(vi)

ceffary deductions made) that he pay "all the remainder to the endowment of "eight Divinity Lecture Sermons, to be "established for ever in the faid Univer

66

fity-

"I direct and appoint, that the eight Divinity Lecture Sermons shall be preached

upon either of the following fubjects"to confirm and establish the Chriftian "Faith, and to confute all heretics and "fchifmatics-upon the divine authority "of the Holy Scriptures-upon the authority of the writings of the primitive Fathers, as to the faith and practice of "the primitive Church-upon the Divinity of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Christ

-upon the Divinity of the Holy Ghoft

-upon the Articles of the Christian Faith, as comprehended in the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds."

PREFACE.

THE Books of Moses constitute a part of divine revelation, against which Infide lity has of late years directed her principal attack. They have been studiously reprefented as little better, than a collection of popular traditions built upon fcarcely a ftronger foundation, than the legendary tales of claffical antiquity. They have been pronounced to resemble the writings of Herodotus, rather than those of Thucydides; and to approximate in a still higher degree to the poems of Homer. Sometimes their credibility has been even totally denied; and the whole Volume contemptuously affigned to an age of fabulous uncertainty. At other times the mode of

attack has been changed; and the hidden fap of treachery adopted, in preference to the open threats of defiance. Difficulties

have then been industriously started; the language of profane ridicule fedulously adopted; and plaufible objections urged in the shape of argument, or infinuated under the mask of an affected liberality. Nor are these antichriftian efforts confined, in the prefent generation, to the subtle treatife, or the elaborate difquifition. Every vehicle of knowledge is feized upon: and while the bowels of the earth are ranfacked, to convince the literary world of the erroneousness of the Mofaical chronology; history and travels, fatire and tra gedy, nay even romances and novels, are employed to diffeminate the poifon among other claffes of readers. Such are the labours of modern infidelity; and thus, through the medium of Judaism, is a blow aimed at the vitals of Christianity.'

On the other hand, many perfons, who firmly believe in the great truths of the Gofpel,

Gospel, and who fully admit the authority of the Pentateuch, feem to fancy, that there is very little connection between them. From this miftaken idea, their

whole attention is directed to the New Teftament; while the venerable code of the Law is neglected, and almost defpifed. They appear to imagine, that, as Judaism is now abrogated, they, as Chriftians, have very little concern with its inftitutes; and that it is useless to pay any great degree of attention to a volume of obfolete precepts. Thus they virtually, though perhaps not verbally, deny the connection between the Law and the Gofpel; and pronounce one half of Scripture to be nearly devoid of utility.

Impreffed with a fenfe of the danger which results from fuch opinions, I have endeavoured in the following pages to take a view of the Mofaical documents, both with regard to their credibility, and with regard to their connection with Chriftianity.

Their

Their credibility refults, partly from external, and partly from internal evidence. A remarkable hiftorical coincidence with profane antiquity conftitutes the one; and various arguments, derived from an attentive furvey of the documents themselves, ferve to establish the other.

The confideration of this first part of my fubject requires, no doubt, fome degree of caution, in order that the impu tation of fancifulness may be avoided. Should the enfuing difquifitions fometimes appear culpable in this respect; let it be always remembered, that, as every coincidence forms a complete and independent argument, fo any fingle one may be fafely expunged, without in the least affecting the evidence derived from another. Nevertheless, it is trufted, that, amidst all the obscurity of remote ages, and amidst all the intricacies of Pagan mythology, fuch veftiges of the truth may ftill be difcovered, as could never have arifen from mere accident. When the whole world,

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