judgement of the question in difpute; he was confcious that the pursuit of truth had been his only ftudy; he had furvived the oppofition of ignorance and bigotry, and could not but be fenfible, that the clamour and turbulence of angry zealots would gradually fubfide; that pofterity would confider the queftion with more impartiality; and that reafon would finally prevail. Under thefe circumftances, it is impoffible that we fhould give the least degree of credit to the report of the chevalier Ramfay; or confider it in any other view than as one of those idle and unmeaning fictions, or exaggerations of a real fact, which vanity and oftentation will fometimes fuggeft.

The prefent volume of the Biographia ends with the life of fir Edward Coke. The publication of the fucceeding volumes, we are told, will be more expeditious, without any diminution of the attention with which this work has hitherto been conducted.

A Letter to Dr. Priestley; occafioned by his late Pamphlet, addreffed to the Rev. Mr. S. Badcock. 8vo. 15. Baldwin.

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Confiderable part of this pamphlet is employed in animadverfions on Dr. Priestley's account of a passage in Juftin Martyr's Dialogue with Trypho: E v nas eyevovlo, x. ¥. λ. p. 253, edit. 1686.

The doctor's account of it is as follows:

It hath been fufficiently obferved, with what refpect Juftip Martyr treats the ancient Unitarians, evidently fhewing, that in his time his own doctrines ftood in need of an apology. There are two paffages in this writer, in which he fpeaks of heretics with great indignation, as not Chriftians, but as perfons whofe tenets were abfurd, impious, and blafphemous, with whom Christians held no communion; but in both paffages he evidently had a view to the Gnoftics only, denominated from the name of their teachers. He particularly mentions the Marcionites, the Valentinians, the Bafilideans, and the Saturninians. He fays, they blafphemed the Maker of the world, and the God of Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob: that they denied the resurrection, and maintained that after death the foul went immediately to

heaven*."

The author of this letter gives the following translation of the paffage in difpute, and places it and Dr. Priestley's account of it in oppofite columns.

There are indeed many who make a profeffion of Chrif tianity, who avow atheistical and blafphemous tenets, and act according to the influence of fuch doctrines. Amongst us the

6

* Letter to Dr, Horsley, p. 31.'

are

are denominated by the names of thofe from whom they derived their respective principles. Some therefore in one way, and others in another, teach their own peculiar method of blafpheming the Maker of all things and CHRIST, who was to come from him as foretold in prophecy; and who was THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND ISAAC, AND JACOB. With perfons of this defcription we hold no communion; convinced that they are atheistical, impious, unjust, and licentious; and who, instead of WORSHIP PING CHRIST, only confefs him by name. They call themfelves Chriftians with juft the fame propriety as the heathens infcribe the name of God on works conftructed by human skill; and mix in impious and impure rites. Some of these are called Marcionites, fome Valentinians, fome Bafilideans, fome Saturnilians; and there are alfo others who are diftinguished by other names according to the different denominations of their refpective leaders*”.

This writer obferves, that, by the God of Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob', Juftin meant our bleffed Saviour. With respect to this point, there is no difpute. The fame opinion is also maintained by Tertullian, and by almost all those who are called the fathers †. Our author however treats Dr. Priestley with great afperity for omitting the name of Chrift; infifting, that by this artifice', this mutilation', as he calls it, he has deftroyed all appearance of diftinction, where an express distinction was originally made, and was particularly intended to be noticed by this ancient writer.'

A dif

But how does it appear that this was an artifice? tinction of perfons is evidently implied in these words: < They blafphemed the maker of the world; AND the God ef Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob.' The diftinction is obvious to every reader in the leaft acquainted with the writings of Juftin or the fathers; and the two perfons can fcarcely be confounded by any readers, unless by thofe who may probably overlook a fimilar distinction in the following fentence: • Naboth did blafpheme God, AND the king.' We can eafily conceive that Dr. Priestley might not think it necessary to give a formal tranflation of every word in the text, but efteem it fufficient to mention this paffage in general terms. It must however be obferved, in his vindication, that he has fubjoined the Greek quotation at full length in the margin.

