more than any other part of this History. We never heard men, pretending to religion, make such an assertion before. "Thus saith the Lord unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me and ye shall live," Amos v. 4, "Seek, and ye shall find," &c. Matt. vii, "Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with their whole heart," Psalm cxix. 2. "Your heart shall live that seek God," Psalm lxix, 32, And is it said that the Scriptures know nothing of such persons as seekers? The Methodists know that no such assertion is true, and they pity the preachers and the congregations who are ignorant of such seekers, or despise them; as it is evident that the preaching which makes no seekers, converts no souls, and does very little good. The Methodists, we hope, are all seekers of God and of his Christ, and we are not surprised that few of them seek fellowship with such dissenters as attempt to stigmatise them as a tertium quid, nondescripts, a sort of persons of which the Scriptures know nothing. Here we will take the liberty to recommend to Messrs. Bogue and Bennett, that most excellent Address to SEEKERS for salvation, written by the late Rev. John Fletcher, vicar of Madeley; and we shall be glad to hear that there are some seekers in their congre gations, and that they address them in Mr. Fletcher's language. We cannot recommend a better example to them in the last century, in word or in doctrine, than the revered man whom we have mentioned.

These writers assert that the commencement of all the epistles to the churches, shews that a church is composed of all who are called to be saints,* who have believed on Christ for salvation; and hence they wish their readers to believe that the Scriptures know nothing of seekers of salvation. But is the commencement of all the epistles such as they represent? Look at the epistle to the churches of Galatia. What is its commencement, and what is its purport, and what sort of persons are described in it? Among the foolish Galatians to whom St. Paul addressed his epistle, we fear that there were several who were not holy or saints. Messrs. Bogue and Bennett might, however, be asked, how they know that persons who are seeking salvation, are not called to be saints? Lightly as Messrs. Bogue and Bennett may think of such persons, we should rejoice to hear that all the members of all the dissenting churches in England, could, with truth, be denominated seekers of salvation. We should then see a glorious revival of godliness in the dissenting churches, which might spread to other churches. As matters are at present, it would be much more honourable to Christianity, if some societies of dissenters were more fluctuating than they are, rather than that notoriously ungodly persons should remain in them. The Methodists expel from their socieThe Greek is, nous aviois, saints, or, holy persons called, or, called holy persons, or saints.

ties, persons who are living in sin, as soon as their conduct is discovered, and we wish that the dissenters always acted in the

same manner.

(To be concluded in the next.)

THE WORD OF GOD ILLUSTRATED.

REMARKS ON DEUT. vii. 2, AND NUMB. xxxiii. 53. When the LORD thy God shall deliver them (the seven nations) before thee: thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them, thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them, Deut. vii. 2.—And ye shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land, and dwell therein: for I have given you the land to possess it, Numb. xxxiii. 53.

THERE is no part of the Sacred Writings which has been esteemed so exceptionable, as the account given of the slaughter of the seven nations in Canaan. The impropriety of the fact has been urged by many who were no friends to Revelation, and who have announced it to have been a most unjust and cruel proceeding, and unworthy both of God and man. But they, who place it in this very unfavourable light, do not consider all the leading circumstances with which it is accompanied. Those who have a due faith in the Scriptures, and a true sense of the justice of the Deity, must necessarily acquiesce in the history, as it is delivered; for the whole was the work of God, being authorized by him. But without having recourse to this expedient, let us consider the history of the Canaanites, and see, whether they did not amply deserve all that was inflicted upon them. They are represented as wicked and degenerate, beyond all other nations. And if it had pleased God to have swept them away by a deluge, or buried them quick by an earthquake, I do not see how any could have arraigned the proceeding. Such fearful events have happened in different ages, and are still not unfrequent on the great western continent. But who, in any of these instances, called in question either the wisdom or justice of God, though these people did not offend as the Canaanites offended?

But it will be said, that instead of any such judgments, He made the Israelites the executioners of his purpose, whom the Canaanites could not have injured. We will admit this for the present. But why will you not allow the same licence to the God of all justice, as you grant to every earthly monarch? There is not a king that reigns who does not, either in his own person, condemn those whom he thinks worthy of death, or else delegates his power to magistrates and judges, and afterwards to inferior officers, by whom delinquents are taken off. Every year, and almost every month, affords instances of these melancholy, but necessary proceedings. And though in civilized states the num

+

ber may not at any particular time be very great, yet, by degrees, it increases, and a multitude in time will be found to have suffered.

But still it may be urged, that the aggregate can never equal the carnage in the land of Canaan. Let it be allowed, but it will be found of little moment, for we must consider, that the justice of condemnation does not depend upon the frequency of execution, nor the numbers consigned to death. When a set of men have rendered themselves not only unworthy, but pernicious citizens, and enemies to mankind, (it matters not whether ten, or twenty, or twenty myriads,) they are all equally obnoxious to the law, and their lives forfeited. I therefore ask again-Why will you not grant to the Deity the same privilege which you al

low to man.

But it will be said, no law involves whole families, nor cuts off wives and children, though the chief persons and leaders should be ever so guilty. Undoubtedly no human edict should be carried to such an extremity, though there should be strong suspicions of future degeneracy and retaliation. For man is not gifted with fore-knowledge, nor can he try the heart and reins. The lives and fortunes of a whole community must not be determined by conjecture and surmise. Yet people will sometimes be guided by forecast; and their determinations are often consonant to reason and truth. A person who plants a number of trees, and finds them degenerate, and become an impediment to others, will pluck them up, young and old, and commit them to the flames. Once more, therefore, I say, if this be reasonable in man, who sees but in part, why will you not allow the same prerogative in God, whose attribute is not precarious forecast, but fore-knowledge absolute? If he made the Israelites the ministers of his will to pluck up and destroy; the same is done by every prince, who, in like manner, delegates his power. In respect to the Israelites, the commission was very properly given, as it made them inexcusable, if they were ever guilty of the like abomina

tions.

