"

written. The Words, as they ftand in the Law of Mofes, certainly belong to the Care they were to take of the Animals they made ufe of in their Drudgery of Thrafhing the Corn, which is done by Man's Labour now, but in those early Times perform'd by Oxen and Mofes commands, that the Oxen which were fo ferviceable to them, fhould be at liberty to eat of that Corn, which they trod out, without ftinting. But St. Paul pofitively affirms, that the Holy Ghoft had another Meaning in thefe Words, and defign'd to fet forth thereby the Reafonableness of providing for their Spiritual Paftors.

But laftly Mr. Whiston objects, This dou ble Senfe of the Old Teftament Prophecies is a Stranger alfo to the most antient Fathers of the Church, and came in to fabve the Prejudices or Miftakes of antient Times. I pretend not as yet to be converfant with the Fathers, because I think the Writings of the Prophets, Evange lifts and Apoftles deferve the first place in our Studies; and he that reads them carefully in their Original Languages, as he will have little need, fo he will have as little time to read them: For this Reafon I can fay little as to the Judgment of the Fathers in this Cafe, But Origen and Jerom, if they may not be reckon'd among the moft antient Fathers, may justly be reckon'd the first and beft Interpreters of Scripture; and they, I am fure, will justify me in this double Senfe I contend for. That Origen allow'd another Senfe befides the Literal one, the extravagant Latitude he gave himself that way, is fo notorious, as

to

.

Eufeb..

Efaiam. ad

to ftand in need of no Proof. I fhall only add thefe remarkable Words of Porphyry, the grand Enemy of Chriftianity, which will give us an Idea of the Sentiments of the Primitive Chriftians in this Particular. The Chriftians Stick clofe to the Jewish Writings, and those things which Mofes writ in a plain ruftic Style, lib.6. they maintain to have been infpir'd by God, and fbew them to be full of furprizing Mysteries. Which Method of Interpretation was first begun a Man, viz. Origen, who, when I was young, had this Character among all the Learned, that he was the Ark of all Erudition. St. Jerom tells us, after we have arriv'd at the Hiftorical Prom. in Truth, which the Words in their genuine Euftocli. Signification exhibit, every thing must be understood in a Spiritual Senfe veritatem. Spiritualiter accipienda funt omnia; poft hiftoria and Judea, Jerufalem, Babylon, and Moab, Damafous and Egypt, are fo to be understood, ut cuncta quæramus in fenfu, that we feek for every Senfe which the Words will fairly admit. And accordingly he gives a double Interpretation of the 13th and 14th Chapters of Ifaiah, firft expounding them of Babylon, and afterward of the Day of Judgment, which he calls erecting a Spiritual Building on the Foundation of History; in which, tho' I think him in the wrong, because he frequently is forc'd to offer. Violence to the Prophet's Words, and has not the Authority of the New Teftament to bear him out; yet thus much I think I may infer, that he thought the Words of this Prophet particularly capable of ano

g 2

ther

ther Senfe, befides the literal Meaning of them; nad tho generally fpeakinghe inclines to the piritual Meaning himself, he tell us that Eufe-. bius Pamphili publifh'd Fifteen Volumes juxta Hifloricam. Expofitionem. And in another place, What shall I do? fays Ferom, shall I undertake that Task in which the most Learned of this Age have been exercis'd? I mean Origen and Eufebius, one of which boldly fallies out into the wide Fields of Allegory, and impofes on the Church his own Fancy for the Senfe of the facred Writers: The other promifes in his. Title, an Hiftorical Expofition, and yet often runs into the fame Fault with the former; which fhews not only that St. Jerom allow'd a double Senfe, but was inclin'd to favour the Hiftorical; and therefore he lay'd down this Rule to himfelf, Dicamus Hieron. Com- primò juxta Hiftoriam, deinde juxta Tropologiam, ment. in Cap. which I wish he had always carefully obferv'd. He that undertakes to interpret the Prophets, fays Cyril, another of the Fathers, Eos ego tum Hiftoria accuratam rationem tum fpiritualis fenfus accommodationem oculo mentis idque valdè prudenter intueri oportet; and accordingly the Title of his Notes on Genefis is, Ad literam & myftice: And St. Auftin confeffes, that with a great deal of Eafe he compos'd two Books on Genefis, according to the Allegory but when he undertook to give the literal Sense of the fame Book, the Difficulties appear'd to him fo great, that he was forc'd to give over. And great Chryfoftom is of the fame Opinion: In many Places (fays he) the Prophecies have Hom, 7 in a double Senfe, which may cafily be found

28. Ef.

Lib. 1. Retralationum.

