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 I 
 
T H E $A.: 0i 
 
 SACRED CLASSICS 
 
 Defended and Illuftrated. 
 The Second and Last Volume* 
 
 In THREE PARTS. 
 
 CONTAINING, 
 
 I. A farther Demonftration of the Propriety, Purity, 
 and found Eloquence of the Language of the New 
 Testament Writers. 
 
 II. An Account of the wrong Divi/ton of Chapters 
 and Verfes, and faulty Tranjlations of the Divine 
 Book, which weaken its Reafonings, and fpoil its 
 Eloquence and Native Beauties. 
 
 III. A Discourse on the Various Readings 
 of the New Testament. 
 
 With a PREFACE, 
 
 Wherein is fhewn the Neceffity and Ufefulnefs of a 
 New Version of the Sacred Books. 
 
 v By the late Reverend and Learned 
 
 A. B LACKWA L I, A. M>. 
 
 Author of the First Volume. 
 To which is annex' d, A very Copious INDEX. 
 
 LO N t> ON: 
 
 Printed for Charles R i v i n g t o n, at the 
 Bible and Crown in St. Paul's Church-yard, 
 
 MDCCXXXL 
 
 m !*• «• 
 

[iu] 
 
 General Preface 
 
 to THIS 
 
 SECOND VOLUME. 
 
 T length I prefent the world 
 with the Second Volume of 
 the Sacred ClaJJics, finifh'd 
 not without very great la- 
 bours and pains, tho' ao 
 company'd with pleafure; as from the 
 nature of the fubject, fo from the hopes 
 of further clearing it 5 and that thefe 
 labours wou'd not be altogether difa- 
 greeable, or unedifying to the good 
 reader. 
 
 A 2 
 
 1. The 
 
iv General Preface 
 
 i. The fir ft dijcourfe is an addition 
 of fome felecl: inftances and obfervacions 
 that prove the purity of the New Te- 
 ftament ftyle, the emphafis of its ex- 
 preffions, and grandeur of its fentiments 
 to be equal, often fuperior, to the bed 
 foreign writers. 
 
 This I thought proper, further to 
 defend and illuftrate our much attack'd, 
 but invincible, and moft glorious caufe, 
 againft the vain pretences and accula- 
 tions of fblecifms, barbarifms, and other 
 roughly - founding words, that fignify 
 nothing but the ignorance, inattention, 
 or impiety of thofe who lay fuch a 
 fenfelefs and odious charge on the 
 infpir'd writers. 
 
 Here we have fometimes repeated 
 what has been advancd in the firji 
 volume; but have given frefli and fur- 
 ther proof to the fubjecl:, by new paf- 
 fages, and parallel places out of the 
 choicefl: authors of Greece. 
 
 As to Hebraifms, it ought not, it 
 cannot be deny'd, that there are con- 
 
 fiderable 
 
to this Second Volume, v 
 
 deferable numbers in the evangelifts 
 and apoftles : The reafon of which has 
 been given in the Jirji volume ; where, 
 I hope, it is prov 'd not only that there 
 was a neceltity for their ufe in the 
 phrafeology of the Chriftian canon $ 
 but that they are agreeable to the con- 
 cord and govermnent of that noble lan- 
 guage, and add new treafores, ftrength, 
 and ornament to it. 
 
 The learned 'Pafor, who by his fa- 
 cred grammar and lexicons on the New 
 Teftament has deferv'd very well of all 
 the lovers of thefe divine ftudies, has 
 truly and juftly put down Hebraifms 
 as a new and noble dialed: in the Greek 
 Teftamenr. 
 
 He has judicioudy rejected the va : n 
 and pernicious fancy of falfe grammar 
 and loleciftical language 5 and ingenu- 
 oufly owns, that many of the He- 
 braifms he mentions, are likewife found 
 pure Grecifms, tho ? not fo often 
 ufed by the beft authors in that mod 
 
 noble language. 
 
 A 3 I give 
 
vi General Preface 
 
 I give his own words : £htamvis 
 vero etiamjimiles fyntaxes apud Grxcos 
 occurrant. Sec. 
 
 ^uamvis vero apud profanos crebro 
 legatur hac f)ntaxis y in Novo tamen 
 < TeJlamento (Jatiori Jignificatu) Hebra- 
 ifmum effe Jlatuimus 1 . 
 
 Of ail his inftances in that long 
 chapter of the Hebrew dialect, from 
 page 688 to page 697 , I am fatisfy'd 
 there are not two, but what are fami- 
 liar to the beft writers in the Greek 
 language, Moft of 'em are taken no- 
 tice of and clear'd in the firfl volume. 
 I add two that have not been directly 
 mentioned, or anlwer'd there. 
 
 One of the inftances is £»*# for the 
 dry ground \ ufed by the Greek tran- 
 il.itors of the Hebrew Bible 5 and after 
 them by an infpir'd evangelift : which 
 is no difficultv, feveral fubftantives 
 being often underftood in the writers 
 in all tongues. "Tis parallell'd in 
 
 1 Pa r or. Gram. Sac. Grxc. p- 692, 63o. 
 1 Ibid, p 6;6. II. 1 14. 
 
 that 
 
to this Second Volume, vit 
 
 that palTage in the prince of Greek 
 poetry, 
 
 2. Another produced by the learned 
 profeflbr afore-mention'd is *g&Syi\ia, 
 
 «mf»)JV«Aapfyj, and 'Qn$vfJJ.a, ItkSv \ua]tv , in 
 
 the polite St. Luke. We have nume- 
 rous parallel expreffions in the bcft 
 Greek authors. Take one out of the 
 great Tlato^ which will, I believe, 
 be fufficient : 
 
 'H ^ (pvyv (peuyet *. 
 
 I add like wife two paffages parallel 
 to two proverbs in the facred authors. 
 The firft is very much like that pro- 
 verbial form of fpeech ufed by our 
 blefled Saviour, which we have touch'd 
 on before 5 . 
 
 The palTage is out of Laertius y in 
 the life of Antijihenes $ 'CWi^'jufyj©- 
 
 3 Horn. I!. £ 308. 
 
 4 Plat. Epinomis, p. $74. lin. r;, &c. torn. 2. edit. 
 Hen. Sreph. 
 
 5 S. Matt. ix. 12. 
 
 A 4 7ro7i 
 
viii General Preface 
 
 7Tote bin toS Trovnpoi's ovfyiiic'df, >o 01 Iccrpoi, ($-ft2i y 
 
 That expreffion of loving and valu- 
 ing a friend and very dear perfon above 
 or equal to one's own eyes, is beauti- 
 ful and moving, and ufed by the moft 
 elegant and polite claffic writers. Me- 
 gar a, in that fweet poet Mofchus, fays 
 of Hercules, 
 
 Tqv }j%j eyoo jizo%o'v iavv (pcchsciv eyioioi 6 . 
 
 Qua te tanquam oculos amet is in 
 tPlautus : Quern plus til a ocul'is fu'ts 
 amah at, in Catullus. 1) it me, pater, 
 onines oderint, n't marts te, quam oculos 
 nunc amo meos, in Terence 1 . 
 
 St. 'Paul (Gal. iv. 15.) who had 
 all the endearments of addrefs, was 
 matter of the ftrongeft reafoning, and 
 all the genuine powers of perfuafion, 
 there raifes this form of expreffion to 
 the utmoft tendernefs and eloquence, 
 ufes it to the wifeit and moft advan- 
 
 6 Idyll iv. 9. 
 
 7 Plaut. Mil. 4, 1, 57. Catull. 5. ver. f. Ter. 
 Adeiph. 4, j, 67. 
 
 tageous 
 
to this Second Volume, ix 
 
 tageous purpofes and ufes. I fee down 
 the words, with fome great beauties 
 in the preceding verfe, to which this 
 is connected; and believe that in the 
 natural eloquence of the tender and 
 perfuafive ftyle, nothing can be more 
 endearing, more prudent, more fuited 
 to the great apoftle's charitable and 
 bleffed deilgn : n« otiyfcov GeZ £&'£«£* pe, 
 
 0)6 Xg/.q-3V liiasv' fJ^CipTV^) ^O VJJJ.V OTT, CI dllVCLThV) 
 
 And ro what end and defign is all 
 this engaging addrels, all thefe endear- 
 ing applications ? That by fo obliging- 
 ly reminding thefe Chriftians of their 
 primitive faith, and fervent zeal for the 
 pure Gofpel, and great regard to the 
 perfon of their teacher, the great apoftle, 
 he might rekindle their former zeal, 
 and engage 'em to defert their deceivers, 
 and renew their affection to their faith- 
 ful paftor and bifhop, in order to their 
 edification and happy eftablifliment 
 upon the foundation of the antient 
 pure faith, from which they began to 
 deviate, and degenerate into Judaifm. 
 
 By 
 
sjF; 
 x General Preface 
 
 By praifing 'em for what they had 
 been, he fhews 'em, in the moft en- 
 gaging manner, what they ought ever 
 to be. And fuch a prudent and cha- 
 ritable method of arguing and addref- 
 fing mull be prevalent on all perfons 
 of common fenfe and modefty, that 
 had a regard to their faith in Chrift, 
 and well grounded hopes of (alvation 
 thro' his precious and meritorious fuf- 
 ferings and interceffion. I fhall only 
 mention one or two paiTages out of 
 our heavenly book, that are emphatical 
 and grand, above any comparifon with 
 uninfpir'd wrirers. 
 
 Sr. Chryfojlom with his ufual beauties 
 of good fenfe and bright language, 
 properly and admirably adapted to his 
 iubjecl:, explains that paiTage wherein 
 St. Vaul moil divinely (hews how 
 high the Chriftian life is placed above 
 the fpirit and ways of this world, in 
 thefe words * r ci^-s V« 5 "skm t£ vuv «&Vo. 
 
 yj . 
 
 8 2 Ccr. v. 1 6. 
 
 Some 
 
to thh S E C O N D V O L U M E. XI 
 
 Some of the commentators in the 
 Great Critics, and 'Poles Abridgment, 
 excellently explain it 3 but I fliall not 
 tranfcribe their obfervations, but fa- 
 tisfy myfelf, as I hope I fliall do my 
 reader, with that judicious and jult 
 explication and paraphrafe of a pious 
 and very learned writer on the apoftle's 
 words 9 : 
 
 " J-te that feels the force and fpirit 
 a of thefe words, can hardly bear any 
 u human interpretation of them : Hence- 
 u forth, fays he, that is, fince the death 
 a and refurredtjon of Chrift:, the (late 
 " of Chriftianity is become fo glorious 
 " a ftate, that wt don't even confider 
 " Chrift himfelf as in the flefli upon 
 " earth 5 but as a God of glory in 
 " heaven. 
 
 a We know and confider ourfelves 
 •"■ not as men in the flefh 5 but as fel- 
 a low^members of a new focicty, that 
 " are to have all our hearts, our tern- 
 " pers, and converfation in heaven." 
 
 9 Mr. Law's Serious Call to a devout and holy Life, 
 P ?»8, ;ic/. 
 
 That 
 
xii General Preface 
 
 That folemn, awful warning of the 
 great apoftle, Ephef. iv. 3 o. is (if one 
 may fo fay) a tremendous expreffion 
 of infinite condefeenfion and goodnefs. 
 If we confider the perfon of whom it 
 is fpoke, the infinite honour he does 
 us, and the privileges he procures for 
 mankind, we muft rejoice, and efteem 
 ourfelves extremely happy in fuch a 
 divine friend and benefactor. And 
 wont our neglect of his grace and fa- 
 vours, our contempt of his counfels, 
 directions, and interceffions for us, be 
 refented with juft and fevere difplea- 
 fure? Will not the greatnefs and dig- 
 nity of the perfon, and immenfenefs of 
 •charity and goodnefs to us, terribly 
 aggravate our folly, in turning his grace 
 into wantonnefs, our monftrous ingra- 
 titude and villainy, if we abufe and 
 neglect fuch mercy, and do defpight to 
 fuch a benevolent and mod charitable 
 Being ? "Tis inexpreffible exceffive 
 fhipidity, enormous guilt, to neglect 
 or affront fuch a glorious benefactor, 
 to forfeit thofe everlafting. preferments, 
 
 that 
 
to this Second Volume, xiii 
 
 that immenfe blifs, which we can never 
 obtain without his directions, his pow- 
 erful influences and divine operations 
 upon our minds. If we trample under 
 foot the blood of the Son of God the 
 Mediator, and grieve and flight the 
 Eternal Spirit^ the great and fupreme 
 Minifter in the mediatorial kingdom, 
 we can have no intereft in the merits 
 of our Saviour, cannot be feal'd to the 
 day of redemption, nor have any claim 
 or title to the refurre&ion of the juft, 
 becaufe we are incurably fottifh, and 
 incapable of mercy, by monflroufly 
 flighting and defpifing fuch infinitely 
 gracious offers of mercy, fo great a 
 falvation 5 which the divine w 7 rkers* 
 elegantly and emphatically call in the 
 grand original, ithv^v^ 9 ^/3aM j/Ta 
 
 tw t* Stilus -f •x.Xn^pvoylxi curry, oLVi^iyviccq'QV 
 
 •7T?JtiTZiV TV -^tZPT'd . 
 
 1 Vide Heb. x. 29. Ephef. i. 7. ii. 7. i. 18, 
 
 — in. 3. Rom. ii. 4. Vkleat curiofus le&or S. Chry- 
 foftom in locos. 
 
 2. As 
 
xiv General Preface 
 
 i. As to the wrong divifion of the 
 facred writings into chapters and verfes, 
 I have but one or two obfervations to 
 add to thofe in the difcourfe itfelf. 
 
 The third, fourth, and fifth chapters 
 of the fccond epiftle to the Corinthians, 
 entirely relate to the fubject, and ought 
 not to have been feparated by a formal 
 divifion, as they are in all our books 
 and tranflations^ but to have been laid 
 together, that the connexion of the 
 matter, the ftrength of the argument, the 
 dependence and harmony of the feveral 
 parts of the difcourfe, and the noble 
 beauty and propriety of the language, 
 might fully and clearly appear. 
 
 Many verfes conclude with xey,jv 
 and a«V^, which is the fame blunder 
 in the divider, and blemifh to the fa- 
 ced book, as xiyev ending a chapter 
 in St. Lukes hiftory of the Atls of the 
 holy dpojlles*. 
 
 The 25 th and 26th verfes in the 
 fame divine book, chap. xv. the 42d 
 
 a S.Luke i. 24, 26, 27. — xviii. 1, 2. 
 
 and 
 
to this Second Volume, xv 
 
 and 43d of chap. ii. of his Gofpel, 
 chap, xviii. ver. 4, 5. ought refpectively 
 to be united, becaufe they are torn 
 from one another by unnatural vio- 
 lence, and (landing finglc contain no 
 affirmation, yield no fenfe, and there- 
 fore afford no pleafure or inftruction, 
 and fo are of no ufe. 
 
 In fhort, the ill-contriv'd and auk- 
 ward divifions in our printed books 
 interrupt and break the facred ftyle : 
 They equally blemifh and deform (ingle 
 fentences, and mangle fmall periods and 
 feci; ions, and break off and fpoil the 
 force and connexion of larger fections, 
 or aflemblage and union of feveral 
 periods call'd chapters. 
 
 Innumerable in fiances might be made 
 of faulty tranflations of the divine ori- 
 ginal • which either weaken its fenfe, 
 or debafe and tarnifh the beauty of its 
 language. I add no more : only give 
 the reader a fhort account of the cele- 
 brated editions of the Vulgate out of 
 Hody, Leufden, &c. and fome circum- 
 fiances relating to them $ which will 
 
 make 
 
xvi General Preface 
 
 make my fhort account of that affair 
 more full and complete, and not, as 
 I hope, be difagreeable to the reader. 
 
 The Latin vulgate Bible was de- 
 clar'd authentic and canoniz'd by the 
 council of Trent, J.5D. i 546 ^ Pope 
 Sixtus Quintus corrected it with his 
 own hand. Clement VIII. feeing nu^ 
 merous faults, and palpable difagree- 
 ments with the Hebrew in his edition, 
 corrected many of 'em. But often 
 when Sixtus had juftly turn'd and ex- 
 prefs'd the original, Clemens in his edi- 
 tion has depraved and corrupted the 
 found reading. It may here be ob- 
 ferv'd, that in general the verfion of 
 Clement , ^.©.1592, is much more 
 correct than that of" Sixtus, A, 2). 
 
 IJidorus Clarius Brixianus is faid to 
 have found out and corrected 8000 
 faults in the vulgate verfion. Lucas 
 Brugenfis has made a large collection 
 of feveral errors in thefe books, fo 
 over-magnify d by fome weak perfons 
 and bigots in the Romijh communion. 
 
 Even 
 
to this Second VOlum f. xvi ; 
 
 Even the great and judicious Cardinal 
 Bellarmine, the glory of the church in 
 which he was an illuftrious prelate, 
 and of the a^e in which he liv'd, in a 
 letter to Lucas Brugenjis, dated from 
 Capua, ZDevemb. 6, 1603, has thefe 
 very remarkable words : u Sc'tas velim 
 u Biblia vulgata non ejfe a nobis accu- 
 Ct rati/fime caftigata 3 mult a enim de 
 cc induftria jujiis de caujis prtfterivi- 
 " mus 3 qua correffione indigere vide* 
 cc bantur" 
 
 The reader will, I hope, obfervq 
 that whenever I difapprove the tram> 
 flation of any author, or propofe one 
 of my own, I make no bold arbitrary 
 conjectures 5 nor prefume to ftrain and 
 torture the facred text, in order to force 
 it to favour a peculiar, and otherwife 
 uniupported fancy : which every man 
 coriferfane in thefe ftudies finds to be 
 too common with fhallow critics, and 
 conceited philolopers, that afe vainly 
 fond of being efteem'd mere fagacious 
 than the reft of mankind, and happy 
 
 3 D. teufdeh. PhiloW*. Hebiso-nmtus, p. ?, 6, 7. 
 
 Vol. II. a difeos 
 
xviii General Preface 
 
 difcoverers of new notions. This is 
 iuch licentioufnefs and infolence, that 
 no true and found fcholar and critic, 
 no fober fincere Chriftian dare or can 
 be guilty of. 
 
 Such liberties taken in the old Greek 
 and Latin daffies wou'd ftrip them of 
 their chief beauties • enfeeble their vi- 
 gorous fenfe$ and deprive their readers 
 of that great pleafure and advantage 
 which may be reap'd from the perufal 
 of them in their original purity and 
 perfection. Ought then fuch unjufl: and 
 profane liberties to be taken in books 
 of divine authority? which will be a 
 pleafure to us as long as we (hall have 
 any being $ on which our moft joyful 
 hopes, our expectation of immortal 
 preferments and eternal falvation de- 
 pend ? 
 
 A friend propos'd to me a gueis of 
 his, that that noble pafTage in St. 
 
 ^ohtt'S Gofpel, Kx) to (pais \v ivi gkotix, 
 Vcuvciy $ * mtoTtx «/jtd y m wn}<x,@ev 9 might 
 
 with greater advantage be render'd, 
 And the darhnefs could not obftrttff, 
 
 or 
 
to this Second Volume, xlx 
 
 or reftrain, or quell it 5 that is, no op- 
 pofition wou'd finally prevail again ft 
 the everlafting Golpel of our Lord and 
 Saviour 5 but it fihoifd triumph over 
 the prejudices and malice of the Jews-, 
 the conceit and vanity of the Greeks ; 
 the fiercenefs and ftupidity of the Bar- 
 barians^ and the perfections and cru- 
 elties of all. 
 
 'Tis very true, that xxlxXaufrxvco is 
 fcarce to be found any where elfe, but in 
 the evangelift, in the fenfe our prefent 
 tranflation feems to give it 5 The dark' 
 nefs comprehended it not. And that this 
 word is us'd in the fignification firft nam'd 
 in two of the firft-rate writers of Greece: 
 
 tovkz : He check'd or rejlrairid his 
 words that were upon his lips. 'Evi@n& 
 
 Xx\xAx\6e<v c/.or/J uj/gx\0\J>pw t 6wa.yxv : J 
 
 (top and re ft rain their growing power 4 . 
 
 But tho' v.xlciActu(2ccvoo is very rarely 
 
 ufed in the ienfe of comprehendo, de- 
 
 prehendo, yet it feems here to be more 
 
 4 Theoc.Id. &. 6$: Herod. i.\p. 17. 
 
 a 2 natural 
 
xx Gekeral Preface 
 natural and adapted to the fituation 
 and order it has in the evangelical 
 hiilory, that the prejudices o( the Jews 
 wou'd not furTer 'em to acknowledge, 
 know, and adore that divine perlon 
 the Meffias, becaufe of his mean ap- 
 pearance in deep humiliation, without 
 force of arms, attendance of great ge- 
 nerals and courtiers, and the uiual 
 grandeur and pomp in fuch cafes. The 
 Jews might have known better, if they 
 had fludied their own prophets, who 
 are very large and plain in their de- 
 fcriptions of the humility and fufTerings 
 of the Meffias- And fo might the Gen- 
 tiles, if they had read and confider'd 
 their own greateft philofophers, parti- 
 cularly their divine and moil celebrated 
 c Plato 5 who, as we have obferv d be- 
 fore, is to a wonder full and clear 
 upon this important point. And 'tis 
 plain, that 'the very realon which in- 
 duced Jews and Gentiles to rejeel this 
 divine teacher and Saviour of man- 
 kind, his mean appearance and cruci- 
 fixion 5 and illiceracenefs of his apoftles, 
 
 after 
 
to this Second Volu m e. jcxi 
 
 after fuch a doctrine, and fuch preach- 
 ers had gone into the world with mi- 
 raculous fuccefs, was the grand and 
 juft motive, why after they believ'd his 
 Gofpel to be the revelation of God, 
 and Jefus his authentic mefienger and 
 mod glorious and true Son. 
 
 A new translation can give no of- 
 fence to people of found judgment and 
 confideration ; becaufe every body con- 
 verfant in thefe, and unprejudiced, muft 
 acknowledge, that there was lefs occa- 
 fion to change the old verfion into 
 the prefent, than to change the prefent 
 into a new one. Any fcholar that 
 compares them will find that the old 
 one, tho' amended by this that we 
 now ufe, in feveral places, is yet equal 
 to it in very many;, and fuperior in a 
 considerable number. 
 
 3. A new translation wou'd, at a 
 convenient difrance, be followed with 
 a comment and expofition of the facred 
 book, wherein the judicious and able 
 interpreters wou'd, by the help of all 
 
 a 3 forts 
 
xxii General Preface 
 
 forts of learning, prove the propriety 
 and beauty of the phrafe and language, 
 wou'd fliew their emphafis from their 
 allufions to antient hiftory and cuf* 
 toms 5 wou'd clear the connexion and 
 juft confecjuences of their reafonings, 
 explain the divine original, and defend 
 their own alterations of former ver- 
 lions. 
 
 To the advantages we have fliew'd 
 before, which wou'd arife from fuch a 
 noble inftrudtive and entertaining work, 
 we fliail now add a few more, far from 
 being fmall or inconfiderable. Such 
 an accurate and admirable translation, 
 proved and fupported by found criti- 
 cifm, wou'd cjuafli and illence moll: 
 of the objections of pert and profane 
 cavillers 5 which chiefly proceed from 
 their want of penetration and difcern- 
 ment of the connexion of the argu- 
 ment, and their ignorance of the man- 
 ner and phrafe of the divine writers. 
 It wou'd likewife remove the fcruples 
 of many pious and contentions Chri- 
 (Uans, 
 
 Wou'd 
 
to this Second Volu m e. xxiii 
 
 Wou'd it be ever the worfe, if *.&(& 
 in St. c Paul in relation to the unwor- 
 thy and profane receivers of the holy 
 facrament of our Saviour's body and 
 blood, was rendered judgment or pit- 
 nifhmentj in dead of damnation ? Or 
 if dy^pivliu in that famous place of St, 
 Paul was not rendered barely, if any 
 one fin, but fliou'd be heighten d and 
 didinguifrYd by this, or fome fuch like 
 addition, if any man wilfally commit 
 this Jin (before defcrib'd with all the 
 awfulnefs and terror of drong elo- 
 quence ) that is, a final and malicious 
 forfaking the communion and religious 
 affemblies of Chridians 5 a total apo- 
 ftacy from Chrid, which is naturally 
 attended with a furious hodiiky again ft 
 the caufe deferted, and the author of 
 the religion once embraced, but with- 
 out reafon forfaken ; and with the 
 blinded madnefs, and mod blafphe- 
 mous rage afterward vilify 'd, curs'd, 
 
 s Vide Heb. x- 2r, 26, 27, 28, 20, 20. Mr. Kettle- 
 well's Help to worthy Communicarin--, part 3. ch. 1. 
 p. 4:2, 405. book ,'. ch.J- p. 2.75S 176, %■ 
 
 a 4 and 
 
%x\v GeneralPreface 
 
 and oppos'd by treacherous arid fpite- 
 ful renegadoes. 
 
 Such a work refolv'd on, and vigo- 
 youfly carried on by any one church, 
 woud foon engage the imitation of 
 mod of the reft, and woud produce 
 a happy agreement and uniformity 
 amongit them, and confecjuently mu- 
 tual charity and Chriftian endearment, 
 and Jo woud give ftrength and addi- 
 tional ornament to our common faith 
 and moil holy religion. Upon fuch 
 a review and clofe examination of the 
 heavenly writings as that great work 
 miifi. require, feveral errors in particular 
 churches wou'd be difcover'd. 'Tis not 
 improbable, that the harfli doctrines of 
 ablojute decrees and rigorous dooms of 
 reprobation in one communion, and 
 the incredible manner of the prefence 
 of ChriiVs body in the facrament in 
 another, wou'd be either quite dropp'd, 
 or very much foften'd • and fame un- 
 warrantable offenfive fentimcnts and 
 phrafes .in tranflations of other churches 
 be omitted* Many of the foberej arid 
 
 founder 
 
to this Second Volum e. xxv 
 
 lbunder diffe titers wou'd; probably, join 
 with the eftabliftfd church of England 
 in their doctrines, difcipline, and liturgy, 
 or, in the words of that admirable 
 form, in the unity of the jpirit, the 
 bond of peace , and right eoufnefs of life* 
 The noble book wou'd extremely pro- 
 mote the improvement and advance- 
 ment of found religion and learning, 
 and lay an inexpreffible obligation on 
 mankind. Such a grand work de- 
 fign'd and refolv'd on, wou'd raife a 
 commendable fpirit of curiofity and 
 emulation in the learned and devout 
 divines and critics, both at home and 
 abroad. Old manufcripts wou'd then 
 be carefully confulted $ . Greek and La- 
 tin fathers, commentators, fcholiafts,c^ 
 be canvafs'd. 
 
 The old claffics rauft • likewife be 
 diligently perus'd, in order to fhew the 
 parallel places in them, and the facred 
 and divine writers. Antient and mo- 
 dern verfions mull: be examin'd and 
 compar'd, Jewj/fr language and learn- 
 ing. 
 
xxvi General Preface 
 
 ing, and all the Eaftern antiquities 
 be ftudied, and accurately fearched 
 into. 
 
 And can any one think, that fuch 
 diligent fearches after truth by able men 
 of clear heads and honeft hearts, wou'd 
 find no treafureSy meet with no en- 
 couragement and reward of fuch pious 
 induftry and laudable labours, under- 
 taken and gone thro' on the profpect 
 of honouring our God and Saviour, 
 by defending and adorning the reve- 
 lation of his dear Son Jefus, and by 
 that being fubfervient to Providence, 
 and his gracious intention of inftructing 
 and faving mankind ? 
 
 'Tis certain, fuch reverence to God's 
 revelations, fuch benevolence and cha- 
 rity to his creatures and fervants, mall 
 not go unrewarded 5 but will as cer- 
 tainly bring fatisfaetion and honour to 
 the pious fcholar and critic, as it will 
 give high pleafure and great improve- 
 ment to every capable reader, and 
 devout Chriftian. 
 
 And 
 
tothisSECOK d Volume, xxvii 
 
 And then, confidering what won- 
 derful difcoveries and improvements 
 have been made from the date of our 
 laft tranflation to this very day, what 
 a glorious profpect, is there, on the 
 foot of this fcheme, of advancing true 
 criticifm, biblical learning, and, in a 
 word, all the polite and ufeful branches 
 of human and divine literature and 
 knowledge ! 
 
 Such judicious and bright commen- 
 taries, upon thofe ineftimable treafures 
 of wifdom and happinefs, wou'd con- 
 tain an infinitely delightful and im- 
 proving variety of hiftory, found cri- 
 ticifm, fublime remarks, pure morals, 
 and infallible rules for the con duel: of 
 life, and the attainment of prefent and 
 future happinefs. 
 
 Such a work wou'd be the nobleft 
 treafure and ornament of the moft va- 
 luable libraries 5 and, next to the facred 
 books which are there undertaken to 
 be explained, ill unrated, and defended, 
 wou'd be one of the firiVrate books 
 
 in 
 
xxviii General Preface 
 
 in the world, for the fubftantial advan- 
 tages to be reap'd from it, for the per- 
 petual plcafure convey 'd to the reader 
 in all the methods and ways by which 
 the reafon of mankind may be pre- 
 vail'd upon, and their paffions moved 
 and influenced : That js, by rational 
 precept, and appofite figures ; by en- 
 gaging addrefs and infinuation j by 
 iurprizing and pertinent examples, and 
 accounts of antient times and hiftories 5 
 in fublime verfe, and found profe , in 
 plain narration, and lively dialogue j 
 all which the judicious tranflarors truly 
 and emphatically reprelent from the 
 grand and glorious original. 
 
 In flhort,.a faithful, juft, and beau- 
 tiful verfion of the books of God will 
 bring incxpreffibie advantage and plea- 
 fure, not only to devout Chrifhans, 
 who don't underftand the ficred ori- 
 ginal, but to the learned, who can 
 with judgment and high pleafure read 
 'em in the language that the all-wife 
 God deliverd them in ; and with high 
 
 pleafui 
 
 c 
 
to this SecondVolume. xxix 
 
 pleafure and improvement compare 
 the tranflation with the infpir'd text. 
 Such a work will recommend itfelf 
 to all men of true fenfe and judgment 
 by its faithfulneis and integrity ; by 
 its beautiful plainnefs, and vigorous 
 emphafis, by the natural eafinefs, and 
 graceful gravity of its ftyle and lan- 
 guage. It will highly contribute to 
 the coihverfion of pagans and infidels $ 
 to the eftablimment of Chriftians 
 upon the foundations of our moil: holy 
 faith 5 and effectually promote the 
 propagation of the bleffed Gofpel of 
 our Lord Jefus throughout the whole 
 world \ and be conducive, under Pro- 
 vidence, to the continuance of it hi 
 its purity and flourishing ftate to the 
 end of it ; during the full period of 
 ChrinYs mediatorial kingdom, to the 
 time of his augufl: appearance in via- 
 ble glory and majefty on the awful 
 day of his full triumphs : When all 
 derived and vicarial power fhall be 
 done away., as no further neceffary, 
 
 after 
 
xxx General Preface 
 
 after the redemption of mankind that: 
 glorious oeconomy of grace and wif- 
 dom is finally and fully accomplifli'd : 
 When all oppofition mull: ceafe, and 
 all enemies be fubdu'd to the Meffiah's 
 eternal and moft bleffed kingdom and 
 empire. 
 
 And here 'tis time to conclude this 
 long difcourfe. I humbly take leave 
 of my good reader, recjueft his prayers 
 for me, and with mine recommend 
 him to the fafe protection and infinite 
 mercies of the ever bleffed God our 
 Saviour: Not doubting but he will 
 conftantly join with the holy catholick 
 church of our Lord Chrift in the 
 following, or fome other devout form 
 of fervent ejaculation, upon this bleffed 
 and moil; comfortable fubjecl; which 
 is the great and glorious object of our 
 Chriftian faith 5 and will be the con- 
 fummation of all our moft exalted 
 and well grounded hopes* 
 
to this SecondVolume. xxxi 
 
 
 (decs tAcSirj) n BaoiA«<x 2b* tq Ylvzufj^ x« ft 
 
 No^ptf XiyUCTLVy 'EAr^F. Kott OLKUWl' g/W-Ttt', 
 
 'EA^f. IN] a), epp£» KJ&*g l»o-y t»^. 'KyAv. 
 
 THE 
 
C ■ ] 
 
 T I! E 
 
 SACRED CLASSICS 
 
 Defended and Illuftrated. 
 
 VOL. II. 
 
 PART I. 
 
 Continuing a further Difconrfe upon the He- 
 braifms, pretended Solecilms, Peculiarities, 
 Harfhnefs of Language, and Irregularities 
 charged by antknt and modern Scholiafis, 
 Critics, Grammarians, cXc. upon the Di- 
 vine Writers of the New 7t f x anient. 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 DOUBT not but the good 
 
 Reader will give me leave to 
 
 repeat the Apology I formerly 
 
 made upon this occafion, and 
 
 will be fo charitable as to believe the Sincerity 
 
 of it : That I don't contradict fo many great 
 
 perfons of eftablilh'd reputation, out of 
 
 Vol, II. B envy 
 
2 The Sacred Classics 
 
 envy at their fnperior abilities, out of affec- 
 tation, and a ipirit of cavilling. Truth, 
 and a regard to the honour of the Sacred 
 Writers, is the only motive and reafon of 
 taking this liberty. I muft defend them 
 againft the greateft names, who are unfor- 
 tunately prejudiced againft them with refpecl: 
 to the propriety and beauties of their lan- 
 guage, to difcharge what I efteem my duty, 
 to prevent young perfons paying an implicit 
 faith to the dictates of fam'd fcholars, and 
 fatally receiving in their tenderer years dan- 
 gerous impreffions with refpecl: to the Lan- 
 guage of thofe inefiimable Authors, which 
 may have too ftrong a tendency to leiTen 
 their regard and veneration of their Doc- 
 trims. Hebrdifms in the Sacred Books are 
 not only neceflary, for reafons formerly 
 given, but contribute to the grandeur and 
 beauty of the Greek language ; and wou'd 
 then only be juftly objected againft, if, be- 
 fides the new and foreign turn of the 
 thought, they likewife brought in a new 
 conftrudion contrary to the analogy, to the 
 agreement and government of grammar in 
 that noble and exquifite language. But there 
 is nothing of this in our prefent cafe. How- 
 ever, becaufe Helnnfms are by the gentle- 
 men 
 
^Defended a: id Ulujlrated* 3 
 
 men our adversaries in this cdntroverfy, 
 
 icckon'd as one fpecies of folecifms and bar- 
 barous Greek, I fnall in the firft icclion add 
 to the' instances mention'd in the fir ft part, 
 feveral mi (takes of great fcholars that Lave 
 call'd paffages and ways of expreflion by the 
 name of Hebraifms (always according to 
 their notion taking off from the value and 
 purity of the Greek ) and by uncontefted 
 authority prove 'em to come up to the ftan- 
 dard and perfection of the old clailical Greek 
 
 tongue. 
 
 §. 1. Camero, a learned and celebrated 
 commentator, won't allow a* *ifA*g?.i4 Ixtwetif 
 to be pure Greek. But 'tis both good Greek y 
 and Latin, if Xenophon and Livy be ap- 
 prov'd authors : 6k r8T8 yi 1 ul£&.l nv\Acu h him 
 r*ifizv7c, iifdem fere diebus 1 . 
 
 To which we may add CalUmachus and 
 Virgil : Yi/uLura. -ndvlz, at all times. 
 
 Mis ad \troj am forte diebus venerat x * 
 
 Grotius (very often miftaken in his no- 
 tion of Hebraifms and Hellenijlical language) 
 
 1 Xen. Cyrop. 7. Livy, 1. 27. c. 15-. p. 272. 
 1 Callim. Del. v. 190. Vir. Mn. 2. v. 24. Vid. eru- 
 ditifT. Albert. Obferyac. philol in J>. Mac iii. I. 
 
 B 2 allows 
 
4 The Sacred Classics 
 
 allows not the purity of that phrafe in St. 
 John xv. 7. t lav Szhrrn adifiai^i, jy jivfoiray 
 tjjuLtv, which the learned Hutchinfon confutes 
 by that paffage in his Xenophou*, yiie&au 
 dyz&z, -7rB,<n tok p'hois* Camero commits the 
 fame miftake on St. Mat. xviii. i$>. 
 
 Wine is in St. Matthew by the Creator of 
 all things call'd the fruit or offspring of the 
 vine ; which Vorjlius will have to be an 
 Hcbraifm, and the two grammarians Phrynl- 
 chus and Thomas Magifer deny to be pure 
 and proper Greek. But 'tis an eafy and ele- 
 gant metaphor nfed by the delicate Anacreon 
 himfelf, -pvov duiriXts -r otvov , and Pindar 
 calls wine a,jw7ri\a 'srajht 4 , by a metaphor 
 more bold, yet natural. And here I cannot 
 omit the juft obfervation of Mr. Wloeatly % 
 who takes notice that the fruit of the vine 
 always in the Scriptures means pure wine 
 unmix'd with water, contrary to the bold 
 affertion of Dr. L/ghtfoot, and fome gentle- 
 men fince; who contend that water mix'd 
 with wine is effential to the holy facra- 
 ment 6 . 
 
 3 Xen. Cyrop. 1. 4. p. 29/. not- !. 
 
 4 Anacreon,49. Pindar. Od. Nem. 9. 123. 
 
 5 Wheatly on Common Prayer, fol. p. 278. Vid. 
 Kircheri Concord. Hebrseo-Graec in voc ay/77iA<§h 
 
 6 Vid. Clar. J. Albert;, in S- Mat. xxvi. 29. 
 
 Koui 
 
Defended and IUiiflrated. 5 
 
 Ka) us'd in the beginning of a fentence 
 interrogatively, is by Grotius rank'd among 
 HebraiJ'ms, but is a common and elegant 
 Grec'ijm, and a Latin if m too : Kx) tht 'Ad-a.- 
 Varzut (ZcLTiXiv, crol; ? 6£t chxcqoi' ; v_j nix ok ily\ -Jo 
 7ZZtT(p o^ov \m TBro ^^x^mv it(j/<vk i'acptct) 7 ; 
 
 Kxtx\uo-xi t v6jjjov is good Greek, tho' 
 exactly anfvvering the Hebrew phrafe, and 
 therefore fhou'd not have been placed in the 
 rank of meer Hebraijms by CapeUus. "Tis 
 found in Xenophon exactly in the fame fenfe; 
 X^ixMV hpseixv Kj iw Kufwcuvv-- af/L/.xTr>/{gi- 
 o(xv wnAuai. 8 . 
 
 Dabar in Hebrew cxpreiTes both a word, 
 and an action or thing, and fo the Greek tran- 
 flators of the Old Teftament ufe ft out and 
 x'y^K, words that anfvver the original. The 
 divine writers of the New Teftament imitate 
 their way of fpeaking; Kxrx 70 'srovn^Jv fijux 
 2a> ifjAv-, according to this wicked aciion ; -y § 
 jmriTHu <z'jtS oicTH^&i ttv.Acl tx p/ijULctTct tax/let ou 
 ry Kafticf. xuln^ kept all thefe pcijffages, actions 
 as well as words, in her heart, He'mjtus, and 
 other critics will have this form of fpeech to 
 
 7 S. Marc. x. 26. Theognis, v. 741. Xen. Cyrop. r. 
 p. 78. ed. Hutchinfon. Plaut. Pfeudolus, a&. 4. fcen. 2. 
 Plat. Timeus, p. 26. 1. 1. poft E. 
 
 8 S. Mat. v. 17. Xenoph. Cyrop. 6. 417. n. 5. CI. 
 editoris. 
 
 B 3 be 
 
6 The Sacred Classics 
 
 be a Hebraifniy or Hellenifm. But 'tis like- 
 wife ufed in the writings of old Greece. So 
 
 that ferious and fublime writer Sophocles ufes 
 
 j. 
 
 ora jr^xxTzv $cufy : The fenfe of which the 
 fcholiaft thus renders, b %$ 7m*<*4l&S<q % 
 \SyHV Ta CE^fc t« A.o^ yijvs/uiva, . 
 
 n£; 8 or /xr for b<5V'; is taken to be a way 
 of expreftion peculiar to the Hebrew lan- 
 guage., and the Hdkn'ijls, who follow the 
 manner of it, by a great majority of critics 
 and commentators ; 7z£c ir6pv0,"- &k l^t x.M- 
 QpvoulaV) no fornicator can have an inheritance 
 in the kingdom of God, in St. Waul ; upon 
 which Pijcatuv makes this remark : Nullum 
 fcortaiorem habere, ad verb, omnem fcortato- 
 rem non habere, Hebraifm, Ephef. v. 5. 
 which miftake he repeats in the Oth and 8th 
 verfes following. So the Septuagint, 7mvf& 
 
 xxiv. 3. 'Us claffical Greek, of which take 
 this initance out of an antient and very pure 
 author ', YlaL; yzp dvvip izrivfy S\fr /&/!/£&>{&, ari 77 
 
 &f7X&tf', 0frv7 £p%Gt4 ODVCLl&f '. 
 
 9 Deut. xlii. 11. S. Luc. ii. jr. Vid. Heinf. Exercit. 
 fac. in loc. Sophoc. Trachiniae, V.2S4-" — Antigone, v. 20. 
 An\,lf 7) K^hy^iibff' itQ-, ""Tis plain you are fittfly contriving 
 fomt grtat affair. 
 
 1 Theognis, v. 177, 178. Vid. Rom. ix. 52. Grotius, 
 on the place, has thefe words, Univtrfalis vox, fequtnte 
 mgatieng) apud Htbrtos ejl pro negativd univerfaii. 
 
'Defended and I/liftrated. 7 
 
 §. 2. We proceed now to the clearing of 
 fcveral paflages in the (acred writers of the 
 Gofpel, not mention'd in the firft volume, 
 from the imputation of folecifm and barba- 
 rous language, thrown upon 'em by ignorant 
 and mallow icholiafts; or by learned and 
 judicious fcholars in other rejfetfs, but in 
 this cafe ralh and unguarded, 
 
 'Ex£ Signifying motion to a place, is aver'd 
 to be fa He Greek by the great Gataker ; 
 which cenfure falls fevere on St. Matthew y 
 iK&fjwxy$v70p1ani ot dbh), tfo that place will the 
 eagles be gathered together. The excellent 
 Albert us confutes this arbitrary alfertion, by 
 quotations out of Longus and Cebes. To 
 which I add a paffage out of a molt noble 
 and genuine clailic ; Txn^i ths "&zi^fjdcc<; isM, 
 concerning the removal thither ', into the irate 
 of leparate fouls \ Illic wide negant redire 
 quenauam *. 
 
 Prictfus magifterially demands that -m^&w 
 be ftruck out of the text St. Luke xx. 35. as 
 ufelefs and impertinent. This word is not 
 wanting in one manufcript, and is a noble 
 c Pleonafm to be found in the writings of the 
 mod accurate and excellent mailers. 'O^ 
 
 z S. Mat. xxyi. 28. Albert, inloc. Plat. Phxdo. 
 
 B 4 #fe 
 
8 The Sacred Classics 
 
 %h ItfptjYis d'^ict TifAYic, s&'jfiv-) where 2&.y£& 
 exactly anfwers Tvy&w in the facred writer, 
 and is placed in the fame conftruclion '. 
 
 The laft age did not produce a more mo- 
 deft and learned critic than Dr. Bois> who 
 durft not on A$s xxvii. 10. change In fjJiWm 
 'T stAbj/ into (x&\?\&t o te-ASc, which without 
 fuch a change he efteems a Iblecii'm 4 . But 
 his fears of a folecifm were unneceifary, as 
 we have fhew'd in the former volume, and 
 fhall add further proof from uncontefted au- 
 thority. We have an accufative after £ioV? 
 in Herodotus, tijuciv ^ 2<z fju'tac, i'pn £iq?i rapr 
 vqcjj 5 ol t imn^^v h'.iMaU ^jz?q ^cl/uuvv, be- 
 caufe his grandfather was f Middy buried by 
 jjfoSamians. This is juft the fame with that 
 paffage in the jitls. There is another con- 
 fer u&ion that to me feems ftill more ftrange 
 and difficult than the others ; Hd cl yivOfjJtvxs 
 ttaukit; dv^^woui % after her fins were ar- 
 rived at mans eft ate. 'Tis a member of a 
 fentence that cannot in grammar be governed 
 of any word in the context. 
 
 3 Sophoc. Antlg. v. 710. 
 
 4 Laudandi mihi videntur, qu'icunque fuerunt, quibus 
 in Sacris Uteris, vel ibleciimos manifeftos, modb verirati 
 nihil detraherent, religio elTet emendare. Vid. Vet. In- 
 teipr. cum Bez. al recent, coilat. inloc. 
 
 5 Herod. Gr. 3. p. 181. 1. 4. a fin. 
 
 6 Herod. Gr. 4. p. zi$. 1. 33, 34. 
 
 But 
 
'Defended and Ilh'.fl rated. 9 
 
 But the gentleman we fha.ll name next 
 for his rafh and miftaken criticifm, is very 
 little troubled with fcruple and modefty ; 
 but boldly corrects every author, both fa- 
 ded, ccclefiaftical, and civil, which falls into 
 his hands, and cou'd never, by any confe- 
 deration whatever, be reftrain'd from indulg- 
 ing himfelf in a fcurrilous jeft, or prefump- 
 tuous conjecture. Tanaquil Faber boldly 
 corre&s £ $&(&, in Longimis into £ p\oT^ y 
 becaufe, I fuppofe, he judged £/X@u to be 
 barbarous. Which notion obliquely wounds 
 St. Luke, and other infpir'd writers, which 
 we have before vindicated; and fhall now 
 further confirm the purity of that form of 
 expreflion when the nominative is ufed as 
 the vocative, or put for it 7 , 'HeA^ $$ isrxvf 
 
 It has been formerly prov'd that variation 
 of cafes and conftru&ion in the fame period 
 or member of a period, and after the fame 
 word, is ufed by the belt authors ; and there- 
 fore the facred writers, who take the fame 
 liberty, are very weakly and injurioufly 
 
 7 D. Pearce in Longin. p. 82. S. Luc. via- ?4- IK> <F - 
 189. of'y- v. 375". So in Hor. Ar. Poet. Vos Pomp'lius 
 fanguis. TatUTtt Si to©- e&v, Z xivafQ-, p«f«t7* n (W- 
 &tt.7*i ^fchines in Ctefiph. p. 99. 1. lilt. 
 
 _ charg'd 
 
io The Sacred Classics 
 
 charg'd with breach of propriety on that 
 account 8 . It may not be improper to add 
 a frefh inftance of this variety out of the 
 noble hiftorian ; rfl -A aAAp x^V invxvtvkdc&t, 
 ^ $« it, k*Apy(& 9 ' By which it appears that 
 the alteration and different turn given to 
 St. Luke i. 54, 55. by that learned and wor- 
 thy gentleman Sir Norton Knatchbul, tho* 
 ingenious and clear, yet is not neceffary, 
 nor does at all depend on the foundation 
 upon which he places it. 
 
 Sir Norton put this part of the facred text 
 into a parenthefis, according to the modern 
 way (^9&>V I Kcl \v\n 'zp^Jstzs icariga.c, ri/uav) 
 and makes tsS 'A/B^a/A be govern'd and de- 
 pend upon thine, : So in Engllflj it muft run 
 thus; He has helped his fervant — or his 
 child — Ifrael, to remember his mercy ( as 
 he Jfoke — promifed — to our forefathers ) 
 towards Abraham and his pojlerlty for ever. 
 Which makes no alteration in the facred ori- 
 ginal, and yields a clean and ftrong fenle. 
 But there was no occafion of making any 
 conjecture or alteration, fince we are told 
 it was upon the view of removing a grand 
 abfurdity according to the fituation of the 
 
 8 SS. daffies def. & illuft. par. 1. p. 84. 
 
 9 Herod. Gr. 1. p. i. 1. iy, 16. 
 
 common 
 
defended and Illnjtrated. 1 1 
 
 common reading and tranflation ; Qaam. 
 fac'tli remedio ingevs curatur foUcifmus ' / 
 To at/Jo* <p£QPvi1ij and ^ |\ p^wMe; *, feem 
 
 to be lb unneccfTary a repetition, in the opi- 
 nion of Dr. //e7/j, of the fame fenie, that 
 he wou'd render the latter, minding the one 
 thing neceflary, which was the devout A/arfn 
 choice, in the fcnfe of the fame great apoftle 
 in another place; t« av» pgpv&i/g, /km t* &5r2 
 ^ yfe, and the following words ^^» ^7* 
 l^i'0fiatv muft be govern'd of p^&irs, and fo, 
 in his opinion, there will be no need of fup- 
 pofing any ellipfls. But that amendment 
 will be of fmall fervice, becaufe this defi- 
 ciency is eafily fupply'd, and there are 
 much harlTier ellipfes in thefe and other iiib- 
 lime authors. And fuch repetitions are fo 
 far from approaching to a vain tautology, or 
 being any thing like a fault, that, on proper 
 occafions, they are very lively and empha* 
 tical. 
 
 We have a parallel place in Xenophon ; 
 
 ovviZYiitola &; to dull, &, 'b7nyx./ju3.$ cLaay\\z$ t&t- 
 TTGMfjuiHoi skiv itf awizmoiiv «g tv 3 . The vigour 
 
 1 Sir N. K. in loc. Nollem di&um. 
 
 * Philip, ii. 2. S- Luc. x. ult. Colof. iii. I, 2. 
 
 * Xen. Cyrop. per Hutchinfon, 1. 1. p. r8. 
 
 and 
 
1 2 The Sacred Classics 
 
 and grace of which places are elegantly and 
 judicioufly fet forth by the excellent editor. 
 
 'Tis juftly obferv'd by our beft gramma- 
 rians and critics, that verbs of the middle 
 voice are generally to be taken in the active 
 fignification, but fometimes in the pafllve ; 
 which is demonftratively true with refpecl: 
 to the old claffics of Greece ; orctv \' iy2 
 iyxa.Ai>iv/uicL], when I JJmII be covered ; fo 
 'zs-ct'Sdauh ytyvojuiva, 4 . But this being not 
 difputed by any one that I know of s there 
 will be no occafion to multiply inftances. 
 
 It feems ftrange that fo great a man as 
 Kufter y who has publifrVd a treatife upon 
 the ufe and fignification of verbs in the 
 middle voice, fhou'd roundly aver that they 
 are never fo ufed in the Greek Teftament. 
 Take his own words upon St. Luke ii. 1 1. 
 where ivfatfcy is the various reading inftead 
 of lvphi% the true original. Nam licet fath 
 Jpeciose diet fojjit, ^ fa^adcy more Attico- 
 rum (apud quos verba media y tit not um eff y 
 aliquando pajjivorum vice funguntur ) tbi poft- 
 tum ejp pro iv^wilcq, tamen Id fubtilius eji y 
 quam verms ; nam in Novo Teftamento ejuf- 
 
 4 Xen. Cyrop. 8. p. 6f8. Hutchln. ed. Plat. Phjedo, 
 p. 72. ed. Steph. 7i*vji&<u $ dfxjif, privari imperio, He- 
 rod. 1. p. 20. 
 
 modi 
 
'Defended and Ilhijlvated. i } 
 
 modi elegantia Attic x -non reperiuntur *. 
 
 \\ hich appears to be a notion advanced to 
 deftroy a various reading, which has no 
 fufficient report , but links by its own 
 weight, and is likewife contrary to fad, as 
 well as unnecefTary. Out of numerous in- 
 ftances that confute this too forward affer- 
 tion take thefeTTew ; '2wty£cHa&ci4 avv Map/- 
 oifji ry yjvw, to be tiix'd or chargd in the 
 cefs-book. YldvU; &; r Mnwiv i^arrtl ijaivhy 
 where the various reading is i(2enr1h%<jztv y 
 not fufficiently fupported, and probably put 
 in by fome one who had the fame fcruple 
 with the learned Kujier y Irca/uLlw aS for wn- 
 
 This fame excellent fcholar, who in many 
 cafes has deferv'd well of the learned world, 
 is a little too rafh and pofitive in faying, that 
 ei<7£A0ei» &; av^ooirov tivx is not pure Greek ' y 
 but it ought to be c^aGg^ «$ dv^Mira -nv% 
 oiKQv, or fome equivalent word being under- 
 ftood, or fr£ avftg&ir'v iiva, and fb he changes 
 Q&Stihlv into peAAS, againft the authority of 
 all manufcripts and editions, as he himfelf 
 acknowledges in that verfe of Arijiopbanes y 
 *Hv fih fi &; <$&i<h*i/\lv &mA9:tV tv%*> : Which 
 
 s Kufter. Mill. Gr. T. praf. p. 3. 
 6 S. Luc. ii. f . 1 Cor. x. 2. Ep. ad Philem. 20. VId. 
 D. Pafor. Gr. GrxcSac. N. T. p. 149, iyo, ip, K2. 
 
 ' bold 
 
 •J. 
 
14 The Sacred Classics 
 
 bold conjecture, or rather, dogmatical afTer- 
 tion, throws a refledion on the purity of 
 St. Lukes 'language ; Mi\Qov &; r Avliatv, 
 They came to Lydia,-- or into Lydia'j houfe. 
 The judicious and fharp Mr. jllbertus has 
 vindicated the propriety of the EvangelirVs 
 expreflion, and corrected the prefnmption of 
 the critic's arbitrary amendment out of his 
 own author \ ' Hv \' d; 'unx^Ainiy av^^irov 
 &i7z*§i2v Toyctii If I chance to enter the houfe 
 of fome extravagant mad fellow 7 . 
 
 'Tis certain that ^iTc\^uv &; nrd av^^ot>irov y 
 &t; li-Axv Tivlc, a»9^«7ry, and &i; nvlc, dvdgvTT'cs 
 are all pure Greek, wdctv, o*Kor, ^jua1ct y or 
 fome word of the fame import being fup- 
 prefs'd. The firft is prov'd ; to which caft 
 in thefe paffages out of Herodotus, St. John, 
 and the Septuagint ; dvrUct chcLayj3tL£hriq 
 xocr ioD'jrxs ir&tTKvIc, Being differs d they 
 all went to their own ho?nes. 'AiwXSov £v 
 
 d-!rf,\Sz <z&gp<; loLV-mv, The fecond is the moft 
 obvious, and agreeable to vulgar and com- 
 mon conftrudtion , frinvv &*; a A Aor^cav obuctv *. 
 
 7 S Luc. xvi. 40. vid. CI. Albert, in loc Ariftoph. 
 Pluc. v. 227, 241. 
 
 8 Her. Gr. f. p. 291. 1. if. S. Johan. xx. 10. Sept. 
 Num.24, uk. Ariftoph. PJut. v. 224,25/. 
 
 'Tis 
 
^Defended and Illujtrated. i 5 
 'Tis probably concluded that in that reply 
 of our bleifed Saviour to his virgin-mother's 
 expoftulation with him in St. Luke ii. 4^. 
 &k yS.i-n in dp -rile, y <mT£j?s (Ms b\jk it) pi, 
 fome of the abovc-mention'd words, or one 
 equivalent, muft be underftood before Trainee ; 
 Did not you know that I ought to be in my 
 father's houje — in his temple, and the iacred 
 places dedicated to his worfhip and honour? 
 So 'tis more agreeable to the context, and 
 makes the realbning more clofe and clear 9. 
 The Syriac verfion is in Lathy NeJ'citis quod 
 in dov/io patris met oportet me ejje ? There 
 are numerous parallel places in the noblefl 
 authors of Greece and Rom, out of which I 
 fhall produce thefe following. 
 
 We have in Theocritus <£ rz AvH.a>v&, y 
 which the fcholiaft explains IkS. qith &?} rd 
 Cifui.uatla & A'jkodv^,. In Herodotus we have 
 riii lq 5° Kteojuln&y He went into Cleomenes'j- 
 boufe. In PhitOy l£)n hjkttvw &; 'Ayfi-jov^ *. 
 We have in the firfb volume rejected the 
 infipid compliment, and confuted the pre- 
 sumptuous cenfure, or rather cavil, of a po- 
 lite critic on the pretended impropriety of 
 
 • Further to juftify and enforce this verfion. vid. Bp. 
 Kidder's Demonft of Median, par. i. p. ioi. 8vo. 
 
 Theoc Pliarmac. v. 76. Herod. Gr. f. p. 304. ante 
 med. PJac. Convivium, ed. Sceph. p. 174. 
 
 that 
 
\6 The Sacred Classics 
 
 that grand piece of fublime JLpocal. i. 4, $. 
 and fhall further juftify the grammar of it 
 by that remarkable and exa&ly parallel 
 place in Herod, -r yb *e%< 'AfSct^t^, Ao^ S" 
 
 l'i$lv z^j.k^i^e. khIcs 7tS,(Tclv tIw ytw b^v cm*C A 
 fjfy(& % where 'tis evident that Mywv muft 
 have relation to r hoyov aforegoing, and is 
 put for 6\ f Qi \iyvV) or 6^ \lyzi. So to con- 
 firm rhy obfervation on thofe two paffages, 
 where the words are put technically, and to 
 give additional ftrength, I reprefent to my 
 reader that pafTage in the eloquent Plato 9 
 cl M ftaltt iv tz &$[j& fovltt it; l(J7rB^^7ec, to « 
 
 CAB IvOfJLQL i%i£(JlVy i^OblcL Ti it, tPUVy ^ \^C/LCpXl 3. 
 
 Some commentators have puzzled them- 
 felves and their readers in folving that paf- 
 fage of St. Luke xvi. p. and taken unne- 
 cefTary pains to parallel the exprcflions out 
 of the Greek tranilation of the Old Tefta- 
 ment j iva, oratv IxAjttmt?, ch^wlaui v/licc; g<s ?<*<; 
 cu'jevbq cntwGcc, T^baty when you die, they may 
 receive you into the everlajling man/tons, l'hey^ 
 that is, angels, blefled guardian fpirits, who 
 by divine appointment condu& departed 
 pious fouls into the habitations of heavenly 
 
 2 SS. Claffic. D. & II. p. 89. Herod. Gr. 4. p. i^. 
 1 if, 8cc. S. Johan. xiii. 13. Apocal, i. y. 
 
 3 Platon. Conviviup, p. 205. 1. ;6, &c. 
 
 joy. 
 
'Defended and 111 ujlr cited. 1 7 
 
 joy. So Ifocrates to Demonicus, ndvifing 
 him to be careful whom he employ M under 
 him in any public affair or place of truft, 
 for this reafon, oov y% au> e»«v©* a/^ctp-Tu, ail 
 mx,i canon cci'ct.dnaifiTi 3 , that IS, oi mvhirou Or 
 ctY$w?rTAy which is the lame as az\ cu cc'nicu 
 dvctTzQriQvrfcu, a irtvircs Si^evr/Jtw Tl&EcLOik drift. 
 Eth. Nhom. p. 344. 1. ult. For in whatever 
 in fiances your deputy or mini ft er Jball acquit 
 hi raj elf ill, men will lay the blame upon you. 
 So in Xenophon we have the fame way of 
 expreflion, ecnqfjiwe td?S EMtjoi tm adhrmyyi 4 > 
 *the fgnal was given by a trumpet ; 77s arB^- 
 vr(§h 9 ^s ck <tfS <p^TiwTcoi/ ea'iy.wt may be un- 
 derftood. 
 
 We have formerly fpoken to Pleonafmus 
 and Repetition, but finding that a learned 
 commentator thinks repetitions to be impure 
 Greek, and deriv'd from the Hebrews, and 
 therefore not underftood by the fathers of 
 the church, I thought proper to make fome 
 farther remarks. 
 
 The fathers certainly underftood fome 
 language, and repetitions are ufed in all. 
 Take thefe additional inftances out of the 
 
 8 Ifoc. ad Demon, p. 11. 1. uk. ed. Bafil. Grcec. 1546. 
 Ariftot. Ethic. Nicomach. y. 07. p. 222. lin. 4, 6, 10. 
 ed Ox. 
 
 4 Xen. Cyr. Exped. Wells 2. 4. 3. p. 166. 
 
 Vol. II. G noblcft 
 
1 8 The Sacred Classics 
 
 noblcft authors} i^iothW, aM' « ^yipaieu&v, 
 dW7rft<roi *j yx. ouju/g<m7r«<f'o}, Ar'tjl. Eth. jVi- 
 £0#2. p. 318. 1. I. 'Oi;^ aMo o/jtdI e-Tnin^tj- 
 vcnv % "Zbn&vvoKeiv te $ Titivocvou s , 57^ y?#dy #0- 
 
 th'mg but to die, and depart this life — in a 
 happy condition. 
 
 We are told that T*%/,W7e<V, to walk, to 
 converfe in a place, to be conjtantly employ *d 
 in a bufnefs, is according to the ufe of the 
 Hellenifts, and referr'd to the Septuagint, who 
 render Halak the Syriac and Hebrew word 
 by it 6 . 'Tis true, this word and Trvpivofj&t 
 arc fo render'd to anfwer Halak ; but the 
 purity of rag/W^w in this fenfe is clear'd 
 and confirm'd by unqueftion'd authority, as 
 fignifying a man's converfation, his appearing 
 and behaving himfelf in the world; a^rai/ 
 
 y> T ju, aoictK ey rcccii oiiucus, t oB oiccvoiatv TpoLve&Lv 
 
 ejgvm t^eWIer 7 , To converfe in the world 
 with too open a heart, without necejfary cau- 
 tion, and prudent rejerve. 
 
 The fame laborious and learned commen- 
 tator is fevere on the facred writers, when 
 he affirms that folecifms are fometimes vifible 
 
 5 Plat. Apol. 2z. ed. Steph. Plat. Phedo, p. 64. I.7. 
 Prov. viii. 20. i» oJblf Jlyj.i.<n!m <sfe*m1<i>, Ecclef. 
 iv. if. Vid. S. Johan. vii. 1. 
 
 ad Demon, p. 17. ed. Fletcher. Ox. 
 
 in 
 
defended and Ilhiflrated* 1 9 
 in their compofitions. Indeed his way of 
 citing and ranging their periods wou'd make 
 folecifms very abundant and very vifible. 
 This great man boldly affirms, that the no- 
 minative is put for the genitive, w'hhfm for 
 7rA*pys, in St. John's Gofpel. The places he 
 brings as parallel, are unnecefTary, and do 
 not at all come up to his purpofe ; eppi^wffyloi 
 in Ephefnx. 18. is not put for ppA"/ 
 which wou'd be an unpardonable breach of 
 grammar, but begins a new period, and the 
 word e^ia^yan'n anfwers it. 
 
 As to his fecond inftance from Rev. i. 5. 
 oc-tto Intra Xgj<~S /j&pT'jCy 'tis foreign, and here 
 unfeaibnably alledg'd, and we have given a 
 full account of it already; -c-/.*pj- relates to 
 Koy@* before eomveaot. What is in the mid- 
 dle between them is included in a parenthefis. 
 Jlnd the Word was made flefh, and dwelt — 
 
 in a human body 8 — among/} as, full of grace 
 
 » 
 
 8 Skii^©-, for an human body, is ufed by Plato, 'HfjL&s 
 y.lv $ ktry.iv -vf-i/^i, £&>'?!' ctBdvajov iv dviflrp yg.Qeic'yy.hov 
 9f«ei<y, to Jt <rx.>iv& tso^ ^^.S ^£A^^u>Tiv >j ivffif, Axio- 
 chus, p. ;6)-, %66. 1. i. Vid. CI. Pearce in Longin. 
 p. 102. n. i. & Clar. Albeit, in 2 Cor. v. 1. 
 
 By the prince of phyficians, Hippocrates, tuoiv ct?JV 
 Tzti 70 fficnv©-, his rigdtur humanum corpus. St. Paul, 
 2 Cor^ V. 1 . n t7nyei@- ■ p.uv o\x.ia, ra <JKr\V6Sy terrtjir 1 
 noftra damus corptris Hinc voces teKWunv iv »,«4i'. reddi 
 poflunt, Corpus habuh inter nos. Lucretius in imitatio- 
 nem Grscorum Vas pro Corpore dixit, 3, 441 . 
 
 C 1 and 
 
2o The Sacred Classics 
 
 and truth ; and we Jaw his glory. This is - 
 the natural dependence, tho* the words are 
 tranipos'd, as 'tis very ufual in the beft 
 Greek authors. He marks it out fo himfclf. 
 So 'tis divided in the Ethiofic verfion. — So 
 the Syriac ; Et Verbum caro factum eft — 
 plenum gratia ac veritatis. In the Qerjian 
 'tis, Et Sermo incamatus eft, & inter nos 
 manjionem fecit \ qui plenus ejl gratia & ve- 
 
 A learned gentleman very fancifully fup- 
 pofes, that St. fude in his feventh verfe 
 makes an allufion to that celebrated pafTage 
 
 in Gen. vi. i, 2. The Jons of God Jaw the 
 
 daughters of men, that they were fair ; and 
 
 they took them wives and that the infpir'd 
 
 apoftle folemnly believes that monftrous no- 
 tion of the fallen angels having carnal com* 
 merce with women, in concurrence with the 
 traditions and reveries of his countrymen. 
 By which hypothefis the learned writer (who 
 fays, he believes that by the fons of God are 
 underftood the children of Seth, the wor- 
 fhippers of the true God, by the daughters 
 of men the children of Cain, and idolaters) 
 at once prefers his own opinion to that of a 
 divinely infpir'd apoftle, and charges him 
 with believing an abfurd and impoftible 
 
 thing, 
 
'Defended and Ilh'Jlrated. 2 1 
 thing, or writing abfurd and ungrammaticul 
 
 language. His words arc, " Even as 
 
 " Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about 
 " them, having been guilty of uncleannefs 
 a after the like manner with thofc faUen 
 u angels, and having gone after ftrange 
 " flefh, or made unnatural mixtures, as they 
 
 " did for fo the original ought to be ren- 
 
 u der'd " The boldnefs and prefumption 
 
 of the man will more plainly appear by that 
 
 magifterial declaration, " St. J-ude, I fay, 
 
 u being of that opinion, makes an evident 
 " comparifon between the unnatural mix- 
 
 " tures of the fallen fons of God of apo- 
 
 " ftate angels with women ; and of the 
 
 u Sodomites with males ; of men with 
 " men »> 
 
 If the methods of divine Providence, and 
 his perpetual care to prevent fuch blunders 
 and confaflons in nature be duly confider'd, 
 'twill amount to a fatisfaclory proof that no 
 fuch commerce betwixt beings of fuch diffe- 
 rent natures and fpecies was ailow'd by the 
 all-wife Creator, and author of order and 
 decorum. Our reverend author has lb much 
 fagacity, that he no more believes it than he 
 
 1 Eflay towards reftorlng the true text of the Old 
 Teftam. p. 313, 314, 315-. 
 
 C 3 decs 
 
it The Sacred Classics 
 
 does Tranfubftantiation, or the Scripture- 
 Trinity. But if he fhou'd chance in any 
 refpecl to be offended at St. Jude y he has a 
 fure retreat and dernier refort : He may 
 with equal reafon and modefty treat his 
 noble Letter, as he has done that incompa- 
 rable piece of divine eloquence, Solomon's 
 Song, 
 
 TaTws is not referr'd to dfysXou foregoing, 
 but to <£v3rpQ'7nM or ttdA/'tcw?, the men or in- 
 habitants of Sodom and Gomorrah ; which is 
 fo natural and common in all the beft dailies, 
 that none but an u(;ter Itranger to them can 
 doubt of it. To what has been faid in the 
 firft volume, give me leave to add, — fu/xTOra. 
 
 mi/Ms ng.xv cLvS'^i ct7MV£p, <n>iaiv S" i^cvo&sv ixay 
 iin\yxyi , MH&> Kgpviw. H miXic, «Aoi"tt (BoccnAeoc. 
 The conftruction is naturally this, — As So- 
 dom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them y 
 Adma and Zeboim, in like manner with them, 
 the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, — 
 giving them/elves over to fornication, and 
 going after fl range flefli, — debauching them- 
 ielves with monftrous lewdnefs and unnatu- 
 ral lulls. 
 
 Some great critics fpeak fine things of the 
 ftyle and beauties of St. Luke, in which 
 they do him no more than ffcrict juftice ; 
 
 and 
 
^Defended and IUpJIy cited. 1 3 
 and I wilh fomc unwary, not to fay invi- 
 dious expreflions, had not dropp'd from 'cm, 
 in exclufion of the other Evangelifts and di- 
 vine Writers, whom we have prov'd to be 
 equally pure and proper in their language. 
 On Aois i. 4. muou/n ju£, you have heard 
 from me, is prov'd to be good Greek by the 
 unqueftionable authority of Demoflhenes and 
 XetWphon ; tStb nro^cav e(pn axv&r, Xen. eiTrov 
 7r£ps oyj^s a fi.v waav.ii. Hx«ra.Ts fjiv y /. e. <7mp 
 IfjiZ j fays a flrft-rate critic and commenta- 
 tor 2 , " This is a pure Greek phrafe; and 
 " many fuch are in Luke, who had read the 
 " Greek phyficians and hiftorians." 
 
 And are there not many pure Greek ex- 
 preflions and phrafes in Matthew, Mark, 
 John, cXc. who had not read the Greek 
 phyficians and hiftorians ? His words are, 
 nTLvaum j«.«, hcutio bene, Grteca — quales mul- 
 t<z in Luca, qui & medicos & hljloricos kgerat. 
 'Tis my opinion, that the authority of that 
 great and juftly celebrated fcholar, and fbme 
 other famous philologers and critics, who 
 have magnify'd the ftyle of St. Luke, and 
 deprefs'd that of his brother evangelifts and 
 facred writers to a great degree, has given 
 occafion to fomc very knowing and polite 
 
 * Vid. Pol. Synopf. in lor. 
 
 C 4 gentle 
 
24 ffle Sacred Classics 
 
 gentlemen both in phyfic and clallical learn- 
 ing, to make a companion betwixt the ftyle 
 of the behv'd phyjtcian y and that of the other 
 evangelifts, in relating and expreffing the 
 cures perform'd by our Saviour and his apo- 
 ftles, in fuch a manner as feems to exprefs 
 fome partiality, and by affertions that will 
 not bear the teft. 
 
 An excellent gentleman, admirably skill'd 
 in that noble profeflion, and mafter of all 
 ufeful and ornamental learning, has afTur'd 
 us, that St. Luke in expreffing our Lord's 
 miraculous cure of the woman for twelve 
 years troubled with a flux of blood, has 
 ufed a phrafe more agreeable to the Greek 
 phyficians than St. Mark upon the fame 
 occafion. I doubt not the truth and jufl- 
 nefs of the obfervation. St. Luke's words 
 are, k) Tizc^y^i^ci ?<j-w v pais t# cciy^a]^. ujfjric. 
 St. Mark's words are, -2 ouG«w5 f|«eptV6jr * 
 my/i tS ctfjxa?©- twins 3 ; which is language 
 intelligible, emphatical, and beautiful ; and 
 which in no refpecl violates the analogy of 
 grammar j and that is fufficient to our pur- 
 
 3 S. Luke viii. 4;, 44. S. Mark v. 2f, 29. in the firfl: 
 of which verfes S. Mark ufes S. Luke's word, -yjvh Zau h> 
 pvvii aiuol®- ; and S. Matthew exprefles the iame thing 
 in a very proper and ftrong compound word, yjyn cu(ju>\- 
 fo'iev., S. Mat. ix. 20. 
 
 pofe, 
 
^Defended and Illu/trated. 15 
 
 pofe, tho' not exa&ly conformable to the 
 phraieology of Hi ff aerates, Galen, cXc. 
 
 This miracle of healing the woman is re- 
 lated by three evangelifts pure and plain; 
 by St. Matthew in a few words ; by St. Mark 
 and St. Lake with more copioufnefs, in the 
 account of the poor woman's {pending her 
 money on phyficians without relief. St. Mark 
 gives us many circumftances which make his 
 relation ftrong and vigorous ; fome of them 
 omitted in the other : and yet neither did 
 St. Mark defign to blame the phyficians; 
 nor can we judge or fuppofe for any realbn 
 or different word ufed by St. Luke, that he 
 intended to excufe or favour them. Every 
 facred writer muft be impartial: And here 
 feems neither room for blame, nor occafion 
 for defence. The difeafe is defcrib'd as in- 
 veterate and incurable by human means. 
 I remember there is a diflertation by a 
 learned foreigner, to prove that all the di£- 
 eafes which the Saviour of human race cur'd 
 in the accounts of the evangelifts, were above 
 mortal fagacity and skill, and all virtues of 
 drugs, and application of medicine 4 . 
 
 _ 4 Ader. de Morb. Evangel, apud Critic. Sac torn. 9. & 
 cit.aD. Smalbrooke againft Woolfton, vol. i.p. 5-35", 544- 
 
 'Tis 
 
%6 The Sacred Classics 
 
 'Tis remark'd that St. Luke ufes the pro- 
 per and peculiar word to exprefs Healing, 
 iaopau, — fo he does : And don't all the other 
 evangelifts make ufe of the fame word ? 
 St. Matthew and St. John have it feveral 
 times. St. Mark once in that ftrong and 
 
 vigorous paflage, eyvco ?&f moyaJi 071 ictfou ccttu 
 
 «? Hd<?iy& j She knew by her body, by 
 
 the immediate eafe and chearful livelinefs 
 and fweetnefs of perfect health ; fhe was 
 
 joyfully fenfible that fie was healed of her 
 
 fcourge, or grievous difeafe. Which word 
 
 is ufed by the great Homer for a fevere cala- 
 mity, and punifhment inflicted by God : 
 
 'AMct Aiqs jj&q-iyt y^xri eS^ocy^jj^j 'A^ciioi. 
 
 So 'tis ufed by the Greek interpreters of 
 the Old Teftament, and renders feveral He- 
 brew words which fignify diftaje, weaknejs y 
 paw, and calamities : rioMai oa jja^iyis t« 
 a//.apfwAy. Hovcfi *) yxc^iy^ Jer. vi. 7. Mct'<p£ 
 5 «^p Kwg^» fc-.x. ^i* W a/fjoii, Job xxi. p. 
 
 are efteem'd by fome critics as lefs proper 
 words to exprefs Healing than Uo^cu, but 
 are good and authentic, ufed by all the evan- 
 gelifls ; and the latter words by St. Luke, 
 
 near 
 
'Defended and Illustrated. 27 
 near as often as by all the three other facred 
 
 WritefS. St. Luke llfes Tr^pcavcLXdtmTu, ohov 
 fiiov in his relation, and St. Mark &L7r<x,vncxca. 
 to) 7rap tocvjns •m'vk ; but to give any prefe- 
 rence to the firft before the laft, as to pro- 
 priety or purity of language in this refped, 
 is a groundlefs criticifm : ayaA/crow, ir^pmxva.- 
 
 A<<7X&\ Or OOl'j &C. ShLTTQLVaLWj TTZpaScLTTCLl'tia)) &fr 
 
 fignify to Jpend either extravagantly or pru- 
 dently y to lay out expences with either bad 
 or good fuccefsy according to the context of 
 the pafTage, and the fiibjeft of the difcourfe. 
 They have this latitude of fignification in 
 the beft authors of Greece. I fhall produce 
 inftances only out of two of the nobleft mo- 
 ralifts and divines in the pagan world, juftly 
 admir'd both for the beauty of their lan- 
 guage, and fublimity of their fenfe ; Ka* 
 
 A/raeu', If a man fpends his money fooli/hly, 
 unfeafonably, and upon perfons not deferving y 
 he will not be able to lay it out or expend it 
 upon proper feafons and objects. — MattoV d%- 
 r$cpfyj{§^ « ti Ssov um ctvccAcoatv, r\ Xvirvfyj©*, el 
 fm S'-.ov ti dvdXcaai s . 
 
 5 Arlftot. Moral. Nicomach. p. 146, 147. Vid. etiam 
 
 p- iJ4» iyr> &c. 
 
 So 
 
%$ Tbe Sacred Classics 
 
 So the excellent Plato, *H w^'ras % ix «V*- 
 Aaost? <foa <ros <QiGu//,tx« — cos a»fc &<*i j> «s o, ti ay 
 oung.igpTtgpv acvothioKoife wrifAcxJGt. 
 
 = eAgy6e£/(§U SbLirctvwei a <T« ^ m <T«. 
 
 »— — JWa'^jna. irpiirov tzS tpyoo , which im- 
 plies that there may be Sbardwiuoc vc£-/3a'Moi/ 
 $ dTrpemzs tzS *pyp 9 of which ufe and fignifi- 
 cation of the word we have numerous in- 
 ilances, Take one out of a very pure and 
 antient Greek author : 
 
 Xw'^w and cmtptJLcu are very ftrong and 
 beautiful words apply'd to preferving a man's 
 life, and recovering his health and ftrength 
 by the falutary aids of phyfic and furgery. 
 All the divine hiftorians very properly apply 
 'em to our Saviour's miraculous cures. In 
 this fenfe the moft valuable and judicious 
 old Greek writer in the world ufes it, aMa ov 
 jufyj fj& ozlooovv ; Do you heal me, and preferve 
 my life by making proper applications to my 
 wounds , and ujttig the fovereign remedies which 
 your noble friend and mafler Achilles learn' d 
 from Chiron, and has committed the falutary 
 art to you. 
 
 * Plat. Phaedo, 85, 78. Arid. Mor. Nicomach. 157. 
 Theog. v- 909. 
 
 'A7hoi 
 
defended and Illujlrated. ly 
 
 'AMce ov jufyj jm tnttooW) ccyw aq vricc fj^Acuvxv 
 On £ rt-moc (f apjw.ot , <a •moce 
 
 Patrochs accordingly carries his friend 
 Eurypulus to his tent, and by his skill and 
 dextrous application, ftanches the flux of 
 blood, and aiTuages his pains 8 . 
 
 The ufe of the old Greek fcholiafts, gram- 
 marians, commentators, and writers of lexi- 
 cons is to explain fome difficult words, and 
 give account of fome cuftoms of that coun- 
 try, without the knowledge of which an 
 author's expreflion is not understood in its 
 fulnefs and force; nor the grace and pro- 
 priety of his alluilons diicern'd. When they 
 go beyond their bounds, and prefume to 
 correct: their authors for breach of grammar, 
 and impropriety of thought and language, 
 they fhew themfelves very ridiculous mor- 
 tals. The chief danger there is in young 
 
 7 Horn. II. a. v. 827, &c. 
 
 Ibid. v. 847, &c. 
 
