BS4K> 3 J -4- LIBRARY OF TUB Theological Seminary, PRINCETON, N. J. SACRED LITERATURE: SHEWING THE HOLY SCRIPTURES , TO BE SUPERIOR TO THE MOST CELEBRATED WRITINGS OF ANTIQUITY, B? THE TESTIMONY OF ABOVE FIVE HUNDRED WITNESSES, AND ALSO BY A COMPARISON OF THEIR SEVERAL KINDS OF COMPOSITION. IN TWELVE BOOKS. TO WHICH ARE ADDED, EPISTLES and EXTRACTS, FROM SOME OF THE MOST EARLY OF THE CHRISTIAN FATHERS. THE WHOLE Intended not only to recommend the BIBLE as fuperior to . all other Books, but as a moral and theological Repofitory for Chriftians of every Rank and Degree. IN FOUR VOLUMES. 7 By the Revd. DAVID S I M P S O N, M. A. VOL. IV. BIRMINGHAM: PRINTED AND SOLD BY M. SWINNEY. SOLD ALSO BY d;lly, buckland, matthews, scollick, trapp, London; spence, york; bulgin, bristol; clarke, manchester; bayley, macclesfield; and all other booksellers in town and .country. M 0 C C LX X X V I I I. \ ( "i ) BOOK XL ORATIONS and other DISCOURSES. INTRODUCTION. THE Bible is a magazine of all forts of fine writing, and it is hard to fay in which it raoft excels. Every kind of compofition abounds alfo in the Heathen writers, and moft of them in a confiderable degree of per- fection. But yet there is a certain fomething in every fpecies wherein they fall vaftly fhort of the Scriptural models. Demoflhenes and Cicero excel all mere men in the orato- rical ftyle ; and Seneca, Epictetus, and Antoninus, in the moral ftrain: but where have we any thing, in thofe juftly celebrated orators, like the thundering orations of Mofes and the prophets ? Or what is there in thefe moral philo- sophers, valuable and excellent as they are to be compared to the divine difcourfes of Jefus of Nazareth and Paul of Tarfus? The firft chapter of Ifaiah is more eloquent than all the orations of the former, and the fermon on the mount than all the laboured difquifitions of the latter. "But why fhould we inftance in thefe two particulars? Read the following collection of Orations and other Difcourfes from thefe inimitable writers, and judge, here alfo, as upon former occaiions, according to your feelings and the effe& they produce upon your own mind. Vol IV. A 2 SACRED { 5 ) iyoT vffl wff> nwiww^w w w't^TO^ wwt^rw wTi'iiiiiiiv'^i' m» SACRED LITERATURE. book xr. P A R T I. Orations and other Difcourfcs, from the Holy Scriptures and Apocryphal Writings. Story of God'; dealings with the Jews. TH E Lord our God fpake unto as in Horeb, faying, Ye have dwelt long enough' in this mount : turn you°, and take your journey, and go to the mount of the Amorites, and unto all the places nigh thereunto, in the plain, in the hills, and in the vale, and in the fourth, and' by the fea fide, to the land of the Canaanites, and unto Leba- non, unto the great river, the river Euphrates. Behold, I have fet the land before you : go in and poffefs the land which the Lord (ware unto your fathers, Abraham, Ifaap, and Jacob, to give unto them, and to their feed after them! And I fpake unto you at that time, faying, I am not able to bear you myfelf alone : the Lord your God hath multiplied you, and behold, ye are this day as the ftars of heaven lor multitude. The Lord God of your fathers make you a thoufand times fo many more as ye are, and blefs you as he hath promifed you ! How can I myfelf alone bear your cumbrance, and your burden, and your ft rife ? Take you wife men,vand undemanding, and known among your tribes, A3 and 6 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XI. and I will make them rulers over you. And ye anfwered me, and faid, The thing which thou haft fpoken, is good for us to do. So I took the chief of your tribes, wife men, and known, and made them heads over you, captains over thoufands, and captains over hundreds, and captains over fifties, and captains over tens, and officers among your tribes. And I charged your judges, at that time, faying, Hear the caufes between your brethren, and judge righteoufly between every man and his brother, and the ftranger that is with him. Ye fhall not refpe6t perfons in judgment, but ye mall hear the fmall as well as the great ; ye mall not be afraid of the face of man, for the judgment is God's : and the caufe that is too hard for you, bring it unto me, and I will hear it. And I commanded you at that time all the things which ye fhould do. And when we departed from Horeb, we went through all that great and terrible wildernefs, which ye faw by the way of the mountain of the Amorites, as the Lord our God commanded us ; and we came to Kadefh- barnea. And I faid unto you, Ye are come unto the moun- tain of the Amorites, which the Lord our God doth give unto us. Behold, the Lord thy God hath fet the land before thee: go up, and poffefs it, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath laid unto thee ; fear not, neither be difcouraged. And ye came near unto me, every one of you, and faid, We will fend men before us, and they {hall fearch us out the land, and bring us word again by what way we muft go up, and- into what cities we fhall come. And the faying pleafed me well : and I took twelve men of you, one of a tribe. And they turned, and went up into the mountain, and came unto the valley of Eihcol, and fearched it out. And they took of the iruit of the land in their hands, and brought it down unto us, and brought us word again, and faid, It is a good land, which the Lord our God doth give us. Notwithftanding, ye would not go up, but rebelled againft the commandment of the Lord your God. And ye murmured in your tents, and faid, becaufe the Lord hated us, he hath brought us forth out of the iand of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to deftroy us. Whither fhall we go up? Our brethren have difcouraged our heart, faying, the people is greater and taller than we,- the cities are great and walled up to heaven, and moreover we have feen 'the fons of the Anakims there. Then I laid unto vou, Dread not, neither be afraid of them. The Lord your 'God which goeth before you, he fhall fight for you, accord- ing to all that he did for you in Egypt before 'your eyes: and Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. and in the wildernefs, where thou haft feen how that the Lord thy God bare thee as a man doth bear his fori, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place. Vet in this thing ye did not believe the Lord your God, who went ill the way before, you to learch you out a place to pitch your tents in, in lire by night to (hew you by What way ye fhoukl go, and in a clorfd by clay. And the Lord heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and fware, faying, Surely there fhall not one of thefe men of this evil geteera - tion lee that good land, which I fware to give unto your fathers; fave Caleb the fon of Jephunneh, he fhall fee itf and to him will I vgive the land that he hath trodden upon, 3nd to his children, becaufe he hath wholly followed* the Lord. Alfo the Lord was angry with me for your fakes, faying, Thou alfo ihalt not go m thither. But Joihua the fon of Nun, which ftandeth -before thee, he ihall go in thither. Encourage him : for he fhali caufelfrael to inherit it. Moreover, your little ones, which ye laid fhoukl be a prey, and your children, which in that day had no know- ledge between good and evil, they lhall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they ihall pond's it. But as for you, turn you, and take your journey into the wildernefs, by the way of the Red Sea. Then ye anfwered and faid unto me, We have finned againft the Lord, we will go up and fight, according to all that the Lord our God commanded us. And when ye had girded on every man his weapons of war, ye were ready to go up into the hill. And the Lord faid unto me, Say unto them, go not up, neither fight, for I am not among you ; left ye be fmitten before your enemies. So I fpake unto you, and ye* would not hear, but rebelled againft the commandment of the Lord, and went prefump- tuoully up into the hill. And the Amorites which dwelt in that mountain, came out againft you, and chafed you, as bees do, and deftroyed you in Seir, even unto Hormah. And ye returned and wept before the Lord ; but the Lord would not hearken- to your voice, nor give ear unto you. So ye abode in Kadefh many days, according unto the days that ye abode there. Then we turned, and took our journey into the wilder- nefs, by the way of the Red Sea, as the Lord fpake unto me: and we compaffed mount Seir many days. And the Lord fpake unto me, faying, Ye have compaffed this mountain long enough : turn you northward. And command thou ihe people, faying, Ye are to pafs through the coaft of your brethren the children oi'Efau, which dwell in Seir, and they ihall 8 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XL fhall be afraid of you: take ye good heed unto yourfelves therefore. Meddle not with them ; for I will not give you of their land, no not fo much as a foot-breadth, becaufe I have given mount Seir unto EfaU for a poiTeflion. Ye fhall buy meat of them for money, that ye may eat ; and ye fhall alfo buy water of them for money, that ye may drink. For the Lord thy God hath blefled thee in all the works of thy hand: he knoweth thy walking through this great wilder- nefs: thefe forty years the Lord thy God hath been with thee, thou haft lacked nothing. And when we paffed by from our brethren the children of Efau, which dwelt in Seir, through the way of the plain from Elath, and from Ezion- gaber, we turned and paffed by the way of the wildernefs of Moab. And the Lord laid unto me, Diftrefs not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle : for I will not give thee of their land for a pofieffion, becaufe I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a poffeflion. The Emims dwelt therein in times paft, a people great and many, and tall as the Anakims ; which alfo were accounted giants as the Anakims, but the Moabites call them Emims. The Horims alfo dwelt in Seir before time, but the children of Efau fucceeded them when they had deftroyed them from before them, and dwelt in their {lead, as Ifrael did unto the land of his poffeiTion, which the Lord gave unto them. Now rife up, laid I, and get you over the brook Zered : and we went over the brook Zered. And the fpace in which we came from Kadefh-barnea, until we were come over the brook Zered, was thirty and eight years ; until all the generation of the men of war were wafted out from among the hoft, as the Lord fware unto them. For indeed the hand of the Lord was againft them, to deftroy them from among the hoft, until they were confumed. So it came to pais when all the men of war were confumed and dead from among the people, that the Lord fpake unto me, faying, Thou art to pafs over through Ar, the coaft of Moab, this day. And when thou comeft nigh over againft the children of Ammon, diftrefs them not, nor meddle with them: for I will not give thee of the land of the children of Arrrmon any pofTef- iion, becaufe I have given it unto the children or Lot for a poifeffion. That alfo was accounted a land of giants ; giants dwelt therein in old time, and the .Ammonites call them Zamzummims, a people great, and many, and tall as the Anakims ; but the Lord deftroyed them before them, and they fucceeded them and dwelt in their ftead : as he did to the children of Efau which dwelt in Seir, when he deftroyed the Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. 9 the Horims from before them, and they fucceeded them, and dwelt in their (lead even, unto this day ; and the A vims which dwelt in Hazerim, even unto Azzah, the Caphtorims which came forth out of Caphtor, deftroyed them and dwelt in their (lead. Rife ye up, take your journey, and pafs over the river Arnon : behold, I have given into thine hand Sihon the Amorite king of Hefhbon, and his land : begin to pof- fefs it, and contend with him in battle. This day will 1 begin to put the dread of thee, and the fear of thee upon the nations that are under the whole heaven, who {hall hear report of thee, and {hall tremble, and be in anguilh be- caufe of thee. And I fent mefTengers out of the wildernels ofKedemoth, unto Sihon king of Hefhbon with words of peace, faying, Let me pafs through thy land': I will go along by the high-way, I will neither turn unto the right hand, nor to the left. Thou (halt fell me meat for money, that I may eat ; and give me water for money, that I may drink : only I will pafs through on. my feet : as the children of Efan which dwell in Seir,and the Moabites which dwell in Ar, did unto me, until I fhall pafs over Jordan, into the land which the Lord our God giveth us. But Sihon king of Heihbon would not let us pafs by him ; for the Lord thy God hardened his fpirit, and made his heart obftinate, that he might deliver him into thy hand, as appeareth this day. And the Lord laid unto me, Behold I have begun to give Sihon and his land before thee: begin to poflefs, that thou mayefl inherit his land. Then Sihon came out againft us, he and all his people, to fight at Jahaz. And the Lord our God delivered him before us, and we fmote him, and his fons, and all his people. And we took all his cities at that time, and utterly deftroyed the men, and the women, and the little ones of every city, we left none to remain : only the cattle we took for a prey unto ourfelves, and the fpoil of the cities which we took. From Aroer, which is by the brink of the river of Arnon, and from the city that is by the river, even unto Gilead, there was not one city too ftrong for us : the Lord our God delivered all unto us. Only unto the land of the children of Ammon thou cameft not/nor unto any place of the river Jabbok, nor unto the cities in the mountains, nor unto whatfoever the Lord our God forbad us. Then we turned, and went up the way to Bafhan : and Og the king ofBafhan came out againft us, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei. And the Lord faid unto me, Fear him ijot; fori will deliver him, and all his people, and his land into «o SACRED LITERATURE. Book XL into thy hand, and thou (halt do unto him as thou didft unto Sihon king of the Amorites, which dwelt at Hefnbon. So the Lord our God delivered into our hands Og alfo, the king of Baihan, and all his people: and we fmote him until none was left to him remaining". And we took all his cities at that time, there was not a city which we took not from them, threefcore cities, all the region of Argob, the king- dom of Og in Bafhan. All thele cities were fenced with high walls, gates, and Ifcars, befide unwalled towns a great many. And we utterly defiroyed them, as we did unto Sihon king of Hefhbon, utterly dellroying the men, women, and children of every city.. But all the cattle and the fpoil ^>i the cities, we took for a prey to ourfelves. And we took at that time out of the hand of the two kings of the Amo- rites, the land that was on this fide Jordan, from the river of Anion unto mount Hermon : which Hermon the Sido- riians call Sirion : and the Amorites call it Sheniv. All the cities of the plain, and all Gilead, a»cl all Bafhan, unto Sal- chah, and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bafhan : for only Og king of Baihan remained of the remnant of giants; behold his bed-fiead was a bed-ftead of iron : is it not in Rabbsth of the children of Amnion? nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man. And this land which we poflelfed at that time from Aroer, which is by the river Arnon, and half mount Gilead, and the cities thereof, gave 1 unto the Reubenifces, and to the Gadites. And the reft of Gilead, :md all Baihan, being the kingdom of Og, gave I unto the half tribe of Manaffeh ; all the region of Argob, with all Ii;ihan, which was called the land of giants. Jair the fon of Manaffeh took all the country of Argob, unto the coafls of Gefiruri, and Maachathi ; and called them after his own name, Baihan-havoth-jair, unto this day. And I gave Gilead unto Machir. And unto the Reubenites, and unto the Gadites, I gave from Gilead even unto the river Arnon, half the valley and the border, even unto the river Jabhok, which is the border of the children of Ammon : the plain : iio, and Jordan, and the coaft thereof, from Chinnereth, even unto the lea of the plain, even the fait fea, under Alhdoth-pifgah eafhvard. And I commanded you at that time, laying, The Lord your God hath given you this land to pofieis it ; ye ihall pals over armed before your brethren the children of li'rael, all that are meet for the war. But your wives and ytnir little ones, and your cattle, for I know that ye have much cattle, fliail abidp in your cities which I have given you; Book XL SACRED LITERATURE. ,t you; until the Lord have given reft unto your brethren, as well as unto you, and until they alfo poffefs the land which the Lord your God hath given them beyond Jordan : and then (hall ye return every man unto his poffeffion which I have given you. And I commanded Jofhua at that time faying, Thine eyes have feen all that the Lord your God hath done unto thefe two kings: fo (hall the Lord do unto all the kingdoms whither thou paffeft. Ye fhall not fear them : for the Lord your God he ihall fight for you. And I befought the Lord at that time, faying, O Lord God, thou haft begun to (hew thy fervant thy greatnefs, and thy mighty hand : for what God is there in heaven or in earth, that can do according to thy works, and according to thy might ? I pray thee, let me go over, and fee the good land that is beyond Jordan, that goodly mountain, and Lebanon. But the Lord was wroth with me for your fakes, and would not hear me : and the Lord laid unto me, Let it fuffice thee, fpeak no more unto me of this matter. Get thee up into the top of Pifgah, and lift up thine eyes weftward, and northward, and ibuthward, and eaftward, and behold it with thine eyes : for thbu lira It not go over this Jordan. But charge Jofhua, and encourage him, and ftrengthen him: for he fhall go over before this people, and he fhall caufe them to inherit the land which thou (halt fee. So we abode in the valley over againft Beth-peor. Now therefore hearken, O Iirael, unto the ftatutes, and unto the judgments which I teach you for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and poffefs the land which the Lord God of your fathers giveth you. Ye lhall not add unto the word which I command you, neither fhall ye diminifh ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you. Your eyes have feen what the Lord did becaufe of Baal-peor: for all the men that followed Baal-peor, the Lord thy God hath deftroyed them from among you. But ye that did cleave unto the Lord your God, are alive every one of you this day. Behold, I have taught you ftatutes and judg- ments, even as the Lord my God commanded me, that ye fhould do fo in the land whither ye go to poffefs it. Keep therefore and do them, for this is your wifdom and your underftanding in the fight of the nations which fhall hear all thefe ftatutes, and fay, Surely this great nation is a wife and underftanding people. For what nation is there fo great, who hath God lo nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for ? And what nation us SACRED LITERATURE. Book XL nation is there fo great, that hath ftatutes and judgments fo righteous, as all this law which I fet before you this day? Only take heed to thyfeif, and keep thy foul diligently, left thou forget the things which thine eyes have feen, and left they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life : but teach them thy fons, and thy fon's fons : fpecially the day that thcfti ftoodeft before the Lord thy God in Horeb,. when the Lord faicl unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they (hall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children. And ye came near and flood under the mountain, and the mountain burnt with fire unto the- midft of heaven, with darknefs, clouds, and thick darknefs. And the Lord fpake unto you out of the midft of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but faw no fimilitude, only ye heard a voice. And he declared unto you. his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even*ten commandments, and he wrote them upon two tables of ftone. And the Lord commanded me at that time to teach you ftatutes and judgments, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go over to polfefs it. Take ye there- fore good heed unto yourfelves, for ye faw no manner of fimilitude on the day that the Lord fpake unto you in Horeb, out of the midft of the fire, left ye corrupt yourfelves, and make you a graven image, the fimilitude of any figure, the iikenefs of male or female, the likenefs of any beaft that is on the earth, the likenefs of any winged fowl that fiieth in the air, the likenefs of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likenefs of any fifh that is in the waters beneath the earth : and left thou lift -up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou feeft the fun, and the moon, and the ftars, even all the hoft of heaven, fnouldeft be driven to worfhip them, and ferve them which the Lord thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven. But the Lord hath taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, even out of Egypt, to be unto him a people of inheritance, as ye are this day. Furthermore, the Lord was angry with me for your fakes, and fware that 1 fhould not go over Jordan, and that I Ihould not go in unto that good land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance. But I muft die in this land, I muft not go over Jordan : but ve (hall go over and poffefs that good land. Take heed unto yourfelves, left ye forget the covenant of the Lord your <3od, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, or the likenefs of any thing which the Lord thy God hath Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. j3 hath forbidden thee. For the Lord thy God is a confuming fire, even a jealous God. When thou (halt beget children, and children's children, and ye (hall have remained long in the land, and (hall corrupt yourfelves, and make a graven image, or the likenefs of any thing, and mall do evil in the fight of the Lord thy God, to provoke him to anger : I call heaven and earth to witnefs againft you this day, that ye (hall foon utterly perifli from off the land whereunto ye go over Jor- dan to polfefs it : ye (hall not prolong your days upon it,e but (hall utterly be deftroyed. And the Lord fhall fcatter" you among the nations, and ye fhall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the lord fhall lead you. And there ye mall ferve Gods, the work of men's hands wood and ftone, which neither fee, nor hear, nor eat, nor fmell. But if from thence thou (halt feek the Lord thy God, thou (halt find him, if thou feek him with all thy heart, and with all thy foul. When thou art in tribulation, and all thefe things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the Lord thy God, and (halt be obedient unto his voice: for the Lord thy God is a merciful God, he will not forfake thee, neither deftroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers, which he fware unto them. For afk now of the days that are paft, which were before thee, fince the day that God created man upon the earth, and afk from the one fide of heaven unto the other, whether there hath been any fuch thing as this great thing is, or hath been heard like it? Did ever people hear the voice of God fpeaking out of the midft of the fire, as thou haft heard, and five? Or hath God affayed to go and take him a nation from the midft of another nation, by temptations, by figns, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a ftretched out. arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes ? Unto thee it was (hewed, that thou mighteft know that the Lord he is God ; there is none elfe belide him: Out of heaven he made thee to hear his voice, that he might inftruft thee : and upon earth he (hewed thee his great fire, and thou heardeft his words out of the midft of the fire. And becaufe he loved thy fathers, therefore he chofe their feed after them and brought thee out in his fight, with his mighty power out of Egypt : to drive out nations from before thee,' greater and' mightier than thou art, to bring thee in, to give thee their land for an inheritance, as it is this day. Know therefore this day, and confider it in thine heart, that the Lord he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath : there 10 T4 SACRED LITERATURE. Book Xf. is none elfe. Thou (halt keep therefore his ftatutes and his commandments which I command thee this day, that it may- go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayeft prolong thy days upon the earth, which feha Lord thy Godgiveth thee for ever. Deut. 6th verje of the ljt chap, to 40th verfe of the 4th chap. Mofes rehearfeth the ktw, with various expoftulaiions and exhortations. AND Mofes called all Ifrael, and faid unto them, Hear O Ifrael, the ftatutes and judgments which I fpeak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep and do them. The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. The Lord made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day. The Lord talked with you face to face in the mount, out of the midft of the fire, I flood between the Lord and you at that time, to (hew you the word of the Lord : for ye were afraid by reafon of the fire, and went not up into the mount, faying, I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the houfe of bondage. Thou (halt have none other Gods before me. Thou (halt not make thee any graven image, or any likenefs of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth. Thou (halt not bow down thyfelf unto them, nor ferve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, vifvting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, and (hewing mercy unto thoufands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. Thou (halt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain : for the Lord will not hold him guiltleis that taketh his name in vain. Keep the fabbath-day to fanftify it, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee. Six days thou ihalt labour, and do all thy work : but the feventh day is the labbath of the Lord thy God : in it thou (halt not do any work, thou, nor thy fori, nor thy daughter, nor thy man-fervant, nor thy maid-lervant, nor thine ox, nor thine afs, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy (hanger that is within thy gates ; that thy rnan-iervant and thy rnaid-fervant may reft as well as thou. And remember th tt thou waft a fervant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand, and by a ftretched out arm ; therefore Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. t£ therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the fabbath-day. Honour thy father and thy mother, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee ; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the'Lord thy God giveth thee. Thou (halt not kill. Neither fhalt thou commit adultery. Neither (halt thou fteal. Neither {halt thou bear falfe witnefs againft thy neigh- bour. Neither malt thou defire thy neighbour's wife, nei- ther fhalt thou covet thy- neighbour's houfe, his field, or his man-fervant, or his maid-fervant, his ox, or his afs, or any thing that is thy neighbour's. Thefe words the Lord fpake unto all your affembly in the mount out of the midft of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darknefs, 'with a great voice, and he added no more ; and he wrote them on. two tables of ftone, and delivered them unto me. And it came to pafs when ye heard the voice oiit of the midft of the darknefs, for the mountain did burn with fire, that ye came near unto me, even all the heads of your tribes,, and your eiders. And ye laid, Behold, the Lord your God hath • (hewed us his glory, and his greatnefs, and we have heard his voice out of the midft of the fire : we have feen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth. Now there- fore why fhould we die? for this great fire will coniume us. If we hear the voice of the Lord our God any more, then we (hall die. For who is there of all fleih that hath heard the voice of the living God, fpeaking out of the midft of the fire, as we have, and lived? Go thou near, and hear all that the Lord our God (hall fay ; and (peak thou unto us all that the Lord our God (hall (peak unto thee, and we will hear it, and do it. And the Lord heard the voice of your words, when ye fpake unto me; and the Lord laid unto rae, 1 have heard the voice of the words of this people, which they have ipoken unto thee : they have well faid all that they have fpoken. O that there were fuch an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever ! Go, fay to them, get you into your tents again. But as for thee, Hand thou here by me, and I will fpeak unto thee all the commandments, and the ftatutes, and the judgments which thou (halt teach them, that they may do them in the land which I give them to pollers it. Ye (hall obferve to do therefore as the Lord your God hath commanded you, ye (hall not turn afide to the right hand or to the left. Ye (hall walk in all the ways which tUe Lord your iG SACRED LITERATURE. Book XI.' your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye fhall poffefs. Now thefe are the commandments, the ftatutes, and the judgments, which the Lord your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to poffefs it : that thou mightefl fear the Lord thy God, to keep all his ftatutes, and his commandments which I command thee ; thou, and thy fon, and thy fon's fon, all the days of thy life, and that thy days may be prolonged. Hear there- fore, O Ifrael, and obferve to do it, that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increafe mightily, as the Lord God of thy fathers/ hath promifed thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey. Hear, O Ifrael, the Lord our GocT is one Lord. And thou ihalt love -the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy foul, and with all thy might. And thefe words which I command thee this day, fhall be in thine heart. And thou (halt teach them dili- gently unto thy children, and fhalt talk of them when thou iitteft in thine houfe, and when thou walked: by the way, and when thou lieft down, and when thou rifeft up. And thou ihalt bind them for a fign upon thine hand, and they (hall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou fhalt write them upon the ports of thy houfe, and on thy gates. And it fhall be when the Lord thy' God fhall have brought thee into the land which he fware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Ifaa'c, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities which thou buildedft not, "and hoiifes full of all good things which thou filledft net, and wells digged which thou diggedft not, vineyards and olive-trees which thou plantedfl not, when thou (halt have eaten and be full ; then beware left thou forget the Lord which brought thee forth out of the land of^ Egypt, from the houfe of bondage. Thou ihalt fear the" Lord thy God, and ferve him, and fhalt fware by his name. Ye fhall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you : for the Lord thy God is a jealous God among you, left the anger of the Lord thy God be kindled againft thee, and deftroy thee from off the face ot the earth. Ye mall not tempt the Lord your God, as ye tempted him in Maffah. Ye fhall diligently keep the com- mandments of the Lord your God, and his teftimonies, and his ftatutes which he hath commanded thee. And thou ihalt do that which is right and good in the fight of the Lord: that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayeft go in and poffefs the good land which the Lord fware unto thy Boole XL SACRED LITERATURE. 17 thy fathers ; to caft out all thine enemies from before thee, as the Lord hath fpoken. And when thy fon afketh thee in time to come, faying, What mean the teftimonies, and the ftatutes, and the judgments which the Lord our God hath commanded you V Then thou (halt fay unto thy fon, We were Pharaoh's bond-men in Egypt, and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. And the Lord (hewed figns and wonders, great and fore, upon Egypt, upon Pha- raoh, and upon all his Koufhold, before our eyes: and he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in, to give us the land which he fware unto our fathers. And the Lord commanded us to do all thefe ftatutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that he might pre- ferve us alive, as it is at this day. And it (hall be our righteoufnefs, if we obierve to do all thefe commandments before the Lord our God, as he hath commanded us. When the Lord thy God (hall bring thee into the land whither thou goefl: to poffefs it, and hath call out many nations before thee, the H-ittites, and the Girgafhites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebuiites, (even nations greater and mightier than thou ; and when the Lord thy God (hall de- liver them before thee : thou (halt fmite them, and utterly deftroy them, thou (halt make no covenant with them, nor fhew mercy unto them : neither (halt thou make marriages with them ; thy daughter thou (halt not give unto his fon, nor his daughter (halt thou take unto thy fon. For they will turn away thy fon from following me, that they may ferve other Gcds : fo will the anger of the Lord be kindled againfl you, and deftroy thee fuddenly. But thus (hall ye deal with them : ye (hall deftroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire. For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God : the Lord thy God hath chofen thee to be a fpecial people unto himfelf, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. The Lord did not fet his love upon you, nor choofe you, becaufe ye were more in num- ber than any people : for ye were the fewefl of all people. But becaufe the Lord loved you, and becaufe he would keep the oath winch he had fworn unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the houfe of bond-men, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him, and keep his commandments Vol. IV. B to i8 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XI. to a thoufand generations ; and repayeth them that hate him, to their face, to deftroy them : he will not be flack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face. Thou (halt therefore keep tire commandments, and the ftatutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day, to do them. Wherefore it (hail come to pafs, if ye hearken to thefe judg- ments, and keep and do them ; that the Lord thy God fhall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he fware unto thy fathers : and he will love thee, and blefs thee, and multiply thee : he will alfo blefs the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increafe of thy kine, and the flocks of thy flieep, in the land which he fware unto thy fathers to give thee. Thou fhalt be bletfed above all people: there fhall not be male or female barren among -you, or among your cattle. And the Lord will take away from thee allficknefs, and will put none of the evil difeafes of Egypt, which thou knoweft, upon thee ; but will lay them upon all them that hate thee. And thou (halt con fume all the people which the Lord thy God fhall deliver thee, thine eyes fhall have no pity upon them : neither fhalt thou ferve their gods, for that will be a fnare unto thee. If thou fhalt fay in thine heart, Thefe nations are more than I, how can I difpolfefs them? Thou fhalt not be afraid of them : but fnalt well remember what the Lord thy God did unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt ; the great temptations which thine eyes law, and the figns and the wonders, and the mighty hand, and the ftretched out arm, whereby the Lord thy God brought thee out: fo mall the Lord thy God do unto all the people of whom thou art afraid. Moreover, the Lord thy God will fend the hornet among them, until they that are left, and hide themfelves from thee, be deftroy ed. Thou fhalt not be affrighted at them : for the Lord thy God is among you, a mighty God and terrible. And the Lord thy God will put out thofe nations before thee, by little and little : thou mayeft not confume them at once, left the beafts of the field increafe upon thee. But the Lord thy God fhall deliver them unto thee, and fhall deftroy them with a mighty deftru6tion, until they be deftioycd. And he fhall deliver their kings into thine hand, and thou fhalt deftroy their name from under heaven : there fhall no man be able to ftand before thee, until thou have deftroyed them. The graven images of their gods mall ye burn with fire: thou (halt not delire the filver or £old that is on them, nor take it unto thee, left thou be fnared therein: for it is an abomination to the Lord . thy Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. 19 thy God. Neither (halt thou bring an abomination into thine houfe, left thou be a curfed thing like it : but thou (halt utterly deteft it, and thou fhalt utterly abhor it, for it is a curfed thing. All the commandments which I command thee this day, fhall ye obferve to do, that ye may live and multiply, and go in and poffefs the land which the Lord fware unto your fathers. And thou fhalt remember all the way which the . Lord thy God led thee thefe forty years in the wildernefs, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldeft keep his commandments or no. And he humbled thee, and fuffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou kneweft not, neither did thy fathers know, that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live. Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot fwell thefe forty years. Thou (halt alfo confider in thine heart, that as a man chafteneth his fon, fo the Lord thy God chaf- teneth thee. Therefore thou (halt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him. For the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land, aland of brooks of water, of fountains, and depths that fpring out of valleys and hills ,• a land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig-trees, and pomegranates, a land of oil-olive, and ho- ney, a land wherein thou malt eat bread without fcarcenefs, thou (halt not lack any thing in it, a land whofe ftones are iron, and out of whofe hills thou mayeft dig bra fs. When thou haft eaten and art full, then thou (halt blefs the Lord thy God for the good land which he hath given thee. Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, in not keep- ing his commandments, and his judgments, and his ftatutes, which I command thee this day : left when thou haft eaten and art full, and haft built goodly houfes, and dwelt therein ; and when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy fllver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou haft is multiplied : then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the houfe of bondage ; who led thee through that great and terrible wildernefs, wherein were fiery ferpents, and fcorpions, and drought, where there was no water ; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint ; who fed thee in the wildernefs with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end, and thou fay in B 2 thine so SACRED LITERATURE. Book XL thine heart, My power, and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. But thou fhalt remember the Lord thy God : fpr it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may eftablifh his covenant which he fware unto thy fathers, as it is this day. And it (hall be, if thou do at all forget the Lord thy God, and walk after other gods, and ferve them, and worflhip them, I teftify againfl you this day, that ye fhall furely periih. As the nations which the Lord deftroyeth before your face, io iliall ye periih : becaufe ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the Lord your God. Dent* $th to the end of the 8th chapter* Mojes rehearfeth the rebellions of the Ifraelites. HEAR, O Ifrael i Thou art to pafs over Jordan this day, to go in to poffefs nations greater and mightier than, thyfelf, cities great and fenced up to heaven ; a people great and tall, the children of the Anakims, whom thou knoweft, and of whom thou haft heard fay, Who can (land before the children of Anak ! Underftand therefore this day, that the Lord thy God is he which goeth over before thee, as a confuming fire: he (hall deftroy them, and he mail bring them down before thy face ; fo fhalt thou drive them out, and deftroy them quickly, as the Lord hath faid unto thee. Speak not thou in thine heart, after that the Lord thy God hath caft them out from before thee, faying. For my righteoufnefs the Lord hath brought me in to poffefs this land : bur for the wickednefs of thele nations the Lord doth drive them out from before thee. Not for thy righ- teoufnefs, or for the uprightnefs of thine heart doft thou go to poffefs their land: but for the wickednefs of thefe na- tions the Lord toy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform the word which the Lord fyare unto thy fathers, Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob.' Un- derftand therefore, that the Lord thy God giveth thee not this good land to poffefs it for thy righteoufnefs ; for thou •art a fliff-necked people. Remember, and forget not how thou provokedft the Lord thy God to wrath in the wilder- nefs ; from the day that thou didft depart out of the land of Egypt until ye came unto this place, ye have been rebellious againft the Lord. Alio in Horeb ye provoked the Lord to wrath, fo that the Lord was mi cry with you, to have de- ftroyed you. When I was gone up into the mount to re- ceive the tables of fione, even thi i lie covenant Which Book XL SACRED LITERATURE. 21 the Lord made with you, then I abode in the mount forty days and forty nights, I neither did eat bread nor drink wa- ter : and the Lord delivered unto me two tables of ftone written with the finger of God, and on them was written ac- cording to all the words which the Lord fpake with you in the mount out of the midft of the fire, in the day of the af- fembly. And it came to pafs at the end of forty days and forty nights, that the Lord gave me the two tables of ftone, even the tables of the covenant. And the Lord faid unto . me, Arife, get thee down quickly from hence : for thy peo- ple which thou hall: brought forth out of Egypt have cor- rupted themfelves : they are quickly turned allele out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten image. Furthermore, the Lord fpake unto me, fay- ing, I havefeen this people, and behold, it is a ftiff-necked people: let me alone, that I may deftroy them, and blot out their name from under heaven ; and I will make of thee a nation mightier and greater than they. So I turned and came down from the mount, and the mount burned with ■fire : and the two tables of the covenant were in my two hands. And I looked, and behold, ye had finned againft the Lord your God, and had made you a molten calf; ye had turned afide quickly out of the way which the Lord had commanded you. And I took the two tables, and caft them out of my two hands, and brake them before your eyes. And I fell down before the Lord,' as at the firft, forty days and forty nights ; I did neither eat bread nor drink water, becaufe of all your fins which ye finned, in doing wickedly in the fight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger. For I was afraid of the anger and .hot difpleafure wherewith the Lord was wroth againft you to defiroy you. But the Lord hearkened unto me at that time alio". And the Lord was very angry with Aaron to have deftroyed him. And I prayed for Aaron alfo the fame time. And I took your fin, the calf which ye had made, and burnt it with fire, and ftamped it, and ground it very fmali, even until it was as fmall as dull : and 1 caft the duft thereof into the brook that defcended out of the mount. And at Taberah, and at Maf- iah, and at Kibroth-hattaavah, ye provoked the Lord to wrath. Like wife when the Lord lent you from Kadefh-bar- nea, faying, Go up and poffefs the land which I have given you ; then ye rebelled againft the commandment of the Lord your God, and ye believed him not, nor hearkened to his voice. Ye have been rebellious againft the Lord from the day that I knew you. Thus I fell down before the Lord B 3 forty 22 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XL forty days and forty nights, as I fell down at the firft ; becaufe the Lord had faid he would deftroy you. O Lord God, de- ftroy not thy people and thine inheritance, which thou haft re- deemed through thy greatnefs, which thou haft brought forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand. Remember thy fervants, Abraham, Ifaac, andjacob : look not unto the ftubbornnefs of this people, nor to their wickednefs, nor to their fin : left the land whence thou broughteft us out fay, Becaufe the Lord was not able to bring them into the land which he promifed them, and becaufe he hated them, he hath brought them out to flay them in the wildernefs. Yet they are thy people and thine inheritance, which thou broughteft out by thy mighty power, and by thy ftretched out arm. At that time the Lord faid unto me, Hew thee two tables of ftone like unto the firft, and come up unto me into the mount, and make thee an ark of wood. And I will write on the tables the words that were in the firft tables which thou brakeft, and thou fhalt put them in the ark. And I made an ark of fhittim-wood, and hewed two tables of ftone like unto the firft, and went up into the mount, having the two tables in mine hand. And he wrote on the tables, ac- cording to the firft writing, the ten commandments, which the Lord fpake unto you in the mount, out of the midft of the fire, in the day of the affembly : and the Lord gave them unto me. And I turned myfelf, and came down from the mount, and put the tables in the ark which I had made; and there they be, as the Lord commanded me. And the children of Ifrael took their journey from Beeroth of the children of Jaakan to Mofera : there Aaron died, and there he was buried : and Eleazar his fon miniftered in the prieft's office in his ftead. From thence they journeyed unto Gudgo- dah : and from Gudgodah tojotbath, a land of rivers of waters. At that time the Lord feparated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to ftand before the Lord to minifter unto him, and to blefs in his name unto this day. Wherefore Levi hath no part nor inheritance with his bre- thren : the Lord is his inheritance, according as the Lord thy God promifed him. And I ftayed in the mount, according to the firft time, forty days and forty nights : and the Lord hearkened unto me at that time alfo, and the Lord would not deftroy thee. And the Lord faid unto me, Arife, take thy journey before the people, that they may go in and poffefs the land which I fware unto their fathers to give unto them. And now, Ifrael, what doth the Lord thy God re- quire of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his Book XL SACRED LITERATURE. 23 his ways, and to love him, and to ferve the Lord thy God with ail thy heart and with all thy foul, to keep the com- mandments of the Lord, and his ftatutes, which I command thee this day for thy good? Behold, the heaven, and the heaven of heavens is the Lord's thy God, the earth alfo, with all that therein is. Only the Lord had a delight in thy fa- thers to love them, and he chofe their feed after them, even you above all people, as it is this day. Circumcife therefore the forelkin of your heart, and be no more ftiff-necked. For the Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty and a terrible, which regardeth not perfons, nor taketh reward : he doth execute the judgment of the fatherlefs and widow, and loveth the Granger in giv- ing him food and raiment. Love ye therefo. * the ftranger ; for ye were Grangers in the land of Egypt. Thou (halt fear the Lord thy God ; him (halt thou ferve, and to him malt thou cleave, and fwear by his name. He is thy praife, and he is thy God, that hath done for thee thefe great and ter- rible things which thine eyes have feen. T;'-y fathers went down into Egypt with threefcore and ten perfons ; and now the Lord thy God hath made thee as the {tars of heaven for multitude. Therefore thou (halt love the Lord thy God, and keep his charge, and his ftatutes, and his judgments, and his com- mandments alway. And know ye this day : for I fpeak not with your children which have not known, and which have not feen the chaftifement of the Lord your God, his greatnefs, his mighty hand, and his ftretched out arm, and his miracles, and his acts which he did in the midft of Egypt, unto Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and unto all hisb.nd, and what he did unto the army of Egypt, unto their horfes, and to their chariots, how he made the water of the Red-fea to overflow them as they purfued after you, and how the Lord hath deftroyed them unto this day. And what he did unto you in the wildernefs, until ye came into this place, and what he did unto Dathan and Abiram, the fons of Eliab, the fon of Reuben : how the earth opened her mouth, and fwal lowed them up, and their houfholds, and their tents, and all the fubftance that was in their poffefiion, in the midft of all Ifrael. But your eyes have feen all the great acts of the Lord, which he did. Therefore (hall ye keep all the commandments which I command you this day, that ye may be ftrong, and go in and poifefs the land whither ye go to poffefs it : and that ye may prolong your days in the land which the Lord fware unto your fathers to give unto them, and 24 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XI. and to their feed, a land that f'oweth with milk and honey. For the land whither thou goeft in to poffefs it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where thou fowedft thy feed, and watered!! it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs : but the land whither ye go to poffefs it, is- a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven: a land which the Lord thy God careth for: the eyes of the Lord thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year, even unto the end of the year. And it (hall come to pafs, if ye fliall hearken diligently unto my command- ments which I command you this day, to love the Lord your God, and to ferve him with all your heart, and with all your foul ; that I will give you the rain of your land in his due feafon, the firfl rain, and the latter rain, that thou mayeft gather in thy. corn, and thy wine, and thine oil. And I will fend grafs in thy fields for thy tattle, that thou mayeft eat and be full. Take heed to yourfelves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aiide, and ferve other gods, and worfhip them : and then the Lord's wrath be kindled againft you, and he fhut up the heaven that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit, and left ye perifh quickly from off the good land which the Lord giveth you. Therefore (hall ye lay up thefe my words in your heart, and in your foul, and bind them for a fign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. And ye (hall teach them your children, fpeaking of them when thou fitted in thine houfe, and when thou walkeft by the way; when thou lieft down, and when thou rifeft up. And thou (halt write them upon the door poll: s of thine houfe, and upon thy gates: that your days may be multi- plied, and the days of your children, in the land which tin- Lord fware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth. For if ye fliall diligently keep all thefe commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him ; then will the Lord drive out all thefe nations from before you, and ye (hall poffefs greater nations, and migh- tier than yourfelves. Every place whereon, the foles of your feet lhall tread, fhall be yours : from the wildernefs, and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the uttermoft fea, fliall your coaft be. There lhall no man be able to ftand before you : for the Lord your God fliall lay the fear of you, and the dread of you upon all the land that ye fhall tread upon, as he hath faid unto you. Behold, I fet before you this day a blefling, and a curfe : a bleffing, it' Book XL SACRED LITERATURE. 25 if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day : and a curfe, if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn ahde out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods which ye have not known. And it (hall come to pafs, when the Lord thy God hath brought thee in unto the land whither thou goeft to poffefs it, that thou (halt put the bleffing upon mount Gerizim, and the curfe upon mount Ebal. Are they not on the other fide' Jordan, by the way where the fun goeth down, in the land of the Canaanites which dwell in the champaign over againft Gilgal, befide the plains of Moreh? For ye mall pafs over Jordan, to go in to poffefs the land which .the Lord your God giveth you, and ye fliall poffefs it, and dwell therein.- And ye fhali obferve to do all the ftatutes and judgments which I fet before you this day. Deuteronomy gtli to the end of the 1 ith chapter. Exhortation to obedience. AND Mofes called unto all Ifrael, and faid unto them, Ye have feen all that the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt, unto Pharaoh, and unto all his fervants, and unto all his land ,• the great temptations which thine eyes have feen, the figns and thofe great miracles : yet the Lord hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to fee, and ears to hear, unto this day. And I have led you forty years in the wildernefs: your clothes are not waxen old upon you, 3nd thy fhoeis not waxen old upon thy foot. Ye have not eaten bread, neither have ye drunk wine or ftrong drink ; that ye might know that lam the Lord your God. And when ye came unto this place, Sihon the king of Hefhbon, and Og the king of Bafhan came out againil us unto battle, and we fmote them : and we took their land, and gave it for an inheritance unto the Retibenites, and to the Gadites, and td the half tribe of Manaffeh. Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may profper in all that ye do. Ye Hand this day all of you before the Lord your Goci ; your captains of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, with all the men of Ifrael, your little ones, your wives, and thy flranger that is in thy camp, from the hewer of thy wood unto the drawer of thy water : that thou fhouldeft enter into covenant with the Lord thy God, and into his oath, which the Lord thy God maketh with thee this day: that he may eftablifh thee to day for a people unto rumielf, and that 25 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XI. that he may be unto thee a God, as he hath faid unto thee, and as he hath fworn unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Ifaac, and to Jacob. Neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath; but with him that ftandeth here with us this day before the Lord our God, and alfo with him that is not here with us this day : for ye know how we have dwelt in the land of Egypt ; and how we came through the nations which ye pafied by ; and ye have feen their abomi- nations and their idols, wood and ftone, Silver and gold, which were among them : left there fhould be among you man or woman, or family, or tribe, whole heart turneth away this day from the Lord our God, to go and ferve the gods of thefe nations : left there fhould be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood ; and it come to pafs, when he heareth the words of this curfe, that he blefs himfelf in his heart, faying, I fhall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart to add drunkennefs to thirft : the Lord will not fpare him, but then the anger of the Lord and his jealoufy fhall fmoke againft that man, and all the carles that are written in this book fhall lie upon him, and the Lord (hall blot out his name from under heaven. And the Lord fhall feparate him unto evil out of all the tribes of If- rael, according to all the curfes of the covenant that are writ- ten in this book of the law : fo that the generation to come of your children that (hall rife up after you, and the ftranger that fhall come from a far land, fhall fay, when they fee the plagues ef that land, and the fickneffes which the Lord hath laid upon it ; and that the whole land thereof is brimftone and fait, and burning, that it is not fown, nor beareth, nor any grafs groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, which the Lord overthrew in his anger and in his wrath: even all nations fhall fay, Wherefore hath the Lord done thus unto this land ? what meaneth the heat of this great anger? Then men (hall fay, Becaufe they have forfaken the covenant of the Lord .God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them forth out of the land of Egypt : for they went and ferved other gods, and worfhipped them,' gods whom they knew not, and whom he had not given unto them: and the anger of the Lord was kindled againft this land, to bring upon it all the curfes that are written in this book : and the Lord rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and caft them into another land, as it is this day. The fecret things belong unto the Lord our C*od ; but, thofe things which are revealed belong unto us and Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. 27 and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law. And it {hall come to pafs, when all thefe things are come upon thee, the bleffing and the curfe which I have fet be- fore thee, and thou malt call them to mind among all the nations whither the Lord thy God hath driven thee, and fhalt return unto the Lord thy God, and (halt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy foul ; that then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity, and have companion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the Lord thy God hath fcatter- ed thee. If any of thine be driven out unto the outmofi parts of heaven, from thence will the Lord thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee : and the Lord thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers poffef- fed, and thou (halt poffefs it: and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers. And the Lord thy God will circumcife thine heart, and the heart of thy feed, to. love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy foul, that thou mayefl live. And the Lord thy God will put all thefe curfes upon thine enemies, and on them that hate thee, which perfecuted thee. And thou fhalt re- turn and obey the voice of the Lord, and do all his com- mandments which I command thee this day. And the Lord thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cat- tle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good : for the Lord will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fa- thers : if thou (halt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God to keep his commandments and his ftatutes which ate written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy foul. For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that thou fhouldefl fay, Who fhall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? Neither is it beyond the fea, that thou fhouldefl fay, Who (hall go over the fea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? but the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayefl do it. See, I have fet before thee this day life and good, and death and evil ; in that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his ftatutes and his judgments, that thou 23 SACRED LITERATURE. Book Xfi thou mayeft live and multiply : and the Lord thy God fliall blefs thee in the land whither thou goeft to poflefs it. But if thine heart turn away, fo that thou wilt not hear, but fhalt be drawn away, and worthip other gods, and' ferv'e them; I denounce unto you this day,that ye fhali furely perifh, and that ye (hall not prolong your days upon the jand whither thou paffeft over Jordan to go to poifefs it. I call heaven and earth to record this day againft you, that I have fet before you life and death, bleffing and curling : therefore choofe life, that both thou and thy feed may live: that thou mayeft love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayeft obey his voice, and that thou mayeft cleave unto him : for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayeft dwell in the land which the Lord fware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Ifaac, and to Jacob, to give theai. Deuteronomy 29th 2. to the end of the 30/A chapter. ■ AJdrefs of the Man of God to Ell. THUS faith the Lord, Did I plainly appear unto the houfe of thy father, when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh's houfe? and did I choofe him out of all the tribes of Krael to be my prieft, to offer upon mine'altar, to burn incenfe, to wear an ephod before me? and did I give unto the houfe of thy father all the offerings made by fire of the children of Ifrael? Wherefore kick ye at my facrifice and at mine of- iering, which I have commanded in my habitation, and honoureft thy fons above me, to make yourfelves fat with the chiefeft of all the offerings of Ifrael my people? Where- fore the Lord God of Ifrael faith, 1 faid indeed, that thy houfe and the houfe of thy father ihould walk before me for ever: but now the Lord faith, Be it far from me ; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that defpife me (hall be lightly efteemed. Behold, the days come that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father's houfe," that there (hall not be an old man in thine houfe. And thou (halt fee an enemy in my habitation, in all the wealth which God (hall give Ifrael: and there fhall not be an old man in thine houfe for ever. And the man of thine whom I (hall not cut off from mine altar, fhall be to confume thine eyes, and to grieve thine heart : and all the increafe of thine boufe {hall die in the flower of their age. And this fhall be a fign unto thee that fhall come upon thy two fons, on Hophni and Phinehas : in one day they fliall die both of them. And 1 will Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. 29 I will raife me up a faithful prieft, that mall do according to tkiat which is in mine heart and in my mind : and I will build him a fure houfe ; and he (hail walk before mine anointed for ever. And it mall come to pafs, that every one that is left in thine houfe (hall come and crouch to him for a piece of filver and a morfel of bread, and (hall fay, Put me, I pray thee, into one of the priefis' offices, that I may eat a piece of bread. . 1 Samuel 2. 27—36. Samuel's addrefs to the Ifraelites, BEHOLD, I have hearkened unto your voice in all that ye faid unto me, -and have made.a king over you. And now, behold, the king walketh before you: and I am old and gray-headed : and, behold, my fons are with you : and I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day. Behold, here I am: witnefs againft me before the Lord, and .before his anointed ; whofe ox have I taken? or whole afe have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I opprefTed? or of whofe hand have I, received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith ? and I will reftore it you. And they faid, Thou haft not defrauded us, nor oppreffed us, neither haft thou taken ought of any man's hand. And he faid unto them, The Lord is witnefs againft you, and his anointed is witnefs this day, that ye have not found ought in my hand. And they anfwered, He is witnefs. And Samuel faid unto the people, It is the Lord that advanced Mofes and Aaron, and that brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. Now therefore ftajid ftill, that Imay reafon with you before the Lord of all the righteous a6ts of the Lord which he did to you and to your fathers. When Jacob was come into Egypt, and your fathers cried unto the Lord, then the Lord fent Mofes and Aaron, which brought forth your fithers out of Egypt, and made them dwell in this place. And when they forgat the Lord their God, he fold them into the hand of Sifera captain of the hoft of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philiftines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought againft them. And they cried unto the Lord and laid, We have finned, becaufe we have forfaken the Lord, and have ferved Baalim and Afhtaroth ; but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will ferve thee. And the Lord fentjerubbaal, and Bedan, andjephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every fide, and ye dwelled fafe. And when ye law that Nahafh the king of the children of Amnion 3o SACRED LITERATURE. Book XI. Ammon came againft you, ye faid unto me, Nay; but a king mall reign over us ; when the Lord your God was your king. Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chofen, and whom ye have defired : and, behold, the Lord hath fet a king over you. If ye will fear the Lord, and ferve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel againft the commandment of the Lord, then (hall both ye, and alio the king that reigneth over you, continue following the Lord your God : but if ye will not obey the voice of the Lord, but re- bel againft the commandment of the Lord, then (hall the hand of the Lord be againft you, as it was againft your fa- thers. Now therefore (land and fee this great thing which the Lord will do before your eyes. Is it not wheat harvefl to day? I will call unto the Lord, and he (hall fend thunder and rain : that ye may perceive and fee that your wickednefs is great which ye have done in the fight of the Lord, in afk- ing you a king. So Samuel called unto the Lord, and the Lord fent thunder and rain that day : and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel. And all the people laid unto Samuel, Pray for thy fervants unto the Lord thy God, that we die not : for we have added unto all our fins this evil, to afk us a king. And Samuel faid unto the peo- ple, Fear not: ye have done all this wickednefs : yet turn not afide from following the Lord, but ferve the Lord with all your heart ; and turn ye not afide: for then (hall ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver ; for they are vain. For the Lord will not forfake his people, for his great name's fake : becaufe it hath pleafed the Lord to make you his people. Moreover as for me, God forbid that I iliould fin againft the Lord, in ceafing to pray for you : but I will teach you the good and the right way: only fear the Lord, and ferve him in truth with all your heart ; for con- fider how great things he hath done for you. But if ye fhall (till do wickedly, ye fhall be confumed both ye and your king. i Samuel 12th chapter to the end. David's addrefs to the people and his Jon Solomon. H E AR me, my brethren, and my people ; As for me, I had in mine heart to build an houfe of reft for the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and for the footftool of our God, and had made ready for the building: but God faid unto me, Thou (halt not build an houfe for my name, becaufe thou haft been a man of war, and haft fhed blood. Howbeit, the Lord Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. 31 Lord God of Ifrael chofe me before all the houfe of my fa- ther to be king over Ifrael for ever. For he hath chofen Judah to be the ruler ; and of the houfe of Judah, the houfe of my father ; and among the fons of my father he liked me to make me king over all Ifrael : And of all my fons, (for the Lord hath given me many fons,) he hath chofen Solo- mon my fon to lit upon the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Ifrael. And he faid unto me, Solomon thy fon, he (hall build my houfe and my courts : for I have chofen him to be my fon, and I will be his father. Moreover, I will eftablifh his kingdom for ever, if he be conftant to do my commandments and my judgments, as at this day. Now therefore in the fight of all Ifrael the congregation of the Lord, and in the audience of our God, keep and feek for all the commandments of the Lord your God : that ye may poffefs this good land, and leave it for an inheritance for your children after you for ever. And thou, Solomon my fon, know thou the God of thy father, and ferve him with a per- fect heart and with a willing mind : for the Lord fearcheth all hearts,and underftandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts, if thou feek him, he will be found of thee ; but if thou for- fake him, he will caft thee off for ever. Take heed now ; for the Lord hath chofen thee to build an houfe for the fancluary : be ftrong, and do it. 1 Chronicles 28. 2 — 10. Ifaiah's addrefs to the Javi/h nation. HEAR, O heavens; and give ear, O earth: for the Lord hath fpoken : I have nourifhed and brought up chil- dren, and they have rebelled againft me. The ox knoweth his owner, and the afs his mailer's crib : but Ifrael doth not know, my people doth not confider. Ah finful nation ! a people laden with iniquity, a feed of evil doers, children that are corrupters: they have forfaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Ifrael unto anger, they are gone away backward ! why (hould ye be ftricken any more ? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is fick, and the whole heart faint. From the fole of the foot even unto the head there is no foundnefs in it ; but wounds and bruifes, and putrifying fores; they have not been clofed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment. Your country is defolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, Grangers devour it in your prefence, and it is defolate as overthrown by ftrangers. And the daughter of Zion is left as 32 SACRED LITERATURE. Book Xh as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a garden of cucum- bers, as a"be(ieged city. Except the Lord" of hofts had left unto us a very fmall remnant, we fhould have been as Sodom, and we fhould have been like unto Gomorrah. Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah : to what purpofe is the multitude of your l'acrifices unto me? faith the Lord : I am full of the burnt-offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beads; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he-goats. When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand to tread my courts? bring no more vain oblations; incenfe is an abomination unto me; the new moons and fahbaths, the calling of afTem- blies I cannot away with ; it is iniquity, even the folemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feafts my foul hateth : they are a trouble unto me ; 1 am weary to bear them. And when ye fpread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you : yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear : your hands are full of blood. Wafh you, make you clean ; put away the evil of your doings from be- fore mine eyes ; ceafe to do evil ; learn to do well ; feek judg- ment, relieve the oppreffed, judge the fatherlefs, plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reafon together, faith the Lord : though your fins be as fcarlet, they (hall be as white as fnow, though they be red like crimfon, they {hall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye fhall eat the good of the land. But if ye refufeand rebel, ye lhall be de- voured with the fword : for the mouth of the Lord hath fpo- ken it. How is the faithful city become an harlot ! it was full of judgment : righteoufnefs lodged in it ; but now mur- derers. Thy iilver is become drois, thy wine mixed with water : thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves : every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they jud^e not the fatherlefs, neither doth the caufeof the widow come unto them. Therefore, faith the Lord, the Lord of hofts, the mighty One of Ifrael, Ah, I will eafe meof.mine adverfaries, and avenge me of mine enemies: and I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy drofs, and take away all thy tin : and I Mall reftore thy judges as at the fir ft, and thy counfellors as at the beginning : afterward thou (halt be called, The city of righteoulhefs, The faithful city. Zio'n lhall be redeemed with judgment, and her con- verts with righteoufnefs. And the deftruelion of the t'ranf- oreTors and of the (inners fhall be together, and they that forfake the Lord fhall be confumed. For they lhall be aflaamed Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. 33 afhamed of the oaks which ye have defired, and ye fhall he confounded for the gardens that ye have chofen. For ye (hall be as an oak whofe leaf fadeth, and as a garden that hath no water. And the ffrong (hall be as tow, and the maker of it as a fparjkj and they fhall both burn together, and none fhall .quench them. Ifaiah i. 2- — 31. Various prophecies and expatriations of Ifaiah, AND it fhall come to pafs in the laft days, that the mountain of the Lord's houfe fhall be efhblifhed in the top of the mountains, and fhall be exalted above the hills ; and ail nations fhall flow unto it. And many people fhall go and fay, Come ye, and' let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the houfe of the God of Jacob : and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths : for out of Zion fhall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from -Jerufalem. And he fhall judge among the nations, and fhall rebuke many people: and they fnall beat their fwords into plowfhares, and their fpears into pruning hooks ; nation fhall not lift up fvvord againfl nation, neither fhall they learn war any more. O houfe of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord. Therefore thou haft forfaken thy people the houfe of Jacob, becrufe they be replenifhed from the eaft, and are footh-fayers like the Philiftines, and they pleafe themfelves in the children of ftrangers. Their land alfo is full of filver and gold, neither is there any end of their treafures ; their land alfo is full of horfes, neither is there any end of their chariots ; their land alfo is full of idols; they worfhip the work of. their own hands, that which their own fingers have made : and the mean man boweth down, and the great man humbleth himfelf: there- fore forgive them not. Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the duft, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majefty. The lofty looks of man fhall be humbled, and the haughtinefs of men fhall be bowed down, and the Lord alone fhall be exalted in that day. For the day of the Lord of hofh fhall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up ; and he fhall be brought low: and upon all the cedars of Lebanon that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bafhan, and upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up, and upon every high tower, and upon every fenced wall, and upon all the fhips of Tarfhifh, and upon all pleafant pictures. And the loftinefs of man fhall Vol. IV. C be 34 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XI. be bowed down, and the haughtinefs of men fhall be made low : and the Lord alone fhall be exalted in that day. And the idols he fhall utterly abolifh. And they fhall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majefty, when he arifeth to fhake terribly the earth. In that day a man fhall caft his idols of iilver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himfelf to worfhip, to the moles, and to the bats ; to go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majefty when he arifeth to fhake terribly the earth. Ceafe ye from man, whofe breath is in his noftrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of? For behold, the Lord, the Lord of hofts, doth take away from Jerufalem and from Judah the ftay and the ft'aff, the whole flay of bread, and the whole ftay of water. The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge and the pro- phet, and the prudent and the ancient, the captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counfellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator. And I will give children to be their princes ; and babes fhall rule over them. And the people fhall be oppreffed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour : the child fhall behave himfelf proudly againft the ancient, and the bafe againft the honourable. When a man fhall take hold of his brother of the houfe of his father, faying, Thou haft cloth- ing, be thou our ruler, and let this ruin be under thy hand: in that day fhall he fwear, faying, I will not be an healer, : for in my houfe is neither bread nor clothing : make me not a ruler of the people. For Jerufalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen : becaufe their tongue and their doings are againft the Lord, to provoke the eyes of his glory. The fhew of their countenance doth witnefs againft them ; and they declare their fins as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their foul : for they have rewarded evil unto them- felves? Say ye to the righteous, that it fhall be well with him : for they fhall eat the fruit of their doings. Woe unto the wicked ! it fhall be ill with him : for the reward of his hands fhall be given him. As for my people, children are their opprelfors, and women rule over them. O my peo- ple, they which lead thee, caufe thee to err, and deftroy the way of thy paths. The Lord ftandeth up to plead, and ftandeth to judge the people. The Lord will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people, and the princes thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard; the fpoil of the Book XI. . SACRED LITERATURE. 35 the poor is in your houfes. What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? faith the Lord God of hofts. Moreover the Lord faith, Becaufe the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with ftretched forth necks, and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet : therefore the Lord will fmite with a fcab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will difcover their fecret parts. In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon. The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers, the bonnets and the ornaments of the legs, and the head-bands, and the tablets, and the e^r-rings, the rings, and nofe jewels', the changeable fuits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crifping pins, the glaffes and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the vails. And it fhall come to pafs, that inftead of fweet fmell, there fhall be ftink ; and inftead of a girdle, a rent ; and inftead qf well fet hair, baldnefs; and inftead of a ftomacher, a girding of fack-cloth ; and burning inftead of beauty. Thy men fhall fall by the fword, and thy mighty in the war. And her gates fhall lament and mourn : and IT] e being defolate, (hall fit upon the ground. And in that day feven women (hall take hold of one man, faying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel : only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach. In that day fhall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth fhall be excellent and comely for them that are efcaped of Ifrael. And it fhall come to pafs, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remameth in Jerufalem, fhall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerufalem : when the Lord fhall have wafhed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and fhall have purged the blood of Je- rufalem from the midft thereof, by the fpirit of judgment, and by the fpirit of burning. And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her affemblies, a cloud and fmoke by day, and the mining of a flaming fire by night : for upon all the glory fhall be a defence. And there fhall be a tabernacle for a fhadow in the day time from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from ftorm and from rain. Ifaiah 2. 2d verfe, to the end qf the 4th chapter, C 2 Jfaiak 36 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XI. Ifaiah threatened Ephraim. WO E to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whofe glorious beauty is a fading flower, which are on the head of the fat \alleys of them that are overcome with wine! Behold, the Lord hath a niighty and flrong one, which as a temped of hail, and a deftroying ftorm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, fTiall caft down to the earth with the hand. The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim {hall be trodden under feet. And the glorious beauty which is on the head of the fat valley fhall be a fading flower, and as the hairy fruit before the fummer ; which when he that looketh upon it feeth, while it is yet in his hand he eateth it up. In that day (hall the Lord of hofts be for a crown of glory and for a diadem of beauty unto the refidue of his people ; and for a fpirit of judgment to him that litteth in judgment, and for ftrength to them that turn the battle to the gate. But they alfo have erred through wine, and through ftrong drink are out of the way': the pried and the prophet have erred through flrong drink, they are fwallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through ftrong drink, they err in vifion, they (tumble in judgment. For all tables are full of vomit and filthinefs, fb that there is no place clean. Whom fhall he teach knowledge? and whom fhall he make to underftand doctrine? Them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breafts. For precept muff be upon precept, precept upon precept ; line upon line, line upon line ; here a little, and there a little : for with ftammering lips and another tongue will he fpeak to this people. To whom he faid, This is the reft wherewith ye may caufe the weary to reft ; and this is the refrefhing ; yet they would not hear. But the word of the Lord was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept ; line upon line, line upon line ; here a little, and there a little; that they might go and fall backward, and be broken, and fnared, and taken. Wherefore hear the word of the Lord, ye fcornful men that rule this people which is injerufalem. Becaufe ye have faid, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are^ we at agreement ,- when the overflowing fcourge fhall pafs through, it flia.ll not come unto us : for we have made lies our refuge, and under fallhood have we hid ourfelves. Therefore thus faith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation, a ftone, a tried ftone, a precious corner ftone, a fure foundation : he that believeth fhall not make hafte. Judgment alfo will I lay to the line, and righteoufnefs to the plummet : and the hail Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. 37 hail (hall fweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters fhall overflow the hiding place. And your covenant with death fhall be difannulled, and your agreement with hell (hall not ftand ; when the overflowing fcourge fhall pafs through, then ye fhall be trodden down by it. From the time that it goeth forth it fhall take you : for morning by morning fhall it pafs over, by day and by night : and it fhall be a vexation only to underftand the report. For the bed is fhorter than that a man can ftretch himfelf on it : and the covering narrower than that he can wrap himfelf in it. For the Lord fhall rife up as in mount Perazim, he (hail be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his ftrange work; and bring to pafs his acl, his ftrange a 61. Now therefore, be ye not mockers, left your bands be made ftrong: for I have heard from the Lord God df hofts a confumption, even de- termined upon the whole earth. Give ye ear, and hear my voice ; hearken, and hear my fpeech : Doth the plowman plow all day to fow ? Doth he open and break the clods of his ground ? When he hath made plain the face thereof doth he not caft abroad the fitches, and fcatter the cummin, and caft in the principal wheat, and the appointed barley, and the rye in their place? For his God doth inftruft him to difcre- tion, and doth teach him. For the fitches are not threfhed with a threfhing inftrument, neither is a cart-wheel turned about upon the cummin : but the fitches are beaten out with a ftafF, and the cummin with a rod. Bread-corn is bruifed ; becaufe he will not ever be threfhing it, nor break it with the wheel of his cart, nor bruife it with his horfemen. This alfo cometh forth from the Lord of hofts, which is wonderful in counfel, and excellent in working. Ifaiak 2otk chapter. Ifaiah denounced God's judgment againjl Jerufalem. WOE to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt ! add ye year to year ; let them kill facrifices. Vet I will diftrefs Ariel, and there fhall be heavinefs and forrow : and it fhall be unto me as Ariel. And I will camp againft thee round about, and will lay fiege againfl thee with a mount, and I will raife forts againft thee ; and thou {halt be brought down, and fhalt fpeak out of the ground, and thy fpeech fhall be low out of the duft, and thy voice (hall be as of one that hath a familiar fpirit out of the ground, and thy fpeech fhall whifper out of the duft. Moreover, the multitude of thy ftrangers fhallbe like fmall duft, and the multitude of the C 3 terrible 38 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XI. terrible ones (hall be as chaff that paffeth away ; yea, it (hall be at inflant fuddenly. Thou (halt be vifited of the Lord of hofls with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noife, with ftorm and tempeft, and the tiame of devouring fire. And the multitude of all the nations that fight againft Ariel, even all that fight againft her and her munition, and that diftreis her, (hall be as a dream of a night vifion. It fhall even be as when a hungry man dreameth, and behold, he eateth ; but he awaketb, and his foul is empty : or as when a thirfty man dreameth, and behold, he drinketh ; but he awaketh, and behold, he is faint, and his foul hath appetite: fo fhall the multitude of all the nations be that fight againft mount Zion. Stay yourfelves, and wonder; cry ye out, and cry : They are drunken, but not with wine ; they dagger, but not with ftrong drink. For the Lord hath poured out upon you the fpirit of deep fleep, and hath clofed your eyes : the prophets and your rulers, the feers hath he covered ; and the vifion of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is fealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, fay- ing, Read this, I pray thee: and he faith, I cannot,- for it is fealed. And the book is delivered to him that is not learn- ed, faying, Read this, I pray thee: and he faith, I am not learned. Wherefore the Lord faid, Forafmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men : therefore behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work, and a wonder : for the wifdom of their wife men fhall perifh,and the underftanding of their prudent men fhall be hid. Woe unto them that feek deep to hide their counlel from the Lord, and their works are in the dark ! and they fay, Who feeth us? And Who knoweth us? Surely your turning of things upfide down mail be efteemed as the potters clay : for fhall the work fay of him that made it, He made me not? or fhall the thing framed fay of him that framed it, He had no underftanding? Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon (hall be turned into a fruit- ful field, and the fruitful field fhall be efteemed as a foreft ? And in that day fhall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind (hall fee out of obfcurity, and out of darknefs. The meek alio (hail increafe their joy in the Lord, and the poor among men (hall rejoice in the Holy One of Ifrael. For the terrible one is brought to nought, and the fcorner is confumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off: that make a nun an offender for a word, and lay Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. 39 lay a fnare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn afide the juft for a thing of nought. Therefore, thus faith the Lord who redeemed Abraham, concerning the houfe of Jacob ; Jacob (hall not now be afhamed, neither fhall his face now wax pale. But when he feeth his children, the work of mine hands in the midft of him, they fhall fan&ify my name, and fan&ify the Holy One of Jacob, and fhall fear the God of Ifrael. They alio that erred in fpirit fhall come to underftanding, and they that murmured fhall learn doctrine. lfaiah 2gtk chapter. Judgments on the enemies and blefjings on the friends of the Church. COME near, ye nations, to hear ; and hearken, ye people : let the earth hear, and all that is therein ; the world, and all things that come forth of it. For the in- dignation of the Lord is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies : he hath utterly deftroyed them, he hath delivered them to the Daughter. Their flain alfo fhall be call: out, and their ftink fhall come up out of their car- cafes, and the mountains fhall be melted with their blood. And all the hoft of heaven fhall be dhTolved, and the hea- vens fhall be rolled together as a fcroll : and all their hoft fhall fall down as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig-tree. For my fword fhall be bathed in heaven ; behold, it fhall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curfe, to judgment. The fword of the Lord is filled with blood, it is made fat with fatnefs, and with the blood of lambs and goats, and with the fat of the kidneys of rams: for the Lord hsth a facrifice in Bozrab, and a great fla-ughter in the land of Idumea. And the uni- corn* fhall come down with them, and the bullocks with the bulls ; and their land fhall be foaked with blood, and their dull made fat with fatnefs. For it is the day of the Lord's vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controverfy of Zion. And the ftreams thereof fhall be turned into pitch, and the dull: thereof into brimftone, and the land thereof (hall become burning pitch. It fhall not be quenched night nor day : the fmoke thereof fhall go up for ever : from generation to generation it fhall lie wafte ; none fhall pafs through it for ever and ever. But the cormorant and the bittern fhall poffefs it ; the owl alfo and the raven fhall dwell in it : and he fhall flretch out upon it the line of confufion, and 4° SACRED LITERATURE. Book XI. and the ft ones of emptinefs. They (hall call the nobles thereof to the kingdom, but none (hall be there, and all her princes fhall be nothing. And thorns fhall come up in her palaces, nettles and brambles in the fortreffes thereof: and it fhall be an habitation of dragons, and a court .for owls. The wild beads of the defert fhall- alfo meet with the wild beafts of the ffland, and the fatyr fhall cry to his fel- low ; the fcreech-owl alfo (hall reft there, and find for herfelf a place of reft. There fhall the great owl make her neft, and lay, and hatch, and gather under her fhadow: there (hall the vultures alfo be gathered every one with her mate. Seek ye out of the book of the Lord, and read : no one of thefe ihall fail, none fhall want her mate: for my mouth it frith commanded, and his fpirit it Eath gathered them. And he hath caft the lot for ihem, and his hand hath di- vided it unto them byline: they fhall poffefs it for ever; from generation to generation fhall they dwell therein. The wildernefs and the folitary place fhall be glad for them ; and the defert fhall rejoice, and bloffom as the role. It fhall bloffom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and ringing : the glory of Lebanon fhall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon : they fhall fee the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God. Strengthen yc the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be ftrong, fear not : Behold your God will come with vengeance, even God with a re- compence ; he will come and iave you. Then the eyes of the blind fhall be opened, 'and the ears of the deaf fhall be unftopped. Then fhall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb ting ; for in the wildernefs fhall waters breakout, and ftr earns in the defert. And the parched ground fhall become a pool, and the thirfty land fprings of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, fhall be grafs, with reeds ind rufhes. And an high-way fhall be there, and a way, and it fhall be called, The way of ho- linefs: the unclean fhall not pals' over it ; but it ihall- be for t hole : the way-faring men, though fools, ihall not err therein. No lion fhall be there, nor any ravenous beaft Ihall go up thereon ; it Ihall not be found' there; but the redeemed fhall walk there. And the raniomed of the Lord fhall return, and come to Zion with fongs, and everlafiing joy upon their head--: they fhall obtain |Qy. arid gladnefe, and farrow and Sighing fhaii nee away. i . a 35M chapters. ■ ww luaaffiaagBg™ ' ■ — • » I uah Book XL SACRED LITERATURE. 41 Ifaiah exhorteik to trafl in God. THUS faith the Lord, Where is the bill of your mother's divorcement whom I have put away ? Or which of my cre- ditors is it to whom I have fold 3'ou? Behold, for your in- iquities have ye fold yourfelves, and for your tranfgreffions is your mother put aw3y. Wherefore, when I came, was there no man ? When I called, was there none toanfwer ? Is my hand fhortened at all, that it cannot redeem ? Or have I •no power to deliver? Behold, at my rebuke I dry up the fea : I make the rivers a wildernefs : their fifh ftinketh, becaufe there is no water, and dieth forthirft. 1 clothe the heaven with blacknefs, and I make fackcloth their covering. The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I fhould know how to fpeak a word in feafon to him that is weary :. he wakeneth morning by morning : he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned. The Lord God hath opened mine ear, and I was- not rebellious, neither turned away back. I gave my back to the fmiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair : 1 hid not my face from fhame and •fpitting. For the Lord God will help me, therefore fhall 1 not be confounded : therefore have 1 let my fa/e like a flint, and I know that I fhall not be albamed. He is near that juftifieth me, who will contend with me? Let us ftand to- gether : Who is mine adverfary ? Let him come near to me. Behold, the Lord God will help me: Who is he that fhall condemn me?' lo, they all fhall wax old as a garment: the moth fhall eat them up. Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of hisiervant, that walketh in darknels, and hath no light ? Let him trull in the name of the Lord, and flay upon his God. Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compafs yourfelves about with iparks ! walk in the light of your fire, and in the fparks that ye have kindled. This fhall ye have of mine hand, ye fhall lie down in for row. Hearken to me ye -that follow after righteoufnefs, ye that leek the Lord : look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged. Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you ; for I called him alone, and bleiTed him, and increafed him. For the Lord fhall comfort Zion : he will comfort all her wafle places, and he will make her wildernefs .like Eden, and her defert like the garden of the Lord ; joy and gladnefs (hall be found therein, thank fffiving. and the voice of il 1 melody. Hearken unto me, my people, and give ear unto me, O my nation : for a law fhall proceed from me, and I will 42 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XI. will make my judgment to reft for a light of the people. My righteoufnefs is near : my falvation is gone forth, and mine arm fhall judge the people : the ifles Ilia 11 wait upon me, and on mine arm mall they trull. Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath : for the heavens (hall variiili away like fmoke, and the earth (hall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein fhall die in like man- ner: but my falvation (hall be for ever, and my righteoufnefs fhall not be abolifhed. Hearken unto me, ye that know righteoufnefs, the people in whole heart is my law, fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their re- vilings. For the moth fhall eat them up like a garment, and the worm fhall eat them like wool : but my righteoufnefs fhall be for ever, and my falvation from generation to gene- ration. Awake, awake, put on ftrength, O arm of the Lord ; awake, as in' the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rr.^ab, and wounded the dragon ? Art thou not it which hath dried the lea, the waters of the great deep, that hath made the depths of the fea a way for the ranfomed to pafs over ? Therefore the redeemed of the Lord fhall return, and come with finging unto Zion, and everlafting joy fhall be upon their head : they (hall ob- tain gladnefs and joy, and forrow and mourning fhall flee away. I , even I, am he that comforteth you : who art thou, that thou fhouldeft be afraid of a man that fhall die, and of thefon of man, which (hall be made as grafs ? and forgetteft the Lord thy maker, that haft ftretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth ? and haft feared con- tinually every day, becaufe of the fury of the oppreilor, as if he were ready to deftroy ? and where is the fury of the opprelfor? The captive exile hafteneth that he may be loofed, and that he fhould not die in the pit, and that his bread fhould fail. But I am the Lord thy God, that divided the fea, whofe waves roared : the Lord of hofts is his name. And I have put rny words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the (hadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and fay unto Zion, thou art my people. Awake, awake, ftand up, O Jerufalem, which haft drunk at the hand of the Lord the cup of his fury: thou haft drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling, and wrung them out. There is none to guide her among all the fons of whom (he hath brought forth : neither is there any that taketh her by the hand, of all the fons that (he hath brought up. Thefe two things are come unto thee : Who fhall be lorry for thee? Defoiation, and deftruftion, and Book XL SACRED LITERATURE. 43 and the famine, and the fword : by whom (hall I comfort thee? thy fons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the ftreets, as a wild bull in a net : they are full of the fury of the Lord, the rebuke of thy God. Therefore hear now this, thou affii&ed, and. drunken, but not with wine. Thus faith the Lord, the Lord, and thy God that pleadeth the caufe of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury, thou (halt no more drink it again. But I will put it into the hand of them that afHi6t thee : which have faidto thy foul, bow down, that we may go over: and thou haft laid thy body as the ground, and as the ftreet to them that went over. Ifaiali 50 and 5 ijl chapters. &S3S Ifaiah reproves hypocritical fajls. CRY aloud, fpare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and (hew my people their tranfgreffion, and the houfe of Jacob their fins. Yet they feek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteoufnefs, and forfook not the ordinance of their God : they afk of me the ordinances of juliice : they take delight in approaching to God. Wherefore have we fafted, fay they, and thou feeft not ? Wherefore have we airlifted our foul, and thou takeft no knowledge ? Behold, in the day of your faft ye find plea- fure, and exa6t all your labours. Behold ye fall for ftrife and debate, and to fmite with the lift oi wickednefs ; yeftrall not faft as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high. Is it fuch a faft that I have chofen ? A day for a man to afflift his foul ? Is it to bow down his head as a bulrufh, and to fpread fackcloth and afhes under him? Wilt thou call this a faft, and an acceptable day to the Lord? Is not this the faft that I have chofen ? To loofe the bands of wickednefs, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the op- preftedgo free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are caft out, to thy houfe ? WThen thou feeftthe naked, that thou cover him, and that thou hide not thyfelf from thine own flefli ? Thenfhall thy light break forth as the morn- ing, and thine health fhall fpring forth fpeedily : and thy righ- teoufnefs mall go before thee, the glory of the Lord fhall be thy rereward. Then (halt thou call, and the Lord fhallanfwer; thou (halt cry, and he (hall fay, Here I am : if thou take away from the midft of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and fpeaking vanity: and if thou draw out thy foul 44 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XI. foul to the hungry, and fatisfy the afflicted foul ; then (hall thy light rife in obfcurity, and thy darknefs be as the noon- day. And the Lord fhall guide thee continually, and fatisfy thy foul with drought, and make fat thy bones : and thou fhalt be like a watered garden, and like a fpring" of water, whofe waters fail not. And they that (hall be of thee, fhall build the old wafte places : thou (halt raife up the foundations of many generations ; and thou fhalt be called, the repairer of the breach, the reftorer-of paths to dwell in. If thou turn away thy foot from the fabbath, from doing thy plea- fure on my holy day, and call the fabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable, and fhalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleafure, nor fpeaking thine own words: then fhalt thou delight thyfelf in the Lord, and I will-caufe thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father ; for the mouth of the Lord hath fpoken it. Behold, the Lord's hand is not fhortened, that it cannot fave : neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have feparated between you and your God, and )7ourfins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity, your lips have fpoken lies, your tongue hath mut- tered perverfenefs. None called for juftice, nor any pleaded for truth: they truit in vanity, and fpeak lies ; they conceive mifchief, and bring forth iniquity. They hatch cockatrice'- eggs, and weave the fpider's web : he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crufhed, breaketh out into a viper. Their webs fhall not become garments, neither (hall they -cover themfelves with their works : their works are works of iniquity, anjd the act -of violence is in their hands. Their feet run to evil, and they make hafte to fhed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity, wafting and deftruction are in their paths. The way of peace they know not, and there is no judgments in their goings : they have made them crooked paths : whofoever goeth therein, fhall not know peace. Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth juftice overtake us: we wait for light, but behold ob- fcurity; for brightnefs, but we walk in darknefs. We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes : we tumble at noon-day as in the night ; we are in defolate places as dead men. We roar all like bears, and mourn fore like doves : we look for judgment, but there is none ; for falvation, but it is far off from us. For our tranfgreffions are multiplied before thee, and our iins teftify againft Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. 45 againft us : for our tranfgreffions are with us, and as for our iniquities we know them : in tranfgreffing and lying againft the Lord, and departing away from our God, fpeaking op- preffion and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falfhood. And judgment is turned away back- ward, and juftice ftandeth afar off : for truth is fallen in the ftreet, and equity cannot enter. Yea, truth faileth, and he that deparateth from evil maketh himfelf a prey : and the Lord faw it, and it difpleafed him that there was no judg- ment. And he faw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no interceffor : therefore his arm brought fal- vation unto him, and his righteoufnefs, it fuRained him. For he put on righteoufnefs as a breaft-plate, and an helmet of falvation upon his head ; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke. According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adverfaries, recompence to his enemies, to the iflands he ■will repay recompence. So fhall they fear the name -of the Lord from the weft, and his glory from the riling of the fun : when the enemy (hall come in like a flood, the fpirit of the Lord fhall lift up a ftandard againft him. And the Re- deemer (hall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from tranfgreffion in Jacob, faith the Lord. As for me, this is my covenant with them, faith the Lord, My fpirit that is- upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, fhall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy feed, nor out of the mouth of thy feed's ieed, laith the Lord, from henceforth and forever. Ifaiak 58 and 59M chapters. Jeremiah denoimceth God's judgments againft the Jews for their manifold corruptions. , RUN ye to and fro through the ftreet s of Jerufalem, and fee now and know, and feek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man, if there be any that executeth judgment, that feeketh the truth, and I will pardon it. And though they fay, The Lord liveth : furely they fwear falfly. O Lord, are not thine eyes upon the truth ? Thou haft ftricken them, but they have not grieved ; thou haft confumed them, but they have refufed to receive correction : , they hav^ made their faces harder than a rock : they have refufed to return. Therefore I faid, furely thefe are poor, they are foolifh ; for they know not the way of the Lord, nor the judgment of their God. I will get me unto the great men, #nd 46 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XI. and will fpeak unto them ; for they have known the way of the Lord, and the judgment of their God: but thefe have altogether broken the yoke, and burft the bonds. Where- fore a lion out of the forefl fhall flay them, and a wolf of the evenings fhall fpoil them, a leopard fhall watch over their cities: everyone that goeth out thence fhall be torn in pieces : becaufe their tranfgreffions are many, and their backflidings are increafed. How fhall I pardon thee for this : thy children have forfaken me, and fworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and affembled themfelves by troops in the harlot's houfes. They were as fed horfes in the morn- ing, every one neighed after his neighbour's wife. Shall I not vifit for thefe things? faith the Lord : and fhall not my ibul be avenged on fuch a nation as this ? Go ye up upon her walls, and deftroy, but make not a full end : takeaway her battlements ; for they are not the Lord's. For the houle of Ifrael, and the houle of Judah have dealt very treache- • roufly againft me, faith the Lord. They have belied the Lord, and faid, It is not he : neither fhall evil come upon us ; neither fhall we fee fword nor famine: and the prophets fhall become wind, and the word is not in them: thus fhall it be done unto them. Wherefore thus faith the Lord God of hofts, Becaufe ye fpeak this word, behold, 1 will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it fhall devour them. Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from far, .O houfe of Ifrael, faith the Lord: it is a mighty nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whofe language thou knowefl not, neither underftandeft what they fay. Their quiver is an open fepulchre, they are all mighty men. And they fhall eat up thine harveft and thy bread, which thy fons and thy daughters fnould eat: they fhall eat up thy flocks and thine herds ; they fhall eat up thy vines and thy fig trees: they fhall impoverifh thy fenced cities, wherein thou trufted'ft, with the fword. Never- theiefs, in thofe days faith the Lord, I will not make a' full end with you. And it fhall come to pafs when ye fhall fay, Wherefore doeth the Lord our God all thefe things unto us? Then (halt thou anfwer them, Like as ye have forfaken me, and ferved ftrange gods in your land, fo fhall ye ferve ftrangers in a land that is not your's. Declare this in the houfe of Jacob, and publifh it in Judah, faying, Hear now this, O foolifh people, and without undemanding ; which have eyes, and fee not: which have ears, and hear not. Fear ye not me, faith the Lord, will ye not tremble at my prefence, Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. 47 prefence, which have placed the fand for the bound of the fea, by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pafs it ; and though the waves thereof tofs themfelves, yet can they not prevail ; though they roar, yet can they not pafs over it ? But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart : they are revolted and gone. Neither fay they in their heart, Let us now fear the Lord our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter in his feafon: he referveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harveft. Your iniquities have turned away thefe things, and your fins have with-holdeu good things from you. For among my people are found wicked men : they lay wait as he that letteth ihares ; they fet a trap, they catch men. As a cage is full of birds, fo are their houles full of deceit ; therefore they are become great, and waxen rich. They are waxen fat, they mine: yea, they overpafs the deeds of the wicked ; they judge not the caule, the caufe of the fatherlefs, yet they profper; and the right of the needy do they not judge. Shall I not vifit, for thefe things, faith the Lord: (hall not my foul be avenged on fuch a nation as this? A wonderful and hor- rible thing is committed in the land ; the prophets prophefy falfly, and the priefts bear rule by their means ; and my people love to have it fo: and what will ye do in the end thereof ? Jeremiah $tk chapter. Jeremiah exhorteth to repentance. STAND in the gate of the Lord's houfe, and proclaim there this word, and fay, Hear the word of the Lord, all ye of Judah, that enter in at thefe gates to worfhip the Lord. Thus faith the Lord of hofts the God of Ifrael ; amend your ways and your doings ; and I will caufe you to dwell in this place. Truft ye not in lying words, laying, The tem- ple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are thefe. For if ye thoroughly amend your ways and your doings ;. if ye thoroughly execute judgment be- tween a man and his neighbour; if ye opprefs not the ftranger, the fatherlefs, and the widow, and {hed not inno- cent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt : then will I caufe you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, for ever and ever. Behold, ye truft in lying words, that cannot profit. Will ye fteal, murder, and commit adultery, and fwear falfely, and burn incenfe unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye 48 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XI. ye know not ; and come and fland before me in this houfe which is called by my name, and fay, We are delivered to do all thefe abominations ? Is this houfe, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have feen it, faith the Lord. But go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I fet my name at the firft, and fee what I did to it for the wickednefs of my people IfraeJ. And now, becaufe ye have done all thele works, faith the Lord, and I fpake unto you, riling up early, and fpeaking, but ye heard ' not ; and I called you, but ye anfwered not ; therefore will I do unto this houfe which is called by my name, wherein ye truft, and unto the place which 1 gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh. And I will caft you out of my fight as I have caft out all your brethren, even the whole feed of Ephraim. Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make interceffion to me : for I will not hear thee. Seeft thou not what they do in . the cities of Judah, and in the fireets of Jerufalem ? the children gather wood" and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead theirdough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink-offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger. Do they provoke me to anger? faith the Lord: Do they not provoke themfelves to the confufion of their own faces ? Therefore thus faith the Lord God; Behold, mine anger and my fury fhall be poured out upon this place, upon man and upon beaft, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground ; and it fhall burn and fhall not be quenched. Thus iaith the Lord of hofts, the God of Ifrael; put your burnt offerings unto your facrifices, and eat flefh. For I fpake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that i brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or facrifices : but this thing commanded I them, fay- ing, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye fhall be my people : and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you. But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in ,the counfels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward and not forward. Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this day, I have even fent unto you all my fervants the prophets, daily riling* up early, and fending them : yet they hearkened not unto me, nor inclined their ear, but hardened their neck ; they did worfe than their fathers. Therefore thou {bait fpeak all thefe Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. 49 thefe words unto them, but they will not hearken to thee : thou fhalt alfo call unto them, but they will not anfwer thee. But thou fhalt fay unto them, This is a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the Lord their God, nor receiveth correction : truth is perifhed, and is cut off from their mouth. Cut off thine hair, O Jerufalem, and call it away, and take up a lamentation on high places ; for the Lord hath rejected and forfaken the generation of his wrath. For the children of Judah have done evil in my fight, faith the Lord : they have fet their abominations in the houfe which is called by my name, to pollute it. And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the fon of Hinnom, to burn their fons and their daugh- ters in the fire, which I commanded them not, neither came it into my heart. Therefore behold, the days come, faith the Lord, that it fliall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the fon of Hinnom, but the valley of flaughter : for they fliall bury in Tophet, till there be no place. And the carcafes of this people fhall be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beads of the earth, and none fhall fray them away. Then will I caufe to ceafe from the cities of Judah, and from the llreets of Jerufalem, the voice of mirth and the voice of gladnefs, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride : for the land fhall be defolate. Jeremiah ytk chapter, Ifaiah threat eneth the Jews for their confidence in- Egypt. WOE to the rebellious children, faith the Lord, that take counfel, but not of me ; and that xover with a covering, but not of my fpirit, that they may add {In to fin : that walk to go down into Egypt (and have not afked at my mouth) to itrengthen th-emfelves in the ftrength of Pharaoh, and to truft in the fhadow of Egypt ! Therefore fhall the ftrength. of Pharaoh be your fhame, and the trull: in the fhadow of Egypt your confufion. For his princes were at Zoan, and his ambafiadors C3me to Hanes. They were all afhamed of a people that could not profit them, nor be an help nor profit, but a fhame, and alfo a reproach. The burden of the beafts of the fouth : into the land of trouble and anguifh, from whence come the young and old lion, the viper and fiery flying ferpent, they will carry their riches upon the /boulders of young affes, and their treafures upon the bunches of camels, to a people that fliall not profit them. For the Egyptians fhall help in vain, and to no purpofe : Vol. IV. D therefore 5° SACRED LITERATURE. Book XI. therefore have I cried concerning this, their Mrength is to fit ftill. Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever: that this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the Lord ; which fay to the feers, See not ; and to the prophets, Prophefy not unto us right things, Cpeak unto us fmooth things, prophefy deceits: get you out of the way, turn afde out of the path, caufe the holy One of Ifrael to ceafe from before us. Wherefore thus faith the holy One of Ifrael, Becaufe ye defpife this word, and trult in oppreffion and perverfenefs, and ftay thereon. Therefore this iniquity fhall be to you as a breach ready to fall, fwelling out in a high wall, whofe breaking cometh fuddenly at an inftant. Ahd^ he fhall break it as the breaking of a potter's veffel, that is broken in pieces, he (hall not fpare; lo that therefhall not be found in the burfting of it, a (herd to take fire from the hearth, or to take water withal out of the pit. For thus faith the Lord God, the holy One of Ifrael, In returning and reft (hall ye be faved, in quietnefs and in confidence fhall be your ftrength ; and ye would not. But ye faid, No, for we will flee upon horfes ; therefore fhall ye flee : and we will ride upon the fwift; therefore fhall they that purfue you be fwift. One thoufand fhall flee at the rebuke of one: at the rebuke of five fhall ye flee, till ye be left as a beacon upon Jhe top of a mountain, and as an enfign on an hill. And therefore will the Lord wait that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgment ; blefied are all they that wait for him. For the people fhall dwell in Zion at Jerufalem : thou fhalt weep no more; he will be very gracious unto thee, at the voice of 'thy cry ; when he fhall hear it, he will anfwer thee. And though the Lord give you the bread of adverfity, and the water of affliction, yet fhall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes fhall fee thy teachers: and thine ears fhall hear a word behind thee, faying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left. Ye fhall defile alio the covering of thy graven images of filver, and the ornament of thy molten images of gold : thou fhalt caft them away as a menftruous cloth; thou fhalt fay unto it, Get thee hence. Then fhall he give the rain of thy feed that thou fhalt low the ground withal, and bread of the increafe of the earth, and it fhall be fat and plenteous : in that day fhall thy cattle Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. 6i cattle feed in large paftures. The oxen likewife and the young affes that ear the ground, fhall eat clean provender which hath been winnowed with the (hovel and with the fan. And there fhall be upon every high mountain, and upon every high hill, rivers a^nd ft reams of water, in the day of the great {laughter1, when the towers fall. Moreover, the light of the moon fhall be as the light of the fun, and the light of the fun fhall be feven- fold, as the light of feveri days, in the day jthat the Lord bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the ftroke of their wound. Behold, the name or the Lord cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation > and his tongue as a devouring fire. And his breath as an overflow- ing ftream, fhall reach to the midft of the neck, to fift the nations with the fieve of vanity : and there fhall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, caufing them to err. Ye (hall have a long as in the night, when a holy folemnity is kept, and gladnefs .of heart, as when one goeth with a pipe to come into the mountain of the Lord^to the mighty One of Ifrael. And the Lord fhall caufe his glorious voice to be heard, and fhall fhew the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of his anger, and with the flame of a de- vouring fire, with fcattering, and tempeft, and hail-ftones. For through the voice of the Lord fhall the Affyrian be beaten down, which fmote with a rod. And in every place where the grounded ftaff fhall pafs, which the Lord lhall lay upon him, it fhall be with tabrets and harps : and in battles of (baking will he fight with it. For Tophet is ordained of old : yea, for the king it is prepared, he hath made it deep and large : the pile thereof is fire and much wood, the breath of the Lord, like a ftream of brimftone, doth kindle it» Ifaiah 30th chapter'. ■flHSBSHHSH Rejloralion of Ifrael. A T the fame time, faith the Lord, will I be the God of all the families of Ifrael, and they fhall be my people. Thus faith the Lord, The people which were left of the fword found grace in the wildernefs ; even Ifrael, when I went tocaufehimtoreft. The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, faying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlafting love : therefore with loving kindnefs have I drawn thee. Again : I will build thee, and thou (halt be built, O virgin of Ifrael, thou fhalt again be adorned with thy tabrets, and (halt go D2 foVli St SACRED LITERATURE. Book XI. forth in the dances of them that make merry. Thou fhalt yet plant vines upon the mountains of Samaria, the planters fhall plant, and fhall eat them as common things. For there fhall be a day, that the watchmen upon mount Ephraim mall cry, Arife ye, and let us go up to Zion unto the Lord our God. For thus faith the Lord, Sing with gladnefs for Jacob, and fhout among the chief of the nations: publifh ye, praife ye, and fay, O Lord, fave thy people, the remnant of Ifrael. Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the coafts of the earth, and with them the blind, and the Jame, the woman with child, and her that travaileth with child together, a great company fhall return thither. They fhall come with weeping, and with fupplications will I lead them : I will caufe them to walk by the rivers of waters, in a flraight way wherein they fhall not ftumble : for I am a father to Iirael, and Ephraim is my firfl-born. Hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it in the ifles afar off, and fay, He that fcattered Ifrael will gather him, and keep him, as a fhepherd doth his flock. For the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and ranfomed him from the hand of him that was ftronger than he. Therefore they mall come and fing in the height of Zion, and fhall flow together to the goodnefs of the Lord, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd : and their foul (hall be as a watered garden, and they fhall not forrow any more at all. Then fhall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together : for I will turn their mourning into joy, and I will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their forrow. And I will fatiate the foul of the priefts with fatnefs, and my people fhall be fatisfied with my goodnefs, faith the Lord. A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping : Rachel weeping for her children, refufed to be comforted for her children, becaufe they were not. Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears : for thy work fhall be rewarded faith the Lord, and they fhall come again from the land of the enemy.*' And there is hope in thine'end, faith the Lord, that thy children fhall come again to their own border. I have furely heard Ephraim bemoaning himfelf thus, Thou haft chaftifed me, and I was chaftifed, as a bullock un- accuftomed to the yoke: turn thou me, and I fhall be turned ; for thou art the Lord my God. Surely after that I was turned, I repented ; and alter that I was inftru&ed, I fmote Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. 5S I fmote upon my thigh: I was afhamed, yea, even con- founded, becaufe I did bear the reproach of my youth. Is Ephraim my dearfon? is he a pleafant child? for fince I fpake againft him, I do earneftly remember him ftill: therefore my bowels are troubled for him; I will furely have mercy upon him, faith the Lord. Set thee up way- marks, make thee high heaps : fet thine heart toward the highway, even the way which thou wenteft : turn again, O virgin of Ifrael, turn again to thefe thy cities. How long wilt thou go about, O thou backfliding daughter? for the* Lord hath created a new thing in the earth, A woman fhall compafs a man. Thus faith the Lord of hofts, the God of Ifrael, As yet they mall ufe this fpeech in the land of Judah, and in the cities thereof, when I fhall bring again their captivity, the Lord blefs thee, O habitation of Juftice, and mountain of holinefs. And there fhall dwell in Judah itfelf, and in all the cities thereof together, hufbandmen, and they that go forth with flocks. For I have fatiated the weary foul, and I have replenifhed every forrowful foul. Upon this I awaked, and beheld : and my fleep was fweet unto me. Behold, the days come, faith the Lord, that I will fow the houfe of Ifrael, and the houfe of Judah with the feed of man, and with the feed of beaft. And it fhall come to pafs, that like as I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down, and to deftroy, and to afflict ; fo will I watch over them, to build, and to plant, faith the Lord. In thofe days they fhall fay no more, The fathers have eaten a four grape, and the children's teeth are fet on edge. But every one mall die for his own iniquity, every man that eateth the four grape, his teeth fhall be fet on edge. Behold, the days come, faith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the houfe of Ifrael, and- with the houfe of Judah : not according to the covenant that I "made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand, to bring them out of the land of Egypt (which my covenant they break, although I was an hufband unto them, faith the Lord:) But this fhall be the covenant that I will make with the houfe of Ifrael. After thofe days, faith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts, and will be their God, and they fhall be my people. And they fhall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, faying, Know the Lord : for they fhall all know me, from the leaft of them, unto the greatefl: of them, faith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their 54 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XL fin no more. Thus faith the Lord, which giveth the fun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the flars for a light by night, which divideth the fea when the waves thereof roar ; the Lord of hofls is his name. Ifthofe ordinances depart from before me, faith the Lord, then the feed of Ifrael alfo (hall ceafe from being a nation before me for ever. Thus faith the Lord, If heaven above can be meafured, and the foundations of the earth fearched out be- neath, I will alfo caft off all the feed of Ifrael, for all that they have done, faith the Lord. Behold, the days come, faith the Lord, that the city (hall be built to the Lord from the tower of Hananeel unto the gate of the corner. And the meafuring-line flrall yet go forth over a gain ft it, upon the hill Gareb, and fhall compafs about to Goath. And the whole valley of the dead bodies, and of the afhes, and all the fields unto the brook of Kidron, unto the corner of the horfe-gate towards the eaft, fhall be holy unto the Lord, it fhall not be plucked up, nor thrown down any more for ever. Jeremiah 3 ijl chapter. God convlnceth Job of ignorance and imbecillity. THEN the Lord anfweredjob out of the whirlwind, and faid, Who is this that darkeneth counfel by words without knowledge?" Gird up now thy loins like a man : for I will demand of thee, and anfwer thou me? Where waft thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou haft understanding? Who hath laid the meafures there- of, if thou knoweft ? or who hath ftretche'd the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fafte'ned ? or who laid the comer-ftone thereof, when the morning ftars fang together, and all the fons of God fhouted for joy? Or who fhut up the fea with doors, when it brake forth as if it had if- fued out of the womb? When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darknefs a fwaddling-band for it. And brake up for it my decreed place, and fet bars and doors, and faid, Hitherto (halt thou come, but no furtherr and here fhall thy proud waves be flayed? Haft thou commanded the morning fince thy days ; and caufed the day-fpring to know his place; that it might take hold of the ends of the earth, that the wicked might be fhaken out of it? It is turned as clay to the feal, and they ftand as a garment. And from the wicked their light is with-holden, and the high arm fhall be broken. Haft thou entered into the fprings of the fea? or Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. 55 or haft thou walked in the fearch of the depth? Have the gates of death been opened unto thee ? or haft thou feen the doors of the (hadow of death? Haft thou perceived the breadth of the earth ? declare, if thou knoweft it all? Where is the way where light dwelleth? and as for darknefs, where is the place thereof, that thou fhouldeft take it to the bound thereof, aud that thou fhouldeft know the paths to the houfe thereof? Knoweft thou it, becaufe thou waft then born? or becaufe the number of thy days is great? Haft; thou entered into the treafures of the fnow? or haft thou* feen the treafures of the hail, which I have referved againft the time of trouble, againft the day of battle and war? By what way is the light parted, which fcattereth the eaft wind upon the earth? Who hath divided a water-courfe for the over-flowing of waters? or a way for the lightning of thun- der; to caule it to rain on the earth, where no man is : on the wildernefs wherein there is no man ; to fatisfy the defo- late and wafte ground, and to caufe the bud of the tender herb to fpring forth? Hath the rain a father? or who hath begotten the drops of dew? Out of whofe womb came the ice? and the hoary fro ft of heaven, who hath gendered it ? The waters are hid as with a ftone : and the face of the deep is frozen. Canft thou bind the fweet influences of Pleiades, or loofe the bands of Orion? Canft thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his feafon? or canft thou guide Arclurus with his fons ? Knoweft thou the ordinances of heaven ? canft thou let the dominion thereof in the earth ? Canft thou lift up thy voice to the clouds, that abundance, of waters may cover thee ? Canft thou lend lightnings, that they may go, and fay unto thee, Here we ai;e? Who hath put wifdom in the inward parts? or who hath given underftanding to trie heart? Who can number the clouds in wifdom? or who can ftay the bottles of heaven, when the duft groweth into hardnefs, and the clouds cleave faft together? Wilt thou* hunt the prey for the lion? or fill the appetite of the young lions, when they couch in their dens, and abide in the covert to lie in wait? Who provideth for the raven his food ? when his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat. Knoweft thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth? or canft thou mark when the hinds do calve? Canft thou number the months that they fulfil ? or knoweft: thou the time when they bring forth? They bow them- felves, they bring forth their young ones, they caft out their forrows. Their young ones are in good liking, they grow up with corn ; they go forth, and return not unto them. Who 56 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XI. Who hath fent out the wild afs free ? or who hath loofed the bands of the wild .a is? Whofe houfe I have made the wil- dernefs, and the barren land his dwellings. He fcorneth the multitude of the city, neither regardeth he the crying of the driver. The range of the mountains is his pafture, and he fearcheth after every green thing. Will the unicorn be willing to ferve thee, or abide by the crib? Canft thou bind the unicorn with his band in the farrow ? or will he harrow the valleys after thee? Wilt thou truft him becaufe his ftrength is great ? or wilt thou leave thy labour to him ? Wilt thou believe him, that he will bring home thy feed, and gather it unto thy barn? Gaveft thou the goodly wings unto the peacocks? or wings and feathers unto the oftrich, which leavethher eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in the duft, and forgetteth that the foot may crufh them, or that the wild beaft may break them? She is hardened againfl her young ones, as though they were not her's : her labour is vain without fear : becaufe God hath deprived her of wif- dom, neither hath he imparted to her underftanding. What time (he lifteth up herfelf on high, (lie fcorneth the horfe and his rider. Haft thou given the horfe ftrength ? haft thou clothed his neck with thunder? Canft thou make him afraid as a grafshopper? The glory of his noftrils is terrible. He paweth in the valley, atfd rejoiceth in his ftrength : he goeth on to meet the armed men. He mocketh at fear, and is not affrighted ; neither turneth he back from the fword. The quiver rattleth againft him, the glittering fpear and the fhield. He fwalloweth the ground with fiercenefs and rage : neither believeth he that it is the found of the trumpet. He faith among the trumpets, Ha, ha : and he fmelleth the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the fhout- Ing. Doth the hawk fly by thy wifdom, and ftretch her wings toward the fouth ? Doth the eagle mount up at thy command, and make her neft on high ? She dwelleth and abideth on the rock ; upon the crag of the rock, and the ftrong place. From thence fhe feeketh the prey, and her eyes behold afar off. Her young ones alfo fuck up blood : and where the (lain are, there is lhe. Job 38 and 39M chapters. Tk Eook XI. • SACRED LITERATURE. 57 The Almighty jkevseth his righteoufnefs, power, and zvifdom, and calleth upon Job to anfwer him . THEN anfwered the Lord unto Job out of the whirl- wind, and faid, Gird up thy loins now like a man : I will de- mand of thee, and declare thou unto me. Wilt thou alfo difannul my judgment? wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayed be righteous? Haft thou an arm like God? orcanfl thou thunder with a voice like him? Deck thyfelf now with majeftyand excellency, and array thyfelf with glory and beauty. Call: abroad the rage ol thy wrath ; and behold every one that is proud, and abafe him. Look on every one that is proud, and bring him low; and tread down the wicked in their place. Hide them in the dud together, and bind their faces in fecret. Then will I alfo confefs unto thee, that thine own right hand can fave thee. Behold now, behemoth, which I made with thee : he eateth grafs as an ox. Lo, now, his (Irength is in his loins, and his force is in the navel of his belly. He moveth his tail like a cedar; the' finews of his dones are wrapped together. His bones are as drong pieces of brafs : his bones are like bars of iron. He is the chief of the ways of God : he that made him can make his fword to approach unto him. Surely the moun- tains bring him forth food : where all the beads of the field play. He lieth under the fhady trees in the covert of the reed and fens. The fhady trees cover him with their fhadow : the willows of the brook compafs him about. Behold, he drinketh up a river, and hafteth not : he trudeth that he can draw up Jordan into his mouth. He taketh it with his eyes : his nofe pierceth through fnares. Cand thou draw out levLthan with an hook ? or his tongue with a cord which thou letted down ? Cand thou put an hook into his>nofe? or bore his jaw through with a thorn? Will he make many fupplications unto thee? will he fpeak fort words unto thee? will he make a covenant with thee? wilt thou take him for a fervant for ever? wilt thou play with him as with a bird? or wilt thou bind him for thy maidens? Shall thy companions make a banquet of him? fhall they part him among the merchants? Cand thou fill his fkin with barbed irons? or his head with fifh-fpears ? Lay thine hand upon him, remember the battle, do no more. Behold, the hope of him is in vain : fhall not one be cad down even at the fight of him? None is fo fierce that dare dir him up: who then is able to dand before me? Who hath prevented me, that I fiiould repay him? whatfoever is under 58 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XI. under the whole heaven is mine. I will not conceal his parts, nor his power, nor his comely proportion. Who can difcover the face of his garment ? or who can come to him with his double bridle? Who can open the doors of his face? his teeth are terrible round about. His fcales are his pride, fhut up together as with a clofe feal. One is fo near to another that no air can come between them. They are joined one to another, they flick together, that they can- not be fundered. By his neefings a light doth fhine, and his eyes are like the eye-lids of the morning. Out of his mouth go burning lamps, and fparks of fire leap out. Out of his noftrils goeth fmoke, as out of a feething pot or cal- dron. His breath kindleth coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth. In his neck remaineth ftrengtb, and forrow is turned into joy before him. The flakes of his flefh are joined together : they are firm in themfelves ; they cannot be moved. His heart is as firm as a ft one: yea, as hard as a piece of the nether milftone. When he raifeth up hirft- felf, .the mighty are afraid: by reifon of breakings they purify themfelves. The fword of him that layeth at him cannot hold ; the fpear, the dart, nor the habergeon. He efteemeth iron as ftraw, and brafs as rotten wood. The arrow cannot make him flee i fling-ftones are turned with him into ftubble. Darts are counted as fhibble : he laugh- eth at the fhaking of a fpear. Sharp ftones are under him : he fpreadeth (harp pointed things upon the mire. He makefh the deep to boil like a pot : he maketh the fea like a pot of ointment. He maketh a path to fhine after him; one would think the deep to be hoary. Upon earth there is not his like, who is made without fear. He beholdeth all high things : he is a king over all the children of pride. Job 40. 6. to the end oj the 41/I chapter. God's irrevocable fentence on the Jez&s. S ON of man, thefe men have fet up their idols in their heart, and put the (tumbling block of , their iniquity before their face: fboukl I be enquired of at all by them ? There- fore fpeak unto them, and fay unto them, Thus faith the Lord God, Every man of the houfe of Ifrael that fetteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the {tumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet ; I the Lord will anfwer him that cometh, according to the mul- titude of his idols ; that I may take the houfe of Ifrael in their own heart, becaule they are all efhanged from me through Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. 53 through their idols. Therefore fay unto the houfe of Ifrael, Thus faith the Lord God, Repent, and turn yourfelves from your idols ; and turn away your faces from all your abominations. For every one of the houfe of Ifrael, or of the ftranger that fojourneth in Ifrael, which feparateth himfelf from me, and fetteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the {tumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to a prophet to enquire of him concerning me; I the Lord will anfwer him by myfelf. And I will fet my face againft that man, and I will make him a fign and a proverb, and I wilt cut him off from the midft of my people ; and ye mall know that I am the Lord. And if the prophet be deceived when he hath fpoken a thing, I the Lord have deceived that prophet, and I will ftretch out my hand upon him, and will deftroy him from the midft of my people Ifrael. And they mall bear the punifhment of their ini- quity ; the punifhment of the prophet (hall be even as the punifhment of him that feeketh unto him. That the houfe of Ifrael may go no more aftray from me, neither be pol- luted any more with all their tranfgreffions ; but that they may be my people, and I may be their God, faith the Lord God. Son of man, when the land finneth againft me by trefpaffing grievoufly, then will I ftretch out mine hand upon it, and will break the ftaff of the bread thereof, and will fend famine upon it, and will cut off man and beaft from it: though thefe three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, they fhould deliver but their own fouls by their righteoufnefs, faith the Lord God. If I caufe noifome beafts to pafs through the land, and, they fpoil it, fo that it be defolate, that no men may pafs through becaufe of the beafts : though thefe three men were in it, as I live, faith the Lord God, they fhall deliver neither fons nor daugh- ters ; they only fhall be delivered, but the land fhall be defolate. Or if I bring a fword upon that land, and fay, Sword, go through the land; fo that I cut off man and beaft from it : though thefe three men were in it, as I live, faith the Lord God, they fhall deliver neither fons nor daughters, but they only fhall be delivered themfelves. Or if I fend a peftilence into that land, and pour out my fury upon it in blood, to cut off from it man and beaft : though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live, faith the Lord God, they fhall deliver neither fon nor daughter:- they fhall but deliver their own fouls by their righteoufnefs. For thus faith the Lord God, How much more when I fend my four lore judgments upon Jemfalem, the fword, and the famine, and to SACRED LITERATURE. Book Xf. and the noifome beaft, and the peftilence, to cut off from it man and beaft? Yet behold, therein (hall be left a rem- nant that (hall be brought forth, both fons and daughters : behold, they (hall come forth unto you, and. ye (hall fee their way and' their doings: and ye fhall be comforted con- cerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerufalem, even concerning all that I have brought upon it. And they fhall comfort' you, when ye fee their ways and their doings ; and ye fhall know that 1 have not done without caufe all that I have done in it, faith the Lord God. Ezekiel 14th chapter. God's vindication of his own ways. W H A T mean-ye, that ye ufe this proverb concerning the land of Ifrael, faying, The fathers have eaten four grapes, and the children's teeth are fet on edge? As I live, faith the Lord God, ye fhall not have occafion any more to ufe this proverb in Ifrael. Behold, all fouls are mine ; as the foul of the father, fo alfo the foul of the fon is mine: the foul that finneth, it fhall die. But if a man be juft, and do that which is lawful and right, and hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the houfe of Ifrael, neither hath defiled his neigh- bour's wife, neither hath come near to a menflruous woman, and hath not oppreffed any, but hath reftored to the debtor his pledge, hath fpoiled none by violence, hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment ; he that hath not given forth upon ufury, neither • hath taken any increafe, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath executed true judgment between man and man, hath walked in my ftatutes, and hath kept my judg- ments, to deal truly ; he is juft, he fhall finely live, faith the Lord God. Ir he beget a fon that is a robber, a fhed- der of blood, and that doeth the like to any one of thefe things, and that doeth not any of thofe duties, but even hath eaten upon the mountains, and defiled his neighbour's wife, hath oppreffed the poor and ne^edy, hath fpoiled by violence, hath not reftored the pledge, and hath lifted up his eyes to the idols, hath committed abomination, hath given forth upon ulury, and hath taken increafe : (hall he then live? He fhall not live: he hath done all thefe abominations ; he fhall finely die ; his blood fhall be upon him. Now lo, if he beget a fon that-feeth all his father's fins which he hath done, and confidereth, and doeth not fuch Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. 6t filch like, that hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the houfe of Ifrael, hath not defiled his neighbour's wife, neither, hath op- preffed any, hath not with-holden the pledge, neither hath ipoiled by violence, but hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment, that hath taken off his hand from the poor, that hath not received ufury nor increafe, hath executed my judgments, hath walked in my ftatutes: he (hall not die for the iniquity of his father, he fliall furely live. As for his father, becaufe he cruelly oppreffed, fpoiled his brother by violence, and did that which is not good among his people, lo, even he fhall die in his iniquity. Yet lay ye, Why? cloth not the fon bear the iniquity of the father'? /When the fon hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath' kept all my ftatutes, and hath done them, he fliall furely live. The foul that fmneth it fhall die. The fon fhall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither fhah the father bear the iniquity of the fon: the righteoufnefs of the righteous fliall be upon him, and the wickednefs of the wicked fhall be upon him. But if the wicked wiil turn from all his fins that he hath com- mitted, and keep all my ftatutes, and do that which is law- ful and right, he {hall 'furely live : he fhall not die. All his tranfgreffions that he hath committed, they {hall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteoufnefs that he hath done, he fhall live. Have I any pleafure at all that the wicked mould die? faith the Lord God: and not that he fhould return from his ways, and live? But when the righteous turneth away from his righteoufnefs, and com- mitteth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abomi- nations that the wicked man doeth, fhall he live? all his righteoufnefs that he hath done fliall not be mentioned : in his trefpafs that he hath trefpaffed, and in his fin that he hath finned, in them fhall he die. Yet ye fay, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, Q houfe of Ifrael: is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal? When a righteous man turneth away from his righteoufnefs, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done fhall he die. Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickednefs that he hath com- mitted, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he fhall fave his foul alive. Becaufe he confidereth and turneth away from all his tranfgreffions that he hath committed, he fhall furely live, he fhall not die. Yet faith the houfe of Ifrael, The way of the Lord is not equal, O houfe of Ifrael,- €2 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XI. Ifrael, are not my ways equal? are not your ways unequal? Therefore I will judge you, O houfe of Ifrael, every one according to his ways, faith the Lord God. Repent, and turn yourfelves from all your tranfgreffions ; fo iniquity fhall not be your ruin. Cult away from you all your tranf- greffions whereby ye have tranfgrefied, and make you a new heart and a new fpirit : for why will ye die, O houfe of Ifrael ? For I have no pleafure in the death of him that dieth, faith the Lord God : wherefore turn yourfelves, and live ye. Ezekiel iSth chapter. Story of the rebellions of the Jews. SON of man, fpeak unto the elders of Ifrael, and fay unto them, Thus faith the Lord God ; Are ye come to enquire of me? As I live, faith the Lord God, I will not be enquired of by you. Wilt thou judge them, ion of man, wilt thou judge them ? caufe them to know the abominations of their fathers; and fay unto them, Thus faith the Lord God ; In the day, when I chofe Ifrael, and lifted up mine hand unto the feed of the houfe of Jacob, and made myfelf known unto them in the land of Egypt, when I lifted up mine hand unto them, faying, I am the Lord your God ; in the day that 1 lifted up mine hand unto them, to bring them forth of the land of Egypt, into a land that I had efpied for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands : Then faid I unto them, Caft ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourfelves with the idols of Egypt : I am the Lord your God. But they rebel- led againft me, and would not hearken unto me : they did not every man caft away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forfake the idols of Egypt. Thsn I faid, I would pour out my fury upon them, to accompliih my anger againft them in the midft of the land of Egypt. But 1 wrought for my name's fake, that it fhould net be polluted before the heathen among whom they were, in whole fight I made myfelf known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt. Wherefore I caufed them to go form out of the land of Egypt, and brought them into the wil- dernefs. And I gave them my ftatutes, and (hewed them my judgments, which if a man do, he fhall even live in them. Moreover alfo I gave them my fabbaths, to be a fign between me and them, that they might know that 1 am the Lord that fanctify them. But the houfe of Ifrael rebelled againft Book XL SACRED LITERATURE. €3 againft me in the wildernefs : they walked not in my fta- tutes, and they defpifed my judgments, which if a man do, he (hall even live in them ; and my fabbaths they greatly polluted. Then I raid, I would pour out my fury upon them in the wildernefs, to confume them. But I wrought for my name's fake, that it mould not be polluted before the heathen, in whofe fight I brought them out. Yet alfo I lifted up mine hand unto them in the wildernefs, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands ; becaufe they defpifed my judgments, and walked not in my ftatutes, but polluted my fabbaths : for their heart went after their idols. Neverthelefs, mine eyes fpared them from deftroying them, neither did I make an end of them in the wildernefs : but I faidunto their children in the wilder- nefs, Walk ye not in the ftatutes of your fathers, neither obferve their judgments, nor defile yourfelves with their idols : I am the Lord your God. Walk in my ftatutes, and keep my judgments, and do them : and hallow my fabbaths ; and they (hall be a fign between me and you, that ye may- know that 1 am the Lord your God. Notwithftanding the children rebelled againft me : they walked not in my fta- tutes, neither kept my judgments, to do them, which if a man do,v he (hall even live in them ; they polluted my fab- baths. Then I faid, I would pour out my fury upon them, to accomplifh my anger againft them in the wildernefs. Ne- verthelefs,I withdrew mine hand, and wrought for my name's fake, that it fhould not be polluted in the fight of the heathen, in whofe fight I brought them forth. I lifted up mine hand unto them alfo in the wildernefs, that I would fcatter them among the heathen, and difperfe them through the countries ; becaufe they had not executed my judgments, but had defpifed my ftatutes, and had polluted my fabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers' idols. Wherefore I gave them alfo ftatutes that were not good, and judgments whereby they mould not live; and 1 polluted them in their own gifts, in that they caufed to pafs through the fire all that openeth the womb, that I might make them defolate, to the end that they might know that I am the Lord. Therefore, fon of man, fpeak unto the houfe of lfrael, and fay unto them, Thus faith the Lord God ; Yet in this your fathers have blafphemed me, in that they have committed a trefpafs againft me. For when I had brought them into the land, for the which I lifted up mine hand to give it to them, then they few every high hill, and all the thick trees 64 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XL trees, and they offered there their facrifices, and there they prefented the provocation of their offering ; there alfo they made their fweet favour, aud poured out there their drink offerings. Then iaid I unto them, What is the high place ^hereunto you go ? and the name thereof is called Bamah unto this day. Wherefore fay unto the houfe of Ifrael, Thus faith the Lord God: Are ye polluted after the manner cf your fathers V and commit ye whoredom after their abo- minations ? For when ye offer your gifts, when ye make your Ions to pafs through the fire, ye pollute yourfelves with all your idols, even unto this day : and ihall I be enquired of by you, O houfe of Ifrael? As I live, faith the Lord God, I will not be enquired of by you. And that which cometh into your mind, ihall not be at all, that ye fay, We will be as the heathen, as the families of the countries, to ferve wood and ftone. As I live, faith the Lord God, furely with a mighty hand, and with a ftretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you : and I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are fcattered, with a mighty hand, and with a ftretched out arm, and with fury poured out. And I will bring you into the wildernefs of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face. Like as 1 pleaded with your fathers in the wildernefs of the land of Egypt, fo will I plead with you, faith the Lord God. And I will caufe you to pafs under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant : and I will purge out from among you the rebels, .and them that tranfgreis sgainft me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they fojourn, and they ihall not enter into the land of Ifrael : and ye {hall know that I am the Lord. As for you, O houfe of Ifrael, thus faith the Lord Gods Go ye, ferve ye every one his idols, and hereafter alfo, if ye will not hearken unto me : but pollute ye my holy name no more with your gifts, and with your idols. For in mine holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Ifrael, faith the Lord God; there mall all the houfe of Ifrael, all of them in the land, ferve me : there will I accept them, and there will I require your offer- ings, and the tuft-fruits of your oblations, with all your holy tilings. I will accept you with your fweet favour, when I bring you out from the people, and gather. you out of the countries wherein- ye have been fcattered; and I will be fa notified in you before the heathen. And ye ffiall know that I am the Lord, when I fhall bring you into the land of Ifrael, into the country for the which I lifted up mine Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. €s mine hand to give it toyour fathers. And there fhall ye re- member your ways, and all your doings, wherein ye have been denied : and ye fhall lothe yourfelves in your own fight for all your evils that ye have committed. And ye fhall know that I am the Lord, when I have wrought with you for my name's fake, not according to your wicked ways, nor according to your corrupt doings, O ye houfe of Ifrael> faith the Lord God. Son of man, fet thy face toward the fouth, and drop thy word toward the fouth, and prophefy againft the foreft of the fouth field ; and fay to the foreft of the fouth, Hear the word of the Lord ; Thus faith the Lord God ; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it fhall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree : the flaming flame mall not be quenched, and all faces from the fouth to the north fhall be burned therein. And all flefh fhall fee that I the Lord have kindled it; it fhall 'not be quenched. Then faid I, Ah, Lord God! they fay of me, Doth he not {peak parables ? Ezekiel 20th chapter. Duty of a Clergyman and Magi (Irate. S O N of man, fpeak to the children of thy people, and fay unto them, When I bring the fword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of- their coafls, and fet him for their watchman : if when he feeth the fword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; then whofoever heareththe found of the trumpet, and taketh not warning ; if the fword come, and take him away, his blood fhall be upon his own head. He heard the found of the trumpet, and took not warning ; his blood fhall be upon him. But he that taketh warning {hall deliver his foul. But if the watchman fee the fword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned : if the fword come, and take any perfon from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand. So thou, O fon of man, I have fet thee a watchman unto the houfe of Ifrael: therefore thou fhalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. When I fay unto •the wicked, O wicked man, thou {halt furely die ; if thou doft not fpeak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man fhall die in his iniquity ; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Neverthelefs, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it : if he do not turn from his way, he fhall die in his iniquity ; but thou haft delivered thy foul. Therefore^ O thou ion of man, fpeak unto the houfe of Vol, IV. E Ifrael, 65 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XL Ifrael, Thus ye fpeak, faying, if our tranfgreflions and our fins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how (hall we then live ? Say unto them, As I live, faith the Lord God, I have no pleafure in the death of the wicked ; but that the wicked turn from his way, and live: turn ye, turn ye, from your evil ways ; for why will ye die, O houfe of Ifrael ? Therefore, thou fon of man, fay unto the children of thy people, the righteoufnefs of the righteous Shall not deliver him in the day of his tranfgreffion : as for the wickednefs of the wicked, he (hall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickednefs ; neither fhall the righteous be able to live for his righteoufnefs in the day that he finneth. When I (hall fay to the righteous that he {hall furely live ; if he trufl to his own righteoufnefs, and commit iniquity : ail his righteoufnefs (hail not be remembered : but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he fhall die for it. Again, when I fay unto the wicked, Thou (halt furely die : if he turn from his fin, and do that which is lawful and right ; if the wicked reftore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the ftatutes of life without committing iniquity ; he fhall furely live, he (hall not die. None of his fins that he hath committed fhall be mentioned unto him : he hath done that -which is lawful and right ; he fhall furely live, yet the children of thy people fay, The way of the Lord is not equal : but as for them their way is not equal. When the righteous turneth from his righteoufnefs, and committeth iniquity, he fhall even die thereby. But if the wicked turn from his wickednefs, and do that which is lawful and right, he fhall live thereby. Yet ye fay, the way of the Lord is not equal. O ye houfe of Ifrael, I will judge you every one after his ways. Ezekiel 33. 1—20. Wicked Clergymen and Magijlrates defcribed. S O N of man, prophefy againftthe fhepherds of Ifrael, prophefy, and fay unto them, Thus faith the Lord God unto the fhepherds, Woe be to the fhepherds of Ifrael that do feed themfelves ! fhould not the fhepherds feed the flocks? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed : but ye feed not the flock. The difeafed have ye not ftrenothened, neither have ye healed that which was fick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. €7 neither have ye fought that which was loft ; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. And they were fcat- tered becaufe there is no fhepherd: and they became meat to all the beafts of the field when they were fcattered. My fheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was fcattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did fearch or feek after them. There- fore, ye fhepherds, hear the word of the Lord. As I live, faith the Lord God, furely becaufe my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beaft of the field, be- caufe there was no fhepherd, neither did my fhepherds fearch for my flock, but the fhepherds fed themlelves, and fed not my flock ; therefore, O ye fhepherds, hear the word of the Lord'; thus faith the Lord God, Behold, I am againft the fhepherds : and I will require my flock at their hand, and caufe them to ceafe from feeding the flock : neither fhall the fhepherds feed themfelves any mo a; : for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them. For thus faith the Lord God, Behold, I, even I, will both fearch my fheep, and feek them out. As a fhepherd feek- eth out his flock in the day that he is among his fheep that are fcattered ; fo will I feek out my fheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been fcattered in the cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Ifrael by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them in a good pafture, and upon the high mountains of Ifrael fhall their fold be: there fhall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pafture fhall they feed upon the mountains of Ifrael. I will feed my flock, and I will caufe them to lie down, faith the Lord God. I will feek that which was loft, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will ftrengthen that which was fick : but I will deftroy the fat and the ftrong: I will feed them with judg- ment. And as for you, O my flock, thus faith the Lord God, Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle, between the rams and the he-goats. Seemeth it a fmall thing unto you to have eaten up the good pafture, but ye muft tread down with your feet the refidue of your paftures ? and to have drunk of the deep waters, but ye muft foul the refidue with your feet? And as for my flock, they eat that which ye have trodden with your feet, and they drink that which E 2 ye 68 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XI. ye have fouled with your feet. Therefore thus faith the Lord God unto them; Behold, I, even I, will judge be- tween the fat cattle, and between the lean cattle. Becaufe ye have thruft with fide and with fhoulder, and pufhed all the difeafed with your horns, till ye have fcattered them abroad; therefore will I lave my flock, and they fhall no more be a prey ; and I will judge between cattle and cattle. And I will let up one fhepherd over them, and he (hall feed them, even my fervant David ; he final 1 feed them, and he fhall be their Ihepherd. And I the Lord will be their God, and my fervant David a prince among them; I the Lord have fpoken it. And I will makewith themacovenantof peace, and I will caufe the evil beafts to ceafe out of the land: and they fhall dwell lately in the wildemefs, and fleep in the woods. And I will -make them and the places round about my hill a bleffing ; and I will caufe the fhower to come down in his feafon ; there (hail be mowers of bleffing: and the tree of the field fhall yield her fruit, and the earth fhall yield her increafe, and they lhall be lafe in their land, and ihall know that I am the Lord, when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of thofe that ferved themfelves of them. And they (hall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither fhall the beafts of the land devour them ; but they fhall dwell fafely, and none fhall make them afraid. And I will raife up for them a plant pf renown, and they fhall be no more confumed with hungerin the land, neither bear the fhame of the heathen any more. Thus lhall they know that I the Lord their "God am with them, and that they, even the houfe of Ifrael, are my people, faith the Lord God. And ye my flock, the flock of my pafture, are men, and I am your God, faith the Lord God. Ezekiel 34^ chapter* God pleads xvith Ifrael. H E A R the word of the Lord, ye children of Ifrael : for the Lord hath a controverfy with the inhabitants of the land, becaufe there is no truth nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. By (wearing, and lying, and killing, and dealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood touchtth blood. Therefore ihall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein fhall languifh, with the beafts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. 69 the fifties of the fea alfo (hall be taken away. Yet let no man ftrive, nor reprove another: for thy people are as they that ftrive with the prieft. Therefore (halt thou fall in the day, and the prophet alfo (hall fall with thee in the night, and I will deftroy thy mother. My people are deftroyed for lack of knowledge : becaufe thou haft rejected know- ledge, I will alfo reject thee, that thou (halt be no prieft to me: feeing thou haft forgotten the law of thy God, I will alfo forget thy children. As they were increafed ib they finned againft me : therefore will 1 change their glory into fhame. They eat up the fin of my people, and they fet their heart on their iniquity. And there fhall be like people, like prieft : and' I will punifh. them for their ways, and reward them their doings. For they fhall eat, and not have enough : they fhall commit whoredom, and fhall not increafe : becaufe they have left off to take heed to the Lord. Whoredom, and wine, and new wine take away the heart. My people afk counfel at their flocks, and their ftaff de- clared! unto them: for the fpirit of whoredoms hath caufed them to err, and they have gone a whoring from under their God. They facrifice upon the tops of the mountains, and burn incenfe upon the hills, under oaks and poplars, and elms: becaufe the fhadow thereof is good : therefore your daughters fhall commit whoredom, and your fpoufes fhall commit adultery. I will not punilh your daughters when they commit whoredom, nor your fpoufes when they com- mit adultery: for themfelves are feparated with whores, and they facrifice with harlots : therefore the people that doth not underftand fhall fall. Though thou, Ifrael, play the harlot, yet let not Judah offend ; and come not ye unto Gilgal, neither go ye up to Beth-aven, nOr fwear, The Lord liveth. For Ifrael flideth back as a backfliding heifer: now the Lord will feed them as a lamb in a large place. Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone. Their drink is four: they have committed whoredom continually: her rulers with fhame do love. Give ye. The wind hath bound her up in her wings, and they fhall be afhamed becaufe of their lacrifices. Hear ye this, O priefts : and hearken, ye houfe of Ifrael ; and give ye ear, O houfe of the king ; for judgment is toward you, becaufe ye have been a fnare on Mizpah, and a net fpread upon Tabor. And the revolters are profound to make flaughter, though I have been a rebuker of them all, I know Ephraim, and Ifrael is not hid from me: for E 3 now 7° SACRED LITERATURE. Book XI. now, O Ephraim, thou committeft whoredom, and Ifrael is defiled. They will not frame their doings to turn unto their God: for the fpirit of whoredoms is in the rnidft of them, and they have not known the Lord. And the pride of Ifrael doth teftify to his face : therefore {hall Ifrael and Ephraim fall in their iniquity; Judah alio {hall fall with them. They fhall go with their flocks and with their herds to feek the Lord ; but they fhall not find him : he hath withdrawn him- felf from them ; they have dealt treacheroufly againft the Lord : for they have begotten ftrange children : now {hall a month devour them with their portions. Blow ye the cornet in Gibeah, and the trumpet in Ramah : cry aloud at Beth- aven, after thee, O Benjamin. Ephraim {hall be defoiate in the day of rebuke : among the tribes of Ifrael have I made known that which fhall iurely be. The princes of Judah were like them that remove the bound : therefore I will pour out my wrath upon them like water. Ephraim is oppreifed, and broken in judgment, becaufe he williugly walked alter the commandment. Therefore will I be unto Ephraim as a moth, and to the houfe of Judah as rottennefs. When Ephraim faw his ficknels, and Judah faw his wound, then went Ephraim to the Affyrian, and fent to king Jareb: yet could he not heal you, nor cure you of your wound. For I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the houfe of Judah : I, even I, will tear, and go away; I will take away, and none fhall refcue him. I will go, and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and feek my face ; in their affliction they will feek me early. Hojea 4th and $th chapters. Goas judgments, with an exhortation to repentance. fBLOW ye the trumpet in Zion, and found an alarm in \j holy mountain : let all the inhabitants of the land trem- le ; for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand. A day of darknefs and of gloominefs, a day of clouds and of thick darknefs, as the morning fpread upon the mountains, a great people and a ftrong:. there hath not been ever the like, neither fhall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations. A fire devoureth before them, and be- hind them a flame burneth : the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a defoiate wildernefs : yea, Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. 7i yea, and nothing fhall efcape them. The appearance of them is as the appearance of horfes ; and as horfemen, fo fhall they run. Like the noife of chariots on the tops of mountains (hall they leap, like the noife of a flame of fire that devoureth the flubble, as a ftrong people fet in battle array. Before their face the people fhall be much pained : all faces (hall gather blacknefs. They fhall run like mighty men, they (hall climb the wall like men of war ; and they fhall march every one on his ways, and they fhall not break their ranks. Neither fhall one thruft another, they fhall walk every one in his path : and when they fall upon the fword, they fhall not be wounded. They fhall run to and fro in the city; they fhall run upon the wall, they fhall climb up upon the hoiifes ; they fhall enter in at the win- dows like a thief. The earth fhall quake before them, the heavens fhall tremble: the fun and the moon fhall be dark, and the flars fhall withdraw their fhining: and the Lord fhall utter his voice before his army : for his camp is very great : for he is ftrong that executeth his word : for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible : and who can abide it? Therefore alfo now, faith the Lord, Turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with faffing, and with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God ; for he is gracious and merciful, flow to anger, and of great kindnefs, and repenteth him of the evil. Who knoweth if he will re- turn and repent, and leave a bleffing behind him; even a meat-offering and a drink-offering unto the Lord your God? Blow the trumpet in Zion, fanclify a faff, call a folemn af- fembly : gather the people, fancfify the congregation, af- femble the elders : gather the children, and thofe that fuck the breafts ; let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her clofet. Let the priefls, the minifters of the Lord, weep between the norch and the altar, and let them fay, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen fhould rule over them : wherefore fhould they fay among the people, Where is their God? Then will the Lord be jealous for his land, and pity his people. Yea, the Lord will anfwer, and fay unto his people, Behold, I will fend you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye fhall be fatisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen : but I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and defolate, with his face toward the eafl fea, and his hinder part toward the utmoft fea: and his (link fhall come 72 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XT. come up, and bis ill favour fhall come up, becaufe he hath done great thing?. Fear not, O land : be glad and rejoice; for the Lord will do great things. Be not afraid, ye beafts of the field : for the paftures of the wildernefs do fpring, for the tree beareth her fruit, the fig-tree and the vine do yield their flrength. Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and re- joice in the Lord your God : for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will caufe to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the firft month. And the floors fhall be lull of wheat, and the fats fhall overflow with wine and oil. And I will reftore to you the years that the locufls hath eaten, the canker-worm, and the caterpillar, and the palmer-worm, my great armv, which I fent among you. And ye fhall eat in plenty and oe fatis- fied, and praile the .name of the Lord your God, that hath dealt wonderoufly with you: and my people fhall never be afhamed And ye fhall know that I am in the midft of If- rael, and that I am the Lord your God, and none elfe : and my people fhall never be afhamed. And it fhall come to pafs afterward, that I will pour out my fpirit upon all fiefb, and your fons and your daughters fhall prophefy, your old men fhall dream dreams, your young men fhall fee vifions: and alfo upon the fervantsand upon the handmaids in thofe days will I pour out my fpirit. And 1 will fhew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood and fire and pillars of fmoke. The fun fhall be turned into daiknefs, and the moon into blood, before the great and" the terrible day of the Lord come ; and it fhall come to pafs that whofoever fhall call on the name of the Lord fhall be delivered : for in mount Zion and in Jerufalem fhall be deliverance, as the Lord hath faid, and in the remnant whom the Lord (hall call. . Joel 2d chapter. God's judgments againjl jfudak and Ifrael. HEAR this word that the Lord hath fpoken againft you, 0 children of Ifrael, againft the whole family which I broi/ght up from the land of Egypt, faying, You only have 1 known of all the families of the earth : therefore I will puniih you for all your iniquities. Can two walk together, except they be agreed ? Will a lion roar in the ibreft when he hath no prev ? will a young lion cry out of his den if he hath taken nothing? Can a bird fall in a fnare upon the earth Book XI. S A C R E D L I T E R A T U R E. 73 earth where no gin is for him ? fhall one take up a fnare from the earth, and have taken nothing at all? Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be airaid? (hall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it? Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his fecret unto his fervants the prophets. The lion hath roared, who will not fear? the Lord God hath fpoken, who can but prophefy? Publifh in the palaces at Afhdod, and in the palaces in the land of Egypt, and fay, Affemble yourfelves upon the mountains of Samaria, and behold the great tu- mults in the midfl: thereof, and the oppreffed in the midfl thereof. For they know not to do right, faith the Lord, who ft ore up violence and robbery in their palaces. Therefore thus faith the Lord God, An adverfary there fhall be even round about the land ; and he fhall bring down thy ftrength from thee, and thy palaces (hall be fpoiled. Thus faith the Lord, As the fhepherd taketh out of the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear ; fo fhall the children of Ifrael be taken out that dwell in Samaria, in the' corner of a bed, and in Damafcus in a couch. Hear ye, and teftify in the houfe of Jacob, faith the Lord God, the God of hofts, that in the day that I fhall vifit the tranfgref- fions of Ifrael upon him, 1 will alio vifit the altars of Rtth-el : and the horns of the altars fhall be^ut off, and fall to the ground. And I will fmite the winter houfe with the fum- mer houfe: and the houfes of ivory fhall perifh, and the great houfes fhall have an end, faith the Lord. Hear this word, ye kine of Bafhan, that are in the moun- tain of Samaria, which opprefs the poor, which crufh the needy, which fay to their mafters, Bring, and let us drink. The Lord God hath fworn by his holinefs,- that, lo, the days fhall come upon you, that he will take you away with hooks, and your pofterity with fifh-hooks. And ye fhall go out at the breaches, every cow at that which is before her, and ye fhall caft them into the palace, faith 'the Lord. Come to Beth-el and tranfgrefs ; at Gilgal multiply tranl- greflion ; and bring your facrifices every morning, and your tithes after three years. And offer a facrifice of thankfgiv- . ing with leaven, and proclaim and publifh the free- offerings : for this liketh you, O ye children of Ifrael, faith the Lord God. _ And I alfo have given you cleannefs of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places: yet have ye not returned unto me, faith the Lord. And alfo I have with-holden the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harveft : and I caufed it to rain upon one city, and caufed it not to rain upon another city : one piece was ji SACRED LITERATURE!. Book XI. was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered. So two or three cities wandered unto one city, to drink water ; but they were not fatisfied : yet have ye not returned unto me, faith the Lord. I have fmitten you with blafting and mildew ; when your gardens, and your vine- yards, and your fig-trees, and your olive-trees increafed, the palmer-worm devoured them : yet have ye not returned unto me, faith the Lord. I have fent among you the pefti- lence after the manner of Egypt : your young men have I (lain with the fword, and have taken away your horfes : and J have made the ftink of your camps to come up unto' your noftrils: yet have ye not returned unto me, faith the Lord. I have overthrown fome of you as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ys were as a fire-brand plucked out of the burning: yet have ye not returned unto me, faith the Lord. Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Ifrael : and becaufe I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Ifrael. For lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darknefs, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The Lord the God of hofts is his name. Hear ye this word which I take up againft you, even a lamentation, O houfe of Ifrael. The virgin of Ifrael is fallen, fbe (hall no more rife : fhe is forfaken upon her land, there is none to raile her up. For thus faith the Lord God, The city that went out by a thoufand fhall leave an hundred, and that which went forth by an hundred {frail leave ten to the houfe of Ifrael. For thus faith the Lord unto the houfe of Ifrael, Seek ye me, and ye fhall live: but feek not Beth- el, nor enter unto Gilgal, and pafs not to Beer-fheba : for Gilgal fhall furely go into captivity, and Beth-el fhall come to nought. Seek the Lord, and ye fhall live: left he break out like fire in the houfe of Jofeph, and devour it, and there be none to quench it in Beth-el. Ye who turn judgment to wormwood, and leave offrighteoufnefs in the earth, leek him that maketh the feven ftars, and Orion, and turneth the fhadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night ; that calleth for the waters of-the fea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth : The Lord is his name : ihat ftrengtheneth the fpoiled againft the ftrong, fo that the fpoiled fhall come againft the fortrefs. They hate him that rebuketh in the gate, and they abhor him that fpeaketh up- rightly. Forafmuch therefore as your trading is upon the poor, and ye take from him burdens of wheat ; ye have built houfes of hewn-ftone, but ye fhall not dwell in them; ye have Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. 75 have planted pleafant vineyards, but ye (hall not drink wine of them. Fori know your manifold tranfgreffions, and your mighty fins: they afflift the juft, they take a bribe, and they turn afide the poor in the gate from their right. There- fore the prudent (hall keepfilence in that time: for it is an evil time. Seek good, and not evil; that ye may live: and fo the Lord, the God of hofts mall be with you, as ye have fpoken. Hate the evil, and love the good, and eftablifh judgment in the gate: it may be that the Lord God of hofts will be gracious unto the remnant of Jofeph. Therefore the Lord, the God of hofts, the Lord faith thus, Wailing (hall be in allftreets; and they fhall fay in all the highways, Alas.! alas ! and they (hall call the hufbandman to mourning, and fuch as are fkilful of lamentation to wailing. And in all vineyards fhall be wailing : for I will pafs through thee, faith the Lord. Woe unto you that defire the day of the Lord! to what end is it for you? the day of the Lord is darknefs, and not light. As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him ; or went into the houfe, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a ferpent bit him. Shall not the day of the Lord be darknefs, and not light ? even very dark, and no brightnefs in it ? I hate, I defpife your feaft-days, and I will not fmell in your folemn alfemblies. Though ye offer me burnt-offerings and your meat-offerings, I will not accept them : neither will I regard the peace-offerings of your fat beafts. Take thou away from me the noife of thy fongs : for I will not hear the melody of thy viols. But let judg- ment run down as waters, and righteoufnefs as a mighty ft ream. Have ye offered unto me facrifices and offerings in the wildernefs forty years, O houfe of Ifrael? But ye have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun your images, the ftar of your god, which ye made to yourfelves : there- fore will I caufe you to go into captivity beyond Damafcus, faith the Lord, whofe name is the God of hofts. Amos 3d, 4th, and $th chapters. Micah pleads with Ifrael. H E A R, all ye people ; hearken, O earth, and all that therein is : and let the Lord God be witnefs againft yon, the Lord from his holy temple. For, behold, the Lord cometh forth out of his place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth. And the mountains fhall be molten under him, and the valleys fhall be cleft, a§ wax 76 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XT. wax before the fire, and as the waters that are poured down a fteep place. For the tranfgreflion of Jacob is all this, and for the finsof the houfeof Ifrael. What is the tranfgreflion of Jacob ? is it not Samaria? and what are the high- places of Judah? are they not Jerufalem? Therefore I will make Sa- maria as the heap of the field, and as plantings of a vineyard : and I will pour down the ftones thereof into the valley, and I will difcover the foundations thereof. And all the graven images thereof (hall be beaten to pieces, and all the hires thereof (hall be burned with the fire, and all the idols thereof will I lay defolate : for fhe gathered it of the hire of an harlot, and they fhall return to the hire of an harlot. Therefore I will wail and howl, I will go (tripped and naked : I will make a wailing like the dragons, and mourning ns the owls. For her wound is incurable : for it is come un- to Jndali : he is come unto the gate of my people, even to Jerufalem. Declare ye it not at Gath, weep ye not at all : in the houfe of Aphrah roll thyfelf in the duft. Pafs ye away, thou inhabitant of Saphir, having thy fhame naked: the inhabitant of Zaanan came not forth in the mourning of Beth-ezel ; he fhall receive of you his ftanding. For the in- habitant of Maroth waited carefully for good : but evil came down from the Lord unto the gate of Jerufalem. O thou inhabitant of Lachifh, bind the chariot to the fwift beaft : fhe is the beginning of the fin to the daughter of Zion : for the tranfgrefiions of Ifrael were found in thee. Therefore fhalt thou give pre fen ts to Morefheth-gath : the houfe of Ach- zib (hall be a lie to the kings of Ifrael. Yet will I bring an heir unto thee, O inhabitant of Marefhah : he (hall come unto Adullam the glory of Ifrael. Make thee bald, and poll thee for thy delicate children : enlarge thy baldnefs as the eagle; for they are gone into captivity from thee. Woe to them that devife iniquity and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they pra6tife it, be- caufe it is in the power of their hand. And they covet fields, and take them by violence : and houfes, and take them away : fo they opprefs a man and \\h houfe, even a man and his heritage. Therefore thus faith the Lord ; Behold, againft this'family do I devife an evil, from which ye (hall not remove your necks : neither fhall ye go haugh- tily: for this time is evil. In that day fhall one take up a parable againft you, and lament with a doleful lamentation, and fay, We be utterly fpoiled : he hath changed the portion of my people ; how hath he removed it from me ! turning away he hath divided our fields. Therefore thou (halt have none Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. 77 none that (hall caft a cord by lot in the congregation of the Lord. Prophefy ye not, fay they to them that prophefy: they fhall not prophefy to them, that they (hall not take {hame. 0 thou that art named, the houfe of Jacob, is the fpirit of the Lord ftraitened ? are thefe his doings ? do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly ? Even of late my people is rifen up as an enemy: ye pull off the robe with the garment from them that pafs by lecurely, as men averfe from war. The women of my people have ye call out from their pleafant houfes ; from their children have ye taken away my glory for ever. Arife ye, and depart ; for this is not your reft : becaufe it is polluted, it fhali deftroy you even with a fore deftru61ion. If a man walking in the fpirit and falf- hood do lie, faying, I will prophefy unto thee of wine and of ftrong drink, he (hall even be the prophet of this people. 1 will furely affemble, O Jacob, all of thee: I will furely gather the remnant of Ifrael, I will put them together as the fheep of Bozrah, as the flock in the midfl of their fold: they fhall make great noife by reafon of the multitude of men. The breaker is come up before them : they have broken up, and have paffed through the gate, and are gone out by it : and their king (hall pafs before them, and the Lord on the head of them. Micah ijl and 2d chapters. " "'III IMII Malach'is addrefs to the Jews, BEHOLD, I will fend my meffenger, and he fhall pre- pare the way before me ; and the Lord whom ye leek (hall Suddenly come to his temple, even the meffenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in ; behold, he fhall come, faith the Lord of hofts. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who fhall ftand when he appeareth ? for he is like a refi- ner's fire, and like fullers' lope. And he fhall fit as a refiner and purifier of filver : and he fhall purify the fons of Levi, and purge them as gold and filver, that they may offer unto the Lord, an offering in righteoufnefs. Then fhall the of- fering of Judahand Jerufalem be pleafant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years. AnJ I will come near to you to judgment ; and I will be a fwift witnefs againfr. the forcerers, and againfl the adulterers, and againft falfe fwearers, and againft thofe that opprefs the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherlefs, and that turn afide the ftranger from his right, and fear not me, faith the Lord of hofts. For I am the Lord, I change not ; therefore ye fons of Jacob, are not confumed. Even from the days of your fathers 73 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XI. fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, faith the Lord of hofts. But ye faid, Wherein (hall we return ? Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye fay, Wherein have we robbed thee? in tithes and offer- ings. Ye are curfed with a curfe : for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the ftore-houfe, that there may be meat in mine houfe, and prove me now herewith, faith the Lord of hofts, if 1 will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blefling, that there fhall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your fakes, and he fhali not deftroy the fruits of your ground : neither mail your vine cafl her fruit before the time in the field, faith the Lord of hofts. And all nations {hall call you bleffed : for ye fhall be a delightfome land, faith the Lord of hofts. Your words have been ftout againft me, faith the Lord. Yet ye fay, What have we fpoken fo much againft thee ? Ye have faid, It is vain to ferve God : and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mourn- fully before the Lord of hofts ? And now we call the proud happy: yea, they that work wickednefs are fet up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered. Then they that feared the Lord fpake often one to another : and the Lord hearkened and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name. And they fhall be mine, faith the Lord of hofts, in that day when I make up my jewels ; and I will fpare them as a man fpareth his own fon that ferveth him. Then fhall ye return, and difcern between the righ- teous and the wicked, between him that ferveth God, and him that ferveth him not. For behold, the day cometh that fhall burn as an oven : and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, fhall be ftubble : and the day that cometh (hall burn them up, faith the Lord of hofts, that it fhall leave them neither root nor branch. But unto you that fear my name fhall the Sun of righteoufnc»s arife with healing in his wings ; and ye (hall go forth and grow up as calves of the ftall. And ye (hall tread down the wicked ; for they fhall be afhes under. the foles of your feet, in the day that I fhall do this, faith the Lord of hofts. Remember ye the Law of Moles my fervant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Ifrael, with the ftatutes and judgments. Behold, I will fend you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Book XL SACRED LITERATURE. 79 the Lord : and he fhall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, left I come and fmite the earth with a curfe. Malachi 3d and 4th chapters. Various Jewifh laws, mqflly of a moral nature. N O Wthefe are the judgments which thou (halt fet before them. If thou buy an Hebrew fervant, fix years he (hall ferve : and in the feventh he fhall go out free for nothing. If he came inbyhimfelf, he fhall go out by himfelf : if he were married, then his wife {hall go out with him. If his mafter have given him a wife, and (he have borne him fons or daughters ; the wife and her children fhall be her matter's, and he (hall go out by himfelf. And if the fervant (hall plainly fay, 1 love my mafter, my wife, and my children, I will not go out free : then his mafter fhall bring him unto the judges ; he fhall alfo bring him to the door or unto the door-poft : and his mafter fhall bore his ear through with an aul ; and he fhall ferve him for ever. And if a man fell his daughter to be a maid-fervant, fhe fhall not go out as the men-fervants do. If fhe pleafe not her mafter, who hath betrothed her to himfelf, then fhall he let her be redeemed : to fell her unto a ftrange nation he fliall have no power, fee- ing he hath dealt deceitfully with her. And if he hath be- trothed her unto his fon, he fliall deal with her after the manner of daughters. If he take him another wife ; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage fliall he not diminifh. And if he do not theie three unto her, then fhall fhe go out free without money. He that fmiteth a man, fo that he die, fhall be furely put to death. And if a man lie not in wait, but God deliver him into his hand ; then I will appoint thee a place whither he fliall flee. But if a man come prefumptuoufly upon his neighbour, to flay him with guile ; thou fhalt take him from mine altar, that he may die. And he that fmiteth his father, or his mother, fhall be furely put to death. And he that ftealeth a man and felleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he fhall furely be put to death. And he that curfeth his father or his mo- ther, fhall furely be put to death. And if men ftrive together, and one fmite another with a ftone, or with his fift, and he die not, but keepeth his bed : if he rife again, and walk abroad upon his ftaff, then fhall he that fmote him be quit ; only he fhall pay for the lofs of his time, and fliall caufe him to be thoroughly healed. And if a man fmite his fervant, or So SACRED LITERATURE. Book XL or his maid with a rod, and he die under his hand : he (hall be furely puniihed. Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he (hall not be punifhed : for he is his money. If men ft rive and hurt a woman with child, fo that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mifchief follow ; he fhall be furely punifhed, according as the woman's hufband will lay upon him ; and he lhall pay as the judges determine. And if any mifchief follow, then thou fhalt give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn- ing for burning, wound for wound, ftripe for ftripe. And if a man finite the eye of his fervant, or the eye of his maid, that it perifh, he fhall let him go free for his eye's fake. And if he finite out his man fervant's tooth, or his maid fervant's tooth ; he fhall let him go free for his tooth's fake. If an ox gore a man-, or a woman, that they die ; then the ox fhall be furely ftoned, and his flefh fhall not be eaten ; but the owner of the ox fhall be quit. But if the ox were wont to pufh with his horn in time paft, and it hath been teftified to his owner, and he hath not kept him in, but that he hath killed a man or a woman ; the ox (hall be ftoned, and his owner alfo fhall be put to death. If there be laid on him a fum of money, then he fhall give for the ranfom of his life, whatfoever is laid upon him. Whether he have gored a fon, or have gored a daughter, according to this judg- ment fhall it be done unto him. If the ox fhall pufh a man-fer- vant or maid-fervant, he fhall give unto their mafter thirty Ihekels of filver, and the ox fhall be ftoned. And if a man Ihall open a pit, or if a man fhall dig a pit, and not cover it, and an ox or an afs fall therein ; the. owner of the pit fhall make it good, and give money unto the owner of them? and the dead beaft fhall be his. And if one man's ox hurt an- other's that he die ; then they fhall fell the live ox, and divide the money of it ; and the dead ox alfo they fhall di- vide. Or if it be known that the ox hath ufed to pufh in time paft, and his owner hath not kept him in ; he. fhall furely pay ox for ox : and the dead fhall be his own. If a man fhall fteal an ox, or a fheep, and kill it, or fell it ; he fhall reftore five oxen for an ox, and four fheep for a iheep. If a thief be found breaking up, and be fmitten that he die ; there fhall no blood be fhed for him. If the fun be rifen upon him, there fhall be blood fhed for him ; for he fhould make full reftitution : if he have nothing, then- he lhall be fold for his theft. If the theft be ceitainly found in his hand alive, whether it be ox, or afs, or fheep ; he fhall reftore double. If a man fhall caufe a field or iiookXI. SACRED LITERATURE. 8t or vineyard to be eaten, and (hall put in his baeft, and {hall feed in another man's field ; of the beft of his own field, and of the beft of his own vineyard (hall he make reftitution. If fire break out, and catch in thorns, fo that the flacks of corn, or the ftandivig-corn, or the field be con- fumed therewith ; he that kindlecl the fire fhall furely make reftitution. If a man fhall deliver unto his neighbour money or fluff to keep, and it be flolen out of the man's houfe : if the thief be found, let him pay double. If the thief be not found, then the mafter of the houfe fhall be brought unto the judges, to fee whether he . have put his hand unto his neighbour's goods. For ail man- ner of trefpafs, whether it be for ox, for afs, for fheep, for raiment, or for any manner of loft thing, which another challengeth to be his : the caufe of both parties fhail come before the judges ; and whom the judges fhall condemn, he fhall pay double unto his neighbour. If a man deliver unto his neighbour an afs, or an ox, or a fheep, or any beaft to keep ; and it die, or be hurt, or driven away, no man feeing it : then fhall an oath of the Lord be between them both, that he hath not put his hand unto his neighbour's goods : and the owner of it fhall accept thereof, and he fhall not make it good. And if it be flolen from him, he fhall make reftitution unto the owner thereof. If it be torn in pieces ; then let him bring it for witnefs, and he fhall not make good that which was torn. And if a man borrow ought of his neighbour, and it be hurt, or die, the owner thereof being not with it ; he fhall furely make it good. But if the owner thereof be with it, he fhall not make it good : if it be an hired thing, it came for his hire. And ifa man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her ; he fhall furely en- dow her to be his wife. If her father utterly refufe to give her unto him, he fhall pay money according to the dowry of virgins. Thou fhalt not fuffer a witch to live. Whofoever lieth with a beaft, fhall furely be put to death. He that facrificeth unto any god, fave unto the Lord only, he fhall be utterly deftroyed. Thou fhalt neither vex a flranger, nor opprefs him : for ye were ftrangers in the land of Egypt. Ye fhall not afflict any widow, or fatherlefs child. If thou afflict them in any wife, and they cry at all unto me : I will furely hear their cry ; and my wrath fhall wax hot, and I will kill you with the fword : and your wives fhall be widows, and your children fatherlefs. If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou fhalt not be to him as an ufurer, neither fhalt thou lay upon him ufury. Vol. IV. F If 32 SACRED LITERATURE. Book Xr. If thou at all take thy neighbour's raiment to pledge, thou fhalt deliver it unto him by that the fun goeth down : for that is his covering only, it is his raiment for his fkin : wherein ihall he fleep ? and it (hall come to pifs, when lie crieth unto me, that 1 will hear ; for I am gracious. Thou fhalt not revile the gods, nor curfe the ruler of thy people. Thou (halt not delay to offer the firft of thy ripe-fruits, and of thy liquors : the firft -bom of thy fons (halt thou give unto me. Likewife fhalt thou do with thine oxen, and with thy fheep : (even days it (hall be with its dam ; on the eighth day thou (halt give it me. And ye (hall be holy men unto me : neither (hall ye eat any fle(h that is torn of beads in the field : ye (hall caft it to the dogs. Thou fhalt not raife a falfe report : put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witnefs. Thou (halt not follow a multitude to do evil : neither (halt thou ("peak in a caufe, to decline after many, to wreft judgment : neither fhalt thou countenance a poor man in his caufe. If thou meet thine enemy's ox or his afs going aftray, thou fhalt iurely bring it back to him again. If thou fee the afs of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldeft forbear to help him ; thou fhalt furelyhelp with him. Thou (halt not wreft the judgment of thy poor in his caufe. Keep thee far from a falfe matter: and the innocent and righteous (lay thou not : for I will not juftify the wicked. And thou (halt take no gift : for the gift blindeth the wife, and perverteth the words of the righteous. Alfo thou (halt not opprefs a ftranger : for ye know the heart of a flranger, feeing ye were flrangers in the land of Egypt. And fix years thou (halt fow thy land, and (halt gather in the fruits thereof. But the feventh year thou (halt let it reft, and lie ftill ; that the poor of thy people may eat ; and what they leave the beafts of the field (hall eat. In like manner thou (halt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy olive yard. Six days thou malt do thy work, and on the feventh thou (halt reft : that- thine ox and thine afs may reft, and the fon of thy handmaid, and the ftranger may he refremed. And in all things that I have laid unto you be circumfpeft: and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth. Exodus 21, 22, and 23 chapters, to the 14th vcrfe of the 23d chapter only. • AND Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. 83 AND the Lord fpake unto Mofes, faying, Speak thou alfo unto the children of lfrael, laying, Verily my fabbaths ye fhall keep : for it is a fign between me and you throughout your generations ; that ye may know that 1 am the Lord, that doth fanttify you. Yefhallkeep the fabbath therefore: for it is holy unto you. Every one that defileth it fhaJl furely be put to death : for whomever doeth any work therein, that foul (hall be cut off from among his people. Six days may work be done ; but in the feventh is the fabbath of reft, holy to the Lord : whomever doeth any work in the fabbath day, he fhall furely be put to death. Wherefore the children of Ifraelfhall keep the fabbath, to obferve the fabbath through- out their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a fign. between me and the children of lfrael for ever: for in fix days the Lord made heaven and earth,' and on the feventh. day he refted, and was refrefhed. Six days thou fhalt work, but on the feventh day thou (halt reft : in earing-time, and in harveft thou (halt reft. Six days fhall work be done, but on the feventh day there fhall be to you an holy day, a fabbath of reft to the Lord : whomever doeth work therein fhall be put to death. Ye (hall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the fabbath day. Exodus 31. 12 — 17. 34. 21. — 35. 2andg» W H A T S O E V E R man there be of the houfe of lfrael, or of the ftrangers that fojourn among you, that eateth any manner of blood ; I will even fet my face againft that foul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his peo- ple. For the life of the flefh is in the blood : and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your fouls : for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the foul. Therefore I faid unto the children of lfrael, no foul of you fhall eat blood, neither fhall any ftranger that fpjourneth among you eat blood. And whatfoever man there be of the children of lfrael, or of the ftrangers that fojourn among you, which hunteth and catcheth any beaft or fowl that may be eaten, he fhall even pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with duft : for it is the life of all flefh ; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore I faid unto the children of lfrael, Ye fhall eat the blood of no manner of flefh ; for the life of all flefh is the blood thereof; whomever eateth it fhall be cut off. Leviticus 17. 10 — 14. YE 84 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XL YE (hall do my judgments,, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein : I am the Lord your God. Ye (hall therefore keep my ftatutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he (hall live in them: 1 am the Lord. None of you fhall approach to any that is near of kin to him, to uncover their nakednefs : I am the Lord. The nakednefs of thy father, or the nakednefs of thy mother, (halt thou not uncover : fhe is thy mother, thou (halt not uncover her nakednefs. The nakednefs of thy father's wife (halt thou not uncover : it is thy fathers nakednefs. The nakednefs of thy fitter, the daughter of thy father, &c daughter of thy mother, whether fhe be born at home or born abroad, even their nakednefs thou (halt not uncover. The nakednefs of thy fon's daughter, or of thy daughter's daughter, even their naked- nefs thou (halt not uncover : for their's is thine own naked- nefs. The nakednefs of thy father's wife's daughter, begot- ten of thy father (fhe is thy fifter) thou {halt not uncover her nakednefs. Thou fhalt not uncover the nakednefs of thy father's fifter: (lie is thy father's near kinfwoman. Thou fhalt not uncover the nakednefs of thy mother's lifter; for fhe is thy mother's near kinfwoman. Thou fhalt not uncover the nakednefs of thy father's brother, thou* fhalt not ap- proach to his wife': (lie is thine aunt. Thou fhalt not uncover the nakednefs of thy daughter in law : fhe is thy fon's wife : thou fhalt not uncover her nakednefs. Thou fhalt not uncover the nakednefs of thy brother's wife : it is thy brother's nakednefs. Thou fhalt not uncover the naked- nefs of a woman and her daughter, neither fhalt thou take her fen's daughter, or her daughter's daughter, to un- cover her nakednefs ; for they are her near kinfwomen : it is wickednefs. Neither fhalt thou take a wife to her fifter, to vex her, to uncover her nakednefs, befide the other in her life time. Alio thou fhalt not approach unto a woman to uncover her nakednefs, as long as ihe is put apart for her uncleannefs. Moreover thou fhalt not lie carnally with thy neighbour's wife, to defile thyfelf with her. And thou fhalt not let any of thy feed pafs through the fire to Molech, neither {halt thou profane the name of thy God : I am the Lord. Thou fhalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind : it is abomination. Neither {halt thou lie with any beaft to defile thyfelf therewith : neither fhall any woman fland be- fore a beaft to lie down thereto : it is coniuiion. Leviticus i3. 4 — 23. YE Book XL SACRED LITERATURE. 85 YE (hall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my fabbaths : I am the Lord your God. And when ye reap the harveft of your land, thou (halt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither (halt thou gather the gleanings of thy harveft. And thou (halt not glean thy vineyard, neither (halt thou gather every grape of thy vine- yard ; thou fhalt leave them for the poor and ftranger : I am the Lord your God. Ye (hall not Real, neither deal falfely, neither lie one to another. And ye (hall not fwear by my name falfely, neither fhalt thou profane the name of thy God : I am the Lord. Thou (halt not defraud thy neigh- bour, neither rob him : the wages of him that is hired, fhall not abide with thee all night until the morning. Thou fhalt not curfe the deaf, nor put a {tumbling block before the blind, but fhalt fear thy God : I am the Lord. Ye Shall do no unrighteoufhefs in judgment : thou (halt not refpe£t the perfon of the poor, nor honour the perfon of the mighty : but in righteoufnefs fhalt thou judge thy neigh- bour'.' Thou fhalt not go up and down as a tale bearer among thy people: neither fhalt thou ftand againft the blood of thy neighbour : I am the Lord. Thou {halt not hate thy brother in thine heart : thou fhalt in any wife rebuke thy neighbour and not fuffer fin upon him. Thou fhalt not avenge nor bear any grudge againft the children of thy peo- ple, but thou fhalt love thy neighbour as thy felf : I am the Lord. Do not proftitute thy daughter to caufe her to be a whore: left the landfall to whoredom, and the land become full of wickednefs. Ye (hall keep my fabbaths, and reverence my ianeluary : I am the Lord. Regard not them that have familiar fpirits, neither feek after wizards, to be defiled by them : I am the Lord your God. Thou fhalt rife up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God : I am the Lord. And if a ftranger fojourn with thee in your land, ye fhall not vex him. But the ftranger that d welleth with you fhall be unto you as one born among you, and thou {halt love him as thyfelf ; for ye were ftrangers in the land of Egypt : I am the Lord your God. Ye fhall do no unrighteoufhefs in judgment, in meteyard, in weight, or in meaiure. Juft balances, juft weights, a juft ephah, and a juft hin, fhall ye have: I am the Lord your God, which brouJfct you out of the land of Egypt. There- fore fhall ye obferve all my ftatutes, and all my judgments, and do them : I am the Lord. Leviticus 19. ^dverfeg — 18. 29 — 37. ■4 F3 EVERY 86 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XI. EVERY one that curfeth his father or his mother (hall be fure'ly put to death : he hath curfeth his father or his mo- ther ; his blood fhall be upon him. And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulterefs fhall furely be put to death. And the man that lieth with his father's wife, hath uncovered his fa- ther's nakednefs : both of them (hall furely be put to death ; their'blood fhall be upon them. And if a man lie with his daughter in law, both of them (hall furely be put t©-death : they have wrought confufion : their blood fhall be upon them. If a man alfo lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination : they fhall furely be put to death: their blood (hall be upon them. And if a man take a wife and her mother, it is wickednefs : they fliall be burnt with fire, both he and they ; that there be no wickednefs among you. And if a man lie with a beaft, he fhall furely be put to death : and ye fliall flay the beaft. And if a woman approach unto any beaft, and lie down thereto, thou (halt kill the woman and the beaft : they fliall furely be put to death ; their blood fliall be upon them. And if a man {hall take hisfifter, his father's daughter, or his mother's daughter, and fee her nakednefs, and (he fee his nakednefs ; it is a wicked thing ; and they fhall be cut off in the fight of their people : he hath uncovered his filler's nakednefs, he fhall bear his iniquity. And if a man fhall lie with a woman having her ficknefs, and fhall uncover her nakednefs; he hath difcovered her fountain, and fhe hath uncovered the fountain of her blood : and both of them fhall be cut off from among their people. And thou fhalt not un- cover the nakednefs of thy mother's filler, nor of thy father's lifter : for he uncovereth his near kin : they fhall bear their Iniquity. And if a man fhall lie with his uncle's wife, he hath uncovered his uncle's nakednefs : and they fliall bear their fin, they fhall die childlefs. And if a man fliall take his bro- ther's wife, it is an unclean thing : he hath uncovered his brother's nakednefs, they fliall be childlefs. Lev. 20. 9 — 21. AND if thy brother be waxen poor, and fallen to decay with thee ; then thou fhalt relieve him : yea, though he be a ftranger, or a fojourner ; that he may live with thee. Take thou no ufury of him, or increafe : but fear thy God ; that thy brother may live with thee. Thou fhalt not give him thy money upon ufury, nor lend him thy money upon increafe. A* Hook XL SACRED LITERATURE. 87 At the end of every feven years thou (halt make a releafe. And this is the manner of the releafe : every creditor that lendeth ought unto his neighbour, {hall releafe it, he {bail not exact it of his neighbour, or of his brother, becaufe it is called the Lord's releafe. Of a foreigner thou mayeft exael it again : but that which is thine with thy brother, thine hand (hall releafe: lave when there lhall be no poor among you : for the Lord (hall greatly blefs thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to poffefs it : only if thou carefully hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to obferve to do all thefe command- ments which I command thee this day. For the Lord thy God blefieth thee, as he promifed thee, and thou (halt lend unto many nations, but thou (halt not borrow ; and thou malt reign over many nations, but they fhall not reign over thee. If there be among you a poor man, of one of thy brethren, within any of thy gates, in thy land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou fhalt not harden thy heart, nor (hut thine hand from thy poor brother: but thou malt open thine hand wide unto him, and (halt furely lend him fufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth. Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, faying, The- feven th year, the year of releafe is at hand : and thine eye be evil againft thy poor brother, and thou giveft him nought, and he cry unto the Lord againft thee, and it be lin unto thee. Thou fhalt furely give him, and thine heart fhall not be grieved when thou giveft unto him : becaufe that for this thing the Lord thy God (hall blefs thee in all thy works, and in all that thou putteft thine hand unto ; for the poor fhall never ceafe out of the land : there- fore I command thee, faying, Thou fhalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, iri thy land. Ley. 25. 5—37. Deut. 15. 1— 11. I F a man have a ftubborn and rebellious fon, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chaftened him, will not hearken unto them : then fhall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place ; and they fhall fay unto the elders of his city, This our fon is ftubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice ; he is a glutton, and a drunkard. And 88 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XI. And all the men of his city (hall ftone him with ftones, that he die: fo (halt thou put evil away from among you: and all Ifrael fhall hear and fear. Deuteronomy 21. 18 — 21, THOU (halt not fee thy brother's ox or his fheep go aftray, and hide thyfelf from them: thou (halt in any cafe bring them again unto thy brother. And if thy brother be not nigh unto thee, or if thou know him not, then thou (halt bring it unto thine own houfe, and it (hall be with thee until thy brother feek after it, and thou (halt reftore it to him again. In like manner (halt thou do with his aft, and fo (halt thou do with his raiment ; and with all loft things of thy brother's, which he hath loft, and thou haft found, (halt thou do likewife : thou mayeft not hide thy- felf. Thou (halt not fee thy brother's afs, or his ox, fall down by the way, and hide thyfelf from them : thou (halt finely help him to lift them up again. The woman fhall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither fhall a man put on a woman's garment : for all that do fo are an abomination unto the Lord thy God. If a bird's neft chance to be before thee in the way in any tree, or on the ground, whether they be young ones, or eggs, and the dam fitting upon the young, or upon the eggs, thou (halt not take the dam with the young : but thou fhalt in any wife let the dam go, and take the young to thee ; that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayeft prolong thy days. When thou buildeft a new houfe, then thou (halt make a battle- ment for thy roof, that thou bring not blood upon thine houfe, if any man fall from thence. Thou fhalt not lend upon ufury to thy brother, ufury of money, ufury of victuals, ufury of any thing that is lent upon ufury: unto a ftranger thou mayeft lend upon ufury : but unto thy brother thou fhalt riot lend upon ufury ; that the Lord thy God may blefs thee in all that thou fetteft thine hand to in the land whither thou goeft to poffefs it. When thou fhalt vow a vow unto the Lord thy God, thou fhalt not flack to pay it ; for the Lord thy God will furely require it of thee : and it Would be fin in thee. But if thou fhalt forbear to vow, it fhall be no fin in thee. That which is gone out of thy lips thou fhalt keep and perform, even a free will offering, according as thou haft vowed unto the Lord thy God, which thou haft promifed with thy mouth. When thou comeft into thy neighbour's vineyard, then thou mayeft eat grapes thy fill, at thine own plealure ; but Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. 8g but thou fhalt not put any in thy velfel. When thou comeft into the ftanding corn of thy neighbour, then thou mayeft pluck. the ears with thine hand: but thou (halt not move a fickle unto thy neighbour's ftanding corn. Dcut. 22. i — 8. 23. 19 — 25. WHEN a man hath taken a new wife, he (hall not go out to war, neither fliall he be charged with any bufinefs : but he fliall be free at home one year, and fhall cheer up his wife which he hath taken. No man fhall take the nether or the upper milftone to pledge : for he taketh a man's life to pledge. If a man b'e found dealing any of his brethren of the children of Ifrael, and maketh merchandife of him, or felleth him ; then that thief fliall die, and thou fhalt put evil away from among you. When thou doft lend thy brother any thing, thou fhalt not go into his houfe to fetch his pledge. Thou fhalt ftand abroad, and the man to whom thou doft lend, (hall bring out the pledge abroad unto thee. And if the man be poor, thou {halt not fleep with his pledge : in any cafe thou fhalt deliver him the pledge again, when the fun goeth down, that he may fleep in his own rai- ment and blels thee : and it fhall be righteoufnefs unto thee before the Lord thy God. Thou fhalt not opprefs an hired lervant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy bre- thren, or of thy ftrangers that are in the land within thy gates : at his day thou {halt give him his hire, neither fhall the fun go down upon it, for he is poor, and fetteth his heart upon it ; left he cry againfhthee unto the Lord, and it be fin junto thee. The father fhall not be put to death for the children, neither fliall the children be put to death for the fathers : every man fhall be put to death for his own fin. Thou fhalt not pervert the judgment of the ftranger, nor of the fatherlefs, nor take the widow's raiment to pledge. But thou fhalt remember that thou waft a bond-man in Egypt, and the Lord thy God redeemed thee thence: there- fore I command thee to do this thing. When thou cutteft down thine harveft in thy field, and haft forgot a fheaf in the field, thou fhalt 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 all the work of thine hands. When thou beateft thine olive-tree, thou fhalt not go over the boughs again : it fliall be for the ftranger, for the father- lefs, and for the widow. When thou gathereft the grapes of 99 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XI. of thy vineyard, thou (halt not glean it afterward: it fhall be for the ftrauger, for the fatherlefs, and for. the widow. And thou (halt remember that thuu wall a bond-man in the land of Egypt: therefore 1 command thee to do this thing. Dcut. 24. 5—0. 10 — 22. I F there be a controverfy between men, and they come unto judgment, that the judges may judge them: then they fhall juftify the righteous, and condemn the wicked. And it fhall be, if the wicked man be worthy to be beaten, that the judge (hall caufe him to lie down, and to be beaten be- fore his face, according to his fault, by a certain number. Forty ftripes may he give him, and not exceed, left, if he fhould exceed, and-beat him above thefe with many ftripes, then thy brother fhould feem vile unto thee. Thou ihalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn. Thou ihalt not have in thy bag divers weights, a great and a fmall. But thou (halt have a perfe£t and juft weigh!;, a perfect and juft meafure (halt thou have : that thy days may be length- ened in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. For all that do fiich things, and all that dounrighteoufly, are an abomination unto the Lord thy God. Curfed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the Lord, the work of the hands of the craft man, and putteth it in a fecret place. And all the people fhall anfwer and fay, Amen. Curfed be he that fetteth light by his father or his mother. And all the peo- ple (hall fay, Amen. Curfed be he that removeth his neigh- bour's land-mark. And all the people fhall fay, Amen. Curfed be he that maketh the blind to wander out of the way. And all the people fhall fay, Amen. Curfed be he that perverteth the judgment of the ftranger, fatherlefs, and wi- dow. And all the people (hall fay, Amen. Curfed be he that lieth with his father's wife ; becaufe he uncovereth his father's fkirt. And all the people fh all fay, Amen. Curfed be he that lieth with any manner of beaft. And all the peo- ple fhall fay, Amen. Curfed be he that lieth with his fifter, the daughter of his father, or the daughter of his mother. And all the people fhall fay, Amen. Curfed be he that lieth with his mother-in-law. And all the people fhall fay, Amen. Curfed be he that fmiteth his neighbour fecretly. And all the people fhall fay, Amen, Curfed be he that taketh reward to flay an innocent perfon. And all the peo- ple fhall fay, Amen. Curfed be he that confirmeth not all the Book XT. SACRED LITERATURE. gr the words of this law to do them. And all the people fhall fay, Amen. ' Deuteronomy 2 5. 1 — 4. 13 — 16. 27. 15 — 26". 