And if your arguments convert her, You'll be my oracle bereafter. 1. A. Well may we represent that passion blind, Which overthrows the quiet of our mind, And on mistaken principles of joy, The brighteft light, our REASON does destroy. 3. A. An unexperienc'd virgin may believe We would not have you raise the siege, Obferve what does follow, And let it be bleft with your answer: A Lady, whofe mind Is wholly intent upon man, Sir ; She's beauteous and witty, Would be to my wond'rous furprize. Where is the well qualify'd Lady; To whom, Sir, I may In terms that agreeable may be? A. The Lady's forth-coming, Za Philafter. And And teaches us firft how to know her. But firft, Sir, relate Your birth and estate, Left the fhould incur a difafter; Is this touch of your wit, Affect any ways The ftatum falutis in man, Sir: · Should have any reason, Our purgative medicines to fear; And bathings to men Be offenfive, as fome fay they are? Why thofe rules we refrain; With the fun-beams fuch heats, As engender profufe perfpirations. Q. Ye fons of Apollo, That truth can scarce follow, You needs must own this to be true: Your father was wily, And loved none filly, And fools find no favour with you: Yet do not reflect, But answer direct; For knaves and fools ne'er can agree : Pray which of these two Is judged by you, In the nation most useful to be? Are fynonymous tools, fools And to no proper ufe can relate: There Therefore, prethee, ne'er ftrain Thine irregular brain, For thou'lt ne'er be concern'd in the state. Q. Since there are so many opinions concerning our Sa viour's defcent into hell, and we cannot be certain which is the right; I defire to know whether we can justly make is an article of our faith? For my part I am inclined to believe we ought not, and shall offer my reasons, which is you think not fufficient, I beg this favour of you, that you would fhew the infufficiency of them as foon as you can. My first argument is as follows: All articles of faith are truths, on the belief of which our falvation depends. If this therefore be an article of faith, our falvation depends on the belief of it; if so, we must all agree in the belief that Chrift defcended into hell. But fince we have no certain idea or meaning fix'd to the word Hell, how can we agree in it any otherwife but in the found of the word hell, which I think no one will fay is fufficient. My fecond argument is, that every man ought to have the fame faith about the fame article. But let any one judge, whether a man that believes that Chrift defcended into the place where the devils are (for that's the opinion of a great many) and a man that believes that by the word hell in this place is meant only the grave, have not two different faiths Gentlemen, I fend you this, that I may be fatisfied in this point; for I confess, I am not able to do it my felf, therefore I promife my felf from you an answer. 4. We agree with you that an article of faith fhould contain a doctrine neceffary to falvation. But then we must acquaint you, that the defcent into hell does virtually contain fuch a neceffary doctrine; for as it afferts the exiftence of Chrift's human foul, fo to believe that Christ had an human foul, is necessary to falvation: for that it is fo, we beg leave to evince from these particulars. 1. To believe in Chrift as man as well as God, is represented in the Scriptures as an indifpenfible object of faith; and therefore the Nicene creed does not only fay, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghoft of the virgin Mary; but also adds, and was made man. And the Z 3 Athar Athanafian creed moft exprefly fays, perfect God, and perfect man, and then proeceds, as it were, to define that perfect man; of a reasonable foul, and human flesh fubfifting. For as man is a compound of foul and body, fo nothing can pass under that denomination, which wants the principal of its two integral, two effential parts. 2. If we diveft Chrift of his buman foul, we fruftrate the defign of bis incarnation: for why was the Word made flesh, but that he might fuffer for us in our own nature? In all things it behov'd him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining unto God, to make reconciliation for the fins of the people. But can he be faid to take our nature upon him, who affumes but our perifhing, our mortal part? Can he be allow'd to be made like unto his brethren in all things, who is not like them in their durable, in their immortal part? 3. Unless we maintain the human foul of Chrift, we cannot affirm that he fuffer'd under Pontius Pilate; for what part of him cou'd have fuffer'd? could his Divinity? that was impoffible? could his human body? All fenfation (whether agreeable or difagreeable) is utterly incompatible to a material fubftance. But fome may be ready to enquire, if Chrift's defcent into hell virtually contain a doctrine neceffary to falvation, why it fhould be thought an unneceffary article; to which we answer, that tho' it virtually contain a neceffary doctrine, yet that neceffary doctrine is virtually contain'd in other parts of the creed. And tho' it may be replied that the Apollinarians eluded the force of the other articles, and therefore one was added incapable of elufion, we may yet retort again; 1. That (as we have already fhew'd) an addition might have been made of a more direct, a more perfpicuous article. 2. That may be ask'd, whether it was worth the while to add to fo fhort a fummary in confutation of the Apollinarian herefy; efpecially fince no addition was mnade to baffle the fubtilty of the Arian hereticks: for tho' Apollinarius (Bishop of Laodicea) was fo confider it able able a perfon, that he was look'd upon as the brightcft ornament of the Church, the best defender of the faith, while he continued orthodox, and is represented by Philoftorgius as the principal of those three, in comparifon of whom the great Athanafius was accounted but a child; yet his herefy (notwithstanding fo confi. derable a patron) could not have been of more dangerous confequence than that of Arius. But tho' we be inclin'd to think that the article has been more unneceffary, fince the Apollinarian herefy has been extinguish'd; yet we cannot but confider, that fince the church of Rome was ready to attack our firft reformers with the charge of novelty, tho' it were but for rejecting her novel doctrines, they might therefore be more exceeding tender, how they rejected a doctrine that was ancient, comparatively ancient, left she should triumph (how impertinently foever) at fuch rejection, and reinforce her charge with an additional advantage. As for your latter argument, namely that fo obfcure an article occafions fo great a variety in our belief; it were to be wifh'd indeed that we could be as unanimous in this as in the other articles: but fince the matter will not admit of fo univerfal a confent; fince we are confidering how we may be able to com. ply, where neceffity makes a demand of our compliance, we prefume that we may lawfully comply with the article before us, tho' differently understood by the persons that repeat it, fince we may yet all harmoniously agree in one common faith, namely that Chrift had an buman foul. Q. I would defire you in your next to answer the following question, viz. Why women have the vapors commonly more than men ? A. By the vapors we fuppofe you mean hysterical paffions, which women are moftly afflicted with, becaufe the fyftem of the nerves, as alfo the brain is fofter and weaker than that of men; fo that the paffions of anger, fear, fadness, &c. as alfo troublefome or terrible objects eafily pervert the difpofitions or 7. 4 func |