Alphabetical Char‘acters. 99 
might ascribe the glory and the praise where 
alone they were’ due. ‘This we should cer- 
tainly have expected from considering the 
conduct of Divine Providence with regard to 
other occasions of miraculous interference. 
Yet this we'do not find to have been the case. 
It istrue indeed, that Dr. Hartley* and vari- 
ous other writers, have maintained that the 
revelation was made at Mount Sinai, when 
the ten commandments are said to have been 
written by the finger of God.t The use of this 
expression however does by no means warrant 
the inference which is here deduced from it. 
It is obvious that the finger of God is here 
spoken of in precisely the same: way as in 
other places, the sacred writers speak of the 
word of his mouth, the breath of his nostrils, 
&c.; using a figurative language, accommoda- 
ted to our imperfect conceptions. |_Whenit is 
said therefore that the decalogue was written 
by the finger of God, nothing more can be 
meant, than that it was done by his direction, 
or in consequence of an express) act of his 
power; and it appears no more “harsh’’ to 
suppose that in making this communication, 
he should adopt a species of written charac- 
ters already in use among his creatures,. than 
that im his ural revelations he should convey 
* Vol. 1. p. 308. + Exod.xxxi.18. 