This conduct feems very excufable, as the paffage in dif pute, as far as we can perceive, has NO relation to the Uni

*Juft. Dial. p. 208. Edit. Thyrl.'

† Ος ως η τῷ τε Αβραάμ, και τῳ Ισαακ, και τῳ Ιακωβ, και τοις as malgiagas. Dial. cum Tryph. p. 356.-Id verbum filium ejus appellatum, in nomine Dei variè vifum à patriarchis. Tert, de Præfcript. Hæret. $13.

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tarians.

tarians. The author particularly specifies a VERY DIFFERENT clafs of men, the propagators and defenders of Gnofticism. the Marcionites *, the Valentinians, the Bafilidians, the Saturnilians, &c. who afcribed the creation of the world and the Jewish difpenfation to an evil principle; who rejected the law and the prophets, and denied the reality of our Saviour's corporeal nature and fufferings; and, by fuch wild and vifionary conceits, blafphemed the Maker of all things, and Christ who was to come from him, as foretold in prophecy, and who was the God of Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob. When many of these heretics fuppofed Christ to be only a phantom, and entertained other fantaftical and degrading notions of his perfon and character; instead of treating him with reverence, they only, as Juftin obferves, confeffed him by name.'

The author of this pamphlet cenfures Dr. Priestley for tranflating Toy Inaay a6ev, reverencing Jefus,' and thinks τον Ιησεν σεβειν, this a flagrant perverfion of the original meaning: but it is of no confequence whether σ be translated reverencing', or worhipping'; for αντι τε τον Ιησον σεβειν feems to be nothing more than a general expreffion, implying that respect, that reverence, or that worship, whatever it was, which was paid by the orthodox Christians, in oppofition to the difhonourable reprefentations of the heretics above mentioned, who may be faid, mar soxny, to have confeffed him only in name.'

In this place it may not be improper to inquire, what idea Juftin had of God the Father and of Jefus Chrift, and of the worship which was due to them refpectively.

← If ye had confidered, fays he, the things fpoken by the prophets, ye would not have denied Chrift, aval deov, 78 MONOT, xa ayevenly, nou apply x viov, to be God, who is the fon of the ONLY, and unbegotten, and ineffable God.” Dial. cum Tryph. p. 355

Τον δημιεργον τάδε το παύλος σεβόμενοι τον διδασκαλον τε τελων γενομενον ἡμιν υίον αυλό του ΟΝΤΩΣ Θε8 μαθούλες, και εν δεύτερα χωρα εχονίες, πνευμα το προφητικον εκ τρίτη τάξει, ότι μελα λογο τιμωμεν, αποδειξομεν. Αpol. ii. p. 60. We worship

* Cerdon introducit initia duo, id eft, duos deos, unum bonum, et alterum fævum: bonum fuperiorem, fævum hunc, mundi creatorem. Hic prophetas et legem repudiat, Deo creatori renunciat, fuperioris Dei filium Chriftum veniffe tractat; hunc in fubftantiâ carnis negat, in phantafmate folo fuiffe pronunciat, nec omninò paffum, fed quafi paffum; nec ex virgine natum, fed omninò nec natum, &c. Poft hune difcipulus ipfius. Marcion, hærefin Cerdonis approbare conatus eft, eadem dicere, quæ ille fuperior hæreticus ante dixerat. Tertul. de Præfcript. Hæret. $51. Vide Juft. Martyr. de Marcione, Apol, 11, p. 70, 92.

the

the Maker of the univerfe; and I fhall fhew that we do also, with good reason, HONOUR, in the fecond place, our master, who taught us these things, being the fon of the TRUE God; and, in the third place, the prophetic spirit'.

'In

Επι πασι τε οἷς προσφερομεθα, ευλογεμεν τον ποιητην των πανίων, ΔΙΑ τε υἱε αυτε Ιησε Χρισε. Apol. 11. p. 98. all our oblations we give praife to the Creator of all things, THROUGH his fon Jefus Chrift.'

