Apocalypse, derived from its obscurity, was unfounded; and I then reviewed its external evidence, with perhaps, a prepossession in its fa

vour.

"But, in our examination of the external evidence, we ought, so far as human infirmity may permit, to be free from any such partiality; and to forget, for a season, our previous conceptions of the weight of its evidence internal. The two evidences, external and internal, should be kept apart; they should not be suffered to incorporate; each should be considered with reference to itself only: after which separate examination they may usefully and properly be brought together, and be allowed their due influence upon each other.

"Such appears to me the method of proceeding in this inquiry, so as to arrive at a fair and just conclusion. This method has, however, not been usually pursued. The writers, who have presented us with the two kinds of evidence, have not kept them apart. When they treat, for instance, of the external evidence of Dionysius of Alexandria; when they state how far it appears from his writings, that he considered the Apocalypse as a sacred book, delivered down to his time as such from the early fathers of the church; they moreover produce, and under the same head, the criticisms of this writer on the style and manner of the book; which consideration belongs to the subject of internal evidence.

"In the following pages it will be my endeavour to keep these two evidences apart, until they have been separately considered, and may safely be suffered to unite. This method, so far as it can be followed, will tend to prevent the operation of prejudice, and to facilitate the production of truth.

"I shall proceed, first, to the consideration of the external evidence, which is found to establish, or invalidate, the divine authority of the Apocalypse. p. 4-6.

The third letter contains the various opinions as to the time when the Apocalypse was written, which the author states to be in 96 or 97, probably, at the beginning of the lat

ter.

In the fourth letter the author proceeds to state the external evidence VOL. I.

arising from the testimony of Irenæus, and of other fathers of the church who preceded him; of Ignatius, of Hermas, of Polycarp, of the writer of the epistles relating Polycarp's martyrdom, and of Papias.

Letter the fifth contains the testimony of Justin Martyr, of Athenagoras, of the Churches in Gaul, of Melito, of Theophilus, of Apollonius, of Clemens of Alexandria, of Tertullian, accompanied by a biographical chart, after the manner of Dr. Priestley's, of writers in the early Christian church, who appear to have afforded Evidence in favour of the Apocalypse.

In letter the sixth, the evidence against the Apocalypse, during its first century; the rejection of it by Marcion, and by the Alogi; and their objections, so far as relate to external evidence, are examined.

In letter the seventh, the testimonies of Hippolitus and Origen are considered, with the objections of Caius, and of Dionysius of Alexandria, and of others before him; and animadversions on the conclusion of Michaelis respecting the evidence.

Letter the eighth contains the testimonies of Gregory of Neocæsaria; of Dionysius of Alexandria; his private opinion; of other writers in this century; of Eusebius, and of the fathers in his time and after him; of the reception of the Apocalypse at the time of the Reformation.

The ninth letter introduces the internal evidence respecting the Apocalypse; from the completion of its prophecies; from its correspondence in point of doctrine and imagery with other books of the New Testainent: objections of Michaelis answered. True character of the beauty and sublimity discovered in this book; argument thence derived; comparison of the Apocalypse with other books of the saine age, pretending to divine original; of Hermas; of the second book of Esdras. Objections arising from the obscurity of the book answered.

In examining the internal evidence the author observes.

"If all, or indeed most Christians, were agreed upon the same interpretation of the Apocalyptic prophecies, this question might be determined by a short and summary proceeding. It would only be necessary to ask4 N

Evidence of the Authenticity of the Apocalypse.

Have these prophecies been fulfilled?
for, if it be answered in the affirma-
tive, the consequence immediately
follows; the prophet was inspired,
and his book is divine.

should feel myself obliged to treat had been advanced by the adversa more at large this subject, if much ries of the Apocalypse to deny this fact. The ancient objection made by some before Dionysius, that the Apocalypse is unworthy any sacred write er,' is not now persisted in, and dewill indeed be refuted in every step serves not a particular refutation; it as we proceed.

"This criterion may, in some future time, when the apocalyptical prophecies have been more successfully studied, producé sufficient evidence to the point in question. But it cannot be applied at present, so as to produce a general conviction. We must argue from points in which internal structure of the Apocalypse is "Michaelis has allowed that the there is a more general agreement. noble and sublime, that the imita Omitting, therefore, for the present,tion of the ancient prophets is, for

the important question (which it would take a very large compass to discuss) whether the prophecies have been generally fulfilled or not, we may consider the book independent of this evidence. We may compare the doctrine which it exhibits, the pictures and images which it presents, with those contained in other acknowledged books of divine Scripture.

