Divine Providence, terminated at length in the abolition of that disgrace of human nature, the Slave Trade.

"The late Bishop of London observed, that all the important works in which the Bible Society had been engaged, had been carried on with the utmost harmony and unanimity, without any difference of opinion, and without the slightest symptoms of any hostile or treacherous design against the church.-See Hodgson's Life of Bishop Porteus, p. 213.

"Now the reverse of this is the tendency of all associations which are unnecessarily exclusive. They contract the heart, engender bigotry, and excite jealousy. Constantly, therefore, would I plead for the union of Christians of all denominations, whenever this may take place without violence done to the dictates of conscience. And surely, if a union of this sort be deemed inadmissible, when the object is merely the dissemination of the Bible, all hope of so desirable an event must be for ever abandoned.

"That the interests of the Establishment will probably suffer on account of the Christian concord manifested by the members of the Bible Society, in their distribution of the Holy Scriptures, I can never admit. There is no inconsistency in maintaining a friendly intercourse with dissenters on such a point, and in exercising, at the same time, a jealous attention over them in the points where we separate from each other. For besides thinking that dissent and its dangers also, are best encountered by conciliation, and both are increased by irritation, opposition, and exclusion; I deny that those churchmen, who think proper, even in the distribution of the Bible, to associate only with their brethren of the church, are, on that account, likely to prove better guardians of our Establishment, than the churchmen who belong to the Bible Society. Giving them the most entire credit for the purity of their motives, I may be allowed to doubt, whether they will be so competent to watch the conduct of dissenters, and prevent their encroachments, as those who, by a degree of intercourse with them, have opportunities of observing the spirit by which they are influenced.

"It is well known, that most societies, the members of which are in the habit of acting in full concert with each other, not merely in carrying on the affairs of the society, but on all occasions, are extremely apt to lose their energy on that very account, however lamentable it may be, that such a consequence should be the effect of an universal harmony among their members.

"Whether, indeed, if there had appeared long ago, among the members of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge,

*My own experience has furnished instances of conscientious dissenters, who could honestly declare that they were well affected to our Establishment in church and state; and I am not aware of any other impediment now existing to their ad mission into this Society."

some well-meaning and spirited dissenters, who, by a laudable zeal and perseverance, might have provoked that Society to greater and more extensive exertions, I will not take upon me to say; but that the Bible Society, which is now so much the object of Dr. Marsh's opposition and hostility, and represented as so dangerous in its constitution, has, by its unexampled efforts, proved a beneficial stimulus to the former society, no one can attempt to deny.

"Suppose, therefore, that Dr. Marsh, in his excessive zeal and circumspection for the security of the Church of England, could succeed in dismembering, and even annihilating a Society, which disperses, throughout the world, innumerable copies of the Holy Scriptures, is it quite clear, that the other Society, delivered from the spur of competition, might not soon return to its former state of placidity and moderation?" (p. 60-63.)

(To be continued in the next.)

REVIEW of "An Essay on the Prophecies of Daniel, and the Revelation of St. John: Displaying the Probable End of the present Convulsions of Europe, and the Persecution of the Protestant Church, unless averted by a Moral Reform ation." By PHILO BRITANNICUS. London: Printed for Hersee and Cooper, Bunhill-Row: and sold by J. Hatchard, Piccadilly; J. Conder, Bucklersbury; and by all other Booksellers.-1813.-Price Three Shillings.

We are aware that many writers, by their injudicious explanations of prophecy, have led numbers to conclude, that the events foretold in Scripture, must actually take place, before the prophecies concerning them can possibly be understood. And that this may be the case, with respect to many particulars, should not, perhaps, be disputed; but it does not follow, that great events, plainly foretold in the Sacred Oracles, may not be known to be certainly future. The great and general apostasy from pure Christianity, foretold in St. Paul's second Epistle to the Thessalonians, must have been discerned, at least in substance, long before the Church of Rome, by her abominations, lying wonders, blasphemies, and persecutions, fulfilled the prediction. The Apostle's language is too plain to have been ever misunderstood by pious and intelligent readers, who took the word of God for the rule of their faith and manners.

We are aware also, that many confound the certainty of events foretold in the Scriptures, with the necessity of all the causes which have led, or shall lead, to their taking place. But in doing this, they take for granted what remains to be proved, and what ean never be proved, namely, that events must be the result of * 4 P2*

necessary causes, in order to be subjects of the Divine foreknowledge. Now, that many wicked actions were foretold in the Scriptures, long before they were committed, will be readily acknowledged by all who are tolerably acquainted with Divine Revelation; but who, that is not prepared to represent God as the author of sin, will dare to assert, that those actions were unavoidable? To take up any time in proving that they were not, would be to insult the understanding of every reader, who forms right ideas of the moral attributes of God. He is a Being of absolute and infinite perfection, and, consequently, cannot be at variance with himself. This being admitted by all who believe the truth of the Scriptures, with what shew of reason can any of them maintain, that God, who prohibits sin under the heaviest penalties, is the cause of its commission? Should it be urged, that to admit contingencies, and believe that they are foreknown, as certainly future, is to believe what is not within the grasp of the human intellect, and therefore incredible; we answer, We do, and must believe many things which we cannot comprehend. For instance: we believe in the doctrine of creation, which to us is utterly incomprehensible; nor could we, by rejecting that doctrine, avoid believing one equally incomprehensible, namely, the eternity of the universe. We believe in the existence of God, the great First Cause of all created beings; but can we comprehend an abstract cause, a cause which contains in itself the reason, but not the cause of its existence? We believe that we are capable of motion, for we know that we frequently move from one place to another; and we believe, and cannot avoid doing so, that motion is either voluntary or involuntary; but can we comprehend how it is, either one or the other? If we believe that we move voluntarily, which is to believe according to Scripture and reason, can we comprehend how we do so? Can we conceive how our souls, which, being the very opposite of body, cannot possibly come in contact with it; and which really, but in a mysterious way, inhabit our bodies, produce voluntary motion? But if, to avoid believing this mystery, namely, that voluntary motion is produced by spirit, we believe, with the Materialists, that what we call the human soul, is the result of a certain modification of matter, by rejecting a mystery, the belief of which is as reasonable as it is to admit that our knowledge is limited, we embrace an absurdity. For the motion of human bodies cannot be disputed; and if their motion is not effected by a soul or spirit, distinct from matter actuating each of them, we must believe that they are voluntary machines; to believe which is absurd.

