V MEMORIAL^ COLLECTION Yale University Library y"^}f Printed Hebrew Text of the Old Teftament vindicated. A N A N S WE R TO Mr. KENNICOTTs DISSE iTATIO N In Two Parts. Wherein all the Texts produc'd by that Author in favour of Corruptions are re-examin'd and vindicated. To which are prefix'd fbme General Observations oa the Infufficiency of thofe Helps by which , he en deavours to correct the Hebrew Text. -Why may not fome Others by the fame Authority make others [Various Reading's] both here or any where elfe, fo that we mall not Inow where to fix ? It will be the only safe Way to keep to our Reading as we have it, and to lay any Fault or Incongruity, which we meet with, on the Expofitions, not on the Words read in the Text. Pocock on Hofea, P. 565. O X F 0 R D, Printed at the THEATRE for James FLETCH£R"in the Turl, and Sold by J. and J. R 1 v 1 g o t 0 n in St. Paul's Church- Yard, London. M DCC LIU. ^Advertifement. THE Author of the following Sheets may perhaps ftand in Need of an Apology for not publifhing them foon- er ; as it is now fome time fince Mr. Ken- nicott\ Piece has been laid before the World. They were in a great Meafure printed off much earlier in the Summer, but were delay 'd on Account of Buli- nefs of fome Importance to the Author, with which the World has been already fomewhat acquainted, and of which they may probably hear more in a little Time. Hertford CoW. Oxford, Jug. 20. 1753. Fowler Comings. Errata. / P. 49. L. 23, 24. For 7*11 read T31 — L. 25. for "TODS read "TOOD — P. 5 1 . L. 1 7. For 5wr read #a«s. — P. 5 3. L. « 3. Fof •n*3"lV read »rOiy — P. 60. L. 7. For height read iV^r. — P. 62. L.6. For wto read whom. — ¦ L. ult. for ever fe«d mrj. — P. 63. L. 30. Inftead of more converjant, we muft &c. read more converjant. We muft &e. — P. 64. L. 4. Initead of the fe- cond N»n read KB — P.,i 1 9. L* 26. After Kingdoms add ( of the Heathens) [ 1:1 T H E PRINTED HEBREW TEXT OF THE OLD TESTAMENT V IN D I C A T E D. THE Holy Scriptures, which difplay to ; Mankind the awful Proceedings of Him, who is infinitely exalted above the Reach of mere human Faculties, are the high Prerogative of fallen Man. Without thefe we are loffc in endjefs Doubts and Perple xities, ignorant of every thing the Knowlege whereof can either delight or profit us. It is to this Fountain of Inftruelaon ajone that we know our Original, the Defign of our Creation, toge-.- ther with the Means of arriving at the End pro- pos'd. The written Word is the only Medium thro' which we can have - the leaft Glimpfe of the divine Oeconomy; which is otherwife- en tirely conceal'd by thofe Clouds of Darknefs in variably . interpos'd between Jehovah's glorious Throne, and>the mere human Eye. The Sun of Righteoufnefs alone can difpel thefe impenetrable A Mills, 2 The Printed Hebrew Text Mifts, and unfold to us the various Parts of the divine Adminiftration. By this celeftial Light we fee the Commencement, the progreffive Ad vances, and the final Completion of that ama zing Plan, whofe Object was human Happinefs j begun, carried on, and perfected by the undivi- ved Three. In the facred Volume we find thefe blefied Truths reveal'd with all that Tendernefs which he could mew, who fupports the various Relations of Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier of Mankind : the. Author and Perfecter of our Salvation. And tho' the whole Oeconomy of Redemptipn is in itfelf a Subject too fpiritual for the Comprehenfion of the human Mind, yet fuch is the paternal Tendernefs of our Heavenly Father, that the Perfpicuity of Nature is defign'd to unfold the Myfteries of Grace j till we come to thofe higher Regions, where we fhall no long er fee thro' the Glafs of the Creatures by Re flexion, but fhall behold the Fullnefs of the Godhead beaming forth in unclouded Majefty and Glory. — But till Death fhall be fwallow'd up of Life, and Corruption be cloath'd upon with Incorruption, we walk by Faith and not by Sight. We enter not upon the prefent Pof- feffion of heavenly Enjoyments, but contem plate them as held forth to us under the faireft Images of material Objects: being taught by Him, who created all Things double, the celef tial Realities and the earthly Patterns, to fee the eternal Originals beautifully delineated in the pe- rifhing Copies. — If we look into ourfelves, and no farther, we find our Knowlege terminated by Of the 0. Teftanient vindicated. 3 by very near Boundaries ; we know very little even of the Objects that are moil familiar to us j and can fcarce pronounce pofitively where our Evidence is moft full. — Thus are we left, if we reft in human Difcoveries, in the moft perplex ing Uncertainty 5 or, what is equally unprofitT able, are engag'd in fuch Purfuits, which, let the Succefs be what it may, can never anfwer a rational Expectation. If He, that has the great- eft Share of human. Learning, would thus try each Part of it, he might find Reafon perhaps to fink lower in his own Efteem, than they that have made any considerable Advances therein are generally inclin'd to do. How many Articles might fafely be rang'd in the Clafs of Uncer tainties ! And how many more would naturally fall under the comprehenfive Head of Trifles ! Thus it is ; thus it muft be confefs'd to be with human Acquifitions. Blefied therefore be the in finite Mercy of Jehovah ! who hath conftantly interpos'd ' to remedy thefe Imperfections of our Nature : who hath led us by means of earthly Things to the Knowlege of heavenly ; who hath clearly made known to us the Myfteries of the Gofpel by various Reprefentations taken from fenfible Objects, by which we are taught, in the facred Scriptures, to contemplate and underftand the Things that are invifible. The Advantages then arifing from God's Word being the only Priviledges on which Man can value himfelf j what Care and Circumfpeo- tion ought we to ufe in explaining it's Truths, and conveying it down, to the lateft Pofterity in A 2 the. 4 ¦ The Printed Hebrew Text the fame State in which we receiv'd it ! On this not much, but all depends. Since no human Knowlege, though an hundred-fold greater than any we have yet feen, can ever fupply a Defect of the Knowlege of God, and of ourfelves ; nor any human Grandeur - ever be an equivalent to hinij, whofe Duration on Earth is but for a Day, for the Lofs of inconceivable Happinefs in that After -State, which fhall never have an End. Thefe Things being fo, any Attempt which, designedly or undefignedly, feems likely to in validate the original Records of Heaven, calls loudly for the Difcouragement of all' who va lue the Happinefs of themfelves and every fu ture Age. Now the Method which muft, "to the End, moft effectually deftroy the Evidence of the Scriptures is, in my Opinion, the giving' to each Man a Liberty of correcting the facred Text at Pleafilre. This at firft View bids fairly for the Accomplifhment of the Defign. Since if this is -permitted, the Word of God muft, in a little Time, by Additions and Diminutions, be no longer a Scheme reveaPd from Heaven, but muft dwindle away into an human Compofkion. Mr. Kennicott has lately publifh'd An Examina tion of the State of the Printed Hebrew Text of the Old Testament in a Differtation in two Parts, in which he en deavours to prove (fee P. 247) " that there have " been made, in the Copies of the facred Books v of the Old Teftament, very many and very ma- " tcrial Of the 0. Tejiament vindicated. 5 " ferial Mistakes." a This is an alarming Con sideration ; and muft put every Friend to the Gofpel.upon a ferious Examination to fee whe ther the Afiertion be well fupported. For if the original Text be indeed fo very viuch, and fo ve ry materially corrupted as to authorife Alterations merely from Conjecture ; it is very obvious that the Authority of thefe facred Writings muft daily decreafe, and their Evidenee be lefs and lefs to be depended upon. What is here faid a- rifes from a Liberty, which Mr. Kennicott has often allow'd himfelf, of altering the Hebrew Text, with very little more Evidence, than what proceeds from the greater Propriety which he fancies another ExprefTion might have. This, I queftion not, appears a very dangerous and bold Attempt to every ferious Chriftian : and the na tural Confequence of fuch Proceedings ( fhould they ever be allow'd ) is too obvious to be men- tion'd. When a PalTage ftands uncontradicted by e- very other j when it is confiftent with the Con text, and appears in it's prefent State to be pro moting the general Scheme of the facred Scrip- tures> I know nothing we can pofiibly do in fuch a Tho' this perhaps may feem fomewhat contradictory to what ¦ he ob'ferves in the Introduction to his Work, (P. 1 1 .). where he has thefe Words : " For whofe Satisfaction and in Juftice to the pre- "fent Text, it muft be (and is here with Pleasure) obferv'd " — that the many Variations and Errors, which do in faft oc- '• cur, are chiefly found in Places not immediately relative to the "Faith or PraBice b/ Mankind:" For I do not think a good Chriftian can with Pleasure obferve, that the facred Books of the Old Teftament have in them very many, and very material Miftakes. Cafes, 6 The Printed Hebrew Text Cafes, but fearch' out the full Import of the Place ; which, when difcover'd, will not feem, in the leaft, to require a correcting Hand. An hafty or, inattentive Perufal is often the Caufe of Objections to a Paffage, which, when attentive ly and cautioufly examin'd, appears truly glorious and divine. This muft be the Cafe more es pecially in the Scriptures of the old Teftament, where we have, among other Difficulties, a Lan guage which has not as yet been throughly ex plained by the Labours of the learned. Which one Consideration ought to reftain every rifing Inclination to alter haftily the facred Books. E- very one is at Liberty to propofe to the World any Interpretation of a Pafiage, which the Lan guage will admit, and no other Part of Scripture Difcountenances : But in the Nature of the Thing, none can be allow'd a Liberty of alter ing, to remove a Difficulty which Time and Patience may clear up. To do this, would be to affume a Power with which no Creature can be inverted ; — a Power of making Jehovah fpeak what we pleafe, inftead of what his own all-corn- prehenfive Wifdom has determin'd. If it fhould ever become a Cuftom among Chriftians to publifh immediately to the World any Objections they may have to a Paffage, and to pronounce them unanfwerable, the Confequence muft be very fatal. For tho' the Difficulties fhould be clear'd up to the Satisfaction of proper Judges j yet the lefs fkilful in thefe Matters, who know not the Merits of either Caufe, will be naturally led to have lefs Dependence on a Book. Of the 0. Teftament vindicated. 7 Book, the Integrity of which is fo violently con troverted. In tender Compaffion therefore to the Souls of the lefs knowing, the greateft Caution is neceffary'on this Head. Every Difficulty calls loudly for a frequent Examination, and that to be made with every proper Help. The Aftif- tance of others, whofe Judgment and Learning are given them for the Benefit of Mankind, is to. be conftantly afk'd : And, above all Things, the Afliftance of that blefied Spirit, who gave thefe holy Books, and under whofe Direction alone they are to be underftood, muft be earneftly im- plor'd; and nothing can be fafely pronounc'd, till every proper Help has been carefully applied. If this was to be done, (and I truft in God it will for the future be done by every ferious Chrif tian,) how few Paffages would wear, that Diffi culty which appears in fome Inftances. They are, I am ^fenfible, fo few that, for my own Part, I dare not think of pronouncing upon their Number. The Defign of the following Sheets is to re examine the Paffages which Mr. Kennicott has lately confider'd, and brought as Arguments for the Corruption of the original Text. I have laid before the Reader my Sentiments on each of the Paffages he has objected to, endeavouring to fhew their Meaning, and the Propriety of them as they now ftandj and the Interpretations, I hope, in general, will be found fuch as the ori ginal Words will well authorife 3 where any new one is propos'd, as there is occafionally, it is humbly laid before the publick for their Exami nation, $ The Printed Hebrew: Text nation, and fhall be given up as foon as it is fhewn that the original Words, or the Context; or any other Part of Scripture will not admit of it ; or whenever a better fhall be offer'd. I have undertaken this Examination merely for the Pro motion of God's Glory, no where to be difco- ver'd without his own Revelation. As this is my View, I fhall give what appears to me to be the true Anfwer to Mr. Kennicotfs Objections, Without obferving any thing more than the Sub ject fhall feem to require. And may that God whofe Mercy is over all his Works ; who at firft ehlighten'd the. finful Darknefs of the human Underftanding by his original Revelation, and" has ftill preferv'd it in the World by a Succef- fion of holy Teachers, may He continue this ce- leftial Light in it's pureft Brightnefs to the lateft Ppfterity ! May it more and more diffufe itfelf to the utmoft Borders of the Earth, till Chrift becomes, in the fulleft and moft extenfive Senfe, a Light to lighten the Gentiles, and the Glory of his People Ifrael! And may this our Land #jew itfelf duly fenfible of the greateft Bleffings which God can give, or Man receive! And may it more and more abound in the Knowlege of the Gofpel of Chrift, till the Commencement of that awful Period, when the fmall Acquifi- tions of Science proceeding from Analogy fhall be loft in immediate Intuition ! Before I proceed to an Examination of the particular Inftances produc'd by Mr. Kennicott I fhall lay before the Reader a few general Re flexions on each of the principal Methods by which "'¦ Of the 0. Teftament vindicated. 9 which he endeavours to correct the original Text j whereby we fhall fee the Danger there is in the Application of them. The firft I fhall mention is the Tranflation which we call the Septuagint. * Whoever will examine this Tranflation, and compare it with the original, will foon be con- vinc'd that it cannot (whatever elfe be it's Ufe,) be a proper Means of correcting the Hebrew Text. It is frequently fo lax as fcarcely to have one Greek Word anfwering to one Hebrew Word. Wherever there was any Difficulty, the Authors of it did not give a verbal Tranfla tion, but put their Senfe of the Place into a Pa- raphrafe, by which we find how they underftood it, but nothing farther. This might be fhewn by an Induction of Particulars, was it not a Ppint that every Man may^afily acquaint himfelf with. Thpfe that have ever look'd into the very learn ed and pious Dr. Pocock's Commentary on Ho- J'ea, &c. have, I queftion riot, found this Matter fettled greatly to their Satisfaction. There are, befides, in this Tranflation many known Devia tions from the Original, which many able Pens have been employ'd in accounting for j and which have been in many Cafes attributed to a Fear of offending Ptolemy and the Egyptians. This be ing the Scheme then which thefe Tranflators purfued, and thefe the Liberties they took,-, they a The Reader may expeft to fee in a little Time fome of thefe Points, (particularly what relates to the Septuagint and the Sa maritan Text) which are only confider'd here as far as they be long to the following Work, treated of more largely by a Gen tleman, whofe Years, Learning, and Judgment throughly quali fy him to difcu's an Affair of fuch Importance. B cannot 10 The Printed Hebrew Text cannot be brought as Evidence for any reading ; which, no Tranflation that is not verbally literal can be afferted to have prefer v'd. — I fhall here fubjoin what Dr. Carpzove, in his Anfwer to Mr. Whijlon, has very judicioufly remark'd in Relation to the Septuagint. "Let us admit, fays he, that the Greek, " which is call'd the Septuagint differs very wide- " ly from the Hebrew Copy, yet it differs alfo " fo much from itfelf, that as many Editions of " it as are to be feen at this Day, fo many various " Readings may be obferv'd ; and no Man is fo " clear-fighted, as to be able to declare or inform " us, which of them exactly agrees with the ori- " ginal Greek Text, or which of them is inter polated j what Changes, Tranfpofitions, Ad- " ditions and Mutilations many of thefe Editions "have fuffer'd, partly from the Boldnefs of " Criticks and ignorant Pretenders, partly from " the Injuries of Time : and how many, Things " have been foifted into it, which change and " confound the ancient and genuine Text of this "Tranflation, from the Verfions oi Aquila and " Theodotion, and other Greek Tranflators out of " the OSiapla of Origen. Let our Difputant then " firft acquaint us, what Edition, what Reading "of this Verfion, he acknowledges for authen- " tick and genuine ; and then let him prove both "its Genuinefs and its Agreement and Harmony " with the Hebrew Reading of the original Co- " py, from whence it was taken. Suppofing then "that this differs from the prefent Hebrew " Reading, either by the Change of fimilar Let- " ters, Of the 0. Teftament vindicated. ii " ters, or by a different Punctuation, whether is "it to be afcrib!d to the Supinenefs and Inad- " vertency of the Tranflators, or to^he univerfal " Corruption of all the Hebrew Copies ?" See Marcus's Tranflation of Carpz. p. 22, 23. And a little lower he faysj "If that were the antient " and genuine Hebrew Reading, which is ima- " gin'd to differ from the modern, becaufe of " me Variation of the Greek Copy, I very much " wonder how it came to pafs, that the Chaldee " Tranflation, which was taken from the entire " and pure Copies, fhould agree better with the " modern Hebrew Copies (or to fpeak in Mr. "Whijlon's Way, how it fhould long ago have " been form'd upon the fame Plan with the cor- " rupted Reading that was to come after ) than " with the old and genuine Copies. Such always " hath been the Dignity and Prerogative of au- " thentick Writings, that when they differ from "a Tranflation, the Error fhould be rather at- " tributed to it than to them j neither muft their " reading be put out of Pofieffion, unlefs it be " prov"d by moft weighty Arguments, that it can " no longer maintain it's Place. Therefore that "Conclufion is altogether abfurd and rafh, by " which thefe falfe Criticks, from the Difagree- " ment of the Greek Tranflation, attempt to " bring the original Text into Sufpicion of Cor- " ruption, or to charge it with Errors." If to this be added what the learned Jofeph De Voijin., in his Obfervations on Raymund Mar~ tin's Pugio Fidei, has obferv'd with regard to the feventy Tranflators, their Evidence will per- B 2 haps 1 2 The Printed Hebrew Text haps no longer be confider'd as fufficient to efta- blifh any Reading againft the original Text. This Author, with others, thinks that the Tranf lation of the Seventy was not made from the ori ginal Hebrew ; but from a Chaldee Paraphrafe then in ufe. See Pug. Fid,p.\\\. Ed. Par. 16 51. What has been faid of the Seventy may in Part be applied to the oriental Verfions ; which alfo frequently give us not a literal but a para- phraftic Rendring. Tho' this is a Point that can need no Proof to thofe that have frequently con- fulted thefe Verfions j yet as it is not fo general ly known as the extraordinary Variations of the Seventy are, I fhall produce an Inftance from the Arabic, and another from the Syriac Ver- fion. The Variation of the Arabic fhall be ta ken from Gen. 6. 4. which our Tranflators have thus render'd : There were Giants in the Earth in thofe Days; and alfo after that, when the Sons of God came in unto the Daughters of Men, and they bare Children to them : the fame became Mighty Men which were of old Men of Renown. Part of which in the Arabic ftands thus : U> ^U \y\£*.$ f*&y)\ ^gX> Quia filii Elohim ingrejji funt ad Filias Cain, & genuerunt eis. Here ( to mention no more of the Variations which occur in this Verfe) is a remarkable Change of the Hebrew t3*t*tfn into the Arabic <&>& : which, however true, is ftifl not a Tranflation, but a manifeft Comment. The Of the 0. Teftament vindicated. 1 3 The Variation of the Syriac I fhall take from Gen. 8.7. iy men aw K>n myn n» nVen 1 { X*\$n Sj^D D'DH n^n' And He fent forth a Raven, which went to and fro, until the Waters were dried up from off the Earth. In Syriac thus : J-iOjX *-2Cl jJo O-S150 kO«aJO Jojc**-^ jv*-o JL**-**^ o..a^ ^io JLoo a******^ Mitteretque Corvum qui quidem egrefius efi neque reverfus, donee ficca- rentur aqua: de Superficie terra. In this Tranf lation what is in the Hebrew, which went forth to and fro, until the Waters were dried up : is in the Syriac, and did not return until the Waters were dried up. By thefe Iriftances we fee the Liberties which the Tranflators took : for which Reafon they cannot be affirm'd to have preferv'd a Reading which we are to admit in Preference to what ftands in the original Text. Since the Appear ance of a Contradiction, in Places feemingly paral lel, might eafily induce them who had taken a Liberty of varying from the original Words, to ufe the fame Expreffions in their Verfions of both Paffages. Mr. Kennicott's Book will fup- ply many other Inftances of their Deviation from the prefent Hebrew Copies, which muft be deem'd very conclufiye againft them, if the pre fent Reading in thefe Cafes fhall be found vin dicated. I fhall conclude this Article with what the very learned and laborious Editor of the En- glifh Polyglott has obferv'd in his" Proleg. 