hold, and makes Provifion of needful things to live with in the Winter, which draweth very near; and then Man is in his moft covetous Eftate, profperous in Wisdom, purpofing to gather and keep as much as fhall be fufficient for him in his Age, and these fix Years make him fifty-four Years of Age. Then cometh October when all is gathered, both Corn and other manner of Fruits; the Labourers alfo plow and fow new Seed in the Earth for the Year to come, and he that nought foweth, nought gathereth; and in thefe fix Years a Man fhall betake himself unto God, to do good Works, and his Benefit is, that after his Death he fhall have fpiritual Profit; and these fix Years make him full three-fcore Years of Age. Then cometh November, when the Days are very short, and the Trees lofe their Leaves, and the Sun giveth but little Heat; the Fields, that were green, look hoary and grey; then all manner of Herbs are hid in the Ground, and there appeareth no Flower, for Winter is come: Then Man hath perfect Understanding of Age, but hath loft his kindly Heat and Strength; his Teeth begin to rot and fail him, and then hath he little Hope of long Life; but defireth to come to the Life immortal, and these fix Years make him three-fcore and fix Years of Age. Laft of all cometh December full of Cold, with Froft and Snow, with great Winds and ftormy Weather that a Man cannot labour; and then the Sun is at the loweft: Then the aged Man doth well to keep him near the Fire, and to fpend those Goods which he got in the Summer of his Days; for then Men begin to wax crooked and feeble, coughing, and fpitting, and loathfome, and then he lofeth his perfect Understanding, and his Heirs defire his Death, and thefe fix Years make him full three-score and twelve Years of Age, and if he live any longer it is by his good guiding and dieting in his Youth; however, it is

poffible

poffible for a Man to live till he be a hundred Years of Age; but there are very few, in these Days, who live fo long.

Q. What is delivered in Hiftory concerning the wife Men that worshipp'd our Saviour?

A. It is faid that thofe wife Men were three Kings, and that they came out of Arabia. First, In refpect that Arabia is Eaft from Jerufalem. Secondly, Because it is faid in the Ixxiid Pfalm, the Kings of Arabia fhall bring Gifts. Their Bodies are faid to have been tranflated from Palefine by Helena, the Mother of Conftantine, to Conftantinople; from thence, by Euftatius, Bishop of Milan, unto Milan; and finally, brought to Colen in Germany, by Rainoldus, Bishop thereof, Anno 1164, where they lie interr'd: The firft called Melchior, who offered Gold, as unto a King; the second called Gafper, who offered Frankincenfe, as unto God; the third called Balthaffar, who offered Myrrh, as unto a Man ready for his Sepulchre. And concerning the Death of our bleffed Saviour, the famous Hiftorian Plutarch acknowledgeth, that after the Death of our bleffed Saviour, not only the Oracles of Egypt, but throughout the World, ceafed; of which he could give no Reason, but that there were fome Devils, or Da mons, dead. However, it was very remarkable that Satan fhould so plainly demonftrate himself to be fubdued and overcome, that he could never after give any Answers. The Words of Plutarch to Emilius the Orator, a prudent and humble Man, concerning this Matter, of which Eufebius writ to Theodorus, as a thing of great Note, are that as his Father was coming one Time by Sea towards Italy, and coafting by Night about an Ifland not inhabited, called Faraxis, when all in the Ship were filent and at reft, they heard a great and fearful Voice coming from the Ifland, which called upon Alaman, who was Pilot of the Ship

and

and an Egyptian born. Now though the Voice was heard by Alaman and others once or twice, yet no Man had the Courage to answer, till, at the third Call, Alaman anfwer'd, • Who is • there? Who is it that calls? and, What would you have?' Then the Voice fpake more high and loud, and faid, ' Alaman, I require that when you pass by the Gulph of Laguna, you remem⚫ber to cry out aloud, and make them to under

ftand, that the great God Pan is dead." At which Words, thofe who were in the Ship were much aftonished; and, after a general Confultation, they all agreed that the Pilot fhould take no Notice of the Voice, nor ftay in the Gulph to utter fuch Words, if they could poffibly go beyond it, but go on in their Voyage; but being come to the Place where the Voice had mentioned, the Ship ftood ftill, and the Sea was calm without Wind, fo they could fail no farther; whereupon they all agreed, that Alaman fhould perform his Embaffage: So Alaman placed himself in the Poop of the Ship, and said with a loud Voice, Be it

