hence he afferts, that the navigation up thofe rivers becomes. every day more difficult, and will, at one time or other, be totally obftructed. The fame may be remarked with regard to the Wolga, which has, at prefent, feventy openings into the Cafpian fea---of the Danube, which has feven into the Euxine. We have had an inftance of the formation of a new island, not very long fince, at the mouth of the Humber, in England.---"It is yet within the memory of man, fays the relator, since it began to raise its head above the ocean. It began its appearance at low water, for the fpace of a few hours, and was buried again till the next tide's retreat. Thus fucceffively it lived and died, until the year 1666, when it began to maintain its ground against the insult of the waves, and then firft invited the aid of human industry. A bank was thrown about its rifing grounds; and being thus defended from the incurfions of the fea, it became firm and folid, and in a fhort time. afforded good pafturage for cattle. It is about nine miles in circumference, and it is worth, to the proprietor, about 800l. per annum." It would be endless to mention all the islands that have been thus formed, and the advantages that have been derived from them. However, it is frequently found, that new islands thus formed, may often be confidered as only turning the rivers from their former beds; fo that in proportion as land is gained at one part, it is loft by the overflowing of fome other.

Little, therefore, is gained by fuch acceffions. Nor is there much more by the new iflands, which are fometimes formed from the fpoils of the continent. Mariners aflure us, that there are sometimes whole plains wrefted from the main lands by floods and tempefts. Thefe being carried out to fea, with all their trees and animals upon them, are frequently feen floating on the ocean, and exhibiting a furprifing appearance of rural tranquility in the midft of danger. The greatest part, however, having the earth at their roots at length washed away, are. difperfed, and their animals drowned; but now and then fome are found to brave the fury of the ocean, till, being stuck either among rocks or fands, they again take firm footing, and become permanent islands.

As different caufes have thus concurred to produce new iflands, fo we have accounts of others that the fame caufes have contributed to deftroy. We have already feen the power of earthquakes exerted in finking whole cities, and leaving lakes in their room. There have been iflands and regions alfo that have shared the fame fate, and have funk with their inha

bitants,

bitants, never more to be heard of. This Paufanias tells us of an ifland, called Chryfes, that was funk near Lemnos. Pliny mentions feveral-among others the island of Cea, for thirty miles, having been washed away, with several thousands of its inhabitants. But of all the noted devaftations of this kind, the total fubmerfion of the ifland of Atlantis, as, mentioned by Plato, has been moft the fubject of fpeculation. Mankind in general now confider the whole of his account as an ingenious fable; but fuch of our readers who will confult Catcott on the Deluge, may perhaps think it no fable, efpecially if, as Mr. Catcott fuppofes, there is fome proof of the exiftence of fuch a country, and alfo of its deftruction by an earthquake, in the writings of Mofes.

"About 9000 years are paffed, says Plato, fince the island of Atlantis was in being. The priefts of Egypt were well acquainted with it; and the firft heroes of Athens gained much glory in their wars with the inhabitants. This island was as large as Afia Minor and Syria united, and was fituated beyond the pillars of Hercules, in the Atlantic ocean. The beauty of

the buildings, and the fertility of the foil, were far beyond any thing a modern imagination can conceive; gold and ivory were every where common, and the fruits of the earth offered themselves without cultivation. The arts and the courage of the inhabitants were not inferior to the happiness of their fituation; and they were frequently known to make conquests, and over-run the continent of Europe and Afia." The imagination of the poetical philofopher, riots in the defcription of the natural and acquired advantages which they long enjoyed in this charming region. "If, fays he, we compare that country to our own, ours will appear a mere wasted skeleton, when opposed to it. Their mountains, to the very tops, were cloathed with fertility, and poured down rivers to enrich the plains below."

However, all thefe beauties and benefits were deftroyed in one day by an earthquake, finking the earth, and the fea overwhelming it.

Mr. Catcott and fome other learned men, think that the numerous iflands in the Atlantic Ocean are the remains of that country, and that Plato's account, though founded in truth, is mixed with fome fable, particularly in the date which he uses. See Catcott on the Deluge, p. 84

"I

JONATHAN THE JEW.

(Continued from p. 111.)

FOUND then that the power which operated in the refurrection of Jefus, excelled, not only in ftrength, but alfo in majefty and perfection of character, all that was called God among men. So I perceived no fmall propriety in the faying of Jefus, O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee. I concluded then that this power is the only true God; for that which is greatest must be God. Thus am I called off from every idol, however highly dignified, whether the work of men's hands or of their imaginations, to adore him who is higher than the higheft. I frankly acknowledge, then, that my religion, or my hope toward God, is not founded on argument, nor on the wifdom of men, but on the power of God;-not any deductions from any principles I had hitherto known, but on authority interpofed in a manner quite unexpected, baffling, confounding, and repelling all my reasonings; and if I may be allowed the expreffion, forcing upon me a new fet of principles, by the moft convincing and fatisfactory, as well as irrefiftible evidence;-not on any reafonings à priori, but on a plain matter of fact, established by impregnable evidence ;-- not on any effort exerted, or any motion felt in my breast, but on that motion of divine power, which burft the bands of death when Jefus rofe;---not on any operation which men call myftical to avoid faying unintelligible, but on the fimpleft and most ftriking operation that can affect the human mind, even the prefenting alive again a man who was dead;---not on feeling any change on my heart to the better, or the remoteft good inclination of my will, but on that fact which, fore against my will, forced upon me the most shocking view of my guilt, and proved me to be an enemy to heaven in that respect wherein I thought to have approved and valued myfelf to my lait hour; --not on any work of power aflifting me to feel, will, or do any thing in order to peace with God, but on a work of power, proving to demonftration, that every thing needful thereto is already completely finished ;---to fay all in one word, not on any difference betwixt me and others, or any token for good about me whatsoever, but on the token or proof of divine good will expreffed in the refurrection of Jefus towards the whole creation, without regard to any difference by which one man ́ can diftinguifh himfelf from another. This fact, firm as a rock, emboldens me to pay an equal regard to philofophical

