and twenty after the number of the Hebrew letters And Cyril of Ierusalem hath these express Words Read these two and twenty Books but have nothing to do with the Apocryphal ones Study and meditate only on these Scriptures which we conâ—idently read in the Church The Apostles and first Bishops were true Guides and were more wise and religious than thou art and these were the Men that delivered these Scriptures to us Thou then being a Son of the Church do not go beyond her Bounds and Orders but acknowledg and study only the two and twenty Books of the Old â—â—â—stament And other Fathers of the Churâ—â— as Melito Bishop of Sardis Athanasius Amphiloâ—â—us Epiphanius Eusebius Gregory Nazianzen Gâ—â—gory the Great Basil Chrysostom testify that 〈◊〉 Books and no others of the Old Testamâ—â—â— which we receive now were the Canonical Booâ—â— of old and received so by the first Christiâ—â— Those eminent Lights of the Latin Church Râ—t Ierom Hilary disown as Uncanonical 〈◊〉 Books of Apocrypha The two latter especially 〈◊〉 very positive Ierom expresly tells us that 〈◊〉 Canonical Books of the Old Testament are but 〈◊〉 and twenty just the number of the Hebrew Alâ—phabet and no more and he enumerates the particular Books which constitute the whole 〈◊〉 saith indeed that some make them four and twâ—â—ty but 't is the same Account for they reckâ—â— Ruth and Lamentations separately But as for 〈◊〉 others he saith they are not part of Inspired Scripture and the Church doth not receive theâ— among the Canonical Writings So Hilary givâ— us the just Catalogue of the Books of the Old Tâ—stament and peremptorily affirms that there 〈◊〉 but two and twenty Canonical Books of it in all which are the same with the thirty nine according to the reckoning in our Bibles To Fathers wâ— might add Synods and Councils as that antieâ—â— one of Laodicea conven'd A. D. 364. which drew up a Catalogue of the Books of Scripture and makes mention only of these which we now râ—ceive but leaves out the Apocryphal ones This Canon was received afterwards and confirmed by the Council of Chalcedon one of the first four General Councils And the sixth General Council held at Constantinople A. D. 680. expresly ratified the Decrees of that old Laodicean Council and particularly this that the Canonical Books of the Old Testament were but two and twenty There is another Reason also besides the Universal Suffrage of the Christian Church why the Apocryphal Books are ejected out of the Canon viz. because some things in them are false and contrary to the Canonical Scriptures as in Ecclesiasticus 46. 20. 2 Esdras 6. 40. and some things are vitious as in 2 Maccab. 14. 42. After all this it is easy to answer what the Romanists say on the other side They quote the third Council of Carthage which they tell us received the Apocryphal Books into the Canon And among the Fathers St. Augustin they say owns them besides that two Popes viz. Innocent the First and Gelasius took those Books which we stile Apocryphal into the Canon As for the Council which they alledg it was but a Provincial one and therefore is not to be set against those more Authentick and General Councils which I produced Nor must that one single Father whom they name stand out against that great number of Greek and Latin Fathers whom I mentioned The Popes bear a great Name among our Adversaries but they are but two and must not be compared with those Councils and that multitude of Fathers who are on our side Or if they lay such great stress on a Pope I can name them one and he one of the most eminent they ever had viz. Pope Gregory the Great who declares that the Book of Maccabees a main Piece of the Apocryphal Wrâ—â—tings is no part of the Canon of Scripture Wâ— may set this One Pope for he is Great enough against the other Two Besides their own 〈◊〉 are against them the Apocryphal Books are 〈◊〉 received as part of holy Inspired Scripture by Iâ—â—dorus Damascen Nicephorus Rabanus Maurus Hâ—go Lyranus Cajetan and others who are of greâ—â— Repute in the Church of Rome We regard 〈◊〉 what the pack'd Council of Trent hath decreed viz. That besides the two and twenty Books 〈◊〉 the Hebrew Canon those also of Tobias Iuditâ— the Wisdom of Solomon Ecclesiasticus Maccabeâ—â—â— Baruch are to be received as Canonical and thâ— they are of equal Authority with the Canon oâ— the Old and New Testament What is this to the general Suffrage of the Primitive Councils Fathers and Writers who have rejected the Apocryphal Books and received but twenty two into the Canon of Scripture belonging to the Old Testament You see what Ground we have no other than the Vniversal Church We reject some Books as Apocryphal because they were generally rejected by the antient Primitive Church and we receive the rest as Canonical because they were believed and owned to be so by the universal Consent of the Church See this admirably made good in Bishoâ— Cousins's History of the Canon of Scripture Yet aâ—ter all that hath been said we count the Apocryphâ— Writings worthy to be read and perused The there be some things amiss in them yet we give great Deference and Respect to them as containing many Historical Truths and furnishing us witâ— Matter of Jewish Antiquity as likewise because there are many Doctrinal and Moral Truths in them especially in the Books of Wisdom and Ecâ—lesiasticus For this Reason I say we bear great Respect to them and rank them next to the Holy Canon and prefer them before all Profane Authors This was done by the antient Fathers who frequently alledg'd them in their Sermons and Discourses which is one Reason I question not why these Apocryphal Books came to be made Canonical by some of the Church of Rome namely because they were so often quoted by the Fathers and in some Churches read publickly But this is no Proof of their being Canonical but only lets us know that these Books were in their Kind useful and profitable as indeed they are Therefore St. Ierom saith the Church receives not these Books into the Canon of Scripture though she allows them to be read And concerning these Writings our Church saith well quoting St. Ierom for it She doth read them for Example of Life and Instruction of Manners but yet doth not apply them to establish any Doctrine Which gives us an exact account of the Nature of these Books namely that they contain excellent Rules of Life and are very serviceable to inform us of our Duty as to several weighty things but they being not dictated by the Holy Ghost as the other Books of Scripture are they are not the infallible Standard of Divine Doctrine and therefore are not to be applied and made use of to that purpose This and the other Reasons before mentioned may prevail with us to think that these Writings ought not to be
omitted by the other Evangelists Besides that this Evangelist in the Entrance into his Gospel is more Sublime and Soaring than the rest and for that Reason is represented by an Eagle asserting the Divinity of Christ against the bold Hereticks of that time who openly confronted that Doctrine And in other Places of his Writings he hath a Peculiar Strain and Excellency which Luther expresses thus after his plain way Every Word in John weigheth two Tuns Concerning the Evangelists I may note this that though they do not all of them set down the very individual Words that Christ or others spake for we see that sometimes one represents them in Terms different from the rest yet those that do not so deliver always the Sense of what was said and even that was dictated by the Holy Spirit which is sufficient And concerning St. Iohn particularly I remark this that seeing he was the last of all the Evangelists i. e. he wrote his Gospel last it is rational upon that Account to interpret the other Evangelists by him namely where any Doubt or Controversy arises for he having perused the other Evangelists and observ'd what Exceptions unbelieving Men had made against any Passages in their Writings it is not to be doubted but that he expresses himself with greater Plainness and Perspicuity where those Matters are concern'd This the intelligent and observant Reader will find to be true if he consults the respective Places It is endless to give a Particular and Distinct Survey of every one of the Evangelists Writings This only can be said here in pursuance of our grand Undertaking that these Books are the Choicest History that ever were committed to Writing because they contain the Birth the Life the Actions the Doctrine the Miracles the Sufferings the Death the Resurrection the Ascension of our Lord IESVS Christ our most Compassionate Saviour and Redeemer All of which are the most Stupendous and Amazing as well as the most Necessary Matters to be known in the whole World If this brief and summary Account of the Gospels be not sufficient to recommend them to our Studies and Meditations and to beget in us the utmost Esteem of them nothing more largely said will ever be able to do it To the Historical Part of the New Testament belong the Acts of the Apostles wherein there is an Account given of what all the Apostles were concern'd in viz. their choosing Matthias into Iudas's room their Meeting together on the Day of Pentâ—cost at which time they were all inspired by the Holy Ghost according to Christ's Promise visibly descending upon them their Determinations in the Council held at Ierusalem with their Letters which they sent to the Churches abroad and several other things in which the Apostles were jointly interested This Book contains also the History of the first Founding of the Christian Church of its happy Progress and Success especially among the Gentiles of the Opposition and Persecution it encountred with of the Undaunted Courage of the Apostles of the Course of their Ministry of their Disputations Conferences Apologies Prayers Sermons Worship Discipline Church-Government Miracles Here we are informed what were the Vsages of the first Apostolical Ages In a word here we may find the Primitive Church and Religion All which are plain Evidences of the singular Usefulness Worth and Excellency of this Book But it is chiefly confined to the Acts and Atchievements of those most Eminent Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul and especially and most largely here are related the Conversion Travels Preaching and Sufferings of the latter of these for St. â—uke being St. Paul's Companion all along and well acquainted with whatever he did and whatsoever happen'd to him gives us the fullest Narrative of this Apostle The whole Book is a History of about forty Years namely from Christ's Ascensionâ— to the second Year of St. Paul's Imprisonment at Rome The New Testament consists likewise of several Epistles of the Apostles which are Pious Discourses occasionally written more fully to explain and apply the Holy Doctrine which they had delivered to confute some growing Errors to compose Differences and Schisms to reform Abuses and Corruptions to stir up the Christians to Holiness and to incourage them against Persecutions For the Apostles having converted several Nations to the Faith when they could not visit them in Person wrote to them and so supplied their Presence by these Epistles To begin with St. Paul's Epistles they were written either to Whole Churches viz. of Believing Gentiles i. e. the greatest Part of them were such tho some of Iewish Race might be mix'd among them as the Epistles to the Romans Corinthians Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians Thessalonians or of Believing Iews wholly as the Epistle to the Hebrews Or they were written to Particular Persons as the Epistles to Timothy Titus Philemon The Epistle to the Romans is made up of several Profound Discourses on such Subjects as these the Prerogatives of the Iews their Rejection notwithstanding those Prerogatives the Wonderful Dispensation of God towards the Gentiles the Nature of the Law Justification by Faith alone Election and Free Grace the Conflict between the Flesh and Spirit Christian Liberty Scandal the Use of Indifferent Things c. But the chief thing which he designs in this Epistle is to shew that neither the Gentiles by the Law of Nature nor the Iews by that of Moses could attain to Righteousness and Justification and consequently Salvation but that these are to be obtained only by Faith in Christ Jesus for whose Merits alone we are accounted righteous in the Sight of God And then to shew that this Faith is not separated from Good Works he addeth Exhortations to the Practice of Holiness Obedience of Life and a Religious Conversation So that this Epistle is both Doctrinal and Practical it directs us in our Notions and in our Manners It decides some of the greatest Controversies and withal it informs us about the most indispensable Offices of Christianity The next Epistles are to the Church of Corinth the chief City of Peloponneâ—us which is now call'd the Morea And Cenchrea which you read of Rom. 16. 1. Acts 19. 18. was the Station of Ships for this maritime City but was a distinct Town from it To the Converted Inhabitants of this great Metropolis famed for its Wealth and therefore sirnamed the Rich as Thucydides saith â—ea to all the Saints in Achaia the Apostle here writes His first Epistle to them is against the Unsound Perswasions and Vicious Practices which he observ'd among them at that time His Design was to reform them as to their Schisms and Dissensions their Idolatrous Communion their Unseemly Habits their Confusions and Disorders in their Assemblies their Prophaning the Lord's Supper their Toleration of Incest and the like scandalous Behaviour Besides there are other considerable Matters which he treats of as Marriage Divorce Virginity eating of Meats sacrificed to Idols Christian Liberty going to Law before Heathens
numbred among the Books of Canonical Scripture And thus we have argued from the Tradition and the Testimony of the Church And if this be done as it ought to be done it is valid for the Truth of the Copies the Canonicalness of the Books and the like are not decidable by Scripture it self but in the Way that all other Controversies of that nature are As you would prove any other Book to be Authentick so you must prove the Bible to be viz. by sufficient and able Testimony There is the same reason to believe the Sacred History that there is to believe any other Historical Writings that are extant Nay the Testimonies on behalf of the Holy Scriptureâ— are more pregnant than any that are brought for other Writings Besides all that can be said for the Sacred Volume of the Bible which is wont to be said for other Writings I have shewed you that there are some things peculiar to this above aâ—â— others The main thing we have insisted upon is this that the Books of the Old and New Testament have been faithfully conveyed to us and that they are vouched by the constant and universal Tradition both of the Jewish and Christian Church and that these Books and no others are of the Canon of Scripture for to be of the Canon of Scripture is no other than to be owned by the Universal Church for Divinely Inspired Writings The Church witnesseth and confirmeth the Authority of the Canonical Scriptures for she received them as Divine and she delivers them to us as such Yet I do not say that the Church's Testifying these Books to be the Holy Scriptures gives an Absolute and Entire Authority to them A Clerk in the Parliament or any other Court writes down and testiâ—ies that such an Act or Decree or Order was pass'd by the King Magistrate or People and he witnesses that he hath faithfully kept these by him and that they are the very same that at such a time were made by the foresaid Authority but the Authority of this Act Decree or Order rests not in the Clerk but wholly in the King Magistrate or People So the Church recordeth and keepeth the Sacred Writings of the Bible and bears witness that they have been faithfully preserved and that they are the Genuine Writings of those Persons whose Names are presixed to them bâ—t the Divine Authority of the Scriptures depends not on the Church but on the Books and Authors themselves namely their being Inspired And indeed this Authority of the Scriptures cannot depend on the Church because the Church itself depends on the Scriptures These must be proved before the Church can pretend to be any such thing as a Church We cannot know the Church but by the Scriptures therefore the Scriptures must be known before the Church It follows then that the Papists are very unreasonable and absurd in making the Ultimate Resolution of Faith to be into the Testimony and Authority of the Church This we disown as a great Falsity but yet it is rational to hold that the Church's Testimony is one good Argument and Proof of the Truth of the Sacred Scripture according to that known Saying of St. Augustine I should not believe the Gospel if the Authority of the Church did not move me Not that he founds the Gospel i. e. the Doctrine of Christianity and the Truth of it on the Testimony of the Church as the Papists are wont to infer from these Words and frequently quote them to this purpose No the Father's meaning is this that by the Testimony and Consent of the Church he believed the Book of the Gospel to be verily that Book which was written by the Evangelists This is the Sense of the Place as is plain from the Scope of it for he speaks there of the Copies or Writings not the Doctrine contained in them The good Father relies on this that so great a number of knowing and honest Persons as the Church was made up of did assert the Evangelical Writings to be the Writings of such as were really inspired by the Holy Ghost and that they were true and genuine and not corrupted And the whole Body of Sacred Scripture is attested by the same universal Suffrage of the Church i. e. the unanimous Consent of the Apostles and of the First Christians and of those that immediately succeeded them several of which laid down their Lives to vindicate the Truth of these Writings This is the External Testimony given to the Holy Scriptures It is the general Perswasion and Attestation of the Antient Church that these are the Scriptures of Truth that they were penn'd by holy Prophets and Apostles immediately directed by the Spirit who therefore could not err It was usual heretofore among the Pagan Lawgivers to attribute their Laws to some Deity tho they were of their own Invention intending thereby to conciliate Reverence to them and to commend them to the People But here is no such Cheat put upon us God himself is really the Author of the Holy Scriptures these Sacred Laws come immediately from Him they are of Divine Inspiration There is no doubt to be made of the Divinity of the Scriptures and consequently there is assurance of the Infallibility of them CHAP. III. The Authority of the Bible manifested from the Testimonies of Enemies and Strangers especially of Pagans These confirm what the Old Testament saith concerning the Creation the Production of Adam and Eve their Fall with the several Circumstances of it Enoch's Translation the Longevity of the Patriarchs the Giants in those Times the Universal Flood the building of the Tower of Babel I Have propounded some of the chief Arguments which may induce us to believe the Truth and Certainty of the holy Writings of the Old and New Testament I will now choose out another for the sake chiefly of the Learned and Curious which I purpose to inlarge upon yea to make the Subject of my whole ensuing Discourse I consider then that we have in this Matter not only the Testimony of Friends but of Enemies and Strangers and it is a Maxim in the Civil Law and vouched by all Men of Reason that the Testimony of an Enemy is most considerable The Iewish and Christian Church as I have shewed already give their Testimony to the Scriptures but besides these Witnesses there are Others there is the Attestation of Foreigners and Adversaries These fully testify the Truth of what is delivered in the Holy Bible we have the Approbation of Heathen Writers to conâ—irm many of the things related in the Old Testament and both Professed Heathens and Iews for we must now look upon these latter as profess'd Enemies when we are to speak of the Christian Concern attest sundry things of the New Testament and vouch the Truth and Authority of them Here then I will distinctly proceed and first begin with the Old Testament and let you see in several Particulars that even the Pagan World gives Testimony to this Sacred Volume
