omitted by the other Evangelists Besides that this Evangelist in the Entrance into his Gospel is more Sublime and Soaring than the rest and for that Reason is represented by an Eagle asserting the Divinity of Christ against the bold Hereticks of that time who openly confronted that Doctrine And in other Places of his Writings he hath a Peculiar Strain and Excellency which Luther expresses thus after his plain way Every Word in John weigheth two Tuns Concerning the Evangelists I may note this that though they do not all of them set down the very individual Words that Christ or others spake for we see that sometimes one represents them in Terms different from the rest yet those that do not so deliver always the Sense of what was said and even that was dictated by the Holy Spirit which is sufficient And concerning St. Iohn particularly I remark this that seeing he was the last of all the Evangelists i. e. he wrote his Gospel last it is rational upon that Account to interpret the other Evangelists by him namely where any Doubt or Controversy arises for he having perused the other Evangelists and observ'd what Exceptions unbelieving Men had made against any Passages in their Writings it is not to be doubted but that he expresses himself with greater Plainness and Perspicuity where those Matters are concern'd This the intelligent and observant Reader will find to be true if he consults the respective Places It is endless to give a Particular and Distinct Survey of every one of the Evangelists Writings This only can be said here in pursuance of our grand Undertaking that these Books are the Choicest History that ever were committed to Writing because they contain the Birth the Life the Actions the Doctrine the Miracles the Sufferings the Death the Resurrection the Ascension of our Lord IESVS Christ our most Compassionate Saviour and Redeemer All of which are the most Stupendous and Amazing as well as the most Necessary Matters to be known in the whole World If this brief and summary Account of the Gospels be not sufficient to recommend them to our Studies and Meditations and to beget in us the utmost Esteem of them nothing more largely said will ever be able to do it To the Historical Part of the New Testament belong the Acts of the Apostles wherein there is an Account given of what all the Apostles were concern'd in viz. their choosing Matthias into Iudas's room their Meeting together on the Day of Pentâ—cost at which time they were all inspired by the Holy Ghost according to Christ's Promise visibly descending upon them their Determinations in the Council held at Ierusalem with their Letters which they sent to the Churches abroad and several other things in which the Apostles were jointly interested This Book contains also the History of the first Founding of the Christian Church of its happy Progress and Success especially among the Gentiles of the Opposition and Persecution it encountred with of the Undaunted Courage of the Apostles of the Course of their Ministry of their Disputations Conferences Apologies Prayers Sermons Worship Discipline church-Church-Government Miracles Here we are informed what were the Vsages of the first Apostolical Ages In a word here we may find the Primitive Church and Religion All which are plain Evidences of the singular Usefulness Worth and Excellency of this Book But it is chiefly confined to the Acts and Atchievements of those most Eminent Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul and especially and most largely here are related the Conversion Travels Preaching and Sufferings of the latter of these for St. â—uke being St. Paul's Companion all along and well acquainted with whatever he did and whatsoever happen'd to him gives us the fullest Narrative of this Apostle The whole Book is a History of about forty Years namely from Christ's Ascensionâ— to the second Year of St. Paul's Imprisonment at Rome The New Testament consists likewise of several Epistles of the Apostles which are Pious Discourses occasionally written more fully to explain and apply the Holy Doctrine which they had delivered to confute some growing Errors to compose Differences and Schisms to reform Abuses and Corruptions to stir up the Christians to Holiness and to incourage them against Persecutions For the Apostles having converted several Nations to the Faith when they could not visit them in Person wrote to them and so supplied their Presence by these Epistles To begin with St. Paul's Epistles they were written either to Whole Churches viz. of Believing Gentiles i. e. the greatest Part of them were such tho some of Iewish Race might be mix'd among them as the Epistles to the Romans Corinthians Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians Thessalonians or of Believing Iews wholly as the Epistle to the Hebrews Or they were written to Particular Persons as the Epistles to Timothy Titus Philemon The Epistle to the Romans is made up of several Profound Discourses on such Subjects as these the Prerogatives of the Iews their Rejection notwithstanding those Prerogatives the Wonderful Dispensation of God towards the Gentiles the Nature of the Law Justification by Faith alone Election and Free Grace the Conflict between the Flesh and Spirit Christian Liberty Scandal the Use of Indifferent Things c. But the chief thing which he designs in this Epistle is to shew that neither the Gentiles by the Law of Nature nor the Iews by that of Moses could attain to Righteousness and Justification and consequently Salvation but that these are to be obtained only by Faith in Christ Jesus for whose Merits alone we are accounted righteous in the Sight of God And then to shew that this Faith is not separated from Good Works he addeth Exhortations to the Practice of Holiness Obedience of Life and a Religious Conversation So that this Epistle is both Doctrinal and Practical it directs us in our Notions and in our Manners It decides some of the greatest Controversies and withal it informs us about the most indispensable Offices of Christianity The next Epistles are to the Church of Corinth the chief City of Peloponneâ—us which is now call'd the Morea And Cenchrea which you read of Rom. 16. 1. Acts 19. 18. was the Station of Ships for this maritime City but was a distinct Town from it To the Converted Inhabitants of this great Metropolis famed for its Wealth and therefore sirnamed the Rich as Thucydides saith â—ea to all the Saints in Achaia the Apostle here writes His first Epistle to them is against the Unsound Perswasions and Vicious Practices which he observ'd among them at that time His Design was to reform them as to their Schisms and Dissensions their Idolatrous Communion their Unseemly Habits their Confusions and Disorders in their Assemblies their Prophaning the Lord's Supper their Toleration of Incest and the like scandalous Behaviour Besides there are other considerable Matters which he treats of as Marriage Divorce Virginity eating of Meats sacrificed to Idols Christian Liberty going to Law before Heathens
Books with us We need not stay to attend here to what a late Learned Writer before named hath with much Confidence but slender Reason suggested viz. that the Bible of the Old Testament is an Abbreviated Collection from Antient Records which were much more large He confesseth that the Canon of Scripture is taken out of Authentick Registeries but the Authors who collected it added and diminished as they pleased especially he asserts this concerning the Historical Books that they are Abridgments of larger Records and Summaries of other larger Acts kept in the Jewish Archives and these publick Scribes who writ them out took the liberty to alter Words as they saw occasion So that in short according to this Critick here are only some broken Pieces and Scraps taken out of the first Authentick Writings A bold and daring Assertion and founded on no other Bottom than F. Simon 's Brain Who would expect this from one that is a Man of great Sense and Reason one that is a great Master of Critical Learning and hath presented the World with very choice Remarks on the History of the Bible for truly I am not of his Opinion who saith he sees not any thing in this Author's Writings buâ— what is common It is to be lamented that a Person otherwise so Judicious and Observing hath given himself up here to his own Fancy and Conceit He invents a new Office of publick Registers that were Divinely inspired he makes Notaries and Prophets the same He gives no Proof and Demonstration of that Adding and Diminishing which the Scribes he talks of made he hatâ— not one tolerable Argument to evince any of thâ— Books of Scripture to be Fragments of greater ones Indeed I should mightily have wondred that so Ingenious so Sagacious so Learned a Man haâ— broach'd such groundless Notions if I did noâ— consider that this subtile Romanist designs hereâ—â— as most of that Church generally do to depreciaâ—â—â— the Bible and to represent it as a Book of Fragments and Shreds that so when our Esteem 〈◊〉 the Authority of Scripture is weakned yea taken away we may wholly rest upon Tradition anâ— found our Religion as well as the Scriptures 〈◊〉 that alone This is that which he drives at in 〈◊〉 Critical History both of the Old and New Testamenâ— But all sober and considerate Persons will bewarâ— of him when they discover this Design Theâ— will easily see through his plausible Stories foâ—â— Surmises bold Conjectures and seeming Argâ—mentations and they will have the greater Reverence for the Bible because he and others havâ— attacked it with so much Contempt and Rudenesâ— and purposely bring its Authority into question that they may set up something else above 〈◊〉 Notwithstanding then the Cavils and Objection of designing Men we have reason to believe anâ— avouch the Authority of the Old Testament and to be thorowly perswaded that the Books are entirely transmitted to us without any Corruption and are the same that ever they were without and Diminution or Addition We have them as they were written by the first Authors we have them entire and perfect and not as some fondly suggest contracted abbreviated curtail'd Unto the Iews the antient People of God were committed his Oracles as the Apostle speaks and they shewed themselves conscientious and diligent Conservators of them The Jewish Nation saith St. Augustin have been as 't were the Chest-keepers for the Christians they have faithfully preserv'd that Sacred Depositum for them they have safely kept that Ark wherein the Law and the Prophets were Lock'd up God would have the Jews to be Librarii Christianorum saith Drusius Keepers of those Sacred Volumes for us Christians and it is certain they kept them with great Care the like whereof is not to be found to have been taken in preserving any other sort of Writings under Heaven And seeing they have so carefully handed the Old Testament down to us we are concern'd to receive it with a proportionable Thankfulness and to reckon this their Delivering of those Writings down to us as no mean Argument of their Truth and Certainty Secondly The Authority of the New Testament is confirmed by External Testimony or Tradition no less than that of the Old Testament We have the Authentick Suffrage of the Primitive Church the Unanimous Consent of the Christians of the first Ages that this Book is of Divine Inspiration and that it is Pure and Uncorrupted Some of the Fathers and first Writers give us a Catalogue of the Books of the New Testament and they are the very same with those which we have at this day Athanasius particularly enumerating those Books sets down all those which we now embrace as Canonical and no others And many of the Fathers of the first Ages after Christ as Irenaeus Iustin Martyr Clemens Alexandrinus Origen Tertullian c. quote the Places in the New Testament as they are now If it be objected that in the Fathers sometimes the Text of Scripture is not exactly what we find it and read it at this day This must be remembred that they sometimes quoted the Meaning not the very Words At other times their Memories fail'd them as to the Words and thence they chang'd them into others and instead of those in the Text used some that were like them So when they were in haste and not at leisure to consult the Text they made use of such Words and Expressions as they thought came nearest to it Heinsius shews this in a vast many places Sometimes they contract the Word of the Text and give only the brief Sense of it at other times they enlarge it and present us with a Comment upon it yea sometimes as they see occasion and as their Matter leads them to it they invert the Words and misplace the Parts of the Text. But no Man ought hence to infer that the Scriptures of the New Testament then and now are not the same And as for the Number of the Sacred Writers and their Books it hatâ— been always the same i. e. the same Catalogue and Canon have been generally acknowledged and received by the Christian Church It is true some Particular Books have been questioned but by a few only and for a time but the Church was at last fully satisfied about them the Generality oâ— Christians agreed to own all those Books which are now owned by us All the Eastern Churches held the Epistle to the Hebrews to be Canonical though the Latins it is granted were not so unanimous This Epistle and that of St. Iames the second Epistle of St. Peter the second and third of St. Iohn and the Epistle of St. Iude and the Apocalypse were questioned in the first Century saith Eusebius but he acquaints us withal that they were afterwards by general Consent received into the Canon of Holy Scripture for the Doubts were resolved upon mature Deliberation So that the questioning of those Books is now a Conâ—â—rmation of the Truth and Authority of
