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Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la m^thode. ita lure. : 2X t 2 3 4 5 6 \s I^- ^ mmmmmmmmm t R % \ ' DESTRUCTION OF THE FRENCH foretold, (^ •"i^i>i"^»"iw»w««pipji " I'l' t»"i^"^«^^^flr* T-f' np ^.: J'' • J.. u-- *-^ II ■*'4-i *••' s- .1 11 T 'I J •"% C;l //: 'If t ' '■ >■•-■] ^ --» .---- • L^Cj3x0t^HD>i-:HTI ' . t Prii A y ./' J ^1 ■» . » *1 :A:. ^ • ■ _ ♦ T H E '^OV;', DESTRUCTION OF THE FRENCH FORETOLD BY E Z E K I E L; OR, A COM ME NT ARY , ON THE,'.' , Thirty-fifth Chapter of that Prophet ; Intended as a Specimen of . Mr. ROMAINE's Manner of interpreting Scripture j with a Word or two in Vindication of that Gentleman and his Imitators, from the Cenfure of a late Apo* LOGIST FOR THE ClERGY. f * Cbou Halt be n^ftilate, © ^mntttvt \ •• .. ,;• Ezek. 3c, le. Jlic niger eft, bunc tu, Romane, cavefo, HoR, Printed for M. C O O P E R in Pater-Nofter-Row. [Prke One Shilling.] y •'WI^'VMWVfllWPPi""*""'^ ^^mmmmik i\ %- ■«Nt'.«t i' # 'F *%■■>■.«> v< rf ,:U. T!- ^A, fjf' ,'••, .^H ,«■ ^'lii-i :e|-I ■•.»_#Jl»t <■ IT is the diAinguifhIng Charadler of the Age in which we Uvc, but, more particularly, of the Country where we dwell, to treat with Con- tempt every Thing that venerable Authority hath eflablifhed as Right y or that refpedable Tradition hath conveyed to us as Ancient ; and to honour nO Opinions with our Regard, but fuch as appear to be reafonable, when tried at the Bar of private Judgment. O'D <'rc:;'.;!n r: ."! ? ' n(i% bi We boaft, indeed, of this, as one of the Be-' nefits of the Reformation. But what have we gained by throwing off the Infallibility of the Pope of Rome^ if every Individual thinketh himfelf at Liberty to fet up the Infallibility of his own Rea- fon ? For from this fatal Source a thoufand Errors have fprung. The Reafon of Man, left to itfelf, and unfupported by the folid Props of Authority B >!?. and .,?,^ ( 2 ) - and Tradition, lofeth itfelf inftantly, in a Labyrinth of Abfurdities. When once it is fubmitted to as a Judge in Religion, we need not wonder if it's De- cifions are as erroneous as it's Vanity is prefump- tuous : And Experience alas ! prefenteth us, with melancholy Inftances of this Truth, in the many pernicious Dodlrines, not only privately entertained, but publicly taught, and in the many abominable Books which come forth, every Day, from the PrefSj to fpread their pcflilential Influence over the Land. .. , ^^ I HAVE been led into this Train of Refledion by perufing a late Produdion, called an Apology for the Clergy, The Author of that unchrijlian Per- formance feemeth to be one of the many Teachers of the Church of England who have abandoned the J^odlrlnes of the Reformation^ and whom the very eminent Commentator on the 107th Pfalm had but too juft Foundation for reproaching as Apoftates. For furely, thofe Perfons muft be pronounced Apoftates from found Theology, who feem to make it their principal Study to fhew, that Reafon and Faith are not inconliftent, that the Revelation of Chrift is not fubverlive of the Religion of Nature, and that the Scriptures, though didlated by the third X Jehovah y are to be interpreted in the fame Manner as we interpret the Writings of the Sons of Men. They who fet out with Principles fo glaringly falfe, cannot fail to import into that Re- ligion which they do not underftand, the moil damnable Dodtrines, and to make every knowing and regenerate Chrift:ian tremble at the Thoughts of 1 That I here fpeak with great Propriety, every one may fatisfy hinr- fel^, who will perufe Mr. Rotnaineh plain and eafy Expofition of the My f- tery of the Ti:iiuty, in his late Sermon on the Seif-e?cijience ofjefus Chriji,, very I but htes. inced akc and )n of iture, the fame Sons :s fo Re- moll wing iughts olc Ify him - Tie Myf- ' t, ( 3 ) of feeing the Gofpel of Jefus dripped of thofe ufe- ful Additions with which it hath been adorned by pious Fathers of the Church, and learned Doctors of the Schools, and held out to our View in fuch a Garb as may give an Opportunity to the proud