of meer Fictions Whence Eusebius complains that there were nothing but meer Fables in the Greek Histories if they may be call'd Histories before the beginning of the Olympiads that Famous Greek Epoche or Computation which began from the Instauration of the Olympick Games by Iphitus but when this was is not very clear for some say it was in the time of Azariab King of Iudah above two hundred years after the Death of Solomon others say in the Reign of Vzziah King of Iudah A. M. 3173. Others fix it A. M. 3189 eight years before the Birth of Romulus and Remus four hundred and seven years after the Destruction of Troy Others place the Olympiads lower about A. M. 3228 others A. M. 3256 about seven hundred and fifty years before Christ. Varro's Division of Times into Vnknown Fabulous and Historical the last of which he begins not 'till the Greek Olympiads proves this very thing The most Ancient Greek Historians were Archiloâ—us Aristeas Proconnesius Hecataeus Milesius Charon Lampsacenus c. but nothing of their Writings is preserved Herodotus is the Ancientest Greek Historian we have extant and therefore is called the Father of History but he begins his Historical Relations but a little before the Prophetick Histories of Ezra Nehemiah and Daniel make an end You will find this Argument prosecuted by Clemens Alexandrinus who shews that the Learning and Knowledge of the Hebrews was before that of the Greeks as much as the Iewish Nation was before the Seven Wise Men and the Sacred History before the Argolick He shews that Thales and Solon two of their Wise Men lived about the forty sixth and the fiftieth Olympiad and Pythagoras about the sixty second than which the Iews were much older by the confession of Philo Pythagoreus Aristobulus Peripateticus and Megasthenes He compares the Age of Moses with Bacchus the Seven Wise Men and some of the Grecian Gods and proves that he was above six hundred years before any of these He demonstrates from Chronological Computations that Hâ—ggai aâ—d Zachary were Elder than Pythagoras and that Solomon was much Seniour to the Wise Men. And all this is in order to this that the Greeks as well as the Chaldeans and Egyptians had their Knowledge from the Hebrews and not these from them Seeing then that the Ancientest Pagan Writers are short of the Holy Scriptures seeing all Authors and Writers are after Moses for he indeed was before all the Great things that are in Pagan History 400 years before the Trojan War which is the first starting of History with the Greek and Roman Authors His Laws had the precedency of all others whatsoever yea the very name of Law was scarce extant at that time in all Homer you can't find the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they had no written Rules to direct their Manners by the will of their Princes was the only Law since these things are thus the Transcendant Antiquity of the Writings of the Old Testament is hence undeniably proved These are the ancientest Memorials in the World these are the oldest Monuments of Truth and consequently the Iews were the first People that had these things set before them and as a consequent of that all others took from them From this comparing the Antiquity of Writers it is clear that Moses's Laws and the Customs of the Patriarchs were not borrowed from the Pagans as some have imagin'd but that the Chaldeans Phaenicians and Egyptians yea that the Arabians and Persians as might have been shewn and as the Learned Dr. Stillingfleet now a worthy Prelate of our Church hath proved in his Admirable Discourse on this Subject and that the Greeks and Latins have derived their Mysteries from the Hebrews and that all the Gentile Theologers borrowed their Great Truths from the Books of the Old Testament for these being the ancientest and first Records it is most reasonable to believe that those that came after them took from them and that these Sacred Writings yielded matter to those others This is the first Reason to prove that the Pagan Historians Philosophers and Poets were beholding to the Scriptures Secondly I will prove it from the way of Communicating those Scriptural Truths and Histories to them 1. This happen'd by reason of the Commerce which the Iews had with the Neighbouring Nations Chaldeans Phaenicians Egyptians and others Especially in King Solomon's time there was a great Commerce between the Hebrews and these latter and then it is probable the Egyptians learnt many things of the Iews As Solomon Married a Wife thence so it is likely they affected some of the Rites and Manners of his People and espoused their Customs and Usages together with their Notions and Opinions It must be remembred also that the Chaldeans Phaenicians and Egyptians were the Nations which Greece Traded with and so this Country had an opportunity of receiving the Iewish Traditions and Customs at the second hand and hence it is that you have the footsteps of them so frequently in the Greek Authors as well Poets as others Nay to speak more generally Iudea was very well â—ituated for the propagating of Laws and Usages to all other Nations for it was placed in that Climate of the World which was fit for this purpose viz. in the middle of the then Inhabited Earth To which convenient situation perhaps the Psalmist refers in Psal. 74. 12. God worketh Salvation in the midst of the Earth And so that of Ezekiel concerning Ierusalem I have set it in the midst of the Nations Ch. 5. v. 5. Secondly A great part of the Hebrews being dispersed over all the World by Divine Providenâ—e had an opportunity of Communicating these things to the Gentiles The main Body of them were sent into Assyria and Babylon by Nehuchadnezzar where they had converse with those Sâ—rangers seventy years and a part of them were carried at the same time into Egypt with Ieremiah It is not to be doubted that they carried with them the Holy Writings which were then extant and out of them they daily imparted the passages of the History of the Creation of the World and Noah's Flood and the Propagation of Mankind and other the like particulars contained in those Books Afterwards when they were beaten by Pompey and made Slaves they were carried Captive into Egypt Syria Greece Rome Besides that in the times of the Maccabees some had freely left their Country and went into Egypt to make Proselytes there When they were thus scattered into these Foreign Countries it is no wonder that the People in these parts attain'd to some knowledge of the Sacred Books and of the Traditions of the Iews They must needs hear and learn something of those Matters Conversing familiarly with the Iews 3. The Iewish Notions and Customs might easily be Communicated to the Gentiles seeing Moses's Writings were Translated into Greek in the time of the Persian Monarchy if not before it as Eusebius reports from Megasibenes a Man well Skill'd in History and who
Reasons why the Apocryphal Writings are not received into the Canon of the Bible with an Answer to the Objections made by the Romanists SEcondly I proceed to the External Testimonies of the Truth of the Scriptures which being added to those Arguments which proved them to be True in Themselves will exceedingly corroborate our Belief of the Divine Authority of those Books And here I might mention the Testimony given to them by God in the wonderful Preservation of them through all Ages since they were first written In all the Changes of Affairs and the Overthrow of so many Cities and Kingdoms that Incomparable Treasure hath not been lost The Books of the Old Testament were kept untouched and inviolable at the sacking and burning of Ierusalem and all the time of the Captivity in Babylon and of the Dispersion of the Jews And ever since that time the Scriptures have been Unaltered in Words and Sense notwithstanding the frequent Endeavours of Satan's busy Agents to corrupt them yea utterly to destroy them And next to God's Providence in preserving these Books thrô all Times and Ages we might add the marvellous Success which hath attended the Holy Faith and Doctrine contained in these Writings They have prevail'd against the Power of Men and Devils and to this very day they are maintained and upheld maugre the Attempts of both of them to root them out of the World But I wave this intending not to insist upon Divine but Humane Testimony in this place By External Testimony then I mean here no other than this that Scripture is attested by Vniversal Tradition and this Tradition is both of Jews and Christians And what would a Man desire more in a humane way for attesting the Truth of these Writings From the joint Attestation of these Witnesses I shall make it appear that these Books which we now have are the true Copies of the first Originals that the same Books and Authors are faithfully delivered down to us which were first of all delivered to the Jews and to the Primitive Christians and that there is nothing in these Writings as we now have them that is falsified or corrupted First to begin with the Books of the Old Testament the Names of which are as follow Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy Ioshuâ— Iudges Ruth the 1st and 2d Books of Samuel thâ— 1st and 2d Books of Kings tho 1st and 2d Books 〈◊〉 Chronicles Ezra Nehemiah Esther Iob the Psalmâ— Proverbs Ecclesiastes the Song of Solomon the foâ—â— Greater Prophets and the twelve Lesser These and none but these were admitted into the Canâ— of the Holy Scriptures by the antient Church oâ— the Iews whose Testimony is very Authenticâ— here yea indeed we cannot have a better They acquaint us that these were the Only Writingâ— that were universally agreed by them to be extraordinarily Inspired and they further tell us that these Books which were writ by different Persons and at diverse Times were first compiled and collected into One Body or Volume by Ezra and the Assembly of Doctors for that purpose and consequently that the Canon of Sacred Scripture of the Old Testament as it is at this time was not constituted till Ezra's days by the Great Synagogue as they call it Upon his Return from the Captivity he undertook this good Work he gathered together all those dispersed Books before named and after he had reviewed them he publickly owned and solemnly vouched the Authority of every one of them that the Church for the future might not doubt of their being Authentick and True But some add here by way of Objection that this holy Man caused these Books to be written over in a New Character because the Jews had lost their knowledg of the former one as well as of the Tongue and consequently the Bible is not the same that it was at first Eusebius and Ierom are alledged for this especially the latter who seems to say that the Samaritan Character was the Old Hebrew Character in which the Bible was first writ and that it was first changed by Ezrd after the Return from Babylon he writing â—he Sacred Volume over in Assyrian or Chaldee Letters and neglecting the Old Hebrew ones which were the same that the Samaritan are And the reason of this was they say because the Jews were best acquainted with this Character at that time And some Modern Writers are gain'd over to this Opinion who talk much of the Change of the Character and endeavour to perswade us that the first and old Letters of the Hebrew Text were Samaritan but that those which we now have are Assyrian and of quite another sort But upon an impartial Enquiry I find little or no Foundation for this Opinion It rather seems to me to be an Invention and Dream of those who design to disparage the Hebrew Bible They would perswade us that the Authority of the Original is impaired because we have it not now as it was at the beginning for the Old Bible was in Samaritan Letters these being the first and antientest Hebrew Characters This is like the Story of the Hebrew Points being invented five hundred Years after Christ of which afterwards which tends to the same End namely to discredit the Hebrew Text which we now have and wholly to take away its Authority for if the Letters were changed it is probable some Words and consequently the Sense of some Places are altered But that this is groundless and that the Hebrew Bible is written in the same Characters now that it was at first you will find very largely and convincingly proved by the famous Buxtorf from the Authâ—rity of the Talmud especially the Gemara 〈◊〉 the Cabala from the Suffrage of the most Notâ— Rabbins of old and of the Learned Modern Jeâ—â— as Aben Ezra R. Solomon R. Ben Maimon â— who without doubt are very competent Judges 〈◊〉 this Case To these may be added several of 〈◊〉 Christian Perswasion as Picus Mirandula F. Iuniâ— Skikkard Postellus with those three Eminent Persons of our own Countrey Nic. Fuller Broughtâ—â— Lightfoot If you consult these they will satisfyâ— you that the Hebrew Letters which we have now in the Bible were the Primitive ones the very same that were of old But to give you my Thoughts impartially in this Point I do believâ— from what I find asserted by Writers on both sides that there were two sorts of Characters used by the Jews as there were two sorts of Cubits and Shekels the Sacred and Common and I gather that the Samaritan Letter was of the latter sort that which was commonly used and even sometimes in transcribing the Bible but the Sacred Character in use among the Jews was this which we now have and in which the Bible is at this day This is the true Original Hebrew Letter and was used from the beginning by them This I think may reconcile the Disputes among Writers for so far as I can perceive the Quarrels arise from this that there is
Books with us We need not stay to attend here to what a late Learned Writer before named hath with much Confidence but slender Reason suggested viz. that the Bible of the Old Testament is an Abbreviated Collection from Antient Records which were much more large He confesseth that the Canon of Scripture is taken out of Authentick Registeries but the Authors who collected it added and diminished as they pleased especially he asserts this concerning the Historical Books that they are Abridgments of larger Records and Summaries of other larger Acts kept in the Jewish Archives and these publick Scribes who writ them out took the liberty to alter Words as they saw occasion So that in short according to this Critick here are only some broken Pieces and Scraps taken out of the first Authentick Writings A bold and daring Assertion and founded on no other Bottom than F. Simon 's Brain Who would expect this from one that is a Man of great Sense and Reason one that is a great Master of Critical Learning and hath presented the World with very choice Remarks on the History of the Bible for truly I am not of his Opinion who saith he sees not any thing in this Author's Writings buâ— what is common It is to be lamented that a Person otherwise so Judicious and Observing hath given himself up here to his own Fancy and Conceit He invents a new Office of publick Registers that were Divinely inspired he makes Notaries and Prophets the same He gives no Proof and Demonstration of that Adding and Diminishing which the Scribes he talks of made he hatâ— not one tolerable Argument to evince any of thâ— Books of Scripture to be Fragments of greater ones Indeed I should mightily have wondred that so Ingenious so Sagacious so Learned a Man haâ— broach'd such groundless Notions if I did noâ— consider that this subtile Romanist designs hereâ—â— as most of that Church generally do to depreciaâ—â—â— the Bible and to represent it as a Book of Fragments and Shreds that so when our Esteem 〈◊〉 the Authority of Scripture is weakned yea taken away we may wholly rest upon Tradition anâ— found our Religion as well as the Scriptures 〈◊〉 that alone This is that which he drives at in 〈◊〉 Critical History both of the Old and New Testamenâ— But all sober and considerate Persons will bewarâ— of him when they discover this Design Theâ— will easily see through his plausible Stories foâ—â— Surmises bold Conjectures and seeming Argâ—mentations and they will have the greater Reverence for the Bible because he and others havâ— attacked it with so much Contempt and Rudenesâ— and purposely bring its Authority into question that they may set up something else above 〈◊〉 Notwithstanding then the Cavils and Objection of designing Men we have reason to believe anâ— avouch the Authority of the Old Testament and to be thorowly perswaded that the Books are entirely transmitted to us without any Corruption and are the same that ever they were without and Diminution or Addition We have them as they were written by the first Authors we have them entire and perfect and not as some fondly suggest contracted abbreviated curtail'd Unto the Iews the antient People of God were committed his Oracles as the Apostle speaks and they shewed themselves conscientious and diligent Conservators of them The Jewish Nation saith St. Augustin have been as 't were the Chest-keepers for the Christians they have faithfully preserv'd that Sacred Depositum for them they have safely kept that Ark wherein the Law and the Prophets were Lock'd up God would have the Jews to be Librarii Christianorum saith Drusius Keepers of those Sacred Volumes for us Christians and it is certain they kept them with great Care the like whereof is not to be found to have been taken in preserving any other sort of Writings under Heaven And seeing they have so carefully handed the Old Testament down to us we are concern'd to receive it with a proportionable Thankfulness and to reckon this their Delivering of those Writings down to us as no mean Argument of their Truth and Certainty Secondly The Authority of the New Testament is confirmed by External Testimony or Tradition no less than that of the Old Testament We have the Authentick Suffrage of the Primitive Church the Unanimous Consent of the Christians of the first Ages that this Book is of Divine Inspiration and that it is Pure and Uncorrupted Some of the Fathers and first Writers give us a Catalogue of the Books of the New Testament and they are the very same with those which we have at this day Athanasius particularly enumerating those Books sets down all those which we now embrace as Canonical and no others And many of the Fathers of the first Ages after Christ as Irenaeus Iustin Martyr Clemens Alexandrinus Origen Tertullian c. quote the Places in the New Testament as they are now If it be objected that in the Fathers sometimes the Text of Scripture is not exactly what we find it and read it at this day This must be remembred that they sometimes quoted the Meaning not the very Words At other times their Memories fail'd them as to the Words and thence they chang'd them into others and instead of those in the Text used some that were like them So when they were in haste and not at leisure to consult the Text they made use of such Words and Expressions as they thought came nearest to it Heinsius shews this in a vast many places Sometimes they contract the Word of the Text and give only the brief Sense of it at other times they enlarge it and present us with a Comment upon it yea sometimes as they see occasion and as their Matter leads them to it they invert the Words and misplace the Parts of the Text. But no Man ought hence to infer that the Scriptures of the New Testament then and now are not the same And as for the Number of the Sacred Writers and their Books it hatâ— been always the same i. e. the same Catalogue and Canon have been generally acknowledged and received by the Christian Church It is true some Particular Books have been questioned but by a few only and for a time but the Church was at last fully satisfied about them the Generality oâ— Christians agreed to own all those Books which are now owned by us All the Eastern Churches held the Epistle to the Hebrews to be Canonical though the Latins it is granted were not so unanimous This Epistle and that of St. Iames the second Epistle of St. Peter the second and third of St. Iohn and the Epistle of St. Iude and the Apocalypse were questioned in the first Century saith Eusebius but he acquaints us withal that they were afterwards by general Consent received into the Canon of Holy Scripture for the Doubts were resolved upon mature Deliberation So that the questioning of those Books is now a Conâ—â—rmation of the Truth and Authority of
