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losophy, and not much accustomed to "recur to physical causes and consult

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physicians when they were sick, imputed "their diseases generally to evil spirits, the "executioners of divine vengeance. "their infirmities appeared to be beyond "what was usual, and the causes of them "were not known to them,, they did not

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fail to say that it was a blow from the

avenging hand of God. To Him the "wisest and most religious had recourse "for cure; and king Asa is blamed for

placing his confidence in physicians "when he had a very painful fit of the "gout in his feet, and for not applying "himself to the Lord."

There are many passages, there can be no doubt, that attribute the inflicting of disease to the power of God, exerted specially to that purpose; yet these passages involve no reason why the usually

attendant natural causes and effects should not be present, nor consequently why they are not to be searched into and examined, nor do they involve any reasons whereby we are to infer that means differing from the ordinary course of nature are employed. Moreover we must bear in mind that the ordinary style of writing amongst the Eastern nations, is occasionally so redolent in figure and poetic illustration as at times to involve in very considerable obscurity the true meaning of the unadorned idea; and there can be no doubt that in many places the Sacred writings have received the impress of their style.

Dr. Mead, in speaking of the plague, is quite of this opinion; "for these evils and calamities, (he observes,) which come suddenly, and strike all with terror, are said sometimes to proceed from God; but which

C

nevertheless have their origin in natural

causes."

It appears to me absurd to suppose the laws which have been instituted to rule the world, are to be broken by Him who made them, unless there be some great and special cause for the exercise of miraculous interposition: and were it not the will of God that human means should be exerted, why did HE, through the medium of the Mosaical institutes, point out such human means as were necessary, and more than that, enjoin their employment-that blood should not be in the food, that dead flesh and swines' flesh should be unlawful, and that the diseased should find in a "several house" a separation from the healthy? All these things tend to shew, that God works his ways according to the ordinary laws of nature; and indeed the experience of past ages has shewn us, that a contrary

belief leads to culpable inactivity and superstitious inexertion.

As there can then be no doubt that the physical as well as moral evils, with which it has been deemed right to afflict man, are subjected to those laws of nature, which it has been also the Divine will to institute, I can see no reason why these infirmities and inflictions of human nature in general, and of persons in particular, as written in the Holy records, should not be canvassed, and an attempt made to a more clear understanding of what may be termed their natural relations to diseases as understood in the present day.

In pursuance of which object, I shall proceed to some discussion of those diseases which are the most striking and particular.

I shall follow no order or classification,

but consider first, those which are mentioned as of more general occurrence; and afterwards, some of the more especial examples of individual affliction : - Laying down, as my first proposition, that all these diseases are the infliction of God; and, as my second, that they had their origin in, and were subject to, the ordinary laws to which diseases are said to be subject in the present day.

Of the antiquity of the science of medicine there can be no doubt; for the earlier writings of the Holy Scriptures not only teem with allegorical allusions to physicians, and the efficacy of various medicines, but direct mention is made concerning them.

In Genesis we find physicians spoken of as embalmers, for "Joseph commanded his servants, the physicians, to embalm his