Q. Several parties with me bumbly beg you wou'd be pleas'd to Answer these two questions, as Soon as you can: They are as follow, We read in the Book of Genefis, That when wicked Cain Murthered his Righteous Brother Abel, he went out of the prefence of the Lord, and dwelt in the Land of Nod, where he took him a Wife: Now the question is, Who this Wife of Cain was, and out of what Generation the came, feeing there were (at that time) but Four Perfons in the World, Namely, Adam, Eve, Cain, and Abel? A. Though no more Perfons were Neceffary to be Named, to give us an account of Cain's Barbarous Murther, yet 'tis Certain there were more, by Cain's taking him a Wife, which Wife we make no doubt was one of his own Sifters. The Second Question is, When it may be properly faid, AVirgin bath loft her Virginity? ger. A. When he has it no lon QA Husband and his Wife, profeffing to live under the authority and in Subjection and fincere Obedience to) the Holy Lars of God. The husband fincerely defiring, and most faith fully endeavouring the good of the Souls and Bodies of his Wife, and their Children, falling into Some trouble and being under Reftraint; And the VVife taking Advantage thereof, bath for feme time withdrawn her felf from (and denies Cohabitation with) her Husband, and doth conceal ber Lodgings from him fo that he cannot find where (or with whom) She is; and he doth joyn with bis opprefers to add to his troubles, by taking and with-holding from him feveral of his Writings; and thereby wholly obftructs all bis endeavours, for the good of her Jelf and Children, and bis difcharge out of Trouble. This done by the Wife profeffing as before) bath caufed her Husband to doubt of the truth of her Profeffion; and her faithfulness to him in his Affairs, wherein he bath entrusted her: And greatly fears the is deluded. But be is unwilling to expofe her; therefore earnestly defires, first your Opinion of this deportment of bers,whether it be confiftent with the effentials of Chriftian Religion? And whether fhe, continuing fo doing as before (without Repentance and Reformation) be in any hopeful way of Salvation? Whether it be a fin in those that countenance, aid, or affift her in fuch her doings; and whether fuch Perfons do not thereby fubject themselves to Cenfures, and Actions at Law, for Damages? He prays to bave your Direction to him in this Cafe, what is moft Chriftian-like and prudent for him to do, to recover her to the performance of her Duty to God, her Husband and Children, which the much neglects; if not obftinately refuses. In cafe all be done (that you fhall direct) and yet it should fail of its wish'd for end, whether without the breach of Charity, and of fending God and his Holy Reli gion; the Husband may expose the Wife, and utterly forfake and cast her off, taking care for her Children? Your care in and anfivering this Paper fully, as foon as you can, is very much defired, and expected by several concerned, A. 'Tia 4. 'Tis a very difficult matter, if not impoffible, to determine rightly in any cafe, where but one Party has told their Tale, for every one is fo apt to be prejudiced in favour of their own fide, that 'tis very feldom that they are juft to the Truth in their Relations. So in your Cafe, 'tis not impoffible but but you may be the guilty Perfon, and have given your Wife too much cause to have acted as The has done. Which you are firft to confider, and amend, if you are in the wrong, before you can expect any alteration from her. Though fuppofing the matter true, as you relate it, you may very well doubt of her Chriftianity,nor can fhe expect to be happy either here, or hereafter if the continue in this breach of her fidelity to her Husband, and those who encou rage her in it are almost as guilty as fhe. But to amend all this, the best way that you can take, is to enquire what diflike he has taken, and if her demands be reasonable, by all means fatisfie them. As for the expofing her, you'll only cause your felf to be laugh'd at by it, and make her ne'er the better, and if fair and kind ufage won't prevail with her to reform, other Methods are like to be of little ufe. him, and among the Moderns, on the fumming up the whole Evividence pro and con, the learned Mr. Edwards feems inclin'd to the fame favourable Opinion. Tho' this, he acknowledges, against the Teftimony of many very grave Authors, Plutarch, Minutius Fe lix, Tertullian, and others: As for Plutarch, we think he's miftaken, for he feems rather to clear him in his Alcibiades, where he fays exprefly, "That though "others made their Court to him "for his extraordinary Beauty, "that affection which Socrates "bore him, was only for the Beau a little lower: Alcibiades fays he, obferv'd that his Difcourfes "aim'd not at any effeminate "pleasures, nor fought any thing "criminal, or difhoneft, but ra"ther laid open to him the Imper"fections of his own Mind, his "Pride and Vanity, &c. And his "Difcourfes