to be the true one, and confequently moft reafonable to be admitted.

As to the Particulars contained in the enfuing Volume, I must submit them to the Reader: I hope they may be received with the Candour that has been fhewed to my former Volumes: What is now published might have been more various and entertaining, had it reached down to an Age that could have afforded more matter of prophane History to be interspersed in it: But divers of the Scripture Occurrences herein treated of, were not to be paffed over curforily, and the entring into these more largely obliged me to conclude this Volume fomething fhort of the Period at which I propofed to my felf to end it. I am abundantly fenfible of the Obligations I am under to many of my Superiors for the Reputation they give me by their Favour. The truly Great find a real Pleafure in. cherishing any well-intended Endeavours of their Inferiors: And if my Abilities, as an Author, were equal to the Gratitude and Inclination of my Mind, I should well deferve the Countinuance of that good Opinion which many Perfons, who are in Sations above my being otherwife known to them, are pleafed to conceive of me themselves, and to create of me in others: But I am afraid I fhould appear guilty of an Act of Vanity rather than of Gratitude, If I were to proceed in Intinations of this Nature, or to fay, how much the Right Honourable Mr. ONSLOW, the Speaker of the Houfe of COM MONS, has been a Patron of my Studies in this manner.

.

My Thanks are acknowledged to be due to a learned Divine of a foreign Univerfity, Mr. Wolle of Leipfick, and also to Mr. Arnold Profeffor of the English and French Tongues there, for my

Reputa

Reputation in their Country. I am sorry I am not able to read the Tranflation of my Books, which the one of them has fome Years ago publifhed in the German Tongue, and the very learned Differtation prefixed to that Translation by the other. Hopes were at one time given me of feeing this Differtation in English, and from the fhort Extract of it in our Republick of Letters (0), I cannot but think I fhould have Satisfaction in every Part of it, except in that which relates to my own Character. I have not thofe Abilities, which this learned Divine afcribes to me: I may have been happy in the Choice of a Subject, which, if I could manage fuitably, might afford a Work very useful even to the learned World. I can only endeavour to go thro' it with as much Attention as my Situation in Life will allow me; but am able to perform no Part of it without many Imperfections. My Procedure in it must be by flow Steps; being obliged many times to lay afide my Studies upon account of Avocations, which in my Circumftances must be attended to, and oftentimes to defer, or intirely to drop Subjects that might be confidered, as I can or cannot get a Sight of Books that would conduct my Enquiries. However, If I find my Endeavours continue acceptable to the Publick, I fhall, as foon as I can, in one Volume more, offer the remaining Part of this Undertaking.

(0) Republick of Letters for September, 1731.

Shelton, Norfolk,

Oct. 21. 1736.

The

The SACRED and PROPHANE

HISTORY

Of the WORLD Connected.

M

BOOK X.

OSES and the Ifraelites joined in a Song of Thanksgiving for their Deliverance from the Egyptians (a), after which they moved from the Red-Sea into the Wilderness of Shur (b): They wandered three Days in the Wilderness and could find no Water (c): at Marah they found Water, but could not drink it, for it was bitter (d); And the People murmured against Mofes, faying, What shall we drink? And he cried unto the Lord, and the Lord fhewed him a Tree, which when he had caft into the Waters, the Wa

(a) Exodus xv.

(c) Syncell. Chron. p. 128. Philo de vitâ Mofis 1. 1. Jofeph. Antiq. 1. 3. c. 1. (d) Exodus

(6) Ver. 22.

ters were made fweet (e). We are informed (f) that God at this Time gave Mofes fome particular Command, and proved him, or made trial of his Obedience; for this must be the Sense of the Place: Our English Translators have evidently mistaken the Words of MoJes: They render the Paffage, There He made for THEM a Statute, and an Ordinance, and there he proved THEM. This Translation. feems to hint, that fome Laws were here given to the Ifraelites, and that they were the Perfons here proved; but the Commentators are at a lofs to afcertain any Laws given at this Time (g): If we attend to the Hebrew Text, the Affix ufed by Mofes does not fignify THEM, but HIM, and Mofes himself was the Perfon here applied to, and not the Ifraelites, and the Statute and Ordinance here given was to him, and not to them; and this agrees with the 26 Verfe, where the Text is juftly tranflated, not, If Ye will bearken; but, If THOU wilt diligently bearken, &c. When the Ifraelites were got over the Red-Sea, We do not read, that the Pillar of the Cloud and of Fire went before them into the Wilderness of Shur: Mofes very probably led them thither, without any fpecial Direction from God; They travelled here three Days without Water; and when they found Water, it was bitter, and they could not drink it: In their Diftrefs they murmured, and Mofes prayed to God for Affiftance: God accepted his Prayer, and gave him

(e) Exodus xv. 25. (f) Ver. 26. (g) See Pool's Synopf. in loc.

[chok

[chok ve Mishpat], a special Order and Appointment what to do; namely, to take a Bough from a Tree which he was directed to, and to put it into the Waters, and by this He proved or tried him (b); He gave him an Opportunity to fhew his Readiness strictly to perform whatever Orders fhould be injoined him; and hereupon God promised him, that if He would thus punctually obferve all his Appointments, that then He would continually extricate him out of every Difficulty.

We read of no Place called Marah in the Prophane Authors; for indeed the Ifraelites gave the Place this Name, because the Waters they found here were bitter, the Word Marab in their Language fignifying to be bitter; but the best Heathen Writers agree, that there were Lakes of bitter Waters, in the Parts where the Ifraelites were now travelling: Diodorus informs us, that there were fuch Waters at fome little Distance from the City Arfinoe (i), Strabo fays the fame Thing (k), and Pliny carries on Trajan's River from the Nile

(b) We meet many Inflances in the Scriptures of God's appointing Perfons applying to him for Favours, to do fome Act as a Proof of their intire fubmiffion and obedience to him. Jacob was ordered to ufe peeled Rods, Gen. xxx. Naaman to wash in the River Jordan, 2 Kings v. And in Exodus xvi. the Ifraelites were proved in this manner. They were ordered to gather of the Manna a certain Rate every Day, that God might prove them, whether they would walk in his Law or no: Thus was Mofes here proved, he was ordered to put a Bough into the Water; a Thing in it felf infignificant, but his doing it teftified his Readiness to obferve any Injunction which God bould think fit to give him. (i) Diodor. Sic. 1. 3. P. 120. (k) Strabo, Geog. I. 17. p. 804.