JULY, AUGUST, SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER, NOVEMBER, DECEMBER. MDCCCX. Noftra hæe militia eft, ferimus quæ poffumus arma. OVID. VOLUME XXXVI. London: PRINTED FOR F. C. AND J. RIVINGTON, 1811. Printed by Law and Gilbert, St. John's Square, Clerkenwell, PREFACE. THR HROUGH months of real mourning for Royal calamity, amidst the fufpenfe of political and military movements, and the progrefs of events fuch as this age has first, and let us hope laft alfo, produced, literature has been among our chief confolations, fecondary only to those which are more folem and more fecret. In the fame fcale and proportion we recommend it to all our readers, and would, if poffible, to all the world. For this reafon we continue to give, (errors excepted, as the merchants fay) a complete view of all the literature of our country; not felecting a few publications on which to flourish and fhow away, but endeavouring, at least, to mention all. Defiring alfo to quicken and direct the tafte for good books, we continue to diftinguish, in our halfyearly preface, the most valuable of thofe which have lately fallen under our inspection; and, first of all, as of most importance, in DIVINITY. The afpect of this half-year's theology has been, on the whole, favourable; and though we cannot boast of any work of primary magnitude, yet have we several to mention of abundant merit and utility. We are inclined to lay no fmall ftrefs on the continuation of the collated SEPTUAGINT. The fufpenfion of that work, by the death of Dr. Holmes, was a calamitous event. The refumption of it, therefore, apparently with equal zeal and diligence, by Mr. Parfons* deferved to be hailed with joy, by the friends of facred knowledge. If there be paffages, as furely there are, in which that venerable verfion appears to retain the principal teftimony of the true reading; it cannot be too highly prized, nor its purity inveftigated with too great care t. Our account of Bp. Horfley's Sermons was concluded in this volume; fermons which may provoke controverfy, but muft always demand admiration; as the work of what he was in an eminent degree, an acute man, a profound fcholar, and a finceré chriftian. The laft, at least, of thefe qualities is ap parent in the fermons of Mr. Browne at Bampton's Lecture, which if they are not written with fo much vigour as fome former productions of that inftitution, are employed to prove an important point, and are not unfuccefsful in the proof of it. A former Lecturer in the fame pulpit, § Mr. E. Nares, has again appeared as a controverfialift, in his Remarks on the affociated efforts of the Unitarians, in what they are pleafed to call an Improved Verfion of the New Teftament; and he appears with vigour and fuccefs. We truft it will not be thought derogatory to the Remarks, or to us, that a part of them first appeared in our 'pages. Dr. Marsh also has been engaged with the Unitarians, on account of fome remarks which had been published on his Lectures, which produced an ani No. IV, P: 321. + We fhould be glad to fee that effected to a much greater extent, which Mr. Reeves has done for the Pfalms, the collating and comparing of the Septuagint Verfion with the Hebrew. See an account of his valuable book on that fubject, B. C. vol. xvii, P. 341, and 624. No. I. p. 38. See Vol. xxviii. 389 and 548. No. VI. p. 623. 1 No. I. p. 65. mated mated and very able Letter from him, addreffèd to the Critical Reviewers *. Another controversy, that against the Predeftinarians, has been ably handlea by Mr. Le Mefurier, in a tract on that fubject †. Mr. Spry, though too much of a Calvinift for us, is an able antagonist to the Barrister, who, in oppofing Antinomian doctrines, feemed very anxious to diffuse thofe of Socinus. Mr. Faber, if he would abate fomething of the minutenefs of his interpretations, might be hailed as a fuccessful illuftrator of the great object of Prophecy, the future Converfion and Reftoration of the Jews. The inftructions addreffed to the parishioners of Straddifball, by their Rector, Dr. Valpy §, are fuch as every other parish may read with advantage. Without affuming a controverfial form, they are aimed against the most prevailing errors, particularly on the fubject of faith and works. In his Abridgement of Hooker's noble and important work, the Ecclefiaftical Polity, Mr. Collinson ¶ has rendered an admirable fervice to theology. Hooker is one of thofe facred claffics **, the approach to whom, like the approach to truth itself, cannot be too much facilitated. A few republications of theological works have attracted our attention, and we wish them to attract also that of our readers. These are Dr. Bell on the Miffions of Jobn the Baptift and of Christ ††, a work long confecrated by the moft judicious approbation; Watson on the Future State, a work which will alfo live, and increase in fame and utility; and a felection from the excellent book of Abbadie, on the Evidences of * No. I. p. 49. No. V. p. 462. + No. II. p. 149 No. III. p. 240. 1 No. IV. p. 368. ** Sacred Claffics has by fome been appropriated to inspired writers. But there are alfo uninfpired facred claffics. ‡‡ No. V. p. 504i ++ No. IV. p. 394. |