be conveyed down, the one more clearly, and the other by a fainter light, under the fhadows of a ceremonial worship, to that period of time, when the Saviour himself was to appear in the world, and, by the miniftry of his Apostles, and by the power of his Spirit, make the knowledge of the Lord to cover the earth, as the waters cover the fea. For these reasons, Mofes gives the present race of men the stricteft charge of the following, and every future, of that which should come after them.

To the authority of their moral law, they could have nothing to object. Against the practice of its duties, their appetites and paffions would indeed have many objections, as a rulé infinitely too severe and inflexible for weak and fallible mortals; as laying human nature under intolerable restraints; and as retrenching many of its greatest pleasures. In the seasons however of cool reflection, the language of confcience would be heard, and the obligation of the law ftrongly felt. As fome scattered remains are ftill to be found in the breast of fallen man, of the noble principles originally woven into his frame, they would, on particular occafions, be called forth to vindicate, the equity of moral government. When the maxims of eternal justice were placed before men, they could not fail to recognize the archetype, of which they ftill retained the faint impreffion. But the fyftem of rites, neceffary to effect their separation from other nations, without which their religious worship could not have been preferved from every mixture of idolatry; neceffary likewise, as a representation by action, of the office and work of the Messiah, had no fuch vouchers to ftand up in their defence. They made no part of the original religion of men; but were added, by reason of human guilt, to lead finners to the hope of the Gospel, as the morning-star lends the traveller a feeble light, until the fun arises to bring in the day. No traces of their divine origin exifting in the foul of man, it

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was neceffary they should be fupported by external evidence, fufficient to convince his reason, that they had God for their Author. The train of miracles employed to usher them in, was calculated to produce, on attentive and candid minds, the most powerful conviction. The ftory of their deliverance from Egyptian bondage, and of the fplendid achievements to which that interpofition of the Almighty had given birth, was of fuch a kind, as to excite the strongest sentiments of admiration, in the breasts of the Jews. To operate with convincing energy, it needed only to be told. But the danger was, it might be forgotten, amidst the infinite variety of cares, which were continually preffing to obtain a place in their minds. all inftruction, religious, when it is pure, is the foonest either contaminated or loft. If it be fuffered to continue its courfe, yet, mingling with the foil through which it paffes, it runs with a foul and muddy ftream. The Lawgiver of the Jews made the best provifion, both for the continuance, and for the purity of their religious institutions. He appointed them to be written, and the original book after many copies of it had been taken, to be depofited in the moft holy place of the Tabernacle, that it might remain, an infallible text by which every controverfy fhould be decided, and every error corrected. Even after this was done, the propagation of religious knowledge depended, in a great measure, upon the education of their youth; and upon the care taken to store their minds, with the principles of that information. When men are left to seek out, by dint of ftudy the truths of religion, these are generally the laft things, for which they think of inquiring. The obfervances of the ceremonial law, might perhaps have been fecured, among the Jews of that, and of the fucceeding age, by the fragments of their history which would be preferved, without any great exertion. It was impoffible that an account fo furprifing, fhould perifh with the men

of one generation. But, as the age in which man lived, was remote from the period at which the Revolution happened, it would be lefs confidered. The knowledge of the dangers their nation had efcaped in an enemy's country; of their miraculous paffage through the Red Sea; of their preservation in the wilderness; and of the eafy conqueft their Conductor gave them, of towns walled up to heaven, might at length be obliterated, by the corroding hand of time. As they found themselves a mighty and fuccessful people, in poffeffion of a pleasant land, they might come to conclude, that their own prowefs had gained their victories, and forced their eftablishment. The true caufe of their greatnefs being forgotten; their minds being intoxicated with profperity; their bodies enervated by ease and luxury; the frequent return of their religious feftivals fummoning them to the exercises of devotion, fad interruption to pleasures more valued! They would begin to examine into the fitness of their religious inftitutions. "To "what purpose" they would afk, "is the authority of "Heaven so often interpofed, with refpect to things in "their own nature indifferent? Is one day, or one kind "of meat, more acceptable to the Creator of the universe, "than another? If fuch ftatutes be not calculated to "advance the happiness and the glory of our nation, to

