CHAPTER VI.

1. And again a voice came to Abraham, and he said, my Lord, how now?

2. And the Lord said to him, since no one of the race of Melchisedec surviveth upon earth.

3. Therefore shall he be called without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life. 4. But made like unto the son of God, he remaineth a priest for ever."

5. And I have loved him, as I have loved my beloved son, because he hath kept my commandments, and he shall keep them for ever.

6. That therefore he may not seem not to have beginning of days, because no one knew from whom he sprung, nor of what descent, nor of father, nor of mother.

7. On this account he is called without father, without mother, and without descent.

8. And because he pleased God, he remaineth a priest to perpetuity. 9. As therefore Melchisedec met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, he gave him a chalice of pure wine, and added a bit of bread, for him, and for his three hundred and eighteen men.

10. And to this day, according to this type, he is made like unto the son of God.

11. But not as to grace.

12. But he became therefore the first type of offering the unbloody sacrifice, that holy offering.

13. Wherefore, he saith, thou art a priest for ever, after the order of Melchisedec.

14. Whence he became the type of the holy oblation which he gave to Abraham, aud to 318 companions.

15. And so even a like number of holy fathers in their time, discovered in the city of the Nicenes, who also confirmed to us the true faith.

16. Whose number, according to the likeness of the patriarch Abraham, was 318 holy bishops in synod.-Amen.

NOTES ILLUSTRATIVE.

The Phoenicians, the most ancient of all theologians, maintained that the first author of their entire discipline, was Zedeck, as

For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, Heb. 7, 1.-Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life. Heb. 7, 3.

"But made like unto the son of God, abideth a priest continually, Heb. 7, 3. Lo! I see four men loose walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the son of God, 3 Daniel, 25.

And the scripture preached before the Gospel unto Abraham, 3 Galat. 8. Having received the mystery of 318.-Epistle of Barnabas.

writes Eusebius in the ninth book of his Preparation. Melchi, is the Hebrew word for King, and hence undoubtedly, the name and character of King Zedec, or Melchizedec. See a full account of the MYSTICAL SACRIFICE OF THE PHENICIANS, in Bryant's Mythology.

It was an established custom among the ancient Phoenicians, on any calamitous or dangerous emergency, for the ruler of the state to offer up in prevention of the general ruin, the most dearly beloved of his children, as a ransom to avert the divine vengeance. Those who were devoted for this purpose, were offered mystically, in consequence of an example which had been set this people, by the God Kronus, (xpovos Time) who in a time of distress, offered up his only son to his father Ouranus, (oupavos Heaven.)

The mystical sacrifice of the Phoenicians had these requisites:1st. That a prince was to offer it.-2nd. That his only son was to be the victim.-3rd. He was to make this grand sacrifice, invested with the emblems of royalty.-Quoted by Archbishop Magee, vol. 1, p. 388.

The very first of the Apostolic fathers, the Apostle Barnabas, gives us the annexed explication of the mystical number 318:*Understand therefore children, these things more fully, that Abraham was the first that brought in circumcision, looking forward in the spirit to Jesus circumcised, having received the mystery of three letters, (scil T. . .) For the scripture says, that Abraham circumcised 318 men of his house. But what therefore was the mystery that was made known unto him? Mark first, the eighteen, and next the three hundred, for the numeral letters of ten and eight, are I. H. and these denote Jesus, and because the cross was that whereby we were to find grace, therefore he adds 300, the note of which is T. the figure of his cross. Wherefore, by two letters, he signified Jesus, and by the third his cross. He who has put the engrafted gift of his doctrine within us, knows that I never taught to any one a more certain truth, but I trust that ye are worthy of it.-Catholic Epistle of St. Barnabas, chapter 9, in Archbishop Wake's translation, p. 176.

This Hebrew seems indeed not to have known how to spell

the Hebrew for Jesus, nor that Tou as a numeral denotes 400, which would have spoiled his reasoning; but the learned Archbishop justly remarks, that they know little of the Apostolic language, who are not aware that St. Paul himself, often reasons on no better premises.

* Μέθετε τις δεκο οκτώ πρώτος, είτα της τριωκόσιες των γαρ δεκα και οκτώ, ιωτα δεκα, ήτα οκτω. Εχεις ιησεν. Οτι δε σταυρος εν τω Τ εμελλεν έχειν την χαριν, λέγει και τις τριοκοσίας, δηλοι εν τον μεν ιησεν εν τοις δυσι γραμμασι, και εν ενί τον σταυρόν.

Printed and Published by RICHARD CARLILE, 62, Fleet-street, where all Communications, post-paid, or free of expense, are requested to be left.

The Lion.

No. 11. VOL. 2.] LONDON, Friday, Sept. 12, 1828. [PRICE 6d.

TO THE PEOPLE OF NOTTINGHAM,

Of the various Sects, Clubs, and Societies, Infidels and Fidels, Unitarian, Duarian, and Trinitarian, Ranters, Wesleyans, and Kilhamites, Muggletonians and Independents, Calvinists, Lutherans, and Roman Catholics, Odd Fellows, and Druids, Old and New Israelites, Baptists, Pado- Baplists, Particular Baptists, and more particularly to the filthy religionists or irreligionists who are not sufficiently frequent and particular in their Baptisms.

