ye

have delivered: and many

ditions which fuch-like things do ye.

Still GoD is a jealous GOD; that is His character with refpect to His laws, indelibly written on the facred page, and awfully manifefted throughout the volume of divine revelation. So those wretched Jews found it in the dreadful deftruction which He fent upon them. They could not justify themselves by appealing to their traditions, nor repair the dishonour which they had done to the divine law, by vacating its obligations in order to establish their own inventions. However pious or pure they might feem in their own eyes, or in the eyes of thofe who were deluded into as high an esteem for human tradition as they themselves were, yet they found to their coft and fo will every one, fooner or later, who fets up human wifdom against the wisdom of GOD, and human inventions against the ordinances of Heaven-that the wisdom of this world is foolishness with GOD, (1 Cor. i. 20.) and-that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the fight of GOD. Luke xvi. 15%

Happy thofe whofe paffions have fo little power over them, and those who

have

have fo much power over their paffions, as to fteer clear of all difficulties. But this is not the lot of all. The apostle, fpeaking on this fubject, 1 Cor. vii. 7. fays-Every man bath his proper gift of GOD, one after this manner, and another after that. So His Divine Mafter, fpeaking alfo on the gift of continency, faith-Matt. xix. 11.-All cannot receive (8 xwpovo, do not receive) this faying (viz. it is not good to marry, ver. 10.) fave they to whom it is given. The fcriptures fhew us, that no one, while in a body of fin and death, is out of the reach of temptation: therefore let him that is thinking to ftand ( Sony ésáva) take heed left be fall. Yet when perfons are involved in difficulties, by means of any of the things heretofore difcourfed upon; let them not confult with flesh and blood, and, by following vulgar error, under the influences of fuperftition and prejudice of education, endeavour to right themselves by wrong methods, and be led, under a notion of repentance, to act contrary to Gop's word, and to every principle of humanity, gratitude, truth, benevolence, and even common honefty, by abandoning and forfaking

those

those who have a right to their affistance, comfort, and protection :— Let them, under the guidance of real prudence and found difcretion, regulate

their outward conduct fo as to avoid all needless offence; but let the inward conduct of the confcience be subject only to the law of GOD.

As to the world, it loves its own (John xv. 19.) its own maxims, cuftoms, and inventions, and, above all, its own ease, too well to give itself the trouble of enquiring into the foundation on which either what it believes

or profeffes is built. The Papist jogs on with his Mass-book-the Turk with his Koran-the Perfian with his Zendavefta-the Gentoo with his Shafterthe Chinese with his Confucius-the Englishman with his Marriage-Act; and nothing is fo ill received-because nothing fo attacks the pride and expofes the ignorance of one part of mankind, and the knavery of another-as the discovery of the fuperftition, folly, and oppofition to GOD, which cleaves to worldly fyftems, efpecially thofe of the religious kind. Still individuals may be profited, and thankful, to be shewn, by fome diligent enquirer after truth, that,

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that, in many things, perhaps the moft important, whereon the prefervation of millions may depend, they have been taught to believe a lye, and that while they have been following the opinion of the world, even of what paffes (like the Pharifees) for the devout and pious part of it, they have been only following a multitude to do evil.

xxiii. 2.

Exod.

С Н А Р.

С НА Р. Х.

Of POPULATION.-Comparifon of the JEWISH LAW with OURS.

W

HEN we fearch the fcripture, and take an impartial view of the divine law, we must acknowledge its harmony and confiftency, both with refpect to itself, and all things which are the objects of it. It perfectly agrees with its original defigns, the glory of GOD and the happiness of his creatures. In no inftance doth this obfervation appear more true, than in that part of the facred code which is to regulate the commerce of the fexes. The brute part of this lower creation is restrained by a fort of phyfical neceffity, which is ufually called instinct, within due bounds; so that the feveral species may bę kept diftinct, and not create a monftrous confufion from unnatural or improper

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