one hand, would ufurp its name and honours, and fcepticism, on the other, would fink it to a level with falihood, it is by viewing both together that we can beft difcover the genuine character of each. That our readers may be convinced how well the Sermons before us are adapted to this end, we will prefent them with the principal heads of each difcourse, by which they may judge, in fome measure, not only of the general plan, but of the diftribution of the feveral parts, Sermon I. Matt. xi. 19. "Wifdom is juftified of her Children."-Explanation of the text; general obfervations on the state of the conteft between the children of wisdom and their opponents; plan of the Lectures, explained. The author proposes to compare Mahometanifm and Christianity in their history, their evidence, and their effects. Serm. II.-Hiftory of Mahometanifm confidered.—Acts v. 38, 39. "If this counfel, or this work, be of men, it will come to nought: but if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it."-The text to be underfood with certain diftinctions and limitations. The propagation of a religion, however rapid and extenfive, is not of itself a fufficient proof of its divine original, fince God, for reafons unknown to us, suffers error to prevail in the world; hence arifes the neceffity of diftinguishing between what can be accounted for by mere human means, and what must be afcribed to the more immediate interpofition of heaven. The evidence drawn from the rapid propagation of Chriftianity, not at all affected by the eftablishment of falfe religions, fince it is not from the mere prevalence of Christianity that we infer its truth, but from its prevalence under peculiar and inaufpicious circumftances: the argument must therefore remain unimpaired, unless it can be fhewn that falfe religions have been propagated under circumftances equally difadvantageous, and by means equally miraculous. That this is not the cafe of Mahometanifm, fhewn by a review of the caufes which facilitated its progress; deplorable ftate of the Chriftian church at the beginning of the feventh century; political and religious ftate of Arabia at the fame era; the tenets of the Mahometan religion adapted to the prejudices and paflions of the Arabians; means by which Mahometanifm was propagated; the conquefts of Mahomet and his fucceffors favoured by the lukewarmnefs and degeneracy of the Christians. The continuance of Mahometanism to the present times, to be accounted for, amidst a variety of other caufes, by the peculiar nature of the Koran itself, which, leing a political as well as a religious fyftem, unites the interests of the ftate infeparably with thofe of religion. Gg3 Serm. Serm. III.-Hiftory of Christianity confidered.-Acts v. 38, 39. "If this counfel, or this work, &c."-In confi dering the establishment of the Gospel a due attention to be paid to the obftacles which oppofed its progrefs, and to the character of its first propagators; mean and illiterate character of the apoftles; had to contend not only with power and authority, but with the prejudices, fuperftitions, and vices of a corrupted world; prejudices of the Jews in particular; their hopes of a temporal Redeemer ftrongly excited by the contempt fhewn them by their Roman masters; state of religion among them, particularly hoftile to the interefts of Chriftianity; obftacles which tended to obstruct the propagation of the Gospel among the heathen; improved ftate of learning and civilization in the Roman empire at the coming of Chrift; view of the religion and philofophy of the heathen; their hatred and contempt of the Jewish people, among whom the new religion originated; arguments of Mr. Gibbon, against the miraculous propagation of Chriftianity, examined and refuted. Serm. IV. The Character of Mahomet.-John vii. 12. "Some faid, he is a good Man: others faid, nay, but he deceiveth the people."-The truth or falfhood of a religious fyftem, how to be proved by the character of its founder; with this view the character of Mahomet to be confidered; oppofite accounts of Mahometan and Christian writers on the fubject; error of the latter, in queftioning too far his intellectual as well as moral faculties; candid history of his life. Serm. V.-View of the Life and Character of Chrift.— 2 Cor. iv. 10.—" That the life alfo of Jefus might be made manifeft."-Subject introduced by reflections on the nature and form of the evangelical hiftory; biographical form adopted by the evangelifts, compared with that used by Xenophon and Plato, in their respective lives of Socrates; character of Chrift contrafted with that of Mahomet. Serm. VI.-External Evidence of the Mahometan Religion confidered.—1 Kings xiii. 18.—“ He faid-I am a prophet alfo-and an angel fpake to me by the word of the Lord. But he lied—” The pretended intercourfe of Mahomet with the angel Gabriel, refts folely on the fufpicious authority of his own affertion; the Koran itself, boafted of by the Mahometans as the greatest and most permanent of all miracles; their extravagant admiration of it accounted for, from the circumftances under which it was propofed; from the nature of the Arabic language, of which the Koran became the standard; from the attachment which all men have to the original compofitions pofitions of their country; and laftly, from their opinion of its divine original; the merit of the Koran, as a compofition, examined; fhewn to have neither originality, order, nor confiftency; its inferiority to the holy Scriptures; Mahometanifm no less deftitute of fupport from prophecy than from miracles; the neceffity which Mahomet was under of supposing a mutilation of the Mofaic and Christian records, in order to confirm his authority by the prophecies which he pretended were originally contained in them; authenticity and integrity of the Scriptures defended. Serm. VII.-External Evidence of Chriftianity.-John x. 25. Jefus answered-The works which I do in my Father's name, they bear witnefs of me."