quite of another mind: firft, becaufe this is expreffed more properly (if it is expreffed at all) in the next claufe," They two fhall be one flesh:" and in writing fo concife a hiftory Mofes is not wont to mention the fame thing twice over in one half fentence: fecondly, because this clause is brought in by way of antithefis (or opposition) to the preceding, “A man fhall leave father and mother, can only imply the commencement of a new union, of a fimilar kind with, though fuperior to that which he had had with those near relations: and thirdly, because it was beneath the dignity and character of our Lord, and of Adam while in a ftate of innocency, to dwell fo much. as this Author would make them on the lowest part of the marriage union, and in the mean time not fo much as to mention what is more noble and exalted, as well as of much greater consequence to the happiness of a married couple, which is, a rational, pure, and conftant affection; a cleaving to each other in mind and heart, all the days of their life. Add to this, that the very fame Hebrew phrase is used to fignify cleaving to the Lord, Deut. iv. 4. and Jofh. xxiii. 8. as the Greek phrase, Acts v. 36, is to exprefs the being joined to a leader. It is therefore certain that our learned Gentleman's criticism is of no value, any further than as it is a curiofity, and will afford matter of entertainment for the lewd and wanton. [To be continued.] The True ORIGINAL of the SOUL. THI Teftimonies out of the New Teftament. HIS doctrine is no lefs, if not more clearly revealed in the New Testament. For St. Paul faith, that all men, in their whole perfons, both were in Adam, and finned in him. Death, faith he, paffed, by one man, upon all men, in whom all finned. Where he makes no fuch divifion of foul and body, one from one place, and another from another, as men have now invented: but fays plainly, the whole man, yea all men, who confift of fouls as well as bodies, were in Adam, yea, and finned in him too; which is impoffible to be without fouls. And yet left any man fhould think the whole man may well enough be faid to be in Adam, though not in our other parents, the Holy Ghoft, to take away all exception, faith the very fame concerning other Fathers alfo; as that Levi, together with all his fons, was yet in the loins of his father (great grand-father) Abraham, when Melchifedeck met him; and which is more, paid tithes in him. So that by the teftimony of the Apostle, Abraham is to be reckoned in the number of thofe that did propagate the whole man, foul and body together: and for that cause paid tithes for his posterity while they were yet in his loins. And if Ifaac, Jacob, and the whole tribe of Levi, were once in the loins of Abraham; we need not doubt, but we were all in like manner once wholly in Adam, and confequently are now wholly propagated from him. Again, that we may not deny it, unless we will deny Chrift and our own falvation, the Scriptures teach, that Jefus Christ, as concerning his humanity was the fon of the virgin Mary, and fo of David his father: for fo faid the angel Gabriel, being fent unto her, Thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a fon and again, the Lord fhall give unto him the throne of his father David. Whence it neceffarily follows, that the foul of our Saviour was the feed of David, even the fruit of his loins, as well as his body, as St. Peter witneffeth, Acts ii. 30. All other places fpeaking of his or our generation, comprehend both foul and body under the name of feed, without any exception, making the the foul no lefs feed than the body, and the body no more than the foul. Laftly, Unless we will make God the author of fin, we must confefs the truth of this doctrine, proved from thofe words of our Saviour, where fpeaking both of the natural and new birth of man, he faith, That which is born of flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit. Whence I reafon thus: if the foul were immediately created by God, it would not be flesh, that is corrupt and finful; but fpirit, that is, pure and holy. For whatfoever comes immediately from God, he makes it pure and good, yea, all things very good. But man from his very beginning is corrupt and sinful, because he is born of flesh; for faith our Saviour of the whole man that is born of the flefh, he is flesh; and therefore the whole man hath need of a fecond birth, that he may be born of the Spirit. Either therefore we must deny Original Sin, or elfe make God the author of evil, if the foul be immediately created by him. But feeing it is manifeft we are born of flesh, and are by nature children of wrath; and it is impious to imagine that God is the author of fin; I conclude that the foul is not born of the Spirit, I mean created by God, but of the flesh, that is, propagated by man. [To be continued.] An Extract from Mr. BAXTER'S Certainty of the WORLD of SPIRITS: fully evinced by unquestionable Hiftories of Apparitions, Witchcrafts, &c. [Continued from page 326.] From the Duke of LAUDERDALE. ABOUT thirty years ago, when I was a boy at fchool, there was a poor woman who lived near the town of Duns in the Mers; and Mr. John Weems, then Minister of VOL. VI. Z z the the place, was perfuaded she was poffeffed. I have heard him many times fpeak with my father about it, and both of them concluded it a real poffeffion. Mr. Weems vifited her often, and being convinced of the truth of the thing, he, with fome other Ministers, applied to the King's Privy Council for a warrant to keep days of humiliation for her. But the Bishops being then in power, would not allow any fafts to be kept. I will not trouble you with many circumflances: I fhall only mention one, which I think will evince a real poffeffion. The report being spread in the country, a Knight of the name of Forbes, who lived in the North of Scotland, being come to Edinburgh, meeting there with a Minister of the North, and both of them being defirous to fee the woman, the Minifter invited the Knight to my father's house (which is within ten or twelve miles of Duns) from whence they went to see the woman. They found her a poor ignorant creature; and seeing nothing extraordinary, the Minister said to the Knight, Nondum audivimus fpiritum loquentem; presently a voice came out of the woman's mouth, Audis loquentem, audis loquentem: this put the Minifter into fome amazement. He took off his hat, and faid, Mifereatur Deus peccatoris: the voice, presently out of the woman's mouth faid, Dic peccatricis, dic peccatricis ; whereupon they both came out of the house fully fatisfied, took horfe immediately and returned to my father's houfe, where they related the affair. Many more particulars might be afcertained, but the above Latin criticism in a moft illiterate, ignorant woman, where there was no pretence to difpoffeffing, is evidence enough. As to houfes being difturbed by noifes, I can inftance one that was troubled therewith, fince. I was a married man. Within four miles of Edinburgh, there lived an aged Minifter: his fon is now Paftor of the fame place. Their houfe was troubled with noifes in a very extraordinary manner, which the family, and many neighbours (who for fe veral weeks uled to watch with them) did ordinarily hear. It troubled troubled them moft on the Saturday night, and the night before their weekly lecture-day. Sometimes they heard as if all the locks in the house, on doors and chefts flew open; yea, their clothes which were at night locked up in trunks and chefts, they found hanging about the walls in the morning. Once they found their beft linen taken out, the table covered with it, napkins as if they had been used, yea and liquor in the cups, as if company had been at meat. The rumbling was extraordinary. The good old man commonly called his family to prayer when it was moft troublesome; and immediately it was converted into gentle knocking, like the modeft knocking of a finger: but as foon as prayer was done, they heard fuch exceffive knocking as if a beam had been heaved against the floor. There was never either voice heard or apparition feen; but one thing is remarkable: it is very common in Scotland to have a half cannon bullet in the chimney-corner, on which they break their great coals. fervant maid in the house, being accuftoined to the rumblings, faid, That if the Devil troubled them that night, fhe would brain him; fo fhe took the half-cannon bullet into bed: the noife did not fail to awake her, nor did she fail in her design, but took up the great bullet, and with a threatening, threw it as fhe thought, on the floor, but the bullet was never seen any more. All these particulars I have had from the Minifter. I was not in the country myself, at the time this happened, but it was confirmed to me by many other witneffes; and my father's Steward lived then in a houfe of mine within a mile of the place and fent his fervants conflantly thither; his fon now ferves me, who alfo knows it. [To be continued.} A A THOUGHT' |