people difperfed through all the nations of the Roman empire, and even extending itfelf beyond the bounds of that empire. As the Greeks and Romans always believed the principal facts of their hiftorical books, fo the Jews and Chriftians did' more, and never feem to have doubted of the truth of any part of theirs. In fhort, whatever can be faid of the traditional authority due to the Greek and Roman writers, fomething analogous to this, and for the most part of greater weight, may be urged for the Jewish and Chriftian. Now, I fuppofe that all fober-minded men admit the books ufually afcribed to the Greek and Roman hiftorians, philofophers, &c. to be genuine, and the principal facts related or alluded to in them to be true; and that one chief evidence to this, is the general traditionary one here recited. They ought therefore to pay the fame regard to the books of the Old and New Teftaments, fince there are the fame or greater reafons for it.

Secondly, if we re-confider the circumftances recited in the last paragraph, it will appear, that these traditionary evidences are fufficient ones; and we shall have a real argument, as well as one ad bominem, for receiving books fo handed down to us. For it is not to be conceived, that whole nations fhould either be impofed upon themfelves, or concur to deceive others, by forgeries of books or facts. Thefe books and facts must therefore, in general, be genuine and true; and it is a strong additional evidence of this, that all nations must be jealous of forgeries for the fame reafons that we are.

Here it may be objected, that as we reject the prodigies related by the Greek and Roman writers, though we admit the common history, fo we ought alfo to reject the fcripture miracles. To this I answer,

First, That the fcripture hiftory is fupported by far stronger evidences than the Greek or Roman, as will appear in the following Propofitions.

Secondly, That many of the fcripture miracles are related by eyewitneffes, and were of a public nature, of long duration, attended by great and lafting effects, infeparably connected with the common hiftory, and evidently fuitable to our notions of a wife and good Providence, which cannot be faid of thofe related by the Pagan writers.

Thirdly, That the fcripture miracles not attended by thefe cogent circumftances, are fupported by their connexion with such as are; and that, after we have admitted thefe, there remains no longer any prefumption against thofe from their miraculous nature.

Fourthly, If there be any small number found amongst the Pagan miracles, attefted by fuch-like evidences as the principal ones for the fcripture miracles, I do not fee how they can be rejected; but it will not follow, that the fcripture miracles are falfe, because fome of the Pagan ones are true,

PROP.

PROP. V.

THE GREAT IMPORTANCE OF THE HISTORIES, PRECEPTS, PROMISES, THREATENINGS, AND PROPHECIES, CONTAINED IN THE SCRIPTURES, ARE EVIDENCES BOTH OF THEIR GENUINENESS, AND

OF THE TRUTH OF THE PRINCIPAL FACTS MENTIONED IN THEM.

THIS is one of the inftances in which the evidences for the fcriptures are fuperior, beyond comparifon, to thofe for any other ancient books. Let us take a fhort review of this importance in its several particulars.

The hiftory of the creation, fall, deluge, longevity of the patriarchs, difperfion of mankind, calling of Abraham, defcent of Jacob with his family into Egypt, and the precepts of abftaining from blood, and of circumcifion, were of fo much concern, either to mankind in general, or to the Ifraelites in particular, and fome of them of fo extraordinary a nature, as, that it could not be an indifferent matter to the people, amongst whom the account given of them in Genefis was firft publifhed, whether they received them or not. Suppofe this account to be first published amongst the Ifraelites by Mofes, and alfo to be then confirmed by clear, univerfal, uninterrupted tradition (which is poffible and probable, according to the hiftory itself); and it will be easy to conceive, upon this true fuppofition, how this account fhould be handed down from age to age amongst the Jews, and received by them as indubitable. Suppofe this account to be falfe, i. e. fuppofe that there were no fuch evidences and veftiges of thefe hiftories and precepts, and it will be difficult to conceive how this could have happened, let the time of publication be as it will. If early, the people would reject the account at once for want of a clear tradition, which the account itfelf would give them reafon to expect. If late, it would be natural to inquire how the author came to be informed of things never known before to others.

If it be faid, that he delivered them as communicated to him by revelation (which yet cannot well be faid, on account of the many references in Genefis to the remaining veftiges of the things related), these furprifing, interefting particulars would at least be an embarrassment upon his fictitious credentials, and engage his contemporaries to look narrowly into them.

