the Lord hath spoken it, v. 17. 18. Now does this look like an Edomitifh Prophet? But this is juft as Spinofa, and Hobbs, and the Devil are used to quote Scripture. 10. The most confiderable Inftance is that of Balaam, who may seem to be an Ethnick Prophet, by his living in a Heathen Country, and his being at the Command of a Heathen King, and by his predicting fo plainly fuch remarkable Events, which afterwards fo punctually came to pafs; as the Greatness of the Common-wealth of Ifraels the Deftruction of the Canaanitish Nations, and the Com ing of the Meffias. But then although this be true, yet it does not from hence follow, that the Gift of Prophecy was common to other Nations, as well as to the Jews from this Inftance. Because this Prophecy was defigned only for the Benefit of the Jewish Nation, and although it was pronounced by the Mouth of a Heathen Man, yet the Defign and Purpose of it was for the Good of the Jews; and truly it was but a fmall Privilege of the Heathens, to have one of them to pronounce a Prophecy of God, only in Favour of the Jews, and that too for the utter Extirpation of themfelves. So that for ought I fee in this Inftance, Balaam's Afs would be as good an one altogether, to prove, That Infpiration is common to Brutes too, because God once made Ufe of his Mouth, to confute his Master's Folly. 11. Well! but Balaam, you fay, was a true and accustomed Prophet, and not made Ufe of only by God upon this extraordinary Exigence. I am afraid, this is an Affertion, which cannot be fo eafily made out as faid; and indeed the contrary thereof may be proved by the Context. For firft he cannot be a true Prophet of God, because he made use of unlawful Arts, and as the Scripture fays, fought for Inchantments, Chap. xxiv. 1. and what we from the Vulgar, tranflate the Rewards of Divination, are in the Original only Divinations, (i. e.) Inftruments of Divination, conjuring Books, Wands, or the like. And fecondly, he is called Kofem, a Diviner or Sorcerer, Job. xiii. 22. which Word has always an ill Character fixt on it in Scripture, notwithftanding Spinofa maintains the contrary, though without any any Inftance of it. I have carefully examined all the Words that I find in Scripture, which come from this Root, and I do not find any, unlefs by Way of Metaphor, but carry an ill Senfe, and fignify unlawful Knowledge of future Things; or a lying pretended one; and as for thofe Places of the Prophets, Ifa. xxiv. 25. Fer. xiv. 14. Ezech. xiii. 7, and 23. Micah iii. 6, &c. where they may feem to fignify fimple Prophecy, yet it will be manifeft by closely confidering the Places, that they are only harder Words to characterise the falfe Prophecies of fome lying Prophets, among the Jews; as if I fhould call an Aftrologer a Gypfy, or a Conjurer, Names which carry more vulgar Difrepute and Shamefulness in them. I know but two Places in Scripture where they are used in a good Senfe: The firft is, Prov. xvi. 10. A divining Sentence, or Divination (not as we tranflate it, too far from the original Words, a divine Sentence) is in the Lips of the King, and his Mouth tranfgreffeth not in Judgment: That is, the King is a wife fagacious Man in his judicial Determinations, makes fhrewd Conjectures from outward Appearance to difcover Men's inward Intentions, and by that Sort of political Divination awards Judgment accordingly. The fecond is, Ifa. xxxii. where it is faid, The Lord doth take away from fudah the Judge and the Prophet, the Kofem, the Conjurer, or the Prudent, and the Ancient. Where the Septuagint do very well tranflate Kofem oxas, one that makes good Conjectures or Divinations; which is a metaphorical Senfe of the Word in moft Languages, drawn from the Heathen Auguries, as is particularly plain in thofe Verses of Ovid concerning the Children's Play at Even and Odd: Eft etiam, par fit numerus qui dicat an impar, Ut divinatas auferat Augur opes. Ovid. de Nuce. Phil. By your Criticisms you have roved a little too far from the main Point: but pray, if Balaam were not a true Prophet, how came he to fay, that he would bring Balak's Meffengers Word, what the Lord Jehovah, the true P Judaical Fudaical God, fhould Speak unto him? Numb. xxii. 7. The LORD refufeth to give me leave to go with you, v. 13. I cannot go beyond the Word of the LORD my God, to do lefs or more, v. 18. And God carne unto Balaam, &c. And Balaam faid unto God, &c. v. 9, 10. I pray how came he to have this Intercourfe with the Lord Jehovah, and yet be fuch a Heathen Conjurer, as you would make him? Nay, how came he to make fuch fine Prophecies of Jefus Chrift, and yet be fuch a diabolical Necromancer? Cred. I think, Philologus, you are not a lit: le mistaken in arguing after this Manner. For it does not appear from Scripture, that Balaam did endeavour to seek after Jehovah, or the true God, when he defigned to make Enquiry after the future Fate of the Ifraelites upon Balak's Requeft, but only after Baal, or fome other falfe Deity of the Moabites. That the Search made to him, is faid to be made to Jehovah, is, becaufe Jehovah is the Jewish Name for God, which, no doubt, in the Moabitifh Language was Bad, or fome fuch like Name; which Mofes writing in Hebrew, calls by the Jewish Name