yourfelves; for ye faw no manner of fimilitude on the day that the Lord Spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire.

V. 16. Left ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the fimilitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female,

V. 17. The likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the air,

V. 18. The likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fifl that is in the waters beneath the earth;

V. 19. And left thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou feeft the fun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, thou shouldeft be driven to worship them, and ferve them, &c.

Whoe ver is at all acquainted with the ancient religion of Egypt, will fee every article of their idolatry included in this addrefs. He will likewife perceive the propriety of thefe cautions to a people, who had so long fojourned in that country.

I have mentioned, that this worship was of very early date: for the Egyptians very foon gave into a dark and mystic mode of de

votion;

votion; fuitable to the gloom and melan choly of their tempers. To this they were invincibly attached, and confequently averfe to any alteration. They feldom admitted any rite or custom, that had not the fanction of their forefathers. Hence Sir John Marfham very truly tells us concerning them Ægyptii cultûs extranei nomine deteftari videntur, quicquid οι γονεις & παρεδειξαν, pa

8

rentes non commonftrârunt. The Egyptians under the notion of foreign worship seem to have been averse to every thing, which had not been tranfmitted by their ancestors. They therefore for the most part differed in their rites and religion from all other nations. These borrowed from them; and alfo adopted the rites of many different people. But the Egyptians feldom admitted of any innovation.

This is what I thought proper to offer concerning the wisdom, and defign, witneffed in these judgments upon the Egyptians: and concerning the analogy, which they bore to the crimes and idolatry of that people.

FOURTH PART.

A DISSERTATION

UPON THE

DIVINE MISSION of MOSES.

Concerning this Divine Miffion.

MR

OSES was the immediate agent of God, in all those mighty operations, which took place during his refidence with the Ifraelites in Egypt, as well as in those, which enfued. The destination of this people, was to the land of Canaan; and though the history of their journeyings may not be uniformly attended with the fame aftonishing prodigies, as they had experienced in Egypt; yet in every movement, throughout the whole pro cess, there are marks of divine power and wisdom, by which they were at all times conducted.

conducted.

For no man could have formed fuch a system; much less have carried it on in the manner, by which we see it at last completed. For the procefs was oftentimes contrary to human prudence, though confonant to divine wisdom. My meaning is, that the Ifraelites in their progrefs to Canaan were led into fcenes of diftrefs, in which no perfon, who had the charge of them, would have permitted them to have been engaged. No leader in his fenfes would have fuffered those difficulties and embarrassments to have arifen, into which the people were at times plunged: and when they were brought into these ftraits, no human power was adequate to free them from the danger. In fhort, through the whole process of the history every step seems contrary to what human forefight, and common experience, would have permitted to take place. But I speak only in refpect to man. With God it was far otherwife. He can raise, and he can depress: he can kill, and he can make alive. If he led the people into difficulties and dangers he could remedy those difficulties; and free them from those dangers.

For my thoughts, fays the Almighty, are not your thoughts: neither are your ways my ways. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, fo are my ways higher than your ways; and my thoughts, than your thoughts. It therefore feemed good to divine wisdom to bring the Ifraelites into perils of various kinds, from whence there feemed no opening for escape: no fubterfuge, which could avail them. And this was done, that they might manifeftly fee, that their fafety was not effected by any human means: but that it was a far higher power, which both conducted and preferved them. Upon thefe principles I purpose to fhew; that the authority, by which Mofes acted, was of divine appointment: and his miffion immediately from God. And my chief reafon I bring within this small compass-because no man, of common prudence, would have acted, as Mofes did, unless directed by a fuperior influence.

A perfon, who was of great eminence in the church, and of knowledge equal to his high station, took a different method to afcertain the fame truth. He obferved that in all civilized countries the legislators had