in the Catalogue of the Kings of Persia viz. Cyrus the First Cambyses the Second Darius Hystaspis the Third Xerxes the Fourth Artaxerxes Longimanus the Fifth c. Yet in the Book of Ezra we read that These five were successively viz. Cyrus Ahasuerus Artaxerxes Darius Artaxerxes How is this to be reconciled Both by saying that the same Persian Kings had different Names and also that several of them had one Name which are both very true One of them was call'd Cambyses and Ahasuerus another had the Name Darius and Artaxerxes a third was call'd Xerxes and Darius And besides this they were all call'd by one General Name that is Artaxerxes was a common Name of the whole Race of the Persian Kings Many of the Learnedst Jews were of this Opinion and it is the more probable because this hath been usual in other Kingdoms and Countries as we learn from the Sacred Records There we find that there was one Common Name for all the Kings of Philistia or Palestine and that was Abimelech as is clear from Gen. 20. 2. Ch. 26. 1 4. Ch. 34. 1. 1 Sam. 21. 11. and also from the Title of the 34th Psalm it appears that this was the Universal Name of the Kings of the Philistines So Agag was the Common Title of all the Kings of the Amalekites as may be inferr'd from Numb 24. 7. 1 Sam. 15. 8. It is probable that Hiram was the Catholick Name of the Kings of Tyre but that Pharaoh was so of all the Egyptian Kings of old is undeniably clear from Gen. 12. 15. which speaks of a Pharaoh in Abraham's time from Gen. 39. 1 c. where we read of another of that Name in Ioseph's days And in Exodus there is frequent mention of that Pharaoh that enslaved the Israelites and order'd all their Male-Children to be drowned and of another whose Heart was hardned and who was drown'd in the Red Sea There was a Pharaoh in Solomon's time 1 Kings 3. 1. and in Iosias's 2 Kings 23. 29. In Isaiah we read of a King of Egypt of this Name Ch. 19. 11. Ch. 30. 2 3. So in Ieremiah Ch. 25. 19. Ch. 44. 30. Ch. 46. 17. and in Ezekiel very often That this was the constant Title of the Egyptian Kings is attested by Suidas Eusebius and Iosephus yea if we may believe this last Pharaoh in the Egyptian Tongue signifies a King Which seems truly to be confirm'd from that passage in Gen. 41. 44. I am Pharaoh which is as much as to say I am King I am Supreme Ruler I will not part with this Name i. e. I will not lose my Royal Dignity and Power And accordingly he retain'd this Name himself and gave Ioseph another as you read in the next Verse It might well then be the General Name of their Kings it signifying Royal Authority and Rule But after the time of Alexander the Great the Kings of Egypt were generally called Ptolomees and after the renouncing of the Greek Emperour they were a long time call'd Caliphs for the General of the Saracens whom the Egyptians took for their King was named Caliph whence the succeeding Kings were denominated after his Name To proceed in this Subject Attalus was a Standing Title to all the Kings of Pergamus though it is true some of them had a particular peculiar Name besides whence that King of Pergamus who was thought to be the Inventer of Parchment to write upon is call'd Attalus by Aelian and St. Ierom but Eumenes by others Antiochus was generally the Name of the Syrian Kings and Mithridates of those of Pontus All the Kings or Dynasts of Edessa in Syria had the Name of Abgarus Herod was the Name common to all the Successors of Herod the first as we learn from the Gospels and the Acts. Candace gave the Denomination to all the Queens of Ethiopia or of one part at least of that Country Arsaces to all the Kings of Parthia Sylvius to those of the Albans i. e. the Latin Kings of the Trojan Race Chagan was antiently the common word to express all the the Kings of the Hunns Caesar was the Title for all the Roman Emperours after Iulius Caesar. Cosâ—oe or Kosroes was the Appellation of the Kings of Persia heretofore after that of Artaxerxes as Sophi of late and Sultan is the distinguishing Title of the Turkish Empire and Miramolin or Miramomolin of all the Princes of Mauritania Thus briefly I have shew'd that it was usual for all the Kings of a Country to have the same Name for a very considerable time at least The observing of which may be of some use to us in reading the Sacred History when it refers to any of those Kings whom I first named and in reading Profane Authors who mention any of the others Lastly I could observe concerning Places in Scripture the same that I have concerning Persons viz. that sometimes they have different Names which we ought carefully to heed in reading this Holy Book One eminent Mountain in Palestine and the adjacent Parts hath several Denominations it is call'd Zion Psal. 2. 6. and frequently in other Books of the Old Testament It is also named Moriah 2 Chron. 3. 1. the same Mount where Moses saw the Burning Bush not consumed and where Isaac was offer'd and where the Temple afterwards was built This Name was so celebrated that from this the Land of Canaan is call'd the Land of Moriah Gen. 22. 2. The same Mountain is named Hermon as is evident from those express words Deut. 4. 48. Mount Sion which is Hermon It is also call'd Sirion Deut. 3. 9. which Name was given it by the Sidonians And in the same place it hath the Name of Shenir which was given it by the Amorites This Multiplicity of Names may I conceive be grounded on this that Sion or Hermon or call it by any of the other Names is properly speaking a long Ledg of several Hills that go through Palestine and a great part of Arabia Some add Gilead and Seir and Lebanon the famous Alpes of the Holy Land upon the North and East part of it noted for its snowy tops its lofty Cedars and other Trees and its fragrant Herbs and Plants Some I say add these to the foregoing ones and rightly determine that they were but one continued Mountain with divers Names as Mount Taurus though far greater is a ridg of Hills that hath several Names according to the different Parts of it Hence Psal. 133. 3. and some other places of Scripture mention some of those Names before spoken of as if they belong'd to different Mountains and the reason is because though they are the same Mountain yet those Names refer to the different parts of the same great ridg of Hills and so are accounted as it were different Hills and accordingly the great Mass of Dew which was in part distill'd on Mount Hermon one division of that great Mountain did partly also fall on Mount Zion a neighbouring part of
imagine that this shaking off the Dust of the Feet or Shoes hath assinity with the Jewish Rite of pulling off the Shoe mention'd Deut. 25. 9. Ruth 4. 7. which was a Ceremony of Disgrace performed by the Relict of the Deceased Brother to the Surviving one who refused to marry her But this Opinion hath but few Abettors and indeed 't is a wonder it hath had any for there is a vast difference between the shaking off the Dust of the Feet and the plucking off the Shoe Others think this Practice is of the same Nature with shaking the Lap or Garment which was an usage among the Hebrews and they would by this shâ—w that they wish'd or pray'd that such an one might bâ— shakâ—n removed deprived of his Goods and Possession Thus Nehemiah used this Rite against those that exacted Usury of their Brethren Neâ— 5. 13. And this shaking of the Rayment was practis'd by St. Paul against the blaspheming Jews Acts 18. 6. But this is a quite different thing from what we are speaking of unless we can prove that Dust and Clothing are convertible But Dr. Lightfoot refers this Passage to that particulaâ— Saying of the Jews That the Dust of a Heathen Land defiles a Man and makes him Unclean So that our Saviour bad the Apostles shake off the Dust from their Feet to shew how they reputed those People viz. as Heathenish and Prophane and consequently they were not to be convers'd with The Apostles scorn'd to have any thing to do with them and as a Sign of that they would not carry away any thing that belonged to that Place no not so much as the Dust of it But if I may be permitted to offer my Thoughts there is something more in these Words than this It is true this is signified that they would not hold Correspondence with those unworthy Persons that rejected the Gospel they would not suffer the very Dust of the Place to adhere to the Soles of their Feet but that is not all It is further and more particularly signified that the Apostles were to leave the Place speedily When they are commanded to shake off the Dust of their Feet the more especial Meaning is that they must stay no longer in the Place but be gone from it with all the Expedition they can and they must not carry so much as the Dust to burden them It is something related as I apprehend to that other Counsel of our Saviour in the very same Chapter or rather it seems to be the same but mentioned again in other terms as is usual with our Lord When they persecute you in one City flee ye into another ver 23. with what Speed you can depart from the Place where you are so ill used When you find that your Preaching is wholly despised make no Delay but hasten away that you may be in a Capacity to do good in some other Places where you may be kindly received As soon as you see your Message is scorn'd and rejected shake the Dust off your Feet and be gone away immediately This seems to be the genuine Tendency of the Words for we must know that Iudea some part of it especially was a dry hot and dusty Countrey whence it was a Custom among them to have their Feet wash'd as soon as they came into a House this was part of the Welcome which they look'd for and when this Ceremony was omitted they gathered thence that they were Unacceptable Guests Therefore saith Christ if you find not this Welcome if your Feet are not wash'd and the Dust wiped off by some of the House do this part your selves that thereby you may be somewhat refresh'd lightly shake off some of the Dust and go your way and leave the Habitation forthwith So that these Words denote Haste and Expedition which may be confirmed from that Saying of the Jews which they used in Traffick Whilst the Dust is on your Feet before 't is all wiped off sell what you have i. e. sell quickly So Pie-Powder-Court among us which is incident to every Fair and Market as a Court Baron to a Mannor is that where Causes are tried cursorily and in haste This Dusty-foot Court is so call'd to signify the Quickness of Dispatch in it Thus among the Greek Lawyers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rendred by the Latins Pedaneus Iudex was a sorry mean inferiour Judg a Pedant in Law that judged standing on foot on the plain Ground and had not a Chair or Tribunal he judg'd as it were in transitu passing going on foot He was a Judg of the Court of Pie Powder pedis pulverisati as our Lawyers call it because they came to it in haste and had no time to wipe off the Dirt which they contracted in their Travels Thus there is some Analogy between this way of speaking and that which I am now treating of Our Saviour adviseth his Travelling Apostles to use Prudence to be gone as fast as they could out of those Cities and Towns where the Inhabitants were wholly averse to the Preaching of the Gospel and especially when they saw it would be attended with Persecution And we read that the Apostles put this in practice when they were at Antioch where they were severely handled and saw they should be expell'd out of those Coasts they shook off the Dust of their Feet against them and came to â—conium in all haste Acts 13. 50 51. This was a Sign of Speed and so the Meaning of Christ's Injunction was that when they perceived the Gospel was rejected and themselves were in great Danger they should presently depart from the Place and stay no longer among such vile People But withal I deny not that this was to be for a Testimony against them as 't is said Mark 6. 11. it was to bear witness against the Despisers of the Gospel and the Persecutors of the holy Professors of it And moreover it was a Token of Contempt and Abhorrence and with reference to a Jewish Saying before mention'd might be spoken in a Proverbial way Lastly it might be shew'd here that many of Christâ—s Parables of which I have treated before were borrowed from the Iewish Doctors That of Dives and Lazarus is cited in the Gemara on the Babylonian Talmud The Parable of the Labourers in the Vineyard is mentioned in the same Place in the Title Beracoth and that of the five wise and five foolish Virgins is spoken of in the Book of the Sabbath and some others might be instanc'd in but I will add no more under this Head CHAP. VI. There is in Scripture a great and delightful Variety of Languages Some Chapters and Verses of the Old Testament are in Chaldee Here are Persian African Arabick Syriac Phoenician Words In the New Testament there are some Hebrew and Persian many Latin and Syriac Words Hebraisms i. e. Phrases proper to the Hebrews are not only in the Old Testament where many Examples are produced but in the New where besides
a Metathesis Which Words and many more without doubt came in with the Roman Conquest over the Jews for Conquerors carry their Language with them and hence it is not to be marvell'd at that many Roman Words were in use among the Jews and that some of them were inserted into the New Testament There are likewise several Syriac Words used by the Evangelical Writers and generally interpreted in the Places where they are as Raka Matth. 5. 22. Golgotha Matth. 27. 33. Sabachthani Mat. 27. 46. Boanerges Mark 3. 17. Talitha cumi Mark 5. 41. Corban Mark 7. 11. Ephphatha Mark 7. 43. Abba Mark 14. 33. Rom. 8. 15. Mammon Luke 16. 9. Cephas John 1. 42. Gabbatha John 19. 13. Akeldama Acts 1. 19. Tabitha Acts 9. 36. Maran-atha 1 Cor. 16. 22. And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eph. 1. 14. 2 Cor. 1. 22. is also of Syriac Original Nor is it a wonder that we find a great Number of these in the Greek Testament for after the Return of the Jews from their Captivity in Babylon their Language was mix'd of the Hebrew and Chaldee and named the Syriac Tongue from the Regions where it was used As for the Old Pure Hebrew the Priests and the Learned Jews only understood it but this Mix'd Tongue was that which was generally spoken and understood by all the Jewish Nation Therefore in this Tongue Christ made all his Sermons to the People and the Evangelists and Apostles preach'd the Gospel to them in it Yea because the Syriac succeeded in the place of the Hebrew the Jews having lost this and taken up that therefore that Tongue is sometimes call'd the Hebrew Tongue in the New Testament as in Iohn 19. 13. where it is said Pilate sat down in the Iudgment-seat in a Place that is called the Pavement but in the Hebrew Gabbatha This is a Syriac Word or a Dialect of the Chaldee which is the same but it is call'd Hebrew here because Syriac was become the Vulgar Language of the Hebrews yea was their Mother-Tongue in our Saviour's time So when 't is said that the Title on the Cross was written in Letters of Hebrew Luke 23. 38. 't is probable that the Syriac is meant i. e. the Superscription was written in Syriac Words though in Herew Letters 5thly It is useful to observe what a considerable Number of Hebraisms i. e. of Phrases proper to the Hebrews is made use of in these Holy Writings not in those of the Old Testament only but in the Greek Writings of the New Indeed the Books of the Old and New Testament being written by Hebrews we cannot expect but that they should use the Hebrew way of speaking Such is that in Gen. 40. 13. Pharaoh shall lift up thy Head To lift up the Head is to Account or Reckon for as some tell us they used to cast Accompts with Nails or Pins stuck in a Table with Holes and these Pins were call'd Heads by the lifting them up or removing them out of one Hole to another they performed their Arithmetick Therefore Moses expresses it thus He lifted up the Head of the chief Butler and chief Baker ver 20. that is he Reckoned with them and then differently dealt with them viz. according to their Deserts The same Phrase is used in Exod. 30. 12. When thou takest the Sum of the Children of Israel Hebr. When thou liftest up the Head And so in Numb 1. 2. take the Sum Hebr. Lift up the Head It is a peculiar Mode of Speech to signify to reckon to gather the Sum of all to which answer the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the Latin recapitulare to bring all to one Head which were borrowed from the Hebrew Stile To fill the Hand Exod. 28. 41. ch 29. 9. Numb 3. 3. is a way of speaking proper to the Hebrews and we fitly render it to consecrate because perhaps when they Consecrated Persons they delivered into their Hands the Badges and Instruments of their Office Another peculiar Phrase is used in 2 Kings 10. 