peace and plenty, feemed to him to allude to king Henry the feventh, who was worthily counted the wifeft and moft peaceable king in all Europe of that age. To himfelfe (for the wifeft will flatter themfelves fometimes) because he was not onely a chief councellor to this king, and had been his ambaffadour to conclude a moft honourable peace with Charles the eighth, who paid (as Holinthed writeth) 745 duckets, befides a yearely tribute of 25,000 crownes, but also he carried both the Olive and King in his name; and therefore thought he was fpecially defigned for this church work, to the advancement of which he had an extraordinary inclination. Thus though (as St. Thomas of Aquin well noteth) all dreames be they never fo fenfible will be found to halt in fome part of their coherence; and fo perhaps may this: yet moft certaine it is, for the time he was fo tranfported with this dreame, that he prefently fet in hand with this church (the ruines whereof I rue to behold even in writing thefe lines) and at the weft end thereof he caufed a reprefentation to be graved of this vifion of the Trinity, the angels and the ladder, and on the north fide the olive and crowne with certaine French words (which I could not read) but in English is this verse taken out of the Booke of Judges, chap. 9.

Trees going to chufe their King,

Said be to us the Olive King.

All which is fo curiously cut and carved, as in the weft part of England is no better works then in the weft part of this poore church, and to make the credit of all this more authenticke, he added this word to it, De furfum eft, it is from high. Thus much the ftones and walls (though dumb witneffes yet credible) doe plainly teftifie. But in the midft of all this jollity having made so faire a beginning to his own great content, and no leffe to the kings, who came into this country at that time, and lay at the deane of Wells his houfe nine days; I say in all this joy and comfort, that hapned the kings primogenitus, the noble prince Arthur, having lately before married a great infanta of Spaine to depart this life. This fo daunted the heart and hope of this good bifhop, that he doubted now his vifion would prove but an illufion, that his oliva would be but an oleafter, which melancholy thoughts were increaft in him by the predictions as I touched before of fome wizards (to which kind of men that age was much affected) concerning the new prince who was after Henry the eighth, of his incestuous marriage, of the decay of his off-fpring, that he fhould pull down what the kings had builded, which no marvell if the bifhop being by firname a King miftrusted to pertaine alfo to his buildings. I heard by one Flower of Philips Norton, who faid he faw Henry the feventh in this country, that the bifhop would with he had paid above the price of it, fo it might have been finished, for if he ended it not, it would be pulled downe e'ere it were perfected. As for the latter predictions or rather poftfictions (fince this bishop's death) I willingly omit concerning the fucceffors of this bithop, as things worthier to be contemned then condemned, written by cole-prophets, upon whited walls, which the Italian calls the paper of fooles. Muro bianco charta di matto, of which fort many have beene made as well by our owne country men as others; but the beft I remember was this written by an English gentleman fince the three and fortieth yeere of queen Elizabeth on the church wall with a charcole.

O Church I waile thy wooful plight,

Whom King nor Cardinal, Clark nor Knight
Have yet reftored to ancient right.

Subfcribed Ignoto.

Whereunto a captaine of an other country wrot this for the comfort of this church, and I wish him to prove a true prophet (though perhaps he dyed rather a martyr.)

Be blythe fair Kirk when Hempe is past,
Thine Olive that ill winds did blaft

Shall flourish greene for aye to luft.

Subfcribed Caffadore.

