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 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. 
 
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 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* ^ . " >' 
 
 <c 
 
 (C 
 
 (C 
 
 cc 
 
 <c 
 
 cc 
 
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 cc 
 
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 <c 
 
 cc 
 
 This Quotation may fuffice, to give the Reader 
 a dear View of the Charge that is . brought againft 
 us. And when we ftrip it of the awkward Sneer, 
 end the founding Words with which it is dreflcd 
 V up, it will be reduced to this one Point : That 
 I we pretend to difcover in the facred Volumes, ipi* 
 \ ritual Truths, Myileries, Types, Prophecies, AU 
 legories, 6qc. &c. conceal d from the Eyes of com- 
 mon, umrdi^htemi Commentators, who look ' no 
 \---'^. iilii- fertfacf 
 
 t ^ag( 
 
 ;e 31, 4JJ. 
 
 aril 
 
 
 z\f.. 
 
 '^'k 
 
V 
 
 \ , 
 
 i 
 
 ( 6 ) 
 
 ferther than the obvious, literal and grammatical 
 Conftrudion of the Text. 
 
 « 
 
 > 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( 
 
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 (C 
 
 cc 
 cr 
 
 (C 
 (C 
 
 <c 
 cc 
 
 cc 
 cc 
 cc 
 cc 
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( 
 
 ( IS ) 
 
 tended to the Circumftances of the Cafe, he would 
 have known, that in that Age of Chriftian Know- 
 ledge, and during the Kcign of the Saints in Eng- 
 landi there was no other Rule necelTary to be ad- 
 hered to in interorctinc; Scripture, buttoobferve the, 
 Sound of Words, as the Penbns in general, to whom 
 fuch Interpretations were propofed, could neither 
 
 write nor read. But the frivolous Nature of 
 
 ^ this Oujedion will dill be made plainer, by quoting 
 the Authority of the fafhionable Writer of a late 
 EngliJJj Dictionary. " As Language, faith he, at 
 it's beginning was merely oral, all Words of ne- 
 ccllary or common Ufe, were fpokcn before 
 they were v/rittcn ; and while they were unfix- 
 ed by any vifible Signs, muft have been fpoken 
 with great Diverfity, as we now obferve thofe 
 who cannot read, to catch Sounds imperfectly, 
 and utter them negligently. When this wild 
 and barbarous Jargon was firfl: reduced to an Al- 
 phabet, every Penman endeavoured to exprcfs, 
 " as he could, the Sounds, which he was accuftom- 
 ed to pronounce or to receive, and vitiated, in 
 Writing, fuch Words as were already vitiated in 
 Speech. The Powers of the Letters when they 
 were applied to a new Language, muft have been 
 vague and unfettled, and therefore different 
 Hands would exhibit the fame Sound by diffe- 
 rent Combhiations." § This then being the Cafe, 
 it being impoffible to prevent the fame Word's be- 
 ing pronounced differently, and confequently it's 
 being written differently, by different Perfons, we 
 are warranted to conclude that Lenthall 2in(\ Lintel 
 is one and the fanie Word, exhibited by different 
 _ - Qombinationi 
 
 C( 
 
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 \ Preface to Johnfon's Didionary, Page i. 
 
( i6 ) 
 
 Cumhinatiom of Letters, So that upon the whole, 
 there cannot be the lead Doubt that the Prophet 
 Amos excited the Soldiers of Cromwell\ Army to 
 fmite LenthalL 
 
 But though what I have ah-eady offered may, 
 in the Judgment of the impartial Reader, have efta- 
 blifhed the Antiquity of our Sed, and the Authen- 
 ticity of our Interpretations of Scripture, in Oppo- 
 iition to the pointlefs Ridicule of the Author of the 
 Apology, I think it may be neceflary to ofl'er fome- 
 thing NeWi lell it {hould be faid that Inftances of 
 Skill, in the Divines of the laft Century, cannot 
 prove the Skill of thofe who live at prefent. In Or- 
 der, therefore, to open the Eyes of the Public, and 
 to give them a proper View of the State of the 
 Queftion between the Perfons called HutchinfonianSt 
 and their Antagonifts [the Apoftate minijlerial Clergy y 
 I have prepared, and do propofe to ofi'er, a Speci- 
 men of the Truth of our Interpretations of Scrip- 
 ture, by explaining, agreeably to Rules adopted 
 amongfl us, the thirty- fifth Chapter of the Pro- 
 phecy of EzekieL 
 
 But by Way of a neceflary Introdrdlion to this 
 Talk, I muft premife, that as I write for the In- 
 ftrud:ion of the Chriftian who is unacquainted with 
 Hebrew^ I do not intend to disfigure my Page with 
 any Quotations from the Origifial, but fhall found 
 the whole of my Interpretation upon the Tranllation 
 of the Bible into our own Language,. In doing this 
 I (hall be warranted by the Example of that great, 
 that inimitable Perfon who lately publifhed his ex- 
 traordinary Difcourfe on the Self-Exijlence of Jefus 
 ;r )^.. ' r Chrijf. 
 
 i, 
 
vhole, 
 ophet 
 my to 
 
 mav, 
 e efta- 
 ithen- 
 Oppo- 
 ofthc 
 fome- 
 ices of 
 :annot 
 [n Or- 
 c, and 
 of the 
 )nianSy 
 
 Speci- 
 Scrip- 
 iopted 
 e Pro- 
 
 
 ;o this 
 le In- 
 d with 
 I with 
 found 
 flation 
 g this 
 great, 
 is ex-^ 
 
 ( 17 J ^ 
 
 Chrijl. This Sermon, worthy, no doubt, of the § Pe^ 
 rufal of that adorable Perfon of whom it treats and to 
 whom it is dedicated, being intended by Mr. Romaine^ 
 for the Inftrudtion of a popular Audience, the Hu- 
 mility of the Preacher is fuch, that, making no Shew 
 of his profound Acquaintance with the Original, he 
 confineth himfelf to demonftrate from an Englijb 
 Tranilation, that favourite Point, which, hidden 
 from every exalted Genius, in every preceeding 
 Age of the Church, he hath, with the greateft Glo- 
 ry to himfelf, and Good to the Gofpel, brought to 
 Light. How then doth he prove that Jefus Chriji 
 is Self-Exijlent ? Thus, in a moft fummary and yet 
 in a moll fatisfadtory Manner, Jehovah is Self-Ex- 
 iftent, Jefus Chriji is Jehovah^ therefore Jefus Chrifi 
 is Self-Exiftent. The only Propofition that ftand- 
 eth in Need of Proof, is that^ where Jefus Chriji is 
 afferted to be Jehovah-, and this the wonderful 
 Theologift bringeth ample Proof of, from the Pro- 
 phets Ifaiah and Jeremy. " Our Saviour, faith 
 he, is frequendy called Jehovah in the Old Tef- 
 tament. Thus the Prophet Ifaiab 43. 11. 7, 
 even I, am Jehovah, and bejides me there is no 
 Saviour, There was no Jefus, no Saviour, but 
 Jehovah j therefore Jehovah and Jefus are one. 
 And again we read Chap. 49. 26. AllFlefh Jhall 
 know that I Jehovah am thy Redeemer and Sa'viour, 
 the mighty One of Jacob, And the Prophet Jere- 
 my 50. 34. fays, neir Redeemer is ftrong, Jeho- 
 vah ofHoJis is his J^ame, The Name Jehovah 
 
 D belongs 
 
 \ This truly chriftian Preacher, difFers greatly from the court Clergy^ 
 who fubmit their Worics to the Inf-eftion of earthly Readers; and 
 dedicate them to mortal Patrons. For it appears from his Preface, that 
 he elevates his Views much higher, and is confident that the adorable- 
 Perfon^ of nuhom his Sermon trtats, nuiii o*vtrlookiff Impir/eiiiom, Worw 
 derfoj Modefty ! 
 
