and human expoctali 
 
241 
 
 living and dying: let them overturn the evidences 
 which have resisted the devastations of so many cen- 
 turies: let them prove it useless and injurious: and 
 then shall our hearts begin "to tremble for the ark of 
 God." Till then, we adhere, with perfect cheerful- 
 ness, to a just and acknowledged principle, and calm- 
 ly abide all its consequences: " If this counsel, or this 
 work, be of men, it will come to nought: but if it be 
 of God, ye cannot overthrow it!" 
 
LECTURE IX. 
 
 THE JOURNEY OF ISRAEL IN THE WILDERNESS: 
 THEIR ESTABLISHMENT IN CANAAN; AND THE 
 CIRCUMSTANCES ATTENDING THESE EVENTS. 
 
 JOSHUA XXIV, 2 13. 
 
 And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the 
 Lord God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the oth- 
 er side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the fa- 
 ther of Abraham, and thefather ofNachor: andthey 
 served other Gods. And I took your father Abra- 
 ham from the other side of the flood, and led him 
 throughout all the land of Canaan, and midtipli- 
 ed his seed, and gave him Isaac. And I gave unto 
 Isaac, Jacob and Esau: and I gave unto Esau 
 Mount Seir, to possess it; but Jacob and his chil- 
 dren 'went down into Egypt. I sent Moses also 
 and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to that 
 which I did among them: and afterward I brought 
 you out. And I brought your fathers out of Egypt: 
 and ye came unfo the sea; and the Egyptians pur- 
 sued after your fathers with chariots and horsemen 
 unto the Red Sea. And when they cried unto the 
 Lord, he put darkness between you and the Egyp- 
 tians, and brought the sea lipon them, and covered 
 them; and your eyes have seen what I have done in 
 Egypf: and yc dwelt hit lie wilderness a long sea- 
 son. And I brought you into the land of the Am- 
 firites, which dwelt on the other side Jordan; and 
 fhctj fought with you: and f gave them into your 
 hand, that ye might possesstheir land; and I destroy- 
 
243 
 
 cd them from before you. Then Balak the son of 
 Zippor, king of Moab, arose and warred against 
 Israel, and sent and called Balaam the son ofBeor 
 to curse you: But I would not hearken unto Balaam; 
 therefore he blessed you still: So I delivered you out 
 of his hand. And ye went over Jordan, and came 
 unto Jericho and the men ofJoricho brought against 
 you, the Amoi^ites, and the Perizzites, and the Ca- 
 naanites, and the Hittites, and the Girgashites, the 
 Hivites, and the Jebusites; and 1 delivered them into 
 your hand. And I sent the hornet before you, 
 which drave them out from before you 7 even the two 
 kings of the Amorites; but not with thy sword, nor 
 with thy bow. And I have given you a land for 
 which ye did not labor, and cities which ye built not> 
 and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliv$& 
 yards which ye planted not, do ye eat! 
 
 WE are indebted to God himself, for all the infor- 
 mation which we possess, in relation to either his na- 
 ture or his operations. He furnishes the medium 
 through which he is seen in the visible creation, in the 
 arrangements of Providence, in the scheme of redemp- 
 tion: and all that we are able to comprehend of "life 
 and immortality," is "brought to light by the gospel." 
 The human mind requires a medium through which 
 it may discern God, as the eye requires a medium 
 through which it may see. As that medium to the 
 eye is light, so is the medium of the spirit, illumina- 
 tion. It is in vain that creation subsists around me, 
 except I have an organ of vision. To the blind man 
 it is annihilated. The works of God exist, but not to 
 him: he is insensible of their beauties, he never was 
 permitted to admire their symmetry. And it is in 
 
244 
 
 vain that we possess an organ of vision, unless some 
 medium be furnished through which it may operate. 
 * I ascend the mountain at midnight, and look from its 
 summit. The landscape around me is the same as at 
 mid- day, and the organ of vision is the same: but 
 light, the medium through which the eye sees, is want- 
 ing; and I look for the river, for the meadow, for the 
 mansion, for the hill, for all the beauties of the scene- 
 ry, in vain I am presented with c ^an universal blank." 
 It is in vain that, as an intelligent creature, I am sur- 
 rounded by the works of God, and am furnished with 
 reasoning 'powers, with a capacity formed to contem- 
 plate, to examine, and to admire them, unless I am 
 furnished also with some medium through which they 
 may be seen. Revelation is that medium. Were the 
 eye of reason quenched in the spirit, the mind would 
 be in that state of incapacity to discern the invisible 
 God, as is the man born blind to examine his works. 
 And were the light of revelation extinguished, although 
 the man were in full possession of his intellectual pow- 
 ers, he would resemble the person on the summit oi' 
 the mountain at midnight, in vain attempting to ex- 
 plore the landscape: he would possess the organ, but 
 be destitute of the medium; he would have the ei/e, 
 but not the light. And, for this reason, the. apostle 
 repreH'.nU i:,e ir-athnis, as u feeling after, if haply 
 ; find God, although he was not far from 
 everj , >f them:" as men involved in perfect dark- 
 neb:', uitiuH >ie organ of vision, are com- 
 pelled lo /er/ i >ject of their pursuit, even when 
 th;: t is at thn; side, or before their face. 
 
 It will he readily i ledgcd, that through the 
 
 medium of revelation alone, we can form any concep- 
 tion of things which are "not seen as yet." We can 
 
245 
 
 know nothing, we can anticipate nothing of futurity, 
 but as revealed religion removes the curtain, and un- 
 veils a portion of invisible objects. But we will \ 
 ture to assert, that the visible creation itself is not be- 
 held to perfection, but through the medium of revela- 
 tion. "The heavens declare the glory of God, and 
 the firmament sheweth his handy work:" butthe man 
 who has never received this divine medium, discerns 
 not that glory. "Day unto day uttereth speech, night 
 unto night sheweth knowledge:" "There is no speech 
 nor language, where their voice is not heard" but he 
 understands not their testimony. For this reason, 
 many have beheld their beauties, and have heard their 
 voice, who have not acknowledged the existence of 
 God; and, from these alone, none have understood 
 his perfections. And if revelation be necessary to the 
 developement of creation, how much more is it neces- 
 sary to unfold the mysteries of Providence! After all, 
 but little is at present discovered. Our curiosity is 
 repressed, and our impatience controlled, by the de- 
 claration, "what I do, thou knowest not now, but 
 thou shalt know hereafter." Yet we are permitted, 
 sometimes through this medium, to comprehend a part 
 of the scheme, that we may form some conception of 
 the magnificence of the whole. God decyphers a lit- 
 tle of his own mysterious handwriting, to prove his 
 perfect ability to construe the entire volume. He 
 makes known a portion of his purposes, as a pledge ; 
 that he will, hereafter, fulfil his engagement to shew 
 the harmony, the propriety, and the wisdom of all. 
 The scripture fact to be illustrated this night, is, 
 
 THE JOURNEY OF ISRAEL IN THE WILDERNESS; THEIR 
 ESTABLISHMENT IN CANAAN; AND THE CIRCUMSTAN- 
 CES ATTENDING THESE EVENTS. 
 
246 
 
 This subject will completely confirm the preceding 
 observations; for we shail see, in some instances, the 
 wisdom and harmony of Providence, while so deep 
 obscurity rests upon others, as to compel us to ac- 
 knowledge, that u secret tilings belong to God." Our 
 Lecture must comprehend more or less of that history 
 comprised in the last four books of Moses, from the 
 fifteenth chapter of Exodus, to the twenty-fourth chap- 
 ter of Joshua inclusive, embracing a period of about 
 sixty-four years. We shall adopt in the present in- 
 stance, our general mode of discussion, which is, to 
 consider these events, with their concomitant circum- 
 stances, as they are related in the scriptures: to set 
 be fore you such foreign testimonies as appear calculated 
 to elucidate and to confirm the scriptural narration; and 
 to attempt an answer to some objection which skepti- 
 cism has raised against this part of the sacred records. 
 
 I. WE SHALL CONSIDER THESE EVENTS. WITH THEIR 
 CONCOMITANT CIRCUMSTANCES, AS THEY ARE RE- 
 LATED IN THE SCRIPTURES. 
 
 Our object, at present, is to produce an epitome of 
 the narrative to be considered, is as brief a form as pos- 
 sible; and for a more complete history of the wander- 
 ings and establishment of these singularly preserved 
 people, we must refer you. to the Bible itself, whose 
 unadorned, and faithful record, may be consulted 
 at your leisure. 
 
 In tracing the Israelites through all their journey, 
 and regarding them as rye uitnc^o of the wonders 
 performed for their preservation. ur shall find theirchar- 
 acter to be precisely such as David represented it, when 
 he said, "they sang his praises, but they soon format his 
 works!" When they beheld the Egyptians dead upon 
 
247 
 
 the sea shore, under a grateful impression of the mir 
 aculous deliverance wrought on their behalf, they join- 
 ed in the sublime anthem of their leader: and if we were 
 to form our judgment upon the appearance then pre- 
 sented of attachment to the God who fought for them, 
 we should conclude that his goodness could never be 
 obliterated from their remembrance, and that their 
 thankfulness could never by any dangers be extinguish- 
 ed. Scarcely, however, had three days elapsed, before 
 they murmured because the waters of Marah were bit- 
 er: and no sooner was this evil remedied, than their 
 provisions failed, and their complaints were renew- 
 ed with indecent violence. With indulgent kind- 
 ness, the Lord supplied their necessities, by sending, 
 with the dew of the morning, a substance bearing 
 some resemblance to a small pearl, which answer- 
 ed the purpose of bread, and which, not knowing 
 by what name to call it, they termed MANNA a 
 word implying, "what is it?" in the evneing a pro- 
 digious flock of quails came up, and covered the 
 camp. This event took place about the middle of 
 April, at which period these birds are observed to 
 cross the Red Sea in vast numbers. The miracle 
 therefore consisted, not so much in the immense 
 multitudes which fell in the camp of Israel, as in 
 the direction of them thither, precisely at the time 
 when the Israelites needed them, and on the very 
 evening in which God had, by the naouth of Moses, 
 promised to send them.* 
 
 Upon receiving this miraculous assistance, they con- 
 tinued their journey; and immediately afterwards, 
 the failure of water drew from them fresh murmurings 
 at the perils of their situation, and new reproaches at 
 
 *See Anc. Univ. Hist. Vol. ii. b. i. chap, 7. note Q,. p- 592. 
 
248 
 
 their inoffensive and skilful general. Moses smote a 
 rock, from which issued a stream to supply their ne- 
 cessities. We must observe once for all, that it is no 
 part of our business to enter into a defence of the mir- 
 acles which it may be necessary to notice in this 
 course of Lectures, or to answer the objections which 
 have been raised against them: our engagement is sim- 
 ply to state the events as they are recorded, as so ma- 
 ny matters of fact, and to produce such confirmations 
 of them, as such, as the fragments of ancient histori- 
 ans furnish. It may be proper also to remark, in or- 
 der to preserve distinctness of apprehension in pursuing 
 this narrative, that Moses smote another rock upon a 
 similar occasion and that these were two distinct 
 events. The first took place at Rephidim, in their 
 eleventh station:* the second in the desert of Sin, in 
 their thirty-third station. t The one happened, in the 
 first year of their departure from Egypt; the other, in 
 the fortieth. The former was smitten by the rod of 
 Moses, the instrument of the wonders performed in 
 Egypt: the latter, by the rod of Aaron, which budded 
 to determine the priesthood. The one took place be- 
 fore the erection of the tabernacle; and the other, af- 
 ter it. This, was performed with calmness: /ictf,was 
 smitten in anger; and the conduct of Moses so dis- 
 pleased the Lord, that it was the cause of his prohibi- 
 tion from entering the land of Canaan. J Having 
 made these remarks, we shall be in no danger of con- 
 founding these two, distinct events. 
 
 Before they removed from this station, they were 
 compelled to fight with the Amalekites. Joshua 
 went out to battle at the head of the army: Moses as- 
 
 E\ . 6. f Numb, xx, 11. 
 
 *See Anc. Univ. Hist. v>l. ii, cliap. 7 note T. p. 596, 597- 
 
249 
 
 cendcd the top of the hill, with the rod of God in his 
 hand, prohably to intercede for the interposition of 
 heaven. Israel prevailed so long as his hanus were 
 elevated: but when through weariness he suffered 
 them to drop, victory leaned to the side of Amalek. 
 Aaron and Hur supported his arms till the sun went 
 down, and Amalek was subdued. How lovely is fra- 
 ternal unity! Even Moses needed assistance; and who 
 can pass through life without it? Let us learn, that 
 our burdens are lightened, our peace promoted, and 
 our success ensured, by mutual kindness, and by mu- 
 tual attention. And who can read this singularly 
 beautiful nafration, without being reminded of Jesus 
 our Mediator, through whose intercession, and the 
 lifting up of his hands, we have freedom of access to 
 God now, and shall finally be made more than con- 
 querors, over all our enemies? 
 
 This victory opened the way to Sinai, and with the 
 most awful emotions we approach the sacred moun- 
 tain! Gathering around its foot, the tribes of Israel 
 present themselves before the eternal Lawgiver. The 
 trumpet has sounded loud, and long, to call their lead- 
 er into the thick darkness: and see, with a palpitating 
 heart, he prepares to obey the summons! The thunder 
 rolls peal upon peal to announce the descent of the 
 Deity. With frequent, and vivid flashes, the light- 
 ning cleaves the cloud, and darts across the dreadful 
 obscurity. Sinai trembles to its base, and "a great and 
 strong wind" rushes through the desert. Every time 
 the trumpet sounds, it increases in loudness: and 
 as it sounds long, the signal thrills through every heart, 
 and fear blanches every countenance. The holy hill 
 is fenced: and the command of God is, "Charge the 
 people, lest they break through unto the Lord to gaze, 
 32 
 
250 
 
 and many of them perish." As with one voice, the 
 whole curnp rang with their supplications to Moses 
 'Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not 
 God speak with us, lest we die!" Such were the ter- 
 rors of the former dispensation, and such the stern 
 command which forbade too near an approach to God. 
 But far other sounds are heard from yonder mount of 
 peace. The frame of nature is indeed convulsed % 
 darkness extends her mantle over the sky, the sun 
 withdraws his shining, and the clouds weep some 
 drops of pity: but these are marks of sympathy, not 
 indications of wrath. Yonder sufferer blesses with his 
 dying lips, compassion floats in his dim and languid 
 eyes, and the language of peace issues from his tongue, 
 as it cleaves to the roof of his mouth. "!T is FINISH- 
 ED" rolls on the air, with inexpressible softness. 
 The heart is melted by this scene, but not terrified. 
 Contrition lays her gentle hand upon the obdurate spir- 
 it. The unpitying eye forgets its ferocity, and learns to 
 weep. No command thunders, " whosoever toucheth 
 the mount, shall surely be put to death:" but a voice 
 like a gale of a summer's evening whispers, "Come 
 up hither, for yet there is room!" 
 
 In receiving the law from the hand of heaven, 
 Moses was forty days absent on the mount. A por- 
 tion of this time, the Israelites patiently waited: but 
 at length, forgetting the recent terrors with which the. 
 near approach of the Deity had filled their bosoms, 
 and impatient of delay, they compelled Aaron, by 
 their importunity and violence, to form a golden calf; 
 :tnd to this i(](-l they bowed down as unto their God. 
 -We conceive that they borrowed this image from 
 the r.j^VMii mythology: for without it, a calf, one 
 should buj)j>:>s.\ would have been the. last symbol they 
 
51 
 
 would have chosen, as a representation of the Deii % > 
 As the term "ca//'" is by no means completely defi- 
 nite, it is highly probable, that it was an exact resem- 
 blance of one of the Egyptian idols. The Egyptian 
 Isis had the face of a calf, with the form of a man 
 from the neck downwards. The Egyptian Apis was 
 altogether the similitude of a calf. There has been 
 one objection raised against this position; which is, 
 that the idolatry of Israel was anterior to the worship 
 of these idols, or of animal resemblances in Egypt: but 
 we think this assertion hard to be proved. Idols, and 
 image worship, were in existence in those days, or the 
 Israelites had not dreamt of them; and Egypt, the 
 mother of hieroglyphics, would hardly be the last to 
 embrace the system of idolatry. Admitting our posi- 
 tion, which will at once account for the symbol of the 
 Deity chosen by the Israelites, we are furnished with 
 further evidences of the facts that they actually re- 
 sided in Egypt, from a knowledge of their customs 
 and that they had recently departed thence, from the 
 attachment, and preference, shewn to the objects of 
 their worship. 
 
 From this event, follow a succession of rebellions in 
 Various shapes, and appointments of divers ceremo- 
 nies. The next point of importance upon which we 
 fix, is the sending of twelve men as spies to view the 
 promised land. Ten of these messengers brought back 
 an evil report; and Joshua, and Caleb, alone attempt- 
 ed, by a just and manly relation, to encourage the 
 hearts, and to strengthen the hands, of the people. 
 Such, however, was their discontent, that they resolv- 
 ed to return to their bondage in Egypt; and were ac- 
 tually consulting whom to choose as a leader, when 
 the uproar was suppressed, by the appearance of the 
 
25-2 
 
 glory of the Lord resting upon the tabernacle. The 
 punishment inflicted upon their unbelief and folly, was 
 justly severe: all above twenty years of age were ex- 
 cluded the land, Joshua and Caleb excepted: they 
 were sentenced to forty years wandering in the wil- 
 derness, till that generation should fall into the dust; 
 and the ten spies, who brought the false report, were 
 struck with instantaneous death. A great number of 
 the people afterwards fell in the ill-timed battle of the 
 Amalekites, which God had expressly prohibited. 
 
 To this affecting circumstance succeeded the rebel- 
 lion of Korah, and the confirmation of Aaron's priest- 
 hood the strife at Meribah the setting up of the bra- 
 zen serpent, that striking type of Christ the defeat of 
 Sihon and Og the beautiful and eloquent prophecies 
 of Balaam the idolatry of Israel with the Moabites, 
 and their punishment, with the slaughter of Balaam, 
 and of the five kings of Midian. This conducts us to 
 the death of Moses. After having numbered the peo- 
 ple, ordered the distribution of the promised land, and 
 appointed Joshua his successor, in the sight of all Is- 
 rael, he ascended the mountain, which he descended 
 no more. He saw the promised land, he reviewed his 
 journey in the wilderness, and he resigned his spirit 
 "to God who gave it." 
 
 We cannot take leave of Moses, without paying 
 one small tribute of respect to his character, and to his 
 conduct. From the sacred records, we learn that he 
 was beautiful in his person, and amiable in his dispo- 
 sition. He received a polished education, and on all 
 occasions evinced true greatness of mind. Consider 
 him as a prophet or as a general, as a shepherd or as 
 a monarch, as a husband or as a lather, as a man or 
 as as-ainf, hi- is equally estimable, and equally inter- 
 
esting. A greater than Moses did not appear upon 
 the earth, till "the Word was made flesh, and dwelt 
 among us; and we beheld his glory, the glory as ^f 
 the only- begotten of the Father, full of grace and 
 truth." His death, as well as his life, breathes instruc 
 lion. It shews us the danger of contending with 
 God, and the bitterness of disappointment, when an 
 object ardently desired is seen, but not permitted to 
 be enjoyed. It is an emblem of the death of a Chris- 
 tian, who, in his last moments, in the same way, casts 
 his eyes over the past and the future. In one word, 
 living and dying, he was a most inestimable charac- 
 ter: and well did he merit the tears, which "the many 
 thousands of Israel" shed to his memory. 
 
 The tents of Israel were pitched at Shittim, during 
 the days of mourning for Moses: and, encamped on 
 the verge of Jordan, the people expected the divine 
 signal for passing that river.* Nor could any thing 
 less than a divine command have encouraged Joshua 
 and the Israelites to proceed. All circumstances con- 
 sidered, we think it would have been a greater mira- 
 cle, had they encountered the dangers which they 
 were conscious were before them, 'without a divine 
 communication, than the admission of the fact assert- 
 ed in the scriptures, that they knew themselves acting 
 under the authority and support of a divine commis- 
 sion, supposes. Joshua was ninety-three years of age. 
 He was indeed at the head of six hundred thousand 
 fighting men: but his army was also encumbered with 
 women, children, servants, cattle, and all the necessa- 
 ries for travelling. The nations who opposed him were 
 numerous, warlike, of gigantic stature and strength: 
 
 * For the succeeding- statements, see the book of Joshua. See also 
 AHC- Univ. Hist. Vol. III. b. i. chap. 7. 
 
254 
 
 their towns fortified by nature, and by art: their forces 
 concentrated, and their interests united by alliances: 
 this union was strengthened by alarm: they had every 
 thing to lose, and with the most determined and steady 
 courage, they resolved to repel the invader?. 
 
 After the spies sent by Joshua to inspect the coun- 
 try had returned in peace, preparations were made for 
 passing the river Jordan. This hazardous undertak- 
 ing, which was to cast the die, and to commence the 
 conflict with the Canaanites, was arranged under the 
 immediate direction of Heaven. The people sancti- 
 fied themselves, and the priests bearing- the ark of God 
 opened the procession. Each tribe observed the same 
 order as they had done in their marches. The enter- 
 prise commenced on a day which answers to the thir- 
 tieth of our April, the day on which the paschal lamb 
 was selected and separated. At this time of the year, 
 Jordan usually overflowed its banks, from the melting 
 of the snows of Lebanon, and of other neighboring 
 mountains But so soon as the feet of the priests, 
 who bare the ark, touched the waves of this rapid 
 river, God caused the stream to roll back: and it stood 
 in heaps far beyond the city of Adam, while the flood 
 below continuing its course to the Dead Sea, opened a 
 passage of about sixteen or eighteen miles in breadth, 
 for the armies of Israel, till they had passed o\ CT. 
 The priests who had continued in the bed of the river 
 till the whole army had crossed, now remained 
 while twelve stones were set up which might be seen 
 on either shore when the waters were abated, and un- 
 til twelve stones, taken out of the channel, were piled 
 on the other side of the river. They then ascended to 
 the opposite shore, and Jordan, with its wonted im- 
 petuosity, rolled its stream towards the Dead Sea. 
 
255 
 
 After this miraculous passage, the passover was cel- 
 ebrated for the third time. Jericho was soon after 
 taken in an extraordinary manner; and the account 
 of its capture, is abundantly strengthened, by the ful- 
 filment of a most remarkable prophecy uttered at the 
 time. Joshua predicted, when it was rased to the 
 ground, that whosoever should attempt to rebuild it, 
 should "lay the foundations thereof in his firstborn, 
 and set up the gates thereof in his youngest son." 
 This curse was literally fulfilled above five hundred 
 and fifty years after it was denounced. Kiel, the Be- 
 thelite, attempted to rebuild it: but "he laid the foun- 
 dation thereof in Abiran. his firstborn, and set up the 
 gates thereof in his youngest son Segub," who both 
 died in consequence of the trespass of their father. 
 After the death of Achan, the conquest of the land 
 was effected in about six years. 
 
 In the battle against the five kings who fought 
 against Gibeon, two miracles are recorded: the assist- 
 ance afforded the Israelites by a fall of hailstones, and 
 the standing still of the sun and moon at the com- 
 mand of Joshua. For the first of these, we observe 
 that it is now no uncommon thing to read of a storm 
 literally of stones, which probably was the case in this 
 tempest of Joshua: and these phenomena have been 
 attributed to earthquakes, eruptions, and various 
 causes, The miracle then, consists in the timing of 
 this awful storm, and the direction of its fury against 
 the enemies of Israel. For the standing still of the 
 sun and moon, we conceive that this miracle does not 
 militate against the present system of astronomy, since 
 the suspension of the earth's motion would produce 
 the same appearances, and not only the sun and 
 moon, but all the planete, would necessarily seem to 
 
256 
 
 be stationary. As this last was n miracle, conspicu- 
 ous not merely to the enemies with whom they fought, 
 but to all nations, it must have been to the Canaanites, 
 a most afflictive demonstration, that the hand of God 
 was against them, and with their enemies; and thus 
 is the design, the propriety, and the necessity, of this 
 miracle, at once demonstrated. Thus by little and 
 little the whole land was subdued, till the Israelites 
 obtained complete possession; and before he closed 
 his eyes in death, Joshua divided the whole country 
 among the several tribes, and beheld the final accom- 
 plishment of the promise, which God had made, so 
 many centuries before, to Abraham. Having brought 
 into as narrow compass as possible the statement of 
 these facts according to the scriptures, 
 
 II. WE SHALL SET BEFORE YOU SUCH FOREIGN TESTI- 
 MONIES AS APPEAR TO US CALCULATED TO ELUCI- 
 DATE AND TO CONFIRM THIS ACCOUNT. 
 
 We shall produce, 
 
 I. POSITIVE EVIDENCE FRCM THE MOST ANCIENT 
 
 WRITERS, either relative to particular facts, or to the 
 circumstances attending them. The birth of Moses, 
 his deliverance from the water, and his receiving the 
 moral law, is selected by EUSEBIUS out of ARISTOBU- 
 LUS. The ancient writer of the ORPHIC verses, after 
 asserting that only one God is to be worshipped as the 
 Creator and Governor of the world, adds, "So was it 
 said of old: so he commands, who was born of water, 
 and who received of God the two great tables of the 
 moral law." STRABO applauds Moses for reproving 
 (he error of the Egyptians in likening the Deity to 
 beasts ,~~ JUVENAL mentions the adherence of the Jews 
 to their law "given by Moses." As a writer he is 
 
265 
 
 spoken of by DIODORUS SICULUS, PLINY, and TACI 
 TUS; and they regard his history with great respect 
 We have already seen that LONGINUS quotes the 
 opening of Genesis, as an instance of the true sublime. 
 CHALCIDIUS borrowed many things from the writings 
 of Moses, whom he calls fck the wisest of men, enliven- 
 ed not by human eloquence, but by divine inspiration." 
 HERMIPPAS, in his life of Pythagoras, quoted by Jose- 
 phus against Apion, says, that "he took many things 
 into his own philosophy from the Jewish laws." An- 
 cient writers in general conspire to speak highly of the 
 piety of the Jews, so long as they adhered to the law. 
 These testimonies furnish a most decisive evidence, 
 both of the antiquity of the Mosaic writings, and of 
 the estimation in which his history was held*. The 
 EGYPTIANS imitated the Urim and Thummim, men- 
 tioned in the ceremonial laws: for DIODORUS say?, 
 that the chief justice "carries on his neck an image of 
 precious stones, suspended on a golden chain." The 
 heathen POETS assert that Jupiter overwhelmed the 
 enemies of Hercules in ARIM, which is precisely the 
 country where Joshua fought with the children of 
 Anak, by u a tempest of stones." Moreover it appears 
 credible that the fables current in the heathen world, 
 of the protraction of the day and of the night, attrib- 
 uted to their deities, as their pleasure or their con- 
 venience required, originated in the fact of the miracle 
 wrought by Joshua, in arresting the light of the sun 
 and moon. 
 
 The establishment of the Jews in Canaan, as a fact, 
 cannot be questioned. They long made it the seat of 
 empire. Skepticism itself admits the existence of the 
 
 * Grotius de Ver. Relig. Christ. 16. See also note 1, of this Lecture, 
 at the end of the volume. 
 
57 
 
 nations which preceded Israel: but objects to the 
 conduct of Joshua in dispossessing them of their terri- 
 tories. 
 
 The testimonies which we have adduced confirm 
 the Mosaic history as a whole, rather than detached 
 parts of it; and surely when it is considered, as it has 
 been clearly proved by Josephus on the testimony of 
 MANETHO,* that the settlement of the Jews in Canaan 
 was three hundred and ninety-three years before Da- 
 naus came to Argos, whom the Grecians acknowledge 
 their most ancient prince, and from whom they are 
 frequently named; and that it preceded the transac- 
 tions of Troy, celebrated by their most ancient poet, 
 a thousand years; particular confirmations of such 
 striking events as the deluge, and a general acquies- 
 cence with the scripture record, is all that ought to be, 
 and all that can be, expected from heathen writers. 
 They could not know any thing of these circumstan- 
 ces but by tradition. ORPHEUS himself lived but one 
 thousand years before Christ; HESIOD, nine hundred; 
 HOMER, eight hundred and fifty. Orpheus himself, 
 therefore, was only contemporary with Rehoboam, the 
 son of Solomon. The settlement in Canaan took 
 place one thousand four hundred and twenty-seven 
 years before the birth of our Lord: that is, four hun- 
 dred and twenty-seven years before Hesiod: and five 
 hundred and seventy-seven years before the celebrated 
 Homer. Is it a subject for wonder that obscurity 
 should rest upon facts so ancient? We appeal to the 
 unprejudiced is it not rather extraordinary, that facts 
 so remote should have evidences so strong and deci- 
 sive? We wish to produce, 
 
 See note 2, of this Lecture, at the end of the volume. 
 
258 
 
 2. CONSIDERATIONS WHICH MAY BE DEEMED CIR- 
 CUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCES. 
 
 When the law was given at Sinai, it was give 1 :; pub- 
 licly. Nothing was done in secret. Peculiar glory, 
 splendor, and notoriety, attended its dispensation. It 
 was not a meeting of the chiefs of the nation, who re- 
 ported to the people that such an appearance had been 
 manifested to them. No! the whole camp witnessed 
 the magnificent scene. They were not asleep when 
 God descended in terrible majesty. They were awake 
 to every transaction, when they prostrated themselves 
 on the ground, and cried, "Let not God speak to us, 
 lest we die." Moses could not impose on their senses. 
 Is it probable, had not the Israelites actually seen "this 
 great sight," and had they not been completely con- 
 vinced that Moses was forty days and forty nights up- 
 on Mount Sinai, and that he really did receive the law 
 from the hand of God, is it probable that they would 
 have submitted to the moral, and especially to the cer- 
 emonial laws, many of which were opposite both to 
 their opinions, and to their ancient customs? The ad- 
 herence of the Jews to their law in every age, is an in- 
 contestable proof that they believe the fact of the man- 
 ner in which it was given; and how was it possible for 
 Moses to deceive their fathers, in those things of which 
 they were eye and ear-witnesses? We say nothing re- 
 specting the morality, the equity, and the perfection 
 of the moral law, which demonstrates that God alone 
 could be its author. Compared with it, all the admir- 
 ed codeso f the wisest legislators of antiquity are bar- 
 barous. We wave this, and simply ask a question, 
 which -we challenge infidelity to answer, if it be able, 
 A man may pretend to a revelation, without having it* 
 as did Mahomet: but the case before us is widely dif. 
 
258 
 
 ferent. Here is no secresy, or concealment; her are 
 no visions or dreams. The cloud, the fire, the trum- 
 pet, the darkness, were seen and heard by all the camp 
 of Israel. They were prepared for the event by puri- 
 fication. Moses ascended in their presence, and de- 
 scended before them. They saw his fears: they saw 
 the tables of the law taken up, plain, ungraven stone: 
 they saw them when they were brought down, filled. 
 Events were recorded at the moment in which they 
 took place: his history was in the hands of his contem- 
 poraries; and his law was publicly read at stated peri- 
 ods. We ask, how was it possible for him to impose, 
 in the first instance, upon the Jews? We are reduced 
 to this alternative. Either we must give up the his- 
 tory of Moses (corroborated as it is by foreign testi- 
 monies) altogether: we must believe his book a for- 
 
 / O 
 
 gery from first to last: we must even deny the exist- 
 ence of the Jewish nation at that period: or we must 
 admit his miracles as matters 01 fact; since he could 
 no more impose the manner of the giving of the law, 
 than the law itself, upon the Jews. Admit that the 
 law was given, and that he is the author of these 
 books, and you must to be consistent, admit all its cir- 
 cumstances. 
 
 Respecting the manna, the pillar of cloud and of 
 fire, and other miraculous circumstances attending 
 their journey, was it possible to have imposed the be- 
 lief of these things upon the progenitors of the Jews 
 (through whose hands these writings were transmitted 
 from generation to generation) unless they really cxist- 
 Was it possible to persuade the multitude, that 
 they were e\ ei -\ day fed from heaven, for the space of 
 forty years, had not this actually been the case? And 
 without a miraculous supply, how could Moses march 
 
259 
 
 such an army, through such a country, except he pos- 
 sessed an enormous magazine of provisions? And from 
 what sources could he derive it? 
 
 Whence arose the various customs of the Jews per- 
 petuated to the present hour, if they did not originate 
 in facts such as he records? What could give rise to 
 the passover? What could have suggested the various 
 ceremonies of the Jewish worship? Was not the bra- 
 zen serpent in existence in the days ot Hezekiah? 
 What has preserved these singular institutions in every 
 age, and in every country? They must have had some 
 origin. We admire two things in the divine govern- 
 ment: the one the perpetuation of miracles till after 
 the coming of Christ, so that every fresh miracle con- 
 firmed former ones: the other the continuation of the 
 rites of the Jews down to the present hour. Were it 
 not from the circumstance of the rejection of the Sa- 
 vior by the Jews, and their consequent obstinate ad- 
 herence to their ceremonial law, perhaps it would be 
 denied that such rites ever existed. In this we cannot 
 but perceive the wisdom of Providence, amid all its 
 obscurity. Could a whole nation, from first to last, 
 be deceived? Impossible! I never see a Jew, without 
 feeling conviction of the truth of divine revelation. 
 
 The reservation of some of the Canaanites for sev- 
 eral ages, and the total extermination of them having 
 never been effected, was a decisive evidence to succeed- 
 ing generations, who were not eye-witnesses of the 
 entrance of their fathers into Canaan, both of the ex- 
 istence, and of the manners, of its former inhabitants; 
 and, by consequence, a confirmation of all the records 
 put into their hands. This doubtless was one import- 
 ant reason why they were not all destroyed. 
 
260 
 
 Once again the reference which all the writings of 
 Moses had to the Messiah, forms a part of that grand 
 and unbroken chain, which runs through the whole 
 volume of scripture, from first to last, and which ren- 
 ders it impossible to take away any part without de- 
 stroying the beauty, and affecting the existence, of all. 
 
 III. WE SHALL NOTICE THE OBJECTIONS WHICH SKEP- 
 TICISM HAS RAISED AGAINST THIS PART OF THE SA- 
 CRED WRITINGS. 
 
 1. THEY OBJECT TO THE CONDUCT OF THE ISRAEL- 
 ITES AS IMMORAL. They have compared the settle- 
 ment of the Jews in Canaan, to the cruelty of the 
 Spaniards in Mexico, and have asserted, that the one 
 had as little right as the other, to dispossess the original 
 inhabitants of these respective places, of their territo- 
 ries. Before the writings of Moses are condemned al- 
 together on these plausible pretences, we shall interpose 
 a series of propositions drawn up by a most able hand,* 
 which we think are unanswerable, but upon which you 
 will form your own conclusions. They are as follows: 
 "That the Almighty has a sovereign right over the lives 
 and fortunes of his creatures: That the iniquity of na- 
 tions, may become such as to justify him in destroy- 
 ing those nations: That he is free to choose the instru- 
 ments by which he will effect such destruction: That 
 there is not more injustice or cruelty, in effecting it by 
 the sword, than by famine, pestilence, whirlwind, del- 
 uge, and earthquake: that the circumstance of a di- 
 vine commission entirely alters the state of the case, and 
 distinguishes the Israelites from the Spaniards, or any 
 other plunderers, as much as a warrant from the magis- 
 trate distinguishes the executioner from the murderer: 
 
 Bisliop Home. 
 
261 
 
 That men may be assured of God's giving such a com - 
 mission: And there is incontestable evidence upon re- 
 cord, and from tacts, that the Israelites were thus as- 
 sured." We think it will require no small degree of 
 skill, to overturn propositions so reasonable, and so 
 admirably dependant upon each other. 
 
 2. THEY OBJECT TO IT AS CRUEL: on account of 
 the slaughter of children. This is an argument pro- 
 duced on every occasion in which the Bible records 
 human desolation. We have again to remind them, 
 that, on this principle, they ought to quarrel with fam- 
 ine, and earthquakes, and all the scourges of nature; 
 and not only so, but with the natural stroke of death, 
 by which thousands of children are destroyed every 
 day. In a word, if the security and tranquillity of 
 infants be the reasonable result of their freedom from 
 actual offence, we must arrive at this point, that they 
 ought in justice to be delivered from the infliction of all 
 evil; and thus must we either deny the experience of 
 every day, which exhibits children suffering pains and 
 sorrows incessantly, or habitually dispute the justice, 
 and the goodness, of God, in the government of the 
 world. 
 
 3. THEY OBJECT TO IT AS IMPROPER. They assert, 
 that God should not use instruments, who might be 
 hardened by the execution of their commission. In 
 every point of view the case was different with the 
 Jews. It was not effected, said the text justly, by their 
 "own sword/' and by their "own bow:" bufe by the 
 i; hornet," and by a series of miracles, which plainly de- 
 monstrated the interposition of Providence. Moreover^ 
 the execution of their commission, was not calcula- 
 ted to harden their hearts against any thing but sin: 
 and was designed as an awful lesson of caution to 
 
262 
 
 themselves: since they were expressly assured, that the 
 same vices would draw upon them the same displeas- 
 ure, expose them inevitably to the same calamities, and 
 drown them in the same perdition. 
 
 The history which has passed under review, affords 
 a striking exemplification of divine fidelity and purity, 
 and of the harmony and success of all the designs of 
 God. Whatever is difficult and obscure, this is plain 
 and luminous: whatever in Providence is calculated to 
 impress awe and terror, this excites only the emotions 
 of admiration and delight. 
 
 It is pleasant to observe, amid the caprices, and the 
 fluctuations, of human purposes, the undivided, and 
 unshaken plans of Jehovah, hastening with undevia- 
 ting perseverance to their completion. Man commen- 
 ces operations to-day, which he abandons to-morrow. 
 Either the difficulties that present themselves are in- 
 surmountable, or he is weary of the length of way 
 which is between him and the attainment of his wish- 
 es, or some new object is started, or he is interrupted 
 by death: from some cause or other, it is seldom that 
 his purpose is accomplished. He began to build, but 
 either he had not counted the cost, or not well chosen 
 the ground, or through lack of materials, or workmen, 
 the tools fell from his hand, and the unfinished edifice 
 stands a lasting monument of the folly, the poverty, 
 or the caprice, of the architect. It is not so with the 
 Deity. No difficulty can impede his designs: he com- 
 mands, and the mountain becomes a plain. No length 
 of time can frustrate his wishes: for time is swallow- 
 ed up before him. That which his will purposes, is, 
 in his estimation, accomplished: for, to him, the dis- 
 tance between the plan and its execution, is annihila- 
 ted. A thousand '-years with the Lord are as one 
 
265 
 
 day" "a thousand ages, as yesterday when it io past." 
 No new object can distract his attention, and lead him 
 aside from his original purpose: for "he is of one mind, 
 and who can turn him?" and "he seeth the end from 
 the beginning." Death cannot interrupt his opera- 
 tions: for with him is "neither beginning of days nor 
 end of life." lie counts the cost, and lays the foun- 
 dation of the edifice, deep and lasting: he furnishes 
 materials, and raises up workmen to prosecute his de- 
 signs; and although these "cannot continue by reason 
 of death," as they drop the tools, he puts them into 
 the hands of others! One strikes a blow or two with 
 the hammer, and drives a nail: another spreads the 
 mortar, places "one stone upon another," leaves it to 
 cement, and falls asleep: a third pursues the process; 
 and amid the removal of the laborers, the building of 
 God continues to rise, till "the topstone is brought 
 forth with shouting." 
 
 It is pleasant to see the Deity superintending the de- 
 liberations of those who acknowledge him not, and 
 from their chaos causing a beautiful creation to spring 
 to light. In the midst of senates, of privy councils, 
 and of camps, the invisible God presides. The con- 
 queror knows him not, and the assembly think not of 
 him, who is in the midst of them. Short-sighted and 
 bewildered in their plans, their schemes are dictated 
 by the exigencies of the moment: but he is making 
 them the instruments of fulfilling his pleasure. They 
 wish to shake the power of this and that empire, 
 to check the insolent rapacity of an unprincipled ty- 
 rant, to extend their own political interests, or to add 
 such a tract of country, and such a distant possession, 
 to their own dominion. They form alliances, and 
 
 34 
 
266 
 
 project enterprises: he sanctions, or crushes, these, as 
 he sees fit still pursuing his own eternal purposes. 
 
 It is pleasant to see the gradual devel ope merit of 
 his plans, and the regular succession of events, which 
 accomplish them. He is "a God of order, and not of 
 confusion." Nothing is premature, nothing is retarded, 
 nothing is out of place. All is concord, co-operation, 
 Utility, beauty, stability. 
 
 It will be pleasant hereafter to see the accomplish- 
 ment of the whole scheme. So transient is our present 
 existence, that a very small portion of the divine plans 
 can fall within its narrow compass. In a few instances, 
 like the present, the records of truth enable us to form 
 some conception of the operations of God, and the his- 
 tory is the counterpart of the prediction. But when 
 we shall have subdued our enemies, and completed our 
 wanderings in the wilderness: when we shall have 
 passed Jordan, and taken possession of our heavenly 
 Canaan: we shall compare the prediction, the event, 
 and its consequences together: and with Abraham, 
 Isaac, and Jacob, raise the shout of triumph in the 
 kingdom of God! 
 
LECTURE X. 
 
 THE GOVERNMENT OF THE JEWS INCLUDING 
 THE THEOCRACY AND MONARCHY, TO THE 
 BUILDING OF SOLOMON'S TEMPLE: WITH A 
 CONFIRMATION OF SOME SUBORDINATE FACTS. 
 
