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JOHN XIV. 2.
In my Father's Houfe, are many Manfions,
I go to prepare a Place for you.

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HESE Words of our Bleffed Saviour affert this grand Truth, namely, that there are Worlds befides this whereon we inhabit; and it may justly be concluded, that they are inhabited by Beings who are far fuperior to us in Goodness. Hence fome have affirmed, that our Earth is the only Rebellious World, the lowest of the Creation, and the Region of Darkness for all the other Worlds, or Manfions, as our Text has it, are above us, give Light to us, and we are beholden to them for the Light we receive (a). And from hence it is, I conceive, the Devil is ftiled, The Prince of this World, he John xiv. being banished from the heavenly Manfions, and 30. fent into Exile for his Apoftacy to this lower Orb, and his Angels with him. Here it is then, that be goeth about like a roaring Lion, Seeking 1 Pet. v. 3. whom he may devour, having no Power but in this

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(a) See Derham's Aftro-Theology, Pref. p. xl, xli. It is worth any Man's while to read that great Man's Perfor

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Place over the Creatures of GOD (b), as is fully and plainly intimated by our Lord in his Prayer, according to the Greek Text, for the Claufe, But deliver us from Evil, ought to be render'd in our English Tranflation, But deliver us from the Devil (c). Hence it appears, that we are under the Power of the Devil, and fubject to his Temptations; having offended GoD we are now in a State of Perdition: But God the Son defcended from on high, and left the Company of his Father and the Holy Ghoft, and condefcended voluntarily, in a miraculous Manner, to take our Humanity upon him, and in, our Nature to teach and inftruct us in those heavenly Principles and Practices whereby we might attain to that Perfection from whence we are fallen..

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(b) From hence I rationally proceed to affert, that here only the Devil [or Lucifer] has Power over the Creatures of God: which alfo I take from thofe Expreffions of St. Paul," The "Prince of the Power of the Air, the Spirit that worketh "[e. influenceth] in the Children of Difobedience.

() I have for many Years been furprized at the falfe Tranflation given by our English Tranflators of the two last petitionary Articles of the Lord's Prayer The Words in our Liturgy are: "Lead us not into Temptation, but deliver us from Evil. Why this was fo rendered quite contrary to the plain Meaning of the Greek Text is no otherwife to be accounted for, than that the Tranflators intended, It, To infinuate, that God fometimes tries and tempts Men to prove their Strength, making him thereby to execute an Office not at all agreeable to his Nature, of leading and drawing Men into Sins and Temptations, contrary to the plain Words of Scripture, which fays, "Let,

no Man fay when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for "God cannot be tempted of Evil, neither tempteth he any "Man, James i. 13. And, ver. 14. the Apostle tells every one how he is drawn and lead into Sin, as though he wrote at this Time, and intended to correct our Sacerdotal Translation of this Prayer: "But every Man is tempted, when he is "drawn

Our Saviour being defcended into this infernal Place the Devils immediately, as it were, begin to attack him, they ftir up Herod to lay all the Matth, ii. Infants of Bethlehem, intending among them to flay the Infant JESUS. And often did they ftir

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<< drawn away of his own Luft and enticed. Then, fays he, "when Luft is conceived it bringeth forth Sin: and Sin when "it is finished bringeth forth Death. Having faid this, he warns them against the Epidemical Sin of our Time: "Do not "err, my beloved Brethren, every good Gift, and every per"fect Gift is from above, and, cometh down from the Father

of Lights, with whom is no Variableness, neither Shadow of "turning. The Apostle's Argument here is fo full and copious, fo plain and evident, fo confpicuous and indifputable, that if no other Reafon could be fhewn for the Amendment of our Tranflation, it is certain, this is fufficient. But what fhall be faid in Vindication of the Ufe of our prefent Tranflation, thro' fo many Ages, when I fhall have made it appear that it is contrary to the Greek Text, which even the Clergy themselves: muft acknowledge. Ought not a Tranflation to have been rectified before now which reprefents God as difagreeable to. his very Nature and Effence, as Satan himself is to the Divine Nature, which corrupts the Mind, inftills unworthy Thoughts of God, and introduces him to our Judgment, as a Seducer, a Tempter, a Trapaner and a Cheat, &c. 2. They perhaps : intended by the wrong Tranflation of the last petitionary Claufe,. either to pay a Compliment to the Fair Sex, whofe Mouths they might be afraid would be diftorted by using that abominable Name, Devil : or rather by turning the Tranflation from Devil to Evil, they might comprehend not only the Evil of the Power of Rome, the Papal Hierarchy, but also the Evil of the whole World.

