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I would not desire a single circumstance in my lot to be changed, but only that I had less sin. I have often wondered at the favour which men have showed me; but much more at the favour of God to such a great transgressor. Men may talk against the sovereignty of redeeming love as they will; but had it not been sovereign, infinitely sovereign, I should certainly have been damned. O how these words, "He loved me and gave himself for me," have penetrated my heart. "Bless the Lord,

my soul, and all within me, bless his holy name."

Addressing himself to his two sons in the ministry, he said with peculiar earnestness, "O labour, labour for Christ while you have strength. I now repent I have been so slothful in his service. Justly may he say of me," sixty years long have I been grieved with this rebel." And justly may I add," where my sin hath abounded, God's grace hath much more abounded." Never grudge either purse or person for him. I can say I was never a loser by any time spent, or by any money given, for him. O the pains God has been at to save me; and the pains I have been at to destroy myself! If doubting, disputing, and trampling on his kindness, could have made him change his love, it would never have been continued to me. Such wickedness would have provoked any but a God of infinite love, to cast me into hell. I have served several masters, but none so kind as Christ. have dealt with many honest men; but no creditor like Christ. Had I ten thousand hearts, they should all be given to him, and

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had I ten thousand bodies, they should all be employed in labouring for his honour. We should reckon him a madman, who should throw away a father's estate; but he is infinitely more foolish, who should cast off a father's God."

Hearing of the spread of the gospel, "Well, (said he) may it spread. It is the only source of my comfort, and every sin ner is as welcome as I. How pleasant, that neither great sins, nor great troubles, can alter these consolations. O that I had all the world around me, that I might tell them of Christ. Had I ten thousand tongues, and ten thousand hearts, and were employing all in commendation of Christ, I could not do for his honour what he hath deserved. I think the early death of my father and mother, the death of a beloved wife and children, wrought for my good. I could not but notice, when God took away these, he always supplied their room with himself. May he deal thus with you, when I die. Were it left to me, whether to choose life or death, I would refer it wholly to God. What I know of religion is this, I have found great weakness and wickedness in myself; and grace, mercy, and loveliness in Christ. O what must Christ be in himself, when he sweetens heaven, sweetens scripture, sweetens or dinances, sweetens earth, and even sweetens trials. The finished righteousness of Christ is the only foundation of my hope. Ever since God hath dealt savingly with my heart, I have never had any comfort in the thought, that my sins were small, but in the belief that the blood

of Christ cleanseth from all sin."

Toward the close of life he became exceedingly weak, and spake but little; but the joy of God's salvation, and the peace which passeth understanding, continued with him to the end.

He said to a brother in the ministry, "O Mr. - the Lord is my strength, and my song, and he is become my salvation."

The last words he was heard to utter were, my Christ. He fell asleep in Jesus, June 19,

1787.

Religious Communications.

THE CONQUEST OF

In the history of the Old Testament, there are some things recorded, relative to God's dealings with the Jews, which men unfriendly to the scriptures have alleged as objections against their credibility; and which serious minds, have thought difficult to be reconciled to the benevolence of the divine government. Of these, one of the principal is the conquest and extermination of the seven nations of Canaan.

It is asked, "What right had the Jews to expel a people from their own country, of which, for hundreds of years, they had been in quiet possession? And if, on any pretence, they conquered them, was it not cruel to destroy them without distinction, after submission? If the transaction itself was unjust and cruel, how can we suppose that it was commanded of God, a Being of justice and mercy?"

As this transaction has been by many misunderstood, and by some misrepresented, I shall endeavour to state and explain it, and to shew its consistency with the divine equity and with national justice.

CANAAN VINDICATED.

In the first place it should always be remembered, that "the earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof," and that he has a right to dispose of it among the children of men according to his own sovereign pleasure.

Nations, as well as persons, have their respective rights in distinction from one another; but neither nations nor persons have rights paramount to that of the supreme Proprietor. He may raise up one nation or one man, and put down another, as his wisdom shall see best; and none has authority to arraign his justice. He has a right to dispose of men's lives, as well as of their properties. And in respect of his justice, it makes no difference, whether a nation doomed to ruin be destroyed by diseases, by storms, by earthquakes, or by war; and whether they be consumed in fifty years or in five; for if God may take away men's lives, (and we see, he does take them away) he may employ his own instruments, and choose his own time. If the Jews had a warrant from God to execute his purpose against those nations, and knew the warrant

was from him, they were bound to obey. That God can speak to men, and make them know who speaks, and what he says, none, who believe his perfect wisdom and power, will deny. That God spake to Moses, and by him to the Jews, requiring them to dispossess those nations and occupy their land, was made manifest by a series of conspicuous and indubitable miracles.

It should be observed, secondly, that there is a great difference between a warrant for a par ticular transaction, and a law for a general rule of conduct. The chief magistrate of a state may give a warrant to an officer to execute a criminal; but the supreme authority never makes a law, empowering that officer to execute every man whom he wishes to remove. God commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son; and had not the command been recalled, the patriarch had a warrant to proceed; for he knew that God had a right to take the life of this son in such time, and by such means, as he pleased. But God has never made a law authorising parents to destroy their children at their own pleasure. So God gave a special warrant to the Jews to conquer and possess a particular country; but he gave them no standing law to conquer every country, which they might wish to possess. And for nations, from this particular warrant, to infer a right to exterminate other nations, would be as absurd, as if a sheriff, from his warrant to execute a certain criminal, should conclude, he had a right to hang all whom he called criminals.

