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when men were busier in cultivating the earth than in cultivating arts and sciences, and in seeking the necessaries of life, than in the study of morality, they might forget their creator and governor; and therefore God maintained amongst them the great article of faith in him, by manifestations of himself; by sending angels to declare his will; by miracles; and by prophecies. These were barriers against atheism.'

2. It was intended to give men the profoundest veneration for that amazing knowlege from which nothing was concealed, not even the future actions of creatures, and the things which as yet were not. How could a man hope to hide any counsel, any design, or thought from such a being?'

3. It contributed to keep up devotion and true religion, the religion of the heart, which consists partly in en tertaining just and honorable notions of God and of his perfections, and which is a more rational and a more ac ceptable service than rites and ceremonies.'

( 4. It excited men to rely upon God, and to love him, who condescended to hold this mutual intercourse with his creatures","

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With respect to the Hebrew prophets, whose inspired writings still continue to instruct mankind, it may,' says Mr. Gray, 'be affirmed, that in the long and illustrious succession from Moses to Malachi, not one appears, who was not entitled to considerable reverence by the display of great and extraordinary virtues. Employed in the exalted office of teaching and reforming mankind, they appear to have been animated with a becoming and correspondent zeal.The most intemperate princes were sometimes compelled unwillingly to hear and to obey their directions, though often so incensed by their rebuke, as to resent it by the severest persecutions. Then it was, that the prophets evinced the integrity of their characters, by zealously encountering oppression, hatred, and death, in

16 Rem on Eccl. Hist. 2d ed. vol. I. p. 60.

the cause of religion. Then it was, that they firmly supported trial of cruel mockings and scourgings; yea, moreover, of bonds and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about, destitute, afflicted, tormented."

To the same purpose speaks Mr. Lowth. With what undaunted courage and constancy did they reprove the popular vices of the times they lived in? Not sparing the greatest persons either out of fear or flattery. And if we suppose them to have acted like men in their wits (and there is no tolerable reason to suspect the contrary), we must conclude, that nothing but a sense of their duty could prompt them to do this; for they could propose no advantage to themselves by it, but on the contrary were to expect all the scorn and misery, which the angry and revengeful temper of wicked men in power, whom they had offended, could bring upon them. And it could certainly be no pleasure to be continually reproving men, when there was little or no hopes of reclaiming them: nay, when they had not so much civility as to thank them for their good intentions, and take the good advice, which they offered, kindly at their hands. If it had not been purely out of a principle of conscience, and that they were persuaded of the truth and great concern of these things, and therefore spoke, they might, with much more advantage to themgelves, have let men be quiet and go on securely in their sins. Many of their troubles and sufferings we find recorded in their own books, but several other scripturewriters assure us, that they were generally martyrs for the truth's sake, and yet none of these sufferings could prevail with them to retract any thing they had said, or to confess that they had been deluded themselves, or imposed upon others, and said, the Lord saith, though he had not spoken.'

We find, says the same writer, that they set forth the absurdity of Pagan idolatry with great strength of argu

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ment and endeavor to give men clear and distinct notions of God's spirituality, unity, omnipresence, universal providence, and justice in rewarding men according to their works. They unfold the methods of providence in disposing of kingdoms, and making use of wicked princes and nations to be the instruments of God's justice in punishing the sins of others. Such discourses do not look like the idle dreams of a melancholy and disturbed fancy, but do indeed answer the character they pretend to13.'

