Life of Cardinal Borromeus. A 60 In the year 1576, the city and diocefe of Milan were vifited by the plague, which swept away incredible numbers, and the behaviour of Borromeus, on this occafion, was truly chriftian and heroic: He not only continued on the spot, but he went about giving directions for accommodating the fick, and burying the dead, with a zeal and attention that were at once ardent and deliberate, minute and comprehensive ; and his example ftimulated others to join in the good work. He avoided no danger, and he fpared no expence ; nor did he content himself with eftablishing proper regulations in the city, but went out into all the neigh bouring parishes where the contagion raged, distributing money to the poor, ordering proper accommodations for the fick, and punishing thofe, efpecially the clergy, who were remifs in the duties of their calling. The reformation of the clergy was, indeed, the principal object of his attention, and, in order to effect it, he made frequent vifitations to the feveral diocefes of his province, particularly into the valleys of the Grifons, which afforded an ample field for his C paftoral authority: The valley Mefol cina, one of the five, did not only share in the common depravity, but, accor ding to a contemporary author, abounded with forcerers, who had, or pretended to have, a commerce and compact with the devil; the priest of the parish who refided in the collegiate church of Roverete, was convicted of being the chief or head of those affociates of Satan; many were converted, but the priest and 11 others, all old men, perfifting in their wickedness, were delivered over to the fecular arm, and burnt. This execution touched Charles with great compunction, but it greatly facilitated the work of reformation. D Charles, notwithstanding the fatigue and perplexity which he fuffered by thus executing his paftoral charge, abated nothing of the ufual aufterity of his life, nor omitted any of his ftated devotions, for,whatever approached to luxury or magnificence, he confidered as incompatible with the propriety of his character. It happened, that being once on a vifit to the archbi fhop of Sienna, at his palace, a very fumptuous entertainment was provided for him: Borromeus, tho' he had been ufed to content himself with bread and water, yet fat down at the table, where, however, he eat but little, and gave fufficient intimation that he was much difpleafed with fuch oftentatious prodigality; but what was his furprise when he faw the table again covered with a defert, confifting of whatever was most rare, exquifite, and coftly? He immediately rofe haftily from his feat, as if he had fuddenly recollected fome preffing business, and gave orF ders for his departure, notwithstanding the rain, and the most earnest entreaties of the Archbishop: My Lord, 'faid the Cardinal, if I fhould tarry here to-night, you would give me another fuch treat as that I have just 'feen, & the poor will then fuffer anoGhave been fed with the fuperfluities 'ther lofs,great numbers of whom might that have been now set before us.' The continual labours and austerities of Borromeus naturally shortened his life; he went to Vercal to put an end, if poffible, to the divifions which threatened the most fatal confequences, Hand, when he was there, he received a meffage from the Duke of Savoy, requefting his prefence at Turin; Borromeus was by no means averse to this journey, for he had a great defire once more to see the holy Sindon, or wind manner as can now be believed, fince the lives already written might by that means, be gradually fuperceded, which are a better antidote against Popery than the arguments of the best reason Ing fheet of our Lord, which, at his B He was lamented by the city, and the whole province with fuch marks of fincere forrow as are rarely feen; and he was immediately worshipped as a Saint without waiting for the Pope's approbation. The Pope, however, when he was told of it by Cardinal Baronius, gave directions that the devotion of the people should not be restrained, though Borromeus was not canonized till the ift of November 1610, in the Ponti- C ficate of Leon the XIth. Since that time many churches and chapels have been erected in honour of this Saint, OBSERVATIONS on feveral Passages in the Old and New Teftament. Genefis xxxvii. 2. Whether instead of, there may originally have ? היה been TT 1 Sam. xxv. 6. 2. Whether instead it may originally have לֶחָי וְאַתָּה of been "viz. And thus fhall ye fay unto him, Art both thou well, and is thy boufe well, and is all that thou haft well? 2 Sam. i. 18. 2. Whether instead of up, it may originally have been and many religious focieties inftituted,, viz. He commanded to teach and put under his protection. D F Upon a comparison of this life of Borromeus with that written by Ribadeneira, a Spanish Jefuit, above a century ago, it appears, that the improvement of knowledge has made a very striking difference in this kind of biography: Ribadeneira, who lived in the midst of ignorance and fuperftition, did not fufpect that the time was at hand when the incredible and ridiculous fables E he recites could not be believed; his life of this Saint therefore abounds with particulars, which Touron has judiciously omitted: We are told that a miraculous light was feen over the chamber of Borromeus's mother when fhe was in labour. That Borromeus, feeing two perfons carried