rity to the low condition of the rest of the Levites, who were of an inferior rank to that of priests; for we do not see that they ever after renewed the pretensions which they might otherwise have had to fucceed Moses. Now, fuch neglect of his family shews that Mofes's principles were raised much above the ordinary pitch of the generality of lawgivers, who were absolute and fupreme over their people.

The third thing obfervable here is, that Mofes had no share in the conquest of the land of Canaan; it all was fubdued after his death: nay, it was that conquest that fixed and fettled the commonwealth of Ifrael, which was before unfettled, and as it were ambulatory in the defert. Now, how could fuch a fingular design, as Mofes describes in his law, be put in execution by any other than by him that formed it? It was Joshua that made this conquest of the land of Canaan, and possessed the Jews of it. Now, to be sure, if that people had not been then fully pertuaded of the Divine authority of Mofes's law, they would never have failed, after so great an alteration, to make use of their power and liberty in throwing off the troublesome yoke of his laws; nor yet would Joshua, and all his fucceffors in the government, ever have maintained the authority of those laws, if they had not looked upon Mofes, not only as an extraordinary man, but also as one particularly commiffionated by God to make that body of laws for the regulating of his people.

We read, in those books, of Moses's dying in the mountains of Moab: now, that being supposed, how is it poffible, that if the people of Ifrael had not been fully convinced that God himself gave their law to Mofes with all the circumstances mentioned by him, they would have continued to keep up such a ridiculous and ill-grounded conceit? If he had really by his tyrannical authority forced the Ifraelites into a compliance to his laws during his life, why did they not, as soon as he was dead, with the fear of his authority, shake off the yoke of his laws, and all respect for his memory?

One thing we may remark as very surprising in the relation of that legiflator's death, which is, that his body was not found after his death.

For we do not see that that people, which otherwise kept up and carried about with so much care, the bones of Jofeph and his brethren, in order to bury and depofit them in the fepulchres of their ancestors (for both Jofeph and his brethren were interred in Judea), did ever build a tomb to their law-giver, or so much as pretend to shew his fepulchre.

Jofephus was of opinion that Mofes wrote himself the account of his own death, for fear the Jews should ever imagine, and so give out, that God had taken him up into heaven. I see, I confefs, no folidity in that conjecture of his; but yet it may give us occafion to make a reflexion hereupon, I think, more natural and easy, which is, that God had a mind, as Joshua intimates it, to confirm the many characters of divinity that appeared in the law of Mofes, by taking away from before the eyes of the Jews his corpfe, which they would certainly, if they had not been fo prevented, have kept with more care than those of all their patriarchs and kings. The description of the manner of Mofes's death, shews evidently that he was not only in great efteem during his life, but that even his death did much conduce to the increase of it, and to make men look upon him as one gloriously raised up above the common condition of men, and in a manner not obnoxious to the infirmities and miseries incident to human nature. But after these general reflexions, I must come to those that are more particular.

CHAP. III.

That the Truth of the Miracles related by Moses cannot reasonably be

W

doubted of.

HOEVER will examine with attention the four last books of Mofes, shall find in them several passages recorded, which deserve a particular confideration.

As, first of all, the miraculous birth, the extraordinary education, the heroical courage, and the Divine call and commiffion of Mofes, and the several miracles which he wrought in Egypt, to bring the Ifraelites out of it, and lead them to the borders of Canaan.

Then, secondly, all the moral, ceremonial, and political laws, which Mofes gave to that people from God.

And, lastly, Moses's prophecies concerning their future condition, their victories, their captivities, their transportations, concerning the destruction of Jerufalem, the coming of the Messiah, and the difperfion of their whole nation,

All which passages have as evident and authentic proofs of their certainty, as things of that nature are capable of.

Let us first begin with the narration of the miracles recorded in the beginning of Exodus.

Wherein we fee, that after Moses had represented the death of Jofeph, and of all the generation that came down with Jacob into Egypt, he writes his own history, and reprefents himself as another Noah, faved out of the waters, to save and deliver that holy family.

