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
Proposition it is impossible it should gain the Assent of any intelligent and sober Person When we consider the Nature of these Prophecies and what they aim at we must needs own them to be from Him to whom all Future Things are Present and who is the Cause as well as the Foreseer of them And therefore when we observe that the things which the Writers of Holy Scripture have delivered are actually come to pass we may with reason conclude that their Writings are not Forgeries but on the contrary that the Penmen of them were Inspired Persons that they had the Gift of Prophecy which is an infallible Testimony of their Authority These things being thus foretold so long before and being exactly verified since it undeniably follows that the Books which contain these Predictions and are founded on them are True and Certain These Predictions coming from God are an aâ— red Proof that these Writings were endited him they being so great a part of them Thiâ— that which an antient Father long since deliverâ— The foretelling of future things saith he 〈◊〉 Characteristick Note of the Divine Authority 〈◊〉 the Scriptures for this is a thing that is aboâ—â— humane Nature and the Powers of it and 〈◊〉 only â—e effected by the Virtue of the Divine â—â—â—rit We may rely upon it as an impregnaâ— Maxim that the Spirit of Prophecy and the Fâ— filling of Prophecies are a Divine Proof of 〈◊〉 Truth of the Scriptures and are a sufficient Grouâ— to us of believing them to be the Word of Goâ— Thus from the Matter of the Holy Scriptures 〈◊〉 have undeniable Evidence of the Authority aâ— Truth of them Again the Manner of these Writings is anotheâ— Proof of the Divine Authority of them Theâ— are not writ as others are wont to be the Penmeâ— of these Sacred Books do not speak after the raâ—â—â— of other Writers How admirable is the Simplâ— city and Ingenuity of these Men all along Theâ— do not hide their own or others Failings yea eveâ— when they are very gross and scandalous thuâ— Moses recorded not only Noah's Drunkenness and Lot's Incest but his own rash Anger and Unbelieâ— and David registers in the 51st Psalm his own Murder and Adultery Ieremiah relates his own unbecoming Fears Discontents and Murmurings chap. 20. 7 8 14. The Writers of the New Testament conceal not the Infirmities and Defects 〈◊〉 the gross Miscarriages of themselves and of â—heir Brethren as their cowardly leaving of Christ 〈◊〉 his Passion Iohn's falling at the Feet of an Anâ—el to worship him Thomas his Infidelity Iohn â—nd Iames the Sons of Zebedee their unseasonaâ—le Ambition Peter's denying of Christ even with â—erjury This free and plain dealing of the Wriâ—ers of the Old and New Testament shews that â—hey are not the Writings of Men. A Man may â—ee that there is no worldly and sinister Design â—â—rried on in them but that the Glory of God is â—holly intended by their impartial discovery of â—he Truth Which was long since taken notice of â—y Arnobius in answer to that Cavil of the Pagans hat the History of the Gospel was writ by poor 〈◊〉 People and in a simple Manner Therefore â—aith he it is the more to be credited because they write so indifferently and impartially and out of Simplicity This Impartiality and Sincerity of theirs are an irrefragable Argument of the Truth of their Writings And here also you will find an excellent and admirable Composition of Simplicity and Majesty together Though the Strain be High and Lofty yet you may observe that at the same time it is Humble and Condescending To which purpose a Learned Father saith well The Language of Divine Wisdom in the Scripture is Low but the Sense is Sublime and Heavenly whereas on the contrary the Phrase of Heathen Writers is Splendid but the things couched in them are Poor and Mean The Scripture-Writers make it not their work to set off and commend thâ— Writings by being Elaborate and Exact Hâ— are no set Discourses no pointed Arguments 〈◊〉 affected Strains of Logick The Writers 〈◊〉 the Bible saith another antient Father did 〈◊〉 make their Writings in a way of Demonstration these unquestionable Witnesses of the Truth being above all Demonstration Nor shall yâ—â— find here that the Writers strain for Eleganciâ— and florid Expressions as other Authors are wonâ— here is no quaint and curious Method no formâ— Transitions no courting of the Readers no unnecessary Pageantry of Rhetorick to gain Admiration and Attention Especially the Stile of the Evangelists and Apostles is not tumid and affected but plain and simple and scorns the Ornamenâ— and Embellishments of Fancy for as an oâ— Christian said rightly Truth needs no Fucus anâ— Artifice and therefore the Sense not Words are minded in Scripture All good Men ought to be pleased with this Simplicity and Plainness of the Holy Stile of which there is a memorable Instance in an Ecclesiastical Historian who tells us that Spiridion a notable Confessor for the Christian Faith reproved one Tryphilius an Eloquent Man and converted by him to Christianity some time before because speaking one time in the famous Council of Nice he did instead of those Wordâ— of Christ Tolle grabatum tuum say Tolle lectum tuum humilem he reproved him I say and that very sharply for disdaining to use the word which the Scripture it self useth It is true the Words of Scripture seem sometimes to be common and rude and altogether ungraceful sometimes I say for I shall shew afterwards that Scripture is not destitute of its Graces of Speech but that seeming Commonness and Rudeness are great Tokens of the peculiar Excellency of the Stile of Scripture Gregory the Great excusing the Plainness and Rudeness of his Stile in his Comments on Iob professeth that he thought it unworthy of and unbecoming the Heavenly Oracles to restrain them to the nice Rules of Grammar Surely the Writers of the Bible might say so with more reason it became them not to stand upon those Niceties and Formalities of Speech which are so frequent in other Authors for it is fitting there should be a difference between Humane Writings and Divine I agree with a late Ingenious Author who declares that it fits not the Majesty of God whose Book this is to observe the humane Laws of Method and Niceness of Art Inspired Writings must not be like those of Men. The singular Grace of these is that they are not Artificial and Studied but Simple Plain and Careless and that their whole Frame and Contexture are not such as ours An artificial Method is below the Majesty of that Spirit which dictated them This would debase the Scriptures and equal them with the Writings of Men. Wherefore the oftner I look into that Sacred Volume and the more I observe it the more I am convinced that the Pens of the Writers were wholly directed by a Divine Hand For take any of the Books either Doctrinal
of meer Fictions Whence Eusebius complains that there were nothing but meer Fables in the Greek Histories if they may be call'd Histories before the beginning of the Olympiads that Famous Greek Epoche or Computation which began from the Instauration of the Olympick Games by Iphitus but when this was is not very clear for some say it was in the time of Azariab King of Iudah above two hundred years after the Death of Solomon others say in the Reign of Vzziah King of Iudah A. M. 3173. Others fix it A. M. 3189 eight years before the Birth of Romulus and Remus four hundred and seven years after the Destruction of Troy Others place the Olympiads lower about A. M. 3228 others A. M. 3256 about seven hundred and fifty years before Christ. Varro's Division of Times into Vnknown Fabulous and Historical the last of which he begins not 'till the Greek Olympiads proves this very thing The most Ancient Greek Historians were Archiloâ—us Aristeas Proconnesius Hecataeus Milesius Charon Lampsacenus c. but nothing of their Writings is preserved Herodotus is the Ancientest Greek Historian we have extant and therefore is called the Father of History but he begins his Historical Relations but a little before the Prophetick Histories of Ezra Nehemiah and Daniel make an end You will find this Argument prosecuted by Clemens Alexandrinus who shews that the Learning and Knowledge of the Hebrews was before that of the Greeks as much as the Iewish Nation was before the Seven Wise Men and the Sacred History before the Argolick He shews that Thales and Solon two of their Wise Men lived about the forty sixth and the fiftieth Olympiad and Pythagoras about the sixty second than which the Iews were much older by the confession of Philo Pythagoreus Aristobulus Peripateticus and Megasthenes He compares the Age of Moses with Bacchus the Seven Wise Men and some of the Grecian Gods and proves that he was above six hundred years before any of these He demonstrates from Chronological Computations that Hâ—ggai aâ—d Zachary were Elder than Pythagoras and that Solomon was much Seniour to the Wise Men. And all this is in order to this that the Greeks as well as the Chaldeans and Egyptians had their Knowledge from the Hebrews and not these from them Seeing then that the Ancientest Pagan Writers are short of the Holy Scriptures seeing all Authors and Writers are after Moses for he indeed was before all the Great things that are in Pagan History 400 years before the Trojan War which is the first starting of History with the Greek and Roman Authors His Laws had the precedency of all others whatsoever yea the very name of Law was scarce extant at that time in all Homer you can't find the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they had no written Rules to direct their Manners by the will of their Princes was the only Law since these things are thus the Transcendant Antiquity of the Writings of the Old Testament is hence undeniably proved These are the ancientest Memorials in the World these are the oldest Monuments of Truth and consequently the Iews were the first People that had these things set before them and as a consequent of that all others took from them From this comparing the Antiquity of Writers it is clear that Moses's Laws and the Customs of the Patriarchs were not borrowed from the Pagans as some have imagin'd but that the Chaldeans Phaenicians and Egyptians yea that the Arabians and Persians as might have been shewn and as the Learned Dr. Stillingfleet now a worthy Prelate of our Church hath proved in his Admirable Discourse on this Subject and that the Greeks and Latins have derived their Mysteries from the Hebrews and that all the Gentile Theologers borrowed their Great Truths from the Books of the Old Testament for these being the ancientest and first Records it is most reasonable to believe that those that came after them took from them and that these Sacred Writings yielded matter to those others This is the first Reason to prove that the Pagan Historians Philosophers and Poets were beholding to the Scriptures Secondly I will prove it from the way of Communicating those Scriptural Truths and Histories to them 1. This happen'd by reason of the Commerce which the Iews had with the Neighbouring Nations Chaldeans Phaenicians Egyptians and others Especially in King Solomon's time there was a great Commerce between the Hebrews and these latter and then it is probable the Egyptians learnt many things of the Iews As Solomon Married a Wife thence so it is likely they affected some of the Rites and Manners of his People and espoused their Customs and Usages together with their Notions and Opinions It must be remembred also that the Chaldeans Phaenicians and Egyptians were the Nations which Greece Traded with and so this Country had an opportunity of receiving the Iewish Traditions and Customs at the second hand and hence it is that you have the footsteps of them so frequently in the Greek Authors as well Poets as others Nay to speak more generally Iudea was very well â—ituated for the propagating of Laws and Usages to all other Nations for it was placed in that Climate of the World which was fit for this purpose viz. in the middle of the then Inhabited Earth To which convenient situation perhaps the Psalmist refers in Psal. 74. 12. God worketh Salvation in the midst of the Earth And so that of Ezekiel concerning Ierusalem I have set it in the midst of the Nations Ch. 5. v. 5. Secondly A great part of the Hebrews being dispersed over all the World by Divine Providenâ—e had an opportunity of Communicating these things to the Gentiles The main Body of them were sent into Assyria and Babylon by Nehuchadnezzar where they had converse with those Sâ—rangers seventy years and a part of them were carried at the same time into Egypt with Ieremiah It is not to be doubted that they carried with them the Holy Writings which were then extant and out of them they daily imparted the passages of the History of the Creation of the World and Noah's Flood and the Propagation of Mankind and other the like particulars contained in those Books Afterwards when they were beaten by Pompey and made Slaves they were carried Captive into Egypt Syria Greece Rome Besides that in the times of the Maccabees some had freely left their Country and went into Egypt to make Proselytes there When they were thus scattered into these Foreign Countries it is no wonder that the People in these parts attain'd to some knowledge of the Sacred Books and of the Traditions of the Iews They must needs hear and learn something of those Matters Conversing familiarly with the Iews 3. The Iewish Notions and Customs might easily be Communicated to the Gentiles seeing Moses's Writings were Translated into Greek in the time of the Persian Monarchy if not before it as Eusebius reports from Megasibenes a Man well Skill'd in History and who
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
Import signifies a disposing of something is most commoâ—â—ly applied to such a Disposal as is either by Covenâ—â— or Testament Hence it is sometimes rendred 〈◊〉 Covenant and sometimes a Testament especially among the Lawyers the latter Sense prevails and accordingly you will find that a Last Will and Testament is express'd by this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Imperial Institutions and other Law-Books translated into Greek We may here join both Senses together for what God hath agreed to by Covenant with Man that Christ bequeaths and gives by Testament Now we must prove both these i. e. we must make it evident that the Covenant and Testament are True before we can receive any Advantage and Benefit from them There is a Necessity of evidencing the Truth of the Scriptures which are this Covenant and this Testament otherwise we can build nothing upon them Here then I. I will evince the Truth and Authority of the Scriptures which is the great Basis of all Theology II. After I have largely insisted on this I will proceed to give you an account of the Nature of the Stile and Phrase of these Holy Books III. I will advance yet farther and demonstrate the Excellency and Perfection of them The Subject of our present Undertaking is the first of these in handling of which I shall but briefly and concisely make use of those Arguments which are commonly insisted upon by Learned Writers till I come to fix upon a Topick which is not commonly yea which is very rarely and by the by used in this Cause and this I will pursue very largely and fully I hope with some Satisfaction to the Reader There are many Arguments to demonstrate the Truth and Authority of the Holy Scriptures and shew that they are worthy to be believed and imbraced by us as the very Word of God Some of these Arguments which are to prove the Truth of these Writings are in common with those that prove the Truth of the Christian Religion on which I shall have occasion to insist at another time but my Design at present is to propound those which are more peculiarly and properly fitted to evince the Truth of the Scriptures And these are either Internal or External The Internal ones I call those which are either in the Scriptures themselves or in Vs. The Characters of Divinity which the Scriptures have in Themselves are either their Matter or the Manner of the writing them I begin with the first the Matter of them and here I will mention only these three Particulars 1. The Sublime Doctrines and Verities which are in Holy Writ In reading this Book we meet with such things as cannot reasonably be thought to come from any but God himself In other Writings which are most applauded the choicest things which entertain our Minds are the excellent Moral Notions and Precepts which they offer to us which are all the Result of Improved Reason and Natural Religion But here are besides these Notices of a peculiar Nature and such as are above our natural Capacity and Invention as the Creation of the World in that Manner as is represented to us in these Writings the Doctrine of the Holy Trinity the Eternal Decrees the Incarnation of Christ the Son of God the Redemption of the World by his Blood the whole Method of Man's Salvation the stupendous Providence of God over his Church in all Ages the Coming of Christ to Judgment and in order to that the raising of all Men out of their Ashes These and several other Doctrines deliver'd in the Sacred Writings cannot be imagined to come from any but God they carry with them the Character of Divinity as being no common and obvious Matters but such as are towring and lofty hidden and abstruse and not likely to be the Product of Humane Wisdom A God is plainly discovered in them for the most Improved Creatures could never have reach'd to this pitch Any serious and thinking Man cannot but discern the peculiar Turn and singular Contrivance of these Mysterious Doctrines which argue them to be Divine We may therefore believe the Writings of the Prophets and Apostles to be the Word of God because of the wonderful Height and Sublimity of those Truths which are contained in them 2. The Exact Purity and Holiness both of Body and Soul of Heart and Life which are enjoin'd in these Writings are another Testimony of their being Divinely Inspired For though some other Books dictate Religion and Piety yet this is certain that all the true and just Measures of them were taken originally from this one Exact Standard which was prior to them all as I shall shew afterwards Besides the Love and Charity the Humility Meekness and all other Vertues which the Scriptures describe to us far exceed the most advantageous Representations the most exalted Ideas which the Heathen Moralists give of them These therefore are emphatically and eminently called by St. Paul the Holy Scriptures 2 Tim. 3. 15. because they breath the most consummate Goodness and Piety and that antecedently to all Writings whatsoever because every thing in them advanceth Holiness and that in Thought Word and Actions The End and Scope of them are to promote Sanctity of Life to make us every way better and even to render us * like God himself The Holy Scripture was intended to set forth the Divine Perfections to display the Heavenly Purity and thereby to commend the Excellency of a holy Life And it is certain that if with sincere and humble Minds we peruse this Book of God we shall find this blessed Result of it it will marvellously instruct us in the Knowledg of the Divine Attributes especially of God's Unspotted Holiness it will tincture our Minds with Religion it will pervade all our Faculties with a Spirit of Godliness and it will thorowly cleanse and sanctify both our Hearts and Lives which proves it to be from God But because I shall have occasion to say more of this when I treat of the Perfection of the Scriptures I will now dismiss it 3. To the Matter of Scripture we must refer the Prophecios and Predictions which are contained in it These I reckon another Internal Argument because they are drawn from what is comprehended in the very Scripture it self What a vast number is there of Prophecies of the Old and New Testament which we find fulfilled and accordingly are Testimonies of the Truth of these Scriptures Here I will a little enlarge and first I will begâ—n with that ancient Prophecy of Noah God shall enlarge Japheth and he shall dwell in the Tents of Shem and Canaan shall be his Servant Where are foretold things that happened above two thousand Years afterward for the Posterity of Iapheth viz. the Europeans especially the Greeks and Romans among other Conquests gain'd the possession of Iudea and other Eastern Countries which were the Portion of Shem. Again it was fulfilled thus by Christ's coming and preaching the Gospel and by his