violently down a rapid river on their horses, and juft ready to perish, caused their horfes fuddenly to leap with them out of the water, by giving them his benediction. Oclavian Varefe, a gentleman of Milan, who was confined to his bed by fickness, when Borromeus died became inftantly, G well, by recommending himself to the Saint's interceffion. A daughter of Julius Bonacina was inftantly cured of a diforder in her eye, which had taken away the fight of it, by performing an act of devotion in honour of this Saint. A Count of Ferrara was inftantly seized with a violent difeafe upon fpeaking irreverently of Borromeus's picture, but was cured upon confeffing his fault. It would certainly be a work of infinite fervice to the Romish church, to newwrite the lives of her faints in such a H עַתָּה of the former the children of Judah the lamentation? 2 Sam. xviii. 3. 2. Whether instead there may originally have been AN, (Do not the LXX feem to have taken it so?) Job, ch. xxvi. When one is studying the meaning of this chapter, perhaps it may be of fome fervice towards the right understanding of it, to compare the original with the Hebrew of the following paffages, viz. Pfal. lxxiv. 12, &c. Pfalm lxxxix. ro, &c. Prov. viii. 17, and Isaiah li. 9, &c. May one particularly obferve, as to the word, which in this chapter of Job, verfe 12, is tranflated, proud, (and which, perhaps, in Job xix. 3, is tranflated so and justly, yet) that there are paffages of fcripture where it is tranflated as a proper name, viz. Rabab, See Pfalm Ixxxix. 10, and Ifaiab li. 9.-And again, whereas in this chapter of Job, ver. 13, we, in our tranflation, read, His band bath formed the crooked jerpent, is not much the fame word which we here tranflate, formed, elsewhere tranflated, wounded, see Isaiah li. 9. And, as to crooked ferpent, may it seem from comparing Isaiah xxvii. 1, that this may poffibly mean the fame that is elsewhere called Leviathan, or the dragon, fo as that the expreffion here might feem fomewhat to answer to what we find in Pfalm lxxiv. 13, 14. and Ifaiah li. 9, last claufe. May we therefore have fome ground to fuppofe, that, in these paffages of this chapter of Job, there poffibly might be a reference 62 Critical Obfervations on the Old and New Teftament. A fhould be fetting themfelves to walk honeftly or decently as in the day, which had even now already as it were begun to dawn upon them, and they fhould put on the Lord Jefus Chrift, &c? a reference to fome event which had, in the courfe of God's providence, happened prior to the penning of this book of Job, and that this was the fame event which is referred to in Pfalm Ixxiv. and Ifaiah li, and which is there reprefented as having happened in an tient time.-Further, may we compare verfe so, of this chapter, with Prov. viii. 17.-And again, What we in ver. 5, tranflate, are formed, might it fignify, are made to tremble, and if the paufe in the Hebrew may admit, might one understand the verfe in this fenfe, viz. "The dead are made to tremble from beneath, q. d. God can even make as it were, the dead to tremble before him, as likewife the waters and the inhabitants thereof." Or will any rather chufe to take the paffage thus, viz. The giants, (NDT) the migh-ing brought under, and fo long conti B ty ones, are, by the power of God, Pfalm cxlvii. 16. He fcattereth the boar froft like afhes.-When wood, or the like, is burning in the open air, fome of the athes being light, are ufually carried up along with the flame and fmoke, and after floating a-while in the air, fall down again in a foft and gentle manner; may the falling of the final particles of which the hoar froft is compofed, 'be here compared to this; thefe particles likewife coming down, perhaps in much the fame ftill, filent, gentle, and almost imperceptible manner. Romans xiii. 11, &c. Q. Whether the Christian converts, to whom the Apoftle here writes, be reprefented as expecting the coming of the light of a great and glorious day, even the day of their falvation in another world; and does the Apoftle here intimate to them that this day was already fo near at hand to them, and already fo much beginning as it were to dawn upon them, that it was already (zon) time for them to awake and to think of rifing and putting on their daycloathing, and dreffing themfeives in fuch a drefs as it would be proper to have on in the day which was coming upon them? And does he intimate to them, that if they would be in a dress fuitable to, and in a situation proper for that great and glorious day, they E F G H Genefis xix. When we are confidering the dreadful deftruction of Sodom, perhaps it may be worth while to attend to what we may learn from scripture as to the preceding difpenfations of providence towards the people of that place, and as to their character under fuch difpenfations. About 28 years before this awful event, it seems they were brought under fubjection to a foreign power, viz. to Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, and continued under his power for 12 years, (fee chap. xiv. 4.) Perhaps their fervice to him might not be very grievous, but furely their be tinued under a foreign yoke, was a Critical Obfervations on the Old and New Teftament. his fervants, together with fome who were his confederates, and pursued after these conquerors, and fmote them, and brought back all the goods, and alfo brought again his brother