STATE OF REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS.

The

same Moses, with a singularity as great, by uniting the religious and civil community of the Jews into one incorporated body, made God, by natural consequence, their supreme civil magistrate, whereby the form of government arising from thence became truly and essentially a THEOCRACY. But as the administration of government necessarily follows its form, that before us could be no other than an EXTRAORDINARY OR EQUAL PROVIDENCE. And such indeed, not only the Jewish Lawgiver himself, but all the succeeding rulers and prophets of this republic, have invariably represented it to be. In the meantime, no lawgiver or founder of religion amongst any other people, ever promised so singular a distinction; no historian ever dared to record so remarkable a prerogative.

This being the true and acknowledged state of the case, whenever the unbeliever attempts to disprove, and the advocate of religion to support, the divinity of the Mosaic dispensation, the obvious question (if each be willing to bring it to a speedy decision) will be, "Whether the EXTRAORDINARY PROVIDENCE thus prophetically promised, and afterwards historically recorded to be performed, was REAL or PRETENDED only?"

We believers hold that it was REAL; and I, as an advocate for Revelation, undertake to prove it

was so; employing for this purpose, as my medium, "THE OMISSION OF A FUTURE STATE OF REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS."

The argument stands thus :-If religion be necessary to civil government, and if religion cannot subsist under the common dispensation of Providence without a future state of rewards and punishments, so consummate a lawgiver would never have neglected to inculcate the belief of such a state, had he not been well assured that an EXTRAORDINARY PROVIDENCE was indeed to be administered over his people; or were it possible he had been so infatuated, the impotency of a religion wanting a future state, must very soon have concluded in the destruction of his republic; yet, nevertheless, it flourished and continued sovereign for many ages.

These two proofs of the proposition (" that an Extraordinary Providence was really administered,") drawn from the THING OMITTED, and the PERSON OMITTING, may be reduced to the following SYLLOGISMS:

I. Whatever religion and society have no future state for their support, must be supported by an Extraordinary Providence :

The Jewish religion and society had no future state for their support; therefore,

The Jewish religion and society were supported by an Extraordinary Providence.

II. The ancient lawgivers universally believed

that a religion without a future state could be supported only by an Extraordinary Providence :

Moses, an ancient lawgiver, learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians (the principal branch of which wisdom was, inculcating the doctrine of a future state), instituted such a religion; therefore, Moses believed that his religion was supported by an Extraordinary Providence.

The argument of the Divine Legation having been thus completed in six Books, the author, in order "to remove all conceivable objections against the CONCLUSION, and to throw in every collateral light upon the PREMISES," saw fit to add three more Books; of which,

The Seventh is employed in supporting the MAJOR and the MINOR propositions of the first syllogism; in a continued history of the religious opinions of the Jews, from the time of the earlier prophets, who first gave some dark intimations of a different dispensation, to the time of the Maccabees, when the doctrine of a future state of rewards and punishments was become national.

The Eighth Book is employed in supporting the MAJOR and MINOR propositions of the second syllogism, in which is considered the PERSONAL CHARACTER of Moses, and the GENIUS OF THE LAW, as far as it concerns or has a relation to the character of the lawgiver. Under this latter head is contained a full and satisfactory answer to those

who may object, "that a revealed religion, without a future state of rewards and punishments, is unworthy the Divine Author to whom it is ascribed."

The Ninth and last Book explains at large the nature and genius of the CHRISTIAN DISPENSA

TION.

The whole concludes with one general but distinct view of the entire course of God's universal economy from Adam to Christ. In which it is shown that, if Moses were indeed sent from God, he could not teach a future state, that doctrine being out of his commission, and reserved for HIM who was at the head of another dispensation, by which life and immortality was to be brought to light.

[Of the books of the DIVINE LEGATION above mentioned, the first Six were published in the Author's lifetime. The Ninth Book, though incomplete, was printed by the Author, but not published till after his death. The Seventh and Eighth Books, although materials for them had been collected, were never finished. The following Fragments of these, as well as what seems to be an Appendix to the Ninth Book, are now presented, it is believed for the first time, to the Public.-ED.]

DIVINE LEGATION OF MOSES.

BOOK VII.

CONTENTS.

Begin with the words of Lucullus, Acad. Qu.

L. II. C. 15. "Cum duæ causæ," constitui," p. 108. Davis's edit.

to "facere

to

The preceding volumes have shewn, that the early Jews were under an Extraordinary Providence; and secondly, that Moses did not teach nor had they the knowledge of a Future State: the first from the express declarations of their leader; the second from his profound silence.

Cavils against the fact in the first case ;against the right in the other.

I.

With regard to the fact, expose the illogical demand of those cavillers who expect to have the fact proved any other way than by the general syllogism of the Divine Legation.

The Pentateuch affirms that an extraordinary Providence was administered over that people. How shall we know whether it was real or pre