No 5. Note on p. 399. l. 1. at folio,

THIS MS, with the addition of three chapters more, which the reader will find taken notice of in the fequel of these memoirs, confifting in whole of 352 pages, is preserved, and will be published, if encouragement be given. The author intend

ed it for the prefs, and left it prepared for that purpose. Concerning this Effay on the Hebrew text of Genefis, the author wrote the following memorial, when a copy of it was sent to Mr Grant at London.

1. The defign of it is, to explain the text immediately from the Hebrew phrafeology. For that effect, the facred Hebrew pointing, or ftimalology, is religiously stuck to, and expreffed in the verfions by equivalent ftops; and in the rigidly literal verfion, the words are generally ranged according to their order in the Hebrew: but where that could not be obtained, the Hebrew order is notified by a figure above the word; as,

I

:

Gen. i. 1. GOD he created; the figure 1 notes, that word to be the first of the two in the Hebrew and more than that, the original words are, wherefoever they occur, rendered in that vertion, in their one formal fignification, according to the ufe of them in the Bible; the which fignification is established in the notes, being discovered by comparing of other places where the words occur. For which effect, the Bible itself, with Buxtorf's Hebrew Concordance, is, I humbly conceive, the beft Lexicon. Upon this fubject, I cannot but mention with honour Guffet's Comment. ling. Ebr. Meanwhile this cannot mifs of making that verfion uncouth, and even fhocking to fome. Nevertheless, by means thereof, the English reader hath a kind of original (if I may fo express it) in his own language, by which he may the better judge of fmooth verfions; and the Hebrew reader may difcover the true fenfe of a text, together with the reafon thereof, from the language itfelf, and the phrafeology of the Holy Ghoft. But however fhocking it may be to any, I am apt to think, that a verfion of any Roman author, on fuch a plan, and under fuch ftrict rules, would be far more fo.

2. The notes are formed on the rigidly-literal verfion; and, in compiling of them, the philological part was firft ftudied and written, and from thence was the theological sense of the text inferred and written. Howbeit, tranfcribing the whole is mundo, I judged it expedient, efpecially for the fake of the unlearned reader, to invert that order: fo that the philological part comes laft, that they who have no gult for it may pass it, Meanwhile it contains the reafon of the verfions, and sense of the text, which are given.

3. The more fmooth verfion will, I apprehend, be judged

by

by far too harsh and literal; and therefore it may yet again be licked over; and I am refolved to expunge, in many places therein, the word even, very frequently occurring, fatisfying myfelf with its ftanding in the other verfion. But I must own, I am much addicted to the letter of the facred text; and loth to depart from it, but upon evident neceffity. For I am fully convinced, that a cloud hath been caft over the true fense of feveral texts, by interpreters allowing themselves a great liberty in departing from it; inftance Gen. iii. 1.; and humbly conceive there is a becoming reafon for the facred Hebrew phrafeology. Withal I am of opinion with a famed author, that the Hebrew manners of speech kindly mix and incorporate with the English language; and, if I miftake not, we may in feveral inftances exprefs them more happily in our native language than in Latin.

4. The authentic copy written with my own hand, from which it must be printed, if deemed worthy to see the light, is in my closet. I do not remember that I have fo much as feen, far lefs revifed, the whole of the other, now at London, it be ing kept partly at Edinburgh, and partly at Aberdeen, till it was fent thither.'

No 6. Note on p. 409. l. 15. at paragraph.

THE Copy of the paragraph here mentioned is as follows. 'I fincerely defired to have been useful to you, to my power, fince you were fettled in the neighbourhood; and that was the fpring of fome parts of my conduct. But we having now twice encountered, you treating of faith, and I of repentance, and again you of repentance, and I of faith, I perceive our strain is fo very different, that there feems to me to be a danger in our encountering before a multitude from feveral places in the country wherein our lot is caft. However venturous others may be, I, who have had about twenty years experience of the temper of the people in these parts, would be very inexcufeable if I fhould not be wary."

No7. Note on p. 470. l. 16. at accentuation.

THE following is a copy of the memorial here mentioned. 1. The English copy of the Effay on the Hebrew accentuation, being written feveral years before the Latin copy, there are fome things in the former altered in the latter: particularly, one whole fection is dropped, being, I fuppofe the 3d of the 5th chapter; another chapter or fection is tranfpofed; and there are fome few alterations and amendments of another kind

made

made in the writing it over in Latin. Being fent off in a time when I was otherwife bufy, I had no access to take a note of these things. However, it will give a view of the nature of the whole effay but it is not fit for the preís.

2. No body needs to be amufed at the fight of the chapters and fections of the fecond part, intitled, Obfervations, &c as if they contained fo many rules for the understanding the art itself. That is taught in the chapters or fections preceding respectively; and these are but fo many helps offered, for the practical use of the art, in order to reach the true fente of the facred text by means thereof: and therefore none of the books teaching the art, which have as yet come into my hands, had any thing in them of that kind. Befides, one who embraceth the notion of the fixed value of the accents, and withal understands and obferves the five heads of rhetorical accentuation mentioned in the fpecimen, will hardly find a new labour, I hope, in these observations; but in reading attentively his Bible, will obferve the fense of texts accordingly, keeping these two things in his view.

