ANSWERS TO THE HISTORICAL rity, they could not be content with AND PHILOSOPHICAL QUES TIONS PROPOSED IN THE LAST NUMBER. QUEST. I. Which are the most important epochs beween the erecting of the tent in the wilderness, for the worship of the one and only true God, and the invasion of Palestine by Joshua? This period of time, though occupied in the most important affairs, prefents to us but few epochs. The was contained in forty years, and the chief epochs are marked only by murmurings and complaints. The firft is the return of the meffengers who were fent to examine the flate of the land of PaJeftine. The fecond, the punishment by an earthquake of the factious families. The third, the deaths of Miriam and Aaron, and the punifhment by ferpents. The fourth, the death of Mofes. The tent, for the worship of the one and only true God, was erected within a year from the time that the Ifraelites left Egypt; and in the fecond year the meffengers returned from their journey, ou which they had employed forty days. The precife time of this return is not to be afcertained, but is an important epoch, as, from the folly and perverfenefs of the Ifraelites on hearing the report of the meffengers, they were condemned to spend their lives in the defert, inftead of taking immediate poffeffion of the promifed land. All above twenty years of age, excepting Joshua and Caleb, were included in the punishment which they for their obftinacy and rebellion fo richly deferved. The year after was diftinguifhed by the faction which refifted the authority of Mofes and Aaron, and would, without any pretenfions of their own, have ufurped the fovereign power. Though this faction had feen the great miracles performed by Mofes, and the meeknefs with which he had exercifed his autho their own ftate, and would, notwithftanding the evident folly of their undertaking, have rifqued the fafety, of the whole republic, rather than fubmit to thofe who were beft qualified to command. Their punishment by an earthquake established the authority of Mofes, and he continued to perform his high miffion with the fame meeknefs as before, and to introduce gradually thofe laws, which now remain as a striking proof of the fuperiority of the wifdom which prefided over the people of Ifrael above that which then prevailed, or has fince been known in any nation of the world. A people living in a wilderness, unmolefted by foreign enemies, and having every thing provided for its ufe by miraculous powers, can hardly prefent many topics to mark their different years. We hear of nothing very remarkable till the year before they quit the defert, which is marked by the deaths of Miriam and Aaron, the fifter and brother of Mofes, and the fucceffion of Eleazar, the fon of Aaron, to the high priesthood. One would have thought, that, fo much having been done for the people, they would have relied with implicit confidence in their Creator and Preferver; but the bites of ferpents were neceffary to bring them to their duty; and the manner in which they were healed muft have made the deepest impreffion on their minds. At the end of the laft of the forty years, during which the people were under the prohibition not to enter the promifed land, Mofes, having enjoyed the fight only of the country to which he had been thus far the means of conducting a great nation, refigns with his breath the command. Before his death, he fets before the people, in the most pathetic ftrains, the confequences of their obedience and difobedience to his laws; and, as in all other things, he fhewed the total difference be tween himself and earthly leaders, by not attempting to raise his own family on the merits of his greatnefs. As a ftatefman and a legiflator, he has never been equalled; and, if we were inclined to liften to the infidel, and to believe that he had done every thing without the Divine affiftance, we muft afcribe to him fuch tranfcendent merit, in fuch an age of the world, that is not to be accounted for on any principles of hiftory. When we perceive the hand of God in every thing that he did, the whole appears clear and worthy of the Divine wisdom. Quest. II. What are the reflections to which thefe epochs give rife? The first reflection that is apt to rife in the mind, on confidering the conduct of the Ifraelites during their stay in the wilderness, is, their remarkable infatuation, in contending against the worthieft leader that any nation ever had, and their incredulity, notwithstanding the wonderful manifeftations with which they had been favoured of Divine power. Infidelity would turn these circumftances to its own account, and argue from them against the veracity of the hiftory. This betrays, however, an ignorance of the nature of man, and particularly of the degraded state to which the If raelites had been brought by their flavery in Egypt. A whole nation had been employed in the meaneft occupations: the knowledge derived from the worthy progenitor had been in great measure obfcured by the fables of Egypt: the wonderful acts by which its enemies had been deftroyed raised in their minds exalted ideas of their deliverers; but, as it happens to man, their flavith habits would return, and render them incapable, at fome times, of conducting themfelves in a manner worthy of their new fituation. We need look only to the Copts of the prefent day, to imagine the degraded ftate into which a nation may be brought; and the Ifraelites were probably in a much worfe fituation, and are thus a convincing proof of the power of God in changing the hearts of men. The next reflection that strikes the thinking mind is, the extraordinary difference between the conduct of God and man, as exemplified in this journey of the Ifraelites. Had a modern ftatefman planned their deliverance from Egypt, and their attack upon Palestine, he would have marched them at once against the country, and, in lefs than a month from the time of paffing the Red Sea, have commenced hoftilities. Many