are under, to keep up, in all their behaviour, the dignity of rational and moral agents.-Their not duly meditating upon the folid pleasure and fatisfaction naturally attendant upon the cultivation of religion and virtue here, and the exquifite and unspeakable happiness it will be crown'd with hereafter, and Their not ferioufly reflecting upon that difquietude and remorfe, which are the neceffary confequences of wickednefs and vice in this life, and the intenfe mifery and anguish, the unrepenting violator of the laws of God will plunge himself into, in a future ftate,---are the baneful fources of every fpecies of immorality, and the deftructive caufes of all finful and flagitious enormities. Hence it is that we fall victims to every trifling temptation; that we become dupes and flaves to our lufts and paffions; that we act in direct oppofition to the dictates of reafon, and the precepts of revelation; that we defert the truly pleafant and peaceful paths of religion and virtue; that we look at things temporal, and forget the things eternal; and for the fake of the fleeting and unfatisfactory pleatures of this vain and tranfitory world, give up even Heaven in reverfion.

To what has been urged I muft add too, that the above hypothefis is entirely confiftent with the nature and conftitution of man, confidered as a reasonable creature and free agent. It lays not any the least restraint upon his elective powers: he is ftill entirely at his liberty to comply with, or refift the fuggeftions of the fpirit; and be natural and revealed truths never fo deeply imprefed upon his mind by it, he may either regulate his behaviour accordingly, or, if he pleafes, conduct himself (though undoubtedly with a very uncommon and extraordinary degree of perverfenefs and obftinacy) in a manner diametrically oppofite to them. In fhort, he ftill has it in his power to choose the good and refufe the evil, or choose the evil and refuse the good *.

I

The manner in which the fpirit is here fuppofed to act, of course afcertains the perfons, upon whom it operates; fuch, namely, as either totally difregard the obligatory duties of religion and virtue, and the ftrong motives and inducements propofed in the gofpel, in order to inftigate and quicken us to the difcharge of them, or elfe are not impreffed with fuch a juft and lively fenfe of the indifputable validity of thefe obligations, and the very interefting nature of thefe fanctions, as is neceflary to produce that reftitude of religious and moral conduct, the gospel requires. From whence the reader will naturally collect, (what, indeed, was hinted above, and feems neither inconfiftent with the nature of things, or repugnant to the word of God) that according to the prefent hypothefis, Chriftians may have this ftrong inward fenfe of thefe momentous truths upon their minds, and model their outward behaviour in ftrict conformity thereto, without ever having received any impreflions from the fpirit of God; but from

"I fhall only obferve farther, that it feems highly rational to conceive the holy fpirit to repeat its impreffions, or to make them deeper upon the mind, according as the various exigencies, circumftances, conditions, natural conftitutions, &c. of different perfons may require.

And now having difcuffed the fubject of these papers in the manner at first propofed, and compleated my original plan, I fhall leave what has been advanced in them to the judgment of the judicious and impartial reader; who, if he fhould not agree with me in every fentiment, will yet, I flatter myself, difcern, that I am free from all party attachments in religious matters, and unprejudiced in my enquiries after the truth, as it is in Jefus.

being moved and affected by them in fuch a manner, independently of these fupernatural operations, as the Deity undoubtedly defigned every Christian should be; and paying that due regard and attention to them, they fo juftly claim from reasonable creatures.'

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A New Explanation of Daniel's famous Prophecy of the Weeks. Wherein (it is conceived) all difficulties are removed, with which all other attempts of this kind have been embarrassed. By Thomas Hare, M. A. Rector of Chedington, Dorfet, and Mafter of the School of Crewkerne, Somerfetfhire. 8vo. 1 s. Baldwin.

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VERY attempt towards clearing up any dark paffages of Scripture, and difcovering the importance of what is contained in them, merits, at leaft, a candid reception, and will meet with it from those who entertain a juft value for the fcriptures of truth. In the piece before us, Mr. Hare has attempted an explanation of a paffage as remarkable as any in all the Old Teftament, and which has not been thought unworthy the notice, and moft intenfe fearch, of perfons of the greatest learning and eminence. He feems to have been at great pains, and to have conducted his enquiry with impartiality, and a real defire of coming at the truth; we do not think, however, he has been fuccefsful enough in his attempt to give the fame fatiffaction to others which he profefleth to have received himself.

Before he proceeds to the explanation of the prophecy, he offers the following as the moft literal tranflation, and the moft obvious fenfe of the verfes wherein it is contained, viz. 24, 25, 26, 27, of the ninth chapter of Daniel.

Ver. 24. Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people, and upon thy holy city, to curb or reftrain rebellion [or defection] to fill up the measure of fins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlafting righteoufnefs, and to confirm the truth of the vision and prophet, and to anoint the most holy.

25. Know therefore and understand. From the going forth of the commandment to reftore and to build Jerusalem unto Meffiah the ruler fhall be feventy-feven weeks: threescore and two [weeks] are to be counted back again, [that is from Meffiah the ruler] and then the street shall be built, and the wall even in troublous times.

26. And after these threefcore and two weeks [the following events fhall be feen in their due time] Meffiah shall be cut off, but not for himself, [or for his own fault] and the people of the governor that fhall come, fhall deftroy the city and the fanctuary, and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and to the end of the war defolations are determined.

< And he [the governor that fhall come] fhall eftablifh a treaty of peace with many during one week [or a course of feven years] and in the midst of the week he fhall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to ceafe; and with wings of abominations he fhall fpread defolation even to utter deftruction, and that [deftruction] being determined, fhall be poured on the defolate.'

