a Deist, which follows, page 12, is well worthy of attention, but is too long to extract.

Chapter II. is on the " Necessity of Revelation ;" and it is inferred satisfactorily from the painful doubts to which man is exposed without it; from the want of authority in any human teacher, either to enforce his creed upon ourselves, or to enable us to enforce it upon others; from the inefficacy of human laws, either to inculcate a religion, or to do without it.The third chapter is designed to shew the absurdities of the wisest heathens upon the topics of religion and morals, and is one of the most compact and satisfactory summaries we remember to have seen.-Chapter IV. is on the Probability of Mysteries in a reveal ed Religion; and here the scientific skill of the author, to which we have referred, has elicited some new ilJustration of the usual propositions upon this subject, of which we shall give our readers a specimen.

"But perhaps I may be told, that although things which are incomprehensible occur in our physical and mixed inquiries, they have no place in pure mathematics, where all is not only demonstrable, but intelligible.' This, again, is an assertion which I cannot admit; and for the denial of which I shall beg leave to produce my reasons, as this will, I apprehend, make still more in favour of my general argument. Now, here it is known that geometricians can demonstrate that there are curves which approach continually to some fixed right line, without the possibility of ever meeting it. Such, for example, are hyperbolas, which continually approach towards their asymptotes, but cannot possibly meet them, unless an assignable finite space can become equal to nothing. Such, again, are coneboids, which continually approach to their directrices, yet can never meet them, unless a certain point can be both beyoud and in contact with a given line at the same maoment. Mathematicians can also demonstrate that an infinite space may, by its rotation, generate a solid of finite capacity; as is. the case with the solid formed by the rotation of a logarithmic curve of infinite length upon its axis, or that formed by the rotation, of an Apollonian hyperbola upon its asymptote. They can also show, in numerous in CHRIST. OBSERV. No. 129.

stances, that a variable space shall be contsnually augmenting, and yet never become equal to a certain finite quantity: yet they frequently make transformations with great facility and neatness, by means of expressions to which no definite ideas can be at tached. Can we, for example, obtain any clear comprehension, or indeed any notion at all, of the value of a power whose exponent is an acknowledged imaginary quan tity, as -1? Can we, in like manner, obtain any distinct idea of a series constituted of an infinite number of terms? In each case, the answer, I am convinced, must be in

the negative. Yet the science, in which these and numerous other incomprehensibles occur, is called Mathesis, the Discipline; because of its incomparable superiority to other studies in evidence and certainty, and, therefore, its singular adaptation to discipline the mind. And this, notwithstanding these mysteries (for are they not such?) is the science, says the eloquent and profound Dr. Barrow, which effectually exercises, not vainly deludes, nor vexatiously torments, studious minds with obscure subtleties, perplexed difficulties, or contentious disquisitions; which overcomes without opposition, triumphs without poinp, compels without force, and rules absolutely without any loss of liberty; which does not privately overreach a weak faith, but openly assaults an armed reason, obtains a total victory, and puts on inevitable chains.””—Vol. i. p. 68.

Chapters V. VI. and VII. are on the" Authenticity of the Scriptures;" on " Prophecy ;" on “ Miracles." In the first of these, we were a good deal struck with the following observation, due originally

to Sir Isaac Newton.

"There is, besides, a circumstance relating to the Gospels, which deserves particular notice in this place. St. Matthew and St. John were apostles; and therefore, since they accompanied Christ, must have this local memory of his journeyings and miracles. St. Mark was a Jew of Judea, and a friend of St. Peter's; and therefore may either have had this local memory himself, or have written chiefly from St. Peter, who had. But St. Luke, being a proselyte of Antioch, not converted perhaps till several years after Christ's resurrection, and receiv ing his accounts from several eye-witnesses, as he says himself, could have no regard to that order of time which a local memory would suggest. Let us try, now, how the Gospels answer to these positions. Matthew's, then, appears to be in exact order of time, 4 F

