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"Judah, he would not look toward him, nor fee him. Now he could not Prophefie any Thing that was pleafing to them, whilft his Choler was fo high. And therefore he very prudently defires that a Minstrel should be brought him: And when the Minstrel played, the Hand of the Lord came upon him: That is, the Mufick put him in a good Humour, and then he was inclined to imagine as pleasant Things as the Kings would have him.

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So when Mofes was angry with Pharaoh, he had revealed to him the miferable Slaughter of the Ægyptian Firft-born, Exod. xi. So God was revealed to Cain when his Reason was over-clouded with Paffion, when he was very wroth, and his Countenance fell, Gen. iv. 5. When Ezekiel was impatient with exceffive Anger, (for the Text fays, the Spirit lifted him up in Bitterness, and in the hot Anger of his Spirit, Ezek. iii. 14.) then he Prophefies the Miferies and Stubbornness of the Jews.

So Jeremy was always a melancholy Man, and weary of his Life, and therefore he does nothing but Prophefy dreadful Calamities, which fhould befal the Jews; and upon this account King Jofas would not confult him, but chofe rather to confult Hulda the Prophetefs, who being a Woman had more tender Paffions, and to whom it was more fit that the Mercy of God fhould be revealed. Nay, oftentimes Revelation does proceed from the ftrong, though falfe Opinions of Men.

Thus King Nebuchadnezzar's Augurs prophesy of the Deftruction of Jerufalem, by looking into the Entrals of Beafts, and by divining with Arrows, Ezek. xxi. 21. And thus the Nativity of Chrift was revealed to the Magicians, Mat. xi. who believed the Fooleries of Aftrology, under the Imagination of a Star, which they fuppofed to have arifen in the Eaft.

So that, in fhort, this prophetick Imagination was a very good Way of recommending Religion to the Jews, who were a very ignorant People, and were more wrought upon by thefe fanciful Reprefentations of God made by the Prophets, the Defcriptions of his feigned Appearance, Interlocution, Promifing, Threatning; than by any just

and

and philofophical Difcourfes of Vertue and Vice, which fhould be made to them.

Not but that natural Knowledge does include more Certainty than this imaginary Prophecy, only this latter ferves better for the Ufe of lefs inquifitive Men. For natural Knowledge brings Self-Evidence with it, but Revelation requires always a Sign, or reputed Miracle, which the Prophets were forced to make ufe of as the Credentials of their Prophecy. Indeed Revelation may have fomething in it of a moral Certainty, that the Men who pretend to it are honeft, well-meaning Men; and that the Matter, which they fpeak, is defigned for the bettering of Mankind, and the reclaiming them from their Vices: But I think there is little Evidence concerning it, that it proceeds immediately from God, and that it may not -proceed from natural Causes, as I think, I have already fufficiently fhewed it to have done. Therefore I wonder, Credentius, that a Man of your Senfe fhould have recourse to occult Qualities, and an omnipotent Power to explain Matters, which you fee might be accounted for, by fuch an eafy Caft of your Philofophy.

in Imai

nation.

Cred. For my Part, Sir, I do not care to make ufe of That Promy Philofophy to difpute away my Religion; nor do I phecy dath fee any Reason, why Men fhould ufe fo much Industry not conft and Artifice to prove, that Revelation does not proceed from God; when wife Men in all Ages have ever allowed it. Read but Jamblichus's Book of Mysteries, and Tully de Divinatione, and you will fee the Opinion of those wife Heathens, that the divine Nature has revealed it felf to Mankind, and that a Prefcience of future Things can come no other Way than by a Revelation from God. And hear how admirably Socrates in Xenophon (as well as a Heathen could be expected) Reasons of these Matters. Of all thefe Predictions, to refer none to the Revelation of God, but only to human Prudence, is (fays he) dauovar, to be perfectly Mad. That in thofe Things which are obfcure to us, we should confult the Gods by Divination, for they make

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known thofe Things to them, to whom they are propitious. Indeed I think it but a vain Attempt to go to prove to you, that Imagination is not the Caufe of Infpiration: For I do not fuppofe that in reality you do believe it; only by this odd Sort of difputing, you endeavour to make our Religion ftand upon as loose a Bottom as you can, that you may be able to overthrow it at your Leafure. For I dare fay, you do not believe a Word of Revelation at all, and therefore why should you trouble your felf about the Caufes of it? All that you and your Mafter Spinofa mean, when you talk of Prophecies confifting in lively Imagina tion, is, that the infpired Prophets were only a Parcel of of melancholy, crack-brain'd, enthufiaftical Folks, that preached to the People of Judea a Number of phanatical Dreams and Vifions. But becaufe there is fo much Pains taken in this Argument, I will fhew you, that the Prophets, or infpired Men of Scripture, were not Men of this Complexion, as you contend for, and that the Inftances which you have alledged, make nothing for this Opinion.

