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discernment which belongs to intelligent beings, or to be unhappily in a condition similar to that in which Josephus describes his countrymen to have been, when they made a jest of divine things, and derided as so many senseless tales and juggling impostures, the sacred oracles of their prophets which were then fulfilling before their

eyes.

We have seen that nation whose former sovereigns contributed much to the elevation of the Papal throne, now employed as the more immediate instrument in God's hand, to pull down the idol that had been set up in the temple; whilst the Roman Catholic princes of Europe either stand afar off for fear of what may be coming upon them; or secretly approve the downfal of a power, whose yoke they have been for some time preparing to overthrow.

And is an event of this singular kind to be ranked among the ordinary occurrences of the world? Shall we see a power which had exalted itself above every power, whose thundering anathema had for ages made the most despotic sovereigns tremble in their palaces, yielding up, without a struggle, the ghost of its departed tyranny, and not conclude, that "this is God's doing, and that it is marvellous in our eyes?" (p. 30.) How far the Jews, are literally concerned in those prophecies which apply figuratively to Christians, I do not pretend to decide, as nothing certain can be established upon conjecture one way or the other; nor do I defend my calculations of the times, as though mine alone were defensible; but this I do assert, that the more I consider the subject, the more probable it appears to me, that the year 455 was the main epoch of the 1242 Julian years of the Papal power, and the year 1697 the termination of them, In a word, I have adopted, after close examination, the system of Mede, as illustrated and defended by the judidicious bishop of Worcester; and I see no reason to alter my sentiments, on account of the objections made to it by Inspector.

I do not indeed presume to fix times and seasons beforehand; but I do most solemnly protest, that, that there is no ground in Scripture for the support of the opinions, of those who fix upon any distant time for the final judgment of Antichrist and the conversion of the Jews. I rather think the following places to be descriptive of the present times, and to contain the warning designed to be

given by Heaven to us. Rev. ii. 25. iii. 18. xvi. 15. to which may be added the epistle of St. Jude and the xxiv. chapter of Isaiah, which, in my opinion, is a plain prediction of the French revolution and its consequences. I am, Gentlemen,

Your obedient humble servant,

JUVENIS.

REMARKS ON MR. LUKE'S PAMPHLET.

TO THE EDITORS OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCHMAN'S MAGAZINE.

GENTLEMEN,

IND

N my way homeward from hearing the admirable Sermon delivered last Thursday in St. George's Church, Hanover Square, before the Society for the Suppression of Vice, by the Bishop of Llandaff; I called at Cadell's, in the Strand, and bought, for sixpence, a pamphlet, of which I sit down to give you some account.

The title begins thus:" The Avowal of the Secession of the late Rev. R. Luke, B.D. and Fellow of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge;" having read so far, I concluded that some silly good-natured friend had taken upon him to white-wash the character of some Seceder from the Church, after the said Seceder had been laid in the grave; this Mr. Luke being styled the late Rev. R. Luke; but as the rest of the title proceeds in the present time, and announces that the reverend gentleman" now considers himself, and desires to be considered, in the light only of an English Layman;" I soon found that the late Rev. Mr. Luke yet lives, and yet exercises a free born Englishman's prerogative of publishing nonsense. However, it is the prerogative of Englishmen just as freely to animadvert upon the nonsense he has presumed to publish. This ingenious and very modest title-page, is so equivocally drawn up, that one cannot tell, whether Mr. Luke be still a Fellow of Sidney college. If he be only late Fellow, I congratulate the College upon having got rid of such an associate; though indeed this piece of good-luck is more than the College deserves for having elected such a Fellow.What Mr. Luke may consider himself," is one Vol. VI. Churchm. Mag. May. 1804. Tt thing;

thing; what the world will consider him, is another. He may feel himself no longer reverend, perhaps, in his own estimation, but the world will lament that any Clergyman of the Establishment should manifest an inclination to strip himself of that epithet, which is one of the glories of his profession; that any Clergyman should" cast in his lot" amongst the backsliders; that any Clergyman should lend a hand to degrade himself. However, he cannot shake off his clerical character; it is indelibly stampt upon him; he was impressed with it by a power greater than, and residing out of, himself; and he cannot obliterate it." An English Layman!" would he pass for "an English Layman?" No; an Englishman ordained, is for ever a Clergyman; he may be suspended from exercising his functions, during life; he may be condemned by legal process to lead his days in disgrace; but in England, once a Clergyman, always a Clergyman! M. Talleyrand Perigord may be deemed a French Layman, but all Englishmen regard him as an Apostate Bishop. Mr. Luke (I will not prostitute the title reverend) may consider himself an English Layman; but no Englishman beside himself so considers him; they deem him a Renegado Clergyman, but still a Clergyman though a Renegado. The title tells us gravely, that this audacious Avowal of Folly, is" addressed to the reader;"-so are most books I believe; but Mr. Luke's Pamphlet has only this in common with works more replete with good sense; for a more despicable performance never came from a Fellow of a College, whether a late or an actual Fellow, whether the work were posthumous or published in his life-time. Never did I lay out a sixpence less to my satisfaction; the only way to make it turn to profit, is to make my dear sixpennyworth serve by way of a scarecrow to persons wearing black gowns; in the hope of deterring them from trying to slip out of them, or to fly their colours,

