variously mixed with one another, and commerce, arts, and sciences, greatly extended. Yet some changes there necessarily must be in about 1054 years elapsing between the time of Moses and that of Malachi. And accordingly critical Hebrew scholars assure us, that the Biblical Hebrew corresponds to this criterion with so much exactness, that a considerable argument may thence be deduced in favour of the genuineness of the books of the Old Testament.

Secondly. The books of the Old Testament have too considerable a diversity of style to be the work either of one Jew (for a Jew he must be, on account of the language), or of any set of contemporary Jews. If, therefore, they be all forgeries, there must be a succession of impostors in different ages, who have concurred to impose upon posterity, which is inconceivable. To suppose part forged, and part genuine, is very harsh and unnatural; neither would this supposition, if admitted, be satisfactory.

Thirdly. The Hebrew language ceased to be spoken, as a living language, soon after the time of the Babylonish captivity; but it would be difficult or im- possible to forge any thing in it after it was become a dead language. For learned men affirm positively, that there was no grammar made for the Hebrew till many ages after; and, as it is difficult to write in a dead language with exactness, even by the help of a grammar, so it seems impossible without it. All the books of the Old Testament must therefore be, at least, nearly as ancient as the Babylonish captivity; and since they could not all be written in the same age (for

the reason just assigned), some must be considerably more ancient: which would bring us again to a succession of conspiring impostors.

Fourthly. This last remark may perhaps afford a new argument for the genuineness of the book of Daniel, if any were wanting. But indeed the SEPTUAGINT translation, executed about 287 years before the Christian æra, shows not only this, but all the other books of the Old Testament, to have been considered as ancient and genuine books soon after the times of Antiochus Epiphanes, at least.

Fifthly. There is a simplicity of style, and an unaffected manner of writing, in all the books of the Old Testament (excepting only those parts that are avowedly poetical or prophetical), which is a very strong evidence of their genuineness, even exclusively of the suitableness of this, circumstance to the times of the supposed authors.

Sixthly. The style of the New Testament also is remarkably simple and unaffected, and perfectly suited to the time, places, and persons. There is a diversity of style and idiom, such as infallibly proves them to be the production of different writers. And, though a large proportion of the language of the New Testament is pure Greek; yet it is not like the language of Isocrates, of Demosthenes, of Xenophon, or of Plutarch: then there would have been strong ground to suspect forgery, since such would ill accord with the character of Jews writing in a language not their own. But the use of words and phrases is such, as well as the ideas and method of reasoning, that the books of the New

Testament could be written by none but persons originally Jews, which brings the inquiry into a still narrower compass: for I believe it would be impossible to devise any hypothesis which would satisfactorily account for Jews telling such a story, and sacrificing their lives in attestation of it, unless the death and resurrection of Christ make an essential part of that hypothesis.

It may also be observed, that the narrations and precepts of both the Old and New Testaments are delivered without marks of hesitation; the writers teach as having authority; a circumstance peculiar to those who have both a clear knowledge of what they deliver, and a perfect integrity of heart; and this uprightness of intention is, farther, most strikingly evinced by their incessantly relating, either as historians, prophets, or teachers, what runs counter to the whole train of their prejudices as Jews.

And farther, that the care used in specifying that some of the Psalms were composed by Asaph, others by Moses, some of the Proverbs by Lemuel, &c. furnishes another argument in favour of the genuineness of the books of Scripture, and leads us to infer that those books are the real productions of the authors to whom they are ascribed.

III. The very great Number of particular Circumstances of Time, Place, Persons, &c. mentioned in the Scriptures, come in Proof both of their Genuineness and Authenticity.

Here I shall recite some of the principal heads under which these circumstances may be found. Thus, there are mentioned in the book of GENESIS the rivers

of Paradise, the generations of the antediluvian patriarchs, the deluge with its circumstances, the place where the ark rested, the building of the tower of Babel, the confusion of tongues, the dispersion of mankind, or the division of the earth among the posterity of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the generations of the postdiluvian patriarchs, with the gradual shortening of human life after the flood; the sojournings of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, with many particulars of the state of Canaan, and the neighbouring countries in their times; the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the state of the land of Edom both before and after Esau's time, and the descent of Jacob into Egypt; with the state of Egypt before the time of Moses.

In the book of EXODUS are mentioned the plagues of Egypt, the institution of the passover, the passage through the Red Sea, with the destruction of Pharaoh and his host there, the miracle of manna, the murmurings of the people, the victory over the Amalekites, the solemn delivery of the law from Mount Sinai, many particular laws both moral and ceremonial, the worship of the golden calf, the circumstance of Moses breaking the tables on which the law had been inscribed, and a very minute description of the tabernacle, priests, garments, urim and thummim, ark, &c.

In LEVITICUS there is a collection of ceremonial laws, with all their particularities, and accounts of the consecration of Aaron and his son, and of the remarkable deaths of Nadab and Abihu.

The book of NUMBERS contains the first and second numberings of the several tribes, with their genealogies;

the peculiar offices of the three several families of the Levites, many ceremonial laws, the journeyings and encampments of the people in the wilderness during forty years, with the relation of some remarkable events which happened in this period; such as the searching of the land, the rebellion of Korah, the victories over Arad, Sihon, and Og, with the division of the kingdoms of the two last among the Gadites, Reubenites, and Manassites; the history of Balak and Balaam, and the victory over the Midianites; all described with the several particularities of time, place, and persons.

The book of DEUTERONOMY contains a recapitulation of many things contained in the last three books, with a second delivery of the law, chiefly the moral one, by Moses, upon the borders of Canaan, just before his death, with an account of that death, and the true reason assigned why he saw, but did not enter, the promised land.

In the book of JOSHUA are related, the passage over Jordan, the conquest of the land of Canaan in detail, and the division of it among the tribes; including a minute geographical description.

The book of JUDGES contains a recital of a great. variety of public transactions, with the private origin of some. In all, the names of times, places, and persons, both among the Israelites, and the neighbouring nations, are noted with particularity and simplicity.

In the book of RUTH is a very particular account of the genealogy of David, with several incidental circum

stances.

The books of SAMUEL, KINGS, CHRONICLES, EZRA,