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pared, fo as to find out any forgery, or detect any knavery which may be fufpected in any branches of the evidence before them. They do not themfelves pretend to judge of the reality or obligation of any ancient laws, or acts of parliament, from their own meer gueffes or inclinations, but from the authenticnefs of the records which contain them, and though they are not able always to fee the reafon, or occafion, or wifdom of fuch laws, or acts of parliament; yet do they, upon full external evidence that they are genuine, allow and execute the fame, as confidering themfelves to be not legislators, but judges; and owning that ancient laws, and ancient facts, are to be known not by guefies or fuppofals, but by the production of ancient records, and original evidence for their reality. Nor in fuch their procedure do they think them felves guilty in their fentences, if at any time afterwards they discover that they have been impofed upon by falfe witneffes, or forged records; fuppofing, I mean, that they are confcious, that they did their utmolt to discover the truth, and went exactly by the best evidence that lay before them; as knowing they have done their duty, and muft in fuch a cafe be blameless before God and man, notwithstanding the miftake in the fentences themselves. Now this is that procedure which I would earneftly recommend to thofe that have a mind to enquire to good purpofe into revealed religion: that after they have taken care to purge themfelves from all thofe vices which will make it their great intereft that religion fhould be falfe; after they have refolved upon honefty, impartiality, and modefty, which are virtues by the law of nature; after they have devoutly implored the divine affiftance and bleffing on this their important undertaking; which is a duty likewife they are obliged to by the fame law of nature; that after all this preparation, I fay, they will fet about the enquiry itself, in the very fame manner that has been already defcribed, and that all our upright judges proceed by in the difcovery of truth. Let them fpare for no pains, but confult all the originals, whenever they can come at them; and let them ufe all that diligence, fagacity, aud judgment, which they are mafters of, in order to fee what real external evidence there is for the truth of the facts on which the Jewish and Chrif tian religions do depend. I here fpeak of the truth of facts, as the fureft way to determine us in this enquiry; becaufe all theworld,

I think, owns, that if thofe facts be true, thefe inftitutions of religion muft alfo be true, or be derived from God; and that no particular difficulties, as to the reafons of feveral laws, or the conduct of providence in feveral cafes, which thofe inftitutions no where pretend to give us a full account of, can be fufficient to fet afide the convincing evidence which the truth of fuch facts brings along with it. For example: Those who are well fatisfied of the truth of the Mofaic hiftory; of the ten miraculous plagues with which the God of Ifrael fmote the Egyp tians; of the drowning of the Egyptians in the Red fea, while the Ifraelites were miraculoufly conducted through the fame; and of the amazing manner wherein the decalogue was given by God to that people at mount Sinai; will for certain, believe that the Jewish religion was in the main derived from God, though he should find feveral occafional paffages in the Jewish facred books, which he could not account for, and feveral ritual laws given that nation, which he could not guess at the reafons why they were given them. And the cafe is the very fame as to the miraculous refurrection, and glorious afcenfion of our bleffed Saviour, Jefus Chrift, with regard to the New Teftament: on which account I reckon that the truth of fuch facts is to be principally enquired into, when we have a mind to fatisfy ourselves in the verity of the Jewish and Chriftian religions. And if it be alledged that fome of thefe facts are too remote to afford us any certain means of difcovery at this diftance of time; I anfwer, That then we are to felect fuch of thofe facts as we can examine, and to fearch into the acknowledgment or denial of thofe that are ancienter, in the oldeft teftimonies now extant; into the effects and confequences, and ftanding memorials of fuch facts in after ages, and how far they were real, and allowed to be fo; and in short, we are to determine concerning them, by the beft evidence we can now have; and not let a bare fufpicion, or a with that things had been otherwife, overbalance our real evidence of facts in any cafe whatfoever. I do not mean that our enquirer is to have no regard to internal characters, or the contents of the Jewish and Chriftian revelations; or that he is not to examine into that alfo in the general, before he admits even the proof from miracles themselves; becaufe what pretended miracles foever are wrought, for the fupport of idolatry, or wickedness; for the etta

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blifhment of notions contrary to the divine attributes, or of an immoral, or profane, or cruel religion, though they may prove fuch a religion to be fupernatural, yet will they only prove that it comes from wicked dæmons, or evil fpirits, and not from a God of purity and holinefs, and fo will by no means prove it divine, or worthy of our reception. But then, it is, for the main, fo well known, that the Jewish and Chriftian inftitutions do agree to the divine attributes, and do tend to purity, holiness, juftice and charity; and are oppofite to all immorality, profanenefs, and idolatry, that I think there will not need much examination in fo clear a cafe; and that, by confequence, our main enquiry is to be as to the truth of the facts thereto relating. And in this cafe, I fear not to invite all our fceptics and unbelievers, to ufe their greatel nicety, their entire fkill, their fhrewdeft abilities, and their utmoft fagacity in this enquiry; being well affured from my own oblervations in this matter, that the proper refult of fuch an exact historical enquiry will be as plainly and evidently on the fide of revealed religion.

