to eat, upon Carpets fpread on the | Ground. And though 'tis proba ble they might not leave him for that time, yet there is no doubt to be made, but at the Intervals of their Grief, they admitted fo much Reft and Refreshment as was neceffary for the fupply of Nature. Q. Gentlemen, I have often thought to ask your Opinion as to the following Relation, which I have omitted till now, fearing it might be thought unreasonable; however, by this am refolved to put it to the venture. A Gentleman of Italy, upon his Travels, takes England in his way; happens to go to Norfolk, and being a Stranger to our Tongue, as well as our Country, was obliged to keep Company with thofe that were Schoolmen, or fuch as could treat him as a Stranger: be happens on the Minifter, and in Difcourfe tells him, That he could difcern the Soul of a Perfon deceased, immediately upon its departure from the Body; which the Minifter, with as much Modefty as he could, let him know be disbelieved. Thefe two being walking together, upon a certain time, the Stranger told the Cler gy-man, That what he had told him before, concerning fuch a thing, was now visible to him; and that there was the Soul of an Old Man coming towards them; and defired him, when the Spirit came nearer him, which he would give timely notice of, that he might give it the way, that place being but narrow. Upon which, when he spoke to give it room, the Parfon, to try Conclufions, food into its way: The Spirit be ing oppofed, threw the Italian fome diftance from the place. Upon their Return to the Town, the Bell tolled; and upon enquiry, the Minifter found it to be the very Jame Perfon defcribed by the Stranger. It is fome Years fince I first heard this Relation; but my Friend, a very honest, worthy Perfon, told me, the Minifter certified it to him. Pray your Opinion of this, and if you please, whether there be any such thing as Vifible Spirits of Perfons Deceased? A. What Answer to give we know not; but we have heard of a like Relation in Scotland, only with this difference, That the Obftinate Incredulous Perfon was hurt, not the other. Q. Suppofe a Bullet fhould fall down eternally, and nothing fhould ever interpofe; and the manner of its falling fhould be thus, the first Minute it should fall 20 Miles, the fecond Minute 19 Miles, the third Minute 18. Miles, and fo onward for ever in the fame Geometrical Progreffion; I demand how far it will fall in a whole Eternity? A. Let the first Term 20-bl The Total Sum The fecond Term 19-a will be bb; that is 20+20 which is the Solution of the Queftion, however ftrange and furprising it may feem to fome Perfons, who are not acquainted with Mathematical Demonftrations. And here, by the bye, it will not be amifs to take notice of a vulgar Error amongst Metaphyficians, who charge Mathematicians with an incautious ignorant way of fpeaking; and yet they make use of that Name Infinite inftead of Indefinite, or Indeterminate; but it's evident the word Indefinite, or Indeterminate, will not reach the Idea that Mathematicians have frequent occafion for: One inftance will evince the Truth of what is here fald. Suppofe I take 1, or Unity, and divide it; fo that I take thereof, then of the Remainder, then of this Remainder, and fo on, viz. I I I I 1 I I 2 4 8 16 32 94 128 256 I fay, by fo much the longer as this Series is continued, by fo much the nearer will the Total thereof be to Unity; This is granted by every one. But again, if the Series be continued to any Infinite, or Indeterminate Number of Places, the Total of it will never reach to Unity, or 1; But if it be continued Infinitely, It's evident the Total will be Unity, or 1. Nor can any other Idea but that of Infinite reach the Total: If it can, we defire our Metaphysicians to tell us what it is. Q. If a Movable contain a Million of Pounds, and the Mover can move the Millioneth part of one of those Pounds in a Million of Years, the Millioneth part of a Pace; bow many Years will the Mover be moving the Moveable a whole Pace? A. The Queftion is eafie enough in it felf, were it not a little confounded with the needlefs Terms of Movable and Mover. Let m-Mililon, or 1000000, and the Anfwer is my, or m raised to the fourth Power; that is, I with Cyphers after it, viz. in 1000000000000000000000000 Years. Q. There 2. There has been formerly in Town a great Noife and Difputa tion about the Paffage in Josephus, that makes an honourable mention of our Saviour and his Miracles; which was occafioned by Du Pin's not only giving over the Caufe, but ftrengthning the Deifts of our Times with the most plaufible Arguments he could, to prove that Paffage was Spurious, and put in by the Chriftians themselves. We have been often defired to confider of Du Pin's Arguments; and being lately reminded of it by a Pa per come to our hands by fome Learned Anonymus, we have thought fit to publish what follows. A. Nothing can be more evident than the orderly connexion of what Jofephus relates concerning our Saviour, to the Words beforegoing, concerning the Maffacre of the Jews, whom Pilate had caused to be flain; who also caused our Saviour to be crucified; iveται δὲ κατὰ τῆλον τον χρόνον An Answer to Six Argu-nos, &c. About this time, &c. ments recited by Du No lefs evident is the coherence Pin, to prove, That the of the Words following to what he here relates with all poffible BreviPaffage in Jofephus,ity (not thinking it convenient to which Christ is mention infift upon fo dangerous a Subject) ed, is spurious's 2003 concerning the Life, and Death, and Refurrection of our Saviour; Κὶ ὑπὸ τὸς αὐτὸς χρόνος, fays Argintricate, and not Why Times, and not Time? Behe. And about the fame Times. HAT the Style is every fluent, and different from that of Jofephus; whofe Expreffions are generally clear and elegant. 