erected, though in courfe of time fome of the lefs ftable have flipped befide their foundation."--Warburton's Works, vol. v. p. 448. The method in which the prophetical books ought to be studied is this: (1.) The literal fenfe is to be exactly afcertained by the ftudy of the original text. (2.) The prophet is to be made his own interpreter, as far as poffible. (3.) The other books of fcripture, all of which proceed from the fame fpirit, are to be compared; for inftance, the ftudent of the Apocalypfe, by comparing Dan. ii. vii. Rev. xiii. xvii. will gain a key to the reft of the vifions given by God himself, and by which he may open the temple of prophecy; for the prophetical or fpiritual language is to be confidered as always confiftent. The Holy Spirit has thought fit to point out the analogy of the visible and invifible world, and by the mediation of material things to speak to us of fpiritual things. Thefe fimilitudes are not poetical and imperfect comparisons, but thofe of him who made both matter and spirit, and gave them their relations; and this language is not subject to variation, as that of man, who makes and unmakes the meaning of words. Vide Zeph. iii. 9. Hence, when by a good concordance we have made out the meaning of a fymbol in one place, we have found it out, generally fpeaking, in all places, and are not at liberty to use human conjecture, which has little or no place in the interpretation of prophecy. (4.) We ought exactly to study the hiftories to which prophecy alludes. (5.) We thould ftudy the original and standard interpreters of prophecy, fuch as Mr. Mede, who is, perhaps, worth all the reft put together, and with whom whoever is acquainted, will not confider the study of prophecy as vain and precarious, but will rather wonder, with the great Newton, that fo much of it has been understood by those who went to the bottom of the fubject with hu mility, judgment, and learning, JUVENIS. TO THE EDITORS OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCHMAN'S MAGAZINE. GENTLEMEN, [LATELY offered to you my fentiments on the use of Prophecy, and pointed out a key to the predictions relating to us given by God himfelf. The Apocalypfe moft particularly concerns the Christian Church, and its vifions may and ought to be harmonized previous to any interpretation or reference to the old Prophets. "The event, too," fays Sir Ifaac Newton," will prove the Apocalypfe, and this prophecy thus proved and understood, will open the old Prophets, and all together will make known the true religion, and establish it; for he that will understand the old Prophets, muft begin with this." Still there is another door opened in the temple of prophecy, and an angel ftands thereat, and it may be allowed to those who prefer this door, to enter thereby. The connexion between Daniel's and St. John's predictions must be felf-evident to any impartial reader, though the connecting links feem not as yet to have been clearly pointed out by interpreters. I will endeavour to demonftrate this connexion, and to point out the confequences. The fecond chapter of Daniel contains an account of the Babylonian, Perfian, Grecian, Roman, and Latin (temporal and fpiritual) empire; the clay reprefenting the temporal and independent kingdoms of the weft, and the iron the spiritual power of Rome. "The images of gold, or filver, or brafs (fays Mr. Gibbon, vol. iii. p. 631), that might ferve to reprefent the nations and Vol. IV. Churchm. Mag. Jan. 1803. D their their kings, were fucceffively broken to pieces by the iron monarchy of Rome." "The perpetual correfpondence (he adds, p. 533.) of the Latin clergy, the frequent pilgrimages to Rome and Jerufalem, and the growing authority of the Popes, cemented the union of the Chriftian Republic, and gradually produced the fimilar manners and common jurifprudence which have diftinguifhed from the reft of mankind the independent, and even hoftile nations of modern Europe." Fas eft et ab hofte doceri. "The robbers of thy people fhall exalt themfelves to establish the vifion," Dan. xi. 14. The kingdom of Heaven is the fifth monarchy, and destroys the iron and clay, v. 34; and does not begin this destruction till the fall of the Papal power, which is effected by it, not all at once, but gradually this circumftance has not been fufficiently attended to, except by Sir Ifaac Newton on the parallel place, Dan. vii. 26. Speaking of the time, times, &c. he fays," After which the judgment is to fit, and they fhall take away his dominion, not at once, but by degrees, to confume and to destroy it unto the end." The expreffion, In the days of these kings," v. 44, may either refer to the four empires, during the time of which Chrift afcended to the right hand of God, and became the chief ftone of the angle, and received the promise of an univerfal empire, and was by prolepfis confidered as then poffefling it; or rather it may refer to the days of the ten kings defigned by the divided kingdom, or the toes, at the end of whose reign triumphant the head fione of the angle was to fmite them, and upon whofe final annihilation the ftone fhould be converted at once into a great mountain, or univerfal empire, Rev. xxi. 10. The angel interprets the firft empire to be the Babylonian, v. 38. The a b c of prophecy, as Mr. Mede ftyles the vifion of the four monarchies, is varied in chapter vii. and the latin empire and triple kingdom of St. Peter particularly described, though