"Who covereft thyfelf with light, as with a garment who ftretcheft out the heavens like. 66 ઠંડ a canopy. Who layeth the beams of his. chambers in the waters: who maketh the "clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the "wings of the wind. Who maketh his angels fpirits; his minifters a flame of fire. Who "laid the foundation of the earth, that it fhould "not be moved for ever. Thou coveredst it. "with the deep, as with a garment: the waters "ftood above the mountains. At thy rebuke "they fled; at the voice of thy thunder they "hafted away. They go up by the mountains; "they go down by the vallies unto the place "thou haft founded for them. Thou haft fet a "bound, that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth. 66 “O Lord, how manifold are thy works! In "wisdom haft thou made them all. The earth "is full of thy riches. So is the great and wide fea, wherein are creatures innumerable, both "fmall and great. There go the fhips. There is that leviathan, which thou haft made to "play therein. Thefe all wait upon thee, that "thou mayft give them their food in due fea"fon. That thou giveft them they gather. "Thou openeft thy hand: they are filled with "good. Thou hideft thy face: they are "troubled. They die, and return to their duft. "Thou fendeft forth thy fpirit: they are created; and thou reneweft the face of the "earth. The glory of the Lord shall endure for ever. The Lord fhall rejoice in his works. "He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth. "He toucheth the hills; and they fmoke. I "will fing unto the Lord as long as I live. I "will fing praise unto my God, while I have my being." 66 I appeal to every reader, whether the former of these two fragments is not, when compared with the latter, a school-boy's theme, a capucinade, or a Grubstreet ballad, rather than a production fit to be named with any part of the inspired writings. Nor is it only in one inftance, that the fuperiority of the Scripture ftyle to all human compofitions appears. But taking the whole body of facred poefy, and the whole of profane, and confidering the character of the Jehovah of the former, and the Jupiter of the latter, every one must see the difference to be out of all reach of comparison. And, what is wonderfully remarkable, Scripture poefy, though penned by a number of different hands, as Mofes, David, Ifaiah, Jeremiah, and the reft, in very diftant ages, gives a diftinct and uniform idea of the Supreme being, no where deviating into any thing mean, or unworthy of him; and still, even where he is spoke of in a manner fuited to the general apprehenfion of mankind, his dignity and majefty duly kept up. Whereas there is not one of the antient Heathen poets, who gives a confiftent idea of the Supreme God, or I keeps keeps up his character throughout. Homer, in the fame poem, defcribes his Jupiter with a great deal of majesty, and in another represents him as deceived by his wife Juno, and overcome with luft and fleep, while the inferior deities are playing what tricks they please, contrary to his intention. In fhort, the fupreme God is by Homer described as a bully; by Virgil, as a tyrant; by Ovid, as a beaftly voluptuary; and by Lucretius, as a lazy drone. So that, if the cavils of the opposers of revelation, with respect to the style of Scripture, were of much more confequence than they are; it would still be the easiest, and indeed the only rational way of accounting for the amazing fuperiority of those writings to the greatest human productions, in spite of the dif. advantages, of want of learning, and the like, which the facred penmen laboured under; to afcribe the fentiments in them to Divine inspira tion. Other objections, as, that the genuineness of fome of the books of the Bible has been difputed; those of various readings; of feeming contradictions; of doubtful interpretations; of obfcurity in the Scripture chronology, and the like; all these difficulties are fufficiently cleared up by the learned apologists for revealed religion. Nor does it fuit the purpose of this work to ob. viate all objections. Nor is it indeed neceffary for the candid equirer into the truth of Divine revelation, to attend to the various difficulties ftarted started by laborious cavillers. It is of very small confequence, what circumftantial difficulties may be raised about a fcheme, whofe grand lines and principal figures fhew its author to be Divine; as will, it is prefumed, appear to every ingenuous mind, on a careful perufal of the following general view of the whole body of revelation. Some other objections are occafionally obviated in other parts of this fourth book; and for a full view of the controverfy between the oppofers and defenders of revealed religion, the reader may confult the authors on that fubject, recommended vol. I. page 193. In whofe writings he will find full anfwers to the most trivial objections; and will obferve, that the cavils ftarted from time, to time by the deistical writers, have all been fully confidered, and completely answered over and over; fo that nothing new has been, for many years paft, or is likely. ever to be, advanced on the fubject. A compendious View of the Scheme of Divine Ho TOLY Scripture comprehends (though penned by a number of different authors, who lived in ages very diftant from one another) a confiftent and uniform fcheme of all things that are neceffary to be known and attended to by mankind. Nor is there any other original writing writing befides, that does this. It prefents us with a view of this world before its change from a chaos into an habitable ftate. It gives us a rational account of the procedure of the almighty Author in forming and reducing it into a condition fit for being the feat of living inhabitants, and a theatre for action. It gives an account of the origination of mankind; representing the first of the fpecies as brought into being on purpofe for difcipline and obedience. It gives a general account of the various difpenfations and transactions of God with regard to the ratio. nal inhabitants of this world; keeping in view throughout, and no where lofing fight of, the great and important end of their creation, the training them up to goodness and virtue, in order to happiness. Every where inculcating that one grand leffon, which if mankind could but be brought to learn, it were no great matter what they were ignorant of, and without which all other knowledge is of no real value; to wit, That obedience to the Supreme Governor of the univerfe is the certain, and the only means of happinefs; and that vice and irregularity are both naturally and judicially the caufes of mifery and deftruction. It fhews innumerable inftances of the Divine displeasure against wickedness; and in order to give a full difplay of the fatal confequences of vice, it gives fome account, either hiftorically or prophetically, of the general state of this world in its various periods from the time of its being made |