Stom f^e feifirarg of (profesBor ^antuef (UttfPer in (^emorg of 3ubge ^amuef (Qliffer (gtecftintibge gjreeentcb 6g ^amuef (gtiffer QSrecftinribge feong fo f^e feifirari? of (Princeton S^eofo^icdf ^emtnarjp 7^30 ^. V ^ > ^^^' c^ 3 ^- ^ /^ ^^"•-^ N SACRED BIOGRAPHY: Being a S E Q^ U E L TO THE ^/i>0^ : ^/u^^ HISTORY OF THE PATRIARCHS, I N A COURSE OF LECTURES, DELIVERED AT THE SCOTS CHURCH, LONDON WALL, CONTAINING The history of DEBORAH, RUTH and HANNAH. By HENRY HUNTER, D. D. Cije iFirfi American Ctiition. COMPLETE IN SIX VOLUMES', VOL. VI. Jefui fald unto thenif Verily, verily, I fay unto ycu, Before Abra- ham jg I Sam. i. 24 — 28. — -^nd when jhe had iveancd him^ Jhc took him up ivith her, with three bullocks, and one ephah of flour, and a bottle of wine, and brought him unto the houfe of the Lord in Shiloh. And the child was youn^. And they flew a bullock, and brought the child to Eli, Andfl^e faid, my lord, as thy foul liv- eth, my lord, J am the woman that flood by thee here, praying unto the Lord. For this child I prayed ; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I afked of him. Therefore alfo I have lent him to the Lord 1 s long as he liveth ; he foal I be lent to the Lord* And he worf dipped the Lord there. LECTURE XIX. Hiftoiy of Hannah. 228 8:im. il. i — lo. — And Hannah prayed, and faid. My heart rejoiceth in the Lord : mine horn is ex- alted in the Lord, my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies : becaufe I rejoice in thy falvation. There is none holy as the Lord : for there is none hefide thee : ?ieither is there any rock like our God. Talk no more fo exceeding proudly ; let not arrogancy come out of your jnouth : for the Lord is a God of knowl- edge, and by him. abiions are weighed. The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that fiumbled are girded withflrength. They that were full have hired out themfelves for bread ; and they that were hungry ceafed ; fo that the barren hath born f even : and Jhe that hath many children is waxed feeble. The Lord killeth, and maketh alive : he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. The Lord maketh poor, and maketh CONTENTS. XV Diaketh rich : he bringeth low, and lifleth up. He raif^ efh up the poor out of the duji, and lifteih up the beggar from the dunghill, tofet them among princes, arid to make them inherit the throne of glory : J or the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, a?2d he hath fct the world upon them. He will keep the feet of his faints, and the wick- ed fhall be filcnt in darknefs : for by firength jhall no man prevail. The adverfaries of the Lord fhall be broken to pieces : out of heaven jhall he thunder upon them : the Lord Jhall judge the ends of the earth ; a?2d he jhall give Jirength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed. LECTURE XX. Hiftory of Hannah. 440 I Sam. ii. 18 — 2t. — But Samuel mijiiftered before the Lord, being a child, girded with a linen ephod. Moreover his mother made him a little coat, and brought it to hi?n from year to year, when jhe came up with her hufband, to offer the yearly facrifice. And Eli bleffed Elkanah and his vjife, and Jaidy The Lord give thee feed of this woman, for the loan which is lent to the Lord. And they went unto their own home. And the Lord vifited Ha7inah, fo that fhe conceived, and bare three fons and two daugh- ters. And the child Samuel grew before the Lord. LECTURE XXL Hiftory of Hannah. 251 I Sam. H. 12 — 17, 23, 24. — Now the fons of Eli were fons of Belial : they knew not the Lord. A?id the pricfls* cufiom with the people was, that when any man offered facrifice, the pricffs fcrvant caws while scvi CONTENT u» while the fejh was in feetJoing, iviih a Jlejh-hook of three teeth in his hand : and he Jiruck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron^ or pot : all that the fejl^hook brought up, the priejt took for himfelf : fo they did in Shiloh, unto all the Ifraelites that came thither. Alfo before they burned the fat, the prieft^ s fervant came, and faid to the man that facrificed. Give flejh to roaft for the priefi : for he will not have fodden flejh of thee, but raw. And if any man faid unto him. Let them not fail to burn the fat prefently : and then take as much as thy foul defireth, then he would anfwcr him. Nay, but thou fhalt give it me ?iow : and if not, I will take it by force. Wherefore the fin of the young 7nen was very great before the Lord, for ?nen abhorred the offering of the Lord. Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his fons did unto all Ifrael. And he faid unto them. Why doyefuch things ? for I hear of your evil dealings by all this people. Nay, my fons : for it is no good report that I hear ; ye ?nake the Lord's people to tranf gref. LECTURE XXII. Hiftory of Hannah. 262 J Sam. ii. i^.-^And the child. Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the Lord and alfo with men. SACRED SACKED BIOGRAPHY. LECTURE I. GENESIS 11. IS. And the Lord God /aid. It is not good that the manjhould be alone, I will make him an help meet for him, jL he holy fcrlptures always exhibit the moft fim- ple and the jufleft view of every fubjedl which they treat. And what fubjedt of importance to man do they not treat ? The God who made us what we are, formed man after a model, deflined him for a fpecial fituation, and to fulfil a fpecific purpofe. His facul- ties, his relations, his duties, his demands, his dehghts, were all, from the beginning, prefent to the eye of his Creator ; and a correfponding arrangement and provifion were made by Him, who feeth the end from the commencement, and who exadlly adjufls all, ac- cording to number, weight and meafure. The perfeftion of the works of God, is a beautiful and gradual progrefs toward perfedlion : from inani- mate to vegetative, from vegetative to animal, from animal to rational nature ; each approaching to, bordering upon each, but every one circumfcribed by a boundary which it cannot pafs, to difturb and con- VoL. VI. B found 1 8 Introdiiclory Le^ure, Lect. L found the province of another. The fcale of being, as to this globe, was complete when God had " creat- ed man in his own image." But focial exiflence was not perfed till it pleafed God to draw man out of fol- itude, by making him " an help meet for him." This fmiply, yet clearly, unfolds woman*s nature, flation, duty, ufe and end. This raifes her to her proper rank and importance, and inftrufts her how molt elfedual- ly to fupport them ; this forbids her to afpire after rule, for her Maker defigned her as " an helper ;" this fecures for her aifedion and refpecl, for how is it polTible to hate or defpife what God and nature hav« rendered Citential to our happinefs. If the intention of the Creator, therefore, is attended to, the refpedlive claims and duties of the fexes are fettled in a moment, and an end is put to all unprofitable difcuflion of fu- periority and inferiority, of authority and fubje6lion, in thofe whofe deflination, and whofe duty it is, to be mutually helpful, attentive and affedionate. The female chara£ler and conduct have frequently prefented themfelves in the courfc of the hiftory of the Patriarchs. And indeed how can the life of man be feparated from that of woman ? Their amiable quali- ties and praife-worthy adticns have been occafionally pointed out, and unrefervedly, though without adula- tion, commended : their faults and follies have been, with equal freedom, expofed and cenfured. But in the inftances referred to, female conduct has under- gone only an accidental and tranfient review, in de- tached fragments, and as fupplementary to, or pro- ducing influence on, the condu£l of man. The pen- cil of infpiration, however, having introduced perfons of the gentler fex into its inimitable compositions ; and thefe not always thrown into the back-ground or placed in the fliade, but fometimes fpringing forward into the light, and glowing in all the brilhancy of col- ouring, I have been induced, with trembling fteps, to follow the heavenly guide ; and to follow up the fainter flietches of a Sarah, a Rebekah, a Rachel, a Miriam, I Lect. I. hitroduStoi-'j Ledure. 19 Miriam, with the more finiihed portraits " of Deborah, the wife of Lapidoth/' " Ruth the Moabitefs/* and '• Hannah,'* the mother of Samuel the prophet. In order to introduce thefe with greater advantage, I mean to employ the prefent Lefture, in giving a gener- al delineation of the female character, as it is reprefent- ed in the paflage now read, and as being the purpofe and ad of the great Lord of nature, " an help meet for man.'* Every creature was intended to yield help to man : the flower, with its beauty and fragrance ; the tree, with its nutricious fruit ; the animal tribes, with all their powers of miniftring fatisfadlion to the fenfes or to the mind. Adam furveyed them all with delight, faw their feveral chara6lers in their feveral forms, gave them names, obferved and glorified his Creator's perfections difplayed in himfelf, and in them. But ftill he was alone amidft all this multi- tude ; the underflanding was employed, but the heart wanted its objeft : the tongue could name all that the eye beheld, but there was no tender, fympathetic ear, to which it could fay, " how fair, how lovely, how glorious is all this that we behold !" " For Adam there was not found an help meet for him." The want of nature is no fooner perceived by the great Parent of man, than it is fuppiied ; the wifh of reafon is no fooner expreffed than gratified. Paternal care and tendernefs even outrun and prevent the calls of fihal neceffity. Adam has felt no void, uttered no com- plaint, but " the Lord God faid. It is not good that the man fliould be alone : I will make him an help meet for him." And with God, execution certainly and inllantaneoufly follows defign. " And the Lord God caufed a deep fleep to fall upon Adam, and he flept : and he took one of his ribs, and clofed up the fieih inftead thereof. And the rib which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam faid. This is now bone of my bones, and fiefh of my flefh : fhe ihall h^ called Woman, becaufe flie was taken out of B 9: man. 20 tntrodtt^tory Lcclitre. Lect. I, man. Therefore fhall a man leave his father and his mother, and fhall cleave unto his wife : and they Ihall be one flefli."* How completely fuitable an helper God provided for man in a Itate of fmlefs perfettion tranfcends imagination, much more defcription ; all that is lovely in form, all that is graceful in manner^ all that is exalted in mind, all that is pure in thought, all that is delicate in fentiment, all that is enchanting in converfation. This felicity was made fubjed to al- teration ; this harmony was not to continue perfect ^ but the original intention of the Creator was not to be defeated, no, but even in a ftate of degradation, difficulty and diftrefs, as in a (late of purity and peace, it was ftill the deftination of Providence, that woman Ihould be " an help meet" for man. In what import- ant refpe^ls we are now to inquire. The firft and mod obvious is, as his counfellor and coadjutor in bringing up their common offspring. Education, on the part of the mother, commences from the moment fhe has the profpecl of being a mother ; and the care of her own health is, thenceforth, the firfl duty v/hich fhe owes to her child. f From that moment too flie becomes in a peculiar fenfe " an help meet" for man, as being the depofitary and guardian of their mofl precious joint concern. How greatly is her value now enhanced 1 Her exiflence is multiplied, her * Verfe 21 — 24. f The inftrufliorts given to the v/ife of Manoah, and mother of Sampfon the Nazarite, (Jud. xiii. 4.) "Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine, nor ftrong drink, and eat not any un- clean thing," are not merely arbitiary iniun£lions, adapted to a par- ticular branch of political economy, and intended to ferve local and temporary purpofes ; no, they are conftitutions of nature, reafon, and experience, which unite in recommending, to thofe who have the profpcifl cf being mothers, a ftricl' attention to diet, to exercife, to temper, to every thing which, afrecling the frame of their own body or m.ind, may communicate an important, a lalling, perhaps indelible imprefT.on to the body or mind of their offspring. A proper regimen for themfelves is, therefore, the firfl: (bge of education for their chil- dren. The neglef, in all refpeds, fulfilling the defign of the Creator, who faid in the beginning, *'' I will make for man an help meet for him." I now proceed to mention a fecond moil important refped, in which it is the obvious intention of Provi- dence that woman fhould be " an help meet" for man, namely, the care and management of his worldly eftate. In a paradifaical ftate man did not, and in, what is improperly called, the ftate of nature, he could not long 24 Introductory LeElure, Lect. I. long continue. In the former, there was labour, im- pofed not as a burden or a punifhment, but bdlowed as a privilege and a fource of delight. The help of woman enhanced the value of that privilege,' and im- proved that delight : and even in paradife, the atten- tion of Eve to the difpofal of the fruits of his labour, muft have been to the man, an exquifite acceiTion to the pleafure of enjoying them. The arrangement which her tafte and care had made conftituted the charm of the repaft. In a ftate of uncultivated na- ture, the fubfiftence of the day is man's objedt. He has no idea of " much goods, laid up for many years." But the fociety and affiftance of his rude companion are neceflary to give a relifh to '-what he took in hunting ;'* and " the burden and heat of the day,'* he cheerfully encounters, in the profpeft of the re- frefhment and repofe of the evening ; and even the hut in the defert exhibits the accomplilhment of the Creator's purpofe, woman " an help meet" for man, managing his fcanty portion with difcretion, and doubling it by participation. As the ftate of fociety advanced, new ideas of prop- erty muft have been produced. The labour of to-day began to look forward ; *' to-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow." The care of pofterity arofe. Per- manency muft be given to pofleftion. The earth and its produce are parcelled out, men " call their lands by their names," " houfe is joined to houfe, and field added to field." But could man do this alone ? No. In vain have his labour and Ikill provided " bread enough, and to/pare,'* unlefs the woman's prudent at- tention manage that fufficiency, and lay up that fur-- plus, for the evil day which may come. No man ever pvofpered in the world, without the confent and co- operation of his wife. Let /?/;?: be ever fo frugal, reg- ular, induftrious, intelligent, fuccefsful all goes for nothing, if foe is profufe, disorderly, indolent, or unfaithful to her truft. His farm profpers, his barn is filled with plenty, " the floors ar^ full of wheat, the fats; Lect. I. Introdudory Le&urf* 25 fats overflow with wine and oil,'* his cattle increafe, he is waxing rich. His neighbour's commerce thrives, his plans were well laid ; Providence fmiles ; the wings of every wind are wafting to his door gold, and filver, and precious things. The talents of a third are procuring for him reputation, and diflindon, and hon- our, and wealth. How came they all to fail ? Who opened the door, and let poverty rufh in as an armed man ? The thing fpeaks for itfelf. The defign of Heaven is defeated ; the parties were " unequally yoked ;" the " help" found for thefe men, was not " an help meet** for them. Skill, was counterad:ed by carelefsnefs ; the fruits of diligence were fcattered about by the hand of diffipation ; the labours of a year periflied in the fitting of an evening ; " by much llothfulnefs the building decayed, and through idlenefs of the hands, the houfe dropped through." But " O how good a thing it is, and how pleafant," when the gracious intentions of God and nature are fulfilled ! With what fpirit and perfeverance does a man labour in his vocation, when he knows that his earnings will be faithfully difpofed, and carefully im- proved ! With what confidence will he refort to his farm, to his merchandife, fly over land, over the feas, meet diflicuky, meet danger, if he has the aflurance, that he is not fpending his time and fl:rength for nought and in vain ; that all is well and fafe at home ; that indulgent Heaven has crowned all his other blefl- ings, with that of " ah help meet for him," a difcreet manager of his efl:ate, a fellow-labourer with him, from intereft, from aff'e£lion, from a fenfe of duty, in " doing juflily," in feconding the goodnefs of Divine Providence, in making fair provifion for the time to come,. in " providing things honefl: in the fight of alt men !" I conclude this branch of my fubjed:, with a portrait drawn by the pencil of infpiration j may Heav- en propagate the refemblance. " Who can find a virtuous woman ? for her price is far above rubies. The heart of her huflDand doth fafely z6 IniroduSIory ILe^iure, Lect. I, fafely trufl: in her, fo that he fhall have no need of fpoil. She win do him good and not evil all the days of her life. She feeketh wool and flax, and vvorketh willingly with her hands. She is like the merchants fhips, ihe bringeth her food from afar. She rifeth alfo while it is yet night, and giveth meet to her houfehold, and a portion to her maidens. She confidereth a field, and buyeth it : with the fruit of her hands fhe planteth a vineyard. She girdeth her loins with ftrength, and ilrengtheneth her arms. She perceiveth that her merchandife is good : her candle goeth not out by night. She layeth her hands to the fpindle, and her hands hold the diltaff. She ftretcheth out her hand to the poor ; yea, flie reacheth forth her hands to the needy. She is not afraid of the fnow for her houfehold : for all her houfehold arc cloathed with fcarlet. She maketh herfelf coverings of tapef- try : her cloathing is filk and purple. Her huiband js known in the gates when he fitteth among the el- ders of the land. She maketh fine linen, and felletll it ; and deiivereth girdles unto the merchant. Strength and honour are her cloathing : and fhe fliall rejoice in time to come. She openeth her mouth with wifdom ; and in her tongue is the law of kindnefs. She look- eth well to the ways of her houfehold, and eateth not the bread of idlenei's. Her children arife up, and call her blefTcd ; her hufband alfo, and he praifeth her. ?vlany daughters have done virtuouHy, but thou excel- left them all. Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain : but a woman that feareth the Lord, fhe fliall be praif- cd. Give her of the fruit of her hands ; and let her own works praife her in the gates.'** A third refpedt in which God intended that woman fhould be " an help meet" for m.an, is the care of his health, and every thing conne<51:ed with it ; his tran- quillity of mind, his temper, his character and reputa- tion : without which the greateft bodily vigour will quickly * Prov. xxxi. 10 — 31. Lect. I. Intrcdti^ory Lemurs. S7 quickly decay and link, and life will ceafc to be a blelfrng. It is pleafant to have a companion in folitude, an af- fiftant in labour, a fellow-partaker in joy. But human life contains varieties painful, as well as pleafant. Sorrow, and pain, and folicitude, and difappointment enter into the hiftory of man : and he is but half- pro- vided for the voyage of life, who has found an affoci- •ate for his happier days only ; while for his months of darknefs and diilrefs no fympathizing partner is pre- pared, no *' help meet" is found. The provident care of the Almighty meets every ^vi/h and want of man ; and in bellowing upon him a companion for youth, a fharer in felicity, a partner in property, he was fecuring for him, at a diftance, a friend in age, a. folace in affliction, a partner in want—" a friend that flicketh clofer than a brother." If a man's worldly eftate, v/hether it be much or lit- tle, is wifely managed, one foundation of health and comfort is laid ; and fhe who is thus habitually em- ployed, may be confidered as adminiflring a perpet- ual medicine or cordial to her huiband. But no prudence of forefight can ward off the attack, of difeafe, or prevent the flroke of calamity ; afflu- ence cannot purchafe releafc from pain, nor tender- nefs cool the fever in the blood; But the fuiferer is not left deflitute. There is one ear into which he can pour out all his heart ; there is one hand ever ready to relieve him ; " one life bound up in his life." And as enjoyment derived all its relifh from participa- tion, fo mifery lofes all its anguifhi in the bofom of fympathy and kindnefs. The fpirit of penitence is inferior only to unfullied innocence ; and next to the bleffing of unimpaired health, and uninterrupted com- fort, is the confolation of ficknefs alleviated, and com- fort reftored, by the gentle language and engaging of- fices of love. What ihall I fay ? Is there not, perhaps, in the reftoration of repenting guilt, and in the fuf- penfion of woe, by the affiduity of affedion, a pecu- liar ^8 hitrodu^ory LcSliire. X.JECT. I. liar fatisfaftion, and a delight, which perfeQ: inno- cence and perfed: heakh could not poflibly have known ? The regular temperature of a man's body is., howev- er, only one ingredient in the cup of health. " An help meet for him" will be anxious to preferve a found mind in a found bpdy ; will endeavour to pre- vent or to difpel painful reflection ; will remove difqui- cting objects ; will preient fmiling images ; will watch the ebbing and flowing of paflion, will bear and forbear, and, like the beft of beings, " will overcome evil with good." She will Ukewife confider herfelf as entrufted with the care of his good name. His reputation is her brightefl; ornament ; his honour is her joy, and crown of rejoicing. If he is difgraced, fhe is degraded. Ev- ery inflance of mifconducl in her, fhe knows, glances at him ; and therefore to fupport his dignity is a pow- erful motive with her. to aft wifely and well. She re- fleds, that not only by grofs deviations from duty in the wife, does the hufband fufter in character, but that levity, indifcretion, carelefsnefs in her, are an imputation upon his underflanding, and, in the opin- ion of the world, iacelTantly upbraid him with the choice he has made, of " an help meet for him." As file would therefore compafTionately nurfe his body in pain and ficlcnefs ; and prudently iludy and watch his temper, amidft the conflijct of contending paffions, fo, to approve herfelf what God and nature meant her to be, fhe will guard his fame, the life of his life, " as her precious eye," and thus, in every thing relating both to mental and bodily health, to private comfort and public eflimarion, " fhe will do him good, and not evil, all the days of her life." But there is fomev^hat flijl dearer, ftill more facred to a man than children or property, than health or reputation, fomewhat which, negleded, forfeited, lofl, it " will profit him nothing to gain even the whole world j" and in the fecuring and promoting of which, who Lect. t. Introdu^ory Lecture. 29 who is fo qualified to minifter and affift as her, whom the Father of mercies gave him, to be " an help meet for him ?" I mean, IV. The falvation of the immortal foul. This is indeed a perfonal concern ; an intereft which cannot be transferred or communicated. The good-will of another cannot impart it ; the remifsnefs of another cannot defeat it : to God, his great Mafter, here, ev- ery man ftandeth or falleth, for " every one mufl give account of himfelf to God." But is it not obvious, that example, that reafon, that co-operation, poflefs a mighty influence toward promoting or obflrufting perfonal piety, growth in grace, meetnefs for the kingdom of heaven ? Is the man imprelfed with the worth, with the danger of his own foul ; does he feel " the powers of a world to come ;'* is his mind turn- ed to devotion ; is the love of God fhed abroad in his heart ? How will fuch impreffions be fixed and ftrength- ened, by endeavouring to communicate them to a be- loved objeft, and by receiving back the imprellion,. heightened and improved, from that objedt ? How much more exalted and alFefting is a fenie of divine goodnefs, when it is beheld embracing more than one ! when it is feen conferring immortality, eternity, on virtuous human affccl:ions ! what a live coal applied to devotion, when the loiitary my Father and my God, is changed into the fecial our Father and our God ! How is the hope of glory ennobled, extended, animat- ed, by the profpeQ: of participation ! *' Here am I, Holy Father, with her whom thou gaveft me, to be an help meet for 'me. We were one in intereft and af- fection ; one in the faith of the gofpel, and the prac- tice of piety ; our prayers afcended in one ftream of incenfe, and every gift of thy providence and • grace was multiplied and fweetened to each by being be- ftov/.-.d on the other. Sweet were our labours of love to our joint offspring ; fvveet our united efforts to im- prove the bounty of our common parent ; fweet the fympdthies of kindred hearts, in iicknefs and in health, in ^(ft Tntrociu^ory Lecture.. Lkct. I. in forrow and in joy, in good and in bad report ; but fweeter far the conlblations of religion, the profpeft of Ufc and i?n!nortalit}> brought to light by the gofpcL'** We come together to " receive the end of our fait h^ the fahation of our fouls ; as, through grace, we have been made helpers of each other's faith, let us be, eternal- ly, helpers of each other's joy." Is the man, unhappily, dead to all fenfe of religion ; fwallowed up of time and fenfc j is his great, or only inquiry, " What Ihall I eat, what fhall I drink, v/here- ■vvithal fhall 1 be clothed ?" Or, more wretched (lill, is he delivered over " to commit iniquity with greedi- neis," " and to glory in his fhame r" What are the moil likely means of awakening him to reflection, of reaching his confcience, of melting his heart, of changing his condudl ? Preaching is vain, he turns " a deaf ear to the voice of the charmer, charm he never fo wifely :" profperity foilers pride and forget- fulnefs of God ; adverfity only hardens him the more ; reafon is perverted, paflion has acquired the afcend- ant, the power of habit predominates : but the Lord God has provided " an help meet for him.'* When public inflruClion and foreign reproof have failed, the mind is ftill acceffible. The unaffected, unoflen- tatious charm of genuine female piety is fek and un- derftood, and becomes efficacious ; the filent, unup- braiding regret of conjugal tendernefs fupplies the place of a thoufand arguments, and forces its way to the heart ; " the effedual fervent prayer" of a gra- cious woman " availeth much ;" the " believing wife" draws to the Redeemer, with the cords of love, *' the unbelieving hufband ;" flie becomes the bleffed inflrument of " converting the fmner from the error of his way, ^\c faves a foul from death, (he hides a multitude of fms," and, in the nobleft fenfe of the word, approves herfelf " an help meet" for man. In all thefe important refpefts, the original defign of Eternal Wifdom, in the formation of woman, is plain and- palpable. To have fulfilled one branch of duty. Lect. I. IntroduBory LeEliire^ jf duty, and even to have excelled in it, is no exemption from the obligation of the reft. The duties of life and of religion run in a feries, one is linked with another, fuppoles it, cannot be feparated from it. To no pur- pofe are children well educated, if through the indo- lence, folly, or vice of parents, they are launched into the world in doubtful, difhonourable, embarralTed or diftrefsful circumftances. What is it to me, that my fortune is prudently and frugally managed, if my per- fon is neglected, my temper trifled with, my reputa- tion facrificed, " my good name filched from me V* And what is the acquifition of a world, at the expenfs of my foul ? — Let it be underflood and remembered, that every word which has been faid of the obligation laid on woman, as " an help meet'* for man, applies, with at leafl equal propriety and force, to man, as the helper and friend of woman. Does he poiTefs fuperiority of any kind ? It is evidently intended not to opprefs, but to fupport. His greater llrengrh is given for her pro- teftion ; his more vigorous or profound powers of thought are defigned to be her inftruftor and guide. Whatever advantage, real or apparent, each may have above the other. Providence clearly wills to be employ- ad for the comfort and benefit of the other. A con- tention of mutual aifedion, beneficence, forbearance, forgivenefs, is the only flrife which nature, reafon and decency permit to this flate and relation. We proceed to illuftrate female utility and import- ance in focial life, by certain noted examples from the facred record. May God fmile on every attempt to communicate ufeful truth. Amen. Hiflory^ Hiftory of Deborah= LECTURE 11. JUDGES IV. 4, 5. And Deborah a prophetefs^ the wife of Lapidoth, fhi judged Ifrael at that time, Andjhe dwelt under the palm-tree of Deborah^ between Ramah and Beth-el in mount Ephraim : and the children of Ifrael came up t9 her for judgment. 1 HE unremitting attention paid by a wife and gra- cious Providence to the affairs of men, affords equal matter of wonder and gratitude, with the aftonifhing power and fkill difplayed in the firfl: formation of this great univerfe. Let us fuppofe the care of that Prov- idence for a little while fufpended, and the world left to itfelf. "Who is not faocked in looking forward to the probable, the certain confequences of that remif- fion ? Behold inftantly the bars of the vafl abyfs burft afunder, and " hell itfelf breathing forth deftruftion to mankind.'* Behold the prince of the power of the 2.U reigning and raging without control. Behold chaos and ancient night refuming their murky em- pire, and darknefs covering the face of the deep ; earth and air confounded ; nature convulfed by the fury of contending elements, unreflrained by law; univerfal confufion and wild uproar prevailing. Alas, Lect. II. Hi/lory of Deborah. 33 Alas, it is not neceflary to ftate the fuppofition fo high. To conceive the wretcliednefs of mankind, deprived of the conilant, fuperintending care of Heav- en, it is needlefs to let loofe the demons of the bot- tomlefs pit ; it is needlefs to unbridle the fury of the ocean, or to aflift the roaring winds in blovi^ing up the fire into a hotter flame. Under i\\q. Jlighteji alter- ation of the eltabliflied order of things, all nature languifhes. Remove, for a moment, the all-ruling, all-fupporting hand of the great Father of the univerfe, and lo, this fair and fertile region is overwhelmed with an inundation, and thcit^ is burned to one pumice- flone, by the force of celeftial or fubterraneous fire. Here arifes, a race all males, like the fabled generation of warriors which fprung from the ferpent's teeth, armed at all points for mutual deflrudion and flaugh- ter ; and there, a nation of timid, defencelefs females, inviting' violence and infult. But under that uninter- rupted divine fuperintendence all goes on well ; there is no fchifm in the body ; every thing is found in its place, every thing performs its fundion. The exact- ed proportion between male and female births is pre- ferved ; the robufter frame is ftill found united to the ilronger mental faculties ; the delicacy of the feminine form indicates, to the very eye, the fofter, gentler qualities of the fpirit which inhabits it ; and nature af- ligns to each the limits of duty, and the fphere of ufe- fulnefs and exertion. But the great God is pleafcd to make himfelf known, not only by general conformity to eilabliflied laws, but by occafional deviation from them. That the fons of men may know, it is according to his high will, thac all creatures are, and think, and act. The hiftory, which this evening comes under our review, exhibits a new thing in the annals of human nature ; alVerts the fovcreignty of the Molt High over all perfons and events ; places the female charaftcr and importance in a new, a ftriking, and a refpe^la- ble point of view ; and thereby adinoniihcs the one Vol. VI. C fc^j 54 Hijhry of Deborah. Lect. !!• fex to think of their own natural general fuperiority \vith deference, affection and honour to the manly ex- cellencies of the female mind, when cultivated by a proper education, directed to a worthy object, and roufed into exertion by a great and worthy occafion. Hitherto we have feen wife and good women, in the retired vale of domeltic life, their proper and peculiar fphere ; Sarah co-operating, in the duties of hofpital- ity, with her venerable lord ; Rebckah. refreiliing the weary traveller and the thirfty camel with water from the well, as they went on their way ; Rachel and the feven daughters of Jethro tending their fa- ther's flocks, and making them to lie down under the fliade at noon ; Miriam leading the feflive dance and fong, in celebrating the loving-kindnefs of the Lord, and the triumphs of Ifrael ; and Rahab giving ihelter to the perfecuted fpies, and providing for the fafetv of her father's houfe* But we are now to contemplate female genias and talents forcing their way to public obfervation, and to e\'^rlafting renown : eclipfmg mafculine fagacity and fortitude ; the infpirer and the example of generous patriotifm and martial prowefs. We are to contem- plate feminine warmth and eagernefs, under the influ- ence of prophetic infpiration, and blended with the dignity and integrity of the judgment feat ; female fpirit, giving breath to the bloody trumpet of war, directing the movements of the embattled hoft, wak- ing into facred, poetic rapture, and adapting the joy- ful drains of victory, to the mufical founds of the liv- ing lyre. Ifrael had now enjoyed a blefled repofe of four- fcore years ; and are again corrupted by eafe and profperity. Their national character and condudt, are a fcriking reprefentation of thofe, of many indi- viduals, whom we are daily meeting with in the world ; who are capable of bearing neither profperity nor adverfitv ; whom it is impoflible to ferve or to fave-j who by their perverfc^nefs or folly, are perpet- ually Lect.- II. Hijiory of Deborah. ^^ ually undoing the kindeft dcfigns, and counterading the mofl vigorous efforts of their friends in their be- half, and whom, at length, friends are condrained to abandon in defpair. "Well has Nehemiah, their coun- tryman, defcribed this character, and difpiayed the patience and long-fuffering of God, in that recapitu- lation of their hiftory, addrefled folemnly to Heaven, in the ninth chapter of his book ; " And they took (Irong cities, and a fat land, and poifeffed houfes full of all goods, \yells digged, vineyards and olive-yards and fruit-trees in abundance. So they did eat, and were filled, and became fat, and dehghted themfelves in thy great goodnefs. . Neverthelefs, they were difo- bedient, and rebelled againll thee, and call thy law behind their backs, and flew thy prophets which tefli- fied againil them to turn them to thee, and they wrought great provocations. Therefore thou deliver- edd them into the hand of their enemies, who vexed them : and in the time of their trouble, when they cried unto thee, thou heardeft them from heaven ; and according to thy manifold mercies thou gavefl: them faviours, who faved them out of the hand of their enemies. But after they had reft, they did evil again before thee : therefore lefteft thou them in the hand of their enemies, fo that they had the dominion over them ; yet when they returned and cried unto thee, thou heardeft them from heaven, and many times didft tliou deliver them, according to thy mer- cies ; and teftifiedft againft them, that thou mighteft bring them again unto thy law : yet they dealt proud- ly, and hearkened not unto thy commandments, but iinned againft thy judgments, which if a man do, he (liall live in them ; and withdrew the flioulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear. Yet many years didft thou forbear them, and teftifiedft againft them by thy Spirit in thy prophets : yet would they not give ear : therefore gavcft thou them into the hand of the people of the lands. Neverrhelefs, for thy. great mercies fake thou didft not utterly confume C 2 them. 3 6 Hi/lory of Deborah. Lect. IF. them, nor forfake them ; for thou art a gracious and merciful God.*** If we are to judge of the atrocity of the offence com- mitted on the occafion before us, from the fe verity of the punilhment, the length of its duration, and the violence of their oppreffor, we muft conckide it to have been uncommonly grievous : for the Lord fold- them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, part of whofe formidable hoft confifted of nine hundred char- iots of iron ; and who for " twenty years together mightily oppreifed the children of Ifrael.** Calamity is peculiarly oppreffive, when it is embittered with the reflection, that it might have been prevented ; that it is the native fruit of oijr own doings : and with find- ing the wretched alfociates of our guilt the wretched partakers of our woe. Hope feems quite extinguifhed in ffrael. Not one man of common fpirit, in the courfe of twenty years oppreffion, appears awakened to a fenfe of his coun- try's wrongs, and generoufly prompted to hazard his life in removing, or avenging them. But the caufe of the church of God is^ never to be defpaired of. Its emblem is, " the bufh burning, but not confumed." Its motto, " call down, but not deftroyed.** And whither are our eyes, at this time, directed to behold the faviour of a fmking country ? Behold the refidue of the Spirit is upon the head of a woman ; the facred flame of public fpirit, fmothered and dead in each manly bread, yet glows in a female bofom ; and the tribunal of judgment, deferted by mafculine virtue and ability, is honourably and ufefully filled by feminine fenfibility, difcernment, honefty and zeal. " And Deborah aprophetefs, the wife of Lapidoth, Ihe judg- ed Ifrael at that time."t She was a wife and a moth- er in Ifrael, and fuch a wife is a crov.'n to her huf- band, fuch a mother, the glory and pride of her chil- dren ; but her great, her capacious foul embrac- ed more than her own family, aimed at the happi- nefs * Ncii. ix. 25 — 31. f Judges iv. 4. iL"ECT. IL Hi/iory vf Deborah > 2)7 tifefs of thoufands, fweetly blended public with pri- vate virtue. Is it unreafonable to fuppofe, that the dif- creet and wife management of her own houfehold, firll procured her the public notice and efteem : and that the prudent deportment of the matron, paffed by a nat- ural and eafy tranfition into the fandity of the proph- etefs, and the gravity and authority of the judge ? Certain it is, that the reputation which is not eftablifli- cd on the bafis of perfonal goodnefs, like a houfe built upon the fand, mull fpeedily fmk, and fail to pieces. Hitherto, we have feen only " holy ?nen of God fpeaking as they were moved by the Holy Ghoft.'* But the great Jehovah is no refpe^er of perfons or fexes : " the fecret of the Lord is with them that fear him, and he fheweth unto them his holy cove- nant." The fimple dignity of her unadorned, unaf- fuming ftate, is beautifully reprefented : " She dwelt under the palm-tree of Deborah, between Ramah and Beth-el, in Mount Ephraim : and the children of Ifra- el came up to her for judgment."* Behold a female mind exalted above the pageantry and pride of exter- nal appearance ; not deriving confequence from the fplendour of her attire, the charms of her perfon, or the number of her retinue, but, from the affability of her manners, the purity of her charader, the facred- jiefs of her office, the impartiality of her conducl, the importance of her public fervices ; not wander- ing from place to place, hunting after a little empty applaufe, but fought unto of all Ifrael for the eminency, and extenfive utility of her talents and her virtues. Her canopy of ftate was the ffiade of the palm-tree, her rule of judgment the law and the teftimony of the living God ; her motive, the infpiration of the Almighty ; her aim and end, the glory of God and the good of her people ; her re- ward, the teltimony of a good confcience, the refpeft of a grateful nation, the admiration of future genera- tions, ^ Judges iv. ^. 2^ Mi/lory of 'Deborah. Lect. IL tions, the fmiles of approving Heaven. What a^, compared to thcfe, the ermined robe, the ivory fcep- tre, the chair of ftate, the glittering diadem ! But alas ! what availeth the moft upright and im- partial adminiftration of juflicc, among a people en- llaved in the extreme, groaning under a foreign yoke, holding liberty, property and life, by the wretched tenure of a tyrant's caprice ? The ardent foul of Deb- orah afpires at nothing ihort of a total emancipation of her bleeding country from thefe inglorious chains. And hke a true prophetefs of the living and true God, fhe engages in this noble and generous enterprife, not with the zeal of an enthufiaft, not in an idle, inac- tive reHance on fupernatural affiftance ; but in the honed confidence of a good caufe, the diligent ufe of the mod promifmg means, and ultimate dependence on the bleffing of Him *' who worketh all things after the counfel of his will." The character of this illuftrious heroine, grows up- on us as we proceed ; and exhibits a picture of fe- male excellence, to which her own fex may look with emulation and honed pride, and ours, with admira- tion and edeem, unmixed with envy. An ordinary woman, in her place, and pofleded of her advantages, would probably have aimed at the fole reputation of having delivered her country. But v.'hen a military operation is to be fet on foot, for the attainment of this end, with the moded referve becoming her fex, fhe i'atisfies herfelf v/ith advifmg only. When the fword of Ifrael is to be drawn, let it be wielded by manly hands ; let Barak come in for a fliare of the danger, the labour, and the praife. She is to be the direding head, and he the aiftive hand. But what was the broken drenrth of two of the lead of the o tribes of Ifrael ? What were ten thoufand men to carry on offeniive war againd a povv er which could employ nine huns-Uxd chariots of iron as part of his force ? What mud have been the number of infantr) that correlpondcd \.o this formidable armament ? For fuch Lect. II. Hi/lory of Deborah. 3f fuch a handful of men to appear in arms, was to pro- voke their own fate, not to ferve their bleeding coun- try ; it was to roufe their haughty opprcfiors into more violent rage and crueltv,not to attack them with a prob- abihty of fuccefs. The force called for by the proph- qtefs, by divine appointment, v,^as thus fmall, that the glory of all, in the iiilie, might be afcribed folely to God : and it was thus great, to teach mankind, that, as they hope to profper, their own exertions muft co-operate with the influence of over-ruhng Provi- dence. Such was either the general defpondency that pre- vailed in Ifrael at that dark period, or fuch the gener- al confidence repofed in Deborah, that Barak accepts the commiffion given him, and confents to head the forces of his country into the field, under the exprefs condition that their prophetefs and judge would be his companion and diredrefs in the warfare. To this fhe yields a cordial allent, and cheerfully engages to take part in all that regarded the public fervice, wheth- er counfel or refolution were needful to carry it on. She would not, could it with propriety be avoided, become a leader in arms, but feels no reluctance, is confcious of no fear, when attending the captain of the Lord's holt into " the valley of decifion." It is pleafant to obferve how the. manly virtues, properly modified and corrected, may be adopted into the fe- male character, not only without giving offence, but fo as to communicate the highefl fatisfadion and win approbation ; and how, on the other hand, the fofteft of the female graces, may, without fmking the manly charader, without exciting contempt^ become a fliade to the boldeft, hardielt mafculine qualities. Courage has been reckoned an attribute peculiar to men ; but it is eafy to conceive it fo rairfed, and fo expreffed, and fo exerted, as to be not only pardonable in, but highly ornamental to, woman. " A hen gathering her chick- ens under her wings,'* is a pidure not only of mater- nal tendernefs, but of the moil undaunted intrepidity. "A 40 Hijkry of Deborah, Lect. .It. " A bear bereaved of her whelps," is not more fierce and more fearlefs. A mother defying the danger of the peftilential air which fhe inhales from her fmitten child ; a mother flying as a lionefs on the brutal wretch who dared to crufh her Httle darhng ; how dignified, what a noble creature fhe is ! A tender vir- gin flirred up into holy indignation at hearing her ab- fent friend traduced by the tongue of malevolence, forgetting herfelf for a moment, to repel the barba- rous infult. O it is a diforder fo lovely, that it al- mofl deferves to be ftamped with the name of virtue. To fee Deborah quitting her feat under the palm-tree, to attend Barak to the top of Mount Tabor, tvhen the enemies of her God and of her country are to be en- gaged and fubdued ; what heart does not catch fire from her heroic ardour ! what tongue can withhold its tribute of praiCe 1 V/hile Deborah, without hefitation, agrees to ac- company Barak to the high places of the field, by virtue of the fpirit of prophecy which was upon her, file informs him that the glory he fhould obtain, was to fuifer confiderable diminution, not only by her par- ticipation of it, but alfo by the communication of it to another woman, for whom Providence had referv- ed the honour of putting the laft hand to this ardu- ous undertaking. Indeed this feems to be a crifis, in the hiftory of human nature, at which Providence in- tended to exhibit the powers of the female mind in all their force and all their extent ; intended to reprefent the fex in every lituation that can create ef- teem, infpire love, command refpeft, or awaken ter- ror. The united fpirits and achievements of Debo- rah, and Jael the wife of Heber, feem to comprehend the whole compafs of the feminine character in its more extraordinarv feelings and exertions : and in the difplaying the conduct of thefe two individuals, roufe our attention to the whole fex, as the moft warm, fteady and affedionate of friends, or the moff formidable, dancrerous and determined of enemies. But Lect. iL Hi/lory of Deborah, 41* But we mufl not bring forward both at once. We conclude with a reflection or two, on what has been iuggefted from the hiftory of Deborah. I. It expofes the folly of defpifmg or undervaluing any defcription of our fellow-creatures in the lump. All national reflections are founded in ignorance and folly ; and the defpifers have often paid dear for their infolence and prefumption. The illiberal abufe fo in- difcriminately poured upon the gentler fex, is of the iame nature. It generally comes from men fomething worfe than the word part of womankind. The truly fenfible, and the truly brave, entertain far better and far more jiifl; fentiments of female utility and import- ance in the fcale of being ; and are ever difpofed to afcribe to female capacity and worth, more than female modefly and wifdom are difpofed to af- fume, or even to receive. No good man ever wifh- ed to fee the female character undervalued or de- graded ; and perhaps very few good women have ever violently coveted ilations and employments which be- long peculiarly to men. But as nature delights in producing variety, as well as uniformity, it is not to be wondered at, if we fometimes meet with men more filly, timid and frivolous, than the mod infignificant of the other fex ; and on the other hand, women as daring, as enlightened, as magnanimous, as public- fpirited as the firit among mankind. The rivalfliip, however, and competition of the fexes, is altogether ridiculous and abfurd. Each has its diftind:, and both have their conjoined dignity and ufefulnefs — and mutual conceflion is the trueft wifdqm in the one and in the other. But, II. however weak and contemptible the inftru- ment were in itfelf, from the hand that wields it, it be- comes mighty and refpedable : and the hiftory before us becomes, and that not darkly, a typical reprefenta- tion of the gofpel of Chrift, which was " to the Jews a ftumbling-block, and to the Greeks foolifhnefs." Pride and felf-fufliciency fmile at the idea of a female prophet, 42 Hijlory of Deborafk Lect. il. |)rophct, a female judge, a female poet, a female pol- itician, a female warrior ; and yet, in truth, women have filled all thefe offices, with credit to themfelves, and with fatisfadion to the public. And " who hath made man's mouth ? or who maketh the dumb or deaf, or the feeing, or the blind ?'' In the honoured lift of thofe who " through faith fubdued kingdoms, wrought righteoufnefs, obtained promifes, Itopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, ef- caped the edge of the fword, out of weaknefs were made ftrong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens," female names too fland re- corded with commendation and renown. And " what haft thou, O man, but what thou haft firft received ?'* — " God hath chofen the foolifti things of the world to confound the wife ; and God hath chofen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty ; and bafe things of the world, and things which are defpifed hath God chofen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are : that no flefti /hould glory in his prefence." III. As the great Ruler of the world ziever can want an inftrument to fave, fo he is always provided with inftruments to punilh. " He is wife in heart and mighty in ftrength ; v/ho hath hardened himfelf againit him and hath profpered ?'* The haughtieft of monarchs is at length conftrained to " praife and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whofe works are truth, and his ways judgment, and thofe that walk in pride he is able to abafe." " By a ftrong hand and ftretched-out arm," Pharaoh is at length compelled to " let Ifrael go.'' " Humble" then " thyfelf," O man, " under his mighty hand." "Be wife now, O ye king?, be inftrutted, ye judges of the earth, ferve the Lord with fear, and reioice with trembling." The next Lecture will carry on the hiftory of Debo- rah, in connexion v.'irh that of Jael. I conclude the prefent, with calling on the female part of mv audi- ence to blcfs God, that vv^hile he has carried feme of their Lect. II. Hijlory of Deborah, 43 their fex, through the moft arduous employments, mod eminent ftations, and moft hazardous enterprifes, not only with fafety, but with applaufe, he is pleafed, in general, to put their talents and their virtues to a trial lefs fevere ; and ]et them remember, that after all which has been, or may be faid, in praife of the few who have aded wifely and well upon the public theatre, to the generality, " the pod of honour, is a private ftation.*' Hiftory f» ■ "' ' ' ■ ■ • ' ' ■ ■■* Hiftory of Deborah. LECTURE Hi. JUDGES iv. 21 23. Then Jael, Heber*s wife, took a mil of the tent, and fdok an hanuner in her hand, and went foftlj unto hijn, and fmote the nail into his temples, and fajiened it into the ground: (for he was faji aJJeep,and weary) fo he died. And behold, as Bardk purfued Sifera, yael came out to meet him, and faid unto him. Come, and I will fjew thee the man 'Whom thoufeekeji. And when he came into her tent, behold, Sifera lay dead, and the nail was i?i his temples. So God fubdued on that day 'Jabin the king of Canaan before the children dflfrael. W HEN we confider how frequent, how violent , and how fudden are the tranfitions from condition to con- dition in human life, pride appears to be a myftery of folly, below contempt. To l3ehold a rational being affuming confequence on an empty, unmeaning title ; or from the polleffion of a little wealth, that bird of paflage, eternally on the wing ; or from beauty and ilrength, which accident or difeafe may blaft in a mo- ment, and which the lapfe of a very few years certain- ly will impair ; to behold a man putting confidence in princes, or feeding on the applaufe of a multitude ; to hear him faying to himfelf, *' Soul, take thy reft ; thou huft much goods laid up for many years." " My mountain Lect. hi. Hijiory of Deborah, 4^ mountain flandeth flrong ; I fhall never be moved.'* All this is calculated to excite derifion, not refentment ; and when reafon and experience ponder what the end may be, anger fmks into pity. Not only is frail man. every moment at the mercy of a Being, almighty to fave and to deflroy ; but the proudeft and mightiefl is every moment in the power of the weakeft and mean-, eft of his fellow-creatures. The tongue of the wretch whom thou defpifeft, may ruin thy reputation for ever. The crawling infect in thy path is armed with deadly poifon againft thy Hfe. That nodding wall threatens to cruih thee to pieces. Arm thee at all points, as well as thou canft, malice or hatred, envy or revenge will ftill find fome part unguarded ; and, bleeding to death, thou (halt find thou wert not invulnerable, Thofe who are diftinguifhed by their rank, their abilities, or their virtues, attrad the notice of many obfervers, and create to themfelves many open and many more fecret enemies. The hiftory of Sifera, the captain of the hoft of Jabin, king of Canaan, is a flriking illuftration of mod of thefe remarks. In him, we fee a man rendered infolent by fuccefs, intoxicat- ed with profperity, betrayed into difgrace through con- fidence of vidory, the dupe of confidence in his own ftrength, and then the victim of confidence, equally un- wife, in the fidelity and attachment of a ftranger. We behold him in the morning, advancing to the unequal conflict at the head of a mighty and hitherto invinci- ble hoft ; in the evening, a bleeding corpfe, fallen in- glorioufly by the hand of a woman. Deborah, the prophetefs of Ifrael, having transfufed the patriotic ardour of her foul into Barak, not only direds him what he fhould do, but offers herfelf as the companion of the expedition which flie had planned. With ten thoufand men of the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali under his command, Barak takes poifefTion of Mount Tabor, meaning to act only on the defen- five, till Provid^^nce fhould point out an occafion of act- ing to advantage. The rafhnefs and impctuofity of Sifera 46 Hijiory of Deborah, Lect. III. Sifera loon prefented him with luch an opportunity. Enraged to think that an enemy fo often difcomfited, io long oppreiTed, fo broken by calamity, fhould pre- fume to make head againft their lordly mailers, he col- lefts the whole of his vaft ftrength, and inverts the mountain, determined to crufh the puny infurreclion at one blow. The fagacious judge, and divinely infpired prophet- efs of Ifrael, obicrves the feafon to be favourable, bb- ferves that the unwieldy army of the Canaanites was ready to fall in pieces by its own weight, that their vain confidence was deftroying them, and that, above all, Heaven was propitious. She gives the fignal of attack, and lo, " one chafes a thoufand, and ten put ten thoufand to flight." The caufe was of God, and it profpers : and the mighty hand and out-ftretched arm of Jehovah, once more afl'erts Ifrael into liberty. Whatever praife is to be alcribed to the conduct of Barak on this occafion, and to the intrepidity of his little army, it is evident, from fome expreffions in the fong of praife, compofed in celebration of the viftory, that the defeat of the Canaanites was in part, at leait, miraculous. " They fought from heaven." " The flars in their courfes," it is faid, " fought againft Sife- ra." By " the liars" fome interpreters underfland " the angels of God,*' who are fometimes defigned by that name. Jofephus takes the v/ords in a different fenie, and aflirms, that an extraordinary dorm of rain, inixed with hail, bUnded the eyes of the Canaanites, and drove back their darts upon their own heads. The Rabbins, with dill lefs appearance of probability, al- lege, that certain conftellations of a peRilential influ- ence, confumcd the army of Sifera, burnt them up with thirfl, and drove them for refrcOiment to the brook Kifhon, Vvhere they were m.et in a languid, en- feebled Itate, by the troops of Deborah and Barak, and put to the fword. The expedition from firft to laft, was without controverfy conducted and crowned by the hand of Providence-. Hut the narration of the event. Lhct. III. liijiory of Deborah. j^y event, on the facred page, is too general and concife, to enable us to pronounce with confidence, where the province of human fagacity and valour ended ; and where the interpofition of Heaven began. However it v.'ere, the victory was complete ; the enemy was totally routed and put to the edge of the fword ; the commander in chief alone efcapes the universal carnage of the field ; and he, who a little before had nine hundred chariots of iron at his difpof- al, fees himfelf flripped of all, and is conftrained to ccnfult his fafety by flight. A prince without fub- jects, and a general v^^ithout an army, fhrink into poor, wretched, folitary individuals, the more to be pitied, from the giddy height whence they have fallen. The hiitory drops the myriads which compofed the army of Sifera, into a filent grave ; and purfues the fad tale of the unhappy man himfelf up to his tragical death. Seeing his army flaughtered and put to flight, and himfelf in danger of falling into the hands of tri- umphant Ifrael, he alights from his chariot, and flees away on foot. " How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perifhed !'