t)6

MISCELLANEOUS Misc.*;

ness of religious pastors , and the particular interestof private fouls , for which they are so charitablyconcerned ?

It has been observed by our author , “ That the" Jews were naturally a very cloudy people."That they had certainly in religion , as in everything else, the least good humor of any people inthe world, is very apparent. Had it been other-wise, their holy legislator and deliverer, who wasdeclared the meekest man on earth ", and who formany years together , had, by the most popular andkind acts, endeavoured to gain their love and affec-tion, would, in all probability, have treated themafterwards with more sweetness, and been able iwith less blood and massacre " , to retain them intheir religious duty. This, however, we may ob-serve, that if the first Jewish princes , and celebrat-ed kings , acted in reality according to the institu-tions of their great founder , not only Music, buteven Play and Dance, were of holy appointment,and divine right. The first monarch of this nation ,though of a melancholy complexion , joined musicwith his spiritual exercises , and even used it as aremedy under that dark Enthusiasm or evil spi-rit which, how far it might resemble that ofprophecy, experienced by him even after his apos-tasy ", our author pretends not to determine i7 .

I •

! * Letter of enthusiasm, vol. I. p. 24.; and above, p. 46, 47.

55 Numb. xii. 3. " Exoif. xxxii. 27. &c .; Numb. xvi. 41*

51 1 Sam. xviii. 10. L xix. 9. Ibsil. f 23, 24.

57 Letter of enthusiasm, vol. 1. p. Zk.

It