tion of moderate size, and divisible at pleasure into two volumes, which should contain also a select number of various readings. I have at length yielded to these suggestions."

Dr. Griesbach goes on to speak in high terms of the Ger man printer Göschen, and of a superb edition which he was then publishing of his Greek Testament, similar to this. Of that splendid work we believe there is not more than one copy in this country, and that is in the possession of the Rev. Mr. Codman; and we hesitate not to say that it is the most magnificent specimen of Greek topography ever given to the world.* It is verbatim the same with this manual edition; and the text in both is the same with that of the second large critical edition of Halle; "for," says Griesbach, "excepting a very few instances, and those of no consequence, I have found no reason for any departure." (Some of these instances we shall presently point out.) "For all that has been said against my criticism, and the grounds of it, and especially against the doctrine of different ancient recensions, or editions of the sacred text, is so vain and futile, that though I have most carefully and dispassionately considered, it has not in the least affected my opinion." The principles of criticism are fully stated in the Prolegomena to the large critical edition, and are reprinted as an introduction to this.

"Wherever I have departed from the commonly received text, as it was originally edited by Elsevir in 1624, I have noted the common reading at the foot of the page, so that every one has it in his power to exercise his own judgment; for I am not so vain as to obtrude my opinion upon any reader. Those variations, however, of my text from the received, which relate only to a different arrangement of words not affecting the sense, (which often occurs in manuscripts), or to a different mode of orthography rather than to a various reading, I have thought it unnecessary to note in the margin; but all others, however inconsiderable, I have most religiously pointed out. I have, besides, thrown into the margin the various readings of greatest importance, which differ from my own as well as from the common text. In my selection of these, I have principally taken care that students should be sure of finding here any reading which their instructers may chance to mention in their stated lectures in explication of the New Testament.

* An edition of Wolf's Homer is since published in the same type.

"Neither will this manual edition be unacceptable to other readers; for at a single glance they may discover by it whether the immense critical apparatus which has been collected by the unwearied labours of so many learned men, offers any thing relating to the criticism or interpretation of a passage under consideration, which should invite them to examine it more carefully, or to turn over the more copious commentaries of criticks. Nay more; I have not entirely neglected in the notes the critical conjectures of the learned, nor the va rieties of punctuation, that I might open a wider field for masters to exercise the judgment of their scholars in matters of criticism. The authorities upon which I have concluded any reading to be true, or probable, less probable, or absolutely inadmissible, must be sought for in my larger critical edition."

Then follows an explanation of the marks by which in this edition Griesbach signifies the different degrees of probability; and an extract from the Prolegomena of the large work, which presents us with the principles of criticism by which he has been governed in the correction, and we may say establishment of the text; for to attempt to prove after so many great men that this is the only edition of the Greek Testament which now deserves to be received as a standard, would only be actum agere, and no doubt a reflection upon the learned clergy of the United States.

It has always struck us with astonishment that many of those who may maintain the most rigid notions of inspiration, and exclaim most vehemently against the glosses, evasions, and forced interpretations of hereticks, should have discovered so little solicitude to ascertain the true text even of the New Testament, and have felt no more dread than they seem to have done of adding to the word of God. To what is it to be attributed that even at the present day, 1 John v. 7. is quoted in proof of the doctrine of the Trinity, and even taken as a text of discourses; when it ought to be known that it has not more authority in its favour than the famous reading of the 7th commandment, in one of the editions of King James': Bible; thou shalt commit adultery. The same may be said of Acts xx. 28. and 1 Tim. iii. 16. which ought to be no more quoted in their present form as proof passages, by any honest and well instructed theologian.

Those who yet wish to be informed of the many important variations from the received text in Griesbach's edition, will find most of them stated in the Eclectick Review of the Improved

Version, published in this town. There are others not noticed in this pamphlet, of which no theologian ought to be ignorant; and we agree with the Eclectick reviewers in saying, with the utmost sincerity, that we do not understand how any man who receives the scriptures as the rule of his faith, and the only sure guide to eternal life, can answer for it to his conscience, or his God, to remain ignorant on this subject; and especially how, if he is a publick instructer, he can satisfy himself without consulting and constantly using this standard edition of the Greek Testament.

It is not generally known, even by the criticks of England, that this manual edition, which was printed under the eye of Griesbach himself, and which contains the last and most correct results of his critical labours, differs in any degree from the text of the Greek Testament, as it stands in his large critical edition, published in 1796, and 1806. Yet upon a cursory examination, we have discovered some variations which we think not immaterial; and some differences of punctuation which show Griesbach's judgment in many cases, which are left undecided in the large work.

Matthew xxvi. 45. where the punctuation in the larger edition is doubtful, is in this printed interrogatively. "Do ye sleep on still, and take your rest? Behold the hour draweth near, &c." and so in the parallel passage in Mark. The interrogative form not only improves the spirit of the passage, but renders it much more intelligible to common readers.

