of the Pentateuch that Excellent Philosopher Law-giver Historian that Captain that Prince that Prophet that Man of God who was the Inspired Writer of the five first Books of the Bible The first of which as I said before is Genesis which begins with the History of the Creation And I call it a History in opposition to the fond Conceit of those Men who read the Beginning of this Book with Cabalistick Spectacles only and think there are nothing but Allegories and Mysteries in the whole Text. But the contrary is very evident to unprejudiced Minds and to such as are not so I have propounded Arguments in another Place viz. when I treated of the Literal and Mystical Sense of Scripture to take off their Prejudces and Mistakes This I did because it is necessary to be firmly perswaded of the Truth and Certainty of what we meet with here in our Entrance into the Bible It is indispensably requisite that we believe Moses to have delivered these things as an Historian and that he speaks real Matter of Fact when he gives us a Narrative of the Beginning of all things and particularly of the Original of Man his Innocency and Happiness and after that his Fall which was the Source of all Sin of the Devil's Tyranny of Death of Hell and of all Evils whatsoever The Knowledg and Belief of This are the Basis of all Religion and that perhaps was the Meaning of Luther's Saying that the First Chapter of Genesis comprehends the whole scripture Wherefore this is with great Wisdom premised in the Entrance of this Sacred Volume To which afterwards are adjoined the Propagation of Mankind the Rise of Religion and of the Church of God the Invention of Arts the General Defection and Corruption of the World the Universal Delâ—ge which drown'd all Mankind but Noah and his Family the Restoration of the World the Certain Distinction of Times before the Flood and partly after it the Confusion of Toâ—gues and thereupon the Division of the Earth among the Sons of Men the Plantation of Families the Original of Nations and Kingdoms as the Assyrian Monâ—â—chy begun in Nimrod or Belus and the Egyptian Dynasty the History of the first Patriarchs not only before but after the General Deluge as of Noab the Preacher of Righteousness of Abraham the Father of the Faithful of Isaac the Seed in which all Nations were to be blessed of Iacob the Father of the twelve Tribes of Ioseph whose Memorable Actions are here fully recorded and with which this First Book of Moses â—nds unless the Book of Genesis may be said to reach as far as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because of that Promise contain'd in it concerning the Seed of the Woman that was to break the Serpent's Head Viz. Christ the Redeemer made of a Woman and sent to subdue the Devil and to destroy Sin and Death But because this First Book begins with the Creation of the World and is therefore by the Rabbins call'd the Book of the Creation I will here annex a brief View of the several Distinct Steps of this Great Work as they are represented to us by this Inspired Writer and Divine Philosopher who acquaints us that there were six Days spent in erecting this glorious Fabrick of the World And this will be a farther Proof of what I said before viz. that in Scripture is the Truest Philosophy When Moses saith In the Beginning God created the Heaven and the Earth Ver. 1. he doth in these Words give us a summary Account of all that he intended to say afterwards in this Chapter for Heaven and Earth comprehend the Whole Creation This first Verse then is to be look'd upon as a General Draught of the Production of all things and the Particulars of it follow in the next Verses where the several Days Works are distinctly set down The Product of the first Day was two-fold viz. the Terraqueous Mass call'd here the Earth and Light There was first of all created a Rude Confused Heap by Profane Writers call'd the Chaos an Indigested Mass of Earth and Water mix'd together out of which God afterwards made all Corporeal things which belong to this lower World For we must not as some imagine that the Celestial Bodies were composed out of the Earthly Chaos that all the Vast Spaces of the Heavenly Mansions owe their Rise to this Mass below and that the very Stars were the Offspring of the Earth No Moses gives us to understand that this Confused Lump was the Original only of the Lower World for the Earth in this first Verse is mention'd as one Part of the new-created World as distinct from Light the other Part of the Creation As Light then of which I shall speak next was the Primordial Matter of the Ethereal Celestial and Shining Bodies so this Gross and Lumpish Heap was that of which all Dark and Heavy Bodies were compounded This Unshapen Mass without Form and void is here by a general Name call'd the Earth though it was not in a strict sense such for the Earth as a distinct Body from all others was the Work of the third Day In this Place therefore by Earth is meant Earth and Water blended together which made one Great Bog or Universal Quagmire This is the plainest and truest Conception we can have of the Primitive State of the World And hence without doubt was derived the Opinion of Thales and some other Antient Philosophers that Water or Slime or Mud for they express it variously was the Source of all Beings whatsoever And certain it is that this Terraqueous Matter was the first Origine of all those material Beings before-mention'd Accordingly Sir W. Raleigh in the Beginning of his History of the World determines that the Substance of the Waters as mix'd in the Body of the Earth is by Moses understood in the word Earth Hitherto according to the Mosaick History Nature is in her Night-clothes the World is overspread with Darkness which is especially said to be on the face of the Deep by which is meant either the whole Disorder'd Mass which was an Abyss or else as is most probable the Watry Part of it for though this and the Earthy Parts were mix'd together yet these latter being lightest were generally uppermost and floted above all and appear'd on the Surface of the Earth Therefore that Learned Knight before mention'd observes that the Earth was not only mix'd but cover'd with the Waters But the Spirit of God as Moses proceeds to tell us maved or hover'd over this Dark Abyss this Mix'd Chaos especially the Waters as 't is particularly said because these were uppermost and hereby the Rude Matter was prepared to receive its several Forms and then the World began to throw off its Dark and Sable Mantle and to appear in a Bright Dress For the other Product of this first Day and which indeed made it Day was Light i. e. some Lucid Body or Bodies which yet cast but a Glimmering Splendor a
