the Jews, were the most high and folemn; each of them, he adds might fitly be call'd Epiphany in that fence, and tho not only referring to the Star,yet not excluding, but rather containing, nay, pointing at it as a fpecial Circumftance belonging to the Nativity. However, we think it fcarce pof fible that they fhou'd make their offerings on the twelfth day after the Nativity the fame year that Chrift was born, becaufe Mary's purification feems to be over, which must have been, one and forty days after the Birth of the Child, Lev. 13.4. At which purification fhe was with her Son, and prefented him publickly in the Temple, where both Simeon and Anna own'd hint to be the Meffias, on which 'tis added, he was ipoken of to all thofe that looked for Redemption in Jerufalem; all which wou'd have made him fufficiently publick, had it been after the Wife men had allarm'd all Jerufalem, and received a charge from Herod concerning him: Not to add that if his going up to fe rfalem, and presentation in the Temple had been after Herod was mocked of the wife men, 'twou'd have been no lefs than running him into certain Deftruction, befides that immediately after Jofeph fled with him into Eygpt For which reasons, it's much more probable as Dr. Hammond under tands it, that the Foundation which makes the Epiphany the twelfth day from that of the Nativity mult mean it of that day twelvemonths after. Q. Were thefe Magi (as they are call'd by the Greek and Latin Philofophers, Kings,or Magitians? A. They might have been all three together from the Notation of the word, and the ufe on't a The mong Authors both facred and profane; the famous Perfian Mag being all three together, as St. Ferom has obferv'd. There have been who have affirm'd that they were three Kings, fome of the Reguli in Arabia (like Agabus) and if they were not Kings, woe to this Romish Infallibility, which tells us, even where they are bury'd, and fhows their Tomb at Colen with great Devotion. Notwithitanding which,honeft Mutuan was of another mind, tho he fpeaks modeftly, Nec Reges, ut opinor, erant. And if they were, they were very little ones, when their united bounty left Jofeph and Mary almoft as poor as they found them. And here perhaps fome wou'd be pleas'd to fee their Names, but they have so many we know not what to call them, however take them all. most common are Gafpar or Fafpar, Melchior and Baltazar. They might as well have call'd them Androgius, Lud, and Temantius.) Others tell us their names were pellius, Amerus, and Damaf cus. Others Magalath, Galgalath and Saracin, (by their hard names they fhou'd be Arabians, others. Ator, Sator, and Peratorat, which three names Cafaubon found in an old Greek Book, together with Mifael, Achael, Cyriacus, and Stephanus, the names of the 4 Shepherds that came to vilit our Lord at Betlehem, had been us'd in a Charm to cure the biting of Serpents and other Venemous Creatures. But neither the Charm nor Legend can come up to that quickness of thought. which is to be found in the Roman Feftival on the Epiphany, Fofeb (fay they kept of the Gold to keep our Lady with 'while A. We are only told in the Hiftory, That they came from the while fhe lay in Childbed (after her Purification, vid. fup.) and with the Myrrh, our Lady anoin-Eaft to Jerufalem. Which feems Ited the Child to keep him from the worms: Excellent Divinity, and most edifying Commenta tors? A greater doubt there is whether they were Magicians, or only Philofophers. The dy to bid fair for their Opinion who make them Arabians, fince Arabia lay Eaft of Judea, and was fufficiently infamous for thofe wicked Arts, the ancient Zabii living amongst them, and befides. had plenty of all those things which they prefented, Gold, Myrrh, and Frankincense: Whereas none of them were of the natural growth of Perfia, and tho' they might, its true, procure them, yet they cou'd never wrench their Country fo far to the Eaft of Judea, nor are they ever call'd Men of the Eaft, as the Arabians frequently are in the facred writings, but always reprefented to the North and pro here, as a learned Man obferves, anfwer'd to the Hebrew DUN, whence by Apheresis the Greek oop may very easily be deriv'd; and the fame learned Perfon, as well as most others are of Opinion, that 'tis not here to be taken, for fuch as profefs'd Witchcraft and Conjuration, the word being fre quently and notoriously us'd in a good fence in profane Authors. But others answer with much bability, that the word is not once taken in fuch a good fence in Holy Scripture, but always for one that's guilty of Sorcery and Witchcraft: Of this Opinion were feveral of the Ancients, Origen and St.Chryfoftom and others, and as many of our learned Moderns, Beza, Lightfoot, Grotius, &c. adding that this makes God's Providence more admirable, in bringing up the first fruits of the Gentiles from the very Belly of Hell. And what wonder if the Eastern wife men fhould have been long ere this degenerated to thefe ill Arts, when they were in to fair a way for't, even in Daniel's time, and when the Jews themfelves had fo imitated the Idolatrous practice of the Heathen as to be generally Magicians, and Jofephus wou'd