them they were once doubted of that for the future they might be unquestionable And to come down to latter Times what if two or three Men of late as Hemmingius Baldwin Eckard think some of the Books of the New Testament Apocryphal And what if Luther himself seem'd to say as much What doth this signify in respect of the universal and concurrent Judgment of others And as for the rest of the Books of the New Testament they were never doubted of at all but have the Approbation of the whole Church And that the new Testament was first written in Greek as we now receive it is attested by the Universal Consent of the Antients who made enquiry into these things Only two Books are excepted by some for though many of the Learned Moderns maintain that St. Matthew's Gospel was written originally in Greek yet it is not to be denied that some of the Fathers hold it was written first in Hebrew for the sake of the believing Jews and if you will believe St. Ierom the original Hebrew was extant in his time and he translated the Gospel into Latin from that Copy Who turn'd it into Greek is not certain but it was either by St. Matthew himself or by some Apostolical Person inspired by the Holy Ghost so that the Greek we now have is from the same Spirit and of the same Authority with the other The Fathers likewise generally say that St. Paâ—â— writ the Epistle to the Hebrews in their own Tongue and that St. Luke or St. Clement turn'd it into Greek The contrary is held by some Moderns particularly Cajetan among the Romanists and by many of the Reformed-Way But excepting I say these two Books it is universally agreed that the whole New Testament was written in Greek and one Reason might be because so great a number of Jews lived among the Greeks and used their Tongue and therefore this part of the Bible was sitly writ in Greek as the other was long before translated into that Tongue for the use of the Jews For the sake of these dispersed Jews therefore called the dispersed among the Gentiles or according to the Original the Dispersion of the Greeks John 7. 35. who understood and spake the Greek Language the New Testament was put forth in that Tongue Moreover this was the most generally received Language at that time and therefore the fittest for the propagating the Gospel This is a very good Argument for tho I do not think the jâ—ws at Ierusalem spake no other than the Greek Tongue among themselves as Isaac Vossius confidently holds and is therein rightly blamed and confuted by the late French Critick yet I am satisfied that the Greek Tongue was universally undâ—rstood and was with the Latin the Language of the Empire and therefore was most proper for the communicating the Christian Religion to the World Tully acquaints us that in all the Roman Empire Greek was vulgarly understood It is no wonder therefore that the New Testament was writ in that Tongue and that St. Paul writes not only to the Galatians c. but to the Romans in Greek for they all understood it It was the Modish and Courtly way of Speech at Rome as the French is now with us Their very Women affected to learn and speak Greek for which they are jeer'd by the Satyrist who calls Rome the Greek City In short all the Eastern People spoke Greek more or less from the time that Alexander the Great and his Captains spread their Dominion in the East The Syrians Egyptians Persians and People of the Lesser Asia were acquainted with that Language The Jews of any considerable Quality understood Greek as well as their own Tongue whence Iosephus a Jewish Priest or of the Priestly Stock writ his Books in Greek The Evangelists and Apostles then might well write in the same Tongue it being so common and every where understood Especially it is no wonder on another account that St. Paul writ in Greek for it was his native Tongue he being of Tarsus which was a City of Greece We may then very justly look upon the Greek Language as the Original Text of the New Testament And it is generally agreed that these Greek Copies which we now have and use are True and Authentick though in some things they differ and none are observed to oppose this but those who do it upon some Interest and Design i. e. to maintain some peculiar Opinion which they have taken up The Variety of Readings should not prejudice us much less ought we to alter the Readings of the Copies and to substitute new ones at our pleasure Which is the Fault of Theodore Beza though on other accounts an Excellent Person and one that hath highly deserved of the Church of God yet he is unsufferably bold in coining new Readings of the Text. When he cannot find the Sense of a Place he presently questions the Truth of the Copy and produceth a new Reading which hath brought a great Scandal upon his Annotations on the New Testament which otherwise are fraught with admirable Learning and discover his profound Skill in Divine Criticism It is certain that the Greek and Latin Manuscripts which he pretends to are a Cheat for questionless they would have been taken notice of in the first Ages of Christianity if there had been any such thing Therefore it is downright Imposture and Beza was grosly deluded by it Let us from his Miscarriage learn to be cautious and not to venture so boldly upon altering the Greek Copies This is a very rash and unaccountable Undertaking especially in a single Person and much more when it is very usual and frequent To speak next both of the Old and New Testament together The Authority of them is established by considering this that though Bellarmine and others of the Roman Communion who are followed by Lewis Cappel and some others that go under the Name of Protestants cry out that the Bible is altered and corrupted by the Negligence of the Transcribers and that the Text is uncertain by reason of the different Readings and Variety of Translations which is done out of design viz. to debase the Authority of the holy Writings and to make Men fly to Traditions and rest wholly in the Authority of the Church and I wish I might not add thereby to undermine some of the Foundations of Religion yet this is certain that the various Readings of the Old and New Testament are not so many as are pretended and all the various Copies in Hebrew and Greek which are found in all Nations at this Day do agree in all material Points and the Scriptures being translated from those Copies into many Languages concur in the same substantial things Again as to those various Readings which are produced we may justly alledg the Words of an Excellent Man They are not Arguments saith he of the Scriptures Corruption but of God's Providence and of Human
〈◊〉 that Demoniacal Serpenâ— You will find Origen asserting that this was taken from Moses's relation concerning the Serpent iâ— Paradise and not this from that as Celsus moâ—â— egregiously failing in Antiquity and Chronology maintained Eusebius also is of the same Opinion affirming that this Ophioneus refers to the Devil in the form of a Serpent and adds to make it probable that Pherecydes was conversant with the Phoenicians who worshipp'd their God under the form of a Serpent the Devil affecting to be adored in that Shape which he first assumed And not only in Phoenioia but in other Countries Dragons or Serpents or Snakes for these are promiscuouâ—ly used for one another were reckoned among the Secret Mysteries of the Gentiles These had so great a Veneration for Serpents or Dragons that some of their Temples had their Denomination thence and were stiled Draconian saith Strabo The Babylonians worshipp'd a Dragon as the Apoâ—ryphal Writings relate The Egyptians worshipp'd Opbioneus as Eusebius testifieth and in their Hieroglyphicks they â—hewed that they were wonderful Admirers of Serpents for the Heads of their Gods were incircled with Serpents and Basilisks saith Horus the Crowns and Dia 〈◊〉 of their Kings were set with Asps and Suakes Serpents being the Emblems of Dominion and Principality yea of Immortality and Divinity faith the same Author And which is yet more to our purpose Eusebius observes that the Egyptians as well as the Phoenicians used to call Serpents Good Daemons which is a plain Relick of the Devil 's assuming the Form of some goodly Serpent and appearing like a good Daemon or Angel of Light when he accosted our Mother Eve and laid siege to her Integrity And to pass from Egypt to Greece there were here also some Remembrances of this notable thing for the Images of Serpents were set over the Gates of Temples and Conseâ—rated Places and generally they Painted â—erpents or Dragons in all Holy Places as the Geâ—â—â—â— of those Places for they perswaded themselves that the Genius of the Place appeared in the shape of a Serpent Among these Grecians the Devil was commonly worshipp'd in this Primitive Figure â—ore especially at Delphos whence as a Learned â—ritick hath remarked Apollo is called Pythius and Pytho from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Serpent I might add whâ—â— Clement of Alexandria reports that the Heatheâ— at their Feasts of Bacchus were crowned with Seâ—â—pents and used to carry a Serpent in Processioâ— and cry with a loud Voice Eva Eva for Hevâ—â— or Hivia saith he in the Hebrew signifies a Sâ—â—â—pent This latter was partly a Mistake of his 〈◊〉 it is in the Chaldee that it signifies so and is 〈◊〉 Word used by the Chaldee Translators in Gen. 〈◊〉 and other places for a Serpent and so we are thenâ— informed what a Reverence was paid to Serpeâ—â— by the Antients Or what if I should offer tâ—â—â— Conjecture that Eva or Evia or Hevia are plain Remembrance of our Mother Eve or Hâ—â—â—â— or according to the Hebrew Termination Heâ—â—â— or Havah Which is the more probable becâ—â—â—â— the proclaiming of this Name is join'd with tâ—â— carrying of a Serpent which we know that unhâ—â—â—py Woman was too well acquainted with Aâ—â— perhaps the word Evantes which is used by Vâ—â—gil to signify those madding Frolicks had its Orâ—â—ginal hence Thus there is a double Memorial iâ— that Pagan Festival Solemnity to wit of a Râ—â—markable Person and as Remarkable a Thing râ—â—corded in Sacred Story Now I ask whence caâ— this Memorial of Serpents to be observ'd so geâ—â—â—rally among the Pagans Whence was it that tâ—â— Old Heathens were such Adorers of these Crâ—â—â—tures How came it to pass that the Devil 〈◊〉 worshipp'd by them under this Form Wheâ—â— did this Custom prevail among the Phoenicians â—â—â—bylonians Egyptians and Grecians Nay S. â—â—â—gustin acquaints us that some Heretick Christiâ—â— made it a great part of their Religion to worship a Serpent And if we should leave the Antients and come down to latter Ages I might here alledg what Luther â—aith he heard a Merchant affirm namely that in the Indies he had â—een People worship a Great Snake with the highest Reverence and Honour imaginable Of all this there cannot be a better Account given than that which I have already offered It is questionless a remembrance of what happened in the beginning of the World and is recorded in the Book of Genesis that Satan who had been a kind of God a Glorious Angel and therefore pass'd for such a one still among the Ignorant Heathens appear'd in a Serpentine Figure to Adam and Eve in Paradise And this reminds me of another Circumstance of Man's Fall viz. the Place which was Paradise or the Garden of Eden which as I said before seems to be represented by the famous Gardon of the Hesperides This I know hath been a commonly received Notion this Poetical Passage hath been usually applied to this purpose but â—et us not think it the less true because of the Commonness of itâ— If any Man seriously weigh what is reported of this Garden he will think it not improbable that the Fall of Man is couched in this Poetick Fable For this Garden yielded Golden Fruit i. e. very choice and excellent Fruit and such as was as â—empting as Gold was afterwards which plainly points to the Forbidden Fruit in Paradise which was so desirable and delightful so tempting and charming And this Fruit these Golden Apples were kept and watch'd by a Dragon or Serpent which plainly refers to the Devil in the form of a Serpent who was always watching about the Treâ— not to keep the Man and Woman from eating â— it but to sollicit and tempt them by all means 〈◊〉 do it What they add of Hercules's staying 〈◊〉 Dragon is an addition of their own Fancies 〈◊〉 must always be expected in their representing 〈◊〉 these Stories as I have intimated before 〈◊〉 the Issue was that the Golden Fruit was stolen aâ—â—â— that is in plain Terms our Parents did eat of 〈◊〉 Forbidden Fruit. This was a downright Steaâ—â— or Robbery for it was taking away that whiâ—â— was not their own and which they were strictâ—â— commanded not to take away Thus Paradise 〈◊〉 removed by the Poets out of Asia into Africa 〈◊〉 whatever Place it was where the Heâ—perides 〈◊〉 their Garden This Fiction of theirs was maâ—â— out of Genesis which speaks of the Garden 〈◊〉 Eden of the Serpent and of the Forbidden Frâ—â—â— which were the occasions of Man's being temptâ—â— and deceived Whence it is clear that the 〈◊〉 Poets Philosophers and Sages among the Heathâ—â—â— were not ignorant of the very things which Moâ—â—â— the Inâ—pired Writer gives us an account of 〈◊〉 the first Transgression of Man and the Origâ—â— of it the Depravation of Mankind and the â—â—â—serable Consequences and Effects of it as the Câ—â—sing of the Earth and the Barrenness which eâ—sâ—â—â— upon it with the Infirmities and Diseases that Mâ—â— Bodies were
