Mobs, and the memory of his immediate ancelhor, it may be allowed that there is a mixture of fible, or allegory in it, without affecting the hiftory that is properly Mojsic, and confequently the truth of the Jewith religion. It should be considered, however, that Mofes relates only fach of the more remarkable tranfactions of the times preceding h.. own, and of his remote ancestors, as it may well be fuppofed that their defcendants would carefully, and might easily tranfmit to their pofterity; and only eight generations intervened between Mofes and Noah.

a

CHAPTER

CHAPTER IV.

THE EVIDENCE OF THE JEWISH AND CHRISTIAN REVELATIONS, DERIVED FROM PRESENT

APPEARANCES.

SECTION I.

Arguments from the existence, propagation, and good effects of the Jewish and Chriftian religions.

AVING confidered the evidence of

HAV

the Jewish and Christian revelations, as far as it depends upon the testimony of those who received them, and efpecially of those who have written the hiftory of them, I fhall now proceed to lay before my readers fome evidence of a different kind, the facts from which it arifes being either the subject of univerfal obfervation, or recorded in general hiftories, of univerfally allowed credit.

The

The very existence and reception of such fyftems of religion as the Jewish and chriftian, are remarkable facts of this kind. That other religions, fuch as the different fpecies of heathenifin, and that of Mohammed, fhould have been established, and gained credit, may be accounted for without fuppofing them to be true; but the Jewish and chriftian' religions were fo circumftanced, at their inftitution, that it feems impoffible to account either for their existence, or the credit which they are known to have obtained, without fuppofing them to be true and divine.

The faith of Jews and christians refpecting God, as one being, the maker, governor, and righteous judge of all; concerning moral duty, and a future ftate, are so agreeable to reafon, and yet fo much more juft and fublime than the moral and religious fyftems of other nations, especially about the time when these two religions were feverally established (in which both the religion and morals of all their neighbouring nations were remarkably corrupt) that, con

fidering

fidering the fituation of the Jews and primitive chriftians, with refpect to study and inquiry, we cannot but conclude that they must have had fources of information which other nations had not. Indeed, the writings of the Jews and chriftians bear no traces of their religious knowledge being the deduction of any extraordinary fagacity or reasoning of their own; and men who attain to fuperior knowledge by their own reafoning, and fuperior powers, are generally ready enough to make a fhew of their reason, and are willing to fecure to themselves whatever reputation can accrue from it. But here we find admirable fyftems of religious and moral knowledge published by perfons who difclaim all merit with respect to them, and who do not pretend to have difcovered them by their own powers.

The great object of these two religions, especially as fully revealed in the christian, which was the completion of the whole fcheme, is fo fublime and excellent, that

it could hardly have had any other fource than the univerfal parent of good. This object is no less than to teach univerfal impartial virtue, and a fuperiority of mind to this world, in a firm faith of another and a better after death; and this truly catholic religion is not calculated for the use of any one people only, or made subservient to any particular form of civil government, but is defigned to unite and bless all the nations of the world, under one spiritual head Chrift Jefus.

Thefe obfervations relate to the Jewish and chriftian religions jointly, I shall now mention a few others which relate to them feverally.

The religious poems and other compofitions of the Jews, contain fentiments fo admirably just and fublime, that the flighteft comparison of them with the religious hymns of other nations, even in the most enlightened ages, cannot but lead us to fufpect that the Jews were poffeffed of advan

tages