Its belief matter of reason,

and of faith.

points purely rational, its belief is undoubtedly as much matter of reason as any other history. Most events are in the ordinary course of nature its record of them is simple testimony, subject to the rules applicable to any other record. Here one naturally inquires, whether the writer witnessed what he relates? If so, whether he were a competent judge of that which he witnessed? If he were not an eye-witness, through what medium he received his information? Whether the sources whence he derived it, were to be relied upon ? In almost every case, these questions are rendered unnecessary by the fact, that the writer himself witnessed the event, that he recorded it at the time, and that his simple narrative gives no opinion, but leaves every man to make his own reflections upon it. The history grew, therefore, after the book of Genesis, (and it might be shown through what channel Moses probably received his information of the facts therein recorded,) under the hand of the Jewish legislator, and succeeding rulers of that nation, from year to year, until it acquired the bulk and harmony in which it is now presented

to us.

There are, however, parts of the history, the belief of which, as they relate to events out of the ordinary course of nature, and to spiritual subjects, must be matter of faith. In these we must repose upon the tried veracity of the historian; at the same time remembering whom he introduces as the agent. Doubtless with God all things are possible. It remains, therefore, only to satisfy ourselves as to the fact of his interference. The laws of nature are nothing more than her ordinary course, and they originate in the Divine volitions. The will of God is the great law, by which the whole machinery of the universe is governed. It would be too much to presume, either that these things are unalterable in themselves, or that they had never deviated from the course which we see them take, when the testimony of men of acknowledged veracity in every other case, is direct to the contrary. Miracles are capable of evidence; and when we say, that these things are subjects of faith, we by no means wish to exclude the exercise of reason. In short, in relation to the Scriptures, there must be an union of both. Revelation does not violate reason, but exceeds it; faith is, in this respect, but reason matured; carried into an element purer than her own, and ripened into religion. As sense rises to reason, and reason soars beyond the sphere of sense, faith is but the higher sense; and

of stronger pinion than reason, takes her flight where reason cannot reach. These are the gradations by which we ascend to the invisible God, from the footstool of his works, to the throne of his glory.

credibility

History.

A question remains, whether there are degrees of credibility in Degrees of Sacred History; and if so, what they are; to what extent they reach; in Sacred and by what standard they are to be measured. The answer to this inquiry must depend, first, upon the concession or denial of its character as a revelation; as conducted under divine superintendence, or as left to itself. If the fact of its inspiration be granted, it is futile to speak of degrees of credibility: the evidence belonging to the subject is complete in all its parts; every thing becomes absolutely certain; every thing must be admitted as infallibly true. Upon this point, we have given neither a sparing, nor a doubtful opinion. We have argued its inspiration, and have intimated its corresponding claims.

the evidence

Scriptures.

It may nevertheless be conceded, and this will be found to be the Strength of fact, that there is stronger evidence for those portions of sacred for the history which most require it, than for others in which we have either an inferior interest, or are capable of gathering testimonies nearer home, or from existing circumstances. The Pentateuch, for instance, as relating to a remoter antiquity than any other portion, and to events connected with the very birth of time, comes before us guaranteed by a more ample scope of evidence, than any subsequent part of the Bible. It is also no less true, that certain leading facts in these books, are more strongly attested in themselves, and more supported by collateral evidence, than others of less moment to the world. Such as the Creation, the Fall, the Flood, the Dispersion of the People, the Birth and Life of Abraham, the History of Joseph, the Miracles of Moses in Egypt, &c.; all of which are preserved in various ancient records under different forms. Other facts are not weakened by the strength peculiarly attached to these; their prominence arising from their pre-eminent importance in themselves, and to mankind. And it is evident, that if the remarks which have been made, apply to the Bible at large, they have peculiar force when directed to the New Testament. But this subject will be fully treated in a separate Essay, on the Historical Evidences of Christianity.2

There are pecularities belonging to sacred history, so remote from

2 See the History of the Rise and Early Progress of Christianity, by Bishop Hinds.

Its

knowledge the heart.

every thing seen among men, and such an unearthly character is given even to its relation of ordinary concerns, that the most superficial observer can scarcely fail to distinguish it from every human production. Its true and faithful portraiture of our own nature, its appeal to the heart of the reader, alone suffices to establish this observation. There is a knowledge of the human heart, a master-key to its subtlest recesses, which not only surpasses human penetration in its origin, but astonishes while it terrifies the individual whose bosom is laid open to his own inspection; and who finds himself a stranger, where he had thought himself most at home. Perhaps this is a fact more striking than even its impartial delineation of the character of others—and incomparably more important to us. Not a lurking passion is suffered to remain undetected in its living pictures. Motives which we should be ashamed to avow, are dragged before our conscience, in the history of another; and while his sentence is passed, we feel a personal condemnation. This is, indeed, the true and highest use of History: to speak to the heart through the understanding; to make every character that is brought before us, promote the formation and consolidation of our own.

