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from several, at one and the same time? The heathen poct, Virgil, was so well satisfied of the proprie ty of this expression, that in his description of a storm, he mentions three winds attacking the sea at

once.

S. Who were those friends of Job, that bore so hard upon him in the days of his affliction ?

T. They were princes, or chief men in the land: Eliphaz, the Tcmanite, was the grandson of Esau, and son of Teman, who dwelt in a city of the same name in Idumæa, not far from the confines of Arabia Deserta. Bildad, the Shuhite, was descended from Shuah, the son of Abraham and Keturah. Zophar, the Naamathite, was also probably of the same family; but this is not so certain the Septuagint make him a king of the Minoites. And Eliku was the grandson of Buz, the son of Nahor, and lived in the sou thern parts of Mesopotamia, and of the kindred of Ram, or Aram, also Nahor's grandson, from whom the Aramites or Syrians are descended. S. What does Job mean, when he says that he has seen God?

T. This is not meant of ocular demonstration, for God is invisible: therefore, he means, that with the eyes of his mind, or understanding, he had a perfect knowledge of the power and goodness of Godt

S. How can God be supposed to have made Balaam's ass to speak, and what reason can be assigned for it?

T. Balaam had resisted all the admonitions of God; and having his head and heart full of expectations from the journey, he rose rp eariy in the morning, without waiting for Balak's messengers to call him, but

went himself to them; acting therein contrary to God's express orders, for which reeson he sent his angel to stand in the way, for an adversary against him. By the mouth of this angel however, God permitted him to go, as knowing that his journey would tend to his confusion, and the manifestation of his people's glory. Here therefore, God causes the beast whereon he rode to reprove him, to bring him to a just sense of his crime, and to deter him from the wicked purpose of his heart, to do all the harm he could against the children of Israel. St. Peter assures us, that the fact is true; and though we could not assign a sufficient reason why God thought fit to work this miracle, yet we cannot presume to infer that it was never wrought. And with regard to the manner how God might make Balaam's ass speak, consider, if a musician, by the different touches he gives an instrument, is able to make it express great variety of notes, even to sound like a human voice; certainly the most severe philosophy will never deny God the power to make creatures, though naturally destitute of reason and speech, pronounce articulate and rational words. The voice indeed came out of the ass's mouth, but not as the effect of the creatures's own understanding; the tongue was miraculously moved, and it spake what it was moved to utter, without understanding any of those words, which were spoken upon this occasion. By this miraculous speech of the ass, God intended not only to reprove Ballaam, but to convince the princes of Moab, who sre supposed to accompany the prophet, how easy a thing it was for him, who had

opened the mouth of this dumb crea ture, to stop the mouth of its owner, or to direct his words to what purposes he pleased; and to give them this as an instance of the weakness and impotence of the man in whom they confided, to conquer the people of God; when, with all curses and imprecations, he could not get the better of a poor brute, and much less then of a people so immediately under the divine protection.

S. What is meant by God's swearing in his wrath?

T. God cannot take an oath, or swear, as men do. But he is represented as making use of human forms, words and phrases, in condescension to our capacities. So that when God is said to swear by his name, his life, &c. he means no more than to give the very strongest assurances, that he is resolved to be true to his promise, and declares the thing to be as certain, and as surely to be depended upon as his own being or attributes are; making use of this awful and solemn manner of speaking, to make deeper impressions, and to beget a fuller confidence in the hearers, than can be expected from a bare declaration. Nor can God be said properly to be angry but as the scripture ascribes hands, eyes, and feet to God, only to signify that he has a power to execute all those acts, to which these members are so very subservient in us; so the same scripture represents him as affected with the like passions, that we feel in ourselves, when we are angry or pleased; to inform us, not that any such passions can be inherent in the divine nature; but that God will as certainly punish

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the wicked, as if he were inflamed with the passion of anger or revenge; and as infallibly relieve and reward the good, as we do those, for whom we have a tender compassion and affectionate love. Consequently, it is only by way of analogy, and comparison, that the nature and passions of men are ascribed to God.

