troduction. This fact would have rendered it exceedingly difficult to have introduced them at all. The laws, and the religion, of every nation under heaven were less disagreeable to the human mind, than those of the Jews. Their religious ritual was, in many respects, very humiliating, expensive, and selfdenying. The year of Jubilee; the emancipation of servants; the relinquishment of debts; and the prohibition of cultivating their land at certain seasons; must, whenever they were first introduced, have violated some of the strongest prejudices of the human mind, and many preceding laws, and customs, strong ly established in the national attachment. Without some extraordinary means of changing the former customs, without very great influence on the part of the lawgiver, and without singular veneration on the part of the people, a change, involving such things as these, together with the abrogation of laws and customs, which had long held a place in the affections of the nations, could not have been accomplished. But not only was But not only was there no person, concerning whom these things were corded, to effectuate this change, but the change itself is not found upon record. Nor is there any hint, to whom it may be attributed: although the nation was possessed of a regular and uninterrupted series of historical records, written by a public officer, appointed for that purpose, and acting immediately under the

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eye of the government. Fifthly; Among the events, which are declared to have taken place before the eyes of those, to

whom these laws were published, there were many Miracles. Several of the laws were founded on such miracles. Such particularly was the law concerning the passover: such was the decalogue: such indeed were most of the other laws. Now it was impossible, that these laws should be promulgated with a single hope, or even a possibility, of establishing them among those, who seem to have been present at these miracles, unless they were actually present. But from the nature of the laws themselves they could not have been established, unless the miracles, to which they were attrib uted, were really wrought. It deserves to be remarked, that no other grounds of their establishment have been alleged.

3. It is incredible, that any forger should have written con cerning Moses, and concerning many other persons, and subjects, the things, which we find in the Pentateuch. For

First; He records the failings of his ancestors; of his friends; of his nation; and of himself; as freely, as other men record the virtues of themselves, and those with whom they are particularly connected. This cannot be explained on the supposition, that the Pentateuch is a forgery. A forger, who wrote a book with an intention to give it credit, and currency, by attributing it to a person, so highly respected as Moses was by the Israelites, and published it among that nation, would certainly have accorded with all their prejudices in his favor. Particularly, he would have exhibited the character, and actions, of Moses, only in the most advantageous light; and

would never have represented him as transgressing in such a manner, as to be forbidden to enter the promised land on that account. Nor would he have dared to make Moses say such humiliating things concerning the ancestors of the Israelites, or such scandalous ones concern. ing their nation. Nothing of this nature could have been admitted into a book, which was an imposture; and was to make its way into public credit, and favor, by any means, except its truth.

Secondly; No impostor could counterfeit the simplicity, and artlessness, which prevail every avhere in the Pentateuch. Truth has a native air, which cannot, I believe, be counterfeited. This air runs through both the style, and the sentiments, of the Pentateuch in a degree, no where rivalled, unless in the Gospels; and prevails alike in the narration, the laws, the eloquence, and the poetry, of that extraordinary work.

Thirdly; It may well be ques tioned whether an individual, since the time of Moses, has been able to write in this manner. The various talents, found in this book; in the poetry, the history, the orations, and the laws; are scarcely less extraordinary than the miracles, which are there recorded. I know not where the man is to be found, who could have written the 28th and 33d chapters of Deuteronomy; the 1st chapter of Genesis; the story of Joseph, the Decalogue; or the history of its promulgation; or devised the religious and polit ical systems, contained in this wonderful work. If we compare these things with the greatest

efforts of the heathen sages, poets, and orators, we certainly have no reason to believe, that any of these distinguished men could have written the Pentateuch. If they could not, who could?

Fourthly; No man, who was able to write this book, can be supposed capable of a forgery. The person, who possessed the talents, displayed in this book, would have claimed to himself the honor, to which they would have entitled him. The person, who could originate the doctrines, precepts, and sentiments, of morality and religion, published in it, can scarcely be supposed capable of deception. He, who could originate from the mere conceptions of his own mind the character, and actions, of Moses, must either have enjoyed the very means of forming it, which Moses himself had; or have been incomparably superior in his powers to every other hu man being.

Fifthly; The laws, and religion, of the Pentateuch were actually received by the Israelites. But no nation ever did, or could be supposed to, receive a system of laws from a forger. No nation would receive its laws and religion from a person unknown. If the Pentateuch be a forgery; it must certainly have been written after the time of Moses: and the writer must, of course, have been unknown. The intention of the writer was,in this case,to persuade the community, that Moses wrote the book. In this case, every man of common sense, particularly, every man, already possessed of office, and influence, would have all his prejudices, as well as his understanding,

roused to the most critical in quiries concerning a subject of this mighty importance. In these circumstances, it is impossible, that the impostor should escape suspicion; and incredible, that he should escape detection, The whole community would be interested against him; and not an individual, in his favor; because all would be called on in the most solemn manner to forsake their former religion, laws, and manners; things rarely given up without a violent struggle, and never without deep reluctance. Yet we have no other account of such a struggle, or such reluctance, or of the introduction of these laws, and this religion, except what is contained in this book.

