bleffed profpect of being acknowledged by him, in the presence of an affembled world, as the children whom God hath given him. Let every one that hath this hope in him purify himself, even as he is pure, knowing that when he fhall appear, we shall be like him, for we fhall fee him as he is *. 19 ¶ And when they fhall fay unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar fpirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: fhould not a people feck unto their God? for the living, to the dead? This and the following verfe, contains an exhortation deduced from the foregoing prediction, addreffed to the Jews, and all those who might be in fimilar circumftances with them, in which they are admonifhed, as they would efcape the juft judgments of Heaven, to receive the inftructions of their divine Teacher, and not to regard the divination and profane rites of the nations around them.The perfons against whom the caution is given, are those who have familiar fpirits; who were intimately acquainted with fome demon or evil spirit, with whom they pretended frequently to converfe, and to hold clofe correfpondence: wizards, forcerers, or enchanters, who perform magical tricks, and ufe witchcraft, by the affiftance of the powers of darknefs. They are farther defcribed, by their peeping and muttering, because they commonly delivered anfwers to those who confulted them, with a fhrill, fqueaking voice, or with a low, hoarfe tone, which for certain purposes they affumed. Shewing refpect to these people, and afking their advice, was exprefsly prohibited in the law of the Lord; where it is thus written: Regard not them that have familiar fpirits, ⚫ neither feek after wizards, to be defiled by them: 1 John iii. 2, 3. I am the Lord *.' And to deter all from this forbidden practice, this awful threatening is fubjoined: The foul that turneth after such as have familiar fpirits, and after wizards, to go a-whoring after them, I ⚫ will even fet my face against that foul, and will cut ⚫ him off from among his people +.' Notwithstanding this strict charge, and denunciation of divine judg ments, there were not a few in Ifrael and Judah, who not only discovered a strong propensity to depart from the law and teftimony of God, into the most abominable fuperftition, but, by their example and influence, folicited others to join them in these wicked practices. A remarkable inftance of this occurs in the history of Saul, the fon of Kish; who difguifed himself, and went by night to a woman that had a familiar fpirit at Endor; and faid, I pray thee divine unto me by the familiar fpirit, and bring me up whom I fhall name unto thee .' To this foolish fuperftition many among the Jews were much addicted, in the reign of Manaffeh; concerning whom it is recorded, that he made his fon to pafs through the fire, and obferved times, and ufed enchant⚫ments, and dealt with familiar fpirits, and wizards .' In the days of good king Jofiah, all these abominations which were observed in the land of Judah, and in Jerufalem, that prince did put away, that he might perform the words of the law §. After all the care and pains that had been employed to extirpate this deteftable practice, ftill it was revived; of which a new proof occurs in the Acts of the Apoftles, where we read of a certain damfel, poffeffed with a fpirit of divination, who brought her mafters much gain by foothfaying The inhabitants of this country, in former times, are well known to have been greatly addicted to this foolish fuperftition; and frequently to have confulted with those who were fuppofed to *Lev. xix. 31. 2 Kings xxi. 6. + Lev. xx. 6. 1 Sam. xxviii. 8. Acts xvi. 16. have familiar fpirits, called Fortune-tellers, in order to acquire the knowledge of fecret, future events, by invoking fome demon, or ghofts of dead men, or by ufing fome kind of conjuration. When at any time the difciples of Jefus are folicited or enticed to ask counfel or advice of fuch as ufe enchantments, and pretend to be endowed with fupernatural power and knowledge, they ought with firmness to reject the temptation, and carefully avoid all fuch criminal conduct. Should not a people feek unto their God? for the liv ing, to the dead? To feek unto God, includes a heartfelt conviction that we have loft his favour, image, and fellowship, with all right to the everlasting enjoyment of his prefence and glory a firm perfuafion that, through the tender mercies of the Most High, means are devifed, and a way appointed, through the intervention of Immanuel, by which we may recover the unípeakable lofs we have fuftained :-a deep fenfe of our infinite need of being reftored to the divine love, refemblance, communion, and