ТНЕ LONDON MAGAZINE. MAY, 1733. A View of the Weekly ESSAYS and DISPUTES in this Month. Univerfal Spectator, May 5. N° 239. Of the Contemplation of the Works of M Nature. R. Stonecastle recom- of 400 different To examine the Works of Nature, and by confidering their various Beauty, Order, Contrivance, and Ufe, to raise our Thoughts to that Al C D mighty Firft Caufe, who in Wisdom has form'd them all, is the most delightful Employment the Soul of Man can find here, and may, perhaps, hereafter compofe its eternal Happinefs. The Pleafures of Senfe are mean and trifling to thofe of Contemplation, and the Philofopher from every Infect, Leaf, or Flower, can reap a Satisfaction, not only more becoming the Dignity of human Nature, but likewife more exquifite than whatever the Epicure or Debauchee can imagine in his Banquet, his Bottle, or his Miftrefs. Senfual Enjoyments, could we obtain all our Nature is capable of, are confin'd within a narrow Compass, and the Repetition of them palls upon the Appetite, to fay nothing of the Mischiefs they bring on the Conftitution, and the Remorfe that frequently attends them: But the Subjects of Contemplation are next to infinite, and every Thought we bestow upon them does not only make us wifer, happier and better, but gives us ftill a higher Relifh, enlarges our Faculties, and enables us to proceed farther. To behold, examine, and underftand the Operations and Defigus of Gg the the Almighty, and from thence to admire, adore and imitate his Wisdom and Goodnefs, is, probably, the happy Employment of Angels and bleffed Spirits; and whenever the Mind of Man is bufied in the fame Manner, it enjoys the utmoft Felici- A ty it is capable of at prefent. This delightful Seafon of the Year, when Nature fmiles around, and every Thing, both animate and inanimate, feems contending which fhall beft declare the Goodness of its Creator, muft furely awake the rea- B fonable Soul of Man to Contemplation: The flowery Meadows, the fragrant Gardens, the bloomy Orchards, the lowing Kine, the bleating Flocks, the harmonious Birds, muft all infpire the most agreeable Reflections. C D E After giving an Account of the Work, be fays, What an ample Field for Contemplation is here laid open to us! What a Scene of Wonder and Admiration! What a Check to the Pride and Vanity of Man, whofe utmoft Knowledge is unable to account for the meaneft of these Productions! Can he find out, with all his boafted Reason, wherefore the Violet is array'd in Purple; why the Sun Flower glows with Yellow, and the Lilly appears in White; Or fo much as form a Conjecture, by what furprizing Chymistry, Nature, from the fame Soil, extracts the delicious but different Juices of innumerable Sorts of Fruits? Can he even tell how the Apple and Cherry become round; the Pear and Fig F oblong? How the Walnut acquires a Shell that is broke with Difficulty, whilft the Mulberry growing near it, has a Skin fo tender it fcarce endures the Touch? Why hang the Grapes in Clusters? Why grow fome Fruits on lofty Trees, fome on Bufhes, and G others on the Ground? If thefe Things, which feem fo trifling, are beyond the Reach of human Underftanding, how great must be Man's Folly, Affurance, and Prefumption, when he takes upon him to comprehend the Difpenfations of the Almighty, infolently dares impeach his Juftice, and pretend to direct his Wifdom in the Government of the Universe! Weekly Mifcellary, May 5. No 21. Caufes of the Growth of Infidelity. Writer in this Paper imputes A the Growth of Infidelity to the reigning Luxury of the prefent Age, to a Want of Difcipline, and to the bad Tafle, and falfe Politeness, that direct the Sentiments, and influence the Conduct of our People; which fhews itself both in our Manners, and our Learning. But we must not forget, fays he, that the Original, and the most Standing Caufe of Infidelity, is Popery. The Truth of Miracles has been weaken'd by counterfeit ones: The Truth of Testimony by their Doctrine of Lying for the Service of the Church; and the Certainty of our Sacred Records has been question'd, to make room for their uncertain Traditions. Nor do they stop here, but actually encourage the Growth of Irreligion. Hence Jefuits go masqu'd under the Character of Infidels; and they, whofe real Fault is Superftition, appear as the Patrons of Profaneness. They think we fhall be damn'd for being Heretics, and fhall but be damned for being Atheists; so that they imagine they do us no Injury, while they greatly promote their own Advantage. Thefe Thoughts were fuggefted upon reading the following