exploits, we had juft reafon to look upon ourselves as having him for a divine governor and counfellor. And when he had firft* perfuaded himfelf that his actions and defigns were agreeable to God's will, he thought it his duty to imprint, above all things, that notion upon the multitude; for thofe who have once believed that God is the infpector of their lives, will not permit themfelves in any fin And this is the character of our legiflator, he was no impoftor, no deceiver, as his revilers fay, though unjustly, but fuch an one as they brag Minost to have been among the Greeks, and other legiflators after him; for fome of them fuppofe, that they had their laws from Jupiter, while Minos faid, that the revelation of his laws was to be referred to Apollo, and his oracle at Delphi, whether they really thought they were fo derived, or fuppofed, however, that they could perfuade the people cafily that fo it was. But which of thefe it was who made the best laws, and which had the greatest reafon to believe that God was their author, it will be eafy, upon comparing thofe laws themselves together, to determine; for it is time that we come to that point. Now there are innumerable differences in the particular cuftoms and laws that are among all mankind, which a man may briefly reduce under the following heads: Some legiflators have permitted their governments to be under monarchies, others put them under oligarchies, and others under a republican form; but our legiflator had no regard to a-t ny of these forms, but he ordained our government to be, what, by a ftrained expreffion, may be termed a Theocracy,

This language, that Mofes, weicas savser, perfuaded himself that what he did was according to God's will, can mean no more by Jolephus's own constant notions elsewhere, than what he was firmly perfuaded, that he had fully fatisfied himself that fo it was, viz. by the many revelations he had received from God, and the numerous miracles God had enabled him to work, as he both in these very two books against Apior, and in his Antiquities most clearly and frequently allures us. This is farther evident from feveral paffages lower, where he affirms, that Moiss was no impoftor nor deceiver, and where he affares us, that Mofes's conftitution of government was no other than a theocracy; and where he fays, they are to hope for deliverance out of their distresses by prayer to God, and that withal it was owing in part to this prophetic spirit of Moles, that the Jews expected a resurrection from the dead See almoft as ftrange an ufe of the like words THCty Top Ctor, to perfuade God, Antiq. B. VI. ch. v. § 6. Vol. I.

That is, Mofes really was, what the heathen legiflators pretended to be, under a divine direction: Nor does it yet appear that thefe pretenfions to a fupernatural conduct, either in thefe legiflators or oracles, were mere delufions of men, without any demoniacal impreffions, nor that Jofephus took them so to be, as the ancienteft and contemporary authors did ftill believe them to be fupernatural.

This whole very large paffage from [] to *.*, is corrected by Dr. Hudfon, from Eufebius's citation of it, Præp. Evangel viii 8. which is here not a little dif ferent from the prefent MSS. of Jofephus.

This expression itself, toxparian άTED ↳ IEE TO TRAITEUka, That "Mafes ordained the Jewish government to te a Theocracy," may be illuftrated by that par allel expression in the Antiquities B. 111 ch viii, fec. 9. Vol I that "Mofes left it to God to be prefent at his facrifice when he pleafed, and when he pleated to be abfent," Both ways of fpeaking found harfh in the ears of Jews and Chridians,

by afcribing the authority and the power to God, and by perfuading all the people to have a regard to him, as the author of all the good things that were enjoyed either in common by all mankind, or by each one in particular, and of all that they themselves obtained by praying to him intheir greatest difficulties. He informed them, that it was impoffible to efcape God's obfervation, even in any of our outward actions, or in any of our inward thoughts. Moreover he reprefented God as unbegotten, and immutable, through all eternity, fuperior to all mortal conceptions in pulchritude; and, though known to us by his power, yet unknown to us as to his effence. I do not now explain how thefe notions of God are the fentiments of the wifeft among the Grecians, and how they were taught them upon the principles that he afforded them. However, they teltify, with great affurance, that these notions are juft, and agreeable to the nature of God, and to his majefty; for Pythagoras, and Anaxagoras, and Plato, and the ftoic philofophers that fucceeded them, and almost all the reft, are of the fame fentiments, and had the fame notions of the nature of God; yet durft not these men difclose those true notions to more than a few, because the body of the people were prejudiced with other opinions beforehand. But our legiflator, who made his actions agree to his laws, did not only prevail with thofe that were his contemporaries to agree with thefe his notions, but fo firmly imprinted this faith in God upon all their pofterity, that it never could be removed. The reason why the conftitution of this legiflation was ever better directed to the utility of all, than other legiflations were, is this, That

as do feveral other which Jofephus ufes to the Heathens; but ftill they were not very improper in him, when he all along thought fit to accommodate himself, both in his Antiquities, and in thefe his books against Apion, all written for the use of the Greeks and Romans, to their notions and language, and this as far as ever truth would give him leave Though it be very obfervable withal, that he never uses fuch expressions in his books of the War, written originally for the Jews beyond Euphrates, and in their language, in all these cafes. However, Jofephus directly fuppofes the Jewish fettlement, under Mofes, to be a divine fettlement, and indeed no other than a real Theocracy.