-Of the evidence from miracles; the author's definition of a miracle; answer to Mr. Hume's pofition, that a miracle is contrary to experience; miracles claffed under two heads; those which confift in a train or combination of events, which could not have refulted from the ordinary arrangements of Providence ; and thofe particular operations which are performed by inftruments and agents, incompetent to effect them without a preternatural power;' the inftitutions of the Law and the Gofpel, fupported by miracles of both kinds; the conduct of Providence with respect to the Jewish people, and the original propagation of Chriftianity, were miracles of the firft clafs; of the fecond clafs, are the particular works of Chrift, to which he appealed, as proofs of his divine miffion; grounds on which this appeal of our Saviour was founded; the public nature of Christ's miracles; their reality confeffed even by his enemies, though they afcribed them to fome occult power of magic; miracles wrought by the disciples; their nature, magnitude, and number; thofe who recorded the Chriftian miracles could not be deceived themselves, or interested in deceiving others; confiftency of their accounts; evidence from prophecy in confirmation of Chriftianity; the fcheme of prophecy (to use our author's own words) confidered in its firft opening, its gra dual advance, and its final and full completion in the advent,` the miniftry, the death, and refurrection of the Meffiah ;' prophecies of Chrift, how miraculously fulfilled; fhort review of the arguments from miracles and prophecy united; retrofpect to the inferiority of Mahometanifm, in both particulars. Serm. VIII.-The internal evidences of Mahometanifm and Christianity compared.-Luke xix. 22- Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee."-The internal evidence of Mahometanifm confidered; the religion of Mahomet confeffedly admits the authority of the Law and the Gofpel; on this principle the Koran fhewn to be unneceffary, fo far as it adopts Gg 4 the the tenets of either; and falfe, fo far as it contradicts them; its inconfiftency with itfelf; oppofite in many inftances to our apprehenfions of God's attributes, and to our natural ideas of right and wrong; internal evidence of Chriflianity examined by the fame teft; the neceflity of the Gofpel, proved from the nature and imperfection of the Mofaic revelation; its truth inferred, from its containing nothing contrary to it; the abolition of the ceremonial law, not inconfiftent with this doctrine; the moral law enforced by the Gofpel, with additional fanctions; purity and perfection of the Gospel when confidered by itself. Serm. IX. Contrary effects of Mahometanifm and Chriftianity.-Matt. vii. 16." Ye fhall know them by their fruits." The characters of Mahometanism and Christianity are not more different than thofe of the nations who have embraced them; Mahometanifm invariably united with defpotic power; Chriftianity, on the contrary, exifts and flourishes under every variety of political government; Mahometan nations diftinguished by a fpirit of hoftility and hatred to the reft of mankind; character of Chriftian nations, on the contrary, marked by a spirit of benevolence and humanity; ignorance of the former compared with the intelligence which generally pervades the latter; improvements in the arts and fciences among Chriftians; caufes of the falutary or noxious influence of a religion on the intellectual and moral faculties of man, viz. true or falfe reprefentations of God's attributes, and of a future ftate; good or bad tendency of its precepts; the operation of thefe oppofite caufes visible in the contrary effects which Mahometanism and Chriflianity are calculated to have on the minds and conduct of their profeffors; answer to the objection that Chriftianity is not attended with all the good effects of which it is naturally productive; general recapitulation; conclufion. Such are the general outlines of these Lectures. We pretend not to exhibit a complete analyfis, much less to convey any idea of the learning and ingenuity with which almost every branch of fo extenfive a plan is purfued. For this we must refer the public to the work itself, in which they will find, befides an abundance of Oriental literature, happily felected and applied, found and orthodox theology, fupported, in many inftances, by great metaphyfical acutenefs, and enforced by an animated and truly perfuafive ftyle. It is not indeed our author's leaft merit, that he has found means to enliven the more trite, as well as the more abftrufe, parts of his fubject, not only by the novelty of the manner in which he treats them, but by the fafcinating charms of flowing, yet energetic, lan. 1 language. On the whole, we do not think the muffulman, or indeed the infidel, of any denomination, will speedily meet with a more powerful antagonist than Mr. White. He makes his attack, it is true, with confiderable advantages; for while he is perfectly acquainted with the fcene of action, like the conqueror of Goliah, he makes choice of weapons which he has long fince learned to wield with fuccefs. We shall subjoin an extract or two, not as being fuperior to the rest of the work, but merely as a fpecimen of the author's manner. The following is the concluding part of the fifth Sermon. • Confidered then in all its circumftances, the hiftory of Chrift fhrinks not from comparison with the most partial and lofty reprefentation of the prophet of Arabia. Of both we find, that the earlier part of life, before the publication of their refpective miffions, paffed away in filence, private and undiftinguished. The first years of Mahomet were bufied in the cares of merchandize; till returning to his native city, he devoted to folitude and retirement the leisure which his opulence had procured. The youth of Jefus was spent in domestic privacy, and was remarkable only for affectionate and dutiful fubmiffion to his parents: unlefs, indeed, when in the temple, he by his ready anfwers to the queftions of the rabbins, and his fkilful expofition of the Scriptures, aftonished those that heard him, and gave an omen of his future greatnefs. The defigns of Mahomet were gradually and cautiously unfolded; and in order to prepare the minds of his countrymen for the reception of his faith, he first artfully perfuaded his own relations and domeftics, and drew to his fide the molt powerful of his neighbours. Jefus walked forth by the fea of Galilee, and faw fishers cafting their nets. Thefe were his first converts and difciples. Though they were deftitute of riches and of power, he found in them what his miniftry required, an honeft and a willing fpirit. He won them neither by fubtle arguments, nor crafty perfuafions; but bade them forfake their nets and follow him, to fee his humble dwelling, to hear his heavenly dif courfes to the people, and witness the wonders he was going to perform. Jefus called his hearers to repentance, but Mahomet to conqueft. At their first appearance they were both compelled to avoid the rage of the multitude, who would have destroyed them : but Mahomet efcaped by a fecret, ignominious flight, and Jefus by a public miracle. The revelation of the Arabian prophet was inconfiftent; a fyftem of contradiction, continually shifting with the views of his policy, and the neceffities of his impofture; now looking towards Mecca, and now to Jerufalem. Widely different was the conduct of Chrift. He did not feek to accommodate his doc |