and feveral Tranflations or Parts from them into feveral of the Eaftern Languages, which we have supposed to have been corrupted Hebrew, befides that of the Latin, &c. fince; fome fince the Time of Mabomet. If there be any. MSS. writ before the Publication of the Gospel, or in Places where it never prevailed, preferved, what are we to expect to find in them? Accounts of the Foundation of the Covenant, and the Christian Syftem? No; they rejected that before Writing was, and were ignorant of it long before that Time, and were in Poffeffion of another Religion. Suppose they had not forgot it, and carry the Thing even beyond. Poffibility of Belief, that they had ftill retained the Knowledge of the Words, and the true Ideas of them, which were used in the Revelation at firft; is it to be expected they should ufe Words, or exprefs Things or Actions by Words, nay, commit thofe Words or Defcriptions of Things or Actions to Writing, which were in Oppofition to, and deftructive of, the Religion they profeffed ? 'Tis poffible there may be fome Footsteps found of the Powers which they worfhipped, and of the Services the feveral Sects paid to them, towards the latter End; we have Accounts of thofe, when they

were fully understood, clearly expreffed in the Bible, and the Bible will explain them, as you will fee below; and there is no Poffibility of conftruing the Accounts of them to any Certainty, any otherwise : But if they who writ the MSS. had loft the Knowledge of thefe Things as far as their Neighbours, if they were construed, they will only be falfe and Nonfenfe. If they had any Poets among them, and any of their Works be preferved, they may ferve to employ the Time of those who can or will do nothing better; but no Truth, or Advantage to Religion, or even to Philofophy, is to be expected from.

them.

If we confider the Tranflations of the Hebrew, we have the antienteft and beft, for any Thing we know, that the Church,. when they had the beft Opportunities, could procure. The little Knowledge that. remained of the Hebrew, was all in the Chaldee Jews; there were no others, as far as appears to me, that ever attempted. to tranflate any Thing from the Hebrew, except fome of the Fathers, who own. they did it by the Help of them, and that they fufpected their Fidelity. Indeed those Jews have done us an infinitely great Ser

vice, in what they did in the LXX, and Targum, in tranflating indifferent Things fo fairly, that they have fhewed us, who now have the Advantage of Concordances, &c. the Nature of the Hebrew Tongue, and the Meaning of fo many of the Words about indifferent Things, nay, the Meaning of the Roots, when used in indifferent Things, which are also used for Things which were not fo, but of the utmost Importance; which enables us to tranflate the Words which were not indifferent to them, and which have been, and are now in Conteft, between them and us; by which they have determined the Caufe against themselves, for which they, as they call it, repent, and keep a yearly Faft, to expiate that Crime, to this Day. Tranflations into other Languages, I think, were but made from thefe; fome of them by the faid Chaldee Jews, and even that into the Language fo much applauded, retaining the Hebrew Letter, and even fince the Alcoran was writ, and into the Language as it was fixed by it. What are they all worth? Have not they all, nay, even the Part we have of that, moft of, or all the Errors in Tranflation, which we find in the first, and many others, befides the Omiffions and Alter

G 3

All the

Alterations they made in the Points in Con-teft, to answer their Tenets? If there be any better left behind, and ftill preferved, and now to be procured, can we tell who writ them? Whether they were Originals, or how they have been copied Church or preserved? Has there been any to preferve them? Were not all these Parts over-run with Arianifm, &c. very early, and continued fo till God was pleafed to fuffer Mahometifm by Force to foot them out, and prevail? Is there any Thing to be expected from these People, till that Sect confound its felf, as Heathenim did? They cannot be capable of teaching Chriftians, but they may become capable of being taught by them.

Mofes, and the reft of the infpir'd Writers, were to record Ideas of Perfons and Things which exifted, of Actions which were performed and paft before Man was, before Writing was, fince Writing was; of Things paft, Things prefent, and Things to come, before this Syftem, in this Syftem, and after this System.

As the Accounts and Evidence in the facred Writings are not only of Things which cannot be writ by any others, but writ by an infallible Hand, and fo infinitely excel the Accounts or Evidence of

what

what was writ by the best of human Writers, at the refpective Times each was writ, and are writ alfo in a Language, which for its Certainty, infinitely excells all other Languages: So the Evidence from the Circumstances, or State of Things exprefs'd, which tend to prove fomething not exprefly revealed or writ is infinitely fuperior to any Conjectures which ever were, or ever will be made, by any of those who did not, or fhall not understand the State of Things when thofe Books were writ, or the State of Things paft then, or then to come, and defcribed in them.

As the Hebrew Bible was the first Writing, fo it contains a perfect Account of all the chief and firft Beings and Things, not only of the Originals, but of the Copies; and as the Knowledge of the Copies are abfolutely neceffary, because from them we know the Original; and, upon a fecondary Account, as every Action in this Syftem is perform'd by them, as well within as without our Bodies: So therefore every Man, whofe Circumstances and Abilities will allow him, at leaft, whoever pretends to qualify himself, to inftruct others, ought to acquire that Knowledge G4 before