* These excellent accounts of the divine attributes, and that God is not to be at all known in his effence, as alfo fome other clear expressions about the refurrection of the dead, and the flate of departed fouls, &c. in this late work of Jofephus's, looks more like the exalted notions of the Effens, or rather Ebionite Chrißians, than of a mere jew or Pharilee. The following large accounts also of the laws of Mofes, feem to me to shew a regard to the higher interpretations and improvements of Mofes's laws, derived from Jefus Chrift, than to the bare letter of them in the Old Testament, whence alone jolephus took them when he wrote his Antiquities: Nor, as I think, can fome of thefe laws, though generally excellent in their kind, be properly now found either in the copies of the Jewish Pentateuch, or in Philo, or in Jofephus himself, before he became a Nazarene or Ebionite Christian, nor even all of them among the laws of Catholic Chriflianity themselves. I defire, >therefore, the learned reader to confider, whether fome of thefe improvements or interpretations might not be peculiar to the Ellens among the Jews, or rather to the Nazarenes or Ebionites among the Christians; though we have indeed but imperfect accounts of thofe Nazarenes or Ebionite Chriftians tranfmitted down to us at this day.

Mofes did not make religion a part of virtue, but he saw and he ordained other virtues to be parts of religion; 1 mean juítice, and fortitude, and temperance, and an univerfal agreement of the members of the community with one another: For all our actions and ftudies, and all our words [in Moles's fettlement have a reference to piety towards God; for he hath left none of these in fufpenfe, or undetermined. For there are two ways of coming at any fort of learning, and a moral conduct of life; the one is by inftruction in words, the other by practical exercites. Now other lawgivers have feparated thefe two ways in their opinions, and choofing one of those ways of inftruction, or that which beft pleafed every one of them neglected the other. Thus did the Lacedemonians, and the Cretians teach by pratical exercifes, but not by words; while the Athenians, and almoft all the other Grecians, made laws about what was to be done, or left undone, but had no regard to that exercifing them thereto in practice.

18. But for our legiflator, he very carefully joined these two methods of inftruction together: For he neither left these practical exercifes to go on without verbal inftruction, nor did he permit the hearing of the law to proceed without the exercifes for practice; but beginning immediately from the earliest infancy, and the appointment of every one's diet, he left nothing of the very fmalleft confequence to be done at the pleasure and difpofal of the perfon himfelt: Accordingly he made a fixed rule of law what forts of food they fhould abstain from, and what forts they fhould make ufe of, as alfo what com munion they fhould have with others; what great diligence they should ufe in their occupations, and what times of reft fhould be interpofed; that, by living under that law as under a tather and a mafter, we might be guilty of no fin, neither voluntary nor out of ignorance; for he did not fuffer the guilt of ignorance to go on without punishment, but demonflrated the law to be the beft and the most neceffary inftruction of all other, permitting the people to leave off their other employments, and to affemble together for the hearing of the law, and learning it exactly, and this not once or twice, or ottener, but every week; which thing all the other legiflators feem to have neglected.

19. And indeed, the greatest part of mankind are fo far from living according to their own laws, that they hardly know them; but when they have finned, they learn from others that they have tranfgreffed the law. Thofe alfo who are in the higheft and principal pofts of the government confefs, they are not acquainted with thofe laws, and are obliged to take fuch perfons for their afleflors in public adminiftrations, as profefs to have skill in thofe laws: But for our people, if any body do but afk any one of them about our laws, he will more readily tell them all than he will tell his own name, and this in confequence of our having learned them immediately as foon

as ever we became fenfible of any thing, and of our having them as it were engraven on our louls. Our tranfgreffors of them are but few, and it is impoffible, when any do offend to elcape punishment.

