Book of Deuteronomy only, and 'tis all that we defire of them, for in it are contained fuch effential Matters of Fact as firmly enough establish'd the Divinity of the Jewish Religion, if they affert, that Hilkiah the high Prieft compiled the Book of Deuteronomy in the days of King Fofias, we can make it appear to them that it is effentially contained in the Writings of the more ancient Prophets, if they diftruft the Writings of the Prophets, together with the whole Scripture in general, we will fhew it them pictured out in the Tradition, Worship and Practice of the Jews: But if for all this their reafon will still refift, we will confult that reafon, in order to make it foon affent of its own accord to the Narration which the Scripture makes of thofe Events, and our conjectures will be found to agree perfectly well with the Sacred Hiftory.

What will the Incredulous then have to object, if joyning all those beams of light together, we make it appear, that thofe Matters of Fact are written in the Penteteuch, contained in the book of Deut. Implicitly fuppos'd in the Decalogue, celebrated in the Song of Mofes, that they are the frequent otcafion of David's giving of thanks, that they are fuppofed in the prayers made to God in Babylon, for the return of the People, that they are so often and fo naturally defcribed by the Prophets in their Writings; that they are that which the Jews have put their confidence in all ages, and which perfwaded them to think themselves their Nation that was peculiarly bleffed from Heaven, that they are imprinted in their Memory, derived down from Father to Son, pictured in their Worship and Practices, and besides all this so closely united and received into the Establishment of the Jewish Common wealth, that without the help of this light we must neceffarily loose our way and bewilder our felves in feeking an Explication of the progrefs of that Common wealth., Z 2

Now

:

Now let the Reader take the pains but to fearch into this matter, and above all, let him unite in his mind all those various Circumftances together, as they really were and he will, find that there were never any Matters of Fact more certain than thefe; there is no kind of fcruple, but what will neceffarily vanish away, fo foon as he comes but to joyn all thefe confiderations together, let the Incredulous then rack their fancys never fo much, to raile Objections, or to form Syftems I dare undertake, by joining thus my Principles to over-throw at firft dafh, all their Speculations; for if thofe Matters of Fact were invented in Ifrael, how came they to be approved in Fudab? If that Copy of the Law, which was always kept in the Temple, happen'd to be corrupted, how could the like have been done to thofe other Copies that were dif perfed among the People, or among the scattered Tribes ? If Hilkiab the Priest invented all thofe Matters of Fact, how could they be in Being in the Days of David? If the Law was counterfeited, how could the Ceremonies that were practifed among the Jews juftifie the Law, and how could the Law juftifie those Ceremonies? If all thofe miraculous Matters of Fact were prefently, and at one time invented, how were it poffible that unknown and unheard of Matters of Fact fhould have been made to pafs for Matters of Fact, that were publicly known? If they were invented fucceffively one after another, let them fhew us the Progrefs of this Error; for we do not find, that the laft Writers relate any other effential Matters of Fact concerning Mofes, but what is alfo to be feen in the moft ancient Writers of all. If you fufpect, that the Writings of the Prophet may have been Coun terfeited, together with the Law of Mofes; what should then occafion the diverfity of their Stile? Judab and Ifrael have had their feve. Prophets If you suspect

the

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the fincerity of thofe Holy Writers, will you diftrust what the Prophets tell you only by the by, that, for Example, which is told you without any manner of Affectation in the Book of Pfalms, and in many other Places, wherein they could never have thought upon of dexterously inferting any Chimerical matters of Fact? If you fear leaft Solomon fhould have counterfeited the Law, do but obferve how Jeroboam the Capital Enemy to Solomon's Race, and whofe grand Concerns it was to prevent the People from going to Worship at Ferusalem; yet inftead of convincing the People of that pretended Fiction, as his Intereft demanded, does himself publicly acknowledge the Authority of this Law.