them they were once doubted of that for the future they might be unquestionable And to come down to latter Times what if two or three Men of late as Hemmingius Baldwin Eckard think some of the Books of the New Testament Apocryphal And what if Luther himself seem'd to say as much What doth this signify in respect of the universal and concurrent Judgment of others And as for the rest of the Books of the New Testament they were never doubted of at all but have the Approbation of the whole Church And that the new Testament was first written in Greek as we now receive it is attested by the Universal Consent of the Antients who made enquiry into these things Only two Books are excepted by some for though many of the Learned Moderns maintain that St. Matthew's Gospel was written originally in Greek yet it is not to be denied that some of the Fathers hold it was written first in Hebrew for the sake of the believing Jews and if you will believe St. Ierom the original Hebrew was extant in his time and he translated the Gospel into Latin from that Copy Who turn'd it into Greek is not certain but it was either by St. Matthew himself or by some Apostolical Person inspired by the Holy Ghost so that the Greek we now have is from the same Spirit and of the same Authority with the other The Fathers likewise generally say that St. Paâ—â— writ the Epistle to the Hebrews in their own Tongue and that St. Luke or St. Clement turn'd it into Greek The contrary is held by some Moderns particularly Cajetan among the Romanists and by many of the Reformed-Way But excepting I say these two Books it is universally agreed that the whole New Testament was written in Greek and one Reason might be because so great a number of Jews lived among the Greeks and used their Tongue and therefore this part of the Bible was sitly writ in Greek as the other was long before translated into that Tongue for the use of the Jews For the sake of these dispersed Jews therefore called the dispersed among the Gentiles or according to the Original the Dispersion of the Greeks John 7. 35. who understood and spake the Greek Language the New Testament was put forth in that Tongue Moreover this was the most generally received Language at that time and therefore the fittest for the propagating the Gospel This is a very good Argument for tho I do not think the jâ—ws at Ierusalem spake no other than the Greek Tongue among themselves as Isaac Vossius confidently holds and is therein rightly blamed and confuted by the late French Critick yet I am satisfied that the Greek Tongue was universally undâ—rstood and was with the Latin the Language of the Empire and therefore was most proper for the communicating the Christian Religion to the World Tully acquaints us that in all the Roman Empire Greek was vulgarly understood It is no wonder therefore that the New Testament was writ in that Tongue and that St. Paul writes not only to the Galatians c. but to the Romans in Greek for they all understood it It was the Modish and Courtly way of Speech at Rome as the French is now with us Their very Women affected to learn and speak Greek for which they are jeer'd by the Satyrist who calls Rome the Greek City In short all the Eastern People spoke Greek more or less from the time that Alexander the Great and his Captains spread their Dominion in the East The Syrians Egyptians Persians and People of the Lesser Asia were acquainted with that Language The Jews of any considerable Quality understood Greek as well as their own Tongue whence Iosephus a Jewish Priest or of the Priestly Stock writ his Books in Greek The Evangelists and Apostles then might well write in the same Tongue it being so common and every where understood Especially it is no wonder on another account that St. Paul writ in Greek for it was his native Tongue he being of Tarsus which was a City of Greece We may then very justly look upon the Greek Language as the Original Text of the New Testament And it is generally agreed that these Greek Copies which we now have and use are True and Authentick though in some things they differ and none are observed to oppose this but those who do it upon some Interest and Design i. e. to maintain some peculiar Opinion which they have taken up The Variety of Readings should not prejudice us much less ought we to alter the Readings of the Copies and to substitute new ones at our pleasure Which is the Fault of Theodore Beza though on other accounts an Excellent Person and one that hath highly deserved of the Church of God yet he is unsufferably bold in coining new Readings of the Text. When he cannot find the Sense of a Place he presently questions the Truth of the Copy and produceth a new Reading which hath brought a great Scandal upon his Annotations on the New Testament which otherwise are fraught with admirable Learning and discover his profound Skill in Divine Criticism It is certain that the Greek and Latin Manuscripts which he pretends to are a Cheat for questionless they would have been taken notice of in the first Ages of Christianity if there had been any such thing Therefore it is downright Imposture and Beza was grosly deluded by it Let us from his Miscarriage learn to be cautious and not to venture so boldly upon altering the Greek Copies This is a very rash and unaccountable Undertaking especially in a single Person and much more when it is very usual and frequent To speak next both of the Old and New Testament together The Authority of them is established by considering this that though Bellarmine and others of the Roman Communion who are followed by Lewis Cappel and some others that go under the Name of Protestants cry out that the Bible is altered and corrupted by the Negligence of the Transcribers and that the Text is uncertain by reason of the different Readings and Variety of Translations which is done out of design viz. to debase the Authority of the holy Writings and to make Men fly to Traditions and rest wholly in the Authority of the Church and I wish I might not add thereby to undermine some of the Foundations of Religion yet this is certain that the various Readings of the Old and New Testament are not so many as are pretended and all the various Copies in Hebrew and Greek which are found in all Nations at this Day do agree in all material Points and the Scriptures being translated from those Copies into many Languages concur in the same substantial things Again as to those various Readings which are produced we may justly alledg the Words of an Excellent Man They are not Arguments saith he of the Scriptures Corruption but of God's Providence and of Human
Industry to preserve Scripture from Corruption We may gather from this Diversity of Readings that Men have been very inquisitive and careful in their comparing of Copies but we cannot thence argue that the Text is adulterated yea rather we may infer that it is not for from this comparing and vying of Copies we come to know and be ascertain'd which is the True and Authentick one And we may farther add with the same excellent Author That it is morally impossible since our Saviour's time and indeed for many hundred Years before that that the Scriptures particularly of the Old Testament should have been corrupted for the Multitude of Copies was then such hath been since much more such and so far dispersed that neither one Man nor one Body of Men could ever get them into their hands to corrupt them and if some few or mâ—â—â—ny Copies had been corrupted but not all thâ—â— sincere Number would have detected the corrupt Again let it be consider'd that the antient Orthodox Writers of the Church do all ciâ—â— these Scriptures as we now have them in everything material Yea that most Hereticks have pleaded these same Scriptures and denied them not to be genuine To establish us yet further we must remember that these Writings have been openly read to the People in all their solemn Assemblies in the several Ages since Christianity began and they being thus constantly used could not possibly be altered and corrupted Besides that all private Christians were exhorted to read and use them in their Families whereby they became so known and familiar that whenever any Alteration was made they could presently observe it Lastly notwithstanding the Author of a late Tractate hath brought divers Objections against the usual Tradition that such and such Books of the Bible were wrote by the Authors whose Names they bear and though Mr. Hobbs before him had done the same yet neither of them have effected it with any Success This is all they have done they have only shewed that they are not so civil to the holy Writings as they are to the profane ones for it is every whit as clear that the Books of the Holy Scripture were written by the Persons under whose Names they go as that any other Writings were put out by those whose Names they bear Nor can these Men vouchsafe to shew that Civility to these Sacred Books which even Iews and Gentiles have done for when both â—hese opposed these Books you will not find that they ever questioned the Authors but the Doctrine only We are therefore to look upon these Men and such as take part with them as acting with higher Prejudice than either Jews or Heathens did and accordingly we are to slight what they say unless it be thus far that from their impotent and malicious Cavils we may be further confirmed in this Perswasion that these Books of the Old and New Testament were indeed written by those Authors under whose Names they are now received that these Scriptures which we now have are the same which the Primitive Church received from the Apostles that the Copies we have of the Bible are not corrupted that God hath preserved the Scriptures both of the Old and New Testament from all considerable Change and Depravation his Providence not suffering any such thing that the Canon of Scripture which is now received is the very same that it was at first and which is the Sum of all that the Truth and Authority of it are impregnable It may be expected I should speak of the Apoâ—ryphal Books which I have not reckoned among the Inspired Writings For doing this I have good reason for I find them excluded from the Canon of Scripture by those that are the best Judges of it I mean the Iews who were the great Keepers of the Scripture They never took these into the number of the Books of Holy Writ and that for these two Reasons First because they were not writ by the Prophets The Jews believed that the Spirit of Prophecy ceased among them as soon as Malachi had done prophesying They owned no Divine Inspiration after his time and accordingly received not the Apocryphal Books into the Canon of Scripture i. e. Books Divinely inspired 〈◊〉 was written after Malachi's time who was 〈◊〉 last Prophet was not Canonical was not of 〈◊〉 Authority and therefore is not emphatical called Scripture For as St. Paul informs us 〈◊〉 Scripture is given by Inspiration of God 2 Tim. 3. 〈◊〉 That is the Mark and Criterion of Scripture 〈◊〉 is back'd by St. Peter 2 Pet. 1. 21. Holy Men 〈◊〉 God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost 〈◊〉 those Writings which were not by Inspiration 〈◊〉 God nor from the immediate Motion of the 〈◊〉 Ghost are not to be reckoned as Holy Scriptuâ—â— and such are the Apocryphal Writings they werâ—â— written after the cessation of Prophecy and Diviâ—â— Inspiration and so they are not of Divine Authâ—â—rity and cannot be esteemed Canonical Scriptureâ—â— Secondly the Jews received not the Apocrypha 〈◊〉 to their Canon because it was written in Greek not in Hebrew as all the Canonical Books are For God would not they say give them Scripturâ— in an Unknown Tongue The Oracles of Goâ— were to be committed to his People in the Authentick Language which is that of the Jews The Apocryphal Writings being not such are rejected by them and not taken into the Canon of Sacreâ— Writ And as they were not received by the Jewiâ— Church so not by the Christian one You cannot but observe that Christ and the Apostles who frequently quote the Canonical Books never quoâ—â— any of the Apocryphal ones which gives us to understand that they were not reputed as Inspired Writings otherwise it is most reasonable to think that our Saviour or his Apostles and Evangelists would at one time or other have cited some one Passage at least out of these Books it being their great Work as you may see to prove the Truth of what they delivered from the holy Scriptures which were inspired by God in former Times They embraced all Occasions of establishing Christianity upon the Writings of the Inspired Prophets who went before therefore if the Apocryphal Writers had been of that number they would certainly have been quoted by them and because they are not it is an Argument that they are not Inspired Writers Again the Christian Church which immediately succeeded that which was in the Days of Christ and the Apostles received not these Writings as Divinely inspired and therefore excluded them from the Canon of Scripture Look into the Writings of the antient Fathers of the Church who without doubt made it their business to search into the Canon of Scripture and to be satisfied which were the Divinely inspired Books and there you will see that those of the Eastern Church received only the Jews Canon of Scripture as to the Old Testament Thus Origen recites the Canonical Books of it as they are now reckoned viz. two
are only Poetick Flourishes and therefore must not be thought to refer to any real thing The fixing this on my mind kept me from running into those Extravagancies which some have been guilty of whilst they imagined that the Poets in all or most of the particulars with which their Fables are stuffed allude to so many express passages in True History I attended to the main thing in their Writings which I saw came so near to Scripture the rest I pass'd by as meer Poetick Flash and Foolery and not to be taken notice of In short I have always trod where there is some tolerable ground and footing and I have omitted several particulars which others insist upon meerly because they have so sandy a bottom So little Reason have any to blame me for indulging of Fancy in this present undertaking where I have endeavour'd in abundant instances to make it probable that the Pagans borrowed from the Sacred Writings CHAP. VIII The Antiquity of the Writings of the Old Testament asserted The way oâ— communicating Scriptural Truths and Historieâ— to the Pagans viz. by the Commerce which the Iews had with other Nations by their being dispers'd over all the World by the Translation of the Bible into Greek by the Travels of Philosophers and other Studious Men among the Heathens How the Sacred Truths but especially the Historical part of the Old Testament came to be misunderstood and corrupted viz. by the confusion of Tongues by being Transmitted to Barbarous People by length of time by passing through many hands by the Superstition and Idolatry of the Receivers by the affectation of Mysteries and Abstrusities by the Grecian Humour of Inventing and Romancing by Mens being Timerous by Ignorance of the Jewish Religion and Affairs by aâ— Averseness and Hatred to the Jews It was thought by some dangerous to insert the Holy Text into their Writings What designs the Devil had in corrupting the Scripture and mixing it with Falsities iâ— the Books of the Pagans BUT not withstanding all I have said there are some who will by no means entertain this Discourse but with great earnestness and violence oppose it I am obliged therefore in the next place to fortifie it by Reason I will discover to you the Foundations on which my Opinion is built and give you a Rational Account how it comes to pass that the Heathens bear witness to the Old Testament This I will do first by shewing you how they came by these Traditions and Truths Secondly whence and how they disguis'd and corrupted them For the First It is not likely the Gentiles could light on these things by Natural Reason for those discoveries concerning the Creation and the Paradisiacal State of Man and the particular mannâ—r of his Fall and several other things which I mention'd are beyond Nature's Ken they are not such things as fall within the cognizance of Men as they are Rational Creatures therefore they must be particularly Revealed to Mankind And the Authentick Body of Divine Revealed Truth being the Bible we cannot but infer that those things were borrowed from that Sacred Volume And as for Matters of Fact relating to the Old Patriarchs and other Eminent Men in former days on which I have asserted that many of the Pagan Stories and Fables depend these were Recorded in those Sacred Books first of all and therefore these Books are the Fountains from which the Heathens took these Relations This Argument I take to be unanswerable namely that the Old Testament is the First and Antientest Book that ever was extant and therefore when the Pagan Writers mention things in this Book they took them thence or from those Persons who had them out of these Writings Here then it is necessary to insist a little on the Antiquity of this Holy Volume That Moses's Writings were long before all others is proved by several of the Fathers of the Christian Church You may reckon the Date of his Books to be about A. M. 2460 which was above 400 Years before the Trojan War before which we do not hear of any Writers whatsoever Yea it was above a Thousand Years after it that the Antientest Historian unless you will reckon those Fabulous ones Dares Phrygius and Dictys Cretensis appeared Without controversie Moses was the Oldest Historian either Natural or Ecclesiastical The Antiquity of his Works is beyond all other Books they all begin long after him And as for some other Books of the Old Testament they were before the Writings of any Heathens To begin first with the Antientest Egyptian Writers some tell us that in Moses's time flourish'd those Excellent Philosophers Zoroastres and Mercurius Trismegistus but whâ—n yoâ— come to Examine this you find no less than four Zoroastres's and to which of these the Writings are to be attributed and what date they bear iâ— uncertain so that we can conclude nothing there There are also great Disputes about Herâ—os or Trismegistus namely who he was and when he Lived and at what time the Writings that go under his Name were written and whether they be genuine Kircher holds them to be such but Casaâ—bon attempâ—â— the contrary His 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is quoted by 〈◊〉 â—artyr Lactantius and Augustin and therefore 〈◊〉 Ancient but his Antiquity cannot be proved 〈◊〉 be equal with that of the Holy Writers Manetho or Manethos who writ the Egyptian History lived but in Ptolomaeus Philadelphus's time Then for the Phaenician Antiquities which Sanâ—athon writ in the Phaenician Tongue and which Philo Biblius who lived in Adrian's time â—â—rn'd into Greek of which Version Eusebius hath â—â—eserv'd us a Famous Fragment though Scaliâ—â— hath labour'd to prove them Supposititious 〈◊〉 some others reckon them not as such and â—â—rticularly the Learned Bochart hath Commentâ—â— upon them as true and Genuine Writings 〈◊〉 as for the Anâ—iquity of this Phaenician Histoâ—â—â—n and Theologer though it may be acknowâ—â—dg'd to be great yet without question he was â—oses's junior by many hundred years And so was the Author of the Babylonian or Chaldean 〈◊〉 for Berosus who is said to compile â—â—â—m lived at the same time that Manetho did And though perhaps Frier Annius hath imposed 〈◊〉 the World by the Name of this Author as some think and accordingly bring several Arguments to prove this new Berosus a Cheat 〈◊〉 it doth not follow that the old one of â—hom both Iosephus and Eusebius have preserv'd the fragments was such Some Greek Writers plead great Antiquity next Orpheus and Muâ—â—â—s the Ancientest of them all are â—aid to have Lived in Gideon's days which was about 200 years after Moses And 200 years after this Lived Dares Phrygius and Dictys Cretensis who wrote the Trojan War And 100 years after this Homer wrote his Poem who Flourish'd not 'till at least 150 years after David the Divine Poet. This is observable that the Greeks as soon as they had gain'd any knowledge of Letters and Arts fell to inventing of incredible Stories and writing
