are the two Ends to which Mofes applies his own Songs or Poems, Exod. xv. Deut. xxxii. If it be thought, that there was no Writing before the Flood, because there is no Account of the Invention of it, tho' the Inventors of other inferior Arts be mention'd; this rather proves the contrary, and that it was coaval with Mankind, or was the Invention of Adam. It is not propable, that in fo long a Life, he fhould find out nothing for the use of himself and his Pofterity, tho' no Invention be attributed to him; and Writing is fo neceffary, that the World could very ill fubfift without it for between Sixteen and Seventeen Hundred Years. The Grecians, and other Nations, have recorded the firft Inventors, as they fuppos'd, of Letters, as thofe who beft deferv'd a Memorial in Hiftory. But Pliny is of Opinion, that the Affyrian Letters, by which we are to understand the ancient Hebrew, or Samaritan Characters, have been from the Beginning of the World. And fince there is no other mention amongst the ancienteft Jewish Writers, but that they were before the Flood, fome of them alfo afcribing them to Adam, this implies that they were of the greatest Antiquity, and the Time of their Invention is no more known than that of Ploughing and Sowing, and other neceffary Arts, which were from the Beginning of the World.

But though it fhould be fuppofed, that before the Flood they had not the fame Conveniencies for preferving the Remembrance of things paft, which we have had fince, yet things of this nature could never be impofed upon the Generality of Men; and if they had lefs means of conveying things paft to Pofterity, they had fewer things to convey; and all their Hiftories being concerning the Ancestors of their own Families, they were eafily remembred; and however fhort and imperfect, they could not be 'fo

Plin. Hift. 1. 7. c. 56. cum Harduin. Not.

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defective, as that Men fhould generally be fo grofly ignorant as to fwallow fuch Impoftures: They had One Day in Seven purposely fet apart for the Praise and Worship of God, and the Commemoration of his Mercies vouchfafed to Mankind; and they, who had Proverbial Remembrances of Nimrod, the third from Noah, could not be ignorant of Noah himself, and of the Flood in his time.

In fo few Generations of Men as had paft, by reafon of the long Lives of the Patriarchs, it was impof fible for Mofes to impofe upon thofe of his own Age in things fo memorable as the Creation of the World, and the Flood, and the Deftru&tion of Sodom and Gomorrah, &c. But when, fo long after the Flood, the Sons of Noah were difperfed into fo far diftant places of the Earth, and their Manners and Customs were different, and their Lives horter, it became neceffary that a true and lafting Account of those things fhould ftand recorded in a Book of infallible Credit and Authority, for the benefit of future Ages, left, in procefs of time, the Remembrance of them fhould become obfcure and confus'd, and fabulous Stories fhould be impofed upon the World for Truth, in Matters of fo great Importance. For it has been obferv'd by divers learned Men, that the most ancient Hiftories, as well as the Philofophy and Theology of the Heathens, contain many things concerning the Creation of the World, the firft Propagation of Mankind, the Flood, and other Particulars; which have fo plain an Agreement with what we read in the Book of Genefis, that they are fuppofed to be taken out of it but they are obfcurd and disguis'd under other Names and Characters, to conceal from whence they were originally taken, and to gain them the bet-ter Acceptance amongst thofe for whofe ufe the Books containing them were defign'd by their Authors. And when the Remembrance of God's Dealings with past Ages began to fail, and the ways of Humane Convey

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ance were fo uncertain, it was requifite that fome in fallible Account fhould be given of God's Difpenfat ons, and his Communications of himself in the first Ages, which might be tranfmitted down to Pofterity, unto the End of the World.

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CHA P. II.

The Promulgation of the Scriptures.