on this Head, had, cr Q. What are we think of the Love of Socrates and Alcibiades; whether was it criminal, or inno-" it feems, fuch Power over him, as fometimes to draw even Tears "from his Eyes; fo that, (as Cle"onthes fays, in the fame Author) he always gave Socrates his Ears, though the reft to his Ri"vals. Indeed their Friendship began when he was very young, but it may feen to have been founded on Principles of Gratitude and Vertues, for in a certain Skirmish the Athenians had with fome of their Neighbours, in the firft Campaign that Alcibiades ever made, he having receiv'd a wound, Socrates threw himself before before him, cover'd him with his Shield, and fav'd his Life; nor was that brave Man long in his Debt, doing as much for him at Delium, and making good his Retreat when the Athenians were Routed. Yet after all, we can't deny but that the defence which Maximus Tyrius makes for him on this Head, had been better let alone; for he feems to confefs over much, and in many places the Objection appears fo much stronger than the Answer, that we should have been more ready to have believ'd him innocent, had not this Philofopher taken fo much pains to have prov'd him fo. He has writ no lefs than four Differtations on this Subject, which he seems to have fo great a fondness for, that it argues him a thorough Platonist: The Sum of what he fays, in their Long Ha ranguing way, is no more than this "That 'twas a vertuous Love. "not a criminal defire, pws not Examples of Sappho, Anacreon, and others of the fame Reputation: But 'tis ftill lefs tollerable when he makes him mad with the Love of the Generous Alcibiades, the moft witty Agathe, the Divine Phedrus, the Beautiful Charmides, and half the City together; nay, introduces him himself acknowledging, "That his Heart "ufed to beat when he faw Char mas, that he was stark mad and "drunk at the fight of Alcibiades, "that his Eyes dazled at the approach of Antolicbus, and "the like. Certainly here feems to be all the Marks, all the Disturbances and Emotions of a Criminal Love. Befides, it must be granted, as we remember, Plutarch fomewhere obferves in bis Difcourfe of Love, that it looks defperately fufpicious, that 'twas fomething more than the Beauty of the Mind which thofe fage Sophies were fo fond of, otherwife they might as well have fought mupia, which his Client maand found it in deform'd Bodies, as "nifefted towards Alcibiades, in others; it may be fometimes " and other young Perfons, ad- fooner, and in greater perfection; "miring the Beauty of the Creator, for even Socrates himself had, it "fome sparks of the infinite Good-feems, none of the most prominefs, and Fairness which appear'd "in them. An excufe which we are afraid will scarce pals currant with an ill natur'd Word, any more than another which the fame Philofopher makes for him in fome of the fame Differtations; "That he was not the first who "practis'd these things, having "learnt it from Afpafia: And a very excellent Tutorefs, if the fame, as we fuppofe fhe was, with Pericles his Miftrefs: But what he further owns concerning Socrates, makes matters look yet much worle, defending him by the fing Afpects, and yet is produc'd by those who admire the Heathen Morality, as 'tis faid he was by the Devil long before, as the great Pattern of Wisdom and Goodness. Now if even his great Friends fay this and worse of him, we doubt the World will eafily believe what he's accus'd of by his Enemies; at least by thofe who were indifferent, who had no prejudice against him, nor quarrel with him. It was not Tertullian, or Minutius who condemn'd' him, but Anytus and Melitus; i and yet the Fathers, though they knew knew his Teftimony was fervicea ble to 'em against the Heathen, do pofitively charge him with this worft of Crimes. Tertullian fays, Lego partem fententie, in Socratem, corruptorem adolefcentie pronuntiatam. He speaks of it as a thing certain, notorious and recorded in Hiftory; nor will this feem at all ftrange to any who has but a true Idea of the Heathen World, which was infinitely more corrupt (we think we are able to prove it) than the Chriftians, as bad as we are; very few of their beft Men having been free from notorious Vice, and moft of 'em having been guilty of that abomi nable one which Nature fo much abhors; which was allow'd, nay, recommended in most of their Commonwealths; nay, we believe enjoyn'd, by a pofitive Law a mong the Eleans, for no lefs feems imply'd in fome Paffages of Maximus Tyrius already mention'd. A fearful inftance of the Divine Juftice and Vengeance, in fuffering Men who had once forfaken the true God, and rooted out the Notions of Piety towards him, to run on to fuch excefs of unnatural Villany; for whom the Fate of Sodom would be too mild, much more that juft Punishment which the fo often mention'd Author tells us, a great number of 'em inflicted on themselves in a certain City in Italy; who being difap pointed of their Brutal