the peculiar ritual observance of the Jews, and therefore affords no
great instruction to us now: you may pass it over entirely; and, for the
same reason, you may omit the first eight chapters of NUMBERS. The rest
of Numbers is chiefly a continuation of the history, with some ritual
laws.
In DEUTERONOMY, Moses makes a recapitulation of the foregoing history,
with zealous exhortations to the people, faithfully to worship and obey
that God, who had worked such amazing wonders for them: he promises them
the noblest temporal blessings, if they prove obedient, and adds the
most awful and striking denunciations against them, if they rebel or
forsake the true God. I have before observed, that the sanctions of the
Mosaic law were _temporal_ rewards and punishments, those of the New
Testament are _eternal_: these last, as they are so infinitely more
forcible than the first, were reserved for the last, best gift to
mankind--and were revealed by the Messiah, in the fullest and clearest
manner. Moses, in this book, directs the method in which the Israelites
were to deal with the seven nations, whom they were appointed to punish
for their profligacy and idolatry! and whose land they were to possess,
when they had driven out the old inhabitants. He gives them excellent
laws, civil as well as religious, which were ever after the standing
municipal laws of that people. This book concludes with Moses' song and
death.
The book of JOSHUA contains the conquests of the Israelites over the
seven nations, and their establishment in the promised land. Their
treatment of these conquered nations must appear to you very cruel and
unjust, if you consider it as their own act, unauthorized by a positive
command: but they had the most absolute injunctions, not to spare these
corrupt people--"to make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy to them,
but utterly to destroy them." And the reason is given--"lest they should
turn away the Israelites from following the Lord, that they might serve
other gods[16]." The children of Israel are to be considered as
instruments in the hand of the Lord, to punish those whose idolatry and
wickedness had deservedly brought destruction on them: this example,
therefore, cannot be pleaded in behalf of cruelty, or bring any
imputation on the character of the Jews. With regard to other cities,
which did not belong to these seven nations, they were directed to deal
with them, according to the common law of arms at that time. If the city
submitted, it became tributary, and the people were spared; if it
resisted, the men were to be slain, but the women and children
saved[17]. Yet, though the crime of cruelty cannot be justly laid to
their charge on this occasion, you will observe in the course of their
history many things recorded of them very different from what you would
expect from the chosen people of God, if you supposed them selected on
account of their own merit: their national character was by no means
amiable; and we are repeatedly told, that they were not chosen for their
superior righteousness--"for they were a stiff-necked people, and
provoked the Lord with their rebellions from the day they left
Egypt."--"You have been rebellious against the Lord," says Moses, "from
the day that I knew you[18]." And he vehemently exhorts them, not to
flatter themselves that their success was, in any degree, owing to their
own merits. They were appointed to be the scourge of other nations,
whose crimes rendered them fit objects of Divine chastisement. For the
sake of righteous Abraham, their founder, and perhaps for many other
wise reasons, undiscovered to us, they were selected from a world
over-run with idolatry, to preserve upon earth the pure worship of the
one only God, and to be honoured with the birth of the Messiah amongst
them. For this end, they were precluded, by Divine command, from mixing
with any other people, and defended by a great number of peculiar rites
and observances from falling into the corrupt worship practised by their
neighbours.
The book of JUDGES, in which you will find the affecting stories of
Samson and of Jephtha, carries on the history from the death of Joshua,
about two hundred and fifty years; but the facts are not told in the
times in which they happened, which makes some confusion; and it will be
necessary to consult the marginal dates and notes, as well as the index,
in order to get any clear idea of the succession of events during that
period.
The history then proceeds regularly through the two books of SAMUEL, and
those of KINGS: nothing can be more interesting and entertaining than
the reigns of Saul, David, and Solomon: but, after the death of Solomon,
when the ten tribes revolted from his son Rehoboam, and became a
separate kingdom, you will find some difficulty in understanding
distinctly the histories of the two kingdoms of Israel and Judah, which
are blended together, and, by the likeness of the names, and other
particulars, will be apt to confound your mind, without great attention
to the different threads thus carried on together: the Index here will
be of great use to you. The Second Book of Kings concludes with the
Babylonish captivity, 588 years before Christ; till which time, the
kingdom of Judea had descended uninterruptedly in the line of David.
