LETTER XI. LETTER XI. Lord Bolingbroke's strange reprefentation of the Jewish revelation. His attempts against the truth of the Mofaic hiftory. The antiquity, impartiality, and great usefulness of that history fhewn. The pretence that Mofes was not a contemporary author, and that his history is not confirmed by collateral teftimony, and that there is no proof that the Pentateuch was written by Mofes, examined. The Mofaic history and laws not forged in the time of the judges, nor in that of the kings, nor after the Babylonith captivity. The charge of inconfiftencies in the Mofaic accounts confider'd. The grand objection against the Mofaic history drawn from the incredible nature of the facts themselves examined at large. The reafon and propriety of erecting the Mofaic policy. No abfurdity in fuppofing God to have felected the Jews as a peculiar people. The great and amazing difference between them and the heathen nations as to the acknowlegement and adoration of the one true God, and him only. The good effects of the Jewith conftitution, and the valuable ends which were anfwered by it. It is no juft objection against the truth of the Scriptures that they come to us through the hands of the Jews. SIR, HAY AVING confidered what Lord Bolingbroke hath offered with regard to divine revelation in general, I now proceed to examine the objections he hath advanced against the Jewish and Chriftian revelation. Of the latter he fometimes fpeaks with feeming refpect and decency: But with regard to the former, he fers no bounds to invective and abufe. He here al lows himself without referve in all the licentiousness of reproach. Far from admitting it to be a true divine revelation, he every-where represents it as the very worst conftitution, that ever pretended to a divine original, and as even worse than Atheism. LETTER Befides occafional paffages every-where interfperfed in his writings, there are fome parts of his works, where he fets himself purposely and at large to expofe the Mofaic revelation. This is the principal defign of the long letter in the third volume of his works, occafioned by one of Archbishop Tillot fon's fermons: As alfo of the fecond section of his third Essay in the fourth volume, which is on the rife and progress of Monotheifm: And of the fifteenth, twentieth, twenty-firft, feventy-third, feventy-fifth of his Fragments and Effays in the fifth volume. In confidering Lord Bolingbroke's objections against the holy Scriptures of the Old Testament, and efpecially against the books of Mofes, I thall diftinctly examine what he hath offered against A a 2 the LETTER the truth of the Scripture hiftory, and against XI. the divine authority of the facred writings. This is the method he himself hath pointed out in the above-mentioned letter occafioned by one of Archbishop Tillotson's fermons. I fhall begin with confidering his objections against the truth of the hiftory. But first it will not be improper to make fome general obfervations upon the Scripture history, and efpecially that which is contained in the Mofaic writings.. And first, it deferves our veneration and regard on the account of its great antiquity. We have no accounts that can in any degree be depended upon, or that have any pretence to be received as authentic records, prior to the Mofaic hiftory, or indeed till fome ages after it was written. But though it relateth to the most antient times, it is obfervable that it doth not run up the history to a fabulous and incredible antiquity, as the Egyptians, Chaldeans, and fome other nations did. Mojes's account of the time of the creation of the world, the general deluge, &c. reduces the age of the world within the rules of a moderate computation, perfectly confiftent with the best accounts we have of the origin of nations, the founding of cities and empires, the novelty of arts and fciences, and of the most useful inventions of human life: All which lead us to affign an age to the world which comports very well with the Mofaic hiftory, but is no way compatible with the extravagant antiquities of other caftern nations. Another XI. Another thing which fhould greatly recom- LETTER mend the Scripture hiftory to our esteem is the remarkable fimplicity and impartiality of it. It contains a plain narration of facts, delivered in a fimple unaffected ftyle, without art or orna ment. And never was there any hiftory that discovered a more equal and unbiafs'd regard to truth. Several things are there recorded, which, if the hiftorian had not laid it down as a rule to himself, not only not to contradict the truth but not to conceal or disguise it, would not have been mentioned. Of this kind is what our author refers to concerning Jacob's obtaining the birth-right and blefling by a fraud *. For though it is plain from the prophecy that was given forth before the birth of the children, that the bleffing was originally defigned for Jacob the younger in preference to Efau the elder, yet the method Jacob took, by the advice of his mother Rebekka, to engage his father Ifaac to pronounce the bleffing upon him, had an appearance of art and circumvention, which, confidering the known jealoufy and antipathy between the Edomites and the people of Ifrael, and the occafion it might give to the former to infult and reproach the latter, it might be expected an Ifraelitish hiftorian would have endeavoured to conceal. To the fame impartial regard to truth it is owing, that Reuben's inceft, and that of Judah with his daughter-in-law Tamar, from which defcended the principal fa. Vol. III. p. 304. A a 4 milies ! LETTERmilies of the noble tribe of Judah, are recorded: XI. As is also the cruel and perfidious art of Simeon appears |