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him a scholar. He was accordingly received into the convent at Ascoli-and-in his thirteenth year assumed the habit. He made a surprising progress in learning; and, by his abilities, acquired the favour of Cardinal Carpi, who promoted him, till at length he became a cardinal himself. And, though he was of an ambitious impetuous, disposition, upon his promotion to the sacred college, in the forty-ninth year of his age, to conceal his aspiring views, he affected a total disregard of all worldly pursuits, and became. humble, meek, patient, and affable; and, during the last three years of the pontificate of Gregory, affected to be very infirm and sickly, so that he was often saluted, "God help you! poor old man, you have almost run your race." While they were crowding to him in the conclave to congratulate him, he sat coughing and weeping, as if some great misfortune had befallen him: but, he no sooner perceived, upon the scrutiny, that there was a sufficient number of votes to secure his election, than he threw his staff, with which he used to support himself, into the middle of the cha pel, stretched himself up, and appeared taller by almost a foot than he had for seve, ral years before. When the master of the ceremonies asked him, according to the form, whether he was pleased to accept of the papacy, he replied, somewhat sharply, "It is trifling and impertinent to ask whether I will accept of what I have already accepted: however, to satisfy any scruple that may arise, I tell you I accept it with great pleasure, and would accept another if I could get it; for, I find myself strong enough, by the Divine assistance, to manage two papacies." When, in his youth, he resided at Macerata, he went one day to a shocmaker's shop to buy a pair of shoes; after some dispute about the price, the shoemaker told him he would take no less than seven Julios, or three shillings and sixpence; Montalto offered him six Julios, which was all the money he had, and said, " Perhaps I shall be able to give you the seventh some time or other." "Some time or other," replied the shoemaker, "but when will that be? when you come to be pope?" "Yes," said Montalto, "that I will with all my heart, and pay you interest for your money too." "Well, then," answered the shoemaker, since you are not without hopes of being pope, you shall even have them upon those terms." Which he punctually performed, and paid forty years interest. Mod. Univ. Hist. val. xxvi. p. 577, 378, 383.

The famine was so severe, that the flesh of asses, dogs, cats, and mice, was reckoned a delicacy, and a pound of coarse bread was sold for thirteen Julios, or six shillings and sixpence. However, the rigour of Pope Sixtus V. had so great an effect, that there was not the least theft or robbery committed in the city; though, to make a trial of their honesty, he caused a waggon-load of bread to be brought to Rome from some distance. So great a reformation had he wrought in the manners of the Romans, that the governor of the city told him one day, that the place of judge was now become a perfect siuęcure; to which he answered, if he thought the people would relapse into their former, licentiousness after he was dead, he would hang them all while he was alive. Id. p. 394.

SACRIFICES,

SACRIFICES, no doubt, in their first institution, were exactly calculated to prefigure and represent that one great sacrifice which was to be offered for the sins of mankind; but, by tradition, through many generations all the world over, they became corrupted and abused to Idolatry, and lost that similitude and aptness they had to typify and represent what they were at first designed for; as the most probable ac count of the origin of sacrifices is, that they were ordained by God by way of explanation of that prophecy, Gen. iii. 15; which, in all probability, was more fully understood, when it was first delivered, than ever it was afterwards, till the coming of that seed of the woman into the world. Bp Brown's Serm. vol. i. p. 175.

It is a favourite maxim with Locke, as it was with some antient philosophers, that the human SOUL, previous to education, is like a piece of white paper or tabula rasa; and this simile, harmless as it may appear, betrays our great modern into several important mistakes: it is, indeed, one of the most unlucky allusions that could have been chosen. The human soul, when it begins to think, is not extended, nor inert, nor of a white colour, nor incapable of energy, nor wholly unfurnished with ideas, (for, if it think at all, it must have some ideas, according to Mr Locke's definition of the word,) nor is susceptable of any one impression as another. But the first book of his essay, which, with submission, I think the worst, tends to establish this dangerous doctrine; that the human mind, previous to education and habit, is as susceptible of any one impression as of any other; a doctrine which, if true, would go near to prove that truth and virtue are no better than human contrivances, or, at least, nothing permanent in their nature, but may be as changeable as the inclinations and capacities of men; and that, as we understand the word, there is no such thing as common sense in the world. Beattie on Truth, p. 150, 238.

The seducer assumed the body of a SERPENT, a creature of great subtilty, and, at that time, of a noble form, far superior to that which he bears at present. This, how little soever we may have attended to it, the Scripture has been careful to apprise us of; for, he is twice reckoned among the beasts, in plain contradistinction to reptiles. Owen's Serin. vol. i. p. 81.