"To do justice to this topic, would require a regular commentary on the whole book; a particular induction of passages, by a comparison of which with other texts of Scripture, their agreement or dissimilarity would appear, and arguments be derived to determine, whether it came from the same source. would be too extensive and volumiThis proceeding nous for the sketch I now offer: but, as I am not altogether unpractised in these researches, I feel myself justified in making this general assertion, that, upon comparing the Apocalypse with the acknowledged books of divine Scripture, I have almost universally found the very same notions, images, representations, and divine lights as in other sacred Scriptures; yet not delivered in such a manner as to be apparently copied from other in spired writers, but from some original prototype, the same which these other writers also seemed to have copied. There is, in short, between the writer of the Apocalypse and his predecessors in the sacred office of prophet, that concordia discors, that a-. greement in matter, but difference in manner, which is observed in paint ers, who delineate and colour in different stations from the same original object; and this will be allowed to be a strong internal evidence of the divine original of the Apocalypse. I

the most part, more beautiful and nal; more short, more abounding more magnificent than the origiin picturesque beauties.' Whilst I sion, I would point out the cause of agree with our author in this deciit. It is not to be accounted for from in him no aim at eloquence) he drew the genius of the writer, (for there is simply, nay, with rude outlines, from they were frequently the same ob the heavenly objects before him; jects from which other sacred penpresented to the writer of the Apo men had coloured; but they were calypse in a more noble attitude and appearance by his divine Conduc

tor.

"The DOCTRINES OF CHRISTIsubject of the Apocalypse; but if we ANITY are by no means a principal advert to the doctrines delivered in this book, we shall find the same congruity with other apostolical writings. No doctrines are herein taught which are in the least at variance with any divine revelation of the New Testament." p. 63-65.

After amplifying this subject the author adds,

of the Apocalypse, that, fairly under"We may, therefore, truly assert stood, it contains nothing which, either in point of doctrine, or in relation of events past or to come, will be found to contradict any previous divine revelation. It accords with the divine councils already revealed. It expands and reveals them more completely.

flow of sacred prophecy (according We see the gradual to the true tenor of it, acknowledged by divines) first a fountain, then a rill, then, by the union of other divine streams, increasing in its course, till at length, by the accession of the prophetical waters of the New Testa

ment, and above all, by the acquisi- CLVII. THE HOLY BIBLE, &c. tion of the apocalyptical succours, it become a noble river, enriching and adorning the Christian land.'

p.

Published for JOHN REEVES, Esq. (Concluded from page 629.)

edition, I con

Concerning the peculiar excellence "Istantly kept in view the origi

of the sacred writings it is observed,
"In the word of God there is a
grandeur and majesty independent of
the accidents of language, consisting
in the greatness and sublimity of the
things revealed. Men of genius may
catch some sparks of this heavenly
fire, they may imitate it, and with
considerable success; but no one is
found so confident in this kind of
sirength, as to neglect the arts of
composition. Mahomet was a man
of superior genius; in writing his
pretended revelation, he borrowed
much from the Sacred Scriptures; he
attempted often, in imitation of them,
to be simply sublime; but he did not
trust to this only, he endeavoured to
adorn his work with all the imposing
charms of human eloquence and
cultivated language; and he ap
pealed to the perfection of his com-
position, as a proof of its divine ori-
ginal. Such an appeal would have lit-
tle served his cause in a critical and
enlightened age, which would ex-
pect far other internal proofs of divi-
nity than what result from elegant
diction. The learned of such an age
would reject a prophet appealing to a
proof which has never been admitted
with respect to former revelations; a
prophet, who, both in doctrine and
in the relation of events, past and
future, is seen to contradict, or add
strange extravagant conceits to the
credible and well-attested revelatious
of former times." p. 69.

