five thousand years; in which time happened many strange
accidents, many chances of war, and great actions of the
commanders, and mutations of the form of our government. Upon the
whole, a man that will peruse this history, may principally learn
from it, that all events succeed well, even to an incredible
degree, and the reward of felicity is proposed by God; but then
it is to those that follow his will, and do not venture to break
his excellent laws: and that so far as men any way apostatize
from the accurate observation of them, what was practical before
becomes impracticable (5) and whatsoever they set about as a good
thing, is converted into an incurable calamity. And now I exhort
all those that peruse these books, to apply their minds to God;
and to examine the mind of our legislator, whether he hath not
understood his nature in a manner worthy of him; and hath not
ever ascribed to him such operations as become his power, and
hath not preserved his writings from those indecent fables which
others have framed, although, by the great distance of time when
he lived, he might have securely forged such lies; for he lived
two thousand years ago; at which vast distance of ages the poets
themselves have not been so hardy as to fix even the generations
of their gods, much less the actions of their men, or their own
laws. As I proceed, therefore, I shall accurately describe what
is contained in our records, in the order of time that belongs to
them; for I have already promised so to do throughout this
undertaking; and this without adding any thing to what is therein
contained, or taking away any thing therefrom.

4. But because almost all our constitution depends on the wisdom
of Moses, our legislator, I cannot avoid saying somewhat
concerning him beforehand, though I shall do it briefly; I mean,