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particular Cave, is, that after the Children of Ifrael were poffeffed of the Land of Canaan, we do not read that any body ever defir'd to be bury'd in that Cave; furely, because every Part of the Land being then become a Pledge of God's Grace, there was no more occafion for the particular Burying-place bought by Abrabom.

OUR Author next inquires, into the Signification of the Word Evo Strangers, for whom St. Matthew tells us the Priests bought the Potters-field for a Burying-ground". Commentators do not agree who these Strangers were; the common Opinion is, that they were Jews by Religion, tho' Strangers in Judea: Others think they were Heathens, and this is Mr. Holtius's Opinion; he observes that tho' the Word vos fignifies any Stranger, yet 'tis used by the Authors ofthe New Teftament, particularly for the Heathens, as it appears, fays he, from that Paffage of St. Paul, who fays, (Eph. ii. 12.) that the Ephefians were Strangers from the Covenant of Promife. But I'll beg leave to obferve, that the Apoftle not fpeaking here of Strangers in general, but of Strangers from the Covenant of Promise, it doth not follow from thence, that the word Strangers, where it ftands abfolutely and without any addition to determine its Signification, denotes a Heathen; nay, if any body will be at the pains of confulting all the Places of the New Teftament, where the Word Civos occurs, he will find that except in the above-mention'd Paffage, it fignifies no where a Heathen in op

Matth. xxvii, 7.

pofition

38,43,44.

See Matth. xxv. 35,

Heb. xi. 13

xxvii. 7. Act. xvii. 18, 21. Rom. vi. 23. iii.9. 1Pet. iv. 12, 3 Joh. 5,

pofition to a Believer, but always what we call a Stranger, or a Foreigner. But then, if Mr. Holtius had took the Word in that Senfe, he would have loft all the fublime Mysteries he difcovers in the Priests buying a Burying-place for the Heathens in the Land of Promife: Before we give any account of thefe Mysteries, we muft take notice, that our Author himself starts four Objections against his Explication of the Word vos. One may object, fays he, firft, ξένος. That the Romans being Lords and Masters in Judea, they could provide Burying-places for themselves, without ftanding in need of having them appointed by the Jews. Secondly, They could not be fatisfied with fuch a little defpicable Place, as a Field bought at the Price of thirty Pieces of Silver. Thirdly, The Care of burying Strangers did not belong to the Priefts. Fourthly, If there was occafion for fuch a Burying-place, it fhould have been bought long before this time, even from the time, when the Jews were firft fubdu'd by the Romans. What our Author answers to the firft and fecond Objection, is in fhort, that this Burying-place might have been appointed, not for the Romans, or for the Chief of them, but for a Multitude of Pagans, who from all Places reforted to Jerufalem, either out of Curiofity, or for the fake of Trade. The third Objection feems to Mr. Holtius of no moment at all, and entirely unworthy its Author, who is the famous Grotius: for the Priefts did take care of the Burial of Strangers, not as Priefts, but as Members of the Sanhedrim, or Senate, to whom they communicated that Affair, as it is pofitively fair in the Text; and furely, it was as much the Bufinefs of the Senate to affign a Burying-place

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for Heathens, as it was to take care of the burying of them, that had been executed for their Crimes. But here we muft obferve, that Mr. Holtius has been a little too hafty, and did not carefully confider the Text of St Matthew, who fays indeed, that the Chief Priests [Evμbéλior Aaborns, that is] took counsel, or confidered among themselves, but has not a Word of their relating the Affair to the Senate. To the fourth, Objection may be answered, that there might have been already Burying-places for Strangers, which being not fufficient, the Number of Strangers increafing daily, the Priefts thought fit to buy another Piece of Ground for the fame purpose.

