The Book might have been of more Ufe to us than all their Talmud. And fhall conclude the whole Argument with fome Obfervations on Aben Ezra and Jerom, Two Authors that the two contending Parties contend for."

As to the firft, I find Capellus is content to divide him, and allow that he contradicts himself, and therefore of no value; as the Woman was that wanted Motherly Affection, fhe was willing that the live one fhould be divided, tho it died for the Quarrel. But to fave him alive, I will produce one clear and plain Proof of his Opinion in this Cafe, which is neither ufed by Buxtorf nor Wafmuth on Exod. 18. 3. The Name of Meffias, Fer.33.23.comprehends all that,The Lord our Righte oufnefs. That excellent Doctor fays Aben Ezra fays, That the Name Jehova is the Name of him that Names the Meffias, fo that the Name of the Meffias is only Our Righteoufnefs. Thus the Name by which Jehova fhall call Meffias, is our Righteouf • nefs.

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But this Interpretation adds he,arifes from an Error about the accent Tirha or Tiphcha, which is under the Word (be fhall call) and not upon the Word Fehova. It is worth obferving, that is none of the great Lords that Capellus grants to be of use, but a little Lord, on which he builds a weighty Argument in a Momentous Matter, Whether Meffias is truly Jehova or not?

2.

I fhall obferve upon what Quotations they Difpute, viz. if from Neb. 8. 8. Aben Ezra believes that Ezra was the Author of the Accents. whom he mentions alone, and afferts, he could

not Err.

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Capellus firft grants, that Ezra taught the fame Reading of the Sacred Book by the Accents, which we have now from the Tiberians; and that Educa tion and Tradition, preferved it between them, for that 1000 Years. Walton thinking that incredible, yields they might be written in fome other Book, and added to the Bible by the Tyberians.

(2.) He propofes the Question thus, Whether Ezra actually wrote thofe Points or little Notes? Or, Whether he was fo morofe, and fcrupulous, in the leaft punctilio's that we now receive in our Bible? Now, faith he, We deny that that can be proved, tho Aben Ezra feems to affert it. But why, faith he, is Aben Ezra to be believ'd more than the rest of the Rabbinical Jews? So that if we can prove never fo much out of Aben Ezra, we are like to gain little ground on Capellus. And yet in Aben Ezra's Diftinction of the former and later Maforites, or Pointers, he ftill endeavours to defend his own ground. Aben Ezra fays, That the Pointers put Scheva under Tau, in the Word Ghafhit, left it fhould be confounded with the Mafculine Form. But why? fays he, He answers, It's the Custom of the Wife Men of Tiberias, who did this left any should think the Pointer had forgot to point the Letter Tau, or be doubtful how it should be read: This Capellus would make it an indetermined thing by thefe Words, whether this Pointer was before, or cotemporary with the Tiberians. Tho' this Pointer is fome famous, fingle Perfon, to whom this Work is afcribed, and the Jews commonly ascribe it to Ezra. (2.) Tho he and his Work is an Object about which the Tiberian Maforites do converfe,and therefore must be before. The Second Author contended about, is Hieronimus, the Father who after Origen gave most pains

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pains in the Hebrew; and therefore if the Points and Accents were in his day, he would certainly have made fome mention of them in his Works; But bis filence (faith Walton) makes it clearer than the light, that there was neither Points nor Accents in bis Age.

Refp. This Argument would prove that the Points were not invented by the Maforites; for neither Femifi nor Chriftian Hiftorian has recorded it, then, or fince, for 1400 Years.