 <( 
 
 <( 
 
 <c 
 
 <c 
 
 cc 
 
 cc 
 
 cc 
 
 cc 
 
 <c 
 
 <c 
 
t '8 ) 
 
 - *« .*v « 
 
 " belongs to the Redeemer." The Words now 
 quoted contain the whole of this furprizing Dc- 
 monft ration. Every Chriftian knowcth that the 
 Ch'aradlers of Saviour and Redeemer b. long pecu- 
 li^ry to Jcfu^ Chrift^ who died in order to Jove 
 Sinners, and to rciteem them from the Guilt and 
 Punifhment of Sin. How providential was it, 
 therefore, that Jehovah, in the above quoted Texts, 
 fliould be faid to be a 5 viour and Redjemcr ? For 
 had our Tranflators called him a Prefervcr and 
 Deliver ery which would equally have conveyed 
 the Senfe of the Original, perhaps the Connection 
 of th:fe Texts, with Jefus Chrift^ would have been 
 entirely overlooked, and a Caviller might have had 
 Room for objedling that the Prophets fpoke only 
 of yebovahy the true God worfhipped by the Jews^ 
 preferving and delivering, or fdving and redeeming 
 them out of the Hands of their temporal Enemies 
 the JEgyptians, the Phili/iineSy the Syrians^ the 
 Babylonians. But now by the fortiinate Ufe of the 
 Words Redeemer and Saviour applied to Jehovahy 
 the Engli/h Hearer, naturally hath the Idea of 
 yefus Chrift fuggefted to him, and our great Cham- 
 pion was enabled to compleat his unparallelled Proof 
 of the Se/f'ExiJlence of the fecond Perfon of the 
 Trinity, who is the firft-born of every Creature^ 
 and begotten by his Father, hfore all Worlds, 
 
 «j*wi»i 
 
 ANOTttER tnftance of Mr. Romaiiies building 
 Doctrines upon Tranflations, is to be met with in 
 the fame Sermon p. 13. where he citeth the fa- 
 mous Paflage ^here are three that bear 'Record] 
 in Heaven^ the Father ^ the Word, and the Holy 
 Ghoft, and thefe three are one. \ John v. 7. Now 
 every Body knows, who knows any Thing of the 
 
 New 
 
( «9 ) 
 
 New Tcftament, 
 
 H'k Manufcript 
 
 that this Text never exirted in^ 
 any ijreek ivianuicript that hath ever be n difco- 
 vcred, in any Part of the Woild. But hccaufc 
 this Text hath now, for I'ome hundreds of Years, 
 had a i^Iace in the Latin VulgaHr TranfliUion. and 
 hath been, fince that, printed by R. Sfepham in 
 tlie Greek Original; and becaufe, iroju this learucd 
 Printer's Copy, our Tranflarois made out the New 
 leltament which is now read in our Churches, aB 
 the WoidofGodj for fuch fubllaniial Rcafons, 
 cur great Champion was i'ufHcientiy warranted, no 
 Doubt, to cite i\i\^ pofllumous Text as real Scripture. 
 I Before A leave this Head, it may be nght, juft to 
 oblerve, as a proper Model for fuccceding Writers 
 in Defence of the Trinity, that Mi . Romamc^ citeth 
 fio one Text in fupport of that Dodrine, from the 
 New Tellament, except this of St. Johns Epiftle, 
 which in the Opinion of Dodor //^<://c77^Whimfetf, 
 is not to be looked upon as a Text in the New 
 TeAamenti that eminent Writer having never ap- 
 pealed to it, in his Controverfy with Dodtor Clarke. 
 Our learned Friends have, by btudy and Appli- 
 cation, difcovered (o many wonderful Proofs of 
 the Chriftian Trinity, in the Hebrew Bible, that 
 they think it unnecefiary to fpend much Time in 
 examining the New Teftament. Being able to 
 difcover that Dodrine in the Cherubim^ in the Ety- 
 mology of the Word Elchim^ and being able to 
 prove that J ejus Chrijl is the Self-Exi{lcnt Jeljovab 
 from IJaiah and yeremy^ as quoted above j there 
 cannot furely be any Occafion to examine what the 
 Evangelifls, or Epiftle Writers of the New Tefta^ 
 ment have delivered concerning this fundamental 
 Article of the Faith, revealed by Jejus Chrijl ; and 
 hidden fiom former Agps . 
 u X Da ' But 
 
( 20 ) 
 
 But though Mr. Romaine and our other great 
 Divines, make Ufe of the Tranflation of the Bible, 
 when the Words to be met with there, are more 
 exprejjive of our Dodtrines than the Original is, 
 I am not ignorant that this very Tranflation is Faulty 
 in many Refpedts, that it deferveth all the Con- 
 tempt with which our Preachers fometimes treat it 
 in the Pulpit, and, therefore, I think them greatly 
 in the Right for altering it, upon fome Occafions, 
 and for leaving out or inferting any particular Word, 
 in Order vo g. /e a favourite Doftrine fair Play. 
 A remarkable Inftance of this prudent ConduA, 
 we have in the Alteration made by Mr. Romainey- 
 in the Text of his Sermon on the Self-Exillence of 
 Jefus Chrifi^ already mentioned with fo much Ho- 
 nour. For he hath by a fmall, but important 
 Alteratioii, accommodated his Text to his Sy.cem, 
 and inflead of reading as it is in the Tranflation, 
 If ye believe not that I am he, ye JJjall perijh in your 
 SinSy he readeth. If ye believe not that I am\ to de- 
 monftrate that "Jejus had affirmed himfelf to be 
 the Jehovah i the Self- Exiftent / a7n of the Old 
 Teftament. And in this he certainly is warranted 
 oy the original Greek, the literal Tranflation of 
 whofe Words is not / am he, but / am. Our Tran- 
 ilators, and indeed all other Tranflators and Com- 
 mentators, ignorantly conneding this 24th Verfe 
 with the 23d in which Jefus faith I am from above, 
 have fuppofed, when he addeth, immediately after, 
 If ye believe not that I am, ye Jhall die in your Sins, 
 that the Senfe and Context pointed out the Neceflity, 
 of fupplying the Ellipfs that is in the Original, 
 by faying. If ye believe not that I am He'i.e. that 
 I am from above, or that I am the Mejjiah. But 
 as fuch an Interpretation would have robbed our 
 
 inimitable 
 
 to 
 
inimitable Preacher of a Text, fo clearly demon- 
 ftrating the Self-exiftence of Jfjus Chrift, with 
 (ingular Sagacity, he hath in this PIacc given up 
 the Englip Tranllation as Fruity. Yet fuch is the 
 Candour of the worthy Gentleman, fo ready is he 
 to pay proper Attention to the fame Tianllatioii 
 when it conveys right Ideas of the Dodrines which 
 he would eftablifh from Scripture, that he hath 
 refted upon it's fingle Authority, in it's Tranflati- 
 ons of the Texts already quoted from Ifaiah and 
 'Jeremy^ the Proofs that the 'Jehovah of the Pro- 
 phets, is the chriftian Saviour and Redeemer. 
 
 ■■.'>i 
 
 •>^ 
 
 Observe, from all this, how indefatigable this 
 great, this good Man is, in his Endeavours to 
 revive and propagate the Knowledge of the trac 
 Doctrines of Chriftianity, of which Chriftians are 
 fo fhamefully ignorant. Warm with a holy 
 Zeal, he advanceth the glorious IVorky by every 
 i ufeful Help; the Hebrew Original concealeth no 
 Treafures from his piercing Sight; and he can 
 iind great AiBftances from the Tranllation. Fer- 
 tile, as he is indefatigable, in his Schemes to ad- 
 vance true Religion, he even hath condefcended 
 to add to his Labours as a Preacher, the llaviQi 
 Drudgery of puhliJlAng, with his liKll-meant and 
 honeft Improvements and Interpolations, the He- 
 brew Lexicon of Calajio^ and could fubmit to ex- 
 fofe himfelf to the Scorn of the Philofophers of 
 oar Age, falfely fo called, by his Attempts to 
 build the Principia of Mofisy on the Ruins of 
 the Principia of Sir Ifaac Newton^ in a Set of 
 Ledures at GreJIoam College, of which his Hear- 
 ers were not worthy. . . 
 
