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A37989
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A discourse concerning the authority, stile, and perfection of the books of the Old and New-Testament with a continued illustration of several difficult texts of scripture throughout the whole work / by John Edwards.
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Edwards, John, 1637-1716.
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1693
(1693)
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Wing E202; ESTC R29386
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927,516
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1,518
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part of it extant before there were any Writers in the World and so it was utterly impossible to borrow from Others This is the Peculiar Excellency of this Book this is the Particular Commendation of these Writings that they were the First of all and could not be taken from any else These Holy Scriptures borrow from none unless you will say they do so from Themselves as the 18th Psalm is taken out of 2 Sam. 22. or this out of that The Evangelists borrow from one another The Virgin Mary's Magnificat refers in several Places of it to Hannab's Song 1 Sam. 2 and St. Paul takes some things out of his Epistle to the Epbesians and puts them into that which he wrote to the Colossians and so st Iude may be said to borrow from St. Peter but this is not the Plagiarism which Other Writers are guilty of and which is an Argument of their Wants and Defects whereas the Holy Spirit supplied the Penmen of the Bible both with Matter and Words In the Old Testament especially and more particularly in the Books of Moses there is nothing at second hand all is fresh and new thâ— things there spoken of were never delivered by any Writer before But most of the Profane Historians began when the Holy History was just ending And Herodotus himself the Father of History writ not till Ezra and Nehemiah's time The Greeâ— Historians go no further back than the Persjan Eâ—piâ—e and most of the Roman History takes not its Rise so high Indeed the Egyptians boasted that they had been ruled by Kings above ten thousand Years as Herodotus relates and thence perhaps it was that one of their Pharaoh's which was the common Name of all their Kings bragg'd that he was the Son of antient Kings Isa. 19. 11. The Chinoises pretend to give an Account of Passages almost three thousand Years before Christ and we are told by Martinius in his Atlas that they preserve a continued History compiled from their Annual Exploits of four thousand and five hundred Years yea they have if we may credit the younger Vossius Writers antienter than Moses But these high Flights are exploded by all Considerate Men and upon a View of whatever Pretences are made by Others they conclude that Moses was the Antientest Writer and that the earliest Discovery of Transactions and Occurrences in the World is to be learnt from him alone Some of the Wisest Pagans had a hint of this and travell'd into the Eastern Countries to acquaint themselves with these Records And it was observ'd long since by Plato as I took notice before that the Oldest and most Barbarous Tongues meaning the Hebrew and Chaldee were very requisite for the finding out the first Beginnings of things for the first Names of them which are now grown obsolete by length of time are preserved in those Languages they being the antientest of all In the Hebrew especially are to be found the Primitive Origines of things and most of the Pagan Historiâ—â—s have borrowed from these And so have their Poâ—ts Orators and Philosophers as a great Number of the Christian Fathers whom I have particularly quoted in another Place to evince the Authority of the Scriptures have largely proved In a word all other Antient Writings refer to these or suppose them this Inspired Volume alone being the Fountain from whence either they or we can derive any Truth and Certainty And as there is the Antientest Learning so there is All Learning I speak now of that which is Humane and is reckon'd the Accomplishment of Rational Persons and all the kinds of it in this Book of Books Here is not only Prose but Verse here are not only Poems but Histories Annals Chronicles Here are things Profound and Mystical and here are others that at the first sight are Intelligible and Clear here are Prophecies Visions Revelations for even in the Narratives which are given of These there are some things serviceable to promote the Study of Humanity here are Proverbs Adagies Emblems Parables Apologues Paradoxes Riddles and here are also Plain Questions and Answers Propositions Discourses Sermons Orations Letters Epistles Colloquies Debates Disputations Here are Maxims of Law and Reason Rules of Iustice and Equity Examples of Keen Wit and Deep Politicks Matters of Church and State Publick and Private Affairs and all manner of Subjects either treated of or referr'd unto Thus the Bible is excellently sitted to entertain any Persons as they are Students and Scholars for here is a Treasury of all Good Letters here are laid up all things that conduce to Humane Knowledg Porphyrius is said to have writ a Book of Homer's Philosophy wherein he attempts to prove that he was as much a Philosopher as a Poet and no less a Person than Maximus Tyrius affirms him to be the Prince of Philosophers and another Grave Author undertakes to shew that the Seeds of all Arts are to be found in Homer's Works This is said by his Admirers to inhanse his Credit and Repute but far greater things and more justly may be pronounced concerning these Famous Records of Learning and Antiquity With more Reason may we maintain that the chiefest Arts and Inventions are originally in the Sacred Volume and that the Foundations of all Humane Learning and Science are laid here for though these are not the chief things designed in this Book it being writ to higher Purposes yet they are occasionally interspersed every where and a Studious Enquirer cannot miss of them It is rationally and undeniably to be inferr'd from the Particulars above-mention'd though many more might have been added that the Bible is the most Compleat Book and hath All Learning in it This truly deserves the Name which Diodore the Sicilian gives his History that is it is indeed a Library an Universal one and contains All Books in it As the Writers of it were Persons of Several Conditions Kings Noblemen Priests Prophets c. so the Matters of it are Various and Different and by reading and studying these Writings we may Commence in all Arts and Sciences we may be accomplish'd Grammarians Criticks Chronologers Historians Poets Orators Disputants Lawyers Statesmen Preachers Prophets Many valuable Monuments of Learning have been lost The famous Library of Alexandria which contain'd six or seven hundred thousand Volumes and that of Constantinople which consisted of an hundred and twenty thousand perished by Fire And the Works of Varro the Learnedsâ— Man of all the Romans are extinct And many others might be reckon'd up besides those that Historians say nothing of But having the Scriâ—ture Hacatub as the Jews rightly call'd it by way of Eminence the most Excellent Writings in the World fraught with all manner of useful Literature we may afford to be without the other for this is a certain Verity that if we have the Bible we want no Book And more particularly I have made it appear that the Choicest Antiquities are to be found here A prying Antiquary may
