Hearts, but they had fubmitted themselves, and fought Peace of the Children of Ifrael, they ought to have had favour fhewn them. And we read, not only that Rahab and her Father's Houfe was fpared, Joh. ii. 13, 14. and a Man with his Family upon the like account, Judg. i. 25. But whoever of these Nations did escape, their Pofterity was not to be proceeded against with Severity; the Law which commanded their utter Deftruction extending no farther, as & Grotius concludes, than to that Generation. Their Children, that were left after them in the Land, whom the Children of Ifrael alfo were not able utterly to deftroy, upon thofe did Solomon levy a Tribute of Bond-fervice unto this day, 1 Kings ix. 21. It doth therefore fufficiently appear, that the Canaanites themselves, after all their Provocations against both the Mercy and Juftice of God, were not excluded from all the Benefits of Strangers and Profelytes amongst the Jews; and that Men of all other Nations were encouraged and invited to become Partakers of the Privileges of the Law of Mofes, or to acquaint themfelves at leaft, with the Service and Worship of the True God, is notorious, and as evident as any thing in the Law and the Prophets. But after the Canaanites had fill'd up the Measure of their Iniquities, God manifefted his Almighty Power and Juftice upon them; and he was pleas'd to do it by the Sword of the Children of Ifrael, rather than by Peftilence, or any other Judgment, both to raise the greater Abhorrence of Idolatry in his own People, and in the neighbouring Nations; and because those rude and warlike Nations could obferve the Power of God no where fo much as in the Succefs of War, they chiefly implored their own Gods for Succefs in their Wars; and when they were overcome by any People, they concluded that the Gods of that Nation were too hard for their own Gods, 1 King. xx. 23. 2 King.viii.34.

1

Grot. ad Matt. v. 43.

whereas

whereas if they had been deftroy'd by Famine or Peftilence, they would have afcribed thefe Judgments no more to the God of Ifrael, than to any of the Heathen Gods. But God got him honour upon these Nations, as he did upon Pharaoh and upon all his hoft, when Jethro faid, Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods; for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly, he was above them, Exod. xviii. 11. from whence he is fo often styled the Lord of Hofts, in the Old Testament.

h

2. The Providence of God did fo order and difpofe of the Jews, in all their Affairs, as to afford other Nations frequent Opportunities of becoming inftru&ted in the true Religion, and Multitudes of Profelytes were made out of all Nations. Mofes dwelt in Midian forty Years, Act. vii. 30. and there marry'd an Ethiopian Woman, Exod. ii. 15. Num. xii. 1. his Wife's Father, Jethro the Priest of Midian, and his Family, became converted; and after he had met Mofes in the Wilderness, he return'd to make Profelytes in his own Country. And the Deliverance of the Children of Ifrael out of Agypt, magnify'd the Power of God in all Countries where the Report of a thing fo wonderful and notorious came. The miraculous Victories which the Ifraelites gain'd over the Canaanites, wherever they came, truck a mighty Terror into all thofe Nations; as we fee by the Fear of Balak, Num. xxii. and from the Speech of Rahab, Josh. ii. 9. and of the Gibeonites, Jofh. ix. 9, 10. who were glad to make ufe of any Pretence, as an Expedient to fave themfelves. Rahab, with her Family and Kindred, and the Gibeonites, were early Acceffions to the Ifraelites; and Rahab was marry'd to a Man of Ifrael; and the Babylonian Gemara reckons up Eight Prophets, who were likewife Priefts, defcended from her: This is certain, that our Saviour himself

Targ. Jonath. Exod. xviii. 27.
F 4

i Lightfoot Hebr. and Talmud Exercitat. in Mat. i, 5.

was

was pleas'd to derive his Genealogy from her. The various Successes of the Ifraelites in the Land of Canaan, their Victories and their Overthrows, and the miraculous Power of God vifibly appearing either in their Defeat and Punishment, or in their Conqueft or Deliverance, must needs raise a mighty Fame and Admiration of the God of Ifrael in all thofe Countries; for they proclaim'd a Religious War upon these Nations; they destroy'd their Images and Groves and Altars wherever they came; and the People plainly perceiv'd that their Gods could not help them. The Taking of Jericho, not by Storm, but only by the meer Sound and Alarm of War, the Lengthening of the Day to favour their Conquefts, and the Deftrution of fo many Kings by Mofes and Joshua, were undeniable Evidences of a Divine Power, and must awaken Men to make enquiry into that Religion which could infpire fuch Courage, and work fuch Wonders. And thefe Nations among whom the Patriarchs had fojourn'd, and fo many Wonders and Judgments had been wrought, were difpers'd in Colonies over all Parts of the World, (as Bochart has prov'd at large, in a most learned and elaborate Work;) fome of them (if we may believe Procopius) erecting a Pillar in Africk, as a Monument of Joshua's Victories, with an Infcription declaring that they were driven out of their own Country by him: And St. Augustin says,

