appears in the works of creation, Coloffians i. 17. and Heb. i. 3. And he upholdeth all things by the word of his power. Col. i. 17. I have anfwered in my laft; and Heb. i. 3. need only to be read with attention to fee clearly, that though Chrift is faid to uphold all things, it is by the Father's power; who being the brightness of His (the Father's) glory, the exprefs image of His (the Father's) perfon, and upholding all things by the word of His (the Father's) pater. Thus we see that God is the fource of all the power and all the knowledge of his Son; and great and wife as Chrift is, it is matter of joy and confidence to us, that his Father is greater than all.

C. fays, "I ridicule the diflinction between the human and divine nature of Chrift." So I do, because we have no express authority from Scripture for making the diftinction; and it appears equally ridiculous to me, as if a distinction 'was made between the foul and body of a man; for if the word was made flesh, and dwelt amongst us, it of course became the intelligent part of that body it was united to (as it is faid Heb. x. 5. a body haft thou prepared me) as much so as the foul is the intelligent part of the man, and as we ascribe the actions and knowledge of man to the whole man, so we must, afcribe them to the whole Chrift; for when he will judge the world, and try and fearch the hearts of men, it will be as man; for God will judge the world by the man Chrift Jesus.

C. afks, Did the Jews think Jefus cautious in making known his divinity, when they charged him with blafphemy, because he faid God was his Father, making himself equal with God? And what did he do? fays C. Why, he still maintained his claim. Did he fo? Let us fee. Take his own words, John v. 19. Verily I fay unto you the Son can do nothing of himself, but what he feeth the Father do, for what things foever he doeth, thefe alfo doth the Son likewife, for the Father loveth the Son, and fheweth him all things that himself doeth, &c. In the 22d verfe it is faid, For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment to the Son, that all men fhould honour the Son, even as they honour the Father; which C. thinks is so strong a claim to Deity, that if that is not, he knows not what is. I conceive about as strong a claim to Deity as a Judge saying, The King judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment to me, that wherever I go all his fubjects fhould honour me, even as they honour him who fent me, would prove him to be the King; for the words, having power committed to him, would prove beyond all doubt that he had a fuperior, and that it was by his authority that he acted,

and

and by his command had that honour paid him. Chrift in the fame chapter fays, "Of my ownfelf I can do nothing, as I hear, 1 judge, and my judgment is juft, because I feek not my own will, but the will of him who fent me." And when the Jews would have ftoned Jefus, C. thinks the anfwer he gave had a tendency to confirm them in their views of his claim to Deity, John x. 35. "If he called them Gods to whom the word of God came, how fay ye of him whom the Father hath fanctified, and fent into the world, I blafpheme, because I faid I am the Son of God?' As though he would fay, if the title God was given to Judges, and the Scripture fays it was, how fay ye I blafpheme when I do not take the title of God, but only faid I was the Son of God? Even his faying his father sent him must be fufficient to convince a Jew, who believed only in one God, that he made no claim to Deity; for who could fend the only true God? No, they knew he made no fuch claim, but through malice they perverted his words; and do not let us join those wicked Jews against our dear Master, by laying to his charge things which he knew not. No, the meek and humble Jefus fought not his own glory, but the glory of his Father; though he was invested with power and dignity fuperior to all under God, he did not arrogate to himfelf to be as God, but humbled himself, wherefore God hath highly exalted him, and given him a name above every name, that in the name of Jefus every knee should bow, and every tongue confefs, that he is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Thus we fee, that, even in his most exalted state, the glory will not ultimately reft in him, but in God his Father, which shows the folly of the tranflation of that paffage, "He thought it not robbery to be EQUAL with God." For if he was equal before, and exalted for what he had done, he must be higher than him he was equal to before, and, confequently, all glory must be to him; but it is not fo, for every thing he does is to the glory of God; and when he hath fubdued all things, and delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father, then fhall the Son himself be fubject to Him, who did put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

C. fays I do not contribute to eftablish the Divine Unity, because I fay the Father is the God, and the Son is a God. He might fay as much of Paul, who says there are Gods many, and Lords many, yet to us there is but one God.

I shall conclude by entreating C. fhould he answer my letters, to look my argument in the face, as I have done his; and pray God that which of us is wrong may be con

vinced,

vinced, and he that is right be confirmed, that fo God may be glorified, and mankind benefited by all we do, through Jefus Chrift our Lord.

April 9, 1798.

SAMUEL THOMPSON.

THE PRESENT TIMES FORETOLD.

A remarkable Explication of fome Paffages of Scripture relative to the Prefent times, contained in a Book intitled, MORSELS OF CRITICISM, &c. by Edward King, Efq. F. R. A. S. Printed for Robfon and Robinfon, in 1788.

AS

S the French Revolution, and its confequences must occupy and alarm the mind of every man who reflects, and stands in awe of the misery and defolation which have been brought upon the earth, and of the judgments which may be yet impending over Europe, I think I may be excufed for the note which I am now writing. But first, I recommend to all thofe, who, either ignorantly, or inconfiderately, or impiously, or presumptuously deny, reject, or vilify the Scriptures, to pass it over entirely. To them it will he foolishness. They have neither part nor lot in fuch a difcuffion. But under this reftriction, and under this impreffion, I am inclined to extend the subject a little, and would call the public attention with much earneftness to fome few parts of the abovementioned book.

