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them unless his will is depraved; but as he is independent he can want nothing, and hence his will cannot "be influenced by any wrong affection," he must therefore do what is fittest to be done, i. e. "act always according to the strictest rules of infinite goodness, justice and truth and all other moral perfections." On this we remark: granting that such relations exist, the self-existent being acts in accordance with them provided his will is not corrupted, i. e. provided he is possessed of the very moral perfection which it is the object of this reasoning to prove. The very thing to be proved is assumed-for the fact that he is independent does not prove "'tis impossible his will should be influenced by any wrong affection."

"To this argumentation a priori," says Dr. Clarke, "there can be opposed but one objection,"—that drawn from the unequal distributions of Providence in the world: but to this he replies we must not judge from a partial view of God's dispensations, we must take the past and the future as well as the present into the account. "Then every thing will appear just and right."

We have no doubt as to the fact. But there is in his reasoning an error that by no means is uncommon among theologians. In attempting to prove the justice of God from the light of nature, they say that the apparent instances of injustice here will be corrected in a future world. Doubtless we are authorized to draw this conclusion with the Bible in our hands, but not from the facts the world presents. Assume the justice of God, and the inference holds, but the justice of God is the point to be proved. The inference in fact is no more logical, than if because a man has acted dishonestly in this country where we have the means of observation, we were to infer he will act honestly in another country where we have not the means of observation. Thus, by some the justice of God is assumed to prove a future state, and then that future state with facts adapted to the exigencies of the case is used to prove the justice of God. The fact is we cannot get along so well without our Bibles, as we are sometimes, in the pride of our reason, led to

suppose.

It has been no part of our present design to inquire whether the moral attributes are demonstrable from the works of nature. We have simply attempted to give an outline and examination of Dr. Clarke's a priori reasoning, that our readers may be able to judge of its value. We think they will, with us, come to the

conclusion that it is on reasonings a posteriori we must rely to support the great truths that lie at the foundation of natural and revealed religion.

The reader who has not studied the Demonstration, should not form an unfavorable opinion of Dr. Clarke's powers as a reasoner from the specimens presented in the foregoing pages. Clarke fails only when he attempts what no man can accomplish. There is much of profound and conclusive reasoning in the work that we have not noticed. We commend it to the attention of those who would form the habit of close thinking and reasoning.

At a future time we may perhaps inquire how far our a posteriori reasonings can conduct in the knowledge of the character of the High and Holy One who inhabiteth eternity.

ARTICLE IX.

RUINS OF ANCIENT PETRA.

Tour through Arabia Petraea to Mount Sinai and the excavated city of Petra. By M. Léon de Laborde. London: John Murray, 1836, pp. 356.

By the Editor.

In the third volume of this publication, several articles were inserted on the geography, topography, and history of Edom or Idumaea, accompanied with copious extracts from the journals of Burckhardt, Legh, and other travellers. Since those articles were written, the travels of M. Léon de Laborde and M. Linant, French travellers, have appeared. They succeeded in reaching the celebrated ruins of Petra, the Sela of the Hebrews. Their accounts of these ruins are more full than those of all the preceding travellers combined. Laborde is the son of the count Alexander de Laborde, member of the French Institute, and well known for his valuable works on Spain, Austria, etc. M. Léon de Laborde has distinguished himself equally as a traveller, an antiquarian, and an artist. The journal of his travels into Arabia was published at Paris, in 1830, in livraisons. It is

said to be very elegantly executed. It is accompanied with about seventy illustrations, the greater part of them lithographed. The cost of an imported copy is eighty dollars. M. Linant, who had previously travelled in Upper Egypt, happened to meet M. Laborde at Cairo, as the latter was on the point of commencing his journey into Arabia. They soon agreed to make the tour together. We regret that we have not access to the French original, only one copy of which, as far as we know, is to be found in the country. The English Translation, though made with the most excellent intentions, is confused in its arrangement, and does not profess to be so much an exact transcript of the original, as a selection from Laborde, and a compilation from other sources. We are sorry that the translator did not feel bound conscientiously to keep all his own additions distinct from the text of his author. We have no objection to additions and illustrations, but surely they ought not to have been confounded with the more valuable materials of Laborde. We have endeavored in our extracts to separate the original from the interpolations.

Before proceeding to adduce any quotations from the volume before us, we shall present a few facts in respect to the natural situation and history of Edom, and of its capital, Petra, and also translate some portions of the ancient prophecies which have relation to this subject. In these preliminary remarks, we shall endeavor not to repeat to much extent what may be found in previous volumes of the Repository.