 1 SAM. viii, 610 & 19, 20. 
 
 But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, 
 give us a king to judge us: and Samuel prayed 
 unto the Lord; And the Lord said unto Samuel, 
 Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that 
 they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, 
 but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign 
 over them. According to aU the works which they 
 have done since the day that I brought them up 
 out of Egypt, even unto this day, wherewith they 
 have forsaken me, and served other gods; so do 
 they also unto thee. Now therefore hearken unto 
 their voice: howbeit, yet protest solemnly unto them, 
 and shew them the manner of the king that shall 
 reign over them. And Samuel told all the words of 
 the Lord unto the people, that asked of him a king. 
 
 Nevertheless, the people refused to obey the 
 
 voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay, but we WILL 
 have a king over us: That we also may be like all 
 the nations, and that our king may judge us, and 
 go out before us, andjight our battles. 
 
 ACTS vn. 44 48. 
 
 Our Fathers had the Tabernacle of witness in the 
 wilderness, as he had appointed, speaking unto 
 
263 
 
 Moses, that he should make it according to the 
 fashion that he had seen. Which also our fathers 
 that came after, brought in with Jesus into the pos- 
 session of the Gentiles, whom God drave out before 
 the face of our fathers, unto the days of David. 
 Who found favor before God, and desired to find 
 a tabernacle for the God of Jacob. But Solomon 
 built him an house. Howbeit the Most High 
 dwelleth not in temples made with hands. 
 
 HEB. xi, 3234. 
 
 And what shall I more sat/? for the time would fail 
 me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samp- 
 son, and ofJeptha, of David also, and Samuel, and 
 of the prophets. Who through faith subdued king- 
 doms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, 
 stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of 
 fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness 
 were made strong, waxed valiant in jight, turned to 
 flight the armies of the aliens. 
 
 WHATEVER be the views of man respecting the 
 veracity of the scriptures, it must be admitted that the 
 subjects of winch they treat, and upon which they 
 promise elucidation, are to the last degree inter- 
 esting and important. If there be a God, it is of 
 the first consequence, that we should understand our 
 relation to him, the duties which we owe him, and 
 the service which he requires. The question whether 
 revelation has given us just views on this subject, 
 cannot be .nlved, except it be in the first instance se- 
 riously r<r< i\ ' el, and cautiously examined; and pro- 
 fessing to give us decisive information upon these 
 points, it demands respect, it should awaken interest, 
 
269 
 
 it should prom'ote inquiry, and the investigation of 
 its claims, ought to be conducted under the influence 
 of a sincere desire to serve the cause of truth. As it 
 is professedly the production of men of real genius, 
 and displays eloquence and beauty which extort un- 
 willing praise from the lips of its adversaries, it ought 
 not to be treated either with indifference or with con- 
 tempt. The wisdom manifested, and the good pro- 
 posed in it, are vastly above ridicule. While it profess- 
 es to be the word of God, and till the contrary be in- 
 contestably proved, it should be approached with res- 
 pect; and as the subjects it proposes are inseparably 
 connected with our peace, it should be examined with 
 care. It is exceedingly absurd to prejudge a cause which 
 we have not tried, and to condemn a book which we 
 h^ve not read. And yet it is more than probable that 
 the larger number of the opponents of revelation, have 
 not taken the trouble to examine its contents, much 
 less to weigh its evidences. What then are we to 
 think of a man who could sit down to refute a book, 
 which from his own confession he had not read for 
 years; and which, if we may form a judgment upon 
 his injurious and profane production, he had never 
 consulted with attention? When he had occasion to 
 refer to its compositions, not possessing a Bible of his 
 own, and not willing to re examine the production 
 which he so virulently, and on such slender ground, 
 condemned, he was compelled to substitute a 
 poetical paraphrase for the simple language of the 
 scriptures! Is this candor? Is this liberality? Is this 
 fair and impartial criticism? If it be, may infidelity ever 
 enjoy the triumph of possessing it: we neither envy, nor 
 desire to share such honors: we are satisfied that the 
 glory shall be all their own. If we would find out truth, 
 
270 
 
 the pretensions of this book must be fairly examined, 
 and that examination should be made with a mind re- 
 moved as remotely as possible, from the influence of 
 prejudice. Wherever the truth shall eventually be 
 found to lie, its cause will not have been served by 
 those on either side, who have prosecuted their re- 
 searches with indolence, or drawn their conclusions 
 without candor. 
 
 The present Lecture is a resting-point, and from its 
 nature, induces us to survey the ground which we have 
 already trodden. We have advanced stepby step through 
 the Jewish history, from the calling of their great pro- 
 genitor Abraham, to their complete establishment in 
 Canaan. What important lessons arise out of this 
 long chain of historical events! what examples of pie- 
 ty! what trials of patience! what exercises of faith! 
 what elucidations of providence! what evidences of 
 divine veracity! Abraham received the promise of a 
 son at the advanced age of an hundred years; and the 
 accomplishment of the prediction was the dawn of the 
 fidelity of God. When this patriarch died, he left 
 behind him, for his son, no inheritance in Canaan, "no, 
 not so much as to set his foot on" the "cave of the 
 field of Machpelah" excepted; and that, he held by 
 purchase, and not .as the gift of heaven. Did this ap- 
 pear like the possession of the promised land by his 
 descendants? Yet in tracing successive events through 
 all their windings, revelation has furnished us with 
 decisive evidences as the result of our inquiries, that 
 all these promises were fulfilling in their order, and 
 that they actually did receive their complete accom- 
 plishment. Through the envy of his brethren llie fa- 
 vorite son of Jae<.l> was sold into Knvpt. By a most 
 extraordinary combination of events, the little Hebrew 
 captive was seated upon the throne of the kingdom, 
 
271 
 
 next to the monarch himself. A famine prevailing in 
 Canaan drove bis relatives into Egypt. There he had 
 an opportunity of making himself known to those 
 who had so grievously persecuted him; and his father, 
 partly urged by necessity, and strongly impelled by 
 parental affection, went down, with all his household, 
 and settled in Egypt. This was the third generation 
 from Abraham. The lapse of years swept them all 
 away; and, according to the prediction, his "seed be- 
 came strangers in a strange land." As it had been 
 foretold, their bondage was most severe and cruel; and 
 at the exact period of time fixed, under the conduct of 
 Moses, they were delivered from their servitude. 
 Many years were spent in wandering through the wil- 
 derness: till at length, the delay occasioned by their 
 transgressions being removed, they obtained possession 
 of Canaan. At this point are we arrived; and the in- 
 ferences deducible from this series of history are obvi- 
 ous, and important. It is evident that HE "sees the 
 end from the beginning," who predicted the establish- 
 ment of the Israelites in Canaan, four hundred years 
 before it took place, and at a time when every thing- 
 appeared to oppose the designs of Deity, and to con 
 spire to shake the faith of Abraham. We have seen 
 positive good arising out of apparent evil, and the pur- 
 poses of God accomplished by the most unlikely in- 
 struments. We are certain, admitting the statement 
 of facts as laid down in the scriptures, that there is a 
 God that ruleth in the earth; and that no hand, but 
 the hand of Omnipotence, could have brought events 
 so extraordinary to pass. We have seen every thing 
 give way before a people conducted by the agency of 
 heaven; and are led irresistibly to conclude, that the 
 time, the manner, the instruments, were all selected 
 
272 
 
 and ordained, by the most consummate wisdom. We 
 are taught never to despair when we have a divine 
 leader, never to murmur when events seem adverse to 
 our expectations, never to waver when the promise 
 appears remote in its accomplishment, and never to 
 draw conclusions till Deity has completed his designs. 
 If the consideration of these facts, shall have strength- 
 ened the faith of one Christian, or furnished a single 
 solution of the mysteries of Providence, we shall not 
 have recited the Jewish history in vain. 
 
 A new path is marked out for us this evening. We 
 have not to lead your attention through a long suc- 
 cession of historical events, so much as to enter into a 
 necessary discussion of the government of the Jews, 
 connected remotely with some general passages of 
 their later chronicles, and immediately, with that great 
 event, the building of their splendid temple, one of the 
 wonders of the world: The subject stands thus worded 
 in the list THE GOVERNMENT OF THE JEWS INCLUD- 
 ING THE THEOCRACY, AND MONARCHY, TO THE BUILD- 
 ING OF SOLOMON'S TEMPLE; to which we shall sub- 
 join A CORROBORATION OF SOME SUBORDINATE FACTS, 
 
 not of sufficient importance to demand a separate 
 Lecture. We begin with 
 
 I. THE THEOCRACY OF THE JH\\ 
 
 An inquiry into the rise of government, and a sur- 
 vey of the gradual advance of power, is neither unin- 
 teresting, nor unnecessary, in the Lecture of this even- 
 ing. 
 
 The first form of government appears to have been 
 TIIK PARENTAL, and THE PATRIARCHAL. The father 
 had a natural claim upon the affections and the obe- 
 dience of his children. They were united to him by 
 
271 
 
 sacred and indissoluble ties. Man is not happy alone: 
 in every period of lite he stands connected with others; 
 and his interests are linked with theirs. In society 
 there must be an head, a leader, a guide, to whom the 
 eye can look up, and upon whom the heart can rely. 
 In the earliest state of nature man felt the force of this 
 truth; and who could appear to him so suited for this 
 office, and so capable of this responsibility, as the 
 friend, and the "guide of his youth?" Where 
 could they select one so attached to their persons, to 
 their interests, and to their general welfare? The bonds 
 of nature were strengthened by those of the judgment 
 and its obligations confirmed by choice. The decis- 
 ions of the heart were ratified by the conviction of the 
 understanding; and in those early ages, the characters 
 of the parent, and of the patriarch, were blended. 
 Their children yielded reverence to their age, attach- 
 ment to their tenderness, and obedience to their requi- 
 sitions. Then the parent was the priest, and the king, 
 of his family. His wile, his children, his servants, all 
 looked up to him as their natural and legitimate ruler, 
 and his authority was not disputed. Behold him 
 kneeling before the common altar, with hallowed 
 hands stretched towards heaven, imploring family, and 
 individual, mercies! Did the demon of discord creep in 
 among them? and were the marks of dissatisfaction, 
 alienation, and disunion imprinted upon their counte- 
 nances? they laid their differences at his paternal feet, 
 and from his decision they made no appeal. Provi- 
 dence conspired with nature to compel them to hold 
 the will of a parent sacred; and the punishment of 
 Cain, the disobedient and the murderer, would ever 
 be before the eyes of the first race of mankind. Even 
 in a later age, Esau, abandoned as he was to work all 
 3* 
 
272 
 
 iniquity with greediness, and deterred by no sense of 
 shame from the commission of evil, when he had it in 
 his heart to murder his brother, resolved to wait till 
 the days of mourning for his father should be accom- 
 plished, w r ho apparently was gradually sinking into 
 the grave. This fratricide in his heart dared not to 
 perpetrate his horrible design under the paternal roof, 
 and before his father's face. The sons of Jacob, when 
 they sold their brother, presumed not to enter into their 
 fathers presence, but with a tale to deceive him: they 
 did not dare to risk the dreadful crime of bringing 
 down his gray hairs with sorrow to the grave, openly 
 and avowedly. And time aided these impressions of 
 reverence which nature dictated, and Providence con- 
 firmed, and custom established. In that early period, 
 when the years of a man's life were extended to so 
 great a length, the exercise of parental authority reach- 
 ed to several generations. Paternal dignity acquired 
 strength by years. The most tender affections were 
 chastened by the most awful respect. The younger 
 laid their hand upon their mouth, and were silent be- 
 fore venerable age; and they said, "Days should speak, 
 and the multitude of years should teach wisdom/ 7 
 Blessed rule! which perpetually held in view the inter- 
 ests of those who voluntarily submitted to its direc- 
 tions. Blessed government! where the father w r as the 
 prince, where parental affection softened patriarchal 
 authority, and where filial love was blended with 
 cheerful submission, and with respectful obedience. 
 Blessed tirn^s! when the interests of men were one and 
 undivided, and when no arbitrary and cruel despot- 
 ism blotted the primeval reign. Happy are those 
 countries, which like our own, approach the nearest to 
 this picture of ancient simplicity in their government. 
 
275 
 
 where authority suppresses anarchy, where liberty 
 limits power, and where the prince, consulting only 
 the interests, reigns always in the hearts of his willing 
 and obedient people! 
 
 As men multiplied upon the face of the earth, the 
 relations of human life branched into various, and 
 widely-extended ramifications. The field of author- 
 ity became every day larger; and in a family which 
 once was one, but now was divided into many, some 
 were found who would not bow to patriarchal restraint; 
 of course, as in the present day, there were distinct 
 heads to separate families, and a form of government 
 was wanting which should embrace the whole. Here 
 was a scene opened to ambition! The man of bold, 
 daring, enterprising genius, pressed on to gain the dan- 
 gerous summit of pre-eminence over his brethren. 
 After the flood we first read of NIMROD. Whether 
 he were a tyrant or not, according to our usage of the 
 word, has been the subject of much discussion; and 
 the scriptural account of him is too short to admit the 
 question to be decided with any degree of precision. 
 It is clear, however, that by some means he acquired 
 a considerable ascendency over his brethren; and "be- 
 gan to be great in the earth. He is the same with 
 Belus, who was afterwards worshipped as a God un- 
 der that name." He was the grandson of Noah, and 
 is termed in the scriptures "a mighty hunter before 
 the Lord." By this laborious exercise, probably, he 
 gained the affections of the people, in delivering them 
 from the dangers arising from the too great increase 
 of beasts of prey; while, at the same moment, he train- 
 ed up the young men -'to endure hardness." The ha* 
 bitual command which on these occasions he assumed, 
 and the habits of obedience which they acquired. 
 
276 
 
 probably, enabled him to establish, and to maintain, 
 the unbounded authority which he, at length exercised. 
 It is said that -'he began to be mighty in the earth;" 
 by which phrase we are probably to understand, that 
 he procured himself settlements, founded cities, blend- 
 ed different families, united the people under his own 
 authority, and moulded them into one state. His 
 original dominion was bounded by the Euphrates and 
 the Tigris: but in the revolution of years, and by 
 gradual acquisitions, it was much enlarged, and be- 
 came one of the four great empires of the world 
 Babylon was the beat of his kingdom: afterwards he 
 built Nineveh, which he so denominated from his son 
 Ninus, and laid the foundation of the Assyrian em- 
 pire.* Thus the PATRIARCHAL government became 
 
 JffONARCHiCAL. 
 
 But men began to forsake the precepts delivered to 
 them by their fathers, and to deny, or to forget, the 
 God who made them. The CONFUSION OF TONGUES 
 separated and scattered the people, and this dispersion 
 was the origin of nations. When idolatry had spread 
 itself extensively, perhaps we might say universally, it 
 pleaded Godtocal) Abraham, and to choose his family, 
 and his descendants, as his own PECULIAR people. 
 This nation was selected as a public evidence of the 
 existence, and of the providence of God was set up 
 as a perpetual admonition to the world. We have 
 KTII them crowned with visible prosperity under his 
 tordinary guardianship: and we have contemplat- 
 ed singular, and public manifestations, of the divine 
 interposition in their favor. Should any be disposed 
 to question the fact of this choice, and of this guar- 
 
 See Rollin'g Anc- Hist vol. ii, p. 178, &c. 
 
234 
 
 dianship, they must be silenced by the demonstration 
 of the same providence, and of the same care, exerted 
 in favor of the same people, to the present hour. Af- 
 ter a dispersion of eighteen centuries over the face of 
 the whole earth, held every where in contempt, exist- 
 ing in a state of the most abject ignominy, they still 
 remain, in incredible numbers, unmixed with, although 
 subsisting in the midst of, all other nations, and totally 
 distinct and separate from all the inhabitants of the 
 globe. And while this undeniable fact is a decisive 
 proof of the divine choice of them as a people, this ex- 
 traordinary interposition of Heaven on their behalf, is 
 also a standing miracle in favor of revelation. They 
 have been harassed, detested, persecuted, massacred 
 in all countries, by all ranks: yet have they seen the 
 rise, and the fall, of many imperial nations, which held 
 them in servitude, and which shook the oppressor's 
 rod over their head; and in this forlorn, wandering, 
 wretched, and apparently abandoned state, they re- 
 main a people, and a great people. 
 
 From this choice, and upon the deliverance of 
 Israel from Egypt, arose the MOSAIC OR LEVITICAL 
 DISPENSATION; and the government under this dis- 
 pensation was a THEOCRACY. This term is compound- 
 ed of two Greek words Qtos God, and vi^uleu to govern; 
 and implies that the Jews were immediately under the 
 authority of God as their king. To elucidate this as- 
 sertion we remark, that, in three distinct views, God 
 may be considered as the God of the Hebrews: 
 
 1. As the great Parent of all men the Ruler of the 
 hearts, the properties, the lives, and the affairs of the 
 creation at large, and of the Jews as a PART of the 
 creation. This is a relation which he bears to them 
 in common with all the world. Hence he required of 
 the Israelites all the duties of the light of nature, and 
 
278 
 
 of the moral law, which binds all mankind as well as 
 themselves, and extends through every dispensation. 
 
 2. As the God of Israel peculiarly, as a visible and 
 outward CHURCH, whom he had selected, and separa- 
 ted from all other nations, to be his own peculiar peo- 
 ple. Hence he prescribed forms and modes of wor- 
 ship: he instituted ceremonies and rites of religion, by 
 which their devotional exercises were regulated, as 
 tokens of their duty, and of his relation to them, as a 
 chosen and distinct people. 
 
 3. As their proper and only King, as a NATION. 
 Hence he gave them judicial and political laws, rela- 
 ting to their government, their constitution, and the 
 several relations and branches of society. Whoever 
 will review with attention the Mosaic law, will find 
 that there are not only moral obligations laid down, 
 but ceremonial and ritual observances prescribed; and 
 these again are connected with political and judicial 
 commands: so that it is evident that the Jews were as 
 much under the direction of Heaven in their civil, as 
 in their religious laws and institutions. Hence there 
 are four words, which are frequently deemed synony- 
 mous, but which in the scriptures have very distinct 
 significations "statutes, commandments, judgments, 
 and testimonies 1 ' and these set the several relations of 
 God to the Jews, and particularly the theocracy, in a 
 clear point of view. 
 
 4> S Mich institutions as had their 
 
 foundation in the will anil pleasure of (iml as a Sove- 
 reign, and for which no particular rra-on on any 
 other ground could be aligned: such as kt not to sow 
 two seeds of different kinds togrth. 
 
 "CoMMANDMKNTS," W(T(! lUOI'dl duties, fill 1 which 
 
 the reasons were manifest, such as "not to st< 
 
2/9 
 
 "JUDGMENTS," were the laws belonging to civil 
 government, in things between man and man: such as 
 are laid down in Exodus, the twenty-first and the fol- 
 lowing chapters. 
 
 'TESTIMONIES," were such laws as preserved the 
 remembrance of some great events, and tcst'tfied to the 
 peculiar goodness of God: such as the sabbath, the 
 passover, and all the feasts. 
 
 In giving his last charge to his son Solomon, David 
 enumerates these several branches of divine jurisdic- 
 tion: "keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk 
 in his ways, to keep his STATUTES, and his COMMAND- 
 MENTS, and his JUDGMENTS, and his TESTIMONIES, as 
 it is written in the law of Moses." And thus was the 
 relation of God to Israel, not merely a common one, 
 such as he bears to all men: but a peculiar one, such 
 as he never had to any people, themselves excepted. 
 
 That such a connexion did subsist between God 
 and Israel, is clearly deducible from the EPITHETS be- 
 stowed upon that nation, throughout the scriptures. 
 Because he singled them out from all other nations, he 
 is expressly said to CHOOSE them. "The Lord had a 
 delight in thy fathers, and he chose their seed after 
 them, even you, above all people*." 
 
 In consequence of this selection, he brought them 
 up out of the land of Egypt, and they are said to have 
 been DELIVERED!, SAVEDJ, PURCHASED}!, REDEEMED^. 
 
 He is said to CALL them: "When Israel was a child, 
 then I loved him,, and called my son out of Egypt.' ? 
 
 He is said to CREATE them, to GIVE THEM LIFE, to 
 have BEGOTTEN them**. 
 
 * Deut. x- 15. y Deut. xxxil. 6. 
 
 f Exod, iii. 8 if Deut. vii. 8. 
 
 $ Deut- xxxiii. 29. $ Hoseu, xi. 1. 
 
 ** Is. xliii. 1. 7. Ezck. xvi.3. Deut. xsxii. 18- 
 
280 
 
 He is called their FATHER. "Do ye thus requite the 
 Lord, O foolish people and unwise? is not he thy 
 Father that hath bought thee? hath he not made 
 thee, and established theet?" 
 
 These several scriptural terms imply a peculiar re- 
 lation, a connexion far more intimate than the com- 
 mon relation of God to the creation at large, and to- 
 tally distinct from it. 
 
 Under the theocracy, RULERS were appointed: but 
 these were selected by God himself, as may be observ- 
 ed in respect of all the judges; and they did nothing 
 but expressly under divine commission. In every 
 movement, and in every plan, the will of God was 
 consulted. The theocracy commenced with Moses, and 
 closed with Samuel, after having subsisted through a 
 period of four hundred and seventy-six years. 
 
 The rule of Samuel, as an elder of Israel, lasted 
 twenty-one years, at the close of which time old age 
 stole upon him, and wishing to relinquish the cares of 
 government, or at least to divide them, a portion of 
 his authority was vested in the person of his sons, and 
 they became judges. So far from copying the inflex- 
 ible integrity of their father, we find them delineated 
 in all the features of covetousness and of oppression: 
 they "took bribes," and "perverted judgment." For 
 a season the Israelites patiently endured their wrongs: 
 but at length their spirit was stirred within them to re- 
 sist and to crush this tyranny. The blameless method 
 of doing this, had been to make their appeal to their 
 divine Monarch, and to have entreated Samuel, under 
 the direction of heaven, to elect other, and upright 
 rulers. But instead of this, they rejected the divine 
 
 t Deut. xxxii, 6, &c. 
 
281 
 
 authority, so far as their power extended, they insisted 
 upon an intire new form of government, and resolved, 
 like other nations, to have "a king to reign over them." 
 Deity granting them their wishes, the theocracy ceas- 
 ed, and their government became monarchical.* Our 
 next object in this Lecture is to present some account 
 of 
 
 II. THE MONARCHY OF THE JEWS. 
 
 The princes of Israel possessed great power, and in 
 later ages, before the coming of Christ, it was exceed- 
 ingly abused, as in the case of Ahab, Manasseh, and 
 several others. 
 
 It is evident that this change in the government was 
 displeasing to God: for it is said, "He gave them a 
 king in his anger, and took him away in his wrath;" 
 and it is an inquiry worthy attention, what was the 
 ground of this displeasure? I conceive that it was not 
 the change of government as it respects the nomina- 
 tion of a king instead of a ruler, but the choosing of a 
 king so far as in their power, to the exclusion of God; 
 and on this principle he said to Samuel, "They have 
 not rejected thee, but they have rejected ME, that / 
 
 * When we speak of the termination of the theocracy with Samuel, 
 and at the commencement of the monarchy, \ve do not mean to insinuate, 
 that the divine superintendence of the affairs of the Jewish nation ceas- 
 ed, or that God was less their governor, or that his relation to them was 
 less intimate, and peculiar, than before. The fact is, their very kings 
 were merely rulers of a different description, subjected tu the same con- 
 trol, and held by the same authority, as the judges under the theocra- 
 cy. Hence we see one rejected, and another chosen, one set up and 
 another cast down, and the hand of God every where, in the whole ma- 
 chine of the Israelites* government, directing, regulating, and giving im- 
 pulse to every wheel, every spring, every movement. Nor has his pe- 
 culiar relation to the Jews, his immediate superintendence of their con- 
 cerns, and his miraculous guardianship of their persons, and of their in- 
 terests, terminated to this hour. AH that we mean to convey is, that 
 the theocracy ceased to be the external and ostensible government of the 
 Jews: that continuing to exist, it was in a different shape; and that as it 
 respects its form, their executive power became monarchical. 
 
 66 
 
282 
 
 should not reign over them." Their criminality con- 
 sisted in placing a man on the throne of the Deity, 
 and in exalting a creature to the seat, which had, till 
 that time, been occupied only by the Creator. Not 
 any form of government is opposed in this declara- 
 tion: but its force is directed against the presumption 
 of the Israelites in rejecting a divine Governor. Their 
 situation was peculiar was unlike that of all other 
 nations; and they were not at liberty, on just princi- 
 ples, to make so material an alteration in their gov- 
 ernment without first consulting God, and having the 
 sanction of his authority. So far from consulting him, 
 it appears from the whole history, that they insibted up- 
 on having a king, in opposition to the divine will, and in 
 defiance of all the consequences which Samuel foretold. 
 At the expiration of the theocracy, Saul was pri- 
 vately anointed king, and afterwards publicly pro- 
 claimed at Mizpeh, From the time of his anointing, 
 to his death in Gilboa, he reigned over Israel forty 
 years. It would not be consistent either with our 
 purpose, or with the time usually allotted to these ex- 
 ercises, to enter into a minute detail of the events of 
 his reign. He drew upon himself the displeasure of 
 God, by disobeying his express command, in relation 
 to the extermination of the Amalekites, whom he had, 
 at the time when they opposed Israel in the wilder- 
 ness, devoted to utter destruction. From this period 
 to the end of his reign, he is presented to us as un ob- 
 ject of pity! It is said, "the spirit of God forsook him, 
 and an evil spirit troubled him." It is probable that 
 we are to understand by these terms, that the immedi- 
 ate direction which he was accustomed to rrceive from 
 God was withdrawn 'The Lord answered him neith- 
 er by prophets nor by dreams: ' that his wisdom and 
 
283 
 
 prudence forsook him: that he was subject to a wear- 
 ing, melancholy disorder: that he was given up to his 
 evil passions and inclinations; and that a spirit of en- 
 vy, hatred, and cruelty, took place of a spirit of up- 
 rightness, candor, and mercy. Perhaps actual posses- 
 sion of an evil spirit, such as those so clearly proved in 
 the days of Christ, is to be understood. Josephus so 
 considers it, and describes its operations as superin- 
 ducing a sensation of suffocation, resembling those 
 emotions which the evangelists describe as attending 
 demoniacal influences: at least a species of madness 
 seems intended. David was early introduced at court 
 he had previously been anointed king in private in 
 place of Saul; and while his amiable qualities and his 
 valor in vanquishing Goliah, drew upon him the affec- 
 tions of the people, they excited the fears, and the ha- 
 tred, of the jealous monarch, who persecuted him even 
 to the extremities of his kingdom, and aimed at noth- 
 ing less than his destruction. While the father was 
 seeking the life of this amiable young man, his son was 
 attached to him by the most sincere affection, and 
 "Jonathan loved David as his own soul." Never was 
 the influence, the delicacy, the beauty of friendship, 
 painted by so masterly an hand, as that of the sacred 
 historian on this occasion. To read it unmoved, is to 
 carry in one's bosom a rock of adamant, and not an 
 heart of flesh; and to attempt to heighten its effect, 
 would be as futile and as absurd as to think of adding 
 brighter and softer colors to the radiance, with which 
 the pencil of nature paints the west at sun-set. 
 
 Saul at length fell in the field of battle against the 
 Philistines at Gilboa, and (O, the ravages of war!) in 
 the same unhappy conflict, Jonathan perished also.* 
 
 See note I, of this Lecture, at the end of the volume. 
 
224 
 
 It was upon this melancholy occasion, that his surviv- 
 ing friend wrote that affecting lamentation, which has 
 been the admiration of ages. 
 
 "O beauty of Israel slain upon thy own mountains! 
 How are the mighty fallen! Tell it not in Gath, pub- 
 lish it not in the streets of Askelon: lest the daughters 
 of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the un- 
 circumcised triumph. Ye mountains of Gilboa, on 
 you be neither dew, nor rain, nor fields affording obla- 
 tions: for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast 
 away, the shield of Saul, the armor of the anointed 
 with oil.t From the blood of the slain, from the 
 slaughter of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan was not 
 withheld, and the sword of Saul never returned in 
 vain. Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in 
 their lives, and in their death they were not divided; 
 they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than 
 lions. Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who 
 clothed you in scarlet with delights, who put orna- 
 ments of gold on your apparel. How are the mighty 
 fallen in the midst of the battle! O Jonathan, slain 
 upon thine own mountains! I am distressed for thee, 
 my brother Jonathan! very pleasant hast thou been 
 unto me! Thy love to me was wonderfull surpassing 
 the love of women! How have the mighty fallen! 
 How have the weapons of war perished!" 
 
 David succeeded to the throne of his kingdom, and 
 through a period of forty (or if you reckon from the 
 time in which he was anointed, forty eight) years, he 
 resigned beloved by the people, and distinguished by 
 Divine favor. Few characters discover so complete 
 a combination of excellence and ot defect as that of 
 David. Ytt. from first to last, you may trace the 
 
 | See note 2, of this Lertur-, at the end of the volume. 
 
285 
 
 "man after God's own heart," humble, contrite, affec- 
 tionate, and sincere! Few reigns have discovivcd great- 
 er fluctuations of triumph and of affliction. Amid the 
 glory to which the Israelites were rising under his 
 rule, and the zei ith of which they had nearly attain- 
 ed, his life was chequered by trial. He was surround, 
 ed by enemies, and engaged in almost perpetual war- 
 fare. His domestic peace was destroyed, by the dis- 
 honor of his daughter, and by the slaughter of his son 
 who effected it. He was driven from his kingdom 
 by the rebellion of Absalom. A pestilence of three 
 days ravaged his empire, and destroyed seventy thou- 
 sand persons. And the last moments of a turbulent 
 life, were disturbed, and embittered, by the conspira- 
 cy of his son Adonijah against Solomon, whom he 
 had nominated as his successor. 
 
 Before his death, David had formed the design of 
 building a temple to God, which was realized by Sol- 
 omon. He had prepared most of the materials, had 
 drawn up the plan according to Divine instructions, 
 and left full and clear directions to his son respecting 
 it. We entreat your attention, for a few moments, 
 prior to our enlargement on this purpose, till we bring 
 down the monarchy to its close. In the days of Re- 
 hoboam, the kingdom of Israel was divided; and two 
 distinct lines of kings succeeded to the thrones of Ju- 
 dah and of Israel. According to the prediction of Ja- 
 cob, the u sceptre did not depart from Judah, nor a 
 lawgiver from beneath his feet, till Shiloh came." 
 The ten tribes of Israel were carried away captive, and 
 have not been heard of from that time to this hour: 
 but the sceptre remained with Judah to the coming of 
 Christ. In the days of the Savior the throne was fil- 
 led by Herod, who held his power under the Roman 
 
286 
 
 emperor; and soon after the ascension of our Lord, 
 the city of Jerusalem was taken, their temple destroy- 
 ed, and they themselves dispersed. From that period, 
 they have wandered over the face of the whole earth, 
 "without a king," without a temple, "without an 
 ephod," without a lawgiver, "without a sacrifice," 
 and shall continue to do so, till they acknowledge 
 Messiah the prince, and say "Blessed is he that com- 
 eth in the name of the Lord!" 
 
 From the days of Jesus, the kingdom of David has 
 been changed into a spiritual kingdom a kingdom 
 not possessing worldly splendor, neither supported 
 by temporal power. It has resisted every attack, it 
 has extended over many nations, it must swallow up 
 every empire, it will diffuse itself wide as the world. 
 We must contemplate briefly, 
 
 III. THE BUILDING OF SOLOMON^ TEMPLE. 
 
 During the theocrary, the worship of God was con- 
 ducted in a moveable tabernacle, constructed after the 
 pattern drawn up by God himself, and communicated 
 to Moses in the wilderness: nor was any change intro- 
 duced into this mode of worship, till the prosperous 
 and glorious reign of Solomon. Till the government 
 of the Jews became an established monarchy, no ideas 
 were entertained of a national temple. It rested with 
 David to form, with the Deity to approve, and with 
 Solomon to execute, this magnificent design. Neither 
 labor, nor expense, were spared, in the erection of this 
 grand builJing, confessedly the most splendid edifice 
 upon \\h>/li the sun ever shone. For a minute delin- 
 eation of tins stupendous work, we must refer you to 
 the scriptures themselves; and we have little difficulty 
 in confirming the fidelity of the sacred narrative on this 
 
287 
 
 subject. The fact of the existence and the grandeur 
 of this edifice, is indisputable. It must have been 
 known, while it was building, to all the world; for 
 the report of such a design would spread through all 
 nations. It was known at Tyre, because they fur- 
 nished workmen in the most beautiful and delicate 
 parts of the structure. It was known to the queen of 
 Sheba, who came to be an eye-witness of the wisdom 
 and of the glory of Solomon. It was known at Bab- 
 ylon, by the report of the armies of Nebuchadnezzar. 
 "After Solomon's temple was built, the temple of 
 Vulcan in Egypt, and others in different places, were 
 founded in imitation of it: just as the oracles of the 
 heathens were imitations of the divine communications 
 made to Israel."* The temple of Solomon, erected 
 according to the scriptural account, must be admitted 
 as an indisputable fact. The glory of this temple was 
 soon extinguished; and after its destruction the Jews 
 built another, inferior to the former in magnificence: 
 which also has sunk under the ravages of war, and 
 with that whole dispensation, has yielded to a purer, 
 yet less splendid, order of worship. 
 
 u Howbeit the Most High dwelleth not in temples 
 made with hands:" neither is his presence confined to 
 a single w T orld. To the limited capacity of man, a 
 kingdom is a large possession, a world is an object of 
 infinite importance. Could he ascend to the next 
 planet, he would look down upon it as a shining 
 spark, amid myriads of others, scattered through the 
 regions of space. Were the presence of the Deity 
 confined to this globe, who would renew the blunted 
 horns of the moon? Who would balance yonder 
 wandering worlds? Who w<ould supply the sun with 
 light? Who would feed the everlasting fires of those 
 
 * Bishop Watson's Theological Tracts, vol. v, p. 27. 
 
288 
 
 remote orbs, the suns of other worlds, and the centres 
 of others ystems? Who would diffuse glory and felic- 
 ity through the heaven of heavens? That quickening 
 presence, that powerful hand, that unsearchable wis- 
 dom, that unwearied goodness, that infinite Being, is 
 needed every where at the same moment; is adored 
 through all his works; is felt at the same time sustain- 
 ing the whole universe; and surely Hhe Most High 
 dwelleth not in temples made with hands." It re- 
 mains that we now corroborate 
 
 IV. SOME SUBORDINATE SCRIPTURE FACTS, 
 
 To which, however interesting, we cannot afford in 
 our plan, the labor and time of a separate Lecture; 
 and which may with propriety be noticed here. 
 
 We have passed over the book of Judges, because 
 it was not immediately connected with the larger 
 events proposed for consideration: but the facts con- 
 tained in that instructive series of narration, are equally 
 authenticated by foreign testimonies. It will be neces- 
 sary also to anticipate some other subordinate facts, 
 subsequent in point of time to the subjects discussed 
 this evening, that the thread of those which remain 
 may not be broken, nor more serious and important 
 inquiries interrupted. 
 
 The memorial of the actions of Gideon is preserved 
 by SANCHONIATHON, a Tyrian writer, who lived not 
 long after him, and whose antiquity is attested by Por- 
 phyry. 
 
 From the manner of Jepthae's devoting his daughter, 
 after his victory over the Ammonites, arose the story 
 of the sacrifice of Iphigenia: it being usual with thr 
 heathens as yEuAN observes, to attribute to their later 
 
289 
 
 heroes, the glory of the actions of those who lived long 
 before.* 
 
 OVID has transmitted to us the account of a feast 
 observed by the ancient Romans in April, the time of 
 the Jewish harvest; in which they let loose foxes with 
 torches fastened to their tails. f Can we doubt that 
 this certainly originated in the history of Sampson? 
 and that it was brought into Italy by the Phoenicians? 
 May we not also conclude, that from the treachery 
 discovered in Delilah's treatment of Sampson, arose 
 the history of Nisus, and of his unnatural daughter, 
 who cut oft' those fatal hairs from the head of her 
 father, upon which his victory and his security de- 
 pended?t The labors of Hercules appear to be but an 
 imperfect copy of the prodigious strength and valor 
 of Sampson: or at least, the facts related of the one, 
 probably suggested the exploits fabled of the other. 
 
 Also in the succeeding histories of Israel and Jti- 
 dah, some of the more extraordinary facts are con- 
 firmed by foreign testimonies. 
 
 The victory of David over the Syrians of Zoba, 
 on the banks of the Euphrates, is preserved by NICII 
 OLAUS DAMASCENUS. 
 
 There are monuments extant, which certify the 
 part that Hiram, king of Tyre, took in building the 
 temple of Solomon. 
 
 * Ml Varijc Historic, lib. v. cap. 3. 
 f" Cur igitur missse vinctis ardentia txdis 
 Terga ferant vulpes, caussa docenda mi hi. 
 
 Ovid. Fast. lib. iv. /. 681, {>; 
 
 * Alcathoe, quam Nisus habet; cui splendidus ostra 
 
 liver honoratos medio de vertice cauos 
 Ciinis mlixrebat, magni fiducia regni. 
 
 Thalamos taci'iirna paternos 
 
 Intrat; et (heu facinus!) fat all nata parentem 
 Gtine suum spoliat. 
 
 Ovid. Met am. M. V, /. 810, et 84-1* 
 
 37 
 
290 
 
 HERODOTUS records the taking of Jerusalem by the 
 king of Egvpt, as stated in the history of Rehoboam's 
 reign. In the same writer may be traced the tradi- 
 tion of the destruction of Senacherib's army, because 
 of his blasphemies against God: which circumstance 
 the Egyptians disguised, as was common with them, 
 to appropriate it to themselves.* 
 
 May we not also suppose that the story of Phaeton 
 originated in some imperfect tradition of the transla- 
 tion of Elijah, in a chariot of fire? It is probable that 
 imagination supplied the want of evidence, in the 
 verses of the poets, and by their alterations and addi- 
 tions, it is easy to account for the remoteness of their 
 fables from this fact, to which, nevertheless, they pos- 
 sibly bear a first relation. But it is difficult to imag- 
 ine from what other source the tale could arise, and 
 what other event would afford materials for so singu- 
 lar a story, t 
 
 The history of Jonah, and the account that he was 
 miraculously preserved three days and three nights in 
 the bowels of the fish, has often excited the ridicule, 
 and employed the wit, of infidelity: yet it is not with- 
 out its support from heathen testimonies. This singu- 
 lar event is related by LYCOPJIKON, and by ^ENEAS 
 GAZEUS, with this variation from the inspired writ- 
 ings, that they call the prophet, Hercules. Neither 
 arc we, to be surprised at this deviation from the his- 
 toric veracity of the Bible: for Hercules was the great 
 hero of the ancients; and Tacitus himself acknowledg 
 es, that to advance the fame of this distinguished fa- 
 vorite, they do not hesitate to ascribe to him, whatever 
 
 Herod, lib. ii. cap. 141. 
 
 | ?ec, on these confirmations of scrplurul trull), Bishop Wat 
 Theological -Tracts, vol. i, p. 355, 356. 
 
291 
 
 is extraordinary or noble in history, to whomsoever 
 the real praise is justly due. They plunder every other 
 celebrated character of all his merit, to adorn their 
 fabled hero with the spoils stolen from truth, and hon- 
 estly belonging to others. ./Eneas Gazeus, in The- 
 ophrastus, uses these words u llercules was saved by 
 a whale swallowing him, when the ship in which he 
 sailed was wrecked."* How well these circumstances, 
 in their general features, accord with the punishment 
 of Jonah for his disobedience, and with the fearful 
 tempest which preceded it! 
 
 MENANDER the historian confirms, in his acts of 
 Ithobal, king of Tyre, the dearth in the days of Ahab, 
 king of Israel, in which Elijah was miraculously pre- 
 served by the ravens, and by the widow of Zarephath, 
 and says that by supplication to God it was followed 
 by ram, and by much thunder. t 
 
 CYPRIAN, JULIAN, and others, mention the fire 
 which descended from heaven to consume the sacri- 
 fice of Elijah. J 
 
 It is unnecessary farther to enlarge upon these sub- 
 jects: enough has already been produced, to prove to 
 every unprejudiced mind, that the most trivial circum- 
 stances of the sacred narrative, even those parts of it 
 which might not be supposed, intimately and materi- 
 ally, to affect the truth and the influence of Christiani- 
 ty, are capable of demonstration from the traditions 
 of the heathen world, and from the testimony of their 
 earliest writers, 
 
 * SlTTi^ KI.I Hgsuxs; xJtTyti, Si-j.ffi.ytiw Tt; vide; t<$ e; i7r\i'. t um X.VTX; x.*.Ta.7TsStvat.i tutt 
 
 Z-'jii. jEncas GaZi'-'us Thfophrasto, 
 
 f Jos. Antiq. Jud. Tom. I. lib. viii, cap. xiii, p. 576. Hudson! edit. 
 $ Grot, dc Verit. Rel. Christ, lib. i, sect, xvi, in not. U)6. See also 
 tp 3 of ri.is LCCUIJV, at th<> end of th.". volume. 
 