Like other scarecrows it will be enough to hang it up; so here followeth a goodly specimen of our turn-coat's way of writing, his presumption, yea, I think, his blasphemous presumption; but of this the attorney-general is a better judge than I am. I mark those passages by italics which most offend me.

"About to be, with respect to such as may hereafter believe, by means of my conversion, the elder convert unto Christ; or in Christ before them; it will be my place to act with respect to such,

as

as the minister of Christ, and steward of the mysteries of God; and accordingly to provide, as the increase of the Church may require, and as I may approve of qualifications, the commissions of subordinate deputies: let, then, this publication give the notice that I, thus circumstanced, do account it my bounden duty, and service, unto the Almighty Jah, my Creator, to avow myself as one authorized, and required, to invite the disconsolate of all the earth to the Standard of the Son of God; that they should become followers of me, as I am of him, my Lord, and Master, the Lord's Christ; being content that I, or even an angel from heaven, should he be proved guilty of preaching any other gospel than that which hath been already preached, should be accursed. According to the grace given unto me, declared the holy Apostle St. Paul, as a wise master-builder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon; but let every man take heed how he buildeth thereon, for other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

All service is proportionable, without doubt, to the light of the information of servants; so that, not unless another be provided with the good of the light which I enjoy, can another be bound with the bond of my obligations: should others, indeed, become at length persuaded that I am taught of God, as Moses, and the Prophets; Christ, and the Apostles; were taught of God before me; then, most evidently, must it be the obligation of others to flock to the lifting up of the ensign of the example of his subject, and servant, as to the lifting up of the Ensign of Christ himself; the Lord whose subject, and the Master whose servant I am."

You will observe, Gentlemen, that this Pamphlet is intended as the harbinger of other publications; but I hope the friends of this poor man will take care of him; and debar him the use of pen, ink, and paper. I hope they will keep him cool, and in a darkened chamber; and if Hellebore, of old prescribed in such cases, be now out of use, or if our Hellebore be (like Hemlock compared with the cicuta of Vienna) not of the right sort, let him be put upon a course of camphire: let his food be vegetables, and his drink, water. I hope the poor gentleman may byand-by recover his sober senses; though to be sure it were a consolation to my mind to hear that he labours under a temporary derangement; for if he be not mad, he is audaciously impious.

I defy any man to gather from his Pamphlet what his principles, his opinions, and views are; beyond the persuasion that he is called to be a fourteenth apostle. Whether he be Methodist, Anabaptist, Quaker, or New Jerusalemite-nobody can divine from his sixpenny pamph

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let;

let-though he certainly savours most of the absurd men of this last-named description; resembling, at least, the poor crazy Baron Swedenburg, in the notion that he has had a special revelation from heaven. I believe Swedenburg went at large to the day of his death: I hope some good friend will take better care of Mr. Luke. There is no answering for the freaks of such people; he who fancies he holds conversations with spirits this minute, may take into his head to make ghosts of all he meets the

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May 7, 1804.

I am, Gentlemen,
Your faithful friend,
JONATHAN DRAPIER.

P.S. Please to read, page 240, for "Earthly moan," Earthly joy." The context will shew the necessity for this alteration; but I believe in the hurry of writing, the word moan slipped from my pen. I have rarely time enough to allow me to transcribe what I write.

I H

FOR THE ORTHODOX CHURCHMAN'S MAGAZINE..

SIR,

LETTER TO MR. LACKINGTON.

HAVE just been reading your late publication, entitled, Lackington's Confessions;" and if it had terminated with the 24th letter, I should have read it with unallayed pleasure, and entire approbation. I should then have considered it as exhibiting such a practical illustration, both of enthusiasm and infidelity, and such a proof of the one being productive of the other, as would tend to deter men from either; and, consequently should have deemed it a most valuable little work. It was with great regret, therefore, that I perceived you to go on, in the subsequent letters; to countenance that sin of schism, from which, in the service of the Church, we daily pray to be delivered; but under the effects of which, unfortunately, the Church of Christ in this kingdom has been suffering for many years, and seems likely to suffer for many years to come. Conceiving you to be a person of candour, and one, who wishes to be right, and to do right, I am encouraged to recommend it to you, as I do most earnestly,

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