Thus among the Pagans we find unquestionable Monuments of the Truth of the Bible The next remarkable thing after the Flood was the Attempting to build the Tower of Babel and this is not omitted in Pagan Records Berosus's Chaldee History mentions it but with such Additions as these if I may call them Additions seeing they have some kind of ground in the Sacred Story That it was built by Giants and those Giants were Terrae filii out of the Earth and that they waged War against the Gods and were at last dispersed and that the Building was quite beaten down by a great Wind. The Erecting of this Tower of Babel is mentioned by Hestiaeus and by one of the Sibyls saith Iosephus in his Antiquities and by Abydenus and Eupolemus as Eusebius testiâ—ieth in his Evangelical Preparation It is likely that Belus's Tower mention'd by Herodotus is the Tower of Babel That it was made of Brick and Slime as you read in Gen. 11. 3. is attested by Iustin Q. Curtius Vitruvius and others for what these Writers say of the Walls of Babylon is applicable to that And as for the Poets the History of the Babel-Builders is turn'd by them into tâ—â— Fable of the Titans whom they feign to haâ—â— heaped Mountain upon Mountain to scale Hâ—â—â—ven and fight the Gods and by name they mâ—â—â—tion Iapheth one of Noah's Sons as a doughâ— Giant among them for they pick'd up any Naâ—â— that they had by Tradition and clapp'd it in Homer tells us they cast up three Hills on one â—â—nother Ossa on Olympus and shady Pelion 〈◊〉 Ossa hoping thereby to make their way to tâ—â— Heavens but this proved succesless and the boâ—â— Invaders were scatter'd and broken by Thunder from Iupiter All this Grecian Fable of the Thâ—omachy of the Giants was derived from what the History of Moses relates in Gen. 11. 3 c. that Nimrod a great Hunter a Giant-like Man with his sturdy Fellows attempted to build a City and Tower whose Top should reach up to Heaven which the Pagans interpreted to be Defying of the Gods and making War with them And truly they did not come short of the true Meaning of their grand Design which was to defy Heaven and to exalt and magnify themselves Though I grant it was Hyperbolically spoken when they said Let 〈◊〉 build us a City and Tower to reach up to Heaven for they could not dream of performing this in reality because they knew the Height of the late Flood which lifted up the Ark fifteen Cubits above the highest Mountains was short of Heaven besides they would not have built on the Plain as they did but on the highest Hills if they had had any such Project in their Heads Nor was it to be a Refuge from the Waters of another Flood for they had God's Word for it that no such 〈◊〉 should ever be again Gen. 9. 15. But their Design is plainly set down chap. 11. ver 4. Let us make us a Name lest we be scatter'd abroad on the face of the whole Earth i. e. Let us go about this Work that we may have here a Place to six in that by erecting this vast City and Tower we may have room enough and live together in one Body and make our Lusts our only Law and act as we please without the Controul of others and that afterward when by reason of our great Numbers and Increase we must be forced to remove we may by this famous Monument be known and when we leave this World we may hereby purchase a Name in future Ages and even survive after Death Thus their Intentions and Enterprizes were prophane and impious and no less than an arrogant Contempt of God But some of the Poets interpreting the foresaid Words in a gross Manner as if those daring Sinners did actually scale the Heavens have presented us with their Conceits upon this remarkable Occurrence but as to the main it must be acknowledg'd that they confirm the Truth of the Sacred History And even this last Particular the making them a Name seems to be transcribed into the Fable when they tell us that after the Giants who were begot of the Earth had fought the Gods their Mother Earth being incens'd at the Defeat of her Sons brought forth Fame This was the Giants last Sister according to that of the Poet Illam terra parens irâ irritata Deorum Extremam ut perhibent Caeo Enceladâ—que sororem Progenuit We read that when these Builders were hot 〈◊〉 their Work God on a sudden defeated their Projects by confounding their Language v. 7. and thereby scatter'd them abroad from thence upon the face 〈◊〉 all the Earth v. 8. Of which Confusion or 〈◊〉 of Languages there is this Remembrance 〈◊〉 the Greek Tongue That in it Men are callâ—◠〈◊〉 which Epithet was given them 〈◊〉 Eustathius on the account of the Division 〈◊〉 Tongues which the World suffer'd at Babel 〈◊〉 this saith he was the common Opinion of tâ—â— antient Christians Then as to the Division of 〈◊〉 Earth among the Sons of Noah set down in the 〈◊〉 Chapter of Genesis it is not to be doubted 〈◊〉 the Fiction of dividing the World among 〈◊〉 Brethren the Sons of Saturn was taken from 〈◊〉 So that there are some Remainders and Foot 〈◊〉 of the Sacred Truth to be observ'd which way 〈◊〉 ever you look This I might further shew in tâ—â— Account which Moses's History gives of the 〈◊〉 Plantations upon the Division of the Earth among Noah's Sons as in the Posterity of Iavan wheâ—â—â— were the Iavans or Greeks called 〈…〉 But because I shall afterward have an occasion 〈◊〉 speak of this namely when I treat of the Pâ—â—fection of Scripture shewing it to be the most Aâ—tient and Compleat History in the World I wiâ—â— defer it till then and at the same time let you 〈◊〉 that the Mosaick History gives us the best Account of those First Planters and also that in several 〈◊〉 those Names are to be read the Names of Coâ—â—â—tries and Nations which we meet with in Pagâ—â— Authors CHAP. IV. Several things relating to the Patriarch Abraham the Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah the Oppression of the Israelites in Egypt the History of Joseph the Pass-over the Conducting the Israelites through the Red-Sea their Travels in the Wilderness the Brazen Serpent attested by Heathens An Enquiry into the rise of the Report concerning the Iews worshipping an Ass's Head and also their worshipping of Clouds BEtween the Confusion of Tongues and the Giving of the Law by Moses there are many observable Passages in the Old Testament which are also taken notice of and attested tho in an obscure and oblique Manner by Pagan Wriâ—ers The great Patriarch Abraham is mentioned by Berosus Heeataeus Nicolas Damascenus Eupolemus Alex. Polyhistor as Iosephus and Eusebius acquaint us in their Writings before named The wise Men of Grâ—â—â—â— asking their Gods whence the Knowledg of Arts came received this Answer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
among the Heathens of closing or shutâ— the Eyes of the dying Person and this by one â— was the most beloved of him was derived 〈◊〉 Gen. 46. 4. Joseph shall put his Hand upon thine Eâ—â—â— Accordingly we find this last Office of Friendâ—â— spoken of in Homer and other antient Writâ— both Greek and Latin The Gentile Story of Busiris's sacrificing of 〈◊〉 hath a very solid Foundation for we 〈◊〉 easily perceive that this arose from the true 〈◊〉 unquestionable History in Exodus where we 〈◊〉 of a New King over Egypt who set over the Isâ—â—lites Task-masters to afflict them with their Burdâ—â—â— and who made their Lives bitter with hard Bondâ—â— Exod. 1. 11 14. and this was He that made 〈◊〉 Edict of drowning the Hebrew Children ver 22â— This great Oppressor of Israel was that Busâ—â— whom the Gentiles speak of as a noted Tyrant 〈◊〉 Egypt and several agree that that was his tâ—â—â— Name The Israelites who came out of Canaâ— into Egypt were the Strangers and are truly called so The sacrificing of them is the cruel aâ—â— bloody handling of them That Egyptian Oppressor and Tyrant might rightly be said to sacrifice his Strangers when he used the poor Hebrâ—â— so inhumanely Ioseph's Great Fortunes and Noble Acts in Egyâ— are celebrated by professed Historians as well as Poets among the Pagans and therefore I need not mention these latter And of the former sâ—â—â— is sufficient to name Iustin who acquaints us that Ioseph was the youngest of his Brethren and â— his excellent Wit and Parts were dreaded by 〈◊〉 which very thing moved them to sell him â—to Egypt where in a short time he became a â—at Favourite of the King He goes on and tells That this Brave Man was very skilful in doing Wonders and was the first that found out the Meaning and Interpretation of Dreams The Scarcity or Dearth which happened to Egypt he foresaw many Years before it came That Land had perished if the King had not by his Advice laid up Corn in store He was a kind of Divine Oracle and consulted by the World because of his infinite Sagacity his transcendent Knowledg and Wisdom Any 〈◊〉 that hath read the Sacred History may see â—â—at this Character was borrowed thence And it â—s a very notable and illustrious Confirmation of the Truth of the Mosaick History and in that of the whole Sacred Scripture Next I will mention this that the Annual Custom of the Egyptians which Epiphanius speaks of of marking their Trees and their Flocks with something of a Red Colour as a kind of Preservative against any Harm and Mischief that might befal them was from the Israelites Practice of old in Egypt when they sprinkled the Lintels and Posâ—s of the Doors with Blood Exod. 12. 22. which preserved them from the last and worst Plague which befel the Egyptians In remembrance of this oâ— rather in a superstitious Imitation of it the People of Egypt afterward set a red Mark on their Hoâ—â— and Goods And that this Custom was borrow thence will appear the more probable by 〈◊〉 dering that this was done by them at the entrâ— of the Vernal Equinox as Epiphanius relates wâ—â—â—â— was the very time as we learn from Exod. 12. â— when the Israelites distinguish'd their Houses that Bloody Token Again I might offer it â— enquired into by the Learned whether the ◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Sacrifices for Passing which weâ—â— use among the Grecians especially the Lacedâ— nians and are mention'd by Xenophon Thucyâ—â— and Plutarch be not an Imitaâ—â—on of or an A 〈◊〉 sion unto the famous Jewish Pesach which is ◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 transitus the Pass-over viz. when the â— stroying Angel passed over the Israelites Hoâ— and did the Inhabitants of them no harm Miâ—â—â—â— not this give occasion first to those Grecian ◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Passover-Sacrifices especially considerâ— that that Jewish Feast is call'd not only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by Philo Cyril of Alexandria â—â— gory Nazianzen and others The Conducting of the Children of Israel â— of Egypt and their miraculous Passing through 〈◊〉 Red-Sea and the overthrow of the Egyptians â— it could not but be famous among the Pagâ— though they endeavour'd to stifle or at leastâ— mince it whereof Iustin only tells us that tâ—â— King of Egypt followed the Jews when they 〈◊〉 Egypt but was forced to return back by reason â— a great Tempest which arose of a sudden Tâ—â— Fame of Moses's dividing the Red-Sea was kept â— among the Gentiles as Dâ—odorus Siculus witnâ—â—â—seth There is saith he a Report spread among the Ichthyophagi a People inhabiting the Shore near the Arabian Gulph which is 〈◊〉 Name given to the Red-Sea among Geographers namely that all that Place where that Gulph is was dried up the Waters flying back but after the Bottom had appear'd for some time the Place by a reflux of the Sea was â—â—rn'd into its former Condition So he And â—â—â—â—in he gives a most remarkable Testimony to â— Truth of those words in Exod. 14. 21. The 〈◊〉 caused the Sea to go back and made the Sea dry 〈◊〉 and the Waters were divided and in v. 27 â— The Sea returned to its Strength and the Waters â—red the Host of Pharoah It seems the Ichthyoâ—â— handed this Report to the Historian not the Egyptians though he had Converse with these a long time and they had Correspondence with the â—yophagi but the Egyptians were so cunning 〈◊〉 to conceal their Disgrace and Misfortune and hence it is that there is so little said among the Pagans concerning this matter As to the Red-Sea it self Mare Erythrâ—um there is in that Name a Remembrance of a known Person spoken of in the Old Testament viz. Esau. For as to what hath been said by some that this Sea had its Name from its Red Colour proves an arrant Falshood Coral at the bottom of it which some talk of is not red enough to give it such a Colour And the Weed which grows in it whence `t is call'd Iam Suph Mare algosum as Iunius and Tremellius always render it or Mare junci as others as if it were the Rush or Reed-Sea cannot give it the Denomination of Red because whatever some say of this weedy Stuff at the bottom of it the Water of this Sea is of the same Colour with other Seas as all Travellers attest Yea though that be true which hath been lately 〈◊〉 gested by some inquisitive Persons that this Wâ—â—â— call'd Suph is a kind of Saffron of which when 〈◊〉 taken out of the Sea is made a red Colour callâ— Sufo by the Ethiopians used for dying Cloth 〈◊〉 India and Ethiopia yet seeing the Sea it self is 〈◊〉 dyed with it but retains the Colour of other Sâ—â—â— I cannot think it is called the Red merely becaâ—â— of that Weed or Sedg used by Dyers Othâ— have said it hath this Epithet because the Stoâ—â— Cliffs Banks
are only Poetick Flourishes and therefore must not be thought to refer to any real thing The fixing this on my mind kept me from running into those Extravagancies which some have been guilty of whilst they imagined that the Poets in all or most of the particulars with which their Fables are stuffed allude to so many express passages in True History I attended to the main thing in their Writings which I saw came so near to Scripture the rest I pass'd by as meer Poetick Flash and Foolery and not to be taken notice of In short I have always trod where there is some tolerable ground and footing and I have omitted several particulars which others insist upon meerly because they have so sandy a bottom So little Reason have any to blame me for indulging of Fancy in this present undertaking where I have endeavour'd in abundant instances to make it probable that the Pagans borrowed from the Sacred Writings CHAP. VIII The Antiquity of the Writings of the Old Testament asserted The way oâ— communicating Scriptural Truths and Historieâ— to the Pagans viz. by the Commerce which the Iews had with other Nations by their being dispers'd over all the World by the Translation of the Bible into Greek by the Travels of Philosophers and other Studious Men among the Heathens How the Sacred Truths but especially the Historical part of the Old Testament came to be misunderstood and corrupted viz. by the confusion of Tongues by being Transmitted to Barbarous People by length of time by passing through many hands by the Superstition and Idolatry of the Receivers by the affectation of Mysteries and Abstrusities by the Grecian Humour of Inventing and Romancing by Mens being Timerous by Ignorance of the Jewish Religion and Affairs by aâ— Averseness and Hatred to the Jews It was thought by some dangerous to insert the Holy Text into their Writings What designs the Devil had in corrupting the Scripture and mixing it with Falsities iâ— the Books of the Pagans BUT not withstanding all I have said there are some who will by no means entertain this Discourse but with great earnestness and violence oppose it I am obliged therefore in the next place to fortifie it by Reason I will discover to you the Foundations on which my Opinion is built and give you a Rational Account how it comes to pass that the Heathens bear witness to the Old Testament This I will do first by shewing you how they came by these Traditions and Truths Secondly whence and how they disguis'd and corrupted them For the First It is not likely the Gentiles could light on these things by Natural Reason for those discoveries concerning the Creation and the Paradisiacal State of Man and the particular mannâ—r of his Fall and several other things which I mention'd are beyond Nature's Ken they are not such things as fall within the cognizance of Men as they are Rational Creatures therefore they must be particularly Revealed to Mankind And the Authentick Body of Divine Revealed Truth being the Bible we cannot but infer that those things were borrowed from that Sacred Volume And as for Matters of Fact relating to the Old Patriarchs and other Eminent Men in former days on which I have asserted that many of the Pagan Stories and Fables depend these were Recorded in those Sacred Books first of all and therefore these Books are the Fountains from which the Heathens took these Relations This Argument I take to be unanswerable namely that the Old Testament is the First and Antientest Book that ever was extant and therefore when the Pagan Writers mention things in this Book they took them thence or from those Persons who had them out of these Writings Here then it is necessary to insist a little on the Antiquity of this Holy Volume That Moses's Writings were long before all others is proved by several of the Fathers of the Christian Church You may reckon the Date of his Books to be about A. M. 2460 which was above 400 Years before the Trojan War before which we do not hear of any Writers whatsoever Yea it was above a Thousand Years after it that the Antientest Historian unless you will reckon those Fabulous ones Dares Phrygius and Dictys Cretensis appeared Without controversie Moses was the Oldest Historian either Natural or Ecclesiastical The Antiquity of his Works is beyond all other Books they all begin long after him And as for some other Books of the Old Testament they were before the Writings of any Heathens To begin first with the Antientest Egyptian Writers some tell us that in Moses's time flourish'd those Excellent Philosophers Zoroastres and Mercurius Trismegistus but whâ—n yoâ— come to Examine this you find no less than four Zoroastres's and to which of these the Writings are to be attributed and what date they bear iâ— uncertain so that we can conclude nothing there There are also great Disputes about Herâ—os or Trismegistus namely who he was and when he Lived and at what time the Writings that go under his Name were written and whether they be genuine Kircher holds them to be such but Casaâ—bon attempâ—â— the contrary His 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is quoted by 〈◊〉 â—artyr Lactantius and Augustin and therefore 〈◊〉 Ancient but his Antiquity cannot be proved 〈◊〉 be equal with that of the Holy Writers Manetho or Manethos who writ the Egyptian History lived but in Ptolomaeus Philadelphus's time Then for the Phaenician Antiquities which Sanâ—athon writ in the Phaenician Tongue and which Philo Biblius who lived in Adrian's time â—â—rn'd into Greek of which Version Eusebius hath â—â—eserv'd us a Famous Fragment though Scaliâ—â— hath labour'd to prove them Supposititious 〈◊〉 some others reckon them not as such and â—â—rticularly the Learned Bochart hath Commentâ—â— upon them as true and Genuine Writings 〈◊〉 as for the Anâ—iquity of this Phaenician Histoâ—â—â—n and Theologer though it may be acknowâ—â—dg'd to be great yet without question he was â—oses's junior by many hundred years And so was the Author of the Babylonian or Chaldean 〈◊〉 for Berosus who is said to compile â—â—â—m lived at the same time that Manetho did And though perhaps Frier Annius hath imposed 〈◊〉 the World by the Name of this Author as some think and accordingly bring several Arguments to prove this new Berosus a Cheat 〈◊〉 it doth not follow that the old one of â—hom both Iosephus and Eusebius have preserv'd the fragments was such Some Greek Writers plead great Antiquity next Orpheus and Muâ—â—â—s the Ancientest of them all are â—aid to have Lived in Gideon's days which was about 200 years after Moses And 200 years after this Lived Dares Phrygius and Dictys Cretensis who wrote the Trojan War And 100 years after this Homer wrote his Poem who Flourish'd not 'till at least 150 years after David the Divine Poet. This is observable that the Greeks as soon as they had gain'd any knowledge of Letters and Arts fell to inventing of incredible Stories and writing
