SHORT

OBSERVATIONS

For READING, with more Profit,

The Hiftorical Books of the

Old Teftament.

HE Old Teftament is an Hiftory of Pro vidence from the Beginning of the World, to near the Coming of Jefus Chrift: in which History, the infinite Power, Wisdom, Juftice, Goodness and Fidelity

of Go D, are recorded; in order to reestablish and preserve the Knowledge of the true GoD, which had been either intirely loft, or much corrupted amongst all Nations, except in the Pofterity of Abra

bam.

THIS Account which Mofes has given from the Creation to his own Time, was received by the People of Ifrael without gain-faying; not only because they were convinced by his Miracles that he was divinely infpired, but because the Things which he wrote, could not but be well known to that whole Nation; their Father Abraham having liv'd above 100 Years with Shem, whofe Father Noab had converfed with thousands

of People that had been converfant with Adam, the firft created Man.

IF therefore you defire to read this Hiftory to any faving Purpofes, you must carefully obferve and remember, the great Inftances of God's Providence in the Government of this People; which will be a Means to confirm and fecure your Faith, in this Age of Infi delity; and to convince you, that it will be your Intereft, as well as your Duty, to fear, to love, to obey and adore your Creator; because you will find, in this Divine Hiftory, that as GoD has Power to make Men happy or miferable, as their Works fhall deserve, fo He has always done to this People.

CH

GENES I S.

HAP. I. You will obferve here, that Mofes, tho' divinely inspired, does not go about to prove that there is a GOD; he justly fuppofes, that whoever confiders the Works of Creation, must be convinced, that a Being of infinite Perfections, Wisdom, and Power, whom we call GOD, was the Creator of all Things.

CHAP. II. In this Chapter, the Creator has by an exprefs Law (as it is declared Exod. xx.) fanctify'd, that is, fet apart the feventh Day, or the firft after Adam was created, in order to preferve the Memory of the Creation, and the Author of it.

AND as the Neglect of this Law brought in Idolatry and Infidelity; fo the Breach of it has ever fince been punished moft remarkably, by a judicial Hardness of Heart, Forgetfulness of Go D, and exemplary Judgments; as infinite Offenders have confefs'd.

YOU

You will here obferve, that Marriage betwixt one Man and one Woman, is an Inftitution of GOD himself, and not of Man's appointment. You will therefore remember what an Affront it must be to GOD, and what a Punishment every one muft expect, who fhall violate a Law fo facred, and confirm'd by Chrift himfelf, as the Will of GOD from the Beginning.

CHA P. III. You have here an Account of the State of Man before and after his Fall: that he was created in the Image of GoD, and placed in Paradise, in a State of Trial, in order to a greater Happiness, and an immortal Life; if he fhould keep the Covenant which God made with him, and his Pofterity.

Now, this Covenant, thro' the Temptation of the Devil, he broke; and was therefore turn'd out of Paradife, became fubject to Sin, and to the Punishment of Sin, which is Mifery, Afflictions, and Death after all: And this was the Occafion of that univerfal Corruption which you fee in the World.

CONCERNING the nature and greatnefs of this Şin of Adam, we are not able to judge of it by this fhort Account given us by Mofes, or by our own Reafonings; but we muft judge of it by the greatness of the Punishment inflicted upon him and his Pofterity for his Tranfgreffion. GOD is infinitely juft and holy, and therefore could not inflict a Punishment greater than his Sin deserved.

BUT then, this Tranfgreffion gave occafion to GoD to manifest another of his glorious Perfections, his infinite Goodness and Mercy.

FOR feeing Man in this deplorable Condition, He had Compaffion on him, and forthwith made him this Promife of Life and Comfort; That the Seed of the Woman (one who was not to have a Man for his Father) Should bruife the Head of that Serpent, the Devil which had beguiled her.

THIS, no doubt of it, was more fully explained to Adam; for we find in the next Chapter Abel, thro Faith in this Promife, offering a Sacrifice acceptable to GOD: which could not have been fo, had it not been of GoD's own Appointment.

CHAP. IV. We do therefore gather from this, that the Benefits of this Promise were to commence from that Time, and to be the Support of penitent Sinners in all future Ages. And GOD was pleased, in order to keep up the Memory of this Promise by an outward Ordinance, to accept of the Life of a Beaft inftead of the Life of Sinners, which had been forfeited, until the promised Seed fhould come, who by his atoning Death should bruise Satan under his Feet.

CHAP. V. It was by the fame Faith (that is, an Affurance that fooner or later, fuch as ftrive to please GOD, will most certainly be accepted and rewarded) it was this Faith, that prevailed with GoD to take Enoch from amongst a wicked Race of Men, into Place of Happiness: A moft convincing Proof of a Life after this.

CHAP. VI. The fad Effects of Adam's Tranfgreffion, did now appear in the universal Corruption of his Pofterity. Wickedness was now come to fuch an height, that there was no poffibility of a Reformation; fince the Sons of the Sovereigns, (for fo the Beginning of this Chapter is render'd in many of the most antient Versions) the Sons of the very Magiftrates, were as wicked as the reft: fo that GoD was refolv'd to cure the Evil, by the Deftruction of the Sinners.

CHAP. VII. Obferve another of God's ado rable Attributes; his infinite Patience and Long-fuffering. He gave them fair Warning of what was

coming upon them, and waited one hundred and twenBy Years, expecting their Repentance.

CONSIDER here, what a Forgetfulness of God, a Contempt of his Laws, an Abuse of his Patience, and turning a deaf Ear to the Preachers of Righteousness, did end in. A whole World of Sinners furpriz'd by Death and Judgment, in the midft of the greatest Security. Whether fomething like this is not the Case of too many Christians, when Death furprizes them, is worthy of the Confideration of every one who reads this History.

CHAP. VIII. Noah having been preferv'd from the Flood by a miraculous Providence; the firft Thing he did, you fee, was to offer a Sacrifice of Thankf giving for his Deliverance, and for God's Faithfulness and Truth, in continuing in him, and in his Pofterity, the Bleffing of the promised Seed.

THIS was fo acceptable to GOD, that it drew down a Bleffing upon the whole Earth; and a Promife, that it should never be deftroyed again by Water.

CHAP. IX. It was now the Rainbow was appointed by God, to be a Memorial both of his Juftice upon the old World, and of his Mercy to the new. Let us, when we look upon it, blefs GOD for being mindful of his Covenant, and fecuring to us the Bleffing of his promised Seed.

YOUNG People should be admonished by this Curfe upom Ham, to be very careful not to to grieve their Parents, or provoke them: Left the Curfe of graceless and difobedient Children fhould be entailed upon them and their Pofterity.

CHAP. XI. You will obferve the wonderful Power, as well as the Wisdom and Goodness of Providence, in confounding the Language of this untoward People: For by this means they became difperfed