6. a Which the Targum of Onkelos has thus faithfully tranflated : JNJTIN tyD N'D 1B*OH "7J/ 3ND1 pSD pDJ! V&yw JT Tbw\Sec. 14 The Printed Hebrew Text Sec. 1 1. Multce enim [ab originario Textu difcre- pantice] eje pofjunt ex Interprets lapfu, dum vel in Lefiione, vel in genuino Loci Senfu, vel in vera Verborum Significatione errare pofjit. Sape etiam Paraphraftem agit, & Verba qucedam ad Loci Ex- planationem addit, qucedam etiam quce minus necef faria videntur, omittit. ; > MSS. are another Help by which Nlr.Kenni- cott endeavours to correct the prefent Text of our Hebrew Bibles. But here, I apprehend, the Authority df all fuch MSS. whofe Evidence is to be taken againft the approv'd Reading, ought firft of all to be clearly fhewn : and till this is done I fee not how they can poffibly be fet up againft all the authenticated Copies. The various Readings, Which the Church has ever admitted, are ftill preferv'd. And farther than this if we advance, it muft be done with much greater Caution than we feem at prefent aware of. For, notwithftandirig all that has been lately faid, the known Care of the Jews, even to a Degree of Scrupuloufnefs, in the Prefervation of the He brew Copies in their original State, will not per mit us to fuppofe that the authenticated Copies could be fubjedt to any Variation worth regard ing. a For thofe few feeming Miftakes which have been Corrected in the Margins of our Bi bles, tho' the Alteration has, thro' a very great and laudable Care, not been admitted into the Text, cannot be brought as Evidence againft the a Imo tanta Superftitione feruntur \_Judai] erga facros Codices ut in Libro Legis Ji vel unictim Erratum deprehendant, pro illegiti- mo damnant, & abjiciunt. Walt. Prol. 7. Sec. 4. Reading Of the 0. Teftament vindicated. 15 Reading of the prefent Copies, which in all Cafes of Importance have propos'd the Variation, if they are not underftood to have adopted it. The Variations which Mr. Kennicott has produc'd from MSS. are chiefly fuch as are manifeftly owing to the Negligence of the Tranfcriber, and could not caufe the leaft Trouble to any Reader. Thefe, I can hardly think, it would be proper to trouble the World with. * Since it would make many neglect the Reading of the original Scriptures, which would then appear more and more encumber 'd with Difficulties. Efpecially as there co'uld be no Advantage, arifing from fuch a Collection, to the Scholar himfelf who fhould be thus employ'd. The Purfuit could only terminate in a grievous Mifapplication of Time, which was given us for infinitely -higher Purpofes. And as for thofe Variations which are not cafual, but really make a Difference in the Paffage (as the Word of God is not to be trifled with, or to have bold Experiments tried upon it ;) they muft not, they cannot be regarded, till the Authority of the MSS. from whence they are taken, is prov'd fuperior to thofe Copies which we have receiv'd in a perpetual Succeffion, guarded by the greateft Care and Circumfpec- tion, and which the ancient Chaldee Paraphrafts (by very many Centuries, in Point of Antiquity, beyond any Hebrew MSS. now produc'd,) have a If what is here faid wants any Confirmation, the Authority of Bp. Walton may be brought to fupport it : Scfibarum etiam Errores, qui turn in Textum, turn in Verjionem, irrepere pojfunt 'pro variis LeSiionibus non habendi. Prol. 6* it. in 1 6 The Printed Hebrew Text in general exactly follow'd. Before I difmifs this Subject I would obferve, that very few of the material Alterations which Mr. Kennicott has made are authoris'd by any MSS. Thefe, as well as the printed Copies, difcountenance moft of his principal Criticifms. — And it ought be- fides to be very attentively confider'd, that the MSS, according to Mr. Kennicott's own Account of them, are fo carelefly and negligently tran fcrib'd 5 are fo full of very material Miftakes ari- fing from the Ignorance, Or Hafte, or Inadver tency of the Tranfcribers, that they are abfolute- ly unfit to be fet in Competition with all thofe Copies, which the whole Church was nearly concern'd to fee faithfully tranfcrib'd. For Proof of this,' I would refet the Reader to p. 410. of Mr. Kennicott's Differtation, where he will fee a Variety of Miftakes enumerated which occur in MS. 1 . And in other Parts of his Work the In- ftances are fo very numerous, that it is needlefs to refer to them. I fhall but juft mention a third Way Mr. Ken nicott has of correcting the facred Text, which is by comparing what he calls parallel Plaqps, and by inferting or omitting in fuch a Manner as to make each Paffage exprefs the fame Senti ment in the fame Way. To this may be attri buted a very confiderable Number of his Altera tions. And how many more muft be made up on the fame Plan it would be difficult to deter mine. But here one Thing is principally to be attended to ; namely, whether the two Paffages are really fpeaking of the fame Thing : for if they Of the 0. Teftament vindicated, i y they are not, an hafty Determination will be. productive of very fatal Confequences : and if they are, the learned are well agreed about fuch Differences j and have given very clear and fatis- fadtory Anfwers to the Objections brought a- gainft them. To thefe therefore I fhall refer the Reader, without being at the Trouble of tran- fcribing them : only adding the Anfwer which Mr. Kennicott himfelf has given to all his own Objections on this Head: "Proofs thefe, fays " he, that the two facred Hiftorians, tho' they " could not at firft really contradict each other, " did not however always exprefs the fame Senfe " in the very- fame Words and Phrafes." P. 24. The laft Thing of this Kind, which I fhall take Notice of, is, the Samaritan Pentateuch. The Ufe of this has been fo much controverted, and it's Evidence, as yet, fo throughly invalida ted, that I cannot think it fhould have been fet up againft the Hebrew Copies, without having been cleared from the Imputations brought againft it.* The Samaritans were a People in perpetual Enmity with the Church of God : confifting ~ of Idolaters of various Nations, with forne fugi tive and apoftate Jews : ignorant and wicked to the laft Degree : worfhipfing they knew ?iot what, while Salvation was of the Jews. Dr. Prideaux has this Account of them : " and then to prevent "the Land .from becorrfing defolate, he brought " others from Babylon, and from Cutha, and from " Avah, and Hamath, and Sepharvaim, to dwell " in the Cities df Samaria in their Stead." Prid. Con. V. 1. P. 24. Ed. Fol. And again, P. 327, C. 328, I $ The Printed Hebrew Text 328, he fays ; " Sanballat having built this Tem- " pie, and made Manafjeh High-Prieft of it, Sa- "maria thenceforth became the common Re- " fuge and Afylum of the refractory Jews j fo " that if any among them were found guilty of " violating the Law, as in eating forbidden Meats, " the Bre-ich of the Sabbath, or the like, and " were c^U'd to an Account for it, they fled to " the Samaritans, and there found Reception, by " which Means it came to pafs, that after fome " Time the ^greateft Part of that People were " made up of .Apoftate Jews, and their Defcen- " dants, The firft of thefe Samaritans were the " Cutheans, and fuch others of the Eaftern Na- " tion, as Efarhaddon planted there after the De- " portation of the Israelites. But when thefe A- " poftate Jews flocked to them, they became a " Mungrel Sort of People made up of both." And Bp. Walton has the following Obfervation concerning them : Ad Hcec refpondeo, I. locum ilr lum Deut. 27. 4. mendofum efij'e in exemplaribus Sa- maritanis, idque negdri non poffe cum in omnibus codicibus Hebr&is omnibufque verfionibus antiquis legatur Ebal non Garizim. Hebraorum enim po- tiorem ejfe Auctoritatem, quibus Oracula Dei con- creditafuerunt, qui que Ecclefia Dei permanferunt donee propter rejeclum MeJJiam Deus, ipfos rejecit, & libellum repudii, dedit, Samaritis fchifmate £f cultu corrupto ab Ecclefia vera divulfis, dubitari nonpotefi. Prol. 11. Sec. 16. This is the known. and acknowleg'd State of the People of Sama ria. Can we then apply to fuch a Race of Wretches for a more faithful Copy of the Law, than Of the 0. Teftament vindicated. 19 than is to be found among them whofe greateft Glory was the Sacred Scriptures, and who reve- renc'd them in an unparallel'd Manner ? Shall we receive from the worft of Schifmatics a Co py of the Law as Authentic, without knowing, in the leaft, the Care or Fidelity with which it was tranfcrib'd ? And fhall this be done too when there are found in it manifeft Corruptions defignedly made ? a And when we have no far ther Account of it, than that it was pick'd up in the Eaft in the fixteenth or feventeenth Cen tury, and difpers'd in Europe, without any thing produc'd to eftablifh it, or to wipe off the Af- perfions, which the Character of the People, from whom it was taken, muft unavoidably throw upon it ? I fhall conclude thefe general Reflections on the Samaritan Pentateuch, with what Mr. Ken- nicott himfelf has laid down concerning it. "The " Defcendants of the Samaritans being a People " very few in Number, their Copies of the Law " were probably few in Proportion. And as ,we " know but little of their Hiftory, their few Co- " pies may have been render'd Defective and Im- " perfect thro' Time and Accidents ; and fuch a The Samaritans muft be allow'd to have deftroy'd the Evi dence of their Pentateuch by the Corruption made in Deut. 27. 4, and the' monftrous Infertion found in Exod. 10.17. Wherever therefore, the Samaritan varies from the Hebrew Text, we can not give the Preference to the former, which is fo openly con victed of Corruption in fome Cafes ; and which may, for other. Reafons not fo confpicuous, have been the unauthoris'd Caufe of. the Variation in every other Place, where at prefent we find a Difagreement. • C 2 "Defects 20 The Printed Hebrew Text " Defects may have been fhpplied by their ha- " ving recourfe to an Heb. Copy, and tranfcri- " bing in the Sam. Character fo much as would " compleat their own Copy or Copies. That " this may have been the Cafe will be thought " probable by every reasonable Enquirer j when " he confiders the Manner in which moft Co- " pies of the Sam. Pentateuch have been fent us " fcarce any, perhaps not one very antient " Copy, that is entirely tranfcrib'd by the fame ''' Hand, and is perfectly free from that Mixture " of Vellum and Paper, and of earlier and later " Writing, which are fo obfervable in the Bod- " leian Copies." The Reader, after what is here faid, may perhaps be furpris'd at Mr. Kennicott's producing the Samaritan as Evidence againft the Hebrew Text. For if we know nothing of the Care the Samaritans took of their Copies ; little of the Hiftory of the People; (except what is greatly to their Differvice ;) and have reafon to pronounce their Copies of the Law defeBive and imperfeSl ; if this be the Cafe, as Mr. Kennicot, here allows ; by what Authority, and with what tolerable Propriety, can any Man correct the au thenticated Copies of the Hebrew thereby ? Thefe are the General Observations which I- thought proper to premife, before I enter'd up on an Examination of the Particular Texts : and I hope if thefe Reflections are duly attended to, they may fupply a full and fufficient Anfwer to many of the Objections which Mr. Kennicott has propos'd. I fhall now begin to re-confider the. Texts he has examin'd, in order to fettle them as Of the 0. Teftament vindicated. 2 1 as far as I am able, and to clear them from the Imputation of Corruption which we find laid upon them : the only Thing that could poffibly recommend a Tafk, in itfelf, on many Accounts, very unacceptable. There is nothing in the Introduction which I fhall take notice of, except fome improper Re flections (P. 9, 10.) on a very Pious and Learned Writer, who has animadverted on two DifTerta- tions lately publifh'd by Mr. Cojlard. " This " Gentleman, fays Mr. Kennicott, who defires to " be confider'd as a Proficient jn the Hebrew " Language remarks thus on Mr. Cojlard, p. 15 "•and ib. — He would have the LXX to be cor- " rupted ift Gen. 31.7 &c. Bui This is not quite "fatisfying, he would fuppofe an Error in the " Hebrew itfelf, in the Management of wl^ich he "Jhews a Degree of Effrontery and Prof anneefs Jit " to undertake any thing. The only Remark pro- " per to be made upon this Paffage may be — ; " that the Author of it difcovers fuch a Strength nynn -- anttrw dj binnx d; Sam: «aom annon nnK *-]V^ Chro. ?aom n»xto nn»n row wby iba Sam.^ " In Of the 0. Teftament vindicated. 23 " In the Text here the third Qifeems unnecef- " fary ; and, as it is not found in Samuel nor in " the Greek Verfion of either Samuel or Chro- " nicies, it fhould probably be omitted in Chro- " nicies." Many Words in the facred Scriptures Wi\\ feem unnceffary upon a hafty Perufal, which when carefully examin'd will appear worthy of their divine Author, all whofe. Works are done in Truth and Wifdom. In every dead Language it is perhaps more difficult to fettle the exact Meaning of it's Particles, than it is to account for any other Part of it. But to caft out of a Writer every Particle which we might not im mediately fee the full Force of, would furely be the wildeft Scheme that ever was propos'd. I do not fpeak this as if I thought the Particle DJ, as it here ftands, incapable of an Explanation : for our Tranflators having given us the natural Signification of it, by rendring it, even, fhew it's Ufe and Propriety in the prefent Cafe : And more over in time pafi, even when Saul was King. P. 24. " The Text in Samuel has two evi- " dent Corruptions in the Words *>s?!flD nrV'Tf " »3Dm ; the n, being unneceffary at the End " of the Verb, is evidently taken from the Be- " ginning of the next Word, which is defective " for Want of it ; and the radical tf is dropt at " the End of the fecond Participle." Thefe Cor rections are all made in the Margins of our com mon Bibles; and have perhaps in general been acknowleg'd as various Readings preferable ta thofe admitted into the Text. Tho' probably, upon a clofer Examination, it may be found that the 24 The Printed Hebrew Text the Hebrew Language does not require diem. For the n is often found at the End of Verbs as it is here : thus 2 Sam. 10.11. HW1? **7 iTTVm — Again 2 Sam. 22. 41. I*pjr 'V nDD'rtW: rwith innumerable other Inftances mar^ might be produc'd. — The n is in fo many Places pre- fix'd, and in fo many others omitted, that it can fcarcely be pronounc'd where the Language requires it, and where it does not. — And as for the K at the End of *aD, there are Inftances more than fufficient to prove that 'ID is not de* fedtive without it. Wherever the Verb Nil in any of it's Conjugations indeed occurs without the », I believe, the Jews have inferted it in the Margin, looking upon the Verb as defective without it. But whoever fhall examine the In stances in which it occurs without the tf, will be inclin'd to think that the Jewifh Gramma* rians have fhew'd a fuperfluous Care in adding what the Nature of this Verb does not, feem at all to require : any more than do the other Verbs whofe laft Radical is ft. Thus Jerem. 19. 15. TVn Vtf »na ?Jin. So again, C. 3 9.1 6. 1 Kings 1 2. 1 2. C. 2 1 . 2 1 , 29. Thefe Inftances, I believe, will be fufficient to eftablifh what has been now laid down ; though many more might eafily bf given. Thefe and fome other Particulars may juftly make us cautious how we admit even the Marginal Variations. " The Word TJJ had perhaps the Prepofi* " tion V originally prefix'd in Chronicles as well " as in Samuel, fince the LXX, Alex, and Vat. « Copies give us «? vya/ftm in both Places/' As Of the 0. Teftament vindicated. 2 5 As there is not the leaft Shadow of Proof that the ***• ever was prefix'd to TJJ, it is highly pre- fumptuous to fuppofe it. And Mr. Kennicott has in this very Page given us the Anfwer to a thoufand Cavils of this Kind, which are to be found in his Differtation. "Proofs thefe, fays " he, that the two facred Hiftorians, tho' they " could not at firft really contradict each other, " did not however always exprefs the fame Senfe " in the very fame Words and Phrafes.". It is not eafy to account for Mr. Kennicott's fo-foon forgetting his own Obfervation. — When each Expreffion is in it's, Place, apt and proper; to make them both the fame by mere Conjecture is taking fuch Freedom with the Word of God, as cannot be thought of without Horror. To this Place I muft beg leave to refer the Reader for an Anfwer to his next Objection; (P. 26) for I fhall not repeat. the Anfwer, when ever he is pleas'd to repeat the Cavil. This would be making the Difpute endlefs. — " The " laft Phrafe btiWW TH in the third Verfe of. " Chronicles, has been thought harfh in the O- " riginal." I cannot conjecture how this Phrafe b$M2& TH could found harfh in any Ear ; fince TH is the known Word for, by ; when a Perfon is confider'd as an Inftrument, Thus Exod. 9. 35. PlPO TH HW 1J1 ItMO. Lev, 8. 36. Numb. 4. 37, 45. 9.23. 10. 13. with others, by far too numerous to be produc'd. I have myfelf no Objection to the Manner in which Mr, Kennicott underftands 1 Chron, 11.5, .6. and it's partly parallel Place 2 Sam. 5. 6, 7, 8. D Tho' 26 * The Printed Hebrew Text Tho' I have to thofe Supplies Which he wants to introduce into the Hehrew Text. The firft Va riation he would make is in YYDn 2 Sam. 5. 6. which he wants to change into *"]TTDn> that the Blind and the Lame may be Nominative Cafes to it. P. 36. If we allow this; yet there is no Reafon to fuppofe the l dropp'd ; fince many In ftances may foon be given, where Verbs by us , call'd Singular are join'd to plural Nouns. In all which Cafes the Number is as exprefly deter- min'd, as if the Verb had been Plural too. For the Number in thefe Cafes is fix'd by the Noun, not by the Verb : and this is the Cafe in our own Language alfo; which here remarkably falls in with the Hebrew. Inftances of this Kind are fo very frequent, that we cannot in the leaft doubt but that there is a material Difference, in this Point, between the Hebrew and thofe Languages, in which Men are more generally and early in- ftructed. From whence it will happen that thefe and other Particularities of the Hebrew Lan guage, if tried, by this falfe Rule, will be deem'd Corruptions, or unnatural Forms of Speech. For which Reafon the greateft Caution, and the ni- ceft Enquiry will be abfolutely neceffary, before we pafs any Determination. In the prefent Cafe indeed, a very fuperficial Examination will de termine the Truth of what has been now ob ferv'd. I fhall, for prefent Evidence, produce a few out of very many Inftances. Judg. 1. 16. dk *cn V. 17. .ie-vi ^ - _ _ -fry — wp ^y\ •DAlf HKT *jyj3n — Again in V.21, there are two more Inftances : — thtlVt HP* 'DIH^H HK1 Of the 0. Teftament^ vindicated. 2 7 Ipyrn if. 57. 13. -to'JH »jh rw *>Dp»n h^i nn KP» D*?H rwi "prop ibw — Mr. £000- rhx mm Sam. The Obfervations upon this Paffage, when join'd to thofe additional Notes which we find in the Conclufion, are fo very uncommon, that I could wifh the Reader would give them a fe rious and attentive Confideration. In P. 525. by way of Supplement to what had been here ob ferv'd, Mr. Kennicott fays ; " As to the Phrafes "nwax mm and nwns ?;y?k mm, I for-, " merly Of the 0. Teftament vindicated. 3 3 cc merly thought the latter to be the jufter Phrafe, " becaufe it occurs ten times oftener. But I now " fufpect that 'ii*?** always preceded niKHV ori- " girially, when applied to God." If this one Inftance of Mr. Kennicott's Method of correcting the Hebrew Bible is not fufficient to let the Reader into his Plan, and his cautious Way of executing it ; there is much more Evidence de manded in the prefent Cafe, than the Publick is apt to require. In explaining Books deliver 'd in ancient Languages, where the Propriety of Ex preffions is determin'd by the frequent Ufe of them, what fhall we fay to the Critic that de- fpifes this Method of Judging, and choofes to be guided merely by his own Humour and Fancy ? The whole is fo very extraordinary that I muft leave every Reader to make his own Reflections upon it. Only defiring him to dwell upon the melancholy Profpect, which fuch unparallel'd Boldnefs opens to every Chriftian, when he finds that nothing can guard the Word of God, from the prefumptuous Rafhnefs of thofe who are re- folv'd to corrupt it. P. 54. iChron. 11. 11 ; 2 Sam. 23. 8. Dynt^ Tnb ilvk Dmnjn -iado nVxi Chro. iw in*? ~\m Dnnjn maty nbx Sam. Tny Kin D'tn^n wx-\ oionn p Chro. •any Kin wb&n e*k*i 'jonnn nntyn Sam. Di>fln bbn /tike vbw by Win nK Chro* DyfiH *y?n nixD mov by myn Sam. :nnK Chro. una Sam. E Chron, 34 *fhe Printed Hebrew Text Chron. And this is the Number of the Mighty Men whom David had; Jajhqbeam an Hachnio^r nite, the Chief of the Captains: He lift, up his Spear againfi three hundred Slain by him at one time. Sam. Thefe be the Names of the Mighty Men whom David had; the Tachmonite that jat in the Seat, Chief among the Captains, (the fame was A- dino the, Eznite) He lift up his Spear againft eight hundred whom heftew at one time. As Mr. Kennicott fuppofes from the Accounts given in thefe two Paffages, that there are unde niable Corruptions crept into the Hebrew Scrip tures, it will be neceffary to examine the origi nal Text's with Care, in order to free them from. the Imputation which they at prefent lie under. There are, I humbly think, Miftakes both in the common Tranflation and Explanation of thefe Accounts. The following Verfion of the Paffage in Samuel is, with all proper Deference, laid before the impartial Reader. Thefe are the Names of the Mighty Men whom David had: Jafheb Bejhebeth the Tachmonite Head of the threes : He was his Favourite j and he made him Counfellor (or Ruler) over eight hundred Men * at once. The Paffage view'd in this light, gives a clear and full Account of Jajheb Bejhebeth's Promotion by David. If US yn Wiy had been thus tranflated, the Confufion which is now in this Paffage would have been entirely prevented, — There can be no doubt made that yy> is us'd a I think, with M. Kennicott, that bbh ought by all means to be render'd a Soldier. in Of the 0. Teftament vindicated. 