Essays in Divinity, Essays · Essay 2 · Section
Exodus.
When this Book became a particular book, that is,Of Moſes five Books when Moſes his book was divided into five parts, I cannot trace. Not only the firſt Chriſtian Councells, which eſtabliſh'd or declared the Canon of Scripture, and all the earlyeſt Expoſitors thereof, whether Chriſtians or Jews, but the Septuagint, almoſt 300. years before Chriſt, acknowledge this partition. Yet, that Moſes left it a continued work, or at leaſt not thus diſtributed, it ſeems evident, both becauſe the Hebrew names of theſe books are not ſignificant, but are only the firſt words of the book, (as we uſe to cite the Imperiall and the Canon laws) And becauſe by Conradus Pellicanus I am taught,Comment. in Pentat. that Moſes, according to the 52. Hebdomades, diſtinguiſhed the Pentateuch into ſo many ſections, of which this is the 13. And Joſephus Simlerus notes, that the firſt letter here, which ordinarily hath no uſe, but grace, hath in this place the force of a conjunction. And ſo Lyra, and many others acknowledg, that this is but a continuing of the former Hiſtory Beſides the reaſons which moved thoſe times to make this a ſingular Book, I may add this, That God, when he had in that part of Moſes book which we call Geneſis, expreſſed fully, that by creating from Nothing, before Nature was, he needed not her to begin his glorious work; ſo in this he declares eſpecially, that he hath not ſo aſſumed Nature into a Collegueſhip with himſelf, that he cannot leave her out, or go beſides her, and neglect her, or go directly againſt her when it pleaſes him. And therefore this book is, more then any other, a Regiſter of his Miracles. Of which book this is notable, it conſiſting of the moſt particular ceremoniall parts, wherein the Jews yet perſiſt, and we faithfully ſee already accompliſhed, and therefore likelyeſt to miniſter matter of quarrell and difference between us, of all other books in the Bible, is beſt agreed upon; and fewer differences between ours and their Copies then in any other book: ſo equally careful have al parties been to preſerve the Records of his Miracles intemerate.