certain days. Frequent fafts are the rule, the boast of their order; and their carnal humility is their fpiritual pride. So lived the monks of the ancient church; fo live, with less strictnefs perhaps but with greater oftentation, the monks and friars of the church of Rome: and thefe have been the principal propagators and defenders of the worship of the dead, both in former and in later times. The worship of the dead is indeed fo monftrously abfurd as well as impious, that there was hardly any pof fibility of its ever fucceeding and prevailing in the world, but by hypocrify and lies; but that thefe particular forts of hypocrify, celibacy under pretence of chastity, and abftinence under pretence of devotion, fhould be employ ed for this purpose, the Spirit of God alone could forefee and foretel, There is no neceffary connection between the worship of the dead, and forbidding to marry and commanding to abftain from meats: and yet it is certain, that the great advocates of this worship have, by their pretended purity and mortification, procured the greater reverence to their perfons, and the readier reception to their doctrines. But this idle, popish, monkish abstinence is as unworthy of a Chriftian, as it is unnatural to a man. It is perverting the purpose of nature, and commanding to abitain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving by the believers and them who know the truth.' The apostle therefore approves and fanctifies the religious cuftom of bleffing God at our meals, as our Saviour, when he was to diftribute the loaves and the fishes, Matt, xiv. 19. xv. 36. looked up to heaven, and bleffed, and brake: and what then can be faid of those, who have their tables fpread with the most plentiful gifts of God, and yet conftantly fit down and rife up again without fuffering fo much as one thought of the giver to intrude upon them? It is but a thought, it is but a glimpse of devotion; and can they, who refufe even that, be reputed either to believe, or to know the truth ? Man is free to partake of all the good creatures of God, but thanksgiving is the neceffary condition For, as the apostle fubjoins in the next verfes, ver. 4, and 5. every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refufed, if it be received with thankfgiving: For it is fanctified by the word of God and prayer.' The apoftle proceeds to fay, VOL. II.

N

that

that it is the duty of the ministers of the gofpel to press and inculcate these things: ver. 6. If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou fhalt þe a good minister of Jefus Chrift, nourished up in the words of faith, and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained. All that is preached up of such abstinence and mortification, as well as all the legends of the faints, are no better than profane and old wives fables :' Godliness is the only thing, that will truly avail us here and hereafter, ver. 7, and 8. But refufe profane and old wives fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godlinefs: For bodily exercise profiteth little; but godliness-is profitable unto all things, having promife of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.'

XXIV.

AN ANALYSIS OF THE

REVELATIO N.

IN TWO PARTS.

PART I.

T is very ufeful, as well as very curious and enter

wife and progress of religions and

governments; and in taking a furvey of all the different religions and governments of the world, there is none perhaps that will ftrike us more with wonder and astonishment than that of Rome, how fuch a mystery of ini quity could fucceed at first and profper fo long, and under the name of Christ introduce Antichtist. Other he refies and schisms have obtained place and credit among men for a time, and then have been happily exposed and fuppreffed. Arianifm once fucceeded almost universally; for a while it grew and flourished mightily, but in procefs of time it withered and faded away. But Popery hath now prevailed I know not how many centuries, and her renowned hierarchs have not, like the fathers of other fects, stole into fecret meetings and conventicles, but have infected the very heart of the Chriftian church, and ufurped the chief feat of the western world: have not only engaged in their caufe private perfons, and led captive filly women, but have trampled on the necks of princes and emperors themselves, and the lords and tyrants of mankind have yet been the blind flaves and vaffals of the ho ly fee. Rome Christian hath carried her conquests even farther than Rome Pagan. The Romanifts themselves make universality and perpetuity the fpecial marks and characters of their church; and no people more industrious than they in compaffing fea and land to make profelytes.