Christ into Heaven as it is expounded by that infallible Interpreter Ephes. 4. 8. Wherefore he saith When he ascended up on high he led Captivity captive and gave Gifts unto Men which refers to the abovesaid Psalm but is applied to Christ's Ascension by the Apostle here The 45th Psalm is originally a Song of Loves an Epithalamium on the Nuptials of King Solomon and the King of Egypt's Daughter but in a remote and mystical Sense it is meant of the Majesty and Glory of Christ's Kingdom and the admirable Benefits which accrue to the Church in the Times of the Gospel And many other Psalms might be produced wherein the double Sense before-mentioned is clearly to be discerned To proceed Though the whole Book of Canticles be in its literal Capacity no other than Solomon's Wedding-song yet it is to be look'd upon in the more sublime Acception of it as a Dialogue between Christ and his Church setting forth all those divine Amours which are mutually experienc'd by them And that this Part of Holy Scripture called the Song of Solomon is of a higher Strain than the bare Letter imports and that it contains great Mysteries and Abstrusities in it may be gathered from that extraordinary Reverence which the Jews paid to this Book For Origen tells us that this as well as the Beginning of Genesis was not permitted to be read by them till they had attain'd to some Maturity of Years I come next to the Evangelical Prophet Isaiah who hath many things concerning Christ and his spiritual Kingdom or Church but it is to be acknowledged that some of them in the first and literal Sense may and ought to be interpreted otherwise Yea the learned Grotius and Hammond are of the Opinion that that famous Prophecy in Isa. 7. 14. Behold a Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son and shall call â—is Name Immanuel hath a double Sense The Words literally and primarily respect a strange and wonderful Birth in those very Days Secondarily and mystically they are spoken of the Messias who was to be born miraculously of a Virgin Whether this Opinion be true or no we are certain that there is a mystical Meaning to be added to the literal or rather as I said before it might be more expressive to say a secondary Meaning is added to the primary one in sundry Passages which we meet with not only in this Prophet but in Ieremiaâ— and Ezekiel Concerning the former of these the Jewish Historian hath these Words Ieremiah saith he in his Book foretold the Captivity which the Israelites were to undergo in Babylon which was just then approaching and also the Slaughter and Destruction which we of this Age have seen There was a twofold Sense according to this learned Writer in some of this Prophet's Predictions Yea there was a double literal or historical Sense which was the thing that I asserted before Whence you see I had reason to make the Distinction of a first and a second Meaning of Scripture rather than of a literal and a mystical though I bring the mystical Meaning when there is such an one under the second As to the latter of these Prophets when we find him relating strange things acted in Visions and Dreams which are things only imaginary and represented to the Fancy we must not think them true in a strict literal Sense for they are only or most commonly done in Appearance and many times will not admit of a real Performance as they are related and described But we are to look upon them as Enigmatical Representations and to fix only a mystical Sense upon them that is to understand them as signiâ—icative of some greater and higher thing than they represent in themselves Which may be one Reason why among the Jews those that had not arrived to some considerable Age were not allowed to read the Beginning and End of the Prophecy of Ezekiel in which Parts chiefly those more mystical Visions are inserted I might pass to the other Prophets and mention some Places in which we must needs acknowledg a secondary Meaning as in that of Daniel chap. 9. 27. For the overspreading of Abominations or with the Wing or Army of Abominations he shall make it desolate which was meant without doubt of Antiochus's desolating Armies which were so abominable to the Jews and who as we read set up the Abomination of Desolation upon the Altar But yet our Saviour himself the best Expositor of the Place le ts us know that this was meant also in a prophetical and secondary way of the Roman Armies that sat down before Ierusalem and after a long Siege made their way into the City and Temple and so might be said to stand in the holy Place When ye shall see the Abomination of Desolation saith he spoken of by Daniel the Prophet stand in the holy Place then c. It is manifest therefore that Daniel spoke of both these destroying Armies His Words are to be taken in a twofold Sense a primary and secondary one In the former they speak of what happen'd to the Jews when Antiochus's Army invaded them In the latter they speak of what befel them when Titus Vespasian came against them and destroyed their City and Nation This is the double Sense and therefore you may observe what our Saviour inserts Whoso readeth let him understand As much as to say when you read that Passage in the Prophet Daniel you are to understand something more than ordinary in it you must take notice of a hidden Sense in those Words they speak not only of what was to come to pass in Antiochus's but in Vespasian's Reign which was about 250 Years after The abominable desolating Armies of both are here meant You see then here is a double literal Sense and that was the Reason why I chose rather the Division of the Scripture-Sense into primary and secondary and of this latter into historical and mystical than that received one of literal and mystical because both the Sense sometimes may be literal This ought to be carefully observed by all those who are desirous to attain to a right Understanding of the Holy Scriptures And it is the want of attending to this that hath often hindred Mens due Apprehensions of several Texts We see here in the Instance before us that the Letter of this Text in Daniel may be applied both to the Syrian and the Roman Armies I might produce those Words in the Prophecy of Hosea Out of Egypt have I called my Son ch 11. 1. Which are to be understood not only of the Patriarchs of old God's Children or Sons being brought by God out of Egypt but of Christ the Son of God call'd out thence after the Death of Herod Matth. 2. 15. This Place of Hosea must be understood of both Hither may be referred some other Places of the Old Testament made use of in the New where it is said This was done that it might be fulfilled which was
Church's Hands by the Prophets and Apostles shall by her be deliver'd over to her Children to the World's End which way of Transmission is the great Prop of our Religion Besides the Apostle enjoins the Thessalonians to hold fast the Traditions which they had been taught whether by Word or his Epistle for he had used two ways of delivering the Truth to them namely Preaching and Writing and other Apostles committed the chief and necessary Heads of their Doctrine to Writing So that the Traditions meant here are the Revealed Truths of the Gospel delivered by the Apostles and Evangelists and are no other than what Christ deliver'd to them according to that of St. Paul I delivered to you that which also I received whence they have the Name of Traditions i. e. they are Evangelical Doctrines delivered to us from those that were taught them by Christ. And whether they were imparted by Word or by Epistle by Preaching or Writing they are the same the same as to substance the otherwise there may be some difference But that which we condemn and that most justly the Papists for is this that they magnify and rely upon Traditions which have no affinity with the Doctrine of Christ and the Apostles yea which contradict it in many things and yet they equalize these with the Word of God and sometimes prefer them and the Authority of the Church before that of the Sacred Writings of the Old and New Testament Thus One saith The Church sometimes doth things contrary to the Scriptures sometimes besides them therefore the Church is the Rule and Standard of the things that are delivered in the Scriptures and therefore we believe the Church though she acts counter to the formal Decisions of the Scriptures And an other Famous Doctor gives it for good Divinity that the Decrees and Determinations of a Council are binding though they be not confirmed by any probable Testimony of Scripture nay though they be beyond and above the Determination of Scripture Thus the Holy Writings of the Bible are most impiously disparaged and vilisied by the Pontificians Whereas there is nothing defective or redundant nothing wanting or superfluous in these Writings they assert in the open face of the World that they are short and imperfect and therefore have need of being supplied by Traditions which in some things are of greater Value and Authority than they Again that the Church of Rome oppugneth or rather denieth the Perfection of the Scriptures might be evinced from their constant care and endeavour to keep them in an Vnknown Tongue It is true they have translated them But 1. There was a kind of necessity of doing it the Protestants having turned them into so many Tongues By this means they were compelled as it werâ— to let some of their people see what the Bible was in their own Language But 2. It is so corruptly translated that it is made to patronize several of their Superstitious Follies and Errors And yet 3. They dare not commit these Translations to common View Although in all Countries where People were converted to Christianity in elder times the Scripture was turned into their Language and every one was permitted yea exhorted to read it as is proved by many Writers the Learned Dr. Stillingfleet particularly yet the Church of Rome denieth the common People the Use of it as a thing hurtful and pernicious The Bible as some Bad Book is tolerated to be read with great Caution and Restriction in some Countries only and by some Persons It is like the Sibyls Prophecies of old among the Romans not to be look'd into without the permission and Authority of the Senate none can read it without a Licence from their Superiours so dangerous a thing is the Bible From this Practice the People generally imbibe a strong Prejudice against the Scriptures and believe they cannot be good for them because the Pope and their Pastors tell them they are not Wherefore as one who was once of the Communion of the Church of â—ome hath well observed As soon as ever any Man imbraces Popery he presently throws the Bible out of his Hands as altogether useless to say no worse Which unreasonable and wicked Behaviour of theirs was one great Reason or Motive as he professeth of his returning to the Church of England again For what Considerate Man can think That to be a True Church which teacheth its Members to slight and reject the Word of God which is the Source of all Divine Truth and without which we can neither believe nor practise aright we can neither have Comfort here nor arrive to Happiness hereafter This indeed is not only to null â—â—e Perfection of Scripture but to abolish the whole Body of Scripture it self A third sort of Persons that are Opposers of the Perfection of Scripture are Enthusiasts and such who act out of a truly Fanatick Principle Such were the Familists heretofore whose Pretences to the Spirit were so high that they excluded and renounced the Letter of Scripture which according to their Stile was a dark Lanthorn a liveless Carcass a Book shut up and seal'd with seven Seals the Scabbard not the Sword of the Spirit or if it be a Sword it is the Sword of Antichrist wherewith he kills Christ. This was the impious Jargon of these High-flown Men who made no other Use of the Bible than to Allegorize it and to turn it all into Mystery These have been followed by Others of a like Fanatick Spirit who have made it a great part of their Religion to despise and reproach the Sacred Writ A late Enthusiast or rather one that pretends to be such but designs the Overthrow of all Religion tells the World that the Bible is founded in Imagination that God's Revelations in Scripture are ever according to the Fancy of the Prophets or other Persons he spoke to and that all the Phrases and Speeches all the Discoveries and Manifestations yea all the Historical Passages in the Old and New Testament are adapted to these The Quaker comes next and refuseth to own the Scripture to be the Word of God and the Perfect Rule by which we are to direct our Lives It is a great Error and Falsity saith one of the most considerable Persons of that Perswasion that the Scriptures are a filled up Canon and the only Rule of Faith and Obedience in all things and that no more Scriptures are to be writ or given forth from the Spirit of the Lord. With whom agrees another of as great Repute among that Tribe I see no Necessity saith he of believing that the Canon of Scripture is filled up And again The Scriptures saith he are not to be esteemed the Principal Ground of all Truth and Knowledg nor yet the Adequate Primary Rule of Faith and Manners but they are only a Secondary Rule subordinate to the Spirit And accordingly he adds That the inward Inspirations and Revelations which Men
his numerous Host the Marvelous Securing and Protecting of the Israelites in the Arabian Desarts the strange Miracles wrought for the sustaining and preserving of them the Promulging of the Law to them on Mount Sinai which consisted of Moral Precepts Civil or Judicial Constitutions and Ceremonial Rites for the celebrating and performing of which latter a Tabernacle was erected as Rich and Stately as their present Condition would permit by the particular Appointment and Direction of God Briefly this Book represents the Church of God afflicted and preserved it shews that he is pleas'd to suffer it to be reduced to the greatest Straits and Calamities and that even then he guards it by his Providence and in good time delivers it But as before when I mention'd the General Contents of the Book of Genesis I particularly insisted on the Creation so now having given a brief Scheme of this second Book I will stay to enlarge upon a particular Subject of it which is very Considerable and Remarkable viz. the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as One calls it the Tenfold Plague wherewith God testified his Wrath and Anger against the Egyptians Ten times the Israelites were detained by Pharaoh and so many times God inflicted Remarkable Judgments on him and his People The first was a severe Infliction on their Waters that Element which is so useful and necessary to Man The Divine Displeasure began to exert it self here by turning all their Rivers Ponds Pools and Streams into Blood The dreadful Consequences of which were these as you find them enumerated Exod 7. 21. first they had no Water to drink and quench their Thirst with Secondly their Fish their great and almost only Food died and Thirdly the Rivers stank by reason of the putrified Waters and dead Fish So direful was this Plague on their Waters which they honour'd above all other Elements as the first Cause and Principle of all things in World and especially their River Nile was gloried in and worship'd as a God This the Learned and Religious Philo gives as the Reason of inflicting this Punishment God sent a Curse on that which they most prized and valued That which they excessively admired proved a Plague to them God punish'd them in that which was most regarded by them and was indeed most serviceable to them Again this is to be observed that the Blood of the murder'd Infants who had been drown'd by one of the Pharaoh's Command is here represented by these Bloody Waters Here the merciless Tyrant may see the just Retaliation of that Crime The Rivers being chang'd into this Colour accuse the Egyptians of the inhumane Slaughter of the innocent Babes and let them know that their Plagues deservedly begun with these first of all Yea here we may take notice of an Horrible Omen these Red Rivers were an unhappy but just Presage of the Fate which they should afterwards undergo in the Sea of that Denomination If any Object here How could the Magicians turn the Waters into Blood v. 22. after Moses and Aaâ—on had done so before them I Answer the Universal Terms used in this Relation are to be restrained and understood with some Exception than which nothing is more common in Scripture i. e. when 't is said all the Rivers and other Waters were stained with Blood the meaning is that very few Places were free from this Infection The Magicians then might repeat this Plague in Goshen and some certain Parts of Egypt where it had not taken effect before When this First Plague was removed God sent a Second viz. Frogs Which in part tormented the Egyptians after the same manner that the former did for they were of an extraordinary Nature and so we must suppose all the other Creatures hereafter named to be and infected the Waters which were lately healed and recovered so that there was no drinking of them or making use of them to any other Purpose But whereas the former Plague was only on this Element this present one was every where No Place was exempted from this Croaking Vermin They overspread their Fields they crept into their Houses they lodg'd themselves in their Beds All Places were filled with them all Meats and Drinks bred them Certainly this must needs be a very Affrighting as well as a Noisom Punishment whilst these Animals were moving and living and they were no less so â—fterwards when they lay dead and putrifying all â—ver the Land When this Plague was taken away a Third succeeded in its room an Innumerable Company of Lice which miserably infested both Men and Beasts What these Kinnim were we do not certainly know we have no such Creature perhaps in these Countries But this we know that these Loathsom Insects were such a peculiar Sort of Creatures that the Egyptian Sorcerers had not power to produce the like and therefore they signally call'd them the Finger of God Exod. 8. 19. This also we know that this Crawling Vermin was excessively troublesom painful and tormenting and lastly from this kind of Punishment we know this is to be inferred that God whensoever he pleases can give Commission even to the Least the Vilest and most Despicable Animals to execute his Wrath on Offenders As appears also by the Fourth Plague viz. Swarmâ— of Flies with which he further vex'd the Egyptians Beelzebub was let loose among them and his Buzzing Crew would not suffer them to be at ease The Hebrew Word Gnarob is rendered by Greek Interpreters 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Dog-fly but 't is probable that the true genuine Word in the First Traslation was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whence the Vulgar Latin renders it omne genus Muscarum a Swarm of all manner of Flies So according to Aquila's Version it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But Iosephus stretches the Word further and interprets it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wild Beasts of all Sorts and Shapes such as no man ever saw before as he adds Yea R. Solomon and some other Jewish Expositors think that all kinds of wild Beasts especially Serpents and Scorpions and such venomous Creatures are meant The Author of the Book of Wisdom understood the Word thus as appears from what he saith Ch. 11. v. 15 16. For the foolish Devices of their Wickedness wherewith being deceived they worshipp'd Serpents and vile Beasts God sent a Multitude of Beasts upon them for Vengeance that they might know that wherewithal a Man sinneth by the same also shall he be punish'd But the exactest Enquirers into the Original Word conclude that it signifies a gather'd Mixture of several Sorts of Insects or little flying Animals such as Beetles Hornets Bees Wasps Gnats and more especially â—lies Perhaps Grotius is in the right that Gnaroâ— is not of Hebrew Extraction but is an Egyptian Word as was that whereby the Frogs were named and signifies peculiarly with them a Heap or Swarm of Flies The vast Number of these was sufficiently troublesome but that was not all these Multitudes of Insects
