calling in the experience of former agès. But all the advantages that human history can boast, are poffeffed in a far fuperior degree by that which has the ftamp of infpiration. It alfo poffeffes others, which are entirely its own. There is, perhaps, no part of Sacred Scripture fo little attended to, or fo little valued, by the generality of readers, as the hiftorical. Except what immediately respects the life and death of our Saviour, or the propagation of the gospel by his first minifters; they confider themselves as very little interested in a narration of facts which happened so many ages ago. They seem to think that the history of ancient heathen nations, recorded in Scripture, was merely intended for the ufe of the Jews, who were their neighbours; and that as these nations are in general extinct, it can be of little or no advantage to Chriftians. But they have not duly confidered that, as "all fcrip"ture is given by inspiration of God," it is all profitable. To many, even the hiftory of the Jews feems especially meant for the use of that nation. Thofe, however, who entertain this fentiment, have not learned, that not only the prophets did not minifter unto themselves, but un"to us the things which are now reported a" in the gofpel; but that the facred hiftorians were employed principally for this end. A great part of the Holy Bible is loft to those who know not that "all these things," which are recorded immediately in relation to the pofterity of Jacob, "happened " a 1 Pet. i. 12. 66 "happened unto them for enfamples," and that they are written for our admonition, upon whom "the ends of the world are come "." So little attention being given to this branch of revelation, notwithstanding its great utility, it is the more neceffary that we fhould confider it at large. We fhall, first, take a more general view of the use of Sacred Hiftory. We may, fecondly, advert to fome of its peculiar beauties. The fpecial advantages arifing from this fpecies of writing, may be next confidered. We fhall then inquire into the defign of the hiftory of God's ancient people in particular: and afterwards endeavour to show, from a variety of evidence, that the Sacred Hiftory, in its general tenor, is meant to illuftrate, confirm, and enforce the great doctrines of revelation. SECTION I.. A General View of the Ufe of Sacred Hiftory. WE are, FIRST, to attend to the use of Sacred History in general. This is fo various, that we mean only to make a few remarks, as introductory to what is principally in view. 1. The Holy Scripture contains a ftriking account of the origin of all things. It was worthy of divine wisdom, that the book which was to contain the annals of the world for fo many ages, fhould K 2 b I Cor. x. II, fhould commence with a declaration of its origin; that this volume, which carries us forward to the end of time, fhould carry us back to its beginning; that the important history of the new creation fhould be prefaced by an account of the old. Man learns, indeed, from the light of nature, that the world muft have had a beginning. These very works which proclaim "the eternal 66. power and godhead" of the First Cause, plainly intimate the temporal nature of their own exiftence. But it was the will of God, that man fhould enjoy a more clear and exprefs teftimony; that he should not merely know by reason, but “understand through faith, that the worlds were "framed." For it is not enough that we believe fome things on rational, and others on fcriptural grounds. It is the pleasure of the Moft High,, that all that we believe concerning him, or his. works, although difcernible by the light of nature, fhould reft directly on his own teftimony. He is also pleased to inform us of the manner in which he created: "Through faith we un"derftand that the worlds were framed by the "word of God;" and fo framed, "that things "which are feen were not made of things which "do appear. Here are two things which can' be known only by faith; firft, that the worlds were framed by God's word of command; and, fecondly, that they were not created of pre-exiftent matter, but of nothing. Faith learns the former, from the language of the inspired hifto c Heb. xi.. 3. rian; rian; "God faid, Let there be light; and there "was light "," &c. It learns the latter, from the general strain of the hiftory of creation. For it, is declared;" In the beginning God created the "heaven, and the earth. And the earth was with"out form, and voide." If God created both heaven and earth" in the beginning ;" there was no material principle previoufly exifting. That expreffion, "And the earth was without “form, and void," does not declare what was the state of the earth before creation, but what was its ftate immediately after its first formation, before God reduced every thing to order and beauty, by that regular process which the hiftorian proceeds to declare. Nothing can give us a more exalted idea of divine power, than the hiftory of the creation. We cannot conceive any human emblem of the majefty of God fo proper as that which is here employed. "He fpake, and it was done he "commanded, and it ftood faft." Every thing in this defcription correfponds to the character of the glorious architect. We perceive the most perfect order in the whole. An exiftence is first given to matter itself. Then, at his almighty word, our earth rifes out of chaos. But as its beauty must have been otherwise loft, as it must have been otherwise a gloomy prison, unfit for the reception of an intelligent creature, the light is created. This earth would ftill have been an unfit abode for man, had not an atmosphere been K 3 formed. d Gen. i. 3. e Gen. i. 1, 2. f Pfal. xxxiii. 9. formed. Therefore God made that firmament or great expanse, part of which is employed for receiving our atmosphere, which contains the air that we breathe 8. Notwithstanding the creation of our atmosphere, the earth would ftill have been uninhabitable, had it not been feparated from the great body of water. Therefore, "the waters "were gathered together into one place, and the dry land appeared h." The earth itself was now completely formed; but it had no capacity of fupporting any inhabitants. It was ftill unproductive. Therefore "God faid, Let the earth 66 bring forth grafs, the herb yielding feed," &c. That the light might be regular and permanent, it was neceffary that it fhould be collected into a common fource. This could not be done with propriety, till after the formation of the firmament. But the firmament being formed, God made the great lights. He made the ftars alfok. The fruitfulness of the earth would have been loft, had it not been abundantly stocked with inhabitants. Therefore, both the waters and the earth are made "to bring forth abundantly." Many have imagined, that the earth, under the genial influence of the fun, hath of itself produced those plants and animals which it bears. But God guards his church against this delufion. We find that the earth was barren, till fructified by his word of power. Till then, it had neither grafs, nor herb, nor tree, nor feed m: and these are g Gen. i. 6, 7. k Ver. 16. h Ver. 9. i Ver. 11, 12. |