The tenth letter contains internal evidence respecting the question, whether or not the Apocalypse was written by St. John. Dr. Lardner's opinion. Opinions of others. Arguments of Dionysius of Alexandria, under five heads, and answers thereto, and to the objections of Michaelis. Inquiry whether John the Evangelist, and John the Divine, were understood by the ancients to be the same person. Proof, from a passage in the Apocalypse, that it was written by Saint John. Conclusion.

nal work of the translators, and the
practice of the two Universities in
their editions of it; and I have al-
ways endeavoured to adapt my de-
sign so as to be justified either by
one or the other. Wishing to give
a plain text, to look like other Eng
lish books, I was desirous of disin-
cumbering the margin from the nu
merous parallel passages, that seem
to load the page, while they contri-
bute little that is useful to the gener
rality of readers. I found, that these
parallel passages were very few in
the first edition in King James's
time, and that the present number
had grown by gradual additions, de
rived from the industry of successive
editors. The much greater part of
them, therefore, might be discarded
without interfering with the original
work; and the Oxford and Cam-
bridge editors have dismissed the
whole of them, in some of their late
octavo Bibles. This was authority
enough for me to do the same; but,
in this case, as in that of the argu
ments of the chapters, I have pro
vided a substitute; for in the notes
will, be found all the references to

parallel passages, which appeared to
me necessary for explaining the text.
Some might, indeed, be added, that
would be of use; but for many of the
others, they conduce more to a cu-
rious comparison of words and phrases,
than to any true illustration of Scrip

ture.

"The other branch of marginal matter appeared to me of a much more important nature; I mean the Hebrew and Greek renderings, as they are called. These are such translations of the original as give another, or a more literal, sense of a word or phrase in the original, which could not properly be introduced into the text itself; these were wisely placed in the margin by the transla tors, in order to afford additional fight to the reader. I considered these, as a real part of the translation, no less than the text itself, and that no Bible was fairly given to the public, that was without them. haye, therefore, retained the whole

of the Hebrew and Greek renderings in this edition; and I regret that there is any example of disregarding them in others, which, for that reason, I cannot look upon as genuine editions, though coming from authority. Extricated as these renderings are, in this edition, from the heap of parallel passages, with which they are confounded in the quarto editions, they will, I hope, attract the reader's notice, and thus contribute their share towards conveying the true sense of the words and phrases of the original language.

"Such is the plan upon which I have exhibited the text of our Church Bible. For the text itself, I made choice of the Oxford Bible, which was adjusted with great care in the year 1769, and which the university has made the copy in all reprints, ever since. I directed the printers to follow that copy implicitly; and if there is any deviation, even in the punctuation, it is from an error in the press, and not by design.

To the text of the Psalms I have added, in another column, that of the Psalms in the Common Prayer Book. These two texts are of different characters; the former is nearer the Hebrew, but the latter seems to have less difficulties; those will become still less by a comparison with the Bible text; and the two will reflect a light upon each other, that must make both better understood.

should digress from the text; but, on the contrary, that every note should keep the text closely in view, and should bring the reader back to it, as soon as it had served the purpose of explaining the difficulty that occasioned it. Further, I resolved to keep out of these notes every thing that was learned, or curious, or novel. Formed upon this principle, they aim at nothing, but to give a plain interpretation of Scripture, such as has been known and well received for many years; and, as they are intended for English readers of every class, so both learned and unlearned, I should think, may find something in them that will be useful.

"In giving this new form to the English Bible, I claim little merit to myself beyond that of the labour and expence; the authorship is of a very humble sort; it is that of bringing forward the works of others, and placing them in a situation where they may be more useful to the public. The substance of every thing, that may be thought valuable in this edition, is to be found in books a century old; little of it is mine, but the selecting, adapting, and wording. If there has not always been judgment in the choice, nor every where success in the execution; if I have done too much in one place, and too little in another; I hope allowance will be made for such inequalities, considering that the work is long, and various, and the attempt new. p. xi-xv.

"Although I persuaded myself, that the Bible was more likely to be read, and would be read with more interest, and intelligence, if the text was presented to the reader in the form in which it is disposed in this edition, yet it seemed to me necessary, that the text should be accompanied with some explanatory notes, before it could be said to be upon a footing of equal advantage with other ancient writings. In order, therefore, to make the work as complete as I could, I resolved to compile some short notes both to the Old Testament and the New; I did not feel courage to bestow the same pains on the Apocrypha. The rule I laid down to myself for framing these notes was this; that they should be very numerous, and very short; so that nothing might be passed over HIS little work is introduced that appeared in the least to need with an essay on the advantages annotation; and that no annotation of understanding composition, in

CLVIII. ENGLISH COMPOSITION, in a Method entirely new, with various short contrasted Examples, from celebrated Writers, the whole adapted to common Capacities, and designed as an easy Help to form a good Style, and to acquire a Taste for the Works of the best Authors. By the Rev. G. G. SCRAGGS. To which are added, an Essay, on the Advantages of understanding Composition, and a List of select Books for English Readers, with Remarks, 12mo.

TH