fonings for the inspiration of the Old Testament, and, when distinct arguments for any particular book cannot be found, fupplies their place, we muft depend, in the cafe before us, on the testimony of the Jews. And though the teftimony of a nation be far from being, in every inftance, a sufficient reason, why we should allow its facred books to be poffeffed of that divine authority which they arrogate; yet the testimony of the Jews has a peculiar title to credit from the circumstances in which it was delivered. It is the teftimony of a people, who having already in their poffeffion genuine inspired books, were the better able to judge of others which advanced a claim to infpiration; and who, we have reafon to think, far from being credulous with respect to such a claim, or difpofed precipitately to recognize it, proceeded with deliberation and care, in examining all pretenfions of this nature, and rejected them if not supported by fatisfactory evidence. They had been forewarned that false prophets fhould arife, and deliver their own fancies in the name of the Lord; and while they were thus put upon their guard, they were furnished with rules to affift them in diftinguishing a true from a pre

tended

tended revelation *. We have a proof that the ancient Jews exercised a spirit of difcrimination in this matter, though at a period later than that to which we refer, in their conduct with respect to the apocryphal books: for though these books were written by men of their own nation, and bore the names of the most eminent perfonages, Solomon, Daniel, Ezra, and Baruch, they rejected them as human compofitions, and left the infallible church to mistake them for divine. As the Jews then have, without a diffenting voice, afferted the inspiration of their historical books, their teftimony, ftrengthened by their peculiar circumftances, authorises us to receive them as a part of thofe Scriptures which were intended for our learning, that we, through the patience and comfort which by the divine bleffing they impart, might have hope.

III. I proceed to confider the Prophetical Books.

The proof of their inspiration, which I shall lay before the reader, is not drawn from any external fource, but arifes from their contents. They

M

* See particularly Deut. xviii. 15,---22.

They carry in their bofom the marks of their original; and manifeft themselves to be the word of God by many clear predictions, which were moft exactly fulfilled, long after they were uttered. These are so numerous, that, at prefent, we can only select a few as a specimen.

The fate of Egypt was thus foretold by Ezekiel: "It fhall be the bafeft of kingdoms, neither shall it exalt itself any more above the nations; for I will diminish them, that they fhall no more rule over the nations*." Accordingly we learn from hiftory, that fince the days of Ezekiel, it hath been fucceffively subject to the Babylonians, the Perfians, the Macedonians, the Romans, the Saracens, the Mamalucs, and last of all to the Turks, of whofe empire it is, at this moment, a province, though in fact it be governed by a number of chiefs, called Beys, who are the very refuse of mankind, having rifen by various means from the condition of slaves.

The fame prophet foretold the ruin of Tyre. "I will make thee like the top of a rock: thou fhalt be a place to spread nets upon thou fhalt be built no more: for I the Lord have spoken it,

*Ezek. xxix. 15.

faith the Lord God *." And how punctually hath the prediction been fulfilled! The city, which was a "mart of nations," as Ifaiah calls it, is now become a heap of ruins; and instead of being the refort of ships from every region of the earth, it is visited only by the boats of fishermen, whofe nets are feen spread out to dry in the fun.

Concerning Babylon it was predicted, that it fhould be befieged by the Medes and Elamites; that its river should be dried up; that the city fhould be taken in the time of a feaft, while her mighty men were drunken; and that God would make the country around it a poffeffion for the bittern, and pools of water t. Now it is well known, that in conformity to these prophecies, Babylon was befieged by the Medes and Perfians, who are the fame with the Elamites; that Cyrus turned the Euphrates, which ran through the midst of it, out of its course, that his troops might find a paffage by its channel; that it was taken in the night during the diffipation and security of a feaft; and that the water of the river not ha

ving

* Ezek. xxvi. 14.

† Ifa. xiii. 17. xxi. 2. Jer. 1. 38. li. 36, 39. 57. Ifa. xiv. 23,

It

ving been afterwards confined to its ancient bounds, the adjacent country was converted into a marsh, frequented by aquatie birds. If any man fhall fufpect, as infidels have often infinuated, but were never able to prove, concerning the prophecies of Scripture, that the prediction was written after the event, let him think of the following words, which are fulfilling at this hour. "And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees excellency, fhall be, as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. shall never be inhabited, neither fhall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there, neither fhall the fhepherds make their folds there: But wild beafts of the defert fhall lie there, and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures, and owls fhall dwell there, and fatyrs fhall dance there. And the wild beafts of the islands fhall cry in their defolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces and her time is near to come, and her days fhall not be prolonged It is long fince the · populous city was turned into a folitude; long fince it was converted into a chace for wild beafts

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*Ifa. xiii. 19, --- 220