Babylon is fallen, is fallen! that great city! The destruction of Rom>, mystical Babylon, seems to be the winding up of the prophecies, as far as the present age; but previous to this it seems the vineyard of the 'earth, or the clusters of the vine of the earth, will be reaped.

We then enquire, I. What or where is the vineyard or vine of the earth? and what are we to understand by her grapes being fully ripe? II. God's judgments upon the vine of the earth.

III. Where are they executed?

Now as the Jewish church was God's vineyard of old, (Isa. v. 1 -3.) so I apprehend those nations and countries that were formerly, and are now blessed with the knowledge of God's will by the gospel, may be justly considered as the vineyard of God. Paul calls on us to behold the goodness and severity of God in changing his vineyard from Jews to gentiles-Europe and part of Asia inay at least, I think, with great propriety, be considered as a great part of the vine of the earth.

By the grapes being fully ripe, we are not to understand the fruits of holiness, righteousness, and peace; these most certainly ought to have been the fruits thereof, but violence, injustice, and transgression.

II. God's judgments on his vineyard. These are represented by an angel's coming from out of the temple which is in heaven, with a sharp sickle in his hand, and another angel coming out from under the altar, which had power over fire, crying with a loud cry, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth:" he did so; "and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God, and blood came out of the winepress, even to the horse bridles, by the space of one thousand and six hundred furlongs." This shews the greatness of the judgment, and perhaps the extent of it.

Some difficulty may arise in ascertaining who those angels, or rather messengers are. May we not suppose the prophecy to mean one power of the political heavens calling to another power, as a messenger of Providence, to perform this dreadful work in the Christian world, (sa called) God's vineyard? Especially when we consider that wicked men are said to be God's sword and hand to the righteous, Ps. xvii. 13, 14. with how much propriety may they be considered as his sword to his polluted vineyard?

I think we may not be considered as doing violence to the text to imagine these messengers of God's displeasure to be the powers of the political heavens waging war with each other, and thereby gathering the clusters of the vine of the earth, and casting them into the great winepress of the wrath of God. Will not this somewhat apply to the present state of the French and Italian emigrant clergy?

That the judgments of God on his vineyard are just, and that no real Christian will impeach God's dealing with it in this awful manner, will appear, when he but considers how Christianity has been corrupted in its doctrines, ordinances, precepts, and temper: it is almost totally defaced by the traditions, fancies, and ordinances of men, enforced with a tyrannical disposition; add to which that the dissolute lives

of its professors in general have rendered it odious in the eyes of God and men.

III. The next question is, Where is the winepress to be trodden? the answer is ready-" without the city." When Rome was about to fall into the hands of the French Republic, almost every protestant expected great judgments on the city; but behold it was given up without any great contest, and very little blood spilt, and the city remained entire. Again, when the French were pres ed hard last campaign, behold it was given up again by capitulation, without bloodshed. The winepress was trodden not IN but WITHOUT the city. What a late terrible conflict this campaign in Italy and elsewhere! and what dreadful preparations are still making! Surely the grapes of the vine of the earth are fully ripe, and the messenger of Providence is thrusting in his sharp sickle, and gathering the clusters thereof, and the winepress is beginning to be trodden without the city. The city itself will fall, like a millstone in the great deep, when he who will ride on a white horse shall appear.

These are the outlines of my thoughts on this portion of the Revelation of John, generally supposed an obscure passage, and which, with all due difference, I submit to the consideration of your readers, well knowing we ought to be very careful what we bring in as the subject matter of such a prophecy, and especially as to the time of its accomplishment. I will thank any of your readers to point out wherein I may have erred in my conjectures on this subject. I know that Providence best (and perhaps Providence ONLY) will unfold such portions of the word of a faithful God. If these views are in any wise good, I would make this improvement of the subject; namely, that it becomes the duty of every nation professing Christianity, yea, and every church and people in those nations, nay, every individual, to enquire wherein they have perverted the gospel of Christ in its doctrines, institutions, temper, and precepts-wherein they have denied his name and the authority of Christ, as intimately connected with his namie. God has commanded all men every where to repent-it is`a double duty in the present case.