the explanation of the fourth monarchy was referved for St. John. From the feventh of Daniel, let us país to the thirteenth chapter of St. John. The rife of the fourth beaft out of the fea is related in Dan. vii. 3, 7, and Rev. xiii. 1. St. John enlarges upon the fourth monarchy, and omits fome circumftances, because already related by Daniel. The fourth monarchy is defcribed as univerfal, because not opposed here to the other three. Its two states, temporal, and, fecondly, fpiritual, under St. Peter, after a political refurrection, are particularized; the vifible Papal power, too, is fignified by a second beast, the agent of the former, for the Popes, in claiming imperial power, have always claimed it for St. Peter, as the well-known verfe by which the Pope bestowed the German Empire on Rodolph teftifies :— Petra dedet Petro, Petrus diadema Rodolpho. In Rev. xvii. xviii. xix. the vision of Rev. xiii. xiv. is in the main repeated and explained, and the fourth monarchy pointed out to be the Roman by an angel; and left we fhould fuppofe that the beaft, when judged, was not the Spiritual empire, it is faid, that "the beaft was, and is not, and yet is," i. e. the empire was alive, and is dead, and is rifen from the dead, Rev. xvii. 8. Here, then, we have a key by which we may open the temple of prophecy given to us by God himfelf; let us make use of it, and we thall be enabled to go on from light to light, and to be admitted within the veil as far as was defigned for us, I am, Gentlemen, Your obedient humble fervant, JUVENIS, To NECESSITY OF THE TEST ACT. TO THE EDITORS OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCHMAN'S MAGAZINE AND REVIEW. GENTLEMEN, THOUGH the genius of Polytheifm permitted each nation to reverence and refpect the gods of their neighbours, yet every state feems to have been extremely jealous of whatever oppofed the established gods of the country. About four hundred years before Chrift, the Athenians fentenced to death Diagoras the Milian for teaching Atheism in their city: and on his escaping, offered a talent as a reward for his head. About twenty years before that time they had proceeded against Protagoras another philofopher for even doubting of the being of a God. The enemies of Socrates feem to have made it a chief part of their accufations against him, "that he did not account those to be gods, whom the city of Athens received and honoured as fuch."* Not to multiply proofs, how eafily was an uproar excited against St. Paul, when the multitude apprehended him to be a despifer of the great goddess Diana? The compilers of the Encyclopædia Britannica under the article Teft, obferve that a teft may be neceflary to fecure to the church all "her rights and immunities”-this feems fair and candid-" But," continue they, "to receive the facrament can give her no fuch fecurity, whilft it leads inevitably to the profanation of a facred ordinance"-furely this argument has been fufficiently refuted. "A much better teft would be, to require every man, before he be admitted to an executive office, to fwear that in the difcharge of it, he will be careful to maintain all the rights and privileges of the church established by law. Such an oath no fenfible and peaceable diffenter could refufe" probably not because "it would not bind him to communicate with the established church, and he cannot be ignorant that it belongs not to the executive government, but to the legislature, to determine what thall be the religion of the ftate. On this account, we cannot help thinking that the members of the legislative body should be subjected to no religious teft whatever, that they may be at freedom to reform the corruptions of the church, or to exchange one establishment for another, thould they find fuch exchange expedient. If this reafoning be juft, it will be difficult to vindicate that claufe of 25 Car. II. and of 1 Geo. I. in which it is enacted, that no member fhall vote or fit in either house of parliament, till he hath, in the presence of the house, fubfcribed and repeated the declaration against, &c. &c." Under the long white robe of candour out pops the cloven foot. These fentiments respecting the established religion, are fimilar to the sentiments, refpecting government, that prevailed at the time of Democratic rage. "The ftronger party has a right to govern." If that be the cafe, I think gentlemen, we cannot be blamed for trying to keep the upper hand as long as we can. But furely, furely, my worthy friends and advocates for the good old caufe, to adopt the fentiments of these compilers, with refpect to an established religion, would be a dangerous ftep. For, although it would be illiberal in any "fenfible and peaceable member of the establishment," even to doubt whether or not any "fenfible and peaceable diffenter" could "refuse to take an oath to fupport and maintain the rights and privileges of the church by law established: especially when he might κι ότι ως η πόλις νομίζει Θεες, ο ενομίζει. Χen. Μem. D 2 confcientiously confcientiously take the oath, and perform the conditions, till confcience told him his party were the firongeft, and ought, in the faithful difcharge of their duty, to reform by law the corruptions of the church, and exchange Epifcopacy for Prefbyterianifm, because it seemed to them expedient;" yet furely, even. " fenfible" members of the kirk would figh to find that the opinions of Emanuel Swedenborg, were by law