CH. XVIII. authority of the book of Genefis: which gives occafion to the Atheists to Jook upon it no other wife than as learned men do on the greatest part of Jegends.

The prophetical spirit acts in two manners.

The firft is, by way of revelation, in refpect of those things the prophet hath no knowledge of. Thus the Evangelift St. John had foretold those events which we read of in the Revelations for thofe events being all hidden under the shadows of futurity, it was impoffible for him to have foretold them, unless the fpirit of God had immediately revealed them to him.

The fecond is, by way of direction, in refpect of those things with which the Prophets was himself acquainted, either because he was an eye-witness of them himself, or because he learnt them from those who were fo.

Now this direction of the fpirit confifts in the guiding the Prophet fo as that he may write of his fubject, juft as it was either spoken or done, Thus the Evangelifts St. Matthew and St. John drew up an abridgment of those fermons of our Saviour which they had heard, and of thofe miracles which they had seen.

And thus St. Luke and St. Mark have written of those things which they had heard from thofe that were eye-witnesses of them, as St. Luke particularly tells us.

Now I affirm, that when Mofes wrote the book of Genefis, he had only the fecond fort of prophetical influences, and not the first; although in our difputes against Atheists, to convince them by arguments from matters of fact, we may confider him only as an hiftorian, who might have written his book without any other particular direction, and might have preserved it in the memory of those ancient events which were then generally known.

Now, what fide foever Divines may take in their disputes against the Atheists, I may eafily establish my affertion: first, because it is not neceffary to fuppofe an entire revelation, where tradition being diftin&t enough, is fufficient to preferve a clear remembrance of all thofe facts,

Now it cannot be denied, but that the tradition concerning the creation and the promise of the Meffiah was of this nature, efpecially if we confider the little extent of it, and the immediate fucceffion of Mofes's ancestors, down to himself.

Secondly, if Abraham's and Jacob's travels through fo many places were, as I have obferved already, very ufeful to give them a further view of the common belief of all the feveral nations defcended from Noah, and of their agreement in this tradition, it were unjuft to fuppofe that Mofes's forty years fojourning in the country of Midian, and that too when he was forty years old, and confequently had that ripeness of age and judgment as is fittest for fuch obfervations, did not ferve to acquaint him with the feveral paffages he records of Abraham, as well as of the feveral divifions of his pofterity.

Thirdly, we may obferve in the book of Genefis a way of writing very different from that which we fee in the greatest part of Exodus, and in the following books; for whereas God fpeaks to him in thofe latter books, which he always did viva voce. (And the Jews have wifely

obferved,

obferved, that herein confifted Mofes's advantage above the other Prophets, to whom God was used to speak only in dreams and vifions.) He ufes commonly thofe words, And the Lord spake unto me. He marks out the place where God spoke to him, as well as the time and occafion of God's fpeaking to him, which he does not in his book of Genefis.

Fourthly, the book of Genefis is not divided into feveral revelations, as all prophecies are, wherein the feveral returns of the holy Spirit of God are all exactly fet down; which was abfolutely neceffary, not only to ease the reader, who might be tired if he was to carry a long feries of predictions in his mind at once, as if it were only one fingle vifion or revelation, but also to condefcend to the nature of the minds of men; for, according to the rules of probability, we cannot suppose them to be filled with so many differing ideas at the same time, but a great confufion muft neceffarily follow.

But fuppofing that these obfervations fhould be thought infufficient, yet thofe that follow will feem capable of convincing the minds of all. There are in the book of Genefis certain characters of its being written in that way which I fpeak of. Firft, one needs only just look into that book, and he will fee that the ancienteft facts, which are those of which we most defire a particular account, are there defcribed in a very short and concife manner. The hiftory of 1656years is all contained in eight chapters; there are no actions defcribed therein with more circumftances than only fome few of the most important, the remembrance whereof was ftill fresh amongst them. The hiftory of Lamech's polygamy, and the murders of which he was guilty, is there fet down fo compendiously, that it is very obfcure.

Secondly, one fees that he speaks more copioufly of all that had been tranfacted near his time: he explains and mentions all the particulars and circumstances thereof. He speaks fo fhortly of Melchifedeck, that it is doubted to this day whether he was not the Patriarch Shem, or fome other faithful worshipper of the true God fettled in the land of Canaan; whereas he fets down at length all the particulars of the hiftory of Abraham, of Ifaac, and of Jacob, whose last oracles, which he spoke on his. death-bed, he carefully records.*

Thirdly, he defcribes with the fame exactnefs all the genealogies of the Edomites, their feveral tribes, and the names of their heads and captains, &c. as when he speaks of thofe of the people of Ifrael, which indeed he could eafily do, having lived forty years of his life amongst thofe nations, as well as he had other forty years amongst the Ifraelites,

Thofe who maintain the contrary opinion, muft of neceffity suppose, firft, That tradition is of no ufe at all to preferve the idea of any illuftrious action.

