preferv'd in the hands of Daniel, Nehemiah, Ezra, Zechariah, and the other Prophets, who were not only of unquestionable Integrity, but wrote themselves by Divine Inspiration.

3. Nothing is more exprefly forbidden in the Books of Mofes, than all Fraud and Deceit; and it cannot reasonably be fufpected, that any Man would be guilty of a Fraud of the highest nature imaginable, to introduce or establish a Law that forbids it. Moses had forewarn'd them against all fuch Practices, both in his Laws in general, and by an express Prohibition Te fhall not add unto the word which I command you, neither fhall ye diminish ought from it, Deut. iv. 2. And all who had any Regard to the Obfervation of his Laws, would obferve this, as well as other parts of it; for this preferv'd the Authority of all the reft inviolable: And if they had had no Regard to the Law, but had alter'd it as they pleas'd, they would certainly have made fuch Alterations as would have gratify'd the People, and would have taken great care to leave nothing which might give Offence; but the Laws of Mofes are fuch, as that without a Divine Authority to enforce them, they would never have been comply'd with, but would have been grievous to a lefs fufpicious and impatient People than the Jews were. If it be faid, That the Prohibition against Alterations might be added amongst other things; there is no ground of Probability for it, but fo much odds against it, that a Man might as well fufpect that any other Paffage in the whole Five Books had been forged, as to pitch upon that particular Verfe, and fay that it is not genuine. Besides, why should Impoftors infert fuch a Claufe as would hinder them from changing any thing in the Law ever after? Why should they not rather reserve to themselves a liberty of changing and adding as often as they thought fit?

2. As the Laws themselves could not be invented nor alter'd, after Mofes's time; fo neither could the

Account

Account of the Miracles wrought by him, be inferted after his Death, by any particular Man, nor by any Confederacy or Combination of Men whatfoever. For if the Miracles, by which the Law is fuppofed to be confirm'd, were afterwards inferted, they must be intended as a Sanction, to give Authority to it, and keep the People in awe, when they were become uneafie and difobedient under the Government of thofe Laws. But it muft needs be much more difficult to introduce Laws at firft, than to govern a People by them, after they have been once introduc'd, and are fettl'd and receiv'd amongst them. Indeed, it is incredible, how Laws, fo little favourable to the Ease or Advantage of a People, which were fo expenfive and burthenfome in their Ceremonies, and which were purpofely defign'd, in many things, to be contrary to the Customs of all the Nations round about them, and to the Customs which they had been themselves acquainted with in Ægypt, in fo many Inftances, could be at first introduced, but by Miracle: But if they could have been once introduc'd without Miracles, there is no reason to think, but that when the People were ufed and accustom'd to them, there would have been no need of any Pretence of Miracles, to keep them in obedience to them; and as little reason there is to imagine that they would have been over-aw'd by a Report of Miracles, which must be suppos'd never to have been heard of, till the People gave occasion for the Invention of them, by their Difobedience.

The Books of Mofes were read (as I have fhewn) in the Synagogues, or Religious Affemblies, in the feveral Tribes, at leaft every Sabbath-day, and were appointed to be folemnly read, in the audience of all the People, at the Feast of Tabernacles, every Seven Years: and if they had had no Knowledge of the Laws of Mofes, but from the Rehearsal of it at the Feast of Tabernacles, yet can we conceive, that the Body of the Jewif Nation fhould be fo stupid and forgetful, as not to remember

