ken the Woman out of Adam's fide, (whence, they fay, it happens that their Heads are fo hard) he did not fay fhe was good, as he had pronounc'd all the rest of his Creatures. And to get Adam to marry her, there was no other Expedient found but to caft him into a Sleep; no doubt, because, had he been awake, he would have been much puzzl'd to refolve upon it. So that they who confidering, on one Side, the Usefulness of that Sex for the Prefervation of the Species of Men, and on the other, the Mischiefs whereof it is the Cause, have not ill determin'd when they term'd Woman a Neceffary Evil; to which Men are addicted, by natural Inftinct, for the general Good, and to the Prejudice of the Particular; just as Water afcends upwards, contrary to its own Nature, for the efchewing of Vacuity. Woman is an imperfect Animal, whom Plato queftion'd whether he fhould not rank among the irrational, and whom Ariftotle terms a Monster. They who treat her most gently, ftile her a fimple Error of Nature; which through the Deficiency of natural Heat, could not attain the making of a MaleWomen big with Female Children, are more difcolour'd, have their Tafte deprav'd, and ufually lift up their left Leg first, as it were for an Evidence of that finifter Conception. In the old Teftament they who were deliver'd of a Female were unclean for fixty days; if of a Male, but thirty. The Male is fully form'd in thirty days, but the Female only in forty two. The Males have life at the feventh Month, but Females not till the ninth, as if Nature hid her Fault as long as she could. The Females have lefs Vigour in all their Actions, because less Heat; which appears in that they are never ambidextrous, as fome Men oftentimes are. Now, if in fome Species of Animals, the Females have the Advantage above Males, as Tygreffes, Lyoneffes, and Shewolves, it is in Fierceness; and therein we alfo yield to Women. But what more competent Judge amongst Men can they find, than Solomon who try'd fo many, and inquires, Who can find a wife Woman ? And who, after he had compar'd them to the bottomlefs Pit, concludes that all Wickednefs is fupportable, provided it be not the Wickedness of a Woman; yea, that the Wickednefs of a Man is better than the Goodness of a Woman. Laftly, The middle Opinion is, that every Thing is esteemed according to its Author, Structure, and Compofition, the Means it makes ufe of, the Manner, how it employs the fame, and its End. Now Man and Woman having the fame Author, God, and being compos'd almoft of the fame Parts, it remains to enquire what means both the one and the other makes use of for attaining their End, which is Happinefs. It is certain that the being either Man or Woman, makes neither of 'em good or bad bad, handfome or deform'd, noble or infamous, happy or unhappy. There are found of both forts in either Sex. As, to begin in Paradise, the eleven thoufand Virgins alone fhew that the Feminine Sex has as good a Share therein as Men. In Thrones, Semiramis, Thomiris, many Queens and Empreffes have manifefted, that Women as well know how to command as Men; Judith cutting off the Head of Holofernes, and the Maid ofOrleans,having fhewn that Men alone were not couragious, and fit for martial Atchievements. In brief, there is no kind of Performances, in which Examples are not to be found both of Men and Women, who have acquitted themselves well therein. In Oeconomy, or the Management of a Family, if fome Men are the Mafters, there are found Women too who having the Supremacy, perform fo well, that the Men cannot complain. Wherefore they who seek the Caufe of the Nobleness or Abjectnefs of Man and Woman in the Sex, feek it where it is not. 