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In a fucceeding reign the national verfion underwent a new revifal, or rather a new verfion was formed, with the view of filencing all juft oppofition; and it would be an unjust oppo fition that prefumed to deny, that it was extremely well calculated for that purpose. It was compofed by men of great piety and learning, and what was not lefs neceffary, of great temper and judgment. It was performed with great deliberation and circumspection. Verfions of various languages, both ancient and modern, were compared; all methods at that time practicable were taken, to obtain the moit uncorrupt text. Interpretations in matters of doubt were cautiously and accurarely formed, and not without appeals to the concurrent opinion of the whole number: nothing of fingular fancy was admitted; no indulgence fhewn to favourite conceits.'

The author continues his character of our tranflation in the following strong and lively terms;

• It contained nothing, but what was pure in its representation of fcriptural doctrine; nothing but what was animated in its expreffions of devout affection: general fidelity to its original is hardly more its characteristic than fublimity in itfelf. The English language acquired new dignity by it; and has hardly acquired additional purity fince: it is ftill confidered as a ftandard of our tongue. If a new version should ever be attempted, the fame turn of expreffion will doubtless be employed; for it is a ftyle confecrated not more by custom than by its own native propriety. Upon the whole, the national churches of Europe will have abundant reason to be fatisfied, when their verfions of fcripture fhall approach in point of accuracy, purity, and fublimity, to the acknowleged excellence of our English tranflation.'

This excellence, it is obferved, brought difrepute on the former verfions, and was even fuppofed to fuperfede the neceffity of confulting the original.

The Hebrew language was negligently cultivated, and did not, as might have been expected in the natural progrefs of improvement, infinuate itself into the ftated courfe of theological ftudies. It was cultivated with more ardour by the puritans, a fet of men not much qualified at that time to recommend any fpecies of knowlege, either by their manner of treating it, or by the purposes to which they ufually applied it. In fact, though there appeared amongst them fome men eminent in the knowlege of Hebrew, and fome useful works were produced, yet that fpirit of judaical attachment which fhewed itself in fome of that party to the law of Mofes, and that worfe fpirit of turbulence, which ended in the deftruction of the monarchy and the church, threw a difcredit upon their favourite fpecies of literature, and made it obnoxious to the prejudices and the raillery of men of founder principles and purer intentions."

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In the performance of our tranflation the Maforetic text was followed, editions were compared, but manufcripts were not collated. The learned profeffor takes a view of the advantages which have accrued to facred literature fince the period when our prefent verfion was compofed, and which were unknown to our tranflators. An abundant collation of manufcripts has been made. The Arabic language, with the other oriental tongues, was brought into Europe by Erpenius of Leyden, his difciple Golius, and our countryman Pococke. The Perfian, and fome other dialects of the Eaft, have been more lately introduced. Thefe languages, and the valuable productions with which they make us acquainted, have reflected new light on the writings of the Old Teftament. Our author enumerates alfo among the fuperior advantages which the prefent times enjoy, the ancient verfions that have been: published, the knowlege of oriental cuftoms and manners acquired by travels in the Eaft, and the contributed labours of, Critics and commentators: he then proceeds in the following words;

This audience will remember with pleasure, that much oriental criticism has been frequently and judicioufly applied before it, to the elucidation of the ancient fcriptures. Every characteristic of the Hebrew poetry in particular, has been explained in a * learned work, produced in this place, which the theological ftudent will always confider as one of the most important acceffions to facred literature. Other countries have fent other hufbandmen into the fame field-and as the labourers have not been few, the harveft has been ample. Hardly any part of scripture has wanted its critic, its commentator, and its paraphratt. That part which has hitherto been efteemed the most remote in its flyle, its images, and its allufions, has juft appeared in a new verfion, of which it is fufficient at prefent to obferve,, that it was but natural to expect, that he fhould be beft able to illuftrate the facred prophets, who had, with fuch peculiar fuc-, cefs, already illuftrated the kindred character of the facred poets.'

Having thus exhibited to view the advantages which have accrued to biblical learning fince the times of our tranflaters, we shall present our readers with our author's fentiments on the purposes, to which thofe advantages ought to be applied.

That fo many manufcripts fhould have been collated, and fo many criticisms produced; fo many ancient verfions reco

The Bishop of London's Prælectiones de Sacra Poefi Hebræorum.

vered, and fo much of oriental manners expofed, is undoubtedly beneficial; but it is beneficial only as matter of preparation. The materials are collected; they have been well collected, wifely and laboriously but in vain have they been fo collected, if they are not applied to their proper end, the final correction of the text, and of a tranflation compofed when these materials were wanting.

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To our ancient tranflation proper acknowledgements have been made; and it cannot be impreffed too often, that in its prefent form it is extremely well calculated to answer every purpofe of general piety, both for the learned and unlearned Chriftian. What is wanting, is wanting not for the neceffity of edification, but for the improvement of facred literature. When that which is wanting is executed, it need not innovate the general practice of the members of the church; to them every thing effential will appear as it did before; but fcholars will rejoice to fee new accuracy in matters not abfolutely effential, that are connected with religion; they will rejoice to fee the various emendations and illustrations that have been generally approved, embodied in a new tranflation. Light will be thrown on many paffages, and dignity restored to others: in fine, they will have reafon to be grateful, if, by the labours of any of God's fervants, as much is executed for the other facred poets and prophets, as has been performed for the prophet Ifaiah in the version referred to.

