A supplement to Dr. Hammond's paraphrase and annotations on the New Testament in which his interpretation of many important passages is freely and impartially examin'd, and confirm'd or refuted : and the sacred text further explain'd by new remarks upon every chapter / by Monsieur Le Clerc ; English'd by W. P. ; to which is prefix'd a letter from the author to a friend in England, occasion'd by this translation.

CHAP. I.

Vers. 5. Note b. IT is easily discernible, that all Dr. Hammond says in this Annotation are mere Niceties, which have no founda∣tion in Grammar, but depend upon bare reasoning, eve∣ry part of which almost may be denied. Nor is it need∣ful to confute it all particularly. It is much more natural, both here and in 2 Cor. viii.7. by the word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 to understand the knowledg of Religion; which the Apostle Paul calls 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 in the same sense that the Latins call Learning litteras, and the Greeks litteras 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, as every one knows, or if they do not, they soon may by the Lexicons. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 therefore signifies in all knowledg; that which relates, for instance, to the interpretation of Prophecies, that which concerns the speculative part of Religion, and that which respects the government of the Life. Nor is it any objection against this Interpretation, that hereby 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 are made to signify the same thing, nothing being more com∣mon than for synonimous words to be joined together. But see also Dr. Hammond's next Annotation.

Vers. 15. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.] That is, that they might be called my Disciples, or receive a denomination from me, and be stiled Paulites. See my Note on Mat. xxviii.16.

Vers. 20. Note f. What our Author says on this place, is certain∣ly very ingenious; and some things he has transcribed out of Grotius so as to mend, and add to them. But if we consider, we shall find that the Prophet Isaiah is cited as a Witness to the Gospel only in ver. 19. out of Chap. xxix.14. and that the following words in ver. 20. are taken by St. Paul out of Isa. xxxiii.18. not to prove any thing, but only express his mind by them as his own words. Just as the Greeks and Latins frequently borrow passages out of their own Poets, not

to prove any thing by their Authority, but to express their mind in their words more elegantly than they could do in their own; and to the same end likewise the Hebrews frequently alledg the words of the Old Testament. And as the Greeks and Latins make no difficulty of applying the sayings of their Poets to a different purpose than they intended them, provided they do not apply them absurdly; the same is observable also among the Hebrews: Of which there are innumera∣ble Instances to be met with in the Talmudists, and the mystical Inter∣preters of the Scripture; and before them in Philo, who seldom ever cites the Scripture but in that manner. And this being a usual prac∣tice in the time of the Apostles, it is no wonder if they followed the custom of the Age wherein they lived, there being no harm at all in that custom. A very remarkable instance of such a Citation we have in Rom. x. where the discourse is about the Righteousness of the Gos∣pel. But those passages are carefully to be distinguished from others, by which any thing is proved, or any conclusion drawn from them. I don't think St. Paul did so subtilly examin the agreement of the words of Isaiah with what he designed to say, as Dr. Hammond.

Notes

• Chapter II.