nation ever enjoyed. Therefore he took occafion to affure them that they should not be destitute of a prophet, and that God would, in compaffion and kindness to them, fupply the lofs which they would fuftain by the death of their deliverer and conductor.

2. When the Law was delivered with dreadful pomp, and the voice of God was heard, and his majesty appeared in formidable fplendor, the people were extremely terrified; for it was an opinion common both amongst Jews and Pagans that no man could fafely approach the Deity, and that death, or fome great evil, was the confequence of beholding him. See Le Clerc on Gen. xvi. 13. Therefore they befought Mofes to intreat for them that they might no more be brought into fuch danger. For this reafon, and to calm their fears, Mofes affured them that for the time to come God would speak to them not in perfon, but by a Mediator, by a prophet, by a man like themfelves. The Lord thy God, fays he, will raife up unto thee a Prophet-according to all that thou defiredft of the Lord thy God in Horeb, in the day of the affembly, faying, Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, neither let me fee this great fire any more, that I die not. And the Lord faid unto me, They have well spoken that which they have fpoken: I will raise them up a prophet.

3. The Pagan nations had their Gods, their Oracles, their foothfayers and magicians, and there was great danger left the people of Ifrael fhould go and confult them, and fo fall into idolatry;

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idolatry; and, in fact, all these iniquities enfued in following times. That nothing might be wanting to guard against this corruption, and that the tranfgrefiors might be inexcufable, God pofitively forbad them to go after the gods, the priests, and the prophets of other nations, and promised them that they should never want a prophet of their own. Thus, after the death of Mofes, they had Joshua, and Samuel, and Elijah, and Elisha, and other illustrious men, befides the high priest by whom they used to confult God upon all important occafions. This interpretation is favoured by the context. There Shall not be found among you one that ufeth divination, or an obferver of times, or an enchanter, or a charmer, or a confulter with familiar fpirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer For thefe nations which thou shalt poffefs, bearkened unto obfervers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the Lord thy God hath not fuffered thee to do jo. The Lord thy God will raife up unto thee a prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto bim ye shall hearken. - I will raife them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it Shall come to pass that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.

Some understand this of a fucceffion of prophets in general, and more particularly of the Meffias, who of all the prophets resembled Mofes the most..

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Others

Others think that the Meffias alone is here foretold, fince the words in a ftrict and accurate sense represent him alone.

Each of these interpretations has had learned defenders;

magno fe judice quæque tuetur.

But I obferve

1. Both these interpretations agree in this, that Chrift is here promised and foretold, nor indeed is the firft very difcordant from the fecond; for if Mofes meant in general every prophet, and any prophet who should fucceed him, the Meffias cannot be excluded; and if the Meffias resembles Mofes in a particular manner, the prophecy points him out above all the reft.

2. St. Stephen and St. Peter fay that Jefus Chrift is the prophet foretold by Mofes, and Christ himself had probably this paffage in view, when he faid, If ye bad believed Mofes, ye would have believed me, for he wrote of me.

3. Though Mofes might perhaps mean a fucceffion of prophets, yet the Spirit of God, who was then upon him, guided him to use words which should describe the Meffias much better than any other prophet. The other prophets were only fo far like unto Mofes that they were prophets, but in many refpects they were not like him. In the last chapter of Deuteronomy, there is an addition which was made to the Books of Mofes, long after his death, by fome prophet probably, who inferts the following remark: And there arofe not a prophet

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prophet fince in Ifrael like unto Mofes which has a manifeft reference to the prophecy of which we are treating, and may be thus understood; Although Mofes faid that the Lord would raise up one like unto him, yet this prophecy has not yet been accomplished in a ftrict and full fense: there has not yet arifen one like unto him; but this great prophet is still to come.

This laft chapter of Deuteronomy feems to have been compofed by two authors, and at two different times; the first part down to the ninth verfe foon after the death of Mofes, the three laft verfes long afterwards.

Add to this, that the refemblance between Mofes and Chrift is fo very great and ftriking, that it is impoffible to confider it fairly and carefully, without feeing and acknowledging that he muft be foretold where he is fo well defcribed.

Ammonius wrote a book commended by Eufebius and Jerom, Περί Μωϋσέως ( Ἰησ ovμQarías, De confenfu Mofis ac Jefu, which is not extant. Eufeb. E. H. vi. 19. Whether this treatife was defigned to fhew the refemblance and agreement between the perfons, or between their doctrines, we cannot fay: perhaps it was

the latter.

Eufebius has treated the subject, on which I am entering, in his Demonftratio Evangelica, L. iii. p. 9o, etc. Ed. Paris. 1628. but as he was haftening to other points, he has not difcuffed this fo fully as to difccurage thofe who should be inclined to attempt the fame thing. I fhall

there

therefore endeavour to make feveral improvements upon his remarks, and additions to them.

1. First, and which is the principal of all, Mofes was a lawgiver, and the mediator of a covenant between God and man: fo was Chrift. Here the resemblance is the more confiderable, because no other prophet befides them executed this high office.

The other prophets were only interpreters and enforcers of the Law, and in this were greatly inferior to Mofes. The Meffias could not be like unto Mofes in a ftrict fenfe, unless he were a legislator. He must give a law to men, and confequently a more excellent law, and a better covenant than the firft; for if the first had been perfect, as the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews argues, there could have been no room for a second.

2. Other prophets had revelations in dreams and vifions, but Mofes talked with God, with the Aéy, face to face: fo Chrift fpake that which he had feen with the Father.

If there be a prophet among you, fays God to Aaron and Miriam, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vifion, and will speak unto him in a dream. My fervant Mofes is not fo, who is faithful in all my house; with him I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark fpeeches,

By this prediction Mofes guarded the people against the prejudice which his own authority was like to create against a new Lawgiver; telling them beforehand, that, when the great Prophet came, their obedience ought to be transferred to him, Bp. Sherlock, Dif. ii.

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and