It has been observed by Dr. Traill, that until of late religious belief was in peril, chiefly from the assaults of skepticism; but that it is now in peril, chiefly, and to a far greater extent, from the silent encroachments of mysticism. "No one," adds he, "who is well informed as to the state of opinion, at this moment, throughout the circle of lettered Europe, will call this affirmation in question. But mysticism, whether its guise be that of devotion, or that of philosophy, is the carrying a theory, a fond surmise, over ground that has already been occupied by actual facts, or by authentic evidence. Now when any species of theoretic mystification is attempted to be set forward, within the province of science, the proper remedy is found in an application of the well-tried apparatus of the inductive logic. But when the same sort of inroad is made upon the territory of history,when, for instance, either the myth of superstition, or the myth of Atheism, is obtruded upon a region which genuine history rightfully claims as its own, the method of relief proper for the occasion, is furnished by a renewed diligence in bringing forward those multifarious and palpable documents, to which history loves to make its appeal."

This is just what I have now done in order to test whether the Jews and those who have adopted their opinion, are justified in giving a literal interpretation to the figurative and poetic narrative we find in the pentateuch of those events, in which, according not only to what we have there been told, but also to the farther evidences I have produced, Moses unquestionably played the chief part, under the influence of Providence.

I think that no one who duly considers what Manetho has related of the revolt, which took place, according to him, under the reign of Amenophis,† will doubt that it refers to the Israelites, or that the Osarphis of this historian is identical with Moses. When we further take into consideration the additional information which Josephus gives us-besides what we get in Genesis, of the earlier life of Moses-and which it seems not likely to be altogether fictitious, there cannot, I think, be any reasonable doubt, that the first forty years of this extraordinary man, were spent in acquiring knowledge and experience, either on the battle-fields, or in temples with the sages of Egypt, or in both modes, as is indeed confirmed by the indirect testimony of St. Stephens. It is not by an idle life, that a person gains those acquirements, which Moses afterwards displayed, and which have made his name immortal. What tact, what talents, what consummate wisdom do appear in all the works he performed! The celebrated Bishop Bossuet calls him the most sublime of philosophers, and the wisest of legis

* See Dr. Traill, "On the Personal Character and Credibility of Josephus.

+ See vol. i. pp. 330, 331, of this work.

It must not be forgotten that Josephus, as we have seen, takes it for granted that the narrative of Manetho, here alluded to, refers to the Israelites and to Moses.

lators. Though the learned Bishop could surely not have sustained the opinion, that Moses was the most sublime of philosophers, he is most assuredly right in affirming, that the immortal Hebrew was the wisest,-at least one of the wisest-of legislators. His works attest however, not only his great mental endownents, but also his instrumentality, in the hands of Providence, of executing those very works. But Moses is not the only one whom the Deity has pleased to employ in the accomplishment of his plans. Innumerable, I may say, are those whom history bears witness to, as instruments of the Father of mankind, in fulfilling His designs concerning His children; still these instruments have not all been virtuous men; nay, many among them have been wicked; and there are none, save Christ, whom history does not point out as blameable in some respects. It is therefore not only false, but blasphemous, to speak of the sanctity of Moses. No one who is a competent judge of human nature, can exculpate Moses from the imputation of having been ambitious and crafty. The halo of sanctity with which he is surrounded in the poetical narrative of the Pentateuch, disappears at the touch of the impartial historian; and we find in his person joined the double character of the champion of freedom, and the adept of priestcraft; but whether he ever was an Egyptian priest, or a general, cannot be fully decided, as the evidence brought forth in the one case, as well as the other, is liable to suspicion. I know that what I have now said, will meet with great opposition from those who are resolved to sacrifice truth to their prejudices; but I have not taken upon myself the responsible duty of an historian, with the intention of supporting opinions which I find based upon no reliable and trustworthy foundation. But what I have said of Moses,-whose virtues and eminent services to humanity I fully acknowledge, and which deserve our admiration and gratitude, is founded upon the deeds, which, according to all the testimony of history, were accomplished by him.

