brew Pentateuch written with Samaritan letters.-General account of the Samaritan MSS.-External state of the Samaritan MSS.-Of corrections and signatures contained in them.Age of the Samaritan MSS.-Value and age of the Samaritan Pentateuch. -Of the different editions of the Hebrew text.-Editions of the fifteenth and following centuries.-Editions with commentaries or other critical additions.-Editions of the Hebrew-Samaritan Pentateuch.

PART. II.

Introduction to the respective Books of the Old Testament. § 405-511, pp. 233-666.

Of Moses.

The preservation of writings from so early a period as the seventh century after the flood not impossible.

I. The five books of Moses proved to be more ancient than any of the other writings of the Old Testament from their style-and from history.

II. That the author cannot have

lived subsequently to the time of Moses is shewn from internal evidence in the books themselves and from history.-Ezra cannot have been the writer of them-nor are they the inventions of the priests about the time of Josiah, or of that particular priest who was dispatched to the Samaritans ---neither can they be attributed to David-or to Samuel-or to Joshua.

III. Moses may have been the author.-Preliminary remarks.-Account of Moses.-None but a man like Moses could have been the author of the books extant under his name.

Moses are the productions of different authors.-Of their sources.-Arrangement of both works in Genesis-difficulty in separating them-attempt made to divide them.-I. Record containing the name Elohim.-II. Record bearing in it the name of Jehovah.III. Other document introduced into Genesis, but, strictly speaking, belonging to neither record. Of the authenticity and genuineness of the book of Genesis.-Objections to its age considered. Of its object.

Of the Books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

Of their contents and internal arrangement.-History of the Hebrews prior to the birth of Moses, continued from the record in Genesis, exhibiting the name of Elohim.-Various passages in these books appear to have been written at the time when the events which

they record took place.--The books of Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers, in part compiled from detached essays.--Of the period of time in which they were compiled.---Of Deuteronomy in particular.---Of its author and of the author of Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers.---Objection to their being the productions of Moses considered.---Of their genuineness.---Literary history of the Pentateuch.

Of the Book of Joshua.

A great portion of its contents must have been written at the time when Joshua lived.---Difficult to suppose the book of Joshua to have been written at the precise period of the conquest of Canaan.--Obstacles attending such a conjecture only to be removed by admitting it to be the production of a period subsequent to Joshua.--Plan of the book-probable time in which it was written.---Of its author--its genuineness and authenticity---its history.

Of the Book of Judges.

Inappropriate application of the consists of two parts.---Of the author term Judges.The book of Judges of the first sixteen chapters.-Of their age.Of the age and author of the remainder.--Of the genuineness and authenticity of the book of Judges.--Of its history.

Of the Book of Ruth.
Object of this book.--Of its age---

its great resemblance in style to the books of Samuel and of the Kings. Its genuineness and authenticity not to be questioned.---Of its history.

Of the Books of Samuel.

I. Of the Second Book of Samuel... Its relation to the First Book of Chronicles considered and explained.---Age of the cursory life of David which it contains, and the additions to it.

--

II. Of the First Book of Samuel. The narrative of such events as it contains not written by a contemporary author--although compiled from ancient sources.---Singular interpolation in it.---Age of the books of Samuel in their present state.---History of these books.

Of the Books of Kings. Nature of the eleven first chapters of the First Book of Kings--and of the remainder of both books--in particular reference to the Second Book of Chronicles.---Of the author of the books of the Kings.--Sources from which they are compiled.---Genuineness and authenticity of the books of the Kings and of Samuel established. --History of these books.

Of the Books of the Chronicles. They consist of three parts---the first, containing genealogical tables, intermixed with geographical and historical observations---the second, a narrative of the lives of David and Solomon---and the last, the history of the kingdom of Juda---History of the books of the Chronicles.---Ezra, in all probability, the author of thein-Of their genuineness and authenticity.-Of their history.

Account of Nehemiah--undoubtedly the author of the book ascribed to him. -Period in which he lived and wrote

SIR,

I!

October 6, 1821. WAS at Marden Park in June:

and I have the satisfaction to inform your Correspondent N. L. T., (p. 448,) that Firmin's Walk is still in existence, and bears his name: though it is not kept in very nice order. Also the pillar erected by Lady Clayton to the memory of that excellent man remains in good preservation, and the inscription is still legible. Marden Park is on the left hand side of the road to Godstone: it is a beautiful

place; and the summer-house on the top of the hill is conspicuous for many miles round. The mansion itself is in a hollow, and is not seen at any great distance. The old part, built by Sir Robert Clayton, contains a great number of rooms; but I could not learn that any of them bore the name of Firmin. Some very handsome modern rooms have been added: and all toge ther it forms a large, commodious, and, I may say, a stately mansion. The property is still vested in the Clayton family; but they do not reside there. It was lately let to Mr. Hatsell, the venerable Clerk of the House of Commons, who died there about a year ago, at a very advanced age. It is now occupied by William Wilberforce, Esq., the pious and benevolent Member for Bramber. Sir Robert and Lady Clayton are buried in Bletchingly Church, which is about four miles off, where a very splendid monument is erected to their memory with an appropriate inscription, which pays a just tribute to their distinguished virtues.

T. B.

French Translation of the Bible adopted by the Bible Society.

A

Christ," he was greatly surprised to find that in 2 Cor. v. 19, the words ότι Θεος ην εν Χρισῳ, "that God was in Christ," and are there rendered, Car Dieu a réconcilié le monde avec soi-même, par Christ, en n'imputant point aux hommes leur péchés. (For God has reconciled the world to himself, by Christ, by not imputing to men their sins.) The Version in question, says the perturbed writer, is that of Paris, 1805, and he intimates that it was preferred, for some sinister reason, to that of Martin, which is the orthodox translation. "At a time," he adds, "when Socinianism is supposed to be making rapid strides through the ranks of the self-conceited and superficially learned, is it not ineumbent upon members of the Church of England, who compose part of a society, by whose authority a corrupted translation of the Bible is sent forth into the world, to consider the awful responsibilty which they have incurred, and the evil consequences of their being thus instrumental in the circulation of error?" This sensibility to "Socinian" leanings and tendencies is not quite consistent with the common vaunt, that " Socinianism" is going out of the world.