2. This is Gratis dictum; there is not the leaft Ground for fuch a faying. caufe he refers both to the Time of the before-mentioned Massacre,and to the Time of the Refurre&tion of Chrift, and the perfeverance of the Chriftians in their Profeffion that followed thereupon; ειςτε νῦν τῶν χριστιανῶν ἀπὸ τὸ Arg. 2. That 'tis evident this de rouaouiver in 'ENITE TÒ Paffage was inferted afterwards | Φύλον. Κὶ ὑπὸ τὰς αυτές χρό into the Text of Jofephus, be185, c. caufe the coherence of the fol 'lowing Sentence is interrupted; for immediately after the end thereof we read About that time the Fen's began to be Arg 3. They argue, That in cafe this Paffage were taken feparately, yet even then it might be eafily perceiv'd that they are the Words of a Chriftian, and not of ༨་ ; a Few, fince Jefus Chrift is there kable Paffage, Lib. 2. contra Acalled God, his Miracles and Re-pionem: [o HuiTregs Nouodé furrection acknowledged; and ''tis declar'd that these things are 'foretold by the Prophets; how can it be imagined that this can proceed from a Jem, especially Fofephus, who feems to doubt of the Miracles recorded in the Books that were written by He< brew Authors. 1 της] ου Μέρος τῆς Ἀρετῆς ἐποικ A. Fofephus does nor call Jefus Chrift, God; but exprefly calls him a wife Man ; Ιησες Σοφὺς ̓Ανήρ, are his very Words. 'Tis true, Fofephus fays in admiration of him, Size "Avder duròv eyew Xph, if we may call him a Man; intimating that He was Θεός ̓Ανήρ, a Divine Man; -an Appellation given to any wonderful Excellent Perfon. 'Tis cafie to imagine how Jofephus might have a great Vene-fees, Hypocrites, and to all Jewish ration for our Saviour upon Account of his Miracles and Doctrines, and yet not think it was neceffary for him to defert the Mofaical Oeconomy, fuppofing that the Ceremonial Law was ftill in force; fince we know that fome of thofe who exprefly declar'd themselves to be Chriftians, were of the fame Opinion. 'Tis no wonder that Jofephus fhould acknowledge, That fuch a Perfon as our Saviour fhewed himself to be both in Life and Doctrine, fhould be foretold by the Prophets; fince in fo many places he plainly fhews, That his Mind was poffeft of fuch Sentiments, which are fo perfectly agreeable to the preaching of Chrift and his Apoftles (which he could not but have heard much of) and fo contrary to the Sentiments of the Scribes and Pharifees, and all forts of Hypocrites amongst the Jews. I fhall inftance in this molt remar How contrary is this to the Sen-. timents of the Scribes and Phari Hypocrites in all Ages, amongst all Nations? How perfectly agreeable to the preaching of Chrift, and his Apoftles? Matth. 22. 37, 38,39,40. I Cor. 10. 31. 1 Pet. 15, 16. Be ye holy in all manner of Conversation; because it is written, Be ye Holy, for I am Holy, Levit. 11. 44. 1 Joh. 4. 16. God is Love, and he that dwelleth in Love, dwelleth in God, and God in him. 'Evoißeld, fig. nifies the true Worship of God, which confifts (as to the Internat Act) in the Exercise of fuch an Affection towards God, which arifes from a practical, or effectual Apprehenfion, that he is infinitely good; fo that we ought not to love or affect any finite Object, but only in reference to him. It would have been a ftrange thing indeed, if Jofephus had not written oneWord concerning our Lord Jefus Chrift, of whole Pious Life and and Orthodox Preaching (lo aphus (unlefs he had been a progreeable to the Senfe that MOSES had of the Moral Law) he had most certainly a very high E1teem. feft Chriftian) would fo openly, and frequently have expreft his Regards for our Saviour, all the Powers in the World being fo mad against him. The great Affection which Jofephus declares himself to have to the Memory of St. James, fo eminent a Difciple of Jefus Chrift, who gave Teltimony with his Blood to the Truth of the Gofpel; I fay this Affe ction of his to the Memory of St. James, is a full and fufficient Argument to prove, that the bonourable mention of Jefus Chrift, which we find in the Writings of the fame Fofephus, is as certainly, and unquestionably his, as any Paffage in all his Antiquities. He plainly and exprefly detefts the Sentence that Angus the High Priest past upon St. James, that he fhou'd be ftoned to Death; and, he fays, it was difpleafing to all good Men. "Oro, JE JOKED 'Emεικέτατοι τῶν κατὰ τὴν Γόλιν Ava, &c. By faying he was the Brother of Jesus Christ, Jofephus faid enough to make all wife and good Man to call to mind what he had faid of Chrift; and. by saying no more of him here, he avoided the Fury of fuch Jews,as had their hands embrew'd in the Blood of his Difciples. Arg. 6. This Teftimony (lay they) is not only unknown to the Authors that liv'd before Eufebius; but Origen exprefly denies that Jofephus wrote any thing concerning our Saviour.~ 'Tis very ftrange, fays he, in Matth. that Fofephus who did not acknowledge Jefus Christ as the Meffiab, fhould give fo Authentick a Teftimony of the Innocence of St. James; would ⚫ he |