Sixthly; The book itself proves, that it was written at a very early period of Society. The style is observed by the best Hebrew critics to be such, as proves it to have been written at the earliest date of Hebrew writings. The manners, the state of society, the situation of surrounding nations, and all the other facts recorded, are such, as can be attributed to no other age. But a forgery of this nature, at the time, or soon after the time of Moses, could not have escaped detection.

Seventhly; The Israelites possessed a regular series of historical records from the time of Moses down to the Babylonish captivity: and every one of these records is so connected with the rest, as irresistibly to prove the truth of the whole. It is impossible to contrive so long continued, and so perfectly consistent, a series of events, respecting a

nation. Besides, these records, from the style, in which they were written, and the manners, facts, and circumstances, which they exhibit, prove themselves to be written at subsequent, and

very different, periods. What one forger could not contrive is more evidently impossible for two, ten, or twenty. A series of writers, thus employed, would be merely a succession of laughing-stocks.

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Eighthly; Were we to dismiss this impossibility; we should be obliged to confess, that no forger, or series of forgers, would ever devise such facts, as those, which we find in the Pentateuch, or the rest of the Israelitish history. No forger, who intended to give currency for his book, would recite facts, so disgraceful to own nation, nor to the principal personages of his history. The design of every forger is to recommend himself, and his book; and therefore labors, of course, to make itas palatable, as may be, to his readers. But the history of the Israelites is often scandalous, in the highest degree, to their character. Almost every distinguished person in it, also, and Moses himself among others, is disgraced by facts, which nothing but a scrupulous adherence to truth could have prompted any man to preserve. No forger can have written in this manner.

Ninthly; Among all the revolls, seditions, and revolutions, of this nation, not an individual revolter or demagogue, ever questioned the genuineness, integrity, or authority, of the Pentateuch, or the authority of Moses, as the national cawgiver. Had there been the least room to question either of

these things; it is incredible, that they should not have been questioned. Could it have been done with success; nothing would have contributed so much to lessen the authority of the existing government, or to advance the influence of those, who wished to overturn it. When we remember how prone this people were in every age of their national existence to renounce their religion, and turn to idolatry; and how entirely they would have felt justified, if the authority of these laws had been overthrown; we shall easily perceive, that nothing could be so ardently wished, nor, if practicable, more certainly done, than the subversion of the Pentateuch. Jeroboam, particularly, when he drew off the ten tribes, would unquestionably have found this a most convenient instrument for the support of his government; and the Israelites, for the justification of their revolt from Rehoboam. Yet neither he, nor they, ever thought of this mode of advancing their respective designs. The only argument, used with them, was the inconvenience of worshipping at Jerusalem, on account of the distance of their habitations.

4. Moses laid up his copy of this book in the Ark. As this fact is declared in the book itself; and as the book was published to the whole nation; so remarkable a thing could not have escaped the attention of any individual, interested at all in the public concerns. If the book was actually laid up in the ark; it was done by Moses himself. If it was not laid up in the ark; it must have been known. The first high priest, who read the

story, would have announced the falsehood to the world. But it was actually found in the ark by Hilkiah, the priest, in the days of King Josiah.

If

5. Moses, in every age of the Israelitish nation, from the first existence of that nation to the present hour, has been acknowledged by every Israelite to be the author of the Pentateuch. Moses was not the author; this fact is not only inexplicable, but beyond. measure astonishing. Who could determine the point if the Israelites could not. Lycurgus is acknowledged, without a dissenting voice, to have been the lawgiver of the Spartans; Minos, of Crete; and Solon, of Athens. Why? because the Spartans, Cretans, and Athenians, have universally agreed in declaring, that such was their character. The testimony, of this nature, in favor of either is less perfect than that, in favor of Moses; while his pretensions to be the lawgiver of Israel are supported by many other arguments, and those of the greatest weight, which cannot be adduced in behalf of their claims. Why

should we refuse the more various and decisive evidence; and assent to that, which is manifestly inferior?

6. All the existing heathen testimonies lend whatever force they possess, to prove this fact.

Trogus Pompeius mentions Moses as the leader of the exiled Israelites; as going into Damascus with that people; and as residing at Mount Sinai for a time.

The Orphic hymns mention his being born in water, and receiving two tables from GOD.

Polemon mentions the depart