k

tiles, are builded together, with the Jews, for an habitation of God through the Spirit; and now he bears all the glory of it. Once more, this perfon was not as yet grown up out of his place, but it is promised that he fhould, which cannot be true of Zerobabel, who was already grown up, and had been for fome time actually engaged in building the second temple, as appears from Haggai's prophecy. The Meffiah then, and not Zerobabel, is the perfon intended, whose name may well be called the Branch, by way of eminency, he being the most glorious branch of David's family, who also was to fpring from thence, when that family was only like a root in a dry ground; all which well agrees with the state of that family in the times of Jefus, and with that very mean appearance, which he made, when he, this branch, first budded forth from thence. The Septuagint here render the word nps, the Branch, by avalon, which properly fignifies the rifing of the fun, or that part of the heaven where the fun rifes, and fo may refpect the Meffiah as the fun of righteousness, who was to arife with healing in his wings'. Hence Zacharias in his fong, calls the Messiah Jesus avalon v↓es, the day-spring from on high, who bath vifited us: and from hence, perhaps, Oriens was used for a name of the Meffiah; and it is not without some shew of reason, that fome have thought this to be the meaning of the word in Tacitus, when he fays ", Pluribus perfuafio inerat, antiquis facerdotum literis contineri, eo ipfo tempore fore, ut valefceret oriens, "many were "perfuaded that in the ancient books of the priests were contained a pro"phecy, that at that time the east fhould prevail." In fine, the Meffiah is the man whose name is the Branch, fo often spoken of by the prophets, fo much expected by the Jews, and who budded forth in the perfon of Jefus. I shall conclude all with the words of Zacharias", Blessed be the Lord God of Ifrael, for be bath visited and redeemed his people, and hath raifed up an horn of falvation for us in the houfe of his fervant David, as he spake by the mouth of all his holy prophets, which have been fince the world began: That we should be faved from our enemies, and from the band of all that bate us, to perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember bis holy covenant, the oath which be fware to our father Abraham, that he would grant unto us; that we being delivered out of the bands of our enemies, might ferve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.

iWhich is understood of the Meffiah by Kimchi, and R Tanchuma in Allix's Judgment of the Jewish Church, p. 44, 64. * Luke i. 78. I Hammond on Luke i. 79. Bishop Chandler's Defence of Chriftianity, p. 28, 246, 5. C. 13. n Luke i. 68, &c.

m Hift. lib.

VOL. III.

Iii

A

A TABLE of the SCRIPTURES of the Old Teftament, which are cited and explained in the preceding TREATISE.

ཀྑཏྟཱནངན, ༣ -མསླར

Pfalm

22

362

418

22

418

31

34

418

47

3ı。 」 53

55

68

12

299

323

72

72

72

72

16

351

351

80

310

299

110

30

419

132

328

A DISSERTATION

CONCERNING THE

ANTIQUITY OF THE HEBREW LANGUAGE,

LETTERS, VOWEL-POINTS, AND ACCENTS.

ΤΗ

PRE F A C E.

HE following Differtation has long lain by me; nor was it written at first with any design to publish it to the world; but was written at leifure hours for my own amusement, and by way of effay to try how far back the antiquity of the things treated of in it could be carried. And what has prevailed upon me now to let it go into the world, and take its fate in it, are the confidence which fome late writers on the oppofite fide have expressed, their contempt of others that differ from them, and the air of triumph they have affumed, as if victory was proclaimed on their fide, and the controverfy at an end, which is far from being the cafe; and what feeming advantages are obtained, are chiefly owing to the indolence and floth of men, who read only on one fide of the question, and fuch who write one after another, and take things upon truft, without examining into them themselves, either through. want of ability, or through unwillingness to be at any pains about it.

I confefs, it has given me offence to obferve the Jews called by fuch opprobrious names, as villains, wilful corrupters of the Hebrew text, &c. It must be owned indeed, that they are very ignorant of divine things, and therefore the more to be pitied; and many of them are, no doubt, very immoral perfons; but have we not fuch of both forts among ourselves? Yet, as bad as the Jews are, the worst among them, I believe, would fooner die, than wilfully corrupt any part of the Hebrew Bible. We should not bear falfe witnefs.