 But 
 
( 22 ) 
 
 But, not only can I appeal to the Example of 
 the great Mr. Romaine^ by Way of Apology for 
 founding my Interpretation on the Tranllation ; for 
 I have very fufFicient Reafons, of another Kind, 
 for cooing fo. To confefs the Truth, I am not fo 
 great an Adept in the Hutchinfoni en Arcana on the 
 Hebrew Bible, as to be able to difcover the ijcon- 
 derous Myfteries which fome of our great and re- 
 nowned Teachers can drag out of their lurking 
 Holes, hy learned Etymologies of Words, in that 
 ideal Language. I, an humble Difciple, and who 
 imitate thefe Luminaries of our Sed, fed non pajji- 
 bus aquis, muft content myfelf with Refearches 
 of a lefs difficult Nature, and be contented with 
 Water drawn out of the Ciftern, as I cannot 
 bave Accefs to the fountain Head. And yet, 
 I am cleaily of Opinion, that the Bible, even 
 as it ftandeth in the EngUjh Tranflation, is as ap- 
 plicable to the Events oi\hQ: prefent, as the remark- 
 able Anecdote about Le ni ha II tht Speaker, fliewed 
 that ic was applicable to the Events of the laji Age. 
 For is it not the Tranflation that is quoted in Con- 
 troverfies ? Is it not the Tranflation that every one 
 readeth at Home, and that every one heareth read 
 in the Church ? Is not therefore, the Tranflation 
 of the Bible, in Fad the Bible itfclf? And may 
 we not found the Certainty of otir Interpretations 
 upon //, as well as upon the Hebrew Original ? 
 The Reafonablenefs of this feemeth to be deduciblc 
 Ji-om the firfl: Principles of Hutchinjonianifmy and 
 from the fundamental Rules obferved by our Gen- 
 tlemen in their learned Difquifitions on the Lan- 
 guage in which the Holy Spirit wrote. For if fuch 
 \vonderful Care was taken in the Formation of that 
 Language, that every radical Word in it is taken 
 
 from 
 
nple of 
 
 ■^gy 
 
 Dn : 
 
 tor 
 
 for 
 
 Kind, 
 
 notfo 
 
 on the 
 
 le 1^071- 
 
 nd re- 
 
 urki ng 
 
 in that 
 
 d who 
 
 larches 
 d with 
 cannot 
 d yet, 
 
 even 
 as ap- 
 mark- 
 hewed 
 'Age. 
 t Con- 
 •y one 
 1 read 
 (lation 
 i may 
 ations 
 2;inal ? 
 ucibJc 
 , and 
 Gen- 
 Lan- 
 
 fuch 
 ^ that 
 taken 
 from 
 
 ( 23 ) 
 
 from fome fenfible Objed, or is expreflive of fomc 
 Adion, that giveth us a Notion of the Qualities or 
 Nature of what is rcprefented by it, it is highly 
 eafonable to conclude that fome fuch Care was alfo 
 extended to every Language which fhould ever 
 be enriched with a Translation of the Bible. One 
 Inftsnce will fufficiently illuftrate my Meaning. 
 Our friends have demon Irated^ that the Word £/o- 
 him v/as pitched upon to (ignify God, in the He- 
 brew J that, as Ekhim is expr'^'^ve of the Covenant 
 entered into by the three felf-exijient jfehovahs^ 
 (for fo I chofe to exprefs myfeif, according to our 
 new difcovered Dodrine) to redeem Mankind, 
 Chriftians in future Ages, might ^'^^ able to appeal 
 to the Writings of MofeSy in Support of the Doc- 
 trine of the Trinity, Jirji revealed to the World by 
 yefiis Chri/i. May we not then infer, by Way of 
 Analogy^ that the Word Lintel was pitched upon, 
 and ordained from the Beginning, to be a Word 
 in the EngJip Language ; and that our Tranflators 
 of the Bible were, without being fenfible of it 
 themfelves, conftrained to make t/fe of it, in the 
 PalTage of the Prophet Amos already quoted, that 
 fo it might, in a future Time, be in the Power of 
 a fkilful Interpreter, to extract from this Text, a 
 ftriking Prediction relating to an Event recorded in 
 the Englijh Hiftory ? 
 
 Having thus (hewn that the Principles of what' 
 is called Hut chin font anifm^ naturally incline us to 
 believe that there may be remarkable Prophecies, 
 in our Rngiifto Bibles, which perhaps never exifted 
 in the Original ; and having, by theic Obfervations, 
 obviated the Exceptions which fome Perfons might 
 poilibly make to my Plan, I now proceed to pre- 
 
 fent 
 
( 24) 
 
 fent to the curious Reader, a moft Wonderful Pre- 
 didion of the Prophet Ezekiely relating to the War 
 now impending with France ; a Predidion which, 
 I flatter myfelf, will be thought fo Satisfactory, as 
 to be at once a Proof, that our Manner of inter- 
 preting Scripture is the true One, and that our Pa- 
 triotifm is not inferior to our Ingenuity. 
 
 It- 
 
 Moreover the Word of the Lord came unto me^ 
 faying y Son §/ Man, Jet thy Face againji Mountseir, 
 and prophecy againji it. 
 
 Thus beginneth Ezekiel at his 35th Chapter, 
 and the Judgments denounced by the Prophet 
 againll Mountfeir, are continued in it as followeth. 
 
 s 
 
 Verse III. Mountseir, I am againji thee^ 
 and Iwiiljiretcb out my Hand againji thee, 
 
 IV. 7 will lay thy Cities wajle, 
 
 V. Becaufe thou hajl had a perpetual Hatred, 
 and hajljhed the Blood of the Children oflfraeL 
 
 VI. I will prepare thee unto Bloody and Blood JJ^all 
 purfue thee, r 
 
 VII. Thus will I make MouiJTSEiK moft DefolatCy 
 end cut off from ity him that pajfetb out, and him 
 that returnetb, »V 
 
 X. Becaufe thou haft faid thefe two Nations and 
 thefe two Countries Jhall be mine^ and we willpojfefs 
 
 ':.':' ' ^' ' ■■':*• '- ' ' . xii. 
 
\ f 
 
 ( 25 ) 
 
 ' XII. / have beard all the Blafphemies that thou 
 haflfpoken againft the Mountains of Ifrael, fayhg 
 they are given us to confume, but the Lord was there, 
 
 • XIII. T/W with your Mouth you have boajled 
 againft me, and have multiplied your Words againji 
 
 me, ' .. r. 
 
 XIV, Pl^en the whole Earth rejoiceth, J will make 
 thee dejblate, ,,i .• 
 
 XV. As thou didjl rejoice at the Inheritance of the 
 Houfe of Ifrael, becaiife it was deflate^ fo will I do 
 unto thee-, thoujhalt be defolate O Mountseir. ,. 
 
 4 * 
 
 It hath frequently been objc<fted by Cavillers, 
 that fome Interpretations of fcripture Prophecies do 
 not give full Satisfadticn j and that fo many critical 
 Enquiries are neceffary, in Order to make thent 
 tally with the Events fuppofed to be foretold, that 
 they are more calculated for the Amufement of the 
 Learned, than for the Edification of the Simple. 
 But if this hath been objeded in other Cafes, it 
 cannot in the prefent j for I am confident that I 
 need only read the Words of the Prophet Ezekiely 
 without making the leaft Comment upon them, to 
 convince the moft ignorant, the moft fimple, and 
 mofl illiterate of our Countrymen, that the above- 
 quoted Chapter foretelleth the Deftrudtion of our 
 natural and hereditary Enemy the Frenchman, 
 
 By way of Experiment, flop the firfi: Livery- 
 fervant, of Englifi Extraction, whom you may 
 happen to meet with in the Street ; and upon his 
 beiog afked who this Mountjdr is, he will inilantly 
 
 E reply, 
 
 . V, ,. 
 