S. Have any heathen authors confirmed any part of this sacred story?

T. I might again put you in mind, that all the law-givers that appeared after Moses, pretended to a familiarity with some deity, in order to give credit and sanction to their institutions and laws. You may observe also, that there is a great resemblance between the Caduceus of Mercury and Aaron's rod, which became a serpent in the sight of Pharoah and of all his court. Aaron, who was employed as a messenger from God to Pharoah, and an interpreter for Moses, was born in Egypt, which, very probably is the reason why the heathens feign, that Mercury was the messenger and interpreter of the gods, and born also in Egypt. The story of Balaam and his ass is avouched by the ancient Oriental writers; and it is no unreasonable conjecture, to suppose this miraculous incident gave rise to the fiction of many other brutes, upon less momentous occasions, accosting or speaking to their masters, and even to one another. Nor is it at all unlikely that it is owing to some traditionary account of the brazen serpent, that Esculapius, the god of physic, was worshipped under the form of a serpent; and that some Indians to this day fix

a wreathed serpent upon a perch, and adore it every morning.

S. Who succeeded in Egypt, after the overthrow of Pharaoh Amenophis in the Red sea;

7. His son Sesostris, who had already distinguished his princely qualifications by the conquest of Aratia; and was engaged in the reduction of Afric to the Egyptian yoke, when he was recalled by his subjects, to take possession of the throne of his deceased father. Upon his re turn he found the country in a most Lamentable state, both in regard to strength and provisions. Yet tho' nothing but famine might be expected, he resolved to execute the scheme of universal conquest, in which he had made so considerable progress. He tried all means to render himself popular and beloved; and, as want stared them in the face at home, he presently found himself at the head of a numerous army, consisting of 600,000 foot, 24,000 horse, and 27,000 chariots, which, after the government was settled and the administration committed to his brother Armais under certain limitations, he led against the Ethiopians, whom he made tributaries to Egypt. Then having fitted out two fleets of tall ships, he sent one squadron into the Mediterranean sea, and conquered Cyprus, the sea-coasts of Phenicia, and several of the Cyclades; and by the other squadron, in the Arabian gulph, he subdued all that shore. After his return from these conquests he undertook on expedition into Asia; in which he was afraid to attack the Israelites in the wilderness, whom God so visibly protect

ed; but proceeded directly against Canaan, which without opposition submitted to his yoke, paid an annual tribute, and received Egyptian governors into all their principal towns; and in a short time he carried his arms over all Asia, and part of Europe. He crossed the Ganges, traversed all India, as far as the Eastern Ocean; and subdued the Scythians, as far as the river Tanais, which divides Europe from Asia; And having subdued that side of Asia, he was now penetrating into the heart of Thrace in Europe, when either the want of provisions, or some other discouragements in so desert a country; or rather, an account of the news that his brother Armais had usurped the crown, obliged him to return to Egypt. Where, after a providential escape from the treason of his brother, and having disbanded his army, he spent the rest of his days in building temples in every city in Egypt; in raising vast mounts of earth, to which he removed the cities, that had before too low a situation; and, by. digging canals from Memphis to the sea, he contributed much to the pleasure and prosperity of his coun try and people. He also fortified his frontier towns, and built a wall from Pelusium through the deserts, as far as Heliopolis, which is at least fifteen hundred furlongs, to defend the east side of Egypt against the irruptions of the Syrians and Arabians. His pride led him to erect two obelisks of polished marble, 120 cubits high, on which was inscribed an account of the extent of his empire, the value of his revenue, and the number of the na

tions which he had conquered. The degenerated from that of the house

same love of fame was the cause of his building a ship of 280 cubits long, all of cedar, gilded all over with gold without, and lined quite through with silver within. But his ambition shewed itself most in obliging four or more of his tribu. tary kings to be yoked in his cha. riot, and to draw him on certain occasions. But he was cured of this piece of arrogance before he died, by a keen reflection of one of those kings; for, observing him with great stedfastness looking back upon the wheel, he asksd the sub. ject of his thoughts on that occasion; to which the tributary answered, The going round of the wheel, O king, calls to my mind the vicissi tudes of fortune: for, as every part of the wheel is uppermost and lowermost by turns, so, it is with men ; who one day sit on a throne, and

on the next are reduced to the vilest degree of slavery.' These accounts of this prince I give you from Diodorus and Herodotus, the heathen

historians.

