earth drunken and mad with the wine of her idolatrous fornication," Jer. li. 8; and the mystical Babylon, or Rome Imperial and Papal, likewise, Rev. xvii. 2, xviii. 3. The bitter and poisonous ingredients of which, are here emphatically described. Of all these, God declares in the sequel, that He will keep an account, or registry, and severely punish them in the day of vengeance. The delay of which, is thus excellently explained by David Levi, Vol. I. p. 47. "Although the Gentiles have, according to their evil doings, and their corrupt religious tenets, long deserved exemplary punishment; yet is GOD pleased to defer his wrath, so long as the Jews remain unworthy of being redeemed, and have not repented; or received the full measure of their punishment,” ver. 26—35.

The sixth and last part rehearses the consolation of Israel, and signal punishment of their foes. It begins with God's expostulation with his people, when reduced to their lowest state of desolation, referring them for relief, ironically, to the vain idols in which they had trusted, and to which they had sacrificed, as He did afterwards, Judg. x. 14. The Psalmist, citing this passage, thus describes the idols themselves, and their votaries:

They are [but] silver and gold, the work of men's hands,

They have mouths, but speak not,

They have eyes, but see not,

They have ears, but hear not,

Neither is there any breath in their mouths.

They that make them are like them,

And so are all that trust in them," Psalm cxxxv. 14-18.

By an admirable contrast to which, the LORD describes his own self-existence, as living for evermore; and his sole and exclusive power" to kill," and "to make alive," " to wound and to heal."-Hence the captivity is called "the wound of Israel," which is to be "healed" at the restoration of Israel, Isa. xxx. 26, while his power to kill, or destroy his adversaries, as a mighty warrior, with sword and arrows, or by the miseries of war, (as in the present awful" days of vengeance," perhaps, Luke xxi. 22,) forms the conclusion of it.

The last verse, 43, terminates the whole, with the joint exultation of the Gentile with the Jewish converts to Christianity, arising from the prospect of the approaching judgments of God to be inflicted both upon his adversaries and the persecutors of his servants. St. Paul has cited this verse to prove the future con

version of the Jews and of the Gentiles to CHRIST, Rom. xv. 10-12, supported by the parallel prophecies of Psalm cxvii. 1 ; Isa. xi. 1-10.

Theodoret has well paraphrased the last verse; "The Gentiles and the Jews, the people of GOD, might well rejoice together; for even among the Jews there were many myriads who believed [early] in CHRIST, (Acts xxi. 20,) as well as by far the greatest part of the Gentile world. But the Heathens were indebted to the Jewish believers for their knowledge, and received the principles and precepts of the Christian religion solely from them: for the holy Apostles were Jews. The prophet, therefore, enjoying a clear view of this great period, exults," Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people," [the converted Heathens with the believing Jews.]

Such was the extensive range of prophetic vision vouchsafed to the great law-giver of the Jews, comprising the whole fortunes of their state, from the first redemption, after the Egyptian bondage, until the last, on their final return to their own land, after the long continued Roman desolation, which it is the business of the succeeding prophets, under the former dispensation, and of OUR LORD and his apostles, under the new, to unfold more explicitly and circumstantially.

THE SPIRIT OF THE MOSAICAL LAW.

Moses was mighty both in words and deeds, Acts vii. 22. He excelled in miracles and prophecies, and still more in legisla tion. His laws and institutions have been admired and adopted by the wisest sages of antiquity. And upon the closest scrutiny, they breathe a spirit of the most exalted piety, the most extensive benevolence, and the most enlightened policy; worthy, indeed, of the TUTELAR GOD OF ISRAEL, by whom they were dictated to this most highly favoured man of GOD, because most faithful servant of THE LORD, Deut. xxiii. 1; Numb. xii. 7; Heb. iii. 2; with whom God conversed face to face, or familiarly, as a man with his friend, Exod. xxxiii. 11.

The calling of the Israelites, and their separation from the Gentiles, to be "a holy people, and a peculiar treasure unto God above all nations," took place in the fulness of time, when the apostacy from the pure patriarchal religion was become universal, and polytheism and idolatry had pervaded the most polished nations of the earth, the Assyrians, Babylonians, Pha

nicians, Canaanites, and Egyptians; and pure and undefiled religion would soon have been exterminated and lost, every where, had not the Israelites, themselves a degraded and enslaved people," been borne on eagles' wings," from the house of bondage in Egypt, and brought by their gracious REDEEMER unto Himself, to his holy mountain, in the solitary deserts of Arabia Petræa; where they were at first instructed by the voice of GOD himself, pronouncing the Ten Commandments, with an audible voice, from the summit of Sinai; and were afterwards trained up to religion and virtue, during forty years of wandering" in the waste howling wilderness;" until Jeshurun, or "righteous Israel," were qualified to enter the land of promise, and replace the devoted nations of Canaan.