years would have been paffed in bloodfhed. The ferocious minds of the flaves would not then easily have been brought within the limits of order and regular government. A fpeedy conqueft would have been followed by civil wars, or deftruction from external enemies. How different the conduct of God! The flavish mind was to be corrected, and an example given to the world of a free conftitution and wife legiflation. Befides, the formation of the Ifraelites into a great nation, was not for their own fakes alone but for the general good of mankind. They became, therefore, an object of peculiar intereft. In the wilderness they were trained up for the important task they had to perform; and, as it was afterwards properly obferved by a chriftian apoftle, the law was their and our fchoolmafter. We may obferve, alfo, how the paffions of man contribute to farther the defigns of Providence. The meffengers who returned from examining the land give fuch an account of the inhabitants, that the flavifh fears of their countrymen were excited. Fear produced its natural effects: they forget the great Power that was on their fide: they prove themfelves unworthy of the task they had been called upon to perform. As they refufed to obey the command of attacking the country, they could not complain that they were taken at their words, and doomed to confume their days in the defert. Thus they, who were unfit for the office, left their carcaffes in the wilderness, and a new generation of ftrong active men was formed, who were bred up in the more noble fenti ments of independence. The factions that took place among the Ifraelites gave greater opportunities only for the manifettation of Divine power, and are fad proofs of the folly of ambition. The wifett government cannot, be free from them. If it were poflible to fecure a ftate, by wifdom, from the paflions of ambitious men, Mofes could never have been disturbed in his office; for his whole thoughts and cares were employed not in his own good, but in that of his people. This is not, however, a vindication of the oppreffive conduct of many governors of states, who are themfelves the caufes of the factions of which they complain. If wife laws and a wife administration will not fecure a fiate from faction, what must be expected from bad laws and a bad adminiftration; when the whole aim of the governors is to fecure to themselves as much of the comforts of life as poffible, and to extort from their subjects as much as they poflibly can from their labours ? Let governors act like Mofes, and factions will be less injurious: they may occafion a momentary alarm; but they will foon fubfide, and greater confidence in the government will be established. The miraculous cure of the perfons bit by ferpents cannot be paffed over. What connection, it may be faid, was there between the fight of the brazen ferpent and the healing of the patient? None, we allow, but that which it pleased the Divine Ruler of all things to place between them. The allution is too evident not to ftrike every chriftian As the Ifraelites were healed by looking up to the brazen ferpent, fo the nations of the earth look up to Him who was pierced on the crofs, and rejoice in the proffered falvation. The death of Mofes, and the peculiarities attending it, cannot be e ntemplated without increafing admiration of his character. His nation was prone to fuperftition, and his remains might have been the object of their reverence. How carefully were they concealed from them! He had conducted the people to the borders of the promised country, yet was not permitted to enter. He had performed the task allotted to him; and, except in the inftance which occafioned this prohibition, had not been guilty of a fault. The times required a more active commander; and the worthy leader retires from his poft full of years and honour. When we read what he has left behind him, particularly the parts compofed when he was in his hundred and twentieth year, we may fairly call upon all the admirers of profane antiquity to produce his equal. At that time, Greece was in a state of barbarifm. There had been no writers by whom he might form his ftyle. Yet where fhall we find among the men of future days, who at any period of their lives manifefted equal energies with thofe of Mofes in the last year of his life? Let any one read his book of Deuteronomy, compare the fiate of the Jews with his predictions, examine attentively his prefages of their good or evil fortune, compare his laws with thofe of all other nations` of the world, and Mofes must strike us with equal reverence and admi❤ ration as a poet, a prophet, a ftatef man, and a legiflator. Queft. III. Which are the most important epochs between the figning of Magna Charta by John and the reformation ? of Wales with England, by that eafy device which he made use of after the defeat of Lewellin; and as his Queen gave birth to a prince at Caernarvon, the chiefs of that nation paid willing homage to their native Prince, and required none of thofe reftraints which must have been used, if a weak adminiftration had determined to keep them in a state of fubjection. To him we are indebted for the establishment of order in the courts of justice, and the limiting of their refpective jurifdictions. Thus that which depended, in former reigns, fo much in caprice, began to take a fiable form, and became a great mean of civilizing the people. The order of Knights Templars was abolished, in 1322, by Pope Clement the Third, and mott incre Thefe epochs are, the folemn confirmation of Magna Charta by Henry the Third; the death of Edward the Firft; the abolition of the order of Knights Templars; the affumption of the title of King of France by Edward the Third; the depofition of Richard the Second, and appointment of a fucceffor in Henry the Fourth; the appointment of Henry the Fifth to be Regent of France; the change of the family of Lancaster for that of York, in the perfon of