Rev. T. H. HORNE, are particularly recommended to the attention of our readers.

1. The language, style, and manner of writing, used in the books of the Old Testament, are internal arguments of their genuineness; and prove not only that they must have been written by different persons, but also enable us with precision to ascertain a time at, or before, which they must have been composed.

The Hebrew language, in which the Old Testament was written, being the language of an ancient people that had little intercourse with their neighbours, and whose neighbours also spoke a language which had great affinity with their own, would not change so rapidly as modern languages have done, since nations have been variously intermingled, and since arts, sciences, and commerce have been so greatly extended. Yet, since no language continues stationary, there must necessarily be some changes in the period of time that elapsed between Moses and Malachi. If therefore, on comparing, the different parts of the Hebrew Bible, the character and style of the language are found to differ (which critical Hebrew scholars have proved to be the case), we have strong internal criteria that the different books of the Old Testament were composed at different and distant periods; and consequently a considerable argument may thence be deduced in favour of their genuineness. Further, the books of the Old Testament have too considerable a diversity of style to be the work either of one Jew (for a Jew he must have been on account of the language), or of any set of contemporary Jews. If, therefore, they be all forgeries, there must have been a succession of impostors in different ages, who have concurred to impose upon posterity, which is incon

The departure of the Israelites from Egypt, under the direction of Moses, took place in the year of the world 2513, or before Christ, 1491. Malachi delivered his predictions under Nehemiah's second government of Judea, between the years 436 and 420 before the christian æra. The interval of time, therefore, that elapsed between them is between 1071 and 1055 years; or, if we reckon from the Death of Moses (A. M. 2555.) B. C. 1451, it is from 1015 to 1031 years.

ceivable. To suppose part to be forged, and part to be genuine, is very harsh; neither would this supposition, if admitted, be satisfactory.

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Again, the Hebrew language ceased to be spoken as a living language soon after the Babylonish captivity; but it would be difficult or impossible to forge any thing in it, after it was become a dead language. For it is a fact, that there was no grammar composed for the Hebrew till many ages after; and, as it is difficult to write in a dead language, with exactness, even by the aid of a grammar, so it seems impossible without it. All the books of the Old Testament must, therefore, be nearly as ancient as the Babylonish captivity; and since they could not all be written in the same age, some must be considerably more ancient, which would bring us back again to a succession of conspiring impostors. Lastly, the simplicity of style and unaffected manner of writing, which pervade all the books of the Old Testament (with the exception of such parts as are poetical and prophetical), are a very strong evidence of their genuineness, even exclusively of the suitableness of this circumstance to the times of the supposed authors.

2. The very great number of particular circumstances of time, place, persons, &c. mentioned in the Old Testament, is an argument both of their genuineness and truth.

A statement of the principal heads, under which these particular circumstances may be classed, will enable the reader fully to apprehend the force of this internal evidence.

There are, then, mentioned in the book of Genesis, the rivers of Paradise, the generations of the antediluvian patriarchs, the deluge with its circumstances, the place where the ark rested, the building of the tower of Babel, the confusion of tongues, the dispersion of mankind, or the division of the earth among the posterity of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the generations of the postdiluvian patriarchs, with the gradual shortening of human life after the flood, the sojournings of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, with many particulars of the state of Canaan and the neighbouring countries in their times, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the state of the land of Edom, both before and

after Esau's time, and the descent of Jacob into Egypt, with the state of Egypt before Moses's time.

In the book of Exodus are the plagues of Egypt, the insti tution of the Passover, the passage through the Red Sea, with the destruction of Pharaoh and his host there, the miracle of Manna, the victory over the Amalekites, the solemn delivery of the law from mount Sinai, many particular laws both moral and ceremonial, the worship of the golden calf, and a very minute description of the tabernacle, priests' garments, ark, &c.

In Leviticus we have a collection of ceremonial laws, with all their particularities, and an account of the deaths of Nadab and Abihu.

