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till after the Babylonish captivity; fo, of course, thofe converted Jews, which then conftituted the Chriftian church, must háve had many copies of the Old-Teftament in their bands, from which copies those books must of neceffity have been tranfmitted from age to age, all along, through Chriftian hands; down to this time, and not from and through the hands of unbelieving Jews, with whom the christians had no friendly correspondence, but the contrary, as these were at perpetual variance with each other; and therefore, if our old teftament be derived from a corrupted copy or copies, then fuch copy or copies must have been corrupted by the Chriftians themselves through whofe hands alone those books have been tranfmitted to us, and not by the unbelieving Jews, who could have no band in any fuch matter. But, admitting the books of the old teftament have been, through the weakness or wickedness of tranflators or tranfcribers, greatly corrupted; yet it is not to be fuppofed that it has fuftained any injury in the cafe under consideration; for had it ever been expreffed, in the Hebrew copies, that Abraham gave tithes to Melchizedec,then, moft certainly, that reading would have been continued, because there cannot poffibly

poffibly be any room for a fufpicion that either a Jewish or a Chriftian priesthood. would ever have expunged it. And that the aforefaid reading was never in the Hebrew pentateuch, is farther evident from the doubtings and difputes that have fubfifted; as well among Jews as Chriftians, touching who gave tithes in the prefent cafe; whereas, had the Hebrew pentateuch been express that Abraham gave tithes to Melchizedec, there could have been no place for fuch doubting or difpute. As to the author of the epiftle to the Hebrews, (not to take notice of other matters) he has given fo wild and extravagant an account,even of this Melchizedec, in this very epiftle, without any authority that appears, as renders all he has faid the less credible; and this bars his right to that deference, that blind fubmiffion which is claimed for him. Thus Hebrews vii. 3, 4. the author fpeaking of Melchizedec, faith, without father, without mother, without defcent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God, abideth a prieft continually. Now confider how great this man was,unto whom the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the Spoils. As this account was introduced to VOL. II. Dd ferve

serve a turn, namely, to exalt the perfonal character of Jefus Chrift; fo it is scarce conceivable what the author intended by it. However, this account of Melchizedec must be understood in an improper and figurative fenfe, or elfe in a proper and literal fenfe. If it is to be understood figuratively, then it is hard to conceive what was intended to be fet forth by thofe figures, except it be that Melchizedec's genealogy was a fecret; that it was not known who was his father, nor who was his mother, nor when he was born, nor when he died; but then, if this be admitted, thefe defects in point of genealogy are not tokens of greatness, and yet the author feems to confider what he applied to Melchizedec to be fuch. It may, perhaps, not be an unusual thing for the pedigree of beggars to be untraceable, but then it is not commonly, tho' it may fometimes be, the cafe of kings and great men; and therefore, the want of a genealogy cannot be a token of greatness in Melchizedec, but rather the contrary; and this feems to hew that the forementioned account is not to be taken figuratively, but literally. Now confider (fays the author) how great this man was; great, in what? Why, in that he was

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without father, without mother, without defcent, having neither beginning of dayss nor end of life; all which, when underftood literally, are tokens of greatness indeed.. But then, if the forementioned account is to be understood in a proper and literal sense, it must, of neceffity, infinitely exceed the bounds of truth. To have been through all duration paft, without having been defcended from any, and to be through all duration to come, may not, perhaps, with propriety and certainty, be attributed to any other being, to any other agent, or perfon, but the one fupreme Deity; and therefore, not to the man Melchizedec. The extraordinary and extravagant account this author has given of Melchizedec, does obviously tend to perplex, if not to mislead the reader, and renders whatever elfe he has faid, in his epiftle, less proper to be relied upon. Melchizedec, according to the account given. of him in the hiftory, from which alone we can receive any information concerning him, was no more, nor no other, than one of the Kings of Canaan; for as to his being a priest, that was common to all other Kings and heads of families in thofe times; and

therefore, for this author to venture to af

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that it is to them a fcheme of worldly policy, and, principally, is made fubfervient to their worldly intereft. What can be more ridiculous, and yet what is more common, than for men, who are imployed in the christian ministry, to preach up the doctrines of felf-denial, heavenly-mindedness, and the like, as a proper preparation for their bearers paffage into another world; whilst they are loading, yea overloading themselves with the riches, honours and pleasures of this. One would think, from the aforefaid conduct, that the preacher's defign, in thus endeavouring to wean others from the world was, that thereby he might obtain and enjoy a much greater fhare of it himself; that whilst others are bufily employed in the pursuit of the riches of another life, he may improve the opportunity of gathering together the treasures of this. And,

HERE, I think it proper to observe*, that I fhall not enter into any farther controversy, with refpect to what I now do, or have at any time paft offered to the world; and therefore, if I fhould at any time be called

The author did not know, but the foregoing tracts, called his FAREWEL, might have been published in his life-time.

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