of the Idol Gods, in whom they trufted, could fave them out of his Hand, or deliver them, when God fhould vifit their Iniquities.

May we not alfo perceive a kind Design, in giving fome remarkable Inftances of Providence, for the Punishment of fo grofs Immoralities, the Effects of idolatrous Principles and Practice, and for the Encouragement of fuch Acknowledgement and Worship of the true God, as was the best Prefervative against thefe Abominations, by fome obfervable Inftances of particular Protection and Favour; to let fuch Worshippers of the true God know, that by keeping themselves from thofe Abominations, the natural and usual Effects of Idolatry, they were to hope for the Continuance of fuch particular Protection and Favour in all After-times?

Hence it may appear, the Severity with which the Hebrew Hiftory acquaints us, the Canaanites were punished, and the Title whereby the Hebrews held their Land, whom God caft out before them, were no Ways inconfiftent with the Juftice or Wisdom, or Goodness of God, as fome have infinuated. The Question is really brought to this one Point, Whether fuch abominable Immoralities, as followed naturally and universally from their idolatrous Principles and Forms of Worship, were not highly criminal, fo criminal as to deferve a Punishment? that it became the Juftice and Wisdom of the Governor of the World, to put fome stop to

'them,

them, to prevent them in fome Measure by forming and establishing a Conftitution in which the Knowledge and Worship of the one true God should be preserved in Oppofition to Idolatry, a perpetual Source of innumerable Vices and Immoralities. Idolatry, you fee then, appears in the natural Fruits of it, not only an Error of the Understanding, not at all a Matter of harmless Speculation, but a Fountain of very dangerous Immoralities, which led Men naturally and even with the Encouragements of Religion, into Intemperance, Uncleanness, Murders, and many Vices, inconfiftent with the Prosperity and Peace of Society, as well as with the Happiness of private Perfons. When God fhall punish fuch Iniquities, he punishes Men for their Wickedness, not for their Errors. He punishes Men for fuch Wickedness, as deferves to be punish'd,whatever pretended Principles or real Dictates of Confcience it may proceed from. No Man fure, can reasonably account it Injustice in a Government to punish Sodomy, Bestiality, or the frequent Murder of innocent Children, what Pretences foever Men should make to Conscience or Religion, in Vindication of them. The most unnatural Sins were countenanced by the Mysteries of idolatrous Worship*; the Use of that obfcene Ceremony the Phalli, ow'd its Original to the Memory

* Schædius de Diis Germanis, 130, Clement. Alexand. Admonit. ad Gentes, p. m. 22.

Memory of the Sin against Nature, and to the Hiftory of a God hallowing it by his own Act. Can any Man reasonably call fuch a Restraint of Vice Perfecution, when not to endeavour by all Means to reftrain it would argue a great Neglect, Weaknefs and Folly, any Administration of Government whatfoever.

in

If then a Punishment for fo heinous Crimes and Immoralities will be just and wife in itfelf, which way can any Man find out, to make it unjust or unwife in the fupreme Governor of the World? How can it be unjust in him, to appoint fuch Persons as he shall think most fit, to execute fuch righteous Judgment by his Commiffion? The common Rights of Nations, and any perfonal Claim of the Hebrews, are altogether out of this Question; the History plainly fhews, they made no perfonal or national Claim at all to the Land of Canaan; but that God caft out the People before them, for all their Abominations; that it was not their own Power, but the Hand of God, which brought them out of the Land of Egypt, and into the promised Land. So that the whole is confidered as the immediate Act of God himself, for the Proof of which the History gives a long Series of Miracles, in Egypt, at the RedSea, for many Years in the Wilderness, at the taking of Jericho, and fettling the Hebrew Nation in the Poffeffion of the promised Land.

And

may

And here let us juft obferve, what will be fhewn more fully hereafter, that this very way of punishing the Canaanites for their many great Abominations by the Hebrew Nation, to whom God gave the Poffeffion of their Land, has fome peculiar Marks of Wisdom; which fhew it fit to be preferred to many other ways; fuch as peftilential Diftempers, Fire from Heaven, or a Flood, ways in which God had punished the Wickednefs of the World in former times. For this was a very fit means for the Cure, as well as the Punishment of Idolatry, to deftroy the Root of thefe great Evils, as well as to execute righteous Judgment on those who had committed them. This was a Defign every way worthy the Wisdom and Goodness of God. Sure then, no ways inconsistent with his Juftice. The Protection of the Hebrew Nation, and the Favour of God to them as a peculiar People, was a visible and ftanding Confutation of Idolatry; it fhewed, that Jehovah, the one true God, the King of Ifrael, had himself an immediate hand in the Administration of particular Providence; that he had not given it out of his own Hands into the Hands of any inferior Beings whomfoever, which Error was the great Foundation of Idolatry. It further fhewed the Power of Jehovah the true God, manifefted in the Protection of his People, fuperior to the Power of all the Idols of the Heathen; and that none of the

falfe

falfe Gods they worshipped could be compared to Jehovah.

This is a Question then not to be argued from the common Rights of Men, and Nations; for no fuch Rights, either of Invasion or Conqueft, are fo much as prétended to in the most distant manner. We fee the only Point in question, is, What are the Rights of God's fupreme Authority? What is confiftent with the Wisdom of his Government, how far he may punish the greatest Immoralities with temporal Evils? Afk the facred History, it will tell you, the Hebrews fet up no Title to the Land of Canaan, either civil or religi ous, in their own Right; it only makes the Rights of the Sovereign of the World as extenfive as the Rights of the Chief Magiftrates in every Government are allow'd by the Laws of Nature and Nations to be over their own Subjects. The Scriptures on this question only affert, that God gave a Commiffion to ex ecute his Sentence, which was either a Forfeiture of Lands, or Life, for a long Commiffion of Crimes, that defervedly incurred a Forfeiture of both.

Whether the Hebrew Nation had really fuch a Cómmiffion from God, or no; whether they were truly directed by a divine Oracle; whether fuch Wonders were really wrought before their Eyes, and fuch unqueftionable Instances of divine Favour and Protection in a long Series for many Years, as the Hebrew Hiftory relates?

These are all
Questions