upon him; that God hath a body and a human fhape, (Mahomet felt his hand forfooth, and it was very cold,) an opinion fo unreasonable and mifbefeeming God, he might draw from the Anthropomorphites; and from the Manichees that doctrine concerning the fatal determination of all events; a doctrine fo prejudicial to religion, taking away those foundations of justice between God and man; man's free choice in ferving God, and God's free disposal of rewards to men, fuitable to their actions. The Jew contributed his ceremonies of circumcifion, and purgations by washing; his abftinence from swine's flesh; his allowance of polygamy and divorce. I might add, that from him it borrowed its inhuman condemning, defpifing, and hating all the world; calling all men dogs, (befide themselves,) and adjuring all to certain damnation; affirming withal, that all of their belief, how wickedly foever they have lived, shall at length partake of falvation. The Pagan elyfium might be a pattern, whence their paradife of corporeal delight and brutish fenfuality might be tranfcribed; which any man fees how poor an encouragement it is, how unworthy a reward to virtue; yea, how much it rather detracts from and discourages all performances of honefty and reason. He must be very stupid, who can suffer himself to be perfuaded that these conceits did come from the God of holinefs and wisdom. And how Mahomet was infpired with truth, his stories alone would evince; ftories patched out of old histories corrupted, mutilated, and transplaced, interlarded with fabulous legends; contrary to all probable records of hiftory, (the perfons, places, times, and all circumstances of which it most unskilfully confounds,) yea, repugnant to the nature of things, and to all imaginable poffibility; evident arguments both of an ignorant and impudent impoftor: he that will lie or blunder about matters of fact, who can trust him in matters of right and reason? All which (if time would permit, and it were worth the while) might by manifold instances be fhewed. I might add its multitude of filly ceremonies, grounded on no reasonable defign, nor fubfervient to any purpose of virtue.

But what is faid doth enough declare this religion to be

of no divine extraction.

lxxviii. 5.

&c.

19, 20.

As for ancient Judaism; that it has no fuch revelation Vid. Pfal. as that we require, and did in the former conclufion affert, lxxvi. 1. (nor has any probability to expect an univerfal, complete, Deut. iv. 7, ftanding revelation,) upon many scores may appear. It is from the tenor thereof evident, that it was defigned only for one small nation, poffeffing a very inconfiderable portion of the earth; purposely distinguished, and, as it were, concealed from the reft of mankind; and in effect so remaining for many ages (until the Roman conquests opened the world and discovered them) in a folitary obscurity; fo that the most inquifitive furveyors of the earth, and fearchers into the customs of people, (Herodotus, for inftance, and others,) could not difcern them, did take no notice of them; though for their peculiar manners otherwife moft remarkable. He fhewed, faith the Pfalmift, Pfal. cxlvii. his word unto Jacob, his flatutes and judgments unto Ifrael: he hath not dealt fo with any nation; and as for his judgments, they have not known them. I the Lord am holy, and have fevered you from other people, that ye fhould be mine, faith God to the Jews, Levit. xx. 26. and, So fhall we be separated, faith Moses in his address Exod. to God, Exod. xxxiii. So fhall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth: Thou art a holy people unto the Lord thy God: Deut. vii. 6. the Lord hath chofen thee to be a special people unto himfelf, above all people that are upon the face of the earth: and for this very purpose (of distinction and separation) many of their laws were appointed; I am the Lord your Levit. xx. God, which have feparated you from other people: ye shall 24, 25. therefore put difference between clean beafts and unclean, &c. We fee the laws of that religion particularly directed to that people; Hear, O Ifrael, being the ufual Deut. iv. 1. compellation, fet in the head of them: and, I am the &c. Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Exod. xx. Egypt, is the introduction to the very Decalogue itself: the encouragements also to, and discouragements from, obedience, do peculiarly appertain to them; a long and

xxxiii. 16.

xiv. 2.

v. 1. vi. 3,

vi. 3, &c.

profperous enjoyment of the land of Canaan, if they did obey; and difpoffeffion or affliction therein, if they should Deut. v. 33. prefume to difobey; You shall walk in all the ways which Vid. Deut. the Lord your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye poffefs. Such were the promises exciting to obedience; and the threatenings to disobedience suitable; as every where in their law and flory is visible.

Acts xvii.

26. x. 34.

10. ii. 4.

2 Pet. iii. 9.

This revelation therefore cannot be deemed general, fuch as we argued in reason might be expected from him, who, Pf. cxlv. 9. as the Pfalmift fings, is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works; who hath made of one blood way 1 Tim. iv. vos avgúnшv, the whole nation of mankind, as St. Paul Wifd. vi. 7. in the Acts expreffeth it; who, as St. Peter there implies, xi. 23, &c. is no respecter of persons, or of nations; who is the Maker Tit. iii. 4. and Saviour of all men, and, as the Wife Man tells us, Wifd. xi.26. careth for all alike; being defirous that all men should be faved, and come to the knowledge of the truth; not willing that any should perish, but that all men fhould οὐδεὶς Θεός come to repentance ; who is not φιλεβραίος only, or φιλέλ θρώποις. Any, (a lover of Jews only, or Greeks,) but pixávIgwños, a Plat. Theat, lover of men, and pixóuxos, a lover of fouls; who, lastly,

Vid. Ezek.

xviii. Rom. iii. 29.

