pended on their efforts, to realize the threats of a manifefto, which tyranny had recently written in characters of blood, as an authentic, undisguised memorial of its genuine feelings and its genuine defires. Change of fortune has operated little change on their difpofitions. Mr. Chriftie, fpeaking of the emigrant princes and ⚫ their adherents in Germany,' fays, Obferve what kind ' of life they led there. Expofed to the greatest dangers, ' and to the chance of lofing all that was dear to them in

life, they were unable to forget the diffipation of the 'ancient court: they revived in exile all its follies and 'all its vices. Coblentz became a miniature of Ver'failles; and the men who had their character, their for'tune, their life itself at ftake, were occupied, just as 'they used to be at the old court, in intrigues, and quar. 'relling about mistreffes 11.'

That perfons of fuch a character should incur the most fignal judgments of heaven needs no to excite any furprize. Upon their heads the vials of the divine wrath might be expected to be poured with an unsparing hand. But all the emigrants correspond not with this description; and fome have been referved for a milder destiny. Many preferved themselves untarnished by the confpiracy at Coblentz; and, flying to a country at that time neutral, by the liberality of a generous nation have had their sufferings foftened. But even of this clafs of emigrants, not a few have indulged the vainest expectations. That the new republican constitution, however strongly it may be ratified by the convention and by the people, will prove a fabric airy and unfubftantial, they have been little disposed to doubt. Though, in the moment of divesting their fentiments of disguise, some of them may have admitted, that it resembles the spreading arch, which 11 Letters from France, vol. IV. p. 258. C 3

fome

fometimes decorates the sky, in beauty, in regularity, and in the amplitude of the fcale on which it is constructed; yet have they been of opinion, that the principal point of fimilitude is its tranfitory nature, and the fhort extent of time which it is deftined to exift. When the political horizon of France was overcaft with clouds, too many of them were ready to flatter themselves with the hope, that the ftorm, after defolating the extreme borders of the country, would take a general sweep; and, whilft it dif charged itself with a fury which admitted not of resistance, that the fplendid illufion of a representative government, whatever brilliancy it might have acquired from the concentration of the scattered rays of legislative wisdom, and however generally it might have been viewed with an admiring eye, would at length vanifh amid the thunder of war and the gloom of defpotifm. But furely those of them, who have cherished expectations to this extent, and have been eager to purchase a return to their country by its facrifice to the defpotism of the old monarchy, have afforded no very favourable proof of the goodness either of their judgments or of their hearts.

CHAPTER III.

ON THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE APOCALYPSE.

APPY in an opportunity of endeavouring to serve

HAP

the cause, and to confirm the evidences, of Revelation, and defirous of obviating fome of those prejudices, which might otherwise be entertained against the validity of any conclufions grounded upon the apocalypfe; in this and the fucceeding chapter, I fhall intro

duce

duce a number of extracts and obfervations relative to it; and particularly to its GENUINENESS, its USES, and its OBSCURITY.

Its name bespeaks its importance. It is called the Apocalypfe, fays Vitringa, because it not only describes, by the nobleft fymbols, the remarkable events of the world and of the church in fucceffion, from the time of Trajan even to the confummation of all things; ** but it likewise serves as the feal and the key of all the 'prophecies of the Old Teftament, which more obfcurely treat concerning these same tranfactions.' Lofty also is the general title prefixed to it. THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST, WHICH GOD GAVE UNTO

HIM.

With regard to its genuineness, authorities more respectable than thofe of NEWTON and of MEDE cannot be cited. It is the declaration of the latter, that the ' apocalypfe hath MORE HUMAN (not to speak of divine) 'AUTHORITY than any other book of the NEW TESTA'MENT befides, even from the time it was delivered '.' This opinion Sir Ifaac Newton fupports at greater length. 'I do not,' fays he, find any other book of the New Tef'tament SO STRONGY ATTESTED, OR COMMENTED 'UPON SO EARLY AS THIS.-Juftin Martyr, who ' within thirty years after John's death became a Christian, writes exprefsly, that "a certain man among the Chriftians, whose name was John, one of the twelve apoftles of Chrift, in the Revelation which was fhewed "him, prophefied," &c. and what this primitive father afterwards fays relative to the Millennium, does, fays Sir I. Newton, amount to this, that ALL true Christians in 'that early age received this prophecy.-Papias, bishop of Hierapolis, a man of the apoftolic age, and one of