 £ gentle- 
 
30 The Sacred Classics 
 
 gentlemen reading of 'em, is their bold and 
 formal determinations of what is or is not 
 pure Attic Greek, or good Greek in any 
 dialect : becaufe if they too eafily take the 
 word of thefe aukward critics, and fubmit to 
 the fentence of fuch incompetent judges, they 
 will be in confufion in the courfe of their 
 ftudies ; will receive wrong notions of that 
 glorious language ; and particularly be pre- 
 judiced againft the ftyle and expreilion of 
 the divine writers of the New Teftament. 
 In order to prevent this great misfortune, we 
 have formerly produced feveral inftances of 
 the ignorance and fawcy forwardnefs of thefe 
 extravagant pretenders ; who, not content to 
 be placed in the loweft feats of learning, 
 which is all they delerve, prefame, without 
 either authority or merit, to take the chair. 
 We fhall further confirm our aflTertion, in 
 order to defend our facred authors, and cau- 
 tion ftudents againft too eafy and implicit 
 a regard to the dictates of folemn triflers, 
 which refled difhonour on the evangclifts 
 and apoftles, in a few proper and felect in- 
 ftances not produced before. \ 
 
 The fcholiaft on Euripides, one\ of the 
 firft-rate among the Greek commentators, has 
 
 inform'd 
 
^Defended and Illujlrated. } i 
 inform'd us, that the particle yt> being put in 
 the beginning of a fentence, is peculiar to the 
 poets • and formally produces quotations out 
 of Homer and Menander to prove what no 
 body doubts or denies. But as we have ob- 
 ferv'd, when any of thefe bold gentlemen 
 fay any word or phrafe is poetical, they ap- 
 propriate it to the poets, and exclude prole 
 authors from all right of ufing it : Other- 
 wife this writer wou'd have nad no occafion 
 to make a remark that might deceive ibme 
 of his readers, but cou'd not poflibly make 
 any the wifer. This way of ufing many 
 words and faying nothing, is not uncommon, 
 as we have obierv'd. St. Luke is in our firft 
 fart guarded againft the imputation of ible- 
 cifm, from fuch groundlefs and random affir- 
 mations, by one pafTage in one of the nobleft 
 authors of old Greece', to which I fhall add 
 another. 'Tis in the beginning of thefpeech 
 of Candaules to his favourite miniftcr ; Tvyq, 
 
 $ yuvauxos. The obfervation of the fcholiaft 
 is upon that line of Euripides in the Phoe- 
 nijfe: 
 
 Take 
 
3 i The Sacred Classics 
 
 Take his remark in his own language ; "E6©« 
 orvivjii^v TV "hhm t£ Tccp (tp^bStti. The paffages 
 of the two noble poets are thefe : 
 
 Horn, o^ k. 
 'Ex. yalovcov y) oi-mv oi fM'Wpvyt 9 * 
 
 The celebrated fhvmas Magifter denies 
 that the word Ma, is ever ufed by the moft 
 approv'd authors to exprefs the appearance, 
 face, or figure of a man : which remark, if 
 true, would be fome reflection on the purity 
 of the language in that bright and beautiful 
 image of the heavenly mefTenger appearing 
 upon earth in St. Matthew, ^Hy H \Ha hstd m 
 cLr&L'M. And in the fame fenfe this word is 
 ufed by authors of the higheft rank and 
 nobleft character in the learned world. The 
 excellent Mr. Albert, out of Arrian, an ad- 
 mirable writer, and Ariflophanes, whofe au- 
 thority will always be fubmitted to, has pro- 
 duced paffages that entirely confound the 
 confidence of the grammarian '. 
 
 ' Herod, r. 4. 1. 18. Eurlp. Phccnifl". v. 90;. 
 
 1 S. Mat. xxviii- 3. D. Albert, in hunc loc in Obferv. 
 Fhilol. p. 163. 
 
 jfrifto- 
 
^Defended and Ilhtflrated. 3 3 
 
 j4rifluph anes has t? tt^vtv ~ccp;yc-j fiejfliayeti 
 
 qium forma. And in another place, a'Banx- 
 ?dti iJ x «ct4f, which is the fame as aGctrxTois 
 v&ktzottois *. To thefe inftances out of j^ftff 
 authors I add one out of a Doric writer, 
 highly approv-d by all people that can read 
 him, and raifed above the reach of cavilling 
 fcholiafts ; 
 
 Which is well explain'd in the notes upon 
 that fublime and glorious author; 9 W>^'m« 
 
 <paxS"puvjyjyjou r*i t«t« capa. It mayn't be dis- 
 agreeable to the reader to have the gramma- 
 rian's own words, which carry an air of 
 pertnefs and confidence peculiar to people 
 of a little learning, and no judgment - y ovy,*- 
 V7ou J s «s vS &$ <r$J Sby.ifsj><]cirn>ji> iSiccy '&& clv m 
 vpcaint Aiy&) a Mot «<T(§^ xj o-^iv 4 . 
 
 Phrymchus will not allow amWcw and 
 ^TttAcu to be claffical Greek words, but re- 
 
 ' Ariftoph. Plut. v. $77, ff8. Nubes, v. 288. eiSuint- 
 w \ii<ti, mention'd by the lcholiaft, is a various reading 
 of no value. 
 
 3 Pindar. t\, 10. V. 122, 12;. 
 
 4 M- Albert, in S. Mat. xxviii. 3, 
 
 Vol. II. D quires 
 
34 STife Sacred Classics 
 
 quires that inftead of them, or, as far as I 
 can perceive, any other word related to 'em, 
 your polite writers always ufe by. ttclKox*. 
 According to which obfervation that grand 
 paffage in St. Qeter wou'd be ftain'd with 
 loleciftical language ; «ii"io x&jxcl i^irccXco.^ 
 apyei *. But Jpollonius AkxandrinuSy a much 
 greater man in this way, defends and ufes 
 *?>c7ra.Acu : Trr ?5C7raAou Taws yvcucriv 6 . 
 
 In Herodotus we meet with isWAcu 7 , and 
 according to the analogy of grammar and 
 conftant ufage of the bell: authors, a^WActt 
 and gjcmAcM are equally proper and allowa- 
 ble. ^Plutarch has 'Tmpeoy.evctKGJs «cctdc,Acu Ylitn- 
 Sbu 9 . Our nice critic is not only himfelf 
 difgufted at the horridnefs and abfurdity of 
 thefe words, but calls upon his reader to 
 exprefs his contempt and abhorrence ; 'Am- 
 
 <77ctAcu Xj iynuzX'U ctf/.(poiv JWs££/yg, ox. <OTtAou« 
 y% £el "hky&v 9 . 
 
 The fame gentleman is tranfported out of 
 all temper at the barbarity of that ugly Un- 
 Attic word qg/qjupoau, which by all means 
 muft be vJlct/jMTzti, clfe farewel all the pro- 
 
 5 2 S.Pet. ii. 3. 
 
 6 Apud Albert, in loc. 
 
 ' T«t $ toWao* (uyaAa. w, Herod. Gr. 1. p. 3. 1. 19. 
 
 8 Plutarch, in Themiftocl. 
 
 * Cited in Albert. Obferv. Philol. p. 463. 
 
 priety 
 
'Defended and Illitflrated* 3 5 
 priety and purity of Greek, all the elegance 
 and delicacies of the Attic idiom. But the 
 critic's zeal is without knowledge : He him- 
 felf quotes Alexis, a pure Att'ic author, ufing 
 this word ; for which he receives fevere 
 correction. I muft think ng.fjtp.ueip to be a 
 good Greek word, if Horner, Hefwd, &.c. 
 underftood their own language ; y&Tnreoz 
 
 '".-' '.-'. Ki .lor. a' X7T 'H-Tfiapio l , 
 
 'Tis pleafant to hear how ftrenuoufly, and 
 with what a generous and brave concern the 
 good man Hands up for the liberties and pro- 
 perties of old Greece \ <naa.vTm y&vjSbafgvicL 
 
 jypajlflu TOT yg.fifA.ueiV nfM/XtifjfyiWS, e^xroos ccip&^rax 
 
 ytiuy, HglctfjLv&v. But not only the comedian 
 Alexis, but the orator Zy/k; falls under the 
 difpleafure and correction of this fevere cen- 
 furer, for his innovation and corruption of 
 the purity of his own language, in ufing 
 ctxo\yhvvTct yW hrfe for a.xo\vhZvTct vjju?^ 
 which laft is the moft ufual construction 
 both in the divine writers of the New Tefta- 
 ment, and the old claffical authors of Greece. 
 But St. John and St^ Luke have ufed the 
 former and condemn d conftru&ion, andthere- 
 ' Horn. II. 0. v. 280. Hefiod. Oa>y. 7.189. 
 
 D 0. fore 
 
36 The Sacred Classics 
 
 fore muft fall under the fcntencc pafs'd upon 
 
 LvftclS 5 «& at.Y^K'd%ei jjl€V v/u^v. "Tec tpyct ajjnzuv 
 
 « j(pA»6« per vjjtwv *. 'Tis a little furprifing 
 that people who fet up for mailers of lan- 
 guage and dictators in criticifm fhou'd com- 
 mit fuch ftrange blunders, and mew them- 
 felves fuch mere ftrangers to thofe noble 
 authors with which they pretend fuch an 
 intimate acquaintance : a^AyBso', g^^oM, and 
 other words that fignify following, are by 
 both the bell poets and the pureft profe 
 writers ufed thefe two ways, and in other 
 manners of conftruction. 
 
 Lyfiasy as quoted by the excellent Mr. Al- 
 bert, repeats his error ; *m g6w» -to uat eurrS 
 ■aj^A&GaVja. 3 . Euripides has <mv Tixvots txfj. 3 
 
 scwvllIoj. CaUimachus, $ £ o<mcbsv $j!viojcc ju^t' 
 'l^viou Ki^r©* otiyiS'g, vefligia fequitur. Jfe- 
 nophon, ct?x' w am? vfSiv ewri 9 f nos fequaris — 
 cV« W tuurk g'Trc^Jy, clofely pur filing them. 
 The Latins have fometimes imitated this 
 conftru&ion of the Greeks : Salufl, who is 
 very happy in copying out the beauties of 
 thofe exquifite mafters, has this phrafe, Me- 
 minifje pofl gloriam fequi invidiam 4 . 
 
 z S- Luc. ix. 49. Apoc. xiv. 13. 
 
 5 In loc. 
 
 4 Eurip.Med. r. 114;. Calllm. Delus, V. 19. Xen. 
 Cyrop. f. p. 278. Ed. Wells Grscolat. 1. p. fl, Ed. 
 Hutchinfon. Sal. Bell, Jugurth. c. jy 
 
 Wc 
 
'Defended and Uhjl rated. 37 
 
 We have in the fir ft volume obferv'd, that 
 a famous hiftorian and critic has treated the 
 great 'Thacydides, to whom he is extreamly 
 oblig'd, with a cenibrious freedom, which 
 neither cxprefTes very great judgment nor 
 gratitude. 'Tis the celebrated Deunys of 
 Halicarnajpis, who has written a treatife of 
 the peculiarities of the noble hiftorian, and 
 reflected on many paffages as vicious, and 
 not pure fieri ing Greek, at leaft Attic Greek, 
 Here a general anfwer will fatisfy all proper 
 judges. Thucydides's phrafc and way of ex- 
 preilion is with more reafon judg'd to be 
 right, becaufe he writ it ; than wrong, becaufe 
 Denny s condemns it. But we fhall take our 
 ufual method, and bring our vouchers. 'Tis 
 charg'd on this noble author, that he ufes 
 
 the lingular number for the plural So do 
 
 the beft authors in the world. He has 
 
 r ]u5/j ^upyLXvaiov ixvTov m a rroXzjjJLOv ft) T&T 
 
 'AfWifc \ which is declared by the critic to 
 be contrary to the ufage of pure Attic 
 writers. 
 
 Demofihenes and Arljiophanes are efteem'd 
 good Attic writers by moft critics; and they 
 exprefs thcmfelves exactly in the fame man- 
 
 5 Vide Hen. Steph. Append, de Dial. Attic, p. 130, 131. 
 idem repetitur ibid. p. 46. 
 
 D 3 ner. 
 
38 The Sacred Classics 
 
 ner. The former has Tioilova, and 'DftogjoV, 
 for Uoctovcci and *lMu£/«s, which in the fame 
 oration he ufes. Arijlo^hanes has Aay^Jbu- 
 fjioviov for AoLneSbLifJioriM. Tranfition from 
 one number to another, the ufe of collective 
 nouns, and changing number and gender 
 with regard to fome word included in the 
 fenfe, and equivalent to the word put down, 
 arc things fo common in all the facred and 
 fecular writers, that as there is no necellity 
 to produce instances, fo 'tis a little ftrange 
 that fo great a man as the critic abovemen- 
 tion'd ihou'd charge 'em on Tbucydldes as 
 innovations and blemifhes of language. 
 
 l&h. "mf, is. one heavy charge againft the 
 noble writer ; which, if it cannot proceed 
 from ignorance in the accufer, mult arife 
 from a worfe motive, envy and fpite to the 
 character of that glorious h'iftorian, Jlates^ 
 man and general Another fault found by 
 low cavillers is change of gender, which is 
 made with relation to an equivalent word 
 
 which is placed firil in the period which 
 
 e fhucyd'ides is guilty of fuch as this, * v6tr@» 
 
 TT&'TCV 't\^%<X\0 fyt&Z&l TTHS 'AftilVCcioiS Ag^jU-yjOf 
 
 fjfyj $ 7rg?Ttapr 9 which refers to vo(nm& or 
 iqpyvy of the fame fignification with the word 
 
defended and Ilh'Jlrated. 3 9 
 
 no-©-, firft put down. The vanity and pre- 
 fumption of thefe charges, may appear by the 
 inftances produced in my firft volume*, and 
 deierve no farther confutation. 
 
 The learned and diligent Harry Stephens 
 has in his appendix to his Greek, lexicon made 
 a very longdiicourfe upon the Attic dialed, 
 and minutely purfued numerous miftakes and 
 blunders in tphryn'ichusy Magi fiery Suidasy 
 and all the tribe of grammarians, fcholiafts, 
 critics, gueflers, &c. 'Tis of fome ufe, and 
 muft have coft the writer fbme trouble, be- 
 caufe it will be fome fatigue to the moffc 
 plodding readers, and devoted admirers of 
 this indefatigable collector. 
 
 But while this great man cautions the 
 lovers of the Greek language againft giving 
 an unreferv'd and rafh credit to the rules 
 and determinations of thole forward writers,, 
 he, thro' human infirmity, makes feveral 
 miftakes, and, if follow'd, will lead his 
 reader into numerous confufions and wrong 
 notions with refpect to the purity and ele- 
 gancies of that nobleft of languages. 
 
 This excellent fcholar denies that the plu- 
 ral number is ufed for the lingular in profe 
 writers in pure Attic : fo, as he obferves, 
 
 * SS- ClalT. pars i. p. 113, 114. ed. zda. 
 
 D 4 TT&W.'VL 
 
40 The Sacred Classics 
 
 7r£p'ff&JTO for TgpcrwTOV^ rro^a for ai^ov, cioi{e/S(g, 
 
 for xp/4s&, are not to be found in good au- 
 thors 7 . But I wifri he had not been fo po- 
 fitive. Xenophon is an unexceptionable au- 
 thor of pure Greek : he ufes the plural and 
 lingular promifcuoully , Ta^@. and ta^j, 
 are the fame ; Stoo^-j^ r7igji to?s q4pvo!* 9 % 
 
 This ufage is common as well with the 
 Latin as Gra£ profe writers : Epiftola and 
 Epijlolis in Juflin exprefs the fame thing. 
 
 Ctfjcir has Capite demijfo Sequanos and 
 
 Curtius> Capitibus demlfjis Tempus and 
 
 Tempora are promifcuoully ufed by the beft 
 authors, particularly by Nepos. So Mos 
 and Mores in the fame lignification, relating 
 to a man's virtue and moral character, not- 
 withftanding the vain criticifm of fomeover- 
 fcrupulous fcholars 9 , 
 
 7 Scimus Atticos adje&iva quidem nonnulla *kn%v]i- 
 %£{ in fignificatione <ra tvix,* uiurpare fut Tf&>7tt, a^voJa) 
 fed quis unquam apud Acticum icriptorem in foluta ora- 
 tions ica ufurpata invenit? imo haec ufurpatio pluralis 
 poetis Grsecis peculiaris eft ; quam & Lacini poetse imi- 
 ta,ti funt. Hen. Steph. Append, de Dial. At. p. ijo. 
 
 8 Xen. Cyrop. p. 5-20, pi. Ibid. CI. Hutchinf. 1. 
 P'if-7- p-ro8. 
 
 9 Nihil contra morem cuperent, nihil per metum veta- 
 bantur. Tacit. Ann.;, p. 117. ed. Elz- 1654. Viranti- 
 quiffimi moris. Val. Pacer. 1.2. c. 116. 
 
 Thi* 
 
defended and Illuftrated. 4 1 
 This great man in another place gives us 
 an inftance of a neuter noun plural, which 
 is anfwer'd by a verb plural, contrary to the 
 general practice of the Greek authors, and 
 the pofitive affertion of moft of the Greek 
 grammarians; which, I am perfuaded, can* 
 not be thought authentic. "lis this in 
 Homer ; 
 
 Kai $n S"v&t oiawm vecov y ottipla. XeMvJcu* 
 
 Where \e\vvlou is put for AsAuTa*, not only 
 for the fake of the poetry, but according to 
 the genius of the language, to ftrengthen 
 and ennoble the found : and to prove this, 
 the profe writers often infert the v in thefe 
 cafes , fo we have proved from the facred 
 and foreign dailies; fi vap^'icL yftfiv TrBTrhccTuvlou. 
 His own author, which he quotes on another 
 occafion, expreffes himfelf after the fame 
 manner. "Pis Euftathius, who on that line 
 of Homer \ zA. a. 
 
 has this grammatical remark, nx> Si 7re^Tcc m- 
 
 I fhall produce examples of nouns neuter 
 plural regularly agreeing with verbs plural. 
 
 There 
 
4i The Sacred Classics 
 
 There are feveral inftances in the divine 
 evangelifts and apoftles, and enough in the 
 old Greek daffies, tajuftify that form of ex- 
 preffion. If St. 'James has Sbu^vioi m^A/vai 
 vo (p&ojwji, we find in Ctejias, <m, xpsy ajfjoov 
 
 We have formerly made fome obfervations 
 on the criticifms of the merry buffoon Lu- 
 cian, and fhew'd his want of thought, and 
 indecent alTurance, in charging the facred 
 writers, and other authors, infinitely his fa- 
 periors, with folecifms. We add here, that 
 when he introduces one Socrates prefcribing 
 rules for language, and reproving the pre- 
 tended barbarifm of <tfS <$iKw d 7yf>v<pouo<nxl©* 9 
 he contradi&s himfelf, while he agrees with 
 his friend the critic. Plutarch ufes the word, 
 
 Tle^7m.hvi'>toov d ^pu(pcuaVreJ©- Xt^tcuj'. And 
 
 who will fay that Plutarch did not write 
 both good fenfe and good Greek ? And, I 
 fanfy, even Luc i an wou'd not fo readily 
 have given in to the weak cenfure of his 
 
 1 Horn. II. 0. 1 5f - SS. Clafllc. par. i. Horn. II. a. 4^9. 
 Euftath. inloc- S- James ii. 19. Ctefiasdelndicis. Xen. 
 Cyrop. 2. p. i?7 ed. D. Hutchinfon. I thought proper 
 to take notice of this fmall matter, becaufe the moft emi- 
 nent grammarians, even the gentlemen of the Port Royal, 
 make their rule general, and mention no exceptions : in- 
 deed they may feem to limit it by the word Jouvent, but 
 give no example. Nouvelle Methode Grecque, p. 41c. 
 
 cavil- 
 
^Defended arid Ilhfl rated. 43 
 
 cavilling friend Mopfe, if he had read *6a- 
 rflcra/np^ in the divine PLito, nor have 
 fliew'd equal want of judgment and memory 
 by ufing in one of his mod ferious compe- 
 titions, that very expreflion, by him and his 
 friend condemn'd and ridicul'd ; b-nfjl iwW 
 
 ptKpcwoToJcc or^iv e%,v\x rix.e.V t ovreaiv ts 7roAiL- 
 7Cr\v Z SbvctfJJLV epu/wevJi'AWiv *« 
 
 Offence has been taken at xaO' as by fharp 
 critics, which is not to be endur'd by gentle- 
 men of politenefs and difcernment ; it ought 
 to be ^G' iva ; and this remark has a very 
 malignant afpecl: upon St. Mark, St. John, 
 and St. Paul. 01 be ripZctjo Kvtt^Szli, >o ?Ayetv 
 oujtu as JtaO'aS*- «s zxG as z'^pyovlo. Ol irofooi 
 «r <tziop[c^ eajxev ev A£/<pa' o da scao as ccmvAcov 
 
 IMA* o$iy by the bye, is turn'd into tt> <T*, 
 
 which I'm afraid wou'd make the place in- 
 curable ; but it is found but in very few 
 books, and is a various reading of no confi- 
 deration. If we refolve >caG' as, as the ana- 
 logy of grammar and conftruclion allows, 
 into $ aro as, all the difficulty vanifhes. 
 So we have xaito for 9 aT<x, and if as fol- 
 lows, a muft be cut off, and the tenuis t, as 
 
 * Luclan In Pfeudofoph. aut Soleclfta. Hen. Steph. de 
 Att. Dial. p. 334. Plutarch, Colot. SS.Claff. p. i. vol. i. 
 p. 17S. ed. 2. 
 
 grams 
 
44 The Sacred Classics 
 
 grammarians exprefs it, be chang'd into the 
 af pirate &, and that will be unavoidably and 
 regularly grammatical— xo,0' «?. So the paf- 
 fages in the divine authors are all folv'd and 
 
 clear'd One, and then one, or another 
 
 began to fay to him One, and then one, cXc. 
 
 went out that is, they all one after an- 
 other, began to fay to him, to go out. }Ve 
 
 being many, are one body in Chrifi firft one 
 
 of us, and then another ; that is, all Chri- 
 iftians in general, are members one of an- 
 other 3 . 
 
 We have xara, in Arijlophanes, and xa.3-' : 
 
 Kara -^vyaa-yi m^e^uativ r 7rtf>cnxa.\—- Kc&rV ctltt 
 evSvi &7T€v 4 » KccTa, \J^v, v J os, a 7 Hz, Awa?, 
 
 are by this trifling buffoon ridkul'd as bar- 
 barous ; and Lexiphanej is dire&ed to vomit 
 'cm up. But they wou'd have fat eafy upon 
 a founder and better ftomach. And, as we 
 hinted in the former part, we muft here re- 
 peat, that 'tis intolerable infolence in fuch a 
 one as Lucian to correel: either the philofophy 
 or language of the great Plato, who ufes 
 thefe words in almoft every page ; and will 
 be read and admir'd thro' all ages, for the 
 
 3 S. Mark xiv. 19. S. John viii. 9. S. Paul to Rom. 
 xii. 5. 
 * Ariftoph. Nubes, v. l/|* i?63. 
 
 noble- 
 
'Defended and Illujlrated. 45 
 
 noblenefs of his fenfe, the fublimity of his 
 doclrincs, and the purity and inimitable 
 graces of his ftyle '. 
 
 I have almoft tir'd myfclf, and, I am afraid, 
 xny reader, with collecting the blunders of a 
 fet of mortals, who fet up for our inftructors 
 and guides in our ftudics of the nobleft lan- 
 guage, that we believe mortals ever fpoke 
 or writ in. The ule of fuch collections fpa- 
 ringly and prudently made, is obvious to 
 every judicious fcholar. 
 
 I conclude this fection with an obfervation 
 upon the bigotry and boldnefs of a learned 
 and eager adverfary of the do&rine and lan- 
 guage of the golpel. Porphyry, as a learned 
 and judicious writer quotes him, will needs 
 derive Svoix,, a bloody Jacr'ijice, from Si/jwaw, 
 to offer frank'mcenfe, and other Jweet odours, 
 not Sw«, which is apply'd for the moft part 
 to bloody facrifices, and metaphorically in a 
 very few places of good authors to unbloody. 
 This prefumptuous affertion, purely ad- 
 vanced to ferve his hypothefis againft facri- 
 ficing any living creature to God, and exprefc 
 fing his malice againft the Jewtjb and Chrl- 
 Jltan inftitution, is an infufferable violation 
 
 5 Vid. Hen. Steph. Append, de Di-aleft. Attic, p. 254. 
 
 of 
 
46 The Sacred Classics 
 
 of all the analogy of grammar ; wou'd turn 
 the beft languages of the world into mere 
 jargon and cant; and is a molt impudent 
 infult upon the common fenfe and under- 
 ftanding of every reader. QufM<x,ij& and 
 Svylotais come naturally and regularly from 
 Svfjj.dw j but from Sua, Svoia,. ©t//^ is uied, 
 as the other, for a bloody facrifice, tho' much 
 more rarely. Euripides ufes it, fpeaking of 
 the murder of Qolyxena, and the executioner 
 and appointed manager of thofe bloody rites; 
 
 — — St/^7©* ^ 'QncfxTM 
 
 'hpevi t iiritpr\ t&<&, thus A%tftJws. 
 
 The worthy gentleman abovemention'd juft- 
 ly remarks, that this bold pagan in vain, 
 and to his own fhame, 'puts up this mon- 
 ftrous piece of criticifm, to evade the divine 
 inftitution and ufe of bloody facrifices in the 
 religion and worfhip of anticnt times 6 . 
 
 6 Mr. Shuckford's Connexion of facred and profane 
 hiftory, i. p. 82. Eurip. Hecuba, v. 222. 
 
 
 CHAP. 
 
^Defended and Hhtftrated. 47 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 Being a further jDifcourfe on Articles, 
 Peculiarities in Jignifications of words 
 and phrafes 5 Particles, and their 
 various ufes : Dialects in the New 
 ^efiament parallel 'd with the nobleft 
 foreign authors, and provd equally 
 beautiful and fignificant, and fome- 
 times fuperior. 
 
 H E article in this noble lan- 
 guage very often ferves only 
 to give an agreeable harmony 
 and lively turn to a period ; fometimes it 
 ferves to diftinguifh, to mark out fomething 
 particular, to give an cmphafis and height- 
 ning to the difcourfe. 
 
 The former part of that divine pafTage in 
 the author to the Hebrews, contained in what 
 is call'd the firft verfe', has been already 
 confider'd, and, I think, juftly preferr'd 
 
 ■ Heb, viii. i,3« 
 
 before 
 
48 The Sacred Classics 
 
 before any pafTage in the daffies, even upon 
 the confideration of the beauty and feafona- 
 blenefs of the article. Lay what is call'd 
 the fecond verfe to it, and you make it a 
 full period, containing a moll fublime fenti- 
 ment, deliver'd in the moll proper words, 
 and lively manner ; TqiZtov *x°$P ^fX* 1 ?*** 
 
 toTs &&lvo7s' i 5 /] 1 ctyicov XeJapya, % ^ oxhvk £ 
 
 Take this in one view, and I believe any 
 Icholar of ear and judgment will allow its 
 true grandeur, and fuperiority to any thing 
 to be found in foreign authors. There 
 feems to me to be the fame beauty in the 
 article put before the chief words of this 
 lofty defcription of our Saviour's majefty 
 and auguft offices, as there is in omitting it 
 before av$&nr& ', God is the file author and 
 d'tfpofer of this heavenly injlitution ; the only 
 difpenfer of thefe celeflial privileges, procured 
 for the "world by the pafftons, cXc. afcenjion, 
 and inter cejfon of the Son of his love and bo/bm. 
 Man had no contrivance, no power, or thought: 
 He has no concern in this great and falutary 
 my fiery, but to be humble and thankful ; to 
 adore that incomprehenjible miracle of our 
 
 Redemption, 
 
^Defended and III ujt rated. 49 
 
 Redemption, and enjoy the full ejects and 
 bene jits of it. 
 
 §.2. Peculiarities, or ways of ex- 
 preillon not found in any other authors in 
 the fame language, have been with greac 
 aggravation charg'd as an unpardonable fault 
 in the divine writers ; but the fame, and 
 greater liberties have been taken by the 
 nobleft Greek and Roman authors, without 
 any complaints but from the quarter of ig- 
 norance and conceit. That conltruclion, 
 'ESrziv fj&otv oA« fi yt) vmcrw tV dv&u z , has 
 given offence to weak and over-nice critics. 
 In the firft place, wiy^oju^ujj may be under- 
 ftood j and then it will be, Ml the world, 
 which went after the beaj, wonder d at the 
 cure. But put it in the vulgar conftruction 
 All the world wonder 'd after, for wonder' d at 
 the beafl : we can add to the few inftances 
 mentioned before, a great many peculiarities 
 in the firft-ratc Grecians, more bold and 
 furprizing. 
 
 Plato has ol QJUvJes x) <to {Javla, 3 , living fer- 
 
 Jbns and living things, for the univerfe, all 
 
 the ranks of being. That ufe of d?&©+ 4 in 
 
 * Apoc. xili. 3. 
 
 3 Phaedo, 71. ante E. 
 
 * L. 1. p. 67. 1. 6. 
 
 Vol. II. E Hero* 
 
5sO The Sacred Classics 
 
 Herodotus is exceffively bold, and, I think, 
 unexampled ; Oiivoi ylv % a?Aa ttqp^xIcl <x.jj^ 
 cumf 9 When a man is grozvn very old, among 
 the barbarous Maffagetae, the nearejl relations 
 meet together, and kill him, and with him 
 ( other ) fome fheep, on which they have a 
 rich and delicious feafl. T^Aa y% oiw rP{S 
 dy&v, for I live at a great di fiance in the 
 country, is, as the fcholiaft feems juftly to 
 obferve, for q\*m lv id?s dyej>?<, and is a way 
 of conftru&ion very rarely to be found. 
 In that pafTage to the Ephejjans v. 31. 
 
 Xj r fjw.iiepy this prepofition has a peculiar 
 fignification , for <5W, %i& v y or eve^, For 
 this caufe, on the account of the divine 
 inftitution of marriage, and its myftical re- 
 prefentation of the moft facred union of 
 Chrifl and his church, jhall a man leave his 
 father and mother, and cleave to his wife: 
 which is, in the Greek interpreters of the 
 Old Teftament, m-uv t«t&, and the fame in 
 St. Matthew and St. Mark s . 
 
 In Euripides vvexa, is ufed in a fenfe very 
 different from that ufual in this author or 
 others, that is, for -arAw, excepting. Nex&s 
 
 J Gen. U« 24. S. Ma{, xix* f. $. Mark x. 7. 
 
 ,3 
 
^Defended and Ilhiflvated. 5 1 
 
 tSL c&r vvex.% qjuK^uq irvovi : On which the 
 fcholiaft makes fuch an obfervation, and 
 gives it fuch a turn, as, in my opinion, per- 
 verts the fenfe, and makes the pafTage ridi- 
 culous. Let the reader take his words, and 
 judge j "NexQpi $ &J- ^yt-v jJuxeJUs aya.7nonr 9 
 
 'jrro-nv . 
 
 *Ev in all its fignifications and ufages in 
 the infpir'd writers, may be parallell'd in the 
 true dallies of old Greece ; but feems to me 
 to be taken in a fignification very peculiar, 
 in the above-nam'd elegant author; X&vco 
 env .fj.y.oc /xo£/.'MS ev ocjja^is TrpoaaShv 5 Serb 
 tuum v ul turn poft hummer os dies afpexi 7 . 
 
 "Ai'Sfe; rr^S ttx.'^vv, for iv?Mcno!, rich me?j y 
 is found in Herodotus, and, I think, fcarce 
 in any other authentic writer. The Sep- 
 tiiagwt have vnovzs -t n*$, exactly agreeable, 
 and a literal translation of the Hebrew 8 . 
 GaraTow has in the great Plato a ilgnification 
 fcarce to be found in any of the other old 
 dailies, of dejjring, meditating on, and pre- 
 paring for death, by denying to a man's felf 
 the irregular gratifications of his bodily ap~ 
 
 6 Eurip. Oreft. v. 84. 
 
 7 Eurip. PhoenifTx, V. ;if. 
 
 8 Herod, f. 156. 13. Pfal. xxli. 29. 
 
 E 2 petites, 
 
5i The Sacred Classics 
 
 petites, and railing and refining his fpirit 
 by virtue to the contemplation of divine 
 things, and the enjoyment and true relifh of 
 fpiritual and celeftial pleafures 9. Ux^-juc' 
 rSia in this fame author itands for an argu- 
 ment or proof ', A/Vict tUto Sn 'tews ux oAiy,s 
 'Tnx&LjuLoSia.s S^tcu ^ <m<?wi ' j which more 
 commonly in this author, and, I think, uni- 
 verfally in other noble writers, fignifies either 
 exhortation or confolation. 
 
 Tg for afcee, fed, is very extraordinary, but 
 found in Herodotus } 03 Kw'm$ oTec te a tu&iv 
 >-©-, Z-nfjJjm; 7z w y Coes being not a prince, 
 but a private man. 
 
 'Avoiyiofj&i, to declare, to repeat, is, I be- 
 lieve, fcarce to be found but in the fame 
 noble writer, fpeaking of fome of the Thra- 
 cian cuftoms ; where he tells you, that the 
 Trauii rejoice when any of their friends die, 
 becau/e they are releafed from all the mlferies 
 of mortality, and are In a fate of happinefs : 
 But when an Infant Is born, his relations Jtt 
 about him, deplore his miferable condition, and 
 at large repeat and go over the numerous trou- 
 bles and fufferlngs that attend human life. 
 
 9 Plato Phsdo, p. 6*4. 
 
 * Id, ibid. p. 70. 1,2. poftB. 
 
 'Ayoiyi'- 
 
^Defended and Uhiflrated. 5 5 
 'Avciyiofjfyjoi tu a:'0f^7D7/'a, mzLv}oc z ^ Opening all 
 the troubles and miferies incident to mankind. 
 In our language there are a great number of 
 Greek phrafes, perhaps as many as in any 
 "European tongue, by which 'tis enrich'd and 
 ennobled. 
 
 'Eml elegantly includes an ellipfis, which 
 may be fupply'd by the former part of the 
 difcourfe both in the politeft of the common 
 authors, and the writers of the Gofpel ; Mm 
 a^tx©* ©cos ; ua] fyjoijo. 'E'mt ttws x&iva o 
 ©go's t yjcjxov ; after this particle « ^S ££, or 
 an equivalent expreffion, muft be underftood* 
 Jn jjriftotle we have eirel in the fame manner; 
 'JE-ttbI isSiv <xv wv ccpehQ* tijjfns ; fVe Jiudy virtue y 
 that ive ?nay be good ; if it was not fo y what 
 woud be the value of it 3 ? 
 
 Ta-ro jjfy) and tS-to 3 anfwer one another in 
 diftribution ; TZro jufy] ov&fcoi ^ STvAj/gsi n&?a- 
 
 vw fy;v,i3iv%. So the firft hiftorian, and 
 one of the beftand fweeteft writers of Greece^ 
 
 ju-yjas V3ET ?f/.a XTi/y« *. 
 
 * Herod. Gr. f . p. 289, ]. ult. '-ASai/a^a in the fame 
 place feems to bear a ft range and unuiual fignification ; 
 Ttfriov to n*v Tim 01 d^tt.va.TTC.ov\ii. Ibid. p. 288. 1. 17. 
 
 3 Rom. iii. f , 6. Ariftot. Eth. Nicom. p. 57. Eurin. 
 Hecuba, v. I27f. 
 
 * Heb. x. 32. Herod. Gr. 3. p. 208, 209. 
 
 E 3 'Attfli 
 
54 The Sacred Classics 
 
 'AMa put after h fignifies yet, notwhh- 
 (landing , 'Ei y> Xj Ty oxpid ccjreifju, ccM<& tzS 
 irviuu^nri avv o/xtv eiui °, For tho y I be abfent In 
 the body, yet I am prefent with you In the 
 fp'trit. The learned Mr. Hutch'mfon has 
 furnifti'd us with the fame ufe of thefe par- 
 ticles in this poiition, out of the pure and 
 elegant Xenophon -, E* jj ^' T0 $u^iT*», a^' 
 
 i£to lvh\Kov s . We have in the former vo- 
 lume lhew'd that Zv is often fuperfluous as 
 to the fenfe in the common and facred claf- 
 fics, but produced no parallel places out of 
 the former, which are innumerable -, Q\ $ 
 
 Zv Xa'uwJ — ■ tstks Avcztyfyjoi — - "hbrDirbfJiTrvai s , 
 
 "Otto;?, \m tus, ha, have the indicative mood 
 of a verb join'd to 'em, when their fignifica- 
 tion feems entirely to require the potential ; 
 /jut ttwc, t£s o-y <peiai\ou is the reading in a great 
 number of the bell editions and manufcripts 
 of the New Teftament, and is pure Greek, 
 and more elegant than q&oyfou, Rom. xi. 11 , 
 "Ottoh im oauiuV oixjiets mvji, is in jflLfchylus, 
 
 15 Col. Ii. 5-. parall- 2 Cor. xiii. 4. Xenoph. Cyrop. 8. 
 f.64;. 11. 3. 
 
 * Herod. Gr. 9. p. 7-46. J, f, plat. Phxdo, 90. lin. 
 penult. S. Luc. xx. 2j. 
 
 So 
 
^Defended and IUuJlrated. 5 5 
 So j4riJlophanes ufes it 7. We have it ufed 
 in the fame conftruction in the great Plato. 
 
 is fo ufed in the Revelation of St. John ; 
 
 lvx, ecp'ou rt cJ^yaioc assnfv otti to fyjhov <f (^ows '. 
 
 and then the conftrudtion is varied ; Kal tw$ 
 
 to/Km oiv &ath§o)oiv as r vrvhiv. Tho* this paf- 
 
 fage may admit a different refolution ; oots 
 ao-paAris !£a is in fhucydides. To the fame 
 
 lenfe Mfl tis u/<*s e<put (PjXctyxyjov 8\ci $ pzAoflD- 
 
 9/as *} xgwis aWiup, is in the excellent writer 
 St. <ZW s. 
 
 The variety of diak&S) ufed with mode- 
 ration, as in the evangelifts and apoftles, 
 gives the facred book an agreeable and plea- 
 fant turn and grace to thofe who read and 
 compare it and the foreign dailies now ; 
 and ferv'd much to the inftruction and gra- 
 tification of the different inhabitants o£Greece y 
 and of all the world who underftood that 
 language, when the invaluable writings firft 
 came to their hands. I add an obfervation 
 or two on this head, and pafs on. In St. 
 Mark the augment is taken away from the 
 
 t 7 -ffifchyl. Prometh. 62. Ariftoph. Nubes, 88/. ejrof— 
 
 8 Plat. Ep. 3. p. 318. Revel, xxii. 14. Thucyd. 4- 
 p-274- Demofth. de Corona, ed. Ox. p. 171. lin-antepen. 
 Col.ii. 8. 
 
 E 4 verb; 
 
56 The Sacred Classics 
 
 verb ; fyavov f i&7n>iy\K,ei<m.v for Inrt'Tniwy.&icu.v x 
 which is frequent in the Ionic and poetical 
 dialed. But we find it in the beft authors 
 that write in the common and Athenian dia- 
 lect. Plato has (j^^lvo^Iw for Ifj^yav^bjj. 
 So DemofihemSy oUoi ytahnio for g^O^xo 9 . 
 
 9 Hr3r6 is for r,i y fome fay according to the 
 Eolic dialed, very often ufed by the choice 
 Attic writers k 'H7ra ^ gv avwqcivlgjLcc, h tol?s 
 yjvauQu ySvL : So in St. Matthew, Kct) av 
 rt&zx, ju^'to 'hav. The fame addition is made 
 to other verbs;' mh /mSZu hvt&Su, for $iy* 
 &s ; quaji per fabulam percarrebas, expo- 
 nebas \ 
 
 Kal Ta'jTtx is an elegant Atttcifm, that adds 
 cmphafis to the difcourfe \ 'TfjL&s dfon&Ts $ 
 Xxrq-'epaTF, Xj Ta-Jiix ctc» N gA(p«?, 70# injure and 
 defraud, and that even your brethren both in 
 natural and fpiritual relation : which is an ag- 
 gravation of your crime. 'A<p' hoi Ifyvndvctiv^ 
 ■*j t::utcc t>evexep}$ov 9 Y&Srooi *r» occf&i rts v£$tiv 
 td'TcXrfo&y ^ aoeril ajj.yJ^ « ro^jc to ^g?X@» 'f Sa- 
 > .ct'ocrMs w oivciejftpvi!®* a : .Fhwz c/ze perfbn y and 
 he lihwije worn out and weaken' d with old 
 age yfp rung Juch an innumerable progeny, which 
 
 9 S. Marc. xv. 7. Plato, ep. 3. p. 518. Demofth. de 
 
 Corona. 
 
 1 Ariftoph. Plur. ver. 970. S. Matt. xxvi. 69. 
 * 1 Cor. vi. 8. Heb. xi. 12. 
 
 jncreajes 
 
'Defended and Illuftrated. 57 
 
 increafes the wonder , and obliges us to afcribe 
 that great work to almighty power. This 
 noble paffage abounds with beauties ^ the 
 fentiment is grand, the illuftrations and 
 fimiles very pertinent and graceful, and the 
 articles fvveet and harmonious. 'Aig%&v 
 
 VH&S @<x,p@ct£pv a,v2r£2)T0i' Xj tscvtcc 'yjvctix.ee (po- 
 
 Qa.dzLi, And which is moji contemptib/e, and 
 f roper to excite indignation. So Demoflhenes, 
 Arifiophanes fupplies us with examples of 
 this ufage of this Attic phrafc ; Ms tt&<s$ioL~ 
 
 I ask leave to obferve by the bye, that a 
 learned gentleman, who has deferv'd well 
 of the facred volumes, has told us, that 
 %fi A&, by a Hebrezu metonymy, isL put for 
 fpeech, as 1 Cor. xiv. 11. and, by a Hebrew 
 metaphor, for the fea-jhore, as in this admi- 
 rable place before us : But that it is no mere 
 Hebraifm, the learned Mr. Albertas has 
 fhew'd out of an unexceptionable author ; 
 
 w Ew for I5-1 or gpg<p is often ufed by the 
 poets ; but is not peculiar to them : The 
 beft prole authors ufe it fo ; 'Ato' Jews h 1 tls 
 
 3 Ariftoph. Plut. v. 16, 17. 272. 
 
 4 Pafor Gr. Gram. N- T. de Dial. p. 694. Mr. Albert 
 inHeb. xi. 11. P433. 
 
58 The Sacred Classics 
 
 ^ gj> 7)fJJ.V 7TCCIS OcflS TO* TlilCtUTU, (poft&TCU s » So 
 
 in our divine authors we find the fame ufage; 
 
 07ra y» hi "¥j?Xyiv $ 'lifPcu(& 9 <z&a!o/xw ^ dx^- 
 
 ccMcc tco TrscWa. >§ Iv mtuvi Xg/q~6t;. The repeat- 
 ing this noble paffage puts me in mind of 
 an objection raifed againft /3x'f/3*p^, XtuISyis, 
 they being two words that fignify much the 
 fame ; whereas there is a perpetual and 
 beautiful oppofition between the other thro* 
 the whole period. But we cannot lofe Xvjj- 
 Sn$ out of the facred text. 'Tis a gradation, 
 and heightening of the fenfe ; Not only com- 
 mon Barbarians, bat Scythians, the mojl fa- 
 vage and barbarous of all thofe uncultivated 
 clans and herds of mortals. The great Ttilly 
 confirms this diftindion ; O nofler mifericors, 
 quid facts ? Ghiod nulla in Barbarid quifquam 
 tyr annus, ^hiis hoc facit ulla /;;Scythia tyran- 
 nusy tit eoSy quos lu&u afficeret, lugere non 
 Jineret? Herodotus confirms this character 
 of the exceffive brutality, and bloody fierce- 
 nefs of the Scythians above other Barba- 
 rians 6 . Barbarize nomen datum a Grsecis om- 
 nibus qui lingua Graecss non erant. Crefcit 
 oratioy nam inter Barbaros barbarijjimi erant 
 
 5 Plat. Timeus, p. 77. poft E. Col. ill- ir. 
 * Tull. Or. in Luc. Pifon. Herod, z. 
 
 Scythac 
 
defended and III ujl rated. 59 
 
 Scytha: femiferi homines y itaque hoc nomine 
 
 tanquam probrofo in Dcmofthenem ut'itur 
 ^fchines. Seneca in Troadibuf; 
 
 Ghiis Colchus hoc, quis fedis incertx Scytha 
 commijtt 7 ? 
 
 I now pafs on to juftify by parallel ufage 
 of the beft authors of old Greece feveral 
 phrafes and forms of expreilion, whofe pro* 
 priety and claflicalnefs have been deny'd or 
 doubted. 
 
 That form of exprefllon ^ccirliajjioc. Qanrtl- 
 ^H&cLiy and numerous others of the lame na- 
 ture, has been much fcrupled by, and very 
 offenfive to,fome writers of great fame : but 
 with what reafon, will foon appear; AiVa, 
 jU/goo. tS <yvfJLvxfe§v.L y\7\et^\av}o y Certatilirl Je 
 oJeo unxerunt. KaA«c$cu t£t vojjl dSvLvcLJov, 
 Vocari hoc nomine immortali. Tip-ru yjcvtw oVh- 
 env % r nf(pjj5/;vs v&iQjLWi a(pccysi? 9 Lethalibus vulne- 
 ribus vulneratos *. 
 
 KaiTtj3oA7i -<5°"i t/ - y > m tne facred writers, 
 feem'd to fome gentlemen converfant in 
 thefe ftudies, unexampled in the old Grc- 
 
 7 Ver. 104. Vide Critic in Poll Synop. 
 
 8 S. Matt. xx. 22, 22. Thucyd. i. p. 4. 1. 12, 14. 
 Pindar. o\, 6. y. 93, 9j\ Eurip. Oreft. 1048. Phaenifl*, 
 
 cians ; 
 
66 T'he Sacred Classics 
 
 cians : Indeed 'tis very rare ; but 'tis found 
 in the lofty Qindar * y Ka7a/3oAa^ U&iv <Lyi- 
 ycop 9 . 
 
 Our learned countryman Gataker wou'd 
 not allow that <psos is put for in,? in any good 
 claffic author, which is fo put in St. Mark ; 
 Kal w rSrpju.owi'oju^j©- T^pi t& (pus. The rela- 
 tion of light and fire is fo near, that it 
 cou'd not be fhocking to put one for ano- 
 ther; and Xenophon ufes it in the fame fenfe; 
 E7r&<r7n7rW<i> ojjIois vnvucn w^ps (poos orcAJ, 'They 
 rujh upon them drinking by a large -pre \ 
 
 T«A©« in St. Peter fignifies the end and 
 confummation of the good Chriftian's hopes, 
 the fruits of his labours, and the full reward 
 of all his fufferings and undaunted bravery 
 in the Chriftian warfare, in that admirable 
 
 paffage, 'A^ct/fttctc&g ^f^ ai gttAaAflT<w k foSbt. 
 cto"|W.gV)], xoy.i^ofjfyjoi to tbA©* r <m^im vyjov, 
 <rwTf)eJl<x,i> 4j^i'. Pindar ufes this word in 
 exactly the fame fenfe, but upon an occa- 
 fion infinitely lefs and lower ; Ao'puxA©- j 
 75A©* iruyn&s (pepe, TipvvSot voaoov w^iv 1 * 
 
 9 St. Mat. xiii. Sf. i St. Pet. i. 20. Pindar Nem. 
 Ode 2. v« f. 
 
 1 Gatak. de N. T. ftylo. Xenophon has, in the place 
 juft quoted, f>\b}a. for 7rvp, which he will have to be a He- 
 bralfm, ^p.^i. Xen. Cyrop. 7. p. $1%. Vide Not. 
 do&iffimi Hutchinfoni. 
 
 ■ 1 St. Pet.i. 8, 9. Pind. cA. I V- 81, 82. 
 
 TI?.»yri 
 
^Defended and Illujirated. 6 1 
 
 IlAnyri primarily fignifies a wound or Jirokc 
 on fome part of the body ; and in the (acred 
 daffies is by an eafy metaphor transferr'd to 
 the fignification of any fu»s/bment y either of 
 nations or private peribns, inflicted by the 
 hand of Providence, by wars, peftilences, 
 feditions, earthquakes, overthrows in battle; 
 which is frequent in iacred writers, and not 
 very uncommon in the other dailies. 
 
 llccTZb^cu r ymv 'Tracy Tr^vyy, Rev. XI. o. is 
 taken in this fenfe by St. John, and in a great 
 many other places in that lofty book of the 
 Apocalypfe. Herodotus has Tgg^Ta, an equi- 
 valent word, in the fignification of lofing great 
 battles, and fuftaining all the direful confe- 
 quences of a total overthrow. JEfchines has 
 the very word 7rA>iy< : : 'aSwjxbs q tss ^^m^w 
 Aa/3«V ty\Aiy&uty\s irTwyns yty&vnfjfyjys. So in 
 Herodotus of the Perfians conquer'd and 
 put to flight, and ftruggling with various 
 diftrefles, 'tis faid ; "Are yftyLxw irM^jTiq « 
 7rgpie7v,v at.vwTi.2cp <ra> ?r^pi S'Tttp'/is . 
 
 'Ecpctvy for riA-crs is very rare in facred au- 
 thors , and I thought once, that it was not 
 to be found in the old Greeks in that fenfe : 
 but the pafTage following is fully fatisfactory ; 
 
 3 Revel, xiii. 12, 14. xxli. 18. Herod. 1. p. 7. 
 t. p. yoi. ad fin. ^Efchi.n, adv. Ctef. Ox. p. 83. 1. ic. 
 
 Yl 3 <$?/ 
 
6t The Sacred Classics 
 
 TloSw, cti Xcox^olW, (patty 5 XJnde venis, O So- 
 crates ? St. Luke has 'HA/as lydvvi, I. e. 
 
 c T^/> SttvoLfuv in the great St. <Paul, figni- 
 fying that he had labour' d and fufferd for 
 the intereft of the Goipel in a prodigious 
 manner, and to the utmoft firetch of human 
 power and patience, is a beautiful and very 
 eafy and natural hyperbole ; which has in 
 the jirji volume been paralleled out of the 
 nervous and grand orator of Athens. On 
 the account of fome cavils and froward ob- 
 jections that ftill are made againft that ftrong 
 and emphatical way of expreflion, give me 
 leave to add the following parallel places 
 out of fome of the fined writers the world 
 can produce. Ultra quam vellent out pojjent. 
 Carter a qua? ad te pertinebunt, cum et'iam plus 
 contenderimus quam pojpimus, minus tamen 
 faciemus quam debemus. Proni Jludii certius 
 indicium ejl fupra vires niti y quam viribus 
 ex facili utl : alter enim quod poteji prajtat $ 
 alter etiam plus quam poteji $ . 
 
 4 Flat. Protag. p. 508. S. Luc. ix. 8. 
 
 5 1 Cor. viii. 3. 2 Cor. i. viii. which is a grand and 
 eloquent paflage ; Ket8' CmfCoriiv iCa.?h$tiy.zv <x$p Mvdfttv. 
 Liv. lib. 22. p. 171. Hearne Tull. ep. 1. 8. p. 16. e<h 
 Grsey. Val. Max. 4. 8. p. IQ7- ed. Rob. Steph. 
 
 An 
 
'Defended and Ilhijlrated. 6 ; 
 
 An over-wile grammarian and critic pro- 
 nounces, according to the ufual confidence 
 of conceited men of letters, that yio-yiJLCLi is 
 never apply'd to a woman having nuptial 
 converfation with a man, but to the man 
 converging with the woman. But the ob- 
 fervation is vain and groundlefs , NJ^cp^ 
 y.K7^ojJ^jm wj e<fcp©* 01 /ju^oh— c/jJxi ftvAovicu 
 ctyS~a.ai fMiyeSzu 6 . Our learned Gataker, 
 according to his ufual aflurancc, pronounces 
 magifierially, that mails is never ufed for the 
 offspring of brute creatures, unlefs fome- 
 times in the poets. How juft this remark 
 is, appears from Plato, in his incomparable 
 apology of Socrates , 'Clomp aV a niis hnrw p%* 
 
 Next we proceed to produce lome very 
 fignificant proverbs, beautiful morals, and 
 cmphatical ftrong expreffions, which are 
 found both in the beft foreign dailies, and 
 the infpir'd ones ; but generally with 
 much more advantage in the latter, both 
 with refpect to the choicenefs of the words, 
 the importance of the matter, and the pro- 
 priety of the application. 
 
 6 Herod. Gr. 4. p. 277. 1. 19, 20. f. p. 2S3. Hen. 
 Sceph. de Dialect. 224. 
 
 7 Gataker de ftylo N. T. p. 167, i63. Soc. Apol. 
 p. 27. ad E. 
 
 An 
 
6\ The Sacred Classics 
 
 An extravagant young man in Theocritus 
 applies a famous proverbial expreffion to a 
 low and lewd occafion, when he tells a loofe 
 woman, who was ready to gratify him in 
 his criminal paflion, that fhe had pluck' d him 
 out of 'the fire ; 
 
 TV {XS SlWUiCL OX 7TU£pS 6iAcl/ . 
 
 St. J tide ufes the lame vigorous form, but 
 upon the moll: noble and valuable occafion 
 that can happen. He exhorts the minifters 
 and fervants of Chrill to apply their utmoft 
 zeal and induftry to reclaim a wandring 
 deluded brother from the error of his here- 
 tical ways, and thofe vile principles and 
 practices fuggefted to him by the unclean 
 apoftate fpirits of darknefs ; and directly 
 tending to debauch both foul and body, and 
 to plunge him in the abyfs of irrecoverable 
 damnation : l Ous \v (po@oi cw^efe, ex t£ nw^ps 
 oioTmJ^orles^ fuavvles ^ t ^tb $ ca.px.os earn?*.®- 
 jjfyjov yi™v*.) v* 23. Amos and Zechariasy 
 the famous prophets in the Old Teftament, 
 have the fame proverbial ltrong expreflion, 
 well rendered by the Greek interpreters ; 
 '£ls SccXos ^aajzcajxtv^ ox nru^ps l^gcfc, jimos 
 iv. 11. Zech. iii. 2. 
 * Theoc. Idyl. ii. 121 J 
 
 The 
 
'Defended and Illujlrated. 6 j 
 
 The old claflics ufed the proverbial fay- 
 ing, innumerable as the fitnd of the" fea-flooTe, 
 when they intended to exprefs immenfe mul- 
 titudes, or grand obligations laid upon man- 
 kind, or themfelves in particular, by fome 
 publick-fpirited and magnificent benefactor. 
 The fublime Pindar is very happy (as in 
 other cafes) in accommodating this faying 
 to his purpofe, with great grace and lingular 
 advantage : 
 
 Exetv@* oca yJ.py^T aA- 
 
 Ao/s tSvyjtVy li' av ($&.oua dWcitlo \ 
 
 Ay\0jlq\J£.i mxjXiaiv 
 
 Tlsgi 7rAtfGa y^Am* cos /^u ovxph 
 
 Oux, civ h&siyv Xiyetv 
 IIovTiccv -\cL<fyw do/^fj^v 9 * 
 
 We find this proverbial way of exprefllon 
 ufed by St. <Pazil with exact propriety and 
 agreement to his fubject, in a period where 
 there is an afTemblage of various beauties, 
 and a very agreeable cadence and harmony 
 in the ftru&ure ; Ato % d(p has Ifymdnoacr, % 
 recur a. vevexzpjjfyjV, xo,6w« nrujxcfgci, t» v&av tjS 
 
 9 Ol. U. 179, &c. 01. xiii. 63, &c! 
 
 You II. F AaNr?n 
 
66 The Sacred Classics 
 
 TuLosw r\ cLvoLefivnt©* *• Here an intelligent 
 reader will, befides the beautiful and appo- 
 lite proverbial expreflions aVe^ t£ v&lvv *nS 
 7tAti6«, and aifju/.©* a dveteJ^iml^^ obferve 
 the fine metaphor ^c~a©- Sahatows, formerly 
 accounted for, and the repetition of the 
 article, which contributes very much to the 
 fweetnefs and mufical found of the period, 
 St. Chryfojiom puts ot mLvles after l^yw^Jicrcr, 
 but we do not find it in any other book. 
 
 'Tis plain, St. faul was admirably vers'd 
 in all the learning of the age he liv'd in, 
 quotes feveral Greek authors, and had, very 
 probably, read all the beft : and that in his 
 writings he has frequent allufions to the 
 cuftoms of the Jews, Greeks, and Romans j 
 and the beauties of feveral of his elegant 
 and ilrong palTages cannot be difcern'd 
 without a competent acquaintance with that 
 learning : And why may it not be probable, 
 that the learned apoflle in that fine pafTage 
 in the epiftle to the Galatians, had an eye to 
 that remarkable parallel pafTage exprefling a 
 cuftom peculiar to a temple of the antient 
 Hercules in Egypt ? Any man's fervant 
 who fled to this fancluary, and had the 
 facred brands or marks of that deity im- 
 ' Hebr. xi. u. 
 
 prefs'd 
 
^Defended and Ilhift rated. 67 
 prefs'd upon him, was fnppos'd to be under 
 his immediate care and protection ; and by 
 that, to be privileg'd from all violence, 
 and harfh treatment. So St. Paul, the great 
 tohfeffbr y champion, and at laft martyr of 
 Jefus Chrift ; Let 110 fnan y who profefles vene- 
 ration and faith in our common Saviour, give 
 me his fellow-fervant any dijlurbance or vexa- 
 tion in the coitrfe of my miniflry, and dif- 
 charge of my duty ; fince I bear in my bedy 
 his J acred marks, fhe bruifes and impreffions 
 of violence and cruelty, which I have received 
 in his glorious fervice, will be upon me till I 
 go down to the grave : therefore I efteem my- 
 felf as J acred, and devoted to my divine Matter \ 
 and may as jujlly claim the civility and cha- 
 rity of all the worfJjippers and lovers of the 
 Lord Jefus in fincerity, as I firmly hope and 
 depend on the gracious acceptance and pro- 
 teftion of our great Lord himfelf It may 
 not be improper to lay both the paflages 
 before the judicious reader, that he may be 
 entertained by the exacl: parallelifm which 
 he will fee betwixt them, and be better 
 *%habled to determin upon the probability 
 of the conjecture. 
 
 F a laf 
 
68 The Sacred Classics 
 
 Ty Aot7ra, ^97T»5 fjgt (Am&U ircLp€ t ^ f m>' eyu y> 
 ott <^\y\\g]cL v£ K.V&U I>jo"tf ev <n£ croofxccri (jl& 
 
 'Hi' 3 'Qh tf Hi'or©*, 6 ^ nil' ^i H^jtJtAs©* 
 igpj/' «5 to %v xctjocqvyw QlWiTAS OTf&; a,vv£(fi'mov 
 
 bX, g£jg<m T8TK Ct 4*0^-1 3 . 
 
 The Ethiopic verfion turns (niyy.t£lx by 
 dolor em, the pains of Chr'iji, the marks of 
 thofe ftripes and wounds received for the 
 fake of the Gofpel. This great champion 
 does not fay, / have, but I bear or carry 
 about me the marks of the wounds I received 
 in this glorious warfare, "Clomp 'On r^pToriais 
 uLyx qepvtov, v envois @otoihix.ots. ' OJ 7 ©- %in 
 tois TQ^LvyLOLGi evafietpuvijou, ^ x,0L,^a/mp ot 0Yifj.eiQ~ 
 
 Our facred authors very emphatically give 
 the name of dead men to vile and lewd 
 offenders, by reafon of their inactivity and 
 ufelefnefs in any ftation of life ; their nau- 
 feous and offenfive converfation, thoughts, 
 and language ; Nexpvs to?? <ra^7r/ayAaG7, £ 
 tous a/xap7/cu5 4 . Arifiophams has the fame 
 
 * Galat. vi. 17. 
 
 3 Herod. Gron. 2. p. 129. S. Chryfoft, inloc. 
 
 * Ephef. ii. 1. 
 
 form 
 
'Defended and Uluftt cited. 6p 
 form and ftrong way of expi Tfon, of a cor- 
 rupt and arbitra y fhtefman ; NuA q Sty**- 
 
 yuye? Iv roif ava> reKPpl'cn, where by tcTc aLvca 
 vex.£?7: i is underftood the wicked citizens of 
 slthnis, who were feduced by the plaufible 
 harangues, by the bribes and penfions of an 
 impudent demagogue and falfe-nam'd fat r tot) 
 to fell their country at a foor rate ; that 
 from the ruins of that the confummate villain 
 might raife himfelf to unbecoming grandeur, 
 and enormous fortunes K 
 
 On this place the learned Mr. Albert has 
 a curious obfervation in defence of the ftyle 
 and language of St. Paul and the other 
 writers of the facred canon ; which is very 
 applicable not only to this paiTage a and that 
 immediately preceding, but in general gives 
 the reafon why capable fcholars fhou'd ftudy 
 this fubjecl; encourages 'em to flight the 
 cavils and objections of thofe who under- 
 value fuch labours ; and exhorts 'em to pro- 
 ceed in fuch a pious, ufeful, and pleafant 
 employment ; It a qua? ad faperflitiomm ad- 
 hibit a funt ah ethnichy ea verba Jacri fcrif to- 
 res fuo jure fcepe transferunt ad uj'um fa- 
 ctum j unde fummi virl talia not are non de- 
 
 5 Ariftoph. Ran*, ver. 418. 
 
 F 3 dignati 
 
70 The Sacred Classics 
 
 dlgnatl funt \ ut llqueat fewionem apofto- 
 lorum iwn inficetum adeb y aut novum fu'ijje, 
 fed eleganter p'olatiim, & a Graecis facile 
 hit elk $ am. 
 
 St. Peter s conflrucYion and grammar will 
 not be accufed of iblecifm by perfbns of 
 judgment converfant in thefe matters, tho' 
 it be as bold and free as any thing of this 
 nature in the facred books ; r E>^s-^ >^^'$ 
 
 sAccpe y&fycy.cL^ ets tovjvdi <xoto otccxovvvlety 00$ 
 tt&Acl ctyyvd/jyi nzu-uh-fc yLtpfl©* 0iy 6 j becaufe 
 
 mere harm and difficult forms of expreffion 
 in the conflrucYion of colle&ive nouns are 
 not unufual in the fublimefl and pureft au- 
 thors of Greece. 
 
 Take that in Herodotus', V^^l^luj dV mV 
 lav -Jihalcc m Tvjecov -t^ ai'^y, .01 'EaAwojj* 
 zxxo-7@* qyen t&£v ol^i®* \-,j 7 . 
 
 Virgil's reprefentation of Sinon, his po- 
 fture, his behaviour, his feign'd aftonifh- 
 ment, willful looks, and femblance of a 
 deep forrow, is a noble piece of imagery, 
 drawn in the liveliefl colours ; which pre- 
 fents the artful hypocrite to the fancy and 
 eye of the reader in full proportion ; and 
 
 6 1 S. Pet. iv. 10. 
 
 7 Herod. Gr. 7. p. 41;. Vide etiam Eurip. Oreftes, 
 v. 1716. Herod. 4. 277. 
 
 at 
 
^Defended and Ilhijlrated. 7 l 
 
 at firfl almoft deludes him, as there it did 
 King Priam and the Trojans, into a com- 
 panion for his cafe, and belief of his fin- 
 cerity : 
 
 Namque ut confpeffa in medio turbatus, biennis 
 Conjiitit, atone oculis Phrygia agm'ina circum~ 
 
 Jpexit : 
 Heu ! quae nunc tel/us, inquit y quae me aequora 
 
 fofunt 
 Acci^ere, aut quid jam mifero mibi denique 
 
 rejlat % ? 
 
 In the miraculous cure of the man affli&ed 
 with a wither'd hand, how is the contexture 
 of the dilcourfe, and the found of the words 
 fuited to, and expreflive of, the nature of 
 the thing ! How many various and fur-, 
 prifing circumftances, full of inftru&ion and 
 pleafure, entertain a well qualified reader 
 in that glorious relation ! Kai c%*/3Ag^'|t4'j©i 
 
 OMVS [MT OpytiS^ ffl/AAU7T8jufyj@- 6^7 Ttt Tno^aa •? 
 
 <T3, Xj e|sT«!g, ^ ^^ttaJgJTaab] vyms oo<; y\ aAA)? 9 , 
 
 How awful and amiable at once does the 
 great Lover and Saviour of mankind appear, 
 when he attentively furveys all the affembly, 
 
 8 Virgil jEnaeld ii. 67, &c Vide etlam 77, 7$, Sec 
 
 9 §• Marc. ill. f. 
 
 F 4 and 
 
yi The Sacred Classics 
 
 and looks feverely all round him, with a 
 juft anger at their obftinacy and malice, 
 mix'd with a tender companion for the unhap* 
 pinefs of their temper, and danger of their 
 condition ! 
 
 The reader is near in the fame eager ex- 
 pectation that then poffefs'd the company, 
 and the poor man who ftood out a miferable 
 fpe&acle in the midft, when his divine be- 
 nefactor with mild majefty gives the word, 
 Stretch out thine hand. That command en- 
 abled him to obey ; new vigour was imme^ 
 diately reftor'd to the whole conftitution \ 
 frefh fpirits chearfuliy flow'd into the vefc 
 fels; and every nerve was wound up; every 
 part and humour that compofcs the animal 
 frame was fo rectify'd and fweeten'd, that 
 the man tailed all the pleafures of a found 
 tody, and joyful heart ; He f retched out his 
 hand, and it was reftored found as the other. 
 The evangelirr with thefe words compleats 
 his wonderful narration, and fills up the 
 pleafure of his readers ; leaving them to 
 imagine in themfelves, the wonder and afto- 
 nimment of .the numerous fpe&ators; the 
 inexpreffible joys and unknown rapture of 
 the man relieved and deliver'd; and his 
 
 eternal 
 
^Defended and Illuftr cited. 7j 
 eternal obligations of gratitude to his divine 
 Saviour and Deliverer. 
 
 There are in the Greek and Roman cl allies 
 of the firft rank and merit, many elegant 
 paflages of high devotion to their deities, 
 noble panegyrics upon their princes and 
 patrons, and the moll endearing expreffions 
 of refped and tendernefs to their friends and 
 favourite acquaintance. 
 
 The polite poet Catttmachus has numerous 
 places of this nature, one of which I will 
 prefent to the reader ; which, I think, in a few 
 fmooth and truly poetical lines, contains a 
 noble and juft acknowledgment of the divine 
 inftitution of government, and authority of 
 crown'd heads, and the finefl expreffions of 
 loyalty and duty to his own fovereign king 
 Qtokmy. Befides, we find fome of the fub* 
 limeft morals and mylteries of religion 
 beautifully exprefs'd, and with the purcft 
 propriety of language fet forth in this corn-^ 
 prehenfive and ftrong piece of eloquence : 
 
 ■ Kctvjv Mcfu&feojii' e£/£«v* 
 
 'Ovjis epa /3a<nAw, $ 'A'TTdAAwj'* ftyxfl ' 
 
74 The Sacred Classics 
 
 TijjAd&i' Stivctlcu y>, emi Aii Stylos rialou \ 
 
 Here are fome doclrines advanced in Ian-? 
 guage near to the myfteries and expreffions 
 of our auguft Chriftian writers 7 xatyv Mom^'- 
 peojiv clei^&v is a found di&ate of good fenfe 
 and natural religion ; agreeable to the mean- 
 ing, but inferior to the compaclnefs and 
 ftrength of Scripture phrafe y yA $Fo/^jg£jui5ju 
 yAnnm X) Svom&ygi lupg,S»m 2 . 
 
 The notion of the more refinM writers 
 and wife men of the pagan world, that Apollo* 
 the favourite fon of their Jupiter y father of 
 gods and men, fat at the right hand of his 
 father, and by that was imply^d that he was 
 veiled with fovereign honour and power to 
 reward his devout dependents and worfhip- 
 pers, is mighty agreeable to the Chriftian 
 article of do&rine and belief, that Jefus, the 
 eternal Son of the true God, fits at the right 
 hand of his blefled Father, enthroned in 
 heavenly majefty, and inverted, as God-Man, 
 the divine Mediator of the new covenant, 
 with full powers to diilribute his royal 
 bounty, and moft precious favours to his 
 
 1 Callim. Hymn. Apol. v. 2y, &c. 
 * Atts Ap. xxiii. 9. v. 39. 
 
 difciples 
 
'Defended and Ilhtftrated. y 5 
 
 difciples and fcrvants, whom he delights to 
 honour. In what noble grandeur of elo- 
 quence, and majeftic plainnefs is this awful 
 article of Chriftianity exprefs'd by our Chri- 
 flian infpir'd writers ! 
 
 Our Saviour difplays his own fovereign 
 majefty, and encourages his apoftles and 
 minifters of his church and gofpel to a cou- 
 ragious refolution, and Heady adherence to 
 their duty and their mailer; and a full de- 
 pendence and truft on his promife, and 
 fupplies of help, and feafonable afliftance 
 in the difcharge of their commiflion and 
 embafTy to the nations of the world, in 
 feveral lofty paffages of the moll beautiful 
 fimplicity, full of ftrong argument, and re- 
 fiftlefs motives of perfuafion, and acquie- 
 fcence j EJU^ fjyi irlczl dfymct \v kgttvjp *} 'On 
 *? yvs— YIopdj&Evfes uv fJigi^ietio^Je ro^It <70b 
 szrvn— Hwyjf.icx, $ this vnc^evcvLcn tclvtcc 'zp^j^AsGh- 
 <r&—'Ey tzS Qvoficu! fji'd £cufjC)Vioi 6xfia,Aii7i—''0(p&s 
 a oven' xclv ^nxvccaiij^v tj 'mooaii'y a yy/j cvjtss /3Aa-\|/#. 
 Kal lSh eyu aVocnfjAAw r eiraSyzXictv tB ttctlfjs 
 fx.« ?<p vfj&i--- Ka/ i$'s eyuj p£.3" 'Ojj[Cf>v eijjw, <ff%cas 
 tzxs fijjJ(i$L$, ecus $ avvleXzlcc t«ccj^©- 3 . This 
 augull my fiery of the feflion of the Son of 
 
 3 S. Matt, xxviil. 18, 19. S. Marc. xvi. I7 a i8« 
 $. Luc. xxiv. 4?. S. Matt, xxyiii. 20. 
 
 God's 
 
?6 The Sacred Classics 
 
 God's love and bofom at his Father's right 
 hand, as 'tis much more important, vene- 
 rable, and infinitely better fuppbrted than 
 any of the articles of pagan belief, or myfte- 
 ries of the pagan religion ; fb the do&rine 
 itfelf, with all its majeftic circumftances, and 
 happy confequences, is deliver'd in a lan- 
 guage far exalted above all the flights of 
 pagan eloquence, and all reach and powers 
 of human wit. 
 
 A/i' h%m wTc« is beautiful and pure; but 
 nothing a£ all to thofe grand inffcances of 
 Scripture eloquence and fublimity, Who is 
 at the right hand of God, being gone into 
 heaven, angels, and authorities, and powers 
 (all the heavenly hierarchy, all ranks and 
 orders of rational beings ) being Jfubjt cfed to 
 him, by the decree and command of the 
 Ete/naL Let all the angels of God worfhip 
 him now as Mediator, to whom they ow'd 
 a natural allegiance, as the Son of God, and 
 heir of all things ; who being the effulgence 
 of his Father's glory, and the exprefs image 
 of his perfon, and fipporting all things by the 
 •word of his might, after he had by himfelf 
 purged our Jtns, fat down on the right hand 
 of the Majejly in high places ^ or, in the 
 words of the fame author, isfet on the right 
 
 hand 
 
^Defended and Ilhiftrated. 77 
 
 hand of the throne of the infinite Ma- 
 
 jefly in the heavens. Chnfl being raifed from 
 the dead, is at the right hand of God- y ever 
 lives to make inter cejfion for us ; and his in- 
 tercellion can never fail , but he is willing 
 and able to five to the uttermojl all that come 
 to the Father in his name \ and honour and 
 pleafe the Father, by honouring and pleafing 
 his beloved Son. 
 
 I conclude with that lofty pailage above 
 criticifm and praife, in Ephef. i. 17, 18, ip y 
 20. ad fin : fome of which have been for- 
 merly quoted, without the prefumption of 
 attempting a tranflation. That part which 
 relates to our prefent fubjed, the auguft 
 feflion of our Saviour at the right hand of 
 Power, the Majefty of his all-powerful Fa- 
 ther, I fhall tranferibe, and prefent to the 
 reader in all the beauties of the divine ori- 
 ginal. 
 
 'Eqg&tafv \v Strict cu/r£, \v <ro?i e7rvgpvioi$ 9 \!zzr£- 
 gflvct) Wctjs <x>^)$fiy ^ e^acnew, £ d\j\a.\iA(c<i, 'Z yjjQjLQ- 
 tvit(§^, xj •srcviBS ovoftc/iT@* QvofJuzQoyfy'ia a fjyvov 
 
 MV Tlj) CLIOiVl TVTCpf GtAAot Kj iV Tfcf JJUeAAQVTl 4 . 
 
 Nothing is fuperior in all the Greek and 
 Roman claflics, to the gallant turn and 
 
 4 I S. Pet. iii. 22. Hebr. i. 6. i. 2. viii. I. Rom. 
 yiii. 34. Hebr.yii. 2f. §. Johan. xiy. 14... v. 2?- 
 
 graceful 
 
7 8 The Sacred Classics 
 
 graceful complaifance of that fine reply of 
 JEolus to the requeft of Jum y which we 
 have from the moft mafterly hand in the 
 world ; and which we cou'd icarce have 
 expected from a governor of fuch rugged 
 and unruly fubje&s ; but that we muft con- 
 fider him infpir'd with netfar and ambrojia^ 
 and pohfh'd by the converfation of the gods 
 at Jupiter's court and table : 
 
 7*uuS) O regina, quid optes 
 
 Explorare labor : mihi jujpi capejprefas eft, 
 Tu mihi quodcunque hoc regni, tu Jceptra Jo- 
 
 vemque 
 Concilias : Tit das epulis accumbere D'wum. 
 
 This very fhort fpeech is admirable, for 
 the fulnefs of its fenfc, the courtlinefs of 
 the addrefs, and emphatic expreffions of 
 gratitude 5 . 
 
 Is the admirable St. Paul, who had fre- 
 quent occafion to addrefs great men, and 
 
 5 Virg. /En. i . v- 76, &c." I omit the laft line, 
 
 Nimborumque facts tempjlatuwque potentem, 
 
 becaufe 'tis only a repetition of what was more beauti- 
 fully exprefs'd in 
 
 Tu mihi quodcunque hot regni, &c. 
 
 and 'tis my humble opinion, that the great author wou'd 
 have ftruck it out, had he liv'd to reyife that noble 
 work. 
 
 the 
 
^Defended and Illuflrated. 79 
 the rulers of the world, lefs happy in his 
 fentiments and language? No: that great 
 man addreiTes with all the complatfwce of a 
 courtier, and ftneerity of a Chrtflian ; he in- 
 finuates into the favour of his hearers with- 
 out flattery ; and, when occafion is, ufes a 
 noble hokhiefs and freedom of fpeech, with- 
 out harflinej}, or giving any jufi offence. 
 How engaging and true is his addrefs to, 
 and character of the great Jgrippa, one of 
 the moft able and fenfible men of that age, 
 in the beginning of his exquifite fpeech ? 
 Tiep). nttiv<iwv u>v tyYa.7\'<iy.aA \zzo IvSktooy^ Qoloi- 
 ?>Jj * Ky(fi.irir<Xi yyflp-cu, euctwnv ps-vj^ov, yJA- 
 ?MV "^crj?.oyc- j .SzLi hin cry oyi'jls&i' l^Ak^x yvw- 
 
 im^iz/jv' o\o Siccus, an jjlclx^pSv fj(g$ ccyJhccti fj.v 6 . 
 
 In the procedure of his noble account of 
 his principles and condud, when the go- 
 vernor, in a tranfport, cries out, <-Paul y thou 
 art mad ; much learning hath brought thee to 
 madnefs ; the great apoftle returns fo modeft 
 and difcreet an anfwer, that it effectually 
 confuted that charge; and cou'd not difo- 
 blige him that made it; 'Ou pcthvpou, jt^-nr* 
 
 $ii5~e, oi?A a Attracts 'Z czotp^pGW/is priixccTA "Zbirr 
 
 (pSTifyoiJLcu. How ftrong and noble is the found 
 * A&. Apoft. xxvi- 2, 3. 
 
 m 
 
8o The Sacred Classics 
 
 in the original J how juft the fenfe ! how 
 graceful the addrefs in all languages ! I am 
 not mad, mojl excellent Fejlus ; but utter the 
 words of truth and fiber nefs> or foundnefs of 
 mind 7 . 
 
 Then the divine orator again applies and 
 appeals to king Agrippa with all the dexte- 
 rity of addrefs, all the fincerity of refpe& 5 
 and charms of engaging eloquence \ 'E™p*- 
 toa y> «£k* WTMV o fiotcriteuSy % 7Tappwowa£of*^u@* 
 
 AaAw, cXc 8 . How furprifing and quick that 
 turn ! how obliging and fincerely complai- 
 fant that immediate anfwer to his own que- 
 ftion ! F<ffTgu«?, $<x.(tiX&j " K.ygj.-inrcLy td?? ir&« 
 (priTcui 5 oTSh oti <moleu€is 9 . The queftion was 
 not propofed by St. Paul to exprefs any 
 doubt or diftruft of the king's belief of the 
 infpiration of Mofes and the divine writers 
 of the Old Teflament, who foretold the 
 coming of our Saviour ; but to declare the 
 certainty of it with greater grace and advan- 
 tage ; Do you believe the prophets, king 
 jQgrippa ? I know that you believe* What 
 effe&s the arguments and eloquence of the 
 apoftle had upon his wife and noble auditor, 
 appears from his immediate anfwer j which 
 
 7 Aft. Apoft. xxyi. 2;. 
 
 * Ver. 26. 
 
 • Ver. 27. 
 
 fully 
 
'Defended and IUuJl rated. 8 t 
 
 fully expreffes, that he admir'd, and was 
 highly pleas'd both with the force of his 
 reafoning, and the delicacy and good man- 
 ners of his addrefs and behaviour. How 
 powerful muft that eloquence be, that cou'd 
 prevail on j'uch a man, to make a publick 
 acknowledgment fo much in favour of the 
 doctrine of a fuffering Meflias, fo fiercely 
 oppofed, blafphemed, and perfecuted by 
 Jews and Gentiles, by the rulers and powers 
 of the earth! Tou almoji prfuade me to be- 
 come a Chrtflian. 
 
 Some commentators make 'jfgtrifpa** an- 
 fwer to be an irony and ridicule upon the 
 apoftlc \ as if he had faid, Do you think me 
 Jo weak as eafily to be ferfuaded out of the 
 religion of my ancefurs, or become your profe- 
 lyte by a Jhort harangue, and a few words of 
 hifinuaUon ? But this is forced and unnatu- 
 ral, againft the ftream of the generality of 
 the ableffc critics and commentators; and not 
 very agreeable to the context. The learned 
 Darnel Helnfius is againft our fenfe of it, 
 becaufe he thinks that courtiers and politi- 
 cians are too cunning publickly to own a 
 do&rine not agreeable to their matters } they 
 will not buy truth fo dear. 
 
