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 To prevent this terrible result, the Lord is ever careful to preserve, somewhere on the earth, a knowledge of and belief in, Himself,—a true church, whence light may flow to the surrounding nations. When, therefore, a knowledge of the true God had become nearly lost to the world, the Israelitish nation was raised up, and watched over with so much care, in order to become the depositaries of this knowledge; and especially that they might be made the keepers of the Word of Divine Revelation, through which that knowledge might be handed down in a distinct and legible form to posterity. If, then, this nation, also, had relapsed into idolatry, the terrible consequences before described must have followed: the whole world would have been overwhelmed with mental darkness, and sunk in general wickedness, till, at length, all mankind would have perished. Then would have succeeded the silence of universal death, and this globe would have become a desert.

Hence the exceeding care and anxiety manifested by Jehovah, in His dealings with that people, lest they should become contaminated by intermingling with the corrupt and idolatrous nations around them; and hence the command to destroy those wicked nations. Yet, in spite of all these precautions, the Israelites became occasionally ensnared, and seduced for a time from the worship of Jehovah. Thus, we read: "And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. And they