defires, fell unanimously into a juft defpair, and hang'd themselves. Q. Whether had the Heathens any notion of a future ftate, becaufe I find fome affirm, and others deny it? 4. Dark Notions generally they had, and fome weak glimmerings, but both they and even the Jews themfelves, it must be confefs'd, were inuch to leek in these matters, before Life and Immortality were brought to light by the Gospel. This in general may be obferved of the wifeft Men among the Heathens, that though now and then they exprefs themselves handfomly enough, and fometimes plainly and positively in these matters, yet they were always either Sceptics at the bottom, and doubted of all they affirm'd, or their Knowledge was very much limited, and they were ignorant of much more than they knew, though unfufferably arrogant and conceited of their inconfiderable fcraps of Knowledge, when compared with Divine Revelation, and the clearer Light of the Chriftian Faith. And thus, not to mention the Epicureans, whofe Minds are fufficiently known in thefe matters; Pythagoras and Plato himself, appear to have believed little more of the future State of the Soul, then a perpe. tual Metempsychofis, at least a very long one: And Plato's great Year, when things fhould revolve, and be renew'd, feems to have been nothing elfe but the Jewish Tradition of the aworavasis or αποκαταςασις, at the end of Six thoufand Years, only he has given it a new turn and Air, that none might difcover whence he had it ; for whether we fix it at 36000, as 'tis ufually taken, exclufively of the 7th great Year, the Sum is the fame, being made up of fix times fix; or if, as others, 49000, 'tis but including the Sabbatic Year; or if yet higher, and it be carry'd on,as 'tis in fome computations, to 360000, 'tis evidently wrought up by the fame way of Computation. But ' "But to leave thefe numeral niceties, and come to fomething more folid, Socrates himself, if his Scholar don't mifreprefent him in his Difcourfe concerning a future Life, goes no farther than an is annen, &c. If these things be true: And 'tis notorious that Tul ly and Seneca and most of the greatest Heathen Names, advance no farther: And accordingly all Cacilius his Harangue, and Minutius Felix, is little more than Scepticism, and Origin proves his Adverfary to have hardly been advanced even fo high as that painful and fenfelefs Opinion. But we can't forbear giving the Reader one paffage out of Xenophon's xupowald: As 'tis quoted in Mr. Edwards his Difcourfe on the vain Philofophy of the Heathens, where this Subject is the best manag'd that we have any where feen it, we fhall tranfcribe the most pait of it, because it not only fhows us the doubtfulness of the wifeft Heathens in the cafe, whether Cyrus himself, or Xenophon for him, it matters not, but has also an ufeful paffage, or two on other Subjects. Tis as follows, 'Ou Jap Jury, &c. You ought not to think (fays Cyrus to his Friends you know certainly, that I fhall be nothing after 'ceafe to live here; for the Soul, while 'tis in this Mortal Body, fcarce be faid to live, tho' it gives life to the Body; but then it properly lives, when it leaves the Body then it it acts, and is truly knowing and wife. The Tortures and Punish ments inflicted on Murderers, by Souls thrust out of their Bodies (the Fact it feems was not doubted of, that there then were Apparitions of murder'd Per can fons] and the Honours and Rewards of good and innocent 'Minds, do prove. that Souls ftilk fubfift. Nothing is more like Death than Sleep; but even in Sleep the Soul difcovers its Divinity, and never more than at that time, for it hath a profpect of things to come, being them more free than ever [therefore Xenophon had more Wit than to believe the Soul slept when 'the Body did]. If thefe things be fo, (he goes on) reverence my Soul when I am dead, and obferve my Commands; but if they are not fo, yet reverence the Immortal Gods: And below, whether it fhall be my Lot to be with God, or to be reduc'd to nothing. Much to the fame purpose with our own old Gentleman's Story of a long leap in the dark, which was all his truly vain Philofophy cou'd teach him. ' Q. I have for fome years laft paft, been accustomed to receive the Sacrament at the Church of England, and perform'd other Holy Duties as often as I could conveniently, until about a year fince, an unlucky Accident befalling,and I thereby difcovered the Treachery of a Perfon most near and dear to me; who, together with another my Antagonist) have wronged me, not only in my Eftate, but my Reputation alfo; and that in the highest degree, without any manner of provocation, who are fince fled from Justice, all which have fo far difcompos'd my Mind,andmade me unfit for either publick, or private Devotion; tho' I have often Arove to compofe my, Mind, and bring it to a Chrifiian Charitable Difpofition; but when I think of the Obftinacy of my Enemies, and the irreparable Injury I have and do |