wills, and that which relates to the eftates of perfons dying. inteftate; provided fuch a felection was made, and the fubject fo clearly handled, as to be within the capacity and comprehenfion of the common class of people. Men of little or no education frequently acquire fortunes, but know not how to word their wills, fo as to difpofe of their property agreeable to their wifhes. Though a man is not any thing the nearer death for making his will, and it is a duty he owes his family, yet there is fomething unpleasant to a worldly-minded perfon in the act of giving away all that he poffeffes, and centering his thoughts in the grave. Hence it happens, that men are not always in fufficient fpirits to enter on this business, and of course they defer it, especially as an attorney is to be fent for, till they have not an opportunity to do it at all. The confequence is, that many die inteftate, and leave their pofterity to scramble for what they leave. Such as diflike this folemn methodical mode of dif pofing of their property, that is, of having their teftament drawn up by a practitioner in the law, generally pen their last wills themselves, at times when they find themselves difpofed; and, from an ignorance in the form of drawing them up, often give away their effects contrary to their inclinations; and frequently involve their fucceffors in expence, ftrife, and endless difpute. It is fuch conduct that affords bufinefs for the ecclefiaftical courts, and often for the Court of Chancery. To remedy the inconvenience and diftrefs that frequently arifes from ignorant teftators who write their own wills, Lord Chancellor Hardwicke, in his time, made it a rule to fet afide the letter of the written testament, and advert to the spirit of it; that is, he endeavoured to get at the defign of the teftator, and make his decree accordingly. But it would be far better, if matters could be fo settled as not to need the interference of the courts; and the only way to do this, is to explain the teftamentary law fo fully, and write it so plain, that he who runs may read. The author of the work now under our review has gone a great way in this business, but not so far as he might. The volume is a fecond impretiion of one formerly publifhed under the title of "The Will which the Law makes, &c.;" but the author, finding a perfon foon after improving upon his plan, has in this second edition rifen upon the former one, and endeavoured to be more explicit. He feems indeed to have given us the whole law reading upon wills, and in a fyftematic manner; but it is nevertheless far from being fo clear as to be thoroughly intelligible to the generality of readers; of courfe does not, in our opinion, fully answer the end of the publication. It is neatly printed in imitation of Blackstone's Commentaries in octavo; and the Jaw authorities are given by way of notes, for all the affertions he advances; fo that on the whole, though it may not be useful to all men generally, it will certainly be fo to thousands. ART. IX. 1 ART. IX. Difcourfes on Prophecy, read in the Chapel of Lincoln's Inn at the Lecture founded by the Right Reverend William Warburton, late Lord Bishop of Gloucefter. By Eaft Apthorp, D.D. Rector of St. Maryle-bow. 2 vols. 8vo. 12s. Rivington. London. WE may venture to pronounce the author of these Lectures, or Sermons on Prophecy, to be a man of extenfive reading, found learning, and great erudition. He has handled his fubject in a very mafterly manner, and like a friend to truth. The two volumes before us confit of twelve hiftorical, critical, and explanatory difcourfes on the following fubjects: 1. Hiftory of Prophecy; 2. Canons of Interpretation; 3. Prophecies on the Birth of Chrift; 4. Chronological Character of the Meffiah; 5. I heological Character of the fame; 6. The Chain of Prophecies relating to him; 7. Prophecies of the Death of Chrift; 8, and 9. ditto of his Kingdom; 10. Chatacter of Antichrift; 11. The Myftic Tyre; and 12. Prophecies of the Origin and Progrefs of the Reformation. These he has entered into largely and fully, and supported and proved what he has advanced, by the illuftrations and authorities of the most eminent and ancient moral philofophers. In the first lecture he has ftated the general idea of inspiration, and given a fhort hiftory of prophecy; in the fecond he has eftablifhed the moft ufeful canons of interpretation; efpecially that which results from the natural and obvious coincidence of predictions and events, and exemplified it in the harmony between the religious prophecies and life of Chrift; to which canons he has annexed literary observations on the myftic and double sense; on prophetic actions and symbolic language. In the fourth and fifth, he fhews that the divine author and doctrine of our religion were announced to the prophet Daniel, in the reign of Cyrus, with an exact specification of the very time of Chrift's miniftry, and the year of