21. ch 21. 16. Ezra 9. 11. which according to the Hebrew is from Mouth to Mouth or Mouth to Mouth but it particularly denotes a Place to be full of People and accordingly is so rendred perhaps for this Reason because when it is so they stand close together as it were Mouth to Mouth To give the Hand to one was heretofore a way of Expression proper to the Eastern Countries the Hebrews especially and it was as much as to submit or yield to one 1 Chron. 29. 24. Ier. 50. 15. Lam. 5. 6. and it is applied in a spiritual way 2 Chron. 30. 8. give the Hand or yield your selves unto the Lord. The same Phrase is used by Gentile Authors 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dare manus is to confess one's self to be overcome The Form of Wishing among the Hebrews is singular and not used by others Who will give Exod. 16. 3. which we translate would to God So Numb 11. 29. Deut. 28. 67. Iob 13. 5. O that ye would Benjamin is call'd a Lad Gen. 43. 8. though he was Four and twenty Years old and had Children the Idiom of the Hebrew Tongue solves it To this peculiar manner of phrasing things may be referr'd Gen. 49. 10. Nor a Lawgiver from between his Feet For so the Hebrews modestly express the place of Generation stiling it Ragelim the Feet and so the word seems to be meant in Exod. 4. 25. Deut. 28. 57. Isa. 6. 2. and thus the Masorites for the word which is used for Vrine read in the Margin the Water of the Feet 2 Kings 18. 27. And sometimes instead of Feet the Hebrews use the word Thigh Gen. 46. 26. Exod. 1. 5. and Loins Gen. 35. 11. and in a multitude of other places Moreover the peculiar way of using the word Sons among the Hebrews is remarkable as in Prov. 31. 5. Sons of Affliction i. e. the Afflicted Sons of Destruction ver 8. Such as are appointed to be destroy'd as we render it Sons of Oil Zech. 4. 14. i. e. the anointed ones So we read of the Son of the Morning Isa. 14. 12. and the Sons of Belial Judg. 19. 22. 2. Sam. 23. 6. And sometimes 't is applied to Things as well as Persons as in Iob 5. 7. As the Sons of the burning Coal i. e. the Sparks fly upward Whatever is the part of a thing or whoever belongs to any thing or is partaker of it is in the Hebrew Idiom call'd a Son Again the Name of God after the Hebrew manner is wont to be added to Magnify and Augment the Signification in several places of Scripture There have been some Instances of this sort produced by Critical Writers on the Bible but I will endeavour here and afterwards to make a considerable Addition to them But first I will take notice of a place or two which have been brought under this Head but in my judgment belong not to it Such is that Gen. 10. 9. He was a mighty
Hunter before the Lord where saith One the Name of the Lord is added to heighten the sense as is frequent in the Hebrew Stile But two things I here urge to enervate this Interpretation First It is not the bare Name of God or Lord that is here added as in other Texts The exact rendring of Lipni Iehovah which are the words here is ad facies ad conspectum Domini and is well translated before the Lord which signifies the bold and impudent Usurpation and Tyranny of this first Monarch This hardned Oppressor had no regard either to God or Man yea he committed his Violences and Ravages in defiance of the Great Lord and Soveraign of the World this is to be a Hunter a Persecutor a Tyrant before the Lord and so you see it is not that Hebraism we are now to treat of Secondly There was no need of that way of Speech here for the Greatning and Heightning of the sense were before express'd by the term Gibbor mighty wherefore there was no occasion to add the Name of God as a mark of Intension If you observe the Instances which I shall afterward produce you will find that God's Name is used when there was no word to express Greatness or Eminency in the preceding words For these Reasons I expunge this first Text out of the Number of the Instances which ought to be mention'd here And after the same rate I must deal with that other Prov. 20. 27. The Spirit of Man is the Candle of the Lord where the last word is asserted by a late Learned Critick to be added in which he follows Drusius in his Hebrew Proverbs as an Auxesis that is only to augment the sense and therefore he saith the Candle of the Lord is no more than a most Excellent Candle or Light But if we consider the words aright we shall not find such an Hebraism in them The Text is easie and plain without any thing of this Nature for the Wise Man here acquaints us that the Spirit of Man his Nobler and Divine part the Intellect especially that Bright and Glorious Faculty was given to him by God on purpose to be a Light and Guide to him to make him capable of enquiring into and attaining a knowledge of the Profoundest Truths the most remote and recondite Mysteries either in Nature or Religion that is meant here by searching all the inward Parts of the Belly Thus the Sagacious Mind of Man is the Candle or Lamp of the Lord the word Lord here signifying to us the Author and Giver of this Noble Faculty And therefore I something wonder at what this Learned Writer adds in the same place viz. That our English Translation the Spirit of Man is the Candle of the Lord is an odd Expression and somewhat difficult surely to make a good sense of whereas the same Expression is used in the Scripture in other places and bears a very good sense as you have heard Some have thought that Musical Instruments of God 1 Chron. 16. 42. and Instruments of Musick of the Lord 2 Chron. 7. 6. denote the Loudness or Excellency of the Temple-Musick but this Fancy arose from their not attending to the true Reason which is given in the latter of these places where after Instruments of Musick of the Lord is immediately added which David the King had made to Praise the Lord therefore they were so call'd Nor can I be perswaded that a Man of God which we often read of imports only an Excellent Man as some have suggested but it speaks his more particular and peculiar Relation to God as a Prophet I come now to offer some Examples where the Hebrew way of Speaking by mentioning God to signify the Greatness or Excellency of a thing is very apparent and unquestionable as Gen. 30. 8. Wrestlings of God according to the Hebrew i. e. great strong and vehement Wrestlings 1 Sam. 14. 15. a Trembling of God which we rightly translate a very great Trembling 1 Sam. 10. 5. the Hill of God Psal. 36. 6. the Mountains of God i. e. the great Hills and Mountains Cedars of God Psal. 80. 10. rendred goodly the Trees of the Lord Psal. 104. 16. i. e. exceeding great or high Trees To which Texts that are generally acknowledg'd to bear this sense I will presume to add another viz. Psal. 65. 9. the River of God i. e. a Vast Great River And what is that The Clouds or Rain which are poured down upon the Earth in great abundance For if you read that part of the Psalm you 'll see it speaks of the great Blessing of Rain Thou visitest the Earth and waterest it thou greatly enrichest it with the River of God c. to the end of the Psalm This Vast Mass of Waters is according to the Hebrews stiled a River of God it is as 't were a Great Excellent River flowing down from Heaven Though I do not exclude the other sense contain'd in it that 't is from God and that 't is a singular Argument and Token of God's Care and Providence Cant. 8. 6. is a place little taken notice of the Flame of the Lord i. e. as we truly translate it a most Vehement Flame So the Voice of God Ezek. 1. 24. 10. 5. that is a very loud and terrible Voice The Breath of God Job 37. 10. i. e. a Vehement sharp Wind. And it is not unlikely that Isa. 59. 19. is to be understood thus Ruach Iehovah not as we translate it the Spirit of the Lord but the Wind of the Lord i. e. a great tempestuous Wind. I gather this to be the meaning from what went before when the Enemy shall come in like a Floud then saith the Prophet the Almighty Power of God like some Great and Vehement Wind shall drive it back shall put it to flight as we see great Waters and Floods are oftentimes beat back as well as violently thrust forward by mighty Winds Another place which hath not been observed is Iob 15. 11. Are the Consolations of God small with thee which are Eliphaz's words wherewith he reproves Iob for undervaluing the Consolatory Arguments which had been offer'd to him by himself and his other Friends and these Topicks of Comfort were not mean and ordinary but of a very peculiar Nature Iob's Fault is aggravated from this that he despised and slighted so Great Comforts when they were tender'd to him and Great they were as you read in the 9th and 10th Verses because they were offer'd by Persons of great Vnderstanding Age and Experience And the Antithesis which is here doth shew this to be the sense of the place Are these Great Consolations saith he Small with thee Dost thou look for Greater and Stronger Arguments to support and cheer thee than these are I am of opinion therefore that Tanchumoth El the Consolations of God are the same with Great Consolations Jon. 3. 3. is a known Text where it is said Nineâ—eh was an Exceeding great City Hebr.
reigned so long This salves many Chronological Difficulties that the Kings of Israel often made their Sons Kings in their own Reign Other Doubts in Chronology are cleared by Interregnums by omitting the Years of Bad Kings and of the Years of Oppression Captivity and Anarchy The Difficulties in our Saviour's Genealogy in Mat. 1. Luke 3. resolved viz. how it can be said Ozias begat Joatham A Scruple about the three Tesseradecads Another about Jechonias's begetting Salathiel How Cainan came to be inserted How either of the Genealogies in St. Mark or St. Luke can be said to be Christ's when they both give an Account of Joseph's Pedigree How one may be said to be Joseph's and the other Mary's Genealogy How Joseph can be the Son of Jacob and of Heli. Several Occasions besides what have been mention'd before of the Difficulties in Scripture viz. it was writ by Different Persons It refers to Antient Practices now almost unknown or forgot where the Author's Conjecture about the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in 2 Tim. 4. 13. is propounded The Hebrew Text especially hath some things proper to it self which render it obscure in some Places It is the way of the Hebrews to express things briefly concisely abruptly Their peculiar Idiom admits not of an exact Translation Order and Time are not always observed The Abstrusity of Scripture in some Places is an Argument of its Worth and Excellency I Will now according to my propounded Method speak of those Difficulties which arise from the Duration of Time wherein such and such things were done or came to pass The first Chronological Doubt which I shall mention is that in Gen. 15. 13. Thy Seed shall be a Stranger in a Land that is not theirs and shall serve them and they shall afflict them four hundred Years So long the Israelites were to serve the Egyptians and be afflicted by them Which is confirmed in ver 16. In the fourth Generation they shall come hither again that is after four hundred Years mentioned before the Israelites shall be delivered from their Slavery in Egypt and shall return to Canaan But it is well known and confess'd by all Men that the Israelites were not in Egypt so long a time and consequently did not serve them nor were afflicted by them so many years It is generally acknowledged that their Bondage in Egypt did not last above two hundred and 15 Years at most And so the Jewish Historian himself computes it Here then seems to be a great Mistake as to Time But really there is none but those rather who think the forementioned Words are spoken wholly of the Time of the Israelites Servitude in Egypt are mistaken which we shall the better apprehend if we take notice of the Text as it is quoted by St. Stephen in Acts. 7. 6. God spake in this wise that his Seed should sojourn in a strange Land and that they should bring them into Bondage and intreat them evilly four hundred Years The four hundred Years as you may observe refer not only to the latter but the former part of the Verse viz. to the sojourning in a strange Land which may be applied to Canaan as well as Egypt so that this Term of four hundred Years includes all the Time from Abraham's leaving his own Country till the Departure out of Egypt In all this space of Time Abraham's Seed were Sojourners and Pilgrims were evilly intreated and suffer'd Bondage and Persecution But the Difficulty is renewed by what we meet with in Exod. 12. 40. The sojourning of the Children of Israel who dwelt in Egypt the last eminent Place of their sojourning was four hundred and thirty Years Here are thirty Years added to the former Reckoning how shall we reconcile this Very well for this latter Account is precise and exact but the former was not which is no unusual thing in Holy Scripture as well as in other Good Writers The Years are not always precisely set down the odd and lesser Numbers are omitted and the great round Number only is mentioned Thus in the forenamed Places the round Number of four hundred is put for four hundred and thirty which latter is the whole time of the sojourning both of Abraham and his Seed in Canaan and afterwards of their Posterity in Egypt This Exact Number is mention'd by the Apostle whose Words will give us farther Light into this Computation The Covenant saith he that was confirmed before of God in Christ the Law which was four hundred and thirty Years after cannot disanul It is certain that the Covenant he here speaks of is that Covenant which God made with Abraham as the preceding Verses shew and the Law is that Body of Moral Precepts and Prohibitions which was given on Mount Sinai in the very Year of the Israelites coming out of Egypt Hence we plainly discover the beginning and ending of the four hundred and thirty Years they began when Abraham left his own Country for then God entred into Covenant with him and they ended when the Israelites left Egypt and thereupon received the Law from Moses on the Mount Though it be true then that the Israelites Servitude in Egypt was not above two hundred and odd Years yet the full time of their whole Peregrination was four hundred and thirty which is to be reckon'd from the Calling of Abraham and his coming out of Vr until the Israelites leaving of Egypt under the Conduct of Moses This is the full and exact Account and the other before-mentioned fell short of it because the odd Numbers were omitted as is frequent among the best Writers And indeed a great many Difficulties in Chronology are answered by this that a Great or Round Number is oftentimes used in Scripture for an Odd or Imperfect one though it be more Exact Thus it is threatned and foretold in Numb 14. 33. that the Murmuring Israelites should wander in the Wilderness forty Years yet if you compare Numb 33. 3. with Iosh. 4. 19. you will see that some Days if not Weeks were wanting to make up the Number But because forty Years was a round and compleat Number and because in so many Years a few Days were inconsiderable therefore Moses delivers it in this manner The like you may observe in Iudg. 11. 26. where you read that the Israelites dwelt in the Land of the Amorites three hundred Years whereas from the first time that the Israelites began to enter upon the Land of Canaan when Ioshua was made their Leader to Iephthah's Reign there were not above two hundred threescore and seven Years But becaue the other was a Round Number and because was nearer to three hundred than to two hundred it is thus express'd And other Instances of this sort might be produced which I now wave wherein the lesser and more imperfect Numbers are omitted especially in very Great Sums the small Number is neglected and comes not under any Account There is another difficult Passage in Chronology and that respects