DeijU^ and the fcornful Lifideh^ of flieltering them- felves amongd it's Admirers. .v^jm ■■* The Apology for ihe Clergy being indifputably calculated to promote Purpofes fo pernicious, I could not read it without Indignation j an Indigna- tion, which hath engaged me in the prefent At- tempt J to expofe to public Scorn this anonymous Tool of the minifierial Divines, by vindicating thoCefuMime Dodrines which he hath ridiculed, and by refcuing, from his Abufe, the Charaders of Men, famous in their Generation, Patterns of Chriftian Humility, and of Chriftian Charity ; and whofe only Crime, is, indeed, a real Commenda- tion, viz. that they preach a Gofpel different from that of the Courf Clergy, in their unedifying Dif- courfes ; a Gofpel, however, which, I flatter my- felf, every judicious Chriftian will er'ertain a very extraordinary Opinion of, after he hath been at the Pains to perufe the (hort Sketch which I pro- pofe to give of it, in the following Pages. Welx did our illuftrious Commentator, the Or- nament of a Church not worthy of him, affirm, * That he writes not for the great and learned Men of this ^ge. For, alas ! the Learning of this Age, is not the Learning that can make us wife unto Sal- vation. The learned Divines of this degenerate • B 2 ., ... Age, * Preface to Mr. Romainis Commentary. i I i \ f 4 ) A^, if we except only that fmall Remnant of wor- thy and confcientious Preachers of the Gofpel, wbo have not bowed the Knee to Baaly and whole Merit ^cxafioneth their being infulted and ridiculedj are lamentably ignorant of the Pillars and Grounds of 4heir Faith, They are unacquainted with Scrip- ture. They know nothing of the Treafurcc of di- vine Wifdom which are there hid from every car- nal Eye. Can any one expedt to enrich himfelf with a valuable Gem, if he contenteth himfelf with looking for it upon the Surface ? Can we tafte the delicious Sweetnefs of the Pine- Apple, unlefs we flrip it of it's outward, unprofitable Coat ? How, therefore, can it be expected that thofe Perfons ihould ever difcover the Riches of the Scriptures, who ;|iever dig for them ? Or that any fliould ever make themfelves acquainted with divineTruths,if they will hot draw afide the Curtain that is thrown over them ? Wkh far greater Succefs, becaufe with far greater Judgment, do the Gentlemen, whofe Caufe I now plead, interpret thfe facred Books, of whofe Senie their Adversaries are fo (hamefully ignorant. For, letting out with this Principle, that the literal and vbvious Meaning of the Text muft be fet afide, be- fore we can come at the myjlical, fpiritual, divine Dodtrine, which lyeth there in Embryo, their in- defatigable Labour, and extenfive Genius, bring wonderful Secrets into the Light. The holy Scrip- tures thus fkilfuUy interpreted, commence, as it were, a Fairy-Land, Where, feemingly, there was nothing but Barrenneft, in that very Spot, by the iha'^ic Art of a ^gacioua Comnientator, the mod fruitful Scene will ftart up, and the Reader be fur- |)ri5pcd with an elegant JEntertainment, evea when he Jeg X .tM il*J'5^i.-> m wor- , who Merit i. are tds of Scrips of di- y car- iimfelf limfelf re tafte unlefs >How, Perfons esjwho r make bey will |r them ? greater ; I now i Senlc . For, ral and de, be- , divine leir in- ;, bring y Scrip- e, as \K lere was , by the le moft • be fur- XL when he { 5 ) he would have thought it impofliblc to furnifh out the moil frugal Meal. . And yet, fuch is the Perverfencfs of Men, it is upon this very Accoiir.t that my learned Friends, whofe Defence I liave undertaken, have been treated with a Ridicule which could not have been (harper, had it been exercifed on a Set of crack-/>rained En- thufiafts. The Author of the Apology^ makcth this his principal Topic of Accufation againft them. It is obvious, faith he, that when once Itnagi-p nation is fufFered to divert itfelf, without the Reftraint of fober Rcafon, in fuch Refearches as thefe, there can be no fixed, no rational Rule of judging ; LikeneiTes will be made out between Things in the World the mod unlike j and the Dodtrines of the Gofpel, clearly and unexcep- tionably revealed in the literal Meaning of t thoufand Paflages in the New Teftameot, will lofe all their Certainty and Evidence, when refted only on the ridiculous Whims of fanciful fchcm- ers, on forced Etymologies of Words, and upon wild, uncertain Allegories. "-f* ^ . " >' Is this then the Reafon why the great and learned Men of this Age cenfure our Preachers ? If it be, we honour their reproach ; we are in the beji Company by leaving of theirs.