The first book of CHRONICLES begins with a genealogy from Adam, through
all the tribes of Israel and Judah; and the remainder is the same
history which is contained in the books of Kings, with little or no
variation, till the separation of the ten tribes: from that period, it
proceeds with the history of the kingdom of Judah alone, and gives
therefore a more regular and clear account of the affairs of Judah than
the book of Kings. You may pass over the first book of Chronicles, and
the nine first chapters of the second book: but, by all means, read the
remaining chapters, as they will give you more clear and distinct ideas
of the history of Judah, than that you read in the second book of Kings.
The second of Chronicles ends, like the second of Kings, with the
Babylonish captivity.
You must pursue the history in the book of EZRA, which gives an account
of the return of some of the Jews, on the edict of Cyrus, and of the
rebuilding the Lord's temple.
NEHEMIAH carries on the history for about twelve years, when he himself
was governor of Jerusalem, with authority to rebuild the walls, &c.
The story of ESTHER is prior in time to that of Ezra and Nehemiah; as
you will see by the marginal dates: however, as it happened during the
seventy years captivity, and is a kind of episode, it may be read in its
own place.
This is the last of the canonical books that is properly historical; and
I would therefore advise, that you pass over what follows, till you have
continued the history through the apocryphal books.
The history of JOB is probably very ancient, though that is a point upon
which learned men have differed: It is dated, however, 1520 years before
Christ: I believe it is uncertain by whom it was written: many parts of
it are obscure, but it is well worth studying, for the extreme beauty of
the poetry, and for the noble and sublime devotion it contains. The
subject of the dispute, between Job and his pretended friends, seems to
be, whether the providence of God distributes the rewards and
punishments of this life in exact proportion to the merit or demerit of
each individual. His antagonists suppose that it does: and therefore
infer, from JOB'S uncommon calamities, that, notwithstanding his
apparent righteousness, he was in reality a grievous sinner: they
aggravate his supposed guilt, by the imputation of hypocrisy, and call
upon him to confess it, and to acknowledge the justice of his
punishment. Job asserts his own innocence and virtue in the most
pathetic manner, yet does not presume to accuse the Supreme Being of
injustice. Elihu attempts to arbitrate the matter, by alleging the
impossibility that so frail and ignorant a creature as man should
comprehend the ways of the Almighty, and, therefore, condemns the unjust
and cruel inference the three friends had drawn from the sufferings of
Job. He also blames Job for the presumption of acquitting himself of all
iniquity, since the best of men are not pure in the sight of God--but
all have something to repent of; and he advises him to make this use of
his affliction. At last, by a bold figure of poetry, the Supreme Being
himself is introduced, speaking from the whirlwind, and silencing them
all by the most sublime display of his own power, magnificence, and
wisdom, and of the comparative littleness and ignorance of man. This
indeed is the only conclusion of the argument which could be drawn, at
a time when life and immortality were not yet brought to light. A future
retribution is the only satisfactory solution of the difficulty arising
from the sufferings of good people in this life.
Next follow THE PSALMS, with which you cannot be too conversant. If you
have any taste, either for poetry or devotion, they will be your
delight, and will afford you a continual feast. The Bible translation is
far better than that used in the Common Prayer Book: and will often give
you the sense, when the other is obscure. In this, as well as in all
other parts of the scripture, you must be careful always to consult the
margin, which gives you the corrections made since the last translation,
and is generally preferable to the words of the text. I would wish you
to select some of the Psalms that please you best, and get them by
heart; or, at least, make yourself mistress of the sentiments contained
in them: Dr. Delany's Life of David will show you the occasions on which
several of them were composed, which add much to their beauty and
propriety; and, by comparing them with the events of David's life, you
will greatly enhance your pleasure in them. Never did the spirit of true
piety breathe more strongly than in these divine songs; which, being
added to a rich vein of poetry, makes them more captivating to my heart
and imagination than any thing I ever read. You will consider how great
disadvantages any poems must sustain from being rendered literally into
prose, and then imagine how beautiful these must be in the original. May
you be enabled, by reading them frequently, to transfuse into your own
breast that holy flame which inspired the writer!--to delight in the
Lord, and in his laws, like the Psalmist--to rejoice in him always, and
to think "one day in his courts better than a thousand!" But may you
escape the heart-piercing sorrow of such repentance as that of David, by
avoiding sin, which humbled this unhappy king to the dust, and which
cost him such bitter anguish, as it is impossible to read of without
being moved. Not all the pleasures of the most prosperous sinner could
counterbalance the hundredth part of those sensations described in his
Penitential Psalms; and which must be the portion of every man, who has
fallen from a religious state into such crimes, when once he recovers a
sense of religion and virtue, and is brought to a real hatred of sin:
however available such repentance may be to the safety and happiness of
the soul after death, it is a state of such exquisite suffering here,
that one cannot be enough surprised at the folly of those, who indulge
in sin, with the hope of living to make their peace with God by
repentance. Happy are they who preserve their innocence unsullied by any
great or wilful crimes, and who have only the common failings of
humanity to repent of: these are sufficiently mortifying to a heart
deeply smitten with the love of virtue, and with the desire of
perfection. There are many very striking prophecies of the Messiah in
these divine songs; particularly in Psalm xxii: such may be found
scattered up and down almost throughout the Old Testament. To bear
testimony to _him_ is the great and ultimate end, for which the spirit
of prophecy was bestowed on the sacred writers:--but this will appear
more plainly to you, when you enter on the study of prophecy, which you
are now much too young to undertake.
