§56 
jeét, that of really revealing to the He- 
brews the God revered in the mytteries of 
Is. As it is clear that the Egyptian 
myfteries flourithed long before Jehovah 
_ appeared to Mofes in the burning bufh, 
the incident is remarkable that he fhould 
give himielf the very name appropriated 
to him in the miyfteries of Ifis. 
But it was not enough for Jehovah to 
announce himfelf to the Hebrews as a 
well-known God, as the God of their 
fathers. It was neceflary he fhould reveal 
himfelt as a God of might, if they were 
to put confidence in him; and this was 
the more neceflary, as their fertunes 
in Egypt were not favourable to the at- 
tribution of any great powers to their pa- 
tron. Moreover he was announced by 
the mediation of another: on this man 
therefore was to be beftowed extraor- 
dinary qualities, if the might and great- 
nefs of the fender was to be made 
known. 
If therefore Mofes was ‘to juitify his 
Jegation, it required the fupport of extra- 
ordinary deeds. That he aceomplifhed 
‘fuch wiil hardly be difputed. How he 
accomplifhed them, and in what manner 
the relaticn of them is to be underftood, 
may be left to the individual interpreta- 
tion of every one. 
The narrative, in which the legation of 
Moles has been recorded, had all the re- 
quiiites whith fitted it to infpire the He- 
brews with complete belief. This was 
what belonged to it; among us the like 
impreffion is no longer necefiary. We 
may be allowed to think that, if ghe Cre- 
ator of the univerle chofe to appear in the 
form of a flame or of wind to any man, it 
would be indifferent to him whether that 
man were bare-foct or no. But to the 
Hebrews it was neceflary to typiy the 
emotion of awe by that external token 
with which they were familiar, and which 
was already in ufe in the myfteries. In 
like menner he proceeds. with refpeéct to 
the impediment in his fpeech. And 
throughout he defcribes moft circumftan- 
tially and individually thofe things which ~ 
y y _ 
Were likely to the Ifraelites, as well as to 
us, to appear moft dithcult to conceive. 
Let us now fefume what has been faid, 
and briefly regapitulate the plan formed 
by Motes in the-delert. ; 
He afpired to lead the Ifraelites out of 
Egypt, and te put them in poffeffion cf 
independeniée, of a country and of a con- 
fiitution of their-own. But as he well 
knew the dithcultie? which woy!d oppofe 
this undertaking, as he knew that little 
réliance could be placed on their courage 
or enthuhaim, and that his eloquence 
Ox the Legation of Mafes. 
ary. 
[Sups 
~ 
was unequal to overcoming the habitual 
fervility of the people, he thought it ne- 
ceffary to-announce to them a more than 
human guide and guardian, and to afflem- 
ble them under the banner of a divine 
leader. ee ¢ 
He gave them therefore a God for their 
deliverer trom Egypt: and as it is neceflary 
=~ 
‘te obtain another land inftead of that they 
had forfaken, and to obtain it fword in 
hand, he edeavoured to preferve their 
force united by the bond of common laws 
and of a political conititution. ‘As a 
prieft and itatefman, he knew that reli- 
gion is the ftrongeit and moft indifpenia- 
ble prop of every conftitution: he ules 
therefore the God their deliverer alfo in 
his fubiequent legiflation, and announces 
him with thofe attributes which fuited 
his new deftination. For legiflation, for 
the deity of a permanent community, no 
other than the true God would avail: in- 
ftitutions founded on falfehood cannot en- 
dure. But the underftandings of his peo- 
ple being too blunt to comprehend in all 
its purity the religion of reafon and of 
nature, he addreiies their imagination 5 
he bribes their prejudices by the defcrip- 
tion of attributes fuited to vulgar appre- 
heniion, by the enumeration of fervices 
delightful to their coarfe ambition. He 
borrows for his deity a heathen garb, and 
is content that his tollowers fhould vene- 
rate this garb alone. And thus he ac» 
complifhes the infinitely important fervice 
of founding a ftate-religion on the pillar 
ot truth, fo chat a future reformer would 
have no occafion to fubvert his fabrick, 
which is the inevitable refult of any at- 
tempt to improve and to purify the falje 
religions. 
All the other ftates of his and the en- 
fuing ages were founded on deception, on 
error, on polytheifm: aithough in Egypt 
a fecret circle was found who had juft 
notions of the Supreme Being. Motes, 
himielf one of this circle, and owing to 
it his better ideas of the divine nature, 
-is the firlt who ventures not merely to 
proclaim the fecret of the myfteries, but 
to make it the bafis of his national in- 
ititutions. He became therefore for the 
benefit of the world @ betrayer of the mys- 
teries, and diftributed over 2 whole com- 
munity what had hitherto been a property 
of the fele&t. It is true that with his 
new religion he could not communicate 
underftanding to his people: and in this 
the Epopts ot Egypt had ftill the advan- 
tage: they perceived by the evidence o 
their reafon a truth, of which the 
Hebrews were mode the, blind bee, 
levers. : 
