ticular Perfons there referred to [without the Intervention of a timely and thorough Repentance] had Reason to be apprehensive of, for thus the Paffage will run; "Let a wicked Man make Inquifition against him, and the Adversary fhall stand at his right Hand. When he is judged he fhall come out a wicked Man, and his Prayer fhall be a Sin. His Days fhall be few, and another fhall take his Office, and fo on to the End; and the fame Obfervation holds good in most other Places, where we have rendred it in the Form of an Imprecation." and as to the few Expreffions, which really have in the Original an imprecatory Form, none of them, in the Judgment of this learned Writer, are in the leaft inconfiftent with Humanity, or that Charity, the Exercife of which is effential to the Chriftian Character.

"There is Nothing, fays another very ju dicious and amiable Critic, in the Book of Pfalms, or any other Part of the Old Testament contrary to this; [ i. e. the unlimited Benevolence and Charity injoined in the Command to love our Neighbour as ourselves,] which will appear, if we confider the peculiar Reasons for thofe Expreffions, which may feem to imply any Thing that is fo; when fome of them, which

found

found like Curfes, may be even Bleffings in Event; as when temporal Evils may be prayed for, to preserve Men from fuch as are eternal; or to prevent their greater Progrefs in Sin. Thus, Put them in Fear, O Lord, that the Heathens may know themselves to be but Men. Pfalm. ix. 20." And as to other Expreffions, which, in our Verfion have an imprecatory Form, he obferves, as Doctor Chandler has done, that they are no Imprecations at all; being only prophetic, or declaratory.

And having in Proof of his Obfervations referred his Readers to Pfalms xxxv. lv. and Ixix. he proceeds as follows. "That David, who was a Prophet infpired by God, with a Knowledge of future Events, fhould thus rather predict, or denounce God's juft Judgments on obftinate Sinners; and that out of Defigns purely charitable, viz. by denouncing to work Repentance, that fo Repentance might fruftrate and cancel the Denunciation, is more reason able for us to refolve, than that he should fo frequently call for Thunder from Heaven on his own or God's Enemies. And according to this all the Pfalms, which feem to be filled with Curfes and Imprecations on fuch, ought

to

* Vid, A7s, i, 16, 20, Luke xx. 42, xxiv. 44. 2 Sam. xxxiii. 2.

to be understood. And then there remains no

farther Question or Difficulty how thefe, and the like Paffages, are to be accommodated to the Chriftian Affection and Spirit; than how the plain Denunciations of the Gospel are to be entertained by us; as, except ye repent, ye fhall all likewife perifh." *

In further Atteftation of the Point under Confideration, I fhall only add the following Paragraph out of Bishop Kidder's Sermon on Mat. v. 40, 44. It is certain, fays he, that the He"It brews have no fuch Thing in their Language as an Optative Mood. † And therefore we cannot, from the bare Formation of the Verb, conclude the Defire or Wish of him, who fpeaks. For the Truth of this, I appeal to those, who are best skill'd in their Language. They have however a Way, by which they exprefs their With or Defire that a Thing fhould come to pass. This the Pfalmift does by two Words, mi itten, who shall give, or Oh! that any one would give. Thus, Oh! that the Salvation of Ifrael were come out of Sion." Pfalm liii. 6.

or

* Vid. Dr. Jenkins's Reasonablenefs of the Christian Religion.

He might have added and no third Perfon in the imperative,

or "who fhall give it out of Sion?" Pfalm. xiv. 7. "And Oh! that I had the Wings of a Dove." Pfalm lv. 6. &c. In this manner does the Pfalmift exprefs his Wifh or Defire. But he no where uses this Expreffion, where he is supposed to pray against his Enemies; there is not in any one of these Places any Expreffion, that imports any Wish or Defire.

To Close the Argument; it is clear to every one, who understands Hebrew, that all the Imprecations, either against wicked Men, private or public Enemies, to be met with in the Pfalms, or any other parts of the Old Teftament, according to our Verfion, are in the Original only narrative, or declaratory of fuch Evils as, without Repentance, would befal them. * Repentance would prevent the Completion of the Prophecy. And with Respect to thofe few Imprecations to be found in the Original Hebrew, it is certain that they are all confiftent with every Dictate of Humanity, and the divine Principle of genuine, unbounded Charity.

Against Enemies, either public or private, Bp.

Kidder

*The Verbs not being in the imperative Mood but the future Tense; except the first Clause of Psalm cix. 6. and perhaps, a very few more; but even these will be proved to exprefs no Kind or Degree of Malevolence, and to be only declaratory.

Kidder hath positively affirmed that in the Hebrew there are no Imprecations at all. However against notoriously wicked Men there certainly are a few, but none that exprefs any Malevolence or Hatred; none but such as are genuine Dictates of Charity. Of this Kind is the following Imprecation mentioned by Dr. Jenkins. "Put them in Fear, O Lord, that the Heathens may know themselves to be but Men." Pfalm ix. 20.

Of anilar Nature, and of a Senfe equally benevolent and harmless, are all others to be met with in the Hebrew Bible; and particularly in Pfalm xxviii. "Give them according to their Deeds, and according to the Wickedness of their Endeavours; give them after the Work of their Hands, render to them their Deferts." By which Words nothing else could be fignified but this; That God, in some Way that fhould be moft agreeable to his infinite Wisdom and Goodness, would be pleased to stop these Sinners in their Career of Wickednefs, and take fuch Measures with them as fhould effectually lead them to Repentance; "or plague them with their own Inventions, till they should come to a proper Senfe of their Guilt and Folly ;" and agreeable to this conftruction the Pfalmist

may