Heaps are frequently deftroyed by the fame Cause that formed them. The fecond Chapter contains fome Reflexions upon the first Chapter of Genefis. In the Third, the Author treats of the Creation of Man: He confutes the Book concerning the Preadamites. The Terreftrial Paradife, and the Fall of Man, are the Subjects of the Fourth and Fifth Chap ters. In the next, the Author difcourfes of Cain, and his Pofterity; and fhews in what Time of the Year the World was created, and then computes the Time from the Creation to the Deluge.

The Second Differtation contains the Hiftory of the, Deluge, with an Account of what happened afterwards till the Difperfion of Men. The Author applies himself particularly to defcribe Noah's Ark, and to remove the Difficulties relating to its Dimensions.

The Third Differtation concerns the Difperfion of Men, and, the Chronology from the Deluge to the Vocation of Abraham.

In the Fourth Differtation the Author explains the Difficulties that concern the Life of Abraham, and gives an Account of the moft confiderable Occur rences of that Time. He difcourfes of Melchifedec, the Circumcifion, the Deftruction of Sodom, Lot and his Inceft, the Birth of Ifaac, &c.

In the Laft Differtation, he goes on with the Hi ftory of Ifaac, and then proceeds to Facob and his Children, and to Efau; and concludes with an Explication of the Bleffings of the Twelve Patriarchs.

AN HISTORICAL ACCOUNT, never before publish'd, of the Life and Trial of MICHAEL SERVETUS. In feveral Letters to **** By the Au thor of thefe Memoirs.

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HE Letter of Servetus, inferted in my laft, was produced against him on the 17th of August, to prove that he had abufed Calvin, and fome other Divines of Geneva. I proceed to give you an Account of the moft Remarkable Tranfactions of that Day.

"La Fontaine and Colladon exhibited the Two Letters of Oecolampadius, which I have already mentioned, and two Paffages of Melanchthon, to prove the firft Ar ticle, importing that Servetus had been condemned in Germany. Here follows the firft Paffage of Melanchthon." Lufit homo fanaticus, Servetus, de voca "bulo Perfona, & difputat olim Latinis fignificaffe "Habitum aut Officii Diftin&tionem, ut dicimus Rofcium alias fuftinere Perfonam Achillis, alias fuftinere Perfonam Ulyffis; leu alia eft Perfona Confulis, alia Servi

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*The Second Letter may be feen above, Art. XVI.

+ Melanchth. Loci Theologici, Page 321, of his Corpus Doctrina Chriftianæ, printed at Leipfick in 1560.

"Servi, ut Cicero inquit, Magnum eft in Republica "tueri Perfonam Principis. Et hanc veterem fignifica "tionem vocabuli fycophanticè detorquet ad Articu"lum de tribus Perfonis Divinitatis. " In the Second Paffage Melanchshon calls Servetus, aftutus & impius. The Prifoner acknowledged that Oecolampadius and Melanchthon had writ against him; and added, that it was not a Definitive Sentence,

Upon the Third Article the Two Accufers produ ced † again Ptolomy's Geography, and a Paffage out of Servetus's Preface, wherein he fays, that the Fruitfulness of Judea has been wrongly cried up, fince thofe, who travelled in it, tells us that it is a barren' and poor Country. Calvin tt informs us, that when this Paffage was objected againft Servetus, he fell a Mumbling, and replied, that it had been written by another Hand. Calvin adds, that it was no difficult Thing to convict him of the contrary: So that not knowing which Way to turn, he faid at laft he had a good Reason to write that Paffage. Afterwards Servetus being ask'd, (Calvin goes on,) who was that Vanus Praco Judea, mention'd by him? And whe ther it was not Mofes? He answered, As if none but Mofes had spoke of Judea. Calvin replied, That those who had given an Account of that Country, followed Mofes the most Ancient Writer that mentions it; from whence it might be inferred, that he deceived those who followed him in that Particu lar.

Ibid. pag. 327.