66

1 From aπonaλudala, to open or uncover,

2 Vol. II. p. 747.

C 4

'John's

John's own difciples, did not only teach the doctrine ' of the Thousand Years, but also afferted the apocalypfe 'as written by divine inspiration. Melito, who flourished next after Justin, wrote a commentary upon this pro' phecy; and he, being bishop of Sardis, one of the 'feven churches, could neither be ignorant of their tra⚫dition about it, nor impose upon them. Irenæus, who was contemporary with Melito, wrote much upon it, and faid, that "the number 666 was in all the ANCIENT "and approved copies; and that he had it also confirmed "to him by those who had feen John face to face 3;" meaning, no doubt, his master Polycarp for one. At the fame time, Theophilus, bishop of Antioch, asserted it, and fo did Tertullian, Clemens Alexandrinus, and Origen soon after; and their contemporary Hippolytus the martyr, metropolitan of the Arabians, wrote a commentary upon it. All these were ancient men, flourifhing within a hundred and twenty years after John's death, and of the greatest note in the churches of thofe ' times.' 'Surely,' adds Sir I. Newton, this may fuffice to fhew, how the apocalypfe was received and ftudied ' in the first ages.'

6

Among other primitive commentators on this facred book was Andrew, bishop of Cefarea, who is fupposed to have lived about the clofe of the fifth century. I now quote from the preface of this ancient work, as tranflated by Dr. Lardner. He fays, "he needs not to enlarge in "proving the inspiration of this book, fince many an

3 Dr. Creffener, speaking of this teftimony of Irenæus, fays, 'there. can hardly be given a more unquestionable, or more particular testimony concerning the true author of any book at any distance from the ' time it was wrote in, than this is. Here is a particular search after all the 'copies of it, foon after the writing of it, with the concurrent teftimony of those who knew the author himself.' Dem. of the Pr. Appl. of the Apoc. Introd. 4 P. 247.

"cients

"cients bore teftimony to its authority." Some of the principal of these the bishop of Cefarea enumerates 5.

Dr. Lardner, speaking of the apocalypfe, fays, ' Hermas 'has MANY things resembling it.' The refemblance indeed is so strong that he appears plainly to have imitated it. Now the antiquity of the book, called the Shepherd or Paftor of Hermas is,' fays Dr. Lardner, ma'nifeft and unquestionable.-We cannot, I think, place this piece later than the conclufion of the first century,' and accordingly he affigns it to the year 100. With respect to the visions of the Revelation, these, says this valuable writer, and the publication of them in this book, must be affigned, as far as I can fee, to the years of Chrift 95 and 96, or 97'.' Thus then does it appear, that there is happily preferved a testimony to the genuineness of the apocalypfe, written only four or five years after that facred prophecy itself was published.

་

It is a remarkable circumftance,' fays bishop Hallifax, and what perhaps diftinguishes the apocalypse from 'every other portion of the New Testament, that it was ⚫ unanimously received as the work of John the Evan'gelift, by those who lived nearest the time of its publication, without a fingle perfon appearing to question • its authority 3.'

·

་

That St. John was banished into Patmos, in the time * of Domitian, in the latter part of his reign, and restored by his fucceffor Nerva, is,' fays Dr. Lardner, the ge⚫neral teftimony of ancient authors. But this book could not be published till after St. John's release and ' return to Ephefus in Afia. Now Domitian died in 96,

$ Lardner's Works, vol. V. p. 250.

6 See Vitringa, p. 378; and Lardner, vol. II. p. 50, 61.

7

Lardner, vol. VI. p. 638. The Revelation is placed in the year 96 by Mill and Bafnage, by Whifton and Le Clere.

■ P. 197.