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faith in this fyftem refts on the miraculous events which have been recited, and their credibility must be estimated by the circumftances of them, and efpecially by their effects.

From the circumftances it appears that nothing could have been devised to render these extraordinary facts lefs liable to objection; and their effects could not have been greater than they were, in fecuring the firm belief of them in the Jewish nation in every period of their history, even in the times of their greatest delinquency; and what is more, in recovering them from frequent relapses into idolatry, to which they were exceedingly prone, but which never implied any disbelief of the great facts on which the truth of their own religion was founded; and which has fettled in as firm a faith as is now to be found in any part of the world, though at the distance of fix thousand years from their date; and this notwithstanding the most discouraging fituation poffible, the most trying to men's faith and perfeverance. For fuch is the faith of the Jews in the divine miffion of Mofes, believing in all the promises

promises of their religion to this day, against every visible ground of hope; and, among no clafs of people whatever, are there fewer unbelievers. Nominal Christians are numerous, but merely nominal Jews, though there are fome, are comparatively very few.

DISCOURSE

DISCOURSE V.

Of miraculous Events in the Time of Joshua.

Now after the death of Mofes, the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord Spake unto Joshua, the son of Nun, Mofes's minifter; faying, Mofes my fervant is dead, now therefore arife, go over this Jordan, thou and all this people, unto the land which I give unto them, even to the children of Ifrael. As I was with Mofes, fo will I be with thee.

JOSHUA i. 1-5•

HAVING Confidered the miraculous events. by which the deliverance of the Ifraelites from their bondage in Egypt, and their paffage through the wilderness, was dif tinguished, and especially thofe by which the divine miffion of Mofes, and the authority of his law, was confirmed, I pro-ceed

ceed to direct your attention to those which immediately preceded, and accompanied, the taking poffeffion of the land of Canaan, as being a part, and a continuation, of the fame scheme. Of the remaining events in the life-time of Mofes, fome indeed were miraculous, but either not being very confpicuoufly fo, or having only a temporary effect, I do not dwell upon them.

I must, however, except one miracle of a peculiar kind, by means of which the priesthood was fettled in the family of Aaron, fo that there was never afterwards any complaint on this fubject. After the rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, which respected Aaron as well as Mofes, all the congregation complained, as if they had been the cause of the death of fo many of the people; when God was pleased to punish them by a peftilence, of which fourteen thousand and feven hundred died, and a ftop was put to it by Aaron taking incenfe, and ftanding between the dead and the living.

This action, in which Aaron was the inftrument, having fo inftantaneous an ef

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fect, fufficiently diftinguished him as a prieft. But in order to put the matter beyond all poffibility of doubt in future, God ordered that the heads of every tribe should deliver to Mofes a rod, with their names written upon them, and that on the rod for the tribe of Levi the name of Aaron fhould be infcribed. These rods were laid before the ark, with an affurance from God, that the rod belonging to that tribe for whom the priesthood was destined fhould be found in bloffom on the day following. Num. xvii. 5. As every tribe was interested in this decifion, we cannot doubt but that fufficient precautions were taken that there fhould be no impofition in the cafe, though the particulars are not mentioned. The iffue is thus recorded: And it came to pass on the morrow, that Mofes went into the tabernacle of witness, and behold the rod of Aaron, for the house of Levi, was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloffomed blossoms, and yielded almonds. And Mofes brought out all the rods from before the Lord, unto all the children of Ifrael, and they looked, and took every man his rod.

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