It is observed, by Bishop Tenison, that the serpent which appeared to Eve was a shining fiery one, and that, by the lustre of it, Eve mistook it for an angel. Ques. 1st. Whether any angel had appeared to Eve, as Scripture is altogether silent about it? Ques. 2d. Whether we may suppose God would have permitted such a deception? Ques. 3d. Whether such an opinion is agreeable to the curse afterwards denounced on the serpent?

Alii de vero serpente intelligunt, sie tamen ut Satan per eum tanquam per organum locutus sit; ut liquet ex Apoc. xii. 9, xx. 2, 10. Vid. Poli. Synops. et Warburton, Bp Sherlock, Vossius, &c.

Middleton,

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Middleton, &c. suppose this relation of the serpent to be a mere allegory and moral fable. But, if this is the case, what becomes of the Gospel-history? And is not the curse upon the serpent manifestly alluded to in those words of our blessed Saviour, who, as was foretold, was to bruise the serpent's head?" Behold," addressing himself to his disciples, "I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, (i.e. Satan,) and nothing shall by any means hurt you." Grotius and Bochart observe, that here is a manifest allusion to Ps. xej. 13 but, as Bp Sherluck on this passage remarks, "How came the tempter to consider these words, v. 11, 12, as belonging only to him who was to be the Son of God? From the words themselves, he could not collect this, but there was another character in the very next verse, (18,). and belonging to the same person, which he could not mistake; for this person, over whom the angels were to have charge, was to tread upon the lion and adder, and the young lion and the dragon to trample, under feet. He knew; by this mark, to whom this whole prophecy belonged. He could not forget who was to bruise his head." Ap-: pendix to second Dissert.

Super aspidem Ita Sy. Ar., br,quod alibi leonem sonat, hid pro serpente sumunt. Et sane toto illo versu Davidem verisimile est solùm egisse de, serpentibus. Sic omnia melius cohærebunt, quam si leones cum serpentibus permisceas. Nemo facile dixerit quid sit, ambulake super leonem, aut calcare leunculum; neque enim quisquam est qui leonem ambulando calcet, quo modo solemus aspides, et anguium reliqua genera.[ Boorart in Pol Synopsi vede a condone i och ro 9

-Ex eo consensu et affinitate, quæ inter serpentes et dæmones eorumque ritus intercessit, evenisse sentio, quod calcare super serpentes, et calcare super omnem diaboli potestatem; tanquam phrases synonyma usurpentur. Speheer, tom i....:

But the consent and affinity between the devi and serpents arose merely from the transaction of the fall, and is inexplicable upon any other principle. See my Tract on the Worship of the Serpent, published in 1804.

Though in all theovérsións the serpentis represented, as the most subtle of living creatures, yet the term Gen.iii. I, which) Moses makes use of, signifies quite another thing in its primitive, signification, namely naked. Accordingly he says, in the preceding verse, that our first parents were on, naked; so that, in a figurative sense, it may properly enough signify an inoffensive harmless creature... It seems even probable that the sacred historian takes notice of this circumstance, as one main reason of Eve's being so easily deceived by it; for what could be more fit for the devit's purpose than such a bnt, which was furnished with neither legs, claws, nor horns, or any one single part even for its own defence. Had it been really the craftiest of all animals, Adam could not but have known it, who gave them all names according to their natures; and then Eve could not but have been particularly mistrustful of him :bson that he would have been the last the devil would have pitched, upon to tempt her. And, whenever this term is used to signify cunning, is ironically, applied. Univ. Hist. vol. iii.

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That it was SAMUEL himself that appeared to Saul is evident from all circumstances; and the reasons that God should appoint him to appear on this occasion: might be to reprove the practice of witchcraft, and to establish the truth of the immortality of the soul upon the foot of sensible evidence. Delany's Life of David. See Poole, also, and Univ. Hist.

First Epistle of John, e. v. 16. If any man see his (sick) brother SIN A SIN, which is not unto death, (i. e. for which God hath not peremptorily threatened and required! that he should die for it, as he did to them who were guilty of murder, Gen. ix. 5, 6, and for Idolatry, Deut. xvii. 2, 3, 4, 5,) he shall ask (of God restoration of his life and health,) and he shall give him life for them that sin not (thus) into death. There is a sin unto death (of which God hath denounced that he that doth it shall die for it.) I do not say that he shall pray for it, (i. e. for deliverance of the person guilty of it from death.) Whitby's Parap.