• Whilst other nations,' says Dr. Priestley, were addicted to the most wretched superstitions, having recourse to various divinations, and arts of witchcraft, whenever they wanted to get intelligence concerning future events, or the assistance of superior powers, the Jewish people were taught to hold all these things in deserved contempt and abhorrence. They were instructed to expect no information concerning future events, or assistance in any undertaking, but from the one living and true God; and they were commanded to punish all those who pretended to the abominable arts of divination and witchcraft with death. It is observed, also, that the Jewish prophets delivered themselves with gravity and seriousness, worthy of the majesty of him that sent them, and did not use those violent convulsions, foamings at the mouth, and extravagant gestures, which the heathen diviners had recourse to, in order to dazzle and impose upon those who consulted them. So far is there from being any pretence for saying, that the Jews were naturally more intelligent than their neighbors, and attained those just notions of religion and morality by their own reason and good sense, that their own history always represents them as stiff-necked, and slow of understanding; and to this very day their enemies constantly reproach them as being the most stupid of mankind. Besides, their history shews, that the Jews were naturally as prone to idolatry and superstition as any other people

18 Lowth's Vindication of the Divine Authority and Inspiration of the Old and New Testament, 1692, p. 118, 121.

could be; and their frequent relapses into the idolatry of their neighbors-demonstrate, that, had it not been for divine instructions, inculcated again and again, they would have been far from shewing an example of a purer religion, or more rational worship, than such as prevailed in other countries','

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The characters of the eminent persons mentioned in the scriptures arise,' says Dr. Hartley, so much, in an indirect way, from the plain narration of facts,' and 'their sins and imperfections are so fully set forth by themselves, or their friends, with their condemnation and punishment,— that we have in this a remarkable additional evidence for the truth of this part of scripture-history.' At the same time the character of the prophets in general was uncommonly excellent. Far too excellent, indeed, to allow the supposition of an impious fraud and imposture; which must be the case, if they had not divine authority 20

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If the prophetic writings of the Jews were the fabrications of fanaticism or imposture, what imaginable reason is there,' asks a divine of the last century, why the oracles of all the Heathen nations should never' have been much regarded, and now, in a manner, be utterly lost, and that the books of the Jews should still be preserved in their full authority; but the power and advantage of truth in these, and the want of it in them"?"

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The great variety observable in the style of the books of the Old Testament makes it improbable,' says Dr. Doddridge, they should have been the work of one, and the unity of design, that they should have been the invention of many for if these supposed inventors lived in different ages, they could not have consulted with each other; and if they lived in the same age, the largeness of their plan would only have subjected them to new difficulties,

19 Institutes, vol. I. p. 366.

20 On Man, vol. II. p. 170.

21 Jenkin's Reasonableness and Certainty of the Chr. Rel. 1698, vol. I.

p. 253.

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without being likely to answer any valuable end22. To the same purpose speaks bp. Hurd. In all the Hebrew prophets a unity of design is conspicuous; yet without the least appearance of collusion, since each prophet hath his own peculiar views, and enlarges on facts and circumstances unnoticed by any other. Farther still, these various and successive prophecies are so intimately blended, and, as we may say, incorporated with each other, that the credit of all depends on the truth of each. For, the accomplishment of them falling in different times, every preceding prophecy becomes surety, as it were, for those that follow; and the failure of any one must bring disgrace and ruin on all the rest23."

The greater part of the Hebrew prophets are written in poetry24. Now the graceful dignity of the Hebrew poetry cannot, observes a great proficient in biblical learning, be always perceived in a verbal translation; which not uncommonly disguises the original, as much as a prosaic rendering would cast a veil over the beauty of Homer or Sophocles. However,' says this writer, various kinds of beauty will ever shine by their native splendor throughout the Hebrew scriptures?.?

Amongst other considerations, which may be adverted to as accounting for the obscurity to be found in the Hebrew scriptures, it may be remarked, that they are the productions of persons, who lived in A PERIOD OF TIME, and in a countRY OF THE GLOBE, far remote from our own. Accordingly, says bp. Chandler, the Hebrew, as other Eastern languages, is entirely different from the European. Many things are there left to be supplied by the quickness of the reader's apprehension, which are with us expressed by proper words and repetitions. Particles dis

22 Doddridge's Lect. 4to. 1763, p. 280.

23 Vol. I. p. 136.

24 On this point see lectures 18, 19, and 20 of the Prælectiones of bp. Lowth.

25 Newcome's Ezekiel, pref. p. 38.

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