Jehovah. Not that Baal and Jehovah was the fame, but that Balaam took his Baal, a falfe God, viz. fome deified Prince of that Part of the World, for Jehovah, or the true God; and therefore Mofes, in regard to his Intention, calls him by that Name. Nor doth the Truth of his Prophecy argue him to be a divine Prophet, to whom the true God was wont to reveal himfelf; becaufe, although he might intend to make his Addrefs to a falfe God; yet Jehovah, or the true God, might take Advantage from this to promote his true Religion, by infpiring a falfe Prophet of the Heathens, and in defpight of them, to make them hear the Prediction. of their own Deftruction from the Mouth of their own Friend. Nor is it fo ftrange to fuppofe, that a Prophecy concerning our Saviour fhould come from a Heathen Pricft; fince the Sibyls have predicted the fame, and filled the whole World full of Expectation of fome mighty Deliverer about the Time of our Saviour's Birth, as Virgil's Eclogue is an undeniable Instance. Phil. But Phil. But if natural Religion be fo defective, and Revelation fo neceffary, as you contend for; and withal, if the Jews were only bleffed with this Favour, how can we excufe the partial Juftice of God, to make so much of this odd Sort of People, and leave all the reft of the World to fhift for themfelves, as if they were none of his Creatures? Methinks of all the Nations of the World, the divine Prudence fhould never have picked out this currifh Nation, to have lavished out fo many Favours upon a People, that from the Time of their Original, to their Overthrow, were the Opprobry of the World, who as * Tacitus and Justin tell us, were expelled Egypt for a Pack of fcabbed Lepers, that would have infected the whole Country; and when they lived at Rome, they were obferved by + Juvenal, to be of fuch a dogged Temper, that they would not fo much as direct a Man in his Way, unless he was of the fame circumcifed Race. Now how can any one, Credentius, fuppofe, that God Almighty fhould overlook all the Nations of the World, and make himself fo extraordinary familiar with this cross-grain'd Rabble? One would have thought, if the Deity had been inclined to have made a Diftinction between any of his Creatures, that the Greeks or Romans fhould have ftood faireft for fuch a Favour; for they were Nations of great Candour and Generofity, who had Minds that did generally abound with extraordinary Virtue and Honour: But the Jews, of all Nations in the World, were remarked for fowr unfociable Qualities; and their own Prophets. cannot forbear calling them often a stubborn, untoward, perverfe, crooked, and stiff-necked People. And therefore, Credentius, pray let me fee how you can excufe the Juftice and Wisdom of God in being fo liberal of his Revelations to this People only. Cred. I do not in the leaft fee, Philologus, how the Juftice of God is touched by this gracious Manifeftation of his Will in particular to the Jews, rather than to other Nations; or that they deferved it lefs than any other. For, Tacit. Hift. Lib. 5. Juft. Hift. Lib. 86. + Juv. Sat. 6. 1. This This agree1. This was no more than what God had done before able to in other Ages of the World, in order to preferve to himGod's ufual Providence. felf a Church or chofen People, felected from the other ungodly People of the World. Thus are the Children of Seth, God's vifible Church in the Antediluvian Times, who were for this very Reason called the Sons of God, Gen. vi. z. And the Children of Shem and Japhet are feparated from the profane Off-fpring of Ham, Gen. ix. 26, 27. And therefore in the Time of Abraham, when Idolatry was fpread well nigh over all the World, it was very wifely contrived of God Almighty, to fet up the Pofterity of this good Man, to be the Worshipers of the true God, when the rest of the World had lapfed into profane Idolatry. No Injustice in God. Other In 2. Neither can this argue any Injuftice in God, because it does not appear that the Heathens had any Right to demand of God a particular Revelation. They had the Law of Nature, as 'tis generally called, or the old Adamical Revelation to walk by, and what Rewards or Punishments were annexed to that, they were either to expect or fear. This was fufficient (tho' with more Difficulty) to fquare their Lives by; and God was in no Ways obliged to make their Task more easy, since he might difpenfe his Rewards upon what Conditions he pleafed. I doubt not but that good Gentiles had their Reward allotted for them; but then I fee no Reason why they should be their own Caterers, and cut out what Work they pleafed for themselves. For, if it pleased God to fet the Gentiles to work out their Salvation with more Pains and Danger, and the Jews and Chriftians with lefs, why should the divine Juffice be taxed with Partiality, more than you should be, when you think fit to fet fome of your Workmen to an eafier, and others to an harder Task, when all of them are obliged to undergo the most difficult and painful, when you fhall be pleafed to affign it? 3. Neither can I fee any Reason why the Juftice or Stances of Wisdom of God fhould be called in Question for this liberal Diftribution of Revelations to the Jews alone, for Providence as unac countable. which |