to judge the world, and to give unto every man according to his works,

Notwithstanding this direct and plenary evidence for the truth of the Jewish and chriftian religions, many perfons, who have been extremely prejudiced, and confequently averfe to receive them, either overlooking fome of the more effential particulars of which it confifts, or not fully comprehending it, have started several objections. I fhall therefore diftinctly mention, and briefly reply to the principal of them, especially such as are thought to be the most plaufible, and which have the moft weight at prefent.

SECTION I.

Various objections refpecting the Old Teftament.

OME of the most plaufible objections that have

SOME

yet been made to the fyftem of revelation abovementioned affect the Jewish religion only. It is faid to represent the divine conduct in fuch a fhape as is inconfiftent with his known attributes of light, justice and goodness, particularly his exprefs order to destroy all the inhabitants of Canaan, without fparing even innocent children, his command to Abraham to facrifice his fon Ifaac, and his direction to the children of Ifrael to borrow of the Egyptians jewels,

jewels, and other valuable things, without any defign to return them.

Before I reply to each of thefe objections, I fhall make a few general obfervations refpecting them all.

To thefe, and all fuch like objections, the fame general answer may be made as to fimilar objections to the justice and goodness of God in the natural world, where we fee many things which we are not able to reconcile to thofe principles, as they are rules of human conduct, and there is no reason to expect that revealed religion should be more free from these objections than natural religion. On the contrary, we might expect, that, if both the difpenfations have the fame author, they would be fo fimilarly constituted, as to be attended with fimilar advantages, and fimilar difficulties. Now we fee that, under the government of the fame God, the innocent are frequently involved in the fame calamities with the guilty; the laws of nature being fo framed, as to be only in general favourable to virtue, without making exceptions on account of individuals.

If the vices and follies of a nation, or of its governors, bring war, famine, or peftilence into it, the righteous are not fpared; ftorms, tempefts, and earthquakes make no diftinction of virtuous or vicious, and innocent children fuffer every day in confequence of the profligacy and debauchery of

their parents. If, therefore, it be confiftent with the divine attributes to permit war, peftilence, famine, or earthquakes, by which numbers of our race, of all characters, are promifcuously fwept away, why might not the fame being commiffion the Ifraelites utterly to extirpate a nation abandoned, without hope of recovery, to the most abominable idolatries and wickednefs. With refpect to the divine being, there can be no material difference; and indeed there is very little, in any cafe, between appointment and permiffion, where there is a fufficient power of prevention. Alfo, as it is alledged, that the inequalities of common providence may be rectified in a future ftate, the very fame may be faid with refpect to these special providences.

The great object of divine government is the production of happiness; and as we fee, in the ordinary difpenfations of his providence, that temporal evils are, in many cafes, infeparably connected with, and ultimately productive of good, we may prefume that every thing to which fimilar objections may be raised in the courfe of his extraordinary difpenfations, will, in the end, be feen to have the fame advantages; and then they will stand perfectly clear of all objections. In the mean time, it becomes us (as we are obliged to do with respect to every thing that we have to complain of in the conftitution and government of the natural world) to wait with patience,

patience, till we can fee farther into the nature and uses of things than we can do at present. The reason why the rules of ftrict justice and veracity are binding upon us, is because it is the only way in which our mutual happiness, as focial beings, can be promoted by ourselves. We have seen already that the most indifpenfible moral duties are, in fact, means to a certain end; and it is poffible that, in fome cafes, a being of infinite wisdom may gain the fame great end by what appears to us to be a deviation from any rules.

However, with refpect to the cafe of the Canaanites, we may, I think, fee great wifdom and propriety in their utter extermination, in the manner in which it was accomplished by the Ifraelites. It might be highly expedient, and even necessary, for the inftruction of that age of mankind, that the divine being should make a signal and striking example of a nation fo far funk into idolatry, and corruptions of all kinds, as all the inhabitants of Canaan are faid to have been; and the hand of God would not have been fo vifible in their deftruction, and confequently the moral leffon would not have been so ftriking, and useful, if it had been accomplished by a flood, an earthquake, or any other natural means, as had been already tried in the cafe of the old world, and of the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah; whereas the hand of God could not but appear when the punishment was executed by a people

a people who received an exprefs and manifeft commiffion from him for that purpofe; and this could not but be evident, when all the paffage of the children of Ifrael from Egypt to the land of Canaan was conducted by a series of miracles, and when they were affifted by fupernatural power in making their conquefts. It was like the regular execution of a commiffion, by perfons who carried their credentials or warrant along with them.

The particular reafons for the extirpation of the Canaanites are clearly and repeatedly expreffed in the books of Mofes. Thus, in one place, the fettlement of the Ifraelites in the promised land is faid to have been deferred, because the iniquity of the inhabitants was not full; and the Ifraelites are frequently reminded that the extermination of the Canaanites, and their own fettlement in the country, were appointed by God, not on account of their goodness, but for the wickedness of those people who were driven out before them. It is remarkable that, in all the other wars in which the Ifraelites might happen to be engaged with their neighbouring nations, they were expressly enjoined to pursue very different and more humane maxims, fparing all except fuch as were found bearing arms. In this particular cafe, only, they were exprefsly commanded to exterminate utterly.

That the Ifraelites were not influenced by the ufual paffions of conquerors, but acted under an

authority