There is fuch an inimitable air of fincerity, honefty, and impartiali.y, in the facred historians; the ancient profane teftimonies fill extant de fo generally atteft to, and confirm the facts, fo far as they are concerned; the most ancient predictions have been all along fo exactly and wonderfully fulfilled; the characters of the Meffias in the Cid Teftament have been fo particularly atiwered in the New; our Lord's own predictions, and thofe of St. Paul and St. John Lave been all along hitherto fo furprisingly accomplished, the epiftles of the apofties, and the history and fufferings of them and of their immediate fucceflors, do fo fully confirm the miracles and circumftances belonging to the first times of the Gospel; that he who acquaints himfelf originally with thefe things, if he come with an untinted and honeft mind, cannot eafily be cther than a believer and a Chriftian.

I cannot but heartily with, for the common good of all the fceptics and unbelievers of this age, that I could imprint in their rinds all that real evidence for natural and for revealed religion that now is, or during my paft enquiries has been upon my own mind thereto relating; and that their temper of mind were fuch as that this evidence might afford them as great fatisfaction as it has myfelf. But though this entire communication of the evidence that is, or has

been in my own mind, for the certainty of natural religion, and of the Jewish and Christian inflitutions, be, in its own nature, impoffible; yet, I hope, I may have leave to addrefs myself to all, efpecially to the fceptics and unbelievers of our age; to do what I am able for them in this momentous concern; and to lay before them, as briefly and feriously as I can, a confiderable number of thole arguments which have the greatest weight with me, as to the hardest part of what is here defired and expected from them; I mean the belief of revealed religion, or of the Jewish and Chriftian inftitutions, as contained in the books of the Old and New Teftament.-But to wave farther preliminaries, fome of the principal reafons which make me believe the Bible to be true are the following:

1. The Bible lays the law of nature for its foundation; and all along supports and affifts natural religion; as every true reve lation ought to do.

2. Aftronomy, and the reft of our certain mathematic fciences, do confirm the accounts of Scripture; fo fa. as they are concerned.

3. The most ancient and best historical accounts now known, do, generally speaking, confirm the accounts of Scripture; fo far as they are concerned.

4. The more learning has encreased, the more certain in general do the Scripture accounts appear, and its difficult places are more cleared thereby.

5. There are, or have been generally, ftanding memorials preferved of the certain truths of the principal hiftorical facts, which were conftant evidences for the certainty of them.

6. Neither the Mofaical law, nor the Chriftian religion, could poffibly have been received and established without fuch miracles as the facred hiftory contains.

7. Although the Jews all along hated and perfecuted the prophets of God; yet were they forced to believe they were true prophets, and their writings of divine infpiration.

8. The ancient and present state of the Jewish nation are strong arguments for the truth of their law, and of the Scripture prophecies relating to them.

9. The ancient and prefent ftates of the Chriftian church are alfo ftrong arguments for the truth of the Gofpel, and ofthe Scripture prophecies relating thereto.

10. The miracles whereon the Jewish and Chriftian religion are founded, were

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of old owned to be true by their very enemies.

11. The facred writers, who lived in times and places fo remote from one another, do yet all carry on one and the fame grand defign, viz. that of the falvation of mankind, by the worship of, and obedience to the one true God, in and through the King Meffiah; which, without a divine conduct, could never have been done.

12. The principal doctrines of the Jewish and Chriftian religion are agreeable to the moft ancient traditions of all other nations.

13. The difficulties relating to this religion are not fuch as affect the truth of the facts, but the conduct of providence, the reafons of which the facred writers never pretended fully to know, or to reveal to mankind.

14. Natural religion, which is yet fo certain in itself, is not without fuch difficulties, as to the conduct of providence, as are objected to revelation.

15. The facred hiftory has the greatest marks of truth, honefty and impartiality, of all other hiftories whatfoever; and withal has none of the known marks of knavery and imposture.

16. The predictions of Scripture have been ftill fulfilled in the feveral ages of the world whereto they belong.

17. No oppofite fyftems of the univerfe, or fchemes of divine revelation, have any tolerable pretences to be true, but thofe of the Jews and Christians.

Thefe are the plain and obvious arguments which perfuade me of the truth of the Jewish and Chriflian revelations.

Whiston.

