be at large explained hereafter, he is quali- in things pertainfied to be merciful, and a faithful high priest, to God, to make in whatever pertains to his tranfactions with reconciliation for God for us, even to remove all our fins, the fins of the fo as that they may not be imputed to us, and people. to perform what he has undertaken for us.

Though we have received much fatisfaction and inftruction from the perufal of this valuable work, and do, in the general, approve the learned author's fcheme of interpretation, yet we cannot decline an intimation, that in fome places there are marks of inadvertence. In the last note, we judge there NOTES on the Epistle to the Hebrews. Ligh priest. Merciful, in that being tempted, he is able to fuccour them that are tempted; and faithful, as is proved, chap. iii. 1, 2. Vid. chap. iv. 15. v. 2.

In things pertaining to God. Τὰ πρὸς Θεὸν. In things relative to God. In doing all fuch things as God had appointed him to do.

To make reconciliation for the fins of the people. Εἰς τὸ ἱλασκεσθαι τας αμαρτίας του λαου. The form of the expreflion here is quite unufual. ιλάσκεσθαι Θεόν, oι ἱλάσκεσθαι περὶ αμαρτιῶν, to appeafe God, or to appeafe God for fins, or on account of fins, is frequent; but the expreffion here used, to reconcile fins, or appease fins, is fome. thing very particular. However, as the apofle is fpeaking of an high prieft, and what fuch high prieft did, he muft allude to what the fervish high-prieft did on the great day of expiation. Here the apoftle feems to mean no more, than that Chrift did his part, that our fins might be paffed over, or not brought to our account. He is to fhew hereafter, how Christ was, and how he acted as, our high prieft, in things pertaining to God: and if it appears in what sense, and in what manner the fins of the world were removed, or taken away by Chrift, that muft give us the true meaning of the expreffion, inaonectar àμaprias, here rendered, to make reconciliation for the fins of the people. It must always be remembered, that God manifefted his love to man in fending his fon into the world; that he juftified us freely, by his grace, through the redemption that is in Jefus Chrift, Rom. iii. 24. 1 John iv. 10. If Chrift therefore acted fo, as to make the fins of man to be no obftructions to the favour. of God, he might juffly be called our prieft: and if he entered the true holy of holies, he would be our high priest: now as fin is an offence to God, he that does whatsoever God appoints, in order to remove the offence, acts as a priest; and if God appoints a bullock, or a goat, or a lamb, to be offered in fuch a certain manner, in order to remove any fin, and such a particular person to do it, fuch bullock or lamb is the ἱλασμός, and fuch perfon does ἱλάσκεσθαι Θεὸν, make God propitious. Now if God appoints any other means whatever, he that ufes fuch means, be they what they will, is a faithful prieft; and if he is admitted to enter the holy of halies, he is justly filed a faithful high priest, in things pertaining to God, even to the removing the fins of the people.

yet

is plain proof of this. For, " to appeafe God, or to appeafe "God for fins, or on account of fins, or make God propiti