The whole relation which he makes of all those particulars, is very strange and extraordinary; but yet his circumcifion, and the instruction of his mother, to whom he was given by the daughter of Pharaoh, to be nursed up; and the conversation of that princess, who had adopted him, and made herself a profelyte, as the Jews endeavour to prove from 1 Chron. iv. 18 (q); and his education in the court of Egypt, and his acquaintance with all the grandees of that court; did concur together to acquaint him with that remarkable preservation of his person, and perfuade him of the certainty of it.

For how could Mofes either impose, or be imposed upon, in that matter? Was not that barbarous cruelty of the Egyptians by which they compelled the Jews, about the time of Mofes's birth, to throw their chil

T3

(q) Jalk. in h. 1. ex Vajikra Rab.

dren

gren into the river Nilus, notoriously known of all men? Were not the public buildings, and strong cities, viz. Pythom and Rameses, fo called from the name of king Rameses Miamum, standing in the fight of all men? And was it not publicly known by all the world, that the poor Ifraelites were the flaves and drudges who were made use of to erect those buildings'?

Neither could the manner of his education be unknown to him, nor yet to any of the Hebrews; for we do not join here to Mofes's narration, what Jofephus relates of his person, of his feats in Meroe, and of his marrying an Ethiopian princess, &c.

As Mofes's miracles were done in the presence of the Egyptians and Jews, so they testify that he had really received his calling and commiffion from God in the defert; and that, just in the manner as he describes it himfelf.

Now, no man can dispute the truth of those miracles, if he but minds the following confiderations.

First, it cannot be denied that the people of Ifrael was brought out of Egypt by Moses. Their law, which the prefent Jews do still observe, speaks every where of that famous action of his; there was never any man difputed the certainty of that achievement. All ancient authors make mention of it; Manethon (r) gives an account of the time, of the manner, and of many other principal circumstances of that exploit.

Trogus Pompeius, Justinus, and Tacitus, do also speak of it. Only Tacitus does groundlessly, I suppose, of his own head, relate, that the Jews were expelled out of Egypt, because of their leprofy: I fay groundlessly, for it is known that on the contrary leprosy was a common distemper amongst the Egyptians, and that they infected the Ifraelites with it; fo that there is no likelihood they should be expelled by the Egyptians for a diftemper that they got from them.

We know, befides, that the law of Mofes which calls the leprofy the distemper of Egypt, did banish the lepers out of the congregation of the people; and then the nature of David's curses against Joab, because of his murdering Abnor, shews fufficiently that the leprosy was looked upon by the Jews as a distemper most commonly fent immediately from God. Nay, Trogus Pompeius (s) himself observes that the magicians caufed Mofes, with the people of Ifrael, to be expelled, because they themselves were struck with a kind of fcab and itch; and that they were afraid left the contagion of it should infect the whole kingdom of Egypt (t).

And here I must not forget the mentioning the testimony of Numenius, a Pythagorean philofopher, who relates that both Jannes and Jambres were chofen by the Egyptians, to oppose Mofes, and hinder the effects of his miracles and prayers, which had brought down many grievous plagues upon Egypt, just about the time of the Jews banishment out of that country.

But fecondly, if the leprosy which the Ifi aelites brought from Egypt,

be

(r) Jofeph contra App. 1. 1.
(1) Eujeb. præp. Evang. 1.9 c. 8.

(5) Justin. 1. 36.

be an indisputable proof of their sojourning there; it is as certain, that the going out of that mixed multitude of Egyptians, who so far espoused the Ifraelites interest, as to leave and forsake Egypt, their own country, to accompany them, could have no other cause or pretence than the miracles of Mofes, whereof they had been eye-witnesses; so that the pofterity of those Egyptians that were thus incorporated into the body of the people of Ifrael, were in after ages as so many witnesses of the truth of those miracles which formerly perfuaded their fathers to join with Mofes, and fo to share fortune with the Hebrews.

Thirdly, it is certain, that the Jews could not so much as mention. any of the miracles which they pretended were done formerly for the deliverance of their fathers, without expofing themselves to the scorn of all the world, if all those miracles, and their deliverance, had not been certainly and generally known to the Egyptians, and to all the neighbouring nations, by whom they were often subdued and brought into fubjection after the decease of Mofes and Joshua.