tolerable yea more credible than to say that the Cursed Fiend is imitated by God himself Can we think that the True God is so careful and precise in following the Idolatrous Gentiles Can we believe that he so exactly emulated every Point of Idolatry belonging to Moloch's Tabernacle Surely this cannot be thought worthy of that All-wise Being this cannot be consistent with what we read of him Wherefore let us consult the Place in Amos Have ye offered unto me Sacrifices and Offerings in the Wilderness forty Years O House of Israel But ye have born the Tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun your Images the Star of your God which ye made to your selves chap. 5. 25 26. Here God reproves and upbraids the Israelites for their gross Idolatry and particularly for bearing the Tabernacle of Moloch Whatever Disputes there be about other things in these Words this is undeniable and beyond all Controversy that bearing the Tabernacle of Moloch was a piece of Idolatrous Service it being opposed here to offering Sacrifices and Offerings unto God With this Idolatrous Worship of theirs Gods was provoked and incensed and tells them in the next Verse they shall go into Captivity for this very thing Is it then probable that this bearing of the Tabernacle of Moloch was the Original of worshipping the True God in the Tabernacle Is it reasonable to believe that he made this manner of Worship his Own and instituted it as one of the chief and â—rincipal Parts of the Solemn Religion of the â—ews Were all things to be done by the Jews in their Religious Service according to the Pattern in â—â—e Mount How then can the bearing of the Taberâ—â—cle of Moloch among the Gentiles be the First Pattern as that Learned Author expresly saith â—f tabernacle-Tabernacle-Worship among the Jews God was grieved with the Generation of the Iews in the Wilderness as he saith himself he was exceedingly displeased with them for this their Idolatrous Worship but behold he soon changed his Mind and took a liking to this Way and set it up among the Israelites and caused it to be the Choicest and most Sacred Piece of Divine Worship Thus God's Worship was a Transcript from Moloch instead of being the First Original Pattern I must needs confess I cannot prevail with my self to â—ntertain such Thoughts as these and to frame such a Notion of God I rather choose to embrace that Vulgar Error as he is pleased to stile it that a great part of the Ceremonies which the Pagans used in their Religion was taken from the Worship prescribed by God himself in the Old Testament and particularly that the Tabernacle of Moloch i. e. the Seat in which he was carried up and down to be worshipp'd the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of that Idol as St. Luke calls that of the God Remphan was in imitation of the Iewish Tabernacle or portable Temple wherein Iehovah was present and that from the Ark in that holy Place the Gentile Worshippers borrowed their Chests and Boxes and litttle Houses wherein they carried their Gods up and down I shall afterwards have occasion to account with the Learned Author who oppoâ— this and the Doctrine which leads to it thâ— fore I shall add no more here Seventhly The Heathens followed the Uâ— of the Jews in some things which were done their Consecrated Places and Temples It was a 〈◊〉 stom saith an antient Writer to go but onâ— Year into some of those Places and it was 〈◊〉 unlawful to visit some of them at all Pâ—nias instances in particular Temples which 〈◊〉 opened but one Day in a Year and of Orâ—us's 〈◊〉 saith None was permitted to enter into it 〈◊〉 the Priest This any Man may see was borroâ— from the Divine Constitution among God's Peopâ—â— that the High Priest only was to go into the 〈◊〉 of Holies and that but once in a whole Year Tâ— this likewise I may adjoin that the Adyta aâ— Penetralia among the Pagans were taken from tâ—â— Holy of Holies among the Jews Those Plaâ— which were the same also with their Deluâ— were as Servius explains them Secret Râ—cesses in their Temples they were hidden aâ—â— remote Apartments that were inaccessible to all 〈◊〉 their Priests and therefore they had the name 〈◊〉 Adyta as Caesar observ'd This is a plâ— Imitation of the Sanctum Sanctorum that Inâ— Part of the Sanctuary among the Hebrews wâ—â— ther as hath been said the Chief Minister 〈◊〉 Religion only could have access Eighthly The Pagan Sacrifices and many Rites Usages and Circumstances about them were borrowed from the old Patriarchs and Jews of whom the Old Testament gives us the Relaâ—ion The Sacrifices of the Gentiles are sacrilegious Imitations of the Hebrews saith St. Austin peremptorily and at several other times he professedly declares that many of their Religious Observances were from the Jews I might observe that their Immolation so called from a Cake of Flower which the Priest when he came to sacrifice laid on the Head of the Beast and their Libation or Tasting the Wine and Sprinkling it on the Beast's Head and likewise their Eating and Drinking part of the things which were sacrificed making merry with the Remains of what was offered were plain Imitations of what the Hebrew Priests did The using of Salt in Sacrifices is another thing which may be mentioned here for this also was derived from the same Fountain Hence Homer gives Salt the Epithet of Divine and Plato observes that Salt is well accommodated to sacred things wherefore it is call'd by him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or as Plutarch transcribes it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 most acceptable to the Gods Of what Authority and Worth Salt is you may learn saith Pliny from its being constantly used in holy Things by the Antients Whence had they this Notion and Practice but from the Hebrews among whom Moses or rather God ordered all things that were offer'd in Sacrifice to be seasoned with Salt and thence it is call'd in the same place Salt of the Covenant because they were bound as by Covenant to use it in all Sacrifices to which our Saviour refers apâ—plying it to another Sense Every Sacrifice 〈◊〉 be salted with Salt To pass to some other Ciâ—â—cumstances relating to the Gentile Sacrifices 〈◊〉 which sprang from the Old Testament In iâ—tation of the Perpetual Fire on the Altar among 〈◊〉 Jews the Assyrians and Chaldeans kept a Fire 〈◊〉 ways burning and accounted it a very sacred 〈◊〉 choice Treasure This is Nergal which we 〈◊〉 mention'd in 2 Kings 17. 30. according to the oâ— pinion of a very excellent Man And soâ— think this sacred Fire was kept in that City whiâ—â— they call'd Vr from Vr ignis The Persians 〈◊〉 had their Perpetual Fire which they religiousâ—◠〈◊〉 kept as Strabo relates So it was ordered 〈◊〉 the Greeks that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 should be kept 〈◊〉 the Temple of
to King Ptolomee by the foresaid Demetrius a very serious Man and it was assigned as a Reason why the Contents of these Sacred Writings which were so Divine and Admirable were but rarely mention'd by the Historians and Poets These Examples had struck a terrour into some of them having heard how some Prophaners of these Holy Things were Animadverted upon by a Divine Hand they were afraid to Record any passages in the Old Testament Therefore some of them chose rather to disguise the Sacred Stories and to stuff them with Fabulous Narrations that they might scarcely be known to have been borrowed from that Holy Book Lastly the Devil hath a design in all this Tertâ—lian's Words are remarkable when he had said that the Things which are contrary to Truth i. e. the Heathen Fables Rites and Usages are made out of the Truth i. e. the Holy Scriptures he further adds that this Imitating of the Truth is wrought by the Spirits of Error that is the Devils who affect sometimes to Ape God and what he doth This is most apparent that they are a Mimical fort of Creatures and shew themselves sometimes diligent Emulators of the most Holy Pâ—rsons and Things Their great Subtilty and Craft are to be discern'd here for when they brought the Hebreâ— Rites and Ceremonies of Gods own appointment into the 〈◊〉 Worship and Service they did this to Prophane them and â—o make them contemptible and ridiculous They did it that those Divine and Sacred Things might be despised and that they might be turn'd into Superstition and Idolatry So likewise they cunningly mixed something of sacred Truth with Fables that thereby they might make the things that are True to be suspected Satban is desirous to pervert and even erase the whole Sacred Scripture and Antient Truth but because he sees he cannot effect this he therefore contrives how he may disguise the Scripture-Stories he sets the Poets to work to make them into Fables and thinks by that means to take off our Esteem of those Inspired Writings and to diminish that Credit which we ought to give to those Sacred Truths He pushed on those Grecian Wits to obscure and deface the Old Names in Scripture that the Original of them might not be known He out of direct malice moved those fanciful Men to invent Fables to defame the Primitive Stories to blemish the Sacred History to obscure and pervert the Truth The Poets turning the Scriptures into Fabulous Narrations was the way to invalidate the Testimony of them and to make them seem a meer Poetick Fiction a Dream a Fansie that hath no real bottom It is no wonder then that the Devil imped their Fancies and assisted their Inventions and help'd them to change the Truth into a Lie that thereby he might rob God and the Scripture of their Honour This I say might be a device of that Evil Spirit as he hath Devices and Wiles of all sorts to elude the Authority of Sacred History and to take away the Credit of Divine Truth Again as that Crasty Spirit designs by this means to disparage yea to null the Truth so he thinks hereby to gain assent to Falshood and to promote the greatest Impiety imaginable for when Truth is mixed with Falshood he hopes that this latter will be entertain'd for the sake of the former And when Lewd and Vitious Practices are founded in those that are Innocent and Religious he expects that these should justifie those Perhaps when he added the Sacred Ceremonies of the Iews to the prophane Worship of the Gentiles he thought thereby to take away the difference between them and to render them alike so that Men should not be able to distinguish between a True and False way of Worship Thirdly the Devil's Design in introducing several Sacred rites and Customs into the practice of the Heathens was to conciliate to himself a greater Authority and Esteem a greater Glory and Repute among them He commends those things to the Pagans which were Religiously used and even by God's own People and prescrib'd by God himself this he doth to inveigle the Pagan World and to bring them to Admire and Worship him Wherefore an Answer may easily be return'd