The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-09-25 00:00:00

LITERARY REVIEW.

Diniv n FITT ED ; or, Plaia Reasons for helm u Christian.
Thomoo Roth:cell Porno, MA. of Rt. John's
Ca?abridge, Condo of Christ Chards, Net/vale-
sired, London. Royal lino. ls. London., 1619.
The safety of all states depends upon religion; it minis-
ters to social order, enterers stability upon civil government
and the taws, and give* security to property. Occupied as
out attention has recently been with iliu important teens-
actions in the bertha England, whieh have agitated every
feeling mind, we have nut been indifferent spectators of the
numerous driatical tracts which the press has poured forth
within the last few months; at the same time, we entertain
no apprehensions whatever as to the result of these rude
assaults against the Christian Revelation. Firmly convinced
ail. tenth, we are decidedly of ouinion, that however the
nib's:mates for false doctrine may tremble, no Christian who
has a reason for the hope that is its him will be alarmed
far the inane. No man can write down truth. Inquiry is to
trntb what friction is in the diamond—it proves its hardness,
adds to its lustre, and excites new admiration. Some of the
ablest defenders of the Christian Religion have ack novrtedged
it to have been benefitted by the attacks of Deistical wri-
ters, who have provoked such an examination of it, as it
could ant otherwise have nudergoite; and the more rigour-
snisly it has h^rn investigated, the more clear have its evi-
dences been found.
To the assault, of unbelievers we are indebted fur many
learned writings on the side of revelation; arid though the
author of the tract now tinder consideration .1 has orm wish
ur ilesiga to smsperscmle the malty large and excellent defences
of revelation with which our language is happily enriched,"
we are, iseverthelr-s, of opinion, that be has conferred a
favour us the public by presenting them with this manual
of the evidences for the genuineness, and iuspi.
vibes of the Scriptures. Having shewn, by a brief state.
trient of historical facts, that • divine revelation is neces-
sary, he discuases the genodneness and end/tent icily of the
writings, accounted sacred both by Jews and Chritiana,
which he establishes from a cousideration of the manner iu
which these writings have been transmitted to us, from their
language and style, and from the minute circeintelaistiality
of the facts recorded in them, added to the moral impossi-
bility of imposing forged writings upon mankind.
The credibility of these writings is argued limn their an.
times basing lad mi perfect knowledge of the sobjects which
Ile, discuss—from ti, mural certainty of Manhood being
den cted, if they had bra en guilty of any fraud or deceit—
fawn the agremmeneet tmf Scripture with natural and civil his-
fort—sad frum the continuance, to this very day, of snout'.
meets in%llllll. si to perpetuate the memory of the principal
facts arid inv its em c m itil in the Scriptures. Their diriae
authority (sad noor;ravan are next considered; awl the ex-
ternal ieMeners, ar.somg from miracles and prophecy, are
coneisety but fully stated, together with the Weems( proofs
arising Isom the smildmmity and excelleisee of the doctrines
sad moral precepts delivered in the Bible--from the her-
- molly and intimate connexion subsisting between all its
parts—frimm the preservation of the Scripture—sad, above
all. from their tendeecy, rhea cordially and ahscerdy /*-
tiered, to promote time pi ement and ems nal happiness of man-
kind. Coder eve', head, the principal objections (which
hale been brought forward in tbr dcisticsl tracts lately pule.
tidied, and see now circa lewd with such activity) are calmly
eansidered, mind satisfactorily refuted.
From the preceding outdate of Mr. Home's valuable little
-work, yule reat!ers may, perhaps, be led to conclude, that we
Vire tern sualysine ao elaherate and voluminous defence of
Revelat eeeee rather than a minus' of its evidences. Had the
author been disposed to have followed the example of some
modern Imook.makt es. he might (we nee sure) have made this
it five shilling volume, instead of a Shilling tract. The
had: is t m ry ems' ly, but neatly printed; sad, to accurate
soul fort Ode r mm•miteg, it unites an earnest, yet temperate,
splint, that rim mit fail to recommend it to candid impel's-ors.
fu the wv.nr, and to those who Isaac neither mesas nor
leisure itm pent use or tim read more voluminous treatises, this
little monk is, intlitml, a colorise, cheap, and useful saatiani
of the evidence fhr the truth sad istspiraf of the Scrip-
-form s. And we consider that we are only discharging ear
dolt imm the putmlie, in thus inviting their mu nil .... to Mr.
flume's wink, which deserves (aa we hope it will receive)
a very aide soul extensive enerlatiou.

Last week, Mr. SAMUEL MU., of Gams, took
t76113*. of hooey, free one inn.