292 
 
 Brethren, we have led back your attention to 
 splendor and magnificence of former times. Upon us 
 "the ends of the earth" are come. The fathers are- 
 assembled in the world of spirits, and "they without 
 us cannot be made perfect." We have not seen 
 "Solomon in all his glory:" but "a greater than Solo- 
 mon is here!" In all things Jesus has the pre emi- 
 nence. Was Solomon wise? Grace was poured upon 
 the Savior's lips, and he was fairer than the sons of 
 men! Was Solomon mighty? "All power" is given 
 unto Jesus "in heaven and in earth!" Was the domin- 
 ion of Solomon extensive, and his reign peaceful and 
 prosperous? "The dominion" also of Jesus "is from 
 sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth;" 
 "and of his kingdom, and of his peace, there is no end!" 
 Is the renown of Solomon immortal? Of Jesus it is 
 written, "His name shall endure forever; his name 
 shall be continued so long as the sun, and men shall 
 be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed!" 
 We have never beheld the magnificence of the temple 
 of Solomon: but in the kingdom of our spiritual Solo- 
 mon, is a temple not made with hands, where the ar- 
 mies of the redeemed are already congregated, and 
 wait our arrival. Solomon was a sen ant. but Jesus 
 is a son "and let the whole earth be filled with hi 
 glory! Amen and amen." 
 
LECTURE XI. 
 
 THE CAPTIVITIES OF ISRAEL AND OF JUDAH, 
 The first of these events is recorded in 
 
 2 KINGS xvii, 1 6. 
 
 In the twelfth year of Ahaz king ofJudah, begat* 
 Hoshea the son Elah to reign in Samaria ovtr Israel 
 nine years. And he did that which was evil in- 
 the sight of the LORD, but nof as the kings of Israel 
 that were before him. Against him came up Shal- 
 manesw, king of Assyria, and Hoshea became his 
 servant, and gave him presents. And the king of 
 Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea: for he had 
 sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and brought 
 no present to the king of Assyria, as he had done 
 year by year: therefore the king of Assyria shut 
 him up, and bound him in prison. Then the king 
 of Assyria came up throughout all the land, and 
 went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years. 
 In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria 
 took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assy- 
 ria, and placed them in Halah, and in Habor by 
 the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the, Mcdcs. 
 
 The second is preserved in 
 
 2 CHRON. xxxvi, 14 21. 
 
 Moreover, all the chief of the priests, and the peoplt 
 transgressed very much, after all the abomination* 
 of the heathen, and polluted the house of the 
 
which he had hallowed in Jerusalem. And the 
 LORD God of their fathers sent to them by his mes- 
 sengers, rising up betimes and sending; because he 
 had compassion on his people, and on Jiis dwelling- 
 place: But they mocked the messengers of God, and 
 despised his words, and misused his prophets, until 
 the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, 
 till there was no remedy. Therefore he brought 
 upon them the king of the Clialdees, who slew their 
 young men with the sword, in the house of their 
 sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young 
 man, or maiden, or old man, or him that stooped for 
 age: he gave them all into his hand. And all the 
 vessels of the house of God, great and smalt, and 
 the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the 
 treasures of the king, and of his princes: all these 
 he brought to Babylon. And they burned the house 
 of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and 
 burned all the palaces thereof with fire, and de- 
 stroyed all the goodly vessels thereof. And them 
 that had escaped from the sword, carried he away 
 to Babylon: where they were servants to him, and 
 his sons 9 until the reign of the kingdom of Persia: 
 To fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jer- 
 emiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: 
 for as long as she lay desolate, she kept sabbath, to 
 fulfil threescore and ten years. 
 
 THE history of empires and of people transmitted 
 from generation to generation, what is it but the re- 
 cord of the human heart? All the scenes of horror 
 which have petrified the spectator in the city and in 
 the field, were drawn first in the imagination of a de- 
 praved spirit, before they were exhibited to the world. 
 
295 
 
 We contemplate with dismay a conqueror returning 
 from the buttle dyed in blood, and we shudder as we 
 look upon the empurpled plain: but we carry within 
 us, all the frightful passions which' gave birth to these 
 cruelties; and in our own bosom, are sown, with un- 
 sparing hand, the prolific seeds, of which these tears 
 and this misery are the sad harvest. The most atro- 
 cious acts of violence which have disgraced society, 
 were conceived in the bosom of a fellow-worm, be- 
 fore they burst to light. The influence of depravity is 
 felt in the world, but its spring is within us; and every 
 individual bears his proportion of the hidden plague. 
 In the existence of evil, and in the pressure of calamity 
 upon society, we have the symptoms of it; the dis- 
 ease itself is interwoven with our very being, and lurks 
 unseen, while it tyrannizes unresisted, in the human 
 heart. The history of nations, therefore, is but the 
 history of human nature; and it presents a most af- 
 fecting view of human depravity. 
 
 It is the glory and the beauty of sacred history to 
 make us acquainted with men, and to disclose to us 
 human feelings. No artificial strokes are used in the 
 delineation of character in this volume. No romantic, 
 unnatural circumstances, are recorded as belonging to 
 the individual selected to raise wonder and to lead 
 captive the fancy: for where miraculous events are 
 asserted, we trace the finger of God, and are no lon- 
 ger surprised, and they bear all the mark of matter of 
 fact, for which some cause is assignable. No false 
 gloss varnishes a depraved disposition. No unreal 
 splendors dazzle and astonish us. All is natural; and 
 feeling ourselves among our brethren in the flesh, cor- 
 respondent emotions spring up within us, when we 
 perceive them agitated by grief or joy; and we read 
 
296 
 
 our own hearts while the narrative permits us to look 
 into theirs. Whether we are overwhelmed with the 
 perplexities of kingdoms, or are occasionally called to 
 the field of battle; whether we witness the slaughter 
 of our fellow-men, or are involved in the intrigues and 
 policies of worldly courts; or whether we enter the 
 tranquil bosom of a family, and share their domestic 
 comforts and trials, and read in these hallowed pages 
 the same scenes which pass before our eyes every day 
 that we live; we mark, with equal gratification and 
 advantage, the developement of the plans of Provi- 
 dence, in relation both to public and domestic life; 
 and deduce from it some inferences applicable to the 
 dealings of God, with us, as a nation, or as individu- 
 als. Who can read the scriptures without feeling 
 that instruction and amusement are combined? Pleas- 
 ure and religious information intermingle, and are 
 blended. The imagination is captivated, the heart is 
 wanned, the judgment is enlightened, the spirit is re- 
 freshed and invigorated. 
 
 "Let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest 
 lie fall," is an admonition of unerring wisdom, the 
 excellence of which is proved in the blotted pages of 
 human apostacy. We have seen Solomon building an 
 house for God, enjoying a superiority of understand- 
 ing over the whole human race, exulting in divine 
 intercourse, crowned with riches and with honor, and 
 extending his dominion from sea to sea. Fair is the 
 aspect of piety, and we hang over it, unwilling to 
 withdraw our enchanted attention from it! The morn- 
 ing of his day was unusually bright and promising: the 
 noon became overcast; and in the evening of his life, 
 his sun set enveloped with clouds, and shrouded by 
 the most gloomy obscurity. It^rcquues more than 
 
297 
 
 a common measure of grace to support uninjured the 
 flatteries of prosperity: Solomon was inebriated with 
 them, and fell from his exalted piety into folly, guilt, 
 and consequent danger. Who does not weep to see 
 the king of Israel, whose youthful wisdom drew a 
 princess from her country to try the justice of his ce- 
 lebrity, bowing his hoary head to the dust before a 
 dumb idol, and ascribing to the work of men's hands 
 the glory and the worship due only to God? Son of 
 the morning, how art thou fallen! The wisdom which 
 distilled from his lips, which "spake of trees from the 
 cedar tree that is Lebanon, even to the hyssop which 
 springethout of the wall," and the penetration of which, 
 pierced through the secrets of nature O where did it 
 slumber, when he forsook the Lord God of his father 
 David, and "went after Ashtoreth, the goddess of the 
 Zidonians, and Milcom, the abomination of the Am- 
 monites?" How worthless is "the wisdom of the wise,' 1 
 when left to itself! and how easily does the power of 
 temptation subdue the energies of the heart, and en- 
 slave the man, when the assisting hand of Heaven is 
 withdrawn! The last days of Solomon formed a sad 
 contrast to the lustre of his younger life. Blasted by 
 vice, the fruits of the autumn but ill answered the 
 promise of the spring. From the moment of his at- 
 tachment to idolatry, he passed over to deserved obliv- 
 ion; and having reigned in Israel forty years, a he slept 
 with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David." 
 Rehoboam his son succeeded him, and in his days 
 the kingdom was divided. Ten of the tribes of Israel 
 followed Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and two only, 
 Judah and Benjamin, adhered to the house of David. 
 This division had been foretold, in the days of golo- 
 
 38 
 
298 
 
 mon, by Ahijah the Shilonite. From this period these 
 kingdoms were totally distinct; and under the titles 
 of Israel and Judah, they had a separate line of kings, 
 and were even sometimes found at war with each oth- 
 er. It is not our design to enter into the history of 
 the kingdoms thus separated: but we refer you to the 
 books of the Kings, and of the Chronicles; which 
 even in the estimation of skepticism, ought surely to 
 have an equal degree of credit, with the regular and 
 authenticated records of any other country. The de- 
 scendants of Abraham thus divided, were punished by 
 bondage for their transgressions, at two different peri- 
 ods, under different circumstances, in different places, 
 with different consequences. The object of the pres- 
 ent meeting is, to exhibit and to corroborate, THE CAP- 
 TIVITIES OF ISRAEL AND OF JUDAH. 
 
 I. THE CAPTIVITY OF ISRAEL. 
 
 The bondage of the ten tribes took place in the 
 ninth year of the reign of Hosea, king of Israel, in the 
 year of world 3585, and seven hundred and twenty- 
 one years before Christ. According to Josephus they 
 were removed out of their country "nine hundred and 
 forty-seven years after their forefathers were brought 
 out of the land of Egypt; eight hundred years after 
 Joshua had been their leader; and two hundred and 
 forty years, seven months, and seven days, after they 
 had revolted from llehoboam."* It was begun in 
 the days of Pekah, king of Israel, and completed by 
 Siuilmaneser, king of Assyria. Shalmaneser took Sa- 
 maria after a seige of three years. Hezekiah was at 
 that time in the seventh year of his reign over Judah. 
 Hosea was taken alive; the government of the Israel- 
 
 Joseph. Antiq. Jud. lib. ix. cap. 14. 
 
299 
 
 ites was completely overthrown; the people were 
 transported into Assyria, Media, and Persia, and oth- 
 er nations, out of Cuthath, Ava, Hamath, and Sephar- 
 vaim, were brought into Samaria, and took possession 
 of the country which had belonged to Israel. These 
 are the Samaritans, against whom the Jews bore par- 
 ticular hatred, and who did not fail to return it: for 
 when the Jews were in prosperity they were willing 
 to be thought in some way allied to them, but in their 
 adversity always disowned them. And thus they 
 availed themselves of the favor which Alexander shew- 
 ed the Jews when he visited them, and professed to 
 descend from Ephraim and Manasseh, the sons of 
 Joseph.* But so rooted and so permanent was their 
 mutual enmity, that this opposition raged most furi- 
 ously in the days of our Lord: so that the woman was 
 surprised that he "being a Jew should ask water of her, 
 who was a woman of Samaria;" and it is added, "for 
 the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans;" and 
 we find one of their villages on another occasion, re- 
 fusing to receive the Savior, "because his face was as 
 though he would go to Jerusalem." 
 
 The ostensible cause of this captivity was as follows: 
 Hoshea, on an invasion of Samaria by Shalmaneser, 
 in an early part of his reign, had bought him off by 
 presents, and declared himself to be the servant of the 
 the king of Assyria. On these humiliating terms 
 Shalmaneser withdrew his armies from him, and Ho- 
 shea was permitted to hold the crown of Israel in sub- 
 ordination to him. After this compact between them, 
 Hoshea secretly conspired against him; and sending to 
 So, king of Egypt, for assistance, withheld the annual 
 tribute to Assyria, designing to shake off the yoke 
 
 * See Joseph. Amiq. Jud.lib, xi cap. 3. 
 
300 
 
 which Shalmaneser had imposed. This monarch* 
 termed So, in the words read at the commencement of 
 this Lecture, is called Setho by Herodotus; and is the 
 famous Sabachon of Diodorus Siculus, and of other 
 profane writers, who dethroned and murdered Boc- 
 charis, the king of Egypt, in the beginning of the reign 
 of Hezekiah, and seized upon the kingdom. Shal- 
 maneser coming to the knowledge of this conspiracy, 
 advanced with a powerful army against Hoshea, shut 
 him up in Samaria, and afterwards took him, and the 
 Israelites, captive. 
 
 Of the existence, and the enterprising disposition of 
 Shalmaneser, we have the evidence of Menander the 
 historian, when he wrote his chronology, and translat- 
 ed the Tyrian Chronicles into the Greek language. 
 This is his testimony, preserved by Josephus "Eluleus 
 reigned thirty-six years. This monarch, upon the re- 
 volt of the Citteans, sailed against, and reduced them. 
 Against these did the king of Assyria (Shalmaneser) 
 send an army, and invaded all Phenicia. At length 
 he made peace with them and returned. But Sidon, 
 Ace, Palatyrus, and several other cities, revolted from 
 the Tyrians, and surrendered themselves to the king 
 of Assyria. Now when the Tyrians refused to sub- 
 mit to him, he renewed the contest; and the Pheni- 
 cians furnished him with sixty ships and eight hundred 
 rowers. The Tyrians opposed him with twelve ships, 
 dispersed his armament, and took live hundred mm 
 prisoners lie renewed the struggle, however, and 
 placed a garrison over their rivers and aqueducts, to 
 prevent them fnnn drawing water; dining which peri- 
 od the Tyrians sustained the s'u-e, and drank the wa- 
 ters of the wells which they di-< d upon this emcr- 
 
301 
 
 gency."* This testimony is produced to shew that 
 profane historians confirm the character which the 
 scriptures give of Shalmaneser; and it decidedly 
 proves that he was formidable to all his neighbors. 
 
 Who can read these narrations of blood shed with- 
 out deploring the evil of falling into the hands of an 
 unprincipled tyrant? The designs of God against Is- 
 rael did not clear Shalmaneser from guilt. He was 
 an instrument to bring about the purposes of Deity 
 without his concurrence, and even without his knowl- 
 edge. He meant only to satiate his ambition at the 
 expense of the fortunes, the liberties, and the lives of 
 his contemporaries; and his treatment of other nations, 
 unconnected with the Israelites, demonstrates too 
 clearly the tyranny of his disposition. The history 
 of man furnishes us with many a lamentable evidence, 
 that he is not to be trusted with absolute power, that 
 he grows intoxicated with it, and that possessing it, 
 he plunges either himself or others into an abyss of 
 ruin and misery. In proportion as he is furnished 
 with the means to effect much, he does mischief; as 
 those beasts of the forest are most to be dreaded, which 
 have the most strength united with their sanguinary 
 dispositions. Where much power is possessed, much 
 good might be done. How many thousands of hearts 
 might one man make happy! He might suppress the vic- 
 ious, and strengthen the weak ,and comfort the sorrow- 
 ful: he might be as God, dispensing peace, and joy, and 
 order, around him in society. But, alas! he no soon- 
 er feels his exaltation than he grows giddy with it! 
 He no longer recollects that he is himself a man. in 
 the midst of those who are "bone of his bone and flesh 
 
 *Menand. npud. Joseph- Antiq lib. 'it,, chap. 14, 
 
302 
 
 of his flesh." Half the world must worship him: and 
 the other half, who will not, must be visited with "a 
 rod of iron." He values not the soul of his brother: 
 he cares not how many lives he expends to gratify his 
 ambition, his hatred, or his passions. Society groans 
 under his tyranny, and the world is turned into a field 
 of blood. See yonder unjust man, whose character 
 will be read in his history before we close this Lecture, 
 setting up an image of gold, and commanding on pain 
 of death a whole empire to worship it: What gave 
 birth to this extravagance? The intoxication of power I 
 And are his threats merely the language of caprice and 
 anger? No! but yonder are three men dragged to the 
 fire to be burned, because they refuse to comply with 
 a command, from which their religion, their conscience, 
 and every thing which they ought to hold most dear, 
 revolt. That man might be a sun to quicken, to warm, 
 and to illumine: but he is a meteor that scorches, ter- 
 rifies, and blights, whatever, falls under his baneful in- 
 fluence. 
 
 How different is the character of the Deity! When 
 I appear before a great man, his object often is to daz- 
 zle and to overwhelm me. He is anxious only that I 
 should feel his greatness and my own inferiority. 
 He clothes himself with all his power, and enjoys my 
 embarrassment. No matter whether millions of peo- 
 ple are made unhappy by his pride: he is careless 
 whether he is loved, so that he is but feared. I turn 
 away with horror and disgust from a man whose 
 breath is in his nostrils, living but to confound and to 
 torment, to HIM in whom all majesty and might cen- 
 tre and there I lose my "apprehensions!^ He, who 
 rules above all, in the plenitude of power, who is King 
 ef kings, and Lord of lords, blends with infinite 
 
303 
 
 strength, illimitable compassion. The spirit that shrinks 
 with dismay from the frowning, forbiding aspect, of 
 an imperious fellow- worm, is invited to the feet of his 
 Creator, not more by the mild and affectionate lan- 
 guage of scripture, than by the experience which he 
 has had of his gracious character, in the mercies which 
 he has personally received at his hand. His majesty 
 astonishes, but does not confound. His glory dazzles, 
 but does not consume. His power fills the mind with 
 awe, but does not overwhelm it with terror. Ah, 
 David was right, when, in his great strait, he preferred 
 falling into the hands of God, rather than into the 
 hands of man; and the history of this night proves his 
 wisdom. Yet did the Israelites choose a man before 
 God, and elevated a creature to the throne previously 
 filled only by the Creator! 
 
 The most remarkable circumstance attending the 
 captivity of Israel, is THE LOSS OF THE TEN TRIBES. 
 We hear nothing more concerning them, excepting a 
 few who returned with Judah and Benjamin from the 
 Babylonish captivity; and the general opinion res- 
 pecting them is, that they were absorbed in the na- 
 tions among whom they were dispersed. Of this 
 opinion are Josephus and St. Jerome. Others object 
 that their return from captivity appears to be plainly 
 pointed out by Amos, and by Hosea. "I will bring 
 again the captivity of my peopb of Israel, and they 
 shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and 
 they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; 
 they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of 
 them. And I will plant them upon their land, and 
 they shall be no more pulled up out of the land which 
 I have given them, saith the LORD thy God. r * Hosea 
 
 * Amos ix, 14. 15. 
 
304 
 
 also says, "Then shall the children of Judah, and the 
 children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint 
 themselves one head, and they shall come up out of 
 the land; for great shall be the day of Jezreel."* The 
 first of these prophecies relates to the rearing of the 
 tabernacle "of David," which surely was done by 
 Judah and Benjamin, and appears more decidedly to 
 refer to them, since the ten tribes had disavowed any 
 connexion with the house of David at the time of 
 their separation. Upon the answer returned by Re- 
 hoboam, they replied to the king, "what portion have 
 we in David? Neither have we inheritance in the son 
 of Jesse! To your tents, O Israel! Now see to thine 
 own house, David!"t In the second, I confess, Judah 
 and Israel are mentioned separately, yet conjointly, 
 because of the co-operation ascribed to them. May 
 we not suppose this prediction fulfilled in the return 
 of the Levites, the remnant of Israel, who were brought 
 from Babylon with the men of Judah and of Benja- 
 min? Who united with them under one leader, and 
 who assisted them in building the wall of Jerusalem? 
 We leave the question to the decision of your own 
 judgments. Indeed it does not immediately come be- 
 fore us as a subject of discussion; our professed object 
 being simply to confirm the fact of the two captivities, 
 and to relate the circumstances attending them. There 
 is no record of their return, there are no traces of their 
 tribes, there is no evidence of their existence. Those 
 who maintain that they are yet in being, advance on- 
 ly an hypothesis incapable of demonstration; and the 
 most general conclusion upon the subject is, we be- 
 lieve, that they are wholly lost. 
 
 5, 11. t i 1 King's xii, 16. 
 
306 
 
 The inferences which we deduce from this position 
 are these: MH| 
 
 1. That the coming of the Messiah was the grand 
 object of the Old Testament dispensation, and that 
 the peculiarities of the Jews bore a manifest relation 
 to him. To decide this, it is only necessary to ob- 
 serve, that from the time of the promise made to Adam, 
 the Savior was the subject of all the engagements be- 
 tween God and man. The study of genealogies, and 
 the strictness with which they were commanded to be 
 kept, were enjoined, we may presume, that they might 
 trace with certainty and decision, the line of the Mes- 
 siah. The ceremonies of the Jewish religion were evi- 
 dently types of something: as they were expressly in- 
 stituted by God, it must follow that the antitype should 
 be sublime, that these rites might be worthy their^ 
 great Founder: and no meaning can be affixed to 
 them, unless they be allowed to refer to the life, the 
 sufferings, and the atonement of the Lord Jesus. The 
 prophecies at that early period, looked forwards to the 
 Savior: and they increased in clearness and in copi- 
 ousness, as they approached the advent of the Messi- 
 ah. The separation of the Jews from all other na- 
 tions, was founded, we conceive, upon this same prin- 
 
 f : '>!e. Hence we infer 
 
 2. That the very existence of the Jews depended 
 upon their connexion with the Savior. Till the days 
 of David the promises respecting the Messiah were of 
 general inajport, that he should descend from Abra- 
 ham. But hen they became more explicit, and it was 
 declared that Christ should be of the house of David. 
 To the family of David, therefore, the promise was 
 restricted. So long as they adhered to, and were 
 connected with, the house of David, which was also 
 
307 
 
 the house of Jesus, they were separated with their 
 brethren from the rest of mankind, and their exist- 
 ence was secured: but when they voluntarily resigned 
 their interest in that house, and were severed from the 
 two tribes, they were dispersed and absorbed among 
 the nations, and the few who returned from captivity 
 lost their distinction: they returned with Judah and 
 Benjamin, and were swallowed up of their brethren. 
 Now it is remarkable that individuals were supported 
 in the same way. Lot, so long as he stands in union 
 with Abraham, who was inseparably connected with 
 the Messiah, is an object of importance: but once di- 
 vided from him, we read little of him afterwards, and 
 at length he totally vanishes out of our sight. Judah 
 and Benjamin, who were of the house of David, were 
 also led into captivity: but they were restored, because 
 of their connexion with the Messiah: while Israel, hav- 
 ing become separated from this great interest, were 
 scattered and lost. These observations will not, we 
 trust, be deemed altogether unimportant; as they prove 
 the unity of the scriptures, and the connexion between 
 the Old and the New Testaments. But we hasten to 
 fix your attention upon 
 
 II. THE CAPTIVITY OF JUDAII. 
 
 This captivity was commenced by Nebuchadnezzar, 
 and completed by his general, Nebuzaradan. The 
 interval between the first desolation of Jerusalem by 
 the king of Babylon, and its total overthrow by his 
 int, was about twenty -two years. It was begun 
 in the reign of Jdioiakim, six hundred and six years 
 before the coming of Christ. Nebuchadnezzar took 
 the city in the ninth month, culled Casleu, which an- 
 swers to our November, and on the twelfth day of 
 
307 
 
 the month: which the Jews keep as an annual fast in 
 commemoration of this event to this day.* Among 
 the number of captives taken from Jerusalem, were 
 Daniel, Hananiah, Misbael, and Azariah: whom the 
 Babylonians called, Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, 
 and Abed nego. The interval between the commence- 
 ment, and the consummation, of the destruction of 
 Jerusalem, is crowded with important transactions, a 
 few of which it may be necessary to mention. 
 
 The reading of the roll before Jehoiakim, who was 
 not rendered sensible of his wickedness by the first 
 desolation of his country, excited the most infuriate 
 emotions, and having first cut it in pieces with his own 
 hand, he threw it into the fire. The Jews keep also 
 the twenty- ninth day of Casleu a fast, in remembrance 
 of the impiety of the monarch, by whom this import- 
 ant writing was consumed. 
 
 lithe seventh year of Jehoiakim, and the second 
 after Lie death of the father of Nebuchadnezzar, Dan- 
 iel explained the first vision of the king of Babylon, 
 which elevated him to the highest dignities of the 
 empire. 
 
 The other events recorded in the book of Daniel, to 
 the expulsion of Nebuchadnezzar from society, fol- 
 lowed in the order in which they are there narrated, 
 and conduct us to the total overthrow of Jerusalem 
 by Nebuzaradan, in the reign of Zedekiah: which 
 was accompanied with the m ;st horrible circumstan- 
 ces of rigor and cruelty, The temple was spoiled of 
 all its riches and furniture, and was burned, together 
 with the royal palace. The slaughter was dreadful: 
 the city was totally dismantled: and the whole of its 
 
 * Sec Prideaux's Connec. vol. i, b. 1. Anc. Univ. Hist. vol. iv, b. 1, c, 7 
 note O. Usher sub, A. M. 3597. 
 
308 
 
 inhabitants, who escaped the sword, were led into cap- 
 tivity. This event took place in the year of the world 
 3718, five hundred and eighty-eight years before 
 Christ, and one hundred and thirty-four years after 
 the destruction of the kingdom of Israel, and the cap- 
 tivity of the ten tribes. 
 
 Nebuchadnezzar having at length sheathed the 
 sword, applied himself to the completion of his works 
 at Babylon. As it will be necessary to relate the siege 
 of this city by Cyrus, which terminated the captivity 
 of Judah, it will be proper previously to give a short 
 description of this wonderful place. The city stood 
 upon an immense plain, and formed a complete square. 
 The most remarkable works in, and about it, were the 
 walls, the temple, the palace, the bridge, and the banks 
 of the river, and the canals for draining it. 
 
 1. THE WALLS. They were in thickness eighty - 
 seven feet: in height three hundred and fifty: in com- 
 pass four hundred and eighty furlongs, or about sixty 
 miles. This is the account given by Herodotus, the 
 most ancient writer upon this subject, who was him- 
 self at Babylon. Each side of the city was defended 
 by a wall fifteen miles in length. These walls were 
 built of bricks, cemented with bitumen, a glutinous 
 slime, resembling pitch, found in abundance in that 
 country, which binds together much more firmly than 
 lime, and in time becomes harder than the bricks or 
 stones themselves. They were surrounded by a vast 
 moat filled with water. On every side of this mi- 
 ni esc square were twenty-five gates, amounting in all 
 to one hundred, and as many bridges were thrown 
 across the moat which encircled the city. These 
 gates were all made of solid brass: and for this reason, 
 when God promised to Cyrus the conquest of Baby- 
 
309 
 
 Ion, he said, that he would "break before him, tht 
 gates of brass" At proper intervals towers weic 
 erected all along the walls, each of them about ten 
 feet higher than the walls themselves. It seems, how- 
 ever, that this is to be understood only of those parts 
 of the walls where towers were needful for defence: 
 when three towers were between every two of the 
 gates, and four at the four corners: but some parts of 
 the walls being upon a morass and inaccessible to an 
 enemy, were not thus defended: and the whole num- 
 ber of the towers were two hundred and fifty. This 
 economy destroying the symmetry of the city, the de- 
 ficiency was afterwards supplied by Nitocris.* From 
 the twenty-five gates on each side of the city were 
 twenty-five streets extending in a straight line to the 
 corresponding gates on the opposite side, directly in- 
 tersecting each other at right angles: so that there were 
 fifty streets, each of them fifteen miles long, dividing 
 the whole city into six hundred and seventy-six squares, 
 each square two miles and a quarter in circumference. 
 The ground enclosed within these squares, was formed 
 into gardens. 
 The next objects worthy attention were, 
 
 2. THE BRIDGE, AND THE BANKS OF THE RIVER. 
 
 A branch of the Euphrates ran through the centre of 
 the city from north to south. On each side of the 
 river were a quay, and an high wall built of brick and 
 of bitumen, of the same thickness with the walls 
 which surrounded the city. In these walls, over 
 against every street that led to the river, were also 
 gates of brass, and from them were descents by steps to 
 the river. These brazen gates were always open in 
 
 * Anc. Un'.v. Hist. vol. iv, b, 1, c. 9, p. 408 and 434. Dublin edition 174 J, 
 20 vol. 
 
310 
 
 the day, and shut by night. The bridge thrown over 
 it in the middle of the city, was a magnificent structure, 
 a furlong in length, and thirty feet in breadth. Nor 
 must we omit 
 
 3. THE CANALS for draining the river. In the be- 
 ginning of the summer, the sun melting the snows on 
 the mountains of Armenia, a vast overflow of the Eu- 
 phrates takes place in the months of June, July, and 
 August. To prevent any damage to the city and its 
 inhabitants, at a considerable distance above the town, 
 were cut two artificial canals, which turned the course 
 of the waters into the Tigris before they reached Bab- 
 ylon. For additional security, two immense banks 
 were raised on each side of the river. In order to form 
 these mounds it was necessary to drain off the water; 
 which was done by digging a prodigious lake forty 
 miles square, one hundred and sixty in circumference, 
 and thirty-five feet deep. 
 
 These are the wonders recorded by ancient writers, 
 concerning Babylon; and which almost exceed credi- 
 bility, were it not that their testimony on this subject 
 perfectly coincides with itself. Berosus, Magasthenes, 
 and Abydenus, agree in ascribing these works to 
 Nebuchadnezzar.* 
 
 4. THE PALACE, THE HANGING GARDENS, AND THE 
 TEMPLE, were respectively splendid anJ magnificent: 
 but as they are not necessary to our subject, we wave 
 a description of them. It is agreed by most historians, 
 that the temple of Belus was built on Ihr prin of the 
 tower of Babel, and is by some supposed to be erected 
 on its ruins. Josrphus says, that Babylon took its name 
 
 * For this, and a more cnlnrgrV; nrroMTit of H.'ilnion, scr- Roll'm's Anr. 
 Hist. vol. i, p. 13S, k.r. Anr. ! Y.iv. Hist. vol. iv, I). J, r. 9. l 
 
 j, pt i, i>. | .,.,,,! 1. i t ,-. t7<<. 
 
311 
 
 from Babel, a word implying confusion, in commemo 
 ration of the confusion of language, and the dispersion 
 of the people * Tliis temple was higher than the high- 
 est pyramid of Egypt. t From the situation of Babylon, 
 in a clear atmosphere, and a serene sky, together with 
 the advantage of this immense elevation, arose the su- 
 periority of Chaldeans in astronomical studies. The 
 description of this immense city, which has now been 
 submitted to you, was necessary that you may under- 
 stand the nature of those operations adopted by Cyrus 
 in obtaining possession of it. 
 
 We are not to wonder that the heart of Nebuchad- 
 nezzar, the resistless conqueror, and the lord of Baby- 
 lon, was inflated with pride. Where there is not a 
 principle of religion to counteract the influence of hu- 
 man depravity, the power of a lofty spirit admits of no 
 restraint. But "pride is nigh unto destruction; and an 
 haughty spirit goeth before a fail.' 7 Nebuchadnezzar 
 ascribed to the power of his own arm, the glory and 
 the majesty of his kingdom, and the Deity punished 
 him, by driving him from human society. He would 
 be a god, and he became less than a man!* His humil- 
 iation had been predicted in a vision, explained to him 
 by the prophet Daniel, a year before it took place. 
 The five following considerations may perhaps tend to 
 confirm this event, as an historical fact. 
 
 1. It is circumstantially related in a decree which 
 Nebuchadnezzar issued upon his restoration to his 
 kingdom: which decree must have existed at the very 
 time when the scriptural account was written; admit- 
 
 * Josephus de Antiq. Jud. Tom. I, lib. i, car>- 4. Hudson! edit. 
 
 f For a general description of it, bee Anc. Univ. Hist, vol ;i. b. i, c. 9, 
 and vol. i, b. i, c, 2. See also note 3, of Uiis Lecture, at the end of the 
 volume. 
 
 t Dan. IT, 2933. Dan-iv, 4, &;. 
 
312 
 
 ting (which we may reasonably claim) that the event 
 was recorded at the time which it asserts, and possesses 
 the antiquity ascribed to the book of Daniel: there- 
 fore imposition was impossible, and the attempt among 
 contemporaries, would only have exposed the writer 
 to derision. It is not the relation of a transaction pre- 
 vious to his birth, which Daniel has written, but he 
 was an eye-witness of the circumstance, an actor in 
 the scene, and the whole Jewish nation, as well as the 
 Babylonish empire, were concerned in it. 
 
 2. Scaliger, thinks that this madness of Nebuchad- 
 nezzar is obscurely hinted in a fragment of Abydenus, 
 preserved by Eusebius* wherein having, from the tes- 
 timony of the Chaldean writers, represented the king 
 to have fallen into an ecstacy, and to have foretold the 
 destruction of that empire by the Medes and Persians, 
 he adds "immediately after uttering this prophecy, 
 he disappeared," which Scaliger supposes refers to the 
 deposition of his kingly authority, and to his exclusion 
 from society. 
 
 3. Herodotus speaks of his pride, and of his defi- 
 ance even of Divine power, in much ;he same terms as 
 those used by the inspired writer. He says u such 
 was his loftiness and presumption, that he boasted, it 
 was not in the power of God himself to dispossess him 
 of his kingdom, so securely did he deem himself es- 
 tablished in it."f 
 
 4. Josephus asserts this event: and amid all his nu- 
 merous opposers, and their diversified objections, the 
 relation of this fact by him was never disputed.' 1 ;}: 
 
 5. By Ptolemy's canon, a contemporary record, 
 Nebuchadnezzar is said to have reigned forty-three 
 
 Euseb. Prxp. Evanp. lib. ix, cap. 41. f Herod, lib. 2. 
 * Joseph, de Anliq. Judeor. Tom. I, lib. x cap. 10. 
 
313 
 
 years, eight of which are passed over in silence. His 
 actions, as recounted both by sacred and profane his- 
 torians, are so remarkable, and his spirit so enterprising, 
 that it can scarcely be imagined that he should be in- 
 active during eight years, or that his achievements in 
 that period should be buried in oblivion. The conclu- 
 sion is in favor of the record of Daniel, that he was 
 excluded from society, for seven years, till he learned 
 to acknowledge the hand which had made him great, 
 and to ascribe all power to God.* Of the reign and 
 the works of Nebuchadnezzar, Josephus has preserved 
 the testimonies of Berosus, Megasthenes, Diocles, and 
 Pliilostratus. 
 
 BEROSUS, in the third book of his Chaldaic histories 
 says that "his father died at Babylon after having 
 reigned twenty-one years: that Nebuchadnezzar was 
 at that time absent in Egypt, but having received the 
 intelligence of his father's death, he arranged his affairs 
 abr >ad, and committing the care and transportation 
 of the Jews, Syrians, Egyptians, and Phenicians, to 
 his friends, to follow him with his army and carriages 
 to Babylon, he himself with a few men hastened thith- 
 er, and took upon himself the government of the em- 
 pire." Again he adds, "with the spoils of war, he most 
 magnificently decorated the temple of Belus he en- 
 larged the old city built within it a triple wall erect- 
 ed a magnificent palace" and so he goes on to speak 
 of the hanging gardens, and of his other operations. 
 "MEGASTHENES, in the fourth book of his Indian his- 
 tory, mentions this garden, and asserts that Nebuchad- 
 nezzar surpassed Hercules in valor, and in the great- 
 ness of his exploits." DIOCLES in the second book of 
 
 * See Prideaux's Connec. vol. i, b. 1, in locum. 
 
 40 
 
314 
 
 the Persian history ,'and PHILOSTRATUS, in his history "of 
 India and Phenicia, say that he besieged Tyre thirteen 
 years, and took it in the reign of Ithobal."* 
 
 To Nebuchadnezzar succeeded Evil-Merodach, who 
 set Jechoniah at liberty and made him one of his 
 friends. After a reign of vice and folly of two years, 
 he was slain by the conspiracy of his own family. 
 
 To him succeeded Neriglasser, who reigned only 
 four years, and was slain in a battle against Cyrus. 
 
 To him succeeded Bdshazzar, with whose life the 
 Babylonish captivity terminated. Cyrus, conducted by 
 an invisible hand, advanced gradually towards Baby- 
 lon, and closely besieged it: while Belshazzar, or rather 
 Nitocris the queen mother (for the character of Bel- 
 shazzar by all profane historians is, that he was wholly 
 addicted to sensual pleasures, which is abundantly con- 
 firmed by the scriptural account) as strenuously forti- 
 fied, and defended it. This conquerer surrounded the 
 city with his army: but the king of Babylon presum- 
 ing upon its impregnable strength, and upon the maga- 
 zine of provisions, which, without any fresh supplies, 
 less than a ten years siege could not exhaust, derided 
 the efforts of his powerful adversary. In the mean time 
 the besiegers encompassed the city with a deep trench, 
 keeping their purposes a profound secret; and Cyrus was 
 informed of the feast which was about to be held in 
 Babylon. Upon this night he determined to suspend 
 the fates of his army, and of the empire for which he 
 fought. On this occasion of festivity, Belshaz/ar, with 
 a bold impiety at which his predecessors, proud and 
 daring as they were, would have shuddered, profan- 
 ed the vessels of the temple of Jehovah. The appari- 
 
 Joipph. de Antiq. Jud. Tom. i, lib. x, cap. 11. Hudson! edit. 
 
315 
 
 tion of an band writing on the wall of the palace m 
 unknown characters first excited the apprehensions of 
 the king. In vain he called the astrologers and the 
 magicians: in vain he alternately threatened and en* 
 treated them: they could neither read the writing, nor 
 make known the interpretation. The sentence was 
 written in Samaritan characters which the Chaldeans 
 did not understand; and could they have decyphered 
 these, they could not have explained them. The words 
 literally rendered are, a He hath numhered, he hath 
 numbered, he hath weighed, and they divide." Dan- 
 iel was sent for, and announced from them the imme- 
 diate fall of his empire. While this was the state of 
 things at the palace, Cyrus had drained the river into 
 bis moat, till it was fordable. Informed of the confu- 
 sion which reigned in the city, he issued orders to his 
 troops to enter it that very night at north and south, 
 by marching up the channel. They were command- 
 ed by two eminent officers, and advanced towards 
 each other, without suffering any impediment, till they 
 met in the centre of the river. God, who had prom- 
 ised to open before him the gates of brass, preceded 
 them: otherwise this singular and adventurous expedi- 
 tion must have failed. Had the gates which closed 
 the avenues leading to the river been shut, which was 
 always the custom at night, the whole scheme had 
 been defeated. But so was it ordered by Providence, 
 that on this night of general riot and confusion, with 
 unparalleled negligence, they were left open! So that 
 these troops penetrated the very heart of the city with- 
 out opposition, and reached the palace before any 
 alarm was given. The guards were immediately put 
 to the sword Belshazzar slain and the city taken 
 almost without resistance. 
 
316 
 
 Thus fell the Babylonish empire. Cyrus made a 
 decree in favor of the Jews, which led to their restora- 
 tion; and thus terminated the captivity of Judah, after 
 a period of seventy years.* They returned to their 
 country, and rebuilt their city and their temple: and 
 while the young men shouted when the foundation 
 was laid, the ciders wept aloud because of its manifest 
 inferiority to the magnificence of the former building: 
 "So that they could not discern the noise of the shout 
 of joy, from the noise of the weeping of the people!' 7 
 
 The history which has passed before you this night, 
 discovers with what facility the Deity can dry up the 
 streams of our enjoyment, and even cut cfl'the supplies 
 of our existence. He has only to speak the word, and 
 a thousand instruments spring up to execute the fierce- 
 ness of his displeasure. He has only to give the com- 
 mand, and the air which we breathe, becomes the ve- 
 hicle of instantaneous death. Fire mingles with the 
 blast of the desert, and consumes the vitals.f The 
 pestilence "walketh in darkness," or flying through 
 the slumbering city, shakes poison from its deadly 
 pinions. He holds back the face of his sun, and (he 
 "heavens are black with wind and rain," a partial del- 
 uge covers the country, and the promise of the harvest 
 is cut off. Or he commands his winds to scatter the 
 clouds, to drive them to some more favored land, and 
 the corn, expecting in vain the early and the latter rain, 
 withers and perishes. The earth is cleft with the heat. 
 the "herd die through lack of water, tin- simhi- 
 beats upon the man's head, till he faints, and his tongue 
 cleaves to the roof of his mouth, and lie is brought 
 down "to the dust of death." The desolation some- 
 
 c note 5, of this Lecture, :t tlic cn<l of the volume. 
 | See note C, of this Lrrtur--, :it the tin! of the 
 
317 
 
 times suddenly arises. There is peace in the city: the 
 harvest is swelling to maturity: every heart rej<M<;es in 
 the security of its comforts. A cloud rises in the east, 
 arid extends till it hides the sun at noon- day. A noise 
 is heard in the air, which covers "every face with 
 blackness." An army of locusts descends: and the 
 land which was "as the garden of Eden before them, 
 behind them is a desolate wilderness." Sometimes the 
 same desolation is effected at a stroke by the earth- 
 quake: at others, war thunders in the heart of an em- 
 pire, and blood runs down the streets of a city.* 
 
 The conduct of Nebuchadnezzar is fruitful also in 
 instruction. We frequently see the worst of charac- 
 ters filling the most eminent situations, moving in the 
 most exalted and the most splendid spheres, ruling 
 over powerful empires, exalting his throne above the 
 stars of heaven: a luminary that dazzles the eyes of the 
 princes of this world: a meteor that perplexes, con- 
 founds, and terrifies the inhabitants of the earth. Na- 
 tions bow down one after another, to the iron yoke, 
 till the whole world is subjected to him. Elevation 
 of rank in society, is so far from being bestowed upon 
 the most worthy, and the most upright characters, that 
 these situations, so full of danger, and which require 
 so much wisdom, are frequently seized by violence, 
 obtained by birth, procured by partial favor, and aie 
 often permitted by Providence to be occupied by men, 
 at once destitute of principle, and of religion the ti ue 
 source of principle. When we consider to whose 
 hands the government of mighty empires has been 
 committed: when we examine the history of the great 
 monarch of Babylon: when we trace the sceptre of 
 
 * See note 7 t of this Lecture, at the end of the volume. 
 
