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brought by the Prieft writ in ftrange Characters, partly, in the Figures of fome Animals, which like Short-hand Marks stood for Words or Sentences; partly in Scrawls knotted and turned round like a Wheel, and twisted and twined close together like the Tendrils of a Vine; which were kept from the Curiosity of the Prophane, who were not permitted to read them, &c. Thence Lucan, to fet off the Antiquity of the Phenician Letters fays in his Pharfalia, Book 3. V. 223.

The letter'd Art to Egypt was not
known,

But Birds and Animals engrav'd on
Stone

Contain'd the Hieroglyphic Word and
Sound.

C. Tacitus agrees with him in his Annals Book 11. c. 14. The Egyptians (fays he) at first expreffed the Sense of their Mind, by the Figures of Animals; and the most antient Monuments of such kind of Memorials are to be feen engraved on Stones, and they give themselves out as the Inventors of Letters. Paleotus of facred and Prophane Images, p. 53. cites Diodorus the the Sicilian, Book 4. The Letters of the Egyptians

Egyptians fefemble various Animals, and Parts of Men, and of Inftruments, particularly those made ufe of by Artificers: their Words are not a Compofition of Syllables or Letters, but made up of Images, and Pictures; and their Meaning depends upon Memory. So Pliny, Book 36. c. 8. These Sculptures and Images which we fee, are the Egyptian Letters."

The Original Representations, and fuch as were, if any were, added before Men parted or divided at Babel, were underftood by all: But the imaginary ones, fet up after the Difperfion in each Country, would be differently chofen, and differently framed, and fo not to be understood by Strangers. What Progress this Imagination had made, before Writing took Place, may, in many Inftances, be fhewed; to what Degree of Madness it run, after Writing was ufed, may, from Writing, be abundantly fhewed. And as the Explanation of them, when thus mixed, depended upon the Memory of the Priefts and principal Natives in each Country, and at each Temple; fo dividing the People was the hrft Step to confound their Knowledge and Memory of Things, by Emblems or Hieroglyphicks.

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The Ifraelites, during moft of their long Stay in Egypt, had been debarred the Ufage of the true Emblems, and feen the mixed or falfe ones ufed; fo their Knowledge of, or Distinction between those old and true, and the new and falfe, would by Degrees become uncertain or forgotten, and fo their Ufe in their Religion would be confounded. When many of thöfe became uncertain or mifapplied, it appears there was great Occafion for fome other Method, viz. the Revelation of Writing and by Writing: And that thews the Goodness of the Aleim in communicating them to Man, without which we must now have been at the Mercy of mercilefs Men, who would never have ceafed, till they had defaced all the traditional Accounts of Antiquity, and bereft us of what only is valua→ ble to Man.

The laft Method was by Letters substituted for Sounds to form Words, which were used for those Ideas or Images, and which convey thofe Ideas, not only by the Eyes, but allo by the Ears.

In this Account 'tis neceffary to say fomething about the Revelation of this laft Method of retrieving and preferving the Memory of Things which had been loft, and were revealed a fecond Time, and of what

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what had paffed in the mean Time, and was neceffary to be added: And as the Revelation of the Science of Writing with Letters was made in the Hebrew Tongue, 'twill be neceffary to fhew when, and how other Tongues came to vary from it, and be confounded.

I am also to obferve, that when this laft Method of Writing was revealed, and Things recorded by it, fome of the Memorials of the principal Things, which could not be fo perfectly exhibited by Writing, as by the old Method were retrieved or reftored; and the Memory of these Persons or Things preferved, not only by Writing, but by the first Method.

In this Difcourfe I intend to fhew how this falfe Religion was confounded; fo I fhall have Occafion to fhew how, and by what other Means befides that mentioned, the Method of preferving the Memory of Things by Memorials and Hieroglyphicks, was in a Manner totally loft: And that confounding the Method of preferving the Knowledge and Memory of Things byHieroglyphicks, and by writing with Letters, confounded the Religion or Confeffion of the Heathens.

As

As I have begun, and intend to settle the chief Points in Religion, fo that it shall not be in the Power of Man to difturb them, I must not only fhew the Perfection of the Writings and Language I am conftruing, but the Imperfection of all other Languages, and of all human Writings, exalt the Works of God, and depress thofe of Men.

As it will always be admitted, that if the Books in the Hebrew Tongue were writ by inspired Men, they are in the Points they treat of, to be our Guides; I had at firft but these three Points to prove, that they were writ by fuch, and fo are infallible, that they treat of the most valuable Points, and that what is writ upon thefe Points can be infallibly conftrued: Befides what I have done in profecuting this, there will further Evidence arife to demonftrate these Points and that the Knowledge contained in them is not to be acquired from any other Writing, nor by any other Means.

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I am by the Way to obferve, that after the fecond great Revelation was committed to Writing, where any confiderable Article in it was mifconftrued or mistaken, whether done defignedly by the Jews or otherwife, and Men reafoned upon that Mistake, it has drawn them into innume

rable

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