Lot, and A his goods, and the women alfo, and the people, chap. xiv. 13, &c. But neither it feems had this fore defeat, and the furprifing deliverance fo foon following it, I fay, neither it feems had thefe things an effectual influence upon the people of Sodom, to produce in them a thorough amendment; it seems they B ftill continued wicked. Perhaps one may fuppofe that Lot, who lived amongst them at least for the space of 14 years, before their destruction *, would be making serious remonftrances to them as to their bad character, (fee ch. xix. 9,) and confidering what hand his uncle Abraham had under providence in C their deliverance, one perhaps might have thought, that furely they would be likely to have fuch a regard for Lot, as to mind what he might fay ; but, however, it seems they continued to be of fuch a character as gave him great concern. We read 2 Peter ii. 7, 8, of juft Lot's being vexed with the filthy eonverfation of the wicked, for that righteous man dwelling amongst them in feeing and hearing vexed his righteous foul from day to day with their unlawful deeds. Providence had, it feems, caft their dwelling in a plentiful, fruitful tract of ground, (fee xiii. 10,) but notwithstanding the mercy E they enjoyed in that respect, and notwithstanding the judgments and the deliverance above-mentioned, notwithstanding any means which Lot might ufe with them, and, notwithstanding God's waiting fo long upon them after the deliverance he had given them, that is, waiting after that F for 14 years before he proceeded to deftroy them, (fee note,) notwithstanding all, they ftill continued wicked. Pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idlenefs was amongst them, neither did they strengthen the hand of the poor, and needy, and they were haughty, and committed abomination before G God, therefore he took them away as he faw good; such as this, it seems, is That from the deliverance of the people of Sodom, by Abrabam, &c. chap. xiv. 13, &c. to the destruction of the place there were 14 years, perhaps one may argue thus, viz. it feems Abrabam was but 85 years old, at chap. xvi. 13, (which I fuppofe was after what hap pened, chap. xiv. 13, c, fee chap. xv. 1, 3.) and perhaps he was about 99 when Sodom was deftroyed, fee chap. xvii. 24, xviii. 14, xxi. 5. D H 63 the account we have of them in Exekiel xvi. 49-50. And elsewhere, juft before their deftruction, we find the Lord obferving, Genefis xviii. 20, that the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah was great, and their fin was very grievous; and xix. 13, we find the angels faying, We will deftroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord, and the Lord bath fent us to deftroy it. This chapter makes mention of one particular fort of wicked attempt, in which many of them, it seems, were concerned. Wickednefs in one fort or other it seems was fo general amongst them, that there were not ten righteous perfons to be found in the place, if there had, it may feem God would have spared it for those ten's fake, ch. xviii. 32. Even Lot's fons in-law, which married his daughters, when he faid, Up, get ye out of this place, for the Lord will deftroy this city, we have an account that he feemed as one that mocked unto his fons in-law. Such, as has been reprefented, it feems was the bad character of the inhabitants of the place, and as they proved fo unreformed by the methods God ufed with them, their destruction was very awful, as we have an account in this chapter. "The Lord rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimftone and fire from the Lord out of Heaven, and he overthrew thofe cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground," verfe 24, 25. fo that the fmoke of the country went up as the fmoke of a furnace," verfe 28. Thus God turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them with an overthrow, making them an enfample unto thofe that after fhould live ungodly, 2 Peter ii. 6. fee likewife the Epiftle of Jude. The following Particulars are gravely re- Kind. ΟΟΝ SOON after the murder of King Charles I. a commiffion was appointed to furvey the king's house at Woodstock, with the manor, park, woods, and other demefnes to that manor be longing, & one Collins, under a feigned name, hired himself as fecretary to the commiffioners, who, upon the 13th of October 1649, met, and took up their 64 Remarkable Anecdote from Dr Plot's Hift. of Oxfordshire. A B their refidence in the king's own C F When all this noife had fome time ceafed, Giles Sharp, their fecretary, propofed to enter first into thefe rooms, and in prefence of the commiffioners, of whom he received the key, he opened the doors, and found the wood spread about the room, the chairs toffed about and broken, the papers torn, the ink-glafs broken (as has been faid) but not the leaft tract of any human creature, nor the G leaft reason to fufpect one, as the doors were all faft, and the keys in the cuftody of the commiffioners. It was therefore unanimoufly agreed, that the power who did this mischief, must have entered the room at the key-hole. The night following, Sharp, the fecretary, with two of the commiffioners fervants, as they were in bed in the fame room, which room was conti guous to that where the commiffioners lay, had their bed's feet lifted up fo much higher than their heads, that H they expected to have their necks likewife they were alarmed with the |