the address of a confummate leader; yet the language being here applied to a Judge of Ifrael, and in the actual exercife of his office, I can readily allow that it fignifies fome fupernatural affiftance.

But what then? when the work committed to him, and for which he was thus qualified, was well over, we have no reason to suppose that the fame spirit conftantly rested on him, bnt very much to conclude the contrary. One of his moft illuftrious fucceffors, SAMSON, had ftill a larger share of this divine Spirit imparted to him; yet nobody imagines that it refted with him; when, contrary to the LAW, he chofe a wife from amongst the Philiftines, or revealed the fecret intrufted with him to Delilah; delinquencies much less criminal than the Sacrifice of a Daughter.

3. But then, "the Author of the Epistle to the Hebrews extols him; and lifts him into the number of the moft diftinguished of the Jewish Heroes."—But for what is he thus extolled? For his rafh vow? No furely. David is extolled in the fame place, and in the fame manner. Is it for the murder of Uriah, and adultery with his Wife? Surely neither of the Heroes are extolled for thefe exploits; but for their FAITH in God, and their zeal for the advancement of the THEOCRACY. So fays the Writer

2

Writer himself; where, recapitulating the works and atchievements of FAITH, he goes on, in these words—And what shall I more fay, For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak, and of Samfon and of JEPHTHAH, of David also and Samuel, &c. *This FAITH was fo active and eminent in DAVID, that, notwithstanding his two grofs immoralities, he is called by God. himself, A MAN AFTER HIS OWN HEART. For, as this illuftrious Title neither covered, nor atoned, for his crimes, fo neither did his crimes hinder its being beftowed upon him, when the queftion only concerned his zeal for the Law and the THEOCRACY; as I have fhewn to these Philofophers, on another occafion.

To conclude with JEPHTHAH.-We know, though only in general, that he lived long enough in the exercise of his Ministry, and, confequently, under the occafional guidance of God's holy Spirit, to wipe out all the Pagan impreffions of his ill education. DAVID, with a much better in his early youth, kept on improving in the knowlege of the LAW.-He was at first somewhat fcandalized at the prof perity of the wicked: but when he came into the fantuary, i. e. when he had gained a more exact and perfect knowledge of the Difpenfation,

*Heb. xi. 32.

then,

then, as he tells us, he underflood the end of those men. In these refpects, indeed, we are left more to our conjectures concerning JEPHTHAH.His Hiftory tells us, he judged Ifrael for fix years*. We are further informed (and this is all) that he defeated the Ephraimites; who had picked a groundless quarrel with him; which ended as it is fit all fuch quarrels should end.

But, though we have now done with the perfonal Character of Jephthah, and his rafh Vow, we have fomething more to fay of the general Character of a Judge of Ifrael, as it holds in common with that of many other of God's chofen fervants: whofe faults and imperfections the malice of Unbelievers have carefully drawn out, and objected to us, as matter of fcandal; tending to impeach the veracity of Sacred Hiftory, and the Evidence that God thus interpofed in fupport of his revealed Will.

To clear up this matter, it may be sufficient to observe, that when God fees fit, in an extraordinary way, to give a new revelation of his WILL to man, we may conclude, from the very nature of things, that he will not difgrace his own DISPENSATION, by the ufe of unworthy Inftruments.

Both the dignity and interests of Revelation require, that the firft Bearers of these glad tid

ings to mankind fhould be fully poffeffed of that power of Virtue which true religion only can bestow.

The dignity of Revelation requires that fo bright an emanation from the very source of light and purity fhould not be conveyed to us through a polluted medium. The interests of it, likewise, reclaim against such an unworthy Service.

A fanctity of manners, which is so neceffary to fupport the miffion, is the natural and inseparable attendant on the Office. For, in the promulgation of a new Religion, befides those marks of truth arifing from the purity and reafonableness of the Doctrine, which fhew it to be WORTHY of the Author to whom it is afcribed, there is need, in order to prove that it ACTUALLY CAME FROM HIM, of certain MIRACULOUS POWers, declarative of the nature of the Dispensation; and attendant on the fanctification of the heart of the Meffenger.

But the character of God's Inftruments, and the conduct of Providence in the use of them, may be very different from thofe who are only raised up, and employed for the fupport of an eftablished Difpenfation; as in the Jewish conomy; or for the reformation of it, as in the Chriftian: though in the Jewish, adminiftered by an extraordinary Providence, thefe Inftru

ments

ments may have had extraordinary powers intrufted to them, which those of the Chriftian

had not.

Here [i. e. for the support or reformation of things received and established] the faine conclufion, for the neceffity of fanctity of manners, will not hold. It being fufficient, for this purpose, that God, in the settled courfe of his Providence, is inceffantly producing GOOD And the irregular Inftrument is frequently made to ferve, without his knowlege, and even against his will, the great ends of piety and truth.

OUT OF EVIL.

Of the evidence of this, the History of the Church affords us many examples.

When God had gradually prepared, and, at length, fitted his Chofen People for the reception of the LAW, his early Inftruments were selected from the most virtuous amongst men, NOAH, - ABRAHAM, and MOSES:

And, again, when he first prepared the world for the promulgation of the GOSPEL (which was the completion of the LAW) he committed the care of it to men of the most unblemished and exemplary characters; fuch as John the Baptift, and the bleffed Apostles.

But in the Establishment, in the Support, and in the Reformation of Religion (the second and inferior Operation of Divine Love to Man) God did not difdain to employ lefs perfect Inftruments,