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ceed from himself; but must be derived from an higher power. It therefore pleased God, in order to create in him a proper faith and assurance, to display before his eyes a miracle of an extraordinary nature. And

the Lord said unto him, What is that in thine hand? and he said, A rod.

Ver. 3. And he said, Cast it on the ground; and he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.

V. 4. And the Lord said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand.

This was an assurance to Moses, that the same power which could work such a wonder for his conviction, would do the like to convince his people hereafter; and that a sure trust might be reposed in his promises.

V. 6. And the Lord said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom; and he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold his hand was leprous as snow.

V. 7. And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again; and he put his hand into his bosom again, and plucked it out of his bosom, and behold it was turned again as his other flesh.

'Exod. iv. 2.

First, concerning the Symbolical Serpent.

The Egyptians, and likewise the Phenicians, who borrowed from them, made the serpent an emblem of divine wisdom and power; also of that creative energy, by which all things were formed. It was supposed to have been first adopted for this sacred púrpose by Thoth of Egypt; whom the people of Phenicia stiled Taut, and Taautus. There was nothing criminal in forming such a characteristic, if it were not misapplied, and made use of for idolatrous purposes. But emblems of this sort were in process of time abused; and gave rise to a base worship; which prevailed over all the world. In many places, not only in Egypt, but in Greece and other countries, the natives preserved a live serpent; sometimes more than one; to which they paid divine honours. Hence Justin Martyr, in speaking upon this head to the Greci ans, tells them. παρὰ παντι των νομιζομένων παρ

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ουν Δρακοντος φύσιν και των Οφίων αυτός εξέθειασεν ὁ -dio και εν ἱεροὶς τατο ζωον, και εν μυτηρίοις συμπαρειλη a. Philo Byblius from Sanchoniath. apud Eusebium P. E.

1. 1. c. x. p. 40, 41.

2

* Apolog..1. p. 60. see Clemens Alexand. Cohort. p. 11:

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ύμιν Θεῷ, οι Θεων, Όφις σύμβολον μεγα και μυςηglov avargapεTα.---Among all the things, which are held by you as sacred and divine, the serpent is particularly marked as a wonderful emblem and mystery. Two such were kept alive at Thebes in Upper Egypt---" και τετοις (τοις Οφεσιν) θυσιας, και έορτας, επετέλουν, και οργια, θεως της μεγίσες νομίσαντες, και αρχηγός των όλων---and to these serpents the people appointed a celebration of sacrifices, also festivals, and orgies; esteeming them the greatest of all gods, and sovereigns of the universe. Many salutary qualities and effects were supposed to have been denoted by this emblem, particularly life, health, and victory, also the Being by which they were produced. It made a principal part in most rites and mysteries; and there were undoubtedly some very curious truths veiled under this characteristic. It was carried from Egypt to Thrace and Greece; and, according to the current opinion, by Orpheus. Hence Tatianus.

2

Assyrius, speaking of the rites of Ceres, mentions Eleusis, where they were celebrated; also the mystic serpent, which was a principal object; and Orpheus, by whom they were

1 Euseb. P. E. 1. 1. C. x. p. 42.

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Έλευσις, καὶ ὁ Δράκων, ὁ μυσικός, και Ορφεος. p. 251.

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introduced: The worship of the serpent at Epidaurus is well known; and Herodotus mentions one kept in the Acropolis of Athens

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όφιν μέγαν, και φυλακα της Ακροπολιός---α large serpent, which was looked upon as the guardian of the place. This animal was a sacred appendage to the representations of many deities; but especially of Thoth, or Hermes, the divine physician. He was by the Grecians stiled Esculapius; and in an ancient temple near Sicyon live serpents were maintained, and held in reverence; as they were at Thebes, Memphis, and other places in Egypt. One name given to the sacred serpent was 4 Thermuthis; and it was made a constant attendant upon Isis. The deities Cneph, Hermes, and Agathodæmon, were all described under this emblem; and the serpent itself had the name of the Good Dæmon.

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Pausan. 1. 2. p. 175.

3 Pausan. 1. 2. p. 137.

L. 8. c. 41. p. 638.

Serpents also were kept and reverenced at Pella in Macedonia. Lucian. Alexauder, vol. 1. p. 663.

4 Ælian de Animal. 1. 10. c. 31.

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p. 581.

Φοινικές αυτό αγαθην δαιμονά καλεσι, ὁμοίως δε και Αιγυπτία, kmp éévai Euseb. 1. 1. c. x. p. 41.

Of the Serpents in the Wilderness, and of the Brazen Serpent.

Thus much I thought proper to premise concerning the mystical serpent, and the reverence paid to it; as it may serve to illustrate some passages in the sacred history. For it is very certain, that the Israelites were tainted with the idolatry of the Egyptians during their residence among that people. The prophet Ezekiel mentions, that they committed whoredoms in Egypt: and God declares by the mouth of the same prophet, that they persevered in their evil practices after they had left that country. * But they rebelled against me, and would not hearken unto me: they did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt. Of these idols, one of the most ancient and most honoured, was the serpent. And it is probable, that the Israelites, upon account of this idolatry, were punished by the Saraphim, or

1

Ezekiel, ch. xxiii. ver. 3.

3 Numbers, ch. xxi. ver. 6.

* Ibid. ch. xx. ver. 8.

I should imagine, that the Cneph, or Caneph, and the Sar-eph, were of the same purport: and that they both denote Barianos, Basiliscus, or royal serpent,

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