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the Imprecation of a Curfe to keep hisContract.)The Obfervator fays, That the Noun derived from thence fignifies en Oath or a Curfe, and that the Verb bath the fame Signification I readily grants but then they are always Spoken of Men, and never of the Bleffed God.

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It would have been of vaft Service to the Free-Thinkers, if instead of your Word, which none of them will take, because you have confined them to more unreasonable Rules, than they thought the Scriptures were; you had fhewed for what Ends the Scriptures were writ, fo why, or by what Authority you determine that Words, you allow to be fairly conftrued in all other Cafes, must not each be used in the fame Senfe, when applied to the Aleim, or Epithets of Chrift, or Terms of the Covenant for the Redemption of Man. The Apoftate Jews fay otherwife, Hebrew Writings perfect, p. 307. Te la ignea Satana, Carm. Lip. Confut, p. 406." It is a no lefs true than common Rule with the Jews, that no Word of Scripture lofes its native Senfe entirely.", If the Idea be not kept to every Word in the Root, the Language is uncertain, nothing but keeping the Idea, can make the Language capable of conveying

Things recorded. Words of the Root of are above forty times fairly conftrued by his Evidence the Jews, and but otherwife in two or three Names, as

and the Rcafon ,אלוה and אלהים אלה

is obvious, to justify their Cause, let him refer this to the Poll.

If this Bleffed God be either Jehovah or Aleim; if he pleafes he may prove what he is, and what he deferves. This Covenant and Oath was but once made; but is often referred to by this Verb and Noun, once in the Sermon, Deut. xxix. 12.

If these Creatures had either Sense or Inclination to be fet right; they might fee by the Epithets of delivering out of Slavery, &c. given to the Aleim, that the Word is truly conftrued. They offer to refer thefe Things to Men, I may safely refer them to the Devil, for he understood these Things before he came here ; and knew the Sense of Aleim in his Discourse with Eve; and as maliciously as the Obfervator fays, Te, the Parents, and the Race of Men fhall be ficut Aleim, as they are, under an Execration, if you do not perform fuch and fuch Conditions; liable to know Good and Evil. 1 Sam. xxx. 15. a Heathen fays

Swear

Swear unto me, in the manner as thofe, who have put themselves under a Conditional Execration, if thou wilt1 Kings xix. 2. (Jezebel fwears) Let thofe who have put themselves under a Conditional Execration, do fo to me and more alfo if-But thefe firft fhut their Eyes, and then it is no Wonder these Things are hid from them.

The Obfervator diflikes two Expreffions, firft that Aleim fhould fignify those under the Conditional Execration of an Oath. Men did not ftate this, which kept them from the Construction, Hebrew Writings perfect, p. 324. Second, nor that Jehovah was execrated, cited Hebrew Writings perfect, p. 327. and as ufual confounds them, and infers Abfurdities.

This laft, is one of the Things our Friend has not carried through, because the Completion belongs to the New Teftament; fo till the Series of Things be explained, this or any fuch Propofition ftands unfupported by the Cor-relatives, and only by the fingle Evidence.

The Obfervator tells us, the Apoftates give the Epithet of Blessed to their Deus, that is not an Attribute to one of the

Aleim. Acts xx. 35. It is more bleffed

to

1

to give than to receive. Heb. vii. 7. The Lefs is bleffed of the Better. They are not the Blessed but the Bleffers, and we are to attribute to them bleffing us, &c. 'Tis one thing to be put under the Obligation of a Penalty if they break Covenant, fo no Difgrace nor Damage if they perform; and another, if fuch a Thing happen, to be liable to undergo a Penalty. That the Three Perfons put themselves under a Conditional Execration, if Man fell, if they did not perform their Covenant and redeem him, is proved above, Deut. xxix. 12. xiv. 21. Ezek. xvi. 59. xvii. 19. Dan. ix. 11. And it is not a New Observation, fee Glaffius's Account of the Oath in Mofes fine Principio, P. 99. As to Jehovah being joined with the Participle Paffive execrated, though the Obfervator applies it to every Perfon in the Effence, as every Perfon in the Effence is Jehovah and 8, the next Question is, whether this is to be applied to the Three or to One; this is not determined in the Sermon. If one of the

Effence, covenanted if Man fell, to un dergo the Execration of taking Flesh, being evilly treated in it, and in it hanging on a Tree, after Man had fallen, he was VOL. VI.

Y

acccord

according to the Sentence of the Law hp, Deut. xxi. 23. Gal. iii. 13. Curfed, Execrated, or, c. So from the Time Man fell, till the Oath was performed, he was first obliged abfolutely to be execrated, and at laft was actually execrated. The next Text cited in the Sermon, after Pfal. xviii. 31. where the Printer has omitted. (Ifa.) xliv. 8. Is there befides me, yea, there is no Rock, I know not any. The Heathens all had Aleim, but none of them had, though it is once used as Chaldee, in Dan. cited Mofes-fine Principio, p. 54. The Text is who execrated, befides Jehovah? When the Pfalms and Ifaiah were written, wherein, I hope all these Words will explain themfelves fhortly, he was not actually execrated; there is no Tenfe, this reached from the Fall of Man to the Fact; no other was, or was determined to be execrated, but that Perfon in the Flefh, cited Hebrew Writings perfect, p. 327. The Obfervator has the Impudence to tell us, that the Apostle, Gal. iii. 13. fpoke only of the Humanity of Chrift, when he fays Chrift became a Curfe for us. He may fee Texts cited in The Ufe of Reafon recovered, p. 354. that Jehovah redeemed us, and that one Man could not redeem

another,

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