'Tis not the being a Man or a Woman that makes noble or ignoble; 'tis the being an excellent Man or an excellent Woman. For as they are mistaken who impute fome Vice or Virtue to a whole Province, becaufe to be vicious or virtuous are perfonal Things; the fame ought to be faid concerning Man or Woman, who are Citizens of the whole World; either of whom taken in general, has nothing in themselves but what is very decorous, good and perfect, and confequently very noble, as proceeding from an Author who communicated to them what Perfection and Nobleness was refpectively requifite. If there be any Defect, it proceeds from the individual Perfon, and ought no more to be attributed to the Sex than to the Species. Queft. There is a Book lately come forth, call'd, The Scripture. Line of Time, from the firft Sabbath to the Great Sabbatifm of the Kingdom of Chrift, by Tho. Beverly; which doubtlefs you have feen, wherein he pretends to the Impulses of the Spirit in finding out the Line of Time, Times, and half Time, by the Help of which having found it out, as he verily believes, he is very politive, that this great Sabbatifm will take effect in the Year, 1697. Time, Times, and half Time. He imagines time to be divided as Geometricians divide a Circle, viz. into 360 Degrees. Years, He makes this Time, Times, and half Time to be the duration of the Apoftafie from the Faith, viz. from its Purity, which be reckons to begin Anno Chrift. 437. which Epocha, being added to he 1260 Years makes 1697. The Time when the Romish Power began to come into its half Time, he makes to be in Luther's Days, viz. So that the half Time beginning then, there must be 180 Years added to the 1517, the Product is 1697. 1260 437 1697 Anno 1517 add 180 1697 and there's as much have yet met with. that time will be the but the Querift and Anfi. 'Tis a new kind of Expofition, or more Probability in it, than any we We can return no other Anfwer but this, beft Expofitor, and 'tis very great Odds, many Millions more now alive will fee the Iffue, Gentlemen, I defire your Judgment in your Oracle upon the following Queries with as much Speed and Clearness as may be. Queft. 1. What is to be understood by Creature in the eighth. Chap. of St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans, and 19, 20, 21 Ver. fes? How do they expect and wait for the Manifeftation of the Sons of God, and in what Senfe, fhall they be delivered from the Bondage of Corruption into the glorious Liberty of the Sons of God? Queft. 2. Whether Heaven be promifed to a certain Number of Perfons? Queft. 3. Whether Baptifm be a Means of Regeneration? Queft. 4. Whether there be a Poffibility of final Apoftacy from a State of Grace? Queft. 5. Why the greatest Enmity (ometimes Jucceeds the greatest Friendship and Amity? Queft. 6. Why is the Morning Sun a Means of accelerating Growth in Plants, and of ripening Fruits more than the Afternoon? Queft. 7. What is the Reason that there are Tears of Joy? Queft. 8. Why do the Vapors of Charcoals induce a Faintness ? And why so dangerous and deftructive in a close Room as they are? Anfw. 1. The Meaning of the Place according to the best Interpreters is no more than this, that whereas Adam by his Sin has fubjected not only his Pofterity, but irrational Creatures (which he was created Lord of) to Bondage, Slavery, Corruption and Death, the Time fhall come when they fhall be freed again; to wit, when Sin is no more committed, and that good Men don't only expect and groan for this Time, but the Pain and Corruption of the Creature does (as it were) plead plead for a Delivery, an elegant way of expreffing the deep Senfe of any thing, when we fay, that even infenfible things perceive it. Anfw. 2. God knows what the Number of the Saved will be, but we can meet with no fufficient Text that tells us the Number is limited, and can't be otherwife. Anfw. 3. No, only a Sign of it. Anfw. 4. We read of fuch as have fallen from Grace, have made Shipwrack of Faith, and a good Confcience, and therefore we can't believe Grace irrefiftable. We know that fome have more Means offer'd them than others, and God may fometimes cause a ftrange Converfion; and fometimes give Perfons quickly over to a reprobate Mind, but the general Courfe of his Providence, is to give all fufficient Means; to turn thofe over to the Power of Satan that abuse his Means, and to give more Means to fuch as make Ufe of what they have, the Scripture is fo plain in this Point, that we need not run to hard Places to confound our felves, He that Believeth and is Baptized hall be faved, and he that Believeth not shall be Damned. If the wicked Man turneth away, &c. He fall Live, if the Righteous, &c. He fhall Die. It's commonly objected, Grace, Repentance, &c. is not in our Power; we answer, but the Means of Repentance are in our Power, as Examination, Confidering, c. or eife we are not Men; hence St. John the Baptift fays, Bring forth Fruits meet for