was their rightful Governour They had no Authority to depose him and to choose a King in his room and therefore Samuel might be look'd upon as their True and Lawful Governour as long as he lived Yet this time of his Rule is made here a part of Saul's Reign because he was forced at last to anoint him King and because he suffered his own Government to be swallowed of his Hence it is that the forty Years assigned to him by St. Paul do include Samuel's Judicature that is Samuel and Saul reigned forty Years together This also will salve many Chronological Differences that the Kings of Israel did often make their Sons Kings in their own Reign to settle them in the Kingdom before their Death and so the time of the Reign is sometimes set down as it respects the Father only sometimes as it respects the Son and sometimes as it includes both Iehoram is said to have reigned eight years in Ierusalem 2 Kings 8. 17. but by Collection out of the Text it is clear that either seven of those eight Years or at least four are to be reckoned in the Life of his Father Iehosaphat for Iehoram reign'd as Vice-roy in his Father's time or he reigned with his Father and so his Father's Years and his are reckoned too But when upon the Death of his Father he came to reign alone then 't is said Jehoram his Son reigned in his stead 2 Chron. 21. 1. So Iotham reigned Sixteen Years 2 Kings 15. 33. yet mention was made before of his twentieth year ver 30. which we reconcile thus Iotham reigned alone sixteen Years only but with his Father Vzziah who was a Leper and therefore unfit for the sole Government four Years before which makes twenty Thus we take away that seeming Repugnancy between 2 Kings 24. 8. Jehoiachin was eighteen Years old when he began to reign and 2 Chron. 36. 9. He was eight Years old when he began to reign that is he was eight Years old when he began to reign with his Father but he was eighteen when he began to reign by himself It was common both with the Kings of Iudah and Israel to take their Sons into Partnership with them in the Throne This is the way of resolving other Places of the like Nature in the Books of Kings and Chronicles Sometimes the Sons are made Kings with their Fathers and the Years of their Joint Reign are put together At other times they are spoken of as ruling separately and hence it comes to pass that the Years vary We are concern'd then to take notice that in the foresaid Books the Reigns of some Kings are mentioned twice first as they were Contemporary and Sharers with some others and then as they ruled alone We may sometimes solve the Doubts about the different Account which is given us of the Duration of some Kings Reigns by Interregnums or Vacancy of Kingly Government for few or more Years which was not unusual Thus of King Ahaziah who succeeded Iehoram in the Throne it is recorded 2 Kings 8. 26. that he was two and twenty Years old when he began to reign but in 2 Chron. 22. 2. it is said he was forty and two Years old when he began to reign If this latter Account be true then besides that it is a contradicting of the former it will follow hence that the Son was two Years older than the Father for of Iehoram who was his Father it is said in 2 Chron. 21. 20. Thirty and two Years old was he when he began to reign and he reign'd in Jerusalem eight Years whence it appears that he was forty Years old when he died but of his Son who succeeded him in the Throne it is said He was two and forty Years old when he began to reign 2 Chron. 22. 1. This is thought to be so great a Difficulty that Malvenda and others cry out it is not to be solved But why I pray Because say they according to this Relation the Father died at forty and the Son who immediately succeeded him was above forty so then Iehoram begat his Son two Years before himself was born which to assert is as ridiculous as the thing is impossible But those who talk after this manner make Difficulties and then complain there is no possibility of answering them They affirm that Ahaziah immediately succeeded Iehoram whereas they find not this asserted in the History There might be an Interruption of the Royal Government Ahaziah might be kept from the actual Possession of the Throne a long time So then it is truly said He was two and twenty Years old when he began to reign if you reckon from his Father's Death for then a King's Heir is said to begin his Reign But if you compute from the time when he was peaceably settled in the Kingdom he was two and forty Years old when he began to reign for by that time he got securely to the Throne twenty Years were expired and after this he reigned but one Year as we read in the same Place Thus besides that it might have been said that Ahaziah reigned with his Father twenty two Years the Difficulty is answer'd by supposing an Interregnum for several Years which was very frequent in those Days and there is Reason Sometimes to grant this Vacancy to have been although it be not expresly mention'd in the Place for many things of this kind are omitted in the Sacred History and are left to be inferr'd from the Reasonableness of the thing it self and from the Circumstances which attend it Again there are those who avoid some Scruples in Chronology by holding that the Years of Bad Kings are sometimes omitted as if they had not reigned at all So some have interpreted that Place 1 Sam. 13. 1. which speaks of the two Years Reign of Saul not but that he reign'd many more which are not there reckon'd because of his evil Government Thus Solomon they say reigned many more Years than are set down for the time of his sinful and idolatrous Reign is suppressed Lastly it hath been observed in order to the taking away those Doubts which arise about the different Assignation of Time in the Old Testament that the Scripture gives us the Computation of the Times of the Iewish Republick or Kingdom but altogether omits the Spaces of Servitude Oppression Captivity and Anarchy excepting only the time of the Egyptian Bondage which is reckoned by Moses The Author of Seder Olam and Other Jewish Writers and the Learned Broughton from them give an Account of some Chronological Disputes by adhering to this Expedient With whom agrees Dr. Lightfoot who hath admirably performed this Task adding several things of his own Observation whereby the Differences in Chronology are fully reconciled The Result then of what we have said is this that if in some Places of Scripture the Years seem not to be rightly set down we may recur to the foregoing Resolutions and satisfy our selves with them
constant Profession of it without wavering and to a Holy Life and Conversation sutable to so excellent â— Doctrine he with great Industry endeavours to convince them of the Danger of Apostacy he confirms them in the Christian Doctrine amidst all the Persecutions and Difficulties they labour'd under And lastly he is solicitous to prevent their revolting by setting before them the most Eminent Examples of Faith and Patience These are the Momentous Themes which are observable in this Epistle I know some have doubted whether this Incomparable Epistle be St. Paul's and others have absolutely denied that it is his yet still allowing that it was written by some Inspired Person and belongs to the Canon of Holy Scripture The Learned Grotius endeavours to prove that St. Luke wrote it But for my Part I have no Inclination to believe that any other Person than St. Paul penn'd this Epistle for this is most clear from that one Place 2 Pet. 3. 16. Even as our beloved Brother Paul also according to the Wisdom given unto him hath written unto you St. Peter here speaks to the Iews for to them this Epistle as well as the former was written as appears from the Title of it To the Strangers scatter'd throughout Pontus Galatia Cappadocia Asia and Bithynia i. e. the Iews dispersed up and down the World who by St. iames are call'd the twelve Tribes which are scatter'd abroad These tho they neither lived in Palestine nor used the Hebrew Tongue but lived among the Greeks and spoke that Language generally and used the Greek Bible viz. the Translation of the Septuagint in their Synagogues and were commonly known by the Name of Hellenists and consequently were not Hebrews or Iews in the strictest and properest Sense yet because they were of Iewish Parentage and professed or had once professed the Iewish Religion they were still call'd Iews or Hebrews and accordingly have that Denomination here So that St. Paul here and St. Peter and St. Iames write their Epistles to the same Persons that is to the Converted Iews that were dispersed abroad especially in Greece and which is the Argument I make use of at present St. Peter particularly takes notice of St. Paul's Writing to these Dispersed Jews But how doth it appear that he writ to them Thus all the Epistles of this Apostle which we have mentioned before excepting this which we are now speaking of were written either to the Churches of believing Gentiles or to some Particular Persons as hath been noted already whence it follows that seeing he wrote to the Iews or Hebrews as St. Peter testifies he was the Author of this remaining Epistle which is inscribed to them We are certain that St. Paul writ to the Iews because St. Peter tells us so that is he tellâ— us that St. Paul wrote to those to whom he wrote but St. Peter wrote to the Iews or Hebrews both his Epistles therefore St. Paul wrote to them likewise and this Epistle to the Hebrews which we now have must be that very Epistle because thâ—râ— is no other of his to them besides it Wherefore it is an undeniable Consequence that the Epistle to the Hebrews was writ by St. Paul and by none else which was the thing to be proved Again I might further add that what the Apostle Peter saith concerning St. Paul's Epistles or concerning the Matters contain'd in them for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may refer rather to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 than to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 viz. that there are in them some things hard to be understood doth agree well to the Sublime Matter of the Epistle to the Hebrews wherein so many Prophecies Types Allegories and Mysteries are treated of and applied so that it may probably be inferr'd hence that this Epistle is referr'd to in particular and consequently that St. Paul was the Author of it To corrobate this we may subjoin the unanimous Testimony of the Greek Fathers who generally attribute this Epistle to St. Paul With whom agree the Schoolmen and all the Writers of the Church of Rome but Erasmus and Cajetan and Ludovicus Vives assert the same Most of the Lutherans are of this Opinion though herein they dissent from their Master Luther and the Reformed Churches as distinct from the Lutherans are of the same Perswasion though Calvin be of another Mind which shews that there are very Cogent Reasons for this Opinion otherwise these Parties would not dissent from their Masters It may be added that Our English Church in the Title calls it the Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews As for the Reason of the Omission of his Name in the Beginning of this Epistle which is not to be observ'd in his Others perhaps it was as Clement of Alexandria Athanasius Chrysostom Theophilact conjecture because his Name was odious to most of the Iews he having been once a Iews but afterwards abandon'd that Religion wherefore he advisedly left out his Name that it might not prejudice what he writ and that the Epistle might not be thrown away for the Author's sake But whether this was the Reason why his Name is not inserted as in the rest of his Epistles I am not able to determine only I am sufficiently convinced from what St. Peter saith that this Epistle was writ by St. Paul that single Testimony is Proof enough Here I might take occasion having hitherto given you a brief Account of the Excellent Matter of this Apostle's Writings which are so great a Part of the New Testament to speak something concerning his Stile or rather to add to what I have already said of it in another Place under this Proposition There are no Solaecisms in the Holy Writings This I am the more willing to do because some have look'd upon this Apostle as a Man of no Eloquence yea scarcely of any Grammar and Consistency of Sense which Imputation would argue a great Defect and Imperfection in Scripture and therefore I am obliged to take notice of it It is true there are several things which render his Stile somewhat dark and perplexed in sundry Places He brings in Objections sometimes but doth not intimate that the Words are spoken in that way as in Rom. 3. 5 6 7. and other Places which makes the Sense difficult to those that do not carefully examine the Context In the 4th Chapter of that Epistle ver 1. a Negative is left out viz. the Answer to the preceding Question which should have been thus No he hath not found And in ver 8. the Note of Parenthesis is omitted as 't is in several other Places Further 't is observable that the Apostle hath sometimes references to Words and Things which he had mention'd before but which he seem'd to have quite laid aside in his Discourse Thus he turns back again in 2 Cor. 3. 17. and refers to what was said before in ver 6. for those Words in the latter Place The Lord is that Spirit refer to the former
Guidance of the Holy Spirit and not of my own Head Thus what I advise and direct you to is from the Lord i. e. from the Holy Ghost though not from the Lord in that other Sense as if he had given any particular and express Command concerning it So the Force of the Objection is quite taken of And at the same time also the Distinction of Evangelical Counsels and Precepts which is so much talk'd of and madâ— use of by the Romanists appears to be frivolus anâ— impertinent The third Quotation is to be interpreted in thâ— same Manner He here speaks concerning Singlâ— Persons such as were never married and he acquaints them as before what Authority his Doctrine concerning these hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I have not a Commandment of the Lord i. e. I have no express Word of our Saviour concerning Virgins as there was concerning the Divorce of Married Persons of whom I spake v. 10. for our Lord had positively determin'd what was to be done in that Case Mat. 5. 32. 19. 9. Luk. 16 18. Therefore there not I but the Lord himself was properly said to command But here no Absolutâ— Precept of our Lord can be alledg'd he hath no where peremptorily commanded to marry or not to marry And the more particular things relating to a Single Life spoken of here by the Apostle are not so much as mention'd by him Yet saith he I give my Iudgment as one that hath obtained Mercy of the Lord to be faithful i. e. in an immediate and extraordinary Manner I have obtained this Favour to deliver faithfully what is dictated to me in this Affair though there be no express Word of our Lord about it I am Divinely taught what to say the Holy Spirit suggests to me what Counsel to give And therefore with respect to this and whatever he said before he concludes in the last Verse of this Chapter that he hath the Spirit of God And when he saith he thinks so it doth not denote in the least the Uncertainty of the thing but the Humility of the Apostle We are not then to imagine as several Commentators and of good Note too do that by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we render Iudgment is meant the Apostle's â—â—â—vate Opinion and Sentiment in contradistinction to 〈◊〉 Dictateâ— of the Holy Ghost but according to 〈◊〉 plain Interpretation which I have given we â—ave reason to believe that both in this and his other Epistles he writes all by Divine Inspiration Then as to the next Place where the Apostle â—â—ith he speaks not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by command this way of Expression is somewhat of the same Nature with the first which is evident from the Subjectâ—matter he treats of and the particular Application of this Expression For in this Chapter his Business is to excite the Corinthians effectually to a Charitable Contribution for the distressed Christiâ—â—s at Ierusalem and he requests that they would be very Liberal and abound in this Excellent and Noble Work which yet he saith he doth not speak to them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in a commanding Way but â—e leaves them to their Liberty He would have their Charity to be free and therefore doth not command them It is of the same Strain with Philem. 