Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1825-02-17

tiers of these men, whose names | have
quoted, are unblemished as to their We.
racity: and as divines and commenta-
tors, are at least upon an equal footing
with Gen. A. Smyth. They are Of o.
pinion that St. John wrote the Apoca-
lypse, and that it was, at that time,
prophetical vision Of future events
These two things Gen. Smyth denies,
and "upon honor" says he has Disco
vered that it is not divine revelation,
nor written by St. John. We proceed.
"The learned Lardman says, at is
very probable that Hermas had read this
book, St. Johns Revelation, and imita-
ted it; he has many things resembling
it," This conclusion is drawn from
the resemblance alone, from which l
draw one entirely different Hermas
wrote after all the Apostles were dead,
and probably about the year 100. In
stead of the splendid city of the New
Jerusalem, he has a great square town,
built with bright square stones, which
are the saints. The work of Hermas
is persuasive evidence that the Apoca-
lypse was not written before his time;
for although there is in some particu.
lars resemblance, yet the machinery
of Hermas is so far inferior to that Of
the Apocalypse, that we must believe
that the work was first written, as in
architecture, the hut preceded the pa
lace. Page and 4 Of Explanation Of
the apocalypse, By Gen. A. Smyth.
Suppose some future writer should
conjecture that Joel Barlow had read
Homer's Had or Millions Paradise
Lost, and had initiated them, would it
not be as legitimate conclusion that
Barlow's Columbiad was persuasive
evidence that it was written prior to the
Iliad or Paradise Lost, because "the
machinery is so far inferior to that Of"
those two works This is a specimen
of Gen. Smyth's logic.
Chapter 6-"And saw and beheld
white horse, and he that sat on the
horse had bow. This is Commodus,
&c."-page Is. "Another red horse,
SC. This was Matunus deserter"-
p. Is. "a black horse, sc. This
was freedman of Commodus l9,
SC. "a great mountain burning with
fire. This great mountain is, pre-.
sumo, Montanus, a heretick"-p. 81.
The foregoing quotations are spe-
cimen of the generals manner of com.
menting. To what credit such a com.
mentator is entitled, leave the public
to Judge.
of God" The writer seems to have
intended to represent Caracalla as the
Mess iah, the Lamb, and the Lion OF
the tribes of Judah. Note-Rev. IS,
and chap. /, 7. Behold he cometh
with clouds and every eye shall see
him; eyen they t0hict pierced hins--and
all the tribes of the earth shall wall be-
cause of him." This is Caracalla, who
had the title of commander in the tri-'
fling war against the Jews in 1857
Caracala the Logos of God! the
Messiah! the Lion Of the tribe Of Ju.
dab! This is not merely absurd; it
discovers the malignant hostility Of
General A. Smyth to the Word Of God.
Again-"The work, (the Apoca.
lypse) is, in part, made up of passages
from the Prophets, the Talmud, the
of the Rabins, the Pastor Of
Hermas, and more ancient Apocalyps-
es, applied by the writer to the histo-
~ of his own time" P. so Elk. APP. by
Gen. A. Smyth.
This is bare assertion, unsupport-
ed by the shadow Of evidence. In mat
tiers of this kind, Gen. A. Smyth's
conjecture is insufficient, and cannot
be received.
He goes on-"It remains to ascer-
tain, who was the writer Of this won
derful enigma. Sand which has re.
NAMED unsolved during a period OF
1925 years"-page 50. 81 am Of opin-
ion that lreneus, Blshop OF Lyons, was
the writer of the Apocalypse. "-p. 81.
And we have Gen. A. Smyth's
opinion, that it was Ireneus. his 0ptn-
ON and all the evidence he give us, IS,
that there is in an epistle attributed
to Ireneus, an expression much SINH,
lar to an expression in Revelation; and
this is the whole amount OF evidence.
Gentle reader, my opinion OF this
pamphlet is, Gas was said by an emf
nent writer of Paine's works, that it
is worse than worthless. A pretty
business for member Of Congress to
be poisoning the national councils
There is as much malignity disco
verable in this book towards the cause
of c Christianity, as there was insearch'
ing the mpsty records Of Congress-
with a view to blast the reputation OIL
one of our first statesmen. In Con-
gress, the General says he SPEAKS Tor
posterity. / think may safely aflrm'
of the pamphlet before me that 1t was
not ,vri1en for posterity.