^ For though it hath been a ma- licious Art of the Court Clergy to brand us as the Difciples of one HutchinfoUy lately a Horfe-dodior in the Mews, yet they who know any Thing of us, know, that we lay Claim to a higher and more il- iuftrious Original; and that, though we refpedl Mr. HutchiTifon as the Reviver^ we never honoured him as the Founder of our wonderful Theology. The Papijls have frequently infulted Proteftants with this Queftion, where was your Religion be- fore Luther ? To this we think it a fufficient An- fwer, to tell them, that our Religion was, from the Beginning, where their Corruptions of it never were, in the New Teftament. In like Man- ner, therefore, when our Friends are infulted with the fame Queftion, where \yere your Opinions before Hutchinfon f We are not at a Lofs for an Anfwer, but can urge, that our Method of inter- preting the Scriptures, is a Produdlion of a moft venerable Antiquity, and of the moft eminent and moft illuftrious Champions of the Church. If to defpife the Letter and to adhere to the fpiritual Senfe of the Text 5 if to explain a fimple Narration of Fadl into an Allegory, and to difcover Myfteries in the Places of Scripture feemingly ieaft myfterious ; if this be what is objected to the Perfons called Hut' chinfoniansy how ought the Objedtors to blufti when > they § Mr. Rotnaifte's Words in Preface lu the Commcntaiy. ( 7 ) ... • [natlcal learned be, we t)any by \ a ma- as the }-doBor g of us, lore il- rerpe(ft )noured leology. )teftants rion be- nt An- from t never Man- d with pinions for an inter- moft :nt and If to 1 Senfe Ition of iries in jrious ; Id UuU when they they are told, that what they blame, with fuch Acri- mony, is, indeed, the Manner in which the facred Books are explained, in the Writings of the moft refpedled Fathers in the pureft and earlieft Ages of the Church ? Some of the firft Writers after the Times of the Apoftles, in the Chriftian Church, were Perfons not more remarkable for their Integrity and Piety, than they were for their IgHorance of every Thing but the limple, unpolifhed Gofpel of Chrift. Their Writings, therefore, we cannot appeal to, as fa- vouring our Interpretations. Who then, are the Fathers under whofe Banner we enlift ourfelves ? Perfons who were (killed in all the Learning of their Times, trained up in the Schools of Pagan Philo- fophy, and verfed in all the Depths of the mydical Theology of Flato, Such Perfons, upon their Con-. verlion to Chriftianity, were better qualified by their Education and btudies, to pry into the hidden Senfe, and ti difcover the allegorical Meaning of the Scriptures, than we can fuppofe was the Cafe, of the plain, illiterate Believers in 'Jefus^ who profefTed to know nothing but him crucified^ and were en- tirely unacquainted with the enticing Words of Mens Wijdom, The Platonic Converts to the Gofpel, . fkilled in all the curious Refearches of Mythology^ and whofe favourite Employment it had been, to refine the Gtoflhefs of the popular Theology ofPa- iganijmy by cloathing it with Allegory, tp'ight Chrift- ians an Art, which hitherto they had been ««/^^- ///y unacquainted with, the Art oi allegorizing Scrip- ture, and of deducing all theMyfteries ofRedemp* tion^ all the Secrets of the divine Councils, from fuch MIH^IippiiM' '1;! Hi i^f f! , < 8 ) fuch Texts, as to Men of a carnal Underftanding, fccmed pregnant with nothing of Importance. ' 'Let but the Apologijt for the Clergy^ who could blame the learned Labours of our Preachers and Writers, * caft his Eye upon the Dialogue oi Jtijlin Martyr with Trypho the