Again, how came it to pass, that, in all the divisions and factions that nation fell into, there was never any few endeavoured, with any fuccess, to undeceive the rest of his own people, so as to make them shake off the troublesome yoke of Mofes's laws? Nodoubt, only because the generality of that nation never difputed the divine origin and authority of them.

It were an easy thing to demonftrate, by the whole feries of the Jewish history, that all those laws which in Mofes's writings are inlayed one within another, and represented as occafioned by several transactions related there, have all been equally received of the Jews, and have all been put together in a body by themselves before Mofes's death, as it may be proved out of the xxxist of Deuteronomy.

It appears, that those laws were public, and in great esteem amongst that people to whom God gave them, upon whom he laid an indifpenfable obligation to read them every day, and to confult them upon every emergent business.

It appears, that they were known equally of all degrees of men, sexes, and ages, which were all obliged to pay obedience to them upon pain

of death.

It appears, that those laws were not only publicly kept in the tabernacle, but also privately read in every family.

We see that a whole tribe, viz. the tribe of Levi, was appointed by God to explain them; and in order to that, they were dispersed throughout the whole land of Canaan, and exempted from the cares and troubles that neceffarily attend husbandry, by the plentiful provision of tithes and offerings that was allotted to them.

We fee that God obliged all Jews to read and meditate upon them continually, especially every fabbath-day.

Nay, and we fee moreover, that God every feventh year would have them read publicly in a more folemn manner, before the whole congregation of that people, who during that year were obliged to rest from all their ordinary labours and employments, and fo had nothing else to do, all that while, but to read the law, to examine it, and to meditate upon it.

Lastly, it appears, that those laws were yet the more folemn and authentic, because they obliged the Jews to celebrate three fuch feasts as were to be publicly kept by the whole nation, and confequently apt to refresh their memories, and put them in mind, thrice a year, not only of the surprising miracles that God had done them, but alfo of the manner how he gave and promulgated his laws; the miracles giving rife to the laws, and those laws being themselves a means of preferving the memory of those miracles, because of the frequent commemoration of them which was therein enjoined.

Now these things being to, let every one judge, whether the truth of Mofes's account of God's giving, and promulgating by his means, that body of laws which he hath inferted in Exodus, and the following books, can poffibly, or at least reasonably, be disputed, or doubted of. But I coule now to confider the oracles recorded in Mofes's writings, in order to demonstiate the truth and divinity of them.

CHAP. VII.

That there is no just Exception can be against MOSES's History, in what relates to the Oracles which he hath recorded in his Books.

HERE are several forts of Oracles in Exodus, and the other three

T following Books.

First, there are some whereof the accomplishment did foon follow the prediction.

The deliverance of the Jews out of the Egyptian bondage is of that number; Mofes does promise and foretel it; nay, and he executed it himself: and all the people to whom it was promised and foretold, were themselves witnesses of the accomplishment of that prophecy; and it was that accomplishment which established the divinity of his commiffion.

So is the other prophecy concerning the conquest of the land of Canaan, and the several divisions that were to be made of it amongst all the tribes of Ifrael, Mofes foretelling exactly what lot every one should have, and giving, befides, a description of the country that every tribe was to inhabit.

Those that were born in the defert were witnesses both of the prediction and the execution of it, although it was by the cafting of lots that all the tribes got their several partitions.

But, secondly, there are some other oracles in Moses's books, the accomplishment whereof was not to follow the prediction till after a long interval of time.

Such are the prophecies that foretel the future subjection of the Ifraelites to the Ganaanites, and the several deliverances out of that subjection, which God was to effect by the hands of judges, whom he was to raise up for that purpose.

Such again are the prophecies which relate to the future change of their commonwealth into a kingly government.

Thirdly, and lastly, we fee that Mofes foretells all the accidents, changes, and revolutions, that were to befall the Jews, as long as their state should stand: at least, we see that his predictions are very plain, concerning their several captivities and removals, and their return into the holy land; as also the sieges of Samaria and Jerufalem; and the irrecoverable difperfion of the whole nation, which we fee at present.

But whatever difference there may otherwise be betwixt all these predictions, we may fay, that every one of them hath as pregnant proofs of its certainty and truth, as any thing of that nature is capable of. For first, as to the first fort of predictions, the accomplishment whereof Mofes relates himself,

It plainly appears, that his account cannot in the least be suspected of imposture; because he wrote it amongst a whole nation, which could not poffibly be impofed upon in that case, seeing he supposes, and takes

it

CH. VII. it for granted, all along in his relation, that those predictions were beforehand publicly and generally known of all the people.

As for the accomplishment of the second sort of propeecies, we have the relation of it in fuch other books as were written after Moses's death, as in the books of Joshua, of Judges, and several others, which relate the accomplishment of them, as of prophecies written many years, and even some ages before, by Moses.

Besides, to this we may add, that the account which we find in those books, concerning the accomplishment of Moses's prophecies, is interwoven with such histories as suppose, without any affectation, that his prophecies, as well as his writings, were in the hands of all the world, and distinctly known by every few.

And what is further obfervable, is, that the Jews have always had Mofes's books in such an esteem, because of these several illuftrious prophecies that are contained in them, that they have always looked upon him as the most excellent of all their prophets. They affert, this very day, that the other prophets had commonly no other knowledge of future events than that which was communicated to them by dreams and vifions; whereas Mofes had it by an immediate revelation of God himself, who used to fpeak to him face to face, without any enthusiasm, when he was perfectly awake.

Now, how could ever the Jews, have been so strongly prepossessed of that high opinion both of Mofes and his predictions, if we suppose that they never faw the accomplishment of any of them?

