ed to the Israelites, as his cotemporaries, and they never afterwards could have been imposed as a genuine work, upon his countrymen, whose religion and government were built upon them.

It is no small service that is rendered to the cause of Christianity, that it constantly appeals to facts that were well known at the time the doctrine or precept was first promulgated, and if it be a fact that there were such men as Cyrus, and Alexander, and Cesar, and we believe, on the credit of general history, that there were such men, why should we doubt the fact of there being such a man as Moses; and moreover, if no one ever doubted the authenticity of the works of Homer, Virgil, or Cesar, why should any man doubt the authenticity of the writings of the Jewish lawgiver. Is it not strange that men should give credit to every line of Homer, and doubt every statement of Moses?

"A fact is accounted certain when it is attested by those who were eye witnesses of it; when recorded by an historian who had lived among those who had perfect knowledge of it; when it is not gainsayed or contradicted by any; if penned at the time, when it could be related otherwise, without exposing the writer to derision; when the matter is found to be of that nature that none could be ignorant of it; or lastly, because of its natural connection with all those other events which necessarily depend upon it."

"To speak plainly, is it not very unreasonable and unjust to demand either more proofs, or such as are of another nature, for the confirmation of the truth in question, than are required to verify any other

matters of fact. Why should not the testimony of Noah's children be sufficient to prove that there was such a man as Methuselah? Or why should not the testimony of Methuselah be sufficient to prove that there was such a man as Adam? Do we not every day give credit to the accounts which old men give us of their predecessors, especially when we find that what they relate hath an exact reference and connection with those things we are eye witnesses of?"

The books of Moses cannot have been forged since the time of Josephus, who testifies, (in his work against Apion, Book I. Sect. 8,) "We have not an innumerable multitude of books among us, disagreeing and contradicting one another, as the Greeks have, but only twenty-two books, which are justly believed to be divine. And of them five belong to Moses, which contain his laws, and the traditions of the origin of mankind till his death."

"It is ridiculous to suppose that they were forged since the time of Ptolemy Philadelphus, for they have been in the hands of the heathen themselves ever since that time."

"It is equally inconsistent to suppose them forged since the revolt of the ten tribes, because we find the books of Moses among the Samaritans, who have preserved them ever since their revolt, without any changes, but such as are incident to all manuscripts passing through many hands."

"It is no less absurd to suppose them forged at any other time. Nothing could be more notorious than the fact, that the Jews read the law of Moses every Sabbath day in all their families, or synagogues, and every seventh year beside, and that they

kept the three solemn feasts, of the Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles, every year. Nothing could be more apparent than whether the Jews did obey the laws contained in these books or not. Nothing can be more absurd than to suppose an insensible change wrought either in the form of their civil government, or the ceremonies of their religion."

"Let us imagine a man endeavoring, all of a sudden, to introduce into the world a new system of religion; burdensome, expensive, obscure, and differing, in almost every particular, from that of his ancestors, as also from that of surrounding nations, without any authority from God, would not the people be ready to say, as the Pharisees said to Christ, "Master, we would see a sign from heaven-what sign showest thou? By what authority doest thou these things?" For any one, therefore, at any period of the Jewish history, to forge such a book as the Pentateuch, under the name of Moses, and impose it upon the people as his work, when he had written no such book, would have exposed the impostor to the most perfect contempt.

"Furthermore, if, when the Lacedemonians tell us of the laws of their Lycurgus, and the Athenians of those of their Solon, and the Romans of those of their Numa, we think ourselves obliged to believe them, because every nation is supposed to be a faithful depository of the laws of him who first founded their government, and if we doubt not in the least the truth of these relations, though there be no people at this day, who live according to the laws of Lycurgus, or Solon, or Numa, can any valuable reason be imagined, for us to doubt whether Moses

wrote the book of Genesis, when an entire nation have constantly averred that he did so? Nay, when all the Jews, who continue at this day, do, in all places, where they are scattered throughout the world, equally, and with one consent, maintain that they received this book from him, together with the laws and worship therein contained, and when it is notorious that many of them have suffered martyrdom in confirmation of this truth ?"-Allix's Reflections on the books of Scripture.

"The Jews compute the beginning of their day from the preceding evening-they keep the Sabbath on the seventh day-they observe circumcision-they abstain from eating the muscle which is in the hollow of the thigh. The occasion and ground of all which, though they be commanded in other books of scripture, is no where to be found but in the book of Genesis, to which all these laws have a natural relation."

"Now let us suppose that Solomon had formed a design of deceiving the people, in publishing the Pentateuch for a work of Moses; is it possible he should so far impose on his people, as to make them receive the said book all at once, as that which had been constantly read in their families every seventh day, and every seventh year, for six hundred years before his time, and therefore, as a book had been so long in all their families, though indeed it was never heard of by them before that time."

"If an impostor can create a belief in others, that he hath some secret communication with the Deity, those who are thus persuaded by him, will

easily submit themselves to his laws; but it is absolutely impossible that a whole people should all at once forget what they have heard and learned of their parents and forefathers, and instead thereof admit of idle tales forged at pleasure.”—Allix.

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The truth of the last remark has been proved in this country, within the memory of persons now living. Some years since, a certain writer, more famous for ridicule, filthy talking, and jesting, than for "reason and common sense," tried to make the people believe that the books of the Old Testament were the product of a gloomy Monk, by whom, it is not improbable, (says he,) they were written." But though he tried to filch from his fellow men their only hope of heaven, he could not succeed; for, as the sequel proves, they had their hours, if not their "Age of Reason ;" and in those hours of cool and calm reflection, they found that the testimony of all ages and all history respecting the truth of Scripture, was not to be invalidated by the ipse dixit of a petulant cynic.

It has also been proved in times still later. Even in our own age, which I am afraid is not an age of reason with every one, false prophets have risen up and tried to make the people believe that they were some great ones. Some have pretended that they had found the book of Jasher. Others, that they could work miracles, or that Christ was going to make his appearance in them, or that they had found out, by immediate revelation from God, that the Bible was not all true. But blessed be the rock of our salvation; "we have a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto we do well to take heed as unto a