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way of speaking amongst the Jewish authors , whose customs the apostles doubtless use ; aaid , if I mistake not , from some texts which are quoted in several places in different senses ; one of which must be understood in thi 3
way of accommodation . Now , as these sort of prophecies never meant the Messiah , their authors might understand their meaning very fully without thinking of him . And hither must those quotations be referred , of which some think there is great plenty , that are only arguments ad hominem , drawn from the sense which the Jews
commonly , though perhaps without reason , gave to certain texts , as they did unquestionably interpret many places of the Messiah , that seem to be less designed for him than those the apostles quote ; and these arguments must be conclusive to the Jews so long as they
held to those interpretations . And if they should ever allow themselves free thought enough to call in question the infallibility of their teachers who had so interpreted them , the greatest bar to their conversion was removed , and
they were 111 a fair way to receive Christianity upon more proper grounds ; so that they were by this means brought into a sort of dilemma . But , after all , if this should not appear satisfactory , we may dllow , me thinks , that some prophecies might neither be understood
by their author nor others , till the event interpreted them . Thus we find that they understood not several visions that they saw , till an express messenger from heaven taught them the meaning ; and , perhaps , where this was not done , they might never understand them . Thus also the Revelation of St . John
is thought by some not capable or being understood , till the times it relate to are past ; and certainly , since njost of those who read it cannot understand it , there was no necessity the author should , who was just going to die , and so less concerned' in the matter than
they . Nor are such predictions useless , provided the application appear to be just and certain , after the thing is come to pass , and that it was morally impossible any thing else should be me&nt . Thus , if a man is told the meaning" of a riddle , which contains in it a great number of circumstances , he will at once see this answer will fit them all , and that no other well can . Aad , therefore , I ana not out of hopes
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but St . John ' s ReveU ^ oii , the darkness of which has been objected to Christianity , may some time or other become a bright and surprising confirmation of it . But then where the prophecies quoted are of such a nature , as that
they can neither be discerned to belong to Christ beforehand , nor to belong to him rather than some other person or thing afterwards , this will not hold good ; but we must either have recourse to some of the things I have mentioned before , or be obliged of necessity to say , as I think we may without forfeiting our Christianity , the writer was so far mistaken .
Pardon , dear Sir , the confusion and inaccuracy of what I have wrote , and assure yourself I would not trust it with every body in such a condition - But amongst friends , letters , as well as conversation , Ought to be familiar . Mr . Wilcox , one Sunday , sent word to his congregation that he should not preach amongst them that day , and lie believed never again ; they suspecting , and I fancy with reason , his design was to conform , went to him in great numbers the next day with prayers and tears to divert him from it , which at last they did , and soon after he preached to them again , from 1 Thess . ii . 17
—19 , and ^ assured them , Nonconformity was the cause of God , and that he had never sought for any preferment in the Church , though he did not question but he could have had it ; that the care of their souls , which
belonged to him , obliged him to cast out Mr . Read , ( by name , ) and that he would do it , if it were to do , still . He complained of Mr . Jackson ' s family by name , and of all the ministers , except one or two , shewing no regard to him , nor so much as visiting him . Sam . Chandler is married ; his wife ' s
fortune is tolerably good ; what her humour will prove , time only can shew ; he likes her well at present , . 9 but if she proves barren or froward , resolves to divorce her , I am , Sir , Your friend and servant .
[ This letter was signed by Mr . Seeker , and afterwards by Mr . Chandler , who was probably present when it was written . ]
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& 70 Original Letters from Mr . ( afterwards Archbishop ) Seeker
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Oct. 2, 1821, page 570, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2505/page/2/
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