The book of Numbers contains the first and second numberings of the several tribes, with their genealogies, the peculiar offices of the three several families of the Levites, many ceremonial laws, the journeyings and encampments of the people in the wilderness during forty years, with the relation of some remarkable events which happened in this period; as the searching of the land, the rebellion of Korah, the victories over Arad, Sihon, and Og, with the divisions of the kingdoms of the two last among the Gadites, Reubenites, and Manassites, the history of Balak and Balaam, and the victory over the Midianites; all of which are described with the several particularities of time, place, and persons.

The book of Deuteronomy contains a recapitulation of many things contained in the three last books, with a second delivery of the law, chiefly the moral one, by Moses, upon the borders of Canaan, just before his death.

In the book of Joshua, we have the passage over Jordan, the conquest of the land of Canaan in detail, and the division of it among the tribes, including a minute geographical description.

The book of Judges recites a great variety of public transactions, with the private origin of some. In all, the names of times, places, and persons, both among the Israelites, and the neighbouring nations, are noted with particularity and simplicity.

In the book of Ruth is a very particular account of the genealogy of David, with several incidental circumstances.

The books of Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah, contain the transactions of the kings before the captivity, and governors afterwards, all delivered in the same circumstantial manner. And here the particular account of the regulations, sacred and civil, established by David, and of the building of the temple by Solomon, the genealogies given in the beginning of the first book of Chronicles, and the lists of the persons who returned, sealed, &c. after the captivity, in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, deserve particular notice, in the light in which we are now considering things.

The book of Esther contains a like account of a very remarkable event, with the institution of a festival in commemoration of it.

The book of Psalms mentions many historical facts in an incidental way; and this, with the books of Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Canticles, allude to the manners and customs of ancient times in various ways.

In the Prophecies there are some historical relations; and in the other parts the indirect mention of facts, times, places, and persons, is interwoven with the predictions in the most copious and circumstantial manner.

From the preceding statements, we may observe, first, that in fact, we do not ever find that forged or false accounts of things superabound thus in particularities. There is always some truth where there are considerable particularities related, and they always seem to bear some proportion to one another. Thus there is a great want of the particulars of time, place, and persons, in Manetho's account of the Egyptian dynasties, Ctesias's of the Assyrian kings, and those which the technical chronologers have given of the ancient kingdoms of Greece; and agreeably thereto, these accounts have much fiction and falsehood, with some truth: whereas, Thucydides's history of the Peloponnesian war, and Cæsar's of the war in Gaul, in both which the particulars of time, place, and persons are mentioned, are universally esteemed true, to a great degree of exactness.

Secondly, a forger, as a relater of falsehoods, would be careful not to mention so great a number of particulars, since this would be to put into his reader's hands criteria whereby to detect him. Thus we may see one reason of the fact mentioned in the last paragraph, and which, in confirming that fact, confirms the proposition here to be proved.

Thirdly, a forger, or a relater of falsehoods, could scarcely furnish such lists of particulars. It is easy to conceive how faithful records kept from time to time by persons concerned in the transactions should contain such lists; nay, it is natural to expect them in this case, from the local memory which takes strong possession of the fancy in those who have been present at such transactions; but it would be a work of the highest invention and greatest stretch of genius to raise from nothing such numberless particularities, as are almost every where to be met with in the Scriptures.

Fourthly, if we could suppose the persons who forged the books of the Old and New Testaments, to have furnished their readers with the great variety of particulars above mentioned, notwithstanding the two reasons here alledged against it, we cannot, however, conceive but that the persons of those times when the books were published, must by the help of these criteria have detected and exposed the forgeries or falsehoods. For these criteria are so attested by allowed facts, as at this time, and in this remote corner of the world, to establish the truth and genuineness of the Scriptures, as may appear even from the preceding arguments, and much more from the writings of commentators, sacred critics, and such other learned men as have given the historical evidences of revealed religion in detail; and, by parity of reason, they would suffice even now to detect the fraud, were there any whence we may conclude, à fortiori, that they must have enabled the persons who were upon the spot, when the books were published, to do this; and the importance of many of the particulars recorded, as well as many of the precepts, observances, and renunciations enjoined, would furnish them with abundant motives for this purpose.

Upon the whole, therefore, we conclude, that the very great