müller, who is nevertheless, in our opinion, often too forced, and very frequently too fanciful. He is unquestionably an able and ingenious critic, but requires to be studied with no small degree of circumspection and reserve: and hence should rather be perused by the cool and judicious master, than by the warm and incautious student. The style of Dr. Stock is plain and easy;we have observed but few inversions for the purpose of preserving the metre, and the diction of our standard translation is adhered to as closely as possible. The metre, however, is, in our opinion, often unnecessarily infringed upon by the supposition and consequent introduction of hemistichs, which, to us, do not exist in the original. We adınit that in the Hebrew they are occasionally resorted to, and at times with an abruptness peculiarly emphatic and beautiful, but the frequency with which they are reiterated in the version before us destroys half their poetic effect, and unmercifully ploughs up the general symmetry of the metre. We have, moreover, a still stronger objection to the re-introduction of the Masoretic points with which the present edition of the original is encumbered. Their perplexity, want of authority, and the general inaccuracy with which they are copied from book to book, have long induced us to hope that they never would have re-issued from a British press. We are extremely desirous of promoting the study of the Hebrew language, and feel peculiarly earnest, therefore, in removing from it every difficulty which might unnecessarily embarrass the student, and give him a distaste for it at the very commencement of his application. With these few exceptions, we have been highly pleased with the ver

sion before us, and have only to hope, that a scholar so competent to the task will persevere in the path of biblical literature. The volume is a thin quarto of 184 pages.

From the classical pen of Mr. Good we have received a new translation, both in prosaic metre and rhyme, of the Song of Songs. In no qualifi cation requisite for this valuable and elegant undertaking does this gentleman appear deficient. His knowledge of the oriental languages, both ancient and modern, is extensive: with the love-songs of the Arabians he seems to be intimately acquainted; whatever could be derived from Asiatic verse has been carefully selected and pertinently applied; and to a true taste for poetry he unites the character of no mean poet. They who may differ from him with respect to the propriety of every part of the arrangement he has adopted, or not admit the justness of all his renderings, must still regard this as by far the most elegant, and at the same time the most faithful, translation which has yet been given of this beautiful poem. The whole composition is divided into twelve idyls: the first consists of the first eight verses of the first chapter; the second idyl advances to the seventh verse inclusive of the second chapter; the third proceeds to its end: the fourth, beginning with the third chapter, contains the first five verses: the fifth closes with the seventh verse of the fourth chapter; and the sixth, thence commencing, includes the first verse of chapter the fifth : the seventh begins with the second verse of the fifth chapter, and proceeds to the eleventh verse of chapter the sixth: the eighth idyl contans only the three remaining verses: idyl the ninth consists of the seventh chapter to the tenth verse: the tenth idyl includes the rest of

that

that chapter and four verses of the eighth idyl the eleventh contains only the three verses that next follow; and the last idyl takes in the rest. The name of the fair bride in whose honour these amatory idyls were composed has not descended to us; nor is it agreed among the commentators who she was. She has generally been regarded as the daughter of Pharaoh; but, as Mr. Good very justly observes," the few circumstances that incidentally relate to her history in these poetical effusions completely oppose such an idea." Our author also, with great probability, conjectures that the marriage between Solomon and the Egyptian princess was a match of interest and policy; whereas, on the contrary, the matrimonial connexion here celebrated, was one formed upon the tenderest reciprocal affection. From the bride's own words we learn that she was of Sharon, a canton of Palestine; and from the respectful attention paid to her by her attendants, and the appellation with which they address her, we have reason to believe that, "though not of royal, yet she was of noble birth." The mystic import of this book is admitted by Mr. Good, though he supposes it to have been literally founded on fact; he offers a brief explanation of the former, and endeavours to develope the latter. To sum up in a few words an opinion of the work before us the arrangement is new and ingenious; the poetical part is for the most part correct and beautitul; the notes are full of profound learning and good taste. It is a work which every scholar will peruse with pleasure, and from which the divine may reap improvement. Our limits will not permit us to furnish our readers with quotations which would furnish abundant evi

dence of acuteness and elegance; but for these we must refer to the work. Mr. Good will accept our thanks for much gratification.

In Mr. Bryant's "Observations upon some Passages in Scripture which the Enemies to Religion have thought most obnoxious and attended with Difficulties not to be surmounted," we hail the appearance of a scholar venerable by his years, and oracular as well by the extent of his learning as by the uniform purity and rectitude of his intention. The passages selected in the volume before us, which is a thin quarto, are four in number, and refer to the history of Balaam, and the reproof given to him by his ass; that of Sampson, who is well known to have defeated the Philistines with the jaw-bone of a similar animal; that of the arrestation of the sun and moon, at the command of Joshua; and that of the prophet Jonah, who was swallowed by a large fish, commonly supposed to have been a whale. The explanation generally attempted to be given to these por"tions of holy writ, is derived from an idea, that, in every instance, some part of the popular religion or superstition of the country to which they relate is implicated in the narration; and our author is hence led into a relation of the peculiar tenets and idolatry of the places referred to. Those who, by a perusal of his prior works, are apprised of Mr. Bryant's extensive acquaintance with Greek and Asiatic history, will readily perceive that he has here scope enough to gratify his most sanguine predilection: they will also expect to find some degree of imagination combined with a large portion of sound and useful learning, an expectation in which they will by no means be disappointed. We cannot proceed with our author as

to

to the full extent of the belief which he here honestly advances and zealously defends; but we can always be entertained by him, even when we cannot accede to his opinions, and always allow him ingenuity, even when we are tempted to call in question his judgement.-Sorry are we to add, that, since the printing of these remarks, the public papers have announced his de

cease.

Dr. Toulmin, in three volumes octavo, has edited a posthumous work of the late reverend Charles Buckley, who is well known as a preacher in the Baptist communion. This work is entitled "Notes on the Bible," and does not consist, as the the editor observes, of notes on every passage, or on connected paragraphs, but of illustrations of particular verses drawn from all kinds of writers in a long course of reading. Of these, many are ingenious applications, and display a very creditable attention of the mind to subjects of general literature. But we confess, we are not very fond of thus beholding the morality of the Scriptures bolstered up by parallel maxims from heathen authors; they require no such props; nor can it be too strongly impressed upon the juvenile mind, that although such excellencies may be occasionally discovered in the writings of pagan moralists, they are but as pearls in a bed of oysters surrounded with mire and mud.

In our last volume we noticed a Translation of Dr. White's celebrated Diatessaron into Latin, by Mr. Thirlwall, and added a cordial wish that we might shortly meet with it in a vernacular dress. That wish is now very considerably gratified by the appearance of Mr. Warner's English Diatessaron," which is a professed version from the Greek of Dr. White. It is a narra

"

tive of the history of our Saviour compiled from the writings of the four evangelists; and we rejoice to perceive, that, in perfect agreement with the advice we then offered, the language employed is, with very few exceptions, a verbal copy of our standard translation. The system of professor White is rigidly adhered to; and the only part which appears to us original, is the introduction of a body of subjoined notes illustrative of those texts of Scripture which to the common reader seem to require explanation. This task Mr. Warner has executed with taste and, liberality; and it forms a valuable açcompaniment to the book, as chiefly designed for those who are incapable of consulting original authorities and expositors for themselves.

We have derived no small gratification from Dr. Findlay's Divine Inspiration of the Jewish Scriptures asserted by St. Paul." The object of the author is to oppose a declaration of the late Dr. Geddes, that the passage of St. Paul referred to, which is 2 Tim. iii. 16., is not genuine in its present reading. There can be no doubt that Dr. Geddes's chief motive for critically examining, and consequently opposing, the integrity of the present lection, proceeded from the bold system he had formed with regard to the Old Testament, the inspiration of which he openly denied, while, at the same time, he as openly professed to believe in the inspiration of the New Testament. Now the text before us, in its common reading, seems mainly to imply, that the Jewish Scriptures are possessed of the same inspiration as the Christian; for it asserts that "all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable," &c. Dr. Geddes, on the perusal of this text, or rather, if we recollect aright, on its having been opposed to

his general theory, could not avoid feeling himself in a dilemma. What was to be done? was he to relinquish his scepticism as to the first, or his faith as to the second? He chose a middle course-and a course which we are sorry to notice has been so much resorted to by all parties of late, in the support of system, and nothing else:-he contended that the passage was not fairly rendered; that, even allowing the Greek text to stand as it does at present, it would admit of a different interpretation to that commonly assigned to it but that the Greek itself in our common copies is incorrect and adulterated; that the copulative xa (and) cannot be traced in any of the ancient versions excepting the Ethiopic; that it does not appear in several of the Greek copies still extant, and that many of the Christian fathers have used the text without it. But if this be true, the reading would then be as follows, "all Scripture is given by inspiration of God-is profitable, &c." which renders the whole proposition nonsense and to reduce it once more to sense, we must advance a step further, and maintain that the verb is (ET), in the first member of the verse, is just as spurious as the discarded copulative; in consequence of which the passage will run thus, "all Scripture-given by inspiration of God-is profitable," &c.; and then nothing more remains than a controversial inquiry as to what Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and what is notand the prima facie, or more obvious form of the text, is entirely annihilated. To speak the truth, however, we freely confess, that, in the prosecution of this verbal investigation, Dr. Geddes has still the advantage over Dr. Findlay; with whose ingenuity we have nevertheless been highly pleased, and who has follow

ed him with many forcible appeals, and proofs of biblical criticism, which do equal credit to his judge. ment and his classical studies: but the cui bono, the real benefit that is to result from this disputation, let it terminate as it may, lies beyond our power of calculation. Granting either to be right, the same debate must necessarily ensue upon a second question, which the successful opponent, be he who he may, will have prevented from taking place upon a first; for whether "all Scripture is given by inspiration and is profitable," &e, or " all Scripture given by inspiration is profitable," &c., be the more approved meaning of the two, it will be equally necessary to inquire into the verbal meaning of the term Scripture; and we have not the shadow of a doubt, that, were Dr. Geddes in a state to defend his own argument, just as much variation would occur upon this second dispute as upon the first. To place the truth or fallacy, therefore, of important doctrines upon individual texts of Scripture of doubtful interpretation, or, which is still more objectionable, upon individual terms that occur or do not occur within the scope of such doubtful texts, is enormously to diminish instead of to support the credibility of the controverted doctrine. We had occasion to make a similar remark in our last year's retrospect, upon the subject of the essential divinity and coequality of our blessed Saviour, which has of late been made to depend in a considerable degree upon the mere construction of a Greek particle. In both cases, we have to observe, that the doctrines contended for or oppugned by no means depend upon such frail and questionable principles, and we rejoice in the general confession that they do not,

Mr. M'Conochie has produced a
Dissertation

Dissertation concerning the Writer of the fourth Gospel," which is intended to prove, that, although his name was John, he was a person distinct from John the apostle, the son of Zebedee; that instead of being a resident on the banks of the Ti berias, he was a native and inhabi tant of Jerusalem, or of some part of the country immediately adjoining. We cannot fully enter into these observations: some objections as to the identity of the apostle and the evangelist of the same name, we have formerly met with; but we have never, to the present moment, notwithstanding the appearance of the pamphlet before us, beheld any of sufficient cogency to induce us to withdraw our confidence from the popular opinion. The present writer's principal motive for believing John the evangelist to have been a native and inhabitant of Jerusalem, is derived from the facility of his introduction into the court of Caiaphas, and his having been apparently free from provincialisms in his dialect, "while poor Peter, who had come up from Galilee, was so hard put to it in these respects." Taciturnity at times does wonders:-how it comes to pass that the officers and menial servants of the sacerdotal court were acquainted not only with the speech but with the person of Peter, a Galilean stranger, as they appear to have been, our author explains not yet this is a question of as much consequence as the former. Shall we in a few words resolve both? Peter then appears to have discovered himself, from the natural boldness and precipitancy of his disposition; John, on the contrary, seems to have been unsuspected, from his greater taciturnity and modesty. Peter was observed from his superior zeal to have been a

companion with our Saviour; and the exclamations in which he probably indulged, developed him even to the lowest menial of the court to have been a stranger to the dialect of Jerusalem, for his speech bewrayed him: John, with an equal love for his divine master, withheld his speech, and was freed from the errors and disgrace into which his fellow disciple was plunged headlong. Taciturnity, as we have just observed, does wonders; and had the present author acted upon this principle, we should have had at least as high an opinion of him as we entertain at the present moment.

In four volumes octavo we have received from Mrs. Marriott "Elements of Religion; containing a simple Deduction of Christianity from its Source to its present Circumstances." These Elements of Religion, as they are denominated by a title sufficiently general for a book of theology published in any age or any climate, under any dispensation whatever, are narrowed in the prosecution of the fair author's inquiry, not only to the religion of Christianity, but to that peculiar branch of it which constitutes the church of England. The work for the most part is polemic, being designed to vindicate both the doctrine and discipline established, against those who may be denominated evangelical or hyper-orthodox seceders, or, in language still more common and comprehensive, Methodist preachers or professors. Yet the amiable writer (for such we really apprehend her to be) does not appear ver ythoroughly grounded in her subject: from the more abhorrent doctrines of Calvin she flies with a precipitation that carries her occasionally too far, from an impossibility, as we suppose, of being

able