tory fo fingular, fo faithful, and fo minutely

accurate.

A fcene of wonder is here opened to us? for in the awful declarations of this Prophecy we read the complete account of the most remarkable events in the hiftory of the Jews, It is a recital, that agrees exactly with their fubfequent fituations, at various periods of time extremely remote from the date of the Prophecy a recital that has no reference or application whatever to any other people. No nation was fo peculiarly circumftanced, no one was fo diftinguished from the rest of mankind by remarkable laws, government, cuftoms, and character. The conclufion therefore is obvious, that at the time when Mofes flourished, he could not have the example of any other nation before his eyes, whofe viciffitudes of fortune furnished any grounds for the conditions he proposed to his countrymen. The uncommon fate of an uncommon nation is pronounced at a distance of time, when no reach of human forefight, no calculation of chances could poffibly extend to the fucceffive and diftant events of their history.

A commentary on this Prophecy of Mofes is the history of the Jews brought down from

6

their

their establishment in Canaan to the prefent times. Referring to authentic writers for more particular completions of its other parts, we haften, in conformity to the confined plan of this work, to felect fome of those great events, and moft ftriking circumstances, which feemed to have preffed most forcibly upon the mind of the great Lawgiver of Ifrael, and which are illuftrations of the following declarations .

Bleffed fhall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, and the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy fheep. Blessed shall be thy basket and thy fore. And the Lord fhall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the Lord fware unto thy fathers to give thee. The Lord fhall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain into thy land in his feafon, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow,

Patrick's Commentary on the Bible, vol. iii. Parker's Commentary, vol. v. p. 551. Jackson's Works, vol. i, p. 92.

• Deut. xxviii. 4, 5, 11, 12. Levit. xxvi. 3, 4, 5.

If ye walk in my ftatutes, and keep my com mandments, and do them; then I will give you rain in due Jeason, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the Sowing-time and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land fafely.

When the Ifraelites obtained poffeffion of the promised land, thefe affurances were realized; they found the foil favourable to the production of the various fruits which are common in the Eaft, and well adapted to pafturage and agriculture. As their numbers were confiderable, they found it necessary to practise every method by which the various fruits of the earth could be beft cultivated, and produced in the greatest abundance. Their labours were crowned with fuccefs. Such was the plenty of corn in one period of their history, that they were not only furnished with a fufficient quantity for their own confumption, but were enabled to fupply the Tyrians with it. The woods and aromatic plants were favourable to the increase of bees, and olives thrived in the dry parts of Judæa; and hence they were well supplied

with honey and oil. The fides of the mountains and rocks were covered with vines. The gardens produced melons, gourds, cucumbers, and figs, which were at that time, and now continue to be, the favourite fruits of the natives of that warm climate. The palmtrees that grew around the green pastures of Jericho, yielded a confiderable profit; and the balfam of Gilead, the most valuable shrub of the kind, was famous for its delicious fragrance, and medical uses.

The cultivation of the foil was favoured by the peculiar nature of the inftitutions of Mofes. To each Ifraelite was allotted his portion of arable land, at the time of the first fettlement under Joshua. And to each district were affigned common paftures for the fupport of their numerous flocks and herds. The express laws of the Jubilee revoked all alienations of eftates every fifty years. Every inhabitant was therefore confined to his patrimony, and laboured to improve it with the greatest diligence. In the reign of David the Jews were nearly upon an equality with refpect to the poffeffion of land. If, by the increafe of a family, it was neceffary to divide an estate into fhares, the fmallness of

each

each of them was compenfated by breeding large flocks of cattle in the common paf

tures.

Thus were opened to the children of Israel the peculiar fources of affluence promised in their laws. They were not taught to expect gold, filver, or the benefits of commerce. What they were promised they received in abundance; the luxuriant produce of fruits and vegetables, of theep and oxen, of the olive grounds and the pastures, of the harvest and the vintage".

This representation of the improved state of Judea in its most flourishing time, is collected partly from the Bible itself, and partly from the works of Strabo, Jofephus, Hecatæus and Tacitus, who poffeffed the best

Some medals are ftill remaining as old as the time of the Maccabees, upon which are to be feen ears of corn and measures, to fhow the fertility of the country, and the honour in which agriculture was held. Hiftory of the Ifraelites, by Fleury, p. 42, 221, &c. 1 Maccab. xiv. 8, &c. Jofephus fays, that in his time the country round Jerufalem was well planted, and interspersed with gardens for more than eleven miles round the city. Newcombe on the Conduct of our Lord, p. 227. Deut. xxviii. 1, 7. 12. 8, 9, 10.

means