 Vol. II. G But, 
 
it The Sacred Classics 
 
 But, with fubmiflion, this gentleman's 
 criticifm feems to be no better than his com- 
 pliment. The Jezvifb religion was as odious 
 to the Romans as Chriftianity ; and yet king 
 Jfgrippa was well known to be an admirer 
 and open profeffor of the inftitution of Mofes. 
 The reply of St. Waul to this declaration, 
 clofes up his noble difcourfe in the moft ad- 
 vantageous and marvellous manner \ fuch as 
 muft leave upon the minds of his audience 
 the ftrongeft impreffion and opinion of his 
 innocence, and modefl confidence in his 
 caufe, of his good manners, and generous 
 charity. 'Tis a delicate and grand pafTage 
 of good fenfe and eloquence, never fuffici- 
 ently to be admir'd ; not at all to be equalled 
 by the moil celebrated orators of Greece and 
 Italy, in their moft happy and admir'd ad- 
 drelTes and infinuation into the favour of 
 their auditors and judges : 'Evfeifjilw av ttS 
 G«w, */ t\ oAiya) fc) ep '7n>7Xcp y jjt,vov cr?, a/.Ao. ^ 
 
 fRLV<TZ<h T85 ax.80J"TB05 jXH 0nu6£PV y fyASzLl TUST8S, 
 
 It may not be improper to hear Hein/ius*s 
 words, when he endeavours to turn the 
 noble pafTage into a meaning contrary to its 
 plain language, moft natural fenfe, and the 
 concurrent judgment of the greateft number 
 
 of 
 
'Defended and lUujlrated* 8 3 
 of the bcft tranflators and interpreters : J&ui 
 (Agrippas) cum h oKiyy dixit, idem quod 
 vidgo ■r-.o oXiyv dixijje volunt : qua ft h.cc 
 Agrippae mens Juiffet, pcttum abefje quia 
 Chrtflianus effet. Gjuam confejjioiiem, ut in 
 tali loco tie conventu effuderit Agrippa ; vix 
 eft ut exifiimem, ne fi it a quidem jlnfit. 
 Politicorum enim Strophas quis ignorat ? 
 But it ieems we have not only the fenfe 
 and connexion of the dilcourfe, but the 
 purity and propriety of the phrafe and lan- 
 guage to defend : lv oAiyy can relate to no- 
 thing but %ebvUi and w&Sreit cannot fignify 
 you perjitade, but only you adv'ifc or endea- 
 vour to perfiw.de, according to the laft cited 
 author «. According to another critic, it 
 fhou'd be render'd interrogatively, Do you y 
 or woud you y endeavour to perfuade me ? 
 Another charges h o\iyy with impropriety, 
 and is certain, that more elegant Greek 
 writers wou'd have faid -jraf Ixiyv. 
 
 But what if all this confidence be con- 
 founded • all this dogmatical pertnefs and 
 oftentation of learning vanifh into nothing ? 
 
 1 Ad momentum me aftringis : vis ut fpatio tantlllo 
 Chriftianus fiam. 'Ev o\iyq>, nempe yjyno. Neque <zsh- 
 Qetv perfuadere eft, fed fuadere. Dhertiores Grjeci di- 
 cerent -m? i\iy>v. Vide Heinl*. Bez. 6c Poli Synopfin 
 in loc. 
 
 G 2 'Tis 
 
84 The Sacred Classics 
 
 "Tis certain it is fo here ; as has been ftiew'd 
 in numerons other cafes. 
 
 YlSav is to perjuade and prevail upon a 
 perfon to acl: according to fuch advice or 
 entreaty, as well as to give the advice, and 
 endeavour to perfuade, if Homer be any 
 judge of the propriety of Greek : 
 
 Ty 3 wpsi'cts ccqepri TftGer, 
 
 She Minerva perfuade d or prevail 'd upon 
 
 the unwary Pandarus to Jboot at Mene- 
 
 laus, and break the truce 2 . 
 
 'Ef 0A/7&J is found in Plato's Apology in 
 the fame fenfe as here in the infpir'd writer j 
 where %epva cannot be underftood : "EWy & 
 <z$& 'nxiniPfiS ev ohlycti tktd 3 . Not to take 
 notice of one manufcript having oAiyu for 
 h o?Jyy, which every body knows amounts 
 to the fame ; 'tis ufed in the very fame ilgni- 
 iication, as here in the facred and eloquent 
 hiftorian, by the noble tfhacydides ; 'IttttSjs 
 
 oXtya h ^A/«s, Within a little of (literally 
 anfwering the original) or almoji to the 
 number of a thoufand\ 
 
 a Horn. U. 4. v. 104. 
 
 3 Plat. Apol. 
 
 4 Thucyd. de Bell. Pelop. iy. p. 284. 1. 1, 2. 
 
 In 
 
'Defended and IUnJl rated. 8 5 
 
 In our former difcourfes we have obvi- 
 ated the cavils of fome nice critics about the 
 tranfpofitions, harm and bold metaphors, 
 repetition.", and other pretended irregulari- 
 ties, which they call folecilins and blemifhcs 
 in language, by fhevving the fame in the 
 moft noble Greek and Latin authors ; and, 
 by way of addition, proving them more 
 figniticant, feaibnable, and beautifully ap- 
 ply 'd in our divine writers. We propofe to 
 fmifh this efTay by producing and comparing 
 together fome more remarkable paffages, 
 that may further carry on our defign, and 
 tend to the farther illuftration and defence 
 of theficred boohs. 
 
 In the divine volumes of the Old and 
 New Teftament relations and kinfmen are 
 caird brothers, tho' not ftriclly bearing that 
 relation to each other ; not defcended from 
 the fame father or mother $ . And furely 
 the boldnefs of this way of expreflion is 
 no more to be cenitir'd than that of Hero- 
 dotus, who calls the man who kill'd the fon, 
 the murderer, or rather, the unhappy flayer 
 of the father-, which is natural and empha- 
 tical, confidering the nearnefs and endear- 
 
 s S. Matt. xii. 46, 47. S. Marc. iii. 31, 33. 
 
 G 3 ment 
 
86 The Sacred Classics 
 
 meat of the relation betwixt father and fon ; 
 and has not, that I know of, fallen under 
 the animadversions of any of the critics. 
 Adrafius by misfortune killed the fon of the 
 great Crcejiis, to whofe court he had fled 
 for fan&uary, after he had involuntarily and 
 by fad accident kill'd his own brother. 
 Croc/us, according to the fuperftition of the 
 pagan religion, and the cuftoms of thofe 
 times, had \*y eftablihYd rites and ceremonies 
 expiated and abfolved the ftranger from the 
 itain of his brother's blood ; and the noble 
 hiftorian ftiles him the Jlayer of the man, 
 who performed this pious and friendly of- 
 fice 5 . 
 
 That repetition in St. Luke has, in the 
 opinion of fome bold cenfurers, the greateft 
 appearance of tautology of any paflage in 
 the New Teftament ; Ol $ wfww td ffiwrVTv, 
 
 rcu aJJfo, After what has been faid formerly, 
 there is no occafion to defend it, or fhew 
 the force and emphafis of this variety of 
 fynonymous expreflions. I fliall only pa- 
 rallel it with a paflage out of an author, 
 
 6 Adraftus Is call'd tpovzvs to y&Q »??.*! Q- ; which is ex- 
 press 'd in another place, t yj.Qi}£Cfv}ct efacKaKZKjcoi , Who bad 
 ruin d, or made extremely mijcrablc, his expiator. Her. 
 Gr. i. p. 17. 
 
 which 
 
'Defended and Illuftrated. X - 
 
 which our adverfaries cannot, without giv- 
 ing up the diiputc, charge with folecifm or 
 
 barbarity : '1 is in the often cited noble 
 hiftorian. The Milefians were order 'd to 
 guard the paiTages, in order to preferve the 
 Per/fans, that under the conduct of the Mile- 
 funis they might make a fife retreat. Then 
 he adds, Eio \Sp vui> bm tut? to - 
 
 ol m<Ait0io/ 9 T87« yi eiven& '» where 'On t£tb and 
 t»t8 yb avcta. are words of different founds, 
 but exactly to the fame fenih. And what 
 follows, Kx r.'x f/ai 'Tiu.peovles tJ (f&fJG'Tref jo m 
 veo%f4$v vrodoiivi is a repetition of the fenfe of 
 the immediate foregoing claufes 7 . 
 
 In the fame admirable author we meet 
 with a nominative cafe without a verb, or 
 put by way of confequence ; which is de- 
 ny'd by all the common Grecian gramma- 
 rians, and a parenthefis, that appears to be 
 wrong placed, or a very harih. tranfpofition ; 
 which will, to the ears of even your lower 
 critics, found as grating as any paiTage in 
 Si. Paul, w r ho is fo boldly charg'd with em- 
 baralTments, confufion, want of confe- 
 quence, and other hard names, as the writer 
 
 pleafes. EiS 5y TaT&w -r^S <mx.iSicav cr^y.-rsu'^oov, 
 manifeftly for hot uu^iraLitpvl'^ « y) l-h 
 
 7 SLuc. ix. 4f. Herod- Gr. 9. p. 5^7. 
 
 G 4 ?rr;/;G-g 
 
88 The Sacred Classics 
 
 STTOlTICrS TT3 7T ZptfCLJgStV CK Tt< Kupfcj which it! 
 
 the vulgar order ought to have follow'd 
 
 St. Paul in the vehemence of his fpirit, 
 andChriltian zeal, often breaks out into long 
 and irregular periods, full of breaks and 
 tranfpofttions ; cenfur'd by little pretenders to 
 criticifm, but admir'd by true genius's. For 
 example ; the feven rlrft verfes ( as vulgarly 
 caird) of the flrft chapter to the Romans, 
 is but one complete period, with tranfpo- 
 fitions, and feemingly harfh entanglements 
 of language ; but entirely conformable, and 
 eafily reconcil'd to the analogy of rational 
 grammar. Whai rich treafures will a dilu 
 gent and capable fearcher find under this 
 rough, tho' not unpkajant furface ? Every 
 member of this admirable period, every pa- 
 renthefis and tranfpoiltion is full of divine 
 fenfe ; and clearly and ftrongly, in few 
 words, contains, and reprefents to the 
 thoughts of the devout and obfervant reader 
 fome article of our faith, fome auguft my- 
 itery, and edifying moral of our holy reli- 
 gion. 
 
 Numerous inftances may be produced out 
 of Herodotus, tfhucydldes, Plato, &c. of 
 
 8 Herod. Gr. i. p. 47. ad fin. 
 
 periods 
 
^Defended and Ilhtftrated. 8 9 
 
 periods as long, and as much tranipofed, as 
 to the arrangement of the words, and depar- 
 ture from the order of common grammar; 
 but none of equal ftrength and importance 
 of fenfe ; none of the fame majefty and 
 grandeur, even abating for their darker and 
 lower difpeniation, and the vaft disadvan- 
 tage of their iubjeft, when it was upon the 
 iublimeft points of the pagan morality and 
 religion. There is in Plato's Phxdo a grand 
 paffage as long and full of embararTments in 
 grammatical conftruclion and method, as the 
 fbre-mention'd - y but in the importance of the 
 fenfe, and the majefty of the fubjecl: (tho' 
 that was the immortality, the nobleft powers 
 and hopes of human fouls) excefjively infe- 
 rior 9 . The period is indeed very noble, but 
 extended to an unufual length, and full of 
 tranfpofitions and breaks, that require atten- 
 tion to fee the mutual dependence of its 
 parts, and collect 'em into one important 
 point of doctrine ; into one grand and fub- 
 lime period or fentence. It begins at 'E^&J 
 
 g££>, €(pYI O J C/X7Y1 OfCt, V07ITOV £f CCGiSk', COVL- 
 
 taining twenty-two lines, in the beautiful edi- 
 tion put down in the margin, 
 
 9 
 
 Plat. Phsed. p. 82. poll D. ed.Hen.Steph. 
 
 Tranfpo- 
 
$>o The Sacred Classics 
 
 Tranfpofitions are frequent in both facred 
 and foreign Greek authors ; and, I think, 
 fome in the former fcarce to be equalled in 
 the latter, for the noblenefs of the found, 
 and the harmony of the ftruclure ; which 
 they contribute to in thole periods where 
 they are placed. 
 
 That is a little entangled in Herodotus, 
 tho' not unpleafant ; Nvv mp ijwep®. kretfeSai 
 
 mxjov \ 
 
 Thofe tranfpofitions in that clofe and ac- 
 curate reafoner and writer Arljiotle^ feem not 
 either harfh or unharmonious in ftru&ure; 
 
 (ptfjKJov' 7roft.oi S' ecu $i<x.fjfyji>(ni' 9 ex i' en t? avvn- 
 Sreixs tbo r\3m c^ep^ooaiVy ojjgfaeit ovn$, cXc z . But 
 
 upon a near view and comparifon, I cannot 
 think but that there are tranfpofitions in the 
 New Teftament writers lefs harfli, and at 
 leaft equally fignificant and ftrong, as any in 
 this excellent author, or any others firft in 
 merit ; as Revel, xix. i. i St. Qet. i. 23. 
 In particular, 1 St. Pet. v. 10. which is a 
 clean and numerous period, where the tranf- 
 pofition gives no harlhnefs, but contributes 
 
 1 Herod. Gr. 1. 11. 1. %t. 
 
 1 Ariftot. Ethica, Nicom. p. 328, 54S. 
 
 to 
 
'Defended and III ujl rated. 9 1 
 
 to the harmony and agreeable imoothneis 
 of the ftru&ure. It contains a Chriftian wifh, 
 
 and mod charitable and fervent prayer, cx- 
 prcis'd in choice and vigorous words, and 
 every word is ftrongcr than the foregoing, 
 till the vehement and fprightly amplifica- 
 tion clofes to the full fatisfaction of the 
 judgment and the ear. 
 
 O 3 @e:i miens ycLgju&y o yo.Xkrj^ 'nyjts &S 
 •r zKtiviov cLvm ob^acp ev X^/^j I«<ry, ohiyiv nr<x- 
 
 «h[Mhiwcr<u. r Tjxa< is in fome books inftead 
 of iljxas, and in a few v t g.mpnitr& for ■.^i.rrv.pii-. 
 cm, ccc. But were the various readings of 
 greater value than they are, there wou'd 
 be no alteration ; they wou'd neither affect 
 the fenfe, nor ftrong eloquence of this excel- 
 lent paffage. 
 
 No critic, that attacks the ftyle of our 
 divine authors, if he duly confiders the 
 caufe he undertakes, will, I believe, either 
 charge that repetition in Plato with a fole- 
 cifm, or deny it to be a curious and noble 
 obfervation, wherein admirable inftruclion 
 is convey'd to the reader in the way of 
 agreeable furprize, and under the cover of 
 feeming contradiction, and lively metaphor ; 
 
92 The Sacred Classics 
 
 01 01^.6(77)001 3 . 
 
 And can a capable and impartial judge 
 efteem that repetition in the Revelation of 
 St. John the divine to be inferior to that, or 
 any pafTage in the felecleft Greek and Roman 
 writers, in variety, clean turn of the mem- 
 bers of that fine period, in lively figure, 
 and the energy and awfulnefs of thought 
 and expreilion ? The beauteous and grand 
 pafTage IS this ; Ka) \v nzbis ^jxi^LLs ex.eiva.is 
 
 QlTt\aifO~lV 01 # vQ&TQl T tbz&VCtJQV, Xj v% evpvo-yvtv 
 
 axjfiLv' xj &7k3vuwcri:o-tv "2><7n)3zx.v6iv, ^ 0ev%e7cu 
 Solve*!®* ar auiwv 4 . Here you have the 
 fame thing exprefs'd in three equivalent 
 words, without the leaft appearance of tau- 
 tology, or a vicious repetition : You have a 
 full period of four parts numerous and flow- 
 ing j and at the fame time grand and awful : 
 you have the noble metaphor, and creation 
 of a perfon, which ftrikes you with all the 
 rapture and delightful emotion that the moft 
 glowing figurative expreffions can give ; 
 while, at the fame time, 'tis pure and eafy, 
 natural and pleafant, as any thing defcrib'd 
 
 3 Plat. Phaedo, p. 68. ante E. ubi Jegere eft plurlma 
 
 yerc admiranda 6c aurea. 
 
 4 Jlevel. ix. 6. 
 
 m 
 
defended and Ilhjlrated. 9 5 
 
 in the molt unaffected and amiable fimplicity 
 of the plain and idiotic flyle. 
 
 I cannot but think it a marvellous beauty 
 when death is reprefcntcd as a cruel and 
 inflexible tyrant, that refutes to execute 
 wretches under his power, that he may- 
 plague 'em with a dilmal confinement, and 
 a tedious expectation of their laft fufferings ; 
 or when they are brought to their execution, 
 tortures 'em with lingering pains, and is 
 long before he fets 'em at reft by the di- 
 fpatchin.o; blow. But this great beauty and 
 moil 1 jving and ftrong allufion, with all 
 the other excellencies of this animated and 
 charming paffage, are much tarnifh'd and 
 diminifh'd by two great faults, two He- 
 brai/ms, -v <nxi~s yijjJ&>ii< ex&vcusy and the 
 unneceffary repetition of the fame thing in 
 terms of the fame fignification s ! 
 
 This has been fufficiently confuted ; and 
 there needs no further confutation of fb 
 vain and trifling an objection. Both the 
 ways of expreflion are pure Greek phrafes 
 as well as Hebrew ; but had they only been 
 Hebrai/ms, preferving, as they do, the ana- 
 
 s Bis idem more Hebrcco ad flgnificandam defiderii 
 vehemeiiTiKm. Critic P> J i Syn^f r . Annon eciam more 
 Grsuco, Romano, more omaium omnino gencium ? 
 
 logy 
 
94 The Sacred Classics 
 
 logy and eftabliih'd conftru&ion of grammar 
 in general, and particularly the Greet gram- 
 mar, they cou'd not have ferv'd the hypo- 
 thecs that we overthrow, nor poflibly ever 
 be prov'd to be fblecifms. 
 
 Changes of tenfes, fuppreilion of ante- 
 cedents, relatives, &c. are almoft numberlefs 
 iii the bell authors of all nations and lan- 
 guages. I now inftance in two paffagcs of 
 this nature, very remarkable, where in the 
 facred writers we have change of tenfe, and 
 the antecedent fupprefs'd or underftood, for 
 better reafons, and more prefling motives, 
 than any luch changes in the Greek and 
 Roman writers. 
 
 For which we are obliged to two found 
 critics, and confummate feholars, bright or- 
 naments of our church and nation : w God 
 " the Father hath delivered us from the 
 " power of darhiefsy arid hath tranjlated us 
 u into the kingdom of his dear Son, that is, 
 " has given fcrong afTurance and blefled 
 " hope of eternal life, by calling us to the 
 " Gofpel. Thro' the ftrength of this blefled 
 " hope, St. Paul in this noble figure of 
 " fpecch anticipates the joys of the other 
 " world, and fpeaks of what will be y with 
 " that fulnefs of faith, as if it already were. 
 
 " St. 
 
'Defended and Illujlrated. 95 
 
 " St. Paul was wrapt up in theft fiiblime 
 " feraphic thoughts; and full of the con- 
 u tcmplatlon of the glorious ftate of immor- 
 " tality : He every where ipeaks of thofe 
 " who are call'd to have part in it, as if they 
 " were already admitted into it, and faith 
 " were turn'd into fruition. To which we 
 iC have feveral parallel places, efpecially 
 " this; Who hath quicken d us together with 
 " Chv'ift., and railed us up together, and made 
 " us fit together in heavenly places through 
 " Chr'ifl Jefus. Here St. Paul muft fpeak 
 " by a prolepfis, on account of the hope 
 " and confidence we have in Chrift, that we 
 u mail, when he appears, fit with him in the 
 " heavenly places, and partake of that ftate 
 " of life and glory which fhall then be re- 
 veal'd. The paralleling of thefe two places 
 " deferves the more regard ; which is fo great, 
 u that it is plain St. Paul wrote one, while his 
 " thoughts were w r arm and full of the other : 
 " And from thence the expreflions that feem 
 " to be parallel, may be prefum'd to have 
 u fallen from his pen, not by chance, but be- 
 " caufe the fame ideas were frefh in his mind 5 . 
 
 There 
 
 6 Bp. Hare, Scriptures vindicated from mifinterpreta- 
 tions, p. 141, 142, 142. on Col. i. 12. Ephef. ii. f, 6. 
 In regnum glorix, nempe coelum, in quod nos tianftu- 
 
 lit, 
 
 • 
 
 u 
 
$6 The Sacred Classics 
 
 There is a remarkable ellipfis in St. Peter, 
 i Ep. iii. 14. where there is a relative with- 
 out an antecedent ; which is fupprefs'd upon 
 prudential confiderations, and with great 
 addrefs ; But if you fuffer for righteoujnefs 
 fake, happy an ye: Tov 5 <pe'/2o? atjiw* w<\ fc- 
 /3>jG>m 7 . And be not afraid of their terror : 
 Of whofe terror ? The civil powers and per- 
 fecuting magiftrates of the world : for who 
 but they cou'd punifh thofe offenders men- 
 tion'd in the next chapter ( which ought 
 not to be feparated from the former, becaufe 
 the fume argument is ft ill carried on ) Let 
 none of you Chriftians — -Jujf'er as a mur- 
 derer, or as a thief or as an evil-doer in 
 
 any other inftance of wickednels, and breach 
 
 of duty or as a bujy body in other mens 
 
 affairs. 
 
 And the reafon of this iuppreffion of the 
 name of rulers or civil governours is plainly 
 to avoid the offence and danger of provoking 
 
 lit, non re. fed jure Sc fpe — jus ad rem faepe rei nomen 
 accipit. G>'ot. & Crit. apud Poll Synopf. in Col. i. 13. 
 Hoc dicit propter certitudinem quam omnes pii ex refur- 
 reftione Chrifti concipiunt. Vide plura in Po.li Synop. 
 ad Eph. ii. 6. 
 
 7 1 S Pet. iv. iy. a.KXolexcz7r.(j)ic'7zQ- i a fpy or pryer 
 into matters in which a man ii ner concern'd ; a medler. 
 in politicks, or private affairs. Bp. Sherlock's Condition 
 and Example of our Blefied Sayiour conflder'd, p. 25-. 
 
 their 
 * 
 
^Defended and 111 ajl rated, yy 
 
 their difpleafure, by foppofing them to be 
 tyrants and cruel persecutors of the innocent 
 Christians. " It had certainly been a very 
 " invidious thing (lays the admirable pre-* 
 " late before quoted ) for the apoftles di* 
 " re&ly to have laid that governors wou'd 
 " be injurious to their fubjects; and might 
 " have drawn upon Chriftians the indigna- 
 " tion and wrath of the powers of this 
 " world : For this reafon St. Peter feems 
 " purpofely to avoid (as St. Qatil does like-* 
 " wife) putting the cafe of unjuft princes; 
 " and does with great addrefs put the cafe 
 " of hard and ill ufage, with refpecl: to 
 " mailers ; which is immediately join'd to 
 " what he fays to fLibjecls ; and then pro- 
 " pofes the example of Chrift ; and urges 
 " it with fuch reafons as he knew wou'd 
 " reach every Chriflian's cafe fuffering 
 " wrongfully, whether it were under the" 
 " oppreillon of a prince, or of a matter V 
 
 Rhiming, or a frequent and clofe repeti- 
 tion of the fame found, is, as we have ob- 
 ferv'd, fometimes found in our divine wri- 
 ters ; as likewife in the moft grave and ju-* 
 dicious of the foreign claflics. I prefent 
 
 9 Ubi fupra, p. 2^ 24. 
 
 Vol, IL H my 
 
9 8 The Sacred Classics 
 
 my reader with a frelh inftance out of art 
 author who was far from affecling vain jingle 
 and childiih ornaments of fpeech ; a great 
 mafter both of fenfe and language. 'Tis a 
 repetition of the fame original word, and the 
 fame found continued to a greater length than 
 is to be found in the Greek Teftament, or, I 
 believe, in any other writer of Greece or Rome. 
 
 £,7t>Gi "j «?iv ccdiTcavjcc U/attw ccor,{av aj, ottlicc 
 
 YXXV '. 
 
 Many harfn tropes, and allegories, feem- 
 ing contradictions, and inconfiftencies are 
 not only excufed and defended, but are 
 celebrated, and not always without reafon, 
 as lively and furprizing beauties (which 
 awaken attention, make ftrong impreillons, 
 and pleafe by their boldnefs and variety) by 
 the admirers and editors of the dailies : And 
 there is no paflage of this nature in the evan- 
 gelifts and apoftles of our Lord, but deferves 
 and requires the fame juftice and refpect; 
 and will be treated after the fame manner 
 by every unprejudiced reader, that has 
 common fenfe and candour ; that reveres 
 
 1 Ariftot. Eth.Nlcom. 1. v. c. 6. p. 219. cd. D. Wil- 
 kinfon. Oxon. That repetition of the fame found, and 
 negatives, is ftrange ; iffavn iJ\i,/juZ iJtc/xuf &KMioi<nv 
 *J\[m<w h&xlou. Plat. Phwdo, p. 78. 
 
 the 
 
^Defe?idecl and Illujlrated. 99 
 
 the pure do&rines, and underftands the p-o- 
 per I of the divine writers* 
 
 That paflfagc in the father of Greek hifto- 
 rians, and one of their nobleft authors, is 
 upon the aforefaid principles eafily defended, 
 but has an appearance of abfurdity and in* 
 confiltencc, great as any in facred or com- 
 mon writers ; and may give fbme little occa- 
 fion to the infipid raillery and objections of 
 low genius's, and conceited cavillers. 'Tis 
 mOtaness directions to his daughter, how 
 to difcover whether Smerdis, now upon the 
 Perjtjn throne, to whom fhe was concubine, 
 was the fon of Cyras, and rightful king • or 
 Smerdis the Magus an impoflor, and ufiirper 
 of the imperial leat : %itax.v an ovvevfri xj ju&- 
 arm ujjtiv ng-TtrfrvcofjOyjoV) cttyctavv wjV6 nzo wto. 
 Kcci v\v jxfyj (fcM ffTcH zyoiv coTttiy voy^e fftt&UTriv 
 ^jjjph «rw Ku'py owctni&v' w q fMi zygu'y ov j tzS 
 
 We have fhew'd, that 'tis a vain pretence 
 and determination of critics, antient and mo- 
 dern, that there mould never be a whole 
 verfe in a prole writer. There are feveral 
 in our facred authors, and the nobleft fo- 
 
 * Herod. Gr. 7. p. 1U7. So p. i33. wanti. Zra, ua- 
 4kt« Jt b %aKS7Ttif , etAA 1 Ivmriai kk e%v]* 7 avS'^l una.' 
 
 H 2 reign 
 
ioo The Sacred Classics 
 
 reign writers in the world. Give me leave 
 to add two or three inftances out of the New 
 Teftament : Ylafiiv©* ev yzerei *&•> % ^BeJou 
 unv, is a good Hexameter, and founds as well 
 as any alteration of the words in their por- 
 tion, to deftroy the verfe, cou'd have done. 
 DemoftheneSy who never affected unneceiTary 
 ornaments of language, lias feveral verfes in 
 his fevere and clofe profe : after diysQpv upas 
 immediately follows this ftrong and , well- 
 running verfe ; Bu.f>@z£pv atvftgp'nw $ <rxv<m 
 yjvouv& (pofiaakti. So the verfe in the evan- 
 gelift is feparated from M n 3 . 
 
 There is the fmaller Alcaic verfe with a 
 MolofFe interpos'd in that noble place in the 
 Revelation, which conilfts of ftrong and har- 
 monious meafuresj and is the utmoft that 
 grammarians and critics require on this lub- 
 
 jed that full verfes be not ufed, but 
 
 other numbers fhou'd be interpos'd or join'd 
 to them j that it may not look like an affec- 
 tation of the elegancies of poetry, but have 
 the fweetnefs of verfe temper'd with the 
 gravity, ana conceal'd under the appearance 
 and garb of profe. Take away that foot 
 
 3 S. Matt. i. 22. Vkie Pafor de Dial. Novi Teftamen. 
 p. 67/. Dion. Halic. de Struttura, p. 217. 
 
 \ 
 
'Defended and Illujtrated. i o i 
 
 <t Aao.'H from slvs^i *> Aotoig x) fiocaiAivGi ctt/Aq.;, 4 , 
 
 and you have that fine Alcaic, 
 
 as that line in Horace, clofing up the noble 
 ftanza after fed Imfravlfa lethi 
 
 Vis rafu'it rafietqae gentes s. 
 
 That proverbial expreffion in St. Peter, 
 Ts /y-'/^yJ/) as vjj.' icjj.x ftipfiopn 6 , wants but 
 one fyllable in the beginning to make it a 
 noble Iambic, as ws, * v , cXc. and does with 
 great propriety and ftrength mark out the 
 ibttifhnefs and odious manners of wretches 
 enflaved to fenfual appetites and carnal 
 Lifts ; and the extreme difficulty of reform- 
 ing vicious and inveterate habits, and rifing 
 up and cleanfing themfelves, after they have 
 long been plung'd in the depths of debau- 
 chery : epicures and lewd perfons are very 
 fitly compared to fwine, who delight to 
 wallow in mire ; and are one of the moft 
 troublefome and intractable creatures in the 
 brutal creation. As to the difficulty of cor- 
 
 4 Revel, x. ii. 
 
 5 Hor. Od. ii. 13. ver. 19, 20, 
 
 6 zS. Pet. ii. 22. 
 
 H 3 reeling 
 
ioi The Sacred Classics 
 
 reeling lewd cufloms, and repenting after a 
 long courfe of criminal indulgences, imply'd 
 in this ftrong paffage, we have a bold and 
 beautiful hyperbole in the prophet Jere- 
 miah, Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or 
 the leopard his fpots ? cXc. as 'tis in the ori- 
 ginal ; and to the fame fenfe in the Greek 
 tranflation, which is here clofe and beauti- 
 ful j Ei ccA'Acc^sIju A/a^o-vJ/ to Sipfjict, cturv, x) 
 imfSbiKis tcc> < 7rQi-iuAjj{!z]<x, clutch, Xj vfjieii Sbvr,~ 
 czS? CAj'jroiYia-au fA/efJ&Smwns tcu ya.^ 7 . To 
 which that fine pafTage in Pindar is not 
 very unlike : 
 
 TO "5) 
 
 y> 
 
 OuV ££/'/3<£j>/^t Aeovfes 
 AiccAAcc^cuvJo ri'B^ 8 . 
 
 That ftrong expreffion in St. John, ^s o 
 qiAoov x) mitav -tysu£©* 9 is originally a He- 
 brew beauty ; but is borrow'd, and imitated 
 by the pureft Greek authors. Ho/eh Shaker 
 in the original, is woim -v^u^©* in the Sep- 
 tuagint, according to the Alexandrian manu- 
 fcript, which is not found in the Vatican*. 
 
 7 Jerem. xiii. 22. 
 
 s Olymp. Od. xi. ver. 19, 20, 21, 22. 
 
 9 Jerem. viii. 10. Apocal. xxii. 15. 
 
 Part 
 
^Defended and III unrated, i o ) 
 Part of the ioth, all the nth and 12th 
 verfes arc wanting in that book. The 
 learned and judicious Mr. iVolhflou has 
 oblig'd us with a noble paflage out of c 7 
 exactly parallel; X Y&Z^& imXm \w$kv \Mtm 
 \&yoo, yAn tf>y«u Tr&L^eie, Let no man aB, or 
 do, any lye, either in word or deed 1 . 
 
 To the fenfe of which is that expreflion 
 of the great moralift of Greece, U *V — % w 
 ? oyu -2 ev (Ziw aA»^o'ji % Who pra&ifes truth 
 both In fpeech and hi life. A man may a£fc 
 againft truth, and be guilty of a lye and 
 falfhood by geftures, figns, actions, and 
 conduct of life, with as much malignity of 
 guilt, as by the mo ft treacherous and vil- 
 lainous expreilions of a falfe tongue. For, 
 according to that juft and incontefted maxim 
 of the great man before cited, " No act 
 " (whether word or deed) of any being, to 
 " whom moral good and evil are imputable, 
 u that interferes with any true proportion, 
 " or denies any thing to be as it is, can be 
 " right 3. 
 
 A learned gentleman has betray'd fomc 
 want of judgment, and a confiderable excefs 
 
 1 Religion of Nature delineated, p. 13. 
 1 Ariftot Eth.Nicom. 4. 7. p. 182. 
 3 Ubi fupra. 
 
 H 4 of 
 
io4 The Sacred Classics 
 
 of afllirance, who rejects that noble word 
 oiYjjShyjnSwozlaui. in i Cor. viii. 10. and wou'd 
 have a faint word be put infread of it, into 
 the facred original, upon a vain imagina- 
 tion, that the genuine reading of the text is 
 harm, and this word cannot be ufed in an 
 ill fenfc ; that is, cannot fignify to encou- 
 pa^e, build up, or confirm a weak perfon in 
 an ill notion or practice. 'Tis plain, that in 
 all languages, particularly the Greek, there 
 are numerous words of two different and 
 contrary fignifications, when the fenfe of 
 the place, the context, and defign of the 
 author muff, in thole pafTages where any 
 fuch ambiguous word is, determine in what 
 meaning it muft be taken. ''oitySb/jwdYiczfau 
 is infinitely ftronger, and more nobly bold, 
 than the vain critic's whimfical oSWan^ci]^ 
 never found in the New Teftament writers. 
 Befides, no reafon can be aflign'd why a 
 man may not with equal propriety of fpeech 
 be faid to be embolden' d, built up, or confirm' d 
 in bad, as well as good principles, refolu^ 
 lions, or practices. This fqueamifh philo- 
 loger might, in his vein of correction and 
 e nun id at ion, have ftruck out the harm word 
 vv-Trlovh in the 1 2th verfe, and requir'd that 
 mxv&xti&vjes fliou'd be admitted into the 
 
 room 
 
^Defended and II In (I rated. 105 
 room of it. One may as eafily, and with as 
 
 good authority, change ivilo; ! tc into OT cai- 
 <ftfcA/£or7g?, as at ■ '. into oJWo*m«3»i 
 
 How great is the fimilitude of the letters ! 
 how happy the conjecture ! how advanta- 
 geous the change ! I cannot but be of St. 
 Chryfiftotns mind, and I doubt not of the 
 affent and concurrence of my reader ; 'O^^ 
 
 etire SxatfiocA/^ov g? 3 d/\?.d 7viriovle : j cac^e t/i f\K- 
 (psucrei t /.isZOJS r & ygwrzc evSei^ccSzti x. t. ?, 
 
 Mr. Le Clerc has parallell'd this pafTage, 
 
 H (pjv&$%<jis k>jT6 CL<&Eiy$ ovl\§" oiY^Shyjn^crejcn as 
 to t* etfbhaSufet e£i&v 9 with Mai. iii. 14, 15. 
 where the Hebrew Nibmi, adipcati flint, 
 is well rendered by the Greek interpreters, 
 dvoivj)$byZi\cu ntoiZvlcs ocvofjicc. The fame beau- 
 tiful and ftrong metaphor is ufed by Piatt- 
 tusy in a pafTage very pertinently cited by 
 that learned gentleman : 
 
 dare te in manus 
 
 Ai'gentum amanti homini adolefcenti, animi 
 
 impoti, 
 6{iii cedipcaret faam luchoatam ignavlam*? 
 
 Qlato has oblig'd us with a pafTage of 
 Socrates againft revenge, fuperior in its 
 
 * Plaut. Trlnum, aft. i. fc. z. ver.9f. Le Clerc Ars 
 Crit. p-}. §. 1. c. 16. p. 349, 35-0. Lond. 1698. 
 
 beauty 
 
\o6 The Sacred Classics 
 
 beauty and fulneis to any in the moral 
 writers of the heathen world ; which is a 
 little furprizing, if you confider what ad- 
 vantages Plutarch, Epitfetus, Hierocks, &Cc. 
 receiv'd from the facred books v tho' all dif- 
 fembled it ; and fame virulently attacked 
 thofe venerable books, which they clan- 
 deftinely made great ufe of. Socrates asks 
 CrltOy Whether returning an ill office, and 
 doing any mifchief or damage, be not, in 
 effect, the fame thing, and attended with 
 equal mifchievous confequences ? Crito rea- 
 dily grants it : the philofopher concludes in 
 this ftrong manner ; therefore we ought not 
 to return an injury ( or execute revenge ) nor 
 to do any damage or mifchief to any perfon in 
 the world, whatfoever we may have fuffer'd 
 by him. This is the fame in general with 
 the do&rine of our Saviour and his apoftles j 
 tho* it is in our facred books fupported and 
 encouraged with more perfuafive reafbns and 
 motives, and diviner examples. How glo- 
 rious and full of the powers of reafon and 
 perfuafion are thofe paflages, St. Matt. v. 43. 
 ad jinem, St. Luke vi. 27. ad yj? which I 
 refer my reader to ; and which can never 
 be read too often, nor coniider'd too atten- 
 tively. 
 
'Defended and IUujtrated. 1 07 
 
 lively. They contain the full perfection of 
 goodnefs and humanity j the noblcft ad- 
 vancement of charity, built upon unshaken 
 foundations, and fupported and recommend- 
 ed by eternal rcalbn. 
 
 To the pafTage in Crito y which we have 
 translated, we fhall add and tranferibe ano- 
 ther, in the fame page in the original ; '' Q$ 
 t&'Tnm oojas eyevns, L'te <Y6 <x,Six.&i>, trrs rS ccv- 
 
 Thofe noble agoniftical expreflions of 
 St. Paul, apply'd to the grand affair of reli- 
 gion, and fecuring to ourfelves, by the grace 
 of God and our own vigorous endeavours, 
 the prize of vi&ory and immortality, much 
 refemble feveral paflages in the divine Plato : 
 And 'tis referr'd to the reader to judge, whe- 
 ther they have not a fuperiority in emphajis % 
 in the harmony and fulnefs of the period, in 
 the vigour of the interrogation, and the op- 
 pofition of the prizes; tho' the philofopher's 
 fentiments and expreflions be truly fublime, 
 and beautiful. I lay before my reader the 
 pafTages of the philofopher, and of the apoftk, 
 that he may compare them. And, I think 3 
 
 $ Plat. Crico, p. 49. torn. i. ed. Hen. Steph. 1/78. 
 
 upon 
 
io8 The Sacred Classics 
 
 upon the comparifon every judicious fcholar 
 will admire both, but prefer the latter to 
 the former : 
 
 Oi \$p oc&t> viWM heqez WAws xj f'Cpyjjw ^ t^P 
 
 oo^i olpsntv; Xj (p&vnGrzws sv TaT j3i'&; \M , rx<y&v. Kx- 
 AoV y> to oLvXov, Xj fi eA'mi \}jiyxi\;) 7 . 
 
 Thcfe are the noble paflages of Plato \ 
 parallel to which are thofe of St. Paul, which 
 muft pleafe and charm every intelligent and 
 capable reader : 
 
 'Oux oiSbcTTy on, oi ev efccSict) 'fpi^cvns, iw+vtiS 
 \&}> rpeywru; en j Kct^xva T3 @&L@siov 5 7rx$ 
 
 Q ObyjWl(pijfyj©» 7TCCVTX e}X£$LTei)£TCU. ^LlLGiVQl 
 
 jufy] ay WGL <pGaj3ToV tfiycLVov Ac&'/3«crw' ri^.m q 
 
 We may here further obferve, that the 
 noble feci: of philofophers, which were 
 friends and attentive hearers of the excellent 
 Socrates, Plato, Xenophon, Crlto, Slmmias, 
 £tc. advanced fome do&rines fo near thole 
 of Chriftianity, and fpoke of the neceflity 
 of revelation, and the miflion from heaven 
 
 6 Plato de Leg. 1. 8. Dr. Clark's Evidence of Nat. 
 and Rev. Rellg. p. 1S8. ed. 1706. 
 
 7 Plato Phsedon. 
 
 8 i Cor. ix. 24, zf< 
 
 of 
 
^Defended and Ilhtjlrated. 1 09 
 
 of an infallible Teacher and moft companio- 
 nate Friend of mankind, that was to come, 
 with fuch ftrong and clear characters, as come 
 pretty near to the prophetical defcriptions of 
 the Meflias in the Old Teftament, and the 
 
 \ngelical hiftory of Him in the New. 
 
 Some devout fathers of the church have 
 honoured the great Socrates, and others of 
 the moft refined and elevated moralifts and 
 divines in the heathen world, with the title 
 of Chriftians. Perhaps the good men might 
 carry their refpecfo too far; but they are 
 certainly right, when they tell you, that as 
 the law of Mofes was, as it were, a fchool- 
 mafter to bring the Jews to the faith of Chrift, 
 lb found moral philofophy was to the Gentiles 
 a preparative and introduction to the Gofpel 9 . 
 
 1. The great Socrates, and his friends of 
 that noble fed of philofophy, allow divine 
 revelation to be neceflary, to eftablifh and 
 fupport good government, to acquaint man- 
 kind what worfhip and fer vices wou'd be 
 acceptable to infinite Majefty : what expia- 
 tion he wou'd admit for fins, by which the 
 dignity of his laws might be vindicated and 
 preferved facred. 
 
 9 Joftin Mart. Apol. 2. Dr. Clark's Evid. of Nat. and 
 Rev. Rel. p. 210. Origen in Cell", 1. 6. S. Paul Ep. to 
 Gal. iii. 24. 
 
 Divine 
 
1 10 The Sacred Classics 
 
 Divine revelation was neceiTary, to afcer- 
 tain to religious worfhippers fome proper 
 recompence for their virtue and devotion : 
 To eftabiifh the grand motives of religion, 
 future rewards and punifhments : To make 
 the important duties of morality and religion 
 obvious and eafy to the meaneit capacity, 
 equally concerned in the obligation and 
 confequence of thofc divine declarations, 
 as the brighter!: and moft penetrating wits : 
 To add authority to plain precepts, and 
 fhevv 'em how they might apply to the infi- 
 nitely gracious God, to obtain iupernatural 
 ailiftance to refill their ghoftly enemies with 
 fuccefs, and to conquer the corruptions and 
 infirmities of their frail natures, tfhefe, fays 
 that great philofopher, are the nobleji and 
 mo ft ferviceable parts of knowledge and wif- 
 dom, and, by confequence, the moji necejjary 
 
 and fit to be learrid, and taught, if any 
 
 mere man can teach 'em. Bat no mortal 
 
 •will be able to teach, unlefs God be his guide 
 and director : 'Ei S\SbLcmoi <n<, a pa* h& a* &- 
 
 1 plat.Epinom. p. 98f, 9S9. DeRepub. 1. 4. p. 427, 
 494. Apol. Socrat. p. 50, 33. 
 
 » Aurea dl&a, 
 
 Aurea, perpetua Temper dignlffima vita 1 
 
 Lucrec. 3. ver. 12, 13: 
 
 2. In 
 
'Defended and III itft rated. 1 1 1 
 i. In a converfation between Socrates and 
 his noble pupil, upon prayer and addrefs to 
 eternal Majcfty, the philofophcr tells the 
 nobleman, that hi proper time, a divine per- 
 Jon zvou'd come into the world, who, out of 
 his care and tender regard to mankind, wou'd 
 remove all doubts, dij'perfe all darhiefs, and 
 pally inftruci: 'em how to prefent all their 
 crs and praifes, and religious offerings to 
 the Juprcme Being in a pure and acceptable 
 manner. Alcibiades rejoices at the difcovery, 
 longs for the approach of that happy time, 
 promifcs to crown Socrates with garlands of 
 honour for his notice of fuch a blefTed revo- 
 lution, and pays all poflible expreilions of 
 gratitude and devotion to heaven for fuch 
 an infinite favour and condefcenfion \ 
 
 This character of Socrates's divine Teacher 
 can only belong to our moft glorious Me£- 
 fias, who defcended from heaven to fhew us 
 the infallible way thither, by rendring our 
 pcrfons and religious performances accepta- 
 ble to his eternal Father. 
 
 'Tis only thro' the merits and fovereign 
 intereft of the Son of his love and boibm, 
 that unworthy laps'd mankind are admitted 
 to approach the Lord and Father of men 
 
 * Alcibiad. 2. p. ifo. vol. 2. ed. Hen. Sceph. 
 
 and 
 
1 1 z The Sacred Classics 
 
 and angels, and have the happy privilege 
 of accefs to the throne of grace and fupreme 
 glory. 
 
 Our Lord left his apoftles, and all his 
 happy followers and difciples a moil Jhort, 
 clear, and fully comprehend ve form of 
 prayer; which has not one word too little, 
 or too much ; which reaches all the neceffi- 
 ties and wants of the whole mm. This 
 prayer of the faithful (fo call'd by the pri- 
 mitive fathers) ought to conclude all our 
 offices of devotion, as it confecrates, and 
 renders them acceptable to the bleffed Fa- 
 ther of our Lord Jefus Chrift. In fhort, this 
 moft perfect and heavenly form of devotion 
 ought for ever to be the rule, the ground- 
 work and pattern of all prayer. 
 
 Our divine Teacher directs all his difci- 
 ples how to addrefs their prayers and praifes 
 to God with aflurance of fuccefs, and a gra- 
 cious anfwer, and that is, to prefent 'em to 
 the Father in the beloved name of his Son. 
 His moft precious merits, and prevalent in- 
 terceffion at the right hand of eternal Ma- 
 jefty render our imperfect devotions a grate- 
 ful ■ facrifice. What infinite comfort, and 
 occafion of unutterable joy is there in thole 
 dying words of our Saviour ! 
 
Defended mid Illujl rated. \ \ ] 
 
 A.[J,YIV CCUVV M^O) ULUVy O'TI OOtt a)/ aiTTT^Te T 
 
 3. Tvvas the notion of thefe princes of 
 philofophers, that the blelTed perlbn, which 
 was to come into the world, in order to re- 
 form and make it happy, muft be fent and 
 commifllon'd by the Supreme, and be His 
 Son. Their method of arguing feems to be 
 juft and conclusive : The great and divine 
 lawgiver to human race muft be of a more 
 exalted nature and capacity than theirs. As 
 beafts, and the mere animal creation, are go- 
 vern'd by men ; fo muft men by a nature 
 fuperior to their own. 
 
 And therefore this divine and eagerly- 
 expe&ed perfon, the healer of the breaches 
 of laps'd mankind, muft partake of a divine 
 nature. This was the ground of that notion 
 fo prevailing in the heathen world, that 
 their heroes, extraordinary benefactors, and 
 deliverers of their country were the Ions 
 of Jupiter, or fome of their fubordinate 
 deities. 
 
 3 VideEp. ad Heb. vii. ;f. ix. 24. 1 Ep. S. Johan. 1*1. 
 1,2. of that great and mofl: comfortable myftery of the 
 interceflion of the Mediator. 
 
 See Extent and Procedure of Human Undemanding, 
 p. 131. 
 
 Vol. II. I However 
 
1 14 The Sacred Classics 
 
 However wrong and grofs thefe notions 
 were, yet they difpofed the pagan world to 
 receive this Son of the true and eternal God ; 
 which claim the firft preachers and cham- 
 pions of the Gofpel of Jefus prov'd to be 
 juft, by proofs and evidences not to be re- 
 filled by ingenuous and rational tempers. 
 
 Accordingly, fuch aftonifhing numbers of 
 'em became profelytes to Chrifttanity, and 
 received thofe glad tidings of eternal life, 
 without Humbling at the doctrine of the 
 crofs : which to the Jews was the grand 
 fcandal and rock of offence, becaufe they 
 were proud and prejudiced, and put falfe 
 interpretations on the plain predictions of 
 their own prophets and infpir'd writers, con- 
 cerning the lowlincfs, mean appearance, and 
 iufferings of their Meflias*. 
 
 4. For, further, 'twas the notion of thefe 
 bell philofophers and divines of the heathen 
 world, that the heavenly teacher and re- 
 former of mankind fhould be very ill treat- 
 ed, and villainoufly abufed by thofe very 
 people whom he came to reform and fave. 
 Our Mefiias came to his own> and h'ls own re- 
 ceived him not : To his own world ; for he 
 
 4 Vide omnlno Mr. Le/Ie/s Short Method with the 
 Jews, p. 102, 10;, Sec. vol. 1. fol. 
 
 created 
 
^Defended and Illuji rated* i i 5 
 
 created it : To his own peculiar people and 
 church, before his incarnation and appear-* 
 ance in this vale of tears, and ftate of fuffcr- 
 ing in the moft miraculous and adorable hu- 
 mility *. 
 
 "Plato brings in his dear friend Socr. 
 giving the character of a teacher of man* 
 kind, and inflexibly juft man (or, as it 
 may be tranflatcd, the or that jufl one y one 
 of the titles of the Meffias in facred Scrip- 
 tures ) who fays, Such a benefactor to 
 kind will Jcarce be endured by item ; but pro- 
 bably will befcourgd) rack'd, tormented, have 
 his eyes burnt out, and at lajl, having fujfer 'd 
 all manner of evils and indignities, Jball be 
 cut in pieces, as the victims were, impal'd y 
 
 or crucify 'd which the original word 
 
 chiefly fignifies. 
 
 Take the noble original from the 2d book 
 de Refub. p. 361, 362. Ou<tw ^ajtf.'^©. 
 
 ycov ctvx,o/U"i oAcu.^rr,c- •::. 
 
 5. Socrates fully exprelTes his comfortable 
 hopes of the immortality of the foul, and 
 future happinefs, and upon that elevated 
 and noble view raifes himfelf above an 
 
 5 S. Johan. i. n. 
 
 I 2 unworthy 
 
1 16 The Sacred Classics 
 
 unworthy fubmiffion to the tribunal he was 
 before, and the fears of death. 
 
 O gentlemen of Athens, either comply with 
 Anytus, or not ', either acquit me, or not : for 
 I [bait never aB other wife than I have done, 
 thoi I was fare fever al times to die, Afy ac- 
 cufers may caufe me to be put to deaths but 
 cannot hurt me. I am not concern' d for myfelf, 
 but you ', lejl by their falfe and malicious fug- 
 gefions you Jhoud be induced to pafs fentence 
 of condemnation again ft an innocent per/on, your 
 faithful advifer and benefactor , and Jin againjl 
 the gift of God in raijjng me up to exhort and 
 pi'efs you to true virtue. 
 
 The pleafantry of the dying hero, before 
 he took off the poifonous bow], feems to me 
 a proof, as of the intrepidity of his courage, 
 and compofure of his mind ; fo of the good- 
 nefs of his caufe, and his joyful hopes. 
 
 When his generous friend Crito ask'd him, 
 How fall we bury you ? As you pleafe, if 
 you can lay hold on me. And then gently he 
 turn'd to the gentlemen of the company; 
 Gentlemen, I cannot per fuade our friend Crito, 
 that I am the fame Socrates who have jufi 
 now difcouifed to you ; and to comfort myfelf 
 and friends, have endeavour d to prove, and 
 perfuade you to believe, that when I have 
 
 drank 
 
^Defended and Illujlvated. 1 1 7 
 
 drank the fatal potion, I JbaU no longer conti- 
 nue with you, but fhaU go to the felicities of 
 glorious Jpirits, Then, in the lame vein of 
 unaffected chearfulnels, he defir'd his friend, 
 that when he favv his body burnt or depo- 
 fited ID the earth, hewou'd not be concern'd 
 on that account, that he had brought out, 
 carried away, or interr'd Socrates 6 . 
 
 Tho' this great man's hopes and prefages 
 of a bleffed immortality were dafh'd and 
 weakened by doubts and fcruples, yet he 
 advances ftrong reafons, and expreifes a great 
 fatisfaction in joyful expectations of their 
 truth and certainty. Some learned men 
 think, that this dubious manner of propo- 
 fing thefe noble notions proceeded, in a good 
 meafure, from the modeft way of that philo- 
 ibphy, the ftudiers of which never affirm'd, 
 they were fure of any thing. Tho', I be- 
 lieve, it chiefly proceeded from the want of 
 a clearer light, and of the difcoveries and 
 revelation of that fupreme Teacher, and Sa- 
 viour of human race, who has brought life 
 
 I 3 and 
 
\ 1 8 The Sacred Classics 
 
 and Immortality to light by his glorious 
 Go/pel 
 
 This great man, both upon his tryal, and 
 at his death, exprefs'd the nobleft bravery, 
 and moft fedate courage, and yet is dubious 
 about a future ftate, tho' his hopes were 
 great and pleafing. Take the laft words of 
 his moft admirable defence ; 'Aaa* $ 
 
 j^dSVjAoy 'Train ttA^v v TjtfGtw 7 . How inferior 
 are the philofofher's comfortable hopes to the 
 triumphant aflurance of the apo/lles, of future 
 happinefs, with refpecl: to themielves, and 
 all devout and found Chriftians ! 
 
 What aflurance of hope, what exultation 
 of joy does the admirable St. Paul exprefs, 
 in profpecl of future and eternal blifs, in 
 thofe moft ftrong and tranfporting paflages ! 
 
 E/jyi y) to ^y Xg/5-3?, xj to "SfooSteLveiv xzo- 
 <^©».*--~ To a.va.?.ujou, Xj avv Xg/^ zt)' 7roM£ 
 y> jt^AAov Hpelcffov 8 . What a glorious trU 
 nmDh is that of the fame bleffed minifter 
 and martyr of our Lord Jefus, when he was 
 in chains, and a near profpecl: of a bloody 
 death for the Gofpel ; 3 £yo fi r,h c^r^oc, 
 
 1 Plat. Soc Apol. p. 42. Vide etiam ib. p. 28, 29, 50. 
 8 Philip. i. si, 23. 
 
 9 
 
Defended and Ilh'jtrated. \ \ <) 
 
 v&\ov rvycoviojJisU) t ^^pysv TiisAgxa, r c 
 
 75Trp>r/ca. Aojtci', "<kwA.a cy juyi ore. 
 
 rtyJcoa., o <h)ta*l> xg/tTMS* y [jqvqv q ejjg* 9 
 3^ vro^ mis nycLiwiyoi r oTnfyzv&ctv twr%. 
 
 The dying philofopher efteems it one 
 ingredient of future happinefs to fee and 
 converfe with the wife men and heroes of 
 old, if there fhou'd be truth in the notion 
 of the foul's fubfiftence in another world ; 
 and names Qalamedes, and Jjax, Sijypbus^ 
 and UlyJJh, after Minos, Rhadamanthus, and 
 JEacus, famous princes and lawgivers; Mu- 
 Jeus, Homer, and Hejiod, excellent poets and 
 wife men. He has, indeed, placed 'cm ac- 
 cording to their merit; and if Ajax and Slfy- 
 fhas had been left out of the converfation, 
 it had been no prodigious lofs, no mighty 
 diminution of his happinefs. 
 
 Take the original , wherein he expreffes 
 his high expectation of pleafure from fuch 
 company, and at the fame time doubts whe- 
 ther there was fuch a ftate ; 'EyJj $j $ ^Ma- 
 
 yui e^Aw TffWVcu, a tovtx ~t}\v a/^cy. After 
 
 mention of feveral of his choice people, from 
 
 whole converfe he expected fuch high fatis- 
 
 fa&ion, he adds in atranfport, "AM«s fju>g).v$ 
 
 I 4 ** 
 
1 20 The Sacred Classics, &c. 
 
 g^.« ^ ^vv&vou Xj e^elcc^&v cc fj//\yxv% av fin zvdax- 
 
 pgvUs ttoLvIok. And then, fpeaking of perfons 
 departed this life, he adds } Ta' ts y> a AAa. 
 
 QAjdrajiijgvzcfZQpi eimv 01 ex& r errJBios, Xj ybi) r Aot 
 
 Thefe were great difcoveries for an hea- 
 then man to make ; but how low and poor 
 is all this fcheme and expectation, compar'd 
 with the ineflimable privileges, and infinitely 
 glorious and happy fociety, which the Gofpel 
 allures us, all good Chriftians fhall enjoy to all 
 eternity ! 'Tis a magnificent and noble piece 
 of eloquence, fit to inlpire Chriftians with the 
 moft ravifhing hopes, and encourage their reli- 
 gions endeavours, and unwearied diligence, 
 that they may not neglect and forfeit Jo great 
 a Jcilvatlon : YlefaehyAvSr/js Xiwr op?-, x) Wa« 
 ©ta ^&>i':©- Iepa.'wAJJjK l7rvgcLvici) 9 x) /.^Lg/aaiv cty 
 tfehoov <mtvyiyjpei x} cxxt.rioia, tt&)IqIqyjbcv ev v^juvoU 
 "ZwoybyepfAljfyjWi K£jdy\ ©eu 7r<x,v!ur, xj ftxdriws 
 yeas juWt>i I^cry, x) ctfj&li ^clvIiojjlZ 1 . 
 
 9 Plat. Apol. Soc p. 41. The Latin tranflation of 
 tvefbcifievicu is fapienti* for f elicit atij. 
 
 * Hebr. xii. 22, 22, 24. 
 
 The END of the First Part. 
 
THE 
 
 SACRED CLASSICS 
 
 Defended and Illuftrared. 
 VOL. II. PART II. 
 
 BEING A 
 
 DISSERTATION, 
 
 CONTAINING 
 
 An Account of the Wrong Division 
 of Chapters and Ferfes ; and the Faulty 
 Translations of the Divine Book; 
 which weaken its Reafonings, and fpoil 
 its Eloquence and Native Beauties. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 Printed in the Year M.DCC.XXXI. 
 
I 2 
 
 THE 
 
 SACRED CLASSICS 
 
 Defended and Illuftrated. 
 
 PART II. 
 
 A Dijfertation on the prefent Divifion 
 of the hew Teflament Into Chapters 
 and Verfes 5 and the faulty Transla- 
 tion of that divine Book, in many in- 
 flames 5 which weaken its Reafoning, 
 and fpoil its Eloquence and Beauties. 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 E have endeavour'd to vindi- 
 cate the facred writers of the 
 New Teftament, with refpect 
 to their language and phrafe- 
 ology in the original ; and 
 fhew'd that there is true eloquence in thofe 
 heavenly authors ; and more beauties than 
 
 can 
 
1 24 The Sacred Classics 
 
 can be found in the Greek and Roman Cla£- 
 fics ; more than have been difcern'd, and 
 allow'd, by many pious divines, and cele- 
 brated fcholars. 
 
 There are difadvantages, which the di- 
 vine writers lie under, as they are turn'd 
 and reprefented in their tranflation into mo- 
 dern languages ; which the learned are con- 
 cern'd for, and the unlearned take offence 
 at, and are unhappily prejudiced againft the 
 great original, for the faults of inadequate 
 verfions. 
 
 There feem to me no conveniencies in the 
 divilion of the facred books into chapters 
 and verfes, that can balance the inconvenience 
 and prejudice they bring. The moft valuable 
 hook in the world is the worft divided \ and 
 is deform'd and encumber'd with the moft 
 improper fections and paufcs. Stops are 
 made, chapters and verfes ended, where the 
 fenfe, narration, and argument is mangled 
 and broke off. Even the moft learned 
 fometimes lofe fome of the pleafure and ad- 
 vantage of their ftudies, by reading books 
 fo unnaturally divided. Generally when the 
 chapter and verfe ends, lb does the reader's 
 attention : he makes an unfeafonable paufe, 
 and oft lofes not only the beauty and ftrength 
 
 of 
 
'Defended and IHuJlrnted. 1 1 5 
 
 of the period, but the conclufivenefs of the 
 rcafbning, and the connection and depen- 
 dence of the context. 
 
 The famous Robert Stephens did good fer- 
 vice to religion and learning by many of 
 his labours j and intended no harm by his 
 divifion of the New Teftament into chapters 
 and verfes, as we have 'em at prefent. If 
 the reader defires any account of that affair, 
 he may be fatisfy'd by confulting Dr. Pri- 
 v, Rivet, Lenjden, cXc*. I am not con- 
 cerned to relate the jlory • but am firry it 
 yrasfatf. 
 
 The reader will be pleas'd with the clear 
 account Mr. Locke gives of this matter ; whofe 
 words I put down, becaufe none of my own 
 can expreis the thing fo emphatically*; 
 u One great inconvenience, that the New 
 " Teftament labours under, in its prefent 
 " form, is, its improper divifion into chap- 
 " ters and verfes ; whereby they are fo 
 " chopp'd and mine'd, and ftand lb broken 
 a and divided, that not only the common 
 " people take the verfes ufually for diftincl: 
 4< aphorifms ; but even men of more ad- 
 
 1 Connexion, vol. i. p. 33S. ed. 8°. Iiagoge, c 29. 
 p. foo. Philol. Heb. p. 4. 
 1 Preface to St. Paul's Epiftles. 
 
 " yane'd 
 
u 
 
 \i6 The Sacred Classics 
 
 vanc'd knowledge, in reading them, lofe 
 " very much of the ftrength and coherence, 
 " and the light that depends on it." 
 
 Our minds are fo weak and narrow, that 
 they have need of all the helps and affiitances 
 that can be procur'd, to lay before them 
 undifhirbedly the thread and coherence of 
 any difcourfe ; by which alone they are 
 truly improv'd, and led into the genuine 
 fenfe of the author. When the eye is con- 
 ftantly diihirb'd with loofe fentences, that 
 by their Handing and feparation appear as 
 fo many diftincr, fragments, the mind will 
 have much ado to take in, and carry on in 
 its memory, an uniform difcourfe of depen- 
 dent reafonings ; efpecially having from the 
 cradle been ufed to wrong impreffions con- 
 cerning them, and continually accuftom'd 
 to hear them quoted as diftinct fentences. 
 
 A new divifion of the facred book into 
 chapters, fe&ions, and periods, might be fb 
 contriv'd and manag'd as to make a new 
 edition very commodious and beautiful ; 
 which wou'd overbalance all inconveniences 
 which fuperftition and weaknefs cou'd pre- 
 tend might arife from alterations j and make 
 a victorious and fpeedy way to the favour 
 and full approbation of the world. 
 
 Upon 
 
^Defended and Illitflrated. 1 27 
 Upon fuch an alteration (which wou'd 
 be to the infinite fatisfa&ion of numbers of 
 pious and learned men, and the great im- 
 provement of Chriftian knowledge) care 
 wou'd be taken by thofe able perfons whom 
 our governors in church and ftate fhou'd 
 wifely chufe out for fuch a glorious work, 
 that the pfalms in the liturgy ftiou'd not be 
 render'd inconvenient for the uie of refponfes 
 and divine niufic; and that the epiftles, 
 gofpels, and lelTons, that are with great 
 judgment adapted to the various times, 
 actions, and wonders of our Saviour's life, 
 might, abating a few changes, be preferv'd 
 in their prefent fituation ; that compofes fo 
 regular a courfe of devotion in the Church of 
 England ; and contributes fb effectually to 
 promote the acceptable chearful worftiip of 
 its Heady and pious communicants. 
 
 The writings and quotations of authors 
 upon divine fubje&s might eafily be accom- 
 modated to the new regulation. The old 
 concordances wou'd be a little incommoded, 
 but not at all render'd ufelefs ; and new ones 
 wou'd be framed, which wou'd be books 
 much more valuable and entertaining ; and 
 much better anfwer the end of fuch compo- 
 fitions : where not only words and phrafes 
 
 disjointed 
 
128 The Sacred Classics 
 
 disjointed from the context, and making up 
 no complete fenfe, might be found; but the 
 myfteries of religion wou'd be placed in one 
 advantageous view ; exprefs'd in the mod 
 Jdlid, moving eloquence of Scripture lan- 
 guage. 
 
 The Chrlftian Injihutes are a book of 
 this nature, where the attributes, works, and 
 wonders of God are exprefs'd in his own 
 words ; where the jtmplicity and JhbUmity 
 are equally to be venerated ; and the plea- 
 fur e and the Improvement equally exquifite 
 and great to every reader, who by under- 
 Jiandlng and virtue is qualify'd to difcern 
 and relilh fuch divine compojitions. 
 
 The cafe of the improper and abfurd di- 
 vifion of chapters and verfes in the New 
 Teftament does not require a long proof: 
 but for the fake of young ftudents, who 
 have not yet duly confider'd thefe matters, 
 I will produce a few inftances, with fhort re- 
 marks upon them : when they have made 
 a further advancement in their ftudies, their 
 own obfervation will furnilh them with too 
 
 m- 
 
 §■ *■ oj 
 
^Defended and III iifl rated. 1 29 
 
 §. 2. Of wrong Divi/ion of Chapters in the 
 New Teftament. 
 
 Not to take notice of the abrupt con- 
 clufion of chap. xxi. of the Afts^ I Ihall 
 produce inftances that as much break off the 
 narration and connexion of the argument, 
 and as manifeftly fpoil the elegancy and 
 harmony of the language. The fixteen firft 
 verfes of the xxth chap, of St. Matthew 
 fhou'd be joinM to the nineteenth, becaufe 
 of the near relation of the fubject treated of 
 in the latter end of the firft, and the begin- 
 ning of the next. The laft verfe in the xixth 
 chap, requires in true connexion and depen- 
 dence the fixteen following, to explain and 
 illuftrate it. The ill* chapter of the epiftle 
 to the Coloffiansy from the eighteenth verle 
 inclufively, fhou'd be laid to the iv. chapter, 
 that the duties of parents and children, hus- 
 bands and wives, mafters and fervants, may 
 be laid in one view, and with more advan- 
 tage and emphafis be compared. 
 
 The firft verfe of the vii. chapter of the 
 fccond epiftle to the Corinthians ought to be 
 connected to the laft of the fixth, becaufe 
 'tis a necelTary and natural inference from 
 
 Vol. II. K St, 
 
1 30 The Sacred Classics 
 
 St, ^Paul's reafoning before. Since God the 
 Father has made fuch great and precious 
 promifes to Chriftians thro' the merits of his 
 Son, and the inhabitation and fan&ifying 
 operations of his Holy Spirit, 'tis their duty 
 and fupreme wifdom and intereft to make 
 all poflible returns of gratitude, and to give 
 all diligence to perform thofe conditions, 
 upon which fuch great mercies and inefti- 
 mable privileges depend, and are promifed. 
 Having therefore, my beloved, fuch promifes y 
 let us furtfy ourfelves from all pollution of 
 fefh and J 'fir it, perfecting holinefs in the fear 
 of God, is naturally connected to, and de- 
 pends on, the foregoing do&rine and reafon- 
 ing : And that noble epiphonema and con- 
 clufion from the dodrine of a glorious refur- 
 rection, Wherefore, my beloved brethren, be 
 ye fedfaft, immoveable, always abounding in 
 the work of the Lord, forafmuch as you know 
 that your labour is not in vain in the Lord, 
 may as well be feparated from the xvth 
 chapter of the firft epiftle to the Corinthians \ 
 which wou'd maim and difmember that fa- 
 cred and fublime piece of eloquence. 
 
 The laft verfe of the viith chapter of St. 
 Johns, Gofpel fhon'd make the beginning of 
 
 the 
 
Defended and Illujl rated* i 3 1 
 
 the next chapter. Every one fees how natu- 
 rally thofe two verfes are united ; and what 
 a force and violence is put upon the con- 
 nexion, if they are feparated ; Kxl eTroptufo 
 exa^^ fis t omov clvTo' Lnavi 3 e-jrofV).% us td 
 - tfS Eacu*:: The refrof the company 
 retir'd to the accommodations and refrcfh- 
 ment of their own houfes; when the Son of 
 God, who had not a place where he might 
 repofe his facred head, and whofe meat and 
 drink it was to do his Father's will, repaired 
 to the Mount of Olives, his ufual and be- 
 loved place of heavenly retirement and devo- 
 tion : and after he had fpent the whole 
 night in the divineft exercifes, he went to 
 the temple early in the morning to do great 
 good to numbers waiting on him ; to heal 
 their ficknefTes, and preach to them the 
 words of eternal life. 
 
 The five firft verfes of chap. xxii. of 
 the Revelation, ought to be laid to chap, 
 xxi. and a new chapter or fe&ion to begin 
 at the fixth verfe ; becanfe the glorious de- 
 fcription of the flouriming and triumphant 
 ftate of the Church is fo far continu'd : and 
 to feparate and make a break in the parts of 
 that moft lively and divine representation, 
 wou'd difcompofe the order, blemifh the 
 K 2 beauty, 
 
i 3 i The Sacred Classics 
 
 beauty, and enervate the vigour of that 
 facred piece of eloquence 3 . 
 
 Numerous inftances befides thefe of chap- 
 ters and fe&ions wrong divided, and unna- 
 turally feparated, might eafily be produced ; 
 but I forbear troubling the reader, who, I 
 believe, will think thefe mentioned to be 
 fufficient. 
 
 $.3. A s to the verfes, there is not one 
 chapter in the New Teftament. as far as I 
 have obferv'd, but is faultily divided ; that 
 is, we have that portion of facred writ 
 iigur'd and mark'd out for a complete fenfe 
 (which ought to be a period ) which does 
 not finifti out a complete fenfe. And this 
 mull not only often hinder the reader from 
 readily taking the meaning and connexion of 
 a pafTage ; but makes the ftyle look rough 
 and horrid, and breaks the noble periods 
 into little fragments, and disjointed members. 
 In the xxth chap, of St. Matthew, the 10th, 
 nth, and 12th verfes, if laid together, wou'd 
 make a well founding and fine period ; fay- 
 ing, in the 12th verfe, cannot be feparated 
 
 3 Hacc avelli a fuperiorlbus non debuere ; coherent 
 enim : conrinuatur enim hie defcriptio florentis ftacus 
 Ecclefije. Grot, in loc. , 
 
 from 
 
Tie fended and III njl rated. 1 } 3 
 from the preceding verfes ; and in its pre font 
 fituation, looks barbaroufly. 
 
 So in the fame divine author Xsyov very 
 improperly and vicioufly begins the fecond 
 verfe of the xxth chap, naturally dependent 
 on the firft, to the manifeft fpoiling of the 
 integrity and gracefulnefs of the period. 
 In the xxift chap, of St. Matthew the period 
 fhou'd begin at verfe 17, and end at the 
 i^th, at eU r cuavAy and the remainder of 
 that verfe be united to the xxth ; lb both 
 the periods wou'd be compact and full as to 
 their fenfe, regular and harmonious in their 
 numbers. 
 
 The introduction or preface of St. Luke 
 to his Golpel ought to be laid all together, 
 in a complete period of four noble colons; 
 and is by our monftrous divifion extremely 
 defae'd and difmember'd. 
 
 The 1 jth and 1 6th verfes of St. Matthew 
 chap. xxi. the 41ft and 42d verfes of St. Luke 
 chap. x. and the nth and 12th verfes of 
 St. Luke chap. xi. muft be united and con- 
 nected j otherwife the fentences will be un- 
 naturally mangled and torn to pieces ; the 
 fulnefs of the fenfe will not appear; and the 
 beauty and gracefulnefs of the opposition 
 
 will be eclipfed. 
 
 K 3 The 
 
1 34 %*he Sacred Classics 
 
 The 251th and 30th verfes of St. Mark 
 chap. £. the 3d, 4th, and jth verfes of St. 
 Johns Gofpel, chap. viii. the a8th, 20th, 
 and 30th verfes of St. Luke's Gofpel, chap. xiv. 
 ought to be united ; becauie they are ab- 
 furdly divided, to the violation of found 
 grammar, and the lofs of good fenfe. So 
 thofe feveral paffages which are mark'd in 
 the margin 4 . 
 
 The oth, 10th, nth, and 12th verfes of 
 the Epiftle to the Colojfram, chap. i. fhou'd 
 be joined (putting 'c%t stxtwo-cu J/^< s i.e. e'sio 
 
 <7tug-<x,v cip&m&cLv} into a parenthefis : Upon 
 this connection how clear wou'd the con- 
 ftrucYion be ; which, upon the prefent divi- 
 fion, feems difturb'd and entangled ; how 
 round the period ! how vigorous and divine 
 the fenfe ! 
 
 'Tis neceflary to connect the 2d, 3d, 4th, 
 and 5 th verfes of chap. xiii. of St. John's 
 
 4 S. Matt. xxiv. four laft verfes. Zachary's noble 
 fong in S. Luke, chap i. 9 verfes, from 67, to 77. both 
 inclufive 2 Theil. ii. 1, 2. S.Luke xxiii. ro, fl, 72. 
 Revel, i. 10, 11. Revel, i. f. nS Ayctrmmv^t muft begin 
 a new period, to end at the conclufion of ver. 6. 2 Tim. 
 i. 8, 9, 10, if. 'Twill be ro eafy matter to find a paf- 
 jage equal to Philip ii. zf, 26, 27, 28. in natural fenti- 
 menrs, and expreilions of unuiu'embled friendfhip, Chri- 
 flian charity, and the tendereft compafTion : and thofe 
 verfes ought to be compared into one noble period. 
 
 Gofpel, 
 
'Defended and Illujlrated. \ ] 5 
 
 Gofpel, both to keep the fenfe clear and 
 difentangled, and with advantage to repie- 
 fent in one view the parts and circumftances 
 of that wonderful inftance of our blclTed 
 Saviour's humility and condefcenfion. As 
 indeed not only the afore-mention'd verfes 
 fhou'd have been united into one period ; 
 but our Lord's divine converfation with his 
 difciples on that fubjecT:, and the anfvvers 
 of St. Peter, fhou'd have been laid together 
 in one feclion ; which wou'd have ended 
 with the 20th verfe. 
 
 'Tis my opinion, that the unnatural repa- 
 ration of the 59th, 60th, and 61 ft verfes of 
 chap. xxvi. of St. Matthew led the learned 
 Kufler to that rafh cenfure, in pronouncing 
 *X € ^& y a taut °l°gy> an d therefore the firft 
 to be ftruck out (to prevent an imaginary 
 tautology in the laft) of the facred book, 
 as a blemifh and corruption ; and that only 
 upon the authority of one fingle manufcript. 
 If all repetitions not fuperior to this, were 
 to be ftruck out of the beft authors, we 
 fhou'd entirely lofe the beauty and emphafis 
 of fome of the fineft paffages, both in the 
 fecular and facred Claffics. The firft ^ »*£ 
 evopv in the 60th verfe, fhou'd be join'd to 
 SavcnwcmGi in the 5£th. The chief priefts 
 
 K 4 and 
 
\]6 The Sacred Classics 
 
 and elders, and whole aifembly, fought for 
 falfe witnefs againft Jefus, that he might be 
 put to death , and at jirji they found none : 
 and, after, when many falfe witnelTes came, 
 allur'd by profped of gain, and villainous 
 promifes ; yet ftill they found none, that 
 came up fully to their bloody point and bar- 
 barous malice, in profecuting that adorable 
 innocence. So that, in my opinion, the harfh- 
 nefs and diftafteful fuperfluity does not lie 
 in the repetition of the author, but in the 
 groundlefs furmize and fcruple of the 
 critic*. 
 
 That moll noble and divine paffage in 
 the xth chapter to the Hebrews, from the 
 155th to the 2,5th verfes, both inclufive, wou'd 
 appear in all its native beauty, connexion, 
 and agreeable harmony, if divided into two 
 periods; than which neither Greece nor 
 Rome can fhew any more compact, or of 
 more grateful found, and ftronger fignifi- 
 cation, 
 
 s Matt. xxvi. 60. legltur xj iy\ {ves v - Kct? mxhcop 4^- 
 Jhna$7i><?*>v Tc^tTiK^mvmvi «% iv&v- Quis non illlco videt 
 repeticionem illam t» «% ^t$ v i hi° non folum efle in- 
 graram, fed etiam fupervacaneam ? Quare prius illud, 
 ^ xy iv&v, delendum cenieo ; idque autoritate MS. Pa- 
 ri i' {. in quo verba ilia defunt. D. Kufter Praefat. ad 
 Gr.Teft. p. 4. 
 
 The 
 
'Defended and lUitflrated. 1 37 
 
 The firft period naturally ends in SSbcn 
 >&$?.??> which is ib full a comprchenfion of 
 fenie, and fo proper a panic, that both the 
 thought and the ear acquiefce, and are ia- 
 tisfy'd. The next period begins at wn.*)g)\dp 
 in the 23d verfe ; and, I preiume, muft end 
 at the conclufion of the 25th verfe j ppfaov 
 
 I find the Oriental verfions favour this di- 
 viflon ; and the author of the Oxford Para- 
 phrafe and Annotations judicioufly begins a 
 new fentence at ng.iiyg>fjfyj. Some wou'd 
 
 have ?yy.(xjxAei7rov"jes put for eyxtzjxXeiTrovfes 
 &j-g, or e^xaTetAaTrgTgj which is the fame thing, 
 and agreeable to the purity of the Greek 
 language. Thefe gentlemen, one may iup- 
 pofe, ufed this caution to prevent, as they 
 imagin'd, an impropriety of putting la.v*jaav 
 for ctoLvnwv : but we have in the firfl vo- 
 lume fhew'd thefe changes to be common in 
 the foundeft and politeft authors. The Sy- 
 riac and JEthiopiC) agreeable to this, have 
 it, 1. nee, 2. & ne defer amus congregationem 
 nojlram. 
 
 That grand and eloquent paflage of St, 
 Paul, 1 Theffln. 10, 11, 12. is difmember'd 
 and entirely broken by that unnatural and ab- 
 furd divilion. Lay it all together in its proper 
 
 connexion. 
 
1 5 8 The Sacred Classics 
 
 connexion, iiol :'•■ •; produces a nobler fenfe, 
 nothing yields a harmony more agreeable to 
 an ear that can relifh fuch charms. c n$ iva. 
 t-aoLc-ov vytflS has been ftruck out by one 
 (whofe head was not fo happily organiz'd) 
 out of a weak fear that u^sm following wou'd 
 make it a tautology. We have formerly 
 fhew'd that fuch repetitions are agreeable to 
 the ufage of the beft authors, ibmetimes ne- 
 ceffary, generally emphatical and moving ; 
 to which add, 'E^i $>} y « -l ^ y^ "Efo-hvwv 
 
 Mm Wr7« tJW'ju&s is by tranflators unnatu- 
 rally feparated from the beginning of the 
 next verfe in the xiith chap, of the firft epift. 
 to the Corinthians ; and then, as a confequence 
 of that perverfion, very oddly render'd ; 
 Jre all workers of miracles ? Have all the 
 gifts of healing ? This great blunder had 
 been prevented, had it been confider'd that 
 the laft member of the aoth verfe fhou'd 
 have been united to the firft of the 30th, 
 and that <JWjx«s is govern'd of ^a^. Then 
 the whole paffage wou'd run eafy and un- 
 conftrain'd ; the grammar and fenfe wou'd 
 be clear; the connexion of the claufes of 
 
 6 Eurlp. PhoenifT yio» $i\. SS. ClaiT. vol. I. p. 66. 
 Ter. Adel, ver. 307, 308. 
 
 thi s 
 
^Defended and Ilia (I rated, 1 3 9 
 this noble period natural ; and the harmony 
 ftrong and fprightly. 1. Are all apo files? 
 An all prophets? Are all teachers? 1. Have 
 all the power of miracles? Have all the J,, 
 natural gifts of healing difeafes ? 3. Do all 
 /peak with tongues ? (or in ftrange languages) 
 Do all interpret ? 
 
 Harry Stephens in his excellent preface to 
 his Greek Teftament has given us this judi- 
 cious obfervation ; which, 'tis probable, he 
 borrow'd from the Syria* verfion ; which is 
 thus render'd by the Latin tranllator, Num 
 omnes edunt virtutes ? Nam omnes habent 
 dona fanationis ? 
 
 But multiplication of inftances is unnecef- 
 fary and needleis. In fhort, the whole frame 
 of the facred volumes, as it is at prefent 
 cramp'd and disfigur'd, by its odd difpofi- 
 tion into chapters and verfes, muft be taken 
 down, and put into a more advantageous 
 form and order, before it will appear in its 
 due proportion, in its native ftrength and 
 gracefulnefs. And was that great work com- 
 mitted to the hands of able and pious critics 
 and fcholars, by the national authority, a 
 feleft fociety of fuch well qualify'd perfons, 
 fet on by the command, and enliven'd by 
 
 the 
 
140 The Sacred Classics 
 
 the encouragement and bounty of our fupe- 
 riors, wou'd, in competent time, accomplifh 
 the noble work ; and by a skilful divifion, 
 and judicious tranflation of the heavenly book., 
 wou'd fet the language and argumentation 
 of it in the moft advantageous and fcrong 
 light. They wou'd appear to be workmen 
 that wou'd not need to be afhamed, rightly 
 dividingy juitly comparing, and interpreting 
 the book of God our Saviour, the words of 
 eternal life. 
 