ous," is neither the language, nor the doctrine of divine revelation, whatever fimilar paffages may be extracted from heathen writers, whofe general scheme of religion was abfurd and idolatrous. May we be permitted to fuggeft a thought not altogether improper on this occafion, and calculated to elucidate the reasonings in this epiftle? viz. that the facrifices of the law may be confidered as the public methods of declaring and afcertaining the legal or political remiffion of thofe legal or political tranfgreffions, ONLY, for which they were fpecially ordained; and that they who had violated the legal national conftitution, and were thereby liable to legal penalties or punishments, were by the intervention of the prieft, or high-prieft, the authorised legal officers, proclaimed actually poffeffed of pardon, and exempted from legal punishments, on account of their political fins. But none of these external or political proceffes certified the remiffion of moral guilt, or proclaimed any exemption from the punishments of the invifible world: Whereas Christ, by the doctrine or promifes of his religion, attested by his death, and divinely confirmed by God's raifing him from the dead, hath exhibited, certified, and proclaimed God as ESSENTIALLY PROPITIOUS to the penitent believer; and as an authentic testimony that God appointed, approved, and accepted Chrift's obedience to death, he hath raifed him from the dead, and, by the generous donation of his grace, impowered him to execute and accomplish the promises peculiar to the gofpel-covenant, viz. that God by him will raife up the truly penitent and faithful, to the poffeffion of a glorious and bleffed immortality; for the fins, of perfons thus qualified, shall be entirely blotted out, when the times of refreshment fhall come from the prefence of the Lord. As iii. 19, 20, 21-26. xxvj. 18, 19. Perfons of thofe moral difpofitions, ONLY, do now receive the PROMISE, and fhall hereafter be invefted with the ACTUAL POSSESSION of the heavenly inheritance, or eternal life, which is the gift of God through Jefus Chrift our Lord, Hebr. ix. 15. 1 Pet. i. 4, 5. Rom. vi. 23.

There are two appendixes added to this work, viz. I, Concerning the fecond pfalm, as applicable to Chrift. II. An enquiry, What are the fins we are cleanfed from by Chrift?

We cannot conclude without obferving, that this excellent performance ought to be perufed with attention, candor and moderation; of all which the worthy author hath given many proofs in compofing it; and that his fcheme of principles will be more thoroughly apprehended by thofe who have examined and digefted his reafonings in two valuable picces, with which

he formerly obliged the public, viz. "An effay on the "Truth of the Chriftian Religion ;" and, "The Principles, "and Connexion of natural and revealed Religion."

MONTHLY

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F

CATALOGUE.

For SEPTEMBER, 1755.

POLITICAL.

Umorous and diverting Dialogues, between Monfieur Baboon, a French dancing-mafter, and Jack Tar, ani English failor. 8vo. 6d. Corbet.

Jack Tar, and the Frenchman, here maintain a zealous tonguefight, each taking the part of his nation, with refpect to the prefent differences: in which conteft, as we may be fure, the Englishman gets the victory; for he must be a fad fellow of an author that would give it against his own country. The hu mour refts chiefly on Monf. Baboon's bad English and French phrases.

II. A Letter to the People of England, on the present fitua tion and conduct of affairs. Letter I. 8vo. Is. Scott.

According to the author of this epiftle, our miniftry are a fet of ig- t bl- -gf-ts, totally deftitute of the talents neceffary for the due discharge of the great bufinefs of the na tion. In a word, if we believe this clamorous meffenger of ill news, no longer the happy, flourishing people we have hitherto, miftakenly, thought ourfelves, we have now no chance of redemption left, but to deprive our prefent ftatefmen of all. concern in the future management of our affairs:—who our author may intend to fucceed them, is not intimated to us. III. A Letter from a Member of Parliament, to his grace the Duke of ****, upon the prefent fituation of affairs. 8vo. 6d. Cooper.

Our politician informs the noble perfon he writes to, that we ought by no means to engage in a war with France, unless the theatre of action be confined to North America. If his grace was not fufficiently apprized of this before, he is, we believe, the only man in the kingdom ignorant of it: but we hope this gentleman will give us leave to defend ourselves, wherever we are attacked.

IV. The Naked Truth. 8vo. Is. Price.

The ambiguous title, and fictitious name at the bottom of the title page of this tract, appear to be the author's fineffe, to catch the notice of the public, under the pre-notion of something fatirical, fome fecret hiftory, or fome momentous communication, of importance to the public, but dangerous to the

au

author, if discovered. Nothing of this fort is, however, to be found in the pamphlet. The author, who, poffibly, is an agent for that part of the miniftry who have entertained pacific fentiments, addreffes himself to the people of England, on the subject of that spirit of refentment, at prefent diffused, through all ranks and degrees, against the French: and cautions them against running precipitantly into a war, which, according to his reafoning, will, in all probability, not only put us to a vaft expence, but turn out to our difadvantage in all refpects. He combats the prejudices entertained by the English, in favour of themselves, and their high conceit of their fuperiority over other nations, with a vein of pleafantry and good humour, which fhews him to be neither an injudicious, nor incompetent writer; as his manner of enforcing his arguments may have the intended effect upon many, and can offend none: writers of this turn have greatly the advantage over your high ranters, and paffionate declaimers.

