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cause why it is fometimes used in the Scriptures: and fometimes the Inspiration was fo ftrong upon the Writers Mind, as to interrupt the Art and Method, which he had propos'd to himself, as Pfal, xxv. and cxlv. or perhaps it might be customary upon certain occafions to omit fome Letter in the Alphabet in fuch Compofitions, for reafons which we are ignorant of, but which might be very fatisfactory and agreeable to the Senfe of thofe Times and Countries. The 'c dou is an Example of this among the Greeks, us'd by Pindar and other ancient Poets: The old Spartan, Dorick and Aolick Dialect chang'd Σ into P, the rough Sound of this Letter being more agreeable, it feems, to those People; and if any of them had written Acrosticks and Alphabetical Poems, would have been omitted. It appears by what is yet remaining of the Old Roman Laws, that, on the contrary, the Romans fometimes us'd S for R; as Afa for Ara, Cafmen for Carmen. Rhopalick Verfes, which begin with a Monofyllable, every Word increafing by one Syllable more than the former, are to be found in Homer: and the Leonine or Monkish Verses with a double Rhime, one in the middle, and the other at the end are not without Precedent, but feems from ' Virgil to have been anciently us'd in Charms: To fay nothing of the Poems compos'd of divers forts of Verfe, and fram'd into the fhape of feveral things by Simmias Rhodius, fome of which are afcribed to Theocritus. The Repetitions fo frequent in Homer, were not for want of Words, (for no Author ever wanted them lefs than he) but out of Choice, though later Poets have not thought fit to imitate him in this, and Martial turn'd it to Ridicule. It is certain, that nothing

k

h Dionyf. Halicarn. afèi Zwibso. 'Ovou. Athenæ l.x. c. 21. Cafaub. in Athen. 1. viii. c. 11.

* ὦ μακαρ' Αρείδη, μοιρήχους, ὀλβιόδαιμον, Πiad. iii. V, 182. 'Limus ut hic durefcit, & hac ut cera liquefcit,

Uno codemque igne, Ecl. 8.

is more various, than the Wit and Fancy of Man, and it is as certain, that whoever would write to any purpofe, muft write in fome fuch manner, as the Temper of the People, to whom he writes, will bear, and as their Cuftoms require,

But before I leave this particular, it may be proper to confider the Style of Scripture, in the Metaphorical and Figurative ufe of Words, in fpeaking of the Works and Attributes of God. There never was any Book written in a strict and literal Propriety of Words, because all Languages abound in Metaphors, which by conftant ufe become perhaps better known to the Natives of a Country, than the original Words themselves, and in procefs of time often cause them to be quite laid afide. But then this borrow'd and metaphorical Senfe of Words may be very strange to Men of other Countries, especially when they are taken from things peculiar to the place, where they are us'd.

This ufe of Metaphors arifeth partly from the Likeness that is perceiv'd between things, which makes one thing to be exprefs'd by another, and gives a delightful Illuftration to the things difcours'd of, and partly from our want of fit Words to exprefs the various natures of things, efpecially of things fpiritual, which we commonly fpeak of in negative terms, and rather deny, that they are like things fenfible, than pofitively affirm what they are: Thus we fay, that they are immaterial, invisible, incorruptible, &c. And when we fpeak pofitively of them, we must use fuch Words, as fenfible Objects can furnish us withal, ince we can have no other; for we understand their Nature fo imperfectly, that we are not able to frame a Language on purpose to exprefs it; and he who fhould go about fuch a Work, would neither be understood by others, nor well know what he meant himself. But of all Beings, God himself is fo far above our Comprehenfion, that we can never speak of

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him in Expressions fuitable to his Divine Nature, and therefore when true Conceptions are had of him, it is fittest to speak of him in fuch terms, as may ferve to raise and preserve in us a due Senfe of God's Honour, and of our Duty to him. The Reasons then, why God is often spoken of in the Scriptures, after the manner in which we are wont to speak of Men, may be reduced to these Particulars.

1. The Use of Metaphorical and Figurative Expreffions is ufual in all Languages, and no Language is fufficient to fet forth the Majefty and Attributes of God.

