rage our elder brethren and sisters to extend a tender care over this interesting portion of the Society, for their good, to warn them of the slippery paths in which they themselves have walked, to invite them to follow the footsteps of the flock of Christ; and with a kind, parental, yet prudent hand, to cultivate the growth of the good seed in their hearts.

"Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever." Signed in and on behalf of the Meeting, by

JOSIAH FORSTER, Clerk to the Meeting this year.

MISCELLANEOUS.

THE Rev. JOHN COATES, formerly one of the Ministers of the Old Meeting, Birmingham, and afterwards minister of the Presbyterian Congregation at St. Thomas's in the Borough of Southwark, is chosen by the Trustees of Dr. Williams's Library to succeed Dr. Morgan, as Librarian in Red-Cross Street.

THE Rev. R. SEAWARD, formerly mi

nister of the Unitarian congregation at Poole, has accepted the unanimous invitation of the congregation at Lympston, near Exeter, to succeed their late pastor, the Rev. John Jervis.

THE Rev. T. MORELL, late of St. Neots, has removed to Wymondley, where he succeeds the Rev. J. Atkinson, as Theological Tutor of the Dissenting College in that place.

THE late Abel Worth, Esq., of Devonshire, has left 2,500l. to the London Hospital, Whitechapel; 2,000l. to the Hospital for Deaf and Dumb, Kent Road; 2,000l. to the Asylum for the Blind, in St. George's Fields; 2,000l. to the Society for the Relief of Prisoners confined for Small Debts; and 1,000l. to the Westminster Asylum. He has left 10,000l. to different Schools and Charities in Exeter.

Royal Zeal for Religion.

AN" Evangelical" publication announces, with great satisfaction, that a few months since His Majesty was pleased to order an additional evening service to be established in the Parish Church of Brighton at his own expense; that about the same period the Rev. Hugh Pearson, the pious biographer of Dr. Buchanan, was appointed one of His Majesty's Domestic Chaplains; and that the late Ball Room

of the Castle Tavern is now being formed be opened, at the Royal expense, to the into a new Chapel Royal, and ordered to inhabitants at large.

SIR,

LITERARY.

Clapton, Sept. 20, 1821. I OBSERVE by Mr. Hone's advertisement, announcing a new and handsome edition of The Spirit of Despotism, which has been several times mentioned in your volume XVI., (108, 164, 166, &c.,) that the late Dr. Knox is no longer unknown as the Author of that justly admired Treatise. Having been undesignedly, though by no means unwillingly, the cause of Mr. Hone's first publication of the work, I became acquainted with several interesting circumstances respecting it. You will, I dare say, agree with me, that some of your readers may be gratified by the following particulars :

In 1816, I observed on a book-stall a volume entitled, "The Spirit of Despotism, printed in the year 1795," without a publisher. A very slight inspection

satisfying me that it was the production of no every-day writer, I secured the book; and with the hope of ascertaining the author, communicated, under the signature of Senilius, the extract and inquiries which appear in your Vol. XII. 94. I afterwards lent the book to a friend, who on my recommendation, inserted in a periodical work which he conducted, the 39th Section, on "The Christian Religion favourable to Civil Liberty." While the volume remained in my friend's library it was seen by Mr. Hone, who being highly gratified by some passages which he read, determined on the publication of the whole. Having procured a copy with great difficulty, he pursued his intention, and made an unavailing application to me for some knowledge of the author. Just as his late edition was finished at the press, a copy of the work, reprinted in America, was brought to him, with an assurance that it was there attributed to Mr. Thomas Law, a brother of the late Lord Ellenborough, who emigrated soon after he had here exposed the designs against Liberty of Mr. Reeves's Association, the prototype of that which dates from Bridge Street.

It now appears that Mr. Law was not the Author, but that he conveyed a copy of the Treatise to America, and there procured its reprint at Philadelphia. Mr. Hone, by a train of circumstances which, could I do justice to them, it would scarcely become me to detail, was led almost to conclude that Dr. Knox had written The Spirit of Despotism.