* What a fad reverie, with- in the compafs of one fhort day ! And to fuch reverfes, human life is eternally hable. The greateft of unin- fpired bards has put this paffionate exclamation in the mouth of a dethroned monarch of our own country, addrciFrng himfelf to his few wretched attendants, the. poor remains of his departed ftate : Cover your heads, and mock not Hefh and blood With folemn reverence ; throw away refpcft. Tradition, form, and ceremonious duty. For you have but miftook me all this while : I live on bread like you, feel want, tafte grief, Need friends : — Subjected .'hus. How can you fay to me — I am a king. Shakespeare. — Kintr Richard II. o Behold the mighty Sifera weary and faint with thirft, i^ithout one, of fo many thoufands, to aiiift or comfort his 48 Hi/lory of Deborah, Lect. Ill, his flight, feeking refuge from his purfuers in the tents of an allied power, Heber the Kenite. By looking back to the book of Numbers, chap, X. we find that Hobab, the fon of Raguel or Jethro, the father-in-law of Mofes, had left hia native rcfi- dence, to attend the camp of Ifrael as their guide tjirough the wildernefs, and had been perfuaded by Mofes, his brother-in-law, to call in his lot among that people, upon a folemn aflurance, that, on their fettlement in Canaan, he, and his family, and defcend- ants, fhould fhare in the fruits of vidory, and obtain a portion in the land promifed to the children of Abra- ham. This accounts for our fmding them eflablifhed, at fuch a diftance of time, in the border of Kedefh Naphtali. On the invafion of the country, however, by Jabin, king of Canaan, we find them obferving a ftri£t neutrality. " There was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor, and the houfe of Heber the Ken- ite."* In the confidence of this, Sifera betakes him- felf to the Kenite for protection ; and is received by Jael, the wife of Heber, with every mark of humani- ty and refped:, due to a great man, and a friend, in diftrefs. She brings him milk to quench his thirft, covers him carefully up in her own tent to repofe him- felf from the vexation and fatigue of that difaftrous Jay, and to conceal him from the purfuit of Barak, She promifes inviolably to keep fecret the place of his concealment ; and relying on that promife, weary and worn out, he falls into a profound lleep. Jael avails herfelf of his defencclefs fituation, and feizing fuch arms as were at hand, a hammer and one of the pins or nails ufed in flretching out the tent, fhe tranf- lixes the head of the unhappy fleeper as he lay along, and with redoubled blows faftens the bleeding tem- ples to the ground. Such was the inglorious end of a man, on whom that morning's fun had rifen with a fmiling afpecl ; who awoke from ileep in the pofTellion of ail that roy- al * Verfe 17. Lect. III. Hijiory of Deborah, 49 al favour could beftow, all that fovereign power could compel, all that flattering hope could promife. Of the motives which could impel Jael to fuch a deed of horror, we have no information. Her conduct, we know, is celebrated in the Song of Deborah in terms of the ftrongeft approbation ; which obliges us to con- clude, that there are circumftances in the ftory, which the Spirit of God has not thought proper to difclofe. The great Jehovah needs not a vindication of his con- duft, from the labour and ingenuity of a wretched, ignorant mortal. He has but to difcover a few little particulars, which are as yet hid from our eyes ; and. then, what now confounds and overwhelms our un- derftanding, becomes clear and intelligible to the meanefl capacity. Inftead, therefore, of vainly and prefumptuoufly attempting to reconcile this a6lion of Jael with the laws of morality, which, by the glimmer- ing light we have, is impoffible, we fhall make a few obfervations on the hiftory, of a general and practical nature. And I. We repeat, what has been already fuggefted, *' that human reafon is a very incompetent judge of divine proceeding.'* We know fo little, fo very little of the fyftem of nature ; our own conftitution is fuch an inexplicable myflery to ourfelves ; we meet every where fo many difficulties, contradiftions, defefts, redundancies ; at lead we take upon us to think and call them fo, as mud lead us to this conclufion, that, cither the work of God is imperfect ; or that we cannot find out him and his work unto perfection. Now the little reafon we have cannot hefitate an in- ftant in choofing its fide of this alternative. And if we confefTedly are unqualified to judge of that which is lefs, dare we prefume to pronounce concerning that which is greater. If the volume of nature, fpread open to the perufal at once of our fenfes and our rea- fon, prefent many things not only hard, but impoili- ble to be underflood, can we deem ourfelves qualified, or entitled to explain, to juftify, or to arraign the Vol. VL D more. 50 Hijlory of "Deborah, Lect. III. more dark and myfterions ways of Providence ? And which is the greater pride and prefumption, that which is forever " charging God fbolifhly/* or that which fets itfelf up, as the bold interpreter and allift- ant of eternal wifdom and julHce ? Obferve II. An obvious reaion, why thefe difficulties are permitted in the frame of nature, the conduct of Prov- idence, and the revelation of the grace of God. It is, to form us to fubmiffion, to exercife our patience, to fix our attention, to whet our induftry, to reprefs our boldnefs, to increafe and confirm our confidence in God. It is a mark of refpe£t to fuperior wifdom and virtue, not always to require an explanation, but to repofe implicit trufl in knov/n goodnefs and integrity. A wife man in the confcioufnefs of his own re^bitude, difdalns to acknowledge the obligation of clearing up his condud to every prating meddler, who may think proper to call him to account ; and who has neither a right, nor a capacity to judge of his motives. And fhall we withhold from our Maker that decent re- fpe€t v/hich we fo cheerfully pay to a falUble, imper- fed fellow-creature ? Shall we refufe to take the God of truth upon his word ? Shall we think it much if in fome cafes he exad belief, without his vouchfafing to affign a reafon ? " Why doft thou drive againft him ? He giveth not account of any of his matters." * Our facred bard has fublimely expreffed this noble fenti- ment, drawn from the volume of infpiration. Con- fidering the divine providence under the image of a vaft fealed-up book, chained to the eternal throne, containing the character, the revolutions, the deftina- tion of angels and men, but clofed to the infpedtion of every created eye. We obferve, III. That it is doing the grofleft injuftice to the wife and righteous Governor of the world, to fuppofe him in every point approving the perfon, or the con- duct by which he carries on his great defigns. Cyrus and Nebuchadnezzar are ftyled the fervants of God, though * Job xxxiii. 15. LacT. IIL Hijiary of Deborah. 5 1 though the on€ knew him not, and the other openly- defied him. The rod which he condefcendeth to ufe, for the chaftifement of difobedient and gainfaying children, when their reformation is accompliflied, he often breaks and dafhes on the ground. Every in- ilrument he employs mufl neceflarily partake of hu- man imperfed:ion ; but it follows not that he is pleaf- ed with imperfeftion. The devices of Satan himfelf iliall in the iffue redound to the glory of God, as *' the wrath of man mufl praife him ;" but that wrath is hateful to his nature, and thofe devices his wifdom Gounterads, and hisjujftice condemns. We are not therefore to miftake the patriotic ardour of a female Ifraelitifti bard, for the calm, the merited applaufe of the God of mercy and truth. I can ealily conceive the perfon, whom national partiality, relentment or gratitude would celebrate in ftrains of admiration, to be regarded with abhorrence by the Father of mercies, the avenger of falfehood, the refuge of the miierable. And while Ifraelltifli Deborah, in the heat of her zeal, makes the eulogium of a woman fo unlike herlelf, and ftyles Jael, the wife of Heber, who murdered her ileeping gueft, " bleffed above women," why may not a chriftian Dorcas, a woman of mercy and humanity, ** a woman full of good works, and alms deeds," un-» der the mild and gentle influence of that religion which Ihe believes, feels and praftifes, reprobate the cruel and perfidious a£t, and its author, in terms of the fevereft indignation ? Indeed, the conduft of Jael, coniidered by itfelf, is a horrid complication of all that is- bafe and deteflable in human nature ; an infa- mous violation of facred truth ; a daring infringement of the law of nature and nations ; a flagrant breach of the laws of hofpitality, which the mod favage na- tures and nations have refpe6led as facred ; the vilell degradation of her charader as a woman ; the mod barbarous exhibition of a little mind, enjoying the triumph over unfufpeding credulity, and defencelefs- 1) 2 ^ mifery^ 52 Iliftory of Deborah* Lect. IIL mifery. "^ Curfed be her anger, for It was fierce, and her wrath for it was cruel." Obferve, IV. Into what dreadful extremes we impetuoufly rufli, when the radical principles of our nature are once fubdued. Time muft have been, that the idea of fliedding the blood of another, would have chilled the blood in Jael's veins. What mud it have cod her, to overcome the timidity, the tendernefs, the compalTion of her fex I But being overcome, lo, each gentle, feminine palTion is lulled aileep ; and frantic zeal, or demoniac revenge alone is awake. Ah me, what beafl of prey fo favage and unrelenting, as a hu- man being deilitute of pity ! Ah me, how eafily the bed things degenerate into the v^^orfl ! Of what im- portance is it, to guard againfl the firlt deviation from the fimple and dire6t path i Who can promife for himfelf, that he fhall ftop, return, and regain the right road, when he pleafes ? Obferve, V. That the rarity of the inftances, the peculiarity of the fituations, and the Angularity of the fpirit and conduft, apparent in the female chara£ters here brought into public view, forbid, by more than a pof- itive law, female interference in matters of bufmefs and of government. Believe me, my fair friends, it is not (tripping you of your juft importance, it is in- creafmg and fecuring it, to fay, the fhade is your na- tive, your proper ftation : it is there you fliine, it is there you are ufeful, it is there you are refpeftable. Your heart and your underflanding affent to the truth of it. Is there a woman among you, who would not prefer in obfcurity, the affe£lion of her hufband, the attachment and gratitude of her chil- dren, the eftimation and refped of her friends, to all the public fplendour of Deborah's magifterial power, and prophetic fpirit ; to all the blufliing, empurpled honours of Jael's more than mafculine refentment ? It is not your want of talents for government we difpute 5 it is the fuitablenefs of government to your talents, your natural difpofitions, your real honour and happl- nefs. Lect. III. Hytory of Deborah. ^^ ners. A wife and good woman never can defire to be- come the object of univerfal admiration, nor the fub- jeQ: of every one's difcourfe. If you aim at fo much, depend upon it, you will loofe fomething of what you have, and what is infinitely better than all the incenfe of flattery, than all the fonnets of a thoufand poetic fwains. In the hiflory of our own country, the reigns of two female fovereigns fliine with confpicuous luf- tre. They were periods of great national profperity and glory. But the weakeft of women would not furely thence infer, that the fceptrc ought always to be committed to female hands. With all due deference to the memory of an Elizabeth and an Anne, and the general felicity which their adminiftration diffufed over the land ; Great-Britain can look with pride and ex- ultation to a Queen, whofe perfonal glory and virtues far exceed theirs. Not a fovereign indeed, but a partner of the throne : who Ihines in reafon's eye, be- caufe Ihe aife6ts not to fhine ; reigns over willing hearts, becaufe (he difclaims all rule ; is great and blefled among women, becaufe (he nobly fmks the princefs in the woman, the wife, the mother and the friend. "We encroach no farther on your patience, by ex- tending our obfervations on the fubject. And the rather, as a review of the fong of Deborah, compofed on this memorable occafion, will, if God permit, bring it again before us, and plac^ female genius in our eye, in a new, and not unpleafmg point of light ; uniting poetic and mufical fkill to fervent devotion, he-r roic intrepidity, and prophetic infpiration. A combi- nation how rare, how inftrudive, how refpedlable ! Hiftory :■) Hiftory of Deborah. LECTURE IV. JUDGES V. I 5. Then fang Deborah, and Barak, the/on of Abinoa7H, cp that day, faying, Fraife ye the Lord for the avenging cf Ifrael, when the people willingly offered themfelves. Hear, Oye kings ; give ear, ye princes : I, even I will fing unio the Lord ; I will fing praife to the Lord God of Ifrael. Lord, when thou wentejt out of Seir, when thou marchedft out of the field of Edo)n, the earth trem- bled, and the heavens dropped, the clouds alfo dropped water. The mountains melted from before the Lord, even that Sinai from before the Lord God of IfraeL 1 O fome it is the gift of Heaven, to perform adions worthy of being recorded ; to others it is given, to preferve the memory of illuftrious adions, in writings worthy of being read. To both, the world is under great obligations, and gratefully permits the hiftorian or the poet, to divide the palm with the hero, or the fage, whom they celebrate. To the writer, perhaps, the more ample Ihare of praife is due. The achieve- ments of valour and ftrength are local and temporary. They benefit but a fev/, and quickly fpend their force. But the hiftoric and poetic page, more durable, more ^iffufed, and more confpicuous than monuments of orafs ^ud marble, is an uniyerfal and a perpetual bleiT- 'V ing Lect. IV. Hl/iory -of Debar ah. ^5; ing to mankind ; conveying fo diftant nations and lateft pofterity harmlefs pleafure blended with whole- fome inflruftion. On a favoured few has been conferred the combin- ed glory of ading nobly, and v/riting well ; of ferving their own day and generation with credit to themfelves and advantage to their country, and of tranfmitting ufeful information to regions remote and generations unborn. On the lift of thofe illuftrious few, ftand^ with diflinguiflied honour, the name of Deborah, the judge, the prophetefs, the fweet finger of Ifrael ; and it is with exultation we obferve the mod: dignified, ardu- ous and important ftations of human life filled with reputation by a woman : a woman, who firft, with refolution and intrepidity, faved her country in the hour of danger and diftrefs, and ruled it with wifdom and equity ; and then recorded her own achkyementa in drains which muft be held in admiration, fo long as good tafte and the love of virtue exift in the world. Having with veneration and refpeft attended to the equitable decifions, and the oracles of truth whicli flowed from the lips of the female feer and fage, who fat under the palm-tree in Mount Ephraim ; and ac- companied the undaunted heroine to the top of Mount Tabor, and the enfanguined plains waihed by the ri\- er of Kilhon ; let us liften v/ith wonder and delight to the lofty ftrains of the female bard, and join our voices in the burden of her fong. This fublime poem is the moft ancient that exifts, two excepted, namely, that which celebrates the mi- i-aculous paflage through the Red Sea ; and the fweet- ly fweUing notes of the dying fwan of Ifrael. It is two hundred and thirty-four years later than the form- er, and one hundred and ninety-four years than the latter of thefe facred compofitions ; but it is four hun- dred and ten years older than Homer, the great father of heathen poefy. From its high antiquity therefore, v":'"e there nothing elfe to recommend it to notice, it 56 Hi/iory of Deborah, Lect. IV. is mofl refpeftable ; but from its antiquity and the very nature of poetical compofition, it mufl; of necef- fity be, in fome refpeds, involved in difficulty and obfcurity. This we pretend not wholly to clear up or to remove. Initead then of making an attempt in which we fhould probably, perhaps certainly fail, wc fhall fatisfy ourfelves with pointing out a few of the more obvious and ftriking beauties of a piece, which all will allow to contain many and ihining excellen- cies. • The infcription of this hymn of praife, firft chal- lenges our notice. " Then fang Deborah, and Barak the fon of Abinoam, on that day, faying.*** In ex- hibiting the charader and condud of this truly efti- mable woman, the feminine delicacy and referve are never dropped. As a ruler and a prophetefs fhe is introduced, under her relative character of the wife of Lapidoth. As the leader of armies to battle, and leader in the mufical choir which celebrated the vic- tories of her country, fhe is reprefented as the com- panion and coadjutrix of Barak, the fon of Abinoam. She was undoubtedly the firft woman of her own, perhaps of any age ; but her confequence, in place of being diminilhed, is increafed and fupported by the blending of private, perfonal worth and abiHty, with the relations of focial life, thofe of wife, mother and friend. Adam might exift a little while in paradife, before Eve was formed, but nature and reafon and religion, all feem to declare, that woman can neither comfort- ably nor reputably fubfift, feparated from that fide whence fhe was originally taken. Who will deny, that the fuperiority in point of difcretion and under- ftanding is frequently on the i\de of the female ? But a woman forfeits all pretenfion to that very fuperiority, the moment fhe aifumes or boafts of it. Whether, therefore, it were Deborah's own good fcnfe, and female modefty, which preferred appearing in a con- neded, * Verfe i. LecT. fV. Hiftory 'of Deborah. 57 nefted, to appearing in a folitary ftate, though more flattering to vanity ; or whether the Spirit of God, in repreienting the moft elevated of female geniufes in the mod elevated of fituations, thought proper to point her out as connefted and dependent ; the fame lelTon of moderation, diffidence, delicacy and conde- fcenfion is powerfully inculcated : and her fex is in- llrudled where their true dignity, fafety, honour and comfort he. The time is marked, when this triumphant anthem was firft compofed "and fung. " On that day.** It had been a day of danger, anxiety and fatigue : a day of vengeance upon the infulting foe, a day of mutual congratulation and rejoicing ; but ill had Ifrael de- ferved fuch a viftory, and Ihamefully had Deborah improved it, if either the emotions of joy or of revenge had excluded thofe of gratitude and love. The tongue of Deborah, like the pen of a ready writer, didates " acceptable words'* to the thoufands of her people; fhe cannot think of repofe, till the evening Sacrifice of praife be offered up, and from the abund- ance of the heart, the mouth fpeaketh. The day which the arm of Omnipotence had diftinguifhed by wonders of mercy, mull not be concluded without fongs of deliverance. From " the confufed noife of the warrior, and garments rolled in blood,'* the foul turns with holy joy, to the acknowledgment of that " right hand and holy arm which had gotten them the viftory :** and in one folemn " praife ye the Lord" burfting at once from every tongue, every redeemed IfraeHte calls upon himfelf and upon his fellow to give unto Jehovah the glory due unto his name. Here the fong naturally begins, by this it muft be fupported, and in this it muft terminate. All crea> tures, all events point out " Him firft, Him laft. Him midft, and without end.** " Praife ye the Lord.'* But, religion is " a reafonable fervice." The di- vine effence we do not, we cannot know ; " the invifj- ble things of God,*' even " his eternal power and deitv," ^ Hi/iory cf DeboraB, LecT. tv. deity," are to be difcovered only " by the things which he has made," and the things which he doth. Here then the fpirit of praife immediately fixes, and the recent interpcfition of a gracious Providence rifes inftantly into view : his " avenging of Ifracl," in which Jehovah is acknowledged as at once juft and merciful : Juft, in recompenfing tribulation to them that troub- led his covenanted church and people ; merciful in giving his troubled people reft. Vengeance ; the vengeance of God ! Fearful thought! but oh, it is fweetly rcHeved, by the reflec- tion, that the right of executing vengeance, is claimed ])y the God of mercy, with awful propriet)'^, as his own. This dreadful thunder no arm but his own muft prefume to wield ; " Vengeance is mine, I will repay, faith the Lord." If I muft be punifhed, " let me fall nov/ into the hand of the Lord, for his mer- cies are great : and let me not fall into the hand of snan." The only vengeance permitted to man is a vengeance of kindnefs and forgivenefs ; the only coals which he muft fcatter, are the coals of the fire of love. "If thine enemy hunger, feed him, if he thirft, give him drink : — " Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." " Love your enemies, blefs them that curfe you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which defpitefully ufe you and perfecute you : that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven : for he maketh his fun to rife on the evil and on the good, and fcndeth rain on the juft and on the unjuft."* The voluntary actions of the people in " offering themfelves" to fight their own battles, are with fmgu- lar beauty afcribed to the wifdom and goodnefs of God who has the " hearts of all in his hand," and can " turn them which way foever he will." He who could have faved by miracles, will fave by means. If there be a fpirit of concord to refill the common en- emy, it is of the Lord. If internal diffenfion aid the enemy * Matt. r. 44, 45. IvE-^T^jIV. Hijlory' of Deborah. 5f enemy without, we behold a righteous God infatuat- ing thofe whom he means to deftroy. Having thus limply propofed the glorious fubjeft of her praile, " the fweet enthufiaft'* prepares to unfold and amplify it. She throws her eyes over thp face of the whole earth : views all nations and their potentates, as interefted in the glowing theme ; and (unmions an admiring world to liften to her fong. *' Hear, O ye kings ; give ear, O ye princes : I, even I will fmg unto the Lord ; I will hng praife to the Lord God of Ifrael."* What fo deHghtful to a grate- ful and affedionate heart, as the enumeration of ben~ efits received ! What benefactor once to be compared with the Giver of all good, " the Father of lights, from whom comcth down every good gift, and every perfea !*' Having propofed hertheme and fummoned her augufl: audience, the divine poetefs feems to paufe for a mo- ment, as if awed by the prefence of fuch a fplendid audi- ence, and overwhelmed with the magnitude of the tafk fhe has undertaken, and with renovated ftrength, aims her flight, hke the eagle, up to her native fkies. The deliverance of that day, brings former wonders of mercy to mind ; and " God, the fame yefterday, to- day and forever,'* is feen and adored in all. Inftead of expatiating on the goodnefs of the Moft High in drains addrefled to the " kings and princes" whom Ihe had called to attend, flie rifes at once to " Jehovah's awful throne," lofes all fenfe of created majcfty, and lofes herfelf in the contemplation of infinite perfedlion. " Lord, when thou wenteil out of Seir, when thou marchedft out of the field of Edom, the earth trem- bled, and the heavens dropped, the clouds alio drop- ped water. The mountains melted from before the Lord, even that Sinai from before the Lord God of Ifrael.^t The former part of this animated addrefs probably refers to that paifage in the hiftory of Ifrael which we hiivc * Verie 3^ t Vcrfc 4, 5. 6o Hljhry of Deborah. Lect. IV. have in the book of Numbers, chap. xx. relating to the paflage of Tfrael through the land of Idumea, which was humbly and peaceably fohcited, and unkindly re- fufed. Of this, fome particulars might have been preferved by tradition to the times of Deborah, though not admitted into the facred canon, and fuggefted to her the lofty expreflions which flie here employs in celebrating the praifes of Ifrael's God. Though he would not permit them to force a paffage by the fword, through the country given to the pofterity of Efau their brother, yet in guiding them round the confines, of Idumea, in the majeftic fymbol of his prefence, the pillar of cloud and fire, the great God might, by ibme fenfible tokens, make Edom to know, it was not from want of power, but of inclination, that he led his people in a circuitous courfe. The language of the prophetefs, diverted of its bold figurative drefs, is fimply this, " The wonders of this day, O Lord, recall and equal the greatefl wonders of ages palt. We -have feen the ftars in their courfes fighting againft our enemies, as our fathers of old faw mountain and plain, heaven and earth, giving teftimony to the pref- ence and favour of the God of Ifrael. The field of Edom and the vale of Kiflion are equally filled with the glory of the Lord. We recognize in the hand which has difcomfited the hofl of Sifera, the fame al- nii2;htvDower Vv'hich rcflrained the Idumean, and con- duded our anceilors, if not the neareft, certainly the bed road to Canaan." The latter part of the addrefs evidently refers to the awful folemnity with which the law was given from Mount Sinai ; in which all nature, without a figure, bare witnefs to the prefence and power of na- ture's God. " The earth trembled, the hills melted like wax," the face of heaven v/as covered with black- nefs of darknefs, lightning flaflied, the hoarfe thun- der roared, the louder and more dreadful voice of the Eternal drowned its tremendous found, men's hearts fail them for fear, Mofes quakes. What Lect. IV. Bijiory of Deborah, Ct ■What matter of joy to Ifrael, that he who of old had thus revealed, his fiery law, that day, that tery day had come riding on the fwift wings of the wind for their falvation ! To fix thefe emotions of rifing gratitude and wonder, the bard dexteroully and im- perceptibly Hides into a review of the recent diilrefs and mifery of her unhappy country ; diftrefs yet frefii in every one's memory, mifery out of which they were 'juft beginning to emerge: and flie. takes occafion to pay a juft tribute of relpedl to the memory of a great man, whom God had honoured to be the inftrument of redemption to an oppreffed people. Thofe who are themfelves the moft deferving of praife, are ever the moft liberal in beftowing it, where it is due. It is a (lender and contemptible merit which feeks to fiiine by obfcuring, concealing, or di- minifliing the worth of another. Deborah is but the more eilimable, for the frank and unreferved commendation which fhe confers on departed or con- temporary virtue and talents. " In the days of Shamgar, the fon of Anath, in the days of Jael, the high-ways were unoccupied, and the travellers walked through by-ways. The inhabitants of the villages ceafed, they ceafed in Ifrael, until that I Deborah arofe, that I arofe a mother in Ifrael."* What a melancholy pifture have we here of a ruined, wretch- ed country ^ By means of oppreffion, all intercourfe is interrupted ; commerce is languifhing to death ; life and property have become infecure : every thing dear -to man is at the mercy of a haughty tyrant ; ever expof- ed to the ravages of a lawlefs band of armed ruffians : the fcanty and dejected inhabitants tremble at the found of their own feet, at the fight of their own fliad- ow ; behold them ikulking from place to place, ileal - ing thromrh by-ways, to carry on a ftarved and preca- rious traffic ; fuffering much, and fearing worfe. Ah, little do we refleft, living at our eafe, enjoying the bleffings of mild and equitable government, "fir- ting. * Verfe 6, ^i Hijiory of Deborah. LiCT.lV, ting every one under his vine, and under his fig-tree, while there is none to make us afraid :" little do we refled on the mifery and tears of myriads of our fel- low-creatures opprelTed, and there is none to help them ; whofe cry incefi'antly riles up to heaven, but riles in defpair. Think v/hat multitudes of the bold and hardy Africans are yearly driven or trepanned in- to fervitude, through the violence or craft of their own countrymen, or, through the more fierce and unrelenting principle of European avarice, which has reduced flavery to a fydera, has invented an article of commerce which God and nature abhor, and concur to prohibit ; and what is the fubjed of the infamous, impious traffic ? the fouls and bodies of men. Who can turn his eyes, without weeping tears of blood, to the fertile foil, the clement air, and the fim- ple, harmlefs inhabitants of the eaftern world, and ob- serve the gifts of nature perverted into a curfe, the goodnefs of Providence thwarted, by the curfed lull of power, or more curfed lull of wealth, and the patient, uncomplaining Anatic, perifhing for hunger, in his own luxuriant domain : and the Ganges difgorging millions of fetid corpfes into the ocean, the corpfes of wretches who died for lack of food, to purchafe for a {till greater wretch an empty title, and. a feat among the lawgivers of the wifeft, moft polifhed and humane of the nations of the weftern world. Look to the thin and fcanty remains of the popu- lous and profperous nations of the fouthern hemif- phere, and a land whofe veins are gold, and its moun" tains filver, of which Spanifh cruelty and avarice have been conftrained to make a defert, in order to fecure the poffeflion of it. Behold the fullen, dejeded native tramphng under his feet gold and diamonds, which he dare not put forth his hand to touch ; and reproach- ing Heaven with heaping upon him, in its anger, treafures which have attraded, not the pious zeat and attention, but the infernal rage, of men who neverthe- lefs dare to callthemfelves chriftians. Behold LecT, J^V. Uiflory^ of Dtborah. 63 Behold yet again — No^ I ficken at the horrid praf- ped — and will no longer encroach upon the feelings of humanity, by exhibiting the more than favage barbarity of fyftematic cruelty and oppreffion. God of mercy, put a fpeedy end to thefe horrors ! afTert thy offspring into liberty, the glorious liberty of the fons of God. Let us return to the fvveet raiflrefs of If* raelitifh fong ; I fee her warm, and rife into native, confcious worth and importance : and honour the lovely pride, the honefl vanity of the female patriot. " The inhabitants of the villages ceafed, they ceafed in Ifrael, until that I Deborah arofe, that I arofe a mother in Ifrael." * If ever there were ability, if ever there wxre fervices, if ever there were an occafion, which could warrant felf-praife, it was the ability, the public fervices of Deborah, and the glorious occafion on which fhe wrote and fung. Shew me fuch exer- tions for the public good, and let a man, let a woman be as vain as they will, and let atfeded humility and felf-denial fay what they will, it is an honourable and laudable ground of glorying, that God has made us the means of conveying happinefs to others. But oc- cafions of doing juflice to eminent, public female worth fo feldom occur, that I mufh referve to mvfelf the pleafure of accompanying this great woman, this more than princefs, through the remainder of her fong, in another Lefture. — Men and brethren, we are furnifhed with 3 much more noble fubjeft of praife — a fubje£t which angels delight to celebrate in celellial (trains — a fubjeft which carries us back into the eternal counfels of peace " be- fore the world was,** which carries us forward to th$ grand coniuramation, when " time fhall be no long^- cr ^'* when " the ranfomed of the Lord (hall return and come to Zion with fongs, and everlafting joy upon their heads :** when " they fliall obtain joy and glad- i]iefs, and forrow and fighing Ihall flee away." Need \ point out the era, chriftians, and the fpot, and the performers, * Verfe 7. ^4 HiJlQiy of Deborah, Lkct. IV. performers, and the audience, or repeat the words of the lofty theme ?— " There were in the fame country ihepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord flione round about them : and they were fore afraid. And the angel faid unto them. Fear not : for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which fliall be to all people. For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Chrill the Lord. And this ihall be a fign unto you ; ye fjiall find the babe M'rapped in fv/addling-clothes, lying in a manger. And fuddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly holt praifmg God, and faying, Glory to God in the highefl, and on earth peace, good will towards men."* Here are celebrated, not the tranfient interefts of a petty tribe, the momentary triumph of the opprefT- ed, and the downfall of the oppreflbr ; not events which have long ago fpent all their force, and left no trace behind ; but the broad, unbounded, permanent interefts of mankind ; the triumph of " the love of Chrift which paffeth knowledge ;" of " the peace of God which palfeth all underftanding :" events which extend their influence into eternity. We celebrate " the praifes of Him, who hath called us out of darknefs into his marvellous light" — of God, who " fo loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whofo- cver believeth in him fliould not perilh, but have ever- lafting hfe."t — Of " Him that loved us, and wafl^ied us from our fins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priefts unto God and his Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen:"| Of Him " who, through death, has deftroyed him that had the power of death, that is the devil." The burden of the chriftian's fong is, " Salvation," falva- tion begun, going on, ready to be accomphfhed. *' The kingdoms of this world are become the king- doms * Luke ii. 8 — 14. f John iii. 16. % Rev. \. 5, 6. Lect. IV. Hijfory of Deborah, 6^ dorus of our Lord, and of his Chrift j and he (hall reign forever and ever."* The fong of Deborah exhibits av/ful diftindions be- tween man and man, between nation and nation ; prefents a myftery of Providence, which human un- der/landing endeavours in vain to trace : in the fong cf the redeemed of the Lord, all diftindion is abolifh- ed ; it prefents a myftery of grace which " angels defire to look into ;" it is in full harmony fung, by thofe who have " come from the eaft and from the weft, from the fouth and from the north, and have fat down with Abraham, and Ifaac, and Jacob in the king- dom of God :" where the fpirit of this world finds no place, and its differences are abforbed of the " fpir- it of love : where there is neither Greek nor Jew, cir- cumcifion nor uncircumcifion, barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free ; but Chrift is all, and in all." Let thefe refledions be pradically improved, in conform- ity to the apoftolic exhortation, by our daily learning to " put on, as the ele£t of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindnefs, humblenefs of mind, meeknefs, long fuffering ; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another — and above all thefe things, put on charity, which is the bond of perfedtnefs. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts." Amen. * Rev. xi. 15. Vol. VL E Hiftoi '■y Hiftory of Deborah. LECTURE V. JUDGES V. 12, 13. Awake, azvake, Deborah : awake, awake, utter afong t ar'ife, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, thou f on of Abinoam. Then he made him that remaineth have dominion over the nobles among the people : the Lord made me have dominion over the mighty. It is natural for man to look forward to futurity ; and to derive a part, at leaft, of his felicity and im- portance from the eftimation in which he is to be held by pofterity. He knows that his body muft foon die, and his connexion with the world be diflblved ; but he flatters himfelf with the fond hope, that his name may furvive his afhes, and that his memory may be cherifhed and refpefted, though his perfon be loft in the grave, and fink into oblivion. When this anticipation, and defire of immortality, ferve as a ftimulus to virtuous exertion, and call forth wifdom and goodnefs, honourably to fulfil their day, the love of fame is a refpeftable principle in the individ- ual, becaufe it becomes a blefling to mankind. But to wade to the temple of fame through a fea of blood ; to extraft " the. bubble reputation" from widow's tears and the groans of expiring wretches, is worfe than contemptible j it is deteftable, it is monftrous. And, LscT. V. Hilary of Deborah. 6y And, whatever "national partiality and prejudice may have done, reafon and humanity will always regard fuch characters as Alexander and Caefar with abhor- rence, Itrip them of their ill-earned glory, and ftigma- tize their names to the lateil generations, as the ene- mies of mankind. Thefpirit of patriotifm, in other refpefts noble and excellent, is here faulty, pernicious, and worthy of the fevered cenfure. It encroaches on the facred rights of loving kindnefs and tender mercy. It encroaches on the more facred prerogatives of high Heaven. It would make the God of the fpirits of all flefh, a party in the quarrels of two petty ftates, and force the great inter- eits of an univerfe to bend to the caprice, the pride, the ambition or revenge of fome paltry prince. Hence, the literary monuments of all nations, exhibit a nar- row, illiberal, ungenerous, impious fpirit. The war- like genius of Rome acquired the afcendant over her rival Carthage. The literary genius of that gallant people aflumed the fuperiority of courfe ; and Fu?nc perfidy, barbarity and cowardice, became the fubjedt of proverbial apothegms, hiftorical records, and poet- ical rhapfodies. But fuppofe, for a moment, the fcales changed, and the fate of Carthage preponderating, and we fliould have had this whole picture reverfed ; and Roman, not Punic faithlefsnefs, cruelty and cow- ardice had been the burden of the fong, and the ob- je£t of deteftation. While our notes of triumph rend the vault of heaven, crofs that brook, look forward from the fummit of that little hill, where we are cele- brating vidory with all the infolence of fuccefs, and ereding the monumental column to profperous val- our, and nought is to be feen, but fights of woe, no voice is to be heard, but that of lamentation and de- fpair J while angels, from yonder fphere, look down with pity and concern, fuch as angels feel, on both the victor and the vanquilhed. " The broad eye of one Creator, takes in all mankind : his laws expand the heart j" and the '' Te Deum," which angels fm§^ E a witS 68 Hiftory of Deborah/-^ Lect. V. with rapture, is, " Glory to God in the higheft, and on caith peace, good will towards men." We muft carry thefe ideas with us as a corredive to the vehemence of poetical enthufiafm, and learn Hill to diftinguifli between the rapturous praife and cenfure of a female patriot, and the calm, equitable, unbiaifed applaufe or condemnation of unerring wif- dom and eternal juftice. In the picture of human na- ture here fufpended before our eyes, we behold it, as it is, not what it ought, in all refpedls, to be. Deborah having propofed her fubjeft, in plain and fimple terms, in the fecond verfe, and fummoned the princes and potentates of the earth to lillen to her fong-, as if the whole world were interefted in the event file was about to celebrate, ilie prefents to them an ob- jeft fupremely worthy of their attention and rever- ence, namely, the great Jehovah marching in awful ftate before the armies of his people, and delivering to them his dreadful law from Sinai, while univerfal na- ture bears witnefs to the prefence of the Creator and Lord of all. " The earth trembling, the mountains melting, the powers of heaven fhaken." From thence llie turns a weeping eye to the recent miferies of her yet bleeding country, and fummons her compatriots to gratitude and joy, for the deliver- ance of that day, from the recolledion of the cruel reftraints under which they fo lately lived, and the calamities which they endured : and fhe rifes into holy rapture at the thought, that a gracious Providence had not only wrought falvation for his people, but made her the bleffed inftrument of effeding it. But jn recalling the memory of former evils, in order to awaken holy joy, fhe fails not to trace thofe evils up to their proper fource, in order to excite holy forrow and contrition ; " They chofe new gods ; then was war in the gates : was there a fliield or fpear ittn among forty thoufand in Ifrael ?" * The * * Verfe 8. L'ECT. V. Hi/iory of Dehomh. 69 ^rThe great objed of the prophetefs is, to imprefs thi« everlafting and unchangeable truth, that lui is the ruin of any nation, and that falvation is of the Lord. The moment a new god is fet up, behold a new ene- my is in the gate. That inftant the idol is pulled down, the hope of Ifrael revives. The poetic qucflion of Deborah, " was there a fhield or fpear fcen among forty thoufand in Ifrael V* exprelfes the highefl de- gree of political dejedtion and diftrefs ; and reprefents the infulting foe, as not only filling all their borders with prefent confternation, but alio, undermining all their hope for the time to come ; (hipping them of every kind of armour both for defence and atiack ; to fuch a degree, that not one man, out of forty thou- fand, was furnifhed for the field, A Jewifh Rabbin * has given a turn fomewhat dif- ferent to the words of the text, and not an abfurd one. *' Has Ifrael chofen new gods ? then was war in the gates. Was there fhield or fpear feen among forty thoufand ?'* that is to fay, " From the time that Ifrael made choice of ftrange gods, they were under a ne^ ceflity of maintaining war in their gates ; or, of fup- porting a Handing army for defence againft the inroads of their enemies. But now that you offer yourfelves willingly to the Lord, and put away the ftrange gods which are among you, fee whether you have any need of fhield or fpear againft the molt formidable and numerous hofts of foes, againft the thoufands and forty thoufands of Canaan ? No, Jehovah himfelf is your ftiield and buckler, he fights your battles. Heav- en and earth combine to deftroy the adverfary, the ftars in their courfes fought againft Sifera, the river Kifhon fwallows them up.'* " My heart is toward the governors of Ifrael, that offered themfelves wilHngly among the people. Blefs ye the Lord. Speak, ye that ride on white afles, ye that fit in judgment, and walk by the way. They that are delivered from the noife of archers in the places * Sal. Jarchi, page 64. 70 Hijfory of Debofab, Lect. V. places of drawing water ; there (hall they rehearfe the righteous afts of the Lord, even the righteous ads to- wards the inhabitants of his villages in Ifrael ; then fliall the people of the Lord go down to the gates.*' * That we may enter into the true fpirit of the patriotic bard, let us fuppofe, what it is apparent Ihe has in view, namely, leverally to addrefs the various orders and defcriptions of men, whereof the Ifraelitifh ftatc was compoied, and who had each a pecuhar, as well as a common intereft, in the falvation which they cele- brared. She begins with her companions in the war- fare, who, roufed by her exhortations, and a fenfe of their country's wrongs, had cheerfully offered them- feives to this laborious and hazardous fervice. " My heart is toward the governors of Ifrael, that offered therafelves willingly among the people. Blefs ye the Lord." t They befl knew how little was due to hu- man fkill and valour, how much to the gracious and powerful interpofition of Heaven ; let them, there- fore, lead the band, and afcribe unto Jehovah the glory due unto his name. She next turns to the civil governors and judges of the land, and invites them to contiaae the fong. " Speak, ye that ride on white affes, ye that fit in judgment, and walk by the way."J Such was the fimple flate in which the rulers of Ifrael travelled from place to place, adminiflering juftice. The ideas, in her addrefs to them, are tender and pa- thetic, and may be thus extended, " Alas ! my alfo- ciates in government, it was but yefterday, that we were rulers without fubjefts, judges with out a tribu- nal, and without authority : the lives and property of lirael were not fecured and protected by law, but were at the difpofal of a foreign lawlefs defpot ; and your progrefs through the land in the exercife of your high office, was checked and overawed by a licenfed ban- ditti. Let us rejoice together, that government has reverted to its channel ; the highways are no longer blocked * Verfe 9 — 11. f Verfe 9. X Verfa 10. Lect. V. 'Mifibry of Deborah. 71 blocked up, and therefore no longer unoccupied, place your thrones of judgment where you -will, in the gate, in the highway, the communication is open, there is none to make you afraid, the enemies whom you have feen, you fhall fee them no more again for- ever.'* Her next addrefs feems to be made to the fhepherds of the lately oppreifed country. " They that are de- livered from the noife of archers in the places of drawing water ; there fhall they rehearfe the righteous acts of the Lord, even the righteous ads towards the inhabitants of his villages in IlVael ; then fhall the peo- ple of the Lord go down to the gates." * They are reprefented as trembling at the found of their own feet among the pebbles of the brook, left thereby they fhould awaken the attention of their rapacious mafters ; they are afraid to drive their flocks to the watering place, left they lliould expofe themfelves and their harmlefs fleecy charge, to the cruel fliafts of the archer, ever on the watch to gall and annoy them. But now, there, even there, in the very fcene of their forrow and mifery, where the ruftling of a leaf durft not be heard, they fliall break out together into fing- ing ; there, free from forrow, free from fear, " fliall they rehearfe the righteous a6ls of the Lord, even the righteous acls to the inhabitants of the villages in If- rael." Finally, fiie calls upon the inhabitants of the villages, the hufbandmen and vine-dreflers, to add their voices to the fwelling band, on recovering their tranquillity, on being reftored to the felicity of labour- ing for themfelves, and faved from the mortification of feeing lazy, infolent ftrangers devouring the fruit of their painful toil, and repairing, as before, in hap^- pier days, to their own gates, to their own judges for juftice and judgement. Thus we hear, as it were, the tuneful choir gradually increafmg in number, the peafant taking up the fong which the fliepherd had put into his mouth, the ihepherd following the magif- trate, * Verfe 1 1 , 72 Hijiory of Deborah * Lect. V. trate, the magiftrate the foldier, till all Ifrael becomes one voice, one heart, one foul, to celebrate the high praifes of God. Faint reprefentation of that more glorious confummation, that purer triumph, that more aufpicious day, that inexpreffibly more important fal- vation, to which the believer in Chrifl Jefus looks in hope. The voice of this univerfal chorus having ceafed, a folemn paufeof fome moments feems to enfue ; when the divinely-infpired poetefs awakes to new rapture ; and the harmony of myriads of joyful voices fubfides into the melody of one fimple ftrain. " Awake, awake, Deborah : awake, awake, utter a fong : arife, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, thou fon of Abinoam." * What genuine touches of nature have we here, what l^mpiicity, what pathos, what fublimity 1 She feems to regret her exhaufled powers ; her fpirit is ftill willing ; flie cannot bear to ceafe fo foon from fo divine an employ ; flie flarts into frefh enthufiafm. Having put words of praife into the mouths of a whole fared people, fhe takes up her own peculiar ftrain ; " Awake, awake, Deborah : awake, awake, utter a fong :" And then, turning to the companion of her viftory, excites him to make a public difplay of the wonderful trophies of that wondrous day ; " Arife, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, thou fon of Abinoam.*' Exhibit them in chains, who had forged chains for the hands and feet of Ifrael j lead them captive, who led in captivity the free-born fons of God ; fhew triumphantly the fpoils of them that fpoii- ed thee ; " the prey taken from the i^iighty, and the lawful captive delivered ;'* them that " oppreffed thee fed with their own flefli, and drunken with their own blood, as with fweet wine ;'* a righteous " God con- tending with them, who contended with thee.'* " Thou fon of Abinoam.'* She roufes her noble col- league to excel in praife, as he had excelled in coun^ fel and courage, by one of the mod powerful motives of * Verfe 12. Lect. V. Hi/lory of Deborah. 73 of human condu6l, the honour of his father's name and family. Let the names of Barak and Abinoaiu be tranfmitted, hand in hand, with refpe^t, to the lat- eft generations ; let the world know that on Abinoam a gracious Providence conferred the dillinguiflied hon- our of being the father of the father of his country. It is not anceflry, it is not country that can beftovr celebrity on a deedlefs name, on an idle or worthlcfs character ; it is illuftrious virtue, it is fuperior wif- dom, it is ufeful abihty that confers nobility, true no- bility on families, and celebrity on countries, Coru tending cities claim the honour of giving birth to Homer. Strip Athens of her renowned fons, and llic finks into a mafs of rocks and fand, How Vv'ould the heart of Abinoam glow with dehght, as often as the found of his name reached his ears, in connexion with that of a fon whom a grateful country acknowl- edged, and celebrated with fongs, as its faviour ! In the 13th verfe we fee the low and reduced flate of Ifrael again brpught into view, to prepare for a frefh difcovery of the power and goodnefs of God, and to exhibit in another point of light, the foHdity, ftrength and fecurity of his church, " out of weaknefs made ftrong," " waxing," in a moment, " valianfin fight, turning to flight the armies of the aliens." " Then he made him that remaineth have dominion over the nobles among the people : the Lord made me have dominion over the mighty." * In two ftriking par- ticulars, this gracious interpofition of Heaven is em- phatically pointed out, " He made him that reinain- etb to have dominion. It was not the Jircngth of If- rael which God employed in crufhing the " nobles'* and pride of Canaan, it was not by oppofing force to force, fl^ill to (kill, that Providence decided the con- teil ; but by a fcattered, broken remainder ; but by a difpirited handful, that durfl not truft themfelves in the plain againft the enemy, but by an unarmed rab- ble whom Sifera held in contempt, that Jehov-ih tram- pled^ * Vevf; 13. 74 Hifiory of Deborah. Lect. V. pled the glory of Jabin in the dufl ; as by a cake of barley bread rolling down upon a tent and leveHing it with the ground. To fet the divine fovereignty in a dill ftronger light, Deborah fuggells, but not in the fpirit of felf-confi- dence, that when God did appear for his people, he did it not, by kin41ing martial ardour and refentment in manly bofoms, by putting the machine in motion in the ufual way ; but by creating a new thing in the earth ; by endowing a woman with more than manly fagacity and refolution ; by making a woman the life and foul of a fmking nation ; that God himfelf might have the undivided praife. " The Lord made mc have dominion over the mighty.'* I« it not fomewhat remarkable, that Deborah is only once defcribed as the wife of Lapidoth ? whereas Barak is repeatedly, both in hiftory and in fong, brought forward as the , fo7i of fuch a father. Is it to mark the bafe degener- acy of Ifrael at this period ? all mafculine virtue ex^ tinguifhed, and importance funk ; the only trace of the exiftence of the man, that he was the hufband of fuch a woman ? The repetition of this relation there- fore may have been omitted, becaufe it would have re- fleded reiterated difgrace upon the one, without add- ing much to, perhaps fomewhat detrading from, the glory of the other. Whereas the blazoning of a fon*s praife, inftead of detracting from, is the moft gratify- ing addition to, a father's honour. In the paifage which follows, the prophetefs goes with a poetical and prophetic enthufiafm into a detail of the diflinguifliing chara6ters, of thefeveral tribes of Ifrael, according to the part which they had taken, or neglefted to take, in the caufe of their country, at this trying crifis, which at prefent.I fliall fimply quote, with a fmgle remark ; and then conclude. " And the princes of Iffachar were with Deborah ; even If- fachar, and alfo Barak : he was fent on foot into the valley. For the divifions of Reuben there were great • thoughts of heart. Why abodeft thou among the flieep- LecT. V, Hi/lory of Deborah. 75 flieep-folds, to hear the bleatings of the flocks ? for the divifions of Reuben there were great fearchings of heart, Gilead abode beyond Jordan : and why did Dan remain in fliips ? Afher continued on the fea- fhore, and abode in his breaches. Zebulun and iNaphtali were a people that jeoparded their Hves unto the death in the high places of the field."* This is the third time that prophetic infpiration has prefented us with the difcriminating features of the Ions of If- rael, and of the tribes which defcended from them, at three different periods, and in very different fitua- tions — Jacob on his dying bed, Mofes on the wing to afcend Mount Nebo, and Deborah on the defeat of Sifera. The comparative view of Ifrael at thefe dif- tant periods feems to me a fubjeft of curious, pleafant and not ufelefs difquifition, and I mean to devote the meditation of a particular evening to it. The feafont arrefts us now, and demands a feries of reflexions fuited to winter, and change, and de- cay, and death. The pad ruihes upon our memory and affedions in an impetuous tide. The future dill prefents the fame impenetrable curtain to our eager eyes. We go on fondly planning ; and after a thou^ fand proofs of vanity, return to treafure up for our- felves vexation of fpirit. But we (hall be relieved at length, and ere long land on that fhore where fear and hope are no longer. If permitted to enter on the commencement of another year, we fliall endeavour to improve that kind indulgence, by endeavouring to fuggeft reflexions fuited to the occafion, If permits- ted to advance to a feconj fabbath in a new year, we fhall attempt to refume our accuftomed purfuits : If to any, this be the laft opportunity of the kind, the folemn farewell is now taken, And kind is that Prov- baidence which does not always let us know when we are faying " finally farewell j'* which permits the bit- ternefs of death to pafs before we are fenfible it is '/is'come. Woe,woe, woe,to the man who is puniflied with the * V&rfe i^ — 18. f The laft day of the year. ^6 Hijiory of Deborah, Lect. V, the forefight of the evil that is coming upon him. The exploits of a Deborah and a Barak now live only in the page of hiftory ; their fong is now to be found only in a few meafured words, whofe rythm is loft, whofe fenfe is obfcure, whofe fpirit is evaporated. But, my friends, we have this day been comniemorating * an event which will never fmk in oblivion, never fpend its force, never lofe its importance. We have this day been carrying on, keeping up the fong, which the enraptured ihepherds of Bethlehem caught two thou- fand years ago from a choir of the heavenly hoft, which is ever pleafmg, ever new ; let us again refume it, and teach it to our children. " Glory, glory to God in the higheft, and on earth peace, good will to- wards men.** BleiTmg and honour, and glory, and power be unto Him that fitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, forever and ever.** Amen. Halle- lujah ! * In the participaupn of the Lord's fupper. Hiftory Hiftory of Deborah. LECTURE VI. JUDGES V. 20, 21. They fought from heaven : the Jiars in their courfes fought againji Sifera. The river of Kifhon fwept them away, that ancient river, the river Kifhon : my foul, thou haji trodden downjirength. IN turning over the hallowed page of infpiration, and contemplating the various revolutions of human af- fairs which it unfolds, we feem tranfported to a fupe- rior region ; we behold the earthly ball rolling round beneath our feet; we witnefs the birth, the progrefs, the diffolution of nations ; we learn to correct the prejudices of education, and our narrownefs of con- ception ; we no longer ignorantly admire, nor fuper- cilioully defpife our fellow-creatures ; we adore the great Father and Lord of all, who " has of one blood formed all nations of men to inhabit upon the face of the whole earth,*' and " whofe kingdom ruleth over all." From that elevation, we obferve with humble acquiefcence and holy joy, the defigns of eternal Prov- idence, maturing, and executing themfelves ; the in- dividual paffing away, but the fpecies permanent ; ftates and kingdoms changing their form, their fpirit, their character ; but human nature the fame under every government, in every climate, under every iky. We behold regions, and periods, and nations rifing in- to 7S Hi/iory of Deborah, Lect. VL to notice, into eminence, into importance, by the tal-~^ cnts, the virtues, the addrefs of one man, of one wom- an ; and returning again to obfcurity and infignifi- cance, through a defed of ^ifdom, of public ipirit, of exertion. The hiftory of perhaps no nation exhibits fuch ilriking and inftrudive variety df charader and event, as that of the pofterity of Abraham. It is intereiHng in itfelf, and it is clofely connected with the general interefts of mankind. That people, through a difper- fion of near two thoufand years, have prefer ved an ex- iftence. Hated, defpifed and perfecuted by all other nations, they remain uncxtirpated ; a monument at once of the vengeance and of the care of Heaven : and unequivocal intimations, from the oracles of truth, hold them up as the objects of eternal Providence, in events of fuperior magnitude, yet to take place. We have followed the fucceffive changes which they underwent, with fucceffive emotions of aftoniihment,. exultation, indignation and forrow. And we find them, at the defeat of Sifera and his hoft, in a fitua- tion highly critical and interefting. The prophetefs Deborah in this celebrated fong, goes into a compara- tive delineation of the refpedtive merit and demerit of the feveral tribes ; and thereby enables us to ellimate the particular charader of each, at different eras of their political exiftence. Jacob on his death-bed, and Mofes on the wing to depart, in his valedidory ad- drefs, prefent us with a fimilar opportunity ; of which we are now to avail ourfelves, in the two-fold view of extending a little our pittance of knowledge of human nature, and increafmg our admiration of, and depend- ence upon, the Divine Providence. In the dying benediction of Jacob, Judah, his fourth * fon, and the tribe which fhould fpring from him, make" a mod confpicuous figure. The fpirit of prophecy employs every image expreffive of power, greatnefs, plenteoufnefs and duration, to reprefent the future eminence and fuperiority of that tribe. In all the muilers Lect. VI. Hyiory of Deborah. 