ens Dilltibtaiol ofthe Books of the OldTells, Vic. 9 written after the Captivity, as the Chronicle., Ezra, and Nehemiah, which make up the Canon of the OldTeftsment; why fundry of thefe Books thould be call into the Matt fort, as the Story ofRssth, and thePropheuie ofDaniel, they can give no tolerable ac- count. The other Books alto written after the Captivity are plainly of the fame na- ture with thole which they call the former Prophets ; And fo that ofDaniel, it con- tains in it alma all the eminent kinds of Revelation whereby themfelves would di- ftinguifh the Spirit ofProphetic from the Infpiration of the Holy Gholt. Neither have they anyReafon for this ddtribution; bat finding the general divifion before mentioned to have beenreceived in the Chúrch ofold, they have difpofed of the particular Books into their orders, at their pleafure, calling Danielas is probable into their laic order, becaufc fo many of his Vilions and Propheues relate unto other Nations bdìdes their own. The Law or the Books ofMots they call MID, or the Pentateuch from the number of the Books ; or rnn vow; moth, the fives, or the five parts of the Law ; where- unto flieram inhis Epiflle to Paulinus, wrefls thofe orda of the Apofile, x Cor. 14. 9. Ì badrather [peak ak' abyes, five words in the CAarch ; as if he had refpe k to the Law ofMoles. Thef five Books they divide into Parafhæ, Or SeC#ions, whereof they read one each Sabbath day in their Synagogues ; Genefis into twelve , Exodus into eleven, Leviticus into ten ; Numbers into ten; Deuteronomy into ten ; which all make fifty three; whereby reading one each day, and two in one day, they read through the whole in the courfe of a year , beginningat the Feaft of Tabernacles. And this they did of old, asJames teliifies, Ails 15. 21. For Mofes of Old time bath in every City them that preach bim, being read in the Synagoguesevery Sabbath day. Some of themmake fifty four of thefe Sedions, dividing the lad of Genefis into two, beginning the latter at Chap. 47. v. 18. conftitutingthe following Chapter in a diftind Seelion, though it have not the ufual note of them prefixed unto it, but only one fingle Samech , to note, as they fay, its being abfolutely dolt or Ihut up, on the account of the Prophetic ofthe comingof the Mefah, Chap. 49. whole feafon is unknown to them. They an-divide it into lefferSe&ions ; and thofeof two forts; open and daft, which have their dittuldk marks in their Bibles, and many fuperltitious Obfervations they have about the beginning and endingof them. Of the hell fort there are in Gen. 43. of the latter 48. In Exodus of the find fort 69. of the latter 95. inLeviticus of the firlt fort 5i. of the Latter 46. In Numbers of the firft 92. of the latter. 66. Deuteronomy of the firlt fort 34. of the latter 379. in a11669. Betides they obferve the number ofthe Vedes, at the end of every Book : as alfo that l in jlr1 Levit. 11.42. is the middle letter of. the Law; urn, Lev. 1o, 16. the middle .word ; Levit. 13.33. the middle Verfe; the number of all which through the Law is 23206. Moreover they divide the Law, or five Books ofMofée into 53. =To, Sedarim, or DiftinCtions ; whereofGenefis contains 42. Exodus 29. Leviticus 23. Numbers 32. Deuteronomy27. which kindofDiftindtions they alto obférve throughout the Scripture, Aimingunto J e huah 14. Judges 14. Samuel 34. Kings 35. Iflsiah 26. Jeremiah 31. Ezekiel 29. theLeffr Prophets 21. Pfaints 19. Job. 8. Proverbs 8. Ecclefiafles 4. CanticGe and Lamentations are not divided; Daniel 7. Effer 7. Ezra and Nehemiah to. Chro- nicles 25. Betides they diftribute the Prophets intoSections called Ilaphters, that ant-wet. the Scctions which are read every Sabbath day in their Synagogues ; And this Divifionof theProphets they affirm to have been made in the dayes of Antimhus Epipbanes, whom they call Dton,t, that wicked one, when the reading ofthe Lawwas prohibited unto them. All which things are handled at large by others. Having for a long feafon loft the Promifè of the Spirit, and therewith all faving fpiritual Knowledge of the mind and will of God in the Scripture, the belt of their employment about ix, hath been in 'reference to the Words and Letters of it, wherein theirdiligence bath beenof ufé in the prefervation of the Copies of it entire and free from corruption; For after that the Canonof the Old Tefiatnent was compleated iii the dayes of Ezra,andPoints orVowbi added to the Letters, to preférve the Knowledge of the Tongue, and facilitate the right Reading and Learning of it, it is incredible what induftry, diligence and curiofity theyhave pled in andabout the Letter of the whole Scripture. The colleb'rion of their pains and Obfervations to this purpofe is called the Maffora or Mefara, confiding in Critical/ Obférvationss "y;n,the words and letters of the Scripture, begun to be collected of old, evenit 11. ..y be from the dayes I ®f 4. 4,
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