 I end this chapter with a remark upon 
 that fublime and marvellous paiTage in Colojf 
 ii. 1, a, 3. by forgetfulnefs not put in its 
 proper place, which join'd together make 
 a complete period of the molt harmonious 
 found, and important fenfe : where we may 
 obferve, what is indeed the leaft beauty 
 in this grand inftance of divine eloquence, 
 that the article is omitted and ufed before 
 the nouns with fuch propriety and feafbn- 
 ablenefsy that gives a grateful variety ; 
 heightens the harmony of the numbers ; 
 and adds grace and ftrength to the whole 
 fentence. There is in it all the fweetnefs 
 and fmooth run, without the profufion and 
 fuperfluous multitude of articles frequently 
 
 occurring 
 
'Defended and Illujtrated. 141 
 
 occurring in Ifocrates ; fometimes in other 
 felecl: writers of Greece , hoc <k^xA>??mW 
 
 't yvoo&oos ct-TiiKpvQQty Ver. 2, 3* 
 
 CHAP, 
 
\^z The Sacred Classics 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 A floort Account of the Tranflations of 
 the Greek Tejlament, efpecially the 
 mojl common and celebrated Latin 
 Tranflations $ whereby it will ap- 
 pear ^ that thofe Sacred Books lie 
 tinder fome T)ifadvantages, by reafon 
 of federal Faults and Miflakes in 
 thofe well meant, and, in general, 
 uleful 'Performances. 
 
 HiRanflations of the facred book into 
 the mother tongues of all people 
 and nations profefling Chriftianity, 
 were very early, and abfolutely necefTary, 
 that all men might know, what all were 
 obliged to believe and pra&ife : That they 
 might hear and read, in their own language, 
 the wonderful things of God, the adorable 
 myfteries and morals of the Gofpel of Jefus; 
 fo infinitely conducive to the inftru&ion, 
 the honour, the prefent and eternal confo- 
 lation of human race. 
 
 The 
 
'Defended and Illuflrated. 145 
 
 The Eaftcrn vcrfions are generally of ad- 
 mirable ule, to exprefs the force and em- 
 phafis of the inipir'd text with great advan- 
 tage ; and by reaibn of the juft and general 
 efteem they were in, amongft the molt fa- 
 mous and rlourifhing churches. Their won- 
 derful content and harmony in all points of 
 moment, prove the divine original', and that 
 God was its author and protector in a pecu- 
 liar manner, appears from their preiervation 
 in their primitive purity and integrity, in 
 defiance of the rage of perfecutors and ty- 
 rants, who employ'd all their power to 
 dejiroy and aboUjb them, and of the malice 
 and wicked diligence of heretics and blafphe- 
 mers, who ufed all the artifices of cunning 
 and treachery to dtbaje and faJJify them. The 
 tranflators of thefe ineftimable volumes into 
 modern tongues are not to be defrauded of 
 their juft praifes; the Chriftian world is in ge- 
 neral oblig'd to 'em for their pious and learned 
 labours ; which are necefTary to thofe who don't 
 underftand the original ; and, in fome mea- 
 fure, ufeful and entertaining to thofe who do. 
 
 But, that fome unwary readers have con- 
 ceiv'd a wrong notion of the facred writers, 
 by the verfions of fome learned men, who 
 have fometimes miftaken the fenfc of their 
 
 adorable 
 
144 Fto Sacred Classics 
 
 adorable authors, and often weaken'd it by 
 their inadequate and improper rendring, is 
 too plain to be deny'd ; and at the fame time 
 that it proves the infirmities and frailty of 
 fallible men, ought to give all judicious and 
 devout fcholars this good inftru&ion and 
 warning, that they ftudy the divine originals 
 with all poilible care, and read their verfions 
 with great caution. The vulgate Latin tran- 
 flator is not to be condemn'd in general, as 
 fome bigots have done, without confideration 
 and juftice; for in many places the tranfla- 
 tion is certainly pure and proper; which 
 has been refleded upon by rafh critics; and 
 fometimes alter'd for the worfe by modern 
 tranflators. 
 
 St. Jerome improv'd and reform'd the old 
 Latin Italic verfions. Of later times Pope 
 Sixtus ghuntus publifh'd the vulgate Latin 
 Bible. Gregory XIV. began another, which 
 Clement VIII. finifh'd, A. D. 155)2, under 
 the falfe name of Sixtus Quintus ; and thefe 
 editions prodigiouily contradict one ano- 
 ther. 
 
 The founder and more learned divines of 
 the Church of Rome interpret the decree of 
 the Council of 7rent in honour and elta- 
 blifhment of this tranflation, to mean, that 
 
 k 
 
Defended and Ilhijtr cited, i 4 J 
 
 it (hall be preferr'd only to other transla- 
 tions, not to the original Hebrew ; and al- 
 low there are feveral faults and blemifhes 
 in if. 
 
 The ill-natured bigots, and unlearned 
 theologues of the Roman Church, were the 
 only perfons that undervalued the Hebrew 
 original, and the Greek verfion ; and with 
 equal impudence and ftupidity, preferr'd the 
 vulgate verfion, even in exclufion of the 
 Hebrew verity, and all tranflations. 
 
 Several of thefe gentlemen have declared 
 the vulgate verfion to be the fountain of 
 Scripture ; and that without it, the Hebrew 
 
 text is almoft ufelcfs ; altogether to fuch 
 
 critics. The pious and illuftrious Cardinal 
 Cajetan, for owning that there are feveral 
 faults in this tranflation, is by a pert hot 
 writer condemn'd as an heretic. 
 
 Above all one Nic. Ramus exprefTes him- 
 felf with confummate impudence, and blaf- 
 
 1 Dicimus Trid. Concilii Canonem ceteris quidem 
 omnibus Latinis vulgat. vet. edit, anteponere, & cano- 
 nicam auftoritatem eidem attribuere ; Graecarum autem 
 ac Hebraicarum nullam vel tacitatn vel exprefTara men- 
 tionem facere : non damnavit igltur nee exploit Hebr. 
 aut Graecas editiones.— — Sed nee eifdem vulg. Lat. edi- 
 tionem praetulit ; quam folis Latinis omnibus anteponen- 
 dam ftatuit Julius Rugerius Secret. Apoftolic- apud. D. 
 Hody de Text. Orig. p. 5-22. Vide p. fi6. & p. 5-32, 
 
 Vol. II. L phemous 
 
\^6 The Sacred Classics 
 
 phemous fcurrility, when he compares the 
 vulgate Latin Bible in the Ahala edition 
 placed between the Hebrew and the Septua- 
 gint, to our blefled Saviour crucify'd be- 
 tween two thieves ♦ meaning the Sepuagmt 
 by the penitent thief; and, fuch was the 
 good man's modefty and underftanding, the 
 Hebrew text by the impenitent thief*. 
 
 A notable reafon may be given why the 
 furious and blind zealots of the Romiflo 
 church depreciate the facred and moft pre- 
 cious original, and magnify and adore a 
 faulty and very imperfed verfion, befides 
 their profound ignorance; which is, that 
 the holy tribunal of the Inqutfition cannot 
 proceed fo regularly againft people accufed 
 before 'em of heretical pravity ; becaufe the 
 peevim heretics will be apt to appeal to the 
 Hebrew original 3 , which plea it may not be 
 fafe to admit, becaufe not eafy to over-rule, 
 unlefs it be in their infallible way. And is 
 it not a great pity, that fuch a venerable 
 court of high jujiice Ihou'd meet with any 
 obftru&ions in their moft impartial and cha- 
 
 * Vide D. Hodiumde Text. Orig. tec. p.j'io, /n. 
 
 9 Mekhior Canus hocargumento utitur in patrocinium 
 Vulgat. verf. de Inquifitoribus haereticae praritatis, quod 
 non fecus poflent in jus vocare, aut refutare haereticos, 
 utpote ftatim ad Textus Oririnales provocaturos. Hod. 
 
 ntablc 
 
'Defended and IHuJtrated. 1 47 
 ritable proceedings ? or that thofe moft 
 chriftian judges, and compajjiona+e father s, 
 fhou'd be checqued from giving a quick 
 difpatch to milcreants and heretics, and 
 delivering 'em to the fecular arm with fuch 
 favourable recommendations, and eameji hiter- 
 cejjious for mercy? 
 
 If any one wou'd fee more upon this fub- 
 jeft, he may have full fatisfaction from the 
 very learned and laborious Dr. Hody. I am 
 afraid this may be accounted a digreffion; 
 but hope it will not be altogether unufeful 
 or unacceptable to my younger reader. 
 
 St. Matth. ch. xxviii. ver. 1 . is very oddly 
 and barbaroufly render'd in this verfion, fo 
 that neither the fenle, nor propriety of lan- 
 guage is preferv'd ; Vefpere autem Jabbathf, 
 qn# lucefcit in prima fabbathiy cXc. A great 
 miftake is committed in the translation of 
 St. Mark chap. vii. ver. 31. which depends 
 on an abfurd various reading; contradicts 
 other places of Scripture ; and is inconfiftent 
 with the foliation of thofe countries ; EP 
 iter urn exiens de friibus 7yri y venit per Sido- 
 nem ad mare GaUltea 4 . 
 
 4 Vide Not. Crit. in Teft. Nov. Wetftenii Amfrerdam, 
 p. 8. col. 2. 
 
 L a The 
 
148 The Sacred Classics 
 
 The vulgate tranflation is fuperftitioufly 
 nice and fcrupulous in rend ring all the par- 
 ticles in the Greek literally, and keeping 
 their firft and molt ufual fignification, when 
 they ought to be taken in a different fenfe ; 
 which occafions inconfequence in the dif- 
 courfe, and harfhnefs in the connexion. By 
 this means the molt beautiful and pure 
 Greek original is deformed and corrupted, 
 by being difguifed in vicious and barbarous 
 Latin* . We have in that famous paffage of 
 St, Johns Gofpel, chap. xx. ver. 25. locum, 
 as if the original was rnirovy and not tutoj', 
 which is a various reading of very little 
 authority, and prodigioufly weakens the 
 emphafis and noblenefs of the word, which 
 from the apoftolical age has had poffeflion 
 in a great majority of the beft and molt 
 valuable manuicripts 6 . 
 
 But it were endlefs to mention particulars. 
 I pafs on to Bezci^ a man of polite learning 
 and good skill in the Greek y but who fo 
 ftai£tly adheres to the original in numerous 
 places, that he tranflates the articles, tho' 
 the Latin language won't bear them. There 
 feems to be a fort of profufenefs and excefs 
 
 s S. Johan. xviii. 7. & fsepius in ifto capite, &c- 
 T Vide Mill, in loo Dr. Bois in loc. 
 
 in 
 
'Defended and IHaJlrated. i 49 
 in the ufe of the particles in this noble lan- 
 guage ; which contribute to the beauty, 
 harmony, and agreeable turn, becaufe they 
 abound molt in all the nobleft writers, both 
 in verfe and profe ; fb that if you either 
 take 'em away from the Greek, or render 
 'em all literally in the Ldtfo 9 you weaken 
 and blemifh both languages : The one you 
 ftrip of its neceflary and very graceful orna- 
 ments ; the other you encumber and make 
 heavy by fnperfluous additions, foreign to 
 its ufage and genius. Examples of this are 
 very numerous ; a few may be feen in the 
 paiTages referr'd to below 7 . 
 
 Both this gentleman, and his friend Pifca- 
 tor, with great confidence ftrike £rl in Atis 
 xvii. ver. 24. out of the facred original ; 
 tho' there is no various reading in that place, 
 and the word is very ftrong and emphatical ; 
 and fuch repetitions very ufual and graceful 
 in good authors. Indeed this learned tran- 
 flator ufes an intolerable liberty in altering 
 the facred text at pleafure, to remove a dif- 
 ficulty he cannot conquer; or to prevent a 
 folecifm or impropriety which he vainly 
 
 7 S. Matt. i. 16. 6. — regem ilium — gens ille. 
 
 L 3 imagines 
 
150 The Sacred Classics 
 
 imagines wou'd be in the eftablifh'd and 
 genuine reading 8 . 
 
 But to omit lefTer faults, that relate to 
 grammar and criticifm ; the grand and capi- 
 tal fault in Eeza y Plfcator y and the reft of 
 the Cahinljilcal perfuafion, is, their accom- 
 modating their tranilations to that gloomy 
 and difmal notion they had conceiv'd about 
 ablblute and irreversible decrees of reproba- 
 tion : By which the infinite goodnefs of God 
 is impeach'd ; the moft precious and exten- 
 sive merits of our blefTed Saviour under- 
 valu'd and confin'd ; and the Gofpel, that 
 brings life and immortality to light, made 
 only in favour of a choice number of 
 people, that fanfy themfelves more pure than 
 their brethren ; and fubfervient to a party- 
 caufe. In fhort, 'tis a doctrine fo dire and 
 Shocking, that all its odious confequences, 
 and full malignity, can neither be exprefs'd 
 with fafety and decency ; nor ferioufly 
 thought of without horror. 
 
 * D- Beza fsepius a recepta le&lone fine neceflitate difce- 
 dit, &unius, interdum nullius codicis autoritate fretus 
 prjetorlam exercet poteftatem, ex conjecruris mutando, & 
 interpolaudo Textum Sacrum pro libito. D Walton 
 Proleg. p. 33. Vide Bezam in S. Lucam ix. 48, 5%. 
 1 Cor. xv. /f. He has tranflated very inaccurately, tho' 
 with an anxious andover-labour'd diligence, S. Marc, xiv- 
 44. S. Luc. v- 2f. Acts xxvi- 21. — xxyii. 20. 
 
 Caflalio 
 
'Defended and Illujl rated, i 5 1 
 
 Ca ft alio is one of thofe gentlemen who 
 talk of the lblecifms of the Greek Te la- 
 ment ; and I am forry to fay, that is not 
 the only injury he has done the facred 
 writers. 'Tis true, he is generally a polite 
 and elegant translator ; and often a found 
 and judicious interpreter : Yet his greateft 
 admirers will fcarce deny but that he is 
 fometimes over-nice, and facrifices the noble 
 fimplicity and grandeur of the moll vigo- 
 rous Hcbraifmsy and lofty expreflions, to a 
 fpruce and affected Latin'ifm. For the au- 
 thentic ecclefiaftic word angelos he ufes 
 genios ; for baptizo, lavo y cXc. He is fo far 
 from reaching the noble force of the divine 
 originals, that he does not come near the 
 beft verfions. The tranflation is over- 
 charged with falfe rhetoric ; is often effemi- 
 nate ; fometimes profane ; feldom adequate 
 and fuitable to the divine folemnity and 
 weight of the fubjecl: treated of 9 . 
 
 The firft epift. to Timothy, chap.vi. ver.ro. 
 is turn'd much below the ipirit of the origi- 
 nal j 'EdC-JlVS ^CrQai7TSi^tV oS\jVOA$ TTDMais '. h0W 
 
 much by that tranflation ! Seje in multos do- 
 lores induxerunt. Our tranflation is juft ; 
 
 9 Riveti Ifag. p. 179. Dupln's Canon of Old and New 
 Teft. c-7- p. zoy. Collier's Appendix, in voce Cajialio. 
 
 L 4 They 
 
152 the Sacred Classics 
 
 tfhey have pierced thejnf elves with many for- 
 rows. By indulging greedy appetites, and 
 wicked paffions, finners wound their con- 
 fcienccs; and ftab themfelves thro' and thro\ 
 as with a lance or dagger. So the judicious 
 C P fat arch ufes the word ; fo the prince of 
 heroic Greek poetry ootirYim wrapjuJi 
 
 His verfion of Ails ii. 16. enervates and 
 ipoils the vigour of the noble original ; 
 / rejoice in my mind, and triumph with my 
 tongue, creeps after the fenfe, but comes not 
 up to the life and fervour of the Greeks 
 
 fjcv, My heart rejoiced, and my tongue tri- 
 umphed. 
 
 The turn of the manner of the phrafe, 
 and exchange of the dialogue into a plain 
 and continued narration, checques the vigour 
 and iprightlinefs of the Greek, in St. John 
 xix. 11. Caftalio has a low and incompe- 
 tent word to render that noble paffage in 
 St. John, ISrxcv'iit&a, which we have at- 
 tentively view'd, zvith joy and wonder. So 
 Xenophon ufes that word ' ; £0 Homer z ; Oi 
 
 ? Xen. Cyrop. p. 467. ed. Hudfon. 
 
 * Ornvvlo w* ify>v, Horn. II. if. ver. 444. is by the 
 
 fcholiaft render'd idavfm&v, and by the great Joihua 
 Barnes, interne fpeflabant. 
 
 5 
 
^Defended and Hlttftrated. 1 5 3 
 
 <T:xtk g T« *f>u.cj®«, v Tgfi&SV eSbra.1^0 iStctdttSzti 
 euuiov Tr^ii 1 r, nav(W ^ &s : 77V //?* 7%^f 
 c/" Abradates tf;;^ /j/j yfr?<? chariot zuas very 
 beautiful and entertaining, yet the company cou'd 
 not view him, with fo much admiration and 
 pleafure, till Panthea, the far more charming 
 and attractive fpe&acle, was gone out of fight. 
 
 In that auguft defcription of the Son of 
 God in Colojf. i. 15. U V$i? &yjuv t£ Qev t« 
 dogpTVy is by Caflalio turn'd, Imago inafpe- 
 flabilis Dei, cXc. which fome critics think 
 too weak, upon the authority of Tully, in 
 that paflage in his Offices, 1. 3. p. 152, Ed. 
 Cochman.—- — Germawe juflitice folidam & ex- 
 prejpim efjigiem nullam tenemus \ umbra & 
 imaginibus utimur. But this might eafily be 
 excufed. I think he has acquitted himfelf 
 much worfe, by lefTening the force and ma- 
 jefty of a parallel place by a low and dimi- 
 nutive word ; Solium taum, O Dive, in om- 
 nem permanet teternitatem, is exceflively be- 
 low the plain fimplicity and majefty of 
 —0 S"£pr®* cry, ©go?, «5 t ociuvcl t£ di<ai>©*>. 
 
 Dive is nothing to @gos, which is in facred 
 Scriptures generally applied to the true God 
 by nature, and oftner to God the Father, 
 than to God the Son, of the fame nature and 
 
 majefty, 
 
1 54 The Sacred Classics 
 
 majefty, coeternal and coequal. Tho' the 
 Arrian obfervation and criticifm upon this 
 point is falle and trifling K 
 
 Shall that adorable perfon, who is heir of 
 all things, by whom the heavens, and earth, 
 and all their inhabitants were made, who 
 fupports all the frame of being, and univerfal 
 nature by the word of his power, and fove- 
 reign providence, be properly expreis'd by 
 Divas? which, I think, is never apply 'd to 
 the pagan Jupiter. He is Divum Pater y 
 but to fubordinate deities ; and often to mere 
 mortals, whom they out of fuperftition or 
 flattery profanely and ftupidly deify'd. The 
 Roman emperors were complimented with 
 this title ; and the poet Lacan diftinguiihes 
 betwixt Superi and Divi y ^PharfaL 7. ver. 457. 
 Bella pares Supensfocient civilia Divos. But 
 this diflinclion does not always hold. 
 
 The fenfe of St. Luke in his Gofpel, chap, 
 vii. ver. 30. is perverted by that verfion ; 
 ¥he Pharifees and Lawyers difannuWd the pur- 
 
 3 0*3 7m1e)t, Gal. i. i. tv 1*0$$ Os? — 7«ra 0f«, Phil. ii. 6. 
 S. Johan. i. 5 20. — xx. 28. 9 Koet@- y.x, £ Qtbt //*, 
 Rom. ix. f. Vide S Chryfoft. in Gal. i 1. Philip, ii. 6. 
 Bp. Pearfon on the Creed. Dr. Waterland Serm. 1. on 
 Chrift's Divinity, p. 28. The Arrians, and other here- 
 tics of old, were always ufed to quibbling and cavilling j 
 they diftinguilh'd a,7n and J)&, «t?ro, as they laid, was al- 
 ways apply'd to the Father, and J)a. to the Son. But 
 S. Chryfoftom confutes this idle fancy, on Rom. i. 7. 
 where 'tis H$m *tto 0s3; •m!\?J% w^uaV, x) w/eia 'lw* Xe«r« • 
 
T)e fended and II In ft rated, i 5 5 
 
 fofi or counjcl of God, as far as wwf. m 
 
 their power : whereas it Ihou'd be, 7%ofi 
 
 obftinatc men frufi rated the merciful 
 
 counfel or purpofh of God to them : And the 
 
 reaibn is iubjoin'd, being not baptized of 
 
 him rcje&ing the baptifm and preaching 
 
 of St. John, the meiTenger and fore-runner 
 of the Meflias, which good providence call'd 
 them to, in order to their happinefs, thro' 
 repentance, and faith in the Saviour of the 
 world. His tranflation of that moft noble 
 and vigorous place, Ephef. iii. 14, 15, 16, 
 17, 18, 10, (which, by the bye, makeup 
 only one complete and full period) goes too 
 far from the original language and conflruc- 
 tion ; and makes thole alterations in the con- 
 texture of the phrafe and difcourfe, which 
 difguife and fophifticate the facred elo- 
 quence; enervate the vigour of the exprefe 
 fion; and cramp its majefty and freedom. 
 
 I mall omit feveral fmaller liberties which 
 this learned gentleman aflumes, which ble- 
 mifh the facred authors ; and give a wrong 
 turn to 'em ; and tend to mifreprefent their 
 way of ftyle, and prejudice fome of their 
 readers, who judge of the original, they 
 are very imperfectly acquainted with, by the 
 tranflation, which they better undcrftand, 
 
 and 
 
i j6 The Sacred Classics 
 
 and often more admire. N»^-aa turn'd into 
 N«rgjwia, is a bold and ground lefs conjecture, 
 without any neceffity, or fingle manufcript 
 to fupport it, and appears more weak by the 
 fuperfluous and unavailable pains he takes 
 to defend it 4 . Ornnem temporum a?termtatem 
 feems to me a daring flight, and will be fcarce 
 paralleled in any of the polite Latin authors, 
 into vvhofe language and phrafeology he was 
 too defirous to tranflate his divine authors *. 
 
 *Tis a luxuriancy in a tranflator, when 
 he renders the fame word repeated very near 
 in two or three lines diftance, and exaclly 
 fignifying the fame thing, in different words, 
 as affephvliiys in St. Mark chap. ii. ver. 3. is 
 membris captus, in ver. 4. 'tisjideratus. And 
 why muft the phrafe be turn'd in St. John 
 c. xx. v. 1 3. They have taken away my Lord, 
 into my Lord is taken, when that turn nei- 
 ther makes the paflage more plain, more 
 pure in tae Greek, nor fo emphatical ? This, 
 and fome parallel paffages, have been cen- 
 
 4 Aft. xxvii. 9. Vide Dr. Lightfoot in loc. Syrus 
 re&e vertit, Diem jsjunii Judteerum. 
 
 5 2 Tim. i. 9. <trg) x^ vov euuviav- There is indeed in 
 Tully a paffage, that may feem to give fome countenance 
 to Giftalio's verfion ; but 'tis to me a very unaccountable 
 flight in the original; " Fuk qusedam ab infmito tem- 
 " pore acternitas, quam nulla temporum circumfcriptio 
 V metiebatur. - " Nat.Deor. 1. 1. p. 20. ed. ClDavifu. 
 
 fur'd 
 
 
'Defended and Illujlrated. 1 57 
 fur'd as mere Hebrai/hs ; and not recon- 
 cileable to the purity of antient Greek wri- 
 ters ; but without any foundation, as we 
 have hinted in another place. The daffies 
 have thefe indefinite phrafes; 'Ernipvive <ro?s 
 "EaAwi t*i czih'7n} f yi) Xen. Sii ias ccmccs ccvct- 
 SifzuGt) for anicu act aivaledwoviaU) Ifocr. So 
 Virgil ; Mediifque far ant convivia te&is *. 
 
 What his meaning is of his verfion of that 
 place in the evangel ill St. Liike y But wifdom 
 is juft'rficd of all her children ; Kai ISuuuwdn 
 
 fu'is omnibus aliens eft fapientia ; I cannot 
 poilibly guefs, and fhou'd be very glad to 
 be inform'd 7 . 
 
 As for the laft inftance of Caftalio's failure 
 in his tranflation, which I at prefent men- 
 tion, it conveys an horrid found to the ear, 
 and a moil odious and lhocking notion to 
 the mind ; ApoftoloYtim antem opera multa 
 vulgo monflrosk frodigiofeque jicbant. Even 
 the laft word, the better of the two, is not 
 
 6 Vide S. Luc. xvi. Xen. Cyr. Exped. 2. 4. 3. p. 166. 
 Ifoc. Demonic, p. 1 f. ed. Fletcher. Virg. ./Eneid. There- 
 fore in vain do Heinfius, and fome other fcrupulous cri- 
 tics, reckon this an Helleniftical form of fpeech. 
 
 7 So the great Ariftotle frequently ufes this indefinite 
 way of expreflion ; "Omv JtSuvleu AnQiftt—oott <dn $J* 
 *nd<&v vofMSvnnv , Ethic. Nicom. p. 222. ed. Wilkinf. 
 Oxon. where cO^rcw vopt&TM, or fome fuch word, is 
 underflood. 
 
 taken 
 
1 5 8 The Sacred Classics 
 
 taken in fo good a fenfe by heathen authors, 
 as to be with propriety and decency apply'd 
 to thofe falutary works of wonder and mi- 
 racles, of charity to mankind, here defcrib'd. 
 The firil is the moft ugly and ill-meaning 
 word, that the Roman language has to ex- 
 prefs frightful fights, and mif-fhapen births, 
 unlucky omens, and dreadful tokens of the 
 difpleafure of their gods, and approaching 
 mifchief and defolation. 
 
 The learned and ingenious Daniel Hein- 
 pas has, to avoid an imaginary impropriety 
 in the facred phrafeology, made very bold 
 in fixing new points to the text of S. Jude, 
 ver. 20. and in giving a new Latin verfion*. 
 The Greek original is thus diftinguifrYd ; 
 c T|oc«j 3, ocycmloi, tvi ctytcor&Ty Ufjtffif nne^ei \<m,i- 
 
 tocvlhs eu ctyxTrri ©gy Trpncrclg, 7r°pGSiyo\fyjoi to 
 *Ag@- t£ Ku^iy ■tiuJfif h<rv Xg/fy. The Latin 
 translation is very faithful, and conform 'd to 
 the original, by this gentleman thus formd 
 and modett'd j Vos autem, diletfi, fanftijjimce 
 fdei veftra? fuperftruentes, vos ipfos in Spiritu 
 fanclo precantes, vos ipfos in amore Dei Jic 
 confervate, £tc. Here I am quite at a lofs 
 to know the meaning or propriety of Fos 
 
 8 Exercit. Sac. p. j^d. ed. Cant. 1640. 
 
 ipfos 
 
^Defended and Illuftrated. 1 59 
 
 ipfos hi Spiritu fmfto precantes. This gen- 
 tleman has done good fer vices to religion 
 and learning in fome cafes : But his per- 
 formances upon TTxocrttuSy Horace y the 
 New Teftamcnt, fhew that he is very often 
 equally forward and unfortunate in his con- 
 jectures and corrections. 
 
 Many interpreters feem to have an am- 
 bition to fhew their maftery in the Latin 
 tongue ; and therefore exprefs the fame 
 word ufed in the fame fenfe in different 
 places of the Greek original, in variety of 
 phrafe ; which may mew their command 
 of words, without judgment j but rather 
 confounds and puzzles the facred book 
 they aim to explain. Ka.jtoOTx«$r» is a good 
 compound word, and has in the divine 
 writers a fingle and determinate meaning 
 of bravely bearing hardjhips and running ha- 
 zards for the advancement and intereft of 
 Chriftianity. The learned Beza indulges 
 himfelf to a great degree of luxuriancy in 
 turning this fingle word 9 , in different places 
 he renders it by efio particeps affli&io- 
 
 * 2Tim. i. 8.— 11.3. S. Jamesv. 13. Mirari fubic 
 quid do&iflimum Bezam moverit, ut verbum rgM7ru$Hv 
 
 fubinde aliter atque aliter verteric Atqui perpetu* 
 
 verbi fignificatio eft,— pcrpetier vel tolcra mala. D. Scul- 
 tet. in 2 Tim. ii. 3. 
 
 mm 
 
\6o The Sacred Classics 
 
 ?ium tolero labor em affligo perfero 
 
 injur i as <egroto agerjum amnio. 
 
 The Rhemijls in their tranilation have 
 utterly perverted that beautiful paiTage of 
 St. Luke ' , Hp|jawo---r S & vm evs%e<v y ^ txrccfQ- 
 l^g-TiZeiV cujtov tzrzj. TrXaovcav, x, T. /.. They 
 render "Zazs-oHst-™** v i @ s opprimere de mid- 
 tis \ to Jlop his mouth ; to reduce our Lord 
 tojilence ; contrary to the fenfe of the whole 
 paffage, and the defigns of thofe infidious 
 and malicious enemies of truth and inno- 
 cence. Thofe wretches wou'd have provok'd 
 that divine Teacher to talk very much and 
 freely, that they might catch fomething out 
 of his mouth, to be a foundation of inform- 
 ing againft him, and Unking at his precious 
 life. So the great original requires, and ex- 
 preiTes their eager and treacherous malice in 
 the moft feled and proper words ; 'Enfyevov- 
 
 turrQy As percely purfuing his reputation and 
 life, as the mojl eager and mettled fportfmen 
 purfue their game : Or rather, as the moft 
 admirable <Plato ufes Swpgu'a in the fame fenfe, 
 Kai «jc civ tin yb iv^irov <r&To $Y\peue<V) Curio- 
 fius exauirere, acrius invefligare \ 
 
 1 S.Luc, xi. yg. 
 
 * DeLeg. i. 627. poft C. 
 
 CHAP. 
 
T)e fended and Illv.fr ate d. 1 6 1 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 An Account of fever al ^Places in the 
 New Te ft anient which are mifrepre- 
 fented and weaken d either as to their 
 Senfe, or their Beauty and vigorous 
 Emphafsj in our Tranilation 5 thd I 
 believe it is the beji of the modern 
 Verfions of the fame Standing. 
 
 T is with pleafure and a juft vene- 
 ration to the memory of our learned 
 and judicious Tranilators, that I 
 acknowledge their verfion in the main to be 
 faithful, clear, and folid. But no man can 
 be fo fuperftitioufly devoted to them, but 
 muft own, that a confiderable number of 
 paffages are weakly and imperfectly, and 
 not a. few falfely, render'd. And no wonder ; 
 for (ince their time, there have been greaC 
 improvements in the knowledge of antiqui- 
 ties, and advancements in critical learning, 
 by a refolute ftudy of the old dailies of 
 Greece and Rome, and a diligent comparing 
 Vol, II. M of 
 
\6i The Sacred Classics 
 
 of them with the language and manner of 
 the Divine Clailics. All which extremely 
 contribute to the explication and ornament 
 of the Sacred Books. My only aim is the 
 difcovery of truth, and removal of preju- 
 dices againft thofe ineftimable treafures of 
 divine learning and genuine eloquence : 
 Therefore hope to efcape cenfure, while I 
 propofe fome paiTages, which in our own, 
 and moil other verfions, are fo turn'd as to 
 pervert the fenfe, or fpoil the graces and 
 beautiful propriety of the great originals. 
 
 Some collections I have made out of good 
 writers ; and a confiderable part of this irnall 
 piece are obfervations of my own, not, that 
 I know of, before publifh'd. All which I 
 chearfully fubmit to the judgment of my 
 readers. 
 
 The very firft word of St. Matthew's 
 Gofpel might, in the judgment of good in- 
 terpreters, better be tranilated by the account, 
 lift, &c. of the genealogy or dejcent of Jefus 
 Chrifi. The word here render'd a book, 
 which in our language gives the notion of a 
 larger work, is put likewife in the bell au- 
 thors, both facred and fccular, for any fche- 
 dule, account, letter, or fjorter writing. So 
 in Gen. v. I. Avtt, t\ fii[6?.{&. fyJuews dv^zprrwr. 
 
 So 
 
^Defended and Ilhjtrated* 1 6 5 
 
 So in Herodotus ; Bi/3A/<* ye&^<L$ ^ *n>M«, 
 
 acr7a 7rpY)Fi-{cl-T&i> (r<ppnyii6i cfi \m(&3.? g 
 
 t» Axpo'y • Having wrote feveral letters upon 
 
 feotrul oc capons and affairs, he fit Darius' s 
 Seal to them '. In the jSLthioplc verfion 'tis 
 the defcription of the generation (or family) 
 of Jefis. 
 
 lJA/i: in St. Matt, xxvi. 64. wou'd be very 
 naturally rendcr'd moreover, as 'tis nfed in 
 the beft authors. "E^fjfyu aMov hoy>v wXrm r 
 vvv 5)) p«^i^aj ££&»* ww tf#y 0/^r reafbn be- 
 
 JiJes that juji mention d z ? Andfo it exactly 
 agrees with St. Mark, and is explain'd by 
 the parallel place in that evangelift. To 
 the adjuration of the high-prieft, Art thou 
 the Chrijl the Son of the Blefjed God ? our 
 Saviour replies in St. Matthew, Thou haft 
 
 fa'id 'tis a great truth in St. Mark po- 
 
 fitively, I am And ye fhall fee the Son of 
 
 man, in St. Mark, is exactly the fame, as, 
 Moreover I fry tint you, Hereafter ye fall fee 
 the Son of man fttwg at the right hand of 
 
 1 Herod. Gron. 2. p. 20£. 1. 12, &cz. 
 
 2 TlAHf is ufed in the fame fenfe in that found and ele- 
 gant critic Der>etrius Phalereus, p. 29. 'Oquu&v nhli" $f 
 ciftiuevav %a£cr.K]>i$6)v U'etviiav, Tnzvjoii fzifyvuv'ts TxLtnv. Be- 
 sides the afore mention'd contrary (different) characters, 
 or manners of ftyle, Sec. The oriental verfions favour this 
 fenfe, Dico autem vobir, Syr. Nu?ic ijobls dico, Ferf. Imo 
 dico vobis, Arab. 
 
 M 2 (fove- 
 
164 The Sacred Classics 
 
 (fovereign) power, and coming (to judg- 
 ment) on the child s of heaven 3 . 
 
 Isfeverthekfs, as in our tranflation, founds 
 to me harm and unnatural, and is fcarce 
 
 reconcileable to plain fenfe: 1 affirm to 
 
 you, that I am the Meffiah, neverthelefs or 
 notwithfianding you floall fee me come in all 
 the, divine pomp, and majejlic circunflances of 
 glory, in zvhich the coming of the Mejfiah is 
 dejcribed by your infpired prophets*. Let 
 the reader judge. The other way the fenfe 
 is clear, and the reafoning ftrong and pathe- 
 tical , / declare to you, that I am the Mef- 
 fiah, and judge of the univerfe and add that 
 
 if you perjift impenitently in your malice 
 
 again ft me, you will too late repent of your 
 folly j when you will by your own eyes be con- 
 vinced, that the claims I made to the honour of 
 being the Son of the BleiTed, were juft and 
 well-grounded ; when ye fball be amazed, and 
 flruck into utter confujion and ajhni foment, 
 at the unfuppor table glory and power of my 
 appearance. 
 
 Or what man is there of you, St. Matt. vii. 
 ver. p. founds very harfh and abrupt, and 
 there is nothing goes before that can cleanly 
 
 s S. Marc xiv. 61, 6z. 
 
 4 Dan. vii. 19, 14. Zech.xii. io, Revel, i. 7. 
 
 and 
 
^Defended and Ilhjtrated. 1 6 5 
 
 and decently introduce it. I take v. here to 
 be a particle of interrogation, Is there any 
 man a you? It has a different gramma- 
 
 tical accent from w, or, but 'tis the fame word, 
 and we know that the moft valuable and an- 
 tient manufcripts have no inch diftinclions ; 
 which being once laid, ought to be retain'd in 
 memory, becaufe of the great advantage it is 
 of to re&ify feveral miftakes in tranflations. 
 Xenophon ufes this little word in the fame 
 
 ien(e j H ---- v/. w -crT?, tclvtcc <7m,vJ<& 
 
 -•, j i- %f>r&rti$ Do yon 
 
 give me all this meat to di/poje of as I 
 pleafe 5 ? 
 
 So this divine paffage will be naturally 
 connecled to the foregoing fentences, and 
 
 will enforce and enliven the exhortation 
 
 jisk and pray of the author and preferver of 
 your being, with confiancy and humble fer- 
 vency of devotion j and he will gracioujly be- 
 flow upon you all things pertaining to life and 
 godlinefs : For are not even men ready to grant 
 the defires of their children, and yield to their 
 importunity ? How infinitely then mafl the 
 generoftty and bounty of the immortal Father 
 
 5 Xen. Cyrop. i. p. 22. edit, optima clarifTI mi viri D. 
 Hutchinfon. Oxon. 1727. The Eaftern verfions agree, 
 Ecq'tis ell, 8cc. Syr. Et quis eft ilk? ^Ethiop. ®uis homo 
 psvobitl Arab. Qui/nam est? Perfic. 
 
 M 3 of 
 
1 66 The Sacred Classics 
 
 of Spirits excel that of the frail fathers of 
 fiefbf 
 
 That memorable action of the devout wo- 
 man in St. Mark xiv. 3. is, I think, wrong 
 translated in one branch of it. 'Tis in that 
 part She brake the box it wou'd be dif- 
 ficult for her to break the box, and of no 
 manner of fervice, and 'tis contrary to all 
 cuftom to break veflels when there is occa- 
 fion to pour out the liquor. Having fh'rr'd 
 and fhaken the veflel, to make it more fra- 
 grant, me pour'd the precious ointment upon 
 our Saviour's facred head. Shaking of li- 
 quids of that nature does break and fcparate 
 their parts, and (^J^7g/^f<xOTt is an excellent 
 word for this purpofe. To this fenfe we 
 have the following paflages ; 
 
 Et /here exciiffo chmama fufa vitro. 
 
 Frafra magis redolere videntur 
 
 Omnia ^ quod cent r it a 6 . 
 
 6 Martial Ep. %> 4. p. 128. in Uf. Delph. Lucret. 4. 
 ver. 70c, 701. Plat. Phceclo ufes rslCa, J)ct]e!€*> in the 
 fame fenfe, p. 116, H7- AtAJei^f ™ V&ftctxov : 'Evkv\i>u 
 Zitovrzt 7i}ei(MUVQV. The Syriac, Arabic, ./Ethiopic, and 
 Perfian verfions take no notice of the breaking the box. 
 s4peruit illud <vas, Syr. Caput ampulla aperu.it, Perf. 
 Vacnavit illud jufr caput ejus, Arab. Et aperuit illud, 
 iEthiop. 
 
 When 
 
2)efe?ided and III njl rated. 1 67 
 When our Saviour was in his preparatory 
 agonies on Mount Olivet, the ftrcngth and 
 fervour of his divine ejaculations and ad- 
 drcfles to his Father are ilrangely weaken d 
 and cooVd in our tranflation -, Father, 'if thou 
 art willing, remove this cup from me. Our 
 tranflators either made a great miftake in 
 common grammar and conftruclion, or took 
 the various reading, which is in two of Ro- 
 bert Stephens's manuicripts, of no value ; 
 7rxpi;g') jtg. There is a proper vehemence 
 and emphafis in the true reading ; E* j3«A# 
 -jrapgrgQ/Xfti 7, My Father, O that thou would fl 
 remove this cap from me J 'E< is a particle 
 of wifhingj 'Ei 5S fyono, / wifh it had fb 
 happen' d, £tc s . commonly join'd to verbs of 
 the optative or potential mood, but ibme- 
 times, and with equal purity and propriety, 
 to the indicative. 
 
 Ei y> rnS' Wy 1 wifh it was Jo* J B*A« is 
 in the Attic dialed the fame as /3sA»] : 'Ep&rra 
 
 o t 71 (SsAa *. 
 
 In Pilate's declaration that our Saviour 
 was clear of thofe crimes charg'd upon him, 
 
 7 S. Luc. xxli. 42. 
 
 8 Xen. Cyrop. edit. Hutchinf. 6. 
 
 9 Eurip. Oreft. ver. 1652. Job xvi- 4. S. Luc 
 xix- 42. 
 
 * Xen. Cyrop. 3. p. 172. Eurip. PhcenifT. 399. 
 
 M 4 St. 
 
1 68 jthe Sacred Classics 
 
 St. Luke xxiii. 15. he concludes thus in our 
 tranilation, I have examined, and have found 
 no fault in him ; neither has Herod, to whom 
 I fent you with Jejus 9 to appear and teflify 
 
 again fi him. And behold, after all this, 
 
 nothing worthy of death is done to him. 
 
 rfo him is contrary to the perpetual ufage of 
 the word rrtTre^yy^ov m tn ^ s conftru&ion, 
 and, I think, to found fenle ; it fhou'd be 
 
 render 'd nothing is done by him he is 
 
 not convicted of any crimes you lay to his 
 charge, but appears innocent upon the fe- 
 vereft examination, and mofl inveterate and 
 reitlefs profecution. 
 
 AnSm ejjLiroiyicraA rpjfS OKetvots Hri-ir gj^ryfyiw , To 
 bring oblivion upon the things done by them. 
 'E7rei oujitS ~i$v liroJ-ozio, After nothing me- 
 morable was done by him \ The Qerfic ver- 
 fion is in Latin, Nihil quod mortem mereatur, 
 patravit. The Arabic, Non eft illi f acinus 
 ob quod mereatur mortem. The JEthiopic, 
 Piece nihil fait quod fecit, propter quod more- 
 
 ftili)\ r*£*£ TBS ficLpflzpyS TA i mX& ^rcTT^y- 
 
 \ Things done by our government again/} 
 the barbarians. 
 
 * Ifecr. ad Demon, p. 5. edit. Fletcher, Ox. 
 
 3 Thucyd. 2. p. 146. Ifocr. Paneg. p. 91. edit. 
 
 Fletclicv- 
 
 'Tis 
 
^Defended and Illuftrated. 169 
 
 'Tis laid, that our bleflcd Saviour walk- 
 ing abroad, there met him a nun out of the 
 city, which had been foJf'£ld with devils, and 
 
 di ft raffed for a long time and it follows, 
 
 and he did not continue or abide in any hou/e, 
 hut among the tombs, St. Luke viii. 27. St. 
 Mark takes no notice of ex -m/ em, b f ut fays, 
 a man met our Lord, out of the tombs, a 
 demoniac, and exceflively outrageous. St. 
 Matthew fays, that two demoniacs coming 
 from the tombs met our Lord 4 . As for the 
 difference as to one or two, 'tis common for 
 one evangeliii to omit a circumllance men- 
 tion'd in his brethren, or to add what the 
 others have omitted. The learned and la- 
 borious Dr. Mills folves what feems to carry 
 a difficulty and appearance of contradiction. 
 He tranflates ex r -WAgeus dvvp, a man origi- 
 nally belonging to the city born and bred 
 
 up in it. And this fignification of the ex- 
 preffion is frequent in the mofl approv'd 
 authors ; C< ox r Aa.vjeSbLiygv& qihoi, tfheir 
 Lacedemonian or Spartan friends. TIoLvaavm 
 ox AaLneSbiifjyv©*} Paufanias the Spartan. Hi- 
 nf?JSbt,v vUvpi t 6x XaV<w 5. People in that 
 
 4 S. Marc. v. f, &o S. Tvlatt. viii. 28. 
 
 5 Thucyd. f. p. 212. 1. 17. Theocr. Id. 7. ver. 40. 
 Vide D. Mills in loc. S. Luc viii. 27. 
 
 condition 
 
I/O The Sacred Classics 
 
 condition were not to be fuffer'd in cities; 
 nor cou'd any one be faid to come out of the 
 tombs, who came out of a city ; fince the 
 tombs and burying-places in thofe times, and 
 feveral ages after, were not in towns and 
 cities, but in the open fields «. 
 
 When this fame divine evangelift is re- 
 lating our Saviour's mournful walk to Cal- 
 vary ', the place of crucifixion, in chap, xxiii. 
 32. our laft tranilation renders that verfe, 
 And there were alfo led with him two other 
 malefactors. How harfh, how unwarily ren- 
 der'd ! Who was the firft malefactor ? Was 
 our bleffed Redeemer a malefaclor ? If it 
 be faid, that he was accus'd, try'd, and ex- 
 ecuted as a malefactor : 'tis a vain quibble. 
 Wou'd an evangelift and difciple havefpoken 
 fo rudely of that divine innocence? which 
 his malicious profecutors in effe£t acknow- 
 ledged, by their indirect and villainous ways 
 to come at his precious life, clamours, bri- 
 bery, perjuries, &c. And the corrupt judge, 
 who out of cowardife and with fearful in- 
 juftice pronounced the fentence of condem- 
 nation againft him, knew that righteous 
 
 6 'En'ott^y 077 xfeit -rap©- cv 7tb'a« >#7tf<r;cd&et£e7at' St. 
 Chryibft. in S. Matt, xxiii. 27. p. 4^9. The^Vulgate 
 tranflator, not knowing how to difpofe of £* <t 7toas«?, 
 has left it out. 
 
 perfon 
 
defended and Ilhiftrated. 1 7 1 
 perlbn was deliver'd to the fecular arm out 
 of envy and malice ; and by folemn words 
 and formal actions declar'd him innocent. 
 
 It fhou'd have been turn'd two other fer- 
 
 fons, who were malefactors. Harry Stephens 
 
 faw this : And the Perfnvi and JEthiopic 
 
 tranflators, long before him Et duos latro- 
 
 nes facinorojos ad due chant, tit illos etiam cam 
 
 co Jefu in crucem agerent, Perf. Et 
 
 dncebant cum Mo duos alios, latrones, at cru- 
 cifgerent, ^Etbiop. Our old tranilation next 
 before this now in ufe, has done juftice to this 
 
 palTage And there were two others, which 
 
 were evil-doers, led with him to be Jlain. 
 
 The difficulty of that pafiage of St. Lake, 
 uitls xxvii. 33. is thus accounted for by the 
 learned and judicious Dr. Bois ; They were 
 in fear and confufion, and had no regular and 
 full entertainment during thofe fourteen days 
 of danger. So he places an oppofition be- 
 tween [jji.oiv is£j)(j\cL(ia\B{>G\ and T&(p?.<; ycceSsv- 
 iss 9 after the plentiful repaft they took, upon 
 the exhortation and encouragement of St. 
 Paul. Which ingenious conjecture he makes 
 more plaufible by a quotation out of Hejicd, 
 and the remark of the fcholiaft upon <M n 
 ci™ ri&iovi, they did not eat ; that is, they 
 
 7 Dr. Bois in loc. Hefiod. tf E?>. 147. 
 
 were 
 
\y z The Sacred Classics 
 
 were perpetually in fears of an attack, and 
 furprize from an enemy, were in arms, and 
 ftain'd with blood ; and therefore had not 
 that tranquillity and leifure, which ufually 
 and in times of peace and fafety, attends re- 
 gular meals, and fet times of refreftiment. 
 
 But the learned Mr. Howel, and after him 
 the great Mr. (pope*, take off the difficulty 
 of the fourteen days fair, and the neceffity 
 of any healing fuppofitions, or ftudied folu- 
 tions, by tranflating the facred text in a man- 
 ner which both the genius of the language 
 will very well bear, and is the cleareft folu- 
 tion of the pafTage : " Expe&ing the four- 
 " teenth day, which is to day, you conti- 
 " nue without eating. So the meaning is, 
 " that they had taken no food all that day: 
 " The danger was fo great, that they had 
 " no leifure to think upon hunger. This is 
 " the literal conftru&ion of the words, and 
 u implies, that out of expectation of the 
 " fourteenth day (which they look'd upon 
 " as a critical time, when their danger wou'd 
 " be at the higher!:) they had forgot to take 
 li their ufual repaft ; not that they had 
 " failed fourteen days." 
 
 8 HoweVs Hift. of the New Teft. vol. iii. p. 301. 
 Topes Odyile, xii. p. 179. 
 
^Defended and liberated. 1 7 ? 
 
 rj££>Tvn>x®' «mW xT7T-wi fhou'd be ren- 
 
 der'd, The frfi-born before all the creation, 
 
 Col.'i. 15. as is plain from the context and 
 
 defign of the apoftle's reaibning : The reaibn 
 
 which is given in this auguir. and fublime 
 
 paffage, why our Saviour is laid to be firjt- 
 
 born, is, becaufe He is before all things, by* 
 
 him, and for him, all beings, viiible and in- 
 
 vifible, were created ; and by him all the 
 
 frame of nature fubfifts and is fupported 9 , 
 
 We have before obferv'd, that 7r&r(& \jji is 
 
 before me. Ruffinus, according to the great 
 
 Or'igen's fenfe, translates it, not the firft-boru 
 
 of every creature ; much lef s doei> he fay, the 
 
 fir ft of God's creation : but ante omnem crea- 
 
 turam natiis ex Pat re ; Bom or begotten of 
 
 the Father before all the creation. 
 
 Dr. Marfljal ■ has judicioufly taken a hint 
 from the JEthlofic verlion, which has en- 
 abled him to make a very valuable amend- 
 ment in our tranflation of Ephef. iv. 12. 
 which feem'd to me to be intangled and ob- 
 fcure. That learned man turns the original, 
 
 9 Vide vcr. 16, 17. This auguftdefcriptionof (Thrift's 
 fupereminent majefty Is exceffively fuperior to that juftly 
 admir'd defcription of the Supreme Being in Plato, Tizel 
 q- -mVTWV (ZcttnhiA 7wivT s?7, xj iKrlva eiiviyj. 7mviu, ^ weiv* 
 tuTJtv Tiuvmv <%f v£.Kav, ep. 2. p. 31 :. 
 
 See Dr. Scot's Mediator, ch. 7. p. 219, 32c. 
 
 1 Rev. Dr. Marfhal's Sermon on Ephef. iv. 12. p. 14. 
 
174 The Sacred Classics 
 
 fitting out holy peifons to the work of the mi- 
 mjlry, to the edifying of the body of Chrlfl. 
 This way the fenfe is clear, and the order 
 and dependence of the parts regular and na- 
 tural ; which can fcarce be faid of our tran- 
 slation. For the perfecting of the flints, 
 
 for the work of the minifry, for the edifying 
 of the body of Chrijl. The ALthiopic is thus 
 reprefented in Latin, lit confirmarentur fanBi 
 ad opus miniflerii, ad tedificationem corporis 
 Chrifiu 
 
 The great St. <Paul fpeaks to the Chriftians 
 of fhilippi concerning Epaphroditus in thefe 
 terms, My brother and companion in labour, 
 andjellow-foldier, but your mejpnger % \ which 
 laft word ought to be render'd your dpofle y 
 the fame as your bijhop in the phrafeology 
 of that age. An office which, 'tis probable, 
 St. Qaul ordain'd him to, when he fent him 
 with this excellent epiftlc. For which rea- 
 fon he charges the ^Philippians to receive 
 him in the Lord with all gladnefs, and to hold 
 fuch perfons in reputation. And Epaphrodi- 
 tus is accordingly by all antiquity reckon'd 
 
 * Philip, ii. 2f, 29. Vide Mr. Wheatly's Uluftration 
 of the Common Prayer, Fol. p. 105. 
 
 the 
 
'Defended and Illv.Jlrated. 1 7 5 
 
 the firft bifhop of Wdipps, The Syriac ver- 
 
 fion docs not tranflate cv<?&tTiooT»; y but has 
 after ^/?tv fltffewa apojlolus. 
 
 In chap. vi. to the Efhe funis, ver. 16. 
 •moi is render'd above all, which feems 
 here to be improper, and unfuitable to the 
 context. I think it fhould be — bejjdes all — 
 the abovemention'd divine virtues — taking 
 the floield of faith, andlikewife take ye the hd- 
 ?netoffahation, and the Jhcrd of the fpirit. 
 
 There is, I confefs, fome latitude in thefe 
 forts of expreffion ; and one Chriftian grace 
 has in Scripture the preference given it to 
 another, in different reipe&s, and according 
 to various circumftances and fituations of 
 times, and occafions of exerting that parti- 
 cular grace, to which the pre-eminence is 
 given 3 . But here is no comparifon of the 
 excellencies and divine beauties of particular 
 virtues ; but an enumeration of all the beau- 
 ties of holineis, all the Chriftian and hea- 
 venly qualities of pure religion, drefs'd up 
 and defcrib'd under the noble and vigorous 
 allegory of our Chriftian warfare. 
 
 3 The fame duties, under different circumftances, are 
 more obligatory than at other times, and have a particu- 
 lar beauty and excellency in them, as they Hand in a more 
 proper place or order. Dr. Fiddes's Theol. Pra&. b. iv. 
 P- 479- 
 
 Had 
 
\y6 The Sacked Classics 
 
 Had the words carried the notion of efpe* 
 daily, or above all,' 'tis probable it had been 
 placed the laft in the facred catalogue, as 
 ufual in fuch cafes in writers foreign and 
 facred 4 . Give me leave to add, that this 
 cafe is rarely ufed in good authors, but the 
 genitive commonly, in the fenfe of prefe- 
 rence and fuperiority ; 'Ettz tooi iws aMois % 
 iys ccfjie^Qpimy^9 %s>iM(rau hoLVA^a.ifj^\\oii, Be fides 
 other things, to carry the enemies generals in 
 triumph to the Lacedaemonians. Ka) %m t«- 
 tdi5 opyjv wfjgcnv iy/v£pv t And bejjdes they Jivoye 
 a great oathu 
 
 In St. Paul's paftoral letter to St. Timothy 
 we read in our Efigli/h y and in molt verfions 
 
 into other languages, Let the elders or 
 
 presbyters that rule well, be accounted wor- 
 thy of double honour ; which the beft com- 
 mentators and critics render double reward or 
 honorary Jlipend, and allowance, to be a fuf- 
 iicient and comfortable fupport and encou- 
 ragement to them under their extraordinary 
 labours and diligence to honour God, and 
 ferve mankind. So the context requires, 
 
 4 i Cor. xiii. 13. Col. ill- 14. 
 
 5 Thucyd. 7. p. 467. 1. if. jEfchln. In Ctef. p. 63. 
 1.2. 'Eth is fo uied in Achilles's fpeech to the ambafla- 
 dors. Plato de Leg. 1. p. 644. The Syriac verlion is 
 with us, Et cum bis. 
 
 and 
 
'Defended and III ajl rated. \yj 
 
 and fo v.u-a is ufed by the beft Greek authors, 
 particularly by that polite fcholar and iub- 
 lime divine Plato ; trv ti/jwp ravmv fjucdz,v 
 atgtABVTK : calling this honour a fcipend or 
 reward «. 
 
 In that defcription of the Son of God by 
 that apoftle who lay in his bofom while on 
 earth, O dy/ov, o {.{g^tus o ntv^oi ^ aA»>*32j>os, n 
 *f}& $ x^-vs iv ® fc « \ ls tranflated with a 
 good and honeft meaning, without doubt, 
 The beginning of the creation of God; but 
 perverted by Socman and Arian blafphemers 
 into a low meaning ; as if our Saviour was 
 but the firft of God's creatures, made ufe of 
 as an inferument to create all others : whereas 
 the word apjgi fignifies an author ', original 
 efficient cauje, and creator. So in all the di- 
 vine and moral writers this word is ufed and 
 applied to the eternal and infinite Being; 
 'E| a P><^ y> otvafrJA ivxv to ytUo^jov ^t'JVsofe./, 
 vjjtyw q y/nf V% eyos. The AUthiepc verfion 
 
 6 i Tim. v. 17. Platon. Refpub. 2. p. 122. Deut. 
 xxi. 17. Benigna & liberalis fuftenratio ; quam iblam 
 fpeftac fequens apoftoli ratio- S'.Marc vii. 10. Revel, 
 xxi. 26 Cicero curafle fe ait, ut medico koiios haberetur. 
 Vide Poll Synop. in loc. Tifjut. \arre}v •&&$ t*s yj&zi si/re 
 iilMusafjm, Sirachid. 53. ver. 1. 
 
 7 Revel- ill. 14. 
 
 Vol. II, N is 
 
178 The Sacred Classics 
 
 is thus in Lath, Et fait ante omnia, qu<e cre~ 
 avit Dens*. 
 
 The induftrious and learned Dr. Wells 
 wou'd have the 34th verfe of the viii. chap, 
 to the Romans to be put in the way of inter- 
 rogation, Who is he that condemns? Shall 
 Chrifl who died, or rather, who is alfo rijen 
 again, who is at the right hand of God, who 
 alfo makes interceffton for us? which that 
 great man thinks wou'd make it more agree- 
 able to St. haul's argumentation, as well as 
 render the fenfe clear, and the expreflion 
 emphatical. 
 
 I am pleafed with the obfervation of a 
 right reverend and learned father of our 
 Church on St. John's Golpel, ch. vii. 28 9 » 
 when the Jews murmur'd againft our Lord, 
 and fcornfully cry'd out, We know this man 
 whence he is ; but when Chrijl comes, no one 
 knows whence he is, he thinks it more prcu 
 per to render our Saviour's anfwer by way 
 of quick and fevere interrogation, Do yoa 
 know me, and alfo whence I am ? The pla- 
 cing the words affirmatively take off from 
 
 8 P'at. Phscd. Steph. ed. p. '245'. The marginal note 
 on this place in our tranflarion next before this which we 
 now have, is, Of whom all creatures have their beginning. 
 Vide Poh Synop. in loc. 
 
 9 Dr. Chandler, Ld. Eifhop of Litchfield and Coventry, 
 inhisDef. of Chriftanity, p- 934. 
 
 the 
 
^Defended and Ilhifl rated* 179 
 the vigour of the divine reply, and are hardly 
 reconcileablc to the following verfe ; Tet I 
 came not of my/elf^ but he is true who fent 
 me, whom ye do not hiozv\ 
 
 Were that moving application of St. Paul 
 to the Hebrew Chriftians taken out of the 
 form of affirmation, and put into that of 
 prefllng interrogation, Te have not yet reft fled 
 unto blood, fl riving aga'wjl Jin ; and have you 
 forgot the exhortation, which Jpeaketh unto 
 you, as unto children ? 6Cc *. 'twould be more 
 agreeable to St. fauFs manner of addreis, as 
 having more of condefcenfion and charitable 
 tendernefs, and being a probable and pre- 
 valent way of encouraging the fuffering 
 Chriftians to an unreferv'd fubmiilion to 
 Providence, and patient perfeverance : Not 
 to fay, that to have charg'd this great num- 
 ber of Chriftians with a general neglect and 
 forget fulnefs, wou'd have founded harfh, and 
 fcarce have been entirely juft. 
 
 Many chariots of horfes rufhing into battle, 
 feems harm and uncouth in our language; 
 therefore a point put after apuaiwr (accord- 
 ing to the modern way) wou'd fet the mat- 
 ter ftraight, and then it wou'd run clear, As 
 
 1 S Johan. vli. z3, 29. 
 
 * ilebr. xii. 4, f. Vide Pol. Synop. 
 
 N 1 the 
 
180 The Sacred Classics 
 
 the found of chariots, when many horfes are 
 r ufrwg into battle K So 'tis diftinguifh'd in 
 the beft printed books. 
 
 That noble epiphonema of St. Weter, i ep. 
 chap. iii. ver. n, 12. is unnaturally divided 
 into two diftincl periods, and very obfcure- 
 ly and faintly tranflated ; Looking for and 
 hafling unto the coming of the day of God, 
 wherein the heavens, being on fire, fall be dif 
 folved, cXc. Hafting unto or hafling the corn- 
 ing, cXc. is fhocking and harfh -, it might be 
 render'd by eagerly dejiring, wijhing or a/pi- 
 ring at. The whole might run thus ; Since 
 therefore all thefe things are to be diffohed, 
 
 what manner of perfons how excellent 
 
 ought ye to be in all holy converfation and god- 
 
 linefs ? all parts of pure converfation, and 
 
 inltances and offices of godlineis ?« looking 
 
 for and eagerly wifhing the coming or glo- 
 rious appearance of the day of God \ by 
 
 which the heavens, being on fire, fall be dif- 
 fohed ! Xtsu <&> is fo ufed in the beft daf- 
 fies ; Ei yA y&vSvivefe n&n& GTrtvhTlzs, If yon 
 do not perceive that you vehemently defre a 
 thing mifchievous* Nift animadvertitis vos 
 rem ficmiciofam affetfare, is the yerfion of 
 
 3 Revel, ix. 9. 
 
 the 
 
'Defended and Illitftrated. i 8 i 
 
 the learned Hudfvn*. In which or wherein* 
 in our laft Engl/fi tranflation, muft refer to 
 the great and notable day in which this 
 dreadful convulfion of nature, and confla- 
 gration of this elementary world, fhall hap- 
 pen. By which has reference to the majeftic 
 prefence and glory of the judge of angels 
 and men ; by which reference the conftruc- 
 tion is render'd more natural, and the thought 
 and fenfe ennobled- and the palTage is pa- 
 rallel to that glorious piece of iublimity, *Qu 
 
 The bell: commentators refer Si w to ra<>y- 
 cixv. To the ftream of them Erafmus op- 
 pofes his opinion, and endeavours to fupport 
 it with a very ftrange reafon. Our old tran- 
 slation has it, By the which — the heavens^ 
 being onjire, Jball be dijfolved. Aid may be 
 render'd in or on ; but that is rare in authors ; 
 but 'tis frequent in the conftru&ion and llg^ 
 nification we give it here 6 . 
 
 The particle 3 in the following verfe is 
 rendered in Englifi, neverthdefs ' 7 Neverthe- 
 
 4 Thucyd. 6. p. 573. 1. 8. Herod. Gr. 401. 1. 11. 
 
 5 Apocal. xx. 1 1. 
 
 * Ai&Tb%)v, Plat. Leg. ;. p. ic,6. MafTey. Thucyd. 5. 
 p. 1S7. S. Johan. vi. 57. Ariftoph. Ecclef. ver. ^99. 
 
 j4v]/; Xen. Cyrop. 8. 1. yy. 4. D. Hutchinion. 
 
 N 3 Jefs 
 
182 The Sacred Classics 
 
 lefs we, according to God's fromi/e, look for 
 new heavens, and a nezv earth, cXc. which 
 makes the tranfirion very harm, and feems 
 not ib confident with its connexion to the 
 foregoing parts of the difcourle. The 
 Greek language delights in a multitude of 
 thofe little words, which are proper to 
 pleafe the ear, and to give a fprightly and 
 quick turn to their writing and conversation. 
 But no other language will bear 'em all ; 
 not the Latin itfelf, that comes neareft to the 
 Greek in the multiplicity and frequent ufe of 
 thofe little words, and beautiful expletives. 
 As is generally render'd quidem\ but often 
 had better be left untranflated in Lath 5 
 and will not at all bear in modern languages ; 
 
 Tec 'J to. q EAAmiof ol t YlorJor on'Jovles Atyvoi I 
 
 Thefe things the Greeks which inhabit Pontus 
 relate 7 . 
 
 Sometimes jj is the fame as ^5, and in this 
 fenfe wou'd fuit the connexion and depen- 
 dence of this verfe with the periods before- 
 going ; For we, according to his promife, look 
 for nezv heavens, &c. Of which conftrucfion 
 we have examples in the ibundeft authors. 
 But I think it had better be omitted, without 
 any translation at all. 
 
 ' Herod. Gron. 4. p. 226, 1. 1.— 8. p. rc6. 
 
 5 Tis 
 
'Defended and III ujt rated, 1 8 J 
 'Tis faid of our bleffed Saviour, that to 
 them which look for him, he Jhall affair the 
 Jecond time without Jin, to falvatiou* '. With- 
 out Jin fhou'd, for perfpicuity, and in con- 
 defcenfion to the ordinary reader, have been 
 an offering or facrifce for Jin. So it muft be 
 interpreted in numerous places both of the 
 Old and New Teftament ; God made his Son 
 to be fin, for us, who knew no Jin. The fo- 
 reign dailies fometimes put the crime or fault 
 for the penalty or atonement of it. 
 
 For the fame reafon as mention'd upon the 
 laft paflage confider'd, the tranilation fhou'd 
 likewife be alter'd in that remarkable one of 
 St. James \ Te have lived in pleafure on the 
 earth, and been wanton, ye have nourijhed 
 your hearts pleas'd and indulged your ap- 
 petites as in a day ofjhughter 9 . The or- 
 dinary reader cannot lee the relation between 
 a day of ilaughter, and fuch high indulgence 
 and merriment. The ideas feem to be oddly 
 put together ; the pertinence of the paflage 
 may at leaft be doubted ; and the grace of 
 the metaphor is entirely loft : h vy-ipa acpxyrt 
 
 8 Hebr. ix. 2S. 2. Cor. v. 21. 5 A<w3 to oW7©; to ^ 
 a.fMt.?ri<H "f Sunctt x} ir&fogfi \s£p t^J" duafjiuv., Levit. iv. 
 2j. Vide D. Whitby in loc iuper. Vid. Sophoc. Antig. 
 yer. 956. 
 
 9 S. Jac. v. f 
 
 N 4 might 
 
184 The Sacred Classics 
 
 might not improperly be render'd, in a day 
 or time of ' publich feajling or feajling upon fa- 
 crifce, 'Twas the cuflom of all nations, in 
 times of joy and happy fuccefs, firft to offer 
 fome peculiar parts of the facriiice, by way 
 of burnt-offering, in gratitude and acknow- 
 ledgment to their gods ; and then to enter- 
 tain and feaft themfelves upon all the reft, 
 prepir'd and drefs'd for them, with great 
 freedom and gaiety of heart : and upon thefe 
 occafions the people ofen run into great 
 difbrders and indecencies, to which the 
 blefTed apoflle here alludes. Of this cuftom 
 we have full and frequent accounts in the 
 belt and mofl antient authors '. 
 
 That account of king David in ABs xiii. 
 36. For David after he had ferved his own 
 
 generation by the will of God is fomething 
 
 confufed and irregular, and is advantage- 
 oufly altered by the excellent Dr. Bois ; Da- 
 vid, after that in his generation, or courfe of 
 life ' y he had ferved the will of God, fell ajleep. 
 
 1 Tta vos paviftis quotidie, ficut fieri folebat in diebus 
 folenniorum conviviorum poft vittimas o&nettf. Vide 
 Pol. Synop. 'Ev KfAifci os&rfi is not rencier'd by theEthi- 
 opic tranilator. Vide Gen. xxxi. 54. Prov. vii. 14. 
 Horn. II. 3' ve r- 4*o- Herod. Gron. 2. p. 102, 104. 
 
 vjh tAuQ'ivjif ct vstmctj axin avi?nasc.v, Her. Gr. I. p. 12. 
 *Awc xagpmtvp Svmwv r&}eL7ia.v(7a.f, A Iztls coiiviviis ceflans. 
 Eurip, tlecub. ver, qi6 } 917, 
 
 Which 
 
'Defended and Ilhtjlrated. 1 8 5 
 
 Which is a marginal note in our tranflation. 
 Erafmus reads it thus -, When David had 
 ferved his generation, by the counfel of God ha 
 fell cfleep. 'Tis not conceivable, as Bezel 
 obferves, how any one mould fall afleep 
 without the counfel of God. The action of 
 the verb dVupeTw more naturally terminates 
 upon j3yA« than yeve$, and placed in this 
 fituation, the expreflion is exa&ly parallel to 
 that declaration of the bleiTed God concern- 
 ing his choice and advancement of David to 
 the throne; I have found David the fon of 
 y^Jpy a man after mine own heart, who will 
 ftlfl (ill my will 1 ". 
 
 The vulgate tranilation is here very juft, 
 and agreeable to this valuable amendment, 
 if you remove a faulty pointing of it in the 
 Polyglot Bible, and read it thus, David enim 
 infua generatione cum adminiflraffet voluntati 
 Dei, obdormivit. The comma is in the Po- 
 lyglot juft after admmiflraffet ; which makes 
 it neither grammar, nor fenfe. The Syriac 
 is thus in Latin ; David enim in fua genera- 
 fione infervivit voluntati Dei, & obdormivit. 
 The author of the Wifdom of Solomon has a 
 beautiful pafTage of thofe wonderous works 
 perform'd by God, fo falutary to his people 
 
 I Ver. 2i, 
 
 the 
 
1 86 The Sacred Classics 
 
 the Ifraelitesy fo pernicious to their enemies 
 the Egyptians : which is very conformable 
 
 to \3z-ripennnaaA 7>i/3sAvi t# ©e« oA» ycncni 
 
 "*jzzrypeT£(Tz, <ra?s cuas bvijctyoirt, The whole order 
 of creatures were in their kinds fafl/wned ajiew 
 or again from above ; i. e. loft their ufual and 
 
 known qualities for a time; minifring or 
 
 being fubfervient to thy commands^ that 
 
 thy few ants might be firefrvedfafe*. 
 
 We are obliged to the fame very reverend 
 and learned author for a correction of what 
 I efteem a miftake in that pafTage of the 
 orator Tertuffus, Jtis xxiv. 3. tho' we find 
 that all the antient and modern verfions and 
 commentators agree with ours, as to the 
 pointing, and turn of the place. He joins 
 rnivln and m^ to the firft claufe of the 
 period, and puts a comma betwixt -mi^a^S? 
 and am&xiJ&SmLy which makes the addrefs of 
 Tert alius more lively and complaifant ; mag- 
 nifies and honours the adminiftration of 
 Felix. The words cou'd not fo naturally be 
 united to the fecond member of the period, 
 but wou'd hang upon it as a weight and 
 incumbrance. 'Tis of itfelf clean, fuificicnt, 
 
 and beautifully eafy : Since we enjoy great 
 
 feace by you y and the affairs of this nation y 
 
 3 Sap. Solom. xix. 6, 7. Vide Pol. Synop. 
 
 upon 
 
^Defended and Illuftvated. 1 8/ 
 upon all occafions, and in all its places, are 
 happy and Hourifring, through your wife ma- 
 nagement, we accept acknowledge mofi 
 
 excellent Felix, with all thankful nejs. 
 
 Ego hie adverb i 'a waivlm & rmvfx^y afequente 
 verbo feparo ; & cum participio prjecedente 
 conj imgo. Nifi enim hoc fiat, & participium 
 minis erit folitarium, & verbo non neceffaria 
 turba adhjerebit. ' ' hir^c^^^ry., quomodo ? 
 fj.ifa, Trocans zuycLQ/L<?i<x,<:. Hoc Jatis eft, & 
 abunde jatis. At benefcium, quo Felix illos 
 affecerat, tan to erat gloriofus Nam id in 
 primis agit hoc loco orator Tertullus, ut bene- 
 fcium extollat, quod & omni modo ejfet fruciu- 
 ofum, & latijjtme pater et\ 
 
 The word $y/j£$ is taken for anger and 
 high difpleafure generally, as it is in ApocaL 
 xiv. i o. The worf rippers of the beafl and his 
 image — fljall drink of the wine of the wrath 
 of God, which is poured out without mixture, 
 into the cup of his indignation : Which is 
 agreeable to thofe noble and vigorous ex- 
 preffions in the Old Teftament, /;/ the hand 
 of the Lord there is a cup, and the wine is red 
 and full of mixture, and he poureth out of the 
 
 4 Bols, veterls interpretis, cum Beza, aliifque recsn- 
 tioribus collatio. I. Omni mo do myv]. 2. Latijpme f>ate~ 
 ret zvlvto.'xjs. 
 
 fame • 
 
1 88 The Sacred Classics 
 
 fame ', as to the dregs thereof, all the wicked 
 of the earth fall wring them out, and drink 
 them. Pfal. lxxv. 8, 
 
 We have the fame beautiful figure and 
 allufion in the two lofty and admirable wri- 
 ters Efaias and Jeremy ; 'EJg^'py, efyyeipv, 
 aW<pjdi r Jepvjx.?.rtfA) fi <iTY6(m, to iiiJng/av t« St/ju.5 
 — ck. yciopi dvTU' to Tro]y\Q/.ovy^ >f Trjainoos, -2 nri 
 
 But Su/iys in a metaphorical fenfe may- 
 very naturally be put for poyfon ; and fo it 
 may be taken in the latter part of this quo- 
 tation, from the Septuagint, according to the 
 Hebrew verity ; and, I think, ought to be, in 
 the 8th verfe of the above-nam'd chapter of 
 the j4pocalypfe ; Babylon is fallen, is fallen, 
 
 that great city, becaufe floe made all nations 
 
 drink of the wine of the wrath of her forni- 
 cation. 
 
 How harfh and unnatural ! How proper 
 and eafy wou'd a translation run thus \ I'he 
 
 5 Efaias li. 17. Jerem. xxv. if. 
 
 The Hebrew word for <tk ."fyws is by the interlineary 
 yerlion of An?'; Montanus render'd veneni mortiferi, in 
 Efaias li. 17. "E.mnv, i-TTiTi BzCuhav v Tibxis w /uijakn, on 
 p«, th oivv 7« Sv/zk $ 7K>oveiaf civjiis t^t^vu 7ta.v\a. 'tSm- The 
 Arabic verfion has njinum fu<e nccis ; and the learned in 
 the orienral languages tell us, that maut and mitab in 
 Arabic, the fame as maveth in Hebrew, fignifies morbus 
 letbalis, lues, peftis, venejium tnertiferum. Vide Schindler. 
 Lexic. Pentagl. p. 987. 
 
 wins 
 
^Defended and Illujlrated. i 89 
 
 wine of the foyfon poyfonous wine of 
 
 her fornication. That wou'd be an allufion 
 to the cuftom of lewd and profligate women, 
 who give poyfonous draughts, which they 
 call love potions, to their gallants, to en- 
 flame and enrage their luft «. And this fenfe 
 is fupported both by the original Hebrew, 
 and the Greek translators ; ©u^s fepiyrlw o 
 o7r@* auumoVy £ $UfjyC oLGmotev aV/a'^, Dent. 
 xxxii. 33 ?. The words in the Hebrew are 
 Chamath and RoJIj. The firft Signifies rage, 
 and is therefore properly turn'd foyfon, be- 
 caufe the bite of afps and vipers is moft 
 deadly, when thofe venomous animals are in 
 a rage. The fecond word principally Signi- 
 fies the head, and is properly ufed to Signify 
 foyfon, becaufe the poyfon of thofe perni- 
 cious creatures lies chiefly in their head and 
 teeth 8 . 
 
 A little alteration in the verfion of Col. 
 ii. 11. without the variation of a letter in 
 
 6 Caligula creditur potlonatus a Cefonia. uxore ama- 
 torio quidem medicamento, fed quod in furorem verterit, 
 Sueton. in vita C. Csef. Caligulae, c. yo. p. 216. edit. 
 Gryphii, Lugdun. 1739. Theocr. Pharmaceutria, ver. 
 J8, f9- 
 
 7 Vide etiam Amos vi. 12. Chamath illud venenum 
 proprie fignificar, quod ferpentes irati ore efflant. 
 
 8 Per metonyraiam Rojh caput fignificat venenum, quod 
 capiti aut dentibus ferpentis feu alpidis ineft. Muifius, 
 & Schindler. in Lexic. Polyglot, in vote Rop>, p. 1679. 
 
 the 
 
ij?o The Sacked Classics 
 
 the facred original, wou'd make it clear and 
 intelligible, and confirm a primitive doctrine- 
 In whom ye are circumcifed with the circum- 
 cifion made without hands, in putting off the 
 body of the fins of the jie(h by the circumcifion 
 of Chrifl, buried with him by baptifm. Where 
 the excellent Mr. Wall obferves 9 , that St. 
 Paul calls baptifm, with the putting off the 
 body of the fins of the fleih, which attends 
 it, the circamcifion of Chrifl ; or, as it wou'd 
 be more intelligibly render'd, the Chrifl tan 
 circumcifion. For, continues he, by thole 
 words, the circumcifon of Chrifl, mull be 
 understood either that action by which Chriffc 
 himfelf in his infancy was circumcifed ; and 
 it is no fenfe to fay, that the ColoJJuws were 
 circumcifed with that ; or elfe that circum- 
 cifion which Chrift has appointed, is the 
 Chriftian circumcifion : And with that, he 
 fays, they were circumcifed, being buried 
 with him by baptifm. Only St. "Paul here, 
 and moft of the fathers, refers both to the 
 inward and outward part of baptifm ; where- 
 of the inward part is done without hands; 
 and accordingly the anticnts were wont to 
 call Chriftian baptifm T^fio^tw a,^&^p7n>iriJov 
 the circumcifion done without hands. The 
 
 9 Infant-Baptifm, chap. 2. p. 10,11,12. 2d edit. 
 
 great 
 
'Defended and III uprated. i 9 1 
 
 great St. faul in another place « joins the 
 wafbing of bapfi/m, and remijf.on of fins, and 
 regeneration together; "Eowo*j> tijjJIs — ©go? -m- 
 
 7»p— - Six A«Tp'at vizcAiFfyeeicLS Xj aya>ccwvw'(7?ai5 
 Tlveu f4eil<&' xyiv. 
 
 I find St. Chryfojlom on the place em- 
 bracing the fentiments, and ufing the ex- 
 preflions of the infpir'd authors, and the 
 moft antient and pure writers of the Chriftian 
 
 church; 'QuvJ-n \y y^^/.tpau fi <z£°i!ofAMj a/\\' ev 
 
 <CB&aIo[JlLujV TTUiTHr, aAAcC TO 7TP6V /4& 9 » jU*P'©", 
 
 ccvixprmu^lct ocTri^edua^cCi Trvn Xj ttv 3 gy tsJ 
 Qx-kIitjxxIc Xj Yg-Aei <z&i7op.lvj, irxhiv <t&(£qv 
 v&A&i. 
 
 The tranflation of 2 £b\ iv. 6. founds 
 well in Englijby and makes a good fenfe ; but 
 it does not accurately come up to, and repre- 
 fent the Greek conftru&ion : It might be 
 thus ; 7/ Is God, who commanded the light to 
 Jhlne oat of darknefs, who has Jhined in our 
 
 hearts, for the illumination clear difcovery 
 
 — of the glory — glorious goodnefs — of God y 
 In the face — perfon — of Jefus Chrifl. 
 
 Ep. ad Tit. iii. 4, 5% 6, 7. which ought to be united 
 into one period ; which has great beauty, fubiimity, and 
 conization in it* 
 
 In 
 
t<?2 The Sacred Classics 
 
 In that memorable conteft between the 
 devil, the leader of the rebel angels, and 
 Michael the archangel, recorded by St. Jude z , 
 'tis faid, that glorious being durft not bring 
 a railing accufation againjl his infernal adver- 
 fary. Tho' perhaps, in ftri&nefs, the ex- 
 preffion may be defended or excufed, yet 
 fince the word tt>A/<c&&>, and others equiva- 
 lent to it, will bear a different fignification, 
 more proper to this place, and great occa- 
 fion, it wou'd found better to give fuch a 
 verlion as to imply nothing of fear, but wif- 
 dom, and a noble difdain to ufe any ill lan- 
 guage; any expreflions that look'd like, or 
 approach'd any thing near railing, or the 
 leaft indecency. 
 
 It cou'd not become one of the higheft 
 dignitaries, and fereneft minds in heaven, to 
 contend with an apoftate and fpiteful fiend, 
 in feverity of language and raillery, which 
 betrays either eager paffion, or at leaft fome 
 difcompofure of fpirit. No low repartee, 
 or angry expreflion of that nature, was pro- 
 per for that facred mouth, which never ut- 
 ter'd any thing but oracles of confummate 
 wifdom, and eternal truth ; which was the 
 nioft harmonious organ of the fublime and 
 
 * Ver. 9. 
 
 rapturous 
 
^Defended and Illuflrated. 1 5? ; 
 rapturous praifes of the mofl High, the mod 
 gracious and beneficent Father and Saviour 
 of angels and men. Therefore poffibly w 
 iioX}xrf\(n might be render'd more advanta- 
 gioufly by fome of theft following expref- 
 Cons, or others equivalent; He thought it 
 
 not proper He refolved not He did not 
 
 vouchfafe He difdaimdK 
 
 So this word is ufed in the pureft and 
 moft unexceptionable authors of Greece ; 
 ToKiMtrenv aiitygfyy He refolved to forbear or 
 abflain. This fenfe it often bears in 7heognis y 
 an antient writer of great purity of lan- 
 guage; 
 
 riwj 3 crew, Kgpvi&i, ToAjtz.tt Vo ©* av^ejtf ahtlpla 
 
 Ver. 377, 378, <SY. 
 
