perhaps excepted) of whom he does not recount many weaknesses, which a zealous partisan would have been careful to suppress; and to many he imputes great crimes, which he never attempts to palliate or disguise. In this point, the advocates of infidelity may be appealed to as judges. They dwell upon the weaknesses and crimes of the patriarchs with great triumph. Let them not deny then, that the scripture account of them is impartial and true in all its points, good as well as bad; and we fear not but it will be easily proved, that, notwithstanding their weaknesses and even crimes, they were upon the whole, and considering the moral and religious state of the human mind in that age, characters not unworthy of pardon and acceptance with God, and fit instruments for the introduction of the divine dispensations.

Of the Jewish nation in general, the author of the Pentateuch speaks, it may be said, not only impartially, but even severely. He does not conceal the weakness and obscurity of their first origin, that "a Syrian ready to perish, was their father;"* nor their long and degrading slavery in Egypt; their frequent murmurings and criminal distrust of God, notwithstanding his many interpositions in their favour; their criminal apostasy, rebellion, and resolution to return to Egypt; first, when they erected the golden calf at mount Sinai ;† and next on the return of the spies from the land of Canaan, when they were so afraid of the inhabitants, that they durst not attack them:‡ he repeatedly reproaches the people with these crimes, and loads them with the epithets of stiffnecked, rebellious, and idolatrous.§ He inculcates upon them most emphatically, that it was not for their own righteousness that God gave them possession of the promised land. He declares to them his conviction, that in their prosperity they would again|| relapse into their rebellions and idolatries, and imitate the foul vices of those nations, whom God had driven out from before them for these very crimes. Here again we may appeal to the judgment of infidels. They triumph in the apostasies and crimes of the Jews, and represent them as totally unworthy the divine protection and regard. Surely then they must confess, that the historian who has thus described them is strictly impartial; and that as he has concealed nothing that would disgrace, we may also be confident that he has feigned nothing to exalt his country.

*Deut. xxvi. 5. + Exod. xxxii.

Vide in particular Deut. ix. also Exod. xxxii.

Numb. xiii. and xiv.

Vide Deut. xxxi.

men.

And admitting this we may easily show that, notwith standing the crimes and the subbornness of the Jews, it was not yet unworthy of the divine wisdom to employ them as the medium of preserving the worship of the true God amidst an idolatrous world, and of preparing the way for the introduction of a pure and universal religion.

The impartiality of the author of the Pentateuch, is not less remarkable in the mode in which he spoke of the nearest relations and connexions of the Jewish Lawgiver. His brother * Aaron, is related to have been engaged in the great crime of setting up the golden calf, to have joined with his sister + Miriam, in an unjustifiable attack on the authority of Moses, and to have offended God so much, that he was excluded from the promised land: and the two eldest sons of Aaron are related to have been miraculously put to death by God himself, in consequence of their violating the ritual Law. The tribe and kindred of the Lawgiver are not represented as exempt from the criminal rebellion of the Jews on the return of the twelve spies. Caleb and Joshua, who alone had opposed it, were of different tribes, one of Judah, and the other of Ephraim. In a word, nothing in the narrative of the Pentateuch exalts the characters of any of the near relatives of Moses and Aaron, except only in the instance of || Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron; who, for his zeal in restraining and punishing the licentiousness and idolatry into which the Midianitish women had seduced his countrymen, was rewarded by the high priesthood's being made hereditary in his family. Of the family of the legislator we are told nothing, but that his § fatherin-law, Jethro, was a wise inan, who suggested to Moses some regulations of utility; that his wife was an Æthiopian woman, and as such the object of contempt and opposition even to his own brother and sister; and that he had two sons, of whom, or their families, the history takes no notice, so that nothing about them is known, but that they were undistinguished from the rest of the Levitical tribe. How different is all this from the embel lishments of fiction or the exaggerations of vanity? How strongly does it carry with it the appearance of humility and truth? The most decisive proof of impartiality is, however, found in + Numb, xii.

* Exod. xxxii.

the manner in which the Pentateuch speaks of Moses himself. To point out this more clearly, let us compare it with the account which Josephus has compiled of the same facts. He indeed, received the Pentateuch as authentic, true, and sacred; he therefore preserves all the leading events of his history, but he sometimes departs from its simple narrative, and in almost every instance of difference, we shall perceive a wish, either to adorn with fictitious splendour the character of the Jewish Lawgiver, to increase the credibility of his miracles in the eyes of the Gentiles, or to disguise and palliate the misconduct of his countrymen.

