ing blood; to the decollation of the calf; to the redemption of the first-born of the ass; and other similar injunctions. The true reasons, however, of these and many other precepts of like nature, I will develope, by demonstrating, that, with the exception of some particular circumstances, and a few precepts not understood by us at present. they are all necessary either to the welfare of the Soul or Body; the latter especially being produced by the prevention of lawless violence, and the formation of virtuous habits. But let

not what we have already said respecting the dogmas of faith be forgotten,-that sometimes a precept solely regards an article of belief, and has no other reference, as in the case of the precepts respecting the Unity, Eternity, and Spirituality of God; but that at other times, the precept is to be believed in order to banish vice and encourage virtue; as when it is declared, that God is angry with the man who injures another; as it is said, My wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and again, that God will speedily hear the cry of the oppressed and afflicted.

CHAPTER IV.

Abraham imprisoned and exiled for combating the Errors of the Zabii.-Zabian Idolatries and Fables.

ABRAHAM, our father, was, as is well known, educated in the faith of the Zabii, (5) who maintain, that there is no God but the stars, as their books and ancient annals translated into the Arabic, and yet extant among us, undeniably prove. In them, they expressly affirm, that the stars are Divinities, (Dii minorum Gentium,) and the Sun, the chief Deity. They also write, that the five planets are gods, but the two great luminaries, superior ones; and add, that the sun governs both the upper and lower worlds. The before-mentioned books and annals, relate also concerning Abraham, that being educated in Cutha, (6) but dissenting from the common opinions, and affirming that there was another Creator beside the sun, they began to object first one thing and then another to him, alleging, amongst other objections, the evident and manifest influence of the sun in the world. Abraham replied, "Ye are right, and have spoken well, for the sun is like the axe in the hand of one who is felling trees." Certain

arguments are then stated as having been urged by Abraham, after which it is related, that the king imprisoned him, but that even in prison he continued his opposition to their errors. The king fearing, therefore, lest his kingdom should sustain injury, and his subjects be seduced from their religion, confiscated his goods, and banished him to the most distant countries of the east. The whole relation is delivered at large in the book which is entitled, man пn, (of the worship of the Nabathaans,) (7) but no mention whatever is made of what is written in our Canonical Books, nor of the gift of Prophecy which was conferred upon him; for they endeavoured to refute and discredit him, because he contradicted their impious opinions. (8) Nor can it be doubted, but that men who were thus involved in error, would be violently irritated by the firmness with which he combated their sentiments, and would load him with every species of contumely and reproach. But, as was his duty, he bore their injuries with patience for the glory of God, and, therefore, it was promised to him, "I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curse thee"-A promise, the accomplishment of which is seen, in our days, since all men admire him, and even those who are not of his seed are blessed in him. Nor are there any to be found of a different opinion respecting him, or who are ignorant of his superiority and excellence, except some des

cendants of the Zabii still remaining in distant parts of the world.

In the time of Abraham, the utmost to which philosophers carried their speculations, was, to esteem God to be the Spirit of the sphere, or celestial orb; (9) supposing the celestial orbs and planets to be bodies, and the Supreme Being the soul or spirit of them. Abubachar Alsuig notices this opinion of theirs, in his Commentary on Aristot. de Auditu. The Zabii, consequently, held the eternity of the world. (10) They moreover maintained, that the first man, Adam, was, like others, the offspring of a man and woman, though they greatly extolled him, calling him the Prophet of the Moon, and asserting that he taught men to worship the Moon, and composed certain works on agriculture. (11) They also affirmed, that Noah was an husbandman, but worshipped no sort of images; on which account they censure him, and tell us that because he would worship only the Supreme Being, and for other things of a similar nature, he was thrown into prison;-and add, that Seth also dissented from Adam his father, as to the worship of the moon. In a word, they advance so many falsehoods, that they only serve to excite ridicule, and show the imbecility of their minds, and their total ignorance of true philosophy. Thus, they say of Adam, that when he quitted the country adjacent to India, for the confines of Babel, he carried with him many wonderful things: Amongst which were, one

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tree whose branches, leaves, and flowers were all of gold, and another all of stone; and also, two of the leaves of a third tree, so verdant that the fire could not consume its leaves, and so large as to cover ten thousand men of equal stature with Adam; for that even one of the leaves he carried with him, would have been large enough to have covered or clothed two men. These, and many other similar things, do they relate; so that I am not astonished that they should believe the eternity of the world, when they can give credit to such impossibilities in nature. The fact is, that such relations are designed only to support the idea of the eternity of the world, and the divinity of the Heavenly Bodies. But when Abraham, that Pillar of the world, had gone forth, and learned that God is abstract and spiritual, and that all the stars and planetary worlds are his works, and had understood the falsehood of those vanities in which he had been educated; he then began to oppose and refute them publicly, and by invoking the Name of Jehovah the Everlasting God, openly declared, that He was God, and had created all things.

To return. The Zabii, agreeably to the sentiments adopted by them, erected images to the stars; to the Sun images of gold, but to the Moon images of silver. They also distributed the metals, and the climates of the earth amongst the stars, adjudging a certain climate to a certain star. Afterwards they built chapels, and placed the images in them, believing, that the