tion of the army of Senacherib, which was prefently after accomplished, in a sudden and miraculous manner. The Syrians having been worsted in the hilly country, during their war with the Ifraelites, imagined that the God of Ifrael had power there, but not in the valleys; and, therefore, endeavoured to bring the Ifraelites to an engagement in a flat country. But there came a man of God, and spake unto the king of Ifrael, and faid, 1 Kings xx. 28. "Thus faith the Lord, Because the Syrians have "faid, The Lord is God of the hills, but he is not "God of the valleys: therefore will I deliver all "this great multitude into thine hand, and ye fhall "know that I am the Lord." Accordingly the hiftorian informs us, that, in a battle which was fought on the feventh day from that time, the Ifraelites gained a moft fignal victory over the Syrians. It was an opinion that prevailed from very early times in the east, and which spread from thence into the western parts of the world, that the evil there is in the world was not the production of a good being, but arose from an evil intelligent principle, either co-ordinate with the good one, or fubordinate to him; and as the attributes of the good principle were divided, and diftributed by them among a number of beings, fo alfo invifible powers of an evil nature were multiplied, and be came came the object of feveral modes of worship. Against this principle of idolatry the strongest declarations are made in the fcriptures, which afcribe both good and evil to the fame fupreme mind, who effects his excellent purposes by means of them both alike. Thus, the divine being, addreffed himself to Cyrus (though long before that prince was born) in whofe country the opinion above-mentioned was most firmly established, says If. xlv. 4. &c. "For "Jacob my fervant's fake, and Ifrael mine elect, I "have even called thee by thy name: 1 have fur"named thee, though thou haft not known mc. "I am the Lord, and there is none elfe, there is "no God befides me: I girded thee, though thou "haft not known me: That they may know from "the rifing of the fun, and from the Weft, that "there is none befides me, I am the Lord, and "there is none elfe. I form the light, and create "darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the "Lord do all these things." To the fame purpose Jeremiah, in Lament. iii. 37, &c. "Who is he "that fays, and it cometh to pafs, when the Lord "commanded it not. Out of the mouth of the "most high, proceedeth not evil and good; And Amos iii. 6. "Shall there be evil in a city, and "the Lord hath not done it? Job alfo is made to exprefs the fame fentiment, when he fays, Job. 1. 21. "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken 66 away; bleffed be the name of the Lord" and again, Job. ii. 10. "Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and fhall' we not receive "evil" Laftly, in the course of the scripture history, not only all profperous events, but also all calamitous ones are constantly afcribed to God, as the fole governor of the world, and the fovereign disposer of all events, refpecting both nations and individuals of mankind. Thus the deftruction of the old world by a flood, as well as the interpofition in favour of Noah and his family; the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, as well as the faving of Lot: the plagues of Egypt, as well as the deliverance of the Ifraelites; and also all the good and evil that befel either the Ifraelites themfelves, or the neighbouring nations with whom they had intercourse, are equally referred to the fame fuperintending providence, adminiftering both good and evil, according to the characters and conduct of men. The moft ftriking ideas are given us in the fcriptures of the eternity, the omnipresence, and unchangeable nature of the true God. I fhall only quote a few, out of numberless paffages to this purpose. Mofes, in that prayer of his, which makes the xcth Pfalm, addreffes the divine being in the following manner: "Lord, thou hast been our dwelling "place in all generations. Before the mountains "were brought forth, or ever thou hadft formed "the "the earth and the world: even from everlasting "to everlasting thou art God." Solomon, at the dedication of his temple, addreffing the divine being, in the prefence of all the people, fays, 1 Kings viii. 27. "But will God, indeed, dwell on the "earth? behold, the heaven, and heaven of hea86 vens cannot contain thee, how much less this houfe that I have builded?" By the prophet Jeremiah, the divine being fays, Jer. xxiii. 23. &c. "Am I a God at hand, faith the Lord, and not a "God afar off? Can any hide himself in fecret "places that I fhall not fee him? faith the Lord: "do not I fill heaven and earth? faith the Lord." In Pf. xxxiii. 13. we read, "The Lord looketh from heaven: he beholdeth all the fons of men. "From the place of his habitation he looketh upon. "all the inhabitants of the earth. He fashioneth "their hearts alike: he confidereth all their "works." In the cxxxix Pfalm, we have a most admirable defcription of the univerfal prefence of God, and also` of the intimate knowledge that he has of every thing belonging to man. Pf. cxxxix. I. &c. "O Lord, thou haft fearched me, and known me. "Thou knoweft my down-fitting, [and mine up"rifing, thou understandeft my thought afar off. "Thou compaffeth my path, and my lying down, "and art acquainted with all my ways. For there "is not a word in my tongue, but lo, O Lord, thou "knoweft it altogether. Thou haft befet me be hind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. "Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is "high, I cannot attain unto it. Whither fhall I (6 go from thy fpirit? or whither fhall I flee from "thy prefence? If I afcend up into heaven thou "art there. If I make my bed in hell, behold thou "art there. If I take the wings of the morning, "and dwell in the uttermoft parts of the fea 66 even there fhall thy hand lead me, and thy right << hand fhall hold me. If I fay, Surely the dark"nefs fhall cover me: even the night fhall be "light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not "from thee, but the night fhineth as the day; "the darkness and the light are both alike to thee." The knowledge which the divine being has of the hearts of men, whatever pains they may take to conceal them, is ftrongly expreffed in Jer. xvii. 9. "The heart is deceitful above all things, and de"fperately wicked, who can know it? I the Lord "fearch the heart, I try the reins, even to give "every man according to his ways, and according "to the fruit of his doings." The unchangeable nature of God is strongly af ferted by himself in Mal. iii. 6. "I am the "Lord, I change not:" and it is likewife expreffed, in a peculiarly beautiful and emphatical manner, Pf. cii. 25. &c. "Of old haft thou laid "the |