3. If it fhall please the fovereign difpofer of all things to make way for the printing of the Effay, it must be done from the Latin copy with me. But the printer mult view the Englith copy, and take particular notice of the schemes and tables, · which I conceive must be done in copperplate; as alfo of the several stops, and marks of continuation, uted in the Essay, that proper types may be got for them. Thefe characters are to be found gathered together, and explained, in the English copy, after the title-page.'

There is among Mr Bolton's manufcripts an English copy of the Effay on the accentuation, written with his own hand in folio; but it is fo very different from the printed Latin copy, that it is fuppofed to be his first draught; and that he afterwards wrote a more full and perfect copy, the one mentioned in the above memorial, which probably was never returned from London, or perhaps was fent to Amfterdam, where the Latin copy was printed in 1738, and never got back.

N° 8. Letter from Dr Waterland to Mr G. p. 470. 1. 32. at Waterland.

Dear Sir,

I return you my hearty thanks for favouring me with thefe papers. I have read them over, and find them too deep for me to give a judgement of: for I have never vet entered into the heart of that fubject. But I fhall be mighty glad to read and confider a fet treatise upon it, that I may learn from it. It will be curious, ufeful, inftructive; and may firike new light

into several obfcure texts, though it should not entirely answer in all points. I must own, I am at prefent a little prejudiced against the supposed antiquity of the Hebrew accents; but I fhall be always glad to fee the utmost that can be pleaded for it. Their use in clearing up texts muft, I believe, at last be their best commendation, and ftrongest proof of their antiquity. I know, that fome tolerable answers may be given to the arguments brought for their novelty; and I know again, that tolerable answers may be made to the arguments urged for their antiquity. Both fides are better at weakening each other's proofs, than at maintaining their own. But whatever becomes of the difpute about their antiquity or authority, if the use of them for understanding feripture can be clearly and uniformly made out, that will be fufficient, and will be alfo a ftrong prefumption for their being ancient.

I have seen what Buxtorf, Pfeiffer, Michael, and fome others, have pleaded in their favour. But of all the writers I have met with, none has expreffed himself with greater affurance of their divine authority, and inestimable use and value, than Gottfrid Icohlreiffius, in his Chronologia Sacra, publifhed at Hamburg 1724; an octavo volume it is, pages 481. That gentleman has run very wide from the common chronology, and fets the year of Christ, A. M. 4509. He builds his new chronology moftly upon the difcoveries made by the Hebrew accents, according to his rules of interpreting them. I fhould be mighty glad to know what this other curious gentleman would think of Icohlreiffius's rules and method, and how far their obfervations agree. I confefs I am no mafter at all of the fcience; but heartily wifh, that the fubject may be reduced to certain rules, that we learners may be able to judge when a perfon argues juftly from the accents, and when not. In the prefent darkness I am under, I cannot do it.

It is now about fix years fince Peter Guarin, a Benedictine, published the first tome of his Hebrew grammar, in 4to. The other tome, as I am informed by a letter from Paris, is just now publifhed, or publifhing. In this fecond tome, as I learn from the preface to the firft, will be a particular differtation upon the accents, with a large account of their use in the fynagogue-mufic. What other ufes he will take notice of, is not faid. I fuppofe your friend will be willing to fee what M. Guarin has upon the fubject. The book will be fent me over hither as foon as it can be had.

I fhall juft fay a word or two upon what this gentleman has relating to Gen. iii. 8. in p. 6. I was of the fame opinion, with Junius and Tremellius before, not upon account of the accents, which I understand not, but becaufe that conftruction appeared to me more natural than the other, and more reafonable. This gentleman further gives us a new interpreta

tion of Kol, which, I must own, I cannot readily come into. And I wonder a little why he fhould think, that Mithhallech may not be metaphorically applied to a voice or a found, when himself gives inftances of fuch metaphorical application in other cafes; or why he should think it must be understood of a perfon here, (though there are inftances where it is not fo understood), and yet interpret Kol of a perfon, contrary to its common acceptation. I am afraid our adverfaries will think we ftrain hard to fetch in the aóyor. And unless it can be ftrongly backed, and fubftantially made out, I fhould rather we did not. But perhaps this gentleman may have more to plead for fuch conftruction than I may be aware of; and there. fore I fufpend my judgement of it. But it is time I should eafe you. I fhall only add, that I am hugely pleafed with the piety, gravity, and dignity, of your general assembly's answer to his Majefty's letter. It is the more feasonable while our convocations are mute; and I hope will be of good use for keeping religion alive in these kingdoms, at a time when it appears much declining. I am, good Sir, your obliged humble fervant, DAN. WATERLAND.

LETTERS to and from the AUTHOR,

Nog. Letters from the Rev. Mr Henry Davidson late Minifter of the Gofpel at Galashiels, to the Author.

(1) Very dear Sir,

March 25. 1728.

YOUR two letters of the last month's date, breathing fo much of a kindly concern, and bearing so many seasonable advices, and relieving grounds of comfort, could not mifs to be moft acceptable to me, when plunged in the deep and this fhould have been acknowledged to you before this, but my indifpofition of body being confidered, will, I know, fufficiently plead the excufe of my delay.

Dear Sir, When there is a keeping in any meafure from a defpifing of the Lord's chaftening, yet I find no fmall difficulty to bear off from the other rock, a fainting under his rebukes. Faith's views, that it is the Lord, will prove quieting. A right of his fovereignty, wisdom, righteousness, and faithfulness, works up the foul into a holy acquiefcence in, and compofure under, the eternal decree, now revealed by the e