rity. This we are told by Maimonides, was a doctrine taught by the Sabians in their books, as well as in their inftructions to the people.

One of the oldeft of the prophets has fo fully expreffed this reafon of the Hebrew conftitution, that we need no further evidence of it. "For their mother hath played the harlot, fhe that conceived them hath done fhamefully; for fhe faid, I will go after my lovers, that give me my bread and my water, my wool, and my flax, mine oil, and my drink. For he did not know that I gave her corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her filver and gold, which they prepared for Baal. Therefore will I return, and take away my corn in the time thereof, and my wine in the season thereof; and will recover my wool and my flax, given to cover her nakednefs."

The prophet Jeremiah gives the fame reafon why the Jews fell into the idolatrous practice of burning incenfe to the queen of heaven: "But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouths to burn incenfe unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drinkofferings unto her, as we have done; we, and our fathers, our kings and our princes in the cities of Judah, and in the ftreets of Jerufalem; for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and faw no evil; but fince we left off to burn incenfe to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drinkofferings unto her, we have wanted all things, and have been confumed by the fword and by the famine."

This common doctrine of idolatry, that the feveral bleffings of life came from fome demon or idol, to whom the authority and power of beftowing temporal bleffings were committed, was of fo general and powerful influence, that it became the wisdom of an inftitution defigned to preferve the faith and worship of the one true God, against idolatry, to affert that God was the author of every bleffing of life, that he had not parted with the adminiftration of providence, or given over the difpofal of those bleffings to any fubordinate beings whatfoever; fo that health, long life, plenty and all kinds of profperity, were to be fought for, from him, as his gift, and only from his bleffing and protection.

Whoever has juft notions of the great evils of idolatry to the dishonour of the fupreme Sovereign and Governour of the world, to the corruption of the effential

principles of true religion and virtuous practice, as idolatry directed fo many barbarous, immoral and inhuman rites, and en-. couraged fuch enormous acts of vice, as acts of religion, of which fome or other of the idols they worshipped were examples, and were esteemed to patronize them; it will appear to them a defign worthy the goodnefs, as well as the wifdom of God, to put fome ftop to such a dangerous evil: efpecially when it was fo general and prevailing, that all flesh had corrupted its way, and all the nations of the earth were running eagerly into it. Even the Egyptians, a people fo famed for wisdom and good understanding, were as fenfelefs and as corrupt in their idolatry, as any of their neighbours. The Hebrews themselves, whatever former care had been taken to preserve the knowledge of the true God and true religion in the family of Abraham, were fo addicted to this common corruption of religion, and were fo ready to fall into it, that there feemed no other way left to put any stop to the progrefs of idolatry any where, or to preferve the true religion in any people, but by fome conftitution formed on this plan, and which might effectually carry on this defign in the feveral parts of it. And this the goodness and wifdom of God made a principal defign in the conftitution of the Jewish government.

More effectually to answer this chief defign, there was another fubordinate intention in the constitution of this government. It was of no fmall confequence to keep this nation feparate from other nations, and from fuch intercourfe with idolaters as might end in an apoftacy from their own religion to the idolatry of their neighbours. There is then a law in general given by Mofes, in which he is directed to fay in God's name to the children of Ifracl," I am the Lord your God, after the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, fhall ye not do; and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, fhall ye not do; neither shall ye walk in their ordinances, ye fhall do my judgments and keep my ordinances to walk herein; I am Jehovah your God."

Further, Mofes having recited the many and great abominations cominitted by the Canaanites, on the lofs of the right knowledge of the one true God and of the true religion; and through the corruption of idolatrous doctrines and practices, it is added; "Defile not ye youfelves in any of thefe things: for in all thefe the nations

are defiled, which I caft out before you." And again; "therefore shall ye keep mine ordinance that ye commit not any one of thefe abominable cuftoms which were committed before you, that ye defile not your felves therein; I am Jehovah your God." For the fame purpose it is repeated; "and ye fhall not walk in the manners of the nations which I caft out before you, for they committed all these things, and therefore I abhorred them; but I have faid unto you, ye fhall inherit their land, and I will give. it unto you to poffefs it; a land that floweth with milk and honey. I am the Lord your God which hath feparated you from other people, and ye fhall be holy unto me; for I the Lord am holy, and have separated you from other people that ye fhould be

mine."

