of the Miferable, the Violence of Oppreffors, the Wants and Wailings of fome, the Cruelty and Injustice of others, were Objects too odious to be beheld by any Power that ruled above; and that the GODS (whether one, or many) confined themselves within the Limits of their native Heaven, that they might not be disturbed with the offenfive Sight of this miferable and wicked World. THE Jews themselves had not, on this Head, the clearest and best-grounded Notions of the Wisdom and Juftice of the Almighty. Their Royal Pfalmift seems to want Satisfaction upon the Subject; even in this Pfalm he requireth fome manifeft Stroke of Divine Vengeance to be inflicted on the Wicked, as a Testimony that GOD regarded the Righte "ous. THE fame Doubtfulness in Jews and Greeks, concerning the Providence of God, one would think, proceeded from the fame Cause, the Ignorance of a Future State. So long as this remained a Secret, the Cafe we are debating + Omnis enim per fe Divum Natura neceffe eft Immortali ævo fumma cum pace fruatur, &c. LUCRET. licet ad ממקום שבתך מן השמים Hebraeum illud fententiam Epicureorum Phrafi accedere videatur, fenfu tamen longe abhorret, utpote de Deo alios beante, non fibi confulente dictum. was, was, no doubt, miferably perplexed and difficult, plain Facts daily contradicting the most plausible and best-grounded Reasonings in favour of Divine Providence. It was no hard Matter to prove that there was a GOD, and that he judged the World in Righteousness but then, one fingle Inftance of profperous Iniquity overthrew the Proof, and laid fuch a Stumbling-block in the Way of those, who looked no farther than the Present Life, as could never be furmounted. Had Men reafoned rightly, a Future State should have been the Confequence inferred from this irregular Management of Things; and this Confequence being gained, would have cleared the many, and convincing Arguments for God's Providence from all Objection. But the Doctrine of a Future State being advanced with Diffidence, till he, who brought Life and Immortality to Light through the Gospel, declared it openly; the Ways of Heaven remained till his Time fo dark and intricate, that a great Part of Mankind (like the Pfalmift in the Text) wanted the Divine Vengeance to be fignally exerted upon the Wicked, before they could pronounce that there was a Reward for the Righteous, or a GOD that judged the Earth. We do not, like them, affirm these Things conditionally, but in Terms the most direct B 3 and ་ pofitive; forafmuch as we can make full Proof of God's wife and good Providence, and withal avoid the Objections, which may arife from the Temporal Happiness of wicked Men. THE Words of the Text may be refolved into three Propofitions; and their Argument, when they are fet in a due Order (for they depend one upon another) will be this: If, THAT THERE IS A GOD; 2dly, THAT HE JUDGETH THE EARTH; 3dly, THAT THERE IS A REWARD FOR THE RIGHTEOUS. I SHALL prove each of these Propofitions in their Order, and then conclude, with shewing the Influence, which the Belief of the BEING, and GOOD PROVIDENCE of GOD, and of a FUTURE RETRIBUTION, will have upon our Lives and Practice. First then, THERE IS A GOD. IF, in Proof of this, any Argument be brought which others may have urged before, it is not therefore to be looked upon as less useful and convincing. In Defence of Religion, we are not fo much concerned to look for new Weapons, as good ones. It were indeed to be wifhed, that in all Points of Moment, Chriftians advanced one irrefragable Argument, as as near as poffible in one received Form, as Mathematicians generally demonftrate the fame Propofition by the fame Figure. THE Name of God, in ours and every other Tongue, feldom means, in its first and proper Import, any Thing near fo much as is generally understood by it.. For the Object, being too large for Human Thought, or Language, can never be sufficiently fet forth by all our Eloquence, much less by any fingle Appellation. To trace the Name of GOD through different Languages, would fhew, by the * Variety of Words, * Εις δὲ ὧν πολυώνυμος ἐπὶ κατονομαζόμενος τοις πάθεσι πᾶσιν ἅπερ AUTOS VEOX. ARISTOT. de Mundo. It was owing, no doubt, to the Difficulty of expreffing, by any one Word, the several Attributes of GOD, as well as to a Fear of mifcalling him, that the Pelafgians, though they facrificed and prayed to the Divinity, never called him by any Name. The Theology of this People might have continued much purer, but that they went to inquire at Dodona (the Mother of Impofture and religious Delufion) and were directed by the Oracle to use the Names of the Barbarian Gobs. Επεὶ ὧν ἐχρηςηριάζοντο ἐν τῇ Δωδώνῃ οἱ Πελασγός εἰ ἀνέλωνται τὰ ὀυνόματα τὰ ἀπὸ τῶν βαρβάρων ἥκοντα, ἀνειλε τὸ μαντήϊον χρασθαι, HEROD. Euterpe. N. $3. JEHOVAH, the most auguft and facred Name of GOD among the Jews, in its natural Import, clear of all Cabalistical Interpretations, has only Relation to the Manner of his Existence through all Eternity: And fignifies the Being, WHO WAS, AND IS, AND IS TO COME. SHADI, another of his Hebrew Names, denotes primarily his Power. The German Jews render it by almachtig, from whence comes the English B 4 Name Words, the Deficiency of human Speech in this Particular, fome People fixing upon one of his Attributes and fome upon another. How Name of the almighty. This seems to be the true rendering of the Word, though Rabbi Salomon derives it from Sufficiency. Another paraphrafeth, Gen. xvii. I. after this Manner. Ego ille fum, qui אני הוא שיש די באלהותי לכל בריה numine meo cunctis creaturis fufficiens fum. His (inquit Author Obfervationum ad SOHAR) credam, fenfum potius re eum voluiffe exprimere, quàm Etymologiam.præfertim cum evidentiffimum fit illud ex fonte T7 promanâffe, qui præter vaftandi notionem, quam Ef. xxi. 2. & paffim alibi in Sacro Textu obtinet; etiam ex Ufu in linguâ Arabicâ frequentiffimo, prævalere notat. Vide GOLIUM, C. 1261. v. . De literulâ vocis 722 והיוד בשרי תמורת אות הכפל eximie R. Kimchi puta Notæ ad Sohar. p. 4. This feems to be a true Account of the Thing; and therefore this Name of GOD relateth properly to his POWER alone. * ADONAI, in ENGLISH, Lozd, has Reference to the Power of GOD. The Rabbies find a Meaning in every Letter of this Name. They agree, however, that it principally fignifies the Power of GOD. Tota regrandi perficiendique Poteftas ipfi committitur ADONAI, quod & dictio ADONAI infinuat. Hebraico enim fermone Dominum fonat. CABBALA DENUDATA in ADONAI. EL, another Hebrew Name, is of the fame Import, |