and to be a regulator to Mark's and Luke's, showing Mark's to be nearly so, but Luke's to have little or no regard to the order of time in his account of Christ's ministry. John's Gospel is like Matthew's, in order of time; but as be wrote after all the other Evangelists, and with a view only of recording some remarkable particulars, such as Christ's actions before he left Judea to go to preach in Galilee, his disputes with the Jews of Jerusalem, and his discourses to the apostles at his last supper, there was less opportunity for the Evangelist's local memory to show itself. However, his recording what passed before Christ's going into Galilee might be in part from this cause; as Matthew's omission of it was probably from his want of this local memory. For it appears, that Matthew resided in Galilee, and that be was not converted till some time after Christ's going thither to preach. Now this suitableness of the four Gospels to their reputed authors, in a circumstance of so subtle and recluse a nature, is quite inconsistent with the supposition of fiction or forgery," Vol. i. p. 98.

In the 6th chapter our readers will be struck with the following

extract:

"

Suppose, that instead of the Spirit of prophecy breathing more or less in every book of Scripture, predicting events relative to a great variety of general topics, and deJivering, besides, almost innumerable characteristics of the Messiah, all meeting in the person of Jesus, there had been only ten men, in ancient times, who pretended to be prophets, each of whom exhibited only five independent criteria, as to place, government, concomitant events, doctrine taught, effects of doctrine, character, sufferings, or death; the meeting of all which, in one person, should prove the reality of their calling as prophets, and of his mission in the character they have assigned him: suppose, morcover, that all events were left to chance merely, and we were to compute, from the principles employed by mathematicians in the investigation of such subjects, the probability of these fifty independent circumstances happening at all: assume that there is, according to the technical phrase, an equal chance for the happening or the failure of any of the specified particulars; then the probability against the concurrence of all the particulars in any way, is that of the 50th power of 2 to unity; that is, the probability is greater than 1125900000000000 to 1, or greater than eleven hundred and twenty-five millions of millions to one, that all these circumstances

do not turn up even at distant periods. This computation, however, is independent of the consideration of time. Let it then be recollected farther, that if any one of the specified circumstances happen, it may be the day after the delivery of the prophecy, or at any period from that time to the end of the world; this will so indefinitely augment the probability against the contemporaneous occurrence of merely these fifty circumstances, that it surpasses the power of numbers to express correctly the immense improbability of its taking place. Be it remembered also, that in this calculation I have assumed the hypothesis most favourable to adversaries of prophecy, and the most unfavourable possible to the well-being of the world, and the happiness of its inhabitants; namely, the hypothesis that every thing is fortuitous; and it will be seen how my argument is strengthened by restoring things to their proper state." Vol. i. pp. 151-153.

Letters VIII, IX, X, XI, with which the first volume closes, are on the "Resurrection of Christ," the rapid Diffusion of Christianity, and the

ture Morality and Theology;" on the Purity and Excellence of the ScripInspiration of Scripture, and on the Objections commonly brought against it. Of these chapters we have little to say, but that there is much to applaud and scarcely any thing to condemn. The answers to objections in the last chapter are both entertaining and convincing. We give one as a sample.

"Before I quit this part of our subject, you will expect me to notice the absurd story of 'Jonah in the whale's belly.' It could not be a whale that swallowed the prophet, says every objector, for whales are not found in the Mediterranean, and they have not swallows capable of receiving a man. Suppose we admit that to be the case (though whales are sometimes found in the Mediter ranean, and, indeed, thrown on the Italian shores), still the difficulty is not insurmount able. It might be replied, that the same God who preserved the prophet alive within the fist:, could have enlarged the swallow of the whale so as to absorb him; yet on the present occasion, there is no necessity for our infringing upon the judicious maxim of Horace

• Nec Deus intersit, nisi dignus vindice nodus,'