 So in the antient poet Hefood, fam'd for his 
 propriety and natural ealinefs of expreflion j 
 
 M*j&' vol lAof4ui)v nnviluj Sv/j^tpSvepv ctv<Pg/. 
 TeTAaB' Qmti£&?. *Ef. ^. ver. 717, 718. 
 
 5 'Of* tTo\fMtn t non animum induxit — fuftinuic — 
 non quod diabolum timerec, fed quod nollet h«c facere, 
 cum jure poflet; quia hoc ipfum dedecebat, &c. Vide 
 Comment, apud Poli Synopfin. 
 
 You II. O Scorn 
 
194 The Sacred Classics 
 
 Scorn to reproach a man with pinching 
 
 daunting poverty. So the noble Pindar*, 
 
 When our blefled Saviour diicover'd him- 
 felf to the devout Alary, who had waited 
 at the door of his tomb, and bitterly wept 
 when fhe could not find his body, now tri- 
 umphantly rifen ; tranfported with fudden 
 joy, fhe was eager to embrace his knees, and 
 pay him the profoundeft adorations : He re- 
 flrain'd his zealous votary in thefe words, 
 thus render'd by our Englifh tranflators ; 
 Vouch me not ', for I am not yet afcended to 
 my Father 5 : which by fome commentators 
 is thought to be a reproof of the devout wo- 
 man, and a reprimand of her too familiar 
 ofrlcioufnefs. As if our Lord had faid, Mary, 
 forbear, you mufl no longer converfe with me in 
 the fame familiar manner, as in my flate of 
 humiliation : Ton mufl keep the mofl awful 
 di fiance, and your converfation with me mufl 
 only be jpiritual and devotional, I am hajlning 
 to take pofjeffion of my Father's right hand y 
 
 QiyiAV fsrtiAc.9 Azaaav. Pyth. 4. ver.491,492. 
 
 M&.'£? j, ft JbK&i ( fee JhMcu crriv H^^aiua^aji Jlflw- 
 
 Eurip. Oreft. ver. 1 ff8. 
 
 If you think I flail condefceni or diihonOW myfelf— — 
 
 to Jp ill the blood of a /lave, 
 
 I S.Johan. xx. 17. 
 
 and 
 
^Defended and Illtijl rated, i p 5 
 and the fkpreme glory of my mediatorial king- 
 dom \ therefore addrefs me not as formerly^ 
 
 but let religious ftar, and the moft folemn re- 
 verence for your fovere'tgn Lord and Saviour 
 entirely pofflfs your heart, and regulate all your 
 conduft, and approaches to me. This inter- 
 pretation feems not fo well to fuit this facred 
 paffage ; but rather, according to this fenfe, 
 the reafon of our Lord's prohibition does not 
 appear to be fully confequential and natural. 
 
 'Tis plain, that the holy Jefus after his 
 triumphant refurreclion did not ufe fuch 
 diftance and referve with his apoftles and 
 followers, as this explication fuppofes. He 
 convers'd familiarly with them for forty 
 days ; eat and drank with them ; laid down 
 the fcheme, and inftructed his apoftles in 
 the methods of propagating his eternal Go- 
 fpel, and profperouily carrying on the tri- 
 umph of his crofs, thro' the whole world : 
 He comforted them, and all his followers, 
 with the promife of the Holy Ghoft, the 
 great advocate and comforter of human fouls, 
 who wou'd infpire 'em with divine courage 
 and confolation, and enable 'cm with ho- 
 nour and joy to bear and conquer all the 
 oppofition of earth and hell 6 . 
 
 * S-Johan. xxi. 12. S Marc. xvi. \J, &c 
 
 O 1 That 
 
196 The Sacred Classics 
 
 That the mild Saviour of mankind ex- 
 prefs'd his ufual familiarity and tendernefs 
 to his domeftics and followers, after his 
 refurre&ion till his glorious afcenfion, as he 
 had during his abode upon earth till his cru- 
 cifixion, is plain from his aftonifhing conde- 
 fcenlion to the prejudices and ftrange doubts 
 of his flow-believing apoftle St. tfhomas ; 
 from his free converfation with the two difci- 
 ples travelling towards Emmaus ; from his 
 moft gracious and engaging behaviour to the 
 good women, who with fervent piety had 
 waited at his tomb, and been aiTur'd by an 
 angel, that their dear Mafter was rifen. That 
 adorable perlbn met his faithful difciplcs and 
 attendants, addrefs'd 'em with an engaging 
 falutation, admitted them to the great honour 
 and pleafure of taking hold of his feet, and 
 worfhipping him ; and dilmilTed them with 
 the kindeft encouragement, and moft accep- 
 table order, That they fhou'd go tell that 
 moft gratefully furprizing news to his difci- 
 pies, whom he call'd by the endearing title of 
 brethren, and from him require them to retire 
 into Galilee, where they fhou'd fee him \ 
 
 But 
 
 7 S.Johan. xx. 24, 2f, Zee. S. Luc. xxiv. 12. ad 22. 
 Vide D. Bez. in loc. S. Matt, xxviii. 9, 10. 'O 'Iwvf 
 
 AVTS 
 
^Defended and fflujlrated. 1 97 
 But if, with fome learned and judicious 
 interpreters, you render the word <zva.@s@ny& 
 not / have afcended, but Ijhall or do afcend, 
 the dependence of the feveral parts of the 
 pafTage will be natural, and the inference 
 plain : Mary, don't at prefent dejire to hold 
 or detain me ; you will have time fufficient to 
 converfe with me, to gratify your devout and 
 laudable dejires of hearing and being with me y 
 and of knowing and experimenting the reality 
 of my refurreftion : For Ijhall not immediately 
 afcend to my Father in the highejl heavens ; 
 but flay with you for fome time here upon 
 earth, therefore do what is now mojl necef- 
 Jary : Give notice to my apoflles, that I am 
 rifen, and will meet 'cm in Galilee, to cheer 
 their forrowful hearts \ to give 'em directions 
 and commiffions ; and after a proper ft ay with 
 them, ftjall afcend to my Father, and perform 
 my promife of finding the Holy Ghoff, who 
 will comfort and inflruB you in all exigencies ; 
 and whom I conflitute the divine and fupreme 
 minifter in my mediatorial kingdom. This, I 
 fay, is a fenfe that feems unforced and eafy, 
 and is efpous'd by many great men % • and 
 
 *iwxs, Mn foCZoh' vmytTt, dynyy^KATl rait a,<h\$oif fxv, 5cc, 
 * Beja, Whitby, Critic- apud Poli Synopfin. 
 
 O 3 'tis 
 
1 9$ The Sacred Classics 
 
 'tis undeniable, that <&v<z&e$viy& will very well 
 bear the conftru&ion that this fenfe requires. 
 Dr. Whitby refers us to Glaffius y but does 
 not produce any parallel inftance. But 
 there are great numbers in the befr, authors ; 
 'A^TrTucja, I abhor the thought ', Eurip. KAu- 
 Taufjumtrpns 7r&>@ifi*AcL, I prefer her before Cly- 
 temncftra, Horn. 'A.W a aVw^, / advife 
 you, Hel. Ol Sv.ppvvles *} «7re«nn<p&>tp'7i$ oumf^ 
 'Ihofc who trujl and depend upon Philip, De- 
 mofth. Phil. 1. So vzzraAtfpa for -vsroAa^xW, 
 
 Dem. pro Coron. 9 
 
 'Tis plain from the reafon of the thing, 
 and agreed to by unanimous content of the 
 moft learned divines and commentators, that 
 in Heb. xiii. 7. Remember them which have 
 the rule over you , fhou'd be — Remember your 
 rulers or bifhops^ — who lately fpoke and 
 preach'd the word of God, the everlafting 
 Gofpel of Jefus to you ; who dy'd in that 
 blefTed faith ; and dy'd for it too. Therefore 
 conjtder the end if their converfatton^ — the 
 bleiTed clofe and ilTue of their lives ; and 
 follow their faith, if in thcfe hard and bloody 
 times ye fhou'd be call'd to give the fame proof 
 
 9 Hecub. ver. 1283. II. a. ver. 11 J- Opera & Dies, 
 vet. 40;. Vide Hen. Steph. de Attica Dialefto, p. 142, 
 143. ad calcem Gloilariorum. Vide etiam Anacreon. 
 ver. 6s$, 6j8. 
 
 and 
 
^Defended and Illujlrated. 1 99 
 and teftirnony of the fincerity of your Chri- 
 stian profeflion, your unfeign'd love to your 
 Saviour, and chcarful unreferv'd obedience to 
 his commands. Follow the examples of thefe 
 brave champions, who facriiiced every thing 
 in this world dear, for their confeience ; and 
 did not in the leaft value their own lives, 
 fo they might pour forth their fouls for an 
 oblation, for the fervice and confirmation of 
 your faith; fo that with joy they might 
 finifh their courfe, and the miniftry which 
 they received of the Lord Jefus, to bear wit- 
 nefs to-— to be martyrs for— the Goipel of 
 the grace of God'. Follow your brave 
 leaders, under the Captain of your lalvation, 
 who now are honour'd with the crowns of 
 martyrdom, and the triumphs of the crofs. 
 By patience, courage, and faith, trace their 
 bright fteps to the kingdom of heaven, and 
 the beatific prefence of the immortal Judge 
 of, and the moft beneficent Reward cr of 
 Chriftian refolution and bravery, in the 
 caufe of the eternal Son of his love and 
 bofom. 
 
 Our tranflators fometimes, as we hinted 
 above, put in little particles and expletives, 
 
 1 Philip, ii. 17. A&. xx. 24. PafTages fu perlatively 
 beautiful and emphatical ! 
 
 O 4 which, 
 
200 The Sacred Classics 
 
 which, inftead of anfwering their defign of 
 clearing the original paffage, do reaHy blemifb 
 the language, weaken the reafoning, and 
 diflblve the natural connexion of the period. 
 Hear the admirable bifhop Qearfon on 
 Philip, ii. 6, 7. " * We read it thus ; He 
 " made himfelfofno reputation, and took upon 
 " him the form of a fervant, and was made in 
 " the likenefs of men. Where we have two 
 u copulative conjunctions, neither of which 
 u is in the original text ; and three diftinct: 
 " propofitions, without any dependence of 
 " one upon the other; whereas all the words 
 " together are but an expreflion of Chrift's 
 " exinanition — or emptying himfelf— - with 
 " an explication fhewing in what it confift- 
 " eth : which will clearly appear by this 
 u literal translation; But emptied himfelf 
 " taking the form of a fervant, being made in 
 " the likenefs of men** 
 
 That paflage in St. Jude ver. 3. in our 
 tranflation is very obfcure, and founds with 
 the harfhnefs of a downright tautology; Be- 
 loved, when 1 gave all diligence to write unto 
 you of the common fahation ; it was needful 
 for me to write unto you, and exhort you, that 
 youflould earneflly contend for the faith which 
 
 1 Fearfon on the Creed, p. 122. Fol. 
 
 was 
 
defended and Illujtrated. i o i 
 
 was once delivered to the faints 'z^/.Sb^oa, 
 
 crips, the faith delivered. But if ^n* o*h- 
 
 &icc, the common filvation, and t^^bBfloa 
 iDis dylots cnV's which is in St. Peter <u%ph- 
 G«c7a ay* er?oA», refer to different things, 
 and have diftind meanings, then the diffi- 
 culty is removed, and the fenfe runs clear 
 and natural. 
 
 rfhe common falvation means the do&rines 
 of the Gofpel, publifiYd to all the world, 
 without refpcft to difference of times or 
 feafons, or particular doctrines of the cor- 
 rupters of the faith : the holy precept or 
 command, the faith delivered once to the 
 faints, a form of found doctrine, fent to all 
 churches by direction of the apoftles, in 
 oppofition to falfe teachers, and broachers of 
 damnable herefies. The Arabic and j$Lthi- 
 opic verfions come near to this meaning. 
 We owe this moft excellent obfervation to 
 the reverend and learned bifhop SherJock y 
 who explains this pafTage in this clear para- 
 ph rafe ; " * Beloved, I was intent upon the 
 " deiign of writing to you upon the common 
 " doctrines and hopes of the Gofpel, for the 
 " improvement of your faith and knowledge 
 " in Chrift Jefus : but I find myfelf obliged 
 
 1 Diflertation on i Ep. SPec p. 226, &c. 
 
 " to 
 
202 The Sacred Classics 
 
 <c to lay afide this defign, and to warn you 
 " againft a prefent danger ; to exhort you 
 a to earneftnefs in contending for that true 
 " doctrine, once already deliver 'd to you, 
 " and all the faithful, in oppofition to falfe 
 " teachers ; who, I hear, are crept in una- 
 " wares among you." Particular and imme- 
 diate guard and caution is to be had againft 
 thefe outragious monfters, who by their moft 
 nefarious lulls, and dotirhies and practices 
 of debauchery endeavour to corrupt the 
 holinefs and purity of the Gofpel morals; 
 and by their heretical notions, and rants of 
 blafphemy, deny and outrage all its fublime 
 and ever adorable myfteries *. 
 
 Uoi(T%v g-jt'sHv 'Trcrdjufyj©- is a phrafe but 
 once ufed in the New Teftament, and not 
 very often in the old Greek daffies ; but 
 the purity and propriety of it is fully jufti- 
 fy'd by Plato and Herodotus % ; ^Hxa tz jui^o 
 
 Omne fladium ad Ijlad efficlendam adhibebo. 
 
 The blelTed apoftle in his admirable epi- 
 ftle to the Romans, whofe faith he applauds 
 
 * Vide 2 S.Pet. ii. 10, 13, 14. S. Jude yer. 7, 8. 
 2 S. Pet. ii. 1 . S Jude ver. 4. 
 5 Plat. Amotores, p. 13a. Herod. Gr. f, p. 296. 
 
 and 
 
^Defended and 111 v. floated, to; 
 and magnifies, as advantagioufly diftinguiih'd 
 and celebrated throughout the whole Chri- 
 ftian world, cannot be fuppofed to doubt 
 whether the Spirit of God dwelt in fuch per- 
 fons, call'd of Jefus Chrijl to be faints, be- 
 loved of God 7 . 
 
 therefore ye are not in the fief, but in the 
 
 fpirit, if Jo be that it ihou'd be turn'd 
 
 becaufe the fpirit of God dwells in yon. 
 
 The particle elmy is render 'd in its proper 
 fenfe in that paffage of the fame divine wri- 
 ter to the Thejfalonians, i Ep. i. 6. We glory 
 in your patience and faith in all your troubles 
 
 and perfecutions which is a manifeft token 
 
 of the righteous judgment of God that ye 
 
 may be accounted worthy of- — or qualify'd 
 
 for the kingdom of God, for which yon 
 
 fuffer : Seeing becaufe 'tis a righteous 
 
 thing with God to recompenfe tribulation to 
 thofe who trouble you , and to you who are 
 troubled, rejl with us, when the Lord Jejus 
 /ball be revealed from heaven, cXc. So St. 
 Peter's addrefs to the devout Chriftians fcat- 
 ter'd thro' the diftant parts of the world, 
 wou'd, I think, be more properly tranflated, 
 As new-bom babes, dejtte the Jtncere milk of 
 the word, that ye may grow thereby : becauje 
 
 6 Rom. viii. 9.— i. 6, 7, 8. 
 
204 The Sacred Classics 
 
 ye have tafted that the Lord is gracious i. 
 The particle amp is fo ufed in the old daf- 
 fies ; particularly we have it in that won- 
 derful man Arifotle, equally pure and cor- 
 real in his language, and char and clofe in 
 his realbning ; To TVTrle<&a.i dxy&vov, initp 
 cwpmvoiy Stripes, $Cc. are grievous to men, be- 
 iaufe they are made of- — frail — -flejb 8 . 
 
 On Rom. viii. 0. the Latin verfion of the 
 ufcthiopic runs thus; In lege efts Spiritus 
 Santfi, quia Deus upud vos. In the parallel 
 place in the fecond epiftle to the 7heJfalonians 
 'tis render'd in the Syriac> Quandoquidem 
 juftum ej? Deo , &c. 
 
 The word W$ in St. Matt. xiv. 13. and 
 St. Mark vi. $$. is render'd by our transla- 
 tors, Gn foot, which exprejQTes that all that 
 vaft crowd, which attended our bleffed Sa- 
 viour, were on foot, excepting thofe who 
 had the convenience of veflels upon the fea 
 of Galilee. 
 
 Some commentators give a nice reafon, 
 
 " They followed not our Lord on horfe- 
 " back, or in carriages, but took the fatigue 
 ** of walking on foot, to exprefs their zeal 
 
 7 1 S. Pet. ii. ?; 
 
 ■ Ariftot. Eth. Nicom. 5. C. 9. p. 129. cd. Oxon. 1716. 
 per CI. Wilkinibn. 
 
 " and 
 
^Defended and Ulujtrated; 205 
 a and eager affe&ion." But it may be mo- 
 deftly fuppos'd, that the lame, maim'd, di£- 
 eas'd, &c. that came to wait on the great 
 tpbyfician and Saviour of fouls and bodies, had 
 not activity of limbs to enable them that 
 way to exprefs their pious ardour and devo- 
 tion of mind. Therefore all wou'd be right, 
 if the Greek word was render'd by land. 
 
 So the word is ufed in the nobleft authors 
 of Greece $ TloAiv ox mAgeus aAAaTfoWgs, \j£ 
 SviAccrlocv 3 iK@f 9 terra marique. 'Tis true, 
 fometimes we meet with W^oi, foot forces*, 
 oppofed to nrffas, horfemen, in the noble 
 hiftorians , 0\ jufyJ y> veai mpa*^?* o< & & 
 'ttiCqv eTifcc^tlOy tqioi jjj iTTK®* TCpai'nfaxJo I but 
 then *ri£os ?&ms includes both infantry and 
 cavalry, and is oppofed to vauluys, To iryxm 
 evmp&itlQ) avv q 01 rniLps q'Q^loSj o 5 yatu/'JCps e$a» 
 •r c EP^A>7£7zzrDvTov ttXscov td^! ^Zoy vKofM^tto, frhetl 
 the Perfians to? fowl reckon' d, lv laFyg^ /# 
 Xerxes'.* prodigious army, as alfo the Indians, 
 Arabians, c5V. 'tis added, i7T7tW« $ <nufrn& 
 
 Ttt gGvgCt*. 
 
 In Ihort, the word fignifies fy tei in 
 general, <?« ^00^, 00 #0r/£, or #«/ carriage ; 
 but in the place before us the fenfe deter- 
 
 9 Plat. Politic, torn. 2. edit. Steph. p. 2S9. Herod. 
 Gr. 7. p. 250.-7. p. 402. 1. 23, 24. p. 401. I. 36, 37. 
 y. 407. 1. j-. ante fin. 
 
 mines 
 
io6 The Sacred Classics 
 
 mines the translation. Ifocrates, fpeaking of 
 all the forces of the fame Xerxes, comprizes 
 all the army that march'd by land in the 
 
 fame word ; T^ripea jufyj avvxyaypfss Siccy^inxs 
 ^ 3^ A/as, •£ j jretns q'^aixs 7revf<xyrj;oict<; jjluqkcL- 
 Jks '. Xenophon oppofes nn'Cpi and rau^- 
 yyvm : and in Plutarch iriQ (Zonb&v is to 
 ajjifi an ally by land. 
 
 riAgojtfjcTws and xA?ore£/a, which our tran- 
 flators have render'd by covetous, and covet- 
 oujnefs, may, according to the judgment of 
 the greater!: and founder!: fcholars, be tran- 
 flated by fome words that exprefs unnatural 
 lufts, inordinate appetites, and the moft fla- 
 grant and deteftable lewdnefs that can defile 
 and debauch human nature. How comes 
 covetQiifnefs fo abruptly into the catalogue 
 of fins that peculiarly relate to the corrup- 
 tion of mankind, by indulging flefhly lufts ; 
 and by way of caution, and railing horrour 
 in all Chrillians, who are calFd to the cleaneft 
 chaftity, and purity of word, thought, and 
 life? The apoftle enumerates the fpecies 
 of thofe deteftable lufts, which violate thefe 
 divine virtues, and fcparate falfe profclTors 
 of Chriftianity from their Saviour the Prince 
 
 1 Ifocr. Fanathen p. 1S9. edit. Fletcher, Oxon. Vide 
 Foli Synopf. in S. Marc. vi« 33- 
 
 "I 
 
^Defended and Ilhtjtrated. 207 
 of purity , and render 'em uncapable of the 
 residence of the fanctifying Spirit, the rcfur- 
 rection of the juft, and the feeing of God in 
 eternal happinefs. The arguments follow- 
 ing in the fame chapter, diffuading from 
 thele odious vices, to me determine the fenfe 
 
 of the foremention'd expreflions Have no 
 
 fellowfiip with the unfruitful pernicious 
 
 works of darknefs For 'tis fhameful and 
 
 filthy even to fpeak or mention thofe things 
 
 which are fecretly done by them the vile 
 
 Gnofics, and impudent corrupters of Chri- 
 ftianity, and the decencies and dignity of 
 that nature, which the Son of God, our Sa- 
 viour, moft gracioujly affumed, and ajlonijh- 
 ingly ennobled ». 
 
 That folernn advice in purfuit of the fame 
 argument, Be not drunk with wine, wherein 
 
 is excefs ftupidity or fottifhncfs but be 
 
 filled with the Spirit 3 , ftiews that the words 
 before refer rather to debauchery and vile 
 lufts, than to covetoufnefs, and the inordi- 
 nate love of money. Excels and drunken- 
 nefs does not difpofe men to covetoufnefs - 7 
 
 * Ephef. v. 3, f, 11. 12. 
 
 3 Eph. v. iS. T «j $ dx.p/}&t £ eni AKjo^Asiav Jk,7nxvr,?e< 
 <tra7a< yj.\iuiv ' £gzJI®~ WV avnv etTWMvuiv®* — JbKH j 
 [efmyriet] Ct,7m>\c-iet Vi dvn uvetl x) » <? icia{ 0$D£$r.. Ariftot. 
 
 Ethic. Nicom. 1- 4. q. j. p. 142. edit. CI. Wilkinfon, 
 Oxon. 1716. 
 
 but 
 
208 The Sacred Classics 
 
 but naturally inflames irregular appetites, 
 and lulls of the flefti ; and the Spirit of God 
 is peculiarly a fpirit of holinefs, and pure 
 reafon; who, by his fan&ifying operations, 
 lefines and raifes the affections of men ; 
 clears the head, and purifies the heart of 
 every devout Chriftian ; extinguishes the 
 irregular motions and heats of corrupt flefh and 
 blood ; and kindles the pure flame of divine 
 love, and the fpiritual defires and appetites 
 of the enjoyment of reafbn, and religious 
 contemplation ; which are the perpetual 
 entertainment and feaft of the glorious angels 
 of God ; and after them, the fpirits of juft 
 men, the moft perfect and happy beings in 
 the creation. 
 
 As to the pretence, that 7rMovs^i ftiou'd 
 here be tranflated a covetous man, becaufe 
 he is caird an idolater, 'tis vain and ground- 
 lefs. For tho' 'tis idolatry to ferve mam- 
 mon, and not the true God, not to truft in 
 the Lord Jehovah, in whom is everlafting 
 ftrength and veracity, but to truft in the 
 uncertainty of riches, to fay to gold, Thou 
 art my confidence, and to make idols of filver 
 and gold ; yet any appetite or inordinate 
 defire, which alienates a man's heart from 
 his God and his duty, may, with equal pro- 
 priety 
 
T)cf ended and Illujlrated. 209 
 
 priety be efleemd, and is in Scripture branded 
 as idolatry. So fenfual and lewd epicures 
 make their belly their god ; and have that 
 juft and deteftable character fix'd upon 'em, 
 that they are lovers of fhajhres more than of 
 that perfectly lovely and adorable Being*. 
 
 So inordinate flefhly appetites, and mon- 
 ftrous lewdnefs, may with particular em- 
 phafis be calPd idolatry, becaufe always 
 pra&ifed in the impure rites and myfteries of 
 the pagan idols, Bacchus, Venus, cXc. in 
 whole orgies and deteftable ceremonies pro- 
 mifcuous and unnatural lewdnefs was com- 
 mitted ; and acts of debauchery were efteem'd 
 as inftances of devotion. The original words 
 fignify an inordinate appetite or dejjre of 
 what does not belong to a man, what he has 
 no occafion for, or juft and reafonable claim 
 to ; what is forbidden him by the author, 
 and dictate of nature ; what fhocks mo- 
 defty ; what is abfurd, and contrary to his 
 
 4 Hofea viii. 4. To prevent ambiguity, it might be 
 more accurately render'd, They made iilver and gold idols 
 to themfelves, or their idols, as 'tis in the Hebrew original, 
 and Septuagint: To etpySeiv etvmv Kj to Xt^ 17 * v oivrav sto*- 
 zmy tajujoif ft«AjA(«. $t\nJkvoi (ja Khov m Qihb&toi, 2Tim.iii.4. 
 Vide Job xxxi. z^.. If I have placed or made gold my hope., 
 and f aid to precious gold, Thou art my confidence- The latter 
 word is render'd by the Septuagint by a|0@- Tnh>j\ik\it 
 not improperly ; but their paraphrafe has check'd the 
 turn and lpirit of the original. Vide Schindler. Lex. in 
 voce Kethem, p. 906, 907. 
 
 Vol. II. P dignity 
 
2io The Sacred Classics 
 
 dignity and ftation in the rank of God's 
 creatures and fervants. 'HtpgA/^i/ irMov^a 
 in T^hucydides^ is to have an unpujl and d'tf- 
 proportionabk Jhare of advantages. That ad- 
 mirable and accurate matter of morals in the 
 heathen world, the fagacious Ariflotle 6 , has 
 given us the notion of thefe words in the full 
 extent of their meaning ; That they are per- 
 fons who claim, and allow to themfelves more 
 than is juft and proper in riches, honours, 
 and bodily pleafares ; unreafonable and fcan- 
 dalous felf- lovers, who gratify their luffs, 
 paffions, and irrational appetites. But it pof- 
 fibly may be more acceptable to give it in 
 the noble original; <$>^auT&s upT&ai t«« \olu- 
 toic, "zhrore y^vjcts to 7rXeiov ev yj^iACLci, £ ii^?^ 
 
 >C< Y\^0VCc7s <TOUl$ OZrJ'JgillX.CL!S' 01 5>1 4Z&1 <TOUTZX 7rXe- 
 
 ovi-x\jj. ^Pj-Cov\ca tcus b7nSvfj}aA? 9 ?c) oAws to?s 
 rrcL^tecti, ^ tssT a^dya $ \p %»?. YlXiov'^KX, is 
 frequently in other fcriptures ufed with 
 words importing ////?, and carnal lewdnefs, to 
 exprefs the fury and outragious appetites of 
 wretches inflam'd with it. This is an admi- 
 rable pafTage \ 'OltivcS ocim^yY^J) ns ectvTVi w-f<- 
 eS)e)ya.v &£, fpyxoiotv a.x.x.Sa.poix'i <t»ot?$ iv ttAsc- 
 ygg/ct 7 : Who being void of fenfe of ihame 
 
 5 Thucyd. p. 373. 1. 6. edit. Hudfon. 
 
 6 Ariftot. Eth. Nicom. p. 193. 
 
 7 Eph- iv. 10. Col. in. f. z S. Pet. li- 14. 
 
 or 
 
^Defended and Illitftrated. i i i 
 
 or honour or, as fome render the word, 
 
 defperate*, have deliver' d themj elves over to 
 the commijjlon of all debauchery and 711011 fir oils 
 lufl with a fierce and ravenous eagernefs. 
 
 The claflic authors take whtoviiix to ex- 
 prefs the moft inflam'd appetite to luft, and 
 deteftable gratifications. Plato fpeaking of 
 brutal and luftful monitors of men, faith 
 
 thus j Ej-gxo. vwTwv irKeovifyaLS vjjp).-t\qv]z.$ Kj 
 
 Aaxfi^oj/?g?, On the account of their infatiable 
 lujls pufhing and kicking, wounding, abu- 
 Jtngy and deflroying all that /land in their 
 way, and woud check their arbitrary and in- 
 jurious appetites 9 , 
 
 8 Some books have AmK^tKanty but that is no preju- 
 dice to the original a mhryv.xxiTct in a great majority of 
 manufcripts, and which is a noble and iignificant word, 
 tho* ATnxyia fignifies defpair in good authors ; Td< dimx- 
 ryrMlat 'fin ri Kf&TToV v^ay.v, He rats' 1 ' d and encouragd their 
 defponding fpirits. Polyb. i. Vide D- Hammond, Hein- 
 ilus, S. Chryfoftom, Whitby, Poli Synopf. in Ephef. v. 
 3, f. &c Rom- i. 29. 
 
 c* td <Qf>d.yvMlt r A<hhj>lv. I ThefT. iy. 6. Which words 
 of S. Chryfoftom immediately refer to thole foregoing, 
 and depend on them ; V Q;^ 77? Af^i r eaora r irk?* cOo- 
 f\i-rjif ytfxjov. And that the father was not much wide in 
 his interpretation of that pafiage of the apoftle, is pro- 
 bable from other reafons, and the thread of his arguing, 
 and the whole context ; Tstd $ k<n St much. <iv 02?, 
 d}<&<ruoi v(/%f, ATtiygSX, v t uA( ami <f mfi'eioi' HcPlveu ivg&v 
 buffi 70 loxirk o~x.su©- k]a&£ iv a,}«tay.a xj nfi*' /mm iv /ja9« 
 
 'iTnbvuictij >g.Su'7i\p to efhw to /mm «c$to r Ozov. 'Ou $ 
 
 \yj.Kt<nv ryAs \-m Ay£.$a$<n&, ctAJ\' Ly A}tA7y.co> 1 ThelT. iv. 
 3, 4, f — 7- S. Chryfoft. on Rom. i. 18. 
 
 9 Plato de Repub. 1. 9. 
 
 P 2 The 
 
% \ % The Sacred Classics 
 
 The reverend and learned Dr. Marjhal has 
 from St. Cyprian thus tranflated St. 'John xi. 
 2.5, 16. I am the rejurretlion and the life, he 
 who believeth in me, tho y he were dead, yet 
 jhall he live , and whojbever liveth and be- 
 lieveth in me, jhall not die for ever : which 
 prevents the miftakes which weaker people 
 might make from our tranilation — (hall never 
 die\ is more pertinent to the fenfe, and 
 agreeable to the original language : Ou ^ 
 ^rr^x'yi m r aioovac requires this verfion; 
 and 'tis fo in St. Cyprian, and all the oriental 
 verfions; Non morietur in <eternam\ 
 
 In St. John vii. 1 7. it is plain that eaiv rns 
 Sihr, &c. ought to be render'd, Jf any one is 
 
 willing or well difpofed to do the will 
 
 of God, cXc. for the fake of emphafis and 
 clearnefs. Which is obferv'd by a late ex- 
 cellent divine and found philofopher, who 
 has publim'd an admirable account of the 
 procedure, &c. of tinman Underflanding : 
 which great author has render'd that divine 
 paiTage, 1 tfheff.v. 23. thus; And the very 
 God of peace Jan f/ify you intirely in every party 
 and may the whole of you, the fpirit, the foul, 
 and the body, be preferved blame lefs to the 
 
 1 S. Typrlan dePefte, Dr. Marfhal's edit, tranfl. p. 164. 
 So in the iiurial-Oflice in our excellent Liturgy. 
 
 coming 
 
^Defended and Ilfajlrated. 2 1 3 
 
 coining of our Lord Jefus Chr'tft. Which 
 notion gives a clear account of the confti- 
 tuent parts of a human perfbn ; is agreeable 
 to the dottrine of the wifeft writers; to the 
 phrafeology and plain afTertions of the infpir'd 
 authors ; which iliews us the dignity and 
 duty of our nature; illuminates the intellect; 
 raifes the hopes and afFe&ions, and promotes 
 the holinefs and happinefs of mankind *« 
 
 We read of profligate and unreafonable 
 finners, who ad all manner of wickednefs, 
 contrary to the light of nature, and the dictates 
 and checks of their own confeience, that they 
 hold the truth in unrighteoufnefs ; which feems 
 to me an expreilion intricate and obfeure : 
 If it were render'd, who by wickednefs hinder 
 oxfupprefs the truth, the fenfe wou'd be clear 
 and natural. For wrong notions of God, and 
 undutiful behaviour to him, vehement par- 
 dons, exorbitant and unnatural lulls, weaken 
 the force of human minds, interrupt their 
 views, and byafs their judgments of truth. 
 The Oxford paraphraft renders it refirain or 
 with-hold. The judicious Mr. Stebbing to 
 the fame purpofe. So Dr. Fiddes \ 
 
 P 3 So 
 
 z Vide B. 2. c. 10. p. ;f2. 
 
 3 Rom.i. 18. 'E17T0V g dfei Jh^uJ.'juv \iyet, ^ <sfw/5«-*^>- 
 »,w dvQedTmv urmv. S. Chryfo'fl. in loc Mr, Sr ebbing 's 
 
 Terms 
 
214 The Sacred Classics, &c*. 
 
 So the word is ufed in the pureft authors 
 
 of Greece } Xvpficttvet atJims t£tc, 071 a v&n- 
 
 %yci r opyloj. And a little after in the fame 
 noble moralift and clean writer, Kocn^aai y> 
 
 Some of the critics in Vole render W a<W«, 
 violent er, feu per vim ; as«i/ Juvalftet by poten- 
 ter, not improperly ; but then vainly con- 
 fine thofe forms of fpeaking to the Hebrew 
 idiom : when 'tis plain, as I have fhewn in 
 the fir ft volume, that they are common in 
 the pureft Grecians. To which add, Tis &j 
 
 e7r' ' dKy^e.a, av yjiTtl t» /ndflup(& foctppctyciys 4 . 
 
 So fm oty^&io/, the fame, is equally ufed by 
 facred and foreign authors ; 'Ett' a AwGa'as v&- 
 
 rraAajot/3aro ( aott, A&S X. 34. fl> ^ •£ a A»G«'as, 
 
 jDe/». d*fo. .M?^. p. 337. ed. Wolfii. Aia 
 $'<9*, ./«^> i#/^> Eur I p. Ore p. ver. ^o'o'. 
 
 Terms of Chrift. Salvation. Fiddes's Theolog. Spec. 
 I.i. p. 8. Kaji^a, detineo, impedio, comprimo. PoliSynopf. 
 2 ThefT. ii. 6, 7. 
 
 4 Ariftot.Eth. Nicom. p. 17/, 176. edit. Ox. Wilkinf. 
 Ariftoph. Plut. ver. 891. 
 
 END of the Second Part. 
 
T H E 
 
 SACRED CLASSICS 
 
 Defended and llluftrated. 
 V O L. II. PART III. 
 
 CONTAINING A 
 
 DISCOURSE 
 
 O N T H E 
 
 VARIOUS READINGS 
 
 O F T H E 
 
 NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 L O N D N: 
 Printed in the Y e a r M.DCC.XXXI, 
 
217 
 
 THE 
 
 SACRED CLASSICS 
 
 Defended and Illuftrated. 
 PART III. 
 
 A Difcowfe on the Various Readings 
 
 of the New Tejlament. 
 
 Various reading is in general a 
 tranfcriber's differing from the 
 original author, either in wri- 
 ting, or in meaning, or fenfe. 
 The firft may be afcrib'd to the copyift's 
 hafte, negligence, or ignorance ; the fecond 
 to prefumption, impudence, and a wicked 
 defign. 
 
 The glorious originals of the facred canon 
 of the New Teftament are long fince moul- 
 der'd away, and deftroy'd by time. Wc 
 have remaining a great number of precious 
 manufcripts, which give us the originals in 
 
 all 
 
2i 8 The Sacred Classics 
 
 all their eiTentials. The difference of thefe 
 from each other occafions what we call va- 
 rious readings : which ftric~rly wou'd be as 
 many as the differences of fingle words and 
 letters are in thofe books ; which wou'd 
 fwell them to a monftrous and enormous 
 heap. 
 
 Thofe, that are moil: pertinently allow'd 
 and regarded as various readings, are diffe- 
 rences of copies, collected and offered to the 
 reader's judgment ; of which probable and 
 juft reafons may be given of doubting whe- 
 ther they ought to be admitted into the 
 text. 
 
 But to clear this matter in a fmall compafs, 
 and to lay down in one view the doctrine 
 and notion of various readings, for the con- 
 venience of gentlemen, who think not pro- 
 per to go over thofe tedious collections, and 
 difputations upon 'em, that have fill'd nu- 
 merous volumes, I fliall be as fhort and full 
 as I can in difpatching thefe particulars fol- 
 lowing, which will, I believe, contain, and 
 account for every thing neceifary on this 
 fubject. 
 
 I. We are to mew what are not to be 
 efteem'd as various readings ; and by a little 
 diflertation in proof of that, great numbers 
 
 of 
 
defended and Itluflrated. i 1 9 
 of odd differences in books will be ftrucfc 
 out • and the facred texts clear'd of abun- 
 dance of rubbilh. 
 
 II. We think it proper to lay down a few 
 rules to enable us the better to judge of va- 
 rious lections in the New Teftament, and to 
 pitch upon the true and authentic one. 
 
 III. We fhall give an account of three forts 
 of various readings, which are fuch as have 
 fome appearance of truth, and depend on 
 the authority of fome manufcript; and in 
 thofe places, fometimes, whofe original read- 
 ing is not fully afcertain'd and agreed upon. 
 
 1 . Various readings of no moment, which 
 infer no change or alteration of the analogy 
 of grammar, or fenfe of the place, fo that in 
 this refpeft 'tis indifferent which you admit. 
 2. Of fmall importance. 3. Of greater mo- 
 ment and import, which imply a lefs or 
 greater alteration in the expreflions and 
 phrafeology of the text, and the fenfe and 
 do&rine in it. 
 
 Of thefe the propereft inftances will be 
 produced ; and fome of the moft remark- 
 able various readings will be fele&ed, care- 
 fully examined, and humbly prefented to 
 the confideration of the judicious and fair 
 reader. 
 
 IV. From 
 
220 The Sacred Classics 
 
 IV. From a careful and impartial exami-* 
 nation of the whole do&rine of the various 
 le&ions of the New Teftament, it will plainly 
 appear, that they do no prejudice to thofe 
 facred books ; but rather, corroborate their 
 authority, and give them additional advan- 
 
 tages. 
 
 §. i. Monstrous and barbarous words, 
 which either have no meaning at all, or are 
 contradictions to common fenfe, and plain 
 expreflions of Scripture in other places ; which 
 violate grammar, and the analogy of faith, 
 are never to be admitted into the text, or 
 fo much as allow'd any place in the margin. 
 
 So r 7rt7rehe:vj(rfjfyj60i'y ra7rAgx*o-jufyjW,'7reAg>wG _ |U'.fyJ&>r > 
 for imre^e-MGyfyjMv Revel, xx. 4. and pe&tv- 
 Tia\j^joi is put by a trefpafs on the cuftom of 
 the Greek language for epjiocvna^joi, Heb. x. 12. 
 which true reading, eppccvno-fjfyjoi, found in a 
 great majority of the beft books, is without 
 neceflity defended by Grotius, and without 
 confideration attack'd by Dr. Mills ; and is 
 paft by without any reprehenfion by Kujier. 
 Dr. Mills's words are thefe, pge^Tio-fjfyJo/, Alex. 
 Clar. Lin. Cov. 1. omntno recie & ex analo- 
 gld ; non autem ex d'talefio aliqua, ut putat 
 Grotkis. 'Hnmoi for rj-moi, in 1 fheJJ\\\. 7. is 
 
 certainly 
 
'Defended and Illujlrated. 2 1 1 
 certainly a great miftakc ; is contrary to the 
 defign of the apoftle, who intended to repre- 
 fent himfelf, not as an infant, but under the 
 engaging notion and figure of a prudent and 
 indulgent rluffc; and very much fpoils the 
 grace and propriety of this moft charitable 
 and moving paflage ; 'A?a' e$u»<3wjuJju %<moi ev 
 
 — ofMi&$-oi' for that very fignificant word 
 tfjuiiQp^oi wou'd have the fame effed in 
 weakening, if not fpoiling the fenfe in the 
 next verfe. 
 
 <$>JkcJls qSr/,prfi$ for owo^i (pSzy.pTHfy in 
 I St. Tet. i. 2.3. [M.&vv , 7n>tet<> for nriq-ov mi&s 9 
 in St. "John Ep. iii. ver. 5. are the mere 
 blunders of carelefs and ftupid tranferibers. 
 There are prodigious heaps of fuch vile re- 
 fufe, which I think fhou'd not have fwelPd 
 the collections of various readings, which 
 have been prefented to the world by an 
 over-officious diligence. 
 
 1. Bold, and even ingenious conjectures 
 and alterations, which without neceility or 
 authority difplace a word or expreflion, 
 which gives a more vigorous and effica- 
 cious fenfe, mull not be admitted as a vari- 
 ous reading. 
 
 The 
 
222 The Sacred Classics 
 
 The primitive and noble reading ovvaXiQ- 
 jufyj©.', eating together ; and familiarly con- 
 verjtng with, is wantonly chang'd into ovvctv- 
 A^op^j^, una commorans ; which Valla vain- 
 ly endeavours to defend, it being iiniiip- 
 ported by proper authority, and inferior in 
 its fenfe. St. Chryfoftom in giving his reader 
 the meaning of this word, refers him to the 
 confideration of that other paiTage in the 
 jiffs, which gives light to this; "Oinves cvrz- 
 (pzyifjtfv %j avvt f mo\jfyj ouum z ; and his perpe- 
 tual imitators, tfbeophylaft and Oecumenius, 
 thus explain the word <wva. A*^o'f/-V@** Ttf^r** 
 yciruvuiv aAwr, xj T£ri<?rg^i', (Partaking of the 
 fame fait, table, and entertainment. 
 
 "A&rov, a dinner or entertainment, feems 
 the fiction of fome pert tranfcriber or re- 
 marker, and appears to be ib plaufible, that 
 it got admiflion into the text in many books, 
 to the exclufion of the genuine and original 
 ap<Tw in St. Luke xiv. 15. 'Tis well known 
 that */!©*, bread, is ufed in facred and fo- 
 reign authors for all the delicacies of the 
 fulled and moft fumptuous feaft : Kai ai™, % 
 
 1 Aftsi. 4. Vide Dr. Bois in loc. 
 
 z A£ts x. 4r. That Greek manufcript is grandly ab- 
 furd in ColofT. ii. y. which by the Latin tranflations 
 feems to have been a£ vrtgnpa, elf XP Hdf ^ wiPE«f vfM*v> f° r 
 the pure original, <n{iu^a 4 ftj Xe/jcp ■mstw CfjuHv* Vide 
 Dr. Mills in lac. 
 
 vnTvu 
 
Defended and Wnjlrated. 11} 
 
 wro--- g?a£ano, They furniflfd themfelves 
 with all maimer of provijtons of meat a) id 
 drink. 'Apyc$<joi tS aim \ Beginning their 
 dinner. 'Tis own'd, that £&t?ov is uled by 
 the facred writers; but 'tis ufed only to fig- 
 nify the time or the preparation of a treat or 
 feaft. But when the enjoyment of the enter- 
 tainment, the partaking of the meat is fig- 
 nify'd, the word is opf©;. Indeed the co- 
 pyings and tranfcribers of the facred volumes 
 have taken many greater liberties than this, 
 in either removing a good vigorous word they 
 did not understand, or out of refpecr. to the 
 reader, to give him an eafier and plainer 
 word, for one they fear'd might be harder 
 and obfcurer to him. 
 
 The gloffes and preliimptuous alterations 
 that conceited tranfcribers have made upon 
 the facred writers, have much tarnifh'd and 
 depreciated the original and nioft noble read- 
 ing in numerous places ; which are eafily 
 difcover'd, and reftor'd to their native placc 
 and dignity. 
 
 A remarkable inftance of the boldnefs of 
 thefe injudicious fcholiafts, is, turning that 
 emphatical paflage, ovetb\oy,<iig $ Srhfyoi £hct- 
 
 3 Herod. Gr. 5-. p. 298. Xen. Cyrop. Graece. Oxon. 
 p. 90. 
 
224 tt e Sacred Classics 
 
 T£/^o'jm^joi 4 , into oveth^oyfyjoi, which is found 
 but in two books, and is a mighty trifling 
 explication, or rather a depravation of that 
 glorious word ■dzctTe/fyytyjot, of as plain a 
 meaning, to any one capable of reading thefe 
 divine books, and exceflively more ftrong 
 in its fignification, comprehenfivenefs, and 
 energy, than the word ftupidly put in its 
 room. 
 
 ' AvnXeyvns *) is left out in feveral books, 
 tho* retain'd in a great majority, in Acls 
 xiii. 45. out of a vain fear, that it would 
 make a tautology. But fuch fcruples only 
 pofTefs weak minds ; and the divine writers 
 need no fuch advocates \ who betray, and 
 difhonour the caufe they pretend to eipoufe. 
 The grace, harmony, and noble turn of the 
 paffage is fpoil'd and broken by this unna- 
 tural cutting off, and maiming. We have 
 fpoken to it in the jirji volume. And what 
 man of tafte and ear, wou'd not defpife the 
 officious folly, pride, and conceit of the 
 fcholiaft ; who reads the facred text pure 
 and untouched, and is charm'd with the eafy 
 run and vigorous motion of the period ! 
 
 ^iSbvni 3 'hSbcioi TBS o%Ay«, ew?Wc&n7u.v £*Att, *j 
 avriteyiv TWS van t£ FauAy AeyifJ^joiiy avTiAs. 
 * Hebr. x. ;;. 
 
^Defended and 111 itjl rated, i 2 j 
 
 ytvmg ^ @K&<T(pvy.hr'n$, Sj^io»« for I^aXer^** 
 is a vain explication, and ipoils the beauty 
 of the paffage, Col.il. 14. 
 
 3. Antient tranflations and printed books 
 do not properly make a various reading. 
 Thole differences in them from the genuine 
 manufcripts only fhew the negligence and 
 weaknefs of the interpreters, or their mis- 
 fortune in making ufe of an inaccurate and 
 deprav'd book. 
 
 On this rule I cannot but remark the 
 prodigious liberty Dr. Mills takes in altering 
 an eftabliuYd reading on a very incompetent 
 authority : amongft fome other books, that 
 vcrfion of the vulgate Latin is adher'd to^ 
 and defended ; Jd htfc quis tarn i done us 5 ? 
 (i. e. quam ego f aulas. ) But Dr. Wh'itby 
 excellently confutes all the cavils by which 
 this very bold and abfurd reading is thought 
 and endeavour'd to be fupported. 
 
 4. Falfe fpelling, after the modern way 
 of confounding the Greek vowels, by giving 
 all of 'em almoft the fame pronunciation , is 
 not to be efteem'd a various reading. By 
 the modern way I mean the corrupt way 
 
 5 z Cor. ii. 16. Kai mpU mv-m jh tyjvUi Dr. Mill. 
 Proleg. p. 47, 48. Dr. Whitby Ex. Var. Left. Dr. Mill- 
 in loc. p. 6j. 
 
 Vol. 1L (i, of 
 
n6 The Sacred Classics 
 
 of writing and fpeaking this noble language,, 
 which has obtaind fince its decline, efpe«* 
 cially from the reign of the emperor Con- 
 Jfantine the Great. 
 
 Abundance of thefe faults are common in 
 the moft antient and valuable manufcripts } 
 particularly in that ineftimable book the 
 Alexandrian manufcript, faid to be written 
 by the pious and excellent tfhecla. So we 
 meet with lepe.i for ijsjcs, ip-nvn for ap-nry. In 
 Rom. viii. 38. 'tis iJW^s in fome books, 
 Shvctfxn in others, becaufe « and / are con- 
 founded, and in many of the moft antient 
 books there are no ipirits or accents. 
 
 In St. Mark and St. John eyape is found 
 in the Alexandrian and other books, inftead 
 of ey&pou ; which plainly proceeds from that 
 vicious way of writing and pronunciation, 
 which in thofe ages had prevail'd : lympauL is 
 abfolutely neceffary to make fenfe ; and 
 therefore the corrupt word ly^t makes no 
 various reading. So yjevo<p<avia,s is in fome 
 books jtcui oqctiv lets , by the fame vicious way 
 of confounding the natural diftin&ion be- 
 twixt the different powers and founds of 
 different vowels and diphthongs. 
 
 TZto yelp eq*e ytfJoxovliSf Eph. v. 5. is in le- 
 veral books cjkng'd into }'^= y which the 
 
 Latins 
 
^Defended and 111 i>Jl rated- 227 
 
 Laths render fcifote ; but generally Latin 
 and Greek fathers give the fame interpreta- 
 tion of the place as thofe who receive the 
 true reading. So we have xcuvtis for vjevrii in. 
 the Alexandrian manufcript on Col. ii. 8. In 
 the vulgate verfion 'tis very barbaroufly ren- 
 der'd, fcltote intettigentes. 
 - He'mfius in vain fpends a multitude of 
 words to bring in xg.&tLigpv\& in Head of y& .- 
 Sa.if>wles into the facred text 6 , becaufe the" 
 former word is not found in any manufcript, 
 and is of a much lower and more Itrain'd 
 fignification than the latter; which yet exa&ly 
 agrees with the context ; Atyiojjws r&Sizipvvfes 
 \jict e7rattgpyt.evov y^) 't yvaoteos Td 0g«, 
 The firit. fignification of purging ox purifying 
 might, with tolerable fenfe, be adapted to 
 Ao^n/W, but by no means to the following 
 expreffions, and the whole context : O-zrAcc 
 S^jvcltv* Tit) Seyj 7T£ps ■>' t ?.?jvLip£<jiv oyv^^^oov . 
 So oiKofb/JM is Oppos'd to xa.rbi/pgens ; Kccix r 
 
 In this fenfe of pulling down is this word 
 ufed in the nobleft dailies ; 
 
 GeTJa^iSks. 
 * 2Cor.x. 5,4. 2Cor. xiil. 10. 
 0-2 
 
228 The Sacred Classics 
 
 So Virgil expreffes the fame thing in that 
 line, 
 
 Carmina vel cozlo fojpint deducere Lunam 7 . 
 
 Tho' I muft beg pardon for ranking this 
 under the head of falfe fpelling, when it 
 fhouM rather be call'd an unneceffary, 
 groundlefs, and prefuming conjecture. 
 
 That reading of KoyyjH for \oyyj, in St. 
 John 2 , favour'd by Aldus, and Era/mus> 
 ought not to be efteem'd of any value, if it 
 was true Greek ; but I think T^oyx©* ls not 
 to be found in any authentic writer in that 
 language. 
 
 5. 'Tis demonftrably plain, that the pri- 
 mitive writers and fathers of the church, in 
 their citations of paffages of facred Scrip- 
 tures, often do it by memory, and give us 
 the fenfe, not the words of the texts ; and 
 therefore thofe differences do not properly 
 make any various reading. Tho' thefe vene- 
 rable perfons read as we do, and acknowledg'd 
 the fame text, as appears in ibme places, where 
 they had the facred books by them, and 
 quoted accurately from them ; yet we find, 
 that very often they vary from the common 
 
 7 Plat. Gorgias, p. yij. 1.6. Virg. Eel. viii. 69. 
 * S.Johan. xix. 34. 
 
 and 
 
Defended and ffluftrated. ny 
 and authentic reading, and their own cita- 
 tions in other places of their works, by- 
 changing, fuppreifing, or adding words; by- 
 joining together feveral texts of Scripture 
 found in different places, and applying them 
 to their purpole, and inferring from them, as 
 if they were one continued argument of the 
 fame divine writer. This all learned men, 
 of however different periiiafions and inte- 
 refts, have acknowledg'd. 
 
 Grot'ws, who takes a ftrange freedom 
 with the infpir'd writers, and often admits 
 words into the facred text, which have no 
 claim to it, acknowledges this; " The anti- 
 " ents, fays he, frequently lo quote Scripture, 
 " that it appears they did not look. upon the 
 " book : Therefore, on that account, no 
 " reading eftablifh'd ought to be rejected V 
 Hs'wJltiSy who indulges himfelf in making 
 alterations in the divine original, without any 
 juft grounds or foundation, and feems to 
 pleafe himfelf with many fanciful and frivo- 
 lous conjectures, after he has produced fe- 
 veral inftances of the fathers inaccurate quo- 
 tations of Scripture by memory, makes this 
 conclufion ; " That no man lhou'd think, 
 " that the facred text fhou'd be rafhly and 
 
 9 Vide Canones Criticos, 17, i3, 19, 20. p. 14. 
 
 Q_3 " too 
 
230 The Sacred Classics 
 
 " too forward ly altered or corrected by the 
 " quotations of the fathers/' Father Simon, 
 whofe def.gn it was, in his Critical Hiflory 
 of the New Teftamenf, to render the facred 
 text precarious, and refer both the words 
 and interpretation of it to the judgment of 
 the Romi/b church ; yet is fo far prevail'd on 
 by the refiftlefs force of truth, as to acknow-. 
 ledge, to the great weakening of his own 
 hypothecs, and fruftrating his main defign, 
 That we ought not to yield any great regard 
 to the alterations of the fathers, nor from 
 them to pretend to correct the text, fince 
 that wou'd be a great injury and detriment 
 to facred Scripture'. 
 
 Innumerable inftances might be produced 
 of all the particulars mention'd in the be- 
 ginning of this fection, with refpecl to the 
 cufloni of the fathers in citing the infpir'd 
 authors. Without nice regard to method, I 
 prefent to my reader a few, which at once 
 will be my vouchers, and gratify his curio fity. 
 Clemens Altxandrinus quotes Ej>h. iv. 16. which 
 in the pure original is O ;-Ai@< y.r, 'On^A™ 
 b ; 'n tJ im^pfytafjuf vyjfj, and changes it with 
 
 1 Vide D. Whitbeii Ex. Var. Left. Mill. p. i, &c. 
 Heinfii Exer. Sac. Proleg. p. 4. Camb. 1640. Vide 
 Confirm. Can. in Ed. N. T. Wetften. p. 65. 
 
 much 
 
^Defended and Ilhtjlrated. l ] \ 
 
 much difadvantage to the phrale, tho' no 
 alteration of the fenfe ; "H;.^ j uvffi t« 
 of) >i m ■•■*. 'Opyy is no where found 
 
 in any manufcript. Inftead of Iva qnLwEoss 
 tivuc , the fame father reads <W mtLvm.s 
 , which amounts to no more than that 
 paflage, God will have all men to be faved % 
 or wills that all men be Javed. 'Tis in fome 
 manufcripts ; and therefore if any will call 
 ic a various reading, and not a flip of this 
 father's memory, we can eafily fpare this 
 initance. 'Tis ufual for the fathers to alter 
 a text, and leave out a word, that they may 
 make what they judge a particular aiTertion 
 or precept a general one. So in i Cor. xi. 19. 
 A« y) ; xipsa^.sev ufjuv'u), and i Cor. xiv. 34. 
 
 Ar kj f an a 3 ~ > _ / t ~ 
 
 and uuffi are left out in many books, which 
 yet are in the beft copies, and by accommo- 
 dation and parity of reafon will reach to 
 other Chriftian churches, and Chriftian wo- 
 men, as well as to thofe of Corinth. 
 
 z Clem. Alexand. Strom, 5. p. 166. ed. Epifo Oxon. 
 The fathers in their citations of facred Scriptures gene- 
 rally take no more liberty than what Bp> Gaftrell modeft- 
 ly and juuicioufly took ; that is, make fome variations in 
 perfon, tenfe, &c as being r^quifite to exprefs that 
 in a way fuirable to their ditcourie, which the Scripture 
 exprefles in a different form, without any difference of 
 doftrine or fenfe. Chrift. Inltit. Pref. p. ij. 
 
 CL4 St. 
 
%}t The Sacred Classics 
 
 St. Chryfoflom reads the text of Ephef. v, 
 15. B/ s-wr? Zu cIxqjlQwc <zfenr%l*'it i which is 
 an eafy and natural way ; but in one part of 
 his comment he has it thus, BAe7TSTg irais 
 eLTL&i&ws ^iTroc'vTe : in the beginning of his 
 comment he only drops the particle yV, and 
 places the words in the order of the text. 
 
 The lame eloquent and noble writer, on 
 1 Cor. xiii. 12. both in text and comments, 
 reads as the true original is, lv Miti'fj&rt 1 : 
 but on Ephef lv. 13. either thro' lapfe of 
 memory, or thinking the phrafes equivalent, 
 he reads, to Si 3 dviffj^Ttuv. So on Rom. i. 1 8. 
 'tis in the text, as in all our books, 'Ax^mov 
 *P^S t o&AnS* <tv ev clSi-iucp xaJejgifJwv : but hav- 
 ing occafion in his comment to alter the 
 form of the phrafe, he changes the word, 
 
 That feems to be a very bold alteration 
 which this venerable father makes on Rom. 
 ii. 26. and leis excufable than a mere failure 
 of memory, when he changes Ao^^A, the 
 genuine reading fupported by all the books, 
 into ^^ -a-^-iax in the text, and fjueTtLJ^.^' 
 oi]ax in his notes. 'Tis plain, he knew Aoy- 
 «Sv 7u was a known reading, by that remark, 
 
 %\n^tL .mam^v St. So you fee he gives us 
 
 three 
 
^Defended and Ilhjlvated. 23$ 
 three feveral readings of the verb he puts 
 into the room of /o><^av7ou, without any 
 manner of authority ; only fays, it is more 
 ftrong and fignificant ; which I humbly 
 doubt ; but am fatisfy'd that koy«8»jW7« is 
 much more familiar, and agreeable to the 
 phrafeology of the facred writers. 
 
 Theodoret reads St. Matt. vi. $$. agreeably 
 to the common and authentic reading in 
 feveral places, but in one place makes this 
 interpolation, Ka* mzurx c% 'c%<oj« 7rgpc?edn- 
 cxJou. The venerable bifhop and martyr St. 
 Ignatius wrote his epiftles in his journey 
 from Ephefus to Rome, and cites the texts of 
 Scripture we find in thofe precious remains 
 by memory: Therefore we find additions, 
 omiflions, and variations ; which make no 
 various lection in the account of the learned 
 and judicious. In the facred text St. Matt. 
 xii. $5. we read Ex, y> t£ xa-pirC to frkv^gyv 
 yvoooKefcu : In the blefTed martyr's epiftle to 
 the Ephejians 'tis $oc,veej>? oo frtv^epv ^W tS 
 xap7r« aW : In his letter to the church of 
 Smyrna we have 6 yoj&v ^penw, inftead of 
 Sbvc£$.©* y» J P* v in the original. 
 
 The text of 1 Cor. i. 20. is thus, n« ao- 
 
 tst* ; St. Ignatius gives us the fenfe of this 
 
 noble 
 
2 j4 27^ Sacred Classics 
 
 noble paffage, with omiffions in one part, 
 and additions in the other; rieoB^osj ir* ov- 
 t/Jyflrts ; 7rS xau^.5 t^T Ag<}pf4 ; -W awe -to y 5 
 St. Clemens Romamis, fellow-labourer with 
 the great St. <-?W, and whofe name was 
 written in the book of life, exprelTes the 
 fenfe of that paffage to the Romans 3 at large, 
 but ufes a great deal of liberty in altering 
 the words, and exhorts himfelf and readers 
 utterly to renounce all thofe evil practices 
 which compofe that black catalogue of vice 
 and villainy. 
 
 In St. Paul we read T\iirKn&\jfy'&$ imcr* 
 
 abiydct, impv&a,, Truvn^icc 7r? eovs^nx, J^wa, CvC. 
 In St. Clemens, according to his way of turn- 
 ing the defcription of mon/lrous enormities, 
 into a pious exhortation againft 'em, we read, 
 
 'A^A«<3/W,jufyj tji oSm r ct/.Yi^hicu, amx>Wi' i \cLv]e* 
 
 dlj iOCV'T r /S 'TWLOZLV Cl^KUCtV X : OCIO/JJ.OLV , &LC. Then 
 
 he concludes pretty near the words of the 
 infpir'd writer , Oj ngvov j ol ireJ-ozov^M ajjixH, 
 ccfcd Xj ol avv&j%x.c,vh<i <?jutg7$. ' A^ici Szcvdru 
 hoi is left out, and eLuWs put for iv^osvcn^ to 
 which it muft refer, and is in any citation 
 equivalent 4 . 
 
 5 Rom. i. 28, 29, Sec. 
 
 4 Vide S. Clement, eplft. ad Corinth, p. 146. edit. 
 D. Hen- Wouon. Cantab. 1718. 
 
 The 
 
^Def ended and Uluftrated. 135 
 
 The pious and eloquent father quotes out 
 of the rirft chapter of St. Paul's iublimc epi- 
 ftle to the Hebrews, with a good deal of 
 variation, and omiflion of pafTages, which 
 are part of that lofty character of the eternal 
 Son of God j inftead of bs oov cL-xivyxayLcc ■£ 
 r 5 he has t fMycLAvaunn : then pafTes on 
 
 to the 4th VCrfe, ToQ-trrw ju,&£wj/ %£iv — ccyye- 
 Awr, for Kpeirjuv $./0/.<5/.©« : ovy St<x.(po^}T2^pv 
 ovoy^. yjixhiiepvoyMMj for qgco S\x<^o^Ti^pv crap' 
 almtf Vjr,O.;i^?'.0[AhV.iv ci'o'.[c/.. 10 this he lllb-* 
 
 joins the 7th verfe, in the very fame words 
 with the original, O onicov t«s oLyytXvs aW 
 irveu/jLoifu} *} tus Aa/«p>ys ccvt^ tru^s qXoyoL, 
 Then he returns to the 5th verfe, and cites 
 it thus, exactly according to the original, 
 'Yios y-v h av, eyca aYifjLegpp ttfyyjvmtob en. Which 
 is taken word for word out of the fecond 
 Pfalm by St. Paul: To which St. Clement 
 adds what immediately follows in the fame 
 
 PJahll, WlTYKTOA UTtp' t\JLM^ Xj OtOOZO CTOl gGpfl r 
 
 y»s, The learned editor of this father s juftly 
 
 5 Ex ejufmodi citationlbus five allufionibus ad Ep. ad 
 Hebrxos conftare poteft, earn epiftolam, licet a Romana 
 Ecclefia pene per 400 annos fuerit e facro canone ejefta, 
 pofteaque ex authoritate & certa aliarum Ecclefiarum tra- 
 ditione recepta fuerit, in initio ab Ecclefia Romana ipfo- 
 que Clemente agnitam fuifle. V. viri CI. not. 1. ad 
 
 p. in- 
 
 argues 
 
2$ 6 The Sacred Classics 
 
 argues front thefe paiTages, That this divine 
 epiftle was in the early times admitted into 
 the facred canon by the church of Rome, of 
 which this venerable writer was bifhop ; 
 tho* 'twas afterward rejected for fome hun- 
 dred years, and after that receiv'd, and thro* 
 all following centuries retain'd. 
 
 Now as no man of candour and ingenuity 
 can fufpe&, that thefe pious and devout de- 
 fenders of Chriftianity, faints, and fome of 
 *em martyrsj made thefe citations out of any 
 finifter ends, or malicious defigns, to difho- 
 nour and weaken the authority of the facred 
 book : fo I believe, that few found and ge- 
 nuine critics will pretend to fay, laying the 
 whole cafe together, that thefe citations do 
 any prejudice or difhonour to the text. 
 
 Thefe ftrenuous champions of the Gofpel 
 wou'd have dy'd rather than have difown'd 
 any article or doctrine, or deliver'd the book, 
 containing the terms and hopes of their eter- 
 nal happinefs, into the hands of pagan per- 
 fecutors, to be treated with indignity, and 
 committed to flames. And cou'd fuch men 
 have the leaft defign, in any refpeel:, to weaken 
 and depreciate thofe precious records, the 
 authentic deeds and charters of their falva- 
 
 tion ? 
 
defended and Ilhjlrated. 237 
 tion ? And it can raife no fcruple, nor give 
 any handle for cavil, to any but weak, or 
 ill-defigning heads, to fee lbme variations in 
 the commentaries, &c. of the primitive wri- 
 ters, when the fenfe is the fame, and, in 
 other parts of their works, the very words and 
 phrafes with the facred code, which has 
 been preferv'd from the fettlement of the 
 canon ; and is now authentic and pure, 
 eflentially the fame, in the poffeflion of all 
 Chriftian churches ; and in the hands of all 
 the learned men who underfland the lan- 
 guage, in the whole world. Why fliou'd 
 thefe inconfiderable alterations be efteem'd 
 prejudicial to the divine authors, or give 
 any doubt, whether we have the genuine 
 writings of St. Matthew, Mark, Sic. any more 
 than fuch liberties and various readings in 
 the noble critics and moralifts ; when they 
 quote and apply to their purpofe paffagts 
 out of the beft and moft antient authors in 
 their own language, give us any fufpicion 
 that we have not the genuine product of 
 thole immortal genius's in their correct and 
 beft editions, now in the hands of all the 
 world ? The learned and excellent editor 
 of Longhwsy lately pubiifh'd, has juftly ob- 
 
 fcrv'd, 
 
258 The Sacred Classics 
 
 ferv'd*, That this is the practice of the! 
 antients, to give the fenfe of the authors 
 they cite; but not to be fcrupuloufly exad 
 in repeating the original word for word. 
 And 'tis plain Longinus, who has occafion 
 to produce abundance of pafTages out of 
 Plato, Herodotus, Demojihenes, Homer, Pin- 
 dar, cXc. never gives us any quotation or 
 example of considerable length in exa&ly 
 the fame words that we find in the prefent 
 editions. Any reader, who defires it, may 
 find inftances and proofs of this in almoft 
 every page of that noble writer. 
 
 The great Plato, Ariftotle, and flutarch, 
 who give you numerous quotations, take the 
 fame liberties, rarely ever confining them- 
 felves to the very words and phrafes of their 
 authors ; but, retaining the fenfe and grand 
 defign of the palfage, they alter, add, and 
 omit fome things in the original. Jriflotk 
 citing a verfe out of Theognis, puts in a 
 
 word; llo?A« clv jjuo$u$ £ fM'yccA.ai — ^jtx/&)$— - 
 
 ept&ir. In another place, inftead of a>as %*%} 
 
 <5V u %«* r » in Euripides, he thus varies it, 
 
 a At* lyu ou^v^v" 1 . 
 
 So 
 
 6 Clar. Pearce Long. Prsf. p. ;, 4. Vide p. 102. 1. zi 
 p. 3;. 1. 14. p. 142. 1. 18. not. p. 14;. 
 
 7 Ariftot. Ethic. Nicomach. 1. 10. c. 9. p. 468. edit. 
 CL Wilkinfon, p. 41/, 426.— 307, 320, 327. That quo- 
 tation 
 
^Defended and Ilhflrated. 239 
 So in another quotation of the fame noble 
 author, inftead of otocv £ 9 Sbujj^v w di$y ti 
 %yr\ (piAaDi 5 the philofopher gives us the exacl: 
 fenfe of the tragedian, without fo nice a re- 
 gard either to the verie or the words, thus, 
 
 Numbers o^ inftances might be produced 
 out of this, and the abovemention'd authors, 
 and feveral others ; but it wou'd be unne- 
 ceflary in fo plain a cafe. 
 
 But wou'd gentlemen of polite parts and 
 found judgment fufpeel: the noble dailies for 
 being fpurious, and not belonging to the 
 authors to whom they are univerfally afcrib'd, 
 upon the account of thefe variations ? Wou'd 
 they throw 'em out of their hands to dull: 
 and obfeurity ? Wou'd they lofe the plea- 
 fureand advantage, either as to civil conducl: 
 and morality, or as to the pure propriety 
 of their language, their good fenfe beauti- 
 fully exprefs'd, their true wit without affec- 
 tation, and their delightful harmony with- 
 
 tation of Hefiod about his daemons in Pkto's Cratyius, 
 p ;97, &c is the fame in fenfe, but differs in feveral 
 words from the belt prefent editions ; '/'vtv.q zn&J^ t»to 
 y,v@~ idLiu {uh% 0ft4Au4.fi, hi uXv Jk'uovzs dyvoi Sfayjtiviot vg.~ 
 h\ vjett- — 't'c&Ao' ei.Kz^iy.a.y.01 zvka-.'m dvmzoy &vQ$u7n*V' Vide 
 Hefiod. Op. Sc Dies, ver. 121, &c« 
 
 out 
 
24° 5The Sacred Classics 
 
 out jingling or effeminacy ? You will find 
 that fuch prizes will fcarce be quitted, un- 
 lefs when they are placed in the hands of a 
 fool. 
 
 There are the fame reafons, and many 
 peculiar to the facred writers of the New 
 Teftament, why found fcholars and Chri- 
 ftians fhou'd not regard the quotations of the 
 fathers as the leaft rea/on, the leaft jhadow 
 of pretence, that thefe moft preclous y moil 
 injlruftive, and entertaining words of eternal 
 life, are either precarious or fpurious, either 
 weaken'd in their fenfe, or tarniuYd in their 
 beauty. No ! every true Chriftian critic 
 knows better than to part with fuch an inefll- 
 mable treafure for a mere trifle y and give up 
 thofe ftrong reafons, and clear proofs of the 
 genuinenefs and infinite value of the facred 
 books to the pertnefs of ihallow novices, 
 the impertinence of noify cavillers, and the 
 infolence and malice of pretended free- 
 thinkers, and atheiftical dictators in learn- 
 ing; who, for all their faucy claims to fu- 
 perior fagacity and skill, will not, by men 
 of modefty and found judgment, be allow'd 
 worthy to fit in any chair y but that of the 
 f corner. The afore-mention'd excellent edi- 
 tor of Longmus with equal modefty and 
 
 juftice 
 
^efeiided and Illujlrated. 241 
 
 juftice diffents from, and reproves two men 
 of learning, on this head. One is the fa- 
 mous ManutiuSy who corrected an excellent 
 manufcript he had of Longinus, and ft ruck 
 out feveral readings, becaufe not word for 
 word agreeing with the bell editions of Ho- 
 mer y Demojlhenes, Re. How ralh and dan- 
 gerous to the commonwealth of letters are 
 fiich arbitrary criticifms, and vain conjec- 
 tures ! The other is a learned writer of our 
 own, too much poffefs'd with the fpirit of 
 innovation, who difpofTefTes old books out of 
 their place in the facred canon, and is for 
 putting in others, more fuited to his turn of 
 head, and way of thinking, in their room. 
 Becaufe fome paffages of the Old Teftament, 
 quoted in the New, are not there render'd 
 word for word, he contrives various read- 
 ings, to fuit better with the prefent reading 
 of the New Teftament. How prefumptuous 
 fuch proceedings are, we leave to judgment. 
 He has been reprimanded and ridiculed by 
 fome of his free-thinking friends for his 
 rafhnefs. Tho' I think thofe gentlemen a 
 little ungrateful, becaufe he has deferv'd very 
 well of them and their caufe in feveral re- 
 fpects. He has been fully and refiftlefly an- 
 fwer'd by the great Carpzovhis of Leif/?c, 
 Vol. II; R tran- 
 
242 The Sacred Classics 
 
 tranilated by Mofes Marcus^ a converted 
 
 Jew\ 
 
 I hope I fhall oblige my reader by giving 
 him the original words 5 Clarijjimus ille, alio- 
 
 qui vir Manutius — -Jibi in animum induxit, 
 
 fuum Longini mamfcriptum errdjje ubicunque 
 exhibuerit loca ex Herodoto, Platone, De- 
 mofthenc, &c. aliis verbis, quam qute iflorum 
 fcriptorum edit tones hodie pro; feferunt. At 
 huic non facile ajjent'wr \ neque enim Longino 
 ant aliis veterum Jeculorum fcriptoribus vide- 
 tar ujttatum fuijje accurate, fideque fatis 
 
 verba citare. Interim vellem hoc cl. noffro 
 
 Whiftono in mentem venijfet\ qui cum non- 
 nulla Ceteris tfeflammti loca inveniat non ver- 
 hum verbo in Novo Tejlamento reddita, aliam, 
 prorfus aliam Jibi V. T. leclionem, qua: cum 
 letl, N. Ti melius conveniat ; mult cum la- 
 bore, nonnulld (versor) cum temeritate ex- 
 
 cogitat 9. 
 
 Tho' 
 
 8 God convert other Jews, and fome zealous proFeflbrs 
 of Chriftianity ! That glorious Defence of the Hebrew 
 Bible is printed for B. Lintot, in 8°. 1719. 
 
 9 D. Pearce in Longin. Praef. p. 3,4. I conclude this 
 feftion with the words of the learned Crojus : Ex hoc 
 patrum more nullas varias leftione-. efle eliciendas, neque 
 conjiciendas in textu iacro ; cum hac ratione in Scriprurae 
 loos defcribendis utantur ; non ex codicum varierate, 
 fed vel e memorije ulu, vel lapfu, vel commentariorum 
 penu ; vel opinione liu, 6c de luo, vel ex ufu G rases lin- 
 gua?, vel ex coniilio & fine, quern ante oculos habent, ut 
 
 Scripture 
 
^Defended and Illuftrated. 245 
 Tho' the fathers and writers of the church 
 did in their popular difcourfes, and tracts of 
 morality, often quote the facred Scriptures by- 
 memory, fometimes according to the words 
 of the facred manufcripts, fometimes in diffe- 
 rent words to the fame fenfe, in all difputes 
 and controverfies they appcal'd to the books 
 repofited in their churches, and in the hands 
 of private Chriftians ; and wou'd not depart 
 from one iota or tittle in thofe precious vo- 
 lumes. They wou'd die rather than deliver 
 up their Bibles to be burnt by pagan ma- 
 lice \ and branded all thofe timorous Chri- 
 flians, who comply'd, with the ignominious 
 name of tradotors\ and the bifhops and go- 
 vernors thought no cenfures or ecclefiaftical 
 punifhments too fevere to be inflicted on 
 fnch unworthy profeffors of Chriftianity ; 
 fuch difhonourable betrayers of fo divine a 
 caufe. 
 
 They were faithful witneffes, and impar- 
 tial reporters of the truth ; had fuch regard 
 to It in their own writings and accounts of 
 our Saviour and his apoftles, and their fuc- 
 
 Scripture verba ad caufam fur.m, aut ad eos, quibufcurri 
 
 agunr, poffint accommodare. Idcmquc omnes, qui 
 
 Scripturje pienitudinem, auSoritacem, atque incorrup- 
 tam veritarem agnofcunr, ad unum videre ik feruiie cre- 
 dimus. De GonfirmaP. Canon. Crec. p. 66. Amftel. 
 Wetften. 
 
 R 2, cefs, 
 
244 ^ oe Sacred Classics 
 
 eels, that no man of common charity and 
 candour can fufpecl, that they were lefs 
 concern'd and careful of the canon and ftan- 
 dard of our moft holy religion. 
 
 Remarkable and pertinent to this purpofe 
 is that paffage of the great bifhop of Lyons, 
 and martyr of Jefus, St. Irenceus, where in 
 the moft prefllng manner he requires every 
 tranferiber of his book to do it with the 
 moll accurate diligence, and awful regard 
 
 to truth : " I adjure you, whoever you 
 
 " are, that mail tranferibe this book, by 
 " our Lord Jefus Chrift, and his glorious 
 " appearance, when he comes to judge 
 " quick and dead, that you wou'd compare 
 u what you have tranferib'd, and correct it 
 " out of this original, from which you have 
 " tranferib'd it, with diligence and accuracy : 
 " And that you wou'd alfo tranferibe this 
 
 " oath, — -form of adjuration, and infert it 
 
 " in your own copy." The fame excellent 
 fervant and champion of Jefus exprefTes his 
 great regard to the facred writings, and 
 found traditions of apoftolical men agreeable 
 to them, in that valuable piece preferv'd by 
 EafebiiiSy in -his application to Florimis, who 
 had laps'd into herefy after he had been in- 
 itruded in the pure do&rines of Chriftianity 
 
 by 
 
'Defended and Illnjt rated. 245 
 by the great Pofycarp, hearer of the beloved 
 *difciple, and other apoftles of our Lord. 
 He reproves his old acquaintance and felldw- 
 diiciple with a charitable and engaging tcn- 
 dernefs, for deferting the doctrines which 
 the admirable man had often and zealouily 
 deliver'd to 'em ; which he had received 
 from the mouths of the apoftles ; they from 
 our Saviour Jefus ; and all exactly agreeable 
 to the lacred Scriptures. 
 
 " I can, fays this excellent perfon, name 
 " both the place, in which the bleffed Poly- 
 " carp fat and difcours'd, likewife his mo- 
 " tions and entrance, the manner of his 
 u living, and the fhape of his body ; like- 
 " wife the difcourfes which he made to the 
 " people ; and how he related his conver- 
 " fation with St. John^ and the reft who 
 " had feen the Lord ; and what he had 
 " heard from them concerning his divine 
 a perfon, miracles, and dodrine. He re- 
 a lated all things confonant to the divine 
 " writings, which he himfelf had receiv'd 
 " from thofe, who had beheld the Word 
 ic of Life. Thefe things, by the mercy of 
 " God granted to me, I attentively hear- 
 4< ken'd to, noting them down, not in paper 
 " only, but in my heart ; and by the grace 
 
 R 3 "of 
 
246 The Sacred Classics 
 
 a of God carefully recoiled, and meditate 
 " op/em'." 
 
 From thefe valuable remains, and other 
 precious monuments of antiquity, we learn 
 how confeientious and pioufly exact the ge- 
 nuine fathers and writers of the church were 
 to tranfmit their accounts of our Saviour and 
 his apoftles, of the doctrines and ufages of 
 primitive Chriftianity to all fucceeding ages, 
 in their original truth and purity. 
 
 And it can be no great excefs of candour 
 and charity to conclude, that they who took 
 inch care and caution of preferving their own 
 writings from interpolation and corruptions, 
 wcu'd be equally careful and diligent in pre- 
 ferving the infpir'd writings, the fubject of 
 their difcourfes, and conftant meditations ; 
 the foundation and ground of all their blelTed 
 hopes and expectations. 
 
 Indeed there was high occafion for all 
 found catholic Chriftians to be extremely 
 watchful over that facred depofitum of Scrip- 
 tures, becaufe in the earlicft times men of 
 proud and loofe tempers role up in great 
 numbers, who fpoke perverfe things, cn- 
 deavour'd to make themfelvcs ringleaders of 
 
 1 D. Grabe in Irenxi Frggm. p. 463, 464. Oxon. 
 
 feels- 
 
'Defended and Illujlrated. 1^7 
 
 feels; and labour'd to bring the pure wri- 
 tings of truth to fpeak in favour of their new 
 and impious doctrines, not only by fore'd 
 and abfurd interpretations, but, where they 
 cou'd, laying facrilegious hands on the 
 Gofpels and Epiftles, by additions, defalca- 
 tions, jumbling and confounding periods, 
 and colons, flriving to alter and debafe the 
 divine text. This we learn from Ireiuens y 
 EpiphaniuSy rfertullian, cXc. But of all the 
 teftimonies we have of the impudence and 
 rage of thefe heretical mifinterpreters and 
 depravers of the heavenly volume, that of 
 St. Peter is the moft fatisfa&ory and remark- 
 able. Pleafe to take it in the facred ori- 
 ginal : 
 
 ftye<&?. Kx^»< x) ctyxm'ns aSiA^os I7aoA©* 
 Kjp r avTzS JcuticTtti' cm^tzv zy^^v vjJlv, as il Iv 
 ira.cy.is tuas b7n cro7~.ee is AaAwV \v ojjjcci's 'E%V 78* 
 iwv, ey oh £h oWyojJTsc TZra, a 01 a^G&s x) &<&- 
 £A-Kiot <j-p?$Ay7ir, as x) vvis Agittxs y £#.$&$} ir^ps 
 
 r lh\CLV ccvrfS CC7T0cAe.CtV % . 
 
