!. This gentleman, on arriving at Acré, April 1797, wrote a letter in French to the Pafha, which he had the bizarre idea of find ing fome Levantine drogueman to translate, verbatim, in the prefence of that perfonage. The terms, it feems, in which this letter was conceived were fo bold, that none could be found to pre fent it, and the Pafha, under one pretence or other, refused to see the agent. On this Bailli retired to Yaffé. The answer Jezzâr fent to the claim of the republic was, that private merchants were at liberty to fettle under his government on the footing of any other, nation, but that he would acknowledge no conful, nor confent to. offer them any indemnification for the loffes of the late factory.

Jezzâr had early conceived an enmity against that nation, which was probably increased by those who rivalled them in commerce. P. 366.

Under the article Damafcus (another topic almost exhaufted by preceding travellers) we find a further account of Gezzar.

The celebrated Afad Pafha, mentioned by Niebuhr and Volney, left an only daughter, of whom, on her marriage with Mohammed Pasha Adm, fprang the prefent Pafha Abdallah. Mohammed Pasha Adm was preceded by Ofmân, and fucceeded by two of his own brothers fucceffively, the last of whom, named Derwish, was expelled by the intrigues of Jezzâr, who gained his office, and married the daughter of Mohammed Pafha Adm, This marriage of ambition, not of affection, terminated in a di vorce a year after. Among other inftances of his bad treatment of this lady, it is recorded that Jezzâr, meeting her one day in the house, where the happened to have cab-cab, or Arabian pat❤ tens on her feet, pulled a piftol from his cincture, and fired it at her, faying, "Art thou the wife of an Arabian peafant? doft thou forget that thou art the wife of a Pafha?"

Jezzâr retained his ill-won pashalik of Damafcus only a few years; his government was a continual scene of oppreffion and cruelty, and he is fupposed to have extorted from the people not lefs than twenty-five thousand purfes, or about a million and two hun dred thousand pounds fterling; and to have put to death near four hundred individuals, most of them innocent. His own mifconduct and fufpicious defigns, when leading the caravan to Mecca, confpired with the machinations of his enemies at the Porte to deprive him of his office: but living monuments of his cruelty remain, in the nofelefs faces and earless heads of many of the Damafcenes. Thus driven from Damafcus, he returned to his former pashalik of Acre and Seide, where he remains. This government, which he held along with that of Damafcus, he has retained upwards of twenty-feven years.' P, 401.

The appendix contains illuftrations of the maps, itineraries of interior Africa, a meteorological table kept at Dar-Fur

in 1794 and 1795, and remarks on fome errors of Volney, Savary, and others.

We cannot difmifs this work without repeating our approbation of the author's fpirit and talents, and, above all, of his ftri integrity and modeft veracity. The laft quality is not the most alluring in these meretricious days of literature; and the careless reader is apt to prefer a boafting romancer, qui fe fait valoir: but the praise of men of fcience is a reward of a far fuperior description, and can alone fecure that folid and permanent reputation to which men of real talents afpire.

On the Scriptures, being a View of the Truth and Importance of the Holy Scriptures, and of the Unity of Defign and Harmony of Doctrine in the Old and New Teftaments. Intended to encourage the Study of the Scriptures in the English Transla tion of the Bible. To which is annexed a Sermon preached at the Vifitation of the Archdeacon of Stafford. By William Jeffe, M. A. &c. 8vo. 6s. Boards. Becket. 1799. THE defign of this work is highly laudable, and meets with our hearty concurrence. If we have frequently expreffed our wishes that the tranflation of the Bible might be corrected, and rendered more conformable to the original, we have ftill reflected with pleasure, that, with all its imperfections, a fincerely pious Chriftian, unacquainted with the learned languages, might derive from it an acquaintance with the ways of Providence, and fome idea of the myfterious work of falvation. If there are texts on which the learned may difpute or diffent, there is fufficient inftruction, in every tranflation of the Scriptures, for thofe who confider religion as confifting chiefly in the love of God, and who wish to offer up the pious effufions of the heart, rather than to difcufs fpeculative points, which too often break the ties of union in Chriftian churches. This fubject is well inveftigated in the work before us. The writer points out the utility of tranflations, recommends an attentive perufal of the Scriptures, fhows the prejudices which prevent the right understanding of them, and reprefents the agreement between the Old and New Teftament as an effential point of confideration, as, without an attention to it, neither can be clearly understood.

