defirous to fet them right, I fhall com as near as I can. If I err in fome small Points the firft time, as I am the first that has attempted any thing of this kind, I ought to have Liberty to amend. And I hope I fhall fix Ideas to fome Words, fo that no other Words will be able to feperate them; and fixing the proper Ideas to one Word, fo that it cannot be feparated, will put an end to all the Difputes upon that Point.

Almost every one is ready to own, that the Books of the Bible are about Matters of the greatest Confequence, and are infallibly writ; and the other antient Books contain many Falfities, and many more Uncertainties, and many of them are about things of no great Moment. Why is there not as much Pains taken, and as much Glory acquired in tranflating, interpreting, or illuftrating the one as the other? Truly, because there is a Neceffity to take Abundance of Pains to understand Nature, before the 'one can be interpreted; and as 'tis Truth, it must square with the Objects in every Point, or else the things fhew the Interpretation to be falfe. Therefore it has been found to be the eafier Way to learn to harangue upon a Scrap, than to fhew the Defign, the Con

nexion,

nexion, and the Infallibility of the Writers. But a rodomontade Story of what there never was any vifible Evidence remaining, nor is, nor ever will be, cannot by Evidence be disproved: And the more rodomontadely you interpret it, you shew greater Abilities at rodomontading, and the more diverting it is, and you are a Man of greater Wit, and more able to please. But that is not all the Difference; he who interprets the inspired Authors, and makes proper Obfervations pursuant to the Nature of things, will fhew Men their Dependence and Obligations, put them under Rules, and ftrip them of their Idol Independance, and Liberty of acting, nay, even of thinking otherwife. Is the Eafe of those who have acted and thought otherwise, or of those who have their Scene to act, to be disturbed about fuch dull Stories? Or, above all, are the celebrated Men, who have fhewed their Talents in pleafing diverting Language, and who have been Champions for Liberty, and independent Schemes, to yield or be given up thus? No, Numbers will protect them; they are fafe enough while their Cause is to be determined, and they capable of receiving Honour and Rewards by the Majority. They have agreeably a

mused;

mused; and those who merit any thing by interpreting or illuftrating real ufeful Truths, and those who follow them, may ftay for their Payment till the smallest Number judge and reward. Be it fo.

But put the Perfons who attempt to explain any Part of the Scriptures and fucceed upon that Foot; and let us fee what Service they can hope to do, or at leaft what they can hope to fee of it, when they know beforehand there will be greater Obftructions than from unthinking People: The Adverfaries will be diligent; and of those many who are Friends, and of fome who pretend to be Friends, the greatest Part have never made any Attempt to acquire any Knowledge of the Hebrew Tongue; that was accounted fruitless Labour, even to a Proverb. And thofe few who have learned to read the Languages, and are able to conftrue them in that corrupt Manner, and by thofe Rules they have been conftrued and read, and thereby in their own, nay, indeed, in the Opinion of many others, because there are fo few of them poffeffed of Abundance of the Wisdom of the Ancients, will perhaps be fo politick, that they will not do any thing which they think may lofe that Opinion. When

a

a Number of the Blunders are made not only Senfe, but fhew what Mankind have been earnestly fearching after for feveral thousand Years; they dare not approve what is felf-evident, and make Remarks upon thofe Things they have any Doubt about, for the Satisfaction of thofe who cannot read those Languages; and in that Point partly depend upon them, but are some of them infinitely more able and likely to improve the Discoveries in natural Knowledge, and fo the Knowledge of the Scriptures, than they are: For thefe learned Men say, that a little Folly fpoils a great deal of Wifdom fo for fear of fullying that, in cafe they should find Faults where there are none, or approve where there may be Discoveries of fome fmall Miftakes, when the Things are univerfally confidered, they do in Effect what they can to fupprefs these, and hinder further Discoveries. If they did make a few fuch Mistakes, that might leffen what they hold by Opinion; but it would not leffen the Value of any Wisdom they have committed to Writing, or which they are really poffeffed of. I have had frequent Complaints of this from the younger Sort; therefore I am forced, for the general Good of Mankind, to fpeak plain: Whe

ther

ther they will act in this Manner, when what concerns the Foundation of the Christian Religion is lad open, will foon be feen; what Rewards they will have here, we know, what hereafter, they are to confider. But in the mean Time, if thofe who cannot read thofe Languages: would be pleased to compare the Expla'nations with the Things, and examine the Evidence, which is taken from the Authorities moftly of Men learned far beyond any now in Being, and fo confider the Value of the Judgments of those in Being, they would not think shemselves much fafer in the Affairs I have treated of, if they had them: And many of them, I dare fay, would learn to examine for themselves as I have done. I have received no Information from the learned; I court them not for any favourable Opinion of my Performance, but wifh what is beneficial were known; and if there be any thing otherwife, that it were rejected. I shall not make any other than those the Laws have made my Judges. The Question is not to be determined by Parties, but by Pofterity; that is, whether I have given a better Account of the Designs of the principal Things in the Bible, than all before them or they have done: And

there