tations made from the Old in the New Te ftament.

6. As to the Hebrew Copies, that have never come into the Hands of the MASORITES, and the Greek Copies of the Vulgar Septuagint Verfion, read in Churches all the first Ages of Christianity, or any Parts of them; they no where appearing, and being themselves (g) to be recover'd, cannot, till recover'd, be of any Use towards reftoring a true Text. They are themselves to be restored, in order to restore a true Text.

7. As to the Apoftolical Conftitutions, the Fathers, and the Hereticks; it is fufficient to obferve of them, as I have done of feveral of his former Means (without taking Notice after what Manner they cite the Old Teftament), that Mr. W. is not able to fettle by their Help any apoftolick Quotations in the Old Teftament, fo as to make them pertinently apply'd, which now feem, according to him, to be impertinently apply'd. And I add, that these,and all the foregoing Means, will be fo far from effecting what he proposes, that they will on the contrary show, that the Apostles cited, and reafon'd, from the Old Teftament, juft as they now appear, from our prefent View of the Old and New Teftament, to have done. All which must be unaccountable on Mr. W's Hypothefis; for it cannot be fuppofed, that if the Jews have fo greatly corrupted the Old Teftament as Mr. W. pretends, but it would appear,infomeone In

stance at least, in some one Copy or Author exhibiting to us what would justify the Pertinency of the Application of what now seems impertinent.

1. The laft Means are, making Alterations by the Force of Criticism; which tho' he has omitted among his Means, is by the Ufe he makes of it, and by the Neceffity he has of it, his principal, and, indeed, only Means, and will, if any can, ferve his Purpofe. For That extends to every Quotation made from the Old in the New Testament, and gives him Liberty and Scope to chop and change the whole Old Teftament as he pleafes. Befides, the Books of the Old Teftament seem to give a juft Occafion for making many Alterations, and efpecially to him, as will appear, if we confider the original Condition of those Books (of whofe Method and Order the Rabbins (r) had this common Maxim, that there is no first and last in the Holy Scripture); if we confider the great Changes and Alterations, which from Time to Time they have received; if we confider his Opinion (s) of the corrupt State of thofe Books, and efpecially of the Books of the Prophets; which were not only corrupted, according to him, in common with the other Books of the Old Teftament, before the Coming of CHRIST, but have fince the Coming of CHRIST been corrupted by the Jews with exprefs Defign to render the Quotations, made by the Apoftles from thence, feem impertinent; and laftly, if we confider his re

(r) Lightfoot's Works, Vol. 2. p. 666.
(s) Whilton's Boyl. Lect. p. 67, and Essay, &c.

jecting

jecting the (t) Song of Songs from the Canon, as an impious, loose, and obfcene Book, which pious (u) Chriftians in all Ages have efteem'd an allegorical Dialogue between God and his Church. And it is not to be doubted but that his own Inclination to admit the most precarious Hypothefis, which he thinks neceffary to fupport Religion, will carry him to great Extreams in Alterations, with Respect to the whole, as it has done already with Refpect to fome Parts of the Old Teftament. For can there be, for Example, a greater Liberty taken in making Alterations than by the mere Force of Criticism, to ftrike out Paffages, which evidently determine the Senfe of Prophefies to Perfons living in or near the supposed Times of the Prophets, and the plying those Prophefies to JESUS as the MESSIAS, or to very remote Events from the Times when the Prophefies were deliver'd; as Mr. W. does in feveral (w) Instances? For herein Mr. W. makes Prophefies; which being Miracles, and not Things naturally to be fuppofed and credited, are at all Times liable to Sufpicion, without the best Proofs, that they were really made at the Time they were faid to be made. A Man may fairly, with many Christian Divines, strike out the laft Chapter in Deutronomy, and fuppofe, that Moses did not write historically of his own Death, and Burial, and of Matters, which came to pafs long after his Death; but to

t) Suppl. to Elay. (w) Boyl. Lect. p. 256.

ap

ftrike (x) out a Paffage in SAMUEL, which limits a Prophesy to SOLOMON, and to strike out a Paffage in ISAIAH, which limits a Prophesy to a Year or two from the Time ISAIAH deliver'd it, in order to make a Prophefy of the MESSIAS in the first Cafe, and a Prophesy about the Birth of JESUS of the Virgin MARY in the latter, is directly to make Prophefies relate to Perfons not only not thought of, but excluded, according to the literal Senfe of the Prophets, by the Prophets themselves; which is enthufiaftical and abfurd to the highest Degree, and criticising and mending Authors by Rules the most improbable, and inconfiftent with all true Rules of Criticism, which should lead a Man frequently to leffen, but never to multiply, Miracles. Mr. W. (y) is himself of Opinion, that the Miracles themselves reported by St. ATHANASIUS in the Life of St. ANTHONY do both denote their own Falfhood, and create a Sufpicion of the Integrity of St. ATHANASIUS; tho' he relates them partly from St. ANTHONY himself, partly from the Atteftation of Witnesses, and partly from his own Knowledge.

So that I will venture to fay, that a Bible reftored, according to Mr W's Theory, will be a mere WHISTONIAN BIBLE; a BIBLE confounding, and not containing the true Text of the Old Teftament.

In fine, Mr. W. (z) tells us himself, that he

(x) Boyl. Le&t. 247, &c. 2 Sam. Ifaiah 7. 15, 16.

(y) Whifton's Hift. Pref. p. 120, 121. (z) Whillon's Essay, p, 298, 299.

7. 14.

Effay, p. 229.

finds

finds plain Indications of the frequent Accommodation of the Readings in the New Testament to thofe of the Septuagint. Which, if true, feems to render an Effay towards restoring the true Text of the Old Testament, in Order to vindicate the apoftolick Citations, a moft unaccountable Work. For, by this Account, the true or original apoftolick Citations are not themselves all known; and if all the prefent Citations are placed according to Mr. W's Mind in the Old Teftament, we shall not have a true Text reftored, but a Text frequently accommodated to the corrupted Text of the Septuagint, introduced into the Old Teftament. And the Work of reftoring a true or genuine Text of the Old Teftament with Refpect to the apoftolick Citations from thence, feems a moft impracticable Work; when all the Copies of the Old Teftament are corrupted with exprefs Defign to make thofe Citations feem impertinent; and when the Citations themselves, as ftanding in the New Testament, have received Changes and Alterations there.