coming of Chrift to the present time is a 'truth which will afterwards be established.

The books of Genefis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, containing an account of the creation, and of the fall of man, the heads of the early annals of the world, and a full recital of the Jewish law, and of the events which had happened to that nation until it had now finally reached the borders of the land of Canaan, were written by Mofes. An exception however must be made of the concluding chapter of Deuteronomy, evidently added after his death in order to complete his history: and perhaps of one or two paffages (as of that in Genefis (e) refpecting the kings of Edom) which may have been inferted by fome fucceeding prophet, not improbably by Ezra, for the purpose of conveying illuftration or additional intelligence, I mention these flight exceptions, obvious as they are; becaufe abfurd cavils have fometimes been founded upon them, as though they afforded an argument to fhew

(e) Gen. xxxvi. 31-43.

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that

that Mofes was not the author of the other

parts of the books. The proofs of his having been the author of those books are numerous and decifive. The fact has ever been firmly believed by the Jews: and continues to this day to be one of the thirteen articles of their creed (ƒ). It is virtually afferted in the very books themselves: "Mofes wrote all the words of the Lord; "and took the book of the covenant, and "read in the audience of the people (g)." Again, near the clofe of the book of Deuteronomy which, it must be remembered, was in fubftance a recapitulation of the preceding books, it is faid that, "when Mofes "had made an end of writing the words of "this law in a book, until they were "finished, Mofes commanded the Levites, "which bare the ark of the covenant of the

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Lord, faying: Take this book of the law, 66 and put it in the fide of the ark of the "covenant of the Lord your God, that it

(f) See Bishop Watfon's Apology for the Bible, (g) Exod. xxiv. 47.

P. 45, 46.

may

may be there for a witness against thee (b).” In the book of Joshua, in both the books of Kings, in the fecond book of Chronicles, in the books of Ezra, of Daniel, and of Malachi, the writing of the law is unequivocally afcribed to Mofes (i). And let it be observed that if we for the prefent admit, what will shortly be demonftrated, the inspiration of these several books of Scrip

ture;

the paffages to which I have just referred are so many diftinct and irrefragable teftimonies to the inspiration of the books of Mofes. The fame remark may be extended to the firft book of Chronicles, the book of Pfalms, of Isaiah, and of Jeremiah; in all of which the Divine miffion of Mofes is attested (k). Let us proceed to the evidence which the New Teftament presents concerning Mofes. Jefus Chrift expressly affirms that Mofes gave the law to the

(b) Deut. xxxi. 24-26. (i) Joshua, viii. 34, 35. xiv. 10, &c. 1 Kings, ii. 3. 2 Kings, xxiii. 25. 2 Chron. xxiii. 18. xxx. 16. Ezra, iii. 2.

Dan. ix. 11-13.

(*) Chron. xxiii. 14. Pfalm 1

Ifaiah, lxiii. 12. Jerem. xv. 1.

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Jews.

Jews (1). He continually refers to that law; speaks of it with the highest reverence; appeals to it as containing decisive predictions concerning himself; affirms that had his hearers believed Mofes, they would have believed himself; and that they who would not believe Mofes and the prophets, would not be perfuaded, though one should be raised from the dead purposely to convert them (m). After the ascension of Chrift, his apostles add their testimony in the clearest language to the fact, that the law was written by Moses, and written under the guidance of infpiration (n). And each of the five books is feparately quoted, or referred to by Chrift himself in the Gospels; and by the facred writers in the

(1) John, vii. 19. See also i. 17. (m) Matt. v. 17, 18. vii. 12. xxiii. 2. Luke, xvi. 29. 31. xx. 37. xxiv. 27.

Mark, x. 3.

John, iii. 14.

v. 46. These are by no means all the testimonies, which the Gofpels bear to the authority and infpiration of the Mofaic writings.

(n) See among many other vii. 35-37. xiii. 39. xxvi. 22. i Cor. x. ii. 2 Cor. iii. 7-15. x. 28. Rev. xv. 3.

paffages, Acts, iii. 22. xxviii. 23. Rom. x. 5.

Heb. iii. 2. vii. 14.

subsequent

subsequent parts of the New Testament (。). In recounting the attestations by which the Jewish lawgiver is thus honourably dif tinguished, it must not be forgotten, that when our Lord was transfigured on the mount, Mofes was one of the two prophets who were commiffioned to appear to him in glory (p).

Ante

(0) Of thefe quotations and references which are extremely numerous, many are specified under the proper heads in Gray's Key to the Old Teftament; a work which will be found highly ufeful to all who are folicitous to attain an accurate knowledge of the feveral parts of their Bible.

(p) Luke, ix. 30, 31. After the numerous and decifive proofs of the Divine commiffion of Mofes, which have been produced from the Old and New Teftaments; it would be almost fuperfluous to mention the early Heathen writers, who concur in afcribing the Jewish law to Mofes. But it is not unimportant to add, that in distant regions of the world, among the Egyptians, the Phenicians, the Greeks, the Hindoos, traditions and practices have prevailed; which, however loaded and debased with fable and fuperftition, are yet capable of being traced, as Grotius and other writers have fhewn, to Patriarchal or Mofaical inftitutions. It is remarkable too, as Bishop. Watfon pointedly obferves, that the books which come nearest to the book of Genefis in age, are those which "make either the most distinct mention of, or the most "evident allufion to, the facts related in Genefis con-

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"cerning