it is manifest that the Iewish Ceremonies were not taken from Gentilism but Instituted by God himself Among the Reformists you will see this more plainly attested All that consent saith one which is between the Iewish and Gentile Rites ariseth from the Devil's study to deprave many things which are in the Iewish Worship of God and to transfer them to his own And another thus It is a wicked and detestable thing to imagine that the Rites commanded in the Mosaick Law were as it were Play-games and Sports only in imitation of the Pagans Therefore that those Rites may have that honour and dignity which is due to them we must hold this as an infallible Truth that all the things in the Iewish Worship were according to the Spiritual Pattern which was shew'd to Moses in the Mount To which I add Cocceius's notable words I admit not that the Iewish Law is an imitation of the Gentile Ceremonies For on the contrary it is certain that it was made to draw off the Israelites from many of the Pagan Rites by those several Laws which were in it contrary to those Rites So it became a Hedge or Partition Wall between the Iews and Gentiles that they might not come near one another as to their Ceremonies for from a likeness in these there would have followed a mutual Converse and Communion and consequently a Depravation As to Particular Rites among the Gentiles as that of Sacriâ—ices and using of Salt in them Spanhemius refers the Original of them to the Iewish Law and the practice of God's People adding that This Iewish Custom was by a fond imitation in the Devil who sometimes is Gods Ape made use of in the impious and idolatrous services of the Pagans So as to the Ark of the Testimony which the Learned Dean saith was in imitation of the Heathens the contrary is expresly vouched by another worthy Writer in such plain terms as these Having thought of the whole matter viz. the Arks or Chests which he had said before were used in the Religious Mysteries of the Pagans my Opinion concerning them is this that the Devil as he was ever an Ape and a Ludicrous imitator of God's Works and Institutions so here particularly he had a mind to set up these his Arks against the Ark of the Covenant made by God And hear what a late Learned Author often commended by the Worthy Dean himself saith Chests or Arks used at the Greek and Egyptian Feasts especially in the Eleusinian Solemnities with the Toys shut up in them of which Clement of Alexandria speaks these were Images or Imitations of the Ark of the Covenant among the Iews All these Allegations and Testimonies together with those before are absolutely repugnant to the Learned Doctor 's assertion which he so often repeateth that many of the Mosaical Laws about Religious Rites and Ceremonies were taken from the Rites and Usages among the Pagan Idolaters But this Author is so Considerable and Worthy a Writer that it may be thought his single Authority is able to counterpoize if not out-weigh the joint Suffrage of the Persons before named wherefore I will make bold to Combat his Notion with a plain Text of Scripture which carries irresistible Authority with it The express words of it are these in Deut. 12. 30 31 32. Take heed to thy self that thou be not snared by following them i. e. the Heathens and that thou enquire not after their Gods saying How did these Nations serve their Gods even so will I do likewise Thou shalt not do so unto the Lord thy God for every abomination to the Lord which he hateth have they done unto their Gods What thing soever I command you observe to do it thou shalt not add thereto nor diminish from it Observe here the Iews were forbid to follow the Customs and Rites of the Gentiles and in order to that to enquiâ—â—â—â—ter their Idolatrous Service and the manner of it They must by no means 〈◊〉 the true God as the Nations served their false Gods and Idols The Reason 〈◊〉 this is râ—ndâ—ed because every abomâ—nation to the Lord which he hateth was done by them to their Gods The Rites and Ceremonies which they used in Worshipping their Gods were abominable to the God of Israel Wherefore it is absurd to think that he would appoint his People such Religious Rites and Services as were abominable and hateful to him unless you will say that which was abominable in the Heathens was not so in God's own People But this increases the absurdity rather than takes it away No Man of sober thoughts can talk after this rate for if God disliked those things in the Idolatrous Worshippers it is certain that he did much more so in the true ones Wherefore he instituted such a Service as was most opposite to the Heathen way of Worship and had not the least affinity with it Hence it is added what thing soever I command you observe to do it as much as to say you must not follow the directions or example of those Pagaus in your Worshipping of me you must do nothing in my Service but what I expresly Command you neither adding thereto nor diminishing from it How then can any Man with Reason assert that the Iews borrowed their Rites in Religious Worship from the Gentiles A Person of so bright an intellect as our Learned Author is cannot but see the force of this Text and be convinc'd that it ruines his Hypothesis which he was pleas'd to take up it may be only to give proof of his own Skill to the Learned World and to try that of his Opponents So much for the first Corollary from the preceeding Discourse 2. From the Premises we may learn the Excellency of our Religion viz. 1. That it is the Ancientest Religion in the World We may plainly see the Footsteps of it in the oldest Times that were The memory of it is among the most Celebrated Monuments of Antiquity The Truths of it are to be read in the Histories of the First Ages yea in the Fables of the Old Poets in the rusty and antique fragments of the Primitive Times of the World 2. See the Reasonableness which is another Excellency of our Religion Many of the Scripture-Truths were receiv'd by the Philosophers and Sages among the Gentiles who had no other Conduct than that of their Rational Faculties These Masters of Reason entertain'd some of the Grand Principles of our Religion and approved of them and acknowledg'd them as Rational 3. See the Certainty of our Holy Religion It is attested not only by Friends but Enemies It hath even the Approbation of Heathen Writers who have Recorded and thereby confirmed some of the most remarkable things reported in the Sacred Writings as the Creation of the World our first Parents Happiness and afterwards their Fall Noaâ—'s Flood the long Lives of the first Persons the Building of the Tower of Babel the Confusion of Languages the
Renowned Acts of several of the Patriarchs and first Worthies c. It is a great establishing of our Faith that those Pagans derived so many things from Scripture The Gentile Writers vouch a great part of our Religion Wherefore we must needs imbrace it when it is attested by such Disinteressed Persons 3. We ought to take notice of the Wonderful Providence of God in this matter Behold the Scripture is attested by those who never owned its Authority yea the very Enemies of these Holy Writings ratiâ—ie the Truth and Certainty of them The Heathen Poets whilst they Corrupt Divine Truth assert it Their very Lies and Fictions bear witness to the Sacred Verities their Fables confirm the Infallibility of the Bible This is the Lord 's doing here the Great and Over-ruling Wisdom of God is seen Here his Almighty Power in baâ—â—ing Satan's Contrivances and Designs may be discern'd He as was said before intended the Corruption of the Scriptures the silencing of the Truth the Exalting of himself and the Advancing of his Kingdom But the All-Wise and Powerful Moderator of the World disappointed his Designs and made this thing we are speaking of serviceable and beneficial to Religion he made it become an Argument of its Antiquity Reasonableness and Certainty against the Cavils of Atheists and Infidels 4. Henceforth we are reconciled to the Writings of Prophane Authors We have this considerable advantage by reading the Works of the Ancient Heathens and by perusing their Stories and Fables that we shall find some Greater Thing couched in them than the bare Narrative For these Writers borrow'd many things from the Holy Book their broken Stories are often-times an imperfect account of Scripture Relations Sundry things in their Writings are gather'd out of the Divine Volume but are strangely wrested pervertrd and obscured by having new Names and â—eigned Circumstances affix'd to them Almost all the Gentile Fables and Theology flowed from a depraved sense of the Sacred Writings The Poets disguise true Stories with many Fictions and some Reliques of Divine Truth are buried under their ingenuous Fancies and Fabulous Narrations Ovid Transcribed the Greek Theology from Orpheus Homer Hesiod and other Ancient Poets and these had it from the Bible The very Poetick Fictions refer unto real Story and are drawn from the Divine Source of Truth So that we are reading the Holy Scripture in a manner whilst we are turning over Pagan Writers In these we meet with Truths Transplanted from the Sacred Book we find many passages stollen from the Hebrew Fountains It is not to be denied then that Scholars and Students yea the very Candidates of Sacred Theology may with great profit prie into these Writings of the Pagans for here are the footsteps of Divine Verities Prophane and Sacred Learning are to be joyn'd The Gentile Monuments illustrate the inspired ones We may notwithstanding the disguise which Poets have put upon the Stories see the foundation of them and perceive that those vain Figmentsâ— are grounded on some Solid Truth and that a Sacred Treasure lies hid under those confused Fables For this is not to be denied that Palestine afforded Greece matter of fancy and invention the Pagan Poets were befriended by the Iews Athens was indebted to Ierusalem Parnassus was beholding to Sinai and Helicon to Iordan You see then the advantage we may reap by being acquainted with Prophane Writers whilst we look further than the outward shape which they have given to many things and search into that Truth which lies hid under it even the Sacred and undoubted History of the Old Testament Thus we may make them serviceable to far higher and better ends than they are intended This is the best improvement that can be made of them to see the true Source of what is written by them to understand whence they borrowed their matter and to confirm our selves in the belief of the Truth of the Sacred Writings by perusing these which are Prophane 5thly and lastly then See the Authority Truth and Certainty of the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament which is the main thing I have been aiming at I had proved this before by several Arguments and those perhaps on some accounts more Forcing and Convictive than this but I thought good to add this to them as no contemptible way of proving the Antiquity and Authority of the Sacred Book The Truth of the Historical part of the Old Testament is evidenced from Heathen Writers not only Historians but Philosophers and Poets A Man may by comparing these with the Sacred Volume find out the Original of the Pagan Traditions and Fictions and observe the Lineaments of true and unquestionable History among them Hence we shall have no reason to doubt that there were such Persons and Things in being as are spoken of in the Old Testament and that the Passages and Transactions there mention'd were real and true This admirably serves to evince the Authority of those Writings this proves the Truth of the Records of Holy Writ and that they ought to be received as the Oracles of God i. e. as Infallible CHAP. X. The Authority of the Books of the New-Testament confirmed by Pagan and Iewish Writers who speak of a King or Lord that should come out of the East and particularly out of Judaea An Enumeration of the Opinions of the Learned concerning the Sibylls with the particular Sentiment of the Author viz. That the Contents of their Verses were horrow'd from the Old-Testament and that those Women were not Prophetesses but only related what they found in the Inspired Writings or heard of thence A full Answer to the Objections of those who hold the Sibylline Writings to be Spurious NExt I am to shew how the Scriptures of the New-Testament are vouched and confirmed by an External Testimony i. e. how professed Pagans â—nd Iews Enemies to Christianity have related â—nd asserted the very same things that are set down â—n those Evangelical Writings First I will begin with that which is of a middle nature between what I have been discoursing of before and what â— am now to ingage in which therefore may aptâ—y serve as a Transition from one to the other I â—ean the belief and report recorded in Pagan Writers that a King or Lord should come from the â—ast and do great and mighty things This was deâ—ived from the Scriptures of the Old Testament and 〈◊〉 belongs to the former Discourse but becaâ—se it is mentioned by Historians that were after Christ's time and the Application is with all reason to be made to Him I rightly bring it in here It was I say a constant Report that prevail'd about the time of our Saviour's Birth and afterwards that some eminent Person or Persons should rise out of those Eastern Nations and be Lords of the World We find Tacitus asserting this and that great Politician and Statesman would needs have it fulfilled in Vespasian and Titus because they were called out of Iudea unto the Empire of Rome Suetonius
agrees with this Author and tells us that it was an ancient and constant Opinion among the Eastern People that some should come out of Iudea about that time and have the universal Sway and Reign over the World Iosephus the Jewish Historian relates the same and acquaints us that it was the common rumour and vogue among the Iews that one of their own Country should be an Universal Emperor which he as well as the fore-cited Authors applieth to Vespasian because he conquer'd the Iews and with Titus came from Iudea in Triumph to Rome Other Iews thought this common Fame was meant of Herod asserting him to be the Person fore-told by the Prophets and to be the expected Messias These were the Herodians mentioned in Mat. 22. 16. Thus though through Ignorance they knew not how to fix this Rumour aright yet out of Flattery they could apply it to their Princes But it is most evident that this Fame of an Universal Monarch arose from the Scriptures of the Old Testament which frequently speak of a great King and Ruler that should come out of the East and particularly out of Iudea Out of thee Bethlehem shall He come forth unto me that is to be the Ruler in Israel Mic. 5. 2. Which is interpreted of the Messias by the Iewish Sanhedrim whom â—erod gathered together demanding of them where Christ should be born Mat. 2. 4 5. That Prophecy of Micah speaks plainly of a Iew one that by birth â—as of Iudea yea of Bethlehem and therefore it was most falsly applied to those Roman Emperors before-named who came not out of Iudea but â—ut of Italy not from Bethlehem but from Rome And as for Herod he was not a Iew but an Iduâ—ean he was not born in Bethlehem but in Ascalon â—ut in our Blessed Saviour this remarkable Propheâ—y is exactly accomplish'd he being a Iew by â—â—rth and of the City of David and constituted â—y God a matchless King and Governor over his People Behold a King shall Reign in Righteousness 〈◊〉 32. 1. And in several other places of this Prophecy Christ is represented as a King and his Coming is express'd after that manner There was â—iven him Dominion and Glory and a Kingdom that â—ll People Nations and Languages should serve him His Dominion is an everlasting Dominion which shall 〈◊〉 pass away and his Kingdom that which shall not 〈◊〉 destroyed Dan 7. 14. Which is expresly applied to Christ by the Angel from Heaven Luke 1. 33. And in many other places of Scripture this Divine Person who was to come to redeem and save Mankind is set forth as a King or Great Lord and Prince one that should â—ear Sway in the World and wield his Scepter over all Nations Hence this Rumour was spread among the Eastern People and especially about the time of Christ's birth that a Great Lord or King should arise in those parts and spread his Dominion over the World Hence those Pagan and Jewish Writers beforeâ— mentioned speak of this Great Ruler and Monarch who is no other than our Lord Christ the King of Kings and Lord of Lords This they had from the Prophesies of the Bible where 't is so often fore-told that a King shall arise and gain an Universal Empire over Mankind To this we may refer that which Suetonius reports and he quotes his Author for it that a few Months before Augustus was born there was this publick Prodigy viz. a Proclaiming of this That Nature was bringing forth a King to the Roman People Whereupon the Senate being allarmed and frighted made a strange Decree That no one born that Year should be Educated This Prodigy without doubt refer'd to Christ whose Birth was in Augustus's Reign this was the King that was to be born to all the World which was then in a manner subject to the Roman Empire and therefore might be call'd the Roman People So the Sibylls Oracles or Prophesies are of a middlâ— nature and Consideration and therefore are justly to be treated of in this place As they were borrow'd from the Scriptures of the Old Testament they belong indeed to the former part of this Discourse but as they attest the Truth of the maiâ— things in the New-Testament they are reducible to this I will consider them first as they are taken out of the Scriptures of the Old-Testament This may seem to be strange at first because the Opinions of Writers have run an other way but after I have plainly laid the matter before you I doubt not but the thing which I offer will easily gain your assent and then it will rather seem strange that it was not taken notice of and imbraced before There have been these four Opinions among the Learned concerning the Sybills Oracles or Verses 1. Some say they are Counterfeit yea that some Christians but Hereticks have imposed upon the World in this matter This I will account for afterwards because it will more pertinently be handled under the Second Consideration viz. as they are used as an Attestation of the Truth of the New-Testament Indeed this Opinion rudely takes away the Subject of the Question and therefore must be consider'd in the last place in the mean time we suppose the thing spoken of to be real and not counterfeit 2ly Then some have asserted that the Sibylls were divinely Inspired and consequently that their Verses are Sacred and Divine Iustin Martyr Arâ—obius Lactantius and some other ancient Fathers cry them up as equal to the holiest Prophets As God say they spake by the Prophets to the Iews concerning Christ before he came so he foreâ—told him to the Gentiles by the Sibylls and the same Prophetick Spirit was in the latter that was in the former Baronius Bellarmine and the Roman Doctors generally think the same of them and therefore they use their Testimony as very Sacred and altogether Irrefragable By the way I might observe that they are sometimes quoted by these and others of the Church of Rome to assert and countenance some of their Popish Doctrines So that it seems Popery was a Religion before there were any thoughts of it in the World and before it had a Being But here Authors are divided again for some hold these Gentile Prophetesses were Good and Holy Person others that they were not The former Opinion is grounded on that Tenent of the Iewish Doctors that never any vicious and unhallowed Persons were honored with the Prophetick Spirit and that those Irradiations and extraordinary Impressions of the Holy Ghost were made only upon Men of holy Lives and innocent Behaviours Besides these Prophetick Women speak of One only True God and they inveigh against the False Gods and their Altars which is a sign they were good and religious People Others have a contrary Opinion of them and think they were Irreligious and Prophane for that Opinion of the Hebrew Doctors before spoken of is not always true though it be generally so We read of Baalam the Sorcerer
use of this Testimony especially that the first of these in his Dialogue with Trypho where his design is to convert that Iew to Christianity omits it wholly But to him that considers things aright this will not seem strange for if he looks into these Fathers he will find that their grand enterprize and design were to convince the Iews out of the Old-Testament which they profess'd they heartily believed and imbraced and therefore those learned and pious Writers fixed here and were not solicitous to go any farther What need was there of flying to human Authors when this divine and inspired Volume furnished them with abundant Arguments and Proofs against Iudaism It would have been unnecessary and superfluous to alledge the Testimony of this Person though never so credible when they had so many infallible Authors to vouch them and the Religion which they had espoused Again this late Critick tells us that this Testimony is against Iosephus's mind he being a Iewish Priest a legal Sacrificer and most tenacious of the Iewish Religion He was of the Sect of the Pharisees and one of the Princes of the Mosaick Church therefore it is unlikely that he would leave any such thing upon record in his Writings Those that know Iosephus's Sect and Life cannot believe saith he that these words were his Yes they very well may for he doth not absolutely assert our Saviour to be the true Messias but only that he was the Person who was called Christ and that excellent Worth and even Divinity appeared in him and he farther bears witness that this excellent Person who was of old prophesied of was not treated according to his transcendent merits but was barbarously put to death by his Country-men and yet that in a miraculous manner he was revived and thereby gave an undeniable proof of his Innocency and Integrity All this though it be a most remarkable Attestation of our Saviour yet might have been said as really it was by a Iewish Sacrificer by a strict Pharisee by a tenacious asserter of the Mosaick Riligion The whole Testimony is but the result of an unprejudiced and honest Mind such as this Historian was Master of And if it be true what this Criticizer mentions and attempts to prove out of Origen that Iosephus had before this writ against Christ the Testimony thereby becomes the more remarkable because it is a great argument of the irresistible power of the Truth and that there was a wonderful change wrought in this Person And truly this Objector himself mentions that which may induce us to believe it for we read saith he in Iosephus's Book which he writ of his own Life that he having gone through all the Iewish Sects was admitted at last into the discipline of Banus a Disciple of Iohn the Baptist. Thus this Author answers himself and what he had before objected namely that this Historian wrote against his own mind if these words of his were true It is not likely that he spoke contrary to his Perswasion if he was entred into the discipline of Iohn Baptist who had been Christ's fore-runner for thereby this Author imbibed a good opinion to say no more of the Founder of Christianity What this Critick farther saith that if this Testimony were Iosephus's he would have said a great deal more than he doth is very fâ—ivolous and not worth taking notice of And so is that that the Stile plainly betrays the Cheat it being frigid and lax putid and inert as he saith whereas it is evident to any competent Judge that the Language is nothing of this nature but is like the rest of the Historian's Stile Lastly we are beholding to him for finding out the Author of the Cheat who he affirms is Eusebius as if he had lived before or at the same time with Iosephus that is as if one of the Fourth Century was contemporary with him that flourish'd in the First He perempâ—oâ—ily tells us that Eusebius clapt in this Passage meerly out of design namely to gratifie a party of Christians and to carry on the Cause And that we may give credit to this he falls very severely on this worthy Man and both ignorantly and maliciously finds fault with him This is the course that our angry Critick takes but no sober and judicious Person can allow of it for it may be plainly discern'd that this Writer was resolv'd upon it to run down this Testimony of the Iewish Historian by any kind of artifice whatsoever but when we come to examine the Methods he takes they are found to be of no force what he offers for proof is groundless precarious and inconsistent After all that he hath said this Iewish Testimony and the Credit of its Author remain impregnable What though we have granted that in some things he is faulty and where is their an Historian that is not what though he omits some remarkable Occurrences and mistakes the order of Time of which he could not come to a certain knowledge Notwithstanding this his Testimony in this matter may be valid nay we have all the reason imaginable to believe it is such for he was capable of attaining to a full knowledge of what he here writeth There is then no ground to think that he imposed upon his Reader or spoke against his Perswasion but on the contrary it is reasonable to look upon him as one that freely uttered his mind and shew'd himself to be Ingenuous Faithful and Impartial Such was he esteemed to be by those ancient Writers who had oceasion to make use of his Testimony and such was his Character with all those Persons who have since used the same in Confirmation of the History of the Gospel And truly it is a full and pregnant Ratification of it an attesting no less than the Life Death and Resurrection of our Saviour This latter especially being attested by a Iewish Priest is considerable This Person knew nothing of that Cheat which the Iews labour'd at first to put upon some and therewith to stifle the truth of Christ's rising from the dead namely that his Disciples came by night and stole him away He tells us plainly and expresly that Christ was restor'd to Life on the Third Day after he was put Death which is exactly according to the Narrative in the Gospels I will conclude then with the words which a Pious Father useth after he had recited Iosephus's Testimony of Christ If our very Enemies saith he dare not oppose the truth who will shew himself so obstinate as not to give credit to those things which are as clear as the Sun yea much clearer If Iews and Pagans bear witness to Christ we Christians are obliged to listen to their Testimony and to abominate the practise of those who endeavour and that with no little art and pains to enervate and destroy it Again Iosephus confirms the Truth of the Evangelical History by relating several other things which are recorded there Thus he speaks
