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gypt through the Red Sea; fed them forty years without bread, by miraculous manna, and the other matters of fact recorded in his books, if they had not been true. Because every man's senses, who was then alive, must have contradicted it. Therefore he must have imposed upon all their senses, if he could have made them believe it, when it was false. So that here are the first and second of the above mentioned four marks.

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For the same reason, it was equally impossible for him to have made them receive his five books, as truth, and not to have rejected them, as a manifest imposture; which told of all these things, as done before their eyes, if they had not been so done. See how positively he speaks to them, Deut. xi. 2, to verse 8. "And know "ye this day, for I speak not with your chil"dren, which have not known, and which "have not seen the chastisement of the Lord your God, his greatness, his mighty hand, " and his stretched out arm, and his miracles, "and his acts, which he did in the midft of Egypt unto Pharoah, the king of Egypt, and 66 unto all his land; and what he did unto the army of Egypt, unto their horses, and to "their chariots; how he made the water of "the Red Sea to overflow them, as they pur"sued after you; and how the Lord hath "destroyed them unto this day; and what he "did unto you in the wilderness, until ye came "into this place; and what he did unto Dathan and "Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reu

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"ben, how the earth opened her mouth, and "swallowed them up, and their households, " and their tents, and all the substance, that "was in their possession, in the midst of all << Israel. But your eyes have seen all the "great acts of the Lord, which he did," &c.

Hence we must suppose it impossible, that these books of Moses (if an imposture) could have been invented, and put upon the people, who were then alive, when all these things were said to be done.

The utmost therefore, to which even supposition can be stretched, is, that these books were written in some age after Moses, and published in his name.

To this I say that, if it were so, it was impossible, that these books should be received, as the books of MOSES, in that age, wherein they may have been supposed to have been first invented. Why? Because they speak of themselves, as delivered by MOSES, and kept in the ark from his time. "And it came to pass, "when MOSES had made an end of writing the "words of this law in a book, until they were finished, that MOSES Commanded the Levites, who bare the ark of the covenant of the "Lord, saying, take this book of the law, and (6 put it in the side of the ark of the covenant "of the Lord your God, that it may be there "for a witness against thee." Deut. xxxi. 24, 25, 26. And a copy of this book was likewise. to be left with the king. "And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his king

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dom, that he shall write him a copy of this "law in a book, out of that, which is before "the priest the Levites; and it shall be with "him, and he shall read therein all the days

of his life; that he may learn to fear the "Lord his God, to keep all the words of this "law, and these statutes to do them." Deut,' xviii. 18, 19.

Here then you see that this book of the law speaks of itself, not only as a history or relation of what things were then done; but as the standing and municipal law and statutes of the nation of the Jews, binding the king as well, as the people.

Now, in whatever age after Moses you suppose that this book was forged, it was impossible it could be received, as truth; because it was not then to be found, either in the ark, or with the king, or any where else. For, when first invented, every body must know that he had never heard of it before.

Therefore they could less believe it to be the book of their statutes, and the standing law of the land, which they had all along received, and by which they had been governed.

Could any man, at this day, invent a book of statutes for England, and make it pass upon the nation, as the only book of statutes, that ev er they had known? As impossible was it for the books of Moses (if they were invented in any age after MOSES) to have been received for what they declare themselves to be, viz. the statutes and municipal law of the nation of the

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Jews; and to have persuaded the Jews, that they had owned and acknowledged these books all along from the days of Moses to that day, in which they were first invented; that is, that they had owned them, before they had ever heard of them. Nay more, the whole

nation must, in an instant, forget their former laws, and government, if they could receive these books, as being their former laws; and. they could not otherwise receive them, because they vouched themselves so to be. Let me ask the Deists one short question; was there ever a book of sham laws, which were not the laws of the nation, palmed upon any people, since the world began? If not, with what face can they say this of the book of laws of the Jews? Why will they say that of them, which they confess impossible in any nation, or a mong any people?

But they must be yet more unreasonable. For the books of MOSES have a farther demon- { stration of their truth, than even other lawbooks have. For they not only contain the laws, but give an historical account of their institution, and the practice of them from that time; as of the passover in memory of the> death of the first born in Egypt; and that the same day all the first born of Israel both of man and beast were by a perpetual law dedi- * cated to God; and the Levites taken for all the first born of the children of Israel. That Aaron's red, which budded, was kept in the ark, in memory of the rebellion, and wonder

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ful destruction of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram; and for the confirmation of the priesthood to the tribe of Levi. As likewise the pot of manna, in memory of their having been fed with it forty years in the wilderness. That the brazen serpent was kept (which remained to the days of Hezekiah, 2 Kings xviii. 4.) in memo. ry of that wonderful deliverance, by only looking upon it, from the biting of the fiery serpents. Num. xxi. 9. The feast of Pentecost, in memory of the dreadful appearance of GoD upon mount Horeb, &c.

Beside these remembrances of particular actions and occurrences there were other solemn institutions in memory of their deliverance out of Egypt in general, which included all the particulars. As of the Sabbath; their daily sacrifices, and yearly expiation; their new moons, and several feasts and fasts. So that there were yearly, monthly, weekly, daily remembrances and recognitions of these things.

Not only so, but the books of the same MOSES tell us that a particular tribe was ap pointed and consecrated by GOD, as his priests; by whose hands, and none other, the sacrifices of the people were to be offered, and these solemn institutions celebrated; that it was death for any other to approach the altar; that, their high priest wore a glorious mitre, and magnificent robes of God's own contrivance, with the miraculous Urim and Thummim in his breast plate, whence the divine responses were given; that at his word the king and all the

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