SECT. V.-Shows, that as temporal rewards and punishments were the proper sanc-
tion of the Jewish law, so, there were no other; Moses entirely omitting the doc-
trine of a future state. - That this omission was not accidental, but designed; and
of a thing well known by him to be of high importance to society. Proved from
several circumstances in the book of Genesis, and from the law of punishing the
crimes of parents on their posterity, which was to supply the want of the doctrine of
a future state. The nature and equity of this law explained, and defended against
unbelievers. It is then shown that as Moses taught not the doctrine of a future state
of rewards and punishments, so neither had the ancient Jews any knowledge of it.

-Proved from the books of the Old Testament,

SECT. VI.-Proves the same point from the books of the New Testament. What

notion the early Jews had concerning the soul, explained,

APPENDIX and NOTES to the Fifth Book,

PAGE

323

338

348

BOOK VI.

CONTAINS AN EXAMINATION OF ALL THE TEXTS BROUGHT FROM THE OLD AND NEW

TESTAMENTS TO PROVE A FUTURE STATE OF REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS DID MAKE

PART OF THE MOSAIC DISPENSATION,

SECT. I. States the question, shows the adversaries of this work to have much

mistaken it. And that the true state of the question alone is a sufficient answer to

all objections,

377

SECT. II. Enters on an examination of the texts brought from the Old Testament;

-first from the book of Job-which is proved to be an allegoric poem, written on

the return from the captivity, and representing the circumstances of the people of

that time. The famous words, 'I know that my Redeemer liveth,' &c., shown to

signify, in their literal sense, the hopes of a temporal deliverance only,

382

SECT. III. Contains an examination of the rest of the texts urged from the Old

Testament,

431

SECT. IV. Contains an examination of the texts produced from the New Testa-

ment, in which the nature of the apostolic reasonings against the errors of Jewish

converts is explained and illustrated,

449

SECT. V. The agreement of the proposition of no future state in the Mosaic dispen-

sation, with the Seventh Article of the church of England evinced. That the old

fathers looked for more than transitory promises, illustrated in the famous case of

Abraham, where it is proved that the command to offer Isaac was merely an in-

formation, in a representative action instead of words, of the redemption of man-

kind by the great sacrifice of Christ. Shown how this interpretation overturns all

the infidel objections against the truth of this part of Abraham's history,

SECT. VI. To support the foregoing interpretation, the original, nature, and use

of typical rites and secondary senses in prophecies are inquired into, -In the course

of which inquiry, the principles of Mr Collins's book concerning the grounds and

reasons of the Christian religion are examined and confuted, and likewise the

reasoning of Dr Sykes against all double senses of prophecies in his book, entitled,

The Principles and Connexion of Natural and Revealed Religion, &c. -The use

and importance of these questions to the subject of the Divine Legation explained.

-The conclusion of the argument, with a recapitulation of it,

APPENDIX and NOTES on the Sixth Book,

465

493

555

BOOK VII.

BEING AN ATTEMPT TO EXPLAIN THE TRUE NATURE AND GENIUS OF THE CHRISTIAN

RELIGION.

INTRODUCTION,

CHAPTERS I. to VI.,

592

607

690

THE

DIVINE LEGATION OF MOSES

DEMONSTRATED.

BOOK IV. CONTINUED. -SECT. III.

THE first proposition is, that the Egyptian learning, celebrated in scripture, and the Egyptian superstition there condemned, were the very learning and superstition represented by the Greek writers as the honour and opprobrium of that kingdom.

To prove this, I shall in the first place show, both by external and internal evidence, the just pretensions which Egypt had to a superior antiquity: and then examine the new hypothesis of Sir ISAAC NEWTON against that antiquity.

It is confessed on all hands, that the Greek writers concur in representing Egypt as one of the most ancient and powerful monarchies in the world. In support of what they deliver, we may observe, that they have given a very particular account of the civil and religious customs in use from the most early times of memory: customs of such a kind, as show the followers of them to have been most polite and powerful.Thus stands the Grecian evidence.

