ness of God is remarkably observable: notwithstanding their excessive wickedness, God does not destroy them abruptly or suddenly, but first communicates his intention to Abraham, and allows him to plead their cause, and urge what he could in their favour: but as Abraham had a right sense of justice as well as of mercy, when he found they were so totally depraved, that there was not left even the small number of "ten righteous "men amongst them," he resigned them to the punishment they deserved. The crying sin of these people being fully proved and exposed in this conference with Abraham, and there being nothing left which the merciful Patriarch could allege further in bar of judgment, "the Lord rained down up"on Sodom and Gomorrah fire and brim"stone out of heaven, and thereby over"threw those cities, and all the plain, and "all the inhabitants of the cities, and every'

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thing that grew upon the ground. And, "lo, the smoke of the country went up as "the smoke of a furnace." But Lot being righteous, God spares him and his two daughters, as he would have done the rest of his family, had they not perished from their own folly and obstinacy.

Another case in point with this proposition is taken notice of by the Bishop of Lincoln, in his Elements of Christian Theology *, and proves equally the force and truth of God's declaration, that in his deportment towards the human race he is both longsuffering and merciful, and likewise that he will not clear the guilty; all which is obviously exemplified in his conduct towards the Amorites. "When "God first promised the land of Canaan "to the seed of Abraham, he expressly de"clared they were not to take possession of "it till the fourth generation after they "should remove into Egypt, because the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet full; "that is, would not till then be full. It will

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scarcely be disputed that God might have

given the children of Abraham more im"mediate possession of the land of Canaan, "had he seen fit it therefore appears, that "the comparative righteousness of one na"tion postponed the fate of several others "above four hundred years; and that it was "not till their measure of wickedness was

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completed, that they were destroyed by "the outstretched arm of the Almighty, who

* Vol. i. p. 72.

"led on his chosen people, and commanded "them to execute his judgments on these "devoted nations." Nothing indeed can be a more remarkable proof of the fulfilment of the promises which God is pleased to make to mankind, than that of the settling the posterity of Abraham at a precise time in the land of Canaan; when it is considered, that this promise was made to a single family, the members of which were literally strangers and pilgrims on earth; and this large and fertile country, at the period the promise was made, was occupied by a number of powerful princes, whose thrones were firmly established in it. This ought to make the more impression on us, because we have in the Bible such a detailed and circumstantial history of the events attending this promise, from the time it was made, till the period of its entire completion, as indisputably establishes its truth in such a manner, as to exclude all possibility of its having been forged by the wit of any man or set of men whatever.

The next instance to be observed, as elucidating this proposition, is God's conduct to the Jewish nation. In consequence of the remarkable proof which Abraham

gave of his obedience, God is pleased thus to express himself;

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"By myself "have I sworn, saith the Lord, for be"cause thou hast done this thing, and hast "not withheld thy son, thine only son: "that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the "stars of heaven, and as the sand which is "on the sea-shore; and in thy seed shall all "the nations of the earth be blessed; be"cause thou hast obeyed my voice."

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pro

The Jews were the immediate descendants from Abraham; and the great partiality God did shew them, and was ever inclined to shew them, had they given him leave, is bably to be ascribed to the beforementioned obedience of Abraham. The history of this partiality is minutely recorded in the Old Testament, wherein we read with what a high hand they were emancipated by God from their Egyptian bondage; of the extraordinary manner in which they were fed and protected in the wilderness; in short, we are there informed of the series of miracles, and constant interposition of God, exerted in their favour, till they were finally settled in the land of Canaan. Likewise we read of the great promises made to these

people by Moses; of God's peculiar favour if they would serve and obey him; which indeed is expressed in a very particular manner by God himself, in these emphatic and affectionate words; "O that there were such

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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*!" A confirmation of the same gracious declaration is made at the dedication of the temple by Solomon, and frequently by the Prophets. We likewise read of the certain punishment they were to incur, if they were guilty of idolatry, and departed from the worship of God; and all this we find verified in action. When they had respect to God and his worship, which they shewed during the government of Joshua and the reign of Solomon, these people lived happily and securely under their own vine and fig-tree; but as they departed, and in the degree in which they departed, from the true worship of God, they suffered. Under the government of their judges their conduct was extremely criminal and idolatrous; and accordingly they were

* Deut. v. 29.