'Tis fhewed that the Devil first persuaded the Woman, by the Serpent, to reafon from what she thought the faw in the Fruit of the Tree of Good and Evil, against the Veracity and Authority of Revelation, fo against the Powers in Jebovah Aleim, and for the Powers in the Names; that the Woman failed in the Trial, chofe the Names for Aleim, drew in Man, fo forfeited his Perfections and Life. If his Reason; when perfect, could not guide him with Revelation, when imperfect, it will never guide him without it.

I have fhewed that Man had a Revelation of new Forms, and that the Knowledge thereof was exhibited, and handed down by Hieroglyphicks, Emblems, Oracles, and Tradition.

That as a Figure could not distinguish the true Effence from the false, in procefs of Time, the greateft part of Mankind, notwithstanding the Clade of the Flood, by leaving Revelation, and following Reafoning, applied thefe Figures and Services to the Names: and that the reft, at last one Family only, continued to apply them to Jehovah Aleim, till Writing was revealed, which preferved all Knowledge to that Family.

I have fhewed from the Scriptures, that when Man had loft fome of the Perfections which were in the Mind of the first Man, upon a fecond Experiment, when they knew Jehovah Aleim, and understood the Powers in the Heavens by the first, and their Duty by the fecond Revelation, reasoning upon Nature induced them to worship the Names. By imitating Writing, the Heathens lost the Hebrew Language, the Knowledge of both the first and fecond Revelation, and all other Science. And we know by the Scriptures, and by the Writings of the latest Heathens, that when they had loft the Knowledge of both, they could not ever discover either, but dreamed of Chance, Fate, &c.

I have fhewed that the Jews, who had the Cuftody of the Hieroglyphicks, Oracles, Emblems, and Services, and the Revelation in Writing, when the Knowledge of the Heathens was at the highest, a little before they loft the Hebrew Tongue, were infected by their Reafoning, drawn into the old Crime; reasoned, and left Revelation; and when they deferted Jehovah Aleim, and followed the Names, they were for that carried into Captivity. By lofing their Lan

guage,

guage, the Emblems, &c. which explained the Scriptures, loft the Knowledge and Intent both of Tradition and Revelation in the Writings; and at their Return, or foon after, fet up a new God, a new Religion, and introduced Doctrines never heard of before, either among Believers or Unbelievers; so that whatever fome Perfons did, as a Nation, or publickly, they never recovered the Meaning of them, either in Divinity or Philofophy.

We know from Revelation, that Man had a View of the Execution of the Covenant by Christ, and by the Holy Ghost, and the Hebrew Scriptures explained, and the Emblems and Types applied by Christ and infpired Men, with fhort Relations of the Actions and Doctrine of Chrift and his Apostles, written by fundry of them in Heathen Greek.

We know by Hiftory, and the Books written by those they call Fathers, that fince Infpiration ceafed, the Churchmen on the one hand neglected the Knowledge of the Hebrew Scriptures, and depended upon Tradition and the Authority of the Church; and on the other fide, their inveterate Enemies, the Apoftate Jews, fet up their pretended Traditions from Mofes,

B 4

and.

and committed them to writing; thereby altered the Conftruction of the Hebrew Bible, poifoned the Chriftian Church in the Eaft, infinuated that Chrift was not come, attempted to fet up feveral, fet up Mahomet for their Meffiah, fet afide Revelation, upon bare Affertion that he had a new Revelation, without pretence. to any Evidence; relinquish'd him, and pretend there is fuch another yet to come. At the fame time they poifoned the Eastern Churches in thofe Countries which Mahomet conquered, they infinuated fome of their pretended Traditions into the Church of Rome; and by their Writings, Pointings, &c. have lately drawn in Reformed Churches to believe them, and reject the Writings of the Scriptures; fo that tho' Tradition of the chief Lines in the Christian Religion ftill fubfift, yet Men have not had Reafon enough to conftrue the Writings, and retrieve the Evidence, either for that Tradition or for Philofophy.

I have fhewed above that the first Crime was rejecting Revelation, and pretending by Satan's Affiftance to discover other Aleim. After this they had a fresh Evidence; and that the Heathens a second time by Reasoning fell into the fame

Crime; when they had loft all Knowledge, gueffed, or as they called it, reafoned in the dark about every thing. I need not fay I have fhewed, every one fees and hears that the firft Crime is revived, and infinitely extended; that many of this prefent Age pretend to difcover and know every thing by their Reason, and the Light of Nature, in contempt of Revelation; and produce in their justification the Authority of those who knew nothing of Revelation, and who frankly own'd they knew nothing of what had been before them, gueffed at every thing, were abfolutely in the dark, and knew nothing; who fet up Morality, &c. inftead of Religion, out of mere Ignorance; and mere Conjectures, inftead of the Knowledge of Nature.

Though after Infpiration ceafed, the Holy Ghoft has almoft infenfibly inclined. the Hearts of Believers, but does not direct their Tongues to pray or preach infallibly, or give any one Power to direct the Faith of others, (which was the chief Article that separated us from the Pope) much less the Tongues of those who are continually blafpheming him, and evading the Scriptures: yet fomething of late hath fo demolished Regard for any

God