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XIV. SCRIPTURE BIOGRAPHY: or the Lives and Characters of the principal Personages recorded in the Sacred Writings, particularly adaptea to the Instruction of Youth and private Families. By JOHN WATKINS, L.LD. Author of the Biographical and Historical Dictionary, &c. &c. 12mo. boards 4s. 6d. and bound and lettered 5s. pp. 491. Phillips, St. Paul's Church-yard; Hurst, and Button and Son, Paternoster-Row, Harris, St. Paul's Church-yard; Conder, Bucklersbury; Matthews, Strand; Spragg, Panton Street; and Tabart, New Bond Street.

Tlikely to result from the species

HE importance and advantage

of instruction this valuable little book is designed to convey we give in the Author's own words! "We behold in men of like passions, and placed in like situations with ourselves, the advantages which are the result of early piety, of virtuous resolution, of lowliness of mind, and of religious integrity. We may thus see the beauty of holiness, as it were embodied, and exhibiting its graces in a variety of forms, and under numerous circumstances, which in the bustle of public life would pass by, lost and unheeded. The religious character is contemplated to advantage, in prosperity and adversity, bearing the one with a humble and thankful heart, and the other with calmness and resignation. But religion is, probably, seen in its greatest lustre during the dark and dismal hour of death. In that solemn season when the busy scenes of folly are shut out, when the noise and contentions of the world are no longer heard, when splendid rank and honour are disregarded, when pomp and riches, and pleasures bear the glaring and mortifying inscription of vanity and vexation; then does Religion look through the gloom, and as she smiles upon the dying Christian, kindles in the bosom, even of the vain and irreligious beholder, a wish to die the death of the righteous, and to have his latter end like his.

"In this grand point it is that the excellency of Biography is strikingly displayed, by introducing us not only to the acquaintance of the wise and VOL. I.

good in their meditations, and in their labours of piety and love, but also to their dying beds, where we behold the triumph of faith over the fears of death, and see them breathing their souls with joyful hope into the hands of their heavenly Father." Preface, p. 3, 4.

The description and design of this publication, is thus given by the author, at the close of his preface:

"Some perhaps may object, that I have not been sufficiently copious in the life of our blessed Lord and Saviour, and that I have_totally omitted all his disciples. To have gone more into detail on so great a subject as the history of Jesus, would have far exceeded the limits to which I was confined. My principal design was to shew that all the worthies of the Old Testament witnessed of him, and to give in the biographical form an interesting sketch of redemption, from the fall of Adam to the ascension of Christ. With the latter event my design was complèted.

In delineating the Scripture characters, I had young persons chiefly in my view, and have, therefore, endeavoured to render the whole pleasing and instructing to them. The seeds of piety cannot be sown too early; and nothing will so much recommend religion as an agreeable form. History and Biography are very attractive to young minds, and if we can recommend the essential principles of religion by means of this species of composition, an important service will be rendered to the rising generation. Preface, p. 6.7.

This volume contains the biography of Adam.-Cain and Abel.Enoch,-Noah. -Abraham.-Isaac.

Jacob.-Joseph.-Job.-Moses.Balaam.- Joshua.- Ruth.—Samuel. David.-St. John the Baptist.-and Jesus Christ.

As a specimen of the author's method, we present our readers with the following quotation from the life of Balaam:

"As he was on his journey, the Almighty gave him another and still more remarkable sign that his conduct was displeasing in his sight. The angel of Jehovah appeared in the way with a drawn sword in his hand, but the faculties of Balaam were intent upon worldly objects, and he beheld