Corinth.

out

C. 5.

out by those who are converfant in their Wri tings: And St. Clement fays, that all Places of Scripture ought as much as-is poffible to be Lib. 2. Coninterpreted nara é literally: And thus the fitur. Apoftol. ég Apoftles taught and commanded: And thus I have fhewn that Antiquity is not fo much a Stranger to the Hypothefis of a double Senfe of the Prophetic Style, as Mr. Whiston imagines. But after all, if every one of the Fathers had declar'd for this Unity of Senfe, unless they had at the fame time enabled us to make Senfe of the Prophetic Writings that way, I fhould think my felf under a Neceffity of waving their Authority in this Point. This, I maintain, St. Jerome has not done, nor in the Nature of the Thing is it practicable; and if any one think otherwife, I only defire him to try whether he can make Ifaiah talk rationally and coherently, by putting that Senfe on his Words which they fairly bear, as they ftand by themfelves in thofe Places where they are quoted by the Evangelifts. Thus I have given my own Thoughts on this important Subject, which whoever would fee more copioufly handled, and with a great deal more Learning than I can pretend to, the (4) Authors referr'd to underneath will give him full Satisfaction.

J..

7

(a) Grotius in 1. Cap. Matthæi. Glaffii Philologia facra, 1. 1. p. 1. tract. 1. Hoffman thefaur. Philol. lib. 1. c. 2. Sect. 7. Pere de la Haye Præfat. ad Bibl. Maxim. Var. Verf. Toffarii Ifagog. ad Comment. in Ifaiam. Dupin differtation preliminair fur la Bibl. librer

'Tis

1

"Tis hop'd the Reader will find but very few Literal Errata's; those that disturb the Sense he is defir'd to Correct as follows.

ERRATA in the Preface

PAge 19. laft line, dele ball. p. 22. I. 34. after choose add the. P. 25. 1. 25. after and r. the

In the Commentary.

2

P. 10. 1. 25. t. Febofhu one Word. p. 21. 1. 2. r. Hagai for Hagar. p. 53. 1. 3. r. alloweth for allow. p. 57. 1. 5. r. live for lay. 1. 10. r. they should grub up for they grub'd up. p. 58. 1. 17. after to fup. be. p. 59. 1. 10. after that fup. Son. p. 66. 1. 20. r. Syrians for Affyrians. p. 77. 1. 13. after this fup. difference, p. 91. 1. 25. for a great r. as great. p. 116. l. 34. after Enemies r. shall. p. 136.1. 15. г. prælii: p. 152: 1. 14. r. injureth. p. 158. I. 24. r. Pictures. I. 25. Perfons. p. 171. 1. 3. r.its. p. 186.1. 34. r. Native for Nation, p. 191. 1. 34. for humble r. tumble. p. 208. 1. 14. for contract r, controul. p. 224. 1. 22: r. tale for state. p. 238. 1. 24. r. Prince for Princes. p. 246. 1. 1. after inflict fup. on. p. 309. 1. 3. after impreffion fup. on. p. 308. l. 3. for venatt r. venatta. p. 309. 1. 17, for Commentators moft r. most Commentators, p. 328.1. 29. for Prophet of r. profit or. p. 330. 1. 2. after before fup. your. p. 356. 1. 27. for more r. most. p. 390. l. 35. for cax r. eux. p. 415. 1. 35. for Lapidee Leeo r. Lapide, Leo. p. 424. l. 16. for the r. he. p. 422. for Antient r. Antients.