increase and multiply their fpecies, in the feveral regions of nature, appointed for their habitation. We may confider them as the numerous domeftics of a mighty Prince, fent before-hand to fill, adorn, and beautify the feveral offices and apartments of his court, and give him a magnificent and triumphant reception. Accordingly fo foon as Man was created in the image of God, ver. 26, 27, abfolute power and dominion over them all. He bleffed them, and faid unto them, Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the ́ earth and fubdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the fea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

God gave him an

3

4. As Man was thus created in the image of the everbleffed Trinity, all the excellencies that were to be found in every species of animals, in their most perfect state, were in a fuper-eminent degree in the perfect human nature: whereby our first parent had an entire knowledge of, and dominion over all the various kinds, and orders of the animal and vegetable world. By the first he was enabled to know the very central natures, and most intimate properties of every species, and to give them fignificant names, expreffive of their feveral natures. Thus we read, Gen. ii. 19. And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air, and brought them unto Adam to fee what he would call them; and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. The original of all names was to ex prefs the nature of the things named; upon which account names and natures are very frequently in Scripture used promifcuously. And as he perfectly knew their feveral properties, and had them all in a fuper-eminent degree within himself, fo he had an abfolute power to direct and control them, fo as to fulfil the will of their Creator, in answering the end of their creation, and preferving the peace and harmony of the whole fyftem; whilft they received through him as God's Vicegerent, and their Governor, fuch.communications

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nications of happiness, as their nature was capable of. He was their immediate Lord, receiving from the infinite Fountain of Light, and Good, a conflant uninterrupted communication of life and bleffing, which were through him derived to all the parts and inhabitants of the animal and vegetable creation, whereby he kept them all in abfolute dependance upon him; fo that he had an entire dominion over this whole visible world. To this Original Charter, the holy Pfalmift refers, Pfal. viii. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. "Lord, what is Man that thou art mindful of him, and the Son of Man that thou vifiteft him? Thou madeft him lower than the angels, to crown him with glory and worship; thou madeft him to have dominion over the works of thy hands, thou haft put all things in fubjection under his feet: all sheep and oxen, yea and the beasts of the field, the fowls of the air, and the fishes of the fea, and whatsoever walketh through the paths of the fea."

5. Here, make a stand, and review the infinite wisdom, power, and goodness of our Almighty Creator, and the tranfcendent beauties of the new world, the harmony, the peace and happiness of these its inhabitants, bleffed with exalted faculties, ftrength and beauty, cropping the everlasting verdure, the unfading flowers of paradife, drinking the untainted ftreams of life and immortality in a delicious garden, into which neither fin nor forrow, corruption nor death had entered, exempt from pain and fickness; where the fpirits of darkness had no power, nor the least shadow of evil could find admiffion; where all was purity, light, and pleasure, the joys and beauties of eternal spring; where each of them in their proper order were ministering to the happiness of their fovereign Lord, the harmony of the fyftem, and proclaiming, as it were with one voice, the glory and the goodness of him that made them! Such was, fuch must have been (if we believe the Scriptures) the bleffed condition of thefe once happy

creatures.

[To be continued.]

To

To Mr. JOSEPH

BENSON.

Dear Sir,

ANY have inferred from my not anfwering Mr. Madan's

ΜΑ

Book, that I was of the fame judgment with him. But it was owing to another caufe, my want of time; I am glad you have fupplied my lack of fervice: and that you have done it with Temper; though not with that Complaifance, which is quite unfeasonable on such an occafion. I have read over your Remarks with attention, and believe they will fatisfy any impartial Reader. I commend you and your labours to the God of Truth and Love, and am

Your affectionate Friend and Brother,

March 30, 1782.

JOHN WESLEY.

An ANSWER to Mr. Madan's TREATISE, on POLYGAMY and MARRIAGE: in a Series of LETTERS, to the Rev. Mr. WESLEY:

By JOSEPH BENSO N.

LETTER I.

Rev. Sir,

WHEN

HEN I informed you I had been looking over Mr. Madan's Treatife on Marriage and Polygamy, I had no intention of making any Remarks upon it. But as you feem to defire I fhould, I have put down a few brief Remarks thereon.

2. The two grand points Mr. Madan labours to prove are, firft, That Marriage confifts "folely in the union of the man and woman, in the carnal knowledge of each other:" and fecondly, that it is lawful for a man to have, at one and the fame time, as many wives as he pleafes.

3. As I could not think Mr. Madan mercenary in his views, I could not devife, for fome time, what his end could be in fwelling his fubje&t into fo great a bulk, as I am con vinced, it might have been comprehended in eighty or a hundred pages. But I now fee that this diffuse manner of writing is not adopted without a caufe. Had his argument been comprised in a little compafs, it would have eafily appeared to be a mere cobweb; but being fpread abroad as wide as poffible, its flimfy nature is not difcerned.

4. The foundation on which he builds his Scheme is this: Polygamy was practifed of old by great and good men. Mofes never once blames them for it; but on the other hand takes it for granted, that it would ftill be in ufe: therefore it must be right in all nations and ages: therefore Christ 'neither did nor could forbid it: to fuppofe that he did, is unreasonable, abfurd, and blafphemous. Therefore those Texts in the New Teftament, which have been confidered, as prohibiting Polygamy, have been mifunderflood. It follows, that the Chriftian world is indebted to this Author, for freeing them from the fhackles wherewith prejudice and prieftcraft have reftrained their freedom, and for laying open to their enjoyment all the fweets of Mahomedan liberty. Thus the whole matter terminates in the liberty of men, and in the glory of this great man, who has bleffed the world with fo happy a discovery.

5. Thus he fpreads a fnare to entangle all forts of Readers, even the holy as well as the profane. As to the latter, there could be no doubt of their embracing it, because it is according to their heart's defire; and although, as to the disciples of the felf-denying Jefus, it does not feem fo well cal

culated

culated for their reception, yet in this cafe too he has an expedient: "It is the Bible plan, adopted by Patriarchs and Prophets, and countenanced by the particular blefling of God. Samuel, Solomon, and even Chrift himself being the fruit of polygamous connexions. Befides, it is the only way to prevent the ruin of women. For if a man who defiled a virgin was obliged to keep her as his wife, this would be laying the ax to the root," (as he expreffes it) and effectually and entirely abolish the dreadful crimes of whoredom and fornication.

6. But left you should think, Sir, that this is mere declamation, I shall produce quotations out of different parts of his Books, to fhew that it is his very plan. But it will be impoffi ble for me to begin with the beginning of his Book and go regularly forward to the end, unless I were to begin with the middle or end of my subject and write backwards. Hence it is that I may feek for quotations to prove every part of this charge, from every part of his book, turning the whole over to find out his fentiments.

7. Mr. Madan refls the whole matter upon the authority of the Scriptures alone. So Introduction, page 15, "I will examine the fubjects propofed, fingly on the authority of God's word." In the Preface, p. 11, he fays, "The fubjects of the following Treatife, being of the utmost importance, have been confidered with the most ferious attention, and are laid before the Reader on the highest authority, that is to say, on the authority of the holy Scriptures. Nothing less than this ought or can determine on the points herein treated." Though the reason why Mr. Madan rejects the authority of men, is too obvious to need mentioning; yet I cannot be forry that he has chosen to let the decision of the points remain with the Scriptures alone; feeing by this means, he has brought the argument into little compafs, and has favad me abundance of trouble.