INTRODUCTION. IMPORTANCE OF THE SUBJECT TO CHRISTIANS. "THE temple of wisdom is seated on a rock, above the rage of the fighting elements, and inaccessible to all the malice of man. The rolling thunder breaks below; and those more terrible instruments of human fury reach not to so sublime a height. The sage, while he breathes that serene air, looks down with pleasure mingled with compassion, on the errors of mistaken mortals, who blindly seek for the true path of life, and pursue riches, nobility, honour or power for genuine felicity." In this beautiful passage of a beautiful essay, the high stronghold of philosophy is pictured in an engaging and dignified manner, such as may draw from the weary campaigner a sigh for its lofty and serene security. And casting a wishful look upon its towering height, and imposing battlements, he may inquire,-by whom is this fortress B tenanted, what standard waves over its walls? Alas! his heart may faint within him, when he is told, that there dwell the enemies of Christianity, there floats the flag of infidelity, there the careless and happy sentinel, confident in his impregnable rock, derides the vain efforts of the humble servants of religion, and boasts that, should they attempt to scale, the lamest and blindest of the garrison will easily drive them away. But thus it is; and it is mournful to remember that the beautiful extract with which we commenced, is written by the stoutest opponent of revealed religion, the elegant but infidel Hume. And from this stronghold of theirs, unbelievers have of ventured to sally forth with the weapons offensive warfare, and have made not always unsuccessful inroads upon the territory of the faithful. The author of the Analogy of Natural and Revealed Religion has, perhaps more than any other man, supplied Christians with the weapons of defence, and checked the encroachments of the infidel, and hemmed him within his walls. But still the stronghold is not hitherto taken, though the resources are shortened. Still the same language of defiance is held. The circle of the evidences is complete, all but this solitary spot, which still holds out, a fortress of infidelity in the heart of the dominions of Christianity. The reader of taste may perhaps think that I have too long pursued this allegorical method of speaking; but he will presently discover a reason for it. Christians are taught to regard the temporal kingdom of Judah as emblematical of the spiritual kingdom of Christ; and the fortunes and history of David, not in his private character, but in his progress to the throne, or as king of Israel, do therefore, in some respect, prefigure the history and progress of Christianity. Now we behold this great man, taken from a humble condition, stand forth as the champion of the armies of the living God. Crowned with victory, we behold him followed by the rejoicing acclamations of multitudes. But soon, from this very cause, an object of jealousy to the reigning power, we find him driven into the wilderness with a few devoted followers, wandering from place to place, and followed every where by the unrelenting arm of persecution, an exile in another land, the protector and friend of the people among whom he dwells, and receiving that toleration and protection from the Gentile power, which was denied by him, who, though rejected by God, still formally held the sceptre, and occupied the throne of Israel. At length, on the death of Saul, David is proclaimed king of Judah at Hebron, and, after a considerable time of warfare with the representative of the house of the deceased monarch, who still was recognised by the other tribes of Israel, he is finally acknowledged by them all as their lawful and anointed sovereign. What is the first enterprise in which we now find David engaged, with a view to give internal union to his kingdom, and lasting stability to his throne? It is the taking of the fortress of Zion. And what was the fortress of Zion? It was the last stronghold of the infidels in the heart of the dominions of Israel,-a place reputed impregnable, where the Jebusite insultingly boasted himself in the strength of his natural bulwarks. The insulting message which was returned upon David's summoning to surrender, and the spirited retort of their own words which was made by the Israelite in his order for the assault, are not well translated in the authorized English version of the Bible, and do not seem to have been generally understood by commentators. The whole passage ought rather to be read thus. "And the king and his men went up to Jerusalem, unto the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land. And they spake to David saying Thou shalt not come up hither; for if [thou do], the lame and the blind will drive thee away;' [this by way of bravado :] saying to themselves, David will not come up hither. Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion: the same is the city of David. And David said on that day, Now for the man who smites the Jebusites, and reaches within their entrenchments, these lame and blind, they are hated of David's soul: because |