Which being fo, it fignified nothing to know whether God or an Angel spoke to them. The Chaldeans indeed, whofe Doctrine Jamblichus delivers in his Book of Mysteries, Sect. 2. ch. 3. & Seqq. pretended to know, what was the certain Token of the Prefence of God, or an Angel, or an Arch-angel, or a Dæmon, or a Prince, or a Soul? This was Porphyry's Question, in which Jamblichus largely endeavours to fatisfy him; but I fhall not here cite thofe Paffages in him, not that every thing he there fays is groundless and chimerical, but because the Brevity of our Work will not allow us to be more prolix upon this Subject.

The pious Men among the ancient Hebrews don't seem to have been very apprehenfive of the Frauds of Evil Angels in this Affair, be cause they did not question but that the Good Angels, who were appointed by God Almighty to protect the Vertuous, wou'd fruftrate any fuch Defign. And indeed it was not agreeable to the Divine Goodness, to expose those that fear'd him, to invincible Temptations, which he had certainly done, if there were no exte riour Signs to diftinguifh Evil Spirits from the Good, or if those Characteristicks, which were looked upon by all Mankind to be infallible Indications of a Divine, or Angelical Apparition, might be ufurped by a wicked Power. Nevertheless I will not deny, but that among a vici ous reprobate People, whom God Almighty may be fuppofed to have deliver'd over to the Devil, it might fo fall out, that unclean Spirits

fome

sometimes deceived them with the like Appearances, as we have mention'd. But this was not the cafe of the Righteous,

Differtation IX.

Concerning the Subversion of Sodom, and the Neighbouring Cities, mata

1. The Occafion of this Differtation. II. The Situation of Sodom, and the Neighbouring Cities. III. The Sins they were guilty of. IV. A Defcription of their Subverfion. V. The La cus Alphaltites, or Dead Sea, an everlasting Monument of their Deflruction. VI. A Defcription of the Country about it, from whence the feventh Verfe in St. Jude's Catholick Epistle is explained, and fome other places of the New Testament. VII. This Hiftory gave occafion to fome remarkable Circumstances in the Story of Baucis and Philemon, which Obfervation is illuftrated by feveral Examples. VIII. Whether the Subversion of thefe Cities, fituated upon the River Jordan, is to be aferibed to a Miracle, or is the common Method of God Almighty's Providence, when he punishes Offenders.

I.

LA Mong those other Punishments which Α

the facred Hiftorians tell us the Divine Juftice

04

Justice has inflicted upon wicked Men, few of them are more wonderful than the fudden De ftruction of Sodom, and the adjoyning Cities. However, the Interpreters of the Scripture, when they come to this furprizing Relation, fcarce feem to have employ'd the care they u fually beftow upon other places. For which reafon we judged it convenient to publish this Differtation, where we have treated this Matter more amply than the narrow limits of our Commentary wou'd allow. All the Tranflators which it has been my fortune hitherto to fee, as if they imagined there was no difficulty in the cafe, or elfe had nothing to remark upon fo important a Scene, barely tell us, that this Country was burnt, and fubverted by fire from Heaven; and having done fo, think they have difcharged all that is required from a Tranfla tor. The truth is, what we have heard, and imbibed from our Infancy, becomes at laft fo familiar to us, that we receive it almoft without Examination. But as I have read this History with no little Application, fo methinks I have difcover'd feveral Particulars in it worthy of Obfervation; by which not only this Narrati on may be wonderfully illuftrated, but many other Paffages of the H. Bible conveniently expounded. What we have therefore observed upon this Occafion, we have thrown into the following Differtation; which if we have not handled with that Accuracy as the Dignity of the Subject feems to deferve, yet fince we have

done

done it to the best of our Abilities, we hope the Learned Reader will favourably receive it.

II. Before we examine the Deftruction it felf, it will be neceffary for us to give a fhort Description of the Situation of Sodom, Gomorrah, Adma and Zeboim; because by this means we fhall the better understand how we come to fee nothing but a stinking Lake, where this most delightful Country formerly flood. Mofes thus defcribes the Situation of thefe Cities, Gen. 13.10. where he relates after what manner Lot and Abraham parted: But Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, or the land of Egypt, as thou comeft unto Zoar.

J

In the first place from hence we gather, that thefe Cities were fituated on both fides of the River Jordan; for the plain of Jordan is here called, ἡ περίχωρος τῇ Ἰορδάνε, as the Septuagint has rightly tranflated, rather following the Senfe than the genuine Signification of the Hebrew word Chicchar, which properly fignifies a plain Country, as we find Gen. 19. v. 17. where it is oppofed to a mountainous Region. For this reafon in following times this Country was cal led the Megamidov, or Great Field; as likewife. avar, or the Valley. To make this more evidently appear, we will here fet down the words of Jofephus, who thus defcribes it in the fifth

Book

*

Book de Bello Jud. Chap. 27. Near to it, we find a barren Mountain, but of a *Meaning vaft length, for Northwards it reaches Jericho. as far as the Country of the Scythopolitæ, and towards the South it extends as far as the Land of Sodom, and the bounds of the Dead Sea. Oppofite to it, beyond Jordan, lies a Mountain which begins from Julias, and the Northern Country, and Southwards fpreads as far as Somorra which adjoins to Petra, a City of Arabia. And bere too is a Mountain, called the Iron Mountain, which reaches as far as the Country of Moab. The Valley between thefe Mountains is the fame we are now talking of, and Jofephus gives us the following Defcription of it. The Country which lies in the middle between thefe Mountains, is called the METAПEAION, or Great Field, and reaches from the Village of Ginnabrin to the Lacus Alphaltites. 'Tis a Thoufand two hundred furlongs in length, and fixfcore in breadth. The River Jordan runs through the middle of it. The fame place, from the nature of its Situation, is call'd 'Aunor, or the Valley; although St. Jerome, in his Loci Hebraici, erroneously pretends, that it is a Hebrew word. Aulon, fays he, is not a Greek word, as fome Perfons imagine, but Hebrew: 'Tis the name of a large and Spacious Valley of a prodigious length, which is furrounded on every fide by a continued ridge of Mountains; which begin from Mount Libanus and beyond it, and reach to the Defart of

Paran.