The Grounds of the Christian Faith, Book 2 · Chapter 2
CHAP. II. Moses his certain knowledge of what he writ.
The third Hypothesis concerns the certainty of the matter of Moses his History; that gradually proved: First, Moses his knowledge cleared, by his education, and experience, and certain information. His education in the wisdom of Aegypt; what that was. The old Egyptian learning enquired into; the conveniences for it of the Egyptian Priests. Moses reckoned among them for his knowledge. The Mathematical, Natural, Divine, and Moral learning of Egypt: their Political wisdom most considerable. The advantage of Moses above the Greek Philosophers, as to wisdom and reason. Moses himself an eye-witness of most of his history: the certain uninterrupted tradition of the other part among the Iews, manifested by rational evidence.
HAving thus far cleared our way, we come to the third Sect. 1. Hyp. 3.Hypothesis, which is, There are as manifest proofs of the undoubted truth and certainty of the History recorded by Moses, as any can be given concerning any thing which we yeild the firmest assent unto: Here it must be considered, that we proceed in a way of rational evidence to prove the truth of the thing in hand, as to which, if in the judgement of impartial persons the arguments produced be strong enough to convince an unbiassed mind; It is not material, whether every rangling Atheist will sit down contented with them. For usually persons of that inclination rather then judgement, are more resolved against light, then inquisitive after it, and rather seek to stop the chinks at which any light might come in, then open the windows for the free and chearfull entertainment of it. It will certainly be sufficient to make it appear, that no man can deny the truth of that part of Scripture which we are now speaking of, without offering manifest violence to his own faculties, and making it appear to the world, that he is one wholly forsaken of his own reason: which will be satisfactorily done, if we can clear these things: First, that it was morally impossible Moses should be ignorant of the things he undertook to write of, and so be deceived himself. Secondly, That it was utterly impossible he should have any design in deceiving others in reporting it. Thirdly, That it is certain from all rational evidence, that he hath not d…ceived the world, but that his History is undoubtedly true. First, That it was morally impossible Moses should be deceived hims…lf, or be ignorant of the things which he writ of. Two things are requisite to prevent a mans being deceived himself. First, That he be a person of more then ordinary judgement, wisdom, and knowledge. Secondly, That we have sufficient information concerning the things he undertakes to write of. If either of these two be wanting, it is possible for a man of integrity to be deceived; for an honest heart hath not alwayes an Urim and Thummim upon it; nor is fide…ty alwayes furnished with the acutest intellectuals. The simplicity of the Dove is as lyable to be deceived its self, as the subtilty of the serpent is to deceive others; but where the wisdom of the serpent is, to prevent being deceived, and the Doves innocency in not deceiving others, there are all the qualifications can be desired in any one who undertakes only to tell the Truth. First, Then that Moses was a person of a great understanding, and sufficiently qualified to put a difference between truth and falshood, will appear; first, from the ingenuity of his education; secondly, from the ripeness of his judgement and greatness of his experience when he penned these things.
First, We begin with his education. And here we require at present no further assent to be given to what is reported concerning Moses in Scripture, then what we give to Plutarchs lives, or any other relations concerning the actions of persons who lived in former ages. Two things then we find recorded in Scripture concerning Moses his education; Heb. 11. 25 Act. 7. 22.that he was brought up in the Court of Aegypt, and that he was skild in all the learning of the Aegyptians; and these two will abundantly prove the ingenuity of hi… education, viz. That he was a person both conversant in civil affairs, and acquainted with the abstruser parts of all the Aegyptian wisdom.