BATTLE.

Yours, &c.

W. A.

ANIMADVERSIONS

ON THE HOXTON STUDENT'S “ REMARKS."

SIR

READING in the Universalist's Miscellany for March, an epistle entitled "Remarks on the Spirit of Mr. Andrew Fuller's last Letter," I could not suppress, as I went along, the emotions of indignation and surprise, till I came to the last word, viz. “ a Student," when these sensations gave way to pity and compassion.What pity, said I to

myself, that this youth, who without doubt, was sent to school to learn his lessons, should so far forget himself, as to leave his books, to commence author, and that in so captious and cavilling a manner: for never did I before see such a complication of ill nature, virulence, and falshood,— so many unsupported assertions as in his epistle. And this before I have done, I hope to make appear to every person whose eyes are not blinded by Socinianism or Universalism.-One would have naturally expected, that the man who laid such heavy charges against another, would have been tolerably, free from such things himself; and that a stripling at school would have treated an aged and respectable minister with a little decorum; especially after declaring "I would be very cautious of censuring any one for maintaining what I consider as erroneous." But his theory and practice are quite at variance. For Mr. Fuller, according to this candid youths account, is of "a disposition hostile to the reception of truth,-engaged in "controversy merely to defend opinions, which have little but deep rooted prejudice to support them,-displays a spirit of arrogance and self sufficiency,―and little sense of decorum," &c. All this accumulation of slander and illiberality occurs in the very first paragraph, without a shadow of proof. It seems, gentle reader, that you must swallow this compound of abuse, and believe it all to be true, upon the mere ipse dixit of this same Hoxton Student; for he does not attempt to offer any thing in support of his assertions.

That Mr. Fuller is of a disposition hostile to the reception of truth, &c. &c. I suppose Mr. F. will positively deny; and they who know him best will believe him. And there is surely as much reason to believe him, as your youthful correspondent; and some people will believe much more reason, As to what this youth says, Opinions which have little but deep-rooted prejudices to support them," if everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power, be. as I suppose it is, one of these opinions, what "arrogance and self-sufficiency" does it betray in a youth at School, to set up his confident assertion in opposition to the whole Christian world, a few only exceptd. And if his furious zeal and intemperate anger against Mr. Fuller had not got the better of his reason, he would have allowed that a man may believe in the doctrine of everlasting punishment, not from " deep-rooted prejudice," but from a full conviction of its truth, on the clear testimony of the word of God. If he be acquainted with church history, (but perhaps I ought not to make the matter supposition) he knows that this has been the general judgment of the church in all ages. And he knows also, or may know, that though at different periods, his favourite scheme has been brought 'forwards, it never long maintained its ground, but sunk back again into its primeval obscurity. And from a letter which I lately saw, this is the case at present in America. The writer says, some of our most noted deists have bowed the knee to Jesus, and a number of universalists have forsaken their delusion, and embraced the truth." And this, I flatter myself, will presently be the case in England: however, for the sake of some respectable friends who have been deluded into this

doctrine, I sincerely wish it may be so; for I am sadly afraid, that what they have gained in speculation they have lost in piety.

After a number of loose, remarks, he proceeds to say,

and, as some people would say, false

Throughout Mr. Fuller's letter appears that resentment and animosity which nothing can excuse," &c. but, like every other part of his epistle, not a single attempt to prove what he says as such shall pass it over.

He says again, "It is certainly true——— -that some are as sincere in rejecting his doctrines as he can be in embracing and defending them." But what, in the name of wonder, is this to the purpose? Need he be told that deists and even atheists profess to be sincere? though one party rejects revelation altogether, and the other denies the existence of God. We read in Scripture of persons being under such strong delusions that they should believe a lie; and they may be under these circumstances sincere in believing a lie. But will this lessen their crime ?—I trow

not.

As to what this youth says re pecting Mr. Fuller's not admitting it to be any proof of impartiality that his letters are permitted to appear in the U. M. I consider, like every thing else which he says, as nothing to the purpose. You, Sir, had repeatedly invited any person on the contrary side, to offer their objections to your doctrine; it would therefore, have been extremely partial indeed not to have inserted their pieces.

