Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: the fame State in which we receiv'd it! On this not much, but all depends. Since no human Knowlege, though an hundred-fold greater than any we have yet feen, can ever fupply a Defect of the Knowlege of God, and of ourfelves; nor any human Grandeur ever be an equivalent to him, whofe Duration on Earth is but for a Day, for the Lofs of inconceivable Happinefs in that After-State, which mall never have an End. Thefe Things being fo, any Attempt which, defignedly or undefignedly, feems likely to invalidate the original Records of Heaven, calls loudly for the Difcouragement of all who value the Happinefs of themfelves and every future Age. Now the Method which muft, in the End, moft effectually deftroy the Evidence of the Scriptures is, in my Opinion, the giving to each Man a Liberty of correcting the facred Text at Pleafure. This at firft View bids fairly for the Accomplifhment of the Defign. Since if this is permitted, the Word of God muft, in a little Time, by Additions and Diminutions, be no longer a Scheme reveal'd from Heaven, but muft dwindle away into an human Compofition. Mr. Kennicoit has lately publifh'd An ExaminaTion Of The State Of The Printed Hebrew Text Of The Old Testament, in a Differtation in two Parts, in which he endeavours to prove (fee P. 247) " that there have " been made, in the Copies of the facred Books " of the Old Teftament, very many and very ma " terial " terial Mistakes." " This is an alarming Con- fideration; and muft put every Friend to the Gofpel upon a ferious Examination to fee whether the Aflertion be well fupported. For if the original Text be indeed fo very much, and fo w- ry materially corrupted as to authorife Alterations merely from Conjecture; it is very obvious that the Authority of thefe facred Writings muft daily decreafe, and t...