8 9. Though I might be much bold in Christ to enjoin that which is convenient yet for Love's Sake I â—â—â—ber beseech But this beseeching them and this professing that he leaves them to their Freedom is from the Lord and from Divine Inspiration Which ought necessarily to be added to clear this and the other Texts for I do not find that Commentators have fully interpreted and explain'd these Places Only they tell us that the Apostle doth not command the things to be done but leaves them at Liberty whereby they intimate that what he saith is from himself it is his Private Opinion But we must not harbour any such Thoughts because if all Scripture be endited by the Holy Ghost as certainly it is then we san't admit of any such thing here as meer Private Opinion The last Place alledged is I speak not after the Lord. Which some would interpret according to the foregoing Sâ—nse of the Apostle in those Places I have spoken of but they hugely mistake the Text and miserably distort the Apostle's Meaning Therefore my Apprehension of the Words is this that as in several other Places so here he speakâ— Ironically The false Apostles the deceitful Workers saith he whom some of you have such a Kindness for exceedingly boast of their great Performances among you I think I had best to do so too for that it is the way to gain your good Opinion of me I can brag and glory of my Atchievements as much as any of them yea much more Therefore as a Fool receive me that I may boast my self a little Seeing that many glory after the Flesh I will glory also For ye suffer Fools gladly seeing ye your selves are Wise. You and your new Teachers are Masters of great Wisdom without doubt and it cannot but be a very laudable Thing to imitate you especially in your Boasting and Vaunting And yet when I am forced to commend my self and vindicate my Actions that which I speak thus I speak it not after the Lord no by no means I can neither say nor do any thing that is wise or good I am in the Esteem of some of you a Fool and a confident Talker as he immediately adds This seems to be the clear Import of the Words and it is not the only time that St. Paul hath addressed himself to the Corinthians in an Ironick Stile as I have shew'd in another Place Thus I hope it is manifest that the Objectors have no Advantage from this Place of Scripture And from all that hath been said it is clear that the Sacred Writings are of Divine Inspiration and therein excel all other Writings whatsoever CHAP. XII A short View of the Eastern Translations of the Old Testament especially of the Targums The several Greek Translations more especially that of the LXX Jewish Elders The impartial History of them and their Version Some â—mmoderately extol it others as excessively inveigh against it The true Grounds of the Difference between the Hebrew Text and the Greek Translation of the Septuagint assigned viz. One Hebrew Vowel is put for another One Consonant for another sometimes both Vowels and Consonants are mistaken The Difference of the Signification of some Hebrew Words is another Cause Sometimes the Sense rather than the Word it self is attended to Some Faults are to be attributed to the Transcribers Some because the LXX are Paraphrasts rather than Translators they take the Liberty to insert Words and Passages of their own The Greek Version hath been designedly corrupted in several Places Why the Apostles in their Sermons and Writings made use of this Version though it was faulty Sometimes the Sacred Writers keep close to the Hebrew Text and take no
nothing in Scripture that looks like Inconsistent and Contradictory Upon a diligent Search we shall discern a mutual Correspondence in the Stile Matter and Design of these Writings we shall find a happy Concurrence of Circumstances and an admirable Consistency in the Doctrines and Discourses in so much that we shall be forced to acknowledg that upon this single Consideration it is reasonable to believe that these Writings were endited by the Holy Spirit This Harmony then of the Scriptures I may justly reckon among the Inward Notes of the Truth of Scripture because it is adjoined to the Matter of it which is of the very Intrinsick Nature of it What Iustinian professes and promises concerning his Digests in his Preface to them that there is nothing Clashing and Contradictory in them but that they are all of a piece is true only of the Sacred Laws of the Evangelical Pandects which contain in them nothing Dissonant and Repugnant The Old and New Testament the Prophets and Apostles are consonant to themselves and to one another which is a great Argument of the Truth of them There is nothing in one Place of Scripture opposite to the true Meaning which the Holy Ghost hath revealed and asserted in another The Contents of the whole Book whether you look into the Doctrinal or Historical Part of it have nothing contradictory in them All the Authors of it agree in their Testimonies and assert the same thing and consent among themselves It is the Nature of Lies and Forgeries that they hang not together as Lactantius on the like Occasion hath observed Especially if you search very inquisitively and narrowly into them you will perceive that they are thin and slight and may easily be seen through But the Contents of these Writings have been diligently inquired into and with great Care and Industry examined by all sorts of Persons and yet they are found to be every ways Consistent with themselves and the Testimony of the Writers is known to be Concurrent and Agreeing All wise and curious Observers must needs grant that there is no Book under Heaven that parallels the Scriptures as to this Which shews that they are more than Humane Writings yea that they were Divinely inspired and dictated And this I take to be the Sense of St. Peter who assures us that no Prophecy of the Scripture is of private Interpretation He speaks of the first Rise of those Prophecies which are in Scripture they are from God they are not of private Interpretation they are not from Man's Invention they are not of his own Brain and Fancy but they are to be esteem'd to be as they are Divine and Heavenly Oracles Thus the Word of God is Witness to it self and stands in need of no others The Scripture is sufficiently proved by what is in it and is to be believed for its own sake Which made an antient Writer say We have compleat Demonstrations out of the Scriptures themselves and accordingly we are demonstratively assured by Faith concerning the Truth of the things therein delivered Which cannot be said of any humane Writings in the World for they carry no such Native Marks with them But the very Inward Notes of the Truth and Authority of the Scriptures create in us a certain and unshaken Belief They may be known from all other Writings whatsoever by the Excellent Transcendent and Divine Matter contained in them and by the peculiar Manner of delivering and publishing it These I call Internal Proofs because they are taken from the Books themselves because they are something that we find there These assure us that they were written not by Man but by God There is yet another Internal Testimony I call it so because it is within Vs though not in the Scriptures As I have shewed you that the Holy Spirit speaks in the Scriptures and bears Testimony to the Truth of them so now I add that this Spirit speaks in Vs and works in our Hearts a Perswasion that the Scriptures are the Word of God By this Spirit we are enabled to discern the Voice of the same Spirit and of Christ in those Writings This witnessing Power of the Spirit in the Souls of Believers is asserted in Acts 5. 32. 15. 7 8. and in 1 Iohn 5. 6. From these Places it is clear that there is an Illumination of the Spirit joining with our Consciences and Perswasions and this Spirit powerfully convinces all Believers of the Truth of the Scriptures This Testimony follows immediately on our setting before us the Inward Excellencies of the Scripture as I have represented them for God makes use of those Evidences and Arguments to beget a Belief in us of the Divine Authority of Scripture The Spirit enlightens and convinces Mens Minds by those Means but more especially he urges these Evidences on the Hearts of the Religious and Faithful and thereby brings them to a firm Perswasion of the Scriptures being the Word of God This is no Enthusiasm because it is discovered to us by proper Means and Instruments whereas that is without any and is generally accompanied with the despising of them But the Evidences and Notes in the Scripture are the Reasons and Motives of our Belief only the Holy Spirit comes and prepares and sanctifies our Minds and illuminates our Consciences and causes those Arguments and Motives to make Impression upon us and effectually to prevail with us and to silence all Objections to the contrary Thus the Truth of Scripture is attested by the Holy Spirit witnessing in us But when I say the Testimony of the Spirit is a Proof of the Truth of the Scripture I must adjoin this that this Proof serves only for those that have this Spirit it may establish them but it cannot convince others No other Man can be brought to be perswaded of the Truth of those Sacred Writings by the Spirit 's convincing me of the Truth of them Besides this Proof is not in all that really believe the Truth of these Books some may be convinced of the Truth of them without this but where this is it is most Powerful and Convictive and surpasses all other degreâ— of Perswasion whatsoever There is no such câ—tain knowledg of the Truth of these Holy Wâ— tings as by the Testimony of the Sacred Spirit 〈◊〉 the Hearts of Men produced there in a ration â— way and in such a manner as is most sutable 〈◊〉 our Faculties CHAP. II. External Proofs of the Truth of the Holy Scriptureâ— Viz. the wonderful Preservation of them and Vniversal Tradition Which latter is defended against the Objections of those that talk of a New Character wherein the Old Testament is written Thâ— Iewish Masoreth attests the Authority of these Writings The Hebrew Text is not corrupted The Points or Vowels were coexistent with the Letters F. Simon 's Notion of Abbreviating the Historicâ—â— Books of the Old Testament rejected The New Tement vouched by the unanimous Suffrage of the Primitive Church The
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
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
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
it were easy to prove All which it is likely had its first Rise from the Old Testament and the Practice of the Antients recorded there Is it not reasonable to think that the Cities of Refuge among some Pagan Nations whither Offenders fled for Protection had their Origine from those so expresly mentioned in Numb 35. 13 14 15. Hence we read that Cadmus when he built Thebes founded a Place for all sorts of Criminals to repair to and Romulus at the building of Rome erected a Sanctuary for Offenders to fly to Further I could observe that the New-Moons were celebrated by the Athenians and other Grecians Concerning the first Plutarch is very positive and as to the rest that Proverbial Saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in use among them shews that they solemnly observ'd the first Day of the Month. The Romans likewise had the same Custom as is manifest from that of Ovid Vendicat Ausonias Iunonis cura Calendas And these New-Moon Festivals are referr'd to by Horace more than once as you may see in Turâ—â—bus All which is of Hebrew Extraction I could take notice that the Latin Iubilare and Iubilatio which are found in Varro and other old Romans which signify great Rejoicing and Shouting for Joy are from the old Jewish Law of Iubilee a Time of exceeding Gladness being the Year when Servants and Debtors were restored to their Liberty and Possessions which occasioned great Rejoicing And I could propound more Instances yet to prove that several Customs among the Heathens were extracted from the Holy Scriptures and that Heathen Worshippers shaped New Strange and Profane Rites and Ways of Worship out of the Passages they â—ead or heard of there and that most of the Heathen Usages are corrupt Imitations of the Jews I will add to the several Particulars this one more which though I will not confidently pronounce was borrowed from the Jews yet I propose it as a thing very probable It is this that the Hieroglyphicks of the Egyptians were in imitation of that People for they were brought up under Shadows Types and Symbols dark Representations and mystical Rites which might give occasion to the Egyptians to teach Religion and Morality by Hieroglyphick Figures I am not positive here nor would I be any where else unless I had good Grounds to go on because I am not altogether certain that the Hieroglyphick Learning began after Moses But there is great probability that it did and consequently that it was derived from what they observ'd among the Jews This is the Perswasion of the Inquisitive Kircher who without â—â—y hesitation averreth that the Symbolical and Hieroglyphick Learning was imbibed from the Hebrews Nay to go yet farther now we are come thus far there are those who conjecture that a great part of the Antient Gentile Philosophy was collected from the Holy Book of Scripture Among the antient Persians the Mosaick Religion might be â—iscovered in many Instances which might be given of their Principles and an Ingenious French Author hath lately proved that their Zoroastres was the same with Moses And as for the Pythagâ—rick and Platonick Philosophy which consists much in Figures and Numbers in Dark and Symbolical Precepts it is evident that it was made up out of the Sacred Hebrew Writings The Platonists Books concerning God the Genii the Spirits and Souls of Men though stuff'd with many Errors and Superstitions discover a great Resemblance and Affinity with those things which the Bible delivers about the Nature of God Angels and Humane Souls Eusebius particularly insists on this and derives the Platonick Doctrines from the Scriptures Hence both he and Clement of Alexandria take notice of what Numenius the Pythagorean Philosopher said of Plato namely that he was the Greek Moses And indeed most of the antient Sages and Philosophers were obscure and mystick in their Stile and way of delivering their Notions as the Sacred Writers are observ'd to be very often Hence it is said by the antient Father whom I last quoted That the way of Philosophizing among those Pagans was after the manner of the Hebrews that is Aenigmatical But as to the Matter as well as Stile the chiefest of the old Greek Poets and Philosophers as Orpheus Homer Hesiod Thales Anaxagoras Parmenides Empedocles Democritus Socrates besides Pythagoras and Plato before named agree with Moses We may say of them all as an Historian saith of the first of them after he had set down several Particulars of sound Philosophy in his Poems They have pronounced many things concerning God and Man which are consonant to that Truth which we who are taught by the Holy Writings profess This may give light to what an Egyptian Priest told Solon Yoâ— Grecians saith he are but of yesterday and know nothing of the Rise and Antiquity of Arts there is not one of you that is Old and there is no Learning among you that is Antient. His meaning was that all their Knowledg was borrowed and that the Sacred Mosaick Philosophy and Theology were the oldest of all From this the Heathens took theirs though sometimes they express it in different Terms Thus we have gone through the Moâ—aick Records and in many Instances shew'd the Derivation of Gentile Philosophy Principles Praâ—tices and Usages from those Sacred Writings and consequently we have evinced the Truth and Antiquity of these Records Before I leave this Head of my Discourse I will here add the Testimony of Pagan and Profane Authors concerning this great Law-giver Moses the first Penman of Holy Scripture which is still in prosecution of what I undertook to shew that the Writings of the Old Testament and with them their Authors and Penmen are attested by Profane Writers It appears first from what these have said that there was such a Person and that he was what his Writings represent him to be This is he that is called by Orpheus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 alluding to his Name Mosheh Exod. 2. 10. which was given him because he was drawn out of the Water He is celebrated by Alexander Polyhistor Philochorus Thallus Appion cited by Iustin Martyr by Manethon and Numenius alledged by Origen and Eusebius by Lysimachus and Molon quoted by Iosephus by Chalcidius Sanchoniathon Iustin Pliny in Porphyrius Moses is placed by Dioâ—orus the Sicilian in the Front of his famous Law-givers only a little disguised under the Name of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who is there said to have received his Laws from Mercury And why from Mercury Perhaps because some Chronologers acquaint us that the Great Mercurius stiled Trismegistus the antientest Philosopher among the Egyptians was either contemporary with Moses or is thought to have lived about his time But St. Augustine tells us in his Noted Book de Civitate Dei that this 〈◊〉 was Nephew to another Mâ—râ—urius whose 〈◊〉 was Atlas the famous Astrologer and he it was belike that flourished in Moses's time Whâ—â—â—â— if I