§ 172. The divine Legation of Mofes. The evidence the Jews had to believe the feveral matters related by Mofes, preceding the deliverance from Egypt, was, fo far as we know, no more than Mofes's word; whofe credit was fufficiently citablished, by the teftimonies given to him by the Deity; but, at the fame time, it is not certain that they had not fome diftinct tradition concerning thefe things. But, as to his authority, and the authority of the laws and inftitutions given by him, they had, and their children, and we who take it from their children, have the ftrongest evidence the nature of the thing is capable of. For,

1. The whole people, an infinite multitude, were witneffes of all the miracles wrought preceding the deliverance from

Egypt, and of the final miracle that atchieved their deliverance; in memory whereof, the paffover, an annual folemnity, was inftituted, with the firongeft injunctions to acquaint their children with the caufe of that obfervance, and to mark that night throughout all their generations for ever.

2. The whole people were witneffes to the miracle in pafting the Red Sea, and fung that hymn which Mofes compofed on that occafion, which was preferved for the ufe of their children.

3. The whole people were witnefies to the dreadful promulgation of the law from Sinai, with which they were alfo to acquaint their children; and the feaft of Pertecoft was annually to be obferved on the day on which that law was given; befides that the very tables in which the ten commands were written, were depofited in the Ark, and remained, at leaft, till the building of Solomon's temple, and probably till the deftruction of it.

4. The whole people were witneffes to the many miracles wrought, during the fpace of forty years, in the wilderness: to the pillar of fire and cloud, to the manna, quails, &c. a fample of the manna remaincd to future generations: and they were directed to relate what they faw to their children.

5. The whole people were witnesses to the framing and building of the Ark, and Tabernacle; they were all contributors to it; they faw the cloud fill and reft upon it, and they affifted at the fervices performed there; and, to commemorate this, as well as their fojourning in tents in the wildernefs, the annual feaft of Tabernacles was appointed, which in fucceeding years, they were to explain to their children.

As thefe things were abfolutely fufficient to fatisfy the children of Ifrael, then in being, touching the authority and obligation of this law, feveral things were added to enforce the obfervance, and to preserve the memory and evidence of what was to be obferved.

1. The law was by Mofes, at the command of God, put into writing, for the greater certainty, as well as all the directions for making the Ark, the Cherubim, the Tabernacle, the priest's garments, &c. and all the rules of government, judicature, &c. with every other circumftance evealed, for directing the faith and the conduct of the nation.

2. The law was to be preferved, perufed, and attended to, in the most careful 4

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manner; the priests, who were to judge in questions relating to it, must be well verfed in it; the king, who was to rule over the nation, was to write out a copy of it for himfelf, and to perufe it continually; and the people were to write out paffages of it, and to wear them by way of figus, upon their hands, and of frontlets, between their eves, and to write them upon the pot of their doors, &e. And they were to teach their children the most notable parts of it, and particularly to instruct them in the miracles attending the deliverance from Egypt, as they fat in their houfe, as they walked by the way, as they lay down, and as they role up, &c.

3. Befides the authority that promulgated the law, there was a folemn covenant and agreement between God and the people, whereby the people became bound to keep, preferve, and obferve this law, and all that was contained in it: and God became bound to be the God of the Ifraelitish people, to protect, and profper them: and This covena it, towards the end of their fojourning in the wilderness, was folemnly renewed.

4. The particulars of this covenant, upen God's part, were, to give the people the good land of Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey, to preferve, and protect then in it; to give them perpetual indurarce, and victory over their and his enemies; to profper them in all their labours; to give them the increase of their fields, and flocks; and to make them a great, a happy, and a flourishing people; on condi

that they kept and obeyed his law. 5. The particulars, on the part of the prople, were, to ferve Jehovah, and no other God, in the way directed by the ; to preserve, obferve, and obey the law carefully, and exactly; and if they failed or tranfgreffed, to fubmit and confent to the fevere fanction of the law and covenant, which, in many instances, was, to individuals tranfgreffing, death (to be cat off from the people) and to the bulk of the people, deftruction, captivity, difperfion, blindness, madnefs, &c. befides the trfeiture of all the good promifes.

6. Befides the other bleflings, and preeminences, God was, by fome special vifi. ble fymbol of his prefence, to refide continually with the people; firft, in the Tabernacle, which was made in the wildernefs for that end, and afterwards in the temple; whence he was to give judgment

and directions, and to anfwer prayers, and accept of vows.

7. This covenant was alfo reduced into writing, and was the tenure by which the Ifraelites held the land of Canaan, aud on which all their hopes were founded; wherefore it must in all generations be confidered by them as a thing of no finall moment.

As God was the head of this ftate, and as the people held immediately their land of him; fo he made feveral regulations for holding that property, that are very remarkable.

1. The land was by his command di vided into twelve lots, one for each tribe; and they were put in poffeflion accordingly, to the exclufion of the tribe of Levi, who for their portion had no more than what attended the fervice of God's houfe, and fome cities with fuburbs, difperfed amongst other tribes.