If you have with impartiality investigated what I have cited from the Pentateuch, the works of Josephus, of Manetho, and of several other writers, concerning the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, and make due allowance for the figurative and poetic language of the ancient Hebrew writers, and for their natural partiality,—and that of Josephus on the one side, and Manetho on the other, I think you will not deny that I have good reason for drawing the following conclusion: that some time before the exodus took place, the king of Egypt,-we do not attempt to define hist name, undertook the construction of some of those stupendous works, for

Histoire Universelle, par M. Bossuet, tome i.

+ Milman has, remarkably enough, very much undervalued the natural and acquired talents of Moses, and appears not to rate the wisdom of the Egyptians very high; but it ought to be observed, that if Jehovah did everything, then Moses did nothing; and then we have no means to judge whether he was an able man.

which Egypt has become so famous. His motive, though unknown to us, we may suppose to have been either the desire to immortalize his reign, or the necessity of furnishing occupation for the multitude of captives, and numerous descendants of foreigners, who may have begun to plot rebellion, or to manifest an inclination to aid the enemies of Egypt; that the Egyptian captives, and those of foreign extraction, among whom the Hebrews were probably the most numerous, and whom Josephus tells us, were by the Egyptians called also captives,* became thus subjected to perform tasks, severe to men who were unaccustomed to similar works; that consequently this treatment wrought much animosity in the minds of the oppressed against the Egyptians, and may probably have caused them to attempt the recovery of their independence, in failing to recover which, they were treated with still more severity; that even such persons, who were infected with leprosy, and who, in consequence of the horror in which this disorder was held, were generally treated without pity, might have also been compelled to work in the quarries, and to make bricks; that among those unfortunates, there may have been men who had belonged to the higher classes of Egyptian society,† and who therefore were the more able and desirous to revenge the present sufferings, and for that reason encouraged the captives and the Hebrews, and their fellowsufferers, to revolt against Pharaoh; that Moses informed‡ of this conspiracy while in exile, saw that the time had come for attempting to execute the great work, which he had undoubtedly long meditated, and which he felt himself called to accomplish; that the revolution which consequently broke out against the authority of Pharaoh, was accompanied with those horrors which internal wars generally breed, and that the final blow was given by a nightly massacre of the Egyptians, of whom, taken by surprise, a great many were killed, and the rest so confounded, that the Hebrews,-"the mixed multitude,”—in leaving Egypt, enriched themselves with spoils; and that when the Egyptians had recovered their spirit, and pursued the fugitives, they suffered a great check in attempting to cross the Red Sea;

*

Josep. cent. Ap. lib. i.—It is remarkable that Josephus in this place tells us that Joseph told the king of Egypt that he was a captive.

+ Without having sufficient evidence that Moses was, as Manetho says, among those who were infected with leprosy-though this would surely not be anything blameable-no one who reflects seriously upon this subject can fail to bring home to his mind the passage in Exodus, chap. iv. 6, 7, where we are told that the hand of Moses was in an instant covered with leprosy, and again in a moment as his other flesh. May this not be a figurative' allusion, how God had restored him to health after having first permitted him to suffer from this disorder, and perhaps thus induced him to hope in all his undertakings for divine aid? How many millions have by severe sickness been taught to turn their thoughts to their heavenly father?

We are positively informed that Aaron met him-Exod. ch. iv. 47; and that also the elders of the Hebrews went to meet him.-Josep. Ant. book ii. ch. xiii.

and lastly, that in describing all these direful events, the Hebrew poet, while wishing to celebrate the power of Jehovah, justly attributed to the influence of Providence all that had thus occurred. Such seems to me to be the truths which may be gathered from the different accounts of these events, though there undoubtedly happened much of which we are not informed, and much which appears to be true, though not confirmed with sufficient evidence to justify us in basing on it any conclusions,-as for instance, Manetho's narration of the flight of Amenophis to Ethiopia, and Josephus' account of the inroad of Moses in that country, might allude to the same event, though being so disfigured as to give them the appearance of two irreconcilable facts.