their Religious Rites from the Gentiles That from what hath been premised we may take notice of and admire the singular Providence of Heaven That we are ascertain'd of the Antiquity Reasonableness and Certainty of our Religion That we are reconcil'd to the writings of Prophane Authors That we are assured of the Truth and Authority of the Scriptures of the Old Testament I Will now add unto Reason and Evidence the Suffrage of the Learned and Wise whether Ancients or Moderns It was averr'd long since by Demetrius Phalereus that Great Historian and Philosopher in an Epistle of his to King Ptolomey that the Gentile Philosophers took many things from the Holy Scriptures as you will find him cited by Eusebius in his Evangelical Preparation This is an early Testimony to the truth of what I have asserted By this it appears that the Notion which I have offered is above two thousand years Old Iosephus the Learned Iew who lived about half a thousand years after attests the same and professedly proves that both Philosophers and Poets borrowed from the Sacred Fountains of Scripture This is abundantly testified by the Christian Fathers as Tatianus who hath a set Oration on this Subject that what Learning the Greeks gloried in was received all of it from the Barbarians as they call'd the Iews Tâ—eophilus Bishop of Antioch who lived likewise in the Second Century asserts this in defence of Christianity proving that whatever the Pagan Poets writ of Hell and the pains of it and several other Subjects in Divinity was stolen from the Writings of the inspired Prophets and that the Christian doctrine which is in a great part taken from them is the Ancientest Religion Iustin the Christian Philosopher and martyr speaks to the like purpose and proves that all the true Notions in Theology among the Pagans sprang from Moses and the Holy Writings and he instanceth in and enlargeth on many Particulars shewing that Orpheus Homer and Plato had several of their Words Phrases Opinions Traditions Descriptions from the Prophetick Writings He maintains that the Fables of Bacchus Hercules Aesculapius c. were made out of the depraved sense and meaning of the Holy Writ At another time he pursueth the same Argument and attempts to demonstrate that all the Great and Brave things in the Philosophers and Poets Writings are from the Holy Book Clement of Alexandria is very copious on this Theme The Scope of the first Book of his Stromata is to shew that the Philosophy of the Hebrews was many Generations older than that of the Gentiles and in prosecution of this he endeavours to evince that the Opinions of the Greek Philosophers and others were taken from Moses and other Hebrews And in the Second Book of his Stromata he farther insisteth on this Subject and proves that the Greeks were Notorious Plagiaries and stole their Philosophy from the Barbarians And so he goes on in the following Books to prove that all the good Notions among the Greeks came from the Hebrews that whatever Excellent Truths the former taught thâ—y had from the latter they Sacrilegiously took them from the Holy Patriarchs and Iews This is the sense of the forty seventh Chapter of Tertullian's Apologetick he there maintains that both Poets and Philosophers were beholding to the Prophets and derived all their best things from them Yea those very Arguments which the Pagans bring against the Christian Truth are fetch'd from it as I observ'd from him before I have mention'd Origen already but if you consult his Fourth Book against Celsus you will find this more largely asserted viz. That the Pagan Rites and Stories were taken from the Scriptures Eusebius likewise hath been quoted before but if the Reader think good to peruse the Author he will see this Argument insisted on in four or five Books together where he proves that the Greeks had some understanding of Moses's Theology and follow'd the Iewish Writers in several things which he makes good by alledging several passages out of Theophrastus Hecataeus Porphyrius Numenius Megasthenes c. And afterwards he goes on and more designedly clears this Proposition that what is good in the Writings of the Gentile Philosophers is all stoln from the Hebrews and that the Wisdom of the Greeks especially came from the Iews I might add the Testimony of St. Augustin who shews that the Platonists borrowed from the Scripture And of Theodoret who agrees with him in this and farther proves that other Philosophers had their Theologick Notions from Moses and the Prophets Thus we see this is an Old and Received Truth Nor doth it want the Sâ—ffrage of the most Learned Modern Writers some of whom without any order of time I will briefly mention Stuckius is very plain and peremptory and speaks the Sum of what we have delivered in the preceeding Discourse The whole Religion of the Old Pagans saith he proceeded from a depraved perverse and preposterous kind of imitating that Ancient and truly Divine Religion which the Patriarchs and their posterity the Iews had such a reverence for as being prescribed them by God himself Villalpandus on the Pentateuch professedly declares that the Sacrifices and other Usages among the Gentiles came from the Iews Who can deny saith another that the Laws which were given to those Holy Men the Hebrews came first to the Egyptians and then out of Egypt went to Greece The Elder Vossius hath in almost innumerable places assorted this that the Gentiles made a great number of their Fables out of the Histories which are in the Sacred Writings Bochart hath with great Wit and Learning traced and discovered the footsteps of Scripture-History among the Heathens in their Mythology It is the Opinion of Marcus Marinus that the Theological Sentiments concerning Divine Things were the same among all the Ancient Hebrews and Patriarchs but afterwards they were depraved by the Greeks and Converted into Fables Lewis Capell hath these express words In the Old Fables of the Greeks you may perceive some shadow and Image some dark and flying footsteps as 't were of several of the Histories in the Bible Which might be demonstrated by a manifold induction of particulars It is the declar'd judgment of another that the Gentiles were wont to transferr the more remarkable Histories of the Old Testament and the Divine Miracles related therein to their false Gods And he instances in several And because I have asserted in the foregoing Discourse that the Sacred Mysteries and Rites of God's own appointment have been prophaned and abused even to Magical purposes I will adjoyn here the Testimony of Petrus Crinitus who expresly tells us that the Egyptians and others made and invented Magical Ceremonies out of the Scacred Rites and Observances of the Iews and that they were wholly indebted to these for them Kircher and Isaac Vossius have done their part in this Subject but Huetius in his Evanâ—â—lical
Master clothed his Divine Doctrine in he chose this way of delivering things to them on purpose to work the more powerfully on their Affections A fit Parable moves the Mind with a wonderful Force and Efficacy it representing Matters to us in their livelieâ—t Colours and moâ—t natural Shapes and applying them to the particular Circumstances we are in so that it seemeth to say in the final Close of it as that Parabolical Prophet to David Tâ—ou art the Man It comes up close to us and with great Plainness and Freedom tells us our Case and affects us proportionably To have Dominion or Authority and to speak in a Parabolical way are expressed by the same word in the Hebrew This is most certain that our Saviour reduced this Criticism into Practice and by this moving way of Preaching let the World see that he taught as one that had Authority Thus I have briefly shewed you the Nature of Parables and given some Account of our Saviour's so frequently using them I shall only add that useful Rule of St. Chrysostom which is to be observed by us if we would rightly underâ—tand the Nature of the Stile of Scripture in this mystical way of expressing it self We must not saith he over-curiously fift every Word and Passage that we meet with in Parables but our main Business must be to understand the Scope and Design at which they aim and for which this sort of Discourse was composed and having gathered this out we ought to enquire no further it is in vain to busy our selves any longer And that of Maldonate is a very good Rule For the right interpreting of Parables we mâ—st know this that it is in vain to observe any Accuracy in comparing Persons with Persons and to be curious in suting particular things to things but we are to look at the grand Matter and as it lies before us in gross So he For this is to be remembred that there are several Circumstances inserted into Parables meerly to adorn and set off the Matter and to make the Representation and Similitude more graceful Therefore we must not insist on every Particular and think that an Argument may be drawn from all the Circumstances which we meet with in such Diâ—courses No the main thing which is the Design is to be attended to in a Parable If we observe this Rule we shall gain a sufficient Knowledg of our Saviour's Meaning in his Parables but otherwise we shall busy our Heads to little Purpose and mistake the true Design and Intention of our Lord in this kind of Instructions There are other Paâ—sages in the New Testament wherein a secondary or mystical Sense is to be observed as the 24th Chapter of St. Matthew one part of which according to most Expositors speaks of the Forerunners of Ierusalem's Destruction and the other Part of the Signs of Christ's Coming to Judgment But if you look narrowly into the whole Chapter you will observe that these Forerunners and Signs of both Sorts are intermixed and so promiscuously placed that it is difficult to tell precisely which precede the Destruction of Ierusalem and which the Day of Judgment Which gave me this Hint first of all that this whole Chapter or the greatest part of it is to be understood as those other Places of Scripture before-mentioned in a double Sense viz. a primary and a secondary In the former you must understand our Saviour speaking of those Prodigies and Calamities which should befal the Jews before the final Overthrow of their City and Temple In the latter you must conceive him foretelling the dreadful Signs and Concomitants of the last Day wherein not only Jews but all the World are concerned Here is a twofold Meaning of Chriâ—t's Words here is a double literaâ— or historical Sense and the latter of them being not so obvious and evident as the other and that is the Reason why it hath not been found out may be called the mystical Sense for it is so indeed in comparison of the other Whereas then Expositors are divided in interpreting this Chapter some referring some Passages in it to the Devastation of Ierusalem and others interpreting other Parts wholly of the Day of Judgment we may compromise the Matter and reconcile the different Interpreters by asserting that both the Destruction of Ierusalem and the Calamities of the Last Day are understood by both Parts of the Chapter excepting only one or two particular Expressions which may seem to refer altogether to one of these In short the Forerunners and Harbingers of the Ruine of the Jews and of the last Coming of our Saviour are the same So that while he speaks of one he also foretels the other This shews that there is a double meaning a simple and a compound one in the very same Words of this Chapter When the Apostle in Eph. 5. had spoken of the married State and of the Duties of Husband and Wife and particularly of the Love of the one and the Submission of the other he tells us in the Close that this Part of his Epistle hath a higher Meaning than every ordinary Reader of it would find out for besides the literal Import of the Words there â—s a more sublime and spiritual one This is a great Mystery saith he and I speak concerning Christ and the Church v. 32. Those Words in Gen. 2. 24. mentioned immediately before have a mystical as well as a literal Meaning they are to be understood of the sacred Union of Chriâ—â— and his Church as well as of the conjugal Union of Man and Wife For Marriage is an Emblem of the sacred and inviolable Tie between Christ and Belâ—evers and accordingly whilst the Apostle discours'd in that Part of the Chapter concerning the Love and Submission of Husband and Wife he lets us know that it is to be understood in a secondary Sense of Christ's Love to his Church and of the Church's Subjection unto Christ. And divers other Passages in St. Paul's Epistles have besides their literal a spiritual inward and mysterious Acception Even as to this the Apostle's Words are true viz. that he speaks the Wisdom of God in a Mystery I Cor. 2. 7. Thus I have abundantly proved the double Sense which is to be found in many Places of the Sacred Writings and it were easy to evinâ—e it from many more Instances if it were requisite I will only here in the Close produce the Words of a very profound and judicious Man a worthy Light of our Church that I may not be thought to be â—ingular in what I have asserted under this Head Many Passages saith he as well in the Prophets as other Sacred Oracles admit of Amphibologies and ambiguous Senses and the same Prophecies are oftentimes fulâ—illed according to both Senses And he instances in several Again a little after he hath these admirable Words Seeing our sacred Oracles were given many hundreds of Years before the Events foretold by them and since exhibited
Knife to thy Throat if thou be a Man given to Appetite And that of our Saviour Matth. 5. 29 30. If the right Eye offend thee pluck it out and if the right Hand offend thee cut it off To which I may add Prov. 25. 21. Rom. 12. 20. Heap up Coles on your Enemies Heads When a Person is thus commanded in Scripture to do some thing contrary to the express Law of God we may conclude that Command is to be understood in a secondary or mystical Sense and not according to the Letter So when God bids Hosea take a Wife of Whoredoms and Children of Whoredoms ch 1. 2. And when it is added that he went and took such an one ver 3. we must look upon it as a Parable a mystical Saying It was a Vision saith St. Ierom. So saith Ionathan the Chaldee Paraphrast and Maimonides agrees with him It is certain that this was done only in Shew and Representation but not actually and really because it was contrary to that direct Prohibition in the Law Lev. 21. 7. Thou shalt not take a Wife that is a Whore The Meaning then of the foregoing Words is this that seeing this People brag that they are my People my Spouse my Children go and represent the true State they are in by a Parable and let them know that they are as much my Wife and my Children and no more than if you should take a professed Whore with her spurious Brats and say that she is your lawful Wife and they are your lawful Children which is absolutely false This I conceive is the plain Meaning of the Words But that Command of God to Abraham Gen. 22. 2. Take thy Son the only Son Isaac and offer him for a Burnt-offering is of another kind for that this is not to be understood mystically but literally we can prove from the History it self which is so related that we may plainly see it was a Matter of Fact and it is inserted among other Historical Passages concerning that Patriarch whereas the Prophetical Books such as that of Hosea contain in them Visions and Representations of things spoken of as really done although they are not Besides we are certain that Abraham's offering his Son Isaac i. e. his binding him and laying him upon the Altar and undertaking to kill him were real things and actually performed because we are â—old by the infallible Penmen of the New Testament that they were so for they alledg this Matter of Fact to prove and demonstrate the Doctrine which they deliver Heb. 11. 17. Iam. 2. 21. Wherefore we are sure it was a Reality and consequently the Words in Genesis are to be understood in a plain Literal Sense A third Rule and the most useful is this See what Texts of Scripture are already interpreted in a Mystical Sense by the Evangelists and Apostles and observe the Nature Occasion and Circumstances of those Places and thereby you will be able to Discern what other Places of Scripture are to be understood in the same manner And accordingly you must interpret them not after the Bare Letter or History but in a Spiritual Sense And so much for the first thing which is to be taken notice of in order to our having a right Understanding of the Stile of Scripture viz. that there are many Places in it that have a Double Sense CHAP. II. The Scripture in many Places speaks not accurately but according to the Vulgar Opinion and Apprehensions of Men. Several Instances of this in the Old and New Testament The Phrases Expressions and Modes of Speaking used by the Inspired Writers are the same with those that we find in the best Classick Authors This largely proved from the Phraseology of the Old and New Testament More particularly the Similitudes and Comparisons in both are alike The Correspondence of Scripture-Phrase with the profane Stile shew'd by Grotius Pricaeus Gataker c. There are in the Bible the same moral Notions and express'd in the very same Stile that there are in Pagan Writers In both Man's Life is a Way a Pilgrimage a Warfare Other Ethick Notions viz. that Good and Vertuous Men are Free and that all Vicious Persons are Slaves that Good Men are Wife and all others are Fools to which latter the Author reduceth John 20. 