And I confess there is nothing to me which doth advance Sect. 2.so much the repute of the antient Aegyptian Learning, as that the Spirit of God in Scripture should take so much notice of it, as to set forth a person (otherwise renowned for greater accomplishments) by his skill in this. For if it be below the wisdom of any ordinary person, to set forth a person by that which in its self is no matter of commendation, how much less can we imagine it of that infinite wisdom which inspired Stephen in that Apology which he makes for himself against the Libertines, who charged him with contempt of Moses and the Law? And therefore certainly this was some very observable thing, which was brought in as a singular commendation of Moses, by that person whose design was to make it appear how high an esteem he had of him. And hence it appears that Learning is not only in its self a great accomplishment of humane nature, but that it ought to be looked upon with veneration, even in those who have excellencies of a higher nature to commend them. If a Pearl retains its excellency when it lyes upon a dunghill, it can certainly lose nothing of its lustre by being set in a crown of gold; if Learning be commendable in an Aegyptian, it is no less in Moses, where it is enameled with more noble perfections, then of it self it can reach unto. All the question is, Whither the antient learning of the Aegyptians was such as might be supposed to improve the reason and understanding of men to such an height, as thereby to make them more capable of putting a difference between truth and falshood? Whether it were such an overflowing Nilus as would enrich the understandings of all those who were in a capacity to receive its streams? The truth is, there want not grounds of suspicion, that the old Aegyptian Learning was not of that elevation which the present distance of our age makes us apt to think it was. And a learned man hath in a set discourse endeavoured to shew the great defects that there were in it; Conringius de Hermet. Medic. c. 10, 11, 12.Neither can it, I think, be denyed, but according to the reports we have now concerning it, some parts of their Learning were frivilous, others obscure, a great deal Magical, and the rest short of that improvement, which the accession of the parts and industry of after ages gave unto it. But yet it is again as evident, that some parts of learning were invented by the Aegyptians, others much improved, and that the Greeks did at first set up with the stock they borrowed out of Aegypt, and that learning chiefly flourished there, when there was (I had almost said) an Aegyptian darkness of Ignorance overspreading the face of Greece as well as other Nations.
Which will appear by these considerations, the great antiquity Sect. 3.of their repute for Learning, the great advantages they had for promoting it, and the parts of Learning most in use among them. This, though it may seem a digression here, will yet tend to promote our design, by shewing thereby how qualified and accomplished Moses was to deliver to the world an history of antient times. If we believe Macrobius, there was no people in the world could …ye for Learning with the Aegyptians, who makes Aegypt in one place, the mother Saturn. l. 1. cap. 15. in Somn. Scip. l. 1. c. 19.of all Arts, and in another the Aegyptians omnium Philosophiae disciplinarum parentes, the Fathers of the Philosophick Sciences; he derives elsewhere the original of all Astronomy from them, quos constat primos omnium coelum metiri, & scrutari ausos: though it be more probable that the Nativity even of Astronomy it self, was first calculated by the Chald… ans, from whom it was conveyed to the Aegyptians. He cap. 21.likewise appropriates all divine knowledge to them, where he saith they were Soli rerum divinarum conscii, and after calls Aegypt, divinarum omnium disciplinarum compotem. It is Saturn. l. 1. cap. 14. l. …. c. 13.sufficiently notorious what great repute the Aegyptian Learning hath been in, with some in our latter times, in that our Chymists look upon it as the greatest honour to their profession, that they think they can claim kindred of the old Aegyptian Learning, and derive the pedigree of their Chymistry from the old Aegyptian Hermes. But that vain pretence is sufficiently refuted by the fore-mentioned learned man Conringius, in his Tract on this subject, de Hermeticâ Medicinâ. Franciscus Patricius professeth himself so great an admirer of the old Aegyptian Learning, that he thought it would be no bad exchange, if the Peripatetick Philosophy were extruded, and the old Aegyptian received instead of it. But the world is now grown wiser, then to receive his Hermes Trismegistus for the Author of the old Aegyptian Philosophy, the credit of his Author being for ever blasted, and the doctrine contained in the books under his name, manifested to be a meer C…nto, a confused mixture of the Christian, Platonick, and Aegyptian doctrine together. So that we could hardly maintain the justness of the repute of the antient Aegyptian Learning from any thing now extant of it; but yet we see no reason to question it, especially since it is so honourably spoken of in Sacred Writ, and seems in it to have been made the standard and measure of humane wisdom. For which we have this observable testimony, that when the wisdom of Solomon is spoken of with the greatest advantage and commendation, it is set forth with this character, that it exceeded the wisdom of all the children of the 1 King. 4. 29, 30, 31.East Countrey, and all the wisdom of Aegypt. Whence it is most natural and easie to argue, that certainly their learning must be accounted the greatest at that time in the world, or else it could not have been inferred, that Solomon was wiser then all men, because his wisdom excelled theirs, unless we suppose their wisdom to have been the greatest in that age of the world, when the wisdom of the Graecians (although in that time Homer is supposed to flourish) was not thought worthy the taking notice of. We see from hence then, as from an irrefragable testimony, that the wisdom of the Aegyptians antiently was no trivial Pedantry, nor meer superstitious and Magical rites, but that there was some thing in it solid and substantial, or it had not been worth triumphing over by the wisdom of Solomon: It being true of that, what Lipsius faith of the Roman Empire, Quicquid dignum vinci videbatur; vicit, caetera non tam non potuit quam De Magnitud. Rom. l. 1. c. 3.contempsit; it was an argument of some great worth, that it was over-top'd and conquered by it.