his paffion, with his fignal judgment on the Jewish nation after 40 years, when he destroyed their city. The feveral characters of redemption there revealed are alfo fhewn to be inapplicable to any civil or fecular events, and a proper demonstration, that Chriftianity, there divinely predicted, was as divinely revealed, In the fixth, the whole chain of prophecies refpecting Chrift is harmonized, and fufficient examples produced to evince the conclufion. In the third lecture, the virgin-birth and fublime attributes of our Redeemer are illuftrated; and in the feventh, the perfect expiation of fin by his death and facrifice. In the eighth and ninth, the agreement of prophecy and hiftory is fhewn in a general view of the adverfe and profpe rous -rous fortunes of the Chriftian church. In the tenth, the author of our faith is viewed in contraft to the name and characters of antichrift; which in the eleventh is reprefented under the emblems of idolatrous and tyrannic kingdoms, particularly the commercial state of Tyre, the city of Rome and her ecclefiaftical dominions; and in the twelfth are pointed out the remedies of thofe corruptions, the declining power of antichrift, and the moral means of advancing the promifed purity, amplitude and felicity of the Chriftian church. But as our author's explanation of the prophecy in the tenth chapter of the Revelations of St. John is in fome measure no vel and curious, we have for the entertainment of our readers here given it, and in his own words. : The REFORMATION accomplished by Luther is figured by a mighty angel defcending from Heaven, or divinely commiffioned; clothed with a cloud, the fymbol of the divine protection: with a rainbow on his head, making offers of reconciliation to the corrupted church: his face was as it were the Sun, diffufing the light of the gospel and his feet as pillars of fire, intimating that his followers fhould fuffer perfecution, yet be reteived from the rage of their enemies. He is ftiled a mighty angel, not fo much on account of the undaunted fpirit of Luther, as of the great revolution effected by his means. He has in his hand a little open book, the original gofpel; open, as containing no new revelation; little, as applying only fuch parts and doctrines of the fcrip tures as refuted the prevailing fuperftitions. He fet his right foot upon the fea, the emb'em of war, and his left foot on the earth, the fymbol of peace; intimating that the reformation fhould experience the viciffitudes of both, but chiefly of the former. He cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth! the golpel was openly, refolutely, and efficaciously preached and published." • And when be had cried, feven thunders uttered their voices.'" As Hea«ven fignifies the ftation of the fupreme vifible power, which is the political heaven; fo thunder is the voice and proclamation of that "authority and power, and of its will and laws, implying the obedi"ence of the fubjects, and at last overcoming all oppofition *.* • Thunders are the symbols of the fupreme powers, who established the reformation in their refpective dominions: Seven is a number of perfection, and according to the great interpretert, whom I follow, it denotes the feven ftates of Europe, who eftablished the reformation by law. 1. The Germanic body, in which, by the treaty of Smalcald, the Proteftant princes formed a diftinct republic. 2. The Swifs cantons, 1531. 3. Sweden, 1533. 4. Denmark and Norway. 5. England and Ireland, 1547. 6 Scotland, 1550. 7. The Netherlands, 1577. Thefe governments received and eltablished the reformation within 60 years after Luther's first preaching against indulgencies. All other countries, where the reformation made fome progress, but with * Lancafter, Symb. Dit p. 123. † Mr. Daubuz. p. 46c. out out being established by authority, are defcribed by other fymbols: But the foregoing feven uttered Tas tavlor Boras, their own authoritative voices, to fettle true religion by Law, each in their own dominions. "And when the feven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write. The pofture and action of the prophet is fymbolical of the raised expectation of good men, that, when the reformation was eftablifhed in the principal kingdoms and ftates of Europe, the fall of antichrift (or Popery) would foon follow, and introduce the glorious union of truth and peace on earth. But a voice from heaven commands him to feal up thofe things which the seven thunders have uttered, and write them not; intimates that the first reformers would be mistaken in their zeal, and disappointed in their expectation; that the new reform would not foon be followed by the fall of popery, and the converfion of unbelief; but that, by the divine permiffion, the free course and progress of the reformed religion fhould be checked by the power of the temporal princes, not in the number of the feven thunders. Such was Charles V. young, afpiring, felfish, and