gence of a natural appetite; and so on.

Have fuch

excufes as thefe been thought fufficient in the cafe before us? The eating of the forbidden fruit was only indulging a natural appetite directly contrary to the Divine Command. And it is very likely, that our first parents did not duly attend to all the probable confequences of their tranfgreffion. But neither of thefe apologies, nor the inexperience of the offenders, nor their being overcome by temptation, were fufficient to avert the Divine difpleasure, the marks of which, we and our world bear to this hour. Difobedience to a known law given by our Creator and Governor, is always to be looked upon with horror. And no falfe apology ought to be thought of: for we may affure ourfelves, none will be admitted before our All-feeing Judge, who is not to be deceived.

The next remarkable object of our confideration, in this general furvey of Scripture, is a dark prophecy of a conqueft to be gained, by one miraculoufly defcended of our fpecies, over the grand enemy and firft feducer of mankind; which alfo implies fome comfortable hopes of a restoration of the human race to the Divine favour.

The next difpenfation of Heaven, which we read of in Scripture, is that moft awful and remarkable judgment of the univerfal deluge, by which the human race were, for the unverfal corruption of their manners, at once fwept off the face of the earth, and the world cleanfed from the impurity of its inhabitants. Nothing can be conceived more proper for making a powerful and lafting impreffion on mankind, or convincing them of the Divine abhorrence of vice and difobedience, than to be informed that it occafioned the cutting off, or unmaking, the whole fpecies, except eight perfons, whom their fingular virtue preferved amidst the general wreck of nature.

It is remarkable, that after the flood, we find the period of man's life confiderably reduced below the standard of it in the Antediluvian age. This is no more than was to be expected, confidering what use the ancients had made of the great length of life they enjoyed. The abridging the term of Human Life is also a standing memorial

memorial of the Divine difpleasure against vice. It naturally tends, by bringing death nearer the view of even the youngeft, to leffen men's attachment to the prefent ftate, and lead them to think of one better, and more lafting. By this means alfo, the opportunities of offending being leffened, the guilt and punishment of wretched mortals comes to be very confiderably diminished.

The laws given to Noah upon his coming out of the ark, feem to be intended for mankind in general, as he was the common father of all who have lived fince his time. And we know of no general repeal of them. The liberty of killing animals for food is derived wholly from hence; a right which we could not otherwife pretend to. Nor can the oppofers of the Divine Authority of Scripture, fhew any pretence for killing a living creature for food, or any fhadow of the title which the human fpecies have to the life of any creature whatever, but this grant from the Author of life, and Maker of all creatures, who alone has a right to difpofe of the lives of his creatures.

The command for putting to death every murderer without exception, which law is no where repealed, feems effectually to cut off all power of pardoning that atrocious crime. And many crowned heads have accordingly made it a rule never to extend their mercy to offenders of that fort.

As to the prohibition of blood, its obligation on us has been disputed. But, as the blood is the feat of almoft every disease, and is a grofs, unwholefome, and naufeous fubftance, confifting of earth, falt, and phlegm, the best way is evidently to abftain from it, and fo make fure of avoiding a breach of a prohibition. And indeed, in all doubtful cafes, prudence will always direct to keep on the fafe fide. At the fame time, the exceffive fcrupuloufnefs of the Jews about the least particle of blood is abfurd. The prohibition is only against eating an animal with the blood in it. And the intention was probably two-fold. One for the advantage of health; the other religious; that, in fhedding the 4 blood

Ff4

blood of the animal, a libation or offering might thereby be paid to the Lord of life, and Giver of all gifts.

The account we have in Scripture of the building of the tower of Babel, the confufion of tongues, and feattering the people abroad into different countries, is moft naturally folved by fuppofing their defign to have been, to set up an univerfal empire, whofe established religion fhould be idolatry and polytheifm. This being quite contrary to the Divine intention in bleffing mankind with a revelation from himfelf, it was not fit, that it should be fuffered to take place, at a time, when there was no nation in the world, in which the worship of the true God prevailed. The difappointment of fuch a defign is therefore a Divine difpenfation fit to be recorded in Scripture.

