"wherein it was exprefly declared, that this JESUS, WHO WAS CRUCIFY'D, WAS GOD AND MAN, AND WAS TO BE CRUCIFY'D AND DIE. Which Texts, because I know "that all thofe of your Nation do reject, I "do not infift upon fuch Inquiries; but shall content myself in these Debates with making Ufe of those Texts, that are still excc tant in your allow'd Bibles. For as to what "Texts I have hitherto alledged to you, you "allow of them all; excepting that short as you Citation, Behold, a Virgin fhall be with "Child." Then TRYPHO faid, "I defire, "that you will firft tell us which are those "Texts of Scripture, that you fay have been corrupted. To which I reply'd; I will do defire me. From what ESDRAS explain'd concerning the Law of the Paffover, they have taken away this Part of his Explication. And ESDRAS faid to the People, "this Paffover is your Saviour and your Refuge; and if you will confider it, and it come into your Heart that we shall humble "him for a Sign, and afterward fhall believe on him, then this Place fhall not be made defolate for ever, fays the Lord of Hofts. But if you shall not believe on him, nor "barken to his Preaching, you shall be rejoyced over among the Nations. And from the "Words (i) of JEREMIAH, they have cut "off This; I was an (innocent) Lamb, that was led to be facrificed. They devized De "vices against me, faying, Let us caft Wood "into his Bread, and let us thrust him out of "the Land of the Living; and let his Name "be remember'd no more. Now this Text, "which is taken out of the Words of JEREMIAH, is still found written in fome Copies, "that are in the Jewish Synagogues; for they "have taken them away but a little while ago; and That on Account of the Demon"stration, that arises from them, that the Jews would take Council about CHRIST himself, "to take him away by crucifying him; and "that after fuch Council they have crucify'd "him. Befides, they have in like Manner "taken away what follows from the Words of "the fame JEREMIAH; The Lord, the God of Ifrael, remembred those of his, that were dead, that were afleep in the Duft of the "Earth; and he defcended to them, and preach'd "his Salvation to them. They have also taken away these few short Words from the Pfalms " of DAVID, (k) from the Tree. For when "the Words were thefe, fay ye among the Gentiles, that the Lord hath reign'd from "the Tree; they left it thus, fay ye among "the Gentiles, that the Lord hath reign'd. Mr. W. (1) farther fupports this Charge against the Jews, by producing a Paffage from the fame JUSTIN, wherein is contain'd a Quotation out of the Prophet ZACHARY, which, he fays, is not now to be found in ZACHARY. JUSTIN's Words (m) are, "Now (k) Pfal. 46. 10. (1) Whiston, p. 144. what "what the Jews will fay and do when they "fee CHRIST a coming in Glory, we are "foretold by the Prophet ZACHARY, in thefe Words; I will command the four Winds to gather together my difperfed Children. I "will command the North to bring them, and "the South not to hinder them. And then "there shall be a great Wailing in Jeru falem; not a Wailing of the Mouths or Lips, "but a Wailing of the Heart; and they shall "not rend their Garments but their Minds. "One Tribe shall wail another Tribe; and "then fhall they fee him, whom they have pierced; and they shall fay, why haft thou, "O Lord, made us to wander from thy Way? The Glory, with which our Fathers "have blefs'd us, is become a Reproach to (6 us." In fine, Mr. W. (n) fays, the Jews have changed this Claufe, they pierced my Hands and my Feet, which he thinks evidently foretold the piercing the Hands and Feet of JESUS of Nazareth, and inftead thereof read, as a Lion my Hands and my Feet. Before I answer to thefe Objections, I will readily confefs to Mr. W. that the Books of the Old Testament are greatly corrupted, That is, greatly changed from what they were when they proceeded from the Authors of them. He has himfelf acknowledged, and in many Refpects proved, that those Books are (0) (1) Whifton, p. 78, 79. Pf. 2^. v. 16. (o) p. 33. 44-86. 113.-129. 140. 202. See alfo Simon Hift. Crit. du V. Teft. 1. 1. & Capelli Critica Sacra. greatly greatly corrupted; and particularly, that they are fo frequently corrupted in the Names, and Numbers therein fet down, especially the Books written after the Captivity, that it is almoft endlefs to enter into the Detail of them; many fuch Changes happening, without any form'd Defign, from the Nature of Things. And it is now generally allow'd by the most judicious and learned (p) Criticks, fuch as HUET, SIMON, DU PIN, LE CLERC, and particuarly, of late, by our excellent PRIDEAUX; that, after the Captivity, feveral Places were added throughout the Holy Scriptures; or that there are feveral Interpolations, which occur in many Places of the Holy Scriptures; for that there are fuch Interpolations is undeniable, there being many Paffages thro' the whole facred Writ, which create Difficulties, that can never be folved, without allowing of them. Which Interpolations being allow'd to be made long after the Captivity, it should seem, that there are more others than are commonly thought on, and particularly, that many of the prophetical Paffages with their Completions have been added. For if once it be allow'd, that Books collected into one Volume have been retrieved from Obfcurity, and have had Additions made throughout to them, and That without any exprefs Notice given of fuch Ad (p) Huetii Demonft. Evangel. Simon, Ib. Dupin Differt. Prelim. fur la Bible. Le Clerc in Vet. Teftam. & Sentimens des quelques Theol. Prideaux's Connection, &c. Vol. 1. p. 342, &c. See alfo Epifcopii Inftit. Theol. 1. 3. c. I. p. 217. Limburgii Amica Collatio, &c. p. 181. ditions, ditions, which are only to be found out by a critical Examination of thofe Books them felves; Prophefies with their Completions recorded in those Books, or fulfill'd before thofe Books were publifh'd with Additions, may be justly fufpected to be Interpolations or Additions. For plain Prophefies, with exact Com-` pletions, are not Matters in themselves very credible, without the best and most undeniable Atteftations that the former exifted before the latter; and it seems most natural, upon the first View of a Prophecy plainly fulfill'd, to fuppofe the Prophecy made for the Sake of the Event, or both Prophecy and Event invented; as we do in the Cafe of HOMER and VIRGIL and other Pagan Authors, who make telling Things by Way of Prophecy, a Method in Writing; founded, in all Likelihood, on a Defign to keep up Prophecy (which made fo great a Part of the Pagan Religion) among the Pagans. The Pentateuch, or Book of the Law (the grofs (q) whereof feems only contended for as genuine and faithfully preferved) must, in a particular Manner, have been liable to great Alterations; as having been antiently much neglected by the Jews, who, both during their Commonwealth and Monarchy, were for the most Part Idolaters and fubject to fome other religious Law; and as having been reduced, for a confiderable Time, to (r) one Copy, (4) Stanhope's Boylean Lectures, 1701, Sermon 2. p. 23. (r) 2 Kings 22. Prideaux's Connection, Vol. 1. p. 373. See alfo p. 47. 330. which |