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457 call it, has always been reckon'd infeparable from the fupreme Being; infomuch that fome learned Men have thought that this was the genuine and proper Sense of the Word walonpei Tap, the Epithet given to God in our Creed, quafi nala KeαTv, containing and comprehending all Things. This is affirm'd by an ancient and venerable Father in the second Century, who was the fixth Bishop of Antioch after St. Peter, I mean, Theophi lus, who, giving an Account of those Words which are attributed to God, as Lord and the Higheft, tells us, that he is called nalo Kpop, because he contains and comprehends all Things (¿uwɛejénɛl, the very Word that Strabo has made ufe of in the Paffage before us;)" for, adds he, the Height of "the Heavens, the Depth of the Abyss, and the "Bounds of the habitable World, are in his Hands." But the learned and ingenious Author of the History of the Apoftles Creed goes farther ftill. He not only maintains, that this was the true and proper Meaning of the Word aloned Twp, but afferts, that it was inferted into that Symbol by the Compilers of the Creed, with a particular View to a certain Herefy, and with a Defign to oppofe the Gnofticks, who did not allow that all-containing and comprehending Power in the Deity; but confined it within a certain Place, they call'd the ПAρua, bound and limited by a certain Being, call'd p, the mere Fiction and Invention of their Brains; and this, he faith, exactly agrees and anfwers the Etymon, Παλοκράτωρ, from Πανα Keтe, which does not fignify to rule and govern, but to take in and comprehend all. But, granting Mr. Toland's Obfervation to be true, and that Strabo did really afcribe fuch a Belief and Religion to the Jewish Law-giver, or one worse than that, if we can imagine any thing that is fo, I cannot fee, for my Life, how this can in the leaft affect the Religion of the Jews; for it can only Hh2 ferve

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ferve to fhew that this Greek Writer had but a very imperfect Knowledge of Judaism, and had not taken due Care, Fontes adire remotos, to go to the very Springs, and to confult the Originals of the Sacred Writings. What makes me believe that he had never feen them is, that he takes no manner of Notice of the Account given by Mofes of the Land of the Jews, which feems fo widely to differ from his own (the firft calling it a Land flowing with Milk and Honey; the laft, not a good and happy Soil, or defirable Place to live in, non felici folo nec 1960) nor paffeth the leaft Cenfure upon it, as he has frequently done, and that with much Freedom, by the Writers of the greatest Figure among the Ancients; as when he faith, that one ought to give greater Credit to Homer and Hefiod, when they speak of their Heroes, and even to some of the Tragick Writers, than to Herodotus, Ctefias, Hellanicus, and other Authors of that fort; and that we ought to be cautious in believing the Writers of the Life of Alexander the Great, who impose on their Readers, and invent many Things to magnify the Actions of that Prince, and to fet off their Hero; and who, writing of Matters done at a great Distance towards the extreme Parts of Afia, might expect not to be fo eafily found out. This, I fay, is enough to convince me, that Strabo had never read the Books of Mofes in their Original; which, if he had, would have told him that the Jewish Nation was very far from Pantheifm, or Spinozism, and from profeffing fuch an abfurd and fenfelets Religion, but that the God, whom Mofes had enjoin'd them to adore, was an only, fupreme, immortal, and unchangeable Being, which comprehends and contains all things in the World, and governs and directs. them according to his Wifdom and Pleasure, as has been confeffed by Tacitus and others of their greatest Enemies, and was as much as Jews or Chriftians themfelves could fay. Be it as it will, let

