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The absurdities of the Cabalistical system of interpre tation, are next the object of censure; nor is the Hutchinfonian discovery of divine truths in Hebrew words, spared by the ingenious preacher, though he admits that this is a less puerile purfuit than the former. But it is in his attack on the Sinian mode of interpretation, that Dr. Laurence difplays he greatest vigour of argument. This part of the Sermon we extract with great pleasure.

" For ingenuity in compelling many a celebrated text to speak a language repugnant to its apparent signification, we may allow Socinus and his followers as much credit as they require, if indeed credit may be so obtained; but we cannot surely on that account, without violence to the epithet, denominate them, what they exclusively affect to be, rational expositors. What passage of Scripture can be clearer, than the Answer of our Saviour to the Jews, who, when they enquired of him, whether he, who was not then fifty years old, had seen Abraham, replied, "Before Abraham was, I am," plainly ascribing to himself an existence prior to that of Abraham. But the Socinians have invented a different explication. They have observed that the aorist γενεσθαι, may be taken (but certainly not in this instance with grammatical propriety) in a future sense, with respect to the time when the conversation took place, and that Abraham means not the person of the patriarch, but merely the import of his name, so that the words, πριν Αβρααμ, γενεσθαι εγω ειμι, should be rendered, "Before he of whom you speak shall become Abraham," or what that name indicates, " the father of many nations," (which is still further to be explained in a spiritual sense, and considered as having taken place, when the salvation of the Jews was extended to the Gentiles,) " I am," I the light of the world appear; that is, I the Messiah exist, before the Gentiles can approach my splendor, and hail the brightness of my rising. But can we suppose', that his indignant hearers, had they thus understood him, would have taken up stones to stone him for blasphemy; or that our Saviour himself, instead of directly replying to the question proposed, would have completely avoided it, and that for the sole purpose of advancing an almost incontrovertible proposition, not less uninteresting than irrelevant, and only remarkable for a miserable play upon words without point, and a lamentable dislocation of * idea without example? To particularize such a comment, so intricate and involved, so injurious to the character of our Redeemer, as well as so much at war with the context, is indeed to refute it.

"But their most frequent mode of perverting unambiguous phrases, is by a confident imputation of Hebraisms, to which they give a construction suitable to the particular object in their view, Thus they consider the denomination, "Son of God," so often ascribed to our Saviour, as a kind of Hebrew idiom, which signihes no more than a person favoured by the Almighty, and which

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is therefore destitute of characteristical emphasis, while they regard the other denomination usually ascribed to him, "Son of Man," indeed of the same description, yet as distinctly and strongly emphatical, purposely employed to prevent the possibility of conceiving him to be any thing more than a mere man. But this double and contradictory application of a similar idiom is perfectly untenable. For if the words "Son of Man" emphatically signify one, who is truly and properly man, must it not follow by parity of reasoning, that the words "Son of God" emphatically also sig. nify one, who is truly and properly God? The fact is, both are alike emphatical, although the first seems, generally at least, if not always, used in a sense wholly different from the Socinian. For as the appellation "Son of Man," which occurs in a well known prophecy of Daniel, was appropriated by the Jewish expositors in the time of Christ to the promised Messiah, a circumstance which the Targum of Jonathan, still extant, puts beyond a doubt, we must immediately perceive the object of it, especially when we recollect, that our Saviour himself alludes to this identical prophecy, and speaks of his own advent in the very expressions of Daniel, as that of the Son of Man, or the Messiah, (terms understood to be equivalent to each other,) "coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." With respect to the appellation "Son of God," it seems only necessary to observe, that, when St. Peter says to his divine Master, "We believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God," if the phrase meant no more than a mere man in high favour with God, the answer of our Lord would have been singular and unaccountable, who replied, "Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona; for flesh and blood have not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven;" because certainly, according to the Socinian explanation of the terms, a revelation from heaven would have been superfluous.

"Nor is their frequent appeal to conjectural idiom attended with worse consequences, than their perpetual substitution of fancied metaphor, particularly when they endeavour by it to gloss away the meaning of almost every passage in Scripture, relating to the true nature of Christian redemption. They argue that when it is said, "The blood of Christ cleanseth from all sin," or when any similar phrase is introduced, nothing more is intended, than that the blood of Christ, which was shed in testimony to the truth of his doctrines, enables us, by admitting that truth, and practising those doctrines, to cleanse ourselves from all sin; so that the expressions " blood of Christ," are made, by a long chain of intermediate reasoning, to stand figuratively for Christian morality. Such a perplexed and subtle style of interpretation may perhaps gratify the vanity of writers, who deride the faith and despise the talents of all other commentators; but it must always be disapproved by those who prefer plain and unembarrassed to confused and implicated expositions, to expositions equally remote from Gospel truth as from Gospel simplicity."

The

The conclufion of this discourse gives the following found advice, which cannot be too carefully regarded by all students in theology, and particularly by those who enter upon a critical inquiry into, and an elucidation of the sacred volume.

"From a retrospect then of what has been observed, we may conclude, that in traversing the wide field of philological speculation and biblical criticism, we cannot too accurately examine the solidity of the ground, upon which we tread. Various indeed are the modes, which a warm imagination may suggest, to render a good cause more alluring, and a bad one less obnoxious; but after all, plain, direct, and substantial argument is the only sure basis of rational conviction. In many cases we may indeed innocently amuse ourselves with the fond reveries of a favourite system; but we should not forget that other minds may be more fastidious, and that truth is always admitted with reluctance, where fiction is only in part suspected. And if the propriety of keeping within due limits be apparent, when the theorist is solely anxious to illustrate points of general persuasion, what ought to be his caution, when he is proceeding in a contrary direction, when he is attempting untried novelties, and hazarding uncertain conjectures! Let him at least reflect, that to venture on a precipice with indifference is folly, and without necessity a crime."