that in his time, the Country-People about Hippo call'd themselves Canaanites; and they retain'd their ancient Language, which was little different from the Hebrew, not only till the Days of Plautus, but even to St. Auguftin's time, as Salmafius with Wonder obferv'd. And it is probably fuppos'd, that the Tyndaride and others ftyled Anaces by the Lacedemoni ins

k Aug. Expofit. Epift. ad Rom. de Idol. 1. 1. c. 13.

1

and Athenians, were defcended from the Anakims who escaped out of Palestine from Joshua.

After the Death of Joshua, the Ifraelites were in fubjection to the King of Mefopotamia eight Years; to the King of Moab eighteen Years, Judg. iii. 8, 14. to Jabin King of Canaan twenty Years, chap. iv. 3. to the Midianites feven Years, chap. vi. 1. to the Philiftines forty Years, chap. xiii. 1. And ftill it was becaufe they had done evil in the fight of the Lord, that they were given up into the Hand of their Enemies : and upon their Repentance, a Deliverance was wrought for them, 1 Sam. xii. 10. And when they were fo often and for fo long a time fubdued by their Enemies round about them, for their Idolatries, and other Tranfgreffions; and then again, upon their Repentance, were refcued from their Oppreffion by Gideon, and Jeptha, and Sampfon, all rais'd up for that purpose; this must give great occafion and opportunity to all the bordering Nations to know and conlider that Religion, the Obfervation or Neglect whereof had fuch visible Effects upon its Profeffors; for under their Affliction, and in the time of their Repentance, the Ifraelites declared the Caufe of their Mifery, and made known the Power of their own God and the Vanity and Sinfulness of Idolatry. And therefore their being so often and fo long time under the Oppreffion of their several Enemies, was a merciful Providence to the Nations who had them in Subjection, as well as for the Punishment and Amendment of the Ifraelites themselves. What good ufe was made of these Methods of the Divine Providence doth not appear to us, but in all probability it had a good effect upon very many; as we find it had in one remarkable Instance of a little Maid, who being taken Captive, was the occafion of the Cure of Naaman's Leprofie, and of his Converfion to the Worship of the True God, who before was known to him by his Name Jehovah, 2 King. v. 11. The Prophet Elisha

was

was well known by the Syrians to be a Prophet, and Ben-hadad fent to enquire of the Lord by him, chap. viii. 8. Rabhakeh fpeaks in the Jews Language, and pretends a Commiffion from the Lord, that is, from Jehovah, the God of the Jews, when he came against Jerufalem, Ifa. xxxvi. 10, 11. God himself appeals to the Knowledge of Sennacherib King of Affyria; Haft thou not heard long ago how I have done it, and of ancient times, that I have formed it, Ifa. xxxvii. 26. And Rabbi Shemaiah and Rabbi Abtalion are " faid to have been Profelytes of Righteoufnefs, of the Pofterity of Sennacherib. Pharaoh Necho, King of Agypt, alledges God's Command, when he came to fight against Carchemish, 2 Chron. XXXV. 21, 22.

But our prefent Enquiry is not fo much what the Effect was, as what Means were afforded of Salvation: For though it be requifite that the True Reveal'd Religion fhould be publifh'd to the World; yet it is not necessary to prove the Truth of a Religion, to fhew that obftinate Men have taken notice of it, fo far as to consider and believe it; because it is not neceffary that God fhould force his Laws upon Men, but only that he should discover them, and afford Men fufficient Means to know them, and become the better for them.

To proceed then: The Philistines were in a wonderful Confternation, when they understood that the Ark was brought into the Camp, 1 Sam. iv. 7, 8. And when it was taken by them, it was more terrible to them, than the Enemy, if he had conquer'd them, could have been; they were tormented with Diseases and Plagues, wherefoever the Ark was carry'd; and their God was fo little able to help them, that he fell down before it, and was broken in pieces; whereof they retain❜d a Memorial in the Worship of him ever after, in not treading upon the Threshold of Dagon,