somewhat similar manner, and from the Scripture history of the Patriarchs concluded. the divine favour towards them was 'not confined to the present life; though no one, before our blessed Lord, had established this conclusion with such clear reasoning and such irresistable force. We may further observe, that though the Jewish Lawgiver did not directly promulgate the doctrine of a future state, as the sanction of his Laws; yet there is no reason why he should suppresss any declaration of that doctrine made by others, or why we should distort any expression which naturally conveys that doctrine, when recorded by Moses as used by others, on a supposition that it was that it was not intended to convey it. I therefore see no reason to doubt, that the remarkable expression, ascribed by Moses to Balaam, 66 "Let me "die the death of the righteous, and let 66 my last end be like his," really means what * Taylor affirms, and it seems on good grounds, that the word translated "last end" means strictly an after or future state, not only here but in many other places! cited in this argument; of which as they occnr: vide Taylor's Scheme of Divinity, ch. xxiv. p. 103. what it obviously imports, a wish to die the death of the righteous, in order to enjoy the happiness of another life, which the righteous only can share. Balaam was certainly gifted at this time with a portion of the prophetic spirit, though he abused this favour of his God; and the interpretation now assigned, is surely more natural than that of Warburton, which explains these words as *"merely expressing his wish, may I die in a mature old age, "after a life of health, of peace, with all my "posterity flourishing about me, as was the "lot of the righteous observers of the Law:" an interpretation which appears most forced and unnatural. It is an obvious remark connected with this subject, that the clauses of the Mosaic Law, directed against those who had familiar spirits, and against wizzards ‡ and necromancers, which are repeated at least four different times in the Pentateuch, and also the continuance of this superstition, notwithstanding that all these prohibitions were frequent * Warburton, V. 5. p. 143. ↑ Lev. xix.-31. xx. 6. xx. 27. Deut xviii. 11. ly ly enforced with the greatest rigour; a continuance so clearly instanced by the his * tory of Saul, and particularly by his own recourse to the witch of Endor; all these circumstances prove, that the existence of the soul in a separate state was deeply fixed in the popular belief, among the Jews, and that the abuse of this tenet formed a leading feature of the popular superstition; a circumstance the learned Prelate, so frequently alluded to, appears to have forgotten,* when he asserted in such an unqualified manner, "that the Jews under the Mosaic "Law, never expressed the least hopes or "fears of a future state, or so much as any common curiosity concerning it. * Vide 1 Sam. xxviii. ↑ It is unnecessary to enter into a minute comparison of the grounds on which Warburton maintains his assertion, and those on which I oppose it; such a comparison can be satisfactorily made, only by an impartial examination of both our arguments. I would here merely observe, that of the circumstances I have noticed in this section, some, and those not the least important, are either not at all, or very slightly adverted to, by the learned Prelate, where he professes to consider the texts adduced by his adversaries. For example, in the consideration of the texts from Genesis, &c. he takes no notice of the mention made of the tree of life, of the death of Abel, or the history of Moses. Vide Warburton, Book VI. sect. ii, iii, and iv. Vile Warburton, Book VI. sect. vi. V. 5. 395. PART III. LECTURE IV. SECT. II. Doctrine of a future state why not more clearly and frequently inculcated in the Pentateuch-Or under the judges—Gradual improvement of the Jews-Future state gradually promulgated suitably to this improvement-By David in Ps. xvi, xvii, xxxvi, xlxix, ciii, cxv, cxxxxix.-By Solomon in Proverbs, passim, particularly in ch. iv, v, viii, xiv, xxiv. Still more fully in Ecclesiastes, of which work this doctrine is the basis-Particularly in ch. iii, viii, xi. and at the conclusion of the book-How further impressed on the Jews by miraculous facts-By three resurrections from the dead-By the translation of Elijah—This doctrine frequently intimated and gradually taught with the greatest clearness by the Prophets-Isaiah Jeremiah--Ezekiel Hosea Joel Amos -Nahum-And above all, Daniel-And also in the book of Job. |