What, faid Jefus, if you should fee the Son of man, as you hereafter may, afcending up into heaven, would not this be a convincing proof, that he alfo defcended from heaven? And with regard to the language I ufe, why do you conceive it in that grofs, verbal fenfe? It is the fpiritual application only, to which you ought to attend. But, continued Jefus, who well knew the carnal difpofitions of many around him, I know there are fome, who have no faith; and without faith, it is impoffible for any one to feel the influence of God's Holy Spirit, which draws him to me.

Many of Jefus's followers, taking offence at thefe doctrines, fcon after withdrew themfelves from him.'

The latter part of the eighth chapter, and the ninth, of St. Paul's epiftle to the Romans, on which fome Chriftians ground the ftrange doctrine of predeftination, and of God's partial appointment of a felect number of his creatures to falvation by arbitrary, irresistible, and unconditional decrees, without paying any regard to their own virtuous efforts and exertions, is a part of fcripture of which the exposition is attended with confiderable difficulties. The following is Mr. Gilpin's reprefentation of the fcope of the apoftle's reasoning in thefe chapters, and of their connection with the beginning of

the tenth :

Be affured therefore, that in whatever aflictions you may fall, the courfe of this world will always work out good to thofe, who have been called to the bleffings of the gofpel; and obey it's precepts. Keep therefore this gracious call, which you have had, continually in your minds. Remember always, that your heavenly Father, with a foreknowledge, that comprehends all events, originally intended you to be partakers of thefe bleffings. You have been called; and if you obey that call, you fhall in confequence be juftified, and glorified.How then ought thefe things to affe&t us? If God be with us, what matters it, who is against us? He who gave his only Son to die for our fins, we may reft affured will deny us nothing, that is proper for us.-Regard not then the oppofition of thofe, who would deprive you of thefe bleflings. Who is he that condemneth? And who is He that juftifieth? Make the comparison yourfelves; and confider the love of Chrift, who died for our fins, and now maketh interceffion for us with God. Let nothing then in this world-not even its molt formidable terrors, interrupt the joys of religion: but let us triumph over it's afflictions; perfuading ourfelves, that if our own endeavours are not wanting, nothing in this mortal ftate, neither the fears of death, nor the hopes of life-neither wicked men, nor wicked fpirits-neither adverfity, nor profperity, can feparate us from the love of God through Chrift.

But however glorious an event the calling of the Gentiles may be; the rejection of the Jews is certainly a very melancholy one. It oppreffes me with forrow; and I fhould chearfully devote myself to death, if my fufferings could be of fervice to that people-once fo favoured in covenant with God - the depofitories of his law-and

above all, that honoured nation, which hath given birth to the Meffiah.

I mean not however to infinuate, that God had not entirely fulfilled his promifes to the Jews. It was never fuppofed, that a bare defcent from the patriarchs was the only title of a true Ifraelite: nor that the promise fhould extend to the Jews, merely as the children of Abraham. Abraham had many fons: but none of them inherited, except Ifaac. Sarah fhall have a fen, are the words of the promife: by which we are taught, that it was not merely a defcent from Abraham, that gave a title to it.The fame fele&tion was fhewn in the cafe of Jacob. The national blefings promifed to Ifaac, were continued to that patriarch in preference to Efau.

What has the Jew then to object? He was received, as defcended from Ifaac, in preference to 1hmael: can he then murmur at God's now accepting the Gentile on an equality with him? Even his own lawgiver informs him, that God confers national bleflings for his own wife reasons, and at his own good pleasure.--Thus alfo God takes his own time for punishing; as he faith to Pharaoh, I have exalted thee, for the very purpofe of making thee an inftance of my power. Thus God affumes to himfelf, without explaining his reafons, the power of conferring national blefings on fome, and making public examples of others.

You will perhaps then afk, Why God finds fault with the Jewish nation, who only fulfilled his will?

Every demand of this kind is impious. Nations in the hands of the Creator, are clay in the hands of the potter. Each veffel receives it's proper form; itfelf uninftructed in it's maker's purpose.