Sacrifices this plainly shews they were no Iews as to their Religion although Philo and Iosephus were willing to represent them as such in honour of their Nation they being so much admired for the Piety and Inâ—egrity of their Conversations And the rest of the Character is a plain Description of the Primitive Christians as they are represented in the History of the Gospel i. e. as having for a time all things Common as being Exemplary for their brotherly Love as Persons of singular Moderation and Self-denial as those who were bid not to Swear at all as those who underwent the severest Persecutions with an undaunted Courage and Fortitude and resisted even unto Blood and loved not their Lives unto the Death Now the Jewish Writers for Politick Ends would not give this Account of them as Christians but as Iews that the Credit of it might not redound to Christianity but to their Own Religion and way of Worship Then for Pagan Historians they also out of Design omit some things and insert others that are very false Thus as Budaeus hath well observ'd Pliny the Natural Historian could not be ignorant of the Eclipse at Christ's Passion it being recorded in the Roman Archives and he being a diligent Searcher in those Acts but he would not insert that into his Writings which he knew Princes were desirous should be conceal'd for the Doctrin and Religion of Iesus were to be as little plausible as could be among proud and voluptuous Men whom the Christian Religion so much abhors and condemns To have mention'd that Prodigy might exalt that Religion too much and the Eclipse might make it shine the brighter and be more admired and reverenc'd by the World For this Reason it is probable the Heathen Writers neglected to record this so prodigious an Accident it making for a new Religion contrary to their own I will give you another notable Instance which is this when M. Aurelius Antoninus's Army was in great streights and wanted Water they were suddenly and unexpectly supplied with Rain but at the same time their Enemies against whom they fought were over-whelm'd with Hail and Thunder Dion Iulius Capitolinus Claudian Lampridius report this thing but say it was from the Emperor 's own Prayers to Iupiter and from the Inchantments of the Iewish Magicians But the plain truth is that the Christian Soldiers by their Prayers procured this extraordinary and unexpected Rain for the relief of their Thirst and brought down Thunder and Storms upon their Enemies The relating of this would have been too great an Honour to the Christians and to their Religion and the Master of it wherefore the Pagan Historians out of Policy would not ascribe this Wonder to the Prayers of the Christians but to those of the Emperor and tell us the very words he used But they have not wholly concealed the Truth for as you have heard they impute this wonderful Accident partly to the Inchantments of the Iewish Magicians We know how common a thing it is with the Pagan Writers to mistake Iews for Christians and so the Iewish Magicians here are no other than the Christians in that Army who because they brought to pass such a wonderful and astonishing Thing are said to be Inchanters and Magicians These religious pious Christians were employ'd in the Expedition against the Germans and Sarmatians and when the Army was ready to perish with Thirst obtained and fetch'd down by their effectual Prayers great showers of Rain for themselves and destructive Thunder and Lightning on their Enemies Camp and thereby procured a Victory over them whence the Emperor got the Names of Germanicus and Sarmaâ—icus This is alledged and made use of in the Cause of Christianity by Apollinaris in his Apology to the Emperor as Eusebius restiâ—ies And this is mentioned by Tertullian as a thing every where known in his Apology to the Senate and he tells them there that the Emperor 's own Letter to them not long before sent to them out of Germany acknowledged the same viz that God wrought a Miracle for the sake of the Christians who were in his Army and he owed the Victory wholly to their pious Addresses to Heaven This Father would never have said this to the Romans if there had been any possibiliâ—y of conâ—uting it yea if it had not been a thing certainly known by them This Story of the Thundering Legion you have also at large in Eusebius who assures us that this Name was given them for this very reason because by their ardent Prayers they procured Thunder to fright and disperse their Enemies and Rain to refresh themselves And if what some have endeavour'd to prove were true viz. that this was the name of a Legion in Augustuâ—'s time and was named so from the Tunderbolt which it carried in the Shield yet I do not â—ee any reason to disbelieve this ancient Author for why may not a Name be given on different accounts Why may it not be call'd the Thundering Legion for this reason which he mentions as well as for that which others Assign I don't perceive that these are inconsistent Eusebius goes on and adds that the Emperor hereupon recall'd his Edicts against the Christians and by a new Decree appointed a severe Punishment to be inflicted on the Accusers of them The Gentile Historians say nothing of this and will not let us know that that miraculous Event was by means of the Christians A Victory gain'd by the Prayers of Christians would sound ill This would have been too signal a Testimony of the Truth and Prevalency of Christianity therefore it is suppressed For the same reason you may reckon Christ's Mriacles are omitted in Pagan Historians if you suppose they came to their Ears It is their cunning to write nothing of these for hereby they would at the same time commend Christianity and disparage their own Way Besides some of them were affraid to own the miraculous Acts of Christ and his Followers for they saw that this sort of Men were persecuted and put to death so that they dared not relate the Wonders they did lest they should be suspected to favour Christianity and by that means become liable to Capital Punishment Or if they fear'd not this yet they were affraid to displease the great ones as I said before If they knew any thing would be ungrateful and unacceptable to their Masters they pass'd it by Thus when it was given out by the Sibylline Oracle in the Year before our Saviour was born that Nature did then bring forth a King to the World the Roman Senate thereupon ordered that no Child born that Year should be brought up as appears in Suetonius Which was sufficient to give check to the Roman Historians and so 't is not to be wondred as the Learned Vossius observes that the killing of the Children of Bethlehem by Herod's command is not mention'd by any but the Evangelists he might have said unless by
Macrobius that act of his being somewhat a-kin to the Edict of the Roman Senate 4. I adjoin this that the Christian Religion and the Professors of it were generally look'd upon by Prophane Writers as very contemptible so that some of these scorn'd to record those things which had any relation to them Hence it is that Christ's Miracles and other things appertaining to Christianity are not so much as mention'd They would not vouchsafe to record such mean sorry things and which indeed some of them took for Fables and mere Falsities On this account likewise it cannot be expected that the Roman History should at any time particularize the Christian Affairs unless when War and Tumults suppos'd by them to be caused by the Christians invited those Writers to it Then the Roman Glory is concern'd to let the Conquest be told and to have an Account given of the Particulars But other Things relating to Christianity are deemed low and mean and are passed over in filence as not of any Concern and Moment The Pagan Historians do purposely omit the Acts of the Christians because they think them not worth the reciting 5. To speak more plainly Prejudice Hatred and Malice may be assign'd also as the Causes why some of the most remarkable Passages in the Evangelical History are not mention'd by Pagan or Jewish Writers It is no wonder that Valerius Maximus who hath made a Collection of the memorable Acts and Sayings of other Nations as well as Rome and dedicated them to Tiberius yet hath not a word of Jewish Acts much less hath inserted any Christian ones His Aversness to the Christian Religion may solve this very well unless you will say that Christianity was but just risen at that time when he wrote and the materials of History concerning it were not yet brought to him But this cannot be said of Tacitus who lived in the next Age and who was a great Hater of the Christians and was very severe upon them in his Writings on which account he cannot be thought to have related things impartially concerning them Suetonius was bitter against them and who then can look for any â—air Account from him The same may be said of Lucian and Pliny who though they deliver some Truths and not inconsiderable ones concerning the Christians yet their Aversness to them and their Religion which by the latter of them is call'd Pervicacia inflexibilis obstinatio would not permit them to speak what they knew of them Plutarch of all that lived and writ about that time was the civilest to the Christian Religion he no where jeers or slanders it or makes any Reflections upon it which made Theodâ—â—â—t think he was almost a Christian and had a favour for their Religion But the rest some of whom I have named before hated the Christians yea their very name was odious to them hence when they speak of Christians or Christianity they mingle Calumniâ—s and Lies with what they say Christians with them pass for fond and superstitious People nay for flagitious and profligate nay sometimes for Diabolical Impostors and Wizards and the most execrable sort of Persons under heaven I might here mention Zosimus a fierce Pagan and therefore shews it in his History when he speaks of the Christians Being a great Hater of these Persons he doth upon all occasions speak ill of them and particularly of Constantine the Great because he was the first Emperor that threw off Heatheanism and imbraced Christianity He tells us that he Murder'd his Empress his Son and other near Relations and that he was smitten with Leprosie for these unnatural and horrid Crimes in brief he relates the Particulars of this great Man's Life contrary to all ancient Historians that have written concerning him The ground of which was no other than this that he had entertain'd a particular Grudge and Prejudiâ—e against the Emperor and bore a hatred to Christianity it self so that whatever he wrote concerning them â—avor'd of ill will and malice It is not then to be marvell'd at that such Men mis-represent many Passages which relate to the Professors of Christianity and faâ—siâ—ie all reports concerning them They can by no means speak well of a People that they hate A Religion that they so abhor can have no Persons Good of it they think You must not expect they will relate Truths which they have a dislike of This is one reason why Pagans are defâ—ctive in their Historical Narrations why many things spoken of by the Evangelists are not mention'd by them or are vilely mis-represented This is the cause why so few of Christ's Actions and the Affairs of Christians are taken notice of and why thosâ— that are are so miserably perverted Prejudice and Envy Splâ—en and Malice are the Source of this Miscarriage 6. I add this that many pieces of History are lost as hath been acknowledged and complain'd of by the Learned whence it is that many Occurrences which we meet with in the History of the Gospel are not to be found in the Writings of the Pagans We have but a few of these left us in comparison of their number at first and those that we have are but Relicks of those Histories before written Particularly the Stupendous Acts of our Saviour and the Monuments of the bravest and noblest things done in that Age wherein He was born are now missing All Dio's History from the Consulships of Antistius and Balbus unto the Consulships of Messala and Cinna that is for the space of Ten Years Five Years before Christ's Birth and Five after it is quite lost and so is Livy's History of that time In vain therefore doth any Man think to find the remarkable Passages referring to Christ's Birth in these Writers much more vain is it to look for these things in those Writers whose Histories are altogether missing at this day Thus to instance only in the Universal 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which makes the greatest noise with the Objectors that without doubt was set down by some Roman Historians but their Writings either by Negligence or by Fire or by the Invasion of the Barbarous Nations into Italy or by age and length of time are lost It is clear that some did make mention of it otherwise whence had Suidas all that which he relates of the Twenty Persons that were sent to make the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God perhaps would in his Providence approve the loss of these that holy History might be partly imbraced by Faith and not owe its Authority wholly to Human Testimony But such as is remaining I have produced and that is enough to satisfie any sober any confiderate Person Lastly I remark this in the close of all that there are two of the most celebrated Roman Historians from whom we can expect nothing that hath Relation to Christ's Birth or any great Occurrence that happened about that time For Livy wrote but to Augustus's beginning which was before Christ and for that
appear bare-faced and to salute the Publick Besides I thought my self obliged to give the World some Account of the spending of my Time and to let it be seen that I have not wholly thrown away my Hours Moreover I have a great and passionate Desire to serve the Church to vindicate our Holy Religion to advance the Cause of Christianity to demonstrate the transcendent Worth of the Holy Scriptures which are the Standard of all Excellent Notions and Regular Manners and to promote and set forward the Glory of the ever Blessed Trinity I am sensible what Multitudes of Writers there are already how many Printed Discourses are published that might well be spared to say no worse We are told that Tully's Offices wâ—â— the first Book thâ—t was printed in Europe which was a Good Specimen of that new-invented Art It had been a happy thing if the Press had proceeded as well as it begun if Books of vse and Worth only had been handed into the World by it But it is to be lamented that there is another Vse too often made of this Invention whilst too many Men that are Masters of no other Conceptions than those that are flat and useless or else erroneous and pernicious take the Pains to let the World know as much in Print Others scribble to satisfy a certain Itch of Writing that they have got and the Press seldom cures the Distemper but rather increases it Other mercenary Souls make their Pens wag for Bread and they may generally be known by this Property that the Front belies the Fabrick the Title doth not tell what is in the Book but only sets it to sale so that indeed it is a mere Pretence and Shew and stands as R. B's Sham-name is wont to do of late in the Title-Page But none of these Miscarriages have discouraged me from appearing in Publick and pursuing those Good Ends I before mentioned which alone are sufficient to legitimate the Press and to License the Author's Vndertakings And if the Questioâ— be Why more Books still the Answer is made by another Question Why more Men still As long as the World increases Writing will do so too for all Men are not alike their Notions and Conceptions are not the same wherefore for these different Readers there must be different Books St. Augustin's arguing of old is useful and seasonable at this Day It is of great Advantage to the World saith that Learned Father that there should be many Books composed by many Men in a different Stile though not a different Faith about the same Questions and Subjects that so hereby the thing it self and the Truth enquired into may the better be convey'd to the Readers to some of them in one manner to others in another For this is certain that all Persons are not convinced and wrought upon by the same Arguments wherefore there is liberty to use all kinds of Topicks Thus the Excellent Grotius acquaints us that he pick'd out the Best and most Convictive Arguments as he thought to prove the Truth of Religion and particularly the Christian and yet some of them as Signatures Fire Ordeal c. are neglected by other Learned Men for Evidences work more or less according to the Diversity of Mens Genius's and Dispositions Hence the Iudicious Doctor Jackson in his Preface to the Reader before his First Volume confesses that the Grounds anâ— Motives which he makes use of and which most of all prevait'd with him may have little or no Operation upon others Whereupon is fouâ—ded the Vsefulness yea Necessity of propounding divers sorts of Arguments that if sâ—me of them prove not forcible and perswasive others may So is it in Illustrating and Commenting upon the Holy Text the Diversity of Interpretations is requisite and useful and it may be the Mind of the Holy Spirit cannot be penetrated into without these different ways of Enquiry The Wise Man is a Physician of the Law say the Iewish Doctors i. e. whereas the Vnlearned and Unskilful corrupt the Text and deprave the Sense of it he comes and heals it by restoring it to its genuine and proper meaning But in effecting this it is not necessary that he should tie himself to the same Methods and Arts of Cure which others have used before him Some superstitiously confine themselves to one Man's Critical Determination on the Place as Bishop Montague saith of Mr. Selden they take a Grammarian for a God They do so in the worst Sense they deify Criticism they idolize an Expositor and fall down to his particular Interpretation But we must be more Catholick and Generous if we are desirous to have right Apprehensions of the Sacred Text and if we would be intimâ—tely acquainted with the Divine Truth contain'd in it This justifies the Variety of Comments and Critical Researches into the Holy Scriptures and this furnishes me with an Apology for thrusting my self in among the Writers of the Age. And being now of that Number I have this 〈◊〉 say farther to the Reader that though I am sensible of my own Defects and particularly of the Miscarriages and Mistakes that may occur in this Work it reaching to so great a Variety of Texts and Diversity of Matters yet on the other hand I hope I shall find him as sensible of the Arduousness of the Vndertaking and the Liableness of himself and others to fall short in so Weighty and Difficult a Subject In fine in these and all other my Endeavours which I shall expose to the publick View I covet only the Approbation of the Candid and Wise and I shall make it my Business I will not say to merit but to purchase it ERRATA PAge 41. line 31. read there P. 54. l. 4. r. purposed P. 61. l. 4. r. Air instead of Fire P. 67. l. 3. after Counsel insert So Theocritus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 P. 69. l. 2. r. an other P. 94. l. 12. after as in insert Exod. 20. 18. the People saw the Noise of the Trumpet P. 145. l. 15. r. bony P. 155. l. 2. r. Nephritick P. 178. l. 15. dele by P. 269. l. 32. r. have no. P. 278. l. 11. r. to be P. 280. l. 17. after Belly insert as it iâ— generally thought P. 300. l. 1. after ordinary insert or profanâ— P. 333. l. 8. after more insert according to the different reading of them P. 385. l. 1. r. it as P. 402. l. 11. r. this The Hâ—brâ—w requires Correction which is left to the Learned A CATALOGUE of the Texts of Scripture which are expounded and resolved in the ensuing Discourse according to the Author 's PARTICULAR Judgment GENESIS CHAP. 15. ver 7. I am the Lord that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees Page 371. NUMBERS Ch. 12. v. 1. He had married an Ethiopian Woman p. 375. Ch. 23. v. 21. He hath not beheld Iniquity in Jacob neither hath he seen Perverseness in Israel p. 96. Ch. 25. v. 9. Those that died in the Plague were twenty and