 J. 1. How to judge of various readings 
 in our facred books, and to chufe the bell, 
 is the next thing propofed in this difcourfe. 
 
 J iS, Per. iii. 15-, 16. 
 
 R 4 Befides 
 
248 The Sacred Classics 
 
 Befides all the care, helps, and abilities that 
 are required in judging of foreign authors, 
 and fetting right the reading of the old 
 Greek and Lathi dailies, which are, a lbund 
 judgment, skill in the language and cuftoms 
 of the countries and times in which the au- 
 thors wiote and liv'd, comparing cotempo- 
 rary authors, and feveral paffages in diffe- 
 rent writings and places in the lame author, 
 confidering the education, age, temper, and 
 peculiar way and manner of every writer : 
 The divine critic muft have a hearty love 
 to found Chr'ijlianity, an impartial regard to 
 truth and clear reajon, which will give all 
 pofUble caution againft bold amendments, 
 and the dangerous vanity of propofing his 
 own guejps to be put into the text. He 
 ought to have a competent skill in Hebrew, 
 and the nobleft verfions of the Old and New 
 Teftaments, and particularly the verlion of 
 thofe tranflators vulgarly call'd the Septua- 
 gint, comparing the Vatican, Alexandrian, 
 and the common editions, which are fome- 
 times different from thofe two moft beautiful 
 and correct editions, the firft publifh'd by 
 the learned profefTor Bois, the fecond by 
 the excellent Dr. Grabs. Rafhnefs, and want 
 of due qualifications, is here very criminal, 
 
 and 
 
Defended and Ilhjlrated. 249 
 and of mifchievous confequencc. Many 
 rules have been laid down by great critics; 
 one of which, branch/d into its feveral par- 
 ticulars, feems the moft univerlal and ufeful 
 to guide the ftudents and lovers of this fa- 
 cred learning into a juft knowledge and 
 judgment, to fix upon the authentic and 
 original reading. 
 
 That reading which is found in a great 
 majority of the beft and moft antient manu- 
 fcripts, is to be efteem'd as pure and authen- 
 tic. Now the beft manufcripts are thofe 
 which were copy'd out by the moft able and 
 diligent fcribes ; which appears by their 
 accuracy thro* the whole book, and freedom 
 from blunders, and even leffer miftakes in 
 thofe paffages where there are no various 
 readings : and this mult be allow'd by the 
 ftricleft rules of reafon and evidence. And 
 which thofe manufcripts are, which, befides 
 their antiquity, and nearer diftance from the 
 apoftolical times, are the moft exact and 
 pure, every fcholar of judgment may inform 
 himfelf, if he will take pains to fearch into 
 thofe invaluable treafures, and read 'em 
 himfelf; or truft the account we have from 
 the moft honeft, capable, and indefatigable 
 
 fearchers 
 
2 yo The Sacred Classics 
 
 fearchers into thofe great monuments and 
 records of our moft holy religion. 
 
 Here we may defcend lower : That read- 
 ing which is found in a fmall majority of 
 the beft and moft antient manufcripts, is 
 preferable to any other. And fo, fuppofing 
 an equality of manufcripts, both in number, 
 antiquity, and merit, that various reading 
 is to be preferred and retained in the facred 
 text, which gives the truer, clearer, and 
 more emphatical fenfe, more fuited to ante- 
 cedents and confequences, more agreeable to 
 the phrafeology of the divine authors, and 
 the ftyle and manner of that particular writer 
 where 'tis found. When the fenfe is equally 
 clear and conformable to the context, to the 
 analogy of faith, and Scripture language 
 and eloquence, and in all other refpe&s two 
 various readings are found in an equal num- 
 ber of manufcripts of the fame merit, 'tis 
 very indifferent to all the purpofes of religion 
 and criticiim which reading is put in the 
 text, which in the margin. 
 
 We fhall enlarge on thefe matters in the 
 fequel of this differtation, and in the mean 
 time, with regret, mention fome ftrange li- 
 berties that great men have taken in altering 
 the facred text ; which utterly deftroy all 
 
 the 
 
'Defended and Illustrated. 2 5 1 
 
 the rules fupported by the plaineft reafon ; 
 and render the divine writings entirely pre- 
 carious and ufelefs. 
 
 The great Carditis takes too much upon 
 him, when he magifterially lays down that 
 ftrange rule of unheard of latitude and loofe- 
 nefs : That various reading, tho* only de- 
 pending upon guefs, where the fenfe and 
 coherence feem to be better, is always to be 
 chofen. What wou'd become of all our 
 learning and religion, of the facred and com- 
 mon daffies, of the truth of hiftory, and the 
 certainty and ufe of the Go/pel revelation^ if 
 fuch bold men were made perpetual dictators 
 in the republic of letters ! 
 
 The reply of the venerable Ujloer to this 
 fhocking afTertion is juft, and exceffively 
 modeft : " Where various readings in all 
 " other refpecls are of equal value and au- 
 " thority, that is to be preferr'd which pro- 
 " duces a better fenfe, and more fuitable to 
 " the context, and connexion of the argu- 
 " ment 3 ." 
 
 From this it appears, that feveral great 
 and good men have taken very unjustifiable 
 liberties, when, to advance fome favourite 
 notions, they have demanded a place in the 
 
 3 Dr. Walton's Confiderator confider'd, c. 6. p. 97, 96. 
 
 facred 
 
%<}% The Sacred Classics 
 
 facred original text for a word, which is ei- 
 ther an arbitrary amendment of their own 
 imagination, or found only in one or a few 
 books. 
 
 The great Grottus and Erafmus are ex- 
 ceflive faulty upon this head, and may be 
 convicled of this prefumption ( I believe we 
 may call it) in almoft every page of their 
 annotations. The former of thefe learned men 
 ftrikes out 6 dyxTm^ns vjjjftf a'&Apo?, as the 
 addition of fome bigotted copy ill:, who had 
 a mind to give reputation and apoftolical 
 authority to the fecond epiftle of St. ^Peter, 
 which had by fome people been contro- 
 verted, tho' all the manufcripts, as Dr. Mills 
 acknowledges, retain thofe words 4 . 
 
 Erafmus expunges the panicle on in that 
 pafTage I Cor. xii. 15. 'Est? enry eras, qti 
 ax. hfjl %&?<i vk e 'w> &k t£ ovou&i©*^ as fuper- 
 fluous } but if it be fuperfluous, or rather, 
 pleonaftical, 'tis an elegant pleonafmus, ufed 
 by Plato and the pureft Greek writers, as 
 we have fhewn ; and 'tis omitted only in 
 one manufcript. 
 
 That celebrated pafTage Rom. ix. 5. is fo 
 clear a proof of our Saviour's eternal divi- 
 
 4 2$. Pet. iii. ijv Dr. Mills In loc. Poll SynopC 
 
 nity, 
 
^Defended and fflajlrated. 255 
 tiity, that all endeavours have been ufed to 
 pervert it from its natural fenfc, and un- 
 forc'd meaning, by the enemies of that ejfen- 
 tial doctrine. We have formerly mentioned 
 the intolerable liberty that two commenta- 
 tors and critics of fame have taken to wrefl 
 away this text from the church, by turning 
 the latter part into an abrupt and unaccoun- 
 table thankfgiving. 
 
 J Tis very vifible, that this text lies very 
 heavy upon gentlemen of fuch principles, 
 by their aukward pains and ftruggles to get 
 rid of it. In order to which, they guefs, 
 and fancy (I had almoft faid, without either 
 common fenfe or modefty) with all wildnefs 
 and confufion, in contradiction not only to 
 their friends, but their felves. Grotius is 
 very fcverely reflected on, for rafhly aver- 
 ring that the word Qex was not in the moll 
 valuable Syrlac verfion. But 'tis demon- 
 ftrable, his aifertion is contrary to flagrant 
 fact ; the word ©go's is not only in the Syriac> 
 but all the old copies and verfions. 
 
 Erafmus offers to depreciate the original 
 reading by a faulty edition of St. Cyprian 
 and St. Hilary i which he himfelf owns, 
 might be thro' the negligence of tranfcribers. 
 This learned man fays, he had met with one 
 
 faulty 
 
254 %"h e Sacred Classics 
 
 faulty edition which had not the word God, 
 but acknowledges it was in all the other 
 manuicripts; and ftill is zealous for this fpu- 
 rious various reading* We may juftly ask 
 here, Where is judgment and confiftency? 
 as father Simon, carrying it harder againft the 
 fame great fcholar, cries out, When is Jin- 
 cerity ? 
 
 Curcelltzus, and moft gentlemen of his turn 
 of thought, will, againft all the manufcripts, 
 llrike out the offenfive and obnoxious word. 
 Tho' one of the moft learned amongft the 
 Unitarians (as they fancifully call them- 
 felves) acknowledges the whole pafTage to 
 belong to our blelTed Saviour, and with juft 
 flight rejects that ftupid criticifm. If the 
 words had been intended of Chrift, the 
 Greek wou'd have been o$ wV, and not o m : 
 the juft contrary of which is the truth , o &>V 
 is the fame as U 'Qx, but as m requires a 
 verb, which in this cafe is neither put down 
 in the fentence, nor can poffibly be under- 
 ftood. Beza admires at the boldnefs of this 
 violent interpretation, and juftly pronounces 
 it a violation of the Greek idiom. 
 
 The famous Racovian catechifm acknow- 
 ledges the words of this text in their natural 
 order, without any various reading or arbi- 
 trary 
 
^Defended and Illujlrated. 255 
 
 trary pointing, and groundlefs diftin&ion ; 
 and afTerts, that in its full fenfe, and ftrongeft 
 meaning, it ought to be apply'd to Jefus the 
 Meflias. How far thofe gentlemen invali- 
 date their own concellions, contradict their 
 own aflertions, and make a mere trifle of 
 thofe honours they pretend to pay to our 
 Saviour, docs not concern this argument, 
 but may fully be made out to their difho- 
 nour, in my opinion, and the juft horror 
 and indignation of found Chriftians, out of 
 the foremention'd celebrated book, which 
 refines upon the old Gofpel, and is a fort 
 of new canon for this fed of modern 
 Chriftians »• 
 
 A wor- 
 
 5 Vide Poll Synopf. in loc. Rom. ix. f. Di\ Stilling- 
 fleet's Vindication of the Trinity, cap. 8. § 7. p. 15-5. 
 1697. Dr. Mills in loc. 
 
 Cultus religiofus foli Deo omnis debetur — non modo 
 fummo honoris gradu, fed nee inferior!, qui modo religio- 
 fus fit, licet quenquam afficere praeterD^w; non folum 
 autem eft Filius Dei unigenitus, fed etiam — jam turn Deus 
 fuit. Cui ficut Deo— Patri — omnia parebant, & cui di- 
 vina adoratio exhibeatur. Cum Deus fit per omnia bene- 
 diftus in fecula. — Illi demum Chriftiani lunt, qui Jefum 
 divina ratione colunt. — Ipfe Deus divinam fuam caele- 
 ftemque majefratem cum illo communicavif. 
 
 And yet, notwithftanding all thele plaufible conceflions, 
 thefe fame refined Chriftians, and fair arguers, in fome 
 other places unfay all they fay here, and in numerous paf- 
 fages : They deny our Saviour to be partaker of the Di- 
 vine Nature, and with the moil lhameful impudence, 
 fe!f contradiction, and blafphemy, fink him to the rank 
 of a mere creature. Leflsfs 2d Soein. Controy. p 218, 
 
 219, 
 
2 5 6 The Sacred Classics 
 
 A worthy gentleman, who has lately 
 obliged the publick with an edition of the 
 Greek Teftament without the grammatical 
 accents, and with an Englifb tranflation or 
 paraphrafe, with critical obfer vations on the 
 canon and various readings, has entertain'd 
 us with a very curious and edifying remark 
 on this facred palTage under our hands : 
 " Some of the learned ( he does not pleafe 
 to name any of them) u have thought, that 
 6 cav ihould be tranfpos'd to £v o, in cor- 
 
 refpondence to the preceding a v a vto<fh- 
 
 dx, ol -m-rapes, &c. — -according to which 
 reading the fenfe wou'd be, The adop- 
 tion, &c. was theirs, the patriarchs were 
 theirs, Chrifl is defcended from their pro- 
 " genitors, and God was theirs: Which is 
 " an ingenious emendation, and wou'd eafily 
 <c be admitted, if it cou'd be authoriz'd by 
 " any manufcripts 5 ." 
 
 How ingenious an emendation is, among 
 found critics is feldom the enquiry, but how 
 well fupported, how juft, how agreeable to 
 the ftyle of the writer ; and here to the ana- 
 
 219, &c. Vide Dr. Bull's Prim. & Apoftol. Tradition, de 
 Jefu Chrifti Divinitate, p. 32, 33, 34, 35-, 36. Aurea. 
 Lond. 1703. 
 
 6 New Teft. in Greek and Englifh, Note on Rom. 
 ix. f. p. 5-90. 
 
 logy 
 
 it 
 it 
 it 
 
 it 
 
 it 
 
 a 
 
"Defended and MuJlratecL 1)7 
 
 iogy of faith. Who thofe credulous gentle- 
 men are, who wou'd eafily admit it, the faga- 
 cious reader will eafily guefs. But we may- 
 be permitted humbly to ask, how many, and 
 what fort of manufcripts theie complaifant 
 critics wou'd require to advance this ingeni- 
 ous emendation, to the honour of their appro- 
 bation and iuffrage, and merit a place in the 
 facred original text? 
 
 Wou'd two or three, or any fmall num- 
 ber, be fufficient to determine the judgment 
 of thefe impartial gentlemen againft a great 
 majority of books ? Wou'd they give the 
 preference to the moft modern * corrupt, and 
 trifling ?nanufcripts, before the noble ft monu- 
 ments of antiquity, of incontefled and iniiver- 
 fal value? But before we mall finifh this 
 little piece, we, perhaps, may have oppor- 
 tunity to return this ingenious editor and 
 critic our due thanks and acknowledgments 
 for his learned labours ; and to take the li- 
 berty modeftly to ask him a few queftions, 
 for our fuller fatisfaction : At preient we 
 take our leave. 
 
 'Tis a little furprizing, and much to be 
 
 lamented, that feveral great fcholars and 
 
 grave commentators on the New Teftament 
 
 fhou'd, out of bigotry, and affectation of 
 
 Vol. II. S novelty, 
 
25 8 The Sacred Classics 
 
 novelty, and unheard-of fchemes and no- 
 tions, fo egregioufly neglect and trample on 
 this rule, and prefer one or two to great 
 numbers of eftabliuYd integrity; nay, boldly 
 bring in a favourite word, to fuit an hypo- 
 thecs, which cannot be found in any one 
 book in the world. The famous Curcellczus 
 has puzzled himfelf and reader with a col- 
 ledion of various readings, without telling 
 you whence he had 'em, or whether from 
 manufcripts or printed copies ; and therefore 
 not one of thole readings is of any value. 
 This learned Unitarian owns, in his preface 
 to his Greek Teftament, that he had inter- 
 mingled with his other obfervations fome 
 amendments of Stephens y and others, by pure 
 guefs and imagination. A nice method of 
 preferving authors, and keeping 'em up as 
 near as pofTible to their original purity 7 ! 
 
 The learned and Chriftian world are 
 obliged to the reverend and excellent Dr. 
 Mill for his great work of the (Prolegomena^ 
 
 7 Doctls quibufdam oborta eft fufpiclo ex cricicls ali- 
 cuoc fere in hunc finem collegiile, & coacervafle le&iones 
 futiles fsepe & orthographicas, uc fidem Teftamenti fu- 
 Ipettam facerent ; vel falcem iftam libertatem obrinerent 
 ex quocunque codice adiumendi lettionem, qua ipfis 
 eorumque dogm&ribus convenhet quam maxime. G. D. 
 prolegomena ad N. T. edir. Wetften. 1711. de Colleft, 
 "Vide p. 20. Vide eriam Canonem Critic 13. p. 12. 
 Vide Scephan. Curcell. Prxfat. ibidem, p. 74, 75. & 
 per cotani. 
 
 and 
 
^Defended and Illuftrated. 259 
 
 and his collection of the various readings of 
 the New Teftament; a work o[ cxcciTive 
 pains, and great advantage ! His adveriary 
 feems to charge him too fevercly with giv- 
 ing a handle to Qapijls and atheifts to ridi- 
 cule, depreciate, and render precarious the 
 facred text, by his enormous heaps of diffe- 
 rent readings. But, as a friend of the au- 
 thor, of pious memory, has juftly obferv'd, 
 " Surely thefe various readings exifted be- 
 " fore in the feveral exemplars ; Dr. Mill 
 " did not make and coin them ; he only ex- 
 " hibited them to our view. If religion 
 K therefore was true before, tho' fuch vari- 
 " ous readings were in being, it will be as 
 u true, and confequently as fafe, ftili, tho' 
 " every body fees them K* 
 
 Dr. Mill has merited great praifes in very 
 dexteroufly collecting and comparing parallel 
 places, in explaining feveral difficult texts^ 
 and producing fele£l paffages out of themoft 
 judicious fathers, which iliuflrate the divine 
 writings. He has wrefted feveral texts out 
 of the violent hands of innovators, and pre- 
 fumptuous critics. He has excellently de- 
 fended and eftablimed the genuine reading 
 
 8 Dr. Whitby Partitio- Open's poll: Prolegom. ad edir, 
 Wetften. p. 8z. Phileleutherus Lipllerif. Lett; 1. §.51- 
 p.64. 
 
 S 2 in 
 
260 The Sacred Classics 
 
 in moft of thofe places, which Era/mus, Gro- 
 
 tius, and the Socimans have attempted to 
 pervert from the orthodox fenie, by bold 
 gueffes, and rafh amendments ; by peevifh 
 cavils, and citations of frivolous and incom- 
 petent evidence 9 . 
 
 Three things are juftly charg'd upon this 
 great man, which cannot be excufed : i . He 
 falls feverely upon the phrafeology and lan- 
 guage of the divine writers of the New Tefta- 
 ment, which he affirms to be full of ible- 
 cifms, &c. But how far he was from making 
 this rafh charge good, I think, the intelligent 
 reader will acknowledge, has been made 
 pretty plain in the jirft volume. 
 
 i. The learned do£lor has too minutely 
 collected the abfurdities and blunders, falle 
 ipellings, and inaccurate quotations found in 
 manuicripts, printed books, and verfions of 
 the Greek Teftament, which found critics 
 allow unworthy to be receiv'd or mention'd 
 as various readings of any value or confe- 
 quence. But in this there is no danger ; he 
 
 9 Vide Partit. Operis Whitbeiani, p. 82. Dr. Mill, 
 on Rom. ix. f. 1 Tim. in. ult. 1 S. Joh. v. 7, &c. 
 Which laft mention'd noble pallage, tho' too tamely given 
 up to the clamour and confidence of fome adverfaries, 
 yec is vigorously defended by this author, and more 
 largely by Mr. Martins Critical DifTertation, Lond. 171 9. 
 and his Defence of it againft Mr. Emlyn, Lond. 1719. 
 A piece of realbning not to be refitted, in my humble 
 opinion. 
 
 has 
 
'Defended and Illaftrated. 1 6 1 
 
 has only given himfelf the trouble of col- 
 lecting and writing that, which 'tis in the 
 power of every one to fave himfelf the trou- 
 ble of reading or regarding. 
 
 3. His reigning fault is indulging bold 
 conjectures, correcting the facred text after 
 the model of the Italic verjion, and cfta- 
 biiihing a favourite reading, and turning out 
 of the divine canon a genuine and well- 
 fupported word or expreflion, without any 
 authority at all, or upon one book; and 
 that very often neither antient, nor any way 
 valuable. This is very certain, from his 
 long and laborious preface to his fine edition 
 of the Greek Teftament; and, I think, his 
 antagonift has a vail advantage over him: 
 whole words the reader will pleafe to take 
 in the original, and not think the quotation 
 improper to the prefent purpofe : Neque ilLe 
 inter variantes ktf tones recenfendje ejjent, quce 
 a manujeriptis codicibus fere omnibus^ & an- 
 tiquis verjion'ibiiSy plenoque omnium confenju, 
 dijfentlunt & dijerepant. 
 
 Has enim ft admijeris, qua? nam nllibi reji- 
 ciendce forent ? Sex cent is autem in locis lectio- 
 nem quandam ex fide folius Italics, Coptics, 
 ./Ethiopicae, genuinam ejp afferit — Millius — 
 contra omnium codicum, aut fere omnium fidem, 
 S 3 contra 
 
i6z The Sacred Classics 
 
 contra verjtones omnes ; reclamantibus etiam 
 ijlis fatribas, qui locum ilium allegnrunt^ ad 
 unum omnibus 1 . 
 
 For inftance, on that pafTage of St. John's 
 Gofpel, ch. vii. i, Ov fi nftexev h T>i 'Itttkia. 
 t&fTnDitv, this learned man boldly puts in 
 &w inftead of %$vtev 9 as the pure original, 
 contrary to all verfions and manufcripts; 
 and after £%ev adds VZpoiav, which Erafmus 
 and Groi'ius think, fome nice people chang'd 
 into ZStXev, becaufe they imagin'd that the 
 other reading imply'd a difparagement of 
 our Saviour's power *. 
 
 Dr. Mill like wife, as he imagines, has 
 gather'd fbme genuine and precious readings 
 out of the very dirt and rubbijh of herefy ; 
 and, in near twenty places, has, upon his 
 own head, and unsupported conje&ure, ad-? 
 vanced alterations found in blafphemous 
 books, and forg'd gofpels, into the facred 
 original text. It has been computed, that this 
 learned and laborious gentleman has, upon 
 the fole foundation of his own fancy and 
 guefs, endeavoured to difpolTefs at leaft two 
 thoufand found and antient readings in all 
 
 1 Dr. Whitby Parclt. Operls totlus, ante Ex. var. left, 
 p u. col. z. Dr. Mill. Proleg. a p. 42. aJp.48. 
 
 1 Idem. ib. p. 36, Sec. Dr. Whitby Partit. Op. ante 
 Examen var. led. p. 11. col. 2. 
 
 good 
 
'Defended and Illujlrated. 161 
 
 good manufcripts, and printed copies, out of 
 their place in the facred text. In the cpiftle 
 of St. Pofycarf, in which he owns paffages 
 of holy Scripture to be unaccurately cited, 
 he finds two readings that he much prefers 
 to the common and eftablifh'd text. One is, 
 i St. John iv. 3. where upon the authority 
 of that father, who, in his judgment, cites 
 it by memory, he contends that lfr.viXv$<ytvu 
 fhou'd give place to eA»Au$*Va*, upon a few 
 and incompetent authorities againft one hun- 
 dred and twenty manufcripts. The other 
 place is, Alts ii. 24. where he changes 
 SawtTB into ctJy, upon the authority of two 
 manufcripts, three verfions, two fathers, 
 againft a great number of fathers, and tran- 
 flators, and above one hundred and twenty 
 manufcripts. 
 
 Not to infift on the preference that found 
 criticifm muft give to the old reading, as to 
 propriety, and the fuperior force and cm- 
 phafis of its meaning : to fay that Chrift 
 was loos'd from the pains of death, is more 
 natural and beautifully fignificant here, than 
 that he was loos'd from hell, or the grave. 
 The death of Chrift more clearly exprejjes y 
 and more forcibly conveys to our devout me- 
 ditations the great atonement made by the 
 S 4 precious 
 
264 T*he Sacred Classics 
 
 precious pajjions and facrijice of the adorable 
 Ranfomer of human race ; and all the branches 
 and bleffings of his Mediatorial office. So 
 that the iacred text ought for ever to Hand, 
 as it is by reafon and a grand majority of 
 books confirm'd and eftablifh'd : 'Gv 6 Qeos 
 ct,veq-va? 9 a vans vu,s oodivcc, TV cjr/j/ctTK, v s g.<$o f n 
 Ix. r\v SIivoctxiV x&LTziSrou vj.nnv -\sar ejjz£. But 
 
 'tis time to proceed to another matter. 
 
 $.3. To make a better and clearer judg- 
 ment of the nature and value of the various 
 readings of the New Teftament, 'tis requi- 
 fite to confider the different learning, temper, 
 way, and qualifications of the tranfcribers 
 and copyifls of thofe infinitely valuable vo- 
 lumes. The character and way of the tran- 
 fcriber occafions the variety of the readings ; 
 and we at once fee the man, and the book. 
 
 In general 'tis to be confider'd, that thefe 
 librarians were, before the invention of print- 
 ing, of a trade or profeffion, and liv'd by 
 their hand. Therefore there wou'd be as 
 much difference in their performances, as in 
 the workmanfhip of other tradefmen and 
 artifans. 
 
 1. Some appear to have been eager to 
 finifh their volume, and impatient to receive 
 
 their 
 
^Defended and lUujlrated. 265 
 
 their pay- 2« Others were nice and curious 
 to keep their writing clean, and free from 
 rafures, and their character fair and beauti- 
 ful. So the firft did not take fufficient tiir.e 
 and care to make their copies correct and 
 accurate : the ethers, if miftaken, wou'd 
 not correct the errors of the writing, for 
 fear of blemifhing the beauty of the cha- 
 racter, and the neatnels of the book. 
 3. Probably fome few might wilfully falfify 
 ibme pafTages, to iavour a peculiar notion 
 of their own, and gratify the bigotry of the 
 perfons who employ'd them. 4. Some were 
 ignorant, and did not competently under- 
 ftand the language of the book they were 
 tranferibing. 5. Others were very con- 
 ceited of their luperior abilities, and imagi- 
 nary excellencies; and ib took upon them to 
 be pert crltici/ers and fancy correctors of the 
 original before them, inftead of faithful and 
 judicious tranferibers. 
 
 As to defign'd alterations of the facred 
 text, and wicked arts of falfification, to ferve 
 perverfe notions, and private opinions; 'tis 
 plain to him that views the various readings, 
 and judicioufly coniiders the characters of 
 the feveral books, there are very few. Thefe 
 frauds could not affect the text, or do any 
 
 publick 
 
i66 The Sacred Classics 
 
 publick mifchief j becaufe genuine copies of 
 the divine canon were carefully preferv'd in 
 the private hands of many found and learned 
 Chriftians ; in publick libraries ; and the 
 archives and regifters of all the Chriftian 
 churches in the world. We may, perhaps, 
 fay fomething more on this head in another 
 place, and fhall only now prefent the reader 
 with the obfervation of Mr. Le Clerc on this 
 fubjed : Nee eft putandum dejuijje inter 
 Chriftianos, ex quocunque grege fuerint y qui 
 
 ejujhwdi fraudes admitterent. Ex quibas 
 
 judicare licebit, non tintim fuijfh falfarium y 
 inter eos, qui codices fac ros olim defcribebant\ 
 quamvis nequaqnam pafla fuerit divina pro- 
 videntia eorum depravationes religioni no- 
 cere K 
 
 I proceed a little more particularly to 
 confider the other occafions of various read- 
 ings, drawn from the different diipofitions, 
 character, and manner of the librarians ; 
 which will enable every diligent confiderer, 
 in a great meafure, to form a fure judgment 
 upon all fuch. alterations; and fuccefsfully 
 chufe and adhere to the pure and original 
 reading. 
 
 3 M. Le Clerc Ar. Critk pais ;• §. i. cap. 14. torn. 2. 
 p. 98, &c. 
 
 I. Negli- 
 
^Defended and Illuftrated. t6j 
 
 I. Negligence and inattention of tran- 
 fcribers, appears to be the occafion of foul 
 miftakes and blunders in many books. That 
 omiflion in Cohffli. 14. is of antient date, 
 <$W «3? auj&l(& a'*JT«, are not found in fome 
 verfions ; but are in a great number of the 
 belt, books ; and being added to the word 
 ^odAutc^otj' give a ftronger and more empha- 
 tical defcription of that blejftd myjlery. Omif- 
 fion of any necefTary word or expreffion ar- 
 gues the carelefnels of the writer, more 
 than addition, or any other alteration : 
 Omlffio magis quam addltto ant mutatio arguit 
 ofe'ttantiam defer ipt or is 4 . 
 
 In that noble paffage of St. feter, 'HSbvw 
 ryvyfyjoi r ev rtjjjpcc Tpv^nv t yiyvfxtyjoi turn'd into 
 ohryBpfyot in the manufcript mark'd Laud 2. 
 entirely ruins the fenie of the holy writer ; 
 and betrays extreme carelefnels and abfence 
 of thought in the tranferiber 5. 
 
 The learned John Crojus, in his obferva- 
 tions on the New Teftament, obferves, that 
 the librarians or copyifts writ out the facred 
 text in hafte, and without care and attention; 
 and from thence fome letters (he might 
 have added, words ) were dropt, added, or 
 
 4 De Confirmat. Can. Cric in Proleg. ad Grxc. Tefl. 
 Wetften. 1711. Amftel. p. 5-3. 
 
 5 2SPec. ii. 13. Confirm. Can. p. 57. 
 
 chang'd; 
 
268 The Sacred Classics 
 
 changed ; and gives feveral inftances, parti- 
 cularly Revel, xv. 6. where in the Alexan- 
 drian manufcript, and the Vulgate, by an 
 unaccountable miftake, inftead of hhX^^oi 
 "Kivov y&Svtgpi/ x) XoLVLTn-yi , we are furpriz'd 
 with that prodigy of a various reading, hh- 
 
 It was a ftrange negligence, not to fay 
 flupidity, in tiie writer of the old and valu- 
 able manufcript entitled Codex Cantab, to 
 add a negative to that gracious declaration 
 of our Saviour in St. Matt, xviii. 20. in 
 which he promifes, that when two or three 
 are gathered together in his name, he will be 
 with them: 'Tis nup oU « et/uu, inftead of 
 the pure original, ex.it elfA lv yjaoo -jjjtff. 
 
 The fame tranfcriber in another place is 
 guilty of an egregious abfurdity and contra- 
 diction to the meaning and defign of our 
 bleffed Lord, who upbraids the obftinatc 
 fcribes and pharifees for rejecting the preach- 
 ing and teftimony of his great fore-runner 
 St. John the Baptifl\ when the mo ft profli- 
 gate finners fincerely repented, were convert- 
 ed by his powerful doctrine, and convinced 
 by his moft credible evidence : In this book 
 I is left out before jM-jjutAnSnn vq*e°pv 6 , 
 
 6 S. Matt. xxi. ;2. Vide Le Clerc Ar. Crit. pars;, 
 
 P- 44> 4f » 46 
 
 2. Igno- 
 
^Defended and IUuJl -rated 269 
 2. Ignorance, and want of (ufficient skill 
 in the idiom and dialects of the Greek lan- 
 guage, have occafion'd many miftakes, and 
 trifling various readings. 
 
 The tranferiber of the famous Alexandrian 
 manufcript appears to be very honeft, and 
 faithful ; but not to be perfectly acquainted 
 with the genius of the Greek. Among feve- 
 ral inftances of this, take the following: In 
 St. Matt. xxv. 10. the true reading is Ito*^*, 
 but the copyift, fearing it might be falfe 
 grammar, put in the room of it Iin/-^/ : 
 which was a very weak and ungrounded 
 fcruple. 'Tis according to the Att'ic dialect, 
 frequently ufed by the facred writers ; as 
 particularly, we have in this fame divine 
 parable, nuxp<Svpoi (p^pviygi, and cci (pepn/ngi : 
 in St. Paul, ooiys %£e&s* which in the Ge- 
 neva manufcript is, with equal ignorance, 
 chang'd into oaiou. Of the writer of which 
 book Dr. Mill gives this character; Scriba, 
 quijqu'is 1 lie fait, ?jr.??.iy&L(p(&. licet, videtur 
 fuiffe Ungate Greece ignarus, & haad parum 
 of it an s 7 . 
 
 To what we have advanced in the former 
 volume, give me leave to tranferibe a paflage 
 out of Herodotus to the prefent purpofe : 
 
 7 Ver. 2, 4. 1 Tim. ii. 8. Dr. Mill. Proleg. p. \66. 
 
 'ArA 
 
270 The Sacred Classics 
 
 'Aj"tj q zv-aL'TXjV veouv friyyycnou ait STOiygi eozvjau 
 cL\\g. tJ tag/. 8 . 
 
 3. Affectation of extraordinary learning, 
 and being efteem'd a notable critic and fcho- 
 lar of deep penetration, conceit and felf- 
 fufficiency have produc'd feveral impertinent 
 alterations from the facred text. 
 
 The true original of that very beautiful 
 paflage of St. *&aul y 1 Cor. xii. 25. fupported 
 by a great majority of the bell books, is this ; 
 
 Ira ^w >i cyicjxct, ev TW aw/u.au, a. Ma to cvj'o vcjp 
 
 aAAwAwv \xngj.\Lvu)oi to) ju^'Ajj : Where the tran- 
 fcriber of 6V. Germans manufcript, to fhew 
 his learning, prefents his reader with yjto/^va,^ 
 inftead of pjc&pvwai. And, probably, for the 
 fame fame reafon, %Io]a<x. is chang'd into 
 q/{o}jLct]<Zy in fome other manufcripts. 
 
 But that fjtt&fjivvo-i <ro) jMhvi is as good Greek j 
 tho' not fb commonly ufed as we^va. t» ju*Aw, 
 and expreflions in the fame form, has been 
 already prov'd. 
 
 The copyifts are fbmetimes vainly and 
 impertinently officious in explaining words, 
 which they efteem difficult, by words more 
 eafy and familiar. They for want of under- 
 ftanding figurative grammar, and entering 
 into the fecret beautks of writings fupply 
 
 • Herod, s- P -97- 
 
 paiTages 
 
'Defended and Illuft rated. 27 1 
 pafiages which feem to them deficient ; and 
 with the lame facrilegious prefumption lop 
 off thofe, which they as weakly judge fuper- 
 fluous. In St. Matt. xxv. 18. after h 9 tegAcu- 
 t,v is added, even in the Alexandrian manu- 
 fcript, to explain a matter, that every man in 
 his fenfes mult needs know. Putting etcip- 
 h]<j2 inftead of iTninri in the genuine original, 
 ver. 1 6. of Matt. xxv. which has poffefs'd 
 feveral manufcripts and tranflations, was with 
 a defign to explain what was perfectly clear 
 and eafy before. 
 
 In the Cambridge manuscript, prefented by 
 Beza to that univerfity, v^ccvlo <E>?$/x:aAaV 
 rt/jfaV, a very ufual and agreeable pleonafmus, 
 is, for explication fake, vainly and audaci- 
 ously alter'd into xj ^nxpzy^Ayv cujjov n'cc dnrix- 
 9^i, in St. Mark v. 17. where, I think, Dr. 
 Mill miftakes in putting Vulg. after Cant. 
 as if that verfion and the Geneva manufcript 
 agreed in this alteration ; whereas we find in 
 that famous verfion the original pleonafmus 
 retain'd \ Et rogare coeperunt eitm y at difce- 
 deret a jinibus eorum 9 . 
 
 In 
 
 9 ""bzyouat TnttyY&xZv, for plain Trctyt^w, is no unele- 
 gant way of expreifion in the beft languages and authors : 
 
 In Theocritus we have a "ri yi^.ifiv 'A^iC^i.- 
 
 &tiod tui honoris gratia cantabo. So the Greek tranfla- 
 
 tors of the Hcbrtw verity,— ~ KujirnvTiv, — o&ios, — #ari 
 
 W, Ivy 
 
272 The Sacred Classics 
 
 In ver. i 5. of the v. chap, of the above- 
 nam'd evangelift, we have a very glorious 
 paffage, grand, and full of majefty ; Kai 
 
 juuyuav '/cA^v.y.G!', fc/ ij^Uer/^yjoy, x^ ax(pepvvv\ot 9 T 
 
 efysy)%g<rtb t Ae^^a, ^ ecpo/Sttrdii.'w. Some tran- 
 fcribers and ihiail critics imagin'd, that lyy 
 7tJ<m, r ?e^oovcc was fuperfluous, being in 
 effect contain'd in the preceding word Sbuy^- 
 vi^oyfyjop. 'Tis wanting indeed, in one of 
 Robert Stephens's iixteen manulcripts, Cant. 
 Wech. Cod. Fetujlif. Colb. 1. Vulgate verf, 
 but is in a great majority of the beft manu- 
 fcripts, and in the oriental verlions \ 
 
 So this noble pleonaimus fecures its place 
 in the facred text by fufficient authority, and 
 full proof. But what man of judgment, 
 tafte, or ear, cou'd endure that e^u^a r 
 Ae^ftwra fhou'd be dropt out of this grand 
 paffage ; which fo glorioufly raifes the fenfe, 
 and heightens the amplification ? Several 
 
 mLvJav $S tp^uv dviv, 2>v vp^ct)) o Qioi 7nt»acu : Which is 
 exactly the lame as the verl'e next before it ; Kctt yj^imvin 
 th i (W4prt th iCJo(A-i onto mflav ffi ipyvvi *"' fc^iM^- 
 
 1 They all retain the repetition; the Perfian, Syriac, 
 and Arabic, with the diftinttion of the original; only 
 in the ./Ethiopic the fame words translate both <r Jiu/M- 
 tiQovfyov and <r \y\wjs-TU. <f \i)*c.covcL, quart daemon prehendijfet ; 
 which fpoils the emphafis, and makes it look much like 
 a tautology, and to be a faint tranflation of the vigorous 
 original. 
 
 miferable 
 
'Defended and IHuftr cited. 273 
 miferable people had been heal'd, and deli- 
 ver'd from the pofieffion of a devil, by our 
 Lord's divine power and goodnefs. Mary 
 Magdalene was releas'd and deliver'd from 
 
 o 
 
 feven of thefe infernal inmates. But the 
 poor wretch here, was pofTeis'd and diftra&ed 
 not with one, or feven, cXc. but a legion, a 
 Lirge hoft, a formidable army of mod mali- 
 cious, fierce, and tormenting fiends. How 
 mij'erable the cafe of the demoniac ! how 
 infinitely powerful, how miraculoujly merci- 
 ful, his divine Deliverer and Saviour ! Be- 
 fides, take away this wondrous fignificant 
 and harmonious amplification out of this 
 awful and lively defcription or image, and 
 you check the vigour, and noble run; tar- 
 nifh the beauties, and leflen the graces of 
 as full, fpright ly, and well-founding a period, 
 as any in the moft valuable and admir'd 
 authors of Greece and Rome. 
 
 The repetition of crC-r, and pronouns 
 equivalent, is very frequent in Hebrew, the 
 Septuagint Greek, the New Tefcament, the 
 claflic Greek and Latin authors, and, I be- 
 lieve, all languages ; efpecially in larger 
 fentences and periods ; and does not want 
 its emphafis : yet the emphatical c?Cr is left 
 out, as fuperfluous and faulty, in a few 
 
 Vol. If. T books ; 
 
274 Fhe Sacred Classics 
 
 books ; Alex. Barb, i . Colb. 7. Gen. Fuk. 
 Syr. Fer. and the latter &J- is omitted by 
 the transcriber of the manufcript Cant. 2. in 
 that paffage of St. James ch. i. 25. r Q -A <%& - 
 
 gj-'v'j -jcls &$ vofjgv Tt'Aciov r "f ?kwj$5'£jt.a,$. 'A 
 r^ccjj£iyy.i, cwtr fcx. a. y. qjiolitm 'Qr.Ayaixo'Jr.i /}.-'" 
 
 <7n>wV« aoi« eq-at. Erafmus unfupported, of 
 his own conjecture, has with great boldnefs 
 chang'd the genuine word into S^hus and to 
 encourage and favour his own ram guefs, 
 has thus pointed the palfage, rLzfepftlvUs lias, 
 
 For which word £&Xjjajko$?, the writer of 
 Stephens's 13th manufcript, and Coy. 4. have 
 very officioufly oblig'd their gentle reader 
 with a glofs or more intelligible word of 
 their own, 'Qnkriopctei'. 
 
 We have in the former volume prov'd fuch 
 repetition of thefe words to be pure and 
 claflical ; and mall add one or two more out 
 of a pure and polite old Grecian ; ToTs 3 -&$> 
 
 yaj&f, TSTTJi5 iSijjXctv Tiu.l/jj dnibv&tp.c(,v. And in 
 another place of the fame author, fam'd for 
 the propriety and elegance of his ftyle, we 
 find, [Ey w mis ^rro^cus, tv dis dvjol Shvu^eua- 
 
 oty. 
 
fief ended and III ujt rated. 275 
 
 civ, rY rxUTctiS rth<r ccv icbeiv ci'Trxyfcti oilxl T»j 
 TivAncxc, 2 . 
 
 In one book quoted in the JYcchel'ian edi- 
 tion of the New Teftament, between the 8th 
 and jjth verfes of St. Mark's laft chapter, 
 iome bold tranferiber has thruft in a pretty 
 large addition, which the vain and trifling 
 mortal might imagine, wou'd fupply the de- 
 ficiencies of the evangelical hiftory, and add 
 new graces to the flyle. This it is • Pa'iTa, 
 
 c/tyyleiAxv y.STUi 3 tew to. Xj cwlos I;jo"*s ^ctc 
 c&|/cfc/&A5is *■ <*-%Z! L obTZtot c/^awg^ftAg i^ oW^f to 
 ig£pi> *) afp-^.pfoi' "/tAiptJ'y/u.a, r di covin avojvigjiaLSi 
 In ver. 2. of the fame chapter, inftead of 
 the pure original, dvaleiXotvl^ t£ aA/y 3 fome 
 conceited copy ills have inferted Iti before 
 ttvcJ«AayJ©», which, 'tis probable, they did 
 for the fame reafon that one of the profe£. 
 fion has prefum'd to change ctvctl&XaLvl©* into 
 
 That is, upon a weak and trifling fuppofi* 
 tion, for want of grammar, and examination 
 of the parallel places, that dvalsihccvj^ wou'd 
 make the divine writer contradict his bro- 
 
 2 Ifocrates in Panegyr. ipfo initio, ed. Fletcher, p. 70. 
 De Pace Graec. Bafilese, 1 ^46. p. 580. 
 
 3 Edit. Nov. 8c Vet. Teft. Greece, Fiancofurti, apud 
 Wecheli hxredes, 15-97, Vide Dr. Mill, in loc. 
 
 T * ther 
 
276 The Sacred Classics 
 
 ther evangelifts, and himfelf likewife. Thefe 
 poor critics cou'd not reconcile xUv ir&i in 
 St. Mffl'k) t^ , Qn<$(t)oy.vo~y) H$ /juocv <7a/3/2a'TWJ', in 
 
 St. Matthew ; opfyv @oL$i& y in the language 
 of St. Luke ; and irgpi cKo-riots su %<m^ y in that 
 of St. John ( all properly and juftly ex- 
 prefs'd, and perfectly confiftent) to ara7«- 
 ?vzv"®- t» *Aiv '. Therefore thefe adroit gen- 
 tlemen took the ftiortefl way, and cut the 
 knot which they cou'd not untie 4 . 
 
 Some even of the bell manufcripts have 
 fome peculiar and very odd alterations : We 
 find in Cod. Alex. Ihaxov after «pr, which 
 Dr. Mill thinks the writer added, for clear- 
 nefs fake. I think 'twas impoflible to make 
 the original clearer, either by addition, pa- 
 raphrafe, or glofs ; and that no man of com- 
 mon fenfe cou'd be at a lofs to know the 
 meaning of the petition of the foolifh to the 
 wife virgins. Aon vfjuv 6k t« eKocly vpJfS, ori 
 <xl Aaju.-3-adfcs vfjufif oGinvvlou, admits no com- 
 ment or amendment, to clear its literal fenfe; 
 and, to fay the leaft, is an unnecelTary cum- 
 brous addition, far from giving the lead 
 emphafis or ornament to this branch of the 
 
 4 Upon the fame weighty conftderation we find that 
 this tioubletbme ai'«u> is omitted in Cod. Cant. 
 S. Matt, xxviii- i« S. Luc. xxiv. i> S- Johan. xx. I. 
 
 moll 
 
'Defended and Illuflrated. 277 
 
 moft figntficanty wftrufthe, and lively alle- 
 gory or parable in the world 5 . 
 
 After the 3d verfe of St. Mark xvi. in one 
 manufcript there is this bold addition, 9 Hv $ 
 
 This bold addition argues the utmoft pre- 
 fumption and ignorance of the tranfcriber, 
 and miferably encumbers the narration and 
 ftyle of the facred hiftorian. It wou'd fix 
 the character of tautology and tedioufnels 
 upon an author of the greateft clearnefs, 
 brevity, and purity of ftyle that ever writ : 
 whofe peculiar talent and happinefs it was 
 to exprels the foundeft and fublimeft doc- 
 trines and myfteries in the moft concife, 
 felect, and emphatical language. 
 
 4. Some various readings, in a few of the 
 moft faulty books, are owing to the weak- 
 nefs and groundlefs fcruples of Chriftians 
 not thoroughly acquainted with the fcheme 
 and oeconomy of our moft holy religion, but 
 too much addicted to fuperftition and party 
 prejudice. We have formerly obferv'd, 
 what alarms and difturbance that paffage in 
 St. John 6 gave to fome weak and ignorant 
 
 5 S. Matt. xxv. 8. Cod. Cant. 
 
 6 S. Johan. xi. jr. So ver. 3;. 
 
 T 3 Chriftians; 
 
1?$ tfhe Sacred Classics 
 
 Chriftians ; and fhall only add two or three 
 remarks further to confirm and clear this 
 matter, 
 
 That paffage in St. Luke of our Saviour's 
 compafiion and concern for ^erufahm, gives 
 us a moft awful, and at the fame time pleajing 
 not t07i of the infinite goodnefs and charity of 
 God incarnate : Kx; &>s yyfittv, iSbov r "otA/?'« 
 ey^ccva-ev W ojjTfi 1 . Some fcrupulous and in- 
 judicious people, fondly fancying that tears 
 were unworthy of the dignity of that divine 
 perfon, in their books ftruck out the whole 
 verfe ; which is in all the bell manufcripts, 
 and the moil antient and valuable verfions. 
 Tho* St. Epiphamus pafles a rafh cenfure, in 
 faying, that this paffage is ftruck out by the 
 orthodox, and to be found in copies not cor- 
 rect j upon which the famous Le Clerc, not 
 always unjullly fevere and harfh upon the 
 fathers, makes a very proper return. 
 
 Epiphanius's words are, 'Am* y) "£k^o.v& 
 
 HetltWrrh fT9li ct^wp^WTS/S ocv\iy^<^Qli '. which 
 
 the fore-nam'd gentleman translates; and 
 adds a very juft correction ; Sed & ploravit 
 extat in exempbribus non emendatis, imo non 
 corruptis 8 . The fame offence 9 has been 
 
 7 S. Luc. xix. 41. 
 
 8 D Le Clerc Ars Crit. pars 3. p. 100, 101. 
 
 9 Vide D. Mill. Proleg. p. 101. col. 2. 
 
 weakly 
 
Defended and Uhtjlrated. 279 
 
 weakly and unjuftly taken at ibmc pafTages, 
 which graphically exprels the forrows and 
 meritorious fufferings of the divine Mediator 
 of the new covenant-, particularly that ftrong 
 defcription of our Saviour's preparatory ago- 
 nies in the garden ; which no found Chri- 
 ftian can duly read and confider, but muft 
 fhed tears of contrition and godly for row, 
 and feci all the emotions of religious wonder 
 and amazement^ love and gratitude, break in 
 upon his foul ! 
 
 "n<p«9»J ou/T'J ay)t\©» car 8£$tj/« evicyvuv 
 awrii' * r f\ opfyj®* evayvvia, dwnv&fegpv 7r^panv- 
 %e]o' *$ps]o o i£(&>S hurt 'J)v.\ j-^pu.Q,oi ct.'.---Jl^ 
 1 x Ivowhi ffin r ylw '. Ho vv feleti and ade- 
 quate to the noble fubject is the expreflion 
 and phrafe ! how grand and inftruBive the 
 fenfe, the relation and moral, that is obvious 
 to every confidering reader, and is immedi- 
 ately prefented to our devout thoughts ! 
 Our Saviour, as man, had an angel from 
 heaven to wait upon him, and ftrengthen 
 him in his deep diftrefs ; he was in an ago- 
 ny j and pray'd with the utmoft ardency 
 and intenfenefs ; and a molt amazing bloody 
 
 1 S. Luc. xxil. 45,44- y Hi» q iihint-Ts©' e>; po£« x} ot^a? 
 dyma.. Demoft. de Coron. p. zj. 
 
 T 4 fweat 
 
280 The Sacred Classics 
 
 fweat fhew'd and exprefs'd the deep affliction 
 and anguifh of the divine Sufferer ! 
 
 And fince we have in the fame facred 
 writings as full affertions of the true and 
 eternal divinity of the bleffed Jefus, as of 
 the reality of his human nature, deliver'd in 
 the ftrongeft and plainer!: terms that can be 
 ufed to inform mankind ; and muft be taken 
 in the literal fenfe, if any words can be 
 fpoken or written by men, that can have 
 meaning in them : We learn from this doc- 
 trine to admire and adore the infinite con- 
 defcenfion and charity of the Son of God, 
 blelTed for ever ; who having all power in 
 heaven and earth, for the benefit and advan- 
 tage of us men, fubmitted to the frailties 
 and infirmities of our nature; wept, was 
 hungry, weary with travelling, profecutcd 
 and apprehended as an impoftor and male- 
 factor \ was mock'd, fpit upon, fcourged, 
 denied and deferted by his friends and do- 
 meftics ; nail'd to an ignominious crofs, fuf- 
 fer'd wounding feoffs, and exquifite tortures ; 
 and after the uttering of thofe afionijhwg 
 exprefjionS) My God, my God, why hafl thou 
 for I liken me, breath'd out his precious foul 
 recommended to his heavenly father ; and 
 bow'd his facred head in the pangs and ago- 
 nies 
 
'Defended and lllujtr ated. 281 
 
 nies of a moft cruel death. 'Tis no wonder, 
 that heretics, who deny'd the humanity of 
 our Saviour, and impioufly turn'd his biirh, 
 life, and fufferings into a vifionary fccne, 
 and delufive appearance, fhou'd endeavour 
 to erafe thefe, and parallel palTages, out of 
 the canon ; which fo effectually confute 
 their pernicious and antichriftian opinions. 
 But it muft raife the pity and concern of 
 every found Chriftian, when he confiders, 
 that fome orthodox profelTors of Chriftianity, 
 and particularly the great St. Hilary, were 
 offended at thefe ftrong expreflions of our 
 Lord's difgraces and paffions upon earth ; 
 which they unnecelfarily fear'd, wou'd too 
 much afcribe to him human infirmity, and 
 reflect upon the honour of the Son of God. 
 
 'Tis obferv'd by the critics in this learn- 
 ing, that there are three forts of various 
 lections, which they themfelves don't al- 
 ways nicely diftinguilh. Yet there is really 
 fuch a diftinction ; and I fhall, with all the 
 exaclnefs I can, and in few words, lay it 
 before my reader. 
 
 I. The firft fort of various legions are of 
 no fignificancy either in grammar or fenfe ; 
 
 where one of them in feveral books is often 
 
 a blun- 
 
282 The Sacred Classics 
 
 a blunder, and eafily to be corrected by 
 common fenfe ; and therefore rather to be 
 referr'd to a head above-mention'd, than 
 mark'd as a various reading. In that famous 
 place 1 Cor. xv. 31. 'tis perfectly indifferent 
 as to the noble fenfe, and grand fublimity 
 and devotion of the pafTage, whether you 
 read A t *}£*£!$££» or r a^'g^ar ngMWl<7iv<y tip 
 sjgj sp A.£ ' a t? * s - > ' u 3i • 
 
 ActXaraj. — AaA ■~, H<?£. xl. 4. @GC,7rJJqxcci-— 
 fixirJiojACd) Col. 11. 12. V'7nJ.vlr,Giv Kug/fe — Kugx&i* 
 
 St. Luke xxu. 44* *94>^*J W@m (docmoii 
 fioonoySy'jvr,, St. Z#&<? viii. 32. «//!n$-f/^i?j 
 6b/. ii. 4. and innumerable other minute 
 variations, not worth putting down, may 
 be feen in every chapter of the facred 
 book. 
 
 2. Various readings of fmall importance 
 are numerous like wife. It may be proper 
 to prefent a few fpecimens : ny-^^GDuau — 
 fls^Tbwju* 'r-Tidnfficu, in St. Luke xxiii. 46. en- 
 tirely amount to the fame fenfe, and exprefs 
 our Saviour's devotion with equal propriety : 
 If any wou'd be nice to know which of the 
 words has the preference, it is probable he 
 wou'd find it to be -ro&^'ro^cu, the word 
 ufed by the Septuaglnt in that Pfalm xxxi. j. 
 
 where 
 
Defended and Illujlvated. 2 8 } 
 where this divine addrefs of the expiring 
 Son of God is exprefs'd by way of prophecy. 
 And we know, that the divine writers of the 
 New Teftament generally ufe the words and 
 phrafeology of thofe Greek interpreters of 
 the Old Teftament. 
 
 Whether gT£p7r&<f op« t?i> or ■'■-rgo' v is 
 
 to be preferr'd, has been a warm difpute 
 among the critics ; but it feerns to be indif- 
 ferent, and the two words may be tiled in 
 the fame fenfe. 'Tis indeed the latter in the 
 Septuagint ; but Origen four times quotes the 
 paiTage, and gives us the firfc • 'Em tcc«t«v 
 cojivi cT-vr etpepev, w« a tis Tgjtfpjs r£p7n(popt)(rete r 
 exvhviov: God bore the manners and fro- 
 wardnefs of his people the Ifraelites, till they 
 grezv incorrigible, and incurably oh ft 'mate ; as 
 a tender nurfe bears the peevi/hne/s and way- 
 ward temper of her beloved child. Tgpntpc- 
 psco is found in a majority of books, and is 
 preferr'd by very good critics \ 
 
 In that paiTage of St. James iv. 1 j. in- 
 ftead of (^rajufyj, in feveral manufcripts, 'tis 
 read ^101$;, but without any occafion : The 
 
 vt'oV' TfjTnoof'io mihi multo magis p'acet quam T^ppp:- 
 f»o, nan modo Euphoniae gratia, led etiam quia libri 
 plerique omnes in ea confentiant le&ione. Bois in loo 
 Vide S. Chryfoft. Mill. Whitby, &c. in loc. 
 
 fcribes 
 
284 The Sacred Classics 
 
 fcribes were jealous that the firft was not 
 good grammar, and therefore, probably, put 
 in the latter. But without any reafon : for 
 firft and fecond aorifts in the potential and 
 fubjun&ive or conjunctive moods (which are 
 futures too) are often in facred and common 
 writers equivalent to the future of the indi- 
 cative. So GLKvacu.o IS «xa<7«5 or C6X.SO-J1, 7T&&L- 
 
 j™? Tv&icrofjLau, in Plato : YlopAfou is the fame 
 
 as 7ropeucrofJLaUy in St. Johti^ oi7rocpbri as dircto' 
 
 SyiczJo,,, in St. Mark 3 . Some wou'd folve 
 what they efteem fome difficulty, by fup- 
 pofing eccv to be underftood before fycwifyj, 
 as it is exprefs'd before ^Aww, and *J before 
 •jroiriaui^/j, to be pleonaftical : But then they 
 muft recur to our folution with refpe£r. to 
 that word. 'Tis very little material, whe- 
 ther we have ^o-oju^u or ^n'owjuty.', tho' the 
 latter is in the majority of manufcripts. 
 
 In Atls xiii. 44. there is a majority of 
 manufcripts for the reading gp^ofufyjo;, and 'tis 
 found and proper ; ^mVp * s f ouna " in fome 
 very valuable books \ and is an emphatical 
 word. The moft valuable of all the old 
 Grecian writers ufe it in the fenle of the 
 divine evangelift, Herodotus , Thacydides, 
 
 3 Plat. Phxd. 62, 6%i Apoc. vil. S. Mark ii. Vide, 
 fi placet, Polum, & Verfiones orientales. 
 
 Jrijiotle y 
 
^Defended and Illujlrated. 285 
 
 Arifiotle, cCc. l^ejufyjaV 'Qiv \vmv : "Tis the 
 ?iext thing we have to difcourfe on ; and 
 there is a very fmall difference either in 
 language or fenfe; and if they were equal 
 in the books, it wou'd be of little concern 
 whether poiTefs'd the facred text*. 
 
 Several learned critics eagerly contend 
 about the preference of <&y.$vhAuvdifjL2v(§* 
 and o^atjSo/Wjugr©-, in that moving and en- 
 dearing paffage of St. <Paul, Philip, ii. 30. 
 
 imc, toivths evlifjws £?£%' ot\ $\d to epypy T»Xg/^-tf 
 u&yjy- 3waT« vyfiai 9 G>£z@iiAev}jfyj@« Tin ^J^f. 
 
 Scaltger and Capellus fay, that 'tis not a 
 Greek word ; they mean, we fuppofe, a 
 Greek claflical word ; but 'tis form'd with 
 exact analogy, and ufed in proper fignifica- 
 tion, being derived from -a^, which in 
 compound words adds the fignification of 
 fault or neglect. So that the excellent Epa- 
 phroditus is here applauded by the generous 
 St. Paul for his heavenly wifdom and bra- 
 very, in not regarding his life, but gallantly 
 expofing himfelf to the extremity of dangers, 
 for the glorious fervice of the Gofpel, and 
 the happinels of mankind. YletepfiohdjosL- 
 
 /Vriftot. Eth. Nicom. lib. /. c. 10. p. 33 J. 
 
i%6 The Sacred Classics 
 
 fjLev@* is interpreted by thefe learned critical 
 gentlemen in the fame fenfe, to run any 
 hazards > expofe one's fe/f, and facrijjce one's 
 life for the caufe he loves, and has efpous'd* 
 There is no confiderable difference in the 
 meaning or emphalis of the words; and 
 when any gentleman will produce me t^- 
 fioAvTzuev^ out of a pure claffic author, I 
 will make the return, by prefenting him 
 with K?zaLp,'<<?JjcvM.ev@*. They are both grand 
 and emphatical words ; the laft by the au- 
 thority and ufage of St. ¥aul 9 who writes 
 above the confinement and rules of vulgar 
 plain grammar in many cafes; never con- 
 trary to the true analogy and reafon of gram- 
 mar in general ; and particularly the gram- 
 mar of that language in which the apoftle 
 writ his truly eloquent and moll: divine 
 epiftles. 
 
 Upon further confederation, I believe there 
 is no fuch verb in the Greek language as 
 UD^jSoAfojwro*, tho' there is i^'jSaA©-, one 
 that expojes himfelf to danger, and fearlejly 
 on occafion throws away his life upon a 
 foolifh account, or Jacrtfices it to a juft and 
 glorious caufe. From this vicious reading an 
 antient interpreter barbaroufly tranflates it, 
 tParabolatus eji fuam am mam, ByAsuw and 
 
 /3tfAeu'o|u,cu 
 
^Defended and Ilhjlrated. 287 
 
 u are ftanch claffical words, and 
 added to the latter, aceording to the 
 ufage of the Greek language, cannot make 
 it lbleciftical or barbarous. We have in 
 Plutarch, \6v';t-j-v& or,.- «fow hoytqma. The 
 meaning of this very emphatic word is well 
 exprefs'd by the prince of Roman poets, Vi- 
 tam objecfare perk/is, and projecere ammas. 
 
 Dr. Alill's judgment on that various read- 
 ing Revel, i. 5. Teems unaccountable ; he 
 prefers \u<tiv7i to Avo&vji, becaufe to appear- 
 ance 'tis abfurd, and unfuitable to the place 
 it ftands in ; to the fenfe, and context. Some 
 wou'd think this a very odd reafon of pre- 
 ferring a feemingly abfurd reading in gene- 
 ral. His words are, Idem de hdc lefiione 
 ceufeo, quod fere de allis hi fpeciem inept h ac 
 incongruiS) ejp fciticet onwhio veram & ge- 
 nu/ vam. And then the word Aj&» is not at 
 all, nor can it by a confiderate perfon be 
 thought incongruous, and improper to the 
 occafion. The redemption that our Saviour 
 has accomplifh'd for mankind, the precious 
 price he has paid, releafes, abfolves them 
 from their fins, prevents 'em from working 
 upon finners in their full malignity, and mod 
 fatal mifchiefs; atones the divine difplea- 
 fure, frees, clears, and delivers his rebel 
 
 creatures 
 
288 The Sacred Classics 
 
 creatures from the guilt and punimment of 
 their rebellions. 
 
 The word Aa&> is ufed only in this place, 
 tho' very proper, and bearing a clear and 
 manifeft relation to the precious blood of our 
 crucify'd Saviour; which waihes away all 
 the fpots and ltains of guilt upon the con- 
 ference. Tho* there are a few words of pa- 
 rallel fenfe, to exprefs this blefled myftery 
 of our redemption. St. John fpeaking of 
 the faints and martyrs of the Lord Jefus, has 
 this fublime and ftrong expreflion, that in a 
 metaphorical way repreient to us the pre- 
 cioufnels and blelfed effe&s of that moft 
 meritorious facrifice; v EttKvv<xv tjxs s~oAas au- 
 
 rP$S— h 'TzS cttf^c/jL "ts ocpviy, Rev. Vli. 1 4. 
 
 I lhall only produce another full place, 
 where y&&vL&£w join'd to Kvrepv make a 
 ftrong periphrafis of A«&> : Xg/t<j-os riyzTwoz r 
 6zkAy)Ciocv 9 Xj eavrcvv mnpioixvAV \z*%> cujjtis' wee 
 
 fin$i> Ephef. v. 25, 26. 
 
 The genuine unqueftionable reading is 
 aicarj', confirmed by almoft all the beft ma- 
 nufcripts ; the fathers, and verfions : only 
 the oriental verfions are in the Latin transla- 
 tion thus - 7 6)ui d'lligit nosy & folvit nos a 
 feccatis noflris. Syriac. ^ul dihx'tt vos y & 
 
 lavit 
 
'Defended and Ilhfirxted. 289 
 
 lavit vos a peccatis veflris. ./Ethiopia .Vni 
 dikxit ?ws & folvit fwj, atque a fovd'ibus nc- 
 catorum noftrorum lavit, &c. Arabic. 
 
 I am extremely pleas'd with a renin rkable 
 pafiage in the excellent (Plato, which is per- 
 tinent to the prefent fiibject. That great 
 d'roinc, pbi/o/bpher y and founded critic of the 
 heathen world, fpeaking of the religious rites 
 and ceremonies that were necelTary to purify 
 human fouls, and inflate 'em in the favour 
 of the Deity, ufes thofe expreffions which 
 the Holy Spirit of eternal wifdom has pleas'd 
 to direct the penmen of the Gofpel to ufe in 
 defcribing the venerable myfteries and rites 
 of Chriftianity : particularly he has both 
 thefe proper and emphatic words to exprefs 
 the purification and abjohtion of human fouls 
 from the pollution of guilt* and by that 
 their obligation to punifhment : 
 
 H ^.Shxpcns £ oi }[a,^yxp[joi • AyT£$t yj on 
 
 't?-3/pp^rcra$, <nv*v\z, TXi/Ttt ev ti dbvouvr clv v^.- 
 
 r 'I'sw. How parallel is this language to 
 the Chriftian phrafeology upon the fame 
 fublime fubjecls ! ' Ayid'Cc-t w^ps r $ rap^s 
 
 hy,Giv — 0g55 crc>./n<?j3 rpj^u-'- zozocrtv Zy&s S^ct Avrpv 
 
 Xou II. U Ylzptrtf 
 
 
290 The Sacred Classics 
 
 &><pog/cu <7nt['ee>f 9 eppxvliajj^/joi ibcs xap'JVas arm 
 ovv6i$>ic?oos rnvvn^y-S. 'Volviiojagv aijotoT©.* 'Ijjctw 
 
 The glorious writer concludes applying 
 the two words we have been fpeaking of, in 
 diftinguifhing the text and various reading 
 in the divine book, to the fame fubjecl: and 
 fenfe : And the character (not to take notice 
 of the fancifulnefs of the etymology) which 
 that great man, thro* miftake, for want of 
 clearer light and revelation, applies to the 
 imaginary deity Apollo y juftly and fully 
 belongs to the blefTed Mediator between 
 God and his creatures : O xa^a/^e @eos 
 
 Xj cLnfX)~/MU>\> Xj CL'TTOXVCAV T^T T&iS'TOJ' 'jtCtttCOV. 
 
 How grand and full of joyous hope and con- 
 folation is this doctrine, when apply'd to 
 Jefus Chrift ! how ftrongly, how movingly 
 
 exprefs'd ! 'Ej/m, vim ©gy wynmijfyjay %%$*> r 
 "^mKvT^woiv §\cc ?£ cufjt.al@-> amV 9 T atpscnv rp$S 
 
 noijxa;Vftv r ckkAyioiolv tS ©g£, riv ^^isttoivc^Jo 
 
 5 Plato in Cratylo, p. 40 f. Heb. ix. I J, 14. Titus 
 iii. f. Heb. x. 22. 1 S. Fet. i. 2. 
 
 6 Tlato in Crat. 40 f. Ephef. i. 7. A£s xx. 28. 
 See the parallel grand paflage, Col. i. 14, iy, 16, 17, 18, 
 15?, 20. 
 
 The 
 
'Defended and Ilhift rated. 291 
 The undoubted original reading of St 
 Ltikell. 38. is, Kxl— Avvat,— eAaXa <cfei eu/rtf, 
 IB l;;jy — *WwTori T0i« 7T i- ', jU^uoiS Xut&htiv 
 
 U I - --A*//. There is another reading that 
 wou'd yield a very good fenfe, not much 
 different, nor at all contradictory to the ge- 
 nuine text : But 'tis unfupported by autho- 
 rity, is found in very few manufcripts, fa- 
 thers, printed books, verfions. This read- 
 ing is, ^TzcHo-ej^A. The Perjian tranflator 
 follows this reading, and turns the verfe 
 fomething oddly ; Pueruhm allocata eft ('tis 
 allocutas eft in Walton^ thro' the blunder of 
 the printer) & omncm hominem, qui in ex- 
 fectatione Tiber at ionis Ifrael erat. The vul- 
 
 gate turns it thus, Anna prophetijpi 
 
 loquebatur de Wo omnibus qui expeffabant re- 
 de mptionem Ifrael. According to the origi- 
 nal reading the lenfe will be, that the de- 
 vout Anna, who attended in the temple both 
 night and day, fpoke of the Mejjias to all 
 the inhabitants of that city, who conftantly 
 worihipp'd there \ who prepar'd themfelves 
 for the worthy reception of that divine per- 
 fon, whom they expected at this time. And 
 'tis certain, that other devout jczvs, not in- 
 habitants of" Jem/akm, frequently repaired 
 to the temple-worfhip, and might, at this 
 U 2 remark- 
 
ipi The Sacred Classics 
 
 remarkable time, and feveral others, hear 
 this admirable woman difconrfe upon the 
 blefled advent of the Redeemer. If we 
 take the various reading ev nxS 'Io-g^riA, 'tis 
 near the fame in fenfe : Jfrael cannot be fup- 
 pos'd to exclude Jerufalem, the capital and 
 glory of the nation, whither all the tribes 
 were yearly oblig'd to refort to the temple- 
 worfhip. And it expreifes, that feveral reli- 
 gious yews, from diftant places, came there 
 to divine offices, and wou'd with high plea- 
 fure hear the difcourfes of this great pro- 
 phetefs, fo fam'd for her extraordinary piety, 
 and valuable talents, upon the moft impor- 
 tant and defirable fubjecl. 
 
 But a very learned and venerable prelate 
 of. our church has fo admirably explain'd 
 this pafTage, and made fo dextrous an appli- 
 cation of the true fenfe of it, to the confu- 
 tation of his infidel adverfary, that I fhall 
 not enlarge, but refer the reader to his 
 noble work 7 ; by which he has deferv'd 
 very much of good letters and found Chrifti- 
 anity. If it be not prefumption to pafs my 
 opinion upon the performances of fb fupe- 
 rior an author, 1 think his Lordfhip has 
 
 7 Dr. Chandler, Bp. of Cov. and Litch. Vindlcat. of 
 Def. of Chriftianicy, p. 330, 351, ;;z. 
 
 perform'd 
 
'Defended ana 1 Illujt rated. 293 
 performed excellently in his firft volume, 
 A Defence of Chrijttanity \ more excellently, 
 if poffible, in his fecond volume, A J'ind'i- 
 cat'wn of the Defence of Chrijiiamty ; incom- 
 parably in both. 
 
 True and judicious is the remark of the 
 learned and laborious Dr. iVhitby, with 
 which I clofe my diicourfe upon thefe two 
 forts of various readings. 
 
 From a full difcuflion of the various read- 
 ings, in fome chapters of his fecond book, 
 the Doctor tells us, " It will plainly appear, 
 " that in thefe minuter and almoft trifling 
 " alterations, we generally do not want 
 " proofs and authorities to eftablim the 
 " preient reading. And that it will be fur— 
 " ther evident to the readers of his Examen 
 a Var. LecJ. from the diligent examination 
 " of almoft all the places which Dr. Mill 
 M puts upon us on the authority of the vul- 
 <( gate, or rather, Italic verfion. 
 
 " For that learned collector of various 
 readings, and editor of the Sacred Writers 
 of the New tfeftament, has by mere con- 
 jecture, againft all the books written and 
 printed, from thence, or other incompe- 
 tent authority, advanced many various 
 U 3 " lections 
 
294 The Sacked Classics 
 
 " lections into the text, which by no means 
 " delerve a place in the margin. 
 
 " He himfelf acknowledges, that he in- 
 11 dulg'd many of thefe favourite conjectures 
 u without the concurrence of any book, 
 " without one (ingle voucher, contra omnem 
 " manujcr'iptorum codicum & excajonim fidem. 
 " Why did he then put 'em down, and re- 
 4i commend 'em by his approbation, by 
 c $ giving a ftrong and refiftlefs argument 
 <c why they fhou'd be entirely rejected, and 
 " efteem'd worfe than mere trifles 8 ?" 
 
 III. We come now to produce a few in- 
 stances, out of many, of various readings 
 which are of more importance than thole 
 already mention'd, out of great numbers of 
 the fame clafs and account. 
 
 i. In St. John's Gofpel, ch. vii. 34. the 
 word afM written without accents admits of 
 no difference to the eye, but according as 
 'tis mark'd in the modern way, and almoft 
 all our printed books, &fu fignifies to go y 
 etiu to be\ cijxi in the firft fignification is 
 never ufed in the facred writers; unlefs we 
 imagine it fo in this place. Dr. Mills takes 
 no notice of it. A very great majority of 
 
 * Dr. Whitby Ex. Var. Left. Mill. Pr*f. p. 9. 
 
 verfions 
 
^Defended and Illujlrated. 295 
 
 verfions are for the latter. Amongft all that 
 I have feen, only the Arabic and ALthiopic 
 reprefent the firft, 1. ad locum, ad quern 
 ego abiturus fum, vos non pertingetis, 1. Ubi 
 ego ibo, eo vos non poteflis venire. Almoft all 
 fathers, critics, commentators antient and 
 modern, either take no notice of this fenfe, 
 or rejed it. Henry Stephens propos'd it as a 
 guefs. Indeed it will make plain fenfe; but 
 the other is according to the conftant ftyle 
 and way of the apoftle ; and yields a fenfe 
 far more noble, and more agreeable to the 
 defign of the beloved difciple, who, in nu- 
 merous places of his Gofpel and Epiftle, 
 afferts and enlarges upon the eternal divi- 
 nity of his adorable Mailer. What motive 
 engaged a late translator of the New Tefta- 
 ment to render it thus, without any compe- 
 tent authority, Where /fhall go, thither you 
 cannot come ; whether an implicit regard to 
 the great Stephens's conjecture; an itch of 
 innovating and altering the facred text, or 
 mere vanity, I cannot determine. I believe all 
 found and orthodox Chriftians ( if that word 
 may efcape the flear -and contempt of fome 
 people ) will judge our Eng/ifi tranflation to 
 be in all refpecls much more juft, natural, and 
 noble ; TLiiTYiorri jot*, $ v% eopriaiTi' ^ 07m &jm 
 
 U 4 sya t 
 
ip6 The Sacred Classics 
 
 eyjo vfjL&$ a £bva,c&E |a6«Y, is in fenfe as much 
 above the lownefs and meannefs of the other 
 arbitrary reading and con ft ruction, as the 
 heavens are above the earth; and is parallel 
 to thofe other fublime paiTages, in which the 
 infpir'd evangzlifl and divine repeats our Sa- 
 viour's heavenly difcourfes : wherein that 
 meek and lowly perlbn, that generally call'd 
 himfelf the Son of man, affirms himfelf to be 
 the Son of God; affirms his omniprefence and 
 pre-exiftence before all creatures, and claims 
 divine honours : Yl&iv 'Afie&xp $ -*&, h* 
 ajju, Hctv vv iSrcapYire r uiov tv cbvfygpTV ctvctftxl' 
 vovfc* 7T2 w to 7T£ptf^pv ; Ka) tifeU ctvetfiefinw 
 en T v&Lvor, et fM) o en tv vgftvv -i[a.<vx(ioi(.y o 
 was ta ccvvep7rv o (ov ev tzS vgyvcp . 
 
 In that pafTage of St. Paul's epifTle to the 
 GalatianSy ch. ii. 5. 0/5 «<Jfe ir&c, <x>p^.v «£jetjbtyj 9 
 fome few books leave out the negative, and 
 make the affirmation directly contradictory 
 to that in the greateft number of manufcripts, 
 fathers, printed books, commentators, and 
 verfions. Even upon excluding the nega- 
 tive particle, the expreflion wou'd be fenfe ; 
 if St. Paul meant, that he yielded to the 
 ignorance and prejudices of the Jews in 
 fome fmall matters, before the Jewifh reli- 
 
 * S- Johan. vlii. y8. — vi- 62.— iii. 15. 
 
 gion 
 
defended and Illujt rated. 297 
 
 gion was abolifh'd, and Chriftianity entirely 
 eftablifh'd : So Timothy was circumcis'd, that 
 he might be more acceptable to the Jews, 
 he was to preach the Gofpel to; who were 
 exceflively fond of the rites of the Mofaical 
 law ; and were by degrees and gentle me- 
 thods to be gain'd over, and cur'd of their 
 roen fuperjlitiotis regard to the types and 
 ceremonies of their church; and their miflaken 
 notion of the perpetuity and eternal obliga- 
 tion of the Mofaic law. And if we cou'd 
 admit this reading, we mull take the mean- 
 ing of it to be nearly equivalent to thofe 
 expreflions of generous condefcenfion, and 
 Chriftian charity, in his firft epiflle to the 
 Corinthians, chap. ix. 13?, 20, 21, 22, 23. 
 which, if duly weighed, will appear to be 
 glorious inftances of noble language, pru- 
 dent conduct, humility, and the tendereft 
 companion for precious fouls ; but not the 
 leaft prevarication, yielding up principles 
 and eflentials, or complying with the mi- 
 flakes and prejudices of yews or Gentiles ; 
 that wou'd be difadvantagious and hurtful 
 to the purity and eftablifhment of the faith 
 and doctrines of the Chriflian catholic church. 
 But when circumcilion and all the rituals 
 of the Levitical law were infilled upon as 
 
 neceffary 
 
2pS The Sacred Classics 
 
 neceffary to falvation, after the eftablifh- 
 ment of Chriftianity to the end of the world, 
 then the great champion of the Golpel is 
 warmd with a juft indignation againft fucti 
 Judaizers \ and with an earneft zeal declares 
 fuch fuperftitious notions and practices to be 
 inconilftent with the Hate and nature of the 
 Chriftian inftitution and church ; and hei- 
 noufly injurious to the honour and majefty 
 of our heavenly lawgiver, the founder of our 
 faith, and divine author of our falvation. 
 
 Hear with what charitable vehemence 
 and Chriftian concern he reproves and warns 
 the Galatians, who were warping from the 
 purity of Chriftianity, and relapfing into 
 
 ^udaifm: M<&, tyo riavh®* Xtya VfJxv oti lav 
 n£&t]i(j<,vn£vi Xg/q-o? ojt^s ^" a><$2?w<ret, Gal. V. 
 I, a. The fcope and tenor of this whole 
 epiftle fhews, that the negative particle 
 (which is fupported by the authority of al- 
 moft all books) is the genuine reading in 
 this noble place. St. Paul wou'd not in the 
 leaft, not for a moment, yield to the infinu- 
 ation and treacherous defigns of falfe bre- 
 thren, who came amongft 'em as injtdious 
 fpiesy to corrupt the pure Gofpel of Jefus, 
 and enflave his fervants and difciples to the 
 intolerable bondage of the ceremonial law. 
 
 'Twill 
 
Defended and Illuflrated. 199 
 
 'Twill be pleif.nt, and not unufeful, to com- 
 pare the piruikl places, which in much the 
 fame ex; reftions carry on the fame defign, 
 and method of reafoning ; which will con- 
 vince judicious readers, that the negative 
 ifc ought not to be difpotTefs'd. 
 
 How full and elegant the expreffions ! 
 how concurrent and emphatical are the noble 
 pafTages ! Afx q T * 5 'Tirx.pc-iT&Klvs ^yf&t&Atpy*, 
 o'lnves 'nu.pei(mA$Qi' xai <x<rao 7m ecu r eA<hd?g/ccv 
 
 A&W7=", Gal. ii. 4. Th e\dj.d?&a, %v> ri X&t- 
 
 J^Aaas ■►«5^«9«, Gal. v. i, 13. 
 
 1 conclude this with the words of the 
 learned and judicious author of the Prolego- 
 mena and Crifis, in that elegant edition of 
 the Greek Teftament at j&mfterdam y by Wet- 
 ft 'emus , 1 7 1 1 . Video nunc D. Mill omijjionem 
 illam t« l$i 9 tanquam vetuflijfimam probare. 
 Verum ejus rati ones & allegata me non mo- 
 vent ; cenfeo enim contra mentem Pauli omitti 
 & mutari • qui hifce libertatem a lege cere- 
 moniali ajfertam voluit 7 ut Paulo ante per 
 
 Verba hi T/T(Gk inva.yv&alry) i^g/ t^iJfAAi^vou '. 
 
 He calls the omiflion of *$i an abliird read- 
 ing, in his 2 2d Critical Canon ; Leflio ab- 
 
 1 Crlfis In Gal. ii. $. p. 31. 
 
 furda, 
 
300 The Sacred Classics 
 
 fardel, & quam antecedentia vel consequent ta 
 abfurditatls convincunt^ rejlcienda eft. 
 
