To whom MICHAEL replied: Thou haft feen DEATH in his firft Shape, exerting his Power over MAN: But there are many Ways of Dying and entring into that dark State: All of them are very difmal; and yet to the Senfes are more terrible at the Entrance, than they are within. Some (as thou hast just now seen) shall die by the Stroke of Violence; and fome by Fire, Flood, or Famine; but more by Intemperance in Meats and Drinks, which fhall bring dire Difeafes upon the Earth: Of which there fhall appear a monftrous Crew before thee; that thou may'ft know what Mifery the Eating of the forbidden Fruit fhall bring on MEN.

IMMEDIATELY there appeared a Place before his Eyes, fad, noifome, and dark; it seemed a Lazar-House, wherein were laid Numbers of People, fick of all manner of Diseases: All Maladies of ghaftly CRAMPS and DISTORTIONS, FAINT SICKNESS, AGONY AT HEART; all Kinds of FEVERS, CONVULSIONS, FALLING-SICKNESS, CATARRHS, THE STONE, ULCERS, CHOLICPANGS, RAVING-MADNESS, MOAPING-MELANCHO LY, LUNACY, PINING CONSUMPTION, HECTICKS, PESTILENCE, DROPSIES, and ASTHMAS, and RHEUMATISMS. It was very dreadful, to fee the Sick toffing and throwing themselves about and to hear their deep Groans! every Bed or Couch having one on it, defpairing of Life; and DE Ath feemed to be ready at Hand to triumph over them; but yet delayed his Stroke, though fo often called upon as their chiefest Good, and last only Hope. Who, unle's his Heart were as hard as Stone, could behold with dry Eyes a Sight fo ful of Sorrow and Deformity? ADAM was not able, but wept, though he was born of WOMAN: Compaffion overcame all the Strength of his Nature as a MAN, and he wept a confiderable Space of Time; 'till Confideration and firmer Thought put a Restraint upon the Excess of his Tears, and fcarcely able to utter his Words for Sorrow, he renewed his Complaint:

OMISE

O MISERABLE MANKIND! to what a Fall degraded! and to what a wretched State referved! it were better to end here, and never be born! Why is Life given, to be fnatched in this Manner from us? Rather, why is it forced thus upon us? Who, if we knew what we were to receive, would either not accept of Life when offered us; or having once accepted of it, beg to lay it down, and be glad to be fo difmiffed in Peace? Can the Image of GOD in MAN (created once fo goodly and fo erect, though fince fallen into Guilt) thus be debased to fuch unfightly Sufferings, under fuch inhuman Pains? Why should not MAN, who ftill in Part retains the Likenefs and Image of GoD, be free and exempt from fuch Deformities, in Confideration that his MAKER's Image is ftamped upon him?

THEIR MAKER's Image forfook them, anfwered the Arch-Angel, then, when they funk, and leffened themselves fo, that they broke his Command to ferve ungoverned Appetite, and took upon them his Image, whom they then ferved; following the Voice of a Brute, in eating the Fruit of the forbidden Tree; for by the Serpent's eating, EVE was induced to fin. Therefore their Punishment by Diftemper, is as abject; not disfiguring Gov's Likeness, but their's : Or, if it be the Likeness of Gon, it is defaced by themselves, while they pervert the pure healthful Rules of NATURE to loathfome Sicknefs; and it is juft it fhould have this Effect, fince they did not reverence the Image of GoD in themselves.

IGRANT, faid ADAM, that all this is juft, and I fubmit: But is there not yet another Way, besides thefe painful Paffages, how we may fuffer DEATH, and mix with the Earth out of which we were made?

THERE is, replied MICHAEL, another Way not painful, if thou obferve the Rule well, of taking nothing to Excefs; but be careful to obferve Tempe

rance

rance in eating and drinking; feeking from thence, not to fatisfy a gluttonous Defire, but only due Nourithment: So mayeft thou live, 'till many Years pafs over over thy Head; 'till thou drop like Fruit, down to thy Mother Earth: or being quite ripened for DEATH, be gathered with Eate, and not plucked harfhly. Thi. is old Age; but then thou muft outlive thy Youth, and all thy Strength and Beauty; all which will change, and thou be withered, weak, and grey-haired: Thy Senfes then will become unactive, nor have any Relifh of Pleafure, like what thou haft now; and, for the Air of Youth, (chearful and full of Hope and Joy) a melancholy Damp of Coldness will reign in thy Blood, opprefs and weigh down thy Spirits, and laftly, confume the Balm, and extinguifh the Lamp of Life.