But to proceed in this fad ftory, and leave this pleasant poetry, to pursue truths and efchue fictions, to imbrace reafon and refufe rime, it is most apparent that after the death of this Oliver King, his fucceffors Cardinall Adrian, Cardinall Woolfey, Bishop Clerke, and Bifhop Knight, all fucceeded in five and thirty yeeres, of which the first two were fuppofed to poyfon themselves, the third to be poyfoned by others, the laft furvived to see the death, or at least the deadly wound of this church; for while the builders were ready to have finifht it, the destroyers came to demolith it; yet to give the devill his right (as the proverb is) it is said that the commiflioners in reverence and compaffion of the place, did fo far ftrain their commiflion, that they offered to fell the whole church to the town under 500 marks. But the townsmen fearing they might be thought to couzen the king, if they bought it fo cheap, or that it might after (as many things were) be found concealed, utterly refused it; whereupon certain merchants bought all the glaffe, iron, bells, and lead, of which lead alone was accounted for (as I have credibly heard) 480 tun, worth at this day 48001. But what became of these spoiles and spoylers,

Defit in hac mihi parte fides,

neque credite factum; Aut fi credetis feti quoque credite рапат.

For I may well fay Non poffum quin exclamem. But in a word, foon after the fellers loft their heads, the buyers loft their goods, being laid up in the great treasury of antichrift, I mean drowned in the fea, from whence (as fome write) by the devill's power, he fhall recover all loft treasures for the maintaining of his unmeafurable guifts. Thus fpecdily it was pulled down, but how flow it hath rifen againe, I may bluth to write. Collections have been made all over England, with which the chancel is covered with blew flate, and an alms-house built ex abundantia, but the whole body of the church ftands bare er humilitate. The reft of the money never coming to the townfmens hands, is laid up as I fuppofe with that money collected for Pauls fteeple, which I leave to a melius inquirendum. And thus the church lies ftill like the poore traveller mentioned in the 10 of Luke, fpoiled and wounded by theeves. The pricfts go by, the Levites go by, but do nothing. Onely a good Samaritan honeft M. Billet, (worthy to be billited in the new Jerufalem) hath powred fome oyl in the wounds, and maintained it in life. In fo much as a wealthy citizen of London, hath

adventured

adventured to fet his tomb there, whom I commend more worthily then the fenate of Rome did thank Varro at his return from Cannas, quod de falute reipublicæ non defperaffet; for it seems this honeft citizen did not defpaire of the reedifying this church that gave order to be richly entombed therein, and thus much be said of this last church of Bath.

(To be continued.)

SACRED CRITICISM, No. X.

A CRITIQUE, ON PSALM II.

TO THE EDITORS OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCHMAN'S MAGAZINE. GENTLEMEN,

PURSUANT to promife, Vol. II. p. 9. I now return to the confideration

of the remaining Prophetic Pfalms defcriptive of the MESSIAH, cited in the fublime Introduction of the Epifile to the Hebrews, as applicable to JESUS CHRIST: which has been fufpended, during the last three communications on the PRIMITIVE NAMES OF THE DEITY; but neither unprofitably, I trust, nor irrelevantly to the main defign of these specimens of SACRED CRITICISM; which is, to explain the fcriptural" NAME," authority or character of THE SON OF GOD, OUR LORD," or spiritual Sovereign, and "OUR GOD,” or future judge of quick and dead :-" For WE ALL muft appear before the tribunal of CHRIST; in order that EVERY ONE may receive [a recompenfe] of the deeds done in the body, whether good or bad." See John 20, 28, and 5, 22. 2 Cor. 5, 10. Rom. 14, 10, and 9, 5. Acts 10, 36.

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I. The Second Pfalm, (to which I next proceed) cited to prove the peculiar Sonship of JESUS CHRIST, has been materially injured by the double fenfe, fuppofed to be attached to it; as it is related primarily to David, and fecondarily to CHRIST: a malignant fiction, forged by the later Jewish Rabbins, to invalidate its prophetic evidence; moft idly and unwarily adopted by feveral refpectable Chriftian commentators, Grotius, Patrick, Chandler, Dodd, Mudge, Durell, Horne, &c.

Happily for the cause of CHRISTIANITY, the fiction itself, or the mifap plication of the Pfalm to David in the literal fenfe, is irrefragably proved, by the teftimony of the Primitive Jewish Church, and of the earlier Rabbins, and alfo by the confeffion of the framers and abettors thereof.

