there were not wanting among the Fathers and Elders of the Church of Christ, the most learned and eminent, who vindicated the divine authority of this sacred part of the word of God, from the impious calumnies cast upon it. But what could they do? The clear and decisive testimony which had carried conviction to the minds of the first Fathers and Elders of the Church to receive it as divine, had been, in the course of more than a century, lost; and they had nothing now left, but the evidence arising from the integrity, wisdom, and piety, of the first Elders and Fathers of the Church, together with tradition, to oppose against the slander; and although these were abundantly sufficient, in the scale of evidence, to weigh down to the ground all such fertile and unfounded objections; yet they amounted to no more than secondary evidence: the internal evidence to arise from the completion of some of the predictions, had not yet taken place, as I have before observed: and besides, it being natural to the human mind, to look for the best evidence the nature of a truth will admit of; it is ever inclined, where the truth is not self evident, more to doubt and suspicion, than to giving due weight to the nature of the evidence offered to it. Or, to use an apposite old English proverb, "where much dirt is cast some will stick." And this was the case in the abuse of the Apocalypse, until it became lost or eclipsed, by the general prevalence of truth, during the fourth, fifth, and sixth centuries, those brighter ages of Christianity; and during the next eight or nine centuries, which were the dark ages of Mahomedan and Papal impostures and blasphemies, not only the objections to this book, their refutations, and indeed the whole word of God was so depressed, as scarcely to leave a trace of its former existence, until the æra of the Reformation.

It was now, the infidel and atheist, ever more determined and adroit in mischief, than the virtuous in doing

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right, revived the old and obsolete objections to the divine authenticity of the Apocalypse, and other parts of the Scripture; while even the greatest of the Reformers, either too much engaged in raising the whole word of God from its darkened state, or too indifferent about it, took no notice of those objections. Neither Wickliffe, Luther, nor Calvin, attempted to vindicate this sacred part of the word of God against the objectors of their times; and Scaliger, that learned and pious Divine, although he believed the Apocalypse to be canonical, yet commended Calvin for not writing upon it; nor did Whitby know what to make of it. But Doctor South, having more wit in his brain than pure religion in his heart, laying aside all disguise, boldly denounced it as a wicked and mishievous book, "that either finds a man mad, or makes him so." And this learned divine, learned only in "the wisdom of this world, which is foolishness with God," (1 Cor. iii. 19) has been followed by all the tribes of Deists, Infidels, and Atheists, ever since; those lordly renegadoes, that stile themselves MONTHLY REVIEWERS, included. In many instances, these hypocrites have shown the cloven foot, as has been lately proved, by the pious authors of the "Review of the Anti-Jacobin, Critical, and Monthly Reviews." To which I will only add one more: In a Sermon shamelessly preached to a Christian congregation, it is asserted, that this holy book, is "barbarous even to solecism in its style, of an involved "construction, and loaded with dark apparently wild allegory." And in their review of February, 1798, they give to this false and shameful slander, their decided and unreserved sanction, by declaring it to be founded "in critical justice." Thus making a jest of the word of God, and of those Prophecies which are daily fulfilling before their eyes.

It is moreover greatly to be lamented, that while this slander is daily increasing in credit and proselytes,

"the shepherds of Israel," the shepherds of the English Church, perceiving and knowing it, sit in silence with half-closed eyes and folded arms, without lisping out an accent to recall their flocks from wandering into the wilderness of this mischievous error. O! that they would consider, that should the Revelation be decried as visionary and apocryphal, what will become of the Gospel of Christ committed to their pastoral care, of which it is the corner-stone? O! that they would seriously think of this truth, and take a lesson from the xxxiv. chapter of the Prophet Ezekiel, where their office and duty, and the consequences of a neglect in the performance of them, are pointed out by divine authority.

