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dently necessary to the sense of their places; or, [3.] Their incoherence with the text in their several stations; or, [4.] Evidence of being intended as expository of difficulties, having been moved and assoiled by some of the ancients upon the places, and their resolutions being intimated; or, [5.] Are foisted out of the LXX, as many places out of the New have been inserted into that copy of the Old; or, [6.] Are taken out of one place in the same penman, and are used in another; or, [7.] Are apparently taken out of one Gospel, and supplied in another, to make out the sense of the place; or, [8.] Have been corrected by the Vulgar Latin, which hath often fallen out in some copies, as Lucas Brugensis shews us, on Matt. xvii. 2. Mark i. 38. vii. 4. and sundry other places; or, [9.] Arise out of copies apparently corrupted, like that of Beza in Luke, and that in the Vatican, boasted of by Huntly the Jesuit, which Lucas Brugensis affirms to have been changed by the Vulgar Latin, and was written and corrected, as Erasmus says, about the council of Florence, when an agreement was patched up between the Greeks and Latins; or, [10.] Are notoriously corrupted by the old heretics, as 1 John v. 7. Unto which heads, many, yea the most of the various lections collected in this appendix may be referred; I say, if this work might be done with care and diligence (whereunto I earnestly exhort some in this university, who have both ability and leisure for it), it would quickly appear, how small the number is of those varieties in the Greek copies of the New Testament, which may pretend unto any consideration under the state and title of various lections; and of how very little importance they are, to weaken in any measure my former assertion concerning the care and providence of God in the preservation of his word. But this is a work of more time and leisure, than at present I am possessor of; what is to come, Jɛoũ έv yoúvaσɩ kɛital. In the mean time I doubt not, but to hear tidings from Rome concerning this variety, no such collection having as yet been made in the world.

CHAP. IV.

General premises. Opinions prejudicial to the authority of the originals in the Prolegomena, enumerated. The just consequences of those premises. Others engaged in these opinions. Of Capellus. Of Origen, Zimenius, Arias Montanus's editions of the Bible.

HAVING now declared in what sense, and with what allowance, as to various lections, I maintain the assertion laid down in the foregoing treatise, concerning the providential preservation of the whole book of God, so that we may have full assurance, that we enjoy the whole revelation of his will, in the copies abiding amongst us, I shall now proceed to weigh what may be objected farther (beyond what hath already been insisted on) against the truth of it, from the prolegomena and appendix to the Biblia Polyglotta, at the entrance of our discourse proposed to consideration.

1. To speak somewhat of them in general, I must crave leave to say, and it being but the representation of men's avowed judgments, I hope I may say without offence, that together with many high and honourable expressions concerning the originals, setting aside the incredible figment, of the Jews corrupting the Bible out of hatred to the Christians, which being first supposed by Justin Martyr (though he speak of the Septuagint only), hath scarce found one or two since to own it, but is rejected by the universality of learned men, ancient and modern, unless some few Papists mad upon their idols, and the thesis preferring in general this or that translation above the original, there is no opinion that I know of, that was ever ventilated among Christians, tending to the depression of the worth, or impairing the esteem, of the Hebrew copies, which is not directly, or by just consequence, owned in these prolegomena. Thence it is contended that the present Hebrew character is not that used by God himself, and in the old church before the captivity of Babylon, but it is the Chaldean, the other being left to the Samaritans; that the points or vowels, and accents, are a late invention of the Tiberian Massorites, long after sundry translations were extant in the world; that the Keri Uketif are critical notes, consisting partly of various lections gathered by the late Massorites and Rabbins; that

considering how oft-times in likelihood, translators read the text before the invention of the points and accents, the present reading may be corrected and amended by them; and that, because the old translators had other copies, or differing copies from them which we now enjoy. That where gross faults are crept into the Hebrew text, men may by their own conjectures find out various lections, whereby they may be amended, and to this purpose an instance of such various lections, or rather corrections of the original, is in the appendix exhibited unto us out of Grotius. That the books of the Scriptures have had the fate of other books, by passing through the hands of many transcribers, they have upon them the marks of their negligence, ignorance, and sloth.

Now truly, I cannot but wish that some other way had been found out to give esteem and reputation to this noble collection of translations, than by espousing these opinions, so prejudicial to the truth and authority of the originals. And it may be justly feared, that where one will relieve himself against the uncertainty of the originals, by the considerations of the various translations here exhibited unto us, being such, as upon trial they will be found to be, many will be ready to question the foundation of all.