WE come now to the Myfteries, our Author finds in the Priests buying in the Land of Promise a Burying-place for Strangers, that is, in his Opinion, for Heathens. By this, fays he, was fignified, First, That the Heathens were fhortly to become Believers, for Unbelievers were deny'd a Burying-place in the Land of Canaan. Secondly, This was a Sign, that they should be Partakers of all the Blef fings of Abraham. Thirdly, This Buryingplace was bought for the Heathens, and was not their Property; and doth not this plainly intimate, that the Heathens were always to be Strangers in the Land of Canaan, but Citizens of Heaven? This then was to them a fure Proof of a Refurrection from the Dead

3

THE fecond Differtation is intitled Ecclefia Chriftus, The Church Chrift; and is a fort of a Paraphrafe on the eighth Pfalm. Mr. Holtius intends to fhew, that the Subject Matter of this Pfalm is the Church, but with Chrift at the 2. Head

© Ch. xxvii. 7.

Head of it. Every Sentence of that Pfalm is explain❜d here in a very myftical Manner, and that too with the help of the Maforetick Accents, which our Author knows excellently well how to make use of. But as we think our Readers are not very fond of thefe Myftical and Rabinical Niceties, we fhall not enter here into many Particulars. However, to give the Reader a Notion of Mr. Holtius's way of Reasoning, we fhall obferve, that altho' St. Paul, in his fecond Chapter to the Hebrews, feems to apply the eighth Pfalm to Chrift, yet our Author thinks, both David and St. Paul fpeak of the Church. For,, fays he, in the preceding Chapter, the Apoftle has spoken of Christ's Dignity and Supereminence over the Angels; fo that in the fecond Chapter, he muft needs fpeak of the Prerogatives of the Church, to which God has granted what he never granted unto the Angels, namely, unto them he has not put into Subjection the World to come, which he has fubmitted to the Church.

BUT, fays our Author, if the Church is fo much above the Angels in Dignity, how can it be faid of her, Thou hast made him (her) a little lower than the Angels? Indeed, any body, but Mr. Holtius would be at a lofs, how to folve fuch an Objection: but for his part, he knows how to get rid of it in a very gallant and eafy Manner. Thou haft made him (her) a little lower than the Angels; fignifies with me, fays he, In a short time thou makeft him E QUAL, nay SUPERIOR to the Angels, Thou raifeft him to a Condition NOT inferior to theirs. This is truly a very good Way to explain the Scrip ture, and to make it fupport any Notion a Man may invent. I wonder Criticks fhould not fol

low

1

low the fame Way to rid themselves of the Dif ficulties they find in the profane Authors.

THE third Differtation bears the Title of Remuneratio Apoftolica, The Apostles Reward. Here our Author undertakes to explain the eleventh Chapter of Zachariah; this Chapter, fays he, contains a Prophecy very hard to underftand, efpecially where it fpeaks of the Price, for which the Lord was fold, and which by St. Matthew is apply'd to Christ's being fold by Judas. Yet Mr. Holtius doth not doubt, but he may explain this Chapter in fuch a Manner, as to make it easy to the meaneft Capacity. He ́ looks upon the whole as a Vifion of the Prophet; the Shepherd, fays he, who, by Jehovah's Command, feems to feed the Flock of Slaughter, is not the Son of God, as many have thought, but Zachariah himself, who fancy'd he had tranfacted the whole Affair, as he here relates it. And no body, fays our Author, can doubt, but by this emblematical Prophecy, God intended to forewarn the Jews, of what fhould happen to them, how difficult foever it be to know, what these things were. But Mr. Holtius, who is very clear-fighted, difcovers here feveral Marks or Characters, which enable him to ascertain the precife Time, when this Prophecy was accomplish'd.

THE firft Mark, is the Deftruction of the Temple, under the Emblem of Libanum, and of the City, by Fire; which Deftruction was foon to happen, and to be followed by the O. verthrow of the whole Common-wealth, (Verfe 1-3.) The fame Deftruction is fpoken of in Verfe the fixth, where it is further intimated, that the Jews fhould be deftroy'd by their

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