Book I. The Temple ofWKdome. 1 37

fequently, whether the paflage cited by St. Tauly ouc of the interpretation of the Seventy^ be corrupted : or elfc the Hebrew Text. In my Harmony of the World J Book 2 . I (hew with Titelntanm^Bredemhachmy Malvenda^ Mercerufy & Genebrard^th^t the places are not at all corrupted, neither in the one nor in the other: but that the Septuagint^^ and 5^ Paul had regard to the Senfe of the words, rather then to the Letter 5 faying Sonus eorum , to make it fuit more aptly with the following words ; Et in fines Orhis ter* Y£ verba eorum : becaufe that the found, the Voice and the Words do very handfomely accord and fuit together. We may add alfo, that they made ufe of a fublime and allegorical fenfe of thefc words, ap- plying them to thepreaching of the Apoftles. And thus S^. Paul and the Septuaginty being fully recon- ciled to the Hebrew Text 5 we may the more bold-' \y ftrike to the Letter, and read CD"^? Kavam^ Li^ nea eorum i underftanding it fpoken of the Starrs which are ranged in the Heavens, after the man- ner o( Letters in a Book^ , or upon a fheet of Parch- ment. For which reafon alfo , God isfaidin the holy Scriptures, to have ftretched out the Heavens as a 5'kin , calling this Exteniion j y^p'^ Rachia^ from whence perhaps the Greekj might take their fAKQ-y which iigniheth a Skjn or hide-y it being fnoft proper to a Skin, to be Extended, or Stretched - forth. Now upon this Extenfion as upon a Skin,hath God difpofedjand ranged the StarSjin the manner ofCharafters; whereby as by a5acredBook,the won- derful works of God are fet forth, to all thofe that know how to read them. Caii enarrant gloriam Vei ; faith the PfalmilV. And here peradventure fomc may fay, that the wonderful works ofGod are fee forth by theHcaven?^ in their Prodigious Extent,
Harmony,
138 The Temple of Wifdome, Book I^ I
Harmony, Brighmefs^ Order, and admirable moti- " on •, and noc by way of any ifriting. But KMofes^ a very learned Jew, afTureth us, that (he n^O ^^* thar yio Declare^ or Set forth ^ is never attributed to Things Inanimate: fo that from hence he con- cludes, that the Heavens are not without fome foulj as we have proved in our Harmony of the World-^ which is no other, then that of thofe BlelTed Intelligences, who have the Conduft of the Stars, and difpofc them into fuch Letters as God hath ordained ^ de- claring unto us men, by means o^this Writing^v^h^c Events we are to expert. And for this caufe , this fame Writing is called by all the Ancients , DH!! CD^On Chetahhamelachim , that is to fay. The U^ri* ting of the Angels, And that this paflage , CxU enar- rant gloriam Dei , is clearly meant ^of this Celeftial Writings appears by the words immediately follow- ing 5 In omnem terram exivit Linea eorum, I know very well, that according to Si. Taul^ and the Septuaginty a man may uiiderftand.by the Heavem, the Apofiles'y or, as feme others will have it, the Prophets. But,if purfuing the Allegory , a man fhoiild take occafion to deny the Literal Senfej this would benofmall Crime,in the Judgment of the Fathers. Scriptures Verba^Vd'it^ the whole School, Propric accipienda funt, quando nihil inde Abfurdi fequitur. So that ifweftick totheLetter oftheText, not only this PafTagc allea» gedbut many others alfo, which I omit^that I may come to the Main Matter in hand, doe very much con firm this Writing.
Now, as the Frophets have done before, fo have all the Learned among the Ancients alfo^aftcr their Example, called the Heavens, SACRED BOOKS: as> among the Jews , K Siweon Ben Jochay ^ in the Ztihar y on the Section Jemourahi which is the 25.
Chapter. ,