The Samaritan showing that many and unnecessary impositions are not the oil that must…The Samaritan shewing that many and unnecessary impositions are not the oyl that must…

SECT. VII.

BUT I shall argue the improbability of it, from Experience, as well as from its proper Causes. Do we not see great variety of judgments, and apprehensions in all parts of Learning and Knowledge? Do not Grammarians differ in the sense and meaning of words, and in the explication of the Idiotisms and peculiarities of the learned Languages? Do not our Mythologists differ in the account they give of the Fables of the Greek and Latin Poets? Do not some Learned Men think that they are (at least many of them) corruptions of the true History of things which we have in the Holy Bible? Hath not the Learned Bochartus among others given very probable reasons for it? and hath not an English Doctor and Divine of our Church derided, and laughed at him for it?

BUT I shall argue the improbability of it, from Experience, as well as from its proper Causes. Do we not see great variety of judgments, and apprehensions in all parts of Learning and Knowledge? Do not Grammarians differ in the sense and meaning of words, and in the explication of the Idiotismes and peculiarities of the learned Languages? Do not our Mythologists differ in the account they give of the Fables of the Greek and Latine Poets? Do not some Learned Men think that they are (at least many of them) corruptions of the true History of things which we have in the Holy Bible? Hath not the Learned Bochartus among others given very probable reasons for it? and hath not an English Doctor and Divine of our Church derided, and laughed at him for it?

Have not, and do not our Theological Critics and Translators differ in their Opinions, even concerning the Signification of words, as about the ⟨p. 25⟩Original of them? Is there any agreement or concord among them, or do we need to go far for proofs of it? The first verse in the Bible will furnish us with enough. ברא שית In the beginning is translated by the Jerusalem Targum, בחוכמא in Wisdom, By the Arabic [Greek or Hebrew] the first, and by Aquila [Greek or Hebrew], Summatim. Nor are they agreed in the origination of the word שמים Some will have it compounded of the words מים and שם ibi sunt aquae, there are waters: Others will have it derived from the Arabic word [Greek or Hebrew] altum esse. And as great variety may be observed in the Translation of those words, The Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters, but such varieties are endless. I will only mention the different opinions of Critics, upon those words, Psal, 22.17. They pierced. The word כארי some think is derived from the Hebrew word כרה, and that the Aleph in the middle is Epenthetical, and the Jod in the end of the word is put for Vau, either by the negligence of Transcribers, or the fraud of the Jews out of spite to the Christian Religion: Others think the radix of the word is כהר, and that Aleph is put for Ajn, by a permutation usual in the Eastern Languages: Others think that the word is Syriac, and that the radix is [Greek or Hebrew] and that 'tis here the infinitive Mood with the affix of the first Person, which often admits the signification of the preter perfect Tense among the Hebrews. This opinion they think is favoured by the Septuagint, who Translate the word [Greek or Hebrew], which is of the same signification