I find it is yea flatly denied by Aben Ezra and Pererius and lately by Hobbs and Spinosa A very little Portion of them was writ by him saith Monsieur Simon who hath a new Notion of certain Publick Scribes or Registers that penn'd this and other Parts of the Old Testament which sort of Abbreviating Notaries he borrows from the Egyptians as he confesâ—es himself because there were such Officers in the Egyptian Court who had a Privilege to add to or take away from to amplify or abridg the Publick Records he thence groundlesly infers there were such among the Iews who made what Alterations they pleased in the Sacred Writings which Paradox of his I have consider'd and made some Reflections upon in a former Treatise This I may truly say that it is not necessary that we should know who was the Particular Penman of this or any other Book of the Holy Scripture because the Authority of them depends not on the Writers of them but on the Holy Ghost who endited them They are the Books of God that is their peculiar Character and Dignity and that alone makes them Authentick after they have been delivered to us by the unanimous Consent of the Church so that there is no absolute Necessity of our certain knowing who penn'd them Yet this must be said that it cannot with Reason be denied that the Authors of some of these Sacred Books are well known and particularly there are very convincing Proofs that Moses wrote the Books which I have been giving an Account of This may be evinc'd from our Saviour's Words Luke 16. 31. 24. 27. where by Moses as is most evident he means the Books of the Pentateuch and consequently thereby lets us know that Moses was the Writer of them And more expresly the Book of Exodus is call'd the Book of Moses by our same Infallible Master Mark 12. 26. And St. Paul tells us that when these Books are read Moses is read 2 Cor. 3. 19. And both our Saviour and this Apostle distinguish between Moses and the Prophets Luke 16. 29. Acts 26. 22. plainly signifying that as those Books which pass under the Prophets Names are theirs so these that are said to be Moses's were written by him I think this is very plain and needs not to be further insisted on As to the Objections of those Men before named against this I forbear to produce them and to return particular Answers to them because this is so lately done by Monsieur Clerk and because another Learned Frenchman hath laudably performed this Task Especially he hath with great Vigour and as great Success attack'd Spinosa a Iew as they tell us by Birth but neither Iew nor Christian by Profession but a Derider of both We may also find his Arguments which are generally borrow'd from Aben Ezra refuted with great Clearness by the Learned Professor of Diâ—inity at Paris who at the same time betakes himself to the Positive Part and renders it unquestionable that Moses himself was the Author of the Five Books that go under his Name Wherefore the particular Fancies of those few Objectors and those no Friends to the Sacred Text are not to be heeded by us As to that common Scruple which is so much insisted upon that in the last Book of the Pentateuch there is mention of Moses's Death and some things that happen'd after it whence they conclude that Moses wrote not those Books or at least not the last of them I take this to be a sufficient Answer that Moses being a Prophet might foresee and have revealed to him a particular Account of his own Death and so he committed it to writing by a Prophetick Spirit wherefore none can from thence prove that he was not the Penman of all this Book However we will not contend here for perhaps the Conclusion of this Book was affixed by Ioshua or afterwards by Ezra who was an Inspired Person likewise and who revised the Books of the Old Testament and inserted some things into them by the same Spirit that endited the rest Notwithstanding then the foresaid Objection which refers only to a few Passages in the End of the Book of Deuteronomy wâ— have Reason to assert that the whole Five Books excepting that little Addition in the Close were written by Moses these are his Authentick Records consisting chiefly of History which compriseth in it the Occurrences of about 2400 Years and Laws which were given by God Himself to his own People and will be of use to the End of the World Here is the Cabinet of the greatest Antiquity under Heaven here are the First and Oldest Monuments of the World CHAP. VIII A short Survey of the Books of Joshua Judges Ruth which is a Supplement to the History of the Iudges Samuel the Kings Chronicles Ezra which is a Continuation of the Chronicles Nehemiah Esther The Author Stile Composure Matter of the Book of Job discuss'd An Enquiry into the Penmen Subjects Kinds Titles Poetick Meter and Rhythm of the Psalms NExt unto this is that Excellent History written by Ioshua the Captain General of the Israelites and Moses's famous Successor whose very Name without doubt was as terrible to the Canaanites as those of Hunniades and Scanderbeg were afterwards to the Turks Here he admirably describes the Holy War the Martial Atchievements and Stratagems of the People of God against those Nations whose Lands they were to possess and at length their Victory over them Here are very particularly set down their Conquests over those Kings and Countries This Book is the Fulfilling of the Promises which were made to them concerning the entring into Canaan and enjoying that Land which is a Type of the Heavenly Canaan the everlasting Rest which remaineth to the People of God Heb. 4. 9. Here is the Actual Possession of that Promised Inheritance and the Division of it among the several Tribes by Lot The short is in the whole Book which I must not now give you by retail there are abundant Demonstrations of the Divine Providence repeated Instances of the Infinite Kindness of God to his Servants remarkable Examples of the Divine Vengeance on his Enemies yea and visible Proofs of his Severe Dealings with his own People when they refuse to obey his Will and when they act contrary to it Here is in the large Account which is given of Ioshua and his Actions an Exact Character of a Worthy Prince a Ruler a General who ought to signalize himself by his Exemplary Piety and Zeal for Religion by his constant Sobriety Justice and Charity by his undaunted Courage Valour and Prowess by his deep Wisdom Policy and Conduct And his Great and Wonderful Success which is so much required in a General crowned all The Whole contains the History of the Jews from Moses's Death till the Death of their Great Commander Ioshua in all about eighteen Years And 't is not to be wondered at that the Age Death and Burial of this latter are
recorded in the last Chapter of this Book for either as we said before concerning Moses they were written by him through a Prophetick Spirit that foresaw these things or else they were added by some other Inspired Writer So perhaps were those Words unto this Day ch 4. v. 9. ch 5. v. 9. though it is not necessary at all to believe so for Ioshua relating some Passages that happen'd a good while before he wrote this Book which was a little before his Death might speak after this manner very well And some few other Words may seem to have been inserted after Ioshua's Death but that the Main was written by Himself there is no ground of questioning The History of the Iudges followeth which relates the State of the Iewish People in the Land of Canaan in the time of the Iudges from Ioshua's Death until Eli that is about three hundred Years These Iudges were Men of Heroick Spirits raised up by God out of the several Tribes to govern the People and to deliver them from their present Dangers They were Supream Rulers but Temporary and some of them were Types of our Blessed Saviour and Deliverer In the time of this peculiar Polity of the Israelites there were very Notable Occurrences which are faithfully recorded in this Book Here we are acquainted with the gross Impiety and Wickedness of that new Generation which came up after Ioshua's Death here are recorded to their perpetual Infamy their Intimate Converse with those Idolatrous People that were left remaining in that Land their Approving of their Superstitious and Irreligious Customs and their Serving their Gods Here is a particular Account of the Corruption of their Manners of their Prophane and Scandalous Practices which occasion'd the very Heathens to open their Mouths against them yea to blaspheme God whose Name they were call'd by Here also we have a brief View of the Different Dispensations of Heaven towards this People sometimes Relieving and Delivering them at other tâ—mes most severely Chastising them and causing them to groan under Tyrants and Oppressors Here are contain'd in this History most admirable Examples of God's Displeasure against Apostates and such as revolt from the True Religion and here are on the contrary as memorable Instances of his Rewarding those that adhere to Him and his Cause and hold fast their Integrity in the worst and most perillous Times Here are most amply displayed his Love and Care of his Church in stirring up so many Eminent Worthies and Champions to fight for her and to push them on by no less than an Extraordinary Impulse of Spirit to enterprize and effect such Mighty Things for the welfare of his Chosen Servants To conclude here and in the Book of Ioshua occurs such a plenty of Antient Rites Customs and Practices relating both to Peace and War to Civil and Religious Matters as is able to stock an Antiquary of the first Size We are not certain who was the Penman of this Book It was written by Samuel say the Talmudists and it may be after one of the Books of Samuel and then 't is no wonder if some things are here mention'd or referr'd to that are spoken of there Others say it was not composed till Ezrâ—'s Time by Ezra The Book of Ruth is an Appendix to that of the Iudges in whose time the Things were done that are here related Particularly a little before Eli's Time they happen'd then it was that there being a Famine in Canaan Elimelech and his Wife Naomi and their Sons went into the Land of Moab and there these latter were married one to Ruth and the other to Orphah After ten Years were expired Elimelech and his Sons died whereupon Naomi and her Daughter-in-Law Ruth for the other Daughter stay'd behind returned to their own Country and coming to Bethlehem were kindly received by Boaz their Kinsman The Particulars of this kind Reception and Entertainment are set down here and the Close was that he married Ruth who bare to him Obed who was the Grand-father of David It is true this is but a Private History yet as it is such it contains in it many things worthy of our observation viz. the Difference of Children in their Affection and Regards to their Parents Orphah with great Ease and Willingness left Naomi but Ruth clave unto her the Prudent Instructions and Wise Demeanour of that Excellent Matron towards her Daughter the young Widow Though I must needs add with reference to Ruth's Behaviour that her Boldness and almost endangering of her Chastity are not to be Examples to others for Modesty and Shamefacedness are the proper Qualities of that Sex Wedlock is not to be sought after by them with such peril And therefore this daring Fact of this Venturous Widow is to be look'd upon as an extraordinary Instance and not to be imitated by other Females Here is remarkable the Merciful Providence of God towards the Afflicted the Widows and Fatherless the Reward of Constancy and Obedience the Blessing of God upon those that fear him and trust in him Besides here are observable the Antient Right of Kinsmen and of Redemption and the Manner of buying the Inheritance of the Deceased with other Things of great Antiquity Nay this is more than Private History as will appear if we consider that this Pious Woman Ruth was the Mother of Obed the Father of Iesse the Father of David of whom our Lord Christ came and therefore you find her inserted into his Genealogy by St. Matthew Again Ruth a Moabitish Woman of the Posterity of the Daughters of Lot was a Type or rather indeed an Eminent Instance of the Calling of the Gentiles into the Church which is a Thing of no private Concern but of the largest Extent imaginable The Two Books of Samuel are Publick Histories the former whereof contains Things done under the two last Iudges Eli and Samuel and under the first King who was Saul as also the Acts of David whilest he lived under Saul Here is a Narrative of the Change of the Iudges into Kings of the Republick or Aristocracy of the Iews into a Monarchy and of the Great and Many Evils which they suffer'd as consequent upon it all worthy of our serious Perusal and Consideration Here is an Account of their New King 's being deposed by God viz. for his rash and prophane Sacrificing and his wilful disobeying the express Command of God concerning the total Destruction of the Amalekites and whatever belonged to them The latter Book â—s wholly spent in the History of King David's Reign that is his Acts after Saul's Death These â—re either his Military Acts his Troublesom and Dangerous and sometimes Successful Enterprizes in War or his Political Acts shew'd in the wise Administration of Civil Government or his Ecclesiâ—â—tical and Religious Undertakings which respect 〈◊〉 Church of God in those Days With these are mixed the great Failings and Miscarriages of that King which are as particularly recorded as his other Acts and as
a Consequent of them the many Disappointments and Crosses he met with the various Judgments and Plagues which were inflicted on him and his People by God The Books of the Kings are the History of the Kingdoms of Israel and Iudah under the Reigns of their several Kings The first contains the latter Part of the Life of David and his Death the Glory and Prosperity of that Nation under Solomon who succeeded him his erecting and consecrating of the Temple at Ierusalem his scandalous Defection from the true Religion the sudden Decay of the Jewish Nation after his Death when it was divided into two Kingdoms under Rehoboam who reign'd over the two Tribes of Iudah and Benjamin and under Ieroboam who was King over the other ten Tribes that revolted from the House of David The rest of it is spent in relating the Acts of four Kings of Iudah and eight of Israel The second Book which is a Continuation of the History of the Kings is a Relation of the Memorable Acts of sixteen Kings of Iudah and twelve of Israel and the End of both Kingdoms by the carrying of the Ten Tribes Captive into Assyria by Salmanasser and the other two into Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar the just Rewards of that People's Idolatry and Impenitency after so many Favours shew'd to them This and the former Book together comprehend the History of about four hundred Years The Chronicles or Iournals according to the Hebrew are the filling up of those Parts of the History which are omitted in the Books of the Kings And though we know not which of these Histories viz. of the Kings or the Chronicles I speak as to the main Body of the Books not one particular Passage as that in the Close of the Second Book of Chronicles where mention is made of the Deliverance of the Iews by Cyrus which might be added afterwards were written first for the Book of Kings refers to the Book of Chronicles and this again sends the Reader to that yet this we see that this of the Chronicles is more full and ample sometimes than that of the Kings what was left out or not so fully set down in the one is supplied in the other And thence these Books are call'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Remains Supplements Additions by the Greek Interpreters The first Book of Chronicles relates the Rise and Propagation of the People of Israel from Adam which is the entire Subject of the first Nine Chapters which consist wholly of Genealogies and then afterwards most punctually and accurately gives an Account of the Reign of David The second Book as faithfully sets down the Progress and End of the Kingdom of Iudah even to the Year of their return from the Captivity in Babylon These Books of Chronicles together with those of the Kings and Samuel make up the Best and Choicest History in the World Here we are abundantly furnish'd with such Useful Notices Truths and Maxims as these all confirmed by Noted and Illustrious Examples and such Instances as are Certain and Unquestionable Crowned Heads are encircled with Cares and seldom find rest and repose though their Lives are more Splendid yet they are not less Calamitous than those of the Common People Good Kings are rare and the Number of them is inconsiderable in comparison of those that are Bad. The best Kings have their Faults and some of them of a very scandalous Nature There is little Piety in Princes Courts and as little Integrity and Honesty The People are easily induced to follow the Examples of their Governours and Religion and Manners too often vary according to the Wills of Superiours Good Kings are the greatest Blessing and Wicked Ones are the greatest Curse to a Nation Princes mistake their Measures when they either disobey God or oppress their People Tyrannical Princes procure their own Ruine The Sins and Vices of Rulers prove fatal to their Subjects Publick Enormities are punish'd with Publick and National Calamities Kings may be known by the Ministers they choose and make use of Those Counsels that are founded in Religion are most successful Evil Counsellours contrive their own Destruction Wars are the Effect and Consequence of fighting against God The Success of Arms depends upon the Divine Blessing The Church is never more shock'd than under Bad Princes Religion and Reformation are never effectually promoted unless the Great Ones have a Hand in them Divisions and Rents about Religion have immediate influence on Secular Affairs and when the Church is divided the State is so too The Revolutions in both are by the particular Disposal of the Wise Over-ruler of the World True Religion and Godliness are attended with Earthly Rewards and Blessings and the contrary bring down the greatest Plagues even in this World The worst Times afford some of the Best and most Holy Religious and Zealous Men. Whatever Changes and Revolutions happen in the Kingdoms of the Earth the Church of God remains secure Though there are great and frequent Defections yet there never is a total Extinction of it In a Word the Church is impregnable this Rock is immoveable And many other Propositions and Maxims of the like Nature which are of great Service in the Life of Man are to be deduced from these Excellent Histories Ezra is a Continuation of the aforesaid Book of Chronicles and compriseth the History of the Jews from the time that Cyrus made the Edict for their Return until the twentieth Year of Artaxerxes Longimanus which was about a hundred Years For the Jews return from Babylon was at two several Times viz. first in the Days of Cyrus the first Perâ—â—an Monarch under the Conduct of Zerubbabel their Captain and Ieshua their High Priest Here are recorded the Number of those that returned Cyrus's Proclamation for the rebuilding of the Temple the Laying of the Foundations of it the Retarding of the Work under the Reign of two of the Kings of Persia at last the Finishing of the Temple in Darius's Reign The second Return of the Jews was in the Reign of Artaxerxes under the Conduct of Ezra a Priest who had been a Courtier in the Persian Court and was sent into Iudea by Artaxerxes in the seventh Year of his Reign which was above eighty Years after the first Return in Cyrus's Time to expedite the Building of Ierusalem This Pious Reformer observing the Peoples 〈◊〉 with Strangers and Inâ—idels and their joining themselves to them in Marriage proclaim'd a â—olemn Fast and Pray'd and Mourn'd and Lamented their gross Miscarriages and with great Earnestness and Zeal exhorted them to Reformation and Amendment of their Ways that they might thereby avert God's Wrath and conciliate his Favour and Pardon This is that Ezra who was the Penman of this Book and who was also a Restorer of the Sacred Books of the Old Testament and collected and methodized them into certain Order and reviewed the Copies and amended all Errata's that were contracted in the time of the Captivity Nehemiah who
wrote the Book which bears his Name was a Jew Cup-bearer to the King of Persia and return'd into Iudea thirteen Years after Ezra There is another Nehemiah who came with those that returned at first from Babylon Ezra 2. 2. but he whom we now speak of came afterwards by Artaxerxes's Leave in the twentieth Year of his Reign and went back to Persia again twelve Years after Neh. 5. 14. This Writer begins where Ezra left of and continues the History of the Building of Ierusalem and of the Deportment of the Iews in those times from the twentieth Year of Artaxerxes to the Reign of Darius about fifty Years in all As Ezra chiefly related the Restoring of Religion and Erecting the Temple so this Author gives us an Account of the Building of the City and the Reformation of the Religion which had been restored In several Particulars he shews what were the Abuses and Corruptions of the People and how they were redressed even by his own Hand He tells us what Methods he took of regulating both their Ecclesiastical and Civil Affairs in short of Reforming both Church and State which were even then so early corrupted From the whole both here and in the Book of Ezra we are taught many useful Lessons but This above all that the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against the Church that they shall never have Power to extinguish this Little Flock Israel is not always a Captive in a strange Land Babylon sends back her Prisoners and Bondmen Her very Enemies by an extraordinary Direction of Heaven promote her Peace and Prosperity For we are informed from this Part of Sacred History that God stirr'd up even the Persian Monarchs to restore his People to Ierusalem and when they were there to help and assist them and to baffle all their Opposers The Book of Esther is a Particular History of what happen'd to the Jews in their Captivity in the Reign of Ahasuerus one of the Kings of Persia whether he was Artaxerxes Longimanus as some think or Artaxerxes Mnemon as most Authors both Antient and Modern say or Artaxerxes Ochus as Serarius holds or Xerxes the fourth Persian Monarch according to Scaliger or Darius the Son of Hystaspes or Cambyses for so various aâ—e the Opinions of Authors I will not here dispute Only we know that the Sacred Writings and the Profane intend the same Person sometimes though they give different Names The Story is this Haman a great Favourite and Minion of the King and advanced to great Honour by him was highly incens'd against Mordecai one of the Captive Jews because he refused to do him Reverence and to Bow to him Whereupon he resolv'd for his sake to compass the Destruction of all the Iews in those Territories and to that end gain'd a Decree from the King to put them all to the Sword But this wicked Design was happily frustrated by means of Esther a Jewish Captive Virgin who for her transcendent Beauty had a little time before been advanced to the Throne and now prevail'd with her Royal Husband to spare the Life of her dear Countrymen In this manner Haman's cursed Conspiracy was defeated he himself advanced to a Gibbet and that of his own preparing the Jews delivered from their Fears and Dangers Mordecai who discover'd this Bloody Design to Queen Esther and who had before that discover'd another Conspiracy viz. against the King which was recorded in the Chronicles and about this time read to him and was in a great measure serviceable by the Divine Providence to bring about this happy Frustration of Haman's Plot this Mordecai I say was preferr'd unto the greatest Honours in the Kingdom and by the by let me suggest that perhaps from his riding the King's Horse and thereby being preferr'd to Kingly Dignity the Story of Darius's being made King of Persia by the Neighing of his Horse had its Rise for as I have often had occasion in another Place to prove the Gentile Historians mistook one Person for another the Hearts and Mouths of all the Jews in the King's Provinces were filled with Joy and an Annual Festival was appointed to be kept in all succeeding Generations in remembrance of this singular and unexpected Deliverance vouchsafed to them This is the Sum of this Short History in which there are many Admirable and Surprizing Circumstances which though they could not be particularly related here commend it to the Reader It is certainly a most Remarkable Instance of God's Singular Providence and Goodness to his Church in discovering and defeating the Contrivances of her malicious and cruel Enemies in delivering her in her greatest Extremities and in bringing Vengeance and Ruine on the Heads of those who plot her Downfal As to the Author of this Book there is no Agreement among Writers though one would be enclined to think that it was Mordecai's by reading ch 9. v. 20. and ch 12. of Apocryphal Esther v. 4. The next Penman of the Old Testament is Iob whose Book might have been placed next to the Pentateuch if it be true as is generally believ'd that he lived about Moses's time Though some are of opinion that he lived a considerable time before the Israelites came out of Egypt and that he was before Moses It was writ by himself say Origen and Suidas but the Rabbins generally pronounce Moses the Author Others make Solomon the Author of this Book discovering as they think his manner of speaking in it The most probable Account is that the Materials of this Book were drawn up first by Ioâ— himself or one or all of his Pious Friends that were concern'd in the things spoken of here and that they coming to Moses's Hands as some of the Jewish Masters tell us or afterwards to Solomon's were made up into Hebrew Verse as we now find it For the greatest Part of the Book is of this Composure and indeed is the first Poetical Book we meet with in the Bible Whence we may infer something concerning the Nature of it viz. that as M. Luther well observ'd Iob and his Friends spake not all the very Words which are set down in this Book for Men do not use to speak in Verse in their Discourse one with another and especially in such a Lofty Stile of Poetry as we read here sometimes But this is true that both their Thoughts and Words were exactly agreeable to what is here written and Things actually and really happen'd as they are here represented only the Whole Argument being clothed in Verse the individual and express Words which they all the time used are not always written down neither indeed could be But we must by no means attend to the Talmudick Doctors who tell us that this Book is not a Relation of Matter of Fact but writ in a Parabolical way to exhibit to the World an Eminent Example of Patience Nor are the Words of the Parisaan Professor to be tolerated who saith the History is true but the
