the Army of Egypt, unto their Horfes, and to their Chariots bow be made the Water of the Red-Sea to overflow them as they pursued after you; and how the Lord hath deftroyed them unto this day: And what be did unto you in the Wilderness, until ye came into this Place and what he did unto Dathan and Abiram, the Sons of Eliab, the Son of Reuben, how the Earth opened her Mouth, and fwallowed them up, and their Houfholds, and their Tents, and all the fubftance that was in their poffeffion, in the midst of all Ifrael. But your Eyes have feen all the great Acts of the Lord, which he did, &c.

FROM hence we muft fuppofe it impoffible that thefe Books of Mofes, (if an Impofture) could have been invented and put upon the People, who were then alive, when all these things were faid to be done,

THE utmost therefore that even a Suppose can ftretch to, is, That thefe Books were wrote in fome Age after Mofes, and put out in his Name.

AND to this, I fay, That if it was fo, it was impoffible that thofe Books fhould have been receiv'd, as the Books of Mofes, in that Age wherein they may have been fuppos'd to have been firft invented. Why? Because they fpeak of themfelves as deliver'd by MoJes, and kept in the Ark from his time. And it came to pafs,when Mofes had made an end of writing the words of this Law in a Book until they were finished; that Mofes commanded the Levites, who bare the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, faying, Take this Book of the Law, and put it in the fide of the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee, Deut. xxxi. 24, 25, 26. And there was a Copy of this Book to be left likewife.with the King. And it shall be when he fitteth upon the Throne of his Kingdom, that be fhall write him a Copy of this Law in a Book, out of that which is before the Priefts the Levites: And it fhall be with him, and be fhall read therein all the daysof bis Life: That he may learn to fear the Lord his God,

God, to keep all the Words of this Law and thefe Sta. tutes to do them, Deut. xvii. 18, 19.

HERE, you fee that this Book of the Law, fpeaks of it felf, not only as an Hiftory or Relation of what things were then done: But as the ftanding and municipal Law and Statutes of the Nation of the Jews, binding the King as well as the People.

Now, in whatever Age after Mofes you will fuppofe this Book to have been Forged, it was impoffible it cou'd be receiv'd as Truth; becaufe it was not then to be found, either in the Ark, or with the King, or any where elfe: For when firft Invented, every body must know, that they had never heard of it before.

AND therefore they cou'd lefs believe it to be the Book of their Statutes, and the ftanding Law of the Land, which they had all along received, and by which they had been Governed.

Cou'd any Man, now at this Day, invent a Book of Statutes or Acts of Parliament for England, and make it pafs upon the Nation as the only Book of Statutes that ever they had known? As impoffible was it for the Books of Mofes (if they were invented in any Age after Mofes) to have been receiv'd for what they declare themfelves to be, viz. The Statutes and Municipal Law of the Nation of the Fews: And to have perfuaded the Jews, that they had Own'd and Acknowledg'd thefe Books, all along from the Days of Mofes, to that Day in which they were firft invented, that is, that they had Own'd them before they had ever fo much as Heard of them. Nay, more, the whole Nation muft, in an Inftant, forget their former Laws and Government, if they cou'd receive thefe Books, as being their Former Laws. And they cou'd not otherwife receive them, because they vouch'd themfelves fo to be. Let me ask the Deifts but this One fhort Queftion, Was there ever a Book of Sham Laws, which were not the Laws of the Nation, Palm'd upon any People, fince

the

the World began? If not, With what Face can they fay this of the Fook of Laws of the Jews? Why will they fay that of them, which they confefs impoffible in any Nation, or among any People?

Num. viii.

17, 18.

BUT they must be yet more Unreafonable. For the Books of Mofes have a further Demonftration of their Truth, than even other Law-Books have: For they not only contain the Laws, but give an Hiftorical Account of their Inftitution, and the Practice of them from that Time: As of the Paffover in Memory of the Death of the Firft-Born in Egypt And that the fame Day, all the First Born of Ifrael both of Man and Beaft, were by a perpetual Law, dedicated to God: And the Levites taken for all the Firßborn of the Children of Ifrael. That Aaron's Rod which budded, was kept in the Ark, in Memory of the Rebellion and wonderful Destruction of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram; and for the Confirmation of the Priesthood to the Tribe of Levi. As likewife the Pot of Manna, in Memory of their having been fed with it 40 Years in the Wildernefs. That the Brazen Serpent was kept (which remain'd to the Days of Hezekiah. 2 King xviii. 4.) in Memory of that wonderful Deliverance, by only Looking upon it, from the Biting of the Fiery Serpents. Num. xxi. 9. The Feaft of Pentecoft, in Memory of the dreadful Appearance of God upon Mount Horeb, &c.

