tianity he allows, is indeed, a religion accommodated to the general state, and aptly suited to the common hopes of mankind; it accomplishes the covenant which was made with Abraham; and it admits the Gentile to participate in the benefits of revelation: but he contends also, that its character is no where marked with the temporary and questionable expedients of human policy.

la pursuing the argument, the author first briefly states what, according to the history contained in the New Testament, the authenticity of which he necessarily takes for granted, was the real character of the gospel and the conduct of its founder.

"To be able to judge in what manner christianity was accommodated to the nature of mankind, it is necessary that we should understand the circumstances of those persons to whom it was first announced; that we take into consideration their numerous and necessary prejudices, their fond but visionary expectations. It will then be seen, that our religion, though well calculated, when it should once have taken root, to become, eventually, universal; though wisely suited to the general condition of mankind; yet had no natural probability nor prospect of immediate establishment; that it was every way repugnant to the particular opinions of the age in which it first appeared; that the policy by which it was characterized; and the objects which it was directed to attain, were such as an enthusiast, or an impostor, could not possibly have comprehended or proposed.

"Christ, though we now perceive his conduct to have been adapted to the character of the Messiah, who was announced by Jewish prophecies, did not appear as the Messiah whom the Jews expected. He was not received as the consummator of the law, because he did not countenance the common prejudices which existed respecting the mode of its consummation. Nor to the Gentiles of the age in which Jesus and his apostles taught, was the real discrimination beANN. REV. VOL, VII.

tween the Christian and the Jewish religion so apparent, as to acquire that favour or impartiality for the one, which was generally denied to the other; or to vindicate the Christian from that odium or contempt, which was every who saw that Christianity recognized where the portion of the Jew. They the religion of Moses, considered it as a sect of Judaism, and were not likely to enquire solicitously into the peculiar distinction of the sect, where they ge nerally despised the religion. While Christ, therefore, to the Gentiles appeared a Jew, and to the Jews a blasphemer of their law, he could derive no political advantage from the opinions or circumstances of the age in which he lived. On no supposition can it be ac counted for, that he should have pursued a conduct liable to these objections, but on the supposition that he was a messenger of truth. An enthusiast or an impostor, who pretended to the reforme ing character, would never have exposed himself to the question, which many parts even of the apostolical writings seem intended to resolve, and which is recorded to have been asked in the second century by one of the most eminent adversaries of our faith : Why do you rest the foundations of your doctrine upon the Jewish law, and yet abandon it as you erect the superstructure."

He next considers separately the distinct principles of enthusiasm and imposture, to one of which causes the establishment of every false religion must necessarily be referred, and very ably and satisfactorily shews "that the nature of the wisdom which Christianity displays is incompatible with either imputa

tion."

He then advances to the principal part of his subject, which exhibits the indirect and transitory policy of designing or mistaken men in contrast to the enlightened adaptation of the Christian religion to the nature and condition of mankind.--And first he considers the conduct which has been pursued by the teachers of religions profes

sedly false, and by false pretenders known wishes of the Jewish people. to the character of Messiah. Zoro- In proof of this are cited the inaster is the first who is selected for stances of Barchochabas, David Placed in circum- Al-noi, and Sabatai Sevi. But Jesus, in direct opposition to heathen superstitions, inculcated the worship of one only true and living God, and to the mortification of the descendants of Abraham, assumed no character higher than that of a teacher, and though he declared himself the Messiah, refused to be made a king, even when the people were desirous of exalting him to that dignity.

this purpose.
stances favourable to the introduc-
tion and establishment of a pure
system of religious faith and prac-
tice, yet he complied with received
usages, and sanctioned the idola-
tries which it was in his power to
check and overthrow. The sages
of Greece and Rome supply the
next examples, in the uniformity of
the opinion which they maintained
that all good citizens ought to com-
ply with the received superstitions
of the times.

"Some may have exposed to their
select disciples the fallacies of popular
mythology, and instructed them in a
purer notion of the deity; but they de-
livered this instruction as a branch of
philosophy alone, not as the ground of
novel worship: nor did they conceive
that any but the seditious would ever
be inclined to disturb the temporal
repose of useful superstitions. Religion,
in the Gentile world, was uniformly
considered as a part of civil legislation,
and subservient to the ends of govern-
ment. Plato, though he undoubtedly
disbelieved the polytheism of Greece,
though he directed that the magistrates
of his imaginary republic should be edu-
cated in pure and philosophical princi-
ples, proposed also the public establish-
ment of a religion, which recognized, in
a great degree, popular superstitions.
Cicero, in his speculative legislation,
adopted the same policy, inculcated, in
this respect, an unreserved submission to
authority, and permitted not a liberty of
worship to the citizen even in pri-

vate."