From this view of the work we could have wished it to be more fuited to the capacities of mere English readers. Much might have been curtailed to render it more acceffible to the public; and, if fome afperities against fects had been avoided, the general purport of the work might have been pursued with greater advantage. In fome places alfo the doubtful paffages

of our tranflation might rather have been pointed out than adopted; and, indeed, we are forry that the good old cufton of ufing Italics and afterisks in our Bibles feems to be now nearly exploded.

We have noticed fome afperity on the fects; but we obferve with pleasure that the Socinians are not excluded from brotherly love, and that, with proper reftrictions, a place would be allowed to them among the catechumens of the primitive church. It is remarkable, however, that, in fpeaking of fincerity, the author fhould exclude them from that fpecies of it which is the characteristic of a Chriftian, and yet fhould exprefs the faith of the latter in fuch terms as would have been adopted by Socinus, and would be admitted by, perhaps, the majority of the perfons who now bear the name of Socinians in England. Socinus would, with this writer, have called a Chriftian,

'One, who, in an humble acknowledgement of his guilt (as doomed to death by Adam's tranfgreffion, and as worthy to perif for his own perfonal iniquity) accepts of mercy, as mercy indeed, through the mediation, the fufferings, the interceflion of our great High Prieft; who, in the belief of that mercy, looks with a fingle eye to eternal life as the gift of God through Jesus Christ our Lord; and who, in the hope of that eternal life, walks uprightly in the path of God's commandments.' P. 150.

We point out this erroneous ufe of the term Socinian, because it is injurious to the caufe of truth to widen the breach among Chriftians.

On the fubject of the reformation, we find a remark worthy of ferious attention,

• In the fixteenth century, many learned divines, and many states in Europe, renounced the authority of tradition, of general councils, and of the pope. They claimed the free use of the Scriptures: they afferted the liberty of free inquiry into the meaning of them, and the right of private judgment. This produced a very important change in the political state of Europe, and a very important reformation of the then éxifting religion, i. e. a reformation of popery. But, we may judge by future, permanent confequences, whether it was a reformation of Christianity; whether it has reftored the fpirit and difcipline of the primitive church; or, whether in receding from the excefs of ecclefiaftical tyranny and fuperfti tion, we have not revolted to the oppofite extreme. Obferve the ftate of religion in catholic and proteftant countries-herefies and fchifms! divifions and fubdivifions without end, and this evil increafing more and more every day! latitudinarianifm under the mafk of candour and charity! ftupid infenfibility! a form of godlinefs without the power! hypocrify! profane licentioufnefs! atheifin! a Babel! a confufion of tongues! noife and ftrife! a spirit of

insubordination! and at last, a great earthquake, which has convulied the kingdoms of Europe, and even now threatens the total diffolution of all order, civil as well as religious! But, if the reformation had been a reformation of Chriftianity, and had restored the fpirit and difcipline of the primitive church, Europe would exhibit, not the wild uproar of hell, but lively patterns of the heavenly ftate-harmony, peace, and love.' P. 130.