10. though generally interpreted otherwise and comments upon it that Good Men are the Friends of God that Vitious Men are Dead that Death is a Sleep All which occur in the Sacred Writings as well as in Pagan Moralists THE Second Proposition is this that the Stile of the Holy Scripture hath many things in it which are according to the usual Strain of other Writers and Authors Take this in these Particulars â— The Scripture in many Places speaks not accurately but according to the vulgar Opinion and Apprehensions of Men. Thus it is a common Observation but I will not balk it here that in the Mosaick History of the Creation of the World it is said God made two great Lights Gen. 1. 16. and the Moon is reckoned as one of them whereas it is not to be doubted that the Sun but especially the Moon is but a little Light in comparison of some of the Fixed Stars But this we may truly say with an antient Christian Writer It was not Moses's Purpose to act the Philosopher or Astronomer in the Book of Genesis But because the Sun is nearer to us than those Fixed Lights are and the Moon is much nearer than the Sun therefore though they be less in themselves than those Remote Stars yet they seem to our Sight to be the Biggest Lights that God hath set up in the Heavens Wherefore they are emphatically and by way of Eminency call'd in the Hebrew the Great Lights though the least of the Stars be a greater Light than the Sun or Moon So though it is said of the Almighty Creator and Preserver of the World that he hangeth the Earth upon nothing Job 26. 7. which is exactly and philosophically true yet in another Place of this Book we read of the Pillars of the Earth Job 9. 6. which is a manner of Speech adapted to the Capacity of the Vulgar who cannot conceive how so great and massy a Body as this Ball of Earth can hang hovering in the Air and be upheld without some Props And several other such Expressions there are in Scripture which are spoken according to the popular Apprehensions and the seeming Appearance of things not the Exactness of the things themselves Therefore their Attempts have been to little purpose who would force a Philosophy out of the Bible as if they had a mind to present us with a Body of Philosophy jure divino As some Grammarians and Criticks pretend to find all Arts and Sciences whatsoever in Homer's Poems so these fond Men undertake to discover a Compleat System of Natural Philosophy in the Sacred Writings But this is a very vain Enterprize because though there is a great deal of
suâ—â—ice to have mention'd the foregoing ones the explaining of which is sufficient to give us an account of the Stile of Scripture so far as it is Figurative And from what hath been said we may gather that these Divine Writings come not short of the most Applauded Pieces of the Greek or Latin Orators for here are those very Schemes and Modes of Speech which imbellish those Authors Works here are all the Graces and Elegancies which enrich and adorn them Therefore in that place beforementioned where Origen saith the Scriptures are not written Politely his meaning is that that is not the Scope and Design of those Writings and that it is not the thing that is pursued generally there being a Greater and Higher Design yet in many places there are very Excellent Strains of Oratory there are very Artificial Periods and Sentences there are Words Phrases and Expressions in a very Rhetorical Dress But where you find others that are as you think Inartificial Uncouth and no ways Graceful you must remember this to take off your prejudice against the Sâ—ripture-Stile that the Eastern Eloquence is vastly different from ours in the West The Mode and Guise of their Oratory were unlike that of the Greeks and Romans and of Ours at this Day and therefore we are not to expect that they should be fitted to it It is certain though we perceive it not that their Stile was Graceful and Fashionable which is clear from the considering the Persons that were the Penmen of some parts of Scripture namely Moses David Solomon Isaiah Daniel Men of great Improvements and Accomplishments and Masters of the Language they spoke Neither are the Scriptures in some parts of them Defective in the Western Oratory they abound with the Choicest Schemes of Speech with the Greatest Ornaments of Language with the Chiefest Elegancies which Greece or Rome were famous for Yet notwithstanding this there are those who have vilified the Stile of Scripture Some Pretenders to Criticism but of debauched Minds and loose Lives have endeavour'd to render it very Mean and Despicable You have heard of the Canon of Florâ—nâ—â— who preferr'd an Ode of Pindar before the Psalms of David though he could not deny as Caspar Peucer tells us that there were Excellent Sentences Histories Examples and Figures of Speech in this Divine Poem Yet such was the Sottishness of Politian for that was his Name that he profess'd he never spent his time worse than in reading this and other parts of the Bible and at last he desisted from reading any further because of the Barbarity of the Stile But observe what Character Ludovicus Vives a Man of his own Religion gives him he represents him as a Person who though he had more Polite Learning than was frequent in those Days made but ill use of it and employ'd it wholly in the worst sort of Criticism and Playing with words It was this Busy but Idle Critick that spoke so contemptibly of the Bible where because he met with some things unsutable to his Grammatical and Critical Genius he censured and condemned all Of the same Profane Disposition was Domitius Calderinus who advis'd his Friends especially those that were Youthful not to read the Bible for it would be of no use to them But what it was that these two Persons were employ'd about which wholly estrang'd their Minds from that Sacred Book may be guess'd from the Shameful Epigram which the former composed and the Obscene Comment which the latter made both which they publish'd to the World It is no wonder such Men disrelish'd the Sacred Truths contain'd in the Inspired Writings and found fault with the Language and Stile of them this proceeded from their aversion to that Purity and Holiness which those Holy Writers urge upon the Practices of Men and which these two Vile Italians knew were directly contrary to what they both loved and acted Who would not think the better of this Holy Book because it was despised and vilified by these Men Who would not highly esteem those Writings which by such Dissolute Wretches as these were scorn'd and trampl'd under Feet If it was an Argument that Christianity was Good because Nero persecuted it then we may with as much reason infer that the Bible is an Excellent Book because this pair of Lewd Varlets disparaged it This certainly was founded in the Wickedness and Profaneness of their Lives They could not think or speak well of those Writings which contradicted their beloved Lusts and Vices It was thus with Ierom and Augustin whilst they were wicked and unreclaim'd Persons the Scripture-Language seem'd very harsh and unpleasant to them so far were they from discerning any Elegancy in it The former of these tells his Eustochium that he us'd when he awaked in the Night and could not sleep to read Plautus and if after that he read the Prophets as sometimes he did their Speech seem'd to be horribly rough and â—npolished devoid of all Fineness and Eloquence And the latter of these Persons freely confesseth that before his Conversion the Stile of Scripture was deemed by him very Rude and Unstudied and as having nothing Neat and Delicate in it This is the apprehension which those Men have of it who are not Competent Judges and they are not so not because they have not Understanding enough but because they have an Inward Abhorrence of the Sacred Verities which they find in that Book This is the true Reason why so many in this Age yea within our own Borders scoff at and ridicule the Language of the Bible The Matter of this Volume makes them dislike the Stile of it Nothing can be Eloquent which speaks against their Vices Bâ—t let it offend none that this most Excellent Book is depretiated by some Vitious or by some Half-witted Men for there are no other that ever spoke against it In the Stile of this Book of God there are no Blemishes but what are approved of in the Best Classical Authors as those who were of the greatest Skill in Grammar and Rhetorick have fully demonstrated therefore the Bible is not a Book to be disparag'd no not by the greatest Grammarians and Rhetoricians The Excellent and Choice Wording of the Scripture is commended by St. Chrysostom When I read the Bible saith St. Augustin I find that as nothing is more Wisely said so nothing is more Eloquently spoken than there And particularly I have shew'd that it is beautified and enrich'd with many Figures Thus I have largely proved that the Stile of Scripture is generally of the strain of Other Approved Writers as to its Phraseology or manner of Expression I proceed and add 3dly This Observation that Proverbial Sayings and commonly received Adagies used by other Writers are mention'd also in the Holy Scriptures This is abundantly proved by those who have Purposely writ on this Subject I will remit you to them and at present only confine my self to the New Testament and
which is of the like Signification with a Vessel of Choice for what is desired is chosen Thus in a few Instances I have shewed that the Evangelical Writers do Hebraize and in many more I might have done the same For tho the New Testament hath not so many Hebraisms as is imagined by some Criticks yet it is not to be doubted that Christ and his Apostles used them very frequently It is evident that a great part of the Phrases of the New Testament are according to the Hebrew Propriety yea sometimes they agree more especially with the Rabinical and Talmudick way of Writing as Ludovicus Capellus and others have endeavoured to demonstrate Thus the Pillar and Ground of Truth 1 Tim. 3. 15. is the Title by which the Great Sanhedrim of the Jews was ordinarily stiled saith Dr Lighfoot Raca which is used Matth. 5. 22. as a Word of Reproach is common among the Talmudick Doctors for their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the same with the Syriac 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and signifies a vain empty Fellow Christ follows the Language of the Rabbins and Talmudâ—sts when he uses the Word Heaven for God as in Matth. 21. 25. he ask'd the Jews whether Iohn's Baptism was from Heaven i. e. from God or of Men. I have sinned against Heaven i. e. God saith the Prodigal Son to his Father Luke 15. 18. This was the Stile of the Eastern People and of the Jews particularly as you find in Dan. 4. 23. 1 Macc. 3. 18. And this was the usual Language of their Rabbins they used Shamajim instead of God And in other Instances it might be shewed that the Sense of several Places in the New Testament is manifested and illustrated by the Knowledg of the Hebrew Phrase and Stile For which Reason it was necessary to say something of this Matter having undertaken to discourse of the Stile of Scripture We must remember that there are frequent Hebraisms in these Greek Writings the Authors themselves being Hebrews and they likewise making use of the Stile of the Old Testament and fetching thence several Expressions which are purely Hebrew Thus they must needs retain the Hebrew Idiom and way of Speaking and thus the Old Testament and New agree the better and the former gives constant Light towards the understanding of the latter 6thly Though there is a Great Variety of Words and Phrases in the New Testament and though this Part of the Bible was not written in Attick but Hebrew Greek yet this is to be asserted that there are no Soloecisms in it I add this here because some of old and others of late have unadvisedly suggested the contrary and have been so hardy and presumptuous as to aver that the Sacred Scripture especially the New Testament abounds with Soloecisms This is particularly said of St. Paul's Epistles by an Antient Father whose Unhappiness it was to speak several things too daringly and presumptuously That Cilician Currier saith he for so he calls St. Paul that sorry Tradesman was skill'd only in Hebrew which was as it were his Mother-Tongue to him and therefore hath many Soloecisms and Barbarisms in Greek And the same Author in another Place speaks to the like purpose and taxeth this Apostle for want of Grammar and Syntax Among the Moderns you 'l find Erasmus charging not only St. Paul but the rest of the Apostles with this Defect in their Writings There are many Soloecisms saith he in their Stile by reason of the frequent Hebraisms which are used by them And those worthy Reformers Luther and Calvin were not afraid to talk after this rate The former after his bold manner imputes false Grammar to the Evangelists and Apostles as you may see in his Writings And the latter expresly avoucheth that the Greek of the New Testament is Defective and particularly he holds that St. Peter writ false Greek as in 1 Epist. ch 3. v. 20. where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is instead of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Dative for a Genitive Case And he fastens this Grammatical Soloecism on him merely to evade the Doctrine of Purgatory which cannot but greatly scandalize the Papists when they shall consider that this Great Reformer is not ashamed to disparage and vilify the Scriptures that he may thereby evade a Popish Doctrine yea this must needs be offensive to all others likewise who cannot but see that there was not the least Reason for his fancying the Change of one Case for another in this Place for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 exactly answers to and agrees with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so that if 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 had been the Word here it had indeed been false Greek but now 't is impossible for Calvin or any Man else to make it such Beza follows his Master and outdoth him for he every where finds fault with the Greek of the New Testament and holds that the Stile is disturb'd and corrupted yea that there are frequent Soloecisms in it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mark 12. 40. should have been 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he saith and therefore he condemns it for naughty Grammar Whereas any unprejudiced Man may see that there is only an ordinary Ellipsis in the Words the Verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is understood as it is in several other Texts But the unsufferable Boldness of this Writer is partly founded on that Perswasion of his that the Spirit did not dictate Words to the Prophets and Apostles but only the Matter which I have shew'd before in another Discourse to be an incredible Assertion Castellio though of a different Judgment in other things from Calvin and Beza agrees with them in this that there are several Ungrammatical Passages in the Apostles Writings Upon Rev. 1. 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he noteth that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is put for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This is a Soloecism saith he but such do often occur in St. Paul Cannot this Author be content with the Credit and Reputation of having turned the Bible into neat Latin unless he condemns the Apostles for their false Greek And where I pray is this false Greek Not in this Place which he mentions and conâ—equently it is not reasonable to believe that it is in any other In this Place any impartial Eye may see that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is put for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one Relative for another which is a common thing among Writers I could shew him forty Places in the Best Greek Authors where the like Change is made And that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is frequently left out in the most Approved Writers among the Grecians cannot be denied by any Man that hath had any Acquaintance with them yea 't is often left out in the New Testament and no fault is found with the Stile where it is so Why therefore should we think it a strange thing that it is omitted in this Place Here is Good