1. The Chaldee Paraphraft renders the clause, verfe, 4, "THE REGENT (178) fhall deride them" thus: "THE ORACLE OF THE LORD ("1870) Shall deride them."-And in the various applications of different paffages of this most celebrated Pfalm, to JESUS, as THE CHRIST, throughout the NEW TESTAMENT; its reference to THE MESSIAH OF CHRIST, is uniformly taken for granted, as the unqueftionable doctrine of the Primitive Jewish Church; the only queftion under confideration at that time, was, whether the character correfponded to JESUS OF NAZARETH,

2. In the new edition of the Breshit Rabba (a Rabbinical work compofed about A. D. 300) Wilmerfd. p. 30.—“ R. Jonathan faid there are three, to whom, w "Afk", was faid: namely, Solomon, Ahaz, and King Meffiah.-1. Solomon: For it is written 1 Kings, 3, 5. In Gibeon THE LORD appeared unto Solomon in a dream by night, and GOD faid, Ask what I shall give thee.-2. Ahaz: For it is written, Ifa. 7, 11. Ask thee a fign

of

of the Lord.-3. King Meffiah: for it is written, Pf. 2, 8. Ask, and I will give thee, the Gentiles, thine inheritance."

3. It is likewife declared in the Talmud. Cod. Succa, Cap. 5. “Our Maters deliver: That the BLESSED GOD faid unto THE MESSIAH, son of David, (who is shortly to be revealed in our days) Ask of me fomewhat, and I will give it thee. For it is faid, Pf. 2, 7—8. I will declare the decree : THE LORD faid unto me, Thou art MY SON, this day have I begotten thee: Ask of me, and I will give the Gentiles thine inheritance."

4. The Midrash Tillin, understands "the Gentiles," (verfe 1,) of Gog and Magog :-plainly referring to Balaams fignal prophecy, refpecting the MESSIAH'S Conquefts, Numb. 24, 7. "His KING fhall be higher than GOG." (See my Reformation thereof, Vol. I. p. 370, and the texts there adduced Ezek. 38, 2, and 39, 11. Rev. 20, 8.) And the MESSIAH is reprefented as He, who fhall fmite the impious with locufts." And in a curious critical remark,' (on verse 7) it states that he is stiled in the divine decree, "MY SON," [abfolutely] not, a “to Me a Son," or as a Son, [relatively].

5. R. Obadiah Gaon, obferves, that This Pfalm alludes to the days of CHRIST, when mankind shall be converted to the worship of God." [And this accords with the titles of this Pfalm prefixed to the Syriac and Arabie verfions.] And on verfe 5, He hall terrify them in his anger," he remarks, "CHRIST shall smite the Earth with the rod of his mouth" Ifa.11,4. -as these predicted of THE BRANCH from the root of Jeffe," an appropriate title of CHRIST. And he thus explains the inauguration of the MESSIAH, verfe 6," My God hath made me to reign, upon Sion, mý mount; and this fhall be in the Redemption to come."—And he applies the laft fentence, verfe 12, Blefjed are all that trust in Him,” · "To thofe that expect redemption,-to them will the light arife."

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6. R. Sadias Gaon, observes on Dan. 7, 13.-He who is to come with the clouds of heaven like a Son of Man, is MESSIAH our righteousness"; and on 7, 14.-" And authority was given him” "Because (THE ANCI ENT OF DAYS) will give him authority and a kingdom; as it is written, Pf. 2, 6. But I anointed my king."

7. R. Mofes Maimonides also, in his Porta Mofis, p. 160, allows the filiation of THE MESSIAH to his CREATOR; who faid unto Him, Pf. 2, 7. "Thou art my Son."

This is decifive evidence of the opinion of the Jewish Church, till the time of Maimonides, who died A. D. 1209.

