to Gentiles as well as to Jews, fhould be defign'd to be pertinent only to Jews; much less to a very few Jews. For (y) from the Time the Jews began to allegorize their facred Book, (which was long after the Captivity) there was an Oppofition made to that Method; and the Saducees in particular, who were a numerous Sect, oppofed, for a confiderable Time before and in our Saviour's Time, the new Explications, and profess'd to follow the pure Text of Scripture, or to interpret it according to the literal Senfe. And tho' the Pharifees, who made up the Body of the Jews, (as well as the Effenes) used the allegorical Method in the Times of JESUS and the Apoftles; yet (z) they in great Measure quitted that Method, when Christianity prevail'd, which was built on that Method; and argued, as is well known, against the New Teftament for allegorizing the Law and the Prophets. And there has been for a long Time, and is at this Time as little Ufe of Allegory in thofe Refpects among them, as there feems to have been during the Time the Books of the Old Testament were written, which (a) feem the most plain of all antient Writings; and wherein there appears not the least Trace of a typical or allegorical In

(y) Simon. Hift. Crit. du Vieux Teft. p. 92. 97.

(z) Allix's Judgment of the Jewish Church against the Unitarians, c. 23. Simon. Ib. p. 371. Ib. Hift. Crit. du Nov. Teft. p. 245. Mangey's Remarks on 'Toland's Nazarenus, P. 37. Spencer de Leg. Hebr. p. 185.

(a) Jenkin's Reaf. Vol. 2. p. 153

Le Clerc Bib. Univ. Tom. 10. 234. Ib. Bib. Cho. Tom. 27. p. 391, 392. Cuneus Rep. des Hebr. Vol 1. p. 377, 378, 395.

tention

tention in the Authors, or in any other Jews of their Times. All the Books (b) written by Jews against the Chriftian Religion, (fome whereof are printed; and others go about Europe in Manufcript) chiefly attack the New Teftament (c) for the allegorical Interpretations of the Old Testament therein, and That with the greatest Infolence and Contempt imaginable on that Account, and oppose to them a literal and fingle Interpretation as the true Senfe of the Old Teftament. And ac

(b) Scripta Judæi in Limborchii amicâ Collatione ; & WAGENSELII Tela ignea Satana, which is a Collection of Jewish Books against Christianity, wherein Rabbi Ifaac's Munimen Fidei makes the chief Figure.

Some of thefe are cited and anfwer'd by KIDDER in his second and third Volumes of his Demonftration of the Meffias; and others are cited by BASNAGE in his Hiftoire de Juifs. But the most important jeem to me to be three Spanish Manufcripts. 1. Fortification de la Fé; which is a Tranflation of the aforefaid Munimen Fidei publish'd by WAGENSEIL. 2. Providentia Divina de Dios con Ifrael, by SAUL LEVI MORTERA. This MORTERA was the Mafter of the famous SPINOZA; and this Work of his is esteem'd by the Jews to be the fhrewdeft Book they have against Christianity. They are forbid, under Pain of Excommunication, to lend it to any Chriftian, for fear of drawing a Storm upon themselves for producing fuch Strong Objections against the Chriftian Religion. Wherefore no Copies are to be procured of it but by the greatest Accidents. 3. Prevenciones Divinas contra la vana Ydolatria de las Gentes, by ISAAC OROBIO, who was that learned Jew, that had the famous Controverfy with LIMBORCH concerning the Truth of the Chriftian Religion mention'd above. He had been Profeffor of Philofophy and Phyfick in the Univerfities of Alcala and Sevile, and was a great Mafter in SchoolDivinity after the Mode of the Spanish Universities. The Hiftory he gave of himself, and especially of bis Sufferings in the Inquifition to Mef. LIMBORCH and LE CLERC, is extreamly curious. LIMBORCH. Hift. Inquif. p. 158, 159. 223. LE CLERC, Bib. Univ. Tom. 7. p. 289, &c.

(c) Allix's Fudgment of the Jewish Church against the Unitarians, p. 423.

cordingly

cordingly the (d)_ allegorical Interpretations given by Chriftian Expofitors of the Prophefies, are now the grand Obftacle and Stumblingblock in the Way of the Converfion of the Jews to Chriftianity.

