if the Ufe of them had not been perverted to Superstition. The Egyptians worship'd the Symbols, as well as the Idols or Dæmons to whom they were confecrated, and who were either dead Men or other fictitious Deities: but the Jewish Cherubims were only Symbols of the true God, and refer'd only to him; and were fignificative of his being the only Creator of both rational and irrational Animals, the principal of which made up the Cherubic Symbol; for it was compofed of four Figures, viz. of a Man the Reprefentative of the rational Creation, a Bull the principal of tame Animals, a Lion the Head of the wild Creatures, and an Eagle the Chief of feather'd Animals.

The Jewish Symbols were kept fecret, and never expos'd to the View of the People, left they should have been abused to Superstition, as they probably would have been, if made public: and therefore when the Tabernacle was taken down upon the Ifraelites removing their Camp, the Priests cover'd the Ark of the Teftimony (on which the Cherubims were plac'd) with a Vail, Numb. iv. 5. But the Egyptians carried about in folemn Proceffion at their facred Festivals the Symbols of their Gods, on purpose to be worship'd by the People. This was the Difference between the Egyptian Symbols, and those which God himself appointed to represent his Prefence amongst the Jews, and to affure them of his continual Providence, in the Prefervation of their Religion and Worship

of

of him against the Power of all falfe Gods, and their idolatrous Worshippers.

The Cherubims therefore were placed fpreading their Wings over the Mercy-Seat, which was fixed upon the Ark of the Covenant, wherein the Law of the two facred Tables was laid, with other Evidences of God's miraculous Difpenfation; and with their Faces looking towards it, to denote God's peculiar Care and Watchfulness over his own holy Law and true Religion. Whence we may obferve, that Symbols, which had been apply'd to Superftition and the Worfhip of falfe Gods, were by divine Wisdom made Representatives of the true God; but fo as to be fafe from being made Idols or abus'd to fuperftitious Worship. And no Objection with Reason can be made against the divine Religion of the Jews from the ufe of Symbols, because they were used in the Worship of falfe Gods; any more than can be made from the Ufe of Temples, and Sacrifices and a Priesthood being inftituted by the true God, because they were alfo confecrated and appropriated to the Service of Idols.

Indeed, God in his all-wife Providence ordered the Religion and Worship of his People in many Things fimilarly to that of the Egyptians. Therefore as the Egyptians pretended to have received all their Laws and Polity and religious Rites from their Gods, or thofe in whom they fuppos'd the Spirit of the cœleftial Gods to refide and infpire them; and to preserve their Country under the Providence and constant invisible

Govern

Government of their Gods, confecrated every Part of it to them; erecting to them Temples, Images and Symbols in every Province, where Priefts were appointed to attend and folemnize their Worship; that hereby they might fecure their Influence and Protection, and make their Kingdom a Theocracy: So the true God by giving Laws to the Jews, and inftituting all their religious Worship, and appointing the facred Symbols, which were to represent and fecure to them his continual Prefence and Favour, made their Nation a real Theocracy.

Thus the falfe Revelations of Heathen Legiflators, who pretended to have received their Religion and Laws from their Gods, made it fit for the true God to oppofe their Superftition established upon forged and fictitious Revelations, by fending infpired Prophets to deliver his Laws and true Religion to the Worshippers of him.

But then as all the Egyptian Theology was kept fecret, and hidden under Hieroglyphical Symbols, and wrote in their facred Books in Characters known only to the Priests, the People had no Access to the Knowledge of the Gods they worshipped; and were kept entirely ignorant of spiritual Things; and blindly ador'd all those monftrous Figures and Symbols, which their Priests set before them, or fhew'd them in their Temples, as alfo all the Animals and inanimate Things which they had confecrated, without knowing what they did, or what they worshipped. Their greatest Gods had been no

other

other than Kings and Heroes, and Men and Women famous for inventing ufeful Arts and Sciences, who after Death were deify'd, and infpir'd, as they were taught to believe, thofe fantastic Images and the Animals confecrated to their Deities.

But the God of Ifrael made himself known to all his People, as well as to the Priests; and ordered his Law to be written in the vulgar Language, and to be read and explained to all the People: fo that all the Jews were equally Partakers of the Knowledge of the true God, whom alone they were commanded to worship without any material Symbol, Image, or Representation whatsoever.

1

The Egyptian Priests indeed had more Sense than to believe there was any real Divinity in their fymbolic Images or facred Animals; but then they let the People go on in their grofs and fenfeless Superftition, and encourag'd it by their own Practice and Example. They made and confecrated their Gods for them; and pretended by Amulets, Divinations and magical Charms, to animate the Images with Genii and Dæmons, and to confine them to their Symbols, and make them propitious to the Worshippers

of them.

**For this Reason there were no Myfteries inftituted amongst the Jews, the Defign of thefe being to deliver in a fecret Manner the Knowledge of the one Supreme God, and of his Government of the World by cœleftial and other minifterial Beings: but this Knowledge was communicated to the Jews in the Law itfelf, and in the moft perfect Manner.

ΑΝ

APPENDIX

CONCERNING THE

Genealogy and Time of Jo B.

•INF

N the End of the Book of Job, it is added from a Syriac Copy, that Job lived in the Land of Aufitis [or Ux, as the Arabic Verfion has it] upon the Borders of * Idumæa and Arabia. He was at first called Jobab; and having táken an Arabian Woman to be his Wife, he had by her a Son, whose Name was Ennon. His Father's Name was ‡ Zare, a Grandfon of Efau ; but his Mother's Name was || Boforra. So that he was the fifth from Abraham. And these were the Kings who reigned in Edom, of which Country he [Job] alfo was a Prince,

*It was upon the Borders of Euphrates, according to the Reading of the Alexandrian MS. and this is more probable.

+ The Alex. MS. omits the Mention of this Son; but it is in the Copy of Jerome. Fin. lib. Job.

The Alex. MS. calls him Zareth of the Eaft. He is called Zerah in the Hebrew Text, 1 Chron. i. 44.

|| The Alex. MS. calls her Bofora. The Arabic Verfion and Jerome fay, he was of Bofra. The City might be fo called after her Name.