Laws had been of his own contrivance, left his own Reputation, or the Authority of his Laws, or perhaps both, might have fuffered by it, Exod.vi. 14, 20. He fets forth the Ingratitude, Idolatry, and perpetual Revolts and Murmurings of his whole Nation, and relates the Failings and Faults of their Ancestors the Patriarchs, and particularly of Levi, from whom he was defcended, Gen. xxxiv. 30. and xlix. 6. He spares neither his People, nor his Ancestors, nor himself, in what he relates; and these are all the Characters of a faithful Hiftorian, and a fincere Man, that can be defired.

And as Mofes was not ambitious of Praise, so neither was he ambitious of Power and Dominion. For befides that he entered upon fuch an Undertaking, as no fober Man would have attempted without a Revelation, it appearing otherwife impoffible to accomplish it, his whole Conduct hews, that he had no defign of advancing his own Interest or Dominion. If he had been never fo Ambitious, he needed not have gone into the Wilderness to feek his Preferment, amongst a wandring and stubborn People, when he had been bred up to all the Honours and the Pleasures that Agypt or Pharaoh's Court could afford: but he refufed to be called the fon of Pharaoh's daughter; chufing rather to fuffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of fin for a season; efteeming the reproach of Chrift greater riches than the treasures of Egypt, Heb. xi. 24, 25. He undertook to lead the People of Ifrael, for Forty Years, through a barren Wilderness; where he could promife himself but a very uneafie and inglorious Reign, if that had been his Defign; and, by the courfe of Nature, he could not hope to outlive that period of Time: and tho' he was preserved, in his Old Age, in the full ftrength and vigour of Manhood; yet, upon their entrance into the promised Land, he meekly refigned himself to death, in the very figh and borders of Canaan; knowing before-hand

that

that he must not be fuffered to poffefs the Land which he had been fo many years, in fo great dangers, leading the People of Ifrael to enjoy; though he doth not conceal how defirous he was to pass over Jordan, Deut. iii. 23, &c. The Hiftory of his Death is like that of his Life, related with a peculiar kind of native fimplicity: He is not faid to be taken up into Heaven, as Enoch and Elijah were, and as the Romans feigned of Romulus, but to die; and his Sepulchre was hid, to prevent the Superftitious and Idolatrous Veneration which might have been paid to the Remains of fo Great a Perfon. And tho' he had Sons, yet they were but private Men, no otherwife known to us, than as they were his Sons; the Government he conferred upon Joshua, one of another Tribe. Mofes therefore was the fartheft of any Man from Vain-glorious, or Ambitious and Afpiring Defigns; and could propose no other Advantage to himself, but the fulfilling the Will of God, in delivering his Commandments to the People of Ifrael, and following his Directions in his Conduct and Government.

Aaron was of a different Temper from Mofes, and was envious of him, and both Aaron and Miriam murmured against him. It is fo notorious, that there could be no contrivance between them to deceive the People; that it was the immediate and visible Power of God, which kept Aaron as well as the rest in obedience to Mofes. Upon Mofes's abfence, Aaron complied with the People, in making a Golden Calf; and his two eldest Sons offered strange Fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded; for which they were both destroyed by Fire miraculously iffuing out from the Prefence of the Lord: And Aaron held his peace, knowing that this Punishment was inflicted by God himself, and having nothing to reply to Mofes, when he declared to him the Juftice of it. And both Aaron and his other two Sons are forbidden, upon pain of Death, to mourn for them, Lev. x. 1, 2, 3, 6.

At last, by the Commandment of God, Aaron goes up into Mount Hor, to die there, not being permitted to enter into the Land of Promife.

Thus Mofes and Aaron were fometimes at difagreement, Aaron envying Mofes: Aaron loft two of his Sons, by a fignal Judgment from Heaven; and Mofes advanced neither of his, Numb. xx. 12. Deut. i. 37. and both Mofes and Aaron died by the particular Appointment and Command of God, for their Offences against him, never enjoying, nor, for fome time before, expecting to enjoy the Land of Promife. And therefore, as they could never have performed what they did, but by the Almighty Power of God; fo they could have no Motive or Inducement to attempt it, but his Command and Promife of Affiftance revealed to them.

