AND THE INVENTION OF ALPHABETS. 33J 



eighteenth verse of the thirty-first chapter, after God had maJe an 

 end of communing with him upon the mount*, though the ten 

 commandments were promulgated immediately after his third de. 

 scent. 



It is observable, that Moses no where mentions that the alphabet 

 was, a new tiling in his time, much less that he was the inventor of 

 it; on the contrary, he speaks of the art of writing as a thin.; well 

 known, and in familiar use ; for, Exodus xxviii. T. 21, he says, 

 u And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel, 

 twelve ; according to their names, like the engravings of a signet, 

 every one with his name, shall they be, according to the twelve 

 tribes." And again, v. 36, u And thou shall make a plate of 

 pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, Holi. 

 ness to the Lord." Can language be more expressive ? Would it 

 not be too ab.-uril to deny that this sentence must have been in words 

 and letters? But writing was known and practised by the people 

 in general in the time of Moses, as appears from the following 

 texts, Deut. chap. vi. v. 9; chap. xi. v. 20; chap. xvii. v. 18; 

 chap. xxiv. v. 1 ; chap, xxvii. v. 3, 8. By this last text, the people 

 are commanded to write the law on stones ; and it is observable, 

 that some of the above texts, relate to transactions previous to the 

 delivery of the law at Mount Sinai. 



If Moses had been the inventor of -the alphabet, or received let, 

 ters from God, which till then had been unknown (o the Israelites, 

 it would have been well worthy of his understanding, and very 

 suitable to his character, to have explained to them the nature- and 

 use of this invaluable art which God had communicated to him ; 

 and may we not naturally suppose, that he would have said, when 

 he directed the workmen to engrave names and sentences on stones 

 and go(d t, *' And in these engravings you shall use the alphabetic* 

 characters which God hath communicated to me, or which I have 

 now invented, and taught you the use of?" But the truth is, he 



The different times of Moses' ascending and descending (he Mount ar 

 distinguished n the following pas-ages. 



First a-cenl. 

 Exod. xix. v. 3. 



Pint de*crn'. 



v. 7. 



Stcond af cent, 

 Exod. xix. v. 8. 

 S cond deirrnt. 

 Kxod.xix. v. 14. 



Third asctnt. 

 Exod. xix. v. 20. 



Third descent. 

 Exod. xix. T. 



Fourth atcent. 

 Exod. xxiv. v. IS. 



Fourth descent. 

 Exod. xxnii. vi 



f See^more texts on ihisTubject in fJenenis, chap, xxviii. verses 9, 10, II j 

 and chap, xxxix. v. 34 ; Dcut. chap, xxviii. v. 58 ai.d 61 ; and chap. xxi\ 

 vor,. vi. 2 A 