2. Not only were the defcendants of each tribe to enjoy, in exclufion of other tribes, their own lot, but the particular fields and parcels, within each tribe, were to remain for ever with the refpective families that firft poffefied them, and on failure of the iffue of the poffeffor, to the nearest of that family: hence all lands fold returned at the jubilee to the proprietor, or his nearest a-kin; he who had a right to revenge blood might redeem.

3. This right of blood, depending upon knowledge of defcent and genealogy, made it abfolutely neceflary for the children of Ifrael to keep very exact records and proofs of their defcent; not to mention the expectation they had of fomething furprifingly fingular from the many promifes made to Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, that the bleffing to mankind fhould fpring from their Seed; and, in tracing their genealogy, we fee they were very critical, upon their return from Babylon: fo that, before their records were disturbed by the captivity, it could not well be otherwise, but that every body of any note amongst the Jews could tell you the name of his ancestor, who first had the family-poffeffion, in the days of Joshua, and how many degrees, and by what defcent he was removed from him. And as these first poffeffors, pursuant to the cultom of the nation, muit have been defcribed by their father's name, 'tis highly probable, they could have quoted by name that ancestor who faw the miracles in Egypt, who faw the law given, who en

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tered into the covenant, and who contributed to the setting up the Ark and Tabernacle.

4. The very furprising care taken by the Deity to keep the breed of the Jews pure and genuine, by the proofs of virginity, and by the miraculous waters of jealoufy, is a circumftance that merits attention, and will eafily induce a belief that defcent and birth was a matter much minded amongst them. And,

5. The appointment and obfervance of the fabbatical year, and, after the seventh fabbatical year, a year of jubilee, for the general release of debts, lands, &c. is a circumftance of great moment, not only as thefe notable periods were useful towards the eafy computation of time, but as it made enquiry into titles, and confequently genealogy, necefiary every fiftieth year; and as the ceffation from culture every feventh year gave continual occafions for the Deity's difplaying his power in increafing the crop of the fixth, pursuant to his promife.

Now, taking thefe circumftances together under confideration, could any human precaution have provided more means to keep up the memory and evidence of any fact? Could this have been done by human forefight or force? Has any thing like to it ever been in the world befides?

What could tend more to perpetuate the memory of any event, than to deliver a whole people, by public glorious miracles, from intolerable flavery? To publish a very extraordinary fyftem of laws immediately from heaven? To put this law in writing together with the covenant for the obeying it? To make the tenure of the eftates depend on the original divifion of the land, to men who faw the miracles, and first took poffeflion, and on the proximity of relation, by defcent to them? To appoint a return of lands every fiftieth year, which fhould give perpetual occafion to canvafs thofe defcents? To order a fabbath every feventh year for the land, the lofs of which fhould be fupplied by the preceding year's increase? And to felect a whole tribe confifting of many thousands, to be the guardians, in fome degree the judges and the executors of this law; who were barred from any portion of the land, in common with their brethren, and were contented with the contributions that came from the other tribes, without any fixed portion amongft them. This must keep up the belief and au

thority of that law amongst the defcendants of that people, or nothing could: and if fuch a belief, under all these circumftances, prevailed amongst a people fo conftituted, that belief could not poffibly proceed from impofture; because the very means provided, for proof of the truth, are so many checks against any poffibility of impofition.

If any man will fuggeft that the law of the Jews is no more than human invention, and that the book of the law is a forgery; let him fay when it was impofed upon that people, or at what period it could have poffibly been impofed upon them, fo as to gain belief, later than the period they men tion, and under other circumstances than thofe they relate.

Could the whole people have been perfuaded at any one period, by any impoftor, that they were told feverally by their fathers, and they by theirs, that the law was given with fuch circumftances, and under fuch promifes, and threats, if they were not really told fo; or that they, throughout all their generations, had worn certain paffages of the law by way of frontlets and figns, if it had not really been fo?

Could the whole people have been perfuaded to fubmit to the pain of death, upon all the offences which the law makes capital, unless their fathers had done fo, upon the evidence of the authority of that law?

Could the whole people have been perfuaded that they had kept exact genealogies, in order to entitle them to the blefling, and to the inheritances feverally, unles they actually had done fo?

Could the whole people believe that they had kept paffovers, feafts of tabernacle, &c. down from the date of the law, commemorative of the great events they relate to, unless they had really done fo?

Could the children of Ifrael have been impofed on to receive an Ark, and a Tabernacle, then forged, and a compleat fet of fervice and liturgy, as defcending from Mofes by the direction of God, unless that Ark and that fervice had come to them from their ancestors, as authorized by God?

Could the whole people have fubmitted to pay tythe, firft fruits, &c. upon any feigned revelation? Or, could the tribe of Levi, without divine authority, have fubmitted, not only to the being originally without a portion in Ifral, but to the being incapable of any, in hopes of the contri butions of the people; which however large when the whole twelve tribes ferved at the

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