79* muftcrs which were made of the people during the forty years wandering in the wildernefs^ and in the diflribution of place and flation according to divine appointment, in their encampments and removals, we ftill find Judah excelling in number and ftrength, and occupying the pod of honour. But Mofes takes leave of that tribe, with a very flight degree of notice ; and in the fong of Deborah their name is not fo much as mentioned, nor is any allufion made to any exploit of theirs, in celebrating the triumph of that eventful day. Indeed the fpirit and pre-eminence of Judah feems to have been gradually on the decline, from the days of Caleb, who conquered and difpofleffed the fons of Anak ; till they were revived, maintained and extended under David and Solomon. And, for fever- al centuries, we find this prerogative tribe, which wa« deftined to the lalting honours of royalty and rule, fleeping in oblivion and unimportance -xVith the infig- nificant tribe of Simeon, which hardly ever achieved any action, or produced any perfonage worthy of be- ing remembered. Of fo much confequence is one man in a tribe, in a nation, in a world. But the perfon and tribe the mod diftinguiflied in the prophecy of Jacob, and the blefiing of Mofes, are alfo the mofl diftinguilhed in this triumphant anthem, Ephraim, the younger fon of Jofeph, the beloved fon of Jacob, raifed by the deftination and interpofition of high Heaven, to power and precedency over his el- der brother. To the exertions of this branch of the houfe of Jofeph, in conjunftion with thofe of Zebulun and Naphtali, the vidory now by the blefiing of God obtained over the armies of Canaan was chiefly to be afcribed. The fpirit of their father Joftiua, dead in fo many other of the tribes of Ifrael, is alive in them, and happily is propitious to the common caufe. A fevere cenfure of the condud of the two tribes and a half beyond the river, is more than infinuated ; it is brought direO:ly forward. They arc reprefented as 8o Hijiory of Deborah, Lect. VI. as totally lofi to all public fpirit, and wrapt up in cold feifiihnei's and indifference. Jordan was a kind of de- fence to them from the Canaanitifh foe, and the cries of their opprelfed brethren beyond the river arc drowned in the more interefling bleatings of their own flocks. The fame fpirit of felfiflinefs is reprefented as pervading the tribes who inhabited thefea coafts, Dan and Afher, and who, fubfifting by trade, and abforbed by the love of gain, fleeled their hearts to the feelings of fympathy and humanity. Drawing their fupplies from the ocean, they forget they have a country ; and under the influence of one domineering lufl, all the better claims of the human heart, are fuppreffed and filenced. They purfue their merchandize, as the oth- ers attended to their fheep farms, regardlefs what their wretched countrymen meanwhile endured. " For the divifions of Reuben there were great thoughts of heart. Why abodeft thou among the fneep-folds, to hear the bleatings of the flocks ? For the divifions of Reuben there were great fearchings of heart. Gilead abode beyond Jordan : and why did Dan remain in fliips ? Afher continued on the fea-fhore, and abode in his breaches."* Such is the general view of the (late of Ifrael at this period, which the words of Deborah convey. The import of many of the expreflions which the prophetefs employs to convey her feelings on this oc- cafion, we pretend not to underftand or to explain. Is it any wonder that in a poetical compofition up- wards of three thoufand years old, in a language fo little fl:udied, referring to a hiftory of which the out- line only is drawn, there fliould be many things diffi- cult to be underfhood ? This much is evident upon the face of it, that Ifrael at that unhappy period exhibited a fpedlacle, bearing but too near a refemblance to what our own times f have feen dreadfully realized. A whole * Verfe 15 — 17. f Great-Britain embroiled with France, Spain, Holland, America and an arnied neutrality. Lect. VI. Hijiory of Deborah, 8i A whole hoft of foes, a world in arms, combined to work the downfall of a finful, devoted country. Inter- nal difcord, the exthidion of public virtue, the do- minion of bare-faced iniquity — but, the arm of the Lord is revealed, and falvation is wrought. The picture which the poetefs draws of the defpe- rate ftate of Ifraelitifh affairs is truly affeding ; and is a happy preparation for a difplay of that unexpeded and aftoniihing rehef, which had juft turned their forrow into gladnefs. Judah lulled afleep in lifllefs inadion, without exertion, without exiflence ; a fourth part of the national force, on the other fide Jordan, carelefs, tending their flocks ; another fourth devoted to their private traffic ; the fword of judgment in the feeble hand of a female ; confederated kings threaten- ing their utter extirpation ; enemies numerous, " flrong and lively, and hating them with a cruel ha- tred ;" what power can diifipate the gathered ftorm ? That power which fays to the roaring ocean, " Hith- erto (halt thou come, but no further, and here fhall thy proud waves be flayed.*' " They fought from heaven : the ftars in their courfes fought againil Sife- ra.'** Behold, all nature engaged in the caufe of Ifrael's God. The heavenly hoft firfl take up the quarrel ; angels, legions of " angels that excel in ftrength :'* " the leafl of whom could wield thefe ele- ments." The mofl powerful and fplendid parts of inanimate nature feel the alarm, and join their influ- ence ; " the flars in their courfes." The earth quick- ly hears the heaven ; the waters fwell and rage ; Kifhon increafed, mofl probably, by the recent dread- ful temped which had fallen from the air, rifes fudden- ly upon them, and, like the Red Sea of old, fv/allows up, as in a moment, the enemy and the avenger. There is a fingular force and beauty in the repeti- tion of the name of the river, with the addition of the epithet " ancient." It is natural for men to value themfelves on the antiquity of their country, and its Vol. VI. F cities. * Verfe 20. 82 Hijiory of Deborah, LicT. VL cities. It is the fond term which, in the honeft pride and exultation of our hearts, we affix to our own land ; it feems to confer additional dignity and importance ^ we afTociate in the idea, the valour and fuccefs of form- er times ; we feel our hearts attracted as to a com- mon parent ; filial affedion and brotherly love revive at the found. In the enthufiafm of pious and poetical infpiration, {he beflows animation and paflion on the flood ; (lie reprefents it as rifmg in pride and joy, and overflowing its banks, to ferve the caufe of ancient friends, lying under the rod of infolence and oppref- fion. And the period pathetically clofes, with the prophetefs, in a fmgle word, apollrophizing herfelf as the honoured, happy inftrument of co-operating with intelligent and animated nature in trampling pride and cruelty into the duft. " O my foul, thou haft trodden down ftrength.*' I have already anticipated much of what I had to fay, on the fubjeft of the glowing eulogium which Deb- orah pronounces on the conduft of " Jael, the wife of Heber." Permit me only to repeat, that in order to our fully adopting the fentiments of the Ifraelitifh poet- efs, we mufl be acquainted with many circumftances of the cafe, which the concifenefs of the facred hiftory enables us not to difcover ; that there is a fmgularity in the whole conduft and occafion of the bufmefs, which forbids it to be drawn into a precedent, and pleaded in ordinary cafes as an example or an excufe ; that we are to diftinguifli carefully betwixt the poetic ardour and enthufiafm of a female bard and patriot, and the calm, unimpaffioned praife and cenfure of found reafon, or the deliberate approbation of the God of truth, mercy and jufllce. We know certainly that God cannot love nor commend perfidy, cruelty or re- venge. But he juftly may, and often does employ the outrageous paffions of one great offender to punilh thofe of another. And that through ignorance, prej- udice, or wilful mifconception, the wifefl of men are very Lect. VI. Hi/iory of Deborah, 83 very incompetent judges of the ways and works cf the Almighty. The winding up of this facred poem, fuggefls the mod fatisfadory apology for the condudl of Jael, and accounts at the lame time for the warmth of the ftrains in which Deborah celebrates that conduct. It is the horrid ufe which conquerors ufually made of vidory, to which I allude. The wretched females of the van- quiflied people fell a prey to the brutal lufl of the vidors. This was a cafe {o common that " the moth- er of Sifera and her wife ladies" are reprefented as fo loft to feminine delicacy and compaflion as remorfe- leisly to exult in the thought of portioning out the virgins of Ifrael to Sifera and his foldiers, as the mere rnltruments of a brutal pleafure ; as an article of hor- rid booty for the lawlefs plunderer. " The mother of Sifeia looked out at a window, and cried through the lattice, Why is his chariot fo long in coming ? why tarry the wheels of his chariots ? Her wife ladies aufwered her, yea, flie returned anfwer to herfelf. Have they not fped ? have they not divided the prey, to every man a damfel or two ? to Silera a prey of divers colours, a prey of divers colours of needle-work, of divers colours of needle-work on both fides, meet for the necks of them that take the fpoil ?'** Now, may we not fuppofe both Jael and Deborah animated with a holy indignation againll the intended violators of their fex's modefty and honour, and with a holy joy, on the defeat of their ungracious purpofe ? May we not innocently fuppofe a mixture of virtuous female fpirit infpiring what the one aded and the other fung ? Our pity for the fallen warrior, and his untimely, in- glorious fate, muft of courfe abate, when we confider that a righteous and merciful Providence, by whatever means, (hortened a life, and flopped a career, which threatened the life, the virtue, the happinefs of thou- fand$. F 2 la • Ver. 28, 29, 30. 84 Hijhry of Deborah. Lect. VI. In perfonifying the chara6ler of Sifera's mother ^nd her attendants, Deborah prefents us with a happy im- itation of a pafifage in the fong of Mofes on the trium- phant paffage of the Red Sea ; where the poet infin- iiates himfelf, by a bold figure of eloquence, into the councils of Pharaoh, overhears their formidable refo- lutions, and in the clofe of the fcene, rejoices in fee- ing their counfels, once fo much dreaded, turned into foolifhnefs, by the grace and power of Heaven. " The enemy faid, I will purfue, I will overtake, I will divide the fpoil ; my lull fhall be fatisfied upon them ; I will draw my fword, my hand lliall deftroy them. Thou didfl blow with thy wind, the fea covered them ; they fank as lead in the mighty waters."* So here, Deborah brings in the matrons of Canaan as anticipa- ting the fruits of vidory, prematurely enjoying the triumph of the fubjeftion of the Ifraelitiih damfels to their own pride, and the pleafure of their warriors ; and file infpirits the gratitude and joy of her fair coun- trywomen, by gently hinting at the dreadful hazard which they had run. This too, of courfe, dirainiilies oiir concern for the cruel difappointmcnt which the mother of Siiera endured, looking and looking, from her Yiindow, but ftill looking in vain for him who was never more to return ; expecting and expecting that lingering chariot, which the ancient river Kifhon had long ere now fwept down its ftream : fluflied with hope, only to make calamity more bitter. And let that hope be forever blafted, which could be accom- plifhed only by what humanity Ihudders to think of. Having thus enjoyed felf-gratulation, and called forth the grateful congratulations of her delivered country, and with heroic ardour trampled on difap- pointed lull, infolence and ambition, fhe now aims a nobler flight. The world and its traniitory intcrells and employments difappear. The throne of God meets her enraptured eye. Private, perfonal, nation- al animofity are no more : all, all is lofl in the higher, unlimited, * Exod. XV. 9, 10. Lect.-VI. HifiGry of Dcbcrch. 85 unlimited, unchanging interefls of the divine glory. *' So let all thine enemies perifh, O Lord." This u but a prophetic enunciation of what needs mull be. After one revolution has obliterated another, one mortal intereft fwallowed another up — after the dif- tinciions of Jew and Gentile, Greek and barbarian, bond and free are lofl and forgotten, the honours of the divine juftice and mercy fhall fiourifh and prevail. They that are afar from him, of whatever other name or defcription, £hall perifh ; and the workers of in- iquity fhall be deftroyed. But the pious leader of the heavenly theme, as if unwilling to fhut up her fong with an idea fo gloomy as the avt-ful difpleafure of the great God againfi: his adverfaries, relieves herfelf and us, by taking up the more encouraging view of the favour of Jehovah to his friends, and thus fhe fervently breathes out her foul ; " But let them that love him, be as the fun when he goeth forth in his might." Next to the great Lord of nature himfelf, who 'a, to us inviiible. Or dimly feen, in thefe his lowell v»-arks ; Milton. that glorious creature of his power, the fun, is the mod flriking and impreilive of all objects. And poets of every defcription have enriched and ennobled their compoiitions by allulions to the glorious orb of day, *' of this great world the eye and foul," as the brighteil inanimate image of Deitv here below, the fountain of light, the difpenfer of vital warmth, the parent oi joy. The infpired facred writers have likevviie happily em- ployed it to reprefent the mofl glorious animated im- age of God in our world, a wife and good man '* go- ing from ftrength to ftrength ;" fhining as a light iu a dark place ; lilentlv, without expectation of return, without upbraiding, in an unceafmg revolution of dif- fuiing happinefs ; aiming at reiemblance to his Crea- tor S6 Hi/iory of Deborah, Lect. VI. tor by becoming a god to his fellow-creatures. It is thus that Deborah concludes her fong ; with a warm ettufion of faith, and hope, and defire, that righteouf- nefs might abound and increafe, that good men might be in fucceffion raifed up, each in his day a light to hiS country, to mankind ; " going forth as the fun in h;s might," from luftre to flill higher luftre, from uieful- ;jefs to ufefulnefs, without diminution and without end. By the fame fnnple but powerful imagery the wife man reprefents the progrefs of true goodnefs ; " the path of the juft is as the Ihining light, that fhineth more and more unto the perfeft day.'* And Wifdom itfelf by a fimilar fuggeftion animates the zeal and fupports the induftry of thofe who were to teach his religion to the nations of the earth ; " Ye are the light of the world. Let your hght fo fhine before men, that they may fee your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." To the whole is affixed an hiftorical note, fhort in- deed, but highly interefling and important ; "And the land had reft forty years.** This is the noblefl eulo- gium of Deborah, the moft honourable difplay of her talents and virtues. If there be feelings worthy of en- vy, they are thofe of this exalted woman, on reflecting that God had honoured her to reftore hberty and peace to her country ; and to eftablifh fuch a lyftem of adminiftration of juftice, of civil government, of military difcipline, and of religious worfnip, as preferv- ed the pubhc tranquillity for forty years. How ef- feftually may every individual ferve the community ! Of what importance, then, is every, the meaneft indi- vidual ! How lading and how extenfive is the influence of real worth ! There is one way in which every man may be a public blefling, may become a faviour of his country— by cultivating the private virtues of the man and the Chriftian. I proceed to illuftrate the female charadler, its ami- ablenefs, ufefulnefs and iaiportancc, in perfons and fcenefc Lect. VI. Uiftory of Deborah. 87 fcenes of a very different complexion \ in the lefs glar- ing, but not lefs inftrudive hiftory of Ruth, the Mo- abitefs, and Naomi, her mother-in-law ; happy to ef- cape the fcenes of horror and blood which are the fub- jeft of the remainder of the hiftory of the Ifraelitifh judges. Hiftory Hiftory of Ruth. LECTURE VII. RUTH 1. I 5. iVow it came to pafs in the days ivhen the judges ruled^ that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Beth-lehem-'Judah went tofojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two fons . And the name of the man was Elimelech^ and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two fons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Beth-lehem-'Ju- dah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there, AndEli?nelech, Naomi's hujiafid, died ; and fhe was left and her two fons. And they took them wives of the women of Moab ; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth : ajid they dwelled there about ten years. And Mahlon and Chilion died alfo both of them ; and the woman was left of her two fons, and her hujband, 1 HE perpetual viciffitude that prevails In the fyf- tem of the univerfe, and in the conducl ol Providence, is adapted to the nature, and conducive to the happi- nefs of man. The fuccefTion of day and night, alter- nate labour and repofe, the variations of the changing feafons lend to each, as it returns, its peculiar beauty and fitnefs. We are kept ftill looking forward, we are ever hovering on the wing of expectation, rifing from Lect. VII. 'Ulpry of Ruth. 89 from attainment to attainment, preffing on to fome future mark, purfuing fome yet unpoileffed prize. The hireling, fupported by the profpeft of reccix-ing the evening's reward, cheerfully fulfils the work c^f the day. The hufbandman, without regret, perceives the glory of fummer paffing away, becaufe he lifts up his eyes and " beholds the fields white unto the har- veft ;** and he fubmits joyfully to the painful toil of autumn, in contemplation of the reft and comfort he fhall enjoy, when thefe fame fields fball be white with fnow. It is hunger that gives a relilh to food ; it is pain that recommends eafe. The value of abundance is known only to thofe who have fuifered want, and we are little fenfible what we owe to God for the bleiT- ing of health, till it is interrupted by ficknefs. The very plagues which mortality is heir to, have undoubtedly their ufes and their ends : and the fword may be as neceflary to draw off the grofs humours of the moral world, as ftorm and tempefl are to difturb the mortal ftagnation, and to chafe away the poifonous vapours of the natural. Weak, fhort-fighted man is affuredly unqualified to decide concerning the ways and works of infinite wifdom ; but weak, labouring, wretched man may furely repofe unlimited confidence in infinite goodnefs. During the dreadful times when there was no king in Ifrael, the whole head was fo fick, the whole heart fo faint, the whole mafs fo corrupted, that an ocean of blood muft be drained off, before it can be reftored to foundnefs again. Not only one rotten limb, but the whole body is in danger of perifliing, and noth- ing but a painful operation can fave it. The fkilful, firm, but gentle hand of Providence takes up the in- ftrument, cuts out the difeafe, and then tenderly binds up the bleeding wounds. Relieved from the diftrefs ot beholding brother lifting up the fpear agalnfl broth- er, from hearing the fliouts of the vidor, and the groans of the dying, we retire to contemplate and to partake of the noifelefs fcenes of domcflic life j to ob- ferve $» tiljtory of Ruth. Lect. VIL fervethe wholefome forrows and guiltlefs joys of calm- nefs and obfcurity ; to join in the triumphs of lenfi- bility, and to folace in the foft effufions of nature ; to *' fmile with the fimple, and feed with the poor." The little hiftory on which we are now entering, is one of thofe which every where, and at all feafons, mud afford pleafure and inftrudion. It is a mofl in- tereiling difplay of ordinary life, of fimple manners, of good and honed hearts ; of the power of friendfhip and the rewards of virtue. It forms an important link in the chain of providence, and the hiltory of redemption. There is perhaps no ftory that has been wrought into fo many different forms, transfufed in- to fo many different languages, accommodated to fo many different fituations, as the hiftory of Ruth. It is felt, from the cottage up to the palace, by the ruf- tic and the courtier, by the orphan gleaner in the field, and the king's daughter. The man of tafte de- lights in it on account of the artlefs ftrudure, elegant didion, and judicious arrangement of the tender tale. The friend of virtuous fenfibility delights in it, for the gentle emotions which it excites, and the ufe- ful leffons which it inculcates. The pious foul rejoices in it from the enlarged, the inftrudive, the confola- tory views of the divine providence which it unfolds. The inquiring and devout chriftian prizes it, as ftand- ing in connexion with the ground of his faith, and contributing to ftrengthen the evidence, and explain the nature of " thofe things wherein he has been in- ilrucled," and on which he refts for falvation. Happy the man, who, poffeffmg all thefe qualities, fliall perufe and employ it as a correftor and guide to the imagination, as a fupport to the fpirit, as a light to the underftanding, a monitor to the confcience, a guard to the affedions, and a faithful inftruftor to the heart. The particular era of this ftory is not marked by the facred penman, neither has he been directed to affix his name to his precious little work. In general it Lect. VII. Hi/iory of Ritth. 91' it was not in the times of boifterous anarchy and wild uproar, that Boaz cut down his barley, and Ruth gleaned after the reapers. The fruits of the field were proteftedto the owner by lawful authority, andjufUcc was adminiftered by the elders in the gate. If we confider that the life of man was now reduced to the common ftandard, that David was the fourth in order of fucceffion from Eoaz, and allow thirty or thirty-five years to be the medium ftandard of diitance from one generation to another, the marriage of Boaz with Ruth will be thrown upon the fiiort adminiftra- tion of his townfman Ibzan, the fucceffor of Jep- tha, of which we have only a brief account : " And after him, Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Ifrael." * Samuel is generally underftood to have written both this book and the preceding, and thereby to have pre- fervedthe hiflorical feries of events from Joihua to him- felf, almoji unbroken ; and alfo the genealogical deduc- tion of fucceffion down to David, in whom the roy- al line of the houfe of Judah commenced, altogether uninterrupted. And while we behold Rahab the har- lot, a woman of Jericho, and Ruth the Moabitefs, not only admitted to the rank of mothers in Ifrael, but mothers of a race of kings, mothers in the line of " Meffiah the Prince," we are admoniilied as Peter was long afterward, on a different occafion, " not to call that common or unclean which God hath purified.'* Ifrael was now enjoying the bleffing of good gov- ernment, but the land is vifited with a calamity which no fagacity of government could forefee or prevent, and no human power remove, — with famine. Bethle- hem itfelf, the houfe of bread, fo called from the fer- tihty of the circumjacent fields, finks under the pref- fure of this fore evil, and Elimelech, one of the chiefs of his tribe, is, like the moft illuftrious of his anceftors, driven to feek fubfiftence in a flransfe land. Every land according to its place on the globe has its peculiar climate, foil, production. One is water- ed * judges sii. S. 92 Hi/lory of Ruth. Lect. VII. ed by the clouds of heaven, another by an inundation oi fche waters of the earth. Here the rain defcends according to no fixed law, either as to feafon or quan- tity, there it is meafured to a drop, and timed to a mo- ment. On the regularity or uncertainty of thefe dif- tributions by the hand of nature, or the intervention of Providence, depend the comfort, the very fullenta- lion of human Hfe ; on them depends all the variation of vegetable produce, as to plenty or fcarcity, as to greatnefs, wholefomenefs, pleafantnefs and their con- traries. Hence the fame country is one year as the garden of God, for beauty and abundance, and the next as the waite howling wildernefs ; Canaan now iiows with milk and honey, and gives bread to the full, and anon eats up its inhabitants. We hear an offend- ed and a merciful God, by the mouth of the fame prophet, reproving and threatening human thought- lefsnefs and ingratitude in relation to this interefting fubjed, in thefe glowing terms : " She did not know that I gave her corn and wine and oil, and multiplied her filver and gold, which they prepared for Baal ; therefore will I return and take away my corn in the time thereof, and my wine in the feafon thereof, and will recover my wool and my flax, given to cover her nakednefs. And I will deflroy her vines and her fig-trees, of which fhe faid, Thefe are my rewards which my lovers have given me : and I will make them a foreft, and the beafls of the field fhall eat them.*' And thus relents the God of grace towards penitent returning children, " I will betroth thee unto me in faithfulnefs, and thou fhalt know the Lord. And it fhall come to pafs in that day, I will hear, faith the Lord, I will hear the heavens, and they fhall hear the earth, and the earth fliall hear the corn and the wine and the oil, and they fhall hear Jezreel ; and I Xvill fow her unto me in the earth, and I will have mercy on her that had not obtained mercy." Such is the m}'fl:erious fcale of both mercy and judgment. Thus univcrfal nature is combined in one firm league to opprefs Lect. VII. Eiftory of Ruth, 9j opprefs and confound God's adverfary. Thus every creature, every event unites in preferving the exift- ence, and promoting the happinefs of his repenting, dutiful, obedient children. Elimelech feeks and finds refuge in Moab, for " the earth is the Lord's and the fulnefs thereof ;" and he has given commandment, " Let mine outcafts dwell with thee, Moab j" and that one word difarms in an inftant national animofity, reprefles the rage of the lion, quenches the violence of fire. The fugitive of Bethlehem- Judah finds kindnefs and protedion among inveterate enemies ; Daniel ileeps fecure amongft the fierceft of the favage tribes ; and the three children of the captivity walk unhurt in the midft of the flaming furnace. We fee, at firfl, nothing but one of thofe inflances which every day occur, of the fad reverfes to which individuals, families, flates are liable ; the downfall and diftrefs of an ancient and reputable houfe, ftrug- ghng with penury, and forced into exile ; but we foon difcover, that the eternal eye is fixed on a nobler objed, that the hand of omnipotence is preparing the materials and laying the foundation of a more mag- nificent fabric ; that infinite wifdom is bringing low the royal houfe of Bethlehem, only to reftore it with greater fplendour. We have before us at once the cure of pride and of defpair. Behold, O man of an hundred anceftors, and of an hundred thoufand acres, behold EHmelech, the fon of Abraham, poor and defplfed ; the head ot the tribe of Judah, a ilranger in a ftrange land, ex- ifting through fuiferance, fupplied through foreign bounty ; and remember by what a brittle tenure thy privileges and pofTeffions are held. Confider, child of adverfity, whom no man knows, whom no one re- gards, confider yonder neglefted, reduced, extinguiih- cd family, and behold from the afhes of the expiring phcEnix, an immortal offspring arifing, whofe flight: neither time nor fpace can limit, and feel thine ov.a importance. 94 Hiflory cf Ruth, LfiCT. VII. importance, and aim only at high things, and truflin omnipotence ,for the execution of its own eternal purpofe. In a country and among a people where names were not mere arbitrary founds, but conveyed a meaning connefted \Vith character, v/ith hiftory, with expefta- tion, thofe of Elinieiech, " my God is king," and of his wife Naomi, " the pleafant one," from their pe- culiar import, muft have a reference to certain cir- cumftances in their hidory which are not recorded. The former might be dilated by the fpirit of prophe- cy, and be fignificant, without the intention of them who impofed, or of him who bore it, of the future greatnefs to which the family, through the favour of Heaven, fhould arife, in the perfons of David, of Solo- mon, and that long fucceflion of princes which finally centered, and was abforbed, in the perfon of Chriil, David's fon ; yet David's Lord. The particulars of his own flory that have reached us, are too few and too general to admit of our difcerning any reference or application of his name to his character, office or con- dition : but we know enough of the character and hiftory of Naomi to juftify the fuitablenefs of the ap- pellation to her perfon, difpofitions and final attain- ments. In the difafters which befal, and the fucceffes which attend certain families and individuals, we behold an apparent partiality of diftribution that confounds and overwhelms us. Death enters into that houfe, paffes from couch to couch, fpares neither root nor branch ; the infatiate fiend never fays it is enough. Whatever that poor man attempts, be the fcheme ever fo judi- cioufly formed, ever fo diligently profecuted, uniform- ly fails ; the winds as they change, the liars in their courfes fight againft him. The very miftakes of his neighbour turn out profperoufly, his fails are always full, his children multiply, his wealth increafes, his mountain Hands ftrong. Is God therefore unwife, capricious, partial or unjuft .? No, but we are blind, contraded. LecT. VII. Bi/iory of Ruth. 95 contraded, prefumptuous. We can difccrn, can com- prehend, only here and there a little fragment of his works, we are gone, before the event has explained itfelf 5 it requires the capacity, the eternity of God himfelf to take in the mighty whole of his plan. The houfe of EHmelech exhibits an affeding in- ftance of the inequality we have been mentioning. The fad account of famine, of banifhment, of degrada- tion, of dependence, is at length clofed v/ith death. Difeafe of body, co-operating with diftrefs of mind, probably the effefl of it, fhortens his days, and termi- nating his own worldly mifery, dreadfully aggravate;^ the woes of the unhappy furvivors* Wretched moth- er, left to ftruggle alone with poverty, folitude, danger, and negled : far from friends, encompaifed with ene- mies, loaded with the charge of two fatherlefs children, not more the objefts of affedion, than the fources of anxiety and care ! While Elimelech lived, penury was hardly felt as a burden ; in exile thou wert always at home ; fecluded from fociety, the converfation of one dill difpelled the gloom. Thy fons afforded only de- light, becaufe that delight was participated in, by him who had a common intereft with you in them : but all is now changed, every load is accumulated feven- fold, every comfort is embittered, every profpecl i>^ clouded : the pad prefents nothing but regret ; the future difclofes nothing but defpair. She feems to have given up at this period all thoughts of returning to her native country, and, mak- ing a virtue of dire neceffity, attempts to naturalize her family in the land of Moab, by allying her fons, through marriage, to the inhabitants of the country. The fenfe of the lofs fire has fuftained gradually yields to the lenient hand of time, and to the fv/eet hope of feeing the houfe of her beloved hulband built up, and his name revived in the perfons of his grand-children. Alas, what is the hope of man ! the flatterer has been only decoying her into a greater depth of woe ; her two remaining props fink, one after another, into the duft ; $6 Hi/lory of Ruth* LecT. VII. duft ; all that the eyes defired is taken away with flroke upon (Iroke ; and, to fill up the mcal'ure of a mother's wretchedneis, both her fons die childlefs, and hope expires with them. Now Ihe is a widow in- deed, and exhauded nature finks under the preifure. It is the opinion of many interpreters, that the pre- mature death of the young men was a judgment from heaven to punifh their illegal intermarriage with ilrange and idolatrous women. It becomes not man to judge ; and we know that God exccuteth only righteous judgment ; and in wrath Hill remembers mercy. Thus in three fliort lines the facred hiftorian has de- livered a tragic tale that comes home to the bofom of every one that poffelTes a fpaik of fenfibihty. It is a domeftic (lory ; it reprefents fcenes which may, which do happen every day. It admonifhes every one in how many points he is vulnerable, how defencelefs he is againil the thunderbolts of Heaven. It awfully difplays the evil of fin, and the wrath of God againd all ungodlinefs and unrighteoufnefs of man. If fuch be the temporal effects of his vengeance, how bitter muff be the cup which his juft difpleafure mingles for incorrigible offenders, in a (late of final retribution ! How pleafing to reflect that trials of this fort do not always flow from anger, that they are the wholefome feverity of a father, that they aim at producing real good, that they in the iffue really " yield the peacea- ble fruits of righteoufnefs." The darknefs of night at length yields to the glorious orb of day, the fhadow of death is turned into the morning, and the defolate is as ihe who hath an hufband. This makes way for the introduction of the heroine of this eventful hiftory ; and we become interefled in her from the very firf: moment. The Jewifh writers, to heighten our refped for Ruth, perhaps from a piti- ful defire to exalt their own anceftry, make her the daughter of a king of Moab, and as they are never timorous in making affertions, or forming conjeftures on Lect. VII. Hifiory of Ruth. 97 on fuch occafions, they tell you her father was Eglon whom Ehud flew. It is hardly probable that a prince of that country would have given his daughter in marriage to a needy adventurer who had baniflied. himfelf from his country through neceffity. But of little importance is it, whether ftie were born a prin- cefs or no. Nature has adorned her with quahties fuch as are not always to be found in the courts of kings ; qualities which befl adorn high birth, and which ennoble obfcurity and indigence ; fidelity and attachment ; a foul capable of fond refpeft for de- parted worth, and living virtue : magnanimity to fa- crifice every thing the heart holds dear, to decency, friendfliip, and religion ; magnanimity to encounter, without repining, painful toil and humihating depend- ence, in fulfilhng the duties of gratitude, humanity, and piety. Kow eloquent is flie when fhe fpeaks, how great when fhe fays nothing, how tranfcendently exalted in all fhe thinks, fpeaks and ads ! With what divine art, fhall I fay, is fhe introduced in the facred drama ? After we have been melted into pity by the calamities of Naomi's family, and feen the widowed mourner finking under wave upon wave ; and the profpe£t of progeny, the lafh darling hope of an Ifrael- itifli matron, rudely torn from her, lo an angel in the form of a damfel of Moab, a mourner and a widow like herfelf, appears to comfort her, and makes her to know by fvveet experience that he, that fhe, has not loft all, who has found a kind and faithful friend. What is the found of the trumpet, and a long train of mute and fplendid harbingers, compared to the fimple preparation of unaffeded nature ! Let us wait her ap- proach in filent expedation ; and mufe on what is paft. — Behold one generation of men goeth and another comcth ; one planet arifmg as another fets, every hu- man advantage balanced by its correfponding incon- veniency, every Jofs compenfated by a comfort that grows out of it. Vol. VI. G —Behold 98 Hlfiory of Ruth. Lect. VII. —Behold the purpofe of the Eternal Mind main- taining its ground amidft all the toflings and tempefts of this troubled ocean, triumphing over oppofition, ferving and promoting itfelf by the wrath of man and the malice of hell, out of darknefs rifmg into luftre, " out of weaknefs made ftrong," by the energy of the great firft caufe, acquiring life, vigour and prof- perity from the extindion of means, from the de- flruftion and death of fecondary caufes. Attend to the great leading objeft of divine revela- tion, to which all refer, to which all are fubfervient, in which all are abforbed and loft. I will make men- tion of Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob ; of Mofes and the prophets ; of Boaz and Ruth. *' I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know me ; behold Philiftia and Tyre with Ethiopia : this man was born there ; and of Zion it (hall be faid. This man was born, in her : and the Higheft himfelf fliall eftablifh. her. The Lord fhail count, when he writcth up the people. That this man was born there.'* May our names be written in the Lamb's book of life, among the living in Jerufalem ! The introduftion of thefe perfonages and events, one after another, were remote fteps of the prepara- tion of the gofpel of peace. And every perfon now born into the church of Chrift, and every event now taking place in the adminiftration of human affairs, is a little fpace in the great fcale of eternal Providence, and a gradual preparation for the final confummation of all things. Let " thy kingdom come,'* O God ! Let Satan's kingdom be deftroyed ; let the kingdom of grace be advanced, om'felves and others brought into, and preferved in it, and let tb^ kingdom of glory be haftened ! Amen ! Hiftory Hiftory of Ruth, LECTURE VIIL RUTH i. 14 18. And they lift tip their voice, and wept again : and Orpah kijfed her mother-in-law ; but Ruth clave unto her. And jhe faid. Behold, thy Jijiei'-in-law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods : return thou after thy fijler -in-law. And Ruth f aid. Entreat me not to leave thee, or to ret ur7i from following after^thee : for whither thou goejl, I will go ; and where thou lodgefi, I will lodge : thy people Jhall be my people, and thy God my God : where thou diefi, will I die, and there will I be buried : the Lord do fo to me, and more alfo, if ought but death part thee and me. Whenfhefaw that fhe was Jiedfafily minded to go with her, then fhe leftfpeaking unto her. 1 HE calm, untumultuous, unglarlng fcenes of pri- vate life, afford lefs abundant matter for the pen of the hiftorian, than intrigues of (late, fenatorial contention, or the tremendous operations of the tented field, but they fupply the moralift and the teacher of religion with move pleafmg, more ample, and more generally interefting topics of ufeful information, and falutary inftruclion. What princes arc, what ftatefmen medi- tate, what heroes achieve, is rather an objecl of curiofi- G 2 ty I GO Hi/iory of Ruth. Lect. VIIIv ty than of utility. They never can become examples to the bulk of mankind. It is when they have de- fcended from their public eminence, when they have retired to their private and domeftic ftation, when the potentate is loft in the man, that they become objeds of attention, patterns for imitation, or beacons fet up for admonition and caution. For the fame reafon, the meek,, the modeft, the noifelefs exhibition and exercife of female excellence, occupy a fmaller fpace in the annals of human nature than the noify, builling, forenfic purfuits and employ- ments of the other fex. Bift when feminine worth is gently drawn out of the obfcurity which it loves, and .idvantagcouily placed in the light which it naturally fhuns, O how amiable, how irrefiftible, how attractive it is.! .A \nfe and good woman ihines, by not fecking to ftine ; is moft eloquent when flie is filent, and ob- tains all her will, by yielding,, by fubmiffion, by pa- tience, by felf-denial. Scripture, as it excels in every thing, fo it peculiarly excels in delineating and unfolding the female charac- ter, both in refpe6l of the quantity exhibited, and of the dehcacy, force and effeft of the defigm We have nlrcady feen this exemplified, in a variety of inftances in the dignified conjugal attachment and refpecl, in the matron-like, confcious, impatient faperiority of Sarah — in the maternal partiality, eagernefs and ad- drefs of Rebekah — in the jealous difcontent and i-m- patlence of Rachel — in the winning condefcenfion, and the melting commiferation of Pharaoh*s daugh- ter — in the patriotic ardour, the prophetic elevation, the maglfterial dignity of Deborah, the wife of Lapi- doth — in the unrelenting firmnefs, and the daring, enterprifmg fpirit of Jael, the wife of Heber. Female vice and worthlefsnefs are delineated on the facred page with equal {kill, truth and juftice, from the infolence of Hagar, and the treachery of Deliah, down to the implacable vengeance of Herodias, and the infatiate cruelty of her accurfed daughter.. Three liECT. VIII. Hiftory of Ruth, Joi Three more female portraits are now prefented for our infpedlion, and our improvement ; all expreflive of charaiSlers elTentially different, all pofTefTrng features of flriking refemblance, all exhibiting qualities which create and keep alive an inter eil, all copies from na- ture, all pourtrayed by the hand of him who knows what is in man. We have v/itneffed the wretchednefs and fympa- thized in the forrows of Naomi, my pleafaitt one^xo.^MZ" ed from rank and fulnefs to obfcurity and indigence, banijfhed from her country and friends, a ilranger in a ftrange land, robbed of her hufband, bereaved of her children ; having no proteQor fave Heaven, no hope or refuge but in the peaceful grave. Behold the thrice widowed mourner bowing the head, and hid- ing the face in filent grief. She is dumb, flie opens not her mouth, becaufe the Lord hath done it. The miierable partner-s of her woe only increafe and em- bitter it. Two young women, like herfelf widov.'s, childlefs, comfortlefs ; fondly attached to her, and tenderly beloved by her, becaufe fondly attached to the memory of their hufbands ; but their mutual af- fedion rendered a punifhment, not a pleafure, by the preffure of poverty and the bitternefs of negled. At length (he is roufed from the ftupefaction of grief by tidings from her country, from her dear native city, and a ray of hope difpels the gloom of her foul. She '* hears in the country of Moab how that the Lord had vifited his people in giving them bread." In the wifdom and goodnefs of Providence, there is u healing balm provided for every wound. The leni- ent hand of time foothes the troubled foul to peace ; the agitation of the mind at laft wearies it out, and lulls it afleep, and its weaknefs becomes its ilrength. Though in mifery we cleave to the love of life, and having loft our comforts ,one after another, we are ftill enabled to look forward v/ith fond expectation to a new fource of joy. And when all temporal hope is extinguiflied, and reluctantly given up, the fpirit af- ferts 102 Wjfory of Ruth, Lect. VIII, ferts its own immortality, and reds in hope beyond the grave. Naomi is reduced to a melancholy, mor- tifying alternative ; of continuing a poor, deferted ex- ile in the land of Moab, or of returning to Bethlehem- Judah, ftripped of all her wealth, all her glory ; to be an objedl, at beft, of pity, perhaps of contempt. On this however fhe refolves, flattering herfelf that change of place and change of objects may alleviate her dif- trefs. The two young MoablteflTes, in uniting themfelves to men of Ifrael, had renounced their own kindred and country, perhaps their native gods j and therefore liiten with joy to the propofal of their mother-in-law, to return to Canaan. It is the more pleafmg to ob- ferve this union of fentiment and ajffedion, that the relation in queftion is feldom found favourable to cor- diality and harmony. It furnilhes a prefumptive proof of the goodnefs of all the three, and they had indeed a moft mournful bond of union among themfelves — common lofs, common mifery ; and the heart feems to have felt and acknowledged the ties which alliance had formed and the hand of death had rivetted. Behold then the mother and her daughters turning their back on the painfully pleafmg fcenes of joys and forrows paft, unattended, unprotected, unbefriended, difregarded, as fad a retinue as ever wandered froni place to place. They are hardly in motion from their place, when Naomi, penetrated with a lively fenfe of gratitude for friendfhip fo generous and difinterefted, overwhelmed with the profpg6t of the ftill greater mif- ery in which thefe dutiful young women were about to involve themfelves, fi-orn their love to her, and un- willing to be outdone in kindnefs, earneftly entreats them to return home again, urging upon them every confideration that reafon, that affection, that prudence could fuggeft, to induce them to feparate from a wretch fo friendlefs and forlorn, fo helplefs, fo hopelefs as herfelf. To fufFer alone is now all the confolation fhe either expects or feems to wilh ; the deititute condition or Lect. Vill. Hi/iory of Ruth, 1.03 of thefe fifters in afflidion, is now Jier heavlefl; bur^ then. Indeed the fituation of thefe three female pil» grims has in it fomething wonderfully pathetic and interefting. There they are upon the road, on foot^ with ail the weaknefs, ignorance, timidity, uncertain- ty and irrefolution of their fex ; not knowing which way to bend their courfe, expofed to the craft, violence or infult of every one they met ; fmldng under the recollection of what they had endured, fhrinking fvom the apprehenfion of what might yet be before them ,: attempting to comfort each other, and, in that, every one feeking ^ fome flender confolation for herfelf. Think on the failure of bread, on the failure of mon- ey, on the approaches of night, on the natural terrors and dangers of darknefs, on the favagenefs of wild beafls, and the more formidable favagenefs of wicked men. Think on the unkindnefs and indifference of an unfeeling world, and the darker frowns of angry Heaven. We are difpofed to weep while we refled; on Jacob, a fugitive from his father's houfe, compof- ing his head to rell upon a pillar of (lone, under the canopy of the open fky ; at reflecting on Jofeph, torn from his father's embrace, fold into llavery, caft into a dungeon ; but I find here fomething infinitely more deplorable. They were men, fluflied with youthful fpirits, with youthful hope : the vigour of their minds had not been broken down by the iron hand of afflic- tion, their profpeds were enlivened with the promifes and vifions of the Almighty ; but thefe unhappy wan- derers have drunk deep of the cup of adverfity ; their fociety is worfe than folitude, defpair hangs over all their future profpecls. Stand flill and flied the tear of compafTion over them, ye daughters of affluence, profperity and eafe, who ftart at a Ihadow, who fcream at the fight of a harmlefs moufe, who tremble at the rufthng of a leaf fhaken by the wind ; ye v/ho never knew the heart of a flranger, the keen biting of the wind of heaven, the flern afpect of hunger, the furly blow, or fcornful look of pride and cruelty. Or rath- er, i04 Hijhry of Ruth. LECTrVlU. er, weep over them, ye whofe wounds are ftill bleed- ing, to whom weariibme days and nights have been ap- pointed, who by the experience of mifery, have learn- ed to pity and to fuccour the miferable. May the God of mercy, the friend of the orphan, the judge of the widow, the refuge of the diftreired, have mercy upon them, and conduct them in fafety to their, defired haven. Which fhall we mofl admire, the generofity and difintereftednefs of the mother, or the fteadinefs, fpir- it and refolution of the daughters ? How pleafurable is ftrife of a certain kind, the ftrife of good will, of magnanimity, of gratitude, of piety, of felf-denial ! The language, the fentiments, are the language and fentiments of nature, they flow from the heart, and reach the heart. " And Naomi faid unto her two daughters-in-law. Go, return each to her mother's houfc : the Lord deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me. The Lord grant you that ye may find reft, each of you, in the houfe of her hulband. Then ?i\t killed them. And they lift up their voice and wept." * The good woman herfelf admits that enough of re- fpeft has been paid to filial and conjugal tendernefs j fhe wifhes and prays, as a recompenfe for their kind- iiefs to the living, and devotednefs to the memory of the dead, more lalting and more aufpicious connexions with hufbands of their own country. She propofes not, recommends not the atTecired, conftrained, in- voluntary retirement and fequeftration of prudifn, fqueamilh virtue ; and they, on their part, aflume no unnatural airs of immortal grief ; they form no flim- fy fufpicious vows of undeviating, unalterable attach- ment ; make no clamorous, unmeaning, deceptious proteftation of love extinguifhed, and never to be re- kindled, the pitiful artifice of little minds to flatter themfelves, and catch the admiration of others. How much more emphatical the filent, unprotefting reply of * Verfe 8, 9. Lect. VIII. Hi/lory of Ruth. 105 of Orpah and Ruth ! " She IdfTed them ; and they lift up their voice and wept." What charming elo- quence is heard, is feen, is felt in thofe tears ! Have thefe lovely damfels lefs regard for their departed lords, are they more eager to form new alliances, that they fay nothing ? 1 cannot believe it. Noify grief is quickly over, foon fpends itfelf. Sincerity leldom calls in the aid of exclamation, vehemence and vows ; but dubious, daggering fidelity is glad to fupport itfelf with the parade of woe, and the pomp of declamation. Their perfevering, determined, unprotefting friend- ihip but endears them the more to their venerable par- ent, and inclines her the more powerfully to refift their incUnation, and prevent the facrifice which they were difpofed to make ; and again flie has recourfe to more earneft and tender expoftulation, refolved tooifer up a noble facrifice to maternal tendernefs in her turn. *' And Naomi faid. Turn again, my daughters : why will ye go with me ? are there yet any more fons in my womb, that they may be your hufbands ? Turn again, my daughters, go your way ; for I am too old to have an hulband. If I fhould fay, 1 have hope, if I fhould have a hufband alfo to-night, and fnould alfo bear fons ; would ye tarry for them till they were grown ? would ye flay for them from having huf- bands ? nay, my daughters : for it grieveth me much for your fakes, that the hand of the Lord is gone out againft me."* What fweet touches of unfophiflicated nature prcfs upon the heart, in perufing this addrefs ! beyond the pomp and power of art to reach. Who is not melted at hearing the undiffembled waitings of a good and honeft mind, mourning for others, not itfelf ; calmly furrendering its own interefl in the joys of life, but anxioufly defirous to procure and preferve them for thofe whom flie loved as her own foul ; nobly refign- ing that cordial of cordials, virtuous friendfliip, when it could not be enjoyed but to the detriment of thofe v.'ho * Verfe ii — 13. %o6 Hi/hry of Ruth. L&CT. VIII. who felt and expreffed It ; compofed to the profpefl: Ajid lufFering of folitary anguifh, provided her amiable children were redored to the rank, affluence and com- fort which they fo well deferved. How poor and con- temptible are the contentions for precedency and pre-' eminence, the emulation of fortune and drefs, the rage of admiration and conqueft, compared to this ! How pleafant is it to fee an humble fortune dignified and fupported by generodty and greatnefs of mind ! The touchflone is now applied to the affedion of the two fillers, and their charaders and merits are finally difclofed. Orpah fuifers herfelf to be perfuaded ; with regret we behold her refolution overcome ; we behold her feparating from her mother-in-law, v/ith the vale- diftory kil's of peace, and returning to her country and her gods ; and we hear of her no more. But Ruth cleaves to her new choice, unmoved by the ex- ample of her filler, or the entreaties of her mother, llie perftlts in her purpofe ; the defertion of Orpah only knits her heart the fafter to her adopted parent, and in words far fweetcr than the nightingale's fong,- ihe breathes out her unalterable refolution to live and to die with her. How could Naomi find in her heart to make another attempt to Ihake off fo lovely a com- panion ? How delighted muft fhe have been, in yield- ing the triumph of kindnefs to a pleader fo irrefiilible! " And Ruth faid. Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee : for whither thou goefl, I will go ; and where thou lodged, I will lodge ; thy people fliall be m.y people, and thy God my God j wh<;re thou died, will I die, and there will I be buri- ed : the Lord do fo to me, and more alfo, if aught but death part thee and me." * The mother is every way outdone, overcome, and contends no longer^ — to perfift farther had been cruel- ty, not frienddiip ; and thus mutu;*l fympathy and deliberate choice have, under the direction of all-ruling ■ Providence, 'formed an union dearer than the ties of intered, * Verfe r6, i 7.' Lect. Vin. Hijiory of Ruth, loj intereft, or even the bonds of nature know : and thus the fame breath which extinguifhes the fainter fpark, blows up the ftronger into a purer, brighter flame ; and thus the God who has all hearts and all events in his hand, ever rears a refuge for the miferable, pro- vides a remedy againfi defpair, and extracts a precious eifence from calamity, which operates its own cure, " When Ihe faw that fhe was ftedfaftly minded to go with her, then fhe left fpeaking unto her."