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not the apparition. The ass on which he rode, alone saw the tremendous vision, and to avoid it, turned aside into a field, which so provoked the prophet, that he smote her with his staff. The angel next appeared to oppose the progress of Balaam in a narrow way, which led through some vineyards, having a wall on each hand; here the ass again attempted to save her master by turning aside, and thereby crushed his foot against the wall. This roused his fury against the poor animal into greater violence, and he smote her with his staff with extreme severity. On coming to a pass still narrower than the former, the angel made a full stand, and the ass perceiving that is was impossible to avoid him, fell down beneath Balaam, who, with savage ferocity, laid on his blows with redoubled violence. The Almighty then opened the mouth of the injured animal, and gave her power to remonstrate with the infatuated prophet on the cruelty of his conduct: But Balaam, instead of perceiving the finger of God in this mysterious transaction, and calling his sin to remembrance, was a proof against even the power of miracles, and expressed a wish that he had a sword in his hand to slay the faithful beast that had saved his life. The messenger of Jehovah now made himself visible unto him, and the terrified prophet immediately fell on his face to the earth. Before the angel proceeds to declare the purport of his mission, he charges Balaam with cruelty to the poor and defenceless animal on which he rode. Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? Does the Almighty then take pity on the low and despised part of the brute creation? Will he bring into judgment those acts of cruelty which insolent man commits upon the dumb and defenceless, however contemptible and insignificant they apparently may be Let this incident in the story of Balaam, convince us that he does take cognizance of such actions, and that he will one day make an exact enquiry concerning them, A righteous man regardeth the life of,' or is tender to his beast; but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel +."

Balaam was convinced now that his eagerness to undertake this journey was offensive to the Almighty, and,

* Numbers xxxii. + Proverbs xii. 10.

being filled with terror by the flaming vision before him, offered to return; but it was in terms which plainly shewed that he wished rather to proceed. "Now, therefore," says he, "if it displease thee I will get me back again." The angel perceiving the sinfulness of his heart, left him to his own inclination, but laid a powerful command upon him not to speak a word more or less than as he should be directed from above.

This circumstance has occasioned considerable speculation, and no little degree of ridicule according to the principles of different writers. Some commentators have turned the whole into allegory, or parable, or vision; and they might, if they had pleased, with equal propriety, have made a fable or a dream of the whole history. Moses tells the story with as much plainness, perspicuity, and soberness, as he does any other in the sacred book; on what account, therefore, have we a right to depart from the literal construction of the relation? but is there any thing absurd in this miracle, any thing beneath the dignity of God, or inconsistent with the whole narrative? Fear to the contrary. An ass may be proverbially stupid among men, but she is yet a part of God's creation, and she ap pears to be fitly chosen on this occasiou, to "rebuke," as St. Peter expresses it," the madness of the prophet*!" Reason is supernaturally bestowed upon the dullest of quadru peds, that an oracle of wisdom may be confounded. The remonstrance of the ass is consistent, being not upon the conduct of Balaam as a prophet, but as a master; not upon his disobedience to God, but upon his wanton cruelty to herself. Now what is there in this miracle that can make it an object of ridicule, or to raise a just objection to the truth of sacred history? Is any thing too hard for the Almighty, or is he to be tied down to such a mode of performing miracles as we shall conceive to be consistent? Is it more difficult, or is it more absurd to give a human voice and reason for a moment to an ass, than to an ideot; and may not he who has given sight to the blind, and speech to the dumb, open the mouth of the most despised animal, to bring down the haugtiness and impiety of man.

*2 Peter ii. 10.

XV. INTRODUCTION to the New Testament. By JOHN D. MICHAELIS, late Professor in the University of Gottingen, &c. Translated from the 4th Edition of the German, and considerably augmented with Notes, and a Dissertation on the Origin and Composition of the three first Gospels. By HERBERT MARSH, B. D. F. R. S. Svo. vol. III. and IV. Cambridge, printed by J. Burgess, printer to the University, and sold by F. and C. Rivington, London; and J. Deighton, Cambridge.

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pears that the two former vo lumes of this work appeared about eight years ago, and some circumstances are given which occasioned the delay of the present volumes. It would be foreign to our plan to refer back to the volumes published before the appearance of our Journal; suffice it to say, they have obtained the general suffrage of the learned, both at home and abroad.

The third volume, now before us, consists of two parts; which, by being paged and bound up separately, form, in fact, two volumes, the one containing the text of Michaelis, the other the notes and dissertation of the translator. The former contains nine chapters. I. Of the number of the Canonical Gospels.-II. Of the harmony of the four Gospels.-III. Of the remarkable verbal harmony of the three first Gospels.-IV. Of St. Matthew's Gospel.-V. Of St. Mark's. VI. Of St. Luke's.-VII. Of St. John's Gospel.-VIII. Of the Acts of the Apostles. IX. Study of Josephus recommended, &c.

The second part of this volume contains the author's notes on the former, with his dissertation on the origin and composition of the three first Gospels.

These notes are in general too critical and learned for the bulk of our readers; but the following are not of that description; and besides, give a fair specimen of our learned annotator's sentiments, and of his manner of reasoning.

