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tions; and I hope the reader will fee, in the progrefs of the argument, that the fame method of reafoning which proves the Jewish history to be rigorously exact, proves alfo, that the hiftories of other nations may be expected to be partly true, and partly falfe, as they are agreed to be by all learned and fober-minded men.

1 pafs over the books of Efther, Job, the Pfalms, Proverbs, Ecclefiaftes, and Canticles, as not having much relation to this propofition; and proceed to the confideration of the prophecies.

Thefe contain the most important precepts, promifes, threatenings, and predictions, i. e. prophecies peculiarly fo called, befides the indirect and incidental mention of the great events recorded in the hiftorical books, And as they are full of the fevereft reproofs and denunciarions against all ranks, king, governors and great men fubordinate to him, priefts, prophets, and people, one cannot expect that they fhould be favourably received by any, but those of the best moral characters; and these must be the first to detect and expose a forgery, if there was any. So that the prophecies, if they were forgeries could not be able to ftand fo rigorous an examination as the importance of the cafe would prompt all ranks to. And here all the arguments before ufed to fhew, that the hiftorical books could neither be forged at the time of the facts, nor fo late as Ezra's time, nor in any intermediate one, are applicable with the fame, or even greater force. Befides which, it is to be obferved of the predictions in particular, that, if they were publifhed before the events, they could not be forgeries; if afterwards, there would not be wanting amongst the Jews many perfons of the fame difpofition with Porphyry, and the prefent objectors to the genuineness of the prophecies, and the truth of the facts related or implied in them, who upon that fuppofition would have met with fuccefs, as Porphyry and the ancient objectors would have done long ago, had their objections been folid. Infidelity is the natural and neceflary product of human wickednefs and weaknefs: we fee it in all other things, as well as in religion, whenfoever the interefts and paffions of men are oppofite to truth; and the prefent objectors to the truth of revealed religion may be affured, that the ancient ones, the murmuring Ifraelites in the wildernefs, the rebellious Jews before Chrift, and both Jews and Gentiles fince Chrift, have done juftice to their caufe.

We come, in the latt place, to confider the importance of the books of the New Teftament. Whoever then received these in ancient times as genuine and true, muft not only forfake all finful pleafures, but expofe himfelt to various hardships and dangers, and even to death itfelf. They had indeed a future glory promifed to them, with which the fufferings of the prefent time were not worthy to be compared; but then this glory, being future, must be supported with the moft inconteftable evidences, elfe it could have no power against the oppofite motives; and both together muft fo roufe the mind, as to make men exert themselves to the uttermoft, till they had received full fatisfaction. Befides which, it is to be obferved, that even joy, and the greatness of an expectation, incline men to difbelieve, and to examine with a fcrupulous exactnefs, as well as fear and diflike.

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As to thofe who did not receive the doctrines of the New Teftament, and the facts there related and implied, they would have fufficient motives to detect the forgery or falfhood, had there been any fuch. They were all condemned for their unbelief; many for their grofs vices; the Jew for his darling partiality to his own nation and ceremonial law; and the Gentile for his idolatry and polytheism; and the most dreadful punishments threatened to all in a future ftate. Now thefe were important charges and alarming confiderations, which, if they did not put men upon a fair examination, would, at leaft, make them defirous to find fault, to detect and expofe, and, if they had discovered any fraud, to publifh it with the utmoft triumph. The books of the New Teftament could not but be of fo much importance to the unbelievers of the primitive times, as to excite them to vigilance and ear-. neftnefs, in endeavouring to difcredit and deftroy them. All which is abundantly confirmed by the hiftory of thofe times. And indeed cafes of the fame kind, though not of the fame degree, occur now to daily obfervation, which the reader will do well to call to mind. Thus it comes to pass, on one hand, that frauds and impoftures are crufhed in the birth; and, on the other, that wicked men labour against the truth in the most unreasonable and inconfiftent ways, and are led on from one degree of obftinacy, prevarication, and infatuation, to another, without limits.

It may be added here, that the perfons reproved and condemned in the Gospels, in the Acts of the Apoftles, by St. Paul in his Epiftles, by St. Peter in his fecond Epiftle, by St. John and St. Jude in their Epiftles, and by St. John in the Revelations, viz. the five churches, and the Nicolaitans, could not but endeavour to vindicate themfelves.. The books were all of a public nature, and thefe reproofs particularly fo, as being intended to guard others.

