Here they are taught true wis.. THE DECALOGUE.

dom, and introduced again into No.2.

the right path. Let every tempSecond Commandment,

tation to sin be avoided. Nei, " Thou shalt not make unto ther the statuary nor painter thee any graven image, or any had encouragement among the ,

: likeness of any thing that is in Israelites. The prohibition ex. heaven above, or that is in the tends only to such representaearth beneath, or that is in the tions, when the object of worwater under the earth,

ship, bụt lest men's minds “Thou shalt not bow down thy should be withdrawn from the self to them or serve them : for true God, neither figures, nor I the Lord thy God am a jealous pictures of any kind were perGod, visiting the iniquity of the mitted in the commonwealth. fathers upon the children, unto The Roman governors, before the third and fourth generatiou Pilate, conformed so far to the of them that hate me :

opinion of the nation, as to re" And shewing mercy unto move from the, ensign used at thousands of them that love me, Jerusalem, the image which it and keep my commandments.” usually displayed of the empe

• This commandment corrects rør, A neglect of this after, the erroneous ideas, which man, wards gave great offence to the kind had entertained of Deity. Jews, and excited them to very His nature is incorporeal. Repre. dangerous tumults. In the comsenting it therefore, by any form mand we find a beautiful grada, in heaven, on earth, or under the tion, Blame was attached to earth, leads us from the truth, those, who made images or pic, Such representations are strictly tures ; they were more blama: forbidden, as well as worship, ble, who bowed before them in ping him through mediums, adoration ; but they were in the which he hath not appointed, highest degree blamable, who whether through the medium of served these by sacrifices, and images, of departed men, or of offerings of any kind, angels. All which mediums The truths contained in this are found in experience to per commandment were pot altovert the judgment, and to issue gether unknown to the Genin giving to the creature, the tiles. The knowledge of them worship which ought to be given might have been derived either to the Creator alone, In this from tradition or from the incommandment the doctrine, tercourse, which they had with which our Lord taught the wo, the Jews. In many of the heaman of Samaria, is evidently im, then temples no image was per. plied. That God is a Spirit, and mitted. The Persians in this that he must be worshipped in conformed to the injunctions of spirit and in truth, Mankind their Zoroaster, whose story is early lost this doctrine. They so similar to that of Moses, as became vain in their imagina: to make it probable, that the nare tions, and their foolish hearts ration had its origin in our sacred were darkened. “ Professing to books. Numa allowed no state be wise they became fools." ue, picture, nor image to debase

the worship of the Romans, be- to correct the fault of the par, lieving it to be highly derogatory ent, the child would not suffer, to the Divine honour to reprew Far be this from God. Chile sent him by such-mean things. I dren, who tread in the steps

The transgressors of this law of the father (and this the are' spoken of as those who commandment supposes) are: “ hate" God. + Idolatry would justly exposed to the same disa subvert the throne of God, and tress, and no glossing can hence establish in its place the domin. impeach any attribute of Deity ion of iniquity. It excites his but even allow, as must somex jealousy and indignation: Wher. times have been the case, that ever anger for fury are attribu- the child did suffer and die fin ted to God, either in the law or consequence of the parent's! in the prophets, idolaters are the idolatries"; the difficultý here is objects. The order against the not greater than in any other Israelites, who should fall into case when infants do suffer and idolatry, discovers God's fixed die.

House, aversion to this crime'; and deal 'A vicious parent is sometimes termination to punish it. (Deut. affected with diseases which are xiii. 12-17.)

. hereditary. A generation who - The man who observes this hold 'in' abhorrence the crime of commandment, 'loves God. He the ancestor, still groan under rejoices that God reigns, and the doleful consequences. This submits cheerfully to all the ore is a fact of which all may inform ders of his throne ; he is tender themselves, It takes place, un of his honour, and gives him, der the government of God, and and him alone, his heart and his proceeds from laws 'by himo ese adoration.

