tions of the old Jews concerning the Refur rection, after what Manner they conceiv'd, it would be, and by what Arguments they were induced to believe it: And this fhall be the Subject of the following Differtation.

IT is to be noted, that in this, as also in many other Points, the first Notion of a Refurrection among the Jews was Matter of Revelation; but the Drefs given to it, and the Manner by which they conceived it would be effected, was the Invention of their own Imaginations. In the first therefore, namely, in the plain Doctrine of a Refurrection, however they may fail in the latter, we shall find the defpifed Jem as much fuperiour to the admired Greek, as Revelation is to Reafon.

BUT the Jewish and Rabbinical Learning hath fuffer'd much in the Opinion of the Generality of the World, as if Genius and Industry were loft in endeavouring to culti vate fo barren and unprofitable a Province; a Soil which would yield nothing but wild Fruit, Stories, and Allegories, which no Art could ever reduce to the Standard of Reafon and found Sense; and as if the Jewish Authors were all Men of fuch loft Understandings, as nothing rational or noble might be expected in their Writings. The Eaft hath been famous thro' all Antiquity for the Invention of Arts and Sciences: B 2 And

And fome of the chief Remains of that ancient Literature are certainly preferved in the Jewish Authors. But the frequent Captivities of the Jews formerly, and at last the utter Destruction of their Temple and Conftitution by the Roman Power, hath so blotted out their Name almost from being a People, as not to have left them so much as the empty Honour of an Account of most of their Actions and Writings. For, the greater Part, and probably the best of their Books are loft; yet is not the Spirit of this People for that reafon funk; but there have arofe fome few Genius's among them, even in these the Days of their Difperfion, equal perhaps to any the most Flourishing Times of Athens or Rome have produced. Maimonides, for Inftance, is a Parallel to either Plato or Cicero; who was a Man of the greatest natural Abilities, improved with extraordinary Industry and Study, and of a confummate Knowledge in the Jewish and Greek Literature. Not only his Countrymen, but all the Eaft had a juft Sense of his Merits. The Jews in a memorable Adage placed him next to their great Legislator Mofes His Moreh Nevochim (not to instance in his other Writings, which perhaps are not of fo near relation to us) will laft as long, and fpread as wide, as any of the Works of the above-mentioned famous Men. The main Fault in this

great

Man

in

Man was, too closely following the celabrated Greek Philofopher, Ariftotle. And if any Part of his Writings, his great Undertanding may have been fometimes borne down the Torrent of theVulgar Errors among his Country-Men; or if the Narrowness of their Conceptions, have cramped his Genius, not giving him room to shine; yet, notwith ftanding all Difficulties,the ὁ νὲς ἀρχιτέκτων, his great Manner of thinking, and Noble Difpo fition of fuch Materials as his Subject furnished, always fhew his admirable Sagacity and masterly Understanding.

Now, what hath given the greatest Occafion of Cenfure, and hath been to fome the Chief Matter of Scandal, is the frequent Ufe of bold Allegories, and Figurative and Enigmatical Defcriptions, in the Writings of the Jews; fuch as, if they should be taken in a strict and literal Senfe, would appear extremely abfurd. This is on all hands allow'd, and their own greatest Masters, Nachmanides Abravenel Kimchi, M. B. Ifrael, acknowledge an Excefs this way,among Country-Men; and complain of the perverfe Temper of fome, who are refolv'd, contrary to the Intention of the Authors, to understand their Stories, or Apologues, in a strict and rigorous Senfe. Maimonides wrote his Moreh Nevochim with this Defign, to explain the Merchavah, or Myftical Theology of the Jews: He understood their Cabbala, and the Mysteries of their Laws, better than

B 3

their

any

any of the Rabbins: He observed there were in the Holy Scriptures, a great many_Allegories, Figurative Expreffions and Types, but that the Jews had built upon them a ftrange Superstructure, heaped Metaphor on Metaphor; abundance of these Stories he beats down, the Fiction of the Zabii about Abraham he ridicules, takes notice of several of the more famous Traditional Stories among them, as that of Adam and Eve being formed with two Bodies joined together in One; and then remarks what a prodigious Stupidity it is for any not to apprehend this as fpoken allegorically. The fame Turn likewise he gives to the Rabbinical Accounts of the Vastnefs of the Tree of Life, and of the Serpent which tempted Eve. His Book before named hath for ever fet the Jewish Religion and OEconomy in a noble and beautiful Light; and he himself hath done, tho' undefignedly, a great Service to Christianity. Socrates was faid to bring Philofophy from Heaven to Earth, from the Speculation of Heavenly Bodies and their Phenomena, to the Conduct and Regulation of humane Life; it may with the fame Justice be affirmed of Maimonides, that he brought the Jewish Law and the Interpreters thereof, from Types and Parables, to plain Truth, and clear Reafon.

Maimonides hath an excellent Paffage in his Moreh Nevochim, fhewing both the erroneous Interpretations which were put on Al

legories,

legories, and the genuine and true Meaning of them, upon Occafion of mentioning a Ceremony of the Jews, at the Feast of Ťabernacles. *"As concerning those Four "Sorts of Boughs, which were to be carried "at the Feafts of the Tabernacles, (fays he) 66 our Rabbi's according to their Custom "have given an allegorical Reason for "it: For they are extremely delighted with "Allegories, as every one knows, who is "but the leaft converfant in their Writings; "not that they think them to be the strict "Sense and Meaning of the Scriptures, but "pleasant Fables, which have a Scripture "Moral couched under them. Now concern. "ing these, there are Two Opinions. Some

imagine they are brought by the Rabbins "to express the Senfe of the Text only more "fully and more largely; and others hold "them in great Contempt, as plainly fee

ing they cannot be the Meaning of the "Text. The former are violent in maintain"ing and verifying the Allegories, as the

very Paraphrastical Senfe of the Scripture, "and that as of equal Authority with the "Cabbalistical Traditions; but both Parties "are in the wrong, neither of them under"stood the Matter: For the Allegories are "not the very Scripture paraphrastically ex"prefs'd, nor yet ridiculous, but a fort of Fa