20. And this very thing it is that principally creates fuck a wonderful agreement of minds amongst us all; for this entire agreement of ours in all our notions concerning God, and our having no difference in our courfe of life and manners, procures among us the most excellent concord of these our manners that is any where among mankind: For no other people but we Jews have avoided all difcourfes about God that any way contradict one another, which yet are frequent among other nations; and this is true not only among ordinary perfons, according as every one is affected, but fome of the philofophers have been infolent enough to indulge fuch contradictions, while fome of them have undertaken to ufe fuch words as entirely take away the nature of God, as others of them have taken away his providence over mankind. Nor can any one perceive among it us any difference in the conduct of our lives, but all our works are common to us all. We have one fort of difcourfe concerning God, which is conformable to our law, and affirms that he fees all things; as also we have but one way of fpeaking concerning the conduct of our lives, that all other things ought to have piety for their end; and this any body may hear from our women, and fervants themselves.

21. And indeed, hence hath arifen that accufation which fome make against us, that we have not produced men that have been the inventors of new operations, or of new ways of fpeaking; for others think it a fine thing to perfevere in nothing that has been delivered down from their forefathers, and thefe teflify it to be an inftance of the fharpeft wildom when thele men venture to tranfgrefs thofe traditions; whereas we, on the contrary, fuppofe it to be our only wifdom and virtue to admit no actions nor fuppofals that are contrary to our original laws; which procedure of ours is a juft and sure sign that our law is admirably conftituted; for fuch laws as are not thus well made, are convicted upon trial to want amendment. 22. But while we are ourselves perfuaded, that our law was made agreeably to the will of God, and it would be impious for us to obferve the fame; for what is there in it that any body would change? and what can be invented that is better? or what can we take out of other people's laws that will exceed it? Perhaps fome would have the entire fettlement of our government altered. And where thall we find a better or more righteous conftitution than ours, while this makes us efteem God to be the governor of the univerfe, and permits the priefts in general to be the adminiftrators of the principal affairs, and withal intrufts the government over the other priefts to the chief high priest himfelf: Which priests our legiflator at their firft appointment, did not advance to that dignity for

their riches, or any abundance of other poffeffions, or any plenty they had, as the gifts of fortune; but he intrufted the principal management of divine worship to thofe that exceeded others in an ability to perfuade men, and in prudence of conduct. Thefe men had the main care of the law and of the other parts of the people's conduct committed to them; for they were the priests who were ordained to be the fpectators of all, and the judges in doubtful cafes, and the punishers of thole that were condemned to fuffer punishment.

23. What form of government then can be more holy than this? what more worthy kind of worship can be paid to God than we pay, where the entire body of the people are prepared for religion, where an extraordinary degree of care is requir ed in the priests, and where the whole polity is so ordered as if it were a certain religious folemnity? For what things foreigners, when they folemnize fuch feftivals, are not able to ob ferve for a few days time, and call them myfteries and facred ceremonies, we obferve with great pleafure and an unshaken refolution during our whole lives. What are the things then that we are commanded or forbidden? They are fimply and eafily known. The first command is concerning God, and affirms that God contains all things, and is a being every way perfect and happy, felf-fufficient, and fupplying all other be ings; the beginning, the middle and the end of all things. He is manifell in his works and benefits, and more confpicu. ous than any other being whatfoever; but as to his form and magnitude he is moft obfcure. All materials, let them be ever fo coftly, are unworthy to compofe an image for him, and all arts are unartful to exprefs the notion we ought to have of him. We can neither fee nor think of any thing like him, nor is it agreeable to piety to form a refemblance of him. We fee his works, the light, the heaven, the earth, the fun and the moon, the waters, the generations of animals, the productions of fruits. These things hath God made, not with hands, not with labor, nor as wanting the affiance of any to co-operate with him; but as his will refolved they fhould be made and be good also, they were made, and became good immediately.

ought to follow this being, and to worship him in the exercile of virtue; for this way of worship of God is the most holy of all others.

24. There ought alfo to be but One temple for One God; for likenefs is the conftant foundation of agreement. This temple ought to be common to all men, becaule he is the common God of all men. His priests are to be continually about his worship, over whom he that is the firft by his birth is to be their ruler perpetually. His bufinefs must be to offer facrifi- | ces to God, together with thofe priefls that are joined with him, to fee that the laws be obferved, to determine controver fies, and to punish thofe that are convicted of injuftice; while he that does not fubmit to him fhall be fubject to the famepun