But cases more immediately applicable to the author's argument are to be found in the history of Judea. A temporal Messiah was expected at the very time of the appearance of Jesus, and many, both at that period and in succeeding ages, took advantage of the popular prejudices, and accommodated their pretensions to the well

Many learned men in the Christian church have however suppos-. divine authority of which is aced, that in the Jewish system, the knowledged by Jesus, rites borrowed from idolatrous nations were adopted in compliance with the imperfect views of the people for whom that system was framed and even the founder of Christianity and his apostles have been charged with dissimulation, and with an improper conformity to principles and practices abhorrent from the spirit of the doctrine they professed to inculcate.

To obviate these

charges is the design of the author in his third lecture, and he very clearly proves that the partial accommodation to circumstances in the religion of Moses or of Christ, as taught by them originally, cannot be proved inconsistent with truth and real policy; that it is therefore sufficiently discriminated from those other accommodations which have been adduced from religions confessedly false. Consequently the original position is disturbed by no exception which either Judaism or Christianity can supply.

The preacher then proceeds in the remainder of these sermons "to illustrate the distinction, not between Christ and the founders of other religions, but between the conduct of Christ and the conduct of ambitious or enthusiastic Chris

compliance with the prejudices the powers of darkness, to the end

and errors of mankind, but resotutely opposed them, has continued o flourish, and at the end of eighteen centuries exhibits marks of vigour which justify the most confident expectation that the founder's words will be verified, and

of time, be unable to prevail against it. Such is the substance of the work before us, a work which displays extensive reading and sound judgment in its author, and exhibits a very strong well managed argument in defence of the gospel.

ART. XIX. An Illustration of the General Evidence establishing the Reality of Christ's Resurrection. By GEORGE Cook, A. M. Minister of Laurencekirk. Svo. pp. 323.

UPON a subject so important and so interesting as the resurrection of Jesus, exhibiting in a most striking manner the exertion of divine power, and lying at the foundation of the faith and hope of the Christian, it cannot be expected that at the present day much new light can be thrown. But it is still possible that by a different arrangement, and mode of illustration, the argument may, in many parts of it at least, be made to appear to more advantage, and to assume a more attractive form. Besides, as the author very justly observes, "at a period when, from the progress of luxury and licentiousness, men are naturally too much disposed to emancipate themselves from what are regarded as the restraints of religion, and when these powerful causes are assisted by the dissemination of a most deceitful, yet imposing philosophy, it is a duty incumbent upon those friends of revelation, whose situation permits them to do so, to exhibit, under every aspect, the numerous proofs of the divine origin of Christianity." Numerous therefore as are the treatises upon this subject, and satisfactory as is the accumulated evidence upon which the truth of the wonderful fact of the resurrection

of Christ is founded, Mr. Cook has, in our opinion, which we believe will in this instance coincide with

that of all the friends of revelation, performed a very useful and ac

ceptable service by publishing a work so well adapted to confirm the faith of the wavering believer, and to satisfy the serious and honest sceptic.

The plan upon which he has constructed his work will be best exhibited in his own words:

"Taking then for granted the possi bility of a resurrection, and the suffici ency of such an event to prove the truth of the revelation which it is adduced to confirm, I shall endeavour, in this treatise, clearly to state what may be called the general evidence for the resurrection of Christ; to shew, that after having exsiderable time in the grave, he did, pired upon the cross, and lain for a conagreeably to what is narrated in the evangelical histories, appear upon earth, converse often with his disciples, and completely satisfy them that he was alive.

"This general evidence arises from the following sources:

that at a certain time he was to rise "1. From the prophecies of Jesus, from the dead, conjoined with his wisdom.

"2. From the fact, that, at this precise time, his body was, by the confession of all who had access to know, not to be found in the sepulchre in which it had been laid, although the most effectual precaution had been taken to pre

vent its removal.

"3. From the positive testimony of the disciples, that, after this time, they and received from him those instructions frequently saw him, conversed with him, upon which they acted in publishing his gospel.

4. From the success which attend.