foretold concerning Xerxes that by his Strength through his Riches he should stir up all against the Realm of Greece ver 2. which we read was punctually fulfilled for he entred Greece with an Army that consisted of a Million of Men. And what is said concerning Alexander the Great viz. that his Kingdom should be broken and divided towards the four Winds of Heaven and not to his Posterity c. ver 4. we know was really accomplish'd The rest of the Chapter is a Prophetical History of the Exploits of those several lesser Kings among whom the Grecian Monarchy after Alexander's Death was divided especially of Antiochus the Great and of Antiochus Epiphanes Here as in the former Chapters you may see many things foretold a long time before they were fulfill'd which is a certain and undeniable Argument of the Prophetick Spirit in the Scriptures We might proceed to the Predictions and Prophecies of the New Testament which we see also are performed in great measure Here was foretold the wonderful Propagation of the Gospel the Rejection of it by the Jews the Receiving of it by the Gentiles the Destruction of Ierusalem and all the Calamities of that Nation These Predictions we know are accomplished Besides in the Writings of the New Testament we read that Christ foretold many things concerning himself and his Followers as the Scandal which his Disciples especially Peter would give Mat. 26. 31. Peter's triple Denial of him Luke 22. 31. and yet at the same time he foretold that it should not be accompanied with a final falling away ver 32. He foretold that he should be betrayed and that he should be mock'd and scourg'd and at last crucisied and that the third Day he should rise again Mat. 20. 17 18 19. And as he predicted his own Death the Place Time and Kind of it with the time of his Resurrection and I might have added also of his Ascension and of his sending the Holy Ghost so he did the same as to the manner of Peter's Death and he foretold Iohn the Evangelist's long Life He told his Disciples what should befal them after his Departure what Calamities and Sufferings they should meet with for their professing the Gospel and owning his Cause He acquainted them that the Gospel should be preach'd throughout the whole World that Scandals and Heresies should come into the Church that many should apostatize from the Faith and desert Christianity Mat. 24. And the Evangelists and Apostles as well as our Saviour from that Spirit of Prophecy which was in them foretold sundry things which we see since are fulfilled In their Writings are Predictions concerning the Calling of the Gentiles the Conversion of the Jews the State of the Christian Church the Rise of Antichrist his Character his Progress and his dreadful Downfal a great part of which is already fulfill'd Much of the Fate of the World which they foretold God hath brought to pass which gives us assurance that the rest will be accomplish'd in due time Yea there are at this day Prophecies fulfill'd every hour as that of the Blessed Virgin in her Magnificat From henceforth all Generations shall call me Blessed Luke 1. 48. The Memory of this holy Woman is daily celebrated in the Christian Church and her Name is blessed throughout all the Assemblies of the Saints They with one accord rejoice that of her was born the Holy JESUS who is Blessed for evermore And so likewise what Simeon and Anna foretold of Christ are every day accomplished some part of their Prophecies is at this very instant made good That is another Prophecy which is now fulfilling 2 Tim. 3. 1. In the last Days perillous Times shall come for c. with several others that might be named the Accomplishment of which no unprejudiced Man and of common Ingenuity will refuse to acknowledg Now this wonderful Prophetick Spirit in Scripture is a strong Argument that these Writings were inspired by God and that the Matter of them is Divine For the foreknowing or foretelling of things to come is one Character of the True God as you read in Isa. 41. 22 23. From thence it is evident that none can predict them unless he be immediately enlightned and taugh◠of God The certain and infallible Knowledg of future Contingences which depend on free Causes is from Him alone Wherefore when we see as in our present Case that things were expresly foretold several hundreds of Years before they came to pass and when we see that the Events exactly answer'd to the Predictions we cannot but acknowledg that these Predictions were from God and could not be from any else If it be objected That other Writings beside◠the Bible have Predictions in them and that Men of Skill and Sagacity do sometimes foretel Futurities yea that those who have the least Converse with God those who deal with Evil Spirits have predicted things to come and therefore this Argument is of no force I answer first It is true that Natural Skill especially improved by Art by Reason and Philosophy and the knowledg of the Laws of Nature will give Men Insight into some Futurities For God hath impress'd a particular Quality on Natural Bodies and