To whom our firft Ancestor replied: Henceforward, I will not fly from DEATH, nor would I much prolong Life; but rather be glad to know, how I might best and easiest get rid of this Load which I muft keep, 'till the Day appointed for me to render it up, and attend with Patience the Time of my Diffolution!

To this MICHAEL replied: Neither love nor hate Life; but all the Time thou liveft, live well; whether for few or many Days, leave that to the Will of God; and now prepare thy felf to fee another Sight.

ADAM looked and faw a fpacious Plain, upon which there were Tents (1) of different Sizes and Co- .

(1) Tents; Fr. from the Lat. i. e. Holding or containing; tecause therein Men and their Houfhold-Stuff were contained : Or from Nata, Heb. i. e. Stret ched out; becaufe they were moveable Habitations, extended upon the Ground. A military A military Term. Tabernacles, Booths, or Pavillions, with Coverings

made of Canvas, to fhelter Men from the Injuries of the Air; for Soldiers, when they are in the Field; then four or five of them lie in one Tent, &c. In the firft Ages of the World Men lived in Tents only; and fo they do this Day in many Parts of Afia and Africa; but thro' Europe they are only ufcd for Soldiers.

lours:

lours By fome there were Cattle grazing; from others might be heard the melodious Sound of Inftruments; the Harp, and Organ; and he was feen, who moved their Stops and Chords, his nimble Fingers going through all Proportions, low and high, correfponded in all the Parts. In another Part ftood One (m) labouring at a Forge, who had melted two maffy Pieces of Iron and Brais, (whether found where accidental Fire had deftroyed the Woods, upon fome Mountain or Valley, down to the Veins of the Earth; thence flowing hot to fome Cave's Mouth: Or whether washed by Streams from under Ground) he drained the liquid Ore into Molds fitly prepared; from which he firft formed the Tools he was to work with; and then what elfe might be wrought or caft in Metal. After thefe, on the hither Side of the Plain, a different Sort of People defcended from the high neighbouring Hills, which was their Habitation: By their Appearance they feemed juft Men, and the whole Purpose of their Study to worship GoD rightly, and to know his Works, which are not hidden; nor to know thofe Things laft, which might preferve Freedom and Peace to MEN: They had not walked long upon the Plain, when behold a Company of fair Women iffued forth from the Tents, wantonly and gayly dreffed, and adorned with Jewels; they fung foft amorous Songs to Inftruments of Mufick, and came on, dancing: The Men, though they were grave, eyed them as they paffed, and let their Eyes rove without Restraint; 'till drawn by ftrong Paffion and Inclination, they began to like them, and each chofe her he liked: And now they began to talk of Love, and let the Day pass on in nothing elfe; then grown warm, they light the nuptial Torch, and invoke HY MEN, then first invoked, to give a Sanction to Marriage Rites:

(m) Ode; i. e. Tubal Cain,the first Mafter of Smiths, Gen. iv. 22.

All

All the Tents refound with Festival and Mufick. Such happy Interview and Intercourfe, the fair Confequence of Love and Youth not loft, Songs, Garlands, Flowers, and charming Symphonies touched the Heart of ADAM with Pleafure, who was foon inclined to admit of Delight; (which is indeed too much the Bent of Nature!) and he thus expreffed it:

BLEST Angel! and one of the chief of Heaven! true Opener of my Eyes! this Vision seems much better than thofe two paffed, and foretells more Hope of peaceful Days: Thofe were full of Hate and DEATH, or Pains and Difeafes much worfe; here NATURE feems to have all her Ends anfwered:

To whom MICHAEL fpoke in this Manner: Never judge of what is beft by Pleasure, though it may feem conformable to NATURE; feeing thou art created to a nobler End, holy and pure, and in Conformity with God! Thofe Tents thou faweft, which appeared fo pleafant, they were the Tents of Wickedness; in which his Race fhall dwell, who flew his Brother; they appear ftudious of Arts, that polifh and adorn Life; and are Inventors of rare and curious Things; unmindful of their MAKER; though his Spirit taught them, but they acknowledge none of his Gitts: Yet they fhall beget a beauteous Offfpring; for that fair female Troop thou faweft there, they that feemed like Goddeffes, fo blyth, fo fmooth, and gay; are yet deititute of all Good, wherein confifts the domeftick Honour and chief Praise of a Woman; but these are bred up only and accomplished to the Tafte of finful Defire, and learn to dance, and dress, and lifp, and glance with their Eyes. That fober Race of Men (whofe religious Lives make them be called the Sons of GoD) fhall ignobly yield up all their Virtue, and all their Fame, to the Arts and Smiles of thefe fair Atheists; and now fwim in Joy and Laugh, though Judgment is near at Hand, and all their Laughing to be turned into Tears!