Thus we see how just the repute of the antient Aegyptian Sect. 4.Learning is from Testimony, and we shall find as great reason for it, when we con…ider the great advantages the Aegyptians had for promoting of Learning among them. Two waies men come to knowledge, either by tradition from others, duplicate page duplicate page or by observation of their own; what the Aegyptians had the first way, will be spoken to afterwards; we now consider the latter of these. All knowledge arising from observation, must be either of those Sciences which immediately conduce to the benefit of mens lives, or such whose end is to improve mens rational faculties in the knowledge of things. The former necessity will put men upon the finding Vid. Arist. Metaph. 1. l. c. 1.out, the latter require secessum & otia, freedom from other imployments, a mind addicted to them, and industry in the study of them, and a care to preserve their inventions in them. The study of Geometry among the Aegyptians, owed its original to necessity; for the river Nile being swelled with the showers falling in Aethiopia, and thence annually over-flowing the Countrey of Aegypt, and by its violence overturning all the marks they had to distinguish their lands, made it necessary for them upon every abatement of the flood to survey their lands, to find out every one his own by the quantity of the ground upon the survey. The necessity of which put them upon a more diligent enquiry into that study, that thereby they might attain to some exactness in that, which was to be of such necessary, constant and perpetual use: Thence we find the invention of Geometry particularly attributed by Herodotus, Diodorus, Strabo and Herod. l. 2. Diod. l. 1. Strab. l. 17. Coel. Rhodi. l. 18. c. 34.others, to the Aegyptians. This skill of theirs they after improved into a greater benefit, viz the conveying the water of Nile into those places where it had not overflown to so great a height, as to give them hopes of an ensuing plenty; which they did by the artificial cutting of several Channels for that end, wherein, saith Strabo, the Aegyptians Art and Industry out-went Nature its self. By this likewise they observed the height of the over-flowing of the river, whereby they knew what harvest to expect the following year; which they did by a well near Memphis (from the use of it called foreign) upon the walls of which were the marks of several cubits, which they observe and publish it to all, that they might provide themselves accordingly. We see what grounds there are, even from profit and advantage, to make us believe that the Aegyptians were skilled in Geometry, and the knowledge relating thereto.
And for the promoting of all other knowledge whose Sect. 5.end is Contemplation, the very constitution of their Commonwealth did much conduce thereto: For thereby it was proved that they should always be a sufficient number of persons freed srom all other employments, who might devote themselves to a sedulous enquiry into the natures of things. Such were the Aegyptian Priests, who by the peculiar nature of the Aegyptian Superstitions were freed from that burdensome service of sacrificing beasts, which the Priests of other Nations were continually employed about, and so they enjoyed not only an easie but a very honourable employment; for they were the persons of the greatest honour, esteem, and authority among the Aegyptians, of which rank, as far as I can find, all were accounted, who were not Souldiers, Husbandmen, or Artificers. For Strabo Geogr. …. 17.mentions no Nobility at all in Aegypt distinct from the Priests; for he divides the whole Commonwealth into Souldiers, Husbandmen, and Priests. And telling us that the other two were employed about matters of war, and the Kings revenues in peace, he adds, foreign, The Priests minded the study of Philosophy and Astronomy, and conversed most with their Kings: And after, speaking of their Kings being studied in their arts as well as others of the Priests, he adds, foreign, with whom they spent most of their lives. Agreeably to this Plutarch tells us, that the Kings themselves were often Priests; and adds out De Isid. … Osir.of Hecataeus, that the Kings used to drink wine by measure, foreign, because they were Priests; for as he saith, the Kings of Aegypt were always chosen either out of the