whom ye will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land ye dwell."

It is evident, however, from a more extended view of the context, that Joshua was not serious in this injunction, but that he earnestly wished the Israelites to serve Jehovah, and hoped, on well known principles of human nature, to attain this object, by leading them to form a decided resolution as to the object of their worship. It is in much the same spiri that Christ says to the Church of Laodicea, (Rev. 3:15.) "I would thou wert cold or hot.”

§ 3. Judg. 9:53. " And all to brake his skull."

Brake here is the preterite of break, and all to is an obsolete adverb signifying altogether, as in the following passage from Sir T. More.

"For whan her housebande forsoke a right woorshipful roume whan it was offred hym, she fel in hand with hym (he tolde me) and all to rated him."

But the modern editions now read: "And all to break his skull," as if break were in the infinitive mood. Dr. Webster correctly, "and broke his skull."

§ 4. Ps. 1: 1.

Most commentators who undertake to expound this verse, find here a climax, not considering that what they regard as a climax would, on account of the negative form of the sentence, be a real letting down of the sense.

It is true indeed that the repetition denotes intensity, giving, this sentiment: "Blessed is the man that hath no sort of intercourse with any class of wicked persons."

§ 5. Ps. 17: 15, "I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness."

There is a strong propensity in many who use this verse to omit the comma after awake, although it was placed there by our translators. The parallelism confirms our common version. As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied, when I awake, scil. in a future world, with thy likeness, i. e. with seeing thy form.

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6. Ps. 84: 9, " Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed."

There is a strong tendency to place a comma after God, and to make our shield the accusative governed by behold. Our translators have rightly omitted the comma.

§ 7. Is. 1: 19, 20, "If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall

eat the good of the land: but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken it."

There is a beautiful antithesis in these verses, which I apprehend is generally overlooked by the mere English reader, owing to the change of the verbs eat and devour, which are the same in the original.

§8. Is. 5: 18, "Wo unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart-rope."

Many in quoting this verse regard sin as a verb; but the corresponding word in the Hebrew is a noun, and our translators without doubt so intended the English word.

If we bear in mind that vanity in Hebrew style means wickedness, (comp. Job 11: 11,) and that iniquity and sin often denote the guilt or punishment of sin, we shall have this sentiment: "Wo unto them that draw to themselves guilt with cords of wickedness, and draw to themselves punishment as with a cart-rope."

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§ 9. Dan. 7: 9, "I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the ancient of days did sit."

The common reader, naturally enough, understands this passage of the overturning or destruction of thrones, whereas a little attention to the context and to the circumstances of the case will show, that reference is had to the fixing or setting up of chariot thrones or moveable seats for the assessors of God in judgment.

SECOND SERIES, VOL. II. NO. IV.

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ARTICLE XII.

CRITICAL NOTICES.

1.-Discourses and Dissertations on the Scriptural Doctrines of Atonement and Sacrifice: and on the Principal Arguments advanced, and the Mode of Reasoning employed, by the opponents of those Doctrines, as held by the Established Church: with an Appendix, containing some Strictures on Mr. Belsham's Account of the Unitarian Scheme, in his Review of Mr. Wilberforce's Treatise: together with Remarks on the Version of the New Testament lately published by the Unitarians. By the late Most Reverend William Magee, D. D., Arch Bishop of Dublin. From the Fifth London Edition, with Numerous and Important Corrections. In two Volumes. New-York: D. Appleton & Co., 1839. pp. 479, 472.

This new Edition of "Magee on Atonement" is beautifully executed, and is a valuable contribution to our stock of standard works in Theological and Biblical literature. We hail it in this improved form, not as a stranger, needing a formal introduction to the favorable regards of our readers; but as a friend, long known and appreciated in our Theological Seminaries, and by Biblical scholars and divines. To such it needs no commendation; and to those who are unacquainted with the work, a title-page so extended as the above is not only an indication, but alinost a sufficient explanation of its scope and design. But little more need to be added, in this notice, than to assure the reader that the design thus announced has been carried out with singular ability. The filling up of the author's outlines of his argument embraces the results of much learned research and a discriminating exegesis of the most important passages of Scripture appertaining to the subject in debate.