Secondly, That in Mofes's time there were none who knew any particul ars of the hiftory of the flood, &c. of the tower of Babel, of the divifion of tongues; though we fee plainly, both by the nature of the facts themselves, in which all nations were concerned, and by Mofes his defcription, that the generality of mankind were fufficiently inftructed in them already.

Thirdly, It must be fuppofed that Mofes hath fet down the manner

how

CH. XVIII. authority of the book of Genefis: which gives occafion to the Atheists to Jook upon it no otherwife than as learned men do on the greatest part of Jegends.

The prophetical spirit acts in two manners.

The firft is, by way of revelation, in respect of those things the prophet hath no knowledge of. Thus the Evangelift St. John had foretold those events which we read of in the Revelations for those events being all hidden under the fhadows of futurity, it was impoffible for him to have foretold them, unless the fpirit of God had immediately revealed them to him.

The fecond is, by way of direction, in refpect of thofe things with which the Prophets was himself acquainted, either because he was an eye-witness of them himself, or because he learnt them from those who were fo.

Now this direction of the fpirit confifts in the guiding the Prophet fo as that he may write of his fubject, juft as it was either fpoken or done, Thus the Evangelifts St. Matthew and St. John drew up an abridgment of those fermons of our Saviour which they had heard, and of those miracles which they had feen.

And thus St. Luke and St. Mark have written of thofe things whichthey had heard from those that were eye-witnesses of them, as St. Luke particularly tells us.

Now I affirm, that when Mofes wrote the book of Genefis, he had only the fecond fort of prophetical influences, and not the first; although in our difputes against Atheists, to convince them by arguments from matters of fact, we may confider him only as an hiftorian, who might have written his book without any other particular direction, and might have preserved it in the memory of those ancient events which were then generally known.

Now, what fide foever Divines may take in their difputes against the Atheists, I may easily establish my affertion: first, because it is not neceffary to fuppofe an entire revelation, where tradition being diftinct enough, is fufficient to preferve a clear remembrance of all thofe facts,

Now it cannot be denied, but that the tradition concerning the crea tion and the promife of the Meffiah was of this nature, efpecially if we confider the little extent of it, and the immediate fucceffion of Mofes's ancestors, down to himself,

Secondly, if Abraham's and Jacob's travels through fo many places. were, as I have obferved already, very ufeful to give them a further view of the common belief of all the feveral nations defcended from Noah, and of their agreement in this tradition, it were unjuft to fuppofe that Mofes's forty years fojourning in the country of Midian, and that too when he was forty years old, and confequently had that ripeness of age and judgment as is fitteft for fuch obfervations, did not ferve to acquaint him with the feveral paffages he records of Abraham, as well as of the feveral divifions of his pofterity.

Thirdly, we may obferve in the book of Genefis a way of writing very different from that which we fee in the greateft part of Exodus, and in the following books; for whereas God fpeaks to him in thofe latter books, which he always did vivâ voce. (And the Jews have wifely

obferved,

obferved, that herein confifted Mofes's advantage above the other Prophets, to whom God was ufed to fpeak only in dreams and vifions.) He ufes commonly thofe words, And the Lord fpake unto me. He marks out the place where God fpoke to him, as well as the time and occafion of God's fpeaking to him, which he does not in his book of Genefis.

Fourthly, the book of Genefis is not divided into several revelations, as all prophecies are, wherein the feveral returns of the holy Spirit of God are all exactly fet down; which was abfolutely neceffary, not only to ease the reader, who might be tired if he was to carry a long feries of predictions in his mind at once, as if it were only one fingle vifion or revelation, but also to condefcend to the nature of the minds of men; for, according to the rules of probability, we cannot suppose them to be filled with fo many differing ideas at the fame time, but a great confu→ fion must neceffarily follow.

