let us not think that the Godhead is like unto gold or filver, or ftone graven by man's device."

The defign of Mofes, the infpired penman, or rather of that blessed spirit which inspired him in his history of creation, was not, fays Mr. Whifton, the gratifying the philofophical inquiries of a few elevated minds, but of a more general and useful nature, namely to inform the Jews and the reft of the world, that the visible frame of heaven and earth, was neither exiftent from all eternity, nor the refult of blind chance, fatal neceffity, nor unaccountable accident; but the workmanship of God Almighty, to make them fenfible that every thing they had any knowledge of was derived from, and subject to that Jéhovah whom they worshipped; and that in him, themselves, with all their fellowcreatures in the open air, on the wide earth, and in the deep feas, lived, moved, and had their being, who therefore must needs be the governor and ruler of them all; to affect their minds by this means with the awfuleft veneration for the God of Ifrael, and inspire them with a juft gratitude to him for all their enjoyments; who had not only created this earth for mankind, and furnished it with

various

:

various creatures for their ufe, but befides thefe terreftrial, had made the very celestial bodies fubfervient to their neceffities, to demonftrate the original goodness and perfection of things; and that, therefore, whatever was evil, must have been the confequence of man's fall, and not God's primary introduction, and thereby to teach men humility, and raise their abhorrence of fin, the cause of all their miferies. To fhew them the, unreasonableness of all idolatry, or of the worshipping any visible beings, tho' never so useful and glorious: by affuring them, they were all in common the creatures of God, and all their influences, of what kind foevér, intirely derived from him, and under his difpofal.

In fhort, the main defign was, to secure obedience to thofe laws he was about to deliver from God to them, by giving them the greatest and jufteft ideas of their legislator, the ALMIGHTY MAKER of heaven and earth,

SKETCH

SKETCH VIII,

OF RABBINICAL PHILOSOPHICAL AND RELIGIOUS THEORIES ERRONEOUSLY FOUNDED ON THE MOSAIC WRI TINGS.

SECT. I.

OF THE JEWISH WRITERS.

THE Jews, (of whom Apollonius gives

this character, αφυεςατος είναι των βαρβάρων, βαρβάρων, και δια τέτο, μηδέν εις βιον εύρημα συμβεβλησθαι μονας. that they were the moft illiterate of the barbarians, infomuch, that thefe alone were never the inventors of any thing useful in life,) were not altogether so bad or fo ignorant as they have been represented. When we judge of others we should be careful to fhew ourfelves impartial, if we are not disposed to be charitable. The fcriptures, it is true, accuse the mof being a stubborn and a refractory generation; they

they themselves own it, and plead guilty. It is urged, that where the power of God operated by a train of miraculous events, and where the divine will was made manifeft by a written revelation, it argued the worst of difpofitions to rebel. But let us be candid: Is not the revelation of the gospel far fuperior to that of the law-does it not exceed in glory, inafmuch as life and immortality are brought to light? But how have profeffing chriftians behaved? If offences are in proportion to the information of the perfons, may we not conclude that chriftians have frequently behaved worse than Jews? have they not turned afide to the groffeft fuperftition and idolatry, to the adoration of faints and angels? 'tis true they did not facrifice their children, cafting them into the fire to Moloch; but they have, thro' falfe zeal, devoted their fathers, their children, their friends and fellow citizens to flames, to tortures, to the most cruel deaths.

It must be granted, that the Hebrews,wlien God was pleased to visit them in Egypt, were both as to literature and temporal wealth, the meanest and moft enfeebled generation; but this happened left they fhould fay, that their own power and might had wrought their falvation.

vation. Whenever they turned away from the law of God, and defiled themselves with iniquity, exemplary vengeance followed them, and they seemed deprived almost of that reafon which distinguishes men from brutes, particularly when they rejected the Meffiah. Since that time divine revelation feems to be a dead letter to them; and their folly is in nothing more confpicuous than in their cabaliftical writings. Their Rabbies say, that to change a fingle letter of the facred text, would be to deftroy the whole; at the fame time, that by ftrange and ridiculous tranfmutations, by acroftic, or anagrammatic difpofitions of words and letters, they confuse, obfcure, and perfectly deface the fimple meaning of many paffages, according to whims of their own imaginations. Their n Rechem, has been too often changed into

Cherem; what was originally defigned as the greatest of all bleffings, they have rendered a curse.

But I am forry to fay, that among profeffing chriftians, among the apparent zealous defenders of the gofpel, perverfions of a fimilar nature are too often found. Their erring zeal hurries them far beyond the bounds of rational credibility, to the injury of the christian

faith.