The

It cannot be doubted but that Mofes has left feveral Memorials and Monuments of it in thofe Ceremonies he practifed. The Tabernacle was in being in the Days of David and Solomon. There were Levites appointed by Mofes to perform Divine Services. Ark of God effecting both in their time, and afterwards, feveral Miracles that were noted in those Hymns, which were preserved down to us, as well as in the Jewish Hiftory, was to David and Solomon a great and illuftrious Pledge of the Wonders God had wrought, by the hands of his Servant Moses.

CHAP. XVI.

That Mofes could never have any Design to Deceive the Ifraelites.

WE

E have gone through the difficulteft part of the performance already, in proving, that the Scriptures of the Jews, efpecially the Writings of

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Mcfes

Mofes, could not have been any ways corrupted, as to the Effentials of them; and that the Matters of Fact they contain, have been derived from Mofes down to us. For to fuppofe that Mofes was the Inventer of them, or that he defir'd to make the People believe them against their own Knowledge, it would have been a very extravagant and ridiculous Fancy in him, because neither that innumerable Company of Persons, which must have been impofed upon, nor the Nature of thofe Matters of Fact, too great and too palpable to be capable of Illufion; nor the Reproaches or Complaints, concerning the Conduct of the Ifraelites, which Mofes intermixes in his Hiftory; nor the care he takes to confirm all his Exhortations by all those Objects which the Ifraelites had feen with their Eyes; nor laftly, that of preferving the Memory of those Matters of Fact, by fo many fenfible and lafting Monuments, will allow us to frame the leaft Scruples in this refpect.

I do not deny but that indeed an able person, a perfon of Credit and Authority, may fometimes impofe upon Men with refpect to Matters of Speculation, as of Divinity or Philofophy. But then how is it poffible one Man fhould deceive another, with refpect to thofe Matters of Fact, which affect the Senfes, with fuch bright Evidence, and with fo much Surprize to the Soul that perceives them?

Perhaps one fingle perfon might be perfwaded to believe one fingle Matter of Fact of this kind, and that either by making him believe, that he has loft the Memory of them, by the effect of fome Distemper ; or, that fome bad dream may occafion his Oblivion of thofe things he hath feen, but then to perfwade above 60000 Souls, to believe fuch a multitude of very fenfible Matters of Fact, pretended to have paft in their own time and prefence, is fuch a

thing as cannot fo much as be thought practicable. Certainly, had it ever been the Intention of that Lawgiver, to impofe upon the Ifraelites, we might very well affirm, that he did not go the right way about it; in effect, 'tis obfervable, that he is not contented to put two or three Reproaches upon the Ifraelites, but that he is divided between his extolling God's Benefits towards them, and his reproaching them for their prodigious hardness of Heart. He calls them a

ftiff-necked People. Be fure, fays he, that it is not for thy Righteousneß fake, that the Lord has given thee, &c. for thou art a ftiff-necked People, &c. Do not forget how Strangely thou haft provoked the Lord to anger. He gives an account of all their various Murmurings, for which they had kindled God's Wrath against them. He represents their horrible perversenefs in worshipping the Golden Calf, their Diftrufts, Seditions, Rebellions, Impurities, Blafphemies, &c. Is it because he thinks by thofe Flatteries to gain them to himself, and fo induce them to believe against every ones own proper Knowledge; that they had feen Rivers turned into Blood, Frogs filling all the Houfes of the Egyptians, Boy's breaking forth upon them with Blains, their Fields deftroyed with Hail-ftones and Locufts, the Land covered with Darkness, all their Firft-born flain in one Night, a general Cry and Lamentation heard in Egypt, and the Egyptians urging them to haften, out of their Land; the Waters of the Red Sea dividing themselves, and forming as it were a double Wall to open them a free Paffage, and returning again to their strength to overthrow their Enemies, which they faw dead on the Sea-fhore; a Pillar of a Cloud, and of Fire leading them; Manna falling. down from Heaven, when they had nothing left them to feed upon, Mount Sinai covered with a Cloud, and with a Whirlwind of Fire for fourty Days, Thunders

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and