As

CHA P. IV.

Of the Pentateuch.

S the Books entitled to Mofes are confeffed by all to be of the greatest Antiquity; fo we have it confirmed to us, by the Authority of Heathen Writers themselves, that the Books which go under his Name, are indeed of his writing; befides the unanimous Testimony of the whole Jewish Nation, ever fince Mofes's time, from the firft writing of them : which is infinitely better proof of their being Authentick, and entitled to the true Author, than can be pretended for any Books but the Holy Scriptures. Divers Texts of the Pentateuch imply, that it was written by Moses; and the Book of Joshua, as well as other Books of Scripture, import as much; and though fome Paffages have been thought to imply the contra

ry,

ry, yet this is but a late Opinion, and has been fufficiently confuted by learned Men.

It is obfervable, whoever wrote thefe Five Books, that there is no Partiality fhewn to any one whom foever. Noah is faid to be overcome with Wine, and exposed to the mockery of one of his Sons. Lot is described not only to have been drunken, but to have lain with his own Daughters. Abraham himself denies his Wife twice; and Ifaac imitates him in it. Facob gets the Blessing, by fraud and subtilty, from his Brother Efau. Jofeph's Brethren fell him into Ægypt; and he, when he is there, learns to fwear by the Life of Pharaoh. The Faults of Aaron, and of Mofes himself, (as I have already obferved) are not concealed. On the other fide, particular notice is taken how Melchizedeck bleffed Abraham, and received Tythes of him: And without all contradiction, the lefs is bleffed of the better, Heb. vii. 7. The Advice of Jethro is recorded; and the Prophecies of Balaam himfelf are punctually fet down. It was no Design of the Sacred Pen-man to write a Panegyrick upon any Man, but to represent the Failings and Infirmities, as well as the Excellencies of each Perfon; and to fhew by what various Methods the Providence of God brought to pass his gracious Designs; how. he turn'd Evil into Good, and made ufe eyen of the Infirmities and Sins of Men, to accomplish his Purposes.

8

In the Book of Genefis, we have a fhort Account of the most memorable and remarkable Things, which had past, to the times of Mofes; as the Creation of the World, the Inftitution of the Sabbath, the Fall of Man, the Promife of the Meffiah, and the Cuftom of offering Sacrifices as Types of his Death: who first committed Murther, and who first brought in Polygamy; the Invention of divers Arts, the Flood, the Confufion of Tongues the Original of the feveral Nations of the World, with the Chronology of the whole: all which is comprehended in a little Com

pafs, but a larger and more particular Account is given of Abraham and his Family: For here the Scene begins to open to the main Design of the Work, the Book of Genefis being as an Introduction to the rest of the Pentateuch, and containing fuch things as were requifite to be premifed. And in the beginning of the Hiftory of Abraham, it is noted, that the Canaanite was then in the land, Gen. xii. 6. even at that very time when Abraham erected an Altar to the Lord, ver. 7. this being a great Encouragement to the Ifraelites, to excite them to follow the Example of their Father Abraham, who worfhipp'd the True God, in a publick and folemn manner, in that Land which they were now going to poffefs, and amongst that People which they were now to drive out, and which, at that time when the Land was promis'd them, were the Inhabitants of it; and God, who had protected Abraham in fo fignal a manner, would no lefs affift them.

And if we confider those things particularly, wherein Mofes himself is concern'd as an Agent, as well as an Hiftorian, there can be no pretence for any Man to doubt, but that at least the principal Points of the Hiftory of Mofes are true; that is, that Mofes was the Governor or General of the People of Ifrael, who conducted them out of Egypt; that they travell'd for many Years in the Wilderness; that they fought divers Battels with the feveral Nations who oppos'd their journeying into the Land of Canaan; and, that Mofes gave them the Laws which we find there recorded. Thefe are the chief Points of the Hiftory of Mofes, which are, as it were, the Foundation of all the reft; the reft being but as Circumstances to fhew the Manner of doing it, and the Power by which all this was done. And that thefe main Points are true, it was never deny'd' by thofe Heathens themselves who moft reproach'd and vilify'd the Jewish Nation: They acknowledg'd that Mofes was the great General and