next head, that the supposition that the Jewish Ritual was framed, partly in compliance to the people's prejudices, and partly in opposition to idolatrous superstitions, and, at the same time, typical of a future Dispensation, tends greatly to raise and enlarge our ideas of the divine Wisdom.

But it is strange, that such a writer as WITSIUS (whatever we may think of the admirers of his argument) should not see, that the character given of the RITUAL LAW by God himself did not imply that it had a mixture at least of no better stuff than Egyptian and other Pagan practices.

GOD, by the prophet EZEKIEL, upbraiding the Israelites with their perversity and disobedience, from the time of their going out of Egypt to their entrance into the land of Canaan, speaks to them in this

manner.

Ver. 1. "And it came to pass, in the seventh year, in the fifth month, the tenth day of the month, that certain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord, and sat before me.

2. "Then came the word of the Lord unto me saying:

3. "Son of man, speak unto the elders of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God, Are ye come to inquire of me? as I live, saith the Lord God, I will not be inquired of by you.

4. "Wilt thou judge them, son of man, wilt thou judge them? cause them to know the abominations of their fathers:

5. "And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God, in the day when I chose Israel, and lifted up mine hand unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself known unto them in the land of Egypt, when I lifted up mine hand unto them, saying I am the Lord your God.

6. "In the day that I lifted up mine hand unto them to bring them forth of the land of Egypt, into a land that I had espied for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands:

7. "Then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

8. "But they rebelled against me, and would not hearken unto me; they did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt: Then I said, I will pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.

9. "But I wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, among whom they were, in whose sight I made myself known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt.

10. "Wherefore I caused them to go forth out of the land of Egypt, and brought them into the wilderness.

11. "And I gave them my statutes, and shewed them my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them.

12. "Moreover also, I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them.

13. "But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness they walked not in my statutes, and they despised my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; and my sabbaths they greatly polluted: then I said I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilderness to consume them.

14. "But I wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, in whose sight I brought them out.

15. "Yet also I lifted up my hand unto them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands:

16. "Because they despised my judgments, and walked not in my statutes, but polluted my sabbaths: for their heart went after their idols.

17. "Nevertheless, mine eye spared them from destroying them, neither did I make an end of them in the wilderness.

18. "But I said unto their children in the wilderness, Walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols.

19. "I am the Lord your God; walk in my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them:

20. "And hallow iny sabbaths, and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord your God.

21. "Notwithstanding the children rebelled against me: they walked not in my statutes, neither kept my judgments to do them, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; they polluted my sabbaths: then I said I would pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the wilderness.

22. "Nevertheless, I withdrew mine hand, and wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be polluted in the sight of the heathen, in whose sight I brought them forth.

23. "I lifted up mine hand unto them also in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the heathen, and disperse them through the countries.

24. "Because they had not executed my judgments, but had despised my statutes, and had polluted my sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers' idols.

25. "WHEREFORE I GAVE THEM

ALSO STATUTES THAT WERE

NOT GOOD, AND
LIVE.

JUDGMENTS

WHEREBY THEY SHOULD NOT

26. "And I polluted them in their own gifts, in that they caused to pass through the fire all that openeth the womb, that I might make them desolate, to the end that they might know that I am the Lord.” *

Could the Prophet have possibly given a plainer or more graphical description of the character and genius of the RITUAL LAW, than in those last words? Yet to suit it to theologic purposes, Systemmakers have endeavoured, in their usual manner, to interpret it away, as if it only signified God's suffering the Israelites to fall into idolatry. Now if it were not indulged to these men to make use of any arms they can catch hold of, one should be a little scandalized to find that they had borrowed this forced interpretation from the RABBINS ; who holding their Law to be perfect, and of eternal obligation, were indeed much concerned to remove this opprobrium from it. Kimchi is recorded for his dexterity in giving it this meaning: though done with much more caution than the Christian writers who took it from him. He supposed that the statutes not good were the Tributes imposed on the Israelites while in subjection to their Pagan neighbours. And this takes off something from the unnatural violence of the expression, of GIVING STATUTES, when understood only to signify the permission of abusing their free-will, when they fell into idolatry.

Now, because the right explanation and proper inforcement of this famous passage will, besides its use in the present argument, serve for many considerable purposes, in the sequel of this work, it may not be time mis-spent to expose this spurious pilfered interpretation. And, as the last inforcer of it, and the most satisfied with his exploit, the late Author of the Connexions between sacred and profane history, takes the honour of it to himself, I shall examine his reasoning at large.

