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By John Turnbull. B. & T. Kite, Philadelphia.

The Child's Monitor; or, Parental Instruction. By John Hornsey. The first American edition, revised and improved. B. & T. Kite, Philadelphia.

The Edinburgh Review, or, Critical Journal, No. 31, for February, March, and April, 1810. Ezra Sargeant, New-York.

The Quarterly Review, No. 3, for August, 1809. Ezra Sargeant, NewYork.

The British Essayists, with Notes, Biographical and Critical, by Alexander Chalmers, Vols. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. Ezra Sargeant, New-York.

The Shepherd of Salisbury Plain. Walter Austin & Co. New-Haven. Vincent's Explanation of the Assembly's Catechism. Walter Austin & Co. New-Haven.

An Account of the Empire of Morocco, and the District of Suez; to which is added an Account of Timbuctoo, the great Emporium of Central Africa. By James Grey Jackson, Esq. Illustrated with Maps. F. Nichols, Philadelphia.

We feel ourselves bound to inform the Public, that this is a mutila. ted edition of the above work. The Publisher has left out a whole chapter, on the subject of Religion, together with some in formation about the Language of the Country. [Ed. Ch. Mag.

Works Proposed, and in Press.

B. B. Hopkins, & Co. and William M'Corkle, Philadelphia, propose to publish by subscription, a new and splendid work, entitled, The Colla teral Bible; or, a Key to the Holy Scriptures. In which all the corresponding Texts are brought toge gether into one view; and arranged in a familiar and easy manner. By William M'Corkle.

Williams & Whiting have in the press, and will soon publish, a very neat edition of the Olney Hyms, by Newton and Cowper.

Also, a handsome edition of the Dutch Church Psalms and Hymus, on large type and fine paper.

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W. & W. have just printed an interesting and instructive work, enentitled, The Principles of the Christian Religion, in verse; for the use of Children, by P. Doddridge, D. D. John xxii. 15.

"Jesus said unto Peter, lovest thou me?-Feed my lambs."

D. Hogan, of Philadelphia, and Williams & Whiting, New-York, propose to publish, Archives of Useful Knowledge, a periodical work, devoted to Commerce, Manufac tures, Rural and Domestic Economy, Agriculture, and the Useful Arts. By James Mease, M. D. N. B. For particulars of this work, see Prospectus on the covers of this Magazine.

C. & A. Conrad & Co. Philadelphia, propose to publish the History of the Expedition of Captains Lewis and Clarke, through the continent of North America, performed during the years 1804, 1805, and 1806, by order of the government of the United States.

A translation into French, of the Elements of Botany, by Dr. Benjamin S. Barton, Professor of Natural History in the University of Pennsylvania, is now preparing in Russia, by command of the Empress dowager. We record with much satisfaction, this honour offered to one of the first scientific characters of our country, whose work, we think, has a decided advantage over all the ele. mentary treatises on that interesting subject.

Frederic Hall, A. M. Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy in Middlebury College, is preparing for the press, a new work, entitled, Modern Paris; or, A Journey from London to Paris, through Holland; and a Survey of the Arts, Sciences, and Literature of the French Metropolis in 1807, and 1808, with Remarks on the Education, Habits, and Religion of the French people.

Wyatt & Delaplaine, of Philadelphia, propose to republish, a complete History of the Primitive Fathers, by Wm. Cave.

CHRISTIAN'S MAGAZINE;

No. VIII.]

ON A NEW PLAN.

AUGUST, 1810.

[VOL. III.

Few Biblical critics have acquired higher reputation than Michaelis. His Introduction to the New Testament is an elaborate performance, extremely useful to the theological student. It is, however, with all its excellences, replete with unwarranted censures upon different parts of the sacred text. The following Dissertation is a seasonable corrective to the objections which he has offered to the authenticity of the Apocalypse, or book of Revelation. "WE consider it," say the editors of the Christian Observer," (vol. i. p. 726,) and we heartily concur in opinion with them, "WE consider it as important, not only because it rescues from undeserved condemnation a very valuable part of the sacred volume, but more especially because its influence will extend to the whole body of canonical Scripture, and will serve as a check to the temerity of the German professor in other instances. Whatever deference the reader may be disposed to pay to the authority of so profound a scholar, on the very subject of his profession, he will suspect that the evidence upon which other books (of Scripture) are rejected or questioned, has as little foundation as that which has produced the rejection of the Apocalypse."-p. 723.

1040

A Dissertation, in which the evidence for the Authenticity and Divine Inspiration of the Apocalypse is stated, and vindicated from the Objections of the Late Professor J. D. Michaelis; by JOHN CHAPPEL WOODHOUSE, M. A.

IN

CHAP. I.

OF THE METHOD PURSUED IN THIS INQUIRY.

N the following pages I propose to review the evidence which has been adduced, for the authenticity and divine in

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spiration of the Apocalypse; to add thereto some collections of my own; and occasionally to remark on those observations of Michaelis*, which tend to invalidate it.

