X. time be felt by the hand, when laid LET. on the aperture of an exhausted receiver. Sir Ifaac Newton appears to have thought, that it might reach to the orb of Saturn, and beyond, even through all the celeftial spaces. It feems to go out from one part of the fyftem, and circulate to the other, and nothing is hidden from it's influence; to be in every place, and to poffefs powers which nothing is able to withftand. The Royal Society, by it's late worthy prefident, earneftly requefted Dr. Priestley to make enquiry after this fame wonderful fubftance; fo that, by and by, it is likely, we may hear more of it;* and gen * Many curious particulars concerning that, and other fubjects connected with it, have already been communicated to the world by the Reverend and learned Mr. Jones, in his very valuable LET. X. The execution of the fentence, then, was refpited, in confideration of his repentance, agreeably to the proceedings of God with his defcendants, both individuals and communities, in numberless inftances upon record. Tranf greffion rendered him mortal, and his life from thenceforward was a gradual progrefs, through labour, pain, and forrow, towards death. LET LETTER XI. P.3. Is the account of the fall of 66 man, in the book of Genefis, phyfical, or allegorical?" I apprehend it to be an hiftorical narrative of what really paffed in the garden of Eden. With regard to the parties concerned, there is no difpute concerning three of them, the Creator, the Man, and the Woman. But there appears a fourth, whofe nature and character it has been thought not fo eafy to ascertain. He is called THE SERPENT ; but is throughout reprefented as an intelligent being, and treated as fuch. He proves himself alfo LET. XI. w LET. alfo to be the TEMPTER. Can we XI. doubt, for one moment, who this being is? The SERPENT, the OLD SERPENT, the DRAGON, are the appellations bestowed in the New Teftament, upon the great adverfary of mankind, the TEMPTER, the DECEIVER, the ACCUSER, the MURDERER. One question remains, whether, upon the occafion before us, he affumed the form of the natural ferpent, or be only defcribed under the name, and by imagery and expreffions borrowed from the corresponding nature and qualities of that creature, and applied to him, by analogy? Either way, it is beyond all controverfy, with us who believe the Scriptures, that HE is the principal agent in the whole affair: HE is all along intended, and addreffed; on HIM was the weight and force of the tremen tremendous fentence to light; between His feed and that of the woman was the enmity to fubfift; and HIS head was to be finally crushed by victorious Meffiah. However Chriftians may have differed in their interpretation of particular words and phrases, this is the fubftance of what always has been, and always must be maintained among them, upon the fubject. If all be confined to the natural ferpent, or beast of the field, the account muft then be, as Dr. Middleton contends, an apologue, or fable, with a moral couched under it. But the writers of the New Teftament ever refer to it as true history, and invariably declare SATAN to have been the SERPENT, who through his fubtlety deceived Eve." The account of man's redemption is no apologue, but true hiftory, built LET. XI. |