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infpiration of its scribes. It is only to confider, what meaning you chufe to put upon the word in queftion; and the Arabic will immediately furnifb you with what you want. If black is to be made white, or white black,

there is or, which fignify both, ready at hand. In fhort, you may prove any thing from any thing,-the fun to be rifing, when it is fetting, a divorce, a wedding, -a flave, a prince,a vacuum, a plenum,-an unlawful act, to be lawful,-a rebel, to be a good fubject, covetousness, to be liberality,injustice, justice,—grief, joy,—and many more fuch elegant contrarieties may be fweetly blended together, by the medium of this tranfubftantiating tongue.

But the following story will, inftar omnium, be a proof of the fingular expreffiveness and utility of this celebrated language; which I give

upon

This is fully fhewn, and finely illuftrated in a learned piece, entitled, "Differtationes II. critico-facræ: Quarum prima explicatur, Ezek. xiii. 18. væ quæ confuunt pul"villos fub omni cubito manus, et faciunt cervicalia fub "capite univerfæ ætatis ad capiendas animas, Vulg. Altera vero 2 Reg. x. 22. Dixitque his qui erant fuper veftes, "proferte veftimenta univeris fervis Baal, et protulerunt "eis veftes. Vulg.

Sanctos aufus recludere fontes. Virg.

Auctore Georgio Coftard, A. M.

"And published fince the writing of these sheets, to which I refer the reader for ample proof of my affertion."

upon the authority of the great Dr. Pocock. "A certain Arabian, being introduced to the "king of the Hamyarites, who, at that time, "was fitting on the roof of his palace; his "majesty, in a very condefcending manner,

bid him fit down, by the word, "[Theb.] but unluckily for the poor Arab, this "word, in another dialect of the Arabic, fig"nified not to fit, but to leap or throw down: "Whereupon he told the king, that he would "give him proof of his readiness to obey his "commands; and immediately threw himself "down from the battlement, and fell a mifera"ble martyr to the ambiguity of this copious tongue."

Let the reader from this Pocockian specimen, judge for himself, whether this is a language calculated for delivering down truth with certainty, or is a proper tongue to be applied to, in order to find out the true and undoubted roots of the words in difpute; and whether, if we are to follow this method of fetching the biblical roots from the garden of Mahomed,-it will not be conftruing the Bible by the Koran, and engraffing christianity upon mabomedifm.

The total amount then, of the foregoing observations, is this.

is deduced from, and

I. That

this by as regular an inflexion as

from

ברא

the n being as ; גבה from גברים or ברא

immutable in the one, as in the other.

That is to fay, which is the immediate root of

retains its as אלהים is of אלה as גבהים and the other ; אלוה and אלהים does in אלה

derivatives from 2 the primary root, as and drop it; just as is the cafe of

, and 18, &c. which are fimilar deriva tives from 8, the primary root of ¡hx, &c. And therefore the paffages where the is dropped, ought to be placed under or N, &c. for the fame reason that Lexicographers place the paffages where the is dropped, under 1,

, &r. So in , the & is not immutable,' though it is oftner retained than dropped; and it may be confidered whether be not the primary root,

II. The primary image is any thing that is interpofed, &c, and this image is in the heavens, which fupport themselves, and all the rest of this fyftein, by one unerring, perpetual interpofition between themselves, and every thing else, in the material world. And hence they have the name of Cnbs later, inferior interpofers; which they are in every refpect; being created and framed by, and after their fuperiors had interpofed for our redemption, and thence had taken the name ALEIM.

III. That from hence, be as a verb, in a fecondary sense, fignifies to denounce, or pronounce a curfe or bann. This being the manner by which

men

men interpofed, to bind themfelves to each other to keep their covenants, &c. As the heavens or airs by their mutual interpofition bind themfelves, and every thing else to each other, and oblige them to keep their appointed conventions, &c.

IV. That ALEIM fignifies persons who have interpofed to the change of their own condition to change, ours. Which the persons in Jehovah did do, when they concerted the whole councel of God, or plan of our redemption. And as the fcripture affirms, in exprefs words, that this, which is eternal life in Chrift Jefus, was promifed before the world began,therefore they were Aleim before the world began. And what ever is represented in fcripture to be agreed on among the perfons in Jehovah in favour of man, is, therefore, represented as done in confequence of this interpofition, and by them as . That includes in it an 8, and, there

אלהים implies that Jehovah was יהוה נשבע fore

before y could be predicated of him.

V. That there was no fuch thing as a confufion of tongues at Babel; confequently, no fuch language as the Arabic could thence be formed: But the fame language which was spoken before that affair, continued to be fpoken when Mofes writ, and long after; and confequently, the Hebrew is the language which was spoken before the affair at Babel, fo the language of Adam, and fo of paradise.

VI. That the prefent Arabic in which the Koran is writ, is a medley and hodge-podge of all the different nations Mahomed and his fucceffors forced to come in and embrace his religion; and includes the Samaritan, Syrian, Chaldean or Affyrian, Phænician, Ethiopian, Punic, and many others. And hence it is, viz. by taking in the words of all these languages, that it has got so many hundred words for one thing." That the advocates for the Arabic have not produced any of the first fort of their writing before Mabomed, whereby it may be determined whether the Al-Koranish Arabic, and the Arabic used before, be the fame which it is incumbent upon them to do; as alfo to difprove Mr. H's New Account of the Confufion of Tongues, before it can be admitted as evidence.

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