Kingdom though from very small Beginnings compares them to a Grain of Mustard-seed and by a Lessening Hyperbole calls this the Least of all Seeds though in exact speaking it be not so But if this way of interpreting Christ's Words which I now offer be not approved of then you may expound them thus that this Seed is oâ—e of the least of all Seeds or you may understand them spoken Respectively that is it is the Least of all such Seeds as extend to large Productions no Seed so little sendeth forth Branches so wide or bringeth forth its Fruit after that plentiful manner Thus you may understand the Words but in my Judgment the resolving them into an Hyperbole is the best way though it be not made use â—f by Expositors And how indeed could it when they took the Seed of Mustard to be Absolutely the least of all Grains whatsoever That of our Saviour in Luke 19. 44. They shall not leave in thee one Stone upon another which is spoken of the Last and Final Devastation of Ierusalem is generally supposed to be an Hyperbolical Expression and consequently not true in Strictness of Speech for can we think say some that the Roman Armies had nothing else to do but to pick out all the Stones in the Foundations and throw them away Those who talk thus do not remember what was done at several times towards the compleat and total Destruction of that Place This Passage of our Blessed Lord seems to refer particularly and signally to the digging up the Foundations of the City and Temple and the very ploughing up the Ground by Titus's Command which the Jews themselves do not deny and also to that Prodigious Earthquake in Iulian's time whereby the remaining Parts of the Foundations were wholly broken up and scattered abroad Here was an Exact fulfilling of Christ's Prediction without any Hyperbole As for that Close of St. Iohn's Gospel Even the Woâ—ld it self could not contain the Books that should be written chap. 21 25. Eusâ—bius and St. Aâ—gustin of old and others more lately understand it thus The World that is the Men of the World could not contain that is conceive comprehend and digest the Books that should be written concerning our Saviour's Deeds Their Understandings are weak and must needs have been oppressed with so many Books on that Subject So 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word here used is to be taken in Matth. 19. 11. All Men cannot receive or contain this Saying and in this Sense it is used by Philo who speaking of the Knowledge of the Nature of God and how unsearchable it is saith that neither Heaven nor Earth are able to contain i. e. to comprehend it But a modern Critick thinks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here signiâ—ies to entertain and approve of and accordingly his Gloss on the Words is this The whole World would scorn reject and slight all the Books which should be writ of Christ it having despised these that are already writ The World hath other Employment it would not read and peruse such Writings This seems to be the meaning of the Verb in 2 Cor. 7. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 receive entertain approve of us And Dionys. Halicarn uses the word thus saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the City admits not of i. e. scorns good Men. But though this and the other be the meaning of the Word sometimes yet it is very Rare and Unusual besides that it is Improper and Metaphorical and in such a case it is more reasonable to choose and imbrace that Sense of the Word which is common and usual as also genuine and proper and then the meaning is that the World as capacious and wide as it is is not able to hold oâ— contain all the Books that might have been written concerning Christ and his Works But this cannot be the Sâ—nsâ— here you will say because then our Saviour'â— Words would not be true for the World is able is wide enough to contain to hold those Books and many more besides I answer I grant this to be true in the strict way of speaking but the Evangelist St. Iohn had a mind to conclude his Book with some Great Word concerning his Dear Master and Saviour and therefore expresseth himself thus in a High and Hyperbolical manner The World it self could not contain the Books that should be written of him As if he had said Though I and otherâ— have recorded the Sayings and Doings of the Blessed Jesus yet this is nothing in comparison of what might be said on this vast Subject Theâ—e is unspeakably much more reâ—naining than hath been told you What he said and did was so Great and so Admirable that Innumerable Volumes might be filled with enlarging on that copious Matter I may say to you the Whole World as wide and ample as it is is not able to contain those Immense Treatises those Infinite Discourses which might be written in relating all the Passages that concern'd our Blessed Lord and in commendation of them Observâ— it the Evangelist saith the World it self i. e. this Material Local World therefore it cann't be understood of the Men of the world as those of the former Opinions fancied Besides it is observable that he speaks not Absolutely here but in a Qualified Manner I suppose I think I conceive the World it self cannot contain c. which plainly shews that the Words cannot be meant in the former Senses For what Sense can you make of this I suppose I think that all the Men in the World cannot comprehend the Books which should be written or I suppose all the Men in the World cannot entertain and approve of them Whether he supposed it or not it would be so and this is a thing not to be supposed but really believed and directly asserted if it be true But if you admit of the plain Sense of the Words which I have propounded then his supposing may be very pertinent and consisâ—ent here for it is but a kind of a Supposition not an Exact and Strict Truth which he here uttereth it is a Lofty Strain or Hyperbole which he shuts up his Gospel with I think in a manner â—aith he that the Whole World it self cannot contain the Books that might be composed and written on this Glorious Theme which is so Various so Voluminous Thus you see the Words must be understood in this way for the others are not reconcilable to good Sense And indeed this manner of Stile is but parallel with other Passages in Scripture as Gen. 13. 6. The Land was not able â—o bear them viz. Lot and Abraham and their Flocks which expresses how exceeding Numerous they were So some understand Luke 2. 1. There went out a Decree that all the World should be taxed which sets forth the Largeness and Vast Extent of the Emperor's Dominions not that all the World strictly speaking was to be taxâ—d for 't was not all in his Power It was said of our
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
and so the meaning of those words the high Places were not removed may have reference only to these latter and shew that he had not expell'd Idolatry out of every part of the Kingdom The short is this Good King took away very many he removed most of the high Places but not all Where now is the Contradiction But in the New Testament perhaps they will bâ— more successful They are pleas'd to make or find there a great number of contrarieties as in Mat. 27. 9. this Evangelist quotes Ieremiah the Prophet yet it was not Ieremiah but Zechary that spoke the words which are there quoted Some have answer'd this by saying here is a Mistake of the Transcribers they have writ Ieremiah instead of Zechariah But this is not to be allowed seeing there is no need of flying to such a sorry Refuge as this A Learned Critick of our own tells us that it is an oversight in the Evangelist it is a slip of his Memory but this is much worse than the former and if we should once admit any such thing the Truth and Authority of the Bible as I have shew'd in a Former Discourse are endanger'd But one of these three Answers may remove the difficulty 1. Grotius on the place salves it thus many of the Old Prophets Sayings were not written down but preserv'd in Memory and deliver'd down to those that came afterwards of which he gives some Instances so that it is probable Zechary makes use of one of these Sayings and Oracles of Ierâ—my but when our Saviour quotes this Passage he mentions the first Author of it viz. the Prophet Ieremy The short is though the words are in Zechary yet he had them from Ieremy that is there was a Tradition it is likely that they were his Which is consirmed by that Saying of the Jews that the Spirit of the Prophet Jeremy rested on Zechary For this reason those words of Zechary may be said to be spoken by Jeremy the Prophet 2. Those words are jointly to be found in Ieremy ad Zechary but the former speaks only of buying the Field Ier. 32. 9. the latter makes mention of the Price Zech. 11. 12. But neither are these the very words which are in Zechary's Prophecy but are recited with some considerable alteration as is not unusual in Scripture as you shall hear afterwards If then the Substance of the words be taken out of both the Prophets the Evangelist might quote one of them only without any Error and Mistake and particularly Ieremy might be named as the more known and eminent Prophet 3. Dr. Lightfoot reconciles it another way asserting that there is no Mistake of Transcribers here but that Ieremy was the Name first used in this place by St. Matthew and yet Zecharias is not excluded but intended This he makes good from the ordering and ranging of the Books of Scripture in use among the Jews in which this Learned Author was well skill'd Ieremiaâ— had the first Place among the Prophets and he is mention'd above all the rest because he stood first in the Volume of the Prophets Therefore when St. Matthew produced a Text of Zechary under the name of Ieremy he cites the Words out of the Volume of the Prophets under his Name who stood first in that Volume that is the Prophet Ieremiah Any of these Answers may satisfy a Man whose Mind is not tainted with Prejudice against the Sacred Writings Those Words of St. Stephen Acts 7. 15. Iacob went down into Egypt and died he and our Fathers and were carried over into Sichem and laid in the Sepulcher that Abraham bought for a Sum of Money of the Sons of Emmor the Father of Sichem seem to have a double Repugnancy in them to what is recorded in the History of Moses for first we read there that not Iacob but Ioseph was carried to Sichem And secondly that Abraham bought the Sepulcher not of the sons of Emmor but of Ephron the Hittite Gen. 23. 17. ch 49. 30. This latter is the greater Difficulty and seems to be most inextricable because 't is so positively express'd that Abraham purchased the Field of Ephron the Son of Zoar and that Iacob bought the Field of the Children of Emmor Gen. 32. 19. Iosh. 24. 32. How therefore can it be said in the Acts that Abraham bought the Field for a Sepulcher of the Children of Emmor Grotius takes away this Repugnancy by bidding us write Ephron for Emmor but this way of answering the Scripture-Difficulties is not to be tolerated as I have suggested already on the like occasion Besides this Alteration will not be sufficient to take away the Difficulty because Ephron was not the Father of Sichem which is here added A late Sagacious Critick tells us that those of whom St. Stephen here speaks viz. the Patriarchs were part of them buried in Sichem and part of them in the Field that was Ephron's They were carried over into Sichem i. e. saith he our Fathers not Iacob were carried thither And the Sense of the next Words he thinks he salves by a Parenthesis thus and laid in the Sepulcher which Abraham had bought for a Sum of Money of the Sons of Emmor the Father of Sichem So that this Place doth not say the Fathers were laid in the Sepulcher which was bought by Abraham of the Sons of Emmor no for that contradicts the Sacred History which assures us that he bought it of Ephron the Hittite but only they were laid in the Sepulcher of the Sons of Emmor So Sir Norton Knatchbull This doth in part satisfy the Scruple but in my Judgment the best and shortest Solution of it is that which I have before suggested and abundantly proved that 't is usual for Persons in Scripture to have two Names So here Abraham bought a Field for a Burial-place of Ephron the Son of Zohar Gen. 23. 8 9. and yet he bought it of the Son 〈◊〉 Sons of Emmor for this Zohar and Emmor were the same Man only with two different Names which he was called by as was very common among the Hebrews This is a plain and easy resolving of the Doubt And if there seems to be any Repugnancy as to the Places of Burial Sichem and Hebron I offer this that the Bodies of the Patriarchs might be translated from the first Place where they were deposited to another i. e. they might be entomb'd at Sichem the Sepulcher of the Sons of Emmor and afterwards be carried to Hebron and laid in a Sepulcher there If we admit of this then Moses's History concerning their Burial might refer to one Place and St. Stephen's to another Those Places also may seem to be Contradictory If I bear witness of my self my witness is not true John 5. 31. and though I bear Record of my self yet my Record is true ch 8. 14. But the Resolution is easy Christ's Testimony concerning himself was not true i. e. valid in the Opinion of the Cavilling Jews to whom he spake because
from Gen. 2. 13. that Nile was at first call'd Gibon Memphis had the Title of Noph Isa. 19. 13. Jer. 46. 14. The City of Alexandria call'd so from Alexander the Great who built it after it had been laid waste by the Chaldeans and gave it that Name was at first call'd No Jer. 46. 25. Ezek. 30. 15. Nahum 3. 8. The antient Name of Mesopotamia was Padan Aram Gen. 25. 20. ch 28. 6. Before Cyrus's time the Country which is now call'd Persia was known by no other Titles than Cuth and Elam Ifa 11. 11. oh 22. 6. but afterwards it had that new Denomination from Paras a Horse because the Persians were great Riders on Horse-back Canaan and the Holy Land are Terms in Scripture for that known Country which is stiled Syria and Iudea by the Greek and Roman Writers Ierusalem was first call'd Salem then Iebus then by putting both together Iebusalem and afterwards for better sound sake Ierusalem I might proceed and observe this Change of Names in other Regions of the World yea in our own Thus Albion was the antient Name of this Isle then Britain then England This I mention to remind us that there is a great Alteration of Names as to several Places and Countries Either by Conquest or otherwise it hath come to pass that the former ones by which they were known are worn off and new ones are come in their room Whence it happens sometimes that we have no Help from Profane Historians to understand many Places mentioned in the Bible and we are not able to know to what Countries and Nations some of those Names refer which we meet with in these Antient Records This I will more largely insist upon in some few particular Instances And first that in 1 Kings 10. 1. doth partly belong to this Place there is mention of the Queen of Sheba who is call'd the Queen of the South by our Saviour Mat. 12. 42. but whether she came from Arabia or Ethiopia both which Countries are South of Iudea is as much controverted as whether Moses's Wife was an Arabian or an Ethiopian Monsieur Bochart and some others say she was the former for there was a Saba or Seba as Strabo informs us in that Country Some tell us it is the Metropolis of Arabia Felix now call'd Zibet whence the Zivet-Cat hath its Name The Inhabitants of this Place were antiently call'd Sabaei by the Latins But for my part I cannot think that this was the Country whence this Royal Visitant came and that for this one good Reason because our Saviour himself hath informed us that She came from the utmost Parts of the Earth which cannot be said of her if she came from Arabia for that was near to Iudea Iosephus saith he found the antient Name of Meroe in Africa to be Saba and thence he affirms that she was an African viz. the Queen of Egypt and Ethiopia and others more particularly vouch her to belong to the upper Ethiopia i. e. the Kingdom of the Abyssines and 't is certain as a late Inquisitive Writer hath informed us that the Abassyne People challenge her for theirs But now if we come to examine things and to make someâ— Proof of this latter Opinion viz. that the Queen who took a long Journey to visit King Solomon and behold his Glory was an Ethiopian we are not able to effect any thing for we cannot trust to the Iewish Historian who had little Skill in foreign Matters and we cannot rely upon Pliny's Saba Aethiopica or gather any thing certainly thence And a more Authentick Writer tells us that there was not only a Sheba but a Seba so that that Saba might refer to this latter rather than to the former We have then no â—ure footing but all that we are able to say is this that there was a Nation of this Name in some very distant part of the World in a Southerly Position from Iudea but we have no Geographer to acquaint us what particular Region it was and what the Name of it is at this Day and consequently we cannot determine the Place whence that Brave Woman came What the aforesaid Jewish Historian observ'd hath great Truth in it that the Names of Nations have been chang'd by new Comers who with new Manners brought a Language of a resembling Quality and alter'd the former Names of Places This we find true in another Instance viz. Ophir the Place that King Solomon's Navy went to and form whence they furnish'd him with Plenty of Gold 1 Kings 9. 26 c. ch 10. 11. But in what part of the Earth this Ophir was is hotly disputed Some say it was in that Region of it which we now call America They think that the Phoenicians or Tyrians for 't is said that Hiram the King of Tyre sent in the Navy his Servants Shipmen that had Knowledg of the Sea with the Servants of Solomon 1 Kings 9. 27. they think I say that these Tyrians who were famous for their Skill in Navigation fail'd to those remote Parts in Solomon's time passing through the Mediterranean to this Ophir which some imagine to have been in the Pâ—â—eiâ—ick Sea in the Southern Part of America for there is an Island in that Sea which the Spaniards call'd the Isle of Solomon because they thought that was the Place which Solomon's Ships were sent to for Gold Arias Montanus and some others are perswaded that Ophir is the same with Peru and indeed there are the same Radical Letters in both only with a Metatheâ—is And from Peru is the dual Paâ—vajim 2 Cliron 3. 6. as the foresaid Author thinks which is a very Ingenious and Learned Conjecture but is entertained but by few because 't is thought that Columbus was the first that found out the Western World But whether that be true or no it is not probable that they had Skill enough in Solomon's Days to conduct a Navy to the West-Indies Navigation was not so perfect at that time that they could find a safe Passage thither Hercules's Pillars which are now the Cape of Good Hope were said to be the Limits of their Maritime Travels Before the Use of the Compass it was impossible to havigate cross the Ocean and consequently Solomon's Mariners could not find Peru which is in America Besides some think that the Quality of some of the Commodities viz. Wood and Ivory which were brought home in the Ships argues that they came not from that Western Quarter of the World Again 't is added by some that if Solomon had sent for Gold to the West-Indies he would have set out his Fleet for that Voyage from some Port of the Mediterranean and not of the Red Sea as we read he did 1 Kings 9. 26. Others therefore say it was a Country in the East-Indies Ophir was so call'd from Ophir the Son of 〈◊〉 Gen. 10. 29. who as Iosâ—phus saith inhabited in the East Wherefore it is likely saith