* And thus Ruth ftands without an equal, without a rival. And how has ihe gained the glorious fuperiority over a filler ? By a lofty tone and an overbearing fpirit, by the poifoned whifpcr, and the dark infinuation ; by fmoothnefs of forehead and malignity of heart ? No, but by perfeverance in well-doing, and adherence to reditude ; by modeft firmnefs, and heart-affe^ling , fimphcity ; by undiiTembled affedion and unaffeded piety. O goodnefs, how pure, how fincere, how fatis- fadory arc the honours which crown thy head, and dilate thy heart ! It is impoffible to tire in contemplating an objed fo tranfcendently excellent. In that fair form all the feminine virtues and graces love to refide. We have pointed out fome of them ; let us meditate for a mo- ment, on that which is the crown and glory of all the reft. Eflimable for her conjugal fidelity, and filial at- tachment ; great in her voluntary renunciation of the world, and patient fubmiffion to poverty, hardfhip, and contempt ; how fuperlatively great, how fupreme- ly eflimable does fhe appear, arrayed in the robe of unfeigned piety, and triumphant faith in God ! The world may perhaps condemn her for preferring the fo- ciety, country, and profpeds of fo poor a woman as Naomi to the friendfhip of her own kindred, the pof- fefTions of her native home, the allurements of prefent eafe and comfort. Had fhe conferred with flefh and Wood, how very different had the decifion been ! But the fame divine principle which caufed Mofes to " re- fufe * Verfe 18. ,lo8 Bifiory of Ruth. LiiCT. VIIL fufe to be called the fon of Pharaoh's daughter ;" and which taught him " to efteem the reproach of Chrift greater riches than the treafures of Egypt," determin- ed this amiable creature to withdraw from the com- panions of her youth, the protedion of her father's houfe, and the religious worihip of her anceftors ; and to follow a deflitute forlorn widow from country to country, to cafl her fubfiftence upon the care of Prov- idence, and to look for her reward beyond the grave. Obferve thefe diftincl qualities of the religious prin- ciple by which fhe was actuated. I. It was deliberate^ the refult of refledion, compan- ion and choice, not the prejudice of education, the determination of felf-intereft, nor the momentary ef- feft of levity aud caprice. Her prejudices, her par^ tialities, her worldly interefts were all clearly on the other fide. The idolatrous rites of Moab v/ere fafci- nating to a young mind, not yet beyond a tafle for pleafure ; the afped: of the religion of Canaan was rather ungainly and forbidding, and to adopt it impli- ed the renunciation of all that the heart naturally holds dear. When fhe therefore thus folemnly af? iirms, " Your God fhall be my God," it is in effect faying, *' I have counted the coft, I know whom I have believed. I have opened my mouth unto the Lord, and I cannot go back. I have fubfcribed with my hand to the God of Jacob. Bleffed be the day that I came into connexion with an Ifraelitifh family. It has indeed cofl me many tears, pierced through my heart with many forrows, it is banifhing me from my dear native clime, from the endearments of parental affedion, from eafe, honour and abundance, driving me among ftr angers, expofing me to flruggle with un- certainty, anxiety, necellity, neglect and fcorn ; but my refolution is fixed : none of thefe things move me ; every facrifice, every lofs, every difgrace is infinitely more than compeufated by having Ifrael's God for my Gcd." Which leads to obfervv^ a Second Lect. Vni. Hijlory of Ruth. 109 Second feature of Ruth's religious chara£ler ; was it Jieady and perfevering. It might at firft have been mere refped for the opinions and pradice of the huf- band of her youth ; the mere decency that fuited an adopted daughter of Ifrael ; but this had long ceafed to be a motive ; had it amounted but to this, it had been buried in the grave of her departed lord ; but what was at firft complaifance and decency, grows up into inquiry, inquiry produces heiitation, and more ferious inquiry, this improves into convidion, and con- viftion is followed by a determination not to be moved or fliaken, and (he continues ftedfaft to the end. Her conftancy, it muft be allowed, was put to fevere trials. Orpah has gone back, Naomi carries her expoftulation up to importunity, I had almoft faid, to downright violence ; the difficulties and hardfhips of the way were increafmg not diminifliing upon her. Had not " the heart been eftablifhed by grace,'* fo many, fuch accumulated difcouragements, muft have fubdued the ardour of her fpirit, and fent her back after her fif'- ter ; but ftie has put her hand to the plough, and muft not look back. Obferve, flie does not attempt to reafon, does not oppofe argument to argument, but, " being fully perfuaded in her own mind," adheres firmly to her point, and argues irrefiftibly by not argu- ing at all, and prevails by entreaty. See that your caufe be good, my fair friend, perfift in it, profecute it thus, and be alfured of the viftory. III. Obferve finally, as Ruth's religious principle was deliberate, was fteady and perfevering, fo it was lively .f efficacious, pradicaL We hear nothing of the prattle of piety, nothing of the violence of a young and a female profelyte, no queftion of doubtful difpu- ration introduced, about places and modes of worfliip, about Jerufalem and this mountain, nothing of the religion that floats merely in the head, and bubbles upon the tongue ; no, her religion is feen, not heard, it " works by love, it purifies the heart, it overcomes the world." It offers up a grand facrifice unto God, the no Hijiory of Ruth, Lect. VJIL the body arid ipirit, afFeclion and fubflance, youth, beauty, parentage, the pleafures and the pride of life. Let me fee a fingle inftance of this fort, and I will be- lieve the convert more in earnelt, than by exhibiting all the wordy zeal of a thoufand polemics. Indeed it is by aftion that this truly excellent wom- an expreffes all her inward feelings. Her affedion to her hufoand is not heard in loud lamentation over his tomb, but in cleaving to all that remained of him, his mother, his people, his country and his God. Her atFeftion to his mother is not expreifed in the fet phrafe of condolence and compliment ; but in adher- ing to her when all had forfaken her, in labouring for her fubfiftence, in fubmitting to her counfel : and her reverence for his God is manifefted not merely m adopting the language and obferving the rites of Ca- naan, but in relinquifhing forever, and with abhor- rence, the gods beyond the flood, and every thing con- nedted with their abominable rites. Every circumflance of the cafe and character under review, adminiflers plain and important inflrudion. And, being a cafe in ordinary life, Ruth ftands forth a pattern and inftruftor to young perfons, in particu- lar, whofe lit nation may refemble her own. Young woman, you may have married into a ftrange family. You have, of courfe, adopted the kindred, the purfuits, the friendfliips, and to a certain degree, the religion of your hufband. It is your duty, and you will find it your intereft, to let him and his con- nexions know, from your general deportment, that you are fatisfied v/ith the choice which you have made. I.earn to give up your own prejudices in favour of country, of parentage, of cufloms, of opinions. Un- lefs where the facred rights of confcience are concern- ed, deem no facrifice too great for the maintenance or reiteration of domeflic peace. As far as lieth in you, '-' whither he goeth, go thou ; and lodge where be lodgeth ; let his people be thy people, and his God tiiy God."- You will thereby preferve and fecure his affedion j Lect. VIIL Hiftory of Ruth., Jii afFeftion ; you will harmonize family interefts and in- timacies, inftead of diflurbing them : if yours be the better religion, this is the Tvay to bring over to it the man of no religion, or of an erroneous one ; and if it be the worfe, your relinquifliing it, on convidtion, will be at once a token of conjugal affedion, a mark of good underflanding, and a reafonable fervic^ to- ward God. Have you had, in early life, the calamity of becom- ing a widow ? It is a diftreffing, a delicate fituation. It calls for every maxim of prudence, every counfel of friendfhip, every caution of experience, every fup- port of piety. If you are a mourner indeed, you are already guarded againfl affectation ; you will find ra- tional and certain relief in attending to, and perform- ing the duties of your ftation. You will neither feek a hafty cure of forrow by precipitately plunging into the world, nor attempt an unnatural prolongation of it by affected retirement and fequeflration. The tongue will utter no rafh vows ; the pang of fepara- tion will dictate no rnfnaring refolutions ; the will of Providence will be refpedted, obeyed, followed. Re- fped for the dead is bell exprcffed by dutifulnefs to the living. You have before you an ufeful example of firmnefs blended with female foftnefs, of refolution heightened and adorned by fenfibility. Lately, like Ruth, you had one who thought and a£ted for you ; one who joyfully endured the burden and heat of the day, that your body and mind might enjoy repofe. But now neceffit^' is laid upon you. You mull awake and arife to xhiAJi and aft for yourfelf. And here, as in every cafe, Nature has annexed the recompenfe to the duty. The mental powers are enfeebled, and at length de- ftroyed, by difufe and inaftion. Exertion invigorates the mind, and compofes by direfting it. The lidlefs- nefs of indolence undermines health : the aftivitv of ufeful employment is the fmipleft and mofl infallible medicine for bodily complaintSv And the molt direft road 112 Hi/lory of Ruth. Lect. VIII. road to an honourable and happy fecond connexion, probably, is, to guard carefully againft all vehement exprellion of either inclination or averfion, on the fubject. All thefe, however, are merely leiTons of prudence, adapted to the life that nov/ is ; and, however import- ant in themfelves, unlefs aided and fupported by a higher principle, will conftitute, at mod, the decent kinfwoman, or the refpeftable fufferer. In Ruth we have this higher principle likevv'ife beautifully exempli- fied — rational, modcft, unafFefted piety. True relig- ion fits well on perfons of either fex, and in all fitua- tions ; but its afpe£l: is pecuharly amiable in a female form, and in particular fituations. Youth, beauty and ibrrow united, prefent a mod interefting objed; — a daughter weeping at a parent's tomb ; a mother mourning over " the babe that milked her,'* and " refufing to be comforted ;" a widow embracing the urn which contains the afhes of the hufband of her youth — in all their affliction we are afflicted, we cannot refrain from mingling our tears with theirs. Let re- ligion be infufed into thefe lovely forms, and mark how the interelt rifes, how the frame is embellifhed, how the deportment is ennobled ! The eye of that dutiful child is turned upward, her heart is delivered from oppreffion, her trembling lips pronounce, *' When my father and my mother forfake me, then the Lord will take me up." " My Father who art in Heaven !" The mother withdraws from the breath- lefsclay, reconciled to the ftroke which bereaved her, " goes her way, and eats bread, and her countenance is no more fad," for her Maker has faid to her. Why weepefl thou ? and why eateft thou not ? and why is thy heart grieved ? Am not I better to thee than ten fons ?" — The widowed mourner " gives her mortal intercft up ; and makes her God her all." Young woman, whatever thy condition may be ; whether thou art in thy father's houfc, or married to an hulband ; at home, or in a flrange land j in focie- ' ty. Lect. VIII. Hijlory of Ruth. 113 ty, or folitude ; followed or neglected ; be this thy monitor, this thy guide, this thy refuge — " The love of God fhed abroad in thy heart ;'* " the fear of God which is the beginning of wifdom ;'* " the peace of God which paifeth all underflanding." However eafy, gentle, flexible, complying, in other refpefts, where your religious principles, where the teflimony of a good confcience, where your duty to your Creator are concerned, be firm and refolute, " be ftedfaft and un- moveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.** Thus Ihall youth be guarded, and beauty adorned ; thus (hall fociety be fweetened. and folitude cheered ; thus (hall profperity be fanctified, and ad- verfity foothed ; thus (hall life, even to old age and decay, be rendered ufeful and refpedable ; and thus fliall death and the grave be flripped of all that is ter- tible in them. Vol. VI. H Hiftory Hiftory of Ruth. LECTURE IX. RUTH i. 19 2 2. .Sc t/jc)' ivent until they came to Beth-khan. j4nd it cams . to pafs IV ben they were come to Beth-lebeju, that all the city zuas ?noved about them ; and they /aid. Is this Naomi ? And JJ^e /aid unto the?n. Call me not Naomi y call me Mara : for the Almighty hath dealt very bitter" ly ivith ?ne. 1 went out full, and the Lord hath brought ?he fjomc again empty : why then call ye me Naomi, feeing the Lord hath teftified againji me, and the Almighty hath af- flided me ? So Nao?ni returned, and Ruth theMoabitefs her daughter-in-law with her, which returned out of the country of Moab. And they came to Beth-lehem in the beginning of barley -harveft, vJF the calamities to which human life is expofed, a few only are to be accounted real evils : the reft are imaginary and fantaftical. Want of health is real woe ; but what proportion do the hours of pain and ficknefs bear to the years of eafe and comfort and joy ? AVant of bread is real diftrefs, but it is very feldom the work of nature, and therefore ought not, in juf- tice, to be introduced into the lift of the unavoidable ills which fleHi is heir to. The lofs of friends is a fore evil, but even wounds from this ftiarp-pointed weapon are clofed at length, by the gentle hand of time, and the tender confolations of religion. Whence LecT. IX. Hi/iory of Ruth. 115 Whence then the unceafing, the univerfal mur- murings of difcontent, of defire, of inipalience ? Men fix their ftandard of felicity too high ; and all they have attained goes for nothing, becaufe one darling obje£b is ftill out of reach ; or they groan and figh under the weight of fome petty difaiter, which fcarce deferves the name ; while ten thoufand fubflantial bleflings are daily falling on their heads unnoticed, unacknowledged, unenjoyed. Compare, O man, thy poffeffions with thy privations, compare thy comforts with thy deferts, compare thy condition with thy neigh- bour's, confider how far, how very far thy ftate is on this fide worji, and learn to give God thanks. Repine not that fome wants are unfupplied, that fome griefs are endured, that fome defigns have been fruftrated, while fo many unmerited good things are left, while . hope remains, while there is recourfe to Heaven. Be- hold thefe two forlorn wanderers, widowed, friendlefs, dellitute, and ceafe from thy complaints, and, ftretch out thy hand to fuccour the miferable. In the glorious firife of afFedion, Ruth has nobly prevailed. Impelled by the fond recolledion of en- dearments paft, and now no more — prompted by fil- ial duty and tendernefs to the mother of her choice, attraded, animated, upheld by the powers and prof- peds of religion, flie compofedly yields up her world- ly all, takes up her crofs, and bears it patiently along from Moab to Bethlehem-Judah. The hiftory is fi- lent on the fubject of their journey. It is eafy to conceive the anxieties, the terrors, the fatigues, the fufferings of female travellers, on a route of at leaft a hundred and tv/enty miles acrofs the Arnon, acrofs the Jordan, over mountains, through folitudes, with- out a protector, without a guide, without money. But that God vvho is the friend of the dePdtute, and the refuge of the miierable, that God who was preparing for them infinitely more than they could alk, wifti or think, guides and guards them by the way, and brings them at len[^th to their defired relting place. H 2' Thefe ii6 Hiftory of Ruth. Lect. IX. Thefe are not the only female pilgrims whom the facred page has prefented to our view, advancing by llow^ and painful ftages to Bethlehem of Judah. Upwar% of thirteen hundred years after this period we behoJd a ftill more illuftrious traveller, and in cir- cumftances ftill more delicate, on the road from Naza- reth of Galilee, to her native city; but not to take pofTef- fion of the itiheritance of her fathers, not to repofe in the lap of eafe and indulgence, not to depofit the anxie- ties of approaching child-birth in the bofom of a fond and fympathizing parent ; but to know the heart of a ftranger, to feel the bitternefs of unkindnefs and neg- lect ; fo friendlefo that not a door would open to re- ceive her, fo poor that (he cannot purchafe the accom- modations of an inn, overtaken by nature's inevita- ble hour, " file brings forth her firft-born fon in a fta- ble, and lays him in the manger, becaufe there was no room for them in the inn." But through fuch humiliating circumftanccs of meannefs and poverty, w^hat a dilplay of glory and magnificence was the arm of Jehovah preparing ! What an important ftation do the limple annals of thefe poor women hold in the hiftory of mankind i What celebrity, in the eyes of all nations, have they conferred on Bethlehem, on their country ! How a thoufand years ihrink into a point, before that God who " fees the end from the beginning !'* How the purpefes of Heaven are accom- pliihed to one iota, to one tittle ! How places and times are determined of Him who faith, as one having au- thority, " My counfel fhall ftand, and I will fulfil all my pleasure." One of the advantages, and not the leaft, of travel- ling abroad, is the joy which the thought of returning home infpires ; but this is a confolation which Naomi's return is not permitted to enjoy. She brings back no treafures to purchafe attention, to command re- Ipect, to excite envy. She is accompanied with no hulband, no fnn, to maintain her cauie, or cheer her iolitude. She brings back nothing but cmptinefs, de- reliction J^- tkcT. IX. Kijtory of Ruth. 117 religion and tears. A great part of her ancient ac- quaintance and friends are gone, as well as her own family. Thofe who remain hardly know her again^ fo much are her looks impaired and disfigured with grief. A new generation has arifen, to whom flie is an utter ftranger, and who are utter ftrangers to her. But in a little city, a trifling event makes a great noife. The curiolity of the whole town is excited by the ap- pearance of thefe two infignificant fugitives ; and vari- ous we may fuppole were the inquiries fet on foot, the conjectures formed, the remarks made, the cenfures palTed, on their account. This is the never-faihng in- conveniency of inconfiderable places. Where there is abundance of idlenefs, abundance of ill-nature, eve- ry man is a fpy upon his neighbour, every one is at leifure to attend to the affairs of another, becaufe he is but half occupied by his own. We have here enough of inquiry, enough of wonder, but not a fmgle word of companion, of kindnefs, of hofpitality ; and Naomi might have gone without a roof to fhelter her head, or a morfel of bread to fuflain finking nature, but for the induftry and attachment of her amiable daughter- in-law ] Bafe, unfeeling world, that can feaft itfelf on the orphan's tears and the widow's forrow ! See, there they are, every one from his own bufmefs, or rather his own' idlenefs, to ftare and talk a wretched woman out of countenance ; the whifper goes round, the fin- ger points, the Icandal of ten years Handing is revived, and a new colouring is given to it. Affefted pity and real indifference wound the heart which God himfelf has jufl bruifed ; whofe hufband and children he has taken to himfelf. The v/retched mourner feems to feel it ; fne burfl:s into an agony of grief, and thus vents the bitternefs of her foul, " Call me not Naomi, call me Mara : for the Almighty hath dealt verv bitterly with me. I went out full, and the Lord hath brought me home again empty : why then call ye me Naomi, feeing the Lord hath teftified againft me, and the Al- mighty ii8 Hijiory of Ruth. Lect. IX. mighty hath afflided me ?" * What fimple, but what forcible language the heart fpeaks ! She dwells on the minute circumilances of her cale, takes up her own name as a theme of woe, changes the fond appellation of parental affedion, of parental hope, Naomi, on which Providence had poured out the wormwood and gall of difappointment, into one better adapted to her tragical hirtory. The pafl prefents nothing but hap- pineis palTed away as a (hadow ; rank, and opulence, and importance gone, gone, never to return. The future fpreads a gloom unirradiated by a fmgle gleam of hope. She apprehends no change of things, but the oppreflive change from evil to worfe. But yet her mifery admjts of alleviation. It comes from God, fhe fees the hand of a Father in her afflic- tion, fhe kilfes the rod, and commands thefouHo peace. To endure diftrefs the fruit of our own folly, to fuffer from the pride, cruelty and carelefsnefs of a man like ourfelves, is grievous, is unfupportable, it drinks up our fpirits. But the evil that comes immediately from God has its own antidote blended into its fubllance ; we drink the poifon and the medicine from the fame chalice, and at the fame inllant ; the one deftroys the effect of the other ; their joint operation is falutary, is life-giving, not deadly. Was that the voice of God which I heard ? Spake it not in thunder ? Said it not, " Take now thy fon, thine only fon, Ifaac, whom ihou loveft, and offer him for a burnt-offering." It is well ; it was the voice of God, and that is enough. I will offer up the facrifice, I will furrender my dear- eft delight, I cannot tell how the promife is to be ac- complifhed, confiflently with my obedience and fub- miflion, but the command and the promife proceed from the fame lips ; I leave all to him. From all that we fee, Naomi had flender motives, and poor encouragement, to return to her own coun- try ; we cannot tell what determined her refolution ; it might be a little fit of female impatience, occafioned by * VeiTe 20, 21. Lect. IX. Hijiory of Ruth, 119 by fome piece of Moabitifh infolence or unkindnefs ; it miLiht be the mere reftlefsnefs of a mind ill at eafe, grafping at the fhadow of felicity merely from change of pla^e ; it might be the ardent defire of home, of the fcenes of childifh fimplicity, innocence and joy, which in certain circumllances all men feel, and by which the conduct of all is, to a certain degree, regulated. Whatever it were it came from above, it was over- ruled of infinite wifdom, it was, unknown to itfelf, afting in fubferviency to a mod important event : and it is thus, that httle, unnoticed, unknown powers, put the great machine in motion, produce ef- feds that aflonilh, and delight, and blefs mankind. The fame all-ruHng Providence is confpicuous in determining the feafon of Naomi's return. On this hinged all the mighty confequences of Ruth's acquaint- ance and connexion with Boaz — the birth of kings, the tranfmiffion of empire, the accomplilliment of an- cient prophecy, the hopes of the human race. Had this apparently unconfequentfal journey been acceler- ated, been retarded, -a month, a week, a fmgle day, the parties might never have met. Contingent to men, it was forefeen, fixt, difpofed and matured by Him, " who is wonderful in counfel, and excellent in working." Every one obferves and records the great incidents of his life. But would you, O man, have rational pleafure, blended with ufeful inllrutlion, attend to little things, trace matters of highefl moment up to their fource ; and behold thy fate ftand quivering on a needle's point ; and a colour given to thy whole fu- ture life, thy eternal ftate fixed, by a reed f]iake]i with the wind, by an accidental concurrence which thou wert neither feeking nor avoiding \ and rejoice to- think that all things are under the direction of uner- ring wifdom, of all-fubduing mercy ; are " working together for good." Does this teach a leflbn of levity and inconfidera- tlon ? Dared thou to trifie with thy everlafting con- cerns I20 Hi/lory of Ruth, Lect. IX. cerns becaufe there is a God who ruleth and judgeth in the earth, who doth all things after the counfel of his own will ? God forbid. Prefumptuoufly to lead the decrees of Providence, impioufly to refift them, or timidly to draw back, are equally offenfive to a right- eous, a holy and wife God. We have feen the unhappy Naomi flripped of al- moft every earthly good ; hulband, children, friends, means, country, comfort ; it is the dark midnight hour with her. No, there is one little lamp left burn- ing, to diffipate the gloom, to prevent defpair — the fa- cred flame of virtuous friendfhip. No, the fun of righteoufnefs is hafling to the brightnefs of his arif- ing. The name after all was propitious and pro- phetic ; God brings it about in his own way, and it is " wondrous in our eyes." The continuation of this flory will carry us on to the contemplation of fcenes of rural fimplicity, for the enjoyment of which, grandeur might well relinquifli its pride, and pomp its vanity and vexation of fpirit, and rejoice in the exchange. Let us meanwhile paufe and refleft on jthe hiftory of Naomi as adminif- tering ufeful inflruftion. ifl. As an admonition never to defpair. God fre- quently brings his people to that mournful fpectacle, hope cxpiiing, that he may have the undivided hon- our of leviving it again, and may be acknowledged as the one pure and perennial fountain of light and life and joy. The condition of Jacob, of Jofeph, of Na- omi, all preach one and the fame doftrine ; all pro- claim that the time of man's extremity is God's oppor- tunity. 2dly. Let us call, let us reckon nothing mean or contemptible which God employs, or may be pleafed to employ, in his fervice. The notice of the King of kings impreffes dignity and imporiance, confers true nobility on the low-born child, the beggar, the out- call, the Have. On them all he has flamped his own image J and their prefent and every future condition is Lect. IX. WJlory rf Ruth, 121 is the work of his providence. " It is not ti.e will of your Fath.^r in heaven that one of the:e little ones iliould periih :" and if deilined to ralvaiioii, to what worldly diftinftion may they not afpire, may they not arrive ? Carefully mark the progrefs of children : ftudy the bent of their difpohtions, of their talents : enjieavour to put them in the train which nature and Providence feem to have pointed out : attend to what conftitutes their real confequence in life, and leave the ifTue to Him who governs all events. 3dly. Obferve how the great Ruler of the uni- verle contrails and connefts great things with fmall, that he may humble the pride of man, and expofe the nothingneis of the glory of this world. That forlorn gleaner, and Boaz the wealthy ; the exile from Moao, and the refident polfeifor of the fertile plains of Beth- lehem-Judah, feem wonderfully remote from each oth- er. Their condition is as oppofite as human hfe can well prefent : but in the eye of Heaven they are al- ready one. She is but a fmgle ftep from being lady of the harveil which flie gleans, " an help meei' for its lord, and the fovereign miflrefs of thofe iervanrs at whofe afped flie now trembles, the meanelt of whom (lie now looks up to as her fupeiior. Child- lefs and a widow, her family, her own children are but three fteps from a throne — the throne of Juuah and Ifrael ; and in the purpofe of Lhe Eternal, " the fulnefs of time'* is haftening to exhibit to an altoiiilh- ed world, in the perfon of this woman's feed, " that l^rince of peace, of the increafe of whofe government and peace there fhall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to ef- tablifli it with judgment and with jullice, from hence- forth even forever. The zeal of the Lord of Hoils will perform this.'* The period is approaching, men and brethren, when bethlehem-Judah fiiall difplay greater wonders, contrails more confounding than thefe. 122 Hijiory of Ruth* Lect. IX. thefe. The time is at hand, when another forlorn damfel of the fame race, and her outcaft babe Ihall appear in contraft: with all that is flupendous, ftriking, formidable, venerable in heaven and earth, lliall rife above all, give laws to all, eclipfe all. Behold that " babe lying in a manger, in a ftable, becaufe there is no room for him in the inn," controlling the counfels of Auguftus, the mighty mafter of the world ; behold him drawing princes and wife men from the eaft, with"^ treafures of gold, and frankincenfe and myrrh, to his feet. Behold the face of heaven irradiated, en- riched with a new ftar, to mark the way which led to his cradle : while a multitude of the heavenly hofl: announce in rapturous drains the birth of the lowly infant. Behold " a man of forrows and acquainted with grief," " of no reputation ;" " in the form of a fervant ;" " numbered with tranfgreffors ;" " obe- dient to death, even the death of the crofs." Behold him " highly exalted ;" " leading captivity captive ;'* " all the angeU of God worfliipping him ;" inverted with " a name that is above every name ;" " crown- ed with glory and honour ;" " coming in the clouds of heaven !" To him let my knee bow, and my tongue confefs. " His name fliall endure forever : his name fliall be continued as long as the fun : and men fhall be blelfed in him i all nations fhall call him blelTed. Bleffed be the Lord God, the God of Ifrael, who only doth wondrous things. And blelfed be his glorious name forever : and let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and amen."* 4thly. In the adoption of Ruth into the church of God, and " the commonwealth of Ifrael," we have another dawning ray of hope arifing upon the Gen- tile nations. The tide is beginning imperceptibly to rife and fwell, which fhall at lenf?th become an over- flowing ocean. " In that feed fhall all the nations of the earth be bleffed." That flranger fliall be employ- ed •* Ff.i!. kxii. 17 — 19. , Lect. IX. Hifiory of Ruth. 123 ed in bringing forward the mighty plan to maturity. *' Ethiopia Ihall ftretch out her hands to God.** *' They fhall come from the eaft and from the weft, and fhall fit down with Abraham, Ifaac and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.** Verily God is no refpecler of perions. Hiftory Hiftoiy of Ruth. LECTURE X. RUTH 11. I 3. And Naomi had a kin/man of her hiifhand^s^ a fulgh/yman of wealthy of the family of EUmelech ; and his name was Boaz. And Ruth the Moabitefs faid unto Na- omi, Let me now go to the field, and glean cars of corn after him in whrfe fight If mil find grace. And Jhe faid unto her. Go, my daughter. And fhc wetit, and^ came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers : and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech. Jr ROVIDENCE has gracioufly annexed to honefl 'induflry, both refpedabillty and happinefs. The pureit and mofl delicious enjoyment that human hfe admits of, perhaps, is, when a man fits down with thofe whom he loves, to the temperate indulgence of that refreflunent and repofe which he has jufl earned and fweetened wdth his labour. The greateil, and wifefl, and bed of men, are ever prefented to us, as engaged in virtuous employment and exertion ; as deriving health, fubfiftence, reputation and comfort from the exercife, not the inactivity of their bodily and mental powers : and happily, the fcenes in which every man is converfant, feem to him the moil inter- efting of all, his own ftation the moil eminent or ufe- ful, Lect. X. Hijlory of Ruth, ' 125 ful, his own purfuits the moft important. Hence a certain degree of felf-complacency, of felf-fatisfaction pervades the whole ; every one is a6ling in his own fphere ; while infinite wifdom binds all together by invifible or unnoticed bands, and the various mem- bers, without knowledge or defign, co-operate for the common benefit, and fulfil the great defign of Heaven. Idlenefs is not more difhonourable, than it is inimic- al to real felicity. The fluggard at once defeats the purpofe of his Maker, and deftroys his own peace : and what was denounced againfl man as a puni(hment, *' In the fweat of thy face flialt thou eat bread,'* like every other punifnment that comes from above, is converted into a blefling ; and, as in every other cafe, the great God is juft and merciful at once ; juft, In impofing on the fallen creature the neceiTity of la- bouring ; merciful, in rendering the fruit of it fo fweet. But can the inhabitants of a great, commercial, polifhed city, find either amufement or inflruclion in contemplating the rude and fimple manners of ancient times ; in hftening to the hiflory of the inglorious toils of the hufoandman ; in tracing the operations of an art, the very terms of which they do not under- fland ; in obferving the mean employments of pover- ty and wretchednefs which they only pity or defpife ? "Whether they can derive amufement, or inftrudion, from fuch things as thefe, or not, may not courtly pride be admonilhed in behalf of the lowly, ruflic Ions of want and induffry, in the words of two fweet fmging bards of our own country. " Let not ambition mock their ufeful toil. Their homely joys, and deiliny obfcure : Nor grandeur hear with a difdainful finile. The fliort and fimple annals of the poor." Gray's Church-yard. " Nor 126 Hiftory of Ruth^ Lect. X, Nor ye who live In luxury and eafe, in pomp and pride, Think thefe loll themes unworthy of your ear." Thomson's Spring. We have heard the artlefs tale of Naomi's woe, and Ruth's attachment. We have accompanied the de- ferted, widowed mother and daughter-in-law from Moab to Bethlehem-Judah, the city of their departed hufbands : -but alas, all the reception they meet with, is llupid wonder, filly curiofity, or infulting pity. We hear of no kind contention to entertain the ftran- ger and fuccour the diflreft. The feafon of reaping was come ; but for them no golden harveft waved in the wind, for them no mower was preparing his fickle ; their poverty was but embittered by the fight of plenty diffufed around : and the mifery of Naomi's fall is dreadfully aggravated, by the profperity which Elimelech's nearefl relations were enjoying. Of thefe the mod diflinguifhed was Boaz, whom the facred hiftorian introduces to our acquaintance as *' a mighty man of wealth." Riches, like every oth- er gift of God, become a bleffing or a curfe juft ac- cording to the ufe that is made of them. Riches are a folid good, when they are received with thankful- nefs, enjoyed with moderation, and employed in the fervice of God and of mankind ; but are perverted into a fore evil vvhen they engender pride, and hard- en the heart, as is too generally the cafe, when they purchafe fuel for the lufls, or are fabricated into a golden image, to become the unworthy objeft of ado- ration. Had Boaz been merely a man of wealth, he had not deferved a place in thefe facred memoirs ; but though a rich man, he was not flothful in buli- nefs ; he was a man of humanity, of intelligence, of difcretion, of affability : a man that feared the Lord, that did juflly, that loved mercy. He was ennobled by qualities v.'hich great polfeiTions cannot confer, and Lect. X. Hijlory of Ruth. ' iiy and which do not, with fugitive treafures, fly away as an eagle towards heaven. Behold the myfterious diflribution of the gifts of Providence ! The family of one " brother is waxen poor and fallen into decay ;" that of the other is iliining in fplendour, affluence and renown. Hafty and partial views of the divine conduft, are always puzzling and diflrefsful ; calm and comprehenfive invefligation, will ever lead to compofure and acqui- efcence. What mud thefe helplefs women do for daily bread ? They fit negledted and forlorn ; but defpond- ency will only increafe the calamity. NecefTity fug- gefts many expedients. While health, virtue and friendfliip remain, all is not loll ; and Heaven fre- quentlv permits the current of human felicity to fpend itfelf to the very lowed ebb, that its own hand may be acknowledged in the means which caufed the Hood to rife and fv/ell again. The propofal of Ruth to her mother-in-law, dif- 00 vers in every point of viev\^, a noble and ingenuous fpirit, and an excellent heart. She will do nothing without the confent and advice of the venerable mat- ron who was become father and mother, country, friends and every thing to her. Begging is the lad miferable refuge of age or infirmity, of difeafe or floth ; die fcorns to think of recurring to it, while die has youth, health and drength to labour, and while there v/as a field of lawful employment. An ordinary mind in her fituation would have vented it- felf in unavaihng womanidi lamentations ; perhaps in unkind upbraidings of the ancient woman as the caufe of all the didrefs which die endured ; would have been for difpatching Naomi up and down among her wealthy relations and towns-folks, to foiicit protedion and fubfidence. No, it is more honourable in her eyes to earn food by her _ own labour; die conceals the anguifii which wrung her own heart,' for fear of adding affliclion to the afflided. The feafon of the vear I2S Ulftor^ of Ruth. Lect. X. year was fa vouriibla ; and happily the law of that God, whom fliC had deliberately taken for her God, had made provifion for perfons in her dellitute condition. The fame bounty which poured the abundance of autumn into the lap of the mighty, had referved a pittance- for the fupport of the famifhed and friendlefs. How the mercy of Jehovah burlls upon us in every difpenfation and in every event ! In wifdom he has permitted diftinftions of rank and fortune to take place ; in compafTion he has taken care to make pro- vifion for the wants of the neceflitous. So that while induftry and pity remain, no one is reduced to abfo- lute defpair. It is with pleafure we recur to the words of the law, and trace that God who " careth for oxen,'* much more folicitous about the fupport and confolation of the miferable part of the rational creation. " And when ye reap the harveft of your land, thou fhalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither fhalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harveft. And thou fhalt not glean thy vineyard, neither flialt thou gather ev- ery grape of thy vineyard ; thou fhalt leave them for the poor and ftranger : 1 am the Lord your God/** And again, " When ye reap the harveft of your land, thou fnalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapeft, neither flialt thou gather any gleaning of thy harveft ; thou flialt leave them unto the poor and to the ftranger : I am the Lord your God."t And again, in recapitulating the law in Deuteronomy, " When thou cutteft down thine harveft in thy field, and haft forgot a fheaf in the field, thou fnalt not go again to fetch it : it fhall be for the ftranger, for the fatherlefs, and for the widow : that the Lord thy God may blefs thee in the work of thine hands. When thou beateft thine olive-tree, thou flialt not go over the boughs again : it fliall be for the ftran<^er, for the fatherlefs, and for the widow. When thou gathereft the grapes of thy vineyard, thou fhalt not * Lev. xix. 9, lo. f Lev. xxiii. 22. Lect. X: Hiftory of Ruth. 125 not glean it afterward : it fhall be for the flranger, for the fatherlefs, and for the widow. And thou fhalt remember that thou waft a bond-man in the land of Egypt : therefore I command thee to do this thing."* In this law, feveral remarkable circumftances, tend- ing to illuftrate the law of nature in general, and the fpirit of the Mofaic difpenfation in particular, prefs themfelves upon our notice. ift. The confideration and recolledion of their own and their fathers' mifery in Egypt are urged as the powerful motive to pity, to fpare and to fuccour. " A Syrian ready to perifh" on the road to Padan- aram " was my father.'* " A generation of ilaves in Egypt were my progenitors, let me therefore commif- erate, and receive, and cherifh, the forlorn traveller ; let me treat my own captive, bond-man, dependant, with gentlenefs, and humanity." Who gives chari- ty ? Not unfeeling wealth, nor giddy diiTipation ; but the "man who has known want, who once ftood in need of a friend, who has been himfelf fuccoured in the hour of calamity. Who is it that relents and for- gives ? Not cold-blooded, meritlefs, conftitutional vir- tue ; but reftored, recovered frailty ; goodnefs which arofe the purer and the ftronger from having fallen. Who is liberal and generous ? Not the nobly born, the unvaryingly profperous, but magnanimity nurfed on the breaft of adverfity ; the prince whom native worth, whom confcious dignity, whom the experience of human woe have taught to devife liberal things, to do good, and to communicate. But is hereditary greltnefs, unvarying opulence, unhumbled, unmorti- fted fuccefs, always cold, felfifh, unfeeling ? God for- bid. High birth, lineal honours, the accumulating wealth of many generations, fometimes put on their moft beautiful garments, borrow luftre from conde- fcenfion, fympathy and beneficence. Is fuccefsful a*d- verfity, illuminated obfcurity, aggrandized littlenefs. Vol. VI. I always * Deut. xxiv. 1 9 — 22. J3« Hijiory of Ruth, Lect. X, always merciful, condefcending, generous, and hu- mane ? O, no : the poor wretch frequently forgets himfelf ; condemns the arts by which hearofe, fpurns the ladder on which he climbed to eminence and dif- tindion, and tries to make his upftart greatnefs bear a mimic refemblance to antique dignity, by aping the viler, not the nobler qualities of traditional im- portance. Again, 2dly. Obferve, the law inculcates pity to the poor and wretched by the mofl glorious of all ex- amples. " I am the Lord, who had compaflion upon you in your mifery, who delivered you from the fur- nace, who drove out the nations from before you, who planted you in the land, who fill thy garner, and make thy wine-prefs to overflow ; and who only afk, in re- turn, a mite or two, for the fons and daughters of af- fiidion, thefe few ears which thy hafte has let fall to the ground, that iheaf which has accidentally dropped from thy car ; that little corner of thy field which the fickle has fpared, and which that flarving creature, by nature thy equal, by providence thy inferior, is wait- ing to pick up and devour. He is an obje£l of tender- nefs and affection to me, fee therefore that thou neg- led him not, that thou defraud him not, that thou diflrefs him not.'* 3dly. The law plainly fuppofes that there may be an over anxiety and folicitude about things in their own nature lawful and innocent ; which it therefore aims at repreffing : it fuppofes that there may be an eager- nefs of accumulation which defeats itfelf, a fcattering abroad that produces increafe, a withholding of more than is meet, and it tendeth only to poverty ; that dif- fufing, not hoarding up abundance, is the proper ufc of it. 4thly. The lav/ had a double objeft in view, the improvement of the affluent, and the relief of the poor. It thus became a mutual benefit, the one was bleffed in giving, the other in receiving. The greater bleif- ednefs however on the fide of the giver, as the blelT- ednefs JLicT. A. Biflory of Ruth* 131 ednefs of the Creator is fuperior to that of the crea- ture. It is as much an ordination of Providence, that ^' the poor fhould never ceafe out of the land,*' as that " the earth fliould yield her increafe," and the fpheres perform their flated revolutions : and while they do exill, the great Lord and Preferver of all things, is concerned to make fuitable provifion for them. The rich are bis fte wards, and their florekeepers : he that gleans his own field to the laft ear, is a thief and a robber as much as he who plunders his neighbour's granary ; he robs God, he plunders the needy and the deltitute, he does what he can to fubvert the divine government, he would make the law of charity and mercy of none efFeO:, he bars his own plea for pardon at a throne of grace, he mars the poiTeffion of all he has, he cankers his own enjoyment, and affixes his feal to his own condemnation. 5thly. The law particularly defcribes the objects which it meant to relieve, " the ftranger, the father- lefs, and the widow." Unhappy Ruth ! her title to the wretched offal from the hand of the reaper was but too well eflablifhed. She united in her own per- fon all thefe characters of woe. Her melancholy claim to pity and fupport was fearfully multiplied, and a three-fold burden preffes her down to the ground : neverthelefs Ihe entreats, as a boon, what fhe might have demanded, and taken, as a right. Her truft in, and fubmiffion to the diredion of Providence fweetly accord with her filial affedion and tendernefs, and her noble independency of fpirit ; fhe is determined to labour, fhe difdains not to employ the neceffary means for fupplying herfelf and aged parent with food, bur (he leaves the direction of her footfteps to High Heaven ; fhe is in the way of her duty, and depofits all anxiety about the iffue in the bofom of her heavenly Father. What a happy mixture of forti- tude and refignation ! It cannot but profper. Having obtained the confent of her mother, who perhaps might have a prefentiment of what was ap- I 2 proaching. 132 Hijiory of Ruth. Lect. jti- proaching, behold her up with the dawn, penfive, timorous ar.d flow, advancing to the fields ; the country all before her, where to choofe her place of toil, and Providence her guide ; with the downcaft look of ingenuous modefly ; the timidity which four misfortune infpires ; the firm flep of confcious recti- tude, and the flufhed cheek of kindling hope. By fome namelefs, unaccountable circumftance, Heaven- direded, Ihe unknowingly bends her courfe to the field and reapers of Boaz. She has done her part, has made the facrifices which confcience and affedion demanded, has fubmitted cheerfully to the hardfhips which neceffity impofed, has put herfelf in the way of relief which her fituation pointed out. God is good, and takes all the reft upon himfelf. He, who ordered her flight to Canaan at the time of barley-harveft,when nature, and Providence, .and the law concurred to find her fubfiftence, orders her path to that field, where every thing, without the knowledge of the parties con- cerned, was prepared and arranged for the high fcenes now ready to be aded. The order of human procedure generally is from blaze to fmoke, from noife and buftle to nothing, from mighty preparation, to feeblenefs of execution. The divine condud:, on the contrary, is a glorious rife from obfcurity into light, from " fmall beginnings to a latter end greatly increafed ;" from " the mouth of babes and fucklings he ordaineth ftrength,'* and by a concurrence of circumftances which no human fagacity could forefee, and no human power could ei- ther bring together or keep afunder, raifes a negleded gleaner in the field into the lady of the domain, and a fugitive of Moab into a mother in Ifrael ; a mother of kings, whofe name fliall never expire but with the diifolution of nature. At this period of the ftory, let us paufe, and med- itate — On the power which regulates and controls ^11 the aifairs of men, who has all hearts, all events in his Lect. X. Hl/iory of Ruth. 133 his hand, who " poureth contempt upon princes, and bringeth to nought the v/ifdom of the prudent ;" who " raifeth up the poor out of the duft, and lifteth up the needy out of the dunghill, that he may fet him with princes, even with the princes of his peo- ple ; he maketh the barren woman to keep houfe, and to be a joyful mother of children.'* Is there a God who " doth according to his will in the ar- mies of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth ?" then let me never " be high-minded, but fear'* always before him, for I am never out of his reach, never concealed from his eye, never flieltered from his juftice. Is there a God who judgeth in the .earth, in whom the fatherlefs lindeth mercy, to whom the miferable never look, never cry in vain ? then let me never fmk into defpair. I am not too humble for his notice, my difeafe is not beyond his (kill to - cure, my wants are not too numerous for his fupplies, nor my tranfgreffions beyond the multitude of his tender mercies. Doth not He deck the hly, and feed the raven ? a fparrow rifeth not on the wing, falleth not to the ground, without my heavenly Father. " Hitherto hath the Lord helped,*' and " his hand is not fljortened, nor his ear heavy, nor his bowels of compaffion reflrained.'* Meditate again, on what ground you have encour- agement to afk and to expeft the divine protedion and favour. Have you given up all for God ? Have you good hope through grace that you are reconciled to God through the blood of his Son ? Have you a good confcience toward God that you are in the proper ufe of appointed means ? Can you look up with confidence and fay, " Lord, thou knowefl all things, thou knowefl I have not folded my hands to fleep, have not fat down in luUen difcontent, have not charged thee foolifhly, have not fled to unjuftifiable methods of relief. I have not impioufly flriven with my Maker, nor prefumptu- oufly expeded a miracle to be wrought in my behalf. I have in much weaknefs, but in trembling hope, en- deavoured 134 Hijfory of Ruth. LlcT.- X; deavoured to do my duty ; and I now. Lord, cafl: all my care, call my burden upon thee." Look into the': hiftory of divine interpofitions. Were they in com- pliment to the- peevilh and capricious, were they ex- torted by the loud lamentations or the fecret murmur- jngs of infolence and ingratitude ? were they the pil- lows fmoothed by the hand of weak indulgence for the drowfy head of floth and indifference to repofe on ?- No, but they were the feafonable cordial of parental' affe£lion to a fainting child ; the reward which wifdom and goodnefs beftow on diligence and perfeverance ; the indilToluble union which God has eftablilhed be- tween human exertion and divine co-operation ; they were the recompenfe of labour and vigilance, the an- fwer of prayer. Meditate yet again, on the true dignity of human nature, on the true glory of man and of woman alfo ;— honeft, ufeful employment. It is not idle, luxurious enjoyment, it is not to do nothing, to be eternally waited upon, and miniftered unto, to grow torpid by inadtion, to {lumber away life in a lethargic dream, and to lofe the powers of the foul and body by difufe ; but to preferve and promote health by moderate exercife, to earn cheerfulnefs and felf-approbation, by the fweet confcioufnefs that you are not living wholly in vain, and to rife into importance by being fomewhat ufeful to your fellow-creatures. In the eye of fober, unbiaf- fed reafon, whether of the two is the more pleafmg, the more refpeftable fight ; and which is, in her own mind, the happier of the two, Ruth laden with the cars of corn which (he has toiled to gather, haftening home to the hut of obfcurity, to adminifter food and comfort to old age and forrow ; or a modern belle, if- fuing forth under a load of uneafy finery, to imaginary triumphs, and certain difappointment ? Who fleeps foundeft at night, and who awakes and arifes in the beft health and fpirits next day ? I expeft not an anfwer. The Lect. Xi' Hijlory of Ruth, 135 The thing fpeaks for itfelf ; and I have purpofely forborne to (late the cafe fo ftrongly as I might have done. The virtuous danifel has, in part, received her reward, but a greater and better is preparing for her. The mother and daughter have been arranging their little matters with difcretion ; and the great God has been preparing his agents, putting his armies in motion ; all is mad of humanity overtake thee. That poor inflated creature, who like another Nebuchadnezzar talks in loud fwell- ing words of vanity, of the great Babylon which he has built, I once knev/ a cringing minion, ready to lick the dull from the feet of the man whom he now ftruts by as if he were a ftranger. That poor boy whom he dif- dains to fet with ihe dogs of his flock, is evidently ri- fing into confequence, which is one day to eclipfe all the tawdry honours of upftart gentility, and felf-afiuni'- ed importance. My fon, derive thy greatnefs from thyfelf, from wifdom, from virtue. Take care to adorn thy flation, thy poflTeffions, by native goodnefs. Pitiable indeed is thy condition, if rank, or afPiuence, or even talents, ferve only to render thy folly or profli- gacy more confpicuous.*' IV. Once more, let me fuppofe a man of genuine piety contemplating the interefl:ing fcene before us, and entering with wonder and delight into the plans of the Eternal Mind. His meditations will flow in ftiil a diff'erent channel, he will view the fame cbjed through (till a different medium. *' Behold," will he fay, " how fweet is thef?nell of a field which "Jehcvah hath blejfed! happy Boaz, rich in lands and in corn, rich in man-fervants and maid-fervants, rich in the du- tiful and affedionate attachment of thy people, rich in thine own integrity and compofure of Ipirit : but rich- er far in the favour and approbation of the Almighty : the blejjing of the Lord it niaketh rich;, and he addeih no J'^rrcu' 144 Hl/lory of Ruth. Lect. XI. forrow ihereiviihi Happy family, thus dwelling to gether in unity ; where love is the governing princi- ple, where the fear of God fweetly expreffes itlclf in unfeigned benevolence to man ! How can that houfe but profper, where religion has eflabliflied her throne ? Look at that happy plain over which the bountiful hand of nature has fpread her rich exuberance. The Lord maketh that ivealth. Behold the patriarchal maf- ter : the meanefl flave he treats like a child : hearken, the voice of peace and benediction dwells on his lips, diftils like the dew. Behold the way to be loved and refpeded by inferiors. Be to them an enfample of pi- ety, of purity, of charity ; bind them to you with cords of love ; fweet and faithful, cheerful and effi- cient is the fervice of affection. Thefe men will yield obedience not for ivrath only, but far confciencs fake ; their heart is in their work 5 they need no overfeer ; they will neither'be neghgent nor difhon- efl : they know that the eye of God is continually up- on them ; they know that the intereft of the mailer is their own. " How happily religion adapts its influence to every relation and condition of life ! How it guards the heart alike from foolijh pride and impiom dfcontent, at what bounty has beftowed, or wifdom denied ! Hov/ it humanizes, dignifies, exalts the foul i How it en- forces, extends and refines the maxims of worldly pru- dence ! How it illuftrates, binds, and enlivens the precepts of morality ! How it amplifies, expands, reg- ulates, brightens the views of philofophy ; referring every thing to God, deriving all from him, carrying all back to him again ! O man, till thou haft founded thy domeftic economy in religion, thou haft not be- gun to keep houfe. Let thy pofleflions be ever fo fair, ever fo extenfive, they want their principal charm, their higheft excellence, till the blefling of Heaven be afked and obtained. " Mark yet again, how a good man^s footfleps are all •rdcred of the Lord. In all thy ways acknowledge him^ and iiECT. ICI. Hijiory of Rttth. 14^ and he jhall direcl thy paths. Boaz came forth with no farther view than to fee the progrefs of his harveft, to falute his fervants, and to cheer their labour by his prefence and approving fmiles ; but lo, Providence has been preparing for him a more enlarged view, has enriched his field with a nobler portion than he had any apprehenfion of. Thy ways^ my King and my God^ thy ways are in thefea, and thy path in the deep waters y and thy judgments are unfearchable. The great God is working unieen, unnoticed. He is preparing his in- ftruments at a diitance, arranging his agents in the dark. Un een to, unknown by one another, without concert or defign, they come forth at the moment, they perform the part afligned them; they fpeak and act in perfect uniion, they accomplilh the purpofe of the Eternal. Boaz and Ruth, behold them together in the field, remote as penury and fulnefs, as obfcuri- ty and celebrity, as dependence and being depended upon. Neverthelefs they meet, and Heaven from above, crowns the hallowed union with her olive." But might not the pious fpirit annex a caution to his exhortation on this iubjed:. " Beware of taking the name of the Lord thy God in vain : for the Lord will not hold him guiltlefs who taketh his name i?i vain. Holy and reverend is his name. Even in bleffing it is to be ufed folemnly, pioufiy, fparingly : who then (hall dare to employ it wantonly, needlefsly, profanely, impioufly, blafphemoufly ? Who (hall prefume to abufe it, in fwearing falfely by it, or in imprecating a curfe under that dreadful fandion upon the head of his brother ? Avert, merciful Heaven, avert from my guilty, heavy-laden country, the heavy, the bitter curfe which this fin deierves ! O let not profane fwearing, let not wilful deliberate perjury, prove its ruin !'* — Thus have I endeavoured, by affuming feveral fuppofed charafters, to give life and energy to the fim- ple, rural fcene under conhderation. It furniflies copious matter of inftrudion to every teacher, and to y^-L. VI. K every 146 Hyhry cf Ruth, Lect, XL every clafs of mankind. The careful, prudent man: of the -"vorld ; the moralifl ; the calm obferver ; the pious inltruclor, are all here provided vi^ith ufeful top- ics of addrefs to their feveral pupils, according to their feveral views. The mafter and the fervant, the hire- ling and his employer, the rich and the poor, here meet together, and are together informed, by more than a code of laws, by plain but ftriking example, of tlieir mutual relation and dependence, and of the du- ties which arife out of them, and of the comforts which flow from them. Happinefs is here reprefented as built on the fure foundation of kind affections, of ufeful induflry, of reciprocal good offices, and of the fear of the Lord. Where all thefe unite, that houfe muff (land, that family muff profper^ In proportion as all or any of them are wanting, a partial or total ruin muft enlue. Let the apoftohc injunctions ferve prac- tically to enforce the fubjeft. " Servants, be obedient to thenj that are your mailers according to the flefh^ with fear and trembling, in fmglenefs of your heart, as unto Chrifl: ; not with eye-fervice, as men-pleafers, but as the fervants of Chrift, doing the will of God from the heart ;. with good v/ill doing fervicc, as to the Lord, and not to men : knowing that whatfoever (rood thinp- anv man doeth, the fame lliall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. And ye mailers, do the fsine- things unto them, forbearing threatening : knowing tliat your mafter alfo is in heav- en ; neither is there refped of perfons with him."* — " Charge them that are rich in this world that they be not high-minded, nor truft in uncertaiji riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy ; that they do good, that they be rich in rt>Dd works, ready to diftribute, willing to communi- cate ; laying up in ftore for themfelves a good foun- dation againil the time to colne, that they may lay hold on eternal life."t " Hearken, my beloved brethren, hath not God chofen the poor of this world, rich in faith, ' EpliLf. vi. 5 — 9. y I Tim. vi. 17 — 19. Lect. XI. Hijlory of Ruth, 147 faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath prom- ifed to them that love him ?"* — " You yourielves know that thefe hands have miniftered unto my necef- lities, and to them that were with me. I have fhew- ed you all things, how that fo labouring ye ought to fupport the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jcfus, how he faid. It is more bleifed to give than to receive."! " Let -him that Hole fteal no more : but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to '^viQ to him that needeth." { * James ii. 5. f Afls xx. 34, 'i^^. X Ephef, iv. 2%. K z Hiftory Hiftory of Ruth. LECTURE XIL RUTH 11. 