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fore reftore the man his wife, for he is a Prophet. It is pretended that the word '71, which we render a Prophet, was not used in the Time of Mofes; and that therefore Mofes cou'd not write those words, but a later Writer. And this they attempt to prove from 1 Sam. 9.9. where 'tis faid, Before-time in Ifrael, when a man went to enquire of God, thus he fpake, Come, and let us go to the Seer: for he that is now called a Pro-phet, was before-time called a Seer. To which I anfwer,

1. That if this be any Objection against Mofes, then may we with as good Reason object this, where-ever we find the word we here render Prophet in the Pentateuch. We find this word in feveral places, and fhall we therefore conclude that Mofes wrote none of thofe places? If it has any force here, it has the fame everywhere else. And yet Mr. Hobbs allows that Mofes did write the Book of Deuteronomy from chap. XI. to the end of chap. XXVII. and yet in that part of Deuteronomy we find this word (which we render Prophet) feveral times. E. g. If there arife among you a Prophet, &c. And thou fhalt not hearken to the words of that Prophet, Deut. 13. 1,3. Again, The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet, &c. I will raife them a Prophet: And the Prophet which shall prefume, &c. And when a Prophet Speaketh in the Name of the Lord, Deut. 18. 15, 18, 20, 22. Befides, the word is ufed elfewhere, as Exod. 7.1. Numb. 12, 6.5 and chap. 11. 29. and Deut. 34. 10.

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34. 10. Will any believe this word was not ufed in the time of Mofes, or that if he wrote thefe places, yet he wrote Seer, and the word Prophet was added by a later Hand?

2. Some of these words are quoted in the New Teftament, and there the word Prophet is retain❜d, and not the word Seer. And they áre quoted in fuch terms alfo, as may put this matter out of difpute, and fatisfie us that Mofes wrote the words quoted, and that the word Prophet was known in his time. Let us hear how St. Peter quotes thefe words from Deut. 18. 18. For Mofes truly faid unto your Fathers, A Prophet fhall the Lord your God raise up untoyou. He tells us that 'twas Mofes (and not a later Writer) that faid this; he expreffeth it (not) by Seer, but) by the word Prophet. St. Stephen cites the fame paffage, and after the fame manner. This is that which Mofes faid unto the chil-dren of Ifrael, A Prophet (ball the Lord your God raife unto you, &c. Act. 3. 22. and chap. 7. 375 Nothing can be plainer, nothing more convincing than thefe words are, both that Mofes wrote thefe words, and that the word render'd Prophet was used in his time.

3. I fhall confider the words in the Book of Samuel, and fhew that they will not ferve the purpose to which they are produced. The words are thefe: Before-time in Ifrael, when a man went to enquire of God, thus he spake, Come, and let us go to the Seer: for he that is now called a Prophet, was before-time called a Seer. Does this (ez) Writer

Writer fay, That the word we render Prophet, was not known in the time of Mofes He lays no fuch thing. Does he fay, That the word we render Prophet was not known till that Age ? He fays it not. All that he affirms is this, That before that time the perfon called a Prophet was called a Seer. This we grant readily: He was called a Seer before; but this does not inferr that he was not called a Prophet alfo, even then when he was called a Seer. The most that can be concluded from the place is this, That for fome-time before, he that was called a Prophet then, was commonly called a Seer: And then there is no more than this to be inferred; That how old foever the word Prophet had been, yet for fome-time before that paflage was related, it was very common to call him a Seer. It seems the word Prophet was at that time when this is related, in common ufe; and yet after these words, the word Seer is used, 1 Sam. 9.11. And fo it was in the days of Micah, when the word Prophet was in common and ordinary ufe, Micah 3.7. And as the word Seer was used when Prophet was ufed most commonly, fo have we good Reason to believe that the word Prophet was also used, when Seer was a word in common and ordinary ufe. And 'tis apparently evident from what hath been faid above, that the word was as old as Mofes.

Obj. XVI. It is pretended that Mofes wou'd not write these words, Now an Omer is the tenth

part

part of an Ephah, Exod. 16. 36. 'Tis pretended that these words cou'd not be written by Mofes, when thefe Measures were in ufe and well known, but by a much later hand after the difperfion of the Ifraelites among other Nations among whom they had been used to other Measures, that the Reader might the better understand the Meafure here mentioned. To which I answer,

1. That it does not appear that the Ifraelites did ever alter their Measures whilft they continued in the Poffeffion of the Land of Canaan : And if they did not, there cou'd be no reason affign'd why we shou'd fuppofe any thing added here by way of Explication by a later hand.

2. Nor can we reasonably fuppofe fuch an Explication cou'd fignifie any thing in this cafe. For how cou'd any Man be the wifer for it? For how fhou'd an Ephah be better known than an Omer? This wou'd be no Explication in Aftertimes, when the Measures used of old were once forgotten. And why may not an Ephah be as well forgot as an Omer? And if it were, the Reader cou'd gain nothing at all by fuch words as thefe.

3. And therefore 'tis much more reasonable to believe that these words were here from the beginning, when an Ephah was in use commonly, and that fo it was in the days of Mofes.

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Obj. XVII. I meet with fome other Objections mention'd in a late learned Writer mention'd before; which, because I cannot discern any (e 3) great

great force in them, I will here put together, and anfwer: viz. Gen. 2. 11,12. The name of the firft is Pifon, that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold and the gold of that land is good: there is Bdellium, and the Onyx-ftone. Tis pretended that these are the words of one who lived in Chaldæa, where 'tis fuppos'd that Pifon was; and that Geography was not well enough known to Moses to relate fuch Particulars. Again, Tis pretended that the account we have of Nimrod and his Kingdom, chap. 10. 8. is more than Mofes can be supposed to give; and that That account wou'd have been more ufefull after the Jews had been better acquainted with Babylon. And Laftly, The account we have of Niniveh, which is fuppos'd to have been Founded after the Time of Mofes, is therefore fuppofed to be none of his. To which I anfwer,

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1. As to Pifon, not to examine the Situation of it, (which, for what appears, might not be so diftant from Mofes as Chaldea) the Objector hath no reason to object hence against Mofes, because he does not know how far Mofes did un derfand Geography; nor hath he any cause to fay the places mention'd did not trade and traffick into Egypt,where Mofes was born,Gen.37.25.

2. As to the account of Nimrod and his Kingdom, we have no fhadow of reafon to fufpect it. For Babylon, and fome other places mention'd on this occafion, were afterwards fo famous in ftory, that 'tis not to be wonder'd at that Mofes

fhou'd

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