of falutary Knowledge, God did in after Ages vouchfafe to select Perfons, the Gift of his holy Spirit; by which they were not only illuminated themselves, but enabled to give Light to others, and to guide their Feet into the Way of

Peace.

THAT God made Difcoveries of his Will in this manner to his own People the Jews, is generally known and confefs'd. And the moft antient Chriftian

Writers doubted not to affirm, that He,
who is the God of the Gentiles as well
as of the Jews, fent to the Gentiles alfo
Prophets of their own, to reclaim them
from the Error of their Ways, and bring
them back to himself. But Prophecy
among the Gentiles was very rare.
Jews only enjoy'd a continual Succeffion
of Prophets; and for many Ages the
Knowledge of the true God was in a
manner confin'd to that Nation, among
whom he had fix'd his Refidence.

The

IN the Text the Prophet Ifaiah foretells a wonderful Increase of religious that a Time should

Knowledge;

come,

come, when it fhould overflow the Banks which had hitherto confin'd it, and fpread itself over the whole habitable World. The Earth (in the Version of the Seventy it is, Ἡ σύμπασα, the whole Earth) fhall be full of the Knowledge of the Lord, as the Waters cover the Sea.

Ar what Time, and by what Degrees and Means this Prediction was accomplifhed, I shall in the following Discourse endeavour briefly to fhew.

Now the full Completion of this Prophecy undoubtedly belongs to the Times of the Meffiah. But in order to it divine Providence feems to have taken several preparatory Steps, fome Ages before the Incarnation of our bleffed Lord. The Rifing of the Sun of Righteoufnefs was preceded by a Dawn, the Light of which was confiderable, tho' not comparable to that of the perfect Day.

SOME hundreds of Years before the Birth of Chrift, the Light of Nature, after a long Night, began to fhine forth; and feveral Perfons in the heathen World, mov'd perhaps by an heavenly Impulfe,

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I.

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I.

fet themfelves to make a diligent Enquiry into the Principles and Duties of natural Religion, and to make them known to others; that by their Inftructions and Exhortations they might reform the Lives and Manners of Men. Above all the reft, Socrates diftinguish'd himself by his open and indefatigable Zeal in carrying on this glorious Work. Inftruction and Reproof were the Employment of his Life; and at length it was given him to dye for the Testimony which he bare against the Superstitions and Corruptions of the Age in which he liv'd. After his Death the fame Defign was pursued by fome of his Followers, but with more Caution and Referve; left, treading too near in the Steps of their Mafter, they alfo fhould meet with his Fate.

THE Syftems of Morality and Religion deliver'd by these Men, tho' they want not their Errors and Imperfections, must be allow'd to contain many Things yet agreeable to the Dictates of right Reason; and whatsoever is agreeable to right Rea

fon,

fon, is truly from the Father of Lights; the Author and Fountain of Reason, as well as of Revelation. Wherefore fome of the most antient Writers of the Church have ventur'd to affirm (what is to be cautiously and candidly understood) That those among the Heathen, who liv'd and taught others to live according to Reason, were in fome fort Chriftians; That they were in fome measure partakers of the divine Logos, the Light which enlighteneth every Man that cometh into the World; That Philofophy was not only a divine Gift, but the Covenant of God with the Gentiles, and a School-miftrefs to bring them unto Christ.

་

THESE Expreffions will appear the more tolerable, if it be confidered that there is great Reafon to believe that the Grecian Philofophers had fome other Light than that of Nature to guide their Enquiries; fince in their Writings there are found the Traces of fome Truths, which feem to be beyond the Discovery of human Reafon. And in many Inftances the likenefs of their Notions and

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I.

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I.

Expreffions to the Doctrines and Words of Scripture, directs us to conjecture that they were originally deriv'd from thence.

THAT Plato in particular borrow'd very many Things from Mofes, was plainly own'd by Numenius in that famous Saying of his, What is Plato, but Mofes Atticifing? Perhaps in his Travels he had convers'd with fome Perfons acquainted with the infpir'd Writers; or perhaps he himself was no Stranger to them, tho' he did not think fit publickly to own his Knowledge of them. And indeed it is exceeding probable that both he and fome others of the Philofophers had read them, if that be true which is reported by Ariftobulus an Hellenistical Writer that there was extant a Greek Tranflation of the Books of Mofes before the Times of Alexander and the Perfian Empire.

BUT the moft famous Verfion of the Scriptures was that which was made after this by the Seventy in the Reign of Ptolcmy Philadelphus. This Verfion obtain'd fo great Reputation, that for a long Time the Authors of it were thought to have

been

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