BIBLICAL REPERTORY.

CONTENTS OF 20. 2:

I. TRANSLATION OF «WARNEKROS DE FERTILITATE PALESTINE" FROM THE XIV. VOL. OF THE "REPERTORIUM FUER BIBLISCHE UND MORGENLAENDISCHE LITTERATUR."

II. TRANSLATION OF AN EXTRACT FROM "STAEUDLIN'S GESCHICHTE DER THEOLOGISCHEN WISSENSCHAFTEN.”

III. TRANSLATION OF "KNAPP DE SPIRITU SANCTO ET CHRISTO PARACLETIS ITEM DE VARIA PROTESTATE VOCABULORUM ΠΑΡΑΚΑΛΕΙΝ, ΠΑΡΑΚΛΗΣΙΣ ΠΑΡΑΚΛΗ ΤΟΣ.

IV. "WARBURTON ON TYPES AND SECONDARY SENSES"-

FROM HIS "DIVINE LEGATION OF MOSES." ·

HENRICUS EHRENFRIED WARNEKROS,

ON THE

Fertility of Palestine,

AND ITS PRINCIPAL ADVANTAGES, COMPARED WITH THOSE

OP

EGYPT.

§ I. Moses calls Palestine fruitful.

IN treating of the fertility of Palestine and its principal advantages, by the word Palestine I mean not only the region in the vicinity of Jerusalem, but Palestine properly so called, situated on this side of the Jordan. Moses, the leader of the Israelites, to whose posterity God was about to give this country for a habitation, describes it as being very fertile. And his testimony is corroborated by Shaw, Maundrell, and many other modern travellers, who have visited it. This description of Moses has, however, without any reason, been made a matter of ridicule. why? The enemies of religion, instigated by a vain and impious audacity, have represented Moses as a man destitute of understanding and regardless of truth, whilst they have strenuously affirmed that Palestine was sterile and uninviting. These unprincipled men, who would wish, if they cannot overthrow the truth of Sacred Scripture, at least to invalidate it as much as possible, inveigh against no writer more vehemently, than against Moses, rejecting his

U

And

whole history, and all the miracles wrought by him, as false and absurd. We could blunt their opposing weapons, but to follow out all the windings of their fallacious arguments would be a useless labour; for it is impossible, and not to be credited that Moses could have possessed such inconceivable assurance as to speak of actions and miracles, as performed by him before their eyes, if they were not true. Surely he would have exhibited all the symptoms of derangement, and the people having detected his deceit. and misrepresentation, would have withdrawn their confidence from him, and would have committed his writings to the flames. If we consider the situation and condition of Moses, it will appear manifest, that a false description of Palestine, would have been most pernicious to him: for he delayed in the vicinity of that land with an immense multitude of men, and therefore it would have been the greatest imprudence, to have represented it in glowing colours, as surpassing other countries in fertility and abundance of all productions, if it had not been the fact; especially considering that the people were rough and uncultivated, rebellious and inclined to seditions, and on every trivial occasion that offered itself, desirous of returning to Egypt. But the spics that were sent before them, brought back the same description, and exhibited as a proof the rich productions of the land. The number of the Israelites is minutely stated by Moses in different places:* which places, if they be compared, will be found to contain the same amount; whence I infer that the same census is alluded to in all those places, although others entertain a different opinion. Indeed it seems incredible, that the number of so great a people should neither be increased nor diminished within the space of a year; but it is worthy of notice that the taking of the census of so large a multitude must have consumed much time as each name was written down. In the first year then the tables were made out by the rulers

*Exod. xxx. 15, 16; xxxviii. 24. 31; et Num. I. 1.