they keep a constant Course He hath fixed a way for his Creatures to act in and they never go out of it of themselves The Operations and Effects of Fire and Water of Gravity and Levity in Bodies the Motion of the Sun and Moon and the Eclipses of either and the several Aspects of the Heavens may certainly be foretold for they continually and unerringly keep their Progress unless God pleaseth sometimes to cross their usual Course as when the Waters of the Red-Sea stood up on a heap whilst the Israelites passed over The Fire in Nebuchadnezzar's Furnace was restrain'd from doing any harm to those that were cast into it the Sun stood still in Ioshua's time and was retrograde in King 〈◊〉 And so there are monstrous and mishapen Creatures born into the World which deviate from the common Procedure of Nature But supposing that God suffers his Creatures to act according to the Laws of Nature it is easy to make a Judgment of them and to foretel what shall happen But the things we are speaking of and which are foretold in the Holy Writings are of another kind they are not fixed and determined by Nature and therefore 't is not in Man's power to predict their Events Again Physicians have their Prognosticks whereby they foretel what will become of the Patient whether the Disease will be hardly cured or easily or not at all But because these Prognosticks are founded on a great many Symptoms and these are uncertain and dubious it follows that those are so likewise though 't is certain an experienc'd Artist will see very far here Then as to future Occurrences in Bodies Politick a wise Man may by careful Observation and Remarks on the Affairs of the World gain some Insight into these by being long
to be Slow Bellies because they were given to Idleness and Gluttony or they might be call'd Quick Bellies because they were Greedy and Fierce Eaters Other Greek Words some of which occur in the New Testament might be taken notice of which have both a good and a bad Sense and so come under this Head as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a remarkable Word beginning with three Alpha's is valdènoxius and innoxius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is Inflammatio and Pituita a cold Humour 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bears a good Sense in its Primitive Acception and is no more than any Likeness or Image but it also and that most frequently signifies such an Image or Representation to which is given Religious Worship 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 were at first used to signify only Curiosity but afterwads they were taken in a worse Sense by some Authors and particularly by St. Luke Acts 19. 19. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies to have more than another but withal to have more than one ought to have to defraud and circumvent yea to defraud and injure by Adultery as St. Chrysostom and Dr. Hammond observe on 1 Thess. 4. 6. So 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is an honest Word was applied heretofore to a bad sort of Women little better than Concubines yea Harlots as we read in Theodoret and Epiphanius And so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was abused as St. Ierom complains The same is commonly said of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which was a good Word at first and signified a King but afterwards a Tyrant 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was a Professor of Wisdom and one that excell'd in any useful Science but at last it signified a mere Pretender to Art So 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a wholesome Medicine and a deadly Poison 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 though it is well known it hath an ill Sense yet sometimes like the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is no more than ubertim expleri So among the Latins the same Word sometimes hath a Contrary Meaning thus Expers is one that hath not Experience or Skill and one that hath Religio is taken for downright Superstition and Bigotry as well as the Due Worship of God Sacer by an usual Antiphrasis is made to signify that Person or Thing which is so far from being Holy that it is most Profane and Desecrate most Cursed and Detestable most Pernicious and Destructive So ignis sacer is reckon'd among the most Dangerous sorts of Ulcers by Celsus it is also the Name of the Erysipelas call'd by Pliny Zoster and was thought to be extremely pernicious and fatal when it encompassed the Part. And the sacer ignis in the Close of Virgil's third Book of Georgicks is interpreted to be the same by some Commentators by others the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and call'd sacer because of its Great Malignity Villanus was once an honest Rustick as Budaeus observes but now is a Name of Infamy So Missa the Mass was an innocent Word at first and signified no other than the Service of the Church but afterwards it degenerated into a very bad one and is appropriated to the Idolatrous Worship of the Church of Rome But enough of this CHAP. XI Some Difficulties in Scripture arise from the Matter or Manner of things delivered wherein prejudiced Minds fancy some Repugnancy or Contradiction The Cavils against Gen. 4. 14. largely and fully answered Numb 14. 30. reconciled with Josh. 14. 1. ch 22. 13. The seeming Repugnancy of 1 Sam. 16. 22 23 to chap. 17. ver 55. removed The Geometrical Scruple about the brazen Laver 2 Chron. 4. 2. dispell'd Another Objection concerning it founded on 1 Kings 7. 26. compared with 1 Chron. 4. 5. answered The Contradiction which some fancy in 2 Chron. 14. 5. compared with 1 Kings 15. 14. taken away A satisfactory Reply to the Cavil against Matth. 27. 9. The double Repugnancy conceived by some to be in Acts 7. 15. plainly solv'd John 5. 