pofe that in those days it was not fo uncommon a favour, but might be conferred on many others likewife, in other parts of the world *, whofe history is not delivered down to us +: And upon the whole, it seems probable that, as in every nation, those who feared God and worked righteousness, were accepted of him ‡, fo he was pleafed alfo to manifeft himself, wherever men were difpofed to make a proper use of that manifestation; and in fuch time, manner, and degree, as would best

anfwer

was faid to be in the retinue of the princes of Moab, Numb. xxii. 21. should at any time be fo far feparated from them in the way, as to give room for fuch a remarkable tranfaction, without the knowTedge of any of them, as by the account it appears to be. Ita dico, in negotio Bileami, totum illud quod in via ei contigiffe dicitur, & quomodo afina loquuta fuerit, in vifione propheticâ factum effe, quia in fine hiftoriæ explicatur quod angelus Dei loquutus fuerit.' Maimon. Mor. Nevoch. P. ii. c. 42. To the fame purpose R. Levi Ben. Gerfom; and Philo feems to be of the fame opinion, by his omiffion of this circumftance, as is obferved by Shuckford, B. xii. p. 315. Add Memoirs of Lit. April 1710, p. 14. and Fortin's Differtations, Diff. v. p. 189. Leibnitz endeavours to prove the fame, in his hiftory of Balaam, Gen. Dict. Vol. VI. p. 678. Which, I think, is pretty clear in his cafe, though fome of thofe others abovementioned may perhaps belong to that fpecies of revelation by action, which Bp.Warburton explains at large, Div. Leg. B. iv. fect. 4. and B. vi. fect. 5. Nor does the reference made to this part of Balaam's history by St. Peter determine any thing with regard to the literal fenfe of the paffage before us, or exclude the prophetick fcenery fuppofed, fince it is obferved to be merely a tranflation from an Hebrew writer of uncertain authority, who puts words into the afs's mouth that are not mentioned in the original account of Mofes. See Benfon on 2 Pet. ii. 16. However, we may fafely conclude with Dr. Fortin, that 'fince Balaam relates it as a fact, and Mofes recorded it as Balaam gave it, and other prophets have defcribed their vifions like real facts, and the moral use and application is the fame either way; it is no wonder that St. Peter, mentioning the ftory, did not meddle with the distinction between real and vifionary transactions, which concerned not his purpose in the least.' ib. p. 191.

• See Judg. vii. 13, &c. and notes below.

+ Vid. Cleric. Prolegom. Diff. iii. 7. 2. de Script. Pent. p. 36. ↑ Aas x. 35.

answer the ends of his good providence, and most effectually promote the interest of religion.

Not to infift upon the numberless traditions of fupernatural appearances, and the common belief of them, all over the world ||; which notion can hardly be supposed to have arisen at first without foundation, though numberless impostures (which yet are ever imitations of fomething real, and almost a natural confequence of it *) have indeed rendered all reports of that kind, for these many ages, very fufpicious.

But to proceed. When for the reasons abovemetioned, and perhaps many others, it had pleased God to adopt Abraham, and part of his pofterity in a peculiar manner, and to establish his Covenant with them +; we find all poffible care and condescension used, to train them up by degrees, in fuitable notions of their Creator; a frequent correfpondence held with them; new promises daily given; to ftrengthen and confirm their faith, to fix and preferve their dependence on the God of heaven. He reveals himself to Isaac and Rebecca; and foretells the condition of their

two

Il See Patrick on Numb. xxii. 9. Append. to Job, p. 60, &c. Huet. Quæft. Alnetan. c. 2. n. 1, 2. Shuckford, B. i. p. 47.

See Adams's judicious answer to Hume's Effay on Miracles, p. 110, 111. Good and evil angels under fome former difpenfations of religion might appear and act in a fenfible manner: but under the prefent difpenfation they may for wife reasons (particularly, because we are now fufficiently inftructed in their nature and agency) be wholly invifible; nor may we be capable of distinguishing their fecret internal impreffions from the fuggeftions of our own minds; or the external, kind affiftances of good angels, or the malicious injuries of evil angels, from the common courfe of providence. Taylor's Scheme of Script. Divin. c. 12.

↑ Rom. ix. 5.

two fons; renews the promise made to Abraham*; bleffes his fon Ifaac; miraculously increases his fubftance; and foon makes him the envy of the neighbouring princes+. He converfes in the fame manner with Jacob; and repeats the fame promise; gives him the right of primogeniture; engages to be with him, and keep him, in all places whither he should go . This he confirms by many extraordinary bleffings; and frequent appearances §; vouchfafing to talk with him face to face**; to bestow all kinds of riches on him; and strike the terror of him into all the cities round about ++. And yet we find all this little enough to keep up, ble sense of duty, and dependence on his God: After the first vision he is furprised, and hesitates; and seems to make a kind of ftipulation with his Maker. If, fays he, God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, so that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the Lord be my God: that is, if he will preserve and prosper me in my undertakings, he fhall be my God, rather than any other: And it appears not to have been till after many fuch revelations, bleffings, and deliverances, and his being alfo reminded of them ||||;

even in Jacob, a tolera

that

↑ Gen. xxi. 22, 23. From this circumftance of Rebecca's going to enquire of the Lord, Leland infers, that there was at that time in Canaan a prophet or prophets diftin&t from Abraham and Isaac, to whom perfons might have recourfe to know the will of God. Advantage, &c. of Revelation, Vol. I. Pt. i. c. 2. p. 78. u.

