condemned, he would never have fuffered fuch a Famous Adverfary, the greatest Master that ever wrote in this Art, to pafs without one Blow, one Reflection, one Anfwer, once Naming. If I find one more ferious Perufal, more worth in this Author, it may be more eafie to retract a mean Sentiment than one honourable one, as Rivet and Spanheim, thofe great Names did, who once admired, and after abhorred him, when they read Buxtorf's Anfwer; how much more would they feeing Wafmuth's?

The Fourth Argument I fhall bring, is from Divine Teftimony, to prove that in Ezra's time the Priests and Levites made ufe of them for Interpretation when they read the Law to the People, the Text is, Neb. 8. 8. They read in the Book of the Law diftinctly, that is, faith the Talmud in Megilla, cap. 4. with the Targum, others by Sections, and gave the fenfe, fay they famu taghum, they put the Accents to it and made them understand the Reading, viz. by them. Aben Ezra fays the fame in Mozena baleskon, hakkodesh, about the time of building the Holy Houfe the fecond time-The Spirit of the Lord refted upon the Men of the great Synagogue,

-And they did reftore the Accents, and taught their. Pofterity the fenfe of every Word, by the Means of the Accents, the Kings and Ministers, They taught their Pofterity, i. e. the two kinds of Accents. Hence the ufual Title given to Ezra by the Rabbies, is Hammappefick, Hamaphfick, that is, he who Pointed, or the Pointer. I wonder, fays Aben Ezra, that any fhould charge the Author of the Stops and Diftinctions with Error, fince it was Ezra the Scribe.

Kimchi in Amos 1. 1. expounds w obferving the Stops and Diftinctions; and Grotius on the Text う agrees

agrees with him, rendering it diftinctis vocabulis; for the Words are diftinguished by them only. Most of the late Interpreters refer it to the 52 great Sections of the Law, which were like to the Gospels in the Book of Common Prayer, and gave Original to them. But I oppofe it, First, Because thefe Sections were for Yearly Order, that all the Law might be once Read every Year on the Sabbath, but here they read every Day, Three Hours in a Day, for at least the space of Twenty Four Days.

2. The intent was that the People might understand; Now the Order of Sections did contribute nothing to that end, but the Order of Accents did very much. But a fecond Opinion refers it to the Tranflation in Chaldee or Syrian, the People having forgotten the Old Hebrew in the Captivity, which they confirm from Neb. 13. 23, 24. Their Children fpoke the Language of Afhdod, and could not speak the Jewish.

Refp. 1. Elias Levita grants it was not loft in 200 Years Captivity in Egypt, Why fhould we think they loft it in 70 Years? Twenty whereof was gradual. So that the Bulk were in Babylon about 50 only.

2. Daniel, with fome others that were Noble, had Masters to Teach them; others had not.

3. Feremiah and Ezekiel the Prophets in that Captivity, wrote, taught and converfed in the Jewish Language. Fer. 10. 11. 29. 50, 51. Ezek.14. 33. & 20. And what Daniel wrote in Chaldee concerned the Empire; the reft is Hebrew, even his Prayer.

4. They lived by themselves, Ezek. 11. using their own Customs, keeping their own Genealo

gies, not mixing with the People of the Land, Ezra cap. 2. 8. & 9. The Marriages complained of Neb. 13. were not Mixtures with Chaldeans, but Moabites and Ammonites, 100 Years after there were a few of both kinds, but both rejected, Ezra 9. 10. Neb. 13. 3.

5. The Books wrote after the Captivity, viz. Two Books of Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Eftber, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, and fome Pfalms, Pfal. 137. 126. & 83. 89. & 44. were wrote in Hebrew.