perfuade us that Solomon was one, and that he himself was not far from it. Q. What Countrymen were they? their Forces call'd the Northern Army. Northern Army. And therefore if they had Corn from any of those Countries it must have been faid. They came from the North not from the East to Jerufalem; whereas Paleftine,as is notoriously known, and Tacitus obferves, is bounded on the Eaft by Arabia. Notwithstanding which we must own many great Men, as Beza, Calvin, Scaliger, Petavius,Spanheim, and others, have brought them from Perfia, or Chaldea, which latter is indeed something Eafterly, tho' bending to the North of Palestine, and were near Neighbours to the Sabeans, in Arabia, (as both too near to Job) and are thought the first founders of Magick, as well as Idolatry, the old Chafdim being doubtless well verft in the Babilonij numeri, mention'd by Horace, and Chaldeans, Southfayers and Aftrologers, are read toge ther in the Scriptures, and their Suc Jews? Succeffors to this day are more his Star, who was born King of the given to thofe Fooleries then per haps any other Nation in the World. But yet ftill there are not wanting Authorities for placing 'em, as we have faid in Arabia; The Fathers used to interpret thofe Texts, of The Kings of Arabia and Sa ba fhall bring gifts (molles (ua Thura, Saba) as well as that other. To him thall be given of the Gold of Arabia, of this very prefent, as the latter part of that latter Text was eminently fulfill'd in our Saviour. Prayers fhall be made unto him, and daily fhall he be praifed, both in the antelucan Hymns which the firft Chriftians did conftantly fing, Chrifto Deo, and in the prefent Gloria Patri, &c. But we fhall inftance in no more of them befides Epiphanius, who cites it out of the Tra ditions of the Jews, as he's quoted by Dr. Hammond, That among the Gifts Abraham gave to the Sons of Keturah, were Gold Frankincenfe and Myrrh, and therefore, fays he, their pofterity in Magodia a Region of Arabia, prefented the fame Gifts to Chrift at his Nativity. But where this Megodia fhould be, we confefs we are at a lofs, unless there fhould be fome reliques of it in the Maguda of Prolomy, which he makes a City of Mefopotamia, fome parts of which comes very near Sabea, a lower Baal not far as it fhou'd feem from Balaams habitation, who fays he was fetcht from the Mountains of the Eaft whole fucceffors fome have thought thefe Magi. But of this more in the next Question. Q. Whether was it an ordina ry Star, or a Comet that appear'd to them, and how came they from the fight of it to conclude 'twas A. It feems to have been fome extraordinary appearance, as will be made out under the next que ftion. Not only a new Stars or one which they had not before obferv'd, which is not fo very rare a thing among those who are exact obfervers of the Heavens, but fomething much more Auguft and Jurprizing, fuch as till then they had never feen, and 'tis a pretty Conjecture, at least, of a learned perfon, that the Light which appear'd to the fhepherds, being afterwards form'd into a Body, was the fame which these curious obfervers faw at a distance, and thought it fome new Star. And fomething perhaps they might have heard of Balaam's Prophecy, a nobler piece of Poetry then any in Homer, and better deferving to be carefully kept among them to after Ages. However that the Jews did about this time expect their Meffias, or a King to be born among them, was then fufficiently known, not only to Herod, who made use of it for his own Ambition, but even to the Roman World; and 'twould be strange if it fhould mifs inquifitive Men who were but their next Neighbours, who on the appearance of this new Star, which ac cording to their Art did forefhow the Revolution of Empires, and being alfo directed by the Spirit of God, did immediately conclude that this Star, which 'tis likely arofe towards the Quarter of Judea, did point out unto them this wondrous expected Prince, the Defire of all Nations. Which will appear, we think, much more probable, when we have confider'd the following Question. Q. Sup a. Suppofing this fome extra- | tam effe teftantur qui deum nuper ordinary Star or appearance, bow comes it not to be mention'd in any Heathen Authors? natum muneribus venerati funt, as the Dr. not fo large as Spanhem, which he tranflates, which Star they teftify (the Gofpel again) to have been obferved by the Chaldeans, who came to this God which was newly born, and worshipt and prefented him.But mayn't the Teftantur, be as well or better referr❜d to the Qui deum nuper natum, &c. Which makes it fuller, as if the Magy were at that time Living witnesses of the truth of this ftrange Phenomenon? However that fome extraordinary Star did about that time appear, we may learn from other Authors, and perhaps the Dionei Cefaris aftrum, might be the fame,and belong to a greater King. But Julian himself is forc'd to confefs the appearance of this new Star at our Saviours birth, though he as maliciously as weakly attributes it to a certain Star which did ordinarily and naturally appear every 400 years. This Spanhem fays is contrary to Experience and the Mathematicks, but his anfwer won't hold, for its