established as the ftandard of national faith, and his vifionary and fanatical followers girded with the linen ephod of the established clergy. To admit that an established religion is neceffary, or even allowable, and not to admit of a proper guard and defence for it, certainly is not juft. To all religious fects is permitted liberty of confcience, even to licentiousness, if I may be pardoned the expreflion. But this, it feems, is not fufficient. Diffenters of all religious opinions that are already known, or may by the authors of fchifm, be hereafter invented, must for reafons well known to themfelves, though the rest of the world are fuppofed not to have sense enough to fee them, be admitted members of the legislature. And this would not endanger the established religion. So at least the grave compi lers of the Encyclopædia Britannica affure us. Rifum teneatis amici? Suppose them admitted, "would there be no schism in that heterogeneous mafs of legiflators? No bickerings, no religious animofities? Would the members all have the fame care for each others principles? If one member fuffered, if his opinions fell into general disrepute, would all the members fuffer with him? Or if one member were honoured, if his religious fentiments became " more acceptable to the majority of all ranks in the kingdom," would the other members of the legislature, Jews, Turks, Infidels, Heretics, Methodists, and Socinians rejoice with him, and with Puritannical Hallelujah magnify the Lord for having caufed the truth to prevail? Would not pulpit, drum ecclefiaftic, Be beat with fift inftead of a stick, And make them fight, like mad or drunk Whoever has read the hiftory of man with attention, must have perceived that religious opinions are defended with much pertinacity, whatever may be their influence on the moral conduct. Under this common principle of human nature we Orthodox Churchmen may be allowed to hold faft our profeffion, and I hope, without wavering, we may be allowed, in common with our adverfaries, to adhere together ftrenuously, for what we hold to be the orthodox faith, to fupport that establishment we were fo early taught to venerate, and, though we hope and pray, as I trust we do, for those peaceable days of the gospel, when it fhall every where produce "glory to God in the higheft, and on earth, peace, and good will among men, yet, within the bounds of Chriftian charity, firmly unite in withstanding all, of every sect and denomination, who may have an evil will at this our Sion. *See Article Teft, Enc, Brit. OMICRON. THREE THREE OCCASIONAL SERMONS, By the Rev. R. Polwhele, SERMON II.` Preached at Topham, at the Archdeacon of Exeter's Vifitation, He that abideth in the doctrine of Chrift, hath both the Father and the Son, THOUGH it be far from my wish to awaken the spirit of intolerance or perfecution, yet I cannot but lament the general fupineness of the age, with refpect to thofe religious doctrines on which our trueft interests feem greatly to depend. To maintain our creed with any degree of ardour is, in the estimation of the times, to betray too warm a temper, if not an illiberal turn of mind. But, to wave difputation, where truths of the greatest moment are difallowed, to be filent even when perfonally attacked on the fubject of our faith, rather than run the rifque of an unpleasant difference by defending it, is required, at the prefent day, as a facrifice to that politenefs which, with more than Chriftian charity, " endureth all things." It is at least expected, that the religious advocate treat his enemies with courteous attention, though they wantonly call in question the very principles on which his deareft hopes are founded. But in the things of this world no fuch indifference is discoverable; it is only in religious concerns that negligence has a becoming gracefulness. It is merely from a regard to decency that people are defirous of being called Chriftians, as the revealed will of God's religion hath little weight upon the general mind. The greater number of those who profess themselves Chriftians, endeayour to draw a line between the morality and the Revelations of the Gofpel; to the former they pay fome degree of deference, fuch as they think its intrinfic excellence may demand; but of the latter, they either fufpend their judgment, or exprefs an unfavourable opinion, rejecting one part as ufelefs, and another as incomprehenfible. They thus bring themselves down, or, in their own eftimation, rife to a level with the heathen of ancient days, and have no higher ambition than to be placed upon a footing with the difciples of a Socrates or a Seneca. Such, it seems, are the rational Chriftians of the prefent day. Of this clafs, indeed, there are fome, who think Christianity was fomething more than a mere refinement of the old Pagan philofophy; but they have certainly endeavoured to reduce it within too narrow a compass; under the idea of exhibiting the Chriftian Religion in all its original fimplicity, they have thrown over it a veil, the work of human hands, that hides its features, and that obfcures its form: inftead of difplaying its primitive beauties, they give it a character of their own, fo unlike the genuine, that we no lefs wonder at the boldness, than the fuccefs of the imposture. The people of this description are chiefly divided into Arians and Socinians; the firft denying the divinity of Chrift, the second both his divinity and atonement. But |