variously thought of by divers able and valuable writers; rather than too hastily offer to the public, sentiments upon it, of which I had a just diffidence, as many of them seemed to be more peculiarly my own.

A supposed impossibility of reconciling a literal interpretation of Moses' account of the fall of man, with any reasonable notions of God, and with what must, in truth, be his dispensations towards us," is, I believe, what has introduced the notion of explaining some parts at least of his narration into apologue and fable. The shadow of allegory seems to give us some appearance of knowing, what we do not plainly understand; and an unexamined hearsay of eastern sages, their mythology and literature, amuses with a colour of being very learned, whilst, perhaps, we really mistake the rise and design of that very literature to which we have recourse, by endeavouring to resolve into it the narration of Moses, which

See Middleton's Allegorical and Literal Interpretation.

most evidently sets before us particulars absolutely incapable of admitting any allegorical interpretation whatsoever.

That the great point of which Moses informs us, is of this sort; absolutely incompatible with allegory, is, I think, evident beyond contradiction. I hope the ensuing pages will clearly shew, concerning every part of what he has related upon the subject, that, taken literally as he has recorded it, the whole very pertinently agrees with the great design of all subsequent scripture; and must shew us, that, in all that happened to our first parents, nothing befel them, improper for their being ensamples unto us ; and that the account we have of them, so far from being mythic or unintelligible, is most plainly written for our admonition; that we may indeed learn from it, in what manner and measure, from the beginning it was, as it still is, the one thing needful for man, truly and indeed to obey God. All scripture is given by inspiration of God; and

c 1 Cor. x. 11.

d

is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for cor-. rection, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. If, in explaining Moses' narration of the fall literalły, we can shew it to bear evidently all these characters of holy writ; as I trust from what is to follow will be seen, we shew what must be of more real weight for a literal interpretation, than all that is otherwise suggested against it.

But, though what I have here intimated, and have further evinced in the ensuing treatise, will make it evident, that Moses did not here write apologue and fables; whether what I am going to suggest be certain fact or not, yet it may not be disagreeable to the reader to remark, that the relating mythologically physical or moral truths, concerning the origin and nature of things, was not, perhaps, as modern writers too hastily imagine, the customary practice in the age of Moses; but rather began after his

d 2 Tim. iii. 16, 17.

time. The poet's rule may be a very good one, to judge even of the stile and manner of authors,

Ætatis cujusque notandi sunt tibi mores.

HOR.

And a few intimations may possibly shew us, that a due use of it may not be altogether ineffectual in the enquiry before us.

The wisdom of the east country, and the eastern sages, were in high esteem in the days of Solomon; but it is observed at the same time, that the wisdom of Egypt stood in competition with it. There were then western sages, as well as eastern; and how readily soever eastern sages flow from the pen of modern writers; as far as I can find, we must go to the western ones for the rise of mythologic writing. Mythology began in Egypt; where it was new and recent in the times of Sanchoniatho; the VENTATO LEPOAww, the priests, who at that time were λω χων, most modern, had then invented and in

* 1 Kings iv. 30.

troduced it.'

Sanchoniatho flourished a

bout A. M. 2760:

Moses died A. M.

f When Sanchoniatho made his enquiries, we are told that οἱ μὲν νεωτατοι των ιερολογων τα μὲν γεγονοτα πραγματα ἐξ αρχῆς ἀπεπεμψακο αλληγορίας καὶ μυθως επινοησανίες, καὶ τοις κοσμικοις παθήμασι συγγένειαν πλασαμενοι μυςηρία κατέςησαν, καὶ πολυν αυτοις επήγον τῦφον, ὡς μὴ ῥαδίως τινα συνοραν τὰ καὶ αληOH YEÓμa. Euseb. Præp. Evang. lib. 1. c. 9.

* Sanchoniatho fourished προ τῶν τρωικῶν χρόνων, καὶ σχεδὸν TOI Mwows. Euseb. ibid. Troy was taken, according to Usher, A. M. 2820: according to the Arundle Marble, 2796. Agreeably hereto, Sanchoniatho is said to have conversed with Jerombaal, priest of the god Jevo, in or near Phoenicia: the country of the Jews was often taken as part of Phoenicia. The four letters of the word Jehovah may easily be so pointed as to be pronounced Jehroh. Gideon, who was called Jerubbaal, Judges v. 32, was a prophet, a ruler, a great deliverer of his people under the especial direction of this God, whose name was Jehovah, mm, Judges vi. vii. viii. With the heathens, and in the most ancient times, the ruler was also priest unto his people; see Connect. vol. ii. b. vi. ; so that they might naturally deem Jerubbaal a priest of the God 'Ievw, Jevoh, as they pronounced it, from his having been appointed by Jehovah to rule and govern his people. Mr. Dodwell indeed wrote a treatise to prove that Sanchoniatho was not so ancient but I cannot apprehend that his endeavours