Jew, and he will inliantly obferve that this Father, who was a Philofopher before he commenced Chriftian, reafoneth with his Adverfary, in the very Manner that is fo much blamed in us j by (hewing that Chrift is typified in r thoufand Faflages of Scripture, the literal Mean- ing of which is quite foreign to the Purpofe. Need I mention that we can boaft of Origen as carrying on the fame wonderful Plan ? Every one, who ever heard of that great Man, knoweth, that, if we ex- cept fome Parts of his Defence of the Chriftian Re- ligion againft CelfuSy where he reafoneth logically, and according to the Rules of human Criticifm, his voluminous Works are made up of a continued Se- ries of allegorical Interpretations of Scripture, and are an inexhauftible Magazine, out of which, from Time to Time, the World hath been entertainedy by fucceeding Admirers and Imitators. To the illuftrious Names of Jujiin Martyr and Origen if we add that of the learned Clemens of Alexandria, who is behind none in Fertility of Genius, and whofc Writings abound every where with mafterly Difcoverics cf Scripture Allegories, there cannot furely ♦ The Sermons of Mr. Romaine on the 107th Pfalm, thofe of Mr. Meyrick on the Vines and Vineyards of Scripture, and that of Mr. JVatfon on the 19th Pfalm, contain mafterly Difcoveries of Types and Allegories, and I recommend them as proper Models oi Goftel Preach- ing The Works of the profound Mr. Juliui Bates, ajpd ot the pene- trating Mr. Hollonuay are alfo Curioftties of their Kind ; and there is not •^vanting good Matter in the Writings of tJie too mediate Dr. HQ^ges, ^ nding. I could rs and Jujlin ilbntly )fopher mh his ► much lifted in Mean- Need :arrying rho ever f we ex- tian Re- )gically, ifm, his ued Se- re, and from rtainedy To the Origett andria^ us, and afterly cannot furely ofe of Mr. hat of Mr. Types and el Preach- the pene- there is not ( 9 ) furely be any Occafion to appeal to other Writers of thofe Times, as favouring our Opinions j and every one knoweth that my omitting to do this, cannot be conftrued into Want of Materials, Shall it then be a Crime in us, to imitate thofe great Lights of the Chriflian Church ? Shall it be objeded to us, that v^e interpret Scripture, as it was interpreted fo early as the fecond and »hird Centuries ? Our Adverfaries, by urging fuch a Charge as^ainft us, prove only their own Ignorance, and do Honour to a Caufe which they mean to cenfure. ;.; But not only can our Preachers vindicate the A?itiquity of their Opinions, by tracing them up to the golden Days of the Platonic Converts to Chrifti- anity ; they have it equally in their Power to ex- trad:, from the Writings of venerable Prelates, and fainted Fathers, through every fucceeding Age, till Ignorance and Superftition ovenvhelmcd the Earth, innumerable Teftimonies to prove, that the Cyrils, the Chryfoflomes, the Aujlim, the 'Jeroms^ the TheophylaBs, Sec. &c. were fully acquainted with the Art of allegorizing the Bible, and fre- quently pradtifed it with the utmofl Succefs, And though the ingenious, but profane, IFool/ion, went beyond the Truth when he affirmed that thefe Fa- thers, denied the Reality of the Fads related in Scripture, yet hath he faid much to prove, that they looked upon the Fads to have been related for no other Purpofes, but to furnilh Materials to Men of a lively Fancy, to draw out from them inftruc- tive LefTons, and to be fo many Types and Pidures of fpiritual Truths. C ■ Weke ( 'lo ) Were it not that, in this Age refined in Learning, as well as in Luxury, it might be looked upon as un- fafhionable, to quote the Authority of the School- meriy we could fhew that during the Reign of Monk- ijh Ignorance and Papal Superftition, there were not wanting fome exalted Geniufes, worthy of better Times, with whom our Manner of Interpreting the facred Writers, handed down from high Antiquity, continued ftill to prevail. And it were no difficult Matter to convince the World, that the Difcipks of the Angelic Thomas Aquinas^ and thofe of the fubtle Dum Scot us, jarring in every other