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Show APPENDIX. 280 f APPENDIX. The Reviewer / adds; “ Neither does it appear that / scriptures were the first that God gave to man. On the taere is strony proof that parts of the first books were fron earlier scriptures. And the ancestors of the the Jewish \ contrary ; compiled Indians correetly handed : strong proof” that eastern down. nations by tradition. might ‘that he beside the [ndians of ef sucha tainment But if there is had possessed sacred writings be- America, book of God? and the Why Reviewer, have have to us; or at least some of the * strong evidence” any God selected and covenaated with favour? ; § in order that that the three or tour thousand of the - eee impressions of it so barbarous northern years, in so distant and the world as this continent? extensive a region », world, tillour literary Reviewer has brought it to light ? make it :ppear indeed, that although the natives of our the say one Great Spirit as were exclusively in the God covenant of their fawith him; / who hal his prophets to work miracles. and foretell future events ; | who had the ark of the covenant; places of refuge; high priests; '\ yearly atonements; and many other exclusive Mosaic rites; yet all | | this amoants to no distinctive evidence that they descended from Is- 4 racl ?—because they may have derived allthese things from ancient “\ heathen nations. One of tvo things, from the Reviewer’s view of the. ‘sabiect, appears true; either the church of God a great mistake relative to the origin of the Mosaic have been under religion ; or, deep the attempt he has done in this little book, to give an explanation ta. sme prophecies relative to Israei. He iuforms that “ the true mone \ jof interpreting the prophecies ts cerlainly little understood al th is day. of the wrie / my he surely should ‘The information given by the Reviewer, § for the time is and keep at hand.” those things that are Numerous were such / | search and understand this part of his blessed word ? Every eyent for time and eternity, now future, is known only by _prophecy. And yet “the true mede of interpreting prophecies ig certainly little known at this day.” Does this hold true in relation to the judgment, and eternity 2 to the resurrection, to heaven, and to hell? Where shall we draw the lines? Are no opinions to be for. med of the Millennium 2—of the battle of that great day of God? Why then are ministers commanded to * blow the trumpet in Rise to sound an alarm in God’s holy mountain, that all may tremble as the day of the Lord, which is nigh at hand?” And if these vast | events must be studied and known, why not other greateventscon. nected with them, and revealed with equal clearness ? literalyre does not always constitute a man a sound divine! The Reviewer seems to be disturbed, that the writer should make ~ “Le proceeds to allude to a dissertation on the prophecies | , a leoatinent claim jthers,.who they instinctively, etimonies many centuries ago. Light has been rising on the sub ject. And now it must be viewed as involved in inexplicable darkness ! When then can so great a part of our holy revelation ever be understood? Or wasit given in yain ? Why has God commanded men to So that all the rites of our aatives, and eat | or knowe he is ted, in self-defence. written therein; of their notions of an ancient book of God,afford na evidence of their beinzgof{srael? Why has nothing of this kind ever been known in the learned Can he application, that hear the words of this prophecy, many deep and correct impressions of it for wont” nations might bring down descendants epee universal, at a superior reached this high at- Relative to the duty of studying the prophetic scriptures, let the following divine testimonies be considered. To the Jews Christ said,” when light was far inferior to what it now is, ** Howis it that ve do “Not understand the signs of the times?” The signs of the times were the fulfilmeuts of prophecies then taking place. Whoso readeth, let him understand.” ‘ Blessed is he that readeth, and they byes Now was there during all this time, lye andl arrive be attached to the reviewed, when it is considered he is following on- in the other nations of the east, the kno wledge of another book of God, so wl) knowa among the nations, and the sacred as to whether he has self has made great proficieucy in this knowledge. For one must possess considerable knowledge on this deep subject, before he can with modesty and propriety publish what shall sweep away at a stroke the long received rules and writings of such men as Mede, Lawman, Bishop Newton, Sir Isaac Newton, and other most profound and celebrated expounders of the prophetic scriptures! The Reviewer then ly where And itis noted” this family, was inspired to write the book of God. as the special privilege of the circumcised Israel, that “to them were deep happy Now, some different con-slusions from himself. If this seems foreign from the first professed object of the Reviewer; the blame will not t the true. Eknowledze of himself might be maintained on earth. “ He suffered \ allother aations to walk in their own way.” And he said to Israel, } “ You only have [ known of all the families of the earth.” Moses, in j committed the oracles of God.” close so should be willing, (if he has been so successful) that others should make their humbler attempts ; even though they should arrive at The were going off to gross idolatry. Abraham, in relative to what the scriptures do or do not mean concerning the restoration of the Jews, cer.ainly would seem to indicate, that he him-" not the literary in its by happy as tohave much! world been blessed with the knowledge of it? Why could not our literary Reviewer himself have laid his hand upon it, and presented it human family in the days of Abraham received a quictus not object to others taking what they may judge the most proper methods to obtain a small degree of that knowledge, of which he is so (which is the argument of the Reviewer ;) how strange it must be that none himself has been lédge upon this subject. fore the writings of Moses, from which antecedent writings our natives may have broaght down the tradition that their ancestors had a dooK of God, with no allusion to the writings of Moses; so that such a tradition is no evidence that these Indians descended frorn Israel : knowledge ' which he says deed much disturbed at any attempt to explain prophecy. But his assertion relative to the general ignorance “of the true mode of ine \ierpreting the prophecies,” surely must be understood as indicating taere sno room to doubt. Aud possibly the knowledge of some thiazs which Moses was inspired’to incorporate into his history, might bee. : . ' the death of Buonaparte.” The Reviewer certainly expresses these things with a sufficient degree of disrespect! One Would imagine he was in- , have had @ boo, without being Hebrew.” That communica\ tions were i ade from God to man, before the days of Moses, perhaps have : Aer published some time since; $1 ?, sil But if the Reviewer may have mistaken as much in relation to the prophecies, as he ha : in statmg that the writer’s former Dissertation feceived a gutefus in the death of Buonaparte; possibly his knowledge “eat . — |