to that Objection of a late Learned Writer What advantage can the Devil have by his imitating the Divine Worship He ever Acts for some end that may be prositable to himself but how can this prove so seeing it would be more advantageous to him to institute a Worship and Ceremonies that are Diametnically contrary to those in the Divine Law that by those as by so many proper and peculiar Characters his Herd might be distinguished from the Flock of the Shepherd of Israel The Answer I say to this is very easie and obvious for there can be nothing more Advantageous to that Evil Spirit than his emulating of Divine Worship and appointing Ceremonies suitable to it for by this means his Kingdom is most sensibly advanced and that with the greatest Artifice and Craft imaginable because this Vile Fiend is Adored even whilst the Divine Worship of the True God seems to be earried on It was the Subtilty of this Great Mimick to approach as near to God and True Religion as he could to make use of those things which by God's own express Command were used in his Worship This is a cunning way of gaining Proselytes and increasing the number of his Worshippers Thus he Acts for some End and that a very Profitable one too certainly much more Profitable to him than if he had Instituted Proper and Peculiar Ceremonies of Worship for these would too palpably have distinguish'd his Herd from the True Flock whereas those bring them into a kind of Rivalty with it Besides this fond Emulation in the Devil is a gratifying of his first Proud Inclination and aspiring to be like God He is still Ambitious of Divine Honour otherwise certainly he would not have desired to be Worship'd by the Son of God himself And he would be Worshipp'd in the same way that God is with the same Signs and Badges of Adoration Hence most of those Sacred Rites enjoyned by God himself and made use of in his Worship by the Iewish Church were transferred by Sathan to his Idolatrous and Impious Worship This is the effect of his Haughty Spirit which thirsteth after Divine Honour even such as is given to the only True God Thus I have amply shew'd you how it came to pass that the Rites and Practices and the greatest Truths contained in the Holy Scripture were corrupted disguised misapplied and abused by the Pagans I have given you the Reasons and Arguments which may convince you of this and render you an account of the manner of it CHAP. IX The Author's Assertions Confirmed by the ample Suffrage of the Ancients and Moderns Consectaries drawn from the whole viz. That we cannot with any shew of Reason admit of the Opinion of those who hold that the Jews borrow'd all or most of
Demonstration hath out-done them and â—ost that have writ on it Among our own Countrymen these deservedly are to be numbred viz. Sir Walter Raleigh who among several other passages hath these Remarkable â—ords The Heathens did greatly enrich their Inventions by venting the stoln Treasures of Divine Letters alter'd by Prophane Additions and disguis'd by Poeticaâ— Conversions as if they had been conceived out of their own Speculations Next to this Worthy Knight the Famous Mr. Selâ—â—â— may be mention'd who avers that the â—ost impious Customs among the Gentiles had â—â—eir Original from Scripture-History which 〈◊〉 confirms by several Examples You will 〈◊〉 the Reverend Bishop Montague though â—â—is Author's Adversary in another point â—greeing with him in this The Heathens saith he of Old made use of many things which were taken from the Divine Polity in the Old Testament but were afterwards cloak'd and disguis'd by the Malice and Fraud of the Devil The Judicious Dr. 〈◊〉 hath two distinct Chapters of the Gentile Stories and Fictions being â—orrowed â—rom the Bible I will mention a passage or two out of some other places of his Works If Moses saith he was forty days in the Mount to receive Laws from Gods own mouth Minos will be Iupiter's Auditor in his Den or Cave for the same purpose In emulation of Shiloh or Kirjath-jearim whilst the Ark of God remained there the Heathens had Dodona And for Ierusalem they had Delphi garnish'd with rich Donatives as if it had been the intended parallel of the Holy City And he hath these remarkable words in the same place Any Judicious Man from the continual and serious observation of this great Register of Truth he means the Scriptures may find out the Original of all the principal Heads or Common places of Poetical Fictions or Ancient Traditions which cannot be imagin'd should ever have come into Man's fancy unless from the imitation of the Historical Truth A Worthy Prelate whom I have already Named hath giveâ— us his suffrage most freely in this cause and hath undertaken to defend it in the close of his Origines Sacrae I could produce half 〈◊〉 hundred more Authors of good Note anâ— Learning but I forbear because I have donâ— sufficiently From these I have quoted you may see that what I have maintained in this Discourse is no idle fancy no notion taken up by shallow Heads but that the deepest Judgments the most Judicious and Impartial Pens have adopted it for a Truth We have it upon the Authority of all these Excellent Persons and many more in former in later and even in our present times as well as upon the plain Evidences Reasons and Arguments before alledged that the Ancient Philosophers and Poets borrowed from the Bible that many of the Gentile Fables are founded on the most Sacred Verities that the Scripture is the Source and Fountain from whence many of their Opinions Customs and Practices sprang that most of the Gentile Theology arose from the mistaken and depraved sense of the Holy Writings of the Old Testament From the whole let me offer these three or four Consectaries 1 We cannot with any shew of Reason admit of that Opinion which holds that the Iews borrowed all or most of their Religious Rites and Ceremonies from the Gentiles This though it bids desiance to that Reason and Testimony which I have produced hath had some Abbettors and Patrons Thus Origen acquaints us that Celsus stifly maintain'd that the Mosaick History was borrowed from the Fables of Heathens And with him other Heathens at that time concurred and to defend their Idolatrous Traditions and Usages asserted that Scripture History was a corruption of some of their Fables The Story of the Flood they said was taken from Deucalion and Paradise from Alcinous's Gardens and the Burning of Sodom and Gomorrah from Phaeton's setting the World on fire c. But Origen shews the absurdity of these allegations from the Antiquity of those Relations in Sacred Scripture and thence proves that the Greeks had these from the Iews and not on the contrary He makes it evident that the Iewish Nation had the Original Traditions and that others were corrupted and changed from these by the Heathens This Pagan Conceit which was taken up on purpose as an evasion against Christianity is revived by some Writers of late but by none more designedly and industriously carried on and improved than by a late Learned Man of our own who hath delivered such admirable and choice things on occasion of pursuing this subject and hath snewed himself so Great a Master of all kinds of Literature that we can scarcely be displeas'd with his Notion that 〈◊〉 at the head of all I will not pretend tâ—enter the Lists with this Great Champion being conscious to my own inabilities but this I will do I will set some Great Men upon him though I have partly done it already and leave him to grapple with them Iosephus the Learned Iew was a Competent Judge in this matter viz. Whether the Iews â—orrow'd their Sacred and Religious Rites from the Gentiles or whether on the contrary these borrow'd from them Let us bear what he saith There hath been a long time saith he among most Nations a great Zeal and Emulation towards our way of Religion and Worship There is not a City among the Greeks or Barbarians yea not any Nation which hath not received from us the Custom of Resting on the Seventh day and of Fasting and of Lighting up of Candles And several things which relate to Meats forbidden us by our Law are also observed by Foreign Nations Here this Knowing Person acquaints us that the Gentiles were followers of the Iews not these of them and particularly mentions some â—ites which they receiv'd from them With this agrees what two considerable Rabbies have said viz. Our Law is the Law of Truth and all Nations glory in it and every one of them hath taken a Branch from our Law and in it they glory For the Laws that are among the Gentiles are as it were Branches cut off from our Law Whence it undeniably follows that the Iewish Laws and Ceremonies were not taken from â—hose of the Pagans Christians agree in this with the Iews Thus Iustin Martyr in his Dialogue with a Iew expresly declares that as Circumcision had its Original from Abraham so the Sabbath and Sacrifices and Offerings and Feasts had theirs from Moses and not from the Gentiles And Tertullian speaking of the Devil 's seducing and perverting of Hereticks tells us that he doth the like also among the Pagans for he apes the most Sacred and Divine things even in the Idolatrous aud Mysterious Worship of the Gentiles and makes use of them therein to prophane and impious purposes This hath been the general sense of the Christian Church whether Papists or Protestants Upon those words in Deut. 12. 30. Estius concludes and all Understanding Men may do so too that from thence
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
Prophetesses for such they suppos'd them to be to assert the Writings of the New Testament It may be said that it doth not absolutely and necâ—ssarily follow that because the Fathers used the Sibylls Verses to confute the Pagans therefore they were true for they might suppose them to be such though they did not expresly declare it In answer to which I return that it cannot but be granted that there is a great probability of these Sibylline Writings being true because they are quoted by the Fathers For 1. Many of these knowing Persons use their Testimony If one or two only did so we could make no conclusion from thence but since it is certain that great numbers of them not only those before named but others expresly appeal'd to those Books we cannot with any Reason slight their Allegations 2. If these Books were quoted by the Fathers but seldom and rarely there would not be so great a Motive to attend to them but seeing we find them not only once or twice but very often made use of by them it argues that they deliberately did it and it invites us to give the greater attention and credit to them 3. They quote them not as on Supposition only but as True and Genuine and such as may and ought to be depended on 4. The Fathers were Persons that were Competent Judges in this Case Many of them were Men of Sagacity and of a Critical Genius and were not easily to be imposed upon They had also time and leisure to examine these Writings and to enquire whether they were forged or no and we are sure it was their Concern to do it for their Religion depended much upon it Wherefore those who blast the Authority of the Fathers in this point have little reason to do so They were no credulous Fools and such who took up any thing on trust they were able to discern these Writings to be Counterfeit if they had been such as well as any other Persons But notwithstanding this there have been of old and are of late several Men that reject the Sibylls Writings as Spurious and Counterfeit And who should forge them but Christians Here then I am obliged to answer that Cavil that the Writings which go under the name of the Sibylls were â—orged by Christian Hereticks This it seems was an old Objection for Origen acquaints us that it was made by the Arch Pagan Celsus And Lactantius after him saith that this Objection was renewed against the Sibylls Books by some other Pagan Adversaries viz. that they were forged by some Christians themselves Behold also the Moderns concurâ—ing with the Pagans to defame the Sibylls Scaliger is very warm against them and holds that the Fathers were much deceived about them Isaac Casaubon against Baronius endeavors to prove the credit of the Sibylls to be suspected Becman is against the authority of these Writings and saith they are Supposititious David Blondel uses all ways to prove them to be Forgeries and Impostures and he holds they were the Fictions of some busie Christians who had the boldness to impose upon the World by these Cheats and Romances As many of the ancient Christians and Fathers saith he received counterfeit Gospels Acts and Epistles so they were cheated and abused by â—hese spurious Pieces of the Sibylls The Learned Dallé is of the same Opinion and tells