This book proceeds with the history of Ifaac, which becomes very interesting to us, from the touching fcene al ready mentioned; and still more fo, if we confider him as the type of our Saviour. It recounts his marriage with Rebecca; the birth and history of his two fons, Jacob, father of the twelve tribes, and Efau, father of the Edomites; the exquifitely affecting ftory of Jofeph and his brethren, and of his tranfplanting the Ifraelites into Egypt, who there multiplied to a great nation.

CHAPTER LXXXIX.

OF EXODUS-The Mercies of GOD.

'N Exodus you read of a series of wonders wrought

from the cruel tyranny of the Egyptians, who, having firft received them as guests, by degrees reduced them to a ftate of flavery. By the most peculiar mercies and exertions in their favour, GoD prepared his chofen people to receive with reverent and obedient hearts, the folemn res. titution of thofe primitive laws, which probably he had revealed to Adam and his immediate defcendants, or which, at leaf, he had made known by the dictates of confcience; but which time, and the degeneracy of mankind, had much obfcured.

2. This important revelation was made to them in the wilderness of Sinai; there affembled before the burning mountain, furrounded with blackness and darkness, and tempefts," they heard the awful voice of GoD pronounce the eternal law, impreffing it on their hearts with circumftances of terror, but without thofe encouragements, and thofe excellent promifes, which were afterwards offered to mankind by Jefus Chrift. 1 bus were the great laws of morality restored to the Jews, and through them, trans, mitted to other nations; and by that means, a great res traint was opposed to the torrent of vice and impiety, which began to prevail over the world.

3. To thofe moral precepts, which are of perpetual and univerfal obligation, were fuperadded, by the miniftration of Mofes, many peculiar inftitutions, wifely adapted to different ends, either to fix the memory of those past de

liverances, which were figurative of a future and far grea ter falvation; to place inviolable barriers between the Jews and the idolatrous nations by whom they were fur. rounded, or, to be the civil law by which the community was to be governed.

4. To conduct this series of events, and to establish these laws with his people, GoD raised up that great pro phet, Mofes, whofe faith and piety enabled him to undertake and execute the most arduous enterprizes; and to pursue with unabated zeal, the welfare of his countrymen. Even in the hour of death, this generous ardour ftill prevailed; his laft moments were employed in fervent pray. ers for their profperity, and in rapturous gratitude for the glimpfe vouchfafed him of a Saviour, far greater than himfelf, whom God would one day raise up to his people.

5. Thus did Mofes, by the excellency of his faith, obtain a glorious pre-eminence among the faints and prophets in heaven; while on earth, he will be ever revered as the first of those benefactors to mankind, whofe labours for the public good have endeared their memories to all ages.

I.

CHAPTER XC.

OF LEVITICUS, NUMBERS, AND DEUTERONOMY.

L

The true Worship of God.

EVITICUS contains little befides the laws for the peculiar ritual obfervance of the Jews, and therefore affords no great instruction to us now. Numbers is chiefly a continuation of the history, with some rit pal laws.

2. In Deuteronomy, Mofes makes a recapitulation of the foregoing hiftory, with zealous exhortations to the people, faithfully to worship and obey that God, who had worked fuch amazing wonders for them. He promifes them the nobleft temporal bleffings, if they prove obedient; and adds the most awful and ftriking denunciations against them, if they rebel, or forfake the true God.

3. The fanctions of the Mofaic law were temporal rewards and punishments; thofe of the New Teftament, are

eternal; these last, as they are infinitely more forcible that the first, were referved for the last, best gift to mankind, and were revealed by the Messiah, in the fulleft and cleareft manner.

4. Mofes, in this book, directs the method in which the Ifraelites were to deal with the feven nations, whom they were appointed to punish for their profligacy and idolatry, and whose land they were to poffefs, when they had driv en out the old inhabitants. He gives them excellent laws, civil as well as religious, which were ever after the standing municipal laws of that people. This book concludes with Mofes' fong and death.

CHAPTER XCI.

OF JOSHUA - The punishment of Idolatry.