 ^ '^tmiu*- 
 
( 26 ) 
 
 ^ , 
 
 reply, that London fwarnis with Mottntfeirs^ and 
 that the poor Englifljmans Bread is taken out 
 of. his Mouth, by beggarly Frenchmen. Addrefs 
 yourfelf to any private Gentleman of his Majefty's 
 Foot-guards ; and he will fwear Vengeance on 
 Mountfeir for his mafqued Batteries at Fontenoy^ 
 and exprefs his Defire to meet him in an open 
 Field. Do you meet with a Crew of honeft Tars, 
 making the Rounds of the Streets as a Prefs-gang ? 
 Upon repeating your Queflion to them, they will 
 immediately, and with a Volley of Oaths, inform 
 you, that Mountfeir is a cowardly Rogue j that 
 Hawke hath given him one good Drubbing and 
 longeth to give him another, and that Bojcawen 
 will foon let Mountfeir feel the Weight of Fnglip 
 Metal. Or, do you fee a ragged Recruit, for the 
 amphibious Marines ? Proud of a bit of Ribbon 
 ftuck upon his Remnant of Hat, you may hear 
 him boafting of his new Employment, and threat- 
 ening DeftruvTcion to Mountfeir^ before he hath 
 learnt to fire his Mufquet. In a Word, there is 
 not a Shoe- boy at Spring-Garden, or a Link- boy 
 at either Playhcufe, a Porter at the Cujlom hoiifcy 
 or a Chairman at White s, who hath not learnt 
 fooner than he learneth the hordes Prayer, or his 
 Cittechifm, that one Enghjhman is a Match for at 
 Icafl ten Mountfeir s. 
 
 But why do I talk of trying an Experiment, 
 in Order to difcover the Senfe of our common Peo- 
 ple, about the Meaning of the Word Mountfeir ? 
 I niyfelf was Witiiefs, Tome Days ago, to a Scene 
 decifive ot the Matter ; when the French Sharper, 
 famous for his defrauding fo many Jewellers, ap- 
 peared in the Pillory at the Royal Exchange, Ne- 
 
 - • ver 
 
Lvmfc^SWI 
 
 ( 27 ) 
 
 ver was there, perhaps, a greater Croud aflembled 
 upon a fimilar Occafion j fo that the united Voice 
 of fo large an AfTembly, may well pafs for the 
 Voice of the whole People. Chance had hurried 
 me into the very Field of Battle, where I was an 
 unwilling Spectator of a moft lamentable Conibat, 
 and beheld thoufands of exafperated Heroes darting 
 their dirty Weapons at an unarmed Head, and 
 pi-olonging, by an unprecedented Cruelty, the ^^uf- 
 ferings of the Prifoner beyond the Time direcfled 
 by the Law, and in Defiance of the Officers of 
 Juftice. I had begun to wonder whence fuch a 
 Wantonnefs of Cruelty in the Breafts of fo many 
 humane Englijhmen^ but was foon freed from Suf- 
 pence. The Word Mountfeir f echoing in the Air, 
 and accompanying each millive Weapon, foon re- 
 vealed the Secret, and fatisfied me that it was not 
 the Man or the Criminal, but the detefted French^ 
 man who had raifed fuch Indignation in the Bo-J 
 foms of my Countrymen. t 
 
 It being then, made fo clear, not from any in- 
 tricate and critical Refearch, but by an Appeal to 
 the natural Sentiments of the Illiterate, that Mounts 
 feir and the Frenchman are one and the fame 
 Thing ; while every Friend to his Country muft 
 feel a real Satisfadlion to find fo remarkable a Pre- 
 didtion pronounced againfl MountJeh\ who beareth 
 a perpetual Hatred, and hath fo often f ml the Blood 
 cf EngUfhmen ; the Hutchinfonian Dodtrines, can- 
 not but appear, at the fame Time in a more fa- 
 vourable Light, than they have been placed of late 
 by the court Clergy, fince it hath been owing to 
 thefe Dodrines, that a Prediaion of fuch Confe- 
 quence to the national Welfare, hath been difco- 
 
 E 2 . vered 
 
 .>■- ^'WWM-' 
 
 ■ ^"^WffUffPifc-. 
 
" ( 28 ), 
 
 vcred to be in our Bibles. For, I think, that hl^ 
 therto, it hath efcaped every Divine who ever 
 comr jnted upon the Place. Nay, one of the 
 mod eminent of the court Divines^ whofe exprefs 
 End in writing his late Book, was to give a complete 
 View of the Prophecies already fulfilled, or now ful- 
 filling in the World, was fo blind as to overlook a 
 Predidion fo worthy of a Place, and a diftinguiflied 
 Place too, in his Collection. A Predidion, bc-» 
 fides, which at this critical Jundlure, when Mount- 
 feir multiplyeth his Words againfi us, and threateneth 
 to Jhed our Bloody (hould be made as public as pof- 
 fible, that our Sailors and Soldiers, taught by fuch 
 infallible Authority, that they are to be vidorious, 
 may chearfuUy enroll their Names, and offer them- 
 felves as Volunteers to affifl in laying Mountseir'si 
 Qities defolate. With a View to this, I could wifh, 
 that, upon a proper Reprefentation to the Lords of 
 the Regency y they would order this inofl remark- 
 able Chapter to be read, in every farijh Church 
 throughout the Kingdom, for three Months to 
 come ; and this being done, I am confident that 
 their Lordfhips would find no Occalion for conti- 
 nuing any longer in Force, the Proclamation that 
 ofFereth thofe ample Premiums, which, the lurk- 
 iiig Sailor, at prefent, doth not think it prudent to 
 accept. 
 
 But though this Prophecy be fo plain in • itfelf, 
 that it needeth only to be read, to convince every 
 old Woman^ that it relateth to Mountfeir the French- 
 man j yet, it being a Matter of the highefl national 
 Concernment, fuffer me to add farther Strength to 
 the Interpretation which 1 have already given, by 
 
 inferting 
 
( 29 ) 
 
 inferting here fome Notes of various learned Men 
 of our Perfuafion, on the fame Chapter ; from 
 whence it will appear, how exadtly every Circum- 
 flance afcribed to the Mountfeir of Ezekiel, corref- 
 pondeth with Mountfeir the perfidious Enemy of\ 
 England » f ' 
 
 < 
 
 Verse II. Set thy Face againfi Mountseir* 
 
 It is well worth remarking, that the Latin 
 Vulgate readeth Mons-feir, which approacheth? 
 nearer to our modern Way of Writing, to Monjieur* 
 But after what hath been well obferved in a? 
 former Page of this Work, about the Sound of. 
 Words, and the arbitrary Manner of writing them, ' 
 we conclude it to be an impertinent Objedion, to 
 urge the Difference h^ivr^Qn Mountfeir and Monjieur^ 
 as both are commonly pronounced the fame Way. ' 
 That the Prophet doth not prophecy againft Mount 
 Seiry or the Mountain of Seir^ as fome Comment- 
 ators dream, is obvious, from this one Circum- , 
 fiance, that it would be abfurd in him to talk*^ as 
 he doth, of a Mountain's having Cities, of it's ' * 
 having a perpetual Hatred againjl the Children of 
 Ifraely and of it's fl^edding their Blood. So that, ^ 
 certainly, the Mountfeir of Ezekiel^ is the Name I 
 of a great Nation. And what Nation ever went:* ^ 
 by that Name but the French f 
 
 W. R. 
 
 V. Becaufe thou haji a perpetual Hatred and hafil 
 fjjed the Blood of the Children cf IfraeL 
 
 This is a moft remarkable Circumftance, to 
 p;^ove that the Mounfeir of this Chapter is the 
 
 French 
 
( 30 ) 
 
 French Nation. For that the French have a per- 
 petual Hatred againft our Countrymen, is a FaA 
 of which Hiftory is fruitful in afligning Teftimo- 
 nies ; France and Englan^ being, as ir were, here- 
 ditary Enemies to each other, from Generation to 
 Generation. As Mountfeir is demonflrated to be 
 the French^ this of Courfe leaderh us to conclude, 
 that the Children of Ijrael in this Place, are the 
 Englijh ; becaufe we know that Mountfeir the 
 Frenchman, never had a perpetual Hatred again fl 
 the old Jfraelifes. And Jjrae/ is peculiarly proper 
 to be made a Type of England. For what Land is 
 there in our Days, fo favoured by Heaven as that 
 of England, in all .the agreeable Accommodations 
 of Life, in civil Liberty, and in found Religion ? 
 A Land thus blefled, and peculiarly diftinguifhed, 
 by giving Birth to the great Reftorers of Hebrew 
 Learning, the Difciplcs of the almoft-infpired 
 Hutchinfon, who have recovered the loft Senfe of 
 the Word of God, by their amazing Labours ; 
 Such a Land may well be fuppofed to be typified 
 under the Name of God's favoured People in old 
 Times. Nor is this any meer Conjedlure of my 
 own, for I have read with Pleafure, in the precious 
 Remains of our Predecefibrs in the laft Century, 
 how thefe great Men could trace out the Hiftory 
 of England, from that of Ifrael, in the Books of 
 Samuel and Kings, and could excite their Country- 
 men to make War againft Monarchy by founding 
 in their Ears, To your Tents, Q Jfrael ! A plain 
 Proof that, even in thofe Days, Ifrael was looked 
 upon to be a Type of England. 
 