31. considered with ch 8. ver 14. shew'd to be void of Contradiction The same proved concerning our Saviour's Words in Matth. 10. 34. Heb. 9. 4. is not contrary to 1 Kings 8. 9. IN the third Place I will shew that not only from the Different and Contrary Significations of Words but from Other Causes viz. relating to the Matter it self or the Manner of what is spoken of or the Reference of one Text to another or the Duration of Time or some other Circumstances the Stile of Scripture becomes Dark and Perplexed Here I will produce some particular Scripture-Difficulties which arise on these Accounts and I will endeavour to resolve them First There seem to be in the very Matter and Manner of things deliver'd in Scripture for I will promiscuously speak of them both very great Absurdities Repugnances and Contradictions There seem I say i. e. to prejudiced and vitiated Minds there appear to be such but no Man of deliberate Thoughts and an honest Heart will look upon them as so I will not regard them so much as to insist long upon them but a few I will mention that they and the rest may not be thought Insuperable Difficulties I will begin with Gen. 4. 14. which I find alledged by some as a great Blemish in Scripture It shall come to pass that every one that findeth me shall slay me I begin I say with this Passage of Holy Writ not because it is really Difficult but because it is represented such by some ill-minded Men who thereby think to invalidate the Truth of the Sacred History Mr. Hobbes and others of the same temper have taken notice of such Passages as these in the Bible and endeavour by the exposing of them to diminish the Authority of the Scriptures and at the same time to shake the Credit of the whole Body of the Inspired Writings For thus they vent their Cavils against that place How could Cain say that Every one who found him would slay him when there was nobody at that time in the World but his Father and Mother and his Wife Had the World been peopled then indeed the guilty Man if we may call him so might have had occasion to fear that some body would seek to revenge the Death of Abel But there could be no ground of Fear when the World was so empty as we read it was wherefore these words of Cain contradict the plain History of Moses When he saith Every one that finds me c. it is implied that there were a great many at that time in the World which disagrees with what the same History delivers viz. That there were no more than Adam and his Wife and their Son Cain and his Wife then extant To which I answer 1. It is with too much Confidence averr'd by these Objectors that there were but four Persons at that time in being For this is a thing which they can never prove and the reason is
Fighting 3. Bow and Arrows Kesheth and Chitzim are of great Antiquity Indeed no Weapon is mention'd so soon take thy Weapons thy Quiver and thy Bow Gen. 27. 3. though it is true these are not spoken of here as used in War but Hunting And so they are supposed and implied before this viz. in Gen. 21. 20. where 't is said of Ishmael that he became an Archer he used Bow and Arrows in shooting of wild Beasts It is likely that the Military Art commenced from Mens encountâ—ring with Brutes They fought wiith wild Beasts and for that purpose invented Arms which afterwards they unhappily used against one another Particularly shooting with the Bow was first used in Hunting and Killing of Beasts and then of Men. At last there was scarcely any Battel fought but it was decided by the Bow It was so useful a Weapon that care was taken to train up the Hebrew Youth to it betimes When David had in a solemn Manner lamented the Death of K. Saul he immediately gave order for teaching the young Men the use of the Bow 1 Sam. 1. 18. that they might be skill'd in the Primitive Artillery of the World that they might be as expert as the Philistines by whose Bows and Arrows Saul and his Army were slain So in 2 Chron. 26. 14. we read that these were part of the Military Ammunition for in those times Bows were instead of Guns and Arrows supplied the Place of Powder and Ball. From Iob 20. 24. I gather that the Warlike Bow was generally made of Steel and consequently was very stiff and hard to bend wherefore they used their Foot in bending their Bows and thence to tread the Bow Jer. 50. 14. is to bend 〈◊〉 and Bows trodden Isa. 5. 28. 21. 15. are Bows â—â—nt as our Translators rightly render it but the Hebrew Word which is used in these Places is darak calcavit In short this Weapon was so requisite in War that it is thence call'd Kesheth Mil chamah the Bow of War or Battel-Bow Zech. 9. 10. 10. 4. Fourthly You may observe that the Great Commanders and Chief Warriours not only among the Egyptians Exod. 14. 6 7. Canaanites and Philistines Josh. 17. 16. Judg. 1. 19. 4. 3. 1 Sam. 13. 5. Syrians 2 Sam. 10. 18. 1 Kings 20. 21. Babylonians Ezek. 23. 24. but among the Iews 2 Sam. 15. 1. 1 Kings 10. 26. fought in Open Chariots or War-Coaches This was the antient manner of Fighting and afterwards was used by other Nations as Diodorus of Sicily reports Homâ—â— acquaints us that these Military Chariots were in use among the Trojans And that they were so among the Persians Quintus Curtius lets us know when he describes Darius's Army Xenophon attributes the Invention of these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as he calls them these Sithed Chariots to Cyrus But from this as many other things we may discern the Defect of these Historians and their failure in the Point of Antiquity These great Iron Chariots for Battel were much older than that Monarch We read of them in the Sacred History about a thousand Years before his time for Pharaoh's Chariots without doubt were of this kind which we may infer from the great Number of them which was six hundred and from the appointing of Captains over them Exod. 14. 