3. They also divide it into lesser sections, and those of two sorts, open and close, which have their distinct marks in their Bibles; and many superstitious observations they have about the beginning and ending of them. Of the first sort there are in Genesis 43, of the latter 48; in Exodus, of the first sort 69, of the latter 95; in Leviticus, of the first sort 52, of the latter 46; in Numbers, of the first 92, of the latter 66; in Deuteronomy, of the first sort 34, of the latter 379;—in all 634. Besides, they observe the number of the verses at the end of every book; as also that 1 in 73, Lev. xi. 42, is the middle letter of the Law; ¥, Lev. x. 16, the middle word; Ley. xiii. 33 the middle verse; the number of all which through the Law is 23,206.
Moreover, they divide the Law, or five books of Moses, into 53 ovy10, “sedarim,” or distinctions, whereof Genesis contains 42, Exo- dus 29, Leviticus 23, Numbers 32, Deuteronomy 27; which kind of distinctions they also observe throughout the Scripture, assigning unto Joshua 14, Judges 14, Samuel 34, Kings 35, Isaiah 26, Jere- miah 31, Ezekiel 29, the lesser Prophets 21, Psalms 19, Job 8, Pro- verbs 8, Ecclesiastes 4, Canticles and Lamentations are not divided, Daniel 7, Esther 7, Ezra and Nehemiah 10, Chronicles 25.
Besides, they distribute the Prophets into sections called NY5N “haphters,” that answer the sections which are read every Sabbath- day in their synagogues; and this division of the Prophets they affirm to have been made in the days of Antiochus Epiphanes, whom they call yen, “that wicked one,” when the reading of the Law was prohi- bited unto them. All which things are handled at large by others.
4, Having for a long season lost the promise of the Spirit, and therewith all saving spiritual knowledge of the mind and will of
128 ORIGIN AND NATURE [EXERC. VII.
God in the Scripture, the best of their employment about it hath been in reference to the words and letters of it; wherein their dili- gence hath been of use in the preservation of the copies of it entire and free from corruption: for after that the canon of the Old Testa- ment was completed in the days of Ezra, and points or vowels added to the letters, to preserve the knowledge of the tongue and facilitate the right reading and learning of it, it is incredible what industry, diligence, and curiosity, they have used in and about the letter of the whole Scripture. The collection of their pains and observations to this purpose is called the Masora or Masoreth; consisting in critical observations upon the words and letters of the Scripture, begun to be collected of old, even it may be from the days of Ezra, and con- tinued until the time of composing the Talmud, with some addi- tional observations since annexed unto it.
The writers, composers, and gatherers of this work, they call monn ya; whose principal observations were gathered and pub- lished by Rabbi Jacob Chaiim, and annexed to the Venetian Bibles; whereas, before, the Masora was written in other books innumerable. In this, their critical doctrine, they give us the number of the verses of the Scripture, as also how often every word is used in the whole, and with what variety as to letters and vowels; what is the whole number of all the letters in the Bible, and how often each letter is severally used; with innumerable other useful observations: the sum whereof is gathered by Buxtorf in his excellent treatise on that subject. And hereby is the knowledge of their masters bounded ; they go not beyond the letter, but are more blind than moles in the spiritual sense of it. And thus they continue an example of the right- eous judgment of God, in giving them up to the counsels of their own hearts; and an evident instance how unable the letter of the Scripture is to furnish men with the saving knowledge of the will of God, who enjoy not the Spirit promised in the same covenant to the church of the elect, Isa, lix. 21.
5. Unto that ignorance of the mind of God in the Scripture which is spread over them, they have added another prejudice against the truth, in a strange figment of an oral law, which they make equal unto, yea in many things prefer before, that which is written. The Scripture becoming a lifeless letter unto them, the true understand- ing of the mind of God being utterly departed and hid from them, it was impossible that they should rest therein, or content them- selves with what is revealed by it. For as the word, whilst it is enjoyed and used according to the mind of God, and is accompanied with that Spirit which is promised to lead them that believe into all truth, is full of sweetness and life to the souls of men, a perfect rule of walking before God, and that which satiates them with wisdom and knowledge; so when it is enjoyed merely on an outward account
SECT. 5, 6.] OF THE ORAL LAW. 129
as such a writing, without any dispensation of suitable light and grace, it will yield men no satisfaction; which makes them constantly turn aside to other means and ways of knowing and serving God. This being so eminent in the Jews, and the medium they have fixed on to supply that want which they suppose to be in the Scripture, but is indeed in themselves, proving to be the great engine of their hardening and obstinacy in their infidelity, I shall first declare what it is that they intend by the oral law, and then show the absurdity and falseness of their pretensions about it; though it must not be denied that it is one of the most ancient fables that is credited amongst any of the sons of men at this day in the world.