But there are other things which will make this objection less and less formidable. The Canaanites were certainly usurpers; and had acted in open defiance of God's ordinance, by seizing upon the land appropriated from the beginning to the children of Israel. Moses, accordingly, in a very sublime hymn, which he composed when he was going to leave his people, intimates to them that the land of Canaan was their peculiar possession. "Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations. Ask thy father, and he will show thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee. When the Most High divided the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people (in general) according to the number of the children of Israel," Deut. xxxii. 7, &c. We find, that, in

"The

the primitive division of the earth, the future sons of Jacob were particularly considered; and the limits of other nations so ordered, that there might be a particular region appointed; which was to be adapted to their future extent and number. "For the Lord's portion is his people. Jacob is the lot, (or measure,) of his inheritance." In the Euseban Chronicle of Scaliger, (p. 10,) inention is made of Canaan, the son of Ham, first making an innovation in the world. He trespassed upon the rights of his brethren, and seized upon the land which had been appropriated to God's future people. That it was destined to them, appears by its being uniformly called "the land of promise;" and it seems to have been for a long time vacant; no nation having the boldness to seize it. But some short time before the arrival of Abraham, the sons of Canaan had taken it to themselves, and occupied the whole. Hence it is said, when the patriarch was passing by Sichem, that "the Canaanite was in the land," Gen. xii. 6. By this is intimated, that this people were but lately come into that country. When, therefore, the Israelites were brought into Canaan, they came to their own inheritance; and those who had usurped their property knew it, and knew by whom it was appointed. Their alarm was accordingly very great. Hence, when the Israelites were on their march from Egypt, Moses takes notice of the terror this would cause among the nations of Canaan. people shall hear, and be afraid; sorrow shall take hold of the inhabitants of Palestina. All the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away; fear and dread shall fall upon them. By the greatness of thy arm they shall be as still as a stone; till thy people pass over, whom thou hast purchased. Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of their INHERITANCE; in the place, O Lord, which thou hast made for thee to dwell," Exod. xv. 14, &c. The woman of Jericho told the two spies who came secretly to her house, "I know that the Lord hath given you this land; and your terror hath fallen upon us; and all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you." And the men, when they returned, told Joshua-"Truly the Lord hath delivered into our hands all the land; for even all the inhabitants of the land do faint before us," Josh. ii. 9, &c. These alarms were the terrors of conscience; and arose from a sense of their guilt, in having sacrilegiously seized upon the Lord's portion. Thus we find, that the natives knew their trespass, and dreaded the consequences. The people of Gibeon were sensible that they were devoted to ruin, and therefore resolved to avoid it by obtaining mercy of the Israelites. They accordingly sent an embassy to them (Josh. ix. 3, &c.) and by a stratagem obtained their alliance, which was confirmed to them by an oath. They were some of the most respectable people of Canaan; and their cities were Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kerjath-jearim. Their making peace with the Israelites caused a fresh alarm among the inhabit

ants of the country-so "that they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city; as one of the royal cities-and all the men thereof were mighty," Josh. x. 2. Yet, however strong and powerful, they had the sense to know that they had obtruded themselves impiously, where they had no right; and that the inheritance, which they had seized, would be transferred to the true heirs. They, therefore, make this excuse to Joshua for having deceived him-Because it was certainly told thy servants, how that the Lord thy God commanded Moses to give you all the land; and to destroy the inhabitants, Josh. ix. 24.

We find from the history above, that the Canaanites were rebels and apostates, who knew the will of God, yet impiously endeavoured to defeat his purpose. They appear to have been a wicked race, and their offspring promised to be worse; for they were continually adding to their iniquities; upon which account God ordered them to be cut off by the sword. How justly they were doomed to extirpation may be seen by those which remained. For, notwithstanding the peremptory order of the Deity, many did survive, particularly in the five cities of Philistim, and in the neighbourhood of Sidon and Tyre; with some other large bodies within the border of Israel. And these turned out, through all their generations, the most iniquitous of any people upon earth, being devoted to the most base and obscene worship, and to those horrid rites of Baal and Moloch; performing their abominations upon every hill, and under every green tree; and offering their sons and daughters for burnt-offerings to devils, Deut. xii. 2; 1 Kings xiv. 23; Psal. cvi. 37; Deut. xxxii. 17.

If then, it be ever proper to take off a criminal, by a human law, how can we presume to dispute the justice of Providence in devoting these nations to destruction, who were rebels and apostates, and would have proved the greatest enemies to his church and religion? Nay, their posterity, few as they may be comparatively considered, would many times (had it not been for a miraculous interposition) have brought them both to ruin.

(Extracted from Bryant.)

THE WORKS OF GOD DISPLAYED.

REMARKS ON THE EYES.

To the Editor of the Methodist Magazine.

Rev. Sir,

IF

you

deem the following brief observations, worthy a page in your truly instructive Miscellany, an insertion, as soon as convenient, will oblige, Rev. Sir, with due respect, Beckington,

October 12, 1812.

Your's, &c.

EDMUND CRABB.

THOSE grand organs (the eyes) which constitute a part, so essential to the human frame, certainly merit our contemplation