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But, as it is our custom, when we imagine a work of merit lies before us, to present a taste of it to our readers, we shall conclude with an extract fufficient to display this Writer's talent at imitation; whilft, at the fame time, it lays open his real defign.

Revolve our whole difcourfe; add to it all those reflecti6 ons which your own good understanding fhall fuggeft, and < make a strenuous effort beyond the reach of vulgar philofophy, to confefs, that the caufe of Artificial Society is more defenceless even than that of Artificial Religion; that it is as derogatory from the honour of the Creator, as fubverfive of human reason, and productive of infinitely more mifchief to the human race.

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If pretended revelations have caufed wars where they were oppofed, and flavery where they were received, the pretended wife inventions of politicians have done the fame. But the flavery has been much heavier, the wars far more bloody, and both more univerfal by many degrees. Shew me any mischief produced by the madness or wickedness of Theologians, and I will fhew you an hundred resulting from the ambition and villainy of Conquerors and Statesmen. Shew me an abfurdity in Religion, I will undertake to shew you an hundred for one in Political Laws and Inftitutions. If you fay that Natural Religion is a fufficent guide, without the foreign aid of revelation, on what principle should political laws become neceffary? Is not the same reason • available in Theology and in Politics? If the laws of Nature are the laws of God, is it confiftent with the Divine Wisdom, to prefcribe rules to us, and leave the enforcement of them to the folly of human inftitutions? Will you follow Truth but to a certain point? We are indebted for all our miferies to our diftruft of that guide, which Providence thought fufficient for our condition, our own natural reafon, which rejecting both in human and divine things, we have given our necks to the yoke of political and theological flavery. We have renounced the prerogative of man, and it is not wonderful that we fhould be treated like beafts. But our mifery is much the greater, as the crime we commit in rejecting the lawful dominion of our reason is greater. If, after all, you fhould confefs all these things, yet plead the neceffity of political inftitutions, weak and wicked as they are, I can argue with equal, perhaps fuperior, force, concerning the neceffity of artificial religion; and every step you advance in your argument, you add a trength to mine. So that if we are refolved to fubmit our

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reafon and our liberty to civil ufurpation, we have nothing to do but to conform, as quickly as we can, to the vulgar ' notions which are connected with this, and take up their ⚫ theology as well as their politics. But if we think this neceffity rather imaginary than real, we should renounce their dreams of Society, together with their vifions of Religion, ⚫ and vindicate ourselves into perfect liberty.'

The Hebrew Concordance adapted to the English Bible; difpofed after the Manner of Buxtorf. In two Volumes. By John Taylor, of Norwich. Folio. Vol. I.* Waugh, &c.

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HIS is one of the most laborious and most useful works ever published for the advancement of Hebrew knowlege, and the understanding the text of the Old Testament as it is in the original. It is a Grammar, Lexicon, and Concordance; and fo contrived as to be of great fervice to the English reader, giving him an advantage he never had before, for understanding the Scriptures, by enabling him to judge of the sense of the original Hebrew.

Marcus Marinus Brixianus, a Venetian, published a Thefaurus of the Hebrew language, in Latin, which, like this before us, ferved the learner for a Dictionary and Grammar, as well as a Concordance: it is a very valuable book called Arca Noæ, In this, as in Mr. Taylor's, the primary fenfe of words is given, and that with freedom and impartiality, radicibus unicam et genuinam fignificationem dedimus, ex quâ pendeant cætera vel per tranflationem vel per metaphoram, in qua re nequaquam juravimus in alicujus verba. He had finifhed this work, as appears by the dedication, the very year, 1581, in which Froben published a fecond edition of R. Nathan's Concordance. To affift beginners Brixianus has inferted many inflected words, where there was any difficulty in difcovering the roots, In the year 1748, his Annotations upon the Pfalms were published at Bononia, in 2 volumes 4to. in which there are many curious and critical obfervations.