7. which shews they were no other than their Fighting Chariots And we read that about fifty Years afterwards the Canaanites had got this sort of Warlike Vehicle and used them in that Champian Country which struck Terror into the Iews and made them almost despair of conquering that part of the Nation Iosh. 17. 16 18. I might add that our Predecessors the Old Britains as both Caesar and Tacitus record fought in these Chariots which as they describe them to us were fang'd at the Ends of the Axle-trees with Iron Hooks or Sithes With these fastned on both Sides and standing out about a Yard in length they cut down their Enemies that came in their way I remember the Hebrew Word Ketzir is both Harvest and War Exod. 23. 16. Isa. 9. here we have too true an Account of it for with these Sithe-Chariots they mowed Men down as some Corn at Harvest is wont to be Fifthly We learn from the Scriptures that when they were besieged of old they made use of Engines on their Towers and Bulwarks to shoot Arrows and great Stones withal 2 Chron. 26. 15. and when they sat down before a Place and resolv'd to besiege it they dug Trenches 2 Sam. 17. 20. they drew a Line of Circumvallation Lam. 2. 8. they made Ramparts they built Forts against it and cast a Mount against it and set the Camp also against it and set battering Rams against it round about Ezek. 4. 2. for though Carim in the last Place here mention'd signiâ—ies both Arietes and Duces and is taken in this latter Sense in Ezek. 21. 22. yet in this Place it seems to be restrained to the former denotation viz. of Iron Engines wherewith they batter'd down the Walls of a Town Of this sort is Mechi Ezek. 26. 9. whence perhaps 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Machina an Engine of War as we render it which they made use of to set against the Walls as you read there to demolish them and lay them even with the Ground It may be this is that Military Instrument with which they shot Stones into a City or besieged Place whichâ— theâ— foremention'd Place in the Chronicles and is perhaps the same with Sollelah Jer. 6. 6. an Engine of Shot as our Margin renders it These were of a resembling Nature with the Balistae and Catapultae among the Romans which were used for throwing Stones and Arrows and were to them of old instead of Mortars and Carcases Next I might observe that to give notice of an approaching Enemy and to bring the despersed Inhabitants of the Country together to resist and repel him they used to set up Beacons on the Tops of Mountains as a â—it Alarm on that Occasion Isa. 30. 17. This perhaps is Maseth Jer. 6. 1. which we translate a Sign of Fire lifted up that those that were afar off might be warned of the Enemies coming Nay if I am not mistaken this was of far greater Antiquity for that great Flame with Smoke rising up out of the City which was appointed as a Sign between the Men of Israel and the Liers in wait Iudg. 20. 38 40. seems to be meant by this And now when I am enumerating the Kele Milâ—hamah the Instruments or Vtensils of War as the Prophet calls them Ier. 51. 20. I might take notice that Trumpets were antiently used on this Occasion as they are at this Day Numb 10. 5 6 7. 2 Sam. 2. 28. 18. 16. Iâ—r 4. 21. 6. 1. Ier. 4. 2. 14. Zeph. 1. 16. So were Ensigns Banners Standards Exod. 17. 15 16. Psal. 74. 4. Cant. 6. 4. Isa. 13. 2. Ier. 4. 6. 51. 12. But the most eminent Place for
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
ver 3. they take several Passages out of Scripture which are applicable as they thought to that Place and there insert them whence instead of seven Verses in this Psalm according to our last English Translation which follows the Hebrew there are eleven it it according to the Old one used in our Service which follows the Septuagint Thus in Prov. 6. after what is said there v. 6 7 8. of the Ant they make bold to add something concerning the Bee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. So in Isaiah and Ieremiah and other Books they take a great Liberty there are several whole Sentences added that are not in the Hebrew and many are left out that are in it To instance at present only in two of this latter sort those Words in Prov. 22. 6. Train up a Child in the way he should go and when â—e is old he will not depart from it are wholly omitted and the whole thirtieth Chapter of the Proverbs and part of the one and thirtieth are left out in this Translation This is the Greatest Fault we have hitherto met with in the Greek Interpreters but now cometh one which is much greater and indeed unpardonable if it be true 9. Then It is thought by some that in many Places they have wilfully corrupted and perverted the Text. It is thought at least that they did not exactly translate some Places because they were loth to expose the Bible to the Gentiles This was too rich and precious a Treasure to be imparted to them It would be a profaning and polluting of it to lay it open to all Men. It is Galatinus's Perswasion that in their turning the Hebrew into Greek they alter'd several things because the Ethnicks were at that time unworthy of the Knowledg of those Divine Mysteries contain'd in the Bible and this the Talmud it self witnesseth The Pagan World was not able to bear several of those things they would have seem'd Absurd and Ridiculous to them if they had been translated as they were in the Original Hence saith he the Seventy's Version is imperfect and seems to differ yea really doth differ from the Hebrew in many Places And a Learned Doctor of our own tells us That they translated the Bible unwillingly they being loth to impart the Knowledg of the Scripture to Heathens therefore though being commanded by Ptolomy they undertook this Work yet going about it with unwilling Minds they did it Slightly and Perfunctorily and it is likely Falsly in some Places And this was long ago the Opinion of St. Iâ—rom who plainly declared that where-ever any thing occurred in the Old Testament concerning the Sacred Trinity it was either misinterpreted or wholly concealed by these 70 Elders and this he saith was done by them partly to please King Ptolomee and partly becaâ—se they had no mind to divulge the Mysteries of their Faith to the World Thus as he observes 〈◊〉 Isa. 9. 