a e \ 



By the common confent of mankind, a competent autho- 

 rity is, in many cafes, a good and proper medium to allure 

 us of the truth of things; and to b o/l the credit of 



fuch an authority and teftimony, is (o far from being a re- 

 nunciation of our rcafon, as fome have pretended, that, on 

 tin contrary, it is what reafon and good fenfe require ; and 

 to decline it would be to aft an ablurd and unreafonable 

 part. Admitting that a fuppofed revelation from God is 

 ettablifhed upon Sufficient evidence, we arc hound to receive 

 what is revealed upon the authority of the revealer; info- 

 much that it would be a contradiction to believe it to be a 

 revelation from God, and yet refufe our aflent to it : Gnce 

 it is a moll unqueftionablc principle, that, as God is in- 

 capable of deceiving or of being deceived, whatsoever he 

 hath revealed mult be true. 



This leads us to the third Subject of inquiry propofed in 

 reference to divine revelation, -viz. what are the proofs and 

 evidences by which it may be known that fuch a revelation 

 ha. been actually communicated to mankind, and that the 

 :.ition which we have in our polTcflion is entitled to this 

 character. We may obferve in general, that it has been the 

 fenfe of mankind in all ages and nations, that God hath made 

 a revelation of his will to man ; and this prevalent opinion has 

 been probably derived from a tradition of fome extraordinary 

 revelation, or revelations, communicated in the earlielt times 

 to the firft ai.celtors of the human race, from whom it has 

 been tranfmitted to their defcendants ; though, in procefs 

 of time, it has been in a great mealure corrupted and loll. 

 Or at lea It we may hence conclude, that men have gene- 

 rally thought that a revelation from God to man was both 

 pofhble and probable ; and that this was agreeable to the 

 ideas they had formed of the wifdom and goodnefs of God ; 

 and of his concern for mankind. It would lead us far be- 

 yond the limits of this article, particularly to Hate the 

 proofs that have been alleged for the divine authority of the 

 Jewifh and Chriltian revelation ; both of which refer to and 

 confirm the original revelation made to mankind from the 

 beginning. But this is the lefs necefiary, as the fubjeft is 

 difcuired in various parts of the Cyclopaedia. See Bnu.i:, 

 Canon 1 , Christian Religion, Religion, Resurrection 

 of Chrifi, Scripture, Testament, &c. 



The Chriltian revelation is that made by Chrift, and his 

 apollles, in the New Teltament. The Jewifh revelation is 

 that made by Mofes and the prophets, in the Old Teltament. 

 See CllKIsTIAN Religion, ami JUDAISM. 



A late author obferves, fomewhat invidioufly, that it 16 

 the common method of all new revelations, to be built on 

 precedent ones. Thus, the million of Mofes to the Israelites 

 fuppofes a former revelation to Abraham, &c. The million 

 of Chriit fuppofes that of Mofes ; and the pretended million 

 of Mahomet fuppofes the million of Chriit. The million 

 of Zoroaltcr to the Perlians fuppofes the religion of the 

 Magi, &c. 



The general foundation of all revelation is this, that God 

 is pleafed man mould know fomething relating to himfelf, 

 his own nature, difpcnlation, Sec. which the natural fa- 

 culties with winch he was pleated to create him could not 

 attain to ; and that he requires fome duty or fervice at our 

 hand., more than what neceffarily follows from the relation 

 we arc under to him as our creator, prefervcr, &c. 



This is alfo urged by deilts, to i he diScredit of all parti- 

 cular revelations, as derogating from the perfections of God ; 

 fuch Supplementary informations and inllruetioir,, .u-inng, 

 according to them, a prior deficiency in the cilablillud eco- 

 nomy of nature, of which he is the author But many able 

 anfwers have been given to fuch cavils. 



Particular or occafional revelations have their particular 



it E V 



genjufes, charafteriftics, and defigns. That made by 

 Mofes and the prophets chiefly related to the nation of the 

 .lews, confidered as the defcendants of Abraham : its defign 

 feems to have been to refcue that people from their flavery ; 

 to fettle them in a new plantation ; to give them a fet of 

 laws ; to new-form their manners ; to fupport them under 

 difficulties and dangers of their enemies, from an opinion of 

 their being under the immediate direction and appointment 

 of God ; to keep them from intermixing again with their 

 hbours, from an opinion of their being a chofen people, 

 and of a Melliah to be born among them ; and thus to prc- 

 ierve and tranfmit the knowledge of the unity of God, in 

 oppofition to idolatry and polytlieifm, and the hope of the 

 Meffiah, till the period of his appearance arrived. To fome 

 or other of thefe ends do all the Old Teltament prophecies 

 leem to tend. 



The Chriltian revelation is founded on a part of the Jewifh. 

 The Melliah promifed in the one is revealed in the other. 



All the relt of the Jewifh revelation, which related pe- 

 culiarly to the Jewilh people, is here fet alide ; and only 

 that part of it in which the world in general was interelted, 

 and that relating to the advent, offices, and chara&er of the 

 Mefiiah, are retained. 



Indeed, it mult he owned, the Jews ever looked on this 

 to be as peculiar to themlelves as any of the rell ; the Mef- 

 iiah was promifed to them ; he was to be their deliverer, 

 their reltorer, &c. and under this character he aftually ap- 

 peared. But, upon taking place of this new revelation, a 

 new fcene was opened, different from what many of them 

 apprehended, becaufe they mifinterpreted the prophecies re- 

 lating to the Meffiah. The ceremonial part of their inltitu- 

 tion, local and temporary in its cltablifhmcnt and ule, was 

 aboliflied ; and the Mefiiah appeared, not, as they erro- 

 neoufly imagined, to be the reltorer of their civil Sovereignty 

 and liberties, which were now fallen into the hands of the 

 Romans ; but to reltore and re-ellablifh mankind in general, 

 who had loft their original righteoufnefs, and were become 

 flaves of fin ; to preach repentance and remiflion ; and at lalt 

 to fuffer death, that all who believed in him might not die, 

 but have cverlalling life. 



Such are the tenor and defign of the Chriltian revelation, 

 which, in the event, was fo far from being what it had been 

 apprehended to be by the people to whom it was firft pro- 

 mifed, that it proved the very reverie ; and, inllead of re- 

 ell, iblifhing and confirming the other branches of their re- 

 velation, it fuperfeded, ai.d ft them all alide. The pale 

 was now broken down, and the being of the feed of Abra- 

 ham ceafed to be a privilege, ill tin- world being invited on 

 the fame terms with the .lews. 



The confequence was, that the Jews, denying this to be 

 the Mefiiah that had been promifed to them, becaufe their 

 pride and prejudice prevented their dilcerning the accom- 

 plilhment of tiieir ancient prophecies in him, were generally 

 excluded from the privileges of ih.it million, '-.111011 they had 

 vainly fuppofed to be not only primarily but wholly intended 



rbrthemi i. ; and had their nun completed from the very 

 me i they expe&ed their i demption : becaufe 



tluy exp< c. d a red< mption, different in its nature from that 



which their own prophecie8, fairly inlc I , ipolcd. 



REVELLO, in Geography, a town of France, in the 



..I ura, near the Po, Seated on the Summit 



of a very high mountain, fortified both by i ature and art. 



Having I Ij Served as a place of i foi the mar- 



quile. of Saluzzo, and withlta ' attacks from th ii 



enemies, it was taken by tie I | and in 15*8 it Sur- 



rendered to Charles Emanuel 1., duke of Savoy. It 1 

 tains one parochial church, and three other churches, a 



callle, 



