⚫ we fuppofe them to have acted like men in their wits

6

(and there is no tolerable reafon to fufpect the con

trary), we must conclude, that nothing but a sense of their duty could prompt them to do this; for they

⚫ could propofe no advantage to themselves by it, but on 'the contrary were to expect all the fcorn and mifery, "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 fo '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 prin'ciple of confcience, and that they were perfuaded of 'the truth and great concern of these things, and there'fore fpoke, they might, with much more advantage to themselves, have let men be quiet and go on fecurely in their fins. Many of their troubles and fufferings we 'find recorded in their own books, but feveral other fcripture-writers affure us, that they were generally martyrs for the truth's fake, and yet none of these sufferings could prevail with them to retract any thing they had faid, or to confefs that they had been deluded ' themselves, or impofed upon others, and faid, the Lord 'faith, though he had not spoken.'

6

We find, fays the fame writer, that they fet forth the abfurdity of Pagan idolatry with great strength of argument: and endeavour to give men clear and distinct ' notions of God's fpirituality, unity, omniprefence, uni-. verfal providence,-and juftice in rewarding men according to their works. They unfold the methods of providence in difpofing of kingdoms, and making use

' of wicked princes and nations to be the inftruments of 'God's juftice in punishing the fins of others. Such

4

⚫ difcourfes do not look like the idle dreams of a melan

choly and difturbed fancy, but do indeed anfwer the character they pretend to1.'

Whilft other nations,' fays Dr. Prieftley, were addicted to the moft wretched fuperftitions, having recourfe to various divinations, and arts of witchcraft, whenever they wanted to get intelligence concerning 'future events, or the affiftance of fuperior powers, the 'Jewish people were taught to hold all these things in ⚫ deferved contempt and abhorrence. They were in* ftructed to expect no information concerning future ' events, or affistance 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 ob* ferved, alfo, that the Jewish prophets delivered themfelves with gravity and seriousness, worthy of the majefty of him that sent them, and did not use those vio⚫lent convulfions, foamings at the mouth, and extrava'gant geftures, which the heathen diviners had recourfe ⚫ to, in order to dazzle and impose upon those who confulted them. So far is there from being any pretence for faying, that the Jews were naturally more intelligent than their neighbours, and attained thofe juft no'tions of religion and morality by their own reafon and ' good fenfe, that their own hiftory always represents 'them as ftiff-necked, and flow of understanding; and 'to this very day their enemies conftantly reproach them as being the moft ftupid of mankind. Befides, their history fhews, that the Jews were naturally as ' prone to idolatry and fuperftition as any other people 'could be; and their frequent relapses into the idolatry

4

Lowth's Vindication of the Divine Authority and Inspiration of the Old and New Teftament, 1692, p. 118, 121. Y 4

' of

⚫ of their neighbours-demonftrate, that, had it not been ⚫ for divine inftructions, inculcated again and again, they 'would have been far from fhewing an example of a purer religion, or more rational worship, than fuch as prevailed in other countries "'

The characters of the eminent perfons mentioned in 'the fcriptures arife,' fays Dr. Hartley, so much, in an indirect way, from the plain narrations of facts,' and 'their fins and imperfections are so fully fet 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 the fcripture-history.' At the fame time the character of the prophets in general was uncommonly excellent. Far too excellent, indeed, to allow the fuppofition of an im'pious fraud and impofture; which must be the case, if 'they had not divine authority 20.

If the prophetic writings of the Jews were the fabrications of fanaticifm or impofture, what imaginable 'reafon is there,' afks a divine of the laft century, why 'the oracles of all the Heathen nations fhould never' have been much regarded, and now, in a manner, be 'utterly loft, 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 11?'

21

The great variety obfervable in the style of the books of the Old Teftament makes it improbable,' fays Dr. Doddridge, they should have been the work of one, and the unity of defign, that they should have been the

invention of many: for if these fuppofed inventors

lived in different ages, they could not have confulted

19 Inftitutes, vol. I. p. 366.

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

"Jenkin's Reasonableness and Certainty of the Chr. Rel. 1698, vol. I. p. 253.

⚫ with

with each other; and if they lived in the fame age, the • largeness of their plan, would only have fubjected them to new difficulties, without being likely to answer any • valuable end 22' To the fame purpose speaks bp. Hurd. In all the Hebrew prophets a unity of defign is confpicuous; yet without the least appearance of collulufion, fince each prophet hath his own peculiar views, ' and enlarges on facts and circumftances unnoticed by any other. Farther ftill, thefe various and fucceffive * prophecies are so intimately blended, and, as we may 'fay, incorporated with each other, that the credit of all depends on the truth of each. For, the accomplish'ment of them falling in different times, every preced

ing prophecy becomes furety, as it were, for thofe that 'follow; and the failure of any one must bring disgrace ' and ruin on all the reft 23.'

The greater part of the Hebrew prophets are written in poetry 24. Now the graceful dignity of the Hebrew poetry cannot, obferves a great proficient in biblical learning, be always perceived in a verbal translation; ⚫ which not uncommonly disguises the original, as much as a profaic rendering would caft a veil over the beauties of Homer or Sophocles. However,' fays this writer, various kinds of beauty will ever fhine by their 'native splendour throughout the Hebrew fcriptures 25.' Amongst other confiderations, which may be adverted to as accounting for the obscurity to be found in the Hebrew fcriptures, it may be remarked, that they are the productions of perfons, who lived in A PERIOD OF TIME, and in A COUNTRY OF THE GLOBE, far remote from our own. Accordingly, fays bp. Chandler,

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

13 Vol. I. p. 136.

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

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

• the

"the Hebrew, as other Eastern languages, is entirely dif ⚫ferent from the European. Many things are there left to be fupplied by the quickness of the reader's apprehenfion, which are with us expreffed by proper words and repetitions. Particles disjunctive and adverfative, fignificative marks of connexion, and of transition from one fubject to another, are often omitted here. Dialogues are carried on, objections anfwered, com⚫ parifons made, without notice in the discourse 2.

.

Befides, the remains of the Hebrew language are, bp. Newcome obferves, comprehended in one volume; 'ample indeed, and greatly diverfified as to its matter and ftyle, but of very inconsiderable bulk, when compared with the Greek and Roman writings, which have escaped the wreck of time. Hence,' fays the learned prelate, it follows, that we are not acquainted with its 'full extent. If the book of Jafher and of Lamenta tions, all the odes of Solomon, and all his writings on • natural history, were now extant; if the larger annals "of the kings of Judah and Ifrael, and the histories as* fcribed to several prophets, had also been tranfmitted to us, the Hebrew tongue would have been enriched with "many additional words and phrases, and many dark pas'fages in the books which are preferved would havé ⚫ been placed in the clearest light.'

But notwithstanding the existence of fuch paffages be admitted, yet, fays this able critic, there are very few words or phrafes in the Hebrew fcriptures, of ' which a probable explanation cannot be given, either from the nature of the thing, or the context, or a 'comparifon of the doubtful place with parallel ones, or the aid of the fifter languages, or the interpretations of the ancient tranflators.-The books of Mofes contain an authentic fyftem of the religious

Def. of Chr. from the Proph. Intr. p. 11.