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Q. In the Introduction of our Illustrations, there are several Points well worthy to be enquired after.
     And first of all; The Division of the Bible into Chapters and Verses, whence was it, and when, and what?
A.   First, for the Old Testament.
     The Pentateuch in Hebrew, was Divided into Fifty Four Parts, called, Parasha's, or Sections, and, Seders, or Orders.²
     One of these Portions was Read Every Sabbath Day, in their Synagogues. Thus they dispatch'd the Reading thereof, in a Year; for they twice joined, a Couple of the lesser Parts, in that Exercise. And when they had Read the Last, they began with the First again, that they might not seem to be glad, when they had ended it.³
     Compare, Act. 15.21; and you will date this Custome, at least as high as the dayes of Ezra.⁴
     But when Antiochus had committed his Barbarous Outrages, & Forbidden the Reading of the Law, either publickly or privately, on Pain of Death, hereupon they betook themselves, to Reading the Prophets, and they made Choice of such Portions from them, as had some kind of Affinity with, or Correspondence to, those of the Law, in the room of which they were substituted. E.g. Instead of that Section in the Law, concerning the Creation of Heaven & Earth, they chose, Isa. 42.5. which begins thus; Thus saith the Lord God, Hee that created the Heavens.⁵
     These Portions of the Prophets, they called, Haphtaroth, or, Dismissions; because, when they were ended, the congregation was Dismissed. Now, when once they had begun thus to Read the Prophets, they continued the Exercise ever afterwards, together with the Reading of the Law tho' the Occasion ceased.⁶
     None of these Divisions, were distinguished by Numbers and Figures; but they were called by the Name of the first Word, or first Remarkable Word, in each Division. The first Section of Genesis, they called, Parashah Bereschith, the second, Parashah Noach. Thus Kimchi, on Joel. 3.19. So did Isaiah, saith hee, in the Parashah Kirbu; that is in the Section, which, (Isa. 24.1.) begins with Kirbu.⁷
     The Division of the Bible, into Chapters, is a late Invention, and not more than four or five hundred Years old. Genebrard, in his Chronology, saies, It was about the Year 1240. and it seems to bee the Invention of the Schoolmen, hee saies, Qui cum Hugone Cardinali, concordantiarum fuere Authores. And Sixtus Senensis agrees with him. Hee saies, Till within these Five Hundred Years, there was no Place of Scripture quoted by Number, but only the Psalms, which from the Infancy of the Church were so quoted, as appears by the Acts of the Apostles. The Numbers of Chapters, hee saies, which now appear, as well in the Greek, as in the Hebrew Copies, are taken out of our Latin Books. Austin saies, Hee wrote, from the Beginning of Genesis, to the Expulsion of our First Parents, out of Paradise. And Gregory, saies, Hee expounded, from the Beginning of the Book of Kings, to the Anointing of David, to be King. Instead of which, wee should thus express it; On the three First Chapters of Genesis; And, On the Fifteen first Chapters of the First Book of Kings.⁸
     Now, tho' these Writers, do seem Ignorant of the Author of the Invention, Bale tells us, That Stephen Langton, A.B.C. was the Person, Qui omnes Bibliorum Libros per capita distinxit, quibus adhuc Ecclesia utitur. And the like is affirmed, by Weever in his Funeral Monuments. This Langton died, A.C.1228. We shall elsewhere bring you another Author. ⁹
     From the Chapters, Lett us come to the Verses, of the Old Testament. Now, of these, the latest Original, that can be assigned, is, the Time and the Work of the Tiberiensian Masorites, about 500 Years after our Saviour. The Masoretical Notes, at the End of every Book in the Bible, recite the Numbers of the Verses in every Book. Tho' indeed, they can be presently convicted of gross Mistakes in their Computations; yea, sometimes their Total Summs, are not such as their own Particulars, would produce, in the Arithmetic of Children. And the Mistakes cannot be in the Transcribers, or Copiers, because the Accounts are express'd, as well by Words at length, as by a Siman, [σημειον] or, Character. Tis plain the Verses were then in Use: yea, a Passage of the Mishna, written, A.D. 100, plainly mentions them. But indeed, the Verses of the Old Testament, are as old as the Testament itself, & of the same Date, with the Books themselves, that compose it.¹⁰
     For, first, it is evident, that the Accents depend on the Verses; [for Instance, every one of them ending with a Silluk;] The Accents could not be before the Verses, nor the Verses before the Accents.¹¹
     And wee may add, That certain Parts of the Scripture, do plainly distinguish themselves into Verses, if there were no Accents to do it; as, the most of the Proverbs, & the Canticles, and the most of the Book of Job, also, with other Characteristicks; And the Alphabetical Parts of Scripture, namely, Psal. 25, 34, 37, 111, 112, 119, 145. And Prov. 31.10-31. And all the Book of the Lamentations, except the last Chapter.¹²
     Secondly, The Vowels, depend on the Accents. The Accents make a Change in the Vowels, on Multitudes of Occasions. Every Hebrew Grammar, gives you the Rules of this Permutation.¹³
     Yea, Thirdly; The Consonants depend on both the Vowels, and the Accents. On the Vowels they depend, both in Point of Pronunciation, & of Signification.¹⁴