The entire account which the book of Exodus delivers of the private life of Moses, for the eighty years which preceded his divine mission to deliver the Israelites, is comprised in twentytwo verses. All is plain and artless, full of the simplicity of patriarchal life, and unmixed with a single circumstance tending to exalt the personal character of the Lawgiver, or mark him out as peculiarly fitted for so high a destiny; but one action of his maturer years is mentioned, "that he went out unto his bre"thren, and looked on their burdens; and he spied an Egyptian "smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren" (probably attempting to murder him ;) "and he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the "sand." When he finds the fact discovered, and that Pharaoh sought to slay him, he flies to Midian, marries, and remains there for a long series of years, unaspiring and unknown, till at the advanced age of fourscore, the divine command urges and compels him to become the instrument of executing the will of heaven, in the deliverance of his nation.

Compare with this short and modest narrative, the embellishments which national vanity added in subsequent traditions, and which Josephus collected and adorned.† We are told that the sacred scribe of the Egyptians announces to their monarch, that about this time a child should be born to the Israelites, who would bring the Egyptian dominion low, and raise theirs; who would excel all men in virtue, and obtain a glory which would be remembered through all ages; and to the terror arising from this prediction, (of which not one word occurs in the Pentateuch) Josephus ascribes the edict to put to death all the male children of the Hebrews. Nor is this all; the birth of this future hero +Vide Josephus's Antiquities, B. II. ch. x. xi.

* Exod. ii.

and legislator of the Jews, is granted to the prayers of his father, and announced to him also in a prophetic vision. Even his brother Aaron's fame, and his dignity as high priest, is also prophesied.

The original narrative, with a beautiful simplicity, notices the very natural circumstance, "that when the mother of Moses "saw he was a goodly child, she hid him three months." On this single expression, Josephus raises the most extravagant description of the distinguished and captivating stature and beauty of his hero, and ascribes to this, some of the most remarkable events with which he embellishes his life. His understanding too, is represented as greater than his age; the sports of his childhood are ominous of his future exploits. When arrived to maturity, he is said to have been appointed general in a war with the Æthiopians who had reduced Egypt to the extremest distress. His good conduct and success are represented as unparalleled, and such as to excite the most violent jealousy amongst the Egyptians, and especially to raise the envy and hatred of Pharaoh; and to this Josephus ascribes his flight into the land of Midian; after which he is compelled to adopt the narrative of the Pentateuch, which here becomes too particular, and on a subject too sacred, to allow any material deviation. Yet, even here, we find him in various minute circumstances, suppressing and softening different particulars which appeared uncreditable to Moses, but which the Pentateuch puts forward with the most faithful exactness.

When the divine glory appeared to Moses in the burning bush, and commanded him to undertake the deliverance of his countrymen, the Jewish Lawgiver displays a degree of reluctance and distrust which surprises us ;* after God had wrought three dif ferent miracles, and enabled him to repeat them, Moses replies, "O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since "thou hast spoken to thy servant: I am slow of speech, and of a "slow tongue. And the Lord said unto him, Who hath made "man's mouth? have not I the Lord? Now therefore go, and I "will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say." Yet even to this gracious assurance, Moses returns almost an absolute refusal to undertake the mission on any terms: for he said, "O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom

* Vide Exodus, iv

"thou wilt send." We cannot be surprised to be told, that on this, "the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and "he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well and I will be with thy mouth, and with his "mouth; and he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he "shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him "instead of God:" (that is, you shall direct and authorize him to act in the name of God.) Accordingly, when the people and elders of Israel were assembled, it was Aaron* who "spake all "the words which the Lord had spoken unto Moses, and did the 'signs in the sight of the people." And in every subsequent conference with Pharaoh, and the whole deliverance from Egypt, Aaron is the inseparable companion of Moses, and always acts the same subordinate, indeed, but yet necessary and important part. Now Josephust softens all this into a modest apology on the part of Moses, stating his natural incompetency: "Lord, "I am still in doubt, how I, a private man, and of no abilities, "should persuade my countrymen or Pharaoh." Even this is represented as antecedent to the miracles which Moses saw, and was enabled to perform; and not one word is said of God's anger being kindled against him, or of Aaron's being deputed to assist him; nor in the whole history is any notice taken of the important part which Aaron bore in every subsequent transaction; it is barely said, that by the command of God he met his brother, but Moses appears the sole ambassador of God to Pharaoh.

Thus again we find, on the refusal of Pharaoh to comply with the first demand of Moses to let the Hebrews go, and on his increasing their burthens, the Pentateuch represents the people as angrily reproaching Moses and Aaron. "The Lord look upon "you, and judge you: for you have made us to be abhorred in "the eyes of Pharaoh and his servants, to put a sword into their "hands to slay us ;" and immediately Moses as impatiently expostulates with God, "Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil-entreated "this people? why is it that thou hast sent me? For since I came "to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this "people: neither hast thou delivered thy people at all." this, we find not one word in Josephus,

Of all

Josephus also suppresses the signal crime of the Jews in set

* Exod. iv. 30.

+ Joseph. Antiq. Book II. ch. xii. § 2. Exod. v. from 21 to 23.