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to entitle their Cabbala to Adam, or Mofes, or Efdras, it feems to be only the Fooleries of Modern Jews, of which there is no Trace to be found in Antiquity. And the two Learned Men Johannes Picus Mirandula, and Reuch linus, will have the Pythagorean Doctrine of Numbers to proceed from That, yet they bring nothing but bare Conjecture for that Opinion. Nay, 'tis plain, that their Gematria is a modern Name made from the Greek Tulpiz, and was coined probably by the Jews of Egypt, or Spain, in the barbarous Ages of Chriftianity, when the word Geometry ufually fignified a cunning myftical Art, which no Body understood, and was next to Conjuring.

Notion of a 3. And again you heap upon this another Mistake, Temporal That our Saviour made an Advantage to propagate his Renot farther ligion, by the Jewish Notion of a temporal Meffias; which the Gospel. is fo far from being true, that if once he would have en

Meffias did

couraged them in that fond Opinion, he might have had five times as many followers, as he had. He told them over and over, that his Kingdom was not of this World. And in the 4th of St. John, when our Saviour preached of feveral fpiritual and myftical Things in his Kingdom; the carnal Jews, who had their Heads filled with other more worldly Expectations of the Meffias, could not be lieve that our Saviour was He. From that time many of his Difciples went back, and walked no more with him, John vi. 66. So that this fond Opinion of the Jews, was fo far from furthering, that it very much retarded the Progrefs of the Gofpel; and if our Saviour had fet up for a Temporal Prince, as Mahomet did, he might eafily have drawn the whole Nation of the fews after him. Nay, our Saviour never countenances this vulgar Notion of the Meffias in his Difciples, as appears by his checking the Sons of Zebedee, when they asked for Precedency in that Kingdom. And in the Text which you urge, when they ask, Lord, wilt thou, at this time, restore again the Kingdom to Ifrael? Our Saviour checks them, for an impertinent Question: It is not for you, to know the Times, and the Seafons, which the Father hath put in his own Power. And immediately rectifies their Miftake, telling them as be

fore,

fore, that it is not a temporal, but a fpiritual Kingdom they must expect; not the Power of an earthly Crown and Scepter, but of the Holy Ghoft. But ye shall receive Power, after the Holy Ghoft is come upon you.

upon,

Millennium

4. Nor did the Apostles and their Succeffors propathe Notion of Millennium, or a thoufand Years Reign lick Doct no Apoftogate of Chrift upon Earth, in lieu of the former grofs Opi- rine. nion. For there is no Footsteps of fuch an Opinion, in the Apoftolick Epiftles; and 'tis hard to think, that St. Paul in fo many Writings to feveral Churches, where he mentions fo many antient Ufages and Customs, and every Doctrine of Chriftianity, fhould perfectly omit this material one of Millennium. The Apoftles talk of a Spiritual Body, and spiritual Blessings, a Crown of Rejoicing, and Righteoufnefs, and Life, and Glory, and a Heavenly Kingdom, but not a Tittle of a temporal Reign of Chrift Earth. We hear nothing of this millenary Fancy till Papias's Time, who pretended to be acquainted with fome of the Apoftolick Men, and would have obtruded a great many odd Opinions upon the Church, among which this of Millennium was one. And from him Irenaus, Justin Martyr, and others, in the latter end of the fecond, and the beginning of the third Century, copied it; after which, that Opinion, which was never other than one of private Doctors, feems quite loft till it was revived again by Apollinaris. So that this millenary Doctrine was only the Opinion of fome learned Men for one Age; for other antient Writers older than Papias, as for Inftance Barnabas, who is brought to countenance the Millennium, fay nothing of it. All that can be made out of that Writer, is, That he compares the Age of the World to eight Days, fix whereof it is to laft, and then Men are to be judged, and afterward, viz. upon the eighth Day, to enter into Glory. So that you fee this Millenary Doctrine is above a hundred Years too novel, and too private a private a Doctrine among Chriftians, to countenance your Suggestion.

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Phil. I am afraid, Credentius, we fhall hardly have time to run thro' the Doctrines of Chriftianity; I fhall only pick out fome, which I have fome Exception againft, and give you my Exceptions against them. And the first I fhall mention is Prayer. For my part, I don't fee any ground for this, in Natural Religion, or Reafon. For why fhould Men pretend, to fuch a fawcy Familiarity with God Almighty, as to presume to direct him what to do? Certainly it is but good Manners, to let God diftribute his Favours to us, as he fhall think good, and not confidently to beg of him whatever comes into our Heads. The World is govern'd by a wife and fettled Providence, which is not to be alter'd, by the impertinent Petitions of vain Men, who think their Condition would be better'd by it. And methinks Chriftians fhould be afhamed of their Fondnefs, when they pray for Rain or fair Weather; to think, that God fhould interpofe his Power to fufpend the fettled Rules of Nature, and thould work a Miracle, only to fend them a better Crop. No, God is a Good and a Wife Being, who loves his Creatures, and knows what is beft for them; and therefore the Chriftian Religion is out, when it teaches that. Men should pray for God's Bleffings, which they ought only with Modefty to wait for; and not to think to weary him out by Importunities to fend them. That Advice of Juvenal is worth twenty of your Chriftian Helps to Devotion.

