If we even suppose, that this people might, one and all,have united to invent and propagate untruth for their own glory, surely it cannot be imagined that they would as willingly have supported falsehood to cover themselves with shame. How easily, too, could the Egyptians have convicted them of imposture! How readily could they have silenced their vain-glorious assertions, if they had not been delivered by a mighty hand, and by an outstretched arm! If, indeed, the sea had not opened to offer them a path, and closed its waves again to overwhelm Pharoah and all his host with destruction, how soon must they have been refuted, and loaded with disgrace!

There remains then, to the enemies of revelation, but one last entrenchment, which is comprised in the assertion, that all the Books of Moses were written a long time after the period, when the events which are recorded in them are stated to have taken place; and that consequently Moses could easily have invented what circumstances he pleased, and have given them the shape of a real history. This assertion has already been clearly refuted, in the contradiction of others; but in the next chapter we will adduce the most convincing arguments in proof of the falsehood and impossibility of such an idea.

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CHAPTER XI.

PROOFS, THAT MOSES IN ALL HIS WRITINGS, EXCEPT THE BOOK OF GENESIS, RELATED ONLY EVENTS TO WHICH HE WAS AN EYEWITNESS.

To be fully satisfied of the truth of any history, it is necessary to consider, whether the circumstances, which attend it, are such as they ought to be.

First, An author should relate that which he himself has seen, has performed, or has compelled others to perform. Or secondly, He should be perfectly acquainted with his subject, and well instructed on all, concerning which he writes. Thirdly, He should have a multitude of witnesses, to the facts which he records; and it is desirable that his witnesses should not have been idle spectators, but participators in the acts, the difficulties, and the successes which he relates. Fourthly, And above all the other three, the historian himself should be a man of probity and good understanding; a man of a clear head and an upright mind. When all these qualifications are united in an historian, who can possibly doubt his rela

tions, however surprising they may appear? The bitterest enemies of revelation must readily allow, that an historian of this description is worthy of implicit credit. If any one can be unjust and obstinate enough to deny this, his reason, however perverted and prejudiced it may be, will, if he will only for a moment listen to its free suggestions, put to flight every doubt or cavil, which his corrupt heart is inclined to retain; and let him not be tempted to silence that reason, and reply by weak sophistry or callous impiety. We do not here speak only for argument's sake; we know that we bring forward proofs which cannot be resisted; and we would impress on our readers the solemnity and the importance of our subject. Religion is not an affair merely for the casuist; but it is a matter of the deepest moment for the conscience, the heart, and the soul.

When we examine the history written by Moses, by the above rules, we may discover in it, with very little attention, all the characters of truth which they contain; consequently it does not leave the slightest room for the most incredulous obstinacy to reply.

Moses was not only an eye-witness to what he related, but he took a very principal part in it, and he had a perfect knowledge of all the circumstances which he recorded. To add to this, there was an innumerable host of witnesses to all the

principal facts of his history, consisting of a whole nation, who not only saw, but who participated in many of the most trying circumstances, and who also shared in the triumph of his successful ones: and, above all, Moses was a man of probity and understanding,-a man of a clear head and an upright mind.

If then this history was committed to writing at the time which we assert; that is, during the life-time of Moses, after the children of Israel quitted Egypt, and before their entrance into Canaan ; the infidel can have no other retreat than the weakest infatuation. Impiety will be reduced to entrench itself behind a simple negative, destitute of every defence in the shape either of proof or probability. Are we then, on the bare word of the infidel, to risk our eternal destiny? Are we to trust the dearest interest of our souls to the keeping of those, who will doubt, deny, and argue in the face of the clearest conviction?

We have, in a former chapter, most distinctly shewn, that it is not possible reasonably to doubt, that Moses was the law-giver of the Jews, and that he published his laws at the time in which he professes to do so. We have also admitted that the Jews in all ages acknowledged this fact. We have proved, that it was those laws which gave force both to their religion and their government; and we have as clearly shewn,

that they are necessarily as ancient as that government. This is demonstrative as a matter of history, and we are at a loss to find what reply the unbeliever can make to such clear and convincing arguments. We haye however yet further proofs to establish the sincerity of the history, with regard to the time when it was written. One commonly judges of the state of any history by its perfect agreement in all its circumstances with those periods of which it speaks; by no relation being anticipated, no custom being out of place; for it would not be possible for any false historian to be so continually on his guard, as to let nothing betray him either in his style, or in describing the customs of the age, in which he professes to write. The critic has, in fact, no other method than this, by which to examine any history. We must remember, that we are at present only speaking of the last four Books of Moses, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy: we will in a future chapter take into consideration the Book of Genesis.

Now, we rest upon this foundation, That Moses did truly and indeed write those Books, which are attributed to him, and the whole which they contain, during the forty years in which the Israelites wandered in the desert. Thus all, which is related in these Books, as happening in the presence of the people of Israel, did in reality so take place, or

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