a

And,

Chrift should fuffer, he hath so fulfilled. which God hath Spoken by the Mouth of all his holy Prophets, fince the World began. b If therefore there were any Prophecies before the Time of Mofes, it cannot be faid that there is no Appeal to them in the Writings of the New Teftament. And there are some Prophecies of that Antiquity whose Truth has not yet been difputed: Viz. The Promife of God to Abraham, which is thrice repeated: And the Prophecy of Jacob determining the Period in which the Meffiah was to appeard &c. Nay, to take away all Poffibility of Sufpicion that the Writers of the New Teftament owned no Prophecies elder than the Times of Mofes, this very Prophecy to Abraham is exprefsly cited and applied by them. Thus Zacharias, in the Prophecy above-mentioned, calls God's Promise to fend the Meffiah, the Mercy promised to our Fathers, and the Oath which he fware to our Father Abraham. And Saint Peter, in the Conclufion of that Difcourfe before referred to, quotes and explains the fame Prophecy. Ye are the Children of the Prophets, says He, and of the Covenant which God made with our Fathers, faying unto Abraham, and in thy Seed fhall all the Kindreds of the Earth be blessed. Unto you firft, God, having raifed up his Son Jefus, fent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his Iniquities. e.

a Acts 3. 18. d Gen. 49. 10.

b Verf. 21. c Gen. 12. 3. 18. 18. 22.18. e Acts 3. 25, 26.

It

IT appears then to be a very falfe Account of the Extent of thofe Prophecies which were referred to, or applied by our Saviour and his Apoftles, that makes them reach no higher than the Times of Moses. And therefore Dr. M. has not shewn that there is fo great a Difference, between the Length of the Evangelical Chain and that laid down by his Lordship, as he has afferted there is; nor, indeed, that there is any Difference at all. For his whole Strefs being laid upon an imaginary Limitation, which has been shewn to have no Place in Scripture, that being removed, his whole Objection vanishes, and there is Nothing to hinder their being equally extended. Of Confequence, this being, by his own Confeffion, the only Difference between them which there was any Grounds from Scripture to infift upon, when this Difference is taken away, it must be allowed, that, notwithstanding any thing yet alledged to the contrary, the Notion of a Scheme of Prophecy beginning from the Time of Adam, and the Manner of arguing from one intire View of the whole Body of the Prophecies, may be efteemed agreeable to the Opinion and Practice of our Saviour and his Difciples, as they appear to Us in the Writings of the New Teftament.

BUT We have not yet done with this formidable Objector. His laft Appeal was to Scripture against Reason, He now appeals to Reason against Scripture. He is refolved it feems that the prophetical Chain shall be shorter at least by one F 2

Link

Link than the Bishop would have it. The Prophecy he attacks is that very remarkable one delivered to our Firft Parents at the Fall, to be the Foundation of a religious Hope to them and many of their Descendants. He is fenfible that by overthrowing the Credit of this Prophecy, one great Defign of Prophecy for which the Bishop is a ftrenuous Advocate, must fall to the Ground with it. For had Prophecy been intended to support the Faith and Religion of the old World, the Delivery of it at no other Time could have anfwered that End fo well, as at that Period when fuch a Support firft became neceffary. As long as it was deferred, wretched Man, destitute of all Hope towards God, muft, during that fad Interval, have been without any Religion at all. And therefore, this propereft Occafion of delivering it for that Purpose being neglected, the Conclufion would be, that Providence, in affording this Light of Prophecy to Mankind, had no fuch View.

BIG with the Hopes of fuch a Conclufion, He refolves to ftrike at once at the Root of Prophecy, and to fhew the Hiftory, out of which it grows, to be a mere Fable, a Dream or Invention of Mofes, without Foundation or even Poffibility in Fact. We fhall give his Reasons for this bold Opinion a brief Confideration. He endeavours the Proof of it then by shewing what great Difficulties attend the Hiftorical Senfe. After We have done with these, We shall then confider that Opinion which he thinks most

confiftent

confiftent with Reason, and the Design of the Author.

THE Difficulties attending the Historical Sense which he produces may be reduced to these Two Heads, Inconfiftences in the Characters of the Actors, and Incredibilities in the Facts. Of the first Kind there is only one, but that a very comprehenfive, Inftance. For it contains under it feveral particular Objections. It is this, That Man is represented in this Account as devoid of Reason. He proves it both from their Ignorance, and their Knowledge. From their Ignorance, of, what he calls, the primary End of their Creation, to propagate their Species. For from this Hiftorical Narration we find, fays He, that during their State of Innocence they were utterly ignorant of this End. a Let it be observed upon what his natural Law has taught him to be the primary End of Man's Creation, that it makes him principally created neither for his own Happiness nor the Happiness of others, but merely as an Inftrument of giving Existence to another Inftrument, which was again defigned to give Existence to a third, and that to a fourth, and fo on in Infinitum, without a Poffibility of ever coming at any thing that was made for itfelf. And when ever We fhould fuppofe a Period to be put to the human Race by God, He must be the Author of defeating his own Defigns, by preventing his Works from answering that very End for which he created them: Since

it is plain that he takes from the last Set of Men all Opportunity of being the Inftruments he intended them for. The fame Charge of vain and fruitless Creation will by this Scheme be thrown upon God for taking out of the World fo many in an Infant or unripe State; and the Imputation of oppofing the Purpose of their Creator, on all thofe who have preferved themselves through Life in an unfpotted Purity. The Neglect of this then in our First Parents, might not have been fo heinous an Inftance of their Inattention to the Voice of Reafon, as he would have it thought, nor fo unpardonable a Deviation from the Path of Nature. And therefore if it should be faid that, for fome Time after their Creation, their Thoughts were wholly employed on the best Means of fecuring their own Happiness, without once being turned on the Increase of their Species, it may perhaps be judged but a weak Argument of the utter Extinction, or rather Abfence of all natural Law in their Minds. But how does he know that they were fo utterly ignorant of this End? becaufe Mofes has not faid that they endeavoured to obtain it? why might not fuch Endeavours be fufpended? or why might not Mofes forbear to intimate their Senfe of this End as foreign to his Purpose? I am apt to think that they, who object this, are only forry that Mofes has not mentioned their Sense of it, because they are deprived of a fairer Opportunity of ridiculing him. As a further Inftance of their Want of Reafon he tells Us, that

they