Gen. xxvi. 24. † Gen. xii. 13, 14. ‡ Gen. xxviii. 13, 14. Gen. xxviii. 15. § Gen. xxxii. 1. xxxv. 1, 9. ** Gen. xxxii. 29. ++ Gen. xxxv. 5. 1 Gen. xxviii. 21, 22. See Le Clerc on the

place.

ch. xxxv. 1. G

that he fet himself, in earnest, to reform the religion of his own family, by driving out all strange gods*. Then Jacob faid unto his houfheld, and to all that were with him, Put away the ftrange gods that are among you, and be clean; and change your garments, and let us arife, and go up to Bethel; And I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my diftrefs, and was with me in the way which I went t.

Thus was God obliged to treat, even with the Patriarchs themselves, by way of pofitive Cove

⚫ch. xxxv. 2, 3.

nant

+ The idolatry here mentioned, may perhaps be thought chiefly to relate to the Shechemite women in Jacob's houthold, Gen. xxxiv. 29. See Shuckford, B. vii. p. 164. In fupport of which opinion it may be observed, that the words Elohi hannekar, above rendered ftrange gods, more properly fignify the gods of the ftranger. Deos alienigena. Vulg. L. However, that Jacob himself had yet but very imperfect notions of the Deity, particularly of his Omniprefence, is obferved by Le Clerc on Gen. xxviii. 16. and to the fame purpose Cyrill. Alex. L. iv. p. 115. there cited. And that the fenfe of religion was not great among his fons, appears from their behaviour to the Shechemites, and from fo many of them confpiring the deftruction of the most innocent and amiable Jofeph.

Having been informed, that the above account of Jacob's Vow has been by fome judged too degrading; in order to preserve the ftricteft regard to every appearance of truth, rather than a particu lar attachment to any favourite fyftem, I fhall here set down the observation made on it by an ingenious friend. I am perfuaded, tranflators and critics have not done juftice to the good old Patriarch. His vow confifts of two parts. J. A recapitulation of the promise made to him in the preceding vifion [Gen. xxviii. 13, 14, 15.]. 20, 21. II. The subject matter of the vow which he grounded upon it, . 22. The recapitulation of the promife runs thus. Seeing [ON] God will be with me, [1] and will keep me in the way wherein I go, [1] and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, [1] and I fhall return again to my father's houfe in peace (or in profperous circumstances) [1] and seeing the Lord will be my God; II. The

*

This particle N, if, is not here conditional, but caufal, quoniam, quandoquidem; as Gen. xxiii. 13. Numb. xxii. 20. Jung xi. 9. Jer. xxiii. 38. Ezek. xxxv. 6, &c. See Noldius.

nant, and express compact; to promise to be their God, if they would be his people; to give them a portion of present temporal bleffings, as introductory to, and an earnest of future *, spiritual ones; and engage them in his fervice by immediate rewards; till they could be led on to higher views; and were prepared, by the bringing in of a better hope, to draw nigh unto him. And we may observe what care was always taken, to suit the feveral difpenfations to the state of the world, and introduce each as foon as it was wanted, and in such a way as was most necessary, to

cor

II. The vow follows. 22. [1] and, Therefore + this ftone which I have set for a pillar, fhall be God's houfe [a place dedicated to his worship] and of all that thou fhalt give me, I will furely give the tenth unto thee.'

• That from the beginning of the world each patriarchal covenant, or bleffing, was to be understood as a pledge of other distant and fuperior ones, may be seen in an Effay on the feveral Difpenfations of God, by the late Ld. Barrington, p. 20, 24, 25, 59, 62, 69.

+ In a series of copulatives the laft affumes a fignification different from the preceding copulatives. So Gen. xxv. 34. [1] and Efau did eat and drink, [1] and rofe up, [1] and went his way: [and] thus Efau defpifed his birth-right. And in the Greek Epigram,

Δυλος Επικλητος γενομην, και σωμ αναπήρος,

Και πενίαν Ιρος, ΚΑΙ φιλος αθανατοις.

Here, I prefume, the laft xa is to be rendered by tamen, verunta men, nihilominus. So in this place under confideration, the laft [1] and, which precedes the vow, fhould be rendered then, or therefore. But our tranflators have given it this fenfe, not before the vow, but before the laft article of the recapitulation of the promise; and fo have not done juftice to the good old Patriarch's character. I have looked into Pagnin's interlineary verfion, and find that the Latin tranflation will enable you to form a juft idea of this criticism. Only obferve, that Montanus, his revifor and corrector, has printed the et before the last article of the recapitulation, which we render then, in the Italic character; intimating, I fuppofe, that the copulative there is redundant; in order the better to make out the common way of interpreting the place; but this does violence to the original, and aggravates the mistake. Comp. Purver on Gen. xxviii. 21.

F