South of the Dead Sea, the two parallel ranges of mountains, which north of that sea, inclose the valley of the Jordan, again approach and continue parallel to each other, forming between them a deep and broad valley of sand, which extends in a direction nearly S. S. W. to Akaba, on the eastern, or Elanitic gulf of the Red Sea. This valley on the north is called El Ghor, [an Arabic word for any marshy ground], and towards the south El Araba. The length of the valley between the two seas, is about 95 minutes of latitude, from 31° 5', to 29° 30′ north, or about 110 English miles in a direct line. The range of mountains on the eastern side of the valley south of the Dead Sea, and which extends to Akaba, is the Mount Seir of the Scriptures, the country of Edom. At the present day, these mountains are divided into three portions. The northern, which extends from a valley or wady not far from Kerek to the wide valley El Ghoeyr, which descends from the eastern desert into

the Ghor, is known by the name Djebel, i. e. mountains, the Gebal of the Hebrews, and the Gebalene of the Romans. The next portion of mountains, extending to the wady Gharendel, and in which are the ruins of the ancient Petra, is called Djebel Shera. The third portion reaching to the Elanitic gulf, is named Djebel Hesma. Eastward of this mountainous tract, which seems in general not to be more than from eight to twelve miles broad, lies the great Arabian desert. The mountains, as seen from the Ghor, appear to have a very considerable elevation; but as seen from the eastern plain, they look only like low hills; the desert being upon a much higher level than the Ghor. This great valley also seems to have a rapid slope towards the south; for the eastern mountains apparently increase in height towards the south, those of Hesma being higher than any of the others further north; while as seen from the eastern plain they all appear to continue of the same altitude. The height of the mountains of Hesma near Akaba has been estimated at about 3250 English feet above the sea.*

We learn from Genesis, that before any king reigned over Israel, no fewer than eight kings had succeeded each other in the government of the land of Edom, or Idumaea; and that these kings were followed by eleven princes, [wrongly translated dukes], the descendants of Esau. The fertility of the territory of Edom is thus stated in the blessing given by Isaac to Esau: "Behold thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above." Its cultivated state appears from the description given of it by the messengers of Moses, when they requested permission for the Israelites to pass through Edom, in their way from Egypt to the promised land: "Let us pass, I pray thee, through thy country; we will not pass through the fields, or through the vineyards, neither will we drink of the water of the wells; we will go by the king's highway; we will not turn to the right hand, nor to the left, until we have passed thy borders. And Edom said unto him, Thou shalt not pass by me, lest I come out against thee with the sword. And the children of Israel said unto him, we will go by the highway; and if I or my cattle drink of thy water, then I will pay for it. I will only, (without doing any thing else), go through on my feet. And he said, Thou shalt not go

248.

Rosenmüller Bib. Geog. III. p. 65. 1828. Also Bib. Repos. III.

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through. And Edom came out against him with much people, and with a strong hand. Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border; wherefore Israel turned away from him.'

In subsequent times, we find that the Edomites were generally in a hostile attitude towards the children of Israel. Saul made war against them successfully. David subdued them and placed garrisons in their cities. Solomon had a port on the Elanitic gulf. In the last years of the reign of Solomon, we find an Edomitish prince, who had fled to Egypt, returning to his native land, and again asserting his independence; but, as it seems, without much success, as we read in the reign of Jehoshaphat that there was no king in Edom, but a deputy merely, who was, without doubt, a Jew. Jehoshaphat had a haven of ships in Ezion Geber, in the land of Edom. Later we find king of Edom, in alliance with Jehoshaphat and with Joram king of Israel, making war on the Moabites.* Under Joram, the successor of Jehoshaphat, the Edomites again asserted their independence. Amariah, however, brought them into subjection, and took Sela, or Petra, their capital. Uzziah took possession of Elath on the Red Sea. In the reign of Ahaz, the Edomites made incursions into Judea, and carried away some prisoners. Rezin, king of Syria soon after took Elath and expelled the Jews, while the Edomites returned to it. Afterwards, we find no mention of the Edomites in the historical books of the Old Testament. During the decline of the kingdom of Judah, the Edomites so enlarged their territory, that in the time of Jeremiah, they had possession of Bozrah in the Haourân, and of Dedân in southern Arabia. When the Chaldeans invaded Judah, the Edomites joined with them, and enjoyed the malicious pleasure of witnessing the overthrow of Jerusalem.†

By the merciless conduct of the Edomites, the national hatred of the Jews against them was carried to the highest pitch. Possibly, Idumaea was laid waste by foreign invasions

* Num. 20: 17, 21. 1 Sam. 14: 47. 2 Sam. 8: 14. Ps. 60: 2, 10, 11. 1 Chron. 18: 12, 13. 1 K. 11: 14, 15, 16. 9: 26. 22: 48. 2 K. 3: 9, 12, 26.

+ 2 K. 8: 20, 21, 22. 14: 7. 16: 6. 2 Chron. 21: 8, 9, 10. 25: 11, 12, 14. 26: 2. 28: 17. Isa. 34: 6. 63: 1. Jer. 49: 8, 20. Ezek. 25: 13, 15. 35: 10. 36: 5. Obad. v. 12.

Ps. 137: 7-9. Obad. v. 2 sq. Isa. 34: 8. Jer. 49: 7.

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