us that the Predictions concerning our Saviour and his Kingdom were put out under the names of the Sibylls â—y some Châ—istians who were fallen into Hereâ—â—e They had a mind to use a kind of pious Fraud â—o establish some part of Religion they thought it to cheat the World for their good and so they â—â—blish'd these Writings under the names of those â—rophetesses The Learned Dr. Cave who is â—ot wont to doat on these Moderns follows them 〈◊〉 this Opinion very closely and leaves the anciâ—nt Fathers of the Church for their sake He peâ—emptorily tells us that the Sibylls Verses were made â—nd feign'd on purpose by the Châ—istians to upâ—old their Religion and Faith and they are daâ—â—d by him from the Year 130 in Adrian's Reign 〈◊〉 is the first flight of them he saith But all â—â—is is Suspition and Prejudice and bold Affirmaâ—â—ves but no proof which will evidently appear 〈◊〉 you consider besides what hath been said alreaâ—y these following things 1. Some of the Siâ—â—lls Verses were extant before Christ's coming into the World as is conâ—essed by ancient Christians â—nd Pagans and by all the Learned Antiquaries The Acrosticks which are concerning the Last Judgment and the Consummation of the World of which I spoke before which consist of so many Verses as there are Letters in these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the first Verse beginning with Ι the second with Η c. these I say are mentioned by Tully in his Second Book of Divination and are in an other place inserted into his Works as Eusebius testifies in the Life of Constantine and saith they are translated into Latin Verse by him where he adds that this is not a Poem of a mad and frentick Person for the Composure and Contrivance of the Verse argues the contrary and shews attention of Mind Skill and Diligence These Sibylline Verses the Initial Letters of which point at our Lord Christ are mentioned not only by Tully but by Varro who also lived before our Saviour's time If then they were extant and famous before Christ's Birth it is impossible they could be invented by the Christians Whence it is plain that all the Writings of the Sibylls were not obtruded by Christians unless you will say there were any such before Christ. Again Virgil's Fourth Eclogue is not denied to be the same now that it was at first and yet there he Comments on the Cumaean Sibyll's Oracle which is a clear Prediction of Christ. Accordingly in Constantine's Oration part of this Poem is applied to Christ and look'd on as a Prophesie of him although the Poet makes use of it in a way of Panegyrick to the Emperor Augustus and to Asinius Pollio his good Patron yea he ridiculously applies it to Pollio's Son who was born that Year He understands those words borrow'd from the Sibylls Oracle Iam redit Virgo concerning Astraea but the sense was much higher there being a reference in those words to the Sign mentioned by the Evangelical Prophet A Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son Isai. 7. 14. Of that golden Age which was to come he saith Incipient magni procedere menses What Magnitude is in Bodies that Diuturnity or Length is in Time and so here is intimated the duration of Christ's Reign Whose Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom and shall stand for ever Dan. 2. 44. 7. 27. Or those Days and Months shall be Great because they are the Lord's to whom whatever appertaineth is Great whence every thing that is in its kind the greatest is called God's Several other things in that Eclogue are transcribed out of
the uppermost parts of the Foundation which they could conveniently come at and then tear up the Ground with a Plough for as it was a Custom among the Romans to make use of the Plough when they laid the Foundations of a City so they dug up the Ground in the like manner when they destroy'd it The Iews themselves Record this we find both in the Talmudick Chronicles and in R. Maâ—monides as Dr. Lightfoot assures us that Ierusalem was ploughed up after the Destruction of it At which time there was a literal accompliâ—hment of that Prophecy of Micaâ— c. 3. v. 12. Sion shall be ploughed as a Field Afterwards in Adrian's Reign the Iews rebelling under the Conduct of Barchocâ—ab as hath been said the Emperor caused all the remaining footsteps of the City and Temple to be defaced and demolish'd and commanded the three Towers which by Titus's Order were left standing to be pull'd down and then strewed the City with Salt Nay the very name of the City was extinguished for Adrian after this total Desolation causing the City to be built anew but much more contracted than before call'd it by his own name Aelia and here he set up the Heathen Worship and in deâ—iance and abhorrence of Iudaism erected the Image of a Sow over one of the greatest Gates of the City And after this when Iulian out of that hatred and malice which he bore to the Christians and their Religion set the Iews on work to rebuild the Temple at Ierusalem lo a terrible Earthquake spoilt all and those Stones of the Foundation which lay unmoved before were now thrown out of their places Then were those words of Christ in the beginning of this Chapter exactly fulfill'd There shall not be left here one Stone upon another that shall not be thrown down v. 2. Lastly I will add this that this direful and tragical end of the holy City was usher'd in with several strange Spectacles and Signs according to our Saviour's Prediction not only in this Chapter v. 29. but in Mark 13. 24. Luke 21. 25. And even these are particularly mentioned and described by Iewish and Pagan Authors Ierusalem was compassed with Armies in the Sky as well as with those below Of these strange Sights the chief Roman Historian speaketh saying There were Armies seen in the Air encountring one another that their Weapons were exceeding bright and glistering and that the Temple seem'd to be all of a Light by the continual flashings of the Clouds And he proceeds to enumerate other prodigious Accidents which were the preâ—ages of Ierusalems Destruction Thus the Twenty-fourth of St. Matthew and the other parallel Chapter in St. Luke which treat of the forerunners of Ierusalems Destruction and the Destruction it self may be particularly made good out of mere Heathen Writers who knew nothing of Christ's Predictions concerning it But not only of these but of all the other strange Apparitions Voices and portentous Events Iosephus gives us a particular Account in an intire Chapter on this Subject There you will find that the Prognosticks of Ierusalems Destruction the Signs and Tokens in Heaven or Earth which the Evangelists speak of are faithfully Recorded by that Jewish Historian I have yet another Evidence to exhibit and that is concerning Christ's Followers and Servants in the Age next after him whence it will appear from the Relation given by a professed Heathen what the Christians were And by a fair and rational Deduction we may gather what manner of Persons they were at the very first and consequently that the Evangelical History represents them aright Pliny the younger Writing to Trajan gives an account of the Religion and Practise of these Persons for he being Proconsul of Bithynia in that Emperors time and appointed by him to inspect the carriage of the Christians he was careful to inform himself of that matter thereby to gratifie his Master who had employ'd him Accordingly he tells how strangely that Religion increased and gathered strength every day in that Province and that not only great Cities but Towns and Villages were filled with the Professors of it and in proportion to this that the Pagan Worship daily decreased He testifies how resolute and constant they were in their Profession for he saith he had some Persons before him under Examination who were accused of being Followers of Christ but he presently found them to be no Christians because they were so ready upon his Suggestion to adore the Emperors Image and even to curse Christ himself Which was a sufficient Evidence to him he saith that they were not Christians indeed for he had been imformed he tells the Emperor that Persons of that Character could not possibly be forced to any thing of that nature but that they were immoveable and unshaken in their Religion Lastly he gives some account from their own Mouths and Confessions of their way of Religion and how devoutly they served God and that they worship'd Christ as such Then there is also Trajan's Rescript to Pliny concerning the Christians wherein he expresses it to be his pleasure that these Persons should no longer be under the Inquisition i. e. they shall not be sought for to be punished notwithstanding their stedfastness and Pervicaciousness as Pliny had represented it in their Religion for he was satisfied of their good moral Qualities and that they were neither perjur'd Persons nor Sacrilegious nor Adulterers nor Homicides nor Malefactors of any sort This Character and Account which were given at the beginning of the Second Century by the Emperor himself and by Pliny who had certain knowledge of the Christians may create a Perswasion in us that they were at first the same holy and Innocent Persons and that their Religion wonderfully increased and flourish'd and that all the Severities which were used towards them were not able either to stifle them or their Religion and consequently may assure us that the History of the New-Testament rightly and truly describes them and gives a faithful Account of Christianity and the Author of it After this ample Testimony it would be needless to insist on what Arrianus and Galen and several other credible Writers have deliver'd concerning the manisold Sufferings of the first Christians and that invincible Patience Resolution and Constancy wherewith they underwent them After all that hath been said I will conclude with the Testimony of that Arch Infidel Mahomet who hath these express words in the Alcoran The Spirit of God hath given Testimony to Christ the Son of Mary a Divine Soul was put into him He is the Messenger of the Spirit and the Word of God His Doctrin is perfect c. And again the Gospel is called the Light and Confirmation of the Testament and the right way to fear God And moreover he brings in God speaking and declaring thus that he had sent Christ the Son of Mary and that he had given the Gospel to no other end but
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
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
Combates and because they were so like them they sometimes go by that Name Great Numbers of People flock'd from all parts in Greece to these Solemn Diversions either to try their Skill or to be Spectators And I question not but St. Paul before his Conversion had been present at these Exercises and observ'd their Customs and Practices whence it is that he so often in his Writings makes use of them And these Games were very well known to the Corinthians particularly as being celebrated in their Isthmus not far from Corinth whence it is that the Apostle speaking to these People saith emphatically Know ye not that they which run in a Race c. 1 Cor. 9. 24. and therefore the frequent Metaphors taken from them by St. Paul were the better understood by them There were five sorts of these Gymnastick Entertainments in use among the Grecians which Eustathius reckons up in this order 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And Simonides comprehends them in this Verse in the First Book of his Epigrams 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is 1. Leaping or exercising the Legs and Arms by Jumping 2. Running or Racing 3. Coyting or hurling the Bar. 4. Casting the Dart or throwing the Spear 5. Wrestling to which afterwards was added 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pugilatus Fisty-Cuffs and after that they struck with Battoons and Leaden Pellets These five Grecian Excercises were call'd by one name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and he that was skill'd in them all or won the Prizes at them all was stiled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 though the Epithet is sometimes taken in another Sense as when 't was given to Democritus because he was the Master of five noble Accomplishments Of these several Olympick Conflicts the chiefest and most renowned was their Running or Racing for which the Grecians were so famous and eminent above all others and therefore St. Paul who had been a Spectator of their Races principally borrows his Metaphors from this Manly as well as Applauded kind of Sport as you may see in his Epistles which abound with Expressions taken from this Athletick Exercise But he sometimes alludes to Wrestling and the other Agonistick Enterprizes which the Grecians in those days were celebrated for He frequently uses the Terms which are proper to these Undertakings as when he saith He herein exerciseth himself to have a Conscience c. where the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is taken from those Combates among the Gentiles and is applied to Sacred things The same may be observ'd of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Tim. 2. 