them by his powerful interposition, it must be conceded by every consistent Deist, that he has permitted them for some great and wise purpose, which is too deep for human penetration to fathom. Here you discover, my hearers, that the Deist himself is under the necessity of appealing to the mystery of an inscrutable Providence, to sustain and justify the character of the God of nature: He pleads that it must be for some wise and great end, which, were it fully unfolded to our view, would furnish an ample vindication of the wisdom, the goodness, and the justice of the Creator. With this vindication, we have no disposition to find fault; for our opponents, in this, appear like men of reason. It is a happy circumstance, however, that we are under no such necessity of appealing to mystery, in vindicating the justice and wisdom of God, in the case which this objection embraces; for an ample reason is assigned by the testimony itself.

And I beg leave here to remark, that the Jews were not permitted to slay women and children, on any occasion, in a war with foreign nations; nor any except such as were found in arms against them, even of the men. То the seven Canaanitish nations, they were expressly commanded to tender the olive of peace; and in case this offer was accepted, they were bound to spare their lives and treat them with humanity. But in case they refused to accept the offer of peace, and agree to abstain from the practice of idolatry, the Jews were then permitted to wage against them an exterminating war. For this permission, a reason is assigned in the very connexion where the permission is found :-See Exodus xx. 18-" That they teach you not to do after their abominations, which they have done unto their Gods, so should ye sin against the Lord your God." When we reflect that these Canaanitish nations were in the habit of offering their children in sacrifice to false gods, can it be a matter of surprise that the Jews should be made the instruments of their overthrow, as a token of the divine displeasure; any more, than that God should overthrow and destroy the ante-deluvian world, by a general deluge? Or that he should destroy the cities of the plain by fire, for their wickedness ?-Where in the name of reason is the, difference, except it be, that by de

stroying these incorrigible idolators by the instrumentality of the Israelites, their land and habitations would be left for another and less abominable race of men? Had the idolatrous females of these Canaanitish nations, no participation in the abominable and cruel rites of Paganism?-Did they not seduce the men of Israel, by their artful intrigues, into the snares of their abominations ?— and were they not the means of bringing some of the greatest calamities upon the Jews? And pray, by what principle of philosophy and reason, is idolatry rendered innocent in females, and at the same time, a crime of the blackest die in men ?-There are other reasons given by the historian, which modesty compels us to pass in silence, but which confirm the justice of their punishment. Now, had the children of these nations been preserved, does not reason tell us that they would have sought to revenge the death of their ancestors ?-Or if they had been spared, and not fed and nourished by the Israelites, would they not have suffered incomparably more than they did by an instantaneous overthrow. And again, what is the mighty difference between a destruction of fire, water, or an earthquake, provided these engines be employed by the Deity for that purpose, and an army of men, employed by the same independent agency, for the same end?-For we have already shown that the Deity could have prevented any such events if he chose; and it therefore follows, that he either intended them, or was indifferent about the events: But the supposition of indifference, is a virtual denial of his government of the world. To avoid this conclusion, are we told that men are free agents; and therefore left to destroy whole nations, contrary to the design of God?-We reply, they are not the authors of their agency, and the Being who gave them this agency must have known what effects it would produce; if it were therefore liable to frustrate any of his designs, the gift itself would be indicative of infinite folly and weakness.

The only consistent view which we can take of this subject, is, that the Deity, designing to establish the true worship of his name, in opposition to the universal prevalence of idolatry, adopted such means as would tend to fix, in the minds of men, the most solemn dread of his

power to punish and destroy such as should oppose his worship and deny his authority: And that such an effect was produced, both upon the Israelites, and the surrounding nations, by the signal displays of his judgments, in the days of Moses and Joshua, must appear evident to every attentive reader of their history.