318 
 
 power, alternately under the control of Greece and of 
 Rome, and read the lives of monsters, whose delight 
 it w r as to trample upon every social feeling, and to vio- 
 late the rights of humanity, (to exclude modern histo- 
 ry from our calcution) it must be confessed, and it is 
 recorded in human blocd, that in many instances 
 "the earth" has been "given into the hand of the 
 wicked." 
 
 But the power of the wicked is limited. 'Heaven 
 is above all yet.' He who permits, can and does 
 restrain the exertion of their power. To every thing 
 there is a limit. The ocean has it boundaries over 
 which it cannot pass. The winds are not suffered to 
 rage with fury uncontroled. The planets, and even 
 eccentric comets, have their prescribed orbits. The 
 meteor has the point of its elevation, and the moment 
 of its fall, and of its expiration, assigned it. And he 
 who gave, can recall the power of the oppressor; and 
 dreadful will be his responsibility for the abuse of it! 
 
 When war is awakened, the judgments of God are 
 abroad in the earth. Thus have we seen to night a 
 people distinguished for their religious privileges, for 
 their prosperity, and for their separation from all other 
 nations, devoted to destruction because of their trans- 
 gressions. Let us learn, that whenever the sword is 
 permitted to devour, it is to chastise the inhabitants of 
 the earth for their inquity. War is horrible in its na- 
 ture, and in its effects. It separates the dearest and 
 the closest connexions of human nature. One battle 
 renders thousands of wives, widows: thousands of 
 children, fatherless: thousands of parents, childless, 
 thousands of spirits ruined beyond redemption! See, 
 pressing into yonder slippery, empurpled field, throngs 
 of all ages, seeking their own among the dead! In 
 
319 
 
 this disfigured countenance the child discerns with dif- 
 ficulty the features of his father. In that mangled 
 body dwelt the spirit which was the prop and the 
 glory of yonder silvery head, now bowed down over 
 it in silent, unspeakable sorrow. There the widow 
 washes the wounds of her husband with her tears. 
 And how few of that dreadful list of slaughtered men 
 were fit to die! Surely war was let loose upon the 
 world as a curse, in the just anger of God. 
 
 Let us seek therefore a better state of existence, 
 Let us deem it no longer an hardship, that we are 
 "pilgrims and strangers upon the earth:" but let us 
 "confess it" with cheerfulness, and look for "a city 
 which hath foundations, whose builder and mak- 
 er is God." Let us turn away from the kingdoms of 
 this world, laid open to the hand of violence, and seek 
 a shelter under the government of Deity, from all pres- 
 ent, and from all future evil. Let us press forwards 
 to his immediate presence, to live there in a state of 
 rest, a state of holiness, a state of felicity, a state of 
 permanency, a state of immutability! 
 
LECTURE XII. 
 
 THE LIFE, DEATH, RESURRECTION, AND ASCEN- 
 SION OF JESUS CHRIST, PROVED AS MATTERS OF 
 FACT, 
 
 LUKE II. 1 7. 
 
 And it came io pass in those days, that there went out 
 a decree from Cesar Augustus, that all the world 
 should be taxed. (And this taxing wasfrst made 
 when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all 
 went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And 
 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of 
 Nazareth, intoJudea unto the city of David, which 
 is called Bethlehem, (because he was of the house 
 and lineage of David:) to be taxed with Alary his 
 espoused wife, being great with child, And so it 
 was, that while they were there, the days were ac- 
 complished that she should be delivered. And she 
 brougth forth her first-born son, and wrapped him 
 in swaddling-clothes, and laid him in a manger, 
 because there was no room for them in the inn. 
 
 1 COR. xv. 3 8. 
 
 For I delivered unto youjirst of all, that which I also 
 recc'rccd, how that Christ died for our sins accord- 
 ing to I In- scriptures: and that he was buried, and that 
 lie rose again the third day according to the scrip- 
 tures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the 
 twelve. Aflt-r that, he was seen of above jive hun- 
 dred brethren at once: of whom the greater part 
 
321 
 
 remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. 
 After that he was seen of James; then of all the 
 apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, 
 as of one born out of due time. 
 
 2 PETER i, 16. 
 
 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, 
 when we made known unto you the power and com- 
 ing of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eye-witnes- 
 ses of his majesty. 
 
 THERE is a certain degree of sublimity in which we 
 feel gratified, and the emotions which it excites are, 
 pleasing as well as awful: but beyond that the sen- 
 sation becomes painful and oppressive. As my eye 
 explores the azure vault of heaven, I contemplate 
 with solemn delight worlds moving there, suspended 
 without any known or visible support: yet I should 
 tremble if a rock of ice, which would be but as a grain 
 of sand in comparison of these, hung over my head. 
 The reason why I feel no terror .in beholding bodies 
 so immense quivering upon nothing is, that they are 
 too remote to excite apprehension, and distance has so 
 diminished them, that 1 lose the conception of their 
 magnitude. 1 gaze with pleasure upon the proud 
 elevation of the lofty mountain, as I stand at its foot: 
 but 1 shudder to approach the brink of a precipice of 
 equal dfpth: the one excites in me an impression of 
 the sublime the other appears to risk my personal 
 safety. So nearly allied are the emotions of sublimity 
 and terror, that the one sometimes rises into the other! 
 An earthly monarch does well to borrow all possible 
 splendor, and to array himself in all the ensigns of roy- 
 alty, in order to impress the spectator with an idea of 
 41 
 
majesty: and scarcely are we impressed after all! We 
 see humanity tottering under that weighty grandeur, 
 and feel that we are in the presence of but a man. 
 The Majesty of heaven needs no such appendages. 
 Decked in his mildest radiance, no mortal vision could 
 endure the insufferable splendor; and we have seen 
 him, when all ideas of sublimity were absorbed and 
 lost in the stronger emotions of terror. We can only 
 behold him at a distance without fear: whenever he 
 approaches us, whatever veil he may spread over his 
 uncreated glory, we are overwhelmed with the pres- 
 ence of Deity. 
 
 We cannot contemplate God in any point of view, 
 through the medium of revelation, without being sen- 
 sible of his perfections. If his mercy speak in whis- 
 pers, soft as the breath of the morning, or grateful as 
 the gale fanned by the wings of the evening, every 
 passion sinks to rest, every tumultuous feeling subsides, 
 and we are lost in wonder, in love, in ecstacy. If 
 his justice thunder in the heavens, the commotions of 
 listening nations are suspended: and men, and angels 
 acknowledge, in silent awe, the justice of his dispensa- 
 tions. In making requisition for sin, and requiring its 
 expiation by blood, his conduct may be inexplicable 
 to our present imperfect apprehensions; nevertheless 
 we are assured, that "it became Him, for whom are 
 all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing 
 many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their 
 salvation perfect through suffering " O how unlike 
 is He to the most perfect of human characters! The 
 wisdom of Solomon yielded to the strength of seduc- 
 lion: the piety of David, to the force of temptation: 
 the integrity of Abraham, to the impressions of tenor: 
 dud there never appeared on the face of the earth a 
 
323 
 
 perfect character, till "the Word was made flesh and 
 dwelt among us." But Deity is always equal to him- 
 self and appears alike great in terror and in mildness,, 
 in mercy and in judgment, in pardoning and in punish- 
 ing. 
 
 We have lately seen him in the thunder and the 
 lightning of Sinai: we are now to contemplate him in 
 the stillness and the tranquillity of Calvary. In this 
 latter form he is more endeared to us, as sinners sav- 
 ed by grace: but he is equally great in both. The 
 righteous law, which was pronounced with an audible 
 voice, out of "the thick darkness where God was," 
 is a beautiful transcript of the purity of his nature: and 
 the melancholy scenes of Calvary present a fine illus- 
 tration of the harmony of his perfections. The first 
 dispensation was temporary: the types, which were 
 the shadows only of good things to come, have disap- 
 peared: the ceremonial law T waxed old; and its insti- 
 tutions, having received their accomplishment, vanish- 
 ed. A new and immutable dispensation, more sim- 
 ple, more spiritual, more enlarged in its nature, fol- 
 lowed: we still repose under its shadow; and it looks 
 forwards to eternity for its fulness, its glory and its 
 completion. 
 
 In reviewing years which are passed by, we are 
 necessarily involved in difficulties. The destroying 
 hand of time obliterates many a page of history: and 
 the more remote the age to which our attention is di- 
 rected, the more oppressively heavy hangs the cloud 
 of oblivion over it. We have surmounted the larger 
 portion of these difficulties; and as we return to later 
 generations, the cloud slowly rolls away. We have 
 gradually advanced from obscurity to the dawn of the 
 morning we have seen the gates of light open upon 
 
324 
 
 us and darkness has reluctantly yielded, to the ris- 
 ing radiance of that day, which is now hastening to 
 its meridian. 
 
 The subject of the present Lecture is, THE LIFE, 
 DEATH, RESURRECTION, AND ASCENSION OF JESUS 
 CHRIST, PROVED AS MATTERS OF FACT. 
 
 We are not now to relate facts which took place at 
 the infancy of time, in some remote empire, long since 
 dismembered, and its very name consigned over to 
 oblivion: but the events which we defend transpired 
 under the immediate sway of imperial Rome, at the 
 zenith of her power, and when her dominions com- 
 prehended half the globe. Her standard had been 
 planted in remotest Asia: her emperors bestowed or 
 displaced the diadems of neighboring states at their 
 pleasure: her eagles had stretched their wings over the 
 sea, and alighted upon the fields of Britain, then esteem- 
 ed and denominated "the ends of the earth;" and 
 while polished nations endured her yoke, the savage 
 barbarian trembled at her name in the inaccessible 
 wilds of his native forest, and the sons of the north fled 
 to their cloud-encompassed mountains, and crouched 
 concealed amid the mists which crept along their sum- 
 mits. 
 
 It is singular that, at this period, the whole world 
 were in expectation of some grand and impending 
 event. Not only were the descendants of Abraham 
 looking for the "Desire of all nations," but a general 
 tradition was in circulation, and a general impression 
 prevailed, that some extraordinary personage was 
 about to make his appearance. This is not hinted 
 obscurely, but the, expectation is stated openly and 
 fairly, by many of the most considerable writers of 
 
325 
 
 that age, both poets and historians. Seutonius,* aiu 
 Tacitus,t had stated a common opinion that '-the East 
 should prevail." To this extraordinary expectation, 
 awakened and kept alive, we may reasonably impute 
 the journey of the Magi, whose curiosity had been ex- 
 cited by the appearance of an unknown star, differing 
 in motion, and in all other respects, from the orbs 
 which ordinarily revolve in the heavens. Oi' this, 
 however, we shall feel it our duty to speak more at 
 large hereafter. As a confirmation of our assertion, 
 respecting the sentiments entertained at that singular 
 period, we cannot resist the inclination which we feel, 
 to translate a part of the most celebrated eclogue of 
 Virgil, which he calls Pollio beyond comparison the 
 most elegant, and deservedly the most admired pro- 
 duction of all antiquity. It was written about forty 
 years before the birth of our Savior. It was compos- 
 ed probably to compliment Marcellus, the nephew of 
 Augustus by Octavia; but we trust that you will per- 
 ceive parts in it, which can be strictly applicable to no 
 mortal reign, however glorious: you will deem it 
 probable that he has borrowed his most sublime ima- 
 ges from the prophecies, with which he might be ac- 
 quainted through the medium of the Greek transla- 
 tion; and the whole is a specimen of the general ex- 
 pectation of the world, just previous to the advent of 
 our Lord. 
 
 'Sicilian Muses, let us attempt more exalted strains! 
 The last era foretold in Cumasan verse is already ar- 
 rived. The grand series of revolving ages commences 
 anew. Now a new progeny is sent down from lofty 
 heaven. Be propitious, chaste Lucina, to the infant 
 
 Suetonius in Vespasiano, cap. 4, f Tacitus, Histor, lib. v. cap. IS. 
 
320 
 
 boy by him the iron years shall close, and the gold- 
 en age shall arise upon all the world. Under thy 
 consular sway, Pollio, shall this glory of the age make 
 his entrance, and the great months begin their revolu- 
 tions. Should any vestiges of guilt remain, swept 
 away under thy direction, the earth shall be released 
 from fear for ever; and with his Father's virtues shall 
 he rule the tranquil world. The earth shall pour be- 
 fore thee, sweet boy, without culture, her smiling first 
 fruits. The timid herds shall not be afraid of the 
 large, fierce lions. The venomous asp shall expire, 
 and the deadly, poisonous plant, shall wither. The 
 fields shall become yellow with golden ears of corn: 
 the blushing grape shall hang upon the wild bramble; 
 and the stubborn oak shall distil soft, dewy honey. 
 Yet still shall some vestiges of pristine vice remain: 
 which shall cause the sea to be ploughed with ships 
 towns to be besieged and the face of the earth to be 
 wounded with furrows. New wars shall arise new 
 heroes be sent to the battle But when thy maturi- 
 ty is come, every land shall produce all necessary 
 things, and commerce shall cease. The ground shall 
 not endure the harrow, nor shall the vine need the 
 pruning-hook. As they wove their thread, the Desti- 
 nies sang this strain 'Roll on, ye years of felicity!' 
 Bright offspring of the gods! thou great increase of 
 Jove! advance to thy distinguished honors! for now 
 the time approaches! ]> hold, the vast globe, with its 
 ponderous convexity, bows to thee! the lands the 
 expansive seas the sublime heaven:-! Si-c, how all 
 things rejoice in this advancing era! Oh! that the clos- 
 ing scenes of a long life may yet hold out, and *o 
 much fire remain, as shall enable me to cclcbratr. thy 
 deeds!"* 
 
 Virp. Eel. i 
 
327. 
 
 So sublimely sang the Roman bard: but Isaiah 
 struck a deeper chord, and in strains still more elevat- 
 ed announced the coming Savior. "Righteousness 
 shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the 
 girdle of his reins. The wolf also shall dwell with 
 the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; 
 and the calf, and the young lion, and the failing to- 
 gether, and a little child shall lead them. And the 
 cow and the bear shall feed, their young ones shall 
 lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like 
 the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole 
 of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on 
 the cockatrice-den. They shall not hurt, nor destroy, 
 in jji my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of 
 the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the 
 sea."* "For ye shall go out with joy, and be led 
 forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall 
 break forth before you into singing; and all the trees 
 of the field shall clap their hands. Inetead of the 
 thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the 
 brier shall come up the myrtle tree."t 
 
 Nor was the state of the world at that period less 
 singular, than were the expectations of the different 
 nations. The bloody portal of war was closed: the 
 gates of the temple of Janus, always open in a time 
 of contest, were shut: the commotions of all empires 
 had subsided; and the whole earth enjoyed a profound 
 tranquillity, propitious to the Savior's mild and peace- 
 ful sway, and characteristic of it. This was the fifth, 
 time that these gates had been closed from the foun- 
 dation of the city of Rome; and the peace, which was 
 universal, continued without interruption for 
 years. 
 
 * Isaiah xi, 5-^. t Isaiah lv, 12, 13- 
 
32S 
 
 Augustus, at this time, had issued a decree, that att 
 persons under the Roman dominion should be regi,<^ 
 tered, according to their respective provinces, cities, 
 and families. Joseph and Mary, on this occasion, 
 were called to the city of David, from their obscuie 
 village, to which, as being of his lineage, they origin- 
 ally belonged, that they might be registered among 
 those who were of the same family. And thus the 
 mighty monarch of the Roman empire, was induced 
 by an invisible power, whom he knew not, whom he 
 served not, to enact a novel and general decree, to 
 bring from their obscurity a poor, unknown family; 
 that He who came too humbly to be acknowledged, 
 might not lose an iota of evidence to his character 
 and to his mission; and that the prophecies should be 
 fulfilled, which had asserted that "the Ruler of Israel" 
 should come out of "Bethlehem!" 
 
 A variety of conjectures have been formed respect- 
 ing this tax. Some have asserted,* others have deni- 
 ed,t an universal enrolment. It is not necessary in- 
 deed that any other taxation than that of Judea, should 
 be supposed, which will account for the silence of 
 ancient historians upon the subject The original 
 wordj does not necessarily imply "all the world," but 
 may be rendered "all the land" referring to the whole 
 of Israel, and comprehending those parts which had 
 been dismembered from the body, and distributed 
 among the descendants of Herod the Great; and Gal- 
 ilee the country of Joseph among them. It may be 
 necessary also to observe, that we are not to take the 
 term ^tax" in the sense usually affixed to it: a duty 
 
 Pridfanx's Connec Vol. iv. pt. ii, b. ix. 
 | Lardncr CrcJ. Vol. ii. c. 1. 
 
329 
 
 levied upon the people: for it simply implies here a 
 register, or enrolment. It should also be remembered, 
 that Herod, although called king of Judea, was de- 
 pendent upon the Roman emperor, and tributary to 
 him: consequently, such an enrolment might be made, 
 in virtue of a decree of Augustus, and yet be deemed 
 no infringement upon the rights of these subordinate 
 rulers. Josephus speaks of an oath of allegiance to 
 Herod and to Augustus, which his countrymen took 
 about this time; and it is more than probable, that he 
 means the same thing with that which Luke states 
 under the denomination of a register. The time of 
 this enrolment is stated to be when "Cyrenius was 
 governor of Syria.*" 
 
 Upon this occasion came Joseph and Mary to Beth- 
 lehem. The immense conflux of people had filled all 
 the inns, and all the houses of public reception; so that 
 they were compelled to lodge in a stable, where the 
 mother of Jesus was delivered of the Savior of the 
 world! The inns of the East, at this day, are large 
 square buildings, usually only one story high, with a 
 spacious court in the centre of them. Into this court 
 you enter through a wide gate, and on the right and 
 left hand, you perceive rooms that are appointed as 
 lodgings for travellers. Those that come first take 
 the rooms which they prefer: but must provide them- 
 selves both with a couch and provision: for the rooms 
 are perfectly naked, and contain no sort of furniture 
 whatever. 
 
 "My kingdom is not of this world," said the Savior: 
 and he spake a truth capable of many and decisive 
 evidences. His very entrance into the world announc- 
 
 In Lardner's Cred. Vol.ii, c. 1. the reader may find an inexhaustible 
 fund of criticism and sound learning, upon this circumstance. 
 
 42 
 
330 
 
 ed it. It would ill have become Him, who was to con- 
 verse with every possible scene of misery, to have 
 made his appearance amid the shouts of thousands 
 prostrate before him. No palace supported by col- 
 umns of marble, and perfumed with the incense of 
 Arabia, sheltered his holy head. No vestments of 
 purple interwoven with gold, shaded his tender limbs. 
 No bending attendants received the weeping babe from 
 his mother's arms. No trumpet was blown through 
 the regions of Judeato declare the birth of "the King 
 of the Jews," or to announce the expectations of the 
 heir to the throne of David. The world frowned up- 
 en him from the beginning. Poverty was the hand- 
 maid who waited upon him at his BIRTH, as scorn fol- 
 lowed him through all his days. The Savior and the 
 brute reposed under one common roof, and were driv- 
 en to the same shed. Even then, when he first opened 
 his eyes upon the light, their meek intelligence seemed 
 to say, "My kingdom is not of this world!" 
 
 Yet was he not destitute of honor. Heaven ac- 
 knowledged the Sovereign whom man rejected. When 
 the First-begotten was brought into the world it was 
 said, "Let all the angels of God worship him." They 
 hastened to announce the "glad tidings' 7 to "shepherds 
 keeping watch over their flecks at night." r ] hey sang, 
 "Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, good 
 will to men." They became the first preachers of the 
 gospel. On that memorable night, amid their "con- 
 stellations," they proclaimed the event, 
 
 "As i-urth asleep, unconscious lay, 
 
 'And struck their spangled 1\ i 
 
 Nor is this relation more remarkable than that which 
 follows, and which is well attested by the authority of 
 
331 
 
 others writers. Strangers from the East, of no mean 
 lineage, and of no mean attainments, came inquiring 
 "Where is he who is born King of the Jews? for we 
 have seen his star in the East, and are come to wor- 
 ship him." A few inquiries are necessary in order 
 to illustrate and to establish this fact. 
 
 1. WHO WERE THESE STRANGERS? They are called 
 "wise men," or Magi.* Some have thought that they 
 were magicians. Indeed in this sense only, it appears, 
 the original word is used in other parts of the scrip- 
 tures. Simon the sorcerer is so called: so also is Ely- 
 mas. If they are to be considered in this light, then 
 were the instruments of Satan turned against him: 
 they foreboded the shaking of his empire, and ac- 
 knowledged the dawn of that day when "he fell as 
 lightning from heaven:" and they are the first fruits 
 of the Savior's victory over the agents of darkness. 
 We are disposed however to accord with our transla 
 tors, and to affix another interpretation to the term, 
 by considering them as scholars. The Magi of the 
 Persians were priests as well as philosophers: the ex- 
 pounders of their laws, human and divine: nor would 
 they suffer any man to be a king, who was not first 
 enrolled among the Magi. This fact, probably, gave 
 rise to the tradition of the Roman church, that they 
 were kings. It is evident that they were Gentiles; and 
 these are the first pledges of the rending of the veil: of 
 the breaking down the wall of partition; and of the 
 abolition of the distinctions which had so long existed 
 between the Jew and the Gentile. They were also 
 "wise men:" men not easily deceived. Well acquaint- 
 ed with, tne face of the heavens, and with the bodice 
 
 * Mctyci, 
 
332 
 
 of light which revolve there, they were not drawn 
 from their native country to Jerusalem, without a con- 
 viction that the appearance upon which they gazed 
 was an extraordinary one, and that the light which 
 they followed portended some great event. 
 
 2. WHAT WAS THIS STAR? It was not one of those 
 stars which have been from the beginning of the crea- 
 tion, either regular or erratic: otherwise it had not been 
 an indication of any thing new. When they said we 
 have seen his star, the most natural construction 
 which we can put upon the words is, that they then 
 beheld it for the first time. It differed in every respect 
 from all the heavenly bodies in the known planetary 
 system. They shine with an equal blaze: this proba- 
 bly had a superior lustre. They are distant, and 
 move remotely through the fields of ether: this was 
 nearer the earth, that it might answer the purpose as- 
 signed it. They have a circular motion: this describ- 
 ed no orbit. They are permanently fixed: this, hav- 
 ing conducted the Magi to the Savior's feet, disappear- 
 ed for ever. Comets were always held by the ancients 
 as prognostications of extraordinary events, good or 
 bad. They have made emperors tremble on their 
 thrones, and have nerved the arm of soldiers for the 
 battle. But this was a luminous appearance, resem- 
 bling in shape, figure, and splendor, a heavenly body, 
 so completely, as to justify the appellation of a star 
 yet was it so expressly formed for the purpose of con- 
 ducting them to the ttedcemer, that they called it un- 
 equivocally,"/^ St." 
 
 .'$. OF WHAT corvrijy M F.KE TJIKY? I should 
 translate the passage, u \Ve, of the East, have seen his 
 star" in which case the trim, /',V/,s7, will not be used 
 to specify the part of the heavens in which the star ap- 
 
333 
 
 pearcd. but the country from which they came.* Per- 
 haps from Mesopotamia, the country of Balaam, 
 whose singular prophecy was probably handed down 
 to them by tradition "There shall come a star out of 
 Jacob:" and there might appear to them a singular 
 coincidence between the prediction, and the phenome- 
 non which they witnessed. Their gifts were Arabian 
 "gold, frankincense, and myrrh." Their title. Magi, 
 is Persian: and they, of all nations, were likely to be 
 best acquainted with the Messiah, through the proph- 
 ecies of Daniel. If they came from Arabia Felix, or 
 Sebaea, all of which are east of Jerusalem, and were 
 men of rank, then was the prophecy of David fulfilled, 
 "the kings of Sheba and of Seba shall bring gifts." 
 
 4. BY WHAT EVIDENCE IS THIS FACT SUPPORTED? 
 
 Pliny speaks of "a certain splendid comet, scattering 
 its silver hair, and appearing a god in the midst of 
 men." Chalcidius wntes of "the rising of a certain 
 star, not denouncing death and diseases, but the de- 
 scent of a mild and compassionate God to human 
 converse."! 
 
 Thus were the prophecies of the East re-echoed by 
 the western world. The whole globe slumbered in 
 undisturbed tranquillity. The Jews, although tributa- 
 ry to Rome, took their harps from the willows, to sing 
 the approach of Messiah the prince. Samaria had 
 caught the contagion, and was looking for the Christ, 
 who should "teach us all things." The weeks predict- 
 ed by Daniel were accomplished; and the universal 
 expectation may be conjectured, when impostors avail- 
 ed themselves of the state of the people's mind to 
 
 * See note 2, of this Lecture, at the end of the volume, 
 f See note 3, of this Lecture, at the end of the volume. 
 
334 
 
 personate the Messiah,* and when strangers journey- 
 ed from the East to Jerusalem in quest of him. 
 
 The Magi came to the court of Herod, expecting 
 there to have found the babe, who was to be the king 
 of the Jews. Their inquiry alarmed the jealousy of 
 this monarch: and in consequence of it, when he 
 learned that Christ was to be born in Bethlehem, "he 
 sent and slew all the children in Bethlehem, and in the 
 coast thereof, from two years old and under." This, 
 alas, was public enough! The voice of lamentation in 
 Rama, when Rachel wept for her children because 
 they were not, surely was loud; and the history of the 
 Evangelists would have been blasted for ever in the 
 eyes of their contemporaries, had they attempted im- 
 position in so public an event. But Josephus does 
 not record this slaughter. We answer, that Josephus, 
 who wrote about seventy years after this event, drew 
 all his history from the public records; and we may 
 imagine that an act so cruel, and so inglorious to the 
 memory of Herod, would hardly be transmitted to 
 posterity through the medium of a public record. But 
 Josephus docs record many instances of the cruelty 
 of Herod: is it therefore an objection to Matthew, 
 that he records one mor*e? Josephus relates those 
 things which appertained immediately to state afiairs: 
 Matthew, those only connected with Jesus Christ. 
 The history is not at all improbable, from the general 
 character of Herod, \vho was one of the most sanguina- 
 ry tyrants that ever disgraced humanity. Is it proba- 
 ble, that he who slew Hyrcanus, his wife's grandfather, 
 at ftic ago of eighty, and who on a former occasion 
 had saved his life: who publicly executed his lovely and 
 
 * Acts, v, 36, 37. 
 
virtuous partner;* and who privately slaughtered three 
 of his own children; and all these on principles of jeal- 
 ousy, should, on the same principles, be sparing of the 
 blood of the children of others? In his last illness, a little 
 before he died, he convened all the chief men of Judea, 
 and after having shut them up inthe Circus, he called his 
 family together, and said "I know that the Jews will 
 rejoice at my death. You ha ve these men in your 
 custody. So soon as I am dead, and before it can 
 be known publicly, let in the soldiers upon them, and 
 kill them! AH Judea, and every family, will then, al- 
 though unwillingly, mourn at my death!"t "Nay" 
 adds Josephus, "with tears in his eyes, he conjured 
 them by their love to him, and by their fidelity to 
 God, not to fail to obey his orders!" We ask, wheth- 
 er, upon a consideration of this monster's disposition, 
 such a deed as that ascribed to him by Matthew is 
 improbable? Macrobius, an heathen author, who 
 flourished at the close of the fourth century, asserts it 
 as a fact well known and indisputable. 
 
 That our Savior had been in Egypt, is so far from 
 being denied, that it is asserted by Celsus, who affirms 
 that there he learned the arts of magic, to which he 
 imputes his miracles. 
 
 The testimony of Josephus to the LIFE of Christ is 
 as follows: 
 
 "At this time there wus one Jesus, a wise man, if I 
 may call him a man: for he did most wonderful works, 
 and was a teacher of those who received the truth with 
 
 * Mariamne. 
 
 f Testimonies of Josephus to the cruel disposition of Herod, manifes- 
 ted especially in his last momenis. Jos. de Bello Jud. Tom II. lib. i. 
 Cap. xxxiii. p. 1041. Hudson! edi. sec also Jos, de Antiq. Jncl, Tom. !! 
 Mb, xvii. Cap. vii. p. 769; &c. 
 
336 
 
 delight. He won many to his persuasion, both of the 
 Jewn, and of the Gentiles. This was CHRIST; and 
 although he was, at the instigation of some of our na- 
 tion, and by Pilate's sentence, suspended on the cross, 
 yet those who lovtd him at the first, did not cease so 
 to do: for he came to life again the third day, and ap- 
 peared to them. And to this day, there remains a 
 sect of men, who from him have the name of Chris- 
 tians."* We claim this, as the testimony of a learned, 
 yet bigoted Jew! In this short passage is a corrobora- 
 tion of all the prominent declarations of the gospel 
 respecting the Savior his teaching his death at the 
 instigation of the Jews by the judgment of Pilate 
 on the cross his resurrection^-on the third day his 
 appearance to his followers and their unshaken at- 
 tachment to him. 
 
 We are told by Matthew, that the fame of our Sav- 
 ior during his life was reverberated throughout all Sy- 
 ria; and that there followed him. great multitudes 
 from Galilee, Judea. Decapolis, Iduma^i. from beyond 
 Jordan, and from Tyre and Sidon. Had the records 
 of these countries remained, or were the works of 
 their historians extant, we might expect a large confir- 
 mation of the gospel history. However, the evidence 
 which we shall produce to our Savior's life and min- 
 istry must be admitted on all hands, because we shall 
 take the testimony of three enemies. JULIAN, com- 
 monly called the apostate, acknowledges that Jesus 
 and his disciples performed many wonderful works; 
 and he therefore calls the Savior an eminent magician. 
 PORPHYRY allows that evil spirits were subject to him: 
 for he says, that u after Jesus was worshipped. Kscuhi- 
 pius and the other gods did no more converse with 
 
 See note 5 of this Lecture, at the end of the volume. 
 
337 
 
 men." CELSUS, unable to dispute the miracles of Je- 
 sus Christ, also flies to that childish plea, the imputa- 
 tion of thenl to magic. The Jews themselves likewise, 
 when they could not controvert the gospel history, 
 nor deny these facts, ascribed them to Beelzebub. 
 
 We have the same evidences relative to the DEATH 
 of Jesus. We can produce the universal testimony 
 of ancient writers, that at the time of our Lord's life 
 and sufferings, the rulers mentioned in the Evangelists 
 by their name, actually were the governors of the 
 day. One authentic heathen record, which is now 
 lost, but the remembrance of which is perfectly 
 preserved, and the existence of which can be clearly 
 proved, was the account written by the governor of 
 Judea, under whom our Lord was judged, condemn- 
 ed, and crucified. It was customary at Rome, as in- 
 deed it is in every empire to the present hour, for the 
 prefects and rulers of distant provinces, t transmit to 
 their sovereign, a summary relation of all the extraor- 
 dinary events in their administration. That Pontius 
 Pilate should send such an account to Rome, cannot 
 be doubted: that he really did, is evident from the fol- 
 lowing testimony. JUSTIN MARTYR, who lived about 
 a century after our Savior's death, and who suffered 
 martyrdom in Rome, was engaged in a controversy 
 with the philosophers at large, and particularly with 
 Oescens the cynic. In this controversy he challenged 
 Crescens to dispute the cause of Christianity with 
 him before the Roman senate. It is not to be believed 
 that Crescens would have declined the contest, or have 
 lost the opportunity of exposing his adversary before 
 so august a body, if he could have triumphed over 
 him in the detection of any palpable forgeries in the 
 writings of the Evangelists, relative to cither the life 
 43 
 
338 
 
 or the death of our Lord. This father in his Apology, 
 speaking of the death and sufferings of the Savior, re- 
 fers the emperor, for the truth of his assertions, to the 
 acts of Pontius Pilate. TERTULLIAN, who wrote his 
 Apology about fifty years after Justin, says, that the 
 emperor Tiberius, having received an account out of 
 Palestine in Syria of the DIVINE PERSON who appeared 
 in that country, paid him a particular regard, and 
 threatened to punish any who should accuse the Chris- 
 tians: nay, that the emperor would have admitted him 
 among the number of the deities whom he worship- 
 ped, had not the senate refused their consent. Ter- 
 tullian was one of the most learned men of his age, 
 and well skilled in the laws of the Roman empire.* 
 The acts of Pilate now extant, are spurious: for those 
 to which we refer as authentic, had perished before 
 the days of Eusebius, although they are mentioned 
 by him. 
 
 The death of our Lord, and the manner of it, under 
 Pontius Pilate, and in the reign of Tiberius, are men- 
 tioned both by Tacitus and Lucian. 
 
 The last melancholy scenes of the Savior's suffer- 
 ings are also fully attested. The gospel history ex- 
 actly coincides with the Jewish, und with the Roman 
 customs; and the circumstances attending his dying 
 agonies are universally admitted. Behold the Lord 
 of life and glory hanging upon a cross! There could 
 be no deception. He really suffered, he really died. 
 The blood which stained his body, and moistened the 
 ground, was his own' heart's blood; and the tears 
 which fell from his eyes, were the bitter tears of real 
 and unspeakable sorrow. 'The sun beheld it no, the 
 shocking scene drove back his chariot!" Nature sym 
 
 See Addison's Evidences of the Christian Religion; also note 6, ot 
 Lecture, at the end of the volume. 
 
239 
 
 pathized with the expiring Redeemer, and heaven 
 withdrew its light. Jesus suffered on the day in 
 which the passover is eaten. This feast is kept on the 
 fourteenth day of the month; and according to the 
 Jewish mode of reckoning from the first appearance 
 of the moon after her change, it fell on the very day 
 in which she was at the full. An eclipse of the sun 
 can only take place when the moon is between it and 
 the earth; or in other words, at what we call a new 
 moon: but at the/kZ/, the moon is in the side of the 
 heavens opposite to the sun, and we are between the 
 two bodies: there could be therefore no natural eclipse 
 of the sun at the time of the crucifixion. Another 
 evidence, that it was a supernatural eclipse, level to 
 every understanding, is, that in common eclipses the 
 sun's total darkness can continue but twelve or fifteen 
 minutes at most; but this awful darkness lasted no 
 less than three hours! How far the darkness extended 
 cannot now be easily decided: the following evidence, 
 we think, proves that it was very general: Phlegon, 
 the famous astronomer under the emperor Trajan, 
 said, that "in the fourth year of the 202 Olympiad,' 7 
 which was that of the death of Christ, "there was 
 such a total eclipse of the sun at noon-day, that the 
 stars were plainly visible."* Suidas also says, that 
 Dionysius the Areopagite, who was then at Heliopolis 
 in Egypt, upon this surprising phenomenon exclaimed, 
 "Either the Author of Nature is suffering, or he sym- 
 pathizes with some one who does or the frame of 
 the world is dissolving!" Josephus bears witness to 
 the rending the veil of the temple; and to this day, in 
 the church of the Sepulchre, which stands on Mount 
 
 * See note 7, of this I.ec'an-e, at the end of the volume. 
 
340 
 
 Calvary, is to be seen a cleft in the rock said to be 
 occasioned by the earthquake: which cannot certainly 
 be proved but it is evident, that the chasm is natural, 
 and not the effect of art; and that the rock was rent 
 by some violent commotions of the earth. 
 
 After the decease of our Lord, Joseph of Arimathea 
 went to Pilate, and petitioned for the body, which 
 was granted to him. This rich man deposited it in 
 his own "new tomb, in which never man was laid." 
 Of course, should a resurrection take place, it must be 
 iliat of Jesus; it could be of no other person. The 
 chief priests, alarmed possibly at the awful convulsions 
 which accompanied his death, requested and obtained 
 permission of Pilate to set a watch over the tomb. 
 They shrouded their own fears under a pretended 
 concern lest the people should be deceived. We have 
 accompanied the Savior to the tomb, we have seen it 
 sealed, we have left a Roman guard at the mouth of 
 the sepulchre; and let the chief priests produce the 
 body on, or after, the third day in order to silence 
 the clamors of the deluded multitude. This, howev- 
 er, is not done. The plenitude of their malice was 
 not equal to the war which they attempted to wage 
 against the high decrees of Heaven. 
 
 The Evangelists assert that on the third day Jesus 
 arose: and they tell a regular, plain, unvarnished tale. 
 Let us new examine the principles on which the res- 
 urrection of Jesus is opposed. 
 
 The body was not in the sepulchre on the third day. 
 Let the guards give an account of the lo-s of it they 
 and they alone are answerable for it. Only one ac- 
 count \vas ever attempted to be palmed upon the 
 '(] u !lis disciples came, and stole him while we 
 '." Now observe, 
 
341 
 
 1. The guards appointed over the sepulchre were 
 Roman guards; since it will appear by the vquel of 
 this history that they were subject to Pilate, and under 
 his control; which would not have been the case had 
 they been Jews, but they would have been answera- 
 ble to the rulers of that nation. Now, ic was death 
 for a Roman soldier to sleep upon his watch: there- 
 fore had they been really overpowered with slumber, 
 they would rather have feigned a miracle, when the 
 minds of their employers were so well prepared to 
 receive it, to save themselves from the punishment 
 legally due to their crime, than have openly avowed 
 it, had not higher powers said, "We will secure you." 
 We have more instances than one upon record of jail- 
 ors suffering death for the loss of their prisoners. 
 
 2. If the guards were really asleep, how came they 
 to be so positive as to the persons who stole the body? 
 On what principle could they affirm that the disciples 
 were the depredators? I suppose that this is the first 
 and the last instance in which men ever attempted to 
 give evidence on a transaction which too'k place when 
 they were confessedly asleep: or were ever called upon 
 for such a purpose. 
 
 3. Why were not the disciples immediately appre- 
 hended and made to restore the body? It was indis- 
 putably the duty of the chief priests to produce it after 
 the third day publicly in a state of death, and thus 
 for ever to silence the pretensions of a deceiver. 'Did 
 the enemies of Jesus lack either power or influence, to 
 rescue a dead body from twelve unarmed, poor, de- 
 fenceless men, had they seriously entertained even a 
 suspicion that his disciples had stolen him? Did not 
 the matter die away as soon as possible? Was there 
 even any inquiry made into the affair? Did not the 
 
342 
 
 disciples boldly, and openly, preach the resurrection 
 of Jesus, in defiance of the threatenings of the Jews? 
 
 4. Is it probable that the timid, unbelieving disciples 
 of Jesus Christ should have the rashness to attack a 
 band of Roman soldiers; or to venture into the sepul- 
 chre, even had they slumbered? We feel that we have 
 reason to complain of the want of candor in infidelity 
 in urging its objections against Christianity. Fair and 
 open ground is relinquished for finesse and quibbling. 
 The disciples are sometimes portrayed mean anp! timid 
 men, to expose them to contempt: but when it serves 
 the purpose of skepticism, they are represented, wise, 
 prudent, designing, courageous, enterprising; and more 
 is ascribed to them than human power ever yet per- 
 formed. Now they cannot have too opposite charac- 
 ters; and we hold infidelity to the gospel history, and 
 to its own concessions, that they were plain, unin- 
 formed, timid, unbelieving men. Were these charac- 
 ters to attack a legion of Roman soldiers successfully? 
 
 5. Could this immense stone have been rolled 
 away, and the body removed, without noise and con- 
 fusion sufficient to break their slumbers? Surely, they 
 must have been dead, and not asleep! 
 
 6. Would the disciples, had they stolen the body, 
 have remained to lay the linen clothes in order as 
 they were found? Is it probable that amid the confu- 
 sion which such a circumstance supposes, that they 
 would either have had leisure, or inclination, or even 
 presence of mind, for such an arrangement? 
 
 7. Have we not proved that heathen writers, and 
 even enemies, admitted the fact of our Savior's mira- 
 cles, although they ascribed them to a false cause? 
 Are there not in the gospels four successive instances 
 qf his raising the dead, uncontrovertqd? And is his 
 
343 
 
 ewn resurrection more wonderful than these? or than 
 that of the sleeping saints at his death? Upon the 
 whole, then, the resurrection of Jesus never was op- 
 posed at the time by an objection that demanded a 
 moments serious consideration: while the evidences in 
 favor of it, are numerous, respectable, and decisive. 
 "For I delivered unto you, first of all that which I also 
 received: how that Christ died for our sins according to 
 the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he 
 rose again the third day according to the scriptures: 
 and that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve. 
 After that he was seen of above five hundred breth- 
 ren at once: of whom the greater part remain unto 
 this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that he 
 was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last 
 of all, he was seen of me also, as of one born out 
 of due time." These witnesses were numerous and 
 respectable; and they afterwards proved their sincerity 
 by laying down their lives for their testimony. 
 