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HE End and Defign of a Revelation from Heaven, must be for the Good of Mankind, and therefore it was neceffary that it fhould be known and promulg'd in the World; and that Revelation which has been known to moft Nations, and fartheft divulg'd, carries another Evidence of its Divine Authority. For fince it is neceffary there fhould be fome Divine Revelation, it is likewife neceffary that it fhould be fufficient to the Ends for which it was defign'd; and it was revealed, not to be conceal'd, or confin'd to a few Perfons, but to rectifie the Mistakes, and regulate the Manners of Men; and therefore that which has been moft known, and fartheft propagated, we have reason to think to be a true Revelation. If every thing elfe concur to prove it true, the very Promulgation of it is a confiderable Evidence in proof of its Divine Authority: Because it is not to be fuppofed, that God would either fuffer his own Revelation to be fo ftifled and fupprefs'd, as to become of little or no ufe and benefit to the World, or that he would permit falfe Revelations to be more known and divulg'd; either of which would very ill confift with the Intention of Revealing his Will to Mankind.

It has been already proved, That it is not to be expected that God fhould reveal himself to every Man

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in particular, and it could not be requifite, that he fhould afford a conftant and standing Revelation in all Nations of the World. For if Mankind be fufficiently provided for in the Neceffaries of Salvation, this is all which in Reafon can be expected from a Juft and Good God to finful and perverfe Man. If Men be put in the ready Way of Salvation, and have fufficient Means allow'd them to attain it; all beyond this is the mere arbitrary Effect of Infinite Goodness, and depends wholly upon the good Pleasure of God, being more than we could promife our felves from his Juftice, or, by Reafon, forefee from his Mercy it felf. And his Wifdom fo orders and difpofes the Effects and Emanations of his Mercy, as to render them confiftent with his Juftice and Honour, as He is Governor of the World.

And if, in the first Ages, Revelations were frequent, and generally known amongst all Mankind till by their own fault and neglect they were withholden from them; it was the great Mercy of God, afterwards, to continue to thofe Nations, who had defpifed and rejected him, an Opportunity of knowing his Will revealed to others: And this God was pleas'd to do, by appointing a chofen Seed, and felecting to himself a peculiar People, to bear his Name before the Nations; and, by the various Difpenfations of his Providence, he fo difpofed of that People, that all Nations might be inftructed in the things revealed and delivered to them. A

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Firft then, I fhall fhew, That in the first Ages of the World, the Revealed Will of God was known to all Mankind.

Secondly, That in fucceeding Ages there have still been fufficient Means and frequent Opportunities for all Nations to come to the Knowledge of it.

COLLEGE LIBRARY NEW JERSEY

1. In the firft Ages of the World, the Reveal'd Will of God was known to all Mankind. And here we must have recourse to the Hiftory of the Bible; fince it is acknowledg'd, by all learned Men to be fo much the ancienteft Book, which can give us an Account of Religion, in the World. For unless we will reject all Hiftory, and believe nothing related of Ancient Times, we muft take our Accounts from fuch. Books as treat of them: And till by the Method propofed, I have proved the Bible to be of Divine Authority, I fhall alledge it only as an Hiftorical Relation of Things paft; in which refpect, it would be unreasonable to deny it that credit which is allowed to other Books of that nature. And this is all that is now defired, in order to the clearing of what I am at prefent upon; which is to fhew, That nothing requifite to a true Revelation is wanting to the Scriptures; and therefore, that they have been fufficiently promulged and made known to the World.

In the Beginning of the World, God was pleased to create but one Man, and one Woman, and to people the Earth from them; which muft exceedingly tend both to the preservation of Order and Obedience amongst Men, and to the retaining of the Knowledge of God, and of his Ways and Dealings with the first Parents of Mankind. But if Multitudes had been created, and the Earth had been peopled at once, the natural effect of this had been Ambition and Strife, Confufion and Ignorance: For as the Inhabitants of the World multiplied, fo did all Sin and Wickedness encrease; though all defcended from the fame Parents, and thefe Parents lived to fee many Generations of their Off-spring, and to instruct and admonish them; which, if any thing could have done it, must have kept up a fenfe of God and Religion amongst Men. Adam himself performed the Office of a Father, a Prieft, and a King, to his Children; and the Office and Authority of these three defcended upon the

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