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Some of the Prefbyterians were not well pleased with this Tranflation, fufpecting it would abate the Repute of that of Geneva, with their Annotations made by the English Exiles, and printed with the general Liking of the People, above thirty Times over. And fome complained that they could not fee into the Senfe of the Scriptures, for the lack of thofe Geneva Annotations. But to fay nothing of the Defects and Faults of those Annotations, (though the best in those Times which are extant in English) these Notes were fo tuned to that Tranflation alone, that they would jar with any other, and could no way be fitted to this new Edition of the Bible.

Some of our Church also would pretend to find Errors and Mistakes in it (and no Body thinks it wholly free). Mr. Walton in the Life of Bifhop Sanderfon gives a remarkable Inftance of this: Dr. Kilby, an excellent Critick in the Hebrew Tongue, Profeffor of it in the Univerfity, a perfect Grecian, and one of the Tranflators, going into the Country, took Mr. Sanderfen to bear him Company. Being at the Church on Sunday, they found the young Preacher to have no more Difcretion, than to waste a great Part of the Time allotted for his Sermon in Exceptions against the late Tranflation of feveral Words, (not excepting fuch a Hearer as Dr. Kilby) and fhewed Three Reafons why a particular Word fhould have been otherwise translated. The Preacher in the Evening was invited to the Doctor's Friend's Houfe, where, after fome other Conference, the Doctor told him, he might have preached more ufeful Doctrine, and not have filled his Auditors Ears with needless Exceptions against the late Tranflation; and for that Word, for which he offered that poor Congregation Three Reasons, why it ought to have been tranflated as he faid, he and others had confidered all of them, and found Thirteen more confiderable Reasons, why it was translated as now printed. And told him, if his Friend, (Mr. Sanderfon) then attending him, fhould prove Guilty of fuch Indiferetion, he fhould forfeit his Favour. To which Mr. Sanderfon faid, he hoped he fhould

not.

At a Grand Committee for Religion, in a pretended Parliament fummoned by Oliver Cromwell Anno 1656, it was ordered that a SubCommittee should advife with Dr. Walton, Mr. Hughes, Mr. Cafle, Mr. Clerk, Mr. Poulk, Dr. Cudworth, and fuch others as they thought proper, to confider of the Tranflations and Impreffions of the Bible, and to offer their Opinion therein to the Committee, and that it fhould be more particularly recommended to Bulftrade Whitlock, one of the Lords Commiffioners of the Treasury, to take Care of that Affair. The Committee met frequently at Whitlock's Houfe, where the learned Men in the Oriental Languages attended, made many Obfervations upon this Subject, and pretended to difcover fome Mistakes in the last Englifo Tranflation, which yet they allowed was the best extant. They took a great deal of Pains in this Bufinefs, which yet came to nothing by the Diffolution of the Parliament.

After the Restoration, the King granted a Commiffion Anno 1661, to feveral Perfons to review the Liturgy, in order to have it farther accommodated to a general Satisfaction, and the Bishop of London's Lodg

ings

lags in the Savoy were appointed for the Place of Meeting, when the Prefbyterian Divines delivered in their Exceptions to the CommonPrayer, together with the additional Forms and Alterations which they defired. One of their Exceptions was, that there were many Defects obferved in the Verfion of the Scriptures, ufed in the Liturgy, that it was either obfolete in Language, or mistaken in Senfe, as they endeayoured to prove in feveral Inftances; they therefore moved that this Verfion might be ftruck out, and the new Tranflation allowed by the Authority fubftituted inftead thereof. To which the Commiffioners on the Liturgy's Part returned their Anfwer, wherein they were willing that all the Epiftles and Gofpels, be used according to the laft Tranflation, but that the Pfalms be used after the former Tranflation, mentioned in the Rubrick, and printed according to it; which was done accordingly. Leave we then thefe worthy Men the Tranflators, now all of them gathered to their Fathers, whofe Induftry, Skilfulness, Piety, and Difcretion, hath therein bound the Church unto them, in a Debt of fpecial Remembrance and Thankfulness. These with Jacob Gen. xxix. rolled away the Stone from the Mouth of the Well of Life, fo that now even Rachel's weak Women may freely come both to drink themfelves, and water the Flock of their Families at the fame. And the Church has not only permitted all Believers, without Diftinction of Age or Sex, to read thefe Holy Books, but always exhorted them to do fo ('till thefe laft Ages) by the Mouths of its Paftors, without excluding any. It has exhorted Children to it, that according to the Example of Timothy, they might be nourished and brought up in the Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures. It has exhorted Catechumens to it, and admitted them to hear the Word of God, though it excluded them from its Myfteries, that they might conceive a Veneration and Respect for the Religion which they embraced. It has exhorted Women, Maids, and young Widows to it, that they might learn from it their several Duties, and by a continual Meditation on it, arrive to a greater Perfection of Spiritual Life. It has exhorted to it the Ignorant, and Men of low Degree, being perfuaded that Jefus Chrift had chosen fuch, even before the Great and Wife; and that the Holy Scriptures, though they contain Myfteries and very fublime Things in them, are neverthelefs fuited to the Capacities, of all Perfons, and accommodated to the Understanding of the meanest Readers, fo that a Mechanick, a Servant, a poor Woman, and the moft ignorant of Men may profit by reading them. It has exhorted to it not only fuch as profeís to lead a Spiritual Life, but thofe who live in the World, who have a Family and Employment, that they might find there a Support for their Weakness, in the midst of the Dangers to which the Occupations of this World expose them, and Affiftance against the Temptations, to which they are continually liable. It has exhorted to it Sinners, and Perfons engaged in a vicious Courfe, that they might there feek a Remedy for their Spiritual Diftempers; and hearkning to the Voice of God, and being enlightened by his Word, might be fenfible of their Errors, and embrace the Means of breaking off the Chains of their wicked Cuftoms. So that neither Age, nor Sex, nor Ingenuity, nor want of Capacity, or a Man's Profeffion, nor the Condition he is in, have been ever looked