Suppofe God, to make his indignation again fin the more exemplary, hath referved the impenitent Jews to be punished in one general, or national rejection: fuppofe alfo, that to fhew the extent of his grace, he hath taken the Gentiles, as well as as, who believe, within the covenant of grace; is this more than the prophet Hofea exprefly tells us? I will call them my people, who were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved; that is, I will form a church among the Gentiles, where formerly it did not exist.- -But with regard to the falvation of individuals, doth not Ifaiah fpeak with equal plainnefs? Tho the people of Ifracl be as the fand of the fea,—a remnant Jhall be left. The iffues of the Lord's wrath, however decifive they may appear, fhall overflow with righteoufnefs. And again, Except a remnant had been left, we should have been utterly deftroyed like Sodom, and Gomorrha.- Thus then the Gentiles have obtained juftification by faith; which the Jews in vain attempted to obtain by the obfervances of their law. Salvation through faith in Chrift, was a ftumbling block to them, as the prophet had foretold it should be: Behold I lay in Sion a fumbling flone, and rock of offence; but whosoever believeth on bim, Jhall not be ashamed.

And yet I hope, and pray, that God will at length accept this hardened nation; which, after all, it must be acknowledged, hath a religious zeal. Ill directed it certainly is. Inftead of obtaining justification in God's way, they attempt it in their own; not confidering that their law is an introduction only to the gospel. And indeed un

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less we confider the language of Mofes himself in this light, (as making the law an introduction to the gofpel) it would imply a fort of contradiction. In one paffage he speaks of the great difficulty of obferving the law; as when he pronounces a curfe on every man, who does not obey it, in all it's parts. In another, he speaks of the removal of all difficulty; and of the eafines of performance: plainly intimating, that the harsh, and impracticable terms of the law, fhould in time be fuperfeded by a covenant, which fhould offer falvation on the easier terms of faith.'

The import and meaning of the apoftle's words, in the beginning of the fecond chapter of his epiftle to the Philippians, have been the fubject of much controverfy and debate. Profeffing not to enter into particulars, (whether he has been able to keep within the limit of his profeffions we leave the reader to decide,) Mr. Gilpin thus explains what he takes to be the principal defign of the paffage:

If you have any confolation in Chrift-any comfort in love-any joy in the Holy Spirit; and in the mercies of God-compleat my hopes in you by continuing in the exercife of Chriftian charity. Let nothing be done through ftrife, or vain glory; but in humility of mind, let each efteem his neighbour better than himself; and in every thing confider his neighbour's intereft as his own. Let each of you imitate the example of your bleffed Saviour, who took upon himself the lowly form of man; and fuffered death upon the crofs; tho he was before equal with God; and was afterwards to be exalted to the highest state of glory. While you were under my eye, your religious conduct was ever pleafing to me: let it be equally fo in my abfence. Conform your actions, with caution, and godly fear, to the precepts of the gospel. At the fame time be affured, that God's Holy Spirit will never fail to affift your endeavours. Be particularly careful to fuffer no harshness, nor animofity of any kind to enter into your disputes-that your adverfaries may throw as little imputation as poffible upon you-and that you may at least be confidered as blamelefs, and irreproachable among thofe, who will always be ready to take hold of every thing in their power; in the midst of whom I with you to shine as lights in the world: fo that having paffed your Chriftian pilgrimage upon earth, I may rejoice in the day of Christ, at the fuccefs of my miniftry among you. Nay if I fhould even now be of. fered up as a facrifice for my labours in the gospel, I, as well as you, ought to make it matter of joy?'

We have now exemplified with what fingular excellence. and happy fuccefs Mr. Gilpin has given, in the very best and propereft language, a clear and pleafing view of the scope and leading defign of the more obvious and eafy parts of the facred fcriptures; and we have likewife fhewn in what manner he has performed the task of expounding those which are more difficult but, in reviewing a work of this magnitude and importance, we fhould imperfectly discharge our duty to the public, and perhaps we should not, in this inftance, (fuch is our opi

nion of his equity and impartiality,) anfwer the expectation of the author, unlets we were briefly to point out fome objections which, we think, may be reafonably urged against his work, and the mode in which it is executed. Thefe, however, we muft defer till the following month.

[To be continued.}

ART. III. A Differtation on Anecdotes; by the Author of Curiofities of Literature. 8vo. pp. 83. 25. Keariley. 1793.