6. they left out five or 〈◊〉 Names of Christ and put in the place of them the Angel of the Great Caunâ—el They would not let it be known that That Child was God lest they should be thought 10 worship another God and therefore they purposely and â—allciously concealed those Glorious Titles attributed to Christ and more especially That the Mighty God But this Author is more candid and mild in his Censure of these 70 Elders when in other Places he tells us that many of those Copies and Editions of the Greek Translation which were then abroad were corrupted by the Fault of the Transcribers and that it was his Design in his Latin Version to correct them Again he imputes their Mistakes to their Ignorance saying they made this Translation before the coming of Christ and so knew not what they rendred in many Places and therefore did it obscurely and dubiously Wherefore he professeth he condemns not the Seventy but only prefers the Apostles before them their Writings being nearer to the Hebrew Original And truly I am not throughly convinced that the Interpreters themselves did wilfully corrupt the Translation that they designedly misinterpreted the Hebrew Text and falsâ—â—ied in the forementioned Place and several others for the Messiah the Christ was not come then and there was no Controversy about him and therefore according to my Apprehension of things it was too early time of Day to misrepresent or corrupt the Bible where it speaks of him I rather think this was done afterwards namely after our Saviour appear'd in the World and had been rejected by the Jews as an Impostor Then these Places before mentioned and several others began to be perverted then the Circumcised Doctors attempted to pare off some Passages to make some Alterations in the Copies of the LXX which they got into their Hands Then it was that they corrupted the Chronology of the Bible which was of great Use to them Hence it is that you find such a Difference between the Hebrew Copies and those of the Seventy about the Age of the World It is not to be question'd that the Jews made an Alteration in the Years mention'd in the Pentateuch which relate to the Lives of the Patriarchs more especially those before the Flood in that Catalogue in Gen. 5. According to the Hebrew Text there were 1656 Years from the Creation to the Flood but according to the Greek there were about 2250. The younger Vossius is a smart Advocate for the Septuagint and following their Computation tells us that 4000 wanting â—ive or six Years were expired before Moses's Death and that from thence to our Saviour's Coming were above 2000 Years so that Christ was incarnate at the end of the Sixth Millenary or the beginning of the Seventh The Sum is that according to Vossius and the LXX's Reckoning the time of the World's Beginning anticipates the Vulgar Aera at least 1400 Years This lengthning of the Accompt in the Greek Bible we owe to the Jews after the Coming of Christ especially after the Destruction of Ierusalem They then out of their Hatred to Christians changed the Chronology of the Greek Interpreters expunged the Contracted Aera and introduced a larger one i. e. they added one thousand four hundred Years to these Books And their Design in doing this was to confute the Opinion of the Messias's Coming It would appear hence that the time was past according to the general Sense of the Rabbies For this Reason they made this Alteration in the Greek Translation though they could not effect it in the Hebrew Copies Hence arises the Difference between the Hebrew and Greek Computation But we are assured that the Sacred Chronology deliver'd by Moses is certain and the Calculation true and authentick because the Hebrew Text is so which I have demonstrated in another Place and consequently the Greek Version is to be corrected by this But this Error of the Septuagint is not originally theirs but is to be imputed to the latter Jews I mean those soon after our
Heavenly Nature was not corrupted by the 〈◊〉 And in his Politicks where he likewise speaks â— the Primitive and Pure State of Man he tells â— that in those first Times Man got his Living with â— out Trouble and Labour that he fed only on â— Fruits of the Earth and that Nakedness was â— Attendant of that first and Golden Age of â— World alluding to Gen. 2. 25. They were both â— ked the Man and his Wife So an Antient Wâ— ter acquaints us that the Egyptians find in tâ— old Writings that the first Men and Women â— naked which is according to what 's read in tâ— place In the Sibylline Verses which are borrow from the Scripture tho same Allegories and Dâ— scriptions are used in setting forth the happy Aâ— of Man that you find used in that holy Book â— the Happiness of Paradise is obliquely described bâ— Homer and the Felicity of the First Age by Vagil And without question the Blessed State â— Paradise is referr'd to by Ovid in his descriptâ— on of the Golden Age or Saturn's Reign Theâ— we may see represented the Simplicity and Innocency of our First Parents the Peace and Tras quillity the Contentment and Satisfaction which were peculiar to the State of Integrity 〈◊〉 it self the Seat of this Happiness seems to have been known by the antient Pagans for it is probable their Writers understand this when they teâ— us of the Elysian Fields for Gardens such as wâ— Paradise and pleasant Fields are the same with them These you may see described by Plato â— his Phaedo where he tells us that they are blessed with a mild and gentle Air pleasant Streams a constant Spring fragrant Flowers and Fruits ever growing Of these Virgil speaks