Children God gave them Knowledge, and Skill in all Learning and Wisdom; and Daniel had Underftanding in all Vifions and Dreams. And accordingly in the next Chapter, Daniel acknowledgeth and praifeth God, ver. 20, 21. Daniel Bleed be the Name of God for Wisdom and Might are his.

anfwered and faid, ever and ever, for He giveth Wisdom them that know Un

unto the Wife, and Knowledge to derstanding. But But not only Skill in fuperior Arts and Sciences, but even in the more inferior mechanick Art, is called by the fame Names, and afcrib'd unto GOD: Thus for the Workmanship of the Tabernacle, Exod. xxxi. 2. to ver. 6. See, I have called Bezaleel; and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in Wisdom, and in Understanding, and in all Manner of Workmanship: To devife cunning Works, to work in Gold, Silver and Brafs; and in cutting of Stones, to fet them; and in carving of Timber, to work in all Manner of Workmanship. So the Spinfters, Weavers, and other Crafts-people, are call'd wife-hearted, Exod. xxxiv. 10, 25, and other Pla ces. And in Exod. xxxvi. 1, &c. the LORD is faid to have put this Wifdom in them, and Underftanding to know how to work all these Manner of Works, for the Service of the Sanctuary. And laftly, to name no more Inftances, Hiram the chief Architect of Solomon's Temple, is in 1 Kings vii. 14. and 2 Chron. ii. 14. call'd à cunning Man, filled with Wisdom and Understanding, to work in Gold, Silver, Brafs, Iron, Stone, Timber, Purple, Blue, fine Linnen, and Crimson; alfo to grave, and find out every Device which fhould be put to him.

Thus doth the Word of God afcribe the Contrivances and Crafts of Men, to the Agency, or Influence of the Spirit of God, upon that of Man. And there is the fame Reason for the Variety of Genii, or Inclinations of Men alfo; which from the fame Scriptures may be concluded to be a Defignation, and Tranfaction of the fame Almighty Governour of the

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World's

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World's Affairs. And who indeed but HE, could make fuch a divine Subftance, endow'd with those admirable Faculties and Powers, as the rational Soul hath; a Being to bear the great Creator's Vicegerency in this lower World; to employ the feveral Creatures; to make Ufe of the various Materials; to manage the grand Bufineffes; and to furvey the Glories of all the vifible Works of God? A Creature, without which this lower World would have been a dull, uncouth, and defolate kind of Globe. Who, I fay, or what less than the Infinite GOD, could make fuch a rational Creature, fuch a divine Subftance as the Soul! For if we fhould allow the Atheift any of his nonfenfical Schemes, the Epicurean his fortuitous Concourse of Atoms, or the Cartefian (s) his created Matter put in Motion; yet with what tolerable Senfe could he, in his Way, produce fuch a divine, thinking, fpeaking, contriving Subftance as the Soul is; endow'd exactly with fuch Faculties, Power, and Difpofitions as the various Neceffities and Occafions of the World require from fuch a Creature? Why fhould not rather all the Acts, the Difpofitions and Contrivances of fuch a Creature as Man, if made in a mechanical Way, and not con

triv'd

(s) As we are not to accufe any fally, fo far be it from me to detract from fo great a Man as Monfieur Cartes was; whofe Principles, although many have perverted to atheistical Purposes, and whofe Notions have, fome of them, but an ill Afpect, yet I am unwilling to believe he was an Atheist; fince in his Principia Philofophie, and other of his Works, he vindicates himself from this Charge; and frequently fhews feemingly a great Refpect for Religion: Befides that, many of his fufpicious Opinions are capable of a favourable Inter pretation, which will make them appear in a better Form: Thus when he discardeth final Caufes from his Philosophy, it is not a Denial of them; but only excluding the Confideration of them, for the Sake of free philofophifing; it being the Bufinefs of a Divine, rather than a Philofopher, to treat of them.

(t) For

272 triv'd by God, have been the fame? Particularly, Why fhould he not have hit upon all Contrivances of equal Ufe, early, as well as many Ages fince? Why not that Man have effected, as well as this fome thousands of Years after? Why also should not all Nations, and all Ages (1), improve in

(t) For Ages of Learning and Ignorance, we may compare the prefent, and fome of the Ages before the Reformation. The last Century, and the few Years of this, have had the Happiness to be able to vie with any Age for the Number of learned Men of all Profeffions, and the Improvement made in all Arts and Sciences; too many, and too well known to need a Specification.

But for Ignorance, we may take the ninth Age, and fo down to the Reformation; even as low as Queen Elizabeth, although Learning began to flourish; yet we may guess how Matters flood, even among the Clergy, by her 53 Injun&. N° 1559. Such as are but mean Readers, fhould peruse over before, once or twice, the Chapters and Homilies, to the Intent they may read to the better Understanding of the People, the more Encou ragement of Godliness. Spar. Collect. p. 82. But this is nothing, in comparison to the Ages before, when the Monk faid, Gracam non eft legi; or as Efpencæus more elegantly hath it, Græcè noffe fufpectum, Hebraicè prope Hæreticum. Which Suf picion, (faid the learned Hakewill,) Rhemigius, furely was not guilty of, in commenting upon diffamatus, 1 Thef. i. 8. who faith, that St. Paul fomewhat improperly put that for divul gatus, not being aware that St. Paul wrote in Greek, and not in Latin. Nay, fo great was their Ignorance, not only of Greek, but of Latin too, that a Prieft baptiz'd in nomine Patria, & Filia, Spiritua fan&ta. Another fuing his Parishioners for not paving his Church, prov'd it from Jer. xvii. 18. Paveant illi, non paveam ego. Some Divines in Erafmus's Time, undertook to prove Hereticks ought to be burnt, because the Apoftle faid, Hæreticum devita. Two Fryars difputing about a Plurality of Worlds, one prov'd it from Annon decem funt facti mundi? The other reply'd, Sed ubi funt novem? And notwithstanding their Service was read in Latin, yet fo little was that understood, that an old Prieft in Hen. VIII's time, read Mumpfimus Domine for Sumpfimus: And being admonish'd of it, he faid, he had done fo for thirty Years, and would not leave his old Mumpfimus for their new Sumpfimus. Vid. Hakew. Apol. 1. 3. c. 7. Sect. 2.