 Forty days he shewed himself alive, by "many in- 
 fallible proofs:' 7 at the expiration of which he ascend- 
 ed to glory. The disciples were eye-witnesses of this 
 also. Their sincerity they shewed in their sufferings.; 
 and it was not a point in which they could be deceiv- 
 ed. In things which fall under the eye, the clown is 
 as good a witness as the philosopher; and in plain 
 matter of fact, the illiterate are as capable of judging 
 as the learned. The consequences of his ASCENSION 
 were seen in the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon 
 them, in a public manner, on a public occasion: and 
 the power then conferred of working miracles, was a 
 standing evidence of the truth of what they preached 
 for nearly a century. This event sufficiently accounts 
 for the subsequent wisdom and courage of the natur- 
 
344, 
 
 ally illiterate and timid disciples. Such are the evi- 
 dences by which the life, death, resurrection, and as- 
 cension of Jesus Christ are supported, as matters of 
 fa^t: whether they be decisive and satisfactory, you 
 must determine. 
 
 That the immediate disciples of Jesus Christ did 
 meet together for the purposes assigned in the sacred 
 scriptures, may be proved from the testimony of 
 Pliny the younger: who says that '-Christ was wor- 
 shipped as a God among the Christians: that they 
 would rather suffer death than blaspheme him: that 
 they received a sacrament, and by it entered into a 
 vow of abstaining from sin and wickedness, conform- 
 ing to the advice of Paul; that they had private as- 
 semblies of worship, and used to sing together in 
 hymns."* This account was written about seventy 
 years after our Savior's crucifixion. 
 
 Quadratus, who was converted to Christianity, was 
 a celebrated Athenian philosopher; and he says, that 
 l -those whom our Savior raised and healed, were not 
 only seen while he himself was upon earth, but sur- 
 vived after his departure out of the world." "Nay," 
 adds he, "some of them were living in our days." 
 And both Tertullian and Arnobius assert, the conver- 
 sion of multitudes of learned men, from the simple 
 conviction of the truth of Christianity, arising from ev- 
 idences then within their reach, and from personal 
 knowledge, t 
 
 We conceive that by this time, you will be ready to 
 admit the truth of the apostle's assertion which we 
 read to you at the opening of this Lecture: u We have 
 
 - e A'Mis-.ii's Evidences. See also note 8, of this Lcciurc, at the civ.! 
 .I' ilu- volume. 
 
 Amlidet and ot 1 
 
345 
 
 not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made 
 known unto you the power and coming of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ, but were eye-witnesses of his majesty." 
 And now it is only necessary to observe, that Reve- 
 lation is to us, what the star was to the wise men. 
 
 1. IN ITS NATURE. It is a light shining in a dark 
 place. It is the "day-spring from on high visiting us." 
 What a world was this before it arose! The shadows 
 of ten thousand midnights could* not have made a 
 gloom so horrible; and the blackness that veiled Egypt 
 three long days and nights, was light in comparison 
 of this irksome, impenetrable obscurity. The trem- 
 bling, feeble ray of reason, served only to make dark- 
 ness visible; and the proud discoveries of philosophy 
 shone only through the night as the twinkling of a 
 taper, to expire when the sun arose. No cheering 
 beam illumined either hemisphere, till this morning 
 star was seen in the East, as the harbinger of perfect 
 day. Then the shout was heard "The people that 
 walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon them 
 that dwell in the land of the shadow of death hath 
 the light shined." It resembled the star. 
 
 2. IN ITS SOURCE. It is remarkable that all intel- 
 ligence came first from the East Science there un- 
 covered all the effulgence of her radiant head, while 
 the West was in darkness.. There was the first man- 
 ifestation of God; and lor.g, very long, was this light 
 confined to her borders. A night of superstition and 
 of ignorance brooded on the world, while the descend- 
 ants of Abraham (who was himself from the East) 
 enjoyed the light of truth. In every respect the lands 
 lying under the rising sun have ever had the start of 
 us; and we have been satisfied to be their disciples. 
 Our language, cold and torpid in itself, has borrowed 
 
 44 
 
346 
 
 imagery from theirs. We have learned from them ; 
 in our eloquence, to thunder with the storm: to rush 
 with the torrent: to glide with the river: to murmur 
 with the rill; and to whisper with the breeze. From 
 them came this volume fraught with intelligence; and 
 Revelation, like the guiding star, arose in the East. 
 
 8. IN ITS OBJECT it resembles this star. Jesus 
 Christ is the sum and substance of this book. Oblit- 
 erate his name from these sacred pages, and you have 
 extinguished their light, destroyed their vigor, derang- 
 ed their harmony, and defaced their beauty. There 
 is not a particle of information treasured up here, that 
 does not, more nearly or remotely, in some way, re- 
 late to him. Not a prophecy, not an history, not a 
 miracle, not a doctrine, not a;precept, not an epistle, that 
 is not united, by some invisible thread, to the Messiah. 
 The express design of this record is to make us ac- 
 quainted with him: to discover what he has done: to 
 enforce what he has said: to declare what he expects: 
 to testify of "the King of the Jews." 
 
 4. IN ITS ISSUE Revelation resembles this star. It 
 had no sooner led these sages to the feet of Jesus Christ, 
 than it disappeared for ever. The Bible safely con- 
 ducts us to Christ, but not immediately. It therefore 
 remains to guide our erring feet through this world, as 
 the passage to his more immediate presence. It is 
 . y to discover the thousand dangers of the way, 
 and the difficulties whi;h we must surmount. But 
 when we shall have arrived at our Father'* house: when 
 v C him, eye to eye, ami fare to face; when 
 
 we if : are safely conducted to th: where he i^: 
 
 having unfilled its commission, and answered ib 
 tination, this -. far also shall disappear. 
 
347 
 
 O may we see him as our Prince and Lord! see 
 him not as did Balaam when he reluctantly predicted 
 his coming, and said, "I shall see him, but not now: I 
 shall behold him, but not nigh!" See him not as 
 did the Jews, who discerned no form nor comeliness 
 in him; who saw no beauty that they should desire him; 
 and who refused their king! See him not as Herod, 
 who desired to subvert his cause, and to take away 
 his life not with an envious, malignant eye: but see 
 him as did these sages, who fell down at his feet and 
 worshipped him: embrace him as did Simeon, when 
 he was about to die; and behold him where he un- 
 veils all the splendors of his face, and fills the temple 
 of God with light, life, and his unclouded presence! 
 
LECTURE XIII. 
 
 THE CHARACTER OF THE WRITERS OF THE OLD 
 AND NEW TESTAMENTS. 
 
 1 JOHN i, 1 3. 
 
 That which was from the beginning, which we have 
 heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which 
 we have looked upon, and our hands have handled 
 of the word of life; (For the life was manifested, 
 and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew 
 unto you that eternal life, which was with the Fath- 
 er, and was manifested unto us;) That which we 
 have seen and heard, declare we unto you, that ye 
 also may have fellowship with us: and truly our 
 fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son 
 Jesus Christ. 
 
 HEB. xi, 36 38. 
 
 And others had trial of cruel mockings, and scourg- 
 ings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment. 
 They were stoned, they w n re sawn asunder, were 
 tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered 
 about in sheep-skins, and goat-skins, being desti- 
 tute, afflicted, tormented: (of whom the world was 
 not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in 
 mountains, and in dens, and in caves of the earth. 
 
 WHAT a sensation must the ascension of the Savior 
 
 have excited in heaven and upon earth! what interest 
 
 in the bosoms of some, what emotions of fear and of 
 
 in the hearts of others! what were the reilrctions 
 
349 
 
 of all parties upon this wonderful and impressive event? 
 Had the chief priests then seen him, (and it is not im- 
 possible that from the tops of their houses at Jerusa- 
 lem they might see him) they would have gnashed 
 their teeth with envy and indignation, and disappoint- 
 ment, and have said 'Is this the despised carpenter's 
 son, whom we crucified? Is this the man whom 
 we endeavored to confine in the grave? Is this the 
 cause which we hoped to subvert? Is this the teacher 
 whom we labored to destroy? O fruitless efforts! 
 He rises superior to all our designs He triumphs 
 over all our malice!' But what did the disciples 
 think? Were they not saying in their hearts, 'Is this 
 the friend upon whose kind and disinterested counsels 
 we have so long relied? Is this the expiring "Author - 
 and Finisher of our faith," whom our unbelieving 
 fears thought to be "dead, but who is alive again, and 
 will live for evermore?' " John would ask, 'Is this the 
 Savior who permitted me to share his confidence, and 
 to repose my head upon his bosom?' Thomas would 
 inquire, 'Can this be the man, of whom my faithless 
 heart said, Except I shall see in his hands the print of 
 the nails, and put my fingers into the print of the ruiils, 
 and thrust my hands into his side, I will not believe?' 
 Prostrate and weeping on the mount, Peter would say, 
 'Is this the master whom I denied, and for whom I 
 dared not endure a little affliction? Is this he who 
 raised me from my vile employment, and admitted me 
 into his glorious service; but whom I feared to own, 
 what day my false tongue said, "I know not the man?" 
 And am I, who was afraid to 'watch with him one 
 hour,' and ashamed to be called his disciple, permitted 
 to behold his glory, to participate his parting blessing, 
 and to share the dignity of his exaltation? "To me. 
 who am less than the least of all saints is this grace 
 
350 
 
 given?" Would they not all say 'From this mo- 
 ment we give our fears to the four winds of heaven? 
 "Lord we believe, help thou our unbelief!" We wait 
 the accomplishment of thy promise, and hail the dawn 
 of thy empire!' And while these were gazing below, 
 lost in wonder, in love, and in admiration, were not 
 the angels answering each other in responsive lays? 
 "He hath ascended up on high! he hath led captivity 
 captive! he hath received gifts for men! yea, for the 
 rebellious also, that the Lord God may dwell among 
 them!" He ascended higher, and they renewed their 
 song "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth 
 peace, good will toward men!" As he still continued 
 to rise, and gradually to lose sight of the earth, "the 
 chariots of God, which are twenty thousand, even 
 thousands of angels," waited to receive him: the celes- 
 tial harps were struck yet louder; and the full chorus 
 shouted, "Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye 
 lift up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of glory 
 shall come in! Who is this King of glory? The Lord, 
 strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle! Lift up 
 your heads, O ye gates, even lift them up, ye everlast- 
 ing doors, and the King of glory shall come in! Who is 
 this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King 
 of glory!" And now all the resplendent scene faded 
 through distance from mortal vision. HIM, the heavens 
 received; and he sat down on his Father's throne. 
 Even then, did not a voice break from the most excel- 
 lent glory, the voice of God hoard and adored by all 
 the armies of heaven? "This is my beloved Son, in 
 whom I am well pleased; and let all the angels of God 
 worship him. Thy throne, O God, is for ever and 
 ever; a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy 
 kingdom. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heath- 
 
351 
 
 en for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the 
 earth for thy possession!" Still were the disciples riv- 
 etted to the spot whence he ascended: still were their 
 eyes fixed on the point in the heavens where he disap- 
 peared: still his voice sounded in their ears, and they 
 seemed to listen to his parting blessing. "And while 
 they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, 
 behold two men stood by them in white apparel; 
 which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gaz- 
 ing up into heaven? This same Jesus which is taken 
 from you up into heaven, shall so come in like man- 
 ner as ye have seen him go into heaven." And they 
 returned unto Jerusalem: but as they left the hallow- 
 ed mount, surely their hearts burned within them, and 
 they said "Blessed be the Lord God, the God of 
 Israel, who only doeth wondrous things! And blessed 
 be his glorious name for ever; and let the whole earth 
 be filled with his glory. Amen, and amen!" 
 
 But we must now turn away from this great sighe, 
 and follow these same men through the scenes of their 
 subsequent lives. We must also examine the conduct 
 of those who led the way under the former dispensa- 
 tion, and from whose writings the mission and the 
 claims of Jesus were proved; and it is our business 
 this evening to present you with an outline of THE 
 
 CHARACTER OF THE WRITERS OF THE OLD AND NEW 
 
 TESTAMENTS. Listen to the discussion of a few sim- 
 ple propositions upon this subject. We assert 
 
 I. THAT THE BOOKS OF THE OLD AND NEW TESTA- 
 MENTS, WEilE REALLY WRITTEN BY THOSE WHOSE 
 NAMES THEY BEAR. 
 
 We can attempt to prove this position only upon 
 onr* common principle of reasoning, which will. 1 
 
352 
 
 ever be deemed conclusive. It is the testimony of 
 the people to whom these oracles were committed, and 
 the concurrent consent of all nations. A large pro- 
 portion of this volume consists of the public chroni- 
 cles of a whole empire; and there is an end of the good 
 faith of nations if they admit forgeries into their pub- 
 lic records: the very sources from which the historian 
 draws are contaminated. With respect to the laws of 
 Moses, the books of the respective prophets, thehi sto- 
 ry of the gospels, and the epistles of the New Testa- 
 ment, they are allowed by the very persons among 
 whom, and for whom, they were written, to be the 
 productions of those very men whose names are pre- 
 fixed to them. The testimony of any man respecting 
 the historians or the poets of his own country, and 
 especially the testimony of a whole body of people res- 
 pecting their own writers, ought to be deemed deci- 
 sive; because they, and they only, are competent wit- 
 ncsses in the affair. Now these men were Jews; and 
 we have the testimony of the whole Jewish nation, 
 handed down from father to son through all succes- 
 sive generations, from the periods when the different 
 writers flourished to the present hour, that such and 
 b books, were, according to their pretensions, really 
 written by such and such persons, to whom they are 
 ibed; and all nations have concurred, at every 
 it of time, in this testimony. These writers ever 
 e been acknowledged by them; and the chronology 
 ii works, for the most part, has been accurately 
 mined. No man who pretends to reason can 
 y his assent to such evidence. He who can bring 
 -elf to reject such authority, may with equal pro- 
 :y concluJr that the productions of Homer or of 
 Jl, of Demosthenes, or of Cicero, are not really the 
 
353 
 
 writings of the distinguished poets and orators whose 
 names they bear. Fjr these rest precisely upon the 
 same evidence, which we now produce in favor of the 
 sacred records the testimony of their contemporaries, 
 and of their countrymen, and the concurrent consent 
 of all nations. Deny this authority in the one case, 
 and you must necessarily destroy it in the other: 
 neither can you (to be consistent) believe with any 
 degree of certainty, any thing but that which falls 
 within the immediate sphere of your own knowledge. 
 To follow this principle what a fund of genius and of 
 information must be destroyed! We must blot out the 
 works of all our historians, on the pretence that they 
 need decisive evidence; and human intelligence must 
 be drawn from the scanty springs of three-score years 
 and ten, furnished by a man's own life. But if the 
 testimony of a people respecting their own writers, and 
 the general consent of nations, be any thing: if this be 
 the authority upon which we receive all works, and 
 all writers: if this be the basis of all our historical cer- 
 tainty: then, is it ceded to the writers of the Bible, and 
 on this general principle must it be admitted, that the 
 books of the Old and New Testaments were really 
 written by those whose names they bear. We affirm 
 
 II. THAT THE WRITERS WERE, FOR THE MOST PART, 
 EYE-WITNESSES OF THE FACTS WHICH THEY RECORD- 
 ED. 
 
 There is a sufficient ?!egree of internal evidence, de- 
 ducible from the different compositions themselves, to 
 establish this assertion. Examine the first five books of 
 the scriptures, and it will appear that Moses was neces- 
 sarily an eye-witness of most of the events recorded 
 
 in his law. He was present during all the plagues of 
 4.5 
 
454 
 
 Egypt, and was constituted the great agent in produc- 
 ing them. He saw the water transformed into blood 
 
 the pestilence which destroyed the cattle the insects 
 which covered the country --the protracted night which 
 brooded over the whole empire, Goshen excepted 
 and he heard the cry of despair sound from all quar- 
 ters, re echoed from the palace to the prison, when the 
 first-born were slain. He was an eye-witness to the 
 deliverance of the Israelites, and to their miraculous 
 journey through the wilderness. He saw the fire 
 which encircled Mount Sinai, and the cloud which 
 rested upon its summit: he heard the terrible thunder- 
 ings, and the more fearful voice of God. He beheld 
 every fact which he relates till they reached the very 
 borders of Canaan. When he died, Joshua took the 
 command of Israel's armies, and recorded events as 
 they transpired, till he also was laid in the dust of death. 
 The books of Judges, of Ruth, of Samuel, of the 
 Kings, and Chronicles, although the compositions of 
 different persons, were evidently, from their style, writ- 
 ten at the time, and on the spot, where the events 
 which they relate took place, This is manifest, from 
 the simplicity of the narrations, and the appeal both to 
 persons and to things then well known, the remem- 
 brance of which is now lost. Moreover, we are inces- 
 santly referred in the historical pat is of the scriptures 
 to books which are no longer extant, but which were 
 then unquestionably esteemed faithful records; and this 
 very circumstance proves at once the antiquity, the ve- 
 racity, and the preservation of the Bible. Precisely 
 on the same ground is the New Testament recommend- 
 ed to us. Listen to the language of the apostles them- 
 selves. ''That which was from the beginning, which 
 we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, 
 
355 
 
 which we have looked upon, and our hands have 
 handled of the word of life declare we unto you! 7 ' 
 We maintain, 
 
 4) 
 
 III. THAT THE THINGS WHICH THEY DID NOT SEE, 
 THEY DERIVED FROM THE MOST CERTAIN EVIDENCES, 
 AND DREW FROM THE PUREST SOURCES. 
 
 If a man be incompetent to record any thing but 
 that which he sees, history is altogether useless. But 
 a satisfactory degree of certainty is attainable on eyents 
 of which we were not eye-witnesses; and no one in 
 this assembly doubts the signing of Magna Charta, or 
 the battle of Agincourt, any more than if he had stood 
 by, and seen the one fought, and the seals affixed to 
 the other. We owe much to the integrity of others; 
 and the mutual confidence on which society is found- 
 ed, requires with justice our assent to thousands of 
 events, which transpired long before we were born, on 
 which, if contemporary with ourselves, were transact- 
 ed at some remote spot on the face of the globe. Who 
 will affirm that Hume or Rapin, were incompetent to 
 produce an history, which, making some allowances 
 for human prejudices, is worthy the confidence and 
 credit of our countrymen? Yet neither the one nor 
 the other was an eye-witness of more than an insig- 
 nificant portion of his voluminous production. But if, 
 by drawing from pure sources, a man is to be deemed 
 competent to relate facts of which he was not an eye- 
 witness: then, the writers of the Bible, in those partic- 
 ular events of which confessedly they were not eye- 
 witnesses, but which they affirm with confidence, are 
 entitled to our credit. Moses, for instance, on these 
 principles, is competent to the relation of every event 
 
356 
 
 recorded in the book of Genesis; although it is admit- 
 ted that they took place before his birth, and although 
 he goes back to the beginning of all things. From 
 Adam to Noah, from Noah to Abraham, from Abra- 
 ham to Joseph, and from Joseph to Moses, but four 
 persons are necessary to transmit events as they trans- 
 pired; and these four persons were Methuselah, Shem, 
 Isaac, and Amram, the grandfather of Moses. Those 
 things of which the apostle Paul was not an eye- witness 
 he most surely believed, because he lived with those 
 who were the companions of our Lord through all his 
 ministry, and were present during those very events 
 which he received upon their testimony. There can 
 be no question that he found them men of unshaken 
 veracity. The disciple of Gamaliel was not likely to 
 become the dupe of the designing. He must have had 
 something like evidence to lead him to relinquish the 
 fair prospect of worldly emolument for certain and in- 
 evitable suffering: he must have felt something like 
 conviction to destroy the prejudices which he openly 
 avowed, and which were sufficiently powerful to make 
 him sanction the murder of Stephen. In every instance 
 in which the writers of the Old and the New Testament 
 were not eye-witne?scs of the events which they re- 
 corded, it will be found, upon the closest scrutiny, that 
 they derived their evidence from the most authentic 
 sources. We shall j.rove, 
 
 IV. THAT THKY Wl III'. .VI N ( 1' 1NTKGRITY, IMPARTIAL* 
 I TV, AND CAN DO U. 
 
 That they were men of JNTI.C.RITY we gather from 
 the tacit concisions of their mo^t inveterate enemies. 
 A thousand aceu^atioi.s were alleged against them 
 
357 
 
 equally cruel, injurious, and unfounded. Every possi- 
 ble effort was made to terrify and to silence them; and 
 scourgings, and imprisonments, and death itself, were 
 added to menaces. They were charged with sedition, 
 while their writings, their preaching, and their conduct, 
 equally and powerfully enjoined, that their followers 
 should "submit to every ordinance of man, for the 
 Lord's sake." They were unjustly accused of pollut- 
 ing the temple. It was said that they despised the law, 
 the purity of which they exemplified in their lives. But 
 their integrity was never questioned, and their state- 
 ment of facts was never denied. That which they af- 
 firmed, they affirmed openly: they affirmed on the spot 
 stained with the Savior's blood, and on which the facts 
 which they asserted were transacted: they affirmed 
 before a whole people, who were capable of detect- 
 ing imposition and exposing falsehood, if there had 
 been either the one or the other, and whose determin- 
 ed enmity impelled them to seize every occasion 
 against them: yet amid all this their integrity could 
 not be disputed, and their veracity stood unimpeach- 
 ed. Nay, on all these occasions they boldly dared the 
 trial, they challenged their adversaries to disprove their 
 words, they defied their malice, and openly, and con- 
 stantly asserted i4 We are witnesses of these things!" 
 Their IMPARTIALITY appears in every page of their 
 writings. Their own failings are recorded with sin- 
 gular flnd unexampled fidelity. They offer no pallia- 
 tion of their conduct they conceal nothing they 
 alter nothing they plead nothing. They sacrifice 
 private feelings to the cause of truth. And with the 
 same impartiality with which they record their own 
 shame, they relate the weakness of their friends and fel- 
 low-disciples. We will not say, that no tear fell upon 
 
358 
 
 the line which consigned to everlasting remembrance 
 every humilitating circumstance, but that tear was not 
 suffered to erase the narrative; we will not say, that 
 their hand did not tremble as it wrote the sad history, 
 but that hand firmly inscribed the truth, and gave its 
 faithful evidence against the weakness of its master. 
 Neither do they conceal a single circumstance of igno- 
 miny attending either their Lord or themselves. They 
 relate all the shame of his death, and the degradation 
 to which their conscience compelled them to submit 
 for his sake. 
 
 Their CANDOR is seen in this, that they never mag- 
 nified the rage of -their enemies: never represented their 
 characters more deformed and sanguinary than they 
 really were: never imputed to them motives which 
 they did not avow: never reviled, never reproached 
 them. When they wrote the life of their Lord, it was 
 without eulogy: when they recorded his death, there 
 is no attempt to inflame the mind of the reader: not a 
 single remark is made throughout the whole narrative: 
 if they wept (and surely they did weep) they wept in 
 silence, and no complaint escaped from their pen. A 
 plain, unvarnished tale, is told throughout, andis left to 
 make its way, unassisted, to the heart and to the con- 
 science. Where shall we find such historians? Even 
 skepticism must admit their integrity, their impartiality, 
 and their candor. We advance 
 
 V. THAT THEY WERE WISE AND GOOD MEN. 
 
 Who will call in question the understanding or the 
 accomplishments of Moses? Under what circumstances 
 of honor, has his name hern transmitted through ages 
 and generations, till, irradiated with all its pristine glo- 
 
359 
 
 ry, it has reached even these latter days! To a mind far 
 above the common standard to talents the most il- 
 lustrious, he added all the learning of the Egyptians. 
 Born at the fountain-head of literature, he drank co- 
 pious draughts of the salutary stream. Before him 
 the celebrated lawgivers of antiquity, although much 
 later than this renowned legislator, shrink away, as the 
 stars which shine through the night, fade before the 
 first tints of the morning, and hide their diminished 
 heads when the sun uncovers his radiance. In like 
 manner all the writers of the Old and New Testa- 
 ments demand our respect as men of supereminent tal- 
 ents, and of solid wisdom. No one can read those 
 Psalms which are ascribed to the king of Israel, and 
 imagine that David was a man of a common under- 
 standing. The fragments which have descended to us 
 from Solomon, abundantly confirm the decision of the 
 scriptures in naming him the wisest of men. He must 
 be strangely destitute of taste who can read unmoved, 
 the majestic and sublime productions of Isaiah. We 
 disdain to answer the bold, unfounded, ignorant asser- 
 tions of the author of ^The Age of Reason," who says, 
 that "a school-boy should be punished for producing a 
 book so full of bombast and incongruity as the book 
 called Isaiah." A man who can thus speak of a pro- 
 duction so truly sublime, upon general, we might say 
 universal consent, has forfeited all claim to criticism; 
 and he must feel something like degradation who 
 should sit down to answer so palpable a misrepresent- 
 ation. We pass over the words of Jesus Christ, for surely 
 it will be admitted that "never man spake as this man." 
 Luke rises before us as claiming to rank high in res- 
 pectability. His writings will appear to any unpre- 
 judiced mind impressed with the stamp of genius and 
 
360 
 
 of literature. In support of this position is it necessa- 
 ry to do m,)re than appeal to the short and elegant 
 preface to his Gospel, after which, having once for all 
 introduced himself, he disappears, and the historian is 
 lost in the narrative? -Forasmuch as many have tak- 
 en in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those 
 things which are most surely believed among us, even 
 as they delivered them unto us, which from the begin- 
 ning were eye witnesses, and ministers of the word: It 
 Deemed good to me also, having had perfect under- 
 standing of all things from the very first, to write unto 
 thee, in order, most excellent Theophilus, that thou 
 mightest kn nv the cert-iinty of thus,* things wherein 
 thou has beeir instructed." The apostle Paul is a 
 name too great to be passed over in silence. His de- 
 fence before Agrippa is a master-piece of genuine elo- 
 quence and feeling; and he who can deny it, after 
 reading the sentence with which it closes, appears to 
 us most unreasonably prejudiced, and irreclaimable by 
 the force of evidence. 4k Then Agrippa said unto Paul 
 Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. And 
 Paul said, I would to God, that not only thou, but 
 also all that hear me this day, were both almost, 
 and altogether such as I am except these bonds!" 
 His writings from first to last discover an extraordi- 
 nary mind, and a funJ of intelligence, worthy a 
 disciple who sat at the feet of Gamaliel. Those who 
 were unlettered men, have no less a claim upon our 
 respectful attention. Who does not perceive a blaze 
 of genius and of talent burst' ng through all the obscu- 
 rity of their birth, and counteracting the original nar- 
 rowness of their education? They were all wise men; 
 and their wisdom carried with it the most decisive ev- 
 idence that it was from above: it was -first pure, then 
 
361 
 
 peaceable, gentle, easy "to be intreated, full of mercy 
 and of good fruits, without partiality, and without 
 hypocrisy." 
 
 We have pronounced but a small part of their eulo- 
 gium in saying that they were WISE men; for talents 
 are often found united to vice: but they were also em- 
 inently GOOD men. They were men. We do not de- 
 sign to hold them up to your view as perfect charac- 
 ters: for such a representation would neither accord 
 with truth, nor agree with their presentions: but they 
 were as perfect as humanity in its most exalted state 
 upon earth seems capable of being. The charges 
 against the character of David have been heavy, but 
 they have been as ably refuted.* The light which he 
 enjoyed was small, compared with the meridian glory 
 which illumines our walk through life. And he must 
 have an hard heart, and a most unreasonable con- 
 science, who can urge David's failings against him, 
 with much severity, after the contrition which he felt 
 and expressed. Considered in connexion with the 
 other, and excellent parts of his character, these de- 
 fects resemble the dark spots, which, to a philosophic 
 and scrutinizing eye, appear on the sun's disk; but 
 which to any unassisted organ of vision, are swallow- 
 ed up in the blaze of his glory. In the writings and 
 the lives of the apostles, what piety, what benevolence, 
 what devotion, what love to God and to man, are vis- 
 ible! What genuine zeal did they manifest! A zeal dis- 
 tinguished from mere enthusiasm, both in its object, 
 and in its tendency! No good man can read these 
 writings, such is their holy fervor, and such their 
 exalted piety, without being made both wiser and bet- 
 ter! Do you not discern in them hearts weaned from 
 
 la Chandler's life of David, 
 
 46 
 
362 
 
 the present world, and fired with the glorious prospects 
 of futurity? Do you not perceive in all things an in- 
 tegrity which made them ardent in the support of their 
 cause, and ready to suffer every extremity for it? Yet 
 that integrity, and that ardor, mingled with humility, 
 temperance, mildness, goodness, and truth? Do they 
 not continually insist upon these things as the gen- 
 uine effects, the necessary consequences, and the dis- 
 tinguishing characteristics, of their religion? O let any 
 unprejudiced person calmly sit down to read their 
 lives, where all their weaknesses appear, and where 
 none of their faults are extenuated, and he must con- 
 clude that they were GOOD men! 
 
 We might, without departing much from our plan, 
 draw up by way of contrast the lives and actions 
 of the principal adversaries of Revelation, and oppose 
 them to those of its first assertors. We think that the 
 confessions of Rousseau would look but ill when plac- 
 ed by the penitential tears of Peter, or the contrite 
 sighs of David. The licentious life, and the gloomy 
 death of Voltaire, would be a striking contrast to the 
 labors, the patience, the perils, and above all, the tri- 
 umphant expiring moments of Paul. We shall not, 
 however, pursue this subject. These lives will be con- 
 trasted another day. But we will add that before the 
 patrons of infidelity speak so bitterly of the failings of 
 David, they should place by his life, the conduct of its 
 most strenuous, and most distinguished advocates; and 
 comparison would reflect but little honor, and little 
 credit, i|M>n themselves. The writers of the Bible 
 1 good men. We believe 
 
363 
 
 VI. THAT THEY HAD THE BEST MOTIVES IN ALL THAT 
 THEY DID OR WROTE. 
 
 We can only judge of motives from the honest pro- 
 fessions which men make, and the integrity of con- 
 duct which confirms and establishes these professions. 
 And when we see them acting disinterestedly, and en- 
 countering calamity under the profession oi kindness 
 to others: when we are persuaded that in no one in- 
 stance they seek to serve themselves: but that, on the 
 contrary, the plan which they follow must terminate 
 in their temporal ruin we must give them credit for 
 their professions, and may safely conclude that their 
 motives are pure. Now it is easy to prove, that this 
 was the case with the first adherents of revelation, and 
 the first preachers of the Gospel. Men are accustom- 
 ed usually to act either from motives of benevolence, 
 or from motives of interest. The prophets and apos- 
 tles wrote and acted not from the latter, while there is 
 a fulness of evidence that they were influenced by the 
 former. Under interested motives we may include the 
 love and hope of fame, of wealth, of applause, of what- 
 ever may tend to render the man more noted, and 
 more respectable. By benevolent motives we under- 
 stand disinterested motives; comprising love to God 
 and to man, apart from every selfish impulse; and 
 such motives as will lead the man cheerfully to relin- 
 quish his own comforts for the benefit of society at 
 large, or for conscience-sake. Now we will venture 
 to make our appeal to infidelity itself, and to ask. 
 whether the writers of the Bible have not a fair and 
 honorable claim to benevolent motives? What inter- 
 est had Moses in relinquishing the crown of Egypt, to 
 head the insulted, outcast, enslaved Israelites, and to 
 lead them through a perilous journey to the possession 
 
864 
 
 of a remote country, over the borders of which he 
 himself never passed, and which he never saw, but at 
 a distance? Had ambition or fame been his object, 
 he had only to wait the death of Pharaoh, when, re- 
 commended as he was by talents, the choice of Egypt 
 had probably fallen upon him, and with its armies at 
 his command, with its forces under his control, and 
 with its resources for his resort, according to all human 
 appearance, he might hare effected his purpose with 
 greater ease, and certainly would have enjoyed more 
 temporal splendor. What interest had Isaiah, or any 
 of the prophets, in pronouncing, and recording, denun- 
 ciations which provoked their countrymen, and which 
 superinduced not only immediate hardships and bitter 
 imprisonments, but eventually terminated in their 
 martyrdom? What interest had Luke to serve in 
 overlooking a liberal and respectable profession as a 
 physician, to link his life and his fortunes with those 
 of an houseless Nazarene,and a few outcast Galileans, 
 his wandering disciples? What interest had Paul to 
 serve, in descending from the sphere of applause and 
 of honor in which he moved as a Pharisee, to encoun- 
 ter the danger, the disgrace, and the death annexed to 
 a profession of Christianity? What motives of inter- 
 est could lead the first propagators of the Christian re- 
 ligion to provoke the fury of an enraged populace, to 
 draw down upon themselves the wrath of the rulers, 
 to oppose the prejudices not inerelj of their country- 
 men, but of the whole heathen \vorkl, to endure tlu* 
 loss of all thirds, and to suffer death itself, in defence 
 of the dn-.'.Uiucs which they promulgated, the j>;vc< (>ts 
 which they taught, or the facts which they related? 
 Deluded men, infidelity may think, and call them: but 
 interested men, no OQC, with truth, or even the 
 
365 
 
 blance of truth, can aver that they were! Let it not 
 be said that they expected applause, and were not ac- 
 quainted with the sad consequences that would result 
 from the line of conduct which they pursued. They 
 were neither fools nor mad; and common sense was 
 sufficient to convince them of their danger. If they 
 had not been originally suspicious of it, their Master 
 plainly predicted it; and they had before their eyes, 
 the fearful evidence of what they were to expect, in his 
 excruciating and ignominious death. They did not 
 surely expect better treatment than their Lord: and no 
 man could, with such an example before him, teach 
 Christianity from interested motives. 
 
 In justice to them, therefore, we ought to conclude, 
 that they had the best of motives in all that they did 
 and wrote. As this may be gathered from their suf- 
 ferings, so also may it be collected from all that they 
 taught. Did they ever say any thing with a view to 
 entice men, or to purchase the favor of the great and 
 the noble? Did they flatter them by giving license to 
 the sins to which they were prone, or by permitting 
 the indulgence of their tempers and lusts? > Did they 
 dazzle them with the promise of ease, comfort, splen- 
 dor, fame, or emolument? Did they not oppose their 
 prejudices, their principles, their vices, and their pas- 
 sions? Did they not delineate Christianity in faithful 
 colors, and paint all the ignominy and danger involved 
 in a profession of it? Surely this was not the way to 
 obtain human applause, or to serve interested motives! 
 But what did they say of themselves? Let us hear 
 the apostle Paul explain his own motives to the elders 
 of the Ephesian church, in the solemn moment of 
 eternal separation from them. u Ye know, from the 
 first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I 
 
366 
 
 have been with you at all seasons, serving the Lord 
 with all humility of mind, and with many tears and 
 temptations which befel me by the lying in wait of the 
 Jews; and how I kept back nothing that was profita- 
 ble unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught 
 you publicly, and from house to house, testifying both 
 to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward 
 God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. And now, 
 behold I go bound in thespirit unto Jerusalem, notknow- 
 ing the things which shall befal me there: Save that the 
 Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying, that bonds 
 and imprisonments abide me. But none of these things 
 move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so 
 that 1 might finish my course with joy, and the min- 
 istry which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to 
 testify the gospel of the grace of God 7 ' Therefore 
 watch, and remember that by the space of three years, 
 I ceased not to warn every one night and day with 
 tears t: I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or 
 apparel. Yea. ye yourselves know, that these hands 
 have ministered to my necessities, and to them that 
 were with me. I have shewed you all things, how 
 that so laboring ye ought to support the weak; and to 
 remember the words of our Lord Jesus, how he said, 
 It is more blessed to give than to receive." Is this the 
 language of an interested man? and above all of an 
 interested man at such a moment? We will not mul- 
 i.; 'V passages in which similar protestations are used 
 rJntive to their own conduct; and you are bound to 
 !> -licve them, because neither their lives nor their doc- 
 "3 were those of persons who are actuated by in- 
 terested motives. Otherwise they would soon have 
 relinquished so hopeless a scheme. At the very com- 
 
367 
 
 mencement of their labors one was stoned,* another 
 beheaded, t the greater part of them scattered over 
 strange cities,! and their cause and their sect every 
 where spoken against. || You see them, nevertheless, 
 steadfast, immoveable, abounding in the work of the 
 Lord, preaching Jesus with all diligence, knowing that 
 their labor was not in vain in the Lord. Surely, we 
 must admit, that they were actuated by the best of 
 motives, in all that they did and wrote. Observe, 
 
 VII. THAT THEY THEMSELVES BELIEVED, AND WERE 
 GUIDED BY THE TRUTHS WHICH THEY TAUGHT. 
 
 This proposition stands allied to the preceding one, 
 and the same train of reasoning will fairly establish 
 it. They suffered death for the cause which they at- 
 tempted to promulgate, and this was a decisive evi- 
 dence that they believed it. It is readily granted that 
 martyrdom is no evidence of the goodness of a cause 
 or of the truth of the religion, which the man believes, 
 and for which he dies. Many have suffered in a bad 
 cause; and many have died for a false religion. The 
 enthusiasm of a Roman more than once led him to 
 sacrifice himself for his country; and superstition has 
 also boasted her martyrs still boasts them on the 
 plains of Indostan, and among untutored savages. 
 Martyrdom, however, we may fairly assert is a proof 
 of sincerity in the person who suffers; and this is all 
 that we wish to prove in the present instance. We 
 urge the sufferings and the death of the apostles upon 
 you, not as an evidence of the truth of their religion 
 (it is founded on stronger arguments than these,) but 
 
 Acts vii, 5?. | Acts xii> 2 . 
 
 * Acts vui, 1-4; xi, 19 j} Acts xxviii, 22. 
 
368 
 
 as a decisive proof of their sincerity, and as an invin- 
 cible demonstration that they really believed what 
 they taught. You may add to this the simplicity of 
 their manners, of their narratives, of their preaching, 
 and of their lives, strongly presumptive, to say the least, 
 of their unaffected sincerity. Nor will any man be 
 able to investigate their characters and deportment, 
 without acquitting them of all design to deceive. The 
 same arguments will hold good in favor of the writers 
 of the Old Testament. The prophets suffered death 
 for their predictions, and those who did not, manifest- 
 ed, by their lives, their belief of the truths which they 
 taught. 
 
 They not only believed, but were guided, by these 
 things. Those only can enter into the argument 
 by which we establish this assertion, who are accus- 
 tomed to read the Bible; and indeed he who opposes 
 Revelation, ought, in reason and in justice, to be as 
 well acquainted with the sacred writings, as the man 
 who professedly maintains it. Upon a comparison 
 between the lives of the apostles and prophets, and 
 their writings, we are persuaded it will be found, that 
 the one is an exact- transcript of the other. The 
 benevolence and charity which they recommend- 
 ed to others, they felt themselves. The love to Jesus 
 Christ which they taught, warmed their own bosoms. 
 He was the object of their faith, of their hope, of their 
 joy. of their worship. In him all their wishes and 
 expectations centred; and for him, they were willing 
 to live or to die. They exemplified the Christian pa- 
 tience and meekness, which they recommended to 
 their hearers, in their own resignation and uncom- 
 plaining sufferings. They could make their appeal to 
 their conversation and say, "Brethren, be ye follow- 
 
369 
 
 ers of us, even as we are also of Christ." Upon eve- 
 ry investigation of their lives and writings, it will be 
 found that they themselves were guided by the truths 
 which they taught to others. One more proposition 
 will conclude what we have to advance respecting the 
 writers of the Bible; and indeed it may be considered 
 as a concluding inference from all the foregoing series 
 of reasoning. It is 
 
 VIII. THAT IT APPEARS UPON THE WtfOLE, THAT THEY 
 NEITHER COULD BE DECEIVED, NOR WOULD DE- 
 CEIVE, IN ALL THAT THEY WROTE AND ASSERTED. 
 
 That they could not be deceived, is evident from 
 the nature of the case. We have said that they were 
 for the most part eye-witnesses of what they recorded; 
 this was eminently the fact in respect of the apos- 
 tles. They conversed with Jesus Christ they saw all 
 fche miracles, that he wrought they were presentjwhen 
 he expired on the cross. When he rose from the 
 dead, he appeared to them, and to "above five hun- 
 dred brethren at once." He ascended to heaven in 
 their presence. He afterwards appeared to Paul in 
 the way to Damascus, and to John in the Isle of 
 
 Patmos We have proved the same respecting the 
 
 writers of the Old Testament, and particularly Moses. 
 We have shewn, that what they did not see, they de- 
 rived from the most certain evidences, and drew from 
 the purest sources. Now such was the nature of the 
 circumstances which they related, and the nature of 
 the evidences which they possessed, that they could 
 not be deceived. This we think a fair inference from 
 the general train of our reasoning. 
 
 And it is equally evident from their characters, that 
 
 they would not deceive. To suppose them capable of 
 47 
 
370 
 
 this, is to lay them under the blackest of all imputa- 
 tions, and to discover hardened guilt, of which human 
 nature, depraved as it is, appears hardly capable. 
 We have proved that they themselves could not be 
 mistaken: then, they must, if they deceived at all, 
 have voluntarily become "false witnesses of God," and 
 have forged falsehoods from first to last. Their lives 
 were, on these principles, one continued scene of per- 
 jury, hypocrisy, and blasphemy. Pretending that God 
 sanctioned their preaching, and sent them for this pur- 
 pose, while in their hearts they knew it to be false, 
 was impiety beyond almost the power of conception! 
 In every instance they would be found to be liars; 
 and they must, for no possible advantage, but in 
 face of every danger, have deceived their fellow men 
 solemnly and deliberately, day after day, through all 
 their lives. They must have confederated to do this; 
 and have stricken hands upon an engagement more 
 terrible than death, and blacker than the designs of 
 hell itself ever unfolded. This impious conduct would 
 have been cruel to the laj-t degree. They were trifling 
 with the dearest and most important interests of man- 
 kind worse than trifling,they were consigning them in 
 cold blood to infamy, to torment, and to ruin. They 
 were leading them to rely for peace and salvation upon 
 a man whom they knew to be an impostor, and who 
 had suffered publicly as a criminal. They were bring- 
 ing all the calamities inseparable from their religion, 
 knowing it to be false, upon the people whom they 
 deceived. They exposed the lives of the innocent, in 
 leading them to patronize a guilty fraud (by persuad- 
 ing them that it was true) which the rulers did not 
 sanction; and their blood, on this supposition, with 
 the tears of their orphans, of their widows, of their 
 
371 
 
 bereaved families, must have mingled with the perjury 
 and the blasphemy of their deceivers, in calling down 
 the vengeance of heaven against a combination so hor- 
 rible. They would, in a word, have been a society 
 of the most infamous, cruel, abandoned wretches, 
 that ever lived on the face of the globe: if, as they 
 could not be deceived, they were capable of deceiving 
 on a subject so important! And the men who confed- 
 erated with them in forming the other parts of the 
 scripture, must have entered into a plot to destroy 
 thousands of lives here, to send the most dreadful ca- 
 lamities on the earth, and to ruin the interests of men 
 for ever! 
 
