fay, for finding out, but for picking up Words for new Powers; and I may add, for the news eft God; and of course alfo for a peculiar Creed, in refpect of the second Perfon; all fuch Discoveries, and that being Concomitants; and not only the Pickers up, but even their Cryers, of any Capacity or none, of any Profeffion or none, are made great Men for that, 'till even their very Stations have been ashamed of them.

And he faid unto the Woman, yea have the Aleim said, ye shall not eat of every Tree of the Garden ?

The Covenant was made with Man, and he was properly instructed to understand the Powers of inanimate Matter, and the Abilities of Creatures. If the Devil in the Body of a Serpent had spoke to him, he would prefently have known, that this was a Mute, and that there must be a Snake in the Grafs. Eve had not seen or understood the Talents which Creatures had; they were exhibited to Adam before fhe was formed; fhe perhaps did not know whether a Serpent could speak or reafon. Pererius, p. 197. Toftatus-- “ It L 2

was

was not neceffary to the Perfection of the Female Condition to have a moft accurate and perfect Knowledge of all the Animals, and of all their Properties, Powers, and Faculties, but to have the Knowledge of her own proper Business, of fuch Things As belong to the Management of a Family, and all thefe Duties which were to be performed towards her Husband and Children." The Devil knew this, and in a cowardly Manner attacked her. The Sex may take Warning from this, how they come into the Way of fuch Adverfaries, and how they leave Revelation, and enter upon the reasoning Part. The Devil first begins with her about Revelation, asks a random Question, to try whether she understood that, and what Sentiments fhe had of it; and the Confequences of breaking the Precept in it. If he had referred him to her Hufband, fhe had done her Duty; but he took his Bufinefs upon herfelf.

.

Ver.

Ver. 3. And the Woman said to the Serpent, we may eat of the Fruit of the Trees of the Garden: But of the Fruit of the Tree, which is in the midst of the Garden the Aleim hath faid, ye fhall not eat of it, neither fhall

left ye פן תמתון,ye touch it

die.

One might foon have gueffed at the Iffue. Eve had either forgot, or took upon her to add, to pervert, wreft and alter the Revelation, add a Law, for which there was none made; make the Penalty upon breaking the Law a doubtful Affair, not as a Punishment from God, but the Precept as a Caution, and the Penalty an Accident, fo against what might happen, or come by chance. This gave the Devil Encouragement to proceed; and every one who fhews Ignorance of the Scriptures, or that he doubts the Truth of any Word in the facred Books of Revelation, encourages his Agents to proceed in the fame

nner.

Ver. 4. And the Serpent said unto the Woman, ye shall not furely die, for the Aleim doth know that in the Day ye eat thereof, then your Eyes fhall be opened, and ye shall be as the Aleim, knowing Good and Evil.

They have given us a new Definition of a God: I must give them an old Definition of a Devil. He is one who tells us, that the Information and Revelation God has given us, is imperfect, and not true; that there are Properties in Matter, which act quite otherwife; and who attacks the weakeft, and makes them Inftruments to feduce others. Phil. Tranf. N° 383. May and June, 1724. by Dr. E. Halley, R. S. S. P. 118. The Account we have of the univerfal Deluge is no where fo exprefs, as in the holy Scriptures; and the exact Circumftances, as to Point of Time, do fhew that fome Records had been kept thereof more particularly than is wont in derived from remote Tradition,

those things wherein the

biftorical

biftorical Minutiæ are loft by length of Time. But the fame feem much too imperfect, to be the Refult of a full Revelation from the Author of this dreadful Execution upon Mankind, who would have spoke more amply as to the Manner thereof, had he thought fit to lay open the Secrets of Nature, to the Jucceeding Race of Men; and I doubt not but to all that confider the 7th Chapter of Genefis impartially, it will pass for the Remains of a much fuller Account of the Flood left by the Patriarchs to their Pofterity, and derived from the Revelation of Noah and his Sons. p. 119. But it must also be allowed, that length of Time may have added, as well as taken away many notable Circumftances, as in most other Cafes of the Story of remote Times and Actions. p. 123. I have been advifed fince the laft Day, by a Perfon whofe Judgment I have great Reafon to reSpect, that what I then advanced, ought rather to be understood of thofe Changes which might have happened to the Earth in Times before the Creation, and which might poffibly have reduced a former World to a Chaos, out of whofe Ruins the prefent might be formed, than of the Deluge, whereby Mankind was in a manner extinguished a bout 4000 Years fince.