Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	aaron_n	brother_n	numb_a	19	3	9.0835	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49909	Twelve dissertations out of Monsieur Le Clerk's Genesis ... done out of Latin by Mr. Brown ; to which is added, a dissertation concerning the Israelites passage through the Red Sea, by another hand.	Le Clerc, Jean, 1657-1736.; Brown, Mr.; Another hand.	1696 (1696)	Wing L828; ESTC R16733	184,316	356

of them For Example The Egyptians ascrib'd Agriculture and the Invention of Squeezing Wine from the Grape to their Osiris which belongs to Noah as we are inform'd by Moses Chap. 9.20 The Phaenicians too had publish'd several Fictions if Philo Byblius's Sanchoniathou has given us a true account of their Theology a Fragment of which is to be seen in Eusebius's Praeparatio Evangelica l. 1. cap. 10. which Moses contradicts as will soon appear by comparing the two Histories 5. He seems likewise by not only Writing his Law but Publishing it and commanding it to be read every Seventh Year Deut. 31.10 tacitly to reprehend the Conduct of the Egyptian Priests who had several secret Rites and hidden Dotrines which it was not lawful to discover to the People (m) The Egyptian Priests had not only their Mysteries and Sacred Doctrines which they did not hold it Lawful to reveal to the People but peculiar Letters or Characters which none but themselves could read Vid. Herod L. 2. Diod. Biblioth L. 3. See our Notes upon Gen. 41.8 6. Most of the Oriental Nations not only boasted of their Antiquity as Diodorus Siculus has observ'd in his first Book but likewise extravagantly praised their Founders and reckon'd them among their Gods as after Diodorus Herodotus in the place above-mention'd and Manetho in Eusebius's Praep. Evang. l. 2. c. 1. and several others have remarked Now Moses shews them to be descended of Cham Noah's third Son who was so far from Meriting a place among the Divinities that he could not be esteem'd a Good Man He likewise observes all under one Chap. 9.22 that the Canaanites were descended from that Race which God had curs'd Nor did he forget Chap. 19.37 38. to take notice that the Ammonites and the Moabites came from Incestuous Parents And as the Edomites might perhaps boast that they proceeded from the eldest Son he exposes his Scandalous Selling of his Birth-right Chap. 25. Nay perhaps he had this in his Head when he observes that the younger Children were often prefer'd to the elder as we have observ'd upon (n) 'T is remarkable enough says M. le Clerk upon this place that Moses takes care all along in his History wherein he omits innumerable Particulars of the greatest Consequence to observe that several First-begotten Sons either forfeited their Birth-right or were inferior to their younger Brothers in all good Qualities Thus Cain the First-born was not so acceptable to God as his Brother Abel and at last lost the Privileges of Primogeniture Gen. 4. Shem seems to be preferr'd to Japhet Gen. 5. 9. Abraham to Haran Gen. 11. Isaac to Ishmael Gen. 17. and Jacob is set before Isaiah Amongst the Sons of Jacob Reuben loses his Birth-right which was partly conferred upon Judah and partly upon Joseph and Joseph's younger Son is preferred to the Elder If it were lawful for us to interpose our own Conjectures continues he we might with probability enough suppose that the Moabites the Ammonites Ishmaelites and Edomites who were all descended from the eldest Sons did upon that Score claim a Right over the Israelites where they happened to be more Powerful than them For which reason Moses who writ chiefly for the sake of the Jews often took notice that the elder Brothers were not without good cause Postpon'd to the younger Nay Moses himself who was the younger of the two was preferr'd to his Brother Aaron Non sine aliquâ fratris inpidiâ Numb 12. Gen. 48.19 therefore it is highly Credible that Moses had a mind to mortifie the Pride of the neighbouring Nations and furnish the Israelites with some Topicks to upbraid them with 7. Lastly While he writes the History of the Hebrews although 't is true he enlarges more copiously upon their Affairs yet we must not believe and the Brevity of it is a convincing Argument of what I here maintain that he never design'd to write full Annals It appears from the Sacred History it self that several things are omitted by him which however are told in another place though they had no relation to it He says nothing of the Idolatry of the Ancestors of the Israelites when they were beyond the Euphrates of which Joshua 24.2 makes mention unless perhaps it is obscurely hinted at in Gen. 31.53 He is utterly silent of the Idolatry of the Israelites in Egypt which nevertheless Ezekiel the Prophet lays to their Charge Chap. 20.7 8. He has likewise omitted a particular sort of Superstition into which they fell when they were in the Wilderness of which Amos 5.25 26. gives us an account But for what reasons we are wholly in the dark But since by these Examples and indeed by the Work it self 't is evident that Moses did not write Annals we must less admire to see him neglect the order of Time which ought to be observ'd in a larger History For 't is well known that in such sorts of Histories as Lives are the true Series of things is never accurately kept as we find in the most celebrated Biographers of the Greeks and Latins Plutarch Diogenes Laertius Corn. Nepos and Suetonius These seem to be the particular Designs of Moses these his more secret Ends of Writing besides that universal and manifest End which the Reader finds at first sight namely of bringing the Israelites to the Worship of the only true God They that remember these Hints as they are reading of Moses will discover several more things than we have here mention'd as we have likewise taken notice of many things in our Commentary which we did not think convenient to repeat here Dissertation IV. Concerning the Temptation of Eve by the Serpent I. How differently Interpreters have explained this History Some affirm that it was a real Serpent II. Others look upon the whole to be Allegorical or III. Pretend that the Devil was signified by that Name Or IV. That he informed the body of a Serpent V. That the manner how Sin entered into the World cannot certainly be known VI. Another Explication of this Passage VII Why the Serpent is called Subtle VIII The meaning of the word Naked IX Why a Punishment was inflicted upon the Serpent I. SOME of the Ancient Jews are of Opinion that the whole passage in Moses is to be understood of a real Serpent which Creature they imagine to have formerly had the Gift of Speech so that Eve might very well understand him Josephus in the first Book of his Antiquities c. 1. pretends that at that time 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all Creatures using the same Language and consequently being indued with Reason and Understanding the Serpent incited by Envy tempted Eve to Sin and among other things received this signal Punishment viz. That he should be deprived of his Feet and ever after crawl upon the Ground Aben ezra and several Rabbins interpret this place after the same manner To explain my self impartially If Moses had been of this Opinion he could not have spoken more plainly to