them; have maintained, by fuch evidence from the facred writings as is not easily to be set aside, that though the feventh day is faid, Gen. ii. 3. to be blessed by God and fanctified, immediately after the creation, the actual separation and distinction of it from the other days of the week and religious I 2 obfer

The paffage in the second chapter of Genefis, which creates the whole controverfy upon the subject, is not inconfiftent with this opinion; for as the feventh day was created into a fabbath on account of God's refting upon that day from the work of the creation, it was natural enough in the hiftorian, when he had related the history of the creation, and of God's ceafing from it on the seventh day, to add, “ and God blessed the seventh day and fancti"fied it, because that on it he had refted from all his work "which God created and made," although the bleffing and fanctification, i. e. the religious diftinction and appropriation of that day, was not actually made till many ages afterwards. The words do not affert, that God then "bleffed" and "fanctified" the feventh day, but that he bleffed and fanctified it for that reafon; and if any ask, why the fabbath or fanctification of the feventh day, was then mentioned, if it was not then appointed, the answer is at hand; the order of connection, and not of time, introduced the mention of the fabbath, in the hiftory of the subject which it was ordained to commemorate." Archdeacon Paley's Principles of moral and political philofophy, p. 44, &c. Vol. ii. 8vo. See alfo Beaufobre et L'Enfant, Pref. Gen. fur le N. T. p. cxxviii, to cxxiv.

obfervance of it, was not commanded, nor did take place, till the time of the departure of the Ifraelites out of Egypt. And if fo, which I believe you will find to be a juft ftatement, Mofes fpoke of the fabbath in Genefis, only by way of anticipation, and of his own accord, to give the greater dignity and folemnity to the obfervance of the inftitution.

Dr. Priestley's freedom in mentioning fome defects in St. Paul's reafoning; and in criticizing other parts of fcripture, countenanced by other chriftians of acknowleged eminence; by Erafmus, Caftellio, Luther, Mr. Whifton, Dr. Durell.

WHATEVER Dr. Priestley remarks concerning St. Paul's reasoning, that it is not always conclufive, efpecially in his applications of the fcriptures of the Old Testament, it is by no means inconfiftent with his holding him in general to be an excellent reafoner, as well as an enlightened divine teacher,

teacher, and ardent unwearied propagator of the truth. If the Doctor be mistaken in what he has afferted on this subject, let his errors be published, and he will be thankful to the hand that points them out. But

let him not on fuch accounts be traduced as an unbeliever and enemy to the gofpel, when if his obfervations be juft, he is its truest friend (d). For it looks better, and is

(d) Mr. Tucker, in his joco-serious vifion, where he is introduced to Locke, and Plato, brings in the latter paffing feverer cenfures on the Cilician of Tarfus, as he stiles St. Paul, than any thing advanced by Dr. Priestley; after which, the father of the academy thus farther characterifes him.

He (Paul) then owned, that he had received heavenly gifts in earthly veffels, and though the liquor was not at all impaired thereby in fubftance or virtue, it might get 'fome twang of the veffel. His education at the feet of • Gamaliel led him, and the general tafte of his countrymen, obliged him, to deal in far-fetched extravagant figures, which, as that tafte fubfided, loft all refemblance. with the things fignified, but were underflood literally, thereby leading men quite wide of his meaning, involving them in useless fubtilties, inextricable difficulties, and < endless disputes. If he had ftaid among us, till my brother Locke here came up, he would certainly have ⚫ been a great favourite with him. I am perfuaded he would

have faid, nobody underflood him fo well fince his own. immediate scholars.' Vol. iv. 259. 260. A fine compliment, this laft, to Mr. Locke.

more creditable for a believer in revelation to point out any defects in the facred writers, than to diffemble, and leave them to be detected and boafted of by its enemies; and neither the truth of the gofpel, nor the weight of Paul's teftimony to it, are at all affected by his arguing ilt on fome abstruse incidental points introduced by him, in his epiftles.

We find Erafmus, in his day, condemned in the fame way, for not reckoning St. Paul to be under a divine direction in every thing he wrote, and infallible. Eckius, the man who became Luther's adverfary foon after, in a letter to Erafmus, in the year 1518, blames him likewife for having faid on Matthew ii. that the evangelift might cite • fome authorities from the Old Teftament, by memory, and without confulting the original; and that by truiting their memories, they might, as often happens, fall ' into mistakes.' And he is difpleased with him, because he had advanced on Acts x.

that the apostles, in fpeaking greek, mixed

the

the idioms of their native language with it; and that they learned greek not from Demofthenes's orations, but from the popular dialect.'

To this Erafmus replied; that in cenfuring the apoftles for flips of memory, he had affirmed nothing of himself; but had only spoken after St. Jerom. And that it did not follow, that a perfon rejected the fcriptures, because he frankly • confeffed there were fome confiderable • mistakes in them; efpecially, 'as it was a point by no means fettled how far inspi

· ration did extend.' Le Clerc, Bibliotheque choifie, Tom. v. p. 233. 257.

Among many most learned, in the very learned times, at the beginning of the reformation, in the foremost rank may be placed, Sebaftian Chateillon, otherwise Caftellio, or Castalio. To that great work he contributed by a translation of the scriptures into the most claffical latin, without losing the fense and ftrength of the original, but the contrary and into his mother tongue, the French, in a plain and homely stile. For both, he had to encounter with great obloI 4 quy,