And to show posterity, that the history of all this was not forged, or to be suspected; 1. They had the Law it self then delivered in two Tables of stone to be still seen. 2. They had a pot of Manna still preserved. 3. They had the miracle-working Rod of Moses and Aaron kept likewise as a monument. 4. They had an Ark of purpose to keep these in, and that in the most inviolable place of worship. 5. They had the brazen Serpent (till Hezekiah broke it) still to be seen. 6. They had the song of their deliverance at the Red Sea for their continued use. 7. They had set feasts to keep the chief of all these things in remembrance. They had the feast of unleavened bread, which all Israel was to observe for seven days, to keep the remembrance of their passing out of Egypt in so great haste, that they could not stay to knead up, and make their bread, but took it as in meal or unready dough. They had the feast of the Passover, when every family was to eat of the Paschal ⟨p. 117⟩Lamb, and the door posts to be sprinkled with the blood, to keep in remembrance the night when the Egyptians first born were destroyed, and the Israelites all preserved. And if these had been instituted at that time, upon a pretended occasion which they knew to be untrue, they would rather have derided than observed them. If they had been afterwards instituted in another generation which knew not the story, the beginning would have been known, and the fiction of the name and institution of Moses would have been apparent to all; and the institution would not have been found in the same Law, which was given by Moses: And it could not have been so expressly said, that the Israelites did all observe these feasts and solemnities from the very time of their deliverance, but in those times when the forgery began, all would have known it to be false. 8. And they had many other words and ceremonies among them, and even in Gods Public Worship, which were all used to keep up the memory of these things. 9. And they had an office of Priesthood constantly among them, which saw to the execution and preservation of all these. 10. And they had a form of civil Policy then established, and and the Rulers were to preserve the memory of these things, and the practice of this Law, and to learn it themselves, and govern by it: so that the very form of the Common-wealth, and the order of it, was a commemoration hereof:
And to shew posterity, that the history of all this was not forged, or to be suspected; 1. They had the Law it self then delivered in two Tables of stone to be still seen. 2. They had a pot of Manna still preserved. 3. They had the miracle-working Rod of Moses and Aaron kept likewise as a monument. 4. They had an Ark of purpose to keep these in, and that in the most inviolable place of worship. 5. They had the braz•n Serpent (till Hezekiah broke it) still to be seen. 6. They had the song of their deliverance at the Red Sea for their continued use. 7. They had set feasts to keep the chief of all these things in remembrance. They had the feast of unleavened bread, which all Israel was to observe for seven daies, to keep the remembrance of their passing out of Egypt in so great haste, that they could not stay to knead up, and make their bread, but took it as in meal or unready dough. They had the feast of the Passeover, when every family was to eat of the Paschal ⟨p. 117⟩Lamb, and the door posts to be sprinkled with the blood, to keep in remembrance the night when the Egyptians first born were destroyed, and the Israelites all preserved. And if these had been instituted at that time, upon a pretended occasion which they knew to be untrue, they would rather have derided than observed them. If they had been afterwards instituted in another generation which knew not the story, the beginning would have been known, and the fiction of the name and institution of Moses would have been apparent to all; and the institution would not have been found in the same Law, which was given by Moses: And it could not have been so expresly said, that the Israelites did all observe these feasts and solemnities from the very time of their deliverance, but in those times when the forgery began, all would have known it to be false. 8. And they had many other words and ceremonies among them, and even in Gods Publick Worship, which were all used to keep up the memory of these things. 9. And they had an office of Priesthood constantly among them, which saw to the execution and preservation of all these. 10. And they had a form of civil Policy then established, and and the Rulers were to preserve the memory of these things, and the practice of this Law, and to learn it themselves, and govern by it: so that the very form of the Common-wealth, and the order of it, was a commemoration hereof:
