transactions, which are spoken of with commendation in the sacred writings, betraying too great a willingness to see things in the most unfavourable point of view. This appears in his disposition to give credit to other historians rather than those who were most competent to the facts they treat of; in what he says concerning the rite of circumcision among the Hebrews; in his insinuations against Abraham, and imputing his readiness, at the known command of God, to have put his son to death, to a proneness for human sacrifices in those days, instead of extolling the pious and right dispositions he shewed on that occasion, which this noble author would not have failed to do, had he considered the history and all its circum stances without prejudice; in his secking to depreciate and asperse the fair unspotted name of Joseph, governor of the country under Pharaoh, as combined with the priests of Egypt, to enslave the nation to the king, and put their whole property into his hands, from having married into the family of one of them, Equally uncandid and groundless were his accusations of Moses on similar suspicions and surmises: for, had he met with such characters in Grecian story, he would not have ceased to applaud and admire them; the Hebrew youth, as a most amiable pattern of filial piety, generous fraternal affection, and purity of manners; and the Hebrew legislator, for his consummate wisdom, and for devoting himself and all his powers, without any self-secking, to the good of others.

Such hasty condemnation, in these and some other

instances,

instances, he would not have suffered himself to pass, if, without undue bias, he had calmly considered, That men chosen of God for important purposes, and therefore extraordinarily favoured by him, were not, nor was it necessary they should be, faultless persons; that in the infancy of a commonwealth, of a natureso peculiar as that of the Hebrews, a harsher discipline might at first be needed: as for instance, in adjudging the man (Numb. xv.) that gathered sticks on the sabbath to be stoned to death, to restrain and deter others from the violation of its laws in future, and in things of greater moment.

And with regard to the extermination of the idolatrous nations of Canaan, and the severities and destruction accompanying it, which have been much exaggerated, and may hereafter be noted; may it not deserve to be considered, whether in the instance of a general destruction injoined of innocent children with persons grown up, such proceedings might not be authorized by the righteous moral governor of the world, in mercy to the unfortunate sufferers themselves; whilst, in putting an end to the lives of his creatures, he put an end to the most horrid vice, (in which the young would have been trained, and others grown worse,) by continuing in which they would only have been more and more removed from, and with more difficulty recovered and brought back to virtue and to true happiness.

Add to this, a most important consideration, that such temporary severity tended immediately to deter

and

and prevent the Israelites and the nations around from becoming infected with and going on in such practices, for which these people were doomed to suffer; I mean practices not to be named; of the most defiling, promiscuous commerce between the sexes; and of that dreadful superstition which led them to make their children pass through the fire to be consumed in it, in honour of their false gods.

Had the pure, well-disposed mind of Lord Shaftsbury been sufficiently unwarped to behold these things in their true light, he would have been far from imputing blame here. He who was penetrated with a full persuasion of the perfect unlimited goodness of the universal parent; and of the present life being only a beginning to a progressive state of his rational offspring, for their improvement in virtue and happiness for ever*.

However he might sometimes affect to speak lightly of the argument from miracles, the only one that can fully prove to us a divine revelation, he sometimes. shewed that he understood and valued it, and would by no means be thought to reject it. In the Characteristicks, vol. ii. p. 332, 333, 334, there is a fine passage to this purpose, the whole of which deserves perusal. The noble writer begins with establishing, as he styles it, "a just and rational foundation for

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* See Lord Shaftsbury's Letters, p. 20. Mr. Martin's

edition.

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our faith, on which we may give credit to a divine revelation; namely, when it comes recommended to us by the testimony of those whose characters and lives might answer for them as to the truth of what they reported to us from God." And he then very properly remarks, that miracles of themselves are proofs only of superior power; and that we must be persuaded that the power is under the direction of supreme wisdom and goodness; in short, that there is a God, who by his wise and good providence appoints and governs all things, before we can rely on any miraculous communications from him; and then concludes in these words; "To whom therefore the Laws of this Universe and its Government appear just and uniform; to him they speak the Government of one JUST ONE; to him they reveal and witness a God and laying in him the foundation of this first Faith, they fit him for a subsequent one. He can then hearken to Historical Revelation: and is then fitted (and not till then) for the reception of any Message or miraculous Notice from above; where he knows beforehand all is just and true. But this no power of Miracles, nor any Power besides his Reason, can make him know or apprehend." He who writes. in this sort cannot justly be pronounced a rejector of all miracles, or disbeliever of divine revelation.

It must not be omitted, that in the year 1710, Lord Shaftsbury having been informed by the young man whom he had educated for the ministry, at the university of Oxford, that he had been very lately

ordained

ordained by Dr. Burnet, Bishop of Salisbury, thus, among other things, writes back to him: "July 10th, 1710. I hope whatever advice the great and good bishop gave you, will sink deeply into your mind: and that your receiving orders from the hands of so worthy a prelate will be one of the circumstances, which may help to insure your steadiness in honesty, good principles, moderation and true Christianity."--"As for my part of kindness and friendship to you, I shall be sufficiently recompensed, if you prove (as you have ever promised) a virtuous, pious, sober, and studious man, as becomes the solemn charge belonging to you."

"The thorough knowledge you have had of me, and the direction of all my studies and life to the promotion of religion, virtue and the good of mankind, will (I hope) be of some good example to you at least it will be a hindrance to your being seduced by infamies and calumnies; such as are thrown upon the men called moderate, and in their style indifferent in religion, heterodox, and heretical." "I pray God to bless you in your new function, with all the true virtue, humility, moderation, and meekness, which becomes it.

I am your hearty friend,

S."

It should now seem from these facts and authorities laid together, that we must in all equity conclude, that this celebrated writer did not make the declarations

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