3 5 in a good Senfe when follow'd by by ; fince it occurs with this Prepofition after it in the thirty fecond Pfalm: / will guide Thee 'with mine Eye T^y mty'K — Let us now fee whether the Paf fage in Chronicles is not fomewhat fimilar to this: He lift up his Spear againft three hundred Slain by him at one time. To raife a Spear over or againft does not feem by any means to imply getting a ViSlory over ; tho' it very ftrongly ex- preffes the Act of ruling *: from whence St. Paul's Expreffion in the Epiftle to the Romans, C. 13. V. 4. feems to have been taken : But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the Sword in vain. — And we find that Saul al ways carried this Infigne of his Power. Thus j Sam. 18. 10. And David play'd with his Hand as at other times : and there was a Javelin n'jn in Saul's Hand. So again, 19, 9. And the Evil Spirit from the Lord was upon Saul as he fat in his Houfe with his Javelin m'Jn'w his Hand, And again, 22. 6. Now Saul abode inGibeah un der a Tree in Ramah, having his Spear lrvjn in his Hand, and all his Servants were ftanding about him. — From all thefe Paffages laid toge ther it is very clear that the HVJn (Spear or Javelin ) was the Enfign of Authority, which will throughly juftify us in thus underftanding the Paffage we are now upon : He rais'd his Spear over three hundered Soldiers at once : that is, He was ( as his Names imply ) the Ruler and Governor of three hundred Men : and was after wards raised, as we find in 2 Sam. 23. 8. to rule truer eight hundred. — The Account of Abijhai E 2 in 36 The Printed Hebrew Text in 2 Sam. 23. 18. is alfo to be underftood in this Manner. Mr. Kennicott argues for a Corruption in this eighteenth Verfe, becaufe wbv he fays fhould be rvtTTV* and fo it is in our Margins, and in our' Tranflation. But then he fuppofes it is the Cafe too in iChron. 11. 11. and 2 Sam. 23. 8. tho' in each Paffage we have the Word , Plural ; without any Authority to fuppofe either of them Singular. For which Reafon, Jajheh, ~BeJhebeth fhould be confider'd as the Head of the threes ; the firft of the two Ternaries. — Thefe Paffages, however difficult at firft Sight, will, I hope, if thus underftood, be clear and confiftent with each other. P. 73. " But do not the fame Men appear fre- " quently in Scripture to have two Names ? If ''fo, this General might be call'd both Jajhobeam * " and Jajhob-bajhebet. In Anfwer to this it may be " obferv'd firft — that Men have not two Names " in Scripture fo frequently as is fuppos'd ; a Va- " riation of their Name being certainly owing " fometimes to a Miftake of the Tranfcriber." As Mr. Kennicott is conftantly fuppofing Corrup tions on this Head, it will be proper to examine the Evidence which he produces for the Corrup tion of a Name, if it differs from one, the Per fon is call'd by in another Place. Now in the ' Paffage juft quoted, Mr. Kennicott has indeed af- ferted, with great Obftinacy, that Men have not two Names fo frequently as is fuppos'd ; tho' without bringing the leaft Appearance of Evi dence for his Affertion. There are about four teen Inftances in this Chapter of different Names being Of the Q. Teftament vindicated. 37 being given to the fame Perfon : So again 2 Kings 14. 2 j. and 15. 13. we have the fame Perfon call'd' by the two Names of Azariah and Uzziah. And the Inftances in the other Parts of Scripture are well known to be almoft ehd- lefs. We might therefore have reafonably ex pected fome very fatisfactory Proof againft an O- pinion which is fo well fupported. But inftead thereof we are difmifs'd with, "It is fometirnes " certainly owing to a Miftake of the Tranfcri ber." If this is not begging the Point in Dif- pute, it will be difficult to know what is. — His next Sentence carries fomewhat more of the Appearance of an Argument. " Befides ; where " a fecond Name has been given it has been ge- " nerally more diftinguifh'd from the former than " thefe two are from one another : as Jethro and " Reuel &e. — And therefore when we have two " Names, varying but little from each other evi- " dently belonging to the fame Perfon, we may " reafonably fuppofe the one to have been acci- |c dentally varied from the other; and that they " were not both Original, unlefs we hpe an ex- *f prefs Authority given in the Text for fuch " fmall Variation." Dr. Carpzove, in his Anfwer to Mr. Whifton, will fupply us in Part, with a very good Reply to this Objection. " The Dif- " ference of Names does not argue the Text to "be corrupted. It is either total, between " Names plainly different of one and the fame "Perfon, and then it fhews us that Men had "two Names which is evident in the Cafe of " King Azarias, who is alfo call'd" Uzzias ; or " elfe 3 8 The Printed Hebrew Text " elfe the Difference is partial, turning and chang- ,,,,, " ing the fame Name a little, and-then it is to be " referr'd to the Diverfity of Dialect, Pronuncia- ** tion, Family, Tribe, or Province, of Times al- "fo and Ages, that the fame Name fhould be " exprefs'd differently, by adding, taking out, or " changing a Letter or two, or by a different " Pointing which is Cuftomary among us, v. g. "in the Name Guilielmus or Willhelmus, — Jobus. "and Hiobus &c." Mr. Kennicott has forgot furely that the Name was alter'd (when the Dif ference was not dialectical) not to convey a dif ferent Sound, but a different Idea ; which is of ten done by the fmalleft Variation in the Sound : as is the Cafe in the Inftances of Abram and A- braham; Sarai, and Sarah. — He thinks that there fhould be no Change of Names fuppos'd, but where we have Authority to fuppofe it. . , Here I think with him. And the only Autho rity I want in this, or any other Cafe, is the Word of God, If therefore I find the fame Per fon diftinguifh'd by two Names in Scripture, I confider the Point as determin'd, and fhall look upon him as having two Names, tho' all Man kind fhould agree to affirm he had, or could have but one. — But Mr. Kennicott wants to have the Reafon, why the fecond Name was impos'd, always recorded in Scripture. But here he feems to have forgot, that often only one Circumftances of the Lives of fuch Perfons is merition'd, who are faid to have had two Names. We cannot therefore expect that this fhould be enlarg'd on, when nothing in their whole Lives is fo. P. 122. Of the 0. Teft anient vindicated. 3 9 P. 122. Mr. Kennicott efpoufes an Alteration of the Text in 2 Sam. 1 . 2 1 . propos'd by the In genious Dr. Delany, to which I cannot but have the fame Objection, I have to all thofe made by Mr. Kennicott himfelf ; as my Objections are nof to the Authors, but to thofe Points efpous'd by them, which feem to me to be of dangerous Confequence. Were the Characters of Men to influence me in my Opinions, I know but few that I fhould be more guided by, than Mr. Ken nicott himfelf. Since on many Accounts I great ly efteem him ; and do now with Reluctance de clare my Difapprobation of his Scheme ; which nothing could have prevail'd upon me to have done, but. an earneft Defire of preventing (as far as I was able) the like hafty and incautious At tempts for the future. To this, I hope, all that is faid in thefe Sheets will be attributed ; as this alone, and not any the leaft Spirit of Malevo- . lence, gave Birth to all that is coritain'd in them. — But to return, The plain Conftruction of the Words, \0W1 rv&Q ,l?n *T]K^ |JD, is, The Shield .of Saul not anointed with Oil. mCf/D anointed fhould not, I think, be referr'd to *7iNttf, Saul-, but to {JO the Shield. The Shield of Saul which was not anointed with Oil. There is a Paffage in> Ifaiah, Ch. 21. Ver. 5. which may throw fome Light upon this: Arife, ye^Princes, and anoint the Shield. — Oil, we know, was an Emblem. of the Holy Ghoft : and as fuch was us'd in the Defignation of all thofe high Officers who were Types of Chrift. The anointing the Shield there fore, that which was to protect them from the Darts 40 The Printed Hebrew Text Darts of their Enemies, was expreffing by a ve ry clear and fignificant Act, that they trufted not in their Armour, but in the Living God} who Is, with refpect to this, fo frequently in Scripture ftil'd a Shield. Wherefore to omit this Cuftom would be to attribute Support and De liverance to fome other Power; or to rely on human, inftead of divine Help. P. 128. 1 Chron. 11. 12, 13, 14. ¦ — 2 Sam. 23. 9, 10, 11, 12. As there will be no Alteration at prefent pro pos'd in the Tranflation of thefe Paffages, I fhall only give the Englifh Verfion of them. Chron. And after him was Eleazar the Son of Dodo, the Ahohite, who was one of the three Mighties. He was with David at Pas-dammim, and there the Philiftines were gather d together to battle, where was a Parcel of Ground full of Barley, and the People fled from before the Philiftines. And they fit themfelves in the midft of that Parcel and deli vered it, and few the Philiftines ; and the Lordfa- ved them by a great Deliverance. Sam. And af ter him was Eleazar the Son of Dodo the Ahohite, one of the three mighty Men with David, when they defied the Philiftines' that were there gathered together to battle, and the Men of Ifrael were gone away. He arofe, .and fmote the Philiftines until his. Hand was weary, and his Hand clave unto the Sword: and the Lord wrought a great ViBory that Day ; and the People return'd after him only to fpoil. And after him was Shammah the Son of Agee the Hararite : and the Philiftines were ga ther' d together into a Troop, where was a Piece of Ground Of the 0. Teftament vindicated. 41 Ground full of Lentiles : and the People fled from the Philiftines. . But he,.fiood in the midft of the Ground, and defended it, andftew the Philiftines : and the Lord wrought a great ViBory. - Mr. Kennicott has made Very great and unautho ris'd Additions to the Paffage in, Chronicles, fup- plyingin fuch a Manner out of Samuel,, as to make both the Places the fame. , This is fuch a Liberty as muft give the greateft Offence to e- very well-difpos'd Chriftian. Iriftead of patient ly examining each Paffage to fee the Subjects treated of, with the, Manner in which they are deliyer'd,. he boldly pronounces that originally they were both the fame. Let us fee whether they are not clear and confiftent in their prefent State. The Relation in Chronicles differs widely in the Manner of it's Delivery from that in Samuel. For in the latter we have the Name of each Mighty Man diftinctly related :- in the fprmer (the Name of one is not mentipn'd, tho' the Ac tions of all three are recorded. — Whoever- will examine the Texts with the leaft Attention; will Jind in Samuel that Eleazar and Shemeh were united in the fame Action, - mentioned in, the ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth Verfes. For .thefe Action's, tho' related, diftinctly of each in .Samuel, are yet recorded as one in Chronicles. For there, in the fourteenth Verfe, we find the Verbs are. plural; and they fit themfelves &c..-, So that it is clear, beyond Contradiction, from the .Likenefs of the two , Accounts in Samuel, and from the, Plural Verbs in Chronicles, that the •three Mighty Men oi David., were theConque- ... F rors 42 The Printed Hdnw Text tors of the Phlliftkes : as they were alfo joffi'd in the Expedition next recorded. This, I be lieve, will make the two Paffages much more intelligible than they are at prefent, and will be*. fides* continue each in it's prefent Purity. A Re view of the Account in Chronicles will prove -what has been obferv'd. And after Urn was jE- kazar the Son of Dodo the Ahohite^ wh was one of the three Mighties. He was 'wM/ David at Paf-dammim, and there the Philijlines wefe ga* thered together to battle, where was a Panel tf Ground full of Barley, and the People fed from be fore the Philijlines. And they fit themfelves in the vnidfi if that Parcel &c The Perfons referr 'd to in the Pronoun, thfey, are manifeftiy the three Mighty Men mention'd in the latter Part of the twelfth Verfe. Before I leave this Paffage, I muft take Notice 6f the Word Dfnnn in the ninth Verfe of Sa muel: (P. 135) which, I apprehend, ought to have been render'd as a proper Name i One tf the three Mighty Men with David at Horpam &¦> againft the Philiftines. The Place which was fometimes call'd Pafdammim, Was alfo, we fee known by the Name, Horpam: which, as it fignifies their Reproach, might, it is not irnpro- table, be impos'd on Account of this very Ac tion, in which the Philiftine Forces were fo fhamefully routed by only three Men. Mr. Kennicott next objects to the Difference between the Words iD'Bhy and Epmye?, Len ities and Barley. But the Field was undoubtedly -fow'd with both, (as our own Fields are with diffe- Of the 0. Teftament vindicated. 4.3 different Kinds of Grain to this Day) fince we are exprefly told, (and nothing is brought to in validate it) that the Field had in it Barley and Lentiki. The laft Objection to be taken notice of, up on this Paffage, is that which he makes, (P. 143 ) to the Phrafe nVfn nyityn mm y&v\> in the fourteenth Verfe of Chronicles. His firft Ob jections have been fufikiently confider'd already. His laft muft. be taken notice of here. "To " thefe feveral Reafons it may he added, that "ytPVl cannot be the Hiphil future from ye*', " becaufe that would he ywi> as in Pf. 1 16. 6." Here we have a Specimen of the miferable Ef fects that would, flow from allowing a Liberty of altering the facred Text at Pleafure. Every No vice in the Hebrew Language would then deal out his Objections to the Propriety of the Ex- preffion, and would dare to reduce the Word of God, to the fhameful Standard of his fmall Pror ficiency in the facred Tongue; by which means every Thing muft in a fhort Time be thrown into the utmoft Confufion. — It is one of the very firft Rules taught in the Rabbinical Gram mars, that the future Hiphil occurs either with, or without the t. And I think it might be fafe- ly pronounc'd, that were all the future Verbs in Hiphil laid together, for one that has the », we mould at leaft have two that had it not. — " And "laftly, he fays, if it had been thus exprefs'd, it "could not have been the original Word, as it " makes no Senfe with the Words following : for "the Verfion would be then — And the Lord F 2 "Jav'd 44 l Ihe Printed Hebrew Text "fav'd a great Deliverance." If the Reader wants Inftances to vindicate the Manner of Expreffion here oActed to by Mr. Kennicott, the following Paffages will fupply him with them in Gen. 1 1 . 3. there are two Inftances. Gen. 27.33. Gen. , 43. 16. Job 3. 25. And as many more might be produc'd, as the moft fceptical Reader could require. Tho' I fhould rather apprehend thel- diom was fo well known that the moft fuperfi- cial Examiner could be able of himfelf to turn $.0 a Variety of Inftances without any farther , 'Trouble. — But what muft be faid of the Critic whoNboldly undertakes to alter the Word of God, without attending to the firft Rules of the Lan guage in which it is deliver'd, or the Idioms that occur in almoft every Page ; and which, when found in other Languages, the very School- Boys are taught to call Hebraifms ? I fhould not have produc'd fuch Objections againft the prefent Reading, if they had not been fufficient to prove a very important; Point, which I could wifh might be attended to as it ought, — that Objec tions to the Scriptures are the Effects' of a preci pitate Determination. P. 144. iChron. 11. 15; 2 Sam. 23.13. ty*n D'tsnbtyn p ntrib&y itti Chro. iKHn vtr\ tDwb&ris D'^bty rim Sam. th Sk nvn\*7y Chro, Tin ba yap ba Sam.-- P. 148. "The Word iNnn in Samuel being' " in all the ancient Verfions, and feeming to im- " prove the Propriety of the Sentence, was pro- "bably, Of the 0. Teftament vindicated. 45 " bably read at firft alfo in Chronicles." As we have no Authority that can allow us to fuppofe this againft the Hebrew Text, it is more probable that it was not originally read in Chronicles : efpecially when we confider too that, the Prepo- fitions after the two Verbs are different : one be ing by, and the other ba. The Words in Chro nicles, I think, fhould have been thus render'd : And there went down three- Captains, who were Rulers of the Thirty, over, or down the Rock to David. v " The two next Words are very different in " Senfe, and yet very Jimilar in Sound and in the "Letters ; and therefore we may fairly prefume " that one of them has been corrupted from the " other." This would be the urifaireft Prefump- tion that ever was made. Since it is not a Dif ference, but, a CqntradiBion in Senfe that muft prove a Corruption. This is therefore a moft, dangerous Pofition, and would, if admitted, prove the Caufe of ten thoufand Alterations in the Bible ; and thofe of the utmoft Confequence too. This Objection therefore, fuppofing it im- poffible that different infpir'd Penmen fhould dwell upon different Circumftances, in a Nar ration of the fame Fact, is little to be regarded: And the Phrafe yup ba which he fays never fignifies in the Time of Harveft throughout the Bible, feems yet very clearly to exprefs it in this Place. For T5fp is the Time of Harveft in Exod. 34.21. and Ruth 1.22. and in very many o- ther Places: and I7K fignifies, at: For which Reafon the -Expreffion cannot be deem'd harfh or 46 The Printed Hebrew Text or doubtful ; efpecially as it carried this Signifi cation with it, in the Opinion of the Chaldee Pa- raphraft, and the Authors of the Arabic, Syriac, and Vulg, Latin Tranflations, who are all unani mous in rendring it, in the Time tf Harveft. nin &nttrbEi njnai Chro. run D'n^fi mm Sam. P. 150. "The only remaining Word to be " confider'd here is mm, which in Chronicles is " njnoi j and we may infer, that the Corruption ** is here alfo in Samuel. For it does not appear " that n'n ought for certain to be render'd a " Troop any where in the Bible." It's Significa tion in Pfalm 68. 1 1. is, in all Appearance^ pret ty evident : ,-jJ 1H2» "-jmn ; Thy Congregation fhall dwell therein. P. 151. iChron. n. 16; aSam. 23. 14. D'ncrVfl H^JvChro. D»rwVfl HtfOl Sam. "The Noun SVB in Samuel is chang'd in "Chronicles into H'VJ. The Word is Pra** "feBus &c. — But the Context fpeaks not of a ^Prefect, but an advanc'd Guard or Military- " Station; the regular Word for which is H5f0 " as in Samuel." Let the following Places, where H»5fJ occurs, determine the Integrity of the pre fent Reading. 2 Sam. 8. 6. Then David put Gar rifons E)':i*¥J in Syria of Damafcus. — • V. 14. And he put Garrifons X2>Xi J in Edem ; throughout all Edom put he Garrifons tD'HW. So again in 1 Chron. 18. 13. And he pit Garrifons Q'H'tfJ in Edom. Of the 0. Teftament vindicated. 47 Edom. Calafio ha*s accordingly among the Signi fications of this Word put down, Pr&fidiumy Pnefidiarii Milites. ,P. 153. iChron. 11. 18; 2 Sam. 23. 16. mn'V DHK TpJVl Chro. m.T*? OOK ID'l' Sam. P. 154. He Here objects to **]0n which he thinks ought in this, and in every other Place to be "pyx: tho' from the known Rules which thefe Verbs obferve, the 3 may either be dropp'd or retain'd*; for which Reafon each Reading is the true one. P. 155. 1 Chron. 11.19; 2 Sam. 23. 17. fcrfiE?£»3 nntrK ribKn D»wtm Din Chro. onwflJi -D'H^nn DUM«n mn Sam. P. 156. " But the prefent Reading in Samuel " is evidently broken, and wants all that fpirited " Emphaiis, which gives fo much Beauty to the " other." No Supply is at all reqoifite in this Parffage, which fhould have been thus translated: it is the Blood of the Men who went in Danger ef their Lives. P. 1 57. " The Participle D'-H^nn feems foift- "¦ed in by fome Tranfcriber, to make the Paf- "fage Senfe. as it now ftands." It would be of fome Service to the publkk to fcnow how Mr. Kmnimt diftinguifb.es between Words that real ly belong to a Sentence, and thofe which are fbifted in : this Word having had, as it feems to me, no Matfk of Rejection let upon it before this Time. But our Author has thought again fince 48 " The Printed Hebrew Text fince he penn'd thefe Notes, and now he is in clin'd to think it genuine ; for in the Conclufion, (P. 539) he has thefe remarkable Words. "I " am now inclin'd to think the Participle DO^nn " ambulantes to be genuine." In fhort, he is on ly inclin'd ndw; fo that we know not yet his fix'd Opinion. Whether this be a proper Way of treating the Word of God, may perhaps be a Point eafily determin'd. — Had Mr. Kennicott duly weigh'd the whole of his Book, the Arti cles under this Head alone would have length- en'd his Conclufion far beyond his Differtation in both it's Parts. P. 157. "It does not appear, that D*nVtf is " ever us'd in this folemn Form of Appeal to the " Deity, the Word being constantly nim." A- bout an hundred and fifty Alterations in the He brew Scriptures will be fufficient to eftablifh this Obfervation. .The Reader that doubts of the Propriety of DTl^K in the prefent Inftance, may be;fatisfied by corifulting the following Paffages,' felected out of many. Gen. 31. 53.' — 43.29! ^--48. 20. — Numb. 16. 22. P. 158 He accounts for this Change of miT into D'nbK. "A Jew them who was dictating *-* to a Tranfcriber, reading Elohim in this Place "inftead of Jehovah, [out of his fuperftitioUS *' Veneration for this Name] and not giving No- "tice of fuch Variation, the former Word was "fet down inftead of the latter.". Upon this Plan we ought never to have feen the Word rmm from one End of "the Bible to the other*: particularly where it occurs without D?nV»; which, Of the 0. Teftament vindicated. 49 which, in all fuch Cafes, might have been fub- ftituted in it's Place, without any Repetition. Mr. Kennicott in his additional Notes on 1 Chron. 11. 20. — 2 Sam. 23; 18. which we find in the Conclufion of his Book, refers to If. 9.. 3. as a farther Inftance of a fimilar Corrup tion. a 17 indeed is the marginal Reading in this Prophecy: but the learned and ingenious Mr. Bate, in his Remarks on Mr. Warburton's Re marks &C. (P. 74) appears to me to have fully vindicated the prefent Reading of the Text. P. 168. In the Remarks on 1 Chron. ii. 22. — 2 Sam. 23.20. It_ is obferv'd that "The " Word 7K"1K in Samuel fhould be 7KHK as in " Chronicles." This does not immediately ap pear. Since, in Compofition, Letters are fre quently dropp'd, and only fo many, retain'd, as mew the Words, of which the Signification is compounded. For which Reafon either 7KnK or 7tf'*iK, (or, by different People, Both) might be us'd. P. 171. iChron. 