The explanation I have given of the account, in the Pentateuch, of the exodus of the Israelites, and which explanation is, as you see, founded upon what is gathered from other writers who have spoken of this event, is in accordance with the means, which God generally uses for accomplishing similar objects, and is indeed more worthy of Him, than if we were to take it for granted-as the generality of the Jews, and Mahommedans, and even many Christians, do, that the account given in Exodus is to be literally understood. But my duty, as an impartial historian, and my reverence for the Deity, do not allow me to accede to this opinion. I do not conceal my thoughts; nor do I aim at anything but to advance the cause of truth-leaving the reader to decide for himself.

I will here only add the observation, that many opinions were formed and sustained, at the time when the Mosaic records were supposed to be the most ancient of historical productions, and when the historical writings of the Hebrews were surrounded with a cloud of mysticism, which caused them to be considered rather as the production of the Deity, than of man; but such notions cannot bear the light that recent investigations have let in on this subject,--and the Hebrew historians can now claim no authority, above that of mere men. But the divine truths contained in the ancient writings of the Hebrews are not disputed, but rather shielded from the attacks of the enemies of true religion, by thus depriving them of the pretences, which have so often cloaked their insidious attempts to deprive man of the consciousness that the Creator of the world is a Benign Being, who cares for the rational creatures he has brought into existence.

None, who are acquainted with the general opinion of those learned men of Europe, who ultimately, though sometimes by slow degrees, sway the minds of the majority of the Christian world, can doubt, that the literal interpretation of many parts of the Hebrew writings, understood thus by men, will soon be generally considered as untenable--and it will be admitted that, as soon as there is reason to presume the language used by the Hebrew writers is figurative, it must then be submitted to rational explanations. Truth will at last triumph, and attempts to oppose it will but spread indifference, and create mistrust towards the Christian religion itself. But

as the doctrine of Christ is based on truth, and consequently cannot be founded on anything in the Hebrew writings that is erroneous or liable to be misunderstood, it is wrong for sincere Christians to refuse credit to rational explanations, sustained by other historical evidence.

LETTER V.

THE JOURNEY TO SINAI, AND THE PROMULGATION OF THE LAW.

Defore we continue our narrative of the further march of the Israelites, we have to define the aim Moses had in view. By paying full attention to what the Hebrew writers themselves have related, we shall find that his aim was twofold, namely,-first, to give to the Israelites a nominally theocratic,* but in reality, a hierarchicalt form of government; and secondly, to found an Israelitic state, by taking possession of Canaan. In order to realize the first of these aims, Moses did not only teach the Israelites that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, was their God, and that His name was Jehovah, but also that He would become their sole ruler, and they themselves His people; that as such He would let them know, through His faithful servant Moses, and afterwards through the hereditary priests, what they had to do; and that they were consequently in duty bound to obey everything Moses and the priesthood commanded, as they were but instruments, through which Jehovah made His will, known to Israel. To accomplish his second aim, Moses found it necessary to impress upon the minds of the Israelites the belief, which they proved themselves so little disposed to accept that Jehovah had promised to Abraham to give his descendants the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession. It was thus through obedience and faith, that the Israelites were to accomplish the aims which Moses had in view, and thus it was that Providence, through the instrumentality of Moses, effected the realization of His designs, in regard to the Israelites; and lastly, thus this people became the means by which it pleased God to preserve the doctrine of His unity and paternal care, until

A government where the Deity exercises the supreme power, and of which there exists but one, though several pretended governments of this kind appear in history. The word is derived from Ocor, God, and paroσ, power.

A government in which the priesthood exercises the supreme power. This word is derived from icpor, sacred, and aoxos, a ruler.