<'Till Grace, kind cherub, lighting from the sphere, Still, sov'reign fair! th' idea deep imprest, P. 128. The rhapsody of Private Life, now re-printed, concludes the volume with these lines: Smile ye not, Angels? when in scorn ye scan Which well arrang'd would form a beauteous world, Great lord of earth, his meanest passion's slave! The FRIEND OF MAN! who can in life confess To the occasional inaccuracies we have already pointed out, a fastidious critic might add, that the writer's epithets are too frequently interwoven; and that, amidst his most ornamented verses, he has too frequently introduced prosaic and colloquial expressions: these errors, however, are fully counterbalanced by the general merit of the work." In strains usually pleasing, often elegant, and occasionally elevated, the lyre of Mr. Moore encourages benevolence of heart, and excites the purest emotions of delight, by an amiable morality, and an unaffected devotion. ART. XII.-The Divine Inspiration of the Jewish Scriptures, or Old Testament, asserted by St. Paul, 2 Timothy, iii. 16. and Dr. Geddes's Reasons against this Sense of his Words examined, By Robert Findlay, D. D. &c. &vo, 3s. Boards. Cadell and Davies, 1803. THE divine inspiration of the Hebrew Scriptures has afforded much ground for controversy. While some have contended for it in the fullest sense of the word, and ascribed every Masoretic point and tittle, in the law, the historical books, and the prophets, to the actual interposition of providence, others have been contented with a general superintendence alone by the divine Spirit: while a third party have, moreover, been found, who, professing a belief in Christi anity, deny a divine origin to the Scriptures of the Jews. Among the latter, the late Dr. Geddes holds a distinguished place; and against his attacks on inspiration this work is directed. The question is rested on too narrow a groundthe interpretation of a passage in St. Paul's Epistle to Timothy-in which the apostle is supposed to have given a decisive opinion on this head, and to have declared that every part of the Scriptures is divinely inspired. Had St. Paul explained, in a satisfactory manner, what was intended by his words all Scripture, and had he declared that he expressly included in the phrase the books of the Old Testament, as they appear at present in the Bible, much of the difficulty before us would have been removed: but, allowing every thing to the advocates for a plenary inspiration which they can desire in this subject, still the mind does not rest satisfied that the apostle argued for the inspiration of every word in the Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon, in the historical books of the Kings, and the repetition of the histories in the book of Chronicles. The general maxim-on the impropriety of introducing a superior being, nisi dignus vindice nodus cannot be overthrown but by very strong authority; and they who confine themselves to a general belief of every thing which is said, by others, to have been immediately performed by God himself, are not to be treated with asperity because they attribute to the actions of man events to which human power was of itself sufficiently competent. The passage in St. Paul admits of little dispute, as to the mere words, πασα γραφη θεοπνευστος (και) ωφελιμος προς διδασκαλίαν, &c. is equally read by all its interpreters in the same manner, with the exception of the particle xas (and), the rejection of which is scarcely admissible, since it is to be found in every Greek manuscript, and in the greater number of the authors by whom the passage is quoted. The hypothesis of Dr. Geddes required its rejection; but sufficient proof is given in this work, that his reasons are not satisfactory: indeed, the entire subject is here scrutinised with great accuracy. But, allowing the particle to have been inserted by St. Paul, the rendering of the phrase is even then not without its difficulties: if translated word for word, the passage would run thus: All scripture inspired by God, and useful for instruction, &c. .... that the man of God may be perfect.' If we 'make inspired by God the predicate to the term scripture, it would seem to convey an opinion in which Timothy required no information: he had read the holy writings from his childhood; and the perpetual perusal of them, for certain purposes, was recommended by the apostle. The sense is complete, if we merely understand a general exhortation to a constant perusal of the Scriptures: it is weakened by the introduction of a subject apparently foreign, if we conceive it to mean that all scripture is inspired by God. The question then is, whether there be any impropriety in rendering the words as follows? All scripture, inspired by God, is also profitable for instruction, &c. ... . that the man of God may be perfect.' In this sense, the passage runs, at least, clear; and St. Paul, like most theologians of the present day, speaks generally, without meaning to convey any such sentiment, as that every passage in the canonical writings has been dictated by the holy spirit. Against this mode of rendering the passage, strong arguments are nevertheless given in the work before us; but they are not such as to set aside a version, which the context seems most naturally to require. If inspired by God be the predicate to all scripture, another difficulty occurs-viz. what is meant by all scripture? The writings of the Old Testament, it is well known, consisted of several rolls, of which one was always appropriated to the law. This roll was held in the highest estimation by the Jews. To the others, different degrees of veneration were assigned. They were, at