But why these Pious Frauds? Why should falfe Tranflations be made to ferve any Turn? Could not the then Clergy have tranflated these petitionary Claufes as they found them without Alteration? Did they think to mend them, to make them more ufeful? Yes perhaps : But who has given to Man fuch a Power to change Light into Darkness? Not Chrift. No, it is a Power arrogated and affumed by a few, which will never be of any Service to themselves, or to any other Person,

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up the Jews, the Rulers and great Men from Time to Time to lay Hands on him to crucify Matth. iv. him. At laft, the Devil himself attacks Chrift in the Wilderness, where conducting him to the Top of an exceeding high Mountain, and fhewing

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Now then to the Greek Text, I. Καὶ μὴ εἰσενέγκης ἡμᾶς ἐς Пleasμor, ought to be rendered, And leave us not in Temptation. This Translation is agreeable to what St. James fays in every Particular. See the Words above cited. And likewise to those Words of St. Paul, in his first Epistle to the Corinthians, "God is faithful that he will not fuffer you to be tempted "above that ye are able but will with the Temptation alfo "make a Way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it, I Cor. X. 13. And to thofe Words of our Bleffed Saviour: "Man "fhall not live by Bread alone, but by every Word that pro"ceedeth out of the Mouth of God, Matth. iv. 4. I am aware of the Criticifm, which may be made on my Translation, because I have rendered it in the Ablative inftead of the Accufative but the Accufative will ferve my Purpose as well if not better, Καὶ μὴ εἰσενέγκης ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμόν. And leave us not to temptation, i. e. Do thou, O our Father, who willeft that we should return to the State from whence we fell, leave us not again to the Temptation of Lucifer. Again, it may be faid for the Sake of Cavil, that I have not rendered the Word 'Ereyns right. TheWord is of the Verb péęw and fignifies in the Latin, Perfolvo, i. e. to let entirely loofe. And fo the Words will read thus: And let us not loofe to temptation. Take which Tranflation or Reading you will, it will anfwer one and the fame Thing, and therefore certainly we ought to pray, when we are tempted, God would not leave us in Temptation. But farther I apprehend, that the firft Verfion is good, and that es Пleeasur, may, according to the Rules of Grammar, be rendered, in temptation, or whilft in or within temptation, becaufe the Particle e is as capable of being rendered by in as into before an Accufative.

2. ̓Αλλὰ ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τὸ Πονηρέ. But deliver us from the Devil. The only Difpute here is, whether the Word IIovnpos ought not to have been rendered Devil and not Evil. Let us therefore firft read my Tranflation with the Doxological Part of the Prayer: "And leave us not in Temptation, but deli"ver us from the Devil: For thine is the Kingdom, the Pow

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ing him all the Kingdoms of the Earth, and the Glory of them, faid, All thefe Things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. But Jefus faid, Get thee hence, Satan, for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and

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<er and the Glory, for ever and ever." Obferve, the Reafon why we should not be left in Temptation, and why we should be delivered from the Power and Influence of the Devil, is, because the Kingdom, the Rule, the Power is the Lord's, and his only, to all Ages. I am willing, O Lord, to be freed and delivered from the Power of Lucifer, under whofe Influence I rebelled against thee in Heaven for now I know, that Power and Honour, Divinity and Majefty belong only to thee, my God and Redeemer. The very Expreffion, For thine is the kingdom, implies that fome Being had attempted heretofore as well as now to ufurp the Power and Kingdom of God, and confidering Lucifer to be very powerful in the terreftial Globe, all those who come into the Terms of the Gofpel, will defire to be delivered from him, and confequently it is abfolutely neceffary, that he who heartily defires to be delivered from the Power of Lucifer, fhould acknowledge the Supremacy of God: Which every one would be lead to do, according to the Verfion I contend for. Пovneès fignifies, Devil, or the Evil one, accordingly it is often rendered into Latin by the Word Diabolus, which we tranflate Devil. But it may be faid, that the Vulgate Latin led our Tranflators into thefe Errors. It may be fo, I hope a Time will come, when they will be amended, and rendered as agreeable to the Greek, as the Verfions, I contend for, are to Scripture, Religion and Reafon.

I farther obferve upon the whole, that it is very pertinent to our unhappy State, earnestly to pray and endeavour to be delilivered from the Power of the Devil, and is altogether agreeable to that of St. Paul," We fight not against Flesh and Blood "only, but against Principalities and Powers, and fpiritual "Wickedness in high Places." But more unhappy is our Cafe, when the Preachers of Chriftianity countenance Errors, and fpeak them from bigh Places, and thus we of this Day have not only thofe Powers to fight against, mentioned by the Apostle, but also another, viz. Sacerdotal Error. This is not to be understood of the English Clergy, because if they had free Liber ty to fit in Convocation, I doubt not, they would foon rectify

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