All fincere proteftants cannot but be greatly grieved at the fuccefs and prevalence of this religion, and the paN 2

pists

pifts as much boaft and glory in it, and for this reason proudly denominate theirs the catholic religion. But it will abate all confidence on the one hand, and banish all fcruples on the other; if we confider that this is nothing. more than what was fignified before-hand by the Spirit of prophecy. It is directly foretold, that there fhould be fuch a power, as that of the Pope of Rome, exercised in the Chriftian church, and that it fhould prevail for a long feafon, but at last should have a fall. Several clear and exprefs prophecies to this purpofe have been produced out of Daniel and St Paul in the course of these differtations but others clearer ftill, and more copious and particular, may be found in the Apocalyps or Revelation of St John, who was the greateft as he was the last prophet of the Chriftian difpenfation, and hath comprehended in this book, and pointed out the most memorable events and revolutions in the church, from the apoftles days to the confummation of the mystery of God.

a

But to this book of the Apocalyps or Revelation it is ufually objected, that it is fo wrapt and involved in figures and allegories, is fo wild and vifionary, is fo dark and obfcure, that any thing or nothing, at leaft nothing clear and certain, can be proved or collected from it. So learned a man as Scaliger is noted for faying that Calvin was wife, because he wrote no comment upon the Revelation. A celebrated b wit and divine of our own church hath not fcrupled to affert, that that book either finds a man mad, or makes him fo. Whitby, though an useful commentator on the other books of the New Teftament, would not yet adventure upon the Revelation. "I confefs I do it not (fays he,) for want of wifdom; that is becaufe I have neither fufficient reading nor judgment, to difcern the intendment of the prophecies contained in that book." Voltaire is pleafed to fay, that Sir Ifaac Newton

C

a Calvinus fapit, quod in Apocalypfin non fcripfit. Vide Scagerana fecunda, p. 41. But Scaliger was not very confiftent in his opinion of the Revelation. For as the Bishop of Rochester remarks, he says in another place, Hoc poffum gloriari me nihil ignorare eorum quæ in Apocalypfi, Canonico vere libro, prophetice fcribuntur, præter illud caput in quo va fepties repetitur: ignoro enim idne tempus præterierit, an futurum fit. Scaligeran. Ima. p. 13.9 b Dr South. See Vol. 2. Serm. II. 6th Edit. See Whitby's Pref. to bis Treatife of the Millennium.

p. 422.

Newton wrote his comment upon the Revelation, to confole mankind for the great fuperiority that hehad over them in other refpects: but Voltaire, though a very agreeable, is yet a very fuperficial writer, and often mistaken in his judgment of men and things. He never was more miftaken, than in affirming that Sir Ifaac Newton has explained the Revelation in the fame manner with all those who went before him; a most evident proof that he had never read either the one or the others, for if ever he had read them, he must have perceived the difference. However it is undeniable that even the most learned men have miscarried in nothing more than in their comments and explanations of this book. To explain this book perfectly is not the work of one man or of one age; and probably it will never all be clearly understood, till it is all fulfilled. It is a memorable thing, that Bishop Burnet d relates to this purpose of his friend the most learned Bifhop Lloyd of Worcefter. He fays that that excellent person was employed above twenty years in studying the Revelation with an amazing diligence and exactnefs, and that he had foretold and proved from the Revelation the peace made between the Turk and the emperor in the year 1698 long before it was made, and that after this he faid the time of the Turks hurting the papal Christians was at an end: and he was so pofitive in this, that he consented that all his fcheme fhould be laid afide. if ever the Turk engaged in a new war with them. But it is very well known, that the Turk and the Emperor have engaged in a new war fince that time, and probably may engage again, fo that by his own confent all his fcheme is to be laid afide and if fo great a master of learning, fo nice a critic in chronology and hiftory, one who perhaps underftood the prophetic writings better than any man of his time, was fo grossly mistaken in the most positive of his calculations,

:

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e

d Burnet's History of his own times. Vol. 2. p. 204. e Upon reflection I think it not impoffible that Bishop Burnet might mistake, and fo might mifreprefent Bishop Lloyd's meaning. If he faid indeed, that the Turks would never engage in a new war with the papal Chriftians, he was plainly in the wrong, the event hath shown that he was in the wrong. If he said only that the Turks would no more hurt the papal Chriftians, would no more fubdue any Christian ftate or potentate, he was probably in the right;.: the prophet feemeth to intimate the fame thing, and the event hi-..therto confirms it..