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us try, then, whether we can find a sense that will remove both these objections.

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The word in the original, here translated iniquity, is anomia: but in the parallel passage, Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity," (Luke, xiii. 27)--the original word is adikia; and as this is by much the most frequently used of the two, I shall explain it first. In its strictly literal sense adikia signifies unrighteousness, by which word it is often translated. But then it is well known that, in Scripture language especially, righteousness is currently put for truth, and unrighteousness for falsehood. Dr. Whitby assures us, that this very word adikia occurs above an hundred times in the Old Testament, in the sense of falsehood, or lies; and it is highly probable that it comes over proportionally as often in that sense in the New Testament. Thus, "He that secketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness (falsehood) is in him" (adikia). (John, vii. 18.) In Rom. i. 18, the word adikia occurs twice in opposition to truth. "The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness, and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness." And the opposition is perhaps still plainer in the following: "But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness (adikia), indignation and wrath." (Rom. ii. 8.) And lastly, that, when translated iniquity, this word has the very same import, is evident from what is said of charity, that it rejoiceth not in iniquity (adikia), but rejoiceth in the truth." (1 Cor. xiii. 6.) Sometimes indeed it bears its primary and strictly literal sense, as in "cleanse us from all unrighteous

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ness *." (1 John, i. 9.) This the context will easily show: I only

mean that the former is its more elegant, and I believe its more frequent signification †.

The other word in question, anomia, will be easily explained. St. Paul, in a passage already quoted (Letter II. P. 214), warns us, that the incorruptible crown of glory, like the corruptible crown in the Gre cian games, will not be awarded to us unless we strive for it lawfully (nomimus), according to the law or rule laid down; and this comes from nomos, law; the opposite to which is anomia, or any thing contrary to some law or rule laid down. In one of our Lord's prophecies, this word also is so connected with false prophets, that it seems to mean the fruits which these prophets would produce. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. because iniquity (anomia) shail abound, the love of many shall wax cold." (Matt. xxiv. 11, 12.) In short, if our Lord intended in this place to condemn such irregular preachers, as wholly subsist and

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* Adikia here seems to mean exactly the same as amartia (sin), in the 7th verse. But soon after, these words come close together: "All unrighteousness (adikia) is sin (amartia)." (1 John, v. 17.) I do not well see how we can prevent this from being tautology, unless we affix to the former of these words the meaning above suggested.

+ Sectarists themselves, when in power, have been ready enough to apply the word iniquity in this sense, though for a bad purpose. This I have shown (P. 89 of the last volume), where I have placed this important word in capitals.

thrive by fomenting religious dissensions, what word could be more expressive or appropriate than either of the above? Thus the whole passage, instead of being unconnected, becomes remarkably consistent, beginning with "false prophets," and ending with what they must naturally introduce- an "iniquity of doctrine," and an

"iniquity of worship."

I shall here submit a short comment, which may serve, I hope, to throw some new light on the whole of this difficult passage. "Beware," says our Lord, "of those among yourselves who will resemble the ancient false prophets, not only in assuming a ministry without commission, but also in not adhering to genuine and sound doctrine. They will seem to you meek and gentle; but I warn you that they are ravening wolves, who will rather devour and scatter the flock, than keep it together and feed it." St. Paul uses the same word in the same sense; for, addressing the assembled bishops of Asia, he prophetically tells them, "I know this, that, after my departing, shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them." (Acts, xx. 29, 30.) St. Peter also couples the old and the new false prophets. "But there were," says he, "false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies." (2 Pet. ii. 1.) Surely then it is a perilous thing to quit the apostolical faith, lest we should be led unawares into some such heresy as the Holy Spirit himself here pronounces to be damnable*. These false prophets were to be remarkable for continually crying out, "The Lord Jesus! The Lord Jesus!" It is not this, however, says our Lord, that ill entitle them to heaven, but the doing "the will of my Father which is in heaven." And the will of God, in this particular case, must certainly be the UNITY of his church, that "there should be no divisions amongst us;" but that, as "we are called in one body" (not one hundred bodies) (Col. iii. 15), so we should serve Him in unity of spirit." (Ephe. iv. 3.) Besides this, such persons will also make vast pretensions to what they call gifts, such as a volubility of tongue, retentive memory, &c.; and these they will even produce as amounting to "a call to preach the Gospel!!" Here our Lord seems to allude to some wicked persons, who, at the first, for the furtherance of the Gospel, might even be permitted to work miracles. This may well be supposed, since Judas, when sent, worked miracles, and Balaam prophecied. But if even real miraculous gifts, without obedience, cannot be pleaded at the last day, much less such pretended gifts as these false prophets can set up. Wherefore the Judge