 It] 
 th( 
 
 on< 
 
 Lai 
 
 A( 
 
 ha> 
 
 th{ 
 
 unc 
 
 Ian 
 
 tur< 
 
 it's 
 
 merA 
 
 to 
 
 be 
 
 Prel 
 
 W. 
 
 •1 '•'■■ 
 
 •■»*<■• 
 
 ■ns-^' 
 
t I 
 
 ( 31 ) 
 
 I DIFFER much from my very learned and in- 
 genious Friend, the Author of the laft Notfc. For 
 1 think that a much better Reafon, than any of 
 thofc mentioned by him, may be afligned, why 
 Ifrael is the Type of England j and if he had been 
 one of my Hearers, during my long and fuccefsful 
 Labours in tlie Pulpit, to defeat a mod unchrijlian 
 Ad: of Parliament, I am fatisfied that I fhould 
 have convinced him, as I did all my Followers^ 
 that England^ modern England^ is well typified 
 under the Name of Ifrael -y becaufe modern Eng- 
 land impioufly and in Oppofition to all the fcrip- 
 ture Prophecies, took the Ifraelites or yeivs into 
 it's Bjfom, naturalizing and making then Englijh- 
 meny by a Law which the holy Spirit enabled me 
 to oppofe with a Succefs which I fliall always 
 be prouder of, than other Divines are of their 
 Prebends, Deaneries and Bifhopricks. i 
 
 W. R. 
 
 V. Vn. I will cut off him that paffeth out^ and 
 him that returneth. 
 
 r -y, f 
 
 This certainly relateth to Mountfeirs naval Ar- 
 maments, fent out by him either to America or 
 to the Eaft Indies^ including alfo his Merchant 
 Ships, upon their Voyages of Trade. The Eng- 
 lijhy from this very exprefTive Circumftance, may 
 reafonably infer, that their Men of War and Pri- 
 vateers will deftroy, or, as it is in the Text, 
 will cut off all the French outward-bound Ships, 
 him that paffeth out j and alfo their homeward- 
 bound Ships, him that returneth. 
 
 M. 
 
 
 V. X. 
 
( 32 ) 
 
 V. X. Bec/iufe thou hdjl /aid thefe two Nations y 
 mid thefe two Countries Jhall be mine, and we wiP. 
 foffefi it. 
 
 WoNDBRFULL'v applicable to the prefent 
 trimcs ! For ddth not the Kingdom of Great 
 Britain fince the Union, coniift of two Nations 
 and two Countries, England and Scotland f And 
 do not the French threaten Great Britain from 
 Time to Time with Invafions ? Did they not 
 boaft oi pojfejing thefe two Nations, when Count 
 Saxe embarked at Dunkirk in 1743 4? Did they 
 not make Preparations during the Rebellion in 
 1745 to come over, under the Command of the 
 Duke de Richelieu, to polTefs our two Countries ? 
 And were not the good People of England again, 
 very lately, under a Pannic, about the Defti nation 
 of the Brefi Squadron ? He who can deny, after 
 this, that the Chapter now under Confideration, 
 doth not relate to the prefent State of Affairs be- 
 tween France and England, muft labour under a 
 moft deplorable Blindnefs of Underftanding. 
 
 G. 
 
 I CANNOT fubfcribe to the Interpretation of my 
 Friend in the above Note,. For from a diligent 
 Attention to the Context, it feemeth to me, to be 
 more probable, that the two Countries in the ioth 
 Verfe, which Mountfeir boafteth he will pojfefs, 
 are his two great Colonies of Louijiana and Canada^ 
 which, -^.s appeareth from Danville s Map oi North 
 America, the French make to extend, through an 
 immenfe Tra6t of Country, all along the Back of the 
 Englifh Colonies 5 and which they cannot pofTefs, 
 according to the Boundaries they lay Claim to, 
 
 without 
 
( 33 )1 
 
 « 
 
 without interfering with our two Nations the Che- 
 rakees and the Iroquois ; whofe Territories reach, 
 to the South- weft, as far as the River Miffiftppi^ 
 and to the North, beyond the River St, Lawrence, 
 as we learn from Dodtor Mitchell's new Map, which 
 muft be right, becaufe publifhcd with the Appro- 
 bation of the Lords oi Trade. Or, perhaps, by 
 fhe two Nations and two Countries, may be meant 
 in general, the French Settlements in the Eq/i and 
 in the fVe/i Indies; in both which Parts of the 
 Globe, they are now endeavouring to poffefs them- 
 felvcs of Countries, at the Expence of the Englijh, 
 
 . W. R. . .. 
 
 V. XII. / have heard all the Blafphefnies that 
 thou hajifpoken againfi the Mountains of Ifrael, fay- 
 ing they are given us to confume ; but the Lord was 
 
 there. : • 
 
 No Doubt, the long Ridge of Apalachiart or 
 Alliganian Mountains, which r« m through our Co- 
 lonies in North America from South to North, are 
 here to be underftood as hinted at by the Prophet. 
 For it may be faid, with the grea;ell Propriety, 
 that Mountfeir now fpeaketh againft thefe Mount- 
 ains, and threateneth to confume them, having 
 erected Forts in their Neighbom'hood, upon the 
 Ohio^ and at Crown Point, and having extended 
 his Setdements fo nigh to them, that the Apala^ 
 chian Mountains cannot fail being the Seat of War. 
 But we need not be afraid, or uneafy about the Si- 
 tuation of General Braddock and his Army fighting 
 our Battles upon the Mountains of Jfrael ; for 
 though Mountfeir boaftcth that they are given him 
 to confume, he will find that the Lord is there. 
 
 I. B. 
 
 F 
 
 V. XIII. 
 
 ■""^C^^BBR, 
 
mi 
 
 ( 34 ) 
 
 -'. V. XIII. TTith your Month have you boojled 
 againjl me, and have multiplyed your Words, 
 
 
 Can there be drawn a more lively and natural 
 Pidlure than this is, of the French, the Nation of 
 Mountjeirs f For the French are noted above all 
 Nations, for their boajling. JJn Bieu, une Paris, 
 is a Proverb alw^ays in a Frenchman s Mouth, and 
 a Proverb which feemeth to border nearly upon 
 the Blafphemy charged upon them by the Prophet. 
 And that they are, above all Men, famous for 
 multiplying *heir Words-, that they are eteinal Talk- 
 ers, full of Noile, but void of Senfe ; ihis is a com- 
 plete Charadler of the whole Nation, in the Judg- 
 ment of that laudable Society of true Friends to 
 their Country, the Ant igalli cans, to whom I have 
 the Honour to bear fome Relation. 
 
 W. I. Chaplain to L. P. and to the Antigallicans . 
 
 'jc: 
 
 XV. Thoujhaltbedefolate, Mountfeir. 
 
 Though the Deflrudion of the French, *He 
 Nation of Mountfeirs, hath in the foiFCgoing Notes 
 been moft fatisfa(3:orily deduced from, and difco^ 
 vered to be fore" jld in this Chapter, it may be ne- 
 celTary to add fomething more, in Order to iix the 
 Time when this happy Event is to come to pafs. 
 And, I flatter myfelf that I am able to point out 
 the very Year when this is to happen, and to 
 iliew that the Time is much nearer, than the 
 moft fanguine Lover of old England could well 
 have fuppofed. But as this cannot be done with^ 
 out having Recourfe to the Original, I muft 
 beg of my Friend, who defired my Afliftance to- 
 wards the prefent Commentary, that he will not 
 
i 
 
 ( 35 ) 
 
 be offended with me, if I disfgure his Page, as he 
 is pleafed to exprefs himfelf, with a Quotation or 
 two upon this Occafion : For, by fo doing, I fliall 
 add wonderful Authenticity to his Interpretation, 
 and demonftrate the Certainly of it from the He- 
 brew Verity, which I never will abandon, whatever 
 Mr. Kennicot and Father Houbigant, may pretend 
 to have difcovered againft it. 
 