It is true, the learned prefacer owns not those wretched consequences, that some have laboured to draw from these premises; yet it must be acknowledged also, that sufficient security against the lawful deriving those consequences from these premises, is not tendered unto us: he says not, that because this is the state of the Hebrew language and Bible, therefore all things in it are dubious and uncertain, easy to be turned unto various senses, not fit to be a rule for the trial of other translations, though he knows full well who thinks this a just consequence from the opinion of the novelty of the vowels; and himself grants that all our knowledge of the Hebrew is taken from the translation of the LXX, as he is quoted to that purpose by Morinus; Præfat. ad opusc. Hebræ. Samarit. He concludes not, that on these accounts we must rely upon an infallible living judge, and the translation that he shall commend unto us; though he knows full well who do so; and himself gives it for a rule, that at the correction of the original, we have the consent of the guides of the church: I could desire then, I say, that

sufficient security may be tendered us against these inferences, before the premises be embraced; seeing great and wise men, as we shall farther see anon, do suppose them naturally and necessarily to flow from them.

It is confessed that some learned men, even among the Protestants, have heretofore vented these or some of these paradoxes: especially Capellus in his 'Arcanum punctationis revelatum,'Critica sacra,' and other treatises: in the defence whereof, as I hear, he still laboureth, being unwilling to suffer loss in the fruit of so great pains. What will become of his reply unto Buxtorfius in the defence of his Critica, I know not: reports are that it is finished; and it is thought he must once more fly to the Papists by the help of his son, a great zealot amongst them, as he did with his Critica to get it published. The generality of learned men among Protestants are not yet infected with this leaven. Nor indeed do I find his boldness in conjecturing approved in these prolegomena. But let it be free for men to make known their judgments in the severals mentioned. It hath been so, and may it abide so still. Had not this great and useful work been prefaced with the stating of them, it had not been of public concernment (as now it seems to be) to have taken notice of them.

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Besides it is not known whither this inconvenience will grow. Origen, in his Octapla, as was declared, fixed the Hebrew original as the rule and measure of all translations. In the reviving of that kind of work by Zimenius in the Complutensian Bibles, its station is left unto it. Arias Montanus who followed in their steps (concerning whose performances under his master the king of Spain, I may say for sundry excellencies, nil oriturum alias, nil ortum tale') was religiously careful to maintain the purity of the originals, publishing the Hebrew verity (as it is called by Jerome, Austin, and others of the ancients) as the rule of examining by it all translations whatever; for which he is since accused of ignorance by a petulant Jesuit, that never deserved to carry his books after him. Michael le Jay hath given a turn to this progress, and in plain terms exalts a corrupt translation above the originals; and that upon the principle under consideration, as is abundantly manifest from Morinus. And

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a Morin. Exercit. de Heb. Text. sinc. lib. 1. ex. 1. cap. 4.

if this change of judgment which hath been long insinuating itself, by the curiosity and boldness of critics, should break in also upon the Protestant world, and be avowed in public works, it is easy to conjecture what the end will be. We went from Rome under the conduct of the purity of the originals, I wish none have a mind to return thither again, under the pretence of their corruption.

CHAP. V.

The original of the points proposed to consideration in particular. The importance of the points to the right understanding of the Scripture; the testimony of Morinus, Junius, Johannes Isaac, Cevallerius, and others. The use made by the Papists of the opinion of the novelty of the points. The importance of the points farther manifested. The extreme danger of making the Hebrew punctuation arbitrary. That danger evinced by instance. No relief against that danger, on the grounds of the opinion considered. The authors of the Hebrew punctuation according to the Prolegomena: who and what. Morinus's folly. The improbability of this pretence. The state of the Jews, the supposed inventors of the points after the destruction of the temple. Two attempts made by them to restore their religion. The former under Barchochab, with its issue. The second under R. Judah, with its issue. The rise and foundation of the Talmuds. The state of the Jews upon and after the writing of the Talmuds. Their rancour against Christ. Who the Tiberian Massorites were, that are the supposed authors of the Hebrew punctuation: their description. That figment rejected. The late testimony of Dr. Lightfoot to this purpose. The rise of the opinion of the novelty of the points. Of Elias Levita. The value of his testimony in this case. Of the validity of the testimony of the Jewish Rabbins. Some considerations about the antiquity of the points; the first from the nature of the punctuation itself, in reference unto grammatical rules. From the Chaldee paraphrase, and integrity of the Scripture as now pointed.

THIS being, in my apprehension, the state of things amongst us, I hope I may, without offence, proceed to the consideration of the particulars before mentioned, from whence it is feared that objections may arise against the purity and selfevidencing power of the Scriptures, pleaded for in the foregoing treatise. That which in the first place was mentioned, is the assertion of the points or vowels, and accents, to be a novel invention of some Rabbins of Tiberias, in Palestina. This the learned author of the prolegomena defends with Capellus's arguments, and such other additions as he was

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