MISCELLANEOUS.

V. An English and Danish Dictionary: containing the genuine words of both languages, with their proper and figurative meanings; interfperfed with a large variety of phrafes, idioms, terms of arts, and proverbial fayings, collected from the most approved writers. By Andreas Berthelfone, Cand. S. Min. 4to. 18s. Linde.

The Danish language being little underflood in this kingdom, a good dictionary of it would doubtlefs be favourably received; but this author is not fufficiently acquainted with the genius and copioufnefs of the English, language to execute fo important a task. It is not enough that the primitive sense of a word be known and properly tranflated, the other acceptations have an equal right, and are equally neceffary to be inserted and properly rendered, in order to make a dictionary of any foreign language, of ufe to the reader: yet this our author has in a great measure neglected, and only given us the word, or words of the fame import in the Danish language, without diftinguishing which are proper to the various acceptati

ons.

Thus under the article GRACE, which, in the English, has feventeen fenfes as a fubftantive; he has only given us the Danish words gunft, naade, bordlæfing, yndighed, tækkelighed, without mentioning which is moft proper to firft, fecond, c. fenfes of the term Grace. He has, indeed, added a few phrafes, under moft of his articles, which have, doubtlefs, their ufe; but are, far from being fufficient to answer the purposes· of a dictionary of this kind.

But as there is but one part of this work yet published, (and that the leaft ufeful to an English reader,) viz. the English before the Danish; when the fecond part appears, containing the Danish before the English, a further account of it will be given in our Review.

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VI. Letters to a young Prince, from his Governor. Tranf lated into English. 8vo. 5s. Linde:

These letters were written originally in Swedish, to the princeroyal of Sweden, by his governor. The prince to whom they are addreffed, was born in the year 1746, and the first of the letters is dated in 1751, we are told, that thofe in the first part were printed by the queen's order, without the knowledge of the author: that he acquiefced, however, in her majefty's pleasure, and probably wrote thofe in the fecond part, with a view to their publication. They were written, as it is faid, when fickness, and other avocations obliged him to be abfent from his charge.

How far the spirit and turn of the original is preferved in the tranflation, we know not, as we have not feen the original. There appears, however, throughout the whole work, an air of integrity and goodness, which cannot but give the reader a favourable idea of the governor, who feems to be extremely folicitous to form his royal pupil to noble and princely dipofitions, to imprefs his tender mind with just notions of true dignity and greatnefs of character, to guard him against those errors to which princes are peculiarly expofed, and, in a word, to lay the foundation of thofe virtues which are neceffary to conftitute a great character. As fables have been always reckoned, and with great reafon, a proper channel for conveying moral inftruction, he makes frequent ufe of them, and occafionally introduces fhort, familiar ftories, in order to inculcate the maxims of wisdom in a more eafy and agreeable manIf the inftructions of the tutor fhould not always seem to be brought down to the level of the pupil's capacity, nor conveyed in fo natural, eafy, and entertaining a manner, as the occafion feems to require, the reader ought to confider, that it is no eafy task for those who have not been long converfant in, and carefully applied themfelves to, the important bufinefs of education, to render the path to knowlege fmooth and delightful, and clothe their ideas in fuch an agree able drefs, as is proper to ftrike the minds of youth. Those who have experienced the difficulty of this, will be very ready to make favourable allowances; and as for those who have not, they are no judges of the matter.

ner.

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*** We are obliged to omit the greatest part of the Catalogue this month, for want of room; fome articles having taken up more of our pages, than was foreseen.