3.) That the fame young men fhould tie a piece of fearlet wool and hyffop upon a stick; and they should sprinkle every one of the people, that they should be clear from their fins a. Now there is not any intimation of either of these three things among the Laws of Mofes, nor, as I can find, in any of the Jewish books; but our author found it neceffary to invent them, to make his allegory more plaufible, thus: "The hei"fer is Chrift; the wicked men that offered it, are those who "brought him to his death-The young men who sprinkled "them, are those who preach to us the Gospel of the remiffion of fins, and the purification of the heart, who were twelve, for a witness to the tribes, which were twelve." He is after fo particular as to tell us, The young men who sprinkled were three, viz. in teftimony of Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, who were great before God. But why was the wool put upon a ftick? Becaufe the kingdom of Jefus was founded upon the cross, &c. 5. Ch. IX. our author has given us a mafterly ftroke of his allegorizing talent, and feems fo pleafed and confident of his being right, that he fays, He who has put this infufed gift of his doctrine in us, knows that I never taught any one a more pure (or genuine) doctrine. But I know that ye are worthy of it. But fure never any thing was faid more trifling and ridiculous, more filly and naufeous, than this most pure and genuine doctrine. I am here to obferve only wherein it is false. His defign is to prove, by the number of perfons whom Abraham circumcifed, that Abraham had therein regard to Chrift; and that in the number of perfons circumcifed, were typified Chrift and his crofs. Let us now fee his proof. The Scripture, fays he, tells us, that Abraham circumcised three hundred and eighteen men of his house: but what was the knowledge (or myftery) fhewn to him herein? Understand ye that there are firft eighteen, then three hundred. (Now the Greek letter I denotes ten, and the Greek letter H denotes eight.) Therein ye have the name Jefus, viz. because I and H are the two first letters of ΙΗΣΟΥΣ. And because be was to have grace by the * These are obferved by Menardus in loc. cross, cross, the fign of which is the Greek letter T, which is the Greek numeral letter for three hundred; he therefore added three hundred. So that Jefus is denoted by two letters (I and H, which fignify eighteen), and his crofs by one (T, which fignifies three hundred). Glorious arguing indeed! Is it poffible for any thing to be more filly in all the cabalistick books of the Jews? I cannot but break off, and appeal to our Archbifhop and Mr. Whifton, whether this is to be received with little less veneration than the facred writings? Whether this be the pure uncorrupt doctrine of our bleffed Saviour? Whether this was wrote by the extraordinary affistance of the holy Spirit, and is an authoritative declaration of the Gospel of Chrift, worthy of all acceptation, and ought to have a more than human approbation? In a word, whether an Epiftle containing fuch trumpery is to be reckoned among the facred books of the New Teftament? But to return: it is not the filliness of the allegory, but the falfeness of it, which I have now to do with; and I am not afraid to affert, that it is founded upon grofs and plain mistakes, and fo is entirely falfe. There are, among others, three miftakes which are visibly fuch, viz. 1.) That Abraham circumcifed three hundred and eigh teen. 2.) That Abraham understood Greek, at least knew the Greek letters. 2.) That he knew the form of the cross. 1.) This allegory is founded upon a mistaken notion, that Abraham did circumcife juft three hundred and eighteen persons. The words of the Epiftle are, Λίγει γάρ· καὶ περιέτεμεν ̓Αβραὰμ ἐκ τῷ οἴκῳ αὐτῷ ἄνδρας δέκα καὶ ὀκτῶ, καὶ τριακοσίως. i. e. the Scripture faith, And Abraham circumcised three hundred and eighteen males of his houfe. But in the whole Scriptures we shall find no fuch affertion. The place where the history of Abraham's circumcifing his family is related, is Gen, xvii. 23, &c. and all all there said is, that he himself was circumcifed, his fon Ishmael, and every male of his house, both those who were born there, and thofe who were bought with money. But it is easy to fee, what led the author of the Epiftle to fix upon the number three hundred and eighteen, viz. that which is faid Gen. xiv. 14. And when Abraham heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained fervants born in his own houfe, three hundred and eighteen, and purfued them unto Dan. Hence the author of the Epiftle concluded, that Abraham circumcised three hundred and eighteen; but the conclufion is upon many accounts unjuft, and it is probable Abraham circumcifed many more than three hundred and eighteen at that time. Toconfirm this, obferve, 1.] That when Abraham went forth against the four kings, he armed only i. e. as we render it, his trained fervants, by Targ. Onkelos, i. e. fortés, those who were strong, and trained up to the business of war. There were left at home all the children of his family, and all infirm perfons; but when he circumcifed, he circumcifed all a. a 2.] When he went to war, he took with him only those born in his own houfe; but when he circumcifed, he circumcised every male, both those born in his house, and those bought with money. 