5. and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 10. 32. and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Tim. 6. 12. 2 Tim. 4. 7. and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is another Olympick word and is used in very many places by our Apostle So 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 12. 11. is an Athletick word and properly signifies that Exercise which Wrestlers or the like Combatants are train'd up to by long use and Discipline And this occurs again in 1 Tim. 4 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Exercise thy self unto Godliness i. e. be as eager in pursuit of Piety as those who are train'd up to the Olympick Exercises are in their Wrestling and other Strivings for Victory And therefore I am of opinion that those next words Bodily Exercise profiteth little are to be understood of those Olympick Games which I find Expositors do not take notice of but interpret them of External and Bodily Religion some outward Austerities and Acts of superstitious Worship But the Apostle as I conceive refers here to the immediately foregoing Expression which he had used 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which he was apprehensive was taken from the Olympick Combates and accordingly he adds 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bodily Exercise profiteth a little for so I would translate it i. e. as I apprehend the words that Athletick Exercise of their Bodies is useful to some ends they have some small advantage and profit by it viz. as to Health encreasing their Strength and Courage gaining Repute and Credit winning the Prize But alas saith he these are mean and inconsiderable Things in comparison of that Solid Profit which accrues by Godliness for this is profitable to all things procuring all Benefits not only to our Bodies but our Souls advancing both the Temporal and Eternal Interest of those who study and practise it There are three Agonistical terms together in Rom. 9. 30 31. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to pursue or follow after 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to attain to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be foremost in the Race to come first to the Goal but our Translators render it to attain And in several other places the Gymnastick words are made use of especially in 1 Cor. 9. 24 to the End of the Chapter and in Phil. 3. 12 to the 17. v. which are a Continuation of the Metaphor of the Grecian Exercises so much in use at that time By these the Apostle sets forth the Laws and Rules of an Evangelical Life by which all the Followers of Christ are to direct themselves This then were are to take notice of that there were certain Laws observ'd in the Agonisticks there were peculiar Rules and Orders which they tied themselves to which the Apostle means when he saith If any Man strive for Masteries he is not crowned except he strive lawfully 2 Tim. 2. 5. i. e. as S. Chrysostom rightly explains it except he observe all the Laws of the Striving and omit nothing required of him This was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and accordingly there was the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Crier an Officer on purpose to acquaint the Combatants with the Laws of the Place So in the Exercise of a Christian Life we must strive lawfully we must carefully act according to the Orders of our Holy Institution for our Great Agonotheta hath prescrib'd us certain Laws which we are to follow with all exactness And these we shall find express'd according to the Stile of the Athleticks who had Laws to direct them what they were to do before the Combate what in the time of it and what afterwards First They had certain Observances which related to their behaviour before the Combate and they were such as these as you may find them briefly summ'd up by Epictetus who compares the Life of a Good Man to these Bodily Exercises An Olympick Gamester saith he must order himself aright before the Contest he must sometimes force himself to take food at other times he must by force abstain from it especially from what is dainty and delicious he must use himself to his Exercises though he finds himself unwilling and this at a set and fix'd time both in Summer and Winter he must not be permitted to drink cool Liquor or any Wine as he thinks fit In short he must deliver up himself to the Master of Fences as to a Physician Galen on the 18th Aphorism of Hippocrates very well describes
in part with the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Septuagint Version and in the New Testament Sometimes it is Conversive as they call it it changes the Tense and sometimes it is Interrrogative At other times it is Adversative and is equivalent to but or although Not unusually it hath the Force of an Adverb of Time and is as much as when then now It is also a Comparative Particle and is the same with so Oftentimes it is put for the Relative Pronoun asher which Sometimes it is Emphatical as the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is and is of the like Signification with even in English Again it seems to be Redundant as when it begins a Chapter or some New Matter without reference to any thing before Thus not only some of the Books of Moses but those of Ezra and Ionah begin with a Vau. But it is certain that this Particle is not merely Expletive here as the Learned Jews acknowledg Lastly Many times in the Hebrew Stile it is not Copulative but Disjunctive and it is accordingly rendred or and nor by our Translators as in Gen. 26. 11. He that toucheth this Man or his Wife and in Exod. 21. 15. He that smiteth his Father or his Mother and in Exod. 1. 10. and in several other Places of Scripture the Hebrews acknowledge that the Conjunctive Particle is a Disjunctive as the Aspect of Conjunction in the Sun is sometimes among Astronomers call'd Opposition Thus this Vau is of great Latitude which causes Variety of rendring many Places but those that are very Observing and Curious as it was intended by Providence that we should be in reading the Bible will soon know how to make a Difference and to discern the proper meaning of this Particle Likewise the Hebrew Praâ—positions are of various Signification and one is put for another very often which makes the Sense not a little difficult Who sees not that these Praefixes or Praepositions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are differently used and at one time are applied one way and another another And who knows not that sometimes they seem to be unnecessary and to signify nothing at all though even then without doubt they are of some Significancy and Use. But to know this aright is not easy a great Learning in the Tongue is requisite to discover it The Hebrew Verbs also are very Equivocal and have very Different meanings In their divers Conjugations they have divers Significations whence it proves a very hard thing sometimes to know which of them is meant A word in Kal may bear one sense in Piel another in Hiphil a Third c. But if we apply our selves with that Care and Industry to the searching into the Scriptures which are required of us we shall either be able to discern which Particular Sense is meant in the places before us or where we cannot attain to this we shall find that our Ignorance is not prejudicial to us because the Controversy is not about any thing which we ought necessarily to know The Verb Chalal signifies to begin and to profane according to its different Conjugations Of the former Signification there are Instances in Gen. 6. 1. Num. 17. 11. and many other places Of the latter in Num 30. 3. Ezek. 39. 7. and abundance of other Texts whence there is some dispute about Gen. 4. 26. some rendring the word Huchal Men began others Men profaned Both the Chaldee Paraphrasts understand it in the latter sense and so do the Hebrew Rabins generally They take the meaning of the place to â—e this Then the Name of God was profaned then Religion began be corrupted then they call'd on God's Name so as to dishonour and pollute it viz. by their Oaths and Blasphemies R. Soloman Iarchi Maimonides and other Jewish Doctors understand it of the rise of Idolaâ—ry they tell us that Moses gives us an account here of the first beginning of the setting up of New Gods And from this Text Mr. Selden who always adheres to the Circumcised Doctors endeavours to prove that Idolatry was in those days But it is more reasonable to believe that this was not of so early a Date and that there was no such Vile Defection at that time in the World This is the Judgment of the famous Jewish Historian and Antiquary and most of the Antient and Learned Fathers of the Christian Church give their Suffrage to it and that with good reason because if at this time that Generation had been guilty of this most Abominable Crime it would certainly have been mention'd and that plainly as you see afterwards that as soon as this Horrid Sin began to be practis'd in the World the Holy Scriptures record it and at the same time decry it But it is not to be question'd that Impious Cain and his Party corrupted the True Religion and Worship of God and labour'd to bring in Universal Profaneness Wherefore the Family of Holy Seth and Godly Enoch and his Associates zealously resisted their Attempts and took a course to suppress the prevailing Corruption Accordingly now they began in a peculiar manner to meet together and to join their Devotions mor solemnly and to call upon God They more especially exercis'd themselves in Prayer that indispensible act of Divine Worship They began more signally and openly to be Religious Thus Men began to call upon the Name of the Lord or as it may be rendred to call themselves by the Name of the Lord to entitle themselves after the Name of Iehovah as we call our selves Câ—ristians after Christ's Name They profess'd themselves to be the People of God and Worshippers of the Most High Thus to call on the Name of the Lord and to be call'd by his Name amount to the same and signify that at that particular time the Faithful invoked God and worship'd and serv'd him in a more solemn manner than before and they publickly own'd themselves to be the Sons of God and the Servants of the Great Iehovah Thus Men began to call on God's Name and thus Aben Ezra and other Modern Rabbies who have better consider'd of it understand this Text in the plain Sense of it And it is likely it had never been otherwise understood if the ambiguity of the Verb Chalal had not given occasion for this in the Conjugation Niphal signifies to profane and to be profaned but in Hiphil and Hophal as here to begin which some took no notice of and so mistook the Sense To proceed the Hebrew word Pathah signifies to enlarge and perswade whence there is some difference in the Translation of Gen. 9. 27. God shall enlarge others read it God shall perswade Japheth But yet if you take either of the Readings with the following Words the Sense is not varied the meaning is the same for the whole Verse contains God's Promise that Iapheth should dwell in the Tents of Shem that is that the Gentiles who sprang from Iapheth should be converted to Judaism and