The end proposed by the foregoing observations, is to shew, that our inability to comprehend how God's certain knowledge of all future events, is compatible with the freedom of human actions, is no argument in favour of their being necessary or

unavoidable. Admitting, then, that the divine omniscience has for its objects all things contingently, as well as necessarily and possibly future, it will follow, that the certain fulfilment of prophecy is perfectly compatible with moral power; and, conse quently, lays no restraint on any of the actions of men for which they are accountable. That God, in the infinitely wise economy of his government, uses the wicked actions of men, in order to the effecting of his purposes, is no argument that he is the cause of those actions, or that they are unavoidable; for his using them is no proof of either the one or the other.

Having made these few preliminary observations, we shall proceed to notice some of the most interesting parts of Philo-Britannicus's Essay on the Prophecies of Daniel and the Revelation.

After premising that the Scriptures are incontrovertibly true, that the prophecies contained in them are a revelation of events which will certainly come to pass, and that such occurrences as most correspond with their predictions are to be presumed their signification; the author proceeds as follows.

"The 7th chapter of Daniel's prophecies is the first revelation to which I claim attention, and it is of all prophecies the most wonderful and extensive, for it comprehends the beginning and termination of all the greatest and most important kingdoms in the world, in connexion with which the fate of Europe seems included. The wonderful display of human authority exhibited in this vision, will lead us, by an unbroken chain of events, down to those now afflicting Europe, and, in connexion with St. John's prophecy, (Rev. xiii.) seems to point out, in very striking and alarming colours, the danger of our civil and religious liberties, and to call for the attention of all Europe, particularly of Britain. No other connexion will these prophecies bear in unison with their partial fulfilment; and we have seen, during the period of between two and three thousand years, their prediction and corresponding events harmonize in the most extraordinary

manner.

"In this chapter we have a discovery of those great revolutions, pre-figured under the types of four great beasts, which were interpreted to signify four great kingdoms that would succeed each other, and exercise dominion in the world, until the period that the saints of the Most High should take the kingdom from the fourth beast; and the Lord should be king over all the earth,' Zech. xiv. 9. The four great kingdoms which these four great beasts pre-figured, time and circumstances have proved, were the mighty empires of Assyria, Persia, Greece, and Rome, that alternately conquered, and succeeded each other: the three first beasts appear only to have been introduced to establish the signification of the fourth, as no events relating to them were explained, (although one of the kingdoms pre-figured by them was.

reigning at the time of the vision,) but only the rapacious dispe sition which they realized was represented in the similitude of the beasts, nor did the appearance of the three first beasts, in comparison of the fourth, excite the prophet's astonishment; a very striking proof of the wonder which the fourth would raise in the world, more than the other three, when it appeared, and which the Roman empire, its anti-type, dreadfully realized.

"It was not till many centuries after the vision of these beasts, that the fourth appeared in the world; and even after it had reached the meridian of its power, it was some centuries before the Roman Empire interpreted that dominion to be the kingdom pre-figured by the fourth beast; and until that interpretation was made manifest, the signification of the first three was enveloped in mystery. The key of time has opened to the world the great outlines of this vision, by the aid of which, we shall be enabled to trace the probable signification of what remains to be fulfilled; and I shall use the assistance of that only, to establish the import of the following prophecies.

"The fourth beast in this vision displayed very extraordinary appearances of mutations and ferocious authority, (ver. 7 to 15,) as dreadful, terrible, and strong exceedingly, it had great iron teeth, it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it, and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns; and among the horns there came up another little horn, before whom three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots; and behold in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things! After which there is a most awful description of God's sitting in judgment, attended by an innumerable host; an account of the destruction of the little horn, and the beast; and of the glory and duration of Christ's kingdom upon earth. The mystery of these was then interpreted, that the four beasts signified four kings that should arise out of the earth, who should be succeeded by the saints of the Most High, who should possess their dominion for ever and ever: and the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the other beasts, would be the fourth kingdom upon earth, and be diverse from all kingdoms, and devour the whole earth, and tread it down, and break it in pieces; and the ten horns which it displayed, signified ten kings that should arise; and another (personated by the little horn) should arise after him, and subdue three kings, (represented by the three horns that were plucked up before the little horn) and should speak great words against the saints of the Most High, and wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws; and, they shall be given into his hands until a time and times, and the dividing of time,' when the judgment (before so magnificently displayed) will take away his dominion, to consume and to de