CHARLES EMPSON, ESQ. 107 and with their mouths lecture, and speak great things, against the most High. This is decidedly applicable to Great Britain in her present Parliament of Science; for the beast, as before observed, comprehends nationality and astronomy. The case stands simply thus: If the most High hath been the Inspirer of what is called Holy Writ, and, consequently, therein be the TRUTH, then the teachings of the present epoch are calculated utterly to extinguish in the human mind all traces of the Word of God. Furthermore, it may be remarked, if the Holy Trinity embrace the truth, we have the three united, and separately, against the molten calf, or system of the sun. God the Father saith, "Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book," alluding to the transgression in question. God the Son saith, "He that overcometh, I will not blot out his name out of the book of life," &c.,alluding to the same; and, according to St. Paul, God the Holy Ghost saith, "To-day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilder 108 LETTER TO CHARLES EMPSON, ESQ. ness," &c.,-" And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?" We have, then, the Trinity, separately and unitedly, condemning the transgression to which our attention has been most strenuously directed; and I will therefore close this letter by repeating Joshua's proposal to the tribes assembled at She chem "CHOOSE YE THIS SERVE." DAY WHOM YE WILL I remain, dear Sir, Yours, &c., C. HOUSMAN. HUGHES AND ROBINSON, PRINTERS, KING'S HEAD COURT, GOUGH SQUARE. NOTE TO PAGE 93. THE annexed Plate, copied from the Rev. Mr. Keith's 'Evidence of Prophecy,' was not met with in time to be inserted in its proper place, where some comments are made on the 11th verse of the 17th chapter of St. John's Revelation. It affords additional proof with regard to the great astronomical temple of Bel, the foundations of which we have considered as a representation of the basis of our present hypothetical solar system. Parkhurst says, "The seventh was the day on which Jehovah finished or completed His work of creation, and forming this system, and all things therein; and as the number seven was denominated y, shevang, completion, so eight was called, shemonah, because the eighth day was superabundant, or over and above the grand completion." Now it should be particularly noticed, that Parkhurst here restricts creation to the solar system,—the term 'this system' not being used in the Divine history. His definition of the numbers seven and eight admirably corresponds with the elevation of the temple of Belus, and strictly accords with the words of St. John: "And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition." It must also be remembered, that the superabundant, or over and above the seven, is equally applicable to the Newtonian hypothesis, as is more or less clearly demonstrated by every treatise written upon the subject of astronomy; for we are taught to believe that space, illimitable, contains suns, worlds, and solar systems! By this illimitable scheme, there can be neither beginning nor end; and consequently our superabundant over and above the grand completion,-the seven,―cannot be denied. is so. Space may be illimitable, but this is no proof that creation The Creator hath declared that His works were finished, but not on solar system principles; and we must not disregard the instructive admonition of our Saviour to overcome the obnoxious and dangerous system of the hypothetical Shemonah, if we are desirous that our names should be enrolled in the book of life.' |