A new history of ecclesiastical writers containing an account of the authors of the several books of the Old and New Testament, of the lives and writings of the primitive fathers, an abridgement and catalogue of their works ... also a compendious history of the councils, with chronological tables of the whole / written in French by Lewis Ellies du Pin.

(b) By express Texts of Holy Scripture.] It is very certain that Moses wrote the Law, and that in Scripture we are to understand the Pentateuch by the Law. Exod. 24. v. 4. and 7. Moses wrote all the Words of the Law, and took the Book of the Co∣venant, and read it in the audience of the People. Deut. 31. v. 19, and 22. Moses therefore wrote this Law, and gave it to the Priests the Sons of Levi… and to all the Elders of Israel. In Exodus, ch. 17. v. 14. God commanded Moses to write the Law, and give it to Joshuah. And in the Book of Jo∣shuah, ch. 1. v. 7, and 8. God tells him, That the Volume of the Law which he received from Moses ought to be always in his mind; This Book of the Law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate therein day and night… that thou mayst observe to do according to all the Law which Moses my Servant commanded thee. Now tho' the Word Law may indeed be applied to one part of the Pentateuch, yet we ought to take notice, that it is generally taken in Scripture for the whole Pen∣tateuch. And 'tis certain, that in the 31st Chap∣ter of Deuteronomy, where it is said, Moses there∣fore wrote this Law, it is meant of all this Book, and the Passage of Joshuah ought likewise to be understood of the whole Law. To this may be ad∣ded, that in the other Books of the Old Testament, they always consider the entire Pentateuch as the the Work of Moses. In the first of Kings, ch. 2. v. 3. David speaking to Salomon, tells him, That the Ceremonies, Precepts, and Laws of the Jews, were written in the Law of Moses; Keep the Charge of the Lord thy God to walk in his Ways, to keep his Statutes and Commandments, and his Judgments, and his Testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses. It is therefore believed, that all the Pen∣tateuch, which contains these Ceremonies, Precepts, and Judgments, was the Law of Moses. All the Law is likewise attributed to Moses in the second Book of Kings, ch. 21, and 23. v. 8. v. 25. If they observe all the Law of Moses. In the second Book of Chronicles, ch. 23. v. 18. To offer the Burnt-Offer∣ings of the Law as it is written in the Law of Mo∣ses. Is not Leviticus therefore Moses's Book? That which is delivered in the 30th, 31st, and 35th Chap∣ters of the same Book, is taken out of Leviticus and Numbers; are they not therefore the Books of Moses? In the 25th Chapter, Deuteronomy is cited as one of Moses's Books; As it is written in the Law in the Book of Moses, the Father shall not die for the Children: Which Words are to be found in the 24th Chapter of Deuteronomy. Levi∣ticus quoted by Baruch, ch. 2. as a Book that was written by Moses; As thou speakest by thy Servant Moses, in the day when thou didst command him to write thy Law, before the Children of Israel saying, If ye will not hear, &c. Which words are in the 26th Chapter of Leviticus, v. 14. In the second Book of Kings, ch. 22, and 23. as also in the se∣cond Book of Chronicles, ch. 34. it is said, that Hil∣kiah found a Book of the Law of Moses's writ∣ten, perhaps, with his own hand, as these words seem to imitate, Per manum Moysi. This Book of the Law, according to Josephus, is all the Penta∣teuch, according to others Deuteronomy. How∣ever it is, yet it follows from hence at least, that Deuteronomy is his. Now Deuteronomy supposes, that the other Books of the Law were written, because it is as it were an Abridgment, and upon that acccount is called Deuteronomy, or The Se∣cond Law. In the ninth Chapter of Daniel, it is said, that the Curse, which is written in the Book of Moses, is fallen upon the Jews, and in the tenth Verse the words of Deuteronomy and Exo∣dus are particularly cited. The Prophet Malachi, ch. 4. exhorts the Jews to remember the Law of Moses. Raguel, in the 7th Chapter of Tobit, says, He will give his Daughter in Marriage to Tobias, to obey the Law of Moses. The Law of Moses is frequently repeated in the Psalms; the 77th, 104th, 105th, 135th Psalms, contain the History of the Israelites, which is plainly taken out of the Pen∣tateuch. The Law of Moses is often cited in Ezrah; (Ez. 9. 10. 23.) the Passages cited in these places are to be found in the Books of the Penta∣teuch. In the 10th Chapter of Nehemiah, v. 29. the Israelites oblige themselves by a new kind of an Oath, to keep the Law and Precepts of Moses. Now among these Precepts, there are several that are taken out of the Books of the Pentateuch. In the second Book of Maccabees, ch. 7. Eleazar saith, I will not obey the King's Commandment, but that of the Law, which was given unto Our Fathers by Moses. Lastly, whatever is taken out of the Pentateuch in the New Testament, is always cited under the name of the Law of Moses. St. James in the 15th Chapter of the Acts, says, The Jews read Moses every Sabbath day in their Synagogues; Moses of old time hath in every City them that Preach him, being read in the Synagogues every Sabbath day. And St. Paul, in his Epistles, says, That the Jews did not understand Moses, although they read him; Usque in hodiernum diem cum legitur Moses. Therefore they did not in the least doubt, that the Pentateuch was written by Moses, since they tell us, that those who read that Book, read Moses. All these Passages make it very evident in the first place, that Moses wrote the Law of the Jews. Se∣condly, That by the name of the Law, we ought to understand, the Pentateuch. Thirdly, That not only Deuteronomy, but also all the other Books of the Pentateuch, have been cited in Scripture for the Books and Law of Moses. Fourthly, That this has ever passed for a constant truth, of which no body doubted. Fifthly, That they not only be∣lieved Moses to be the Author of the things con∣tained in these Books, but of the Books themselves, so that when they read them, one might say, they read Moses; as when we read the Aeneids, we say, we read Virgil.