tablished. poslecht!!!! God will suffer no rival ; the Another fact is universally offender introduceth such a rival known. Since Adam disobeyed at his peril. A man may live to God, infirmity and pain, sickness see the third, and sometimes the and death, have threatened every fourth generation. His crime infant descending from him, and shall occasion him calamity as been fatal tó vast numbers of long as he liveth. We are vul- them. This, according to the nerable in our children. He is present course of things, is in: sunk below the brute creation evitable. Has not God regulatwho has not for such the tenderá ed things in this way? If he be est affections. The imitative pleased thus to shew his disappower is strong in children. probation of iniquity, what can They do as their parents do ; if we object ? Shall we arraign parents be ungodly, so probably wisdom, which is infinite? Shall will be children. How in we say of a plan known to us in tolerable the thought, that you part only, that it is defective ? have, by your example, misled Can any thing be more presumpthe child, and brought not only tuous ? Is it not true wisdom de your own grey hairs with sor- voutly to acquiesce ; fully assur row to the grave, but also entail. ed, that however things appear ed a sad inheritance upon child to us, the Judge of all the earth dren's children. Were the child hath done right?

UGE.

God visits the iniquity of the whose nostrils was the breath of fathers upon the children unto life on the dry land died.” Here the third and fourth generation, observe that the waters prevailed but shews mercy unto thousands exceedingly on the earth, that all of them that love him, and keep the bills, all the high hills, that his commandments : his judg. were under the whole heaven ments have a limit, his mercies were covered. The mountains are unlimited. Judgment is his were covered; fifteen cubits strange work; in mercy he de- deep were they covered. A lights. Acts of mercy are much suitable depth that no animal, more agreeable to him than acts nor giant might escape death on of punity. It would have given the top of the mountains, that him pleasure to bless thousands the vast ship, the ark, might float of generations, but to the pun- safely over them.*

All creaishment of three or four he pro- tures on the land died. The ceeded with reluctance.

flocks and herds are soon overPHILOLOGOS. whelmed ; the warlike horse is

arrested in his flight. The soaring lark and towering eagle,

their strength exhausted, unable PROOFS OP A UNIVERSAL DEL

to move a wing, fall, and sink in

the dark abyss. Silent are the

No, 6. (Concluded from p. 255.)

groves of Lebanon ; not a bird

flutters on the top of the Andes ; Deists have dwelt with impi- Atlas no longer trembles with ous satisfaction on some of the the lion's roar.

Villages and more remarkable parts of revela- cities are swept away. In vain tion. The descent of all nations the inhabitants fled to the highfrom one pair, and the universal est hills, or the ark of Noah. deluge have been themes of their The door is shut. In vain they indecorous animadversions. А

cry to God. Their hour of hope few pretended or nominal Chris- is past. Like the rich man in rians, not bold enough to deny, hell, they find their prayers renor humble enough to believe jected. "The waters sweep them the word of God, have some

all away. Not a breath moves times joined with deists respect- the air, silent death spreads ing these subjects. To these we

his boundless empire; the world beg leave to address the follow- is an universal tomb. ing proofs from the sacred scrip

Chap. viii. 14. “ And the ark tures, which establish the uni- rested upon one of the mounversal deluge, beyond the shadow tains of Ararat.” Unless the of a doubt.

waters had covered the mounGen. vii. 19, 20, 22.

tain, as mentioned in the 7th the waters prevailed exceeding- chapter, the ark could not have ly upon the earth, and all the floated on its summit. The ark high hills, that were under the must have grounded on the whole heaven, were covered. Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail, and the moun-' Menochius and Bonfrerius. See tains were covered, and all in Pool's Synopsis on the passage.

mountain while the water was of and mountains was confined to a considerable depth, and while particular part of the world. the billows still rolled over the They suppose it confined to the lower hills. Accordingly, after inhabited part of the earth ; how this event, for two months and a great a portion this was, they half, the water continued to have not informed us ; only that abate, before the tops of other it was not the whole.* Objecmountains began to appear. tions accumulate against this Forty days after this, Noah sent hypothesis. Why were birds

. forth a raven ; seven days after and beasts collected in the ark, if he sent forth a dove ; but she the deluge was not universal ? found no rest, for the waters They had doubtless wandered, were on the face of the whole beyond the supposed dwellings earth ; seven days after he sent of men ; they would soon have the dove again, and she returned again replenished the new setwith an olive leaf. Could the tlements after the food. Why language of mortals, could the was any ark built ? Why was a language of heaven, make the miraculous, and unknown voyage declaration of any event more undertaken? It would have been certain, than the universality of easier, and infinitely less danthe food in these passages? Pre- gerous for Noah to have travel- viously God had said to Noah, led beyond the settlements made, “ that the earth,” all the earth, where he might have rested in “ was filled with violence, and safety. Some of the mountains that he would destroy all flesh of the old world are ten, fifteen, with the earth.” Such was the and sixteen thousand feet, and threatening. Could Noah, could upwards in height. The obany intelligent being suppose, jection then supposes a pile of that any part of the earth was to water two or three miles high in be excepted from the destruc- a square, round, or zigzag form, tion ? In giving a history of the as the settlements might extend awful catastrophe, when it was in a straight line, project down a closed, God says, he did, accord- fertile valley, or petreat, to avoid ing to his threatening, destroy a barren plain, a rocky moun« all flesh, and that the waters did cover all the high hills, un- In this objection the ignorance is der the whole heaven.” In his equal to the wickedness for all the covenant with Noah afterwards calculations of the learned make the God promised,“ that there should than the present.

antediluvian population vastly greater

See Stackhouse be no more a flood to destroy and Encyclopedia. the earth." If with these de- † The St. Gothard is 10,000 feet clarations before us we do not high. Mount Etna is 11,000, Mount believe the flood universal, nei- Argentiere is 13,000; Teneriffe is

15,000; Mount Blanch 15,662. Ar. ther should we be persuaded

arat has probably never been mea. though one should rise from the sured, but 16,000 feet in height is the dead, and declare it.

region of perpetual snow. Mr. TourYet some persons, to prevent

nefort, who was on the spot, says that a waste of water, and contrary to

the top of Ararat is covered with all evidence on the subject, im- tains in Norway are 18,000 feet in

tain, or a dismal swamp. The the Missisippi this year, insert laws of nature are suspended, and publish in his journal, that on gravitation ceases, or water be- the 17th day of April, the heavcomes solid, a monstrous mira- ens were opened, the rain fell, the cle is invented, contrary to all ev- floods rose till the high hills idence, merely to cast contempt were covered, till the mountainst on the authority of revelation. on the north west coast of AmerThis absurdity would strike infi- ica were covered 1788 feet, till delity dumb, were she not in the Quito Capilate in South Amerihabit of trampling on truth, or caf was covered 1546 feet, till of straining at gnats, and swal- the highest mountains in Verlowing camels. Is it not aston- monts were covered 8,334 feet ishing that Moses should de- deep ; that all the inhabitants of scribe the dividing of the Red these countries perished, exceptSea, and of Jordan, as surprising ing a dozen families, who asmiracles, and not mention this cended Chimborozo, Catopaxi, pile of water three mil high, and a few

other mountains, and perhaps several thousand in which reared their summits diameter ?

above the billows of the flood; Others excuse their unbelief, that after the waters began to by imagining the history of Mo- abate, it was several months beses figurative. It is true that fore the hills appeared ; if after sometimes by a figure, synec- reading this tremendous descripdoche, the whole is put for a tion, and shuddering for the depart, but there must always in struction of the human race, it this case be some proportion be- should be discovered, that the tween the part and the whole ; water rose only thirty feet, covnor must the writer, unless heering only the swamps of Louwould be charged with bombastisiana, drowning nothing but a or falsehood, use such particular mammoth, and an aged man, phrases, as Moses does in his sick in his cabin, what would be history of the deluge. Let us thought of the writer ? That he for a moment examine the ac- was a madman would doubtless count of the deluge, supposing be the first impression. If on it to be figurative. This class examination he were found to be of objectors allow, that the wa- a cold hearted philosophist, inter might rise fifty-two feet and famy would cover his name. a half high ; but the Bible says, Yet this description is less parthe water covered the high hills ticular, and less extravagant than and mountains fifteen cubits. the narrative of the flood, acThe Chimborozo is twenty thou- cording to those, who deny that sand six hundred feet high. it was universal. The foods on the Missisippi are now often thirty feet high.

+ Some of these are computed at As fifty-two and a half feet are 10,000 feet in height. to the height of Chimborozo | This mountain is 1707 toises with the sixteen cubits, which high. covered its surface ; so are thir

& Kellington Peak, 3454 feet high.

Catopaxi is 17,700 feet high, Ek ty feet to 11,788 feet. Now let

| Atlas is 16,380, Antifano is 18,120, a traveller, who saw the rise of und Illinika 16,302. Vol. I. No. 8.

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