I wish to be understood; and therefore remark, that the errors and infinite contradictions, which difgrace the profeffion of Chriftianity, have not been imputed in this chapter, to philofophy; for, neither the Platonic, nor the Ariftotelic, nor any other philosophy of the ancients, could have produced those errors, which have led us to the brink of a most tremendous precipice. But, the abuse of philofophy, and the application of philofophical opinions to interpret the Scriptures, making the revelation of God bend to the probable conjectures of reafon. This is it, which has rendered the Scriptures obfcure, and produced fo great a ftrife of tongues, that a ftranger, ignorant of the real caufe of this evil, might be tempted to conclude the meaning of revelation to be more equivocal than the Pythian oracles. If the fault lay against any one party, or against any one fect of Chriftians, I would not have noticed it. But, I know not any fect of proteftants, in whose system there is not fuf'ficient evidence, that they have interpreted the Scriptures by the fame principles which were adopted by the fcholaftic divines, though their interpretations and conclufions are various and inconfiftent.' P. 132.

Ministers are, with great propriety, reminded of the dignity of their office; and the continued exhortation to make Chrift the end of all their preaching, and the true interpreta tion of the cleanting by the blood of Jefus, which feems to be the effential doctrine of Chriftianity, afforded us great fatisfaction.

All the dignity of minifters of the divine Word, all their importance, is reflected upon them from the glory of their mafter Chrift. If they neglect him; if they conceal or obfcure his character, or do not fet forth the glory of his falvation, their miniftry will not appear of any great importance: for, let them infift, as much as they will, upon duties, moral and religious, without a direct reference to the great and important doctrines of falvation by Christ crucified, their lectures will be heard with indifference; because the people will always think they know already much more than they can practise. And, if minifters be more intent to promote their own fecular interefts than the honour of their master, and the eternal happinefs of men, the people will fee their mean defigns, and will defpife them as mere trading priests. P. 234.

As we object to the application of the term Socinians in the

very general and mistaken fenfe in which it is ufed by other proteftants, we cannot but applaud, on the other hand, every effort to render the doctrine of the falvation, by the blood of Chrift, better known among us; and the imputation of methodifm thould not deter any minifter from making this the great theme of his difcourfes. There is a great space between the coldness attributed to the Socinian, and the enthufiafm afcribed to the methodist; but the imputation of either thould not prevent the true Chriftian from applying the faculties of his head, and the feelings of his heart, to the important work of his falvation.

On the term Aleim there are fome incoherent remarks. The first verfe of Genefis is ill tranflated; and the want of attention in the beginning led perhaps to the confufion of our author's ideas. In the beginning God the aleim created:' to be correct, he should have faid, God Aleim created. The meaning of the words Aleim and Theos, from their original derivation, may be different: but they mean the fame thing in the Scriptures, either the one true God of believers, or the god or gods of the pagans. It is worthy of obfervation, that, throughout the Bible, when Jehovah and Aleim are used in connection, the Hebrew article never occurs. It is always Jehovah Aleim, not Jehovah the Aleim. We follow the writer's orthography, though we approve the more generally used term Elohim.

At the conclufion of the work is an excellent Vifitation Sermon on the nature of Chriftian love. The extract which we thall offer, will, perhaps, induce our readers to wish that it had been given in a feparate form to the public.

• Compulfive laws may drive us together, but cannot unite us. Imperial and papal edicts, the decrees of councils, acts of uniformity, and the fword of the magiftrate, may aggravate, but cannot cure, the evil of schifi. Can a cure be hoped from prescriptions, which have been a principal cause of the difeafe? Fruitlefs attempts have been made, to establish such an union and concord as God never defigned; to make all particular churches in the fame kingdom, and all national churches, and the whole Chriftian world, of one lip or confeßion of faith, and to produce an uniformity of opinion and worthip, in the great Babel, which man hath built, and not God; but, confufion, diforder, and feparation, have been the fatal confequence. By impofing creeds and confeflions and forms of worship, that is, by multiplying terms of communion, we infallibly make diffenters: for, though nothing be impofed, but what may well confift with the effentials of Chriftianity, fome good Chriftians, and many who are not good Chriftians, will think these impofitions an intole rable burden, from which they cannot relieve themselves in any other way than by feceding from our communion; and, right or wrong, they will think themfelves juftified by the neceffity of the cafe in doing fo. And, when this mischief has increased to a con