 The fecond Verfe in the Tranflation, is as fol- 
 loweth, Son of Man ^ fet thy f'^ace agatnfl Mcuntjeir 
 and prophecy again jt it. Now, as learned Vlen 
 bave frequently made wonderful Difcoverles from 
 Scripture, by converting the Letters of the original 
 Words, relating any particular Event, into Nu- 
 merals (for it is well known that the Numerals 
 of the Hebrews, ^% well as of the Greeks, were the 
 Letters of their Alphabet) I refolved to try an 
 Experiment on this fecond Verfe, which as it 
 containeth a fummary of tne whole Predidion, 
 I thought to be the mofl likely Place of meeting 
 with feme chronological Reference to the Event 
 foretold. And accordingly, by' confidering every 
 Letter of this Verfe as a Numeral, I was enab- 
 led to trace out, a very fpeedy Completion of 
 this Prophecy, which I Ihall now fubmit to the 
 Infpedlion of the Public. The unlearned Reader 
 will, I liope, truft to my known Fidelity in Mat- 
 ters of this Kind, a Character which my Labours 
 on the Lexicon hath juftly intitled me to ; and the 
 Reader (killed in the Hebrew, may at any Time, 
 fatisfy himfelf that I have literally adhered to the 
 original Text, in the following Reprefentation of 
 it i only, inftead of writing the jH^^r^w in a Line 
 rofs the Page, I have fet it down from Top to 
 
 F a Bottom, 
 
 ^ 
 
 I 
 I 
 
 i 
 
 c 
 
(36) 
 Bottom, in a Column, that the Figures whicJj caco 
 
 mf ^ r > rr^L?^ reprefenting as a Numeral, 
 might be placed direaiy oppofite. 
 
 "* ) V - ^ flands for z 
 
 
 2 
 
 50 
 
 vv " .; 
 
 «C 
 
 X 
 
 
 1 
 
 4 
 
 4 
 
 D 
 
 40 
 
 -I*^ 
 
 # 
 
 300 
 
 - "* .' ■ ' 
 
 ♦ 
 
 10 
 
 ''.':>^ ' 
 
 -: m-' ' 
 
 40 
 
 • i.'b ,, 
 
 e 
 
 80 
 
 .-•^'r- 
 
 *- 
 
 50 
 
 ■ ■■ ' : 'r ; i ' 
 
 t 
 
 IP 
 
 
 1 
 
 zo 
 
 ;-|]' ^'^ , 
 
 i:;. 
 
 ? 
 
 70 
 
 ^ 30 
 
 *■'"■ ' F 
 
 - n 
 
 S 
 
 . "i ■ - 
 
 ^ ^ 
 
 200 
 
 1 , 
 
 itr 
 
 300 
 
 . ■ 
 
 1^ 
 
 70 
 
 
 ., t. 
 
 10 
 
 "*>•"'■*.. ^ '' ' 
 
 \ 
 
 200 
 
 1*' * ^M 1 
 
 1 
 
 ^ 
 
 Vl^^. . : 
 
 n 
 
 ^v.w 100 
 
 ■^*'%.: 
 
 iJ^otl^ 
 
 
 
 
 ? 70 
 
 ♦ 10 
 
 i.*^ 
 
 
 ^* 
 
 '1 
 
 
 if} 
 
 Now 
 
acn 
 raJ, 
 
 ( 37 ) 
 
 Now if the Reader will be at the Pains to add 
 all thefe Figures together, he will find that they 
 make up 1722. But in Order to compleat my 
 Difcovery of the Year, when the French are to be 
 deftroyed, fomething more remaineth to be taken 
 Notice of. St. Jerom fomewhere ohferveth, with 
 Regard to the old Italic Verfion of the Bible, that 
 there was a Myftery in the Order of it's Words. 
 Agreeably to this, I cannot but be of Opinion that 
 there is fomething myflerious in Cardinal Hugos 
 Divifion of the Bible into Chapters : So that fre- 
 quently, by adding the Number of the Chapter to 
 the An^ount of the Numerals of any particular 
 Paflage, we may have a full View of the Chronology 
 of the Event foretold. Now, this is remarkably 
 the Cafe at prefent. It appeareth that it was won- 
 derfully appointed, that this (hould be the thirty- 
 fifth Chapter; becaufe if we add 35 to 1722, the 
 Amount of the Numerals in the Verfe quoted, the 
 whole will make 1757, to which Year therefore 
 we are carried on, then to look for, and to ex- 
 ped that Mountfeir will be made defolate, • •, a 
 
 1 . 'i: 
 
 V 
 
 But, perhaps, it may be objeded, that there 
 A?::peareth little Probability, that the Deftrudtion 
 of rhis formidable Enemy, in Vain laboured for, 
 cii ing many Years, and in many a well-fought 
 Field, by the indefatigable King William^ and the 
 fortunate Duke of Marlborough^ (hould be effedted 
 at prefent, even though we boaft of fo much 
 Wifdom in our Minifters, and fo much Skill in 
 our Admirals, within *h.^ narrow Period of tiiDo 
 Tears, Alas ! the Objedtor forgetteth that, how- 
 C';er uqlikely, however feemingly inadequate fe- 
 cond Cauf^s may be, the Event will be brought 
 
 about 
 
wmmg 
 
 • ( 38 ) 
 
 about as wonderfully as it wsls foretold, I mention 
 this, to obviate all invidious Comparifons, and dis- 
 contented Remarks upon the prefent Occafion ; to 
 infpire our Rulers with a Confidence of Succefs, 
 which Excefs of Modefty, not Want of Abilities, 
 hath hitherto robbed them of, and to expofe the 
 Folly of cenfuring their Plan of Operations, fi^ce, 
 whatever Appearance Things may have, Mountjeir 
 vf'\\\ ht made defolate in 1757. 
 
 HowEVFR, if any one fhould flill obje(fl, that 
 I bring this grand Event too near ; I {hall ob- 
 ferve that v 'r^y be warranted, by this very 
 Paflhge of Scri^. e, to retard it two Tears longer. 
 For, as this is the fecond Verfe of the Chapter, 
 and as, no Doubi, there is as much Myftery in the 
 Divilion into Verfes, as in the Divifion into Chap- 
 ters, we may be allowed to add the Number of 
 the Verfe to the former Total, which, therefore, 
 will lead us ftill farther on, to look, upon 1759, 
 as the Year pointed out by the Prophet for the 
 Defolation of Mountfeir. I (hall not take upon 
 myfelf to pronounce abfoluielyy in which of thefe 
 Years this Prophecy is to hav<j it's full Completion ; 
 but fhall only beg Leave to take Notice of a Cir- 
 cumftance, which, perhaps, may decide the Dif- 
 pute in Favour of •759. My aftronomical Stu- 
 dies, when I had an Office which I loft, by aim- 
 ing at Free thinkhig in Philofophy, led me to an 
 Acquaintance with the Theory of Comef'S. And 
 I remember, that in Dodlor Halle fs Tables we 
 are taught to expedt that the Comet which a- 
 iarmed the World in 1 682, will again appear in 
 1758. Now, as it is an Opinion handed down 
 from the mofl venerable Antiquity, that Ccmets 
 
 are 
 
( 39 ) 
 
 are the Forerunners of the Downfall of States and 
 Kingdoms, I cannot but think that there is Reafon 
 {ov po/i-foning the DownhW of France till 1759, 
 and for looking upon the Comet which is to appear 
 in 1758, as the Forerunner of this important 
 Event. 
 
