PLIN.

Neque ulli patientius reprehenduntur, quam

WE have watched the progress of the American edition of this valuable work with no small degree of solicitude; for we considered that the publication of a work of such magnitude and variety, if conducted in the manner announced in the prospectus, would be a tolerably fair test of the literary character of our country. After witnessing the highly reprehensible manner in which the first number of it was republished, it was natural for our suspicions to be awakened, when we opened every succeeding volume. Our fears, indeed, so far as respected the publisher, Mr. Bradford, were put at rest by the explicit declaration, (which was called forth by the remonstrances of the subscribers in Salem, and this town) that the work should in future be conducted in a manner, at once honourable to the reputation of Dr. Rees, and satisfac

tory to the publick. These assurances of Mr. Bradford, we had no doubt were sincere. But, as our suspicions were excited by the manwhich was used in the first number, agement, (to give it no harsher name) as the "literary and scientifick characters," who superintended the American edition, still kept their names from the publick, and thus screened themselves from all manner of responsibility; and as it appeared to us to be no difficult matter in a work of such extent and variety, to impose upon a good natured and unsuspecting publisher; it has been impossible for us to dismiss all our apprehensions, and to trust entirely to the most explicit assurances, however sincere they might be. The reader, who has a due regard for the literary reputation of his countrymen, will see, with pain, that our distrust, particularly in respect to the theological part of the work, was but too well founded: he will see that the pious fraud in the first number, which is pretended to have been dictated by an extraordinary zeal for the christian religion, (which the American editors thought to be in imminent danger in the hands of Dr. Rees and his friends) was not, in reality, the effect of a laudable so

licitude for its safety, but must have proceeded from some other and less honourable motives. He will see too, that these "literary and scientifick" (and if we are to take their own word for it, these religious) "characters" have added hypocrisy to imposture; and while they have affected to protect religion behind their sevenfold Ægis from supposed enemies, they have themselves been aiming secret and deadly blows at what are commonly considered as fundamental doctrines of the scriptures.

Before we proceed, however, to a consideration of the articles in the volumes before us, we must be indulged in recurring to the positions we took at the commencement of our examination of this work. In our remarks on the first number, though we did not give the American editors as much credit for honesty, as they may have thought themselves entitled to, yet we did not indulge ourselves in expressing the doubts we entertained of their competency to perform the task they had undertaken. Such an early decision, we were aware, night be called prejudice in us. We there. fore merely intimated, that these gentlemen did not appear to have been so attentive to correcting the errours of the work as they had, through Mr. Bradford, promised their patrons; and we trust, that this hesitation at calling in question their competency, and a hope that every succeeding volume would dispel all our doubts on this head, would be a sufficient apology, if any should be required, for the slow progress we have made in our review of this work. But now that one third of it is finished, there seems to be no longer any need of this reserve and we must say, though with reluctance, that we have strong doubts of the competency of the American editors. At least, the facts, which we shall

exhibit, with what we have already shown, will, we are confident, most abundantly prove, either, that these gentlemen are incompetent to the undertaking, or, that they are wilfully imposing upon the publick.

We will here apprise our readers, that it never was our intention to review the numbers regularly, as they appeared; but, at our leisure, to examine sometimes one, and sometimes more articles of a volume, as the importance of the subject might demand. In conformity with this plan we shall at this time review with all due care and candour the important article ANGEL, in which these American literati have given a specimen of their principles, temper

and talents.

"Christians," [say they,]" may reduce all questions of controversy, in regard to their religion, to the two following, which they would do well often to place distinctly before them: 1st, Is the scripture the word of God? 2d, Is any doctrine, fact, or proposition, which is made the subject of inquiry or speculation,contained in that word? On the first of these questions believers have their controversy with professed infidels: The second furnishes the ground of many debates among christians themselves."

Again they say,

"We contend for receiving and maintaining it [revelation] simply and entirely as we find it in the Bible, in the originals of the old and new Testaments. Let these Originals be the subject of diligent study and of sound and reverent criticism. On the score of emendation let them be treated as respectfully, at least, as the copies of the best heathen writers, than which they have been much better guarded against corruption. In this manner let us discover, what revelation teaches; and then let us receive it with docility, humility and thankfulness, as the word of life. Let us not bring to the study of the scripture, a system already formed in our own minds, and fortified by prejudice, but let us go to it in the first instance, and with

out prejudice, to learn what is the system which we ought to receive. With the temper of children let us sit at the feet of the Save iour, imbibe his instructions, and obey his precepts. As far as we are able, let us explain what is difficult, but when we can go no farther, let us treat the difficulties of revelation, as we do those of the other works of God; as we do the profound, obscure and contradictory things, which appear in creation and providence, and in regard to which the best philosophers are always the readiest frankly to confess their ignorance. Let us not be ashamed to acknowledge that there are certain things, which for the present, we do not fully understand; and let us wait for more light in this world, or for stronger faculties in the world to come. The maxims of sound reason and philosophy, not less than the injunctions of the gospel, point out to us this course."

These sentiments we consider as truly excellent; and, we are decidedly of opinion, that, if religious controversies had always been managed in conformity with these principles, there would, at this day, have

been as little rancour and bitterness manifested in such discussions, as there are in those relating to natural philosophy. It would give us great satisfaction to see religious inquiries pursued, according to the principles, which these "literati" have here professed to intend to make the rule of their conduct; but, considering the manner in which they have treated the subject of this article, we fear that even they themselves (their fair professions notwithstanding) are in reality but little disposed to adhere to them.

If we do not misunderstand these gentlemen, they here give it as their opinion, that the Angels were created on the first day of that creation, of which Moses gives the history. And this opinion they found upon the probability, that they were created immediately after the heavens, which they were to inhabit. Upon this sentiment, we would remark, 1st, that we take it to be generally agreed among biblical criticks, that the heavens, of whose creation Moses gives the history in the first chapter of Genesis, are the earth's atmosphere; * 2d. That, if the Angels were created

* On the second day [Gen. i. 6, 8.] after the production of light or fire, the expanded. God stretched out the atother element of air was duly poised and mosphere [Psalm civ. 2]" like a curtain"

to be a kind of barrier between us and the waters floating above us in clouds and vapours. This expanse of the circumambient air, or atmosphere, in the Greek and vulgar Latin, and thence in our English version, is called "the firmament," because the air, though vastly extended and fluid, yet continues firm and stable in its place. In the margin of our bible, it is more properly rendered expansion; and in so scanty a language as that of the Hebrew, is also called HEAVEN; as it sometimes is in the more copious languages of the Greeks and Romans. See Bishop Newton's Works, Vol. I. page 94. See also as to the extent of the creation, of which Moses wrote the history, the authors of the Universal History, Vol. I. page 85, 6, 7, 8, and seq.