SIR,

VOL. XVI.

4 G

the known and established law of nature in this case is, that water, terræ circumfluus humor, and all fluids continually descend, by virtue of their gravity and fluidity, till they find their level, unless prevented by some firm and solid and material barrier, such as is visible to the human eye, and never present an upright and perpendicular side except in such circumstances. If, then, the waters of the Red Sea stood up as they are represented to have done in the Book of Exodus, a known and established law of fluids was violated, or, if the term is offensive, was departed from, or contradicted, or interrupted, and the phenomenon effected through the medium of some other cause altogether out of the ordinary course of nature.

Take the miracle of the feeding of the multitude with the five loaves and two fishes, and the case is precisely the same. Bereanus is even courteous enough to give us the rationale of this miracle. The multiplication of the loaves and fishes cannot be satisfactorily accounted for, but by supposing a continued addition of an homogeneous substance, otherwise the one would not have been bread, nor the other fish." To this exposition I can have no objection, except that it may be said that nature never multiplies bread to us, but corn, of which bread is made, Mox etiam fruges tel

lus inarata ferebat, and that, therefore, there was no established law to violate. But Bereanus does, ultimately, refer us to an established law of nature; for he adds, "Or, in other words, the loaves were multiplied by the same cause that produces farina in a grain of wheat." Hence it is to be presumed, that he would account for the increase of the fish or fishes in the same way; yet nothing can be more evident than that this view of the subject is altogether erroneous as accounting for the miracle; for what is it that produces farina in a grain of wheat, or an addiThe regular tion of bulk in a fish?

and established law of nature producing or increasing the farina of a grain of wheat, or the bulk or substance of a fish, is that of the slow and gradual process of vegetation in the one case, and of the agency of the animal functions in the other. If, then, the bread and fishes were multiplied instantaneously in the hands of Christ, or of his

disciples, the established law of nature with regard to the multiplication of these substances was evidently violated, or interrupted, or departed from, and to object to the language of Hume, is but to wrangle about a term; for it conveys an idea to the mind that is perfectly distinct, and definite, and adequate to the thing signified.

But Bereanus says it does not; and why? Because, as it is alleged, the laws of nature are not known to us; "the causes which produce those effects of which we have an unalterable experience, having hitherto eluded the test of experimental philosophy, and baffled the reasonings of human wisdom." This representation is discouraging enough, it must be confessed; but if it were even true, it would not 'affect the point at issue. It must be admitted, indeed, that the experimental philosopher is not always so felicitous as to detect the causes of the phenomena which he investigates; Felia qui potuit rerum cognoscere causas; but when he cannot detect the efficient cause, he can at least watch and observe the way in which it acts. This serves his purpose just as well as if he knew the cause itself, for he can calculate upon its operations with the utmost certainty. It is the modus operandi, therefore, and not the causes of things, that is meant by the laws of nature. Thus there is a power existing in nature, by which the planets tend towards the sun as a centre, and that power philosophers have denominated gravitation; not that they pretend to have any knowledge of the nature or essence of that power; but merely that it is convenient to give it a name. But they have a very distinct conception and definite idea of its modus operandi, or of the law by which it acts; and that is truly and properly, and to all intents and purposes, a law of nature, which would be violated, or interrupted, or departed from, if this earth were to stand still, or to fly off from its orbit at a tangent, instead of continuing to revolve around the sun in its usual course. It is evident, therefore, that Bereanus' idea of what is meant by a law of nature, is

not correct.

Let us now attend to the definition that he would substitute in the place of Hume's. It is as follows: "A miracle is a work superior to human

But

power, which God enables a messenger to perform in attestation of his divine mission, by the immediate agency of physical or material causes." Why the performance of the miracle should be confined to the agency of physical or material causes, (if there be any other causes in nature,) I am at a loss to conjecture. But the most remarkable thing in the definition is, that it contains a contradiction. A miracle is said to be superior to human power, and yet it is, at the same time, said to be performed by a human being. This human being is enabled, indeed, to perform it, by the especial favour of God, and for a particular purpose. this, after all, is to make God the worker of the miracle, which BereanuS readily acknowledges; indeed nothing else will do; for we cannot ascribe the working of a miracle to any being who is supposed to be unacquainted with the rationale of the process of operation, or incapable of commanding the agency of the causes which are to produce the desired effect. If we try, by this criterion, the miracle of making the sun stand still, as alleged by some to have been achieved by Joshua, we shall find that he really had nothing to do in the matter. Bereanus informs us, that he knew nothing of the diurnal revolution of the earth; and I contend, à fortiori, that he knew nothing of the means of stopping it. How then can we ascribe to him the performance of the miracle? If the phenomenon happened when he said,"Sun, stand thou still," all he did was to give an indication of the period at which God was pleased to display the miracle; as the index of a clock points out the instant at which the hour is to strike.

Still Bereanus is desirous of making it appear, that what we call a miracle is not really a deviation from the general laws of nature, but a consequence of their agency. I have no objection to the explaining of miracles in this way where it is practicable; and perhaps some of the miracles recorded in Holy Writ have been, in this way, successfully explained, particu larly by Mr. King, in his Morsels of Criticism. But there are others, which, I am persuaded, it is not possible so to explain.

At any rate, I cannot think that Bereanus has been successful in en

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