There is, however, a late exception to this general charge of indolence in the pastors of the Church. A late anonymous author of a pamphlet, entitled, "The "Evidence of the Authenticity of Divine Inspiration of "the Apocalypse stated," &c.* has, with much piety and learning proved from external evidence, that it is a book of divine authority, by showing, that it has been received as such in all the primitive Churches, and by all the pious and principal Fathers and elders in all ages. But here again it is to be lamented, that, like the incautious cow, that having given a good pail of milk, kicks it over, and wastes it in the dust, he agrees, that the great criterion, the internal evidence, the best and only conclusive evidence of the truth of the Prophecies, in their present state is not "sufficient evidence" of that authenticity, the point in question, which he had so ably maintained; and intimates, that we must wait for this evidence, until the Prophecies have been generally fulfilled. This concession seems to have been as inconsiderately made as it is erroneous, and fertile in mischief to the cause of Christianity. Does the laborious

and learned author mean, that we must wait for this internal evidence, the best, and therefore only conclusive evidence of the truth of Prophecy, until all or almost all shall be fulfilled? For the word generally will bear either of these meanings. If he meant the first, did he consider, that we must wait for it until the Day of Judgment? for the chain of Prophecies extends down to that date, that awful event being the last of the Prophecies to be fulfilled; and farther, that then neither the truth of Prophecy, nor this internal evidence of it, will ever have been, or will be, of the least utility or benefit to mankind. And again, if he meant the second, or that almost all must be fulfilled, before we shall have this internal evidence, then it follows, that from the time of Jonah, the first Prophet who foretold the destruction of Nineveh, near 2000 years before Christ, God has left his two Churches without the best and conclusive evidence of his holy and divine attributes, upon a belief in which the welfare and salvation of both were founded, down nearly to the expiration of their militant and probationary state; when, if it could be of any use it must be trifling indeed! Now either of these concessions, besides giving to the unbelievers a new and never before thought of excuse for their infidelity, is so derogatory to the wisdom and goodness of God, so inconsistent with the Gospel of Christ, which is built upon the truth of Prophecy, and refers to it as its best and most conclusive evidence, that the pious mind revolts at the thought of them.

And lest an ill use may be made of concessions so incautiously made, I will endeavour yet further to show the absurdity of them. It seems scarcely possible for a devout mind sincerely to follow the advice of Christ, to "search the scriptures," meaning the prophetic parts of them, as testimonies of them*, without discerning

* John v. 39,

that God has given to men two kinds of Prophecies. Of one kind, were those numerous Prophecies given to the Israelites, foretelling their several captivities, which were to be completely fulfilled at once, or at particular times, and thereupon their internal evidence was to be perfected, and complete Nobody, I imagine, will doubt but that the Jews had not only external, but clear internal evidence, full conviction of the truth of the Prophecy foretelling their captivity, when Nebuchudonezor, in the reign of Zedekiah, prostrated the walls and fortifications of Jerusalem, and carried away all the men, women, and children, captives to Babylon. These Prophecies, for the most part, were intended to reform and bring them back from their idolatry, and such was the force of evidence, both the external and internal of the truth of them, that it had the designed effect; they repented, and forsook their idolatry; God mercifully forgave them, and restored them in divers instances, to their country. The other kind of Prophecies was clearly understood, and is properly described by the pious and learned Lord Bacon, which "are such as "were not to be fulfilled punctually at once, but to have "springing and germinant accomplishment, throughout many ages, although the heighth or fulness of them may re'fer to some one age." His words are, " Atque licet plen"itudo et fastidium complementi eorum, plerumque alicui "certa atuti vel etiam certo momento destinetur; per di

versas mundi ætates." Of this kind was the first great Prophecy delivered by God himself to the father of mankind at the fall, that "the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head:" meaning that Christ the son of a woman without the aid of a man, the son of a virgin, should conquer, and in the end destroy the serpent, and all the evil he brought with him into the world, even sin and death. This first and great prophecy is the stock out of which all the Prophecies of both Testaments grow, and the commencement of its com