fo late a publication upon the subject, had fallen into the fame miftakes with preceding commentators, and therefore with them, had been difabled from difcovering the ftrongest argument to be derived from a fingle prophecy, for the truth of Chriftianity, it became forcibly impreffed upon the author's mind, that it was his duty, to give this work to the world; and though it contains much more than the Lectures he delivered, yet, he continued the form, because it faved fome trouble. Want of leifure, likewife, prevented him from revifing his preceding Lectures upon the foregoing verfes, in the first chapter of St. Matthew, relating fome facts facts previous to our Saviour's birth; and his fubfequent ones upon the fecond chapter, containing fome events, which occurred in the infancy of Jefus. Both of which would, at the fame time perhaps, have contributed to give additional force to the following explanation, and have ferved likewife, to remove by REASON and ARGUMENT, the objections of infidels to the whole of the two firft chapters of St. Matthew's Gofpel. The only mode of defending Christianity, furely, which can poffibly entitle any one to the appellation of a RATIONAL CHRISTIAN. For, on the contrary, can any man be conceived, to be more effectually d 2 excluded excluded from all pretence to that title, than he, who in the modern mode, admits without examination, the truth of the objections, and immediately proceeds to lop off the parts attached, without any concern for the lacerated condition, in which he leaves the mutilated trunk. A conduct, which appears to be not lefs abhorrent from common sense, than that man's would be, who, perceiving a gnat fixing on his hand, -fhould,-instead of removing the infect,-amputate the limb. There is one objection to the following work, which muft fo readily occur, that it would be unpar donable donable to conclude this Introduction without noticing, and in some measure, obviating it. I mean, that all the alterations made in the tranflation, are taken from the SEPTUAGINT, NOT from the HEBREW. And as the author has too much regard for truth, either to attempt to deny or conceal it, he at once confeffes the plain reafon for this, -is, his ignorance of the latter language. A confeffion, which he has the more fatisfaction in making, as fuch an acknowledgement is not ufual with authors, under the fame circumstances; and any confeffion of ignorance from a writer, feldom fails fails to have fome tendency to dif arm envy, and even to foften malice. He was fo perfeâly fenfible of the pretence this circumftance would give to the attempt of little minds, to reject, depreciate, and fupprefs the whole work, that he had once formed a refolution of learning the Hebrew language, merely to remove it. But, when he confidered, that his criticisms in refpect to language, were fuch, as did not fo much arife from the idioms of any language in particular, as from the principles of language in general, and the peculiar fituation, character, and office of |