dered to be taken down for the Inde cency of it, and placed elsewhere?

Queft. 4. Whether it was not an act of great Prefumption in them who did it, to do it of their own Head, without any Law, Cannon or Authority of the Bishop; and to be looked upon as an Effect of Prophane Flattery of Princes in fuch as of late fet up Loyalty above all Religion, and inverting the Apoftolical Command, preferred the Honour of the King before the Fear of God?

Queft. 5. Whether the admitting or conniving at fuch Acts of Flattery hath not been very mischievous to Princes, and therefore by all Wife and Religious Princes to be rejected with Indignation, and fuch wicked Flatterers to be difcountenanced and fuppreffed as the Pefts of the State?

2. I was married more than a Year fince to a young Woman with a Fortune fuitable to my own, and we have yet liv'd very Comfortably together; but now there comes a Man of a much meaner Fortune than either of ours, who fays he was Married to her three Years ago, tho' now fhe's but fixteen and a half, and the fame is not denied by her or her Father, only the Marriage was not confummated, and they gave the Fellow a Piece of Money to leave her and go beyond Sea, tho' now he's return'd and demands her as his Wife. I'm a Tradefman, and extreamly troubled, left this, if known, should blast my Reputation: I defire your Advice in this Cafe, whofe Wife he is, and what I ought to do in fo intricate a Matter?

A. That he was an Infant when but thirteen, is, we think, a rul'd Cafe, and therefore not ca pable of difpofing of herfelf, ef

pecially against the Confent of her Father, as it feems to have been; which, with its not being Confummated, makes the former, we think, no Marriage. However, there might be the Inconvenience of a Law-fuit in the Cafe, and the Noife of the thing, which the Querift is fo juftly afraid of; for which Reafons he muft e'en take the fame way the Father did before, (tho' 'twas not very honeft in him to let him know nothing on't) give the Quendum-half-Husband another Piece of Money, and let him totally refign what we think is none of his.

Q. Whether Cock-fighting, abftracted from any Vice, be lawful?

A. 'Tis not very exactly worded- -but you mean, we fuppofe, abftracted from the Vices of Smearing, Paffion, immode rate Gaming, Cruelty, &c. We Anfwer, we think 'tis not unlawful, fince that it may be without any of thefe Vices, or any other befides Cruelty, will fcarce be denied: And as for that, it's poffible to Delight in the Valour of the Creatures, who, are given for our Diverfion as well as Neceffity, without being cruelly delighted in their hurting one another.

Q. Whether if the Men were equally Punished with the Women, for deluding Women or Maids in the Streets, or other places, it wou'd not be a good Law, and might not put a ftop to the Debauchery of the City?

A. Ay, and of the Kingdom too, if you cou'd get it made, Sed Quis, &c. &c.

Q. We read in the 3d of Daniel, That Nebuchadnezzar commanded all Nations to worship the Golden

Image; and they that did not, were to be caft into the Fiery Furnace. Q. Whether Daniel did not worship the Image, and all the other Jews?

A. For the rest of the Jews, it's easily folv'd, fince they had nothing to do to be there, nor any of the common People, unlefs to gaze,as is ufual on fuchSolemnities. This we learn from the 2d Verfe. 'Nebuchadnezzar the King, fent to gather toge ther the Princes, the Governours, the Captains, the "Judges, the Treafurers, the Councellors, the Sheriffs, and "[all the Rulers of the Provinces] to come to the Dedication of the Image which he had fet up And accordingly they came, in the 3d Verfe, and worfhipped, in the 7th. And among thofe Rulers of Provinces, it's probable, the Three Confeffors were obliged to come; for it's faid, in the laft Verfe of the 2d Chapter, that they were 'fet over the Af fairs of the Province of Babylon. For Daniel, the Difficulty feems greater; that he did not worhip the glittering Monfter of an Idol, we may well conclude from the inflexible Piety and Virtue which he fhewed on all occafions. But how then did he escape? Either by his Dexterity, he got himfelf employed about fome other bufinefs; or elfe there were to be two Adorations of this Image, perhaps Mattins and Even-fong, it being not probable all the Great Men could be prefent at once, and he might be still expected at that to come. Now that this Ceremony was to be twice, at leaft, performed, feems pretty fairly deducible from Nebuchadnezzar's own words to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,