But fuppofing that thefe obfervations fhould be thought infufficient, yet thofe that follow will feem capable of convincing the minds of all. There are in the book of Genefis certain characters of its being written in that way which I fpeak of. First, one needs only just look into that book, and he will fee that the ancienteft facts, which are those of which we most defire a particular account, are there defcribed in a very short and concife manner. The hiftory of 1656years is all contained in eight chapters; there are no actions defcribed therein with more circumftances than only fome few of the most important, the remembrance whereof was still fresh amongst them. The hiftory of Lamech's polygamy, and the murders of which he was guilty, is there fet down fo compendiously, that it is very obfcure.

Secondly, one fees that he speaks more copiously of all that had been tranfacted near his time: he explains and mentions all the particulars and circumstances thereof. He fpeaks fo fhortly of Melchifedeck, that it is doubted to this day whether he was not the Patriarch Shem, or fome other faithful worshipper of the true God fettled in the land of Canaan; whereas he fets down at length all the particulars of the hiftory of Abraham, of Ifaac, and of Jacob, whofe laft oracles, which he spoke on his. death-bed, he carefully records.

Thirdly, he defcribes with the fame exactness all the genealogies of the Edomites, their feveral tribes, and the names of their heads and captains, &c. as when he speaks of thofe of the people of Ifrael, which indeed he could easily do, having lived forty years of his life amongst thofe nations, as well as he had other forty years amongst the Ifraelites,

Thofe who maintain the contrary opinion, muft of neceffity fuppose, firft, That tradition is of no ufe at all to preferve the idea of any illuftrious action.

Secondly, That in Mofes's time there were none who knew any particulars of the hiftory of the flood, &c. of the tower of Babel, of the divifion of tongues; though we fee plainly, both by the nature of the facts themselves, in which all nations were concerned, and by Mofes his defcription, that the generality of mankind were fufficiently inftructed in them already.

Thirdly, It must be fuppofed that Mofes hath fet down the manner

how

between Ishmael and Ifaac. Sarah feemed fomewhat cruel in cafting out her adopted fon Ishmael; and here we fee that Rebecca preferred Jacob before Efau her firft-born, and affifted him in robbing his elder brother of the bleffing due to him of right: but without question, her defign in all this was to entail this bleffing on her family, by making it fall on Jacob, as being afraid (and that not without caufe) that Efau, by his fins and his marriage with the Canaanites, had made himself incapable thereof.

Now as this was the occafion of a great difpute between these two Patriarchs educated in the fame belief and religion, fo it plainly fhews us how strong a persuasion they had of the creation, and the promise of the Meffiah.

And befides, it is further very remarkable,

First, That Mofes reprefents Efau as a profane perfon; for which, not only this reafon may be alledged, that he fold his birth-right for a mess of pottage, to which birth-right the priesthood was always annexed; but we must further take notice,

That he being educated by his father in the hopes of this bleffing, he feemed to laugh at it in all his actions; for firft he married the daughter of Heth, by which he fufficiently intimated that he neither minded the bleffing nor the curfe of God; for Canaan and his pofterity had in a very folemn manner been curfed by Noah, with a particular regard to the promife of the Meffiah, as I hinted before.

In the fecond place, he married a daughter of Ishmael, as if he intended to renew the pretenfions of Ishmael against Isaac his father.

In the third place we fee, that when he repented of this profane humour, he was pierced with extreme forrow for the crime he had committed, because he could not obtain pardon for it.

This jealoufy and difference between Efau and Jacob, is the more confiderable, because Efau was the head of a great nation, viz. the Edomites, a people circumcifed as well as the Jews, jealous of the pofterity of Jacob, and living upon the borders of Judea, as well as the Moabites, Ammonites, and Ishmaelites, but yet put by their hopes by that oracle, The greater people fhall ferve the leffer.

Were it needful to afford a greater light to thefe reflexions, I might here add a very natural one, from the oath which Abraham made his fervant Eliezer take, when he fent him to Padan-Aram, to procure a wife for Ifaac. We may eafily judge that he was not willing he fhould marry a Canaanite, as Lot had done; and that, for fear of forfeiting his hopes, and weakening the just pretentions of Ifaac to the right of accomplishing the promife, from whence the Canaanites were excluded by the prophecy delivered by Noah. But that which made Abraham to oblige his fervant to fwear, putting his hand under his thigh; that is, touching that part which was the fubject of circumcifion (y), and which bore the mark of the covenant; deferves a further confideration.

We find first of all, that the Patriarch Jacob obferves the fame cuftom, when he made his fon Jofeph to take an oath, that he should not bury him in Egypt.

Secondly, We find that this cuftom of beholding that member which

received

(y) St. Jerom.