 Now calmly examine the writings, the character, 
 the deportment of the writers of the Old Testament and 
 of the apostles of Jesus Christ, and say whether they 
 appear to you to be the men capable of such decep- 
 tion, or likely to form a plot so horrible? What could 
 induce them to do it? What interest had they to serve 
 by it? It is not possible! But as they could not be de- 
 ceived, so every thing conspires to prove that they 
 would not deceive. 
 
 The fact is simply this. Their original talents were 
 not considerable: their education was contracted: their 
 sphere of life of the lowest order: their fears and un- 
 belief abundant: their numbers small; and their minds 
 bowed in the first instance by the prejudices of their 
 country, all which prejudices were against a suffering 
 Messiah. When they consented to share his igno- 
 miny, it was from a conviction resulting from the pu- 
 rity of his life, the force of truth in his teaching, the 
 integrity of his character, and not from any resem- 
 blance which they traced between his situation and 
 their preconceived opinions. Every day developed 
 
372^ 
 
 something respecting him which disappointed their ex- 
 pectations, excited their astonishment, offended their 
 pride, and opposed their views. Their minds were 
 slowly enlightened, and they had not at the moment 
 of his resurrection very clear views, either of the 
 prophecies respecting him, or of his testimony respect- 
 ing himself. Let these circumstances be calmly con- 
 sidered, let the amount of them be deliberately weigh- 
 ed, and it will be evident to every reflecting mind, that 
 it would be a miracle of the first order, if twelve, or 
 rather eleven (for one of them betrayed the Lord) 
 such men, should have attempted to palm, as a fact, 
 an invention upon the very people among whom it 
 was said to have taken place: that they should have 
 had the genius to project such a design: and above all, 
 that they should have been successful in disseminating 
 their fabrication, and in establishing it upon a basis 
 which eighteen centuries have not been able to under- 
 mine! Such a supposition is too palpably absurd to 
 bear reasoning upon. If it be objected that their sub- 
 sequent deportment manifests genius, firmness, un- 
 bounded intellect, and astonishing energy of mind, a 
 question arises, what was the cause of this change of 
 character? We answer that this fact is in itself an ev- 
 idence of the truth of their mission, inasmuch as it re- 
 sulted from the sufferings and the resurrection of the 
 Savior: it took place at a moment when there \\c\c 
 thousands of witnesses present u Parthians and Medes, 
 and Elamites, iind the, dwellers in Mesopotamia, and 
 in Judea, and Cappadoria, in Pontus and Asia, Phry- 
 gia, and Pampliv lia, in Egypt and in the parts of Libya 
 about Cyrene,aiul s( rangers of Rome, Jews and Pros- 
 elytes, Cretcs and Arabians:" it was evinced by the 
 gift of tongues, so that the multitude wondered to hear 
 
. 373 
 
 themselves addresed every man in his own language, 
 while many of them knew that these very persons 
 were before ignorant and unlettered; and it was ac- 
 companied by miraculous powers, which their adver- 
 saries could neither gainsay nor resist, and which were 
 in force nearly a century. 
 
 The appeals which they made were not the lan- 
 guage of imposition. Neither in their preaching, nor 
 in their writings, did they ever lose sight of the tacts 
 asserted in the gospels, and especially of the death of 
 their Master, in all its circumstances, and all its conse- 
 quences. They did not cease to press it upon the 
 memory, the feelings, the hearts, and the consciences 
 of those who attended their ministry, the major part 
 of whom were, in most instances, the murderers of the 
 Lord of life and glory. They laid this sin to their charge, 
 with undaunted courage, with invincible perseverance, 
 with unshaken fidelity, when they said "Ye denied 
 the Holy One, and the Just, and desired a murderer 
 to be granted unto you, and killed the Prince of Life, 
 whom God hath raised from the dead: whereof we 
 are witnesses." We have seen these faithful appeals 
 confirmed in their sufferings, this bold and generous 
 testimony written with their blood, this strong and re- 
 sistless evidence sealed by their death! 
 
 On these points we have the concessions of enemies. 
 These things were not done in a corner. Others were 
 also eye-witnesses of this event. The adversaries of 
 the primitive Christians cast in their teeth the poverty 
 of their Master's life, and the ignominy of his death. 
 By these means, while they designed to affix indelible 
 disgrace to the cause of Christianity, they decidedly 
 proved that the facts recorded in the gospels respecting 
 Jesus of Nazareth were strictly and indisputably true. 
 
374 
 
 In their public records, in their judicial statements, in 
 their epistolary correspondence, the sufferings of the 
 apostles and first disciples of our Lord were avouched, 
 and their firmness branded with the name of madness. 
 It was a subject of surprise and amazement to the heath- 
 en world that men would submit to the most horrible 
 tortures, the cruelty of human ingenuity could invent, 
 rather than deny a poor, outcast, obscure Jew, who 
 suffered, at the instigation of his countrymen, the 
 death of a murderer! Ah, they knew not Jesus of Naz- 
 areth! knew not the secret and resistless bond which 
 held his disciples to him! knew not the sweetness of 
 his love! But in the mean time, they have left to ev- 
 ery succeeding generation a decided testimony that 
 these things were so.* 
 
 We detain you only to offer two concluding re- 
 marks respecting the best mode of reading the Bible 
 to advantage. The first shall regard the ALLOWAN- 
 CES which should be made in consulting this sacred 
 volume, Whoever has paid any, the least, attention 
 to it, must recollect that there are allusions to customs 
 which exist no longer; and that its sublime and poetic 
 parts are filled with figures of speech not altogether 
 familiar to us. We are surrounded by imagery, and 
 reading a language perfectly new more bold and 
 striking than these colder climes and tongues usually 
 exhibit. When you take up the scriptures make 
 these several allowances. Remember that you are 
 reading the record of ages which have rolled away, 
 and of nations, which have either long since perished, 
 or which exist no longer in the .same form. You 
 should allow for the swelling metaphoric style of the 
 
 See the note of this Lecture, at the end of volume. 
 
375 
 
 East. Their mode of expression is always bold and 
 magnificent beyond the imagination of an European; 
 and the face of their country is also widely different. 
 You must remember the customs then prevalent: these 
 change perpetually with the lapse o,f time; and the 
 manners of antiquity were altogether distinct from 
 those sanctioned by the fashion of the present day. 
 Consider the countries in which they lived. Every 
 country has a mode of operation, and habits, peculiar 
 to itself. Recollect the persons to whom they wrote; 
 persons who were conversant with the metaphors em- 
 ployed, and with the facts recorded; persons who were 
 contemporary with them, and who had the advantage 
 of making appeals to things and to evidences which 
 exist no longer. And while you call these things to 
 your memory, do not forget the changes which have 
 taken place in all these particulars. 
 
 Our second remark shall relate to the SPIRIT in which 
 the Bible should be read. Consult it divested so far 
 as possible of prejudice, and with a sincere desire both 
 to attain improvement, and to search out the truth. 
 The investigation which we recommend, lies equally 
 between that inactivity which slumbers for ever over 
 things acknowledged, and that impetuous temerity 
 which relying upon its own powers disdains assistance, 
 attempts a flight beyond the precincts of lawful subject?, 
 and with licentious boldness pries into those "secret 
 things which belong to God." Some float for ever 
 on the surface of admitted truths, fearful to rise above 
 the level over which they have hovered from the first 
 moment of consciousness. These resemble those birds 
 which feed upon the insects dancing on the water, 
 who never rise into the air, but always skim the sur- 
 face of the lake, on the borders of which they re- 
 
376 
 
 ceived life. Others, on bold, adventurous wing, rise 
 into the trackless regions of mystery, till they sink 
 from the pride of their elevation, perplexed and ex- 
 hausted. These, by aiming at too much lose every 
 thing. Because they have attempted unsuccessfully 
 to investigate that, which God has been pleased to put 
 out of the reach of human comprehension, they will 
 not believe any thing they embrace a system of uni- 
 versal skepticism. So Noah's dove beheld on every 
 side a boundless expansion of waters; and whether 
 she rose or sunk was equally bewildered, and found 
 no rest for the sole of her foot. There is one point of 
 difference, and that is, that she returned to the ark; 
 but'those whom we have described, too often are 
 found to turn despisers, who wonder and perish. But 
 the Christian is bold in investigating all that God has 
 submitted to his researches, attempts every thing lean- 
 ing on Almighly energy, and relies with implicit con- 
 fidence upon the written word. So the eagle rises 
 boldly into the air, keeping the sun in view, and builds 
 her nest upon a rock. 
 
 We would not have you, with the inactive and su- 
 pine, always coast the shore: nor with the infidel ven- 
 ture into the boundless ocean without pilot, or com- 
 pass, or ballast, or anchor: exposed equally to the 
 quicksands, to the rocks, to the whirlpool, and to the 
 tempest: but we are desirous that, like the Christian, 
 you should boldly face, and patiently endure the storm, 
 with the Bible as your compass, Hope as you anchor, 
 God as your pilot, and Heaven as your country. 
 
LECTURE XIV. 
 
 CONCLUDING LECTURE. 
 
 THE UNSEARCHABLE GOD: OR, AN ATTEMPT TO 
 PROVE AN ANALOGY BETWEEN THE RELIGION 
 OFNATUREAND THAT OP THE BIBLE, BY SHEW- 
 ING THAT THE SAME OBSCURITY WHICH 
 OVERSHADOWS REVELATION, EQUALLY OVER- 
 SPREADS NATURE AND PROVIDENCE. 
 
 JOB XXXVI. 14. 
 
 Lo, these are parts of his ways, but how little a por- 
 tion is heard of him? but the thunder of his power, 
 who can understand? 
 
 MAN is a needy, dependent creature, from his birth to 
 his death. His first cry is the voice of want and help- 
 lessness; his last tear flows from the same source; and 
 in no one intermediate period of his life, can he be pro- 
 nounced independent. His eye, the moment it is 
 opened, is turned upon another for assistance. His 
 limbs must be sheltered from the cold: his nutriment 
 provided, and his wants supplied by the care and ex : 
 ertions of others: or he would perish in the hour of his 
 birth. A few months expand his limbs; and then a 
 new train of wants succeeds. He must be watched 
 with incessant vigilance, and guarded with unceasing 
 care and anxiety, against a thousand diseases, which 
 wait to precipitate him to a premature grave. The 
 quivering flame of an existence scarcely communicat- 
 ed, is exposed to sudden and furious blasts, and it re- 
 quires all a parent's skill to interpose a screen which 
 48 
 
378 
 
 may prevent its extinction; and, alas! after all, such in- 
 terposition as human skill and tenderness can sup- 
 ply, are often ineffectual, and the prevailing blast ex- 
 tinguishes the sickly fire. 
 
 The child begins to think, and a new field of exer- 
 tion is opened to the mother. He needs direction, and 
 is dependent upon her wisdom and affection for his 
 earliest sources of information. She watches and fa- 
 cilitates the dawn of reason. She teaches her child 
 for what end he came into the world; and in language 
 adapted to his capacity, exhibits to the inquiring mind, 
 and pours into the listening ear, his high and immortal 
 destination. Oh, then with what anxiety she watch- 
 es the speaking countenance! With what skill she di- 
 rects the passions! With what assiduity she strives to 
 irradicate, or at least to bring into subjection his visi- 
 ble propensity to evil and the impulses of a depraved 
 nature! Who among us cannot look back to this ear- 
 ly period, and remember a mother's short, impressive 
 conversation her intreaties her caresses her res- 
 trictions and her tears? 
 
 The boy advances in wisdom and in stature, and in 
 strength: but he is still dependent. And now he must 
 pass into other hands. There are many things which 
 it is necessary for him to know, and to learn, in order 
 to his passage through life with respectability, which it 
 is not a mother's province to teach him. Besides, it is 
 needful that he should sojourn fora season with stran- 
 . to prepare him for the approach of that time, 
 when he must quit the paternal roof for ever, and force 
 his way through the wide world! 
 
 Grown up at length to manhood, he is still depend- 
 ent. 1 lc lives by conferring and receiving mutual offices 
 of kindness. It is not good for him to be alone. He 
 links h ; s fortunes and his interests, his hopes and his 
 
379 
 
 Tears, his joys and his sorrows, with those of another. 
 His duties and his,responsibilities, multiply upon him. 
 The circle is widened. He finds others dependent up- 
 on him, while he is not himself independent. And all 
 his difficulties and sufferings are lightened by being 
 divided. 
 
 Behold him stretched upon the bed of death, hav- 
 ing reached the extremity of this transient existence, 
 still a poor, dependent, needy creature! To that heart 
 he looks for sympathy: that bosom must support his 
 languishing head: that hand must adjust the pillow, 
 and administer the cordial, and wipe away the dew of 
 death, and close the extinguished eye. Into the bos- 
 om of his companion through life, or of his child, or of 
 his friend, he breathes the last sigh! 
 
 Revelation meets man on the terms of his nature, 
 addresses him, and suffers him to address God, as a 
 needy dependent creature. It proves its divine origin 
 by its adaptation to the wants and the wishes of hu- 
 manity. It is directed to every man, as the son of Ad- 
 am, and the child of sorrow, and the slave of igno- 
 rance. But vain man will be wise: will not be > in- 
 structed: will believe nothing which he cannot cbm- 
 prehend; and rejecting the truth, will not come to the 
 light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 
 
 When we speak of magnitude and diminutiveness, of 
 beauty and homeliness, of wisdom and folly, it is by 
 comparison; and each of these terms are exchanged, 
 the former for the latter, when the objects to which 
 they were applied, are placed by the side of something 
 more magnificent, more lovely, more sapient. The 
 productions of human skill are grand; and we pro- 
 nounce the "solemn temple" magnificent, when con- 
 trasted with surrounding and inferior buildings: but 
 when set in comparison with the temple of the sky, it 
 
280 
 
 is magnificent no longer it shrinks into nothing. I 
 see a picture of the evening: I admire the painters art 
 in so judiciously blending his light and his shade; a soft 
 and sober tint overspreads the whole piece, and I pro- 
 nounce it beautiful; but when I compare it with the 
 sunset of nature, when I see the west inflamed with ethe- 
 real fire, blushing with ten thousand vivid and various 
 splendors, while the distant mist slowly creeps along 
 the line of the horizon, and forms a contrast to the bril- 
 liancy above it the effort of art is swallowed up in the 
 sublimity of nature and it is beautiful no longer. I 
 admire the genius and the understanding of the philo- 
 sopher; I reverence the superior intelligence of a Solo- 
 mon; I look up humbled to a Newton, exploring the 
 immensity of yonder firmanent, reducing the apparent 
 confusion of its orbs to order, laying the planetary sys- 
 tem under laws, tracing their orbits, and scrutinizing 
 their nature and I pronouce these, wise men: but I 
 raise my eyes and behold an higher order of crea- 
 tures around the throne of God, before whom even 
 Newton is a child; and presuming into "the heaven of 
 heavens," I am lost in IHM, who charges even these su- 
 perior beings with folly." 
 
 The powers of the human mind are said to be large 
 and capacious: they are so when compared with those 
 of every other terrestrial being in the creation of God. 
 Man walks abroad, the monarch of this world. Of all 
 the diversified tribes which the hand of Deity former!, 
 into man alone was '-breathed the breath of life, and 
 he became a living soul." The animal soon reaches 
 his narrow standard, and never passes it. The pow- 
 ers of man are in a constant state of progression; and 
 probably in the world of spirits they w'.ii he. found to 
 be illimitable. But whatever they may be in t S 
 ture, they are at present contracted in their operations. 
 
381 
 
 To what do they amount when called into action? To 
 speak a few languages: to decypher a few more in a 
 various character: to ascertain here and there a < 
 by tracing it upwards from its effects: to number sev- 
 en planets revolving round the sun: to send imagina- 
 tion into infinite space in search of other systems, till 
 she is bewildered and tired in her progress: to float on 
 the bosom of the air suspended from a globe of silk; 
 or to sail over the surface of the ocean in a vessel of 
 his own construction: to ascend the hoary summit of the 
 loftiest mountain, or to penetrate a fathom or two the 
 surface of the earth: these are the boundaries of hu- 
 man effort. And in searching out the little he is capa- 
 ble of learning, what difficulties he must meet! what 
 embarrassments he must surmount! what labors he 
 must undergo! what time he must expend! And after 
 all, how little has he gained! how much remains un- 
 explored! how uncertain, and probably how errone- 
 ous, are hisbest grounded conclusions! And if weelevate 
 our thoughts to those spirits, whose powers in our lim- 
 ited apprehension are unbounded, we shall find upon 
 inquiry that they also are limited creatures. There 
 are subjects present to the divine mind which the an- 
 gels do not know: mysteries, which the capacity, of 
 Gabriel cannot fathom, and s which the intelligence of a 
 seraph cannot unravel. How much less "man who 
 is a worm, and the son of man who is but a worm?" 
 The subject for discussion this night, is thus pro- 
 posed THE UNSEARCHABLE GOD: OR, AN ' ATTEMPT 
 
 TO PROVE AN ANALOGY BETWEEN THE RELIGION OF 
 NATURE AND THAT OF THE BlBLE, BY SHEWING THAT 
 THE SAME OBSCURITY WHICH OVERSHADOWS REVE- 
 LATION, EQUALLY OVERSPREADS NATURE AND PROV- 
 IDENCE. 
 
382 
 
 Of this unsearchable Being, this infinite Mind, Job 
 writes; and we are now to contemplate rather what 
 we do not know of him, than that which we are able 
 to comprehend: since upon the closest investigation of 
 the whole which he has submitted to our researches, 
 we are compelled to conclude, "Lo, these are parts of 
 his ways, and how little a portion is heard of him? 
 but the thunder of his power who can understand?" 
 We shall apply these words, in order to the develope- 
 ment of our subject, 
 
 I. To THE WORKS OF CREATION. 
 
 II. To THE MYSTERIES OF PROVIDENCE. 
 
 III. To THE INVISIBLE WORLDS: 
 
 IV. To THE WORD OF REVELATION; and this 
 arrangement is justified by the whole connexion of 
 the text. We apply them, 
 
 I. TO THE WORKS OF "CREATION. 
 
 "He strctcheth out the north over the empty place 
 and hangeth the earth upon nothing." 
 
 To the first gaze of man newly-created, the temple 
 of the sky presented itself, filled with glorious objects, 
 which furnished food for his curiosity, and employ- 
 ment for the new-born powers of his mind. He saw 
 the whole expansion covered with stars twinkling 
 through the blue ether. He beheld the sun rise in the 
 east, and disappear behind the western hiHs. The 
 moon occupied his vacated seat in the heavens, and 
 every night changed her hour of rising. As yet the 
 laws by which these "greater lights" are governed were 
 unknown; and whether the lesser sparks were mere 
 ornaments of the curtain stretched out on every side, 
 or worlds and suns diminished by distance, the man 
 doubted: for in the infancy of time, philosophy had 
 
383 
 
 not kindled her torch, and every thing was to be 
 learned. He regarded it, however, as a scene of mag- 
 nificence; and considered the whole as the work of 
 him, "parts of whose ways" only, are after all submit- 
 ted to our investigation. 
 
 As years rolled on, a multitude of researches into 
 nature were instituted. Art lent her auxiliary powers: 
 a few instruments were invented to aid the eye. or to 
 help the imagination; and a regular inquiry into the 
 secret laws of this great universe, was formed and 
 prosecuted. Time gradually matured the crude and 
 undigested hypotheses of the enlightened "mind. Each 
 man took his department. One applied the telescope 
 to the organ of vision, and ascertained the nature, and 
 read the laws, of yonder shining orbs. Another bent 
 his attention to the productions of the globe, and to 
 the animals that move upon its surface. A third in- 
 vestigated the properties of water and of air, and the 
 several uses to which they are applicable. A fourth 
 studied the structure of the human !V:.-\;>.e, and applied 
 his knowledge to the purpose of relieving the springs 
 of life. These all were still acquainted only with "parts 
 of his \vays." 
 
 When the astronomer has spent his whole life in 
 reading the splendid volume which the night unfurls., 
 what has he at length learned? He uas proved that 
 the globe on which we live is spherical: that it turns 
 upon its axis once in twenty- four hours, and revolves 
 round the sun in twelve months: that yonder glorious 
 orb, the centre of our system, is a body of fire:* that 
 the planets are probably worlds like our own: that the 
 moon appears to have seas and continents, islands and 
 
 * See the note at the end of the volume. 
 
384 
 
 mountains: thus far can he go, but no further! He 
 launches into infinite space, which Job here calls "the 
 empty place," and is lost! Those lights that sparkle 
 at distances so immense, may, or may not, be suns, 
 and the centres of other systems. All is uncertainty 
 and perplexity; and the comet that shoots across the 
 system of which our own world is a part, wheels 
 through its orbits, and round the sun, flies off, and de- 
 rides the efforts of man, to describe its sphere, or to 
 foretel its return! **Lo, these are parts of his ways!" 
 
 Human ingenuity and human courage have been 
 exhausted idT reiterated attempts to approach the poles: 
 but life cannot be sustained among their horrors. The 
 spark of existence is quenched amid snows that never 
 melt: ices, that resist the impression of the sun's dis. 
 tant rays: a winter that never ceases to rage: a cold 
 that freezes the vitals! And if the man were able to 
 reach these extremities of the globe, what could he 
 learn more than Job ascertained thousands of years 
 back: that "he stretcheth out the north over the empty 
 place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing:" that hav- 
 ing suspended the globe, and drawn its orbit, it hangs 
 self-sustained, as human skill could not balance a 
 feather. Philosophy needs poles to explain its revolu- 
 tions; and imagination must be assisted by supposing 
 a line drawn through the globe and extended obliquely 
 to the north star: these things the contraction of em- 
 powers require science to supply, that we may com- 
 prehend more easily the laws of nature: but he who 
 le the world gave it not these encumbrances, and 
 pois-ed in empty space, without any support but 
 ommand. <; Lo, these are parts of his ways. 1 ' 
 
 lie who spends his life in scrutinizing the minutisc 
 of nature is puxzled at every step of his investigation; 
 
385 
 
 and in the open fields understands as little of the un- 
 searchable God, as the astronomer who wanders 
 bewildered among the planets. A blade of grass, an 
 ear of wheat, an acorn, plunges him into difficulties, 
 from which neither reason nor philosophy can extri- 
 cate him. He knows not how that diminutive and 
 spiral leaf, upon which he tramples, grows and vege- 
 tates! Why must that grain of corn die, before it can 
 spring up? And how is it. that a particle in it no 
 larger than an atom, the only particle that survives 
 the corruption of the grain, will multiply, and increase, 
 and produce ^thirty, sixty, an hundred fold?" How 
 inconceivable that an insignificant acorn should con- 
 tain all the component principles of a stately oak, the 
 pride of the forest! In fact, a particle of sand, and a 
 drop of water, are replete with subjects of curiosity 
 and of wonder. The air which we breathe, refuses to 
 submit the whole of its properties to our researches. 
 In vain it is attempted to be exhausted, compressed, 
 tortured it is understood to be elastic, to rest with an 
 incredible pressure upon the surface of the body equally 
 on all parts, and we cannot press the matter further. 
 He who bestowed it alone can make the thin fluid 
 which the lungs inhale to sustain life, the vehicle of 
 death: and he can heighten its ratification to a pitch 
 too subtile for the organs adapted to its action, or load 
 it with gross and fatal vapors, and thus constitute it 
 the instrument of mortality in another shape. c 'Lo, 
 these are parts of his ways." 
 
 He who attends to the structure of the human frame, 
 may, from little knowledge of its parts which he is 
 able to obtain, trace the progress of disease, and allay 
 the fermentation and fever of the blood, by medicine, 
 
 or by diminishing the quantity of the heated fluid: lie 
 40 
 
386 
 
 ijiay assist the efforts of nature, and counteract in 
 some measure, by the skilful application of science, the 
 power of disease: but he cannot restore a single" fibre de- 
 stroyed, nor protract the life a moment beyond its ap- 
 pointed period; and, after all, he can know but the 
 more obvious parts of this complicated machine, while 
 its secret springs escape his most diligent researches. 
 "Lo, these are parts of his ways, and how little a por- 
 tion is heard of him?" As in the works of CREA- 
 TION, so is the Deity equally unsearchable, 
 
 II. IN THE MYSTERIES OF PROVIDENCE. 
 
 *-IIe holdeth back the face of his throne, and spread- 
 cth his cloud upon it." 
 
 Most eminently in this respect "parts" only "of his 
 ways" are submitted to our understanding; and he 
 who objects to Revelation, because it involves in it 
 mysteries which he cannot fathom, ought, to be con- 
 sistent, on the same principles to deny the superinten- 
 dence of Providence, to reject the religion of nature 
 (so called) and to doubt his own existence, all of 
 which include an equal and correspondent degree of 
 obscurity and uncertainty. The history of the 
 world presents scenery incessantly changing; and 
 without being able to assign a reason for it, we see 
 this nation, rising into distinction and that, falling into 
 irretrievable desolation. One empire is swallowed up 
 of another. The politics of this world preser.t a dis- 
 tant chaos, where all sorts of contrarieties arc 
 blended together; and it is the voice of God alone that 
 ran hush the uproar, and silence the strife; the hand of 
 God alone that can harmoni/e these contending prin- 
 '.ples, and reconcile these violent oppositions; and the 
 'lorn of God alone that can command a beautiful 
 
387 
 
 world to emerge from this dark, disordered, formless 
 abyss. Here, we see a man signalizing himself upon 
 this great theatre, led by an invisible hand, surmount- 
 ing opposition, and performing seeming impossibilities. 
 
 The strength of nations melts before him; and with 
 resistless energy he overruns with his forces the might- 
 iest kingdoms. He goes on to add dominion, to do- 
 minion, t is he has subjugated the world; and this for 
 no apparent reason! Such was Alexander; and mod- 
 ern history may be thought to present his counterpart! 
 Again, we see a large empire dismembered swallow- 
 ed up in a night, or gradually mouldering by the revolt 
 of this and the other province all apparently the 
 work of chance all indisputably the operation of an 
 infinite, and unsearchable Agent. So the extent of 
 Alexander's conquests, was equalled only by their ra- 
 pidity; and with correspondent velocity, after his death 
 his empire hastened to ruin: till Rome trod in his foot- 
 steps, and again held the world in chains. So Cyrus 
 was conducted by an invisible hand to victory; and 
 Babylon fell in a single night. 
 
 By the aid of Revelation we obtain a little lighf on 
 this obscure subject. We are led behind the scene, and 
 a "part" of the whole is developed. One or two of 
 the wheels of the machine are submitted to our exam- 
 ination, that we may gather from our inspection of the 
 construction of these, the harmony and consistency, the 
 wisdom and stability, the power and immensity of the 
 whole; and that we may be convinced that he who con- 
 descends now to explain one or two enigmas, can, and 
 will hereafter, in his own time and way, explain all. We 
 see why Alexander was permitted to conquer that 
 the gospel of Jesus might be facilitated in its progress 
 by the boundaries of empires being broken up, and a 
 
388 
 
 free intercourse subsisting in all parts of the globe: 
 and why Augustus decreed an enrolment that Joseph 
 and Mary might be called from their obscurity, and 
 the Messiah born, according to the decision of prophe- 
 cy, at Bethlehem. The tide of human affairs, how- 
 ever agitated and impeded by counter-currents, swells 
 in its progress, and amid all its windings sets irresista- 
 bly towards the ocean of the divine purposes, in which 
 it is ingulfed and lost. u Lo, these are penis of his 
 ways! but how little a portion is heard of him?'' 
 
 If we withdraw our attention from the affairs of 
 empires, and selecting a family, fix it upon an individ- 
 ual, the same perplexity appears upon the surface of 
 his trials; and the same measure of illumination is cast 
 upon the darkness of his path, when God condescends 
 to unravel a portion of his own designs. We will 
 appeal to the experience of that patriarch, whose sin- 
 gular providential trials have rendered him so often an 
 object of selection to illustrate this assertion. Who, 
 that saw the situation of Jacob, reduced to despair by 
 the mysterious disappearance of his darling son, the 
 detention of Simeon, and the demand for Benjamin to 
 go into a strange country, a country in which his broth- 
 er was imprisoned, would not have said, as he did. 
 "All these things are against me?' We read these 
 hallowed pages, and perceive that the loss of his first 
 child was to prcsr.xv his own life, and that of all his 
 family; and that the imprisonment of a second, and 
 the demand for the third, were the means of the devc- 
 lopement of the whole, and restored him to the arms 
 of his long lamented Joseph! "Lo, these are parts of 
 his ways!" I low small istlir pivport'mn of providen- 
 tial mystery which is explained! I low large that which 
 is yet left involved in ( , and perplexed in end- 
 
389 
 
 less intricacy; How often he passes by us and we per- 
 ceive him not: he works on our right and on our left 
 hand, and we cannot trace: we hear the sound of his 
 footsteps, unable to behold him! u He holdeth back 
 the face of his throne, and spreadeth his cloud upon 
 it." On the testimony of the scriptures a Christian 
 will believe that "all things work together for good to 
 them that love God, to them that are the called ac- 
 cording to his purpose:" but how they co-operate is 
 known only to HIM who u sees the end from the begin- 
 ning," and whose wonder-working hand educes good 
 out of evil. We know but little; and that little, how 
 imperfectly! "Lo, these are parts of his ways! but 
 how little a portion is heard of him?" Again we apply 
 these words, 
 
 III. TO THE INVISIBLE WORLDS. 
 
 "Hell is naked before him, and destruction hath no 
 covering." 
 
 We all look forward with anxiety and suspense to that 
 unknown state to which we hasten. When we miss 
 from the circle of our friendships, the companions of 
 our way, we cast many a wishful glance across the 
 abyss at our own feet, and make many a fruitless at- 
 te mpt to penetrate the obscurity that hides its secrets 
 from our inquiring eyes. There was a time when 
 the conscious heart of man vibrated with the palpita- 
 tions of fearful anticipation and suspense, as he de- 
 scended '-the valley of the shadow of death;" for Rev- 
 elation was not there to guide and to support his 
 trembling and uncertain steps. Ah, then how bitter 
 was the parting sigh! Then the strained eye- balls 
 were turned towards the mouth of the vale where the 
 last glimmerings of light lingered; and as the invisible 
 
39Q 
 
 hand irresistibly urged the reluctant wretch forwards, 
 horror and dismay suspended all his faculties; chill 
 despair crept through all his vitals, and brooded heavy 
 at his heart; and a darkness which might be felt, op- 
 pressed and overwhelmed the departing spirit. Bless- 
 ed be the hand that has rolled the cloud from the 
 mouth of the grave, and for ever chased these accumu- 
 lated Jiorrors! '-Blessed be the God and Father of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his abundant 
 mercy hath begotten us again to a lively hope, by the 
 resurrection of Jesus from the dead, to an inheritance 
 incorruptible, and undtiiled, and that fadeth not 
 away!" Now as we appoach that awful hour in 
 which the strongest powers of nature fail, the visions 
 of God burst upon the enraptured sight: the melody 
 of heaven floats along the air, and thrills through the 
 soul of the dying believer: angels wait to ''minister to 
 the heirs of salvation;" Jesus, the friend of sinners, is 
 present to close the dim and fixed eyes: an energy 
 more than mortal is vouchsafed; and death is swal- 
 lowed up in victory! 
 
 It is no longer a matter of inquiry and of uncertain- 
 ty, of conjecture and of hope, that the soul is immor- 
 tal: the die is cast, and the fact is indisputably proved. 
 "Life and immortality are brought to light by the gos- 
 pel." A thousand dying testimonies have proved the 
 stability of revealed truth, lie who emerged from 
 the dark dominions of drath, as the forerunner of his 
 people, spoiled him of ! ;md bore away the 
 
 3 of his prison in triumph to heaven. The throne 
 of the kinu; of terrors already trembles, and nods to 
 its fall. "The hour is coming when all that are in 
 their graves shall hear the voice of the Son of God, 
 and shall come forth." His empire shall be depopu- 
 
391 
 
 lated, his captives set free, his very being annihilated. 
 Rejoice, Oye heavens, for the King of Kings has van- 
 quished the Power which clouded your beauties, and 
 which will extinguish the radiance of your orbs! Re- 
 joice, for the Savior shall reign till all enemies are sub- 
 dued under his feet; and "the last enemy that shall be 
 destroyed, is death!" Rejoice, for he will create you 
 anew, and rekindle all your faded glories, with a lustre 
 which shall never be impaired! Shout for joy, ye re- 
 deemed, for the day of the restitution of all things 
 draweth nigh! Hear it, ye nations, and let the voice 
 of triumph thunder through all your islands and all 
 your continents! Hear it, ye angels, and strike your 
 harps in sympathy with the sons of mortality, the 
 fellow-heirs with you of the same kingdom; and aid 
 their feeble voices, by adding the melody of your 
 songs to their triumph over death! Hear it, ye spirits, 
 of just men made perfect, and blend your joys with 
 the gratitude of your brethren according to the flesh! 
 Sound the trumpet of victory through the dreary 
 chambers of the grave the long-silent habitations of 
 the dead; and while the unconscious dust lies sleeping 
 in these low and mournful vaults, hail, in your invis- 
 ible world, ye glorified saints, the dawn of that ap- 
 proaching morning, when your ashes shall be ran- 
 somed from the tomb, and time and death shall ex- 
 pire together! 
 
 It is also decided that a two fold portion awaits the 
 departed spirit, a world of endless joy, or of endless 
 woe. A prison where the heart hardens as it suffers; 
 and the vials of divine wrath cannot be exhausted: 
 or a world of bliss, the habitation of God, of angels, 
 of departed saints, of holiness, of perfection, of inex- 
 tinguishable happiness. In the scriptures, the imagin- 
 
392 
 
 ation and the reason are employed in contemplating 
 regions of horror, in which the worm dieth not, and 
 the fire is not quenched; but the man who rejected 
 divine Compassion is delivered over to remorse, and 
 anguish, and darkness, and despair, and unknown 
 misery: or, these powers of the mind are overwhelmed 
 in the vision of the palace of God, and the unshaken 
 kingdom which he has prepared for the righteous; 
 and as the armies of the redeemed pass before us, the 
 voice from heaven proclaims "They shall hunger no 
 more, neither thirst any more, neither shall the sun 
 light on them, nor any heat. For the lamb which is 
 in the midst of the throne, shall feed them, and shall 
 lead them to living fountains of w r aters: and God shall 
 wipe away all tears from their eyes." 
 
 When you have explored these invisible worlds by 
 the aid of revelation, much obscurity still hovers over 
 them. Their existence is clearly ascertained, but few 
 particulars respecting these unknown lands, have 
 reached these remote regions. We have yet every 
 thing to learn respecting their nature, the nature of 
 their inhabitants, and the nature of the employments 
 attached to them. "Lo, these are parts of his ways! 
 but how little a portion is heard of him?" And if all 
 the operations of nature, the mysteries of Providence, 
 and the secrets of the invisible worlds, were developed, 
 still these all are but "parts of his ways!" We apply 
 this language once more, 
 
 IV. TO THE WORD OF REVELATION. 
 
 Even in this volume "how little a portion is heard 
 of him!" 
 
 Here, those truths which are of most importance to 
 us as dying men, are plainly revealed. We feel forei- 
 
393 
 
 bly our relation to God, "the Judge of all." We be- 
 hold human nature emerging from the ruins of the 
 fall, and triumphing over the curse. We perceive the 
 devastation introduced by the transgression of our first 
 parent, repaired by the obedience and death of the 
 Second Adam, who "is the Lord from heaven." We 
 see Jesus "made a little lower than the angels" for 
 Our sakes, afterwards "crowned with glory and honor," 
 as^our surety and representative. He suffered "the 
 just for the unjust to bring us to God." He was 
 ''lifted up that he might draw all men unto him." 
 And "through him we all have access by one Spirit 
 to the Father." 
 
 The Holy Spirit is represented as descending to ap- 
 ply all the blessings arising from his death to the 
 wounded conscience. The image of God is restored 
 to the heart. The bosom becomes an habitation of 
 the Most High. It is no longer a scene of anarchy, 
 the seat of tumultuous passions; but the residence of 
 peace, and joy, and hope, and holiness, as the pledge 
 of still more refined and exalted felicity to come. 
 
 Connected with these solemn truths are promises 
 suited to every possible circumstance in human life, 
 and adapted to all the difficulties which press upon the 
 man in passing through this valley of tears. In this, 
 one book is found "whatsoever things are true, what- 
 soever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, 
 whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are 
 lovely, whatsoever things are of good report:" in a 
 word, whatsoever things are "profitable for doctrine, 
 for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in 
 righteousness." But when you have laid together all 
 the discoveries of this volume, you must confess 
 "Lo, these are parts of his ways! but how little a por- 
 tion is heard of him?" 
 
394 
 
 It is freely conceded to infidelity, that there are in 
 this volume "many things hard to be understood-/' 
 difficulties which cannot be surmounted, and myste- 
 ries which cannot be explained. But who does not 
 perceive, from the train of discussion pursued this 
 evening, that in this very point consists its analogy to 
 nature and to Providence? that it bears the character 
 of the unsearchable God impressed upon it? that it 
 forms a part, and only a part, of the same mysterious 
 plan, and the same great operations, which are carry- 
 ing forwards above us, around us, beneath us, wher- 
 ever the hand of God is and that is every where? 
 Who does not trace in the Bible the same features of 
 clearness and of obscurity the same combination of 
 light and of darkness found in every thing else con- 
 nected with the Deity; and to be expected in the com- 
 munications made by an infinite mind, to a finite 
 capacity? Who does not see that the same obscurity 
 which overshadows revelation, equally overspreads 
 nature and Providence? Who can deny, on these 
 principles, the position which we wish to establish: 
 that no conclusion can be drawn against the Bible on 
 account of its mysteries; but rather, that they furnish 
 an evidence that it is indeed a revelation from him, 
 who is equally past finding out in all his ways? 
 
 All these things are but the image of the invisible 
 God: when you have passed through them all, you are 
 only on the threshold of the temple of his works. He 
 that wearies his rye in tracing the systems that arc 
 visible in the starry heavens, and his imagination in 
 conceiving of myriads beyond these, leaves half the 
 works of God unexplored, and an infinity of systems 
 unconceived. lie that searches into the mystery of 
 Providence, and by the aid of revelation unravels a 
 
395 
 
 portion of his operations, has only seen, Hke Moses, a 
 part of his glory, but "the cloud" is yet spread over 
 "the face of his throne." He that explores the in- 
 visible worlds by the light of revelation, only sweeps 
 over their surface, but must die to learn their secrets. 
 He that reads in this volume the nature of God, his 
 relation to us, the way of reconciliation, and the plan 
 of redemption, has learned only in part what God has 
 done, and what he has laid up for them that fear him. 
 The tale will be unfolding through all the revolving 
 periods of eternity. Some mysteries will be incessant- 
 ly explaining, some new discoveries of divine grace 
 continually making and we shall ever be learning 
 what are "the heights and depths, the breadths and 
 lengths, of the love of Christ, which passeth knowl- 
 edge." For the present we leave the subject exhaust- 
 ed precisely at the point where we began: < Lo, these 
 are parts of his ways! and how little a portion is 
 heard of him?" 
 
 "BUT THE THUNDER OF HIS POWER WHO CAN UNDER- 
 
 STAND." 
 
 If the radiance of these material orbs is so insup- 
 portable, and the light of the noontide sun blinds the 
 organs of vision: if the mysteries of providence are so 
 inscrutable, and his superintendence of human affairs 
 so irresistible: if the invisible worlds are so sublimely 
 obscure, and he reigns unresisted over them: if the 
 beams of his mercy shining through the revelation of 
 divine love are so overwhelming; Oh! what must be 
 the unquenchable fire of his indignation! "The thun- 
 der of his power who can understand?" 
 
 If when he descended in the cool of the day to 
 judge our first parents, they shrunk with horror from 
 
396 
 
 the face of offended Deity: if when he gave his taw, 
 the mountain burned with fire, and darkness and thun- 
 der, and the sound of a trumpet, announced the pres- 
 ent God, and shook the camp of Israel: if when he 
 discovered only the skirts of his glory to Moses, he 
 sheltered him in a rock, and covered him with his 
 hand; if when he passed before Elijah, a great and 
 strong wind rent the mountains, an earthquake rived 
 the rocks, and a fire consumed the forest; if when in 
 the veil of flesh his face eclipsed the splendor of the 
 sun, and his raiment shone as the light; if when he ap- 
 peared to his beloved disciple in the barren isle of Pat- 
 mos, in the softest beams of his majesty, so terrible 
 was the sight, that he fell at his feet as dead: Oh! what 
 must be the power of his anger! and "the thunder of 
 his power who can understand?" 
 