I have now gone through the feveral parts of the Scripture, and fhewn briefly how the importance of each would be a fecurity against forgery and fiction in that part. I will now add fome general evidences to the fame purpose.

Firft, then, It is certain, that both Jews and Chriftians have undergone the fevereft perfecutions and fufferings on account of their facred books, and yet never could be prevailed with to deliver them up: which fhews that they thought them of the higheft importance, moft genuine and true.

Secondly, The preservation of the law of Mofes, which is probably the first book that ever was written in any language, while fo many others more modern have been loft, fhews the great regard paid to it. The fame holds in a lefs degree of most of the other books of the Old Teftament, fince most of them are ancienter than the oldeft Greek hiftorians. And as the records of the neighbouring nations are loft, we must suppose those of the Jews to have been preferved, from their importance, or fome other such cause as may be an equal evidence of their genuineness and truth.

Thirdly, The great importance of all the facred books appears from the many early translations and pa aphrafes of them. The fame tranflations and paraphrafes must be an effectual means of

fecuring

fecuring their integrity and purity, if we could fuppofe any defign to corrupt them.

Fourthly, The hesitation and difficulty with which a few books of the New Teftament were received into the canon, fhew the great concern of the primitive Chriftians about their canon, i. e. the high importance of the books received into it; and are therefore a ftrong evidence, firft, for the genuineness and truth of the books which were received without hesitation; and then for these others, fince they were received univerfally at last.

Fifthly, The great religious hatred and animofity which fubfifted between the Jews and Samaritans, and between several of the ancient fects amongst the Chriftians, fhew of what importance they all thought their facred books; and would make them watch over one another with a jealous eye.

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THE LANGUAGE, STYLE, AND MANNER OF WRITING, USED IN THE BOOKS OF THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS, ARE ARGU

MENTS OF THEIR GENUINENESS.

HERE I obferve, firft, That the Hebrew language, in which the Old Teftament was written, being the language of an ancient people, and one that had little intercourfe with their neighbours, and whose neighbours alfo fpake a language that had great affinity with their own, would not change fo faft as modern languages have done, fince nations have been varioufly mixed with one another, and trade, arts, and fciences, greatly extended. Yet fome changes there muft be, in paffing from the time of Mofes to that of Malachi. Now, I apprehend that the Biblical Hebrew correfponds to this criterion with fo much exactnefs, that a confiderable argument may be deduced thence in favour of the genuineness of the books of the Old Tefta

ment.

Secondly, The books of the Old Teftament have too confiderable a diverfity of ftyle, to be the work either of one Jew (for a Jew he must be, on account of the language), or of any fet of contemporary Jews. If therefore they be all forgeries, there must be a fucceffion of impoftors in different ages, who have concurred to impofe upon pofterity, which is inconceivable. To fuppofe part forged, and part genuine, is very harfh; neither would this fuppofition, if admitted, be fatisfac

tory.

Thirdly, The Hebrew language ceafed to be fpoken, as a living language, foon after the time of the Babylonifh captivity: but it would be difficult or impoffible to forge any thing in it, after it was become a dead language. For there was no grammar made for the Hebrew till many ages after; and, as it is difficult to write in a dead language with exactnefs, even by the help of a grammar, fo it seems 'impoffible without it. All the books of the Old Teftament must therefore be, nearly, as ancient as the Babylonifh captivity; and, fince they could not all be written in the fame age, fome must be con

fiderably

fiderably more ancient; which would bring us again to a fucceffion of confpiring impoftors.

Fourthly, This laft remark may perhaps afford a new argument for the genuineness of the book of Daniel, if any were wanting. But indeed the Septuagint translation fhews both this, and all the other books of the Old Teftament, to have been confidered as ancient books, foon after the time of Antiochus Epiphanes, at least.

Fifthly, There is a fimplicity of ftyle, and an unaffected manner of writing, in all the books of the Old Teftament; which is a very ftrong evidence of their genuinenefs, even exclufively of the fuitablenefs of the circumstance to the times of the fuppofed authors.

Sixthly, The ftyle of the New Teftament is alfo fimple and unaffected, and perfectly fuited to the time, places, and perfons. Let it be observed farther, that the ufe of words and phrafes is fuch, also the ideas, and method of reasoning, as that the books of the New Teftament could be written by none but perfons originally Jews; which would bring the inquiry into a little narrower compafs, if there was any occafion for this.