Matth. xi. 13. in this edition is thus pointed. παντες γαρ δι προφηται και ο νομος έως Ιωάννε, προεφητευσαν.

Those who are desirous of knowing Griesbach's opinion as to the punctuation of several other passages which are left doubtful in the larger edition, may compare with it the following texts of Matthew, as they stand in the present edition. iii. 3. v. 34. xi. 12. xix. 28. here a different meaning is developed, from that which results from the common pointing. xxvi. 13. 64. xxvii. 9. 53. Griesbach divides the 27th and 28th chapters of Matthew in the usual place, and leaves the difficulty which has exercised the genius of Michaelis and his commentator; a difficulty which seems to be removed by the pointing mentioned at the foot of the page, ascribed we think to the celebrated professor Paulus.

It is worthy of being noticed that the twelve concluding verses of the gospel of Mark, which Jerome says were thought

to be irreconcilable with other accounts of our Lord's resurrection, are in this edition marked by Griesbach with his sign of probable omission. This is important, as it shows a decided opinion of the learned professor, of which he had given us no intimation in his large critical edition. Perhaps it may be worthy of observation, that Eusebius seems to have considered these verses as spurious.

The punctuation of Mark i. 4. is different from that of the larger edition. In the gospel according to Luke some of the passages worthy of being examined for their punctuation, which is unsettled in the larger, are iii. 23. vi. 9. vii. 47.-xii. 49. xvii. 7, 8. xx. 37. xxii. 29. xxiv. 12. Let the curious student judge of the reading retained in chap. ix. 55, and observe the admission of x instead of xss into the text of Luke xxi. 25.

In the gospel according to John, Griesbach has included in brackets the following passage, (v. 34.) waiting for the moving of the water: For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water; whosoever then first, after the troubling of the water stepped in, was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. Let it be observed that Griesbach has given to these words the highest possible mark of probable omission, without actually leaving them out, and thus stamped them with so strong a mark of spuriousness that they ought not be again adduced either by the captious unbeliever to excite a sneer at revelation, or by the superstitious believer to exercise the credulity of the reader, or by anxious criticks to obtain a rational explanation. The same may be said of the story of the adulteress, which is included in brackets. (from vii. 53. to viii. 11.) All such doubtful passages should be printed in Italicks, or some way signified to be of doubtful authority in our English bibles.

John xii. 27. is made interrogative; "Now is my soul troubled, and what shall I say? Shall I say, Father, save me from this hour?" With all due respect to the editor, if the authority of manuscripts is not decisive as to the punctuation, (which we cannot suppose) the form here adopted is not only an offence against taste, but the parallelism is also entirely destroyed between this clause, and that of the next sentence, which is of exactly the same form; "Father glorify thy name." We cannot pursue this comparison of slight variations; but there are two passages which have been the subject of sa

much controversy, that we cannot forbear to state the manner in which they are pointed, and printed in this edition, under the eye of Griesbach himself.

The first is the famous place, 1 Tim. iii. 16. which the Eclectick reviewers have attempted to press into the cause of Trinitarianism, (notwithstanding the true reading is os and not Os) by means of a new punctuation, and the help of a parenthesis. (vid. Rev. p. 37.) Now, in the edition before us, Griesbach not only makes a full stop at the words des avros (living God), but actually commences a new paragraph at svàos &C. (Vid. Griesb. ad loc.) It is remarkable too, that in his various readings at the foot of the page, he does not give even the lowest mark of probability to the present reading of the received text, (os), and, besides, affixes to the reading his mark which indicates, according to his own explanation in the preface, lectionem non spernendam, et ulteriori examine dignam. We confess we were not a little surprised to find the learned editor so marking the results of his inquiry, and so settling the degrees of probability in this passage.

The other passage to which we refer is Hebrews i. 8. "Thy throne O God is forever and ever," which Griesbach prints thus : “ Ο θρόνος 58 ὁ θεος εις τον αιώνα τ8 αιώνος Without a comma before or after eos, by which it has often been unfairly insulated, and made to appear in casu vocandi ; whereas by this punctuation, Griesbach seems to give his opinion against this construction, while he mentions it in the notes as a various reading.

Of this American edition it is but justice to state, that it is printed with extraordinary correctness, and on this account, if on no other, deserves to supersede every other in use here. The large paper copies are really splendid. The only typographical errour of importance which we have discovered, is the omission of pas in 1 Peter ir. 14. The other typographical errours chiefly relate to the accents and aspirates, properly retained in this American edition; so that we hesitate not to say, it is more correctly printed on the whole than the original copy, pronounced by the German printer to be nearly immaculate. To show that the theologians on the other side the Atlantick are not insensible to the merit of this edition, however it may be neglected here, it deserves to be mentioned that the publisher has received orders from some of the London booksellers, for a number of copies to be sent out to