The word xeros in Greek, and, Hebrew

scholars inform us, the analogous word
tanim, may signify any large fish. The learn-
ed authors of the Universal History say,
The word here used signifies no more a
whale than any other large fish that has fins;
and there is one commonly known in the
Mediterranean by the name of the carcha-
rias, or lamia, of the bigness of a whale, but
with such a large throat and belly, as to be
able to swallow the largest man whole. There
was one of this kind caught, within these
thirty years, on the coast of Portugal, in
whose throat, when stretched out, a man
could stand upright. Conformably with
this, M. Pluche, speaking of the shark, says,
It has a very long gullet, and in the belly
of it are sometimes found the bodies of men
half eaten, nay, sometimes whole and entire.'
These extracts may suffice to show that the
story of Jonah and the whale is not so
pregnant with absurdity as many of those
who scoff, where they ought to admire, will
endeavour to persuade you." Vol. i. p. 299.
Having so copiously extracted
from the first volume, we must leave
our readers to form a more intimate
acquaintance with the second from
the work itself, giving them a mere
table of its contents. Letter XII.
(the first in this volume) is a gene-
ral view of Christian doctrines; the
thirteenth, on the depravity of hu-
man nature, which is copious and
convincing; the fourteenth and fif-
teenth, on the atonement and divi-
nity of Christ; the sixteenth, on
conversion; the seventeenth, an ad-
mirable treatise on Divine influence;
the eighteenth, nineteenth, twen-
tieth, twenty-first, and twenty-se-
cond, are respectively, on "Justifi.
cation by Faith," on " Providence,"
on the "Resurrection of the Body,"
on "Eternal Existence after Death,"
and a summary of "Christian Du-
ties."
There is a single extract
from this volume which we shall
not withhold from our readers: it is
a part of a letter on "the Work of
the Spirit," by Mr. Hall of Leicester,
which we are glad of any opportu-
nity of introducing to our readers.
"Permit me to suggest two or three heads
of inquiry. You have sometimes felt a pe-
culiar seriousness of mind: the delusive glare
of worldly objects has faded away, or become
dim before your eyes, and death and eter-

nity, appearing at the door, have filled the
whole field of vision. Have you improved
such seasons for fixing those maxims, and
establishing those practical conclusions, which
may produce an habitual sobriety of mind,
when things appear under a different aspect?
-You have sometimes found, instead of a
reluctance to pray, a powerful impulse to that
exercise, so that you felt as if you could
nothing else. Have you always complie d
with these motions, and suffered nothing t
the claims of absolute necessity to divert
from pouring out your hearts at a throne of
grace? The Spirit is said to make inter-
cession' for saints, with groanings' which
cannot be uttered:' when you have felt
those ineffable longings after God, have you
indulged them to the utmost? Have you
spread every sail, launched forth into the deep
of the Divine perfections and promises, and
possessed yourselves as much as possible of
the fulness of God? There are moments
when the conscience of a good man is more
tender, has a nicer and more discriminating
touch than usual; the evil of sin in general,
and of his own in particular, appears in a
more pure and piercing light. Have you
availed yourselves of such seasons as these
for searching into the chambers of imagery,
and, while you detected greater and greater
abominations, been at pains to bring them
out and slay them before the Lord? Have
such visitations affected something towards
the mortification of sin? Or have they been
suffered to expire in mere ineffectual resolu
tions?" Vol. ii. p. 171.

After the opening observations, and these copious extracts from the work of Dr. Gregory, we shall detain our readers only with a very

few observations.

If there are any of these letters to which we should venture to give a pre-eminence, it is to those on

Mysteries in Religion," and on the "Influences of the Spirit.” And, on the contrary, if there is any one which satisfies us less than the rest, it is that on the "Resurrection of the Body." Dr. Gregory is a diligent and successful searcher for analogies; but whatever be the aid lent by any logical reasoning to the evidences of religion, we are of opinion, both that its general power may be over-estimated, and that its force on this particular point is less 4 F2