treating of the tendency of the scriptures to promote the present and eternal happiness of mankind. We the more regret this omission, because it has not been sufficiently adverted to in works of this description, and is in itself eminently calculated to impress the inquiring mind. We are acquainted with only one, and that a recent publication, where the argument has been traced, in a very masterly manner, in all its bearings, and to which we beg to direct Mr. Horne's attention.*

We have some doubt of the validity of our author's illustration of the argument on the necessity of a divine revelation, from the insufficiency of mere natural reason, evinced with regard to Mohammedans, p. 21. Their case does not seem to be that of reason in its natural and unenlightened state, or what is termed mere reason; but of reason enlightened, yet rebellious, perverse, and corrupted: consequently the argument derivable from them, and from the condition of nations similarly situated, would be, not so much that a divine revelation was necessary, as that a renovated state of mind is requisite, in order duly to appreciate its claims, and yield to its influence. There is surely an essential difference between the state of man as wholly destitute of the knowledge of God by any revelation, in which all the aberrations of mere uninstructed reason are indeed most deplorably apparent; and the situation of persons or nations, who, from the predominance of their evil passions, or the prevalence of deep-rooted aversion, or long delusion, that is, from wickedness of heart or perverseness of mind, reject the christian system, and thus, as the inspired volume expresses it," reject the counsel of God against them selves."

The proof of inspiration, deduced from the doctrines and moral precepts of the Bible, might in that part of the statement which relates to the evidence of the divine source of the Mosaic code, have been advantageously expanded. With regard to the originality which characterizes the Mosaic institutions, Michaelis has endeavoured to shew that the statutes of the Mosaic code presuppose a more ancient law, the Jus consuetudenarium, formed on established usage. He contends, that several of the Jewish legislator's laws existed previously to his enactment of them; and that in the other cases, the very manner in which they are delivered is a sufficient demonstration that they are not new.

"An Essay on what Christianity has done for Women," prefixed to the second volume of "Female Scripture Biography, by F. A. Cox, A. M."

The ancient traditionary law arose from the wandering life of the illustrious individuals who preceded in the same line the incorporated nation of Israel; and there are traces of a policy founded on the results of long experience, which the writer referred to, believes to be in a great measure Egyptian. But the admission of the facts of an ancient consuetudinary law, and of the adoption of particular regulations, or their adaptation from the enactments of other ages, or other nations, to the circumstances of the Jews, does not deteriorate the argument deducible from the laws themselves, as a system of superior and original legislation. The great object in view, the instruction of mankind universally, in the important doctrines of the unity and moral government of God-the inculcation of moral purity of principle and conduct, besides ceremonious worship, (a collateral argument which our author has illustrated by copious citations)—a peculiar system of worship, and of religious festivals-the absence of mysteries in divine service, so congenial to the taste of domineering priests and superstitious devotees, among other nations-the great day of annual expiation-the sabbath, sabbatical year, and jubilee-the institution of circumcision-a government founded upon fixed principles, reduced to writing-the figurative character of the dispensation-with many other circumstances, constituted such a peculiarity in the system of Moses, that no ingenuity can subvert the strong argument which is furnished in behalf of the originality and divine basis of the code, which he was the instrument of propagating. Whatever customs may have obtained, and whatever modes of religion may have been adopted in other countries, or in other ages, none ever possessed the extraordinary characteristics of the institution in question; and none were in fact even similar, or analogous, excepting in after times, when through traditionary instruction fragments of the Jewish economy were occasionally mixed, and incorporated with other and more imperfect legislative constructions.

We have not observed the proofs of the divine mission of Moses explained, and exhibited in that combined and convincing form which the didactic character of the work seemed to require. The argument of Warburton, from the omission of the doctrine of a future state, is hinted at, and the contrariety to his representation, arising out of the belief of Moses, is very justly adduced; but the elaborate discussion, and very interesting illustrations of Bryant in his work on the plagues of Egypt, are not, as they might have

been, produced in a condensed form; at least, the principal idea which he introduces might have been noticed, namely, that there was the utmost improbability in the attempt of Moses to release the nation of Israel from their servitude in Egypt-an improbability which can be characterized by no other turn than adventurous folly, upon the supposition of his being undirected and unsupported by supernatural aid, and a divine commission; and that all his subsequent proceedings were, in any other view of the fact, imprudent and insane.

In the eighth section of the appendix to the first volume, on the alleged contradictions to philosophy, and the nature of things, in Scripture, we must complain a little of our author's cursory, and in some respects incomplete, reply to the cavils of modern objectors to the Mosaic account of the creation. He does not seem to have consulted, or, if he has consulted, he does not appear to have remembered the statements of some of the best writers on the subject; nor has he examined the question very attentively for himself. A point so much controverted, should not have been so readily dismissed; especially without adverting to those sources of information within the reach of the biblical student. The mere ipse dixit of Professor Jameson was not enough; nor the mere statement, that the phenomena of the heavenly bodies are not contradictory to the Mosaic history, with only one illustration relating to the use of the terms light and lights, greater and lesser. The account of the creation of man, it is said, has been ridiculed by all opposers of revelation; "but can they furnish us with one more likely to be the true one?" Now this question may be fairly enough proposed to the infidel caviller; but lest he should not feel (which he is indeed not very likely to do, taking it apart,) its propriety and force, the subject should not have been left here; for though, as it is a matter of pure revelation, we are bound to believe it, after ascertaining the truth of the volume in which it is contained, a christian divine need not fear taking upon himself the onus probandi, and shewing that the account is not in itself in the least chargeable with absurdity. To the objection, that God is represented as resting from his work on the seventh day, Mr. Horne merely answers, "no one who impartially considers the noble account there given of the creation, that God is represented as having only spoken, and it was done, can reasonably imagine, that the Almighty was tired with labour, as if he had moulded every thing with his