rank of Priests or Souldiers, foreign; those two orders being of the greatest honour, the one for valour, and the other for wisdom; and if the King were chosen out of the Souldiers, he was presently entred among the Priests, to learn their mystical Sciences. Diodorus indeed seems to Lib. 1. …reckon some great persons after the Priests, and distinct from the Souldiery; but if he means by these any other then some of the chief of the other two professions, I must say as Causabon doth in another case of Diodorus, Sanè Strabonis Not. ia Strab. l. 17.anctoritas mult is Siculis apud me praevalet. Diodorus his testimony is not to be weighed with Strabo's. From hence we may understand the reason why that Potiphera, whose daughter Ioseph married, is called foreign, which some render Gen. … 1. 45.the Priest, others the Prince of On; but these two we see are very consistent, their Priests being their great Princes; and Heliopolis, or On, of which Potipherah was Prince or Priest, being the chief Seat and University of the Priests of Aegypt. Now it is evident from Clemens Alexandrinus, that the Aegyptians did not communicate their mysteries promiscuously to all, but only to such as were in succession Strom. l. 5.to the Crown, or else to those of the Priest and their Children, who were most apt and fit for them, both by their dyet, instruction, and family. For this was unalterably observed among them, that there was a continued succession of a profession in their several families, both of Priests, Souldiers, and Husbandmen, whereby they kept their several orders without any mixture or confusion, which is confessed both by Herodotus and Diodorus: So that by this constitution Learning was among them confined to the Herod. l. 2. Diod. l. 1. c. 71.Priests, which highly advanceth the probability of that tradition, preserved among the Aegyptians concerning Moses (which likewise strongly proves our present design) viz. Manetho's Records, as Iosephus tells us, that Moses was one of the Priests at Heliopolis, and that his name among them L. 1. c. Appwas Osarsiphus, who changing his name, was called Moses; and in the time of Amenophis conducted the leprous people out of Aegypt (so the Aegyptians out of their hatred of the Israelites call them.) And Chaeremon, another Aegyptian Priest in the same Author, calls Moses a Scribe, and Ioseph (by whom probably he means Ioshua) a sacred Scribe, and saith, that the Aegyptian name of Moses was Tisithen, and of Ioseph Peteleph. Now this tradition did in all probability arise from the repute of Moses his learning and wisdom; which being among them proper to their Priests, they thence ascribed that name to him, although probably he might come to the knowledge of all their Mysteries, from the relation he had to Pharaohs daughter.
We come now to consider the parts of the Aegyptian Sect. 6. De vita Mosis.learning, in which the Scripture tells us Moses was skill'd: This by Philo Iudaeus is branched into Arithmetick, Geometry, Musick, and Hicroglyphical Philosophy: But Sixtus Senensis more comprehensively from Diodorus, Diogenes Laertius, Bibliothec. l. 2. p. 39.and others, divides it into four parts, Mathematical, Natural, Divine, and Moral. Their skill in the Mathematical parts of learning hath been partly shewed already, and might be more largely from that skill in them, which the Graecians gained from the Aegyptians, as both Iamblichus and Porphyrie speak of Pythagoras, that he gained his skill Iambl. de vit. Pyth. l. 1. 29. De vit. Pyth. p. 182.in Geometry chiefly from the Aegyptians: For these, as Porphyrie saith, of a long time had been very studious of Geometry, as the Phoenicians of Arithmetick, and the Chaldaeans of Astronomy. But Iamblicus (and I think deservedly) takes notice of the foreign, the difficult access of the Aegyptian Priests, especially as to acquaintance with their mysteries; and so Strabo calls them foreign, such who concealed their learning under Geogr. l. 17.many symbols, and were not easily drawn to unfold it. And yet we might think the 22 years time which Pythayoras is thought to have spent among them, had been enough to have insinuated himself into their utmost acquaintance, and to have drawn from them the knowledge of their greatest mysteries; but yet we have no great reason to think he did, if if we believe the story in