the order of the several compartments) is pourtrayed all the imagery that adorned the walls of the Mystic Cell. Now if one were to describe the engravings on that table, one could not find juster or more emphatic terms than those which the Prophet here employs.

3. The third inference I would draw from this vision is, that the Egyptian superstition was that to which the Israelites were more particularly addicted. And thus much I gather from the following words, Behold, every form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and ALL THE IDOLS OF THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL, pourtrayed upon the wall round about. I have shewn this to be a description of an Egyptian mystic cell: which certainly was adorned only with Egyptian Gods: and yet those Gods are here called, by way of distinction, all the idols of the house of Israel: which seems plainly to infer this People's more particular addiction to them. But the words, house of Israel, being used in a vision describing the idolatries of the house of Judah, I take it for granted, that in this indefinite number of All the idols of the house of Israel, were eminently included those two prime idols of the house of Israel, the calves of Dan and Beth-el. And the rather, for that I find the original Calves held a distinguished station in the paintings of the Mystic Cell; as the reader may see by casting his eye upon the Bembine Table. And this, by the way, will lead us to the reason of Jeroboam's erecting two Calves. For they were, we see, worshipped in pairs by the Egyptians, as representing Isis and Osiris. And what is remarkable, the Calves were male and female, as appears from 2 Kings, ch. x. ver. 29. compared with Hosea, ch. x. ver. 5. where in one place the masculine, and in the other the feminine term is employed. But though the Egyptian Gods are thus, by way of eminence, called the idols of the house of Israel, yet other idols they had besides Egyptian; and of those good store, as we shall now see.

For this prophetic vision is employed in describing the three master-superstitions of this unhappy people, the EGYPTIAN, the PHENICIAN, and the PERSIAN.

II. The Egyptian we have seen. The PIENICIAN follows in these words: He said also unto me, Turn thee

thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations that they do. Then he brought me to the gate of the Lord's house, which was towards the NORTH, and behold, there sat WOMEN WEEPING FOR TAMMUZ *.

III. The PERSIAN superstition is next described in this manner: Then said he unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Turn thee yet again, and thort shalt see greater abominations than these. And he brought me into the inner court of the Lord's house, and behold, at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs towards the temple of the Lord, and

THEIR FACES TOWARDS THE EAST; AND THEY WorSHIPPED THE SUN TOWARDS THE EAST.

1. It is to be observed, that when the Prophet is bid to turn from the Egyptian to the Phenician rites, he is then said to look towards the north; which was the situation of Phenicia with regard to Jerusalem; consequently, he before stood southward, the situation of Egypt, with regard to the same place. And when, from thence, he is bid to turn into the inner court of the Lord's house, to see the Persian rites, this was east, the situation of Persia. With such exactness is the representation of the whole Vision conducted.

2. Again, as the mysterious rites of Egypt are said, agreeably to their usage, to be held in secret, by their ELDERS AND RULERS only: so the Phenician rites, for the same reason, are shewn as they were celebrated by the PEOPLE, in open day. And the Persian worship of the sun, which was performed by the Magi, is here said to be observed by the PRIESTS alone, five and twenty men with their faces towards the east.

These three capital Superstitions, the Prophet, again, distinctly objects to them, in a following chapter. Thou hast also committed fornication with the EGYPTIANS thy neighbours, great of flesh; and hast increased thy whoredoms to provoke me to anger. Thou hast played the whore also with the ASSYRIANS, because thou wast unsatiable: yea thou hast played the harlot with them, and yet couldst not be satisfied. Thou hast more* Ezek. viii. 13, & seq. + Ib. 15, & seq. See note [0000] at the end of this Book.

over

over multiplied thy fornication in the land of CANAAN unto Chaldea, and yet thou wast not satisfied herewith*.

And when that miserable Remnant, who, on the taking of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, had escaped the fate of their enslaved countrymen, were promised safety and security, if they would stay in Judea; they said, No, but we will go into the land of EGYPT, where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor have hunger of bread, and there will we dwell

Thus we see what a surprising fondness this infatuated people had for Egypt, and how entirely they were seized and possessed with its superstitions. Which the more I consider, the more I am confirmed in the truth of Scripture-history (so opposite to Sir Isaac Newton's Egyptian Chronology), that Egypt was, at the egression of the Israelites, a great and powerful empire. For nothing so much attaches a people to any particular Constitution, or mode of Government, as the high opinion of its power, wealth, and felicity; these being ever supposed the joint product of its RELIGION and CIVIL POLICY.

II. Having thus proved the first part of the Proposition, That the Jewish people were extremely fond of Egyptian manners, and did frequently fall into Egyptian superstitions, I come now to the second; That many of the Laws given to them by the ministry of Moses were instituted partly in compliance to their prejudices, and partly in opposition to those and to the like superstitions. But to set what I have to say in support of this second part of the Proposition in a fair light, it may be proper just to state and explain the ENDS of the Ritual Law. Its first and principal, was to guard the chosen people from the contagion of IDOLATRY: a second, and very important end, was to prepare them for the reception of the MESSIAH. The first required that the Ritual Law should be OBJECTIVE to the Pagan superstitions; and the second, that it should be TYPICAL of their great Deliverer. Now the coincidencies of these two ends, not being sufficiently adverted to, hath been the principal occasion of that obstinate aversion to the truth here advanced, That much of the Ritual was given, PARTLY + Jerem. xlii. 14.

* Ezek. xvi. 26, & seq.

in

in compliance to the People's prejudices, and PARTLY in opposition to Egyptian superstitions: These men thinking the falsehood of the Proposition sufficiently proved in shewing the Ritual to be typical; as if the one end excluded the other; whereas we see they were very consistent; and hereafter shall see, that their concurrency affords one of the noblest proofs of the divinity of its original.

And now, to go on with our subject: The intelligent reader cannot but perceive, that the giving a RITUAL in opposition to Egyptian superstition, was a necessary consequence of the People's propensity towards it. For a people so prejudiced, and who were to be dealt with as free and accountable Agents, could not possibly be kept separate from other nations, and pure from foreign idolatries, any otherwise than by giving them laws IN OPPOSITION to those superstitions. But such being the corrupt state of man's Will as ever to revolt against what directly opposeth its prejudices, wise Governors, when under the necessity of giving such Laws, have, in order to break and evade the force of human perversity, always intermixed them with others which eluded the perversity, by flattering the prejudice; where the indulgence could not be so abused as to occasion the evil which the laws of opposition were designed to prevent*. And in this manner it was that our inspired Lawgiver acted with his people, if we will believe JESUS himself, where, speaking of a certain positive institution, he says, Moses for the HARDNESS OF YOUR HEARTS wrote you this preceptt. Plainly intimating their manners to be such, that, had not Moses indulged them in some things, they would have revolted against allt. It follows therefore, that Moses's giving Laws to the Israelites, in compliance to these their prejudices, was a natural and necessary consequence of Laws given in opposition to them. Thus far from the nature of the thing.

* See this reasoning inforced, and explained more at large in the proof of the next proposition.

+ Mark x. 5. and Matt. xix. 8.

This is still farther seen from God's being pleased to be considered by them as a local tutelary Deity: which, when we come to that point, we shall shew was the prevailing superstition of those times.

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