Inftructions were the fartheft imaginable from this End. Again, if Socrates were the Wifeft of Men, was he not to be heard and believ'd? And had he been fo, Apollo muft foon have been difcarded. Socrates in his Difcourfes of GOD and a Providence, and Human Duties, (of which no Heathen had ever truer and jufter Sentiments) muft foon have open'd the Eyes of the Athenians to difcern their own Fooleries and Superftitions; as well as the bafe and unworthy Notions and Practices in Religion, that thefe Oracles authoriz'd amongst them.

B. Very probable. For although the Oracle pafs'd fo high a Complement on Socrates, as to declare him the Wifeft of Men; yet if (a) Ju ftin Martyr faid well, he thought him not for his turn; he was a Man by no means that the Devil lov'd, but inftigated the Athenians to deftroy.

A. Of these fort of Prophets feems to me Balaam to have been: That he dealt in Divinations and Inchantments, appears, I think, plain. (b) The Elders of Moab, and the Elders of Midian, departed with the Rewards of Divination in their Hands, apply'd to him as to an Inchanter or Magician. And doubtless the publick Fame he had for this, was the Reafon of Balak's Application to him. But it feems yet plainer from that. Expreffion of Balaam himfelf: Surely there is no Inchantment against Jacob; neither is there any Divination against Ifrael. From whence a Man can hardly forbear imagining, that this way the Prophet thought to have affected Ifrael; and that he was not entirely unacquainted with these Arts; and being call'd upon by Balak to this

(a) Apol. 1.

(b) Numb. 22. 7.

End,

End, the true GOD put a Word in his Mouth. The very Meffage of Balak at firft, Come Curfe me this People, and Balaam's Readinfs to receive it, argues methinks, not only much of the Prophet's Difpofition, but his Practice. Balak applies to him, as a Magician or Inchanter. Ba laam rejects him not, which is very ftrange, had he been a true Prophet of GOD: No! He expects a Revelation upon the Point, which must conclude thus far at leaft, that he thought: it not impoffible to have anfwer'd Balak's Expectation; which Imagination in all Reafon, must be fuppos'd to be grounded on fome former Experiences, on fome Attempts of this Na ture, wherein he had prov'd Successful; and by his Curfes and Imprecations, had greatly af flicted fome Perfon or People. But what fort of Prophets are thofe that deal in Curfes and Imprecations? It is exactly agreeable to the Heathen Sorcery, or Inchantments; the Power of which never any Man deriv'd from a Good, but an Evil Spirit. And fuppofing in any for mer Inftance, Balaam had curs'd (as here he at tempted) any Perfon or People, not without effect; in whofe Virtue, and whofe Power was this done? In the Divine? I cannot think it. We fhall hardly find any thing like this among the true Prophets of GOD. But more efpecially by Curfes and Imprecations, to bring Evils or Diseases on any Perfon, is look'd upon by all the Work of Witchcraft and Sorcery, that has its Affiftance from Evil Spirits. And that Balaam makes reverend mention of the Name of GOD, ftyles him Jehovah, will yield us no certain Argument that he was a Worshipper of the One true GOD. Of which Le Clerc in his Comments on these Places.

Hence,

A

Hence, if any clear and exprefs Prophecies have been deliver'd by the Heathen Oracles, or any others dealing with Evil Spirits; (as in Truth there seem to have been fome, and efpecially in regard to the abfolute Ruin of States and Kingdoms, of which kind many are to be met with in Profane Hiftory) I fee no Abfurdity this way to account for them.

To conclude, the Cafe is this: The World took fuch Perfons for true Prophets, and Men being under this Delufion, why might not the Divine Wisdom and Goodness to ferve the Ends of his Providence, and for the Good of Mankind, on fome certain Occasions interpofe and oblige them to fpeak as true Prophets? It is time to pass on to the Confideration of So

crates.

Socrates.

