A. Our expofition is fairly reconcileable with the text; and we can very well imagine that Chrift might enter both januis claufis and januis apertis, at the fame time. For as our interpretation includes a feeming repugnancy to that Scripture paffage, fo there is frequently fuch a feeming repugnancy obfervable between one Scripture paffage and another; and yet who (but an infidel) will dare to fay, that one of the feeming repugnant paffages is confequently falfe. You shoulẵ therefore have confider'd, that the fame expreffion may be capable of more than one interpretation; and therefore what is falfe in one fenfe may yet be true in another. Now fince you perceive oculis apertis, in what fenfe the doors were open'd, but feem at a loss to know oculis claufis in what fenfe the doors were fhut. We fhall therefore obferve to you, that the meaning of the text is, that the doors were fhut to all human appearance; that they were really fhut, before our Saviour came; that he stood in the midft of the difciples, without their perceiving that they had been open'd; and that confequently they could no otherwise have been open'd than by an invifible, a fupernatural power. Q. What book would be propereft for the right inftructing of a family in the fundamental truths of chriftian religion; I would have the proofs of it to be as short, evident and folid as the fubject would permit it a A. We cannot but commend fo pious a defign, as that of inftructing your family in the fundamentals of religion. You therefore feem to fpeak not fingly, and for your felf only, but (as it becomes the mafter of a family) in Joshua's heroick ftile, As for me and my houfe we will ferve the Lord. And we could with that all, who read of fo commendable an intention, would be provoked to an holy emulation, and be prevailed upon to go and do likewife. We would recommend to you Kettlewel's practical believer, with Allen of faith, prefix'd to it. Q. Gentlemen, about seventy years ago a donor left by his last will and teftament a small eftate in annuities to a certain fociety, and ordered them to pay feveral penfions quarterly for ever, to fuch and fuch poor men and women, that were qualified fo and fo, with plain directi ons that only fuch and fuch should be the partakers of the faid penfions, which by the faid will doth plainly appear: as also that in cafe the trustees do not perform his faid will, or in default of any of the faid payments, the faid eftate and annuities are given to another fociety to perform the fame, and after them a third in like manner; notwithstanding the first trustees know all this, yet act contrary, and difpofe of the faid penfions, not so much thro' inadvertency, as thro' wilfulness and partiality difpofe and will difpofe of it to others, quite contrary to the donor's will, and to fuch as have no right to the faid penfions. Whether fuch practice is not a pofitive breach of the faid will, however thefe trustees have the audacity to aver the contrary, faying, if they give the full fum of the donor's gifts annually, it matters not whom it is given to, &c. Now whether any particular person, who knows all this to be matter of fact, fhould discover this to thofe perfons whofe right it is, if the others fail, in the due performance of their duty to the donor's will, can be render'd justly a perfidious perfon in fo doing, or rather praife-worthy in doing justice, and as he thinks his duty to the deceas'd perfon as well as to thofe living? 4. If a truftee go contrary to a donor's will (unlefs where a reasonable prefumption will bear him harmless) he is chargeable with a double mifcarriage, in that he is at once guilty of unfaithfulnefs, not to fay of arrogance, while he suffers not the proprietor to do what he will with his own; and of flagrant injuftice too, while he robs others of their indifputable right. If therefore you are privy to fuch injuftice, and yet offer not at a neceffary difcovery, we dare not acquit you of difobedience to that apoftolical command, be not partakers of other mens fins. And yet, could we acquit you of fo imputable a charge, one would think you should be ambitious of imitating that God who glories in nothing more than in helping them to right that fuffer wrong. Q. Sup Q. Suppofing my fifter to have a baftard child, whe ther I am uncle to the faid child, or not? A. An uncle is a natural relation, and takes its whole denomination from confanguinity. You are confequently uncle to your fifter's child, how unlawfully foever your nephew be begotten. Q. Why have my oxen larger bodies and horns than my bulls of the fame breed; and my weathers no horns, when my rams of the fame breed have very large ones? 4. Daily experience teacheth us, that by caftration the males of every kind get a nearer resemblance in many things to their females. Since then cows have horns, and commonly larger than bulls, but ewes have none, 'tis no wonder if they continue to grow in oxen, tho' they are utterly loft in weathers, as beard is in eunuchs. Q. Obferving your judicious answer to ferious questions, I defire your opinion, what should be the cause of the appearance of a rainbow, which I saw about November 1706, about eight a clock by moon light, and to be fure I was not mistaken: I call'd three or four of my family into a little garden to fee it, who faw it very plain? 4. The caufe of the appearance of that rainbow, we judge to have been the fame as of other rainbows, viz. the refraction of the fun-beams, through the drops of water falling from fome cloud. For tho the fun did not appear at that time upon our hemifphere, yet we fuppofe that the cloud being pretty near the horizon, it might receive the influence of its rays. There is a weed which grows among corn called catstail, why is it fo called? 4. That weed is called equifetum in latin, and horfe tail in good English. In fome part of France chaquene, which answers to the English word cats-tail. Q. The difference among commentators as to the noting the beginning of Pertius his firft fatyr with Perfius and Monitor, being little fewer than the editions of that poet, fome making Perfius fpeak the fame words that others tell us are the Monitor's; fome again dividing those words be tween tween them both, which others fuppofe to belong but to oneof them; and fome on the contrary, making one of them Speak, what others are of opinion they had both an hand in. I beg of you to point with P. and M. the beginning of that fatyr as near as you can the author's meaning? A. We wonder that commentators fhould fo widely differ, where the fenfe, if they diligently attend to it, fo plainly diftinguishes the feveral parts of that fhort dialogue. This general expofition of fo mifunderstood an introduction will eafily direct you to the true pointing. Perfus tells his Monitor, that he defigns to lafh the vices of the age; to which his Monitor replies, that a book on fo ferious a fubject must not expect to be taken notite of, while nothing but facetious wit and pleafant humour is agreeable to the common tafte. Upon this Perfius perfonates the character of a vulgar poet, and pretends to be undera great concern, that he fhall not gain a popular applaufe. But his Monitor endeavours to diffuade him from fo unbecoming a thing, as fo folicitous an affectation of the praife of the world. The only difficulty lies in the beginning of the third line, vel duo, vel nemo? for nemo is a sentenceof it felf, by which Perfius interrupts his Monitor, who was going to fay, vel duo, vel tres, that is, you must: not expect that above two or three will read your book; for Perfius ftill mufing upon what his Monitorhad faid before, takes no notice of what he was then faying, but repeats nemo with an interrogatory indig nation. But all this must be understood by way of irony, whereby Perfius wipes the common poets of the age. Q. Pray your reafon, why a cat when she falls, or is thrown from a house-top or any other place, always alights directly upon her feet? A. They are commonly, but not always obferved to light on their feet; and it is chiefly due to their tail, which they fan the air withal; whereby the fwiftness of their defcent is fo far retarded, that they are are enabled to prepare themselves in such a manner for their fall. Q. The righteous man is loth this world to leave, And to be buried in the filent grave: The wicked alfo on a dying bed Fain from the ftroke of death would draw his head. When death to mortal men draws nigh, A. By nature diffolution is abhor'd, Nor can weak fense with unknown joys accord; Q. Weary of life, my boding heart opprefs'd And disappointed of my chiefeft hopes: My groveling foul (with more than mortal pangs) A. In vain to tuneful numbers you addrefs, } And |