"will come to nothing. Nevertheless, to fa tisfy your prefent Question, I tell you, you Samaritans, who are Moderns and can know nothing but from us, worship God without knowing his Precepts; but we Jews, who are from all Antiquity, know all his Laws; "and that Jerufalem is the Place of Worship appointed by God, and that the true Worfhip is only among the Jews, who worship "at the true Place appointed by God.

.

To confirm this Interpretation and Paraphrafe I will offer three Particulars;

1. First, if JESUS be fuppofed to affirm, according to the Vulgar Tranflation, that the Samaritans worship'd they knew not what, (meaning thereby, that they worship'd not the God of the Jews) it is to make him affert what was falfe in Fact; for the Samaritans of that Time had the fame fole Object of Worfhip with the Jews, whom they knew, or underftood as well as the Jews; and they do not then appear to have oppofed the Jewish Law in any other Refpect, than about the Place of Worship (which was indeed a Matter enjoin'd, and was fo (a) judged by JESUS); for in differing from the Jews about Traditions, they adhered more ftrictly to the Jewish Law, than to the Jews themselves; and our Saviour himfelf concurr'd with the Samaritans in rejecting thofe Traditions. Befides, JESUS, in this very Converfation, fuppofes (b) them to know what they worship'd, when he fuppofes

(4) 9.22.

(b) v. 21.

them

them equally with the Jews to worship the Father. And this very Samaritan Woman and other Samaritans (c) do by their speedy Conviction, that JESUS was the MESSIAS they expected, manifeftly show themselves to be better prepared by their Sentiments to receive Chrif tianity, than the Jerufalem Jews.

2. Secondly, to tell the Woman, Ye worship ye know not what, relates not to the Woman's Inquiry about the Place of Worfhip, but to a Matter wholly foreign. And the Answer of JESUS feems only pertinent by being underftood to the Effect I have above mention'd That is, as relating wholly to the Ignorance of the Samaritans about the Place of Worship, which was the fole Matter in Question.

3. Thirdly, the Words, for Salvation is of the Jews, imply a foregoing Refolution in general of the Queftion concerning the Place of Worship. For the fole Reafon, why Salvation was of the Jews, and not of the Samaritans, was only, that the Jews did, and the Samaritans did not worship at the Place appointed by God.

But fetting afide this Interpretation, I contend, that our Saviour has determined for Jerufalem, by faying, Salvation is of the Jews, and by what he adds in Relation to the Times coming, when Men might worship any where, and when nothing would be requifite but to worship God or the Father, in Spirit and Truth. For if the Time was to come, when

(c) v. 25. 29. 39. 41

Men

Men might worship any where, then they might not worship any where when JESUS fpake; and either Mount Gerizim or Jerufalem was then the fole true Place of Worthip and Salvation; JESUS plainly declares which of the two was that Place, by saying, Salvation was of the Jews.

(d) [Tho' the Nature of the Privilege and Advantage imply'd in the Term Salvation, ufed by our Saviour, be not the Matter here in Question; and it does not import me to fettle its Signification; yet I beg Leave to interpofe fo far here as to observe,

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First, that I do by no Means think it fignifies, as it may be vulgarly fuppofed, the eternally Reward of heavenly Happiness; and that I cannot without Horror fuppofe the bleffed and charitable Saviour imply'd thereby that the Samaritans and all other Men, befides the Jerufalem Jews, were to be eternally damn'd, and efpecially for fuch a Matter, of no Confequence in itself, as the mere Place of Worship, whether on this or that Mountain. Such a Notion, fo manifeftly abfurd and uncharitable, can only be grounded on the Spirit of Sectarianifm, and can only proceed from the most weak and felf-interested Men.

God, in dealing with the ten Tribes, after their Revolt from the Tribes of JUDAH and BENJAMIN and fetting up a Worship in Samaria, throughout the Old Teftament al

ways acts with fuch of them as his People, who fell not into Idolatry; and, in a very general Defection of thofe Tribes to the WorThip of BAAL, God owns feven thousand of them to be his People; when he (e) says, yet I have left me feven thousand in Ifrael, all the Knees, which have not bow'd to BAAL, and every Mouth, which hath not kissed him.

Moft of the Prophets (f) themselves, whofe Works make a Part of the Books of the Old Teftament, were of the Samaritan Schifm. HOSEAH was of the Tribe of ISSACHAR; JOEL was of the Tribe of RUBEN; JONAH. was of the Tribe of ZABULON; and OBADIAH was born at BETHACAD, in the Neighbourhood of the City of Samaria. And yet I prefume no one will fay, these Prophets are damn'd.

ELIJAH and ELISHA, two renown'd Prophets and Workers of many Miracles, always lived in the Schifm; the firft whereof had a miraculous Paffage to Heaven, going thither in his life Time in a fiery Chariot; which is a more evident Proof of his not being damn'd, than can be had of any of the most orthodox Church.

Nor do we ever hear of any of these Prophets going to Jerufalem to worship, or exhorting the People of Samaria to do fo; tho' it was the known Practice of other Jews to come annually from very remote Places to

(e) 1 Kings 19. 18.

C. 12. P1 277---288.

(f) Bafnage Hift. des Juifs. 1. 2.

worship

worship at Jerufalem; and they feem concern'd only to keep up the Worship of God, according to the Inffitution of MOSES, in Samaria, and to prevent and root out Idolatry.

From all which it should feem, that the Samaritan Separation, or Worship fet up at Samaria, in Oppofition to the Worship establifh'd at Jerufalem, did not damn all those, who were engaged in it, but was a Way to Heaven no lefs certain than the Worship at Jerufalem.

Befides, our bleffed Saviour (g) by his Parable of the good Samaritan seems to fuppofe the Samaritans in a better Way to Heaven, than even the Jewish Levites; and it (b) feems, that he should not condemn the Samaritan Woman, with whom he converfed, and other Samaritans, whom she brought to him; who all believed him to be the MESSIAS, and That with more readiness than the Jerufalem Jews.

Secondly, that Salvation is of the Jews feems to me (i) to fignify only, that the MESSIAS, or Saviour, or Redeemer of Ifrael, fhould arise out of thofe Jews, who worfhip'd at Jerufalem, and not from among thofe Jews, who worship'd at Samaria, or Mount Gerizim.]

3. But in Relation to the Samaritan Pentateuch, I would ask Mr. W. whether That has not the fame Account of MOSES's Death, and

(g) Luke 10.

(i) Luke 1. 69---77. Ib. 2. 30.

(b) John 4.

Burial,