AND befides, thefe Remembrances of particular Actions and Occurrences, there were other folemn Inftitutions in Memory of their Deliverance out of Egypt, in the General, which included all the Particulars. As of the Sabbath. Deut. 5. 15. Their dayly Sacrifices, and yearly Expiation, their NewMoons, and feveral Feafts and Fafts. So that there were Tearly, Monthly, Weekly, Daily Remembrances, and Recognitions of these things.

AND not only fo, but the Books of the fame Mofes tell us, that a particular Tribe (of Levi)

was

Numbers xxvii. 21.

Deut. xvii.

4.

was Appointed and Confecrated by God as his Priefts by whofe Hands and none other, the Sacrifices of the People were to be offer'd, and thefe folemn Inftitutions to be celebrated. That it was Death for any other to approach the Altar. That their High Prieft wore a Glorious Mitre, and magnificent Robes of God's own Contrivance, with the miraculous Urim and Thummim in his Breaft plate, whence the divine Refponfes were given. That at his Word, the King, and all the People were to go out, and to come in. That thefe Levites were likewife, the Chief Judges, even in all Civil Causes, 8. to 13. and that it was Death to refift their 1 Chr.xxiii. Sentence. Now when ever it can be fuppos'd that thefe Books of Mofes were forg'd, in fome Ages after Mofes, it is impoffible they could have been received as True, unless the Forgers could have made the whole Nation believe, that they had received these Books from their Fathers, had been inftructed in them when they were Children, and had taught them to their Children, moreover, that they had all been circumcifed, and did circumcife their Children, in purfuance to what was commanded in thefe Books, that they had obferved the yearly Paffover, the weekly Sabbath, the New-Moons, and all these several Feafts, Fafts, and Ceremonies commanded in thefe Books: That they had never eaten any Smines Flesh, or other Meats prohibited in these Books: That they had a magnificent Tabernacle, with a vifible Priesthood to Adminifter in it, which was confined to the Tribe of Levi; whom was placed a glorious High-Prieft, cloath'd with great and mighty Prerogatives, whofe Death only could deliver thofe that were fled to the Cities of Refuge. And that thefe Priefts were their ordinary Judges, even in Civil Matters: I fay,

Num. XXXV. 25. 28.

over

was

was it poffible to have perfuaded a whole Nation of Men, that they had Known and Practifed all these Things, if they had not done it? or, Secondly. To have receiv'd a Book for Truth, which faid they had practifed them, and appeal'd to that Practice? So that here are the Third and Fourth of the Marks above-mentioned.

BUT now let us defcend to the utmoft Degree of Supp fition, viz. That thefe Things were Pradifed, before thefe Books of Mofes were Forg'd; and that thefe Books did only impofe upon the Nation, in making them believe, That they had kept these Obfervances in Memory of fuch and fuch Things, as were inferted in thofe Books.

WELL then, let us proceed upon this Suppofition, (however groundless) and now, will not the fame Impoffibilities occur, as in the former Cafe? For Firft, This muft fuppofe that the Jews kept all thefe Obfervances in Memory of Nothing, or without knowing any thing of their Original, or the Reafon why they kept them. Whereas these Whereas thefe very Obfervances did exprefs the Ground and Reason of their being kept, as the Paffover in Memory of God's Paffing over the Children of the Ifraelites, in that Night wherein he flew all the Firft-born of Egypt, and fo of the Reft.

BUT Secondly, Let us fuppofe, contrary both to Reafon, and Matter of Fact, That the Jews did not know any Reafon at all why they kept thefe Obfervances; yet was it poffible to put it upon them, That they had kept thefe Obfervances in Memory of what they had never heard of before that Day, whenfoever you will fuppofe that thefe Books of Mofes were firft Forged? For Example, fuppofe I fhou'd now forge fome Romantick Story, of ftrange Things done 1000 Years ago, and in Confirmation of this, fhould endeavour to perfuade the Chriftian World, that they had all along, from that Day to this, kept the Firft-Day of the Week in Memory of

fuch