After having made a few remarks in vindication of this new tranflation, he proceeds to fhew the agreement of each part of the prophecy, according to his fenfe of it, with real facts, and that the things foretold did come to país precifely in that number of years which is fixed in the prophecy. The decree or edict iffued out for rebuilding and reftoring Jerufalem, he supposes to al be that of Cyrus the Great, the firft and principle edict publifhed on this occafion, and that from which the others took their rife. Befide other reafons in fupport of fuch a fuppofition, he obferves, that though only the building of the Temple is mentioned in the account of the decree of Cyrus given us by Ezra, yet the fame King Cyrus did really give orders for building the city, as well as Temple, of Jerufalem: for when he gave the Jews liberty to return to their own country, he muft certainly have allowed them to build houfes for their habitation there; and that they actually did begin to build the city by virtue of Cyrus's decree, though they were hindred from making any great progrefs in the work, appears from Ezra iv. 12, &c. Haggai, i. 4.

This decree of Cyrus he fuppofes, with Helvicus and feveral other chronologers, to have been made in the year of the Julian period 4183: as it does not appear, however, what day, or what month the forementioned decree was published, he takes the liberty of computing from the firft month, according to the fcripture-reckoning in the year 4184, Julian period, not taking in the year in which the decree was iffued out, and in this month from the time of the paffover therein celebrated. From this time to the thirteenth year of our Saviour's age, the 4723d of the Julian period, are numbered 539 years, which anfwer to the feventy-feven weeks. To this year of Chrift he thinks the feventy-seven weeks extend with great reafon and propriety, as our Saviour did then firft exert his abilities, pre-eminence and authority in the Temple, and the word was the title given the person who was master or ruler of the Temple.

In explaining the remaining numbers in the prophecy, our Author next reckons back from this year, viz. 4723 Julian period, the threefcore and two weeks, or 434 years, which bring us back to the 4289th, Julian period, in which the building and re-establishment of the new city of Jerufalem was finished. This was the fortieth year of Artaxerxes Longimanus, King

of Perfia.

The next thing confidered is the computation of the feventy weeks, which are faid to be determined on the holy city. We fhall conclude with giving our Author's account of the matter in his own words, which will ferve as a specimen of his man ner of writing; and, with what has already been remarked, is fufficient to let our Readers fee how far this performance may merit their perufal.

Now by these seventy weeks, which are faid to be determined on Daniel's people, and his holy city (by which is undoubtedly meant the city of Jerufalem) the holy fpirit designed to fhew how long it thould be from the time the rebuilding the city of Jerufalem, in confequence of the decree of Cyrus, fhould be finished, to the beginning of the laft week or seven years, in which its utter deftruction fhould be accomplished.

The last week here mentioned is, that one odd week, in the 27th verfe, which most have added to the seven weeks, and threefcore and two weeks in our English tranflation of the Bible, in order to make up feventy weeks, but which, according to my interpretation, has nothing at all to do with them, but is to be looked on as quite detached from, and subsequent to, the feventy weeks before mentioned. Of this week, or feven years of troubles and war I shall fay more hereafter.

The feventy weeks faid to be determined on the city of Jerufalem, could not certainly begin whilft Jerufalem lay in ruins, or before it was rebuilt, and became a city again, after it had been demolished and deftroyed by the Chaldeans.

Beginning then the feventy weeks, as the prophecy itself directs, at the Time when the walls and ftreets of Jerufalem were rebuilt, and the city was reftored to its former state, that is, on the fortieth year of Artaxerxes Longimanus, and the 4289th of the Julian period (and we cannot properly fix their commencement at any time elfe) we must add feventy weeks, or 490 years, to the date before mentioned, which will bring us to the 4779th of the Julian period, and the 66th year of Chrift, according to the vulgar æra, and the 12th of Nero the Roman Emperor. In this very year the Jews revolted from, and took up arms against, their masters the Romans; for which seafon Gefius Florus, governor of Judea, flew a great number of them, and Celtius Gallus, governor of Syria, invefted Jerufalem with a large army, as both Roman, Jewish, and Chriftian Hiftorians affert, to chaftize, curb, and reduce to good order, this rebellious people: and this undoubtedly is that curbing and reftraining of rebellion or defection meant by the words yeon in the beginning of the prophecy.

The Jews had now filled up the measure of their fathers fins, as our Saviour, in reference probably to the words of this prophecy, expreffes himself, [Matt. xxiii. 32.] and were now ripe for deftruction. Their own Hiftorian, Jofephus, declares, that they were come to the highest pitch of wickedness at this time, and that in cafe their city had not been affaulted by the Romans, it muft fhortly have been fwallowed by the earth, or deftroyed by fire from Heaven, like Sodom, whofe inhabitants they excerded in wickedness. Jefus Chrift had, before the defection just mentioned, received his unction from the Holy Ghoft, and been endued with full power by his father for the execution of his high office: everlafting virtue and righteoufnels had been introduced into the world, published and preffed on mankind by him and his apoftles, as the terms of eternal falvation: and he had fuffered and died to make reconciliation to his father for iniquity, and to expiate the guilt of offending mortals: the truth of the prophecies of Daniel and others, who had foretold the coming and death of the Meffiah, and the defection, calamities and deftruction of the Jews, was confirmed by their being fulfilled, or manifeftly drawing to a full completion, the Roman armies being even now come all around to fcourge the rebellious nation, Heaven difplaying dreadful figns of wrath, and ruin impending over it, and already falling upon it.'

• Thus