fuppofe God concerned in the making of them would "not only be abfurd, but even impious; and whether or "not they produce thefe effects, we ourselves are certainly "the most competent judges. We best know what are "the circumstances of our condition, what is the bias of

our own hearts; and are therefore beft qualified to "determine, what those religious obfervances are, which "would fuit us. But let us only reflect for a moment, "what is the most probable conjecture we may be allowed "to hazard, with refpect to the origin of our church "establishment. Let us fec, if there be not fome circum"stance

"stance in the framing of it, which, when narrowly ex"amined, will enable us to unravel the whole mystery: "We see there are two orders of men among us, for whom "it hath made liberal provifion. If we fuppofe them the "contrivers, all is clear and confiftent; for it is plainly "impoffible to fhew a more tender concern for their "interests, then it difcovers. It gives them the tenth

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part of our fubftance. And what mighty advantage is "it that we purchase, with so confiderable a part of our property? Why, we are inftructed in rites and cere"monies which are the reproach of our nation; taught "the obligation of fabbaths, days of affliction, and hours. "of prayer, which, were they not aggravated by the indignity of making us pay for the invafions made upon "our liberty, are of themselves great, and even intolerable grievances. It therefore appears" would a free-thinking Jew have added, "as clear as the fun at mid-day, that "the whole of our church ritual is an intrigue of the "Priests and Levites. They have agreed to give the "fanction of religion to their own combination against "the community, and, by the handle of fuperftition, to "take hold of our confciences, only that they may "keep their hold the fafter of the fruits. of our ground, "of the firftlings of our cattle, and of the tithe of all "that we poffefs. But let us fpurn fuch palpable im"pofitions, and ftand forth the affertors of our natural rights."

THAT fentiments fuch as thefe might never be uttered in the land of Ifrael, or that materials might never be wanting to confute them, parents were commanded early to inftruct their children, in the detail of their national history. They were to fhew them the meannefs and obfcurity of their ancestors, who were Pharaoh's flaves, without inheritance, and, as a nation, almost without a name; a people plundered by their haughty masters, and:

doomed to perpetual drudgery: without any means of redreffing their wrongs, having as little to hope from the weakness, as from the clemency of their tyrants. They were then to inform them, that in this forlorn condition the Almighty undertook their cause; avenged their injuries, and, by a fucceffion of heavy judgments, broke the ftrength of the moft powerful monarchy in the world. By one fatal stroke, in which human policy and might had no fhare, destroyed the king himself, the flower of his nobility, of his court, and of his army. That for the space of forty years, God had conducted the Ifraelites through the wilderness; fed them with bread from heaven; made them fuck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock that their establishment in the land of Canaan was a fact, for which it was impoffible to account, without bringing in an extraordinary Providence, and fuppofing the events of the war to be managed by an invifible Guardian, who made one to chafe a thousand, and two to put ten thousand to flight. That fince they had been planted in this favourite spot, a fucceffion of hair-breadth escapes from the most formidable confpiracies of powerful enemies, had fufficiently demonftrated the vigilance of Ifrael's fhepherd; that so long as they perfevered in obedience to their Law, difficult things became eafy, and mountains funk into plains:- that their troubles and their rebellions always began, and always ended together.

WITH fuch a pious care did the fervant of God impress on the minds of his countrymen, the neceffity of tutoring betimes, those who were the hopes of the church and state, to the knowledge of the fignal benefits, conferred by God upon their nation.

THE bleffings we have this day met to commemorate, are, if we confider them in a temporal view, equal; and, if we confider them in a religious view, far fuperior to the advantages refulting to the Jews, from their miraculous deli

verance