fords a very strong prefumption in its favour. For had this man perceived any veftiges of imposture in Chrift, or in any of his difciples, it is inconceivable, that he fhould not have vindicated his own conduct by revealing them. In like manner, we may reafon in favour of the Jewish revelation, from the rebellious conduct of the Ifraelites. Had they, in their fucceffive generations, ftrictly adhered to the law of Mofes, and reverenced its fupporters, there would have been far more ground to fufpect a combination to deceive. But we may clearly perceive, that He, who makes the wrath of man to praife" him, permitted their frequent rebellions in the wildernefs, their reiterated apoftacies afterwards, and even the permanent revolt of the greatest part of the nation from the true religion, to afford us the moft fatisfying proof, that they had nothing to object to its evidence. Had they, in any period, made an objection of this kind, it is incredible that there should have been no traces of it in that volume, which fo faithfully records, not merely the oppofition of enemies, but the misconduct of its best friends.

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III. There were many memorials of the miracles faid to have been wrought in the fight of the Ifraelites, in the more early period of their national exiftence, by which the truth of these miracles was attefted to this people in their fucceeding generations, and by which it is rendered indifputable to us.

Not only were twelve ftones taken out of the midst of Jordan, and erected in Gilgal; but the fame number of ftones were fet up in the midst of Jordan, as a memorial of its "waters being cut "off." The ftones taken out of Jordan were fuch that a man might carry one of them on his fhoulder. But the fame is not faid of those set up in the midst of the river. Hence it is probable, that they were much larger, and fo high that they might be distinctly feen when the water was low a Had the stones, which appeared in the midst of Jordan, been fet up in any later age, the fraud muft easily have been detected. Had the queftion been asked, What is meant by these ftones? it would not have been a fatisfactory answer to any reasonable perfon, that they were erected by Jofhua at the time that their ancestors paffed through Jordan. He would inftantly have replied, I have lived fo many years in the vicinity of this river, and have never feen them before, even when the water was as low as it is now; nay, I have never found any person who either faw or heard of them till of late.

The writer of the book of Joshua afcribes the downfal of the walls of Jericho to a miracle. In confequence of the Ifraelites having compaffed the city feven days, and feven times on the feventh day, while the priests blew with trumpets of rams horns, (or, as it may be read, jubileetrumpets), and "the people fhouted with a great "fhout, the walls fell down flat, fo that the peo

a Josh. iv. I.-9.

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ple went up into the city, every man ftraight "before him b." The circumftances are fo fingular, that it cannot eafily be conceived they fhould have gained credit with a whole nation in fucceeding ages, had they not really taken place especially as they added nothing to the military fame of the Ifraelites, but to the carnal eye rather reprefented them in a contemptible light.

There were, however, two remarkable facts, by which the truth of this miracle was attested in later times. The family of Rahab the harlot was well known, as long as the diftinction of families was preferved among that people. "Joshua," it is faid, "faved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father's

household, and all that she had; and the dwelleth "in Ifrael even unto this day." If this account was written while Rahab herfelf was living, it proves the very great antiquity of the book of Jofhua: for in this cafe the writer appealed to an impartial witness, who was yet alive. If, on the other hand, the phrafe, even unto this day, be understood, as infidels explain it in other places, of a period remote from the event; and if the preceding language refpect Rahab, not perfonally, but in her pofterity and kindred; it follows, that the circumstances connected with her deliverance were well known to the Ifraelites many ages after they are said to have happened. It cannot be fuppofed, indeed, that kings would have reckoned it no difgrace that this woman's name should be retained in their genealogy, had they not been convinB 4 ced,

b Joh. vi. 29.

c Jofh. vi. 25.

ced, that God had fignally honoured her by giving her fo great a falvation.

"

The other fact I refer to, is that recorded 1 Kings xvi. 34. concerning the judgments inflicted on the man who rebuilt Jericho. Had not the whole nation been bound by a folemn adjuration; had not the memory of this been diftinctly preferved; it is incredible that Jericho fhould never have been rebuilt till the time of Ahab, especially as its fituation was peculiarly pleafant There can be no good reafon to doubt the account given of the completion of the curse, pronounced by Joshua, on the fons of Hiel the Bethelite. Had not this fact been well known, when the first book of Kings was written; had it not been equally well known, that Jericho had lain in ruins for more than five centuries, and that no one would venture to rebuild it, left the curfe fhould fall upon him; that book would have been rejected, as containing the most ridiculous falfehoods, which it was in the power of every one to contradict,

They had a standing monument of the miraculous deftruction of Korah and his company, in the prefervation of the two hundred and fifty cenfers employed by these wicked men in offering incenfe. They were converted into broad plates for covering the altar of burnt-offering. As this was commanded for "a fign," and "a me“morial

d Josh. vi. 26.

e 2 Kings ii. 19. ; 2 Chr. xxviii. 15a ni bo

* There was a place called Jericho in the reign of David, as appears from 2 Sam. x. 5. But it feems to have been only an obfcure village, which received this name from its vicinity to the ruins of the ancient city,

"morial unto the children of Ifrael," it is most likely, that they were not beaten into one mafs, but preferved diftinct, forming as many plates as there had been cenfers; fo that no worshipper could fix his eye on that altar which flood without the tabernacle, without remembering the 'miracle wrought for the vindication of the divine authority. This is the more probable, as thefe censers formed a fecond covering of brafs for the altar 8.

We are informed, however, that "the chil"dren of Korah died not" in this destruction. Either they were not engaged in their father's rebellion, or they repented at the warning of Mofes. They are frequently mentioned afterwards. Some of them were appointed by David to be fingers, and others to be porters in the house of the LORD. Samuel the prophet was one of the defcendants of Korah . Heman and Afaph alfo acknowledged him as their anceftor!. Now, as these two perfons were "fet over the fervice of fong in the house of the LORD," and ministered first in the tabernacle, and afterwards in the temple; as many of the pfalms are exprefsly infcribed, "To the fons of Korah;" it is quite incredible, that they would have admitted into the public worship of God the hundred and fixth pfalm, which particularly refers to that rebellion that proved fatal to their ancestors, had they not been fully perfuaded, not only of the truth of the

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Numb. xvi. 36.-40. g Exod. xxvii. 1, 2. h Numb. xxvi. II. i 1 Chr. xxvi. 1. k 1.Chr. vi. 33, 37. comp. with 1 Sam. i. 1. 20. 11 Chr. vi. 31. 33-37. 39.