:

Intended this for an Introduc tion to the next; but it has swell'd, till I am forced to give it a Name. I have shewed that this System, and every Thing in it, was created before Man was made: And in my Introduction to Mfine P-, that they were for two Ends, for his Support, and for his Information: That as he has several Organs of Percep tion or Sensation in his Body, fome were for the Ufe of it, fome for the Ufe of his

Soul, fome for both. The chief, that of
Seeing,

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Seeing, to enable him to procure Support and Conveniencies for his Body, and to take in Ideas for the Information of his Soul. The next, the Organs for Speech and Hearing; as he was to be a fociable Creature, and have the Ufe of Words or Language, to convey and receive the Images or Ideas of Perfons, Things or Actions, which were in the Mind of one, into the Mind of another: And that the Hebrew Tongue was taken from the Ideas of Things, and properly adapted to express them in a Manner different from all later Tongues.

I have shewed the Origin of the true Religion, and of the false one, and that the Methods which were used for revealing Things, were by emblematical Reprefentations, or Appearances: And the Method for preferving the Memory of Things revealed were first for the Eyes, by Beafts, Birds, Trees, &c. being made Emblems, Substitutes, &c. in the Nature of Records, which was strengthen'd by affixing the Word to each of them, which expreffed the Name, Office, Action, &c. of the Perfons or Things each represented, or were Memorials of. Mr. Web, in his Effay towards the Primitive Language, p. 148. cites Dr. Brown, Pfeud. Ep. 1. 5. p. 223.

This indeed might Adam well have spoken, who understanding the Nature of Things, bad the Advantage of natural Expreffions. As the Explanation of the Actions thus recorded still in Part depended upon Memory and Tradition, as long as Men made the proper Uses of these Things, and kept a traditional Memory of the Things and Actions, they answered their Ends.

I have shewed, that in Length of Time, when the first Revelation was neglected or forgotten, and Men began to imagine, and form Notions of Things within themselves, attempted to reason from the Appearance of natural Things, and not by the Methods directed; they began to pay Divine Service to the second Causes; and then of Course would fet up Opinion against Memory, and give Relations of the Persons, Things or Actions, different by little and little, from what had been handed down to them, and from what the Word affixed to each Memorial expressed. And as they took the Shadow for, or fupposed it too near a-kin to the Substance, they would be liable to apply fome of the Reprefentations or Memorials to it.

After they were arrived to this Length, had in a great Measure left God, and he

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had

had left them to their own Imaginations, they, befides the necessary Ideas given of the Alkim, of the Covenant, &c. which were neceffary to be known, and so come down to us or others, which perhaps were not so neceffary; as they made not only the Agents, but every Action which they performed (as will be shewed below) a distinct Attribute, and so an Object; they would appoint additional, or new Reprefentations of Beasts, Birds, &c. or Emblems, according to their own Imaginations, chief"ly if not folely, about the Motions and Effects of these Agents or Second Causes.

The next Method which was taken to preferve the Memory of Things, &c. which doubtless was begun very early, and increafed as the last increafed, was by fetting up, or cutting the Images of such Creatures or Things, or Parts of them, upon Walls, Columns, Stones, &c. of Course a Mixture of the Original Substitutes, and of those added by their Imaginations, so partly Images of their Ideas or Notions, chiefly at their Places, and about their Objects, of Worship, fo called, Hierographicks or Hieroglyphicks, "Morinus of the Primitive Language, p. 16. cites Apuleius defcribing his Initiation into these Mysteries: For he relates that Books were brought