 
 But as I write in an unbelieving Age, that all 
 Pretence of Cavilling may be removed, and the 
 Chronology of this Predidtion, as I have explained 
 it, may be corroborated, I muft once more prefent 
 my Reader with fome Hebrew Letters, as they are 
 to be found in the loth Verfe of this Chapter. 
 There we read, Becaufe thou haji faid^ thefe two 
 Nations Jhall be mine. Now, if we can, from the 
 Hebrew y which is thus tranllated, find out a Date 
 remarkably applicable to the prefent Time, I (hall 
 then have removed the Scruples of the moft Incre- 
 dulous, and have fully eftablifhed the Truth of my 
 former Chronology, .-|.,. ^ ^ -. ? -:: 
 
 '■} f: 
 
 M 
 
 The Hebrew Letters, ranged as I did the Quo- 
 tation of the fecond Verfe, are as foUoweth. . 
 
 * (lands for 
 
 10 
 
 
 70 . 
 
 50 : 
 
 I 
 
 *1 
 
 40 
 200 . 
 
 3 
 
 20 , 
 
 K 
 
 I 
 
 n 
 
 400 . 
 300 
 
 
 50 
 
 10 
 
 
 -.W 
 
 v ■ 
 
 >.l 
 
 J 
 
( 40 ) 
 
 
 jr,.f\ ^■. '■ . 
 
 
 ft 
 
 
 
 • * 
 
 * ■ J 
 
 •» 
 
 
 rV ''-'•. - '■■ 
 
 •■ 
 
 1 
 
 
 '-■-■>■- ■1" 
 
 ". ,:b 
 
 > 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 . _ « 
 
 »i 
 
 
 
 . - . •! 
 
 
 
 - ::.■•. ...■^•i ■ ' 
 
 / ' * - •■* 
 
 > 
 
 ^^^^B 
 
 ■• ,:':j. 
 
 3 
 
 
 •• 
 
 * 
 
 n 
 
 f\ ftands for 5 
 
 dagrfchcd reckons ^ 
 
 Af two. ^ 
 
 A v'.i 
 
 - :.^ , 
 
 •• - • ' ' 
 
 ■' 10 
 
 ;. . • ' . 4 
 
 10 
 
 
 r 
 
 5 
 
 400 
 
 10 
 
 .J I ; » 
 
 ( 
 
 ' • V,...-.. 
 
 
 •' "- ..l-.l 
 
 These Figures, which exadly anfwer to the 
 Hebrew Numerals placed oppofite to them, being 
 added up, make out 1739. Now, if to this Num- 
 ber we farther add, ten, which every One will 
 admit £0 be rcafonable who remembreth that this 
 is the loth Vcrfe, we ihall be prefented with ^749, 
 a Year moft iignally applicable to the prefent Times, 
 and moft remarkably expreifmg the Date of the 
 French Schemes againft England, ■ -" - • 
 
 The Treaty of Aix la Chapelle was figned to- 
 wards the End of the Year 1748. Every One 
 knoweth alfo, that foon after, fo early as 1749, 
 the French began to fay, as it is in this Text, that 
 the fe two Natiomjhould be theirs. Ever lince that 
 Year they have been augmenting their Navy, ac- 
 cording to a Plan then agreed upon, and drawn up 
 by Order of their King and Council ; which Piece 
 of Information was very lately communica- 
 ted to our Miniftry, in an augufl AlTembly. 
 
 The 
 
s 
 
 ( 4' ) 
 
 The French Encroachments hi the Eaft-Indiss un- 
 der Dupleix, on the Ohio in North America^ and 
 in the Neutral JJlandsy all which Events began 
 with 1749, ferve wonderfully to demonftrate the 
 great Significancy of the Hebrew Numerals in this 
 Paffage of Scripture, and to (hew, if former Proofs 
 were unfatisfad:ory, that the whole of this Chapter 
 relateth to the War now impending with France ; 
 a \\ ar which certainly will break out, if we may 
 depend upon infallible Interpretations of Scripture. 
 Sut let not the breaking out of this War alarm us, 
 lince I have pro'ued that it is to have fo fpeedy and 
 fo fortunate a Termination. I flatter myfelf, there- 
 fore, that the Publication of thefe welcome Truths 
 will be highly beneficial at this Crifis ; that it will 
 be a Means of inducing the Nation to fubmit chear- 
 fully to the Taxes impofed upon it, as the Deftruc- 
 tion of our Enemy, within fo (hort a Time, will 
 render the long Continuance of them unnecelTary % 
 that it will be a great Security to public Credit^ and 
 keep up the Price of Stocks j in a Word, that it 
 will enable the Government to borrow upon more 
 advantageous Terms, than they have borrowed their 
 laft Million^ the many additional Millions which the 
 formidable Armaments of this Summer will make it 
 neceflary to raife for the Service of the enfuing Year. 
 
 The Importance of this Note will atone for it's 
 Length j and I fhall only add, that the Difcoverie^ 
 which I have made in it, will certainly put a Stop 
 to all Sneers on Hutchinfonianifmy and enable every 
 impartial Enquirer to judge whether or no the 
 Court Clergy have had any Reafon to ridicule our 
 Interpretations of Scripture, as wild Fancies of 
 Efithufiafm. W. 
 
 
 R. 
 
 An^ 
 
 -.w-.. 
 
Hi 
 
 ( 42 ) 
 
 x4nd now having compleated my Commentary 
 and Notes on this amazing Predidion, far from 
 making r apology to my Readers for detaining 
 then, kt "g upon it, I rather hope, nay am con- 
 fident, that I fhall receive their Thanks, fince I 
 have been the Inftrument of opening to public 
 View the glorious Profpedls which the Oracles of 
 Truth, as interpreted by my Friends, teach us to 
 look for, from the impending War. 
 
 But amidft the general Satisfadlion which the 
 Difcovery of this national Prophecy cannot but 
 occafion, let not my Countrymen be ungrateful to 
 the Difcoverers. Let them, from this Inftance, fee 
 and confefs the Utility of fuch Interpretations of 
 Scripture 5 and obferve how ufeful fuch Interpreters 
 might be made to the Public, if the Public be- 
 ftowed upon them proper Encouragement. 
 
 ' History informcth us that the Romans upon 
 any Emergency, and at the Eve of a War, ordered 
 their Augurs to infpecft the Entrails of Vidlims and 
 obferve the Flight of Birds, and their Priefts to 
 confult the Sybilline Books preferved in the Capitoh 
 in order to form a Judgment of the Events, and 
 to elevate the Spirits of the People, by difcovering 
 certain Marks of the Favour of the Gods, and in- 
 dubitable Promifes of Vidtory. We are happier than 
 they were, if we knew our own Happinefs I We 
 are blelTed with a Book which might foretell, better 
 and fuller than their Sybilline Leaves, every Event, 
 the Foreknowledge of which will be a public Be- 
 nefit. I fay ;«/^i6/ foretell, if it were but put into the 
 Hands of proper Interpreters. 
 
 «? ■• 
 
*yir 
 
 ( 43 ) 
 
 I HOPE, therefore, that I fliall not be looked 
 upon as a whimjical Projedtor, it* I offer the follow- 
 ing Propofal to pubhc Conlideration j that there be 
 fet apart a fufficient Number of Perfons flcilled in 
 the Art of decyphering Hebrew ^Enigmas, and 
 thoroughly veried in the noble Science ot interpret- 
 ing Scripture, fo as to be able to extradt hidden 
 Meanings, allegorical AHuQons, and typical Pre- 
 dictions, from any Text how plain foever it may 
 fcem. Theie Gentlemen I would propofe to have 
 incorporated by Charter from the Crown, and 
 ere<5led into u College, under the Name of the 
 Prefident and Fdlows of the College of State Inter-^ 
 preterSy with ample Salleries annexed. And I pro- 
 pof** that they Ihould be ready, upon every En^er- 
 gency of State, to perufe the facred Writers with 
 Induftry and Skill, and to publiHi to the World 
 the amazing Difcoverics which they certainly will 
 make, concerning the Affairs of their own Coun- 
 try J that a Merlin^ a Nojiradamusy a Rice Evans, 
 ». Nixon, a Shiptm, may no longer have the Glory 
 of being the only Prophets who foretell Events 
 relating to old England, while fuch a Treal'ure of 
 national Prophecies may be found in Amos or Eze-' 
 kiel, and in fhort in every Book of the old Tefla- 
 ment, when interpreted according to the Rules 
 which I have recommended, that is, by giving full 
 Scope to a fertile Imagination, 
 
