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earth; and let any man produce an hypothefis to account for it, confiftently with the idea of Mofes being a deceiver, which will abide the test of common fenfe for five minutes. If the deifts can reafon us out of our faith, let them do fo: but we are not weak enough, as yet, to be fneered, or fcoffed out of it.

P. 3. "What reply can be made to "thofe who affirm, that miracles have always been confined to the early "and fabulous ages?"

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The reply is eafy that miracles were performed, by Chrift and his apoftles, in the age of all others efteemed the most polite and learned; and that the adversaries of Christianity, in those days, never thought of denying the facts. It was a piece of affurance referved for these latter times.

LET.

IX.

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LET.

IX.

"That all nations have had them; "but that they disappeared in propor"tion as men became enlightened, and capable of discovering impofture."

Many nations have had them, true or false; the false disappeared, when discovered to be fo; but the true will abide for ever. The Jewish rulers. had their fenfes about them, as much as other people; and thofe fenfes fharpened to the utmoft, by envy and malice. Yet were they obliged to confefs" This man doth many mi"racles." It may be added, that had there been no genuine miracles, there would have been no counterfeits.

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Upon the whole in this fection, on fo leading an article, the infidels have made no confiderable progrefs. Rather, they can hardly be faid, in the nautical phrase, to have got under way.

LET

LETTER X.

Ο

X.

UR infidels feem inclined to LET: deny, that Mofes was the author of the books which go under his name. To this purpose, they observe (and the observation is certainly a judicious one) that he could not have written the account of his own death, which occurs in the laft chapter of Deuteronomy. There are likewife, as we all very well know, a few other paffages, here and there, allowed both by Jews and Christians to have been inferted fince his time. But these will never prevent us from looking upon him as the author of the Pentateuch,

L 2

LET. teuch, any more than a few interpo

X.

lated paffages in the works of Josephus prevent us from afcribing those works to that author. The Pentateuch and the inftitutions it prescribes have been in being ever fince the days of Mofes how, when, and by whom, could they have been forged?

But they themselves do not build much on this part of their performance; for they fay, P. 4. " Supposing "these and other objections of the "like nature to be removed" - which they therefore fuppofe may be removed" the fcripture is frequently "contradictory with regard to facts." Perhaps not. At least we must have fome proof; and fo, in their own words, vide infra.

-"And reprefents the all-wife "Creator as angry, repenting, unjust,

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"arbitrary, and"-in fhort-" as a
"dæmon."

That it represents him "as angry
"and repenting," is true; it likewise
"reprefents him as coming down,
"and going up"-all in condefcen-
tion to our capacities, and " after the
“manner of men," as every child
knows among us. Nor can we speak
of the deity in any other manner, if
we would speak intelligibly to the
generality of mankind.*-That the
Scripture fhould reprefent God as
"unjuft, arbitrary, and a dæmon,"
is very bad indeed. Let us hope bet-
ter things than thefe of the Scripture,
however. When the feveral charges

See a remarkable acknowlegement of this point by Collins, in Leland's View of the deiftical writers, Letter 29. Vol. 2. P. 125. edit. 4th.

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