Amazed all each did his Art employ, Q3: Whether Fornication may nial Sin? A. None but Papists ever thought it fo, or fuch who wou'd fain think all Sins venial, which they themselves are guilty of. 'Tis true, in a Senfe all Sins are venial, or pardonable, that is, upon Repentance; and all damnable without it, or deferving infinite Punishment; because they have a Sort of Infiniteness in 'em, as being committed against an infinite Being: Nor does this make all Sins equal as to their Degree, internal Turpitude, or Malice, tho' it does as to the Object; according to which there will be infinite Punifliments, as for Duration, for all Sins not repented of and pardoned, tho' differing in Degrees or Intenseness, proportionable to the Crimes committed. Q. Whether an Informer is not as much a Regue now for informing against the Vices that the Law now takes hold on, as he was for Informing against the Diffenters formerly, when they met together contrary Law? to A. This is a very rude Sort of Question, and carries a great deal of Malice and Ignorance in the very Face on't; and plainly fhews which Side the Querift wou'd take, if he was to be an Informer. But it may be confider'd, that Words of a good or indifferent Signification have been (afterwards by or Parent? fome Abuse or evil appearing in the thing fignified) vulgarly ufed in an evil Senfe (fee Vol. III. p. 32, 33. Objections about the Calumny of the Word Infor mer) and the like may be obferved of Profeffions and Employments, good and honourable in themselves, but often abus'd, and this in the Cafe of Informa tion: What fhall we think of a Perlon who profecutes another upon a Cafe of Slander, Murther of a Friend Without Doubt our Haters of Information wou'd not think it at all fcandalous, tho' here's but a particular Member of a Body Politick concern'd; much more is the Cafe enhanc'd, when the Fundamental Conftitution of the whole is endeavour'd to be fupplanted ; for it alters not the Cafe as to the Action, whether a Republick falls by Ignorance or Malice, 'tis down when fallen; and the Advantages to its Enemies are the fame. Hence it is indifputably evident, that 'tis an Indication of Ignorance, or Ignorance and Rebellion, or both, to give fuch Informers. as are Inftrumental to the Happiness of a Body Politick, the Epithets of Bafe, Little, Scandalous, or fuch like. A common Informer, in the Eye of the Law, is he who meerly for Lucre or Malice doth pr fecute vexatious Indictments, Informations and Actions, upon penal Statutes, without Regard to the State and Government, and the Reformation of the Offenders. And of this Sort ། Sort were those who were most active heretofore in Informing against Dissenters, &c. meerly for Lucre, Malice and Faction; for the Diffenters Practices were not Offences in their own Nature, but accidentally fuch, as contradictory to fome pofitive Laws of the Nation. But the Cafe is now much alter'd, and those who inform for Suppreffion of fuch abominable Wickednesses as are such, both in their own Nature, and in their Confequen. ces, do no more than what every Heathen State wou'd warrant for its own Prefervation But alas, The English Bravery and Virtue are come to a low Ebb, when its Members ftart fuch Objections as would have it abfolutely drain'd! Some through an ignorant, over-bufie Spirit (to give 'em no worse Character) wou'd introduce fuch Measures as wou'd render them and their Pofterity miferable, if yet there were not fome publick, good wife Men, that have more Pity for 'em than they have for themselves. Q. What's the Caufe of Flyblows, as they are commonly call'd? A. Tho' they are call'd fo by the Vulgar, who think the Flies fpit or blow 'em out of their Mouths, 'tis notorious, that they are mistaken in the End from whence they come, they being no better nor worfe than perfect Eggs, by which all Infects (and perhaps all other living Creatures) are propagated. Which Eggs in a little Time turn to Magots, as thofe Magots to Flies again, of the fame Species with those whence they are first produc'd. Q. How many Arts and Sciences may a Man by diligent Su dy be capable of Attaining ? A. All Arts and Sciences; Nay, more than all, and yet none at all. The meaning of this seeming Riddle is only thus much That the Nature of the Soul appears to be capable of infinite Improvement, or still new Advances in Knowledge, which Sort of infinite Capacity, is one part of that Image of GOD after which Man is made. Accordingly he's not only capable of understanding all the Arts and