ence, seem to be improperly reckoned among the horns of the beast.

It is not necessary to bestow much time on the latter part of Mr. Frere's work, where from p. 339 to the end of the volume (p. 476,) we have the whole history of Napoleon Buonaparte, past, present and impending, regularly deduced (quo jure, quave injuria) from prophecy. The facility with which this is done is wonderful. In commenting on the last prophecy of Daniel, after applying the first part of it, as others have done with the clearest evidence, to the " mighty king" of Greece and the kings of Syria and Egypt, down to the sudden fall of Antiochus the Great, (xi. 19.) instead of going on with the line of oriental history, he makes an abrupt transition of little less than 2000 years, and contends that the "raiser of taxes" in the next verse is Louis XVI who was 66 destroyed neither in anger nor in battle," but basely deposed and murdered by his own subjects. The "vile person," his successor, is the Corsican upstart, in whose life and achievements all that follows to the end of the 40th verse," has already," as he endeavours to shew," been clearly accomplished;" and the remainder will follow in its season, till, having "planted the tabernacles of his palace" in Palestine," between the seas," (the Mediterranean and Asphaltite sea)" on the glorious holy mountain, he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.' (Dan. xi. 45.)

This accommodation to recent events of a prophecy in the first half of it long ago fulfilled, does not demand a laborious refutation. Of the author's dexterity of adaptation, a few specimens may suffice.

It is admitted by Mr. F. that

"In the first part of this prophecy, which related to the divided Macedonian Empire, the Kings of the North and of the South. were the Kings of Syria and of Egypt; but in this latter part of the prophecy relating (Mr. F. says) to the Roman Empire, these terms will be found to designate the principal potentates of the north and of the south of Europe. As the Emperor of Russia is unquestionably the principal Potentate of the North, so the Emperor of Austria must be considered as the principal Potentate of the South. Again; as Austria literally means South, the title, King or Emperor of Austria, is, in fact, the same as King of the South." P. 361.

"On these grounds," such as they are, the present Emperor of Austria is supposed to be meant by "the King of the South,' verse 25; and yet presently, verse 29, the South has its ancient designation, and means Egypt. P. 388.

We are taught to think that the people designated by "the

holy

holy covenant," (verse 28, 30,) are "the highly favoured nation of Great Britain." Pp. 579, 403. A character and situation, in which, if justly attributed to us, we might have great satisfaction, had we not been previously informed that "the Prince of the Covenant" (verse 22) is one, whom we would not very willingly have for our leader, the POPE. Pp. 347, 368.. "The people that do know their God, shall be strong, aud do exploits." Verse 32. To this high encomium, (whether actually spoken of the British nation, p. 403, or not) we have, through God's unspeakable blessing, some claim; and when it is observed, that the next clause, "they that understand among the people, shall instruct many," belongs to us also, p. 413, with this too we might console ourselves, did not the eye run on to the sequel of the verse; " yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days." Where is now the security of Great Britain? Be not alarmed; Mr. F. is an adroit as well as daring auxiliary. The honour is our's; the danger is not our's. The sufferers are" the Protestant nations of Germany." P. 419..

"The mighty Emperor (or King) of the North came against Buonaparte (p. 456) with chariots and with horsemen"-it is all very true: " and with many ships." Here there is some difficulty; for as Mr. F. himself says, "the Emperor of Russia certainly did not attack Buonaparte with many ships." But virtuti nil arduum est. The magic wand of the interpreter can in a moment convert these " many ships” into “ a numerous artillery!"

But to be serious, as we ought to be, though it is not very easy to be so, when such liberties are taken, and such crude conjectures obtruded, on the awful subject of prophecy. We are far from maintaining, that of this sublime prophecy, extending, as it evidently does, from the time of the holy prophet to a period beyond the present day, there are no parts which relate to the marvellous events that have recently passed, or are now passing, on the theatre of Europe. On the contrary, we deem it probable, that the latter part of the chapter (verse 36 to the end) does foretel events, in which either Buoparte himself, or Revolutionary France, is a principal agent., What we disapprove and deprecate is precipitate and peremp tory decision on matters while they are in progress, when every day teems with events that are alike astonishing and unexpected. In what remains to be fulfilled, the order of events and scenes of action, and many other circumstances, are so graphically delineated by the prophetic pencil of the man "greatly beloved," that when the things come to pass, as they assuredly will in their season, the luminous evidence of the whole will strike. conviction

conviction in every beholder, and every tongue shall confess, "these are His doings, who is mighty in operation and tre. mendous in judgment!" In the mean time our own faith is grounded on the clear and increasing light of numberless prophecies; and particularly on that class of prophecies, which was interpreted to Daniel and afterwards more particularly to St. John, those which foretold the destruction of the mystic Babylon, the mother of abominations. "How awful therefore would it be," as Mr. F. justly observes, "were we now to give any decided encouragement to the principles," or, we may add, to the professors, of a religion, which has been so clearly marked as the object of Divine displeasure," by the word of prophecy and by the heavy judgments already inflicted upon it in all its kingdoms and dependencies, the prelude of her final and universal overthrow,

"of

There is not, we believe, in all the Apocalypse a passage, on which a greater diversity of sentiments is found among the commentators, than concerning the "Beast that was and is not,” "the eighth" (head,) which" is of the seven." Rev. xvii. 8, 11. Mr. Faber calls this the "septimo-octave head," and considers it as symbolical of " the Napoleonic dynasty;" vol. ii. 221. 240. n. 293. n. 400. n. 405. n. 430. 432. Mr. Frere restricts it to the individual Napoleon Buonaparte. p. 38, 39. 94, 95. 99. Of this enigma we shall, at the end of this account, submit to our readers a solution which appears to us more probable than any which has been suggested by the exposi tors of the Apocalypse. In the mean time there remains one part of Mr. Frere's volume, which demands particular notice.

