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the highest degree. Columns of smoke are seen at certain times to rife from it; and it is faid, that in fome parts of it ruins of buildings may still be seen*. Profane hiftorians, as well as the fcriptures, bear witnefs to the calamity which befell these cities. TACITUS fays, "that where "the Dead Sea now is, there were formerly fruit"ful fields and large cities, which were after"wards confumed by thunder and lightening."+ JOSEPHUS fays, that the things which are related of Sodom are confirmed by occular inspection, there being still vifible relicks of the fire fent from Heaven, and the fhadows of the five cities t. In the book of Wisdom (xth chapter and 7th verfe) it is faid of the inhabitants of Sodom, that the wafte land which yet fmoketh, and the plants bear ́ing fruit that never come to ripeness, bear teftimony to their wickedness.

But it is most to my prefent purpose to give you an account of the notice which, in the verse before my text, the Deity is represented as giving to Abraham of his intention to destroy Sodom, and the interceffion which Abraham is reprefented as making for Sodom. In the 17th verfe, Jehovah is described as faying, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing

* See Mr. Maundrell's Travels, page 84, 85. + Tacit. Hift. Lib. v. cap. 6.

Jof. de Bell. Jud. Lib. iv. cap. 8.

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which I do? feeing that in him all the nations of the earth fhall be blessed; and I know him that he will command his children, and his household after him, and they fhall keep the way of the Lord to do justice and judgment. In the 22d verfe we are told that Abraham drew near and faid, Wilt thou destroy the righteous with the wicked? Peradventure there be fifty righteous perfons within the city: Wilt thou not Spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked. Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?-And Jehovah faid, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous, then I will spare all the place for their fakes.-And Abraham answered and faid, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak to the Lord, who am but duft and afbes. Peradventure there fhall lack five of the fifty righteous: Wilt thou destroy the city for the lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it.-And Abraham fpoke yet again and faid, Peradventure there fhall be forty found there. And the Lord faid, I will not deftroy it for the fake of forty.- And Abraham faid again, O let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Peradventure there fhall be thirty found there.-And the Lord faid, I will not destroy it if I find thirty there.And Abraham faid, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord. Peradventure there fhall be twenty found there. And he faid, I will not destroy it for the fake of twenty.-And Abraham faid, O let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once.

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Peradventure ten shall be found there. And the Lord faid, I will not destroy it for ten's fake.

Such is the account in this chapter. I fuppofe there is no occafion for telling you, that it is not to be understood, that there was on this occafion exactly such a dialogue as this between Abraham and the Governor of the World. It is, I apprehend, a kind of parabolical representation, contrived to imprefs our minds, and to convey, after the manner of the oriental nations in antient times, a more diftinct and forcible inftruction. Indeed, the whole account in this and the next chapter of the appearance of Jehovah to Abraham, of Abraham's interceffion, of Jebovah's replies, of his promise to spare Sodom had there been found in it but ten righteous perfons, and of the extraordinary care which was taken, by the interpofition of heavenly meffengers, to provide for the deliverance of righteous Lot; I fay, this whole account is adapted, with the most striking propriety and energy, to convey to our minds fome of the most useful and important leffons. It is, without doubt, founded on real facts, the manner only of telling these facts being to be confidered as disguised and veiled by a mixture of allegory. Nor fhould we at all wonder at fuch a manner of relating facts, did we know how the antients wrote hiftory, or by what methods the memory of important events was preferved

preserved and transmitted from one generation to another before the invention of letters.

The remarks I have now made fhould be attended to in reading many of the other accounts in this book of Genefis; and particularly those of the Creation, the Fall, and the Deluge.-But waving all obfervations of this kind, I would take occafion from the account I have read, to defire you to confider a circumstance in the fcripture history which is very remarkable, and which diftinguishes it from all other hiftories; I mean, the tendency which it has to difplay the justice and spotless holiness of the Deity, as the moral governor of the world. Other histories carry our views no higher than second caufes, or the natural means by which events are produced; but this history constantly and uniformly carries our views to the first cause, and leads us to conceive of the providence of God as guiding the course of nature, and of his love of righteousness, and hatred of iniquity, as the fprings of all the bleffings enjoyed by nations, and of all the calamities which befall them. Thus, in the prefent inftance, we are taught diftinctly that the caufe of the destruction of Sodom was the anger of the Deity against the inhabitants for their wickedness; and we are further led to form the most lively ideas of this truth, by being acquainted that had there been in it but ten righteous perfons it would have been faved. The natural

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caufes which produced its deftruction would, in this cafe, either never have exifted, or their operations would have been fo directed as to fufpend or prevent the calamity they produced. Nothing certainly can be more unreasonable, than to conclude that because an event has been brought about by natural means, therefore the hand of God has not been in it; or that, because we can trace the bleffings and the fufferings of beings to certain powers, which are their immediate caufes, therefore they can be under no direction from the moral government of the firft and fupreme caufe, A little philofophy may incline a person to this conclufion; but a deep infight into philofophy, and an enlarged view of the laws and conftitution of nature, will convince us of the contrary. Irreligion and atheism must be derived from miferable inattention and ignorance. True knowledge will neceffarily make us devout, and force us to acknowledge that God is the cause of all causes, that his power is the fource of all efficacy in nature, and his righteous providence the guide of all that happens.

But to return to the remark which occafioned these observations.-The Scriptures, I have faid, direct us to conceive of God's love of righteoufnefs and averfion to wickedness, as the principles which influence him in determining the fates of kingdoms. He regards communities with particular favour, on account of the number of virC

tuous

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