hands, and that on the seventh day he lay, or sat down, to rest." True, no one can reasonably suppose it; and this is what the objector himself says, and therefore he infers that the account being incompatible with the divine perfections, is incredible. Surely it ought to have been shewn, which would have been done with the utmost facility, and demonstrative evidence, that the whole objection is founded on a misapprehension of the term used in the original history, which does not, in reality, signify rested,' but 'ceased,' a sense in which it is employed in other passages of holy writ.

The general conviction we have of the great value and importance of this work, induces us to enter into these details, and is the apology we have to offer to our readers (if any be required) for the extent and prolixity of our review. Still we are so satisfied, that neither they nor we can be more beneficially employed than on subjects of this nature, that we resolve to persevere. It would be doing injustice, however, to this first volume (for we have at present advanced no further) were we not to turn back a moment, and select some specimen of its composition. The chapter on the uncorrupted preservation of the books of Scripture is judicious, and confirms the following interesting statement of the agreement of the manuscripts of the New Testament.

"The manuscripts of the New Testament, which are extant, are far more numerous than those of any single classic author whomsoever; upwards of three hundred and fifty were collected by Griesbach, for his celebrated critical edition. These manuscripts, it is true, are not all entire: most of them contain only the Gospels; others, the Gospels, Acts of the Apostles, and the Epistles; and a few contain the Apocalypse or Revelation of John. But they were all written in very different and distant parts of the world; several of them are upwards of twelve hundred years old, and give us the books of the New Testament, in all essential points, perfectly accordant with each other, as any person may readily ascertain by examining the critical editions published by Mill, Kuster, Bengel, Wetstein, and Griesbach. The thirty thousand various readings, which are said to be found in the manuscripts collated by Dr. Mill, and the hundred and fifty thousand which Griesbach's edition is said to contain, in no degree whatever affect the general credit and integrity of the text. In fact, the more copies are multiplied, and the more numerous the transcripts and translations from the original, the more likely is it, that the genuine text and the true original reading will be investigated and ascertained. The most correct and antient classics now extant are those, of which we

have the greatest number of manuscripts; and the most depraved, mutilated, and inaccurate editions of the old writers, are those of which we have the fewest manuscripts, and perhaps only a single manuscript, extant. Such are Athenæus, Clemens Romanus, Hesychius, and Photius. But of this formidable mass of various readings, which have been collected by the diligence of collators, not one tenth-nay, not one hundredth part, either makes or can make any perceptible, or at least any material, alteration in the sense in any modern version. They consist almost wholly of palpable errors in transcription, grammatical and verbal differences, such as the insertion or omission of an article, the substitution of a word for its equivalent, and the transposition of a word or two in a sentence. Even the few that do change the sense, affect it only in passages relating to unimportant, historical, and geographical circumstances, or other collateral matters; and the still smaller number that make any alteration in things of consequence, do not on that account place us in any absolute uncertainty. For, either the true reading may be discovered by collating the other manuscripts, versions, and quotations found in the works of the antients; or, should these fail to give us the requisite information, we are enabled to explain the doctrine in question from other undisputed passages of holy writ. This observation particularly applies to the doctrines of the deity of Jesus Christ and of the Trinity; which some persons of late years have attempted to expunge from the New Testament, because a few controverted passages have been cited in proof of them; but these doctrines are written, as with a sun-beam, in other parts of the New Testament. The very worst manuscript extant would not pervert one article of our faith, or destroy one moral precept. All the omissions of the antient manuscripts put together could not countenance the omission of one essential doctrine of the Gospel, relating either to faith or morals; and all the additions, countenanced by the whole mass of manuscripts already collated, do not introduce a single point essential either to faith or manners beyond what may be found in the Complutensian or Elzevir editions. And, though for the beauty, emphasis, and critical perfection of the letter of the New Testament, a new edition, formed on Griesbach's plan, is desirable; yet from such an one infidelity can expect no help, false doctrine no support, and even true religion no accession to its excellence,-as indeed it needs none. The general uniformity, therefore, of the manuscripts of the New Testament, which are dispersed through all the countries in the known world, and in so great a variety of languages, is truly astonishing, and demonstrates both the veneration in which the Scriptures have uniformly been held, and the singular care which was taken in transcribing them; and so far are the various readings contained in these manuscripts from being hostile to the uncorrupted preservation of the books of the New Testament (as some sceptics have boldly affirmed, and some timid Christians