Point of artificial Theology, always agreed in this ; and made it their great Aim in iludying and explaining the Scriptures, to amaze their Readers with Difcoveries of hidden Treafure, and with Interpretations of Texts fo curious, that the Gentlemen, whofe Advocate I now am, have no Reafon to refufe them admittance, into the immortal Lifl of Allegorical Dodiors, But we pafs over, without defcending to parti- culars, this vaft Body of Auxiliaries, that we may haflen to a later and more confpicuous Mra ; to the Age when Freedom of thinking introduced, at lirfl, by the Reformation, was carried, fully into all the Freedom of Ad:ion by a glorious, and unparalleled Set of Divines, the Ornaments of our Country un- der the Reign of Charles the firft. Branded though they ufually be, by the malignant Writers of that Time, as Enthufia/ls and Firebrands, can any {ti^i- fible, impartial Man look back with Attention, on the Occurrences of that Period, and not meet with the mofl fatisfying Proofs of their fuperior Abilities ? To fay with the Apologifii % that they did more to- wards X Page 30 ' .' I un- hool' I not etter y the uity, licult lesof ubtle ificial their :ures, idden :ts fo ate I :ance, parti- may o the firft, ill the alleled y un- lough that fen- n, on with ities ? re to- wards \ * 4 I ( ii ) wards bringing Charles thefirjl to the Scaffold than all the Valour of a numerous Army\ mth a Crom- well at their Heady is to pay thtm, though he feemeth to be ignorant of it, the highell Compli- ment that he poilibly could. For how could he bear VVitnefs to their Abilities, more lignificantly, than by taking Notice of the wonderful Effedts of their Preachiiig oh the Minds of this fenftble and phlegmatic Nation; EfFedts that difcovered them- felyes, lirfl, in the Workings of the Fadions in Par- liament, were continued during the Courfe of the civil War, and gave Birth to every uncommon Event, during that "moft interefting Period of En- ^///6 Hiftory ; the Motions of gifted Brethren di- recting every Council of Government, and the Pulpit giving Law to the State. )t:'\. That Men of fuch Abilities, therefore, can be cited as concurring with us, in explaining the facred Volumes, cannot but give us abundant Reafon to boaft ; and mufi: difplay, ftill more clearly thatn any Thing I have already offered, the Injuftice and Calumny of our Antagonifts, who have the Impu- dence to reprefent thofe O pinions as upftart, that have been embraced by the Marjhalls^ the CalamySy the Owens, the Hugh Peterfes who did Honour to an Age of Chriftian Preaching, the moll enlightened lince that of the Apoftles. ' V That I have not prefTed Into our Service great Names, without fufficient Authority, every One may Satisfy himfelf, who will be at the Pains to look into their Works ; works which, though worthy of a Place in the Libraries of the Learned, lie, now a Days ! negle(J^€d, on the Wall in parliamentStreety C 2 bedeck ( 12 ) bedeck the Ralls of Moor-folds, or are weighed out, as fo much ufelefs Lumber, by that declared Foe to Books of Value, the Philobiblian, for the Accom- modation of the Grocer, or the Paftry-Cook. The Lovers of the Learning now in Vogue, may not know it, it is probable, but we know, that in thefe Bpoks is contained an amazing Fund of Scripture Knowledge. There the inquifitive Chriftian may difcover moft fitisfadory Proofs that the infpired Writers, when flvilfully interpreted, abound with Matter that lieth hid from fuperficial Readers ; that every PafTage of Scripture is written in a Cypher, which none but tne Wife and Learned can unravel; and that its Narrations of Tranfadlions that hap- pened three or four thoufand Years ago, are fo wonderfully contrived, as to be Types and Repre- fentations of the Tranfadtions that happen in our own Times. The great Men of the laft Age, could demonftrate to their Hearers, that every Event, that made a Noife in Englaiid, during the Civil War, had been foretold, or cypifyed in their Bibles. Was there any daring Scheme to be put in Execution ? It was not Fym who counfelled, it