the Impudence to forge the Alcoran were forced to fave their Credit by allowing Chrift's Miracles as cited in Ibid. Pug. Fid. p. 293.

They may, if they please, produce Deut. xiii. 1. That if a Prophet give thee a Sign, and it come to pass, they were not to worship falfe Aleim. But God never fuffered any to perform a Series of Miracles, except those who acted by his direction, or the Perfon of Chrift GodMan; and this exception had no reference to Chrift, who, as Mofes teftifies, was to be, in some respects, like him: who, by. himself and Followers, performed many more, and fuch as required the fame Power as Mofes had, and continued to be performed for as long Time as thofe of Mofes in Egypt, and in the Wilderness. No other Prophet durft pretend to give fo full an Evidence. No one of their falfe Meffias, no not even Mahumed himself, durft pretend to give any. The Rabbies are full of various Stories about the Rod of Moses. Targ. Jonathan B. Uziel Exod. ii. 21. tells us, that it was created the fixth Day, that he found it at Rebuel's, who is fuppofed to be Jethro, &c. Buxt. Arca Fad. p. 407. cites fundry; one, a long Story, part of Mofes's Life, in Midrash Vejifcha,

that

that it was delivered to Adam, from him to Enoch, &c. and laftly to Jofeph; that, when he died, Pharaoh got it; and that Jethro, who was one of the chief Magicians, ftole it; that it had the divine Name, the Plagues of Egypt, &c. writ upon it. Wagenfel Tela Ignea Satana Confut. Told. Fefchu, p. 37. "Such was the Mofes, of whom it is thus written in the History of his Life, which the illuftrious Gilbert Gaulmin published Jethro at this very Time had made publick Proclamation, that whoever could pull off a Branch in his Garden, Should have his Daughter to Wife. Kings and Princes came to try, but to no Purpose. Mofes was walking in the Garden, and finding this Branch, which was of Sapphire, and had the ineffable Name of God written on it, gathers it with all the eafe imaginable, and brings it to Jethro. He was furprifed and gave him his Daughter Saphora, according to Compact. Differt. on the Name

p. 318. It would be tedious to tranfcribe any more. Who now will wonder at that fuperftitious People's afcribing the Power of Miracles to the Name ? CI. Buxtorf, cites the following from Capbtor, fol. 56. Mofes made ufe of nothing but the great Name, and all his Miracles were done by the Name and, I am what I

am. So who will wonder that the Talmudic Gentry could believe that R. Hainam could do what he pleased by the Name of forty-two Letters, as it is in the Scholia ad Maff. Aboda Zara, fol. 17. Edit. Cra

Thefe prove not to be Tradition, but Forgery. These Stories prove themfelves falfe, as feveral Forgeries have been detected in this Nation. One, to prove a forged Deed, fwore that there was a twopenny-piece in the Wax with which it was fealed; by Confent they broke the Wax, and found the Piece, but it was coin'd after the Date of the Deed. Another, of a Bond, where the Paper-maker's Mark in the Paper had not been formed till long after the Date of the Bond. So writing, with Letters, was not revealed to Mofes, till long after he had married Jethro's Daughter, nor even the Name Ebjeb afcher Ebjeb till he had worked many, nay moft of his Miracles. Wagenfel Tela ignea Satana, ibid. Confut. Told. Jefchu, p. 37. "Such alfo was Be

zaleel, and of him we read in Berachot, fol. 55. a. R. Samuel, the Son of Nachman, afferts, in the Name of R. Jonathan, that Bezaleel had taken this Name, because of bis Wifdom. When the Blessed God faid to Mofes, go and command Bezaleel to make

me

me a Tabernacle, Ark, and the Furniture: Mofes goes, and tranfpofing the Words, fays to him, make an Ark, and Furniture, and Tabernacle. My good Mafter Mofes anfwers Bazaleel, it is customary for a Man, first to build the Houfe, and then bring the Furniture into it; but thou fays to me, make me an Ark, and Furniture, and a Tabernacle, where am I to put the Furniture, when I have made it? perhaps the Bleed God Jaid thus to thee, make a Tabernacle, Ark, and their Furniture. Then Mofes, perhaps you was in the Shadow of God, fince you know this. R. Jehuda from Raf, Jays, that Bazaleel knew how to put together the Letters by which Heaven and Earth were created; for of him it is faid, Exod. xxxv. 31. He has filled him with the Spirit of God in Wisdom, in Understanding, and in Knowledge. These last Stories have a double, nay treble View, to ascribe the Creation to Angels, to fet aside the Evidence of Miracles, and alfo to set aside the Defign, the Dignity of the Exhibition which was in, and for which it was made, and by whom it became the S. Sanctorum. See Matt. xxiii. 22. And be that fall fwear by Heaven, fweareth by the Throne of God, and by him that fitteth thereon. Ibid. Wagenfel R. Ifaac,

Munimen.

Munimen. Fidei, p. 452. LXV. cap. 8. "And there was there a certain Magician named Simon, he deceived the Jews by his Sorceries, faying, he was a great Man, and they gave Heed to him with Aftonishment, and thought him to be a God, because that of a long Time he had bewitched them with Sorceries. So ibid. I find in the Annals in the Polish Tongue, which they call the Great and Old Chronicle, p. 129. that Simon raised the Dead by his Skill in Magick, and that he was esteemed a God, &c. Behold, from hence you may draw an Argument against the Miracles of Jefus, which were performed by Magick, and therefore a Parcel of filly People thought him a God, which is a common Cafe. Then follows what is mentioned, Acts xxviii. 3. which Place it is worth while to confult." Suppose a Mahometan, who has indeed admitted the Old Teftament, by admitting fuch mad Conftractions as you Apoftates have given them out of it, fhould take it into his Head to fay, you have impofed upon us, you have fhewed that the Miracles which Mofes performed, or indeed any other of the Prophets, to prove the Authority of their Writings, nay, even of your Traditions, if they had come from him, or any of them,