Sciences already invented, but of more than all; nay, a Thoufand Times more, cou'd any fuch be. He's capable, I fay, or has a Power of Understan. ding 'em all, had he Time or Opportunity for doing fo; but he does not actually understand to Perfection any one Art or Science; nay, not so much as one Individual in Phyficks, as to all its Properties and Effence. The Power, Nature has given to quicken our Induftry; the Impotence, to increafe our Modesty : Tho' in the mean time so much Knowledge may be actually attain'd, as will ferve for the Uses of Life, and even to make us happy beyond it: And the more Knowledge we attain to, the greater and larger still our Capacity is for more, as well from a Habit of Thinking thereby acquir'd, as from that Cognation or Relation there is between one thing and E 4 2 nother, nother, whence one Art ftill makes us better difpofed for the understanding another. Q. Why the French general ly love the English, and the English hate the French; the English love the Dutch, and the Dutch hate the English? A. At the first reading the Question, we fancy'd the Que rift thought himself at Crfs Purpfes, or just mistook the Matter, and told his Tale the clean contrary Way; but up. on further Confideration, we find there may be fome Ground for a great Part of the Suppofition, as to many Perfons at leaft of thofe Nations aforementioned; accordingly we fhall examine the Question feparately. First, Why the French love the English; We'll first give an Account why they did love 'em and 'twas for the fame Reafon that the Fox loves the Geefe, or the Wolf loves the Lambs, because they were good Prey, they got Money by 'em: We took off all their old Fashions and old Lumber, and fent 'em fine new Guinea's in the Room of them. But there's yet a better Reafon why they do love fome of the English, than why they did formerly: They find all the World against 'em, and none but fome of the English and the Turks that are for 'em; all the World curfes 'em, and prays for their Destruction or Downfal; but we have thofe who would be call'd English, that if ever they pray at all, do it for their Profperity and Succefs, and that they may ftill go on to -- plague the Universe. Nay more, the Swiss-Guards only fell their Carcaffes and Lives for the Grand Lewis; but fome of the English, thofe who have fworn to their prefent Majefties, and yet are in the Interests of France, are both perjur'd Wretches and false Traytors, to advance the Glo ry of the invincible Monarch, (for he that ftill runs away, must of Neceffity, till he is overtaken, be always invincible) and certainly the French must be very ungrateful not to love thofe who fell their Confcien. ces, Honours, very Souls, and all to oblige 'em. This to fhew why the French love the English: But 'tis a harder Task to lay why the English hate the French -only there are fome of them are a Parcel of rufty, rugged Fellows, that don't much fancy the Death of a Hogg, firft to be tickled, and then to have their Throats cut: They don't care to be Slaves themselves, nor to fee any of their Neighbours fo, unless they have a Mind to continue in their Bondage. They don't much admire either the Faith or Humanity of the French towards the poor Proteftants in their own Country, or the Vaudois in their Neighbourhood, or their late wonderful Lovingkindness towards the English Seamen in the Eaf-Indies, all of whom they lovingly knockt on the Head when they had fought 'em bravely, and cry'd for Quarter. So much for the French and English. For the Dutch and We, 'tis hoped we we shall be sooner agreed: We lov'd them, becaule they fo handfomly repaid our Old Eligabeth-Kindneffes, in lending us fuch a Fleet and Army, and fending us fuch a Prince to knock off our Chains, and fave us from Slavery and Damnation; and that's fo unanswerable an Argument that the Dutch hate us, that we need say no more on't. Q. When the English, Dutch, and French Fleets fought laft Tear, many of my Acquaintance who faw the Battle, cou'd difcern the Flashing of Fire, but beard no Guns, the Spectators flood upon a high Hill by the Sea, and others who were Thirty cr Forty Miles behind 'em within Land, did bear the Guns very perfectly: Query, Why thje within Sight at Ten Leagues Distance cou'd not hear, but thofe who were fo much farther off cou'd? very well be heard half a Quarter of an Hour before it reach'd 'em. It was impoffible to hear it upon the first Hill, for want of a proper Echo betwixt that and the Sea. If your Acquaintance had turn'd