was not Cromwell who directed it ; but the Word of God, as inter- preted by holy and wonderful Preachers, that advif- ed, that encouraged, that commanded it. To de- fcend to particular Inflances of this, would oblige me to write a large Book, whereas I mean only to prefent my Reader with a few pages. But as Ex- amples always ftrike more than Aflertions, one In- ftance of the Truth of this, will greatly illuftrate the Matter, and be a rxio{\.fatisfa£iory Specimen of the Ingenuity of a Method of interpreting Scripture, which our Friends are now endeavouring to reflore to out, oeto com- The y not thefe pture may fpired with ; that ^pher, ravel ; : hap- ire fo lepre- in our could t, that War, Was tion ? mwell inter- advif- o de» hlige ly to Ex- e In- ftrate en of ture, jftore to ( 13 ) to it's former Vogue ; and which, I flatter myfelf, will triumph over all Oppofition. That the Army ^aifed by the EngliJJj Parlia- ment, to fight their Battles, againft the King, fhould fo far forget it's Duty as to rebel againft it's Mafters, and to turn them with unheard of Infolence out of their Houfe, laying violent Hands on their venera- ble Speaker LenthalU ridiculing the golden Enfign of his awful Dignity as afoolifti Baubky nay even, as we learn from Hiftory, fmiting him on the Head with a Stone j this important Scene, which will always afford Matter of Aftonifhment to the Read- ier of the Annals of that Period, could never have ^been adted, had not the i?2jpireJ Preachers of the Army wrought upon them by pointing out an 'illuftrious Pafl^age of Holy Scripture, plainly re- jhiting to this Event, adviling it to be done, and jconfequently, vindicating and applauding the In- truments of it. Smite the Lintel of the Door^ that the Pojis may JJjake and cut them in the lead J all of them^ faiih the Prophet Amos. X [ow could the Houfe of Commons and Lenthall^ ifter reading this moft lignal PafTage of Holy Writ, blame their Soldiers for what they did upon this Occalion, when it is fo evident that what they did, was in Obedience to a Divi?ie Diredlion ? If I may be allowed to fpeak my Mind plainly, I lould be prouder of having been the Perfon who d|)plied and inteipreted this Text of Amos, in fo cu- rious 3. Manner, than if I had been the Author of that large Volume of DifTertations on the Scripture Prophecies A. \Z Chapter 9. V. i. ' , • . ( u ) Prophecies lately publifhed. The Author of that Book feemeth to be as ignorant as the Reft oF the Court Drcifies, of the true Art of interprctinp- the Sacred Writers. Upon a Perufiilof his Work^ I own I was greatly difappointed, when I ohferved that he had called in the Niceties of human Learn- ing, to interpret the Word of God, and attempted to chain down, by the artificial Rules of Criticifm, the unconjined Senje of 'he bkjfed Spirit. I found that this Author contented himfelf with being able to prove, that the obvious and literal Meaning of feveral Texts, was predictive of future Events j but that he wa? intirely filcnt as to the great Variety of Senfes which an ingenious Interpreter will difcovcr in the Scriptures, by departing from the obvious ' Senfe, and by giving full Scope to the Workings of a capacious Imagination. It was by fuch Means, and by attending to a Manner of explaining the Scrip- tures that needeth not the Helps of Learning, that the great Divines, of the laft Century, could trace out the Hiftory of their own Times, and of their own Country, from the Hiftory of the People of Ijracl, and difcover that the Violence committed by the Soldiers on the Perfon of Lenthall the Speaker, was commanded by the Lord, in the Prophecy of Amos, .. / -..; , ♦ •:, '■•■■»■ I KNOW but one Objedtion that can be made to this Interpretation j that the two Words, Lenthall and Lintely though they refemble each other when fpoken, are very unlike when written. But we defpife the Minutenefs of fuch a Remark : Some Men being refolved againft Con virion, care not how ill-founded the Pretences are, upon which they build their Incredulity. For had the Objedor at- -// ■ .' . V > tended fu(