and down to rest or be quiet Sharash to take root to eradicate or extirpate Taab to desire in Kal to abominate in Piel Gnuph to shine to be obscure Natzar to save to destroy Gnazab to desert to help Batzar to rob or prey to defend one's self from â—obbers Bara to make or create also to remove or destroy Salah to tread under foot to esteem Garaph to gather to disperse Asaph to gather or preserve also to remove or destroy Nacham to grieve or repent to abandon Grief or to be comforted Chissed to consecrate to desecrate There are Instances of all or most of these viz. the same Hebrew Verbs and Nouns which have not only Different but Contrary Senses in the Writings of the Old Testament which the Reader may consider at his leisure and thereby be help'd to a distinct understanding of the Words in those Texts where they occur BOOKS written by the Reverend Mr. JOHN EDWARDS AN Enquiry into several Remarkable Texts of the Old and New Testament which contain some Difficulty in them with a Probable Resolution of them In two Volumes 8o. 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 tâ—e whole Work 8o. A Discourse concerning 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 8o. All sold by Ionathan Robinson Iohn Everingâ—am and Iohn Wyat. Imprimatur Ian. 10. 1694 5. CAROLUS ALSTON R. P. D. Hen. Episc. Lond. Ã sacris DISCOURSE 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 Wherein are also several Remarkable Texts interpreted according to the Author 's Particular Judgment By IOHN EDWARDS B. D. sometime Fellow of S. Iohn's College in Cambridge LONDON Printed by I. D. for Ionathan Robinson at the Golden Lion Iohn Taylor at the Ship and Iohn Wyat at the Rose in St. Paul's Church-Yard MDCXCV Octob. 13. 1694. I judg the Reverend Author shall do well to print the following Discourse wherein he hath Learnedly demonstrated the Excellency and Perfection of the Books of the Old and New Testament Io. Beaumont D. D. The King's Professor of Divinity in Cambridge TO THE Most Reverend Father in God His Grace THOMAS Lord Archbishop of Canterbury Primate and Metropolitan of all England and one of his Majesties most Honourable Privy Council May it please Your Grace I Imbrace this welcome Opportunity of congratulating Your late Access to the Highest Station in our Church which all Wise and Good Men look upon as an Happy Omen of the future Felicity of these Realms For in Your Grace conspire all those things which can render us by the Divine Blessing a Prosperous People viz. Your unstained Faithfulness and Loyalty to his Majesty Your most Ardent Love to Your Country Your Great Ability for Publick Counsels and Affairs Your perfect Abhorrence of all Immorality and Debauchery Your Zealous Concern for the Church of England and in that for the whole Protestant Religion Of this last You have afforded the World such an Illustrious Proof as will give an immortal Reputation to Your Name For you have not only with Your Learned Pen encountred the Idolatry of the Church of Rome and therein vindicated the Reformed Cause but in all Your Actions You have demonstrated Your singular Care for this latter and Your Detestation of the former Especially when in the late Reign this Idol began to be set up again and too many fell down to it You with the utmost Zeal Vigour and Courage remonstrated against this Practice You bore the Insolencies and Insults of the Enemy with an unimitable Bravery You withstood their Boldness with a Confidence becoming the Goodness of Your Cause You obviated their Folly and Madness with a profound Wisdom and Prudence You defeated their Diligence by a more unwearied Industry And in brief You were the Successful Maul and Scourge of the Hectoring Jesuits that lifted up their Heads in that Day For this You were hated and defamed and are so at this Hour by all the sworn Friends to the Pontifician Interest who look upon You and that justly as their most Dreadful Enemy But this very thing deservedly makes Your Grace to be loved admired and honoured by all Sincere Protestants and True English men I am one that glory in being of that Number and accordingly I now attempt to express my infinite Regards and Veneration of Your Grace's Transcendent Undertakings in behalf of our Religion and our Church and of the Whole Nation And as a Testimony of my Resentments and Duty I here offer to Your Grace a Discourse of the Perfection of the Holy Scriptures which was designed to be presented to Your Lordship before you were advanced to this Supreme See to which Your Merits have called You. Wherefore I having then consecrated it to Your Name I hold it unlawful now to alienate it especially it being the Choicest and Noblest Subject that I have yet treated of and therefore I hope not unworthy of Your Grace's Patronage I submit the Work wholly to Your Grace's Judgment and beg leave to have the Honour of professing my self to be Your Grace's most Humble and Obedient Son and Servant JOHN EDWARDS The PREFACE I Now present the Reader with that Part of my Discourses concerning the Holy Scriptures wherein I have attempted to display the matchless Worth and Perfection of those Divine Records Besides the Great and Important Remarks which I have offer'd I could have mention'd other things barely Critical and which though they be of an inferiour Nature in comparison of those which I have insisted upon are deemed to be Excellencies and Embelishments in other Authors of good Rank Thus some Criticks have observed concerning that of Virgil Aen. 8. Quadrupedante putrem sonitu quatit ungula campum That in the very Sound of the Words the swist Career of the Horses beating and shaking the Ground with their Hoofs seems to sâ—rike the Ear. The Poetick Feet are so form'd that they express those of the Steeds And so in the same Writer Aen. 5. Procumbit humi bos is thoght to be a great Elegancy and Pulchritude as if it represented in a lively manner the Dull and Heavy Fâ—ll of that Creature Both in this and the former Instance the very Noise of the Words the very Composure of the Syllables are justly applauded by the Admirers of that Poet. The like I could have observ'd in the Inspired Writings especially those that are Poetical among which I reckon the Book of Isaiah to be one for tho it be not in Verse yet a Poetick Genius and Strain may be observ'd in most Parts of it Those Words ch 21. v. 5. Prepare the Table watch in
30 c. And that he doth whatsoever he pleaseth both in Heaven and Earth Psal. 115. 3. But more especially the Divine Oracles acquaint us that this Divine and Benign Author gave existence unto Man the Choicest of all the Creatures of this lower World whom he created in his own Image after his Likeness Gen. 1. 26 27. that is in Knowledg Righteousness and true Holiness Col. 3. 10. Eph. 4. 24. And we are told in these Sacred Writings how Man lost this Image and miferably defaced and corrupted his Nature viz. by listning to the Temptation of Satan and by wilful disobeying the Divine Command Here also we are informed that all Flesh is desiled and polluted by this Transgression of our First Parents in Paradise and that their Sin is become the Sin of All Mankind Rom. 5. 12. Hence we learn moreover that the Merciful Creator out of his infinite and boundless Philanthropy vouchsafed to promise that the seed of the Woman the Blessed Iesus who was to be born of a Virgin should bruise Satan's Head Gen. 3. 15. and save and redeem lost Mankind and restore them to their former State of Happiness Here is taught the Rise of Religion and the Church which began with our Peâ—tent First Parents and their Children of whom Abol was the Chief Their first and early way of expressing their Devotion and Religion was by Offerings and Sacrifices unto God Gen. 4. 4. To which end without doubt they erected Altars though these are not mentioned till after the Flood Gen. 8. 20. We are told at what time there was established an Open and more Solemn worshipping of God viz. in Seth's days then it was that Men began to call upon the Name of the Lord and to form a Visible Church Gen. 4. 26. i. e. an Orderly and Solemn Society of Men gather'd and chosen out as a peculiar People to serve God For as Men encreased they began to embody themselves into Communions and to worship God more signally and openly and with a joint Consent Here and no where else we have an Account of the Church's Progress and Increase under the good Patriarchs Noah Abraham c. Here we are informed what were the several Defections and Restorations of Religion in the first Ages Here we have an Account of the Erection of the Levitical or Mosaick Service the whole System of Religious Rites and Ceremonies unto which the Jewish Church was obliged This yields abundant Matter of Contemplation and Enquiry to the Studious who will find that these Observances were instituted after the Israelites had been a while in the Wilderness and had shew'd themselves inclinable to commit Idolatry Then it was that God by Moses gave them these Laws and prescribed them these Usages which he knew would be the best Antidote against the Idolatrous Practices of the Nations that were round about them And withal if we look into these Ceremonies with a discerning Eye we shall see that they had a farther End and were Presignifications of the great and wonderful Transactions of the Evangelical Dispensation that they obscurely pointed unto the Messias and his Blessed Undertakings for the Redemption of Mankind They were Forerunners and Harbingers of the Blessed Child Iesus that Child that was to be born that Son who was to be given and on whose shoulders the Government was to be settled Isa. 9. 6. And we are ascertained that in the fulness of time God actually sent forth this his Son made of a Woman Gal. 4. 4. that He so loved thâ— World that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting Life John 3. 16. All â—e like Sheep have gonâ— astrâ—y we have turned every one to his own way and the Lord hath laid on him the Iniquity of us all Isa. 53. 6. He bare our Sins in his own Body on the Tree 1 Peâ— 2. 4. He was wounded for our Transgressions he was â—ruised for our Iniquities the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his Stripes we are healed Isa. 53. 5. The True Nature the Admirable Method and the Inestimable Worth of this Healing and Saving us are the main Subject of these Inspired Writings where we are taught likewise that this Salvation is Free and Undeserved and founded on the Meer Grace and Bounty of God and is not the Acquist of any Merit and Worth in us We are justified freely by his Grace through the Redemption that is in Christ Iesus whom God â—ath set forth to be a Propitiation for Sin through Faith in his Blood Rom. 3. 24. And in the Evangelical History we are told that this Blessed Redeemer who laid down his Life for us took it up again rising from the Grave by the irresistible Power of his Godhead and after a few Days Ascended gloriously into Heaven from whence He shall come at the last Day to call the whole World to an Account for He hath appointed a Day in which he will judg the World in Righteousness Then all the Dead shall hasten out of their Dormitories and stand before that Great Tribunal and receive Sentence according to their past Behaviour These are some of the Grand Principles of our Faith these are the Fundamental Verities of our Religion and they are originally fetch'd from this Sacred Volume and are established and confirmed there by unanswerable Arguments and Demonstrations Behold here the Eminency of Scripture-Notions see the Transcendency of these Excellent Truths which are contain'd in the Bible Here are things of a higher Nature than any Moral Writings afford us These say nothing of the Gracious Oeconomy of the Gospel of the Incarnation of the Son of God of Satisfaction made for Sins through the Blood of Christ of Justification by his Righteousness and other the like unparallell'd Discoveries which are to be learn'd out of Scripture only In short the Bible is the Standard of all Notions Propositions and Articles in Religion it is the Rule and Square of all our Opinions Discourses and Arguments relating to Christianity and all our Conceptions though they seem never so sine and plausible are of little worth and nse unless they be regulated according to This. If there arise any Disputes and Controversies concerning Matters of Christian Faith This is the Judg that we must have recourse to or rather This is the Rule by which we are to judg for every Man is to judg and choose and the Rule whereby he is to guide his Judgment and Choice is the Scripture It is true Reason or Conscience is our Immediate Guide or Rule but then we must have a Mediate Rule that is a Guide or Rule for our Reasons and Consciences and That in all Sacred and Religious things is the Word of God and That is the only Rule By This and This alone all Controversies of Faith which are necessary to be decided may and ought to be decided And it is the Excellency and Perfection of this Rule that it is
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