If it be faid, that there were many cofmogonies and theogonies current amongst the Pagans, which yet are evidently fictions; I answer, that these were in general regarded only as amazing fictions; however, that they had fome truth in them, either expreffed in plain words, or concealed in figures, and that their agreement with the book of Genefis, as far as they are confiftent with one another, or have any appearances of truth, is a remarkable evidence in favour of this book. It is endlefs to make all the poffible fuppofitions and objections of this kind; but it appears to me, that the more are made, the more will the truth and genuineness of the fcriptures be eftablifhed thereby.

It ought to be added, in relation to the precepts of abftaining from blood, and circumcifion, before mentioned, that if the firft was common to mankind, or was known to have been so, the last peculiar

to

to the defcendants of Abraham at the time of publication of the book of Genefis, this confirms it; if otherwife, would contribute to make it rejected. If neither the practices themfelves, nor any veftiges of them fubfifted at all, the book must be rejected. The difficulty of deducing thele practices from the principles of human nature ought to be confidered here; as it tends to prove their divine original, agreeably to the accounts given of them in Genesis.

Let us next come to the law of Mofes. This was extremely burdenfome, expenfive, fevere, particularly upon the crime of idolatry, to which all mankind were then extravagantly prone; and abfurd, according to the common judgment of mankind, in the inftances of forbidding to provide themselves with horfes for war, and commanding all the males of the whole nation to appear at Jerufalem three times in a year. At the fame time it claims a divine authority every where, and appeals to facts of the most notorious kinds, and to cuftoms and ceremonies of the most peculiar nature, as the memorials of these facts. We cannot conceive, then, that any nation, with Yuch motives to reject, and fuch opportunities of detecting, the forgery of the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, thould yet receive them, and fubmit to his heavy yoke. That they fhould often throw it off in part, and for a time, and rebel against the divine authority of their law, though fufficiently evidenced, is eafily to be accounted for from what we fee and feel in ourselves and others every day; but that they should ever return and repent, ever fubmit to it, unless it had divine authority, is utterly incredible. It was not a matter of fuch fmall importance, as that they could content themselves with a fuperficial examination, with a lefs examination than would be fufficient to detect so notorious a forgery; and this holds, at whatever time we fuppose these books to be published.

That the Jews did thus fubmit to the law of Mofes, is evident from the books of the Old and New Teftaments, if we allow them the leaft truth and genuinenefs; or even from profane writers; nay, I may fay, from the prefent obfervance of it by the Jews, fcattered through all the kingdoms of the world.

If it be faid, that other nations have afcribed divine authority to their lawgivers, and fubmitted to very fevere laws; I answer, firft, That the pretences of lawgivers amongst the Pagans to infpiration, and the fubmifion of people to them, may be accounted for in the degree in which they are found, from the then circumftances of things, without having recourse to real infpiration: and particularly, that if we admit the patriarchal revelations related and intimated by Mofes, and his own divine legation, it will appear, that the heathen lawgivers copied after thefe; which is a ftrong argument for admitting them. Secondly, That there is no inftance, amongst the Pagans, of a body of laws being produced at once, and remaining without addition afterwards; but that they were compiled by degrees according to the exigences of the ftate, the prevalence of a particular faction, or the authority of fome particular perfons, who were all ftyled lawgivers, as Draco and Solon, at Athens: That they were made, in

general,

general, not to curb, but humour, the genius of the people; and were afterwards repealed and altered from the fame caufes: whereas the body politic of the Ifraelites took upon itfelf a complete form at once, and has preferved this form in great measure to the prefent time, and that under the higheft external difadvantages; which is an inftance quite without parallel, and fhews the great opinion which they had of their law, i. e. its great importance to them.

If it be faid, that the laws of the lfraelites were not perhaps impofed at once, but grew up by degrees, as in other nations; this will make the difficulty of receiving the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, in which the contrary, with all the particular circumftances, is afferted, greater than ever. In fhort, of all the fictions or forgeries that can happen amongst any people, the moft improbable is that of their body of civil laws; and it feems to be utterly impoffible in the cafe of the law of Mofes.