(u) There

in every Thing, as well as this, or that Age, or Nation (u) only? Why fhould the Greeks, the Arabians, the Perfians, or the Egyptians of old, fo far exceed thofe of the fame Nations now? Why the Africans and Americans fo generally ignorant and barbarous, and the Europeans, for the most part, polite and cultivated, addicted to Arts and Learning? How could it come to pass, that the Ufe

(u) There is it seems) in Wits and Arts, as in all Things befide, a kind of circular Progress: They have their Birth, their Growth, their Flourishing, their Failing, their Fading; and within a while after, their Refurrection, and Reflourishing again. The Arts flourished for a long Time among the Perfians, the Chaldæans, the Egyptians- -But afterwards the Gre cians got the Start of them, and are now become as barbarous themselves, as formerly they esteemed all befide themfelves to be. About the Birth of Chrift, Learning began to flourish in Italy, and fpread all over Chriftendom, till the Goths, Huns, and Vandals, ranfacked the Libraries, and defaced almost all the Monuments of Antiquity: So that the Lamp of Learning feemed to be put out, for near the Space of 1000 Years, till the firft Manfor, King of Africa and Spain, raised up, and fpurred forward the Arabian Wits, by great Rewards and Encouragements. Afterwards Petrarch opened fuch Libraries as were undemolished. He was - feconded by Boccace, and John of Ravenna, and soon after by Aretine, Philelphus, Valla, &c. And thofe were followed by Eneas Sylvius, Angelus Politianus, Hermolaus Barbarus, Marfilius Ficinus, and Joh. Picus of Mirandula. Thefe were backed by Rud. Agricola, Reucline, Melanthon, Joach. Camerarius, Wolpblazius, Beat. Rhenanus, Almaines By Erafmus of Rotterdam; Vives, a Spaniard; Bembus, Sadoletus, Eugubinus, Italians: Turnebus, Muretus, Ramus, Pithaus, Budaus, Amiot, Scaliger, Frenchmen; Sir Tho. Mare, and Linaker, Englishmen. And about this Time, even thofe Northern Nations yielded their great Men; Denmark yielded Olaus Magnus, Holfter, Tycho Brahe, and Hemingius; and Poland, Hofius, Frixius, and Crumerus. But to name the Worthies that followed thefe, down to the prefent Time, would be endless, and next to impoffible. See therefore Hakewill's Apolog. 1. 3. c. 6. fect. 2.

Ufe of the Magnet (w), Printing (x), Clocks (y), Telescopes,

1

(w) Dr. Gilbert, the most learned and accurate Writer on the Magnet, fhews, That its Attractive Virtue was known as early as Plato and Ariftotle; but its Direction was a Difcovery of later Ages. He faith, Superiori avo 300 aut 400 labentibus annis, Motus Magreticus in Boream & Auftrum repertus, aut ab hominibus rurfus recognitus fuit. De Mag. 1. 1. c. I. But who the happy Inventer of this lucky Difcovery was, is not known. There is fòme, not inconfiderable, Reafon, to think, our famous Countryman, Rog. Bacon, either discovered, or at least knew of it. But for its Ufe in Navigation, Dr. Gilbert faith, In regno Neapolitano Melphitani omnium primi (uti fuerunt) pyxidem inftruebant nauticam

edoci à cive quodam Jol. Goia, A. D. 1300. ibid. If the Reader hath a mind to fee the Arguments for the Invention, being as old as Solomon's or Plautus's Time, or of much younger Date, he may confult Hakewill, ib. c. 10. fect. 4. or Purchas Pilgr. 1. 1. c. 1. fect. 1.

As to the Magnetick Variation, Dr. Gilbert attributes the Discovery of it to Sebaftian Cabott. And the Inclination, of Dipping of the Needle was the Discovery of our ingenious Rob. Norman. And laftly, The Variation of the Va riation, was firft found out by the ingenious Mr. H. Gellibrand, Aftr. Prof. of Greh. Coll. about 1634. Vide Gellibr. Difc. Math. on the Variation of the Mag. Needle, and its Variat. Anno 1635.

But fince that, the before commended Dr. Halley, having formerly, in Philof. Tranf. No 148, and 195, given a probable Hypothefis of the Variation of the Compafs, did, in the Year 1700, undertake a long and hazardous Voyage, as far as the Ice near the South Pole, in order to examine his faid Hypothefis, and to make a Syftem of the Magnetical Variations: Which being foon after published, has been fince abundantly confirmed by the French, as may be seen in feveral of the late Memoires de Phyfique & de Mathematique, publish'd by the French Academie des Sciences.

To these Discoveries, I hope the Reader will excuse me, if I add one of my own, which I deduced fome Years ago, from fome Magnetical Experiments and Obfervations I made; which Difcovery I alfo acquainted our Royal Society with, fome Time. fince, viz. That as the common, horizontal Needle is continually varying up and down, towards the E. and W. fo is the Dipping-Needle varying up and down, towards

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