11. 23;. 2 Sam. 23.21. D'j^k mJDH mjn n-^an thi Chro. mjn nyon thi Sam. P. 172. " The two Words D'JIK T0OH are •" evidently wanting in Samuel, as the Senfe is " otherwise defective." The Sentence, And in the Hand of ihe Egyptian was a Spear, which is the Roidring of the Words in Samuel, is by no a Let it be remernber'd that the Alteration Mr. Kennuott pro- Vofes here in Chronicles, is made in the, Margins of our common Bibles-, and is adopted by our Tranflators t *'<"¦ G means 50 The' Printed Hebrew Text •' means defective, but fufficiently clear aijd fulh It does not indeed exprefs the Size of the Spear, which we find mention'd in Chronicles : but is it an uncommon Thing for one facred Penman to record a Circumftance which another had, for proper Reafons, been order'd to pafs by ? Mr. Kennicott has an Obfervatibn iri P. .176. which I cannot by any means approve of: " There is no great Impropriety, he fays, in the "prefent Reading both in Samuel (V- 23) and " Chronicles (V. 25) my&tyD by." Now as this Paffage muft, be acknowledg'd pure and un- corrupt, the Character here given of it, is highly unbecoming, to fay no worfe. Every Word of God muft be receiv'd with the higheft Venera tion by us his Creatures, for whofe Salvation and Happinefs it was given. This then cannot be the Reverence due to the Dictates of the Most High; nor this the Way to recom mend the Study of the facred Scriptures. P. 184. We find Mr. Kennicott's Arguments for a Corruption in 2 Sam. 23. 26. where we have the Words 'JoVfin y7n, which, from the Account in Chronicles he fuppofes i fhould be *J17An V^fi- £*e imagines that the JT was cor rupted into the ta, and brings, as Evidence for it, Places where'he concludes fomething like this has happen'd. One of them is the firft Paffage that we examin'd, and has already been fet afide. The next is " 1 Sam. 17. 37. where DTtf is by " the LXX render'd Kvpios p%, and was there- " fore read by them ?j-ttf ; which, perhaps, was " the true Reading." We have no Evidence at all . Of the 0. Teftament vindicated. 51 all that the Copy of the LXX differ'd from our prefent Reading* Every Man a few Verfes a- bove was represented as difcourag'd and difheart- en'd at the Champion of the Philftines. David therefore defires every Man to lay afide his Fear, and to rely on Jehovah, the mighty Deliverer of Ifreal. This was applicable to the whole Army, both Leader and Soldiers ; the LXX therefore, as he was fpeaking to the Leader, applied it to him. " And there is a remarkable Inftance of this " Change, in two Words fucceding each other, " or rather, in the fame proper Name repeated " (or intended to be repeated) in Ruth 4. 20, 21. " — And Amminadab begat Nahjhon, and Nah- fxJhon begat nD75T Salmah,- and p!D7^ Salmon "¦' begat Boar &c." This Inftance Mr. Kennicott himfelf has fet afide in the farther Reflections on this Subject in his Conclufion. So that by put ting both of them together, we find, he thinks it may be nD75y, or it may be \)Qb& : that is, the Point muft be determin'd by another, which may be eafily done by fuppofing the two Names to belong to one Perfon. In P. 190. It is fuppos'd that Heleb in the 29th Verfe of Samuel is corrupted from Heled in the thirtieth Verfe of Chronicles. And in Proof of this, P. 191, it is faid; "a Miftake, (viz. " of a 2, for a 1 ) which has alfo been made in " Jofhua 1 5. 47. where we have 7*Q y terminus " inftead of 7T1J magnus." This has been feen and corrected ; and can be no Proof for the fame Alteration in another Place which has no Con- G •*} nexion 5 2 The Printed Hebrew Text nexion with this. For if it is we may change e- very a in the Bible, into al. — " And in Exek. " 40. 2. 2JJD * Meridie, was read by the LXX " 1JJD ex adverfo." Perhaps not : it feems to be rather what they confider'd .as the Senfe of the Place : viz. that the City was exhibited directly before him. , P. 192. 'jnyis-imjn Sam. P. 193. " It has been already obferv'd indeed " (P. 168) that this Name fhould be Benaiah and " not Benaihu ; that being the proper Name of " the illuftrious Hero, who was the fecond Ge- " neral of the fecond Ternary." And why may it not be the Name of this Warrior too ? Is it an uncommon Thing in any Age or Country for two Perfons to have the fame Name ? And is not Benaihu of Kabzeel, fufficiently diftin guifh'd from Benaihu a Pirathonite.— This Name, he fays, is defective for Want of the n. But, if the local Name without the n will not bear the rendring of, the Pirathonite, which does not ap pear; the Paffage muft then be render 'd, Be naihu a Pirathonite. See Judg.-6. 11. where Joajh the Abi-ezrite has not the Emphatic n prefix'd to his local Name. P. 194. 1 Chron. 11. 32; 2 Sam. 23.31. 'nnnyn 7K'hk Chro. ?nnnyn pnbynK Sam. " The true Reading here feems to be that irt " Samuel, Abialbon" And why not that in Chronicles? Since the Names are manifeftly different; nor will all the Phrafes, feems to have, been. Of the 0. Teftament vindicated. 5 3 been, might be, and the like, ever prove that they were the fame. P. 195. " And p Filius might be omitted by " fome injudicious Tranfcriber, as unneceffary be- " fore a local Name ; fince the Article n, prefix'd " to fuch a Name is found to be equivalent to " and to fupply the Place of the Word p in other " Places." p could not have been confider'd as unneceffary, and fo dropp'd by a Tranfcriber; but the Paffage muft have been thus render'd : Abial the Son of the Arbathite. — Nor can p be render'd in the fame Manner as n. Since, for Inftance, *nH"*i¥ p is the Son of an Arbathite : and *na"iyn is the Arbathite. This is the Dif ference between the two Expreffions. " That this really was the Cafe feems greatly " confirm'd by the Syriac and Arabic Verfions, " which have both render'd the Word in Chro- " nicies by Abiel Filius. This they certainly " would not have done, if the Word had been " only 7K»HK Abiel, as it is at prefent." Why not ? Has not the Arabic done it in this very Verfe of Samuel, by prefixing /*•/-•> to the local Name of the next Worthy ? Such Reafoning ill fuits him, whofe Plan abfolutely requires a tho rough Knowlege of what thefe Tranflators, as well as the original Scriptures fay, in more Pla ces, than barely in that which the Critic is upon. P. 198. iChron. 11.34; 2Sam. 23.32, 33. 'Tinn kjk> p jnjv uitjn wn >jh Chro. n-inn nae? jnJim w *w Sam- All 54 The Printed Hebrew Text All the Notes upon thefe Paffages are in my Opinion to be fet afide; fince the Accounts, if rightly tranflated, will require none of thofe Al terations which Mr. Kennicott would make. Chro. Of the Sons ofHajhem the Gazonite, Jona- Sam. Of the Sons ofjajhen Jonathan: [than : Chro. the Son of Shegay the Hararite. Sam. Shemeh the Hararite. This is a faithful Tranflation, and feems to clear the Paffage entirely from thofe Difficulties, to which Mr. Kennicott objects. The 0 is very frequently omitted in genealogical Accounts, as Mr. Kennicott himfelf fuppofes, P. 201. — *• The Names of Jonathan's Father were, according to common Cuftom two, Jafhen and Hajhem. — His local Name is added by the later infpir'd Wri ter ; which does not appear to be gainfaid by the firft who fays nothing concerning it. And as for the n which we find in Jonathans Name in Sa muel, it comes under the dialectical Difference. — In the next Accounts, the Worthy is men tion'd in one Place as the Son of Shegd; in the other he is call'd by his own Name, Shemeh. — And do not thefe different Circumftances record ed of the fame Perfon, give us a farther Know lege of him, than we fhould have had, if the two Accounts had been deliver'd in the fame Manner, and had dwelt upon the fame Circum ftances ? 1 Chron. 11. 37; 2 Sam. 23.35. 'HTK p nyj Chro. >nnKn nys Sam. Mr. Of the 0. Teftament. vindicated. 5 5 Mr. Kennicott fuppofes, P. 210. that the local Name of this Hero is not given becaufe in Jof- hua C. 2 1 . 1 1 . we find a Place call'd yaiK- But for what reafon are we to fuppofe that, the Place meant here ? — We muft therefore lay it down that in one of thefe Texts the Place of this Wor thy's Abode is defcrib'd ; and that in the other we find the Name of his Father : that is, in Chronicles he is call'd the Son of Azbai j in Sa-; muel, the Arbite. P. 212. 1 Chron. n. 38; 2 Sam. 23.36. njn p -inao jnj »n« 7KV Chro. hjh >ja na¥D \ni p bxy Sam. " The fafeft Rule, when two Copies difagree " in a Cafe of fo obfcUre a Nature (as the bare " Mention of a Warrior's Name in the Days of " David muft be to us at this Diftance of Time) " feems to be — to determine in Favour of that " Copy, which has the Agreement of a greater " Number of the ancient Verfions." The only fafe Rule according to Dr. Pocock, is to keep to our Readings as we have it, and to lay any Fault or Incongruity which we meet with, on the Expo- fitions not on the Words read in the Text. Poc. on Hof. P- 565. Every other Way is attended with the utmoft Peril ; unlefs we are directed by fome fafer Clue, than our own delufive Imagination and Conjecture. "The next Point is, P. 213. whether Joel " was the Brother of Nathan, or his Son." Is it not faid he was both ? and why fhould not he be fo ? Could he not be Son and Brother at the fame 56 The Printed Hebrew Text fame Time ? — " and it is probable, that the (C former was true." It is more than probable that they both are fo : becaufe the original Scrip ture exprefly affirms both; as do the Syriacj Arabic, and Greek Verfions : all are unanimous in proving this difficulr Point, which muft give fuch a handle to the Objections of the Infidel — : that a Man had a Father and a Brother of the fame Name. P. 215. "What Propriety is there in faying — " Mibharthe Son of the Gaditef" What Pro priety indeed, any more than in the other Paf fages which Mr, Kennicott has altered ? For the Text fays, Mibhar the Son of Hegari. But he having arbitrarily chang'd the -\ into 'a n in the preceding Page, and conftrued the Paffage as he pleas'd, boldly afks^ " what Propriety is there in " faying-— Mibhar the Son of the Gadite ?" Thus to corrupt, and then to afk what Propriety thefe" is in the corrupted Paffage, is a Conduct that I cannot account for in Mr. Kennicott. But tho* there is no Propriety in the Corrupted, yet there is very great in the true Reading of this whole Paffage; which, when faithfully tranflated, Hands thus : Chro. Joel the Brother of Nathan : Mibhar the. Sam. Igalthe Son of Nathan: Mitzbehoftk Chro. Son of Hegari. Sam. Sons of Hegadi. P. 2 1 8. " There is alfo another Text of equal « Confequence, where the ftrong Reafoning of « the Apoftles St. Peter and St. Paul is invalida ted Of the 0. Teftament vindicated. 57 " ted by the improper Infertion of this fame " Letter, [?] in Pfal. 16. 10. Thoujhalt not leave "my Soul in Hell, neither Jhalt thou.fuffer (Thy "Holy One, according to all the Verfions; but " if we adhere litterally to the printed Hebrew " Copies, which have this Yod inferted, it will " be) Thy Saints to fee Corruption." The * oc curs in fo many Places of Scripture, where, it - does not make the Word, it is added to, Plural ; that we cannot by any means think it is in all thefe Places a Corruption: but we muft con clude that it's Ufe, in fuch Cafes, is one of thofe Things which has not yet reaeh'd our Times. Which I believe all will be convinc'd, of, that have collected any Inftances of this Kind. — With Regard to this Paffage in the 1 6th Pf. the •» is not the Characteriftic of the Plural Number, by the Confent of Interpreters Chriftian and Jew- ifh. It is not rejected by the former, and re- tain'd by the latter : No ; all have confider'd the Word as Singular ; as the Context determines it to be. For Chrift, by the Mouth of his Pro phet, is fpeaking of himfelf m the whole Pfalm : Thus in the Verfe immediately preceding, and in that immediately following. Therefore my Heart is glad, and my Glory rejoiceth: my Flejh alfo Jhall refi in Hope. For thou wilt not leave my Soul in Hell; neither wilt thou Juff'er thine Holy one to fee Corruption. Thou wilt Jhew me the Path of Life. Where is the Connexion now if TTDn is tranflated plurally ? There is there fore nothing done here by Mr. Kennicott, but what every Man, on an Examination of the Place, H would 58 The Printed Hebrew^Text would have found ready done to his Hands. And I cannot approve of his reprefenting this Word as if it was Plural, and acknowleg'd to be fo; when it is particularly pointed out as Singu lar. That the Critics have righly and grammati cally given a lingular Signification to the Word TTDn, may be prov'd from the following Paf- fages. Gen. 27. 29. miH THnnttl TDK TYlf* So again Numb. 24. 9. Deut. 23. V. Heb. 15. Eng. 14. Bnnp TJnD PVm ; therefore Jhall thy' Camp be holy. Befides many others that might be produc'd, were not thefe fufficient. P. 230. " 1 Chron. 11.46. 7K>7K.— -And it " may be therefore right to prefer the Alexand. "Reading here 7K»7K> Jeliel, as it will diftin^- " guifh thefe two Warriors from one another." It cannot be right to reject the true Hebrew Reading for another, upon any Account what*- foever : and here is not the Shadow of an Ar gument produc'd in Favour of a Corruption. We will therefore retain the true, prefent Read ing, and call this valiant Soldier Eliel the Ma- havite ; which local Name we will farther fup* pofe diftinguifhes him from him mention'd in the next Verfe ; who if he be not faid to have been a Metzobaite, is yet not affirm'd to have been a Mahovite. The Word mHtffcn, the Metzobaite, in the next Verfe, may with the greateft Propriety be applied to each- of the valiant Men mention'd in that Verfe. P. 234. Of the 0. Teftament vindicated. 59 P. 234. " I have now laid before the learned " Reader my Obfervations on thefe Chapters ; " which have been thus particularly examin'd, " not merely to eftablifh the Certainty of Corrup- " tions in the printed Hebrew Textj but in Hopes " of pointing out the original Reading in fome of " the many Places here corrupted." I hope it has been fufficiently prov'd that the many fup pos'd Corruptions in thefe Chapters are only deem'd fo, for want of a more accurate Exami nation of the original Scriptures. " As thefe Chapters contain the very fame " Hiftory, I have carefully compar'd them in ^ Order to difcover their feveral Variations ; and " have endeavour'd like wife to fix the different " Nature of thefe Variations — which pf them " may fairly be fuppos'd to have been originally " intended by the latter Author." All of them Jhall wax old like a Garment. But thou, O God, art the fame throughout all Generations ! — what then is the Meaning of a later Author; when all Scripture is given by Infpiration of God ? The Works of his Hands indeed are perpetually changing by a Variety of Succeffions; but the high and lofty one that inhabiteth Eternity is in variably fix'd, diftributing to each Exiftence ; while himfelf is loft to mortal Sight, in the in- fcrutable Receffes of an unchangeable, everlaft- ing Duration. P. 246. "I fhall only add; that though the " preceding Chapters contain a Part of Hiftory, " which may be thought of little Gonfequence." By whom can it be fo thought ? not by Chrif- H 2 tians, 60 The Printed Hebrew Text tians, I truft in God, for this is the laft, moft Certain Symptom of a falling Church. When an ignorant Clergy once teaches, and a deluded . Laity once believes that the Words of God are fometimes ufeful, and at other Times Of little Confequence ; then is the Day of the 1 ; in which -" the fourth of the fix Letters is lefs than the "reft." This is a very inconfiderable Article indeed : and what He fhould not have regarded, who has in fo many Places corrupted the origi nal Text, and made it far more unfeemly to the Eye of the Mind, than the moft extravagant 3, in either extreme, can ever be to the Eye of the Body. P. 358. &c. Gen. 25. 8. Then Abraham died in a good old Age, an old Man and full of Years ; and was gather d to his People. " The Englifh " Tranflators have faithfully diftinguifh'd by Ita- " lie Characters all fuch Words, as they have in- " ferted to compleat the Senfe, but were not in " their Copies of the Hebrew Text." They have not indeed always done this. By which means many Places full of the moft glorious Truths dwindle almoft into Nothing. This can be un known to none that has carefully examin'd the facred Pages. " The Senfe now being abfolute- " ly imperfect, there feems a Neceffity for al- " lowing, that the Word &ffl Days is here o- " mitted ; fince that Word is, now found regu- " larly in the Samar. Pentateuch, and in theGreek, " Syr. Arab, and Vulg. Verfions." Thefe give us a Paraphrafe again, not a Tranflation. yat? fignifies, full, compleat, fatisfied, &c. Abraham died fully fatisfied with the loving Kindnefs of the Lord, to himfelf and his Pofterity ; and ha- I ving 66 The Printed Hebrew Text ving compleated the great Work he was defign'd for, was remov'd to the heavenly Canaan to en joy the Reward of his Labours finifh'd — Thus was Abraham, yiW, fall, fatisfied, compleat.' * P. 359; Gen. 26. 18. Andlfaac digged again the Wells of Water which they had digged in the Days of Abraham his Father. " The Relative " tyiU & filius Dan &c" But in this, as in moft other Places, I imagine, there only feems to be a Miftake, for want of fufficient Caution. For the facred Penman is telling us who Came into Egypt ; and among the reft he mentions, Of the Sons of Dan, Hujhim. The Prepofition £ is often omitted in fuch Circumftances, as has been fhewn above. Of the Sons then which had been born to the Patriarch Dan, only Hujhim liv'd to come into Egypt : and if this Patriarch is faid elfewhere to have had any more Children, only Hujhim. was then born. The Inftance referr'd to in 2 Kings 23. 10. is not parallel; becaufe tho' BJn ?ja is in the Text, yet the marginal Read ing is DJn p. Exod. 3.18. u*by mipj onnyn vtbK mm P. 380. "Inftead of J— npj occurrit the Samari " Text more properly reads Jp^g^ vocatus eft" Jehovah hath met us ; or appear d unto us, is the rendring of the Words as they now ftand : and this is brought as a Reafon for the Departure of the Ifraelites into the Wildernefs. The Charge therefore that God gave them at his Appearance was to leave Egypt immediately, and to retire into the Deferts to expect the farther Manifefta- tion of Jehovah's Will. This Senfe is clear and obvious, and naturally arifes from the prefent Text. — But with regard to the Alteration pro pos'd 72 The Printed Hebrew Text pos'd by Mr. Kennicott, there is, befides what has been already faid, another invincible Argu ment againft it : and that is the Prepofition Sy which follows the Verb pnpj. K")p> the Verb he would fubftitute in the Place of nip, occurs in a great Number of Paffages in the Senfe of calling which he would here give it ; but it ne ver once, as far as I can find after the ftricteft Search, has the Prepofition by after it, but always ba or b, when it muft bear the Senfe which is here contended for. This therefore, I conceive, is abundantly fufficient to obviate what is object ed to in this Paffage. P. 380. Exod. 7. 18, 19. "Among the many "Inftances, in which the Samar. Text differs at " prefent from the Hebrew,, one of the moft re- " markahle' is — that, as to the Commiffions " given by God to Mofes, and executed by Mofes " before Pharoah, the Samar. Text expreffes e* " very Speech twice ; but the prefent Heb. Text "once only — generally as given in Charge by " God, without mentioning the punctual Execu- " tion of the Commiffion by Mofes ; and twice " we have the Speech of Mojes to Pharoah, (and " that denouncing two of the fevereft Judg- ". ments) without having read of any fuch Com- "miffion previoufly given him. Now, as no " Man, acquainted with ancient Learning, can "doubt, but that the Samar. Copy, which gives " thefe Speeches twice, derives the ftronger Pre- " fumption in it's Favour from ancient Cuf- " torn ;" &c. Not unlefs- there is fufficient Au thority to fuppofe them to have once been in the facred Of the 0. Teftament vindicated. 73 facred Text, which, it, is plain, there is not: It cannot follow from the Repetition of Speeches. found in Homer ,'. that there was the fame in the facred Scriptures. . If we fuppofe this, what Confufion will be introduc'd into the infpir'd Pages ? And to what a Size .will our Bibles foon fwell ? But if Meffages Were always repeated in every Part of the Bible, when was the Liberty of curtailing them audacioufly affum'd ? What Period fhall we .affign. for the Execution of fo bold a Defign, carried on by univerfal Agree ment ? Till we have .a fatisfactory Anfwer given to thefe Queftions, we fhall not^fcruple to pro nounce that the Samaritan Copy here, as elfe- where, plays the Commentator, and foifts in -what the Authenticated Copies of the Hebrew Bible do not acknowlege. "So, if Repetitions were ever neceffary or " proper, to fhew the Fidelity with which fuch " Commiffions were executed, one fhould expect "them on the prefent Occafion." We, and all that believe the divine. Legation of Mofes, know him verily to have been faithful in all his Un dertakings. Whatever therefore God command ed him to declare to Pharaoh he .faithfully fhew'd him, and kept back no Part thereof. This we find was always done, and the Prophet's Denunciation to the rebellious • Monarch was constantly attended with the Judgment threat- ned, the due Reward of his perverfe Contumacy. Which proves to us that he deferv'd the Judg ment ; that- is, had heard and difobey'd. • .TheOhfervations made on the nth Chapter K of 74 The Printed Hebrew Text of Exodus require not any nice Examination. As it ftands in all our Bibles, it confifts of ten Verfes : Mr. Kennicott has added eight more, and has taken fuch uncommon Liberties with the Word of God in this, as in other Places, that every ferious Chriftian, I apprehend, muft tremble at the little Regard fhewn to that Re velation, in which is contain'd the whole of hu man Happinefs. — I fhall endeavour briefly to anfwer the Objections he has rais'd to this Paf fage, and proceed. — Mofes faid in the Conclu fion, of the ioth Chapter, I will fee thy Face a- gain no more. And in the 8th Ver. of the nth Chapter it is faid, and he went out from Pharaoh in a great Anger. What can poffibly be "inferr'd from this, but that Mofes did not leave Pharaoh as foon as he had faid, J will fee thy Face again no more ; but ftaid and deliver'd the Revelation which the 4th Ver. fays the Lord made to him, and which is recorded in that, and fome of the following Verfes. After which he did, as he had juft before declar'd, fee Pharaoh's Face again no more. The Revelation therefore made to Mofes in the 1 ft and 2d Verfes muft be confider'd as given during the Interview. And the 3d Verfe ought to be look'd upon as in a Parenther- fis. Then in the 4th Verfe Mofes begins his Meffage from the Lord, who had put into his Mouth the Words he was to deliver. — It is difficult to determine what it was that induc'd Mr. Kennicott to pronounce that the Paffage would be defective, unlefs Jehovah was intro- duc'd as delivering at large to Mofes. the very Words Of the 0. Teftament vindicated. 