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A NEW

ACCOUNT

OF THE

Confufion of TONGUES

Intended this for an Introduc tion to the next; but it has fwell'd, till I am forced to give it a Name. I have shew ed that this System, and every Thing in it, was created before Man was made: And in my Introduction to M fine P-, that they were for two Ends, for his Support, and for his Information: That as he has feveral Organs of Percep tion or Senfation in his Body, fome were for the Ufe of it, fome for the Ufe of his Soul, fome for both. The chief, that of

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Seeing, to enable him to procure Support and Conveniencies for his Body, and to take in Ideas for the Information of his Soul. The next, the Organs for Speech and Hearing; as he was to be a fociable Creature, and have the Ufe of Words of Language, to convey and receive the Images or Ideas of Perfons, Things or Actions, which were in the Mind of one, into the Mind of another: And that the Hebrew Tongue was taken from the Ideas of Things, and properly adapted to exprefs them in a Manner different from all later Tongues.

I have fhewed the Origin of the true Religion, and of the falfe one, and that the Methods which were used for revealing Things, were by emblematical Reprefen tations, or Appearances: And the Method for preferving the Memory of Things revealed were firft for the Eyes, by Beafts, Birds, Trees, &c. being made Emblems, Subftitutes, &c. in the Nature of Records, which was ftrengthen'd by affixing the Word to each of them, which expreffed the Name, Office, Action, &c. of the Perfons or Things each reprefented, or were Memorials of Mr. Web, in his Effay towards the Primitive Language, p. 148. cites Dr. Brown, Pfeud. Ep. 1. 5. p. 223.

This indeed might Adam well have spoken,
who understanding the Nature of Things,
bad the Advantage of natural Expreffions.
As the Explanation of the Actions thus
recorded still in Part depended upon Me-
mory and Tradition, as long as Men made
the proper
Uses of thefe Things, and kept
a traditional Memory of the Things and
Actions, they anfwered their Ends.

I have thewed, that in Length of Time, when the first Revelation was neglected or forgotten, and Men began to imagine and form Notions of Things within themfelves, attempted to reafon from the Appearance of natural Things, and not by the Methods directed; they began to pay Divine Service to the fecond Caufes; and then of Course would fet up Opinion against Memory, and give Relations of the Perfons, Things or Actions, different by little and little, from what had been handed down to them, and from what the Word affixed to each Memorial expreffed. And as they took the Shadow for, or fuppofed it too near a-kin to the Subftance, they would be liable to apply fome of the Reprefentations or Memorials to it.

After they were arrived to this Length, had in a great Measure left God, and he

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had left them to their own Imaginations, they, befides the neceffary Ideas given of the Alim, of the Covenant, &c. which were neceffary to be known, and fo come down to us or others, which perhaps were not fo neceffary; as they made not only the Agents, but every Action which they performed (as will be fhewed below) a diftinct Attribute, and fo an Object; they would appoint additional, or new Reprefentations of Beafts, Birds, &c. or Emblems, according to their own Imaginations, chief-ly if not folely, about the Motions and Effects of thefe Agents or Second Causes.

The next Method which was taken to preferve the Memory of Things, &c. which doubtlefs was begun very early, and increafed as the laft increafed, was by fetting up, or cutting the Images of fuch Creatures or Things, or Parts of them, upon Walls, Columns, Stones, &c. of Courfe a Mixture of the Original Substitutes, and of thofe added by their Imaginations, fo partly Images of their Ideas or Notions, chiefly at their Places, and about their Objects, of Worfhip, fo called, Hierographicks or Hieroglyphicks, "Morinus of the Primitive Language, p. 16. cites Apuleius defcribing his Initiation into thefe Myfteries: For he relates that Books were

brought

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