Si confilium vis,
Permities ipfis expendere numinibus, quid
Conveniat nobis, rebufq; fit utile noftris:
Nam, pro jucundis, aptissima quæq; dabunt Dij:
Charior eft illis Homo quam fibi

Take

Take my Advice; and think that human Good
By Wifer Gods is better understood.
For Pleafure whilft we only make Request,
The kinder Deities will give what's Beft.
Man's Dearer unto them than to himself, &c.

Therefore I cannot frame my Mind to think, that Men do a pious Act in Praying to God, and fpending their Time fo dreamingly in Churches and their Closets, to fo little Purpose as many Chriftians do. And as for Praifesthey are altogether as unreafonable; for who can think that the All-wife Deity fhould take Pleasure in little Flatteries, and in hearing himself commended, when we look upon it as a Weakness in human Nature to do fo, and when wife Men cannot endure it? ·

Cred. Sir, You do feem not fufficiently to have confide red either the Nature of Prayer or of the Chriftian Religion, by the Judgment you pafs upon them.

ter than the Heathens.

1. If the Generality of good Chriftians spent their Chriftians Times of Devotion as fillily as the Heathens, whom Ju- Prayersbetvenal reflects upon, did in praying for handfome Wives and Children, great Eftates, long Life, &c. there would be fome tolerable Ground for this Cenfure. But our bleffed Saviour, in his Inftitution of Religion, has taught us how to regulate our Prayers. He tells us, we must not perform our Devotions in that hypocritical Way, which was in ufe among the Pharifaical Jews, to fall down upon their Knees in the Corners of the Streets, to be feen of Men: Nor to use those Battologies, or Ingeminations, fo frequent among the Heathens, as Jupiter, Jupiter, Jupiter, bone Jupiter, an hundred Times together, as if the Gods were Deaf; or, as the Man in the Comedy faid to his Wife, who was full of Thanksgiving for finding her loft Daughter, Define Deos gratulando obtundere, nifi illos tuo effe ingenio judicas, ut nil credas intelligere nifi idem dictum eft centies. What a Work you make with beating this News into the Ears of the Gods, as if the Gods were like you, to understand nothing but what is told them an hundred Times over. Hh 3 Thefe

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No Sauciness to pray to God.

Prayer for Rain

not for a Miracle.

These were ridiculous Notions of Prayer, which our Saviour has commanded his Followers to avoid; and moreover not to be positive in their Petitions, but to refer all to the good Pleasure and Wisdom of God, defiring after all, that his Will be done.

2. Neither do Chriftians with Malepartnefs, or Saucinefs put up their Prayers to God, but with that Modefty and Humility which becomes Creatures toward their Creator. 'Tis no Want of refpect to ask my Sovereign a Request, when he has commanded me to ask him: But God Almighty has commanded us to pray to him, and to come with Boldnefs to the Throne of Grace; and therefore 'tis our Duty to do fo. And whereas you tax our Notion of Prayer with attributing a Weakness to the Deity to be importun'd or praifed, I think your Notion does the fame much more. For you judge God Almighty to be like an earthly Prince, that is not to be addrest to by every one, by Reafon of the Multiplicity of Affairs of a higher Nature, which take up most of his Time, and fo is not to be difturbed by the Applications of little People, whofe Suits are therefore deem'd impertinent. But, fince we are fure there can be no Distraction of Thoughts, or Streightnefs of Time in God, we know he is as open and free to receive at all Times, a Suit from the meaneft of Mankind, as from the moft exalted of the Angels.

3. Neither do Chriftians in their Prayers to God for Rain, Fair-weather, or any other Benefit, expect that God fhould miraculously difturb the Powers of Nature. God is the God of Nature, as well as of Mankind, and has promifed to give us the Fruits of the Earth in their due Season, and all other needful Things to those that ask him. He fends Rains, and Droughts, and Floods, or Fair-weather, either for the Benefit or Punishment of Mankind. I grant that in the ordinary Course of Nature, fuch a Quantity of Water is evaporated every Day from the Sea; which Vapours when they grow fo numerous and weighty, that they can no longer be fufpended in the Air, fall down upon the Earth in Rains and Show

ers,

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