75 Words which he was to deliver to Pharaoh; when the Paffage is fo worded as entirely to pre clude all Objections of this Kind. — And Mofes faid, thus faith the Lord, about Midnight 6cc. The Point, I think, is here as effectually deter min'd, as it could have been by Mr. Kennicott's, or any other Method whatfoever. P. 396. Exod. 12. 40. Now the .Sojourning of the Children of Ifrael, who dwelt in Egypt, was 430 Tears. " This Place has been confider'd by " fome as inexplicable, upon the Notion of the " Integrity of the prefent Heb. Text ; and in- " deed, as to the Advocates for that Notion ( if "they merit the Name ofCritcs) it feems to be a "Crux Criticorum. For that the Children, or " Defcendants, oiIfrael&\o\ notfojourn, or dwell, "430 Years in Egypt may be eafily, and has "been frequently, demonftrated." Here Mr. Kennicott's Warmth carries him far beyond the Bounds of Chriftian Charity and Moderation. Can thofe great Names, which have labour'd with the moft laudable Zeal and Earneftnefs for the Truth of Chrift, deferve fuch infulting and contemptuous Treatment ? Are they at once to be degraded from that high Situation, to which their pious Labours have rais'd their Memories ? And that too, merely for efpoufing an Opinion which did not happen to pleafe Mr. Kennicott ? Let thefe, and all other deferving Men have their due Praife, as long as their Defigns are well- ,¦ meant, even tho' we fee Reafon to differ entirely from them. But fome of thefe Writers, whom our Author affects to treat in this haughty Man- K 2 ner, 7 6 The Printed Hebrew Text ner, were Men of the foundeft Learning, ac- quir'd by the intenfe Induftry of many Years, and then laid out in promoting the Glory of God. Let us honour them therefore for what they. have done ; thankfully accepting at their Hands what feems to be right, and kindly overlooking thofe Parts in which they are miftaken. — As for the Paffage itfelf, it does not feerri to me to carry the Difficulty which Mr. Kennicott argues for. — The Words do not exprefs that the Chil dren of Ifrael fojourn'd in Egypt 430 Years: But that the Children of Ifrael, who at the Time of their Departure were Inhabitants of Egypt', had been Sojourners for the Space of 430 Years'.' For which Reafon the Words, who dwelt in Egypt, ought to be confider'd as in a Parenthefis. Now the fojourning of the Children pf Ifrael (who 'dwelt in Egypt) was 430 Years. This is very different from the Senfe which Mr„ Ken nicott feems to intimate the Words muft necef- farily bear ; and, I apprehend, clears the Paffage from every poffible Objection. P. 400. Exod. 15. 2. " The prefent Hebrew "Text ism man Uy. But n^n, being irre- " gular, fhould probably be "man & laus mea; " agreeably to the Chald. Arab, and Vulg. Ver- " fions." This Word occurs elfewhere in this very Manner, and in the very fame Situation. Pf. 118. 14. m man W. and again Ifai. 12. 2. m man '?y. Inftances fufficient to free this Paffage from the Accufation here brought againft it, without looking for more. P. 40Ir Of the 0. Teftament vindicated. 77 P. 401. Exod. 18. 5, 6, 7. Here we read — And Jethro, Mofes Father in Law, came with his Sons and his Wife, unto Mofes in the Wilderjiefs. And he faid unto Mofes, I thy Father in Law Je thro am come unto thee, and thy Wife, and her two Sons with her. And Mofes went out to meet his Father in Law &c. " Strange, that Mofes fhould "go out to meet Jethro, as in Ver. 7 ; after that " Jethro had been with him, and talk'd to him, " as irt Ver. 6." Strange indeed! as the Matter is here ftated. But in what Part of the 6th Verfe do we find that Jethro had been with Mofes ? It is mention'd indeed that he faid fomething to Mofes: but does it thence follow that he faid it in Perfon^ and Face to Face ? or do not the Words in the 7th Verfe neceffarily imply that Jethro fpake what is recorded in the 6th Verfe, by a Meffenger which he difpatch'd to Mofes, before he himfelf approach'd his Tent? And the Confequence was, that the, obedient Son re- ceiv'd the Meffage with Joy, and haften'd to give publick Teftimony of his filial Tendernefs and Affection. — The Account of the Centurion, who in Mat. 8. 5, &c. is represented as doing in Perfon, what in Luk. 7. 1, &c. it is clear he did by Meffengers, may be fufficient to vindicate the Interpretation here given of the Paffage now be fore us. P. 403. "As this Type is far fetch'd and " greatly labour'd (almoft to a Degree of modern " Typification)" Sec. Mr. Kennicott, 1 find, has mark'd out thefe Words, Modern Typification, as peculiarly worthy of Notice. In which I have the 78 The Printed Hebrew Text the Pleafure of thinking with him. For, why is it a Thing ridiculous to fearch out for the-Spi- ritual Meaning of that Book, the Letter where of the Unerring and Omnifcient Spirit of God hath pronounc'd to be Death ? a Why, fince the firft Difciples of Chrift, who fpake by imme diate Infpiration, faid none other Things than what the Prophets and Mofes did fay Jhould come, b are Chriftians to be made the Derifion of Chriftians,' for enquiring as well into the Works of Chrift as defcrib'd by the Prophetic, as by the Hiftori- cal Penmen of the facred Scriptures? Why, fince the Teftimony of Jefits is the Spirit of Pro phecy, c are thofe to be the Ridicule of the Dif ciples of Jefus, who give that Teftimony, as far as they are able, in it's full Force ? who make the Scriptures, to the intellectual Eye of the pious Chriftian, far more pleafant than the Splen dor of the pureft Gold is to his corporeal Eye: who render them infinitely more precious and defirable, than all the Things that can be feen or conceiv'd ? — But why, principally, is this Method of Inftruction, by an Explanation of the antient Types and Figures, to be reproach'd with the ill-tim'd Epithet of Modern ? Is it a Thing but lately ftarted in the Church of Chrift, after fo many thoufand Believers had feal'd the Truth and Importance of the Gofpel by their Blood ? Was it a Thing unknown to thofe zealous and refolute Martyrs, who muft furely be deem'd a- ble Judges of the Chriftian Doctrines ? Modern 3 2 Cor. 3.6. — For the Letter Hlleth, but the Spirit giveth life. b A£te 7.6. zz. c Rev. 19. 10. Typifica- Of the 0. Teftament vindicated. 79 Typification, alas ! may go down with the fu- perficial Declaimers of the prefent Times, who harangue as Fancy or Intereft points the Way j but when brought to an Impartial Bar muft ex- pofe to univerfal Contempt the Bearer of fo falfe and corrupt a Teftimony. It would be endlefs to run thro' the Writers from the earlieft Times, fince the Appearance of Chrift, down to the Prefent, and to point out thofe" who have bene fited Mankind by their Labours of this Sort. But let Mr. Kennicott look into the Writings of Bar nabas, an Apoftolical Father, of Augufiine, OrU gen, Jerom, or an hundred others; who, like thefe, were Men of deep Learning, and exem plary Piety, which diffus'd itfelf abroad to all with whom they were concern'd : or if this be too much, let him look into the Works of later Writers, whofe Labours do honour to our own Country; fuch as Brownrig, Jack/on, Taylor, Mather, Andrews, Ainfworth, with very many others, a who, I apprehend, are not aim'd at by the Random Stroak here given : Let him look into thefe, and then afk himfelf, in what Inftance fome pious and learned Chriftians at prefent ex ceed, in the fpiritual Application of the facred Scriptures, thofe who, under God, were the Planters and Propagaters of the Gofpel in the different Regions of the Earth. a I would moreover, if the Author did not come under the Title of Modern, recommend to Mr. Kennicott's ferious and atr tentive Perufal an Explanation of the Nature of a Type, ' being the Subftance of two Sermons, preach'd -by the prefent very Learned and Ingenious Bilhop of Exeter. P. 409. So The Printed Hebrew Text * P. 409. Levit. 5. 1. "The Word N17 non \i "very remarkable. It occurs 35 Times in this " Form 5 but is in other Places more regularly ex- "prefs'd **•*>. 'Tis fomewhat ftrahge, that fo " common a Particle fhould fo frequently be ex- "prefs'd improperly; .becaufe, if a Tranfcriber " knew any one Word in the Language, he muft "be fuppos'd to know this." Mr. Kennicott fup pofes, if a Tranfcriber underftood any one Word in the Language, that he muft be allow'd to know this: for which Reafon, the Infertion or Omiffion of the *i can be no Miftake. Why fhould ab then be call'd more regular than KV? ? Since from the Number of Paffages in which both occur, it is clear that both muft have been us'd ; as in Englifh we fay yes, and yea &c. — But here again our Author is turn'd round ; for in his Conclufion, P. 550. he fuppofes the Cafe to be here "miftated, and imagines that the "Word was originally always written KlV." I fhould be glad to know what Strefs Mr. Ken* nicott would pleafe to have laid on fuch Argu ments as thefe : and whether he fuppofes Men are fo far loft, as to be trifled with in this Man ner, and induc'd to make the Word of God of none Effect for fuch Reafons as thefe ? P. 411. Numb. 3. 39. "There are in the "printed Heb. Bible 15 Words, which have a "Dot over every Letter; the Reafon of which. " feems clearly to be — that the Word, fo dot- " ted, was fufpected of being interpolated, no4: "being found in fome other Copies. In this ." Verfe we have the following Word thus dot- " ted Of the 0. Teftament vindicated. 8 1 « ted — jShKi &. Aaron." Of Old then they were more cautious thatr we are in our Days. If one word was fufpected, which was feldom the Cafe, the whole Church went no farther, than barely to intimate their Sufpicions. Mr. Kennicott, in the three next Pages, ob jects to feveral Paffages for what he calls an im proper Ufe of Pronouns, and a Confufion of Sin gulars and Plurals. With regard to the laft Ar ticle it muft be obferv'd, ( what has been before taken notice of,) that almoft every Chapter in the Hebrew Bible obliges us to acknowlege, that the original Language in this refpect differs from moft later Tongues. We are not to Form an Hebrew Grammar from-Obfervation*- made up on Cicero's Writings, but from thofe Books which preferve the whole of that Language. In Ccefar's Commentaries were we to fee " & afcenderunt—~& " exploraverunt — & venit," all belonging to the fame Nominative Cafe, we fhould pronounce the Tranfcriber or Printer in fault, for this Rea fon; becaufe Ccefar's known Skill in his own Language would not permit him to exprefs him felf, in a Manner fo very different from the La tin Idiom, But if we fee "ty tfan HJJH 1*7yn n*"inn in the Bible, we do not pronounce the Expreffion unfuitable, for this Reafon ; becaufe upon fearching with the greateft Care into all the Remains in the Hebrew Language, we find this Form of Speech occur in every Part. * It is A Something of this kind Mr. Kennicott has allow'dj P. 101, 102. where he has thefeNVv"ords : " The Word ^>r*f is read the "fame in both Paflagcs, and properly. For tho' it carries with "it a Difficulty at firft Sight, as being Singular; yet there are L " many 82 The Printed Hebrew Text the well known Mode of Expreffion from Ge- nefis to Malachi. Inftances of this Kind have already been produc'd in P. 26. and to thofe I fhall refer the Reader, without being at the Trouble to tranfcribe any Thing farther, to prove what every attentive Reader of the original Scrip tures muft be unalterably convinc'd of. I would willingly afk Mr. Kennicott, when the infpir'd Penman is defcribing the Motions of the Spies, what Confufion or Perplexity arifes from the Manner in which he here expreffes himfelf? He fays; iby'l and they afcended, and then adds KHn and, what? he came} who could be in duc'd to tranflate in this Manner, any more than to render our Tranflation of this Paffage, and they afcended -r- and came, thus into Latin, & afi cenderunt — Gf venit ? Would not that Man expofe himfelf to univerfal Contempt, that fhould fay he could not in our Englifh Tranf lation underftand what was the nominative Cafe to the Verb came , becaufe there was no Pronoun before it ? And does the Omiffion of the fuffix'd Pronoun \ in Hebrew, caufe any more Diffi culty in that Language ? I may fafely leave this Queftion to be anfwer'd by the fondeft Advocate for Corruptions in the Hebrew Text ; who muft ' many Inftances, where a Numeral, or a Conjunftion of Nu- 'merals, expreffive of very many, take after them and agree with ' a Noun that is lingular. One Example of this we find in Gen. '5-4. — And the Days of Adam, after he begat Seth, were 800, 'Tear (not Tears) mw riND TXiWt. — And another Example, 'may be 1 Sam. 9. zz. ty>N £=l>t£6t£'D about 30 Man" Let the Idiom of the Language, in one Cafe, be collec*ted from Inftances, as well- as in another. be Of the 0. Teftament vindicated. 83 be oblig'd to confefs, (forc'd thereto by a great Variety of Inftances) that this Form of Speech is perfectly agreeable to the Hebrew Idiom, and ftands clear of all Perplexity and Confufion. Mr. Kennicott feems" to lie under the fame Miftake too with Regard to the Pronouns. He will infift upon it that every Pronoun, which we call Mafculine or Feminine, is invariably fo. I fhould be glad to know what is to determine this. If a Man finds thatnntt is very frequently made ufe of, when .the Perfon addrefs'd is a Man ; and ntt when it is a Woman, is he there fore immediately to conclude that nntf muft be Mafculine, arid r*IK Feminine ? Suppofe he fhould afterwards find that thefe and other Pro nouns were frequently us'd indiscriminately, what Inference could he draw from fuch an Ob servation, but that the Gender was not always determin'd by the Pronoun ? This he -muft be oblig'd to do ; and, if he had acted otherwife, to confefs that he had drawn his Conclufion in too hafty and wide a Manner. Nothing can in validate this, as long as we have the Liberty of fearching into the Scriptures, and confulting the original Records, from whence alone we muft form our Judgment of the true Ufe of Pronouns, and not from the over-ftrain'd Obfervations of Grammarians or Critics. -— Let the Reader look into the firft Chapter of the. Book of Ruth, and he will there fee, by the promifcuous Ufe of the Pronouns, on what Foundation their invariable Gender ftands. — I could wifh the Rules which Grammarians have laid down with Regatd to La , the 84 I'he Printed Hebrew Text the Hebrew Language, had been in many In ftances more conformable to the Idiom of it, than they are at prefent. But till this fhall be the Cafe, we muff take Care not to lay greater Strefs upon them than they will bear. P. 415. Deuter. 22. 19. " The. Word rmyj " occurs 22 Times, in the Pentateuch, and is not " once printed properly but in this Place." The only natural Confequence that can be drawn from the Ufe of iyj is, that it is in Signification both Mafculine and Feminine. It is very frequently applied to Women as well as Men ; as is remark ably the Cafe in this 2 2d Chapter of Deuterono my: where we find, it fo applied 13, Times in about 16 Verfes: tho' the Jews have inferted in the Margin the Feminine n in every Inftance. This was certainly a fuperfluous Caution, as the great Variety of Paffages, in which nyj is applied to Women, determines it to be Feminine as well as my J. Juft as Juvenis, in Latin, is applicable- to the Youth of both Sexes, Deut. 28. $y. "P. Houbigant has very judv " cioufly remark'd (Prolegom. pag. 69. &c.) that " the Senfe here is greatly difturb'd by two very " corrupted Words nmV^ai and mjaai." This is the Evil which we have already found fo much Caufe to complain of, and which is more to be dreaded than any temporal Calamity whatsoever. If a Paffage carries any Difficulty as it ftands at -prefent; we have nothing to do, but to alter it to what we pleafe. This is the Liberty we fee affum'd; but does not every Chriftian tremble at the Apprehenfion of thia fore Calamity ? And at Of ihe O. Teftament vindicated. 8 5 at the Profpect of the dreadful Confequences which muft immediately refult from it ? Whilft the Word of God is continued among us pure and unadulterated, we may reafonably hope that God will blefs the Labours of fome pious and learned Chriftian with the Difcovery of the Truth enquir'd after. And even tho' one Generation of Men fhould pafs away, and another fucceed without making the wifh'd for Difcovery ; yet let us not be difcourag'd, but be content to ac- knowlege that there may be Things which we cannot find out, but which fomef uture Enquirer may be appointed to hand forth to after-ages. Nor fhall we ourfelves be depriv'd of what our Pofterity may enjoy. For we fleep not in the Grave, but are haftening on to thofe bleffed Re gions, where every Cloud of Ignorance fhall be difpprs'd ; where we fhall not know in Part, but in that full Degree in which ourfelves are known. — The Paflage we are now upon appears tp me capable of a very beautiful Interpretation, even tho' it fhould continue in it's prefent greatly dif- turb'd and corrupted State. The. 56th Verfe in^ form'd us that the Eye of the delicate Female fhould be evil towards the Hujband of her Bofom ; towards her Son, and towards her Daughter; (the 57th Verfe advances in the Defcription) Even (swards the young Daughter which Jhould come from between her own Feet ; and towards the Sons which She herfilf fhould bear. This js the literal and Grammatical Conftruction : ( for the Words THtn nm1^ are Feminine, and the Wofd *ja is Mafculine, which Diftinmi 5- ?,npy» nVnp \,u?k-w »eat» nm oy wi As Of the 0. Teftament vindicated. 87 As Mr. Kennicott, P. 422. thinks " thefe Ver- " fea remarkably unintelligible ;" and, in Confe- quence of that, affumes fuch unheard of Free doms as cannot be allow'd or thought of with out the deepelt Concern ; the following Account of the whole Paffage is humbly offer'd to the Confideration of the Learned. The firft Words objected to are nHHID nDH"] Wlp, And he came with ten thoujands of Saints. The general Significations of the Prepofition q Mr. Kennicott fays, P. 425. are ab and abfque. But does this Word fignify nothing elfe ? Does the general exclude every other Signification ? Or, taking this Senfe, may not the Words be thus underftood : And he came from ( feparated, or at a diftance from) ten thoujands of his Saints? and fo refer to the Diftribution of the People of God made at Mount Sinai, when they were or- der'd not to touch the Mount on which Jeho vah defcended? Thus did he come down in the Prefence, of all the ten thoujands of Ifrael, who were affembled at the appointed, awful Diftance, to receive the Commands of their Creator. — Another Objection Mr. Kennicott makes, P. 425. to any Rendring of this kind is " becaufe wnp is " not Saint but Holinefs"* Let the following In ftances determine the Truth of this Affertion. Exod. 29.-3 1. — Andfeethe hisFleJh in the holy Place £yip DIpaH- Levit. 21.. 7. — For he is HotY unto his God mbtib Kin EHp -H. Numb. 6. 8. — All the Days of his Separation he is holy unto the Lord hlh'7 Nin EHp- life W b"2. I fhall not trouble myfelf to produce any more In ftances, 88 The Printed Hebrew Text fiancee, but refer the, Perfon that is not fatisfied with thefe to look over the Word as it ftands in Galajio, where he will foon fee the Point deter min'd in fuch a Manner, as to make him at a lofs how to account for the Affertion Mr Kenni* cott has here. made. As for his Objection made ' to the Singularity ©f t*Hp, he has anfwer'd this himfelf, as may be feen by the Paffage quoted from him in a Note, Page 81. The next Sentence, From his right Hand a fiery Law for them, he fays, P. 427. he does not underftand. The Meaning of it, I apprehend, is this. — The Law was call'd a Law of Fire, and was deliver'd by Jehovah furrounded with Fire, to be to the Jews a conftant Admonition to truft in Chrift. Every Tranfgeffion of this Law was to be attended with^ry Indignation : the Wrath of God, like a Flame, threatened to break forth, and take Vengeance for the Violation of his Com mands : For the Man that did them, and he on ly, was to live by them. In this Diftrefs therefore they were fore' d to turn their Eyes to the only Remedy ; — to that merciful Redeemer, who bore for the Sins of Men the confuming Heat of God's Wrath, which made his Heart in the midfi of his Body like melting Wax : arid who perform'd a perfect, unerring Obedience to the Law of God, which he imputes to all that claim it. — Tho' the Law then was a Law of Fire, yet in this View it did not drive toDefpair, but afford ed true Confolation to thofe that liv'd under it. The Fire did indeed defcend, but it was to con- fume the Victim on the Altar, — the Lamb of God Of the 0. Teftament vindicated. 