* A few verses are here omitted as not essential to the present argument. In those our Lord declares those false prophets to be corrupt trees, which may be known by their fruits;" for "do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?" and finally that they

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hewn down and cast into the fire." What fruits such prophets actually did bring forth in the bloody days of Oliver, áre well known, and might rerve to exemplify and illustrate our blessed Saviour's meaning, and this very awful denunciation!

himself fairly forewarns them, that He will not know them; that is, in Scripture language, He will not approve or accept them; (Gen. xviii. 19: Ps. i. 6: 1-Cor. viii. 3:) and He will profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye propagators of false doctrine, and promoters of schismatical worship!

This interpretation, severe as some persons may think it, will acquire credibility from the following passage of St. Paul to Timothy. "Shun profane and vain babblings, for they will increase unto more ungodliness. And their word will eat as doth a canker; of whom is Hymeneus and Philetus, who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some. Nevertheless, the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal: The Lord knoweth them that, are his; and, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity." (adikia.) (2 Tim. ii. 16, et seq.) Here then we have a pernicious error, or heresy, plainly specified, and the word iniquity so applied, as clearly to denote not only that, but heresies in general, which seems conclusive as to its proper sense in all such passages. These heresies, brought about or increased by vain babblings, may overthrow the faith of some, but they will not be able finally to shake the solid foundation of Christian verity. We have here also two of these "workers of iniquity" actually mentioned, and condemned by name, Hymeneus and Philetus. And it is further very remarkable, that the Apostle plainly alludes to Corah, Dathan, and Abiram, as the prototypes of their heresy; for as Moses said to Corah and his “To-morro✪ the Lord will show who are his, and who is holy." (Numb. xvi. 5.) St. Paul adepts the same expression; and "the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal- The Lord knoweth who are his." Hereby the Apostle insinuates, that, as the Lord protected Moses and Aaron against those first heretics, so he will protect his true Apostles against their successors; and these men, Hymeneus and Philetus, may be looked upon as affording examples of those who, according to St. Jude, have perished in the gainsaying of Corah" (Jude, xi.); that is, through a contentjous, disputatious, and refractory spirit, similar to his. Wherefore the Apostle adds his affectionate advice and exhortation, that men would renounce and give up such religious oppositions; Let every one that nameth the name of Christ" let all those who profess and call themselves Christians -"DEPART FROM INIQUITY."

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Hence perhaps we may acquire a clearer insight than we seem to have at present, into an expression in the 2d chapter of the Second Epistle to the Thessalonians. St. Paul is there foretelling the appearance of "the Man of Sin and Son of Perdition," by which he undoubtedly means the Pope of Rome. By the way, this person is said to come, "with all deceivableness of unrighteousness (adikia, false doctrine) in them that have not the love of the truth." (v. 10.) And in v. 7 it is said, "For the mystery of iniquity (anomia) doth already work.' But what is the mystery of iniquity? Bishop Warburton, to explain it, says, "Just so much was seen of the commencing event (the rise of Antichrist), as was sufficient to fix men's attention." (Serm, vIII. P. 262.) B what need was there for men's attention to be fixed? Besides, popery was not to appear

till he that letted, the Roman emperor, was taken out of the way; whereas the mystery of iniquity was then working, so that they cannot be the same. And indeed the bishop himself sufficiently refutes this notion, by concluding his discourse with an admirable argument from Dr. S. Clarke, who boldly rests the truth of all revealed religion on this foundation, that "there was not the smallest footstep of the papal power at the time of the Apostles; no precedent, no probability, nor means of conceiving that such a power could arise in the temple of God; and yet they described it with as much exactness as if the picture had been drawn after the event.” The mystery of iniquity, therefore, seems much more likely to mean, that schismatical spirit which did then actually work, and work darkly and mysteriously too, for it was "privily to bring in damnable heresies;" so that, as St. John speaks of " many antichrists" (1 John, ii. 18), in which he must allude to the existing heresies or heretics, St. Paul seems to have comprised them all in this expressive title" the mystery of iniquity."

