Moderns with borrowing their Calculations, &c. from the Chaldeans, and charged our Author with attempting to dif poffefs the Aleim and their Agents; tho' in fhort Heads as intelligible to them as this is to the Publick.

Our Author, next Year, in 1726, prints his Third Edition of P. N. leaves out the Story of the Babylonian Obfervations, retains his Deus, gives us its Signification from Pocock's Arabick, and feveral Hebrew Texts, which are every one falfely conftrued; the true Meaning whereof he has ignorantly or fradulently conceal'd, and given us Words, or a Sense that they have no Relation to; has added, p. 528. after not over his own Body (as those "imagine, who make God the Soul of "the World) but over Servants." And to fuit with the Scheme of 1712, ibid. p. 528, after God of Ifrael" God of Gods,

and Lord of Lords" and after, the Eternal of Ifrael "Eternal of Gods" and has left out after my Infinite one your Infinite one, the Infinite one of

Ifrael." And as the infinitely extended Subftance of his Deus was brought in to conftitute infinite Space, when he thought he had Occafion for it; fo now, where he has no Occafion for infinite Space, he has

I

left

left infinite out, ibid. p. 528. after "He "Conftitutes Duration and Space (Eter"nity and Infinity.") He has fhew'd us, that a Man is one Perfon, and fo his Deus must be one Perfon, a Piece of the Account of the Trinity, as I have fhew'd above. He has given us an additional Lift of his Antients, the modern ignorant Heathens, the antienteft they knew any Thing of, which, as I faid, he prefers because they defcribe his Deus as he now stands, viz." Pythagoras in Cicero of the Nature of the "Gods, Thales, Anaxagoras, Virgilius, "and a Heathen Jew, Philo, to Aratus," with the former Texts of Scripture, and one more, which he vouchfafes to call facred, which are directly oppofite to his Purpose. He had feen the Accounts I had given out of Tranflations of the Bible and Apocrypha, in my Essay to the New Hiftory of the Bible, which was writ to fhew my Defign out of the Translations, as they now ftand; which are all imperfect, and juft as he describes them; and fo he has given us a fham Account of what the Heathens worfhipp'd. Ibid. p. 529. "The Idolaters "imagined the Sun, Moon and Stars, and "the Souls of Men, and other Parts of "the World, to be parts of the Supreme

"God,

1

"God, and therefore to be worshipped, "but falfefly." Why could he not have named those Parts which they really worfhipp'd, Fire, Light, and Spirit, when I had fhew'd him their Names, which compofe his Ethers Jupiter? Was he refolv'd to leave that unblemish'd? He has added, for the Reasons aforefaid, ibid. p. $29. after "We adore and worship upon 66 account of Dominion [for we wor"fhip as Servants.]" He goes on with the old Scheme, fhews you that he is on the Side of Believers, that Jupiter acted fenfibly, and not as those who thought he acted by Neceflity, and call'd him Fate and Nature. He talks of Allegories about his Deus, I fuppofe he chiefly means among the Heathen Writings. There are none in the Bible. Tho' I also suppose he takes it in to fhew its Imperfections, which they have both labour'd impotently to do. I have confidered his Affurance in that Point above. Indeed he is right about his Deus; for he is not pleas'd when he fmiles, nor angry when he thunders and darts his Bolts. Those who are fuppos'd to fpeak of Jehovah Aleim, have lately talk'd very ftrangely in thefe Points. I hope I fhall fome Time have Occafion to talk with

them

them for that.

The whole of P. N. is founded upon a Comparison mention'd in The Demonftration of the Being, &c. p.78. Just as Children imagine Air, because they cannot fee it, to be mere Emptiness, and nothing; upon a Suppofition that if the Agents, the Movers, were taken away,` the paffive Parts would move and act by themselves, or by Virtues in them. And the Proof is, that when they have, as they fay, taken away the Agents, the paffive Things act fo there. At laft, he allows that the Agents are ftill there, and fhews as well as he can, how they act. They cannot keep the Orbs moving in Circles by Elafticity, or Refiftance; fo they must impel the Orbs behind: And if you allow him the Elafticity, fo Preffsure of the Ether, not one Scheme in his Work holds.

He has put a vaft Number of Cafes of States of Things, and of Powers which exift not; fo thofe Powers could not be the Causes of Motion, and fettled and calculated Proportions for thofe fuppos'd Cafes; but though not only the Bible, but all the Heathens, nay, all Philofophers, aver the Air or Heavens did thefe Things, has never ftated the Cafe how Things which act are, and how they act, nor VOL. V.

X

how

1

how they are fucceffively and alternately changed in Condition, fo made no Calculation for them; never once put the Cafe, if there be fuch Fluids as there are how they would impel, and how that Impulse would overcome the Refistance of that Fluid, and give Motion to Bodies. in it. Though one may prove, even by their feign'd Cafes, that they will do fo; yet he has done all that was in his Power.. He has ftudied and introduced the Notes in Mufick, to colour his feign'd Propor tions, to make these imaginary Powers difpoffefs the Agents of Jehovah Aleim, as the old Scotch Advocate did, who learned to whistle a Tune to prove a Man guilty of high Treafon.

Befides, the whole being a Dream, I think I may fafely affert, that there is not one original Propofition in either of his Books, that was his own, but that I have fhew'd, or can fhew, whence he had it: Nay, I need not except many of his Schemes and Calculations; indeed several of the Incredibles, nay, Impoffibies, which are fram'd to fill up the Defects, may be of his extending; and thofe he made himfelf, are fuch as I am not willing to father upon any other. Indeed I think he has never been outdone by any, except it be

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