Diogenes Laertius of his sacrificing an Hecatomb for the finding out of that demonstration, which is now contained in the 47 proposition of the first of Euclide. Yet this did not abate the Graecians esteem of the Aegyptians Mathematical Learning; for in Plato's time Eudoxus Cnidius went into Aegypt on purpose to acquire it there; and Democritus his boast, that none of the Arsepedonaptae in Aegypt (so their Priests were called, as Clemens Alexandrinus and Eusebius tell us, who Clem, Strom. l. 1 Euseb Praepar. l. 10. c. 2. …iod. l. 1. c. 49, 50. Strab. l. 17.relate the story) exceeded him in the Mathematicks, by which it may be at least inferred, that they were then in greatest esteem for them. Their great skill in Astronomy is attested by Diodorus, Strabo, Herodotus, and others, and by their finding out the course of the year by the motion of the Sun, which was the invention of the Heliopolitan Priests. Herod. l. 2.How much they valued Geography, appears from Clemens his description of the foreign, or sacred Scribe in the Strom. l. 6. p. 631. Ed. Parsolemn procession; for he was required to be skilled in Hieroglyphicks, Cosmography, Geography, the motions of the Planets, the Choragraphy of Aegypt, and description of the Nile. Eustathius in his notes on Dionysius, attributes the invention of Geographical Tables to Sesostris, who caused the Lands he had conquered to be described in Tables, and so communicated to the Aegyptians, and from them to others. Their skill in natural Philosophy could not be very great, because of their Magick and Superstition, whereby they were hindred from all experiments in those natural things which they attributed a Divinity to; but they seem to have been more exact and curious in natural history; for, any prodigies, or any thing that was Anomalous in nature, they did, saith Strabo, foreign, with a great deal of curiosity insert it in their sacred records; and Herodotus adds, that more things of that nature are observed by them then by any other Nation; which, saith he, they not only diligently preserve, but frequently compare together, and from a similitude of prodigies gather a similitude of events. But that which gained the Aegyptians the greatest repute abroad, seems to have been their early skill in Physick, which is so much spoken of by Homer, Plato, Herodotus, Plutarch, Diogenes Laertius, and others, that it were impertinent troubling a Readers patience with the proof of that which is so generally confessed. A great evidence of the antiquity of this study among them is (if Manetho may be so far credited) that Athothis the second King of the first Dynasty of the Thimites was a Physician himself, and writ some books of Anatomy; and the second King of the third Dynasty of the Memphites, was for his skill in Physick honoured among them by the name of Aesculapius. Pliny affirms it to have been the custom of their Kings to cause dead bodies to be dissected, to find out the nature of Natur. hist. lib. 19. c. 5. L. 29. c. 1.diseases; and elsewhere tells us, that the original of Physick among them was from the relations of those who by any remedy were cured of any disease, which for a memorial to posterity were recorded in their Temples. Their Hieroglyphical and mystical Learning hath made the greatest noise in the world, and hath the least of substance in it; which whover will not be convinced of without perusal of Kirchers Oedipus Aegyptiacus, will at last find it fully done to his hand by the successess endeavours of that otherwise learned man. I cannot think any rational man could think that study worth his pains, which at the highest can amount but to a conjecture; and when it is come to that with a great deal of pains, it is nothing but some ordinary and trivial observation. As in that famous Hieroglyphick of Diospolis, so much spoken of by the Ancients, where was a Child to express coming into the world, an old man for going out of it, an Hawk for God, an Hippotamus for hatred, and a Crocodile for impudence, and all to express this venerable Apothegm, O ye that come into the world, and that go out of it, God hates impudence. And therefore certainly this kind of Learning deserves the highest form among the difficiles Nugae, and all these Hieroglyphicks put together, will make but one good one, and that should be for Labour lost.