now granted that Comets are no other, whose revolutions are fo cer A. Prophane Writers are not the Standard of Truth to the Scriptures, but they to other Hifto ries We have but very dubious Inftances, that our Saviour himfelf was ever mention'd by firft Heathens Writers, and yet none but madman will deny there was ever fuch a person. There are thousands of remarkable Paffages without doubt, have really hap. pen'd in the World, which yet are no where recorded, and others which have but a fingle Teftimony, far from being fo Authentick as this of St. Matthews, who writes in a plain and fimple ftile, and conceals not the bafenness of his former Employment. But what if we thou'd, after all this, have feveral Pregnant proofs of fuch a glorious and extraordinary Star about this time appearing even in Heathen Authors? Some indeed fo full, that if any thing, it renders them fufpitious, as that in Spanhem, out of Chalcidius in Timeum, a Heathen Author, who flourish'd not long after our Savitain,that they are now exactly calour, who giving an account of fome ftrange Stars and their Remarkable Significations, has thefe memorable words. Eft autem alia fantior, & venerabilier Hiftoria, &c. There is alfo more boly and venerable Hiftory (this Dr. Hammond underftands of the Gospel) which relates the Rife of a certain Star, not Prognofticating diseases and Death, but the Defcent of a venerable God [ad bumane converfationis, fays Spanhen's Copy, but Dr. Hammonds, humane Servationis,] for the falvation and benefit of mortals. Quam a chadeis obferva culated: The true reply, we think, is, that the Star appear'd, difappear'd,and mov'd in fuch a manner as was above the ordinary power of nature, nay abfolutely contrary toit. For it went before them from Jerufalem to Bethlehem, from North to South, and came at laft and ftood, (pointing down) exactly over the house where the young Child was. We shall close this fubject which feems to relate to this Star, and give a Defcription of it. There appear'd, fays he, a Comet, white, and fhining with Silver Silver hair, in fuch a manner that 'twas scarce poffible to behold it, and showing the Effigies of a God in the shape of a Man. Q. Whether Light hath any Corporeity? If it hath, why doth it fo pierce the Air, and even hard and Diaphonous Bodies, as we fee it doth? If it has not, how is it fenfible, fince it often affects the Eye with offence. A. That Light is a real Body, or which is the fame, that the Particles which trike on the Eye in fuch a manner as to produce fuch a a Senfation, are Corporeal, is now, we think,generally held: That 'tis not a Quality, an Accident, or meer Mortification only, feems to be pretty plain from its firft Original, for it had a Peculiar Creaation; God faid, Let there be Light,and there was Light,which looks too great for an Accident, or imperfect, precarious Being But tho' it be Body, 'tis doubtlefs the most refin'd part of Body, Pure Ether, it may be, if we know what that was, nay, the efflorefence, and (if we might here ule the word) Spirit, Effence, or Tincture, of Ether, and if Ari totle had made this his quinita Effentia, he might have come nearer the Truth than in making it a meer Accident. Now the parts of it must be fuppos'd extreamly fine, much finer than the Pores of Water or Air through which it paffes, which we know not elfe how it cou'd do; fince otherwife thofe fubftances would terminate and refift it, And 'tis the fame in all other Diaphonous Subitances, tho' of never fo clofe a Contexture; the Rays of Light, the Sun beams themfelves, which we know are Body, because we can contract or dilate 'em, we are yet as fure, do pass through the Pores of Glafs, unless there's fomething fix'd on the contrary fide, to ftop their Journey, in which cafe they are forc'd to bend back like the Sword when a Pafs is made against any hard Subftance, and fometimes fly in Shivers, as that will do, which if you please you may call Reflection and Refraction. Day can find us, as well as we see that at a little Hole, and it affects the Eye with pleasure as well as offence, unlefs in Owls, and other Birds of Night; and we can perceive it in fome measure, even through our clofed Eve-lids, and 'tis, we think, unaccountable how any thing but a real felf-fubfifting Being thou'd make fuch a vivid Impreffion on our Senfes. There may perhaps be an Objection made from Light, we fancy we fee fometimes in the dark, or when we receive a blow on the Eye : But what if this shou'd only be an actual Striking Fire. The excitation we mean, of fome real Particle of Light, lurking in fome of the Humours of the Eye, which we doubt not do contain a fort of a Phosphor, which is extracted by Chymifts from a Liquor of the fame fubftance with our Tears; as 'tis to be feen proceeding from the Sweat of Horfes and other Beafts, when strok'd in the Night; and we have known it alfo in Men; and the Ignis Lambens which has been on feveral Perfons Heads, we are apt to think is no other. However, we have our felves experienc'd, on intense reading, efpecially by Candle-Light, together with a near tenderness of the Eye, Expreffion of Water, a mighty glafing Light, often re turning |