The deftruction of the cities of the Plain, for their abominable and unnatural vices, is a Divine judgment very fit to be related in the records of the difpenfations of God to mankind. For fuch exemplary vengeance on the inhabitants of whole towns, upon kingdoms and empires, and upon the whole world together, as we have authentic accounts of in Scripture, fhews, that numbers, inftead of alleviating, do in fact aggravate the guilt of offenders, and draw down a fwifter and furer deftruction. When we read in Scripture of kingdoms broken in pieces, of cities deftroyed by fire from Heaven, of nations partly driven from their own country, and fcattered abroad over the face of the earth, and partly given up to be maffacred by a bloody enemy; and of the whole inhabitants of the world fwept at once into a watery grave; all for vices fashionable in those times, and patronifed by the great; when we read fuch accounts of the effects of following fashion and imitating great examples, we must have very little thought, if we can bring ourselves to imagine, that there is any fafety in giving up confcience to fashion, or that such an excufe will at all alleviate our guilt, or punishment. While we are in the full purfuit and enjoyment of tolly and vice, we rejoice in going along with the multitude, not confidering, how much we shall with hereafter, that we had been fingular and unfashionable, like the illuf

trious heroes of ancient times, Noah, Lot, and Abraham, who had the courage to ftand the empty raillery of their cotemporaries; fingular in their virtue, and fingular in the reward of it. Thofe, who now encourage us in vice and folly, will not hereafter affist us in fuffering their appointed confequences. And the appearance of God, angels, and just men, on the fide of virtue at last, will make another fort of fhew for keeping its votaries in countenance, than that of the fine folks does now for the fupport of the oppofite practice.

The most remarkable inftance that ever was given of the Divine approbation, and diftinguishing favour for fingular goodness, is in the cafe of Abraham. This venerable patriarch, according to the Scripture account, was a faithful worshipper of the true God, while the whole world was funk in idolatry and fuperftition. He is on that account honoured with the glorious titles of Father of the Faithful, and Friend of God; appointed head of the family, from whence the Meffiah was to fpring; and his pofterity chofen of God for a peculiar people, the keepers of the Divine oracles, and the only witneffes for the true God, against an idolatrous world. He himself is called from his own country, and directed by Divine authority to remove to a diftant land; he is tried and improved by difficulties: for hardships are often marks of the Divine favour, rather than the contrary. That the honours fhewn him in confequence of his fingular piety might be confpicuous to the whole world, they do not drop with him; but are continued to his pofterity, who have been, and are likely to be, the most remarkable people on earth, and diftinguished from all others, as long as the world lafts.

It is very remarkable, that there is hardly a great character in Scripture, in which we have not an express account of fome blemish. A very strong prefumption, that the narration is taken from truth; not fancy. Of this illuftrious pattern of heroic and fingular virtue, some inftances of fhameful timidity, and diffidence in the Divine Providence, are related. Of Mofes fome marks of peevishness are by himself confeffed. The character of the divine pfalmift is fhaded with fome grofs faults. Solomon,

Solomon, the wifeft of men, is recorded to have been guilty of the greatest folly. Several of the prophets are cenfured for their misbehaviour. The weakness and timidity of the apoftles in general, in forfaking their Mafter in his extremity, are faithfully reprefented by themselves, and even the aggravated crime of denying him with oaths (to fay nothing of Judas's treachery) not concealed. This is not the ftrain of a romance. The inventors of a plaufible ftory would not have purpofely difparaged the characters of their heroes in fuch a manner, to gain no rational end whatever.

One useful and noble inftruction from this remarkable mixture in the characters of the Scripture-worthies, is, That human nature, in its prefent ftate, is at beft greatly defective, and liable to fatal errors, which, at the fame time, if not perfifted in, but reformed, do not hinder a character from being predominately good, or difqualify a perfon from the Divine mercy; which, it is to be hoped, has been the cafe of many in all ages, nations, and religions, though none perfect. Which teaches us the proper courfe we ought to take, when we discover in ourselves any wicked tendency, or have fallen into any grofs error; to wit, Not to give ourselves up to despair; but to refolve bravely to reform it, and recover our virtue.

We are told in Scripture, that the defcendants of Abraham were, by a peculiar providence, carried into Egypt. The defign of this was, probably, to communicate to that people, the parents of learning in those early times, fome knowledge of the God of Abraham, which might remain after they were gone from thence, and from them might spread to the other nations around. The figual miracles wrought by Moses; the ten immediate judgments inflicted upon the people of Egypt; the deliverance of the Ifraelites from their bondage, with a high hand, in open defiance of the Egyptian power, under the conduct of a shepherd; and the deftruction of the whole Egyptian army, in their endeavour to stop their flight; thefe confpicuous interpofitions ought to have convinced that people, that the God whom the Ifraelites worshipped, was fuperior to their baffled