feveral Names: Whether they had gone any Length then in what has been fince call'd judiciary Aftrology, or only in ob ferving the Colours or Clouds, which changed irregularly, or, as they thought, voluntarily, with Design to exprefs and determine the Fate of Things, is uncer tain. It appears, Ifa. xlvii. 13, D'inn they had Seers of Vifions, of Secrets in the Stars: So Deut. xviii. 14, & al. they had y Obfervers, or Prognofticators, from the Clouds: But it feems they expected this Deity fhould, upon their Interceffion, exhibit fuch Appearances as fhould be favourable to them. I am inclin'd to this, becaufe a Panther is the Emblem, with a party-colour'd, or fpotted Skin; and I think they wore Party-colour'd Robes: And they had fome Representation mention'd Ezek. xvi. 16,

High Places of Divers Colours, LXX, "Idols fowed together, or Patch'd-work "Idols." The Inftrument forbid to be us'd upon the Head of a Nazarite, is call'd by this Name, render'd Novacula, which was in Oppofition to fome Cuftom of the Heathen in fhaving fome Part of their Heads; perhaps into fome Figures: C under this includes fowing their Ground with various Sorts of Seeds, &c.

בית

בית לבאות

Explain'd in the fecond Part of M. P.

371. It expreffes the Giver of Intelligence by Signs, and fo the Knowledge of Things to come. Some of the Claims are alfo inferted: I fhall add, Deut. xiii. 1, If there arife among you a Prophet, or a Dreamer of Dreams, and giveth thee a Sign or a Wonder; and the Sign or the Wonder come to pass whereof he spake unto thee, faying, Let us go after other Aleim (which thou haft not known) and let us ferve them: Thou fshalt not bearken unto the Words of that Prophet, or that Dreamer of Dreams; for Jehovah your Aleim proveth you, to know whe ther you love Jehovah your Aleim-And that Prophet, or that Dreamer of Dreams, Shall be put to Death. Ib. xviii. 10, There fhall not be found among you or that ufeth Divination, or an Obferver of Times, or &c. Pf. cv. 27, They fhewed his Signs among them, and Wonders in the Land of Ham; all the Particulars are enumerated. Ifa. vii. 11, Ask thee a Sign of Jehovah thy Aleim: Ask it either in the Depth, or in the Height above. Ib. xxxviii. 7, And this fhall be a Sign unto

thee

thee- I will bring again the Shadow of the Degrees, which is gone down in the Light-Dial of Ahaz, ten Degrees backward: So the Light return'd ten Degrees. Ib. xli. 22, Let them bring forth, and fhew us what shall happen, &c. Ib. xliv. 25. That fruftrateth the Tokens of the Liars, and maketh Diviners mad Ib. xlvii. 12, Stand now with thine Inchantments, and with the Multitude of thy Sorceries

Let now the Aftrologers, the Stargazers, the Monthly Prognofticators, ftand up and fave thee. Dan. iv. 2, I thought it good to fhew the Signs and Wonders that the most high God hath wrought toward me, &c. Pf. lxxiv. 9, We fee not our Signs ; there is no more any Prophet, neither is there among us any that knoweth how long.

Μ'

נבר

Entioned Ifa. xlvi. 1. An Object which the Babylonians worfhipp'd. The Word expreffes to fhew or reveal Things fecret, by being paft unknown or forgotten, or Things or Actions yet to come, is what we call Prophecy; fo the Giver of Power to Prophecy, no doubt the fame to which they gave all their other Attributes. The Denuntia

tions against those who pretended to prophecy by thefe Powers are many. And every true Prophet, every Prophecy, every miraculous Sign, and every Completion, is not only a reclaiming, but an Evidence of the Poffeffion and Ability of communicating this Power. Several Places, a King, and feveral Perfons bore this Name; and one greater than all was to bear this Office, Deut. xviii. 18, I will raise them up a Prophet from among their Brethren, like unto thee, and will put my Words in his Mouth. And he shall speak unto them all that 1 fhall command him. And it Shall come to pass, that whofoewer will not hearken unto my Words which he fhall Speak in my Name, I will require it of him.

אלהי נבחן

M

Ention'd 2 Kings xvii. 31. The Aleim of the Avites; compound of to fhew and in Vision of Reprefentations of fecret Things, paft or to come; fo the Agents with Power, to reprefent to the Eyes of the Body or Mind Appearances or Ideas of Things paft or to come. This Crime was to be punish'd

with Death, Deut. xyiii. 20, But the Pro-. phet-that fhall Speak in the Name of other Aleim, even that Prophet fhall die. One of the Methods God took to reveal Things was by Vision. 1 Sam. iii. 1, The Word of Jehovah was precious in thofe Days, there was no open Vifion. Prov. xxix. 8, Where there is no Vifion the People perish. These Names which had been us'd in Chaldea, were not us'd by the Canaanites or Ifraelites. But they had Prophets to thefe Aleim under other Names, 1 Kings xviii. 19, The Prophets of Baal four Hun dred and Fifty, and the Prophets of the Groves (Bleffer) four Hundred. Jer. ii. 8. xxiii. 13, And the Prophets prophefied in Baal. The Deftruction of these was predicted, and evidently accomplish'd by Chrift. Zach. xiii. 2, And it shall come to pass in that Day- and also I will caufe the Prophets and the unclean Spirit to pafs out of the Land. They had various Methods of discovering Things to come, or to Prophecy, as Vifions from the Stars, Discoveries by Obfervations from the Clouds, already mention'd in express Words, and others mention'd by the Names of the Perfons employ'd. But the Translations do not determine the Manner, and 'tis out of my way to explain them here. Men