would have been an equal pretence for rejecting their teftimony, as for rejecting that of the Jews. But it is in truth very abfurd to make it an objection, that the accounts of these facts are tranfmitted to us by thofe who were the only proper perfons to give an account of those facts, and by whom alone thofe accounts could have been originally given, if they had been true. If it be pretended, that the facts were feigned by them to do honour to their nation, it must be confidered, that, as was before hinted, they are fo circumftanced, and mixed with fuch difadvantageous accounts of the temper and conduct of that people, as no man would have feigned who had their honour in view, or who had not a greater regard to the truth of the facts, than to the hu mouring and flattering that people. For it is plain, that the facts might have been so contrived, if they had been fictitious, as to have faved the honour of their nation, and not to have given occafion to the fevere cenfures and reproaches which have been caft upon them in all ages on that account. And what farther. derives great credit to the relations of thofe extraordinary and miraculous facts, is, that the books in which they are contained not only appear to have been written with an unaffected fimplicity, and a fincere impartial regard to truth, mixed with a profound veneration for the Deity, but they contain the most remarkable predictions of future events, which it was impoffible for any human fagacity to forefee; particularly relating to the future fates of that nation; the furprising revolutions they should undergo; the calamities, captivities, and defolations, that fhould befal them; their being scattered and difperfed all over the face of the earth, and every-where expofed to hatred, contempt, and reproach, and yet ftill wonderfully preferved as a diftin&t people, as we fee they are at this day; notwithstanding they have for fo many ages loft their genealogies, and been deprived of their most valued privileges, and rendered incapable of exercifing their most folemn facred rites as prefcribed in their law, and without any prophets raifed up among them, and acknowledged by themfelves as fuch, to fupport their hopes. Thefe are things for which no parallel can be found in any other nation upon earth. So that the prefent ftate of that people, in all refpects fo extraordinary, is a living proof of the truth and divinity of those writings which contain an account of the laws that were origi

nally given them, and of the wonderful facts by which those laws were enforced and established. This is a proof ftill stronger to us, than it could have been in the ages foon after those books were written, and affordeth one inftance in which the evidence of those facts, instead of being diminished by time, has acquired new ftrength and force.

You will forgive the length of this letter, as I was willing to lay together in one view all that I thought neceflary for clearing and establishing the truth of the Mofaic hiftory against our author's objections, and which, if it be well fupported, the divinity of thofe laws, and of that conftitution, follows with invin cible evidence.

LET.

LETTER XXIX.

The excellent Nature and Tendency of the Mofaic Writings and the Scriptures of the Old Teftament-Lord Bolingbroke treats it as Blafphemy to fay that they are divinely inspired—A Sum-. mary of his Objections against their divine Original and Authority-His Charge against the Scriptures, as giving mean and unworthy Ideas of God, confidered at large-The Repre Jentations he himself gives of God, and of his Providence, fhewn to be unworthy, and of the worst Confequence-Concerning God's being reprefented in Scripture as entering into Covenant with Man-The Pretence of his being defcribed as a tutelary God to Abraham, and to the People of Ifrael, and of his being degraded to the meanest Offices and Employments, diftinctly examined-The Paffages in which bodily Parts feem to be afcribed to God, not defigned to be taken in a literal Senfe The Scripture itfelf fufficiently guards againfi a wrong Interpretation of thofe Paffages-In what Senfe human Paffions and Affections are attributed to the Supreme Being-A remarkable Paffage of Mr. Collins to this Purpofe.

SIR,

HE defign of my laft letter was to vindicate the truth and credit of the Mofaic hiftory, and of the extraordinary facts there related. And if that hiftory be admitted as true, the divine original and authority of the Mofaic conftitution is eflablifhed. But befides the external proofs arifing from the extraordinary and miraculous facts, whofoever with an unprejudiced mind looks into the revelation itfelf as contained in the facred writings of the Old Teftament, may obferve remarkable internal characters, which demonftrate its excellent nature and tendency. At prefent I fhall obferve, that we are there taught to form the worthieft notions of God, of his incomparable perfections, and of his governing providence, as extending over all his works, particularly towards mankind. We are at the fame time instructed in the true ftate of our own cafe, as we are weak, dependent, guilty creatures, and are directed to place our whole hope and trust in

pund the Scriptures of

1. 4'm flow give the mod unworthy ideas of the Sonics Being: they degrade burn to the meaned offices and emplo and attribute to him human paffions, and even the woril ot man imperfections.

2. Some of the laws there given are abfolutely contrary to law of nature, which is the law of God, and therefore cannot of divine original. He inftanceth particularly in the comm

oke's Works, vol. iii. p. 288.

Ibid. p. 299.

for extirpating the Canaanites, and for punifhing idolaters with

death.

3. The first principle of the law of Mofes is infociability; and it took the Jews out of all moral obligations to the rest of man

kind.

4. There are feveral paffages in the Mofaic writings, which are false, abfurd, and unphilofophical: as particularly the account there given of the creation of the world, and the fall of man.

5. The fanctions of the law of Mofes were wholly of a temoral nature, and were contrived and fitted to humour and graify the appetites and paffions; without any regard to a future ate of rewards and punishments.

Thefe are the principal objections urged by Lord Bolingbroke gainst the divine authority of the Scriptures of the Old Testaent, and particularly of the books of Mofes. There are fome other fmaller exceptions, which I fhall take notice of as they come in my way.

1. The first class of objections relateth to the mean and unvorthy representations that are made to us in Scripture of the Supreme Being. It hath always been accounted one of the dif inguishing excellencies of the facred writings, that they abound vith the most just and fublime descriptions of the Deity, which ave a manifeft tendency to raise our minds to the most worthy nd exalted conceptions of his divine majefty, and his incomparable excellencies and perfections. Our author himself thinks fit to acknowledge, that "there are many paffages in Scripture, "which give moft fublime ideas of the majefty of the Supreme Being:" And that "the conceptions which the Jews enter"tained of the Supreme Being were very orthodox in the eye "of reafon; and their pfalmifts, and their prophets, ftrained "their imaginations to exprefs the moft elevated fentiments of "God, and of his works, and of the methods of his providence*." If therefore there be any paffages which, literally taken, feem to be unworthy of God, they ought, by all the rules of candour and fair criticifm, to be interpreted in a confiftency with thefe; fince it cannot be reafonably fuppofed, that thofe who entertained fuch noble and fublime fentiments of the Divinity, fhould

Bolingbroke's Works, vol. iii. p. 99. vol. iv. p. 463.