4. Credible Authors report, that the Ch. 1. Priests confefs'd to the Initiated how thefe Mystick Representations were inftituted at firft in Commemoration of fome remarkable Accidents, or to the Honour of fome great Perfons that oblig'd the World by their Vertues and useful Inventions to pay them fuch Acknowledgments. But let this be as it will, Myein in their Systems fignify'd Muer. to initiate: Myefis, Initiation: Myftes, Muños. a Name afterwards given the Priests, Musns. denoted the Perfon to be initiated, who was call'd an Epopt when admitted; and Mystery the Doctrine in which he Musher. was initiated. As there were several †Degrees, fo there were different forts of Mysteries. The most famous were the Samothracian, the Eleufinian, the Egyptian, and thofe of Bacchus, commonly known by the name of || Orgies; F 4

tho

* Οι τα μυςήρια παραλαμβάνοντες, λέγονται ἐν αρχή με μύται μετα ἐνιαυτὸν ἢ ἐπόπται καὶ ἔφοροι. Scholiaft. in Ariftophanis Ranas.

+ Εςι τα μικρά [μυσήεια ώσπες προκάθαρσις κα Tegvevors 7 Mezánov. Schol. in Plut. Ariftophan. Act. 4. Sc. 2.

Pars obfcura cavis celebrabant Orgia ciftis, Orgia quæ fruftra cupiunt audire Profani. Cat. Epigram. 64. v. 260.

Beft, & find no more of these than are ful and not cry for us, which is all cur prefent Condition needs. Thus oUT Fyes are not given us to fee all Quantices, nor perhaps any thing as it is in it felf, but as it bears fome Relation to us. What is too minute, as it efcapes our Sight, fo it can neither harm ǹor benefit us: and we have a better View of Bodies the nearer we approach them, because then they become more convenient or inconvenient; but as we remove farther off, we lofe their Sight with their Influence. I'm perfwaded there's no Motion which does not excite fome Sound in Ears difpos'd to be affected with proportionable Degrees of Force from the Air; and, it may be, the small Animals concern'd can hear the Steps of the Spider, as we do thofe of Men and Cattel. From these and Millions of other Inftances, it is manifcft, that we have little Certainty of any thing but as it is noxious or beneficial to us.

10. Rightly speaking then, we are accounted to comprehend any thing when its chief Properties and their -feveral Ufes are known to us: for

*to comprehend in all correct Authors Ch. 2.
is nothing else but to know; and as of
what is not knowable we can have no Idea,
So it is nothing to us. It is improper
therefore to fay a thing is above our
Reason, because we know no more of
it than concerns us, and ridiculous to
fuperfede our Difquifitions about it up-
on that score. What fhould we think
of a Man that would stifly maintain
Water to be above his Reason, and that
he would never enquire into its Na-
ture, nor employ it in his House or
Grounds, because he knows not how
many Particles go to a Drop; whe-
ther the Air paffes through it, is in-
corporated with it, or neither? This
is for all the World as if I would not

go
because I cannot fly. Now feeing
the Denominations of things are borrow'd
from their known Properties, and that
no Properties are knowable but what con-
cern us, or ferve to difcover fuch as do,
we cannot be accountable for compre-
hending no other, nor juftly requir'd

more

Εγώ δ' ἔτ ̓ ἄλλο τι καταλεπτὸν ἡγεμαι σημαίνειν τώρα τὸ γνωστὸν, ἔτ ̓ ἀλλὰ τὸ καταλαμβάνεται το Ο βεβαιως γινώσκειν. Γαλην εί αρις, διδάσκαλο

Sect, 3. tho the word is sometimes put for any of the former.

5. From what has been faid it is clear, that they underfood by Mystery in thofe Days a thing intelligible of it Self, but fo vail'd by others, that it could not be known without Special Revelation. I need not add, that in all the Greek and Roman Authors it is conftantly put as a very vulgar Expreffion, for any thing facred or profane that is defign'dly kept fecret, or accidentally obfcure. And this is the common Acceptation of it ftill: for when we cannot fee clearly into a Bufinefs, we fay it is a Mystery to us; and that an obfcure or perplex'd Difcourfe is very myfterious. Myfteries of State, Sciences and Trades run all in the fame Notion.

6. But many not denying what is fo plain, yet being ftrongly inclin'd out of Ignorance or Paffion to maintain what was first introduc'd by the Craft or Superftition of their Fore-fathers, will have fome Chriftian Doctrines to be ftill mysterious in the fecond Senfe of the Word, that is, inconceivable in themfelves, however clearly reveal'd. They

think a long Prefcription will argue it Ch. 1. Folly in any to appear against them,and indeed Custom has made it dangerous. But, flighting fo mean Confiderations, if I can demonftrate that in the New Teftament Mystery is always us'd in the firft Sense of the Word, or that of the Gentiles, viz. for things naturally very intelligible, but fo cover'd by figurative Words or Rites,that Reafon could not difcover them without Special Revelation; and that the Vail is actually taken away; then it will manifeftly follow that the Doctrines fo reveal'd cannot now be properly call'd Myfteries.

7. This is what I hope to perform in the Sequel of this Section, to the entire Satisfaction of thofe fincere Chriftians more concern'd for the Truth than the old or gainful Opinion. Yet I muft firft remove out of my way certain common places of cavilling, with which, not only the raw Beginners of the moft implicite Conftitution raise a great Duft upon all occafions, tho not able to speak of any thing pertinently when jostled out of the beaten Road; but truly their venerable Teachers are not afham'd fometimes to play at this fmall

Game,