Dr. Spencer, and (I suppose) every capable judge before him, understood the statutes and judgments in the eleventh verse, to signify the MORAL law; and the statutes and judgments in the twenty-fifth verse, to signify the RITUAL. But Dr. Shuckford, who always takes a singular pleasure in carping at that faithful Servant of Commonsense, directs the defence of his borrowed novelty, against the great Author of the Reasons of the Ritual Law, in the following manner."The persons spoken of, who had the statutes given to them, which were not good, were not that generation of men to whom the whole Law was given, but their children or posterity. To this posterity, God made no additions to his laws; the whole being completed in the time of their forefathers. Therefore all he GAVE to them of statutes Ezek. xx. 1—26, inclusive.

not good was the PERMISSION of falling into the Pagan idolatries round about." * This, I believe, his followers will confess to be his argument, though represented in fewer words, yet with greater force: for a perplexed combination of needless repetitions, which fill two or three large pages, have much weakened and obscured his reasoning.

However it concludes in these very terms: "And thus it must be undeniably plain, that the Prophet could not, by the statutes not good, mean any part of the Ritual law: for the whole Law was given to the fathers of those whom the Prophet now speaks of; but these statutes were not given to the fathers, but to the descendants. If we go on, and compare the narrative of the Prophet with the history of the Israelites, we shall see further, that the statutes and judgments not good are so far from being any part of Moses's law, that they were not given earlier than the times of the Judges;" + i. e. the Israelites then fell into the idolatries, here called (as this learned interpreter will have it) statutes and judgments GIVEN.

And now, to canvass a little this decisive argument—THUS (says he) it must be undeniably plain—Thus! that is, Grant him his premisses, and the conclusion follows. Without doubt. But the whole context shews that his premisses are false.

First then let it be observed, that the occasion of the Prophecy, in the xxth chapter of Ezekiel, was this,-The Jews, by certain of their Elders, had, as was usual in their distresses, recourse to the God of Israel for direction and assistance [ver. 1.]. On this we are informed [ver. 3.], that the word of the Lord came to Ezekiel, bidding him tell these Elders that GOD would not be inquired of by them: for that their continued rebellions, from their coming out of Egypt, to that time, had made them unworthy of his patronage and protection. Their idolatries are then recapitulated, and divided into three periods. The FIRST, from God's message to them while in Egypt, to their entrance into the promised land.—Thus saith the Lord God, In the day when I chose Israel, and lifted up mine hand unto the seed of Jacob, and made myself known unto them in the land of Egypt, &c. and so on, from the fifth to the twenty-sixth verse inclusively. The SECOND period contains all the time from their taking possession of the land of Canaan, to their present condition when this prophecy was delivered.-Therefore, son of man, speak unto the house of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God, Yet in this your fathers have blasphemed me, in that they have committed a trespass against me. For WHEN I had brought THEM INTO THE LAND, for the which I lifted up mine hand to give it to them, then they saw every high hill, &c. and so on, from the twenty-seventh to the thirty-second verse inclusively. The THIRD period concerns the iniquities, and the Idem, yol. v. p. 161.

"Connection," vol. v. pp. 159–161.

consequent punishment of the present generation, which had now applied to him in their distresses. As I live, saith the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, WILL I RULE OVER YOU, &c. And this is the subject of what we find between the thirty-third and the forty-fourth verse, inclusively.

This short, but exact analysis of the Prophecy, is more than sufficient to overturn Dr. Shuckford's system, founded on a distinction between the fathers and the children in the eighteenth verse, (which is within the first period) as if the fathers related to what happened in the wilderness, and the children, to what happened under the judges; whereas common sense is sufficient to convince us, that the whole is confined to the two generations, between the exodus from Egypt and the entrance into Canaan.

But the confutation of a foolish system, dishonourable indeed to Scripture, is the least of my concern. Such things will die of themselves. My point, in delivering the truths of GOD as they lie in his Word, is to illustrate the amazing wisdom of that Dispensation to which they belong. Let me observe therefore, as a matter of much greater moment, that this distinction, which the text hath made between the FATHERS and the CHILDREN, in the first period, during their abode in the wilderness, affords us a very noble instance of that divine mercy which extends to thousands.

More

The Prophet thus represents the fact. When GOD brought his chosen people out of Egypt, he gave them his statutes and shewed them his judgments, which if a man do, he shall live in them. over also he gave them his sabbaths, to be a sign between him and them.* That is, he gave them the moral law of the Decalogue, in which there was one positive institution,† and no more; but this one, absolutely necessary as the token of a covenant, to be a perpetual memorial of it, and, by that means, to preserve them a select people, unmixed with the nations. What followed so gracious and generous a dispensation to the house of Israel? Why, they rebelled against him in the wilderness: they walked not in his statutes, and they despised his judgments, and his Sabbaths they greatly polluted. On which, he threatened to pour out his fury upon them in the wilderness, and consume them.§ But, in regard to his own glory, lest the Heathen, before whom he brought them out of Egypt, should blaspheme, he thought fit to spare them. Yet so far punished that generation, as never to suffer them to come into the land of Canaan. Their children he spared, that the race might not be consumed as he had first threatened.** And hoping better things of them than of their