It had appeared by notorious examples, how eafily the Hebrews themselves were to be enticed into idolatry, by frequenting the company of idolaters, and by converfing too much and too familiarly with them, while Ifrael abode in Shittim; "the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab, and they cailed the people to the facrifice of their gods; and the people did cat, and bowed down to their gods:" fo eafy was the paffage from feafting with them on their facrifices, to joining with them in their idolatry. Thus Ifrael joined himself to Baal-peor." Such an example of prevailing idolatry, is justly given, as a fufficient reafon for a careful feparation of the Hebrew people from idolatrous neighbours, in order to prevent fo very dangerous temptations in future times. Mofes therefore thus exhorts Ifrael," Your eyes have feen what the Lord did, becaufe of Baal-peor, the Lord thy God hath deftroyed them from among you; but ye that did cleave unto the Lord your God, are alive every one of you this day. Behold I have taught you ftatutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should do fo in the land whither ye go to poffefs it. Keep therefore and do them, for that is your wisdom and your understanding, in the fight of all the nations which fhall hear of all thefe ftatutes, and fay, furely this great nation is a great and understanding people."

Among the laws here fpoken of, there are fome, the wisdom of which appear principally, if not folely, as they were chofen and commanded to this end, to feparate the Hebrews from their idolatrous neighbours,

by a prohibition of every idolatrous rite. The law itself for prohibiting inter-marriages with idolaters expressly gives this reafon for it," Neither fhall you make marriages with them, thy daughter thou fhalt not give unto his fon, nor his daughter fhalt thou take unto thy fon; for they will turn away tay fon from following me, that they may ferve other gods; fo will the anger of the Lord be kindled against you and deftroy thee fuddenly.'

Many other laws, which at first view seem to be of fmall importance and concern, for. the enacting of which fome look for no reafon at all, but the alone will of the lawgiver, will appear in this view, of concern and importance, fuflicient for the wisdom of God to take notice of, when he gave his laws to this nation. The moft judicious of the Hebrew doctors, has very well explained feveral of the Mofaical laws upon this fingle confideration.

He gives this general reason for many laws, that they were made to keep men from idolatry, and fuch falfe opinions as are a-kin to idolatry; fuch as the pretences to incantations, divinations, foretelling things by the ftars, or by the poffeffion of fome fpirit or demon, or confulting with fuch perfons. He farther justly obferves, that fuch things as are supposed to be effected by any magic actions, or are founded on any difpofitions or influences of the ftars, neceflarily induce men to reverence and worship them. He obferves many of the magic rites confifted in certain geftures, actions, or the use of certain words, and mentions feveral examples of fuch fuperftitions; among the reft a remarkable rite to prevent a form of hail.

However trifling fome of the Mofaical laws may appear at first view, and unworthy the wifdom of God to enact them as laws; yet the cafe will appear quite otherwise, when they are confidered as neceffary provifions against the danger of idolatry.

The law, for instance, that appoints, "Ye fhall not round the corners of your heads, neither halt thou mar the corners of thy beard," will thus appear directions of importance, when it was to prevent a magical cuftom of the idolatrous priefts, who made this fort of cutting off their hair and beards effential to their worship; and used them as things of confequence, in order to procure from their idols the feveral bleffings they defired and prayed for. A prohibition of fuch idolatrous and magical ceremonies was not fo trivial, or below the

care

For the fame reafon we can eafily understand the wisdom of appointing by law, that "the woman fhall not wear that which appertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment; for all that do fo are abomination to the Lord thy God;" when it was an idolatrous conftitution of their neighbours, as Maimon found it in a magic book, that men ought to ftand before the ftar of Venus in the flowered garments of women; and women were to put on the armour of men before the star of Mars, as bishop Patrick on the place truly reprefents its meaning.

The fame idolatrous custom is obferved by Macrobius, that men worshipped Venus in women's habits, and women in the habits of men.

There is no reason then, we fee, to imagine that these laws, which were to diftinguifh the Hebrew people from the idolatrous nations, were made only out of hatred to their neighbours, and to all their cuftoms and manners, good or bad, innocent as well as idolatrous. It appears on the contrary to be plainly quite another reafon; it was from a wife care of their prefervation from fuch idolatrous cuftoms, as there was very great reason to fear, would prove a dangerous temptation to lead them into idolatry, and which were hardly to be used without it. All reflections, with how much confidence foever on the Hebrew laws, as if they were established upon no better motives than the hatred of their neighbours, will appear in this view groundless, and without all foundation, when the true reafon fhall appear fo wife, fo plain, and fo natural.

