very much recommend it to the belief of every impartial Man..

Though the Jews were but a fmall Nation, and confin'd to a narrow compass in the World; yet the firft rife of Letters and Languages is truly to be ascribed to them. It is attested by several of the best and most ancient Heathen Writers, that the Hebrew Alphabet, or (which is all one) the Phenician, is that from which both the Greek and the Latin,and confequently the generality of the reft now known, are derived ; fo Herodotus, Plutarch, Pliny, Curtius, Lucan, &c. From whence it may be probably inferr'd, that the account given by the firft Language, is the most ancient, and therefore the most likely to be a true Account of the first Original of things.

The usual Course observed by all Nations to preferve the Memory of things moft remarkable, which might otherwife in a tract of time be forgotten, especially amongst such as are not acquainted with Letters, hath been by fome practical Inftitution, as by appointing fome Festival for the Commemoration of fuch things. And thus likewife hath it been in the present Cafe: The Sabbath (as Mofes expreffly tells us) was inftituted for this very purpose, to keep up the Memory of the Creation. And though perhaps it may be diffi cult to prove, that this Day hath upon this Account been observed by any other Nation,

but

but the Jews; yet the divifion of Time by Weeks, hath been univerfally obferved in the World, not only amongst the Civiliz'd, but likewise amongst the most Barbarous Nations. And there being no foundation in Nature for this kind of diftribution of days, It muft therefore depend upon fome ancient general Tradition, the Original whereof, together with the particular reafon of it, is preferv'd in the most ancient of all other Hiftories, viz. that of Moses.

As for the derivation of this from the feven Planets, whofe Names have been anciently affigned to them; this being well confidered, will appear to be fo far from invalidating what I now affert, that it will rather contribute to the probability of it.

It is commonly believed that the affignation of the Names of the Planets to the Days of the Week, was by the Chaldeans, who were much devoted to Aftrological Devices, and had an opinion that every Hour of the Day was govern'd by a particular Planet, reckoning them according to their ufual or der, Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sol, Venus, Mercury, Lunas That Planet which was afcribed to the first Hour, giving Name to the whole Day; fuppofing Saturn to belong to the first Hour of Saturday, then the fecond Hour will belong to Jupiter, the third to Mars, &c. and according to this order, the fifteenth Hour will belong likewife to Saturn,

and

and fo will the twenty-fecond, the twentythird to Jupiter, the twenty-fourth to Mars; and fo the first Hour of the next Day muft belong to Sol, which must accordingly give the Denomination to that Day; and fo for the other Days of the Week.

Now if it may appear, that in this very Account, which all forts of learned Men do agree in, there is fuch a special regard to the Jewish Sabbath, or Seventh-Day, as cannot be pretended for any other, this will ftill render it more credible, that the Tradition of the Sabbath did precede thefe Aftrological Names: If we fuppose these Aftrologers to reckon from the firft Day of the Creation, and to begin with the most noble Planet the Sun; then the Seventh Day will be Saturday, or the Jewish Sabbath: Or (which is more probable) if we fuppofe them to begin their Computation, from the first Day after the Creation was finished, and from the higheft Planet, of flowest Motion, and so more proper to fignify a Day of Reft; according to way of Computation, there is a peculiar Privilege belongs to the Jewish Sabbath, which cannot be faid of any of the other Days.

this

The Testimony of greatest Antiquity, next to the Books of Mofes, must be fought for amongst those ancient Nations, the Egyp tians, Chaldeans, Phænicians, from whom the Grecians derived their Learning, and amongst

amongst whom the First and most famous Philofophers of Greece were wont to travel, for the improving of their Knowledge; it being probable that fome Memorials might be preserved amongft those ancient Nations, concerning the first beginning of Things; and that they were acquainted with what was the Univerfal Tradition of the first Ages. Upon which account, thofe Grecian Philofophers before Ariftotle, fuch as Thales, Anaxagoras, Pythagoras, &c. who by their Travel were converfant amongst these Nations, must by this advantage be more competent Judges than he was, concerning the general Belief and Opinion of former Times, and what Grounds they had for it.

Now it is well known to have been a general Tradition amongst these Nations, that the World was made, and had a Beginning. And though there be fome prodigious Accounts amongst them, which may feem inconfiftent with the Writings of Mofes, as namely that of the Chaldeans, who reckon Fortythree thousand Years from the beginning of the World to the Time of Alexander: yet this way of Computation is acknowledged by Diodorus Siculus and Plutarch, to be meant of Lunary Years, or Months; which being reduced to Solary Years, will fall out to be much about the time affigned by Mofes for the Creation.

But

But befides thefe Teftimonies of the Ancient Nations, and the firft Grecian Philofophers who converfed amongst them; This hath been likewife believed and profeffed by the most eminent Writers fince, Socrates, and Plato, and Tully, and Seneca, and the generality of the reft, whether Philofophers or Poets, of greatest Repute for their Learning, who have afferted, That God was the Maker of the World.

There are feveral Paffages to this purpose amongst those ancient Greek Poets, Linus, Hefiod, Orpheus, Epicharmus, Ariftophanes, which relate to the Creation of the World ; and Ovid particularly, who fetched his Matter from the Grecian Writers, doth give fuch a plain Defcription of it, as if he had been acquainted with the Book of Mofes ; in those known Verfest

Ante Mare & Terras, & quod tegit omnia cœlum, &c.

Nor hath it been thus only amongst the more civiliz'd Nations; but the barbarous Indians likewife have owned this Tradition, and profeffed the Belief of it. Now it is not easy to imagine, how any fuch Tradition could arife fo early, and spread fo univerfally, if there were not a real ground for it.

As for the Arguments from Reafon, I would offer these things to Consideration :