The laft Inftitution is believe, love the Aleim, and one another; commemorate the Manner, and the Means of Salvation, and be faved.

Since the World feems to be fond of those who, without regard to any Inftitution, or indeed without knowing any thing of the Defign of any Inftitution, Reason, as they call it, or talk out of their own Heads, or after fuch as themselves; befides what I have faid of the Jews and Heathens, it is neceffary to say something of one who appears, to me, to have been the Original of this fort, and who I think was a Mulatto, neither Jew nor Heathen, and worse than any one of either.

Soon after Chrift had performed what was promised and predicted of him, while his Disciples had the Power of working Miracles, Gift of Tongues, &c. a Renegado, who pretends to have been of the Jewish Race, fome fay of the Tribe of Levi, and calls himself Philo, who tells us himself that he was an Enthusiast. Philo, P. 393. "For (fays he) if the Mind conceive any thing of itself, the Conception, for the most part, proves abortive and immature: On the contrary, whatever is the Fruit of a divine Impulfe, is full and perfect. I am not afhamed to confefs, that

this has frequently happened to myself. Sitting down to write of the common received Opinions among the Philofophers, and knowing exactly what was to be faid, I found my Mind would not produce any thing, and fo have got up, nothing done, condemning their Opinions, and admiring the Power of him who is, that opens and fhuts the Inlets of the Mind. At another time coming quite empty, I have been filled all of a fudden, Thoughts falling down upon me from above, like gentle Showers of Rain, or Flakes of Snow; fo that, as if feized with the Spirit, I neither knew the Place where I was, the Perfons prefent, myself, or what I was saying or writing." Who had studied the allegorical Way of Writing among the Greeks about their Gods, their Religion, and their Philofophy which was interwoven in it, because their Gods and their natural Agents were the fame, and their then newly introduced Religion of Morality; and muft certainly have heard of the Preaching of Chrift, of his Suffering, and Refurrection, of the Miracles he and his Apoftles performed, of the Doctrine they taught, and it is very likely have feen their Writings. I pass over the Teftimonies of his keeping company with any of them; and he, withD 4 out

out any Evidence or Pretence of underftanding the Nature of the Hebrew Language, or the Defign of the Sacred Scripturcs, or of following any Tranflation, Paraphrafe, Authority, Precedent, or even Tradition or Hearfay; except what he tells us be true, that there was an independent Scct of fuch who were poffeffed by some other Spirit than that which infpired Mofes, who had left off his Appointments and the Priesthood, and had fet up a Religion for themselves, whom he calls Therapeuta.

Philo, p. 893. "They have little facred Buildings which they call Semnea, or Monafteries, into which they bring neither Meat or Drink, or any other Neceffaries for the Support of the Body (fo no Sacrifice, no Symbols) but only the Law, and the divine Oracles of the Prophets, and Hymns, and fome other Things which are useful for the Promotion of Piety and Knowledge-There are fome among them who, in their Sleep, deliver excellent Sayings of divine PhilofophyIn exercifing themfelves in the facred Volumes, they philofophize upon them after their Country Manner, and expound them allegorically; for they fuppofe that the Words are only Notes and Marks of fome

Things of a myftical Nature, which are to be figuratively explained. They have among them the Writings of fome Antients, who were principal Leaders of their Sect, and have left them many Monuments of that allegorical Learning, by which, as original Patterns, they direct their Studies.".

P. 894. "Then one of the most eminent of them ftands up, and holds forth.”p. 901." Their Expofitions of the facred Letter confift in Allegories. For these Men imagine the whole Law to resemble an Animal; the Precepts, being relative to the Body, the abstruse Parts, hid under the Veil of Words, relate to the Soul, &c." In defpite of the Certainty of the Hebrew Language, and the Perfection of the facred Writings, (if that can be said of a Perfon, who, for any thing that appears, knew nothing of either) he first had the Impudence to think the divine Writings, fo Truths, might be treated in that manner; and to endeavour, by that means, not only to evade the Points in difpute between the then apoftate Jews and Chriftians, or between them both and the Heathens, but the whole Institution of the believing Jews and Chriftians, nay even the Scheme of the Jews then in Being, to make a Jeft of the Fall of Man, fo of the

Covenant and Satisfaction, &c. Though he mentions it upon another Occafion, p. 202. "When Mofes prays that Dan may be a Serpent, he does not pray that he may be like the Serpent that deceived Eve. p. 203. For that Serpent, the Seducer of Eve, is reprefented as greedy of the Destruction of Men: For fo fays the Curfe, He fhall watch thy Head, and thou his Heel, Gen. iii." He turns it off thus, p.920. fpeaking of Abel's Murder, "There was a Murderer of his Brother at the very firft, before Mankind began to multiply. This is that first Wicked-one, who first ftained the pure Earth with human Gore; who first put a Stop to its diffusive Fruitfulness, and flourishing Increase, who was the firft Author of Corruption to the human Race, and gave us the fad Reverse of Death for Life, Sorrow for Joy, Evil for Good." To make the End of typical Sacrifices giving of Thanks, in oppofition commends another Sect. p. 876. " Among the Jews who live in Palestine and Syria, there are some whom they call Ef faans, about the Number, as I think, of four thousand. They have their Name from their Sanctity, because they are most religious Worshippers of God, though they offer no Sacrifices to him, but form their