On the subject of New Testament versions he observes, " No benefit has accinied from extending the range of investigation in this quarter. Rather has there been dis- advantage The Arabic versions of the Now Testament ought to be neglected.
They are useless. The same may be said of the Persian." The versions which he re- gards as sources of criticism are the Syriac, Latin, Egyptian, Ethiopic, and Gothic. — Ed.
420 INTEGRITY AND PURITY OF THE HEBREW AND GREEK TEXT.
For the corruptions supposed, I could heartily wish that learned men would abstain from such insinuations, unless they are able to give them some pretence by instances. It is not spoken of this or that copy, which, by the error of the scribes or printers, may have im- portant mistakes found in it There is no need of men's critical abilities to rectify such mistakes; other copies are at hand for their relief. It is of the text, without such suppositions, that this insinua- tion is made. Now, to cast scruples into the minds of men about the integrity and sincerity of that, without sufficient ground or war- rant, is surely not allowable. It is not good to deal so with men or their writings, much less with tJw word of God. Should any man write that in case of such a man's theft or murder, who is a man of unspotted reputation, it were good to take such or such a course with him, and publish it to the world, would their stirring of such rumours be looked on as an honest. Christian, and candid course of proceed- ing? And is it safe to deal so with the Scripture? I speak of Pro- testants. For Papists, who are grown bold in the opposition to the originals of the Scripture, I must needs say that I look upon them as effectually managing a design of Satan to draw men into atheism ; nor, in particular, do I account Morinus' Exercitations one whit better. It is readily acknowledged that there are many difficult places in the Scripture, especially in the historical books of the Old Testament. Some of them have by some been looked at as aXvra. The industry of learned men of old, and of late Jews and Christians, has been well exercised in the interpretation and reconciliation of them : by one or other a fair and probable account is given of them all. Where we cannot reach the utmost depth of truth, it hath been thought meet that poor worms should captivate their understandings to the truth and authority of God in his word. If there be this liberty once given, that they may be looked on as corruptions, and amended at the pleasure of men, how we shall be able to stay before we come to the bottom of questioning the whole Scripture I know not. That, then, which yet we insist upon is, that according to all rules of equal procedure, men are to prove such, corruptions before they entertain us with their provision of means for remedy.
For the specimen of various lections gathered out of Grotius' Anno- tations, I shall not much concern myself therein ; they are nothing less than various lections of that learned man's own observations. Set aside, 1. The various lections of the Septuagint, [of the] Vulgar Latin, [and] of Symmachus, Aquila, and Theodotion, wherein we are not concerned; 2. The Keri and Ketib, which we have oftentimes over and over in this volume; 3. The various readings of the oriental and occidental Jews, which we have also elsewhere; 4. Conjectures how the Septuagint and Vulgar Latin read, by altering letters only;
OF LECTIONS GATHERED OUT OF TRANSLATIONS. 42 J
5. Conjectures of his own how the text may be mended, — and a very little room will take up what remains. By that cursory view I have taken of them, I see not one word that can pretend to be a various lection, unless it belong to the Keri and Ketib, or the difference be- tween the oriental and the occidental Jews : so that, as I said before, as to my present design, I am not at all concerned in that collection; those that are may further consider it.
As short an account will serve for the general consideration of the whole bulky collection of various lections that we have here pre- sented unto us. For those of the several translations, we are not at all concerned in them; where any or all of them fail or are cor- rupted, we have a rule, blessed be God, preserved to rectify them by. For those of the originals, I have spoken to them in particular. I shall only add, that we have some of them, both from the Old and New Testament, given us thrice over at least ; many of the Keri and Ketib, after a double service done by them, are given us again the third time by Grotius; so also are those of the New Testament by the same Grotius and Lucas Brugensis.
PEO SACRIS SCEIPTLIEIS iDVERSUS HUJUS TEMPOEIS FANATICOS
EXERCITATIONES APOLOGETICS QUATUOK.
OXONII: 1658.
PREFATORY NOTE.
The following dissertations seem to have been prepared and printed in 1658, though publislied along with the two preceding treatises in 1659. Owen was anxious to prevent the spread of Quakerism in the University of Oxford ; and, as addressed to the members and students of that university, the dissertations were written in Latin. Walton, in his reply to our author's " Considerations " on the London Polyglott, took occasion to in- sinuate tliat the reason why the other two treatises had appeared in English was, that an odium might be excited against the Polyglott on points on which he and Owen were at issue, and on which the common people could not be fit judges. The allegation seems groundless. Meek and self-denied as the Friends are generally accounted, they resented keenly the weighty reasonings of Owen : a.nd one of their number, Samuel Fisher, replied to him in " 'J'he Rustic's Alarm to the Rabbit,"— a publication oveiliowing in its very title-page with arrogance and self-conceit. It will be found that the reasonings of our author on the dogmas of the Quakers are by no means antiquated ; and perhaps it would be diihcult to specify a clearer statement and more effective refutation of them.