We know that it is declared, that "the Book of Prophecy is fealed till the time of completion." But the events of the world, of the Chriftian world, are fo awful and fo alarming, as to induce us to believe, that they happen not without the immediate providence and decree of the Supreme Being against the fuperftition and corruptions of men, and for the fulfilling of the preparation for thofe times, when "the kingdoms of this world mult (in defiance of all human policy) become the kingdoms of God and of his Chrift!"

The direct and circumftantial evidence for Chriftianity is, indeed, very extensive, and it is alfo fo minute and clear in many parts of it, and fo cogent, as to form the ftricteft argument, which a matter of fact can admit as a proof. But exclufive of its doctrines and fpecific precepts, there is one point in which this revelation can never be fufficiently confidered, and which, without ftudy, will never be compre

hended

hended, or even imperfectly conceived. Without serioufnefs, it should never be approached. It is this. "The general defign of Scripture, confidered as hiftorical, may be faid to be, to give us an account of the world in this one fingle view, AS GOD'S WORLD! by which it appears effentially diftinguished from all other books, except fuch as are copied from it." See Butler's Analogy, Part 2. Ch. 7. But on this idea it is not my province to enlarge, I mean only to present it as the grand, luminous, leading, and introductory idea on this awful fubject. I would only conduct the reader into a fafe and proper train of thinking, and leave him to pursue his own meditation. I have alfo read words, which are deemed apocryphal, but which are worthy of the highest power. "All these things were made THROUGH ME ALONE, and through none other: BY ME ALSO SHALL THEY BE ENDED, AND BY NONE OTHER!!!" Such are the words. I will therefore offer to perfons fo difpofed fome paffages from this work, written feveral years before the prefent events had taken place in Europe, or could be conceived to be poffible. I am as little difpofed to fuperftition and enthusiasm as any man living; and I do not give them as additions to the idle prophecies and random conjectures which have appeared in fuch numbers. I have too much reverence for the Reader and for myself on such a subject. Mr. King offers them only as his interpretation of Scripture, fubmitted to a calm difcuffion. But the circumftance which peculiarly ftrikes me is this; that they were written without any Specific reference to any nation in Europe, but fimply and in general, that SUCH times and SUCH events might be expected in Some part of the Chriftian world.

The first paffage I fhall prefent is a part of Mr. King's explanation of the twenty-fourth chapter of St. Matthew's Gofpel, principally of the 29th verfe. In regard to which he fays, "We may remark, if the words are to be underflood as Spoken merely emblematically, then the images made ufe of are well known to predict (confiftently with their conftant use in many other parts of prophecy) a great deftruction, and almoft annihilation of many of thofe lawful powers which rule on earth, however beneficial many of them may be to the earth; and a dreadful leffening of the dignity and Splendour of all greatness, and a fubverfion of all good order and civil government. Than which nothing can be expected more formidable. Dreadful, indeed, must be a time, (if fuch a one is to come) when men are let lo fe upon each other, peffed of all their prefent improveVOL. II.

ments

ments and advantages, but unrestrained either by law and civil government, or by.confcience and good principle; Scorning the admonition and authority of thofe who ought to maintain justice, and affifted by the more rude and barbarous part of the word, whom they fhall find too ready to increafe the univerfal uproar."

And at the conclufion of his remarks on the Revelations, chap. xvi. 13-14. he fays, " Here while we maintain due reverential fear, our interpretation must end. Nothing but the events themselves, when they come to pass, can rightly explain the reft. And they will certainly Speak loudly enough for themselves, as thofe before have done. Only I must just remark, that it feems as if perfecution and the horrid influences of fuperftition, and of ignorance, and of barbarifm, were allowed to produce their dire effects, during the first part of the period of the time defcribed under the vials; and as if irreligion, vanity, and a total want of all ferious principle, and a mifapplication of the refinements of civilization were to be allowed to produce their mischief also at the latter end of that period."

See alfo page 453, in the conclufion of which Mr. King obferves, on the finishing the mystery of God, "That as there fhould be falfe Chrifts and false prophets, fo there fhould be alfo a dreadful fubverfion of all good government and order, and that men fhould be let loofe upon each other, in defiance of all civil power and just rule, and of legal restraint." He adds, “ It will be happy for those who fhall live fome years hence, if they can prove me guilty of a mistake in this point. I speak and wri.e with cautious reverence and fear; acknowledging that I am liable to error, and by no means pretending to prophecy: but still apprehending myself bound not to conceal the truth, where any matter appears to be revealed in Holy Scripture; and especially when the bringing an impending denunciation to light (if it he a truth) may be an awful warning and caution to many, and prevent their becoming acceffary to the evil."

Thus did this learned and very pious man, in a strain of ferious, temperate, and impreffive eloquence, deliver his opinion and his interpretation. They will ftand before, us and our pofterity, as the memorial of that lonely wisdom, that reverential application of the Divine word, and of that filent dignity, which can only be attained by a retirement (at intervals from the world which God hath made, to Him alone."

The above is extracted from The Purfuits of Literature ; the Seventh edit on. Printed for T. Becket, Pall-Mall, 1798. The language is fo nervous, the fentiment fo ftriking, in ap-' plication to the prefent awful crifis, and the fpirit of the

whole