3.] Abraham himself was not reckoned among the three hundred and eighteen; but he was among the circumcised. 4.] Ifhmael was not born when Abraham went forth to battle (fee Gen. xvi.), but he is alfo reckoned among the circumcised. 5.] There were near twenty years between Abraham's going forth to battle with the three hundred and eighteen, and the circumcifion of his family; and it is very probable his family was confiderably increased in that time. • Nam fi trecentos et octodecem vernas potuit armare, non dubium eft, quin alii effent non pauci, qui nondum apti erant militiæ per ætatem, præter emptitios multos. RiVOL. II. G g vet. Exercit. 75. in Gen. xiv. Scimus ingentem fuisse illi turbam domi, et quæ fere populum unum æquaret. Calvin. in Gen. xvii. 23. All All this makes it evident, that it was a mistake in the author of the Epiftle, to fuppofe that Abraham circumcised the exact number of three hundred and eighteen; and confequently the whole foundation of the allegory is groundless and false. But 2.) The author of the Epiftle, in his allegory, supposes that Abraham understood Greek, at least that he knew the Greek letters. This is evident from those words, Tis in dobioα auTyros; which is tranflated by the Archbishop thus, But what therefore was the mystery which was made known to him? Which clearly implies, that Abraham had all the mystery, which he supposes hidden under the three letters, I, H, T, made known and difcovered to him; but this he could not poffibly have, unless he knew those letters, and knew also what the numeral fignification of each of those letters was. was ever any thing more grofs, more ftupid, than to imagine that Abraham understood Greek? He muft then understand a language, many hundred years before fo much as the letters of it were invented. If there be any credit to be given to antiquity, the Greek letters were not known till Cadmus brought them from Phoenicia to Greece: fee Herodotus ", Tacitus, Euphorus in Clemens Alexandrinus, and many others, cited by the great Bochart. Cadmus is fuppofed to have lived about the middle time of the Judges, or somewhat after, viz. about the year of the world 2660°. 3.) The author of the Epiftle fuppofes, that Abraham knew the punishment and form of the cross. This is evident from what is above said; but that inftrument of punishing was not known in the world till almost two thousand years after Abraham's time: it was, if I mistake not, originally a Roman punishment, and not known to the Jews till after their fubjection to that empire; infomuch that they had not in their language any word to denote it. From all these things laid together, we have very fufficient evidence, not only of the weakness, but the mistakes and falfe a Lib. 5. c. 58. . b Annal. lib. 11. c. 14. d Canaan. lib. 1. c. 20. e Vid. Helvic, hood hood of this author, in his allegory concerning Chrift and his crofs, from the three hundred and eighteen men whom Abraham circumcised. 6. Ch. X. we have his wretched expofition of the laws of Mofes, concerning animals which were not to be eaten, and as he most aukwardly explains them, by telling us they relate to fuch and fuch duties of morality; fo to make room for his mystical interpretations, he premises, *Aga ovx esiv évtoλÙ ☺e~ TÒ μὴ τρώγειν. Μωσῆς δὲ ἐν πνεύματι ἐλάλησεν: i. e. It was not the meaning of God's precepts, that they should abstain from eating fuch and fuch animals; or, they were not obliged to regard the letter of the Law, as to abftinence from unclean animals, for Mofes had a fpiritual meaning; and a little after blames the Jews, that they understood Mofes, when he forbad their eating these animals, as though he had been speaking about meats. But, as Menardus fays, no doubt they had finned if they had eaten any of these beafts, and they were literally obliged to obferve these laws. And this now makes the whole chapter to be one continual falfehood; for whereas he says, Thou shalt not eat fwine, the Lawgiver meant, thou shalt not live in pleafure, and forget God; nor the hawk, eagle, kite, nor crow, he meant, thou shalt not be ravenous; nor the hare, i. e. thou shalt not be adulterous; and fo in like manner of the reft; whereas, I fay, he says these mystical interpretations were the primary intentions of Mofes's laws, when it is certain he had not the leaft regard to them. It is evident the whole chapter is one continued falfehood, and especially in the conclufion, where he says, We have a right understanding of these commandments, and speak as the Lord will have us. 7. Ch. XII. he fays that God prefigured the cross by another prophet, faying, And when shall these things be accomplished? The Lord answered, When the tree shall be fallen down and rife up again, and when blood fhall drop down from the tree. But this alfo is falfe, inafmuch as neither God nor his prophets have said any such thing, but it was either taken a In loc. He endeavours nevertheless to give the words this turn, that God principally commanded them to obferve the spiritual meaning of the laws. Gg 2 out |