It should be considered, thirdly, that those nations were in such

a depraved state, that they could no longer subsist in their national capacity. God waited upon them, till "their iniquities were full, and their land spewed them out." If it be ever just for God to destroy a people for their wickedness, it must have been just in this case. They had renounced the true God, and introduced the most abominable and barbarous idolatries. They sacrificed their children to the idols, which they had made; they practised every species of magic and witchcraft, that imagination could devise, or evil spirits suggest; they abandoned themselves to the grossest impurities, and refrained from no kind of wickedness, which their depraved hearts could contrive. They were in a state of almost perpetual warfare among themselves, and had lately expelled one of their own nations. It was a mercy to the world and to posterity, that such a people should be subdued, many of the adults destroyed, and the remainder brought under a better government.

Let it be considered, fourthly, that for 40 years, they were admonished to repent and reform. God had demonstrated his unity, supremacy, and glory by a great variety of stupendous works before the people of Israel. These works were known to the nations of Canaan; for the Jews, during their abode in the wilderness, were near, and sometimes on the borders of Canaan. Rahab says to the Jewish spies, "Your terror is fallen upon us, and all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you; for we have heard how the Lord dried up the red sea, when ye came out of Egypt,

and what ye did to the two kings of the Amorites, which were on the other side of Jordan. When we heard of these things, our hearts did melt. The Lord your God is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath."

But though God had given such displays of his majesty, as filled that people with terror and amazement, they were not reclaimed from their idolatry and wickedness. And a people which cannot be reclaimed must be ripe for destruction. In God's dealings toward them, there is nothing which looks like injustice.

Fifthly The war, which the Jews carried on against them, was commenced on justifiable grounds, and conducted with more humanity than other wars in that day, and with as much humanity as wars often are in these days among the most civilized nations.

In that war the Jews were not the aggressors, but were first attacked by their enemies. While they sojourned in the wilderness, they were peaceable and inoffensive to the people near whom they passed. They marched through no king's territory without permission first obtained. If permission could not be obtain ed, they turned off, and took another route. But they were several times attacked without the least provocation; first by the Amalekites, afterward by the Canaanites; then by the Amorites, and by the people of Bashan, who all, at different times, sent armies against them, when they had received from them no injury or offence. Those nations had actually made war upon the Vol. III. No. 12.

Hebrews, before the latter attempted an invasion of their country.

In carrying on the war the Hebrews used no unprecedented severity toward their enemies. By the usage of nation's in those days, captives were considered as the property of the captors, and were usually put to death, or made slaves. But the Jews were ordered to proceed toward their enemies with more humanity. When they came to a city to besiege it, they were first to proclaim peace to it. If the city surrendered on summons, the inhabitants were all to be spared; only they were to be made tributaries. And if they submitted to the government, which God had instituted for his own people, they were to enjoy privileges much superior to those, which they enjoyed under their own kings; for to these they were slaves and vassals. If the city refused to surrender, and chose to take the chance of war, then, after it was reduced, the people were indeed, to be put to the sword. This perhaps looks horrible; and war is, in its nature, a horrible business. But it is no more than is often practised in this civilized age. Whenever a fortified place is taken by storm, the garrison is at the mercy of the assailants, who by the rules of war are warranted to refuse quarter. And even this severity was permitted only toward the seven nations of Canaan. In a city taken from other nations, the women and children were always to be spared.

And in no case,

where a people submitted on summons, were any of them to be made perpetual slaves or prisWww

oners, but they were all allowed to enjoy liberty, as well as life, under the Jewish government.

The images and altars of those idolatrous nations were to be destroyed; for as long as they worshipped their false gods, they would not be subjects of that government, of which Jehovah was the supreme head. Their renouncing idolatry, and acknowledging one all-perfect Deity, was necessarily implied in their submission to their conquerors. The continuance of their superstitions would have been a perpetual snare to the Jews.

They were to be tributaries, but not slaves. They could not be officers in the army or rulers in the government; but personal freedom and security they might enjoy. No harder terms were imposed on them, than are always imposed on conquered nations; that they submit to, and be peaceable under the government of their conquerors.

They were not subject to taxation or military duty. It was therefore fit, that they should pay a tribute of manual labour in the public national works, as an acknowledgment to the government under which they enjoyed protection. This was instead of the taxation and military duty to which the Jews were subject. View the case as it is stated in scripture, and there appears nothing, which looks like singular severity in the divine dealings, or like wanton cruelty in the Jewish proceedings.

The

command to consume without pity all whom God should deliver into their hands, could respect those only who were conquered in battle, after they had rejected terms of peace; for no other

could properly be said "to be delivered into the hands" of the conquerors. All the rest made peace, and were preserved. Accordingly we find, that when the Hivites, who had made peace, were threatened by the neighbouring nations, Joshua immediately marched an army for their succour. He faithfully performed the league, which he had made with them.

Hence it appears, that in examining the scripture, we must take a comprehensive view of the subject on which it treats. Particular passages, taken by themselves, may seem dark and intricate, when, in a connected view, they will appear just and beautiful. We never should make a particular passage an objection against the scripture, till we are sure we rightly understand the passage. The apostle says, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God." That this position is true, we have sufficient evidence. And it is always unjust to allege particular difficulties as objections against a general truth founded on competent evidence. The particular difficulties which we meet with in scripture, may be owing to our own misconception, inattention, and neglect of inquiry, or unfairness in making inquiry. And certainly it is much more rational to ascribe these difficulties to our own ignorance, than to suppose, that all the evidence of divine authority attending the scripture is mere delusion.

It would help us much in interpreting scripture, and in justifying the ways of Providence, if we would keep in mind the sovereignty of God. We are ex

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