InattributingthewholecredibilityoftheOldTestamenttotheauthorityoftheNew，andinlimitingtheauthenticityoftheJewishScripturestothosepartsalonethatconcernlaw，doctrine，andprophecy，bywhichtheirchronologyandthefargreatestpartoftheirhistoryareexcluded，IwillventuretoassureyourlordshipthatIdonotassumesomuch，asisassumedineveryhypothesisthataffixesthedivinesealofinspirationtothewholecanon；thatreststhewholeproofonJewishveracity；andthatpretendstoaccountparticularlyandpositivelyforthedescentoftheseancientwritingsintheirpresentstate。
Anotherreason，forwhichIhaveinsistedtheratheronthedistinctionsooftenmentioned，isthis。IthinkwemayfindverygoodfoundationforitevenintheBible：andthoughthisbeapointverylittleattendedto，andmuchdisguised，itwouldnotbehardtoshow，upongreatinducementsofprobability，thatthelawandthehistorywerefarfrombeingblendedtogetherastheynowstandinthePentateuch，evenfromthetimeofMosesdowntothatofEsdras。Buttheprincipalanddecisivereasonforseparatinginsuchmannerthelegal，doctrinal，andpropheticalparts，fromthehistorical，isthenecessityofleavingsomeruletogoby：and，Iprotest，Iknowofnonethatisyetagreedupon。Icontentmyself，therefore，tofixmyopinionconcerningtheauthorityoftheOldTestamentinthismanner，andcarryitthusfaronly。Wemustdoso，orwemustenterintothatlabyrinthofdisputeandcontradiction，whereineventhemostorthodoxJewsandChristianshavewanderedsomanyages，andstillwander。Itisstrange，butitistrue；notonlytheJewsdifferfromtheChristians，butJewsandChristiansbothdifferamongthemselves，concerningalmosteverypointthatisnecessarytobecertainlyknownandagreedupon，inordertoestablishtheauthorityofbookswhichbothhavereceivedalreadyasauthenticandsacred。Sothatwhoevertakesthepainstoreadwhatlearnedmenhavewrittenonthissubject，willfindthattheyleavethematterasdoubtfulastheytookitup。WhoweretheauthorsoftheseScriptures，whentheywerepublished，howtheywerecomposedandpreserved，orrenewed，tousearemarkableexpressionofthefamousHuetinhisDemonstration；infine，howtheywerelostduringthecaptivity，andhowtheywereretrievedafterit，areallmattersofcontroversytothisday。
Itwouldbeeasyformetodescendintoagreaterdetail，andtoconvinceyourlordshipofwhatIhavebeensayingingeneralbyaninductionofparticulars，evenwithoutanyotherhelpthanthatofafewnoteswhichItookwhenI
appliedmyselftothisexamination，andwhichnowliebeforeme。Butsuchadigressionwouldcarrymetoofar：andIfearthatyouwillthinkIhavesaidalreadymorethanenoughuponthispartofmysubject。Igoon，therefore，toobservetoyourlordship，thatifthehistoryoftheOldTestamentwasasexactandauthentic，astheignoranceandimpudenceofsomerabbieshavemadethemassertthatitis；ifwecouldbelievewiththemthatMoseswroteeverysyllableinthePentateuchasitnowstands，orthatallthePsalmswerewrittenbyDavid：nay，ifwecouldbelieve，withPhiloandJosephus，thatMoseswrotetheaccountofhisowndeathandsepulchre，andmadeasortoffuneralpanegyriconhimself，aswefindtheminthelastchapterofDeuteronomy。
YetstillwouldIventuretoassert，thathewhoexpectstofindasystemofchronology，orathreadofhistory，orsufficientmaterialsforeither，inthebooksoftheOldTestament，expectstofindwhattheauthorsofthesebooks，whoevertheywere，neverintended。Theyareextractsofgenealogies，notgenealogies：extractsofhistories，nothistories。TheJewsthemselvesallowtheirgenealogiestobeveryimperfect，andproduceexamplesofomissionsanderrorsinthem，whichdenotesufficientlythatthesegenealogiesareextracts，whereineverygenerationinthecourseofdescentisnotmentioned。