' a more express declaration, from fufficient authority, that it was fo. But in none of the prophecies, in which the Meffiah is announced, is there the leaft reference to this catastrophe, which you fuppofe to have • made his incarnation necessary. Neither John the Baptift, nor our Saviour himself, ever said any thing that could lead our thoughts to it. And notwithstanding the frequent mention that is made of the love of God in the gift of his Son by the apoftles, it is never faid to have been to undo any thing that had been done at the fall, fome paffages of Paul above excepted, who calls Christ the left Adam, and makes use of terms which imply that death was intro duced by Adam, as eternal life is the gift of God by Chrift. But you know that the

writings of this apoftle abound with analogies and antithefes, on which no very · ferious ftrefs is to be laid.'

may

However contrary this account of the fall found to what you have been accustomed to hear, it certainly deferves your attention for the arguments from fcripture by which it is fupported, and fo far as they bring con

viction

viction to your minds, you will follow them. And it is a reflection, that will very naturally occur to you, whether those perfons do not take in too many foreign ideas, and fancy unknown mysteries in the divine moral government, from paffages of fcripture ill understood, who make it necessary for a being equal to the Almighty himself, or one next in dignity and time to him, to interpofe, by condescending to become a weak suffering mortal, and submit to a lingering death in torments, to repair the breach of the divine law by the two firft frail creatures of our race; before that confiftently with justice, or with we know not what other bar and obftacle, they could be pardoned, although they fincerely repented of their tranfgreffion.

And it must be left alfo to you to judge, whether St. Paul intended his language relating to this event, to be construed in a rigorous sense; or would only thereby teach, in general, the heinoufnefs and fatal widefpreading effects of fin, and the high confideration in which a virtuous obedience is held by the almighty and holy governor of

the world, in the mighty honour done to Chrift, by being the means and inftrument of bringing mankind to virtue and an eternal happiness.

Dr. Priestley goes on to establish his fentiment, by observations on the history of the creation and fall of man, which were cited above; in which he maintains, that we are not to look upon Mofes as writing under an immediate divine influence, but as giving us the best account of thofe tranfactions, that he could collect.

Upon this, Dr. Horne cries out, What is this that I hear? it is the voice of

Chubb, of Morgan, or of Tindal? of Voltaire, of Hume, or of Bolingbroke?'

It is not to be wondered at that Dr. Horne's prejudices fhould lead him to this extreme, in a cafe, where doctrines, which he fancies to lye at the foundation of the gofpel, are called in question. But before he made fuch an exclamation, it would have been the jufter way of proceeding, to

have

1

have shewn wherein Dr. Priestley was miftaken. However, though he takes upon him to speak in your name, you will not implicitly follow his decifions, and will not easily class an author with professed unbelievers, who holds no opinions on the subject, but what he thinks authorized by the facred writings.

Dr. Priestley is not alone in thinking Mofes not to have composed his narrative of the fall of our first parents from any supernatural information, but from fuch materials as he found handed down concerning it. Whilst some have afferted, that the whole narrative was to be taken literally; and that, ferpents at that time having the faculty of speech, it was a real ferpent that fpoke to Eve, who through envy at her fuperior ftation, drew her into the tranfgreffion of the divine law; and others have supposed that there was no real ferpent, but that the devil, under that refemblance, was the tempter, &c. which is the opinion that generally of late has prevailed; many in H 4

all

all times have been perfuaded, that fome unhappy misconduct of our first progenitors, in giving way to animal pleasure, to the neglect of the divine command, which taught them a juft moderation of the inferior appetites, was their crime, and the groundwork of the hiftory we have of it; but that the introduction and craft of the ferpent, its dialogue with Eve, &c. are only the circumstances and embellishments in which it is dreffed up, thefe being feigned and invented by Mofes in the eastern stile; who probably thought it more proper, and likely to do more good, than if he had spoken of the matter plainly and without a figure (r),

Philo the Jew, who was cotemporary with our Lord's apostles, fays, it is not a fable invented at pleasure, but an allegory, expreffive of what really happened under feigned images,

(r)

and for an apple damn mankind.

One is forry to fee men of fenfe and gravity, that might have known better, dealing in fuch wit as this on the Mofaic account of the fall.