their Backs and hearkned from the Echoes within Land, they might have heard a faint Repetition of it that Way. We fhall in a little Time anfwer the Question about an Echo, which will plainly folve all Objections that seem to obviate this Subject. Q What's the Reason of applying the empty Shells of fome Shell-Filhes to your Ear, you may therein perceive a Noise like the Roaring of the Sea? a A. Thofe Shells have Gyral Conformation, not altogether unlike that of the Ear it felf: Now the Air being imprisoned in the Turnings and Windings within, has that particular rushing Sound, either in forcing it felf out, or paffing from one Part thereof to another, being forc'd in by the Motion of the exteriour Air, and wandering about in those Meatus's, or odd Labyrinths wherein 'tis receiv'd. Q. By what Means a Rudder guides a Ship? A. There was another Queftion fent me by the fame Hand, which the Querift may find formerly anfwer'd: But to give an Answer to this, a Sound cannot proceed farther than the first Body it meets with, all others are mock Sounds, or Echoes by a Reverberation, or Repercuffion of the Air; therefore the Sound meet- A. By making a small Sort ing with that Hill, whereupon of a Stream or Current, which your Acquaintance ftood, was made the firft Repercuffion, which wou'd answer in the next Valley to it, within Land, and as many Valleys as it met Q This Account is what I with, so many Echoes it have heard fo credibly attefted, made: So that when the that I cannot doubt the Truth of Sound came to thofe Perfons it. A Child of Ten Weeks old, fo far within Land, it might being taken with Convulfions, takes the Ship or Boat either on one Side or t'other, and turns it accordingly which way foever the Steers-Man pleases. the the laft Fit it bad, cry'd out diftinitly, Three Times, O GOD, and immediately dy'd; there was Six People in the Room, Two of them I know, fome of them were fo frighted, that they fell into Swoons. I defire your Thoughts of it. A. We have many Instances of Infants, that as they were dying, have lift up their Hands and Eyes, and have fmil'd, although their Age incapacitated them to know the Use of either Hands or Eyes, or to be affected with any external Object that cou'd raife a Smile; Which Inftances muft neceffa-, rily have their Rife from fome internal Agent: Perhaps their Intellect might have a supernatural Illumination, to fee their Innocence, and the Happiness of the Condition they were entring into; and this might be the Cafe of the prefent Inftance. Or elfe we hall offer this Phyfical Reafon: When the Soul was forced to leave the Body, it exerted all its Powers at once, to the higheft Degree it cou'd, even beyond its common Acting by proper Organs, and in the Strife forced that unusual Inftance. Juft fo an extinguishing Candle, when 'tis going out, rallies all its Powers together, and emits one greater Flame than it did all the Time it had Nutriment enough to fuftain it. Q. A certain Bully o' the Town bas, by his cunning Inftigations, drawn in a Toung Lady of a Confiderable Fortune into a folemn Contract, and Vow of Marriage, bis Way of Living being only by Fraud and ill Courses; that Obligation bas happened without Confent of the Lady's Parents. Query Whether it is in the Power of her Parents (the Lady alfo confenting) to make void this Contract, without incurring the Pe. nalties of the Law of GOD? A. In our former Oracles we gave our Opinion, how far a folemn Contract, made between Two Perfons, was obligatory, fuppofing Perfons at their own Difpofe; but the Cafe is very different here, and receives a quite contrary Anfwer. So long as Parents are living, they have a greater Propriety over their Children than the Age is generally aware of. We don't say, that Parents have that Right over their Children as to marry 'em against their own Confent, the many fad Confequences of fuch Marriages fhew it im practicable: But yet we affirm that Children cannot difpofe of themselves without the Confent of their Parents. 'Tis very remarkable, that when GOD permitted the Devil to exercife his Power over the Goods of Job, he flew his Children; whence 'tis evident, that Children are the Right and Goods of their Parents; but Goods cannot difpofe of themselves without the Owner's Leave. Our Law has upon this Confideration very well provided against taking away Children from Parents without their Confent, making it Felony, tho' 'tis feldom look'd after, but where an Eftate lies in Question, tho' the Right is the fame to Beg gars |