But to this it may be replied, that the Greeks are, in all respects, incompetent witnesses, and carry with them such imperfections as are sufficient to discredit any evidence; being, indeed, very ignorant, and very prejudiced. As this made them liable to imposition: so, falling, as we shall see, into ill hands, they actually were imposed on.

Their ignorance may be fairly collected from their age; and from the authors of their intelligence. They all lived long after the times in question; and, though they received indeed their information from Egypt itself; yet, for the most part, it was not till after the entire destruction of that ancient empire, and when it was now become a province, in succession, to Asiatic and European conquerors: when their ancient and public records were destroyed; and their very learning and genius changed to a conformity with their Grecian masters: who would needs, at this time of day, seek wisdom from Egypt, which could but furnish them with their own; though, because they would have it so, disguised under the stately obscurity of an Eastern cover.*

Nor were their prejudices less notorious. They thought themselves Autocthones, the original inhabitants of the earth, and indebted to none for their advantages. But when knowledge and acquaintance with foreign nations had convinced them of their mistake; and that, so far from owing nothing to others, they owed almost every thing to Egypt; their writers, still true to their natural vanity, now gave the post of honour to these, which they could no longer keep to themselves; and complimented their new instructors with the most extravagant antiquity. What the Greeks conceived out of vain-glory, the Egyptians cherished-to promote a trade. This country was long the mart of knowledge for the eastern and western world: and as nothing so much recommends this kind of commodity as its age, they set it off by forged records, which extended their history to a most unreasonable length of time: accounts of these have been conveyed to us by ancient authors, and fully confuted by the modern.-Thus stands the objection to the Grecian evidence. And, though I have no business to determine in this question, as the use I make of the Greek authority is not at all affected by it; yet I must needs confess that, were there no writings of higher antiquity to confirm the Grecian, their testimony would be very doubtful: but, could writings of much higher antiquity be found to contradict it, they would deserve to have no credit at all.

Whatever therefore they say of the high antiquity of Egypt, unsupported by the reason of the thing, or the testimony of holy scripture, shall never be employed in this inquiry: but whatever reason and scripture seem to contradict, whether it serve the one or other purpose, I shall always totally reject.

The unanimous agreement of the Greek writers in representing Egypt as the most ancient and best policied empire in the world, is, as we say, generally known and acknowledged.

I. Let us see then, in the first place, what REASON says on this matter. There is, if I be not much mistaken, one circumstance in the situation of Egypt, which seems to assert its claim to a priority amongst the civilized nations; and consequently to its eldership in arts and arms.

There is no soil on the face of the globe so fertile, but what, in a little time, becomes naturally effete by pasturage and tillage. This, in the early ages of the world, forced the unsettled tribes of men to be perpetually shifting their abode. For the world lying all before them, they saw a speedier and easier relief in removing to fresh ground, than in turning their thoughts to the recovery of the fertility of that already spent by occupation: for it is necessity alone to which we are indebted for all the artificial methods of supplying our wants.

Now the plain of Egypt having its fertility annually restored by the periodic overflowings of the Nile, they, whom chance or choice had once directed to sit down upon its banks, had never after an occasion to remove their tents. And when men have been so long settled in a place, that the majority of the inhabitants are become natives of the soil, the inborn love of a country has, by that time, struck such deep roots into it, that nothing but extreme violence can draw them out. Hence, civil policy arises; which, while the unsettled tribes of mankind keep shifting from place to place, remains stifled in its seeds.

This, I apprehend, if rightly considered, will induce us to conclude, that Egypt was very likely to have been one of the first civilized countries on the globe.

II. Let us see next what SCRIPTURE has said in support of the same truth. 1. So early as the time of Abraham we find a king in Egypt of the common name of Pharaoh:* which would induce one to believe, that the civil policy was much the same as in the times of Joseph and Moses: and how perfect it then was, will be seen presently. This kingdom is represented as abounding in corn, and capable of relieving others in a time of famine:† which no kingdom can do, where agriculture has not been improved by art, and regulated by a civil policy. We see the splendour of a luxurious court, in the princes who resided in the monarch's household: amongst whom, we find some (as the most thriving trade for royal favour) to have been procurers to his pleasures: ‡ nor were the presents made by Pharaoh to Abraham, at all unworthy of a great king.§ An adventure of the same sort as this of Abraham's with Pharaoh, happened to his son Isaac with Abimelech; which will instruct us in the difference between an Egyptian monarch, and a petty roitelet of the Philistines. Abimelech is described as little different from a simple particular,|| without his guards, or great princes: so jealous and afraid of Isaac's growing power, that he obliged him to depart out of his dominions; T and, not satisfied with that, went afterwards to beg a peace of him, and would swear him to the observance of it.**

2. The caravan of Ishmaelite merchants, going from Gilead to Egypt,†† brings us to the second scripture-period of this ancient monarchy. And here their camel-loads of spicery, balm and myrrh, and their traffic in young slaves,‡‡ commodities only for a rich and luxurious people, sufficiently declare the established power and wealth of Egypt. We find a captain of Pharaoh's guard; a chief butler, and a baker.§§ We see in the vestures of fine linen, in the gold chains, and state-chariots given to Joseph, all the marks of luxury and politeness: and in the cities for laying up of stores and provisions, If the effects of wise government and opulence. Nor is the policy of a distinct PRIESTHOOD, which is so circumstantially described in the history of this period, one of the least marks of the high antiquity of this flourishing kingdom. It is agreed, on all

• Genesis xii. 15. † Ver. 10. ‡ The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and cOMMENDED HER BEFORE PHARAOH; and

hands, that there was such an institution in Egypt, long before it was known in any other parts of the east. And if what Diodorus Siculus intimates to be the original of a distinct priesthood, be true, namely the growing multitude of religious rites, we see the whole force of this observation. For multiplicity of religious rites is generally in proportion to the advances in civil life.

3. The redemption of the Hebrews from their slavery is the third period of the Egyptian monarchy, recorded in scripture. Here, the building of treasure cities, and the continual employment of so vast a multitude, in only preparing materials† for public edifices, show the vast power and luxury of the state. Here too we find a fixed and standing militia‡ of chariots; and, what is more extraordinary, of cavalry:§ in which kind of military address the Greeks were unskilled till long after the times of the Trojan war. And indeed, if we may believe St Paul, this kingdom was chosen by God to be the scene of all his wonders, in support of his elect people, for this very reason, that through the celebrity of so famed an empire, the power of the true God might be spread abroad, and strike the observation of the whole habitable world.-For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee ; and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.||

To this let me add, that scripture every where, throughout these three periods, represents Egypt as an entire kingdom under one monarch; which is a certain mark of great advances in civil policy and power: all countries, on their first egression out of barbarity, being divided into many little states and principalities; which, as those arts improved, were naturally brought, either by power or policy, to unite and coalesce.

But here let me observe, such is the ceaseless revolution of human affairs, that that power which reduced Egypt into a monarchy, was the very thing which, when it came to its height, occasioned its falling back again under its Reguli. Sesostris, as Diodorus Siculus informs us, divided the lower Egypt to his soldiery, by a kind of feudal law, into large patrimonial tenures. The successors of this militia, as Marshamreasonably conjectures,** growing powerful and factious, set up, each leader for himself, in his own patrimonial nome. The powerful empire of the Franks, here in the west, from the same causes, underwent the same fate, from the debility of which it did not recover till these latter ages.

Thus invincibly do the Hebrew records †† support the Grecian evidence for the high antiquity of Egypt. And it is further remarkable, that the later inspired writers of the sacred canon confirm this concurrent testimony, in the constant attributes of antiquity and wisdom, which, upon all occasions, they bestow upon the Egyptian nation. Thus the prophet Isaiah, in denouncing God's judgments against this people: