How far this apology will be deemed fatisfactory, to thofe who have collated the pallages in queftion, especially to Mr. Pye and his readers, we must not flay to enquire; and therefore fhall only add, what every candid perfon will readily allow, that, of all kinds of writers, the compiler fhould be most tenderly ufed with respect to the charge of plagiarifm.

A

The Want of Univerfality no Objection to the Chriftian Religion. Difcourfe preached at the Temple-church, No. 10, 1765. By Gregory Sharpe, L L. D. Master of the Temple. 8vo. 1 s. Hawkins.

N the dedication to Sir Jofeph Yates, the learned Author observes, that— the ufual objections to Chriftianity are, that it is deftitute of demonftration, perfpicuity, and univerfality.The first of these imputations, he fays, is entirely removed by the argument from prophecy, which is a continued miracle and an increafing evidence: and as to the charge of want of perfpicuity, arifing from the miftakes, failings, and dilputes of fome who have profeffed the Chriftian religion, he thinks it fhould no more be objected againft Chriftianity, than the moft unrighteous and fanguinary judgments of the Auto de Fe's against the most benevolent fyftem of piety and virtue ever communicated to the world. The prefent difcourfe is offered as a reply to the third charge, that Christianity is not univerfal.—And here it must be acknowledged, as he fays, that the Chriftian religion cannot be proved to have been [yet] univerfal from these words of the text-The gospel was preached to every creature which is under heaven.' Col. i. 23.-The creature, or more exactly, the creation under heaven is [here put, he fays, for] the earth or world. And that the earth in fcripture often means [only] the holy land, and the world the extent of the Roman empire; he proves from a variety of texts: and in this fenfe, the gopel has undoubtedly been published to the ends of the world, though the time for its becoming univerfal is not yet arrived, -as feems to have been the grand object of Providence in this conftitution, that a gradual conveyance of its falutary bened s fhould be vouchfafed in different ages and nations, fo that before the kingdom of the Meffiah fhould terminate, effectual means fhould be used for the most extenfive propagation of truth and righteousness.' The places of the ancient and latter feriptures relating to the gofpel, ought [therefore] to be confidered as prophefies to be gradually fulfilled in fucceflive feries of times and feafons, and not as facts which have already taken place.'

• Published 1762.

it

He then proceeds to inquire whether all knowledg is, in fact, confined to fo few men, as fome are pleate tain and thinks it evident, from a variety of autho duced, that the Perfians, Indians, Tartars, and Ch not intirely ftrangers to the hiftory, doctrines, and of cur Lord, though intermixed with pagan notions grofsly corrupted; and thence concludes, that Chi more univerfal than many have imagined it to be. Bu this part of his argument may be generally adopted, muft, however, be allowed by all fair reafoners, that not follow that Chriftianity cannot be true unless known to all men at the fame time. It is fufficient tha is univerfal, and that all may be faved, that the re general as the difeafe, "For as in Adam all die, Chrift fhall all be made alive."

After treating his fubject with great clearnefs, car precifion, our Author fhews an amiable fpirit of true C by devoutly praying- That the adverfaries of di and wifdom may be converted from the errors of and feel the genuine energy of those principles which fo induftriously mifreprefented and difdainfully rejecte

A Sermon preached before the University of Oxford, May By Benjamin Kennicott, D. D. Fellow of Exete and one of his Majefty's Preachers at Whitehal Notes on the Sermon, on Pfalms 48 and 89, and late Reflections of the Ld. Bp. of Gloucefter. 8vo Rivington.

THE

HIS fermon, we are told in the dedication to chancellor and heads of houfes in Oxford, wa to be preached in Whitehall-chapel on Chriftmas-d when the Author thought he could not discharge his fore fo refpectable an audience, with more propriety endeavouring to explain that celebrated prophecy of 1 hold a virgin fhall conceive and bear a fon; and to vin Matthew's application of thefe words to the Virgin M her fon Jefus Chrift.

Concerning the words of the text, viz. Ifaiah, ch. vi 14, 15, 16; the Author fays, there have been four opinions.

I. That the whole paffage relates only to a fon of If An opinion ftrenuoufly contended for by Jews and De II. That the whole paffage relates only to Chrift.the words (he fays) cannot wholly be applied to an ever

by more than 700 years; because the concluding claufe fpeaks of a child, either then born, or to be born foon: and before the child, fo fpoken of, fhould be old enough to diftinguifh natural good from evil, the two kings, then advancing against Jerufafem, were to be themselves deftroyed.'

III. That the whole paffage relates both to Ifaiah's fon and to Chrift; to the former in a primary and literal fenfe, and in a fecondary fenfe to the latter.-But no fuch double completion (Dr. Kennicott thinks) can poffibly take place here.The remaining opinion is,

IV. That the text contains two diftinct prophecies; each literal, and each to be underflood in one fente only; the first relating to Chrift, the fecond to laiah's fen.—This is the epinion adopted by Dr. K. who brings many ftrong arguments in fupport of it;-but for which we must refer to the difcourfe itfelf, wherein he has fhewn much critical learning and acumen. -Neither has he forgot to produce feveral fresh proofs of the great ufe and expediency of that very laborious task which he has undertaken, viz. a collation of the Hebrew manuscripts of the Old Teftament, in order to afcertain the true reading in a great variety of paffages, which are not unjustly fuppofed to be rendered obfcure, and fometimes even unintelligible, by the errors which may have crept into the prefent printed text, through the inaccuracy of tranfcribers. Many inftances of this fort have already been produced by Dr. Kennicott, whofe abilities for this arduous undertaking are fo generally acknowledged, that a subscription hath been fet on foot, (to enable him to profecute his defign) fo ample as hath not before been known (he fays) in favour of any literary undertaking.-Some reflections, however, have been caft upon his defign, as of no great utility, by a very eminent. writer, even the author of the Divine Legation himself. So that how prudent foever it might be to let the animadverfions of anonymous or inconfiderable writers país unnoticed, yet Dr. K. thinks that when he is directly cenfured by an author fo high in station, and literary fame, as Bp. Warburtin, filence might then be wrong, on different accounts. It may lead fome (fays he in his Supplement) to fufpect a confcioufnefs of guilt in myfelf; others may infer a conviction of the inutility of the work I am engaged in; and poffibly it may be conftrued difrespect even to his lordship, not to pay fome attention to his wit, and (if there be any) to his argument. But if the reflections of this renowned writer, with regard to my work, are a mere fortuitous concourfe of words, of heterogeneous and incompatible meanings; which are therefore incapable of forming any regular fyftem of oppofition, and have the benevolent faculty of deftroying one another a few proofs even of these matters may furnish fome entertainment, and be of real fervice.' When ferious men

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coner the work, in which I have the honour to be employed, -they will be apt to infer, that the caufe of this fingular attack must either be a refolution in his lordship to be fingular,— or fome ofence taken rather at the author of the work, than at the work itfclf. And if there fhould be no real foundation for the former part of this alternative; there is certainly too much for the latter.

But indeed, it is a fad thing, (and I have his lordfhip's own authority for faying it, Ded. to the Jews, p. 9.) when polemics or blacker palms have gotten fo entire poffeffion of a man's heart, that be cares not what harm he does to a common caufe, or even to common fenfe, fo he can but anfer the man or the opinion he happens to difike. The foundation of diflike to the man, in this cafe, is fomewhat curious in itself, and may be worthy the Reader's notice. It fartand (to adopt his lordship's phrafe) that a little before the collation of the Hebrew MSS. was undertaken, I publifhed a Second Differtation on the Hebrew Text*; in which I chanced to fuppofe, that there was now a corruption in a certain vorfe (in the Proverbs) on which his lordship had a written (not a pristed) fermon. And though it be marvellous, that any great writer fhould expect the world to be apprized of, and to reve rence, every paper in his private cabinet; yet it is no marvel at all, that his lordfhip fhould be very angry with a criticism, which, if good for any thing, would render his lordship's fermon good for nothing.

The very head and front of my offending

Hath this extent; no more.

What now was to be done, in his lordship's cafe? It was fron determined, for fear of the worst, to preach this fermon befe an honourable audience, with an occafional infertion of words of contempt and difpleafure against the innocent author of the guilty criticifn.'-The fubftance of this fermon was foon afeer publifhed, it feems, in a Preface to The Doctrine of Grace,

where it fands with many a contemptuous and ireful phrafe, a out a dull conceit—modern fentences made ancient readings-ancient vealings made the true-a careful collation of blunders-antiquity's nativ garb-recived test—no reverence for the text-and his cun inavad red ide ́s which, with other parts of that preface, are now for the find time rendered intelligible to the public, by this difcovery of their fateric fignification.' Having this maflerby to the preface, the reader will eafily account, not only for the 1. ver. 1 angry things he finds there intermixed with the fenfe; but also for thole other things there, which fenfe can lay no laim to. For it fortunes, that refentment and reafon do not wave go together.'

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Inflances are then produced, not only from the Preface to

the Dorine of Grace, but alfo from The Divine Legation, as lately reprinted; in many of which inftances, Dr. K. has placed his lordship in fuch a light, as plainly fhews he is not infallible: and that even his high rank will not protect him from being fometimes befpattered with his own dirt. For indeed most of that thrown upon the prefent occafion, is drawn from his lordship's own ftores, which, in this refpect, may well be faid to be inexhauftible.Dr. Kennicott's apology, for making fo free with his lordfhip, is this, I would hope, that the preceding animadverfions, which his lordship has made neceffary, may be of ufe to both of us; to him, by the difcovery of his own fallibility; to myself, by fhewing the weakness of his attempts to difgrace The Collation of the Hebrew MSS. a work, on which it was little expected fuch faftidious cavils would have been thrown by his lordfhip. Efpecially, as he has probably heard of the argument called a dilemma, in favour of my work, thus happily stated:

Either this enquiry into Hbrew MSS. will difcover various Readings of conf quence: or, it will not.

If, the former; the work will be then important, for discovering, that there are fuch various readings.

If, the latter; the work will be then important, for difcovering, that we have already the best text of the Hebrew Bible which can be procured of which, at prefent, no man is, or poffibly can be, certain.'

Crito, or, Effays on varicus Subjects. Vol. I. 12mo. 35. DodЛley.

WE

E have here three effays on fubjects, which, though often difcuffed, are ftill interefting, and on which an ingenious writer may both entertain and inftruct his readers. The Author appears to be a man of fenfe and obfervation, a fincere friend to freedom of enquiry, and to liberty, both civil and religious. He expreffes his fentiments on fome topics of a very delicate nature with a manly freedom, and feems through the whole of his work to be defirous of promoting the highest and beft interests of his fellow-creatures. In regard to his ftile and manner, he appears little folicitous about elegance; there is a ftrength and boldness in his diction, however, which to many readers will be pleafing and agreeable.

In his firft effay, he makes fome very pertinent reflections, though with little regard to order or method, upon the following fubjects: the unalienable right of a free people to call their governors to account; the impropriety, as well as inutility, of

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