lefs; at the fame time however each keeping bis own private opinions and experiments to himself, according to the rule; "haft thou faith? have it to thyself and before God," rather than offend thy brother with thy fancies, and disturb the church with private judgment. One chufeth to understand a part of fcripture in a figurative, or fpiritual fenfe; let him enjoy it if he finds comfort in it, and his faith increased another prefers the letter; let him too feed on the husk, if he can digeft it. The word of God is a feast for all; where the ftrong may feed on favoury meat, and the feeble on milk; the contented may eat fruit and drink water, the weak may be ftrengthened with corn, and the afflicted be cheered with wine and oil. Thus all may prophefy (interpret) cne by one, that all may learn and all be comforted, and the world not plagued with fects and divifions.'

Surely we are not deceived in thinking that there is somewhat objectionable in thofe parts of the above paragraph which we have printed in italics? Do they not favour more of the spirit of a national establishment, than that of Chriftianity? He who publishes to the world merely his own chimeras and conceits is, at best, but uselessly employed, though, fhould it be done with candour and charity, the injury to the Public is likely to be but fmall, and may be foon obviated: but certainly for a man of ability and judgment to propofe remarks and illustrations which appear to be fupported by reafon and scripture, must be very allowable; otherwife we may ask what would become of the criticisms and emendations which Dr. Bayly himself offers to our confideration? Some reflections in thefe volumes ftrongly fuggeft his approbation of a figurative or fpiritual explication of the ceremonial law, and other parts of the Old Teftament; an explication which we do not condemn: but, on the above principles, ought he not to have referved fuch a fenfe to himself as matter of private opinion?

The laft extract we fhall make from the preface is as follows:

It may be of use to add one remark on the manner, in which Mofes conducts his hiftory; that he generally purfues one fingle narration at a time, without any mixture of concomitant circumstances, which he relates in a refumption of the fubject. In the firft chap. of Gen. for inftance, he ftrictly confines himself to the first day's creation, without any notice of the woman, the garden of Eden, Adam's probation and naming the creatures; all which are related by themselves in the fecond chapter. Father Simon, either from a blind partiality to oral tradition, or for want of reflection on Mofes' ftyle of writing, looked on this chapter and other parts of fcripture, as a confufed collection of fcraps and fragments, rather than a re gular hiftory. Again, in Gen. xxxvii. 28, he carries Jofeph directly, into Egypt, and there leaves him for a time, till chap. xxxix. where he minutely enters on his hiftory without interruption,'

A fhort but ufeful explication of the Hebrew alphabet and grammar is given at the end of the preface, for the benefit of thofe who are totally unacquainted with the language, not exact

5

and

and full enough, as the Author obferves, to enable them to understand it critically, but fufficient to convince them how cafily they may do it with a little affiftance, and to provoke them to fo important a ftudy, especially the clergy, for whom, fays the Doctor, it is a fhame, if not a crime, to be unacquainted with this language.

We fhall next lay before our Readers a few of the short remarks or characters which Dr. Bayly places at the end of moft of the books of the Old Teftament; and fhall begin with the firft, which is as follows:

Thus ends the book (from the Seventy) very properly entitled Genefis, that is, the origin of things and ftate of nations, particularly of the holy line. If the reader, ftanding as it were on a hill, will review the ground over which he hath travelled, what important objects prefent themselves to his eye! the creation, original ftate of man, his fall and recovery, together with the inftitution and practice of facrifice, in the first four chapters; afterward the lament. able corruption of mankind, the deluge, general difperfion, origin of nations, the call of Abraham, bleffing of Ifaac, prefervation of Jacob; and laftly the hiftory of Jofeph: which if the reader as he goes along fhall be able (either from proper reflections or the few hints given in the notes) to Spiritualize, he will find his understanding illuminated, his faith ftrengthened, and his heart meliorated; if he reft in the letter he may indeed be inftructed, amused, and pleafed, but not carried very forward toward the kingdom of heaven. The Jew, as well as Christian, may learn from the examples of Abraham,-of Lot, and of Jacob, how to believe, adore, acknowledge, and pray: "O God of Abraham, and God of Ifaac, which didft deliver Jacob from Efau: the angel which didst deliver him from all evil, blefs me."-In fhort this book contains the fum and substance of the law and gofpel.'