Clods of Earth were call'd Burrows or Boroughs which have their Denomination from the Saxon Byring or Buriging or Boroging which we now call Burying because the way of Interring dead Bodies among many of the Antients and among the Saxons themselves with whom Beorg the Original of the foregoing Words signified an heap of Earth was not in deep Graves but under Clods or Turfs of Earth made into Hillocks As to the fastning and joining together these Stones which we are speaking of though this hath perplexed some Mens Minds heretofore it seems and occasion'd them to report that they were transported whole from Ireland by Merlin's Inchantment as 't is not unusual with the Vulgar when they cannot give an Account of a Thing to ascribe it to the Devil or some Magick Art I am not very solicitous to solve the manner of it but this sufficeth me that 1. It was usual among the Old Romans as all skilful and knowing Men in Architecture confess to lay great and vast Stones together by Tenons and Mortises without Morter And so it may be here which may induce us to think it was a Roman Structure and therefore in vain do we endeavour to find where they are joined and fastned together 2. I am satisfied that they had of old ways of Cementing Stones which are not known or practis'd at this Day and they had an Art of making the Cement after that manner that it could not be distinguish'd from the Stones themselves which it joined together Pliny speaks of Cisterns at Rome made of a sort of dug Sand and strong Lime which could not be distinguish'd from Stone It is not unlikely then that there was here used a kind of Morter that hardned into Stone and became of the same Consistency with it Nor is it improbable that this petrified Coagmentation turn'd into the same Colour with the Stones which it joined together and then how can we expect to discern the Difference between them and then why should it be thought strange that they seem to be all of a Piece Which puts me in mind of the Name which this Stony Fabrick is commonly known by an Account of which I will give somewhat different from what is usually received If I should propound this Etymology viz. that Stone-heng is so call'd from the Stones which Ambrosius is thought to have erected here and from Hengist the Leader of the Saxons at whose giving the Word they pull'd out their Seaxes and kill'd the British Nobles so that Stone-heng is as much as Hengist-stone as this Countrey of Britain was by the Saxons call'd Hengist-land as some Writers tell us this Derivation cannot be look'd upon as improper Or if I should offer Mr. Cambden's Origination of the Word viz. from the Stones of this Fabrick hanging as 't were in the Air whence he calls it Pensile opus this might be thought a fair Account of the Name But in my opinion and according to what I have already hinted the plainest simplest and most genuine Derivation of the Word is from the Stones hanging not in the Air but together each heap of them seeming to be all of a Piece For this is the great wonder of thâ—â— Structure as is confess'd by all this is that which renders it a Fabrick of a peculiar and unparallell'd Nature The Stones are closely join'd together by an invisible Cement they hang together as 〈◊〉 they were but one Stone For this reason thereforâ— I quit the other Derivations of the Word anâ— ofâ—er this as the most obvious and proper But it is not the Name but the Thing that I am most concern'd for and I hope I have given a satisfactory Account of that in asserting it to be an Old Sepulchral Pile erected after the manner of thoâ—e Funeral Monuments spoken of in Ioshua and Samuel where we find that the Antient Entombing was raising a great heap of Stones over the dead Bodies This is the best Solution I can give of our Western Wonder It is as the First Monuments were without any Shape or Symmetry 〈◊〉 is like the Iewish Stone-henges before mention'd rough and unwrought and may as they be call'd a heap of Stones for that reason Whence by the way it may be worth the Observation of Critical Men that the Hebrew Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is both Acervâ—â— and Sepulchrum a Heap and a Tomb Job 21. 32 30. 24. Also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the known Hebrew Word for a Grave but in Isa. 14. 19. the Seventy render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Mountain because Places of burial were elevated The Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath the same double Sense from Talal instar tumuli aut cumuli elevare erigere So Tumulus among the Latins is both an heap of Earth and a Sepulcher whence it is plain that the Old Hebrews and Antient Romans used to erect heaps of Earth or Stone in memory of the Dead To conclude whosoever they were that were buried in the foresaid Place in Wiltshire were entombed as Achan as the Kings of Ai and as Absalom were Here was the first Draught of the Stony Tombsâ— these were the first Patterns of those Sepulchral â—onuments which were inartificial shapeless and without Ornament Afterwards they took more â—are in erecting their Houses of Sepulture Stately and Lofty Tombs were made by Great men with much Art and Cost which is call'd hewing out to themselves Sepulchers on high Isa. 22. 16. Yea their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 were not only better built but garnish'd and adorned Mat. 23. 29. But I will add no more of this Subject nor insist any longer on this Second General Head of my Discourse wherein I have been evincing this Proposition that the Scripture gives us the True Original of things and consequently the Antientest learning is stored up in this Sacred Volume I have largely shew'd that here is the first commencing of Arts and all Ingenious discoveries here is the first Rise of Trades Mysteries Occupations Professions Customs Vsages Manners Yea the Holy Scripture disdains not to record the First Inâ—entions of things though they be but mean and contemptible to shew that no sort of Learning and Knowledg is useless Thus it is said This is that Anah that found the Mules in the Wilderness as â—e fed the Asses of his Father Gen 3 6. 24. This â—s the Man and let him be known to Posterity that not by chance but purposely and designedly found this new way of Procreation and thereby produced â— new Species of Animals Some Iewish Writers have thought this Iemim was a Plant but there is not the least ground for it The Learned Bochars makes Iemim to be the same with Emim some Giantâ—y People but this is a perverting of the Original Text and therefore must not be allow'd of and the finding of them is according to him the Accidental meeting of them but this is very flat I hold therefore to the plain Interpretation
of God whereas the Prophet who speaks this intimates in the whole Chapter afterwards that the Church shall flourish and that it shall be impossible for its Enemies to do it harm So that in Nah. 3. 14. Draw thee Waters for the Siege fortify thy strong Holds is said in way of Derision to Niniveh whose unavoidable Ruine is foretold in that Chapter And besides many such Sarcasms in the Old Teâ—â—ament there are several in the New as that of our Blessed Lord to his drowzy Disciples Sleep on â—ow and take your Rest Matth. 26. 45. This is a downright Irony because Christ here intends a different thing nay contrary to what he saith His meaning is not that they should sleep when both he and they were in so great Danger but his Intention rather was that they should watch and pray as you read ver 41. By this way of speaking he corrects them for their unseasonable Drowsiness that they could not watch at such a time as that when he had just before foretold them that he was to be betrayed That is another clear Text Full well 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fairly as Sir Nort. Knatchbull renders it ye reject the Commandment of God saith our Saviour to the Pharisees Mark 7. 9. Ye do very well and laudably in preferring the Traditions and Constitutions of Men before the express Commands of God This is a commendable piece of Religion indeed Is it not Do you think that this will be acceptable to God There is another Passage of our Saviour which seems to me to be perfectly Ironical though Commentators generally carry the Sense another way But now saith Christ he that hath a Purse let him take it and likewise his Scrip and be that hath no Sword let him sell his Garment and buy one Luke 22. 36. Which is thought by Expositors to be a plain and direct Exhortation to the Apostles to furnish themselves with Money Provision and Swords But this cannot be meant here because 1. Christ had declared against Fighting for he tells Pilate Iohn 18. 36. that if his Kingdom were of this World then would his Servants i. e. his Apostles and Disciples fight that he should not be delivered to the Iews Swords then were to no purpose 2. When they brought two Swords to him his Answer is observable It is enough If he had meant real Swords he would not have said that two of them were enough for those could serve but two Men They should all of them be appointed with that sort of Weapons and have stood on their Guard When therefore he saith It is enough he doth as good as say I do not mean Carnal Weapons You mistake me as you have often done and dream of a Temporal Kingdom of the Messias 3. It is evident that Christ meant not Swords in the usual Signification of the Word because afterwards he sharply blamed Peter for making use of this Weapon Matth. 26. 52. It appears that he had no Commission from our Saviour to draw his Sword I cannot therefore subscribe to those who interpret these Words of our Lord in the direct and obvious Sense But if we understand them to be spoken â—ronically they are very intelligible and are consistent with what Christ saith at other times And let no Man wonder that our Blessed Master uses this sort of Stile here for I have shewed you before in two undeniable Instances that he made use of it yea even when he was approaching to Death as when he said to his Apostles Sleep on and take your Rest. And so he speaks after the same manner here upbraiding his Apostles who he knew were afraid of Suffering and had so often been talking of Christ's Kingdom on Earth and of the Prosperous Times that were to accompany it He now in a Sarcastick way chastises their fond and groundless Conceit and bids them go and buy Swords and lay in Provisions If you are for a Temporal Reign saith he then sight for it You are specially well skill'd in your Weapons without doubt you are excellent Sword-men This I take to be the Sense of the Words and truly a Man might gather it from that one Passage before mentioned It is enough said our Saviour to them when they brought him a couple of Swords This it self is an Ironick Quip it is as if he had said This is brave Armour indeed Now you are well appointed surely You are like to defend me and your selves against all that come against us Two Swords amongst you all are a very great Armory This plainly shews what our Saviour's meaning was when he bid them buy Swords he handsomly check'd them for their Cowardice and Fear of Suffering But yet I will not deny that something more may be included and comprized in these Words he bids them make the best Provision they can against the Calamitous Times that were coming he exhorts them to be provided with Spiritual Weapons Faith and Patience and thâ— Sword of the Spirit yea with the Whole Armour of God This higher and spiritual meaning may be contained in what Christ here uttereth But if you take the Words as they sound and in the more direct and literal Tendency of them I do not see that they can be interpreted in a better way than I have offered And as our Blessed Saviour himself so the Apostle St. Paul sometimes uses this Figure which I am now speaking of I am enclined to think that those Words in Acts 23. 5. I wist not that he was the High Priest are to be taken in this Sense He makes use of an Irony and is to be understood as if he had said Is this the High Priest Alas I did not know that this was that Reverend Gentleman I should have shewed my self more civil to him if I had been acquainted that this was that Worshipful Man that Gay Pontiff to whom you pay so great Veneration But who would take this Person to be the High Priest the Great Leading Officer of the Church who is to be an Example of Mildness and Gentleness to all Men His furious way of speaking and acting towards me doth not discover him to be one of that High Character and Order He doth not shew himself to be a Spiritual Man Surely this cannot be He This Behaviour speaks him to be another Person So it is spoken in a jtering way Nor is this Sense of the Words as â—â—me may think too light and jocular for the Apostle though he was before the Sanhedrim the most Grave and Solemn Council of that Nation For in several of the Instances before mentioned we see this way of speaking hath been made use of before very Great and Venerable Persons and in Causes that were exceeding Serious and Weighty And whereas the Apostle immediately adds For it is written Thou shalt not speak Evil of the Ruler of thy People which may make it seem incredible that St. Paul spoke in a Sarcastick way which is speaking one thing and meaning another
for is it likely he would back this with a serious Text of Scripture I answer It is likely for hereby he lets them see that there is Substantial and Real Truth at the bottom of this Sarcasm He lets them know that he is very Grave and in good earnest whilst he speaks to them after an Ironick rate You are saith he very well vers'd in Scripture I know You are ready to quote that Place against me in Exodus Thou shalt not speak Evil of the Ruler of the People This it is Sirs to be so well skill'd in the Law you cannot but be very Good People certainly and particularly you must be very Obedient to your Rulers and are never heard to use any irreverent Language towards them It is therefore an unpardonable Crime in me that I call'd your High Priest your Painted Piece of Justice a Whited Wall Yea 't is an unsufferable Fault not to know that this Person among all those that sit on this Reverend Bench was the High Priest especially when there are two of them at a time O! by all means every Man and Woman is bound to know that this individual Person is the Jewish Pope the Supreme and Infallible Head of your Church What a dull ignorant Creature was I that I wish not this that I shoulâ— not know that this was the Prince of this Reverend Senate even this Worthy Gentleman this simoniacal Merchant that bought his Place of the Roman Governour How should I understand that this Person is my Iudg at this time This I conceive may be the meaning of the Apostle's Words he prudently orders them and jirks his Adversaries but with Safety to himself And this Ironical way seems the rather to be that which the Apostle here chooseth because you presently find in the next Verses that he pursues this prudential way of speaking and cries out in the Council Men and Brethren I am a Pharisee though he was none at that time only he held the Doctrine of the Resurrection which the Pharisees maintain'd and so might be said to be of that Sect if of any But there is an Ironical Strain in it and so his Discourse is all of a piece This is the Apprehension which I have of these Words but I am not very forward to urge it upon any only I will say this that I had not pitch'd upon this Interpretation if some of those that are usually propounded had not displeased me This Sense of the Words is certainly preferable to that of Oecumenius who tells us in plain terms that the Apostle dissembled And St. Ierom blames him for his Conduct in this Business Nor is there any Ground so far as I see for Dr. Lightfoot's Account of these Words viz. that the meaning of them is either 1. That St. Paul owns not Ananias for a lawful High Priest Or 2. He owns not any lawful High Priesthood now Ananias being an Usurper getting the Place by Money and â—raud For though all this is true yet it is utterly inconsistent with what follows for it is written Thou shalt not speak Evil of c. where there is an Acknowledgment of his being the Ruler of the People Besides I wist not and I own him not to be the High Priest are two different things So that this cannot be the right Import of the Words Others therefore say the Apostle is to be understood in the most plain and obvious Signification viz. that he really knew not that Ananias was the High Priest because it is probable say they this Great Man appear'd not at that time in his Pontifical Habit coming to the Council perhaps in haste which might incline the Apostle to think it was not He who sat there to judg him But no Man can prove that the High Priest came to the Sanhedrim in haste or that he was not in his Robes proper to his Office and therefore this Answer is not satisfactory But they tell us that in those Days there were two High Priests one bought the Place and the other executed the Office therefore it was no easy Matter to know which of the two was the High Priest indeed which made St. Paul profess before the Council that he wist not that the Person who commanded him to be smitten on the Mouth was the High Priest If he had known him say they to be Him he would not have spoken as he did of this Great Ruler of the People But granting there were two High Priests at that time yet it is likely that one who executed the Office was distinguish'd from the other in some manner that was easily discernible So that St. Paul could not pretend he had no notice of him However St. Paul knew that this very Person who ordered him to be smitten was one of his Iudges for he expresly saith that he sat there to judg him after the Law and on that account was a Ruler and consequently he was not to speak Evil of him much less to curse him for he was not to uâ—e Malediction towards any as himself acknowledgeth Rom. 12. 