We have been more particular in our account of the writings of Brixianus, as Mr. Taylor has not mentioned him. And, indeed, the Venetian has more merit, as a Critic and Grammarian, than as a writer of a Hebrew Concordance: in which last character he may be rather faid to have collected

* This first volume was printed in 1754, the fecond is not yet published.

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the principal paffages in which every word occurs, than to have wrote a compleat Concordance. Mr. Taylor's book has all the advantages over that by Brixianus, without any of its defects; and is, befides, adapted to the English Bible, and the purposes of an English reader.

As a Concordance, Mr. Taylor's performance certainly exceeds that of Marius de Calafio, yet the latter will have its ufe, as it contains the variations of the Septuagint and vulgar. Latin, and gives the Syriac and Arabic words that agree with each Hebrew root, tho' very often faulty in this last particular. There are fome Hebrew words of fingular occurrence, whose. fignifications are best explained by comparing them with the fame words in the Arabic. Kimchi fays, that the Rabbi's would not have known that fignified thy burden, if they had not heard an Arabian Merchant make use of the fame exprefon, in directing a burden to be put on the back of a camel. In proper names, and many other cafes, it is not to be doubted, but the Arabic, and other Oriental Dialects, are of great ufe in explaining many Hebrew words. The book of Job and of Proverbs, and, indeed, every book in the Old Teftament, is a proof of it. They who have the Lexicon Hebraicum Selectum Johan. Clodii, or manufcript copies of the learned Schulten's Hebrew Lexicon, have fuch inftances of the utility of the Arabic, in the interpretation of Scripture, as muft evince the unreasonableness of objecting to the use of that language, in theological matters.

Before Mr. Taylor publifhed the firft volume of his Concordance, that by the Buxtorfs, to use Dean Prideaux's words, "deservedly had the reputation of being the perfecteft and " beft book of its kind extant; and, indeed, fo useful for "the understanding of the Hebrew Scriptures, that no one, "who employed his ftudies this way, could well be without "it, being the beft Dictionary, as well as the best Concordance, to them."

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This Concordance, therefore, our Author follows; taking, however, the liberty of inferting his own explication of the roots, inftead of that by R. Nathan, which Buxtorf did not think worth tranflating. He has alfo corrected all the errors in Buxtorf, and inferted the word or words by which any Hebrew word is tranflated in the English Bible; and where the Hebrew is not literally rendered, a literal tranflation is added. In general, all change cr difference in the two texts, Hebrew and English, is diligently remarked. Mr. Taylor has added all the words, about one hundred and twenty one,

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which Buxtorf had omitted: alfo all the Particles out of Noldius.

In giving the feveral fignifications of any Hebrew word, our Author has first fet down the primary fignification, and after that the other fenfes, in their proper order, as they feem to have branched out from the original use of the word. This, which was much to be defired, and which is attempted in Schulten's manufcript Lexicon, is alfo attempted here; with what fuccefs, let the reader judge, from the following inftances, which may serve as fpecimens of Mr. Taylor's skill and diligence. We omit the occurrence of words, as it would make our extracts too large. Page 78. N. 78th root, hathfeven fignifications; i. firmum, fidum effe. To be true, faithful, firm, fteady, fure, well fettled and eftablifhed: fo that a man keeps his word, or agreement, in← violably, and any other thing remains in its pro per state unalterably. Under this fignification of the word, follow the places in which the word occurs in that which is its primary fenfe. ii. Verè, revera; Truly. ii. Veritas, fides. Truth, faithfulnefs, aflurance, certainty. iv. Amen, verum, ftabile, firmum. Let it be granted; let it be done and unalterably confirmed. v. Nutrire. To bring up chil• dren, not upon the foot of natural affection, as parents, • but upon the foot of fidelity and honour, as nurtes and guardians. vi. Multitudo, a multitude. See root 457:

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vii. Artifex. A skilful, trusty workman.' Page 536. 537th root, hath fix fignifications. i. Pignorari, in pignus accipere; a cord, a rope; [fignificat, iv.] a measuring line, Zach. ii. 1. A plot, lot, or tract of land ⚫ measured or laid out. Deut. iii. 4, 13. Toils, nets or fnares • made of cords, Job xviii. 10. Prov. v. 22. The cordage or tackling of a fhip; the maft to which they are fastened, Prov. xxiii. 34. Sailors who work the cordage, Ezek. xxvii. 8. The mafter of the fhip, who orders and directs the ufe of the tackling, Jon. i. 6. Hence, wife counfel, advice, and government, Prov. i. 5. [Signif. vi.] To cord, to bind faft with cords; to be bound under the obligation of a debt, [Signif. i.] To pledge, to lay to pledge, or to be bound to a creditor, Deut. xxiv. 6. to be bound for more than one can pay; to bẹ broke, bankrupt, ruined, [Signif. ii.] To be fpoiled, deftroyed, i, e. to be reduced to a broken, ruined state, Ecclef. v. 6. Cant. ii. 15. [my breath is corrupt, Job. xvii. 1. my fpirit or mind is bankrupt, broken, exhaufted of its vigour and powers.] To be bound to punishment, Prov. v. 22. Neh. i. 7. [we have rendered ourfelves very obnoxious to thee.] To be bound with the cords of great pain or afflic

tion, Job xxxvi. 8. [Signif. iii.] The pains of childbearing; to travail or bring forth a young one, Cant. viii, < 5. or fome wicked fcheme, Pfal. vii. 14. alfo the young which is brought forth with pain and forrow, Job xxxix. 3. a company of men bound together in fociety, [Signif. v.] or walking in a train. So a company of foldiers is called Tiga, a band, Matth. xxvii. 27.

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Page 563. 563d root, hath three fignifications. i. albefcere; to be white; to be pale through difappointment or fear; white. ii. Nobiles, illuftres; Nobles, perfons of the highest rank; fo called because they wore white robes; as the Romans called those who put in at an election, Candidati, from their white gowns. iii. Foramen; a hole; < any thing full of holes, as net-work or bafket-work; a cave or hollow place in the earth. The connection with the root is uncertain; perhaps from admitting the light, and giving a white appearance.' It will be very difficult, if not impoffible, to reduce each fecondary or remote fignifica tion to its proper place, or rank, and fhew its connection with the primitive. In most of them Mr. Taylor has been very happy, and in all of them ingenious. But whether as it fignifies foramen, may not better be derived from ], fo= dere, fince the change of into is common in all the oriental dialects, let the reader determine, as likewife whether for dere is not the primary fignification of See Schindler.

Page 582., 582d roct, hath fix fignifications.i. Vulnerari, confodi; to diffolve or break the texture of a body, by penetrating into, or perforating the fubftance thereof; to penetrate into the human body, or to diffolve its texture by wounding; to wound, to ftab, Judg. ix. 40. to diffolve the whole texture of the body to kill play, Deut. xxi.

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Hence tabbers, fwordfmen, gladiators, foldiers train⚫ed up to a fingular dexterity in ftabbing and flaying with the fword, Prov. vii. 26. Jer. li. 4, 47, 49. Ezek. xi. 6, 7. See Mr. Kennicott's late learned Differtation on 1 Chron. xi. &c. page 102-122. Figuratively, to diffolve or break a body of men in battle, by penetrating into their ranks, and throwing them into diforder, Judg. xx. 31, 39. [they began to fmite of the people and kill to fmite of the people routed, or when their ranks were penetrated into and broken.] It is alfo applied to the wounding or penetrating the heart with forrow, &c. Pfal cix. 22.-to the infirmity of a discompofed, broken, shattered mind, Pfal. lxxvii. 10.—ii. Incipere. Figuratively, to penetrate, to make an opening for entrance into an affair; to begin, Numb. xvi. 46, 47.

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