 There is a great variety in that anfwer of 
 our bleffed Redeemer to the rich young man, 
 who apply'd to him for direction in the way 
 to heaven and immortal happinefs. The 
 common reading is found in a great majority 
 of manufcripts, printed copies, fathers, and 
 tranflators ; TV fx% xiym dyxSor j ifoU ctyzQo$ y 
 & fjtin aV, o ©go'?, is the authentic and original 
 reading, confirmed by clear and fatisfa&ory 
 proofs. The other reading is, TV ^ euro's 
 *s%t' t« aya^'j eis %?>v 6 ctyctSis z : Which is 
 in a very few manufcripts, and one of the 
 oriental verfions out of four upon the place, 
 two of the fixteen manufcripts ufed by Ro- 
 bert Stephens. Tho* indeed this reading does 
 not quite fpoil the fenfe of the paffage be- 
 fore us, in which n^i t£ dyxftv muft refer 
 to the queftion of the young man, T/ oiynSiv 
 mvincmo, ivet x.Ari£profMr,aT<j (^oom> ctiwuov \ yet the 
 other is not only much better fupported, but 
 produces a nobler fenfe, and makes our di- 
 vine Saviour's anfwer more full, and a more 
 
 * The vi^gate likewife follows this reading : St. Chry- 
 foftom is for the common and generally receiv'd leftion, 
 and therefoie has Tj <ue xiytru ayzSov ; in his comment, 
 tho 1 'tis in the text; of which omiflions that great and 
 accurate man is very feldom guilty. 
 
 natural 
 
'Defended and Illujtrated 301 
 natural and lively return to the queftion 
 propos'd. 
 
 ©gas. is a folemn and inftructive return to 
 the young man's addrefs, in thofe words, 
 
 , .; 1 Tpts InciXcUi is a full and moll: 
 proper reply to the young man's queftion 
 and requefr, T/ ocyL^im vruDcno, /roc t^)T a uMv 
 aicaifioi 1 I need not make a comment to 
 fhew the merit and fuperior value of this 
 found reading. Who does not perceive, upon 
 a comparifbn, the preference of it to the 
 other, in the clear and natural connexion of 
 the context; the beautiful and harmonious 
 relation betwixt the queftion and anfwer ; in 
 the iulneis, vigour, and extenfivenefs of the 
 meaning and moral of our great Teacher's 
 divine reply ? 
 
 In St. John's Gofpel, ch. vii. 8. 'JLyj) vmsa 
 avoclctivo) &s r top-rr.v tccvtIo;, is certainly the 
 genuine original ; yields a clear and eafy 
 ienfe ; appears in a great number of the 
 oldeft and beft manufcripts, particularly the 
 Alexandrian. 'Tis in all the fixteen manu- 
 fcripts ufed by Robert Stephens. Tho' St. 
 Chryfoflom has not the word %mo, yet 'tis 
 plain, by both his text and comment, that 
 
 he 
 
302 The Sacred Classics 
 
 he efteem'd sx, the other reading, found in 
 a very few books, fupportcd with no com- 
 petent authority, yet to contain a good fenfe, 
 and amount to the fame. In the text 'tis 
 'Ryu ax ctrctficLtvo) <xpTi: In the comment, nJs 
 
 W, <pnoiv 9 ctvsQy, ei7mv vtc d vocftccivn 3 OvkIittz 
 y,aBzc7rcc^' dh'Aa vw T«Te<j-i ju^G* Jju$j! The 
 
 force and fignification of dvctfiaivu is accord- 
 ing to the nfe of this tenfe in all languages, 
 lam not going, which does not imply, I will 
 not go at all ', but / am not going now, or at 
 frefent \ which is not neceffary to be put 
 down ; but mult, be underftood in all fuch 
 ways of fpeaking. Therefore vain is the 
 obfervation and inference, that the reading 
 mull: be ax in the time of Porphyry, becaufe 
 that inveterate pagan upon that charges our 
 bleffed Lord with falfhood. But the charge 
 of the heathen adverfary is equally malici- 
 ous and frivolous, as the conceflion of the 
 Chriftian critics is rafh and unnecefLry 3 . 
 
 For (Porphyry does not charge our Lord 
 with a lye, only with inconftancy and irre- 
 folution. Admitting this W, all the words 
 can amount to, is this, That our Saviour dc- 
 clin'd giving an aniwer to the faucy taunts 
 
 3 Grot. Annot. in !oc D. Mill. D. Whitby Exam. 
 Var. Left. Crifis in loc. Oriental verfions in the Po- 
 lyglot. 
 
 and 
 
^Defended and Illujlrated. } } 
 
 and cavilling queftions of his relations, who 
 
 did not yet believe on him, bad them go 
 
 up to the fa ft, twwy he Jbould not go, or 
 
 go at his own proper time and feafon. 
 
 There is much the fame difficulty in this, 
 as in that moving paffage in St. Luke, when 
 our Saviour after his walk and heavenly 
 converfation with the two difciples travel- 
 ling to Emmausy near the end of the journey 
 took his leave of them, and made as if he 
 wou'd have gone further. The difciples, out 
 of humanity, and being charm'd with the 
 difcourfe of the wondrous ft ranger, vehe- 
 mently prefs'd, or, as our translation is, con- 
 fir awed him to ft ay with them that night. 
 And cou'd it be efteem'd a faulty diffimula- 
 tion, or inconftancy, for a wife and good 
 man to be prevail'd upon by the intreaties 
 of friends and hofpitable perfons to comply 
 in an indifferent and innocent matter, when 
 before he had exprefs'd, either by words or 
 figns, fomething like an intention of acting 
 otherwife? Is this any difhonour to God, 
 any prejudice to religion, any mark of infin- 
 cerity, any injury to our neighbour ? 
 
 Our bleffed Saviour affum'd our nature, 
 without our faults ; hid all the tender fenti- 
 ments and goodnefs of humanity; all the 
 
 freedom 
 
3©4 The Sacred Classics 
 
 freedom and complaifance in converfation s 
 which innocence cou'd allow, and his gene- 
 rous defign of doing much good required. 
 
 Some vain-glorious and fuperficial critics 
 and fcribes, not rightly underftanding hu- 
 man nature, or human languages, have mif- 
 reprefented feveral paffages in the facred 
 authors ; have mangled, mifplaced, added, 
 omitted, to correct and amend what they 
 vainly imagined was an abfurdity 4 . 
 
 But their amendments are alwavs unne- 
 ceffary and ill-grounded, generally in/blent, 
 and of rn'ifchkvous conference. The poet's 
 expreflion, 
 
 Foment a vulnus nil malum levantla, 
 
 is too gentle in this cafe. In this very in* 
 fiance, the whole pafTage is omitted in fome 
 books, as numerous others are, becaule not 
 underftood, or reliih'd by pert and ignorant 
 tranfcribers. 
 
 An admirable fhort way this, to folve 
 difficulties, and untie knots ! At this rate 
 we fhou'd either have no facred canon to 
 defend, or none worth defending. But, 
 thanks and eternal praife be to the divine 
 
 4 Vide Crifin ad calcem Gr. Teftam. Wetften. p. 2f. 
 
 author 
 
'Defended and Illu(lrated. 305 
 author and protector of our moft holy reli- 
 gion, neither the malice of lubtile and inve- 
 terate enemies, nor the folly, of fome weak 
 friends, neither bigotry, fuperftition, or falfe 
 criticifm, can do any damage to the heavenly 
 book. The various readings of all forts are 
 fo far from doing prejudice, that they are 
 an advantage and fecurity to the facred text. 
 The confideration and proof of which will 
 fill up the next fe&ion, and clofe this dif- 
 courfe. 
 
 §. 4. Various readings cannot affeel: the 
 divine writers of the New Teftament more 
 than they do other authors ; which, not- 
 withstanding thofe varieties, are by the whole 
 learned world allow'd to be found and ge« 
 nuine. The Hebrew Bible has numerous 
 varieties of this nature : The Kert and Ketlb^ 
 the text, and marginal reading, the diffe- 
 rences between the celebrated editions of 
 Ben Ajher and Ben Naphthali, of the weftern 
 and eaftern Jews, thofe who inhabited their 
 native country, and thofe who were remov'd 
 to Babylon, fwell up the account to a con- 
 siderable number. 
 
 And yet the Jews, who are different in 
 their readings, never charge each other with 
 
 Vol. II, X interpo* 
 
306 The Sacred Classics 
 
 interpolations, frauds, or corruptions \ or 
 reckon the facred text, of which they are 
 infinitely careful and jealous, of lefs value 
 and authority. Nor does any found fcho- 
 lar, devoted to thefe valuable and entertain- 
 ing ftudies, think they are at all prejudicial 
 to the moft facred original K 
 
 Are there not many various readings in 
 tference, Livy> Vtrgil y Ctffar y fhucydides. 
 Homer, ^Plutarch, &c. and yet who denies 
 the genuinenefs and great ufe of thofe noble 
 authors of fenfe and politenefs ? Who is fo 
 fceptical or hardy as to queftion whether the 
 works univerfally afcrib'd to them be their 
 own, and the product of thofe immortal 
 wits? On the contrary, men of thought 
 and clear heads, converfant in thefe ftudies, 
 will agree with a great and fagacious critic, 
 that thofe authors of antiquity, of which 
 there are the moft manufcripts and copies, 
 are the moft pure and correct: : tfhofe of 
 which there is only one manufcript, or but 
 a few, have an enormous heap of defects, 
 faults, and blunders, and extreme difficult 
 to be corrected. Terence is very properly 
 cited by the noble fcholar above-mention'd, 
 
 s Vide Bp. Walton's Prolegom. ad Bib. Polyglot. 6. 
 p. 56. col. 2. §.4. 6c Append, torn. 6. p. i, Sec- 
 
 as 
 
defended and Illujlrated. 3 07 
 
 as an inftance in the firft cafe- Felleuts ^a- 
 terculus and Hefychtus in the latter 6 . 
 
 The various readings compar'd together 
 by men of modefty, lovers of truth and re- 
 ligion, mafters of found learning and judg- 
 ment, will rather lead them to the true 
 meaning of the divine writers, than endanger 
 their miftaking their genuine language and 
 fenfe. 
 
 Where there are feveral readings, 'tis 
 highly probable one of them is the original : 
 and 'tis eafier by their help to rectify the 
 miftakes of fome copies. When we have 
 only one manufcript, or but a few, there is 
 fcope and room for guefs and fancy ; but 
 none for judicious comparifon, and well- 
 grounded criticifm?. 
 
 Great and happy amendments have from 
 time to time been made by found fcholars 
 and critics, who have duly and deliberately 
 confider'd the character of the facred writers, 
 their ftyle and country, the importance of 
 their fubject, the opportunities they had of 
 being afcertain'd of the truth of thofe won- 
 derful things which they tranfmitted to fu- 
 
 6 Phjleleutherus Lipfienfis, pars I. §. 33. p. 63. ad fin- 
 (e&ionis. 
 
 7 Vid« Bp Blackhall, vol. 2. fol. p. 976. 
 
 X a ture 
 
308 The Sacred Classics 
 
 ture ages, the accounts given of them by 
 their cotemporarics, their confiftence with 
 themfelves, and all thofe writers, who in 
 diftant places and ages purfu'd the fame 
 blelfed defign*. 
 
 Style and language may be diftinguim'd 
 by a happy genius of natural fagacity, im- 
 prov'd by true learning and proper applica- 
 tion, as well as itatues, pictures, and medals. 
 No age can counterfeit Cicero, Terence, St. 
 Mark, St. John, St. Paul, no more than a 
 counterfeit picture, medal, &c. can be im- 
 pos'd on, and deceive the complete matters 
 and judges of thofe ingenious profeflions 
 and fciences?. 
 
 From this it may plainly appear, how 
 great the affurance and felf-fufficiency, how 
 low and poor the tafte of fome vain critics 
 is, who deny St. Paul to be author of the 
 fublime epiftle to the Hebrews, and will 
 needs have it tranflated out of Hebrew into 
 Greek by St. Luke, St. Barnabas, St. Cle- 
 ment ; or fome body elfe, they cannot tell 
 who. St. Paul and St. Luke, both admira- 
 ble, are as different in their way and manner 
 
 8 Vide Procedure of Human Underftanding, p. 279, 
 *Bo. 
 
 9 Vide Mr. Earbery's Burnet, vol. I. p. no. 
 
 Of 
 
'Defended and Illufirated. ^09 
 of their ftyle, as any two good authors that 
 ever writ. 
 
 As to St. Barnabas, 'us* fcarce worth trou- 
 bling one's felf or reader to anfwer it. The 
 chief excellency of his epiftle, but more 
 efpecially of St. Clement's, is the grand no- 
 tions of St. PauFs feled words, and ftrong 
 beautiful expreffions, borrow'd from the di- 
 vine writer, repeated and applied, with fome 
 advantage to their own difcourfes indeed, 
 but exceflively inferior to their propriety 
 and ufe in fully exprefling, and gracefully- 
 adorning the reafoning and noble arguments 
 of the augufi original. 
 
 St Clement, St. PauTs fellow- labourer, was 
 neither by genius or education enabled to 
 come near any of his great and uncommon 
 excellencies. Did not St. Paul underftand 
 Greek ? And what occalion was there for a 
 miracle to enable Clement to do an office for 
 him, which the learned apoftle cou'd perform 
 for himfelf much better ? A queftion might 
 pertinently be ask'd, If either Barnabas or 
 Clement did St. Paul the favour of making 
 him fpeak Greek, why he tranilated his noble 
 epiftle into far better and purer language, 
 than he ufed in the compofition of his own ? 
 
 X 3 In 
 
3 1 o The Sacred Classics 
 
 In fhort, as a great man fays in a cafe that 
 has fome alliance with this before us, St. 
 Clement did not tranflate the epiftle to the 
 Hebrews into fuch Greek as we have it in, 
 becaufe he cou'd not. 
 
 We have in the former volume obferv'd, 
 with all the tendernefs that our refpeQ: and 
 honour for St. Paul and truth wou'd allow, 
 that St. Jerom exprelfes too much boldnefs 
 and inconftancy, not to fay harfhnefs and 
 injuftice, in his attacks upon the learned and 
 incomparable St. (Paul's courfe of reafoning, 
 and manner of ftyle. 
 
 But, as his editor and great admirer Eras- 
 mus acknowledges, while he hotly attacks 
 the apofth) he takes no care to guard him- 
 felf. He is guilty of fomething that looks 
 exceffively like jelf-contradittioji, if it be not 
 fo. Thofe are ftrangely bold expreffions 
 which I now prefent the reader with ; Qui 
 folcecifmos in verbis facit, out non poteft hy- 
 perbaton reddere, fententiamque concludere, 
 audatter Jtbl fapientiam vendicat *. 
 
 And vvhy not ? It was not quite fo bold 
 and prefuming for the infpir'd apoftle to 
 claim wifdom, as for the venerable father to 
 
 1 S- Jerom. in Ep. ad Ephef. ill. Vide doftif. D. Hen. 
 V/oicon. Pixfac. ad S. Clem. Ep. p 104. 
 
 charge 
 
'Defended and IHuJlrated. 3 1 1 
 
 charge him with folecifms, and deny to fo 
 great a fcholar the ability of fpcaking proper 
 language, and handfomly and juftly finifh- 
 ing a period. 
 
 I trouble my reader with only another 
 paflage out of this father, which, I muft 
 confefs, I don't underftand \ but it feems to 
 countenance, or rather, to affert the afore- 
 named groundlefs conjecture and dream, that 
 becaufe St. Paul was but a novice in Greek, 
 therefore he writ that divine difcourfe in 
 Hebrew, which fome great majier tranflated 
 into Greek. 
 
 Scripjit ut Hebraeus Hebraeis Hebraice, 
 id efi, Jiio eloquio dijertijjime ; ut ea, qux eh- 
 quenter fcripta fuerant in Hebraeo, ehauentius 
 verteretitur in Grascum j & banc caufam ejft, 
 quod a ceteris Pauli epijiolis difcrepare vi- 
 deatur \ 
 
 To end this long digreilion ; neither ma- 
 lice nor infidelity, neither cavilling nor cri- 
 ticifm can touch the miracles, reafbning, or 
 language of this noble champion and preacher 
 of the Gofpel ; this great matter of the Jewijh, 
 Chriftian, and fecular learning. The great 
 author Hands all over arm'd and invulnerable, 
 
 * Hier. Catal. Scriptor. Ecclefiaft. Vide etiam Wot- 
 ton. Clem. Ep. Prxf. p. 104, 106. Le Clerc Ars Crit. 
 pars 3. §. 2. c. 6. p. 402. & alibi paflfim. 
 
 X 4 againft 
 
3 1 2 The Sacred Classics 
 
 againft all their darts and attacks. All the 
 forward grammarians, philologers, commen- 
 tators, &c. who reflecl: on his argument or 
 expreffion, will find the fame fuccefs as that 
 mention'd in the poet ; 
 
 Fragili quterens Wider e dentem, 
 
 Offendet Jol'ido 3 . 
 
 2. The facred volumes of the New Tefta- 
 ment being written by feveral perfbns, at 
 different times and places, of good fenfe, and 
 great integrity, who cou'd have no poflible 
 temptation or intereft to atteft a lye, were 
 in the early ages of Chriftianity, difpers'd 
 into innumerable hands, tranflated into many 
 languages, kept in libraries, churches, and 
 in private families of believers, where the 
 Gofpel was reeeiv'd ; being look'd upon and 
 rever'd as the authentic deeds and charters 
 of eternal happinefs : and therefore carefully 
 preferv'd, and not capable of being fal- 
 fify'd. 
 
 The ineftimable copies, fcatter'd over the 
 greater!: part of the then difcover'd world, 
 and in the noble language univerfally known 
 and acceptable, cou'd not be liable to ha- 
 
 3 Hor. fat. z. 1. i. ver. 77, 
 
 zards 
 
^Defended and HJujlrated. 3 1 3 
 
 zards by fuddcn revolutions, and publick 
 diiafters ; bccaufe thofe convulfions and fur- 
 prizing calamities cou'd not happen alike in 
 every country at one time. 
 
 Neither cou'd a general corruption of 
 manners, a fpirit of profanenefs or fuperfti- 
 tion, nor the wicked example, and Itrong 
 influence of tyrannical princes, of an apoitate 
 clergy, and atheiftical minifters of itate, pre- 
 vail over many diftant and independent na- 
 tions, to endeavour to corrupt or deltroy 
 their facred book. 
 
 It is in fad certain, that fuch a horrid 
 combination of mifcreants, prefiding over 
 the Jewijh church and irate, attempted, and 
 feem'd to have accomplilh'd, the total abo- 
 lition and ruin of the Jewijb land, and fa- 
 cred canon 4 . 
 
 This happen'd in one country ; and 'tis 
 poffible, or rather, eafy to fuppofe, that the 
 fame direful calamity may happen in others. 
 " But, fays a great man of our church, not- 
 " withftanding the many difficulties, with 
 " which the Chriftian religion hath been 
 u prefs'd, yet being equally communicated 
 " to, and underftood by others, it hath 
 
 4 2 Kings xxii. 8, &c. 2 Chron. xxxiv. 14, &c. 
 
 " even 
 
3 14 The Sacred Classics 
 
 " even then flourifh'd, and Ihone brighter 
 " elfewhereV 
 
 There is nothing in the various lections 
 in all the books in the world that affects the 
 eflendals and vitals of the religion of the 
 holy Jefus, that can imply a general, or any 
 confiderable depravation of the copies by 
 chance or defign, that alters or weakens one 
 myftery or moral contain'd in that adorable 
 book. Therefore, tho' it cannot with reafon 
 be fuppos'cT, that God Almighty fhou'd work 
 perpetual miracles' to prevent the miftakes 
 and blunders of every carelefs or corrupt 
 hand, of thofe numerous tranfcribers of the 
 facred volumes, no more than by a reiiftlefs 
 power and reftraint to prevent all the errors 
 and villanies committed by free and account- 
 able creatures : The argument feems to re- 
 ceive ftrength and advantage, that notwith- 
 ftanding the innumerable variations, miftakes, 
 and contradictions in fmaller matters, the 
 all-feeing eye of Providence has Jo watch'd 
 his own blelfed and gracious revelations to 
 mankind, that all the tranfcripts of that 
 divine volume agree in the ejjential dotfrines 
 and grand defign of Chrijl'iamty. The books 
 of the New Teftament might reafonably be 
 
 s Dr. Stanhope's Boyle's Le&ures, Serm. ;. p. \6, 17. 
 
 expected 
 
defended and Illujtrated. 3 1 5 
 expe&ed, in trivial matters and inftances, to 
 be alter'd more than any other books in the 
 world, becaufe the number of their tran- 
 fcripts wou'd be infinitely greater. 
 
 I clofe this head with a paffage taken out 
 of that truly learned and judicious fcholar 
 the great Mr. Lefley, which will not be un- 
 acceptable to the reader. 
 
 " Confidering the innumerable copies of 
 " the Gofpel that were made before printing 
 " was known, and likewife the many tran- 
 " flations of it into feveral languages, where 
 " the idioms are different, and the phrafes 
 u may be miftaken ; together with the na- 
 " tural flips of amanuenfes, it is much more 
 " wonderful that there are no more various 
 " lections, than that there are Jo many 6. 
 
 But herein appears the great providence of 
 God y in the care the Chriftians took of this 
 book ; that they have mark'd every the leaft 
 various le&ion, even fyllabical ; and that 
 among all thefe there is not found one that 
 makes any alteration either in the falis or the 
 doctrine. So that, inftead of an objection, this 
 becomes a jtrong confirmation of the truth 
 and certainty of the Gofpel • which Hands 
 
 * Mr. Lefley's Truth of Chriftianity demonftratcd, 
 vol. 1. fol. p. 139, 140. 
 
 thus 
 
3 \6 The Sacred Classics 
 
 thus perfedly clear of fo much as any doubt 
 concerning the fads or doctrines therein 
 related. 
 
 We are here further to confider, that as 
 the Jewijh law contain'd their religion, as 
 well as civil government, which made 'em 
 extremely jealous and careful of it ; fo 
 Chriftianity, tho' not the municipal law of 
 the nations that embrac'd it, yet it was the 
 fpiritual and ecckfiajlical law of all Chriftian 
 nations under the fun : which afTur'd to 
 them their religious rights and properties, 
 their claims and titles to immortality, to the 
 inheritance of the faints in light , an inheri- 
 tance incorruptible, un defiled, that fade th not 
 away, referved for them in the heavens. 
 Which, to every one that deferves the name 
 of man and Chriflian, as 'tis of infinitely 
 greater concern, fo muft he infinitely more 
 dear than titles to lands on this earth ; or 
 quiet and peaceable poffeffion and enjoy- 
 ment of a farm for a few years. For, as a 
 great man juftly and eloquently reafons, 
 
 Men are naturally more watchful in a 
 
 matter fo dear to them, and every believer 
 wou'd think himfelf concern'd, no more to 
 let a change of coniequence to pafs uncor- 
 rected, than thofe children of this world, 
 
 who 
 
'Defended and Ilhtjlrated. 3 1 7 
 
 who arc wifeft in their generation, wou'd 
 overlook a flaw in deeds of fale or contract; 
 which wou'd affect: their title, and evacuate 
 the main intention of making fuch inden- 
 tures. 
 
 The primitive Chriftians muft be fuppos'd 
 to be very watchful and jealous, that no 
 corruptions or abufes fhou'd be put on that 
 facred book y more dear and valuable to them 
 than all other interefls or treafures. When thcfe 
 brave champions of the crofs were brought 
 to the tribunals of the heathen perfecutors, 
 and examined about the religion they pro- 
 fefs'd, among other queftions, they were 
 ask'd, what that book was, which they feem'd 
 to adore, while they read it ? and when they 
 were commanded to deliver that book to 
 the flames, they moil couragioufly refufed 
 it ; and were more ready to give their body 
 to be burnt than their Bible. 
 
 It wou'd be eafier to impofe a new Blble y 
 or a new flatute book, or to alter 'em in any 
 material and eiTential doctrines and points of 
 Gofpel or law, upon this nation y without 
 difcovery, than to impofe a forg'd Gofpel, 
 a New Teftament corrupted fo far as to be 
 infufficient for the good ends Providence de- 
 fign'd by it, on the iwiverjal Chrijlian world. 
 
 For, 
 
3 1 8 The Sacred Classics 
 
 For, to ufe the words of a noble defender 
 of Chriftianity 7 , " 'Tis eafier to fuppofe 
 " that any forgery might creep into the mu- 
 " nicipal law of any particular nation, than 
 " that all the nations, whither Chriftianity is 
 " fpread, fhou'd confpire in the corruption 
 " of the Goipel ; or fuffer atheifts and here- 
 " tics to do it : Which moll: facred inftitu- 
 " tion is to all Chriftians of infinitely greater 
 " concern and value than their temporal 
 " laws ; and all the fecular immunities and 
 c * privileges which they fecure to 'em." 
 
 And without fuch a wicked concert, or 
 fuch an ajlonifhing carelefnefs and negligence 
 in all Chriftian people and nations fuppos'd 
 (which wou'd be a monftrous fuppofition) 
 no fuch forgery, no fuch alteration of effen- 
 tials cou'd pafs undifcover'd in the Gofpel ; 
 which is fpread as far as Chriftianity, in the 
 hands, hearts, and memories of myriads of 
 rational devout Chriftians of all ranks, qua- 
 lities, and /ex ; conftantly read in private fa- 
 milies ; frequently explain'd in fchools ; and 
 daily ufed in public divine offices. 
 
 There cou'd be no fuch alterations or 
 corruptions introduc'd into the facred text, as 
 wou'd affecl: its doctrines, morals, myfteries, 
 
 7 Mr. Lefley ubi fupra. 
 
 or 
 
^Defended and Itlujlvated. 3 1 9 
 
 or the truth of its hiftorical relations, or de- 
 feat the blefled end and defign of the Gofpel 
 revelation in any period of time from the 
 beginning of Chriftianity to this prefent age. 
 
 Fir/}, No corruptions cou'd be introdue'd 
 into the facred book during the lives of the 
 apoftles ; or fuppofing any of the primitive 
 heretics had attempted to commit fraud, and 
 make interpolations, the divine writers of 
 the facred books wou'd have given immedi- 
 ate notice to all the Chriftian world, and 
 have lupprefs'd any falfe copies, and cor* 
 reded the faults committed in tranferibing 
 the pure originals, which obfeur'd or fpoiPd 
 their fenfe 8 . 
 
 St. John writ his Gofpel both as a nolle 
 hijlory of his dear maker's life, miracles, di- 
 vine dijeourfes, death, and converfation with 
 his difciples before his triumphant ajcenjion \ 
 and as a fupplement to the three infpir'd 
 writers before him ; and a completion of the 
 evangelical hijlory. This beloved difciple 
 of Jefus wrote his Gofpel about ninety-fix 
 years after his bleffed Matter ; and his death 
 clos'd up the apoftolical age. He was an 
 indefatigable preacher and champion of the 
 Gofpel, a zealous oppofer of all heretical 
 
 * Vide Bp Blackhall, vol, 2. fol. p, 97/. 
 
 innovators 
 
320 The Sacred Classics 
 
 innovators and teachers of antichrifttan doc- 
 trines. And wou'd not this glorious, bold, 
 and beloved difciple have as loudly and ear- 
 neftly cry'd out againft any attempt to cor- 
 rupt and interpolate the facred book, as he 
 did againft Cerinthus and Ebion y who blaf- 
 phem'd its moft facred doctrines, and deny'd 
 our God and Saviour, the author of it ? If 
 any forgeries or falfify'd copies had appear'd, 
 wou'd not this flrft and greateft bifhop in 
 the world have fupprefs'd 'em, and given 
 notice and caution to all A/ia, and all Chri- 
 Jliantty ? 
 
 Neither, fecondly y cou'd any forgery or 
 falfe copies pafs undetected in the age next to 
 the apoftolic. By this time an infinite num- 
 ber of true and genuine tranfcripts had been 
 publifiYd, and difpers'd all over the Chri- 
 ftian world. The originals of the evange- 
 lifts and apoftles were in Tertullian's time, 
 who liv'd in the third century, preferv'd, 
 and to be feen in the archives of the moft 
 celebrated mother-churches ; and therefore 
 any new falfe copies might be compared 
 and confuted by the antient true ones ; and 
 by looking into the grand originals, all mif- 
 takes might immediately be re&ify'd. 
 
 T'hirdly^ 
 
'Defended and IUufiratea. 3 2 1 
 
 Thirdly, It was morally impoffible that in 
 after-times, when the divine originals were 
 worn out and moulder'd to decay, that any 
 forgery or abufe upon the iacred text cou'd 
 prevail, and pafs undifcover'd and uncen- 
 fur'd. Innumerable tranferipts of thefe raoft 
 precious records of oar f ah at 'ion were written. 
 out with care and exactnefs; and diftributed 
 amongft Chriflian believers, however dif- 
 pers'd over the whole face of the known 
 world. The original was in a language 
 that almoft all people and nations at that 
 time underftood ; numerous tranilations were 
 made into the native tongues of Chrifliaii 
 countries; and explications, notes, and ho- 
 milies made by feveral commentators* 
 
 An infinite number of important pafTages 
 in the iacred volumes had been quoted by 
 Chriftian writers, from the age immediately 
 fucceeding the apoftoiical, downwards to any 
 aflignable date of time. The iacred book, 
 was, particularly in the caftern churches, 
 tranferib'd and preferv'd in its full purity 
 and beauty, without interlineations, conjee^ 
 tures, or marginal notes. The great br'tgeri, 
 Ammonias, Pier'ws, and c Pam?h'il: ! .s, all zea- 
 lous advocates of the Chriflian caufe, great 
 judges of all parts of learning, defenders ci. 
 Vol. II. Y and 
 
322 The Sacred Classics 
 
 and fome of 'em martyrs for the ever la (ling 
 Go/pel, had taken infinite pains, and ufed 
 unwearied diligence in correcting the mif- 
 takes and failures- in ibme books, and re- 
 ftoring the heavenly volumes to their primi- 
 tive integrity. 
 
 Eujebius bilhop of Cocfarea collected all 
 the books, revifed and accurately publiih'd 
 by the great critics and learned Chriftians 
 above-mention'd ; order'd 'em to be exactly 
 tranfcrib'd by the moft skilful antiquaries^ 
 the foundeft fcholars, and moft ready and 
 fair writers that cou'd be procured, and fent 
 fifty of thofe raoft accurate and beautiful 
 copies to the emperor Conflantine the Great , 
 for the ufe of the imperial city, and adjacent 
 churches 9 . 
 
 St. AthanaJiuS) being requefted by the 
 letters of the emperor Conjlans, fent him 
 feveral accurate and curious copies of the 
 divinely-infpir'd book, from Alexandria, then 
 the moil: celebrated feat of philofophy and 
 learning, efpccially facred learning, in all 
 the world. 
 
 And the further we come downwards 
 from the times of thofe moft venerable and 
 
 * Eufeb. Vit. Conftantin. 1. 4. c. 35-, ;6. D. Whitby 
 Ex. Var. Left. Praef. p. 7. D. Mill. Proleg. 7. Eufeb. 
 Ilift. Eccl. 1. 3. c XI > 
 
 apoftolical 
 
Defended and Illujlvated* 3 2 j 
 apoftolical fcholars and critics, the more im- 
 pofTible it will be thought, by men of under- 
 Handing, that the facred book fhou'd be 
 interpolated in any place or matter of mo- 
 ment ; in any point of found morals, my- 
 ltery, article of faith, or hiftorical fa ft : 
 Since we have myriads of tranferipts from 
 thofe venerable and authentic copies all over 
 the Chriftian world, exactly agreeing in all 
 material and momentous points ; publickly 
 preach'd and taught; infinitely valu'd by 
 all that are worthy the honourable name of 
 Chr'ijllan, entirely preferr'd to all other 
 writings and records ; and prefer v'd with the 
 utmoft care and veneration. 
 
 I conclude this head with a curious remark 
 or two of the late polite and judicious Dr, 
 Ficfdes : " That various readings, and alte- 
 <c rations of little moment have happen'd, is 
 " no wonder, considering the negligence^ 
 <£ ignorance, and common infirmities of 
 t£ tranferibers. 
 
 " But this does not deftroy the authority 
 ** of holy Scriptures in any fundamental or 
 " elfential points and doctrines. 
 
 " Who knows if it was not wifely per- 
 <l mitted by the Providence of God, that 
 <c miftakes cf no dangerous confequence 
 
 Y a « might 
 
3 %4 *fh e Sacred Classics 
 
 " might have happen'd in tranfcribing the 
 " holy Scriptures, to divert the thoughts of 
 " learned and inquilitive men from more 
 " ufelefs inquiries; or which might have 
 " lefs reference to the bufinefs of religion? " 
 
 I cannot forbear preienting my reader 
 with an obfervation of this great man, which, 
 tho' 'tis not directly and fully proper to the 
 prefent fubject, yet 'tis curious, and not al- 
 together foreign. 
 
 " It muft be own'd, that critical learning, 
 " in the view I am now confidering it (as 
 " defending and clearing the facred writers ) 
 " tho' it has put men, on many occafions, 
 " upon trifling after a very elaborate manner, 
 " yet is, in the natural tendency of it, very 
 " commendable, and has really done the 
 " caufe of religion good fervice ; and con- 
 " tributed very much to perfuade men of 
 " the truth and authority of holy Scriptures, 
 " by referring to many antient records, and 
 " the unanimous teftimony of fo many an- 
 " tient fathers concerning the divine infpi- 
 " ration of them : Tho' they happen'd, in 
 " fome points lefs material, and more diffi- 
 " cult, to differ in their opinions from one 
 " another 1 ." 
 
 1 Dr. Fiddes'sTheol. Spec p. 226, 227. 
 
 fourthly. 
 
'Defended and Wuflv cited. 325 
 Fourthly, Jews, Heathens, Heretics, Ma- 
 hometans, rarely raife objections againft our 
 facred canon of the New Teftament upon the 
 account of the various readings. Indeed that 
 inveterate enemy of Chrift, Celjus, charges 
 the faithful (which by the pagans, and falfe- 
 nam'd Chriftians, was ufed by way of fneer, 
 as orthodox is now amongft us) with forgery 
 and interpolations : The great Origen flops 
 his flanderous mouth, by utterly denying his 
 malicious charge 5 and affirming, a true Chri- 
 fllan cou'd not be guilty of fo heinous a 
 crime j but that the only perfons that cou'd 
 attempt to falfify and corrupt the writings 
 of divine fandion, were infolent heretics, 
 followers of Marc'wn, Valentine, and Luc'ian. 
 
 That monftrous atheiftical wretch Fau- 
 Jius the Manlchee, blindly throws the fame 
 calumny at the fathers of the church, 
 without the lean: appearance of proof, or 
 regard to decorum or common honefty. 
 St. Aujtln replies upon him, and confutes 
 him with a two-edg'd argument, proving, 
 that the faithful neither wou'd nor cou'd 
 corrupt the facred book, which they admir'd 
 and ador'd -, and which was facredly pre- 
 ferv'd in the archives of all the churches, 
 govern'd by an uninterrupted fucceflion 
 
 Y 3 from 
 
3 16 The Sacred Classics 
 
 from the apoflolical to the prefent time : And 
 further proving, that tho* the Mankhees 
 wou'd, yet they cou'd not corrupt and fal- 
 fify the divine canon. 
 
 " As foon as you had attempted to abufe 
 " and interpolate Scripture, you wou'd have 
 " been confounded with the truth of the an- 
 " tient copies : And for the fame reafon that 
 " thejnfpir'd book cou'd not be corrupted 
 " by you, neither cou'd it by any one elfe : 
 " For whofoever fhou'd firft have dar'd to 
 " do this, wou'd have been confuted by the 
 " authority of many antient manufcripts ; 
 " and efpecially becaufe the fame Scriptures 
 " are not contain'd in one tongue only, but 
 " translated into many/' 
 
 But the generality of pagan and heretical 
 enemies of the Gofpel do not charge the 
 found Chriftians with corrupting their Scrip- 
 tures j Julian, forphyry, Hierocles, cXc. they 
 only infult the facred writers and found 
 Chriftians with vain and ftupid triumphs 
 over the imaginary contradictions in fact, the 
 abfurdities in the reafonings, and barbarifms 
 in language, which they dream'd they difco- 
 ver'd in the evangelifts and apoftles \ 
 
 * Vide D. Whitby Ex. Var. Left, Prtef. p. 4, y. 
 
 God's 
 
'Defended ond Illujlrated. 327 
 
 God's unfearchable and mo ft wife Provi- 
 dence has even turned and directed the de- 
 figns and attempts of the enemies of his 
 Son's Gofpel and religion to the advantage, 
 proof, and illuftration of it. Heretics of 
 contradictory wicked notions, and jarring 
 blaiphemies, have been checks and fpies one 
 upon another, to the confiderable advantage 
 of the purity of that tradition, by which we 
 hold the Chriftian oracles at this day?. 
 
 For, fays a very great man, " Thefe 
 " threatning innovations to ferve a parcy, 
 " were means of putting orthodox believers 
 " more upon their guard ; minifter'd occa- 
 " fion for maintaining a more clofe and 
 " friendly correfpondence between particular 
 M churches ; and awaken'd their care in a 
 " more nice examination of copies, as they 
 " happen'd to come abroad. Accordingly, 
 u the evidences we have of any changes, or 
 <l interpolations, made in favour of any fepa- 
 " rate intereft, or unfound opinion, is not 
 " greater, than that of their being immedi- 
 " ately detected and confuted 4 ." 
 
 3 As Photinians and Sabellians, Arians., Eunomians, 
 Apollinarlans, and Prifcillianifts. Vide D. Wotton. 
 Prsf- ad Clem. Rom. p. 2. ex Vlncen. Lirinen. quern 
 locum leftor confulat. 
 
 * Vide Dr. Stanhope's Boyle's Left. Serm. 3. p. 18,19. 
 
 Y 4 " What 
 
328 The Sacred Classics 
 
 " What was added or mutilated in the 
 " facred writings, fays another judicious 
 u fcholar and divine, by heretics in their 
 " own books, as it gave occafion of expo- 
 " fing their impious arts and defigns ; fo it 
 " contributed not a little to the better fettle- 
 " ment of the true and original text. And 
 '* the heretics, on the other hand, were 
 " themfelves, in fome degree, instrumental 
 < l to this end, as having a watchful eye on 
 <* the orthodox, left they fhou'd make ufe 
 " of any pious fraud, as 'tis call'd, towards 
 if interpolating the Scriptures ; which it 
 " might poffibly have been fufpected by 
 < l them, that fome perfons, out of a miftaken 
 a zeal, might, on occafion, make no great 
 V fcrupleofV 
 
 That our facred books were written at the 
 time pretended, and bv the perfons to whom 
 they are aicrib'd, and the fame in all material 
 and effential points as the great originals, 
 we have, as a learned prelate obferves, a 
 more univcrfal, and cpnftant teftimony, in 
 every feverai age in which they were writ, 
 thm can be produced for any other writings 
 fo antient : and this allow' d, without contra- 
 diction, by the ji-rfl enemies of Chrijliamty, 
 
 ? Vide Dr. F'ddes's Th?cl. Spec. p. 226. 
 
 who 
 
^Defended and Illajtrated. 319 
 
 who undertook to write againft it ; who had 
 better means of information than thofe that 
 came after them ; and wou'd have been wil- 
 ling enough to have objected againft their 
 being genuine, if there had been any colour 
 for it. 
 
 That grand impoftor Mahomet allows our 
 Saviour to be a true and divinely-infpir'd 
 prophet, and the writings of the Gofpei to 
 be genuine, Co far, that many zealous Maho- 
 metans endeavour to prove out of our books, 
 that Mahomet was there prophefy'd of, under 
 the notion of the paraclet a . 
 
 Fifthly, That the various readings in edi- 
 tions of the New Teftament are no prejudice 
 to the fenfe or defign of Providence in reveal- 
 ing it to mankind, we have the general con- 
 fent of Chriftian critics, found fcholars, and 
 divines of all ages, nations, temper, and per- 
 fuafions. The bigotted EMonites, the more 
 inveterate and worft fort of Socinians, or 
 falfe-nam'd Unitarians, I always except, for 
 reafons that may be produc'd in a proper 
 place 7 .' 
 
 6 Bp.Leng's Serm. on Boyle's Left. 14. p. 499. Vide 
 cmnino Dr. Prideaux's Life of Mahomet. 
 
 7 Preface to thefe Difcourfes. 
 
 There 
 
1 3 g The Sacred Classics 
 
 There is a paflage in the preface to the 
 beautiful and excellent edition of JYetjienws 
 at jimfterdam, fo often mention'd, which 
 feems to me very pertinent and full : Ferum 
 illud fatis mirari nequeo, inter tot myriades 
 variant turn tot numerart nugas, J?ribligines % 
 exfcriptorum fphalmata, non folum mamfeftij- 
 (jma y Jed etiam portentofa, imo> & quod fiupeo, 
 crajjtjjima menda typographica : it a ut exphfjs 
 omnibus ijlis titivilitiis at que pakis, nee cen- 
 tejtma quceque fuperjit leftio alicujus momenth 
 At quum & has, pleno eruditorum confenfu 
 nil habeanty quod fenfui textus recepti obftet, 
 vedum aperte contradicat, id ejus authentiam 
 mirifice probare judico 8 . 
 
 To what lengths and extravagancies party- 
 rage and bigotry will carry men, otherwife 
 fober and learned, Morinus is a plain in- 
 ftance ; who, out of his exorbitant zeal for 
 the church and court of Rome, from the 
 various readings only found in the fixteen 
 manufcripts made ufe of by Robert Stephens, 
 has rafhly and vainly concluded, that the 
 facred text is rendered precarious and ufe-* 
 lefs : And that to cftablifh the authority of 
 the vulgate Latin translation, tho' that has 
 a vaft number of various readings, as ap- 
 
 £ Pag- 7- 
 
 pears 
 
'Defended and Uhflrated. 3 3 1 
 pears from Stephens's and PLmtin's editions; 
 and after a careful review and correction of 
 the vulgatc by the command and encourage- 
 ment of Slxtus V. and Clemens VIII. Lucas 
 Brugenjjs, one of their own communion, has 
 written a book containing a large heap of 
 various readings. This great fcholar pre- 
 fumptuoufly difparages and runs down the 
 divine Hebrew original of the Old Teftament, 
 and the authentic canon, in favour of the 
 Sepuagint, and Vulgate, which is nearer to 
 that Greek verfion, and often copies the 
 blunders and abfurdities of thofe tranilators 9 . 
 But what ingenuity or fair reafoning can 
 you expect from a zealot and apoftate, who, 
 when together with fetavlas and Morfennus y 
 he had obtain'd leave of the king of Franca 
 to print Capelluss Critica Sacra at Qaris, 
 craftily and unwarrantably took care that 
 almoft a whole chapter fhou'd be expung'd 
 and ftruck out of the original ? in which 
 Capellus had ihew'd feveral of the errors and 
 blunders of thofe Greek translators ; to 
 which he, with monftrous affurance, afcribes 
 divine authority '. . 
 
 9 Vide Dr. Whitby Ex. Var. Lea. p. i. 90. Dr. Mill.- 
 Prolog, p. 140. 14. D. Hodius de Origin. Textibus, 
 p. $6u 
 
 1 D. Hodius ubi fupra. 
 
 The 
 
332- The Sacred Classics 
 
 The beft divines and fcholars of the 
 church of England are unanimous in this 
 opinion ; from whom I have tranfcrir/d fe- 
 veral palTages very clear and valuable, and 
 therefore fhall not now add to 'em - y but in 
 the preface I fhall refer the young itudent to 
 their books, editions, and pages. Only I 
 muft beg leave to fay a word of the learned 
 Dr. Jktilly who produced fuch an immenfe 
 number of various readings, at which Dr. 
 Whitby is in vain difturb'd, and terrify'd 
 with imaginary ill confequences ; and yet 
 that very venerable man has taken fo much 
 liberty in bringing marginal readings into the 
 text, and correcting the facred canon in a 
 bold and arbitrary manner, without any 
 competent authority, that Dr. Whitby has 
 juitly reproved, and folidly confuted fbme 
 of his bolder alTertions and conjectures. And 
 I cou'd wifh he had done it with more temper. 
 He charges Dr. Mill with felf-contradiclions, 
 which he really has in fome cafes made out ; 
 and with finiiter and dilhoneft deilgns, 
 which, I think, can neither by that great 
 work of his, nor by the courfe of his life, 
 ever be prov'd. Dr. Whitby gives the great 
 man his .due praifes : " That learned man, 
 " fays he, who I hope is now in a ftate of 
 
 " glory 
 
^Defended and Ilhtjt rated. 33$ 
 <c glory and immortality, has done great 
 " fervices to the church, by comparing pa- 
 " rallel places ; by fele&ing choice palTages 
 " out of the fathers ; by eftablifhing the 
 " genuine reading almoft in all places ; in 
 " which the Socinians, Erafmus y and Gro- 
 " tins have labour'd hard to fink and pervert 
 " the orthodox fenfe, &c." This is juft and 
 generous. 
 
 But the good man in other places a little 
 forgets himfelf, and is guilty of that contra- 
 diction that he charges Dr. Mill with ; in 
 one place allows that he aded with integrity; 
 in another that he was guilty of Unifier arts 
 and treachery *« 
 
 Thefe learned adverfaries both agree, that 
 the various readings in the New Teftament 
 do no prejudice to the canon, and bleffed de- 
 Jtgn of the everlajling Go/pel. 
 
 " There is, lays Dr. Whitby y no occafion 
 <c in this cafe for teftimonies ; let any reader 
 " diligently view all the places collected by 
 " us, and run over all the inftances of the 
 " more remarkable paffages of holy Scrip- 
 " ture, that are produced, either right or 
 
 * Dr. Whitby Op. Part. p. ir. col I. §. 2. facile 
 credam non ipfi integritatem defuifTe. Millium in opere 
 30 annorum labore afliduo, induftria. fumma. arteque ncn 
 exigua, & l'sepe non. ingema verfatum, &C. 
 
 " wrong, 
 
334 The Sacred Classics 
 
 " wrong, by Morinus', and he will find by 
 " ocular infpe&ion, that they don't any 
 " where afFecl:, much lefs undermine or link 
 u any rule of good manners, any article of 
 " faith." 
 
 The other great and good man thus ex- 
 preffes himfelf upon this fubjecl: : 
 
 " Hitherto the divine Providence has lb 
 " watch'd over his own book, that the 
 " librarians fhou'd not commit blunders 
 " where the main articles and fundamentals 
 " of Chriftianity were concerned. For in 
 " thefe all the books agree ; and if it hap- 
 " pen, that any paffage that is efteem'd to 
 " be of the higheft confequence, fhou'd be 
 " omitted in one or more manufcripts (which 
 11 has only happened, as far as I have ob- 
 " ferv'd, in one place, St. John i. 5, 7.) yet 
 " the fame, as to the full fenfe, is repeated 
 u in other places ; and therefore the Chri- 
 " ftian verity can never run any hazard, or 
 " receive damage from fuch alterations \" 
 
 1. The primitive fathers and bifhops of 
 the Chriftian church, as they took all poill- 
 ble care that no corruptions or falfifications 
 of the facred text fhou'd be made, fo they 
 
 3 Vide Dr. Mill. Proleg. p. 140, &c. Dr. Whitby Ex." 
 V*ar. Left. p. 90. Id, Prsef. ad Ex. Var. Left. p. 9. 
 
 never 
 
^Defended and Illuftrated. 335 
 never thought that the leffer flips, and literal 
 miftakes of the fcribes, cou'd obfcure the 
 fenfe of the divine volumes. 'Twas the 
 grand defire and bufinefs of thofe devout and 
 happy preachers of the Gofpel, to fcatter the 
 feeds of thofe doctrines of immortality all 
 over the univerfe ; and to deliver the wri- 
 tings of the holy evangelifts pure and en- 
 tire 4 . 
 
 That thefe venerable writers did not 
 efteem fome minute differences, not affecting 
 the moral, or myftery, or hiftorical verity of 
 the heavenly book, to be of any ill confe- 
 quence, is very evident from their own me- 
 thod of citing Scriptures, in which you find 
 a great variety ; one father very often quo- 
 ting the fame text three or four different 
 ways, as to the words, but entirely agreeing 
 in fenfe and defign. 
 
 St. Auguft'mes obfervation upon the va- 
 riety of tranflations in his time, may with 
 full propriety be apply'd to the various 
 lections of the New Teftarnent : tfantmn 
 abeji tit ed varietate offendi, turbari, & incer- 
 tus reddi debeat pius & Chrijlianus k$or y tit 
 ex ear am collatione & examine certwr reddatat\ 
 
 quid 
 
3 $6 The Sacred Classics 
 
 quid potijjimum fequendam /tt> quam Ji unica 
 duntaxat verfio ejjet. 
 
 Upon which the learned and judicious au- 
 thor of the noble EngHJh Polyglot thus dif- 
 courfes : -— " It fhews a fpecial providence 
 c over the facred canon, that notwithftand- 
 c ing fome variety in fmaller matters, all 
 1 conftantly agree in all matters of weight, 
 c whether of faith or life \ whether hiftori- 
 1 cal or prophetical : for it will be hard for 
 c any one to find, in the largeft collection of 
 c various readings, any one place which in- 
 c trenches upon any point of faith or reli- 
 c gion, or any other matter of moment ; 
 c which mull needs fhew God's wonderful 
 c care in preferving this rule of our belief 
 c and Chriftian converfation entire without 
 c any danger V 
 
 And even in thofe leffer things, he has 
 not left us without means to judge of the 
 heft reading, when any cafual error ihall 
 happen. 
 
 2. The moll: learned, judicious, and mo- 
 derate divines and fcholars in the church of 
 Rome are entirely in this fentiment, and fin- 
 cerely declare for the purity and fufficiency 
 
 s Ep. Walcon's Confuterator confider'd, c.7. p. 126, 1*7. 
 
 of 
 
defended and Ilia (Ir ate d. J 17 
 
 of the divine canon, notwithstanding all va- 
 rious readings. 
 
 The excellent Dnpiu has 10 ingenuouily 
 own'd the fufficiency of the holy Scriptures 
 to lead us fafely to a happy eternity ; and 
 ib ftrongly prov'd from reafbn and the fa- 
 thers, that thofe blefiTed books fhou'd be 
 publifh'd in the mother-tongues, and con- 
 ftantly read by people of all degrees, ages, 
 and circumftances j that he drew upon him- 
 felf the malice and profecution of the fiery 
 zealots of his own communion, and the 
 blind flaves to infallibility ; but gain'd the 
 juft applaufe and love of all the members of 
 the univerfal church befides. Hear what 
 this great and truly moderate man fays on 
 the fubject before us : 
 
 " That there are many various readings 
 a in the New Teftament, appears plainly 
 " from the Oxford edition ; but they are all 
 " of them of very little moment; being, for 
 " the moft part, either the faults of the li- 
 a brarians, or very flight and minute over- 
 " fights*." 
 
 Cardinal Bellarmin was a very zealous 
 communicant in the church of Rome, a warm 
 
 6 Dupin's Hlilory of the Canon of the OM and New 
 Teft. vol. 2. Dr, Whitby's Pief. to Ex. Vat. Left p 9. 
 
 Vol. II. Z cham- 
 
338 The Sacred Classics 
 
 champion, and too eager a difputant and 
 afferter of the Papal monarchy : but then he 
 was the glory and ornament of his own church ; 
 I might have laid, of the age he liv'd in, for 
 his great learning and eminent piety. 
 
 The firft is demonftrable from his noble 
 writings • the latter from his life and death : 
 While he liv'd he was perpetually employ 'd 
 in doing good, and promoting the interefts 
 of learning and religion. He refign'd the 
 archbifhoprick of Capua, when other publick 
 affairs wou'd not fuffer him to difcharge his 
 paftoral office in that fee \ at which that 
 whole diocefe were inexpreflibly afflicted. 
 He dy'd happily and gloriouily, to his laH. 
 moments declaring, that he expected ialva- 
 tion only from the mercies of God, thro' the 
 merits and intereeflion of his eternal Son, 
 the fole Mediator between God and man. 
 
 This great and admirable perfon plainly 
 and fully determines for the fulnefs of holy 
 Scriptures, notwithstanding the miftakes and 
 blunders of fcribes ; and all the difference 
 and variety of readings. Thefe are his 
 words : Vanetates ifloe non font tantl mo- 
 menti, at in iis, qua; ad jidem & mores per- 
 tinent, fanBce Scripture integritas dejjdere- 
 tur : pkrumque en'im differentia eft in d'iB'10- 
 
 nibus 
 
^Defended and III n ft rated. 3 5 9 
 
 nibus cjii'ihiifdAhi po/itd, qua jenfum Jut pa,- 
 <xrt nihil mutant** 
 
 Dominions Bannes, S'ntus Saicnfts, and 
 in fhort, the generality of the moft learned 
 and moderate members of the church of 
 Rome, are in the fame fentiment with that 
 illuftrious and learned prelate. Indeed all 
 thofe of that communion, who hold the 
 vulgate verllon authentic, muff either con- 
 demn that, or allow the purity of the He- 
 brew Old Teftament, and the New in Greek ; 
 tho* there be in them numerous differences^ 
 and various readings. 
 
 After the amendments of Pope S'lxtus 
 jg&inttis, in two years time, was publifh'd 
 the Bible of Pope Clement, and feveral thou- 
 land various readings and differences were 
 obferv'd in the two editions publifh'd by 
 the Popes themfelves, tho* fo clolely luc- 
 ceeding one another 3 . 
 
 We have before faid fomething upon this 
 point, and 1 am not willing to be trouble- 
 fome by unneceffary repetitions 9. 
 
 7 Beliarmin. de Verbo Dei, lib. 2. c 2. Walton. Fro« 
 leg. 6. p. 36. col. 2. Collier in voce BeSatvitin. 
 
 d Vide omnino Hodium de Textibus Origin, p. 494, 
 49f> 496, &c. 
 
 9 Vide Divifion of chap, and ver. p. 144. 
 
 X 2 And 
 
34° The Sacred Classics 
 
 And therefore fhall only now prefent the 
 reader with the decree of the famous council 
 of tfrent, concerning the authenticalnefs of 
 the vulgate vernon : Infuper eadem facro- 
 fantta Sy nodus confidemns^ non parum utili- 
 tat'is accedere pofe ecclejjce Dei, Jj ex omnibus 
 Latinis editionibus, quae circumferuntur y fa- 
 crormn librorum y quxnam pro authentica ha- 
 benda Jit y innotejeat y jiatuit & declarat y ut 
 hxc ipfa vet us & vulgata editio y qua hngo 
 tot fculorum ufu in ipfa ecckfa probata ef y 
 in publicis lec~iionibus y difputationibus y prce- 
 dicatiombuss & expoftionibus y pro authentica 
 habeatur y ut nemo Mam rejicere quovis pra?- 
 textu audeat vel prof (mat. Mandat idem 
 decretum ut pojihac facra Scriptura y potijfi- 
 mum vero hac ipfa vetus & vulgata editio y 
 quam emendatijjime imprimatur '. 
 
 In the preface to the Latin Bible of Six- 
 tus jguintusy the authority of the vulgate is 
 indeed claim'd and magnify 'd in pompous 
 words ; but 'tis not pretended that 'tis with- 
 out errors, or fuperfedes the ufe, or dimi- 
 nifhes the value of the Hebrew Bible, or the 
 Septuagint verfion : Jd Hebreorum Gras- 
 
 * Ad hoc decretum procefTum ell In fefllone quarta, 
 Ap. 8. Vide D. Hodium, lib. 3. c. 14. p. 491, 492. 
 
 com ni que 
 
^Defended and Ittuftrated. 3 4 1 
 
 corumquc exemphtria duximus confugiendum 
 
 at, quod apud nos variant thus codicibus 
 
 inconftansy diverfum ac multiplex erat y id 
 uniforme, conjvnum, uniufque modi ipforum 
 fintium veritate perfpetid, fanciretur. 
 
 The facred original is by moft of their 
 fober men call'd the Hebrew truth, and 
 allow'd to be the pure uncorrupted original : 
 Nonfic authentic a dicitur vulgata, quaji fon- 
 tibus Hebraicis vel Graecis prseferenday?/-, ant 
 etiam coaequanda \ 
 
 Father Simon acknowledges, there are 
 faults in the vulgate, and that the council 
 by their decree never intended to reject even 
 other translations, much lefs the Hebrezv 
 text ; and he blames Jerom for departing fo 
 far from the Greek verlion, &c \ 
 
 PoffevimtSy a Jefuit of Mantua, in high 
 terms magnifies the vulgate, as the pillar 
 and haven of truth, into which we ought to 
 put, after fo many waves and toflings of 
 difagreeing verfions. Yet he allows the ex- 
 cellency and preference of the divine He- 
 brew original : In Ebraica Scriptura tot junt 
 
 Hod. lib. ;. pars 2. p. 497, p}, ^14. Vulgat. ed — 
 magis juxra Hebraicam veritatem, reliquifque lit praefe- 
 renda eciirionibus. Tiieol. Salmanticni'ss. Hod. p. 524. 
 3 Hod. p. f z6— 5-^. Vide innumera fn hancfenten- 
 tiam Hod. lib. ;. pars 2. c. 14, if, 16. 
 
 'L 3 facrameiita, 
 
34* The Sacred Classics 
 
 facramenta, quot lit era ; tot myfteria, quot 
 pun&a ; tot arc 'ana , quot apices-. 
 
 'Tis very remarkable, that the learned 
 father Simon ^ tho' he writ a book on the 
 various readings of the New Teftament, with 
 a purpofe to refer both the reading and the 
 meaning to the decifion of the pontifical 
 chair, yet fometimes makes conceifions that 
 fruftrate his defign, and break in pieces his 
 hypothefis and whole fcheme 4 . vSo great 
 and prevalent is the power of truth! 
 
 <c Whatfbever changes thefe books, writ- 
 ten by fcribes, in the weftcrn churches, 
 ignorant of the Greek language, have 
 undergone, and tho 5 they do not retain 
 the very words of the apoftles and evan- 
 gelifts, yet the moft diligent reader will 
 find no difference in the fenfe." 
 " Again, fays the fame great man, in our 
 libraries there are great numbers of Greek 
 manufcripts, written by Grecians, and 
 were commonly ufcd by them : Thefe 
 books diifer indeed one from another in 
 matters of fmall moment, but wonderfully 
 agree in this, that they are far different 
 from the books which the Latins copy'd; 
 
 4 Vide Dr. Whitby Ex. Var. Left. c. ;. p. 14, if. 
 
 " that 
 
'Defended and Ilhifl rated. 343 
 u that is,- the Greek copies are far more ac- 
 " curate and corred than the Latin." 
 
 The great Bochart, Ludoviaus de Dieu, 
 Leufden, Sixtinus Amama (by a great mif- 
 take calTd in Collier 's Dictionary Six minus 
 Amata) &c. the greateft linguifts, critics, 
 and divines in Europe, are all unanimous in 
 this opinion and free conceflion, that all the 
 various readings in all the books in the 
 univerfe do no real prejudice to, nor in 
 efTential or material things touch or affed 
 the fee red infallible original. 
 
 'Tvvou'd be too great a trefpafs upon my 
 good reader's patience, to tranferibe 'em y 
 I take the liberty in the following paragraphs 
 to fhew where very full and clear teftimonies 
 may be found. 
 
 As to the ample teftimony of the wonder- 
 ful Bochart, minifter of Caen in France, fee 
 that admirable work of his, Geographia Sa- 
 cra, pars 1. lib. 2. c. 13. Or you have it 
 in Bifhop Walton's Confiderator con/ider'd, 
 p. 154. London, by Roy croft, 1655). Or his 
 Prolegom.. 6. p. 36. ad Biblia Polyglot ta ; 
 where likewife you have the opinion of 
 the excellent and univerfal fcholar Hugo 
 Grotias. 
 
 Z 4 That 
 
344 Fhe Sacred Classics 
 
 That of Ludovkus de Dieu, a man of 
 great learning, cfpecially in the oriental 
 tongues, 'and a fair and skilful interpreter 
 of Scripture, may be had in his own pre- 
 face to his animadverfions on the evange- 
 lifts; or in the fame little book, Conjiderator 
 conjider'd, p. 155. The fame opinion is 
 defended by the admirable Leufden, a famous 
 profeflbr of philofophy and the facred lan- 
 guages in the univerlity of Utrecht, in his 
 tPhilologus Gnecus \ or in Conjirmatw Cano- 
 nttm Criticorum, in Prolegotn. to iVetflenlus's 
 beautiful edition of the New Teftament, 
 p. 50. 
 
 Sixtlnus Amama, profeflbr of Hebrew 
 learning at Franequer, in his noble book 
 Antibarbariis Biblkvis, attacks the errors 
 and corruptions of the vulgate verfion, when 
 it goes off from, or contradicts the facred 
 original ; and defends the purity and inte-* 
 grity of the prefent Hebrew text, notwith- 
 itanding the difference of tranferibers, and 
 editions, with reafons that, I humbly think, 
 are clear and refifllefs ; and certainly they 
 may, with parity of reafon, be apply'd to 
 the various readings in the holy writings of 
 our blciled Lord's evangelifts and apoftles. 
 
 Thcfe 
 
 \ 
 
^Defended and lllujlrated. 345 
 
 Thofc who have not his excellent book, 
 may fee the paflages to this purpofe in 
 Confide rat or conjhkrd, p. 153, 154. or in 
 the venerable prelate's Prolegom. 6. de Var. 
 hi Scriptard Le&iontbus ad Polyglot. Bib. 
 
 Ludovtcus Capellus, Hebrew profeffor 'at 
 Saumur, has in his Crltica Sacra, and other 
 pieces, given the various readings of the 
 Hebrew divine books, and the differences 
 betwixt the antient and prefent text, with 
 a liberty offeniive to many good and learned 
 men j and in many things unwarrantable. 
 So he is very extravagant in his commen- 
 dation of the Greek verfion of the Hebrew 
 Bible ; fays, we owe almoft all knowledge 
 of divinity to it ; and that without that 
 tranflation at belt, we mould have had a very 
 fmall, obfcure, and uncertain knowledge of 
 Hebrew ; that lacred and infpired book 
 wou'd have been almoft of no ufe. 
 
 But this learned man, tho' fometimes too 
 bold in his alTertions and criticifms, inge- 
 nuoufly acknowledges, that the numerous 
 various readings in the Old and New Tefta- 
 ment don't at all affecl: the fubftance, effen- 
 
 5 Vide D.Hody de Text. Orlg. lib. ;. p. 5-60, 5-61, f6z. 
 
 tials. 
 
346 The Sacred Classics 
 
 tials, and blelTed defign of thofe ineftima- 
 ble treafures of wifdom and genuine elo- 
 quence. . 
 
 AJJ'erit textum Hebraicum Vet. fyft. & 
 iGrascum Novi, non fu'tjfe data opera, a Ju- 
 dxis & hasreticis corruptttm at que deprava- 
 tum\ fed in integritate & puritate fua con- 
 fervatum. Cut non ob flare variam le&ionem, 
 quce fenfum non mitt at ; a at Ji mat at ^ per- 
 wde eft ut rum fequaris. Fontem diet purum 
 refpetiu & comparate ad tranjlationes ; qua- 
 rum vix ullam ejje tarn accuratam & excuf- 
 fam* ut nihil omnino emendandum aut ema- 
 culandum hi ea fu per jit. At que ex ipfo fonte 
 (quern fmpcr puriorem rivuTis fluere) €or- 
 rlgendum, 2£c. 
 
 He has a full and remarkable paiTage to 
 the fame purpofe : Duo Junt genera rerum 
 in Scripturis, alia enim funt ad falutem ne- 
 cefforia j five qu# ad fidem & mores Jpefiant, 
 five hijlorioe fwt, qute ad-.fkkm & fpem robo- 
 randum multum faciunt \.ut hifloria de ere- 
 atione, de procidentia divjna, de nativitate, 
 vita, morte y refurrec~iione Ghrifli 3 H.c. 
 
 GhitZ verb ejufmodi font, in omnibus clarc 
 & evidenter traduntur, ita ut doffrina falu~ 
 tarh, a prophetis & apojiolis tradita, in illis 
 
 omnibus 
 
defended and Uhjlrated. 347 
 
 omnibus inveniatur. Res enim tales von hie 
 & illic fparftm per Scripturam traduntur : 
 fed ut fanguis per venas & arteritis per tot um 
 corpus ubique traducitur ; fie ilh-e per totum 
 Scriptune corpus diflribuuntur. Ita ut Hat 
 in uno loco vel altero aliqua varietas oriri 
 potent, Veritas tamen J'ahitaris periclitari 
 von foffity viji univerfje Scripture compares 
 luxata & comipta effet. 
 
 Mia verb Junt, in qui bus error vel igno- 
 rantia fine falutis periculo oriri pofflt, ut 
 mult a in chronologicis, & in nominibus ho- 
 minim, urbium, regionum, etc. circa quce 
 varietas cudicum effe potefl, manente Scrip- 
 ture authoritate ; & fine falutis dijpendio 
 vel periculo errare poffmnus : 7*um quod res 
 ipfs momentofae non fnt ; turn quia ex ipfa 
 Scriptura judicari poterit, quasnam lectio fit 
 
 verior 6 . 
 
 I have tranfcribM this long quotation, 
 becaufe it is very clear and full, and in 
 every refpecl: comes up to the point. 
 
 We have already quoted a paifage out 
 of the famous Mr. Le Clerc, to fhew that 
 he is of the fame opinion ; and fhall now 
 add two more, very full and fatisfactory. 
 
 6 Capell. Grit. Sacr. lib. 6. c. f. cited by Bp. Walton. 
 Prolegom. 6. p. 3$. col. 1. 
 
 In 
 
348 The Sacred Classics 
 
 In the firft place, after he has given us a 
 fhort colle&ion of fome various le&ions out 
 of the ABs ; " Thefe inftances, faith he, 
 u fufficiently lhew how often the fcribes 
 " omitted fome things, chang'd the order of 
 " the words, and confounded words fync*- 
 " nymous, and of the fame figniflcation ; 
 " which, for the mofl part, do not alter 
 " the fenfe; tho' fometimes they make a 
 " confiderable alteration. 
 
 u In the mean time, we have reafon to 
 " praife God, that he wou'd not fuffer our 
 u faith to depend upon one or two places, 
 or upon fome few little particles, into 
 which an alteration might creep, thro' the 
 negligence or difhonefty of librarians or 
 u theologues : In things neceffary there is 
 u a fufficient harmony and agreement of 
 *f msnufcripts, to remove from us all doubt 
 i; and fcruple. 
 
 The other part of his teftimony is ftiort 
 and full. Take it in his own words : 
 ~Nulla ejl doftrititf Chrifliatwe fars y qute va- 
 rus Ulis hcfiombus y vet minimum, ant olim ? 
 nut pofterioribus feculis obfeurata fuerit 7 . 
 
 7 Le C!erc Ars Crit. pars 3. p. 47, 4$. Ep. de Ed. 
 N T. Millii, p. ult. ante Kufteri G. T« 
 
 I clofc 
 
^Defended and Illujirated. 349 
 I clofe this fe&ion with a very choice 
 and full piece of reafoning upon this head, 
 from a learned and judicious writer, who 
 has done our common Chriftianity good 
 fervice by his difcourfe on miracles (where, 
 by the bye, he utterly confutes a fallacious 
 and trifling definition of a miracle, advane'd 
 by a celebrated metaphyfician) and in his 
 Vindication of the Chriflian Religion, and 
 fince that, of Daniel's Prophecy, againft 
 Grounds and Reafons, as fome fay, written 
 by one man \ but I rather think them to 
 be the joint labours of an antichrifh'an clan, 
 in confederacy, and vain hoftility againft 
 the Lord Jehovah and his Chrlji. 
 
 V In all antient books, fays he, as they 
 " have been often tranferib'd, there will 
 l S be of neceffity various readings, which 
 " muft happen to the facred writings as 
 " well as to any other, unlefs we can fup- 
 " pofe God was oblig'd to guide every tran- 
 " fcriber's hand, or to take care that no 
 <c errors fhou'd come out from the prefs. 
 " The providence of God is abundantly 
 " vindicated, by taking care that no fiich 
 " errors fhall happen, which might lead 
 " men into opinions and practices contrary 
 
 « to 
 
35© The Sacred Classics 
 
 to the end and defign of the revelation 
 given. 
 
 " As for other things of lefTer confe- 
 quence, where neither the intereft of the 
 divine government, nor the happinefs of 
 men is concern'd, to affert it neceffary 
 that God fhou'd interpofe to prevent any 
 differences or difputes about them, is to 
 affirm it neceffary, that God fhou'd inter- 
 pofe in a very extraordinary manner,, tho* 
 there be no extraordinary occafion to re- 
 quire it. The great end of a revelation 
 from God can only be to acquaint man- 
 kind with his will in reference to their 
 duty, and to encourage them by proper 
 motives to perform it ; fo that they may 
 obtain the divine favour, and fecure their 
 own happinefs. 
 
 U Therefore all the objections form'd 
 againft the facred books upon account 
 of the differences that may be found in 
 the feveral copies we have of them, will 
 appear to be of no force to prove 'cm 
 not written by a divine authority and 
 influence, till it can be prov'd,. that the 
 original defign of them is hereby quite 
 obfeur'd ; and that therefore they are 
 
 " infuffi- 
 
'Defended and Illujlrated. 3 5 1 
 
 " infufficient to make men virtuous and 
 a happy. 
 
 u And indeed, till this can be made out, 
 " the objection carries in it this manifeft 
 u contradiction, That the Scriptures cannot 
 " be from God, becaufe there is in them 
 " fuch a number of various reading-s, as 
 " render them hijhfficient to accomplifh that 
 " great end, for which they are abundantly 
 " Sufficient 8 . 
 
 Thus have we prefented our reader with 
 the opinion and judgment of great num- 
 bers of the moft famous linguifts, general 
 fcholars, found critics and divines in all 
 Europe, and the world, that the various 
 readings in the facred Scriptures do no ways 
 prejudice or weaken, but rather give ftrcngth 
 and advantage to the divine canon. 
 
 They were form'd by genius and edu- 
 cation for a happy progrefs in thefe ftudies, 
 had fagacity, induftry, and judgment, were 
 perpetually converfant in thefe ftudies, and 
 others fubfervient to 'em ; and therefore 
 were the fitteft and moft capable perfons 
 to judge of, and determine thefe points. 
 
 8 Mr. Sam. Chandler, in Vindication of the Chrlftian 
 Religion, p. yg, 60. 
 
 How- 
 
3 5 1 ^he Sacred Classics 
 
 However, in the references we have made, 
 and the excellent paiYages we have tran- 
 fcrib'd from 'em, we don't regard thefe 
 great men as cenfurers, but as able advo- 
 cates and defenders of this blelTed caufe : 
 They do not only a/ftrt, but prove ; and 
 the friends and adorers of the infpir'd text 
 don't inflffc upon their authority, and the re- 
 futation of their juflly-celebrated names, 
 
 tho' that be very great, and of extraordinary 
 weight, with equitable and modeft people, 
 
 fo much by far, as upon the flrong rea- 
 
 fons, and rejijikfs arguments, by which they 
 fupport their afTertions and found opinions 
 given in this caufe. 
 
 Sixthly, A great majority of the beft and 
 moft antient manufcripts, and all the print- 
 ed books publifiYd by Roman Catholichs, 
 Chriftians of the church of England, Lu- 
 therans, Cahinijis, and Chriftians of all 
 denominations (if they deferve that ve- 
 nerable name) univerfally agree in the 
 main, in every effential, both myftica!, 
 moral, and hiftorical : When they differ in 
 any refpecl, they don't argue from various 
 leclions ; but from the different interpreta- 
 tions of the facred text; which all infill: 
 
 upon, 
 
'Defended and lllujlrated. 3 5 3 
 
 upon, as being fatisfy'd, or pretending to 
 be lb at ledft, that the genuine uncontcftcd 
 original favours their party and opinion, if 
 it be jnftly interpreted. 
 
 The Greek lathers, St. Bafil, TSazianzen, 
 dthauafas, Cyril, and St. Chryfoflom efpe- 
 cia/Iy, that has commented almoft upon the 
 whole New Tcftament, have in their wri- 
 tings given you very near the whole divine 
 text : And how fmall and inconfiderable 
 a difference is there between their readings 
 and thofe of the manufcript and printed 
 books ? 
 
 From the accurate and beautiful books 
 of Cardinal Ximenes, Erafmits, the primi- 
 tive editor of the New Teftament from the 
 prefs, and of Robert Stephens, who accu-* 
 rately followed them, to the lateft edition 
 of this divine and inefllmable book, there is 
 no difference or variation, that materially 
 alters the fenfe, or tarnifhes the beauty^ 
 or much weakens the energy of the lan- 
 guage of thofe heavenly writers. 
 
 Nor is there any momentous alteration 
 or difagreement amongft 'em of fo much 
 confequence, as to give a rational man any 
 umbrage of fufpicion, that God has neg- 
 lected his own revelation, or his holy catho~ 
 
 Vol. II. A a lick 
 
354 Th e Sacred Classics 
 
 lick church been wanting in their care of 
 preferving pure and inviolate that moft fa- 
 cred and precious defofitiim. 
 
 That we may draw to a conclufion : Sup- 
 pofing the writings of the evangelifts and 
 apoftles to be written by the direction and 
 inlpiiation of God, which muft be allow'd 
 Lcibre there is any room for any objection 
 againft the canon of the New Teftament on 
 the account of various readings ; 'tis highly 
 confonant to found fenfe, and the notions 
 that rational creatures muft have of the fu- 
 preme and all-perfect Being, firmly to be- 
 lieve that the lame goodnefs and providence 
 of God which took care for the writing) 
 wou'd likewiie take care for preferving thefe 
 imftimabk books , fo free at leaft from cor- 
 ruption, that they might be fufficient for 
 thofe moft wife and gracious ends) for which 
 they were written and revealed to mankind. 
 
 And that is, clearly and fully to inftrud 
 us in ail points of Chriftian faith and prac- 
 tice \ thoroughly to furnifh us to all works ; 
 to qualify us for the immortal inheritance of 
 the faints in light • and make us wife to fal- 
 vation *. 
 
 * Vide Bp. Blackhall's Works, vol. 2. p. VJU *7& 
 
 When 
 
2)efend?d and Ilhpated. } J J 
 When any rational confederate man fees 
 ievcral thouiand various readings in a book 
 faid to be infpir'd from heaven, and prov'd 
 to be fo by miracles, and all the inward 
 and external marks of credibility, and yet 
 fully perceives, and has the fufTrages of the 
 greateft judges, that none of thofe altera- 
 tions or various readings make any difference 
 in any material article of do&rine, or hilto- 
 rical relation ; mult he not reflect, that a 
 watchful Providence has guarded a book, fo 
 wonderfully preferv'd, fo triumphantly preva- 
 lent • tho' it was fiercely oppos'd by all the 
 powers on earth, and in hell ? Tho* it was 
 always attack'd by the malice of enemies ; 
 and too often expos'd by the folly and 
 bigotry of weak, tho' fincere, friends* Tho' 
 it was hated and ridiculed by all lewd per- 
 fons, free-thinkers, and loofe livers ; all the 
 noify lhallow deifts, haughty innovators^ 
 and ftubborn heretics in the world. 
 
 I am afraid the good reader will think 
 that I have dwelt too long upon this fub- 
 ject : And I cannot well defend myfelf 
 againft the charge ; only beg leave to offer 
 the following apology and reafon ; and 
 humbly fubmit all to his judgment. 
 
 A a 2 Mr 
 
^6 The Sacred Classics 
 
 My defign was to give a pretty full ac- 
 count of the various lections in the New 
 Teftanient '-, to collect and place 'em in one 
 regular view, which lay fcatter'd in nume- 
 rous volumes. This may be reckon'd a dry 
 and unpleafant ftudy. I have endeavour'd 
 to diverfify it, and treat my fubjecl in as 
 agreeable a manner as I cou'd, and the 
 thing itfelf wou'd bear. 
 
 But, however, the knowledge of the va- 
 rious readings in the facred authors, is abfo- 
 lutely neceflary, and highly ufeful ; and 
 upon experience, and competent tryal, will 
 not be found entirely unpleafant to found 
 fcholars and divines. 
 
 This fhidy of various lections is of very 
 great advantage, as it engages the ftudent 
 and divine to iearch deeply into the records 
 of our Jalvat'wn^ and the "words of eternal 
 life ; as it gives us an intimate acquaintance 
 with the language, phrafeology, and fenfe 
 of holy writ : as it helps the memory, and 
 ftrengthens the judgment ; as it makes thofe 
 who are wifely employed in fuch good 
 ftudies ready textuaries, and powerful in 
 Scripture ; and as it enables them to give 
 an account of the hope that is in them; to 
 
 confute 
 
^Defended and Illujlrated. 357 
 confute the cavils of fanatical anti-fcriptu- 
 rifts- of fome injudicious and fiery Ruma- 
 mjis \ and of all the fhallow atheiftical 
 difputers of this world. 
 
 Laftly, 'Tis neceffary, ufeful, and mufl 
 be entertaining and agreeable to every found 
 Chriftian fcholar, that has a due veneration 
 for the facred oracles of infallible truth, to 
 be well acquainted with the various read- 
 ings ^ becaufe that doctrine judicioufly frated 
 and explained, makes up and forms one very 
 good and ftrong argument for the Truth 
 and Divinity of the Christian Religion. 
 
 THE EN 2). 
 
 Aa; IN- 
 
C 359 3 
 
 
 INDEX 
 
 TO THIS 
 
 SECOND VOLUME. 
 
 A 
 
 CTS xxvii. 10, a fole- 
 
 cifin fuppofed there, 
 
 proved not to be fo, 
 
 from Herodotus, 8 
 
 — i. 4. 23 
 
 — — xxvi. 2, 3. 79 
 
 ■ ■ xxvi. 23, 26, 2 j, 80 
 
 1 xiii. 36". Vulgate Tranfla- 
 
 tion of it very juft, 185-. 
 
 The Syriac Tranflation of it. 
 
 ibid. 
 
 Additions, bold ones, foifted 
 
 into the S. Text, 275*, 276. 
 
 One put after ver. 3. of St. 
 
 Mark xvi. that argues the 
 
 utmoft prefumption of the 
 
 tanferiber, 277 
 
 Adroit critics and tranferibers 
 
 cut the work they can't 
 
 untie, 276 
 
 Advantages reap'd by the Pagan 
 
 Writers, tho' diffembled, from 
 
 the S. Books, 106 
 
 JEolus's reply to Juno, JEn. 1 . 
 
 incomparably beautiful, 76, 
 
 77» 78 
 
 AZthiofic Verfion, 137 
 
 Affectation of novelty has mis- 
 lead leveral gi ea r fcholars, 257 
 
 Agonifli at exprelTions of St. 
 Paul, 107. Supeiior to feve- 
 ral pallagv:s in Plato, ibid. 
 
 Agony of our B. Saviour, capa- 
 ble of exciting the luong.it 
 emotions, 279 
 
 Agrippa's anfwer to St. Paul, 
 groundleily fuppofed ironi- 
 cal, ti 
 
 Air of pertnefs and confidence 
 peculiar to people of little 
 learning and no judgment, 3 3 
 
 Albtrtus confutes an -vcrment 
 of the learned Gatakei, 7. 
 Vindicates the propriety of 
 St. Luke, 14. Confounds 
 the confidence of a celebrated 
 Grammarian, 32. His cu- 
 rious obfervation in defence 
 of the ftyle and language of 
 St. Paul, 69 
 
 Alcaic Ve fe with a Mololle 
 inrerpofed in Rev. x. 11. 100 
 
 Alcibiades inftructed by Socrates 
 to expect the Meffiah, 1 1 1 
 A a 4 Aldus, 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Aldus, a various reading of his, 
 of no value. 218 
 
 Alexandrian MS. a verfion in 
 Jer. viii. 10, not found in 
 that of the Vatican, 102. 
 Tho' inestimable, yet not 
 exempt from corrupt {pel- 
 ling, 216. With the Vulgate 
 guilty of a furprizdng various 
 reading, 267. The writer 
 of it not perfectly acquainted 
 with the geivus of the Greek 
 language, 269. Offlcioudy 
 explains a pace that was 
 clear berbre, 271. 
 