When we have certain knowledge of the existence of a fact, as that of an engagement between two armies, no contradictions in the accounts of that fact can deprive the existence of that fact itself. But when the ques

tion is in agitation, whether an alledged fact be true or not, our convic tion of the truth of it will certainly be affected by the concurrence or contradiction of the testimonies of its fayour. And if the contradictions are such as to be wholly incapable of a reconciliation, the proof of the fact will certainly not be so satisfactory as it would if the witnesses agreed. But since not every deviation is a contradiction, and the same fact, as viewed by different persons in different lights, not only may but must be reported by them is different ways, we must examine, whether the devi

on this principle. If they are, and the witnesses are in other respects credible, we can have no reason for refusing our assent. Further, we must distinguish variations in respect to concomitant circumstances from va riations in respect to the main fact; for the former are of much less im portance.

That the facts, which are related in common by St. Matthew, St. Mark, and St. Luke, are not arranged by all three evangelists, in chronological order, is certain; for the order of those facts is not the same in all three gospels. But we must not therefore conclude, that not one of them wrote in chronological order; for one of them may have observed chronological order, which the other two did not; or two of them may have observed chronological order, while the third did not. Now St. Mark and St. Luke have generally placed the facts, which they have in common, in the same order, (the reason of which will be explained hereafter) but St. Matthew, in the former half of his gospel, has placed a great number of the facts, which he has in common, with St. Mark and St. Luke, in a very different order. It is therefore reasonable to suppose, that all such facts happened in the order in which St. Matthew has placed them, and not in the order in which they are placed by St. Mark and St. Luke, for St. Matthew, as being an apostle, and eye witness to the facts, which he has recorded, must in general have known the time in which each of them happened, but which St. Mark and St. Luke, who were not eye witnesses, could not always know. Not to mention Ben gel, Berthing, and other harmonists,

who make the facts, which are common to these three evangelists, subordinate to St. Matthew's arrangement, I will quote only the opinion of Eickhorn, who says, in his Universal Library of Biblical Literature, Vol. I. p. 783. that the facts recorded in the former part of St. Matthew's gospel, were re-arranged by St. Matthew, according to the exact order of time, as it would be easy to shew by an analysis of the several sections of which that part is composed.' Sir Isaac Newton was of the same opinion, for he says, in his Observations on Daniel, p. 152. of the edition printed at London in 1742, 4to. That St. Matthew was an eye witness of what he relates, and so tells all things in due order of time, which St. Mark and St. Luke do not.' And Bishop Pearce has adopted the same opinion; see Vol. I. p. 207. of his Commentary, with Notes, on the four Evangelists and the Acts of the Apostles,' London, 1777, 2 vols. 4to. However, as there is hardly any rule without an exception, I would not assert that St. Matthew has in no instance whatsoever deviated from chronological order. P. 8-10.

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The fourth volume is a continuation of the text of Michaelis (for the notes of Mr. Marsh extend no further than the three first gospels). The subjects are thus arrangedChapter X. Of Paul's Epistles in general, viz. of the order in which they are placed, and that he wrote more than are now extant.-XI. Of the Epistle to the Galatians. - XII. Epistles to the Thessalonians.-XIII. To Titus.-XIV. Epistles to the Corinthians.-XV. First to Timothy.XVI. To the Romans.-XVII. General Remarks on some of the Epistles written by St. Paul during his Imprisonment in Rome, and on the Imprisonment itself.-XVIII. Epistle to Philemon.-XIX. To the Colossians.-XX.To the Ephesians.-XXI. To the Philippians-.XXII. Second Epistle to Timothy.-XXIII. St. Paul's Character and Mode of Life. -XXIV. To the Hebrews.-XXV. General Remarks on the Catholic Epistles.-XXVI. Of St. James.XXVII. and XXVIII. Epistles of St. Peter.-XXIX of St. Jude.XXX. Of the first Epistle of St. John. XXXI. Dissertation on John v. 7.-XXXII. The two last

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Epistles of John.-XXXIII. Of the Apocalypse.