These two views then, to preferve in the Hebrew nation the knowledge and worship of the one true God, and to preferve it from the spreading evils of idolatry,

by feparating it from the fociety of idolaters, by forbidding all ufe of idolatrous rites and cuftoms, may be looked upon as confiderable intentions in the conftitution; according to which, we are to examine and to judge of the equity and wifdom of the conftitution itself. Neither of which can be fo well judged of, without taking these intentions into confideration. If we regard the Hebrew constitution only as an institution of religion and religious worship, or only as a civil polity and a form of civil government, we shall widely miftake the true nature of it. It is evident beyond queflion, the Mofaical account of it reprefents it a theocracy, in which Jehovah is God, and King; and in which the true worship of the only true God was to be preferved against idolatry, and the nation, in obedience to the laws of this inftitution, fhould enjoy liberty, peace, profperity and happiness in the protection of a wife and powerful government.

It may be proper to obferve here, that thefe defigns appear in themselves worthy the wisdom and the goodness of God; that he fhould take care in fome proper way to put a stop to fo prevailing a course of idolatry. Ifthe defign fhall appear in itself manifeftly wife and good, the proper means to effect it will appear to be equitable, wise and good alfo. Some feem not to perceive, at leaft are not willing to own this. more fully then to make us fenfible of it, let us briefly obferve fome of the many great evils of idolatry, which this Hebrew conftitution was intended and formed to prevent.

The

One of the chief and most influencing principles of idolatry, was a falfe perfuafion that the temporal bleffings of life, health, length of days, fruitful seasons, victory in wars, and fuch advantages, were. to be expected and fought for as the gifts of fome inferior and fubordinate beings, as guardians of mortal men; or from lecret influences of the ftars and heavenly bodies, fuppofed inhabited, and animated by fome powerful beings, or gods, whofe protection and favour were to be obtained by the use of some magical ceremonies, geftures and words, or by fome fenfelefs or fome barbarous rites of worship.

'Thus men came not only to lose the true knowledge of the one only God, and of his immediate providence, and that all thefe bleffings could therefore come from him alone, who was best pleased and

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best worshipped by virtue, goodness, righ teousness and true holiness; but they became neceffarily vicious and corrupt in practice, as well as principle. They came to think they were not to expect the bleffings of life from the favour of the one true God, a Being himself of infinite purity, righteousness, and goodness, by reverencing and by imitating him; but from the favour of a Jupiter, who with all his fine titles is reprefented in his hiftory, to have been as intemperate, as luftful, and as wicked as any the worst of men; or from a Mercury, a patron of thieves and robbers; or from a Bacchus, the god of intemperance and drunkennefs; or from a Venus, the patronefs of all manner of uncleannefs, and debauchery.

The known principles and the moft facred ceremonies and myfteries in the idolatrous worship of fuch deities, actually fhewed what encouragement was given to all manner of vice. They extinguished all religious principles of moral virtue und goodness, and gave additional strength to men's natural inclinations, to intemperance, luft, fraud, violence, and every kind of unrighteousness and debauchery. The Phalli, and the Mylli, known religious rites in the worship of Bacchus, Ofiris, and Ceres, were fuch obfcene ceremonies, that modesty forbids to explain them. It may be fufficient to mention the known cuftom of virgins before marriage, facrificing their chastity to the honour of Venus, as a lascivious goddess, as the hiftorian expreffes it, left the alone fhould appear lafcivious. A cuftom, according to the hiftorian, which was especially ufed in Cyprus, which was in the neighbourhood of Canaan.

Idolatry had introduced another moft cruel cuftom of human facrifices. This prevailed among the Phenicians, the Tyrians, and the Carthaginians, a Tyrian colony; on which inhuman custom the forementioned hiftorian makes this remark, that they used a bloody and wicked rite of religion, as a remedy. They offered men for facrifices, and brought young children to the altars, at an age that ufually moves the compaffion of an enemy; and endeavoured to obtain the favour of the gods by the blood of those, for whofe lives prayers were more generally used to be made to the gods.

This cruel cuftom, how inhuman foever, fuch were the evil effects of idolatry, foon

became almost universal; and spread itself among the Greeks, the Gauls, and the German nations.

Among the Canaanites it was a known custom to offer their children to Moloch, likely the fame idol with Adrameleck and Anameleck. Some learned men have indeed been willing to believe, that paffing through the fire to Moloch, might mean a fort of purification, rather than actual burning them in the fire; but befides the teftimony of hiftorians in general to the practice of other nations, the Scriptures plainly mean confuming them to death by fire. So it is defcribed by the prophet Ezekiel; "And have caufed their fons whom they bare unto me, to pass through the fire to devour them." Did they cause them to pass through the fire, only to purify them, and to preferve them alive? No, certainly; but to devour or confume them. The fame prophet elsewhere determines this meaning, "Thou haft flain my children and delivered them to cause them to pass through the fire." is charged as an act of idolatry in Ahaz, that he caused his fon to pass through the fire, according to the abomination of the Heathen. This is explained in another place, that "he burned his children in the fire after the abomination of the Heathen." And it is exprefsly faid of Adrameleck, and Anameleck, the idols of Sepharvaim, that " they burned their children in the fire to them."

