pleasing to God are made known to us: He hath not dealt so with any nation." "-Such is the testimony of a modern Jew; to the truth of which, as far as concerns the divine origin of their religion, we cannot but cordially unite, as well as to the deductions that follow.

As to the Scriptures themselves, there now remains no doubt but they have laid the foundation of most, if not all religions, however de. faced and obscured by the corrupt notions of mankind. This fact is fully established by the late excellent Sir William Jones, whose candour and benevolence in his researches, in laying no restraint on the opinions of others, notwithstanding the evidence he has met with, at once proclaim him worthy the admiration and regard of every good man; and, one would hope, would make some way in removing the rooted prejudice that some persons appear to have taken against the sacred writings, particularly the Pen-.

tateuch.

His opinion respecting the Scriptures, in his eighth discourse, is well worth transcribing: Theological inquiries," says he," are no part of my present subject; but I cannot refrain from adding, that the collection of tracts, which we call, from their excellence, the Scriptures, contain, independently of a divine origin, more true

sublimity, more exquisite beauty, purer morality, more important history, and finer strains both of poetry and eloquence, than would be collected in the same compass from all other books that were ever composed in any age or in any idiom. The two parts of which the Scriptures consist are connected by a chain of compositions which bear no resemblance in form or style to any that can be produced from the stores of Grecian, Indian, Persian, or even Arabian learning. The antiquity of those compositions no man doubts; and the unstrained application of them to events long subsequent to their publication is a solid ground of belief that they were genuine productions, and consequently inspired. But if any thing be the absolute exclusive property of each individual, it is his belief; and I hope I should be one of the last men living who could harbour a thought of obtruding my own belief on the free mind of others. I mean only to assume what I trust will be readily conceded, that the first Hebrew historian must be entitled, merely as such, to an equal degree of credit in his account of all civil transactions with any other historian of antiquity. How far that most ancient writer confirms the result of our inquiries into the genealogy of nations, I propose to show at our next anniversary meeting."

In his ninth discourse, he enters on this important subject. And in his tenth he speaks with that degree of confidenee which the evidence he had obtained would fully warrant.

"In the first place," says he, "we cannot surely deem it an inconsiderable advantage, that all our historical researches have confirmed the Mosaic accounts of the primitive world; and our testimony on that subject ought to have the greater weight, because, if the result of our observations had been totally different, we should nevertheless have published them, not indeed with equal pleasure, but with equal confidence: for truth is mighty, and, whatsoever be its consequences, must always prevail."

Many important facts, evincing the antiquity of the sacred records, and of their having been the ground-work of the various religions of the East from the remotest period, and from thence transmitted to other parts of the globe, are, we think, fully proved in the researches above alluded to.

Though the heathens were wonderfully inconsistent in their mode of worship, yet, even in so doing, their minds looked up to some supreme cause; a something that they imagined would hear their petitions, and grant them relief.

Their mythology is an extraordinary proof of the outlines of a system in their supposed ap

proaches towards divinity, which had the sacred history in view, and which is one great and decided proof of its antiquity, and of its effect as a certain truth on the minds of men at the earliest times. In describing their gods, who were so numerous that some writers assert they amounted to thirty thousand, we often find them making use of the sacred writings in their fictions.

If we examine into the records of profane history, we shall find much to support the faith of the servant of God with regard to the leading facts of the Mosaic Pentateuch.

Profane historians, who mention Moses and his character, seem to be in part acquainted with his education, his military exploits, and his miracles, especially those plagues he brought on Egypt, and consider him as a famous magician.

In addition to what has already appeared herein from the attestation of heathen authors, the character of Moses is universally considered by them as a great lawgiver; as is testified by Diodorus Siculus, who says that "Moses received his laws from the God Jao *." His fine form and consummate wisdom are mentioned by Trogus Pompeius; and he takes notice of Moses's success against the Ethiopians, who had

* Jahovah.

3

invaded the territories of Pharaoh. Trogus was the first of the Latin historians, and attributes the prosperous and flourishing circumstances of the Jewish state to a mixture of justice with religion in their government. He gives a high character of Joseph; and mentions his being sold by his brethren to foreign merchants through envy, who carried him into Egypt, where he soon became dear to the king: that Joseph was the first who understood the interpretation of dreams, and foretold a famine many years before it happened; and preserved Egypt, by advising the king to provide stores of corn against the time of need; and that there had been so much experience of the truth of his answers, that they seem to be given rather by God than man.

Artepanus says, Moses was commander of the Egyptian forces against the Ethiopians during a ten years war. Yet on this subject we find Moses totally silent; but he does not forget to record his killing the Egyptian.

"That

Numenius the Pythagorean says, Jannes and Jambres, the chief of the magicians of Egypt, by their sorceries withstood Moses the leader of the Jews, a man most powerful in his prayers to God." And when speaking expressly of the Hebrew lawgiver, he says, "What