It must be owned, that if that festival, the SABBATH, had been instituted and kept from the beginning, we cannot see why Moses should be so exact and cautious in the particulars he gives about the institution and observance of it, especially in his probibition of gathering manna on that day, unless we suppose, with Pailo, that the Israelites had quite lost the memory of it. Univ. Hist. vol. iii. This might perhaps be the case, or the Israelites might have relaxed so much in the religious observance of it as to make the re-institution of it necessary; and the prohibition of gathering manna on the Sabbath, which was a miraculous provision for them,› was to instruct the Israelites that the Sabbath, or one day in seven, after the example of God in the creation of the world, was to be observed as a religious rest throughout all generations.

By the SUN's standing still, Josh. x. 12, 13, the whole land of Canaan was made sensible that a mightier God was on Israel's side than any that was worshipped there, by stopping the course of the sun and moon, the two grand deities of these idolatrous nations. Had Israel's sword alone gained the conquest, it would have been imputed to their strength; had nothing happened but the storm of hail-stones, to chance; whereas the stopping the two great luminaries in their career, thus universally felt, must. convince those unhappy people that their Gods were subject to that of Israel, as well as preserve the latter from falling into the Idolatries of the former. Univ. Hist. vol.

iii.

The Canaanites worshipped the sun by the name of Baal and Moloch, and the moon by the name of Ashtoreth. God, therefore, wrought this miracle that he might teach them, as well as the Jews, that Jehovah, the God of Israel, created and governed these. Ows Serm.

1 Verisimile:

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Verisimile est Josuam utrumque astrum vidisse; nam luna tunc nova fuit; nec procul a sole meavit. Vates Habbakkuk inter alia Dei miracula, solem lunamque substitisse memorat, c. iii. 11. Sic Siracides, c. xlvi. 5, 6. Nec est quod miretur aliquis rem tantam non esse gentium literis proditam memoriæ; nihil enim in illis commemoratur ex iis, quæ ante bellum Trojanum acciderunt, quo vetustiores erant res a Josue gestæ mille circiter annis. Masius, &c. in Polo..

Et reduxit umbram decem gradibus, &c. 2 Reg. xx. 11. Quid retrocessit? Num sol? An vero umbra tantum? Ipse sol retroactus fuit, ut patres communiter docent. Reduxit umbram, et ex consequenti solem, a quo umbra dependebat Probatur, 1. Ex Is. xxxviii. 8, ubi dicitur reversus est sol; et idem Ecclesiast. xlviii. 26. 2. Umbra horologii nequivit retrocedere, nisi sole retrocedente, &c. 3. Cur alioqui, a Babylone submisşi legati inquirerent de hoc portento, si istud umbratile tantum, nec nisi Jerosólymis in unico regis horologio spectatum fuisset, 2.Chron. xxxii. 31. Non penitus id nesciverunt Ethnici. Hinc, vel ex miraculo Josuæ, desumptum, quod finxerunt poetæ de nocte a Jove duplicata, ut Alcmenâ frueretur: de quo vide quæ loquitur Sos. in Plaut. Amphit. Certe ædepol scio, &c. Herod. etiam in Euterpe meminit tum cædis Sennacheribi, tum solaris hujus prodigii, sed veris multa falsa permiscens, ut ait Jose phus. Persæ in memoriam hujus prodigii soliti triplicem solem celebrare, putá progredientem, regredientem, ac rursum progredientem. Masius, Tirinus, &c. in

Polo.

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The best method to account for the miracle is to suppose that it consisted in the bare reversion or inflexion of the sun-beams. Univ. Hist. vol. iv.

-The worship of Ham, or the sun, as it was the most antient, so it was the most universal, of any in the world. It was at first the prevailing religion of Greece, and was propagated over all the sea-coast of Europe, from whence it extended itself into the inland provinces. It was established in Gaul and Britain, and was the original feligion of this island, which the druids in after times adopted. Bryant's Mythol. vol. i.

P.

284.

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I have shewn that the Telchinian and Cabiritic rites consisted in Arkite memorials. The like mysteries, according to Artemidorus, prevailed in one of the British isles, in which he says that the worship of Damater was carried on with the same rites as in Samothracia. I make no doubt but that this history was true, and that the Arkite rites prevailed in many parts of Britain, especially in the isle of Mona, where in after times was the chief seat of the Saronides, or druids. Monai signifies insula Selenitis,: vel Arkitis. It was sometimes expressed Menai, as is evident from the frith between the island and the main land being styled Aber Menai at this day. Aber Menai signifies fretum insulæ, dei luni, which island undoubtedly had this name from its rites. The same worship was probably farther introduced into some of the Scottish Isles, the Hebrides of the antients,' and particularly into that called Columbkil, or Columba."

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