*

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with the most infallible demonstrations of a divine original, The days of visitation are come, the days of recompenfe. Ifrael fhall know the prophet is a fool, the fpiritual man is mad, for the multitude of ' thine iniquity, &c.' So runs the verse Hosea, ix. 7. • The prophets' he goes on, treated one another as vifionaries and liars; there was no other ⚫ method then of feparating the true from the false, 'but by waiting for the accomplishment of the pre'dictions.' But as true prophets never treated one another as vifionaries, but on the contrary fhewed each other the greatest mutual respect, see Daniel, ix. 2. fo it is no wonder they all endeavoured to expose the false pretenders to a divine commiffion, fince these thro' their promises of profperity to their countrymen, while they continued in their notorious violation of the law of Mofes, hardened them against all their attempts to humble, alarm, and reform them by their remonftrances and threatnings in the name of God. Indeed they, on the other hand, were ready to call them deceivers, vexed at the lofs of their credit and reputation by their invectives against them; but this was no more than was to be expected.-Is it however a neceffary confequence from this, that there was no other test or criterion of righteous and unrighteous claimants to a miffion from heaven, but the accomplishment or disappointment of their predictions, and that contemporaries had no other poffible method to discover whether fuch as profeffed themselves his meffengers were to be honoured or neglected, but to wait the event of their oracles? No. They might affuredly pronounce all were impoftors, whofe decla. *Page 204.

rations tended to feduce them into, or confirm them in the service of idol-deities from Deut. xiii. 1. and be fully satisfied without delay, that they were authorized by Jehovah, who while they pursued the purposes of Mofes his fervant, were enabled to work miracles uncontrolled, to reveal the secret thoughts and actions of men, or even were countenanced and favoured by others that had such irrefragable attestations to their prophetic character.

SECTION XVI.

Of his ill-founded reflexion in the fame chapter, that Elifha's reply to Benhadad's fervants was equivocal, That he might recover, but that he would • die.'

IN the next paragraph, we meet with a reflexion on Elisha very* ill-founded, That he might have 'justified himself from any imputation of fallacy, if 'the king of Syria had not died but been cured of

his disease, through the equivocalnefs of his reply 'to his fervants, "That he might recover, but that " he would die." For is it not plain to every attentive person, that the one clause of his answer only fignifies, that his recovery was a thing poffible to happen, but that the other declares that death would befall him? Suppose a man should say to another in the name of God, Thou mayft become rich, but thou 'fhalt be poor,' would there be any just reason to blame him for ambiguity of expreffion, or any good cause to accuse him for leaving his fortune uncertain, * Pages 204, 205...

fo that he might vindicate the accuracy of his foreknowledge, whether he should be in opulent or ftraitened circumstances?

Thus the prophet's anfwer, according to the account which our author himself gives of it, is easily defended against his charge of equivocalness. Yet it may be proper to beftow a fuller confideration on this paffage of Scripture, for the cenfure may be paffed, with greater justice it should seem, upon his reply as it runs in the original 2 Kings, viii. 10. fince in the former part of it, the verb which fignifies to live' is employed in the future tenfe, and in the latter part, the verb which fignifies, to die,' is alfo used in the fame tense, each with its own infinitive, by which junction of the infinitive to the verb, the Hebrews are accustomed to express in a strong manner the certain arrival of any event mentioned, whether agreeable or difagreeable, in its feafon. It may therefore be tranflated thus, according to the reading and punctuation which the authors of our verfion followed, Elisha faid unto Hazael, Go, fay unto him,' (i.e.to Benhadad the king of Syria, who fent thee) In living thou fhalt live; howbeit the Lord hath fhew❝ed me, that in dying he shall die,' that is, that he shall furely die. And fo there appears to be greater ground for the imputation of ambiguity than our author perceived, at least than he urged. I may rather fay, there is a fhew of contradiction in the answer, for it

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* The original runs thus, according to the text

Lech enar lo חיה תחיה והראני יהוה כי מות ימות

bhajob tihhieh veherani Jehovab ki moth iamuth. But according to mar gent or keri it is instead of >.

may be contended, he at once affures that the king fhall recover, and that he shall die.

What then shall we offer in the prophet's behalf? to prepare the way for folving the difficulty it may be observed, that Elisha had already given many proofs of extraordinary power and knowledge; of extraordinary power I fay, as in curing Naaman's leprofy, in reftoring the Shunamite's fon to life, in increafing the pot of oil, and the loaves of barley, in making the spring of water falutary, and the mess of pottage wholesome, and like works; of extraordinary knowledge I added, as in revealing these measures which the king of Syria planned and executed with the greatest secrecy against Ifrael, and in foretelling future contingencies, the miraculous fupply of water, for inftance, to the combined armies of Ifrael and Judah, together with their falvation from the Moabites, the Shunamite's conception and delivery of that fon, for whofe revival she afterwards needed and obtained his interposition, the fudden change from extreme famine to great plenty in Samaria, the loss of all share in this rich provision to that courtier, who rejected the prediction of it as of an event impoffible and incredible, and fimilar things. Indeed, he had before this afforded fo many demonftrations hereof, as leave no reasonable room to doubt his being a prophet of God. A very moderate degree of candour therefore, will make us unwilling to fuppofe, that he now predicted inconfiftencies concerning Benhadad, and fent away Hazael his meffenger, uncertain whether that prince would have his life prolonged, or fhortened and cut off: and happily there is no neceffity for fixing a declaration fo full of contradiction upon him.

The common explication is, that in the firft claufe he fhews the event according to the natural operation of the disease under which the king laboured, • Go say to him, thou fhalt surely live,' in anfwer to his enquiry, fhall I recover of this disease: and that in the fecond, he declares the event through the application of human force and violence, by which the cure would be prevented, and the extinction of life effected, Howbeit the Lord hath fhewed me that he fhall furely die.' In the fame manner, on the other hand, Isaiah first predicted to Hezekiah his lofs of life according to the natural energy of the diftemper with which he was feized, 'Thou fhalt die, and 'fhalt not live.' 2 Kings, xx. 1. And thereafter, upon his humble and pathetic addrefs to God, that his life might be prolonged, he foretold his speedy recovery through the exertion of a divine power to controll the native influence of his malady, and hinder its fatal iffue in the courfe of phyfical caufes.-Agreeably, we read that Hazael, having, on his return to Benhadad, who lay fick on his bed, reported that the prophet had directed him to acquaint him he would recover, next day stifled him with a thick cloth dipped in water; thus executing the scheme which he had formed of raising himself to the kingdom, as indeed he had been anointed unto it by the order of God, many years before, in Elijah's time, 1 Kings, xix. 15. and reaffured of his enjoyment of it by this prophet ere he went away, after confulting him concerning Benhadad's indifpofition.

If this account, however, please not, we may fuppofe that the prophet in his reply to Hazael's queftion, on behalf of Benhadad, Go tell him thou fhalt