14. This Interpretation therefore is not to be admitted But if the Sense which I have before offered be disliked then I know no other but this that when St. Paul saith he wist not that he was the High Priest the meaning is that he remembered not he considered not that he was such a Person and so was unawares surprized and precipitated into Passion and spoke unbecomingly of this Great Man It was want of Considering and Attending that betrayed him to that passionate and unseemly Language or being moved and exasperated â—e did not consider that he was before so Great a Person This is no improbable Interpretation if you can be sure that these two Words to know and to consider are sometimes equivalent in the Stile of Scripture But if you cannot satisfy your selves as to this I think you may safely recur to the first Interpretation and look upon St. Paul's Words as an Ironical Speech especially if you consider that his Stile is very full of them This I shall make good to you from â—everal Instances in his Epistles as that in 1 Coâ— 11. 6. If the Woman be not covered let her also be shâ—â—n If she lays her Vail aside and appears in the publick Assemblies wihtout a Covering then I say let her also be shorn or shaved let her Hair be cut close to the Skin let her go like some of the Cropp'd Philosophers among the Stoicks Not that he would have her do so but only by this Sarcastick way of speaking he signifieâ— that one is as decent as the other It is as disgraceful to be Uncovered as to be shaved for 't was the lâ—â—dable Custom then â—n the Christian Churches for the Women to bâ—â—ailed and it was disgraceful and repâ—oacâ—fâ—l for any of that Sex to appear bare-fac'd in the time of Worship Again those Words in 2 Cor. 10. 12. We dare not make our selves of the Number or compare
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
have are not to be subjected to the Examination of the outward Testimony of the Scriptures but are above them Thus these bold Men out of a pretence of Inspiration vilify the Sacred Volume of the Bible Thus absurdly and irreligiously these deluded Persons out of an Enthusiastick Heat prefer their own private Spirit before the Holy Spirit of God speaking in the Scriptures The Men hold themselves to be Perfect but the Scripture must by no means be so it is weak and imperfect and ought to give way to the Inward Impressions in their Minds which according to them are that more sure Word of Prophecy whereunto they think they do well to give heed as unto a Light shining in a dark Place But we see that they are thereby led into gross Error and Darkness And as to this particular Perswasion concerning the Meanness of the Scriptures they therein as in several other things symbolize with the Church of Rome whence they had their Original They confound Natural Light or Reason with Revelation they hold that Pagans are in as good a Condition as Christians they make their private Dictates as Authentick as the Bible yea they must needs hold that there is no Infallible Rule of Truth or Practice but their own Notions and Sentiments which some of their Writers call Canonical I might observe to you that besides Iews Papists and Enthusiasts there are Others that deny the Excellency and Perfection of the Holy Scriptures as Atheists and mere Politicians who indeavour to perswade the World that all Religion is a Cheat and that This Book is so too Likewise the Generality of Hereticks Seducers and Impostors who it is no wonder debase that which they design to pervert But the bare mentioning of these Persons is sufficient to beget a Dislike of them with all that are Wise and Sober and who are convinc'd of the Scriptures perfection from those Topicks which I have propounded It may be said of most Books as Martial said of his There are some good and some bad things in them and some of a middle Nature But in this Divine Book there are no such Allays all is pure and uncorrupt entire and unmixed there are no Defects no Mistakes in this Infallible Volume given us from Heaven Shall the Turks then when they find a Leaf or any part of the Alcoran on the Ground take it up and kiss it and deposite it in some safe place affirming it to be a great Sin to suffer that wherein the Name of God and Mahomet's Laws are written to be trodden under Feet And shall not we Christians highly value and reverence the Sacred Volume of the Bible the Writings of the Old and New Testament which contain the Words of God Himself and the Laws of the Blessed Jesus which enrich us with that Sublime and Supernatural Learning which is the Rule of our Faith the Conduct of our Manners and the Comfort of our Lives CHAP. II. The Bible is furnish'd with all sorts ofHumane as well as Divine Learning Hebrew wherein the Old Testament was written is the Primitive Language of the World The True Origine of the World is plainly recorded in no other Writings but these The first Chapter of Genesis is a real History and records Matter of â—act It is largely proved that the Mosaâ—ck History gives us a particular Account of the first Rise of the several Nations and People of the Earth and of the Places of their Habitation Also the true Knowledg of the Original of Civil Government and the Increases of it and the diffâ—rent Changes it underwent is derived from these Writings The Courts of Judicature and the several kinds of Punishment among the Jews distinctly treated of The Government among the Heathen Nations The four Celebrated Monarchies or Empires of the World I Proceed now to the Second General Head of my Discourse viz. the Vniversal Vsefulness of the Bible as to things that are Temporal and Seculaâ— Not only all Religious Divine and Saving Knowledg is to be fetch'd hence but that likewise which is Natural and Humane and bâ—longs to the World and Arts. Many believe the former but can't be induc'd to credit the latter for they think the Bible was writ only for the saving of Mens Souls but that all other Knowledg and Discoveries are to be derived wholly from other Writers I have sometimes observ'd that Persons who have had a good Desire to Learning and were greedy Devourers of all other Authors yet have no regard to the Scriptures and fondly imagine there is no Improvement of Mens Notions no enlarging of their Understandings no Grounds of Excellent Literature from the Sacred Writ They perswade themselves that the Bible may serve well enough for the Use of those that study Divinity or make Sermons but that the Writings of Profane Authors must be wholly consulted for other things But this is a gross Surmise and possesses the unthinking Heads of those only that consider not the Matchless Antiquity of the Bible or that on a worse Account refuse to acquaint themselves with these Writings and care not for that Book which speaks so much of God and Religion and checks the Disorders of Mens Lives All honest industrious and impartial Enquirers into Learning know that the Scriptures are the Greatest Monument of Antiquity that is Extant in the whole World and particularly that the First and Earliest Inventions of things are to be known only from the Old Testament especially the five first Books of it In vain do you look for these in the Writings of other Men for though some of them relate very Antient Occurrences yet they are not so old as these and as for those Writers who pretend to some Greater Antiquity and have been so impudent as to think that they could impose upon the World they have been exploded by all Persons of Sobriety and serious Thoughts In Pagan Writers we have some wild Guesses at the Origine of things and the First Inventors of Arts but he that is desirous to have Certain and Infallible Information concerning these must consult the Writings of Moses and other Books of the Old Testament From these alone we learn what were the Antientest Usages in the World and what was the first Rise and Original of them Wherefore I may safely pronounce that no Man can have the just Repute of a Scholar unless he hath read and studied the Bible for in this one Book there is more Humane Learning than in all the Books of the World besides And therefore here by the way I cannot but look upon it as a very Scandalous Mistake that the knowledg and Study of the Holy Scriptures are for Divines only as if these were not to be skill'd in any Humane Learning They that talk after this rate understand not what the Study of Divinity and True Scholarship are for there is no Compleat Divine that is not well vers'd in Humane Literature and there is no Compleat Scholar that is not skill'd in
17. on which Ground of Similitude the opening or boaring of the Ear is changed into preparing or framing a Body â—itting it for that Work and Service to which it was designed The Sense then which is the main thing is the same viz. that Christ had a Body given him that he assumed our Humane Nature that thereby he might be Obedient and perform the Part of a Servant Nay the Words themselves are not much different for the Hebrew Verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies as well apparare or comparare as fodere perforare and therefore is well rendred by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Moreover the Ear which is the Organ of Obedience and Compliance is Synechdochically put for the Body nay perhaps the Hebrew Word Ozen signifies a Body as well as an Ear for 't is well known how different Senses one Word hath among the Hebrews I could observe to you that it is rendred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the Septuagint Iob 33. 16. as well as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in this Place and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Prov. 26. 17. which may convince us of the Ambiguity of the Word Besides we know the Latitude of the word Heezin which signifies both to hear and to obey It might be added that as the Opening or Boaring the Ear signifies Voluntary Subjection or Obedience and speaks a Willing Servant though not this only or altogether as I have shew'd elsewhere so the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 likewise denotes a Slave or Servile Person Rev. 18. 13. Thus opening and preparing the Ear and the Body agree and the Sense of both put together is this Thou hast made me Obedient Thus the Hebrew and Greek do friendly accord so that we need not say with Mr. Isaac Vossius that the Jews have corrupted this Place to evade the Prophecy So in Psal. 105. 28. the Sense was attended to not the Express Words for whereas in the Hebrew it is they rebelled not against his Word the Word not is left out in the Septuagint they following as they thought the Meaning of the Place for they supposed it had Respect to Pharaoh and the Egyptians who when these Plagues here spoken of were upon them rebelled against God's Word The Negative Particle lo may here be taken Interrogatively as in other Places Isa. 9. 3. Hos. 4. 14. and then the Words run thus Did they not rebel against his Word which is as much as to say they did therefore the LXX translated it Affirmatively they rebelled which is the same with our Old English Version which we use in our Service they were not obedient But if we take â—â— here as a downright Negative then the Place refers not to the Egyptians but to Moses and Aaron these rebelled not against his Word Not of these but of the others the Septuagint it is likely understood the Text and accordingly rendred it And in many other Places the Translation is not Literal but follows the Sense Which is observ'd by the Judicious Dr. Pearson in his Paraenetick Preface before the Cambridg Edition of the LXX's Bible where St. Ierom's Exceptions against this Greek Version are answer'd and made void by shewing in several Instances that though we find not the same Words there that are in the Hebrew yet we find the like Meaning That is sufficient because that was the thing the Seventy intended for their Business was not to tie up themselves closely to the very Words and Phrases of the Hebrew Which gives us some Account of the Difference between the Greek of the Old Testament and the Original 6. This sometimes proceeds from the Errors committed by the Transcribers of the Greek Copies Their Carelessness in writing them over hath been partly the Cause of the Variation of the Readings in the Hebrew and the 70 Interpreters as in Prov. 8. 22. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dominus creavit me is by the Fault of the Amanuenses put for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 possedit me which answers to the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Not but that the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may here admit of a good Interpretation for we may understand it of the Eternal Generation of Christ. But 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is exactly answerable to the Original and is the same with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is the Word used by Aquila in his Version of this Place Wherefore we may justly impute 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the Negligence or Ignorance of the Scribes as St. Augustine doth And Ierom complains of this sort of Men that they sometimes wrote not what they found but what they understood And without doubt upon a diligent Search we might â—ind that the LXX's Copy is faulty in other Places by reason of the Scribes through whose Hands and those not a few it passed 7. The 70 Interpreters are wont to add many things by way of Paraphrase and on that Account must needs seem to disagree with the Hebrew Thus to explain Gen. 9. 20. ish haadamah they inâ—ort the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Man i. e. a Husbandman of the Earth Morigim is the Word for threshing Instruments 2 Sam. 24. 22. Isa. 41. 15. the Nature of which is express'd to us by the Words which the LXX use here viz. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the manner of Threshing in those Days was with Cart-Wheels In Ier. 32. 35. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is added to explain the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the Signification of Moloch is a King In Ezek. 38. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is prefix'd to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to acquaint us that Rhos was another Name of Scythia whence the Russians But this short way of Commenting or Paraphrasing on the Hebrew is so usual and frequent with them and so plain and obvious to be taken notice of that I need not Particularize 8. They sometimes insert Words without any Ground or Occasion Words which ought not to be inserted Thus though the Hebrew Text saith Gen. 8. 7. Noah ' s Raven went forth going out and returning yet the LXX say it returned not Here is a flat Contradiction though perhaps we may reconcile the Hebrew and Greek by saying Noaâ—'s Raven did return unto the Ark but not into it but was fed by him out of the Window Or it is likely say some he hovered about the Ark bringing his Prey Carcases floating on the Water and devouring them on the top of the Ark. But this is mere Conjecture So the Seventy Interpreters put in Cainan as Arphaxad's Son Gen. 10. 24. but the Hebrew omitteth him and puts Salah in his stead unless you will say with Bochart that this and the former Interpolation were the Fault of the Transcribers of the Seventy's Copies of which before But further the LXX usually add entire Sentences of their own when there is no need of a Paraphrase or Comment as in the 14th Psalm
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