guelles

1

gueffes and to enthusiastical fancies. If any one, then, should ask me a reason of the hope that is in me, I have only one word to fay, The refurrection of Jefus: take away this from me, and I am miferable indeed. Let this stand true, and nothing shall ever make me defpair. This fact and its import, or the character of God thence arifing, mutually confirm and ascertain each other. This character could never have been drawn to our view but from fome divine work: no work but this could ever evince fuch a character; and if this work was done, of neceffity there must be such a character. This fact and its import, then, muft ftand or fall together. But more particularly, as this divine character can no where be published but along with the fact, I am affured, by hearing the grandeft character thence arifing, that the fact must be true. For to fuppofe that the bare notion or idea of ought greater than God could ever be any where imagined, would be the wildest of all abfurdities. And it is very evident, that that view of God, which the lower it abafes the pride of man, raises his comfort and joy the higher ---which reduces man to the most unreserved or to extreme dependance, while it exalts him to the fummit of all happiness-could never be the contrivance of man, whose strongest impulfe is toward the gratifying of his pride, and whose joy naturally rifes or finks according to the fuccefs thereof. Therefore, when the fact and its import are conveyed to my knowledge by the lame teftimony, 1 have no room to doubt, that God. who alone can defcribe his own character, is the teftifier and declarer of both. And furely it would be extremely abfurd to suppose, that fuch a divine character could arife from a contrived lie. Again, it is from this fact that the amiable character of the juft God and the faviour rifes to my view. I could never have known there was fuch a God, had I not known this fact. But I know, this fact being true, there must be fuch a God, because it is impoflible to account for it otherwise.Yea, every attempt to account for it otherwise, not only extinguifhes all my former lights, but without furnishing me with any new ones, lands me in atheism, in chaos, and utter darknefs: whereas the account of it given by the witnesses, while it proves all my former wifdom to be foolishness, opens to me a new and more delightful fource of knowledge, throwing light upon a thousand facts that I could never account for before; fhewing me a no less wonderful than fatisfactory propriety in all the extraordinary circumftances attending the birth, life, death, and refurrection of Jefus, and the miniftry of his witneffes. It throws light upon all the ancient facred writings,

and

and the extraordinary facts recorded in them, from the creation downward. It fets my mind at reft as to all the difficulties about the divine character, and the prefent and future condition of all lapfed intelligences, which occafionally pinched me before. I am now reconciled to the entrance of fin and death into the world, and the whole dark fide of things, on account of the marvellous light that fhines forth from the greatest darkness. I am now reconciled to the fhade, on account of the magnificent picture thence arifing to my view, and which could not otherwife have appeared. In a word, I thence perceive a no lefs amiable than grand uniformity of defign, in all the works of God from first to laft. Whereas, fhould I fhut my eyes against the light iffuing thence, I am immediatel loft in an unfathomable abyfs of abfurdities. I know then afsuredly, when I hear thefe illiterate men, attended by fupernatural power bearing witness to the fact, declaring the import of it, and fpeaking (тa μeyaha тo :) "the grand things of God," I hear God himfelf fpeaking; I hear the voice and teftimony of God. Divine wisdom and divine power, which are indeed infeparable, prefent themselves to my conscience at once; my pride is abafhed, my reafonings are filenced, and hope arifes to me from a new and unexpected fource*. I am fully fatisfied, then, in agreement with the witne fles, to hold the meaning they have given of the refurrection of Jefus, for the gospel, the word, and the teftimony of God, and to call it, by way of eminence, The TRUTH, in oppofition to every falfe glofs on the Scriptures, and every falfe reafoning about the light or law of nature, or about any of the works and ways of God. This truth opens for me a plain path, and affords me firm ground for every step, fo that I have no occafion to grope among probabilities with the Academics, or no lefs uncertain feelings of the devotees; no reason to envy the former the pleature they propofe in their humble, candid, and fincere in

« Were fuch a majeftic perfonage as is defcribed by John in the tenth chapter of the Apocalypfe to appear publicly to our view, would not all our former ideas of grandeur evanifh at his prefence? Have the wife men, of almost every fucceeding age, exloded the principles maintained by their predeceffors, both in ethics and in phyfics? And fhould it feem a thing incredible to us, that when God, no longer winking at the times of ignorance, was to commence a public fpe: ker and writer to men, he fhould explode the wif-dom of all the teachers who formerly taught mankind? And if we willingly hear wife men tracing to us the order and connection of facts and appearances in the course of nature, why fhould we not hear Ged explaining to us fupernatural facts? This feems to be a province proper for the author and controller of nature. It was furely far above the fifhers of Galilee."

quiries