8 g God flain for the Sins of the World : From this Sacrifice afcended the grateful Odour, which procur'd to afflicted Mortals a Reft from Sin and Sorrow. The next Verfe feems to have been wrong pointed. I think, it may 'be thus corrected. Truly he loved the People, all his Saints : (then Mofes, like Jacob of old, Gen. 49. 18. addreffes himfelf in the next Part of his Speech imme diately to God :) And they are in thy Hand : They fit at thy Feet : They receive of thy Words. (Then he addreffes himfelf again to the Ifraelites:) He commanded us a Law : He drew out the Inheri tance, the Congregation of Jacob : And he became King in Jefhurun, when the Heads of the People, the Tribes' of Ifrael were colleBed together. — The Paffage thus, pointed, and thus tranflated, is free from all thofe Difficulties with which Mr. Ken nicott charges it ; and is, I apprehend, very re gular and intelligible throughout the whole. I am not fenfible of any Objection that can be made to it from the Hebrew, which is as capa ble of the Rendring I have now given, as of that which our Tranflators have adopted. I fhall therefore only remark on the laft Verb of the 4th Verfe tf £*;*• ; which, tho' lingular, is made to belong fo the Ifraelites. But when a People is fpoken of, the Verbs are either lingular, or plu ral, or frequently (as here), both. This may be determin'd from Hof. 4. 12, 13, 15. and Judg. 1. 17. and from many other Paffages. There is fomething fo very extraordinary in P. 431 . that though I could on many Accounts M ' wi(h 90 The Printed Hebrew Text wifh to pafs it by, yet on others Lam oblig'd to take notice of it. " This Reading, fays he, [viz. " of "pafor yV2] is confirm'd by the Sam. Ver- "fion, which has "]*iNn ; which cannot sig- " nify in Manu tua, but feems to be "pa with ft the Addition of N to exprefs the Kameiz, and "an for a 1." iJ^A^ "P^H not fignify in Manu tua !! Why, what can it fignify ? Does c$/$ na never occur in the Samaritan Lan guage? Let us hear no more of the Evidence of the Samaritan Pentateuch and Verfion, till the Signification of iJ^^V^ "*ptfn at leaft is known. For as certainly, as obvioufly as in Manu tua fignifies in the Latin Language, in thy Hand; fo certainly, fo obvioufly does i^Af^ "pNa in the Samaritan fignify in Manu tua III * — The learned Reader will, I queftion not, be greatly furpris'd, after this, to find that the Sa maritan Verfion, as well as Pentateuchs, is very freely quoted in this Work of Mr. Kennicott. — ¦ And the pious Chriftian will, I'm fure, tremble at the Thoughts of fuch hafty and precipitate Conduct, when the Word of God is concern'd. To difturb unftable Souls, by the Appearance of learned Objections againft the Integrity of the fa cred Code, when there is no more done, than We find in the Page before us, is trifling with the Revelation of Jehovah in fo filly and con temptuous a Manner, as muft provoke the In- a I would recommend to Mr. Kennicott's Confideration the fol lowing ftiort Quotation out of the Samaritan Verfion. Exod. 4. 1 7. . dignation Of the 0. Teftament vindicated. 9 1 dignation of every Hearer, and would in any o- ther Age have met with publick Cenfure. Jofh. 10. 24. P. 438. "All the printed Edi- " tions and fome MSS, without any marginal " Variation read here Nobnn with an K at the "End, exactly like a Verb in Arabic; a Form " this which occurs in the Heb. Bible only in " this and one Word more. The Exiftence of " this j? feems entirely owing to the Miftake of "fome Arabian Tranfcriber, who inattentively " exprefs'd thefe 2 Verbs in the Way of his own " Language : and many Inftances of this Kind " are obfervable in other Places." Here we fhall be at a Lofs for one principal Part of the Proof, viz. that the Tranfcriber was an Arabian. How muft this be determin'd ? And then how came all the authenticated Copies to be taken from this one ? To be taken too by thofe who knew throughly every Word of the facred Scriptures ? Let us not haftily determine that the Hebrew Language will not or cannot admit of this fuffix'd H- A very great Knowlege of a Language is neceffary, before fuch Things can with any tolerable Propriety be pronounc'd : a much greater, I imagine, than has yet fallen to Mr. Kennicott's Lot. Who can tell but that the fuffix'd 1 in Arabic might originally take it's Rife frpm the like occafional Ufe of the k in Hebrew ? P. 440. Jofh. 21. 36, 37. We have nothing to do with all that follows on this Head ; for thefe Verfes are receiv'd by our Tranflators, .and M 2 are 92 The Printed Hebrew Text are taken (as they neceffarily muft be) into thofe Hebrew Bibles which are relied on". Jofh. 22. 34. P. 444. Mr. Kennicott would have this Verfe corrupted, becaufe D*n*7Nn mm occurs without Nin between the Words ; which* he thinks, is the common Form of Expreffion; and remarkable for it's Emphafis. This latter Reafon is what ought never to be mention'd: fince our low weak Notions of Emphafis, Spiri- tednefs, with other fuch fancied Excellencies, would in Time compleatly invalidate the whole Word of God. And as for the firft Argument, becaufe xin occurs Jometimes between thefe Words, does it from thence follow that it always fhould ? — "The printed Text of this Verfe *c feems farther deficient — And the Reubenites " and the Gadites called the Altar (Syr. The Altar " of Witnefs) for it jhall be a Witnejs betwixt us " that the Lord he is the God. The Englifh Tranf- " lators have inferred the Word ny Ed (Witnefs) " which is put in the Margin of Plantin's Heb. " Bible, and is confirm'd by the Syr. Arab, and "Vulg. Verfions." The Verfe, I apprehend, fhould have been thus tranflated : and the- Chil dren of Reuben and the Children of Gad gave a Name to the Altar ; that, (fay they) it may be a Witnefs betwixt us that Jehovah he is the God. The Name was to be expreffive of that ; and far ther the Text does not inform us. Jofh. 24. 30. P. 445. " And may we not al- " low the fame, [viz. that two Letters have ex- " chang'd their Places] in this Part of the facred " Hiftory, as it is univerfally printed ? Since it "tells Vf the u. 'lejtament vmatcated. 93 H tells us here, that Jofhua was buried at Timnath- " fir ah in Mount Ephraim; and yet fells us in " Ju<%- 2. 9. that he was buried at Timnath-heras " in Mount Ephraim V Not unlefs Mr. Kenni cott can prove that there never could be a Reafon for this Change. There is a remarkable Diffe rence in the Significations of the two Words niD and Oin ; and that which was at one Time call'd by the former Name might, at another Time, (if ever the Inhabitants went off to the common Object of ancient idolatrous Worftiip) be call'd by the latter. Judg. 1. 22. "Inftead of rra Camb. MS 1. " has 'ja, which feems to be the better Read- "ing; becaufe the Context is DJ f\DV — ibyn " Dn Et afcenderunt ( filii ) JoJ'ephi, etiam ipfi." Why ? did the Houfe of Jojeph confift of but one Perfon ? * P. 446. " In Ch, 16. 18. we read — And Jhe " called fir the Philiftines, Jay ing, Come up this " once, for he hathjhew'ed me all his Heart — but " according to the Text of perhaps every print- " ed Edition (except the Complut.) it is he hath "Jhewed n*? her — where lb has been affimila- " ted to n*7 juft before it." '*** is inferted in the Margin of our common Hebrew Bibles, and is preferr'd by our Tranflators. — Tho' fuppofing n*? to be taken, the Senfe is very good and ob vious, by only attributing (as the Words will au- thorife us to do) the Speech, in which it ftands, not to DalilaB, but to' the Meffengers fhe fent. What follows concerning Pronouns I fhall fuppofe obviated above in P. 83. and proceed to P. 449. , 94 " The Printed Hebrew Text P. 449. where he begins to confider Ruth 4. 4, C. I fhall take no Notice of his Objections to a tex tual Reading, when there is another propos'd in the Margin, having given my Sentiments con cerning that Matter in the Introduction, arid elfer where, but fhall go directly to examine thofe In ftances, in which he wants arbitrarily to change the prefent Reading I fhall not give the ridi culous Tranflation, whic,h Mr. Kennicott has un fairly made, of the Paffage we are upon ; but that which we have in our Englifh Bibles ; and afterwards examine his Objections tp it as it now .ftands in the printed Hebrew. — 3. And he faid unto the Kinfman, Naomi that is come again out of the Country of Moab felleth a Parcel of Land which was our Brother Elimelechs. 4. And I thought to advertije thee, faying, buy it before the Inhabitants, and before the Elders of my People. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it; but if thou wilt not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know : for there is none to redeem it befides thee, and I am after thee. And he faid, I will redeem it. 5 . Then faid Boaz, what Day thou buyefi the Field of the Hand of Naomi, thou muft buy it alfo of Ruth the Moabitefs, the Wife of the Dead, to raij'e up the Name of the Dead upon his Inheritance. The firft Objection is made P. 450. to bay, which Mr. Kennicott fuppofes fhould be **"ttjn, as the Verb ought to be of the fecond Perfon. But what if this fhould , be not unfitly exprefs'd in bay ? If thou art willing to. redeem it, redeem it ; but if it Jhall not be redeem d tell me &c. The Pronoun, in thefe Cafes, is to be fupplied according to the Perfon fpoken Of the 0. Teftament vindicated. 95 fpoken of in the Context. Here we are to un- deftand by thee; — but if it Jhall not be redeem' d by thee. Which is more conformably to our I- diom, tho' very faithfully, render'd by our Trans lators, — but if thou wilt not redeem it. — We are next told that nNai, in the 5th Verfe, fhould be t\a\ But unlefs we have fome better Proof for this, than the mere dogmatical Affertions on which it refts at prefent, the wary Chriftian will not be eafily induc'd to admit the Novelty, how ever roundly afferted. Let the Paffage be a little more exactly tranflated, and it can give no han dle to any Objection : — And Boaz faid, in the Day thou buyefi the Field, thou buyefi it at the Hand of Naomi, and of Ruth the Moabitefs, to raife up the Name of the Dead upon his Inheritance. Which as clearly expreffes as Words can exprefs any Thing, that whoever purchased the Field, muft purchafe it on the Terms of taking his Relation's Widow to raife up Seed to him. It is difficult to know what Mr. Kennicott aims at in his Obfervations, P. 451. oil 1 Sam. 10. 19. where he fuppofes we have -\b for *tfV. Here is a Miftake ; as may be feen from a due Confideration of the Paffage, which runs thus : And ye faid unto him, But, or, nay fet a King-o ver us. Samuel is fpeaking and telling the Peo ple what they had faid to God ; to whom they had fpoke in fpeaking to his Prophet. It can not be furprifing to a Chriftian to hear that the Prophets acted as Jehovah's Reprefentatives. — Again, in Ch.' 12. 12. he 'would alter ?V into iV, .for want of confidering that the Prophet in all thefe 9 6 The Printed Hebrew Text thefe Inftances fpoke in the Name of Jehovah. The Criticifms on i Sam. 14. 14. P. 452. are of a very dangerous Tendency ; defigning even to introduce new Words from the Arabic into the Hebrew Language in order to prove the ori ginal' Text corrupt. What may not be made of the Hebrew Scriptures, if they are to be thus commented upon ? What Fiction is there fo ab- furd that they may not exprefs ? What Doc trines, however damnable, will, not this Vague, Antichristian Language be. able to father upon the Word of the moft High ! — The pe rilous Uncertainty, to which this Scheme would reduce the fole Foundation of the Chriftian's Hopes, muft make him tremble at any Recom mendation of fo dangerous a Method of critici- fing on the facred Scriptures : and his Fears, I am fenfible, .will encreafe, as his Knowlege of the Arabic does." — Let this Criticifm of Mr. Ken nicott be well confider'd, and it will prove all that is here faid. — There is not the leaft Reafon to fuppofe any Corruption in the original Words, TR& npV njya '^nau : But becaufe the Se venty have varied from them in their Verfion, they are to be chang'd and tortur'd till they fpeak the Senfe of that Tranflation : even tho', to effect ¦ this, the Words muft firft be arbitrarily corrupt ed, and then the Signification of them borrow'd from another Language. — Mr. Kennicott thinks, from the many Words which are inferted in our Verfion of this Paffage, that the Tranflators knew not what to make of the concluding Words. The literal Rendring is as follows : within as it were Of the O. Teftament vindicated. 97 *were half an Acre, of the Acre of a Field. — The Word na^f may be prov'd to fignify an Acre, or fome Parcel of Ground, from If. 5. 10. It pro perly fignifies a Toke, or Pair : and from thence it feems to exprefs fo much Ground, as a Toke of Oxen would plow in a Day, or fome other given Time. The Meaning then will be this : Within as it were half an Acre, being as much Ground as a Toke of Oxen would plow in a Field, in the Space of a Day. — From whence fo much Land came to have the Name of nay. P. 455. 2 Sam. 6. 6. " Our celebrated Profef- " for of the oriental Languages — has commu- " nicated fo me his Conjecture, that there is here " an Omiffion ; fince, inftead of *?tf n?y nbtt?n " p**lX the original Reading more probably was berties feem likely to expofe the Word of God. This is a Way of removing Difficulties that, I .apprehend, is laft of all to be taken. Since the Evil that is avoided, by the Application of fuch means, is infinitely lefs to be dreaded than thofe fatal Calamities which neceffarily refiilt there from. N The 98 The Printed Hebrew Text The Obfervations on 2 Sam. 7. 23, 24. and 1 Chro. 17. 21, 22. are little to be regarded; for if, in each of thefe Paffages, the Subftance of the Prayer is given, and iri the Language of Infpira tion too, what farther have we to expect ? If we are not fatisfied with this, what Account can poffibly be given of the hiftorical Narrations throughout the whole facred Scriptures ? And it gives me great Uneafinefs to fee Mr. Kennicott dropping unawares fuch Expreffions, as when carried on will entirely overthrow the Authority of both Old and New Teftament. — All that follows, on thefe Paffages, being only trifling Cavils, fupported by no Evidence, require no particular Confideration. The Jeeming Contrarieties between 2 Sam. 8.1, &c. and iChro. 18. 1, &c. I am not as yet able fufficiently to account for. Tho' I queftion not but it may hereafter be done greatly to the Satisfaction of the Learned, without fuppofing , any Corruptions to have happen'd to the Paffage. What induces me to think this is the Particulari ty of the Expreffions in Samuel, Ver. 4. which feem to promife fome much better Interpretation, than has yet been given them. All that I can therefore do at prefent is, to beg of God that he would enlighten the Minds of pious Chriftians, and enable them tojee clearly and fully the won drous Things of his Law: that thofe Things', which are at prefent obfcure, may, in God's good Time have the Veil taken from them, and fhine forth in all their facred Beauty ; that fo the hum- bte/Difciples of the Blefied Jefus may be more * and Of the 0 .Teftament vindicated. 99 and more enamour'd of thofe divine Truths, the Knowlege whereof is begun here, and compleat- ed hereafter. 2 Sam. 22. 13, 14. P. 464. Mr. Kennicott ob jects to the 13th and 14th Verfes of the 18th 'Pfalm ; a where Mention is made of Hail-fiones and Coals of Fire. His Interrogations, in P. 46 5 . by which he would overthrow this Reading, de- ferve to be confider'd. " Were Hail-ftones and " Coals of Fire removed alfo ?>" Why is the Verb remov'd to be fupplied ? Muft that Word, of all others, be taken, which feems leaft likely to be the Word underftood ? If the Verb Subftantive be fupplied according to a Cuftom well known to Mr. Kennicott, the Difficulty is at an End : there were Hail-jlones and Coals of Fire. To make the whole Pafiage a little, more clear, let it be recollected that the Pfalm gives us a De- fcription of a divine Appearance in Wrath. No\v Hail-ftones are mention'd in Scripture as the conftant Marks of God's Indignation . If . 3 o . 3 o . And the Lord jhall caufe his glorious Voice to be heard, and Jhall jhew the lighting-down of his Arm, with the Indignation of his Anger, and with the Flame of a devouring Fire, with Scattering, and Tempejl, and Hail-stones. Ezek. 13. 13. — And great Hail-stones in my Fury to confume it. Thus we fee the Reafon why Hail-ftones are mention'd in this Pfalm. — He next afks, " and " how, and at whoje Command did they exifi." How did they exift ! and at whofe Command ! a His Objeaion to the 1 3th Ver. of Samuel, as defective, re quires no Anfwer. ' N 2 are » ioo The Printed Hebrew Text are furely; fuch Queftions as never were afk'd be fore, when we are told that the Work, was the Work of God, whofe Word is fulfill' d by every Part of created Nature, and among the reft, by Fire and Hail. — I do, with Mr. Kennicott, think the Scene defcrib'd in 2 Sam. 22. and Pf. 18. one of the Nobleft that ever was prefented to Man in this Life. Tho' I cannot, with him, underftand it folely a of the firft David. Every Image rifes far beyond the Conception of him, Who confiders it as only applicable to the Son of Jejje; and the whole terminates in the greateft and moft interefting Event that Man can con template, even in the Triumphant Refurrecf ion of Jehovah Chrift : who now triumph'd over Death and Hell : who brake the Gates of Brafsr and cut the Bars of Iron in funder : who, like Sampjon his Typical Earneft to antient Ifrael, Judg. 15. 3. when guarded by his implacable E- nemies, lay till Midnight, and Arose, at Mid- a In Confirmation pf what is here faid, I fhall produce the Words of one of the moft confiderable of our modern Divines, who is not more valuable for the diftinguifhing Excellencies which appear in his Writings, than he is for all thofe amiable •and ufeful Qualifications, which can adorn the different Scenes of focial Life. " Profane Books are to be literally underftood with- "out any fpiritual Meaning, and they exhibit every thing in the "*' Letter that is neceffary for a fufficient Urfderftanding of them; " but the facred Books cannot be fo underftood, the Letter being '** no better than the Shell which contains the fpiritual Senfe, or "inclofed Kernel : this therefore muft be the firft and the nobleft. "Senfe which a Chriftian will endeavour to find, as it is that " which is chiefly, I had almoft faid folely, of Ufe to him." Hodges^s Elihu. Preliminary Difcourfe. P. 63. — As a farther Proof I will fubjoin the Words of my very valuable Friend, the very ingenious and learned Mr. Wat/on lately Fellow of Univer- ,£tv College; "And indeed the facred Pfalter can be look'd up- "on Of the 0. Teftament vindicated. 101 night, and took the Doors of the Gate of the City, and the two Pofis, and went away with them, Bar and all, and put them upon his Shoulders, and car ried them up to the Top of an Hill that is before Hebron: who then fulfill'd what he had before fpoken by the Mouth of his holy Prophet Hofea, a O Death ! I will be thy Plagues : O Grave ! I will be thy DefiruBion. For this it Was that the Earth in Fa& Jhook and trembled; that the Hea vens bow'd and became dark, to conceal the Glory of Jehovah, when He defcended, in all the awful Terrors of divine Majefty, to ftrike the Com pany of the ungodly Watch with the Confterna- tion of Death, and to raife up and re-inhabit his former Temple, that it might fhine forth in the Affembly of the firft-born, the City of the new Jerufalem, where the Lord God Almighty, and the Lamb are it's Temple. 2 Sam. 23. 4. P. 468. Mr. Kennicott wants to infert, from a MS, the. Word nirT before J^a^, "on as nothing lefs than a rich Store-houfe of Chriftian Know- ''lege. Upon whatever Occafion any of thefe divine Hymns "were compos'd, the infpired Author ufes That only as a Chan- " nel to convey fome great and important Truth concerning the "latter Times; the literal Senfe is only a Clothing to the Spiri- " tual ; the various Wonders and mighty Deliverances therein "recorded, the Sufferings and Actions therein defcribed, being " all Typical of far greater Wonders to be accomplifh'd, mightier "Deliverances to be wrought, infinitely 'fuperior Sufferings to be " fuftained, infinitely fuperior Aftions to be perform'd — even "the wonderful Scheme of Man's Redemption, his Deliverance " from Death and Hell, the Sufferings and A ftions of the Son "of God: to him every Page relates, has it's full Completion "in him." Christ the Light of the World. A Sermon preach'd "before the University of Oxford, by George Watsoh M. A. Fellow of Univerfity College. a Ch. 13. Ver. 14. to 102 The Printed Hebrew Text to prove that the Sun here fpoken of is Chrift* But as the Subject of this divine Hymn may be fhew'd, by many and various Arguments, to be the fpiritual. Sun of Righteoufnejs, the Point is determin'd by our prefent Copies ; without hav- ingRecourfe to the inconclufive and unauthoris'd Proof, drawn from the different Reading of a rejected MS. 2 Sam. 24. 13. P. 472. "We have here, de- " liver'd by the Prophet Gad, a moft folemn " Meffage ; David is commanded to choofe one " of the 3 following Judgments — 7 Tears Fa- " mine — 3 Months Flight before the Enemy — " or 3 Days Peftilence. But in 1 Chron. 21. 