The PROVERBS and ECCLESIASTES are rich stores of wisdom; from which I
wish you to adopt such maxims as may be of infinite use, both to your
temporal and eternal interest. But detached sentences are a kind of
reading not proper to be continued long at a time: a few of them well
chosen and digested will do you much more service than to read half a
dozen chapters together: in this respect they are directly opposite to
the historical books, which, if not read in continuation, can hardly be
understood, or retained to any purpose.
The SONG of SOLOMON is a fine poem; but its mystical reference to
religion lies too deep for a common understanding: if you read it,
therefore, it will be rather as matter of curiosity than of edification.
Next follow the PROPHECIES, which, though highly deserving the greatest
attention and study, I think you had better omit for some years, and
then read them with a good exposition; as they are much too difficult
for you to understand without assistance. Dr. Newton on the Prophecies
will help you much, whenever you undertake this study; which you should
by all means do, when your understanding is ripe enough; because one of
the main proofs of our religion rests on the testimony of the
prophecies; and they are very frequently quoted and referred to in the
New Testament: besides the sublimity of the language and sentiments,
through all the disadvantages of antiquity and translation, must, in
very many passages, strike every person of taste; and the excellent
moral and religious precepts found in them must be useful to all.
Though I have spoken of these books in the order in which they stand, I
repeat, that they are not to be read in that order; but that the thread
of the history is to be pursued, from Nehemiah, to the first book of
MACCABEES, in the Apocrypha; taking care to observe the Chronology
regularly, by referring to the Index, which supplies the deficiencies of
this history, from _Josephus's Antiquities of the Jews_. The first of
Maccabees carries on the story till within 195 years of our Lord's
circumcision: the second book is the same narrative, written by a
different hand, and does not bring the history so forward as the first;
so that it may be entirely omitted, unless you have the curiosity to
read some particulars of the heroic constancy of the Jews, under the
tortures inflicted by their heathen conquerors; with a few other things
not mentioned in the first book.
You must then connect the history by the help of the Index, which will
give you brief heads of the changes that happened in the state of the
Jews, from this time, till the birth of the Messiah.
The other books of the Apocrypha, though not admitted as of sacred
authority, have many things well worth your attention; particularly the
admirable book called ECCLESIASTICUS, and the BOOK OF WISDOM. But, in
the course of reading which I advise, these must be omitted till after
you have gone through the Gospels and Acts, that you may not lose the
historical thread. I must reserve, however, what I have to say to you
concerning the New Testament to another letter.
Adieu, my dear!
FOOTNOTES:
[16] Deut. chap. ii.
[17] Ibid. chap. xx.
[18] Deut. chap. ix. ver. 24.
LETTER III.