the Watch-Tower eat drink arise ye Princes anoint the Shield express the Speediness of the Preparations made for Babylon's Fall They are so order'd that the Quickness of the Dispatch is signified by them There are six Parts or Divisions in this Verse without a Copulative meerly to signify the Celerity of the Vndertaking And the Vision wherein this Speedy Ruine of that Nation is foretold is thus represented v. 7. He saw a Chariot a couple of Horsemen a Chariot of Asses a Chariot of Camels There is Expedition in the very Words there is no Conjunctive Particle to retard them You may in the very Frame of the Words perceive the Chariots running speedily But if we look into those Parts of the Bible which are strictly and properly Poetical that is which consist of certain Measures and Numbers we shall find Examples of this sort very frequently The Egyptians furious Pursuit after the Israelites is thus express'd in Moses's Song Exod. 15. 9. I will pursue I will overtake c. Where there are â—ix Verbs denoting Action and Expedition and not one Conjunction between them In the Conciseness and Roundness of the Words especially if we consult the Original which is more Emphatick we may discern the Speediness of the thing it self spoken of The like might be taken notice of in the Song of Deborah Iudg. 5. and in several Places of the Psalms and the Lamentations Thus if we would be very Curious we might parallel the Inspired Poetry with that of the best Masters in that Art among the Gentiles But because these things are but mean in respect of those Weightier ones wherein the Bible's Excellency doth appear I have not inserted them or any other Observations of the like Nature into the ensuing Discourse and the rather because it was my Design to mention only those Particulars which are of Vniversal Vse and which may without Exception be acceptable to all Persons who have a due Esteem either of True Learning or Piety Those who value the former and are well acquainted with it will most readily give their Suffrage here and proclaim to the World that Scripture-Learning outvies all others that the Original of most Arts and Sciences is to be fetch'd hence that a Library without the Bible is an imperfect thing Those who have a Sense of the latter will be as forward to assert the Preheminence of this Sacred Volume for here is the Source of all Religion and no Man can be Devout and Pious who is a Stranger to this Wherefore when with a becoming Regret I saw that the Sense of Religion and Piety is generally lost among us at this Day I apprehended that the best way to retrieve it is to read and peruse the Scriptures And that this may be done with Success I thought it requisite to set forth the Excellency and Perfection of this Holy Book that thence Persons might be effectually invited to acquaint themselves with it And I hope how meanly soever I have performed this Task some who light upon these Papers will from them be inspired with a hearty Regard and Reverence an entire Love and Veneration of the Holy Writ and be reminded from what is here suggested to converse more intimately with it themselves and to encourage others to follow their Example This would in a short time make a great Change in the World and the Bible it self would be read in the Lives and Behaviour of Mankind Wherefore with great Seriousness and Importunity I request the Reader that he would entertain such Thoughts and Perswasions as these that Bible-Learning is the Highest Accomplishment that this Book is the most Valuable of any upon Earth that here is a Library in on single Volume that this alone is sufficient for us tho all the Libraries and Books in the World were destroyed And this is the Grand Truth which I have laboured to demonstrate in the following Papers A CATALOGUE of most of the Texts of Scripture which are interpreted in the following Discourse according to the Author 's Particular Iudgment GENESIS THE whole first Chapter Page 3 â— Chap. 3. v. 7. They made themselves Aprons What the word Câ—agoroth signifies p. 235 Ver. 21. Vnto them the Lord God made Coats of Skins Why so called p. 237 Ch. 4. v. 20. Jabal was the Father of such as dwell in Tents p. 112 Ch. 18. v. 7. He took the Calf which he had dressed and set it before them p. 117 Ch. 24. v. 22. The Man took a Golden Ear-ring What is meant by Nezem zahab p. 242 Ch. 50. v. 2. Joseph commanded the Physicians Rophim to embalm his Father The large Extent of that Word is fully shew'd p. 187 EXODUS Ch. 21. v. 7. His Master shall bore his Ear through with an Awl and he shall serve him for ever p. 247 NUMBERS Ch. 21. v. 14. The Book of the Wars of the Lord. Besides several other Texts from which some indeavour to infer that some part of the Writings belonging to the Bible is lost p. 453 JOSHUA Ch. 2. v. 4. The Woman took the two Men and hid them p. 153 Ch. 7. v. 26. They raised over him a great Heap of Stones p. 280 Ch. 23. v. 2. Joshua called for their Elders and for their Heads and for their Iudges and their Officers p. 85 JUDGES Ch. 20. v. 16. There were seven hundred chosen Men left-handed or shut of their right Hands p. 212 SAMUEL Book I. Ch. 17. v. 6. He had a Target Cidon of Brass between his Shoulders p. 204 SAMUEL Book II. Ch. 1. v. 21. There the Shield of the Mighty is vilely cast away the Shield of Saul as though he rather it had not been anointed with Oil. p. 206 207 Ch. 3. v. 35. All the People came to cause David to eat Bread KINGS Book I. Ch. 9. v. 28. And they came to Ophir In what Part of the World this is p. 194 CHRONICLES Book II. Ch. 21. v. 19. His People made no Burning for him like the Burning of his Fathers p. 273 JOB Ch. 1. v. 21. Naked came I out of my Mother's Womb and naked shall I return thither p. 264 PROVERBS Ch. 1. v. 17. Surely in vain is the Net spread in the Sight of any Bird. p. 385 JEREMIAH Ch. 34. v. 5. He died with the Burnings of his Fathers p. 272 EZEKIEL Ch. 24. v. 17. Bind the Tire of thy Head upon thee p. 275 AMOS Ch. 2. v. 8. They lay themselves down upon Clothes p. 134 St. LUKE Ch. 10. v. 42. Mary hath chosen the good Part. p. 141 ACTS Ch. 7. v. 22. He was mighty in Words and in Deeds p. 312 c. CORINTHIANS 1 Epist. Ch. 5. v. 9. I wrote unto you in an Epistle p. 467 Ch. 7. v. 6. I speak this of Permission and not of Command p. 472 Ver. 12. To the rest speak I not the Lord. ibid. CORINTHIANS 2 Epist. Ch. 3. v. 17. Now the Lord is that Spirit p. 434 Ch. 8. v. 8. I speak not by Commandment p. 472
Infallible This is that more sure Word of Prophecy which St. Peter preferreth before Eye-Witnesses and Voices from Heaven 2 Pet. 1. 16 c. Yea though an Angel from Heaven should preach any other Doctrine than what the Apostles preach'd and afterwards committed to Writing St. Paul pronounceth him accursed Gal. 1. 8. These Infallible Records these undoubted Oracles of the Holy Ghost in Scripture are the standing Rule of Belief to all christians even to the End of the World On this they may rely with Confidence as on an Unerring Guide for it is not like other Books which are made by Men and therefore are not void of Errors and Mistakes but the Author of it is God who is Truth it self and can neither deceive nor be deceived Thus the Canonical Books of the Old and New Testament are the Compleat and Absolute Rule of our Belief and of all Supernatural Truth 2. They are the Perfect Rule of Life and Manners they contain all things to be Done as well as to be Believed Here is the Decalogue the Sum of all our Duty towards God and Man and the Necessary Precepts of Life comprised in it are often repeated enlarged upon and explained through the whole Sacred Book To these are added the Evangelical Duties of Self-denial Mortification Poverty of Spirit Purity of Heart Brotherly Love Heavenly-Mindedness Circumspect Walking Redeeming the Time Abstaining from all appearance of Evil Giving no Offence to any and many others of the like Nature The Writings of the Gospel forbid us to be Carnal Sensual and Earthly and call upon us to converse with Spiritual and Celestial Objects to to set our Affections on things Above and to work our Minds to such a Temper that we may desire to depart out of this Body and to be with Christ which is far better than groveling here below And Christianity promotes this Heavenly-mindedness by giving us a Power over Our selves by restoring us to a Government of our Bodily Appetites and Passions so that the Soul thereby becomes Pure and Defecate purged from all mundane Dross and Filth fitted for Heavenly Joys and therefore most earnestly breathes and longs after them Here we learn that Christianity is repugnant in all things to Satan's Kingdom and designedly promotes the Kingdom of God it bids us not seek our selves and aim chiefly at worldly Respects but it enjoineth us to Humble and Debase our selves and to Glorify God in all to advance his Honour in the World and next to that to look after the Salvation of our own and others immortal Souls These are the Noble and Worthy Designs of Christianity and the Laws of it their Business is to take us off from those low and mean Projects which Men of the World carry on and to set the Soul of Man in a right Posture and to fix it on right Ends. The Christian Precepts reach to the Hearts of Men they restrain the secret Thoughts and inward Motions of the Mind they curb the inordinate Desires and Wishes they temper the Affections and Passions especially they forbid Revenge Malice Hatred and they direct us to love God and to bear Love to all Men for his Sake The Christian Laws give Rules for our Words and Speeches and will not allow them to be Idle and Vain much less Prophane and Impious but they command our Discourse to be always with Grace season'd with Salt to favour of Goodness and Piety and to be for the Edifying of those we converse with The Commandments of the Gospel do also govern the Outward Actions of our Lives and bid us be Holy in all manner of Conversation They enjoin Chastity and Continence Temperance and Sobriety they forbid Lust and Luxury Pride and Sensuality They teach Courtesy Affability Meekness Candour Gentleness towards our Brethren They bid us be Kind and Charitable to all and even to love our Enemies Christianity is a Religion that is exactly Just and gives the strictest Rules of dealing Honestly and Uprightly with our Neighbours Even Morality which is the very Foundation and Ground-work of All Religions is most Illustrious here Christianity hath the Impress of Reason Civility and all Acceptable Qualities It forbids nothing that is Fitting and Decorous it countenances all that is Manly and Generous it is agreeable to the Law of Nature and the Reason of Mankind In these Sacred Writings the Duty of Christians is set down not only as they are Single but as they stand in relation to others and as they are Members of the Community There are Peculiar Lessons for Persons in every Condition for Husbands and Wives for Masters and Servants for Parents and Children for Superiours Equals and Inferiours They are all provided here with Instructions and Directions proper to that State they are in They are very Remarkable Words which a Reverend Divine of our Church uttered Would Men apply their Minds saith he to study Scripture and observe their own and others Course of Life Experience would teach them that there is no Estate on Earth nor humane Business in Christendom this Day on foot but have a Ruled Cafe in Scripture for their Issue and Success This is a Great Truth and is no mean Demonstration of the Excellency of these Holy Writings which I am speaking of Here are also the most Notable Instances of all those Vertues and Graces which adorn the Life of Man Here is the Example of Abel's sincere and acceptable Devotion of Enoch's walking with God of Noah's untainted Faithfulness amidst the Temptations of the corrupt World of Abraham's Faith and Self-denial when he offered his only Son on the Altar of Ioseph's Resolved Chastity when he once and again resisted the lustful Solicitations of his Mistress Here is the Example of Moses's Publick Spirit who desired his Name might be blotted out of the Book of Life rather than that Nation should perish Here you read of Aaron's submissive Silence of Reuben's fraternal Commiseration of Rohab's Seasonable Wisdom which was the Effect of her Faith in concealing the Spies that were search'd for Here we may observe Phineas's Active Zeal Eli's Entire Submission to the Divine Pleasure Iob's Invincible Patience Iosiah's Early Piety his and Iehosaphat's Care to reform the Church Ionathan's entire Friendship Manasses and Peter's Repentance Iohn Baptist's Austerity the Centurion's Faith Stephen's Charity to his Enemies at his Death Briefly here is commemorated the Religious and Holy Demeanour of all Ranks and Degrees of Persons whether in Prosperity or Adversity whether in Youth Manhood or Old Age or in whatsoever Condition of Life they were placed Where can we find such glorious Atchievements as the Sacred History recounts unto us Where are there such Perfect Paterns of Vertue Where do you meet with such Noble Acts as some of the Holy Patriarchs Prophets and Apostles are celebrated for The Great Heroes spoken of in the Writings of the Pagans are generally but Ideas of Vertue and a kind of Harmless Romances to preach Goodness to Men. Virgil's Aeneas Xenophon's
Divine Architect Deut. 22. 8. Thou shalt make a Battlement foâ— thy Roof And the reason of this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Muruâ— per circuitum as the Vulgar Latin renders it is adâ—ded That thou bring not Blood upon thy House if any Man fall from thence The flat Roofs of their Houses were rail'd in that none might slip off of them and hazard their Lives And here by the by I may add that this was the very Structure of the Temple it was flat at top and accordingly was encompassed round with a Peribolus a â—ett of Rails or Battlements and this we are to unâ—erstand by the Pinnacle of the Temple Mat. 4. 5. i. e. some Part Side or Wing as the Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 imports of the Battlements wherewith the Temple was surrounded at top lest any â—hould fall down thence And to confirm this Interpretation I willl produce that Passage of Hegeâ—ippus quoted by Eusebius who relates that some of the Pharisees and others of the unbelieving Jews came and requested Iames the Iust the Brother of our Lord and Bishop of Ierusalem to preach at the Passover when the People came from all Parts to Ierusalem and that he might be both seen and heard of all they deâ—ired him to stand 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 on the Battlement of the Temple and he further tells that he did so It was a Place then that they might safely stand upon otherwise St. Iames would not have consented to their request Dr. Hammâ—nd thinks this was the Top of the Battlement and adds that it was broad enough to stand upon but supposing it was yet it was unsafe to trust their Feet there lest they should slip Therefore I rather think that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in St. Matthew must not be taken as it is in the foremention'd Story in the one it signifies the Top of the Rails or Battlement a dangerous Place to stand upon and for that reason the Devil set our Saviour there but in the other we are to understand by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Place within the Battlements for the whole Space encompass'd with these had that Denomination However we are hence inform'd that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not a Pinnacle or Spire for the Jewish Temple had no such thing though some of our Churches have but the exterior Circuit which compassed the Top of the Temple and was made to be an Ornament to it as well as to prevent the Danger of falling down This is the proper Notion of it among Grammarians as Dr. Hammond hath rightly noted and not only the Temple but every House had this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this Battlement about it This is the short Account which I thought fit to insert here of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or as the Latins call them Solaria because they lay open to the Sun and Air the Flat Roofs with which the Houses heretofore especially in the Asiatick Regions were built And this is certain that there is not so Early an Account in any Writers whatsoever of the Structure of the Antient Houses as this of the Sacred Penmen is CHAP. IV. The first original of Letters and Writing is recorded here The several kinds of Materials they wrote upon of Old The Instruments with which they formed their Letters or Characters The Antientest as well as the most Excellent History is in the Bible So is the Antientest and most Admired Poetry The first Invention and Practice of Musick and on what Occasions it was wont to be made use of The Rise of Natural Philosophy and who were the first Founders of it The Knowledg of the Holy Scriptures necessary in order to the due Study of Natural Philosophy The first Instances of Anatomy Medicks Chirurgery Embalming and the Apothecaries Employment are in the Old Testament Here are the first Examples of Shipping and Navigation An Enquiry into the Place whither Solomon's Navy went every three Years A Conjecture concerning Ophir Astronomy and Judiciary Astrology mention'd in Scripture Of War and Skill in Arms. The Nature of those Military Weapons which are spoken of in Scripture particularly and distinctly enquir'd into The Antiquity of Martial Ensigns and Standards The vast Numbers which the Armies of old consisted of The Scripture is not silent concerning Sportive Diversions and Exercises some of which but especially Dancing are considered FROM Mechanical I proceed to Ingenious Arts and Sciences or such as are approaching to them and I am to shew that the Sacred History relates the first Rise and Original of these And what Liberal Art should I begin with but Grammar what should this part of my Discourse commence with but Letters and Writing Many have been very inquisitive about the First Author of these and truly it is worth the Enquiry it being the Foundation of all Learning in the World The Rabbins held that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Writing and consequently Letters were created among other things at the close of the sixth Day 's Work of the Creation but few that are sober will give Credit to this They were found out before the Flood by Seth â—aith the Jewish Antiquary for according to him there were two Pillars one of Stone another of Brick erected by that Godly Patriarch on which he caused his Astrological Notions to be written Afterwards for we may suppose this Invention lost by the Flood though the Pillars and Characters on them remain'd Abraham retrieved the Art of Writing yea in manner invented it anew saith Philo. But there is no Proof at all of what he or Iosephus saith concerning this Matter and therefore we may justly question the Truth of both But supposing that Seth began this Art and that Abraham improved it we are certain of this that Moses came and perfected it having that moâ—t Compleat Copy before him to instruct and direct him the Tables written with the Finger of God Exod. 31. 18. We read of no Writing in Scripture till this writing or engraving the Law on the Two Tables which is call'd in another Place the Writing of God Deut. 32. 16. There is no mention I say of any such thing before wherefore it is likely God was the First Inventer of Letters or Writing and that Moses learnt it of him and communicated it to the Jews from whom other Eastern People received it and so Letters were imparted to the rest of the World Eupolemus and Artapanus two very Antient Historians quoted by Clement of Alexandria were of this Opinion and asserted that Letters had their original from Moses This is favour'd by Clement himself by Eusebius by Cyril of Alexandria and St. Augustin inclines to it And this is confirmed from that general report of the Pagans that from the Phoenicians all Letters were derived Particularly concerning the Greeks Herodotus and Plutarch testify that they recorded the Letters of their Alphabet from the Phoenicians and that therefore they were call'd the Phoenician Letters Yea the Word
have seen that there is no Reason to complain of Inequality in the Six Days Works But he mistook the System of the World which Moses describes and thence was his Error I wish it was not wilful and presumptuous for from several bold Strokes in this Ingenious Man's Writings one would be apt to think he enclined to Alphonsus's Humour who declared that if he had been at the Creation of the World he could have taught God to have formed the System of it better But I will retain a more charitable Opinion concerning this Author And I expect that he shoud shew his Charity as I have mine in not censuring this my free Descant upon what he hath publish'd to the World for I have as great a Regard as any Man to True and Sober Philosophy and I own the Great Worth and Excellency of it but I must needs protest that I abhor the Practice of those who exclude the Sacred Writings whilest they adhere to their own Hypothesis who set up such Philosophical Principles and Conclusions as directly oppose and contradict the Revealed Truths of the Bible And this is the Case now before us or else I should not have troubled the Reader with any Reflections on what this Learned Author hath written Let us have as much 〈◊〉 Philosophy as he pleases but none that subverts our Old Religion To proceed on the fifth Day the Inhabitants of the Seas and of the Lower Heaven were form'd For though the chearing and warming Light before it was embodied and gather'd together into certain Receptacles was instrumental by the Divine Power to produce Vegetables yet it was not vigorous enough to beget the Animal Life But now this Noble and Cherishing Virtue being mightily increas'd by immense Accessions of Light and Heat made to it and being more advantagiously placed and fix'd we find the Effect of it in the Production of Fish and Feather'd Animals Now a Living or Sensitive Soul is first made ver 21. On the sixth and last Day the Earth brought forth all kinds of Beasts and Cattle i. e. all Tâ—rrestrial Animals as on the foregoing Day all Animals belonging to the Sea and Rivers and to the Air were created And lastly Mun the Top and Glory of the Creatures the most Elaborate Piece of the whole Creation was framed out of the Dust and in respect of his Diviner Part especially made according to the Image of God himself He is too Great and Noble a Being to be spoken of by the by and therefore I shall not discourse of him here Only I will observe the Unreasonableness of the Archaeologist who positively avers that this last Day 's Performance was not proportionable to the rest and thence condemns the Mosaick History of the Creation But this Disproportion is either in respect of more or of less done on this Day than on the others If he complains that more was done he shews himself inconâ—iderate for hereby it appears that he takes no notice of the Creation's rising higher and higher towards the latter end besides that he confines the Creator himself But if he complains as I suppose he doth that less was done he shews what low and unworthy Thoughts he hath of Man as if Mud Water Earth Clouds Seas Plants Fish and Fowl the Productions of the former Days were much better than Him whom God purposely reserv'd to be the Complement and Perfection of all Him to whom every Creature pays a Tribute Him for whose Use and Benefit the