To Dr. Knox Mr. Hone introduced himself, and was treated with the utmost courtesy and candour. On pledging his word not to reveal the name of the Author during his life-time, a pledge which I am persuaded he most sacredly observed, Mr. Hone was informed by Dr. Knox, that in 1795, he forwarded the MS. to his usual publisher, the late Mr. Dilly, who sent it in the course of business to the printing-office of the late Mr. Strahan. That gentleman, just as the work had gone through his press, became alarmed by some free anticourtly passages which it contained. With these alarius he infected Mr. Dilly. The result was, that the Author, unwilling that his book should

steal into the world without the name of a printer or publisher, determined to destroy the impression. Of 1008 copies, as Dr. Knox assured Mr. Hone, only four were preserved; one Mr. Law carried to America, another remained in the Author's library, from a third Mr. Hone printed his edition, and the other, by the accident I have mentioned, is in my possession.

Such was the early fate of a work which will now, probably, to very late times, contribute even more than any other of Dr. Knox's first excellent writings, to preserve the remembrance of his well-earned reputation. J. T. RUTT.

MR. BELSHAM has now in the press his long expected Translation of St. Paul's Epistles, with an Exposition and Notes. It is supposed that it will be published before Christmas.

Mr. BUTCHER'S promised volume of Prayers is now in the press. It is adapted to the use of both families and individuals; and as, agreeably to the suggestion of your unknown correspondent G. M. D., it will contain a prayer suited to each of the Discourses in Mr. Butcher's three volumes of Sermons, it will enable such as from distance, indisposition, or any other cause cannot attend public worship, who use those Sermons, or others of similar sentiments, to perform a religious service in their own houses.

A NEW volume of Sermons selected from the manuscripts of the late Dr. James Lindsay, is now preparing for the press, by his son-in-law, the Rev. Dr. Barclay, and will be published by subscription. (See the Wrapper.)

WE understand that Mr. Parkes is preparing for immediate publication, An Answer to the Accusations contained in a Letter addressed to him by Mr. Richard Phillips, and published in the twentysecond Number of the "Journal of Science, Literature and the Arts."

No. CXC.]

[Vol. XVI.

From Mr. Secker. London, July 28, 1716.

DEAR SIR,

SINCE

INCE the receipt of yours I have been pretty much upon the ramble, and amongst other places, at Oxford: which has kept me something longer from writing to you, without being able to afford any entertainment to make amends for it. At Oxford the people are all either mad or asleep, and it is hard to say which sort one could learn most from: only the former sort break out sometimes into flights, which, because the by-standers laugh at them, their fellows take for wit.

But you have provided me a task of a very different nature from telling stories, that I ought to apply myself to, viz. to inquire whether the prophets really understood their own writings or no, to which the honestest answer perhaps would be, that really I don't know; but since ignorance of any thing is now-a-days no great bar to talking upon it, I shall wave this plea. And, therefore,

1. That they might not know the circumstances, as the time and manner of the accomplishment of those things which they sometimes prophesied of, is very possible in itself, and pretty clearly asserted in Dan. xii. 4, and especially 1 Peter i. 10-12. But this is being ignorant, not of what they said, but of what they did not say and yet these general predictions might be very justly applied to the particular cases when they happened. Of this nature, perhaps, the prophecy of Joel is, which you mention.

2. That they did not understand their own words cannot well be concluded from the obscurity of them, though it may be from thence probable that we shall never understand them: because a language so different in genius, and so remote in time and place from our own, and contained in the compass of one small book, can't well be otherwise, especially in those things which are delivered with some emotion

of mind, such as poetry requires, and prophecy (for what reason we are not now to inquire) always had accompanying it. The book of Job is as obscure as any of the prophets, and yet I think nobody needs question, whether the author understood himself. The like may be said of Ecclesiastes. And, therefore, whether a figurative way of writing passed for elegant then, as it does now in China, or whether it was appointed to try the diligence of men and raise the worth of their faith, or however it be, we have no reason to suspect (as some do) that the prophets wrapt themselves in darkness to cover a cheat, since the poets and moralists, who had no cheat to cover, did the same thing.