in his sixth Aenead And they are the same with the Fortunate Islands which the Greeks write of a Place of extraordinary Delight and where none but Good and Vertuous Men inhabit Or if we must parallel it with a Garden so expresly call'd we have Alciuous his Garden or Orchard in Homer which was taken from the description of Paradise saith Iustin Martyr in his Oration against the Gentiles Or the Garden of Adonis which is so celebrated may refer to that of Eden and is easily derived from it Or the Garden of Iupiter in Plato's Symposiacks may aenigmatically refer as thaâ— Learned Father Origen deemeth to that of Paradise So likewise may the pleasant Orchards of the Hesperides in which were Trees that bore Golden Apples and it may be some confirmation of this Notion that near the Fountain of the River Tiâ—gris on which Paradise was seated we read of a Place that bears the Name of Hispercitis and Hisperatis It is not unlikely that these diverse Gardins were transplanted from that in Eden It is not unlikely that some or all of these Greek Fables were founded in Truth and arose from what the Inspired Book tells us that God placed Man in a Garden the Garden of Eden which signifies Pleasure or Delight for it is added that here grew every Tree that is pleasant to the Sight and good for Food Gen. 2. 9. And as this Garden was the Platform of those before mentioned so the Tree of Life in this Garden gave rise to the Poets Nectar and Ambrosia brosia which are no other than the Food and Repast of these Earthly Gods these Divine Creatures that inhabit here The former of these according to one Derivation of it made the Drinkers of it ever youthful and another Etymology speaks this Drink to be such as suffers theâ— not to Die These were the very Blessings of the Tree of Life it had a property to keep off Old Age and to preserve Man's Life a long time The latter namely Ambrosia had the same Virtue it was said to keep those that ate it free from Mortality This therefore no less than the other seems to refer to and be borrowed from the Tree of Life which should have made the Eaters of it Immortal and secured them in a State of Blessedness for ever Thus the Production of Man and sundry things referring to his Blessed State in Innocency which are found in the Writings of the Heathens were taken from the Sacred Fountains and consequently the Writings of these Heathens do in some measure attest and confirm to us the Truth and Certainty of the Holy Scriptures III. The Fall of Adam and the several particular things relating to it are to be found in these Pagan Records First the Forerunner of it viz. the Degeneracy of the Angels is plainly spoken of by that Antient Philosopher Empedocles as Plutarch relates for whom else could he mean by his Daemons to whom he gives the Name of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heaven-fallen Creatures than these Apostate Spirits who were thrust down from the Regions of Happiness above and became Devils by their own voluntary opposing of God and declining his Government Next we have good Records among the Pagans of the Fall it self of Adam and Eve especially of the latter because she was first and most eminent in the Transgression as the Apostle speaks and was the cause of the Man's defection from his Duty She is represented by Homer's Ate whom incensed Iupiter thrust down from Heaven threatning that she should never be restored to that Place again Though some have thought that this might refer to the Apostate Angels of whom before because it is common with the Poets to imply Many when they mention but One Person and so here though One be said to be cast down from Heaven yet it may intimate to us the Fall of all the cursed Crew of Wicked Angels But it is more natural I think to apply this Story it being of the Female Sex to our Grandmother Eve for what the Poets tell us of Ate viz. that she was the first-born Daughter of Iupiter and that she was that pernicious Woman that brought Mischief on the whole Race of Man exactly agrees to her so that there is no need of explaining it It is not to be doubted that our first Parent Eve was also meant by Pandora whom Hesiod and others of the Antients mention acquainting us that out of her deadly Box which she gave to Epimetheus flew all Evil into the World and thereby she became the Original of all the miserable Occurrences that happen to Humane Kind Eve was this Pandora who gave that fatal Gift of the Fruit of the Tree unto her Husband as it is express'd in Gen. 3. 6. and he himself afterwards with unspeakable Regret and too late an Insiâ—â—â— into his Condition whence he justly merits 〈◊〉 Title of Epimetheus repeats the same She 〈◊〉 me of it ver 13. and with it imparted all Evil 〈◊〉 Mankind Wherefore from that Unhappy 〈◊〉 and from her General Bestowing of all Evils on 〈◊〉 World she had the Name of Pandora among 〈◊〉 first Greek Poets who had arrived to some not 〈…〉 of this Unfortunate Woman's Miscarriage
〈◊〉 had from the Inspired Writings learn'd that fâ—â—â— her sprang all the Miseries and Calamities of tâ—â—â— Life and even Death it self As for Original Sin the early Corruption 〈◊〉 Depravation of Man's Nature which was tâ—â— Fruit of our first Parents Transgression we câ—â— not but observe that it is taken notice of by tâ—â— Gentiles of old who call it the. Congenite S 〈…〉 the Domestick Evil of Mankind the Nat 〈…〉 Repugnancy of Man's Temper to Reason and foâ— Pythagoreans quoted by Iamblicus stile it a 〈◊〉 a Mortal kind of Life a many-headed Beâ—â—â— c. The Moralists are full of such Notions 〈◊〉 complain of the Infirmity of Nature that it is very much vitiated and hurt that the Fountains aâ—â— polluted the Springs defiled and that Man is propense to all Evil and averse to what is good and vertuous The Greek and Roman Philosophers do all complain of the low and degenerate Condition of Man but this is chiefly