the singing Women spake of Josiah in their Lamentations to this Day and made 〈◊〉 Ordinance in Israel and behold they are written iâ— the Lamentations even those which this Prophet composed Which is also confirmed by the Jewish Historian who voucheth this Poem to be a Fuâ—â—ral Elegy on that Pious King To which St. Ierom adds that this Prophet laments the Loss of Iosias as the beginning of those Galamities which afterwards ensued and accordingly he proceeds to â—ewail the Miserable State of the Iews and particularly the Destruction of Ierusalem which was not then come to pass but is prophetically foretold it being not unusual with the Prophets to speak of things to come as if they were already past Unless we should say as some have that part of this Mournful Song was endited after the taking and sacking of Ierusalem and the carrying the People Captive and is a Passionate Bewailing of the Destruction of the Temple and the Horrid Consequences of it In which also the Holy Man humbly confesseth the Sins of the People and acknowledgeth the Divine Justice in all that beâ—el them to which he adjoineth a Serious Exhortation to Repentance and comforts them with Hopes of a Restoration So that the whole is an Exact Pattern of Devotion in times of Great and National Calamities and Publick Sufferings and instructs us how to demean our selves in such deplorable Circumstances Ezekiel was carried captive into Babylon with those that went thither in the second Captivity which was in the 8th Year of Nebuchadnezzar Reign about ten Years before the time of the last Captivity He prophesied here at the same time that Ieremiah did in Iudaea and afterwards in Egypt Many of the same things he foretold more especially the Destruction of the Temple and the fatal Issue of those that revolted from Babylon to Egypt and at last the Happy Return of the Jewâ— into their own Land He distinctly foretels the Plagues which should certainly be inâ—â—icted on Other Nations who were profes'd Enemies of the Church as the Edomites Moabites Ammonites Egyptians Tyrians and lastly the Assyrians and Babylonians In figurative and mystical Expressions he predicts the Messias and the flourishing Estate of his Kingdom i. e. the Christian Church Because the Prophet begins with Visions and Types and ends with the Measuring of the Mystical Temple therefore by reason of these Abstrusities and Mysteries the Beginning and End of this Book were forbid to be read by the Jews before they came to thirty Years of Age. But the greatest â—art of this Prophecy is plain and easily intelligible it having reference chiefly to the Manners of that degenerate Age wherein the Prophet observes and severely animadverts upon the General Corruption which had invaded them in those Days and which merited the severest Judgments that Heaven could send down upon them He exâ—ibits a Particular Catalogue of the Notorious Enormâ—ties which their Kings their Priests their Prophets their People were infamous for he labours to bring them to a Sense of these scandalous Practices and to make them heartily Relent for them â—inally like a Trne Watchman as he is stiled he â—â—â—â—hfully warneth them of their Imminent Danger and admonisheth them to prevent it if possible by abandoning their Evil Ways This is the Inspired Man that penn'd this Book and this is the â—ook which contains so many worthy and excellent â—â—ings in it Another of the Four Great Prophâ—ts is Daniel who was of the Progeny of the Kings of Iudah 〈◊〉 was contemporary with Ezekiol and was a Capâ—â—â—e in Babylon at the same time that he was There he prophesied and there he wrote and â—his Book is the Result of both the six first Chapâ—â—â—s of which are an History of the Kings of Babyâ—â—â— and of what beâ—el some of the Captive Jews under them Here we have Nebuchadnezzar's Râ—markable Dreams interpreted we have a Relatioâ— of the singular Courage of the three Hebrew Yoâ—â—â— Men that refused to fall down to his Image with the miraculous Deliverance of them out of the Flames Here is unfolded Belshazzar's Fatal Dooâ— contain'd in the Mystical Hand-writing on the Wall with his Death that soon follow'd upon it and the Succession of Darius to the Throne and the Translation of the Monarchy to the Medes It was under this Prince that our Noble Prophet was advanced to his greatest Height of Honour 〈◊〉 whereas he had been a great Courtier and Favosrrite in Nebuchadnezzar's time and in the close of Belshazzar's Reign was made the Third Ruler in the Kingdom now he is made the First being set 〈◊〉 all the Presidents and Princes of the Realm This made him envied and hated but he was hated and persecuted much more for his Religion by the Great Men of the Kingdom and even by a Decree of the King 's own signing committed to the Den of Lions there to be devoured of them But the Hand of Omnipotence immediately interposed and he came out thence safe and his Adversaries and Accusers were sent thither in his room who fared not after the same rate that he did After this he lived in great Esteem Honour and Prosperity not only in this King's Reign but under Cyrus 〈◊〉 Monarch of the Persian Race But as our Authoâ— in the former Part of this Book relates things pasâ— as an Historian so in the six last Chapters he is alâ— together Prophetical foretelling what shall befal thâ— Church in general and particularly the Iews yeâ—â— his Visions and Prophecies reach to future Eventâ— wherein even those that are out of the Church arâ— concerned What can be more valuable than hâ—â— Dream or Vision of the Four Secular Monarchies of the World and of the Fifth which was to be Spiritual viz. that of the Messias What is more famous and celebrated than his Discovery by the Angel Gabriel's Information of the Seventy Weeks viz. of Years i. e. 490 Years upon the expiring of which the Messias's Kingdom was to be set up What plain and signal Prophecies doth this Book afford concerning that Renowned Conqueror Alexander the Great and his subduing the Persian Empire as also concerning the Fierce Wars among his Great Captains and Commanders who succeeded him particularly how clearly and plainly are the Actions of Antiochus the Great and Antiochus Epiphanes his Son described by our Prophet long before these Persons were in being And many other Notable Occurrences relating to the most publick and famed Transactions on the Stage of the World are prophetically fore-signified and revealed by this Divine Seer insomuch that we may justly stile this Book the Apocalypse of the Old Testament to which that Other of the New so often refers and even borrows many things of great Moment Lastly we may particularly note concerning this Book that a great Part of it is written in the Chaldean Tongue viz. from the fourth Verse of the Second Chapter to the End of the Seventh the Reason of â—hich may be this because Daniel was now by his â—â—ng Abode
Acts and Works of Holiness Wherefore he offers several Plain Marks and Tokens whereby they may certainly know whether they be Real Christians truly Religious and the Children of God The Sum of all he propounds is this that if they love God and their Brethren and demonstrate this Love by the proper and geâ—â—ine Fruits of it then they may conclude they are Christians indeed otherwise they are mere strangers to Christianty and to all Religion they deceive themselves and there is no Truth in them This the Beloved Disciple and Divine Amorist inculâ—ates with that Spirit Warmth and Earnestness which so Weighty a Subject deserves His second Epistle is written to the Elect Lady and her Children that is saith St. Ierom to some Eminent Select Church in Asia and to all the Christians belonging to it for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 among the Athenians and Curia with the Romans are of the same Import with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Assembly Perhaps Ephesus is meant saith a Learned Man which was the Metropolis of Asia and so may more signally be call'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But it is the general Opinion of the Antients and Moderns that a person not a Church 〈◊〉 meant here and that St. Iohn the Evangelist not another Presbyter of that Name as St. Ierom thinks writes to a Vertuous Lady who was an 〈◊〉 Servant of Christ a very Godly and Religions Woman or it may be her Proper Name was Elect as a Learned Critick hath conjectured Which may seem the more probable because the word hath no Article prefix'd to it It was usual with our Saviour himself as the Evangelical Writings inform us to make his Applications to those of this Sex to cherish and commend their Vertues It is particularly recorded that of the Chief Women afterwards call'd Honourable Women not a few were St. Paul's Proselytes And to descend lower we read that St. Ierom took great Pains in instructing the Roman Ladies and in commending and incouraging their Study of the Holy Scriptures Yea many of his Writings were directed and dedicated to Noble Women Widows and Virgins as Paula Eustochium Salvina Celantia and several others that were Roman Ladies and of noble Extraction Such is our Elect here who is the only Person of that Sex to whom an Inspired Epistle is written She is commended for her vertuous bringing up her Children she is exhorted to abide in the Doctrine of Christ to perservere in the Truth and to be careful to avoid all Delusions of False Teachers But chiefly the Apostle beseecheth this Noble Matron to practise the great and indispensable Commandment of Christian Love and Charity His third Epistle was writ to Gaius a Converted Iew or Gentile as others think because he hath a Roman Name a Man of a fair Estate and who had been very bountiful and hospitable to the Saints The Design of the Epistle is to own and commend his Hospitality especially his seasonable Beneâ—icence and Charity to Strangers to those that were Exiles for the Cause of Christianity and to stir him up to continue in the Exercise of the same Charity and Liberality to the distressed Brethren Demetrius is propounded as an eminent Example of this for which and all other Vertues he had the good Report of all Men yea and of the Truth it self that is as he was spoken well of by every one so he really deserv'd it On the other side he complains of the Uncharitable Insolent and Ambitious Diotrephes a Prating Opposer not only of him and his Doctrine but of all the true Servants of Iesus The General Epistle of Iude or Iudas as we render it in Iohn 14. 22. it being the same Name with that of the Traitor for it is no unusual thing for good and bad Men to have the same Names as in the Old Testament Eliab Iehu Hananiah c. in the New Testament Simon Iohn Ananias are Instances of this This Epistle I say of this Good Apostle with a Bad Man's Name was written to all Christian Churches or at least to all the Iewish Christians Dispersed the same to whom St. Iames and St. Peter wrote wherein he exhorts them to contend for the Faith against those Dreaming Hereticks and Seducers that were at that time crept into the Church whose Erroneous Tenents and Ungodly Practices he here particularly deciphers and from the Examples of God's Vengeance on other Great Offenders infers the Certainty of these Mens Ruine In short this Epistle hath all the Marks of a true Apostolick Spirit and is of the same Argument with the second Epistle of St. Peter and is a kind of Epitome of it and therefore I need not be very Particular in rehearsing the Contents The last Book of the New Testament is the Revelation of St. John the Divine which Epithet is signally given to him here because of the Divinity and Sublimity of his Raptures because he of all the Apostles had the greatest Communications of Divine Mysteries It may be referr'd either to the Historical Books or to the Epistles to the former because it is a Prophetick History of the State of the Church from the Apostles times to the end of the World to the latter because it is in the Form of an Epistle after the three first Verses by way of Preface viz. to the Seven Churches of Asia at first planted by and now under the Government of St. Iohn and as it begins so it ends after the usual way of concluding Epistles The Grace of our Lord Iesus â—brist be with you all Amm. Concerning the precise time when St. Iohn receiv'd and when he wrote this Revelation there is some Dispute but the most probable if not the most generally received Opinion is that he being â—â—nish'd into Patmos an Isle in the Archipelago situated about forty Miles from the Continent of Asia by Domitian under whom was the Second persecution this Revelation was deliver'd to him about the middle of the Emperor's Reign but at several times and that he committed it to Writing about the latter end of it As to the Visions themselves I will not here particularly inâ—ist upon any of them only in general it is commonly said and believed that the Vision of the Seals sets forth the State of the Church under the Heathen Persecâ—tions from Nero to the end of Dioclesian's Persecâ—tion the Vision of the Trumpets which follows that shews the Calamity of the Church by Herâ—sies Schisms and Persecutions afterwards in the times succeeding the Pagan Roman Emperors viz. under Papacy And then the Vials tell what Vengeance befals the Papal Antichrist and all the Churches Enemies So that the Seals Trumpets and Vials give an Account of the three Grand Periods of the Church There is great Probability of this but I must add and I will offer it to the Reader as a thing necessary to be taken notice of in order to the right understanding of this Book that the Order of Time and History is
not always observ'd here things are not related constantly in a certain continued Method and Series nor are we to understand or take them as written so A great and prevailing Mistake it hath been to think that the Course and Order of Time are duly and all along observ'd in these Writings Whereas to a considerate Person it will appear that there is no such thing and that the Chapters are not writ and disposed in any Method This because it may be look'd upon and censured as a New Notion I will make good thus the Day of Iudgment is represented and described three or four times in these Visions and Revelations as first at the opening of the Sixth Seal ch 6. v. 12 to the end where the Description of the Last Day agrees exactly with others in the New Testament especially that of our Saviour in Mat. 24. and therefore to allegorize it where there is no Occasion for it is unreasonable If it be said that the Disorder of the Sun Moon and Stars which is here spoken of signifies sometimes temporal Judgments as the Destruction of Babylon Isa. 13. 10. and of Egypt Ezek. 32. 7. I answer that though it doth so yet these Remarkable Judgments and Devastations were Figures and Representations of the Last and Terrible one and were so design'd by Heaven and therefore this may well be set forth to us by the Holy Ghost in this manner nay the darkning of the Sun and Moon and the like Expressions are but Metaphorical in those former Instances but here are Proper Natural and Real and therefore ought so to be understood in this Place Again St. Iohn hath another Revelation of this Great Day in the End of the 11th Chapter from ver 15 to the Close of the Chapter but especially those plain Words in ver 18. Thy Wrath is come and the time of the Dead that they should be judged place it beyond all doubt that the Final Iudgment of the last Day is here meant Again the Seventh Vial mention'd Rev. 16. 17. which contains the Last Plague is no other than the Indignation and Punishment of That Day as appears from the Prodigies which accompany it and particularly from what is said ver 20. Every Island fled away and the Mountains were not found which expresses the terrible Dissolution of the World at that time Besides that it is observable in the Conclusion of the preceding Vial which made way for this last that Christ saith I come as a Thief v. 15. which manner of Expression is particularly applied and made use of when the Day of Iudgment is spoken of Mat. 24. 43. 1 Thess. 5. 2 4 2 Pet. 3. 10. And lastly in the 20th Chapter from the 11th Verse to the end there is another Vision of this Last and General Appearance of the World as is universally acknowledg'd by Interpreters and therefore we need not stand to clear it Now from all this it is evident that there is not observed in the Visions of this Book an Historical Order or Course of Time for if there were the General Day of Doom which is the last thing of all could not be represented here three or four times This must have come in the shutting up of all when all other things were past whereas now we see it is represented in the Beginning in the Middle and in the End of these Revelations Which if it be well attended to is one admirable Key to open the Secrets of this Book for hence we understand that this Prophecy is not what it hath been thought to be one Entire Historical Narration of what shall be and that first one thing is foretold and then what follows that in time is next set down and so on in order No the Day of Judgement being thrice at least inserted shews that the Visions of this Book end and then begin again and then have a Period and commence again and after that the same or the like Scene is opened and things of the same Nature are repeated Which is a most evident Argument that this Book consists of Three or Four Grand Prophecies or Prophetick Representations of the Condition of Christ's Church from the time when this was â—â—nned to the Consummation of all things Here are represented by different Types Prophetick Symbols and Visions the most remarkable things which happen on the Stage of the World and theâ— are these three the Troubles and Persecutions which â—befal the Servants of the most High the â—â—liverâ—â—de of them out of those Trials and God's 〈◊〉 â—â—â—â—shing of their Enemies These you will 〈◊〉 set forth and illustrated by diverse Schemes and Apparitions by different and reiterated Reâ—â—esentations And the Reason why things tho the same are diversly represented i. e. in diffeâ—â—nt Visions over and over again and why they are express'd in different Terms and Words the â—â—â—son I say why they are so often repeated is â—â—â—use they so often come to pass in the several Ages of the World by the wise Disposal of Proviâ—â—noâ— These Prophecies have been and they â—â—all be yet fulfilled for the State of the Church as to the Cruelty of its Enemies and Persecutors and the Wonderful Deliverance from them and Avenging their Cause upon their Heads is the same in different Ages until the time when Babyâ—â—â— shall fall and never rise again To use the Words of a most Eminent and Learned Bishop of our own One may easily see saith he that Rome is here intended and not Pagan but Christian Rome which is degenerated into an Idolatrous and Tyrannical State It is easy to see in the Book of the Revelation that the Roman Church is doomed in due time to Destruction You see then how Useful this Book is you may be convinc'd of the Truth of what is said in the Beginning of it Blessed is he that readeth and they that hear the Words of this Propheoy ch 1. v. 3. Thâ— we cannot so clearly descny the Particular and 〈◊〉 dividual Things times and Personâ— contain'd in tâ—â— tho this last Book of the Holy Scripture be in this Respect the Obscurest of them all tho in some Places there be as many Mysteries as Words yet thus far it is properly Revelation that herein the State of the Christian Church and the Particular Methods of God's Providence towards it in all times are plainly revealed and discovered to us plainly I say because they are so often repeated that it is impossible to mistake them As Pharaâ—â—'s Dream was doubled to shew the Certainty of the things represented Gen. 41. 32. so these Prophecies and Visions are doubled and tribbled yea more than so to assure us of the Certain Truth and Reality of these Events to confirm us in this Perswasion that tho the Church of Christ here on Earth be often troubled and persecuted yet she hath her times of Restoration and Reviving and there is a time of Vengeance and Recompence to her Enemies even in this World but more especially at the