If it be defirable that this labour of Chriflian erudition fhould be performed, it will not be eafy to point out any on whom the obligation of performing lies more forcibly, than upon the divines of this feat of learning in particular. A work of fuch importance will be undertaken with the greateft propriety, where it can be undertaken with the greatest fafety, by knowlege acting under the guidance of a reverential caution. And this quality of caution is no where more likely to be found, than in a feminary which has been always fteady in its attachment to primitive truth, and has feen, without any diminution of its conftancy, fucceffive novelties of opinion fpring up and die away in the church of Chrift: fome weeded out by the vigilance of its members; and others, of feebler texture, that withered before they were plucked up.'

Mr. White takes leave of his learned audience with afferting, that their public library is fuperior in biblical treafures to any library in Europe; and with exhorting them to apply their talents to fupport the interefts of religion. He does not, however, immediately take leave of his readers, but gratifies them with an account of the Milan manufcript, mentioned in the title-page, communicated to him in a Latin letter from profeffor Bjornflahl. This manufcript is found to contain a great part of Origen's Hexaplar "edition of the LXX. in a faithful Syriac tranflation: it is re

pofited

pofited in the Ambrofian library; and is there open (fays our author) to the infpection of the curious, and might be employed for the fervice of the public.' It appears, that most of the facred books in this Syriac verfion are introduced with prefaces, explaining the subjects of the chapters and other articles; and that each is followed by an appendix, describing the hiftory of its author, the contents of the book, and the date of the verfion. In a copious preface to the book of Pfalms, the history of its authors the pfalmifts, ancient music with its inftruments, and the fubjects of the pfalms, are described by Eufebius and Pamphilus; the Hebrew proper names are then explained alphabetically in Syriac; and the preface is closed by a long history of Origen. This curious manuscript was purchafed in Egypt; and had been the property of the monaftery of St. Mary, a Chaldean college. Profeffor Bjornftahl conjectures that it was compofed by Thomas Heracleenfis, bishop of Mabug or Hierapolis in Syria; whofe edition of the Syriac Philoxenian verfion of the Gospels, with a Latin translation and notes by Mr. White, is just published, and of which we shall give an account in our next Review.

The prefent period feems to be a crifis in the annals of facred literature. If fomething, of a fimilar nature with what our author recommends in his learned and ingenious performance, be not now, accomplished, much labour has been loft, much learning and industry displayed in vain. Proper materials have been prepared, and a learned prelate * has exhibited a model in the translation of the prophet Isaiah, of which we have given fome account †. Should a revifal of our national verfion be now executed under the auspices of authority, men of the greatest abilities are not wanting in both our univerfities to undertake fo important a charge. We cannot help expreffing a wish that, should so desirable an event ever take place, our author, who has difcovered fo much of erudition, elegance, and moderate principles in its recommendation, may have farther occafion to display them, and bear a part in the revifal he proposes.

* Dr. Lowth, bishop of London.

+ See Crit. Rev. vol. xlvi. p. 321, 418, and p. 35 of this vo. -lume.

A Trea

A Treatise concerning Heaven and Hell, containing a Relation of many Wonderful Things therein, as heard and feen by the Author, the Hon. Emanuel Swedenborg, of the Senatorial Order of Nobles in the Kingdom of Sweden. Now firft Tranflated from the Original Latin. 4to. 10s. 6d. boards. Leacroft.

MR. R. Swedenborg was the author of feveral other theological works: viz. Arcana Cœleftia, Doctrina Novæ Hierofolymæ, Sapientia Angelica, De Amore Conjugiali, Apocalypfis Revelata, Vera Christiana Religio, &c.

On a former occafion we have given our readers fome particulars of his life, from a letter written by himself, and dated, London, 1769; it will therefore be unneceffary to say any thing here upon that fubject.

To this work the tranflator has prefixed a long preface, on the credibility of an extraordinary communication with the world of spirits, in order to facilitate the reader's belief of what Mr. Swedenborg has afferted of his long and intimate acquaintance with the angels. For this writer informs us, • that he has been allowed to affociate and converfe with them, as man does with man, for thirteen years together.' And that he might, if poffible, remove the doubts of the fceptic, he folemnly attefted the truth of all that he had published concerning these communications, in the prefence of a learned phyfician, and another very credible witness, a fhort time before his death, which happened at London, in 1772.'

In every part of this work there are repeated atteftations to this effect:

• From all my experience, which is now of many years, I can truly affirm, that the angels, in refpect to their form, are perfect men, having like faces, eyes, ears, breafts, arms, hands, feet, &c. that they hear, fee, and converse with one another; and, in a word, that nothing human is wanting to them, but these material bodies of flesh that we are invefted with: I have beheld them in their own light, which far exceeds our greatest meridian luftre, and have therein difcerned all the features and variations of their faces more diftinctly than those of my fellowinhabitants of this earth.'

In the course of these lucubrations the author acquaints us with all the wonders he had feen and heard in heaven and hell; and defcribes the perfons, the manfions, and employ.ments of their refpective inhabitants.

See Crit. Rev. vol, xxx, p. 79.

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