ceiving the Modus of his Acting on Matter. It is, if it be true, an Eternal Truth; and that concludes the Divine Nature it felf. It is, if it be an Axiom, the Reverse of a Contradiction or Impoffibility; and that is no Object of Omnipotent Power. Now as this very Axiom of Tours was the Grand Pillar of the Democratic Atheism, fo Yon have infifted more upon it, than any one Thing in Your Book; and indeed it is at the Bottom of all Your darling Arguments. Which has left, a fcurvy Scruple upon the Reader (who know's by what covert-Steps Athieftic Tenents always ftole into the World) which all You have hitherto declar'd of Your Faith, has not clear'd up.

Others have altogether disregarded Your affurance upon the Faith of a Christian that You write with an Honeft Defign, &c. For they think You have us'd the Scripture very unlike one that has Faith in it. Inb 2 frances

Ep. Ded,

Pag. 83.

stances of this kind are very numerous, the Reader must only taste of them here. Behold (fays our Saviour at his appearance to his Difciples after. his Resurrection) my Hands and my Feet, that it is I my Self; handle me and fee, for a Spirit hath not Flesh and Bones, as ye fee me have, St. Luke 24. 39. Plainly implying (fays Eftibius) That what was visible to the Eye, and an Object of the Touch, being two of the Exterior Senfes, was more capable of being understood, than a Spirit; whofe Nature and Effence was properly the Object of the Understanding only. I will not put a Comment upon this Paraphrase ; because, as I said, most Readers are already perfuaded Yon are not in Earnest with the Scripture, tho' they do think You in earnest when in the fame Page, You declare an Indifference to any Author, whether he is able or not, to turn and wreft the Scriptures.

Such

Such another Inftance is the Difficulty of Diflodging a Spirit, if there were any such in Human Body, which You propofe as an Objection; fince in fact it is fo eafily diflodg'd. And this Difficulty You prove from the Difciples complaining of it [when they cou'd not eject pag. 108 Evil Spirits tho' they had an Immediate Miraculous Power given them to eject Spirits and Devils. I do not fay this has convinc'd any that Yon are able, but it has convinc'd some that You have attempted to turn and wrest the Scriptures. If this Method of interpreting Scripture is allowable, I am fure there is nothing so ridiculous, abfurd or impious, but what the Scripture may be brought to Countenance; and then indeed every Man, of what Opinion foever, has juft Pretenfions to the Faith of a Chriftian.

Next to Tour Treatment of Scripturè, the Chriftian Reader has refented the Ufage You have given the Primitive b3 Fathers;

Pag. 256.

Fathers; for finding them unanimously against You, in believing the Soul fur vives the Body, Your Business is, in many Parts of Your Book, to disgrace their Memory, by a Character of Ignorance below what was ever given to Monkish Writer, You doubt not but their Ignorance was equivalent to their Piety. So that You feen refolv'd we shall gain nothing by extolling their Piety; and to provic this, You are bold to make St. Paul mean, when be fays, the times of this Ignorance God winked at, the Primitive times fucceeding our Saviour. The best Character you allow them at last is, that their Ignorance was pardonable in nice Points of Religion. I don't fuppose any one mon'd be offended, if Eftibius did indeed understand the nice Points of Religion, better than all the Primitive Fathers; but that which cannot but offend the Chriftian, that knows any thing of the Antiquity

Ibid.

of

of Christianity, is the notorious Falsehood of the Imputation: And fure he can have no great Opinion of the End, which fuch Means are imploy'd to gain.

Thefe, Sir, I believe are fome Reafons for the Reception this Honeft Defign of Yours has met with in the World; not to infift upon many incidental Occafions, fuch as your high Characters of Hobs, Lucretius, and others of that ftrain; and Your making an English Clergyman, and a Prejudic'd Zealot terms convertible; and, as if that were not broad enough, they are declar'd in the Title to Farther Thoughts, to have a Zeal, but not according to Knowledge. I cannot queftion Your Knowledge, or Your Profpect where fome of this Dirt will light, but mes thinks its a little unreasonable You fbou'd complain that other Men have Eyes and Understanding too.