out of the Book of Iudges but proposed to be inserted there afterwards The plain Answer then is that the Book of the Wars of the Lord is the Book of Iudges together with that of Ioshua where are related the Particulars of the Holy War i. e. the War of the Jews against the Infidels and that in one of these it shall be particularly remembred and recorded what God did in the Red Sea and in the Brooks of Arnon c. and accordingly we find it inserted in the forecited Place in Iudges Thus you see it can't be proved hence that the Church hath lost any Part of the Book of God Another Book said by some to be lost is the Book of Iasher mention'd in Iosh. 10. 13. 2 Sam. 1. 18. But some of the most celebrated Hebrew Doctors say they have found it telling us that it is the Book of Genesis wherein are contain'd the Acts of Abraham Isaac Iacob and other Patriarchs who were by way of Excellence call'd Iasherim Recti Iusti. But surely that Man is easily satisfied who can acquiesce in this Dr. Lightfoot holds the Book of Iasher to be the same with that which I asserted the Book of the Wars of God to be But there is little Foundation for it for though the particular Narrative of the Sun 's standing still be in the Book of Iasher as we learn from the Text yet there is no intimation that all Ioshua's Wars or the Wars of the Israelites were registred there This Book was according to the Excellent Grotius an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Triumphal Poem in which 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was for the Verse sake contracted into 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But though this be very Ingenious yet it wants solidity and it is not probable that the Word would be twice mention'd i. e. both in the Book of Ioshua and in the 2d Book of Samuel in its Abbreviated Form The Learned Iewish Historian seems to me to bid fairest for Truth who â—aith by this Book are to be understood certain Records kept in some safe Place on purpose and afterwards in the Temple giving an Account of what happen'd among the Jews from Year to Year and particularly the Prodigy of the Sun 's standing still and the Directions and Laws about the Vse of the Bow i. e. setting up of Archery and maintaiâ—ing Military Exercises And if it be ask'd why the Title given to these Jewish Annals was the Book of Iasher i. e. Rects this may be rendered as a probable Reason viz. because it was by all Persons reckon'd as a very Faithful and Authentick Account of all those Events and Occurrences which it recorded it was composed with great Vprightnesâ— and Truth Thencâ— it was commonly known by the Name of Iasher's Book or Chronicle And if you remember that Iasher is translated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by thâ— Seventy in several Places of the Book of Ioâ— it will â—urther confirm what I say and induce us to believe that Iasher's Book is as much as a True Book a Book that is not counterfeited It was not the Work of any Inspired Person but was of the Nature of Common Civil Annals and consequently we cannot infer hence that any Book properly belonging to the Holy Scripture i. e. that was written by Inspiration of the Holy Ghost is at this Day missing Again some reckon the Acts of Uzziah written by Isaiah the Prophet 2 Chron. 26. 22. in the Cataâ—ogue of such Books of Scripture as are lost But they have little reason to do so for by thoâ—â— Words is plainly meant that Part of the Life and History of that King which we now have in the Prophecy of Isaiah for the first six Chapters are â— Relation of what was done in his Days They give an Account of several Passages which belong to the Church and State in that King's Reign And Isaiah is truly said in the foremention'd Place in the Chronicles to have written his Acts first and last because you will find that the Prophecy of Isaiah begins at the Days of Uzziah v. 1. and the sixth Chapter relates what happen'd in the Year that King Uzziah died v. 1. So that something of what was first and last in his Time is here recorded This I look upon as a very substantial and satisfactory Answer to the Scruple about that Place Also some would infer from 1 Chron. 29. 29. that all the Canonical Books of the Bible are not extant at this Day bâ—cause there is mention of the Book of Samuel the Seer and the Book of Nathan the Prophet and the Book of Gad the Seer in which it is said all David ' s Acts were written But no such Inference can rationally be made only this we gather which is the Solution of the Difficulty that Nathan and Gad as well as Samuel compiled the History that goes under the Name of this last and because it was made by them all three therefore it is represented here as three different Books But the true Account is that those two Books in the Old Testament which bear the Name of Samuel were written partly by him the greatest Part of the first Book relating things that happen'd in his time and partly by Nathan and partly by Gad two eminent Prophets in those Days and who survived Samuel Then as to 2 Chron. 9. 29. where we are told that Solomon's Acts were written not only in the Book Hebr. Dibrim the Words as the Book of Chronicles is call'd the Words of Days of Nathan of which before but in the Prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite and in the Visions of Iddo the Seer which last are call'd Midrash the Story or Commentary of the Prophet Iddo Chap. 13. v. 22. And as to 2 Chron. 12. 15. where we read also of this Book of Iddo the Seer and of Shemaiah the Prophet in which it is said Rehoboam's Acts were written the Answer which I give relating to these Books in brief is this that few of them if any are different from those of the Kings but are only a Part of them though they are here spoken of as Distinct Books and that for this reason because that individual Part of the Story viz. concerning Solomon and Rehoboam is quoted which these particular Persons here named wrote You must know then that this Historical Part of the Old Testament was the Work of several Persons it was a Collection made by sundry Prophets and Holy Men as Samuel Nathan Gad Ahijah Iddo Shemaiah and the Books which they wrote are called the Books of Samuel and the Books of the Kings and are generally known by these Names but when those Parts of them which were particucularly inserted and written by Samuel himself or Nathan c. are quoted or referr'd to in the Books of the Chronicles they are mentioned as Distinct Books the meaning of which is that they are Distinct Parts of such a History and wrote by such Particular Persons who altogether made up that
of all the Latin Editions was the most generally received and used and was really the Antientest of all the Latin Translations But this was but a Translation of a Translation viz. that of the 70 and must have undergone the same Censure with the Greek Version of which I spoke before if it had been now extant But it is not it is wholly lost only the Psalms remain and as much as is found quoted here and there in the Fathers and Antient Writers 2. St. Ierom's Version for this Learned Father observing the Errors in the several Latin Versions the Italian especially which were in his time did as I said before translate both the Old and New Testament himself the first he wholly did by a New Translation out of the Hebrew Original the second was rather a Correction and Emendation of the Old Latin or Italian Version than a New One. The Psalms because they were daily sung in the Churches and could not without offence to the People be changed remained the same that they were in the Old Version There is no occasion to add any Censure of Ours here concerning this Translation because it agrees with the Original Hebrew Only we will observe that when St. Ierom had finished it it was not presently received by the Latin Church but many Bishops refused it and St. Augustin particularly forbad it to be read in his Diocess so greatly did they esteem the Greek Version of the LXX Many that were ignorant in the Hebrew Tongue spoke against this Translation as a meer Innovation and fell heavily upon the Author of it But he with great earnestness defended his Work and sometimes repaid the Invectives of his Adversaries with too much Bitterness Though some Bishops and others disliked his Translation yet it was authorized and approved of by Damasus the then Bishop of Rome by whose Command it was first undertaken and a great Number of other understanding Persons who saw its conformity to the Hebrew Text and perceived it was void of those Mistakes which the other Latin Translations abounded with whilst this Division Iasted both the Translations were publickly read i. e. they read some Books of the Bible in Ierom's Version and others in the Italian and this lasted till the time of Gregory the Great At length another Translation prevail'd viz. 3. The Vulgar which we now have which is made up of both the former and is call'd by the Romanists Vetus Vulgata This by degrees got the better of all the others in the Roman Church and was generally used by them and is still Authentick there and is the Vulgar Latin which they now so commend yea which some of the Church of Rome hold to be of Divine Inspiration and consequently free from all Faults either in Words or Matter and there are others of them as Genebrard and Mariana who extravagantly extol it and they would perswade us that both the Italian and St. Ierom's Version and comprised in this one But it is evident that this is not the Old Italian Translation which was used before Ierom and Augustin's Time for that was made out of the Greek Version of the 70 Interpreters whereas this differs from it in many Places Nor is this Vulgar Latin of the Church of Rome St. Ierom's Version because that was exactly according to the Hebrew Text but this though it comes nearer to the Hebrew than to the 70 Interpreters yet it often varies from the Hebrew and adds many things to it as in the Book of Kings especially and in other Places So that this Modern Vulgar Edition is not the Pure Version of Ierom but mixt of his Translation and of the old one which was in the Latin Church before his Time And this is the Opinion even of those Great Romanists Baronius and Bellarmine We know then what censure to give of this Latin Edition of the Bible it is for the greatest Part of it very Antient and hath been used many Ages in the Church and is justly reckon'd to be a very Learned Translation for which reason Fagius who was well skill'd in the Hebrew Tongue and Drusius whom all acknowledg to be a Learned Critick had a great Reverence for this Edition and give a very high Character of it and Beza and Grotius prefer it before all other Latin Translations Yet this is certain it hath many things faulty in it it leaves the Hebrew very often and follows the Septuagint or the Chaldee Paraphrase or even some Rabbin Luoas Brugensis took notice of above six hundred Faults in it and Isidore Clarius a Spanish Abbot and afterwards of the Council of Trent observed eight thousand Errata's in it Besides that it hath many Barbarous Words the Sense in many Places is corrupted and sometimes quite lost Sometimes it runs directly contrary to the Original Text as in Gen. 8. 7. non revertebatur instead of revertebatir And in 1 Cor. 15. 51. Omnes quidem resurgemus sed non omnes immutabimur whereas according to the Greek it should have been Non omnes dormiemus sed omnes mutabimur And several Instances might be produced of the like Nature So far is the Vulgar Latin from being absolutely Authentick as the Council of Trent determined it to be even before that Edition was mended But see how that Council baffles it self it defines the Vulgar Latin to be the Authentick and then orders it to be Corrected and printed again Accordingly the Popes set about the mending of it first Sixtus the Fifth put forth a mended Copy and tied all Persons to that when he was dead Gregory the Fourteenth set about the correcting of that Edition and afterwards Clement the Eighth amended Pope Gregory's in many Places This was done after the Council of Trent had declared the Vulgar Latin to be the Authâ—ntick Copy Which with what we have suggested before is a clear Proof that it deserves not that Epithet but that there were and are still in it many Corruptions In vain therefore doth the Church of Rome prefer this Vulgar Latin Edition of the Bible before the Hebrew and Greek Originals unreasonably do the Doctors of that Church complain of the Defects and Errors of these yea maliciously do they urge the Disagreement between these especially the Hebrew and the Vulgar Latin and thereby endeavour to accuse the Sacred Scriptures of Imperfection The Sum is notwithstanding what the Romanists and some others that are their Abettors endeavour to impose upon the World the latter i. e. the Vulgar Latin is ever to be corrected by the former viz. the Hebrewd and not this by that Besides these 3 Old Latin Versions there are others that may justly be called Modern for soon after the Year of our Lord 1500 there arose several Learned Men well skill'd in the Tongues who seeing the Corruptions that were in the Latin Versions and comparing these with the Originals endeavoured to correct them by those Fountains Hence after the Attempts of Ximenius Archbishop of Toledo in hiâ—
understand them aright I propound these ensuing Rules and Directions First It is requisite that we furnish our selves with other Learning to make our selves capable of understanding the Bible All Arts require a Master and Teacher even the lowest and mechanical All Trades and Sciences are to be learn'd none presumes to meddle with them till they have been instructed in them And yet we may observe that all degrees of Persons pretend to interpret the Scriptures though they were never instructed never prepared as St. Ierom complain'd of old A great many imagine that the Weakest Brains can comprehend the Contents of this Book and without all other knowledg attain to the meaning of them But this is a gross Mistake and is one cause of Mens wresting and corrupting the Scriptures They are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Pet. 3. 16. unlearned and unwilling to be taught for so the Word imports they neglect the means of Knowledg they use not the proper Helps conducing to it Or whatever they were in St. Peter's Time we are sure that now a competent Measure of Humane Learning is required to understand these Writings For though they surpass all Humane Wisdom yet it is as true that they have strictures of all Arts and Sciences in them and are written in the Learned Languages and as I have shew'd formerly contain in them all sorts of Words Phrases and Idioms Wherefore there is a Necessity of the Arts and Tongues for understanding this Book In the Writings of Moses and the Prophets of the Apostles and Evangelists there are the Rites Customs Manners Opinions Sayings Proverbs of almost all Nations in the World especially of the Antient Hebrews Wherefore a Knowledg of their Writings and Antient Monuments a Converse with History and Antiquities are absolutely requisite especially for explaining the difficult Places And to have a true Notion of several Passages in the Epistles of the Apostles Ecclesiastical History in needful which gives us nitice of the Hereticks of that time or of those concerning whom the Apostles prophetically speak The Writings of the Fathers are to be consulted and that with great application of Mind that we may not mistake the Interpretations which those Learned and Pious Men give of the respective Places of Scripture that we may be ediâ—ied by their Religious Comments but not imbibe any of their Errors This which I now say principally concerns the Guides and Ministers of the Church who are supposed to be Men of Learning and Scholarship and truly a great Part of the Bible is more especially fitted for such It is their province to expound and teach this Holy Book which is it self a Library and is of that Nature that it cannot be rightly understood and explain'd without acquaintance with the Antient Writers of the Church without skill in the Tongues Rhetdrick Logick Philosophy History Criticism for as it is furnish'd with all Literature so it requires all to unfold it aright As for the Apostles tho some of them had no knowledg in Arts and Sciences yet that Defect was abundantly recompensed by the extraordinary Gifts and Endowments of the Holy Ghost So most of the Primitive Christians in the Apostles Days who were not Hebrews understood the Language in which the Old Testament was written by their Gift of Tongues And as for the Greek of the New Testament it was universally known and so was in a manner the native Tongue both to the Jews and others of that time But Men are not now instructed in Strange Languages by the Spirit nor are they born with Hebrew or Greek neither are they Inspired with Arts and Humane Knowledg and consequently Study and Reading and Long Exercise are indispensably requisite Clement of Alexandria would have his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. his Perfect and Compleat Theologuâ— be skill'd in Humane Literature and Philosophy Inshort to be a Consummate Divine and thorowly knowing in the Bible it is necessary that he be a Man of Universal Learning Secondly that we may read and understand the Scriptures it is requisite that we be exceeding Attentive Observing Considerate that we be very Inquisitive Thoughtful and Diligent This Rule may be explain'd in several Particulars 1. We must use great Thoughtfulness Diligence and Care in penetrating into the Design and Sense of those Inspired Writings St. Chrysostom delivers the Rule thus we must not only examine the meer naked Words and insist upon them simply and absolutely consider'd but we must chiefly attend to the Mind and Intent of the Writer Sometimes instead of an Absolute meaning of the Words in Scripture they are to be taken Comparatively or with Limitation they must be restrain'd to the Matter in Hand As to Instance No Man can say that Iesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost 1. Cor. 12. 3. i. e. no Man can say so from his Heart There is that Reserve implied Where I am ye eannot come John 7. 34. i. e. ye can't come yet but afterwards you shall All that came before me are Thieves and Robbers John 1 o. 8. i. e. all False Prophets for he means them are such It is reported that there is such Fornication among you as is not so much as named among the Gentiles that one should have his Father's Wife 1 Cor. 5. 1. This sort of Fornication was not only named but practis'd among the Gentiles for there are several Examples in Pagan Story of marrying the Father's Wife therefore here must be meant the more Sober Sort of Gentiles And so in many other Places things which seem to be absolutely spoken are to be understood in a restrained Sense 2. It is necessary that we be very thoughtful and inquisitive about the Context the Dependance the Connection of those Places which we search into We are to be exceeding mindful what the Words refer to what Coherence they have with what went before and what follows To Know the true Sense of them we must carefully observe the Subject-matter for this is certain that Propositions are true or not true according to this You will meet with several Instances of this in my former Discourses on the Holy Scriptures and therefore I will forbear to mention any here Only I offer this at present as a General Rule for guiding us to the true and genuine meaning of Scripture 3. This Attentiveness and Care must be exercis'd in Comparing one Place with another or with divers others if there be occasion For as an Intelligent Person rightly suggests all Truth being consonant to it self and all being penn'd by one and the self-same Spirit it cannot be but that an industrious and judicious Comparing of Place with Place must be a singular help for the right understanding of the Scriptures This One Rule if well and duly observ'd will carry us through most of the Difficulties of the Bible For this we may depend upon that the Scripture is its own Interpreter that the best Comment on this Book is it self Wherefore let