Repentance Let a Man do what he is able, and God has oblig'd himself by Promife to affift him. To him that has, it shall be given, and he hall have more abundantly; but from him that hath not shall be taken away, even that he bath. This Text is fufficient to obviate all fuch Queries as this. And now after all, if a Man has not a free Will given him to do fomething of himself in order both to Salvation and Damnation too, Rewards and Punishments are in vain; if there's abfolute Predeftination to Salvation or Damnation, there's no need of Preaching, Praying, or any thing elfe; but fince we can't properly give any more than our Opinion here, we will referve a further and larger Difcourfe upon this Subject in our next twelve Numbers, and we hope fuch as it will maintain the Juftice, fo it won't at all derogate from the Grace of God. Anfw. 5. Because the Opportunities which their Freedom, and Converse gives 'em, laid 'em more open to one another's Abuses, whereas other Persons that are Strangers to their Breafts cou'd have nothing to fay againft them, or at least not half fo much. Anfw. 6. Because the fallen Dew helps it, which is exhal'd before the Afternoon. Anfw. 7. Tis already anfwer'd. Anfwer. 8. It fubtilizes the inclos'd Air, fo much (tho' by Degrees) that a Man can no more live in it than Water. We cou'd bring a great many fad Intances of the Effects it has had, but our Room will not permit us to enlarge. Quell Queft. I am so far fatisfied with your Sincerity and Integrity in untying all thofe Gordian Knots which you have met with in your Progrefs of freeing Learn ing from the Slavery of Obfcurity and Intricacy, that I was perfuaded to trouble you for your Opinion concerning Charms, becaufe I met with a Story of a German Emperor, who by Means of a Ring which he always wore, was fo wholly given up to his Miftrefs, that he could not leave her when She was dead, until the Ring was taken off by a Bishop who enjoyed the Favours imaginable, till glutted he threw it into a River, which was the Emperor's chief Delight to walk by till his dying Day: Pray your Opinion of the Ingredients, and by what Means they have fo great Force over our Mind? The Question is not of much Weight, yet the refolving of it will be a great Satisfaction to me. Anfw. We have already anfwer'd feveral Questions of this Nature, and how'd that fuch a Thing, morally fpeaking, is abfolutely impoffible, (see our late Anfwer about Talismans.) All Things whatever of this Nature, are either Jugglings, Impofitions upon the Ignorant, or elfe a Delufion of the Devil, who makes ufe of other natural Means to work upon the Superftition of fuch as believe it immediately done by Charms, even as a Juggler fays, Blow here, prefto, be gone, &c. only fora difguife to a natural and eafie Conveyance. Queft. The inclofed is the Copy of a Letter that was found in St. Martin's Church. Some that have seen it, do not understand the Poffibility of the Gentleman's performing what the Lady defres of him in the latter End of her Letter: You are defired to fatisfie their Curiofity, and that it may be in your next Saturday's Mercury; they are ashamed to prefs you to the Performance of it in fo little Time, nor would have been guilty of fo much Rudeness, were they not neceffitated by their going a long Journey the next Week, and fo should have been deprived of the Satisfaction of your Answer? Honoured Sir, TH Here will be at our House this Evening the rich old Fellow I told you of, worth 40000 l. therefore if you have any Love for my Person, or Refpect for my Preferment, be there by feven a Clock. Drefs your felf as fine as poffible you can, and brisk your Blood with a moderate Glass: Approach me with that Decency that becomes a Gentleman, and when you make Love, do it with all the Delicacy of Expreffion which your Wit can invent, or your Eloquence utter, but with the Diftance and Regard, as if I were an Angel from Heaven; but have a special Care of overdoing it, and when it is his Turn to fpeak, make filent Love in foft Sighs, and languifhing Looks. Stay not too long, that by the Opportunity of your Abfence I may remark what Impreffions the Frights of a new Rival has made upon his Breaft, for a Spur of this Nature may quicken his Speed. This I call honeft Policy, nor can I see any Evil in the Defign. Dear |