ness of polytheism, which time introduced, greatly obscured their knowledge of even this truth); but they imagined they had reason to think, that the planets and elements were also gods," and governed the world by their influence, though subject to the fate," will, or direction of the supreme GOD. And as to what was generally believed of dreams, visions, and revelations, which had been made to men, the learnedin these times thought as freely about them, as our modern querists. The belief of them was of service to the legislators, who knew how to make them a state-engine to govern their people by ; but they thought themselves wise enough to know, that they were occasioned sine Deo, in a natural way, by the planetary and elementary influences; and that they were made a part of their religion, only for the utility

Mundum....habere mentem, quæ et se, et ipsum fabricatum sit, et omnia moderetur, moveat, regat: erit persuasum etiam solem, lunam, stellas omnes, terram, mare deos esse-Cic.

- Τι κωλύσει της το Διος ΕΙΜΑΡΜΕΝΗΣ υπήκους πανίας είναι. Plut. 1. de Defect. Orac. p. 426. Fatum est non id quod superstitiosè sed quod physicè dicitur causa æterna rerum. Cic. Deum Necessitatem appellant, quia nihil aliter possit atque ab eo constitutum sit.

Ονείρατα και φασματα, και τοις τον αλλον οίκον προισίαμενοι . . . ο πολιτικοις μεν ανδρασι, και προς αυθαδη και ακολασίον οχλον ηναί κασμένοις ζην, εκ αχρησίον ίσως εστιν, ωσπερ εκ χαλινε της δεισιδαια μονίας προς το συμφερον αντισπασαι και μεταπίησαι τις πολλές ... Plut. 1. de Socratis Genio, p. 580.

of their popular influence, and for reasons of state, for the government of kingdoms. Hitherto the Egyptians had proceeded; and had Moses come to them, and could only have assured them, that he had received a command from GoD in a dream, or by a vision, or by a voice, or any other revelation; neither Pharaoh, nor his wise men, would have regarded him at all, but have concluded, that some natural prodigy had happened; for such they would, most probably, have imagined the bush on fire to be, and have supposed that Moses had made a political use of it; and for this reason Pharaoh bade him shew a miracle; knowing, that if the Deity really sent him, he couldgive this proof it. Hereupon GOD enabled Moses to work several very extraordinary signs and wonders, such as had never been seen or heard of in the world before. Upon seeing which, Pharaoh very naturally consulted his Magi; and they tried all the mystical operations, and examined all the schemes, which their systems of science furnished, to see whether these things could be done or accounted for by any natural

P Non enim sumus ii nos augures, qui avium, reliquorumve signorum observatione futura dicamus: errabat enim multis in rebus antiquitas, quam vel usu jam vel doctrinâ vel vetustate immutatam videmus; retinetur autem & ad opinionem vulgi, et ad magnas utilitates reipublicæ mos, religio, disciplina, jus augurum, collegii authoritas. Cicer. de Divinat. lib. 2, c. 33.

4 Existimo jus augurum, etsi divinationis opinione principio constitutum sit, tamen postea reipublicæ causâ conservatum ac retentum. Cic. de Divinat. lib. 2, c. 35.

influences, or human learning; and after several trials acknowledged that they could not, but that they were the effect of an omnipotent hand, the finger of GOD. But

IV. If the Egyptian magicians had no mystical arts, by the use of which they could really turn their rods into serpents, produce frogs, and change water into blood; how came they to succeed in these attempts which they made in opposition to Moses? We have no reason to think that the king knew that those works which he employed his magicians to try to perform, were within the reach of any art they were masters of; because he ordered them to try to perform them; rather on the contrary, he ordered them to try to perform them, that he might know whether art could effect them or not, or whether they were indeed true miracles. Kings were wont in all extraordinary cases, where any thing happened which was thought ominous or surprising, to send for their priests and learned professors, and to order them to answer the difficulties which perplexed them. And though much was pretended to, yet they had not yet advanced so far in the true knowledge of nature, but that kings sometimes thought they might require of their Magi things impossible. We have an instance of this in the book of Daniel.' Nebuchadnezzar dreamed a dream and forgot it; and required his Magi, not only to tell him the meaning of his dream, but to find out what his dream was. And though the Chaldeans an

swered him, that no man upon earth could do it, and that no king, lord, or ruler had ever asked such a thing of any magician, astrologer, or Chaldean; yet the king was so resolutely set upon compelling them to use their utmost endeavours, that he resolved, and commanded to destroy all the Magi, or wise men of Babylon. In these cases, the Magi might try all possible experiments; though they had no reason to hope for success from them. 2. It does not appear from the magicians here trying their experiments, and succeeding in them, that they thought at first that their arts would be effectual; and that they should be able to perform such works as Moses and Aaron had done. The priests of Baal, in the time of Elijah,* had no reason to think, that the invocations of their GOD, or the cutting themselves with knives and lancets, would produce the fire from heaven to consume their sacrifice; but yet they tried all the artifices they could think of from morning until evening. So here the Egyptians had no reason to think their incantations would produce serpents; but they would try all experiments, in order to judge further of the matter; and upon their attempting, GoD was pleased in some cases to give an unexpected success to their endeavours, in order to serve and carry on his own purposes and designs by it. For, 3. The success they had was certainly unexpected; as evidently appears, by their not being able to follow Moses in all his miracles. They produced serpents and frogs, and converted

t 1 Kings xviii.

water into blood; but when they attempted to produce the lice, they could not do it. It is here evident, that the magicians did not know the extent of their powers, if they can be conceived to have had any; for they attempted to equal Moses in all his performances, but upon trial they found they could do some, but in others, though not a whit more difficult, they could not obtain any success at all. Had they had any effectual rules of art or science to work by, they would at first, without trial, have known what to attempt, and what not; but in truth, they had no arts to perform any thing of this sort. In some instances, GOD was pleased to give a success which they little expected, to their endeavours; and with which they were so far from resting satisfied, that they took the first opportunity which was given them, when their attempts failed, to acknowledge that Moses was certainly assisted by the divine power.

Moses and Aaron went the third time to Pharaoh, and urged again the demand they had made for his dismissing the Israelites; and as a further sign, that GOD had really sent them, upon Aaron's stretching out his hand, and touching the waters of the river with his rod, all the waters in the land of Egypt were turned into blood, and continued so for seven days, so that the fish died, and the Egyptians could get no water to drink ;" but Pharaoh finding that his magi

u Exodus vii. 15-25. Pharaoh is here mentioned as going down in the morning to the river. It is probable, that the Egyptians accounted it a necessary part of religion