To speak somewhat of them in general, I must crave leave to say, ■ — and it being but the representation of men's avowed judgments, I hope I may say without offence, — that together with many high and honourable expressions concerning the originals, setting aside the incredible figment of the Jews corrupting the Bible out of hatred to the Christians, which, being first supposed by Justin Martyr (though he speaks of the LXX. only), hath scarce found one or two since to own it, but is rejected by the universality of learned men, ancient and modern, unless some few Papists mad upon their idols, and the
868 INTEGRITY AND PURITY OF THE HEBREW AND GREEK TEXT.
^/?.esis preferring in general this or that translation above the original, there is no opinion that I know of that was ever ventilated among Christians, tending to the depression of the worth or impairing the esteem of the Hebrew copies, which is not, directly or by just conse- quence, owned in these Prolegomena. Thence it is contended that the present Hebrew character is not that used by God himself and in the old church before the captivity of Babylon, but it is the Chal- dean, the other being left to the Samaritans; that the 'points or vowels, and accents, are a late invention of the Tiberian Masoretes, long after sundry translations were extant in the world ; that the Keri and Ketib are critical notes, consisting partly of various lections gathered by the late Masoretes and Rabbins; that considering how ofttimes, in likelihood, translators read the text before the invention of the points and accents, the present reading may be corrected and amended by them, and that because the old translators had other copies, or different copies from them which we now- enjoy; that Avhere gross faults are crept into the Hebrew text, men may by their own conjectures find out various lections whereby they may be amended, — and to this purpose an instance of such various lections, or rather corrections of the original, is in the Appendix exhibited unto us out of Grotius; that the books of the Scriptures having had the fate of other books, — by passing through the hands of many tran- scribers, they have upon them the marks of their negligence, igno- rance, and sloth.
Now, truly, I cannot but wish that some other way had been found out to give esteem and reputation to this nohle collection of trans- lations than by espousing these opinions, so prejudicial to the truth and authority of the originals. And it may be justly feared, that where one will relieve himself against the uncertainty of the originals by the consideration of the various translations here exhibited unto us, being such as upon trial they will be found to be, many will be ready to question the foundation of all.
It is true, the learned prefacer owns not those wretched conse- quences that some have laboured to draw from these premises; yet it must be acknowledged, also, that sufficient security against the lawful deriving those consequences from these premises is not ten- dered unto us. He says not that because this is the state of the Hebrew lansfuao-e and Bible, therefore all thinsfs in it are dubious and uncertain, easy to be turned unto various senses, not fit to be a rule for the trial of other translations, though he knows full vvell- who think this a just consequence from the opinion of the novelty of the voivels; and himself grants that all our knowledge of the Hebrew is taken from the translation of the LXX., as he is quoted to that purpose by Morinus, Prsefat. ad Opusc. Hebras. Samarit. He
THE AUTHORITY OF THE ORIGINALS. 369
concludes not that on these accounts we must rely upon an infallible living judge, and the translation that he shall commend unto us, though he knows full well who do so ; and himself gives it for a rule, that at the correction of the original we have the consent of the guides of the church. I could desire then, I say, that sufficient security may be tendered us against these inferences before the pre- mises be embraced, seeing great and wise men, as we shall further see anon, do suppose them naturally and necessarily to flow from them.
It is confessed that some learned men, even among the Protestants, have heretofore vented these or some of these paradoxes; especially Cappellus, in his " Arcanum Punctationis Kevelatum," " Critica Sacra," and other treatises; in the defence whereof, as I hear, he still laboureth, being unwilling to suffer loss in the fruit of so great pains. What will become of his reply unto Buxtorfius in the de- fence of his Critica I know not. Reports are that it is finished; and it is thought he must once more flee to the Papists by the help of his son, a great zealot amongst them; as he did with his Critica, to get it published. The generality of learned men among Protestants are not yet infected with this leaven ; nor, indeed, do I find his boldness in conjecturing approved in these Prolegomena. But let it be free for men to make known their judgments in the severals mentioned. It hath been so, and may it abide so still. Had not this great and useful work been prefaced with the stating of them, it had not been of public concernment (as now it seems to be) to have taken notice of them.