Animadversions on a treatise entitled Fiat lux, or, A guide in differences of religion,…Animadversions on a treatise intituled Fiat lux, or, A guide in differences of religion,…

But we have other things, yet pleaded, as the Example of the Hebrew Church, who neither in the time of Moses, nor after, translated the Scripture into the Syriac; yea, the book was privately kept in the Ark or Tabernacle, not touched or looked on by the people, but brought forth at times to the Priest, who might upon the Sabbath day read some part of it to the people, and put them in mind of their Laws, Religion, and Duty.

But we have other things, yet pleaded, as the Example of the Hebrew Church, who neither in the time of Moses, nor after, translated the Scripture into the Syriack; yea, the book was privately kept in the Ark or Tabernacle, not touched or looked on by the people, but brought forth at times to the Priest, who might upon the Sabbath day read some part of it to the people, and put them in mind of their Laws, Religion, and Duty.

I confess, in this passage, I am compelled to suspect more of ignorance then ⟨p. 334⟩fraud; notwithstanding the flourishing made in the distribution of the old Testament, into the Law, Prophets, and H•giography. For first, as to the Translation of the Scripture by the Jews into the Syriac Tongue, to what purpose doth he suppose, should this be done? it could possibly be for no other than that, for which, his Masters keep the Bible in Latin. I suppose, he knows, that at least until the Captivity, when most of the Scripture was written, the Hebrew, and not the Syriac, was the vulgar language of that people. It's true indeed, that some of the noble and chief men that had the transaction of affairs with Neighbour-Nations, had learned the Syriac language toward the end of their Monarchy; but the body of the people were all ignorant of it, as is expressly declared, 2 Kings 18.26. To what end then should they translate the Scripture into that Language, which they knew not, out of that, which alone they were accustomed to from their infancy, wherein it was written? Had they done so, indeed it would have been a good argument for the Romanists to have kept it in