keeping, was soon lost.' 1. But I think, that the words dibrei hattorah hazzaoth, do not perhaps signify the words of this law," limited to a single book or part of Moses' writings. The particle n zaoth is, I think, sometimes used as plural," and the expres sion above is probably of this import; when Moses had made an end of writing the words of the law, even all these [words or things]. The fact might be thus: Moses wrote his books thus far, to this place; and then gave the Levites the charge of them. 2. The words used by Moses to the Levites are general: he delivered to them, not the book of this law; not any particular part of his writings, but this book of the law in general; the particle this was here used, because Moses had the book then in his hand, which he delivered to them. Seper ha Torah, or Seper Torah,' was the name of the whole code or volume of the Sacred writings,

'In Tract. Theolog, polit, ubi sup.

Deut. xxxi. 21.

את ספר התורה הזה

"See Judges xiii. 23.
*2 Kings xxii. 8.

Joshua xxiv. 26. 2 Chron. xxxiv. 14.

never once given by Moses to any single part of his works; but imposed here as a general title of the book which contained the whole. The law was that part of the code for an introduction to, illustration, history, or confirmation of which, all the other parts were written, and therefore the whole might well be called the book of the law, the law being the principal and most important part of the code called by this title, As Moses gave the sacred volume, which he left to the Israelites, this general title; so we find it used in all after ages for the title of this book, even when not only the works of Moses, but also the Psalms and the Prophets were contained in it. Joshua wrote his book in the book of the law ;" and yet in Josiah's time the volume found in the temple, which undoubtedly contained all that Joshua had written in it, as well as Moses, was called by its general name, the book of the law only. In our Saviour's time the books of Scripture were of three sorts, as Josephus afterwards reckoned them;" namely the books of Mo

Joshua xxiv. 26.

Joseph. contra Appion. lib. i. c. 8.

ses, the Prophets, and the Psalms. And our Saviour, who thus distinguishes them, when he intended to speak of the particulars which made up the sacred code, yet in general not only calls all the books of Moses the law; but cites the book of Psalms as part of the law," as the Jews also did in his age,' and St. Paul afterwards cited Isaiah in like manner.' Moses, at delivering his writings, called the whole tome, the book of the law, and this continued to be the general title of the whole volume of the sacred books in all ages, . whatever particular books were annexed to or contained in it. As to the book of the wars of the LORD, we have no reason to think that any such book was written by Moses. It is, indeed, cited in a book of Moses; but so is the book of Jasher in that of Joshua:" and yet the book of Jasher was a composure more modern and of far less authority than the book of Joshua. The rea

der may see what is offered concerning the citation of the book Jasher in Joshua; and will find it reasonable perhaps, to account for the citation in Numbers of the Book of the Wars of the LORD, in like manner. In what is above offered, the reader will see the greatest liberty taken by me in the suppositions I have made concerning the original divisions or titles of the books of Moses, and the dislocations or transpositions which may be conceived now to be in some chapters or paragraphs of them. I was willing to allow, for the sake of argument, the utmost that could with any show of reason be pretended; being sure, that after all, nothing could be concluded to prove that Moses had not written what we ascribe to him. But I must not leave this topic without observing, that I cannot say, that Moses did actually divide his writings into books in the manner above supposed; or that the chapters, which we may imagine not to be now found in their proper places, were originally otherwise disposed by Moses than we now find

See book xii..

them. Of all the books written by Moses, the book of Genesis only could be composed. by him in the opportunity of great leisure." He must have lived in the hurry of a variety of engagements in the management of a most restless people, all the time he was writing his accounts of them; and consequently, what is contained in what we now call the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, might be at first minuted down, and put together, as works generally are, which are composed and finished in such circumstances. The historical parts were registered, as the occurrences arose which were the matter of them. The laws given. were recorded when, and as it pleased GoD to direct Moses to write them; sometimes immediately at their being given, at other times not until occasions arose, which demanded a recollection of them. Some things were repeated, added to, or explained, as circumstances required; and Moses had no time to go over and methodize anew what he had written in this manner, but put the

› See vol. ii. b. 9.