'J'ohit's inilniclions to his fan. AND when he had called him, he faid, My fon, when 1 am dead, bury me, and delpife not thy mother, but honour her all the days of thy life, and do that which fhall pleafe her, and grieve her not. Remember, my fon, that Die faw luauv dangers for thee, when thou waft in her womb ,* and when- Gie is dead, bury -her by me in one grave. My fon, be mindful of the Lord our God all thy days, and let not thy will be fet to fin, or to tranfgrefs his commandments : do uprightly all thy life long, and follow not the ways of unrighteoufnefs. For if thou deal truly, thy doings fhall prolperoufly fucceed to thee, and to all them that live juftly. Give alms of thy fubftanqe : and when thou giveft alms, let not thine eye be envious, neither turn thy face from any poor, and the face of God fhall not be turned away from thee. If thou haft abundance, give alms accordingly: if thou haft but a little, be not afraid to give according to that little. For thou layeft up a good treaiure for thyfelf againft the day of neceflity. Becaufe that alms do deliver from death, and fuffereth not to come intodarknefs. For alms is a good gilt unto all that give it, in the light of the moft High. Beware of all whoredom, my fon, and chiefly take a wife of the feed of thy fathers, and take not a ftrange woman to wife, which is not of thy fathers' tribe : for we are the children of the prophets, Noe, Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob : remember, my fon, that our fathers from the beginning, even that they all married wives of their own kindred, and were bleffed in their children, and their feed fhall inherit the land. Now therefore, my fon, love thy brethren, and defpife not in thy heart thy brethren, the fons and daughters of thy people, in not taking a wife of them : for in pride is deftruclion and much trouble, and in lewdnefs is decay, and great want : for lewdnefs is the mother of famine. Let not the wages of any man, which hath wrought for thee, tarry with thee, but give him it out of hand : for if thou ferve God, .he will alfo repay thee : be circumfpecl, my fon, in all things thou doeft, and be wife in all thy converfation. Do that to no man which thou hateft : drink not wine to make thee drunken ; neither let drunfcenaefs go with thee in thy journey.' Give of 92 SACRED LITERATURE. Boole XI. of thy bread to the hungry, and of thy garments to them that are naked ; and according to thine abundancegive alms ■ and let not thine eye be envious when thou aiveft alms' Pour out thy bread on the burial of the juft, but ye is above all : he that is of the earth is earthly, and fpeaketh of the earth : he that cometh from heaven is above all. And what he hath feen and heard that he teftifieth : and no 'man receiveth his teftimony. He that hath received his teftimony hath fet to his leal that God is true. For he whom God hath fent fpeaketh the words of God : for God giveth not the Spirit by meafure unto him. The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. He that be- lieveth on the Son hath everlafting life: and he that believeth not the Son (hall not fee life ; but the wrath of God abidetli on him. John 3. 22—- 36. Our Saviour s vindication of his own pretentions* THEN anfwered' Jefus, and faid unto them, Verily verily I fay unto vou, The Son can do nothing of himfeli, but what he Teeth the Father do: for what things foever he doeth, thefe alio doeth the Son likewife. For the Father ioveth the Son, and Iheweth him all things that himfelf doeth: and he will fhew him. greater works than thefe, that ye may marvel. For as the Father raifeth up the dead, and quickeneth them ; even fo the Son quickeneth whom he will. For the Father judgeth no maft ; but hath committed all . judgment unto the Son : that all men fhould honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son, honoureth not the Father which hath fent him. Verily verily I fay unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that fent me, hath everlafting life, and (ball not come into condemnation ; but is palled from death unto life. Verily verily I fay unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead (ball hear the voice of the Son of God : and they that hear fhall live. For as the Father hath life in himfelf, fo hath he given to the Son to have life in himfelf; and hath given him authority to execute judgment alio, be- caufe he is the Son of man. Marvel not at this : for the hour is coming in the which all that are in the grave fhall hear his voice, and (hall come forth, they that have done good unto the refurrection of life ; and they that have done evil, unto the refurreclion of damnation. I can of myownfelf do nothing: as I hear, I judge ; and my judgment is juft ; becaufe I leek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath fent me. II I bear witnefs of myfelf, my witnels is not true. There is another that beareth witnefs of me, and I know that the witnefs which he witneffeth of me is true. Ye fent unto John, and he bare witnefs unto the truth. But J receive not teftimony from man: but theTe things I lay, that I24 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XL that ye might be faved. He was a burning and a fhining light : and ye were willing for a feafon to rejoice in his light. But I have greater witnefs than that of John : for the works which the Father hath given me to finifh, the fame works that I do bear witnefs of me, that the Father hath fent me. And the Father himfelf which hath fent me hath borne witnefs of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor feen his fhape. And ye have not his word abiding in you : for whom he hath fent, him ye believe not. Search the fcriptures : for in them ye think ye have eternal life : and they are they which teftify of me. And ye will not come to me that ye might have life. I receive not honour from men. But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you. I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not : if another fhall come in his own name, him will ye receive. How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and feek not the honour that cometh from God only? Do not think that I will accufe you to the Father ; there is one that ac- eufeth you, even Mofes, in whom ye trull. For had ye believed Mofes, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how (hall ye believe my words? John 5. 19 — 47. Our Saviours lafl injlrutfions to his difciples. LET not your heart be troubled : ye believe in God, be- lieve alfo in me. In my Father's houfe are many manfions : if it werenot fo, I wouldLhitve told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myfelf : that where I am there ye may be alfo. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas faith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goeft ; and how can we know the way? Jel'us faith unto him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me. If ye had known me, ye mould have known my Father alfo : and from henceforth ye know him, and have feen him. Philip faith unto film, Lord, (hew us the Father, and, it fufficeth us. Jefus faith unto him, Have I been fo long time with you, and yet haft thou not known me, Philip ? he that hath feen me, hath feen the Father ; and how iayeft thou then, Shew us the father ? Behevefl thou not that I am in the Father, and the father in me ? the words that I fpeak unto you, I fpea!: not of myfelf: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the Book XL SACRED LITERATURE. 125 the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me : or elfe believe me for the very works' fake. Verily verily I fay unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do (hall he do alfo ; and greater works than thefe (hall he do : becaufe I go unto my Father. And what- soever ye mall afk in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye fhall afk any thing in my name, I will do it. If ye love me, keep my com- mandments. And I will pray the Father, and he fball give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever ; even the Spirit of truth ; whom the world cannot receive, becaufe it feeth him not, neither knoweth him : but ye know him ; for he dwelleth with you, and fhall be in you. I will not leave you comfortlefs : I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world' feeth me no. more : but ye fee me: becaufe I live, ye fhall alfo live. At that day ye fhall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and 1 in you. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me : and he that loveth me fhall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifefl myfelf to him. Judas faith unto him, not Ifcariot, Lord, how is it thou wilt manifefl thyfelf unto us, and not unto the world 1 Jefus anfwered and faid unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words : and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my fayings : and the word which ye hear, is not mine, but the Father's which fent me. Thefe things have I fpoken unto you, being yet prefentwith you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghoft, whom the Father will fend in my name, he fhall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance whatfoever I have faid unto you. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you : not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Ye have heard how 1 faid unto you, I go away and come again unto you. II ye loved me, ye would rejoice, becaufe I faid, I go unto the Father : for my Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it come to pafs, that when it is come to pafs ye might believe. Hereafter I will not talk much with you ,• for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me. But that the world may know that I love the Father ; and as the Father gave me commandment, even fo I do. Arife, let us go hence. I am the true vine, and my Father is the hufbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away ; and 125 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XI. and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgethit, that it may brine forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have fpoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itfelf, except it abide in the vine ? no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the fame bringeth forth much fruit : for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is caft forth as a branch, and is withered : and men gather them, and caft them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye (hall afk what ye will, and it fhall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified that ye bear much fruit ; fo fhall ye be my difciples. As the lather hath loved me, fo have I loved you : continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye fhall abide in my love, even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. Thefe things have I fpoken unto you that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is my commandment, That ye love one another as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not fervants ; for the fervant Jcnoweth not what his lord doeth, but I have called you friends ; for all things that I have heard of my Father, 1 have made known unto you. Ye have not tfhofen me, but I have chofenyou, and ordained you, that yefhould go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit fhould remain : that whatfoever ye fhall afk of the Father in my name, he may give it you. Thefe things I command you, that ye love one another. If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own : but becaufe ye are not of the world, but 1 have chofen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that 1 faid unto you, The fervant is not greater than his lord. If they have perfecuted me, they will alfoperfecute you : if they have kept my faying, they will keep your's alfo. .But all thefe things will they do unto you for my name's fake, becaufe they know not him that fent me. If I had not come and fpoken unto them, they had not had fin : but now they have no cloak for their fin. He that hateth me, hateth my Father alfo. If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had fin : but now have they both feen and hated both me and my Father. But this cometh to pais that the word might be fulfilled that is written iu their law, They hated me without a caufc. But when the Comforter Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. 127 Comforter is come, whom I will fend unto you from the Father : even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, h* fhall teftify of me : and ye alio fhall bear witnefs, becaufe ye have been with me from the beginning. Thefe things have I fpoken unto you that ye fhould not be offended. They fhall put you out of the fynagogues : yea, the time cometli that whofoever killeth you will think that he doeth God fervice. And thefe things will they do unto you, becaufe they have not known the Father, nor me. But thefe things have I told you, that when the time fhall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And thefe things I faidnot unto you at the beginning, becaufe I was with you. But now I go my way to him that fentme ; and none of you afketh me, Whither goeft thou? But becaufe I have faidrthefe things Unto you, forrow hath filled your heart. Neverthelefs, I tell you the truth r it is expedient for you that I go away : for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you ; but if I depart, I will fend him unto you- And when lie is come, he will reprove the world of fin, and of righteoufnefs, and of judgment : of fin, becaufe they be- lieve not onme : of righteoufnefs, becaufe I goto my Father, and ye fee me no more ; of judgment, becaufe the prince of this world is judged. I have yet many things to fay unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit, when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth : for he fhall not fpeak of himfelf : but whatfoever he fhall hear, that fhall he fpeak : and he will fhew you things to come. He fhall glorify me ; for he (hall receive of mine, and fhall fhew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine : therefore faid I, that he fhall take of mine, and fhew it unto you. A little while, and ye fhafl not fee me : and again, a little while, and ye fhall fee me, becaufe I go to the Father. Then faid fome of his difciples among themfelves, What is this that he faith unto us, A little while, and ye fhall not fee me: and again, a little while, and ye fhall fee me: and, becaufe I go to the Father ? They faid therefore, What is this that he faith, A little while V We cannot tell what he faith. Now Jefus knew that they were defirous to afk him, and faid unto them, Do ye enquire among yourfelves of that I faid, A little while, and ye ihallnot fee me: and again, a. little while, and ye {hall fee me? Verily verily I fay unto you, That ye fhall weep and lament, but the world (hall rejoice : and ye fhall be forrowful, but your forrow fhall be turned into joy. A woman when (lie is in travail hath forrow, be- caufe her hour is come ; but us foon as fhe is delivered of the child, 128 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XL child (he remembereth no more the anguifh for joy that a man is born into the world. And ye now therefore have forrow, but I will fee you again, and your heart (hull rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you. And in that day ye fhall afkme nothing. Verily verily I fay unto you, What- soever ye (hall afk the Father inmy name he will give it you. Hitherto have ye afked nothing in my name, afk and ye fhall receive, that your joy may be full. Thefe things have I fpoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh when 1 fhall no more fpeak unto you in proverbs, but I fhall fhew you plainly of the Father. At that day ye fhall afk in my name: and I fay not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you : for the Father himfelf loveth you, becaule ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world : again, I leave the world, and go to the Father. Hisdifciples faid unto him, Lo, now fpeak eft thou plainly, and fpeakeft no proverb. Now we are fure that thou knoweft all things, and needeft not that any man fhould alk thee : by this we believe that thou cameft forth from God. Jefus anfwered them, Do ye now believe ? Behold the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye fhall be fcattered every man to his own, and fhall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, becaufe the Father is with me. Thefe things I have fpoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye fhall have tribulation : but be of good cheer : I have overcome the world. John 14, 15, and 16 chapters. St. Peter sfrfl [ermon. MEN and brethren, this fcripture muft needs have been fulfilled which the Holy Ghoft by the mouth of David fpake before concerning Jefus, which was guide to them that took Jefus. For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this miniftry. Now this man purchafed a field with the reward of iniquity ; and falling headlong, he burft afuhder in the midft, and all his bowels gufhed out. And it was known unto all the dwellers of Jerufalem ; infomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue Aceldama, that is to fay, The field of blood. For it is written in the book of pfalms. Let his habitation be defolate, and let no man dwell therein : and his bifhoprick let another take. Wherefore of thefe men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jefus went in and out among us. Beginning from the baptiim Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. 129 baptifm of John unto that fame day that he was taken up from us, mud one be ordained to be a witnefs with us of his re- furrection. Acis 1. 16—22. 'St. Peter's fecondfermon. YE men of Judea, and all ye that dwell at Jerufalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words : for thefe are not drunken as ye fuppofe, feeing, it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that which was fpoken by the. prophet Joel ; and it (hall come to pais in the laft days, faith God, I will pour out my Spirit upon all flefh : and your fons and your daughters fhall prophefy, and your youn.g men fhall fee vifions, and your old men (nail dream dreams ; and onmy fervants and on my handmaidens, I will pour out in thofe days of my Spirit ; and they fhall prophefy : and I will (hew wonders in heaven above, and figns in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of fmoke: the fun (hall be turned into darknefs, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come : and it fhall come to pafs, that whofoever fhall call on the name of the Lord fhall be laved. Ye men of Ifrael, hear thefe words ; Jefus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by mi- racles and wonders and figns, which God did by him in the midft of you, as ye yourfelves 'alfo know ; him being delivered by the determinate counfel and foreknowledge of God ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and fiain : whom God hath railed up, having loofed the pains of death: becaufe it was not poffible that he (hould be holden of it. For David fpeaketh concerning him, I forefaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand that I (hould not be moved : therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad ; moreover alfo, my flefh (hall reft in hope : becaufe thou wilt not leave my foul in hell, neither wilt thou fuffer thine Holy One to fee corruption. Thou haft made known to me the ways of life : thou (halt make me full of joy with thy countenance. Men and brethren, let me freely (peak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his fepulchre is with us unto this day: therefore being a prophet, and known that God had fworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flefh, he would raife up Chrift to fit on his throne : he feeing this before, fpake of the refurre&ion of Chrift, that his foul was not left in hell, neither his flefh did lee corruption. This Jefus hath God raifed up, whereof we Vol, IV, I all i*rt SACRED LITERATURE. Book XL all nre'witneffes. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted and having received of the Father the promife of the Holy Ghoft, he hath fhed forth this, which ye now fee and hear. For David is not alcended into the heavens : but he faith hrmfelf, The Lord faid unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thy foes thy .footftool. Therefore let all the houfe of Ifrael know aifuredly, that God hath made that fame Jefus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Chrift. A&s 2. 14—36. St, Peters third [ermon. YE men of Ifrael, why marvel ye at this; or why look ye fo earneftly on us, as though by our own power or holi- nefs we had made this man to walk ? The God of Abraham, and of lfaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jefus ; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the prefence of Pilate, when he was determined to Jet him go. But ye denied the Holy One and the Juft, and defired a murderer to be granted unto you ; and killed the ' Prince of life, whom God hath railed from the dead ; whereof we are witneffes. And his name, through faith in his name, hath made this man ftrong, whom ye fee and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfecf found- nefs.in the prefence of you all. And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did alio your rulers. But thofe things which God before had (hewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Chrift fhould fuffer, he hath fo ful- filled. Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your fins may be blotted out, when the times of refrefhing (hall come from the prelence of the Lord ; and he fhall fend Jefus Chrift, which before was preached unto you : whom the heaven rnuft receive until the times of reftitution of all things, which God hath fpoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets fmce the world began. For Mofes truly faid unto the fathers, A prophet fliall the Lord your God raife up unto you of your brethren, like unto me ; him fhall ye hear in all things whatfoever he fhall fay unto you. And it (hall come to pafs, that every foul which will not hear that prophet, fhall be deftroyed from among the people. JCea, and all the prophets from Samuel, and thofe that follow aft 1 1 , as many as have fpoken, have likewife foretold of thefe . Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the cove- which God made with our fathers, faying unto Abra- ham, And in thy ieed fhall all the kindreds ot the earth be bleffed, Book XI.' SACRED LITERATURE. i3I bleflTed. Unto you firft, God having raifed up his Son Jefus, lent him to blefs you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities. " Ails 3. 12—26. St. Stephens fermon. MEN, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of . glory appeared Unto our father Abraham, when he was in Melopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, and faid unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I {hall fhew thee. Then came he out of the land of the Chaldeans, and- dwelt in Charran. And from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell. And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not fo much as to fet his foot on : yet he promifed that he would give it to him for a pof- ieffion, and to his feed after him, when as yet he had no child. And God fpake on this wife, That his Teed fhould iojourn m a ftrange land ; and that they fhould bring them into bondage, and entreat them evil four hundred years. And the nation to whom they (hall be in bondage, will I judge, faid God: and after that {hall they come forth, and ierve me in this place. And he gave him the covenant of circumcifion : and fo Abraham begat Ifaac, and circumcifed him the eighth day ; and Ifaac begat Jacob ; and Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs. And the patriarchs, moved with envy, {old Jofeph into Egypt ; but God was with him, and delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wifdom in the fight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt : and he made him governor over Egypt and all his houfe. Now there came a dearth overall the land of Egypt and Chanaan, and great affliftion ; and our fathers found no fuftenance. But when Jacob heard that there was corn in Egypt, he fent out our fathers firft. And at the fecond time Jofeph was made known to his brethren ; and Jofeph's kindred was made known unto Pharaoh. Then lent Jofeph and called his father Jacob^to him, and all his kindred, threefcore and: . fifteen fouls. So Jacob went down into Egypt, and died, he, and our fathers, and were carried over into Sychem, and laid in the fepulchre that Abraham bought for a fum of money, of the fons of Emmor the father of Sychem. But when the time of the promife drew nigh, which God had fworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in £gypt, till another king arofe, which knew not Jofeph. I he lame dealt fubtilly with our kindred, and evil entreated I 2 our SACRED LITERATURE. Book XI. r fW= fn that they caft out their young children, to T n& might : not7W In which time Mofes was Lorn^n ^exceeding fair, and nourimed up in his fa- thers houfe three months. And when he was call ou*, Pharaoh's daughter took him up, and nourifhed him foi her own fon And Mofes was learned in all the wifdom of the Eayptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds. And when he was full forty years old it came into his heart to viut his brethren the children of Ifrael. And feeing one o them fuffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was opprelfed, and fmote the Egyptian : for he uppofed his brethren would have underftood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they underftood not. And the next day he (hewed himfelf unto them as they ftrove, and would have fet them at one again, .faying, Sirs, ye are brethren; why do' ye wrong one to another? but he that did his neighbour wrong, thruft him away, faying, Who made thee a°ruler and a judge over us ? Wilt thou Jcil me as thou diddefl the Egyptian yefterday ? Then fled Moles at this faying, and was a ftranger m the land of Madian, where he begat two fons. And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wildernefs of mount Smaari aiigel of the Lord in a name of fire in a bum. When Moles fawit,he wondered at the fight: and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the Lord came unto him, faying, 1 am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Ifaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Mofes trembled and durfVnot behold. Then faid the Lord to him, Put off thy (hoes from thy feet : for the place where thou Itandelt is holy ground. I have feen, I have feen the affhaion of my . people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am come down to deliver them. And now come, I will fend thee into Egypt. This Mofes, whom they refilled, faying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? the fame did God fend to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand ot the angel which appeared to him in the bulh. Pie brought them out after that he had (hewed wonders and figns in the land of Egypt, and in the Red-fea, and in the wilderne s forty years. This is that Mofes, which faid unto the chil- dren of Urael, A prophet (hall the Lord your God raife up unto you of your brethren, like unto me ; him (hall ye hear. This is he that was in the church in the wildernefs with the angel that fpake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us ; to whom our fathers would not obey, but thruft him Book XL SACRED LITERATURE. 133 him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt, faying unto Aaron, Make us gods to go before us: for as for this Mofes, which brought us out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. And they made a calf in thofe days, and offered facrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands. Then God turned, and gave them up to worfhip the hoft of heaven ; as it i3 written in the book of the prophets, O ye houfe of Ifrael, have ye offered to me flain beafts and facrifices by the fpace of forty years in the wildernefs? Yea, ye took up the taber- nacle of Moloch, and theftar of your God Remphan, figures which ye made to worfhip them : and I will carry you away beyond Babylon. Our fathers had the tabernacle of witnefs in the wildernefs, as he had appointed, fpeaking unto Mofes, that he fliould make it according to the fafhion that he had ieen. Which alfo our fathers that came after, brought in with Jefus into the poifeflion of the Gentiles, whom God dreve out before the face of our fathers, unto the days of David ; who found favour before God, and defired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob. But Solomon built him an houfe. Howbeit the mod High dwelleth not in temples made with hands.; as faith the prophet, Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footftool : what houfe will ye build me ? faith the Lord : or what is the place of my reft ? Hath not my hand made all thefe things ? Ye ftiff necked and un- circumcifed in heart and ears, ye do always refift the Holy Ghoft : as your fathers did, fo do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers perfecuted V and they have flain them which (hewed before of the coming of the Juft One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers : who have received the law by the difpoiition of angels, and have not kept it. Acts 7. 2 — 53. St. Peter's addrefs to Cornelius and his friends, O F a truth I perceive that God is no refpe&er of perfons : but in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righ- teoufnefs, is accepted with him. The word which God fen t unto the children of Ifrael, preaching peace by Jefus Chrift : he is Lord of all : that word, I fay, ye blow, which was publifhed throughout all Judea, and began from Ga- lilee, after the baptifm which John preached ; how God anointed Jefus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghoft and with power : who went about doing good, and healing all that I 3 were ,34 • SACRED LITERATURE. Book XL were opprelfed of the devil ; for God was with him. And we are witrieffes of all things which he did, both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerufalem ; whom they flew and hanged on a tree; him God railed up the third day, and {hewed him openly; not to all the people, but unto witneffes chofen be- fore of God, even to us who did eat and drink with him after he rofe from the dead. And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to teftify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the judge of quick and dead. To him give all the prophets witnels, that through his name whofoever believelh in him, (hall receive rermffi on of fins. Acls 10. 34—43- St, Peter's defence, I was in the city of joppa praying ; and in a. trance I fkw a vifion. A certain veffel defcended, as it had been a great theet, let down from heaven by four corners : and it came even to me. Upon the which when I had fastened my eyes, I conlidered and faw four-footed bean's of the earth, "and wild beads, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. And I heard a voice faying unto me, Arife, Peter, flay, and eat. But I faid, Not fo^ Lord: for nothing common or unclean hath at, any time entered into my mouth. But the voice'an- fwered me again from heaven, What God hath cleanfed, that call not thou common. And this was done three times : and ail were drawn up again into heaven. And behold, imme- diately there were three men already come unto the houfe where I was, lent from Cefarea unto me. And the Spirit bade me go with them, nothing doubting. Moreover, thefe fix brethren accompanied me, and we entered into the mans houie. And he [hewed us how he had feen an angel in hi's houfe, which flood and laid unto him, Send men to joppa, and call for Simon whole furname is Peter ; who fliall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy houle (hall be faved. Arid as I began to fpeak, the Holy Ghoft fell on them, as on us at the beginning. Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he had faid, John indeed baptized with water ; but ye (hall be baptized with the Holy Ghoft. Foralinuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jefus Chrift, what was I that I could withftand God ? A&s u. 5 — 17. St. Paul's Book XL SACRED LITERATURE. t3s St. Paul's fermon at Anthch. MEN of Ifrael, and ye that fear God, give audience- The God of this people of Ifrael chofe our fathers, and exalted the people, when they dwelt as Grangers in the land of Egypt, and with an high arm brought he them out of it. And about (he time of forty years fuffered he their manners in the wilderriefs. And when he had deftroyed feven nations in the land of Chanaan, he divided their land to them by lot. And after that, he gave unto them judges, about the fpace of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet. And afterward they defired a king : and God gave unto them Saul the fon of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the fpace of forty years. And when he had removed him, he raifed up unto them David to be their king ; to whom alfo he gave teftimony, and faid, I have found David the fon of Jefie, a man after mine own heart, which fhall fulfil all my will. Of this man's feed hath God according to his promife, raifed unto Ifrael a Saviour jefus : when John had firft preached before his coming, the baptifm of jepentance to ail the people of Ifrael. And as John fulfilled .his courfe, he faid, Whom think ye that I am ? I am not he. But behold, there cometh one after me, whofe fhoes of his feet I am not worthy to loofe. Men and brethren, children of the ftock of Abraham, and whofoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this falvation fent. For "they that dwell at Je- rufalem and their rulers, becaufe they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every fabbath- day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him. And though they found no caufe of death in him, yet defired they Pilate that he fhould be flain. And when they had ful- filled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a fepulchre. But God raifed him, from the dead : and he was feen many days of them which came up with -him from Galilee to Jemfalem, who are his wiineffes unto the people. And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promife which was made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the fame unto us their children, in that he hath raifed up Jefus again ; as it is alfo written in the fecond pfalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. And as concerning that he raifed him up from the dead, now no more to return to cor- ruption, he faid on this wife, I will give you the lure mercies of David. Wherefore he faith alfo in another pfalm, Thou fhait not fuffer thine Holy One to fee corruption. For David, after he had ferved his own generation by the will of God, fell on fleep, and iwa's laid unto his fathers, and law cor- ruption 136* SACRED LITERATURE. Book XI. ruption : but he whom God raifed again, faw no corruption. Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgivenefs of fins : and by him all that believe are juftified from all things, from which ye could not be juftified by the law of Mofes. Beware therefore, left that come upon you which is Ipoken of in the prophets, Behold, ye defpifers, and wonder, and perifh: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye fhall in no wife believe, though a man declare it unto you. Ads 13. 16—41. St. Peter's difcourfe to the Apojlles. MEN and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago, God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth fhould hear the word of the gofpel, and believe. And God which knoweth the hearts, bare them witnefs, giving them the Holy Ghoft, even as he did unto us : and put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the difciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe, that through the grace of our Lord Jefus Chrift, we (hall be faved, even as they. Atts 15. 7 — 11. St. James's difcourfe to the Apojlles . MEN and brethren, hearken unto me. Simson hath de- clared how God at the firft did vifit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. And to tins agree the words of the prophets ; as it is written, After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down : and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will let it up : that the relidue of men might feek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles upon whom my name is called, faith the Lord, who doeth all thefe things.. Known unto God. are all his works, from the beginning of the world. Wherefore my ientence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God : but that we write unto them, that they abftain from pollutions of idojs, and from forni- cation, and from things ftrangled, and from blood. For Moles of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the fynagogues every fabbath-day. Ails 15. 13 — 21. St. Paul's Book XI. ■ SACRED LITERATURE. •37 St. Paul's difcourfe at Athens. YE men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too fuperftitious. For as I palled by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this infcription, To the unknown God. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worlhip, him declare I unto you. God that made the world and all things therein, feeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, feeing he giveth to all life arid breath, and all things ; and hath made of one blood all na- 1 tions of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation ; that they fliould leek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him and find him, though he be not far from every one of us : for in him we live, and move, and have our be- ing ; as certain alfb of yourownpoetshave faid, For we are alfo his offspring. Forafmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold or filver or flone, graven by art and man's device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at ; but now com- mandeth all men every where to repent : becaufe he hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteoufnefs by that man whom he hath ordained ; whereof he hath given aliurance unto all men, in that he hath railed him from the dead. Acls 17. 22 — 31. St. Paul's charge to the elders of Epkefus. YE know, from the firft day that \ came into Alia, after what manner I have been with you at all feafons, ferving the Lord with all humility of mind* and with many tears, and temptations which befel me by the] lying in wait of the Jews : and how I kept back nothing that was profitable untoyou,but have (hewed you, and have taught you publicly, and from houfe to houfe, tefiifying both to the Jews and alfo to the Greeks repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jefus Chrifr. And now behold, I go bound in the Spirit unto Jerufalem, not knowing the things that fhall befai me there : fave that the Holy Ghofi witneffeth in every city, faying, That bonds and afflictions abide me. But none of thefe things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myfelf, fo that I might finifh my courfe with joy, and the miniftry which I have received of the Lord Jefus, to teflify the goipel of the grace of God. And now behold, I know- that i33 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XI. that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the king- dom of God, fhall fee my face no more. Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not fhunned to declare unto you all the counfel of God. Take heed therefore unto younelves, and to all the flock over the which the Holy Ghoft hath made you overfeers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchafed with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing (hall grievous wolves enter in among yt)u, not fparing the rlock. Alfo of your ownfelves fhall men arife, fpeaking perverfe things, to draw away difciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember that by the fpace of three years I ceafed not to warn every one night and day with tears. And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are fan£U- fied. I have coveted no man's iilver, or gold, or apparel. Yea, ye yourfelves know that Jhefe hands have miniftered unto my neceffities, and to them that were with me. I have Chewed you all things, how that fo labouring, ye ought to fupport the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jefus, how he laid, It is more bleiTed to. give than to receive. Ads 20. iS-— 35« Paul declafeth his corroerfwn at Jtfufalm. M E N, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence which I make now unto yon. I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarfus, a city in Cicilia, yet brought up in the city at the feet of Gamaliel, arid taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all-are this day. And I persecuted this way unto the death* binding and delivering into prifons both men and women. As alfo the high pried doth bear me wit- nefs, and all the e'hte of the elders: from whom alfo 1 re- ceived letters unto the brethren, and went to Damafcus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerufaiem, for to be punifhed. And it came to pals, that, as I made my journey, and was was come nigh unto Damalcus, about noon, iuddenly there (hone from heaven a great light round about me. And 1 fell unto the ground, and heard a voice laving unto me, Saul, Saul, why periecuteft thou me ? And 1 an- fweted, Who ait thou, Lord? and he laid unto me, I. am Jefus of Nazareth, whom thou periecuteft. And they that were Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. i39 were with me faw indeed the light, and were afraid ; but they heard not the voice of him that fpake to me. And I faid, What (hall I do, Lord ? and the Lord faid unto me, Arife, and go into Damafcus ; and there it (hall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do. And when I could not fee for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came unto Damafcus. And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, hav- ing a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there, came unto me, and flood, and faid unto me, Brother Saul, re- ceive thy fight. And the fame hour I looked up upon hinl. And he faid, The God of our fathers hath chofen thee, that thou fhouldeft know his will, and fee that Jufl One, and fhouldeft hear the voice of his mouth. For thou fhalt be his witnefs unto all men of what thou haft feen and heard. And now why tarrieft thou? arife, and be baptized, and warn away thy fins, calling on the name of the Lord. And it came to pafs,, that when I was coming again to Jerufalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance ; and faw him faying unto me, Make hafte, and get thee quickly out of Jerufalem : for they will not receive thy teflimony concerning me. And I faid, Lord, they know that I im- prifoned, and beat in every fynagogue them that believed on thee : and when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was fhed, I alfo was (landing by, and confenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that flew him. And he faid unto *ne, Depart ; fori will fend thee far hence unto the Gentiles. Atls 22. i. 3 — 21. Oration of fl'ertullus. SEEING that by thee we enjoy great quietnefs, and that very worthy deeds are done unto this nation by thy pro- vidence, we accept it always and in all places, mod noble Felix, with all thankfulnefs. Notwithstanding, that 1 be not further tedious unto thee, I pray thee that thou would- eft hear us of thy clemency a few words. For we have found this man a peflilent fellow, and a mover of fed ition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ring-leader of the feci of the Nazarenes. Who alio hath gone about to pro- fane the temple ; whom we took, and would have judged ac- cording to our law; but the chief captain Lyfias came upon U.s., and with great violence took him away out of our hands, commanding i4o SACRED LITERATURE. Book XL commanding his accufers to come unto thee : by examining of whom thyfeJf mayeft take knowledge of all thefe things whereof we accufe him. Atls 24. 2—8. St. Paul's defence againjl 1'ertullus. FORASMUCH as I know that thou haft been of many years a judge unto this nation, I do the more cheerfully an- iwer for myfelf : becaufe that thou mayeft underftand that there are yet but twelve days fince I went up to Jerufalem for to worfhip. And they neither found me in the temple difputing with any man, neither railing up the people, nei- ther in the fynagogues, nor in the city: neither can they prove the things whereof they now accufe me. But this 1 confefs unto thee, that after the way which they call herefy, fb worfhip I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets ; and have hope towards God, which they themfelves alfo allow, that there fhall be a refurre&ion of the dead, both of the juft and unjuft. And herein do I exercife myfelf, to have always a confcience void of offence toward God and toward men. Now after many years I came to bring alms to my nation, and of- ferings. Whereupon certain Jews from Alia found me pu- rified in the temple, neither with multitude, nor with tu- mult. Who ought to have been here before thee, and ob- ject if they had ought againft me. Or elfe let thefe fame here fay, if they have found any evil doing in me, while I flood before the council, except it be for this one voice, that I cried Handing among them, Touching the refurrection of the dead I am called in queftion by you this day. Acls 24. 10 — 21. St. Paul's defence before king Agrippa. I think myfelf happy, king Agrippa, becaufe I fhall an- fwer for myfelf this day before thee, touching all the things whereof I am accufed of the Jews : efpecially, becaufe I know thee to be expert in all cuftoms and queftions which are among the Jews. Wherefore I befeech thee to hear me patiently. My manner of life from my youth, which was at the firft among mine own nation at Jerufalem, know all the Jews ; which knew me from the beginning, (if they would teftif'y) that after the moft ftraiteft feci of our re- ligion Book XL SACRED LITERATURE. 141 ligion I lived a Pharifee. And now I ftand and am judged for the hope of the promife made of God unto our fathers ; unto which promife our twelve tribes, inftantly ferving God day and night, hope to come. For which hope's fake, king Agrippa, I am accufed of the Jews. , Why fhould it be thought a thing incredible with you that God fhould raife the dead ? I verily thought with myfelf that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jefus of Nazareth. Which thing I alio did in Jerufalem : and many of the faints did I (hut up in prifon, having received authority from the, chief priefts ; and, when they were put to death, I gave my voice againft them. And I punifhed them oft in every fy- nagogue, and compelled them to blafpheme ; and being ex- ceedingly mad againft them, I perfecuted them even unto ftrange cities. Whereupon as 1 went to Damafcus with au- thority and commiffion from the chief priefts, at mid-day, O king, I faw in the way a light from heaven, above the bright- nefs of the fun, mining round about me and them which journeyed with me. And when we were all fallen to the earth; I heard a voice fpea'.ing unto me, and faying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why perfecuteft thou me? It is hard for thee to kick againft the pricks. And I faid, Who art thou, Lord? and he faid, I am Jefus whom thou perfe- cuteft. But rife, and ftand upon thy feet: for I have ap- peared unto thee for this purpofe, to make thee a minifter and a witnefs both of thefe things which thou haft feen, and and of thofe things in the which I will appear unto thee : de- livering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles unto whom now I fend thee. To open their eyes, and to turn them from darknefs to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveneis of fins, and inheritance among them which are fanctified by faith that is in me. Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not difobedient unto the heavenly virion : but (hewed fixft unto them of Damafcus, and at Jerufalem, and throughout all the coafts of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they fhould repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance. For thefe caufes the Jews caught me in the temple, and went about to kill me. Having therefore obtained the help of God, I continue unto this day, witnefling both to fmall and great, faying none other things than thofe which the pro- phets and Moles did fay {hould come : that Chrift fhould fuffer, and that he {hould be the firft that fhould rife from the dead, and (hould mew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles, A&s 26. 2—23. , immhwii,— „ Nature, t42 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XL Nature, excellence, and necejfity of charity. THOUGH I fpeak with the tongues of men and of angels', and have not charity, I am become as founding brafs or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and underfland all myfteries, and all knowledge ; and though I have all faith, fo that I could remove moun- tains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bellow all my goods to feed the poor, and' though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity fuffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not ; charity vaunteth not itfelf, is not puffed up, doth not behave itfelf unfeemly, feeketh not her own, is not eafdy provoked, thinketh no evil ; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth ; beareth all things, be- lieveth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth : but whether there be prophecies, they mall fail ; whether there be tongues, they lhali ceafe ; whether there be knowledge, it fhall vanifh away. For we know in part, and we prophefy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part fnall be done away. When I was a child, I fpake as a child, I un- dedlood as a child, I thought as a child : but when I became a man, I put away childilh things. For now we fee through a giafs, darkly: but then face to face : now I know in part ; but then fhall I know even as alfo I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, thefe three ; but the greatefl of thefe is charity. I Corinthians 13th chapter* Nature and proof of the refurreFiion. M O R E O VE R, brethren, I declare unto you the gof- pel which I preached unto you, which alfo ye have received, and wherein ye ftand ; by which alfo ye are laved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unlefs ye have be- lieved in vain. For I delivered unto you firft of all that which 1 alfo received, how that Chrift died for our fins ac- cording to the fcriptures ; and that he was buried, and that he role again the third day according to the fcriptures : and that he was feen of Cephas, then of the twelve: after that he was (een of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this prefent, but fome are fallen alleep. After that, he was feen of James ; then of all the apoftles. And laft of all he was feen of me alfo, as of one born out of due time. For I am the leaft of the apoftles, Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. 143 apoftles, that am not meet to be called an apoftle, becaufe I perfecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am : and his grace which was bellowed upon me was not in vain ; but I laboured more abundantly than they all : yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. Therefore whether it were I or they, fo we preach, and fo ye believed. Now if Chrift be preached that he rofe from the dead, how fay fome among you that there is ho re fur- reel; ion of the dead? but if there be no refurreclion of the dead, then is Chrift not rifen : and if Chrifl be not rifen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is alfo vain. Yea, and we are found falfe witneffes of God ; becaufe we have teftified of God that he railed up Chrifl : whom he raifed not up, if fo be that the dead life ndt. For if the dead rife not, then is not Chrift raifed: and if Chrift be not raifed, your faith is vain ; ye are yet in your fins. Then they alfq which are fallen aileep in Chrift are perifhed. If in this life only we have hope in Chrift, we are of all men moft miferable. But now is Chrift rifen from the dead, and become the firft fruits of them that flept. For iince by man came death, by man came alfo the refurreclion of the dead. • For as in Adam all die, even fo in Chrift (hall all be made alive. But every man in his own order : Chrift the firft fruits : afterward they that are Chrift's at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he (hall have delivered up the king- dom to God, even the Father; when he Ihall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he muft reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The laft enemy that Ihall be deftroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he faith, all things are put under him, it is manifeft that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. And* when all things (hall be iubdued unto him, then fhall the Son alfohimfelf be fub- ject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all. Elfe what ihall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rife not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead ? and why ftand we in jeopardy every hour? I proteft by your rejoicing, which I have in Chrift Jefus.our Lord, I die daily. If after the man- ner of men I have fought with beads at Ephefus, what ad- vantageth it me, if the dead rife not? let us eat and drink ; for to-morrow we die. Be not deceived : evil commu- nications corrupt good manners. Awake to righteoufnefs, and fin not ; for fome have not the knowledge of God ; I fpeak this to your fharne. But fome man will fay, How are ,.. SACRED LITERATURE. Book XL are the dead raifed up ? and with what body do they come ? Thou fool, that which thou fowefl is not quickened, except it die : and that which thou foweft, thou foweft not that body- that mail be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of fome other grain : but God giveth it a body as it hath pleafed him, and to every feed his own body. All flefh is not the fame flefh: but there is one kind of flefh of men, another flefh of beafts, another of fifties', and another of birds. There are alfo celeftial bodies, and bodies terreftrial : but the elory of the celeftial is one, and the glory of the terreftrial is another. There is one glory of the fun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the ftars : for one ftar differeth from another ftar in glory. So alfo is the refur- reftion of the dead. It is fown in corruption ; it is raifed in incorruption : it is fown in difhonour ; it is raifed in olory : it is fown in weaknefs ; it is raifed in power : it is fown a natural body ; it is raifed a fpiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a fpititual body. And fo it is written, The firft man Adam was made a living foul ; the laft Adam was made a quickening fpirit. Howbeit, that was not firft which is fpiritual, but that which is natural ; and afterward that which is fpiritual. The firft man is of the earth, earthy: the fecond man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, fuch are they alfo that are earthy : and as is the heavenly, fuch are they alfo that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we (hall alfo bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I fay, brethren, that flefh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God ; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I fhew you a myftery; We fhall not all fleep, but we fhal] all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, ' at the laft trump : for the trumpet fhall found, and the dead fhall be raifed incorruptible, and we (hall be changed. For this corruptible muft put on incorruption, and this mortal muft put on immortality. So when this corruptible fhall have put on incorruption, and this mortal (hall have put on immortality, then fhall be brought to pafs the fay- ing that is written, Death is fwallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy fting? O grave, where is thy vi6torv ? the fting of death is fin ; and the ftrength of fin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the viftory through our Lord Jefus Chrift. Therefore my beloved brethren, be ye ftedfaft, immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forafmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. i Corinthians ijth chapter. iwiiiwniniii Exhortation Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. i^ Exhortation to Jledfajlnefs in the go/pel. STAND faft therefore in the liberty wherewith Chrift hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bon- dage. Behold, I Paul lay unto you, That if ye be circumcifed, Chrift fhall profit you nothing. For I teftify again to every man that is circumcifed, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. Chrift is become of no effect unto you, whofoever of you are juftified by the hw : ye are fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteoufnefs by faith. For in Jefus Chrift neither circumcifion availeth any thing, nor uncircumcifion ; but faith which worketh by love. Ye did run well, who did hinder you that ye fhould not obey the truth? This perfuafion cometh not of him that calleth you. A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. I have confidence in you through the Lord that ye will be none otherwife minded ; but he that troubleth you fhall bear his judgment, whofoever he be. And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcifion, why do I yet fuffer perfecution ? then is the offence of the crofs ceafed. I would they were even cut off which trouble you. For brethren, ye have been called unto liberty : only ufe not liberty for an occafion to the flefh, but by love ferve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this ; Thou (halt love thy- neighbour as thyfelf. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not confumed one of another. This I fay then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye fhall not fulfil the lull of the flefh. For the flefh lufteth againft the Spirit, and the Spirit againft the fiefh : and thefe are contrary the one to the other ; lb that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Now the works of the flefh are manifeft, which are thefe, adultery, fornication, uncleannefs, lafcivioufnefs, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, ftrife, feditions, herefies, envyings, murders, drunkennefs, revellings, and fuch like : of the which I tell you before, as I have alfo told you ia time paft, that they which do fuch things fhall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-fuffering, gentlenefs, goodnefs, faith, meek- iiefs, temperance: againft fuch there is no law. And they that are Chrift's have crucified the fiefh with, the affections and lufts ? If we live in the Spirit, let us alfo walk in the Spirit. Let us not be defirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. Galatians $th chapter* — j— — B I III — ■! m • ■ ■'-' mm Vol, IV. K Qautlm i45 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XI. Caution againjl falfe teachers. FINALLY, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the fame things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is fafe. Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concifion. For we are the circumcifion, which worfhip God in the fpirit, and rejoice in Chrift Jefus, and have no confidence in the flefh : though I might alfo have confidence in the flefh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might truft in the flefh, I more : circum- cifed the eighth day, of the (lock of Ifrael, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews ; as touching the law a Pharifee ; concerning zeal, perfecuting the church ; touching the righteoufnefs which is in the law, blamelefs. But what things were gain to me, thofe I counted lofs for Chrift. Yea doubtlefs, and I count all things but lofs for the excellency of the knowledge of -Chrift Jefus my Lord : for whom I have fuffered the lofs of all things, and do count them but dung that I may win Chriit, and be found in him, not having mine own righteoufnefs, which is of the law, but that which is. through the faith of Chrift, the righteoufnefs which is of God by faith : that I may know him, and the power of his refurrection, and the fellowlhip of hisfufferings, being made conformable to his death ; if by any means I might attain unto the refurrection of the dead : not as though I had al- ready attained, either were already perfect; but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which alfo I am apprehended of Chrift Jefus. Brethren, I count not myfelf to have ap- prehended : but this one thing I do, forgetting thofe things which are behind, and reaching forth unto thofe things which are before, I prefs toward the mark, for the prize of the high-calling of God in Chrift Jefus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded ; and if in any thing ye be otherwife minded, God fhall reveal even this unto you. Neverthelefs, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the fame rule, let us mind the fame thing. Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark, them which walk fo, as ye have us for an enfample. (For many walk of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the crofs of Chrift :> whofe end is de- ftruction, whofe God is their belly, and whofe glory is in their flume : who mind earthly things.) For' our converfation is in heaven, from whence alfo we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jefus Chrift : who {hall change our vile body, that it may Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. 147 may be fifhioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to lubdue all things unto himfelf. Pliilippians 3d chapter. St, Paul's advice to clergymen. GODLINESS with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment, let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich, fall into temptation, and a fnare, and into many foolifh and hurtful lufts, which drown men in deitru6iion and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil : which while fome coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themfelves through with many forrows. But thou, O man of God, flee thefe things : and follow after righteoufnefs, godlinefs, faith, love, patience, meeknefs. Fight the good light of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art alfo called, and haft profeffed a. good profeffion before many witneffes. I give thee charge in the fight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Chrift Jefus, who before Pontius Pilate witnefTed a good confeflion ; that thou keep this commandment without fpot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lod Jefus Chrift: which in his time he fhallfhew, who istheblelfed and only potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords ; who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto, whom no man hath feen, nor can fee : to whom be honour and power everlafl- ing, Amen. Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, nortruft in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy : that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to diftribute, willing to communicate ; laying up in ftore for themfelves a good foundation againft the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. 1 Timothy 6. 6—19. Ka PART i48 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XL PART II. Orations and other Difcourfes from the ancient Heathen. Hefiod's inftruclions to his brother Perfes. * SING, Mufes, fing, from the Pierian grove, Begin the long, and let the theme be Jove ; From him ye fprung, and him ye firft fhould praife. From your immortal Sire deduce your lays ; To him alone, to his great will, we owe, That we exift, and what we are, below. Whether we blaze among the fons of fame, Or live obfeurely, and without a name ; Or noble, or ignoble, ftill we prove Our lot determin'd by the will of Jove. With eafe he lifts the peafant to a crown, With the fame eafe he cafts the monarch down ; With eafe he clouds the brightefl name in night, And calls the meaneft to the faireft light ; At will he varies life thro' ev'ry ftate ; Unnerves the ftrong, and makes the crooked ftrait, Such Jove, who thunders terrible from high, Who dwells in manfions far above the Iky. Look down, thou Pow'r fupreme, vouchfafe thine aid, And let my judgment be by juftice fway'd ; Oh ! hear my vows, and thine afliftance bring, While truths undoubted I to Perfes fing. As here on earth we tread the maze of life, The mind's divided in a double ftrife;. One, by the wife, is thought deferving fame ; And this attended by the greateft fhame, The difmal fource whence ipring pernicious jars, The baneful fountain of deftru6tive wars, Which, by the law3 of arbitrary fate, We follow, tho' by nature taught to hate ; From Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. 149 From night's black realms this took its odious birth ; The one Jove planted in the womb of earth, The better ft rife ; by tins the foul is fir'd To arduous toils, nor with thofe toils is tir'd ; One fees his neighbour with laborious hand, Planting his orchard, or manuring land ; He fees another, with induftrious care, Materials for the building art prepare ; Idle hirnfelf he fees them hafte to rife, Obferves their growing wealth with envious eyes, With emulation fir'd, beholds their ftore, And toils with joy who never toil'd before. The artift envies what the artift gains, The bard, the rival bard's fuccefsful ftrains. Perfes attend, my juft decrees obferve, Nor from thy honeft labour idly fwerve ; The love of ftrife, that joys in evils, fhun, Nor to the Forum, from thy duty, run. How vain the wranglings of the bar to mind, While Ceres, yellow Goddefs, is unkind ! But when propitious (he has heap'd your ftore, For others you may plead, and not Before ; But let with juftice your contentions prove, And be your counfels fuch as come from Jove. Not as of late, when we divided lands, You grafp'd at all with avaricious hands ; When the corrupted bench, for bribes well known, Unjuftly granted more than was your own. Fools blind to truth ! nor knows their erring foul How much the half is better than the whole, How great the pleafure wholefome herbs afford, How blefs'd the frugal, and an honeft, board ! Would the immortal Gods on men beftow A mind, how few the wants of life to know, They all the year, from labour free, might live On what the bounty of a day would give ; They foon the rudder o'er the fmoke would lay, And let the mule, and ox, at leifure ftray : This fenfe to man the King of Gods denies, In wrath to him who daring robb'd the fkies ; Dread ills the God prepar'd, unknown before, And the ftol'n fire back to his heav'n he bore : But from Prometheus 'twas conceal'd in vain, Which for the ufe of man he ftole again, K 3 Anc}; JAO SACRED LITERATURE. Book XI. And, artful in his fraud, brought from above, At which enrag'd fpoke cloud-compelling Jove. Son of Japetus, over fubtle, go, And glory in thy artful theft below ; BoafUhe celeftial fire by Health retriev'd, And triumph in almighty Jove deceiv'd ; But thou too late (halt find the triumph vain, And read thy folly in fucceeding pain ; Pofterity the fad effects fhall know, When in purfuit of joy, they grafp their woe. He fpoke, and told to Mulciber his will, And, fmiling, bade him his commands fulfil ; To ufe his greateft art, his niceft care, To frame a creature exquifitely fair ; To temper well the clay with water, then To add the vigour, and the voice, of men ; To let her firft. in virgin luftre fhine, In form a Goddefs, with a bloom divine. And next the Sire demands Minerva's aid, In all her various fkill to train the maid, Bids her the fecrets of the loom impart, To caft a curious thread with happy art. And golden Venus was to teach the fair, The wiles of love, and to improve her air ; And then in awful majefty to fhed A thoufand graceful charms around her head. Next Hermes, artful God, muft form her mind, One day to torture, and the next be kind, With foothing language, and the treach'rous fmile, The heart to purchale, and that heart beguile. Jove gave the mandate ; and the Gods obey'd, Firft Vulcan form'd of earth the blufhing maid ; Minerva next perform 'd the tafk affigned ; With every female art adovn'd her mind. To drefs her Suada, and the Graces, join ; Around her perfon, lo ! the diamonds fhine. To deck her brows the fair-trefs'd feafons bring A garland, breatheing all the fweets of fpring, Each prefent Pallas gives it proper place, And adds to ev'ry ornament a grace. Next Hermes taught the fair the heart to move, With ail the falfe alluring arts of love. The finilh'd maid the Gods Pandora call, Becaufe a tribute (he receiv'd frpm all. And Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. 151 And thus, 'twas Jove's command, the fex began, A lovely mifchief to the foul of man. When the great Sire of Gods beheld the fair ; "j The fatal guile, th' inevitable fnare ; r Hermes he bids to Epimetheus bear. Prometheus, mindful of his theft above, Had warn'd his brother to beware of Jove, To take no prefent that the God fhould fend, Left the fair bribe fhould ill to man portend ; But he, forgetful, takes his evil fate, Accepts the mifchief, and repents too late. Mortals at firft a blifsful earth enjoy'd, With ills untainted, nor with cares annoy'd, To them the world was no laborious ftage, Nor fear'd they then- the miferies of age ; But foon the fad reverfion they behold, Alas ! they grow in their afflictions old, For in her hand the nymph a cafket bears, Full of difeafes, and corroding cares, Which open'd, they to taint the world begin, And Hope alone remains entire within. Such was the fatal prefent from above, And fuch the will of cloud-compelling Jove. And now unnumber'd woes o'er mortals reign, Alike infecled is the land, and main. O'er human race diftempers filent ftray, And multiply their ftrength by night and day ; 'Twas Jove's decree they lhould in filence rove, And who is able to contend with Jove ! And now attend, while I at large relate, And trace the various turns of human ftate. Soon as the deathlefs Gods were born, and man, A mortal race, with voice endu'd, began, The heav'nly pow'rs from high their work behold, And the firft age they ftile an age of gold. Men fpent a life like Gods in Saturn's reign, Nor felt their mind a care, nor body pain ; The fields, as yet untill'd their fruits afford, And fill a fumptuous, and unenvi'd board. From labour free they all delights enjoy. Nor could the ills of time their peace deflroy ; They die, or rather feem to die, they feem From hence tranfported. in a pleafmg dream. Thus, crown'd with happinefs their ev'ry day, Serene, and joyful, pafs'd their lives away. When SACRED LITERATURE. Book XI. 15* When in the grave this race of men was laid, Soon was a world of holy Damons made. Aerial fpirits, by great Jove defign'd, To be on earth the guardians of mankind ; Invifible to mortal eyes they go, And mark our a&ions, good, or bad, below ; Th' immortal fpies with watchful care prefide, And thrice ten thoufand round their charges glide. They can reward with glory, or with gold ; A pow'r they by divine permiffion hold. Worfe than the firft, a lecond age appears, Which the celeftials call the filver years. The golden age's virtues are no more ; Nature grows weaker than (he was before ; In ftrength of body mortals muft decay, And human wifdom feems to fade away. An hundred years the careful dames employ, Before they form'd to man th' unpolifh'd boy ; Who when he reach'd his bloom, his age's prime, Found, meafur'd by his joys, but fhort his time. Men, prone to ill, deny'd the Gods their due, And by their follies, made their days but few. The altars of the blefs'd neglected ftand, Without the off 'rings which the laws demand ; But angry Jove in duftthis people laid, Becaufe no honours to the Gods they paid. This fecond race, when clos'd their life's fliort fpan, Was happy deem'd beyond the (late of man ; Their names were grateful to their children made, Each paid a reverence to his father's ihade. And now a third, a brazen-people rife, Unlike the former, men of monftrous fize. Strong arms extenfive from their fhoulders grow, Their limbs of equal magnitude below ; Potent in arms, and dreadful at the fpear, They live injurious, and devoid of fear. On the 'crude flefh of beafls, they feed, alone, Savage their nature, and their hearts of ftone ; Their houfes brafs, of brafs the warlike blade, Iron was yet unknown, in brafs they trade. Furious, robuft, impatient for the fight, War is their only care, and fole delight. To the dark (hades of death this race defcend, By civil difcords ; an ignoble end ! Strong Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. 153 Strong tho' they were, death quell'd their boafted might, And forc'd their ftubborn fouls to leave the light. To thefe a fourth, a better race, fucceeds, Of godlike heroes, fam'd for martial deeds, Them Demigods, at firfl, their matchlefs worth, Proclaims aloud, all through the boundlefs earth. Thefe, horrid wars, their love of arms deftroy ; Some at the gates of Thebes, and fome at Troy, Thefe for the brothers fell, detefted ftrife! For beauty thofe, the lovely Grecian wife. To thefe does Jove a fecond life ordain, Some happy foil far in the diftant main, Where live the herb (hades in rich repair, Remote from mortals of a vulgar caft. There in the illands -of the blels'd they find, Where Saturn reigns, an endlefs calm of mind; And there the choiceft fruits adorn the fields, And thrice the fertile year a harveft yields. Oh ! would I had my hours of life began Before this fifth, this fmful, race of man ; Or had I not been call'd to breathe the Jay, Till the rough iron age had pafs'd away ! For now, the times are fuch, the Gods ordain, That ev'ry moment fhall be wing'd with pain : Condemn'd to forrows, and to toil, we live; Reft to our labour death alone can give ; And yet amid the cares our lives annoy, The gods will grant fome intervals of joy : But how degenerate is the human ftate ! Virtue no more diftinguifhes the great ; No fafe reception fhall the ftranger find ; Nor fhall the ties of blood, or friendfhip, bind ; Nor fhall the parent, when his fons are nigh, Look with the fondnefs of a parent's eye ; Nor to the fire the fon obedience pay ; Nor look with rev'rence on the locks of grey, But, oh ! regardlefs of the pow'rs divine, With bitter taunts fhall load his life's decline. Revenge and rapine fhall refpecl command, The pious, juft, and good, negle6led ftand. The wicked fhall the better man diftrefs, The righteous fuffer, and without redrefs ; Stricl honefty, and naked truth, fhall fail, The perjur'd villain, in his arts, prevail. Hoarfc ,54 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XI. Hoarfe envy fhall, unfeen, exert her voice, Attend the wretched, and in ill rejoice. Juftice and modefty at length do fly, Rob'd their fair limbs in white, and gain the iky ; From the wide earth they reach the blefs'd abodes, And join the grand affembly of the Gods ; While wretched men, abandon'd to their grief, Sink in their forrows, hopelefs of relief. While now my fable from the birds I bring, To the great rulers of the earth I fmg. High in the clouds a mighty bird of prey Bore a melodious nightingale away ; And to the captive, fhiv'ring in delpair, Thus, cruel, fpoke the tyrant of the air. Why mourns the wretch in my fuperior pow'r? Thy voice avails not in the ravifh'd hour ; Vain are thy cries, at my defpotic will, Or I can fet thee free, or I can kill. Unwifely who provokes his abler foe, Conqueft ftill flies him, and he ftrives for woe. Thus fpoke th' enflaver with infulting pride, Oh ! Perfes, juftice ever be thy guide, May malice never gain upon thy will, Malice that makes the wretch more wretched ftill. The good man, injur'd to revenge is flow, To him the vengeance is the greater woe. Ever will all injurious courfes fail. And juftice ever over wrongs prevail ; Right will take place at laft, by fit degrees ; This truth the fool by fad experience fees. When fuits commence, difhoneft ftrife the caufe, Faith violated, and the breach of laws, Enfue, the cries of juftice haunt the judge, Of bribes the glutton, and of fin the drudge. Thro' cities then the holy Dcemon runs Unfeen, and mourns the manners of their fons, Difperfing evils to reward the crimes . Of thofe who banith juftice from the times. Is there a man whom incorrupt we call, Who fits alike unprejudic'd to all, ]}y him the city fiourifhes in peace, Her borders lengthen, and her fons increafe ; From him far-feeing Jove will drive afar All civil difcord, and the ras;e of war. No Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. iss No days of famine to the righteous fall, But all is plenty, and delightful all ; Nature indulgent o'er their land is feen, With oaks high tow'ring are their mountains green, With heavy maft their arms diftufive bow, While from their trunks rich ftreams of honey flow ; Of flocks untainted are their paftures full, Which (lowly ftrut beneath their weight of wool; And fons are born the likenefs of their fire, The fruits of virtue, and a chafte defire : O'er the wide feas for wealth they need not roam, Many, and lailing, are their joys at home : Not thus the wicked who in ills delight, Whofe daily afts pervert the rules of right ; To thefe the wife difpofer, Jove, ordains Repeated loflfes, and a world of pains. Famines, and plagues, are, unexpected, nigh, Their wives are barren, and their kindred die ; . Numbers of thefe at once are fwept away ; And fhips of wealth become the ocean's prey. One finner oft provokes th' avenger's hand, And often one man's crimes deftroy a land. Exactly mark, ye rulers, of mankind, The ways of truth, nor be to juftice blind ; Confider, all ye do, and all ye fay, The holy Dcemons to their God convey, Aerial fpirits, by great Jove delign'd, To be on earth the guardians of mankind, Invifible to mortal eyes they go, And mark our actions, good, or bad, below ; Th' immortal's fpies with watchful care prefide, And thrice ten thoufand round their charges glide. Juftice, unfpotted maid, deriv'd from Jove, Renown'd, and reverenc'd, by the Gods above, When mortals violate her facred laws, When judges hear the bribe, and not the caufe ; Clofe by her parent God behold her ftand, And urge the punifhment their crimes demand. Look in your breafts, and there furvey your crimes, Think, oh ye judges ! and reform betimes. Forget the part, nor more falfe judgments give, Turn from your ways betimes, oh ! turn and live. Who, full of wiles, his neighbour's harm contrives, Falfe to himfelf, agaiaft himfelf he drives ; For 1(56 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XI. For he that harbours evil in his mind, Will from his evil thoughts but evil find ; And lo ! the eye of Jove, that all things knows, Can, when he will, the heart of man difclofe ; Open the guilty bofom all within, And trace the infant thoughts of future fin. Oh ! when I hear the upright man complain, And, by his injuries, the judge arraign ; If to be wicked is to find iuccefs, I cry, and to bejuft, to meetdiftrefs, May I, nor mine, the righteous path purfue. But int'reft only ever keep iir view : But by reflection better taught, I find We fee the prefent, to the future blind. Truft to the will of Jove, and wait the end, And good (hall always your good a£ts attend. Thefe do&rines, Perfes, treafure in thy heart, And never from the paths of juftice part, Never by brutal violence be Iway'd ; But be the will of Jove in thefe obey'd. In thefe the brute creation men exceed, They, void ofreafon, by each other bleed ; While man by juftice fhould be kept in awe, Juftice of nature, well ordain'd the law. Who right efpoufes, through a righteous love, Shall meet the bounty of the hands of Jove ; But he that will not be by laws confin'd, Whom not the facrament of oaths can bind, Who, with a willing foul, can juftice leave, A wound immortal fhall that man receive ; His houfe's honour daily ihall decline, Fair flourilh mail the juft from line to line. O ! Perfes, foolifh Perfes, bow thine ear, To the good counfels of a foul fincere. To wickednefs the road is quickly found, Short is the way, and on an eafy ground. The paths of virtue muft be reach'd by toil, Arduous, and long, and on a rugged foil. Thorny the gate, but when the top you gain, Fair is the future, and the profpeft plain. Far does the man all other men excel, Who, from his wifdom, thinks in all things well, Wifely confid'ring, tohimfelf a friend, Ail for the prefent heft, and for the end ; Nor Book XL SACRED LITERATURE. Nor is the man without his (hare of praife; Who well the dictates of the wife obeys ; But he that is not wife himfelf, nor can Hearken to wifdom, is a ufelefs man. Everobferve, Perfes of birth divine, My precepts, and the profit fhall be thine ; Then famine always fhall avoid thy door, And Ceres, fair wreath'd Goddefs, blefs thy ftore. The flothful wretch, who lives from labour free, Like drones, the robbers of the painful bee, Has always men, and Gods, alike his foes; Him famine follows with her train of woes. With chearful zeal -your mod'rate toils purfue, That your full barns you may in feafon view. The man induftrious ftrangeris to need, A thoufand flocks his fertile paftures feed ; As with the drone with him it will not prove, Him men and Gods behold with eyes of love. To care and labour think it no difgrace, Falfe pride ! the portion of the fluggard race ; The flothful man, who never work'd before, Shall gaze with envy on thy growing ftore, Like thee to flourifh, he will fpare no pains : For lo ! the rich virtue and glory gains. Strictly obferve the wholefome rules I give, And, blefs'd in all, thou likea God (halt live. Ne'er to thy neighbour's goods extend thy cares, Nor be neglectful of thy own affairs. Let no degenerate (hame debafe thy mind, Shame that is never to the needy kind ; The man that has it will continue poor ; He muft be bold that would enlarge his ftore. But ravifh not, depending on thy might, Injurious to thyfeli, and other's right. Who or by open force, or fecret ftealth, Or perjur'd wiles, amafTes heaps of wealth, Such many are, whom thirft of gain betrays, The Gods, all-feeing, fhall o'ercloud his days ; His wife, his children, and his friends fhall die, And, like a dream, his ill got riches fly. Nor lefs, or toinfult the fuppliant's cries, The guilt, or break through hofpitable ties. Is there who, by inceftuous paffion led, Pollutes, with joyg unclean, his brother's bed, '37 Or i58 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XT. Or who, regardlefs of his tender truft, To the poor helplefs orphan proves unjuft, Or, when the father's fatal day appears, His body bending, through the weight of years, - Afon who views him with unduteous eyes, And words of comfort to his age denies, Great Jove, vindictive, fees the impious train, And, equal to their crimes, inflicts a pain. Thefe precepts be thy guide through life to freer :-» Next learn the Gods immortal to revere ; I With unpolluted hands, and heart fmcere, J Let from your herd, or flock, an off'ringrife ; "| Of the pure victim burn the white fat thighs ; And to your wealth confine the facrifice. -' Let the rich fumes of od'rous incenfe fly, A grateful favour, to the pow'rs on high ; The due libation nor neglect to pay, Whenev'ningclofes, or when dawns the day : Then (hall thy work, the Gods thy friends, iucceed ; Then may you purchafe farms, nor fell through need. Enjoy thy riches with a lib'ral foul ; Plenteous the feaft, and fmilingbethe bowl ; No friend forget, nor entertain thy foe, Nor let thy neighbour uninvited go. Happy the man, with peace his days arecrown'd, Whole houfe an honeft neighbourhood furround ; Of foreign harms lie never lleeps afraid, They, always ready, bring their willing aid ; Chearful, mould he Tome bufy preffure feel, They lend an aid beyond a kindred's zeal ; They never will confpire to blaft his fame, Secure he walks, unfulli'd his good name : Unhappy man, whom neighbours ill furround, His oxen die oft' by a treach'rous wound. Whate'er you borrow of your neighbour's (lore, Return the fame in weight, if able, more ; So to yourfelf will you fecure a friend -T He never after willrefufe to lend. Whatever by difhoneft means you gain, You purchafe an equivalent of pain. To alia love for love Teturn : contend In virtuous a&ions to emulate your friend. Be to the good thy favours unconfin'd ; Neglea a lordid, and ungrateful mind. From Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. 159 From all the gen'rous a refpe6fc command, While none regard the bafe ungiving hand : The man who gives from an unbounded breaft, Tho' large the bounty, in himfelf isblefs'd: Who ravifhes another's right (hall find, Tho' fmall the prey, a deadly fling behind. Content, andhonefty, enjoy your lot, And often add to that already got ; From little oft' repeated much will rife, And, of thy toil the fruits, falute thine eyes. How fweet at home to have what life demands, The juft reward of our induflrious hands, To view our neighbour's blifs without defire, To dread not famine, with her afpecl: dire ! Be thefe thy thoughts, to thefe thy heart incline, And lo ! thefe bleflmgs (hall be furely thine. When at your board your faithful friend you greet, Without referve, and lib'ral, be the treat : To flint the wine, a frugal hufband (hews,' ' When from the middle of the cafk it flows. Do not, by mirth betray'd, your brother truft, Without a witnefs, he may prove unjuft : Alike it is unfafe for men to be, With fome too diffident, with fome too free. Let not a woman fteal your heart away, By tender looks, and her apparel gay ; When your abode fhe Ianguifhing enquires, Command your heart, and quench the kindling fires; If love fhe vows, 'tis madnels to believe, Turn from the thief, fhe charms but to deceive; Who does too rafhly in a woman truft, Too late will find the wanton prove unjufr,. Take a chafte matron, partner of your breaft, Contented live, of her alone poffefs'd ; Then (hall you number many days in peace, And with your children, fee your wealth increafe ; Then (hall a duteous careful heir furvive, To keep the honour of the houfe alive. If large poffeflions are, in life, thy view, Thele precepts, with affiduous care purfue. the i6o SACRED LITERATURE. Book XL The dying fpeeck of Cyrus. CHILDREN .' and all you my friends here prefent, the conclufion of my life is now at hand, which I certainly know from many fymptoms. You ought, when I am dead, to aft and fpeak of me in every thing as a happy man : for when I was a child, I feemed to have received advantage from what is efteemed worthy and handfome in children ; fo like^ife when I was a youth, from what is efteemed fo in young men ; fo when I came to be a man, from what is efteemed worthy and handfome in men. And I have always feemed to obferve myfelf increafe with time in ftrength and vigour ; fo that I have not found myfelf weaker or more infirm in my old age than in my youth. Neither do I know that I have defired or undertaken any thing in which I have not fucceeded. By my means, my friends have been made happy and my ene- mies enflaved ; and my country, at firft inconfiderable in Afia, I leave in great reputation and honour. Neither do I know that I have not preferved whatever I have acquired. And though, in time paft, all things have fucceeded according to my wifhes, yet an apprehenfion, left in procefs of time I fhould fee, hear, or fuffer fome difficulty, has not let me be too much elated, or too extravagantly delighted. Now, if I die, I leave you, children I behind me, (whom the gods have given me) and I leave my country, and my friends happy. Ought not I, therefore, mjuftice, tobealways remembered, and mentioned as fortunate and happy ? I muftlikewife declare to whom 1 leave my kingdom; left that, being doubtful, fhould hereafter rife diffentions among you. — Now, children, J bear an equal affection to you both, but I direct, that the elder mould have the advifmg and conducing of affairs, as his age requires it ; and it is probable he has more ex- perience. And as I have been inftru&ed by my country and yours to give place to thofe older than myfelf, not only brothers, but fellow-citizens, both in walking, fitting, and fpeaking, fo I have inftructed you from your youth, ' to fhew a regard to your elders, and to receive the like from fuch as were inferior to you in age. Receive, tlren, this difpofition as ancient, cuftomary, and legal ; do you, therefore, Cambyfes ! hold the kingdom, as allotted you by the Gods, and by me, lb far as it is in my power. To you, Tanoaxares, I bequeath the fatrapy of the Medes, Armenians, and Caducians ; which, when I allot you, I think I leave your elded brother a larger empire, and the title of a kingdom, but to you a hap- piuefs freer from care and vexation. For I do not fee what human fatisfft&ioivyou can need ,- but you will enjoy what- e\*er Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. i6r- ever appears agreeable and pleafing to men. An affection for fuch things as are difficult to execute, a multitude of pains, and an impoflibility of being quiet, anxiety from an emulation of my actions, forming deligns yourfelf, and having defigns formed againft you ; thefe are things which mud more ne~ celfarily attend a king, than one in your ftation; and be affured, thefe give many interruptions to pleafure and fatis- faclion. Know therefore, Cam.byfes ! that it is not the golden fceptre which can preferveyour kingdom ; but faithful friends are a prince's trueft and fee u reft fceptre. But do not imagine, that men are naturally faithful ; (for then they would appear ±o to all, as other natural endowments do) but every one muft render others faithful to himfelf. And they are not to be procured by violence, but rather by kindnefs and bene- ficence. If, therefore, you would conftitute others joint- guardians with you of your kingdom, whom can you better begin with than him, who is of the fame blood with yourfelf? And fellow-citizens are nearer to us than . ftrangers, and thofe who live and eat with us, than thole that do not. And thofe who have the fame original, who have been nourifhed by the fame mother, and grown up in the fame houfe, and beloved by the fame parents, and who call upon the fame iather and mother, are not they of all others the neareft to us? Do not you therefore, render thofe advantages fruitlefs, by which the gods unite brothers in affinity and relation ; but to thofeadvantages, add other friendly offices ; and by that means your friendfhip will be reciprocally folid and lafting. The taking care of a brother, is providing for one's-felf. To whom can the advancement of a brother be equally honourable, as to a brother ? Who can (hew a regard to a great and powerful man, equal to his brother? Who will fear to injure another fo much as him, whofe brother is in an exalted ftation ? Be therefore, fecond to none in fub- miffion and good will to your brother, fince no one can be fo particularly ierviceable or injurious to you ; and I would have you confider how you can hope for greater advantages, by obliging any one fo much as him ? Or whom can you affift that will be fo powerful an ally in war ? Or what is more infamous than want of friendfhip between brothers ? Who, of all men can we fo handfomely pay regard to, as to a: brother? In a word, Cambyfes ! your brother is the only one you can advance next to your perfon, without the envy of others. Therefore in the name of the gods, children ! have regard to one another, if. you are careful to do what is acceptable to me. For you ought not to imagine you certainly Vol. IV. L know.. iffa SACRED LITERATURE. Book XI. know, that, after I have clofed this period of human life, I fhall no longer exift. For neither do you fee my foul, but you conclude from its operations, that it does exift. And have not you obferved, what terrors and apprehensions mur- derers are infpired with, by thofe who have fuffered violence from them? What racks and tortures do they convey to the guilty? Or how do you think honours fhould have continued to be paid to the deceafed, if their fouls were deftitute of all power and virtue ? No, children, I can never be perfuaded, that the foul lives no longer than it dwells in this mortal body, and that it dies on its feparation . For I lee that the foul commu- nicates vigour and motion to mortal bodies, during its conti- nuance in them. Neither1 can I be perfuaded that the foul is diverted of intelligence on its feparation from this grofs fenfelefs body. But it is probable, that when the foul is feparated, it becomes pure and entire, and is then more in- telligent. It is evident, that on man's difiblution, every part of him returns to what is of the fame nature with itfelf, except the foul. That alone is invifible, both during its prefence here, and at its departure. And you may have ob- served, that nothing refembles death fo much as fleep ; but then it is, that the human foul appears mod divine, and has a profpect of futurity, for then it is probable, the foul is mofl' free and independent. If therefore things are as I think, and that the foul leaves the body, having regard to my foul, comply with my requeft. But if it be otherwife, and that the foul continuing in the body, perifhes with it, let nothing appear in your thoughts or actions, criminal or impious, for fear of the gods, who are external, whofe power and infpe£tion extends over all things, and who preferve the harmony and order of the univerfe free from decay or defect, whofe greatnefs and beauty is inexplicable. Next to the gods, have regard to the whole race of mankind, in perpetual iucceffion. For1 the gods have not concealed you in obfeurity ; but there is a neceffity, your actions fhould be confpkuous to the world. If they are virtuous, and free from injuftice, they will give you power and intereft in all men. But if yon project what is unjuft againft each other, ho man will truft you ; for no one can place a confidence in you, though his inclination to it be ever fo great, when he fees you unjuft, where it moft becomes you to be a friend. If, therefore, I have not rightly inftructed you what you ought to be one to another, learn it from thofe who lived before our time, for that will be the beft leffon. For there are many who have lived affectionate parents to their children, and friends to their Book XL SACRED LITERATURE. i% their brothers ; and fome there are, who have a£ted the op- posite part towards each other. Which foever of thefe you {hall obferve to have been mod advantageous, you will do well in giving it the preference in your choice. — But perhaps this is lufficient as to thefe matters. When I am dead, children ! do not infhrine my body in gold nor in filver, nor any thing elfe, but lay it in the earth as foon as poflible. For what can be more happy than to mix with the earth, which gives birth and nourilhment to all things excellent and good : and as I have always hitherto bore an affe6tion to men, io it is now mod pleafing to me, to incorporate with that which is beneficial to men. Now (faid he) it feems to me, that my foul is beginning to leave me, in the fame manner as it is probable it begins its departure with others. If there- fore, any of you are defirous of touching my right hand, or willing to fee my face, while it has life, come near to me. For when I fhall have covered it, I requefl of you childreri, that neither yourfelves, nor any others would look upon my body. Summon all the Perfians and their allies before my tomb, to rejoice for me; that I fhall be then out of danger of fuffering an evil ; whether 1 fhall be with the deity, or fhall be reduced to nothing ! As many as come, do you difmifs with all thofe favours that are thought proper for a happy man. And (faid he) remember this, as my laft and dying words ! If you do kindneffes to your friends, you will be able to injure your enemies. — F:rewel ! dear children ! and tell this to your mother as from me. And all you my friends ! both fuch of you as are here prefent, and the refl who are abient I farewel ! — Having faid this, and taken every one by the right hand, he covered himfelf, and thus expired. Cyropadia. On difcontent, covetoufnefs, and the ufe of riches. WHENCE comes it to pafs, Moecenas, that no man is contented with his prefent condition ; whether choice or fortune has placed him in it, he is ftill diffatisfied, and thinks, and talks of nothing elfe, but the happinefs of others ? How bleft is the merchant, crys the good old foldier, wafted with age, and maim'd and exhaufted with watchino- and marching, the conftant attendants of a military life. The merchant on the other hand, in a florm at fea, thinks the foldier happy; and why? Becaufe in an engagement, in L 2 a very 1 54 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XL a very little time, he either meets with an honourable death, or comes off a conqueror. The lawyer, being difturb'd with the early vifits of his rroublefome clients, admires the peafant's quiet- life ; the peafant again, being forc'd to town to appear at bar, is all o'er wonder; Lord, faith he, what happy folks are thefe citizens ! To relate all the inftances of this kind, would tire even Fabius, who was remarkable for his impertinence. That I may not feem tedious, I intend thus much : fup- pofe fome Deity fhould expreflly declare himfelf to thefe dif- fatisfied wretches, that he was ready to grant them all their requefts ; that the foldier (hould be a merchant ; the lawyer a peafant ; they would fcruple the change, and yet they pretend that their only happinefs depends upon it.' What more reafonable, than that the abufed Deity fhould revenge himfelf upon them, and for the future, be deaf to their prayers, fince they know not what they would be^ at? But raillery apart, (tho' truth and raillery are not inc'onfiftent, it being ufual with mafters to encourage their fcholars with cakes and iweetmeats, the better to prepare them to receive inftruclion :) If you afk the peafant, vintner, and foldier, or even the daring merchant himfelf, who bids defiance to the dorms and tempefts, to what end or purpofe they un- dergo thefe fevere fatigues? They will all tell you, 'tis only to provide themfelves a competency, that in the de- clining part oi life they may peaceably and comfortably en- joy themfelves. In this they pretend to imitate the ant (whom to be fure they always bring in for an example) who being careful and provident of the day of neceflity, adds all (he can gather to her increafing ftore. Thus far indeed the example holds good ; but herein is the difference : The ant in the winter ceafes from her la- bour ; fire flays at home and enjoys the fruit of her honeft induftry; but neither heat nor cold, fire nor fword,- ftorms nor tempefts, can allay your third of amafling riches; and all this you do that no other man may be wealthier than yourfelf. Where is the profit or fatisfaclion of hoarding up a mn(s of treafure in the earth, which cannot be done with- out fome concern ? You will poifibly reply, fhould I fpend any oi it, it would quickly have an end ; and unlefs you do fo, where is the joy of being rich ? What beauty is there in a heap ot money? Tho' your barns and granaries are ftored with wheat, yet your appetite is much the fame as mine, the fame quantity of bread will fatisfy us both. Suppofeyou were Book XI.. SACRED LITERATURE. 16s were one among other flaves, who was pitched upon by youij mafter to carry the bafket of provifions for the reft, could you therefore eat more than your companions? Of what importance is it to a temperate man, who obferves the bounds which nature hath prefcribed him, to have a hun- dred, or a thoufand acres ? But, oh the pleafure of taking from a great heap ! and yet if you allow, that that little which providence hath bellowed upon me, is fufficient for all the neceffities of life, where then is the preference? What difference is there between a hundred and a thoufand acres? 'Tis juft the fame, as if wanting a glafs of water, you fhould rather choofe to have it from the river than from a little foun- tain.. Hence it comes to pafs, that they'who extend their delires too far, are oftentimes carried away by the torrent, and ruined by their covetoufnefs ; but he whofe defires keep pace with his neceffities runs no rifque at all, the water he drinks is clear and pure, he dreads not the misfortune of pe- rifhing in the river. But, fo it is, with the greateft part of mankind, that, being led away with miftaken notions, they never think they have enough. A man, fay they, is efteem- ed in the world, in proportion to his riches. Now what mud be done in fuch a cafe? They deferve to bemiferable, who thus induftrioufly labour to be fo. Like the rich mifer nt Athens, who was wholly unconcerned at what the citizens laid of him : The Athenians, faidhe, make their jefts upon me, but as often as I look upon my bags of gold, I applaud my own happinefs. 'Tis reported of Tantalus, that he was ready to perifh with thirft, tho' up to the chin in water ; that when he attempted to drink, the water moved from him. You laugh at this relation, change' but the name, and you yourfelf are the Tantalus in the fable. You fit gaping over your money, and dare no more touch it, than you dare com- mit facrilege ; your guineas and broad pieces are like fo many pictures, the pleafure you take in them, is juft the fame. What pity is it, that you do not better understand the ufe of riches? They were given you to purchafe bread and wine, and all the other neceffaries of life, which render ourfubfift- ence comfortable and happy. To be perpetually alarmed either with the fear of thieves or fire; to diftruft your domefiics left they fhould plunder you; if this be the pleafure and fatisfaclion of riches ; wel- come poverty, may I never be rich. But what, fay you, if ficknefs fhould feize me, or any other misfortune confine me to my bed? How many are ready to offer me their affiftance, to call the phyfician, and L3 to t66 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XL to do every thing that is neceffary to re-eftablifh my health, which cannot but be dear to all my relations? In this alfo you are miferably miftaken. Neither your wife nor children pray for your recovery ; all your neighbours and acquaint- ance hate you ; nor need you wonder to find yourfelf fo univerially detefted, while you continue fo wretchedly co- vetous. Affure yourfelf, unlefs you get rid of this fordid paffion, in vain you endeavour the love of your relations ; 'tis like attempting to bring up an afs to the manage, 'tis but loft labour to leek their friendfhip. It becomes you there- fore to moderate your defires : the greater your poffeffioris are, the lefs reafon you have to be afraid of poverty. You have got what you wanted, do not any longer be your own tormentor. But above all things do not follow Ummidius's example, who was fo rich that he meafured his money by the bufhel, and withal fo fordid, that he always went clad like a menial fervant ; and yet this rich, this miierable Umtmdius, was perpetually in fear of wanting bread before he died; at laft his valiant and courageous concubine, like another Clytemneftra, gave him his death's wound with the blow of an hatchet, and put a period to his life and fears together. Well, Sir, what is it that you would have me to do? Shall I live like Maenius or Nomentanus ? I mean no fuch thing ; you are all for extremes. I warn you againft cove- toufnefs, muft you therefore lead a loofe and profligate life? Is there no difference between Tanais, and the father-in-law of Vifellius? There's a mean in all things, even virtue it- ielf hath its dated limits, which not being ftri&ly obferved, it ceafes to be virtue. To refume the argument. All men are like the covetous man, their neighbour's circumftances pleafethem better than their own ; they fret and confume themfelves with envy, be- caufe another man's goat gives more milk than theirs. What is the reafon of this uneafinefs ? They feldom compare them- felves with their inferiors, but are always looking forwards, eagerly afpiring to get before this man, and that man ; fo that as long as there remains one greater than themfelves, what hopes of fatisfaftion ? They refemble herein the cha- rioteers, who in a race, are always preffing, always intent on thofe that are before them, regardlefs of thofethey leave behind. Thus it is with mankind, and this is the reaion we feldom or never meet with a man, who, by his own confeffion, has lived a happy and contented life ; who like a latisfied gueft, goes quietly off from the ftage of this world ; not a little pleafed with his pad enjoyments. What Book XL SACRED LITERATURE. i67 What has been faid, is I think fufficient ; fhould I detain you any longer, you will poHibly fufpec't me of ftealing from Crirpinus, to avoid which, I will fay no more upon this ar- gument. Fuji Satyr of Horace, Men to be regarded rather for their virtues than their defcent. THO'you, Moecenas, derive your defcent from the nobleft and moft ancient family of the Lydians, who firft fettled in Etruria ; tho' your ancefiors both by father and mother have commanded mighty armies, yet notwithftanding thefe great advantages, you do not, like other men of quality, contemn a perfon for the meannefs of his origin ; no not even me, whole father was a Have, tho' afterwards made free. You publickly declare you do not fo much regard a man's family as the man himfelf ; that you never mind what his parents "were, fo he be an honeft worthy man. You are fully per- fuaded, and not without reafon, that long before the reign of Tullius, whofe mother was a captive, there were many perfons of ignoble extraction, who were eminent for their probity, and no lefs confiderable for the titles and dignities, to which by their merits they advanced themfelves. On the contrary, Lcevinus (whole father Valerius delivered his country from the tyranny of Tarquin) was always had in the utmoft contempt even by the common people, who, gene- rally fpeaking, are very ill judges of a man's merits, they are flaves to fame, their eyes are dazzled with the pomp of titles, with a large retinue, and images without number; and then no wonder, if they beftow their honours on thofe who leaft deferve them. How then ought you to aft, whofe fentiments are fo widely different from the vulgar ? But iuppofe that the people fol- lowing the bent of their inclinations, would lay afide Decius, a man of known merit, but of a mean extraction, and give their votes in favour of Loevinus (how unworthy foever) to be one of their magiftrates, becaufe a perfon of condition, would Appius the cenfor exclude me the fenate, for not being the fon of a freeman? Yes he would, and in my opi- nion not undefervedly, fince I was not contented with my own condition. To excufe their ambitious purfuit after glory, men generally pretend that the chariot of the goddefs is fo exquifitely tempting, that the prince and peafant are both alike charm'd with its fplendour and magnificence. But i63 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XI. But tell me,Tillius, what advantagewas it to you, torefume your former feat in the fenate, and to be a tribune? You are now maligned and hated by the people, which you would have efcaped in a more private condition. For when any one affeels to appear on a fudden in a fenator's robe : people prefently enquire (and 'tis very natural for them to do fo) What? Who was his father? When any one, like Barrus, is fo ridiculoufly fantaftical as to ape the beau ; wherever he goes the ladies examine him from head to foot ; they imme- diately afk whether his air and mien are agreeable ? Are his teeth white, feet handfome, legs well made, and the like ? 5Tis jufl the fame when a man pretends to take care of the city, to govern the empire, prefide over Italy, and to in- fpeci the temples of the gods ; all men are folicitous to be apprized of his family, and, of courfe, enquire, what were his anceflors? Oh, fay they, dare you who are the fon of a Syrus, Demetrius or Dionyfms, fit in judgment over a Ro- man ? Have you the impudence to condemn a citizen, and to fentence him to be thrown down headlong from the Tar- peian rock ? Or dare you deliver him to the cruel Cadmus ? You reply, Novius my colleague is a degree below me, he is but what my father was, and yet he is a fenator. What of that, do you therefore fancy yourfelf a Paulus ./Emilius, or Meffala Corvinus? As for Novius, his lungs are fo prodigi- oufly ftrong, that in a flop of 200 drays, and three funerals with their train of trumpeters, his voice was much fuperior to them all ; do you think this nothing? But to return. 'Tis objected againft me, that my father was a freed man ; this proceeds partly, from the honour I have of eating at your table, partly from my having had the command of a Roman legion. How ftrangely different are thefe two articles? Tho' they might envy my being a tri- bune in Brutus's army ; yet what can they object againft your being my friend? Will they dare to arraign your wif- dom and judgment, who choole none but the deferving? I am not in the leaft indebted to fortune for the honour of your friendfhip. Virgil and Varius were my advocates in your favour, they gave you my character: When I appear- ed in your prefence what thro' fear and modefty, I faultered in my addrefs. I was fo far from pretending an honourable defcent, that I frankly and plainly laid before you my con- dition, and told you what I was; you gave me your anfwer, and I departed. About nine months after, you were pleafed to fend for me, and to enroll me in the number of your friends. This indeed is a confiderable advantage, and I can- not Book XL SACRED LITERATURE. 169 not but value myfelf upon it, that being deftitute of birth and fortune, my merit and honefty recommended me to your favour, who. are fo excellent a judge of mankind. If I am of an honeft and virtuous difpofition, if my faults • are few and inconfiderable, like fome little fpots in a beauti- ful face, which neverthelefs is charming and agreeable ; if no man can juftly accufe me of covetouihefs, of frequenting houfes of an ill reputation, or of any bafe, or dishonourable action : if I lead an honeft and innocent life, and am dear to my friends, I owe all to my father: who notwithstanding his fhort and narrow circumftanees, difdained to put me to Flavius's fchool (where federal great men placed their fons, who carried on their arms, their counters and tables of the monthly intereft of feveral fums, of which they were obliged to give in the computation.) No I my generous father had the courage and fpirit to carry me to Rome, and to give me a noble and liberal education, fuch as knights and even Se- nators themfelves beftowed upon their children. I was fo well dreft, and had fuch a number of fervants at command, that they who faw me could not but conclude me a perfon of condition. My good old father, like a faithful guardian, was never from me; he was always at hand when my matters inftructed me. In a word, he preferved my innocence, which is the foundation of virtue, pure and untainted ; he kept me from bafe and difhoneft actions, nay, even from the very fufpicion of them. He liberally fpent his income upon me, nor was he under anyapprehenfion, that myfelf or others would ever reproach him for what he did, if thro' the great expence he was at in my education, I became a poor cryer, or collector like himfelf. For that very reafon his praile is the greater, and fo are my acknowledgments. While I en- joy the uie of my reafon, I will never be afhamed of fo good a father, much lefs will I follow their example, who, to ex- cufe the meannefs of their birth, are perpetually complain- ing, that it was not their fault, but rather their misfortune that their fathers were not men of quality. For my part, I muft differ from them ; infomuch that were it permitted us by nature, to begin again to live, and to choofe what man- ner of parents we pleafed, fuch as our vanity would fuggeft unto us ; not confuls, nor fenators fhould be my choice, I would rather continue contented with my own. The common people may think me diffracted, but you, Mcecenas, have dif- ferent fentiments ; you will think it an act of wifdom in me, in refufing thofe titles, which would certainly difturb my quiet and well being, Were I the fon of aconful or praetor, how i7o SACRED LITERATURE. Bodk XI. how folicitous fhould I be, in providing myfelf with a com- petent eftate? How many vifits muft I then make? I muft never go into the country unattended ; horfes and coaches muft be hired, and grooms and pages muft be fubfifted. Whereas, as I am, I can ride when I pleafe, upon my little nulled mule, with my wallet behind me, as far as Tarentum. I pafs unobferved, I efcape the cenfure and reflections of the world ; but you, Tillius, when as proetor you appear in the Tiburtineroad, with your equipage of five footmen, one car- rying your pots, another your wine, are railed at and con- demned by all men for your covetoufnefs : fo that all things confidered, tho' you are a great fenator, yet my life is in- finitely preferable to yours, and to a thouland others. I en- joy my liberty, go where I pleafe; I afkthe price of herbs and barley ; I walk one while in the Circus, which ufually abounds with quacks and gypfies, then I go to the Forum, and from thence home, where my pulfe, leeks, and onions are got ready for my {upper. I have three pretty boys to ferve me at table ; on my fide board ftand two cups and a bottle, befides thefe I have a bafon, difh and ewer all right Campania. Supper being over, I go quietly to bed, where I deep fecurely ; free from the apprehcnfions of being cited by break of day, to make my appearance before Marfyas's fra- tue, who by his threatening pofture difcovers an uneafinelsat the fight of young Novius. I ftudy till ten, when having writ or read fomething for my diverfion, I walk abroad in the Campus Martius, and ufe fome exercife. When I am weary, I anoint myfelf with oil, I get the befl I can, and do not like the nafty miferable Natta, defraud the lamps of what I have occafion for. When the weather is fultry, I refrefh myfelf with bathing, and re- frain from exercife, I eat no more at dinner, than what will juft allay my appetite till the evening. This is my way and manner of living ; when I am at home I fpend my days in no unprofitable idlenefs. This is the life of thofe few wife men, who are free from ambition, thefe are my enjoyments, and with thefe I live a more happy life, than if my uncle, father, or grandfather was lord high-treafurer. Sixth Satyr of Horace* wmssamu The Book XL. SACRED LITERATURE. 171 Ike tenth fatyr of Juvenal. Argument. The poet's dejign in this divine fatyr, is to reprefent the various < ''>. ' and dejires of mankind, and to fet out the folly of them. He runs through all the fevered heads of riches, honours, eloquence, fame for martial dtckievementf, long life, and beauty ; and gives injlanccs in cue h, how frequently they have proved the ruin of thole that owned them. He concludes therefore, that fiitce we generally chufe fu ill for ourfelves, we jhould do better to leave it to the gods, to make the choice for us. All we can fafely afk of heaven, lies within a very [mall compafs ; it is but health of body and mind. And if we have thefe, it is not much matter what we want befides ; for we have already enough to male us happy. SURVEY the world over, from Cales weftward to Ganges in the eaft, you will find few able to diftinguifh without prejudice between good and evil ; for what do we fear or hope for by the rule of reafon ? What do you attempt upon ever fuch a pro (peel: of fuccefs that you do not repent of when accomplished, when your defires are fully anlwered ? The kind Gods have ruined whole families at their own requeft ; in peace, in war, we pray for what will deftroy us. An abundant fluency of fpeech has ruined many, and the orator has been undone by his own eloquence. Milo, relying upon his ftrength and his wonderful limbs, perifhed. But money fcraped together with too much care has de- ftroyed more; heaps of wealth, that as much exceed a com- mon fortune as the bulk of a Britifh whale compared to a dolphin. For this it was that in thefe fad times a troop of cut-throat guards, by the command of Nero, befet Lon- ginus and the great gardens of the rich Seneca, and fur- rounded the flately buildings of the Lateran family ; the fbldier feldom looks for plunder in the garrets of the poor. Do but fet out by night with a paltry charge of a little filver plate, you are afraid of the dagger or the bludgeon ; you fhake at the fhadow of a reed trembling by moon-fhine ,- while the traveller that has nothing to lof'e, fings in the robber's face. Our firft prayers commonly, and what all our temples ring with, are, that our wealth, our fortune may improve ; that our money-chefts may be the largeft in all the Forum : but remember, that poifon is never drunk out of earthen ware ; 172 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XI. ware ; then fufpeft the draught when the cup is fet with jewels ; and your Setine wine fparkles in the large golden bowl. What think you now of the two fages, one burfting into a laugh, as foon as he moved one foot over the threfhold ; the other, on the contrary, diffolved in tears? But it is an eafy matter for a man to fneer and grin ; the wonder is, where the other could find continual moiilure for his eyes. Democritus was always fhaking his fides with laughing. Though in thofe countries they had no fuch pageantry as fenatorial gowns, robes of ftate, rods, litters, or ivory chairs. What, had he beheld the Praetor mounted in his lofty chariot, confpicuous in the middle of the dufty Circus, ftrutting in Jove's triumphal coat, labouring under the Tyrian tapeftry of his embroidered gown ; and finking with the weight of fo wide a circumference of a crown, that no one neck was able to fupport ! A flave therefore fweating bears it up ; and to mortify the mighty conful this Have is carried in the fame ' chariot with him : not to forget the eagle held in his hand upon an ivory ftaff, the trumpeters founding about him, and the citizens in their white robes walking by the horles, fides, friends that wait upon him only for his charity, that lies deep-buried in the bottom of his chef! ! This man, in his time, found fubje&s of his mirth in every company he met ; and his diftinguiflied prudence fully (hews, that the greateft geniufes, who are capable of fetting us moft excellent examples, may be born among the dull Thracians, and in the thickeft air. He laughed at the cares, and even at the imaginary happinefs of the vulgar, and would fome- times make merry with their tears. To fortune who threatened him, he prefented a halter, and held out the mid- dle finger at her in contempt. Our vows therefore which we fo eagerly fallen upon the knees of the gods are prayers for what will be of no ufe, or perhaps prove fatal to us. Power liable to a load of envy hurries others into ruin »" a long and extraordinary catalogue of titles overwhelms him ; down come his ftatues dragged about the fireet at a rope's end. The itrokes of the ax beat to pieces the very wheels ot his triumphal chariot, and the poor horfes have their legs undefervedly broken in revenge to their matter : hark, the fires fparkle ; that head, once the idol of the people, is now difiolving in the melting-pot heated by the bellows; the great Sejanus crackles in the flames, and of that face, the fecond in the Roman world, are made water-pots, bafons, fiying-pans, and platters, down your doors with laurel, lead Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. 173 lead a large milk-white bull to the capitol ; Sejanus the prime minifler is dragged with a hook, as a fpeclacle to the city; the people triumph at his fall, What blubber-lips are there? What a hanging look? Believe me, I could never endure the fellow. But what crime was he charged with? Who was the informer? What difcoveiies, what evidence was there againft him ? Nothing of all this, only a long and folemn letter came from Capreae. Enough, I a(k no more, but what did the people ? As they always do, follow fortune, and hate the unhappy. Had Nurfcia, the goddefs of her country, favoured this Thufcan ftatefman with fuccefs ; had he fupplanted the fecure old tyrant, this very people, at that •inftant, had proclaimed Sejanus em- peror. Long fince, when we no more fold our fuffrages, we have lived void of public care; we who once beftowed empires, nonours, legions, all things, now look no farther, are anxious only for two weighty matters, for bread and the Circenoean games. I hear many more will fuffer for the plot. No doubt of it, that furnace is made for more than one. My friend Brutidius met me at Mars's altar, and looked very pale ; how I fear left Caefar fhould exa£l fevere revenge like Ajax, as if we left him unfupported ; let us therefore hurry away in time, and trample upon Caefars enemy as he lies upon the bank ; be lure our flaves fee us, left any of them fhould deny it, and drag us trembling by the neck to the bar, and try us for our lives. Such then was the common talk, fuch the private whii'pers about Sejanus. Would you now receive the honours of a prime minifter? Poffefs his wealth ; make this man conful, another general. Be called guardian of the prince, fitting in his room of ftate, devoted to fecret luft at Caprese, with his Chaldean fortune-tellers about him ? . I know you would wifh to be an officer, to have a company, to command a troop of horle, or be cap- tain of the Praetorian guard ; for why ? Every man defires the power that would avoid the opportunity to kill. But what titles, what good fortune is of that value, when an equal fhare of unhappinefs is tempered with the highefl profperity ? Would you rather wear the robe of this Sejanus, dragged about the ftreets, or enjoy a fmall poll at Gabii or Fidenae, or be an JEdile in a patched coat at poor Ulubrae, to fit upon falfe weights and meafures? You fee then, Seja- nus knew not what he fhould have wifhed for ; he who defired too many honours, who prayed for too much wealth, raifed only more ftories in his tower of ftate, from whence his i74 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XL his fall was the higher^ and the precipice that dafhed him to pieces the more dreadful. What overthrew the Craffi, what thePompeys, and Julius Gasfar himfeif, who bent the ftubborn Romans to his will, but fupreme power by wicked arts obtained, and prayers heard by fbme malignant god? Few kings and tyrants to the (hades defcend by a dry death, or without wounds and blood. The boy that goes to fchool, that fcarce can (hew three farthings worth of learning, attended by a (lave to carry his little (atchel after him, yet Coon begins to wifh, and on Minerva's five days feflival, invokes the goddefs that he may obtain the eloquence and fame of Tully and Demoit- henes ; yet both thefe orators perifhed by their eloquence, a rapid and overflowing torrent of wit was fatal to both. Wit (buck off Tully 's hand and head. You never heard of a mean paltry pleader fprinkling the Roftrmn with his blood : O Rome, deemed loft, redeemed by me thy coni'ul ! Had all his writings been in this poor drain, he might have fcorned the (word of Anthony. I had rather write a poem to be laughed'at, than be thy author. O divine Philippic, the fecond of the name, for ever praifed. A cruel death took off Demoflhenes, whom Athens once admired, bearing all before him like a torrent, and leading the full affembly as he pleafed. This man begot with the gods againft him, in an evil hour, his father a blear-ey'd fmith fent to the fatal fchool of rhetoric, removed from the reeking heat of glow- ing iron, from coals, and tongs, and anvils, where fwords are tempered, and all the footy trade of Vulcan's (hop. 1 he (polls of war, a coat of mail fixed as a trophy on a rugged (lump, a chap-fatten bever, hanging from the broken helmet, a chariot without a beam, the flag of a galley taken, a melancholy captive fitting on the fumrnit of the triumphal arch ; thefe are accounted bleflings more than human ; for thefe the Roman, the Greek, the Barbarian captain exerts ail his courage ; thefe are the fpurs to labour and to danger. So much the love of fame infpires before the efteem of virtue,- lor virtue who would wed, with: all her charms, without a dowry? Yet time has been, when the ambition of a few, the defire of titles fixed upon their tombs, the keepers of their alhes, have brought ruin and deftru&ion to their country ; monuments through which the barren fig-tree (hikes her piercing roots, and tumbles to the ground ; for fepulcbres thcmfclves rnuft yield to fate. Place Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. i7S Place Hannibal in the {bale, how many pounds will you find of that great general? Yet this is he whom Africa wafhed by the Atlantic ocean to the weft, and ftretching eaftward to the heated waters of the Nile, could not con- tain. Not content with his /Ethiopian fubjefts and Lybian elephants, all Spain is added to his empire ; he pafled the Pyrenees ; nature offered to flop him by the rugged Alps covered with mow ; he opened rocks, and crumbled moun- tains to pieces by the force of vinegar. He is now come into Italy, and refolves to purfue his march. We have done nothing, fays he, unlefs we break the gates with Punic troops, and fix our ffandavds in the middle of Suburra, the chief ftreet of Rome. .O what a face was there, how worthy to be painted ; mounted as the one- ey'd general rode on his Gaetulian elephant ! but what was his end ? O glory ! This great Hannibal is at la ft fubdued, flies headlong into exile, there as a mighty fpeciacle of wonder, waits at the court of the Bithynian king, until the haughty monarch pleafed to wake. This man that ufed to fet the world on fire, was not deftroyed by fwords, or flones, or darts, but that avenger of the .field at Cannae, which latisfied for fo much blood, a little Ring concealed the poifon. Go, mad man as thou art, fcour over the rugged Alps to pleafe the boys, and be a theme at fchool. One world did not fufiice the warlike youth of Pella ; he chafes unhappy, cooped in the narrow compafs of the globe, as if fhut up within the rocks of Gyarus, or fmall Seriphus : but when he made his entry into Babylon, fortified with towers of brick, he had room enough within the flrait dimen- fions of a tomb. How fmall a fpace our puny bo dies fill, death only fhews. It is believed, that formerly mount Athos was failed round, with other tales like what the lying Greeks record in ftory, as that the fea was covered with thofe very (hips, and as a pavement paffed over by chariot-wheels ; we believe that deep rivers failed, and their waters were drunk up by Xerxes's army at a meal, and every thing that Softratus (his fancy moiftened and infpired with wine) relates. But how did the Perfian monarch look flying from Salamis ? That proud Barbarian who ufed to fcourge the winds, north, eaft, and weft, that never bore fo great indignity in their McAhn prifon ? He that bound Neptune, fhaker of the earth in letters V It was gently done, lie might with the fame eafe have branded him for his Have ; no god would murmur to obey fo mild a prince! But how returned he? Truly in one fmall cockboat x76 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XI. cockboat through the bloody waves, that hardly made its way o'er heaps of flain. Glory fo often wifhed ior, thus takes vengeance on the ambitious. Give length of life, great Jove, give many years ; this you defire ; for this alone you pray, with eyes to heaven, trembling for fear of death. But what great and continued evils attend upon a long old age? See the face ill-favoured and frightful to look upon, unlike to what it was ; inftead of a {kin, a nafty hide ; a flabby pair of cheeks, the wrinkles of an old grandam ape (bred on the'fhady woods of Tabracha) that mumps and fcrubs her leathern face. The complexion of youth is different, this is fairer than that, he than another, a third has the advantage in (frength; but the appearance of old men is always the fame ,- thelimbs trembling with the voice, a bald pate, a running nofe like a child, the poor wretch forced to mumble his cruft with his toothlefs gums ; and fo grievous is he to his wife, his children, and to himfelf, that Coffus, with all his fawning patience, could not endure him. His pleafure of eating and drinking is quite changed, his tafte gone, the rites of love long fince forgot. Look now into the lofs of another of his fenfes. What pleafure has he in the voice of the befl mufician, or if Seleucus fings, or thofe that ufed to mine upon the ftage in an embroidered coat? What figniries it in what pait of the large theatre he fits, who can fcarce hear the cornets or the found of trumpets? His boy muft bawl with all his force to reach his ear, when he wants to tell him who called to fee him, or what is the time of day. Beiides, the fmall current of his blood in his cold body can be heated by a fever only. A whole troop of. all kind of difeafes pour in upon him : if you would know their names, I could as foon reckon how many adulterers Hippia entertained, how many patients do£tor Themifon filled in one autumn ; how many provinces were fpoiled by Bafilus, how many orphans Hirrus over reached, how many men a day long-fided Maura could difpenfe with, or the boys the pedagogue Hamillus could defile ; I could fooner count the country-houles now polfeffed byCinnamus, my barber once, whole nimble fciffars ihipped my youthful beard. One is lame in his moulder, another in his loins, this in his hip, the other has loft both his eyes, and envies the man thdthas one left ; the pale lips of a fifth receive meat from another's hand. At the fight of a fupper, he opens his jaws, he makes a fhift to gape like a young {wallow, when the hungry dam flies to feed her- with a full mouth. But a greater unhappinefs than the lofs of Jimbs, is, that he does not know . Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. 177 know fo much as the names of his own fervants, nor the face of a friend with whom he fupped the night before ; he forgets his children whom he got and brought up ; he excludes them by a cruel codicil from inheriting his eftate, that his fortune, may pafs to his whore Phiale ; io infinuating is the breath of a cunning (trumpet, that many years plied at a common bawdy- houfe. But allow him to retain the ufe of his fenfes, he lives to attend the funerals of his children, to fee the pile of his beloved wife, and the urn filled with the afhes of his brothers and lifters ; thefeare the torments that purfue thofe that live long, a lcene of death in their family continually renewing, much forrow, conftant trouble, always in mourning. Neftor, tlfe'king of Pylus, (if we believe wha-t the great Homer fings) was next to the raven's age, an example of the longeft life : happy, no doubt, that he could ward againft the ftroke of death for fb many centuries, that he counted the number of years upon his right hand, and guzzled new wine for three hundred feafons. But pray, hear a little, what complaints he made againft the laws of fate, and his thread of life too long extended, when he faw his Ion Antilochus in the prime of youth burning upon the pile. He demands of every friend about him, why he lived to fee that day, what crime condemned him to fo great an age ? Peleus made the fame complaint, lamenting the lofs of his fon Achilles ; and Laertes likewife, grieving for Ulyfles tolfed upon the fea. 'Had Troy ftood, Priam had vifited the (hade of AfTaracus his anceftor with great folemnity, carried upon the fhoulders of He6tor and the other brothers, amidft the tears of the Trojan ladies, his daughters Caffandra, and Polyxena with her clothes rent, beginning the funeral lamentation ; had he died at any time before Paris fitted out an infolent fleet for the rape of Helen. What advantage had he by his long life? he faw his whole empire overthrown, and Afia ravaged by fire and fword. Then the old foldier trembling with years, took arms, laying his diadem afide ; he rufhed be- fore the altar of great Jupiter, as an ox worn out that offers his lean miferable neck to the mafter's knife, his pad fervice to the plough ungratefully forgotten. This prince however died a man, but his wife who outlived him, barked with her fierce jaws, and died a bitch. I haften to examples at home, and pafs by Mithridates, the Pontic king, and Crcefus commanded by the eloquence of the wife Solon, not to applaud his fortune, till he arrived at the laft ftage of life. The exile, the imprifonment of Marius, the marfties of Minturnse, and the begging of his Vol. IV. M bread i7S SACRED LITERATURE. Book XL bread about the ftreets of conquered Carthage, all this was Qwing to a length- of hie ; what had nature through the world produced more happy? Whom had Rome feen more fortunate than that great citizen, had he breathed out his mighty foul in all the pomp of war, amidft the troops of captives led before him, when he defcended from his Teutonic chariot in triumph o'er theCimbri? Pompey by providence had a fever in Campania ; happy had he then died: but the prayers of many cities, and the public vows prevailed : yet conquered, his own fortune, and the fate of Rome took off his head, unhappily preferved. A cruel death, a puniihment unfelt by Lentulus : Cethegus died undiminifhed, and Cataline (all traitors to their country} fell with his body whole. The anxious mother, at the fJbrine of Venus, prays foftly for the boys a moderate fhare of beauty, but for the girls {he begs aloud a form complete, even to the greateft nicety. Why, fays fhe, do you blame me? Was not Latona glad to fee Diana fair? But the fate of Lucretia is no encouragement to wifh for a face like her's. Virginia would have been glad to exchange her fhape for Rutila's camel-back. A fon with a mod accomplished perfon, makes his parents unhappy, and keeps them perpetually in fear ; for beauty and modefty feldom meet together, tho* the plain honeft family had furnifhed him with the belt morals, and brought him up 'after the Sabine education. Befides, let liberal nature, with a kind hand, beftow upon him a chafte difpofition, and a face glowing with a modeft blufh, (for what of greater value can nature, fuperior to all the art and care of guardians beftow upon a youth ?) Yet ftill the boy cannot preferve the honour of his fex ; for the vile prodigality of thofe corrupters of virtue will dare to bribe his very parents ; fuch is the confidence that comes armed with gold. No tyrant in his cruel palace ever gelt a boy de- formed ; Nero never defiled a noble youth club-footed ; neck-fwelled with back and belly prominent. Go now, vain mother, pleafe yourfelf with the beauty of your fon, ftill expofed to greater dangers. You wil-1 fee him a public ftallion, dreading whatever puniihment the inraged hufband plea fes to inrlia. Nor (hall he eicape more happily than Mars as never to be caught in Vulcan's net. A hufband's rage fome- times demands feverer vengeance than what the letter of the law requires. Some of 'thefe gallants are ftabbed with poignards, ibme bleed with cruel ftrokes, and the live mullet enters iome behind. But your iweet Endymion, forfooth, will be engaged with a lady for love, for her beauty only : but Book XL SACRED LITERATURE. i;9 but when Servilia, tho' deformed, loads him with golden prefents, he will do her drudgery whom he hates ; fhe will ftrip her (elf of all her jewels for him : for what will a woman prodigal as Hippia, or covetous as Catulla, what will fhe deny to gratify her luft ? The clofeft of them all will open their purfe upon this occafion. But, you'll fay, how can beauty hurt the chaMe? Pray what advantage had Hippolitus by his inflexible virtue ? Of what ufe was it to Bellerophon.? Truly Phaedra reddened as flighted by denial, nor was Sthenoboeaieis on fire than (he. Both worked themfelves to rage : a woman rifes then to hot revenge, when fear of fhame adds fpurs to her refentment. Say, what advice would you think proper for the unfor- tunate Silius, whom Meffalina the wife of Casfar refolves to marry? This mofl noble, moft beautiful youth of the fhfr. quality is hurried to deftru&ion by Meflalina's eyes ; fhe fits expecting in her bridal-veil flame-coloured ; the marriage- bed of Tyrian dye is fpread ; the cuftomary portion of a thoufand Seftertia is ready ; the foothfayer with the public notaries attend. Do you think fhe does this privately, as a fecret entruited with a few? No, fhe refolves to marry in due form of law. Advife what the youth fhould do ; unlefs you* comply, you are fure to die before candle-light ; if you commit the crime, you will gain a few hours till the news reach the city and the people, and come to the prince's ears (for he will belaft acquainted with the difgraceof his family) pleafe the lady then for fo fmalla time, if you think a few days life of fuch confequence ; but whatever refolution you judge fafeft, your fair and white neck is fure to bleed by the i'word of the executioner. Muft men therefore wifh for nothing ? If you will be ad- vifed, leave it to the gods to determine what is fuitableto us, and ufeful to our affairs : for the deities, infiead of what is pleafing, will give what is moft proper for us, We mortals are dearer to them than we are to ourfelves. We, led on by the impulfeof our minds, by blind and ftrong defire, pray for a wife and children ; they only know how that wife and thofe children will prove. But that you may afk fomewhat (and vow the choiceft entrails to their fhrines, the facred puddings of a whitifh hog) pray for a found mind in a found body ; beg for a great foul, not terrified by the fear of death, that efteems the lalt ftage of a long life among the gifts of nature, that is able to bear misfortune, that knows not how to be angry, thatde- fires nothing, and thinks the troubles andcruel labours of Her- cules more agreeable than the lafcivioufnefs, the luxury, the M 2 foftnefs i8o SACRED LITERATURE. Book XI- foftnefs of Sardanapalus. I (hew what it is in your own power to beftow upon yourfelf. Be afiured, that the only path to a life of peace is through a courfe of virtue. O fortune, did men aft right, thou would!! haveno divinity about thee; but we make thee a goddefs, and place thee in the fkies. The fecond fatyr of Perjius. The Argument. This may be truly called a divine fatyr fur the author's chief aim is to (hew the corruptions and repugnancies of mens prayers andwi/kes ; and at the fame time .to inform them what is mofi acceptable to the %ods, 'which he does more like a Chrijlian than a Heathen. It is di- rected to his friend Macrinus, as a birth-day prefent* LET this day, Macrinus, be diflinguifhed in the calendar with a particular mark, which happily begins the years of your life. Offer wine in abundance to your genius. You are not a man who makes mercenary prayers to the gods, for the granting you fuch things, as you would not venture to a(k but in private. But it is not fo with the reft of the nobility who will offer up their petitions fecretly. Nor is it an eafy talk to remove this corruption of mur- muring, and whiipering their prayers out of the temples, and make them deliver their petitions to the gods in the hearing of ail men. When they pray for a good mind, a good reputation and a good heart, they fpeak with a clear and a diftinft voice, that every one may hear it. But their unrighteous requefts they mutter inwardly. O that my old rich uncle were dead once ! Or that I could have the good luck to hear a pot of money chink under my fpade ! O that 1 could but get my ward out of the way, whole next heir I am ; for he is diftempered and rotten already ! There is Nerius has got his third wife .' O that 1 were in his circumftances ! It is for this reafon, that „ you may offer thefe prayers in due form, you wath yourfelf twice or thrice in the Tiber every morning, to purge away the pollutions of the night. Pray let me afk you one queflion, it is an eafy one to re- folve : What is your opinion of Jupiter ? Is there any per- son among mankind that you will give him the preference to? Let us fee to whom? Shall we name Staius? Are you in doubt to determine which of thefe is the properer judge to t4ke in hand the caufe of orphans? Whv Book XL SACRED LITERATURE. iSi Why then make the fame propofal to Stains that you did to Jupiter. O Jupiter ! he would cry out : O good Jupiter ! And would not Jupiter himfelf fay the fame thing ? Do you fancy he forgives you, becaufe, when it thunders, the oak is Wafted rather than you, and your family ? Is it that you do not lie a wretched fpeclacle of his vengeance, to be expiated by facrifice in thofe groves where you have abufed his worfhip ? Do vou think therefore Jupiter fuch a fool as to let you carry your prefuinption farther, to pluck him by the beard ? Or by what do you propofe to purchafe the affent of the gods? Is it by the fat entrails of beads? There is another kind of madnefs, which is that of fuper- ititiqn. Behold now .the grandmother or a fuperflitious aunt — She takes the infant from the cradle, and rubs his forehead and lips with her middle-finger, ufes her fpittle by way of lullration, as an antidote againft a bewitching eye ; and then fhe dandles in her arms the (lender hopes of the family ; and now wifhes ,to tranflate him into the eftate of Licinus ; now into the palace of Craffus. Thus me con- tinues, May fome great king and queen court him to be their ion-in-law : May the young virgins all fight for him : And wherever he treads, let rofes fpring up under his feet. At this rate let no nurfe ever pray for a child of mine. Nay, though fhe fhould drefsherfelf in white, and join facrifice to her prayer, I befeech you, great Jupiter, to deny her requefls. Perhaps you defireftrength, and vigour, and a conftitution that will not fink under the infirmities of old age : grant you do; yet notwithftanding this, your multitude of difhes and delicates have prevented the gods from complying with your requefls ; they ftand in the way even of Jupiter himfelf. Again you defire to increaie your (lores by.facrifking your cattle to Mercury. Grant me (you fay to him) good fortune, and increafe my flocks and herds. How can he, you wretched creature, when you deftroy them in fuch numbers? And yet this very man perfeveres, and thinks to get the better of heaven by expenfive offerings ! Now, he cries, my eftate and flocks are encreafing. — My wifhes will be granted juft now. — Till at length the hopeiefs creature, who deceived himfelf fo long, grows defperate, when he fees not a farthing left in his coffers. If I could make you prefents of maffy filver and gold cups, you are all over extacy, and your heart beats for joy : hence it comes, that you think the gods as corrupt as your- felf, which makes you gild the faces of your fhtues, with fome of the gold that you have gained by a victory; for M 3 -among ,8a SACRED LITERATURE. Book XL amon<* the brazen ftetues of the gods thofe have mod of your adoration, who fend you the trueft dreams, for which you' adorn them with gilded beards. Gold has ufurpedthe place of Numa's earthen veffels, and turned the brazen utenfils o'f the Saturnian age out of doors, the veftal pitchers, with the Tufcan earthen ware. O ye wretched fouls, bent down to the earth, and void of every thino- which is heavenly ! What fhould make us introduce fuch corruptions into our worfhip, and think that which is pleafing to our feniuality and luxury, can be f'o to the gods ? If was luxury firft made us vitiate our oil with Caffia ; and die the Calabrian fleece with the filthy blood of the nuuex : — To fcrape the pearl from the (hell, and run the cold from its ore : — It is wicked, it is wicked indeed, but ftill perfevere in our wicke'dnels. But tell me, ye pontiff's, who ought to know better things, of what benefit is gold in your facred rites ? No more than the puppets were to Venus, which were offered her by young virgins. Let us then make an offering of that which the blind fa- mily of Meffala cannot pre fen t from their large cenfors, a mind well feafoned with a true notion of divine and human laws ; the inward recedes of the mind pure and holy ; a heart thoroughly impregnated with native honour and honefly : let me but enter the temple with thefe, and a little cake or flower fhali be acceptable to the gods. . . .. i ■innmiiliMiil— — «— ^— Socrates on the goodncls of God. A S Socrates confidered Virtue and Piety as the two grand pillars of a ftate ; and was fully perfuaded that all other qualifications whatever, without the knowledge and practice of thefe, would, inftead of enabling men to do good, ferve, on the contrary, to render them more wicked, and more ca- pable of doing mifchief: — for that reafon, he never preffed his friends to enter into any public office, until he had firft inftru&ed them in their duty to God, and mankind. But above all, he endeavoured to inftil into their minds pioilsfen- fiments of the Deity : — frequently difplaying before them high and noble defcriptions of the divine power, wifdom, and goodriefs, — But feeing feveral have already written what they had hend him fay on divers occafions upon this fubjeel, I will content myfelf with relating fome things which he faid to Euthydemus, when I my felt was pre fent. Have you never reilecled, Euthydemus, on the great goodnefs of the Deity, in giving to men whatever they want? Indeed I never have, anfwered he. You fee, replied Socrates, how very neceffary light is for us, and how the £ods Book XI, SACRED LITERATURE. 1S3 gods give it us. You fay true, anfwered- Euthydemus, and without light we (hould be like the blind. — But becaufe we have need of repofe, they have given us the night to reft in, the night, which, of all times, is the fittcfl for repofe. You are in the right, faid Euthydemus, and we ought to render them many praifes for it. Moreover, continued So- crates, as the fun is a luminous body, and by the brightnefs of his beams di (cover to us all vifible things, and ihews us the hours of the day ; and as, on the'contrary, the night is duficy and obfcure, they have made the Stars to appear, which, during the abfence of the day, mark the hours to us ; by which means we can do many things we have occafion for. They have likewife made the Moon to fnine, which not only fhews us the hours of the night, but teaches us to know, the time of the month. All this is true, faid Euthydemus. Have you not taken notice likewife, that having need of nourifhment, they fupply us with it, by the means of the earth ? How excellently the feafons are ordered for the fruits of the earth, of which we have fuchan abundance, and fo great a variety, that we find, not only wherewith to fupply our real wants, but to fatisfy even our luxury itfelf ? This goodnefs of the gods, cried Euthydemus, is an evidence of the great love they bear to men. What fay you, continued Socrates, to their havinggiven us water, wiiich is lb necelfary for all things ? For it is that which allifls the earth to produce the fruits,, and that contributes, with the influences irom above, to bring them to maturity : it helps to nourifh us ; and, by being mingled with what we eat, makes it more eafily got ready, more ufeful, and more delightful : in fhort, being of fo univerfalan ufe, is it not an admirable providence that has made it fo common ? What fay you to their having given us Fire, which defends us from cold, which lights us when it is dark, which is necelfary to us in all trades, and which we cannot be without, in the mod excellent and ufeful inven- tions of men. Without exaggeration, faid Euthydemus, this goodnefs is immenfe. What fay you befides, purfued Socrates, to fee that after the Winter, the Sun comes back to us, and that proportionably as he brings the new fruits to maturity, he withers and dries thofe whofe feafon is going over: that after having done us this fervice, he retires, that his heat may not incommode us : and then, when he is gone back to a certain point, which he cannot tranfgrefs, without putting us in danger of dying with cold, he returns again to re-take his place again in this part of the heavens, where his prefence is moft advantageous to us ? And becaufe we fhould not 384 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XX. not be able to fupport eitber cold or heat, if we puffed in an inftant from one extreme to the other, do you not admire, that this planet approaches us, and withdraws himfelf from tis by lb juft and flow degrees, that we arrive at the two ex- tremes, without almoft perceiving the change ? All thefe things, faid Euthydemus, make me doubt, whether the gods have any thing to do, but to ferve mankind. One thing puts me to a ftand, that the irrational animals participate of all thefe advantages with us. How ! faid Socrates ; and do you then doubt whether the animals themfelves are in the world for any other end, than for the fervice of man? What other animals do, likeus make ufe of horfes, of oxen, of dogs, of goats, and of the reft ? Nay, I am of opinion, that man receives not fo much advantage from the earth, as from the animals ; for the greateft part of mankind live not on the fruits of the earth, but nourifh themfelves with milk, cheefe, and the flefh of beafts : they get the maftery over them, they make them tame, and ufe them to their great ad- vantage in war, and for the other neceffities of life. I own it, laid Euthydemus : for fome of them are much ftronger than man, and yet are fo obedient to him, that he does with them whatever he pleafes.' Admire yet further the goodnefs of the gods, faid Socrates, and confider, that as there is in the world an infinite number of excellent and ufeful things, but of very different natures, they have given us external fenfes, which correfpond to each of thofe fenlible obje6ts, and by means of which fenfes we can perceive and enjoy all of them. They have belides endued us with reafon and under- Handing, which enable us to difcern between thofe things that the fenfes diicover to us ; to enquire into the different natures of things ufeful and 'things hurtful, and fo to know by ex- perience which to chufe, and which to reject. — They have likewife given us fpeech, by means whereof we communicate our thoughts to each other, and in ft ruci one another in the knowledge of whatever is excellent and good ; — by which allowe publifh our laws, and govern ftates. In fine, as we cannot always forefee what is to happen to us, nor know what it will be beft for us to do, the gods offer us likewife their affiftance by the means of the oracles : they difcover the future to us, when we go to confult them, and teach us how to behave ourfelves in the affairs of life. Here Euthydemus, interrupting him, faid, and indeed thefe gods are in this refpeft more favourable to you than to the reft of mankind ; fince, without expecting you to confult Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. ^5 confult them, they give you notice of what you ought, and ought not to do. You will allow therefore that I told you true, faid Socrates, when I told you there were o0ds, and that they take great care of men : but expe6l not&that they will appear to you, and prefent themfelves before your eyes , let it fufficeyouto behold their works, and to adore them, and be perfuaded, that this is the way by which they manifeft themfelves to men : for among all the gods that are fo liberal to us, there is not one who renders himfelf vifible to confer on us his favours. And that Supreme God, who built the univerfe, and who fupports this great work, whole every part is accomplished in beauty and goodnefs ; He, who is the caufe that none of its parts grow old with time, and that they preferve themfelves always in an immortal vigour ; who is the caufe befides that they inviolably obey his laws, with a readine/s that furpafles our imagination ; He, I fav' is vifible enough in the fo many wondrous works of which he is author ; but our eyes cannot penetrate even into his throne, to behold him in thef'e great occupations : and in that manner it is that he is always invifible. Do but confider that the fun, whofeems to be expofcd to the fight of all the world, does not fuffer us to gaze fixedly upon him ; and whoever has the temerity to undertake it, is punifhed with fudden blindnefs. Befides, whatever the gods make ufeof is invifible : the thunder is lanced from above, it fhatters all it finds in its way : but we fee it not fall, we fee it not ftrike, we fee it not return. The winds are invifible, thouoh we fee the defolations they daily make, and eafily feel when they grow boifterous. If there be any thing in man, that partakes of the divine nature, it is his foul, which beyond all difpute, guides and governs hirn ; and yet we cannot fee it. Let all this therefore teach you not to negleft or disbe- lieve the Deity, becaufe he is invifible : learn to know his prefence and power, from the vifible effects of it in the world around you ; be perfuaded of the univerfal care and provi- dence of the all-iurrounding Deity, from the bleffiflgs he mowers down upon all his creatures ; and be fure to worfnip and ferve this God in a becoming manner. I am fure, faid Euthydemus, I fhall never derogate from therefpect due to the gods, and I am even troubled, that every man cannot fufficiently acknowledge the benefits he receives from them. Be not affli&ed at that, faid Socrates, ior you know what anfwer the Delphian oracle is wont to re- turn to thofe who are to enquire what they ou»ht to do jn order to make an acceptable facrifice. Follow The cuftom of 186 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XL of your country, fays he to them: now, it is a cuftom received in all places, for every man to facrifice to them according to his power ? And by confequence there is no better nor more pious a way of honouring the gods than that, fmce they themfelves ordain and approve it. It is indeed atruth, that we ought not to fpare anything of what we are able to offer, for that would be a manifeft contempt : when, therefore, a man has done all that is in his power to do, he ought to fear nothing, and hope all : for, from whence can we reafonably hope for more, than from thofe in whofe power it is to do us the greatefl good? And by what other way can we more eahly obtain it, than by making ourfelves. acceptable to them? Ana how can we better make ourfelves acceptable to them, than by doing their will ? , This is what Socrates taught, and by this doctrine, which was always accompanied with an exemplary devotion, he greatly advanced his friends in piety. Xenophons Memorabilia. Socrates Jlicweth how to ged rid of Poverty. S O C R ATE S had an extreme tendernefs for his friends, snd if through imprudence they fell into any misfortune, he endeavoured to comfort them by his good counfels: if they laboured under poverty, he did all he could to relieve them, teaching all men that they ought mutually to aflift one ano- ther in neceffity. — I will let down fome examples of his be- haviour on thefe occafions. Meeting Arifhrchus, who looked very dejected, he faid to him ; I fee, Ariftarchus, that fomething troubles you : but impart the caufe of your grief to your friends, and per- haps we may comfort you. Indeed, laid he, I am in great affliction: for fmce the late troubles, many perfons having fled for fhelter to the Piraeus, it has fo fallen out that my fillers, nieces, and coufins have all thrown themfelves upon me, fo that I have no lefs than fourteen of them to maintain. "Vou know very well that we receive no profit of our lands, the enemies being matters of the open country : our houfes in the city are uninhabited, there being at prefent very little company in Athens: no body will buy any goods, no man will lend money upon any interelt whatever, and I believe we may as foon take it up in the middle of the ftreets, as find where to borrow it. And I am much concerned that I fhali not be able to affift my relations whom I fee ready to perifh, while Book XL SACRED LITERATURE. 187 while it is impoflible for me to maintain them in the prefent fcarcity of all things. Socrates having heard him patiently faid to him: How comes it to pafs, that Ceramon, who has fo many perfons in his family, finds means not only to maintain them, but likewife to enrich himfelf by the profit he makes of them, and that you are afraid of fhrving to death, becaufe you have a great many in your family? The reafon, anfwered Ariflarchus, is this, Ceramon has none but flaves to take care of, and I am to provide for perfons who are free. Socrates went on : for which have you mod efteem, for Ceramon's (laves, or for the perfons who are at your houfe? There is no comparifon between them, faid Ariftarchus. Is it not then a (hameful thing, replied So- crates, that Ceramon 'fhould grow rich, by means of thofe whom you acknowledge to be of lefs value, and that you fhould grow poor, and be reduced to ilraits, though you keep men of condition, in your houfe, whom you value more ? — By no means, faid Ariftarchus, there is a wide difference betwixt the two ; the flaves that Ceramon keeps, follow lome trades ; but the perfons I have with me, have had a liberal education, and follow none. May not he, replied Socrates, who knows how to do any thing that is ufeful, be faid to know a trade ? — Yes certainly. And are not, continued Socrates, oat-meal, bread, the clothes of men and women, caffacks, coats, and other the like manufactures, things very ufeful !— Without doubt. — And do not the perfons at your houfe know how to make any of thefe things? On the contrary, faid Ariftarchus, I believe they know how to make all of them. What are you then afraid of, added Socrates ? Why do you complain of poverty, fince you know how to get rich? Do not you obferve how wealthy Nauficides is become, what numerous herds he is mafter of, and what vaft fums he lends the republic? Now, what made this man fo rich? Why, nothing but one of thofe manufactures we mentioned, that of making oat-meal. You fee too that Cirtbes keeps all his family, and lives at his eafe upon what he has got by being a baker. And how doth Demeas, of the village of Colyttus, get his livelihood ? By making caffacks. What makes Menon live fo comfortably? His cloak manufactory. And are not moft of the inhabitants of Me- gara, in good circumftances enough, by the trade which they drive of coats and fliort jackets ? I grant all this, faid Arif- archus ; but ftili there is a difference betwixt thefe perfons and me: for, whereas they have with them fome barbarians whom they have bought, and compel to work, that brings them in gain ; I, for my part, keep only ladies and gentle- men 188 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XI. men at my houfe, perfons who are free, and fome of them, my own relations. — Now, would you have me to fet them to work? And becaufe they are free and your relations, faid Socrates, do you think they ought to do nothing but eat and fleep ? Do you obferve, that they who live thus idle and at their eafe, lead more comfortable lives than others ? Do you think them more content, morechearful, that is to fay, more happy than thofe who employ themfelves in any of thole manufactures we have mentioned, or in whatever elfe tends to the utility or convenience of life ? Do you imagine, that idlenefs and lazinefs contribute toward our learning things necefTary ; that they can enable us to retain thofe things we have already learnt ; — that they help to flrengthen the body, or keep it in health ; — that they can a (lift us to get riches, or keep what we have. got already ; — and do you believe that labour and induftry are good for nothing? Why did your ladies learn what you fay they know, did they believe them to be ufelefs things, and had they refolved never to put them in practice? Or, on the contrary, was it with defign to employ themfelves in thofe matters, and to get fomething by them ? Is it a greater piece of wifdom to fit ftill, and do nothing, than to bufy one's felf in things that are of ufe'in life, and that turn to account? And is it not more reafonable for a man to work, than to be with his arms acrofs, thinking how he (hall do to live ? Shall I tell you my mind, Ariftarchus? Well then, I am of, opinion, that in the con- dition you are in, you cannot love your guefts, nor they you : for this reafon, that you, on the one hand, feel they are a burden to you ; and they, on the other, perceive you uneafy and difcontented, on their account. And it is to be feared, that the difcontent will encreafe on both fides, and that the fenie of paft favours will wear off : but when you fet them to work, you will begin to love them, becaufe they will bring you fome profit : and when they find that you regard them with more complacency, they will not fail to have more love for you. The remembranceof your kindneffes will be more grateful to them, and the obligations they have to you will be the greater. In a word, you will be kinder relations, and better friends. Indeed, if what they were to do, was a thing worthy of blame, it would be better to die than to think of it ; but what they can do is honourable, and becoming of their fex: and whoever knows how to do a thing well, will acquit himfelf of it with honour and pleafure. Therefore defer no longer to make the propofal to them, fmceit will be advantageous to all of you, and be allured they will receive it with Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE.. 189 with joy and pleafure. Good God ! what a fine fcheme you have propofed ! Indeed I cannot but approve of it ; nay, it has made fuch a wonderful impreftion on my mind, t ha whereas I was lately againft borrowing money at all, becaufe I faw that when I had fpent it, I mould not be in a condition to repay it ; I am now refolved to go try where I can take fome up upon any terms, to buy tools and other materials to fet ourfelves to work. What was propofed, was forthwith executed : Ariftarchus bought what he wanted, he laid in a provifion of wool, and the ladies worked from morning to night. This occu- pation diverted their melancholy, and inftead of the un- eafmefs there was before between them and Ariftarchus, thev began to live in a reciprocal fatisfa&ion : the ladies loved him, as their prote6tor, and he confidered them as perfons who were very ufeful and neceffary to him. To conclude : fome time afterwards, Ariftarchus came to fee Socrates, and related the whole matter to him with great content, and told him the women began to complain that none but he was idle. Why do you not put them in mind, faid Socrates, of the fable of the dog? For, in the days when, beafts could fpeak, according to the fable, the flieep faid to her mafter, You are a ftrange man, we yield you wool, lambs, and cheefes, and yet you give us nothing but wIkic we can get upon the ground : and the dog, who brings you in no profit, is kindly ufed, for you feed him with the fame bread you eat yourfelf. The dog, over hearing this com- plaint, anfwered her : It is not without reafon that I am ufed fo well : it is I who protect you ; it is I who hinder thieves from taking you awayj and wolves from fuckin^ your blood : if I were not always keeping watch about you, you would not dare fo much as to goto feed. This anfwer was the reafon, that the fheep yielded freely to the dog, the honour they pretended to before. In like manner, do you alfo let thefe ladies know, that it is you who are their guardian and protector, and that you watch over them for their fafety, with as much care as a faithful and courageous dog watcheth over a herd committed to his charge. Tell them, that becaufe of you no man dares hurt them, and that it is by your means, that they live at eafe and in fafetv. Xenophon's Memorabilia. Homer'; igo SACRED LITERATURE. Book XI. Homer's view ofthejlate of the damned. HIGH on a throne tremendous to behold, Stern Minos waves a mace of burnifh'd gold ; Around ten thoufand thoufand fpe£lres ftand Thro' the wide dome of Dis, a trembling band. Still as they plead, the fatal lots he rolls, Abfolves the juft, and dooms the guilty fouls. There huge Orion of portentous fize, Swift thro' the gloom a giant-hunter flies ; A pond'rous mace of brafs with direful fway Aloft he whirls, to crufh the favage prey ; Stern beafts in trains that by his truncheon fell, Now grifly forms, fhoot o'er the lawns of hell. There Tityus large and long, in fetters bound, O'erfpreads nine acres of infernal ground ; Two rav'nous vultures, furious for their food, Scream o'er the fiend, and riot in his blood, Inceffant gore the liver in his breaft, Th' immortal liver grows, and gives th' immortal feaft. For as o'er Panope's enamell'd plains Latona journey 'd to the Pythian fanes, - With haughty love the audacious monfter flro've To force the Goddefs, and to rival Jove. There Tantalus along the Stygian bounds Pours out deep groans ; (with groans all hell refounds) Ev'n in the circling floods refrefhment craves, And pines with third amidft a fea of waves : When to the water he his lip applies, Back from his lip the treach'rous water flies. Above, beneath, around his haplefs head, Trees of all kinds delicious fruitage fpread ; ' There figs fky-dy'd, a purple hue clifcloie, Green looks the olive, the pomegranate glows, There dangling pears exalted fcents unfold, And yellow apples ripen into gold; The fruit he ftrives to feize : but blaftsarife, Tofs it on high, and whirl it to the ikies. I tum'd my eye, and as I turn'd furvey'd A mournful vifion ! the Sifyphian (hade ; With many a weary ftep, and many a groan, Up the hill he heaves a huge round ftone ; The huge round Rone, re Halting with a bound, Thunders impetuous down, audfmokes along the ground. Again Book XL SACRED LITERATURE. 