The

This evidence divides itself into external and internal. The external is that which is derived from credible witnesses, from the early writers and fathers of the church. internal is, that which results from a perusal of the book. Michaelis appears to me an unfair reporter of the external evidence for the Apocalypse. He seems to have approached it with prejudice; a prejudice occasioned by the opinion which he had previously formed concerning its internal evidence. For, it appears from passages of his chapter on the Apocalypse, that he considered the prophecies of this book, as still remaining dark and unexplained. He professes that he does not understand them; he declares himself dissatisfied with the attempts of other writers to show their meaning and completion; and he esteems the contradictions of these interpreters to be more unfavourable to the pretensions of the Apocalypse, than even those ancient testimonies, that external evidence, to which he attributes no preponderance in its favour. Now, as they who appear to themselves to have discovered, in the completion of the Apocalyptic prophecies, certain proof of its divine origin, (for a series of prophecy, punctually fulfilled, must be divine,) will be disposed to examine the external evidence with a prepossession in its favour; so he, who, by examining the internal evidence, has formed an opinion unfavourable to its pretensions, will enter upon the examination of its external evidence with that kind of prejudice, which is visible in the writings of this learned divine.

But, in our examination of the external evidence, we ought, so far as human infirmity may permit, to be free from any partiality; and to lay aside, for a season, our previous conceptions of the weight of its internal evidence. The two species of evidence, external and internal, should be kept apart; they should not be suffered to incorporate or interfere; each should be considered at first with reference to itself only. After which separate examination, they may usefully and properly be brought together, and be allowed their due influence upon each other.

Such appears the proper method of proceeding in this in

In the last chapter of his Introduction of the New Testament, to the pages of which, as published by Mr. Marsh, the figures at the bottom of these pages will be found to refer.

quiry, so as to lead to a fair and just conclusion. This method has not been usually pursued. The writers, who have presented us with the two kinds of evidence, have not kept them apart. When they treat, for instance, of the external evidence adduced by Dionysius of Alexandria; when they state how far it appears, from his writings, that he considered the Apocalypse as an inspired book, delivered down to his time as such by the early Fathers of the Church; they moreover produce, and under the same head, the criticisms of this writer on the style and manner of the book; which consideration belongs to the subject of internal evidence.

In the following pages, it will be my endeavour to keep these two species of evidence apart, until they have been separately considered, and may safely be suffered to unite. This method, so far as it can be followed, will tend to prevent the operation of prejudice, and to facilitate the production of truth.

I shall proceed, first, to the consideration of the external evidence.

CHAP. II.

OF THE TIME WHEN THE APOCALYPSE APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN WRITTEN AND PUBLISHED.

THE

HE external evidence, for the authenticity and divine inspiration of the Apocalypse, is to be collected from the testimonies of those ancient writers, who, living at a period near to its publication, appear, by their quotations or allusions, to have received it as a book of sacred Scripture. This was the test by which the primitive church was accustomed to determine the claims of all writings pretending to divine authority. All such writings were rejected, as appeared not to have been received by the orthodox Christians of the preceding ages*.

But to enable us to judge of the force of this evidence, as affecting any particular book, it is necessary to ascertain the time when the book was written. For if it shall appear to have been written and pub

*Euseb. Hist. Eccl. lib. iii. c. 3.

lished in the early period of the apostolic age, we may expect to find testimonies concerning it, from apostles, or from apostolical men*. If, on the contrary, it can be proved to have been published only in the latter times of that age, we shall not be entitled to expect this earlier notice of it.

Before, therefore, we proceed to examine the testimony of the writers by whom the Apocalypse is mentioned, it will be useful to ascertain the time in which it was published. For if it were not published before the year 96 or 97, (as some critics have pronounced,) little or no notice could be taken of it by the writers of the first century; and, in such case, a writer in the second century, especially in the former part of it, becomes an evidence of great importance; which importance would be much diminished, by the supposition, that the book had been written in the earliest part of the apostolic age, that is, almost a whole century before the time of that author.

This previous inquiry is the more necessary, since, according to Michaelis, no less than six different opinions have been advanced, concerning the time when the Apocalypse was written; only one of which can be true.

In examining these opinions, I shall endeavour to be concise. I shall freely use the arguments of Michaelis, where I can see reason to agree with him; but, where I am obliged to dissent, it will be necessary to take a larger compass.

I. The earliest date assigned to the Apocalypse is in the reign of the Emperor Claudius. This opinion rests on the single testimony of Epiphanius, a credu

* Apostolical men, in the acceptation of the Fathers, were those who had been personally instructed by apostles; and the apostolic age is that, which extends from before the middle of the first century, when the Apostles began to write, to the close of that century, when St. John, the last surviving apostle, died.-Irenæus et Clem. Alexand. apud Euseb. H. E. lib. iii. c. 23.

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