12. " the Propofal runs more regularly, (not 7 but). " 3 Years, 3 Months, or 3 Days. Can there be " any Doubt of a Miftake here ? Did the Pro- " phet Gad deliver this Meffage twice % If only " once, did he propofe both 7 and 3 Years of Fa- " mine ? If 3 Years, the Number 7 is wrong ; " and if 7 Years the Number 3 is wrong : comr " mon Senfe feems fully fufficient to determine " fuch a Point as this is." A little lower Mr. Kennicott infults poor Buxtorf on account of his pious Reverence for the holy Scriptures. This learned Man unwilling to fuppofe Corruptions in the Bible, chofe rather to impute any Difficul ties, that occur'd, to the Defect of his own Un- derftanding, than to the facred Text: leaving, us thereby an Example much to be imitated. ' But this Conduct, however laudable, now only expofes him to low Contempt, and filly unmean-. ing Ridicule. Whereby we all are taught what Treat- Of the 0. Teftament vindicated. 103 Treatment to expect, if we arife to vindicate our Mafter's Word from the Objector's Cavils. But let this happen as it may ; the Work muft, and will be done, till that Time when Zeal fhall be fo far extinguifh'd, that the Son of Man Jhall Jcarcely find Faith upon the Earth. It will little influence the honeft Chriftian to reflect that his Name will be blacken'd, his Labours ridicul'd, and his Cha racter afpers'd ; when he has the well-grounded Affuranoe of the Approbation of Jehovah ; who will hereafter, in the Prefence of all his infult- ing Oppofers, at the great Tribunal of Heaven and Earth, declare himfelf well pleas'd with the Exercife of thofe Abilities with which his Ser vant had been entrufted ; and will honour him, in the Prefence of Men and Angels, with a . Crown of celeftial Glory that fadeth not away. — Tho' Mr. Kennicott has kept back an Inter pretation, which feems to me to remove the Dif ficulties of this Paffage ; yet I fhall beg leave to propofe it. And let him not be furpriz'd, if it fhould be faid, after the defpis'd Buxtorf that the two Accounts; as they now ftand, may both be right, and exprefs the fame Thing. To fee this let it be remember'd that this was now the 4th Year fince a Famine had commenc'd on an other Account, mention'd 2 Sam. 21. 1. The Narration as given in 2 Sam. 24. refers to this ; and reprefents the Prophet aflcing David whe ther he would chufe 3 Years more of Famine ; which, added to the other four would be 7 Years ; or whether he would chufe one of the other Vi- fitations then propos'd to him. So that the only Differ 104 2& Printed Hebrew Text Difference, between the Account in Chronicles, and that in Samuel, is that the latter takes No tice of the Famine, under which they then la- bour'd, iand the former omits it : but the Time fpecified for the Continuance of the national Af fliction is, in each Place, the fame. An Inftance fimilar to what we find in the EvangeliftS; where St. Matthew fays, Ch. 17. that after six Days from fuch a Time the three favourite A- poftles were admitted to behold the Glory of their Mafter ; tho' St. Luke fays, Ch. 9. that it was about eight Days from that fame Time. The latter taking into the Account, that Day in which our Lord made the Promife, and that on which he fulfill'd \t: while in the other Regard is had to the intermediate Days only. 1 Kings 10. 11. P. 475. "Mention is here "made of D*,3at?tt almug'Tree; but in 2 Chro. «c 9. 1 o, thefe fame Trees are call'd algum Trees <'0*a,U**>K by a Tranfpofition of the Letters y " and 12; for I fuppofe it will hardly be faid, " that thefe Trees were both Almug and Algu'itf." Tho' this may not be faid, yet I apprehend, we may fairly pronounce of different Trees, fent by Hiram to Solomon, that the one might be an Al mug, and the other an Algum. Efpecially when We recollect that the Almug Trees of the Book of Kings, and the Algum Trees of Chronicles were put to fome very different Ufes. P. 476. " Can we think, that Mofes in Ver. " 26. of Exod. 22. writ nabt^j and in the very « next Verfe, nbtStf as the Words are now "printed?" Moft affuredly we can. Nay we can Of the O. Teftament vindicated. 105 can think nothing elfe, as far as I am able to judge. What Evidence can we poffibly have for the Exiftence of any one Word in the Hebrew Language, which we have not for X"\dw ? It occurs according to Mr. Kennicott himfelf 16 times, and yet notwithftanding all this (unfup- ported by every Shadow of Proof) he capri ciously pronounces that T\dw is no Word. As I know of no Method of convincing Mr. Kenni cott in this Cafe (fince he has fhew'd, in his Ob fervations ort.the Phrafe j— nN3¥ ni!T> that he does not take his Notions of dead Languages from Books ) and as I fuppofe nobody befides will want to have any thing obferv'd on this Subject, I fhall pafs over to his next Objection which has not been already obviated, and that appears to me to have any Weight in it. 1 Chron. 1. 36. P. 482. " This Verfe is print- "ed — The Sons, of Eliphaz-, Teman, and Omar, "Zephi, and Gat am, Kenaz, and Timnah, and "Amalek. But Timnah was the Concubine ' (not "the Son) of Eliphaz, and the, Mother (not the "Brother) oi Amalek; and Eliphaz had only fix "Sons; (fee Gen. 36. 11, 12. and Pag. 376 :) fo "that there muft be a Miftake here." Timnah might be (and it appears, was) the Concubine of Eliphaz ; and. yet another Timnah born of her might be (and it appears, was) his Son: by which means one Timnah would be the Mother, and another the Brother of Amalek. We have .before feen, in two Inftances, P. 69. that the fame Name was given to a Man and a Woman. a— As for the Proof that Eliphaz- had only fix O Sons, 10 6 The Printed Hebrew Text Sons, it is by no means fufficient. Six only are mention'd Gen. 36. 11, 12. but it does not from thence follow, that he never had any more than what are there recorded. If we will make a proper Ufe of the Scripture Accounts of Things* we muft lay all the Narrations of the fame Fact together: and not from any Part, but from the whole, muft form, our Judgment of the Matter. The Reafons, why all the Circumftances are not given by any one of the infpir'd Penmen, but found difpers?d in feveral, and are by us to be laid together, before we can come at the Knowlege of the Fact, are known to that All- wife Being, ' from whom proceeded the gracious Truths de liver'd in the facred Code. And tho' we dare not hafiily affign the Caufe of the divine Proceed^ ings in this, or any other Cafe, yet the Fact is certain, and can be unknown to no careful Reader of the holy Scriptures.* We are not then immediately to pronounce that Eliphaz had only fix Sons, becaufe we find only fix mention'd in Gen. 36. 11, 12. but we muft examine into " a The Inftance of the Woman that anointed our Saviour*! Perfon, a little before his Crucifixion, may be given as an ExT ample of this Kind. The Fadl is recorded by three of the Evan- gelifts. — St. Matthew mentions the Pouring of the Ointment up on his Head — St. Mark the kind of Ointment made ufe of, and the breaking of the Box — St. John the Savour of it, which per- fum'd the whole Houfe. The Account of this wonderful Trans action, which was.fo great and remarkable, that our Lord pro* phetically promis'd that wherever the Gofpel was preach'd, thU. alfo fhould be made known as a profitable SubjecV for the Medi tation of Chriftians, is not compleat but m the Accounts of thif three Evangelifts. — And as in the prefent, fo in every other In» fiance, all the Accounts muft be laid together, and only from this View are we to pronounce Sentence concerning; the Whole. the Of the 0. Teftament vindicated, lof the other Parts of Scripture, and fee whether there is no Addition made to their Number in any other Paffage. For if there is, the Account in this Place is partial, and not defign'd to give us a compleat Narration. What we find here is. pot given to exclude what we meet with elfe- where ; fince it is not faid that thefe only were his Sons. i Chron. 2. 18. P. 482. " Here we read ^31 KnvT n»i nwa nairy n« T-nn pnvn -£ " — render'd by the Englifh Tranflators — And " Caleb, the Son of Hezron, begat Children of " Azubah his Wife and of Jerioth. But, omit- *¦* ting the Words inferjred in a different Charac- " ter, it will be —And Caleb begat Azubah Wife " and Jerioth /" There is no Neceffity for ma king the Words ridiculous by thus tranflating them, fince they muft, for many Reafons be render'd in the following Manner : — And Caleb, the Son of Hezron, had Children by Azubah his Wife and by Jerioth. The Rendring here given to ma, Mr. Kennicott himfelf efpoufes on the Authority oiNoldius: and his Objection to nHyfti which arifes from the Want of a Noun after it, may be remov'd by the like Ufe of the Word in Gen. 5. 3. ia^ nK anp^ ioSm inann tVi'i j-lttf. — So that this Paffage wants not the leaft Alteration, but is as clear and full as the Idiom of the Language requires. And this may be far ther feen from the Abfurdity which would fol low from the Alteration propos'd by Mr- Kenni cott. For he makes Jerioth the Son of Azubah, tho' the next Words begin to enumerate her O 2 Sonfr 1 08 The Printed Hebrew Text Sons in a very remarkable Manner; And thefe are her Sons, . Jejher, and Shobab, and Ardon. 1 Chron. 4. 3. P. 483. "And These are the "Father of Etam, Jezreel and IJhma andld- " bajh. This is the true Verfion of the printed "Hebrew; and if Words ever wanted Senfe, ,c they do fo here. Doubtlefs inftead of i^aPa- " ter, the original MS had OH Filii ; agreeably "to all the antient Verfions." This Paffage ought, I apprehend, to have been thus render'd by Mr. Kennicott ; And theje were of their Fa ther Et am; Jezreel, &c. Which, rendring the Hebrew Language authorifes by many parallel , Inftances, where the a is omitted in fimilar Cir cumftances, as he himfelf allows P. 201. — The Objection, made to 2 Chron. 11. 18, becaufe we there find p inftead of ni, is, I think, fome- what difingenuous ; fince tho' p is the textual, yet rQ is the marginal Reading, and I fuppofe, univerfally preferr'd, as well as it is by our Tranflators. Neither this Nonjenje therefore, nor any other, is afirib'd to Ezra. For. even Leufden who might feem willing to retain the Reading in the Text, yet did not do it, without Tuppo- fing p, like many Words in other Languages, to have a Mafculine and Feminine Signification. 1 Chron. 6. 57. P. 483. And to the Sons of Aaron they gave the Cities of Judah, namely, Hebron a City of Refuge, v. " But fuch a Licence " to infert Words at Pleafure cannot be allow1- "able." This Expreffion, I imagine, the Read er would not have expected from the Mouth of Mr. Kennicott, who has taken fuch furprifing Free- Of thvO. Teftament vindicated, i o 91 Freedoms with the Word of God, by changing, inferring, and taking away, merely as Fancy and Humour directed. — The Infertion is fo very eafy, and the Hebrew Words feem fo naturally to convey the Sentiment which appears in our Tranflation, that I fee not how any Objection can be made to it. Literally the Words run : And to the Sons of Aaron they gave Cities of Judah ; the Afylum Hebron, and Libnah, &c. — With what Propriety can Mr. Kennicott argue for the taking away of the Word Judah, when the Cities here fpoken of are known to have been Cities belong ing to that Tribe? 2Chron. 36. 22, 23. P. 491. " This Book o£ " Chronicles is extreamly valuable." How ? ex- treamly valuable? Is it not the Word of God? What can be the meaning then of extreamly va luable ? It contains, if Men know how to ufe it, fuch Wifdom and Inftruction, as can come on ly from him, in whom are hid all the Treajures of Wifdom and Knowlege. To talk then of the fa cred Scriptures, as extreamly valuable, is infi nitely beneath Mr. Kennicott, and fit only for them who call them fine Pieces of Antiquity, and the ProduBions of warm, enthufiafiick Heads, * in- a " If this would be the Cafe with refpect to the Generality " of the World, no Wonder if their Progrefs was more remark able among a People of warm enthusiastick Heads. " Such were -the Jews, and to this Complexion may we afcribe "it, That even crown'd Heads themfelves difdain'd not, with "the feverer Cares of Government, fometimes to intermix the " Reliefs of Poetry. But then what in another Country perhaps "had fpent itfelf^ln, a ludicrous Ode or Sonnet, a Paftoral or E- "pick Poem, in a' People of this Bent and Genius, exerted itfelf "in the Devotional Strain." Thus is thy Word, Bleffed God ! infulted no The Printed Hebrew^Text ftead of the all-wife, all-gracious Dictates of that Being, whofe Voice fhaketh Heaven and Earth -* to each of whofe Words muft be prefix'd this awful Admonition ; Hear O Heavens ! and give ear O Earth ! for the Lord hath fpoken ! P. 492. " But as only Part of it [the Decree " of Cyrus] is thus imperfectly fubjoin'd to Chro- " nicies, perhaps it may be pardonable to con- " fefs a Sufpicion — that thefe 2 laft. Verfes if "Chronicles have been added improperly." We ought to have no Sujpicien at all in this Cafe ; nor do I think any can be pardonable. It can not furely be deem'd improper or unfeafonable, when the People of God, thofe whom his own Right Hand protected, are reprefented as going into a long and grievous Captivity, briefly to in timate to us that God hath not forgotten them ; but, that in his own good Time, when his Great Defigns are ready to be accomplifh'd^ he inter- infulted by that Compound of Ignorance and Pride, lot whofe Salvation it was given : Thus are thofe Divine Truths, reveal'd in infinite Mercy from Heaven to exalt and fpiritualize the Soul of Man, moft audacioufly blafphem'd, and attributed to the Warmth and Enthujiafm of the People to whom they Were, given : It is call'd a Condefcention in David and Solomon (who-did not difdain the Employ) to deliver the Pfalms and Proverbs, thofe prophetic- Defcriptions of Man's glorious Redemption: In fhort, the whole Word of God is made the mere Word of ignorant, hot-headed Men; and the Source of all out Knowlege, of all our Hap pinefs is, according to this confus'd Author, reduc'd to the; ro ving Sallies of a wanton, over-heated) Imagination. - — The Read er, that has an Inclination to fee from whence the above Quotai- tion is taken, may find it in a fcandalous, anonymous Pamphleft, intituled, A Specimen of a new Translation of the Bo-ok-of Psalms, publifh'd about twenty Years fince. Where may be feen much more of the fame unfcriptural, unchriftiaa Caft, than I have either Time or Inclination to tranjpribe. pofes Of the O. Teftament vindicated. t 1 1 pofes again, and commands the Prince to releafe his Vaffals ; that they may'ireturn to the Land of their Fathers, and worfhip Jehovah again on the holy Mount; with that prophetic Service which himfelf had appointed to continue, till the Sub-> ftance of every legal Type appear'd, - — till Jeho vah was manifefted in the Flefh tofulJiMthe Law and. the Prophets. — This therefore is here inti mated, and in the two following Books more fully and ckcumftantially related. Mr. Kennicott P. 499. &c, objects to the well- known Paffage Pf. 22. 17. '^1*1 H» HW. This Word HKD Dr. Pocock fuppofes to be a Partici ple plural,- from fehe Verb nal, 'fignifying per- fodit, with the £D omitted. " But as the Omif- " fion of the D is very irregular, andnever pro- « per but before a fuffix'd Pronoun or in Con- "ftrudt — there feems to>be but little Doube "that this Word was originally ii**) or yito with " an tf inferted to exprefs the Kametz." The Difficulty which Mr. Kennicott obferves will pro ceed from the Omiffion of the D, if n*tf5 be confider'd, according to Dr. Poeoek's Account of it, as a Participle, is eafily remov'd, by looking into the following Paffages, felected out of ma ny, where the fame Form occurs. Pfal. 35. 4. ?it-fli >2*pia — »nm. n^n *id*»ti ltsa*. Pfal. 24. 61. -j^S '{ypia* Thefe Inftances muft clear this Expreffion from the Imputation of an irre gular Singularity. The literal Rendring of the whole Verfe is as follows: For Dogs, the Com pany of wicked Men, have Jhrrounded me : The Piercers of my Hands and Feet ftand about me. — I would 112 The Printed Hebrew Text I would refer, as appears from this Tranflation a little varied from the receiv'd Verfion, my D»jna> the Company of wicked Men, to the firft Verb ?J'OID have furrounded me, and make them explicatory of the Word D'lbs, Dogs. — The Paffage, view'd-in this Light, will, I apprehend, be clear and intelligible, and free from the pre fent or any other Objections. P. 501. "Psal. 25. 17. In this alphabetical " Pfalm the Verfe beginning with the Letter p x ?< is now omitted." This Obfervation on the 25th Pfalm feems to me to be an Idle, Rabbinical Story, founded on a few trifling Remarks, and not fupported by the Pfalm itfelf. — For there can properly be no fuch Divifion, that a Verfe fhall. begin with the Letter 3. — There is no Verfe which begins with 1 or p. There are two that begin with n ; and the concluding one be gins with £. -— Thefe Reafons, I think, are a- bundantly fufficient to overturn this idle Con-- ceit ; with which drops Mr. Kennicott's Argu ment for a Verfe containing nobody knows what. What follows on Pf. 59. a cautious Reader may perhaps fet afide, by fuppofing that Mr. Kennicott may poffibly err in pronouncing what the Hebrew Language will bear, and what it will not. I am prevail'd upon to think this may be the Cafe, when I recollect how pofitive Mr. Ken~ nicott has been in fome of his Affirmations, where nothing, but a very happy Self-complacency up on all Occafions, could have induc'd him to have pronounc'd on either fide. The Of the 0. Teftament vindicated. 113 The dangerous Liberty of altering Pfalm 68. 9. by Judges 5. 4, 5. which is affum'd P. 502. &c. has already in effect been animadverted up on, on other Occafions. — »J'D niThtit Sinai is to be confider'd as coming before the Verb tp} dropp'd, which is the Verb immediately prece ding : and the Prepofition ?jfla accordingly fol lows lyo, in the fame manner as it does 0'a^» which is the Nominative Cafe to the Verb ifiOJ. And moreover this Verb is applied to Moun tains ; Joel 3.18. Amos 9. 13. — - The conclude ing Obfervations on this Subject have all been confider'd before;; except his Objections to the Phrafe baittf* ?n?K D'n^K *3fiO before God>_ the God of Ifrael. On what he founds his Objections here, I know not. For if:, is clear that other Nations had their ©?n'w, Gods; but the. God that did this* was he that had covenanted by an Oath to redeem from Death and Deftruction his Servant Ifrael. j The Objections to the Singular and Plural Verbs found in Pf. 79. 7. have been anfwer'd P. 26. and in other Places. — I fhall only take no tice of one Thing farther in this Paragraph, be ing too remarkable to be wholly pafs'd by. P; 503. " and as to the 4th andgreateft Variation,' " the Addition of 2 Verbs in Jeremiah (neither " of which are in the Pfalm, or neceffary to the "Senfe;) perhaps they are both added by " Tranfcribers. But moft probably, "\nby\ is a V true and original Word." "The Reader, I queftion not, will chufe to make his own Re flections upon this Occafion. P Prov. H4 ^ Printed ffebrewText Prov. 10. 10. tmb* tDTisa- bw\ n^y^yy pp He, that winketh with the Eye, caufeth Sdrrow ; but a prating Fool Jhall fall. " The Proverbs oi Solomon are known to con- " fift of two Hemifticks, the fecond of which " ftrengthens and illuftrates the firft, either by c>* difplaying the contrary Effect of a contrary " CaUfe, or by another Maxim of the fame, kind "and fimilar Nature. But what Contrariety or " Connexion is there between the two preceding " Hemifticks ?" There feems to me to be a very great Connexion between them : as both in the latter, and former Part of the Verfe, we have the Defeription of a blameable and faulty Cha racter : of them, who, either by Words or Ac tions, encourage thofe they converfe with to pro ceed in the Ways of Sin. — For which Reafon the Particle 1, 'render'd but, ought to have been render'd and: fince there is no Contrariety, but as the one is, Jo is the other. Prov. 1 1. 1 6. A gracious Woman retaineth Ho~ nour, and firong Men retain Riches. The gracious Woman here fpoken of, according to antient In terpreters, is the Church; who, retaineth *TQ*3 Chrift, the Glory of the Father: with which fhe is afterwards to be fully invefted : for fhe begins in this Life to. put on the Lord Jejus Chrift. And firong Men retain Riches. Thofe that are ftrong in the Faith make a due Ufe of the Riches of Grace in this Life ; and hereafter enter upon the. •fternal Poffeffion of Gldry in the next. Prov. Of the 0. Teftament vindicated. 115 Prov. 19. 1. Better is a poor Man- that walketh in his Integrity, than he that is preverje in his Lips and is a Fool. " An Antithefis is here evidently "intended; but is there (in Reality) the leaft " Antithefis between a poor Man and a FoolV There is the greateft Antithefis in the Reprefen- tation; and the greateft Diftance between them infaB, that can he conceiv'd. Let Abraham de termine this Point : Between us and you there is a great Gulph fixed: fo that they who would pafs from hence to you, cannot ; neither can they pafs ta us, that would come from thence. Luke 16. 26. For the Patriarch is introduc'd talking of the poor Man and the Fool, which are the Subject of •this Proverb. But to fee the whole of it in it's perfect Beauty, we muft confider it a little more minutely. — The poor Man of the Scriptures then is he to whom is promis'd the glorious Bleffing of an Inheritance in the Kingdom of Heaven. * It is he who hath that Difpofition which alone can qualify a Man for this Poffeffion either in it's Infancy of Grace; or in it's full Maturity of Qlory. It is he that bringeth every Thought into Captivity to the Obedience of Chrift, and who fub- jgcts himfelf to the Contempt and Ridicule of a perverfe Generation, for efteeming as Nothing -the Opinions of Men, however admir'd, if they in the leaft pollute thofe Streams which flow from the facred Fountain of Wifdom and Know lege. This is the poor Man, the humble Chriftian, of whom fo much is faid in the facred Scrip- . . a Mat. 5. 