2. The peculiar Nature and Genius of the Hebrew Tongue, inclin'd or constrain'd the Writers, in that Language, to express themselves in this manner, Gen. ix. 5. at the hand of every beast will I require it, that is, I will require it of every Beaft. The Hand of the Ri ver is the Side of the River, Exod. ii. 5. the Hand of the way is the way-fide, Pfal. cxl. 5. and the Hand of the Sword is the Power of the Sword, Job v. 20. Pfal. Ixiii. 19. The Son of the Bow is the Arrow, Job xli. 28. And when in our Tranflation we read, Man is born unto trouble as the sparks fly upwards, it is in the Original, as the fons of the burning coal lift up to fly, Job v. 7. The horn of the fon of oil fignifies in our way of expreffion, a very fruitful bill, Ifa. v. 1. and Horn fignify'd Strength in the Hebrew, as familiarly, as Robur or Oak fignifies the fame in Latin. And not only the Vallies are faid to fhout and fing, Pfal. Ixv. 13. but the beft Fruits in the land are in the Hebrew call'd the finging of the land, Gen. xliii. 11. The Word Rock is often used to denote the Almighty Power of God, and by the Septuagint and Vulgar Latin is fometimes tranflated God. For their Rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies thomselves being judges, Deut. xxxii. 31. Thofe Versions render it, their Gods, and our God and in like manner, ver. 4, 15, 18. Pfal. xxxi. 3. lxxiii. 26. Is there any God befides me? yea there is no God, I know

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not

not any, Ifa. xlvi. 8. in the Hebrew it is, there is no Rock, as the Margin of our Bibles remarks. Ears Mouth, Hands, and Heart, are ascrib'd to the Earth, or Land. Sin in the Hebrew fignifies a Sin-offering, as it is tranflated, and muft of neceffity be understood in many places of Scripture, and in this Senfe Chrift was made fin for us, 2 Cor. v. 21. Sometimes Sin is us'd for the Punishment of Sin, Gen. iv. 13. Zech. xiv. 19. We read Josh. xxiv. 27. that Joshua faid unto all the people, behold this ftone shall be a witness unto us. For it bath heard all the words of the Lord, which he spake unto us, it shall therefore be a witnefs unto you, left ye deny God. This might have been a very improper your and unintelligible Speech to another People, but was most significant and emphatical to the People of Ifrael, who well understood upon what account fenfe was often afcribed to inanimate things, as Gen. xxxi. 52. Numb. xx. 8. Deut. iv. 26. xxx. 19. xxxii. 1. and afterwards frequently by the Prophets.

3. Every Expreffion in a Parable is not to be taken in a strict Sense; neither is it necessary, that whatever is fet down in the Scripture, must therefore be of divine Inspiration, or abfolutely true for there we find the Speeches and Sayings of divers Men not infpired, and of fome very wicked Men, nay of the Devils themselves. So that we are to enquire, by whom and in what manner the Words were fpoken, before we undertake to defend them. Wine is faid to cheer God and Man, Judg. ix. 13. But this is fpoken by the Vine in Jorbam's Parable. Yet there is nothing abfurd in it for God, who is faid to rejoice in his Works, might well be faid to rejoice in the Fruit of the Vine, when he accepted of it in Drink-offerings.

4. An exprefs Law was made against the worshipping of God under any Image or Similitude, and the People are put in mind, that they faw no fimilitude, but only heard a voice, when the Lord fpake to them from the Mount, Deut. iv. 12. and that he is without

Change

Change or Repentance, Numb. xxiii. 19. 1 Sam. xv. 29. Malach. iii. 6.

5. When this Caution had been given, and fucha Law made,it cannot be expected, but that the DivineWriters fhould make ufe of fuch Expreffions, as were commonly ufed, and were as commonly understood in a metaphorical or improper Senfe, when applied to God, to give the more Force and Emphasis to their Difcourfe. Maimonides has prov'd from the Propriety of the Hebrew Words, that the Image and Likeness of God, in which Man is faid to have been made, is to be understood of the Faculties of his Mind; and he lays this down as a general and known Rule amongst the Jews, Loquitur Lex fecundum linguam Filiorum hominum; and he likewife obferves, that both Onkelos and Jonathan have in their Paraphrases taken care to give the true Sense of fuch Expreffions, as feem to imply any thing corporeal in God. God is faid to fmell a fweet favour, when Noah offer'd Burnt-offerings on the Altar, which he built after the Flood, Gen. viii. 21. In the Hebrew it is a favour of Reft, as it is noted in the Margin: becaufe in the Acceptance of it, God ceas'd from his Anger, as Buxtorf obferves from Aben-Ezra. He is faid to bear the People of Ifrael on Eagles Wings, Exod. xix. 4. We read of the Wings of the Lord God of Ifrael, Ruth ii. 12. of the Shadow of the Almighty, Pf.xci.1. of his Feathers, and the Shadow of hisWings, Pfal. xvii. 8. xci. 4. with Allufion to the Wings of the Cherubims, that cover'd the Ark; which fignify'd God's Protection of his People with as much care and tenderness, as the winged kind have for their young, Matt. xxiii. 37. The Scriptures make mention of his Eyes, and Hands, and Feet, to express the Effects of thofe Actions, which are perform'd by Men with these Members: and when it was faid, it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart, Gen. vi. 6. This was well Maimon. More Nevoch. P i. c. 1, 26, 27, 28, 36, 48.

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