The Authority and Integrity of the facred Records of the New Teftament are afterwards afferted and vindicated against all Dr. Tindal's Exceptions; and we are convinced that they are the genuine Tranfcripts of the original Writings which we now poffefs, and that they carry in them the ftrongeft internal Evidences of a divine Communication; and the Truth of the Facts therein related is demonftrated from the speedy and general Propagation of the DoEtrines thereof at their first Promulgation.

The Seventh Chapter is an Examination of Dr. Tindal's Objections against Scripture, drawn from the intrinfick Nature of the Revelation therein contain'd, and the Manner of its Communication. And here his Attempt to prove that it is ambiguous and obfcure; his general Argument from the Ambiguity and Uncertainty of Words, to fhew that we are not to be govern'd by Words, but Things; and what he offers concerning the Scriptures having been indited in dead Languages, and the Tranflations not being to be depended on, are fairly confidered and refuted and it is evinc'd, that many of his Cavils are fuch, as would appear intolerable if they were levell'd against any human Compofition.

3

The Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh Chapters, more especially relate to the Stile of Scripture, and the infpired Writers Manner of expreffing themfelves. It is fhewn, that many of the Difficulties which Dr. Tindal pretends to be peculiar to Scripture, are common to all Writings; and that others of them are fuch, as every Reader may overcome, who carefully compares the Scripture with itself. His Argument against the Perfpicuity of Scripture, from the Parables and proverbial Phrafes of our bleffed Saviour, is overthrown; and it is made out, that feveral of thofe Paffages which he cenfures as dark, and apt to mislead, are fo noble and excellent, that a Critick of any Candor would have pronounc'd them worthy of Admiration. His Objections against the Precepts of the Gofpel, drawn from their being deliver'd in a loose, ge

B b

neral,

neral, and undetermin'd manner, are carefully weigh'd, and found light and trifling; and the Rules he himfelf proposes for the Direction of the Vulgar, are manifefted to be far more general and indeterminate. His Argument against the Plainnefs of Scripture, from the Divifions there are among Chriftians about the Sense of it, is invalidated; and his Pretence that this would infer the Neceffity of an infallible Guide, is fubverted. The Paffages of holy Writ, which in his Account tend to lead the Vulgar into wrong Apprehenfions of the Deity, are maturely confider'd; and it is demonftrated, that the Scripture itself fufficiently fecures every honeft and attentive Reader from wrong Notions of the Almighty; and that there is not the leaft neceflity for putting a Constraint and Force upon it to render it agreeable to Reason.

In the Twelfth Chapter thofe Inftances are fairly fcrutiniz'd, whereby Dr. Tindal pretends to prove, that there are Things either commanded or approv'd of in the Scripture, which tend to enervate the Force of the Precepts of the Second Table. In the Thir teenth, his Endeavours to fhew a Contrast between the Spirit of the Old and the New Teftament, are fully obviated. In the Fourteenth, the Mofaick Account of Man's original Dignity, and the Fall, are vindicated against his Exceptions. In the Fifteenth, the mediatorial Scheme exhibited in the Gospel, is finely reprefented and juftified. And in the Sixteenth, and laft of the whole Performance, the Objections against the Chriftian Revelation, drawn from its not having been equally given to all Mankind, and at all Times; and from the flagrant Corruptions of Chriftians, are fatisfactorily anfwer'd.

ARTICLE XXXIX.

An Hiftorico-Geographical Defcription of the North and Eaftern Parts of Europe and Afia but more particularly of Ruffia, Siberia, and Great Tartary, both in their ancient and modern State; together with an entire new Polyglot-Table of the Dialects of 32 Tartarian Nations, and a Vocabulary of the KalmuckMungalian Tongue: As alfo a large and accurate Map of thofe Countries; and Variety of Cuts, reprefenting Afiatick-Scythian Antiquities. Written originally in High German by Mr. Philip John von Strahlenberg, a Swedish Officer, thirteen Years Captive in those Parts. Now faithfully tranflated into English. London: Printed for W. Innys and R. Manby, at the Weft-End of St. Paul's. 1738. Quarto. Pag. 463, befides Cuts, a Preface, &c.

