of the most rational and learned of the Jewish doctors, explains this inspiration to be a divine impulse, enabling and urging the subject of it to utter psalms and hymns, or useful moral precepts, or matters civil, sacred and divine; and that while he is awake, and has the ordinary use and vigor of his senses. Such was the inspiration of Zacharias and Elizabeth, who on a very interesting occasion are said to have been filled with the Holy Ghost," and to have uttered the most sublime ackowledgments or predictions. Such too was the inspiration of the antient prophets in general, who "spake as they were movby the Holy Ghost." This sacred impulse was of a calm and gentle nature, and thus was clearly distinguished from the fanatical inspiration of heathen diviners. Virgil in his sixth Eneid represents the Sybil, when the prophetic spirit seized her, as perfectly frantic, as struggling in vain to shake off the deity that inspired her, and as ir resistibly forced to utter his dictates.† Lucan describes the Pythian prophetess in the same manner.‡ But the prophets of the true God were only "moved," that is, calmly influenced by his inspiring spirit. This influence, far from suspending, added vigor and elevation to their own reason and prudence. Hence St. Paul says, "The spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets;" that is, true divine inspiration is so far subject to the sober reason of its possessor, that he can wait for a proper time to deliver its dictates; he can avoid those unseasonable effusions, which would break in upon the order and beauty of christian assemblies.

This view of the prophetic spirit shows the extreme unfairness, malignity, or ignorance of the most celebrat

* Luke i. 41, 42, 67. &c.

Lib. v. line 142-218

+ Line 47. &c. 77. &c.

ed writers against the Jewish religion. Even men of so much ability and information, as Bolingbroke, Tindal, and Voltaire, have condescended to ridicule the Hebrew prophets by applying to them all the extravagances, in which heathen poets have arrayed their Sybils, their magicians, and dreamers, and thus holding them up as jugglers, idiots, or madmen. But such representations can excite no other emotions in honest and well informed minds, than pity, contempt and abhorrence. They betray great ignorance of antient facts and manners; great inattention to the peculiar reasons, which gave rise to early divine communications; an inveterate hatred of that religious system, which these communications were intendto establish; and a perverse resolution to batter down this system by every engine of sarcastic wit, gross misrepresentation, and cunning sophistry. May Heaven secure us from ever employing or yielding to these unhallowed weapons!

LECTURE XVIII.

Vindication of the character and writings of the Hebrew prophets.

IN our last discourse we undertook to answer some inquiries and objections relative to the Hebrew Prophets. After stating their requisite qualifications, we inquired into the manner, in which God revealed to them his will. We showed that he did this in various modes, by dreams, by visions, and by inspiration. Having explained and defended each of these methods, we now proceed to observe that voices or audible words were another medium of divine communications. This was one of the most excellent and perfect kinds of revelation. In this manner God revealed his law to Moses. He communicated it to him in a distinct, familiar, yet majestic voice. Agreeably God is represented as speaking to Moses "face to face, and mouth to mouth, as a man speaketh to his friend, even apparently, and not in dark speeches, or in visions and dreams," as he did to other prophets; that is, he revealed himself to this favorite servant in the way of audible, free, and plain conversation. Similar to this was the manner, in which the oracle delivered its decrees, viz. by an articulate voice from the mercy seat. The Jewish rabbies, especially the later ones, frequently mention a lower grade in this species of revelation, which they call Bath kol, or Bet quul, that is, the daughter of the voice, because according to them, when the oracle ceased, this came in its room as its daughter or successor. Dr. Lightfoot, a great proficient in Jewish learning, explains this Bath kol by a number of examples quoted from the talmudists. But there is reason to think,

Bb

that this pretended miraculous voice was no better than the offspring of human superstition. Dr. Prideaux has confirmed this opinion by citing one instance of this boasted oracle out of many similar stories in the rabbinical writings. The passage he quotes is this. Two rabbies, wishing to see the face of a Babylonish doctor, named Samuel, said to each other, let us consult and follow the Bath kol. Accordingly, travelling near a school, they heard the voice of a boy reading these words of scripture, "and Samuel died." They hence inferred that their friend Samuel at Babylon was dead; which they afterward found to be true. It hence appears that their pretended voice from heaven, which was substituted in the room of the antient oracle, was nothing but human divination, or an unwarrantable application to the subject before them of the first words or passage of scripture, which they happened to hear. This superstitious invention was very similar to the Sortes Homerica among the Greeks, and the Sortes Virgilianæ among the Romans. These were much used, especially after the cessation of heathen oracles on the coming of Christ. Their practice was to take as their oracle, or a sure prognostic of some future event, the first words of Homer or Virgil, which met their eye on opening the book; just as the Jews, on the failure of the divine oracle, substituted the first words, especially from the Bible, which met their ears. It is therefore not improbable that the heathens might copy this practice from the Jews, or the Jews from the heathens; and that the christians in after times borrowed a similar custom from both. It was a usage among christians as early as the time of Austin in the fourth century, to employ the scriptures as an instrument of divination. This superstition eminently

prevailed in the west of Christendom, especially in France. When a new bishop was to be consecrated, the Bible was consulted respecting him; and the words, which were first presented to the eye, decided his future. conduct and fate. The Normans carried this custom into England, when they conquered that kingdom. Your minds will perhaps be entertained by one or two authentic examples from the English history. On the consecration of William, the second Norman bishop of Norwich, the Bible being opened, presented these words"not this man, but Barabbas the robber;" by which it was decided that this bishop was not long to continue, and that a thief or robber would soon succeed him. The event corresponded with the decision. For William quickly died, and was succeeded by Herbertus de Lozinga, who was chief simony broker to the king, and had by money purchased of him one abby for his father, another for himself, and had now by the same vile means gained this diocese. At the consecration of this wretch the passage, which first met the eye, was that address of Christ to Judas, when he came to betray him for money"Friend, wherefore art thou come ?" These, and the former words at the ordination of his predecessor, so struck his conscience, as to produce a thorough repentance of his crimes. I have dwelt so long on these foolish and wicked usages of pagans, Jews, and Christians, to impress you with the strong tendency of depraved human nature to gross superstition; with the eager, but impious propensity of mankind to pry into future secrets; and their readiness to pervert the most sacred things to the most unlawful uses, and to employ one of the worst kinds of divination, as a part of their most solemn acts of religion. Stupid ignorace, joined with moral depravi