_MY DEAREST NIECE_,
WE come now to that part of scripture, which is the most important of
all; and which you must make your constant study, not only till you are
thoroughly acquainted with it, but all your life long; because how often
soever repeated, it is impossible to read the life and death of our
blessed Saviour, without renewing and increasing in our hearts that
love, and reverence, and gratitude, towards him, which is so justly due
for all he did and suffered for us! Every word that fell from his lips
is more precious than all the treasures of the earth; for his "are the
words of eternal life!" They must therefore be laid up in your heart,
and constantly referred to on all occasions, as the rule and direction
of all your actions; particularly those very comprehensive moral
precepts he has graciously left with us, which can never fail to direct
us aright, if fairly and honestly applied: such as, _whatsoever ye would
that men should do unto you, even so do unto them_. There is no
occasion, great or small, on which you may not safely apply this rule,
for the direction of your conduct: and, whilst your heart honestly
adheres to it, you can never be guilty of any sort of injustice or
unkindness. The two great commandments, which contain the summary of our
duty to God and man, are no less easily retained, and made a standard by
which to judge our own hearts.--_To love the Lord our God with all our
hearts, with all our minds, with all our strength; and our neighbour_
(or fellow-creature) _as ourselves_. "Love worketh no ill to his
neighbour;" therefore, if you have true benevolence, you will never do
any thing injurious to individuals, or to society. Now, all crimes
whatever are (in their remoter consequences at least, if not immediately
and apparently) injurious to the society in which we live. It is
impossible _to love God_ without desiring to please him; and, as far as
we are able, to resemble him; therefore, the love of God must lead to
every virtue in the highest degree; and, we may be sure, we do not truly
love him, if we content ourselves with avoiding flagrant sins, and do
not strive in good earnest, to reach the greatest degree of perfection
we are capable of. Thus do those few words direct us to the highest
Christian virtue. Indeed, the whole tenor of the gospel is to offer us
every help, direction, and motive, that can enable us to attain that
degree of perfection, on which depends our eternal good.
What an example is set before us in our blessed Master! How is his whole
life, from earliest youth, dedicated to the pursuit of true wisdom, and
to the practice of the most exalted virtue! When you see him, at _twelve
years of age_, in the temple amongst the doctors, hearing them, and
asking them questions on the subject of religion, and astonishing them
all with his understanding and answers, you will say, perhaps, "Well
might the Son of God, even at those years, be far wiser than the aged;
but, can a mortal child emulate such heavenly wisdom? Can such a pattern
be proposed to _my_ imitation?" Yes, my dear; remember that he has
bequeathed to you his heavenly wisdom, as far as concerns your own good.
He has left you such declarations of his will, and of the consequences
of your actions, as you are, even now, fully able to understand, if you
will but attend to them. If then you will imitate his zeal for
knowledge, if you will delight in gaining information and improvement,
you may, even now, become _wise unto salvation_. Unmoved by the praise
he acquired amongst those learned men, you see him meekly return to the
subjection of a child, under those who appeared to be his parents,
though he was in reality their Lord: you see him return to live with
them, to work for them, and to be the joy and solace of their lives;
till the time came, when he was to enter on that scene of public action,
for which his heavenly Father had sent him from his own right hand, to
take upon him the form of a poor carpenter's son. What a lesson of
humility is this, and of obedience to parents. When, having received
the glorious testimony from heaven, of his being the beloved Son of the
Most High, he enters on his public ministry, what an example does he
give us, of the most extensive and constant benevolence!--how are all
his hours spent in doing good to the souls and bodies of men!--not the
meanest sinner is below his notice: to reclaim and save them, he
condescends to converse familiarly with the most corrupt as well as the
most abject. All his miracles are wrought to benefit mankind; not one to
punish and afflict them. Instead of using the almighty power, which
accompanied him, to the purpose of exalting himself and treading down
his enemies, he makes no other use of it than to heal and to save.
When you come to read of his sufferings and death, the ignominy and
reproach, the sorrow of mind, and torment of body, which he submitted
to--when you consider, that it was for all our sakes--"that by his
stripes we are healed"--and by his death we are raised from destruction
to everlasting life--what can I say that can add any thing to the
sensations you must then feel? No power of language can make the scene
more touching than it appears in the plain and simple narrations of the
evangelists. The heart that is unmoved by it can be scarcely human.
But, my dear, the emotions of tenderness and compunction, which almost
every one feels in reading this account, will be of no avail, unless
applied to the true end--unless it inspires you with a sincere and warm
affection towards your blessed Lord--with a firm resolution to obey his
commands:--to be his faithful disciple--and ever to renounce and abhor
those sins, which brought mankind under Divine condemnation, and from
which we have been redeemed at so dear a rate. Remember, that the title
of Christian, or follower of Christ, implies a more than ordinary degree
of holiness and goodness. As our motives to virtue are stronger than
those which are afforded to the rest of mankind, our guilt will be
proportionably greater if we depart from it.
Our Saviour appears to have had three great purposes, in descending from
his glory and dwelling amongst men. The first, to teach them true
virtue, both by his example and precepts: the second, to give them the
most forcible motives to the practice of it, "by bringing life and
immortality to light," by showing them the certainty of a resurrection
and judgment, and the absolute necessity of obedience to God's laws:
the third, to sacrifice himself for us, to obtain by his death the
remission of our sins upon our repentance and reformation, and the power
of bestowing on his sincere followers the inestimable gift of immortal
happiness.