Edward the Fourth; the reign of Henry the Seventh, which was diftinguished by the fettling of the difputes between the houses of York and Lancaster; and the great difcoveries made in that reign, which have contributed fo much to change the modes of thinking and acting in the inhabitants of Europe. The folemn confirmation of Mag-dible tales were propagated of their na Charta by Henry the Third took place in the year 1251. The king and the barons were, during this reign, in a perpetual state of warfare. Pretexts were not wanting on either fide for cruelty and oppreffion. The barons had gained fo much in the preceding reign, that they were not easily kept in order; and the king had neither the integrity nor the wifdom that were required in fuch critical times. After many firuggles, he was compelled to renew the charters, which was done under impofing forms confecrated by fuperftition. Each perfon engaged in the ceremony held a lighted taper in bis hand during the reading of the charters, and then, cafting it on the ground, poured forth the moft horrible execrations on himself, and withes, that he might fmoke like the taper in hell, if he either violated himfelf, or permitted others to violate, the charters. The death of Edward the First took place in 1307. The reign of this prince fixes our attention, from his wifdom, bis wailike qualities, and his attention to juftice. To him we are indebted for the union mifconduct, to render their diffolution more popular. The fact was, that few arguments were neceffary, when the rulers in different kingdoms obtained fo much by the fe queftration of the property of the order. The Knights endured, with the utmoft fortitude, the tortures which were inflicted on them, on various pretences, and proved to the world, that, however defective they might be in certain moral qualities, they were not deficient in perfonal courage. Edward the Third affumed the title of King of France in the year 1340, and left to his fucceffors a claim which has been happily abandoned in the prefent reign. The claim was not by any means well grounded; for it was to be tried by the laws and cuftoms of France, not thofe of England. On this claim much blood has been thed, and the English difplayed great courage in their battles with the French, who in this reign, and other reigns, were beat by much inferior numbers. Richard the Second was depofed by parliament, and Henry the Fourth proclaimed king on the thirtieth day of September, 1899, which epoch, as it is fo near to the year 1400, is easily remembered. This act of parliament laid the foundation for years of mifery, bloodthed, and defolation. Though Richard the Second deferved to be depofed, and was properly depofed by parliament, there was, if hereditary right had been allowed, a nearer heir to the crown, in the perfon of Mortimer, Duke of York. As Henry the Fourth was Duke of Lancaster on his affumption of the crown, the wars that took place in a fucceeding reign between the heirs of thefe dukes are ftyled the wars of the houfes of York and Lancatter: filly, foolith wars; in which was proved, over and over again— Quidquid delirant reges plectuntur actior:-the follies of the great create wars in the poor. Henry the Fifth was appointed Regent of France in the year 1420, and he was then declared to be heir to the throne, on the demife of Charles the Sixth. His reign is called glorious, because he thus increased his dominions: but the newly-acquired power was not ftable; it was overthrown by one of thofe trifles, which, in the affairs of men, are continually ruining their political defigns. A poor girl of an inn was the inftrument by which the plans of the warlike Henry were overthrown, and his fon difmiffed from a throne which he was unable either to adorn or to defend. Edward the Fourth obtained the crown by a great victory over his predeceffor, the weak and harmlefs Henry the Sixth, on March 5th, 1461; thus refioring the family of York to the crown. The preceding reign was a reign of mifery: a long minority was followed by the weakness of an irrefolute prince, and a difputed title filled the country with civil war. In thofe times, men's minds were not fufficiently accupied, and the merest trifle was capable of putting them into commotions. The next is a very memorable epoch,---the acceffion of Henry the Seventh to the crown. He defeated his predeceffor, Richard the Third, on the 22d of Auguft, 1485, and was crowned king on the 30th of October following. The country was now heartily tired of civil commotions, and faw, with pleasure, the opportunity offered of removing them, and fettling the feuds between the houfes of York and Lancaster by the marriage of Henry with Elizabeth, the daughter of Edward the Fourth. Henry adopted this measure with his ufual prudence, and effectually prevented the nobles from creating the difturbances to which they had been accustomed, by wife regulations. With his reign begins the real importance of England. Before his time the English were a mere fighting people, full of fuperftition, and with little knowledge or love of the arts. Circumftances were now ripe for a total alteration in their character: printing had been introduced into England about twenty years before this epoch; the Cape of Good Hope, by which the road to the East Indies was laid open, was discovered in the year 1488; aud America was difcovered in the year 1492. Thus new employment was given to active fpirits, and their minds were improved by the gradual diffufions among them of fcience and literature. Quest. IV. To what reflections do the above epochs give rife? Magna Charta, or the great charter of our liberties,, was forced upon the monarch John by the power of the nobles. The foolith love of power which engrofles weak minds would naturally make him and his fucceffor fpurn at every appearance of reftraint. They were both weak princes, and the fame power which compelled the father to fign the charter was neceffary to |