Remonstrance, which tho' it has been formerly publifh'd, was never fufficiently difpers'd, and is now almost entirely forgotten. Mr. Mr. John Hampden's Remonftrance against the Errors, &c. of Father Simon. B Strength in them, when I infinuated them, rather than open'd them, to fome of my familiar Acquaintance; and, I am afraid, I have contributed thereby to caft fome of them into Opinions, and perhaps Practices, contrary both to the Truth, and the Commandments of the Christian Religion. I do likewife acknowledge, that having difcourfed freely with the Author of the Critical History, and having heard from his own Mouth, that he allowed yet lefs, the Authority of the Books of the New Teftament, than thofe of the Old, which fhould naturally have obliged me to avoid all Communication with him; yet I furnished him with Money to execute a Defign which he framed C of a Critical Polyglot Bible; which, after the Declaration he made to me, I think I ought to have confider'd as a Design which tended to destroy the Certainty of the Books of the New Teftament, as well as of the Old. HAVING been in a moft eminent Manner under God's afflicting Hand, I think myself oblig'd to examine A my Confcience concerning the Caufes for which it has pleased his Divine Wisdom to inflict fo many fignal Judgments upon me for Years laft past. And I do freely confefs, that, among many other heinous Sins whereof I am guilty, there is one efpecially which caufes me great Trouble, and to which I was principally drawn by that Vanity and Defire of Vain Glory, which is fo natural to the corrupted Hearts of Men. The Particular is this, That notwithstanding my Education was very pious and religious, and the Knowledge I had of the Certainty of the Truth of the Chriftian Religion, yet, to obtain the Reputation of Wit and Learning, which is fo much esteemed in the World, I was fo unhappy as to engage myfelf in the Sentiments and Principles of the Author of the Critical Hiftory of the Old Testament; which yet I plainly perceived did tend to overthrow all the Belief which Chriftians have of the Truth and Authority of the Holy Scriptures, under Pretence of giving great Authority to Tradition, which afterwards is easily twined and accommodated, as beft fuits the Intereft of thofe who take upon them to cry it I believe I could have eafily anfwered, and as could not make any Impreflion, but upon those who are willing to cast off the Yoke of their Duty, and Obligation we are all under to live in the Fear of God; yet I was fo rafh and foolish, as to pretend I thought there was great D I believe this Project of a Polyglot Bible was innocent enough in itself, and might have been confiderably ufeful in the Manner it was agreed on between F. Simon, a Friend of mine, and myself. However that may be, I cannot forgive myself, after what I knew of that Father's E Opinion concerning the Authority of the Scriptures, for embarking my-, felf with a Man who had fo plainly declared his Thoughts to me in that Matter; and fo much the rather, becaufe, upon Confideration, I fee F well enough how the Execution of this Defign would have encreased in me thofe loofe Principles, which I have already received from the reading of his Critical History. This Confeffion I make with all poffible Sincerity, and with much G Grief, for having offended God by fo great a Sin, for which I heartily beg Pardon of Him; and I do earneftly befeech all thole that may to any Degree have been feduced, either Gg 2 by 224 Weekly ESSAYS in by Difcourfes or Examples, that they would feriously reflect upon the Danger they are in, that they may be delivered from it in Time, and from fuch Judgments of God as he has been pleased to lay upon me. This Confeffion I have written and A figned with my Hand, to the End that if I fhall die before I can speak with thofe I have perverted by my Example, they may return to themfelves and to God as I do, by folemn Proteftation which I make to them, that the Opinions I have taught them were B nothing but the Effects of my Pride and Vanity, which I unfeignedly condemn, defigning to live and die in thofe contained in this Paper. J. HAMPDEN. Duplicates of this Paper (of which this is a C Fog's Journal, May 5. N° 235. The Hiftory of Dr. Ferdinando Ferdinandi. Na great and populous Cities, T (fys Fog) you every now and then fee fome enterprizing Spirit ftart up, who lives merely by impofing on the Publick. D I have heard of two extravagant E Fellows, who having spent their Subftance, confulted together, when they came to their laft Guinea,) what Courfe to