. Mount Sinai; where he gave out, that he converfed with God, who appeared there in Smoke, and Thundering and Lightening. No doubt the poor Folks were ftrangely amazed at this terrible Scene. But Mofes, or any other intelligent Man, knew well enough, that there was no great Matter in it. For all this wonderful Appearance was in all Probability only a Volcano in that Mountain, which Mofes did very politically forecaft, that the Jews fhould not come to the Knowledge of. For if they had run gazing up the Mountain as well as he, the Secret would have been found out, and the Miracle fpoil'd. But Mofes very prudently commands, that a Hand fhall not touch the Mountain, but he shall be ftoned or fhot through, whether it be Beaft or Man: Nay, not fo much as the Priests themselves must come up, left the Lord break forth upon them, ver. 24. but only Mofes and Aaron, who were let into the Myfte ry, must come there. Nor is this Vulcano in Mount Sinai only a Conjecture, but is confirmed by the Obfervation of Travellers, who ftill behold the Mountain full of Afhes, which do plainly fhew the Ruins, as it were, of an extinguished Etna. This, Credentius, is an Objection not to be bantered off; for if this stands, your whole revealed Religion fhakes; because this is the very Foundation of the Jewish and Christian Inftitution; and if there any Trick here, as is much to be feared, all that is built upon it, is good for Nothing. be Cred. There is fo much falfe Suggeftion and groundlefs Affertion in this laft Objection, that it is intolerable; and one had need of the Patience of that Holy Religion you are oppofing, to be unmoved at it. 1. But pray, Sir, what By-Ends had Mofes to ferve by his playing this fham Prank, as you do fuppofe, in the Mount? He could not get a greater Authority over them than he had before, he had been their Deliverer from the Egyptians, and was their Conducter in the Wilderness, and had as abfolute Command over that People as could be defired. Neither could Fame, or a Defire of raifing his Family, put him upon any fuch indirect Methods. For he feems to have been the most fincere and modeft, and moft difinterefted Man of all Men that ever lived. He is fo open and faithful in his Hiftory, as to record his own Failures, and thofe of his dearest Relations, his Brother and Sifter. He gave the Priesthood, which was the moft confiderable Honour in that Nation, away to his Brother Aaron's Family, contenting himself, that his own Pofterity fhould only be ranked among the ordinary Levites. And at his Death difpofed of the Government to Joshua, a Stranger. Neither is it credible, that he would make Ufe of fuch a mean Trick as this, which was fo eafy to be difcovered by every bold Man, whofe Curiofity might prompt him to venture the Menaces, especially when he had established fufficiently in them an Opinion of his miraculous Power, by all the Wonders which he had done in Egypt, and at the red Sea. 2. Nor is there any tolerable Ground for this Suppo fition of a Kulcano's being formerly in Mount Sinai. I know your Brother-Infidels make a mighty Noife with this Story, but I believe they have very little Authority for it. I have feen feveral Draughts and Defcriptions of this Mountain in Books of Travels, but never found any Thing which made for this Story. The likeft Matter, which ever I could find, and which might perhaps give Countenance to this Affertion, is a Relation I find in the Travels of Chriftophorus Furerus, a German Knight. And he in the Description of St. Catherine's Hill, which is nigh Sinai, has thefe Words: In valle propinqua Collis eft miri afpectus, quafi totus exuftus effet & cineribus tectus, quo loco Mofen ovium foceri fui pafcendarum curam habuiffe memorant. In the neighbouring Valley there is a Hill which is wonderful to look upon, appearing as if it was - all burnt and covered with Ashes; in which Place, they fay, Mofes kept his Father-in-Law's Sheep. Now unless it can be fuppofed that this Hill was Mount Sinai, it will fignify nothing. But the fame Furerus gives a particular Itinerarium Chriftophori Fureri. Printed at Norimberg, 1621. Defcription of Sinai in the following Chapter; and therefore, that can be none of the Hill which he before defcribed. This is in all Probability fome little Hill nigh St. Catharines and Mount Sinai, whofe Earth is of a blackish Colour, and Barren, not unlike many of our Heaths. And this is all the Ground I can find they have for the Volcano of Sinai. But fuppofing that little barren Hill were Mount Sinai, they very little understand the Nature of a Volcano, to think there fhould remain no other Marks of it, than only a black Ground like Afhes. Read but the Defcriptions of Mount Etna in Polybius and Strabo, and you will ftrait be of another Mind. For all fuch burning Mountains have an open Mouth on Top of them, through which they belch out their Flames, which the Ancients called the Crater; because the difgorged Cinders and melted Metals of Mount Etna, being hardened about the Brims of the Hiatus, did resemble the Lips of a Pitcher. Now 'tis impoffible there fhould be a burning Mountain without fuch a Crater, or Hiatus; which would needs appear after the Fire was gone out, in the Figure of a monftrous Gap unto the End of the World. 3. Nay this Appearance of God, or of an Angel re prefenting him, in Flames of Fire, with Earthquake, Thunder, &c. is very agreeable to all the ancient Theology. For my Part, I am of Opinion with many of the Ancients, that it was a fuperior Angel that perfonated God, and not the fecond Perfori of the Trinity, as fome. And this is more agreeable to Scripture, as when it is faid, Gal: iii. 19. That the Law was given by Angels in the Hand of a Mediator, (i.c.) Mofes. And fo Jofephus remarks of his Nation; *We have received of God the best and holiest Parts of our Law by Angels. And fo the Author of the Que ftions to the Orthodox, † The Angels which spoke in God's ftead to Men, were called after God's Name, as the Angel which spoke to Jacob and to Mofes: Nay, fometimes Men are called Gods. To both thefe it is granted to poffefs God's Name Antiq. Hift. Lib. 15. T 2 In Juft. Martyr's Works and * and his Place, by reason of the Office which is intrusted to them Σῷ δ' θρόνῳ πυρόεντι παρεςᾶσι πολύμοχθοι For round thy burning Throne attending stand And fo the Chaldaick Oracles: Ηνίκα βλέψης μορφῆς ἄτερ ευἱερὸν πρ When you fhall fee the shapeless facred Fire With dancing Gleams fhining quite through the World, And to the fame Purpose that Oracle which is extant in Cedrenus and Malela, and corrected by the learned Dr. Gale: Εςι κατ' &ρανίοιο θεο μεγάλοιο βεβηκός Φέγγος ὑπερβάλλον καὶ ἀέναον, ἀθάνατον πῶς There does from the capacious Heaven defcend Now this Notion was fo frequent in the most ancient and oriental Theology, that it might poffibly give Original to the Worship of the Fire among the Chaldeans and Perfians; to thofe Magi among the Cappadocians, called Pyrethi, which Strabo † makes mention of; to the Vestal Fires among the Greeks and Romans, and the like Cuftom the Britains. Therefore the Unbelievers fhew a great deal of Ignorahce, when they tax this Relation of Mofes reprefenting God's appearing on the Mount in a Flame of Fire, with any Incongruity, or invent any among Not, in Jamblichum, pag. 300. + Lib. 15. || Solinus, ground |