aiming, by the influence of the papal fyftem, to make himself abfolute in Germany. Such was his fon Philip II. a tyrannical bigot, who made it his principal object to eftablish popery and the inquifition throughout his vaft dominions. In Poland, and the hereditary countries of the house of Auftria, the fupreme powers by perfecution and ill policy prevented the establishmentof the reformation. France was the theatre of the most violent oppofition to it during the inglorious reigns of Henry II. Francis II. and Charles IX. And Lewis XIV. half unpeopled his kingdom by his great armies, and by the expulfion of the Proteftants; fo that, according to this prophecy, the happy ftate of the church was not then to be effected by the civil powers, but by fome other means in fome future time. The angel in the vifion lifting up his right hand, fwears by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven and the earth and the fea, (by the very formlary protesting against the dominionship of the apoftate church), that the time for the pure and happy ftate of the reformed church fould not as yet ότι χρονος ουκ εςαι Ετι· But that in the days of the voice of the feventh angel, when he shall begin o found*, then the mystery of God should be finishedt, fhould be brought to its perfection. The mystery of God is his counsel in fecret defign, of which Chrift is the counsellor and executor. The event,' says our author, of the first five trumpets are past ; the first epoch of the fixth trumpet is the Turkish empire, 1453; the fecond epoch is co-extended to its whole duration; we of the present age, actually living under the fixth trumpet, are coeval with the eaftern and western antichrift; are witneffes, to the declining of antichriftianifm; and it is evident from reason, as well as the terms of this prophecy, that this improving ftate of religion and happiness is to be effected by the inftrumentality of men in a courfe of measures and events not generally fupernatural, though never excluding the divine direction and fuperintendance.' • Or rather when he shall have founded,' drar uλAU OQATIČαv * τελεσθη teftio Velefana τελεσθησεται. Confummabitur vulgate. The The author has laboured in the courfe of thefe lectures to affert, according to St. John," the teftimony of Jesus by the "fpirit of prophecy," and in the completion of this tafk has. interspersed such remarks as will gratify the philological interpreter, as well as exercife the power of reafon in the pursuit of truth. Our author has taken upon him in a decifive way to predic the fall of Rome from the prophecy of Ezekiel. He very peremptorily declares, in his 11th fermon, that the city of Rome will be levelled with the ground by an earthquake. Fire will iffue out of her bowels, water will cover the spot where the now ftands, and her place will no where be found. He may poffibly be right in his interpretation, but we think he fees further than other men can fee.-According to his own words • Critical interpretation confifts not merely in weighing the mo ment of words, but in feizing the genius and fpirit of compofition. In facred compofition especially a rigid adherence to the diction and letter would prevent the difcovery of truth, conveyed from and to the imagi nation, in its most adventurous flights, with the utmost vivacity of fi gured ftile.' He has therefore, in his interpretation, proceeded in this manner, and laid the predictions of former times fo open and clear, that he must be a fceptic indeed, who withholds his faith. In his hiftory of prophecy, he has divided it into four eminent periods, in which it fhone with fignal luftre; these were the time of Mofes; that of David during the existence of the Babylonian and Perfian empires; and in the Evangelic age, or first century of the Christian Church, at the end of which time this excellent gift entirely ceased; the few notices we have of it afterwards being little more than that impreffion, which a miracle of fo extraordinary a kind made on the mindsof men, till (in his own beautiful allegory) the memory of it gradually died away like the "faint murmurs of a diftant thunder, or the heaving of the ocean when the storm fubfides." The In his last discourse, he seems to congratulate the Protestants on the declining state of Popery, and to give them assurance, that in due time the prophecy of St. John will be fully completed in the total overthrow of the Romish Church. power of the popes (fays he) is every year growing less and lefs; fo that from lords of the Chriftian world, they are now become fuppliants to princes of their own communion. And from an opinion that it is" the high privilege and indifpenfable duty of all "who enjoy the bleffings of the reformed religion, to promote "its progrefs and advancement in these and fucceeding times," he proceeds politically to point out modes that muft conduce to that end. In a word, we cannot but recommend a perusal of |