At the end of the next book the Editor thus expreffes himself:

This fecond book of Mofes is, according to the Seventy, named Exodus, that is, egrefs or departure, from its moft eminent event, which is the accomplishment of the promife made to Abraham in the delivery of his pofterity from a ftate of bondage. Here again the reader will do well not to reft in the mere letter, as when he reads a common hiftory. If thou wouldst enrich thyfelf, penetrate the furface, and fearch for the precious ore fecreted within: feel thy felf enthralled and delivered; participate of the paffover, feed on the manna, and drink of the rock; in burying Jacob and Jofeph look into the fepulchre; in hearing the law, and viewing the tabernacle and holy of holies, throw afide Mofes' veil, and enter into heaven itself to the Mediator of the New Teftament, who appears in the prefence of God for us.'

We have inferted the above paffages particularly in fupport of what we before faid of Dr. Bayly's ftrong inclination to the figurative explication, which, in fome inftances, cannot be wholly improper, becaufe juftified at times by applications in the New Testament, but it requires a chaftifed imagination, a

conftant

conftant and fteady guard, efpecially in what is offered to public view, left we are betrayed into thofe unwarrantable conceits and fancies, which prove, in fome hands, a kind of burlesque on the fcriptures. In his reflections on the book of Leviticus, this Writer expreffes himfelf with great freedom when he fays, Men, both Jews and Chriftians, while they look on the outfide, the external fenfe only, will often laugh at the history and laws of Mofes, wherein the letter is frequently fo mean, that common fenfe is forced either to reject it or to fearch for the fpirit.' But muft it be faid concerning the hiftory and laws of the Jews that they are abfurd and ridiculous unless we can difcover fome figurative meaning? Would not this be to yield up their authenticity as facred books? For who can fay with regard to every rite and cuftom appointed that it had a figurative fignification? Or is it not fufficient to obferve concerning many of them, that they were wifely intended to preferve the Ifraelites a diftinct people; or to reply with Orobio the Jew concerning the direction to have fringes on their garments, that though this part of their habit was very immaterial in itself, it was no immaterial thing to be hereby conftantly reminded of their de pendance on God, and the obligation they were under to fub mit to and obey him.

At the end of the book of Deuteronomy Dr. Bayly offers these reflections:

We have feen in this book, which finishes what the Jews fome. times call Torah the law, and fometimes the Pentateuch, the five books or volumes, that Mofes talks with the people more openly and plainly, as it were without a veil. Each chapter fpeaks to all, and is univerfally interefting, except perhaps the 28th, which is peculiarly national, though its prophecy and accomplishment may ferve to confirm our faith, on whom the ends of the world are come. Mofes in this chapter, after fetting before his people bleffings for their obedience, and curfings for their difobedience, in a gene'ral manner, like the outlines of a large picture confifting of many figures, begins at ver. 36, to give the features of each perfon and event, which are drawn so strong, that it is known at first fight for whom each is defigned. "The Lord fhall bring thee and thy king which thou shalt fet over thee unto a nation."-That the people and their king fhould go into captivity, must be to them almost an incredible event, as being told at a time when they had no thoughts of a king, nor their pofterity for many years after, till the appoint ment of Saul, whom all the people fet over them; and afterwards of Jeroboam, whom Ifrael fet over them. But what king and the people emphatically and completely did the Lord bring into captivity, except Zedekiah and his people? and under what nation, except the Babylonish? 2 Kings xxv. Indeed before this time the houfe of Ifrael with their king Hofhea (2 Kings xvii.) was carried captive into Affyria, and Jehoaz king of Judah into Egypt, by Pharoah Nechoh, and died there, but not the people: 2 Kings xxiii. 34. Nor yet in REV. O&. 1774. Jehoiakim,

T

Jehoiakim, who was carried into Babylon, 2 Kings xxiv. was this prophecy fulfilled, but in his fucceffor Zedekiah; whom, with his people, the Lord did bring into a nation which neither they nor their fathers knew. But more aftonishing and dreadful are the calamities which they were to endure in the fucceeding captivity and final difperfion under the Roman nation, evidently defcribed in ver. 49 to 57, and from ver. 59 to the end, by the distinguishing characters of fituation, "from the end of the earth"-of the eagle, the Roman ftandard-courage and cruelty," of a ftern countenance, fhewing no favour,"-befieging the Jews and demolishing their high walls, themselves fo preffed with famine that they ate their own children, as here foretold, and as related by Jofephus. The laft verfe fays, "The Lord fhall bring thee into Egypt again in fhips"(Many of the captive Jews, fays Jofeph. lib. 7. 16. were tranfported into Egypt after Jerufalem had been taken by Titus) and there ye fhall be offered in fale to your enemies for bond-men and bondwomen, and none will buy you." So extenfive in this chapter is Mofes' eye, looking through the medium of the divine prescience, from the beginning to the end of the Jewish polity.'