The youth adds, "Mr. Fuller's object in writing is not the discovery of truth," &c. If this is not " arrogance and self-sufficiency," I do not know what is. It is a youth of perhaps eighteen or twenty sitting in judgment and passing sentence upon the heart and purposes of an aged and venerable minister of Christ, who has never, that I understand, given occasion for such a vile and unsupported slander upon his conduct.

After having proceeded thus far, we are at length introduced to an expression of Mr. Fuller; it is this; "the doctrine of universal restoration affords encouragement to a sinner going on still in his trespasses, and furnishes ground for hope and joy, even supposing him to persevere in sin till death." Whether you or your friends admit this position or not, I never yet met with a single person, except universalists, who did not express himself in this or similar language. What such a uniformity of thought and expression can be attributed to, but a full conviction of its truth, I cannot conceive. For surely you will not pretend to say that all who do not embrace your system are a set of prevaricating hypocrites-that they believe in their hearts what they will not confess with their mouths-that they oppose your system merely for opposition sake, and not from any conviction of the truth of the opposite doctrine. And though I do not believe you, Sir, would say So, yet your youthful correspondent, in the heat of his intemperate zeal, does, in effect, make this assertion.

As to what he says about Mr. Fuller being so extravagantly applauded by his own party, 1 beg leave to set the youth right here, for he seems to be quite in the dark. Mr. Fuller has not been applauded (I do not

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say, extravagantly) by his own party only, as a pious Christian, an able preacher, and sound writer, but also by other parties, of very different opinions, in some respects, from himself. And notwithstanding the partial and summary way in which this Student describes the argument of Mr. Fuller's book, We Calvinists are better Christians than you Unitarians," &c. &c. The truth of the fact is admitted by one or both of the gentlemen who attempted an answer, because, as Mr. Fuller very justly remarks, they profess to account for it. And lest this youth should have too high an opinion of his own judgment respecting Mr. Fuller's book, he will permit me to tell him, that not many days ago, I heard a zealous Universalist speak of it as a masterly performance.

Just a word to what he says as follows" Universalists and Socinians he (Mr. F.) classes with deists and libertines." No doubt Mr. Fuller had some reason for saying so. Vice gains the ascendancy over the human mind, not all at once, but by degrees. And it is the firm opinion of the writer of these lines, that Universalism and Socinianism, are steps which lead to libertinism and deism. Thus much, however, I do know, that some zealots for Universalism have been and now are libertines. And I know one at least who once was a zealous Universalist, but has gone through the foregoing gradations, and at this time glories in his supposed superior knowledge, and openly professes himself a deist. I suppose he is sincere, and I am sincerely sorry for him. Before he embraced Universalism, he saw and confessed the error of his ways, and promised fair to be an ornament to religion; But alas! he is fallen! and yet now boasts of his extraordinary acquisition in wisdom. Such things are!

Having made the foregoing remarks, it is time to conclude; but this I cannot do without observing that there are two particulars in which your correspondent discovers a considerable portion of wisdom. The first is when he says, It is not my intention to consider the arguments which Mr. Fuller has advanced." Very well judged, indeed, for your own sake, young man; because if you had entered into argument with Mr. Fuller, and he had thought proper to argue with you, I am well persuaded that you would have fallen like Dagon before the ark. The second is, when he conceals his name. And he would, I think, have discovered more wisdom still, if he had concealed his place of residence. For even supposing his tutor to be a Socinian and Universalist, (for they frequently go together) yet I am sure no sensible candid gentleman would knowingly suffer such a torrent of unqualified and unsupported abuse to be obtruded on the public by any of his pupils.

Thus much for the Hoxton Student. And now, Sir, permit me to address a line or two to yourself. I hope the time is not far distant when you and your other English Universalists will follow the example of your American friends, i. e. forsake your delusion, and embrace the truth. And that you in particular, as a minister, instead of amusing people with the notion, that if they go to hell, they shall most assuredly come out again, would employ your time and your talents in building up the faithful in their most holy faith, and warning sinners to flee from