folemn injunction that in the fweat of our face fhall we eat bread. Wherefore these people who, from the name of their principal city, were ftyled Sodomites, ripened faft for judgment. The men of Sodom were wicked, and finners before the Lord exceedingly. God had chaftifed them by the hand of men, when they were overcome in battle by an army of Affyrians, and laid under tribute; and, a few years after, rebelling, they received a fill more folemn check in their thoughtless and vile career, in being again conquered, captivated, and having their cities fpoiled by the conte derate Affyrian powers; when, for the fake of Lot, a Hebrew, who, with his family, fojourned among them, and was with them taken captive, they were, by the hand of Abraham, mercifully and moft heroically delivered. But neither the judgments nor the goodnefs of the Lord, led them to repentancethey waxed worfe and worse, until the fin of Sodom became very grievous, and the cry of violence reached unto heaven; and the Lord the Judge, together with two of his companions, came down in perfon, though in a concealed form, to enquire and fee whether the matter was altogether according to the cry of it, which had come before him. In his way, he vifited Abraham his friend, and after confirming his covenant of alliance and friendfhip, he difclofed to him the reafon why he looked towards Sodom. And Abraham, having gone with them fome diftance, to bring them on the way; and coming to a place in which Sodom was in view, he ftopped, and communed with the Lord upon this interesting fubject, whilft the two accompanying angels went forward towards the city. And Abraham drew near, and faid, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Peradventure there be fifty righteous with in the city: wilt thou alfo deftroy, and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? That be far from thee to do after this manner, to flay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous fhould be as the wicked, that be far from thee: fhall not the Judge of all the earth do right? And the Lord Jaid, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their fakes. - Abraham, in making interceffion for Sodom, in the first inftance, put in a plea of righteousness, in the view of the cafe as involving the righteous with the wicked in one common deftruction. That be far from thee to do after this manner, to flay the righteous with the wicked: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? This plea being fully admitted, but with fuch a diftinction, however, between the cafe of the righteous and the wicked, as led directly to the idea, that the righteous might be removed and faved, and the city be deftroyed; whilft, at the same time, it was plainly fuggefted that, in fome cafe, the Lord would Ipare a wicked city, for the fake of the righteous who are therein; Abraham catched hold upon this ground, and renewed his 1 interceffion upon a plea of grace, according to the merciful difpenfations of the Lord to wards a finful people, on account of the righteous who dwell among them. And Abraham anfwered, Behold now, I have taken upon me to fpeak unto the Lord, which am but dust and afhes. Peradventure there fhall lack five of the fifty: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he faid, If I find there forty and five, I will not defroy it. And he Spake unto him yet again, and faid, Peradventure there fhall be forty found there. And he faid, I will not do it for forty's fake. And he faid, Oh, let not the Lord be angry, and I will Speak: Peradventure there fhall be thirty found there. And he faid, I will not do it, If I find thirty there. And he faid, Behold now, I have taken upon me to Speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there fhall be twenty found there. And he faid, I will not deftrov it for twenty's fake. And he faid, Oh, let not the Lord be angry, angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten fhall be found there. And he faid, I will not deftroy it for ten's fake. And the Lord went his way, as foon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned to his place. It is apparent, that Abraham did not make this interceffion for Sodom upon the idea of the perfonal worth and value of the righteous; for, in the view of their, perfonal relalation to God in covenant, the intereft of one righteous man in the divine favor, is above all eftimation; and in this view he might have named before the Lord, one with as much grace as fifty; but, that he contemplated their being in a state of order and force fo as to hold ground. Abraham was a foldier, and a disciplinarian, and understood the nature of force, and the means of attack and defence. The ancient Hebrew tactics went by the quaternian rule of division. To each quaternian, or fingle file, there was attached an officer; and ten quaternians, with their officers, making in the whole fifty, completed a corps; which bodies, or companies, were joined together in divisions and armies. Thus it is faid, Exod. xiii. 18. The children of Ifrael went up FIVED, or by five in a rank, out of the land of Egypt. And Jofhua i. 14. Ye shall pass marThalled by FIVE, before the face of your brethren. And from the paffage, Judges vii. 11. it appears that the Medianites, who were defcendants of the Hebrews, armed in the fame manner. In these armies, there were appointed captains of thoufands, and captains of hundreds, and captains of fifties, and captains of tens. Deut, i. 15. From which it appears, that a corps contained five captaincies, and that to each their belonged an officer of the staff, or standard, who might upon occafion command feparately; together with one who ftood next to him as his fecond, or, as he was 'called, his armour-bearer. These companies fquared by dividing in depth, forming four divifions of twelve, in which pofition the chief 'captain and his armour-bearer ftood detached from the body. According to this divifion and order, the rules of fervice did not admit of their under taking enterprizes which contemplated force, fhort of a captaincy or a double file, for otherwise they were not covered. Thus Gideon, who, left Ifrael fhould boaft, was reduced to the weakest means, took ten men of his fervants to commence his operations against Baal, Judges vi. 27. The men of Ifrael, when they fent off detachments from their army, took ten men of an hundred, &c. Judges xx. 10. David, when he dwelt in the hold, and was in want of provifions, fent out ten young men, i. e. warriors, to go to Nabal., 1 Sam. xxv. 5. And ten young men that bare Joab's armour compaffed about, and fmote Abfalom, and flew him. 2 Sam. xviii. 15. By this paffage it appears, that the commander in chief, as he would have occafion to move from place to place, had a double file of armour bearers and that every thing in their order and difcipline regarded this rule. Ifhmael came, and ten men with him, and fmote Gedaliah that he died. 2 Kings xxv. 25. This view given in the fcriptures is confirmed by other history, that a double file was the fmallest number; which by rule and good conduct, were to be posted for action. And even thus armed, the valiant Gideon, in his enterprize against Baal, thought proper to avail himfelf of the moft fkilful management, and of the filence of the night, Abraham entertained little doubt, if there were fifty righteous men in Sodom, that they would be able to make a fland; and if one file fhould be lacking of a full corps, he would fill entertain an encouraging prof |