THIS rapid and lively writer tells us, in his preface to this differtation, which is indeed but itfelf a preface or introduction to his Curiofities of Literature, that the art of prefacewriting is, perhaps, the art of concealing the anxiety of an author.' We are in doubt whether this be not a kind of Irish way of keeping a fecret, by publishing it.

The arrangement of anecdotes under different heads is not a new attempt: a Dictionaire d' Anecdotes, in two volumes, was published at Paris in 1767. The maxims of La Rochefoucault have been long digested in that manner; and we are not certain that some induftrious editor of Joe Miller's jefts has not manifefted his love for order and arrangement by claffing them in a fimilar way.

Dr. Johnfon is accufed by Mr. D'Ifraeli, fomewhat unfairly, of having imperfectly defined the word Anecdote, by saying that "It is now used after the French for a biographical incident, a minute paffage of private life." In the firft folio edition of his dictionary, 1755, he defined anecdote, "fomething yet unpublished; fecret history;" and the first part of this definition precifely comprehends the fingularity refpecting the word anecdote,' mentioned by Mr. D'Ifraeli in his preface, p. v. At this time, the definition was accurate, and fufficiently ample, at least for England: but the word, fince that time, having become more fashionable, its meaning has been extended.

When the attention of a writer or thinker has been long pointed to one object, its importance in his mind frequently fwells beyond reasonable bounds. It is, however, an ingenious idea, after having written a book, to try to convince the public how much it is wanted. I conclude (fays Mr. D'Ifraeli) by obferving, that if a series of anecdotes fhall be found capable of illuftrating any individual topic, we yet want a collection of fuch anecdotes. A few writers, if in poffeffion of diligence and difpatch equally with our author, will relieve the public fufferings in this particular, by culling the flowers of individual topics, and tying them up in anecdotic nofe-gays; by which ingenious method, the want of all the lumbering folios and quartos, with

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which our libraries are at prefent fo much incumbered, will be precluded; though it will certainly be like giving us only the leaves of flowers without the ftem that fupported and connected them. The French Encyclopedie was intended to fupply the place of a complete library on fubjects of fcience; and why should not a Cyclopedia of Anecdotes boast of equal importance, with refpect to mifcellaneous fubjects?

The definition, which Mr. D'Ifraeli has given from the last quarto edition of Johnson's Dictionary, 1787, appeared in no former edition, and was probably added by our admirable lexicographer on finding that the word anecdote was in general used for biographical incidents concerning private life:-but, so wide is the range which this author has given to his comprehenfive word anecdote, that every striking pailage in a work, either in profe or verfe, may be entered in a hoft of anecdotes. Thus the beauties of Shakspeare, Johnfon, Sterne, &c. may, in future editions, be honoured with a more interefting title, by being denominated ANECDOTES from these authors.

Wonderful is the number of antient as well as modern anecdote-mongers! Among the former, may be claffed Athenæus, Elian, Valerius Maximus, and Aulus-Gellius:—but a writer, who is partial to his fubject, and perhaps to his own manner of treating it, thinks that neither is fafe till his predeceflors are extinguished, and all other fubje&s pronounced nugatory. Hiftory itfelf derives fome of its most agreeable inftructions from a fkilful introduction of anecdotes.' P.4. Manners-the fame, p. 6. The genius of a nation is only to be understood by anecdotes-p.9. We cannot help applying to the author himfelf what he fays (p.14.) of Tacitus, Strada, and Mariana; no contemptible writers; In their ftudious leifure, it must have been with difficulty, that they tortured their invention to fuch a fretch: that is, by deriving all events from fome profound policy, or intricate deception; as Mr. D'Ifraeli deduces all literary merit from anecdotes, ftories, and bons mots.

When this author tells us, (p. 16.) that the characters of eminent perfons fhould be fought in their domeftic privacies ;' -the very method, for which Johnson's biographers have been fo frequently cenfured, is recommended.

After having blamed the hiftorians of Oliver Cromwell for leaving us in ignorance of his real character, and having told us that all these writers would perfuade us that he was an artful mixture of the politician and the hypocrite;' then, to manifeft the fuperior efficacy of anecdotes, comparatively with elaborate delineation, in difcovering the character of eminent perfons, Mr. D'Ifracli gives one concerning Cromwell, which precifely proves the hiftorians to have been in the right:

A fingle