remember when these Miracles must be fuppofed to be first read to them, that they had never heard them before? But how impoffible is it, that they fhould be thus impofed upon, when they heard the Books of Mofes read every Week to them, and had them befides in their own keeping, to read them at their leifure? The Miracles now make up great part of the Books of Mofes; they are every where interfpers'd and intermix'd, throughout the Hiftory; and they are of fuch a nature, as is most apt to make Impreffion upon the Memories of Men: And can we imagine, that Miracles, so often repeated, and every where inculcated, could be inferted by any Contrivance, and impofed upon a People who were all wont to hear the Law publickly read in a folemn Affembly once every Seven Years, and heard it read in their Synagogues besides every Seventh Day? Would they not be infinitely furpriz'd, the first time they heard the Relation of the Plagues inflicted on the Egyptians, of the Judgment upon Korah and his Company, and of the miraculous Punishments which befel the Idolatrous and Difobedient in the Wilderness? Would they not foon have found out fo obvious a Deceit, as this must have been, if it had been one? If we can think that fuch Infertions could pafs without discovery; why may we not as well believe too, that as many more might be made now, and not be difcover'd? Would not the whole Body of the People have been able to testify that all this was counterfeited, and inferted into the Law; for no fuch thing was read to them in their Synagogues upon the Sabbaths, nor had been read at the end of the last Seven Years, but it was all now added to terrify them, and keep them from following the Customs of other Nations? Would not this have been the worst Contrivance that could have been thought of, to keep a People in awe, to tell them of fuch things as every Man of them could difprove, that was of Age, and had but Understanding and Memory enough

enough to know what he had heard fo often read before, and to distinguish it from fuch things as are fo remarkable, that they could hardly escape any one's Memory, who had ever heard of them?

They had Books of the Law for their private reading; and befides the reading of it in their Weekly Affemblies, they had a folemn Publication and Proclamation of their Law once every Seven Years, as it were purposely to prevent any Design of falfifying it: And to have read any thing fo remarkable, as the Miracles of Mofes are, in all their circumstances, so often repeated and infifted upon, if the People had not found them in their own Books, and had not been used to hear them read to them, from the time of the giving the Law by Mofes, had been only for the Projectors to proclaim themselves Impoftors, but could never have deceived any Man.

And befides the care that was taken for the Prefervation of the Books of the Law, there were publick Memorials of the principal Miracles enjoined; fuch was the Feast of the Paffover, in remembrance of the Angel's paffing over the Ifraelites, when he flew the First-born of the Ægyptians; and the Feast of Tabernacles, in remembrance of their dwelling in Tents in the Wilderness; fuch was the confeffion and commemoration of those that offered the First-fruits, fetting forth the Mercies of God, in bringing them out of the Land of Ægypt with a mighty hand, and with an out-ftretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with figns, and with wonders, Deut. xxvi. 8. and fuch were the Brazen Serpent, the Ark, and the Tabernacle : These were things feen and obferved, or known by all; and they could not be introduced after Moses's time, because there could be no pretence for it; fince they who introduced them, muft fuppofe them to have been before, at the very time when they defigned first to introduce them. The Urim and Thummim was both a conftant Miracle, and a constant Attesta

tion

tion to the Law, by which it was ordained. And it appears, that the Priests who were to examine and judge of Leprofie either in Perfons or Things, were fecured from the Infection of it, though it were infectious to all others: And their constant Service could not be performed without a miraculous Difpenfation.

k

Thus it is evident, That there is all the Proof which it is poffible to bring in any cafe of this nature, that the Books of Mofes could not be falfified by any Man, or Party of Men whatfoever; fince the Nature and Inftitution of the Law it felf did effectually provide against all Impoftures; and the Jews had all the affurance that it is poffible for any People to have, that the Books of Mofes are the fame which he wrote and left behind him. And this infpired them with fuch a zeal for their Law, as to facrifice their Lives in vindication of it; whereas there was no Book whatfoever, as Jofephus obferves, amongst the Heathens, which any Man amongst them would not rather a thousand times fee deftroyed, though it were in never fo much esteem with them, than he would fuffer for it: Which fhews, that the Jews were fully convinced of the Divine Authority of their Law, from all the Evidence above-mentioned; and were perfuaded, that it is the fame which Mofes delivered, and left behind him.

3. The Pentateuch could not be invented nor falfified by the joint Confent of the whole Nation, either in Mofes's time, or after it. For how is it poffible that fuch a thing fhould have been concealed from all other Nations? and, that a whole Nation should know of the Impofture, and no Man ever discover it, nor no Apoftate ever divulge it, but they and their Pofterity fhould always profefs, that they believed the Law to be revealed to Mofes by God himself, juft

k Vid. Lightfoot's Prospect of the Temple, c. 34. P. 2030.