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reproaches of Jews and Infidels on that account, who have never been able to withftand the fuccefs of that bypothefis; but should rather apprehend and fear their infults and reproaches upon himself, who proceeds with them on the fuppofition of a lost Old Teftament.

IV.

That Mr. WHISTON is not able to restore one prophetical quotation made out of the Old in the New Teftament, fo as to make that literally apply'd which now feems allego rically apply'd.

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UT to confute Mr. W's hypothefis ef fectually, I obferve, that he is not able, either by the means of various readings drawn from the fources beforemention'd, or by critical emendations, or by taking out paffages, or by placing right fuppos'd diflo cated paffages, or by all thefe together, fo to restore any citations of prophefies, made from the Old Teftament and faid to be fulfill'd in the New, as to make them obviously, and literally, and agreeably to the context where he places them, relate to the purposes, for which they are cited by the authors of the New Teftament. And if he is not, then is his Hypothefts a vain Hypothefis, and ferves no purpofe whatfoever i

unless

unlefs he thinks it fufficient to fuppofe, from the mere authority of the New Testament, the citations pertinent in his fenfe, without being able to fhow, that it is poffible for any one of them to be fo; and then he need not have wrote his Effay to restore the true text. of the Old Teftament.

I fhall go thro' thofe few citations of prophefies made from the Old Teftament, and faid to be fulfill'd in the New, which he produces in his Effay, and pretends fo to place in the Old Testament as to make them relate, in their obvious fenfe, to the purposes for which they are alledg'd by the authors of the New. Wrathy N

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1. I begin with that of St. MATTHEW, who on occafion of our Saviour's being car ry'd into Egypt, and being brought back, fays, this was done, (e) that it might be fulfill'd which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, faying, "Out of Egypt have I "call'd my Son.'

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Upon which words Mr. W. (f) very justobferves, that St. MATTHEW's citation Out of Egypt have I call'd my Son," no where now appears in the Old Teftament as apply'd to the Son of God or MESSIAS, either Hebrew or Greek; but is word for word.

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(e) Matt. 2. 15.

Whifton's Eay, p. 88,

in HOSEA, where it is apply'd to the people of Ifrael, whom God, by Moses, had antiently call'd or brought out of Egypt. Which parfage is therefore fuppos'd by all chriftian com mentators (and perhaps by all christians but himself) to be taken from HoSEA by St. MATTHEW, and to be apply'd by him in a fecondary or allegorical fenfe to Jesus's being call'd out of Egypt.

Where then does Mr. W. place these words in the Old Testament so as to make St. MATTHEW Cite and apply them according to the obvious and literal fenfe, which they be arin the Old Testament, that is, according to Mr. W. pertinently?

He (g) conjectures, MATTHEW bad in bis eye this noble prophefy of ISAIAH concerning the MESSIAH; which I fhall fet down, according to the prefent copy of ISAIAH in one column, and according to Mr. W's amendment, by the force of criticifm, in the other.

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(g) Whifton's Effay, p. 90.

Ifaiah

Ifaiah 41. 8, 9.

But thou Ifrael art

Whiston, p.91.

Thou Ifrael art my

my fervant, JACOB, Son: I have chosen whom I have chofen, thee: the feed of the feed of ABRAHAM, Abraham my friend. my friend. Thou whom Whom I have taken I have taken from the from the borders of ends of the earth, and the land, and called called thee from the thee out of Egypt, chief men there f, and and faid, Thou art faid unto thee, Thou my Son, I have cho art my fervant, I have fen thee, and not caft chofen and not caft thee thee way.

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Now let this passage of ISAIAH, wherein Mr. W. by conjecture puts in the words out of Egypt, inftead of the more general words from the chief men, be fuppos'd to be the paffage referr'd to by St. MATTHEW (which yet I prefume not one reader will allow); how does the literal and obvious fenfe thereof in ISAIAH appear to concern Jesus's com ing out of Egypt, any more than the obvious and literal fenfe of the paffage in HoSEA? Does not the whole chapter in ISA1AH as plainly concern the body of the Jews, fpoken of in the text under the term Son, as the chapter of HOSE, where the Jews are fpoken of under the fame term Son? And

2

does

does not (b) Grotius fo interpret the place; tho he conjectures with Mr. W. that the prophet had Egypt in his view, as (i) others do Chaldea?

It is certain, that the words of ISAIAH are literally and obviously applicable to the paft calling of the Jews out of Egypt. And if fo, it is not reasonable to make them a prophefy, and to relate to the future calling of JESUS out of Egypt, which feems very remote from the thoughts of the prophet, who has no one circumftance in the whole chapter to lead an unprejudic'd reader into fuch a thought. And therefore, if these words of ISAIAH are referr'd to by St. MATTHEW, commentators will be no lefs oblig'd to confider them as apply'd by St. MATTHEW in a fecondary or allegorical fenfe, than they do the words of HOSEAH; to which it cannot well be doubted St. MATTHEW does refer, they being the exprefs words of HOSEAH, and no where elfe to be found in all the Old Teftamentinh

2. The next quotation, which Mr. W. (k) endeavours to place right in the Old Testament is contain'd in these words of St. MAT THEW. (1) Then was fulfill'd that which 4 9ft for ChI was

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