HE book of Joshua contains the conquefts of the Ifraelites over the feven nations, and their efablifhment in the promised land. Their treatment to these conquered nations must appear to you very cruel and unjuft, if you confider it as their own act, unauthorized by a pofitive command; but they had the most abfolute injunc tions, not to fpare these corrupt people, "to make no cov. enant with them, nor fhew mercy to them, but utterly to destroy them" The reafon is given, "left they fhould turn away the Ifraelites from following the LORD, that they might ferve other gods."

2. The children of Ifrael, are to be confidered as in ftruments in the hands of the LORD, to punish those, whose idolatry and wickednefs had defervedly brought deftruction on them. This example, therefore, cannot be pleaded in behalf of cruelty, or bring any imputation on the character of the Jews. With regard to other cities, which did not belong to these seven nations, they were directed to deal with them according to the common law of arms at that time. If the city fubmitted, it became tributary, and the people were fpared; if it refifted, the men were to be flain, but the women and children faved.

3. Though the crime of cruelty cannot be joftly laid to their charge on this occafion, you will obferve, in the

courfe of their hiftory, many things recorded of them, very different from what you would expect from the chofen people of GoD, if you fuppofe them felected on account of their own merit. Their national character was by no means, amiable; and we are repeatedly told, that they were not chofen for their fuperior righteousness, "for they were a ftiff necked people, and provoked the LORD with rebellions from the day they left Egypt." "You have been rebel ious against the Lord," fays Mofes," from the day that I knew you."

4 They were appointed to be the fcourge of other nations, whofe crimes rendered them fit objects of divine chaftifement. For the fake of righteous Abraham, their founder, and perhaps for many other wife reafons, undif covered to us, they were felected from a world over run with idolatry, to preferve upon earth the pure worship of the one only God, and to be honoured with the birth of the Meffiah amongst them. For this end they were precluded, by divine command, from mixing with other peo ple, and defended by a great number of peculiar rites and obfervances, from falling into the corrupt worship practised by their neighbours.

CHAPTER XCII.

OF JOB.

1

Religious Devotion, the Power, Wisdom, and Magnificence of GoD, and the comparative Littleness and Ignorance of Man.

I.

T

HE ftory of Job is probably very ancient; it is dated 1520 years before Chrift; I believe it is uncertain by whom it was written. Many parts of it are obfcure; but it is well worth ftudying, for the extreme beauty of the poetry, and for, the noble and fublime devo tion it contains. The fubject of difpute between Job and his pretended friends, feems to be, whether the Providence of God diftributes the rewards and punishments of this life in exact proportion to the merit or demerit of each individual.

2. His antagonists fuppofe that it does; and therefore infer, from Job's uncommon calamities, that, notwith

standing his apparent righteousness, he was in reality a grievous finner. They aggravate his fuppofed guilt, by the imputation of hypocrify, and call upon him to confefs it, and to acknowledge the juftice of his punishment. Job afferts his own innocence and virtue in the most pathetic manner, yet does not prefume to accufe the Supreme Being of injuftice.

3. Elihu attempts to arbitrate the matter, by alleging the impoffibility, that fo frail and ignorant a creature as man, fhould comprehend the ways of the Almighty; and therefore, condemns the unjust and cruel inference the three friends had drawn from the fufferings of Job. He alfo blames Job for the prefumption of acquitting him. felf of all iniquity, fince the best of men are not pure in the fight of GOD; but all have fomething of which they must repent; and he advifes him to make this ufe of his affliction.

4. At last, by a bold figure of poetry, the Supreme Being himself is introduced, fpeaking from the whirlwind, and filencing them all by the most fublime display of his own power, magnificence and wisdom, and the comparative littlenefs and ignorance of man. This, indeed, is the only conclufion of the argument, which could be drawn at a time when life and immortality were not yet brought to light. A future retribution is the only fatisfactory folution of the difficulty arifing from the fufferings of good people in this life.

I.

I

CHAPTER XCIII.

OF THE PSALMS.-Piety and Devotion.

F you have any tafte, either for poetry or devotion, they will be your delight, and afford you a contin ual feast. Select fome of the best pfalms, and get them by heart; or, at least, make yourself master of the fentiments they contain, and by comparing them with the events of David's life, you will greatly enhance your pleafure in them.