SACRED HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY.

CHAPTER I.

ANTEDILUVIAN PERIOD.

B.C. 4004.

from the

If the principles advanced in our introductory essay are just, it History rises will follow, that we have no history of many hundred years from Bible. the beginning of time, excepting that which is contained in the Scriptures. The distinction of Sacred and Profane History, is inapplicable to facts at this period-one source of authentic information alone subsisting; we may enter, therefore, at once upon our design, by breaking up the fountains of all human events, as they are discovered by Moses. At the same time, we shall not overlook those traditional circumstances which bear upon these earliest records; and which are noticed and presented, under various forms, by the poets and historians of remotest antiquity. These, confessedly later than Moses, amidst all the variations of their respective fables, have agreeing features, which show their alliance to each other, and betray the common source whence they were borrowed. The world was created; and was not, as some of the heathen Creation. philosophers affirmed, eternal. It was the result of design; and not, as the Epicureans held, the fortuitous combination of atoms impelled together by their own gravity-the production of chance. It was the work of one Being, infinite in power, wisdom, and goodness. "In the beginning, GOD created the heaven and the earth." Whether the matter of the world were, before the era of this great transaction, in a chaotic state, has been the subject of much disputation in all ages; to some it seems most consonant with the simplicity of the only authentic record upon this subject, to conclude, that the materials were created, at the time when they were employed to frame this beautiful world. This could be effected by Omnipotence, and in a moment; but recent discoveries in geology have tended to show that at that period it was only a new arrangement. The state of primeval matter was confused, the elements of all A.M. 1. things commingled in an indistinguishable and inert mass covered with darkness-empty, unformed, unfathomable.

B.C. 4004.

The period at which this beginning is to be fixed is not now an object of inquiry; it would lead us too far, and it will find its Chronology. proper place of discussion in our separate treatise upon CHRONOLOGY. It may suffice for the present to observe, that the pretensions of the Chaldeans, Egyptians, and Chinese, are unsupported by any rational evidence; that some of their remotest dates may be traced to certain events recorded in the Scriptures, and consequently falling within its system of chronology; and that considerable confusion has arisen by regarding these ancient records as relating to remote sovereignties, when in many instances, they respected particular families, which governed at the same time several principalities, (answerable to the Saxon Heptarchy,) but which were represented by the Egyptians as successive, while they were in truth contemporary. Bochart indeed has shown, that the earthly reigns assigned to the Egyptian gods, the oldest of their dynasties, extend not beyond the time of Joseph.

Chaos.

Progressive creation.

The idea of an original chaos, without any very material variation, except as to form and expression, has been adopted by the most ancient writers, as well by the poets, as by historians and philosophers. Orpheus and Hesiod, among the first; Sanchoniathon, Mochus, and Manetho, among the second: and among the last, by no less a person than Plato himself; who says, that " chaos, or first matter, was the yɛvos, stock, out of which every thing was composed." These writers, indeed, differed as to the first principle, whether it were water or fire, or a commixture of elements-a sort of fluid earth-and the last seems to have been the prevailing opinion of the poets; whose general conclusions on this subject, may be found concentrated in the eloquent opening of Ovid's Metamorphoses.

The work of creation was progressive. The whole was reduced to order in six days. The agency employed is, the Word of God"He spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast;" and the "Spirit of God, moved upon the face of the waters." These representations accord also with the mighty fiat imagined in antiquity-expressed by Ovid-traced to Moses-applauded by Longinus: and, with the universal idea of a first principle, called by some, a wind; by others, love; impregnating the chaos, and giving birth to nature. We cannot consent to understand the six days mystically. The simplicity of the terms requires a plain and literal interpretation. He who formed matter out of nothing, could, by the same power with which he constituted the materials, have given form to the creation. But he chose to interpose a sensible space of time between those works, which he could as easily have effected by a single act of his will.

The first command issued by the Eternal was "Let there be light;" or in the sublime brevity of the Hebrew expression, Be light! This is mentioned before the creation of the sun, or of the stars. Some have conceived that the sun was then in existence,