 Alexis, the Comedian, a pure 
 Attic author, quoted by 
 Phrynichus againll hlmfelf, 
 
 35" 
 
 Allegory, a noble one in Eph. 
 vi. 16, 1 
 
 All ijlbht a beautiful one in Iiai. 
 li. 17. and Jer. xxv. \$. 189 
 
 Ambiguous woids, their mean- 
 ing how to be determined, 
 104, 
 
 Annulments of pert Crirics, 
 always unneceflary, generally 
 inlblent, 3 04, 
 
 Ames iv. 1 1 , a proverbial ftrong 
 expreflion, 64, 
 
 Amplification, an harmonious 
 one in St. Mark, 273 
 
 'AvetCiCwa., how to be render'd 
 with more advantage- than 
 at prefent, 197. Parallel in- 
 stances from the belt Greek 
 clafucs, 198 
 
 'AvAKlffKa, and other Greek 
 woids, their Iignification in 
 theEvangelifts defended from 
 the belt aut hors of Greece, 2 7 
 
 'Avlih'iyovltf £, in Afts xiii. 
 4.5-. omitted by fome weak 
 perfons in vain fear of tau- 
 tology, 224, 
 
 Aorifls, fiirft and fecond in the 
 potential and lubjunctive, or 
 
 conjunctive moods, often 
 equivalent to the future of 
 the indicative, 3.84. 
 
 Apoc. i. 4, ;•. the grammar of 
 it ju flirted by a parallel place 
 in Herodotus, 16 
 
 xiv. 13. 2^ 
 
 • xiii. 3. 49 
 
 « xx. 1 1 . [Vide Revelations] 
 
 18 
 
 Apollo, the favourite fbn of 
 Jupiter, notions of the pa- 
 gans concerning him, more 
 applicable to the Son of 
 God, 290 
 
 Apollonius Alexavdrinus, a 
 greater man than Ph: ynichus, 
 34. Ules the word tMr&\&i 
 in the fame fenie with St, 
 Peter, ibid. 
 
 Apology of the author for dif- 
 fering in opinion from men 
 of great abilities, 1,2. For 
 dwelling lb long on the fub- 
 jedt of various le&ions, ^ff 
 
 'A^xfi, its proper iignification, 
 177. Tranflated too weak- 
 ly, ibid. 
 
 v Af/$-sP for a,{lzv, in Luke xiv. 
 if. the fiction of a pert 
 tranferiber, 222. How both 
 are ufed by the facrcd witers, 
 
 Ariftcphanes, a change of a 
 word in a vcrie of his, not 
 approved, 1 3 . his authority 
 confounds the confidence of 
 T. Magifter, 32, 33 
 
 Afi0otle produced as a parallel 
 to Luke xvi. 9. 17. Infhnce 
 ot a pleonalm in him, 18. 
 Ules the word a.vet\'«XKiiu 
 in the lame lenle as the 
 Evangeiifts, 27. One of the 
 nobleft moralifts in the pagan 
 world, ibid. A parallel ex- 
 preiTion in him to one in a 
 (acred author, 103. Equally 
 pure 
 
INDEX. 
 
 pure and correct in his lan- 
 guage, and clear and clofe in 
 his reaibning, 204 
 
 Arria», an admirable writer, 
 his authority confoun.ls the 
 confidence or" T. Magi iter, 3 % 
 
 Arrians and other antient here- 
 ticksj uled to quibbling and 
 cavilling, 1 pfr. An idle fan- 
 cy of theirs confuted by St. 
 Chiyfoitom, ibid. Take ad- 
 vantage or a weak tranlla- 
 tion, 1 7 7 
 
 Article, the life or it in the 
 Greek language, 47. Inftance 
 of equal beauty in omitting 
 it in one place, as in inferr- 
 ing ir in another, 48 
 
 'AQdveflov i<T£«f, a various 
 reading of no value, 3 3 
 
 St, Atha-nafiu t fends fifty accu- 
 rate copies of the facred 
 books to the emperor Con- 
 ftan.-, 322 
 
 Attic, or good Greek, not de- 
 tei minable by the bold afler- 
 tions of fcholiafts and com- 
 mentators, 30. Inftances 
 from Attic authors in behalf 
 of the word 'L/lta, as uled 
 by St. Matthew, 3 2 
 
 Augment, taken from the verb 
 in St. Mark, 5-6. Frequent 
 in the Ionic and poetical 
 dialect, ibid. And in the 
 belt authors in the Athenian 
 dialed, ibid. 
 
 St. Atigttftiris obfervation on 
 the variety of tranflations of 
 the Gofpel in his time, 335- 
 
 St. Aujlin confutes the atheifH- 
 cal Fauftus in his charge 
 upon the Chriftians of inter- 
 polating the Scriptures, 32^ 
 
 Author of the New Teftament 
 in Greek and Englifh, lately 
 publifh'd,^nimadverted upon, 
 2.5-6. Meanly renders a paf- 
 fage in St. John, 29^ 
 
 B 
 
 Bad confluences of praifing 
 one Evangelift at the expence 
 
 of the re If, %■$ 
 
 Bxrjt (j.>x Ea.'fltZ*&*i, a form 
 
 of exprellion in St. Matthew, 
 
 parallel'd in lbme of the beft 
 Greek dallies, fo 
 
 li&?Cet?Q- Sc S>cJSiif, a beau- 
 tiful oppolition in a text 
 wherein they arc excepted 
 againft as tautology, 5-8. De- 
 fended by the authority of 
 Tully and Herodotus, ibid. 
 
 St. Barnabas not the author of 
 the epiftle to the Hebrews, 
 309. His chief excellences 
 borrowed from St. Paul, Hid. 
 
 B.trnes, Jojlma, 15-2 
 
 Belbrmin, cardinal, his noble 
 character, and great merit, 
 338. Declares fully for the 
 furficiency of Scripture to 
 lilvation, &c. Hid. 
 
 Ben Aflw and Ben Napht.'j.'ii, 
 their various editions of the 
 Hebrew Bible leflen not the 
 value of the facred text, 305- 
 
 Benefits by our Saviour's palTion, 
 
 , , . . i8 7 
 
 Beza's fault in his tranflaf.on ot 
 
 the New Teftament, 14S. 
 
 Takes intolerable liberty with 
 
 fuch difficult places as he 
 
 cannot conquer, 149. Juftiy 
 
 cenfures Eralmus, i8j\ His 
 
 grand fault, 15-0. Hjsluxu- 
 
 riancy in turning a Greek 
 
 word, 1 f 9 
 
 Bigots and thcologues of the 
 Roman Church only, under- 
 value the Hebrew Original, 
 &c. 14,- 
 
 Blunder, a great one in the 
 
 tranilators of the Bible, how 
 
 it might have been preve ited 
 
 i.3S, 
 
INDEX. 
 
 138. Blunders of carelefs and 
 flup.'d tranfcribers, 221 
 
 Bozhart, his teftimony with re- 
 gard to the various readings 
 on the New Teftament, 343 
 
 Ba*« in the Attic dialed:, the 
 lame as /3»A^ 167 
 
 Dr. Bois, h:s tears of a fblecifm 
 Acts xxvii. 1 o. unneceflary, 8. 
 Accounts for a difficuhy in 
 Acts xxvii. 33. 171. His ad- 
 vantageous alteration of the 
 tranilation of Acts xiii. 36. 
 and correction of a miftake 
 in our verlion ot Acts xxiv. 3. 
 166 
 
 Brothers, apply'd to reiations and 
 kinfmen in the iacred writers, 
 juftify'd by the example of 
 Herodotus, 86 
 
 Csthtan, Cardinal, cenfur'd for 
 a heretic by a pert writer, 
 
 Callimachus, lines of his truly 
 poetical, yet inferior to 
 pafTages in the Acts, 7 3 
 
 Cfllvinift tranflatOiS, their grand 
 fault, iyo 
 
 Cambridge manufcript, an uiiial 
 and agreeable pkonafm auda- 
 cioufly alter 'd by it for expla- 
 nation fake, 271 
 
 Camero's opinion of a Greek 
 phrafe, confronted by thofe 
 of the heft daffies, 3 . His 
 miftake on Mar. xviii. 19. 4 
 
 Cantab, manufcript II. anomif- 
 iion in it, 273 
 
 Capellus miftaken in a charge 
 of Hebraiims, f. His ftrange 
 rule to judge of a various 
 reading, 25-1. Tho' unwar- 
 rantable in many things, yet 
 with regard to various read- 
 ing does jufticetothefacred 
 text, 34/ 
 
 Carpzovius's refiftlefs anfwers 
 to Mr. Whifton, 241 
 
 Caflalio imputes folecifms to 
 the New Teftament, 15-1. 
 Not the only injury he has 
 done the facred writers , 
 ibid. His beauties and de- 
 feds, i-ri, to 157. A daring 
 flight of his, 1 j-6 
 
 Cavils of enemies, of advantage 
 to the divine books, 3*7 
 
 Celfush charge of interpolations 
 upon the Qiriftians, refuted 
 by Origen, ^ 
 
 Bp. Chandler's oblervation on 
 John v'u. 28, 29. 178. His ad- 
 mirable explanation of Luke 
 ii. 28. 292. His excellent 
 performances in defence of 
 Chriftianity, 292,293 
 
 Chandler, Mr. Samuel, (a learn- 
 ed and judicious writer) does 
 good fervicc to Chriftianity, 
 349. Utterly confutes a ce- 
 lebrated metaphylician in his 
 fallacious definition of a mi- 
 racle, ibid. A choice piece 
 of reafoning from him, ib. 
 
 Changes of tenfes, fuppreiTion 
 of antecedents, relatives, &c. 
 numberlefs in the beft authors 
 of all nations, • 94 
 
 Chapters in the New Teftament 
 faultily divided, 1 29, to 1 32 
 
 Chearful woi fhip in the church 
 of England, how to be pro- 
 moted, 127 
 
 X£a@- not a meer Hebraifm, 
 
 57 
 Chrifljefus difplays his majefty, 
 &c. in feveral lofty paflages 
 of the moft beautiful iimpli- 
 city, 75-. His feflion at the 
 right hand of God infinitely 
 better fupported than any of 
 the pagan l tides of belief, 
 76. Deliver'd in a language 
 exalted above all the flights 
 
INDEX. 
 
 •f pagan elo uencc or hu- 
 man wic, 77. His comfort- 
 able dying word,, 113. His 
 ejaculations, Luke xxii. 4:. 
 ftrangely weaken'd by our 
 vcrlion. 167. H>s con lefcen- 
 fion and mildnefs vindicated 
 from the harfli conduction 
 of (buie commentators, 194., 
 & feq. His iuftcrin^s a proof 
 of his humanity, 23i. Ap- 
 prchcnlions of ibme weak 
 Chi iitians in relation to them, 
 fbid. His claim to divine ho- 
 nours in John vii. 34. 206. 
 Authentic reading and great 
 beauty and variety of his an- 
 fwer to the rich youn ; man, 
 300. Clear'dhomPophyry's 
 charge of irrefolution, 302. 
 And of inconlfancy, 202. 
 Ailum'd our nature without 
 our faults, ibid. 
 
 Chrijlians of all denominations 
 agree in the main points of 
 the Goipel, 25-2 
 
 Christian Inftitutes commend- 
 ed, 128 
 
 Chryfojlom Angular in adding to 
 a graceful period of St Paul, 
 66. Confutes an idle fancy 
 oftheArians, 1/4. His ac- 
 curacy on Col. ii. ii. 191. 
 Inaccuracies of his, 232. A 
 veiy bold and inexcusable al- 
 teration of his, ibid. His rea- 
 fon for it questionable, 23. 
 Makes an omilfion, 300 
 
 Cicero's noble exprelTion on the 
 immortality of the ibul, 117. 
 An unaccountable flight in 
 him, \$6 
 
 Citations. See Quotations. 
 
 Clajjk authors advantag'd by 
 various readings, 306. Thole 
 of them c which there is 
 only one manufcripr, have 
 molt defects, and hardeft to 
 be corrected, ibid. 
 
 Clafjicalnefs of the facrcd wri- 
 ters aflerrcd by parallel pal- 
 iages from the beil authors 
 ot old Greece, yp 
 
 daffies fomctimes put the crime 
 for the atonement of it, 1S3 
 
 Clemens Alexandrlnus unaccu- 
 ratelf quotes Eph.w. 26. 231 
 
 Clemens Roma/ms takes great 
 liberty in altering the words 
 or Scripture, 234,235- 
 
 P. Clement VIII. his translation 
 of the Bible, 144 
 
 Sc. Clement unable by genius or 
 educat on to equal St. Paul, 
 309. His chief cxcell-n' ies 
 borrow'd fiom St. Paul, ibid. 
 CoulJ nor tranilatethe epiftle 
 to the Hebrews into iuch 
 Greek as we have it in, 310. 
 
 M. Le Clerc's obfervation on che 
 head of wilful falsifications of 
 Scripture, 266. Not always 
 unjuftly harfh upon the fa- 
 thers, 278. Makes a proper 
 return to a rafh cenfure of 
 St. Epiphanius, ibid. Paflages 
 from him in relation to the 
 various lections in the New 
 Teftamcnt, 348 
 
 Codex Cantab, the writer of it, 
 guilty of a Strange negligence, 
 260. Of an egregious absur- 
 dity, ibid. 
 
 Mr. Collier mistaken in an au- 
 thor's name, 
 
 Colojf. iii. 1,2. 
 
 ii. f. 
 
 ii. 8. 
 
 ii. 1, 2, 3. a fublime 
 marvellous pafllige, 
 
 ■ i. if. how it ought to 
 be render'd, 173 
 
 Commentator, a learned one, his 
 opinion relating to repetitions 
 refuted, 17. Severe on the 
 i acred writers in a char^-. of 
 iblecifm, 18. Unfairly range; 
 and 
 
 3+4- 
 11 
 
 74 
 
 55 
 
 and- 
 
 140 
 
INDEX. 
 
 and cites their periods, 19. 
 Miftaken in a bold affirma- 
 tion, ibid. Places he brings 
 as parallel do not come up 
 to his purpofc, ibid. His fe- 
 cond inltance foreign and un- 
 feafbnable, ibid. Province of 
 a commentator, 29. Ridi- 
 culous when they go beyond 
 it, it Id. Danger to young 
 gentlemen from their bold 
 determinations, 50 
 
 Commonwealth of letters indan- 
 ger'd by arbitrary criticifms, 
 and bold conjectures, 241 
 
 ConceJJlon of ibme Chi iftian cri- 
 tics to Porphyry, ram and 
 unneceflary, 302 
 
 Confujions in nature, not allow'd 
 
 by the author of order, &c. 
 
 21 
 
 Conjeflures, tho' ingenious, if 
 needlefs, not to be admitted 
 as a various reading, 221 
 
 Copyifis. See Tranfcribers. 
 
 1 Cor. x. 2. 12 
 a Cot. v. 1. 19 
 
 2 Cor. xiii 4. ^4 
 \ Cor. vi. 8. 5-6 
 2 Cor. i. 8. a grand and eloquent 
 
 pafllige, 62 
 
 l Cor. viii. 10. parallel'd by Mai. 
 
 iii. 14, ij, \of 
 
 1 Ccr. ix. 24, 2^~. preferr'd to a 
 
 noble paflage in Plato, 108 
 
 2 Cor. vi. 6. not well translated, 
 
 191 
 Corruptions in the Greek fince 
 its decline, [by falfe fpelling] 
 226. Not poffible to creep 
 into the {acred text in the 
 time of the apoftles, 319. 
 Why not in the age next to 
 them, 320. Morally impof- 
 /iblc to introduce corruptions 
 in after times, 321 
 
 Critical learning, tho' it has put 
 men upon trifling, yet Jias 
 
 done fervice to the Chriftian 
 religion, 3 24 
 
 Critics, a great number of them 
 miftaken in a fuppofed He- 
 biaifm, 6. Take unneceflary 
 pains to fblve a paflage in 
 Lukexvi. 9. 16 
 
 Critics, fpeak fine things of St. 
 Luke, but with a bad inten- 
 tion, 22. Aukward ones, fit 
 only to fill the loweft feats of 
 learning, yet prefume totake 
 the chair, 30. An over- wife 
 critic miftaken, vainly con- 
 fines terms common in the 
 pureft Grecians, to the He- 
 brew idiom, 214 
 
 Crojus's detence of the facred 
 book, 242. His obfervation 
 on the inattention and inac- 
 curacy of tranfcribers, 267 
 
 Curcull&tis's partiality and in- 
 juftice, 2,-4. Violates the 
 Greek idiom, ibid. Puzzles 
 himfelf and reader, 258. Ac- 
 knowledges himfelf govern'd 
 by meer guefs and imagina- 
 tion, ibid. 
 
 D 
 
 Dabar, in Hebrew, what words 
 it anfwersto in Greek, f 
 
 AcfrnvcLu, 27, 28 
 
 As fbmetimes the fame as $. 
 182 
 
 Head men, a name to whom 
 emphatically given, 68 
 
 Death, beautifully reprefented, 
 
 Demetrius Yhalereus, a found 
 and elegant critic, 163 
 
 Demojlhenes never affecled un- 
 neceflary ornaments of lan- 
 guage, 1 00. Yet has feveral 
 verfes in his cloic profe, ibid. 
 
 Denny s of Halicarnaffus, his cri- 
 
 ticifm on Thucydides, mani- 
 
 tefts 
 
INDEX. 
 
 fefts hi"-, ingratitude and inju- 
 
 dicioufhefs, 37. Guiiry ot 
 
 ignorance or cm J 3 3^ 
 
 xiii. 1 1. <5 
 
 A/a, how ir may be rendered, 
 1S1 
 h, variety of them mo- 
 derate' v ufed, graceful now, 
 and ufeful originally, fj" 
 
 Tiffadtics in the divine writers 
 iblv'd and clear 'd, 4.3, 44. 
 One in Acts xxvii. 33. taken 
 ott", i; a 
 
 Difcoe.rfe on the various readings 
 of the New Tefbament, 2 1 7 
 
 Jj'Q'ertMion ofalearncd foreigner 
 to prove all the difeafes cured 
 by Chrift, incurable by hu- 
 man art, if. On the divi- 
 fion of the New Teftament 
 info chapters andverfes, 123 
 
 Divine originals to be ftudied 
 with care and caution, 144. 
 See Originals. 
 
 Divinity of our Saviour, a clear 
 proof of itin Rom.ix.f. 25-2. 
 Acknowledg'd by one of the 
 moll learned of the Unitari- 
 ans, 2j"4 
 
 D'rvifioii oftheiacreJ book into 
 chapters and veries, very 
 faulty, 124. A new one re- 
 commended, 126. Conve- 
 niencies thereof, 127 
 
 Dominic;: $ Bannes, 339 
 
 Dupin's ingenuity and modera- 
 tion, 337 
 
 ' II, a particle of interrogation, 
 164, \6 f 
 
 Earliejl times, abounded with 
 men of proud and looie tem- 
 pers, 246 
 
 Eaftern churches, their care of 
 the purity of the facrcd 
 books, 3 2 1 
 
 'ECcttfi&iouv, a various read- 
 nig of kCarij'KmvTv, not flil- 
 ficicntjy Supported, 1 3 
 
 Ecelef. iv. 1 5-. it> 
 
 "Editions of the facrcd books, 
 none of them different in 
 eilcntials, 35-3 
 
 'E/, a particle of wifhir.g, 167 
 Ejaculations of our Saviour, 
 Luk. xxii.41. Strangely weak- 
 en'd by our translation, 167 
 E/^/*, John vii. 34. different 
 ienfes of the word as accent- 
 ed, 294. H. Stephens's con- 
 jecture about die Senfe of it, 
 295-. Unauthoritative^ rcn~ 
 der'd by a late translator, ibid. 
 Superiority of the Englifh 
 verfion of this paSfage to that 
 or this author, 296 
 
 'Ek£, true Greek, 7 
 
 'Hniouji n*, pure Greek, 23 
 EUipjt's, a remarkable one in 
 St. Peter, defended, 96. Bp. 
 Sherlock's obfervation on it, 
 
 97 
 
 'Ev t)(ii&>i{ iKelvajti , pure 
 Greek, Sec. 3 
 
 Englifo language, inrich'd with 
 Greek phrales, 5-2 
 
 Englifh verlion. See Verfion. 
 
 "En for ?57, or hip, not pe- 
 culiar to the poets, . 57 
 
 'Ef ohiyu) not an impropriety, 
 b 4 
 
 'E$a?i'» for vASt, in Lukeix.8. 
 paralkl'd in Plato, 62 
 
 Ephef v. 3 1 . 5-0 
 
 ■ i. 17, 18, 19. a paflage 
 above criticifm or praiSe, 9 7 
 
 Epbef.iii. 14, ad 19. make up 
 but one full period, i$j. Ill 
 tranflated by Gaftalio, ibid. 
 
 Ephef. iv. 12. our tranfiation of 
 it faulty, 173. Amended by 
 Dr. Marfhall, ibid. 
 
 Epiph'mcmenx, a noble one in St. 
 Peter, 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Peter, 1S0. Unnaturally di- 
 vided, ibid. 
 
 'Em aXȤ*\at, equally ufed by 
 
 facrtd and foreign authors, 
 
 214 
 
 St. Epiphanius, a rafh cenfure of 
 his juftiy retorted by M. Le 
 Clerc, 278 
 
 Erajmus, on John vi. $7 . irrange- 
 ly oppoies the ftream of com- 
 memaiurs, 18 1. \ reading 
 of his juftiy cenfur'd by Beza, 
 1 85-. A various reading of 
 his, of no value, 228. His 
 prefumpi uous liberty with 
 the facred text, 2^2. Depre- 
 ciates che original reading by 
 faulty editions condemn'd by 
 himleif, 25-2. His ftnceiity 
 (jiieftion'd by father Simon, 
 2 r4. Unwarrantably changes 
 SV'®" for K7w?) and miipoints 
 the paiTage to favour his rafh- 
 ne s, 274, 
 
 'EpptZ&fj&fJCi, 1 9 
 
 'EaKvvcoKv lv i(SiV> how it may 
 be rendered, ibid. 
 
 Effential points in the divine 
 writers, a iufficient harmony 
 in them to obviate all fcru- 
 ples, 348 
 
 *Evjuot in the Alexandrian ma- 
 nuicript, Mat. xxv. 10. and 
 not 'iniyiAU the true read- 
 ing, 269. The copyift's un- 
 guarded fcruple miileadshim, 
 ibid. 
 
 •Evangelijh, all four equally pure, 
 23. Compar'd in their rela- 
 tion of healing the woman 
 with the bloody flux, 2j-. 
 Want no defence on this head, 
 ibid. Their ufe of the words 
 va^a and autuuA.t juftify'd 
 horn Homer, 28. Difho- 
 nour'd by the faucy fbrward- 
 nefs of fcholiafts, 2cc. 30. 
 A difficulty in them folved, 
 169 
 
 *Ev{iTclou, a faulty various read- 
 ing, 1 2 
 
 Euripides, 31. His authority 
 quoted againft a bold denva-- 
 tion of Porphyry, 46. Uies 
 the word Zvziy. forwAMy, j*o 
 
 Eufebius fends fifty accurate co- 
 pies of the New Teftament 
 to Co iftantine theGreat, 322 
 
 Eufiathim's grammatical remark 
 on a line of Homer, 41 
 
 'EgtwonTi, 19 
 
 Exphti-ves, in the Greek, often 
 
 better to be left untranflated, 
 
 182, 200 
 
 Faithful, the word ufed by the 
 antient pagans as a iheer on 
 the primitive Chriftians, as 
 orthodox is now by infidels, 
 
 Falfe fpelling, not a various 
 reading, 225-. Manyofthoie 
 faults in the moll valuable 
 Greek manufcripts, 226 
 
 FalfJwed, demonftrable by gef- 
 tuies, ligns, actions, &c. as 
 well as by words, 103 
 
 Falj.fications, wilful ones, very 
 few of them in the facred 
 text, i6f. And why, 266. 
 M. Le Clerc's obfervation on 
 this head, ibid. 
 
 Fanciful fuppofitions of a learn- 
 ed gentleman on Jude ver. 7. 
 20 
 
 Fathers, tho' they take a liberty 
 in quoting the Scriptures, yet 
 in all controverlies, appeal to 
 the letter, 243. This liberty 
 ulual with the nobleft clalhc 
 authors, 238. Faithful wit- 
 nefles Of the truth, 243 . Their 
 confeientious regard for the 
 purity of the Scriptures, 246. 
 Reafons why in the primi- 
 tive 
 
INDEX. 
 
 tive times their vigilance on 
 this head was oeccflary, ibid. 
 See Primitive, 
 faults found by low cavillers, 
 in tllultrious writers, 38. In 
 the tranllations of the New 
 Teftament, 141. Oik in our 
 prefent tranilation avoided by 
 th»o;d one, by H. Stephens, 
 and by the oriental vei lions, 
 
 Fatifius the Manichce, confuted 
 by Sr.Auft n, $%f 
 
 Dr. FiMles'i icnie of Rom. i. iS. 
 11 3. His curious remark re- 
 lating to various readings in 
 the holy books, 323. His 
 obfervaiion on the effects of 
 critical learning, 324. A ju- 
 dicious remark of his, 328 
 
 Free-thinkers, pretended ones, 
 atheiltical dictators, {hallow 
 novices, noiiy cavillers, un- 
 worthy to lit in any chair, 
 but that of the fcorner, 240. 
 Ungrateful in ridiculing Mr. 
 Whifton, 241 
 
 Fruit of the vine, right mean- 
 ing of the phrafe in Scrip- 
 ture, 4 
 
 r«tf , in the beginning of a fen- 
 tence, not peculiar to poets, 
 
 C/il.vi. 17. allufion to an Egyp- 
 tian cuftom, 66 
 
 Bp. Gaftrell, his modefl: and 
 judicious liberty with the 
 Scriptures, 231. That of the 
 fathers generally no more than 
 his, ibid. 
 
 Gataker's cenfure of the word 
 iH&i confuted, 7. Miftaken 
 in his opinion relating to a 
 Hebraifm, 60. And in ano- 
 ther magisterial affcrtion, 63 
 
 Gender, change of it. rommoi 
 with facred and Secular Wri- 
 ters, 38 
 
 Gen. vi. 1,2. 20 
 
 Gen. ii. 24. jo 
 
 Geneva manufeript, the writer 
 of it, changes a word thro' 
 ignorance, 269. Dr. Mill's 
 character of him, Hid. 
 
 Genitive cafe, ull-J in good au- 
 thors in the fend of prefe- 
 rence and fuperiority, 1 76 
 
 Genius's, great ones, admire in 
 St. Paul, what little critics 
 condemn as irregular, 8S 
 
 St. German's manufeript, the 
 tranlcriber of it, to lhew his 
 learning, alters the facred text 
 in 1 Cor. xii. Zj*, 270 
 
 Glojfes, preiumptuous ones, of 
 conceited tranicribers, 223 
 
 Gofpel of Chrift, the Spiritual 
 law of all Chriftian nations, 
 
 316. Of the utmoffc impor- 
 tance therefore, to be kept 
 inviolate, ibid. How rever'd 
 by the primitive Christians, 
 
 317. Ealicr to forge a fta- 
 tute-book than a Gofpel, ibid. 
 Impomble to introduce into 
 it, Such corruptions as would 
 affect its doctrines, morals, or 
 myfleries, 318. Corrupting 
 it, not charg'd on the Chri- 
 stians by the generality of 
 pagan or heretical enemies, 
 
 326. Efforts of its enemies 
 turn'd to the illustration of it, 
 
 327. FirSl enemies of Chri- 
 stianity never objected againfl 
 its genuinenefs, 329. Eflen- 
 tials of it agreed in by the 
 befl manufcripts,and by Chri- 
 stians of all denominations, 
 3 fi. Watchful care of Pro- 
 vidence over it, 35*3 . Allthe 
 editions of it agree in eflcn- 
 tials, ibid. The wife and gra- 
 cious 
 
INDEX. 
 
 cious ends for which it was 
 reveai'd to us, 3^4,. How 
 wonderfully prcferv'd, tho' 
 often expos'd thro' bigotry, 
 hatred, or libertinifm, 3 5-5- 
 Grammar, figurative, neceilary 
 to be understood, 270 
 
 Grammarians, their ufe, 29. 
 Ridiculous when they exceed 
 their bounds, ibid. SeeScho- 
 liaJIs, Lexicon writers, Com- 
 mentators, &cc. 
 Greek, and all other languages, 
 afford many words of con- 
 trary iignifications, 104. How 
 ilich muft be determin'd, ib. 
 Greek, and Latin, how weaken'd 
 and blemifh'd, 149 
 
 Greek language, delights in lit- 
 tle words, 182. No other 
 language will bear them all, 
 ibid. 
 Greek manufcript, grandly ab- 
 iurd in Col. ii. 5-. 223 
 
 Greek original, deform'd by the 
 vuigate veriion, 148 
 
 Greek fcholiafts, See. their ufe 
 and abufe, 29. Incompetent 
 judges, 30. Solemn triflers, 
 ibid. See Scholia fls. 
 P. Gregory XIV. begins a transi- 
 tion of the Bible, 144 
 Grotius, very often miftaken in 
 his notion of. Hebraifms, 8cc. 
 3. Confuted on John xv. 7. 
 by Hutchefon, 4. Miftaken 
 in ranking x}, in fome cafes, 
 among Hebraifms, j Takes 
 a ftrange freedom with the 
 iacred writers, 229. Guilty 
 of a faulty prcfiimption in 
 altering the iacred text, 25-2. 
 His raih averment, 2^3 
 Grounds and keafons, a book that 
 fecms to be written by an 
 antichriftian clan, and not by 
 one man, 349 
 
 H 
 
 Halak, i S 
 
 Bp. Hare's fine paffage vindi- 
 cating St. Paul, 95- 
 
 Harmony in eflential points in 
 the facred writings, 348 
 
 Heads not happily organized, 
 fancy a beauty to be a tau- 
 tology, 1 3 8 
 
 Healing, the proper Greek word 
 for it, uied by all the four 
 Evangelifts, 26 
 
 Heathen Philosophers prove the 
 neceflity of Revelation, and 
 the divine Miflion, 108, qy 
 feq. Appris'd of the low 
 eftate and Sufferings of the 
 expected MefTiah, 1 1 f 
 
 Heathen Scheme, how low and 
 poor, compar'd to that of 
 the Goipel, 120 
 
 Hebraifms in the facred book 
 necelTary, 2. Contribute to 
 the grandeur and beauty of 
 the Greek language, ibid. 
 When to be objected to, 
 ibid. Such of them as pre- 
 ferve the conftruction of the 
 Greek grammar, cannot be 
 folecifms, 93. Charges of 
 two confuted, ibid. PalTages 
 caulelelly ceniur'd for fuch, 
 
 Hebrew Bible, its numerous va- 
 rieties, 30/. Not prejudic'J 
 
 by them, 
 Hebr. x. 33 
 
 — xu, 22, 23, 24. 
 piece of eloquence, 
 
 ibid. 
 S3 
 
 77 
 
 m 
 
 a noble 
 
 120 
 
 Hebrew 
 
INDEX. 
 
 whom 
 i-9 
 
 Hebrew Original, by 
 undervalued, 
 
 Heir. xii. 4, $-. 
 
 > ix. 2S. how it fhould 
 
 have been translated, 183 
 
 iii. 7. tranflatiori of it 
 
 how to be amended, 198 
 
 — — x. 33. inffance of the 
 
 injudicioufnefs of fcholiafts, 
 
 224 
 
 Hebrews, a parage in that 
 cpiftle prefen'd to any one 
 in the dailies, 4S. Written 
 by St. Paul, 30S. Vain no- 
 tion of fuch as are of the 
 contrary opinion, 308 to 3 1 1 
 
 Heinfitis wrong in his ceniure 
 of a Hebraifm, 5-. Makes 
 no better a criticifm than a 
 compliment, 82. Cauieleily 
 charges a form of fpeech for 
 I lelleniftical, 15-7. Makes 
 very bold with St. Judc, iy8. 
 His other performances ibew 
 him to be equally forward 
 and unfortunate, if 9. Vainly 
 attempts to eftablifh a various 
 reading, 227. Authority of 
 Plato and Virgil againft him, 
 228. Indulges himfelf with 
 frivolous conjectures, 229. 
 Yet ceniures lefs liberties in 
 the Fathers, 230 
 
 Heretical Milinterpreters in the 
 earlieft. Ages, 247 
 
 Heretics of contradictory noti- 
 ons, fpies upon one another, 
 and of advantage to that 
 doctrine they meant to con- 
 found, 317 
 
 Herodotus, adifficult conftructi- 
 on in him, S. Ufcs a no- 
 minative cafe without a verb, 
 87. Has faults which grate 
 the cars of lower critics, as 
 much as any paffage they 
 cenfurein St. Paul, 87. The 
 father of Greek hiftorians,9p. 
 VoL.IL 
 
 An appearance of abfurdity 
 
 in him obviated, 
 He/ioJ, fam'd lor propriety and 
 
 facility ofexpreflion, 193 
 Hexameter, a good one in the 
 
 iaered authors, 100 
 
 S. Hilary, weakly offended at 
 
 the ilrong exprellions of our 
 
 Saviour's diigraces on earth, 
 
 18 i 
 
 Hippocrates, ufcs 2>cn ?©" for an 
 human body, 19 
 
 Hody, Dr. 147 
 
 Homer uiis the Word fuA&y®- 
 in the fame icnfe with St» 
 Mark, 26. His authority 
 juftifies other words us'd by 
 the divine hi ftorians, 28 
 
 Hofeh Jhaker, how translated iii 
 the Septuagint, 102 
 
 Mr. Howell, removes a difficulty 
 intheAdts, 172 
 
 Dr. Hutchefon confutes Grotius, 
 4. His Xenophon commend- 
 ed, 1 2' 
 
 Hyperbole, a bold and beautiful 
 one in Jeremiah, 102 
 
 I 
 
 Iambic, a noble one in St. Peter ,' 
 
 iox 
 
 St. James ii. 19. ^ t 
 
 St. James defended from Cte- 
 
 ilJS, 42 
 
 St. fames v. 5-. how it ought 
 to have been tranilated, 185 
 'IaUDI, 7.6 
 
 Ifm, ufed in the fame fbnle 
 by St. Matthew and by au^ 
 thors of the higheft rank, 3 2 
 Idolatry, the extended fenle of 
 the word, 208, 200 
 
 Jer. vi. 7. 2<J 
 
 Jer. xiii. 25. a beautiful and 
 bold hyperbole, 102. Paral- 
 leled in Pindar, Plato, and A- 
 rilfotle, 10 j 
 
 B b 9t:fefomti 
 
INDEX. 
 
 St. Jerome, i 44. Guilty of bold- 
 nefs and inconftancy, 310. 
 Cenfur'd by Erafmus, ibid. 
 ExprefTions of his ftrangely 
 bold, ibid. Blam'd by father 
 Simon, 341 
 
 Jews, why they {tumbled at the 
 dottrine of Chrift, 114. Pru- 
 dent at fir ft, to attempt to 
 gain them by gentle methods, 
 297. Tho' they differently 
 read the Hebrew Bible, never 
 charge each other with inter- 
 polations, frauds, or corrup- 
 tions, 306. Their great care 
 of the facred text, ibid. 
 
 St. Ignatius' s variations from 
 Scripture, 2.33 
 
 Ignorance and faucy forward- 
 nefs of fcholiafts, commen- 
 tators, grammarians, &c. 30 
 
 Improprieties, not to be charg'd 
 on good authors by fcholiafts, 
 grammarians, 8cc. 29 
 
 Indefinite phrafes in Xenophon, 
 15-7. In liberates, in Virgil, 
 in Ariftotle, ibid. 
 
 Inquifition , their proceedings 
 give occafion for depreciat- 
 ing the Hebrew original, 146 
 
 Infpired writers, difhonour'd ob- 
 liquely by formal fcholiafts, 
 30. Their fuper-excellence 
 over the other dailies, 64 
 
 Interpreters, faultily ambitious, 
 1 4-9 . An antient one, his bar- 
 barous tranllation from a vi- 
 cious reading, 286 
 
 Invidious praifes of fome critics, 
 of St. Luke's ftyle, Sec. 23 
 
 Job xxi. 9. 2.6 
 
 Jobxxxi. 24. Its fpirit check'd 
 by a paraphrafe of the Scptu- 
 agint, 209 
 
 St. John's, Gofpel clcar'd from 
 the afperfion of a learned 
 commentator, 19. When 
 written, 319. A Supplement 
 
 to the three evangelifts, ibid. 
 His zeal againft heretical in- 
 novators, 3 1 9 
 
 St. John xx. 10. 14 
 
 xiii. 13. 16 
 
 — — vii. 1. 18 
 
 — — viii. 9. 44 
 
 xiv. 14. — v. 23. 77 
 
 St. John, a ftrong expreflion in 
 him, originally a Hebrew 
 beauty, borrow d and imi- 
 tated by the pureft Greek 
 authors, 102 
 
 1 John ii. 1, 2. 112 
 
 ■ i. 11. 1 14 
 
 St. John xx. 1 7. Englifh tran- 
 flation of it, how to be amen- 
 ded, 194, 197 
 
 Johnv'u. 17. how it ought to 
 be render'd, 2 1 2 
 
 St. Irenaus's fblemn adjuration 
 to the tranferibers of his 
 book, 244. His great regard 
 to the facred writers, Sec ib. 
 His tender reproof of Flori- 
 nusonhisapoflacy, 24^-. His 
 ftrong teftimony to the truth 
 of Chriflianity, ibid. 
 
 Irregular periods, &c. thro' ve- 
 hemence of fpirit in St. Paul, 
 cenfur'd by little critics, ad- 
 mir'd by great genius's, 88 
 
 Ifocrates, brought to parallel 
 Luke xvi. 9. 17 
 
 St. Jude, ver. 7 . defended againft 
 the reveries of a certain au- 
 thor, 20. Who makes a bold 
 charge on the divinely -in- 
 fpir'd apoftle, ibid. This au- 
 thor reprehended, 21, 22. A 
 vigorous form of expreffion 
 in this apoftle, fuperior to one 
 in Theocritus, 64. Ver. 3. 
 obfeurely render'd in our ver- 
 fien, 200. How to be amen- 
 ded, 201 
 
 i;«? 
 
INDEX. 
 
 K. 
 
 Ka.1 ufed interrogatively in the 
 begimrng of a Sentence, not 
 an Hebraifm, f 
 
 Kcti W-ra, an elegant Atti- 
 cifm, ?6 
 
 Ka.Mza.Sta, a good compound 
 word, 15-9. Bcza's luxurian- 
 cy in turning it, ibid. 
 
 Ka.uft.6aui, its uie defended from 
 Homer, Hcliod, 8cc. 34 
 
 Ka]aC om) Koa/XH, in St. Matth. 
 and St. Peter, paralleled in 
 Pindar, 60 
 
 K4.1a.\v<mi r vojmv, good 
 Greek, f 
 
 Kan tffij Sec. cauilefly ridi- 
 cul'd by Lucian, 44 
 
 Ka9' Hi, ule of it defended 
 from the cenfures of fharp 
 critics, 43. How the ana- 
 logy of grammar allows it 
 to be turn'd, ibid. 
 
 Keri and Ketib, 305- 
 
 Knatchbull, Sir N. an alteration 
 of his unneceffary, tho' inge- 
 nious, 1 o 
 
 Kiifler's wrong aflertion, 12. 
 He is too rafh and poiitive, 
 13. His unauthorized change 
 of a word in Ariftophanes, 
 ib. His critical prefumption 
 corrected out of his own au- 
 thor, 14. How led into a 
 rafhceniure, 13/ 
 
 Aa,x£v exactly anfwers to tu- 
 
 X**-> 8 
 
 Latin language, will not bear 
 the tranilation of the Greek 
 articles, 148. Beza faulty 
 herein, ibid. 
 
 Bp. Leng's obfervat ion upon Ma- 
 homet's conceffions in fa- 
 
 vour of our Saviour and his 
 GoJpcl. 3 29 
 
 Mr. Lejky, his juft cenfure of 
 the Socinians, 25-,-. His juft 
 obiervation on the various 
 readings of the divine au- 
 thors, 315-. A noble defen- 
 der of Chriftianity, 3 1 8 
 
 Leufden, 3^.5 
 
 Ie;w0»-writers, are only to ex- 
 plain difficult words, 29. 
 When they prefume to cor- 
 rect their authors, ridiculous* 
 ibid. Sec Scholiafts, Commen- 
 tators, Sec. 
 
 Liberties, unjufHfiable ones, ta- 
 ken by great men in altering 
 the facrcd text, 25-0, ad 25-3 
 
 Dr. Lightfcot, a bold ailertion of 
 his cenfur'd, 4, 
 
 Locke, his emphatical account 
 of the faulty divilion of the 
 New Tefhrnent, 1 zf 
 
 Abyx®; 22S 
 
 Aoy©-, how ufed by Sopho- 
 cles, 6 
 
 Longinus's lJ<p'iK@- defended, 9 
 
 Lord's Prayer, the ground-work 
 and pattern of all prayer, 1 1 2 
 
 Asa, its propriety, and proper 
 reading, 288 
 
 Lucas Br«^e«/7f,prefumptuoufly 
 difparages the original He- 
 brew of the Old Teftament, 
 331. Inftance of his difinge- 
 nuity, ibid. His monftrous 
 affurance, ibidi 
 
 Lucian, a merry buffoon, charges' 
 better authors than himielf 
 with iblcciims, 42. His ca- 
 vils confuted, 43,44. Directs 
 words to be vomited up, that 
 would have fat eafy upon a 
 founder itomach, 44. His 
 intolerable iniblence with re- 
 gard to Plato, ibid* 
 
 Lucretius ufes vas for cor pore, 19 
 
 Ludovicus de Die*, 344 
 
 Bb x i-tikg 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Luke ii. ft. 6 
 
 < " x. ult. I I 
 
 •— — ii. 12. — ii. f. 13 
 
 ■ xvi. 40. 14 
 
 ii. 49. \f 
 
 x vi. 9 . unneceffary pains ta- 
 ken to lolve a paffage there, 1 6 
 Luke viii. 43, 44. 14 
 
 • ix. 49 is 
 
 . xx. %f. 5-4 
 
 — — xxiv. 49. 75" 
 
 — — vi. 27, ad 37. a noble paf- 
 fage, 106 
 
 ii. 38. 291 
 
 St. Luke, Sec. obliquely wound- 
 ed by Tanaquil Faber's bold 
 liberties, 9. And by Kufter, 
 14. His fine ftyle and beau- 
 ties, 22. Intended not, by a 
 certain phrafe, to excufe the 
 
 S 
 
 24 
 
 44 
 
 s° 
 
 st 
 
 7 l 
 
 IS 
 86 
 
 wrong tranflated 
 
 in our veriion, 1 66 
 
 — —— v. if, a very glorious paf- 
 fat r e, 272. Wrong notions 
 of ibme fmall critics relating 
 thereto, ibid. 
 
 St. Mark's phrafe relating to the 
 cure of the flux of blood, in- 
 telligible, beautiful, ernpha- 
 tical, 24. By a different phrafe 
 from St. Luke, meant not to 
 blame the phylicians, is 
 
 phyficians, 2 j. Defended from Dr. Marfial's valuable amend 
 
 random imputations of fole 
 cifm, 31. Defended againfr. 
 the cavils of Phrynichus, 35-, 
 26. Preface to his Gofpel 
 monftroufly divided, 132 
 Luxuriancy in a tranilator, 1 5-6 
 Ly/ias the orator, condemn'd 
 caufeleily by Phrynichus, 3/ 
 
 M 
 
 Magijler, Thomas, miftaken in 
 cenfuring' an elegant meta- 
 phor in St. Matt. iv. As alio 
 in relation to the word 5 </V<z, 
 
 3 2 > 33 
 
 Mahomet's conceffions in favour 
 of our bleifed Saviour, 329 
 
 Manichees, why, if they would, 
 they could not corrupt the 
 Scriptures, 326 
 
 Manufcripts, great number of 
 precious ones remaining, 2 1 7 
 How to judge which are the 
 beft, 249, 2)-o. Some of the 
 heft have odd and peculiar 
 alterations, 276 
 
 MmHtim reprov'd, 241 
 
 ment of a text in our ver- 
 iion, 173. His translation of 
 John xi. 25-, 26. preferr'd to 
 our veriion, 212 
 
 Mr. Martin's reafbning againft 
 Mr. Emlyn, irreliftable, 260. 
 Prefers two readings to the 
 effablifh'd text, upon the moil 
 incompetent authority, 263. 
 His character of the writer of 
 the Geneva manufcript, 269 
 M«ts7^©-, 26 
 
 Matt. v. 17. f 
 
 » -xxvi. 28. 7 
 
 ix. 20. is 
 
 xxviii. 3. 32 
 
 xix. f. s° 
 
 xxvi. 69. 5-6 
 
 ——xxviii. iS, 19, 10. 7^ 
 — — xii. 46, 47. 86 
 
 .. i. 23. a good hexameter, 
 100 
 — — v. 43, ad Jin. a noble paf- 
 fage, 1 06 
 Maxim, an incontefted one, 103 
 Metaphor, in the facred writers, 
 defended, ioj- 
 Dr. Mill's 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Dv. Mill's folution of a difficul- 
 ty intheevangeliits, juftify^d, 
 169. Takes a prodigious li- 
 berty in altering an cftablifh'd 
 reading, 2 2y. Confuted by 
 Dr. Whitby, ibid. His great 
 pains and merit, 2yS, 25-9. 
 Defended againft Dr. Whitby, 
 2 $-9. Wrelts feveral texts out 
 of the hands of innovators, 
 8cc. 260. Yet inexcufable in 
 three things, ibid. His adver- 
 sary's advantage over him, 
 261. His monftrous liberties 
 with the facred text, 262. 
 Prefumptuoully difpoflefles 
 above 2000 found and antient 
 readings, ibid. Unaccountable 
 judgment on a various read- 
 ing, 287. His undue liberty 
 with the facred text, 332. 
 His due praifes, ibid. Clear'd 
 from a bad intention, ibid. 
 Proves, that the facred text 
 can receive no damage from 
 various readings, 33+ 
 
 MiVy^s/, 63 
 
 Mijreprefentations of the facred 
 authors from pert critics, 
 who neither rightly under- 
 stand human nature, nor hu- 
 man languages, 304. 
 
 Mijfion from heaven, mention'd 
 
 by the antient philofophers, 
 
 ic8 
 
 Modern way of writing and 
 Spelling the Greek language 
 cenfur'd, 226 
 
 Moral philofbphy, a preparative 
 to the Gofpel, 109, 1 14 
 
 Morinus, a flagrant infhnce of 
 bigotry, 8cc. 330 
 
 Mos and mores, how ufed by 
 Latin claffics, 40 
 
 Municipal laws, of any country, 
 more eafily corrupted or 
 forg'd than the Gofpel, 3 1 8 
 
 N 
 
 N [v] often inferted in profe 
 to ennoble the found, 4 1 
 
 Negative particle, in Gal. ii. y. 
 omitted in fome few books, 
 296. That it ought to bere- 
 tain'd, prov'd, 29S 
 
 Nfnnot for ))7noi, 1 ThcfT ii. 7. 
 a great mi (take, 221 
 
 Nureltf, A6ts xxvii. 9. turn'd 
 into Nttvtcuet, a bold and 
 groundlefs conjecture, 1 y6 
 
 Neuter noun plural, anfwer'd 
 by a verb plural, 41 
 
 New Tejlament, its prefent faulty 
 diviiion of chapters, Sec. 123. 
 Places in it mifreprefented 
 and weaken'd by our tranfla- 
 tion, 161. An uncommon 
 phrafe in it juftify'd, 202. 
 Why not liable to hazards by 
 revolutions, 8cc. 312, 313. 
 Why more liable to various 
 readings than any other book, 
 3 iy. Care of Providence over 
 it, ibid. The eccleilaftical law 
 of all Chriftian nations, 316. 
 Its confluence to be kept 
 inviolate, ibid. Not poffible 
 to corrupt it in efTentials, 3 1 8, 
 319. Originals in being in 
 the time of Tertullian, 320. 
 See Originals^ and Gofpel. 
 
 New Tejlament in Greek and La- 
 tin, lately publifh'd, animad- 
 verted upon, zf6 
 
 New Tejlament writers, ftyle,8cc. 
 by whom prejudiced, 30 
 
 Nibnu, well render'd, ioy 
 
 Nominative, for the vocative, a 
 pure form of cxpreflion, 9 
 
 Nouns, collective, not unufual 
 in the fublimefl Greek au- 
 thors, 70 
 
 Numb.xxiv. ult. ] 14 
 
 Bb 3 c O 
 
INDEX. 
 
 o 
 
 s O $» turn'd into to $ f a va- 
 rious reading of no confide- 
 . ration, 43 
 
 Offence unjufrly taken by weak 
 .minds, on occailon of our 
 Saviour's companionate tem- 
 per, 278. And agony, 279 
 
 "'QiMJb[M$*a{\au, 1 Cor. viii. 
 1 o. defended, 1 04. Parallelled 
 with Mai. iii. 14, if. iof 
 
 Old Tefiament tranilators jufti- 
 iy'd in their rendring the 
 word Dabar, f 
 
 Omijfion in Col. i. 14. of antient 
 date, 267 
 
 Oriental versions, 137. Of ad- 
 mirable ufe, 143. Their har- 
 mony prove the divine ori- 
 ginal, ibid. 
 
 Origen's fenie of Col. i. if. fol- 
 low 'd by RufRnus, 173. Con- 
 futes Celfus's charge of inter- 
 polation, 325* 
 
 Originals of the fac red book, in 
 being in the third century, 
 
 320. Written in a language 
 then univerfally underftood, 
 
 321. Morally impcilible to 
 corrupt them, ibid. Proof 
 of their genuineness Stronger 
 than can be produced for any 
 other writings £0 antient, 
 
 O77, an elegant pleonafm, ex- 
 pung'd by Eraifnus, 25-2 
 
 y Ovvz>&, how ufed by Euri- 
 pides, fo 
 Off?©-, *73 
 Oxford paraphrafe, 8cc. 137. 
 How Rom.i. 18. is render'd 
 by it, 213 
 
 Pagan writers, notions of Apol- 
 lo have a limilitudc to Jefus 
 Chritr, 74 
 
 Parallel places in the Greek 
 clamcstoLukeii.49. In He- 
 rodotus to Apoc. i. 4, f. 16 
 
 "Paraphrafe, a particular one of 
 the Septuagint, has check'd 
 the Spirit of the original, 209 
 
 Particles in the Greek, profuie 
 ufe of them, wkerein beau- 
 tiful, 149. The particle el'dp, 
 how properly to be tran- 
 slated, 203, 204 
 
 Ucti a, or fjw> for £</*«?, claS- 
 lical Greek, 6 
 
 Pajfages of like import, in He- 
 rodotus, in John xx. 10. the 
 Septuagint, and Numb. xxiv. 
 ult. 14. A grand pajfage in 
 St. Peter, defended from the 
 charge of folecifm, 34. A 
 Suppos'd difficult one clear'd, 
 43,44. Remarkable ones il- 
 luftrating the facred books, 
 
 Pajfovinus, tho' a zealous advo- 
 cate for the Vulgate, prefers 
 the Hebrew original to it, 
 341 
 St. Paul, defended in ufing the 
 word GKw©-, 19. Ufes a 
 proverbial expreflion with 
 exceeding propriety, 66. Ad- 
 mirably learned, ib. Has fre- 
 quent atluiions to the cuftoms 
 ot the Jews, Greeks, and Ro- 
 mans, ibid. His beauties not 
 difcernible by the unlearned, 
 ibid. Has an eye, Gal. vi. 17. 
 to a famous Egyptian cuftom, 
 66, 6y, 68. Not lefs happy 
 in his ftyle than Virgil, 79. 
 His engaging addrefs to A- 
 grippa, ibid. Hismodeftyand 
 discretion, ibid. His excellent 
 conduct before Agrippa and 
 Feftus, 80. His reply to A- 
 grippa, a giand pallage, 82. 
 Exults in proipcel of future 
 happinefs, 118. How diffe- 
 rent 
 
INDEX. 
 
 rent his, from the dubious 
 hopes of the bell heathens, ib. 
 His triumph on a near pro- 
 fpect of a bloody death, ibid. 
 Writes often above the con- 
 finement of vulgar grammar, 
 but never contrary to the 
 true analogy and reafbn of 
 grammar in general, 286. His 
 zeal againi! Judaizers duly 
 fhewn, 298. Prov'd to be the 
 author of the cpiftle to the 
 Hebrews, 30S, 309. His 
 ftyle, Sec. defended from St. 
 Jcrom, 310. No: a novice in 
 Greek, 311. His reasoning 
 and language above the low 
 cavils of malice or infidelity, 
 ibid. Invulnerable to the at- 
 tacks of forward grammari- 
 ans, philologers, 8cc. 3 1 2 
 
 Dr. Pearce, juftly reproves Ma- 
 nutius, 24.1 
 
 Bp. Pearfon's excellent obferva- 
 tion on a pallage in the Phi- 
 lippians, 200 
 
 Peculiarities, falfely charg'd on 
 
 thefacred writers, 49. More 
 
 furprizing and bolder ones in 
 
 the firll-rate Grecians, 49, 
 
 ad ff 
 
 n«'(W, the ufe of it defended, 
 84 
 
 Tlliveef^uivov, ill - translated in 
 our venion, 168 
 
 n«e*;7tt7fc>, not Helleniftical, 18 
 
 Pert and ignorant tranferibers, 
 omit and alter paflages they 
 cannot relifh, 304 
 
 Tertnefs and confidence, pecu- 
 liar to people of little learn- 
 ing, and no judgment, 33 
 
 St- Peter, his ufe of the word 
 iifmthtu defended, 34. Tho' 
 bold and free in his grammar, 
 yet not cenfurable by good 
 judges, 70. Harfher forms 
 of exprcflion in the Greek 
 clafiics, than in him, ibid. 
 
 2 Pet. ii. 3. 34 
 
 1 Pet. v. 10. a clean and nu- 
 merous period, 91 
 
 ii. M. a noble Iambic, 
 
 with the addition of a fylla- 
 blc, 1 o i 
 
 — — ii. 3. how to be amended 
 in the vcrlion, 204 
 
 2 Pet. iii. ij% 16. a remarkable 
 and early infrancc of hereti- 
 cal depravers of the facred 
 volumes, 247 
 
 n«£», how to be better ren- 
 dcr'd than in our verfion, 
 
 204, ZOf 
 
 »3 
 1 ■ 
 
 119 
 
 Philem. ver. 20. 
 
 Philip, ii. 2. 
 
 i. 21, 23. 
 
 » - ii. 2)-, 26, 27, 28. if com- 
 pacted into one noble period, 
 hardly to be equall'd, 134 
 
 Philip, ii. 17. Acts xx. 24. paf- 
 lages fuperlatively beautiful, 
 199 
 
 ii. 6,7. faultily tranflated, 
 
 200 
 
 Philologer, a fqueamifh one cen- 
 iur'd, 1 04 
 
 Phrctfes, tho' different in St. 
 Luke and St. Mark, equally 
 pure and proper, 27 
 
 Phrynichus, mifbken in center- 
 ing an elegant metaphor for 
 impure Greek, 4. A ground- 
 lefs cenfure of his, 34. An 
 over-nice critic, ibid. A ca- 
 vil of his fhews his zeal to be 
 without knowledge, 34, 3f. 
 Quotes an Attic author againft 
 himfelf, ibid. 
 
 Phyficizns, partiality of fbme of 
 them to the language of St, 
 Luke, 24 
 
 Pindar, ufes the word }J{& in 
 the fame fenfe as St. Mat- 
 thew, 32. Very happy in 
 accommodating a proverbial 
 faying to his purpofe, 65-. A 
 B b 4 beautiful 
 
N D E X. 
 
 beautiful pafiage in him pa- 
 rallell'd, 102 
 
 Pifcator repeatedly miffaken, in 
 his cenfure of a Hebraifm, 6. 
 His undue liberty with the 
 iacred text, 149. His grand 
 fault, iyo 
 
 Plato's authority produced on 
 the word \kh , 7 ■ Pleonafm 
 in him, 1 8. Uies the word 
 OWV& for an human body, 
 19. One of the nobleM: rao- 
 ralifts in the heathen world, 
 2,7. His authority juftifies 
 the evangelifts in the ufe of 
 two Greek words, 28. Ad- 
 mirable thro' all ages, 44. 
 A grand pafiage in him as 
 full of irregularities, and in- 
 finitely inferior in majefty to 
 one found fault with in St. 
 Paul, 89. His noble pafiage 
 from Socrates, ioy. Plato 
 and St. Paul compared, 107. 
 A noble pafiage in him fore- 
 telling the fufterings of the 
 Meffiah, 1 iy. Plato's defcrip- 
 tion of the Supreme Being 
 greatly furpafs'd by St. Paul, 
 173. Plato and other Greek 
 clafiics take the fame liberty 
 in quoting, as the fathers did, 
 238. Yet no man thinks the 
 authors they quote from, lefs 
 valuable for that reafon, 239. 
 A remarkable pafiage in him 
 relating to purification, 289. 
 The ioundcft critic in the 
 heathen world, ibid. Ap- 
 plies to Apollo what juftly 
 belongs to Chrift, 290 
 
 Haw, how ufed in the beff. 
 authors, and in the oriental 
 verfioni, 163 
 
 pleonafm, a noble one, 7. In- 
 stances of pleonafms in Plato 
 and Ariftotle, 17, 18. An 
 elegant one expung'd by E- 
 
 rafmus, 25-2. A very uiual 
 one Mark v. 17. audacioufly 
 alter'd, 271. Dr. Mill's mif- 
 take hereupon corrected, ibid, 
 A noble one in Mark v. iy. 
 vainly imagin'd a tautology, 
 272. See Repetition. 
 
 TlteoviiijtK and tAsoj/«£{«, tran- 
 slated in too limited a fenfe, 
 206, 207. Objection on this 
 head anfwer'd, 208. Exten- 
 sive Signification of the words, 
 209, 210 
 
 T\\lovz%\&, how ufed in Scrip- 
 ture, 2 1 o. And in Plato, 2 1 1 
 
 Tlhu^i, a learned commentator 
 rmitaken in relation to it, 1 9 
 
 rTA«7», the ufe of it defended, 
 
 $hb}a. for^'f, not a Hefcraifm, 
 60 
 
 Pole's praifes of St. Luke invi- 
 dious, 23. Critics in him, 
 wherein ccnfurable, 214 
 
 Polyglot Bible, a faulty pointing 
 in it corrected, i8y. A pal- 
 fage from the author of it in 
 proof that the facred canon 
 receives no prejudice from 
 various readings, 336 
 
 Mr. Pope removes a difficulty in 
 Acfsxxvii. 33. 173 
 
 Ylof&ouai, in what fenfe pure 
 Greek, 1 8 
 
 Porphyry, guilty of an unfuffer- 
 able violation of the analogy 
 of grammar, 4y, 46. A 
 charge of his againff, our Sa- 
 viour, malicious and frivo- 
 lous, 302 
 
 Port Royal, Meifieurs de, make 
 a rule general without excep- 
 tions, 42 
 
 Pric£us's pofitivenefs corrected, 
 
 • „ , 7 
 
 Prejudices againft the divine 
 
 writers from inadequate ver- 
 
 fions, 1 24 
 
 "Primitive 
 
INDEX. 
 
 primitive Chriftians, how 
 watchful to prevent corrup- 
 tions in the iac red book, 317 
 
 Primitive fathers, often quote 
 Scripture memoriter, 2.18. 
 Such quotations not various 
 readings, ibid. Inftances of 
 fuch liberty, 230. Excufes 
 pffer'd in their favour, 231, 
 236, to 239. Not always 
 unjuftly treated by Le Clerc, 
 278 
 
 Prolegomena and Crifis, quota- 
 tion from the author of it, 
 299 
 
 n&trJk-mvda, ^id. 
 
 Profe authors, their right with 
 
 refpect to the word j<tf, 31 
 
 Prov, viii. 20. 18 
 
 Providence permits not blunders 
 
 or confulions in nature, 21* 
 
 Its watchful care over the fa- 
 
 cred books, Zf 3 
 
 Pfal.xxiv. 3. 6 
 
 . xxii. 29. ^1 
 
 lxxv. 8. 188 
 
 Purification, 5c c. exprefs'd by the 
 fame words in Plato and St. 
 Paul, 290 
 
 Qui for 77uf , in St. Mark, de- 
 fended, 60 
 
 Qualifications neceflary to a di- 
 vine critic, 248. Want of 
 requiiite ones criminal, 249 
 
 Quotations of Scripture, inac- 
 curate ones by the fathers, 
 230, &feq. Not deiign'd to 
 prejudice the facred text, 236 
 
 R 
 
 Racovian catechifm, a new ca- 
 non for the feci of modern 
 Chriftians, 25-4. Yet dow 
 
 jufticc to Rom. ix. $•. in fa- 
 vour of our Saviour's divi- 
 nity, 2^- 
 
 Racovians invalidate their own 
 concctlions, 2j-^ 
 
 Ramus, Nic. his confummate 
 impudence and blafphemous 
 fcurrility, 14^ 
 
 References made to great fcho- 
 lars in this work, not fb 
 much depended on for the 
 authority of their great 
 names, as for the if rength of 
 the arguments they bring, 
 
 ... ' 3* 2 
 
 Repetitions, in many cafes beau- 
 tiful and emphatical, 11. 
 Ufed in all languages, 17. 
 Inftances of 'em from the 
 nobleft Greek authors, ibid. 
 A repetition in the divine au- 
 thors defended from the re- 
 flexions of bold cenfurers, S6. 
 One in Plato defended from 
 the charge of a folecifm, 9 1 . 
 That in Rev. ix. 6. allowable 
 by capable judges, 92. Repe- 
 tition of ZtQ- and equivalent 
 pronouns frequent in He- 
 brew, theSeptuagint, and the 
 claflics, 273. Omitted in the 
 Cantab, manufcript 2. ibid. 
 Erafmus's rafhnefs on this oc- 
 cafion, 274 
 
 Reprobation, the doctrine there- 
 of, impeaches the infinite 
 goodnefs of God, ijo. Un- 
 dervalues and confines the 
 merits of our Saviour, ibid. 
 And renders the Gofpel fub- 
 fervient only to a party-caufe, 
 ibid. A dire and fhocking 
 dodfrine, ibid. 
 
 Revelation, the necefTity of it, 
 mention'd by the antient phi- 
 lofophers with ftrong and 
 clear characters, 108. Parti- 
 cularly by Socrates, 1 1 o 
 Rev. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Rev. i. 5". how to be read, 19, 
 
 20, 21 
 
 ■ xiii. 12, 14. 61 
 
 » .. - » xxii. 18. ibid. 
 
 ix. <». a beautiful paffage, 
 
 02 
 
 ■ — x. 11. a floe Alcaic, 100 
 
 — — ix. 9. 180 
 
 — . ■ viii. 14. a fublime and 
 
 ftrong exprefiion, 288 
 
 — — xiv. 10. 187 
 
 Rhemifts, pervert a beautiful 
 
 paflage in St. Luke, 160 
 
 Rhyming, or repeating the fame 
 
 found in the facred writers, 
 
 defended by authority of A- 
 
 riftotle and Plato, 98 
 
 Ringleaders ot fects in the ear- 
 
 lieft ages, 147 
 
 Rom. xii. y. 44 
 
 . xiii. y, 6. y$ 
 
 xi. a,i. 5*4 
 
 viii. 24. 77 
 
 — — i. the firft feven verfes 
 one complete period, and de- 
 fended from the cenfures of 
 critics, 88. Greater irregu- 
 larities in the Greek poets, but 
 no pafTage of equal ftrength, 
 89 
 Rom. iii. 14. perverted by the 
 Arians and Socinians, thro' 
 the fault of the Englilh tran- 
 flation, • 177 
 
 Rom. viii. 9. how it fhould have 
 • been render'd, 203 
 
 — - i. 1 8. how it ought to be 
 render'd, 213. How render'd 
 by the Oxford paraphraft, by 
 Dr. Stebbing, by Dr. Fiddes, 
 ibid. 
 Rom. ix. y. a clear proof of our 
 Saviour's divinity, 25-2. En- 
 deavours ufed to pervert it, 
 25-3. A text that lies very 
 heavy upon gentlemen of 
 loofe principles, ibid. Cur- 
 cuilseus endeavours to evade 
 
 the force of it, 23-4. Tho' 
 acknowledg'd by a learned 
 Unitarian, ibid. 
 
 Ruffinus's tranfiation of Col. ii. 
 iy. 113 
 
 Sacred Volumes, their whol» 
 frame cramp'd and disfigur'd, 
 139. Cenfur'd by fuch as do 
 not underftand them, iyy. 
 Not always to be judg'd of 
 by the tranfiation, ibid. 
 
 Sacred Writers, clcar'd of fole- 
 cifm and barbarous language, 
 7, 18. Injurioufly charg'd 
 with breach of propriety, 
 9, 10. Unfairly ranged and 
 cited, 19. They mult be im- 
 partial, if. Falfely charged 
 with peculiarities, 49. See 
 Gofpel. 
 
 Scholars, judicious in other re- 
 flects, unguarded in reflect- 
 ing on the facred writings, 7 
 
 Scholia/Is, (hallow ones, reflect 
 on the language of the holy 
 Scriptures, 7. Their ufe, and 
 abufe, 29. Scholiafl of Euri- 
 pides reprehended, 3 1 . Their 
 officious pride and folly, 224. 
 See Commentators, Lexicon- 
 writers, Critics, Tranfcribers, 
 8rc. 
 
 Scorners chair, who intitled to 
 fit in it, 240 
 
 Scripture eloquence , inftances 
 thereof, 76 
 
 Scythians, their exceffive bruta- 
 lity, 8cc. y8 
 
 Bp. Sherlock'?, definition of the 
 word et}&o}ejios.7nffWJ@-, 96. 
 Admirable obfervation on an 
 elliplis of St. Peter, 97. Ex- 
 cellent paraphraie on Judc 
 ver. 3. 201 
 
 F. Simon'i 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Y.Simon's dcfign in his critical 
 hiftory, 230. Weakens his 
 own hypothecs, 230, Sc 344. 
 Qucftions the iinccrity ol E- 
 raimus, 25-4. Acknowledges 
 faults in the Vulgate, 341. 
 Blames St. Jerom thereupon, 
 ibid. 
 Singular number for plural, 
 ufed by the belt Greek au- 
 thors, 3 7 
 Sixtinus Amama (corruptly, by 
 Collier, call'd Sixmimus Ama- 
 ta) prefers the original to 
 the vulgate vcrlion, 344 
 Sixtus Senenfis, 339 
 P. Sixtus o)uintuss vulgate La- 
 tin Bible, 144. 
 Sxjjj'©-, St. Paul's ufe of the 
 word juftify'd, 19 
 ~S,yjcm( tor V^aKei^Of, a ™ a 
 explication, 225* 
 Socrates, a noble paffage in him 
 againfl revenge, 105-. Ho- 
 nour'd with the name of 
 Chriftian, 109. Allows the 
 neceffityof divine revelation, 
 ib'ni. Foretells the coming cf 
 the Mefiiah, in. His beha- 
 viour before his judges, 1 1 6. 
 And at his death, ibid. His 
 noble bravery, 118. His 
 doubts and hopes about a fu- 
 ture Irate, ibid. 
 Solecifms, not chargeable on the 
 facred writers, 19. More fre- 
 quent in the nobleft Greek and 
 Latin authors, than in them, 
 
 Sophocles, a fublime writer, 6 
 ^.u'^ayuu and <ya£a, authentic 
 
 words, 26 
 
 2-s-su'Jk/, 180 
 
 Spirit of God, efficacy of its 
 
 ianttifying operations, 208 
 Spirits of juft men, the per- 
 
 fecteft beings in the creation, 
 ibid. 
 
 Dr. Stanhope's obfervationof the 
 advantage the divine books 
 have rcceiv'd from the cavils 
 of enemies, 327 
 
 Dr. Stebbings fenfe of Rom. i. 
 18. 213 
 
 Stephens, H. an indefatigable 
 collector, 39. His good fer- 
 vice to the Chriftian religion, 
 ibid. Yet makes fcveral mis- 
 takes, 39,40. His judicious 
 obfervation, 139. An offici- 
 ous change of a word to avoid 
 a fuppofed repetition, 274. 
 His conjecture about the feni'c 
 of &[it, 295* 
 
 Stephens, R. intended no harm 
 in his faulty divisions of the 
 holy book, 1 25* 
 
 Students caution'd, 30 
 
 Style and language, as diftin- 
 guifhable by a happy genius, 
 as flames, pictures, medals, 
 30S. Of what authors not 
 to be counterfeited, ibid. St. 
 Paul's ftyle manifefted in the 
 Hebrews, ibid. Difference of 
 ftyle in St. Luke and St. Paul, 
 ibid. 
 
 Sublimity of Plato furpafs'd by 
 St. Paul, 107 
 
 XuVAM^otd/J®; Acts i. 4. a 
 primitive and noble reading 
 wantonly chang'd, 222 
 
 Syriac verlion, 1 3 7 
 
 Tanaquil Faber, a prefumptu- 
 
 ous critic, 9 
 
 TeA©-, ufed more nobly by 
 
 St. Peter, than by Pindar, 
 
 81, 82 
 
 Tertullus's fpeech, mifhke in 
 
 it corrected, 1S6 
 
 Oictjeifyyfyoi, vaftly fupcrior 
 
 to the word put in its room, 
 
 224 
 
 Theodoret's 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Tbeodoret's interpolation, 233 
 Theognis, 6. A writer of great 
 purity, 193 
 
 Ottos, in Rom. ix. f. not only 
 in the old Syriac, but in all 
 the old copies and verfions, 
 2/3. Grotius, Erafmus, Cur- 
 cullaeus cenfur'd on this oc- 
 casion, 25*3, 2^4. Acknow- 
 ledged by one of the mod 
 learned Unitarians, 25-4. 
 
 ©S^W/O/XflU} ©g£#W>'&>, 26 
 ©HfgUftJ, }&° 
 
 1 ThejJ. v. 23. howrender'd by 
 an excellent divine, 1 1 2 
 
 Thucydides ill treated, 3 7 
 
 ©y<ua$, l8 7 
 
 ©i5<77*> now properly deriv'd, 
 4-5", 46 
 
 1 Tim. v. 17. _ 177 
 
 Timothy , why circumcis'd, 297 
 Tit. iii. 4, 5", 6, 7. ought to be 
 
 one period, *9 l 
 
 ToW«> Jude ver.9. di&dvan- 
 
 tagioufly tranflated,) 192 
 
 T«T0/?> . 22 
 
 Traditors, a name of ignominy, 
 
 to whom, and for what given, 
 
 243 
 
 Tritnjcribers of the facred books, 
 their different qualifications, 
 &c. to be conlider'd, in order 
 to judge of various readings, 
 264,10270. Their officious 
 impertinence thro' the want 
 of underftanding figurative 
 grammar, 270. Explain 
 words that were clear before, 
 271. And lop off thoi'e they 
 vainly think superfluous, ibid. 
 Inftance of this even in the 
 Alexandrian manufcript, ibid. 
 A prefumptuous tranferiber, 
 zj£. Other bold variations 
 by fuch, ibid. Whence thefe 
 undue liberties are taken by 
 them, ibid. They make fhort 
 work, and cut the knot they 
 
 can't untie, 276. See Scho- 
 lia/is, Critics, 8cc. 
 
 Transition from one number to 
 another, common with all 
 writers, 38, 39, 40 
 
 Tranjlations, faulty ones of the 
 divine book, 123, <&> feq. 
 Account of thofe of the Greek 
 Teftament, 142 
 
 Tranjlations of the Bible by pon- 
 tifical authority, contradict 
 one another, 14,4 
 
 Translator of the New Tefta- 
 ment, a late one, animadvert- 
 ed upon, 25-6. Renders a 
 paflage infinitely below the 
 original, 29^ 
 
 Translators, Englifh ones, where- 
 in faulty, 200 
 
 Tranfpojition of words ufual in 
 the fineft Greek writers, 20, 
 90. Significant ones in the 
 divine writers, ibid. 
 
 Trent, decree of the council 
 thereof in behalf of the vul- 
 gate, how to be underftood, 
 
 Tropes and allegories, to have as 
 favourable conftructions in 
 the facred as in the foreign 
 dailies, 98 
 
 Tv\»v, not impertinent, but a 
 noble pleonafm, 7 
 
 V 
 
 Vain-glorious and fuperficial cri- 
 tics and fcribes mangle, mif- 
 place, add, omit, where they 
 vainly imagine an abfurdity, 
 304. See Scholiafls. 
 
 Valla, vainly endeavours to de- 
 fend a various reading, 222 
 
 Variation of cafes and conftruc- 
 tion ufed by the belt authors 
 in the fame period, 9, 10 
 
 Variety of fynonymous expreffi- 
 ons not tautology, 86. — Of 
 phrafe wherein blameable, 
 
INDEX. 
 
 ij^. Great variety in our 
 Saviour's anfwcr to the rich 
 young man, 300 
 
 v.irUns readings defin'd, 2. 1 7. 
 Dilcouvic on thofe in the 
 New Tcuumcnt, ibid. How 
 occaiion'd, 2 j 8. Doctrine of 
 them. ibid. Three forts of 
 various readings, 219. Cor- 
 roborate the authority of the 
 facred books, 220. What fort 
 of them not to be admitted 
 even in the margin, Hid. 
 Grotius needle fly defends, Dr. 
 Mills inconiiderately attacks, 
 and Kuftcr paifes by unre- 
 prehended, 3. various reading, 
 ibid. What does, and what 
 does not , make a various read- 
 ing, 225-. How to chufe the 
 belt, 247_, 248. Capellus's 
 Grange rule on this occalion, 
 25-1. To what often owing, 
 277. Three forts of them, 
 not always nicely diftinguiih'd 
 by critics, 2Si,tO202, Such 
 as are of prime importance, 
 294, & feq. An advantage 
 and fecurity to the facred 
 text, 305*. As alfo to the 
 Greek and Latin claffics, 306. 
 None of them affect the vi- 
 tals of the Chriftian religion, 
 514. A curious remark of 
 Dr. Fiddes, relating hereto, 
 320. None of the enemies of 
 Chriftianity object to it on 
 this account, 325-. Authori- 
 ties from good authors of all 
 denominations, that various 
 readings are of no prejudice 
 to the facred book, 332, to 
 sei. Inferences to be made 
 from them of the watchful 
 care of Providence over the 
 facred book, 35*3. Author's 
 reafbns for dwelling Co long 
 on this fubjett, iff. Know- 
 
 ledge of various readings, in 
 what cafes ulcful and abfo- 
 lutely ncccilary, 35-6. Form 
 a ifrong argument for the 
 truth and divinity of the 
 Chriftian religion, 3^7 
 
 Vas ufed by Lucretius for cor- 
 pore, 1 9 
 
 Verbs of the middle voice, fome- 
 times to be taken paflively, 
 12 
 Verfe, a determination of critics 
 in relation thereto, ground- 
 lefs, 99, 100 
 
 Verfes, in the New Teftament, 
 faultily divided, 1 32 
 
 Verjlon, Englifh, the beft of the 
 modern ones, 161. Author's 
 apology for the faults he finds 
 herein, 162, to 214 
 
 Verfions, inadequate ones, of the 
 facred books, do much pre- 
 judice, 1 24 
 Virgil's reprefenration of Sinon, 
 a beautiful piece of imagery, 
 70. A noble paffage in him, 
 78. A fuperfluous line in 
 him, ibid. 
 Unitarians, one of the mofr. 
 learned of" them, his concef- 
 fion in favour of Chrift's di- 
 vinity, 25-4 
 Vorflius mi (taken, 4 
 'T7tif Jtivduiv (1 Cor. viii. 2. 
 2 Cor. i 8.) defended, 62 
 Abp.U/7w's modeft and juft re- 
 ply to Capellus, 2^1 
 Vulgar tranllations of the Bible 
 uleful, 143 
 Vulgate in fbme places pure and 
 proper, 144. Sometimes al- 
 ter'd for the worfe, ibid. Se- 
 veral blemilhes in it, 145-, 
 146,147,148. Undueprefe- 
 rence given it, and by whom, 
 145". Words omitted in ir, 
 the tranflator did not under- 
 ftand, 170. Its barbarous 
 tranfla- 
 
INDEX. 
 
 tranflation of Col. ii. 8. 127. 
 Its imperfection, in compa- 
 rison of the original, confefs'd 
 by the foundeft fcholars and 
 beft divines of the Roman 
 church, 338, to 347 
 
 W 
 
 Mr. Wall's correction of the 
 tranflation of Col. ii. 1 1 . 190 
 
 Water mix'd with wine, not 
 eflential to the holy facra- 
 ment, 4 
 
 Weak minds vainly fcrupulous 
 of tautology, 224 
 
 JVecbelian edition of the New 
 Teftament, 275- 
 
 Dr. Wells's ill-grounded opinion 
 
 of a repetition, 1 1 . His 
 
 emendation of Rom. viii. 34. 
 
 i 7 8 
 
 Wetftenius, 330 
 
 Mr. Wheatly, a juft obfervation 
 of his, on the meaning of the 
 words fruit of the vine, 4 
 
 Mr. Wbifioris blameable love of 
 innovation, 241. His danger- 
 ous and prefumptuous felf- 
 fufficiency, ibid. Hisrafhnefs 
 ridicul'd by his free-thinking 
 friend, ibid. Refiftlefly an- 
 fwer'd by Carpzovius, ibid. 
 
 Dr. Whitby excellently confutes 
 an abfurd various reading, 
 2 2 f. Has the advantage over 
 Dr. Mills, 261. A judicious 
 remark of his, 293. His juft 
 reproof of Dr. Mill, 332. His 
 charge of difhoneft defigns 
 
 againft Dr. Mill, not prov'd, 
 ibid. His juft and generous 
 praifes of Dr. Mill, ibid. 
 Guilty in ibme places of the 
 contradiction he charges, 333. 
 Agrees that the various read- 
 ings do no damage to the ia- 
 cred canon, ibid. 
 
 Wine, call'd the fruit of the vine 
 in St. Matthew, an eafy and 
 elegant metaphor, 4 
 
 Wifdom of Solomon, a beautiful 
 paflage in it, 1 8y 
 
 Mr. Wollafion gives a paflage 
 from Plato parallel to one in 
 Jeremiah, i $ 
 
 Xenophon's authority clears the 
 facred writers from a repeti- 
 tion fuppos'd by Dr. Wells, 
 1 1. Produc'd to juftify Luke 
 xvi. 9. 1 7 
 
 Young gentlemen in danger from 
 the bold and formal determi- 
 nations of awkward critics 
 and fcholiafts, 30 
 
 Zech. iih 2. proverbial ftrong 
 cxpreflions, 64 
 
 Zealots of the Romifh church, 
 why they depreciate the fa- 
 cred original, 146 
 
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