enjoyment, and the poffeffion of every other bleffing connected with these ineftimable prerogatives and a high esteem of God's fupreme excellence, and adorable condefcenfion, expreffed in ardent defires of participating in all the bleffings of his falvation, accompanied with the diligent use of the means instituted for our affistance, in thus feeking the Lord. In this manner a people fhould feek unto God, whofe confummate goodness can relieve all their neceffities, whofe irrefiftible power can be their fure defence from all evil, and whofe compaffions are fo great that he will not fuffer them to lack any good thing. And they ought to seek him as their God, who hath affumed them to be his people; whom they have chofen to be their God, on whom they depend for protection, direction, and affiftance, and to whofe honour and fervice they are entirely devoted. Say, then, is not this employment highly becoming? and is not every practice inconfiftent with it abfurd and criminal? For the living, to the dead. The expreffion is incomplete, and feems to require to be filled up in this manner: Why would ye inquire concerning the living at the dead? By whom may be meant the departed fpirits of thofe illuftrious heroes, who were fupposed, after death, to be allied to the gods, to be well acquainted with human affairs, and the tranfactions of present and future times. In this fenfe the dead are fometimes mentioned in the books of Mofes, as in the following remarkable ftatute: There fhall not 'be found among you one that ufeth divination, or an obferver of times, or an inchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a confulter with familiar fpirits, or a necromancer.' And in the folemn confeffion that was made by the children of Ifrael, over the firstfruits and tithes that they prefented before the Lord, the person who brought them was appointed to acknowledge: I have not eaten thereof in my mourning, neither have I taken thereof for any unclean ufe, nor given thereof for the dead f.' Notwithstanding these neceffary precautions to preferve the Ifraelites from this abfurd practice, it is acknowledged, that they did eat the facrifices of the dead .' Nothing can be more foolish and inconfiftent in a people, who ought to feek unto their God in all their perplexities and diftreffes, than to forfake him, and inquire concerning their prefent circumftances, or fu ture fortunes, at the dead, who have gone from this world, and are unable to give either counfel or deliverance ;-to prefer the fpeculations and traditions of those who are dead in trefpaffes and fins, to the word and counfels of the living God, as did the Pharifees.Abhorring fuch wicked practices, do you feek unto your God, with importunity and diligence, for direction, affistance, and every blefling that * Deut. xviii, 10, 11. + Deut. xxvi. 14. 3 P Pfal. cvi. 28. you you need, animated by the comfortable affurance, that if you truly feek the Lord, you fhall not lack any good thing: you fhall not want suitable provision, continual protection, seasonable deliverance, divine conduct, and necessary support. 20 To the law and to the teftimony: if they fpeak not according to this word, it is becaufe there is no light in them. These words point to an unerring ftandard, by which all pretenfions to truth and holinefs ought to be carefully examined. By the law, is here meant the perfect law of God, ftamped with the fupreme authority of the one great Lawgiver, who is able to fave and to deftroy, containing a full and explicit declaration of his bleffed will, which is the infallible rule to which the temper and conduct of men ought to be conformed. By this law is the knowledge of fin: it discovers every counterfeit grace, every devia-'. tion from duty, and that pretended holiness by which the many are apt to be deluded. It teacheth what the Lord God requireth, and points out that acceptable obedience, which lies at an equal distance from fuperftition on the one hand, and formality on the other. By the teftimony, is intended the doctrines and promifes that God hath revealed in his bleffed word, wherein he hath declared in what manner the tranfgreffors of his law may obtain the pardon of fin, the fanétification of their perfons, and eternal life. He hath not left thofe to whom he hath committed his lively oracles at uncertainty, with refpect to thefe important fubjects; but hath clearly made known the way of falvation, and marked out the path of life. If the teftimony of men, who are fallible, is credited; if by two or three witneffes every thing is eftablished; then, certainly, the teftimony of God, who is infinitely greater than man, which comes attefted by witnoffes in heaven and earth, |