One may alfo obferve, that the narrations and precepts of both Old and New Teftament are delivered without hesitation; the writers teach as having authority; which circumstance is peculiar to those who have both a clear knowledge of what they deliver, and a perfect integrity of heart.

PROP. VIII.

THE VERY GREAT NUMBER OF PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCES OF TIME, PLACE, PERSONS, &C. MENTIONED IN THE SCRIPTURES,

ARE ARGUMENTS BOTH OF THEIR GENUINENESS AND TRUTH.

THAT the reader may understand what I mean by thefe particular circumftances, I will recite fome of the principal heads, under which they may be claffed.

There are, then, mentioned, in the book of Genefis, the rivers of Paradife, the generations of the antediluvian patriarchs, the deluge with its circumftances, the place where the ark refted, the building of the tower of Babel, the confufion of tongues; the difperfion of mankind, or the divifion of the earth amongst the pofterity of Shem, Ham, and Japhet; the generations of the poftdiluvian patriarchs, with the gradual fhortening of human life after the flood; the fojourn ings of Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, with many particulars of the ftate of Canaan, and the neighbouring countries, in their times; the deftruction of Sodom and Gomorrah; the ftate of the land of Fdom, both before and after Efau's time; and the defcent of Jacob into Egypt, with the ftate of Egypt before Mofes's time.

In the book of Exodus are the plagues of Egypt, the inftitution of the paffover, the paffage through the Red Sea, with the deftruction.. of Pharaoh and his hoft there, the miracle of manna, the victory over the Amalekites, the folemn delivery of the law from mount Sinai, many particular laws both moral and ceremonial, the worthip of the golden calf, and a very minute defcription of the tabernacle, priests garments, ark, &c.

VOL. V.

C

In

In Leviticus we have a collection of ceremonial laws, with all their particularities, and an account of the deaths of Nadab and Abihu.

The book of Numbers contains the first and fecond numberings of the feveral tribes, with their genealogies, the peculiar offices of the three feveral families of the Levites, many ceremonial laws, the journeyings and encampments of the people in the wildernefs during forty years; with the relation of fome remarkable events which happened in this period, as the fearching of the land, the rebellion of Korah, the victories over Arad, Sihon, and Og, with the divifion of the kingdoms of the two laft among the Gadites, Reubenites, and Manaffites, the hiftory of Balak and Balaam, and the victory over the Midianites, all defcribed with the feveral particularities of time, place, and perfons.

The book of Deuteronomy contains a recapitulation of many things contained in the three laft books, with a fecond delivery of the law, chiefly the moral one, by Mofes upon the borders of Canaan, just before his death, with an account of this.

In the book of Jofhua, we have the paffage over Jordan, the conqueft of the land of Canaan in detail, and the divifion of it among the tribes, including a minute geographical defcription.

The book of Judges recites a great variety of public tranfactions, with the private origin of fome. In all, the names of times, places, and perfons, both among the Ifraelites, and the neighbouring nations, are noted with particularity and fimplicity.

In the book of Ruth is a very particular account of the genealogy of David, with feveral incidental circumftances.

The books of Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah, contain the tranfactions of the kings before the captivity, and governors afterwards, all delivered in the fame circumftantial manner. And here the particular account of the regulations facred and civil eftablished by David, and of the building of the temple by Solomon, the genealogies given in the beginning of the first book of Chronicles, and the lifts of the perfons who returned, fealed, &c. after the captivity, in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, deferve especial notice, in the light in which we are now confidering things.

The book of Efther contains a like account of a very remarkable event, with the inftitution of a festival in memory of it.

The book of Pfalms mentions many hiftorical facts in an incidental way; and this, with the books of Job, Proverbs, Ecclefiaftes, and Canticles, allude to the manners and cuftoms of ancient times in various ways.

In the Prophecies there are fome hiftorical relations; and in other parts the indirect mention of facts, times, places, and perfons, is interwoven with the predictions in the most copious and circumftantial

manner.

If we come to the New Teftament, the fame obfervations prefent themselves at first view. We have the names of friends and enemies, Jews, Greeks, and Romans, obfcure and illuftrious, the times, places, and circumstances of facts, fpecified directly, and alluded to indirectly,

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