The next part of the fcriptures, whofe importance we are to confider, is the hiftory contained in the books of Joshua, Judges, Ruth, Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah, and extending from the death of Mofes to the re-establishment of the Jews, after the Babylonith captivity, by Ezra and Nehemiah. Now, in this history, are the following important facts, moft of which must be fuppofed to leave fuch veftiges of themfelves, either external vifible ones, or internal in the minds and memories of the people, as would verify them, if true; make them be rejected, if falfe. The conqueft of the land of Canaan, the divifion of it, and the appointment of cities for the Priests and Levites by Jofhua; the frequent flaveries of the Ifraelites to the neigbouring kings, and their deliverance by the judges; the erection of a kingdom by Samuel; the tranflation of this kingdom from Saul's family to David, with his conquefts; the glory of Solomon's kingdom; the building of the temple; the divifion of the kingdom; the idolatrous worship fet up at Dan and Bethel; the captivity of the Ifraelites by the kings of Affyria; the captivity of the Jews by Nebuchadnezzar; the deftruction of the temple; their return under Cyrus, rebuilding the temple under Darius Hyftafpis, and re-establishment under Artaxerxes Longimanus, by Ezra and Nehemiah; thefe events are fome of them the most glorious, fome of them the most fhameful, that can well happen to any people. can we reconcile forgeries of fuch oppofite kinds, and especially as they are interwoven together? But, indeed, the facts are of fuch confequence, notoriety, and permanency in their effects, that neither could any particular perfons amongst the Ifraelites first project the defign of feigning them, nor their own people concur with fuch a defign, nor the neighbouring nations permit the fiction to pafs. Nothing could make a jealous multitude amongst the Ifraelites or neighbouring nations acquiefce, but the invincible evidence of the facts here alledged. And the fame obfervations hold of numberless other facts of leffer note, which it would be tedious to recount; and of miraculous facts as much, or rather more than others. Besides which, it is to be noted, that all thefe have fuch various neceffary

connexions

connexions with each other, that they cannot be feparated, as has been already remarked.

And all this will, I prefume, be readily acknowledged, upon fuppofition that the feveral books were published in or near the times of the facts therein recorded. But, fay the objectors, this will not hold in fo ftrong a manner, if the books be publifhed after thefe times. Let us take an extreme cafe, then, and fuppofe all these historical books forged by Ezra. But this is evidently impoffible. Things of fo important and notorious a kind, fo glorious and fo fhameful to the people for whofe fake they were forged, would have been rejected with the utmoft indignation, unlefs there were the ftrongeft and most genuine foot-fteps of the things already amongft the people. They were therefore in part true. But many additions were made by Ezra, fay the objectors. I anfwer, if these were of importance, the difficulty returns; if not, then all the important facts are true. Befides, what motive could any one have for making additions of no importance ? Again, if there were any ancient writers extant, Ezra muft either copy after them, which deftroys the prefent fuppofition; or differ from and oppofe them, which would betray him. If there were no fuch ancient writings, the people could not but inquire, in matters of importance, for what reafons Ezra was fo particular in things of which there was neither any memory, nor account in writing. If it be faid, that the people did not regard what Ezra had thus forged, but let it pass uncontradicted; this is again to make the things of fmall or no importance. Befides, why fhould Ezra write, if no one would read or regard? Farther, Ezra muft, like all other men, have friends, enemies, and rivals; and fome or all of thefe would have been a check upon him, and a security against him in matters of importance.

If, inftead of fuppofing Ezra to have forged all thefe books at once, we fuppofe them forged fucceffively, one, two, or three centuries after the facts related; we fhall, from this intermediate fuppofition, have (befides the difficulty of accounting for fuch a regular fucceffion of impoftures in matters fo important) a mixture of the difficulties recited in the two preceding paragraphs, the fum total of which will be the fame, or nearly the fame, as in either of thofe cafes. And, upon the whole, the forgery of the annals of the Ifraelites appears to be impoffible, as well as that of the body of their civil laws.

If it be faid, that the hiftories and annals of other nations have many fictions and falfhoods in them, I anfwer, that the fuperior importance of the events which happened to the Jewish nation, and the miraculous nature of many of them, occafioned their being recorded at the then prefent times, in the way of fimple narration, the command of God alfo concurring, as it feems; and that thus all addition, variety, and embellishment, was prevented; whereas the hiftories of the originals of other nations were not committed to writing till long after the events, after they had been corrupted and obfcured by numberlefs fables and fictions, as is well known. There are many other circumstances peculiar to the Jewifh hiftory, which eftablish its truth, even in the minutest things, as I fhall fhew in the following propofi