Tongue before the Fifth, or Fourth Century either; but were imitated in other Tongues. (2.) That Hierom expreffes more difficulty in conforming the Confonants to one another, than the Vowels. It's true, he fays elsewhere, That the Hebrew hath no vowels, viz. Tom Quarto, but he gives the reafon, because they exprefs their Vowels and Points as the Ethiopians do Virgulis Literis affixis. I find yet nothing to prove, that Hierom made ufe of that in his Tranflations, or Comments. But on the contrary, That he made ufe of the Hebrew. For he expreffes himself thus in Words, Why may not I make the Hebrew fpeak Latine, as well as the Lxx, and Origen made it fpeak Greek. He only ufes Origen's in answering the Jews Mockery; he appeals to themselves, if he had not as truly expreffed their Words in another Tongue as they themfelves could. But this fact of Origen's being fo evident, is to me a most powerful Proof, that the Points were known in the Second Century; in that he could fo exactly turn them into Greek, as to ftand the Challenge of the Jews. And that this Fact is true, Capellus confeffes, Hierom teftifies fo, Epiphan. p. 534. he compofed the Hebrew Scripture in Hebrew Characters, in one Column, but in Greek Elements in the other, for the fake of them who know not the Hebrew Elements. So in thefe Octupla's there are Two Hebrew Columns,and 6 Greek which Wetftene in his Notes on Origen ad Africanum, orders thus, 1 Hebrea Hebreis. 2. Hebræa Græcis. 3. Aquile. 4. Symmachi. 5. Lxxij. 6. Theodotion. 7. Quinta. 8. Sexta. Weems, Usher, Huetius, Valefins have all wrote on this Subject. The Sixth Argument, is from the Abfurdity that would follow this Opinion, For if either the Hebrew Hebrew Words wanted Vowels,, or the Verfes y accents, the Old Teftament would be a Book full of Equivocations and Uncertainties, like unto the Diabolical Predictions. Aio te Aucida Romanos vincere poffe. Ibid. Ibis redibis, nunquam per bella peribis. It were to think of God, most unbecoming his Goodness, to difcover his Mind, or pretend to do it, in a concern of the whole Earth's Government, Souls Eternal Welfare, our Devotion to God, our Duty to Man, in Oracles of Uncertainty. And that this would be the confequence, I fhall firft fhew in Words. Thefe Three Confonants are liable, at least, to Eight feveral Significations, according as you Point them. I. A Word"; a Saying; Say thou ; Saying 1; לבנה He faid ; To Say Mules, Seas, &c. Say thou; faying ̈ ̄ ,Days or ומים In Sentences or Verfes, Pfal. 110. He shall drink of the Brook in the way. Most of the Tranflations leave it undetermined, whether Brook be joined with way, or drinking, as. the Vulgar Latin, Munft. Vatab. Caftal. Pagn. Trem. and Junius, French and English. Commentators are exercifed in finding out what Brook this was iu Chrift's way; if Kidron, or if fpiritually bis fufferings, or his confolations. But the Points determine out of the Brook in the way he fhall drink. So that it connotes not the place of the Brook, but the time of his drinking, when in via ad Regnum, the time of his Humiliation, v. 3. Thy People shall be willing in the day of thy Power, in the beauties of Holiness, from the Womb of the Morning, thou haft the dew of thy youth, Margin. More than the Womb of the Morn Morning thou shalt have the dew of thy Youth. I might reckon up Twelve Tranflations divided, as the Text and Margin are, fome neglecting upon power, others upon Morning, and all diftracted about what fenfe to make of the Verfe; for there are Three Propofitions thus, Thy People Shall be. willing in the day of thy power; Thy People Shall be in the beauty of Holin fs, from the Womb of the Morning (i. e. early in the Temple) thou shalt have the Demo of thy Youth. Pfal. 49. 15. Like Sheep are they laid in the Grave, Death fhall feed on them; and the Upright shall have Dominion over them in the Morning, viz. of the Refurrection. Then fhall their Rock come to deftroy Death. He fhall come from his Habitation, viz. the Hea vens. The Reafon Varenius in his Triumph. Dav. differs thus from all other Verfions, is because they neglect the Accents, which makes three Propositions. after they shall feed on them; and on Death or Grave, which is a Substitute, for which is too great a Lord for the Distinction our English makes, their beauty fhall confume in their Grave from their dwelling, the leaft of Dominus may ferve that Comma. Pfal. 10. 15. Break thou the arm of the wicked man,and the evil feek out his wickedness till thou find Here's an intolerable diforder, and by it a different fenfe from the Truth. For there is an under wicked man, a colon between it and the evil; and then there is too upon evil, to divide it from what follows, and fo fuppofes fomething underftood. Therefore is to be turned thus, Break thou the arm of the wicked; and then as to the evil man, if thou feek for his Iniquity thon falt not find it. Or, as before David confefles, fo long as they have means means to pursue wickednefs with, they will never leave it. Pfal. 106. There is a neglected on Generation, thus; He bath faid in his heart, I shall never be moved: from Generation to Generation, I shall never be moved; for I fhall never be in adverfity. Thus have I made choice of giving Inftances of what is otherwife than it fhould be, by neglect of the accents, rather than what must be; for I could change every Verfe into a quite contrary Senfe *. Neither Capellus nor Bp. Walton deny this, The occafion of difference in Verfions, was from the want of Points. Some read it thus, and fome thus, and fome thus, and therefore the Maforites Service (fay they) is great. And why should we think otherwife of the Hebrew than of other Languages? Who could make a determinate Sense of one Chapter of the English Bible, and take the Vowels and Stops away? Who could fay that cr were care, or But God cure, or cur, or cry, or crow, or acre? hath faid, Prov.8. 8. That all the words of his mouth are right; there is nothing in them liable to be diftorted or depraved po they are a Light and a Lamp. This Topick produceth another Medium, and will bring the contrary Opinion under another Abfurdity, viz. If the accents and vowels, on which the Soul and Senfe of this Book depends, is from the Maforites, who were Men, Men void of the Spirit of God, the Senfe of the Scripture is but Humane. And it feems more abfurd to go to Tiberias for the Senfe of Scriptures than Read the Criticks, and thou wilt find Five, fometimes to to go to Rome. The Answer I find to this in the Vind. of Capellus is, That tho the Points are a great help, yet its not impoffible to read and understand without them. There are indeed fome places we cannot fully understand now, and thefe had been more in number if we wanted the Points: But among the Fems, when it was their Native Lan➡ guage, Education fupplied it. As to the Maforites Senfe given by the Points, its Divine, becaufe gathered out of the context; they impofe not 'their Authority on us, but perfwade us by the Light of compared Scripture; and where that is not clear enough to us, we may leave them, ' and take another Senfe: And indeed comparing "of what goes before, and what follows, is the grand Medium of Solution infifted on, and the grand Mean of Interpretation proposed. ' In Anfwer to him, I do grant it a very great Mean, but its a Mean that fuppofes, 1. A the fignification of the Words, and this requires the vowel points. 2. Tag Construction, what Words are conftrued together, and what not; and by what Conftruction or Oppofition; one can neither understand the Sentence before or after, without thefe. And this latter he cannot understand without the accentual. 3. paay The peculiar Stile of the Tongue, its Idiotifm and Emphafis; and the accentual fubferves that too. Take a Chapter in the Bible, write nothing but the Confonants in it, and fhew it to a Scholar, and I believe you will make him work before he can bring you the fence of it. The Fal lacy of the Anfwer confifts in this, viz. It is a truth that this Comparison dana this ouyagion is the. |