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tion, as the miracle of Babel did the people' of that place. (6) Nor is this the only place

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(6) To this ftammering or uncouth pronunciation of barbarous dialects the prophet Ezekiel refers, 36. 3. Ye are made to come upon the lip of the tongues: that is, Ye are become a bye-word even in the heathen gabble, among the babling nations where ye are in captivity. -The author of Letter and Spirit fays, the word barbarous, ufed in fo many languages (with only their refpective different determinations) for perfons of ftrange or foreign tongues, is a monument of the great confufion at Babel; this word being a corruption of the reduplicate Chaldee word Balbel, by changing the 1 in each place into r.Some fay, the word in the other languages, is derived, from the Arabic Barbar, to murmur like fome beaft.Scaliger defines it, Pronunciatio vitiofa & infuavis, literafque male exprimens, blæforum balborumque more which was hitting upon the truth as to part of the origi nal manner of the confufion. Indeed Blafus and Balbus, in Latin, are both derived, in like manner from Bal, and, Balbel.The Welsh has preferved a noble word for this barbarifm of confufed language in their compounded term Baldwridd; which is a plain compound; of the Hebrew Bal, and Dahar; without any other deflection from the original Hebrew, than that of changing the b in the latter member of the word (Dabar) into the Welch w, a letter of the fame organ. Moreover from their faid Baldwridd, and Das, we again derive our Balderdash; which therefore fignifies ftrictly-A heap of confused, or barbarous words like thofe of the gabble of dialects, originally gendered at Babel. See Letter and Spirit (ch. 11.) by Mr. Holloway, a Hutchinfonian. It is very remarkable, that this learned gentleman fays, he had been long of Hutchinfon's mind, as to a confufion of confeffions, and not of tongues; but on weighing the matter, is now of another opinion: p. 115.

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in fcripture where Shephah, lip, fignifies language, pronunciations, and dialects; and where there is reference to the confufion of tongues at Babel: Ifaiah fpeaking of the privileges of the godly, fays,-Thou shalt not fee a fierce people, of a deeper Speech than thou canft perceive, (of a deeper lip than thou canst bear, Heb.) of a stammering or ridiculous tongue, that thou canst not understand. This is enough in answer to Mr. Hutchinson and his fautors, in refpect of what they say on the confufion at Babel. This proves that the word Shephah, lip, fignifies language, utterance, dialect, as well as confeffion or difcourfe and therefore, Mofes, in his account of the miracle at Babel, might have meant a confufion of languages. That he did mean this, is plane not only from a tradition gone out into all the earth, which is a matter of greater regard than Mr. Hutchinson's fan

Therefore, Hutchinson not infallible: out for once: and, as Dr. Sharp well obferves, this may be an earnest of deferting Hutchinson in other points of his new hypothesis. See Dr. Sharp's two difcourfes on the Hebrew tongue and character against Mr. Holloway.-His two difcourfes on Elohim, and defence.-And his three difcourses on Cherubim.-The Hutchinfonians lay the ftrefs of their hypothefis on the Biblical Hebrew, being the language of Adam in Paradife: And if this be taken from them, they are left in a poor way.

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cy; but because the facred oracles allude to this event. Befide St. Paul aforementioned; the royal prophet in Pfalm 55. ver. 9. refers to the means of the divifion of tongues, and denounces a curfe in terms taken from that inflicted at Babel. Swallow up, O Lord, and divide their tongues. This seems to describe that the

the manner of that confufion; fubftance of the one language was funk or fwallowed up in a vaft chaos of universal babble: and that out of that jargon, it was again (by another act) divided or broken into many particular diffonant dialects, or tongues.

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All this (I faid) is very juft, and gives me delight and fatisfaction. I am now convinced, not only, that Hebrew was not the language of Paradife, or that Adam did not fpeak the tongue the old world ufed immediately before the confufion at Babel ; but likewife, that the divifion there was a divifion and confufion of the one language then spoken; and not a confufion of confeffions, as Mr. Hutchinfon affirms. Inform me however, if you please, what you mean by that tradition you mentioned, which declared the miracle of Babel was a confufion of languages.

The Jews tradition (replied Mifs Noel) is preferved in their Targum, and tells us, that the whole earth after the flood was of one Speech, or fort of words, and when at their first remove from Ararat, they came to Shinar, they confulted to build them a city, F

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and a tower for an boufe of adoration, whose head might reach to, or be towards the Heavens, and to place an image of the host of Heaven, for an object of worship, on the top of it; and to put a fword in his hand, that he might make war for them against the divine armies, to prevent their difperfion over the whole earth. Whereupon the word of the Lord was reveled from Heaven, to execute vengeance upon them, and the Lord corrupted their tongue, broke their speech into seventy languages, and scattered them over the face of the whole earth. No one knew what his fellow faid: and they flew one another, and ceafed from building the city. Therefore he called the name of it Babel because there the Lord mingled together the tongues of all the inhabitants of the other. This you read in the Targum that was written before the days of Jefus Chrift, as the Jews affirm: or, if not fo early, yet it is a very antient book, and the doctor who compofed it muft certainly know the meaning of the word Shephah better than Mr. Hutchinfon. It appears upon the whole, that the argument of this famous modern is without foundation.

It is indeed (I answered): But then 'I am not able to conceive how Abraham and his fons converfed with fo many nations ---or how the Hebrew that Mofes writ in was preserved. Illuminate me in these things,

illuftrious Harriot, and from your fine understanding, let me have the honour and happiness of receiving true Hebrew leffons. Proceed I beseech you, and ftop not till you have expounded to my understanding the true nature of Cherubim? What do you think of Mr. Hutchinson's Rub and Rubbim, and of his notions of Ezekiel's cherubic form.

To talk of Cherubim and Elohim (refumed Miss Noel), and fay all that ought to be faid, (to speak to any purpose) of the three beads and four vifages, the bull, the man, the lyon, and the eagle, mentioned in the prophet, requires more knowledge in Hebrew learning than I pretend to be mistress of, and must take up more time than there is now' to fpare. I may hereafter however, if you fhould chance to come again to our house, let you know my fancys upon thefe grand fubjects, and why I cannot accord with Mr. Hutchinfon and my father, in their notion of the Cherubim's fignifying the unity of the effence, the diftinction of the Perfons, and man's being taken into the effence by his perfonal union with the second person, whose conftant emblem was the lyon. This I confefs appears to my plain understanding very miferable fuff. I can fee no text either in the Old Testament, or in the New, for a plurality of Beings, co-ordinate and independent. The facred pages declare there is One original perfect mind. The Lord fhall

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