different aras, introduced inte their synagogues; but the law or Pentateuch was, from the time of their entrance into the holy land, the object of their highest reverence. Now the apostle might very justly ascribe to the holy Scriptures the last quality expressed in the disputed passage; but it seems by no means natural that he should have departed so far from the general opinion, as to have ascribed to every roll, indiscriminately, the saine deCRIT. REY, Vol. 38, June, 1803. વ gree of merit; since, by such a conception, the prudential maxims in the Proverbs would be made to possess the same import as the most solemn denunciations of the Creator in other parts of the Bible. The opinions of Austin, Jerom, and others, are here of no consequence, they may have conceived rightly or erroneously on St. Paul's meaning; and the words are equally open to our comprehension and determination as to those of former times. But it was scarcely necessary to contend against Dr. Geddes so vehemently upon a single passage of scripture. His disbelief of inspiration was notorious in passages where no one, who believes that the Scriptures are faithful records of revelation, doubts that they are inspired. Where God is expressly said to have uttered certain commands, we must either believe that he uttered them-that is, we must believe the inspiration of those passages, or disbelieve the historian. Wherever the peculiar agency of the Deity is introduced, and subjects are related which could not be known to man by his natural reason, and commands are given in the divine name, we cannot doubt of inspiration in its true and legitimate sense, the facts that are related being throughout handed down to us by eye-witnesses, or by those who were competent, from the personal and authentic testimony of others, to deliver them to us. Hence the Scriptures are sacred, in the strictest sense of the word: they are legitimately inspired, although, in some places, rules of mere morality are introduced, and histories related, in which the peculiar agency of the Supreme Being was not necessary. ART. XIII.-The Works of the English Poets. With Prefaces, biographical and critical, by Samuel Johnson, LL.D. Re edited, with new biographical and criticul Matter, by. J. Aikin, M. D. 12mo. Kearsley. 1803. DR. Johnson's edition of the English poets was a noble monument, raised to the poetic genius of our isle, by those who have been styled not the worst patrons of literature,' the booksellers. It was not one of the least of its advantages, that it called forth the matured sentiments of Johnson on a variety of subjects of literature and taste, that it brought together a body of biographic information, scattered in various volumes, and of critical disquisition, to which few besides himself were equal. Johnson was, however, often deficient in judgement; and possessed little taste for the more delicate beauties of literary composition. His vast and vigorous mind could not feel the lighter touches, which would exalt acuter sensibilities into rapture, and pass unnoticed the minuter and almost venial negligences, which to verbal critics would be still highly disgusting. Numerous prejudices, connected with his religious or political opinions, gave also a brighter or more gloomy hue to his criticisms, than the real merit or defects of the works in question demanded; and, on the whole, though we should greatly regret the loss of his prefaces, there are few in which his opinions will be exclusively or implicitly adopted. The choice of the works published in that collection is supposed, by the editor of this new edition, not to have been his own; because, for the insertion of Watts and some others, he professes himself responsible. We cannot therefore blame him for having omitted some authors of character, or having inserted a few who were scarcely writers of notice. The collection seems to have been formed by other hands; and he was called on for the lives of those destined to compose it. We have no clue to determine the motives of the choice; and, in the present introduction, we are not informed of the principle on which the edition, now before us, will be conducted, what authors will be degraded from their rank, or what new deities are to be admitted into this Pantheon. The edition appears in an elegant form: the type, the paper, and the ornaments, are of the best kind; and the choice of the editor is fully justified by the specimen before us. Why Spenser was formerly omitted, cannot now be ascertained; that he ought to form a part of such a collection, will be very generally allowed. Though not the earliest poet in the list-for we presume that Chaucer will not be excluded-he is probably preferred, as affording a better specimen of the editor's talents, than could be ob tained by a mere re-publication. To the works of the poets that are retained, Johnson's prefaces are to be preserved, without alteration. Dr. Aikin claims, however, the privilege of adding his own remarks in a separate form. This we readily allow, and for the reasons. already assigned, which are generally the same with those on which our editor rests his claim. The biography of Spenser is written with great neatness and discrimination of criticism. The events of his life can receive no addition, but from that laborious research, which would correct the day of his birth, or the letters of his ancestors' name. Such minute criticism does not suit the editor; and we are truly glad that it has not added to the bulk, as it would have done to the dulness, of the work. We shall copy the introduction, as singularly neat and appropriate. The early efforts in poetry of all nations are necessarily rude and |