There is yet one part of Learning more among them, Sect. 7.which the Aegyptians are esteemed for, which is the Political and civil part of it, which may better be called wisdom then most of the fore-going; two things speak much the wisdom of a Nation; good Laws, and a prudent management of them; their Laws are highly commended by Strabo and Diodorus; and it is none of the least commendations of them, that Solon and Lycurgus borrowed so many of their constitutions from them; and for the prudent management of their government, as the continuance of their state so long in peace and quietness, is an invincible demonstration of it; so the report given of them in Scripture adds a further testimony to it; for therein the King of Aegypt is called the Son of the wise, as well as the son of ancient Kings; and his counsellors are called wise counsellors of Pharaoh, and Isa. 19. 11, 12.the wise men; whereby a more then ordinary prudence and policy must be understood. Can we now imagine such a person as Moses was bred up in all the ingenucus literature of Aegypt, conversant among their wisest persons in Pharaohs Court, having thereby all advantages to improve himself, and to understand the utmost of all that they knew, should not be able to pass a judgement between a meer pr… tence and imposture, and real and important T…uths? Can we think that one who had interest in so great a Court, all advantages of raising himself therein, should willingly forsake all the pleasures and delights at present, all his hopes and advantages for the future, were he not fully perswaded of the certain and undoubted truth of all those things which are recorded in his books? Is it possible a man of ordinary wisdom should venture himself upon so hazardous, unlikely, and dangerous employment, …s that was Moses undertook, which could have no probability of success, but only upon the belief that that God who appeared unto him, was greater then all the Gods of Aegypt, and could carry on his own design by his own power, maugre all the opposition which the Princes of the world could make against it? And what possible ground can we have to think that such a person who did verily believe the truth of what God revealed unto him, should dare to write any otherwise then as it was revealed unto him? If there had been any thing repugnant to common reason in the history of the Creation, the fall of man, the universal deluge, the propagation of the world by the sons of Noah, the history of the Patriarchs, had not Moses rational faculties as well as we? nay, had he them not far better improved then any of ours are? and was not he then able to judge what was suitable to reason, and what not? and can we think he would then deliver any thing inconsistent with reason or undoubted tradition then, when the Aegyptian Priests might so readily and plainly have triumphed over him, by discovering the falshood of what he wrote? Thus we see that Moses was as highly qualified as any of the acutest Heathen Philosophers could be, for discerning truth from falshood; nay, in all probability he far excelled the most renowned of the Graecian Philosophers in that very kind of learning wherewith they made so great noise in the world, which was originally Aegyptian, as is evident in the whole series of the Graecian Philosphers, who went age after age to Aegypt to get some scraps of that learning there, which Moses could not have but full meals of, because of his high place, great interest, and power in Aegypt. And must those hungry Philosophers then become the only Masters of our reason, and their dictates be received as the s…nse and voice of nature, which they either received from uncertain tradition, or else delivered in opposition to it, that they might be more taken notice of in the world? Must an foreign be confronted with Thus saith the Lord? and a few pitiful symbols vye authority with divine commands? and Ex nihilo nihil fit be sooner believed then In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth? What irrefragable evidence of reason is that so confident a presumption built upon, when it can signifie nothing without this hypothesis, that there is nothing but matter in the world; and let this first be proved, and we will never stick to grant the other. I may confidently say the great gullery of the world hath been, taking philosophical dictates for the standard of reason, and unproved hypotheses for certain foundations for our discourse to rely upon. And the seeking to reconcile the mysteries of our faith to these, hath been that whith hath almost destroyed it, and turned our Religion into a meer philosophical speculation. But of this elsewhere. We see then that insisting meerly on the accomplishments and rational perfections of the persons who speak, we have more reason to yield credit to Moses in his history, then to any Philosophers in their speculations.
And that which in the next place speaks Moses to be a person of wisdom, and judgement, and ability to finde out Sect. 8.truth, was his age and experience when he delivered these things to the world. He vented no crude and indigested conceptions, no sudden and temerarious fancies, the usual issues of teeming and juvenile wits; he lived long enough to have experience to try, and judgement to distinguish a meer outside and varnish, from what was solid and substantial. We cannot then have the least ground of suspition, that Moses was any wayes unfit to discern truth from falshood, and therefore was capable of judging the one from the other.