us not be hasty and giddy but diligently compare the Scripture with it self for there are certain Texts and Passages of the Bible that are allied to and symbolize with one another The observing of this will be of great Advantage to us Thus Gen. 49. may be explain'd out of Deut. 32. The Blessings and Prophecies of Iacob concerning the Tribes receive Light hence and also from the particular Histories in Ioshua and Iudges concerning the Actions of the several Tribes This ought to be remembred that Obscure and Difficult Places of Scripture are to be explain'd by those that are Clear and Easy We must interpret those that are Uncertain by Texts that are undoubtedly certain and plain So as for those that are Brief and Contracted the best way is to expound them by those that are Large and Full. The Beatitudes in Luke 6. are the same but epitomized with those in Matth. 5. and therefore there is good reason to explain the former by the latter That Text of Isaiah ch 6. v. 9. Hear ye indeed but understand not c. is contracted in Mark 4. 12. Luke 8. 10. Iobn 12. 40. but it is at large in Mat. 13. 14 15. and accordingly thence the Sense appears best And whilest we are expounding one Place by another we must not forget to search diligently into all the Circumstances of either and to consider distinctly by whom of what particular thing to whom at what time on what occasion they were spoken If we be thus Industrious and Attentive we shall be effectually directed to the right meaning of the Texts and we shall find none of those Contradictions which Unthinking and Careless Readers through want of Collation of Texts imagine to be in Scripture 4. This Inquisâ—tiveness and Observation will lead us to a discovery of the singular Elegancy and Beauty of the Sacred Stile There are peculiar Forms and Modes of Speech in several Nations proper to them and 't is very hard to rendeâ— them in another Tongue or if you attempt it the Elegancy vanisheth Thus there is a particular Excellency and Lustre in the Phrase and manner of Expression which the Holy Ghost useth in this Book it is such that it sometimes rises above the strain of the most Eloquent Orators of Greece or Rome But this cannot be taken notice of by the generality of Readers because it is impossible to discern it unless with great sedulity they search into the Words themselves and by being acquainted with the Original come to perceive the peculiar Grace of the Words and Phrases Thus in the Greek of the New Testament there is in many Places a most Remarkable Choice of Words and a Wonderful Accommodating them to the Matter spoken of Many Words in this Language are so full and comprehensive that they cannot be express'd in English We do not reach the pregnancy of the Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gal. 6. 3. and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tit. 1. 10. for in these Words is included not only deceiving but self-deceit or deceiving and imposing upon a Man 's own Mind Yea the latter Word which is barely rendred Deceivers may import the deceiving of the Minds or Souls of others Our Translators are forced to use two Words to render that single one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iam. 5. 16. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. Pet. 4. 15. is translated by a Poriphrasis six Words in English for one in Greek but indeed this is a Compound or Double Word There is more in the Original Luke 21. 34. than can be express'd in the Translation We render it thus Take heed lest your Hearts be overcharged But there is a Marvellous Elegancy in the Greek which ordinary Readers cannot perceive For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is an equivocal Word and signifies not only the Soul and its Faculties but that noble Visous of the Heart well known by that Name and also that Part of the Body which is the receptacle of Meat and Drink viz. the Stomach This is a Criticism not unworthy the taking notice of and it much inhanses the Sense of our Saviour's Excellent Caveat here That 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath this latter Signification sometimes is evident from the Name of that Distemper which Physicians give to the Pain in the upper Oriâ—ice of the Stomach which being near to the Heart affects that whence the Distemper is call'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is vulgarly call'd Heart-burning which is indeed a Distemper of the upper Mouth of the Stomach and should rather be call'd Stomach-burning which is when this part of the Body is pained and disordered by reason of some sharp and noxious Humour The Stomach and the Heart affecting one another by Consent the former hath been call'd by the Greek Word which is given to the latter Thus Galen testifies that the old Physicians used the Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in this Sense and accordingly the Cardiac Distemper was that of the Stomach The affinity of these Words might also be shew'd in the Latin Stomachus and the English Stomach which denote sometimes that Great Spirit and Stubborness which â—ave their Seat in the Heart But it most manifestly appears as I have shewâ—d in that Language wherein the New Testament is written and St. Luke who was a Greek Physician and well skill'd in the Terms of the Art did particularly refer to this and notably uses a Word that signisies both the Stomach and Heart properly so call'd because this fitly agrees to what our Saviour saith that they should not be overcharg'd with Surfeiting and Drunkenness wherein the Stomach is mainly concern'd nor with the Cares of this Life wherein the Heart and Affections are most interested Wherefore a Word that imports both is very elegant A parallel Place is that Acts 14. 17. filling our Hearts with Food and Gladness where 't is plain that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is an equivocal Term and signifies something else besides Hearts for if there were not this Ambiguity in the Word filling their Hearts with Food would be a very odd and unaccountable Expression But the Translators could not use both Senses therefore they set down one and left the other to be understood But the Doubtful Word according to the Subject matter may be applied both ways that is their Stomachs were replenished with Food and their Hearts as that signifies the Soul and its Affections with Gladness And further to corroborate this Criticism and to shew the peculiar Excellency and Pregnancy of the Scripture-Stile the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is appropriated to the Stomach in Iam. 5. 5. Ye have nourish'd your Hearts as in a Day of Slaughter for here by a Day of Slaughter as all Expositors of any Note grant is meant a Day of Feasting because on Great Festivals many Beasts were kill'd for Sacrifice and a great part of them were eaten by the Sacrificers and their Friends Prov. 7. 14. Isa. 22. 13. And consequently by Hearts we
and went after Strange Gods and Strange Women And we never read in Scripture that he repented either of his Idolatry or his Whoredoms Is it likely that this Gross Apostate was inspired by the Holy Ghost Is it probahle that he had the Honour of being one of the Penmen of Sacred Writ Answ. It is true Solomon was as great a Reproach to the True Religion as ever any Person was if we consider all his Circumstances His Sins were of a very High Nature his Faults were most Heinous and Scandalous and that Man is half guilty of them that endeavours to excuse them A most provoking Crime it was in him that had been so highly favour'd of God to give himself up to his Lusts a most horrid Offence it was even in his old Age in the close of his Life as if now his Years had made him Decrepid and Idolatrous too to bow down to Idols But shall we think that Solomon bowed so low that he could not rise again that he fell and never recovered himself I confess no meaner a Man than St. Augustin seems to be of this Opinion This Hard Father of Infants was as harsh against Solomon pronouncing him a Person wholly cast out of God's Favour and never received to Mercy again and some Other Fathers as St Cyprian and Prosper question his Salvation Bellarmin and Pererius positively conclude he was damned but then we find three others of that Communion and of the same Order peremptorily asserting the contrary Maldonate declares he doth not know what to determine Of which Mind it seems was that Archbishop of Toledo who â—aus'd King Solomon to be painted on the Walls of his Chappel half in Hell and half in Heaven But to wave the Opinions and Censures of Particular Persons at present it is generally the Judgment of the Christian Church that Solomon repented and was saved And there are such Reasons as these to induce us to believe it 1. There is no absolute concluding from the Greatness of his Sins that he repented not and that he was damned for we are assured that King Manasseâ— was a Greater Sinner than ever he was for unto all manner of Idolatry he added the Diabolical Practices of Witchcraft and Inchantment 2 Chron. 33. 3 c. and yet his hearty Repentance and Turning unto God are recorded v. 12 13 19. Yea David Solomon's own Parent was a very Heinous Criminal if the Sins of Studied Murder which we do not find his Son guilty of and Adultery could make him such and yet such was the Divine Goodness that upon his humble Acknowledgment of these Crimes and reforming his Ways he was acquitted of these Offences And why may not the same Mercy be shew'd to the Son and what ground have we to exclude him from partaking of it upon his unfeigned Repentance 2. That he did repent and was saved may be gather'd from 2 Chron. 11. 17. where the walking in the Way of David and Solomon is mention'd as walking Holily and so as is Acceptable to God Upon which Passage a Judicious Writer hath these Words This very Place and Passage saith he may resolve that Solomon was no more finally cast away for his Idolatry than David was for his Adultery and Murder We see that David and Solomon are here joined together their way of Walking is represented as the same as much as to tell us that as David was a Man after God's own Heart excepting the Murder of Vriah and Debauching his Wife so was his Son Solomon excepting the latter Part of his Life 3. Solomon's Book of Ecclesiastes as hath been suggested already is a plain Testimony of his Repentance Here he bewails his former Follies here he makes a Publick Retractation of them and doth as it were Penance for them before all the World We may therefore sâ—fely vote him a True Penitent a Real Convert at last and now a Saint in Heaven 4. In express Words according to the Septuagint his Repentance is recorded Prov. 24. 32. Afterwards or at last I repented Or if this Version be not admitted and although we cannot produce an Express Text though that is not necessary for it is not any where recorded that Lot repented of his Incest or that some Others whose Salvation we question not were heartily sorry for their Miscarriages yet there is ground to believe his Conversion not only from what hath been said but from what we are able further to alledg 5. Therefore we must consider that this Inspired Secretary of the Holy Spirit was of the Number of the Prophets concerning whom our Infallible Teacher saith that they are all in the Kingdom of God Luke 13. 28. It is not to be question'd but that those Prophets who were made use of by God in so Extraordinary a manner as to be Sacred Writers of the Bible were all admitted into the Kingdom of Heaven and are placed in the Mansions of Glory Besides such Persons as these who spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost are pronounced Holy Men of God by St. Peter 2 Ep ch 1. v. 21. None had that Honour but those who were of Real Saâ—ctity i. e. the Prophecy of Scripture which he speaks of in that place was vouchsafed to none but such And therefore though Solomon's Repentance be not expresly recorded yet when we know that he was one of the most Eminent Penmen of the Sacred Scripture we have Reason to think that notwithstanding God suffer'd him for a time to fall into those scandalous Sins yet he return'd afterwards to him by unfeigned Repentance and was Renewed and Reformed and died a Holy and Righteous Person 6. This is evident from that Promise which God made to Solomon 2 Sam. 7. 15. My Mercy shall not depart away from him Which is commented upon by the wise Son of Sirach speaking of this King's Follies and Extravagancies and the sad Events of them The Lord saith he will never leave off his Mercy neither shall any of his Works perish neither will he abolish the Posterity of his Elect and the Seed of him that loveth him he will not take away Ecclesiastic 47. 22. Whence we may rationally gather that Solomon was not cast off by God but still continued in his Favour Some argue from his Name Agur which they say implies his former Failings and his being Reclaimed Others think his Name Iedidiah Beloved of the Lord is a good Intimation that he became a True Penitent and was saved And some conceive that because he was a Type of the Blessed Iesus he could not miscarry But whether these have any Weight or no I am confident no considerate Person can deny the Force of the Reasons before alledged We may from them alone conclude that Solomon was not finally rejected by God yea that he was upon his hearty Repentance received into Favour and is now in the Number of the Blessed And this was the Judgment of those Antient and Learned Writers of the Church
St. Ierom Ambrose Hilary Cyril Let us then forget his Faults when we study his Books wherein it is certain there are no Errata's he being an Interpreter of the Holy Ghost unto us and when he utter'd these things being a Friend and Favourite of God But suppose we knew certainly which we do not and cannot but have sufficient ground for the contrary that he was at last cast off yet I do not see how this doth necessarily invalidate his Writings God might if he pleas'd make use of a Bad Man to pen some Part of the Bible as he thought fit to call Iudas to the Apostleship and to be an Eminent Preacher of the Gospel Therefore though we should grant that Solomon was an Apostate yet this is no direct Argument against the Validity and Authority of his Writings But there being such great Probability not to say Reasons on the other side we need not fly to this Answer but on good ground perswade our selves that Solomon who was once 〈◊〉 with Sacred Wisdom never loâ—t it wholly and consequently that we ought not to be prejudiced against what he hath writ by reason of his gross Fallings and Miscarriages Next we are to speak of the Books of the Prophets Of those who propheâ—â—ed after the Diviâ—ion of the ten Tribes from the other two but before the Captivity of either Isaiah is the first and most eminent He was of the Blood Royal his Father Amoz being Brother to Azariah King of Iudâ—â— He was an old Prophet having been in that Employment under four Kings of Iudah as he tells us himself and all this time which was about threescore Years he faithfully discharged the Part of a True Prophet in an impartial reproving of the Vices and Disorders of the Age he lived in 〈◊〉 a free and open displaying the Judgments of God which were impendent on that Nation yet not forgetting to threaten and denounce Vengeance on those Foreign and Strange People who were instrumental in inâ—â—â—cting these Judgments and who for their crying Enormities deserv'd to be destroy'd viz. Aslyrians Egyptians Ethiopians Moabites Edomites Tyrians Arabians in a most Pathetick Exhortation to Repentance and in setting before them the Promises of Mercy and Dâ—liverance This last especially he is most famous for clearly foretelling the Deliverance of the Jews from their Captivity in Babylon by the Hand of Cyrus King of Persia and this he expresly mention'd an hundred Years before it came to pass But his Predictions concerning the Messias are the most remarkable of all He in plain Terms â—oretels not only the Coming of Christ in the Flesh but all the Great and Memorable Passages which belonged to him He speaks as clearly and distinctly of these as if our Saviour had blessed the World with his Presence at that very time when he wrote his Prophecy He seems to speak saith St. Ierom rather of things past than to come and he may be call'd an Evangelist rather than â— Prophet Which is the Reason without doubt of the so frequent Citations which are made of this Book in the New Testament for you may observe that Christ himself his Evangelists and Apostles have quoted about threescore Places out of it Iâ— reading of this Book then we read the Gospel it self we antedate the New Testament by the Writings of this Evangelical Prophet I have intimated before that he is the most Eloquent of all the Prophets He was the Hebrew Demosthenes as Grotius rightly stiles him the Purity of Hebraism is to be seen in him as in the other that of Atticism He useth many Schemes and Figures but none is more remarkable than that for which that Athenian Orator was so applauded saith Quintilian his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his Excellent Art of adding Gravity Force and Vehemence to what he saith he continually Exaggerates and Amplifies the Matter which he undertakes He had above other Prophets an Advantage of improving his Stile by reason of his Noble Descent and conversing with Men of great Parts and Elocution But the maiâ— thing wherein he excels the rest of the Prophets is this that he saith more of our Lord Christ than all of them put together This is his Pecâ—liar Excellency that he makes so early a Discovery of the Advent of our Blessed Lord and of the Great Mysteries of the Gospel Ieremiah was another Antient Prophet he beginning to prophesy in the thirteenth Year of King Iosiah and continuing in that sacred Employment till the last Year of King Zedekiah He saw the Captivity of the Kingdom of Samaria and after that the total Destruction of the Kingdom of Iudah and of the Temple Part of this famous Prophecy yea most of it was after the Captivity of Israel and before that of Iudah from chap. 1. to ch 44. and part of it was in the time of the latter Captivity this Prophet being not carried captive with the other Jews but remaining in Iudea and afterwards carried into Egypt from chap. 44 to the end In the whole are comprized many things of great Worth and Moment for here wefind this Divine Prophet laying open the Sins of the Kingdom of Iudah with an unparallell'd Freedom and Boldness and reminding them of the Severe Judgments which had befallen the ten Tribes for the very same Offences and Miscarriages Here this Weeping Prophet this Iewish Heraclitus most passionately laments the miserable Condition which they were plunging themselves into and withal directs them how to prevent it namely by a speedy reforming of their Lives But at last he more peremptorily proclaims God's Wrath and Vengeance against them foreseeing and foretelling the Grievous Calamities which were approaching particularly the Seventy Years Captivity in Chaldaea which began as some think with the carrying away of those of Iudah He also disswades them from breaking Faith with the Chaldeans after they were conquered by them and sheweth how unsuccessful thâ—y should be in their revolting from them to the Egyptians But even then he foretels their happy Return and Deliverance and likewise the Just Recompence which Babylon Moab the Philistines and other Enemies of the Church should meet with in due time Here are also several Intimations concerning Christ the Blessed Messias and Redeemer and concerning his Kingdom and Government in the times of the Gospel Here are many Remarkable Visions and Types wherein are represented things of the highest Nature And lastly here are sundry Historical Passages of considerable Moment which relate to those times So that the whole Book is of Inestimable Worth and such as is not to be found any where but in the Sacred Volume His Lamentations which are in Hebrew Verse and are so contrived that in the four first Chapters every Verse excepting one begins with a Hebrew Letter in the Alphabetick Order were written on the Death of that Religious Prince Iosiah which appears from what is recorded in a Chron. 35. 25. Jeremiah lamented for Josiah and all the singing Men and