+ "Sur le tiers (Article), ils ont produit le Lieu de "Prolomée, lequel ledit Servet dit n'avoir fait, & non"obftant qu'il n'y a point de mal, & qu'il n'entend # point du temps de Moyfe, mais du temps de ceulx, qui ont efcrit de notre fiecle. Et lefdits difent que "d'autant qu'il a comprins generalement tous Ecrivains "dudit pais, qu'il a calomnié contre Moyle ".

++ Expofitio Errorum Michaelis Serveti, &c. aming Calvin's Theological Tracts, Pag. 936. Geneva 1576.

lar. Calvin was extremely exafperated against Servetus upon this Account. That impudent Dog (fays he) having nothing to alledge in his Vindication, maintained that there was no Harm in what he had faid. Obfcoenus canis tantum os perfricuit, & dixit uno verbo, nihil effe illic mali.

Tho' I never faw that Edition of Ptolomy's Geography, to which Servetus added a Preface and fome Notes, I dare fay he did not reflect upon Moses. 'Tis not improbable that by the Words, Vanus Præco Judea, he meant fome modern Traveller, who had publifhed an Account of the Holy Land, and reprefented it as a very fruitful Country. Servetus was neither an Atheist, nor a Deift; He was fully perfuaded of the Truth of the Old Teftament, as it appears from his Writings; and therefore I cannot believe that the Words juft now mentioned concern Moses.

Paleftine is not now, properly fpeaking, a more barren Country than it was in former Times: Were it improved and cultivated, it would doubtless be as fruitful as it was in the Time of the Ifraelites. And therefore Calvin went upon a wrong Suppofition, when he told Servetus in a peremptory manner, that God had curfed the Holy Land, and made it barren for the Sins of the Jews. Mr. Maundrell, late Fellow of Exeter-College at Oxford, who travelled in that Country, does not afcribe its Barrennefs to a Divine Punishment, but to want of Culture. The Paffage being very curious, I hope, Sir, you will not be difpleafed to find it here at length.

"All along this Day's Travel from Kane Leban to Beer, (Jays Mr. Maundrell *,) and alfo as far as we could fee round, the Country difcovered a quite different Face from what it had before; prefenting nothing to the view in moft Places, but Vol. IV. "naked,

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* A Journey from Aleppo to Jerufalem at B after, A. D. 1697. Oxford 1707. Pag. 64. & feq. The Second Edition. This Curious Relation has been tranflated into French, and Printed in Holland.

"naked Rocks, Mountains and Precipices. At fight "of which Pilgrims are apt to be much aftonished "and baulked in their Expectations, finding that

Country in fuch an inhofpitable Condition, con"cerning whofe Pleafantnefs and Plenty they had be"fore formed in their Minds fuch high Ideas from "the Defcription given of it in the Word of God: દર્દ Infomuch that it almoft ftartles their Faith, when ર they reflect, how it could be poffible for a Land like this to fupply Food for fo prodigious a Numડેટ ber of Inhabitants, as are faid to have been polled "in the Twelve Tribes at one Time; the Sun gi ven in by Joab, 2 Sam. 24. amounting to no less than Thirteen Hundred Thoufand Fighting Men, "befides Women and Children. But it is certain, that any Man who is not a little biaffed to Infidelity before, may fee, as he paffes along, Arguments enough to fupport his Faith against fuch Scruples.

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For it is obvious for any one to obferve, that thefe Rocks and Hills muft have been anciently "cover'd with Earth, and cultivated and made to contribute to the Maintenance of the Inhabitants, no lefs than if the Country had been all plain, nay, perhaps much more; forafmuch as fuch a mountainous and uneven Surface affords a larger Space of Ground for Cultivation, than this Country would amount to, if it were all reduced to a perfect Level.

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"For the Husbanding of thefe Mountains, their manner was to gather up the Stones, and place them "in feveral Lines, along the Sides of the Hills, in "form of a Wall. By fuch Borders, they fupported

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the Mould from, tumbling, or being wafhed down, and formed many Beds of excellent Soil, rifing gradually one with another, from the Bottom to the Top of the Mountains.

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Of this Form of Culture you fee evident Footsteps wherever you go in all the Mountains of "Palestine. Thus the very Rocks were made fruitful. And perhaps there is no Spot of Ground in this whole Land, that was not formerly improv

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