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well expreffes it) that, in proportion to the neglect of the Law, eafy things became unfurmountable, and all their undertakings, how just foever, ended in uncurable calamities, we cannot but acknowledge the divine direction in every stage of fuch a Difpenfation. For, to comprehend the whole of the Hiftorian's meaning, we must remember, that there were fome Laws given purpofely to manifeft the divinity of their original: fuch as that against multiplying horfes; which, when it was tranfgreffed, eafy things became unfurmountable; and that which moft facilitates a victory, a ftrong body of Cavalry intermixed with Foot, proved amongst the Ifraelites, a certain means of their defeat. So again, when they tranfgreffed the Law which commanded all the males to go annually to the temple, the hiftorian tells us, their most just undertakings ended in incurable calamities; and fure nothing could be more just than to defend their borders from invaders; yet they were fure to be most infefted with them when they thought themfelves beft fecured: that is, while there males were at home, when they should have been worshiping at the Temple.

III. But it is now time to come a little closer to his Lordship. He has been all along arguing on a FALSE FACT, which his ignorance of the nature of the Jewith Separation hindered him from feeing.

He understood, indeed, that this extraordinary Economy had, for its primary end, fomething very different from all other civil Policies; and that that

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ε καθ ̓ ὅσον δ' ἂν ἀπορῶσι τῆς τύτων ἀκριβῶς ἐπιμελείας, άπορα μὲν γίνεται τα τόξιμα, τρέπεται δ' εις συμφορὰς ἀνηκέσες, ὅ, τι ποτ ̓ ἂν ως ἀγαθὸν ὁρῶν σπεδάσωσιν. Antig. v. 1. p. 4ο

which was the first, (indeed the only end) in others, was but the secondary, end in this. Yet this primary end he saw fo obfcurely, as not to be able to make it out. He fuppofed it was to keep the Ifraelites from idolatry; whereas it was TO PRESERVE THE MEMORY OF THE ONE GOD IN AN IDOLATROUS WORLD, till the coming of Chrift: To keep the Ifraelites from idolatry, was but the mean to this end. Thus has our political Architect "mistaken the "fcaffold for the pile," as his harmonious friend expreffes it. And the mistake is the more grofs, as the notion of the ultimate end's being to keep the Ifraelites from idolatry, is founded in that vain fancy of Jewish pride, that their Fathers were felected as the favorites of God, out of his fondness for the race of Abraham.

Under this rectified idea therefore let us confider the truth of his Lordship's affertion, That no Law ever operated fo weak and uncertain an effelt as the Law of Mofes did: far from prevailing against accidents and conjunctures, the leaft was fufficient to interrupt the courfe, and to defeat the defigns of it.

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Now if we keep the true end of the Law in view, we fhall fee, on the contrary, that it prevailed conftantly and uniformly, without the leaft interruption, against the most violent accidents, and in the most unfavourable conjunctures; thofe I mean, which happened when their propensity to the tice of idolatry, and their prejudice for the principle of intercommunity were at the height: for amidst all the diforders confequent thereto, they still preserved the knowledge of the true God, and performed the Rites ordained by the Law. And the very calamities which followed the infraction of the

Law, of which the neighbouring Nations occafionally partook, were fufficient to alarm these latter, when moft at eafe, amidst the imaginary protection of their tutelary Gods, and to awaken them to the awful fenfe of a BEING different, as well as fuperior to their National Protectors. Which fhews, that the Law ftill operated its effect, ftrongly and conftantly; and still prevailed against accidents and conjunctures, which it governed and directed, instead of lying at the mercy of them. But as it is very probable that the frequent tranfgreffions, which those accidents and conjunctures occafioned, would in time have defeated the end of the Law, the tranfgreffors were punished by a feventy-years-captivity; the extraordinary circumstances of which, made fuch an impreffion on their haughty masters as brought them to confefs that the God of Ifrael was the true God; and was fo feverely felt by them, that they had an utter averfion and abhorrence of Idolatry or the worship of falfe Gods, ever after. So that from thence to the coming of Chrift, a courfe of many ages, they adhered, tho' tributary and perfecuted, and (what has ftill greater force than Perfecution, if not thoroughly administered) despised and ridiculed by the two greatest Empires of the world, the Greek and Roman; and tho' furrounded with the pomp and splendour of Pagan idolatries, recommended by the fashion of Courts, and the plaufible gloffes of Philofophers, they adhered, I say strictly, and even fuperftitiously to the letter of that Law, which allowed of no other Gods befides the God of Ifrael. Now if this was not gaining its end, we must seek for other modes of fpeech, and other conceptions of things, when we reafon upon Government and Laws.

Yet this was not all. For the Law not only gained its end, in delivering down the Religion of

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the TRUE GOD into the hands of the REDEEMER OF MANKIND; Who foon fpread it throughout the whole Roman Empire; but even after it had done its destined work, the vigour of the Mofaic Revelation still working at the root, enabled a bold Impoftor to extend the principle of the UNITY ftill wider, till it had embraced the remoteft regions of the habitable World: So that, at this day, almost all the Natives of the vast regions of higher Afia, whether Gentiles, Christians, or Mahometans, are the profeffed worshipers of the ONE ONLY GOD. How much the extenfion of the principle of the Unity has been owing to this Caufe, under the permiffion and direction of that Providence, which is ever producing good out of evil, is known to all who are acquainted with the prefent state of the Eastern World.

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The reafon why I afcribe fo much of this good, to the lafting efficacy of the Mofaic Law, is this ; Mahumet was born and brought up an Idolater, and inhabited an idolatrous Country; fo that had he feen no more of true Religion than in the fuperftitious practice of the Greek Church, at that time over-run with faint and image-worship, it is odds but that, when he fet up for a Prophet, he might have made Idolatry the bafis of his new Religion: But getting acquainted with the Jews and their Scriptures, he came to understand the folly of Gentilifm and the corruptions of Chriftianity; and by this means was enabled to preach up the doctrine of the ONE GOD, in its purity and integrity. It is again remarkable, that to guard and fecure this doctrine, which He made the fundamental principle of Ifhmaelitifm, he brought into his Impofture many of thofe provifions which Mofes had put in practice to prevent the contagion of idolatry.

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But the great Man with whom we have to do, is fo fecure of his fact, namely that the Law was perpetually defeated, and never gained its end, that he fuppofes his Adverfaries, the DIVINES, are ready to confefs it; and will only endeavour to elude his inference by throwing the ill fuccefs of its operations on the hardness of the People's hearts and the impiety of their Governors. And this affords him fresh occafion of triumph.

I will not be positive that this species of Divines is intirely of his own invention, and that this their apology for Mofes is altogether as imaginary as their famous CONFEDERACY against God; because I know by experience that there are of these Divines, who, in fupport of their paffions and prejudices, are always ready (as I have amply experienced) to admit what Scripture oppofes, and to oppose what it admits, in almost every page. But the best Apologies of fuch men are never worth a defence, and indeed are rarely capable of any.

To conclude: Such as these here exposed, are all the reafonings of his Lordship's bulky volumes: And no wonder; when a writer, however able in other matters, will needs dictate in a Science of which he did not poffefs so much as the first Principles.

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AVING thus fhewn the nature of this THEOCRACY, and the attendant circumftances of its erection; our next enquiry will be concerning its DURATION.

Page 293-4.

Vol. v. p. 305-307-393

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