But though persons be never so highly accomplisht for parts, learning, and experience, yet if they want due information of the certainty of the things they deliver, they may be still dec…iving themselves; and if they preserve it for posterity, be guilty of deceiving others. Let us now therefore see whether Moses had not as great advantages for understanding the truth of his History, as he had judgement to discern it. And concerning all those things contained in the four last books of his, to his own death, it was impossible any should have greater then himself, writing nothing but what he was pars magna himself, of what he saw, and heard, and did; and can any testimony be desired greater then his whose actions they were, or who was present at the doing of them, and that not in any private way, but in the most publick capacity? For although private persons may be present at great actions, yet they may be guilty of misrepresenting them, for want of understanding all circumstances precedent, and subsequent, or for want of understanding the designs of the chief instruments of action: but when the person himself, who was the chief in all, shall undertake to write an exact History of it, what evidence can be desired more certain then that is, that there could be no defect as to information concerning what was done? The only seruple then that can be made, must be concerning the passages of former times which Moses relates. And here I doubt not but to make it appear, that insisting only on all that can be desired in a bare Historian (setting aside Divine revelation) he had as true and certain information of the History of those former ages, as any one can have of things at that distance from themselves; and that is by a certain …interrupted tradition of them, which will appear more clear and evident in that Nation of which Moses was, then in any other Nation in the world: And that on these two accounts: first, the undoubted lin…al deseent from Father to Son in the I…wish Nation. Secondly, Their int…rest lying so much in the preserving this tradition entire.
First, That there was a certain unmixed lin…al descent from Father to Son in the Iewish Nation: the great …ause of most Sect. 9.of the confusion in the tradition of other Nations, was the frequent mixing of several families one with another; now that God might as it were on purpose satisfie the world of the Israelites capacity to preserve the tradition entire, he prohibited their mixture by marriages with the people of other Nations and families. So that in Moses his time it was a very easie matter to run up their lineal descent as far as the flood, nay up to Adam; for Adam conversed sometime with Noah; Sem his Son was probably living in some part of Iacobs time, or Isaac's at least; and how easily and uninterruptedly might the general tradition of the ancient History be continued thence to the time of Moses, when the number of families agreeing in this tradition was increased, and withall incorporated by a common ligament of Religion? I demand then, where can we suppose any ignorance or cutting off this general tradition in so continued a succession as here was? Can we imagine that the Grandchildren of Iacob could be ignorant of their own pedigree, and whence they came into Egypt? can we think a thing so late and so remarkable as the account of their coming thither, should be forgotten, which was attended with so many memorable circumstances, especially the selling and advancement of Ioseph, whose memory it was impossible should be obliterated in so short a time? Could Iacob be ignorant of the Country whence his Grand-father Abraham came? especially when he lived so long in it himself, and married into that branch of the family that was remaining there, when he had served his Uncle Laban? Could Abraham, when he was cotemporary with Sem, be ignorant of the truth of the flood, when Sem from whom he derived himself, was one of the persons who escaped it in the Ark? Could Sem be ignorant of the actions before the flood, when Adam the first man, lived some part of his time with Noah? and could Noah then be ignorant of the Creation, and the fall of man? Thus we see it almost impossible, that any age among them then could be ignorant of the passages of the precedent, which they were so few Generations removed from, that they could with ease derive themselves from the first man. What then can we say? that any of these had a design of deceiving their posterity, and so corrupted the tradition? but besides, that it could be hardly possible at that time, when there were so many remaining testimonies of former times; what end can we imagine that any Parents should have in thus deceiving their Children, or what advantage should come to them by such a deceit? Nay, I shall now manifest in the sicond place, that the whole interest of their children lay in preserving this tradition certain and entire. For their hopes of possessing Canaan and title to it, depended upon the promise made to Abraham 400 years before; which would not only keep awake their sense of Divine Providence, but would make them careful during their bondage to preserve their Genealogies, because all the right they could plead to their p…ssessions in Canaan, was from their being of Abrahams seed. And besides this, on purpose to be a memorial to them of pass…ges between God and Abraham, they had in their flesh a badge of circumcision, which would serve to call to mind those transactions which had been between God and their for…-fathers. These things then do fully demonstrate, that insisting only on rational evidence, the Israelites were the most certain conservatours of the ancient History of the world; and can we then think, that Moses who was the Ruler among them, should not fully understand those things which every Israelite could scarce be ignorant of, and might correct the mistakes of Moses in his History, if he had been guilty of any such? These things I suppose have made the first proposition evident, that it was morally impossible Moses should be deceived himself, or be ignorant of the things which he reports to others, both because he had abilities sufficient to discover truth from falshood, and sufficient information of the passages of former times.