5. As to the antiquities of JOSEPHUS; the (k) greatest liberty is taken therein to recede from the manifeft fenfe of the Old Testament according to all copies thereof; the Old Teftament is cited in fuch manner, as makes learned men difpute, whether he used the Hebrew or Septuagint text, or fometimes one and fometimes the other, or a different tranflation from the Septuagint; they have been (4) accommodated to the Septuagint, as the Septuagint has been accommodated to him and (m) the chronology has been greatly chang'd and alter'd: fo that it would be dif ficult to fettle any certain readings of the Old Teftament in virtue of his (1) antiquities. And as to the works of PHILO, there are but few citations therein out of the Old Testament; and thofe only out of the Septuagint Pentateuch, whereof he had a very (0) incorrect copy. So that neither JOSEPHUS nor PHILO concern the important citations in que () Simon Hift. Crit. du V. T. 1. 1. c. 17. (m) p. 21, 28, 195, 196, 197, 209. (n) For the State of JOSEPHUS's Antiq. fee Fabricii Bibliotheca Græca & Huetiana, p. 94. Ib. p. 332. (0) Simon Hift. Crit. du V. Teft. p. 98. queftion: nor does Mr. W. (p) pretend to reftore a true text of the Old Testament from these two authors, in refpect to any important citations made from the Old in the New Teftament. 6. As to the Hebrew copies, that have never come into the bands of the MASORETES, and the Greek copies of the vulgar Septuagint verfion, read in churches all the first ages of chriftianity, or any parts of them; they no where appearing, and being themfelves (q) to be recover'd, cannot, till recover'd, be of any ufe towards reftoring a true text. They are themselves to be reftor'd, in order to restore a true text. 4 7. As to the apoftolical conftitutions, the fathers, and the hereticks; it is fufficient to obferve of them, as I have done of several of his former means (without taking notice, after what manner they cite the Old Testament) 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 add, that these and all the foregoing means, will be fo far from effecting what he propofes, that they will on the contrary fhow, that (P) Whifton, p. 330,291, 292, 289. (q) P. 333. that the apoftles cited, and reason'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 fuppos'd, that if the Jews have To greatly corrupted the Old Teftament as Mr. W. pretends, but it would appear in fome one inftance at leaft, in fome one copy or author exhibiting to us what would justify the pertinency of the application of what now feems impertinent. 8. The laft means are, making alterations by the force of criticifms; 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 Testament as he pleafes. Befides, the books of the Old Teftament feem 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 max im, (r) Lightfoot's Works, Vol. 2. p. 666. im, that there is no first and laft in the Holy Scripture); if we confider the great changes and alterations which from time to time they have receiv'd; if we confider his opinion (s) of the corrupt state of those books, and especially 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 express defign to render the quotations made by the apostles from thence, feem impertinent; and lastly, if we confider his rejecting the (t) Song of Songs from the Canon, as an impious, loofe, and ob scene book, which pious (u) Christians in all ages have efteem'd an allegorical dia logue 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 the refpect 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 criticifm, to strike out Whifton's Boyl. Lect. p. 67, and Effay, &c. (t) Suppl. to Effay. () Nichols's Conf. Vol. 3. p. 571 out paffages, which evidently determine the fenfe of prophefies to perfons living in or near the fuppos'd times of the prophets, and the applying thofe 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 several (w) instances? For herein Mr. W. makes propbefies; which being miracles, and not things naturally to be fuppos'd and credited, are at all times liable to fufpicion, 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, ftrike out the last chapter in Deuteronomy, and fuppofe, that MOSES did not write hiftorically of his own death, and burial, and of matters which came to pafs long after his death; but to strike (x) out a paffage in SAMUEL, which limits a prophesy to SOLOMON, and to strike out a paffage in ISAIAH, which limits a prophefy to a year or two from the time ISAIAH deliver'd it, in order to make a prophefy of the MESSIAS in the first case, and a prophefy about the birth of Jesus of the virgin MARY in the latter, is directly to make prophefies relate to perfons, not only not (w) Boyl. Lect. p. 256. Effay, p. 229, &c. (x) Boyl. Lect. p. 247, &c. 2 Sam. 7.14. Eday, P. 229. Ifaiah 7. 15, 16. |