We still see in the books of the Jews these traditions, of which the Pharisees made so great a mystery from time to time, and which were written about a hundred years after the resurrection of CHRIST It is hardly possible for a Christian to conceive the frivolous questions with which these books are filled; as, Whether it be lawful on the sabbath day to get upon an ass to take it to the water, or whether it must be led by the halter? Whether one may walk over new sown land; because one runs a hazard of taking up some grains with the foot, and consequently of sowing them on some other place? Whether it be permitted on that day to write as many letters of the alphabet as will make sense? If it be lawful to eat an egg laid on the sabbath the same day? About purifying the old leaven before the passover. Whether they must begin again to purify a house, if they should see a mouse running across it with a crumb of bread? If it be lawful to keep pasted paper, or any plaster that has flour in it? If it be lawful to eat what has been dressed with the coals that remain after the old leaven is burnt?? and a thousand other such cases of conscience, with which the Talmud and its commentaries are stuffed.

Thus the Jews forgot the greatness and majesty of the law of GOD, applying themselves to mean and trifling things; and were now stupid and ignorant in comparison of the Greeks, who reasoned upon more useful and elevated subjects in their

Buxtorf. Synagog. cap. 11.

schools; and who, at least, were polite and agreeable, if not virtuous.

Not but that there were always some Jews more curious than the rest, who took pains to speak Greek correctly, read Greek books, and applied to their studies, as grammar, rhetoric, and philosophy. Such a one was Aristobulus, a peripatetic philosopher, preceptor to Ptolemy Philometor; and such were Eupolemus, Demetrius, and the two Philos. Some of them wrote histories in Greek, and after the Greek manner; as Jason of Cyrene; and the author of the second book of Maccabees, who has abridged his works; Philo, and Josephus the celebrated historian.

Most of the Jews that studied Greek lived at Alexandria. Others were content to speak Greek so as to be understood, that is, badly, and always retaining the turn of their native language and it is in this compound Greek that the translations of the Old Testament, and the original of the New, are written. The apostles and evangelists thought it sufficient to write in a clear and concise manner, despising all ornaments of language, and making use of that which was most easy to be understood by the common people of their own nation; so that, to understand their Greek perfectly, one must be acquainted with the Hebrew and Syriac.'

T

2 Macc. ii. 23.

In order to understand the phraseology of the New Testament properly, the Septuagint should be carefully studied; and indeed a knowledge of Hebrew is, in many respects, essential to a thorough understanding of both.

The Jews of these later times employed themselves much in reading their law, and the Holy Scriptures in general. They were not satisfied with expounding them according to the letter; they found out several senses in them, expressed by allegories and divers metaphors: we see it not only in the New Testament, and the writings of the most antient fathers in controversy with them," but by the books of Philo, the Talmud, and oldest Hebrew commentators upon the law, which they call great Genesis, great Exodus, and so on.* They held these figurative senses by tradition from their fathers.

But to say all at once, the manners of the Jews in those times were excessively corrupt. They were ridiculously proud of being descended from Abraham, and puffed up with the promises of the Messiah's kingdom, which they knew to be near, and imagined would abound with victories and all manner of temporal prosperity. They were selfish, avaricious, and sordid, especially the Pharisees, who were in general great hypocrites: they were wavering and unfaithful; always ripe for sedition and revolt, under a pretence of casting off the yoke of the Gentiles. In short, they were violent and cruel, as appears by what they made our Saviour and His apostles undergo; and the unexampled iujuries they did one another, both in the time of the civil war, and the last siege of Jerusalem.

3

Justin. Dial. cum Tryph.

Bereshith Rabba, &c.

CHAP. VII.

The true Israelites.

HOWEVER, it was among these people that the tradition of virtue was preserved, as well as that of doctrine and religion. In this last time they had still splendid examples of holiness: Zachariah and Elizabeth his wife, Joseph, old Simeon, Anna the prophetess, Nathaniel, Gamaliel the great doctor, and many others taken notice of in the history of the New Testament. All these holy persons, and 'the spiritual Jews in general, that were circumcised in heart as well as body, were children of Abraham, more by imitation of his faith than by birth. They firmly believed the prophecies and promises of God; they waited with patience for the redemption of Israel and the reign of the Messiah, which they vehemently wished for but they plainly saw they were not to confine their hopes to this life, but believed the resurrection, and expected the kingdom of heaven. Thus, the grace of the gospel being superadded to such holy dispositions, it was easy to make perfect Christians of these true Israelites.

• This conclusion serves the pious author to introduce his tract entitled Les Mœurs des Chrétiens, the Manners of the Christians; a work in which we find the same vein of genuine unaffected piety; but which is rendered of comparatively little

use to Christians in general by the decided part which he, at least, indirectly takes in the defence and support of his own church, and its tenets. The conclusion however, as it refers to both treatises, I shall insert here: "Behold the sum of what I wished to say relative to the Manners of the Israelites and the Christians, which comprises the exterior of the life of the faithful under the Old and New Testaments. In the first tract the reader may learn how to make a proper use of earthly possessions, and the most rational manner of employing that time which he has to spend upon earth. In the second tract I have endeavoured to shew in what the life of those consists, whose conversation is in heaven; who, though in the flesh, live not after the flesh; that life which is wholly spiritual and supernatural, and the proper effect of the grace of JESUS CHRIST. Exceedingly happy shall I be, should this work be the means of inducing any person to adopt a proper notion of this rational and Christian life, and lead him seriously to practise it."

The Editor of the present edition hopes he may be permitted to express the same feeling, as it was with this view alone that he has spent so much labour and time upon this and the preceding editions.