native Language of those that possess'd that Land to prove which he produces the Names of Persons and Places among them as Melchisedek Abimelek Kirjath-sepher Iericho c. and thence infers that Hebrew was the native Tongue of the Canaanites or Philistines And if this be true then the Great Selden and with him many others are mistaken who affirm that the Hebrew Tongue remained pure in the Family and Posterity of Abraham only and that Abraham brought that Tongue first into Canaan The contrary appears viz. that this Tongue was preserv'd even in Canaan But Monsieur Bochart goes too far when he adds that Hebrew was not retain'd in the Families of Heber and Abraham but that this latter learn'd this Tongue of the Canaanites when he lived with them in Canaan I do not see this clear'd by him and therefore I am enclined to believe that the Hebrew Tongue was both in Abraham's Family and among the Canaanites Though Abraham was a Chaldean and Chaldee was the Language of the Country yet by the singular Providence of God the Hebrew might be kept up and spoken by him Nor did this hinder his converse with the Chaldeans because the Chaldee is a Dialect of the Hebrew If it be objected that Canaan and consequently the Canaanites were from Cham who was a â—abel-Builder and how then was the Primitive Hebrew among them It may be hard to resolve this and perhaps it is the only considerable Objection against Bochart's Opinion I am not now obliged to shew why it was so but I am only concern'd to attend to the Matter of Fact Viz. that the Canaanites spoke Hebrew and consequently kept their Tongue notwithstanding the Confusion at Babel And that I may not wholly dismiss it without giving a Reason of it this might very well be because the Canaanite speaking Hebrew was as much a Barbarian and as little understood by another Family or Plantation as if God had infused a new Language or Idiom So that we need not wonder that Hebrew was the Language of the ungodly Canaanites Though truly if I may speak freely I do not see that this is firmly built on that Text in Isaiah before cited for 't is manifest that that is a Prophecy concerning the Conversion of the Gentiles and particularly the Egyptians to the True Religion and Worship viz. that of the Iews which was then in Being and consequently This and not the Antient Speech and Dialect of Canaan is here meant by the Language of Canaan Or supposing the very Speech of that Country to be meant yet we can't thence absolutely infer that the Canaanites spoke Hebrew but only that Hebrew is call'd the Language of Canaan which might be for this reason because the Israelites who spoke Hebrew had possess'd the Land of Canaan about eight hundred Years when this was said by Isaiah But this doth not prove the Language of the Jews and the Old Canaanites to be the same Yet notwithstanding this from what hath been before alledg'd we have good reason to conclude as several Learned Writers have done that the Hebrew Tongue was the same with the Language of Canaan i. e. the Language which the Canaanites spoke From all which laid together and compared with what hath been said we are confirm'd in this Assertion that Hebrew was the only Language that was in use before the Confusion of Babel and so was the First Tongue and the Mother of all other Eastern Tongues This is so evident that it hath been the universal belief of the Iews who are very positive here and it hath been held and defended by the Learnedest Christians who have treated on this Subject This is the Language which God himself spoke as is manifest from abundant Instances some of which have been referr'd to and there are many others as God's changing of the Names of Abram Sarai Iacob c. and several Names and Memorials in the forty Years abode of the Israelites in the Wilderness testify this This is the Antient and Holy Tongue that was used by our First Parents and without doubt it was immediately taught them by God for he that bestow'd upon them other excellent Benefits denied them not Speech Therefore this was a special Gift of the Creator this was one of the first Donatives conferr'd on Adam and Eve And it was enjoyed by them and by all the Antediluvians yea all Noah's Posterity till the Confusion at Babel In this first and antientest Language was the Pentateuch and even all the Old Testament written and that in those very Hebrew Letters which we have at this day for the Samaritan ones which by some are cried up for the Antientest are but a corrupt Imitation of these In this Holy Language and Characters both of his own Institution God would have the Sacred Mysteries of his Religion express'd and recorded In this Book alone are the first Names of Men and Beasts in that Tongue denoting their particular Natures and Qualities which I might have mentioned before to shew the Antiquity of this Tongue Nay we are to remember this that this first way of speaking among Mankind is no where preserved but in these Writings for after the Babylonian Captivity which was about three thousand and four hundred years after the Creation this Original Speech was no longer the Language of any particular Nation for the Captive Jews lost this Tongue at Babylon a Place fatal to Hebrew at first in the Confusion of Tongues and afterwards in this Peoples forgetting their Language there insomuch that at their Return home they could not understand the Book of their own Laws but by an Interpreter Neh. 8. 7 8. for they had chang'd their Hebrew into a Mixt Language compounded partly of Hebrew and partly of Chaldee which was afterwards call'd Syriack But in the Old Testament the pure Hebrew is kept entire and uncorrupted and is extant at this day in no Writings but these If any Grammarians and Criticks could say the like concerning the Greek or Latin Tongue that there is One Book wherein either of these in its first Purity is wholly contain'd they would be very lavish in their Encomiums of that Volume and the Prelation of it to all others should not want setting forth Behold here the Whole Hebrew Tongue and that in its native Lustre comprised in the Old Testament In no one Book upon Earth besides this is there lodged a Whole Language which should invite all Admirers and Lovers of Antient Literature to prize it and the Books written in it Certainly this is a high Commendation of these Sacred Writings and gives them the Preference to all others whatsoever Secondly They rightly claim this because they acquaint us with the true Origine of the World which we find recorded in no other Writings For tho the Beginning of all things and some Circumstances which appertain to it are obscurely intimated in some Pagan Historians and Poets and thereby as I have lately shew'd on another occasion Testimony is given
same Person was the Author of Vocal Musick it being so natural and usual to join this with the other These Inspired Writings are the first that teâ—â— us on what Occasions these several forts of Muâ—â—â— were used of old as namely first in a Religious Way Harmony both Vocal and Instrumental was primitively consecrated to God as we learn from Exod. 15. where 't is said that they not only sang unto the Lord v. 1. and that Alternately for Miriam ansâ—ored them viz. the Persons that â—ung before she repeated their Song â— 21. which sâ—ews the Antiquity of that Alternate way of Singing but they made use of Timbrels v. 20. And afterwards in David's Reign it more solemnly became a Religious Exercise he so often making use of it in his own personal and private Devotions For he was not only an Excellent Poet and compos'd psalms and Hymns which by the by shews that Poetry is an Accomplishment worthy of a Prince yea of a Saint but he plaid with great Skill on Musical Instruments Hence he mentions his Harp and other Instruments often in his Book of Psalms And it appears from what we read in 1 Sam. 16. 19. that he was initiated into this Art betimes and was very Eminent in it when he was a Young Man otherwise he would not have been sent for to Court But he not only made and plai'd his Psalms but he sung them and was so famous for it that he is by way of Eminency stiled the Sweet Psalmist or Singer of Israel Nor was Musick his own Entertainment only but it was by him constituted a part of the Publick Worship He being Poetical and Musical endited Hymns and his skilful Musitians set them to grave and serious Tunes and then they were devoted to the Church and do still remain Patterns of Devotion and so shall to all Ages To the Religious Use of Musick both of Voice and Instrument those words in Psal. 68. 25. refer The Singers Sharim the Princes or Chief Masters of Singing â—ent before the Nogenim the players on Instruments follow'd after amongst them or in the middle of them according to the Hebrew viz. between the Singing-men and Players were the Damsels playing with Timbrels So that both Sexes were wont to join in consort at the joyful bringing forth and procession of the Ark which are here meant and called the goings of God in the Sanctuary v. 24. To this belongs Sam. 6. 5. David and all the House of Israel play'd before the Lord on all manner of Instruments viz. at the removal of the Ark. And those Musical Instruments are particularly and distinctly mention'd in the next Words Harps Psalteries Timbrels Cornets Cymbals Afterwards in Solomon's time when the Temple was erected and Singing-men and diverse Orders and Degrees of Musicians were appointed some being Masters others Scholars and Candidates as we may inform our selves from 1 Chron. 15. 22. 25. 7. Neâ— 12. 46. Musick was a considerable Part of Divine Service And there was not only Singing of Psalms but playing upon Instruments of which some were Neginoth such as yielded a Sound by touch or stroak others were Nechiloth Wind-Instruments This was the pompous Service of the Jewish Church this was the Temple-Musick which began not as Dr. Lightfoot thinks till the pouring out of the Drink-Offering when the Cup of Salvation as the Psalmist calls it went about And here also it might be observ'd that the Religious and Prophetick Raptures of holy Men were attended with and promoted by Musick thus a company of Prophets came down from the high Place where they had been worshipping with a psaltery and a Tabret and a Pipe and Harp before them 1 Sam. 10. 5. praising God with Songs which the Holy Spirit dictated to them Thus the famous Prophet Elisha call'd for a Minstrel and when the Minstrel play'd the Hand of the Lord came upon him 2 Kings 3. 15. i. e. he was stirr'd up thereby to undertake and accomplish great things for the Glory of God of which you read in the ensuing Verses It is no wonder therefore that Musick was thought to be Divine that it was as Plato faith of it the Invention 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And though he spoke this of the Egyptian Musick yet all the Learned know that the Pagan Writers commonly call that Egyptian which is Hebrew for they were wont to take the Iews for Natives of Egypt and then it is not to be doubted that the Sacred Use and Improvement of Musick among the Iews was referr'd to by this Philosopher Thus Musick was first dedicated to Religion and Divine Worship But we read that upon other Occasions also it was made use of viz. at all solemn times of Rejoicing Hence Laban complimented Iacob after this Manner that if he had known of his Intentions of going away from him he would have sent him away with Mirth and with Songs with Tabret and with Harp Gen. 31. 27. It seems this was the Antient Entertainment at their Farewels And the same was used at all great Festivals the Harp and the Viol the Tabret and Pipe as well as Wine are in their Feasts Isa. 5. 12. They chaunt to the sound of the Viol Am. 6. 5. And therefore to express the Cessation of these Feasts it is said the Mirth of Tabrets ceaseth the Ioy of the Harp ceaseth Isa. 24. 8. Yea at the most Innocent Festivals this was not thought unlawful as may be gather'd from Luk. 15. 25. where at the solemn Eating and Drinking which were occasion'd by the prodigal Son's return there was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Consort of many Voices and Instruments as the Word properly imports This as multitudes of Authors acquaint us was the general Usage among the old Greeks and Romans And what if I should â—ay that this is meant by Homer's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Whence perhaps the Word Anthems for Musick was onâ— of the constant Attendants at their Feasts This likewise was the manner of expressing their Mirth at Tidings of Victory and the Triumphal Return of Generals and Captains thus Iephthah's Daughter came out to meet him with Timbrels Judg. 11. 34. When David and Saul returned from the Slaughter of the Philistines the Women came out of all Cities of Israel singing and dancing to meet them with Tabrets with Ioy and with Instruments of Musicâ— 1 Sam. 18. 6. And 't is added in the next Verse The Women answered one another as they plaid which is another Instance of Alternate Singing This was the Custom at the Coronation of Kings 2 Chron. 23. 13. All the People of the Land rejoiced and â—ounded with Trumpets also the Singers with Instruments of Musick And at all other Seasons of Mirth this was the wonted Diversion and Entertainment Yea it was used on special Occasions to expel Melancholy and to free Men of their Distempers both of Body and Mind otherwise they would not have sought out a Man that was a cunning Player on
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