 We have heard this thunderstorm in the summer: 
 when clouds have been opposed to clouds, and min- 
 gled their sulphur in one loud, impetuous explosion; 
 while the mountains and the valiies have returned 
 their roarings in broken echoes. But what is the 
 thunderstorm of summer, to the ten thousand thun- 
 ders which shall rend the earth, when the trump of 
 God shall awaken the dead; and add to these twice 
 ten thousand more, and they are as the rattling of a 
 leaf to "the thunder of his power!" 
 
 Who then can stand against him? Pause and think, 
 ye monarchs of this world, who resist his power! Who 
 would have him for an enemy? Pause and think, ye 
 who madly violate his laws! Who may abide the day 
 of his coming? For he shall sit as a refiner to try 
 every work, and every spirit what it is! 
 
 Hide; your diminished heads, ye that would bring 
 down the Infinite Mind to your finite capacitieslBoast 
 
397 
 
 no more more your conclusions drawn from the lim- 
 ited views which you have of his operations. Use 
 your reason no longer as a weapon against him who 
 bestowed it; lest a dart, launched by an unseen hand, 
 strike through your heart; and the arrows of the 
 Almighty be lodged in your bosom, the poison whereof 
 shall drink up your spirit! "Kiss the son, lest he be 
 angry, and ye perish from the way; when his wrath is 
 kindled but a little!" "BUT THE THUNDER OF HIS 
 
 JOWER WHO CAN UNDERSTAND?" 
 

NOTES. 
 
 LECTURE I. 
 
 NOTK 1. It would not be difficult to enlarge the catalogue 
 of idols, enumerated in the pages of the preceding Lec- 
 ture, and to assign the different causes of their deification: but 
 to unfold their character, which in that case it would be neces- 
 sary to do, would be an ungracious task to the writer, and would 
 afford no pleasure to the reader. Our immortal poet has given 
 an ample list of the objects of heathen adoration, under their 
 scriptural names; which will be more familiar to the Bible 
 reader; and while he has veiled their actions in modest Ian- 
 guage, he has adorned the sad catalogue, so far as it is possible 
 to ornament a barren list, with the nervous eloquence of his 
 majestic versification. An abbreviation of his recital is ex- 
 tracted. 
 
 "Say, Muse, their names then known, who first, who last 
 Rous'd from the slumber, on that fiery couch, 
 At their great emperor's call, as next in worth 
 Came singly where he stood on the bare strand, 
 While the promiscuous crowd stood yet aloof." 
 
 "First MOLOCH,* horrid king, besmear'd with blood 
 Of human sacrifice, and parents' tears; 
 Though for the noise of drums and timbrels loud, 
 Their children's cries unheard, that pass'd through fire 
 To his grim idol. Him the Ammonite 
 Worshipp'd in Rabba and her watery plain, 
 In Argob and in Basan, to the stream 
 Of utmost Arnon." 
 
 "Next CHEMOS, th' obscene dread of Moab's sons 
 From Aroar to Nabo, and the wild 
 Of southmost Abarim; in Hesebon 
 
 It is not easy to determine to which of the heathen deities thrse 
 Hebrew names apply. Saturn, probably, for his rites are nearly the 
 
 ;.Tiji 9 
 
400 
 
 And Horonaim, Seon's realm, beyond 
 The flowery dale of Sibma, clad with vines, 
 And Eleale to th* Asphaltic pool. 
 PEOR, his other name, when he entic'd 
 Israel in Sittim." 
 
 With these came they who from the bordering flood 
 Of old Euphrates to the brook that parts 
 Egypt from Syrian ground, had general names 
 Of BAALIM and ASHTAROTH; those male, 
 These feminine.!" 
 
 -"With these in troop 
 
 Came Astoreth, whom the Phenicians call'd 
 ASTARTE,* queen of heaven, with crescent horns; 
 To whose bright image nightly, by the moon, 
 Sidonian virgins paid their vows and songs." 
 
 came next behind, 
 
 Whose annual wound in Lebanon allur'd 
 The Syrian damsels to lament his fate 
 In amorous ditties all a summer's day." 
 
 -"Next came one 
 
 Who mourn'd in earnest, when the captive ark 
 
 Maim'd his brute image 
 
 DAGON| his name, sea-monster, upward man 
 And downward fish: 
 
 dreaded through the coast 
 
 Of Palestine." 
 
 Him followed HIMMON, whose delightful scat 
 "Was fair Damascus." 
 
 - 'After these, appcar'd 
 
 A crew, who, under names of old renown, 
 
 OSIRIS, Isis, Onus, and their train, 
 
 With monstrous shapes and sorceries abus'd 
 
 Fanatic Egypt and her priests, to seek 
 
 Their wandering gods, disguis'd in brutish forms 
 
 'Called also Lvna, Diana, Hecate. 
 t Probably Neptune. 
 
401 
 
 Rather than human. Nor did Israel 'scape 
 Th' infection, when their borrowed gold compos'd 
 The calf in Oreb; and the rebel king 
 Doubled that sin in Bethel and in Dan." 
 
 "The rest were long to tell, though far rcnown'd; 
 
 Th' Ionian gods, of Javan's issue held 
 
 Gods, yet confess'd later than heav'n and earth, 
 
 Their boasted parents: TITAN, heav'n's first-born, 
 
 With his enormous brood, and birth-right, seiz'd 
 
 By younger SATURN; he from mightier JOVE, 
 
 His own and RHEA'S son, like measure found; 
 
 So Jove usurping reign'd: these first in Crete 
 
 And Ida known, thence on the snowy top 
 
 Of cold Olympus ruPd the middle air, 
 
 Their highest heaven; or on the Delphian* cliff, 
 
 Or in Dodona, and through all the bounds 
 
 Of Doric land; or who with SATURN old^ 
 
 Fled over Adria to the Hesperian fields, 
 
 And o'er the Celtic roam'd the utmost Isles." 
 
 Milton's Paradise Lost, Book I. 1.376521, 
 
 NOTE 2. -The custom of the Carthaginians of consuming 
 children in honor of Saturn. 
 
 Diodorus Siculus had been saying, that as the enemy ap- 
 proached the city, the Carthaginians imagined that they had of- 
 fended Saturn by restraining their human sacrifices: he adds, 
 "therefore that they might correct their errors without delay, 
 they immolated in public sacrifice two hundred chosen boys of 
 their principal nobility." And he thus describes the idol Saturn: 
 "For there was with them a brazen statue of Saturn, which held 
 its extended arms so inclined towards the earth, that the child 
 when placed upon it rolled off, and plunged into a furnace full 
 of fire." Diod. Sic. Lib. xx, 
 
 Justin speaks of the same cruel superstition, thus: "They 
 immolated men as victims, and children, whose tender years 
 excited the pity even of enemies, they placed upon their altars, 
 purchasing peace of the gods by the blood of those for whose 
 life they were accustomed principally to implore the gods." 
 
 Just. His. Lib. xviii. cap, 6, 
 
 The Oracle of 
 
 51 
 
402 
 
 This horrible custom is mentioned also by Herodotus, Lib.vii. 
 The English reader may consult ROLLIN'S Ancient Hislory 
 vol. i, p. 273. 
 
 NOTE 3. .These are the melancholy sentiments which Ho- 
 mer puts into the mouth of the shade of* Achilles: 
 "Talk not of ruling in this dol'rous gloom, 
 Nor think vain words (he cry'd) can ease my doom. 
 Rather I choose laboriously to bear 
 A weight of woes, and breathe the vital air, 
 A slave to some poor hind that toils for bread, 
 Than reign the sceptred monarch of the dead!" 
 
 Pope's Odyss. Book xi, 1. 595 600. 
 
 NOTE 4. Socrates is represented by Plato as thus expres- 
 sing his expectations of a legislator qualified to reveal the mind 
 of Deity to the human race: "that it is necessary to wait till 
 such a personage shall appear to teach them how they ought to 
 conduct themselves, fcoth towards God, and towards man.'* He 
 goes on to exclaim with fervor 4< () when shall that period 
 arrive! And who shall be that teacher? How ardently do I de- 
 sire to see this man, who he is! Alcibiad. II. de Precat. 
 
 In reference to the same personage he says, that this Legis- 
 lator must be of higher than human extraction: for that as 
 beasts are governed by men, must man be guided by a nature 
 superior to his own. De Leg. lib. 4, 
 
 LECTURE II. 
 
 NOTE 3. Among the ancient philosophers, various modifi- 
 cations of the hypothesis which supposes the eternity of the 
 world, are to be found. 
 
 Ocellus Lucanus, who lived a short time before Plato, was 
 one of the most ancient asserters of the world's eternity. A 
 short treatise, bearing his name, yet remains, upon this subject: 
 Ocell. Lucan. de Univ. p. 506. inter opusc. mythol. edit, per T. 
 Gale, 1688. The arguments which he produces will not be 
 idered as the most decisive and satisfactory that could be 
 wished: for he asserts, that the world must be eternal, because 
 its figure and motion are circular; and because it is impossible 
 for any thing to arise out of nothing, or to fall again into noth- 
 ing. 
 
403 
 
 Aristotle maintained, that not only the world, but that man- 
 kind, and all species of animals, have existed from eternity, 
 without any original production; and that the earth, with all 
 its variations, and in all its parts, has ever been what it now is. 
 The later Platonists deduce their principal arguments in fa- 
 vor of the eternity of the world, from the eternity of God's de- 
 cree for its creation, "and the indivisibility of the real duration 
 of God." They maintain that God always existed; that his 
 decree was eternal; and that there could not be a time in which 
 it did not exist in the Divine mind. Beit so: there remains 
 still much perplexity in their reasoning; and, as it appears to 
 me, much sophism in their deductions. There must be a dif- 
 ference between ideal (if the expression be lawful) and actual 
 creation; and I do not see how it can be proved, that the decree 
 was not anterior to the accomplishment of that decree. 
 
 Xenophanes and his followers supposed, that God and the 
 world were one and the same thing; and of course held its eter- 
 nity and immutability. This, again, has been denied by others: 
 but there is so much obscurity in the statement which these 
 philosophers have made of their own opinions, that if they did 
 not mean this, it is difficult to decide what hypothesis they did 
 intend to convey. 
 
 Of one cr the other of these opinions respecting the eternity 
 of the world, appear to have been Strato, of Lampsacus, and 
 Alexander the Epicurean, the contemporary of Plutarch. 
 
 Others supposed the matter of the world to be eternal, but 
 not the/orm of it. These,' in fact, held the eternity of the chaos, 
 to which they attributed a certain motion arising from the ac- 
 tion and reaction of the first four qualities, producing the earth 
 by mere fortuitous fluctuations; and thus, this hypothesis 
 resolves itself into the preceding one, viz. that the world itself 
 was produced by chance. 
 
 The reader who may wish to see a larger and more" laborious 
 statement of these several hypotheses, and others, not brought 
 forward in this note, will find a full and satisfactory discussion 
 of them in Anc. Univ. Hist. vol. i, p. 77 91; title, The Cos- 
 mogony. But in some later 8vo. editions, these statements 
 are transferred to vol. xviii, Appendix, p. 114 126. 
 
 li U ft 1. V 
 
404 
 
 NOTE 4. Extracted from Ovid. 
 
 TRANSLATION BY DKYDEX. 
 
 "Before the seas, and this terrestrial ball, 
 
 And heav'n's high canopy, that covers all, 
 
 One was the face of nature; if a face, 
 
 Rather a rude and indigested mass: 
 
 A lifeless lump, unfashion'd, and unfram'd, 
 
 Of jarring seeds; and justly Chaos nam'd. 
 
 No sun was lighted up, the world to view, 
 
 No moon did yet her blunted horns renew; 
 
 Nor yet was earth suspended in the sky; 
 
 Nor pois'd, did on her own foundations lie: 
 
 Nor seas about the shores their arms had thrown; 
 
 But earth, and air, and water were in one. 
 
 Thus, air was void of light, and earth unstable, 
 
 And waters dark abyss unnavigable. 
 
 No certain form on any was imprest; 
 
 All were confus'd, and each disturb'd the rest. 
 
 For hot and cold, were in one body fixt; 
 
 And soft with hard, and light with heavy mixt. 
 
 "But God, or Nature, while they thus contend, 
 To these intestine discords puts an end; 
 Then earth from air, and seas from earth were driven. 
 And grosser air sunk from ethereal heaven. 
 Thus, disernbroiPd, they take their proper place; 
 The next of kin, contiguously embrace; 
 And foes are sunder'd, by a larger space. 
 The force of fire ascended first on high, 
 And took its dwelling in the vaulted sky: 
 Then air succeeds, in lightness next to fire; 
 Whose atoms from unactivc earth retire. 
 riartli sinks beneath, and draws a num'rous throng 
 Of pond'rous, thick, unwieldy seeds along. 
 About her coasts, unruly waters roar; 
 And, rising on a ridj^c, insult the shore. 
 
 "Thus when the Go'I, whatever God was he, 
 Had forrn'd the whole, and made the parts agree, 
 That no unequal portions might be found, 
 He moulded earth into a spacious round: 
 
405 
 
 Then with a breath he gave the winds to blow: 
 And bade the congregated waters flow. 
 He adds the running springs, and standing lakes; 
 And bounding banks for winding rivers makes. 
 Some part in earth are swallow'd up, the most 
 In ample oceans disembogu'd, are lost. 
 He shades the woods, the vallies he restrains 
 With rocky mountains, and emends the plain*. 
 "And as five zones th* etherial regions bind, 
 Five correspondent, are to earth assign *d: 
 The sun with rays, directly darting down, 
 Fires all beneath, and fries the middle zone: 
 The two beneath the distant poles, complain 
 Of endless winter, and perpetual rain. 
 Betwixt th' extremes, two happier climates hold 
 The temper that partakes of hot, and cold. 
 The fields of liquid air, inclosing all, 
 Surround the compass of this earthly ball: 
 The lighter parts lie next the fires above; 
 The grosser near the wat'ry surface move: 
 Thick clouds are spread, and storms engender there, 
 And thunder's voice, which wretched mortals fear, 
 And winds that on their wings cold winter bear. 
 Nor were these blust'ring brethren left at large, 
 On seas, and shores, their fury to discharge: 
 Bound as they are, and circumscrib'd in place, 
 They rend the world, resistless as they pass; 
 And mighty marks of mischief leave behind; 
 Such is the rage of their tempestuous kind. 
 "First, Eurus to the rising morn is sent, 
 (The regions of the balmy continent;) 
 And eastern realms, where early Persians run, 
 To greet the blest appearance of the sun. 
 Westward the wanton Zephyr wings his flight; 
 Pleas'd with the remnants of departing light. 
 Fierce Boreas, with his offspring, issues forth 
 T' invade the frozen waggon of the north; 
 While frowning Auster seeks the southern sphere, 
 And rots, with endless rain, th' unwholesome year. 
 
406 
 
 "High o'er the clouds, and empty realms of wind, 
 The God a clearer space for heaven design'd; 
 Where fields of light and liquid aether flow, 
 Purg'd from the pond'rous dregs of earth below. 
 
 "Scarce had the Power distinguish'd these, when straight, 
 The stars, no longer overlaid with weight, 
 Exert their heads, from underneath the mass; 
 And upward shoot, and kindle as they pass, 
 And with diffusive light adorn their heavenly place, 
 Then, every void of nature to supply, 
 With forms of gods he fills the vacant sky: 
 New herds of beasts, he sends the plains to share: 
 New colonies of birds to people air: 
 And to their oozy beds, the finny fish repair. 
 
 "A creature of a more exalted kind 
 Was wanting yet, and then was man design'd: 
 Conscious of thought, of more capacious breast, 
 For empire form'd, and fit to rule the rest: 
 Whether with particles of heavenly fire 
 The God of nature did his soul inspire, 
 Or earth, but new divided from the sky, 
 And pliant, still retain'd th' etherial energy: 
 Which wise Fromotheus* temper'd into paste, 
 And mix'd with living streams the godlike image cast. 
 Thus, while the mute creation downward bend 
 Their sight, and to their earthly mother tend, 
 Man looks aloft; and with erected eyes 
 Beholds his own hereditary skies. 
 From such rude principles our form began; 
 And earth was metamorphos'd into man." 
 
 Garth's Ovid, vol. i, p. 5 9. 
 
 NOTE 5 Testimony to the majesty of the scriptures from 
 
 Longinus in his treatise on the sublime. He had been saying 
 that, "those who speak of God, ought to be careful to represent 
 him as great, and pure, and without alloy:" He adds, "Thus 
 
 "Japctus" or Japhet. 
 
407 
 
 the legislator of the Jews, a man of no common genius, con- 
 ceived and" spake justly of the power of Deity, when in the very 
 beginning of his laws, he writes- "God said," (said he) What? 
 "Be light, and it was: Be earth, and it was so." 
 
 Dion. Long, de Sublim. Sec. ix, p. 50, Pearce's Edit. 
 Longinus lived in the time of Aurelian the emperor, and was 
 a favorite of Zenobia, queen of the Palmy rians. His treatise 
 "on the sublime," from which the above extract is taken, is, in 
 itself, a master-piece of eloquence. 
 
 LECTURE III. 
 
 NOTE I. For the enumeration of ancient testimonies, to hu- 
 man longevity, by Josephus. 
 
 See Josefih Antiq. Jud. lib. I, cap. 3, vol. i, Hudson's edit. 
 
 I cannot find any passage in Hesiod directly specifying the 
 years of the first men: but he gives a beautiful description of 
 the golden age, and its influence in the prolongation of human 
 life in Dleb. et Ofier. v. 130, et seq. Hudson supposes, in his 
 note upon this passage in Josephus, that Ho-/c<fo? might be written 
 for J0*fcgoc: "Intelligendo Isidorum Characcnum; qui (ut con- 
 stat ex Luciano de Macrobiis) in Historia sua attulit exempla 
 regum longaevorum." He says, however, that it is uniformly 
 written H<JW in all the Greek manuscripts: but in the Latin, 
 variously, Isiodus, Esiodus, isiodorus, and Isidorus. 
 
 NOTE 2. Testimony of Catullus to the infamy of the old 
 world. 
 
 "But when the earth became stained with nameless wicked- 
 ness, and divers lusts banished integrity from the mind; then, a 
 brother's hand shed fraternal blood- the son ceased to deplore 
 his deceased parents the father desired the funeral of his first 
 born the son to enjoy his unmarried step-mother the impious 
 mother yielding to her thoughtless offspring, feared not to pol- 
 lute the temple of the Gods: ail thing-s, just and unjust, were 
 thus blended together by furious passion; and the propitious 
 mind of the Gods turned away from us." Qatul. Ejiith. Pel. et 
 Tfyef. Can there be a more striking confirmation of the apos- 
 
408 
 
 tie's assertion, respecting the heathen world, that "they were 
 given over to a reprobate mind?" or a better comment upon the 
 declaration of Moses, that "the earth was filled with violence?" 
 
 NOTE 6. Extract, from Dr. Geddes, respecting the quantity 
 of water required for an universal deluge; and the sources 
 whence it might be supposed to be derived. 
 
 "Fifteen cubits u^iiuard did the waters firevail; and the mown- 
 tains lotre covered. This has been always accounted one of the 
 most unaccountable phenomena of the deluge, and has, more 
 than any other circumstance attending it, perplexed and puzzled, 
 commentators. The most ingenious solution of the difficulty 
 which I have ever met with, is one sent to me, some years ago, 
 by Sir Henry Englefield, which I shall here give in his own 
 words: 
 
 'The diameter of the earth being taken at 8000 miles; and 
 the highest mountain being supposed four miles high above the 
 level of the sea,* the quantity of water requisite to cover them 
 will be an hollow sphere of 8008 miles diameter, and four 'miles 
 thick; the content of which, in round numbers, is 800,000,000 
 cubic miles. Let us now suppose the globe of the earth to 
 consist of a crust of solid matter, 1000 miles thick, enclosing a 
 sea, or body of water, 2000 miles deep; within which is a cen- 
 tral nucleus of 2000 miles in diameter: the content of that body 
 of water will be 109,200,000,000 cubic miles; or about 137 times 
 the quantity of water required to cover the surface of the earth 
 as above stated. Now water, by experiment, expands about one 
 25th of its whole magnitude, from freezing to boiling, or one 
 hundredth of its magnitude for 45 degrees of Fahrenhcit*s ther- 
 mometer. Suppose, then, that the heat of the globe, previously 
 to the deluge, was about 50 degrees of Fahrenheit's, a temper- 
 ature very near that of this climate; and that a sudden change 
 took place in the interior of the globe, which raised its height 
 to 83 degrees; an heat no greater than the marine animals live 
 in, in the shallow seas between the tropics; those 23 degrees of 
 augmented heat would so expand the internal sea, as to cause it 
 ore than cover the surface of the globe, according to the 
 
 "Thi* is more than the height of the Andes." 
 
409 , 
 
 conditions above mentioned: and if the cause of heat ceased, 
 the waters would of course, in cooling, retire into their proper 
 places If the central nucleus be supposed SOOO miles, and the 
 internal sea only 1500 miles deep, its contents will then be 
 99.200,000,000 cubic miles; or, 125 times the water required, 
 and in that case, an additional heat of 36 degrees to the previ- 
 ous temperature of the earth, will be sufficient to produce the 
 above described effect. It is scarce necessary to say, that the 
 perfect regularity here supposed to exist in the form of the in 
 . terior parts of the globe, is of no consequence to the proposed 
 hypothesis; which will be equally just, if the above given quan- 
 tity of waters be any how disposed within the earth. Neither 
 is it here proposed to discuss the reality of a central fire, which 
 many philosophers maintain, and many deny. It may not be 
 unworthy to remark, that the above hypothesis, which does not 
 in any way contradict any law of nature, does singularly accord 
 with the Mosaic narrative of the deluge: for the sudden expan- 
 sion of the internal waters would, of course, force them up 
 through the chasms of the exterior crust, in dreadful jets and 
 torrents; while their heat would cause such vapors to ascend 
 into the atmosphere, as, when condensed; would produce tor- 
 rents of rain beyond our conception.' 
 
 "The possibility of an universal deluge, then; of a deluge 
 rising fifteen cubits above the highest mountains^ can hardly be 
 denied. It is not at all necessary to suppose, with Sir Henry, 
 that the antediluvian mountains were as high as those of the 
 present earth. They may have been of a very different form 
 and size, and composed of other materials." 
 
 Dr. GeddeS) vol. z, Crit. Rsm. on Gen. 1^2,30, l?c. 
 
 After all, this great critic, as usual, labors, to lower the Mo- 
 saic account; and thinks "that a great deal of the fabulous is 
 mixed with the history of Noah's flood." The humble opinion 
 of the writer of these Lectures, differs widely from him. in 
 this respect; and he is satisfied with taking this ingenious hy- 
 pothesis, which even Dr. Geddes admits, proves such a deluga 
 possible^ without accepting his concluding observations. 
 
 NOTE 7 Experiment by the Bishop of Landaf*", on tbft 
 
 quantity of water exhaled from the earth on a summei'^ day. 
 52 
 
410 
 
 '*Who would have conjectured, that an acre of ground, even 
 after having been parched by the heat of the sun in summer* 
 dispersed into the air, above 1600 gallons of water, in the space 
 of twelve of the hottest hours of the day? No vapor is seen to 
 ascend; and we little suppose, that in the hottest part of the day, 
 it more usually does ascend than in any other. The experiment 
 from which I draw this conclusion, is so easy to be made, that 
 every one may satisfy himself thtj truth of it. On the 2d day of 
 June, 1779, when the &un shone bright and hot, I put a large 
 drinking glass, with its mouth downwards, upon a grass-plat 
 which was mown close; there had been no rain for above a 
 month, and the grass was become brown: in less than two min- 
 utes, the inside of the glass was clouded with a vapor, and in 
 half an hour, drops of water began to trickle down its inside, in 
 various places. This experiment was repeated several times 
 with the same success. 
 
 "That I might accurately estimate the quantity, thus raiser 1 , in 
 H certain portion of time, I measured the area of the mouth of 
 the glass, and found it to be twenty square inches: there are 
 1296 square inches in a yard, and 4840 square yards in a statute 
 acre; hence, if we can find the means of measuring the quantity 
 of vapor raised from twenty square inches of earth, suppose in 
 one quarter of an hour, it will be an easy matter to calculate the. 
 quantity which would be raised, with the same-degree of heat, 
 from an acre in twelve hours. The method I took to measure 
 the quantity of vapor, was not, perhaps, the most accurate 
 which might be thought of, but it was simple and easy to be 
 practised: when the glass had stood on the grass-plat one 
 quarter of an hour, and had collected a quantity of vapor, I wip- 
 ed its inside with a piece of muslin, the weight of which had 
 been previously taken; as soon as the glass was wiped dry, the 
 imislin was weighed again, its increase of weight shewed the 
 quantity of vapor which had been collected. The medium in- 
 crease of weight, from several experiments made on the same 
 day, between twelve and three o'clock, was six grains, collected 
 in cne quarter of an hour, from twenty square inches of earth. 
 If the reader takes the trouble to make the calculation, he will 
 find, that above 1600 gallons reckoning eight pints to a gallon, 
 and estimating the weight of a pint of water at one pound 
 avoirdupois, or 7000 grains Troy-weight, would be raised at the 
 
411 
 
 rate here mentioned, from an acre of ground in twenty-four 
 hours. 
 
 "It may easily be conceived, that the quantity thus elevated, 
 will be greater when the ground has been well soaked with 
 rain, provided the heat be the same. I did not happen to mark 
 the heat of the ground, when I made the fore-mentioned ex- 
 periments. The two following, are more circumstantial: tire 
 ground had been wetted, the day before I made them, by a 
 thunder-shower; the heat of the earth, at the time of making 
 them, estimated by a thermometer laid upon the grass, wat> 
 ninety-six degrees; one experiment gave 1973 gallons from an 
 acre in twelve hours; the other gave 1905. Another experi- 
 ment made when there had been no rain for a week, and the 
 heat of the earth was one hundred and ten degrees, gave after the 
 rate of 2800 gallons from an acre in twelve hours. The earth 
 was hotter, than the air, as it was exposed to the reflection of 
 the sun's rays from a brick wall." 
 
 Watson's Chemical Essays, vol. 3, /2. 52 56. 
 
 LECTURE IV. 
 
 NOTE 2. The giant's war described by different ancient poets, 
 
 See Horn. Odys. xi. 
 
 Proud of their strength, and more than mortal size, 
 The gods they challenge, and affect the skies* 
 Heav'd on Olympus, tott'ring Ossa stood, 
 On Ossa, Pelion nods with all his wood. 
 
 Pope's Horn. Odys. b. xi, I. 385 388. 
 
 Also Virg. Georg.lib. i, v. 279283. 
 
 . >And cruel Tyf-ihoeus, and the brethren, leagued to 
 
 scale heaven. Thrice, indeed, they attempted to fiile 'Ossa upon 
 Pelion,* and to roll woody Olymfius^ upon Ossa; thrice the Fath- 
 er of heaven overthrew the mountains, thus heafied up, "with 
 thunder. 
 
 Also Ovid Met. fab. -vi, lib. iv, 151 155. 
 
 Two high mountains in Thessaly. 
 
 j" An hill between Thessaly and Macedon, so high, that the heathen 
 poets usually apply its name to heaven. 
 
412 
 
 Nor were the gods themselves more safe above, 
 
 Against beleaguer'd heav'n the giants move: 
 
 Hills pil'd on hills, on mountains, mountains lie, 
 
 To make their mad afifiroaches to the sky. 
 
 Till Jove, no longer patient, took his time 
 
 T'avenge, with thunder, their audacious crime; 
 
 Red light'ning play'd along the firmament, 
 
 And their clemolish'd works to pieces rent. DRYDEN. 
 
 Garth's Ovid, b. z, /. 193, tfc. 
 
 NOTE 3. See page 123, Joseph, quotation from one of the 
 Sybils. 
 
 NOTE 4. Testimony of Abydenus, preserved by Eusebius; 
 
 Ex ABYDENO. Euseb. Pr&fi. ix^ c. 14. 
 Translated in page 124. 
 
 NOTE 5. Remark of Grotius respecting the building of Bab- 
 ylon: "Falso autem a Grsesis proditum, conditam a Semiramidc 
 Babylonem, etiam Berosus in Chaldaicis prodidit, ut nos Jose- 
 phus docet contra Appionem, primo: eundemque errorem tuni 
 ex Philone Biblio, turn ex Dorotheo Sidonio refellit Julius Fir- 
 micus. Vide et quae de gigantibus a turri ex Eupolemo nobis 
 adducit Eusebius Praeparat. Evangelicse lib. xx, cap. 17." 
 
 Grot, de Helig. Christ. xvi, in not. 63. 
 
 LECTURE V. 
 
 NOTE 1 ..Testimony to the fact that the Chaldeans worship- 
 ped fire, extracted from the works of the pious and eloquent 
 Saurin. 
 
 Saur. Dies, sur la Bible, Tome I, disc. xi. fi. 78. 
 
 "There is a remarkable passage in Rnfin respecting the idol- 
 atry of the Chaldeans: the testimony of this author is confirmed 
 by that of Suidas: 
 
 "They say that the Chaldeans formerly carried fire, which 
 was their God, through all the provinces, to contend with alj 
 the other divinities, that whoever conquered in this comlxit 
 might be deemed the true one. The deities of air, of gold, of 
 
413 
 
 silver, of wood, and of stone, were easily consumed by the fire, 
 which had the superiority over all. A priest of Canopus be- 
 thought himself of this stratagem. The Egyptians had certain 
 vases of earth, which had little apertures on all sides, and which 
 were designed to filtrate the water of the Nile. He filled one 
 of these vases with water: he closed all the holes of it with 
 wax: he placed a head upon it, which was said to be that of 
 Menelaus, and he exalted it to a divinity. The Chaldeans 
 kindled the fire round this vase, that these two deities might 
 contend together. But the fire having quickly melted the wax 
 which covered the aperture of the pitcher, it was presently ex- 
 tinguished by the water which issued from it, and the priest of 
 Canopus obtained the victory." 
 "These are the words of Rufin." 
 
 NOTE 2 There is a singular coincidence between the lan- 
 guage used by the Deity, in his conference with Abraham, and 
 the words which Ovid puts into the mouth of his Jupiter. In 
 the one case, it is to be considered altogether as a figure of 
 speech, for the Deity could obtain no additional information, by- 
 descending in a human form: in the latter instance, the poet 
 speaks in exact conformity to the ideas which the heathens en- 
 tertained of the limited knowledge of their divinities. We 
 will lay the passages together. 
 
 MOSES. 
 
 "And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomor- 
 rah is great, and because their sin is -very gre-uious: I will go 
 down now, and see whether they have done altogether according 
 to the cry of it, which is cyme unto me; and if not, I will know." 
 
 Gen. x-uiii) 20, 21. 
 
 rt Thc INFAMY of the times had REACHED OUR EARS: WISHING 
 it might be FALSE, I DESCENDED from high OLYMPUS, and, a 
 god, I passed through the earth UNDER A HUMAN FORM." 
 
 NOTE 3 The several testimonies collected from different 
 ancient writers, respecting the lake Asphaltites and its yicinity, 
 with the traditions of its destruction by fire are translated in 
 page 155. 
 
 Ovid Mef. lib. i, 21 1213.- 
 
414 g 
 
 Many travellers bear a testimony to the unhealthiness of the 
 air about the lake: the monks who live in the neighborhood, 
 would have dissuaded Dr. Pococke from bathing in these sin- 
 gular waters: he ventured in, however, and was, two days after, 
 seized with a dizziness, and violent pain in the stomach, which 
 lasted nearly three weeks, and which they imputed to his rash- 
 ness; nor does he contradict them. 
 
 NOTE 4. The day of judgment is a doctrine of Christianity; 
 yet is it worthy remark, that the heathens cherished some vague 
 opinions, and held some uncertain traditions, that the earth, and 
 the orbs around us, are to be consumed by fire, as the following 
 extracts will prove. 
 
 When fate commands the final hour, 
 And conquering Time's resistless power 
 
 Dissolves creation's frame; 
 Stars mix'd with stars shall vainly try, 
 In ocean's boundless waves, to fly 
 The universal flame. 
 
 The land no more shall guard the 
 The moon shall strive to rule the day, 
 
 The shatter'd sphere shall burn: 
 The whole machine to ruin hurl'd, 
 Discord shall triumph o'er the world, 
 And chaos shall return. 
 
 Lucan. Phras. lib. i. v. 72 80, 
 
 Stars shall rush upon stars, every thing material shall be 
 consumed; and whatever now shines in order, shall perish in 
 
 one common fire! 
 
 Seneca, Jin* ad Marciam. 
 
 Ovid represents his Jupiter, when resolved to punish the 
 earth, choosing water, and checking his thunder, for the follow* 
 Ing reason: 
 
 He stopt, for fear, thus violently dilv'n, 
 The sparks should catch his axle-tree of hcav'n. 
 Remembering in the fates, a time when fire 
 Should to the battlements of hcav'n aspire, 
 And all his blazing worlds above should burn, 
 And all th' inferior globe to cinders turn. 
 
 DKYDEN Garth's Ovid. b. i. 1. 346 350. 
 
415 
 i 
 
 LECTURE VI. 
 
 NOTE 1. Seepage 181, and 182. 
 
 >J OTF 2 It is impqssible to read the account given by 
 Moses of the meeting of Jacob and Joseph, without calling to 
 mind the masterly description furnished by Homer," in his Odys- 
 sey, of the discovery of Ulysses to Tclemachus; and a very 
 slight parallel will shew the superiority of the sacred historian 
 ever the genius of even Homer. 
 
 Odys. lib. xvi t l. 188, 189: 213, 214, 215. 
 
 "I am thy father. O my son! my son! 
 That father, for whose sake thy days have run 
 One scene of woe; to endless cares consign'd, 
 And outraged by the wrongs of base mankind.*' 
 
 "He spoke and sat. The prince with transport flew> 
 Hung round his neck while tears his cheek bedew; 
 Nor less the father pour'd a social flood! 
 They wept abundant, and they wept aloud. 
 Pojie's Homer's Odyss. d.xvi 9 l.206 209:234 237. 
 
 "And he wept aloud And Joseph said unto his brethren, I 
 am Joseph. Doth my father yet live? And his brethren could 
 not answer him; for they were troubled at his r esence. And 
 Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you; 
 and they came near: and he said, I am Joseph, your brother 
 
 whom ye sold into Egypt." "And he fell upon his brother 
 
 Benjamin's neck and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck." 
 "And Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to 
 meet Israel his father to Goshen; and presented himself unto 
 him: and he fell on his neck, and wept on. his neck a good 
 while. And Israel said unto Joseph, Now let me die, since I 
 have seen thy face, because thou art yet alive." 
 
 Mr. Pope, in his notes on this beautiful passage in Homer, says 
 "This book (i. e. xvi) in general is very beautiful in the origi- 
 nal; the discovery of Ulysses to Telemachusis particularly ten- 
 der and affecting. It has some resemblance with that of Joseph's 
 discovery of himself to his brethren, and it may not perhaps be 
 disagreeable to see how two such authors describe the same- 
 pasafen." 
 
416 
 
 MOSES, HOME*. 
 
 I am Joseph "I am Ulysses 
 
 I am your brother Joseph I, my son, am he 
 
 And he wept aloud He wept abundant 
 
 And he fell on his brother's And he wept aloudl" 
 
 neck, and wept 
 
 "But it must be owned that Homer falls infinitely short of 
 Moses: the history of Joseph cannot be read without the ut- 
 most touches of compassion and transport. There is a majestic 
 simplicity in the whole relation, and such an affecting portrait 
 of human nature, that it overwhelms us with vicissitudes of joy 
 and sorrow. This is a pregnant instance how much the best 
 of heathen writers is inferior to the divine historian upon a par- 
 allel subject." 
 
 In these just sentiments I most heartily concur. And it 
 would most amply repay any reader capable of understanding 
 the original, to compare the whole of Homer's narration in 
 Odyss. lib. xvi, from line 172 to line 232, with that of Moses in 
 Gen. xlv, throughout, and xlvi, 28 30. It will be soon seen 
 to whom we must yield the palm of excellence. 
 
 LECTURE VIII. 
 
 NOTE 1. The discussion respecting the nature of the mir- 
 acles performed by the magicians, which was delivered in 
 the Lecture, because it would have prolonged the exercise 
 beyond all reasonable bounds, because the opposite opinions 
 of different writers might have bewildered the attention of 
 hearers, and because it would have digressed too far from 
 (he object, and would have broken the chain of the narra- 
 tive, may perhaps not be deemed uninteresting as an ap- 
 pendix, and may be allowed the place of a note. 
 
 The sentiments of the writers of the ENCYCLOPAEDIA BRIT- 
 TANNICA are thus expressed: 
 
 "The first magicians of whom we read are those who in 
 Et;ypt opposed Moses. And we are told, that when Aaron 
 cast clown his rod, and it became a serpent, they also did the 
 like with their enchantments; 4 for they cast down every man his 
 rod, and they became serpents.' This was a phenomenon 
 which; it must be confessed, had a yery miraculous appear- 
 
417 
 
 ance; and yet there seems to have been nothing in it which 
 might not have been effected by slight of hand. The Egyp- 
 tians, and perhaps the inhabitants of every country where ser- 
 pents abound, have the art of depriving them of the power to 
 do mischief, so that they may be handled without danger. It 
 was easy for the magicians, who were favored by the court, to 
 pretend that they changed their rods into serpents, by dexter- 
 ously substituting one of those animals in place of the rod. In 
 like manner they might pretend to change water into blood, 
 and to produce frogs; for if Moses gave in these instances, as 
 as we know he did in others, any previous information of the 
 nature of the miracles which were to be wrought, the magi- 
 cians might easily provide themselves in a quantity of blood 
 and number of frogs sufficient to answer their purpose of de- 
 ceiving the people. Beyond this, however, their power could 
 not go. It stopped where that of all workers in legerdemain 
 must have stopt -at the failure of proper materials to work 
 with. Egypt abounds with serpents; blood could be easily 
 procured; and without difficulty they might have frogs from 
 the river: but when Moses produced lice from the dust of the 
 ground, the magicians, who had it not in their power to collect 
 a sufficient quantity of these animals, were compelled to own 
 this to be an effect of divine agency." 
 
 Encyclofl. Brit. Vol. x. Pt. II. Art, MAGIC. 
 I am neither convinced by this reasoning, nor can admit into 
 my belief, this representation. It goes upon the supposition 
 that Moses announced his miracles previous to the perform- 
 ance of them, which it is admitted he did in some instances, but 
 it cannot be proved that he did it in all, neither does it appear 
 from the sacred history, that he did it in relation especially to 
 the first miracle. Whatever were their skill in legerdemain, 
 it would cost them some trouble to conceal the quantity of ser- 
 pents, frogs, blood, 8cc. necessary to rival the miracles of Moses; 
 and if there was not something like rivalry, and that success- 
 ful rivalry, it was not a principle on which Pharaoh could be 
 encouraged; and the circumstance of the magicians perform- 
 ing correspondent miracles with those of Moses, appears to be 
 Mar, in the first instance, upon which his heart was hardened. 
 And it is improbable that Moses should not have the power to 
 detect the imposition, and to expose the cheat, which would 
 
 53 
 
418 
 
 certainly have been both his duty, and his interest, if the 1'actJ. 
 were as this hypothesis supposes. 
 
 The. learned writers of the Ancient Universal History, state 
 fairly the divided sentiments of different commentators on this 
 difficult subject, but appear to lean to the opinion that these 
 miracles were performed by the agency of evil spirits, and not 
 by legerdemain. They thus express their sentiments generally, 
 on the possibility of the operations of such spirits. "That such 
 a commerce is, or at least formerly was, possible, we cannot 
 but confess; and we conceive it very difficult to account for sev- 
 eral passages in scripture, without allowing it to have been 
 practised. However, much the greater part of whatHias been 
 attributed to this sort of magic, was undoubtedly the effect of 
 imposture and delusion, which have been so apparent in sever- 
 al instances, as to tempt one almost to believe the same of all 
 the rest." Anc. Univ. Hist. Vol. I. b. i. chap. 3. p. 587. 
 
 Upon the miracles in question their ideas are expressed in 
 language still more explicit. They state the two following 
 reasons as evidences generally produced in favor of the opin- 
 ion, that these miracles were wrought by the agency of evil 
 spirits: "First, because the scriptures of the Old and New 
 Testament seem to attribute some such power to evil spirits; 
 and secondly, because Moses expressed himself in such terms 
 as manifestly shew, that they really imitated him in all those 
 wonders they wrought." They go on to criticise the express 
 phrases which he used in describing the miracles of the magi- 
 cians. He says, that "they ca*t down every man his rod, and 
 they BECAME serjienttt." They assign three reasons why God 
 suffered them thus to contend against the wonders wrought by 
 Moses, and to produce similar phenomena. "First, it was 
 necessary that these magicians should be suffered to exert the 
 utmost of their power against Moses, in order to clear him from 
 the imputation of magic." "Secondly, it was necessary in order 
 to confirm the faith of the wavering and desponding Israelites, 
 by making them see the difference between Moses acting by 
 the power of God, and the sorcerers by that of Satan. And 
 lastly, in order to preserve them afterwards from being seduced 
 by any false miracles from the true worship of God." 
 