2. Secondly, there will be no Ground for this Distinction, if we confider how much Allegory was in Ufe among the Pagans; being cultivated by many of the Philofophers themfelves as well as by Theologers; by fome as the Method of delivering Doctrines; but by (e) moft as the Method of explaining away what, according to the Letter, appear'd abfurd in the antient Fables, or Hiftories of their Gods.

Religion itself was deem'd a (ƒ) mysterious Thing among the Pagans, and not to be publickly and plainly declared. Wherefore it was never fimply reprefented to the People, but was most obfcurely deliver'd and vail'd under Allegories, or Parables, or Hieroglyphicks; and especially among the (g) Egyptians, Chaldeans, and the oriental Nations. Si quis noverit perplexe loqui, loquantur. Sin minus taceat; was a (b) Maxim of the Jews, but equally thought right and true by the Pagans. They allegorized many Things of Nature, and

(d) Whilton's Lectures, p. 13. Mangey's Remarks on Toland's Nazarenus, p. 123.

(e) Cicero De Nat. Deor. 1. 2..

& 3.

Le Clerc Bibl. Chois. Tom. 7. p. 8o. &c. Spencer de Legibus Hebr. p. 9.

(f) Spencer de Legibus, p. 182, &c.

(g) Simon Hift. Crit. des Commentateur, p. 4.

(b) Robinfon's Natural Hiflory of Cumberland, &c, pt, 2, Introd. P. 9.

particularly

particularly the heavenly Bodies; whence came the Saying, tota eft Fabula Cælum. They allegorized all their (i) antient Fables and Stories, and pretended to discover in them the Secrets of natural Philofophy, Medicine, Politicks, and, in a Word, all Arts and Sciences. The Works of HOMER, in particular, have furnish'd infinite Materials for all Sorts of allegorical Commentators to work upon; and there is an antient (k) Book yet extant treating exprefly of the Allegories of HOMER, faid to be written by the famous HERACLIDES of Pontus.

(1) The antient Greek Poets were reputed to involve divine, and natural, and biftorical Notions of their Gods under myftical and parabolical Expreffions; and are accordingly fo interpreted by the Greek Scholiafts.

The Sybilline Verfes, the Anfwers given at Oracles, Sayings deliver'd under Agitation, and Dreams (all which the Antients call'd (m) Divinations by Fury) were feldom or ever plain, and usually received fome allegorical Interpretation by the Skilful in Divination; as did alfo the numerous Signs and Prodigies, which, in the Course of Things, often happen'd.

The Pythagorean Philosophy was wholly deliver'd in myftical Language; the Signification whereof was intirely unknown to the World abroad, and but gradually explain'd to those of the Sect, as they grew into Years, or were

(i) Clerici Hift Ecclef, p. 23. 24. (k) Apud Gale Opuf cula Mythologica. (1) Dodwell's Letters of Advice, &c. p. 172. (m) Cicero de Divinatione.

proper

proper to be inform'd. And in This PyTHAGORAS came up to SOLOMON'S Character of wife Men, (n) who dealt in dark Sayings,

and acted not much unlike the most divine Teacher that ever was. Our Saviour (o) pake, with many Parables the Word unto the Multitude, as they were able to hear it; but with out a Parable spake he not unto them; and when they were alone, he expounded all Things to his Difciples.

The Stoick Philofophers are particularly famous for allegorizing the whole heathen Theology, and all the Fables of the Poets. And CICERO, in the Perfon of BALBUS, (p) the Stoick, gives us a curious Specimen of their Method in his Books of the Nature of the Gods.

We have feveral (9) Treatifes of heathen Philofophers on the Subject of allegorical Interpretation; from one of which, written by CORNUTUS the Stoick, and from fome other Philofophers, Platonists and Stoicks, the famous ORIGEN is faid (r) to have derived a great Deal of his Skill in allegorizing the Books of the Old Teftament. And ORIGEN thought the allegorical Method not only just and true in itself, but (s) proper to give the Pagans a more exalted Notion of the Holy Scriptures, which feem'd too low and mean to them, and useful to convert the Learned of his Time to the Chriftian

(n) Prov. 1. 6. Nat. Deorum. 1. 2.

(0) Mark 4. 33, 34. (p) Cicero De (9) Gale Opuscula Mythologica, &c. (r) Porphyrius apud Eufeb, Hiit. Eccl. 1. 6. c. 19. Hift. Crit. du V. Tet. p. 391.

() Simon.

Religion.