Faint Radiancy in comparison of what was afterwards on the fourth Day when we are told in what certain Subjects the Light resided and was as it were fix'd But now it was feeble and vagrant and was the first Result of some â—iry and luminous Matter which the Divine Spirit by his powerful Moving and Incubation had engender'd This Bright and Glorious Matter was the Second General Source of all Beings that is out of it were made the pure Aether the Sun and Stars and whatever belongs to the superiour Part of the World but these appertain to the fourth Day 's Work Now we are only to take notice of this Light as it is here the Catholick Term for the First Rudiment of the whole Celestial Creation as Earth was the word to express the First Matter of the Inferiour Part of the World And what is this Light but Fire or Flame that subtile Matter which heats and enlightens the World For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is both lux and ignis as also the Greek Word imports So Heat is put for Light Psat. 19. 6. And I could observe that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is used not only in Isa. 18. 4. but in other Places to express the Hebrew Word for Heat Which shews the Affinity if not the Identity of these two This Original Light then which was the Second Principle in the Creation is no other than those fine and brisk Particles of Matter whose Nature is to be in a Continual Agitation and which by their restless Motion and Pressure communicate Warmth and Light Vigour and Lustre where-ever there is need of them in the Universe Some refer the Creation of Angels to this first Day 's Work by reducing them to the word Heaven in the first Verse but I have suggested already that that Verse is a General Account of the Whole Creation and not of any Particular Day 's Production or else by Heaven and Earth there is meant the First Matter or Rude Draught of both therefore no such thing can be inferr'd thence Nor are we to think that the Angelick Order is comprehended under Light as I find some imagine because they read of an Angel of Light 2 Cor. 11. 14. for it is Material Light only that is the Product of the first Day 's Work I rather think that Moses designed not to include Angels in any Part of that Account which he gives of the Creation for he makes it his Business to speak of those Works of God which were visible and sensible and therefore 't is no wonder that the Angelick Spirits are not mention'd for they come not within the Compass of his Undertaking Hitherto we have had a View of the Two Primitive Materials of all visible Beings in the World viz. 1. The Formless Mass or Chaos whence 't is likely Aristotlâ— derived his First Matter which is according to him neither this nor that but mere passive Potentiality yet susceptive of any Form 2. The Active Light which was made to envigorate the dull and inert Matter of the Chaos and afterwards to be the Original of the Vast Luminaries of the Celestial Part of the World These are the General Elements of the Mundane System one gross and unactive the other subtile and penetrating the one the Matter of this inferiour Part of the Universe the other of those more spacious and extended Orbs above This I take to be the true Account of the Origine of the World though I have but few if any that concur with me in laying it down thus for the Chaos is generally made the Universal Source of the World But to me it seems to be but One Part of it and that of this Lower Division only which is very small in respect of the other I have only this to add here that it is this First Day 's Work alone that in the most proper and strict Sense ought to be call'd the Creation because now was made the First and Universal Substance out of which the Works of the other Days were produced though it is true in a latitude of speaking the Formation of the distinct Species of Beings was a Creation also And of these I proceed now to speak according to the Mosaick Method the same with that of the Creator On the second Day was the Lower Heaven or Firmament made call'd by this Divine Philosopher Rakiang i. e. the Expansion or according to the Seventy Interpreters 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whom the Vulgar Latin follows and renders it Firmamentum This was produced in the midst of the Waters and the Design of it was to divide the Waters from the Waters v. 6. i. e. as it follows the Waters under this Firmament from the Waters above it The Meaning of which is after all the wild Comments on these Words that whereas the Waters at first were heap'd together very high above the Earth in some Places the All-wise Disposer began this Day to make a Separation of them and to frame an Expansion for that is the simple and downright Import of the Hebrew Word between the lower and the higher Parts of the Waters so that now there was a Distance between them which was caused by the Interposition of Air between these lower and higher Parts of the Waters The Almighty Creator by attenuating and rarifying these transmuted them into an Aerial Body which shall always continue so i. e. shall remain really distinct from the crasser Subsistence of Water Therefore in plain Terms this Expansum is the Whole Region of Air and we cannot imagine any other Expansum or Out-spread Firmament which divides the superiour from the inferiour Waters i. e. the Clouds from that vast Body and Mass of Waters which at first cover'd the Earth and soon after as you shall hear were disposed of into particular Receptacles and were denominated the Seas But yet in a large way of speaking this Firmament here spoken of is all that Extended Space for that I say is the proper Denotation of the Word which reacheth from the Earth to the Place of the Stars which was made afterwards If it be asked why this Second Day 's Work hath not the same Approbation that the rest have I answer the Reason is not because it was not good but because it was but an Essay or Specimen of the two next Days Works for the Waters were but now begun to be separated which afterwards we find finish'd on the third Day and this Firmament was but a Beginning or Preparative to the Production of a higher and nobler Expansum on the fourth Day This we may conceive to be the Reason why the Epiphonema which is added to every Day 's Work God saw that it was good is not adjoined here On the third Day there was this fourfold Work 1. A Compleat Separating or dividing of the Waters 2. A Gathering of them into one Place which was then and is since call'd the Sea And it is most reasonable to believe that on the same Day that