6. Ezra, cap. 5, 7. mentions the Arabian Tongue as a thing Foreign to them, both Letters and Words. As to the Samaritan Character, it is not my business; for it is fufficient for my purpofe that the Bible was put in the Quadrate Letter by the pofteriour Prophets. But I defire him that believes the Change to read Wafmuth's Vinditia, where he demonftrates Capellus's Chief Arguments to flow from his not understanding the Quotations he brings, which are directly opposite to him. I do not think that the Prophets taught the People the Art of the Points, or made ufe of Grammatical Arguments, as Jac. Alting in his Differtations fays the Talmuds and Rabbin, whom he quotes, do understand the meaning of it to tend. But that one read a Lev. 24.12. Num. 15. 34. that the Mind of the Lord might be diftinctly understood, not through prudential conclufion, but diftinct Revelation in oppofition to Traditions beginning to come in Value, which in Christ's time overflowed the Nation. And put the fenfe this was the Interpreter's Work, there were feveral in the Pulpit, fays Maimonides, in Ihlcoth, Tephilla. From the days of Ezra it was a

Custom

Custom that there be an Interppreter by the Reader to give the Senfe to the People. Now I affert so far with the Jews, That it was by help of these Points they did interpret; for what followsJunius very well expounds thus, And made them underStand by the Scripture it felf p Mikra is the ufual Title for the Scripture, therefore they contained a Key within themselves. Their Tongue began not to be corrupted until about the end of the Grecian Monarchy.

Argument 5. Is from heaps of Humane Teftimonies, from all the Ancient Writings of the Jews, Zohar and Bobaz, the Talmud and Mafora; not that I pretend to be a Rabbi, but what I have collected in Quotations for other purpofes by other Authors. For Inftance, Majus Geoff in his Differtation on Deut. 6.4. Hear O Ifrael, the Lord our God is one Lord But nearer the Óriginal in Words thus, Hear O Ifrael, the Lord our God, the Lord one; or, Hear O Ifrael, Fehovah, our Adori, or otßaoua Jehova One; R. Simeon Bar Jochas, Author of the most Ancient Book Sobar, viz. in Adrian's Time, about 100 Years after Chrift (fays Majus) he obferved the Stop made by the Accents between Jehovah and One, when he renders it thus, The Lord our God the Lord; they are One'; for Pefik with Merca or Munah, makes a Dominum. Nay he adds (Sohar I mean) fol. 72. These Three are one; that John Ep. 1. cap. 5. v.7. feems to Quote this Text; Thefe Three are One. And he adds, weigh this great Mystery of Faith, penetrate into this Secret, if thou study not this, it were better thou had never been. Hear O If rael, that they Fehova, our adorable One, Jehova, they are in one Unity; and confirm it from Deut. 4.

35.

;The Lord be is the God והות הוא האלחים

Or, He is thefe Adori's; and v. 37. They are expreffed, He brought them out in his Sight by his mighty power. Power is an ufual Epithet for the Spirit of God; and that is tranflated Sight, is the ufual Title of the Meffiah in Deut. 8. its faid My Prefence fhall go with you. In Ifaiah its called The Angel of his Prefence. And among all the Titles, given to Modes, Properties or Degrees, in the Divine Effence, among the Rabbies, viz. Havajeth, Dargin, Middeth, Parzuphin; this Phanim, this great may is the moft Sacred.

Aben Ezra fays on this Text the Principal or Antecedent to which is referred, is our God. And on that Text Zech. 14.9. On that day the Lord fhall be one, and his Name One, fays he, One is to be referred to King, not Lord, for a Proper Name cannot admit of a Numeral without Equivocation; We fay not, one Thomas or John. This Text is quoted, Marc. 12. 29. anus Iogaña, nuelos à Θεός ἡμῶν κυριο εἷς ἐσπ, viz. Θεός underfood. I hope the Reader will diftinguish between the intent of the Author, to prove a Trinity out of this Text, and the intent I bring it for, viz. to prove the Author of Zohar expounded the Scripture by thefe Points.

Again, On Dan. 12.3. They that be wife fhall fhine; the wife, fays he, are the Letters of the Law, and the Lufter are the Points; like the Soul in the Body; for the Accents of the Law are like a Crown over the Head of the Letters. Hence Arcnvolti fays, Surely what is wrote in the Book of Zohar, about the Points, was bid from Elias Lev. for he fays in Maf. Hammaf. If any could convince me, that my Opinion was contrary to the Sentence of the Rabbi's, or