To all these reflexions we may add, that the commemoration of the Ifraelites going out of Egypt, with all the miracles wrought by Mofes, was renewed yearly, not only by the folemnizing the feast of the paffover, which the Ifraelites did constantly keep to the time of their difperfion, and which they do still keep in all parts of the world, but also by two very sensible ways.

The first whereof, was the separation which God made of the tribe of Levi, in order to confecrate it to his service, instead of the first-born of the people of Ifrael, whom he had spared and preserved in Egypt, with great folemnity, in regard both of men and beasts, as we read, Numb. iii. so that every Levite was as a living memorial of that great miracle, wrought at the Ifraelites going out of Egypt.

And the second was the law concerning the redemption of every firstborn, both of men and unclean beasts (u); which is observed to this hour among the Jews. It is clear and evident, that there is in all those laws, a deep impression of those several great miracles which compelled Pharaoh to let the Ifraelites go.

Lastly, it is very obfervable here, that the memory of the deliverance of Ifrael out of Egypt, wrought, as by many miracles, so especially by the death of the first-born of Egypt, which was the occafion of the institution of the passover, continued amongst the Egyptians till after Jesus Chrift: for till then they used to mark with red their sheep, their trees, their houses, and lands, the day before the passover, as any one may fee in Epiphanius; which custom could proceed from no other caufe, than from the Egyptians fear of the like plague and mortality that was once inflicted upon their forefathers, and from their hope of preventing it by such a kind of talisman whereby they thought Mojes had formerly faved the Ifraelites harmless from that great plague, only by sprinkling the blood of the lamb of the paffover on the upper door-post of their houses.

A Continuation of the Proofs of the Truth of the Miracles wrought by MOSES.

T

HESE arguments might be thought fufficient for the evincing the truth of these miracles which Mofes relates; but yet fomething more may be added.

As those stupendous miracles by which the famous deliverance of the Ifraelites was effected, could not be doubted of by those who had been eye-witneffes of them; so they were afterwards confirmed by several other miracles, which, being as great, and almost of the fame kind, continued for many years in the fight of the whole people of Ifrael.

God made a pillar of fire, and of a cloud, attend upon the Ifraelites, to guide them, the one by day, and the other by night. He divided the Red Sea, to open a paffage through it for his people; the memory whereof (faith Eufebius) was preserved to his time, by those of Memphis(x): the Ifraelites took the spoils of the Egyptians drowned in the Red Sea, as they were pursuing them: they made a fong upon the occafion of that wonderful deliverance; they were fed with manna, a kind of heavenly and miraculous food; they drank of that brook of water that was following them wherever they went. All those miracles, with many others, continued for forty years together without any interruption, and do therefore firmly establish the truth of those other miracles which Mofes relates, because there were none of them wherein the people could be impofed upon by any trick or illusion, and of the truth whereof every one could not fatisfy himself, by his own experience.

I do not speak now of feveral public monuments of those miracles; as, for example, the rod of Aaron which blossomed in a night; the manna which was kept in the tabernacle; the brazen ferpent, which, having continued to Hezekiah's time, was broken down by him, only because the people offered incense to it,

From all which it must be acknowledged, that there was in the whole series of the Jewish history, both many pregnant evidences of the truth of the first miracles, and a constant series of miracles which, having been foretold by Mofes, did the better confirm the truth of those which he relates as done by him on purpose to vindicate and defend the liberty and honour of the people of Ifrael.

Because I did just now intimate that the memory of the Jewish deliverance did continue for many ages after amongst the Egyptians, I think myself obliged to add here fome arguments, to prove that neither such a tranfaction as that was, nor yet any of the like nature and importance, could ever be forgotten in the land of Canaan.

There is nothing that in outward appearance seems more ridiculous, than what is related concerning the Gibeonites coming to Joshua's camp; their equipage shewed that they had a mind to perfuade the Ifraelites that they

(x) L. 9. prap. Ev. cap. ult.