There is an appendix of curious notes fubjoined to this interesting fermon, which will afford much valuable infor. mation to every ferious reader.

Poetry.

ON THE DESTRUCTION OF PHAROAH.

[From Mr. Rolleston's Prize Poem, entitled "Moses under the direction of Divine Providence, &c." Oxford. 12mo. 1807.]

B

UT where is

Egypt now? Where all her might,

Her steeds, her cars, her thousands arm'd for fight?

Where is the banner'd pride that wav'd so high?
And where the trump that told of victory?
All, all are paft; the chain'd and fetter'd deep,
Loos'd from its bonds, at one tremendous sweep

Whelm'd

Whelm'd all their hopes, and not a wreck is seen
To tell to future times that they had been.-
And thou, infatuate Prince, of stubborn mould,
Aw'd by no terrors, by no pow'r controll'd!
Hast thou too felt that arm thy foul defied?
How is thy glory fall'n! how chang'd thy pride!
For Hope had fondly deem'd thy death-cold clay
Should mock Corruption's worm, nor know decay;
But ne'er thy scatter'd bones shall now be hid
In the dark bed of thy proud pyramid:
But thou, vain boaster, and thy meanest slave,
Alike must glut the monsters of the wave.

And now, perchance, redeem'd of Heav'n, for you
Hope paints new lands, in Fancy's fairest hue;
Of scenes perchance she tells, more heav'nly blest
Than Tempe's vale, or Leuce's fabled reft,
Where vernal flowers 'mid Autumn's fruitage blow,
Where milky streams, and honied waters flow;
Ah, trust her not! Yet stay, fond flatt'rer, stay,
For long and fad shall be the wand'rer's way,
And scarce an eye, that now so brightly beams,
Shall feast on Carmel's palms, or Siloa's streams.
Then once again thy fairy vision give,
Pour warmer tints, bid fresher colours live ;
It must not be; before the tempest fly
Hope's rainbow hues, and darkness shrouds the sky.

What now avail their days, with wonders blest,
Th' unwasting sandal and unchanging vest ?
What boots it now, that Morn's ambrofial dews
Uncloying sweets, angelic food diffuse ?
That balmy Eve, upon her dusky wings,
A feather'd cloud, a heav'n-fent banquet brings ?
For, faint and feeble, on Rephidim's plain,
Lies, like a scatter'd fold, the finking train;
While the flush'd cheek and panting breast proclaim
That fierce within them burns the thirsty flame.
Around in vain they cast th' imploring eye,-
'Tis all one waste of fand, one blaze of sky!
Oh how their fouls for Marah's waters yearn,
And ask the bitter draught they late could spurn!
But past are Marah's streams, and far away
O'er Elim's wells the verdant palm-trees play:
No more their hearts are cheer'd by Freedom's fmile,
But many a warm figh speeds, to where the Nile

Rolls

Rolls its cool waves through bow'r or fertile plain,
And Life seems lovely, though it wear a chain.

But must they die? Will He, their Guardian Pow'r,
Forfake them in affliction's darkest hour?
No! He their pray'r hath heard; at His command,
The mighty leader lifts the sov'reign wand;
Aftonish'd Horeb feels, at ev'ry pore,

Strange waters gush, and springs unknown before;
Swift o'er the sands the new-born currents glide,
And breezes freshen round the rolling tide.
In fudden terror fix'd, and mute amaze,
Doubting awhile, th' exhausted myriads gaze;
Then bursts their rapture forth; and young and old,
Crowd over crowd, like gathering furges roll'd,
Press to the stream, and send to Heav'n a cry
Of high-rais'd joy, of grateful ecstasy.

LIST OF NEW PUBLICATIONS.

THE Manual of Prophecy, which

By the Rev. E. aker, Rector of St. Mildred, and All-Saints, Canterbury. Price 3s. 6d.

The Hopes of the Righteous in Death. Illustrated in a Funeral Sermon, preached in the Parish Church of Horningsham. By the Rev. Francis Skurray, Fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford. Price 1s. 6d.

The Doctrine of the Greek Article, applied to the Criticism, and the Illustration of the New Testament. By T. F. Middleton, A. M. Rector of Tansor, in Northamptonshire, and of Bytham, in Lincolnshire. 14s. A Letter to the Rev. John Owen, in Reply to the Brief Strictures on the Preface to Observations on the present State of the Kast India Company. To

is added a Postscript, containing Remarks on a Note in the Christian Observer for December last. By Major Scotf Waring. 3s. 6d.

A Sermon, preached at the Parish Church of Thorpe, in the county of Surrey, on the 25th of October, 1807, being the Anniversary of his Majesty's Accession to the Throne. By the Rev. E. W. Whitaker, Rector of St. Mildred's and All-Saints, Canterbury. Is. 6d.

Sermons preached to his Congregation, at Bishop Wearmouth. By the Rev. William Paley, D. D.

An Enquiry into certain vulgar Opinions, concerning the Catholic Inhabitants and Antiquities of Ireland, in a Series of Letters from thence, addressed to a Protestant Gentleman in

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