 Jin. Univ. Hint. Vol. II, b. i. chap. 7. p. 563. note E. 
 
 This representation appears to me to accord better with the 
 Mosaic history, than the foregoing one. 
 
419 
 
 Dr. HENRY HUNTER, with eloquence peculiar to himself, ex- 
 hibits a strong reason for the permission gi'ven to the magi- 
 cians partially to imitate the miracles of Moses. "Reasoning 
 man will ask> Why were not impiety and infidelity checked 
 in their very first attempt; Why were the demons of Egypt 
 left in possession of the slightest vestige of power, to oppose, 
 or to imitate the mighty power of God? why grant to Pharaoh 
 and his magicians, even the momentary triumph of their in- 
 cantations? The reason is obvious. Had the Egyptian enchant- 
 ments been attended with no success, and produced no effect, 
 infidelity had its plea at hand. 'Your pretended miracle is mere 
 illusion, an attempt to mislead our understanding, by imposing 
 upon our senses. Though we cannot produce this particular 
 effect, perform this particular trick, by our art, we can effect 
 wonders equally or much more astonishing. But, by being 
 permitted to succeed in their first effort, and to rival Moses and 
 Aaron so far, in power and reputation, they are insensibly 
 4lrawn in, to give their sanction to the sign performed by the 
 Hebrews, for the sake of their own credit; and no sooner is it 
 stamped for currency, with their image and superscription, 
 than they and their abettors are confounded, by seeing the 
 wretched impression of their art effaced, annihilated; and no 
 image remains visible but that of the living and true God. The 
 power which swallowed up the magicians' rods, could as easily 
 have prevented the transmutation; but the confutation is much 
 more complete by the one than it would have been by the other. 
 Impiety has shut her own mouth, and infidelity stands stripped 
 of her last, and only plea." 
 
 Hunter's Sacred Biog. Vol. III,Lect. V. p. 1 15117. 
 The truly great and estimable SAURIN, with equal ability and 
 success, in an admirable and compact chain of reasoning, which 
 however beautiful, cannot, on account of its copiousness, be 
 admitted into this note, places the subject in four points of 
 view. He tries it, first, by "the narrative of Moses:" secondly, 
 by "the history of enchantments transmitted by every age:'* 
 thirdly, by "metaphysical speculations;" and fourthly, "at the 
 tribunal of religion;" and in each of these modes of discussion, 
 proves, that we shall find reasons for suspending our 
 ment on this mysterious subject, 
 
 Consult Saur. Disc* ^c. sur la Bible; Tom. I. disc, 
 
420 
 
 To this modest and ingenuous confession, I do most cheer- 
 fully subscribe. 
 
 After such a declaration, from such a man as Saurin, it would 
 ill become me to attempt to determine upon so nice a point. 
 But after so large statements of the views of others and such 
 free comments upon them, it may perhaps be expected that I 
 should as frankly avow my own opinion. Dr. GKDDES, whose 
 criticisms are often estimable, yet whose assertions are some- 
 times announced without a pretension to reasoning, and whose 
 conclusions are almost always levelled avowedly against the 
 authority of Moses, has never discovered the traits which I have 
 described, more decidedly than in his remarks on the 
 present subject. He notices the opinion of legerdemain, and 
 says, "the text is expressly against all such interpretations: 
 and we may as well say, that the rod of Moses was not a real rod, 
 as that the rods of the magicians were not real rods." He 
 differs, however, from every solution which ever has been, or 
 perhaps ever can be, given; and declares, "It would be wiser, 
 perhaps, although not so honest, to say nothing at all; but that 
 is not my manner: I must say what I think; let others think and 
 ^peak as they please." And what is this opinion, which a pro. 
 fessedly Christian divine could entertain, and which his fidelity 
 prompted him to publish to the world? "I am clearly of opinion 
 that neither the magicians of Pharaoh, nor the legislator of the 
 Hebrews, changed their rods into serpents, any more than the 
 sorceress Circe turned the companions of Ulysses into swine: 
 but that either the Hebrew historian, whoever he was, invented 
 the whole story; or that, if ever any such trial of magical skill 
 took place, the deception was equal on both sides." 
 
 Gcddf** Crt't. Rein. Vol. I. on Exod. viii, p. 181, 8cc. 
 And this is Biblical Criticism! And this is fair, candid rea- 
 soning! And this is learned and liberal research! What then is 
 to be deemed arrogant, unqualified assertion? What can be 
 accounted indecent levity, and disrespectful trifling? If he did 
 not blush to write such a passage, I should blush to comment 
 upon it, so as to attempt a serious refutation of it! It was not 
 thus that Jesus Christ himself spoke, and thought, of Moses, 
 of his writings, and of his authority. 
 
 \Vith no less of integrity, I will candidly avow the opinion 
 which lam inclined to foim upon a subject concerning which I 
 dear not attempt to decide; and without presuming to press 
 
421 
 
 my sentiment upon any reader, I shall state it as briefly as pos- 
 sible, with the reasons upon which I hold it. Upon the whole, 
 I think, " 
 
 1. That both the miracles fierformed by Moses, and those 
 wrought by the magicians were real. For had not this been the 
 case, would not Moses as easily have detected the imposition, 
 as Elijah silenced the prophets of Baal? Has the Mosaic ac- 
 count given the slightest intimation that they were phantoms? 
 On the contrary, has he not spoken of them in the same terms, 
 as he speaks of his own? I am also inclined to think, 
 
 2. That the magicians knew not the extent of their own flowers. 
 In making the experiment, they obeyed the command of Pharaoh: 
 they were doubtless prepared to do their best, and to use what- 
 ever deception the circumstances of the moment might allow. 
 It is evident that they tried all the miracles of Moses, and could 
 succeed but in a few; a decisive proof that they knew not where 
 their power would be stayed, or to what point it would be per- 
 mitted to extend. Perhaps they were as much surprised at 
 their success, as the spectators could be, in the first instance; 
 So convinced were they of divine agency on the suspension of 
 their partial power, that they confessed "this is the linger of 
 God." But the miracle at which their agency ceased, was as 
 easy to be performed, to all appearance, as those in which they 
 succeeded; and the inference appears to be, that they were not 
 effected by the power of art. It appears to me, 
 
 3. That they must have fierformed these miracles by the fier- 
 ?nission, and under the fiower, of God. And when this power was 
 ^ithheld from them, and continued to Moses, they instantly 
 acknowledged the hand of Deity. 
 
 4. Admitting that both Moses and the magicians wrought 
 their respective miracles by the power or permission of God, 
 when their capacity to effect them ceased, and that of Moses 
 remained, a decisive evidence was afforded of the truth of his 
 mission. 
 
 5. The phrase, "they did it by their enchantments,*' docs not 
 appear to me to destroy this hypothesis, but only to mean, that 
 they used some form and fiarade, to impress the minds of the 
 spectators with veneration of their power and wisdom, and to 
 secure to themselves the credit and fame of their success. 
 This parade, however, availed them nothing, when Uieir per- 
 
422 
 
 mission to work miracles expired, and they were compelled to 
 acknowledge the interposition of divine power. 
 
 In respect to this opinion, which is submitted with diffidence, 
 the reader will form his awn conclusion, of its probability or the 
 contrary. I will not avouch that it is original, although if it be 
 borrowed, I cannot recollect the source from whence I drew it, 
 nor of course make my acknowledgements. It is more than 
 probable that I have met with it, in the course of reading, and 
 treasured it up from its coincidence with my own views! but if 
 I could trace it to its au'.hor, I would not hesitate to give a full 
 reference to his own statement. It is common to every man 
 who endeavors to digest what he reads, to mingle the thoughts 
 of others with his own; and it is not always easy to determine, 
 which of our stores we may claim as original, and which we 
 ought to acknowledge as borrowed: nor to distinguish between 
 that which we conceive and that which we only remember. 
 
 NOTE 2. Respecting jthc term of Israel's bondage, the writ- 
 ers of the Ancient Universal History, a fiord the following inge- 
 nious, and, as it appears to me, just solution. 
 
 "It is plain, that the four hundred years of Abram's seed 
 sojourning in a strange land, must be reckoned not from their 
 coming into Egypt, but from the birth of Isaac. For all the 
 time of their sojourning in the land of Canaan, Gerar, or any 
 other, was still in a strange land, in which they had not a foot of 
 ground, if we except the cave of Maehpelah. As to what is 
 added that they shall likewise serve, and be ill-treated, it is com- 
 monly understood to be spoken circumstantially, and might be 
 put in a parenthesis, thus, 'they shall sojourn and be strangers 
 (and likewise serve and be oppressed) during the space of four 
 hundred years,' as St. Austin, and others, have fully proved. 
 Accordingly we find Isaac oppressed in Gcrar, his wells filled 
 np by its inhabitants, ami himself forced still farther from them, 
 and Jacob served, and was oppressed by Laban near twenty 
 years, yet neither of them labored under a continual oppres- 
 sion. The Egyptian servitude did not commence till after 
 Joseph and all his brethren \\cie dead; before that, the Israel- 
 ites lived in peace and plenty. Allowing, therefore, that Lcvi 
 was forty-four years o{ age at his first coming into Egypt, 
 is the most that can be supposed, he must have lived 
 
423 
 
 ninety-three years in Egypt, because the text tells us, that he 
 died in the 137th year of his age. And these 93 years being- 
 subtracted from 215, the time of their abode there, there will 
 remain but 142 years of thraldom, even supposing it to have- 
 began immediately after his death. The natural sense there- 
 fore of this prophecy to Abraham can be only this, that his seed, 
 from Isaac on, should be strangers in the land, that was not 
 theirs, during the space of 400 years, during some part of 
 which they should be oppressed, afflicted, and at length brought 
 under bondage; which term being expired, they should find a 
 happy deliverance." 
 
 Anc. Univ. Hint. -vol. it. b. i, cha/u 7 ?iote J. 
 
 NOTE 3. In the account which Justin has given, in his 
 abridgment of Trogus Pompeius, of Moses, and of the deliver- 
 ance of Israel, there is an error, arising from his linking this 
 narrative too closely with the history of Joseph, (for he relates 
 this departure in the very same chapter in which he speaks of 
 Joseph,) and in his supposing Moses to be the son of Joseph. 
 This premised, we subjoin his testimony on these faets^ 
 
 Just. Hist. lib. xxx-vi, cafi. ii. 
 
 "Moses was his son, whose beauty of person recommended 
 him, no less than his inheritance of his father's science. But 
 the Egyptians, because they were afflicted with a scab and lep- 
 rosy, admonished by an oracle, expelled him, with the diseased, 
 from the borders of Egypt, lest the malady should spread gen- 
 erally." 
 
 NOTE 4 Testimony preserved in Diodorus Siculus, re- 
 specting the division of the Red Sea. "Among the Ichthyo- 
 phagi, the native inhabitants of the spot, a tradition is given, 
 which is preserved from their ancestors, that by a great ebb of 
 the waters, the whole bosom of the gulf became dry, disclosing 
 its w.eeds, the sea roiling upon the opposite shore. But the 
 bare earth having been rendered visible from the very bottom 
 of the abyss, the tide returning in its strength, restored the pas- 
 sage once more to its former condition. 
 
 >iod. Sic. lib. //, fi. 122, 
 
424 
 
 LECTURE IX. 
 
 NOTE 1. Grotius has distinctly enumerated the testimonies 
 from ancient writers, which we mentioned generally: to which 
 he has added others which we did not produce. He says, respect- 
 ing the Orphic verses, "the great Scaliger has mended the pas- 
 sage, by changing a letter; and instead of reading the word 
 jxo}/j>f, as Eusebius, in his Prep. Evan. lib. xiii. cap. 12. quotes 
 it from Aristobulus, he bids us read it IA&>WIC" *born of the water. 
 His quotation from Strabo is not inserted here, because, while 
 his testimony to the great character of Moses is decisive, he 
 has mingled the fable of tradition so entirely with his evidence, 
 that the passage would not be worthy the room it would occu- 
 py in this note. It is in his xvi. book. There is a remarka- 
 ble testimony in Diodorus Siculus, in the first book of his history, 
 comprised in a single sentence. He had been speaking of 
 those who assert that the gods were the authors of their laws 
 and adds, &**. i*J**c;? ft Maxw TC,V IMP wriKaxxufvov ><w~ds Moses, 
 who, among' the Jews, called God, ^& (Ino.) Grotius quotes 
 this passage also, and says, that by ** (Ino.} mrv f Jehovah.} 
 is intended; and that the name was so pronounced, "by the ora- 
 cles, in the Orphic verses, by the Basilidian heretics, and oth- 
 er Gnostics:" also, with little variation, "by the Tyrians." 
 These quotations, with his important remarks, are to be found 
 in his truth of the Christian Religion: book i. sect. 16. notes 
 83101. 
 
 NOTE 2. Testimony of Josephus, to the early settlement of 
 the Jews in Canaan. Thus far Manetheo. Therefore estimat- 
 ing the time from the beginning- of those years, (alluding to some 
 foregoing calculations according to Manetho's history) it will 
 afifiear^ that our ancestors, whom they call shefihcrds, migrated 
 from Egyfit, and inhabited this country, 393 years before Dana- 
 us came to jirgos, which is nevertheless celebrated by the 
 Greeks for antiquity. Josephus adds, "that two things are 
 evident from Manciho's account: first, that the Jews came from 
 another place to Egypt: secondly, that they left them again, 
 and that nearly a thousand years before the Trojan war." 
 Lowth says, that this calculation is double the true distance of 
 time between these events. However, the establishment of 
 
421 
 
 the Jews in Canaan, is much earlier than any Grecian writer, 1 
 or history. Sec Joscfihus, Appfon. Tom. If. lib. i. fi. 1339- 
 1 1 ml no ni edit. 4 
 
 LECTURE X. 
 
 NOTE I. It would have been foreign from the immediate 
 object of the preceding Lecture, to have entered into any dis- 
 cussion of the appearance of Samuel to Saul: but I cannot for- 
 bear entering my individual protest against the opinions, either 
 that the sorceress made some person in her interest personate 
 the apparition 'of the prophet, or that some demon attempted 
 such a personification. I believe that it was indeed the spirit 
 of Samuel and I shall subjoin, as the best illustration of my 
 own views, the following able testimonies. 
 
 The ingenious writers of the ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITTANNICA 
 reason thus 
 
 "Some have thought there was nothing more than a trick, 
 by which a cunning woman imposed upon Saul's credulity, 
 making him believe that some confident of her own was the 
 ghost of Samuel. But had that been the case, she would un- 
 doubtedly have made the pretended Samuel's answer, as pleas- 
 ing to the king as possible, both to save her own life, which 
 appears from the context to have been in danger, and likewise 
 to have procured the larger reward. She would never have 
 told her sovereign, she durst not have told him, that he himself 
 should be shortly slain, and his sons with him; and that the host 
 of Israel should be delivered into the hand of the Philistines.* 
 For this reason many critics, both Jewish and Christian, have 
 supposed that the apparition was really a demon, or evil angel, 
 by whose assistance the woman was accustomed to work won- 
 ders, and to foretel future events. But it is surely very incred- 
 ible, that one of the apostate spirits of hell, should have up- 
 braided Saul for applying to a sorceress, or should have accost- 
 ed him in such words as these: 'Why hast thou disquieted 7721? 
 to bring me up? Wherefore dost thou ask of me, seeing the 
 Lord is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy? For 
 the Lord hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it 
 to thy neighbor, even to David. Because thou obeyedst not 
 
 *It was impossible that she could have prejudged th R p vent of a ba{- 
 tle than which nothing 1 is more uncertain. 
 
 54 
 
422 
 
 the voice ol the Lord, therefore the Aorrfhath done ibis thing t<r 
 thee this day.' It is to be observed farther, that what wa s 
 here denounced against Saul was really prophetic, and that 
 the event answered to the prophecy in every particular. Now, 
 though we do not deny that there are created spirits of pene- 
 triiton vastly superior to that of the most enlarged human 
 understanding; yet we dare maintain, that no finite intelligence 
 could by its own mere capacity have ever found out the precise 
 time of the two armies engaging, the success of the Philistines, 
 the consequences of the victory, and the very names of the 
 persons that were to fall in the battle. Saul and his sons were 
 indeed men of tried bravery, and therefore likely to expose 
 themselves to the greatest danger; but after the menaces 
 which he received from the apparition, he would have been im- 
 pelled, one should think, by common prudence, either to chi- 
 cane with the enemy, or to retire from the field without ex- 
 posing himself, his sons, and the whole army to certain and in- 
 evitable destruction; and bis acting differently, with the con- 
 sequences of his conduct, were events which no limited under- 
 standing could either foresee or certainly foretel. If to these 
 circumstances we add the suddenness of Samuel's appear- 
 ance, with the effect which it had upon the sorceress herself, 
 we shall find reason to believe that the apparition was that of 
 no evil demon. There is not, we believe, upon record, anoth- 
 er instance of any person's pretending to raise a ghost from 
 below, without previously using some magical rites, or some 
 form of incantation. As nothing of that kind is mentioned in 
 the case before us, it is probable that Samuel appeared before 
 lie was called. It is likewise evident from the narrative, that 
 the apparition was not what the woman expected; for we are told 
 that \vhcn she saw Samuel, she cried out for fear. And when 
 the king exhorted her not to be afraid, and asked what she 
 saw, 'the woman said, I "see gods (elohim) ascending out of 
 the earth.' Now, hud she been accustomed to do such feats, 
 and known that what she saw was only her subservient demon, 
 it is not conceivable that she could have been so frightened, or 
 have mistaken her familiar for elohim in any sense in which 
 that word can be taken. We are therefore strongiy inclined to 
 adopt the opinion of those who hold that it was Samuel him- 
 self who appeared and prophccicd, not called up by the wretch- 
 ed woman r her demons, but, to her inter confusion, and the 
 
423 
 
 disgrace of her art, sent by God to rebuke Saul's madness in a 
 most affecting and mortifying way, and to deter all others from 
 ever applying to magicians or demons for assistance when re- 
 fused comfort from Heaven. For though this hypothesis may, 
 to a superficial thinker, seem to transgress the rule of Horace 
 nee Deus intersit, &c. which is as applicable to the interpre- 
 tation of scripture, as to the introduction of supernatural agency 
 in human compositions; yet he who has studied the theo- 
 cratical constitution of Israel, the nature of the office 
 which was there termed regal, and by what means the admin- 
 istration was in emergencies conducted, will have a different 
 opinion, and at once perceive the dignus -vindice nodus." 
 
 Encyc. Brit. Vol, X. fit. ii. art. MAGIC. 
 Of the same opinion is the pious Mr. HERVEY - 
 "1 Sam. xxviii, 19. -On this place the DUTCH translator of 
 the Meditations has added a note; to correct, very probably, 
 what he supposes a mistake. On the same supposition, I pre- 
 sume, the compilers of our Rubric ordered the last verse of 
 Eccles. xlvi, to be omitted, in the daily service of the Church. 
 But that the sentiment, hinted above," (an opinion coinciding 
 with that just stated) "is strictly true; that it was Kirrbinnw 
 SAMUEL HIMSELF (not an infernal spirit, personating the proph- 
 et) who appeared to the female necromancer at Endor; appear- 
 ed not in compliance with any diabolical incantation, but in 
 pursuance of the divine commission; this, I think, is fully 
 proved in the HISTORICAL ACCOUNT OF THE LIFE OF DAVID, 
 vol. I. chap. 23." 
 
 Heyvey's Medit. Vol. I. ft. 250 { notes. Hejitinstall's edit. 
 
 NOTE 2. In the translation of David's lamentation over Jona- 
 athan, I have not departed from the literal rendering of our 
 own Bible, but where it appeared to me that the reading was 
 amended or elucidated by the alteration. In rendering the 
 2 1st verse, "there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, 
 the shield of Saul, the armor of the anointed with oil;" I have 
 followed the translation of Dr. Geddes: who has the following 
 note on the word ,'armour" "From the small change of one 
 letter into another, of a very similar form, arises this opposite 
 rendering. Interpreters made a shift to translate the present 
 text thus; as if he had not been anointed with oil. By what rules* 
 of translation I know not." His translation of this lamentation 
 is singularly beautiful throughout. He renders the beginning 
 
424 
 
 of it _ O a-ntelcjfie of Israel! pierced on thine own mountains!" 
 This rendering is correctly literal: but as the word *3n also 
 signifies ornamentum,* I have preferred the rendering "O beauty 
 of Israel, Sec." as in the Lecture. 
 
 NOTE 3. Testimony of Menandcr, the historian, to the 
 drought in the days of Elijah, preserved by Josephus: 
 "Menander also notes this defect of rain in the acts of Itho- 
 bal, king of the Tyrians, speaking thus: " l Thcre was a dcfi. 
 ciency of rain from the month of October, until October in the 
 succeeding year. But he indeed praying there followed much 
 thunder. He built the city of Botrys in Phcniciu, and Auza in 
 Lybia." And certainly he relates these things of the drought 
 which happened in the time of Ahab, for at that time Ithobal 
 DID reign over the Tyrians, as Menandcr himself writes." 
 
 Josefih. Antiq. Jud. Tom. I. lib. via, ca/i. xiii, p. 378. Hudsojii 
 edit. 
 
 Testimonies of Julian and of Cyprian, quoted by Grotius, 
 relative to the fire which consumed the sacrifice of Elijah. Ju- 
 lianus in libro Cyrilli decimo. 
 
 jV etw*^ rxro wri Mavnuf rytviio, x.*t trt H\/ 
 
 ?. Vide sequentia de ignc ccclesti; Cyprianus 
 Testimoniorurn III. Item in sacrificiis quxcunquc accepta 
 habebat Deus, desccndebat ignis de ccelo qui sacrificata con- 
 sumeret." "Julian in the tenth book of Cyril: 4 Ye refuse to 
 bring sacrifices to the altar, and to present them, because that 
 fire does not descend from heaven to consume the victims, as 
 in the time of Moses. This happened indeed to Moses, and 
 long after also to Elijah the Tishbito/' Sec what follows 
 also concerning the fire from heaven; Cyprian, in the Third 
 of their Testimonies, says "'That in the sacrifices, what 
 soever had acceptance with God, fire came down from heaven 
 which consumed the things offered." 
 
 Grotius dc Vtr. Ri-lig. C/irist. sect, xvi, not. 
 
 *S- IK-hiew Conc'-nhti.ce on the won 1 : my 
 
425 
 LECTURE XI. 
 
 NOTE 1. Sec page 298. 
 
 NOTK 2. Testimony of Menander to the character and acts 
 of Shalmaneser, preserved in Josephus, and translated in this 
 Lecture. 
 
 NOTE 3. The following description of the temple of Belus 
 is extracted from the writers of the Ancient Universal History, 
 vol. I. book i. chap. 2, pa.^e 417. Dublin edit. 1745. It is neces- 
 sary to mention the edition when a reference is made to the 
 page, because there are several editions which differ materially 
 in this respect. 
 
 "Herodotus tells us, it was a furlong in length, and as much 
 in breadth; and Strabo determines the height to have been a 
 furlong, that is, the eighth part of a mile, or six hundred and 
 sixty feet, which is itself prodigious; for thereby it appears to 
 have exceeded the greatest of the Egyptian pyramids in height, 
 one hundred and seventy-nine feet, though it fell short of it at 
 the base by thirty-three. It consisted of eight square towers 
 one above another, gradually decreasing in breadth; which, with 
 the winding of the stairs from the top to the bottom on the out- 
 side, gave it the resemblance of a pyramid, as Strabo calls it. 
 This antique form, joined to the extraordinary height of the 
 structure, easily induces us to believe it to be the same tower 
 mentioned by Moses; Nebuchadne-zzar finishing the design, 
 which the sons of Noah were obliged, by the confusion of 
 tongues, to leave unexecuted." And again they add in a note: 
 "The words of Herodotus are: 'Ev pi<ra> <$t rw / mgyoc ?!'%&$ oiMfo[*.v<u, 
 
 fflctfix KOU TO {Amos ant TO vj^ nai &ri TXTM <ru> Trvgy CLX\OC wgycs vriZ&m-, K.XI 
 
 fcngoc (Max* wn TUT, ,Ms^/c oc/ on.ro> yngyw. "In the midst of the temple a 
 solid tower is built, of a furlong in length and as much in 
 breadth; and upon this tower another tower is erected, and 
 another again upon that, and so on to the number of eight 
 towers.* It is true, the word /uwtsc which we here translate 
 length^ may also signify height: but some authors having thence 
 supposed, as the construction seems to require, that the first 
 tower was a furlong high, and concluding the other seven to be 
 of equal height, have made the whole a mile high; to avoid 
 which extravagant consequence, it seems more reasonable, to 
 
426 
 
 understand Herodotus as we have rendered the passage, unless 
 the furlong be taken for the height of all the eight towers." 
 And it appears to me that the construction of the passage will 
 not allow this last conclusion: for whether the wo*rd /"w^rbe ren- 
 dered height or length, it evidently refers tothe^rsf tower; and 
 it is expressly said that "another was built upon this" and so 
 on. I conclude, therefore, that these words of Herddotus refer 
 to its length, and its breadth, without adverting at ail to its 
 height, which Strabo says was also a furlong. According to 
 this last mentioned author it was exactly a furlong every way. 
 
 NOTE 4. See page 3 13. 
 
 NOTE 5. Seventy years had been predicted as the term of 
 the cap'tivity of Judah. Some have computed from the fourth 
 year of Jehoiakim to the first issuing of Cyrus* decree. Others 
 from the destruction of Jerusalem to the publication of Darius' 
 decree, in the fourth year of his reign. The discussion of this 
 point is immaterial: since either way seventy years were accom- 
 plished. 
 
 The writers of the Ancient Univ. Hist, date it from the first 
 taking of the city in the reign of Jehoiakim, and they say, in a 
 note, "This Usher proves to have happened in the ninth month, 
 from the anniversary fast, which the Jews have kept ever since 
 in memory of that calamity. This is the more worth observing, 
 because the seventy years cafitivity foretold by Jeremiah) must 
 be reckoned from this efiocha" 
 
 NOTE 6. The following description of the Simoom is given 
 in Bruce's Travels, vol. vi, p. 461, 462. Ediuburgh 8vo. edit, of 
 1804. He says, "that an extreme redness in the air was a sure 
 presage of the coming of the Simoom." And his conductor 
 through the desert warned him and his servants "that upon the 
 coming of the Simoom" they "should fall upon their faces, 
 \\ith their mouths upon the earth, so as not to partake of the 
 outward air, as long as they could hold their breath." And he 
 thus describes its fearful approach and effects. "At eleven 
 o'clock, while \vc contemplated with great pleasure the rugged 
 top of Chiggre, to which we were fast approaching, and where 
 we were te solace ourselves with plenty of good water, Idris 
 cried out with a loud voice, Tall upon your faces, for here is the 
 
427 
 
 sfmoom! I saw from the south-east a haze come, in color like 
 the purple part of the rainbow, but not so compressed or thick. 
 It did not occupy twenty yards in breadth, and was about twelve 
 feet high from the ground. It was a kind of blush upon the air, 
 and it moved very rapidly, for I scarce coykl turn to fall upon 
 .the ground with my head to the northward, when I felt the heat 
 of its current plainly upon my face. We all lay flat upon the 
 ground, as if dead, till Idris told us it was blown over. The 
 meteor, or purple haze, which I saw, was indeed passed, but the 
 light aii that still bic\v was of heat to threaten suffocation. For 
 my part, I found distinctly in my breast that I had imbibed a 
 part of it, nor was I free of an asthmatic sensation till I had 
 been some months in Italy, ut the baths of Poretta, near tv>o 
 years afterwards." 
 
 NOTE 7. We do net sufficiently consider under whose direc- 
 tion are the desolation of tiit earth, and by whose permission 
 the hero conquers. Jeremiah awfully unveils the cause of Ju- 
 dah's and Israel's calamities, when he says, "The Lord vas an 
 enemy: he hath swallowed up Israel, he hath swallowed up all 
 her palaces; he hath destroyed his strong holds, and hath in- 
 creased in the daughter of Judah mourning and lamentation. 
 And he hath violently taken away his tabernacle, as if it were 
 of a garden, he hath destroyed his places of the assembly: the 
 Lord hath caused the solemn feasts and sabbaths to be forgotten 
 in Zion, and hath despised in the indignation of his anger the 
 king and the priest." Lamentations ?Y, 5, 6. 
 
 And this reminds me of a most beautiful passage in Virgil, 
 in which the poet represents the deities engaged in the subver- 
 sion of Troy. 
 
 "Here, where you behold bulwarks cast down, and stones 
 rent from stones, and waving smoke mingling with dust, Nep- 
 tune shakes the walls, and the heaving foundations, with his 
 great trident, and overthrows the whole city from its bases. 
 There, Juno, the most inexorable, occupies the Scaean gates, 
 und girded with a sword, calls the raging army of the allies 
 from their ships. Then behold Tritonian Pallas sits upon the 
 highest citadels, effulgent on a cloud, and with her terrible 
 aegis. Jupiter himself supplies courage, and renewed forces, 
 to the Grecians; himself sth's up tLe gods agninst the Trojan 
 
428 
 
 LECTURE XII. 
 
 No IK 1. sec PLS^C 325. 
 
 NOTE 2. I have translated J;, A axrrx *y?> TMWSK;J 
 .'/ 1- cf the Rant have seen his star, referring the 
 term- /</*/, not to the part of the heavens in which the 
 Uar appealed, but to the country whence they came. I believe 
 that I am not alone in this translation; and if I mistake not, this, 
 ur a very similar one, is the rendering of Dr. Cambell, in his 
 now translation of the gospels. Another explanation is offered 
 by Poolc in his learned and laborious Synopis which is, We 
 have his star at its rising; and he adds, that the Greek astrono- 
 mer use the term A-JAT^/H to imply the rising of any heavenly 
 body, undfuru for its setting. Thus the pas-sage may mean 
 ue saw this star from its very first appearance, at the moment 
 when it began to shine in the heavens; and its position appear- 
 ed to us to mart its relation to Judea. And this learned 
 writer, moreover, informs us, that the professors of astrology 
 (and such perhaps were these Magi) were accustomed to assign 
 certain spaces of the heavens, in their calculations, to certain 
 correspondent regions of the earth. "Ad exortum ejits, sivc, 
 (jucm orirctur: Hue facil, 1 quod Grcccis astronornis onus stella- 
 rum dicitur wr's,, et, JTVTO.JI (ut a.<.>mh IIMB, onus sofa, Apoc. 7 3. 
 et occa.vus earum, *' JTl '>' 2 quod oriens, sicut et occidetis, plur 
 num. *V*TM. et, uT y <ri, plcrumquc exprimuntur, Malt. 8, 11 
 et 24, 27, Luc. 13 29. Crcdibilc est, appaniisse hanc stellum in 
 eucccli pane, quoe consensu astrologorum ad Judxam pcitinuit, 
 ut solent ab ejus artis professoribus tcrrarum regiones certis 
 occli spatiis ascribi: QUGC dico,non quod superstitiosis arioladoji- 
 ibus patrocinai'i cupiam, srd (piod arbitrcr Dcum ita res dispon- 
 ere, ut ca, qux, sivc jure, sive injaria, magni apud homines 
 t, interdum trahat in vcri ti stin.onium." 
 
 2 y ul Sijnofi. Crit. T^in. IV in Matt. ca/i. //, 
 
 : K 3. Testimonies of Pliny and of Chaloidius, relative to 
 the appcanuu it <>i ihis luminous body: The p are tlnis 
 
 ted and quoted by the Author wh< ..irks form the 
 
 substance of the former note. 
 
 Hue < t illud PI.IMI, (qui ex obscura fatua auclitum refert, 
 
 ipsc ignorans) qui "apparuisse aliquando'* 
 
 -.dibit ''Conictam '.aiididum, ai'genteo criuc iia reful^ei.tcin, ut 
 
438 
 
 vix contueri licuerit, specieque humana Deieffigiem inse osten- 
 dcntem." 
 
 Testimonium CHALCIDII PLATONICI (modo >v<r/ ov sit) apposi- 
 tum est, "Sane notanda est," inquit," alia sanctior et venerabil- 
 ior liistoria, quse perhibet de ortu stellce cujusdum, non morbos 
 mortesque denunciantem, sed descensmn Dei vcnerabilis ad hu- 
 manac conversation's, rerumque mortalium, gratiam; quam 
 stellam cum nocturne itinere suspexissent Chaldaeorum pro- 
 fecto sapientcs viri, et consideratione rerum ccelestium satis 
 exercitati, qusisse clicuntur recentis Dei ortum, repertaqee il- 
 ia Maj estate pueril, vcnerati esse, et vota Deo tanto conveni- 
 cntia nuncupasse." 
 
 foli Synopsis Crit. Tom. IV. in Matt. cap. zY, 2. 
 
 Jcsephus might well add, that he \vas a man "totallv alien- 
 ated from humanity" and express his surprise that his thirst 
 f blood should remain in those last moments, when most men 
 are disposed to bury even the injuries which they have receiv- 
 ed in eternal oblivion! His family had th'o humanity to break 
 their vow to him; and immediately upon his death set their 
 iTlustrious prisoners at liberty. 
 
 NOTE 5. Testimony of Josephus to the life, the sufferings, 
 and the resurrection of Jesus Christ: as also of the unshaken 
 attachment of his followers to him. 
 
 Jos. de Antiq. Jud. lorn. II. lib.x-uiii^ cap. 4,/z. 798. Hudsoni 
 edition. 
 
 Some have affirmed that this passage is interpolated: and it is 
 always easy to make affirmations, and to raise objections. The 
 following reasons have always satisfied my mind that it is genu- 
 ine. 1. It accords well with its connexion, and forms a link 
 with the other parts of the narrative. 2. It agrees in point of 
 ume with the facts narrated along with it. 3. It is such a tes- 
 timony as might be expected from such a man as Josephus: 
 neither enlarged upon with the partiality of friendship (for he 
 was a Jew, and not a Christian) nor disfigured to blot the fidel- 
 ity of the historian: but related with a conciseness which shews 
 him unwilling to keep back any part of the fact, yet unable to 
 account for the extraordinary circumstances attending it. 4. It 
 would have been a marvellous thing indeed, if Josephus, who 
 died within 93 years after Christ, and who professed to write 
 
434 
 
 every thing worthy recording relative to the Jewish nation, both 
 in its former state, and in the degradation to which it had sunk in 
 his days; should have omitted to speak of an event, nearly con- 
 temporary with himself, which was in every one's mouth, which 
 excited such a ferment in his own nation; and while a new sect, 
 springing from this very event, attracted the notice and the 
 persecution of hoth Jews and Gentiles, and boldly, persevering- 
 ly, successfully, disseminated their tenets around him. 5. Ori- 
 gen, who flourished about 200 years after Christ, appeals to this 
 testimony when lie says, E'V >g vu> c,KTtex.*i&)iAlce Tf isrfaux? a^auoxa^/af 
 
 Q lawffwo?, &.C. o tTfituTC?, x.*i TOtyt itTrtcfltoV TU J<T8 w? Xgw7a>, &.C. 
 
 Orig. contra Cels. tib.i,fi. 35. Cantab, edit: 1677. 
 
 NOTE 6 Testimonies of Justin Martyr, and of Tertulian, 
 to the facts of the life, the death, and the resurrection of Christ. 
 
 JUSTIN MARTYR, speaking of the parting of our Lord's 
 vesture, 8cc. appeals to the acts of Pilate then extant. 
 
 A* TUVTA on ytyw, (Tyi 1 *^; fAH&ttv ex. Ta>v tfft Ylwlus Ht\tt)x ytvo/msvcev aucrnv* 
 
 Just. Martyr. ApoL jirima, fi. 5, Thirtbii. tdit. 1732. 
 
 This Apology was addressed to the emperor Antoninus Pius. 
 
 Again, he challenges Crescens to a public contest on the 
 merits of Christianity before the Roman senate. K*< on **$ x>*, 
 
 At K.uvci>via.i Teev hoyosv, trot/mac x.*J ip vucev xoivavtiv tun/ e^eermraxv 
 stv KHI TXTO q>yov an. 
 Just. Martyr. Jlfiol. sccunda,ji. 122, Thirlbii edit. 1722. 
 This apology was addressed to the Roman senate. Epipha- 
 nius also speaks of the acts of Pilate, and is quoted by the learn- 
 ed and accurate Grotius. Sec Grot, de Ver. Rel. Christ, lib. 
 ii, sect, ii, in not. 5. 
 
 TKRTULLIAN thus speaks of the opinion which Tiberias had 
 formed of Christ, and of Christianity, from the authentic records 
 which he had received from Palestine, respecting him: 
 
 Tiberius ergo, cnjus tcmporc nomen Christianum in secu- 
 lum intruvit, unnumiaia sibi ex Syria Palxstina quac illic vcri- 
 tatcm istius divinitalis rcvclarant dctulit acl scnatum cum prx- 
 rogativa suflVagii sui. Senatus, quia non ipsc probavcrat, rcs- 
 puit: C:Lsarin sentcntia mansit, comminatus pcriculum accus- 
 atoribus Chrisiiui.oruin Consulitc commcntarios vcstros! 
 
 Tn-tull. Jljiologct.fi. 6. Lutct. edit. 1634. 
 He explains why tl^.c \\ill of the emperor alone could not 
 prevail to ;ig the number of the gods, to which 
 
435 
 
 he was so decidedly inclined Vetus erat decretum, ne qui 
 deus ab impcratore consecraretur, nisi a senaui probatus. 
 There was an ancient decree that no god should be consecrated 
 by the cmfieror, unless a/tfiroved by the senate, Tertullian 
 would not have dared, at that time, to have .affirmed these 
 things, had they not been true: much less would he have 
 thrown out the challenge, "Consult your records!'' 
 
 NOTE 7. ORIGEN mentions Phlegon's testimony to the 
 darkness at our Lord's crucifixion, as also to the earthquake. 
 
 vrt T/ 
 
 TOM 
 
 Ortg. contra Cels.fi. 80. Cantab, edit. 1677. 
 
 NOTE 8 __ To what has been translated from PLINY in 
 (he Lecture, may be added his testimony of the rapid spread of 
 Christianity. 
 
 "Many of every age, of every rank, and of both sexes, were 
 brought into danger. The contagion of this superstition had 
 spread, not into cities merely, but also into villages, and into 
 fields. The temples were nearly desolate. The most sacred 
 rites for some time were suspended. And scarcely any one 
 was found to purchase victims for them. 
 
 Plin. Efiist. lib. x. ejiist. 97. 
 
 LECTURE XIII. 
 
 IT would be a very easy thing to produce evidences from ali 
 contemporary historians of the sufferings of the apostles, of 
 their unshaken firmness, and of the undiminished and resistless 
 attractions of Christianity; but we shall content ourselves with 
 the selection of a few. 
 
 Tacitus relates the fact of the persecution raised against the 
 Christians by Nero, and describes it as attended by "circum- 
 stances of the utmost rigor and cruelty." 
 
 Tacit. Antial. lib. xv, cap. 44. 
 
 Suetonius bears the same testimony to the sufferings of these 
 primitive saipts, when he says, "The Christians were severely 
 punished a class of men devoted to a novel and mischievous 
 superstition.'* 
 
 Suet. jYero Claud. Cans. cap. xvi. 
 
 Pliny describes their worship, while he condemns what he 
 palls their obstinacy, and confesses that they were harmless in 
 
436 
 
 their deportment. "They were accustomed," he says, "to as- 
 semble, and to sing- hymns to Christ, as to God." Soliii essent 
 conveuire, curmenque Christo quasi Deo dicere- 
 
 Plin. in Efiist. 
 
 An ancient superstition, the worship of Jesus Christ as God 
 is, if it be indeed what it is represented by Unitarians 
 idolatry! 
 
 The ancient fathers bear the same testimony with these pro- 
 fane historians: and they indeed shared the calamities which 
 they described. Justin Martyr says "So far from repenting 
 of your sins" (in crucifying the Savior) "ye sent men of distin- 
 guished talents through every land, to represent Christians as 
 atheists, and to disseminate in their discourses all those evil re- 
 potts of us which those have raised who knew us not!" 
 
 Ju*t. Mart. Dial, cum Tryfih. p. 171. Thirlb. 
 
 Yet, amid all this virulence of opposition, the cause of Chris- 
 tianity grew.; and while their enemies raved, "To the lions with 
 them," the whole world beheld them rising on every side as 
 willing to suft'er, as their adversaries were eager to afflict. But 
 we shall say nothing further. If any man desires a confirma- 
 tion of the preceding Lecture, he has only to read Justin Mar- 
 tyr, and Tertullian. 
 
 LECTURE XIV. 
 
 WE have described the sun as a body of fire. Such it has 
 long been considered: but modern astronomy has shaken this 
 opinion of antiquity. The ingenious Dr. Herchel supposes "thai 
 it is an opaque body surrounded by an atmosphere of aphosphoric 
 nature, composed of various transparent and elastic fluids, by 
 the decomposition of which light is produced, and lucid appear- 
 ances formed of different degrees and intensity." And he con- 
 cludes that it is even probably an inhabited world. We venture 
 not to hazard an opinion upon this novel hypothesis: the name of 
 Dr. Hcrsch* 1 ranks high in the department of literature which 
 nc has chosen. But may I be permitted to recommend to the at- 
 tention of young persons, studying the principles of astronomy, 
 .;ory'b Lessons Astronomical and Philosophical." from 
 which the above statement is extracted? They are familiar and 
 instructive, atmibing and scientific, at one and the same time. 
 
 THE END. 
 
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