The idolatry of the Heathens in general, and of the Egyptians and Canaanites in particular, consisted not only in worshipping false gods, such as the sun, moon, stars, winds, elements, &c. Deut. iv. 19, which they supposed to be animated, and actuated by some intelligences residing in them, and exerting their beneficial or noxious powers to the advantage or detriment of mankind; but also in framing certain symbolical or figurative representations of THE TRUE GOD, under the forms of beasts, birds, and fishes, expressive of their peculiar excellencies, or powers; as the horns or strength of the bull, the milk or nourishment of the cow, the swiftness and sharp-sightedness of the eagle or hawk, the wisdom or cunning of the serpent, &c. until, at length, the symbols were forgotten, or perverted by the vulgar, into the most grovelling and senseless materialism, on the one hand, or bestial idolatry on the other.

Under the Theocracy, therefore, or divine government of the Israelites, the fundamental laws were the first and second commandments, peculiarly levelled against the reigning corruptions of polytheism and idolatry; the first, prohibiting the worship of any but THE ONE TRUE GOD, and LORD of the universe; the second, the worship even of the true God, under any animal or sensible representation of bird, beast, or fish.

The reason assigned for these prohibitions, is, that "the Lord their God was a jealous God," who would not bear the spiritual adultery of his espoused people, Numb. xiv. 33, and "neither give his glory to another, nor his praise to graven images,” Isa. xlii. 8, not brooking a rival or associate in his worship, "with whom was no strange god," Deut. xxxii. 12.

And these fundamental laws were sanctioned with powerful national sanctions of punishment and reward, to be administered by GOD himself, as their KING and their JUDGE. "The haters of GOD," or the disobedient, were threatened with temporal calamities, extending to "the third or fourth generation of their children;" but "the lovers of GOD," or the obedient, who should keep "these his commandments," were encouraged by the promise, that God would shew mercy unto their children to the thousandth [generation †,] or to the remotest ages. Thus the idolatries of the Jewish nation drew down on themselves and on their children, the Babylonish captivity of seventy years, including the third and fourth generation of the offenders: while the righteous posterity of the true Israelites, in the regeneration, will flourish till the end of the world.-How infinitely does the goodness transcend the severity of GOD!

This penalty of "visiting the sins of the fathers upon the children," was reserved to GOD himself, as the SUPREME JUDGE for no magistrate was allowed, in ordinary cases, to punish the innocent for the guilty; "the fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor the children for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin," Deut. xxiv. 16; compare Ezek. xviii. 4-20. But the sin of idolatry, here meant, was the greatest national crime that could be committed; it was high treason against the supreme majesty of the state, during the THEOCRACY; the offenders, therefore, and even enticers to idolatry, whether cities or individuals, by the municipal law, were to be utterly destroyed, or stoned to death; or any one that sacrificed to a strange god. Exod. xxii. 20; Levit. xx. 2; Deut. xiii. 1-16; Josh. xxii. 22. And in cases of high treason, do not human lawgivers punish the children or families of the delinquents with confiscation of property, and legal disabilities, that parents may be deterred from disturbing the public peace, and be more strongly attached to the existing government, from regard to their offspring?-Cicero commends the policy of

Men seldom live to see more than the third or fourth generation of their offspring, Gen. 1. 23. So far, therefore, parental affection may naturally be supposed to extend ; and the fear of involving the children in the punishment of the fathers, operate as a restraint.

This is the judicious rendering of the Syriac Version and Chaldee Paraphrase of Exod. xx. 5; supported by the parallel passages, Deut. vii. 9; 1 Chron. xvi, 15; Psalm cv. 8.

such penalties?-Hoc præclare legibus comparatum est, ut caritas liberorum amiciores parentes Reipublicæ redderet. Epist. ad Brut.

The characteristic excellence of the Mosaical law, consists in the inward principle upon which obedience thereto was founded, namely, the LOVE OF GOD, as noticed in the second commandment, and more fully unfolded afterwards, in the admirable commentary upon the Decalogue, furnished in the remainder of the Pentateuch.

Its nature and degree is thus specified:

"Thou shalt love the LORD THY GOD with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength and these words which I command thee this day, shall be in thy heart," Deut. vi. 5, 6.

And the grounds of it also:

"For THE LORD, THE LORD OF GODS, is merciful and gracious, long suffering, and abundant in mercy and truth; keeping mercy for a thousand [generations,] forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin, [upon repentance,] but by no means clearing [the impenitent:] visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and fourth [generation,"] Exod. xxxiv. 6, 7, Numb. xiv. 17, 18. The love of GOD was, therefore, necessarily accompanied with the fear of GOD:

"For THE LORD YOUR GOD is GOD OF GODS, and LORD OF LORDS, a great, a mighty, and a terrible GOD, who regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward."—" Thou shalt fear THE LORD THY GOD, Him shalt thou serve, and to Him shalt thou cleave," Deut. x. 17-20. "And now, Israel, what doth the LORD THY GOD require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love Him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, to keep the commandments of THE LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day, FOR THY GOOD," Deut. x. 12, 13.

The greatness, the majesty, and justice of GOD, necessarily render him an object of fear and awe; while his disinterested goodness, and free bounties, naturally tend to excite love and gratitude in the receivers; and both together, a hearty desire, and sincere endeavour, to obey his will in all things *.

• The genuine love of GOD includes all those mingled sentiments of fear, awe, admi