Verfe 25. If ye be ready, that

at what time ye hear the found of the Cornet, &c.ye fall down, ' and worship the Image, Well; and this was after the firft Adoration. There's still another folution, perhaps the most probable of all,that Daniel was foGreat a Perfon, and the Chaldeans fo much obliged to him, that they durft not, or would not accuse him. His Greatnefs we find, Chap. 2. v. 48. The King made him a Great Man, and gave him many great Gifts, and made him Ruler over the whole Province of Babylon, and Chief of the Governours over all the Wife Men of Babylon (a fort of a Chancellor to their Univerfity.) But yet more than this, Ver. 46" The King fell upon his Face,& worship'dDaniel,& commanded that they fhould offer an Oblation, and fweet Odours unto him. Daniel was one of the King's Idols himself, and it feems hard to make one Idol worship another. Then for their Obligation, Daniel had fav'd the Lives of all thefe Chaldeans but a little before; and 'thad been moft barbarous in them to have defir'd his Death, though they did his Companions, out of Envy at their advancement. All the fe Solutions are, we think, probable, and neither contradicts the other.

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Q. I am a married Man, but having a very ill Wife, have been parted from her fome years, and defign never to live with her more. Now I defire your Advice, whether I may pray to God to take her to Himself, that I may endeavour to make myself happy in another?

A. Sure if fhe's fit for Heaven, fhe's fit for you; and if the were as good while you liv'd with her,

as

as fhe is now, how came you to part? But fuppofing the caufe were fufficient, and fhe's grown never the better all this while, 'twould yet be handfomer to fubmit to God's Will, and wait with patience, or rather pray that he'd convert her, than take her away in fuch a condition.

Q. Whether the Soul, in the fate of Separation, fhall fee our Bleffed Saviour in his Glorified Humanity, or not till re-invested with the Body?

A. We have had occafion to examine this Point, if we mistake not, more than once already, and have fhewn the Opinion of the Ancients, concerning Martyrs being immediately admitted into Paradice. To which we muft refer the Querift, only adding, That St. Paul is clear in the cafe, that when we depart, we fhall be with Chrift.

Q. In the 6th of Daniel, a Decree was made, That none, for Thirty Days, fhould ask any Petition of God, or Man, but of the King only, under pain of being caff into the Den of Lions; and Verfe 11. Daniel was found making fupplication to his God. Q. Whether Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, did not worship God thofe Thirty days; if they did not, how they escaped punishment?

A. They might be dead during the Reign of feveral Kings, from the first mention of them. If not, yet might efcape here more eafily than before, because the chief Pique of the Prefidents was against Daniel, their Rival; and therefore they were fo careful to fet him, in order to bring him under the Lash of the Law; befides

Q. When our Saviour was fet on a Pinacle of the Temple; Q.Whether he was visible to the People, or no?

A. Where's the Concern, whether he was, or was not, fince neither is affirmed in the Scripture? However, it seems most probable, that he was visible, and that one part of the Devil's Temptation was,to perfuade him to Vain-Glory, and the performance of an unneceffary and unfeasonable Miracle; As a Modern Poet has it, who introduces the Tempter thus accosting him:

4. St. Auftin, as he is quoted by the Rhemifts, and others, explains it thus: That he which offends in one, that is, against the General or great command ment of Love or Charity, which is in a manner all, as being the fum of all the plenitude of the Law, and the perfection of the reft; he breaks, after a fort, and tranfgreffes all; no fin being committed but either against the Love of God,or our Neighbour. To this may be added, that he who makes no Confcience of breaking one Command, and living in the avow'd neglect of his Duty in any one Inftance, it's evident that 'tis not out of Confcience he obferves other Precepts of the Divine Law, but from Cuftom, Reputation, or fuch like, and not keeping it from a good Principle, he's a Trangreffor, as well as if he had more generally broken it, though, it's true, not in fo high a manner. Befides, there's a Chain of Vertues, and he who breaks one Link, effe&tually diffolves it. After all, it be ing certain, as the fame Writer affirms, That there's none who 'doth good, and finneth not; and as certain, that he does not contradict himself, it must follow, that the offending here mention'd, must be a deliberate, habitual thing, and that of an high Nature, as is Haughtiness and

Uncharitablenefs towards a poor good man, how light foever it may be efteemed, being the very' thing here intended.

