Old Teftament, if I were to collect all the paffages of this excellent moral tendency, which exprefs the confidence of good men in the favour of God, and the protection of his providence, together with his displeasure at vice, and the certain and ultimate deftruction of the wicked. It is in vain that we look for fuch excellent and animated fentiments as these in any heathen writings, The ideas they had of their gods, and of their intercourse with men, could not poffibly fuggeft them.

The book of Pfalms, and the writings of the prophets, give us fuch an idea of the character of the Supreme Being, as could not fail to have the beft moral influence; and as I recite the paffages which I have collected, which has been almost at random, with very little selection, on this fubject, do you compare them with any you can recollect concerning the character of the heathen gods in the best of the heathen poets. Pf, cxlv. 17. "The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works." verse 9. "The Lord is good unto all, and his tender mercies are over all his works." Pf. ciii. "Blefs the Lord, O my foul, and all that

7

is

is within me blefs his holy name.

The

Lord is merciful and gracious, flow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide, neither will he keep his anger for ever. Like as a father pitieth his children, fo the Lord pitieth them that fear him; for he knoweth our frame, he remembereth that we are duft. The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting to them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children, to such as keep his covenant, and to thofe that remember his commandments to do them." This pfalm concludes in the following manner. "The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom ruleth over all. Bless the Lord ye his angels, that excel in ftrength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word. Blefs the Lord all his works, in all places of his dominion. Blefs the Lord, O my foul."

When we meet with fuch ideas as these of the character and disposition of the God of the Hebrews, not only in the book of Pfalms, but through all the Old Teftament, we must see that all the objections to it by modern unbelievers, from the history of the

extermination of the Canaanites, and a few other circumstances, must be mere cavils. The minds of the pious Hebrews, who could not but be well acquainted with them all, and, being nearer to the transactions, must have seen them in a truer light than we can do, were, notwithstanding, impreffed with the most exalted ideas of the justice and mercy of God, and the maxims of his moral government. The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah by fire from heaven, and of the Canaanites by the fword of Ifrael, gave them no other idea than that of his abhorrence of vice, and his love of virtue and goodness. They were, in confequence, filled with fentiments of the pureft love and reverence, and from their admiration and imitation of his conduct were led to every thing that was amiable and excellent in their own. Compared with this, what was the character of the gods that were worshipped by nations of equal antiquity with the Hebrews? Many of them were of the most flagitious character, and believed to be guilty of the most flagitious actions. The greatest of them were beings, to whom human facrifices, and the groffeft abominations, were most pleasing.

DISCOURSE I.

The moral Defign of Revelation.

PART II.

The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the foul. The teftimony of the Lord is fure, making wife the fimple. The ftatutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever. The judgments of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. PSALM XIX. 7, &c.

THE Proverbs of Solomon, no lefs than the Pfalms, discover the excellent moral tendency of the religion of the Hebrews. Prov. i. 7. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. My son, if finners entice thee, confent thou not. Walk thou not in the way with them, refrain thy foot from their path." ii. 10. "When wisdom entereth into thy heart, and knowledge is pleafant to thy foul, difcretion fhall preserve thee, understanding fhall keep thee; to de

liver

liver thee from the way of the evil man, from the men that fpeak perverfe things, who leave the path of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness; who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked; whofe ways are crooked, and they are froward in their path to deliver thee from the strange woman, from the stranger that flattereth with her words; who forfaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God.

inclineth unto death, and her

For her house

paths unto the

dead. None that go into it return again; neither take they hold of the path of life; that thou mayeft walk in the way of good men, and keep the path of the righteous. For the upright fhall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it; but the wicked fhall be cut off from the earth, and the tranfgreffors fhall be rooted out of it." Prov. iv. 14. "Hear, ye children, the inftruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. For I give you good doctrine, for fake you not my law. Wisdom is the principal thing, therefore get wifdom, and with all thy getting get understanding. Take faft hold on inftruction, let her not

go,