191 Again the reftlefs orb his toil renews. Dufl mounts in clouds, and fvveet defcends in dew. Odyjfey 1 1 1 h book. Virgil's account of thofewho died for love, in the feparatejlale. MINOS the ftrift inquifitor appears ; And lives and crimes, with his affeffors, hears. Round, in his urn, the blended balls he rolls ; Abfolves the juft, and dooms the guilty fouls. The next in place, and puniihment, are they Who prodigally throw their fouls away. Fools, who repining at their wretched ftate, And loathing anxious life, fuborn'd their fate. With late repentance now they would retrieve The bodies they forfook, and wifh to live ,* Their pains and poverty delire to bear, To view the light of heaven, and breathe the vital air : But fate forbids ; the Stygian floods oppofe : And, with nine circling ftreams, the captive fouls inclofe. Not far from thence, the mournful fields appear ; So call'd, from lovers that inhabit there. The fouls, whom that unhappy flame invades, In fecret folitude, and myrtle fnades, Make endlefs moans, and pining with defire, Lament too late, their unextinguifh'd fire. Here Procris, Eryphilee, here he found Baring her breaft, yet bleeding with the wound, . Made by her fon. He law Pafiphae there, With Phaedra's ghoft, a foul inceftuous pair ; There Laodamia, with Evadne moves : Unhappy both ; but loyal in their loves. Caeneus, a woman once, and once a man ; But ending in the fex fhetirft began. Not far from thefe, Phoenician Dido flood ; Fiefh from her wound, her bofom bath'd in blood. JEnels 6. Virgil's iga SACRED LITERATURE. Book XI. Virgil's view of the kappinefs of the blejfed. THEY took their way, Where long extended plains of" pleafure lay. The verdant fields with thofe of heaven may vie ; With aether veiled, and a purple Iky : The blifsful feats of happy fouls below : Stars of their own, and their own funs they know. Their airy limbs in fports they exercife, And, on the green, contend the wreftler's prize. Some, in heroic verfe, divinely ling ; Others in artful meafures lead the ring. The Thracian bard, furrounded by the reft, There ftands confpicuous in his flowing \eii. His Hying fingers, and harmonious quill, Strike feven diftinguifh'd notes, and feven at once they fill. Here found they Teucer's old heroic race ; Born better times and happier years to grace. Affarcus and Illus here enjoy Perpetual fame, with him who founded Troy, The chief beheld their chariots from afar; Their fhining arms, and courfers train'd to war : Their lances fix'd in earth, their fteeds around, Free from their harnefs, graze the flowery grouad. The love of horfes which they had alive, And care of chariots, after-death furvive. Some ch earful fouls were feafling on the plain ; Some did the fong, and fome their choir maintain. Beneath a laurel (hade, where mighty Po Mounts up to woods above, and hides his head below, Here patriots live, who, for their country's good, In fighting fields, were prodigal of blood : Priefts of unblemifh'd lives here make abode ; . And poets worthy their infpiringgod : And iearching wits, of more mechanic parts, Who grae'd their age with new invented arts. • Thofe, who to worth their bounty did extend ; And thofe who knew that bounty to commend. The heads of thefe with holy fillets bound ; And all their temples were with garlands crown'd. jEneis6. Virgil's Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. igg Virgil's account of the fumjhmcnt of the damned. THESE are the realms of unrelenting fate : And awful Rhadamanthus rules the (late. He hears and judges each committed crime ; Enquires into the manner, place, and time. The confcious wretch muft all his a£is reveal : Lo3th to confefs, unable to conceal : From the firft moment of his vital breath, To his laft hour of unrepenting death. Straight, o'er the guilty; ghoft, the fury (hakes The founding whip, and brandiffies her fnakes I And the pale finner, with her fitters, takes, Then, of itfelf, unfolds th' eternal door : With dreadful founds the brazen hinges roar. You fee, before the gate, what (talking ghoft Commands the guard, what centries keep the pod : More formidable Hydra (lands within ; Whofe jaws with iron teeth feverely grin. The gaping gulph, low to the centre lies : And twice as deep as earth is diftant from the Ikies. The rivals of the gods, the Titan race, Here fing'd with lightning, roll within th'unfathom'd fpace. Here lie th' Alaen twins, (I faw them both) Enormous bodies, of gigantic growth ; Who dar'd in fight the thund'rer to defy; Affect his heaven, and force him from the Iky. Salmoneus, fuff 'ring cruel pains, I found, For emulating Jove ; the rattling found Of mimic thunder, and the glitt'ring blaze Of pointed lightnings, and their forkyrays. Thro' Elis, and the Grecian towns he flew: Th' audacious wretch four fiery courfers drew : He wav'd a torch aloft, and, madly vain. Sought godlike worfhip from a fervile train. Ambitious fool, with horny hoofs to pafs . O'er hollow arches of refounding brafs ; To rival thunder in its rapid courfe : And imitate inimitable force. But he, the king of heaven, obfcure on high, Bar'd his red arm, and launching from the (ky His writben bolt, not (baking empty fmoke. Down to the deep abyfs the naming felon ftrook. Vol. IV. N There '94 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XI. There Tytius was to fee ; who took his birth From heaven, his nurfing from the foodful earth. Here his gigantic limbs, with large embrace, Infold nine acres of infernal fpace. A rav'nous vulture in his open'd fide, Her crooked beak and cruel talons try'd : Still for the growing liver digg'd his bread ; The growing-liver it ill fupply'd the feaft. Still are his entrails fruitful to their pains : Th' immortal hunger lads, th' immortal food remains. Ixion and Perithous I could name ; And more ThefTalian chiefs of mighty fame. High o'er their heads a mould'ring rock is plac'd. That promifesa fall, and {hakes at ev'ryblaft. They lie below, on golden beds difplayed, And genial leads, with regal pomp are made. The queen of furies by their fides is fet ; And-fnatches from their mouths th' untafted meat. Which, if they touch, her hiding fnakes (he rears : Tolling her torch, and thund'ring in their ears. Then they, who brothers better claim difown, Expel their parents, andufurp the throne; Defraud their clients, and to lucre fold, Sit brooding on unprofitable gold : Who dare not give, and e'en refufe to lend To their poor kindred, or a wanting friend : Vaft is the throng of thefe; nor lels the train Of luftful youths, for foul adult'ry flain. Hods of deferters, who their honour fold, And bafely broke their faith for bribes of gold. All thefe within the dungeon's depth remain : Defpairing pardon, and expecting pain. Afk not what pains : nor farther leek to know Their procefs, or the forms of law below. Some roll a weighty done ; fome laid along, And bound with burning wires, on fpokes of wheels are hung. Unhappy Thefeus, doom'd for ever there, Is fix'd by fate on his eternal chair : And wretched Ph'egias warns the world with cries ■* (Could warning make the world more jud or wife,) I Learn righteoumeis, and dread th* avenging deities. J To tyrants others have their country Ibid, Imposing foreign lords, for foreign gold : Some Book XL SACRED LITERATURE. *95 Some have old laws repeal'd, new ftatutes made; Not as the people pleas'd, but as they paid. With inceft fome their daughter's bed profan'd, Alldard the word of ills, and what they dar'd, attain'd. Had I a hundred mouths, a hundred tongues, And throats of brafs, infpir'd with iron lungs, I could not half thole horrid crimes repeat; Nor half the punifhments thole crimes have met. jEnei; 6# Virgil's account of Purgatory. KNOWfirft, that heaven, and earth's compacted frame, And both the radiant lights, one common foul Infpires, and feeds, and animates the whole. t This3c~tive mind infus'd thro' aii the fpace, Unites and mingles with the mighty mafs. Hence men and beafts the breath of life obtain ; And birds of air, and monfters of the main. Th' etherial vigour is in all the fame, And ev'ry foul is fill'd with equal flame : As much as earthy limbs, and grofs allay Of mortal members, fubject to decay, Blunt not the beams of heaven and edge of day. From this coarfe mixture of terreftrial parts, Defire, and fear, by turns poffefs their hearts : And grief, and joy : nor can the grov'ling mind, In the dark dungeon of the limbs confin'd, Aifert the native ikies ; or own its' heavenly kind. Nor death itfelf can wholly wafh their ftains : But long contra&ed faith, even in the foul remains. The relics of inveterate vice they wear; Andfpots of iinobfcene, in ev'ry face appear. For this are various penances enjoin'd ; And fome are hung to bleach, upon the wind ; Some plung'd in waters, others purg'din fires, Till all the dregs are drain'd ; and all the ruff, expires : All have their Ivlanes, and thofe Manes bear : J The few, lb cleans'd to thefe abodes repair : I And breathe, in ample fields, the foft Elyfian air. ' J Then are they happy, when by length of time The fcurf is worn away, of each committed crime. No fpeck is left, of their habitual ftains ; But the pure aether of the foul remains. N 2 But, j96 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XI. But, when a thoufand rolling years are paft, (So long their punilhments and penance laft ;) Whole droves of minds are, by the driving god, Compell'd to drink the deep Lethaean flood : In large forgettul draughts to fteep the cares Of their pad labours, and their irkfome years. That unrememb'ring of its former pain, The foul may iuffer mortal liefli again. JEne'is 6. On the nature of the human Soul. THE origin of the foul of man is not to be found in any thing earthly, for there is nothing in the foul mixt or con- crete, or that has any appearance of being formed or made out of earth ; nothing even humid, airy, fiery; for what is there in fuch natures, that has the power of memory, un- derftanding, or thought? that can recollect the paft ; fore- fee future things ; and comprehend the prefent ? which are divine properties alone; nor can we difcover whence men could have thefe, but from God. There is therefore a pe- culiar nature and power in the foul, diftinft from thofe na- tures, more known and familiar to us. Whatever then that is, which thinks, which has underftanding, volition, a princi- ple of life, is heavenly and divine, and on that account nmft necelfarily be eternal : nor can God himlelf, who is known to us, be conceived otherwife, than a foul free and unem- barraifed, diftinct from all mortal concretion, acquainted with every thing, and giving motion to it, itfelf endued with perpetual motion. Of this kind and nature is the foul of man. Should you be afked then, what this foul is? where is your own? or what is it? what anfwercan I make? If I have not faculties for knowing all that I could defue to know, you will allow me, I hope, to make ufe of thofe I have. The foul is not equal to the difcerning of itfelf; yet, the foul, like the eye^, tho' it has no reflex view of itfelf, lees other things : it doth not fee, (which is of the leaft confequence) its own fhape ; perhaps not ; tho' it poffibly may ; but we will pafs that by : but it certainly lees that it has vigour, fagacity, mem6ry, motion, velocity; thefe are all great, divine, eternal pro- perties: what its appearance is, or where it dwells, is not matter of enquiry : as when we behold, firft the lucid ap- pearance of the heaven-:; then, the vaft verocity of its revolu- tions, beyond the imagination of our thought: the'viciflitudes ot Book XL SACRED LITERATURE. i97 of nights and days ; the four-ibld divifion of the feafons, adapted to the ripening of the fruits of the earth, and the temperature of our bodies ; and then look up to the fun, the moderator and governor of allthefe ; view the moon, by the increafe and decreale of its light, marking as it were, and appointing our holy-days; and fee the five planets, carried in the fame circles, divided into twelve parts, prc- fervino; invariably the fame courfes, with diffirnilar motions amongft themfelves ; and the nightly appearance of the heaven, adorned on all fides with Iters ; then, the globe of the earth, railed above the fea, placed in the centre. of the univerfe, inhabited and cultivated in its two oppofite extre- mities ; one of them the place of our habitation, fituated to the north pole, under the feven Iters. Where the cold northern blafb, with horrid found, Hardens to ice, the fnowy cover'd ground. The other, the fouth pole, unknown to us, called by the Greeks aimxficva, other parts uncultivated, becaufe either frozen with cold, or burnt up with heat ; but where we dwell, it never fails in its feafon, To yield a placid fky, to bid the trees Affume the lively verdure of their leaves ; The vine to bud, and joyful in its fhoots, Foretel th' approaching vintage oi its fruits ; The ripen'd corn to ring, whilft all around Full riv'lets glide ; and flowers deck the ground. Then the multitude of cattle, part for food, part for tilling the ground, others for carriage, for cloathing ; and man him- felf made as it were on purpofe to contemplate the heavens and the gods, and to pay adoration to them ; lafily, the whole earth, and wide extending feas, given to man's ufe. When we view thefe, and numberlel's other things, can we doubt that fomething prelides over thefe, or made them ! If they are made, as is the opinion of Plato : or if, as Ariftotle thinks, they are eternal ; fo great a work, and fo great a bleffing, cannot be fuppofed, without a director. Thus tho' you fee not the foul of man, as you fee not the Deity ; yet, as you acknowledge a God, from his works, fo own the divine power of the foul, from its remembering things, its invention, the quicknefs of its motion, and from every charm of virtue. But where is it feated? fay you. My opinion is, in the head, and I can bring you realbns for my opinion; but of thofe elfewhere. At prefent, let the foul retide where it will, you certainly have one in you. N 3 Should 198 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XL Should you afk what its nature is 5 It has one peculiarly its own : but admitting it to be of fire, or air, it doth not affect the queftion ; only obferve this, as you are convinced there is a God, tho' you are ignorant where he refides", and whit ihape he is of; fo you {hould be allured you have a foul, tho' you cannot fatisiy yourfelf of the place of its refidence, nor the fafhion of it. In our knowledge of the foul, unlefs we are grofsly ignorant in phyfics, we cannot but be fatisfied, that it has nothing but what is fimple, unmixed, uncompounded ; which admitted of it cannot be feparated, nor divided, difperfed or parted, and therefore not perifh ; for to perifh implies parting afunder, a divifion, a difunion of thofe parts which, whilfi it fubfifled, were held together by fome band. Induced by thefe and fuch like reafons, Socrates neither looked out for any body to plead for him, when acculed, nor begged any favour from his judges, but maintained a manly freedom, not the effect of pride; but of the true greatnefs of his foul ; and on the laft day of his life, he held much difcourfe on this fubject ; and a few days before he ref .ifed his liberty, when he might have been eafily freed from his confinement, and when he had hold, in a manner cf that deadly cup, he fpoke, with an air of one not forced to Uie, but as afcending into heaven. Cicero's Tufculan Disputations. Happinefs of dying. LET us lay the foundation of our happinefs in the ftrength and greatnefs of our mind, in a contempt and dii- regard for all earthly things, and in the practice of every virtue. For at prefent we are enervated by the delicacy of our imaginations, that we fhould leave this world before the promifes of our fortune-tellers are made good to us, we {hould think ourfelves deprived of fome great advantages, and feem difappointed and forlorn : but if through life we are in continual fufpenfe, ft ill expecting, ft ill defiring, and are in continual pain and torture : good gods ! how pleafant mud that journey be, which ends in fecurity and eafe ! How pleafed am I with Theramenes ! of how exalted a foul he appears ! Though we never read of him without tears ; yet that excellent man is not to be lamented in his death ; who, when imprifoned by the command of the thirty tyrants, drank off at one draught, as if he had been thirfty, the poifoned cup, and threw the remainder out of it, with fuch force, that it founded as it fell. On hearing the found of it, he with a fmile faid, I drink this to the handfome Critias ; who .Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. 199 who had been the moft fevere againft him : for it is cufto- mary with the Greeks, at their banquets to name the perfon to whom they intend to deliver the cup. This excellent man was pleal'ant to the lad, even when he had received the poifon into his bowels ; and truely Foretold his death, to whom he drank of the poifon, which foon followed. Who that thought death an evil, could approve of the evennefs of temper in this great span, at the inftant of dying? Socrates came a few years after to the fame prifon and the fame cup, by the like iniquity of his judges, as Theramenes by that oi "thetyrants.Whut a fpeechis that which Plato makes him ufe before his judges, after they had condemned him to death ? I am not without hopes," O judges, that it is a favourable circumftance to me, that I am condemned to die : for one of thefe two things muft neceffarily be, that either death will deprive me of all fenfe ; or by dying I (hall go hence into fome other place ; wherefore if I am deprived of fenfe, and death is like that deep, which fometimes is fo undifturbed, as to be even without the vifions of dreams ; good gods ! what gain is it to die? or what length of days can be pro- fitable to fuch a night ? And if the conflant courfe of future time mould referable that night, who is happier than I am ? But if what is faid be true, that death is but a removal to thofe regions where the fouls of the departed dwell ; that ftill muft be more happy ; to have efcaped from thofe who call themfelves judges, and to appear before fuch as are truly fo, Minos, Rhadamanthus, iEacus, Triptolemus ; and to meet with thofe who have lived with juftice and probity I Can this change of abode appear otherwife than great to you ? to converfe with Orpheus, Mufceus, Homer, Hefiod, is a privilege of ineftimable value ! I would, willingly, were it poffible, die often, in order to prove the certainty of what I fpeak of. What fatisfa&ion muft it be to meet with Palamedes, Ajax, and others, betrayed by the iniquity of their judges ? I would prove the wifdom even of that king of kings, who led fuch mighty troops to Troy, that of Ulyffes and' Sifyphus : nor mould I be condemned as I was here, for fuch an enquiry. And as for you, my judges, who have abfolved me, ye need not fear death, for nothing bad can befal a good man, whether dead or living, nor are his concerns overlooked by the gods, nor has this befel me by chance ; nor have I ought to charge thofe with, who accufed or condemned me, but their intention of doing me harm. In this manner he proceeded ; but nothing I more admire than his laft words ; But it is time, faith he, for me, to go hence loo SACRED LITERATURE. Book XI. hence to death ; you, to your employs of life ; the immortal gods know what is beft ; indeed I believe no mortal doth. Cicefo's Tnfculan Deputations. On the diforders of the mind. W H A Treafon (hall I affign, why, as we confifl of foul and body, the art of curing and preferving the body fhould be fo much fought after, and the invention of it as being fo ufeful, fhould be afcribed to the immortal gods ; but the medicine of the foul fhould neither be the obje6t of enquiry, whilft it was unknown, nor fo much improved after its dif- covery, nor fo well received or approved by Come, dif- agreeable, arid looked on with an envious eye by many others? It is becaufe the foul judges of the pains and dif- orders of the body, but we do not form any judgment of the foul by the body? Hence it comes that the loul never judges of itfelf, but when that by which itielf is judged is in a bad ftate. Had nature given us faculties for diicerning and viewing herfelf, and could we go through life by keeping our eye on her own beft guide, no one certainly would be in want of philofophy or learning: But as it is, fhe has fur- nifhed us only with a few fparks, which we foon fo extinguifh by bad morals and depraved cuftoms, that the light of nature is quite put out. The feeds of virtues are connatural to our conftitutions, and were they fuffered to come to ma- turity, would naturally conduct us to a happy life ; but now, as foon as we are born and received into the world, we are inftantly familiarized to all kinds of depravity and wrong opinions ; fo that we may be laid almoft to fuck in error with our nurfes milk. When we return to our parents, and are put into the hands of tutors and governors, we imbibe fo manv errors, that truth gives place to falfhood, and nature herlelf to eftablifhed opinion. To thefe we may add the poets ; who, on account of the appearance they exhibit ol learning and wifdom, are heard, read, and got by heart, and make a deep impreflion on our minds. But when to thefe are added the people who are as it were one great body of inftru&ors, and the multitude who declare unanimoufly for vice, then are we altogether overwhelmed with bad-opinions, and revolt entirely from nature ; fo that they feem to deprive us of our beft; guide, who have afcribed all greatnefs, worth, and excellence, to honour, and power and popular glory, which indeed every man aims at ; but whilft he Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. so* he purfuesthat only true honefty, which nature has in view, he finds himfelf bufied in arrant trifles, and in puriuit of no confpicuous form of virtue, but a fhadowy repre- sentation of glory. For glory is a real and exprefs fubftance, not a mere ihadow. It confills in the united praife of good men, the free voice of thole who form true judgments of excellent virtue ; it is as it were the very echo of virtue ; which being generally the attendant on laudable a6tions fhould not be flighted by good men. But popuhr fame, which would pretend to imitate it, is hafty and inconfiderate, and generally commends wicked and immoral actions, and taints the appearance a.nd beauty of the other, by affirming the refemblance of honefty. By not being able to difcover the difference of thefe, fome men, ignorant of real excel- lence, and in what it confifts, have been the deftruction of their country or of themfelves. And thus the beft mm have erred, not fo much in their intentions, as by a miftaken conduct. What is there no cure for thofe who are carried away by the love of money, or the Iuft's of pleafures, by which they are little Ihort of madmen, which is the cafe of all weak people ? or is it becauf'e the diforders of the mind are lefs dangerous than thofe of the body ? or becaufe the body will admit of a cure, but the foul is incurable ? But there are more diforders of the mind than of the body, for the generality, and of a more dangerous nature ; for thefe very diforders, are the more offenfive becaufe they be- long to the mind, and difturb that ; and the mind when difordered, is, as Ennius faith, in a conftant error, it can neither bear or endure any thing, and is under the per- petual influence of defires. Now, what diforders can be worfe to the body than thefe two diftempers of the mind, (for I overlook others) weaknefs, and defires? But how indeed can it be maintained that the foul cannot prefcribe to itfelf, when fhe invented the very phylic for the body? when with regard to bodily cures, conftitution and nature? have a great fhare ; nor do all, who fuffer themfelves to be cured, find inftantly that effect ; but thofe minds which are difpofed to be cured^ and fubmit to the precepts of the wife, may undoubtedly recover a healthy ftate ? Philofophy is certainly the medicine of the foul. For one day well fpent, and agreeable to its precepts, is preferable to an eternity of fin. Cicero's Tufculan Difputations. r\* ao2 SACRED LITERATUiv: A XI. *the Manual of-Efulctus. CHAP. I. ALL things whatfoever may be divided into two forts ; thofe that are, and thofe that are not within our own power: of the former fort are our opinions and notions of things, our affections, our delires, and our averfions. And in fhort, all our actions of every kind are iri our own power. Of the latter are, the body, riches, glory, magiftracies, and in a word, whatever is not our own proper action. CHAP. II. The things in our own power, are in their own nature free, not capable of being countermanded, or hindred ; but thofe that are not in our power, are feeble, fervile, liable to oppolition, and not ours, but anothers. CHAP. III. Remember then, that if you miftake thofe things for free, which nature hath made Iervile, and fancy that your own*, which is indeed another's ; you (hall be fure to meet with many hindrances and di [appointments, much trouble, and oreat diflractions, and be continually finding fault both with gods and men. But if you take things right, as they really are, look upon no more to be your own, than indeed is fo'; and all that to be another's, which really belongs to him ; nobody fhall ever be able to put any conftraint upon you, nobody (hall check or difappoint you ; you fhall accufe nobody : fhall complain of nothing, fhall never do any thing unwillingly, (hall receive harm from nobody, fhall have no enemy ; for no man will be able to do you any prejudice. CHAP. IV. Since therefore the advantages you propofe to yourfelf, are fo valuable, remember that you ought not to content yourfelf with a cold and moderate purfuit of them ; but that fome things muft be wholly laid afide,, and others you muft be content to fufpend for a while. But if you will needs be grafping at both, and expecl to com pais thefe, and at the fame time attain unto honours and riches too, there will be great hazard of your lofing the latter, by purfuing the former ; but if not lb ; you will be fure to find your- felf fruftrated in all that can make you free and happy, while you purlue the latter, CHAP, Book XL SACRED LITERATURE. 203 CHAP. V. When therefore any frightful and difcouraging imagina- tion affaults you, harden yourfelf, and meet it boldly, with this reflexion, that it is only your apprehenfion of things, and not the real nature of the things themfelves. Then bring it to the teft, and examine it by fuch rules of morality as you are matter of; but efpecially by this moft material diftinction, of things that are or are not in our power. And if upon enquiry it be found one of the latter fort, remembei that it is what you are not at all concerned in, and think of it accordingly. CHAP. VI. Remember, that the thing which recommends any defuc. is a promiie and profpe£t of obtaining the objeft you are in purfuitof; as on the contrary, the thing which your ■jverfion aims at, and propofes to you, is the efcaping the evil you fear. And in thefe cafes, he that is baulked of his defires, is an unfortunate, and he that is overtaken by the mifchief he declines, is a miferable man. But now, if you confine your averfions to thofe evils only which are at the difpofal of your own will, you can never be overtaken by any calamity you would decline ; but if you extend them to fuch things as ficknefs, or poverty, or death, you will or neceffity be miferable. CHAP. VII. Let your averfions then be taken off from all things out of your own power, and transferred to fuch things as are con- trary to the nature of the things within your own power. And as for defires, lay them for the prelent wholly afide : for if you fix them upon things out of your power, you are fure to be unfuccefsful ; and if you would reftrain them to fit and proper objects, iuch as come within it, this is not come to your turn yet. Let your mind therefore go no farther than to mere tendencies and propenfions, to moderate and ufe thefe gently, cautioufly, and without eagernefs. CHAP. VIII. Remember upon all occafions, to reflecl with yourfelf, of what nature and condition thofe things are, that minifier delight, or are ufeful and beneficial to you, or that you have a natural tendernefs for ; and that thefe reflections may anfwer their end, make them familiar, by beginning at the flighted and mod inconfMerable things, and ib riling to the higher and more valuable. For inflance ; if you are fond of an earthen cup, confider \t is but earthen ware, and you cannot 204 SACRED LITERATURE. Boole XL onnot be much troubled or furprized, whenever it happens to be broke. And if you be fond of a child or a wife, confider that thefe are of human, that is, of a frail and mortal nature ; and thus your furprize and concern will be the lefs, when death takes either of them away from you. C II A P. IX. In every action you undertake, confider firfl with your- felf, and weigh well the nature and circumftances of the thing ; nay, though it be lb flight a one, as going to bathe ; jepiefent to yourfelf before-hand, what accidents you may probably meet with. That in a bath there is often rude behaviour, dafhing of water, joftling for paifage, fcurrilous language, and dealing. And when you have done thus, you may with morefecurity go about the thing. To which purpofe you will do well to fay thus to yourfelf: my defign is to bathe, but fo it is too, to preferve my mind and realon undifturbed, while I do fo. For after fuch wife preparation as this, if any thing intervene to obftruct your warning, this reflection will prelently rife upon it : well, but this was not the only tiling I propofed ; that which I chiefly intended, is to keep my mind and reafon undifturbed ; and this I am fure carf never be done, if I fuller every accident to difcom- pofe me chap. x. That which gives Uien difquiet, and makes their Jives naHerable, is not the nature of things as they really are, but the notions and opinions which they form to them- felves concerning them. Thus even death, which we look upon as the moft perplexing and dreadful, hath in truth, nothing of terror in it : for, if it had, Socrates muff needs have feared it as much as we. But our opinion that it is evil, is the only thing that makes it fo. Therefore, when- ever we meet wkh obftructions an.d perplexities, or fall into troubles and diforders, let us be juft, and not lay the.blame where it is not due ; but impute it ail to our own felves, and our prejudicate opinions. CHAP. XI. Surfer not yourfelf to be exalted with any excellence that is not properly your own. If your horfe fhould be tranf- ported with his beauty, and feoaft of it, this weie tolerable in him : but when you value yourfelf, and brag of his beauty, confider, that you are not proud of any excellence in yourfelf, but in your horfe. Yau will fay then, what is a man's own ? I anfwer, a right ufe of his ideas. And when vou Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. 205 you manage thefe as you ought, then you may be allowed, to pleafe yourfelf. For this is being exalted with fome excellence that is properly yours. CHAP. XII. As when a fhip lies in port, and you go out forfrefh water, you happen to meet with fhell-fifh, or fallads upon the coaft ; this is an accidental advantage, and befide your main purpofe ; but ftill your thoughts mud be fixed upon the fhip, and it mould be your great care to attend the mailer's call ; that fo when he gives you the fignal, you may quit all readily, and not be bound, and carried away by violence, as fheep rnuft be ferve'd. So here in the affairs of the world, it it be your fortune, inftead of hfh or fallad, to light upon a beloved wife or child, xvhich give an agreeable relilh to life, none of thefe matters muft be fuffered to detain you. But when the mafrer gives you the fignal, all muft be left, and the belt of your way made to the fhip. But if you are in years, be fure you never ftir far from the (hip, for fear you be out of the way when the mafrer calls. CHAP. XIII. Trouble not yourfelf with wifhing that things may be juft as you would have them ; but be well pleafed they lhould be, juft as they are, and then you will live eafy. CHAP. XIV. Upon every frefh accident, turn your eyes inward ,- and examine how you are qualified to encounter it. If you fee any very beautiful perfon, you will find continence to oppofe againft the temptation^ If labour and difficulty come in your way, you will find a remedy in hardinels and relolution. It you lie under the obloquy of an ill tongue, patience and-meeknels are the proper fence againft it. And thus if you do but prepare and ufe yourfelf by degrees, no accident whatever will be able to furprize or lubdue you. CHAP. xv. Never ufe yourfelf to fay, upon any occafion, that you have loft any thing; but reftored it. If your wife or your child die, you have returned them to the owner. If your eflate be taken fiom you, this too is paid back to the giver. But you'll fay, he was a knave that defrauded me of it. Alas! what's that to the purpofe ? or how does it concern you, by what means, or what hand, he that gave it refume it to himfelf? trouble not yourfelf therefore about thefe matters, but while he permits the enjoyment, ufe it as a *hing that is not your own, but another's; and let your concern 206 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XI. concern and affection for it, be juft fuch as travellers have for an inn upon the road. CHAP. XVI. XVII. If you are indeed defirous to improve in wifdom and virtue, you muft never allow yourfclf in fuch mean thoughts as thefe; I muft follow the bufinefs of my calling dole, or el fe I and my family (hall ftarve ; I muft take pains with this boy of mine, and chaftife him, or he will be ruined. Thefe are the mifgivings of an anxious mind, and unworthy a philofopher, whofe firft care fhould be the eafe and quiet of his own breaft. For a man had better perifh for hunger, and preferve his mind from immoderate fear and concern, than to live in the greateft plenty, and continual perplexity with it. And it were a lefs evil for you, that your fervant or vour child were vicious, than that yourfelf fhould be perpetually unhappy with an anxious care to prevent it. Ufe yourfelf therefore to little trials firft, if a cruife of oil be broken, or a pint of your wine ftolen, reflect im- mediately, that this is the purchafe of conftancyand a com- posed mind ; and fince nothing can be had free-coft, he that gets thefe fo cheap bath a good bargain. So again : when you call your fervant, conhder, that it is poflible he may not attend to you ; or if he do, that he may not do what you command him. And it is too great an advantage that you give him over yourfelf, if you put it in his power, whether your mind fhall be eafy or no. c H a p . XVIII. If you would indeed improve in wifdom, you muft be con- tent "to be thought foolifh and ftupid, for neglefting the things of the world. CHAP. XIX. If you defire that your wife, and children, and friends may never die, this is a ienfelefs wifh ; for you would have what is not your own, to be in your own power ; and would dnpofe of that which is another's. So again, if you defire that your boy may live without any faults, this is foolifh too ; for it is to wifh, that vice and corruption may change their nature, and be no longer what they cannot but be. But if you* will needs be wifhing, and would wifh fo as not to be difappoiated, this maybe done; and therefore the beft way is to praclife upon that which is in your own power. CHAP. XX. That perfon is properly my lord and mafter, who hath it in his power to gratify my withes, or to inflict my fears ; to give what I delire to have, or to take from me what 1 am loath BookXI. SACRED LITERATURE. 207 loath to part with. The only way then to preferve one's liberty is to reftrain one's own paffions, and to have neither defire nor averfion for any thing in the power of others ; for he that does not fo, is fure to be a (lave as long as he lives. ■ c H A P. XXI. Let it be your conftant care, to behave yourfelf in all the affairs of human life, with the fame decency that you would at a public entertainment. If any thing be offered you, re- ceive it with modefiy ; if it pals by you, and be fent to another, do not with-hold it from him, or keep what was not intended you. If it be not yet come down fo low, (hew not- yourfelf eager, nor fnatch at it greedily, but wait pa- tiently, till it comes to your turn. Manage yourfelf with the fame good manners and refervednefs in cafe -of a wife, or children, or honours, or riches, or power and preferment.' This will render you worthy to be entertained by the Gods. But if you can conquer your appetite fo far, as even to refule a.nd difdain the delicious meats that are let before you ; this will not only qualify you to feafl with the Gods, but exalt you to the fame dignity and perfection with them too. Such was Diogenes and Heraclitus, and thofe other renowned heroes, who by this generous feorn were juftly efteemed and in reality were divine perions. CHAP. XXII. When you fee a neighbour in tears, and hear him lament the abfence of his (on, the hazards of his voyage into fome remote part of the world, or the lols of his eftate ; keep, upon your guard, for fear left fome falfe ideas that may arife upon thefe occafions, iurprize you into a miftake, as if this man was really miferable, upon the account of thefe outward accidents. But be fure to diftinguii'h wifely, and tell yourfelf immediately, that the thing which really affe6ts this perfon is not really the accident itiVf, (for other people, under his circumftances, are not equally afflicted with it) but merely the opinion which he hath formed to himfelf concerning this accident. Notwithstanding all which, you may be allowed, as far as expreffions and outward be- haviour go, to comply with him ; and if occafion require, to bear a part in his fighs, and tears too ; but then you mult be fure to take care, that this compliance does not infect your mind, nor betray you to an inward and real fofrow, upon any fuch account. CHAP. XXIII. Remember, that the world is a theatre, and that your part in this play of life is determined by the poet ; upon him it 2oS SACRED LITERATURE. Book XL it muft depend, whether you (hall act a long or a fhort one ; whether your character (hall be high or low : if therefore he affign you that of a beggar, take care to humour it well ; if a crippie, or a prince, or a private obfeure man, or whatever it be, make the beft of it : for conlider, that the playing of the part afligned you commendably, depends upon yourlelf. This is your buiinefs ; but the giving out of the parts, and choofing the actors, is not your's, but another perfon's. chap. xxiv. When the ravens croak, or any other ominous thing happens, let not any fuperftitious fancies difiurb or affright you : but have immediate recourfe to this diftin&ion, for the quieting your fears, that nothing of this kind can bode ill to you : to your body, or your eftate, or your reputation, or your wife, or your children, 'tis poffible it may ; but as for yourfelf, 'tis in your own power to make every thing aufpicious to you ; becaufe whatever difafter happens in any of the fore-mentioned refpecls, you may, if you pleafe, reap fame very confiderable advantage from it. c h a p. xxv. It is in your power always to come off conqueror, pro- vided you will never engage in any combats, but fuch whole Juccefles will be determined by your own choice. CHAP. XXVI. Take heed when you fee any perfon advanced to an emi- nent ftation of honour or power, or any other kind of prol- perity, that you be not preiently lurprifed with a falfe idea of his condition, and ralhly pronounce him happy. For if all the happinefs and tranquillity of our minds, depend upon things within our own power, there can be no room for envy or emulation. And you yourfelf, when you conlider, do not deiire to be a general, or a fenator, or a conful, but to be free and e^fy. Now the only way to be fo, is todefpile the world, ana every thing that is out of your own power. CHAP,. XXVII. Remember that when any man reviles or flrikes you, it is not the tongue that gives you the opprobrious language, or the hand that deals the blow, that injures or affronts you ; but it is your own refentment of it, as an injury Or af- iront that makes it fuch to you. When therefore you are pro- voked, this is owing entirely to your own apprehenfions of ihe thing ; and efpecia Uy guard yourlelf well againft the firft impreffions ; for if you can but fo far fubdue your paflion, . to gain time for cooler thoughts, you will eafijy attain to .. go|>d government of your 'ell afterwards. CHAP. Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. 209 CHAP. XXVIII. But be fure to keep death, peri'ecution and baniihment, and all thofe calamities which mankind are moft afraid of, conftantly before your eyes, and let them be very familiar to your minds. But, above all, let death be ever prefent there : for you will find this a mod excellent remedy againft bafe and mean thoughts, and a powerful reflraint to all im- moderate defires. chap. xxix. If you refolvc to make wildom and virtue the ftudy and bufinefs of your life, -you muft be fure to arm yourfelf be- fore-hand againft all the inconveniencies and difcouragements that are like to attend this resolution. Imagine that you fhall meet with many feoffs, and much derifion ; and that people will upbraid you with turning philofopher all on the fudden ; and afk in fcorn, what is the meaning of all this affefted gravity, andlhefe difdainful looks? but be not you affeeled or fupercilious ; only flick clofe to whatever you are in your judgment convinced is virtuous and becoming ; and confider this as your proper ftation, affigned you by God, which you muft not quit upon any terms. And remember, that if you perfevere in goodnefs, thofe very men who derided you at firft, will afterwards turn your admirers. But if you give way to their reproaches, and are vanquished by them, you will then render yourfelf doubly, and mofl defervedly ridiculous. chap. xxx. If you ever happen to accommodate yourfelf to the humours of the world, for the fake of reputation and ap- plaufe ; take notice, that this is below a philofopher. And therefore content yourfelf upon all occaiions with really being what you would be thought. But if you will needs be thought fo too, deferve your own good opinion, and that will be fufficient. CHAP. XXXI. Never perplex yourfelf with anxious thoughts like thefe ; ' I (hall lead a wretched obfeure life, without any name, or ' notice taken of me.' For if you fuppofe (as this complaint evidently does) that obfeurity and difrefpecl is an evil, confider that it is no more in the power of any but yourfelf to bring any evil upon you, than it is to bring any balenefs or difhonefly upon you. But, befides, pray confider, was it any part of your proper bufinefs, to be chofen into a place of command, or to be admitted to, or careffed at public enter- tainments ? you muft allow it was not. \\rhere is the dif- Vol. IV. O refpeft 210 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XT. refpe£t then? and what ]u ft reflection can it be upon you, if you are not ? befides, why fhould you fay, you fhall he defpifed, and have no name or notice taken of you, when your bufmefs lies wholly in matters at the difpofai of your own will, and for which consequently you have it in your own power to make yourfelf as valuable as you pleafe ? * but your friends will be never the better for you.' What do you call being never the belter V you will not furniih them with money, nor have intereft enough to give them the privileges of citizens of Rome. And why mould you trouble yourfelf for this? who told you, that this was" ever incumbent upon you, or one of thoie things in your own power which you ought to look upon as a duty ? or how can it be expected, you Thould beftow that upon another which you are not poffeft of yourlelf V ' but your friends will an- * fwer, pray get it then, that you may impart to us.' Yes, I will, with all my heart, provided you can direct me how I may attain thele things, and at the fame time preferve my integrity, andmodefty, and true greatnefs of foul, jtrviolate-. But if you defire me to part with my own real good, that 1 may procure you fome imaginary one only ; this is the great eft injuftice, and the greater!, folly imaginable. And which of thefedo you efteem the more valuable ; money, or a true, virtuous, and mode ft friend? Therefore it would better become you to affift my virtue, than to expect inch things from me as cannot be had, but at the expence of that. 4 But it will be objected again, that your country receives no * advantages from you.' What advantage do you mean? you will not build public porticos, nor bagnios,' nor ex- changes? and what, if you do not? does your country expect to be furnifhed with arms from a fhoemaker, or fhoes from a fmith ? fure'y if every one do it fervice in his own way, this is all that can in reafon be required. And (hall you then be thought to have done it none, if you make an honeft and good patriot ? no lure; you are. very far from being an ufelefs member of the commonwealth, when you do lo. Well, but what rank then, what place (you'll fay) (hall you have in the commonwealth ? why truly, even juft fuch a one as is confiftent with, your integrity and modefty. But if once you part with thele, upon a pretence of promoting the public good ; know, that you are lefs capable of ferving your coun- try, when you are grown knavifh and impudent. c h a p. xxxn. It is polTible, ypugfoferve fome other perfbn more care fled than yourfelf; invited to entertainments, when you are left out ; BocL XI. SACRED LITERATURE. an out ; fainted before you are taken any notice of; thought roper to aclviie with, and his counfel followed rather ■ thefe refpecls paid him, good things, or are they evil r if they deferye to be efteerriod L.ood, this ought to be mattei oV joy to you, that that perfon is f>py in them ; but it they he evil, hoj? uureafonable is ' it to be troubled, that they have not fallen to your own. ihare? befid ider, I pray, that it is not poffible you fhould have thele civilities p3id to you in the lame degree that others have ; becaufe tjhe profeflipp you h.ave taken upon you, will not luffer you -to do the fame tilings to de- ierve them that others do. And how can it be expected,, that a man who thinks the trouble of waiting at a great man's levee below him, ihould have the fame interelt with one that conftantly pays his morning devotions there ? or one, that only minds his own bufinels, with another that is eternally cringing, and fawning, and wriggling himfelf info a lord's train; one that will not ftrain a point to commend him ; with a parafite, that is ever blowing him up with his own praiie, that indulges all his vices, and admires' his follies and his nonfenfe? at this rate, you are a very unjuft,- and a mofi uureafonable man ; for you expect to receive that gratis, which is really fet to fale, and cannot be obtained without, paying the price : for inftance now, and to ufe a very fa- miliar one. You enquire in the market, how lettuce go? and are told, they area half-penny a-piece. Suppofe now, an- other perfon bids and pays, and takes them ; and you will neither bid, nor pay, and go without them ; is there any wrong done you? or hath the buyer a better bargain than you? he parted with his money, and hath the faliad; you have no faliad indeed, but you have kept your money ; juffc fo it is in the cafe before us. You were not invited to a great man's table ; the reafon is, becaufe you did not buy" the. invitation, pay the price, and you may have it ,• and that price is, commendation and flattery. If therefore you think, the thing for your advantage, it is let to fale, and you know the market rates. But if you expect it fliould come without making payments, you are very unreafonable. And if it be thought too dear, then fure you have no reafon to complain ; for, though you have not his lordlhip's dinner, yet you have fomething as good in the room of it ; for you have the i'atisf action of keeping the price in your own hand fiill ; that is, of not commending a man againft truth and confeience ; O 2 « * fand ai2 SACRED LITERATURE. BookXI. ' * [and of avoiding his formal haughty reception of you, * which carries in it a thoufand times more of inlblence than * civility].' CHAP. XXXIII. We cannot be at a lofs, what the condition of things is by nature, what her laws and methods, nor how men ought to deport themfelves, with regard to them: for theie are things fo plain, that all the world at one time or other, are univerfally agreed about them. For inftance, if a neigh- bour's child happen to break a glafs, we prefently anfwer, that this is a very common accident. Now the application that ought to be made from hence is, that when one of our own happens to be broken, we mould no more think it ex- traordinary, nor fufler it to give us any greater dilturbance, than when it was another man's cafe. And this trivial ex- ample, mould prepare us for bearing cafualties of greater con'equence, with the like temper. When any of our ac- quaintance buries a child, or a wife, every body is ready to mitigate the lofs, with the reflection, that all men are mor- tal, and that this is what all men have therefore reafon to expect. But when the misfortune comes home to ourfelves, then we give a loofe to our paflions, and indulge our lamen- tations and bitter complaints. Now thefe things ought quite otherwife to awaken the fame confiderations ; and it is but reafonable, that what we thought a good argument to mo- derate the relentments of other people, fhould be applied with the fame efficacy, to reftrain the exceffes of our own. CHAP. xxxiv. As no man fets up a mark, with a defign to (hoot befide it, fo neither hath the maker of the world formed aciy fuch real being, as evil in it. chap. xxxv. If any one fhould take upon him to expofe your body to be abufed by every man you meet, you would refent it as an infupportabie infolence and affront. And ought you not then to be much amamed of yourlelf, for enflaving and ex- pofmg your mind to every one that is difpofed to take the advantage? for fo indeed you do, when you put it in the power of every malicious tongue, to difturb the inward peace, and order of your breaft. For this reafon, before you at- ! any thing, weigh diligently with yourfelf, the feveral difficulties it is like to'be incumbered, with, the circumftances preliminary * Thefc words are not in Sirhplicius's copy ; bm being generally found in the reft, I haveinkrtcd them iu crotchets. Book XI. SACRED LITERATURE. 213 preliminary to, and confequent upon it. For unlefs you come well lettled with this confideration, you will afterwards be difcouraged ; and what you begun with ea^ernefs and vigour, you will dcliil: from with cowardice and fhame. CHAP. xxxvi. You are extremely defirous to win the Olympick crown. I wii'h the fame for myfelf too ; and look upon it as an im- mortal honour. But not fo fa ft ; confider the preparations neceifary to fuch an undertaking,, and the accidents that ma'y follow upon it ,- and then let me hear you fay you'll attempt it. Y"ou muft be confined to a ftrift regimen, muft be cramm'd with meat when you have no appetite, muft abftain wholly from boiled meats, muft exercife whether you be difpoled to it or no, whether it be hot or cold, muft drink nothing but what is warm, nor any wine, but in fuch pro- portions as fhall be thought proper for you. In a word, you muft refign yourfelf up to your governor, with as abfo- lute an obedience as you would to a phyfician. When all this hardfhip is maftered. you have all the chances of combat to go through ftill. And here it is many a man's fortune to break an arm, or put out a leg, to be thrown by his adver- fary, and get nothing but a mouthful of duft for his pains ; and, as it may happen, to be lafhed and beaten, and become the jeft and fcorn of the fpeftators. Lay all thefe things to- gether, and then, perhaps, your courage may be cooled. But if upon confidering them well, you neverthelefs retain your refolution, then are you fit to let about the purfuit of what you fo much defire. Otherwife you will come off like little children, who in their fports aft fometimes wreftlers, and fometimes fidlers ; now they are fencers, and play prizes ; then they turn trumpeters, and go to war; and by and by build a ftage, and aft plays. Juft fo we fhall have you, one while an Olympic fighter, and another time a gla- diator, by and by an orator, and after that a phijofopher, but nothing long, except a ridiculous whiffler, a mere ape, that mimick all you fee, and venture at all profeffions, but ftick to none. And all this is occafioned by your taking- things upon you hand over head, without being feafoned and duly prepared for them, but either with a rafh heat or fickle inclination. Thus it is with many people, when they fee an eminent philofopher, or hear him quoted with admi- ration andrefpeft (as, how excellently did Socrates write on fuch a fubjeft ; fure no man was ever like him,) nothing will ferve their turn, but thefe hotfpurs muft needs be philofo- O g phers 2 14 SACRED LITERATURE. Book XI. phers too, and each of them does not doubt, but he (hall make a Socrates in time. CM a p xxxvn. No I advife thee, friend, firft of all to confider per the nature of the thing thou wouldft undertake, and then thy own qualifications tor it, whether this be' what thou art cut out for, or no.' Examine thy limbs, and thy fmews ; every man is not built for the Olympick exercifes. Do you imagine, when you apply yom'elf.to philofophy, that you Can "be allowed to live at 'the fame rate you do now? to in- dulge your appetite, and be as; nice in all you eat and drink? alasVyou muft prepare for want of deep, for hard labour, for abi'ericefrom vdur family and your friends, for contempt arid inJblence from' your inferiors, and to have others, lefs worthy, put over your head in preferments, countenanced more than vou in courts of jufifce and re'fpefted more iw'cWi- verlation. ^ Sit down now, and afk your'elf, if the prize be worth all this pains! whether you can be content, at Co dear a rate, to purhafe ah equal temper, a quiet mind, perfect freedom, and unmoveable conftmxy. If you think the price fet upon thefe things too In eh, leave them for fo other purcha'"er, and do not e::pole yourielf. like tbofe ri- diculous boys I mentioned; by being a philosopher J his hour, and an excifeman the next ; a fchool-mafter to-d