whole World was made These are the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Primitive Works of God and the Several Days in which they were made For we are not to imagine as some do that this Division of the Creation into so many Parts is only set down for Order sake but that really all was done at once and in a Moment for then the Reason given in the Fourth Commandment of sanctifying the Sabbath Day viz. because in six Days the Lord made Heaven and Earth the Sea and all that in them is and rested on the seventh Day is to no purpose yea it is absolute Nonsense Therefore we must necessarily own the Gradual Progress of the Creation And let us not only do so but observe the Wisdom and Providence of the Infinite Architect in the Order and Method which he used He in creating began with the lowest and meanest Rank of Beings and so ascended to higher and nobler Simple Elements as Earth Water Fire or Light Air were produced before the more mixt and concrete Bodies Yea these Elements were placed according to the Order and Degree of Gravity first the Earth subsiding in the lowest Place of all for the Great and Renowned Tycho disdains not this Hypothesis then the Waters or Abyss placed immediately about the Earth next the Air or Expansion whose Position was above the Waters lastly the Fire call'd Light which comprehends all the Ethereal and Heavenly Bodies which are surmounted above all the rest As for the Planets which are so many Earths i. e. if by Earth we mean an opake Body they are to be accounted for at another time and in another Place where it will be most proper to speak of them It is also observable that things that were Inanimate were first brought into Existence and afterwards such as had a Vegetative Life then things that had Sense and Spontaneous Motion and lastly Reasonable Creatures Man was the concluding Work of the Creation and his Soul was the last of all to let us know that this sort of Beings is much more valuable than Bodies to assure us from the Method of God's creating that Minds or Spirits surpass Maâ—ter Finally when I say that the Creation ceased in Man as in the most Perfect Work of the Divine Artificer as in the End to which all the rest were designed I do not exclude Angels who are a Perfecter Classis of Creatures and are not united to Bodies as the Souls of Men are and for that very Reason are not taken notice of by Moses in this Account of the Visible Creation I am enclin'd to believe that these Glorious Spirits were made presently after Man they being an Order of Creatures superiour to him The Order of the Creation so far as we certainly know any thing of it invites me to embrace this Perswasion for according to this those Excellent Beings should have the last Place According to the Steps and Degrees of the Creation I say it was thus Exodus is the next Book which relates the Tyranny of Pharaoh the Bondage of the Israâ—lites under him in Egypt and their Wonderful Deliverance from it More particularly here are recorded the Prodigious Increase and multiplying of these oppressed Hebrews which were the Posterity of Iacob the Plagues inflicted on the Egyptian King and his People because he refused to dismiss them their Departure thence without his leave though not without the Peoples their Miraculous Passing through the Red Sea or Arabian Gulf the Overthrow of Pharaoh and
a Consequent of them the many Disappointments and Crosses he met with the various Judgments and Plagues which were inflicted on him and his People by God The Books of the Kings are the History of the Kingdoms of Israel and Iudah under the Reigns of their several Kings The first contains the latter Part of the Life of David and his Death the Glory and Prosperity of that Nation under Solomon who succeeded him his erecting and consecrating of the Temple at Ierusalem his scandalous Defection from the true Religion the sudden Decay of the Jewish Nation after his Death when it was divided into two Kingdoms under Rehoboam who reign'd over the two Tribes of Iudah and Benjamin and under Ieroboam who was King over the other ten Tribes that revolted from the House of David The rest of it is spent in relating the Acts of four Kings of Iudah and eight of Israel The second Book which is a Continuation of the History of the Kings is a Relation of the Memorable Acts of sixteen Kings of Iudah and twelve of Israel and the End of both Kingdoms by the carrying of the Ten Tribes Captive into Assyria by Salmanasser and the other two into Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar the just Rewards of that People's Idolatry and Impenitency after so many Favours shew'd to them This and the former Book together comprehend the History of about four hundred Years The Chronicles or Iournals according to the Hebrew are the filling up of those Parts of the History which are omitted in the Books of the Kings And though we know not which of these Histories viz. of the Kings or the Chronicles I speak as to the main Body of the Books not one particular Passage as that in the Close of the Second Book of Chronicles where mention is made of the Deliverance of the Iews by Cyrus which might be added afterwards were written first for the Book of Kings refers to the Book of Chronicles and this again sends the Reader to that yet this we see that this of the Chronicles is more full and ample sometimes than that of the Kings what was left out or not so fully set down in the one is supplied in the other And thence these Books are call'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Remains Supplements Additions by the Greek Interpreters The first Book of Chronicles relates the Rise and Propagation of the People of Israel from Adam which is the entire Subject of the first Nine Chapters which consist wholly of Genealogies and then afterwards most punctually and accurately gives an Account of the Reign of David The second Book as faithfully sets down the Progress and End of the Kingdom of Iudah even to the Year of their return from the Captivity in Babylon These Books of Chronicles together with those of the Kings and Samuel make up the Best and Choicest History in the World Here we are abundantly furnish'd with such Useful Notices Truths and Maxims as these all confirmed by Noted and Illustrious Examples and such Instances as are Certain and Unquestionable Crowned Heads are encircled with Cares and seldom find rest and repose though their Lives are more Splendid yet they are not less Calamitous than those of the Common People Good Kings are rare and the Number of them is inconsiderable in comparison of those that are Bad. The best Kings have their Faults and some of them of a very scandalous Nature There is little Piety in Princes Courts and as little Integrity and Honesty The People are easily induced to follow the Examples of their Governours and Religion and Manners too often vary according to the Wills of Superiours Good Kings are the greatest Blessing and Wicked Ones are the greatest Curse to a Nation Princes mistake their Measures when they either disobey God or oppress their People Tyrannical Princes procure their own Ruine The Sins and Vices of Rulers prove fatal to their Subjects Publick Enormities are punish'd with Publick and National Calamities Kings may be known by the Ministers they choose and make use of Those Counsels that are founded in Religion are most successful Evil Counsellours contrive their own Destruction Wars are the Effect and Consequence of fighting against God The Success of Arms depends upon the Divine Blessing The Church is never more shock'd than under Bad Princes Religion and Reformation are never effectually promoted unless the Great Ones have a Hand in them Divisions and Rents about Religion have immediate influence on Secular Affairs and when the Church is divided the State is so too The Revolutions in both are by the particular Disposal of the Wise Over-ruler of the World True Religion and Godliness are attended with Earthly Rewards and Blessings and the contrary bring down the greatest Plagues even in this World The worst Times afford some of the Best and most Holy Religious and Zealous Men. Whatever Changes and Revolutions happen in the Kingdoms of the Earth the Church of God remains secure Though there are great and frequent Defections yet there never is a total Extinction of it In a Word the Church is impregnable this Rock is immoveable And many other Propositions and Maxims of the like Nature which are of great Service in the Life of Man are to be deduced from these Excellent Histories Ezra is a Continuation of the aforesaid Book of Chronicles and compriseth the History of the Jews from the time that Cyrus made the Edict for their Return until the twentieth Year of Artaxerxes Longimanus which was about a hundred Years For the Jews return from Babylon was at two several Times viz. first in the Days of Cyrus the first Perâ—â—an Monarch under the Conduct of Zerubbabel their Captain and Ieshua their High Priest Here are recorded the Number of those that returned Cyrus's Proclamation for the rebuilding of the Temple the Laying of the Foundations of it the Retarding of the Work under the Reign of two of the Kings of Persia at last the Finishing of the Temple in Darius's Reign The second Return of the Jews was in the Reign of Artaxerxes under the Conduct of Ezra a Priest who had been a Courtier in the Persian Court and was sent into Iudea by Artaxerxes in the seventh Year of his Reign which was above eighty Years after the first Return in Cyrus's Time to expedite the Building of Ierusalem This Pious Reformer observing the Peoples 〈◊〉 with Strangers and Inâ—idels and their joining themselves to them in Marriage proclaim'd a â—olemn Fast and Pray'd and Mourn'd and Lamented their gross Miscarriages and with great Earnestness and Zeal exhorted them to Reformation and Amendment of their Ways that they might thereby avert God's Wrath and conciliate his Favour and Pardon This is that Ezra who was the Penman of this Book and who was also a Restorer of the Sacred Books of the Old Testament and collected and methodized them into certain Order and reviewed the Copies and amended all Errata's that were contracted in the time of the Captivity Nehemiah who
Acts and Works of Holiness Wherefore he offers several Plain Marks and Tokens whereby they may certainly know whether they be Real Christians truly Religious and the Children of God The Sum of all he propounds is this that if they love God and their Brethren and demonstrate this Love by the proper and geâ—â—ine Fruits of it then they may conclude they are Christians indeed otherwise they are mere strangers to Christianty and to all Religion they deceive themselves and there is no Truth in them This the Beloved Disciple and Divine Amorist inculâ—ates with that Spirit Warmth and Earnestness which so Weighty a Subject deserves His second Epistle is written to the Elect Lady and her Children that is saith St. Ierom to some Eminent Select Church in Asia and to all the Christians belonging to it for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 among the Athenians and Curia with the Romans are of the same Import with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Assembly Perhaps Ephesus is meant saith a Learned Man which was the Metropolis of Asia and so may more signally be call'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But it is the general Opinion of the Antients and Moderns that a person not a Church 〈◊〉 meant here and that St. Iohn the Evangelist not another Presbyter of that Name as St. Ierom thinks writes to a Vertuous Lady who was an 〈◊〉 Servant of Christ a very Godly and Religions Woman or it may be her Proper Name was Elect as a Learned Critick hath conjectured Which may seem the more probable because the word hath no Article prefix'd to it It was usual with our Saviour himself as the Evangelical Writings inform us to make his Applications to those of this Sex to cherish and commend their Vertues It is particularly recorded that of the Chief Women afterwards call'd Honourable Women not a few were St. Paul's Proselytes And to descend lower we read that St. Ierom took great Pains in instructing the Roman Ladies and in commending and incouraging their Study of the Holy Scriptures Yea many of his Writings were directed and dedicated to Noble Women Widows and Virgins as Paula Eustochium Salvina Celantia and several others that were Roman Ladies and of noble Extraction Such is our Elect here who is the only Person of that Sex to whom an Inspired Epistle is written She is commended for her vertuous bringing up her Children she is exhorted to abide in the Doctrine of Christ to perservere in the Truth and to be careful to avoid all Delusions of False Teachers But chiefly the Apostle beseecheth this Noble Matron to practise the great and indispensable Commandment of Christian Love and Charity His third Epistle was writ to Gaius a Converted Iew or Gentile as others think because he hath a Roman Name a Man of a fair Estate and who had been very bountiful and hospitable to the Saints The Design of the Epistle is to own and commend his Hospitality especially his seasonable Beneâ—icence and Charity to Strangers to those that were Exiles for the Cause of Christianity and to stir him up to continue in the Exercise of the same Charity and Liberality to the distressed Brethren Demetrius is propounded as an eminent Example of this for which and all other Vertues he had the good Report of all Men yea and of the Truth it self that is as he was spoken well of by every one so he really deserv'd it On the other side he complains of the Uncharitable Insolent and Ambitious Diotrephes a Prating Opposer not only of him and his Doctrine but of all the true Servants of Iesus The General Epistle of Iude or Iudas as we render it in Iohn 14. 22. it being the same Name with that of the Traitor for it is no unusual thing for good and bad Men to have the same Names as in the Old Testament Eliab Iehu Hananiah c. in the New Testament Simon Iohn Ananias are Instances of this This Epistle I say of this Good Apostle with a Bad Man's Name was written to all Christian Churches or at least to all the Iewish Christians Dispersed the same to whom St. Iames and St. Peter wrote wherein he exhorts them to contend for the Faith against those Dreaming Hereticks and Seducers that were at that time crept into the Church whose Erroneous Tenents and Ungodly Practices he here particularly deciphers and from the Examples of God's Vengeance on other Great Offenders infers the Certainty of these Mens Ruine In short this Epistle hath all the Marks of a true Apostolick Spirit and is of the same Argument with the second Epistle of St. Peter and is a kind of Epitome of it and therefore I need not be very Particular in rehearsing the Contents The last Book of the New Testament is the Revelation of St. John the Divine which Epithet is signally given to him here because of the Divinity and Sublimity of his Raptures because he of all the Apostles had the greatest Communications of Divine Mysteries It may be referr'd either to the Historical Books or to the Epistles to the former because it is a Prophetick History of the State of the Church from the Apostles times to the end of the World to the latter because it is in the Form of an Epistle after the three first Verses by way of Preface viz. to the Seven Churches of Asia at first planted by and now under the Government of St. Iohn and as it begins so it ends after the usual way of concluding Epistles The Grace of our Lord Iesus â—brist be with you all Amm. Concerning the precise time when St. Iohn receiv'd and when he wrote this Revelation there is some Dispute but the most probable if not the most generally received Opinion is that he being â—â—nish'd into Patmos an Isle in the Archipelago situated about forty Miles from the Continent of Asia by Domitian under whom was the Second persecution this Revelation was deliver'd to him about the middle of the Emperor's Reign but at several times and that he committed it to Writing about the latter end of it As to the Visions themselves I will not here particularly inâ—ist upon any of them only in general it is commonly said and believed that the Vision of the Seals sets forth the State of the Church under the Heathen Persecâ—tions from Nero to the end of Dioclesian's Persecâ—tion the Vision of the Trumpets which follows that shews the Calamity of the Church by Herâ—sies Schisms and Persecutions afterwards in the times succeeding the Pagan Roman Emperors viz. under Papacy And then the Vials tell what Vengeance befals the Papal Antichrist and all the Churches Enemies So that the Seals Trumpets and Vials give an Account of the three Grand Periods of the Church There is great Probability of this but I must add and I will offer it to the Reader as a thing necessary to be taken notice of in order to the right understanding of this Book that the Order of Time and History is
vouched by Writers of very good account and whose joint Authority in this Case we have no reason to suspect As for some Particular Circustances which relate to this Matter as the Place where they met their Mavellous Consent in the Work and the Time they dispatched it in these may be doubted of though for my part I see no solid ground of denying them altogether The whole Translation was finish'd in 72 Days saith Aristaeas or Aristaeus for his Name is written both Ways one that was a great Favourite of King Ptolomee and writ the History of this Greek Translation of the Jewish Elders But this Author is thought to be spurious by Vossius and by some other Learned Men before him As to the Place Philo the Jew Iustin Martyr and others tell us it was the Great Tower in the Isle of Pharos which was set up to direct the Mariners in the dangerous Seas about Alexandria Upon which a Great Critick turns Devout and exerts his Fancy very piously observing this to be a proper Place for such a Work the Bible being truly a Light to lighten the Gentile World a Light hung out to guide all doubting and troubled Souls in the Storms and Tempests they meet with And there were Distinct Places if you will credit some Jewish and Christian Writers wherein these Interpreters separately performed the task which they were set about They did the Work each of them in diverse Rooms say the Talmud and the Rabbins They were put into 70 distinct Cells when they translated the Bible saith Iustin Martyr in his Apology to the Roman Emperor And moreover he adds that he was at Pharos and saw what was left of those Cells And with him agree Irenaeus Clemens of Alexandria Epiphanius Cyril of Ierusalem and Augustine And further though an Arabick Commentator on the Pentateuch whom Mr. Gregory cites reports that the 70 Seniors disagreed in their Translation the first time and so were set to it again yet these Fathers take notice of no such thing but tell us that though these Translators were separated into distinct Places by themselves yet they all agreed in the same very Words and Syllables Which they borrowed it is likely from Philo who had expresly said they all exactly agreed on the same Names and Words to interpret the Chaldee by for he calls it the Chaldee instead of the Hebrew as if some Person stood by them and invisibly dictated to them although the Chaldee might be translated diverse ways the Greek Tongue being so copious And he further adds that there was a Feast yearly in the Pharos whither the Iews went to solemnize it and to see the Place where this Version was made But how can this be reconciled with the Fast appointed to be kept by the Iews on the 8th Day of Thâ—bet or December because the Law of Moses was translated into the Greek Tongue by the Jews of Alexandria in Ptolomee's Time at which time they say there was Darkness three Days together over the whole World That therefore which Philo saith seems rather to be said on purpose to inhanse the Credit of this Translation for which reason we may justly question the Truth of it Iosephus who purposely treats of the turning the Law into Greek by King Ptolomee's Order saith nothing of the Different Cells nor doth he represent the Interpreters as Inspired Persons And St. Ierom who was a Searching Man was the first of the Fathers that opposed and contradicted this Story declaring that he could not believe any thing concerning these Distinct Rooms and Apartments and the Miraculous Agreement of the Interpreters in these separated Cells giving this Reason for it because neither Aristaeas nor Iosephus speak a Word of them But some are not satisfied with this but roundly tell us that Ierom had made a New Translation of the Bible out of the Hebrew himself wherein he very much differ'd from the LXX and so he was obliged to disparage the Cells and the Translators to make way for his own Translation This is the uncharitable Censure which One gives of this Great Father And as for Aristâ—as he comes off thus with him it is no wonder that he saith nothing of the Cells for this Aristaeas who is quoted by St. Ierom is not the genuine Author but a spurious one for the Fathers quote many things out of him which are not to be found in this Book But Another tells us another Story viz. that the Hellenist Jews who read the Translation of the â—0 in their Synagogues were the Inventers of this History of the Translators and put it out in one Aristâ—us's Name And the same Person moreover presents us with this New Conceit that it was call'd the Translation of the Seventy not from Seventy Translators who were the Authors of it but from the Seventy Iudges i. e. the Sanhedrim at Ierusalem who authorized and approved of it Then as for Iosephus we are put off thus by Mr. Gregory viz. that he is wont to comply with his Readers and useth not to put Great and Wonderful things on their Belief if he can help it as appears in his Relation of the Israelites passing the Red Sea and Nebuchadnezzar's going to Grass c. so here he omits the Seventy Seniours their Consenting in that wonderful Manner in the Translating the Hebrew Bible because it would have been incredible to the Gentiles that Persons separated and shut up from one another should agree so exactly To this effect you 'l â—ind that Notable Critick speaking But it will appear to be a very Sorry Evasion as those of the other Persons before mention'd are if any Man look narrowly into it for upon the same ground that he gives here that Iewish Historian might have omitted most of the things he relates because they are very Great and Wonderful and far exceed the Belief of a Pagan We are not then to attend to such poor Suggestions as these and to swallow all that hath been related by Writers concerning the Seventy Interpreters Neither is there reason to disbelieve all they have said but in this as in most Historical Relations we ought to credit what is most Probable and to reject the rest We need not with Epiphanius and Augustine hold that the Seventy Interpreters were divinely inspired and that their Translation of the Bible was done in a Miraculous Manner and that it is of Divine Authority which we may â—ind some Writers aiming at but on the other hand there is no ground to affirm that all which Aristaeas and Aristobulus say concerning the Seventy's Version is Fable and Fiction as the Parisian Professor of Divinity pronounceth but very rashly in my Judgment We have no reason to deny the Chief and General things which are related concerning the Seventy Seniours who were employed in turning the Old Testament into Greek we have no reason to question their Skill and Ability as to the Main to perform that
