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Both the Alexandrian copy and the Vatican copy agree exactly in the defcription of the wind, that it was a fouth wind: and any philofophical perfon will perceive, that fuch a wind, fweeping along the eastern coaft of Africa, and of Arabia Fœlix, and driving the waters of the ocean back from the mouth of the Strait of Babelmandel towards the Perfian Gulph, would naturally, in confequence of the projecting couft of Adel, and Cape Guardafui, draw off the waters from the Red Sea, and lower them greatly; and especially if fuch wind cooperated with a ftrong ebbing of the tide, from the coast of Arabia, as was most probably the cafe. In confequence of these two circumftances confpiring together, (the fiat of the Almighty caufing fuch wind to blow juft at the proper time, and caufing the Ifraelites to take their march juft at the proper time,) all the fhoals and banks of the Red Sea would be left bare; and any remarkable fhoal running across, at the place of the paffage, or elfewhere, would divide the waters; caufing those above to remain as a lake, whilft thofe below were falling down towards the Strait of Babelmandel. 88. Over fuch a fhoal, therefore, there would of course be a fafe paffage, till the return of the tide from the ocean the next morning; and over this the Ifraelites might pafs fafely; but upon this the Egyptians, by being too late in their paffage, would be overwhelmed.

A north-west wind might indeed drive the water back from the upper part of the Red Sea; but how any east wind could effect this, is not conceivable; nor indeed how any wind could effect it, unless it became a means of drawing off the water into the ocean. The tranflation of the LXX, therefore, fpeaks for itfelf, in the most philofophiçal manner.

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SEC

SECTION II.

CONCERNING

The Septuagint Version, of the First Chapter of

THE BOOK OF GENESIS;

AND

Its perfect Confiftency with Philofophical Discoveries,

brought to Light by actual Experiments,

in thefe latter Ages.

VOL. I.

89.

SECTION II.

THE
HE next piece of Criticifm here offered
to the Public, is, on the Septuagint Tranfla-
tion of the firft chapter of the book of Ge-
nefis; which chapter has hitherto been fo
ftrangely misunderstood, and in general fo
grofsly misinterpreted, that it has either been
conceived to be inconfiftent with found phi-
lofophy, (and therefore even the authority of
it has been called in queftion ;) or else, upon
the authority of it, efforts have been made to
fubvert all the philofophical science, which, by
means of mathematics and experiment con-
jointly, we have been made acquainted with:
efforts, which have had a tendency to over-
turn the teftimony of our fenfes; and to ren-
der useless all the means of difcerning, and
judging, which God has afforded us.
we may now venture to affirm, that this
chapter is (as might moft reafonably be ex-
pected) not only confifient with the trueft
principles of philofophy; but, moreover, so
accurately

Yet

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