δύσνους ἀνα

is not the God of the Jews only, but of the Gentiles alfo : as not our Prophets and Apoftles only tell us, but the reason of the thing, and the voice of nature doth declare.

And as this revelation was particular, fo was it also partial; as God did not by it speak his mind to all, fo neither did he in it speak out all his mind. Surveying this religion, may we not eafily defcry a great redundance in the circumstantial and exterior parts; a great defect in the fubftantials and inwards thereof? Ritual inftitutions innumerable we fee, nicely described, and strongly preffed; moral precepts more fparingly delivered, not fo clearly explained, nor fo fully urged by rational inducements: obfervation of times and places; diftinction of meats and habits; corporal cleanfings and purgations; modalities of outward fervice in facrifices and oblations, thofe Emaiμata σapuòs, (Heb. ix. 9, 10.) juftifications of

26.

the flesh, that could not perfect the observer's confcience, (or mind, or inward man;) touch not, tafte not, handle not, most largely and with extreme punctuality, some of them under heavy penalties (excifion and extermination) enjoined; while moral duties and fpiritual devotions (fo exceedingly more agreeable to rational nature, and more pleafing to God) feem not fo perfectly provided for. Many things are tacitly connived at, or plainly permitted to them, (as polygamy, divorce, fome kind of revenge and uncharitableness,) which even natural reafon dislikes or condemns: God's placability and aptnefs to forgive great fins, wilfully and prefumptuously committed, (fuch as no man lives altogether free from,) not openly revealed, but rather the contrary expreffed, (Curfed is he that abides Deut. xxvii. not in all things written in this Law to do them :) which Gal. iii. 10. excludes all affurance, and discourages from hope of mercy; and confequently obftructs repentance and amendment of life. And where do we fee any clear discovery concerning the immortality of the foul, or the future ftate, fo material a point of religion, of so great moment to encourage virtue and piety? Even the Gentile the- Vid. Ezek. ology feems more exprefs in this point, than the Jewish xx. 25. Law; and the Pagan priests (by help of ancient tradition) feem to have reached farther than the Hebrew prophets : God indeed feems to have fhewed only his back-parts to Mofes; when he discovered no more of his nature and his pleasure to him; when he feems to delight in, and lay so much stress upon, those carnal and ceremonious performances. Neither do we herein charge God; for he did herein but what wisdom required: the laws and institutions of this religion were furely accommodated to the ftate and difpofition and capacity of that people; people not very wife or confiderate, grave or conftant, meek or flexible; but a very ftubborn, froward, humourous generation of men, as their own writings describe them; and therefore not capable of perfect inftruction, or rigorous precepts; like children, by reafon of the groffnefs of their apprehenfion, and unruliness of paffion, not oixeïo, angóara, (no proper auditors,) of a pure and accu

XX.

adv. Celf.

lib. iii.

Gr. v. 6.

iv. 3. iii. 24.

rate difcipline; and as with fuch God in his wisdom and tender goodness seems to have dealt with them; dispensing with the infirmities of their age, and condefcending to Vid. Orig. their mean capacities; feeding them with milk, and indulging them innocent trifles; and fo tempering his ordinances given unto them, as might beft ferve partly to please and humour them, partly to curb and restrain Gal. iv. 9. them: whence St. Paul calls them poor and weak elements, and elements of the word, (fuch as vulgar and filly people were fit to learn,) adapted to the learning and *NTI. practising of * children; the Law being a schoolmaster, to keep them in order, and prepare them for a higher instruction. Such variety of superficial formalities might well agree to childish fancies, and content flavifh fpirits; but to men improved in reason, who could relish fpiritual entertainments, they muft needs feem burdenfome and tedious wife men cannot be much affected with pomps and folemnities. In the practice of virtue and piety there are alluring fweetneffes and beauties, which it must needs. displease him, that is fenfible of them, to be avoked from, by an obligation to attend precisely to such an abundance of outward fapless obfervances; to be bound to chew fuch husks, neglecting fo delicious a kernel, cannot but be irksome and grievous: they are therefore ftyled well in the New Teftament an intolerable yoke and burden, (Acts xv. 10, 28.) and to be freed of them is a very valuable privilege, which Christ hath purchased for us, (Gal. v. 1.) It is true, by degrees God imparted farther manifeftations of light even to that people, by the examples and inftructions of holy men and prophets fent among

clearly dif

der the Jew

:

them, in a manner and upon occafions extraordinary : Remiffion holy men by their practice shewed that the rigour of the of fins not law might in fome cafes be relaxed and difpenfed with ; covered un- that a more spiritual service was acceptable to God; that ith difpen- he loved a purer devotion and a higher charity than the fation, a Law required. And the Prophets often declared, that God fundamental point of did not fo much delight in ceremonious obfervances; but religion. chiefly did require hearty piety, perfect justice, and tender

charity; accompanied with meekness and patience, tem