Knowledg and Insight into these Divine Truths which are here contain'd is the Effect of observing and practising the Holy Precepts of this Book This then we ought to urge upon our selves to come to the reading of Scripture with defecate and purged Minds with Love to what it dictates and with Obedience to it This should be our principal Care to live well and to walk according to this Excellent Rule All our Religion and the whole Conduct of our Actions in this World depend upon the Scriptures therefore let us be directed and govern'd by the Infallible Maxims Precepts Promises and Threatnings of this Book We see Men live by Custom by the Dictates of Others or by their Own Opinions which oftentimes prove erroneous and lead them into unwarrantable Practices But they would not be thus misguided if they consulted These Lively Oracles of God this sure Word of Prophecy if they regulated their Actions by this Exact Canon And hereby we are certain to improve our Knowledg in this Holy Book for by living according to it we shall the better understand it by minding the Practical Contents of it we shall have a full Discovery of its Principles and Doctrines Lastly That we may attain to a right understanding of the Sense of Scripture that we may have a due Perception of the Meaning of what is deliver'd here let us most earnestly invoke the Divine Aid and Assistance He that reads this Book without Prayer can never expect to be bless'd with a compleat Knowledg of it For it is the sole Work of the Divine Spirit to illuminate our Minds effectually There is required the special Help of this Heavenly Instructor to direct us into Truth wherefore he is call'd the Spirit of Truth and the Vnction from the Holy One whereby we know all things The same Spirit that endited these Holy Writings must enlighten our Minds to understand them Which I find thus expressed in the Words of our Church The Revelation of the Holy Ghost inspireth the true meaning of the Scripture into us in truth we cannot without it attain true Saving-knowledg And a Learned and Pious Son of our Mother gives his Suffrage in these Words Wicked Men however learned do not know the Scriptures because they feel them not and because they are not understood but with the same Spirit that writ them Seeing then a Spiritual Illumination is requisite in order to the comprehending of Scripture-Truths we ought with great Fervour and Zeal to request it we ought with a singular Devotion to repair to this Infallible Teacher and with mighty Importunity beseech him to open our Eyes that we may behold wondrous things out of the Divine Law and to conduct our Reasons aright in our Enquiry into this Sacred Volume And He that commands us to implore his Help will certainly vouchsafe it to all sincere and devout Supplicants The Eyes of our Understanding shall be irradiated with a Celestial Beam and we shall feel an internal Operation of the Spirit on our Hearts communicating Light and Wisdom By the Assistance of this Blessed Guide we shall not miscarry in our Searches and Endeavours This Divine Book shall be laid open to us and we shall have its Mysteries and Depths disclosed to us so far as is convenient for us and no rational Man ought to desire any more Yea as it is with some of those that have studied for the Phâ—losophick Elixar though they attain not to it yet in their impetuous Search after it they find out many Excellent Things admirably useful for Mankind which are a Recompence of their Labours so though we may fall short of some Grand Secrets which are treasured up in this Inspired Volume yet we shall not faâ—l of some Choice Discoveries that will make us amends for our most laborious Enquiries We shall mightily improve our Knowledg and we shall likewise be under the special Benediction of Heaven The Rabbins tell us that when R. Ionathan writ his Targum on the Bible if at any time the least Fly lit upon his Paper it was presently consumed with Fire from Heaven But though this be Romantick and after the rate of the Rabbins yet it is a sober Trutlâ— that God will protect us in reading and studying the Holy Scriptures Whilest we are thus employed nothing shall disturb or hurt us the Divine Arm will defend and prosper us and we shall peruse this Book with that happy Success which we pray'd for In short by continual conversing with this Book which is the only one that hath no Errata's we shall know how to correct all the Failures of our Notions and of our Lives we shall enrich our Minds with a Stock of Excellent Principles and we shall be throughly furnish'd unto all good Works we shall be conducted to the highest Improvements of Knowledg and Sanctity in this Life and to the most Conâ—â—mmate Happiness in another FINIS Books written by the Reverend Mr. John Edwards AN Enquiry into several 〈◊〉 Texts of the Old and New Testament which contain some Difficulty in them with a Probable Resolution of them In two Volumes in 8â— A Discourse concerning the Authority Stile and Perfection of the Books of the Old and New Testament Vol. I. with a Continued Illustration of several Difficult Texts throughout the whole Work A Discourse conâ—â—rning the Authority Stile and Perfection of the Books of the Old and New Testament Vol. II. wherein the Author 's former Undertaking is further prosecuted viz. An Enquiry into several Remarkable Texts which contain some Difficulty in them A Discoeurs concerning the Authority Stile and Perfection of the Books of the Old and New Testament Vol. III. treating of the Excellency and Perfection of the Holy Scriptures and illustrating several difficult Texts occurring in this Undertaking All sold by Ionathan Robinson Iohn Taylor and Iohn Wyat. * Plataic †Panegyr Plataic ‡ Plataic * Orat. 2. ad Nicocl †Panegyr Orat. ‖ Orat. ad Philip. ‡ Panegyr ad Philip. Epist. ad Philip. Epist. ad Mitylen * Panegyr Orat. †Plataic Orat. 1. ‖ Orat. ad Philip. * Panegyr Orat. Plataic Orat. bis †Olynth 1. ‖ Philip. 1. * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Clem. Alex. in Protrept †Gen. 9. 27. * Deut. 28. 49 c. †1 Kings 13. 2. * Antiqu. 1. 11. c. 1. †Dr. Jackson * Dan. 2. †Temporum conscius totius Mundi Polyhistor Epist. ad Paulin. * Ver. 2. †Ver. 20. ‖ Ver. 5. * Ibid. * John 21. 18. †Ver. 22. * Earum rerum quae foâ—â—uitae putantur praedictio atque praesentio De Divinat l. 1. * Lib. 3. c. 8. * Colloqu Mensal * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Orig. cont Celâ— l. 6. * Lib. 1. †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Isid. Pelus Ep. l. 5. * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Just. Mart. Dialog cum Tryph. †Arnob. lib. 1. ‖ Sozom. l. 1. c. 11. ‖‖ Gr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mark 2.
numbred among the Books of Canonical Scripture And thus we have argued from the Tradition and the Testimony of the Church And if this be done as it ought to be done it is valid for the Truth of the Copies the Canonicalness of the Books and the like are not decidable by Scripture it self but in the Way that all other Controversies of that nature are As you would prove any other Book to be Authentick so you must prove the Bible to be viz. by sufficient and able Testimony There is the same reason to believe the Sacred History that there is to believe any other Historical Writings that are extant Nay the Testimonies on behalf of the Holy Scriptureâ— are more pregnant than any that are brought for other Writings Besides all that can be said for the Sacred Volume of the Bible which is wont to be said for other Writings I have shewed you that there are some things peculiar to this above aâ—â— others The main thing we have insisted upon is this that the Books of the Old and New Testament have been faithfully conveyed to us and that they are vouched by the constant and universal Tradition both of the Jewish and Christian Church and that these Books and no others are of the Canon of Scripture for to be of the Canon of Scripture is no other than to be owned by the Universal Church for Divinely Inspired Writings The Church witnesseth and confirmeth the Authority of the Canonical Scriptures for she received them as Divine and she delivers them to us as such Yet I do not say that the Church's Testifying these Books to be the Holy Scriptures gives an Absolute and Entire Authority to them A Clerk in the Parliament or any other Court writes down and testiâ—ies that such an Act or Decree or Order was pass'd by the King Magistrate or People and he witnesses that he hath faithfully kept these by him and that they are the very same that at such a time were made by the foresaid Authority but the Authority of this Act Decree or Order rests not in the Clerk but wholly in the King Magistrate or People So the Church recordeth and keepeth the Sacred Writings of the Bible and bears witness that they have been faithfully preserved and that they are the Genuine Writings of those Persons whose Names are presixed to them bâ—t the Divine Authority of the Scriptures depends not on the Church but on the Books and Authors themselves namely their being Inspired And indeed this Authority of the Scriptures cannot depend on the Church because the Church itself depends on the Scriptures These must be proved before the Church can pretend to be any such thing as a Church We cannot know the Church but by the Scriptures therefore the Scriptures must be known before the Church It follows then that the Papists are very unreasonable and absurd in making the Ultimate Resolution of Faith to be into the Testimony and Authority of the Church This we disown as a great Falsity but yet it is rational to hold that the Church's Testimony is one good Argument and Proof of the Truth of the Sacred Scripture according to that known Saying of St. Augustine I should not believe the Gospel if the Authority of the Church did not move me Not that he founds the Gospel i. e. the Doctrine of Christianity and the Truth of it on the Testimony of the Church as the Papists are wont to infer from these Words and frequently quote them to this purpose No the Father's meaning is this that by the Testimony and Consent of the Church he believed the Book of the Gospel to be verily that Book which was written by the Evangelists This is the Sense of the Place as is plain from the Scope of it for he speaks there of the Copies or Writings not the Doctrine contained in them The good Father relies on this that so great a number of knowing and honest Persons as the Church was made up of did assert the Evangelical Writings to be the Writings of such as were really inspired by the Holy Ghost and that they were true and genuine and not corrupted And the whole Body of Sacred Scripture is attested by the same universal Suffrage of the Church i. e. the unanimous Consent of the Apostles and of the First Christians and of those that immediately succeeded them several of which laid down their Lives to vindicate the Truth of these Writings This is the External Testimony given to the Holy Scriptures It is the general Perswasion and Attestation of the Antient Church that these are the Scriptures of Truth that they were penn'd by holy Prophets and Apostles immediately directed by the Spirit who therefore could not err It was usual heretofore among the Pagan Lawgivers to attribute their Laws to some Deity tho they were of their own Invention intending thereby to conciliate Reverence to them and to commend them to the People But here is no such Cheat put upon us God himself is really the Author of the Holy Scriptures these Sacred Laws come immediately from Him they are of Divine Inspiration There is no doubt to be made of the Divinity of the Scriptures and consequently there is assurance of the Infallibility of them CHAP. III. The Authority of the Bible manifested from the Testimonies of Enemies and Strangers especially of Pagans These confirm what the Old Testament saith concerning the Creation the Production of Adam and Eve their Fall with the several Circumstances of it Enoch's Translation the Longevity of the Patriarchs the Giants in those Times the Universal Flood the building of the Tower of Babel I Have propounded some of the chief Arguments which may induce us to believe the Truth and Certainty of the holy Writings of the Old and New Testament I will now choose out another for the sake chiefly of the Learned and Curious which I purpose to inlarge upon yea to make the Subject of my whole ensuing Discourse I consider then that we have in this Matter not only the Testimony of Friends but of Enemies and Strangers and it is a Maxim in the Civil Law and vouched by all Men of Reason that the Testimony of an Enemy is most considerable The Iewish and Christian Church as I have shewed already give their Testimony to the Scriptures but besides these Witnesses there are Others there is the Attestation of Foreigners and Adversaries These fully testify the Truth of what is delivered in the Holy Bible we have the Approbation of Heathen Writers to conâ—irm many of the things related in the Old Testament and both Professed Heathens and Iews for we must now look upon these latter as profess'd Enemies when we are to speak of the Christian Concern attest sundry things of the New Testament and vouch the Truth and Authority of them Here then I will distinctly proceed and first begin with the Old Testament and let you see in several Particulars that even the Pagan World gives Testimony to this Sacred Volume
that the Gentiles relate the very same things that this doth that the Great Truths and Notable Histories Notions and Practices in the Books of the Old Testament are to be met with in Profane Writings but taken from these Sacred ones The Heathens borrowed many of their Rites and Vsages from Traditions which were founded in the Holy Scriptures They derived many things in their Religion and Manners from these Sacred Fountains though it is as true that they have laboured to pollute them But I will make it clear and manifest that they fetch'd them thence and I will abundantly prove that most of the chief things in the Old Testament have been attested both by the Fables and the Serious History of the Pagans There have been some High-fliers I know who have carried on this Notion to a ridiculous Extravagancy Thus Zimmeranus speaks of an odd Capuchin who hath vented very wild things in prosecuting this Argument viz. that the Gentile Mysteries were taken from the True God and from the Scriptures inspired by him And one Iacobâ— Hugo in his Historia Romana is quoted by the same Person as very extravagant in this kind for he holds that the Roman Story was a Narrative of the History of the Gospel Pious Aeneas was St. Peter and his sailing from Troy to Latium was the Story of St. Peter's leaving the Chair at Antioch and going to Rome Homer and Virgil's Heroick Poems are an account of St. Peter and the Church and of the Shipwrack and Misfortunes which this latter meets with in the World Ilium or Aelia is Ierusalem that was the Name which Aelius Adrianus gave it The Acts of the Apostles the Jewish War and the Destruction of Ierusalem are contain'd in Homer's Iliads and so are the Life and Death of Christ and the whole Gospel He tells us that Romulus and Remus signify the Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul the Founders of the Roman Church And more extravagantly yet he goes on telling us that Diana signiâ—ies the Holy Trinity Curtius on Horse-back swallowed up in the Lake is the Virgin Mary whose Temple is seen there in the Market-place at Rome with this Inscription D. Virginis Templum à poenis inferni liberantis And a great deal more of such Stuff this Hugo hath which no Man of Consideration and Sense is able to bear Indeed such wild and far-fetch'd Conceits may be justly entertain'd with Laughter and Contempt Nor do I look upon some things which some others of more composed Thoughts mention as any real Testimonies given to the Scriptures They strangely fancy an Affinity between Scripture and Paganism between what they read in the one and what they meet with in the other though there be no Cognation at all Thus the Greek Fable of Minerva's being the Offspring of Iove's Brain took its Rise from the Doctrine of the Trinity and the Eternal and Ineffable Generation of the Son of God saith a Learned Man and Isis the Egyptian Goddess is saith he Ishah Mulier or Virgo i. e. the Virgin Mary from a Tradition among them that a Virgin shoulâ— bring forth a Son who was to be the Redeemer 〈◊〉 the World And I could mention others whoâ—â— Names are better known who have been too eâ—travagant in this kind carrying the Notion on toâ— far and strongly fancying every thing almoâ—â— which they meet with in Pagan Story to havâ— some reference to and be taken from the holâ— Scriptures But I shall very industriously avoâ—â— this Vanity and Folly and only represent to the curious and critical Reader those Passages in Pagâ—â— Writers which with great Probability and Reasoâ— we may conclude to have been taken from the Books of the Old Testament I shall endeavoâ—â— to let you see the Sacred History of the Bible eveâ— through the Fables and feigned Stories of the Heathens and thereby confirm you in the belief of the Truth and Reality of that Sacred History whence they were taken 1. To begin first where all things began the Creation this as it is particularly described iâ— the first Chapter of Genesis is plainly to be found in Pagan Authors who without doubt had it froâ— this first Entrance of the Scripture For thougâ— a Man by the Light of Nature may know that the World had a Beginning yet this particular way of its beginning as 't is there set down could not be attained to but by Divine Revelation wherefore it is rationally to be asserted that the Pagaâ—â— took this Notion from God's Revealed Will in Scripture and at the same time they do hereby attest the Truth of that holy Book The genâ—râ—â— Opinion of the antient Gentiles was that the World was made out of a preceding Chaos which they represent to be a rude disordered and indigested Mass of Matter reduced to no Shape and Form Sanconiathon the Phoenician Historian so much prais'd by Porphyrius the Philosopher in Eusebius makes mention of this Chaos as the Source of all things in his Fragments of Phoenician Theology The antient Poet Orpheus held that this Chaos was the first Principle of all things And Hesiod agrees with him affirming that the Chaos was that out of which all Bodies were made 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. It is described by Ovid after this manner Ante mare terras quod tegit omnia Coelum Vnus erat toto naturae vultus in orbe Quem dixere Chaos c. Where in forty or â—ifty pair of good smooth Verses he most excellently describes the Origine of all things and makes the very Chaos beautiful This is the same with Hyle the first original Matter of all things the Poets Demogorgon which was borrowed from the shapeless Lump of the Chaos And in the Phoenician Language we may find it in the very sound of the words Thoth and Bau which are but a small Variation from Tohu and Bohu in the Hebrew Text the same with Chaos among the Greeks and Latins This is founded on those Words of Moses Gen. 1. 2. The Earth was without form and void and Darkness was on the face of the Deep This dark and formless Heap of Water and Earth mingled together contain'd in it the fiâ— Elements of all things that were made afterwardâ— hence sprang the World as it is now shaped 〈◊〉 modelled From this Account which Moses givâ— here of the Creation the old Pagan Theologer i. e. the Pocts made the Ocean to be the Origiâ— of all Generation which is no other than thâ— if you give the plain meaning of it that thâ— moist and fluid Matter gave beginning to all Bodâ— that are Orpheus own'd this Hypothesis calliâ—â— the Ocean the Parent of all things in one of 〈◊〉 Hymns and out of some other Pieces of 〈◊〉 Works the same might be proved Homer 〈◊〉 the like asserting the Ocean to be the Antiente of the Gods 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And again 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iliad On which Words the Scholiast gives this Reason