REV 



R E V 



is day-break ; and that the foldiers are to arife, and the fen- 

 - 



REVEL, in <>>vnof France, and principal 



pi ce of a difti le department of the Upper Ga- 



ronne ; 2T miles N.W. of v . N. lat. 43' 28'. 



E. long. 2° 5'. — Alfo, a town of F ance, in the department 

 of thi 1 > r S.E. of Vienne. — Alfo, a fea-port 



town of Rufiw, on the Baltic, and capital of a province ; 

 the fee of a Lutheran bifhop, fuffragan to the archbilhop 

 of Riga. All ! : place be not large, it is opulent 



and well ! and has confiderable trade. The town 



and caftle were founded, in 1218, by Waldemar II., king of 

 Denmark, on the fcite of the convent of St. Michael, founded 

 by his anceftors, and in 1320 included within its walls. 

 Revel, and alfo the whole duchy of Efthonia, received molt 

 of its privileges from the Danifli king's ; and the arms of 

 Denmark, with inferiptions in the Danifh language, are ft ill 

 teen in the churches and other public offices. The houfes 

 are generally built of brick, and the ftreets are fomewhat 

 regular. The only congregations here, befides thofe 

 of the Ruffian church, are Lutheran. The tolls, be- 

 ing partly to the magiftracy, and partly to the 

 crown, are confiderable. This town has its own arfenal, 

 and maintains a number of matroffes, and a company 

 of foldiers. Revel formerly held a diftinguifhed rank 

 among the Hanfe towns, and it is itill a flaple-town, with 

 a flourifhing trade. Its harbour is fpacious and convenient, 

 and uiually accommodates a part of the Ruffian fleet. It 

 is furrounded with high walls, flrengthcned with ballions, 

 and a deep ditch j and it is alfo fortified with a caf- 

 tle, feated on a rock, and ornamented with feveral towers. 

 Without the walls the citizens have pleafant gardens. This 

 city was creeled into a bifhopric by Waldemar II. It was 

 totally deftroyed by lire in 1433. ^ n "7 I0 '* was furrendered 

 to Peter the Great, who confirmed its ancient privileges, and 

 rellorcd others of which it had been deprived by the crown 

 of Sweden ; 144 miles N. of Riga. N. lat. 59 20'. E. long. 



2 4° 34'- . . . 



Revel' j IJlaml, a fmall ifland near the coalt of Virginia. 

 N. lat. 37 35'. E. long. 75 43'. 



REVE-LAND, the land which in Domcfday is faid to 

 have been thane-land, and afterwards converted into reve- 

 land, feems to be Inch land as, being reverted to the king 

 after the death of the thane, who had it for life, was not 

 fince granted out to any by the king, but relied in charge 

 upon the account of the reve, or bailiff of the manor. Spelm, 

 Feuds, cap. 24. 



REVELATION, ReVELATIO, formed from revela, of 

 >r, and t. /««.', g. il. to unveil, the act of revealing, or making 

 a thing public, which before was a fecret, or unknown. 



The revelation of a confellion, made by the confeflbr, is 

 adjudged, in the Romifli church, to deferve the moll exem- 

 plary punifhment. 



Revelation is ufed, by way of eminence, for the dif- 

 coveries made by God to his prophets, &c. and by them to 

 the world. 



Ri \ elation is more particularly ufed for the difcoverv 

 h Cod has made to the world, by the 1 I his 



prophets, of certain points of faith and duty, which they 

 could not learn from natural reafon. 



Religion is divided into natural religion and revelation, or 

 revealed religion. See Religion. 



By revealed religion, as diftinguifhed from that which 1 

 ufually called natural, we an thai knowledge 



of religion whii Uy communicated in an extra- 



ordinary and fupernatural way. A revelation of this kind 

 mull either be by an immediate infallible mfpiration. or 



illumination of every particular perfon, for informing and 

 directing him with regard to the knowledge and practice of 

 religion ; or by God's making an extraordinary difcovery of 

 himlelf and of his will to fome perfon or perfons, who fhould 

 be comrniffioned to communicate it to others in his name. 

 In the former cafe it could not be properly called extraor- 

 dinary revelation ; for if it were an univerfal infallible light, 

 imparted to every fingle perfon in every nation and every 

 , irom the beginning of the world, it would be as com- 

 mon and familiar to every one as the common light of reafon, 

 and by being univerfal would ceafe to be extraordinary. 

 Whereas, if there be inch a thing as revealed religion, or if 

 it hath pleafed God to make discoveries of his will to man- 

 kind with refpeft to religious truth and duty, in a way of 

 extraordinary revelation, the moll natural mode of doing it, 

 and that which is bell accommodated to the prefent flatc of 

 mankind, feems to be, that the revelation fhould be commu- 

 nicated to fome perfon or perfons, to be bv them communi- 

 cated to others in his name ; at the fame time furnifhing them 

 with fufFicient proofs and credentials, to (hew that they were 

 indeed fent and infpired by him, and that the doctrines and 

 laws which are the matter of fuch revelation, and which they 

 are authorifed to publifli to the world in his name, \ . 

 really and originally communicated by revelation from him. 

 This method admits of fufficient proof being given to fatisfy 

 well-difpofed minds, and of provifion being made for in- 

 ftru&ing men, unlefs it be their own fault, in the knowledge 

 of religion, and engaging them to the practice of the du- 

 ties which it requires ; and, at the fame time, there is room 

 for the exercife of reafon in examining the nature of the 

 evidence, and the trial of men's fmcerity and diligence, 

 of their impartial love of truth, and their opeunefs to re- 

 ceive it. 



Several queftions prefent themfelves to our confideration, 

 with regard to that kind of revelation that has been now 

 flated. Theory? relates to the poffibility of it ; the fecond, to 

 its ufefulncfs and expediency, and even the ncceffity of it in 

 the prefent flatc of mankind ; the third relates to the proofs 

 and evidences, by which it may be (hewn, that fuch a revela- 

 tion hath been actually given. 



As to \\\c JirJ} quellion, the affirmative cannot reafonably 

 be doubted by any one, much lefs denied, who believes a 

 God and a Providence. Can it be luppofcd, that the Au- 

 thor of our being, and of our faculties, hath it not in his 

 power to communicate ideas to our minds, for inilructing 

 and informing us in what it nearly concerns us to know \ 



It is acknowledged, even by lord Bolingbroke, a writer of 

 diftinguifhed rank among the oppolers of revelation (Works, 

 vol. ii. p. 463, ed. 4to. ), " that an extraordinary action of 

 God upon the human mind, which the word * infpiration' 

 is now ufed to denote, 18 not more inconceivable than the or- 

 dinary action of mind upon body, or body on mind ;" and 

 " that it is impertinent to deny the exillcncc of any pheno- 

 menon, merely becaufe we cannot account for it." More- 

 . a God can, if he thinks proper, communicate his will 



to mankind, he can alfo do it in fuch a manner, as to give 



to thofe to whom it i- originally and immediately made, a 

 full and certain affurance 01 it being a true divine revela- 

 tion. Befides, God can in thofe to whom he has 

 made an extraord will, to communi- 

 cate to others what ' om him; and can 

 fumilh them within. ir divine million 



n to prove thai he . and that the doc- 



I lai which they d< li' imi were indei d 



received from God. The omni] 1 1 : iture, and 



Lord ol th" univerfe, can undoubtedly, ii bethinks lit, cn- 



1 1 it- moll wonderful works in 

 \ ■ llin 