3. Bleffed are the poor in Spirit: for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. P 2 tures, 1 1 6 " The Printed Hebrew Text tures, efpecially in the Pfalms. — That walketh in hislntegrity. The Integrity of fallen Man is not a finlefs Obedience ; but it is fiich as is ap pointed for Man in his prefent Circumftances. An Integrity not his own, but deriv'd from an other ; even from the Spotlefs Purity of Chrift. ¦*— It confifts in a ready and unlimited Com pliance with all the inftituted Means of Grace ; by which the Pollutions of our Nature are at firft remov'd, it's Weaknefs afterwards affifted, * and all it's Corruptions at laft wholly taken a- way. This the Chriftian acknowleges is the un merited Favour of God, beftow'd upon him on the Application of certain Rites, which are meant to fhew him his own Depravity, with the means of removing it. To thefe therefore the Believer. has conftantly had Recourfe in every Age ; and has with a lively Faith perform'd the Rites" com manded, whether they have refpected a future Atonement, or a Satisfaction already made. — Than he that is perverfe in his Lips and is a Fool. This Perverfinefs and Folly is the conftant Cha- radteriftic of Unbelievers. They will not give up their own crude Notions, tho' fubverfive of the whole Scheme of Redemption. They a can not fee the Propriety of God's annexing to, the baptifmal Water the Power of wafhing away Sins; or of his fupportitig and animating the Soul by the Euchariftic Bread and Wine. Thus does the foolifh, fceptical Infidel trifle himfelf a Ihe naturil Man receiveth not the Things ef the Spirit of God: for they are Foolijhnefs unto him ; neither can be know them, becaufe they ere fpiritually difcerned. i Cor. z. 14.. out Of the 0. Teftament vindicated. 1 1 "7 out of his own Salvation, and die thro' the per- verfe Imaginations of his own Heart. — Better therefore, far better is the humble and lowly Chriftian who obtains Salvation by the only Me thod whereby Man can poffibly obtain it, than he that by his perverfe Folly will not be fav'd, becaufe he cannot arrive at Salvation in his own Way. — If the Proverbs are to be mangled in every Place, where a curfory Reader does not underftand them, we fhall foon have but little remaining of the prefent Collection ; the whole being, if poffible, lefs underftood than moft o- ther Parts of Scripture. It is the Part of a wife Man, a good Chriftian, to underftand both the Proverb and it's Interpretation : which are mani feftly confider'd as diftinct Things. a The firft, or literal Senfe, being only the Ground- work, on 1 which we are to raife the fpiritual Superftruc- ture. If. 37. 18. P. 510. " The true Englifh of this Verfe, as printed, is — "Truly, O Jehovah the " Kings of Affyria have laid wafie all the " lands and their land. Can we doubt " of a Miftake here ?" moft affuredly we can. It can never be deem'd barely lawful, much lefs ingenuous, to trahflate a Paffage awkardly and improperly, and* then to infer from thence the Corruption of the Original. Though, I am very forry to fay it, this has more than once been the Cafe with Mr. Kennicott. — Whoever would tranflate this Paffage, without being Guilty of any mean Evafions, or trifling Puerilities* muft a Prov. I. 6. To underftand a Proverb, and the Interpretation, do 1 1 8 The Printed Hebrew Text do it in the following Manner : Truly, O Jeho vah, the Kings of AJfyria have laid wafie all Countries and their Lands : they did not only depopulate the Country, making one univerfal Carnage, but they alfo exercifed their Cruelty on the Fruits of the Field. — That ptf does fignify the Inhabitants of a Country, as well as the Land itfelf, appears from the two following Paffages ; which being fufficient to determine the Point,; and to ftop the Mouths of Cavillers, I fhall not trouble the honeft Reader with more. Gen. 41. 55. And when all the Land ptf ***0 of E- • gypt was famijhed. Ver. §7'. Aid all Coun tries ptfn b"2 came into Egypt to Jojephfor to buy Corn. If Mr. Kennicott fhould chufe to tranf late thefe Paffages, in the Manner he has done, If. 37. 1 8. here would be a pretty Subject for him to exercife his Humour upon; as he might with ludicrous Ingenuity reprefent Fields with naked Trees, and Houfes with their meagre Inhabi tants marching into Egypt to traffick for Corn. If. 6 1 . 1 . . P. 5 1 o. " Will any one fay, that the ", Words Jehovah and Adonai were both origi-. " nally in this Verfe ?" Yes : with the good Leave of Mr. Kennicott I will fay it. And why fhould I not? does mrV Jehovah, fignify the fame with ">Y\a Lord? If it does not, why may they not both be there? — And as for the Paffage as it ftands in St. Luke, even a fuperficial Reader muft know the fatisfactory Anfwers which learned Men have given upon that, and the like Occafions. In Of the 0. Teftament vindicated. 1 1 (*** In P. 510, 511. Mr. Kennicott pleads for the Change of mn* into D»n*7N- " In Gen. 22. 14. "we read nna tavn naN> IPtf pint mn* " PINT mn* — x- 'every fenfible Reader, and in Contradiction to- "all the ancient Verfions ) is found regularly in- "the 1 26 The Printed Hebrew Text ,0 " the Text of MS 2, and in Qmib, 1, 2." The Participle D'Nl having been inferted in the Mar gin, aud receiv'd by our Tranflators and moft others, I have in Effect declar'd my Sentiments on this Subject heretofore. — But even 'fuppo fing it not to be there, I fee no great Reafon for Mr. Kennicott's paflionate Reflections : fince, if the Paffage was thus tranflated, it might not per haps, be fo defective as he apprehends : — Behold the Days I Jaith Jehovah, when the' City Jhall be built. P. 5 1 3 . " This Corruption reminds one of a "Corruption of the fame Word, that is much " more material. Every 'Man has felt the Force " of that Exclamation of St. Paul — 0 Death,, " where is thy Sting? 0 Grave, where is thy Vic- «f tory? But if we refer to Hofea 13. 14. from " whence the Apoftle cited thefe affecting Words,? " we find them greatly varied by the Corruption «f of this Word jTtf M, which by Tranfpofi- " tion is twice become ?ntf ero". In Hofea it is, and the Context determines it fhould be *ntf ero, O Death I will be thy Plagues; for the Speaker. is Godi the King of Ifrael; who had of old de- liyer'd his People from many and grievous Ene mies, but was hereafter to do that, of which thefe were only Types and Earnefts ; that is, He was to be the Plagues of Death, and the Defiruc- tion of the Grave. Here the Speaker being God, we fee a Reafon for the Expreffion as it ftands in Hofea : but when the Holy Ghoft applies it, a,s he is pleas'd to do in the Epiftle to the Corin-' thians, to the Triumph of the Church, They cannot Of the 0. Teftament vindicated. 121 cannot fay, 0 Death I will be thy Plague ; be caufe it was Chrift that conquer'd, and beftow'd the Benefits of his Victory on the Faithful. To adapt this, therefore to the latter Cafe, the Holy Ghoft "is pleas'd to change the Expreffion, and to put it into the Mouths of the Triumphant Saints. — And it is worth remarking, in Con firmation of what has been now obferv'd, that the Words immediately preceding thefe are alfo chang'd and adapted to the Church. Death is Jwallow'd up in ViBory : for as thefe Words ftand in Ifaiah 25. 8. they run thus, He will Jwallow. up Death in ViBory. By the new-coin'd Pronoun "OK Jer. 42. 6. P. 514. I fuppofe Mr. Kennicott means the old Pro^ noun, which but rarely occurs, if it is found at all except in this Place. It is corrected in the Margin, tho' I fee not why this Contraction of the Pronoun "UnJK may not as well be allow'd as *um. The Correction Mr. Kennicott propofes to be made Jer. 51. 3. is in the Margin of our Bibles; tho' our Tranflators have given the Paffage fuch a Turn, as not to reject any of the Words. — His next Inftance of ,1 Chron. 24. 6. where THK Occurs twice together, inftead (as he fuppofes) of fntt "inN, feems to me to be a common Idiom of the Hebrew Language ; not unlike what we have in Numb. 7. 11. mm avb ma **W} tDVb nna, rightly render'd by our Tranflators, Each Prince on his Day ; and in If. 26. 3. Thou wilt keep him in perfeB Peace Q-\b& 0*6tb whofe Mindis fiayed on thee ; and in 1 Chron. 9.32. ahd Q^ feven 122 T%e Printed Hebrew Text feven times in 1 Chron. 28. 14 — 17. and in ma ny other Places we find the like. P. 515. Jer. 50. 11. " In this Verfe we have " 4 Miftakes of the fame kind, ( fome of them " probably by AJjimilation) 4 Verbs ending with " 1 inftead of V Which are all corrected in the Margin. Ezek. 16. 13. " Here WV and ?nt*ON have a " * improperly, as have many other Words in " this Chapter." The *, fo frequently found at the End of Verbs in this Chapter, and fome o- thers, feems not to have been a Corruption, but to have fome ufe which Grammarians have not yet pointed out. The unneceffary Infertion of it cannot be accounted for, tho' the Omifiion of it by fome Tranfcribers may ; as they might, with Mr. Kennicott, think the Words more regular without it. Hofea 6. 4., 5. 0 Ephraim, what Jhall I do un to thee f O Judah, what Jhall I do unto thee 1 For your Goodnejs is as a morning Cloud; and as the early Dew, it goeth away. Therefore have Ihew'd them by the Prophets, Ihavefiainthem by the Words of my Mouth, and thy Judgments are as the Light that goeth forth. " aW ma '"paS&S'aT &judicia tua lux egredietur. " That thefe Words are greatly irregular, fuf- u ficiently appears from their having been very " perplexing to Dr. Pocock in his Comment on " this Prophet ; and I believe, few Readers re- "ceive Satisfaction from his long and labour'd " Explanation. I fhall therefore conclude the " prefent Extract with this Correction, 'as^ai " *>:¥» TWO. " The Of the Q-. Teftament vindicated. 123 "" The true Englifh Verfion therefore is — " And my Judgment Jhall go forth as the Light'' Mr. Kennicott is greatly miftaken when he thinks that thefe Words were very perplexing to Dr. Pocock. That Learned Commentator indeed ogives the various Comments of Jews and Chrif tians on this Paffage; not from any Perplexity or Doubt which to chufe, for he firft of all gives the Preference to one above the others; but to be confiftent with his Plan, which was to enumerate the various Interpretations of learned Men on every Verfe. — The Meaning of the Paffage is, I apprehend, as follows : After God had declar'd ¦ the Obftinacy of Ephraim and Ju dah, and the tranfient Effects of their Repent ance ; He tells them that for this Reafon he was eonftantly forming and reducing them to Order by his Servants the Prophets, and that their Judgments, which God fent upon them, were a Light going forth from God, the inexhauftible Fountain of Light, to point out to them, and bring them back from the Error of their Ways into the Way of Peace and Life. Thus have I gone thro' the whole of Mr. Ken-* nieott's Work without^defignedly omitting to enquire into any one difficult Paffage, produced by him in Favour of Corruptions, crept into the Printed Hebrew Text. If enough has been faid to prove the Work premature and hafty, and to account rationally and fatisfactorily for fome Things which at firft Sight may appear difficult, I fhall be well fatif- 124 3%e Printed Hebrew Text fied, and think myfelf amply rewarded for all the Trouble I have undergone upon this Occa- fion. For great Trouble it is to fee a Chriftian Brother, a Felloe-Labourer in the Lord's Vine yard, haftily and rafhly object in publick to thofe Things, which, had they been canvafs'd by pro per Judges, would have appear'd regular and beautiful. How cautious, in thefe unhappy Days of fupine Remiffnefs and Degeneracy, fhould e- very Chriftian be, in taking heed to his Steps, that he offend not, in this Manner, with his Tongue ! How may thefe Cavils hereafter be dealt forth to the great Trouble of the Learned, and to the great Confufion of the unlearned Minifter ? We all know by fatal Experience that a filly, mif- ftated Objection will avail with the unlearned, or unftable, even after the cleareft and moft fa- tisfactory Anfwer has been return'd. — And far ther, how dreadful would the Confequence be, fhould the Scheme, Mr. Kennicott contends for, , take place. I mean fhould there be a new Tranf lation of the Bible made from the Hebrew Text, after it has been corrupted in the Manner we have now feen. Should the Legiflature ever de liberate about this, (which God in his infinite Mercy and paternal Pity to this bur Land for bid ! ) - what anxious Grief of Heart would the pious Chriftian feel during that gloomy Seafon, when the Wrath of God would hang over our Heads, and threaten us with inftant unavoid able Vengeance ! But I truft that God will hear the Cries of the Inhabitants of this Land, who with united Voices daily proftrate themfelve§ at the Of the Oi Teftament vindicated. 125 the Throne of Grace, and beg that he who has given Wifdom to this venerable Council, would alfo move them to employ it for the Support of Chrift's Kingdom, by direBing and prospering all their Confultations to the Advancement of his Glory, the Good of his Church, — that fo by their Endeavours — Religion and Piety may be efiablijh'd among us for all Generations. We have feen, from what Mr. Kennicott has done, the miferable Confequences that would fol low from a Permiffion of fuch a Liberty as this. No Man could then refer to his Neighbour's Bi ble ; nor would th& Word of God ever give the fame Commands to any two Individuals. More over, what was tacitly allow'd to be the authen tic Revelation of Heaven to day might, when it was found inconvenient to retain it, be rejected as the Infertion of fome bold or carelefs Tran fcriber. And farther, whatever Difficulty was owing to the fmall Proficiency of the Reader in facred Knowlege, this would be charg'd on the Scripture itfelf; which muft therefore be pro- nounc'd unintelligible and corrupt as it ftands at prefent, and muft be- alter'd as every one fhould judge proper. This Mr. Kennicott's Conduct ob liges me to think would be the Cafe. For how many, and how very confiderable too, are the Alterations which he has introduced ? What ever Difficulty a curfory Reading fuggefted, this was immediately pronounc'd unanfwerable, tho' in many Cafes he might have found a full and fufficient Reply to his Cavil already given ; and in more would have been able, by proper Ap plication, 126 The Printed Hebrew Text plication, to have thrown frefh Light upon the Paffage as it now ftands, and to have fhew'd it's Relation to the, Context. It has, I believe, ap- pear'd in the foregoing Sheets, that a little more Caution, and a little farther Examination into the Original Language was neceffary for Mr. Kennicott, before he could properly undertake the Work we have been confidering. It is, in my Opinion, therefore highly neceffary to dif- ¦courage fuch rafh and hafty Attempts as thefe. The Word of God is not to be trifled with: the Almighty has fet his facred Seal to the fol lowing Decree, and determin'd for ever the Du ty of his Creature, Man : a If any Man Jhall add unto the Things deliver'd in thefe holy Pages, the Lord Jhall add unto him the Plagues that are written therein: And if any Man Jhall take away therefrom, God Jhall take away his Part out of the Book of Life, and out of the holy City. For this is the Treafure fent from Heaven to enrich the Sons of Men ; this the Light which is to direct their Feet into the Way of Peace. The Children of Adam, who have all wander'd out of the Way into the pathlefs Wildernefs of Sin and Ignorance, are for ever to have Recourfe to the Information of him, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Who, like a careful Shep herd, ever watchful for the Good of his help- lefs Flock, follows after, and brings back his wandring Charge^ and makes them one Fold under one Shepherd. This facred Depofitum therefore the Church of Chrift muft deliver a Rev, 22. iS, 19, down Of the 0. Teftament vindicated. 127 down to future Ages : to invalidate it's Evidence is to ftrike at the Root of human Happinefs, and will never be allow'd by that God, who has pro mis'd to his Church, that the Gates of Hell Jhall not prevail againft it. All I have undertaken upon this Occafion has been for the Glory of God ; if that is at all pro moted, I fhall not neglect to praife that all-wife and all-mighty Being, in whofe Hands the Mean- nefs of the Inftrument is of no avail ; as it is his peculiar Delight out of the Mouths of Babes and Sucklings to perfeB Praife. — I have little Favour to expect from the Hands of Mr. Kennicott, who has treated, in a very contemptuous and difre- refpectful Manner, all that oppos'd the Opinion he has happen' d to defend ; reprefenting them as deftitute of Reafon, incapable of Conviction, and unfit to be argued with. But this will not avail with me : I regard n o Man's Perfon : nor do I efteem, in the least; the Opinion of Men of like Paffions and Weakneffes with myfelf, when the Glory of Jehovah and his Chrift is concern'd, when the Knowlege of eternal Salva tion is to be preferv'd among the Sons of Men* That Defire of popular Applaufe, that Unwill- ingnefs to oppofe vulgar Errors and dangerous Cuftoms which have gradually crept into the Church by the Artifice of it's Adverfaries, which is in our Times fo prevalent, will I truft never influence my Conduct, or make me tacitly af- fent to what I in my Heart abhor. May this epidemical Evil be kept far off; and may God enable me, (notwithftanding all Oppofition) to come 128 The Printed Hebrew Text come to the Knowlege of his fpiritual Truths, and refolutely and invariably to ftand up for them, againft all that fhall knowingly or inad vertently betray them : and may I be no longer continued in Life, than while I fhall dare to em brace Truth, from whatever Quarter it Comes ; regardlefs of the noify Clamours which the Syf- tematic may raife, thro* a fearful Apprehenfion of they know not what, to be brought about they know not how. I would now defire the ferious Reader to afk. himfelf, what he thinks muft be the Confequence of Mr. Kennicott's Plan, if it is not generally dif- courag'd ? Whether he does not think that every Novice in the original Language of the Scrip tures would not dare to object without Modefty or Diffidence ? and whether in a fhort Time the Scriptures would, not, muft not neceffarily become fo very uncertain, as to be incapable of being any longer a Rule of Faith and Manners, a fure, un erring Guide to the Heavenly Paradife, the Blef- fed Abode of Saints in Glory? Let us therefore all unite in eftablifhing the Word of God in this our Land : in unfolding the gracious Truths it contains; that fo he that reads may hear the Voice of the Almighty fpeaking Peace and Com fort to his Soul : let the lifelefs Chriftians of the prefent Age be rous'd from their fpiritual Le thargy, by the active Zeal of Chrift 's fincere Vo taries, who muft not in thefe Days of fupine In difference, as they value their own Salvation, encourage the univerfal Difregard fhewn to, the Word of God, by encreafing the Number of foolifh Of the 0. Teftament vindicated. 129 foolifh Objections againft it; but muft with in defatigable Courage themfelves penetrate into the deep Receffes of this divine Treafury, in or der to behold and contemplate with facred Awe the rich Profufion of divine Bleffings therein dif- play'd ; and to affect all within their Sphere with equal Reverence for thefe facred Truths. 'Then will Mankind no longer openly blafpheme, or, what is almoft equally criminal, univerfally neg lect this higheft Gift of Heaven. Ignorance in the Teacher, or Inattention in the Hearer, I pro nounce not which, has moft certainly now re- duc'd the Word of God to the loweft Degree of univerfal Neglect and Contempt. That which moft gracioufly .holds forth Life and all Things in every Line is now reprefented as void of every Recommendation, as fit to afford Employment only to the unletter'd Herd, whofe untutor'd Minds incapacitate them for manly Purfuits. The Confequence is, as we might expect it fhould be, that to underftand this holy Volume makes no Part of the Education of thofe who are de- fign'd for the clerical Office, a fmall Part of their after Studies, and as little of their weekly Inftructions. A wicked new-fangled Method has been eftablifh'd, and now almoft univerfally pre vails, of teaching for DoBrines the Commandments of Men ; of dropping the Word of God, and .dealing forth, inftead thereof, I know not what fanciful Reveries of metaphyfical Moralifts, to the irreparable Hurt of the unedified Hearers, loft in the unknown Region of Abftractions. Pride and Vanity in fome, Ignorance and Idle- R nefs 130 The Printed Hebrew Text &c. nefs in others gave Rife to, and ftill preferves a- mongft us this deplorable Evil. By means of which the Knowlege of Chrift is gradually de- creafing in this bur Land, and muft foon, if the Clergy rife not to correct thefe melancholy Ab- ufes, be utterly loft, and the Inhabitants thereof once more plung'd into the Darknefs of Paga- nifm. Let us therefore all, in the Name of God, and out of tender Compaffion to ourfelves and Pofterity, draw off the Attention of the giddy Multitude from their childifh Purfuits, and lay open to them the Riches and Splendor of evan gelic Truths. Let us explain to them the enga ging and delightful Manner in which they are deliver'd ; the Pleafure of which, when through ly comprehended, can be only excell'd by fully Enjoying the Subject of thefe exalted Defcrip- tions. Let every Chriftian, in his Station, en deavour with Zeal and Earneftnefs to promote this Labour of Love : Then will the Chriftian Sojourner enjoy the Confolation appointed for him : He will behold the infinite Love of God fo far difplay'd in thefe holy Pages, where the future Happinefs of the Faithful is divinely de- crib'd by the Pen of the Ready Writer, that he will with Chearfulnefs refign himfelf even to all the feverer Difpenfations of the Almighty ;, keep ing his Eye invariably fix'd upon his future Glo ry, till the approach of that Time, when the un erring Wifdom of Jehovah fhall determine to take off his Veil of Mortality, and tranflate him hence to Light and Life Eternal. FINIS. 3 9002 08844 6506