S. I should be glad to know the history of the Amalekites, Edomites Moabites, and Midianites?

7' The Amalekites were the first that attacked the Israelites, after they had crossed the Red-sea. They were the descendants of Amalek, the son of Eliphaz, by his concubine Timna; which Eliphaz was the first born of Esau. Their country lay be. tween Egypt and Palestine bounded by Canaan to the north; by Egypt, or some of its tributaries, to the south; by Edom, or the land of Seir, to the east; and by the sea towards the west. Their religion

of Abraham to the idolatry of the Edomites. They were superior to their neighbours in power an! greatness; and, if we may judge from the situation of their cour. try, they were not less regarded for their trade or commerce. form of government was chical, and the people were bold and daring.

Their

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The Edomites were the, descend. ants of Esau, or Edom. Their an. cient kingdom, when in its meri. dian, was bounded on the north by the land of Canaan and the Salt-se": on the south, by the Arabian gulpl: ; on the east, by the land of Midian; and on the west, by the kingdom of Amalek. The natives were a of their privileges, and always reabold and courageous people, jealous dy to maintain them. As to their religion, they soon fell into ido. latry; and if it be certain, that Job lived amongst them, there will be no reason to doubt, that the invention and use of constellations in astronomy, the art of writing, the art of navigation, and many other parts of truly useful knowledge, were begun and improved in this nation. Their civil government suffered various revolutions. In the time of the Horites, who very early inhabited this land, each family was governed by its own patriarch, or head. But Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, having subdued them, their constitution was changed into an elective monarchy. Under which form Esau and his family lived for some time; when it was again divided, by his interest, into several little independent principalities or dukedoms. This kind of government devolved

at last wholly into the hands of Esau's posterity, who were stiled absolute dukes of Edom; and, being eleven in all, at the approach of the Israelites, chose a sovereign to head them against all their enemies.

The Moabites were descended from Moab, the son of Lot, by his incestuous commerce with the elder of his daughters. Their country was bounded on the east by the deserts of Arabia; on the west, by the mountains that lie east from the Dead-sea; on the north, by the country of the Ammonites, the descendants of Lot by his younger daughter; and on the south, by the brook, or little river Zerid, which runs into the Dead-sea; being in all about 40 miles square. Their religion had also become worse and worse, till they practised the idolatry of their neighbours: and they worshipped their false gods with such monstrous and obscene ceremonies, as are not fit to be named; and even dared to offer human victims to their principal idols Chermosh and Baal-peor. Their government was regal, and their country had been much diminished by Sihon, king of the Amorites, who took from the Moabites all that part of their kingdom, as far as the north of the river Arnon. This kingdom was anciently inhabited by the Emins, which in the Hebrew signifies Terribles; a great and powerful people, of extraordinary strength and stature, descendants of Ham, and of the same gigantic race with the Anakims and Rephaims.

from Midian, the fourth son of Abraham by Keturah his wife. These people, in the early ages of the world, were confounded with the Ishmaelites; and soon after seem to be conjoined with the Moabites, as if they had been one nation, which seeming commixture however was no more

than a mistaking the Midianites, that border upon the Moabites on the north, for Moabites; and the Midianites, that lived in the south of their country, for Ishmaelites their neighbours. For though its boundary on the east is uncertain, yet on the west it was contiguous to the land. of Edom; on the north, to the country of Moab; and on the south, to the Red-sea. Their religion was idolatrous in the northern parts of their country; but Jethro, who lived in the south, and worshipped the God of heaven, shews that they still retained some part of the religion of their forefathers. As to their government, it appears, from many circumstances, to have been aristocratical rather than monarchial, in the hands of many petty prinees or dukes; yet following the example of the Edomites at the approach of the Israelites, they united themselves under Sihon, king of the Amorites, and became his feudatories, though they were a numerous and rich people: but then, as their business was altogether grazing and merchandise, and they lived chiefly in tents, unprovided with any places of strength, and much given to vanity, riot and excess, they were an easy prey to any force that inclined to

The Midianites take their name invade them,

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