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459 the Senfe of this Place in Strabo be what it will, 'tis certain that Writer was very far from having a mean or bad Opinion of the Jewish Religion, but rather had very favourable Thoughts of it; fince he call'd it, as I have fhewn above, a truly juft and pious Inftitution, and declared, that the Succeffors of Mofes continued to be truly juft, truly religious, whilft they governed themselves by his Laws and conform'd to his Commands, which is all I at present contend for, and for which I first quoted that excellent Writer. Strabo faith farther, in Commendation of Mofes, that he affirmed, that it was stupid and fenfelefs to imagine," that God "could, in any manner, refemble thofe Creatures "which are prefent with us; and we behold with "our Eyes, that the true Way of ferving him, "was to reject Idols and Image-Worship, and with "a pure, chafte and undefiled Mind, to adore "him in a Temple that was worthy of him, and "that without any Image or Figure; that to fuch "true and fincere Worshippers he would not fail "from time to time to fend good Vifions and "Dreams; in a word, that no Help and Af"fiftance could be expected from Idols and Images, "and that all the Happiness in the World came " from God alone. Words which, coming from the Mouth of a Heathen, and a Stoic Philofopher, ought, for the Honour of Mofes and his Religion, to be written in Characters of Gold, to filence the Lies and Calumnies of fpiteful, malicious Writers, and cover even fome Chriftians, in our Days, with Shame and Contufion, who, notwithstanding the bright Light of Revelation they enjoy, the many Penalties and Judgments that, in almost every Page of the holy Writings, are pronounced against Idolatry, can be fo fenfelefs and stupid as to reprefent God by an Image, and, under the Figure of a frail mortal Man, to worship the great Lord and Governor of the World.

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INDE X.

A

LGAROTTI, (Sig.) A Synopfis of his Dia-
logues on Light and Colours, Page 391-408.
Appion, the Orthography and Etymology of his
Name, 9. His Character, ibid. His inveterate
Hatred of the Jews, 10.
His ridiculous Fiction
concerning the Object of their Adoration, 11. Con-
jectures about the Grounds of that Calumny, 14.
Archimedes. See Remarks.

Ark, the Place of its refting after the Deluge, 6.
Aftronomicon, (Manilius's) its different Titles, 377.
The feveral Copies thereof collated by Dr. Bentley,
for perfecting his Edition of it, 382.

B

BAKER, (Mr.) bis Reflections on Learning

recommended, 115.

Bible, the Hiftory of its Tranflations continued, 23-
56.

Bofwel, (Rev. Mr. John) his Method of Study, 105-

144. The Deficiency of other Treatifes on this
Subject, 107. The Difpofition of Mr. Boswel's,
109. The Intention of it, 110. His Conjectures
concerning the Peopling of Ireland, 125. His
Animadverfions on fome Miftakes in Mr. Horfeley's
Britannia Romana, 127-129.

Boulainvilliers, (Count de) an Abstract of his Ac-
count of the ancient Parliaments of France, 211-
234. Character of this Author, 212. Of the
abovefaid Work, 213.

C

CALIGULA, bis Order for the Destruction

of the Jews at Jerufalem, 10.

Camden, (Mr.) bis Account of the Derivation of the Picts, 120. Of the Irish, ibid.

Carter, (Mrs. Elizabeth) her admirable Accomplish

ments, 392.

Catch-word, An Enquiry into the Time of its coming into general Ufe, 275.

Cave, (Dr.) Proposals for an improved Edition of bis Hiftoria Literaria, 388.

Caxton, (William) Memoirs of him, 247-276. His Manner of Printing, 273.

Charlemaigne, bis excellent Character, 222–225. Chronology, Particulars requifite to be known therein, 133.

Cicero, bis candid Reprefentation of the Jews, 448. Claffical Learning, defined, 139. Authors to be read for the Attainment of it, 140. Some Qualifications requifite to a profitable Perufal of them,

140-142.

Clerks, or Counsellors, in France, the Foundation of their Dignity and Influence, 218.

D

DANIEL, (Father) Remarks on him as an

216.

Deifts, Reflections on their Difingenuity, 18.
De Worde (Wynkyn) commended, 276.
Dio, bis Account of the Jews, 15.

Distance, the Caufe of our Ideas of it affigned, 436 -443.

Doddridge, (Dr.) an Acount of his Family Expofitor, 408-416.

Dryden, Mr. his Tranflation of the 40th and 41ft Lines of Virgil's third Eclogue cenfured, 82.

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