In the XXIXth. chapter three sections are occupied in examining the external and internal evidences in favour of the authority of St. Jude's Epistle, with many curious opinions on the ninth verse. The result of the evidence in the mind of Michaelis is thus expressed,-" From the account which has been already given, it appears that we have very little reason for placing the epistle of St. Jude among the sacred writings. If the ancient Church had decided positively in its favour, this decision would not convince me that the Epistle of St. Jude was inspired; but the ancient church is so divided on this subject, that whoever is guided by it must at least suspect or rather reject the Epistle of St. Jude. And if we are directed in our judgment by the contents of the epistle, we shall have still no inducement to believe that it is a sacred and divine work." P. 394.

The XXXI. chapter contains seven sections, which give an account of many arguments for retaining, and many for rejecting, 1 John v.7. highly interesting. To do justice to the work a longer extract is necessary than our limits will allow, or we should be happy to have presented one to our readers.

We shall now give a brief analysis of our Author's Dissertation on the the three first Gospels. Chap. I. General statement of the question; (viz. whether the Evangelists copied from each other, or from a common source.)-II. Of the Authors, who suppose, that the succeeding Evangelists copied from the preceding.— III. Of Griesbach's hypothesis, in particular.-IV. Of the Authors who suppose that our Evangelists made use of a common document, or documents.-V. Of Eichhorn's hypothesis in particular.-VI. Of the Authors who have united both of the preceding suppositions.-VII. Statement of all the parallel and coincident passages of the three first Gospels; result of this statement; and an account of several very remarkable phænomena in the verbal harmony of the Gospels.-VIII. The supposition, that the succeeding Evangelists copied from the preceding, tried by these phænomena.-IX. The supposition, that the three first Evan

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gelists made use of a common Greek document, tried by these phæno mena.-X. The hypothesis, that our three first Gospels contain three Greek translations, made independently of each other from the same Hebrew original, tried by these phanomena.-XI. Of the various forms, under which the general supposition of a common Hebrew document may be represented: with a general notation, comprising all possible forms. XII. Of some cautions necessary to be observed in determining any particular form.-XIII. The various forms of the above-mentioned general supposition, as they may be re. presented, when it is assumed, that St. Matthew wrote in Greek, tried by the phænomena in the verbal harmony of the Gospels.-XIV. The va

rious forms of the above-mentioned general supposition, as they may be represented, when it is assumed, that St. Matthew wrote in Hebrew, tried by the phænomena in the verbal harmony of the Gospels. XV. Description of the Author's hypothesis. XVI. This hypothesis, tried by the phænomena in the verbal harmony of the Gospels.-XVII. The same hy pothesis tried by the phænomena in the contents and arrangement of the Gospels.

Under chap. VII. Mr. M. gives a very curious and important table of parallel passages in the three first Gospels in the original; but the whole of this Dissertation is so connected as not to admit an extract suitable to our work, or generally interesting to our Readers. (To be continued.)

ORIGINAL CRITICISM AND CORRESPONDENCE.

MR. EDITOR,

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N consequence of your opening a departiment for correspondence in your New Series, I have taken the liberty to address you relative to a publication which appears to me of a tendency dangerous to the cause of revealed religion, and the more so, as coming from a learned divine, and a professor in one of our universities. The work I allude to is entitled, "On the Nature and Occasion of PSALM and PROPHECY. Twelve Critical Dissertations." By JAMES HURDIS, D. D. Professor of Poetry in the University of Oxford. (8vo. 268 pages. Pr. Johnson.

Before I offer any remarks on this extraordinary work, I beg leave to premise, that I by no means would attribute to the author any malerolent designs against our established religion; I rather conceive, that having discovered a mere hypothesis, which charmed him as a poet, he has been led off his guard so much as not to be able rigorously to investigate its truth; nor has he, I would hope, perceived its tendency to encourage infidelity.

He must have little experience in

literature, who knows not into what strange and wild notions learned men have often been betrayed by their fondness for a darling hypothesis of their own invention; and in the present case, the claim of novelty is fully admitted.

The avowed object of Dr. H. is to enquire into "the origin and immediate occasion of Psalm and Prophecy ;" and to shew that they were confined to a particular season of the year-the feast of the former rain, to which they had uniformly, one way or other, an immediate reference. The plan of his work I shall give in his own words, p. 2, 3.

"The subject to be discussed, must of necessity be distributed into sepa rate dissertations. In the first of these the season of the Psalm and Prophecy, which it must be understood have both the same origin, belong both to the same period of the year, and are often both composed by the same person, shall be determined.

"In the second, the manner of singing the psalm; and of receiving the word, shall be explained.

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