«The heralds thro, the city carry the faithful

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ce oatb offerings of the gods,

"Two lambs, and heart gladding wine, the "fruit of the earth,

"In a goat's fkin."

Here the two lambs for facrifice are called ορκια ; whence I conclude, that ορκια τεμνειν is to cut off, or flay beasts in facrifice, and literally rendered, is to cut off oath offerings.

So ver. 103.

-Menelaus fays,

« Οίσετε δ' αρν', ετερον λευκον, ετέρην δε μελαίναν, Γη τε, και Ηελίῳ· Διι δ' ημεις οισομεν αλλον. σε Άξετε δε Πριάμοιο βιην, οφρ' ορκια τα μνη.

Here, again, they were to bring one white, and one black lamb, for the fun, and for the earth, and a third for Jupiter, in order to cut off ορκια, which they did by Maying the creatures.

Euftathius makes this comment upon the words

66 Ορκια πισα. 8 μονον αυτοί οι ενορκοι λόγοι, αλλα 66 και τα εν ορκοις χρειώδη. φησι γεν Κηρυκες δ' ανα από φερον όρκια πιςα αρνε δύω και οινον ευφρονα καρπου αργρης ασκῳ εν αιγείῳ· τοιστον και το συάγου ορκια ηγεν συνεγον τα εις ορκου χρησιμα και το τα μνειν δε ορκια παρ' Ομηρῳ και Ηροδότῳ, το θυσαι τα επι ορκια σφαγια δηλοί

“Opria mira, fœdera jurejurando' firma ac "ftabilia, non ipfa modo verba, quæ jureju "rando confirmantnr, fed etiam quæ ad juris

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jurandi folemnem ritum, adhibentur. Quippe "fic loquitur caduceatores vero per urbem fere"bant oрxiα 5, foedera firma, agnos binos, "vinumque lætum, fructum arvi in utre ca" prino. Tale quoque illud vagon aprix, con"gregabant fœdera, videlicet, congregabant, "feu cogebant quæ ad foedera jurejurando fan"cienda pertinent. Quin et icere, feu percutere "fœdus apud Homerum et Herodotum fignificat "villimas ad jusjurandum adhibitas facrificare."

So again on verfe 135" og Opera Taper σε Ισεον δε, ότι κειτα και ενταυθα ορκια τάμνειν το δια σε θυσίων ομνύειν. Sciendum autem eft, pofitum " hic effe ogxia TaμVEN, fædera icere feu percutere, "id eft adbibitas facrificiis, cafifque victimis jurare."

I have now gone through the Differtations; and have, I flatter myself, given to every objectión a clear and diftinct answer. And hope, I have regularly untied the knots in the way, which, though many, are not of that difficult folution, as good Mr. Arch-deacon feems to imagine. I have likewife, as I prefume, untied, but not the Alexandrian way, the Gordian knot, by giving the primary and radical idea to the two words in difpute. I have fhewed that

2

the

the primary idea of n is fecretion, in which purification confifts; (which the Doctor alfo allows, or feems to allow, p. 107. (for I dare not speak too pofitively of fo equivocal a writer) fo that Berith has but one leading idea, which runs through all the places in S. S. in which it occurs, which it, in part, retains in Aanxn, EUTOλn, &c. by which words the LXX have rendered it: Each of these being what fecretes, Separates, fets apart from certain things and conditions, to certain things and conditions, &c.

I humbly, therefore, apprehend upon the whole, that there is room to lay all that stress upon the new interpretation of Berith, that Mr. C. and others of Mr. H's followers have imagined. And I dare appeal to the candid Reader, whether these two Differtations are not, in themselves, a proof of the importance of this, and Mr. H's other Discoveries. And, I hope, that a few more fuch objections from men of like character, eminence, and learning with Dr. Sharp, will convince the world that Mr. H's new Rules of conftruing the Hebrew language, and interpreting the scripture, are very necessary to the right understanding of the O. and N. T. and to the adequate conception of the true fcheme and economy of man's redemption.

FINIS.