III. notice had happened? In fine, could they CHAP. all concur in mourning for the lofs of their first-born, when there had not been a fingle death, except fuch as occur in the ordinary courfe of nature? Surely, the perfon, who can believe, that the miracles wrought by Aaron were nothing but a mere deception, and the effects produced by them nothing but a strong delufion, maintains the existence of a much more wonderful and incredible miracle, than any of those recorded in the page of Scripture. But why may we not fuppofe, that the objection. history is exaggerated; and that thofe circumstances, which in reality might easily have been accounted for by natural means, grew up, in process of time, under the inventive of Mofes and his fucceffors, to pen their present bulk and incredibility ? Could it then be a trifling matter, a flight caufe, which induced Pharaoh to difmiss the Ifraelites, confidering how useful themselves than even the darkness. In fhort, the whole feems to have been a lively representation of that heavy night, that eternal banishment from the prefence of God, which awaits every hardened and impenitent finner. See the apocryphal book of Wisdom, c. 17. II. SECT. they were to him, and how very reluctant he was to part with them? In reality, to fuppofe an exaggeration in the present case, is to fuppofe a direct contradiction. Let a fingle instance be taken : Mofes denounced the death of the first-born, in cafe Pharaoh perfifted in his refufal: now, if in the event a few folitary individuals only had died, we may be very fure, that no confent would have been granted: but fuch confent was granted, therefore the threat of Mofes must have been fulfilled; in other words, an exaggeration of the history is impoffible. It may alfo be afked, if thefe miracles were nothing but natural phenomena exaggerated, by whom were they exaggerated? If by Mofes, where was the utility of fuch an artifice? The utmoft exaggeration on his part could never have perfuaded Pharaoh to difmifs the Ifraelites, unless he had been dreadfully convinced, that the hand of God was upon him and his people. Nor is it very probable, that he would attend to what Moses only faid, if he paid no regard to what he did. If by the Egyptians, it is an abfurdity to fuppofe, that they who clearly perceived how weak III. weak and contemptible the operations of CHAP. Mofes were, and at the fame time ftrenuoufly opposed the departure of the Ifraelites, fhould nevertheless exaggerate these operations, that they might have some excuse for doing, what they were extremely unwilling to do. If by the fucceeding Ifraelites, the impoffibility of interpolation. will be confidered in the enfuing Chapter. It is worthy of obfervation, that God's wife Providence fo ordered it, that these wonders should be wrought amidst a civilized people, not a clan of barbarians; confequently, all poffibility both of deception and exaggeration is effectually removed. However Mofes might have contrived to terrify the lower clafs of Egyptians, he could not very eafily have deceived the philofophers and courtiers of a refined metropolis; which, it may be remarked, was the scene of all these miracles, and no obfcure corner in a defert. From these reafons, it may fafely be pronounced, that an exaggeration is impoffible. But even allowing the performance of Objection, thefe miracles, how can that prove the di vine If. SECT. vine legation of Mofes, and confequently, that he had no intention to deceive the people? Might he not have been enabled to work fuch wonders by the prince of darkness? Simon Magus is faid to have bewitched the people of Samaria by his forceries; and why might not Mofes have practifed the fame impofition upon the Ifraelites? I am almost ashamed of noticing fo abfurd an objection; and my only apology for it is; that, if we may argue from fome late whimsical affertions of deiftical writers, the exploded cavils of a Celfus may poffibly be once more revived. Infidelity, as well as man, seems to have her birth, her childhood, and her old age. If her infancy was marked with the writings of a Celfus, her grey hairs are rendered no less illuftrious by the hypothefis of a Volney. That gentleman hath difcovered, that the mysterious birth of the Messiah figuines nothing more, than the fun rifing in the conftellation of Virgo; and that the twelve apoftles are the twelve figus of the zodiac! Tacitus, Suetonius, and the whole current of history, do indeed most unluckily contradict this ingenious fyftem; and St. Paul, the thirteenth apoftle, is totally omitted in it: but trifles of that nature are not fufficient to interrupt the career of a modern philofopher. Even Pagan hiftory itself must give way to the new lights, with which mankind are at prefent favoured. I remember once to have met with another marvellous difcovery made by the deep researches of infidelity. In a book written against Bp. Warburton's Divine Legation, by a whole fociety of philofophers, it is roundly afferted, that there never was any fuch language as Hebrew; and that, as for the character which we poor The Jews, it is true, were frequently CHAP. deceived by impoftors, who started up after III. the time of Chrift: but the confequences refulting from thefe deceptions bear no great resemblance to what followed upon their admitting the divine authority of Moses. It may truly be faid, that God permitted them to be infatuated by those falfe prophets, as a punishment due to their fins, because a moft dreadful vengeance inflicted by the Romans was the confequence of fuch an infatuation. But what fevere judgment awaited the Israelites from their embracing the Law of Mofes? They were freed from a most galling bondage; they were enabled to conquer and expel their enemies; and they were put into poffeffion of a land flowing with milk and honey. But though God did not permit the devil to deceive the Jews, why may we not fuppofe, that the powers of darkness enabled Mofes to deceive the Egyptians? poor deluded mortals have long been accustomed to pore over, it is neither more nor lefs, than the myfterious hieroglyphics of the Jewish priesthood! "Nefcio an Anticyram ratio illis deftinet omnem." Objection Let |