Critical and Historical Notices, INTRODUCTORY TO THE STUDY OF THE SCRIPTURES.1 THE BOOK OF PROVERBS. THIS book, with the probable exception of the two concluding chapters, was composed by Solomon (ch. i. 1: x. 1 : xxv. 1.) The thirtieth chapter was penned by Agar, son of Jakeh, of whom we no where else read; and the last chapter contains the instructions given to Lemuel by his mother, of both of whom we are equally ignorant. From the first verse of the twenty-fifth chapter it has been inferred, that the Proverbs following were collected out of the other writings of Solomon, and placed in the order in which we now possess them. The design of the inspired author of these pointed and sententious maxims, may be gathered from the first three verses; and so admirably adapted to the purposes of instruction have they appeared, that many heathen philosophers and legislators have drawn their brightest sentiments from this book. The Proverbs are frequently quoted in the New Testament: see Matt. xv. 4. Luke xiv. 10. Rom. xii. 16, 17, 20. 1 Thess. v. 14. 1 Pet. iv. 8: v. 5. James iv. 6. &c. THE BOOK OF ECCLESIASTES, -That is, the preacher, or one who harangues a public auditory,—was written by Solomon, evidently towards the close of his splendid career, and after he had been brought to repentance for his awful apostacy from God. The purpose of this book is explicitly declared in its title; namely, to demonstrate the vanity of all earthly acquisitions, and to shew, that when the heart is set on sublunary enjoyments, all will prove to be "vanity and vexation of spirit." In the course of his argument, the inspired teacher anticipates the objections of the licentious and the thoughtless, and produces their absurd opinions for the purpose of refuting them. It is therefore necessary to keep the eye steadily fixed on the purport of the discourse, and to discriminate what the author delivers in his own, and what in an assumed character. Mr. Holden, in his " Attempt to illustrate the book of Ecclesiastes," has divided the work into two principal parts. The first, which extends to the tenth verse of the sixth chapter, he considers as taken up in demonstrating the vanity of all earthly conditions, occupations, and pleasures; and the 1 Continued from page 352. second part, which includes the remainder of the book, as occupied in eulogising WISDOM, and in describing its nature, its excellence, and its beneficial effects.1 The conclusion of the work is worthy of any inspired author: "Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man," &c. The following synopsis is from the work referred to. PART I. The vanity of all earthly conditions, occupations, and pleasures. The vanity of all earthly things (ch. i. 2.); The unprofitableness of human labour, and the transitoriness of human life (ch. i. 3—11.); The vanity of laborious inquiries into the ways and works of man (ch. i. 12—18.); Luxury and pleasure are only vanity and vexation of spirit (ch. ii. 1—11.); Though the wise excel fools, yet, as death happens to them both, human learning is but vanity (ch. ii. 12—17.); The vanity of human labour, in leaving it they know not to whom (ch. ii. 18—23.); The emptiness of sensual enjoyments (ch. ii. 24-26.); Though there is a proper time for the execution of all human purposes, yet are they useless and vain; the Divine counsels, however, are immutable (ch. iii. 1—14.); The vanity of human pursuits proved from the wickedness prevailing in courts of justice, contrasted with the righteous judgment of God (ch. iii. 15—17.); Though life, considered in itself, is vanity, for men die as well as beasts, yet, in the end, it will be very different with the spirit of man and that of beasts (ch. iii. 18-22.); Vanity is increased unto men by oppression (ch. iv. 1-3.); The vanity of prosperity (ch.iv. 4.); The vanity of folly, or of preferring the world to true wisdom (ch. iv. 5, 6.); The vanity of covetousness (ch. iv. 7, 8.); Though society has its advantages, yet dominion and empire are but vanity (ch. iv. 9—16.); Errors in the performance of divine worship, which render it vain and unprofitable (ch. v. 1—7.); The vanity of murmuring at injustice; for though the oppression of the poor and the perversion of judgment greatly prevail, they do not escape the notice of the Almighty (ch. v. 8, 9.); The vanity of riches; with an admonition as to the moderate enjoyment of them (ch. v. 10-20.); The vanity of avarice (ch. vi. 1–9.) PART II. The nature, excellence, and beneficial effects of wisdom or religion. Since all human designs, labours, and enjoyments are vain, it is natural to enquire, What is good for man? What is his supreme good? (ch. vi. 10-12.) The answer is contained in the remainder of the book. The praise of character and reputation (ch. vii. 1.); Affliction improves the heart, and exalts the character of the wise (ch. vii. 2—10.); The excellence of wisdom (ch. vii. 11-14.); An objection, with the answer (ch. vii. 15—viii. 7.); The evil of wickedness shews the advantage of true wisdom (ch. viii. 8—13.); An objection, with the answer (ch. viii. 14.