Prophets 1. For it does not appear, that the Prophets were more not Melan- Melancholy or Fanciful than other Men are. fholy,

And it is but a Fancy of Monfieur Petit, de Sibyllis, Lib. 1. to affert, that Melancholy was the chief Difpofition to make a Prophet; and that Mofes was an extraordinary melancholy Man, because he chofe to live a folitary Life in the -Wilderness, feeding his Father-in-law Jethro's Sheep ; and because he is noted in Scripture to be flow of Speech, Exod. iv. 10. For thefe do not appear to be any Arguments at all of Melancholy. For a Paftoral Life does by no means denote a Man to be of a melancholick Complexion, but contrariwife more debonair and pleasant ; and therefore the Shepherds in polite Nations, as among the Greeks and Romans, are always defcribed as Men of great Mirth and Jollity, and fpending their whole Time in Pleafure and Gaiety. Neither did Mofes leave the Egyptian Court, for a melancholy Retirement in the Country; but was forced to fly from Ægypt to avoid the Anger of the King, after it was known, that he had flain the Egyptian. Neither, whilft he fo abfconded,

did he fhew any Sign of Melancholy there, but only according to the Custom of his Nation, and generally of thofe Ages, chofe to make his Employ the Keeping of Sheep. So that David, who is defcribed in Scripture to be of a fanguine Complexion, and famed for fprightful Singing and Playing, may be as well taxed for Melancholy, when he kept his Father's Sheep, as Mofes might. Neither is the Slowness of his Speech any Argument of his Melancholy, because very fanguine Men are often troubled with that Infirmity, which does generally arife from fome Defect of the vocal Organs in the Mouth, and not from Men's Complexion and Temper of Mind. And befides, what is commonly tranflated Slow of Speech, is, in the Original, Heavy, or Difficult of Month, which may be any Defect of Speaking, which does render Men lefs eafy to be understood, by Stammering or faft Speaking, as well as flow Speaking. And therefore, Ezek. iii. 5. People of another Nation are faid to be heavy of Language, because they could not be easily understood by the Jews. And Mofes might as well have been very quick in his Talk, and upon that Account mightily given to Hefitation; and then this would rather argue him to be of an eager and volatile Temper, than any Ways given to Melancholy.

But as for all the Reft of the Prophets, it is plain, that they were no melancholy Enthufiafts, becaufe their Difcourfes and Writings are perfectly different, from what is ufually faid by that Sort of Men. There is nothing comes from them, but what is grave and fedate, and agreeable to good Senfe and Reafon, and a well-compofed Mind. Do we find any Thing in them, that is like the mad Tranfports of James Naylor? Read but the Lives of Sanita Terefa, and Maria Magdalena de Pazzi, and fee if the prophetick Writings bear any Manner of Correfpondence with their foolish Talk. Did ever any one of the Prophets fpend three Years before his Death, in nothing

Vid. Dr. Stillingfleet's Fanaticism of the Church of Rome. Dr. William's 1ft Sermon 1696.

but repeating fuch an odd Ejaculation, as thy Will be done in Time and in Eternity, as Molinus reports of Gregory of Lopez? Befides, their Writings are full of juft Reafoning, and ferious unaffected Relations, which do by no wife agree to Enthufiaftical Men. Read but the Hiftory of the Pentateuch, and other historical Parts of the Bible, and fee if they look like the Compofitions of wild Enthufiafts. If Naylor had been to write the Book of Genefis, he would have made an otherguefs Spot of Work of it than Mofes has. He would have clogged every Relation with odd Parenthefiffes, [Great is the Lord of Hosts! Judgment! Horror! Defolation! Damnation! &c.]; he would never have kept his Brains clofe to the Order of a juft Narration, but would have jumbled the Creation and the Flood, Noah, and Abraham, and Pharaoh, all together. Do you think that any one of thofe Popish Dreamers could have made ufe of fuch folid Reafoning, and fuch critical Remarks upon the old Law, as are to be found in the Writings of St. Paul, and the Author of the Book to the Hebrews? Could they have made fuch wife Obfervations upon human Life, and given fuch Rules of Piety and Converfation, as the Books of Solomon are full of? Could they have framed fuch admirable Forms of Devotion, as the Book of Pfalms? All that they were able to do, would be to write fome mad Stuff, which no Man of Senfe would have Patience to read three Leaves of. Had the Scriptures no other Inspiration, than the Imagination of fanciful Brains, there would no one Part of it be coherent with another; Hiftory would be clafhing with Hiftory, and Prophecy with Prophecy, and nothing fuit together, with that Order and Symmetry, as now we find it. Ask two craz'd Men in Bedlam to tell a Story out of the Bible, and then fee how thefe Men of Imagination will correfpond together; talk singly with two Euthufiaftical Quakers, till they be warm upon the Book of the Revelations, and fee then how finely their Prophecies will agree. I am fure they will fall infinitely hort, of being fo uniformly of a Piece, as the holy Scriptures are. Let the greatest Infidel of you all confi

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