That would certainly be as strange an illufion as ever was: for it is befides observable, that those prophecies of his were not written by themselves, and kept fecret from the generality of the people; but that they were inserted into the several speeches which he made to all the people some time before his death; and which are written, and kept together in the same volume, to be a standing monument, both of his prophecies, and of his ministry among the Jews.

Now there is a vast difference betwixt a book that is all made up of prophecies, and so kept secret, and seldom read, as the books of the Sybils were, and a book wherein the prophecies it contains are interwoven with a history wherein there is so great a variety of matters, as draws to it and fixes the attention of every reader, and wherein they are mingled with a whole body of political and ceremonial laws, and intermixed with the accounts which Mofes gives of all the great tranfactions which gave the occafion to fo many feveral revelations and prophecies recorded in his books.

I am perfuaded that it is impoffible for any man to make those reflexions upon the opinion which the Jews entertained of Mofes's prerogative, and upon the manner that his prophecies, so much reverenced amongst them, were exactly accomplished, and not be convinced of their Divine authority.

CHAP. VIII.

That the Testimony of the Jews is a constant Proof of the Truth of the Oracles related by MOSES.

B

UT lest any body should think it strange that I should build the truth of Moses's prophecies upon the testimony of the Jews, I will restrain its authority of it within just and certain bounds.

First, although the Jews bear witness, in their sacred books, that the greatest part of Moses's prophecies are already fulfilled, yet they say fome are not; as, for instance, those which relate to the Messiah's coming. But their obstinate blindness is not a just prejudice against such an important truth; to be convinced of which, we need only to compare Moses's words with the actions of Jesus Chrift.

Thus, for what relates to the destruction of Jerufalem, we need only compare Mofes's prophecy of it, with the description Jofephus, their own historian, hath made of the same in his history of the siege and ruin of that city, and of the diffipation of all the nations of the Jews.

But without the Jews testimony, in what regards the accomplishment of those prophecies whereof the execution was deferred for a very long time, it is easy to convince any the most incredulous man of their truth and divinity, if he please but to make this one reflexion, which is, that when Mofes relates amongst the oracles of the Patriarch Jacob, a particular prophecy concerning the Meffiah's coming, and when he mentions that of Balaam concerning the rifing of that Divine star, he subjoins also at the same time that concerning the vocation of the Gentiles to the faith, and brings it in as a certain sign and consequence of the Meffiah's being come into the world.

Now, if we examine the meaning of Moses's predictions about the vocation of the Gentiles, which the Prophets that came after him did better explain and illustrate, we shall be apt from thence to conclude, that he in effect foretold that God in the days of the Messiah would follow quite another method than that which he had used before until the time of Mofes, viz.

That whereas God might seem to restrain then the privilege of his covenant, to one people alone; which was in effect to restrain the honour of the Messiah's birth to one fole nation of the world, to one sole tribe of that nation, to one fole family of that tribe, to one sole branch of that family, and so to one fole person of that branch; he would (after the Meffiah's coming) take a contrary method, and call all men to falvation unto him.

Now that being supposed, the truth of all Moses's prophecies cannot be questioned. And whatever the Jews opinion be concerning the accomplishment of some of them, it is sufficient for us, that they have carefully and faithfully preserved the books wherein those prophecies which we see so exactly fulfilled, are contained.

For we cannot reasonably suspect Mofes, or any other Jew, of forging VOL. I.

U

the

the prophecies which foretold the calling of the Gentiles: not Mofes, seeing all his laws do tend (as I shall shew hereafter more at large) to establish that restriction I was just now speaking of, which was to continue to the Meffiah's coming: not the Jews, seeing that none of them can still endure to hear of the removal of that restriction, by the calling of the Gentiles; and that they are all possessed with such a spirit of envy and jealoufy against all other nations, that they perfectly hate and abominate them. But befides, we cannot defire a better, nor a more authentic accomplishment of those oracles, which are so opposite to the Jewish principles and prejudices, than that which we ourselves are witneffes of.

The same reflexion belongs to the other prophecies of Mofes concerning the total diffipation of the Jewish state; as also to the dreadful accomplishment of them in our days. The most resolved obstinacy can suggest but one objection in this matter, which is, that either the Chriftians or the Jews have falfified Moses's writings, and inferted those prophecies which we now find there, concerning the vocation of the Gentiles, and the dispersion of the Jews, after those things were come to pass.

But first, the books of Mofes, which both Christians and Jews have, are written in Hebrew, and penned in such a style as evidences their antiquity, and as would be inimitable now.

Secondly, that these books have been all translated into Greek, almost 300 years before Jesus Chrift, and about 350 years before the destruction of Jerufalem. Neither the Jews, nor yet the Christians, were any longer fole masters of them, when the heathens had them also in their hands.

Befides, those who were converted to Chriftianity from Judaism and Heathenism, did not only find these prophecies of Mofes in the hands of Jews and Heathens, long before the converfion of the Gentiles, and the deftruction of Jerufalem, but did also make use of them to evince againft the Jews, that the Meffiah was already come.

Thus, I think, I have sufficiently demonstrated the truth and divinity of all Mofes's prophecies which we find in Exodus and the following books.

That it appears, by the Nature of his Relations, that Moses had the Meffias in View when he wrote the Book of GENESIS.

I

HAVE shewed, in my former reflexions upon Genesis, that those who lived before Mofes's time, had a diftinct knowledge that God would certainly raife up a deliverer amongst them, although they were not certain of the manner of his appearance; and I have besides, I think, fufficiently