SERMON PSAL. xliv. ver. 3. For they got not the land in poffeffion by their own fword, neither did their own arm fave them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance; because thou hadst a favour unto them. WH HEN the Almighty had raised up, in the manner related, proper inhabitants for the land of Canaan, his miraculous providence conducted them to it, and gave them poffeffion of it, Now, as the conqueft of this land was firft promised, and then fecured to them, not merely for their own fake, but rather as a means of carrying on the grand design, which God had originally purposed; so it is natural to prefume, that the measures, by which it was to be now achieved, muft bear fome reference to that defign, and contribute in their degree to the promotion of it. And indeed, if we fedately confider these measures, and clofely obferve their effects and tendencies, we fhall find them adapted, with exquifite propriety, to the advancement of the end in view;-to the extirpation of idolatry, and the establishment of true religion. For they all confpired to fill the nations with wonder and astonishment; to imprint on their minds high conceptions of the majefty of Jehovah; and to render them fenfible of the fin and folly of placing their reliance, hope or confidence in any other God but him. To evince the truth of this affertion, let us first attend to the general plan, that was laid down for the acquifition of the country. It was to be undertaken and profecuted by war. Now, had the acquifition of the country country been the whole that was intended, it is easy to conceive, that God might have accomplished it in a different manner from that which depended on the force of arms. He might have destroyed the inhabitants by famine or peftilence; and introduced his people into all their poffeffions without the trouble of drawing a fword. But this mode of proceeding, however effectual in gaining the land, would seemingly have answered no higher purposes. It would neither have manifefted to the world the power and greatness of the true God, nor exposed to view the weakness and futility of false deities: whereas the other method brought these points directly to the teft, and made them obvious to all people. For all nations having then their tutelary deities, to whose protection they committed themselves and their country; and of whofe power they judged by the fate of war; it is evident, that an attack upon any country was virtually an attack on those guardian gods, who were supposed to be the defenders of it; and whose ftrength was put to a trial in the conteft. Hence Hence then it follows, that this war in Canaan was a kind of holy war; maintained on the one fide by the worshipers of Jehovah in oppofition to the idolatrous nations on the other. The fuccefs therefore, which he vouchfafed his people, must be acknowledged, even on the principles of heathenism, to have been a full proof of his fuperior power, and fovereign authority over their idol gods and confequently must be looked upon as an excellent mean to convince them of the abfurdity of depending on fuch gods, in preference to the God of Ifrael: as it must also be a strong and forcible motive to induce them now to alter their opinion; and to adopt him for the object of their worship, who was poffeffed, and fhewed them he was poffeffed, of fo great and uncontroulable a power. And that his power might appear still more confpicuous, ftill more incontestable; he difpofed, we are to obferve, the whole train of operations in fuch a manner, that the conqueft was made not only with eafe and rapidity; but also made by a young, raw, unpractifed |