66

He" conceives the prophecy" in Daniel, "" they that understand among the people shall instruct many," particularly refers to the establishment of the British and Foreign Bible Society." p. 415, 416. By this and other "exertions" lately "made for improving the moral state of the world,"

ཙྪི ཝཱ

"The Christian world is improved beyond the fondest dreams of the visionary. If we could suppose some calm, calculating, intelligent Christian observer to open his eyes, after a ten year's sleep, on the passing scene, would he not find himself almost in a new creation? Contemplate the unexampled pains which are taken to instruct the poor; the glow of holy zeal which is spreading itself around for the distribution of the sacred volume; and the harmony with which Christians of every name have united to diffuse its blessed light! See missionaries going forth with a spirit truly apostolic, to carry the glad tidings of salvation to every corner of the earth; the scriptures translated into more languages than distinguished the day of Pentecost, and dispersed into more lands than ever the Apostles visited; all sects and parties, who bow the knee

in the name of Jesus, rising as by one consent, yet without any previous concert, to carry on this labour of love." P. 417, 418.

In these observations Mr. Frere concurs with Mr. Cuninghame, as he does also in applying to this Society the vision of the "angel having the everlasting Gospel to preach to them that dwell on the earth," which he calls a "contemporary prophecy," though, as we have seen, it is applied by others, and with far greater probability, to one of the great harbingers of the refor mation.

"We have witnessed," says Mr. C. "a more extensive preaching of the gospel than has taken place before, since the days of the Apostles of the Lord, and have seen a society start into existence for the printing and circulation of the inspired volume, which has, in the short space of nine years, given a new impetus to the moral universe, and continues to advance with gigantic strides to universal empire." "The last anniversary meeting of the British and Foreign Bible Society," he says, was" an assembly probably unequalled since the days of the Apostles *."

We beg leave to add, that it was certainly" unequalled" in those days. "A man that is an heretic," St. Paul says, 16 reject." (Tit. iii. 10.) "I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions, and avoid them." (Rom. xvi. 17.) "We com mand you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us." "If any man obey not our word, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed." (2 Thess. iii. 6. 14.) "If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine (the doctrine of Christ) receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed. For he that biddeth him God speed, is partaker of his evil deeds." (2 John 10, 11.) When these precepts were delivered and exemplified in the lives of the Apostles and their converts, when the beloved disciple ran hastily out of the bath, in which the heretic Cerinthus was, there was unquestionably no society like the Bible Society, in which are to be found men who have nothing of Christianity but the name; men who reject the ministers and the sacraments which Christ ordained; men who assume the office of teachers without

* Mr. Faber also, vol. ii. p. 406. n. 493. (new edit. 1814) is a warm panegyrist of the Bible Society and other anomalous institutions of the day; but as he has no direct allusion to miraculous gifts, and forbears to adapt scriptural terms to his purpose, his language however hyperbolical, is not indecorous or prophane. Rev. appointment;

appointment; men who deny the Lord that bought them; men who believe the Scriptures, and men who do not believe them. Mr. C. therefore, as it appears to us, was needlessly fearful in restraining his comparison to the post-apostolic ages. To do his subject full justice he should have said, the society was not only unequalled since the days of the apostles," but has had no equal since the world began!

One portentous circumstance in this society, and in itself an evil of no small magnitude, is that it has, instead of uniting, for the first time divided the most conscientious and exemplary members of our truly primitive and apostolical Church. A man may be a member of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, or for Propagating the Gospel, a member of the Humane Society, or of almost any other among the numberless benevolent institutions with which this happy land abounds, or he may not, according as circumstances, inclination, or a sense of duty suggests. No particular merit is claimed by those who are so associated; and certainly no censure is cast on those who are not. But here all is in extremes. The members of the society" speak all things by talents;" and in their study to exalt their favourite institution, by allusions to the miraculous gifts and preaching of the apostles, allow themselves to use a language, which is extremely abhorrent to our feelings, if not absolutely profane. Those on the other hand, who keep aloof from the society, appear to be equally sincere, and some of them perhaps equally ardent, in their disapprobation and dislike.

The warmth indeed which is manifested on the occasion is but the natural result of the importance which the one side and the other justly attach to the truly laudable object, the distribution of the Holy Scripture, provided it is done in a justifiable manner, and so as not to "cast pearls before swine.' But the division is unavoidable, and as we greatly fear, incurable. For though many most sincere sons of the Church of England have, unwarily as we think, and doubtless with the best intentions, joined this society of imposing aspect; yet it is impossible but that numberless others, men of equally clear and sober judgment, are and will be convinced, that the alledged precepts and prohibitions of our Lord's apostles, forbidding us to consort with those that cause divisions, bear directly on this question; and therefore that they cannot unite themselves with these motley associations, and hold consultations with them, especially for such a meritorious and holy purpose as the dissemination of the revealed word of God, till they can demonstrate the truth of the popish maxim, that "the end sanctifies the means,” and that it is lawful to do evil that good may come."

We now take our leave of Mr. Frere with every sentiment of

respect