But 2dly, The thing feems really falfe, fince Hierome fo often blames the Lxx as corrupt, and prefers the Hebrew Truth as he calls it. In Gen. 19.33. he faysia is irregularly pointed: Fer.3. 4. both the accents and fyllables of the Hebrew Text are repugnant to the Lxx. In Pfalm 90. 8. it is to be read Gholanmenu, our negligence, according to the Hebrew, but the Lxx has render'd it (our Ages) as if it had been Gholamenu, Gen. 47. laft Verfe it is not in the Hebrew Mittab a Scepter, but Mattak, a Bed. On Icclef 12. in the beginning of Jeremy, fays he, if you change the Points, of p() it fignifies a Nut; but change fignifies Watching. Lyranus who lived in the 1300 Century, and wrote a moft large Glofs on the Bible, was perfwaded that Jerom's Latine Tranflation was after the punctuation of the Hebrew Bible, because he corrects both the Lxx and the Chaldee Paraphrases by the Points of the Hebrew. But let us try what Influence it has on Capellus. He hath indeed a very fubtile Refuge, but brings no reafon for its Credibility. He fays, That Origen in his Octupla, put the Hebrew Bible in Greek Letters, and expreffed the Hebrew Sound in Greek Voxels; and from that Hierom corrected the Lxx. and Chaldee,

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Chaldee. This, he fays, was that Hebrew Verity he faw the vowels and accents in. It is not to be expected of him, that he fhould give fome Reasons for this; to deny is his part, it's ours to prove it. But with his favour, he puts us now to prove a Negative. However, It is my Opinion, Capellus is in the wrong, becaufe he fhifts his Refuge.

1. It was the Hebrew the Lxx ufed, he corrects 'em by. 2. He grants then that Origen no Jew, who lived in the Third Century, was able, and actually did, point the Bible truly. His Invention of Greek Vowels, was as good as Points; Why fhould they rob (rigen of his Glory?

3. Tom. 2. p. 198. Rufinus, Origen's Friend and Interpreter, thus cavils at Hierom Pf. 2. in the Vulgar, it is Embrace Difcipline. In the Hebrew,

in my Comment, I turned it, Adore ye the Son, but in my. Tranflation, Worship in purity. Hierom Refp. I teach the Latines what I learned of the Hebrews; and how profitable is it to tread on the Threshold of our Masters; to learn from Artists, and know the plenty of ambiguity in their Words? Ergo, not from Origen.

4. Ibidem, p. 209, &c. My Interpretation is called (fays he) a reprehenfion of the Lxx.

Refp.What then,there are Three of them,fays he, Hefychius's for Egypt, Lucian's for Conftantinople and Antioch. Crigen's for Palestine. 2. There are three more befide them, fays he, Aquila's, Symmachus's, and Theodotion's. Now, fays he, He that hath 'them all, and wants the Hebrew, is the more in the Wood, and at the more coft for it, for these were Judaizing Hereticks.

He adds, That the Apostles, Evangelifts, Christ himself, when they quote the Old Testament,they use

the

the Hebrew, ex. gr. John 7. He that believes in me, as the Scripture bath faid, Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living Water. And Mat.27. My God, my God, why baft thou forfaken me. These are not fo in the Lxx. Now this cannot be Origen's, for 1. Would Rufinus have blamed him for following his Patron Origen? Or 2. In his endeavouring to reproach him for Origenifme, would he not have used that Argument? But 3dly, It is the fame Hebrew Truth he follows that Chrift and his Difciples followed, not Origen's. 5. Tomb. p. 208. I have found the place he builds on. If we err in an accent, or the length of a vowel, or in the afpiration of Letters, The Jews mock our Ignorance; thence we have taken care to mend all the Books of the Old Teftament, which that Learned Origen digefted into Examples, wherein the Hebrew Words are de"fcribed in their own proper Characters; and again expreffed in Greek Letters, in the next Column. Allo Aquila and Symmachus, the Lxx, and Theodofius poffefs their Ranks; these described out of the Cefarian Library we have mended from the Authentick Originals. Thefe that Immortal Wit has given to us: Through his Labour it is that we need not fear the Jews fupercilioufnefs in their loose Lips, their distorted Tongue, their hiffing Spittle, and their rough Throats, wherein they glory, because we cannot imitate them. They have 3 S's, we but one; They have 4 H's, we but one; therefore it is no wonder, that fo 'different Languages do not entirely harmonize in Pronunciation.

I do obferve here a very confiderable Proof, both from Origen and Jerome, that the Vowels and Accents were not only exiftent in the Hebrew

Tongue