CHAP. V.

Of the various Readings in the Old and New Teftament.

Tis to be obferv'd, that an extrardinary

Providence has in a great measure secur'd the Holy Scriptures from those Casualties which are incident to humane Writings. For the great Antiquity of many Books of the Scriptures, beyond that of any other Books in the World, the multitude of Copies, which have been taken in all Ages and Nations, the difficulty to avoid mistakes in tranfcribing Books, in a Language which has fo many of its Letters and of its Words themselves fo like one another, the defect of the Hebrew Vowels, and the late invention (as it is generally now acknowledged) of the Points,the change of the Samaritan, or ancient Hebrew for the prefent Hebrew Character the captivity of the whole Nation of the Jews for feventy years, and the mixtures and changes, which were during that time, brought into their Language; in fhort, all the accidents which have ever happened to occafion errors or mistakes in any Book, have concurred to caufe them in the Old Teftament; and yet the different Readings are much fewer, and make

mùch'

much less alteration in the fenfe, than those of any other Book of the fame bigness, and of any Note and Antiquity, if all the Copies fhould be carefully examined, and every little variation as punctually fet down, as those of the Scriptures have been. But tho from hence it may appear, that a peculiar providence has been concerned in the prefervation of the Books of the Scriptures, yet from humane confiderations and arguments, we may likewife be affured, that nothing prejudicial to the Authority of the Scriptures has happened by any of these means.

1. The defect in the Hebrew Vowels, and the late Invention of the Points is no prejuduce to the Authority of the Bible, as we now have it. Tho the Points,' which crititically determine the exact Reading of the Hebrew Tongue, be of a later invention, yet that Tongue was never without its Vowels. For Aleph,Vau,and Jod,and (which fome add) He and Gnajm, before the invention of the Points,were used as Vowels,as it is evidently proved from Jofephus, ton.Prolegom. Origen, and St Jerom, by the iii. f. 49. beft Criticks in that Language. It must indeed be confeft, that these Vowels could not. be fo effectual to afcertain the true Reading, as the Points have fince been, but whatever defect there might be in the Vowels, it was fupplied by conftant ufe and practice, and by fome general Rules, which they obferved in

Vid. Wal

the

the Reading. The Bible being a Book which by Divine Commandment was so often and carefully read both in publick and private, the Hebrew Text might be exactly read, and the true fenfe certainly retain'd and known; and it is no wonder, that by conftant use and continual practice and custom from their infancy, the Jews could read it with eafe and readiness without Points, which is no more than is ordinarily done now by men, who are skilful in that Language, and divers have attain'd, to it by their own obfervation and industry. If there were the more difficulty in the Hebrew Tongue. before the invention of Points, there was the more care and study ufed about it, the Jews having times purposely set apart, for the reading of the Law, ftudied it with that diligence and exactness, that they knew it as well as Jofeph. they did their own Names, or better. * Jocontr.Ap. Sephus expreffes it, if that were poffible; and they used fo great accuracy both in their Pronouncing and Writing, that there could be no danger, that any confiderable mistake fhould be occafioned by any defect in the Vowels, before the Points were found out. This was a great part of the Jewish Learning, (as † Bishop Walton obferves) the true Reading confidere of the Text, and they who were most accurate and c. x. S. 8. exact therein,were honoured most amongst 'em,and had their Schools,and their Scholars and Difciples, whom they inftructed from time to time, till at

lib. ii.

+ Confi

derat.

length

length in regard of their many dispersions and banishments, that the true reading might not be loft with the Language, they began to affix Points to the Text, as well to facilitate the reading, as to preferve it the better from any alteration or change.

* Wait:

Prole

gom iii.f

Epift. 19:

Orient.

But this is an objection, which never could have been made but in the Western parts of the world; for in the East they commonly write yet without points, as the Jews likewife write the Western Languages, where they live, without points, in the Hebrew Character. *The Samaritans ftill have no points. And the Children of the Turks, Arabians, and 40.Morin Perfians, and generally of all the Mahometans, & 76. in learn to read without them. * Ifaac Voffius ter Antifays the Afiaticks laugh at the Europeans, be quit.Eccl. cause they cannot read as they do without t Jofeph. Vowels. Schickard confeft, that he had Scalig. E known Children of feven years of age, read Voff. de pift: 243: the Pentateuch meerly by ufe. Clenard, and Sibyll. Erpenius himself, who was fo famous for the + Walt. Arabick, and other Eastern Languages, both Prole of them declared, that they learned the Ara-o. bick only by their own ftudy and diligence Ltd. from Books without points: and Arpenius had Capel. de attained to fuch accuracy in that Language, Hebr.An before he had read any Book with the points, tiqu. lib that Ifaac Cafaubon fo far approved of the Tranflation which he had then made, of the Arabick Nubian Geography into Latin, that he was very earneft with him to publifh it. Lu

K

dovicus

t

Orac.

gom. iii

*

50.

Punct

ii. c. 27.

4, 5, 6.

dovicus Capellus befides gives an instance from his own knowledge of one, who when he had scarce been taught the Arabick Alphabet, made a great progrefs in that Tongue in four months, only by his own induftry, and without the help of points.

All these things confidered, it would be a strange Paradox to pretend, that there is no certainty in the Ancient Eastern way of writing, and that no body can certainly know what their Authors meant, nay, that they did not know one anothers meaning, as well as we do now in our manner of writing, before some certain time, when the points are fuppofed to be first found out.

II. The change of the Old Hebrew Character into that now in ufe, is no prejudice to the Authority of the Hebrew Text. Because this was but the writing over that, which was before in one Alphabet into another, the Language being still the fame and this, if it were done with fufficient care (as we have all the reason in the world to believe it was) could make no material mistakes, and we find it hath not, by the agreement between the Hebrew and the Samaritan Pentateuch still

extant.

III. The Keri and the Kelib, or the difference in fome places between the Text and the Marginal Reading, is no prejudice to the Authority of the Scripture. For as the various Lections of the Bible are much fewer,

con