3. If the distinction (which Grotius takes so much notice of) of the literal and mystical sense of prophecies be just, we have no great reason to question but the prophets and people too understood the literal sense; and the reason is plain, because the language was their native tongue, and the thing delivered in it, concerned them immediately, either for direction, encourage

ment or terror.

4. But the main difficulty, I suppose, is concerning those prophecies that relate to the Messiah, or are applied to him in the New Testament; and here, that David did not only speak some words that related to Christ, but actually understood them of him, which yet seem to have as obscure a reference that way as most in the prophets, the Apostle Peter asserts most positively, Acts. ii. 25-34. And I dare not take upon me to contradict him. But as it is nowhere said the case is the same in all the other quotations, some have supposed that when a prophecy is said to be fulfilled, nothing more is sometimes meant, than that the thing which then happened was very properly expressed in the words of that prophecy; which they prove not only from the strange force that must otherwise be put upon several texts of Scripture, but from several instances of the like

way of speaking amongst the Jewish authors, whose customs the apostles doubtless use; and, if I mistake not, from some texts which are quoted in several places in different senses; one of which must be understood in this way of accommodation. Now, as these sort of prophecies never meant the Messiah, their authors might under stand their meaning very fully without thinking of him. And hither must those quotations be referred, of which some think there is great plenty, that are only arguments ad hominem, drawn from the sense which the Jews commonly, though perhaps without reason, gave to certain texts, as they did unquestionably interpret many places of the Messiah, that seem to be less designed for him than those the apostles quote; and these arguments must be conclusive to the Jews so long as they held to those interpretations. And if they should ever allow themselves free thought enough to call in question the infallibility of their teachers who had so interpreted them, the greatest bar to their conversion was removed, and they were in a fair way to receive Christianity upon more proper grounds; so that they were by this means brought into a sort of dilemma. But, after all, if this should not appear satisfactory, we may allow, methinks, that some prophecies might neither be understood by their author nor others, till the event interpreted them. Thus we find that they understood not several visions that they saw, till an express messenger from heaven taught them the meaning; and, perhaps, where this was not done, they might never understand them. Thus also the Revelation of St. John is thought by some not capable of being understood, till the times it relate to are past; and certainly, since most of those who read it cannot understand it, there was no necessity the author should, who was just going to die, and so less concerned in the matter than they. Nor are such predictions useless, provided the application appear to be just and certain, after the thing is come to pass, and that it was morally impossible any thing else should be meant. Thus, if a man is told the meaning of a riddle, which contains in it a great number of circumstances, he will at once see this answer will fit them all, and that no other well can. And, therefore, I am not out of hopes

but St. John's Revelation, the darkness of which has been objected to Chris tianity, may some time or other become a bright and surprising confirmation of it. But then where the prophecies quoted are of such a nature, as that they can neither be discerned to belong to Christ beforehand, nor to belong to him rather than some other person or thing afterwards, this will not hold good; but we must either have recourse to some of the things I have mentioned before, or be obliged of ne cessity to say, as I think we may with out forfeiting our Christianity, the writer was so far mistaken.

Pardon, dear Sir, the confusion and inaccuracy of what I have wrote, and assure yourself I would not trust it with every body in such a condition. But amongst friends, letters, as well as conversation, ought to be familiar.

Mr. Wilcox, one Sunday, sent word to his congregation that he should not preach amongst them that day, and he believed never again; they suspecting, and I fancy with reason, his design was to conform, went to him in great numbers the next day with prayers and tears to divert him from it, which at last they did, and soon after he preached to them again, from 1 Thess. ii. 17

19, and assured them, Nonconformity was the cause of God, and that he had never sought for any preferment in the Church, though he did not question but he could have had it; that the care of their souls, which belonged to him, obliged him to cast out Mr. Read, (by name,) and that he would do it, if it were to do, still. He complained of Mr. Jackson's family by name, and of all the ministers, except one or two, shewing no regard to him, nor so much as visiting him. Sam. Chandler is married; his wife's fortune is tolerably good; what her humour will prove, time only can shew; he likes her well at present, but if she proves barren or froward, resolves to divorce her.