—ix. 1.); An objection, with the answer (ch. ix. 2-x. 17.); The banefulness of sloth (ch. x. 18.); The power of wealth (ch. x. 19.); An exhortation against speaking evil of dignities (ch. x. 20.); Exhortation to charity and benevolence (ch. xi. 1—10.); An exhortation to the early cultivation of religious habits (ch. xii. 1-7.); The conclusion (ch. xii. 8-14.) 1 Prelim. Discourse, p. lxv. Miscellanea. THE DISOBEDIENT PROPHET. JONAH. Then were they terrified, for he had told ANON. THE Supreme Being has given a grand illustration of his wisdom and condescension, by the employment of instruments to accomplish the greater part of his designs among men. We know enough of his power to be assured, that if he chose, he could save or destroy without the intervention of second causes; and could impart favours, or take away what we possess, without the aid of man. But though we might then be struck with his greatness, we should not so fully see the other attributes of his character. The distance between him and ourselves would appear greater than it does at present; or rather, his condescension would not be so strikingly evident; nor would our devotion be so lively and warm as it may now be; his kindness as a father would not be so apparent, and our free agency as men could not be so clearly shewn. In communicating the knowledge of his will to man, the blessed God has in different ages employed various means. To our first parents he probably spake in an audible voice; in ages somewhat later he taught by symbols and types, and by dreams and visions. After the selection of the nation of Israel as his peculiar people, to whom he would commit his revelations for the benefit of future generations, he usually addressed them by means of prophets-men who were distinguished by the uniform excellence of their character, and who, under the direct influence of the Holy Spirit, spake and wrote the books that have ever since formed a part of the sacred volume. The advantages of a written system of truth must be obvious to every one, as by this means error is prevented from intruding itself into the church, or if it enter, it is soon detected by an appeal to the Divine oracles. Eminently adapted, however, as a written system of truth may be, to prevent error, it is highly probable that the larger portion of moral good has been effected in the world by oral teaching. Preaching is an ordinance of Divine appointment, and has ever been accompanied with the Divine blessing. It was instituted by Jehovah in a very early age of the world, and revived in a very solemn manner in the Jewish church after the captivity in Babylon; it was sanctioned by the Saviour, both in his example, and in the commission he gave to his apostles; and honoured by the Holy Spirit in the success he conferred upon it, not only in primitive times, but in every succeeding age. We have spoken of the Israelites as being selected by the special favour of Jehovah, to be the depositories of his truth; yet it is worthy of remark, that from a very ancient period, he gave intimations of his regard to the Gentiles. Jonah was nearly the first prophet and preacher of whom we possess any certain knowledge after the formation of the Israelitish church; and he was very eminently a prophet to the Gentiles. It is evident from one or two passages in the sacred records, that he had been previously employed among the Jews, but his principal embassy was to the vast city of Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, founded soon after the building of Babel, and situated on the banks of the Tigris. It is said to have formed an oblong square, the two greater sides of which extended to an hundred and fifty furlongs in length, and the two lesser to ninety, the entire circuit was consequently sixty miles. The population of this city was not less than six hundred thousand persons, and it was the seat of royalty. It was deluged with ignorance, and loaded with wealth, and may well be imagined to be in a very sinful state. The primitive simplicity of manners had been forgotten, and the cultivation of good morals awfully neglected; the bonds of virtue were relaxed, and every species of licentiousness indulged in without restraint. The sacred writer describes