We shall commence with notic ing "Lectures on the four last (last four) books of the Pentateuch, designed to shew the divine origin of the Jewish religion, chiefly from internal evidence. By the Rev. Richard Graves, D.D. &c. 2 vols. 8vo." This is a work of considerable importance and merit. The author has admirably studied his subject; and often as it has been traversed over before, has contrived to throw new light upon it, and to render it as interesting as it is momentous, The lectures are divided into three parts, containing, 1st, The authenticity and truth of the history: 2d, The theological, moral, and political principles of the Jewish law: 3d, A review of objections. Besides this division, we have also an Appendix of considerable length to part 1st, consisting of two distinct sections, the whole being the result of a course of lectures, delivered in the chapel of Trinity college, Dubin, under a bequest for this purpose,

in the will of Mrs. Ann Donellan. These lecturés, as originally delivered, were intended directly to counteract the bold and virulent assault on the Scriptures of the Old Testament, contained in the first part of Paine's Age of Reason; but as before the close of the term of their delivery, a variety of most able and satisfactory answers had appeared to this infidel pamphlet, and the extreme ignorance of the author, the futility of his reasonings, and the grossness of his misrepresentations, had been fully and sufficiently exposed, Dr. Graves changed his plan in some degree, and determined to take a wider range, and to enter into a more radical discussion of the divine original of the Jewish scheme than he had designed at first; and the chief subjects of his scrutiny are the opinions of Mr. Gibbon, the late Dr. Geddes, and Professor de Wette, of Jena; with occasional strictures on Warburton.

In the course of this critical discussion, Dr. Geddes is attacked with most fairness and success: the lecturer has read and studied his opinions, and to subvert several of them requires less talent than Dr. Graves possesses. The futility of

his mode of accounting for the Mosaic miracles is too well known to be repeated in this place. Yet there is more candour in the progress of our author's career, than is usually displayed by a literary conqueror. Mr. Gibbon is only incidentally attacked, and Professor de Wette, merely from the occasional and scattered knowledge Dr. Graves was able to glean from a single article of the Professor's, examined two years ago in the Critical Review. We cannot avoid wishing, that before the author had thus thrown down the gauntlet to M. de Wette, he had studied his opinions as a whole, and not by piece-meal: he admits, indeed, that "it is unfair and uncandid to combat an author, whose system is known only through the medium of a Review, in which it must necessarily be stated indistinctly and imperfect ly, and may be misunderstood and misinterpreted." And he proceeds, in consequence, to observe, that he "shall therefore advert to the article in which this work is noticed, only so far as relates to some portions immediately connected with the subject, and which are distinctly stated, as supported by M. de Wette." The position indeed may be stated distinctly, but it still remained for the sacred critic to have assured himself, that it had the exact bearing upon the general system of the work, which the professional reviewer ascribes to it; and as upon this subject, our author himself has admitted, in the very same para. graph, that "a system known only through the medium of a Review, must necessarily be stated indistinctly and imperfectly, and possibly may be misunderstood and misinterpreted," we cannot but regret that this excellent biblicist should not love taken some pains (and a few

only would have been sufficient) to have obtained a copy of the entire work.

The morality of the destruction of the Canaanites is chiefly supported by the able argument of Dr. Watson; the Mosaic miracles are tried by the ordeal of Dr. Leslie, and proved by their standing this powerful test; while the pretended miracles of the magicians are accounted for on the theory advanced by Dr. Farmer. Upon the general belief of a future state among the Jews, and the existence of such belief, as a doctrine expressly taught by Moses and the Prophets, our author is completely at variance with the celebrated author of the diyine legation, whom he accuses of self-contradiction in some passage,, in which we have not been able to discover such inconsistency. There is too much stress, in our opinion, laid upon this point; it is of little consequence to the truth, either of the Jewish or the Christian Scriptures, whether a future state were generally admitted among the Hcbrews; or whether "life and immortality were (in the strictest sense of the expression) brought to light by the Gospel" and we are much afraid that many of the testimonies or authorities brought forward on this occasion by Dr. Graves, might be turned against himself. If Solumon appear to allude to this tenet in some passages, there are others so directly in opposition to it, that he is one of the weakest testimonies that could have been adduced or adverted to; and it was not without much surprise that we found the book of Ecclesiastes pointed out as a work of which this doctrine is the basis." David appears, certainly, to have imbibed such a belief very fully; but it seems considerably to have lost grond.

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