known unto you that the great God Pan is dead.' He had no fooner uttered these Words, but there were so many mournful Cries, Groans, and woful Lamentations, that all the Air refounded again therewith, which continued for fome time, and extreamly furprized thofe in the Ship; but having afterwards a profperous Wind, they failed on their Courfe, and being arrived at Rome, told of this Adventure, which coming to the Ears of Tiberius, the Emperor, he defired to be inform'd of the Truth thereof, and had the former Particulars fully confirm'd to him, whereby it is evident, that the Devils, in all Parts of the World, were chased and banished from the World, by the Death of the bleffed Jefus; and this great God Pan, is fuppofed to be fome great Matter-Devil, who, by

the

the Death of the bleffed Jefus, lost his Power and Empire.

Q. How many times was the flately Temple of Jerufalem built ?

A. Three; the first by Solomon, in providing the Materials whereof, there were thirty thousand Men, who wrought by ten thousand a Month in Lebanon; feventy thoufand Labourers that bare Burdens, and eight thoufand Quarry Men that hewed in the Mountains, and three thoufand, three hundred, Officers and Overfeers. It was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon: And after the Return of the Jews from the Babylonian Captivity it was rebuilt; but far fhort of that Statelinefs and Grandeur which it had at firft: So that the Prophet Haggai had good Occafion to fay unto the People, Who is left among you that faw this Houfe in its firft Glory? Is it not in your Eyes, in Comparifon of it, as nothing? Now, befides the Statelinefs of the Building, in five Refpects it was defective; for, first, it wanted the Pot of Manna. Secondly, the Rod of Aaron, which only among all the Rods of the Princes of Ifrael budded. Thirdly, the Ark of the Covenant. Fourth, The two Tables of the Law. Fifth, The Fire of the Sacrifice, which came down from Heaven; which Fire was by the Priests to be kept continually burning. The third Building thereof was by Herod, who made it more fumptuous and magnificent than before: In this Temple our bleffed Saviour and his Apoftles preached Salvation to Jew and Gentile, fo that we may fay, the Glory of the latter exceeded that of the first. It was finally deftroyed by the Romans, under the Conduct of Titus Vefpafian; according to the Words of our Saviour, that, That Generation fhould not pafs, 'till they should not fee one Stone thereof, lying upon another.'

Q. What

1

Q. What is the heaviest Burden the Earth bears?

A. Some fay the maffy and ponderous Mountains of the Earth, of which fome are of wonderful Fruitfulness, Admiration, and Height. Olympus, a Mountain in Macedonia, is of that Height that it extends above the humid Region of the Air, above which no Bird flies, nor Wind blows: Many famous Mountains there are in Judea; Sion, the most ftrong, on which the Tower of Jerufalem was built; Thabor, the most pleasant, in the midst of Galilee, whereon Chrift feem'd to be transfigured; Hermon, the moft high, which Sebon King of the Amorites worshipped; great Libanus, famous for Cedars; Mount Carmel, the moft fruitful Habitation of Elias, near which the four hundred and fifty of Baal's Priefts were flain; Sinai, the moft holy, on which the Voice of God was heard, and the Law given, of fome called Horeb; Pelion, and Offa, and fome others, as Pliny the Philofopher reports, eight or nine German Miles high. In Europe the Alps, and fome others; yet none of these are so burthenfome to the Earth as a Sinner; neither are they, as fome would have them, the Botches of the Earth, but they are the goodly Ornaments thereof, and much honoured by God. For upon Mount Moriah, Solomon built the Temple; upon a Mountain Paradife was fituate; the Ark refted upon the Mountains of Ararat; Lot was commanded to escape to the Mountains; upon a Mountain the Law was given; Chrift is defcribed to come leaping upon the Mountains; he preached upon a Mountain; he was tempted upon a Mountain; he wrought Miracles upon a Mountain; he departed to the Mountains, when by Force they would have made him a King; he ordained the Twelve upon a Mountain; he conferred with a Woman upon a Mountain; he prayed upon a Mountain all Night; he was crucified on a Mount;

he