In these paffages there is nothing but what is favourable to the fentiments of the Unitarians; it is therefore utterly improbable that Juftin fhould reckon them among those impious heretics, whofe absurdities were of a very different nature. Our author's conclufion, that he tacitly alludes to the Unitarians under the word axxo, others', is arbitrary and illogical.

A paffage quoted by Dr. Prieftley from the creed of Tertullian, and a reference to Valefius, the editor of Eufebius, are the fubjects of this writer's caftigation in the latter part of his letter.

This writer is evidently the author of thofe animadverfions on the works of Dr. Priestley, which have lately appeared in the Monthly Review. The letter before us is written with great virulence, exultation, and triumph; and with an air of contempt for the author of The Corruptions of Chriftianity, which he does not deserve. But these perfonal and illiberal invectives, we hope, will not be any longer continued. Let this animated polemic ftop his hand for a moment, and perhaps he may hear the genius of his old friend whispering in his ear this ufeful admonition :

• Projice tela manu, fanguis meus.'

Sermons tranflated from the original French of the late Rev. James Saurin, Paftor of the French Church at the Hague. Vol. I. On the Attributes of God. By Robert Robinson. 8vo. 55. in Boards. Dilly.

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'HE celebrated author of these discourses was born in 1677, at Nifmes in France, where his father was an eminent proteftant lawyer. After the revocation of the edict of Nantes, in 1685, he retired with his father to Geneva. In the year 1700, he vifited England, and preached with great applaufe to his fellow exiles in London. Five years afterwards he went to the Hague, and was chofen one of the

This edict was published at Nantes, in 1598, by Henry IV. for the toleration of the proteftants in his kingdom; and revoked in 1685, by Lewis XIV, though his most Christian majesty had fworn to obferve it.

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paftors

paftors of the French church in that village. In this office he continued till his death, which happened in December 1730.

His moft confiderable work was Differtations on the moft memorable Events of the Old and New Teftament, in three volumes, folio; but he died before the third volume was completed. Mr. Roques however finished this volume, and fubjoined a fourth on the Old Testament. Afterwards Mr. Beaufobre added two volumes on the New Teftament. The first volume of this excellent work was tranflated into English by Mr. Chamberlayne, soon after its publication in French.

Befides fome other works, Mr. Saurin published twelve volumes of fermons, in octavo, which have been tranflated into feveral languages, and are juftly and generally admired. The five volumes now offered to the public are collected from the whole, and arranged in the following order: vol. i. on the Attributes of God; vol. ii. on the Truth of Revelation; vol. iii. on the principal Doctrines of Chriftianity; vol. iv. on Christian Morality; vol. v. on Mifcellaneous fubjects.

Mr. Saurin poffeffed great abilities, and wrote his fermons in a free, copious, and oratorical style; and, at the same time, with great perfpicuity. The following extract will be no improper fpecimen :

A novice is frightened at hearing what aftronomers affert ; that the fun is a million times bigger than the earth; that the naked eye difcovers more than a thousand fixed ftars, which are fo many funs to enlighten unknown fyftems: that with the help of glaffes we may difcover an almost infinite number: that two thousand have been reckoned in one conftellation ; and that, without exaggerating, they may be numbered at more than two millions: that what are called nebulous stars, of which there is an innumerable multitude, that appear to us as if they were involved in little mifty clouds, are all affemblages of ftars.

A novice is frightened when he is told, that there is fuch a prodigious diftance between the earth and the fun, that a body, moving with the greateft rapidity that art could produce, would take up twenty-five years in paffing from the one to the other: that it would take up feven hundred and fifty thousand to país from the earth to the nearest of the fixed ftars: and to the most diftant more than a hundred millions of years.

"A novice is frightened: (do not accufe me, my brethren, of wandering from the fubject of this difcourfe, for the faints, who are propofed in fcripture as patterns to us, cherished their devotions with meditations of this kind: at the fight of these grand objects they exclaimed, O Lord, when we confider thy. heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the flars which thou haft ordained; what is man that thou art mindful of him? and the fon of man that thou vifiteft him? Pfal. vii. 3, 4.

And