I am, Sir,

Your friend and servant.

[This letter was signed by Mr. Secker, and afterwards by Mr. Chandler, who was probably present when it was written.]

From Mr. Seeker. London, Thursday, Oct., 1716.

DEAR SIR,

I admit very readily your whole apology, and am obliged to you for every part of your letter, excepting that which seems to bear hard upon our friend Sam. Chandler, and in that part I intend you shall be obliged to me. Sam, I am very well assured, is in perfect charity with you, and would be more than a little concerned to think you were otherwise with him. You are, in short, a couple of very good friends that have fallen out about a trifle long enough ago to have forgot it, and want nothing of being reconciled but only to be told that you are so. If there were any thing of sharpness in his last, I suppose it was only in the complaints I desired him to make, though I gave him no directions as to the words. But to leave this-Mr. Read has been married almost a month. Two or three days after the wedding, his spouse gave him a letter that Mr. Wilcox had wrote, with a design of putting a stop to the matter, about a quarter of a year before he turned him out of his place. Jerry Burroughs's wife is with child, and he is going to take a house. Poor Monkley is very much mortified upon the occasion, but gives his friends to understand, by obscure hints, that Mr. Burroughs's triumph will not be long lived. But this wants confirmation. Kirby Reyner has had one chance more for success in the world, and willingly let it pass by him. What the next will be I know not. When Mr. Freke died, (by the foreign news styled Minister Nonjurant instead of Nonconformist,) Mr. Reyner's interest in that congre gation was so great, that if Dr. Avery would have accepted the place of pastor, nobody could have been chose assistant but himself. But the Doctor chose rather to be Mr. Reyner's assistant, and Mr. Reyner resolved not to be pastor, and so all the matter fell to the ground. I suppose you have heard long ago that the Doctor is married, and has £600 a-year settled on him. Kit Fowler, a young parson you must have heard of, has changed his band for an apron, and turned grocer; and Cruttenden is married to Cliff's widow; and will, if I mistake not, in a little time degenerate into a bookseller.

Thus you see what a falling away there is amongst the young men of this generation. If after all this news you should be desirous to hear any thing of the personal condition of your humble servant, you must know I have made a small change in my studies too, from the spirit to the flesh; or in plainer terms, from divinity to anatomy; which, with a little experimental philo sophy, and a little good company, will fill up my time this winter, and then in the spring I shall go down into Derbyshire, and be buried with my forefathers. But to shew you that I have not entirely forsaken divinity, practical at least, I shall mention to you a note of Mr. Henry, which I met with lately in the course of my reading, upon the story of the fig-tree. Observe, says he, how intent our blessed Lord was upon his work. He came out without his breakfast, and when afterwards he found himself an hungered, he was contented with a few raw green figs, when something warm would have been much more proper for him. As I intended this letter for a rhapsody, I shall mention a story next, which has nothing common with the last, but Mr. Henry's name. Mr. Emlyn went to see him once at Hackney, and Mr. Henry fell into discourse of a good man of his church just then dead, whom he represented as a man of heavenly affections, and very dead to this world, for he had often heard him say, there was nothing upon earth he was sorry he should part with when he died, but his Bible. Emlyn was so provoked at the nonsense, that he took his hat and gloves and went away almost without taking leave.

We have had a great deal of talk about the Scotch silver mine. I am told, from good hands, that Sir Isaac Newton says he has proved the ore, and finds it to yield 94d. an ounce, and that it will be likely to pay all the nation's debts in a few years' time. The prince has gained very much upon the affections of the people about Hampton Court, and every body after his example affected to be popular. One of the young princesses, at a ball there, after she had danced till she was weary, retired into a corner of the room and said she would dance no more that night; but a gentleman, that was desirous of the honour, got one of their acquaintance to beg she would dance