 DisiNTERESTEi> in my Views, I here fokmnly 
 declare, that I do not aim, when I make this Pro- 
 pofal, at obtaining a Place among thefe State Inter- 
 preterSy for myfelf. I own myfelf unequal to the 
 important Taik. But at the fame Time, I readily 
 ackaowledge that I mean to ferve fome learned 
 
 O 2 ;. , . ..-. --.r..- a7id 
 
( 44 ) 
 
 and eminetit Friends, who, though they have given 
 the World moft curious Specimens of their Abilities 
 in explaining Scripture, to the Repr'^ach of the 
 Age, and not much to the Honour of the Gover- 
 nors of the Church, remain not only un preferred, " 
 but even cenfured and perfecttted. § We have feen 
 by their Labours on the 35th Chapter o^ Ezekiely 
 what important Difcoveries they have made already 5 
 and from fuch a Specimen, what may we not ex- , 
 pe(5l if they are encouraged to proceed ? I flatter 
 myfelf, therefore, that my Lords the Regents will, 
 without Lofs of Time, give this public Encourage- 
 ment to a Body of Men, whom my Lords the Bi- 
 Jhops feem determined to deprefs ; and that, upon 
 the Eredlion of the College, the Plan of which, as 
 given by me above, cannot but meet with Appro- 
 bation, they will entruft the Management of it to 
 thofe Gentlemen whom I now recommend. Cer- 
 tain it is, that, if it be proper to pay any Regard 
 to the Qualifications of the Candidates, my Friends 
 cannot fail to be preferred to the important Truft. 
 And as I would leave the Choice of the Prefident 
 to the Gentlemen themfelves, there cannot be any 
 "^ - ' Doubt, 
 
 § A hard word ! yet, that I am warranted to make Ufe of it, any 
 One may fatisfy himfelfby enquiring into a Tranfaftion now depending 
 between one of my Friends, who hath given a Specimen of his Abili- 
 ties in the foregoing Commentary on tzekiely and a Prelate oi 9. Cha- 
 r after hitherto irreproachable, but who itfo'vajlly unreafonahle atpre- 
 fent, as to expeft that, at a Time whenthe ^(7/?«i[y of the eftabliihed 
 Clergy from the Doilrines of the Reformation is become fo general, a holy 
 and Goipel Pieacher ihould abftain from exercifing his Talent, unlefs 
 exercifed agreeably to thoie Canons which he hath fubfcribed. As if 
 the Propagation of the Gofpel, refined by aj, did |not fuperfede all 
 Obligations to obferve Canons, or obey Biftiop? ; and as if it were 
 highly criminal to ereft the Standard of Hutchinfoniu,: Verity, in the 
 Parilh uf St. Martins in the Fields ^ while it is difplayed fo fuccersfuu/ 
 in the adjoining Parifh pf St. George's Uanover-Sqtiare, the happy 
 Spot, where Gofpel Preaching, hanilhed from moft other Churches, 
 hath fixed it's defirabk Abode;. , 
 
f^ 
 
 :s. 
 
 ( 45 ) 
 
 Doubt, that the Voice of the whole Society will 
 be unanimous in conferring -^hat Dignity on the 
 Author of the Commentary on the loytn Pfalm, and 
 of the Sermon on the Self-Exijience, ^ 
 
 This Propofal for the Eredion of a College of 
 State Interpreters, may, perhaps at lirft View, be 
 objedled to, as if the Purpofcs which I intend that 
 it fhould anfwer, were already provided for by the 
 Encouragement now given to Perfons fkilled in the 
 Art of Decyphering. But I muft beg Leave to 
 obferve that the Decyphcrcrs now upon the Efta- 
 blifliment, in our Secretary of State's Office, are 
 a Set of Gentlemen, who never can pretend to any 
 Competition with 7ny Friends. 1 have been told, 
 indeed, that they have fometlmes done fignal Ser- 
 vice to the State, and difcovered from interceoted 
 Letters, by the infallible Rules of their Art, Con- 
 fpiracies and Plots fo fecrct^ that their Exiftence 
 could no otherwife have been put beyond Doubt. 
 But the Employment, which I have thought of for 
 my Friends, is of a kind, totally different. Let thfe 
 Decypherers therefore continue to be employed in 
 finding out I'reafon ; while the fole Employment 
 of the State Interpreters will be to find out Uruth, 
 Nor have I ever heard, that the moft eminent of 
 the Conjurers of the Secretary's Office pretend to 
 any Skill in decyphering the Scriptures. 
 
 But however great the Abilities of my learned 
 Friends are, it cannot be expedled that the Admi- 
 nijiration will confer upon them the Employment 
 which I now folicit, if 1 do not place their political 
 Condud and Principles, in fuch a Light as may 
 prove that they are as good Subjeds as thev are 
 V- . fkilful 
 
( 46 ) 
 
 ikilful Divines, and that their Loyalty is equal to 
 their Abilities. Suffer me, therefore, before I take 
 my Leave of my Reader, to take Notice of a very 
 extraordinary Interpretation of a Place in Scripture, 
 which hath been lately made by one of our Society, 
 and in which we all concur: an Interpretation 
 which, in the Opinion of every impartial Per) on, 
 v/iil acquit us from the heavy Charges brought 
 againft us by the Apologift for the Clergy ^ and be a 
 moll fignal Inflance of our Atta^mcnt to the pre- 
 fent happy Eflablifhmcnt. 
 
 We read in the 3 2d. Chapter of the Book of 
 Genejis, that Jacob the immediate Progenitor of 
 the Jewijfh Nation, had his Name changed into 
 Jjrael. Now though the Hiilory in the Context, 
 doth aflign a Reafon why this Change of Names 
 was made, yet there feemcth to be more implyed 
 in this Tranfadion than is exprefled. What that 
 is, which is implyed, hath been difcovered by our 
 Friends, and they have by this Difcovery, expofed 
 themfelves to the perfecuting Rage of High Church' 
 mcfty Non-Jurors 2Si^ Jacobites, 
 
 They have difcovered, then, that the true Rea-^ 
 fon, why Jacobus Name was changed into IJrael 
 was, becaufe it vj2isforefeeny that in a future and 
 very diftant Age, the Word Jacobite would become 
 a Term of Reproach, and the Name of a defpica-^ 
 blc Fadtion, who, like the old Cappadocians^ or 
 the modern Danes, prefer Slavery to Freedom, and 
 the arbitrary Will of a Tyrant to the eafy Sway 
 of the Laws. That, therefore, the People favour- 
 ed above all Nations by Heaven might not have 
 one common DenomiAatioo with thi§ detefted 
 
 Party 
 
( 47 ) 
 
 Party, unworthy of the Name of EngUjhmen or 
 Britons j for this Rcafon, and for this alone, Jd- 
 cob aflumcd the Name of Ifrael^ that his Defcend- 
 ents might be Ifraelites and not Jacobites. 
 
 Wonderful Difcovery! Who ever could have 
 thought that Scripture contained fo unanfwerable 
 an Argument againft Jacobites and Jacobitifm ? 
 And yet, we plainly fee that it doth, when inter- 
 preted by thofe Rules which the Gentlemen, for 
 whom I am now an Advocate, have adopted. To 
 them^ therefore, be the Praife and Merit of this, 
 and their other national Difcoveries I May the Court 
 Clergy ceafe to ridicule fuch Interpreters, when they 
 cannot but admit the Certainty of their Interpreta- 
 tions ! May true Scripture Learning prevail over ail 
 Oppofition, and Converts be added da !y to the Faith 
 of Hutcbinfon, in Spite of the Jbarp Attacks of the 
 Arch- deacon of Northumberland, and the Abufe of 
 his Panegyrift the Apologijl ! In a Word ; may that 
 great Man, who hath the mod undoubted Right to 
 be efteemed the Head and Leader of the chofen 
 Band of Go/pel Preachers, go on fo fuccefsfully in his 
 Labours, and extend the Belief of his Dodlrines fo 
 wide, that Pofterity furveying the flourishing State 
 of his Defcendents, may cry out, . 
 
 Tanta molts erat Romanam condere gentem I 
 
 FINIS.