ner of expreffing Things by the Hebrew Tongue, by the Means aforefaid, that they had Difficulty to know which Letters were of the Root, which were Prefixes, which Affixes, which Vowels were fixed, and which moveable, fo as to be able to diftinguifh the Parts of Grammar in the Words of their new modelled Languages, and began to lay down new Rules for the Signs; Terminations, &c. the very varying of the Terminations, of Mafculine, Femine, Neuter; of Active, Paffive, Paft, Present, to Come. &c. was enough to change a Tongue, which very low down, when the Confufion, and their Ignorance encreased so far, that the ordinary People could not read, they were forced to introducé Pointing to help them out; of which, and of the Abufes by it, in its Course.

The Uncertainty of Words fram'd by fallible Men, contrary to the Rules of forming the Hebrew Words, is fufficiently vifible in many of the compound Names, form'd and used by the Ifraelites. Indeed where the Reason for impofing the Name is affign'd, it cannot poffibly be mistaken; but where this is wanting by an Uncertainty (perhaps for want of their Rules) how many Letters belong to the firft Word, and fo what Word it is, and what Word

the

the fecond is, when the moveable Vowels are to be dropp'd, &c. Befides, there may have been Words in the Hebrew Tongue not used in the Scripture, which may be used in the Compofition of Names, which may make it impoffible to find the Words they are compounded of; and also the Names of Perfons, Places, or of the acting Powers or their Emblems, which were formed or reformed by them late, after Writing had taken Place among them, will be difficult to be understood, much more fo when they are compounded Words.

But to the Point: Some few Ages after Writing was revealed, about the Time when this first Confufion happened, that Part of the Earth became overftock'd with People; and from the various Causes or Pretences of Tyranny, Oppreffions of the great Kingdoms, of being harrafs'd by fuch Neighbours, or conquered, the illiterate poorer Sort deferted in Bodies; fometimes perhaps of different Dialects of a new Language, fometimes of different Languages, and fixed at vaft Diftances, in new Settlements, out of the Reach of their Countrymen or Enemies. Tho' there might be fome among them, who understood Writing, fo as to fet it forVOL. IV.

E

ward,

ward, the common People would foon run fo far further into Confufion, that they would not be able to distinguish the Numbers, Cafes, Genders, Moods, Tenfes, &c. but would be under a Neceffity to introduce feparate Particles, various Formations, and Terminations, to make the neceffary Diftinctions in what we now call Grammar. and the Lofs of the Ufe of the Roots, would force them to contrive fomething to supply the Prefixes, &c. which introduced prefixing Prepofitions, compounding of Words, &c. which made thofe Languages wholly arbitrary and uncertain; fo that the Meaning of the Words in all fuch dead Languages, except fo much of the Greek as was used by divine Writers in the New Teftament, which refers to, and depends upon the Hebrew, to depend wholly upon the Sense each Writer used them in; which has given. frequently many Senfes to one Word which

have no Relation in Idea or otherwife to one another, as you may fee in any Lexicon or Dictionary; and the Meaning of the Words in the living Languages, to the Ufage of this or that Writer, to the Ufage of the People in this or that Place, or, &c.

So to fum up the Matter, when the Heathens, who had fpoken the antient

Language,

Language, began to write, they began to neglect, and fo by Degrees loft the Knowledge of their Hierography, and fo of their Hieroglyphical Reprefentations; and by confounding the Roots of the Words in their Language, which preferv'd and convey'd proper Ideas, they loft the Knowledge of the Conditions of the Substance, their Powers and Actions, which they worfhipped; and those who went off with that Language, in a Manner wholly new, confounded moft of the fmall Remains of Knowledge they carry'd off with them, fo was their Worthip confounded. For as foon as they had loft the Knowledge of the Operations of the Air in the Heavens, upon the Orbs in the Earth, in raifing Waters, in Vegetation, in the Production of Creatures, in the Motions and Actions of Man's Body, &c. they loft the Degree of Gratitude and Reverence they paid to these Powers; the Knowledge of the fuppofed Obligation ceafed, and they became fit to receive another Religion; after that they worshipped they knew not what, nor for what they worshipped.

When the Ifraelites fell into this Worship to a confiderable Degree, and fo neglected the Covenant to have no other Aleim but Jehovah, and so to stone the first E 2 who

who attempted to feduce another, but let them increase till in the Beginning of Jehu's Reign, 2 Reg. x. there were Worshippers of Baal which filled his Temple, and fo on, till that People were at feveral Times carried into Captivity, and fo loft their Temple, and with it their Hierographicks, and with them the Knowledge of their Hieroglyphicks; that is, the Reprefentations of the Things, from whence the Ideas of Things unfeen were taken, which were exhibited in their Sanctum Sanctorum, in their Temple, before the Porch, &c. and which the Words in Hebrew, in a fecondary Manner, reprefented, by being committed to Writing were loft. And they in a great Measure loft the Knowledge of their Tongue, at least changed the Use of it for the Tongues of the Places whither they were carried, which had undergone thofe Changes, and, I think, underwent another in conforming it to the Hebrew Character, and thereby almost totally loft the Ufe of its Roots, at least totally among the common People; fo they, as well as the reft, by lofing their Temple and Language, loft the Knowledge of the Powers which had been revealed and preserved by Hieroglyphicks, and Words which exprefs'd them perfectly, and had been recorded