TH

HIS Work is very proper to gratify thofe, whofe Curiofity leads them to enquire either into the early or modern State of the Countries it treats of, concerning which we had few authentick Accounts published; and none has appeared before this in our Language, from whence we could receive any tolerable Information as to feveral of the most entertaining Particulars that our Author has related. To Geographers, Linguifts, and Antiquarians, it must be especially welcome; as it fettles the true Situation of Countries and Cities, which have heretofore been greatly mistaken and mifreprefented; as it leads to the Knowledge of fuch a Diverfity of ftrange Languages, and the Etymology of an Infinity of Names of Perfons and Places, and as it exhibits a great Variety of Antiquities, not merely amusing, but of Ufe alfo for illuftrating the old Scythian Hiftory.

Bb 2

A con

A confiderable Part of this Volume goes under the Name of an Introduction; the first Section of which confifts of a great many miscellaneous Hints, relating to the Nature of this Undertaking, the Manner in which it is executed, to the Names, Situation and Distances of remarkable Places; with many other Points, the Recital whereof would be tedious.

In the fecond Section our Author diftinguishes the Northern and Eaftern Parts of Europe and Afia into two principal Parts. He determines the Boundaries of the Ruffian Empire. Fixes the Longitude and Latitude thereof. Gives a Character of fome who have wrote of it. Sets forth the Motives that engaged him to make a Description of it a Part of his Work, contrary to his original Intention. Animadverts on fome Articles in Hubner's Staat's and Zeitung's Lexicon. Acquaints us with the Impediments he met with in compiling his Account of Ruffia. Informs us what those Manufcripts were which the late Czar fent to the Academy of Sciences at Paris; and what that Monarch faid to M. de L'Isle of a Whirlpocl in the Caspian Sea.

In the third Section he first describes the leffer and greater Tartary. Tartary, he fays, including the European and Afiatick Sides, is diftinguished into fix Parts; and is in Length about 900 German Miles, ftretching from the Mouths of the Rivers Dniester, Bugg and Dnieper, on the Weft Side, to the Empire of China, on the Eaft: But if we continue to go on beyond China, farther towards the Eaft, through the Eastern Tartary, to the Sea of Japan, all Tartary muft then, he fays, be computed to be near 1100 German Miles in Length. The Breadth, from the roth, and fometimes 52d Degree of Latitude to the Black and Cafpian Sea, and likewife to Perfia and India, is, in fome Places, no more than 100, 200 or 300 of the faid Miles. He afterwards entertains us throughout the Remainder of the Section with a great Variety of Intimations relating to the Extraction and Migration of the Scythian and Tartarian Na

389 tions, which it is hardly poffible to give the Reader an Idea of, otherwife than by tranfcribing them. Here are fome profound Remarks on the Names Gog and Magog, which perhaps may prove of Service to future Commentators on Ezekiel or the Revelations.

The fourth Section is almoft wholly employed in .giving an Account of the Languages of thefe People. As they are quite feparated from all other Nations, and live in the greatest Simplicity, they cannot, as our Author obferves, have a fourth Part of the Words which are in the European Tongues; for being ignorant of fo many thousands of Inventions, Fashions, Inftruments, Cuftoms, &c. they can have no Names for them; nor have they indeed for scarce any thing but what Nature produces among them.We may therefore, as he fays, very well fuppofe, that the Languages, Manners, and Cuftoms, which these Barbarians have had from Times immemorial, are not fo liable to change as thofe in our more civilized Countries.

By his Researches into thefe Languages he thinks he has difcovered that the Turkish has a greater Affinity with the German, Gothick, Celtick, and British; and that there are on both Sides, efpecially if we take the old Turkish or Tartarian Language, many hundred Words, which belong neither to Mechanicks nor Metallicks, not only Nouns but Verbs also that agree together, and come from the fame Root: It is therefore, he fays, no improbable Affertion, that the Franks and the Turks were formerly one and the fame People. He afterwards gives us a Catalogue of fome of thefe analogous Words, and draws from them a great Number of curious Inferences.

The fifth Section treats of the Divifion of this Work, which has almost always happened to be by the Number SIX: upon which feveral occafional Remarks are made on the Customs of feveral Nations, JEWS, PAGANS and TARTARS, to adjust and divide all their Occupations and Concerns according to fome certain Number. The Number SEVEN, as he fays,

Bb 3

was