Q. How far, by the ftrength of Nature, may a Chriftian perform any good Act, relating to Soul or Body?

A. By the ftrength of Nature, we fuppofe the Querift intends, the Remainder of Uncorrupt Nature, confidered as diftinct from Divine Grace, or the affiftance of Revealed Religion. And taking it in this fenfe, he can do as much as an Heathen, and no more; becaufe all men are alike, till Chriftianity makes the difference. Some of the Heathens, 'tis true, have done many handfome things, and spoke more; but then they were men of an Extraordinary Genius (their Commonalty being much more barba. roufly and profligately lewd than ours.) They had made ma ny Improvements in Natural Knowledge, being men of strong heads, and clear reasoning, and feem to have brought fome_part of it as high as it could go: They had fomeSyftems of Ethicks, which were generally true and good but they were not very forward in practifing them, the moft Virtuous men we find amongft 'em, Socrates, Cato, Seneca, and others, having fome very fou! Blots in their Lives. After all, 'twill be difficult to ftate exactly what fhare of a good Action performed by a Chriftian, may be afcrib'd to Nature,and what to an higher principle; as 'tis o' t'other fide, when evil Thoughts proceed from a man's own Mind, and when they are injected by the Devil. Thus much is certain, that God lets Nature work as

far

far as it will go, because he does nothing in vain; but because it can't go far enough, he muft, and does affift it, tho' we mayn't be a ble prefcifely to define either the manner of his Operation, or the measure of it. For Example, it's Natural for a man in diftrefs to feek for aid, and that to the moft powerful Helper; and the fame Light of Nature directs him to God. But ftill a Chriftian owns, that without the affiftance of God's Holy Spirit, diftin&t from ours, because working together with it, his Prayer will never be accepted: And yet, as before, we queftion whether it be eafy to fix the very precife degree, where one ends and the other begins. Tho' this is fufficient to fatisfy and encourage us, that if we do our parts, God will not be wanting in his.

Q. Whether 'tis not the Product of Original Sin, for any man to lie under the Tyranny of ungoverned Thoughts, I mean, such as are confus'd and difordered?

4. All actual Sin, as well as the misfortunes of Life, are undoubt edly the fatal effects of that first Tranfgreffion, and among other weakneffes, none more troublefome and uncomfortable to a good Man, than this of vain and wandring Thoughts, especially in Holy Offices; as the contrary the greatest Bleffing, and the higheft pleasure that's to be had on this fide the Stars, namely, to have a mind entirely bent and fixt on heavenly Objects. 'Tis true, the Fancy is fo nimble a Faculty, and has fo vaft a Range, and the Soul itself so active, (indeed A&t itself) that 'tis very difficult,efpecially for fome Tem

pers, to obtain fuch a Mastery of themselves in these matters: Buc yet doubtlefs 'tis poffible: The Confideration of the Holiness of Place,by the Prefence of God,and Dedication to him, will much conduce to this. Preparation be fore, and long conftant strugling with our foolish Thoughts, may at laft produce an Habit of clofe thinking, and more steady Devotion.

Q. What is the meaning of Mark 11. and the 12th, 13th, 14th Verfes, wherein we have an Account, Chrift being hungry, went to a FigTree to feek for Figgs, but finding none, he Curft it, though we read that the time was not yet come for that Fruit?

A. Our Saviour's Curfing the Fig-Tree for bearing Leaves and no Fruit, was a moft evident Inftruction to fuch Men,whofe Profeflion made a fair fhew, that fomething more was required; and that if thisAppearance of Holinefs was not accompanied with the Fruit of Good Works, it was nothing worth, this Emblem declaring what fuch Perfons were to expect. And the Learned Do&or Hammond was of Opinion, that the Jews were much like that leafy Tree, a meer Profeffing People, which were to expect fpeedy Deftruction from him, if they continued in their Unfruitfulness. No other can be fuppofed, but that what our Saviour did to the Tree was Emblematical; for no Man of Common Senfe, if he had expected Figgs, wou'd upon a Difappointment have revenged himfelf on a Senfelefs Tree, which cou'd in no refpect be accounted faulty or blame-worthy. And it's very likely, that the Ac

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