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backed with all the information which he had received in Egypt, would have probably furnished the present enemies of revelation with a very powerful argument to conteft even his religious doctrines; for they might naturally fuppofe, that if he were mistaken in one inftance, he might alfo in another.

And on the other hand, had God revealed to him a fyftem of philofophy (which is indeed abfurd to fuppofe, this being a mine left for the exertions of human reason) at the time, he would have advanced it, the understandings of men being unprepared by any regular education, would have spurned at his doctrines, as the ravings of a distracted mind, and thus all his wifdom would have proved ineffectual, all his philofophy, instead of producing the defired effect, would have to'tally put a stop to his great work of reformation, and would have occafioned the refentment of the people. Such was the fate of Galileo in adhering to the Copernican fyftem, and of Vigilius in afferting the antipodes. The words of the learned author of the Archæologiæ are very explanatory of this matter, I fhall therefore infert them ;

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Fingamus Theoriam telluris, a nobis propofitam effe veram; operæ pretium fuiffet I.2 Mofi,

Mofi, aut dignum munere Prophetæ aut legiflatoris has minutias phyfiologicas exponere populo? Quinetiam furdis ceciniffet fuam philofopham. Qui vitulum fufilem a deo optimo maximo difcernere non poterant, potuiffent unquam prima dei opera, rerum principia, leges & motus naturæ recognofcere, & ad veritatis normam exigere; Afini ad lyram." I fhall alter a word or two in the quotation, and then the whole will be perfectly applicable; thus-" "Let us suppose Mofes to have been acquainted with all that had been taught of the theory of the earth, would it be worth his while, or fuitable to the dignity and office of a legiflator, to have expounded thefe phyfiological minutiæ to the people? Moreover, he would have chanted his philofophy to perfons totally deaf; for we may well conceive, that persons who could not difcriminate between a molten calf, and the fupreme Being infinitely good, would not have been capable of inveftigating the works of God, and recognizing the laws of motion and of nature, and of making a critical examination correfpondent with the rule of truth; as well might affes attempt the lyre."

Sound philofophy is ever an handmaid to true religion, and this is its highest perfection.

It

It was wife then to treat it with neglect when erroneous; for falfe philofophy is always inimical to truth. Therefore, in the history of creation, no explanatory system is adopted, but there we have a truly fublime, tho' fimple narration of facts, as communicated by divine infpiration. Altho' Mofes in this history, expreffes himself according to the mode of expreffion then used, (as otherwife he could not be understood,) however deviating from that which, in the prefent enlightened age, would be estimated correfpondent to the true philofophy, yet he by no means endeavours to establish the then received opinions of men; but rather from their own conceffions, he takes occafion to eradicate every fpecies of idolatry. Whereas had he been an impoftor, he would probably have made a display of all his Egyptian literature, as thinking it the most effectual means of increafing the veneration of the people. He would have acquiefced with their prejudices, nay, have palliated, if not flattered their vices; and would never have had either the virtue or the courage, fuddenly, to have opposed their attachment to idolatry, in which they were at that time deeply immerfed, as the infpired prophet teftifies :

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"In that day when I chose Ifrael, and lifted up my hand unto the feed of the house of Jacob, and made myself known unto them in the land of Egypt, when I lifted up mine hand unto them, faying, I am the Lord your God; then faid I unto them, cast ye away every man the abomination of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt."

Nothing, therefore, but the miraculous interpofition of divine power, could have fo immediately operated to detach them from their folly. Had not the Ifraelites been firmly perfuaded of a divine Providence particularly exerted in their favour, they might fuperftitiously have imagined themselves, on every change of place, to be subjected to the difpleasure and vengeance of jealous tutelar deities; which circumftance would have been fufficient to have deprived them of all that fpirited refolution and energy, fo effential to fupport them under the numerous and deftructive perils generally incident to great undertakings. The Hexaemeron, therefore, begins with that most animating of all doctrines, which excluding the notion of blind chance on the one hand, and the filly idea of a plurality of ruling deities contending

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tending for their respective favourites, on the other hand, displays and inculcates the omnipotence and unity of the Godhead; who by an almighty fiat, brought into existence a variety of worlds, which his wifdom has arranged in the most regular harmonious order, ornamented and fitted for the most gracious and glorious purposes. The first chapter of Genefis, therefore, ftrongly inculcates the fame doctrine which St. Paul expressed in an oration before the Areopagus, in these words:

"God, that made the world and all things therein, feeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands, neither is worshipped with men's hands as though he needed any thing, seeing that he giveth to all, life and breath and all things, and hath made of one blood all nations of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times beforehand, and the bounds of their habitation, that they might feek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him and find him, tho' he be not far from every one of us; for in him we live and move, and have our being: as also certain of your own poets have faid for we also are the offspring of God. Forafmuch then as we are the offspring of God,

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