I HAVE at last left your town and am out of the sound of the congratulations of my friends, and of those who were really acqainted with the purport of my errand among you, and also of the rumoured deep curses and blood-thirsty expressions, which, some of the more ignorant, more brutal, and more brutal because they were more ignorant, of your religious people, have bestowed upon me. In thinking of some of your fears and follies, I can smile; but my general sentiment is that of pity for the deep ignorance which pervades the majority of your town. Not but that I found a large number of sensible people among you; not that I think you intellectually below the average of any other country town; but I was accidentally thrown more fully among you, than among the people of any other town that I have visited, and I could hear that there was not a full grown person in Nottingham, and no small number of children, either for or against, not highly excited by my presence and proceedings. Now that we are separated, now that you have time to cool and become calm, for I was calm amidst your excitement, it will be worth your while to enquire, why an unassuming man in manners as I am, a quiet, harmless man in character, as I certainly am, a

No. 11.-Vol. 2.

Y

sober, thoughtful, and sedate man as I have ever been, could undesignedly and undesiredly raise such a ferment among you. I hope, if you calmly investigate this matter, you will not fail to find, that, if there were fault, that fault must have been among yourselves. Nothing that I said or did, or purposed to say or do, was fair cause of that excitement; and if you enquire into it, you will find, that it was all caused by your own false imaginations, false rumours, and the bad feeling which is always found in the ratio of excited ignorance.

I am now spending a few days with my family before I go further into the country, and for two or three weeks to come, I shall pay to you, the people of Nottingham, most particular attention. By exhibiting some of your oddities, oddnesses, and odd-fellowships, and by laying bare all the errors that I perceived among you, I flatter myself, that I shall extend among you a knowledge of the real utility of my scheme for reform, and of the general correctness of my politics.

For the present week, as my time is short, and publication nearly filled, I shall do but little more than copy all the printed papers which I found in circulation against me in Nottingham; but I wish you to mark well what my doing such an act means. I wish you to mark how lightly I estimate such opposition as I found in Nottingham, how freely I can afford to assist in the circulation of such papers, and how well I understand, that, with all well-formed minds, such papers can only be read to my advantage. They are three papers of the really religious and throatcutting stamp; without containing, as far as they attack me, either on the score of motives or by narrative, a word of truth. Two of these papers are anonymous, and I can only give the report of your town, that the one signed Hoмo, was written by a Mr. Clayton, and that signed A LAYMAN, by Edmund Hart. From all that I know of one, and have heard of the other, I prefer them as opponents, to the having them as friends, and am more honoured in their hostility, than I possibly could be in their friendship. The paper signed Hoмо was the first to appear, and Kirk the printer, in Peck Lane, who printed and sold it, I am informed, for I did not see the placard, announced it as a paper published against the man who did not believe in God or Devil! This was a constant cry in Nottingham, and the children came forth to view with astonishment, the man whom they were told did not believe in God or Devil. The Devil seems to make the most essential part of the Christian Godhead, with the people of Nottingham. They seem to cherish the Devil as a most valued friend, and not to believe in him they denounce as a crime. I made some of them understand, that I believe in god and devil, and then they would exclaim: Oh dear! Mr. Carlile! how much you have been misrepresented among us. One old gentleman, of the name of Lees, a surveyor, in Rutland-street, began a con

Versation by telling me, how very much he was opposed to me in opinion. I reminded him, that he might not know what were my opinions, and that he might have been misled by false report. I made the old gentleman understand that he entertained all my opinions, and I never witnessed greater delight exhibited than in the old gentleman's corrected view of my opinions. "Mr. Carlile," said the old gentleman, "I thought you were the biggest brute in the world, and that Mrs. Crosby had treated you properly in refusing to drink tea with you; but I see it is all a mistake, I am delighted in your company, and should be very glad to have you home to take tea with me." My god and devil, I told the old gentleman, were the good and evil powers that surrounded us, but that I could not consent to make them into the figures of men or monsters. I made a similar observation, as to my Jesus Christ being the Saviour of Mankind through the Principle of Reason: and in the course of the evening, the old gentleman took side with me; in contending with a lawyer Hopkinson against the manhood or personality of Jesus Christ.

I shall now insert the three papers, and Mr. Gilberts first, because it is not anonymous :~~~

THE LATE INTENDED DISCUSSION WITH MR. CARLILE.

To the Editor of " The Mercury."

SIR-AS, during the last few days, I have been led into circumstances wholly uncontemplated, and as various opinions, and probably some incorrect statements respecting them, may be abroad, I feel it due, both to myself and to the public, to give a detail of facts as they have occurred; together with the reasons which have, at different times, determined my conduct.

Some time ago I was induced to deliver a course of lectures on the Evidences of Christianity, in consequence of very active efforts then employed among the industrious classes especially, to subvert all confidence in revealed religion. I have reason to believe that the attempt to counteract this mischief was productive of good. The evil had begun to infect the minds of many, who were honest in their doubts, and willing to receive information. The disposition to enquiry, which I found to exist pretty generally, led me to announce that I was willing to set apart every Wednesday evening, to receive any persons who might wish to converse on subjects connected with religion. A considerable number, at different times, favored me with their attendance, and amongst them, some adherents to the sentiments, or rather the scepticism, of Mr. Carlile.

On Monday, August 4, I was called upon by one of the last named class, who had been with me before, and informed that Mr. Carlile was in the town, and wished to converse with me on the subject of the Christian Evidence. Though not anticipating any favorable result, with one, who appears to me, to disregard all appropriate kinds of proof, I yet did not feel myself at liberty to decline the interview, and appointed the following Wednesday evening. Something was hinted by this individual, that it might lead to a discussion in public, but that, as likely to effect little good, and exposed to some positive objections, I did not second. It was under