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looked upon as fufficient Reasons to forbid Chriftians to read the Holy Scriptures. In a Word, the Church has not only exhorted all Belicvers to read them, but told them, by the Mouths of the holy Fathers, that it is the Devil, who diverts Chriftians from fo doing. It has reproved and blamed those who neglected it, and declared that the Ignorance of the Holy Scriptures, is one of the chief Causes of all our Miferies; that from thence, as from an unhappy Spring, had proceeded innumerable Disorders; that thence came fuch a fwarm of Herefies, fuch Depravation of Manners, fuch a Multitude of ufelefs Labours, and vain Employments, in which Chriftians engaged themselves.

Happy thrice happy! hath our English Nation been, fince God hath given it learned Tranflators, to exprefs in our Mother Tongue the Heavenly Myfteries of his holy Word, delivered to his Church in the Hebrew and Greek Languages; who although they may have in fome Matters of no Importance unto Salvation, as Men, been deceived and mistaken, yet have they faithfully delivered the whole. Subftance of the Heavenly Doctrine, contained in the Holy Scriptures, without any Heretical Tranflations, or wilful Corruptions. With what Reverence, Joy, and Gladness then ought we to receive this Bleffing! Let us read the Scriptures with an humble, modeft, and teachable Difpofition, with a Willingness to embrace all Truths which are plainly delivered there, how contrary foever to our own Opinions and Prejudices; and in Matters of Difficulty readily hearken to the Judgment of our Teachers, and thofe that are fet over us in the Lord; check every prefumptuous Thought or Reasoning which exalts itself against any of those Myfterious Truths therein revealed. And if we thus fearch after the Truth in the Love of it, we fhall not mifs of finding that Knowledge, which will make us wife unto Salvation.

AN

ΑΝ

INTRODUCTION

TO THE

READING OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.

THE

TRANSLATOR's PREFACE.

ΤΗ

HE authors of this incomparable Verfion and learned Commentary having given a particular account, at the end of the Introduction, of each branch of their work, the tranflator has thought fit to prefix, by way of preface, the fubftance of what is there faid, that the reader may beforehand have a juft notion of the nature of the whole undertaking.

It having been reprefented to the late king of Pruffia, that the French Verfions of the holy fcriptures being, by length of time, become obfolete and unintelligible, it was neceffary either to make a new tranflation, or revife the old ones; he was pleased to caft his eyes on Meffieurs De Beaufobre and Lenfant, as the propereft perfons to do the publick that important piece of fervice. Accordingly they jointly fet about this work, by the king's exprefs order, and after fome years compleated the whole, confifting of the following parts; An Introductory Difcourfe to the Reading of the Scriptures; An Abstract or Harmony of the Gospel Hiftory; A New Verfion of all the Books of the New Teftament; A literal Commentary on all the difficult Paffages, with a General Preface to all St. Paul's Epiftles, and a Critical Preface to each book in particular.

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I. The INTRODUCTION.

HOUGH there is nothing in the Introduction but what divines are well acquainted with, yet it may not be difpleafing to them to fee fo many particulars alluded to in the fcriptures, and difperfed up and down in the works of the learned, brought together and handled in one treatife. It was chiefly intended for fludents in divi, nity, who have not the opportunity, or perhaps the ability, of coming at thofe voluminous works that treat of the many curious as well as neceffary points here difcuffed. In the first part you have a clear account of all the Jewish matters as far as is requifite for the understanding the fcriptures. The civil and religious state of the Jews: The Samaritans: ceremonies: The temple: facrifices: fynagogues: high priest, and others; courts of juftice, particularly the Sanhedrim: prophets and feribes, Jewish fects, Pharifees, Sadduces, Eenes: Projelytes of the gate, and Profelytes of righteoufnefs: years, months, days, and hours of the Jews: fafts and feafts, particularly the Jewish fabbath, &c. In the fecond part, which relates more especially to the New Teftament, you have the proofs of the truth of the Chriftian religion: The nature of the New Testament file: The chronology, and geography of the New Tefiament: The Hebrew money, weights, and meafures: The various readings: The divifion into chapters and verfes: The berefies in the days of the Apostles: The verfions of the New Teftament, ancient and modern, to which will be added an account of our English ones, &c,

II. The Abstract or Harmony of the GOSPEL HISTORY.

As for the evangelical and apoftolical Harmony, 1. It contains the hiftory of the actions of Jefus Chrift and the Apostles in their true order of time, which the Evangelifts did not fo much regard, as not conducing to their principal defign of proving Jefus to be the Meffiah from his detrines and miracles. 2. It fhews what is common to all the Evangelifts, and what is particular to each of them. 3. It paraphrafes or explains in other words the original text, which otherwife would require notes. 4. It clears up many things which could not fo well be treated of in the Commentary. 5. It may ferve alio for a table of the principal

matters.

III. The VERSIO N.

When our authors were ordered by the king of Pruffia to undertake this work, they confulted whether they thould revife the old verfions, or make an entire new one. But when they confidered that a new tranf lation would cost them no inore time and pains than the revifing an old one, and that it was impoffible to revile an old verfion, fo as to make it all of a piece; they refolved upon the former, well knowing that the

best

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