This work is especially to be valued as being among the first to expose, by manly criticism and fearless argumentation, the fallacies of modern Unitarianism. It did more, perhaps, than any other work of its time, to dissolve the charm of those pretensions to philosophic distinction, and those claims to critical pre-eminence, which had obtained for the Unitarians of Great Britain a partial and temporary ascendancy. The foundation of the work was laid in "Two discourses on the Scriptural Doctrines of Atonement and Sacrifice, delivered in

the Chapel of Trinity College, Dublin, in the years 1798, and 1799." These occupy 41 pages of the first Volume of the

Edition now before us. The remainder of the volume and more than 100 pages of the second volume are filled with "Illustrations and Explanatory Dissertations," on the leading topics advanced in the Discourses. The rest of the second volume-more than 300 pages-is an Appendix, containing the author's "account of the Unitarian Scheme, as described by Mr. Belsham," etc.

The first edition of this work, without the Appendix, was published in 1801, and the last, which was revised by the author, in 1816. During that period his attention was directed, under peculiar advantages, to the topics of the Unitarian controversy, as it existed in England, and, to some extent, in this country. His work remains a monument of his learning and zeal in defence of the truth. Later investigations, both in our own country and in Europe, have more fully elucidated the teachings of the Scriptures on some of the points of this controversy. They have given new power and point to the arguments in support of evangelical Christianity, against the haughtiness of that lettered skepticism, which presumes to reject the proffered terms of salvation, "because it cannot trace, with the finger of human science," the connexion between the cross of Christ and the redemption of man. But the work of Magee loses none of its value in consequence of the advances which have been made by others. It remains a highly satisfactory treatise on the doctrines it was designed to illustrate and defend. At the same time it furnishes an instructive history of the controversy thus far, and a clear exhibition of the status quæstionis at the date of its publication.

Appended to the whole are a list of texts explained, and of authors referred to, in the body of the work, which are valuable as aids to renewed investigations of the same or of kindred subjects.

2.-Handbuch der neuesten theologischen Literatur, oder Auleitung zur Kenntniss der in den neuesten Zeiten (in den letzten siebenzehn Jahren) erschienenen vorzüglichen und brauchbaren theologischen Schriften. (Manual of recent Theological Literature, or Introduction to a Knowledge of the most important and useful Theological Writings of the Last Seventeen Years. By W. D. Fuhrmann, Evangelical Preacher in Hamm.) Vol. I. Iserlohn & Barmen, 1836. The intention of the deceased author in composing this work was partly to complete his Manual of Theological Liter

ature, and partly to compensate for the non-appearance of the promised continuations to the similar and earlier undertakings of Zimmermann † and Winer. Although this latter reason is now in a good measure rendered nugatory by the third edition of Winer's work, that of Fuluman, though not free from defects, possesses some advantages over it as well as over the Universal Dictionary of Theological Literature by Danz. Winer's Manual contains no special enumeration of the essays that have appeared in the journals from time to time, although they comprise a far greater amount of valuable matter than inaugural addresses and programmes; this department has been well attended to by our author. Again, he appends to the titles of most of the books a list of their contents, and to all of them critical remarks, consisting chiefly of resumés of the opinions expressed in reviews; this of course in the works of Winer and Danz, the plan of which embraces the whole literature of theology, was entirely out of the question. From this source too arises the principal fault of M. Fuhrmann's work; for, being confined by his ministerial duties to a continued residence in a small town, he was necessarily acquainted by personal inspection with but a small part of the books he had occasion to notice. Hence he was compelled to rely too much on the notices in reviews for both his statements and his critiques; and consequently, as might have been anticipated, a number of inaccuracies crept into the former, while the latter not unfrequently appear to waver between conflicting opinions. Having premised thus much, we will now give the contents of the volume, which are as follows.

Section First. Introductory Writings, comprising those on study and science in general, and theological studies in particular, lexicons and encyclopedias, histories of theology and theological literature, and notices of books and periodical literature relative to theology.

Section Second. Biblical Literature, or critico-exegetical theology, containing, 1, works on the original languages of Scripture and their cognate dialects; 2, on the worth and usefulness of the Bible; 3, translations of the whole Bible; 4, portions of Scripture for the use of schools; 5, apparatus for the illustration of the Old and New Testaments, such as introductions, concordances, dictionaries of the Bible, works on Biblical archeology, geography, history,chronology,and natural

* Handbuch der theologischen Literatur, 2 Bde, Leipzig, 1818-21. + Jahrbücher der theolog. Literatur.

+ Handbuch der theolog. Literatur.