I have devoted eight Lectures to the consideration of some of the most interesting parts of the Pentateuch, and have found the historical facts there recorded, amply supported by profane authority. Two Lectures have been devoted to prove by history, the prophetic inspiration of Moses. The object has been accomplished, if the most respectable historians are worthy of credit. If our opposers are still determined to shut their eyes against these evidences; to deny and ridicule the plainest facts of revelation; to brand the whole with disdainful epithets; to pronounce and denounce these facts as preposterous, absurd and impossible; we demand of them, what tangible or historical evidence they have to justify their bold denial of the truth of these books? They have none, nor dare they pretend it. They may rage, and ridicule, and condemn the Bible, but they will never attempt to offer us such evidence to justify their unbelief, as we have produced in support of the writings of Moses.

There are other objections which have been employed by skeptical writers, but they have been fairly met and answered by numerous authors, who have written in defence of revealed religion: I shall therefore forbear to detain you by their recital or their refutation.

Weigh this subject with candor, my brethren, and may divine wisdom direct you in the path of judgment and truth.

LECTURE X.

ACTS xxvi. 27.

"Believest thou the prophets?""

The divine inspiration of the prophets, has been believed and defended by the Jews, without any intermission, from the days of Moses, till the périod of our Saviour's ministry; and by Jews and Christians from the days of Christ and his Apostles, down to the present generation. A prophet is one who foretels events by means of supernatural instruction, which no human foresight could embrace or unfold. When we speak of a true prophet, therefore, we mean to exhibit a character to whom the Deity has revealed something which is to transpire at a period or periods after such a revelation is made. The act of prophecying, is nothing more nor less than simply declaring such truths as God has revealed.

Two kinds of evidence are afforded, by which a real prophet may be infallibly known. The one is, the accurate fulfilment of his predictions; and the other, that he should openly perform such miracles as to demonstrate that the power of God resides with him, to shield him from all just suspicion of falsehood or fraud.

That kind of evidence to which there appears to be the least objection in the judgment of a majority of mankind, is the literal fulfilment of the prediction. We have already produced an abundance of this kind of evidence, to prove that Moses was a true prophet of God. Predictions of the most astonishing character which he uttered, have been fulfilling from the memorable period of his death, to the present hour. It is not always the case, however, that a prophecy is immediately fulfilled hence a true prophet might be the subject of unwelcome suspicion for a long time, unless a different kind of evidence were afforded.—

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But the prophet whose writings we have been considering, was evidently gifted with miraculous powers.

The miracles which he performed in Egypt, by which the haughty oppressors of the house of Israel were punished, and the deliverance of the Jewish nation was effected, are a standing monument of his inspiration: For we have before seen (as was proved in the fourth Lecture of this course) that the Jewish account of the plagues of Egypt is corroborated by the testimony of heathen historians. These miracles were of a most astonishing character, and such as to humble the heart of a most oppressive and haughty tyrant, who had proudly defied the power and authority of the Most High.

But I shall doubtless be reminded that the magicians of Egypt performed some of these wonders of the recorded plagues, which are set down as miracles, and that this fact is sufficient to expose the whole account as a mere fiction. I can see no force, however, in this conclusion; for as it was the avowed purpose of God to harden Pharaoh's heart, as a means of displaying his own power, and of bringing this monarch into a condition to receive the full measure of punishment which he intended to inflict; it must be obvious to every reflecting mind, that no method could have been so effectual in securing the end, as that of permitting these magicians to produce a few of the same effects which were produced by the instrumentality of Moses. This circumstance gave occasion for still greater displays of divine power, till even the magicians were constrained to confess the hand of God in what they beheld, as well as to acknowledge their own inability to perform such wonders. Thus the purpose of God was accomplished in the punishment of the Egyptians, and the triumphant departure of the children of Israel rendered an evidence of infinite importance to establish the conviction of unchanging faithfulness in all the promises of God.

Many of the miracles which these plagues afforded, are altogether unlike any others which have ever been performed in any age of the world: Such as turning the waters of Egypt into blood; the lice, the flies, the mortal pestilence; the tremendous storms; the three days of thick darkness, and the death of all the first born of the Egyp