5 17. Then /aid Boaz unto his fervant that was fet over th^ reapers, Whofe datnfel is this /* And the fervant that was fet over the reapers anfwered and faidy It is the Moabitijh datnfel that came back with Naomi out of the coiinV'y of Moab : and fhe faid, 1 pray you let vie glean and gather after the reapers among the Jheaves : fojhe ca?Jie, and hath continued even from the jnorning until now, that fhe tarried a little in the houfe. Then f aid Boaz. unto Ruth, Hcareji thou not, my daughter ? Go not to glean in another field, neither go from hence, but abide here faft by my maidens. Let thine eyes he on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them : have I tiot charged the young men that theyjhall not touch thee t And when thou art athirft, go unto the vejfels, and drmk of that which the young men have drawn. Then floe fell on her face, and bowed herfelf to the ground, and f aid unto him. Why have I found grace in tlmie eyes, that thou Jhouldeji take knowledge of ine, feeing I am a ftr an- ger ? And Boaz anfwered and f aid unto her. It hath fully been Jhezued me all that thou hajl done unto thy mother-in-law fince the death ofthi?ie hujband : and hozu thou hafi left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity, and art come unto a people which thou knewefi not heretofore. The Lord rccompenfe thy work, and Lect. XII. mjiory of Ruth, 149 and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of If- .raelj under ivbofe wings thou art come to trufi. Then fhefaid. Let me Jind favour in thyfght, my lord ; for that thou haji comforted me, and for that thou hafifpok- en friendly unto thine hand-maid, though I be not like un- to one of thine hand-?naidens. And Boazfaid unto her^ At meal-time come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and Leg f. XII. " Hijlory of Ruth. ' 15^ ■in replying to the friendly tenders of Boaz, flie is ali amiable referve and modefty. In fpeaking to Naomi her heart flows to her lips, her words glow, her Ipeech. ■ is copious and redundant : in aniwering a man, and a ftranger, her words are few, die fpeaks by looks and geftures, and is then moft eloquent when (he fays nothing. I behold the effedl which youth, and fimpliclty, and humblenefs of mind, and diftrefs have made up- on a generous and fenfible heart. The artlefs fim- plicity of the Moabitifh damiel have made a deeper imprefTion than all that cunning and defign could have invented to allure affection, and impofe on the underflanding. Happily the progreis of virtuous love advances without the confciouinefs of the parties concerned ; it is at firft a mere intercourfe of civility, an attention to trifles, an interchange of kind words and pleafant looks. It grows unperceived, it gathers flrength by negleft, it has arrived at maturity before it was known to exifl:, it gave no warning of its ap- proach, and thereby became irrefiftible. And has the great Author of nature vouchfafed in his word to delineate, in more than one infliance, the nature, progrefs, and effects of this important and neceffary paffion, and Ihall we turn away from it with affedied delicacy, or take it up and purfue it with indecent mirth ? No, if we adopt and imitate the candid, guile- lefs fimplicity, arid the modeft referve of fcripture, we cannot greatly err. In the cafe of Boaz and Ruth, it was enchantingly grateful to the former, as highly honourable to the latter, that the decifion of the underfUnding confirm- ed the judgment of the eyes. He had known, admir- ed and approved the conduft, before he had feen and admired the beauty of the perfon, and the gracefulncfs of the behaviour. The charms of wifdom, virtue and piety, fuperadded to perfonal accomplifnments, what a happy combination ; what a foundation of felicity I The latter indeed, will and muft fade, but their cf- fed .i54 HifiGvy of Ruth, Lect. XIL fed is immortal ; the company in which they flour- illied and brou^^ht forth fruit, beflows on them a per- manency not their own. How wretched is that fe- male all whofe confequence is fled with her bloom ; who depended on rank or fortune to command re- fped ; who has loft the admiration and appiauie of others, before ihe has begun to acquire the dignity of felf-approhation, the only genuine fource of public efteem. The hiftory before us ftrikingly dii'plays the tranfi- tlon from pity to love on the one hand, from gratitude to love on the other. Compalhon in Boaz, fenfe of obligation in Ruth, txcite the fame mutual atfectiou in both. It becomes hh pride and joy to raife her to that diftinclion and aifluence. which fhe fo well merit- ed ; it is h^r pride and joy to repay the tendernefs of her benefador by every kind office of compliance and afteclion. She had hitherto pleafed herfelf with the confcioufnefs of having done her duty ; flie had not hunted after praife ; fhe had difcovered no anxiety, taken no pains to publiih abroad her ov/n merits ; but honour will follow virtue, as the fhadow does the fiibftance, and the flight of the one but accelerates the purfuit of the other. And how grateful muft it have been even to the modeft ear of Ruth herfelf, to hear her conduct approved, and her qualities celebrated, by the wife and good man who had taken her under his prote6tion, and admitted her to his friendfliip. The praife which goodnefs confers on goodnefs, the praife which a man's own heart and confcience allow to be merited, praife beftowed by one v^'e love and efteem is a feafi: indeed ; it does equal honour, it communicates equal delight to the giver and the re- ceiver ; it is an anticipation of the glorious rewards of the faithful, from iilm whofe favour is better than life. But fave me, merciful Heaven, from the com- mendation which my own mind rejects. Save me from the approbiition, the ill-informed approbation of ignorant erring man, while I have juft caufe to tremble Lect. XII. Utflory of Ruih. 155 tremble under tke apprehenfioil of condemnation and puniftnneiit from a holy and righteous God. The. cordial of cordials adminiliered by the hand of Boaz to this truly excellent woman, -was his recom- mendation of her to the care, bleifing and proteclion of the Almighty. It was much to be permitted to pick up a fcanty livelihood among ftrangers ; it was much to meet with notice and encouragement from a mighty man of wealth in a foreign land ; it was high- ly Toothing to a fpirit broken by calamity to be ap- proved and careffed by a great and a good man ; but all this was nothing compared to the fmilcs of approv- ing Heaven, in ivveet accord with the ferenity and compoiure of a quiet and approving confcience. How cordially could flie pronounce " amen'* to his aii'ec- tionate and pious prayer, " The Lord recompenfe thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Ifrael, under whofe wings thou art come to truft.''^* The petition contains a piece of fweet imagery, of which interpreters have given different ideas. " Lhi- der whofe v/ings thou art come to trurt." The ex- preffion, according to fome, implies an approbation of her refolution in renouncinc: the rehgion of her coun- try and fathers, in forfaking the idol wordiip v/herein ihe had been educated, and in deliberately joining her- ieif to the Ifraelites and worfiiip of the living and true God. The words, it is alleged, have an allulion to the Shechinah, the vilible glory, the fymbol of the divine prefence which refided between, or under, the wings cf the cherubim whicli were extended over the mercy-feat. This is, as it were, the point in which all the parts of the difpenfation concentered, and there- fore is employed to denote in brief, all that related to the knowledge, belief and fervice of Jehovah, in op- pofition to ilolatry. Others coniider it as nierely a tender and fignifi- cant image, borrowed from nature, and frequently employed * Vcrfc 12. ■XS^ Hi/iory of Ruth. Lect. XIL ■employed in other paflages of fcriptvire, the image of the tender callow brood of the feathered race fleeing, in the moment of danger, for proteftion, under the fhelter of the parental wing. In either cafe, it marks the providential care, and the facred fecurity extend- ed to all who feek refuge in the divine wifdom and mercy. No plague fiiall come nigh the place where they dwell, no evil fliall befal them. It unfolds the fpirit of a truly good man, difpofed to do every thing that humanity didates, and ability permits, for the re- lief of the fons and daughters of afflidion ; but deeply impreffed with the belief that without the blefling and favour of Heaven the interpoHtion of man is vain and iinprofitable. He refers not to the divine bounty as an exemption from deeds of charity and mercy, but to render his benevolence .effeftual, and to crown, qpromote and profper his kind intentions ; to fill up the meafure of his liberal defign, which, after all, was narrowed and contrafted by llendernefs of ability. The effect of the whole upon Ruth is the fame -which a fenfe of unmerited friendfliip from man, and the expedation of blefiings from on high, will ever produce on a good and honeil heart. As (he rifes in situation, as fne rifes in hope, flie fmks in humility* " Then fne faid, Let me find favour in thy fight, my lord ; for that thou haft comforted me, and for that -tliou haft fpolcen friendly unto thine hand-maid, though I be not like unto one of thy hand-maidens."* Thh draws from the benevolent lord of the harveft reiterated a/liirances of regard and fympathy. He again runs over the whole ftore of the field, ieft he ihould have omitted any p5.rticular in his former enu- Tiicration ; agiin intimates a cheerful and unaffefted v/elcome to what (lie could defire, or he had to beftow. In this, if 1 miftake not, may be feen the farther profrefs of alTe6lion. Ruth gains upon his heart by «very word fne utters, by every gefture and attitude ; and pleafes moft^, from having formed, from purfuing no Iect. Xir.' liijiory of Rui'b. i'^f no defign to pleafe. The greater her diffidence and felf-denial, the greater is his earneftnefs to bring her forward, and to fupport her. She was by the former order permitted to go at pleafure and i'erve herfelf with whatever was in the field for the general ufc ; now, fhe is invited to join the company where Boaz himielf prefided ; fhe is fed from his own hand, and her portion is not a fcanty one, " fhe did eat and was fufficed and left.'* It was thus that Jofeph exprelTed the partiality of his aifedion for Benjamin his own brother, his mefs was five times fo much as any of theirs ; and thus in artlefs guife, the growing palFion of Boaz for the fair Moabitefs declared itfelf ; and thus, not in high-flown rhapfodies of unmeaning jar- gon, but in little attentions, in petty offices of kindnefs, the genuine effufions of unfophiflicated nature, the generous pafllon of love, always will declare its exiPt- ence and quahty. Happy, thrice happy banquet, far beyond ?A\ the luxury and pride of unwieldy, uneafy, unbleffed magnificence. There they fit, under the open canopy of heaven, the mafler, the fervants, the flranger, in one group. Their l^re is homely, but labour has made it pleafant to fit dov/n, and hunger gives to the food a rehfh. But what a fuperior relifh did the morfel of Boaz himfelf polfefs ! Think what a banquet, to fee his nu- merous family around him, all contented and happy ; to give bread to fo many, and to receive the ample re- turn of it in their honeft attachment, and in the fruits of their induflry. What a luxury, to feed a hungry, to raife a finking flranger ! to render gentle fervices to a deferving object, which humanity infpired, the underflaiiding confirmed, the heart directed, and Heaven approved ! What a defert, to reflect that all thefe comforts flowed from a heavenly Father's benef- icence, that thus he was " twice bleffed," blefled in receiving, bleffed in giving. The felicity of Ruth was far from being fo pure and perfed. She felt the depreflion of dependence and 15S ll'tjlory of Ruih. LccT. XIL and obligailon ; obligation which ^v\q. had no profpeft of ever being able to repay. She felt for the anxiety, diflrefs and want of a venerable aged woman, for whom nothing was provided ; who was fitting folitary at home brooding over pafl calamities, and torment- ing herfelf with apprehenfians about futurity. She can hardly fwallow her own morfel for grief to think that one more helplefs, more feeble, more friendlefs than herfelf, v/anted the common neceflaries of life ; that Naomi was perhaps failing till flie returned, and, worfe than fafting, tormented with folicitude about her fafcty. The fweeteft part of the repafl to Ruth was the portion llie had refer ved from her own neceflities •for the fuftentation of her ancient, affeftioFxate, flarv- ing parent. Their frugal fimple meal being ended, they rife up, not to play, but to work again, and continue their la- bour until the evening. A frefli charge is given to the reapers on no account to dilturb, or infult the lovely gleaner, and the young men are direfted to find no fault with her, gather where ihe would, even among the flieaves before they were bound up ; and to drop here and there a handful, as if by accident, to render her toil more pleafant and ealy, without hurting her honeft pride. This injuncLion could pro- ceed onlv from a delicate and ineenuous mind. To ■have made her directly a prefent of the ears of com, had been an indignity oliered to her poverty ; to fcatter them without any apparent defign, was efl'eclu- aliy to facilitate her labour, and dimmilh her fatigue^ "withovit rendering the burden of obhgation too griev- ous to be borne. The manner of conferring a bene- fit, it cannot be too olten repeated, infinitely outweighs the matter. The comfort of human life, is a combi- nation of little, minute attentions, which, taken fepa- rately, are nothing, but connecled with the circum- fiances of time, place and m:inner, as coming from the heart, as tokens Oi good-will, poU'eiS a value and in- Ipirc Lect. XII,- iJiJiwy of RutB. 159 fpire a pleafure beyond the purchafe of gold and rubies. Think of the heart-felt fatisfacclon of the amiable labourer, when at the going down of the fun, on fep- arating the flraw and chaif" from the good grain, and mealuring the produce of her patience and induftry, fhe found it amount to fo confiderable a quantity I Would you make a poor man happy, do not encour- age him to beg. Idlenefs and happinefs are incom- patible. No, render his toil a little eafier to him, teach him to draw his fubfiflence and comfort from, and to build his dependence upon himfelf. And now Ruth's comfort was going to begin ; it was hitherto mixed and imperfect — it now flows pure and unreflrained. She has it in her power to relieve indigence, to remove anxiety, to difpel forrow, to make the widowed heart fmg for joy. See with what exultation flie produces her ftore, re-meafures her corn, details the adventures of the day, and receives, in communicating joy. This, O virtuous friendfhip, is thy prefent great reward ! Such, if pride and per- verfenefs prevented not, the felicity which Providence has gracioufly placed within every one's reach ! Let me have fome friendly ear, in the calmnefs of the evening's retreat, to liften to my tale ; fome fympa- thetic heart, to participate in my forrows and my joys, and I care not what hardfliips I endure, what mortifi- cations I meet with, through the live-long day. Friend- fhip doubles the delights, divides, and thereby dimin- ifjies, the cares and miferies of this tranfitory life. Think of the compofed felicity of the ancient mat- ron, as fhe furveyed the fruits of her beloved daugh- ter's dutiful exertions, and heard the artlefs ftory of a harvell day's employment and recreation. Yes, fhe is the happier of the two. The joys of age are calm, untumultuous, untempefluous ; thofe of youth have always a mixture of ardour and impetuofity, that allays their purity, and hailens on their dlilblution. We fiucerelv bid them good night, and leave them to the fweet i6o Ni/tory of Rufb. Lect. Xlt fweet repofe of confcious integrity, of acquiefcence in the will and thanktuhid's for the bounty of gracious Heaven, and of budding, bloflbming hope of greater bleilings yet to come. — At what a fmall expenfe may a great man ac- quire refpedl, efleem, love ? How inhnilely nature excels art ! In how fnuple and eafy a method does Providence bring about the greatelt events ! " Godli- nefs is" every way " great gain : ' it has " the prom- ile of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.** l^iftory Hiftory of Ruth, LECTURE XIII. RUTH ii. 19 — 23. and Hi. i. And her mother-in-lazu /aid unto her. Where hajl thou gleaned to-day ? And where wroughteji thou ? Blejfect be he that did take knowledge of thee. And Jhe ./hewed her 7mther-in-law with whomjhe had wrought, and/aid^ The man^s name with whom I wrought to-day is Boaz. And 'Naomi f aid unto her daughter-in-law, Blejfed be he of the Lord, who hath not left off his kindnefs to the liv- ing and to the dead. And Naomi faid unto her. The man is near of kin unto us, one of our next kinffnen. And Ruth the Moabittfs faid. He faid unto me alfo. Thou fhalt keep f aft by my young men, until they have ended all ?ny harveji. And Naomi faid unto Ruth her daughter - in-law. It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, that they meet thee not in any other field. Sa fhe kept fajt by the maidens of Boaz to glean unto the end of barley-harveft, and of wheat -harveji ; and dwelt with her mother-in-law. Then Naomi her mother-in- law faid unto her. My daughter, Jhall I not feek rejl for thee, that it may be well with thee ? IN OTHING is more abfurd than to judge of ancient and foreign cuftoms, by the falliion of our own coun- try and of the prefent day. Language, manners, and drefs are incefTantly changing their form. Were our Vol. VI. L anceftors 1 62 Hijhry of Ruth. Lect. XITI. ■ anceftors of the laft century to arife from the dead, and to appear in the habit of their own times, their great grand-children and they would be utter llrangers to one another. Their fpeech would be mutually unin- telligible, their modes of behaviour uncouth, their ap- parel ridiculous. How much more, after the lapfe of niany centuries has intervened, and the fcene , Ihifted to a diftant land, peopled by men of a different com- plexion, governed by different laws, and communicat- ing thought by' means of a different language. One of the great plealures arifnig from the ftudyof ancient hillory, is to trace thefe differences, to contem- plate the endlefs variety of the human mind, ever chan-ging, ftill the fame ; to compare age with age, na- tion with nation, in order to excite admiration- of the great Creator's wifdom and goodnefs, and to infpire love towards our fellow-creatures; In examining the cuftoms defcribed in the context, let it be remembered, that they are the cufloms of men who lived upwards of three thoufand years ago, who inhabited a different quarter of the globe, whofe ideas, employments and purfuits had no manner of refemblance to ours, and who would be equally afton- illied, (liocked and offended, were modern and Euro- pean manners made to pafs in review before them. And let it be farther remembered, that we fpeak of ci'Jloms and jmmners only, and not of morals ; of cir- cumftances which from their own nature and the cur- rent of human affairs are liable to alteration, not oi things ii\ themfelves eternal and immutable. We have feen by what eafy and natural progrefsj. the providence of God carried on its purpofe reipeft- ing the pofterity of Abraham in general, and the roy- al line of the houfe of David in particular, and re- fpecting a much higher objeft, to which this was a mere miniftring fcrvant, an harbinger and preparation, namely, " the manifeftation of God in the fleffi," for the redemption of a loft world. We have feen the Gommencemejit of the temporal rewards of virtue, and" the Lbct. XIII. Hiftory of Ruth, 16^3 the dawning of* everlafling joy. We are now to at- tend the progrefs of divine beneficence, of providen- tial interpofition, to crown the endeavours, and pro- mote the happinefs of the faithful. Ruth has returned to her mother-in-law, laden with the fruits of honed indultry, and provided wiih a fupply for prefent neceffity ; cheered and comforted by the benevolence of a refpeftable ftranger, and ex- ulting in the profpeft of future employment and fuc- cefs. Sweet are the communications of fihal attach- ment and profperity to the ear of maternal tenderne-s. It is not eafy to conceive happinefs more pure than was enjoyed that evening by thefe amiable and excellent women. Artlefs, undefigning Ruth Teems to look no farther than to the remainder of the harveft, the con-, tinuation of her labour, and of protection and encour- agement from Boaz, and to the pleafure of fupporting herfelf and aged parent by her own exertions. But Naomi, more experienced and intelligent, begins to build on the hiitory of what Providence had done for them that day, a project of recompenfe to her beloved daughter, which her piety and affeftion fo well merited, even no lefs than that of uniting her to Boaz in mar- riage. Was fhe to be blamed in this ? By no means. It is criminal to outrun Providence, it is madnefs to think of conftraining or bending it to our partial, felfifh views. But it is wifdom, it is duty to exercife fagacity, to obfervethe ways of the Almighty, and to follow where he leads. The advice Ihe gives in purfuance of this de- fign, and Ruth's ready compliance, have, according to our ideas a very extraordinary and queftionable appear- ance, and feem ratiier calculated to defeat than to for- ward the end which they had in view ; but modern re- finement and licentioufnefs are little competent to judge of luftic limplicity and ancient purity. The proceed-^ ing was authorized by cuftom, was free from every taint of immorality, and had not in the eyes of the world even the femblance of indecency. The parties were all virtuous, they feared the Lord, theyconform- L 2 ed i6'4 Hijht:y of Ruth. LtcT. XIH. cd to the laws and ufages of their country, and Heav- en fmiled on their honeft, unfullied intentions. Had I the happinefs, with a mind as pure, to ad- drefs ears as chafte, imaginations as undefiled, I lliould without hefitation or fear enter on the detail of the tranfaction as it (lands ' on the record.. But regard mull be had to the prejudices of the times, to the pro- priety and decency which cuftom has eftabUfhed, re- marking at the fame time, that guilt is the parent of Ihame, and that an over-refined dehcacy is too often the proof of a polluted heart. The marriage of Boaz to Ruth is the only inflancc we have of the application of a civil and political ftat- ute of long ftanding : which runs in thefe terms, ^ *' The land fliall not be fold forever : for the land is mine ; for ye are (Irangers and fojourners with me. And in all the land of your pofleffion ye fhall grant a redemption for the land. If thy brother be waxen poor, and hath fold aw^ay fome of his pofleffion, and if any of his kin come to redeem it, then (hall he re- deem that which his brother fold. And if the man have none to redeem it, and himfelf be able to redeem it ; then let him count the years of the fale thereof, and reflore the overplus unio the man to whom he fold it ; that he may return unto his pofleffion. But if he be not able to reflore it to him, then that which is fold fhall remain in the hand of him that hath bought it until the year of jubilee : and in the jubilee it fliall go out, and he (hall return unto his poflfeffion." * And it ftands in connexion with another law circumftan- tially narrated. " If brethren dwell together, and one of them die and have no child, the wife of the dead fliall not marry without unto a ftranger : her huiloand's brother fliall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an hu(band's brother unto her. And it fliall be, that the firft-born which flie beareth (hall fucceed in the name of his bro- ther which is dead, that his name be not put out of Ifrael. * Lev. XXV. 23 — 28, . Lect. XIII. WJlcry of Ruth. 165 Ifrael. And if the man like not to take his brother*s wife, then let his brother's wife go up to the gate unto the elders, and fay. My hufband's brother refufeth to raife up unto his brother a name in Ifrael, he will not perform the duty of my hufband's brother. Then the elders of his city jfhall call him, and fpeak unto him : and if he (land to it, and fay, I like not to take her ; then fliall his brother's wife come unto him in the prefence of the elders, and loofe his fhoe from oiT his foot, and fpit in his face, and fhall anfwcr and fav. So fhall it be done unto that man that will not build up his brother's houfe. And his name fhall be called in Ifrael, The houfe of him that hath his flioe loofed."* The whole fpirit of the Mofaic difpenfation confiders the great Jehovah as the temporal fovereign of Ifrael, the land as his, the fupremacy his. Every Ifraelite re- ceived his inheritance under the exprefs ftipulation that it fhould not be alienated from him and from his family forever. That if, prefTed by neceflity, he fhould fell the whole or any part of it, he himfelf or his nearefb of kindred might at any future period re- deem it ; that at the worfl, in the year of jubilee, it fhould revert unpurchafed to the ancient proprietor or his reprefentative ; and thereby fuccelTion and proper- ty be preferved diflinft till the purpofes of Heaven ihould be accomplilhed. To give the law farther and more certain effed:, it was enacted, that if the elder branch of the familv and the heir of the inheritance fhould die childlefs-;, his next elder brother or nearefl male relation fhould marry the widow ; and that the iffue of fuch marriage (liould be deemed to belong to the deceafed, fhould ai- fume his name, and fucceed to his inheritance. Here then was the family of Elimelech ready to be extin- guifhed : he and his two Tons were all dead without pofherity. Naomi was pall child-bearing, the lands were ready to pafs into the hands of flrangers, fc-r want of an heir, the hope of fucceflion exilling alone in * Deut. xxT. ^ — 10. l66 Hi/iory of Ruth. Lect. XIII. in the perfon of Ruth the Moabhefs, the widow of Mahlon. The meafure therefore recommended by Naomi, and adopted by Ruth, was neither lefs nor more than a legal call on Boaz, as the fuppofed nearefl kinrman of that branch of the family, to fulfil the duty of that relation : Naomi not knowing, or having for- gotten that there was a kinfman dill nearer than him. Boaz, apprized of this, and refpecling the laws of God and his country, preferably to his own pafTions and predilection, refers the whole caule to a fair, open, ju- dicial decifion. The conduct of Boas throughout is exemplary and "w<:)rthy of commendation : it befpeaks at once a wife ?nd a good man. We have expatiated at confiderable length on his charafter as a m,an of piety, regularity and humanity; we have beflowed on him the juft trib- ute of admiration and refped:, as a man of fenfibility, as iufceptible of pity for the miferable, of kindnefs to the flranger, of love for a deferving objeft. His charafter acquires much additional relpeftability fr^ m this laft confideration, connected with the delicacy of his fituation as a man and a citizen. His partiality to Ruth was clear and decided. In the confidence of virtue fhe had put herfelf entirely in his power ; and what ufe did he make of this advantage ? Never was father more tender of the reputation and challity of his daughter. Every felfifn confideration is )unk in fenfe of propriety, in refpecl to the divine authority, in folicitude about the honour and interefl of the woman whom he loved. His partiality to Ruth was decided, but the right of redemption was in an- other, and he nobly diidains to avail himfelf of wealth, of power, of prior poffefiion, to the prejudice of that right. What is the vidory of the warlike hero com- pared to this triumph of a man over himfelf! What are trophies flained with blood, oppofed to the filent applaufe of a good confcience, and the approbation of Almighty God ! I fee him bringing the caufe to the determination of the judges, with the firmnefs of an honeft Lect. XIII. Eijiory of Ruth. 167 honeft man, with the anxiety of one in love, and with the refignation of one who feared the Lord, and com- mitted all to the conduci of inlinite wildom. Clharac- ters fhine by contraft. The nearer kinfman's verfatil- ity, difingenuoufnefs, and infeniibihty to fliame, ferve as a foil to the firmnefs, candour, and delicacy of Boaz. When the former hears of a good bargain, when he conftders the advantage of his birth as the means of flepping into a vacant inheritance upon eafy terms, he is all acquiefcence and eagernefs ; but the -moment he hears of the condition under which he is to purchafe,.of the affumption of the widow, of the relief of the miierablp, of tranfmitting the name of Elimelech, not his own, to poflerity, together with his lands, he inilantly cools, fubmits to the infamy of having " his (hoe pulled off," of being publickly fpit upon, of having his houfe branded with a note of dif- grace, and leaves the field open to a much better man ;than himfelfo It is much eafier to conceive than to defcribe the folicitude of the parties, while the caufe was yet in ■dependence. What a blow to the heart of Boaz, when he, on whom the law beftov/ed the preference, declared his alfent to the propofal ; v/hat difappoint- ment to the hopes of Naomi, v/ho had evidently fet her mind on this match ; what a damp thrown on the wifhes and expetlations of Ruth, on whofe fufceptible heart the goodnefs and generofity of Boaz muft have made a deep impreilion ! What relief to all, to hear him folemnly retract his affent, refign his right, and fubmit to the penalty. Thofe are the genuine delights of human life at which we arrive through danger and difficulty, which are the immediate gift of Heaven, which we have not employed improper arts to acquire, and which we can therefore enjoy without fliame or remorfe. The felicity which v/e are in too great hafte to grafp, which v/e purfue independent of God and re- ligion, which by crooked paths we arrive at, proves at befl a cloud in the embrace, often a ferpent full of deadly i68 Hijlory of Ruth. Lect. XIH. deadly poifon in the bofom. The very delays which Providence interpofes, the facrifices which a fenle of duty offers up, the mortifications to which confcience fubmits, enhance the value, and heighten 4:he relifh of our lawful comforts. Let us apply this obfervation to the three leading perfonages in this interefting tale. Naomi fits down, and thus meditates with herfelf. " With Vv'hat fair profpe£ts did I begin the world; the wife of a prince, a mother in Ifrael, among the firft in rank, in wealth, in expectation. But how early were my profpeds cloud- ed ! Driven by famine from the land of promife, reduc- ed to feek fhelter and fubfiltence among flrangers, but fupported and refrefhed by the company and tender- nefs of the hufband of my tender years, and the pref- ence and improvement of my children : finding a new home in the land of Moab, my family refpedted in a foreign country, reputably allied, comfortably fettled. But the cup of profperity again dafhed from my hand ; hufband and fons, the dcfire of my eyes, taken away with afiroke ; Canaan and Moab, rendered equally a place of exile, robbed of that which rendered all places a home, all fituations a pleafure ; deferted of all but Heaven, and a good young woman, once the partner of my joys, now my fifler in afRidion : fleeing back for the relief of my anguifli to my native foil and city, and mortified at finding myfelf there more a flranger than among ahens ; providentially raifed into notice a id confequence again, my afTeftionate daughter no- bly allied, the name of Elimelech about to be revived, and his houfe built up ! What a flrangely chequered life ! Naomi and Mara in perpetual fuccellion! But ev- ery thing is ordered wifely and well of Him who fees all things at one view; the latter end is better than the beginning; behold good arifmg out of evil ; the defigns of the Mofl High haflening to their accompHfhment. All is of the Lord of Hofts, who is wonderful in counfel^ and excellent in working.** The Lect. XIII. Hl/lory of Ruth. 169 The reflections of the Moabitefs may be fuppofed to run in this channel. " What a blefling for me that I ever became united to an Ifraelitifli family, whatever pangs it may other ways have coft me ! But for this I fliould have been, like my fathers, a worfliipper of flocks and ftones, the work of men's hands ; a flranger to rational piety, to inward peace ! Happy lofs, v/hich procured for me this unfpeakably great gain : propi- tious poverty, which fent, which drove me out, in quell of treafures ineflimable ; bleifed exile, which conduct- ed me to a habitation under the wings of the Almigh- ty ! What real gain is true godlinels ! It has more than the promife, it has the enjoyment of the life that now is. Myfterious Providence, that directed my doubtful, trembling (teps ^to glean in that field, that has in a few fhort weeks made fuch a change in my condition, that has raifed me from the lowed, meaneil", mod forlorn of dependants, to the higheft date of af- fluence, eafe and refpeftability ; and tranfplanted me from the vad howling deferts of idolatry and ignorance, to the fair and fertile regions of knowledge, of purity, of hope and joy ! To comfort and maintain a mother like Naomi, to find fuch a friend and hufband as Bo- az ! It is life from the dead. It is of that God who has taught me to know, and to choofe him as my God, and who will never fail nor forfake them who put their trud in him." Boaz too finds his fituation greatly improved, re- joices and gives God thanks. " My wealth was great, my garners full, my man fervants and maidens nu- merous, dutiful and affedlionate, but I had no one to Ihare my profperity with me, I was folitary in the midd of a multitude : like Adam in Paradife, inca- pable of enjoyment, becaufe deditute of a companion, an help-meet for me ; but God hath provided for me a virtuous woman, whofe price is above rubies. My houfe has now received its brighted ornament, my family its firmed fupport, my edate its mod prudent •and faithful difpenfer. I have dons my duty. I have refpecled 'lyo Hi/lory of RufL Lect. Xrjl, refpefted the majefty of the law. I have followed where Providence led the way, and I have my rewards in the peace of my own mind, in the polfelFion of a wife and good woman, in the bleffing of that God who has done all things for me, and who docs all things wifely and well." Behold a match formed immediately by the hand of Providence, through the happy concurrence of lit- tle incidental circumftances ; a match built, not on the brittle foundation of fordid intereft, but on the folid bafis of mutual affedion, of generolity, of wif- dom, of religion ; a match pregnant with what confe- quences to Bethlehem-Judah, to all Ifrael, to the hur man race ! From this advantage of ground, how p.leafant it is to trace the fweetly meandering courfe of the river of prophecy and promife united, toward the vail, the im- meafurable ocean of accomplifliment. Now the tribe of Judah is rifmg into confequence, now the royal fceptre is ready to be put into his hand, never to de- part thence " till Shiloh come, of the increafe of w^hofe government and peace there fliall be no end : to whom the gathering of the people fhall be.'* Now the ftar of Jacob begins to appear. Now the " ten- der plant'* begins to rear its head, and the " root out of the dry ground to fpring up ; it buds and bloflbms as the rofe, and its fmell is as the fmell of Leba- non.'* But what eye can difcover, what created fpirit take in the whole extent of " God's purpofe and grace giv- en in Chrifl Jefus before the world began,'* and ter- minating in the final and everlaPang redemption of a loft world, through faith in his blood ? The veil of eternity is drawn over it ; " Eye hath not feen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." * " Beloved, now are we the fons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we fhall be : but we know * I Cor. ii, Q. Lect.XUI. Hifiory of Ruth, 171 know that, when he fhail appear, we Ihall be like him j for we fhall fee him as he is."* The hiltory of Ruth, will be brought to a period next Lord's day. You fee, men and brethren, the object which is cloiely kept in view, through every era of time, under aii diipeniations, and by whatever inftruments. The work ot Qod cannot itand ftili, his, purpofe cannot be defvjated. One generation of men goeth and another Cometh, but every lucceeding generation contributes to the furtherance of his defign ; and, whether know- ingly or ignorantly, voluntarily or reludantly, all ful- fil his plealure. None are forfaken of Providence, but fuch as are falfe to themfelves, and till we have done what is in- cumbent upon us, we have neither warrant nor en- couragement to look up and wifh, to expeft, and pray. Nothing is difhonourable, but what is fmful : pov- erty that is not the effeft of idlenefs, prodigality or vice, has nothing (hameful in it ; the gleaner behind the reapers may be as truly dignified as the lord of the harveft. Let lordly wealth ceafe from pride, and virtuous obfcurity and indigence from dejedion and de.pair. Waflie not time, fpirits and thought in airy fpecu- lation about imaginary fituations, but try to make the mofl of that in which infinite wifdom has feen meet to place thee. Difdain to envy any one, at leaft until thou hafl thoroughly examined into the eflate of him whom thou art difpofed to envy. He is deflitute of the happieft preparation for the relifh and enjoyment of prosperity, who has not arriv- ed at it through the path of adverfity. I'o receive with thankfulnefs, to enjoy with moderation, to refign with cheerfulnefs, to endure with patience, is the high- ^11 pitch of human virtue. Men * I John iii. 2. t-ji Hiflory of Ruth. Lect. XIIL Men are often fulfilling a plan of Providence, with- out intending, or even being confcious of it. They are afting a double part at the fame inftant ; the one private and perfonal, local and tranfitory, the other public, comprehenfive and permanent : they may be building up at once a private family, and the church of God, carrying on and maintaining the fucceffion to an inheritance, to a throne, and mihiflering to the ex- tenfion and progrefs of a kingdom Hvhich fhall never be moved or fhaken. In the kingdom of nature, there is high and low, mountain and valley, famencfs with diverfity : in the kingdom of Providence, there is difference of rank and ftation, of talent and accomplifhment, of fortune and fuccefs, but a mutual and neceflary connexion and de- pendence. In the kingdom of grace, there is diverfi- ty of gifts and offices, but the fame Spirit ; and fo in the kingdom of glory, different degrees of luftre, as ftars differ one from another, but one univerfal glory, of which all the redeemed are together partakers, all being kings and priefls unto God. Throughout the whole, there is a gradation which at once pleafes and confounds, that depreffes and exalts, that infpires con- tentment and teaches to afpire, that now attra6ls to the pure fountain of uncreated light, and now repels the bold inquirer to his native darknefs and diflance again. Is it pleafant to furvey from the exceeding high mountain, where the chriflian tabernacle is pitched, the courfe of that river whofe flreams make glad the city of our God ? What will it be, from the fumm.it of yonder eternal hills^ to contemplate the whole extent of Emanuel's land, " watered with the pure river of water of life ;" to mingle with the nations of them that are faved, as they expatiate through the bUfsful groves, planted with the tree of life : to converfe with the diftinguiflied perfonages who fhine on this hallow- ed page, and (hall then fhine in immortal luftre ; to reap with Boaz a richer harveft than ever waved on the Lect. XIIL Hijiory of Ruth. 173 the plains of Bethlehem-Judah ; to affifl Naomi in raif- ing her triumphant fong of praife ; and to rejoice with Ruth, and with one another, in our joint reception in- to God's everlafting kingdom, in our common admif- fion into " the general aflembly and church of the firft- born.** Glorious things are fpoken of thee, O city of our God. We have heard of them with the hear- ing of the ear, may our eyes be blefled with the fight of them. May " the Lamb who is in the midft of the throne lead us to living fountains of waters, and God wipe away all tears from our eyes.'* " Amen. Even fo, come. Lord Jefus." Hiftory Hiilory of Ruth. LECTURE XIV. RUTH iv. 13 17. So Boazjook Riitb, and /he ivas his ivife : and when he went in unto her, the Lord gave her conception, and Jhe bare a Jon. And the women /aid unto Nao?niy Bleffed be the Lord, which hath not left thee this day without a kinfman, that his name may be famous in If- rael. And he fhall be unto thee a rejtorer of thy life, and a Jiourifher of thine old age. For thy daughter-i7i- law, which loveth thee, which is better to thee than fevenfons, hath borne him. And Naomi took the child^ and laid it in her bofom, and became nurfe unto it, A?id the zvonien her neighbours gave it a na?ne, faying. There is afon born to NaoJiii, and they called his name Obed. He is the father offeffe, the father of David, 1 HERE is an obvious refemblance between the gen- eral plan of the divine providence, and the feparate and detached parts of it. The life of almoft every good man exhibits virtue for a feafon ftruggling with difficulty, overwhelmed with diftrefs, but emerging, rifmg, triumphing at length. Through much tribu- lation the chriltian mufl enter into the kingdom of God, and on his way be often in heavinefs through manifold temptations. It is the wife ordinance of in- finite goodnefs. Oppofnion roufes, calls forth the latent powers of the foul ; iuccefs is heightened by the Iect. XIV. Hiftory of Ruth. 175 the danger to which we were expofed, by the trouble which it cofl us, by the pains we took ; antecedent labour fweetens reft. Hence, the paflages of our own lives which we moft fondly recolleft and relate, and thofe in the lives of others which moft deeply engage and intereft us, are the fcenes of depreffion, mortifica- tion and pain through which we have palTed. The perils of a battle, the horrors of a fliipwreck, fo dread- ful at the moment, become the iource of iafting joy^ when the tempeft has chafed to roar, and the confufed noife of the warrior is hufhed into filence. Fi6lion, in order to pleale, is, accordingly, forced to borrow the garb of truth. The hero's iufferings, the lover's foHcitude and uncertainty, the parent's an- gaifli, the patriot's conflift, are the lubjed of the dra- ma. When the ftiip has reached her defired haven, when the cloud difperfes, when the conteft is decided, the curtain muft drop. . Periods of profperity cannot be the theme of hiftory. The vaft, general fyftem, in Hke manner, exhibits " the whole creation groaning and travailing in pain together :" intereft clafliing with intereft, fpirit riling up againit fpirit, one purpofe defeating another, uni- verfal nature apparently on the verge of confufion y chaos and ancient night threatening to refume their empire : but v/ithout knowledge, defign or co-opera- tion, nay, in defiance of concert and co-operation, the whole is making a regular, fteady progrefs ; the mud= dy Itream is working itfelf pure ; the difcordant mafs is bound as in chains of adamant, the wrath of man is- praifing God ; every fucceeding era and event is ex- plaining and confirming that which preceded it ; all- is tending towards one grand confummation which. jQiall colledl, adjuft, unite and crown the fcattered parts, and dem.onftrate, to the conviftion of every in- telhgent being, that all was, is, and ftiall be very good. Finite capacity can contemplate and comprehend but a few fragments at moft : and fcripture has fur- nillred us with a moil dehcioui; one, in the httle hif- • ■' '. torv,. 176 Hi/lory of Ruth. Lect. XIV. tory, of which I have now read the conclufion.^ The itory of Ruth has been confidered, by every reader of taile, as a perfed model in that fpecies of compofition. It will ftand the ted of the moil rigid criticitm, or rather, is calculated to give inflruclion and law to crit- icifm. With your patience I will attempt a brief an- alyfis of it. I ft. The fuhje6t is great and important beyond all that heathen antiquity prefents : the foundation and eflabhlhment of the regal dignity in the houfe of Da- vid, the type and anceitor of the Melfiah. An event in which not one age, one nation, one interelt is con- cerned, but the whole extent of time, the whole hu- man race, the temporal, the fpiritual, the everlafting intertfts of mankind. What is the demohtion of Troy, or the fettlement of ^neas in Latium, compar- ed to this ? Paradife Loji itfelf mull give place to this glorious opening of Paradife Regained. 2d. They/crj is perfe£l and complete in itfelf; or, as the critic would fay, has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Elimelech is driven by famine into ban- iihment, dies in the land of Moab, and leaves his fam- ily in diifrefs. Here the aftion commences. Naomi and Ruth, united by propinquity, by affedlion and by liiftrefs, are induced to return to Bethlehem-judah, in hope ot effeding a redemption of the eftate which had belonged to the family, but under the prelTure of neceffity had been alienated. Their reception, de- portment, and progrefs, form the great body of the piece. The marriage of Boaz and Ruth, and the birth of Obed is the conclufion of it. 3d. The conducl of the plot is fnnple, natural and eafy. No extraneous matter, perfonage, or event is introduc- i;d, from tiril to lafl : the incidents follow, and arife out of one another, without force, without effort. No extraordniLiry agency appears, becaufe none is re- quilite ; tlie ordinary powers of nature, and the ordi- nary courie of things, are adequate to -the effed in- ftnued to b,' produced. There is no violent or fud- den L£cT» XIV. Kijiory of Ruth, 177 den tranfition, but a calm, rational, progreflive change from deep forrow to moderated affliction, to compof- ed refignation, to budding hope, to dawning profperi- ty, to folicitous profecution, to partial fuccefs, to final and full attainment. The diicovery of Ruth, of her charadler, of her vir- tues, of her relation to Boaz, is in the fame happy flyle of natural fimplicity and eale. On her part we fee no indecent eagernefs to bring herfelf forward, no clamo- rous publication of her dillrefles or pretenfions, no af- feded difguife or concealment to attrad obfervation or provoke inquiry : on his, there is no vehemence of exclamation, no hadinefs of refolution ; but in both, the calmnefs of good minds, the fatisfadlion which confcious virtue enjoys, in the unexpedled difcovery of mutual attradlions and kindred worth. The fitua- tions are inte reding, affeding, governed by the lav/s of nature and probability, and confonant to every day's experience. 4th. The fenfiments are jufl, arifing out of the fitua- tions, adapted to the characters, guarded equally from apathy and violence. The pathetic expoftulation of Ruth with her mother-in-law, when Ihe propofed a reparation, is, in particular, a mafter-piece of native eloquence : at hearing it, the heart is melted into tendernefs, the tear of fympathy ruflies to the eye, na- ture feels and acknowledges the triumph of virtue. The fentiment of impaffioned forrow glows with equal vehemence on the lips of Naomi, and excite in the bofom of fenfibility, pity mingled with refped. In Boaz we praife and admire unoftentatious generofity, dignified condefcenfion, honefl:, undifguifed affec- tion, a fenfe of impartial, inflexible, undeviating juf- tice. 5th. The characters are nicely difcriminated, bold- ly defigned, and uniformly fupported. The grief of Naomi is verbofe, impetuous and penetrating ; that of Ruth calm, filent, melting, modeft. The plans of the mother are iagacious, comprehenfive j the refult Vol. VI. M of 178 Billory of Ruth, Lect. XIV. of refleftion, of experience ; they indicate fkill, abili- ty, refolution, perfeverance. Thofe of the daughter are artlefs, innocent ; the fuggeflion of the moment, the effufion of the heart ; indicate candour, fmcerity, confcious, unblufhing, unfufpecting reditude. In Boaz the ftruggle between inchnation, propriety, prudence and juflice is happily defigned, and forcibly executed : it is a painting from nature, and therefore cannot fail to pleafe. His opennefs and fair dealing alfo, as was obferved in a former Ledure, are finely contrafted with the felfiflinefs, infmcerity and unftead- inefs of the nearer kinfman. The character of the fervant who was over the reap- ers, though we have but a flight flvetch of it, difcovers the hand of a mafler, the hand of truth and nature. We fee in it, the beautiful and interefling portrait of imabaflied, unafTumlng inferiority, of authority undif- figured by infolence or feverity, the happy medium between power and dependence, the link in the fcale of fociety which connedls the wealthy lord with the honefl labourer, the friend and companion of both. The reft of the characters are claflTed in groups, but difcover a charafteriftic and decided diftindion. We have the Inquifitivenefs, curiofity, hard-heartednefs and indifference of an idle provincial town ; the good- nature, hofpitality, candour and cheerfulnefs of the country. The compliments of congratulation prefented to Boaz, on his marralge, and thofe addreflTed to Naomi on the birth of her grandfon, clearly evince the dif- ferent train of thought and feeling which dictated them, and mark beyond the poffibllity of miftake the fex and fentiment of the addreflbrs. In a word, the ideas expreffed by the feveral charaders in this facred drama, are fo peculiarly their own, that no reader of ordinary difcernment needs to be told, who it is that fp'eaks : the fentiments cannot pofiibly be transferred from one to another. 6th. The Lect. XIV. Hijiory of Ruth 179 6th. The manners are delineated with the fame fe- licity of pencil. We have a faithful reprefentation of thofe that are permanent and founded in nature : and of thofe which are local and temporary. When I ob- ferve thefe Bethlehemites flocking round the old wom- an and her outlandifh daughter, plying them and one another with quellions, circulating the leer and the whifper, I could fuppofe mylelf in one of the goffiping villages \vhich furround this metropolis, whofe in- habitants feed on rumour, exercife no principle but curiofity, employ no member but the tongue, or the feet, in hunting after materials for that employment. In the innocent feflivity, the uncomplaining toil, the contented fimplicity, the unaffected benevolence, the unprofeffing piety of that field of reapers, I have min- gled a thoufand and a thoufand times. It was the delight of childhood, it is the unpainful, the undeprefT- ing retrofped: of age. We have a reprefentation equally faithful and jufl of cufloms and manners which are local and tempora- ry ; fome of which excite our aflonifhment, fome fliock our delicacy, and fome provoke our mirth. Such are the modes of courtfhip here defcribed, the tranf- fer of property, the forms of judicial procedure, the terms of famihar addrefs and friendly communication; and the like. Thefe, having no intrinfic moral excel- le.nce or turpitude, are the objeft of neither praife nor cenfure. To trace their origin, or explain their na- ture and defign, may be an innocent amufement, but it were unjuft to explode them as abfurd, or to run them down as ridiculous. The antiquarian will re- vere them for their age, the philofopher will invefti- gate them as opening a new path to the knowledge of the human heart, the philanthropift will deal with them gently, becaufe they are the harmlefs peculiari- ties of his fellow-creatures, and piety will refpeft them' as prefenting another view of the endlefs variety difcoverable in all the ways and works of the great Creator. * Ma In I So Hi/iory of Ruth. Lect. XIV. In the permanent manners of mankind we fee the eternal famenefs of the human mind, which no change of cHmate, times, government, education can alter 5 a famenefs as difcernible and as fixed as the number of eyes, arms and fingers peculiar to the fpecies. In thofe which are local and tranfient, we behold the in- finite and endlefs variety of the human powers, which no [Lability and uniformity of law, inftru^tion, difci- pline, intereft, example, can arreft and fix ; a variety as difcernible, as unileady, as unaccountable, as the different fliades of complexion, the conformation of feature, the meafurements of ftature, the fluduations of thought. Every thing fatisfies, every thing con- founds. Once more, the language of this charming little epic hiftory is plain and perfpicuous, elegant yet una- dorned, nervous yet chafte, fimple yet not mean or vul- gar. It confifts of narration and dialogue, the former pofreiTirig the mofl exquifite degree of grace and eafe, the latter of vivacity and force. There is no obfcuri- ty of idea, no redundancy of exprelnon, no appearance of labour, no artful polifli, no tinfel of words, no difgufting tedioufnefs, no affeded concifenefs. Like the general code of fcripture, it is capable of neither increafe nor diminution, without fuftaining an in- But the lead merit of the piece is its excellency as a compofition. It forms a mofl material member of the great buildirg of God, an important link in the chain of Providence, an interefling and inftruftive chapter in the hiftory of redemption. The union of Boaz and Ruth can never lofe its influence, never fpend its force. When nature expires, and all thefe things are diflblved, the offspring of that pair " fhall ihine as the brightnefs of the firmament, and as the liars forever and ever.'* From that root behold a branch has arifen, to which " the nations of them that are faved'* continually refort, under whofe fhadow they repofe, whofe fruit is the fource and fupport of a divine Lect. XIV. Hipry of Ruth. \kx 4ivlne life, whofe " leaves are for the healing of the -nations/* Let the Jew read this facred page, and glo- ry in his anceftry ; let the fcholar read it, and improve his taft^, and extend his knowledge ; let the ruftic read it, and prize his humble purfuits and innocent delights ; let the Tons of poverty and the daughters of affliction read it, and ceafe from defpair, let them learn to " truft in the Lord, and to do good ;" let the chriflian read it, and " hold fall the beginning of his confidence,^' and " rejoice in hope cf the glory of God." The lafl obvious remark on the hiftovy, forry I am to fay it, is not highly honourable to human nature. While Naomi was poor, and friendlefs, and forlorn, ihe met with little fympathy, with little countenance ; fhe was permitted to depend for fubfiftence on the mif- erable, unprodudive induflry of a woman weak and "wretched as herfelf ; but no fooner is flie connefted with " a mighty man of wealth," become a mother to Boaz, than the whole city is feeking to her ; her own fex, in particular, we fee entering into all her feelings, flattering all her natural propenfities, accom- modating themfelves to her httle willies and defires, and trying to compenfate their former coldnefs and negled: by every art of attention, officioufnefs and zeal. Bafe fpirit ! bafe world ! Behold kindnefs preiT- ed upon a man, jufl in proportion as he has no need of it ; behold him oppreifed with new friends, becaufe he has already got too many, careffed by tiiofe who lately knew him not, praifed and flattered to his face, by the very tongues v/hich maHgned and cenfured him in his abfence. But that man is left to continue poor, becaufe he is poor. He finds no fupport be- caufe he wants it, he (lands unbefriended becaufe he has no friend. Shame on the fawning fycophants that only flutter about in fair weather, that only fre- quent the manfions of the rich and great, that turn with the tide, that can defpife ragged poverty, and offer incenfe to ermined villainy. Let iS2 Hijlory of Rufh. Lect. XIV. Let us turn with contempt from the fight, and take a laft parting look of one of the worthieft, beft, hap- piefl: of human beings — Naomi nurfmg and cherifhing her httle grandfon in her bofom. If there be bhfs on earth, fhe now enjoyed it. Her honeft fcheme had fucceeded, the name of her beloved hufband was re- vived, and his houfe begun to be built up ; her ami- able and beloved daughter was nobly rewarded for her tendernefs and attachment ; the inheritance of Elimelech is redeemed, and reverted to its proper channel ; the wifdom and goodnefs of Providence are fully juflified, and a profpe^t of felicity and honour is opened which knew no bounds. The miferies of a whole life are done away in one hour, converted in- to blellings, bleffings heightened and improved by the memory of pafl woes ; the name of Mara is forever obliterated, and the original, the fuitable, the pro- phetic name of Naomi reftored and confirmed. The fenfibilities of a Grand-vaothGX are peculiarly pure and delicate refpe£ting infant offspring. All good women are fond of children, to whomfoever they belong, how much more of their own, whom they bare with forrow, and have brought up with folicitude : but " that I fhould live to fee my child's child, my being multiplied ; dropping into the grave, yet reviving in that infant. I feel myfelf immortal ; this babe will live to put his hand upon my eyes, and then I fhall not feel the oppreffion of death ; if he furvive I can- not all die." " Lord, now lettefi thou thy fervant de- part in peace, for mine eyes have feen thy falvation,'* The Spirit of God has drawn a veil over the feelings of the mother herfelf, and the expreflion of them, and left it to imagination to figure the felicity of Ruth the widow of Mahlon, the daughter of Naomi, the wife of Boaz, the mother of Obed, in furveying the changes of her life, in comparing what fhe was with what fhe is. — And thus have we finifhed what was intended, in difcourfing on the book of Ruth. We have confid- ered Lect. XIV. Hijiory of Ruth,. 183 ered it, as a beautiful, becaufe natural reprefentation of human life ; as a curious and interefting detail of important fads ; and as an effential, conftituent part of the plan of redemption. It happily connects the hiftory of the Ifraelitifh judges with that of their kings, and is obvioufly blended with both : and while it demonftrates the care of Providence, in fulfilling the promifes made to Abraham, the friend of God, in prolonging his race, in multiplying his feed, in mak- ing kings to arife out of him, it unfolds the mere en- larged and comprehenfive purpofe of the Eternal Mind 5 it points diredly forward to that " feed in whom all the families of the earth ihall be bleiTed ;'* it fliews the fubferviency of all that preceded, to the evangehcal difpenfation ; it breathes good will to men. The reception of Ruth, a Gentile, within the pale of the church of the living God ; her advance=- ment to honour, her participation of the privileges of a mother in Ifrael, are a happy prefxguration of the admiiTion of the whole Gentile world within the bond of God's covenant. We fee the work of God ftill going forward and profpering ; the work of mercy enlarging, extending its fphere ; all bending forward to that grand confummation, when " Ifrael too fliall be faved," and the ancient people of God brought into a communication of the blefiirigs of the gofpel, together with " the fulnefs of the Gentile nations ;" when there fhall be " one fhepherd and one Iheep- fold ;'* when Jew and Gentile fhall arife together from the dead, becaufe " Chrift doth give them life." The birth of Obed, the father of JefTe, the father of David, brings the hillory of the world down to the year 2697, from the creation, and before Chrift 1307, and conducts us to the eve of the eftablifhment of kingly power in Ifrael. How many generations of men have palTed in re- view before us, in the courfe of thefe few years even- ing exercifes from Adam down to Boaz ! What changes 1 84 Uyiory of Ruth, Lect. XIV. changes has the audience undergone, fince firfl it col- lededin this view! What deep and affeding changes will a few more feafons produce ! The turning of the page will prefent a new preacher, new hearers, a dif- ferent plan, a different arrangement, different interefts, different feelings. The feparation of this night may- be final and permanent. We bend together, gracious God, with wonder and gratitude before thy throne. Spared together fo many years longer, *' cumberers of the ground" that we are ; our bodies preferred in health, our minds in tranquillity : bleffed with friend- ftiip, bled with fufficiency, blell with the means of improvement, bled with hope ! Ah, we are unworthy of the leaft of thy favours, and we have been diRin- guifhed by the choiceft and beft ! Make us to feel thy goodnefs and our own unworthinefs ; help us to live more to thy glory. As our intereft in the world di- minifhes, as years increafe, as grey hairs multiply, as friends depart, as comforts fail, as eternity advances, let our faith ftrengthen, let our fpirits rife to thee, let ourprofpeds brighten, let our ardour after immortality kindle. The nearer we approach to thee, let our re- femblance to thee become more apparent ; let the fpir- it of heaven, the fpirit of the bleffed Jefus, be imparted to us, that, living and dying, we may edify the world, be a bleffmg to all conneded with us, and ftill enjoy inward peace. And as we feparate from time to time, may it be in the fweet expedation of meeting together in the regions of everlafling purity, love and joy. " The grace of our Lord Jefus Chrift be with your fpiiits. Amen." Hiffory Hillory of Hannah, THE MOTHER OF 3AMUEL. LECTURE XV. I SAMUEL i. I 8. Now there was a certain man of Ramatha'mi'Zophim, of Mount Ephraim^ and his name was Elkanah, the Jon ofjtroham^ the/on of Elihu^ thefonof Tohu, the fort of Zuph^ an Ephrathite, And he had two wives ; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah : and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. And this man went up out of his city yearly, to worjhip and to facrifice unto the Lord of Hofis in Shiloh. And the two fons of Eli, Hophni and Phinchas, the priejis of the Lord, tuere there. And when the time was that Elkanah offered, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her fons and her daugh- ters, portions. But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion : for he loved Han?iah ; but the Lord had fhut up her womb. And her adverfary alfo provoked her fore, for to make her fret, hecaufe the Lord had fhut up her womb. And as he didfo year by year, when foe ivent up to the houfe of the Lord ; fojhe provoked her ; therefore fhe wept and did not eat. Then faid Elkanah her hufband to her, Hannah, why wcepcjl thou ? And why eateji thou not ? And why is thy heart grieved ? Am not I better to thee than ten fons ? Similar i86 X Hi/hry of Hannah, Lect. XV*- j DIMILAR caufes ever have produced, and ever will produce limilar effects. You may fhift the fcene from one age and country to another, but like beings, the fame fpirit, the fame palfions and purfuits arife continually to view. The difference between period and period, nation and nation, city and city, man and man, connils merely in a few arbitrary culloms, vari- ous forms of fpeech and modes of behaviour ; but the great principles of human nature, the great mov-, ing Iprings of human actions are univerfal and inva- riable. What then is fo abfurd as to tax others witl\ abfurdity, only becaufe their language, manners or prejudices do not exactly coincide with our own ? As the principles of our nature, fo the rules of the divine government are limilar and uniform. The views, paffions and intereils of men are the hinges on which the mighty engine revolves. Every little indi- vidual moves and acts in his own proper fphere, like the flars in the firmament of heaven, but all move and act together under the influence of one great com- manding power, which animates and directs the whole. Every one poffeffes, and feels, and exercifes its fepa- rate intelligence, and all are, at the fame tim^e, check- ed, impelled, fuftained by one fupreme Intelligence which is above all, through all and in all. The julteft and moft accurate, the moft ufefu! and inftructive reprefentations of human life and conduct are to be found in this divine record. The actors in this facred and interefting dram.a, are perfonages of the very highelt diftinclion, patriarchs and prophets, legiflators and kings ; but we are never permitted, for a fingle moment, to forget, that they are alfo men. In their form and features we behold our own imase reflected. In the emotions by which they were agi- tated, in the objects which they purfued, we recog- nize our own averfions and defires, our own pur- fuits zxiCi attainments, our own mortifications and fuc- cefs. We Lect. XV. Hi/lory of Hannah, 187 We are now entering on the hiflory of one of the greatefl among the prophets, and that hiflory dehne- ated by his own pencil. He begins it with a delcrip- tion of his father's family, previous to his own birth, and a faithful reprefentation of the different charaders of which it was compofed. And this will furnifli am- ple matter for the prefent Lecture. Elkanah, the father of Samuel, from the genealog- ical deduftion here prefented, was a Levite of the family of the Kohathites, and is denominated a man of Ram.athaim-zophim, of Mount Ephraim, from his. being born or refiding at that city. , Men of eminence, as has often been obferved, con- fer celebrity on cities and countries ; but poor is that merit which is derived from no other fource but a man's parentage, or the place of his birth. The Le- vitical tribe was fcattered over the whole country, and during the diforderly times which fucceeded the death of Jolhua, their refidence and their fervices feem to have been regulated by no certain and fixed ffandard. His anceflors for many generations are mere names in the hiftoric page ; fhadows without a fubflance ; and he himfelf borrows the fame and luflre in which he is tranfmitted to us, from the reputation, ability and dillinclion of his nobler fon ; whole children, in their turn, fmk into infamy, and thence into oblivion. The firfl article in Elkanah's domeflic economy ' prefented to our confideration, is an imputation upon his wifdom, if not upon his piety. " He had two wives." Pofj'^gamy, or a plurality of wives, was a pradice at that time indeed connived at, but no where, and at no period, fanclioned by a law : a prac- tice not indeed condemned by flatutes and punifh- ments, but fufficiently condemned by effecls and con- fequences. It is of very little importance to inquire whether it be forbidden, if it can be proved unreafon- able, unwife, inexpedient. And for fuch proof we have but to recur to the don*eftic hiflory of Abraham, ©f Jacob, of Elkanah, and of every family in which it prevailed. 1 88 Biftory of Hannah, Lect. XV. prevailed, Hannah was probably the prior wife, and it is prefumable that the difappointment of not having children by her fuggefted the hazardous experiment of a double marriage ; and the ifl'ue demonftrated that every deviation from the path of rectitude leads di- reftly to its own chaftifement. The mortification of Hannah, already too much to bear, is grievouily embittered by the affumption of a rival in the aifedf ion of her hufband, and becomes in- tolerable by the fruitfulnefs of that rival. And thus, by one ill-advifed ftep, all the parties are rendered un- happy, and that without any high degree of criminali- ty on any fide. Elkanah's peace is inceffantly difturb- ed by the mutual jealoufy, and bitternefs, and ftrife of thofe conjoined, who feparately might have con- tributed to foothe and foften the cares of Hfe. The pleafure of having children is marred and impaired to Peninnah, by the ill-difguifed partiaHty of the father of her children, to another. The mifery of barren- nefs is dreadfully aggravated to Hannah, by the cruel mocking and taunts of her mercilefs adverfary. And what became of the children all the while ? Were they likely to be well and wifely educated, amidft all thefe domeflic jarrings ? Hated and oppofed by more than a ftep-mother's rancour, fpoiled by the over indulgence of maternal tendernefs, driving to compensate that rancour and hatred; fecretly careffed, openly neg- leded by an embarraifed father, who was now afraid to exprefs, and now to conceal the honed emotions of nature. It is not vice only that deftroys human comfort. And if mere imprudence involves a man in fo many difficulties and diftreffes, how dreadful muft it be to bear continually in one's bofom the burning coal of an ill confcience. Happily for Elkanah and his houfe, family difcord did not extinguilh family religion ; he went up regu- larly with all his houfehold to worlhip the Lord at Shi- loh, at the great yearly fedivals. The law command- ed the attendance of the males only, on fuch occa- fions ; Lect. XV* tJiJlory of Hannah. 189 fions ; but whether it were that a higher fenfe of pie- ty induced him to appear before Jehovah rejoicing with all that were his, or whether he hoped to allay the ferment of fierce and angry fpirits, in the foul- compofing exercifes of devotion, both his wives at- tended him to the fervice of the fanftuary, and fat down together with him at the facrifice of peace-offer- ing. It was wifely and well intended, the fire of ma- lignity fades and dies in prefence of the pure flame of love divine, as material fire is abforbed and extinguifh- ed when expofed to the rays of the glorious oib of day. It was well intended, had he not reafon to hope that Hannah would forget her mifery, and Peninnah her pride in the prefence of God ; that the pov/er of religion, and the profpefts of immortality might haply unite thofe whom paffion and intereft had fever- ed. But if fuch were his intention, he fucceed- ed not. And that he fucceeded not, is to be imputed, in part, to his own weaknefs. The be- loved wife muft be diftinguifhed by a " worthy por- tion,'* and to render it more infulting, at a public fef- tival, and before envious, watchful eyes, thofe of Pe- ninnah, and her fons and daughters. Thus, through fome mixture of folly in ourfelves, through the crafti- nefs and malignity of another, or through fome unto- wardnefs of arrangement, over which we had no pow- er, and neither could forefee nor prevent, the bed defigns mifcarry, medicine is converted into poifon, and religion is made a minifter of wrath and unrigh- teoufneis. Who does not here recollefta certain " coat of ma- ny colours," which cofl fo dear to him who gave, and to him who wore it ? Who is not warned to guard againft, or at leafl to conceal partial affedions, where claims are equal ? Who does not feel the importance of bringing to the altar of God, a fpirit elevated above all temporal confiderations ! Not only was the good-natured intention of Elka- nah fruftrated, but the worfhip of God was profaned ^ and 190 Hiji or y of Hannah, Leg T. XV. and wretched indeed muft be the ftate of that family, where rehgion not only fails to conciliate, but tends to alienate, irritate and inflame. "Elkanah loved Hannah, but the Lord had fhut up her womb.'*— The abfence of one defired bleffing renders the poiTef- fion of a thoufand others taftelefs and infipid. The moderating hand of eternal Providence redtifies the diforders, and countera6ls the violence, of human paffion ; preferves the balance from a preponderancy too great, or too lading, on either fide ; and conduds all to the happieft iflue at length. But an evil which comes immediately from heaven is by that very confideration rendered both tolerable and falutary. The Lord can do nothing but what is right ; in wrath he remembers love ; " he afHifts not willingly nor grieves the children of men, not for his pleafure, but their profit.'* But alas, there was min- gled in Hannah's cup, an ingredient which converted the whole into wormwood and gall ; " her adverfary alfo provoked her fore for to make her fret, becaufe the Lord had ihut up her womb." What relifh had now the double portion, though the token of a fond hufband's unabated kindnefs ? The infulting words and looks of her pitilefs " adverfary'* are as vinegar upon nitre. How dreadful to have a calamity which was incelfantly, though fecretly preying upon her vi- tals, incelTantly thrown in her teeth ; home rendered a burthen ; the place of facrifice, a habitation of dif- cord ; fire fnatched with unhallowed hands from the altar of Jehovah to kindle the gloomy fire of hell ! There needs no tormenting fiend to afcend from the bottomlefs pit, armed with fcorpions, to plague and torture wretched mortals ; fee, they are armed like furies one againft another, they exult in one another's pain ; relentlefs, remorfelefs, they " fay not it is enough." Dreadful to think, this angry vengeful fpirit con- tinxied to agitate and torment thefe unhappy women for many years together j and what is hell, but a (late of Lect. XV. Hijiory of Hannah, 191 of unabating, growing animofity and hatred ? " As he went up year by year, when ilie went up to the houfe of the Lord, io Ihe provoked her." In fe- male bofoms can fuch mahgnity dwell ? Ah, what fo bad as the good corrupted, perverted ! Behold a ran- cour which no time could enfeeble, no fenfe of fliame reftrain, and which the facrednefs of the fanduary ferved only to embitter and inflame ! Can it be polli- ble, merciful Father, can it be poffible, that fuch a fell fpirit fhould ever have accompanied any of us to thy houfe of prayer ? Can " the fame tongue utter bleffmg and curfmg ?'* Dare we fay " we love God, whom we have not feen, while we hate" or defpife " a brother" a filler " whom we have feen ?" " Search me, O God, and know my heart : try me, and know my thoughts : and fee if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlafting."* It is greatly to the honour of Hannah, that all this cruel and infulting treatment drev/ from her no in- decent return. Though grieved in fpirit, provoked, fretted beyond all enduring, we hear of no furious appeal to the partial tendernefs of her hufband, no raihng for railing, no rafli malediction, no furious threatening of revenge. It is not eafy to govern the fpirit ; it is not always poffible to command the tem- per under offence and infult ; but the tongue is in every one's power, improper words admit of no de- fence, and rage is but a poor apology for abufe and blafphemy. But fhe pines away in filent forrow. " She wept, and did not eat." Thefe feafons of re- joicing before the Lord, thefe times of refrefhing to every other daughter of Ifrael, were to her days of heavinefs and woe. What fignifies a large portion to one who has no appetite ? What is the profperity of her people, to one, who, Hke a dried branch, is cut off from all intereft in pofterity, who fees the name and honours of her beloved hufband paffing away to the children of another, the children of one who hated her? * Pfalm cxxxix. 23, 24. icf^ iiijlory of Hannah i Lect. XV* her ? Alas, the fpirit of devotion itfelf is checked and reprefled by the inceffant, unrelenting iHngs of envy and jealouly ; life is become a burden to her. The deep afHiclion with which Ihe was overwhelmed could not efcape the attentive eyes of Elkanah. Though her tongue faid nothing, her eyes, her tears, her dejeftion, her abftinence, her fighs betrayed abun- dantly the anguifh of her foul. " Then faid Elkanah her hufband to her, Hannah why weepcft thou, and why eatefl thou not, and why is thy heart grieved ? Am not I better to thee than ten fons ?" To what dif- trefs has the good man reduced himfelf ? Now he feverely feels the effeft of his own imprudence, and laments his having tried the dangerous experiment, ■which robbed him of all domeftic quiet, difturbed the fellivity of the folemn rendezvous at Shiloh, and threatened to produce one day fome tragical event in his family. Sympathy, if it does not wholly difpel oni* miferies, pours at leaft a temporary balm into the wound, and " foothes pain for a while." Hannah becomes com- pofed, and the feaft is concluded- There is ftill one refuge left for the miferable, one remedy againfl: def- pair, one friend able and ready to help in every time of trouble ; and our eyes with complacency follow the mourner, not into her fecret retirement, to fpend her forrow in unavailing tears, or to curfe the day in which Ihe was born ; not into the round of giddy dif- fipation, to drown reflection and anxiety, in the poi- foned chaHce of intemperate mirth and jollity ; but to the place of prayer, but to the door of mercy, but to the dawn of hope. We fhall prefently find, that what related to the externals of God's worlhip was at that time but badly conducted in Ifrael, the " fons of Eli were fons of Behal,'* they " knew not the Lord." But be the minifter who he will, the word and fervice of God cannot be rendered of none effed. Not only the fpirit of piety, but a fenfe of common decency was now Lect. XV* Uljiory of Hannah. 193 now loft in the Levitical priefthood : when it pleafed God to make this very afflifted woman, the means in his hand, to reftore the dignity, purity and importance of the facred fundlion, to revive the decayed interelts of rehgion, and to bring forward the great events which are fo intimately connetled with the things which belong to our everlafting peace. When we look into human life, whether as exhibit- ed on the hallowed page of infpiration, or by our own obfervation and experience, we (hall find that moft of the " ills which fleih is heir to'* may eafily be traced up to fome imprudence, heedlefsnefs, or tranfgreffion of the man himfelf, who, before he was aware, found himfelf involved in difficulties and diftrelTes the native efFeds of his own mifconduft, but which he forefaw not, apprehended not, and which he never couid in- tend. I know how poor a confolation it is, to tell a man, " you have nobody but yourfelf to blame,** and to upbraid him with the warning which you gave him, and he would not take ; but it is not, for that, ufelefs for one to difcover the fource, caufe and progrefs of his calamity. The cafe muft be bad indeed, or his eyes muft have been opened very late, or his " heart hardened through the deceitfulnefs of fin,'* if he cannot turn to fome good account the refle£lions of maturer judgment, the admonitions and chaftifement of experience, the pain and remorfe of an /// con- fcience, or the miftakes and wanderings of a good one. — There are fteps in condu6t which are irretrieve- able, and therefore ought not to be tampered with. The exceflive ufe of the moft wholefome food, will at length overwhelm the ftrongeft conftitution ; the occafional application of what is doubtful or unwhole- fome may undermine or wafte it, but poifon is certain death ; and the fagacity of a brute, the underftanding of a child, is fufficient to diftinguifti between poifon and food, perhaps not between poifon and medicine. — To how many gracious, focial, civil and moral purpofes, may not the wife and proper ufe of religious- Vol. VI. N fervices- 194 ^'iflory of Hdtinah* Lect. XV* i'ervices be applied ? The man who has performed with undcrflandiiig and feeling the devotions of the clofet^ will iffue from it in a higher (late of preparation for every duty of life. Filled with veneration for his heavenly Father, " who feeth," and with whom he has been con- verfing " in fecret," he breathes good will to man. The emotions of every unkind, ungentle, unjufl; affec- tion are ftifled, extinguilhed, forgotten. The princi- ples of benevolence and benignity have acquired new life and energy,. He is difpofed to meet the ills of life with more firmnefs and fortitude, and to enjoy its blelT- ings with a more exquifite relifli. Hannah havings poured out her foul to God, " went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more fad." The de- votion of the morning will prove the belt alTiftant to- ward conducting the bufinefs of the coming day ; and that of the evening, the happieft review and improve- ment of the palt. From him who habitually begins and ends every thing with God, you may reafonably exped, the fruits of a good and honed heart, " fpeech alway with grace, fealbned with falt^** and order in conduct, more than from other men : more works of mercy, more fair dealing, more fteadinefs in friend- fhip : and lefs of the rancour of oppofition, lefs of the felf-fufficiency of pride, lefs of the m.alignity of envy ; for the love of God abforbs all thefe baleful^ malignant fires. The devotions of the family^ in like manner, produce the happieft effeds within that fphere. How foothing, how cementing, how conciliating they are ! Does com- mon calamity prefs ? It is alleviated, it is fandtified, it is done away, Vvhen the " care is caft upon God,'* when the burthen is transferred to a Father in heaven, who ftands engaged to remove it, or to render it a bleifing. . Is domeftic profperity abounding, increafmg ? What an additional luftre, value, fweetnefs does it derive from union, from piety, from a common fenfe of obli- gation and dependence ? Have offences come ? Has peace been dillurbed ? Are the bonds which united hulband Lect. XV. Hi/iory of Hannah. 195 hufband and wife, parent and child, brother and broth- er, mafter and fervant, unhappily broken ? The mo- ment that the heahng addrefs, " Our Father who art in heaven,'* reaches the ear, every foul is peace, the fpirit of love pervades the whole, and the voice of difcord is heard no more. When pardon is implor- ed from him whom all have offended, the ftony heart relents, melts, forgives, for he needs to be forgiven. The influence of public ivorjhip likewife, where it has not degenerated into mere form, is the ftrongefl cement of fociety. It ferves to confolidate men of va- rious ranks and conditions, with their feveral talents and abilities, into one compa6t, efficient, well-organ- ized body, ready to aft with one heart and one foul, in the caufe of God and their country. Little fhades of difference, in men truly good, will unite inftead of disjoining. Our great national affemblies are obliged, by law, to open their fittings for public bufinefs, by adts of public devotion. The reafon and intention of the law, and of the practice founded upon it, are abundantly obvious. If the effedt does not follow to the extent that might be wifhed — it muff be conclud- ed, that the devotional part of the fitting is negleded ; that formality has extinguifhed the flame ; or that difference of religious fentiment, or what is fliill worfe, indifference to all religion, mar and weaken, and dif- traft the whole. The prevalency of a worldly fpirit mufl: at length prove fatal to piety, and when piety is gone, public fpirit is on the decline, and will not long furvive. — But we have in the hifl:ory under review, a melan- choly infl:ance of what frequently happens to this day, and under a happier difpenfation of religion — feafons and places of devotion perverted into the inflruments of kindling and excrcifing the ungracious, the unfo- cial, the unkind affedions. How often is the fandtua- ry of God profaned, by being made the fcene of dif- playing the rivalfliip of beauty, drefs, equipage, rank and affluence ? The humbling fervices of the meek N 2 and 196 Hijiory of Hannah. Lect. XVI and lowly Jefus, are unnaturally forced into the min- ifters of pride and vain-glory. The tranquillity of the day of facred reft, and its gentle, peaceful employments, give a birth, vi^hich they deleft and difclaim, to the whifper of envy, and the noife of llander. The feaft of love is difturbed, the facrifice of peace is defiled by the impure claws of harpies ; and " the houfe of prayer is turned into a den of thieves/* " Surely, my belov- ed brethren, thefe things ought not fo to be.'* — Happily for us, the influence of the gofpel, and the laws of our country, and the fpirit of the times, prevent the practice which threw Elkan^h's family in- to fuch a flame; and which, whereever it has prevailed, has been produdive of confufion and every evil work. May a purer religion, and wifer inftitutions, and a more enlightened fpirit produce a more perfect morali- ty, promote domeftic happinefs, and extend and fecure national profperity. We now proceed farther to unfold, from the facred ., 'liiftory, the charafter and condud: of Hannah ; earn- eftly praying, that with " all" the reft of " fcripture,*' which " is given by infpiration of God," it may prove profitable for doftrine, and for reproof, and for cor- redion, and for inftrudion in righteoufnefs/* Hiftory Hiftory of Hannah, JHE MOTHER OF SAMUE.L- 'LECTURE XVI. ,1 SAMUEL i. 9 18. So Hannah rofe up after they had eaten in Shiloh^ and af- ter they had drank. Now Eli the prieftfat upon a feat by a pofi of the temple of the Lord. And fhe was in ■hitter nefs of foul ^ and prayed unto the Lord, and wept fore. And fhe -vowed a -vow, and faid, Lord of htfis, if thou wilt indeed look on the affiiclion of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine hand-- .maid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man-child, then I- will give him unto the Lord all the days (f his life, and there fhall no razor come upon his head. Arid it came topafs as fhe continued praying before the Lord, that Eli marked her mouth. Now Hannah, fhe f pake in her heart, only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard : therefore Eli thought fhe had been drunken. And Eli f aid unto her. How long wilt thou be drunken ? put away thy wine from thee. And Hannah anfwered and f aid. No, my Lord, lam a woman of a forrowfid fpirit : I have drank neither wine nor firong drink, but have poured out my foul before the Lord. Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial : for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I fpoken hitherto. Then Eli anfwered and faid. Go in peace : ,and the God of Ifrael grant thee thy petition that thou hafi 19^ Hifiory of Hannah. Lect. XVI. haji ajkea of him. And foe faid. Let thine handmaid find grace in thy fight. So the ivoman went her ivajy and did eat, and her countenance was no more fad. X HE fupport and the confolations adminiftered by religion, are adapted to the nature and neceffities of man. The exercifes "which it prefcribes arife out of the circumftances and events of human Hfe ; and the being and perfeclions of God prefent themfelves to us according as we pafs from one condition to another. There are comforts which no one but God could have beftowed : there is wretchednefs which God only can reUeve. Hence the foul rifes diredtly to the Giver of all good in transports of gratitude, and cleaves to him ■when every other refuge fails. Hence, all that is known by the name of prayer, is at once the voice of nature, the refult of reafon, and a diftate of religion. What is the confeffion of the penitent, but the trem- bling hope of a guilty creature toward the God of mercy, fleeing from the judgment of unrelenting, un- ibrgiving man ; from the perfecution of an awakened, an accufmg confcience, to a proclamation of peace and pardon from heaven ? What is the refignation of the patient, but a devout acknowledgment of unerring wifdom, which does all things well, and afflids in lov- jng-kindnefs ? What is the cry of diftrefs, but an ap- peal to omnipotence for that affiftance which the pow- ers of nature cannot bellow ? What is adoration, but the faculties of an intelligent being loft in the con- templation of infinite perfedion ? Even the ralh and impious appeals to Heaven, which are uttered by the thoughtlefs and profane, demonftrate, that piety and prayer are founded in the very conftitution of our na- ture. Why does that blafphemer take the name of the Lord God in vain ? why fwears he by the great and terrible name of Jehovah ? why is his imprecation fanclioned by that tremendous fignature ? why are the emotions of anger, of pain, of furprife, of joy, enforc- ed by the names and attributes of Deity ? The wretch who 'JLect* XVI, Hijlcry of Hannah, 6*99 H^ho thus tramples on his law, infults his authority, defies his power, is in thefe very a£ls of horror paying an involuntary homage to the God of truth and juf- tice, and obhquely confelTes that divine perfeftion which he has the boldnefs to violate. We turn from the dreadful practice with holy in- dignation, to contemplate the defponding mourner fleeing for reft andrehef in the bofom of a Father and a God ; and to learn lefTons of piety, and derive nour- •ifhment to hope, from the experience of others. We have feen the diforder of a family in Ifrael oc- cafioned by the foolifiinefs of man ; we are now to -confider that diforder redified, and turned into a fource of domeftic joy and public felicity through the wifdom and goodnefs of God, The fokmnity of the yearly facrifice, and the cheerfulnefs of the feaft, had been continually embittered and deftroyed to Hannah by refledion on her ftate of approach among the daugh- ters of Ifrael, and the mercilefs infults of her rival and adverfary. The kind attentions, and affedlionate re- monftrances of a beloved huiband, foothe for a mo- ment, but cannot remove the anguilh that preyed upon heart. She looks with impatience through the tedioufnefs of the ent-ertainment, to the hour of re- tirement ; and, as foon as decency permits, fhe ex- changes the houfe of mirth for the houfe of prayer. *' If any one is afflicted let him pray." And who U not ready to give teftimony to the falutary influence of this hallowed employment ? The fuppliant thus difburthens the mind of a load, before intolerable ; the effufion of tears cools and refreflies the heart. Prayer does not always bring down the grace that is folicited, but verily it has produced its effeci:, when the fpirit is moulded into the will of the Moft High. Prayer prevails not to obtain that particular blefling, but behold it is crowned with another and a greater benefit. The expected good comes not exactly at the time and in the way it was entreated, but it is convey- ed at the moft proper feafon, and in the (itteft way ; and 20O ,^ Hijiory.. of Hannah, Lect. XVIog.t and how much is the enjoyment heightened and fweet- ened by the delay ! Thus, whether the wreftler " as a prince has power with God, and prevails," or by a touch is made fenfible of his weaknefs and inferior- ity, God is glorified, and the divine life is promoted in him. The memoirs of this good woman's life compre- hend but a very fhort period, a few years at moft. Herein confifts one of the excellencies of the facred writings. Other biographers drag you with them in- to dry, uninterefting details of events which had much better been forgotten. You are wearied out with the laborious dilplay of childifh prattle, the pre- tendtd prognoftic of future eminence, or the doting, imperfed, diftorted recolledlions of a wretched old man who has outlived himfelf. There are in truth very few particulars in any man's life worthy of being recorded ; and of thofe who really have lived, a very fliort memoir indeed will ferve all the valuable pur- pofes of hiftory. Every thing of importance for us to know refped-? ing Hannah is what related to the birth of her fon Samuel ; and to that accordingly the fcripture account of her is confined. She is the fourth, as far as we recollect, on the face of the facred hiftory, reprefented in nearly fiinilar circumllances, and (he is not the leaf! rerpe6:able of the four. " Sarah laughed,** ftag- •^ering at the promife of God through unbelief. Rebekah feems to have borne her trial with liftlefl- nefs and indifference ; and Rachael, irritated with her's, lofes all fenfe of fliame and decency, and ex- claims, " Give me children, elfe I die." Hannah feels her calamity -i.^ a woman, deplores it as a woman, and feeks deliverance from it as one who believed in the power and grace of God. Obferve the more delicate fhades in her character, . r.y She rofe not up till " after they had eaten in Shiloh,;Ti ti and after they had drunk." She had patience and felf-[!;ov>:r:i:aent fufiicient to carry her without any ap- parent Lect. ItVT. Hijiory of Hannah. 201'' parent difquietude, through the formalities of a pub- lic affembly, which muft have been very painful, irk- fome, and difgufting to her. She would rather con- ftrain herfelf, than make others uneafy ; and pine in fecret, rather than permit her private griefs to fpread a gloom over the innocent communications of fociety. Tell me, if you will, that the remark is frivolous, and the doctrine unedifying. I (hall neither feel mortified nor complain, provided you permit me to think that nothing is frivolous that tends to unfold the excel- lence and importance of the female charader, and nothing unedifying which ferves to improve the bet- ter part of our fpecies in the knowledge of the means whereby both their - refpedability and import- iu\ce may be effeftually promoted. I repeat it therefore confidently, that Hannah is here repre- fented as exemplifying a hard leflbn, but one of high importance to all her fex, Who dees not know, my female friends, that your condition and place in focie- ty necelTarily fubjeft you to many cruel privations, many mortifying conflraints ? What heart but fympa- thizes with you, obliged, as you are, to bear and to forbear, in patience and filence, and to pradife pain- ful duty, without fo much as the poor reward of no- tice and approbation. But trull me, you have often, when you little think of it, the admiration and efteem of the more attentive and judicious ; you have the fweet confolation of reflefting that you are endeav- ouring to act well ; you can look up in humble hope to that God who feeth in fecret ; who obferves and records what the world overlooks or forgets. How pitiable, on the other hand, are thofe unhappy females, who dream of deriving confequence from vexing and diflurbing all around them, by perpetual- ly bringing forward their perfonal vexations, as if the world had nothing to mind but them, and their real or imaginary grievances. But this, as was faid, is only a fliade in the charac- ter ; the great, ftriking feature, is a fervid, importu- nate, 402 Hijiory of Hannah, Lect. XVI. nate, afpiring fpirit of devotion. Sighs and tears are tlie language of nature finking under its own woe, of a "heart that knows its own bitternefs ;" prayer is the language of faith in, and hope toward God, the exertion of a foul flruggling to get free, cafting its bur- den upon the Lord, and acquiring ftrength from ex- ercife. There is a beautiful and affeding copioufnefs in her expreffion. She addrefles God as the Lord of univerfal nature, who " doth according to his will, in the armies of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth ;** as " the Lord of Hofts," who has all crea- tures, all events in his haud and at his difpofal. The repetition of the word " handmaid" is emphatical, .and powerfully exprelTes her humility, fubmillion, and fenfe of dependence ; and it is humility that lends en- ergy to every other principle of the divine life. *' From the abundance of the heart the mouth fpeak- eth,'* and accordingly we find her diverfifying her pe- tition into all the various modes of addrefs ; " If thou wilt indeed look on my affliftion, and remember me, and not forget me. Is this the vain repetition of the hypocrite, who thinks he fhall "be heard for his much fpeaking ?" O no, it is the honeft effufion of a heart filled with its object, perfifting in the purfuit, and rifmg gradually into confidence of fuccefs. . It is a happy anticipation of the Saviour's doftrine, *' that men ought to pray always, and not to faint :" a happy example of clearnefs and precifion in the fub- ject matter of prayer, of confidence in, and reliance on the Hearer of prayer, of holy refolution to make a fuitable return to prayer heard, accepted, and an- fwered. But what v/as here the expreffion of a devout, a praying fpirit ? The noife of the Pharifee, the pomp of words, the corre£tnefs that courts the applaufe of men ? No, but the ardour of a gracious fpirit which neglecLS forms, which never think: of appearance, or the opinion of others, which, occupied with God, over- looks man. What need of words, to him who reads the Xect. XVI. Hi/lory of Hannah, 203 the fecret recefles of the heart, who hears the half- breathed figh of the prifoner in his dungeon, who col- lects the falling tears of the mourner, and has already granted the pious requeft before it is formed in the anx- ious bread ? Strong inward emotion will of neceffity im- print itfelf on the external appearance. The voice may be fuppreifed, but the features will fpeak ; what bufh- el will confine the lightning of the eye ? the lips will move involuntary ; the hands will raife themielves to heaven, without an admonition from vanity, and the bofom will fwell to make room for the expanding heart, though no eye is prefent to fee it, and regardlefs whether there be or no* How equivocal are the figns of human pafHons, and how liable to miftake is the moft difcerning human eye ? What was in the fight of God an indication of faith believing againft hope, of a fervent piety which totally abforbed the fenfes, of a heavenly mind which rapt the very body up to the throne of God, is, in the fight of Eli, the diforder of a diftempered brain, the effeft of excefs, the loweft, the moft deplorable, the moft difgufting exhibition of degraded humanity. Alas, the good man, as we ftiall prefently find, had " a beam in his own eye ;" and thereby was led to difcern " a mote'* in that of another, where there was none. In refleding on the rafti judgments of men, the choice of David, when in a great ftrait, preffes it- felf upon us with redoubled force ; " Let me fall now into the hand of the Lord, for his mercies are great ; and let me not fall into the hand of man.** " If God juftifieth, who is he that condemneth ?'* But ah ! what fignifies the applaufe of the world to him who is con- demned of his own confciencc, and who trembles eve- ry hour at thought of the righteous judgment of God! I like the defence of Hannah almoft as well as her prayer ; it argues conscious innocence and integrity. Not a fmgle particle of gall enters into her reply, not even a particle of honeft heat and indignation, at an imputation 904/ f [ " Hijiory of Hannah, Lect.' avL imputation fo odious. A female charged with a breach of decency fo grofs as excefs of wine, and not break out into a flame ! Ah, her calmnefs and temper refute fufficiently the infamous afperfion, infinitely better than a torrent of intemperate abufe would have •done. How calm, how beautiful, how lovely, how •dignified is innocence ! It feeks the light, it fhrinks not from the eye of infpeftion, it defies calumny, and wraps itfelf up in its own pure mantle ; but difdains not, at the fame time, to fatisfy the honefl inquiry, and to remove the hafty fufpicion of true goodnefs ; it is always ready to render a reafon, always ready to prevent its good from being .evil fpoken of. The condu6t of Eli is eltimable in two points of view. Obferving, as he thought, the temple of the Lord profaned, and the female character difhonoured, he honeftly fpeaks out his fufpicion and cenfure to the party concerned ; inftead of whifpering them in the ear of a third perfon ; and thereby affords an oppor- tunity of explanation, and of coming to a right under- ftanding : and, once fatisfied of his having been mif- taken, he retrads his hafty judgment, and exchanges reprehemlon into blefling, and fupplicates Heaven in favour of her whom he had rafhly condemned. To what a happy ferenity is the mind of Hannah now reftored ! She has poured out her foul before the Lord, and vindicated her innocence to man. The tranquillity and joy of her fpirit fhine in the whole of her outward deportment ; her countenance brightens up, {he partakes in the feftivity of the feafon, and " is no more fad.** What a different figure does the fame man prefent to the eyes of the world, inflamed with rage, torn with envy, ftung with remorfe, diftrafted with anxiety, degraded with debauchery ; or with a virage beaming benevolence, eyes animated with love, a form firm and ered from confcious integrity. Would you wi(h to appear to advantage before ♦^■'others, take care to cleanfe the infide of the cup. Pu- ri^ thyfelf '- from all filthinefs of the fpirit.'* Let order I^ECT. XVr. Hiflory of Haiinah. 205 order and peace reign within ; no artificial daubing applied on the outfide, no fplendour or elegance of apparel, no ftudied arrangement of the features, wiU do it half fo well. i Looks and appearance are perhaps of inferior con- fequence to one fex, but they are of much to the other. With fome, appearance is all in all. In that view, it is not eafy to imagine the effed which the in^- 'ward temper and charader produce. Beauty be- comes perfect uglinefs, and ini'pires nothing but dif- guft, from the moment that the face begins to wear the traces of pride, contempt, envy, fury or infolence. On the other hand, be afl'ured, that a very homely external may be improved into perfe£l lovelinefs, by affability, gentlenefs, benevolence, compaffion, and, above all, by a fpirit of genuine piety, the parent of "^ every grace. If there be a human being that really ^ deferves the name of angel, a term, for the moft part, mofl vilely proftituted, it is a fenfible woman defcend- ing from the temple, or ifluing from her clofet, to en- ter with com^pofednefs, fweetnefs and fatisfad:ion on the employments of her humble, but important Ration in human life. It was through the diforder of a divided family, it was through the woe of an afflided woman, it was amidft the corruptions of a degenerate church and a disjointed ftate, that God was pleafed to raife up a prophet, a priefl, a judge in Ifrael to ftem the torrent, to reftore the loft dignity of religion, to fave a finking nation. When events flow in an even channel, when the powers of nature produce their effect in an uni- form tenor, a bhnd chance, an irrefiftible fate, or an unintelligent arrangement receives the homage, which is due only to fovereign wifdom, and all-comprehen- five beneficence. For this reafon, God fometimes permits the great machine as it were to fland ftill, that men may obferve by what hand it is ftopt, and by ■what hand it is put in motion again. Ifaac, io6 Hijiory of Hannah* Lect. XVI. Ifaac, Jacob, Samfon, Samuel, four of the moft eminent among the types of the great Reftorer of fall- en man, were introduced into the world, through the agonies of defponding nature, through the exercife of undaunted faith, and the unwearied importunity of prayer and fupplication. They were the fuccelfive lights of the world, each in his day ; and having eve- ry one fulfilled his day, were fuccelfively extinguifti- ed. The great Light of the world has ariien, the ftars difappear, the fhadows are fled away. Patriarchs and prophets bring their glory, and lay it at his feet, a voice from heaven proclaims, " This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleafed, hear Him." — Let not the apparently declining ftate of any in- terefl preach defpair ; for every evil has its remedy, except defpair. That caufe mufl perifh, which all agree to give up as loft ; a dying caufe may revive and flourilh by the wifdom and honeft exertions of one man. Impaired health often iffues in death, embar- raffed circumftances in bankruptcy, an irregular life in irretrievable perdition ; becaufe the patient, the debtor, the fmner gave himfelf up too haftily, and was loft through fear of being loft. While there is *' balm in Gilead, and a phyfician there," no wound, however grievous, is incurable. While there is friendftiip, while there is compafiion on earth, honeft diftrefs will find fympathy and relief. While the throne of grace is accefTible, there is hope " for the chief of fmners." And if no caufe of man be defperate, who fhall dare to defpair of the caufe of God and truth ? Be- hold, in a pofterior period of this facred hlftory,* the utter extirpation of the pofterity of Abraham deter- mined, and the plans of Providence threatened, of courfe, with defeat and difappointment. Behold the bloody warrant figned, and " fealed with the ring" of Ahafuerus, and thereby rendered irreverfible. • Be- ^ hold the vengeful Haman, like the exterminating an- gel* * Efther iii. S — 15. Lict. XVL" Hiftorj of Hannah', 207 gel, with his fword drawn in his hand, ready to falf upon his prey. What can fave a devoted people from deftrudion ? One obfcure Jew ; one not admit- ted to the king's councils, but who fat unregarded in ;, the king's gate. He feels as a citizen and a man, he^ laments the impending doom of his country as a citi- zen and a rtian ; but he likewife ads, and exerts him- felf like a citizen and a man, and leaves the iffue tot Him, in vvhofe hand are the hearts of kings — and it prolpered. The remonflrance of Mordecai with the queen, at this awful crifis, is a mafter-piece of intre- pidity, piety and good fenfe, and furnifhes an ufeful. example for the conduct of both public and private life. " Then Mordecai commanded to anfwer Efther, Think not with thyfelf that thou Ihalt efcape in the- king's houfe, more than all the Jews. For if thou al- together holdefl thy peace at this time, then fhall- there enlargement and deliverance arife to the Jews from another place, but thou and thy father's houfe fhall be dellroyed : and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for fuch a time as this ?"* The Roman conful, whofe raihnefs loft the battle of : Cannse, and endangered the exiftence of the ftate^/ received the thanks of the fenate, " becaufe he had not defpaired of the commonwealth." The gallant prince of Orange, afterwards William III. of England, when : urged to fubmit to the viftorious arms of France, - which were ravaging the United Provinces, and when the ruin of the republic feemed inevitable, nobly re- plied, " There is one way to fecure me from the fight of my country's deftru£tion j I will die -in the lafl ditch." His refolution prevailed, and his country 1 was faved from the yoke of the invader. And if con- fidence in a fkilful, brave and fortunate commander^ can carry a handful to victory through myriads of foes, what has the chriftian to fear, let difficulties and dangers be ever fo many, ever fo great, while coufcious v he * Efther iy. 13, 14. ao8 Hifiory of Hannah, Lect. XVI. he is engaged in a good caufe, and that he is follow- ing " the Captain of Salvation ?** We proceed to view the chara£ler and behaviour of Hannah in the hour of fuccefs and profperity, blefT- ed with the anfwer of prayer, and exulting in the en- joyment of the pureft delights, and in performing the mod important duties of life and religion. — May our meditation on thefe things be fweet and profitable ! Amen. Hifiory Hiftory of Hannah, THE MOTHER OF SAMUEL. LECTURE XVII. I SAMUEL 1. 19 23. And they arofe up in the tmrning early ^ and ijuorjhipped before the Lord, and returned, and came to thdr houfe to Ramah ; and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her. Wherefore it came to pafs, when the time was come about, after Hannah had conceiv-^ ed, that fhe bare a fan, and called his name Samuel, faying, Becaufe I have afkedhim of the Lord. And the man Elkanah, and all his houfe, went up to offer unto the Lord the yearly facrifice, and his vow. But Han- nah went not up : for fhe f aid unto her hufhand, I will not go up until the child be weaned, and then 1 will bring him, that he may appear before the Lord, and there abide forever. And Elkanah her hufband faid unto her. Do what feemeth thee good ; tarry until thou have weaned him ; only the Lord cftablifh his word. So the wo?nan abode, and gave her fon fuck until Jhe weaned him. X. HE birth of a child is an event of much importance to thofe who are immediately concerned in it, and of much importance to the world. It is natural for a man to wlfti that his family ihould be built up, and his name tranlmitted. Every child is an accellion to Vol. VI. O national '2 to Hijiory of Hannah. Lect. XVIX national flrength, is one more added to the number of rational, immortal beings, is a new difplay of the great Creator's power, wifdom and goodnefs. There lie dormant the precious feeds of faculties which are one day to aftonifh, inftrutl and blefs mankind. Thefe infants, a few years hence, are to be the pillars of the flate, the bulwarks of their country, the glory of the church of Chrifi:. That young one fhall by nnd by burft through the obfcurity of his birth, and the meannefs of his condition ; fhall become eminent- ly ufeful, and purchafe a name which ages to come fhall pronounce with refped and efleem. But what is it to be known and diftinguifTied among men ? The period approaches, when God himfelf fhall in the face of the univerfe acknowledge the leafl of thefe as his fons, and feat them on heavenly thrones. It is natural for a man to wifh his family built up, and for a good woman to wifh the name and virtues of the hufband of her youth preferved and propagat- ed, even though fne has not the fond defire, the flat- tering hope, of being a mother in Ifrael. But the determinations of Providence do not always accord Avith the innocent propenfities of the human heart, much lefs with the infatiate demands of pride, avarice and ambition. Even the wife, the amiable and the virtuous are vifited with this fore evil, the want of children. It is fometimes the calamity of thofe who have no other calamity. It demouftrates the imper- fection of human blifs ; it fpreads a field for the exer- cife of refignation to the will of God ^ it furniihes both a motive and a fubject for prayer : for we can carry with confidence, to the throne of grace, many a petition which we fliould be afraid or afhamed of ] referring to a man hke ourfelves. Happy is the man, happy the woman, who can depofit this and ev- ery other care in the bofom (^f a Father in heaven. She may fit down with Hannah, and " eat" and drink, '* and be no more fad.'* We Lect. XVII. Hijiory of Hannah. Clw We are this evening prefented v/ith the hiftory of the birth and infancy of one of thofe illuftrious chil- dren whofe fame is univerfally known, and Ihall be had in everlafting remembrance, namely, of Samuel, the prophet of the Lord, the judge of Ifrael, the fetter up and the terror of kings ; the glory of his own age and country ; and the morning-ftar of a brighter day. The gift of this precious child was long with- held, that it might be more devoutly acknowledged, and more highly prized. Men overlook the ordinary appearances of nature, however ftupendous and ftrik- ing. In order therefore to roufe them to attention, and conftrain them to obferve the finger of God, the fiery comet is made to glare through the fky, and the earth fliakes to the centre. The bleffing was fweetened to Hannah by every circumftance that can afFed the fond maternal heart. A child to one who had long been aiilifted with bar- rennefs, and cruelly infulted on that account ; a man- child, the anfwer of prayer ; the power of performing for her darling infant the fweeteft, and one of the moft important, maternal duties ; and the cordial concur- rence of the father in all her prudent, affedionate and pious purpofes ; prefent enjoyment, and bloffoming profpects ! If there be pure and perfed blifs on earth, it is the portion of fuch a woman, in fuch a fit- uation. " The Lord remembered her." Was he ever un- mindful or unkind ? No, he delayed, and he granted in love. How much it concerns thee, O man, O wom- an, to know and to believe this ! What can recon- cile thee to the hardfnips of thy lot, but the perfuafion that the good thou defireft is denied in wifdom, and the load that opprefles thee laid on by the hand of a Father ? Truft in the Lord, and be of good cheer ; the time to favour thee will come ; " the Lord will provide," " the Lord will remember thee." " She bare a Ion, and called his name Samuel." Gracious is the correfpondence between a devout fpir- O a jt 212 Hiflory of Ha-nnah. Lect. XML it and approving, aflenting Heaven. Behold the prayer of faith afcending as on eagle*s wings, anct" refting on thcfootftool of yonder radiant throne ; be- hold the good and perfect gift coming dov/n in return from the Father of lights. Thus the vapours exhaled from the briny deep, fall back in copious fhovi^ers to refrcili and fertilize the earth. What a holy conten- tion is here prefented to us ! The pious foul driving Avith God in fupplication, in praife, in obedience, in faithfulnefs ; the God of mercy ftriving vi^ith the meek and humble one in fhewing kindnefs, in heaping favour upon favour. Samuel, " afked and given of God," fliall bear to the laft hour of his life the memorial of his mother's fervent importunity at the throne of grace, and of God'^s hearing her in the time of need. It ihali ferve forever to remind himfelf that he v/as a gift obt:iined of God by prayer, and devoted to God in gratitude. Every tongue that pronounces, every ear that hears the found, ihall be admoniflied of the union which devotion forms and maintains between earth and heaven. The mother names, the father alTents, God approves, and time confirms the nom- ination. We find Elkanah and all of his family, who were iit for the journey, again on the road to Shiloh, to celebrate the great yearly feftival, after the birth of his fon. The bounties of Providence bind more pow- erfully the duties of the law upon the heart a« well as upon the confcience, and thereby render religion not only a reafonable, but a pleafant fervice. The pleai- ure of waiting upon God, in the ordinances of his ap- pointment, was greatly heightened to this good man, by the company of thofe whom nature had endeared to him. The length and inconvenience of the road were relieved, and fweetened, and iliortened, by friendly converfation, and mutual offices of attention and kindnefs. The bitternefs of ilrife is heard no more. The facririce is ofiered up with greater ardour, when one flame of affeclion meets another in prefent- LzcT. XVII. Hijfory of Hannah. 213 ing it ; and the feaft of peace acquires a higher relifh from its being eaten in the fpirit, and in the bonds of love. Social worfhip, as has been obferved, has a inofl bleiTed effeQ; in producing, fupporting and improv- ing focial affections. The tie of duty is ftrengthen- ed between hufband and wife ; the bond of nature be- tween parent and child, between brother and brother, is fortilied and ennobled by going together to the houfe of God, and returning in company from thence- The eye of a flranger is caught and pleafed with the fight of a decent family on their road to the temple. Your prayers arife with increafed ardour from feeing your children around you, in the houfe of prayer j your hearts glow with a holier gratitude when you hear their voices join in the praifes v/hich you fmg. Offence has been given, behold it loft, and forgotten forever, becaufe the parties have bov/ed their knees to- gether before God, and pronounced together the pe- tition of reconciliation and peace. " Heavenly Fa- ther, forgive our trefpaffes as we forgive them who trefpafs againft us." Common mercies have been received ; fee hov/ they increafe and multiply, fee with what additional fatisfaftion they are felt and en- joyed, while the notes of thankfgiving afcend from hearts and lips in unifon. Common dillrefs preffes ; lo, the burthen is already made light, the mourners have been together before the Father of mercies, the refuge of the miferable ; they have poured out their hearts before God, and are lightened ; they have call all their care upon him, and are at reft. Chriftians, you have no painful and expenfive jour- ney to undertake, m. order to prefent yourfelves be- fore the Lord. Your Shiloh is at home. Of you no coftly facrifice is demanded; "Offer unto the Lord thankfgiving, and pay your vows unto the Moft High ; and call upon himir) the day of trouble." Chriftian parent, Providence has made thee prieft to that little church and congregation ; bear them, as Aaron did the twelve tribes of Ifrael, engraven like jewels upon thy 314 B'lftory of Hannah. Lect. XVIl. thy heart, to the moft holy place ; to the altar of in- cenfe. " But Hannah went not up ; for (he faid unto her hufband, Not until the child be weaned." Every duly of life and of religion has its proper place and leafon. God hath faid, and the great Teacher fent from God, hath by both precept and pra6lice eftabHfhed the w.rd, *' I will have mercy and not facrifice." The rei^Gjion which makes light of relative duty, which teaches carelefsnefs or negleft in our lawful worldly concerns, and withdraws men from their place and flation in \0' ciety, is miftaken and erroneous ; it is not the reiig- ion of the Bible ; it has neither authority nor example to fupport it. That man is doing God fervice, who la-p bours in his vocation, that he may have wherewith to do juftly, and to fliew mercy ; not he who is flothful in bufmefs, but eager in argument, and who gives himfelf to fpeculating, when he ought to be working with his hands. That woman is performing a relig- ious fervice, who is looking well to her houfehold ; giving fuck to one child and inftruclion to another, praftifmg induftry and economy ; not llie who is for- ever rambling after favourite dogmas or favourite teachers ; aiming at fhining in the church, when fne ought to be fhining in her moil honourable fphere, her own houfe ; and engaging warmly in matters of doubtful difputition, while the food and cloathing of her family are neglected. Who can call in quedion the piety of Hannah ? And furely her abfenting herfelf from the feafl: at Shiloh, on fo juft an occafion, will not be deemed an impeachment of it. But though the hiflory has led me to make thefe remarks, perhaps, in our day, they might have been fpared. Have I not been combating a miilake into which neither the men nor the women of the prefent age are greatly difpofed to fa^i ? Ought I not rath- er to caution my hearers againlk the prevalence of a worldly fpirit, to the extinction not only of the foul, but to the negled of the very form of religion ? What, -Lx'CT. XVII. Hi/ion of Hannah. -215 What, warn this generation againfl " the danger of •being religious over-much ?" What, warn them cf the importance of attending to, and purfuing their temporal intereft ? What, caution them againfl fre- quenting the temple on working days, when they will not be diverted from the purfuit of bufmefs or pleaf- ure on the Lord's day ? I was in the v.'rong ; and I change the object of my exhortation. To you, -O men, I call, who, abforbed in frivolous, tranfitory oc- •cupations, forget that " one thing is needful ;" to you, who, wallowing in the bounties of an indulgent Providence, regard not the hand from which all your comforts flow ; to you, who, rifing into a little ■wealth, a little hope, a little confequence, have loft the recolletlion of your having once been needy, and obfcure and unimportant ; and, what is infinitely worfe, hav^ lofl the recolleftion and the practice of that humility, and decency, and piety, which poverty and obfcurity, and dependence taught and enforced. To you, O women, I call, who, without a fhadow of reafon ; who, in the face of decency and propriety, who, in defiance of both feeling and confcience ; who, •entrufted with the education of children, female chil- dren, fuel not the importance of the charge, or are not aware of the influence of example ; can difpenfe with the very externals of gojdhnefs, can become the patterns of fabbath negle6t or violation ; can trifle with any thing that affeds the morals or rehgion of the rifmg generation. To you I call, and fay, you are treafuring up for yourfelves remorfe ; and for thefe young ones, whom you dearly love, Ihame, and forrow, and diflrefs. What is the lot of a female, without the confolations of rehgion ; and how is a young woman to learn re- ligion if not from her own mother ? Let me remind you of what you once thought, felt and refolved. You carried that child with uneafmefs and anxiety in your womb ; you formed a thoufand fond wiflics, you put up a thoufand prayers, you came under a thoufand en'^ gagcmcnts. You employed not perhaps the very words 2i6 Hijiory of Hannah. Lect. XVII. words of Hannah, but undoubtedly you entered en- tirely into her views, and the fruit of the womb was to be " hoUnefs to the Lord." Well, God has been gracious to thee, and remembered thee. Thou haft furvived the danger, and been delivered from tjie pangs of chitd-birth. You have enjoyed the fatisfaclion of training the beloved of your foul through the dan- gers, difficulties and folicitude of infancy and child- hood, God has graciouily done his part, and you have fo far performed yours. But did your engage- ments ceafe, when the infant was weaned ? Did you rear that tender plant with fo much anxiety, tender- nefs and care, only to poifon and corrupt it, after it had begun to take root, and bud, and bloflbm ?. Know you not, that the inconfideration and folly of a day may deftroy the pains and labour of many years ; and that the eyes of children are much quicker and more retentive than their ears ? Happy that daughter who is betimes formed to habits of difcretion, of purity, of regularity, of piety, by the tender guardian and guide of her early days ! Happy that mother whofe attention is bent on infuf- ing betimes, in her female offspring at leaft, the prin- ciples of wifdom, virtue, and true godJinef* ; who is honoured to exemplify what fhe teaches, and is bleffed with a docile, affectionate, and improving dif- ciple ! The manner in which Elkanah and Hannah live and converfe together, is exemplary and inftrudlive. They have one common intereft ; they have one darling ob- je6l of affeftion ; they exprefs one and the fame will, in terms of mutual kindnefs an.d endearment. " She faid unto her huiband, I will not go up until the child be weaned, ^nd then I will bring him, that he may ap- pear before the Lord, and there abide forever. And Elkanah her hufband faid unto her. Do what feemeth thee good, tarry until thou have weaned him, only the Lord eftabliih his word. So the woman abode, and gave her fon fuck until Hie had weaned him." Th?re L E c T . XVII. Hijiory of Han?jah. 1 1 7 There was in all this a commanding principle of religion, of zeal for the will and glory of God, which regulated the fpirit, and infpired the tongue ; without which, I am afraid there is but a llender fecurity for dome (lie felicity in the exercife of even good nature and good manners, much lels in a mere fenfe of de- cency, or regard to the opinion of the world. Thefe may overawe at particular feafons and in particular fitua lions ; but the fear and love of God are perma- nent and unvarying principles ; they enforce and af- lift relative duty till it grows into a habit, and habit ren- ders even difficult thmgs eafy and agreeable. Samuel, wiio is his own biographer, has moft judi- cioufly drawn a veil over his infancy. Chiidifh prog- noflics of future eminence are generally ridiculous and contemptible j they can impofe only on the par- tiality of parental affec?tion, or the credulity of fuper- ftition. The cynic fnaris difdain at the relation of thefe premature prodigies of dawning wifdom, and the fage fmiles indulgence and compaffion on the fond be- lief. Let parents, by ail means, amufe, delight them- felves and each other with the fallies of infant, open- ing genius, but let them keep the delight to them- felves. It is one of the joys in which " a Granger in- termeddleth not." In the next Lecture we fhall be led forward to con- fider the prefentment of Samuel before the Lord in Shiloh ; the facrifice' which accompanied that folemn ceremony ; the farther difcovery of the amiable and excellent fpirit by which the mother was actuated ; and the infant prophet's entrance on his important office. — Behold once more, chriftians, the fpirit of prophecy ftill pointing to one and the fame great ob- je£t. The perfons and circumftances of the prophets Y/ere various ; but amidil that variety, fome one link- ing feature of character, office or condition announced '' Him that was to come," more clearly or more ob- fcurely refleded his image, and " prepared the way of the 2iB Hiftory of Hannah. Lect. XVIL the Lord.'* The tongues of the prophets are many ; but they all fpeak the fame language, they all pro- nounce one name. The periods of their exiflence and prediftions were widely remote ; but all meet in one central point of light, in one aufpicious inftant, " the fulnefs of tlme,"in on-e illuftrious perfonage, "to whom all give witnefs," in one commanding " purpofe and grace" — the falvation of the v/orld. " God, who at fundry times and in divers manners fpake in time pad unto the fathers, by the prophets, hath in thef« lafl days fpoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom alfo he made the worlds ; who being the brightnefs of his glory, and the exprefs image of his perfon, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himfelf purged our fms, fat down on the right hand of the Majefly on high.*' * Behold all created glory thus abforbsd in one glorious, divine perfon, " who is above all, and through all, and in all." " Where- fore God alfo hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name ; that at the name of Jefus every knee (hould bovi^, of things in heav- en, and things in earth, and things under the earth : and that every tongue fhould confefs that Jefus Chrifl is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."! * Hcb. i. 1—^3. f Phil. ii. 9 — 1 1. Hlflory Hiftory of Hannah, THE MOTHER OF SAMUEL. LECTURE XVIII. 1 SAMUEL i. 24 28. And ivhen Jhe had weaned hlm^ foe took him up with her, with three bullocks , and one ephah of flour, and a bottle of wine, and brought him unto the houfe of ths Lord in Shiloh. And the child zvas young. And they Jlew a bullock, and brought the child to Eli. And fr>c faid, my Lord, as thy foul liv.eth, my Lord, I cm the woman that flood by thee here, praying unto the Lord. For this child I prayed ; and ths Lord hath given me my petition which I afked of him. Therefore alfo I havj lent him to the Lord as long as he liveth ; he f jail be lent to the Lord. And he worfhipped the Lord there. "jL(ORD, what is man, that thou art mindful of him, and the fon of man, that thou vifitefl him V Ev- ery ferious reflection on the nature, and perfections, and works of God, fuggefts this rapturous meditation of the holy pfalmilt. Every view of Deity is at once humiliating and encouraging to the foul. We feem to fhrink into nothing, while we contemplate the re- gions of unbounded fpace ; while the eye wanders from orb to orb ; and the mind lofes itfelf in calcu- iaiing their number, diflances, magnitude, luftre and harmony; 220 Hijiory of Hanjiah. LrcT. XVII!, harmony ; while imagmation wings its daring flight to the world of ipirits, and furveys myriads of angels adoring before the throne of the Moil High ; and " the fpirits of jufl men made perfect:" rejoicing " with joy unfpeakable and full of glory." But man rifes into greatnefs and importance, when we refleci that " God created him in his own image ;" that eter- nal Providence exercifes an unremitting folicitude about him ; and that for his redemption the Son of God fuffered and died. The httle concerns of individuals, and of private families, acquire value and dignity when we confider them as ilamped with the feal of omnipotence, a^ the operation of infinite wifdom, as links in the great chain of divine adminiftration, and as extending their influence to eternity. But deflroy this connexion, and we perceive only a ftrange and unaccountable fcene of vanity, folly and confulion. The holy fcriptures, which exhibit the juftefl rep- refentation, and enable us to form the jufteft eftimate of human life, keep this continual interpoiition and commanding influence of Divine Providence conliantly in view. We meet with domeflic feelings and occur- rences exactly fimilar to our own, and we find a proof that the Bible is the word of God, in our own perfon- al, daily experience. The tranfatlions which led to the fccSne reprcfented in the pailage now read, have been too receiitly fub- mitted to your notice, to need repetition. In the fpir- it and deportment of Elkanah and Hannah to each other, we have an ufeful example of conjugal compla- cency and aifedion. In the character of Hannah, we behold the feelings of the woman fweetly blended with the piety of the faint ; and the child of forrow feek- ing and finding refuge in the power and mercy of God. We are now to contemplate one of the molt pleafmg objeds that human life prefents — -a good and honell heart in pofleiTion of its v/ifh, and making the proper ufe of the expected blefling ; the fpirit of pray- er Lect. XVIII. Hijiory of Hannah. 11 \ er changed into the fpirit of praife, and vows formed In the hour of diftrefs faithfully performed. Let our firft meditations turn on the wifdom and goodnefs of that great Being, who has eftablifhed hu- man felicity on fuch a folid foundation ; or rather has drawn it from fo many combined fources. How man- ifold and how tender, in particular, are the ties which unite a mother and her fon ? She carried him in her womb with folicitude and uneafmefs, and brought him into the world at the hazard of her life. She fuftained his infant days with the blood of her own veins, and flumber was a ftranger to her eyes, that he might fleep in tranquillity. The firft objeft which he diftinguifhed was the fmiling face of his guardian an- gel, the firft found that ftruck his opening ear was the murmur of maternal affeftion : the firft idea he form- ed was that of feeking refuge from want, and pain, and danger in the fond bofom of a parent. The very anguifh and trouble which fhe endured on his account, but endear him the more to her ; a fenfe of early, af- fured proteclion " grows with his growth, and ftrengthens with his ftrength,*' and forms a bond of mutual attachment, which on one fide is hardly to be diffolved, and on the other, is one of the moft power- ful fecurities againft the inroads of vice, and is the laft convuliive gralp of expiring virtue. Nature has laid upon you, mothers, the heavleil and moft important part of education. The good or the evil is already done, before the child is taken out of your hands. Happily the weaknefs of your confti- tution is ftrengthened and upheld for the arduous taik^ by the force of afteftion, and your very labour thereby' is rendered your delight. And, O how glorious is your reward ! you defire, you can defire none higher, than to fee your fon, the fon of your womb, tht fon of your vows, remembering and pradifing the early leflbns which his mother taught him. How happy was Eli in having for a pupil, a child fuckled, and weaned, and iiiftrufted in early life, by a Hauniili ' 222 Hijlory cf Hannah* Lect. XVIII. Hannah 1 I low great the goodncfs of the compaflion- ate and merciful Father of all, who by means fo fimple, fo pleafant, lb powerful, fo cffedual, makes conitant provifion for the comfort, the protection and the im- provement of man ! Let us proceed to meditate, for a moment on the amiable and inilrudive pattern here fet before us, of u faithful and obedient heart. Diftrefs naturally dic- tates wifhes, and prayers, and vows ; it makes us fen- lible of fubjeciion and dependence ; but when the bleiUng is obtained, the load removed, and the hour of performance come, men are as forgetful and as nip;oardly as once thty were attentive and liberal. Ten lepers were cleanfed, but " where are the nine ?*' Has onz only returned to give thanks ? Ingratitude is one of thofe crimes which no man is either bold or de- praved enough to defend, but with which all men are V-iltly chargeable. How few earthly benefactors but have reafon to complain of an ungracious return i* How few parents but have that bitternefs of bitternefs, f.lial ingratitude, mingled in their cup ? How verily guilty is a whole " world lying in wickednefs," before God, in this refpeCt ? There is really no merit in gratitude, but what arifes from its rarity ; and that rarity (lamps it one of the highell of moral virtues. Would it be doing injuftice to the other fex, to fay, that gratitude is a quality more frequently to be found 11 the female charader ? I have no heiitation in af- firming, that it is one of the moll powerful attractions in any character, and that all other attractions what- ever are good for nothing without it. We obferved formerly in the conduCt of Hannah a happy mixture of piety and prudence. While the itate of her child confined her to Mount Ephraim, it vrould have been the reverfe of a religious fervice to repair to the feaft at Shiloh ; when he could with Jafetv be removed to the place of God*s prefence, to keep him back had been unfaithfulnefs and impiety. Prudence without piety will quickly degenerate into felfilhncfs Lect, XVIII. Hijiory of Hannah. 223 felfiihnefs and the love of this world ; will harden the heart, and lull the confcience afleep. Piety without prudence will infpire pride and intolerance ; will lead to idlenefs and irregularity in conduft ; and, out of an affeded zeal for the firft table of the lav/, will erafe the characters of the fecond, or through negligence and difufe, fufFer them to be disfigured by filth, or corrupted and impaired by ruft, fo as to become at length wholly illegible. V/here piety and prudence are found united, the love of God and man will per- fedlly confift ; both tables of the law \vill be equally clear and diflindt, and their combined influence will inftruft the perfcn by whom it is felt and underftood, to " ufe the world fo as not to abufe it.'* At length the time of prefenting herfelf before the Lord, and of performing her vow arrives. The prec- ious child mufl be no longer her's, but God's. And did he indeed ceafe to be the parents, by being dedi- cated to the Moft High ? Surely no, he became theirs by a firmer and more facred tie, they have an intereit in him unknown, unfelt before. Their treafure has acquired infinite value from the place in which it is depofited ; and attendance at God's altar has confer- red nobility on the Httle Levite, which all the pof- feffions on Mount Ephraim could not countervail. Hannah prefented herfelf before the Lord at a for- mer folemnity with bitter crying and tears ; fiie *' went forth then weeping, bearing precious feed, (he cometh again rejoicing, bringing her fheaves with her; for they that fow in tears fhall reap in. joy." She prefents heifelf before the Lord, but neither with a contracted heart nor an empty hand. The law de- manded for God the firll-born of every creature. The whole tribe of which Samuel was a fon., was ac- cepted in place of the firft-born of all Ifrael, znd. the firft-born of her family might be redeemed by the fublUtution of a vitlim. Thus clearly was the fpirit of the gofpel inculcated by the inflitutions of the law ; and the doctrine of the atonement through the blood 224 Ihjhry of Hannah. Lect. XVIII. blood of the " Lamb flain from the foundation of the world," was taught unto them as it is taught unto us. lliroughoul we fee the innocent fuffering for the guilty ; from the facrifice of Abel down to the facrifice on Mount Calvary, of '* the juft fuffering for the urijuft, that he might bring us unto God.'* With what mixed emotions mull an Ifraelitilh par- ent, of any fenfibility, have prefented this facrifice ? Behold the darhng child, the firft-born led to the altar, but not to bleed and die : no, that innocent lamb, that bullock in the prime of life, is to bleed and die in his ftead ; and, mournful to refleft, though rehg- ion does not now demand fuch facriiices, neceffity and the appetites of men conflantly require them, and we behold the whole brute " creation groaning and iraveliing in pain together,** to perform the drudgery, miniiier to the pleafure, or with their flefh to fatisfy the need of a creature much more criminal than them- fclves ; and, as if that were too little, fubjecled to the cruelty and caprice of rational beings, become greater brutes than themfelves. With the- confidence of true goodnefs Hannah now addreifes Eli, and reminds him of what he had proba- bly forgotten, but was of too much moment to her- felf ever to be permitted to fall into oblivion. Eli had only feen her lips move, but heard not the words ihe pronounced ; and the violent emotion in which file was, had conveyed very foul fufpicions to his mind. Thefe, with the dignity and calmnefs of con- fcious innocence, (lie repelled ; and alTured him in general terms that what he had unkindly miflaken for the effeti of wine, was the agitadon of an afflifted fpirit, pouring out its anguilh before God ; but the fubjeci: of her prayer fhe Itiil kept within her own bread. There was then no witneis of her vow but God and her own confcience ; and that was enough ; it was recorded in heaven ; and an honed mind will iind itfelf equally bound by a refolution formed in fe- cret, as by an oath adminiftcred in the face of an ailem- bled Lect. XVIII. Hi/iory of Hannab. 225 bled world. With what holy exultation does ihe now declare her engagement, exhibit the facred pledge of it, and proceed to the public and foiemn difcharge of it ! " She brought the child to Eli, and faid, O my lord, as thy foul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that flood by thee here, praying unto the Lord. For this child I prayed ; and the Lord hath given me my peti- tion which I afked of him.'** How fweetly atfefting are the effufions of nature, when aided and animated by devotion ! How rehgion ennobles and dignifies ev- ery charader, how it places every other quality in its faired and moft favourable point of view ! How well it is adapted to every feafon and fituation of life ! It was this which fortified Hannah againft the bitter in- fults and reproaches of her mercilefs adverfary, and preferved her from rendering railing for raihng. It was this which taught her felf-government, fo that Ihe difhurbed not the folemnity of the feaft with wom- anifli complaints, but covered a forrowful heart with a ferene countenance. It was this which carried her to the houfe of the Lord, for light, comfort and rehef. It was this which carried her with reputation and advan- tage through the firft duties of a mother ; and exhib- ited, in one, the affectionate wife, the tender parent, the devout worfhipper. This filled her heart and infpired her tongue, in prefenting her offering, in ad- dreffing the high-priell, in raifmg her fong of praife. And this will communicate luftre, value and import- ance on every female charafter, whether known to the world, or overlooked by it ; in the fecrecy of the family, or in the celebrity of the temple. There is a God who " feeth in fecret, and will reward openly." Eli repeats a cordial ^7nen to her pious purpofe, accepts the precious trufl committed unto him, and bends his knees in joyful acknowledgment of that God who had been multiplying his mercy to this fam- ily, and building up the houfe of Ifrael. And it is not long before he finds that this young Nazarene Vol. VI. P was * Verfe 25 — 27. '226 ili/iory of Hannah, Lect. XVIIt was provided of God, and inflrufted of his mother, to redify the diforders of his own houfe, and to fupply the place of a degenerate race of priefts, ripe for de- flruftion and doomed to it, and ready to bring down a "father's grey hairs with forrow to the grave.'* Hannah's fong of praife, which follows at length in the opening of the next chapter, merits, on many ac- counts, a feparate and particular confideration. It poiTeffes all the majefty, grace and beauty of ancient oriental poetry. It is one of the happieft effufions of an excellent female heart labouring under a grateful fenfe of the higheil obligations. It prefents and im- prefies fome of the jufteft and mofl: interefting views of Divine Providence, and, what is above all, it dif- clofes one of the cleaieft and mofl diftind: profpeds of the coming, perfon and charafter of Mejfiah, the Prophet of prophets. King of kings. Lord of lords. Yes, chriftians, for this prophetefs was referved the honour of firit pronouncing in facred fong, that *' name which is as ointment poured forth," which angels mention with wonder and reverence, and which the whole company of the redeemed fhall one day proclaim v/ith " joy unipeakable and full of glory ;'* Messiah the anointed of the Lord — whom the world fo ior.g expefted, who in the fulnefs of time appeared, "whom unbelieving Jews refufed to acknowledge j whom they defpifed, rejeded, crucified, and put to death ; whom " God has exalted a Prince and Saviour to give repentance and the remilTionof fms ;" to whofe fecond coming the courfe of nature, the evolutions of providence, the hopes and fears of every heart of man, the earnefl expedation of the creature, and the hand- writing of God in fcripture, all, all direclly point. The next Lefture will be an attempt to illuftrate, and practically to improve Hannah's fong of praife. May we bring to it a portion of that fpirit which in- fpired the lips of her who fung, and direOed the pen of him who wrote. Let me conclude the prefent, ■with calling on every one prefent, to recolledt perfonal obligations. Lect. XVIII. Hijlory cf Hannah. 227 obligations, and to v/alk fuitably to them. Call to remembrance vov/s form.ed on a bed of languifhing, in the hour of difficulty, in the inftant of danger, at the table of the Lord ; and thankfully pay them : as knowing that "it is better not to vow, than to vow and not to pay.'* Defire more earneflly the bed gifts ; fpiritual, heav- enly, eternal bleffings. By all means, in your vows, flipulate for your portion of prefent and temporal good things, faying with Jacob, " If God will be with me, and will keep me in this v/ay that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, fo that I come again to my father's houfe in peace, then ihall the Lord be my God ;" *— and with Hannah, pouring out the bitternefs of an opprelTed heart before God, and begging relief of the Father of mercies, faying, " O Lord of Hofls, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid." But forget not withal, to ftipulate, with Solomon, for " an underftanding heart," to prize and to improve mercies already be- llowed ; and with Jabez, calling on the God of Ifrael, faying, " Oh that thou wouldetl blefs me indeed,-— and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldeft keeo me from evil that it may not grieve me." Hannah promifed to devote to the Lord the child which fhould be given her ; and ye have foiemnly engaged to yield yourfelves unto God ; and " ye are not your own, for ye are bought with a price." " I befeech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye prefent your bodies a living facrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reafonable fervice. And be not conformed to this world : but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."t * Gen. xxviii. 2C, 21. f Rom. xii. i, 2. P 2 Hiflory Hiftory of Hannah, THE MOTHER OF SAMUEL. LECTURE XIX. I SAMUEL 11. I 10. And Hannah prayed, and /aid. My heart rejoiceth in the Lord : mine horn is exalted in the Lord, my mouth is enlarged over fuine enemies : hecaufe I rejoice in thy fahation. There is none holy as the Lord : for there is none hefide thee : neither is there any rock like our God. Talk no more fo exceeding proudly ; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth : for the Lord is a God ofknowl- idge, and by him aBions are weighed. The bows of the 7nighty men are broken, and they that fiumbled are girded withftre?igth. They that zuere full have hired out thenfelves for bread ; and they that were hungry ceafed ; fo that the barren hath bornfeven : and/he that hath many children is waxed feeble. The Lord killeth, and makcth alive : he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich : he bringeth low, and lifteth up. He raif- eth up the poor out of the dufi, and lifteth up the beggar fro7n the dunghill, tofet them a?nong princes , and to make them inherit the throne of glory : for the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, and he hath fet the world upon ihem. He will keep the feet of his faints, and the wick- ed Jhall be filent in darknefs : for by Jirength jball na man ^^ECT.XIX. Hi/iory of HannaJu e29 man prevail. The adverfaries of the Lord fhall be broken to pieces : out of heaven fhall he thunder upon them : the Lord fhall judge the ends of the earth ; and he foall give firength unto his king, and exalt the horn 'of his anointed. In man, the inafler-plece of creation, are difcernlble various kinds of life, diftind; from each other, yet moll ■wonderfully blended and united, fo as to form one great and ailonilhing whole. The animal, the intel- ledual, the moral life : to which we add, in man as he came from the hands oi his Creator, and in man " renewed** by grace " in the fpirit of his mind," the fpiritual and divine life, the dawning light, the earned and pledge, the celeflial foretafle of everlafling life. The firfl of thefe we enjoy in common with the beads that perifh. Like theirs, our bodies grow and decline. Like them we are led by fenfe and appetite, and are fufceptible of pleafure and pain. And, like them, we arofe out of the earth, are fupported by ,it, and feel ourfelves returning to it again. The fecond, or intellectual hfe, raifes man far above every other animaL He pofleffes the power of thought, that produdive faculty of the Almighty ; that image of God in our nature. He contemplates, compares, reflects, reafons, plans, performs. By means of this he exercifes dominion over all other creatures. In- ferior to many, in fome .refpe£ts, by this he renders himfelf fuperior to all ; and reduces all their powers to the fubjedion and obedience of himfelf. The moral life places man in fociety ; connects him with intelligent beings like himfelf; opens a capacious field of duty and of enjoyment ; llamps him an obje6t of approbation or blame, of reward or punifli- ment. The divine life unites man to the Author and fiipporter of his exiitence, the fource of all his com- forts, the foundation of all his hopes ; the witnefs and the judge of all his adions) the avenger of al.1 unrighteoufnefs. S3<5 Hijiory of Hannah. LecT. XIX. unrighteoufnefs, " the rewarder of them who dili- gently feek him.'* To Adam, as an animal, God faid, " Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenifh the earth : behold I have given you every herb bearing feed, which is upon the face of all the earth ; and every tree in the which is the fruit of a tree, yielding feed ; to you it fhall be for meat.** In Adam the intelleftual life difcovered Itfelf, when the Lord God brought unto him " every beaft of the field, and every fowl of the air, to fee what he would call them ; and whatfoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof." — God having implanted a principle of moral life in man, faid, " It is not good that the man fliould be alone ; I will make him an help meet for him ;'* he took the man, and put him. into the garden of Eden, to drefs it and to keep it ; and commanded the man, faying. Of every tree of the garden thou mayeft freely eat : but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou Ihalt not eat of it. For in the day that thou eatefl thereof, thou flialt furely die.** In Adam the fpirltual and divine life was perfected, when " God created man in his own image.'* It was extinguifKed and loft when by tranfgreffion he fell ; it was revived by the promife of the Mefliah and falvation through his blood ; and it will be complete- ly recovered when the image of God is reitored through the fpirit of fanftification. All thefe different kinds of life have their feveral ?.nd correfponding expreffions ; and according as any one prevails, fuch is the character of the man. When the habitual cry is, "What fliall I eat, what fliall I drink, and wherewithal fnall I be cioathed ?'* it is eafy to determine what life is predominant : it is eafy to difcern when the brute runs away with the man. Solomon may be given as an infcance of the prevalence of intelleclual life. He looked through nature, and " fpake of trees, from the cedar-tree that ■ is tLECT. XIX. Hi/lory of Hannah. 231 is in Lebanon, even unto the hyiTop that fpiingefh out of the wall ; he fpake 2X10 of beafls, and of fowls, and of creeping things, and of fifnes.** *' His wifdorii excelled the wifdom of all the children of the eaft country, and all the wifdom of Egypt." The pfalm- ift has prefented us with an exquifite reprefentation of the moral life of man, (would to God it were more frequently realized) in the fifteenth pfalm ; " He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteoufnefs, and fpeaketh the truth in his heart. He that back- biteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach againft his neighbour ; in whofe eyes a vile perfon is conteamed : :but he honoureth them that fear the Lord : he that fwecreth to his own hurt, and changeth not. He that putteth not out his money to ufury, nor taketh reward againft the innocent. He that doeth thefe things Ihall never be moved."* Where fhall v/e look for an example of the higheft. life of man, the life of God in the foul ? Nature Hands filent, the v^hole world lies dead ; it prefents every kind of life but this. Where is the model to which to refer ? Where is the idea of this moft exalt- ed excellence of our nature ? It is to be found. '' I came not to do mine own will, but the will of him that fent me." " I feek not mine own glory, but the glory of him who fent me." Read and ponder the ieventeenth chapter of John's gofpel, and difcover the author, the example, the giver of this divine life,^ and afpire after a participation of it. We have fome of thefe holy afpirations In the paf- fage now read. We behold a fpirit alive unto God ; finking the creature in the Creator j difcerning God in every objecl, and in every event that arifes ; refer- ring all things to Him " who doth according to his will in the armies of heaven, and among the inhabit- ants of the earth." Let us blend our fpirits, with that of pious Hannah, and may God grant us to know an4 * Vfr. 2 — ^. :S32 Hijiory cf Hannah. Lect. XIX. and feel the happinefs of having fellowfhip with the Father, and with his Son Jefus Chrilt. " Hannzh prayed." In afilidlion (he prayed : and in profperitv (he prayed. I'ears and fmiles are not more the expreffion of their correfponding emotions, than fupphcation and thankfgiving are of that life which dictates them, in a fuitablenefs to the various afpefts of Divine Providence. Sorrow is no longer forrow when it is poured out into the bofom of fym- pathy and tendernefs. Every joy is multiplied an hundred fold by every communication of it to the ear and the heart of friendfhip. Hannah prays, " and her countenance is no more fad." She rellores her earneflly expected fon to God ; and is infinitely en- riched by the reflitution. Whether the child cry for relief, or exprefs its gratitude by carelTes and looks of fatisfaftion, it is equally grateful and foothing to the fond parental heart. And will the great God in very deed vouchfafe to make himfelf known to us by the name of the hearer of prayer ? Is he exalted to fhew mercy .'* Can he be pleafed with the effufions of a thankful heart ? Thoughtlefs, inconfiderate creatures that we are ; blind to our higheft intereft, dead to cur pureft joy ! We fee nothing of God in that diftrefs, in that deliverance. We attended to the creature only, and therefore found no comfort. We endured without hope, and we enjoyed without relifh. Happy foul, that can command itfelf to peace, and fay, I have poured out my anguifh before the Lord, I have cafl all my care upon him, my burden is no longer mine, but his. " Return unto thy reft, O my foul, for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee. He hath de- livered my foul from death, mine eyes from tears, and ray feet from falling." In the firfl tranfports oi her joy, Hannah forgets ever}'- thing but the glorious objetl of it. The in- fults of Peninnah, her delight in Samuel, ftand for a while fufpended ; they are loft and forgotten in the contemplation of Him, who had delivered her from the Lect. XIX. Hlflory of Hannah. -©33 the one, and beftowed the other upon her. But God, as he is in himfelf, cannot long be an objed: of con- templation to mortals. It is only by what he doth, that he can be known, and loved, and enjoyed by us. The foul fprings up to God, is inftantly repelled and overwhelmed by " light inaccefiible and full of glory," and feeks relief and employment in furveying the ways and works of God. " My heart rejoiceth in the Lord.'* But " who is this King of glory ?'* The fpirit fhrinks with reve- rence from the inquiry ; and the heart fweetly Aides into the obfervation and acknowledgment of what an incomprehenfible Jehovah hath done. " Mine horn is exalted in the Lord.'* *' The horn," in fcripture language, is the emblem of flrength and empire. She was till now undiftinguifhed, unprized, unimportant in Ifrael ; a wife, without the honour of being a mother. But now fhe has rifen into luftre, and place, and pre-eminence. Her Samuel is to her " a crown of glory, and a diadem for beauty !" She had power with God and prevailed ; fhe aiked, and God granted her requeft. This is naturally blended in her mind, with the derifion and cruel mocking which fhe had endur- ed. For the very devotions of fallen creatures mufl favour of the calamities to which they are expofed, and the imperfection in which they are involved. Both nature and piety accordingly concur in dilating the expreflion of thankfulnefs which follows ; " My mouth is enlarged over mine enemies :" Here the woman fpeaks ; but the faint inftantly fubjoins, " becaufe I rejoice in thy falvation." When the hfe of God is completely formed in the foul, every particle of human corruption fhall be purg- ed away. There fhall be no feeling, nor recollection, of unkindnefs or enmity. And in proportion as evil affeftions are rooted out, and kind affeftions are im- planted, cheriflied, and promoted, fo is the image of God imprefled, renewed and preferved. The love of 234 Hi/lory of Hamiab. Lect. XIX. of God perfeded fliall obliterate and efface every trace of refentment agalnft man. After a fhort vibration on this firing, the heart of the worfhipper feenis to recur with increafed compla- cency and delight to a worthier fubjed of meditation, and lofes itfelf in infinite perfection. " There is none holy as the Lord ; for there is none befide thee ; neither is there any rock like our God." When we attempt to meditate upon God, thought fails. When we attempt to addrefs ourfelveg to him, language fails. In vain do we lo6k round for a fimilitude that may enable us to form a clearer perception of his nature. It is his glory to be fingle and alone ; to defy and prevent every idea of refemblance or com- parifon. When the whole world of nature is explor- ed, when all the powers of nature are exhaufled, the foul falls back, upon itfelf, flirinks into nothing from the daring attempt, and exclaims, " There is none befide thee," " there is none holy as the Lord." '^' Who can find out the Almighty unto perfefliion I" — Hannah awakes from this holy rapture, to con- template this incomprehenfible Jehovah, as exercifmg an intelligent, uncontrollable, irrefiftible authority over all the ways of men ; as the wife and righteous Governor of the world, v/hom none can fuccefsfullv oppofe, from whofe notice none can poffibly conceal himfelf. " Talk no more fo exceeding proudly ; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth : for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are •weighed. The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that flumbled are girded with flrength."* Behold the cure of pride. There is a God on high, from Vv'hom defcended every advantage which one pofTefTes above another, who carefully notes the ufc that is made of his benefits, and will demand an ac- count of them ; who " feeth the proud afar off, but has refpect unto the lowly." " By him actions are Tueigbed ;'* they are judged, not according to their apparent * Verfe 3, 4. Lect. XIX. Hifiory of Hannah. 235 apparent circumftances, nor the maxims of the world, nor the rank of the parties concerned, but according to truth, according to the real merit or demerit of the aftion, according to the thoughts and intent of the heart. Thus is the mouth of arrogancy effeftually (hut, and the whole world laid low in the duft before a holy and righteous God. " The bows of the migh- ty men are broken, and they that ftumbled are girt with ftrength." Even in this world, " the Lord maketh himfelf known by the judgments which he executes ;" and caufeth men to change conditions, and turneth the world upfide down. The affairs of men, like the frame of nature, are in a ftate of per- petual revolution, and the hifiory of mankind is fim- ply an account of the rife and deprefTion of wretched mortals by means not of their own contrivance, by events which they could not forefee, and over which .they had no power. The victor of to day is to-mor- row a captive, and he who now lieth "^ among the pots, fhail come forth as the wings of a dove covered with filver, and her feathers with yellow gold." The greater part of Hannah's fong of praife is em- ployed in making a more enlarged difplay of the wifdom and juflice of the Divine Providence in the government of the world. " They that were full have hired themfeU'es out for bread." Some are born to eafe and affluence, and through indolence, inattention or prodigality, reduce themfelves to want. Some acquire wealth by frugality and induftry. But however gotten, it is but an uncertain pouefTion, and we daily fee multitudes, not through any apparent fault of their own, " waxing poor and falling into decay." Others, as unaccountably rife into diftinc- tion and opulence. There is an unfeen hand which gives and takes away. In profperity there is no ground of infolence and triumph ; in adverfity no reafon to defpair. Her own peculiar felicity again prefents itfelf to view, and the incenfe of praife afcends to heaven. " The barrerj •^35 Hijlory of Hannah, Lect. XIX, barren hath born feven, and fhe that hath many chil- dren is waxed feeble.*' There is a Jewifh legend which faith, that for every child that Hannah bore, one of Peninnah's died. It is a mere conjefture ; Hannah's triumphant fong is rather a proof of the contrary. She difcovers a fpirit too excellent, in other refpecls, to permit us to fuppofe her capable of rejoicing in the devaftation which the hand of God had wrought, much lefs in the deftruftion of her ow^ hufband's family. That heart muft be loft to every feeling of humanity, loft to decency, loft to the fear of God, who can make the calamity of another, efpec- ially fuch a calamity, a ground of felf-gratulation, and complacency, or a fubjed of thankfgiving to a holy and merciful God, as if he could become a party to our petty jealounes and contentions. No, a fpirit fo regulated as h'crs, fo patient under mortification, fo long nurtured in the fchool of afflidion, fo obfervant of, and fubmiffive to the will of Providence, could not taile the mortality of even Peninnah's children as a fource of joy. Her exprefiions amount to no more than a devout and humble acknowledgment -of unerring wifdom, of unimpeachable jufdce, in conducing all the affairs of this world : in building up famihes, and in bringing them low ; in exercifnig an abfolute right of fovereignty, which will not be compelled to give account of its matters to any one. The gift of chil- dren is not always withheld in anger, nor beftowed in kindnefs, as the character and hiftory of Eli's fami- ly v/ill ihortly evince. She proceeds to purfue the fame idea of a divine fuperintendence in every thing, through a variety of particulars ftvikingly contralfed one with anothei, all aiming at the fame end, all calculated to enforce the fame pradical leilon. " The Lord killeth, and mak- eth alive : he bringeth down to the grave, and bring- eth up. The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich : he bringeth low, and lifreth up. He raifeth up the poor out of the dufl, and lifteth up the beggar from thp Lect. XIX. Hyiory of Haiinah, i-^j the dunghill, to fet them among princes, and to make, them inherit the throne of glory : for the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, and he hath fet the world up- on them. He will keep the feet of his faints, and the wicked fhali be filent in darknefs : for by ftrength ihall no man prevail."* In the conclufion of her fong, Hannah, rapt into futurity, no doubt by the fpirit of prophecy, contem- plates the final confummation of the great myftery of Providence, as iffuing in the eftablifhment of univer- fal order : in the fuppreffion and punifliment of vice ; and in the unchangeable and permanent glory of a Re- deemer's kingdom. The fame hand which balances the fpheres, which condufts all the affairs of men, which preferves harmony and prevents confufioxi, in, both the natural and moral worlds, fhall at length, by another almighty fiat^ " make all things new." Then " the adverfaries of the Lord fhall be broken to pieces : out of heaven fhall he thunder upon them." " But who may abide the day of his coming ? and who fhall fland when he appeareth ? for he is like a refiner's lire ; and he fhall fit as a refiner and purifier of filver." Chaflifement fhall, therefore, be preceded by right- eous judgment, that every mouth may be flopped before God. " The Lord fhall judge the ends of the earth." Now thefe words of the prophetic mother of Samuel, taken in connexion with the clearer and fuller difplay of a judgment to come, in the WTitings of the New Teflament, clearly point out that glori- ous and divine perfon^ in whofe hallowed name the fong terminates — God's Anointed. A woman was honoured firfl to announce the Saviour of the world, under that defcription ; and a fucceflion of prophets henceforward hold it up to the eyes of fucceeding gen- erations, as "all their falvation, and all their deilre." Samuel, David, llaiah, Daniel, Habakkuk, each in his day proclaims the approach of this King of glory, of whom all who were anointed with material oil, wheth- er * Ver. 6 — 3. 23 S Hijiory of Hannah, Lect. XIX, ci" as priefts, or prophets,- or kings, were? but a Ihadow ; and in whole iuperior luflre they difappear, as the light of the flars is abforbed in the fplendour of the fun. The prophetefs celebrates Jehovah who " (hall judge the ends of the earth," as that " King'* to whom all authority is committed, to whom all flrength is given," as that ^'^ anointed" One, MefTiah the prince, whofe " horn" fhould be finally "exalted," and before the brightnefs of whofe coming, all difordcr, iniquity and milery ihall flee away ; who fhall firft " judge the ends of the earth," and then reign forever and ever. And thus is the voice of this holy woman, near twelve hundred years before Meffiah's day, in perfe6b unifon with the tongue of Chrifl himfelf, and of the apoftles of the Lord, after his afcenfion into heaven, and the defcent of the Holv Soirit. " The Father judgeth no man ; but hath committed all judgment unto the Son : that all men ihould honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son, honoureth not the Father which hath fent him."* " God now comniandeth all men eve- ry where to repent : becaufe he hath appoinetd a day in the which he will judge the world in righteoufnefs by that man whom he hath ordained ; v/hercof he hath given alTurance unto all men, in that he hath raifed him from the dead."t " The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Chrifl: ; and he fhall reign forever and ever."! And fuch, in every age, is the native expref- fion of a foul alive to God, the natural afpiration of the fpiritual and divine life. — Art thou, O m.an, through grace a partaker of it ? You fliall " know it by its fruits." As it in- creafes, corruption dies. " If Chrifl be in you, the body is dead becaufe of fin, but the Spirit is life be- caufe of righteoufnefs." § To be deftitute of this life, in whatever flate of perfedion the intelleclual Hfe -may * John V. 2 2, 23. t Aits xvii. 30, 31. j. Rev. xi. 15. ^j § Rom. viii. 10. Lect. XIX» Hijiory of Hannah* 239 may be, is to be under the power of everlafting death, a death of trefpafles and fins. But if its very firft breathings are felt, however feebly, it is a new cre- ation begun, it is " Chrifl in you, the hope of glory.'* Attempts will be made to extinguifh it, but in vain. Like its Author it is immortal. It may be opprelTed, it maybe fufpended, it may, at feafons, lie dormant, but it cannot expire. It doth not always make itfelf fenfible to the eyes and ears of the world ; for the believer's " life is hid with Chrifl in God." But " when Chrifl, who is our life, fhall appear, then Ihall ye alfo appear with him in glory."* " Beloved, now are we the fons of God, and it doth not yet ap- pear what we fhall be : but we know that, when he Ihall appear, we fhall be like him ; for we fhall fe« him as he is."t * Col. iii. 4. f I John iii. a. Hiflorv Hiftory of Hannah, THE MOTHER OF SAMUEL. LECTURE XX. I SAMUEL il. I 8 21. But Samuel mini/iered before the Lord, being a child, gird- ed ivith a linen ephod. Moreover his mother made him a little coat, and brought it to him from year to year, ivhen Jhe came up with her hufhand, to offer the yearly facrifce. And Eli bleffed Elkanah a?id his wife, and faid. The Lord give thee feed of this woman, for the loan which is lent to the Lord. And they went unto their own home. And the Lord vifited Hannah, fo that fhe conceived, and bare three fons and two daugh- ters. And the child Sa?nuel grew before the Lord. 1 HE charader of mod men is formed and fixed, be- fore it is apprehended that they have, or can have, any charader at all. Many vainly and fatally imagine, that the few firlt years of life may be difpofed of as you pleafe : that a little negle£t may eafily be repair- ed, that a little irregularity may eafily be re6lified. This is faying in other words, " never regard the morning ; fleep it, trifle it, riot it away ; a little clofer application at noon will recover the lors.'"* " The fpring returns, the flowers appear upon the earth, the time of the fmging of birds is come. No matter ; it is foon enough to think, of the labours of fpring. Lect. X}t* Hiflory of Hannah* 241 fpring. Sing with the birds, (kip with the fawn, the diligence of a more advanced, more propitious feaion will bring every thing round ; and the year (hall be crowned with the horn of plenty.'* A fmgle ray of reafon is fufficient to dete£l and expofe fuch abfurdi- ty ; yet human condu6t exhibits it, in almoft uni- verfal prevalence. Infancy and childhood are vilely cafl away ; the morning is loll ; the feed-time neg- lected — And what is the confequence ? A life full of confufion, and an old age full of regret ; a day of un- neceffary toil, and a night of vexation j a hurried fummer, a meagre autumn, a comfortlefs winter. It is the ordinance of Providence that the heavieft and moft important part of education fhould devolve upon the mother. It begins before the child is born ; her pafiions and habits atFect the fruit of her womb. From her bofom the infant draws the precious juice of health and virtue, or the baleful poifon of vice and difeafe. The fleeting period he pafles under the fhadow of her wing, is a feafon facred to wifdom and piety. If the mother lead not her fon to the hallowed fpring, if fhe fail to difclofe to his eager eye and pant- ing heart the lovehnefs of goodnefs, the excellency of religion ; if Ihe permit the luxuriant foil to be overrun with briars and thorns, in vain will flie ftrive to re- deem the loft opportunity, by reftraints and punilh- ments, by precepts and mafters, by fchools and col- leges, in a more advanced ftage of life. The good or the m.ifchief is done by the time he comes out of her hands. That Providence which has impofed this employ- ment on the feebler fex as a talk, has moft gracioully contrived to render it one of the higheft and moft exquifite of female comforts ; as, in truth, all the im- pofitions, nay, the very chaftifements of Heaven are really bleffings. Let the woman who has given fuck, tell if fhe can, " how tender it is to love the babe that milks her." Alk that mother if there be any joy like the joy of hearing her child repeat the lelfons which Vol. VI. q^ fhe 242 Bf^ory of Hannah. Lect. XX. fhe taught him. Afk her, if fhe recoUefts or regards her pain and anguifh ; her anxious days and fleeplefs nights. Afk her, if all is not forgotten and loft in the progrefs which expanding faculties have made, and in the richer harveft which they promife. Afk, if {he has not already received more than her reward. If the reprefentation of the cafe be juft, let it procure for dutiful mothers the refpeft and gratitude which they merit ; let it reconcile their minds to what is painful and laborious in their lot ; let it raife them to their due rank and importance in fociety ; and let it ftimulate them to perfeverance in well-doing, in the full alfurance that they fhall in no wife lofe their re- ward. — The paffage of holy writ, on the confideration of which we are now entering, is a very affecting repre- fentation of the effeds and confequences of a good and a bad education, exemplified in the condu6l of Hannah, the mother of Samuel, and of Eli, the father of Hoph- ni and Phinehas. Scripture, inftead of multiplying pre- cept upon precept, leads us at once into human life, and exhibits the law written in the event. It inflrufts us how to bring up children, by delineating the dread- ful confequences of exceflive lenity and indulgence on the one hand, and the happy fruits of early piety, regularity and felf-government on the other. This theme, being by far the more pleafmg of the two, and coming in more regularly in the order of hiftory, fliall obtain the preference, in the courfe of our inquiry. Though, indeed, attention to the one muft, of necefli- ty, bring forward the other ; and the good fortify and recommend itfelf by contrafl with the evil. The education of Samuel began in the pious refo- lution of his mother before he was conceived in the womb. " If thou wilt give unto th?iie handmaid a man-child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life." Every parent receives every child under a tacit engagement to the fame purpofe : and the command of God, from the moment of the birth, is, Lect. XX. Hijlory of Hannah. 243 is, " Rear that child for me." I have watched over him while he lay in darknefs, " mine eyes faw his Aibftance yet being unperfed ; in my book all his members were written, which in continuance were fafhioned, when as yet there was none of them. I added the immortal principle to the finilhed limbs ; I ftamped my image upon him. There my hand has fcattered the feeds of wifdom and happinefs ; to thy foftering care I commit that tender plant. Cared for, it will abundantly reward thy toil ; negled:ed, it will grow into a fliarp thorn to tear thy flefh. Every day, every hour is producing a chailge in it. Grow it will and muft ; what it grows into, depends upon thyfelf. Of thy hand will I require it." As Samuel was to be a Nazarite to God from the womb, the law prefcribed to the mother certain cere- monial obfervances refpecling her own conduct, and the treatment of her own perfon, which correfponded to that high deftination. Abftinence, in particular, from certain kinds of meat and drink, which might eventually aifect the bodily or mental conflitution of the unborn infant. With thefe prefcriptions we have no room to doubt Hannah punctually complied. And here we fix the fecond ftage, or if you will, erecl the fecond pillar of education. The commands of God are none of them arbitrary and capricious, but found- ed in reafon and the nature of things. Whatever itrongly affeQs the mother during the months of pregnancy, beyond all doubt affects her offspring, whether it be violent liquors, or violent paffions. It belongs to another profeflion than mine to account for this, and to determine how far the fy^mpathy goes. But the general belief of it would moft certainly have a very happy effe£l in procuring attention to female health, regularity and tranquillity in that delicate and interefting fituation. The comfort of both parent and child, to the end of Hfe ; what do I fay ? through the whole of their exiltence, may be concerned in it. (^2 As 244 Hiflorj of Hannah, Lect. XX». As foon as Samuel was born, we find Hannah de- voting undivided attention to the firft and Iweeteft of maternal offices. " The woman tarried at home, and gave her fon fuck, until Ihe weaned him/' Nature and inclination concur in prelling this duty upon every mother. The inftances of real inability are too few to merit confideration. The performance of it, carries its own • recompenfe in its boibm ; the negleft, is, fji'fl and laft, its own punilhment. Without con- fidering at prefent its connexion with the health and comfort of both parties, let us attend for a moment to its influence on morals, annefl: of Ifrael, who knew fo ill to rule his own houic, and to whom, of a pupil, he became a teacher. I am well aware of the difficulty of forming a plan of religious inflruftion for children. Scripture fufij- gefls the happiefl, the mofl obvious, and the mofl ef- feftual. It ought to come from the children them- felves. They are defirous of information. If left to themfelves, they will think and inquire. Their quef- tions will point out the mode of inflruction. Do not be over anxious to take the lead, but carefully follow them. Their ideas will be directed by what they ob- ferve and feel ; and flrong farts and appearances of nature will make a deep and lading impreffion upon them. He who knows what is in man, has according- ly given us, in a particular example, a general rule of proceeding in this great article : " And it fhall be when thy fon afketh thee in time to come, faying, What is this ? That thou flialt fay unto him, by ftrength of hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the houfe of bondage. And it came to pafs when Pharaoh would hardly let us go, that the Lord flew 24^ Hi/iory of Hannah. Lect. XX. llev/ all the firll-born in the land of Egypt." It was probably thus, that Hannah inftrufted her darling fon ; flored his memory with interefting events, and touched his heart by affecting reprefentations of the mercy and judgment of God, exemphfied in the hif- tory of his own forefathers. Milk is the proper food of babes, ftrong meat belongeth to them who are of full age. A dry precept is but half underftood, and is fpeedily forgotten, but a tale of diilrefs, the tri- umph of goodnefs over malevolence and oppofition ; the merited fhame and punifhment of wickednefs, is eafily underftood, is long retained, and its impreffion is not to be effaced. We advance to the fourth ftage of wife and good education, of which we have the pattern before us. The fame principle which induced Hannah to keep her fon at home for a feafon, and to abide with him, conftrained her to fend him from home, to give up her interefl in him, when the fervice of God, and the greater good of the child demanded the facrifice. It is juft the reverfe of what high hfe, at lead with us, daily prefents. You fhall fee a mother who hardly inquired after her child at the time of life when her tendernefs was moll: neceflary to him, all at once af- fuming the parent, exercifmg an affefted tendernefs which he no longer needs, reducing him to child- hood after he is becoming a man, and endeavouring to compenfate by an after-growth of affedion, the un- kindnefs and negleft which blighted the early blof- foms of the fpring. She can fuffer him no longer out of her fight. The difcipline which her own wick- ednefs has rendered neceitary to his improvement, is reprobated as cruelty, and the poor youth is fre- quently ruined, by having at one time no mother at all; at another, one too much. I honour the firm- nefs of Hannah, as much as I love her motherly foft- nefs and attachment. To poiTefs with gratitude, to cherifh a worthy objeft with tendernefs, and to re- fign it with fleadinefs and magnanimity, is equally an objedt Lect. XX. Hijiory of Hannah. 247 objeft of admiration and efteem. Obferve the mixed emotions which animate and corredt her countenance as fhe condufts her well-beloved fon to the altarv The faint fpeaks in that eye, fparkling with delight^ as fhe devotes what fhe holds moic dear in the world to Him, from whom fhe had by holy importunity ob- tained him ; the tear rufhes to it, and all the mother ftands confefTed as fhe retires. Piety has prevailed, and prefented the offering : nature feels, but fubmits, . It is eafier to conceive than to defcribe what was the flate of her mind as fhe returned from Shiloh to Ramah : the anxiety and regret at leaving her Samu- el behind ; the fatisfaction and delic^ht of refleftinfr in what hands fhe had left him, and to v/hat care flie had committed him. But we hear of no wild project formed of removing the whole family to refide at Shi- loh, in order to indulge a fond mother's partial af- fedion, with the continual prefence of her httle min- ion. No, the fame fpirit of prudence, the fame do- meflic regards, the fame fenfe of duty which once en- gaged her to prefer attention to Samuel, to attend- ance on the facred feflival, now engage her to prefer the unoftentatious employments of a wife, and the miftrefs of a family at Ramah, to the facrcdnefs of the tabernacle, and the care of an only fon, a firft-born. But the heart of a mother nnds, and flies to, the inno- cent refuge which nature pointed out. She employs her mind and her hands during the intervals of the feafl, about her abfent fon ; " His mother made him a little coat, and brought it to him from year to year, when fhe came up with her hufband to offer the year- ly facrifice." O how pure, how cheap, how fatisfy- ing are the pleafures of virtue ! No words can ex- prefs the inward, the incommunicable joy of that mother, as her fingers wove the threads of that little coat, as her eyes faw it grow into fhapc and colour and fhade, as the increafing ftature of the wearer rendered the increafe of her labour neceffary. You mufl be converted and become a little child, a dutiful, affectionate. 248 Hijlory of Hannah. Lect. XX^ affedionate, and pious child, like Samuel, to conceive the delight of feeing his parents return, of putting on his new garment, of exhibiting his mother's prefent.: Thefe nothings are the bond of affedion among virt.'. tuous minds, and the fource of their felicity. This we fettle as a more advanced ftage of educa- tion, as far as it depends upon the mother. To part with the child firmly and unreluctantly when the proper hour of feparation comes j to preferve the commerce of afFe6lion by works and meifages of kind- nefs ; and to fubjed; every feeling and purfuit to the known and declared will of God. Let no one, O woman, ufurp thy province, fiep between thee and thy child, fleal his aftedions from thee. What, fuffer him to have a ftep-mother while thou art yet living ! For- bid it nature, forbid it decency, forbid it reUgion. But the hour of feparation is arrived, you have done your duty, he muft now pafs into other hands ; as a mother you retained him, as a mother refign him. You have not laboured in vain : you have net fpent your flrength for nought and in vain. Be of good cheer, you have trained him up in the way in which he Hiould go, and when old he will not depart from it. Your heart fhall rejoice in him many days hence. He fhall be to thee a crown of glory when thou art dropping into the grave. The diforderly flate of Eli's family, the confequence of a carelefs and negleded education, will, through the divine permifTion, be the fubjed of the next Ledure. I conclude with addrefTmg myfelf in a very few words, firft, to the parents of the other fex. You fee what a heavy burden God and nature have laid upon the weaker of the two. You are bound in juflice, in humanity, in gratitude, to alleviate it. To no pur- pofe will the mother watch and toil, unlefs you co-op^ erate. She has part of her reward in her very em- ployment : her recompenfe will be complete if flie obtain your approbation, and retain your affedion.. Has Lect. XX. Hiflory of Hannah, ^49 Has offence arifen, does calamity prefs. is the fpirit ruilled, is her perlbn changed ? Refle£l, fhe is the mother of thy child ; perhaps Ihe lofl her looks, her health, it may be her fpirits and temper, in doing the duty of a mother : fhe ought to be the mere eftima- ble in your eyes at leaft. Let me next fpeak for a moment to ingenuous youth. Young man, fuperadded to all the other mo- tives to virtue, if you feel not the force of this, you are loft indeed. There is a worthy vi^oman in the world, who loves you as her own foul, who gave you your firft nourifhment and inftruftion, who brought you into hfe at the rilk of her own, to whom nothing that affeds you can be a matter of indifference. She is jealous over you with a holy jealoufy. If you tread in the ways of wifdom, how her heart will be faiished within her ! If you decline from the right path, if you become " a fon of Behal," you will rend her with feverer pangs than thofe which (he endured in bringing thee into the world. And can your heart permit you to plunge a dagger into the heart of your own mother ? Who does not fhudder at the thought of a parricide fo deteftable, fo moniLrous ? For a mother's fake, renounce that " covenant with death :" retrace thy wandering fteps, refunie the reins of felf-government, and return to real reft and joy. Young woman, let thine eyes be ftill toward the nurfe, the guide, the comforter, the refuge of thy early years. Alleviate, by partaking of, the burdens and labours of her ftation ; diffipate her folici- tude ; foothe her pains ; give her caufe to blefs the day fhe bare thee. Truft in her as thy moft prudent counfellor, as thy moft affured friend, as thy moft in- telligent inftruftor. Do her good and not evil, all the days of thy life. Rife into ufefulnefs, into im- portance, into refpeftability, by marking her foot- fteps, imbibing her fpirit, following her example. A daughter 250 Hijiory of Hannah, Lect. XX. daughter unkind, undutiful, ungrateful to a mother, is of all mon Iters the mod odious and difgufling. Youthful excellence is never more amiable and at- tractive, than when it feeks retreat and retirement un- der the maternal wing, and, fhrinking from the pub- lic eye, feeks its reward in a mother's fmile of appro- bation. Hiflory Hiftory of Hannah, THE MOTHER OF SAI/IUEL. LECTURE XXI. I SAMUEL 11. 12 17, 23, 24. Noiv the fens of Eli were fans of Belial : they knew not the Lord. And the pricjis^ cujtom with the people was, that when any man offered facr if ce, the prieji'sfervant came while the fiefb was in fee things with afefo-hook of three teeth in his hand : and he firuck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot : all that the flcfh-hook brought up, the priefi took for himfelf: fo they did in Shiloh, unto all the Ifraelites that came thither. Alfo before they burned the fat, the pricji' s fcrvant came, and faid to the man that facrificed. Give fefh to roafi for the priefi : for he will not have fodden flcfn of thee, but raw. And if any man faid unto him. Let them not fail to hurnJhe fat prefently : and then take as much as thy fold defireih, then he would anfwer him. Nay, but thou fhalt give it me nozu : and if not, I will take it by force. Wherefore the fin of the young men was very great before the Lord, for men abhorred the offering of the Lord. Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his fens did imto all IfrceL And he faid unto iheni. Why doyefuch things ? for I hear of your evil dealings by all this people. Nay, my fons : fr it is no good report that I hear ; ye make the Lord^s people to tranf- PERFECTION 2.52 Hijlory of Hannah. Lect. XXI. i ERFECTION confifls in the happy medium be- tween the too little and too much. It is eminent- ly coufpicuous in every thing that comes immediately from God, "He is the rock, his work is perfedt, and all his ways are judgment." Contemplate the ftupendous whole, or examine the minuted part, and you find no redundancy, no defed:. All is good, yea, very good. But man is ever in the extreme. Now, under the power of an indolence which flirinks from every appearance of difficulty or danger, and now hurried on by a zeal which overleaps all the bounds of wifdom and difcretion. Now, he cannot be prevailed on to begin, and now nothing can per- fuade him to flop. He makes his very good to be evil fpoken of, by imprudence and excels in the man- ner of performing it. In nothing is human ignorance and frailty more apparent, than in the important article of education. It is condutked, at one time, with a feverity that in- timidates and overwhelms ; at another, with a lenity that flatters, encourages, and foflers vice. One is driven into an evil courfe by defpair, another drawn into it, and fortified in it, by excefTive indulgence. it is, in truth, no eafy tafk to manage this matter aright. The modes of treatment are as various as the character and difpofiticns of the young ones, who are the fubjeds of it. The application of a general rule is impracticable and abfurd. The difcipline which would opprefs one child, is hardly fuflicient to refcrain another within any bounds of decency. It is happy when the child is inured to habits of reilraint and iubmllTion from the cradle. If the mother has difcharged her duty tolerably, the bufinefs of the fa- ther and mafler is half executed. La'l Lord's day we had tlie fatisfaclion of obferving the effeds of an early good education, in the example of Hannah, the niother of Samuel. We faw in her condud a happy mixtvire of tendernefs and refolution ^ of attention to I.ECT. XXI. Hiftory of Hannah, 653 to domeflic employments, and regard to the offices of religion ; of moderated anxiety about the fafety and comfort of her fon's peribn, and prudent concern about the culture of his mind. We arcjthis evening, to meditate on a fubjett much lefs pleafmgj but not leis in- flrudive : the ruinous effeds of education negleded ; youth licentious and unreltrained, fmking gradually into univerfal depravity, and ilTuing in accumulated wretchednefs and untimely death. A father weak and indulgent ; fons profligate and abandoned ; a God holy, righteous, and juft. Obferve, in the entrance, the provifion which in- finite wifdom has been making to fupply the breach which was ready to be made in the prieithood. The meafure of the iniquity of Eli's fons was nearly full, their deftru^lion was haftening on ; Samuel is already born, inftruded in, prepared for, the fervice of the tabernacle ; and the care of a pious mother has been employed, in the hand of Providence, to counterad; the criminal negligence and carelefsnefs of a too eafy father. The reprefentation given us of the degeneracy and diffolutenefs of the Levitical family, equals, if not ex- ceeds, all that hiftory relates of the irregularity, and impurity of idol worfhip. The law had made a de- cent, and even an ample provifion, for them who miniftered at the altar, but had carefully guarded againft whatever tended to countenance luxury or excefs. But behold every thing confounded. The directors of religious worfhip are become the patterns of impiety. There is no reverence of God, no re- gard to man. Before the fat of the facrifice fmokes upon the altar of Jehovah, the choiceft pieces of the vidtim are ferved up on the abominable table of a luxurious prieft.' The pious worfhipper has his of- fering marred, his fpirit difcompofed, the feftival of his family peace difturbed and defrauded, and inde- cencies, too fhocking to be mentioned, clofe the fcene «jf riot and intemperance. ^54 llijlory of Hannah, Lect. XXI. All this is eafily to be traced up to early habits of indulgence : men could not have become thus wick- ed all at once. Had the authority of the father, had the fanftity of the high-prieft, had the feverity of the judge interpofed, to check and punifli the firft deviation from propriety, it had never come to this. We may judge of the gentlenefs with which fiighter oitences were reproved, when the moft atro- cious tranfgrefTions meet with fo mild a rebuke as this, " Nay, my fons, it is no good report that I hear." This is rather an invitation to commit iniquity, than the vengeance of a magiftrate to expofe and fupprefs it. To point out the aggravations of Kli's offence, is neither malicious nor ufelefs ; it is written, among the other things in this book, for our inftrudion, and by the bleflmg of God it may prove falutary, as a beacon pointing out the rock on which others have made Ihipwreck. Againll his perfonal virtue no cenfure is infinuat- cd. He feems to have been one of thofe quiet, eafy, good-natured men, who love not to have their tran- quillity difturbed, and areloth to dilturb that of others ; who, without being vicious themfelves, by a pafTive tamenefs, become the undefigned abettors of the fms of other men. The corruption of the times mult in- deed have been very great, when it was fuppofed pof- fible for the miftrefs of a family, during the folemni- ty of a facred feftival, to be difguiied with wine, in the face of the fun, in the court of God's houfe. But the bare poffibility of fuch a cafe, grievoufly enhances his guilt. He had not done his duty as the public guardian of morals and rehgion, or Hannah had not been fufpeftcd of intemperance, and the fufpi- cion refleds the highefl difhonour on both his un- derflanding, and his heart ; his bitterefl enemy could not have devifed a feverer cenfure upon his conduct, than that under the priefthood of Eli fuch enormi- ties were committed, and connived at. Men LiCT. XXL tiijiory of Hannah » l^^ Men in power are chargeable not only \vith the evil which they do, but alfo with the evil which they might have prevented, but did not. Power is delegated to them, for this very end, that they may be " a terror to evil doers,** as well as " a praife to fuch as do well.'* The fame carelefsnefs runs through the whole of his domeftic and public adminiitration ; a difor- derly family, a polluted church, a diftraded, dagger- ing (late ; no government, or what was worfe than none. The belt things are the moil liable to abufe : and we fliall give this faulty, unhappy father all the credit we can. His errors had their origin perhaps in goodnefs. His natural difpofition was mild and gen- tle ; his parental affedion was great ; he was unwil- ling to render any one unhappy ; he thought of pre- vailing by love. He began with overlooking trilling faults ; he flattered himfelf that the reafon and re- fieftion of riper years Vv^ould corred and cure the wildnefs and irregularity of boyifh days ; " Surely the young men will by and by fee their folly, and grow" wifer." Who would not rather attempt to rule by love ? But what is the proper condud: and expreffion of love ? What faith the wifefl of mankind ? " He that fpareth the rod, hateth the child." What faith the great Father and Saviour of all men ? " As many as I love^ I rebuke and chaften.'* There is no fuch thing as happinefs but in habits of order, decency and fubjedion. The man, or the child, who knows no law but that of appetite or caprice, mufl of necef- fity be milerable. It is cruelty, not kindnefs, to give a man up to himfelf; and to dream of changing habits of indolence, diflipation, and criminal indulgence, by remonftrance and reafon, is expeding that reafon lliould furvive itfelf, or that it fhould effed, when en- feebled, difordered, and corrupted, what it could not do when clear, and found, and vigorous. But, " the grace of God is almighty, and his mercies are very great." Nay, but who art thou, O man, who dareft to exped, or to afk a miracle of grace, with the con- fcioufnefs t^6 fii/iory of Hunnafj. Lect. XXt* fcioufnefs of having neglecbed the means, which, time- ly employed, mightj through the divine bleffmg, have proved effeftaal without a miraculous interpofition ? The one talent is juftly taken away from him who hid it in the earth, and it is given to increafe the (lore of the diligent and faithful fervant, who, by wifdom and induftry, had increafed his five talents into ten. The human mind, put under early culture, may be made to produce any thing. It poffeffes a happy ^pli- ancy, which may be moulded into any form. But the fame plant, which, young and tender, you could with a touch bend into what fhape you pleafed ; when grown into a tree, refifts every effort of your ftrength. Cut it down you may, break it you may, cleave it afunder you may, but bend it you cannot. And alas, how great a portion of human Hfe is fpent in ufelefs, unavailing regret for opportunities loll, fea- fons mifpent, mifchief done, mifery incurred ! Yet men will not profit even by experience, that plaineit^ moil faithful, and mod powerful of all inftruftors. "Who can view, without pitying him, that wretched old man, deploring the guilt which he himfelf had occafioned, which he wants refolution to punilh, and wifdom to cure ; which is proceeding from evil to worfe, filling the paft with remorfe, and overfpread- ing the future with defpair ? Ah, how heavily he fuf- fers in his age, becaufe thefe profligate fons bore not the wholeibme yoke of difcipline and reftraint in their youth ! Who can conceive the anguifh of Jacob's foul, as he was finking into the grave under the lofs of a gracious fon by the ftroke of Providence ? But what is it, compared to the more dreadful anguifh of Eli, looking forward in horror to the utter extinc- tion of all his family, with the infupportable refledion, that all, all was chargeable upon himfelf ? The character and behaviour of the unhappy young men is a melancholy and affeding reprefenta- tion of the progrefs of moral corruption. It begins in their mkking light of the ordinances of religion, which Lect. XXI. Hi/lory of Hannah, t^y which they were bound, by their office, to venerate themfelves, and to recommend by their example, to others. And you may be affured there is fomething effentially wrong about that man who exprefles real or affected contempt for the worfhip of God. It is a grofs violation of the laws of decency and good breeding. For what title can you have to infult that fober-minded perfon, who has given you no provo- cation, by deriding or profaning what he holds fa- cred ? It is a dire£l defiance to the laws of your coun- try, which have adopted the inftitutions of religion, to affilt, at lead, in carrying on and fupporting good government, fo elTential to public happinefs. He that defpifcs, therefore, the ordinances of God, is a friend to anarchy, is making a wicked attempt to diffolve the bands of fociety, and defcrves to be treated as a pub- lic enemy. It is an argument of a light and filly mind, aiming to fupply the want of confequence, by affected boldnefs, impiety and fmgularity ; and which, like every other fpecies of affeftation, generally miifes its aim. In the example before us, we find irreverence to- ward God fpeedily degenerating into violence and in- juftice to men. And indeed what hold has fociety of that man who has fhaken off the firft and ftrongeft obligations of his nature, who has profeifedly degrad- ed himfelf, and is become lefs than a man, in making the filly attempt to be thought fomething more. He who begins with defrauding God of his due, will not long be fcrupulous about invading the rights of his fellow-creature. The fame fpirit which defers the facrifice till an unruly appetite be firft gratified, will, by and by, proceed to " take by force" the portion of another ; and v/ill lofe all fenfe of the juft claims and real w^nts of mankind, in pride and felfifh- ncfs. The third ftage of this humiliating progrefs, difcov- ers to us men wholly brutified, plunged into the low- eft, grolTeft fenfuality ; finking deeper and deeper in Vol. VI. R the 258 Hiftory of Hannah. Lect. XX T. the iiiirCj till nothing remains but the image of the moil odious and abominable of animals. Young man, looi^ at the picture, confider it well. If you are io- happy as to have preferved your virtue, if you have any favour of piety, you muft regard it with a mix- ture of indi;;nation and pity ; if you are not loft to the feelings of humanity, it will fill you with loathing and difguft. The fequel will teach us many import- ant leffons. For my own part, ever fmce I became a father, I have never been able to read this hiftory without trembling ; and my anxiety has not been di- minidied by refleaing, that the children whom God has given me, neither in their bodies, nor their minds, nor their difpofitions, are among the loweft of their fpecies. I have an awful conviction, that if any of them fliould unhappily turn out ill, a great part of the blame will be imputable to myfelf. I am fre- quently tempted to rejoice that none of my grown children have made choice of my own profellion, the moft dangerous, the moft refponlible of all ; and I am much more alarmed at the apprehenfion, that Vvhen they are become men and women, they may ac- cufe me of over-indulgence, than I am now, of being thought harfti and unkind by children. As the greateft and moft rei]3e6table part of my au- dience are parents, I muft of neceftity apply the great raid important fubjett of my difcourfe particularly to them. And, as I always Hatter myfelf with the great- er hope of fuccefs with female parents, I take the lib- erty of addrefting myfelf firft to mothers. Providence, my friends, as I have frequently repeated, has laid the earlieft, the heavieft, and the moft important part of education, upon you ; but it has alfo alleviated and fweetened the talk by many peculiar affedions and en- dearments. I-et me fuppofe you have done your duty, and carefully reared up infancy and childhood. The charge muft then pafs into other hands. But furely both your heart and confcience tell you that you have not yet done with them. Female children in par- ticular Lect. XXL Hijlor^ of Hannah* 2^g ticular are an anxious and a lading burthen upon the mother. They love you, they look up to you, they imitate you. You mud be therefore what you wifli them to become. Will a daughter learn to be indul- trious from an idle, indolent mother ? Will ihe learn to be fober-minded, by feeing you habitually carried away by the pride of life ? "Will flie catch the fpirit of piety from one whofe very fabbaths are devoted to diflipation and pleafure ? I will not infult you by fup- pofiiig that a pofitively bad example has been let, or that your darling charge may have grofsly deviated from the paths of virtue ; but let me fuppofe, for a mo- ment, a cafe that may, and does, happen everyday ; that your daughter has grown up with a vain, light, world- ly mind ; has acquired a tafte for drefs and amufe- menr ; has become a perfed; miflrefs of the ufual ac- compliflmients of the day and place in which we live ; has become an object of attention and admiration. Let me fuppofe her attacked with difeafe, and that difeafe, perhaps, the effect of levity and dillipation. See, the rofes are fading upon her cheek, her " beau- ty is wafting like a moth ;" all her vivacity is reduc- ed to the fudden glow of the heftic, which is gone, before it is well come ; (he feels the witnefs of death at her heart, Ihe looks up to you with clouded, will- ful eyes, and fays, " Ah, my mother, you was too in- dulgent to me. You aflided the tom^ue of the flatter- er, and taught me to forget myfelf. I was made to believe myfelf an angel, and now feel that I am a worm. Seeking to diine in the eyes of man, I have neglected the means of finding favour in the fight of God. I now wiih I had frequented the houfe of prayer more ; I v;ifh I had not frequented the company of the giddy, the thoughtlefs, and the profane. 1 do not accufe my dear mother, of defignedly mifleading me ; but would to God fhe had better underdood her own duty and my real interelL Life had been more re- fpeftable. ond death lefs frightful than I find it to R 2 be. 26a Hi/iory of Hannah. Lect. XXL be. O my God, have mercy, have mercy upon me. • It had been eafy to have added to the flrength of this addrefs ; but even from this the maternal heart recoils, -and deprecates with horror, an hour fo dreadful. Well, blelTed be God, it is yet a great way otf ; and what is more, it is in your pov/er to prevent it ; I do not mean the Itroke of death ; but the arrow of death dipt in the poilbn of remorfe. God grant that none here may ever feel it. The criminality of Eli confifted, my brethren, in the negleft of his duty ; and you have feen how fatal that neglecl was to himfelf and to his family. Dare 1 fuppofe there is a father here, who has been more than pallive in the corruption of his own child ; who has been the promoter and the pattern of wickednefs ; who has with his own hand fcattered the feeds of death in that precious foil ; and trained up an immor- tal being to deilruclion ? Paufe, and confider. Are you prepared to meet the flings of an awakened con- fcience, accufmg thee of murder, of foul-murder, the murder of thy own Ion, vv^hom thou lovedil ? Are you fortified againft the cutting reproaches of that child, laying his eternal ruin to your charge ? Have you prepared your defence againit that awful day when a righteous God fhall demand an account of the facred trufl committed to thee ? If to contemplate his pun- ifhment at a diftance be woe unutterable, what were it, to be at once the caufe and the partaker of it ? The terrified imagination flees from this hell of hells, and feeks refuge in prayer to a merciful God, that he would gracioully iave you from it. Let young ones be perfuaded to be patient of re- ftraint, of correction, and of reproof. You are not grieved v/illingly, you arc not aftiided unneceifarily, you are not chaftifed out of caprice. " My fon, hear the Inftruclion of thy father, and forfake not the law of thy mother : for they ihall be an ornament of tjrace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck. My fon. Lect. XXI. Hiftory of Hafinah. 261 fon, if Tinners entice thee, confent thou not."^ — " A wife fon maketh a glad father ; but a foolifh fon is the heavinefs of his mother."t Venerate the name, the day, the houfe, the worOiip of God. Remember that want of decency is want of fenfe : that the immoder- ate indulgence of appetite is inimical to all true enjoy- ment : that what is renounced, from refpecl to rea- fon and confcience, is enjoyed : that prefent comfort, and future happinefs, are built on habits of order, felf-government, juflice, benevolence, and fubjeftion to divine authority. * Prov. i. 8 — 10. f Prov. x. I. fl make no apology for giving this difcourfe from the prels, under a title that bears the name of Hannah : The contrail which it prefents being her higheft encomium, next to the account given of Samuel, in the following Ledure, which, of courfe, clofes her hiftory, and fulfils our defign.J Hiftorv Hiftory of Hannah, THE MOTHER OF SAMUEL. LECTURE XXII. I SAMUEL il. 26. And the child Samuel greijij on, and was in faniour both with the Lord and alfo with men. IN O appearance of nature is more ftriking, no one affords a more complete demonftration of the great Creator's confummate wifdom and unremitting atten- tion, than the gradual and imperceptible progrefs of every thing in nature, to its perfeftion, and to its dif- folution. The dawning light infenfibly advances to the perfect day, and the moment high noon is gained* an approach is made towards night. When the moon has wanedj till fhe is loft in the fun's brighter rays, . fhe begins to emerge into form and luftre again : hav- ing waxed till her refplendent orb is full, that mo- ment (he begins to decay. We are prepared to- bear the raging heat of the dog-ftar by the grateful vicif- iltudes and advances of fpring ; and are fortified againll winter's ftormy blaft, by the contrading light and the temperate cold of fober autumn. Human life too has its m.orning, noon and night ; its fpring and fall ; and empires have their infancy, maturity and old age. Time is the dawning of eter- nity ; earth is the fcene of preparation for heaven ; and Lect. XXII. Hi/lory of Hannah. 263 and mortaliiy the paHligc to life and Immortality. Every thing is beautiful in its feafon, and every flate is a preparation for that which is to fuccced it. Na- ture and providence admit of few fudden and violent traiifitions ; becaufe the human frame, both of body and mind, is little quahfied to endure them. The paiTage before us prefents one of the mofi; pleafmg objetls of contemplation — human life at iis happiei't period, and in its mofl fmiling afpe£t — early youth, increafmg beauty and flrength, gradual and regular improvement. "While the family of Eli was exhibiting multiplied inftances of the fatal ef- fefts of neglected infancy and unrcfrraiiied child- hood, the fon of Elkanah was filentlv demonftrating the importance of early culture, and modertly reprov- ing grey hairs, by exemplifying the lelfons wdiicij his pious and orudent mother had taught him. The fclf-famc ideas are here employed to defcribe the early progrefs of Samuel in wifdom, beauty, and goodnefs, which are afterwards applied to Chrill himfelf,. at a fimilar period of his earthly exiftence, and they fur- niih us with many excellent additional hints refpecting the important fubje£t of education, which now de- ferve to be more at large unfolded. "The child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the Lord, and alfo with men ;" and " Jefus increafed in wifdom and ftature, and in favour with God and man." Obferve here, firft. What is the work of nature, namely, to grow on, to " increafe in ftature." The moment, O man, thy child begins to breathe, a prog- refs commences which nothing can flop. Grow he will, and mud ; ceafe from all folicitudc on this fcore. Thefe feeble limbs will gather flrength ; by {tumbling and faUing, he will learn to walk and run ; after flam- mering for a while, he will come to fpeak plainly, and he who feems at prefent hardly to pcifefs the faculty of fight, will foon diftinguifii obje£l from objccl:. Ceafc from the vain imagination f^^ afTiflino; or improving nature. 264 Hi/lory of Hannah. Lect. XXII. nature. Affift nature ! If you try to mend that fhape, truft me, you will fpoil it. Every violent at- tempt to quicken growth will but retard it, and an over-folicitude to prefer ve health, will infallibly fcatter the feeds of diftemper. Toward the improvement of the bodily faculties, the mofl anxious and intelli- gent parent can do juft nothing at all ; " by taking thought he cannot add one cubit to the ftature ;'* it is by cultivating the mind, only, that the features, Ihape and perfon can be improved. The reverfe of this is the pradice of the world. The whole attention is diredled to perfonal accom- plifhment. Nature is cramped, flretched, diftorted, to humour an abfurd tafte and an erroneous judg- ment, and fhe avenges herfelf for the unwife encroach- ment on her province, by encroaching, in her turn, on the province of reafon and difcretion ; rendering all their late efforts ufelefs and unprofitable ; making education, which is clogged with fo many difficulties already, abfolutely impradicable. What can the wifefl mafter do, I befeech you, with a temper foured by habits of unnatural reflraint, with a mind rendered fickly by petty attentions to punctilio, with a fpirit fwallowed up in a fenfe of itsr own importance ? And yet the mafter is blamed for the fault, which parents themfelves have committed. Guard your child as well as you can from accidents. See that his food be fimple and wholefome, and adminiftered in due fea- fon ; let his body be free and unfettered ; his cloathing light and eafy ; his exercifes, both as to kind and duration, of his own choofing ; and he will grow on, and increafe in ftature, he will acquire vigour, will preferve fweetnefs of temper, will be happy in himfelf, and a fource of happinefs to all around him ; he will pafs with cheerfulnefs, like Samuel, in- to the hands of his inftruftor, without any prejudices, but fuch as are on the fide of goodnefs, and, through the bleffing of Heaven, will day by day fulfil a pa- rent's hope, and conftitute a parent's joy. There Lect. XXII. Hijiory of Hannah. 265 "^ There is a fruiflefs, perhaps a finful anxiety, of another kind, which parents fometinies express, and which often becomes a foarce of diftrefs to thcmfelvco, and of partiahty and injuftice to their children. I mean the fex of their offspring. The expectation of pride, avarice, ignorance, or caprice, prefumes to ufurp the prerogative of omnlfcience, and, in the event of dif- appointment, cruelty and injulHce to an innocent babe are fuperadded to impiety toward a wife and righteous God. It is dangerous, as well as criminal, to affume the incommunicable attributes of Deity. The man is equally unhappy in attaining or milling his objeft, if he purfue it, neglefting, defying, or ac- cufmg the interpofition of Providence. There is an inftance of goodnefs in the divine adminiflration which is too generally overlooked, too little prized and acknowledged ; namely, the perfeft and exaft conformation of children, both in body and mind. Among the myriads which are daily born into the world, how rare are the exceptions from the general rule ! Every one bears the marks of fovereign wif- dom, is the produdion of omnipotence, has the im- age of God impreifed upon him. How few exceed or fall fhort of the jufl ftandard in refped of flature ! How few are born deprived of the ufe of reafon, how few deficient or redundant in their bodily organs ! And, may not even thefe few deviations from the general rule, thefe a£ts of divine fovereignty in the government of the world, ferve in a future economy, more glorioully to iiluilrate the perfections of Him who has formed all things to the honour of his ov/n great name. Is thy child, O man, born complete in all his mem- bers; is he endued with the ordinary intelledtual powers, is he like the children of thy neighbour ? How much art thou indebted to the goodnefs of Heav- en ! Are his faculties, corporeal or mental, as paren- tal partiality is frequently difpofed to believe, fuperior to thofe of others i Remember, it is a great addition to r6o Hijhry of Hannah. Lect. XXIL to thy charge ; fee that thou mar not the work of God, disfigure not that fair fabric, pervert not talents peculiarly precious and rare, let not thy glory be turned into ihanie. Has Providence, O woman, wounded thee there where thy fenfibility is grcateil, in the fruit of thy womb ? Be of good conifort, he in whom thou truftell, on whom thou haft believed, faith, " Behold I make all things new." Then " the eye of the bhnd Ihall be opened, and the ear- of the deaf unftopped, then the lame man fliall leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb fing." " The vile body fhall be changed and fafhioned like to Chrifl's glorious body." Then the foul Vvhich fcarcely awoke to reafon, fhall difcern judgment, and the wandering fpirit lliall be brought back to compofure and tranquil- lity. Young man, young woman, haft thou received from the bountiful hand of nature, a found mind in a found and well-proportioned body ? Defile not, de- ilroy not that fair temple ; let it be " an habitation of God through the Spirit ;" let the image of the divine inhabitant faine ferenely on that forehead, beam benevolence from that eye, diftil in accents oi kindnefs from thofe lips. Force not upon the be- holder the humihating contraft between a lovely form and a hateful difpofition ; be all of a piece. Obferve, fecondly. The work of education, the in- fluence of virtuous habits and example. Samuel not oni)^ grew on but grev/ gracious, grew in favour. There is naturally a prejudice, in the hrft inftance, in favour of youth and beauty, independent of other qualities ; but that prejudice quickly dies away, where perfonal comelinefs is unfupported by correl- ponding goodnefs. But if it be found dii^figured by A'icc, not only is the favourable imprellion effaced, but exchanged for a counter imprcflion of deteftation and contempt. As, on the contrary, the prejudice againft ordinary looks is alfo momentary, when we find them alhed to fenfe and talents, piety and modefty ; and our Lect. XXII. Hi/iory of Hannah. 267 our efleem and veneration of the chara(Stcr arc highly increafed from our expeftinf^ lefs. Poor indeed is that virtue v.hich lives only in the eflimation of the world, v/hich aims only at the ap- probation and praife of men ; but, on the other hand, true virtue v/ill always be concerned to prcferve rep- utation, will ever prefer a good name to great riches, and ufiafiecledly rejoice in the efleem of the Vv'ife and good, as part of its reward. What a motive was it to a youth like Samuel to perfcvere in wjU doing, to <,^row in grace, to have his decency of behaviour, hi;> filial affeclion, his docility and fubmiilion to Eli, his unaiTuming piety, his grov;ing wifdom, his expand- ing faculties, obferved and coinmended by all v/ho came to attend the fervice of the tabernacle ! This is not pride, it is the honed confcioufnsfs of a worthy mind, loving and feeking whzz is good, not for the fake of fame, but its own ; yet rejoicing in fame as one of the fruits of goodnefs. That boy, that youth, that man, that woman, is loil, who is, or v/ho prc- feifes to be, indifferent about the opinion cf the v/orld. The love of reputation is one cf the trees of nature's planting, and none of her plants are eafily rooted up ; it often furvives the hope of life itfeif, and the man difcovers an earnefl concern about his memory, after he has refigned his head to the executioner, and his body to the grave. I recommend not to you, my young friend, that fervility of deportment, that favv'ningnefs of fubmif- fion and compliance which aims at the applaufe of every one alike, which is continually fearful of giving offence, which fhrinks from doing good, left by fome it might be mifconilrued ; but that fieadineis j^ud perfeverance in rectitude, which looks, and gees, Itraight on, which neither courts nor ffiuns the pub- lic eye, which can rejoice in the addition of the praife of men to the teiliinony of a good confcience, but trembles to think of purchafmg the one with the Icfs ippens, ill this cafe, as it' 268 Mijiory of Hannah. Lect. XXII. it did to Solomon in another. Young men who pur- fue virtue on its own account, and afk wifdom of God in the firft place, certainly obtain what they feek and pray for, and they alfo obtain what they neither afl^ed nor fought ; the love of their fellow-creatures : the favour of man, comes unfoHcited to him, while he was purluing a much higher objeO:, peace with God, and peace with himfelf ; v/hile he who aimed at the inferior object: alone, milfes even that httle, and thus becomes poor indeed. The foundation of Samuel's future eminence and ufefulnefs, was thus laid in the early and tender care of a wife and pious mother. The youth had never been refpefted in the temple, had never been the object of general favour abroad, had the child learned to be fro ward, petulant or peev- iih in his father's houfe. O woman, would you have the world to think of your darhng fon as you do, put yourfelf betimes in the place of an unconcerned Ipedator, view him as an entire ftranger would do, and let difcretion regulate the overflowings of your heart. Ah, had Kannah favoured her child more, Ifrael had favoured him lefs ! How ample and how fweet, even in this world, are the rewards of felf-gov- ernment, of felf-denial, of moderation ! Men literally, in many inftances, enjoy what they rejed, and lofe what they gain. He who lendeth to the Lord, lays out his property on the befl fecurity, and to the greateft advantage. Samuel is infinitely more his mother's at Shiloh than at Ramah ; his worth is mul- tiplied in proportion as it is communicated, and en- riches the public fund without impoverifhing the private Itock. The eyes of a whole people are already to him, the expedation of man keeps pace with the deftination of Providence ; and the child, miniftering in a iiifen ephod, becomes more gracious, from com- parifon with the polluted miniftrations of ungracious and ungodly men. Obfcrvc, thirdly, Youth's highefl praife^ the moll glorious rev/ard of goodnefs, the happieft effect of good Lect. XXII. Hiftory of Hannah. 269 good education, Samuel was " in favour with God." To obtain this moll honourable diftinttion, much more was requifite than a regular and modefl deportment, much more than promifmg talents, and childifh inno- cence, and the other qualities which attrad and capti- vate the eyes of men. The love of God has been, be- times fhed abroad in that heart ; Hannah has been mindful of her vow, and taught her fon to remember his Creator in the days of his youth ; and hov%^ grate- ful is early piety to Him who faith, " My fen, give me thine heart V* Lo, God has impreiTed his own image on that tender mind, and fees, and loves, and approves his own work. The great Jehovah has dc- figned this wonderful child for high things, from the very womb, has raifed him up to be the " rifmg again of many in Ifrael,^' to purify a polluted church, to fave a fmking ftate, and is fitting him, from the cra- dle, for his high deflination. The eye of the Lord obferves with delight the prog- refs of this plant of renov/n. He is haftening his own work in righteoufnefs, is ready" to perfed:, by heavenly vifions, the inflrudions of a pious mother, is preparing to crown the gracious with more grace. The favour of man is frequently the child of igno- rance or caprice. They love and hate they know not why. Sometimes they hate where they ought to love, and love where they ought to hate ; but the favour of God is ever founded in knowledcre, is undirected by partial affection or perfonal regards, is the refult of reaion, the applaufe which perfect wifdom beitows. on diltinguilhed excellence. Samuel mufl have mer- ited praife, elfe this praife had not been conferred on him. And fmgular muft that merit have been, which could unite judgments fo different, interefts which fo frequently clafh. He who makes it his ftudy to pieafe man, can hardly be the fervant of God ; and to aim' at pleahng God is not always the road to the favour of men. Nothing but genuine, unatfeded goodiiefs could have procured this joint approbation of God and 170 liijiorj' cf Ihiinah. LccT. XXII.. and man ; and there is a charm in true goodnefs, which is irrefillible. It may be overlooked for a fea- fon, it may be borne down, it may be obfcured, it may be mifreprefented, it may be hated and oppbfed ; but it will prevail at length, will force itfelf into notice, will ariie and Ihine, will command refpecl, filence en- vy, triumph over oppofition ; rejoice the wife and good, and keep the wicked in awe. What mode of addrefs fnall I employ, to engage, for a moment, the attention of young ones ; and to imprefs upon their hearts the importance of my fub- ject ? Would to God I could again become a little child, that, with the IclTons of experience, I might regulate my own future condud, and be an ufeful monitor to the fnnple and inexperienced. I would in that cafe fay. My little friend, God and nature have made you lovely. The candour, and franknefs, and benevolence of your heart iliine upon your coun- tenance. Every day difclofes fome new grace. You are inc^^afing in ftature : you are growing in favour with ail who behold you. Every one thinks well, fpeaks v/eli, hopes well of you. Grow on. Preferve that amiable fimplicity. Let it be the charm of ad- vancing years, of expanding faculties. Let that blooming face be flill raifed to Heaven with modefl confidence ; and thofe gracious eyes flill beam good- will to men. May I never fee that open forehead clouded and contraded. What, (hall the horrid traces of vice disfigure that form ? Shall every one that paHeth by be conftrained to turn away with loath- ing and averfion ? Shall the mother who bare thee, have her face covered with a blufh when thou art named ? Muft fhe be made to mourn the day which was once her joy? Angels will behold your progrefs with delight; they will rejoice in miniflering unto you : they are ready to receive you into their number, when your courfe is finifhed. God himfelf regards you with fmiles of complacency ; he is ever ready to ailift, to counfel, to proteft, to receive you. Let there be joy Lect. XXII. Hilary of Hannah, 272 joy in heaven concerning you. Now, now is the fea- fon for lavintT the foundation of ufeful life, relbefta- ble age, comfortable death. — But what do I fee ? That youthful face already degraded by vice i fo young, and fo horrid ! Unhap- py youth, the depravity of thy heart is painted on thy forehead. The fight of thy ov/n countenance fillcth thee with horror. Shame and remorfe are preying on the marrov/ in thy bones. In the hours of foh- tude and retirement, Ifretched on thy bed, to which fleep is a (Iranger, thou art conftrained to reflect on the v,^retchednefs of thy condition ; thou feeleft thy- felf unworthy of the praifes bellowed upon thee, by the partiality of thofe who know thee not ; thou bluflieft in fjcret, and art filled with indignation again ft thyfelf, on calling to remembrance the inno- cence and fimplicity of happier days,. Thou giveft up thyfelf as loft. No, young man, do not abandon thy- felf to defpair : add not this to thy offences ; there is help for thee, let it re-animate thy courage. Though " caft down," thou art " not deftroyed.'* However debafed that face, it is in thy power to amend, to en- noble it. Thou wert not deftined always to remain an innocent child, nor couldeft thou : by ftumbling and falling thou wert to be inftrufted how to walk and to run. Wert thou wounded and bruifed \ wert thou plunged into the abyfs ? there in an arm nigh thee, which is able to raife thee up, to ftrengthen and to heal thee. Multitudes like thyfelf have been recov- ered, reftored, eftablifhed. " As a father pitieth his children, fo the Lord" will have mercy upon thee, and forgive, and receive thee. The impure, the pro- fane, the blafphemer, the chief of finners, have repent- ed, have returned, have found favour ; and there i?. hope alfo concerning thee. Only, for the Lord's fake, and for thy foul's fake, proceed no farther, perfevere no longer in an evil courfe. One ftep forv/ard may be fatal ; to-morrow may find thee in the place where there is no hope. *' Behold ticxv is the accepted time. 272 Hi/iory of Hannah, Lect. XXIL time, behold nozu is the day of falvation.'* " Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near." " The wind is boifterous," the fca rages, thou art " beginning to fmk,'* t^ou art ready to perifh ; but ihalt not, whilfl thou art able to exclaim, " Lord favc me :" for behold " a very prefent help in trouble ;" that helping hand which liiatched Peter from the roaring gulf. " And imme- diately Jefus Itretched forth his hand, and caught him, and faid unto him, Q thou of little faith, wherefore didfl thou doubt?"* — I conclude wiih calling upon parents, and guar- dians, and inihruftors of youth, ferioully to coniider the importance of the trufl' committed unto them ; and to diicharge it under a {i:\i^e of rr/ponhbility to God, to their pupils, to their country. The hiLtory under review prelles one point upon you, as of fmgu- lar moment, and clofely connected with every article of education and confequcnt improvement ; I mean the ftiidy of the happy, but diflicult medium, between exccliive indulgence, and oppreffive feverity. The fleady firmnefs of Hannah, the mother of Samuel, furnilhes an ufeful example. If ever there was a child in danger of being corrupted by indulgence, it was he. But no fymptom of it appears. He is treated as a mere ordinary lad, and from his earheft years, to old age, evinces, by his conduct, the excellence of the precepts, and the Iteadinefs of the difcipline which formed his charader, and laid the foundation of his eminence. He leaves home, and parts with his par- ents, while yet a child, with manly fortitude. Al- ready under habits of fubmillion to parental authority, he cheerfully transfers that fubmiHion to a flranger, to Eli. Untainted by imaginary terrors, the dark- nefs of the night, the fclemnity of the houfe of the Lord, filence and foiitude, and ileep diflurbed by ex- traordinary and unfeafonable voices, excite in him no filly apprehenfion, draw from him no childifh com- plaint, * Matt. xiv. 31. Lect. XXn. Hiftory of Hannah, 275 plaint, deter him from the performance of no duty. In all this we cannot but recognize the wifdom, the conftancy, the fortitude of his excellent mother. Had fhe been foolilhly fond, he had been peevifti, and pet- ulant, and timid, and difcontented. Take a leilbn from her, ye mothers of young children. If you would have thefe children happy, they muft betimes be inured to fubjeftion, to privation, to reflraint. To multiply their defires by unbounded gratification, IS the fure way to multiply their future pains and mortifications. Reduce their wants and wiihes to the ftandard of nature, and you proportionably enlarge their fphere of enjoyment. Let them contraft no fear but that of offending God, and of committing fm. Let them learn to confider all places, all feafons, all iituations as equal, when duty calls. Imprefs on their opening minds the two great precepts on which " hang all the law and the prophets,'* to love the Lord their God, and their fellow-creatures. Lead their infant fteps to the Friend of Httle children, to the Saviour of mankind ; to the knowledge, the belief, the love, the hope, the confolations of the gofpel, and thereby preferve them " from paths wherein deftroyers go." The profligate charader and untimely end of Eli's fons, on the other hand, afford a folemn admonition of the inevitably ruinous effefts of unbounded indul- gence to the paffions and caprices of youth. Had they been early habituated to the wholefome reftraints of piety, decency and juflice, they could not have be- come thus criminal, nor would have perifhed thus miferably. In the exceffes which they committed, we clearly fee the relaxed government, the carelefs in- fpedion, the unbounded licentioufnefs of their father's houfe. Negleft, in this cafe, occafioned the mifchief. And the neglected field will foon be over-run with •noxious weeds, though you fow, defignedly, no poi- fon in it. Fathers, fee to it that your inftruclions be found, that your deportment be regular, that your difcipline be exact. Account nothing unimportant that affects the moral and religious character cf vour Vol. VI, S 'fon. 274 Hijiory of Hannah. Lect. XXII. fon. Precept will go fo far, example will go farther ; but authority mud fupport and enforce both the one and the other. You cannot, indeed, communicate the fpirit of grace, but you can certainly form youth to habits of decency and order : and habitual decency is nearly allied to virtue, and may iniperccptibly im- prove into it. Do your part, and then you may with confidence " call all your care" on' God. May it not be neceifary to throw in a fhort word of caution againfl the oppofite extreme,- that of excef- five feverity to offending youth ? This indeed is not fo common as corruptive indulgence ; but this too cxifts. Hov/ many promifing young men have been forced into a continuance in an evil courfe, have been driven to defperation, have become " hardened through the deceitfulnefs of fm,*' becaufe the firft: deviation could find no mercy, becaufe a father arm- ed himfelf with inflexible, unrelenting fternnefs, for a ilighter offence ? Alas, how many amiable, excellent, promifing young women have been loft to God, to their families, to fociety ; have been dragged into the jaws of proftitution, and infamy, and difeafe, and pre- mature death, becaufe a father's door v/as (hut, and a mother's heart hardened againft the penitent ; be- caufe her native refuge was no refuge to the mifera- ble ? She returned to her own, but her own received her not. Inftances, however, might be produced of wifer conduct, and happier confequences ; of mercy extended, and the wanderer reclaimed ; of human parents v/orking together with " the Father of mer- cies," and fucceeding, in rekindling the facred flame of virtue, in reftoring peace to the troubled breaft, in recovering the fallen, to reputation, to piety, to com- fort, to uiefulnefs. So long as God " waiteth to be gracious," furely it well becomes man to " put on bowels of mercies, kindnefs, mecknefs, long-fuffering, forbearance, forgivenefs, and charity, v/hicli is the bond of perfeclnefs." Thus have I fmifiied what I propofed, in attempting to delineate the female chaxader, by inltanccs taken from Lect. XXIL Hi/iory of Hannah. ^y^ from the facred record. In thefe, and in the cafe of every virtuous woman, we fee the great Creator's de- fign fully juftified, in making for man " an help-meet for him/* That which is neceiTary cannot be defpif- ed ; that which is ufeful ought to be valued ; that which is excellent commands refpecl ; that which is improveable calls for cultivation. Bad men only re- vile and undervalue the other fex : the weak and ig- norant idolize and worfliip it. The man of fenfe and virtue confiders woman as his equal, his companion, his friend, and treats her accordingly, for friendfhip excludes equally inve£live and flattery. In the edu- cation and treatment of females, too much attention has, perhaps, been paid to fex. Why fiiould they be forever reminded that thev are females, while it is of fo niuch more importance to imprefs upon their minds, that they are reafonahle beings^ endowed with human faculties, faculties capable of perverfion or of improvement, and that they are accountable to God for them ? Wherefore obilrud: to them one path to ufeful knowledge, one fource of rational improvement, or of harmlefs enjoyment ? If they are defpifed they will become defpicable. Treated either as flaves or as angels, they ceafe to be companions. Prize them and they will become eftimable ; call forth their in- tellectual powers ; and the empire of fcience will b^ extended and improved. And let them learn wherein their real value, im- portance, and refpedability confift. Not in receiving homage, but in meriting approbation ; not in Ihin^ jng, but in ufeful employment ; not in public em- inence, but in domeftic dignity ; in acquiring and maintaining influence, not by pretenfion, vehemence or trick, which are eafily {^^Vi through, and always fail, but by good temper, perfeverance in well-doing, and the practice of unfeigned piety. THE END^ '^ f