be of so cœlestial a composure, that the rightly using them could not fail of obtaining oracles; and Phoebus and Pythagoras are said to have cured diseases by the use of such names. Such opinions as these might have their admirers in the days of Origen, and some of them seem to have been too easily admitted by him. When they began I cannot say, nor whether Naaman the Syrian thought that the name of the Gon of Israel was powerful in this manner; but certainly it must be a mistake to think, that Mercury Trismegis tus was, as Ficinus hints, of this opinion. For all these opinions took their rise in after-ages, and began f Ficini Argument. in Cratyl. Platonis. • Ibid. Πολλοι των επαδονίων δαιμονας χρωνται εν τοις λόγοις αυτών των Θεος Αβρααμ εκ επισταμένοι τις εστιν ο Αβρααμ Εβραία ονόματα πολλαχε τοις Αιγυπτίοις επαγελλομένοις ενέργειαν τινα ενώ εσπαρίαι μαθημασίαν τοινυν δυνηθώμεν παραστησαι φυσιν ονομάτων ενεργών, ων τισι χρονίαι Αιγυπτίων οι Σοφοι, η των παρα Περσαις Μαγων οι λόγιοι, η των παρ' Ινδοις φιλοσοφενίων Βραχμαίες, η Σαμαναίοι, και κατασκευασαι οιοιτε γενώμεθα, οτι και η καλεμένη μαγεια εχει, ως οιονται οι απο Επικάρες και Αριστοτελώς, πραγμα εστιν ασυσία τον πάντη, αλλ', ως οι περι ταύτα δεινοι αποδεικνύεσι, συνεσίως μεν, λογος δ έχει σφόδρα ολίγοις γινωσκομενες, τοτ' ερόμενο οτι το μεν Σαβαώθ ονομα, και το Αδοναι, και αλλά παρ' Εβραίοις μετα πολλής σεμνολογίας παραδιδομενα, εκ επί των τυχονίων και γενητων κειται πραγμάτων, αλλ' επί τινος θεολογίας απορρητο, ανα φερομένης εις τον των όλων δημιεργον όπως 8 τα σημαινομενα κατά των πραγμάτων, αλλ' αι των φωνών ποιοτητες και ιδιοτητες έχεσι τι δυνατον εν αυταίς προς ταδε τινα η ταδε. Leg. Origen. cont. Celsum. lib. 1. 1 2 Kings v. 11. p. 17, 18, 19, 20. k Ubi sup. from false notions, which the heathens took up about the reverence paid to, and the use of the name JEнOVAH amongst the ancient Jews; and Moses can in no wise be supposed to have been so absurd, to desire to know God's name, as if the use of that could have given any extraordinary powers, other than God might give him without his knowing it. It is very evident, that Abrabam and his descendants worshipped not only the true and living God, but invoked him in the name of the LORD'; and they worshipped the LORD in whose name they invoked, so that two persons were the objects of their worship, GoD, and this LORD. And the Scripture has distinguished these two persons from one another by this circumstance; that God no man hath seen at any time nor can see", but the LORD whom Abraham and his descendants worshipped, was the person who appeared to them". God did not always reveal his will by this LORD; for we meet with instances of angels commissioned for this purpose; therefore I imagine, that Moses by asking in whose name he was to go, might desire to be informed, whether the LORD who appeared to Abraham, was to be his mighty assistant and protector; or whether some angel, such as went to Lot, was to deliver the Israelites. If we take what the ancients offered about the science of names, rejecting the idle and fanciful superstructures which they built upon it; we may form 1 See Book VII. a Gen. xii. 11. m 1 Tim. iv. 16. Exod. xxxiii. 20. • Chap. xix. a further reason for Moses' desiring to be informed what the name of GoD was. Men did not, at this time, know the works of creation well enough to demonstrate from them the attributes of God; nor could they by speculation, form proper and just notions of his nature. Some philosophers indeed of these times, thought themselves wise enough to attempt these subjects; but what was the success? professing themselves wise they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God?. There was not a sufficient foundation for a true knowledge of the heavens, elements, and the frame of the Universe then laid, for men to build upon, so as to attain from the study of them, suitable and proper notions of the Deity. Hence it came to pass, that the builders of these ages, having bad materials to work with, composed weak and indefensible systems of theology. When they had speculated upon the fire, or the wind, the swift air, or the circle of the stars, the violent water, or the lights of heaven, not forming true notions of their natures; they were delighted with their beauty, or astonished at their power, and framing very high and false estimates of them, they lost the knowledge of the workmaster, and took the parts of his workmanship to be GoD. Now some error of this sort, or errors as pernicious as these, Moses himself might have fallen into; if he had endeavoured to have formed his notions of GOD, either from the Egyptian learning, or from any learning at this time 1 P Rom. i. 22, 23. in the world. Faith, or belief of what God had revealed, was the only principle upon which he could hope rightly to know Gon; and upon this principle, Moses here desired to go. For as the revelation which Gon had made of himself, was as yet but short, so Moses, by desiring to know God's name, desired that he might have some revelation of his nature and attributes made to him. We do not find that the ancients gave their names arbitrarily, and without reason; but when Cain, Seth, Noah, Peleg, or when Jacob's children were to be named, reasons were given for the particular names by which they were to be called.' We find some names in Scripture given by GoD himself, which are always expressive of the nature or circumstances of the person to whom they belong; thus Adam was so called, because he was taken out of the ground. Gop called Abram, Abraham, because he designed to make him a father of many nations; and men endeavoured, in naming persons, even from the beginning, to give names thus expressive, as well as human wis dom would enable them to do it. Thus Adam called his wife woman, expressing thereby her origin, be cause she was taken out of man ; and afterwards he called her Eve, because she was the mother of all living; and we find that the Egyptians were curious |