At the end of the book of Ruth is the following fhort account:

Ineft fua gratia parvis: This little book, which the Jews place the fecond of what they call-the five rolls-hath many beauties and fome importance. It hath for its fubject distress and the ftillness of private life; confequently its ftyle is plain and familiar, not to fay fometimes apparently negligent and incorrect, addreffed to the foft feelings of pity, compaflion and kindness. It hath alfo its importance, in that it hath preferved the genealogy of David from Pharez the fon of Judah. This book relating circumftances, which hap pened during the time of the judges, and prior to the birth of Eli and Samuel, may be placed next to Judges, as a kind of appendix to it, or it may ftand alone, fince it contains a detached narration; fo alfo do the first three chapters of the fucceeding book: the hiftory of the Ifraelites feems not to be refumed, till the beginning of the fourth chapter. The part of Ruth feemingly incorrect, and fuppofed by fome to be corrupted, is the first chapter, in the ufe of pronouns ; ver. 8, 9, 11, 19, on as fem. and ver. 13, as maf. Dare ufually maf. and fem. but fometimes common alfo, like the first perfon fing. and the third plural, as in Deut. xxii. 23. and Either i. 20.'

We fhall here add Dr. Bayly's remarks on the book of Ezra:

It is a vulgar notion, that the facred books were burnt with the temple, and all the copies loft in the captivity, and that they were restored by Ezra from memory or divine infpiration, together with a change of the Samaritan letter, which fome contend was the original Hebrew, for the Chaldean: this opinion is vulgar, because it hath no better foundation than the fable in the Apocryphal book Eldras, chap. xiv. For not the leaft hint is given in Ezra or Nehemiah, that the facred books were loft, but the contrary, that they were extant, as here in ver. 3, where it is faid, "let it be done according to the law"-and Neh. viii. i. "they fpake unto Ezra the feribe to bring the book of the law of Mofes"-fo that most likely

the original itself was preferved out of the conflagration, and undoubtedly many copies. Another proof that original records were extant, is the conftant reference to them in the books of Kings and Chronicles. It must have been from fome regifters then exifting, that Ezra, chap. ii. and Nehemiah, chap. vii. 5. took the names and pedigrees of thofe whom Nebuchadnezzar carried away captive. Indeed Nehemiah exprefsly fays, "I found a regifter"-Many folid arguments might be offered, if the present occafion allowed it, which would prove the improbability, if not impoffibility, of introducing a change of the letters: let the Hebraift but ufe a little of his own judgment and reflection, and he will convince himself without the affiftance of others, or rather their hindrance.'

Some proper remarks of the fame kind with the above are placed at the end of the book of Nehemiah.

The following fhort obfervations appear at the conclufion of the Song of Solomon:

This Song is confidered by all commentators as a kind of paftoral eclogue, or dramatic poem; but who are the dramatis perfonæ doth not indifputably appear, nor always the real meaning of what they fay. There is however great elegance throughout, and abundant brightness; but the colours of light vary according to the medium through which they pafs. Whoever are the principal characters or Speakers, whether God and the houfe of Ifrael, in our ftyle, the church, or the bride and bridegroom, or as Tyndal faith, the fpouse and fpouffeffe, certainly nothing can be fofter and we ought to fuppofe purer, than the words in which they exprefs their reciprocal love, except thofe of David in his lamentation for the death of Jonathan, "thy love to me was wonderful, paffing the love of women."

We fhall infert a fentence or two from Dr. Bayly's epilogue, (as he terms it in the preface) to the book of Ifaiah, becaufe they feem to contain fomething peculiar, on which the Reader may make his reflections:

No part of this book, fays he, is more curious than the threefold narration of the fame events, differing in circumftances and expreffion, but without any contradiction or corruption, in chap. xxxvi. and xxxvii. compared with 2 Kings xviii. 13, and chap. xix, and 2 Chron. xxxii. The xxxvith chap. of Ifaiah, and 2 Kings xviii. differ in almoft every verse, by fome addition, omiffion, or mode of expreffion. The comparison of this three-fold narration will afford real pleasure, and great infruction in the art of criticifm to the dif cerning reader, though none to dull plodders of evil minds and contracted views, who fearch for and infer corruptions from variations; by which they perplex themfelves, please the adverfary, and hurt the friend: because after comparing the various lections, it may be impoffible to afcertain the original reading, and every one is left to do it for himself. This is vanity, faith the preacher, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.'

At the conclufion of the prophecy of Malachi, this Writer obferves,

It is not certain in what time Malachi prophefied, whether before the captivity of Ifrael, or after the rebuilding of the fecond T 2

mple