I have only now to perform a promise I made (Letter II. P. 217) of adverting once more to the following words of St. Peter : "The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished." (2 Pet. ii. 9.) Let us now examine the two principal words which are here contrasted. The godly is in the original eusebeis, which literally signi fies those who worship aright, as Abel did; and the unjust is in the original adikous, which is the adjective formed from adikia, and must therefore mean those who are guilty of this crime called adikia, whatever it may be. Adikia, as we have seen, does indeed signity, in its primary sense, injustice or unrighteousness; so that adikous, if unconnected, might be properly translated the unjust; but we should attend to the context. I am far from wishing to dogma.. tise; but when we consider that this word adikous comes from a word which so often and so elegantly signifies" the sin of schism; that it is contrasted with a word that means right-worshippers; and that it occurs in a chapter which is levelled throughout against those "false prophets," of whom our blessed Saviour so emphatically cautions us to beware"- I cannot help suspecting, that by these adikous, thus reserved to be punished, those in general* may be intended who obstinately refuse to enter into that church which God himself has appointed. The alleged extreme exactness and precision of scriptural expressions, is a circumstance, that seems to favour the exposition I have here ventured to suggest. At least I thought it my duty to submit my suspicion, and the reasons for it, to those of whom I have professed myself "the true friend," that such as are competent amongst them may consider what is "the

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*I wish always to be understood to speak in general terms, as the Scriptures themselves speak. What good and worthy men there may be, or may have been, according to man's judgment, amongst the dissenters, as we know there are many bad ones who pass for churchmen- and whether the administration of the church, holy as it is in itself, may not be faulty and imperfect, &c. &c.. such questions are not the objects of our present investigation..

mind of the spirit" in this and the other passages which I have hitherto laid before them. Wherefore, whenever they meet together, and conjoin, though discordant in every thing besides, for the purpose of defending what they call "the Dissenting Interest," when no one dreams of attacking it, I beseech them strictly to examine whether they may not be defending a curse rather than a blessing, and whether they may not be found fighting against God rather than against man. B. N. T.

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** These Letters will be suspended for a time. And the writer would be happy to collect, before he resumes his plan, whether it meets with the approbation of the true friends of Christianity; and whether he may hope to be favoured with the attention of those who are most interested in the result-his Dissenting Brethren.

ERRATUM,

Letter III. p. 329. 1. 33, after "who are holy" add (v. 5.) " And he said unto the Lord, respect not thou their offering.” (v. 15.).

SUPERSTITION OF CHARMS AND FORTUNE-TELLING.

To the Editor of the Antijacobin Review.

Sir; AFTER the many fatal instances of delusion, which the public are frequently informed of, by the arts and frauds of persons who assume the profession of fortune-telling; one would think, that even the most credulous would be guarded against the deception. But there is such a desire in human nature (dissatisfied with present enjoyments) to pry into the bosom of futurity, that the hopes of future good overcome the dread of the foreknowledge of future evil; and many a fair lady is so conscious of her personal or mental accomplishments, that she is desirous of anticipating that happiness, which she doubts not awaits her in future matrimonial connexions. Minds so disposed, we may reasonably expect, the wilful and designing know how to flatter and betray; and the laws of our country have very wisely guarded (as far as in their power) the ignorant and unwary from these impositions, by inflicting a heavy punishment on the offender.

The practice of charming away bodily disorders, certainly does not come under this denomination; and those who practise this art would probably be much offended, by giving it the denomination of the "Black Art." It is not credulity that is here required, but a strong faith; a faith that the cure will be effected by some supernatural means, different from those which the good providence of God, or, in other words, the Course of Nature, has ordinarily provided. I know that many worthy and good people have exercised this art, and are themselves satisfied, that the cure is effected only by the force of imagination, but the patient must believe it to be by the power of the charm.

How far it may be useful or proper to surrender our reason and

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