take; and as Law and Phyfick were Profeffions which fuited their prefent Circumftances, because a Man might fet up without any F Stock, except what was native to him, they fixed upon thefe: And putting two Papers into a Hat, with' the Word Phyfick writ upon one, and Law upon the other, they drew their Lots, and immediately, as Chance directed, one was dub'd a Counfellor, and the other a Doctor. The Story fays farther, that, like other Practitioners, one ruin'd his Clients, the other kill'd his Patients; and fo MAY, 1733 they both grew fo eminent in their Other inferior Impoftors draw by certain little Deceits; as the Felfmall Sums out of Peoples Pockets, low, who proclaim'd, that a strange Animal, much like a Horfe, with the Head where the Tail fhould be, was to be seen in fuch a Place: When the People flocked to fee this ftrange their Money, leads them into a StaSight, the Projector having first taken ble, fhews them a Mare with her Tail tied to the Manger, and laughs it off for a Jeft. G But of all the Raree-Shew Men, commend me to a certain impudent Fellow, that I faw in my Travels, who at first profefs'd nothing but Legerdemain, but afterwards fell into a Trade of fhewing Monsters to the People. This Fellow produced fome new Monster every Year for a confiderable Time, and gave to all of them moft furprizing Qualities, which they had not; and when the People, who paid their Money, complained of the Bite, he always carried it off with an impudent Sneer: The next Monfter he had to fhew, he wou'd wish the D what he was now going to entertain might Dmn him if them with wou'd not make them amends for all that paft, and then he certainly produced a worfe. Thus he went on till the People threatened to have him feized and punifhed as an Impostor. At length he refolved to firike one bold Stroke for all, and found out a Moniter, by which he propofed to get as much as fhou'd make him eafy for ever, and fet him out of the Reach of these Enemies. Nothing where you wou'd, Nobody talked of ever made fo great a Noife, for go any thing but this Monfer; for the Projector kept feveral Zanis in Pay (who by the By had never fcen it, for he refolved to conceal it till he had had got the Peoples Money) to praise Gentlemen and Ladies, Here is the moft illuftrious Doctor Ferdinando Ferdinandi, whofe Fame is fo well known in this Kingdom, and indeed all over the World, for his most. ingenious and furprizing Dexterity at B Slight of Hand, that for any Man to endeavour to disparage it, would be as vain as to attempt to p-fs out the Sun. Gentlemen and Ladies, this great Man once more comes to prefent himself to you, having, with indefatigable Pains, and at bis own great Expence, C brought over a curious Curiofity, being a moft monftrous Kind of a Monfter not to be parallell'd in the whole World. Gentlemen and Ladies, the Doctor does not bang out the Picture of his Monster, like other vulgar Projectors; no, be gives you an Opportunity of paying your Money beforehand, and if you don't like it after you have feen itwhy ben you may all go to the D-I. Here the Doctor himfelf advanced, and proceeded as follows: Gentlemen and Ladies, Were I altogether a Stranger amongst you, you might have Reason to suspect, that I was about to impofe upon you in what I am going to say ; Comfort is, that you all know I never told a* Lye in my Life. but my Gentlemen and Ladies, I have at my own private Coft brought into this City the Wonder of the World, being a moft delicate Sort of a Monfter. I cannot find Words to express all its Excellencies; it is as fwift as a Stag, as Strong as a Lyon, and as gentle as a Lamb; then, as to Beauty, it has all the Charms of a young Virgin, in one Word, Gentlemen and Ladies, it is a perfect Angel of a Monster. It bas travell'd thro' moft Parts of Europe, Godmother to it at the Font. In France E F The whole Crowd began immediately to fmoak the Doctor; for they all knew by long Experience that he was the moft lying Rogue unhang'd; but, befides, many of them had leen this Monster both in Holland and France, where she had devoured whole Families, and was fuch a Terror to from the People, that they fled away it wherever it came; fhe was indeed a most unseemly Beast to behold; and tho' the Doctor was pleased to affert that he lived like a Cameleon, fhe had two Rows of Teeth fo fharp, that they would grind a Man to Death if he light between them. It had a Mouth like a Crocodile, or to fpeak more properly, it was all Mouth; and Time itself, which is faid to de. *Here the Doctor fneer'd in bis ufual manner. vour |