All Antiquity informs us he likewife profefs'd of the a fort of Inspiration, to be attended with a fa- Damon of miliar Spirit or Damon, that forewarn'd him upon fome certain Occafions of danger to himfelf and others, or foretold him Things to come. And this was by a fort of Voice he heard, or pretended to hear. What Voice this was; whether any thing really without him; or only Internal to his Mind; or elfe whether any thing at all Supernatural; hath been a Matter of Dif pute and Enquiry amongft Antients and Mo→ derns. Some are of the Opinion, among whom is M. Carpenter, a Learned and Ingenious French Man, that there was nothing Supernatural in it; that this Voice was nothing but the laft Refult and Conclufion of his Understanding, touching any Thing or Action that his Mind was converfant about; and this was common among the Philofophers to call that faculty of the Mind, which directed and govern'd the Man and his Actions, part of the Divinity. So

Menander

Socrates's

Damon

tural.

Some bave Menander and the Philofopher Heraclitus; Car c' sbought, eft un Dieu, que noftre entendement Le naturel d'l' bomme, eft un Demon, &c. That these were nothing manners of Expreffion among the Philofophers Superna and Poets, there is no doubt. This Damon of Socrates was a mighty Amusement to his Cotemporaries, as well as to others fince; infomuch that one of his Friends particularly (a) confulted the Oracle upon this Queftion; What was the Dæmon of Socrates? The Anfwer was, That fuperiour part of the Soul, which has the Direction and Command over the Paffions, which is commonly term'd the Understanding: And this is urg'd by thofe that conceive this Damon of Socrates nothing Supernatural. Again being ask'd by Simias, What that Damon was he talk'd fo much of? He would make him no Answer, which prevented all farther Enquiry about it. The Anfwer of the Oracle likewife to Socrates his Father, that he should by no means curb or reftrain the Lad, but leave him to his own natural Inclination; he having a better Guide within him, than Ten Thousand Mafters would be without him; is urg'd against the Supernatural Direction of Socrates. And lastly, when Socrates was confuited by his Friends, in Matters beyond the Reach and Penetration of Human Understanding, he would fend them to the Oracle, as he did Zenophon himfelf: A clear Cafe, fay fome, he had nothing of Supernatu ral Direction himself; for if he had, what need of fending them to the Oracle? Such are the Reasons urg'd against Socrates his Inspiration, or Supernatural Direction.

(a) Plut. of the Damon of Socrates.

I fhall

may induce

I fhall not confider this Matter exactly, yet The Rea I muft needs confefs, thefe Arguments weigh ons bat little with me; fome of them feem to make a Man to more for his Infpiration than against it; parti- believe 'cularly the Answer of the Oracle to his Father, Socrates That he fhould be left to his own Natural In-Supernaclination; that he had a better Guide within rected. turally dihim than any Mafters he could procure; which without any Violence, may be understood, that he fhould leave him to himfelf; for he fhould be fupply'd with an abler Teacher or Inftructor than any Mafters in Greece. And as to his Naturals, Report fays of him, that they were none of the beft; he himself imputing his Virtues not to Nature, but his own conftant Exercise (b) and Endeavour, together with fome other higher Principle. But more especially Zenophon and Plato, who were acquainted as well as any, with Terms in ufe among the Philofophers, and their Doctrine of the Soul, that it was part of the Divinity, never in the leaft imagin'd, that Socrates meant no more by his Dæmon, than his own Natural Understanding. And befides, the Things attributed to this Da mon, will not well confift with fuch an Opinion. For if it were fo as they relate, (and let any Man find out better Authorities if he can) the Directions of this Damon were only Debortatory, never advis'd him to do any thing, but only to refrain or defift from any Purpofe; when any Action or Enterprize was by himself or his Friends intended, and on which Danger or ill Succefs would follow: Sometimes he heard a Voice, which was a Warning to him to refrain; and when it regarded others, to caution them

(b) Plat. Dial. Menon.

againft