their wickedness as having " come up before the Lord," and represents Him as resolving to punish them for their idolatry, their falsehood, and their cruelty. It is a very painful fact, where large bodies of men are associated together forming great cities, that instead of uniting together to improve each other in virtue, and to glorify God, they are generally found to be worse than others. Such places are usually found to be the hot-beds of vice, where the seeds of depravity shoot up with a rapid and portentous growth; and where there is every thing to feed the base and guilty passions of our nature. Here the most powerful incentives are presented to the young, and the unwary are quickly drawn into the vortex of dissipation. Nineveh, alas! like too many of our cities, though it presented its splendid palaces and gorgeous temples,though it contained the beauties of nature and the noblest efforts of art, was yet destitute of that true glory which religion alone can impart; and was enshrouded in that gloom and degradation into which vice will ever plunge its votaries. Over a city like this, the man of philanthropy and of religion must needs weep. Cold must be that heart which professes a love to God and immortal souls, that does not anxiously desire to make some exertions for the best interests of its inhabitants. And yet it is too frequently the case, that we allow the spirit of selfishness to check the affection we should bear to our neighbours. Zeal for God is allowed to cool amidst the cares of the world, and we seem content to go to heaven without the company of our neighbours in travelling to it. Alas! when this is the case we can furnish but little evidence that we are going there at all. The long suffering and forbearance of Jehovah is very eminently displayed in the whole of his conduct. Instead of consigning the vast multitude of the inhabitants of Nineveh to destruction, he determines to warn them of their danger, and finally to save them alive. To accomplish this purpose he commissioned Jonah to go and reproach them with their sins. We might have supposed that the servant of God, who was professedly devoted to his cause, who had received many marks of his favour, and who had often rejoiced in obeying his will, would have exulted in this opportunity of fulfilling the commands of heaven, and have felt himself honoured as the messenger of God to so vast a multitude of idolatrous Gentiles. We might have hoped to hear him earnestly interceding with Jehovah on their behalf, as Abraham did in the case of Sodom, and have expected him to go forth, encouraged by the declaration of God to the father of the faithful, and to seek the conversion of sinners. But instead of this we find him determined to disobey the Divine command, and to depart to Tarshish, a place, the exact situation of which, we cannot tell, but which evidently lay in a contrary direction to the city of Nineveh. The prophet seems to have imagined, than when he was so far away from the scene of action, and removed from the land where God usually gave a prophetic impulse, he should no more be troubled about the commission with which Jehovah had entrusted him. The question very forcibly presents itself to our minds, why did Jonah refuse to obey the command of God, to go to Nineveh? To this we might reply in various ways. His fears might be excited on account of the distance and the dangers of the journey; or he might have anticipated the persecution, perhaps even to death, which might possibly follow the delivery of his message to the Ninevites. But he himself intimates to us another reason that had a much greater influence on his mind. He knew the Divine character for mercy and benevolence to man; and he thought it probable, that if he went to Nineveh and preached, the inhabitants would repent, and obtain mercy; and that his character as a prophet, would consequently suffer. Oh! what a spirit of impiety and selfishness did this conduct display! What! should the prophet of Jehovah be more concerned for his own consistency in the eyes of men, than he is for the glory of God and the salvation of sinners? Would he rather allow six hundred thousand of his fellow creatures to suffer ruin, than publish their danger to them, lest the punishment should be afterwards averted? The mere possibility of so illustrious a display of the Divine benovolence, and of the salvation of so great a multitude of sinners, ought to have fired him with zeal, and have inspired his exertions and his prayers. But what is man when left to the operations of his depraved heart? Few prayers can be more important than, that we may be delivered from ourselves. |