8. His fucceffor, R. David Kimchi, who died A. D. 1240, appears to be one of the first who supported the literal application of the Pfalm to David: fuppofing in his commentary, that it was compofed and fung by David in the beginning of his reign, when the neighbouring nations were gathered together against him, according to 2 Sam, 5, 7. And the Philipines heard that they had anointed David king over Ifrael; and all the Philifines came up to feck David," although he allows, that the rulers of the Philiftines are po where in fcripture called Kings," but only, 10, « Lords" or "Satraps." and at the conclufion, confeffes that his own, was a novel interpretation: "fome there are, however, who expound the Pfalm of Gog and Magog, and of THE MESSIAH, that is, of KING MESSIAH: and fo have our Alafters of bleffed memory interpreted it; and if the Pfalm be expounded in this way, its fenfe will be clear: but it seems more likely that David compofed this Pfalm of himfelf, according to our explication."

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9. The true reafon of his explication and departure from the Orthodox doctrine of his "mafters of blessed memory,' as we have seen, is furnished inadvertently, by his contemporary R. Solomon Jarchi: "our doctors, fays he, have expounded this Pfalm mystically, of KING MESSIAH; but according to the letter, and TO ANSWER THE HERETICS, it is expedient to expound it of David himself.

,לתשובת החינים,This curious and important confeffion

to answer the heretics," which is found in the earlier editions, but most injudiciously and unwarrantably expunged from the later editions, the Bafil, by Buxtorf, and the Venetian, furnishes the fullest and most unequivocal evidence of the double dealing of Jarchi and his affociates, who firft fabricated the literal exposition.

The Muftical interpretation of this Pfalm, was therefore unquestionably the doctrine of the earlier and purer ages of the Jewish and Chriftian Churches, and should not therefore be rafhly receded from, in the present age of Reafon, idly disclaiming all myftery and all allegory in Religion. For although it must be admitted, that the fashion of allegorizing scripture, was carried to excefs, by the philofophizing Divines of both, efpecially of the Alexandrian fchool; Philo, Clemens Alexandrinus, Origen, &c. (See the Monthly Review, December 1801, p. 394.) yet to run into the oppofite extreme and to decry all mystical or allegorical interpretation, favours ftrongly of the moft blameable /cepticijin, and leads to downright infidelity. Our Lord himself, frequently inculcates the peculiar myfteries of the gospel, under parables and allegories; and Paul allegorizes the two fons of Abraham, Ishmael and Ifaac, into "the two covenants," the temporal and the fpiritual. Gal. 4, 24.* And it is truly remarkable, that they who are fo ready to decry allegory in explaining the mysteries of our FAITH; by a ufual inconfiftency, are the readieft to avail themselves of it, where it may answer the purpose of explaining away the leading facts and doctrines of Revelation; fuch as the fall and redemption of mankind, infeparably connected with the temptations of Ete and of JESUS CHRIST; which the modern difciples of Philo and Clemens, the ingenious Middleton, and Farmer, &c. have difcovered to be dreams, or mere vifionary tranfactions, devoid of reality. And improving on fuch "imaginations," the adventurous Belham, that "over-ftrenuous unitarian," not only allegorizes Satan himfelf into an imaginary being, but denies the delegated fovereignty of THE SON OF GOD; and ftrange to tell, is applauded by the Monthly Review, October 1798, p. 148. Sce ftrictures on both, in THE INSPECTOR, p. 38-39.

That this Pfalm is utterly inapplicable to David; and that it correfponds in the minuteft circumftances throughout, to the fcriptural character of JESUS CHRIST, will appear from the Prophecy itfelf, more critically tranflated and more faithfully expounded.

PSALM II.

OF DAVID. A PROPHECY, concerning CHRIST THE LORD, and THE CALLING OF THE GENTILES.

1. Why did the Gentiles rage,
And the Peoples imagine vanity?

Arab. Title.

*See Bishop Chandler's masterly argument on allegorical interpretations of fcrip ture. Defence of Chrißianity, Chap. 5. § 1. p. 255—277 •

2. The