It

If we confider the many other abominable immoralities of the Canaanites, by which they defiled themselves, as they are enumerated in the prohibition of them to the Hebrew nation, we may easily perceive, that a nation which had defiled themselves in fo many and fo great abominations, did well deferve an exemplary punishment from the righteous Judge of the earth; that it was wife, as well as juft, to fhew in their punishment, that their idols were not, as they imagined and falfely believed, the givers of long life, peace, and worldly profperity; but that the one true God was alone the fupreme difpofer of all the bleflings of providence ; and that none of the idol gods, in whom they trufted, could fave them out of his hand, or deliver them, when God should vifit their iniquities.

May we not alfo perceive a kind design, in giving fome remarkable inftances of providence, for the punishment of so grofs

immoralities, the effects of idolatrous principles and practice, and for the encouragement of fuch acknowledgment and worship of the true God, as was the best prefervative against these abominations, by fome obfervable inftances of particular protection and favour; to let fuch worshippers of the true God know, that by keeping themselves from thofe abominations, the natural and ufual effects of idolatry, they were to hope for the continuance of fuch particular protection and favour in all aftertimes ?

not

Hence it may appear, the feverity with which the Hebrew hiftory acquaints us, the Canaanites were punished, and the title whereby the Hebrews held their land, whom God caft out before them, were no ways inconfiftent with the juftice, or wifdom, or goodness of God, as fome have infinuated. The question is really brought to this one point, Whether fuch abominable immoralities, as followed naturally and univerfally from their idolatrous principles, and forms of worship, were highly criminal; fo criminal as to deferve a punishment? that it became the juftice and wisdom of the Governour of the world to put fome stop to them, to prevent them in fome measure by forming and establishing a conftitution in which the knowledge and worship of the one true God fhould be preferved in oppofition to idolatry, a perpetual fource of innumerable vices and immoralities. Idolatry, you fee then, appears in the natural fruits of it, not only an error of the understanding, not at all a matter of harmless fpeculation, but a fountain of very dangerous immoralities, which led men naturally, and even with the encouragements of religion, into intemperance, uncleanness, murders, and many vices, inconfiftent with the profperity and peace of fociety, as well as with the happiness of private perfons. When God fhall punish fuch iniquities, he punishes men for their wickednefs, not for their errors. He punishes men for fuch wickedness, as deferves to be punished, whatever pretended principles or real dictates of confcience it may proceed from. No man fure, can reasonably account it injuftice in a government to punish fodomy, beftiality, or the frequent murder of innocent children, what pretences foever men should make to confcience or religion, in vindication of them. The most unnatural fins were countenanced by the myfteries

of idolatrous worship; the use of that obfcene ceremony the Phalli, owed its original to the memory of the fin against nature, and to the hiftory of a god hallowing it by his own act. Can any man reafonably call such a restraint of vice perfecution, when not to endeavour by all means to restrain it, would argue a great neglect, weakness, and folly, in any adminiftration of government whatsoever?

If then the punishment for fo heinous crimes and immoralities will be just and wife in itself, which way can any man find out, to make it unjust or unwife in the fupreme Governour of the world? How can it be unjust in him, to appoint fuch perfons as he fhall think moft fit, to execute fuch righteous judgment by his commiffion? The common rights of nations, and any perfonal claim of the Hebrews, are altogether out of this question; the history plainly fhews, they made no perfonal or national claim at all to the land of Canaan; but that God caft out the people before them, for all their abominations; that it was not their own power, but the hand of God, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and into the promised land. So that the whole is confidered as the immediate act of God himself, for the proof of which the hiftory gives a long feries of miracles, in Egypt, at the RedSea, for many years in the wilderness, at the taking of Jericho, and fettling the Hebrew nation in the poffeffion of the promised land.

And here let us juftly observe, that this very way of punishing the Canaanites for their many great abominations by the Hebrew nation, to whom God gave the pof. feffion of their land, has fome peculiar marks of wisdom, which may fhew it fit to be preferred to many other ways; fuch as peftilential diftempers, fire from heaven, or a flood, ways in which God hath punished the wickedness of the world in former times. For this was a very fit means for the cure, as well as the punishment of idolatry, to deftroy the root of thefe great evils, as well as to execute righteous judgment on those who had committed them. This was a defign every way worthy the wisdom and goodness of God. Sure then, no ways inconfiftent with his juftice. The protection of the Hebrew nation, and the favour of God to them as a peculiar people, was a visible and ftanding confutation of idolatry; it fhewed,

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that