to the time of our Saviour. Before that time, they feem always to have confidered themfelves, as ONE PEOPLE, under different governments. And, whatever refentment, the defcction of the Ifraelites from the ONE GOD, might fometimes excite in the zealous breafts of fome of the

kings of Judah,-yet, this could be no foundation for impious Ahaz, and the house of David's abhorrence of them, during his reign; but, was a circumftance, which was more likely to have conciliated them with each other, on account of the uniformity of their opinions, and prac tices. In general, as I have before obferved, they confidered them, as

one

one people with themfelves, and wifhed them to come up to Jerufalem, to worfhip with them, as they had done formerly, and did again in the next reign, when Hezekiah reftored the worship of the true God.

And as to the land, or territory, inhabited by the Ifraelites,-fo far were the men of Judah from having any reason to ABHOR IT,-that it was part of the land of Canaan, -f Palefine, the land of Promife, the land, which had been so often promised to their fathers, the Holy Land, the Lord's Land,-the Land, which, God called peculiarly HIS OWN,

-fo much fo,-that HE is faid, only to have LENT it to the Ifraelites to fojourn in.t-This was a land, therefore, which they were fo far from ABHORRING, that they REVERED, or REVERENCED it. And fo indeed, the word MIGHT, and OUGHT to have been tranflated.*It is fo tranflated in fome places of Scripture:-Leviticus, xix, 30.xxvi. 2. Pfalms, lxxxix. 7. cxi. 9.-Ephefians, v. 33.-and ought to have been in numberless other paffages of the Old, and in fome of the New Teftament.

The

+ See the Books of the Old Teftament, paffim.

* $oß8.

The alteration, then, I have made in the translation, neceffarily gives occafion to two general obfervations, which may open a new and rich vein of criticifm to future commen

tators.

Firft. That all the terms in the Scripture, and the observation might be extended to all very antient writings in general,-ufed to exprefs the emotions of the mind, are for the most part, much more vague, than they which are employed, upon the fame occafion, by modern writers. The former, are frequently GENE

RAL

TERMS only; and the latter, are for the most part, SPECIFIC.—

This

This is a pofition, fo well founded, that I affume it as a principle, and leave it to others, who have either read more than myself, or are more fond of an oftentatious difplay of what they have read, to make an elaborate induction of the particulars. And thus it happens, that the word, which is in this place, erroneously tranflated ABHOR, denotes any determination, or any mode of affection, (and even indeed, an act confequent of the affection) which has any connection with FEAR, and therefore, properly fignifies here, as in other places,-REVERENCE.

Secondly.