mage of Adam, are literally told, and literally admitted. If therefore they be alfo emblematically told, the Emblem can lie no where, but in fome of those Circumstances, which are faid to have accompanied his Fall. Thus the Circumstances muft become the Emblems of the Facts which they attend, and be made to give a reflected Iof them. But to what Purpofe? When we have been fhewn a Thing fairly, in its genuine Form, the Author must have great Leifure if he stays to entertain us with it also in a Mask. For it can ferve no Purpose but our Entertainment, fince all the Ufes, either for Knowledge or Practice, may more easily be drawn from the Reality than from any Image of it. All the material Facts defigned to be inculcated being then confeffedly true, and undeniably literal, no further good End to be answered, no parallel Authorities from any reputable Author whatsoever, can be brought to encourage or countenance Us in making the Circumftances, which only remain to be queftioned, Allegorical. On the contrary it is repugnant to the Practice of all Writers, and to the Genius of all People and Languages, and utterly irreconcileable to all regular Thinking or Confiftency of Defign. The Circumftances cannot then be allegorical, but they must also be reputed either literally true, or literally falfe. If they be falfe, then must it be confeffed that the Author has debased his Truth by this Mixture of Alloy, and they can deferve no better Name, than the Embellishments of a vain vain and sportive Fancy fet at Work to disguife Truths of ever useful Importance. THE Circumftances, when we mark their Connection with the fundamental Points, receive a communicated Force, which must neceffarily draw them after these either into the Regions of Truth or Fiction. But we will venture to confider them alfo independently of these principal and allowed Facts, and, divesting them of this outward Impulse, to obferve their own natural Tendency. And even thus we must still acknowledge their Propenfity to the Side of Truth. They bear fuch ftrong Characters and Impreffions of it as vifibly demonftrates their inward Dignity and Alliance to it. The Author in them all along accounts for the Origin and Nature of many Things, as they still exift, and as they are afterwards described in the Sequel of his History. Now this he would certainly never have done, if he had not defigned that this his Manner of accounting for them fhould be received for Truth. For if they be intended to be held as Fictions, they are fuch Fictions as never had place in any serious and reputable History, fuch as the Remainder of the Pentateuch, I hope, will still be allowed. Mofes defcribes the Origin of the Sabbath in thefe Words. And God bleffed the Seventh Day, and fanctified it: because that in it he had refted from all his Work, which God created and made. a We know very well that the Jews ftill keep this Sabbath, and for the Reason a Gen. 2. 3. here here affigned: And Mofes himself in the Course of his History often mentions their religious Obfervance of it. Thus Livy defcribes the Original of the Ludi Capitolini, which he says were inftituted in Memory of a very remarkable Prefervation of the Capitol from the Gauls. a Would not his contemporary Romans, to whom the Custom was well known, have had a very mean Opinion of their Historian, if he had laid the Foundation of these their Solemnities in a Fable? When again He afcribes the Building of the Temple to Jupiter Feretrius and the dedicating of the first opima Spolia therein to Romulus, on his conquering and killing with his own Hand Acron King of the Caninenfes, b and afterwards tells us that Corn. Coffus, in Imitation of Romulus, dedicated them on the like Occafion, and fixed them in the fame Temple, would not that Commentator be thought to charge his Author with an Inconfiftency, who fhould allow the latter Account to be true, but should say that the former was a Fiction of his own? Shall we then charge Mofes with this or with ftill greater Inconsistences? He not only barely mentions the future Observance of the Sabbath, but commands it: He is zealous for its being kept in the strictest Manner, and exerts himself in punishing those who profaned it. Can we imagine the People would have fubmitted to this inftitution, with that religious Reverence of it which many of them actually 10. a Hift. L. 5. C. 50. Ludi Capitolini fierent &c. M b Lib. I. had, had, if they had known, or but fufpected, that the Grounds and Reasons, upon which they were commanded to obferve it, were all an Invention of their Lawgiver? Or can we think fo bafely of Mofes himself as to believe that he could, with fuch Rigour and Shew of Sanctity, have inforced the Obfervance of it upon Motives which he was conscious to himself deferved no Regard? But more may still be faid for the Truth of this particular Circumftance. For God himself afterwards commands the Keeping of the Sabbath upon the very fame Reasons on which Mofes had before established it, as may be seen in the Fourth Commandment. He also wrought a Miracle expressly to encourage and promote the Obfervance of it; For he fent a double Portion of Manna on the fixth Day, that the People might be enabled to reft on the Seventh. a We cannot account for this divine Concurrence in Support of this Inftitution, if we hold that the Foundation of it was a Fiction. For the Performance of religious Services from erroneous Motives is often as difagreeable to God as even the Neglect of them. It cannot be, that he fhould lay the Foundation of his Service, or fupport it when laid, upon fuch Motives. THIS Mark of Truth, which is found befides in many more of the Circumftances, is likewife common to the fundamental Articles of this Narration. As may be feen in the following fummary View of the most material of them. The a Exod. 16. Ex Existence of the Earth in its present State, with all the Claffes of the vegetable and Brute Creation, are accounted for in the First Chapter. The Origin of Man is related in these Words: And the Lord God formed Man of the Duft of the Ground, and breathed into his Noftrils the Breath of Life; and Man became a living Soul. a Of the Woman, in the fame Chapter: But for Adam there was not found an Help meet for him. And the Lord God caufed a deep Sleep to fall upon Adam, and he flept: And he took one of his Ribs, and clofed up the Flesh instead thereof. And the Rib, which the Lord God had taken from Man, made he a Woman, and brought her unto the Man, b Here is also laid the Foundation of the reciprocal Duty and Affection that ought to fubfift between Man and Wife: as it is deduced in the following Verfes. And Adam faid, This is now Bone of my Bone, and Flesh of my Flesh: She fhall be called Woman, because She was taken out of Man. Therefore fhall a Man leave his Father and Mother, and fhall cleave unto his Wife: And they fhall be one Flefb. The Introduction of Sin into the World is described in the Beginning of the next Chapter. For our Parents are tempted to transgrefs a Command of God, and to eat of a Fruit which he had commanded them to abstain from. d I have our Author's Word that the abject State of the Serpentine Race e is accounted for, and the Caufe and Origin of their prefent odious Nature ex a Chap. 2. Verf. 7. d Chap. 3. to Verf. 7. b Verf. 20, 21, 22. c Verf. 23, 24. plained |