done by the best of them as the Stoicks and Platonists senâ—â—â— to mention no other of the first of these fâ—â—â— quently in his Epistles and other Discourses â—nowledges and sadly reflects upon the Lapse of Man's Nature And as for the other Sect of Phiâ—oâ—ophers they abundantly lament this degenerate â—tate of Man Three of them especially talk most passionately and feelingly of the Defect of a former Innocency of the Departure of Souls from God of the strong Propensities of Humane Nature to Evil by a detrusion into terrestrial Bodies I speak not this as if I did not think they might partly have these Notions from the inward Sense they had of this Innate Evil but from what I have suggested and shall afterwards it seems probable to me that there was a Tradition among them concerning the First Cause and Author of this Evil. Plato himself speaks very sensibly of this Loss of the first State of Purity and Happiness and relates the Defection of Man from his Primitive Condition from whence he saith flowed all Mischiefs into the World And I propound it to be thought of whether his Doctrine of Preâ—xistence was not a way used by him to disguise the Fall of Man This Philosopher held that Mens Souls were created Happy and that afterwards they Apostatized for which they were ever after imprisoned in Bodies Now this I say that from Moses's Writings with which he was acquainted he might learn the Story of Man's Fall and then wrapp'd it up in this obscure manner which was a â—sual way with him as his Writings shew It was as I conceive his knowledg of the Apostacy of our first Parents that gave rise to his Doctrine of the Preexistence of Souls That is the thing which is couched in this Ingenious Hypothesis of his which afterwards so prevail'd among those of 〈◊〉 Sect. The meaning of his Opinion is that Mâ—â— kind was fallen and their Souls were become dâ—â—generate and that they were punish'd for whâ—â— Adam their Representative did long ago If we enquire further we shall find that 〈◊〉 Gentile World was not ignorant of the seve◠〈◊〉 Circumstances of Man's Fall as first that it was by the Devil's means It was an antient Tradition among the Pagans that a sort of Malignant Spirits Malicious Daemons envied Mens Happinesâ— and did what they could to molest them and 〈◊〉 hinder them of Felicity The Pythagorean aâ—â— Platonick Philosophers speak often of these Envio 〈◊〉 and Mischievous Spirits the Original of which we can conceive to be no other than what Moses's History saith of the Devil 's tempting our first Parents Gen. 3. 1 c. This is couched in another Opinion which prevail'd among some of the Pagans viz. the Notion of Two Principles the one the Cause of all Good the other of all Evil 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they were stiled by the Mani â—hees who had it from Manes their Founder a Persian and he received this Opinion from his Countreymen the Persians who were Gentiles These two Opposite Principles the one for conferring of Good the other for procuring as also the averting of Evil were called by that People Oromasdes and Arimanius and were both worshipp'd by them as Diogenes Laertius and others assure us But this was not only the Persuasion and Practice of the Magi who were the Philosophers of Persia but Plutarch shews the Antiquity and almost Universality of this Opinion of Two Different Principles among the rest of the Philosophick Tribe It prevail'd among the antient Grecians whose two distinct Principles were Iupiter Olympius and Hades The Egyptians too had their Typho the Evil Principle and Isis or Osirâ—â— the Good one The Chaldeans had the same Notion of a Contrary Cause of Good and Evil holding some Planets which were their Gods to be productive of all the Good others of all the Evil among them This antient Tradition of the Pagans so generally received was I suppose derived from what is recorded in the first Entrance of the Bible viz. that God was the bountiful Author of all Good to Man not only creating him of nothing and giving him his Being but placing him in a State of Happiness and conferring all Felicity upon him but on the contrary the Devil was the first Author of Evil tempting our first Parents to Sin whereby they lost all their Happiness and fell under a Curse and were expell'd out of Paradise and afterwards all Evils and Mischiefs came upon the World for their sake Hence arose among the deluded Heathens that Twofold Principle God and Daemon or rather Two Opposite Gods for the true Tradition was corrupted into an absurd and irrational Opinion among the Gentiles of two Anti-Gods There was also this Circumstance of the History of Man's Fall among the Heathens that the Devil appear'd in the likeness of a Serpent Preparatory to which is that which Plato saith as he is quoted by Euscbius that in Saturn's days the Folks could talk and hold discourse with Beasts as well as Men which is an Allusion to the noted Colloquy between Eve and the Serpent and her Seduction by enâ—â—â—â—taining Discourse with him I should guess thâ—â— Eve is disguised under the Fable of Proâ—erpina 〈◊〉 Daughter of Iupiter whom Plato stole away â—â—â—ravished or as others tell us whom Iupiter 〈◊〉 in the form of a Serpent The plain meaning 〈◊〉 which is that Satan in the likeness of a Serpeâ—â— deceived Eve The Devil 's taking the Shape 〈◊〉 this Animal and his circumveâ—ting thereby 〈◊〉 first Parents is intimated by the Heathens in thâ— obscure Writer Pherecydes where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is thâ— Title of that Great one who opposed Saturn Thâ— Truth which lies at the bottom of that fabuloâ— Story is that the Apostate Angels or Devils oâ—â—posed God at the beginning of the World tâ—â— Ring-leader of which Cursed Spirits was he thâ—â— in the shape of a Serpent assaulted our first Parents this was that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