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intermixes it felf with thofe very Paffions. Whatever they speak, 'tis with Authority, and without any Fear, as being most certain of the truth of what they fay; and they feem animated with nothing else but a pure Design of glorifying God. Was ever a more Noble and Glorious Character known in any other Mortals?

Not only the manner of their Speech and Style differs from that of the Writers of the World, as being neither affected nor ftudied, fubtle nor refined, timorous nor dubious, and wholly depending upon the turn of their Expreflions, the artful methodizing of their Thoughts, and ingenious difpofing of their Matter; but they expreft themselves with fuch a fimplicity, as is fuitable to every Mans Capacity and Underftanding.

And fince God is the main Subject of all their Difcourfe, they must confequently utter very fublime and magnificent things; but yet fince 'tis directed to Men, and to all forts of Men in general, it was neceflary it should be very fimple and very natural. So great are thofe ldeas which they give us of God, that every thing befides is very mean and rampant in com parifon of those Divine Defcriptions. And if any Man pretends to call this Truth in question, he will need only to clear his Doubts, but to compare the Book of Fob, the Revelations of Efai, or the Pfalms of David, with all the Notions which the most lofty and fublime Wits among the Heathens have had of a Deity. But at the fame time we muft of neceffity confefs, that never any Authors expreft themselves after fo fimple and fo vulgar a manner as they have done, And therefore certainly, thofe Teachers can never be

like the reft, fince if they were, either they would have used far nobler Expreffions, fince they had Wit enough to entertain fuch magnificent Thoughts, or else they would have deliver'd but mean and trivial notions, fince they had not parts fufficient to express themselves in a more lofty Stile.

CHA P. III.

Wherein we further examine the Characters of Divinity difcoverable in the Jewish Reve

lation.

TH

Here appears in the Scriptures of the Jews, not only an extraordinary and furprising Character but we further find in them the doubts of our Reafon cleared, and the Motions of our Confcience fatisfied; and if our Reafon and Confcience fpring from God, I do not fee how any one fhould conceive that the Jewish Revelation can have any other Principle but him.

The Soul of Man complains he is taught a Thoufand things of no great neceflity; the understands the Rules of Eloquence, the Maxims of Policy and of Civil Law, and the Laws of Arms: She is not ignorant in the ftudy of the Liberal Arts; fhe has dived into the very Secrets of the Sciences. And though perhaps the has not a perfect Knowledge of thofe things, yet that Knowledge she has of them, is fufficient

P

and

for

the

and suitable enough to her Condition. But the is ignorant of every thing that concerns her own felf; fhe neither knows whence fhe comes, nor where she is a going, nor who placed her in this World, nor the end for which the lives in it, nor what is the Original of this World fhe thus inhabits. She finds within her felf many incomprehenfible contrarieties, a Heart rebellious against the Law within her, and a Law and th that wars against the Inclinations of her Heart. But who fhall enlighten her, being thus incompaffed with fuch dreadful Obfcurities? All the other Teachers fhe confults thereupon, do but the more increase her Scruples, by the doubtful and timerous ways they exprefs themselves in, by the manifest Contradictions they fall into, or by the extravagance of their Philofophy. Let her therefore confult the Jewish Revelation, and

she will receive full fatisfaction.

incom-d

Our Reafon cannot perfwade itself, the Society of Men can have subsisted from all Eternity; or as fome will have it, it cannot imagine there can have elaps'd almost an infinite number of Ages fince their first beginning: Because the Newness of Arts and Sciences, manifeftly denotes the Falfhood of thofe Opinions: And the Jewish Revelation will teach you the fame thing.

or that

Our Reafon may perplex it felf long enough in studying the Motion of Matter; fhe cannot after all, nor never will be able to conceive, that Motion can produce Thought, Thought can refult from Motion. It induces us rather to believe, that that Thinking Principle which is within us, is different from that which is purely that a Thinking Principle

having

טני

Оо

having no Parts, can never be diffolved; and that it being indiffoluble, 'tis confequently immortal or incorruptible in it felf. Do but read the Jewish Revelation, to be well informed, that the Body and the Soul have a very different O. riginal and Duration from one another that the former was taken out of the Earth, whereas the latter derives its Original from God; and that it is to return likewise again to God who gave it us, whereas the other is to be refolved into Duft again, its own proper Ele

ment.

Our Reason and Conscience inform us, that we are very Wicked and Corrupt; that God is not the Author of that Malice which violates the Law of Nature. Do but confult the Scriptures of the Jews, and they'll more distinctly fhew you all these Truths.

Nature has informed us, that there is a God, who is Juft, Good, and Wife; that there is a Religion; that God is the principle of Natu ral Religion; that this Religion is become inefficacious to Men, by reason of their Corruption, and abandoning themselves to the Errors and Illufions of their own Fancies; and that if God were willing to reserve to himself any Worshippers in this World, he muft necessarily have revealed himself a Second time, and have added a new Revelation to that of Nature. And now what are the Scriptures of the Jews, but an excellent confirmation of all thefe Truths?

Our Reason is fenfible of her own Errors, when the views in the mirrour of Paganism how prodigiously she has abufed her Natural Light, But the Jewish Revelation corrects and rectifies all thofe falfe Ideas, and that too by the ConP 2

fellion

te

feffion of the Socratifts and Platonists, who were indebted to the Jewish Scriptures, for the best and most judicious part of their Philofophy, as learned Antiquaries have so often demonstra ted.

It is certain, we are all moved by Nature, I mean the Rational Nature, to love our Selves, to love our Neighbour, and to love God; and he that has any Heart at all, cannot but be fenfible of these Truths. But Corruption had occasioned a strange irregularity in the Souls of Men in all thofe Three refpects; for they had loved themselves but ill, in mifplacing their Felicity in False Goods. They had no true love for their Neighbour, because they were never link'd to him by any other Principles but those of Interest, Policy or Fear. And they loved not God, because they were fo malicious as to refufe knowing him; or if they knew him, they would not glorify him. But confider the Jewish Revelation, and you will find that it remedies all these Irregularities. It teaches us how to love our felves as we ought, because it regulates the Defires and Pretenfions of Self-Love, by Temperance and Justice, condemns all thofe falfe Principles of our former Union with others; viz. Injustice, Intereft, &c. and binds our Engagement to them with the most folid Bond of Humane Society, and that is Charity. Lastly, It requires us to love God above all things, with all our Heart, with all our Strength, and with all our Soul; and by thofe means it ftrongly eftablishes the general Principle of all our Duties, extirpates all our Vices by the Roots, and produces the Soul of all Vertues.

There

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