care, but the very outlines of such a design would be of great use and service." In order to supply this deficiency, his Lordship published "An Essay on the Dispensations, in the order in which they lie in the Bible." This work is, however, to be considered only as an outline, according to his own suggestion; and a complete treatise on, if we may be allowed the expression, dispensational theology is still wanting. Some few efforts have been made by other learned authors, but they have not succeeded to the full extent of our wishes. Dr. Taylor's" Scheme of Scripture Divinity, formed on the Plan of the Divine Dispensations," is an interesting volume. It is, however, rather a course of lectures on some of the more prominent facts of each dispensation, than a complete course on the dispensations themselves.

President Edwards' History of Redemption is an interesting work. But professing only to discourse on the history of redemption, the paradisaical dispensation is not noticed; and even on the subsequent dispensation he either merely glances at or passes over many of their facts and institutions, which would have been strikingly illustrative of his important history.

Dr. Watts' "Harmony of all the Religions which God ever presented to Man, and all his Dispensations towards them," is a brief but comprehensive work. It is, however, chiefly confined to the "doctrines and duties" of each dispensation, without considering their histories and institutions as illustrative of those doctrines, and giving additional interest and force to those duties. The concluding remarks of the amiable and learned Watts are worthy of consideration. "I have been led into this scheme and manner of conceiving of the transactions of God with men, by a diligcut perusal of the

Holy Scriptures, rather than by human creeds, confessions, or systems, either ancient or modern; so I cannot but recommend the serious consideration of it to those who are resolved to follow the same methods of study, and read the Scriptures, to learn from them the articles of our christain faith and practice."

In the absence, then, of this desideratum, and as affording material assistance to those lovers of biblical studies who feel disposed to comply with the advice of the amiable Watts, we do most cheerfully recommend this "Chronological Arrangement of the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments." That the " arrangement" is absolutely perfect, and that the sentiments contained in the notes are infallible, would be too much to assert, and our author would not affirm or believe it; but considering the chronological difficulties of the Bible, and the various and conflicting opinions formed by biblical investigators, we think the author has happily succeeded in producing an arrangement" as correct as could be expected, and which serves at once to obviate many of those seeming difficulties and discrepancies which the captious and cavilling spirit of scepticism has pretended to discover, and to shed additional light and glory over the whole contents of this sacred volume.

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The principles on which the "arrangement" of the Old Testament was constructed we stated in our former review of that work. It remains that we show the principles on which the " arrangement" of the New Testament is formed.

The chief difficulty of this part of the author's labours was to form a complete harmony of the Gospels, or an accurate chronological arrangement of the various transactions and events of our Sa

viour's life.

Much anxiety has been evinced by the learned, in every period of the christian dispensation, to form a correct harmony of the Gospels. The enemies of Christianity have been ever ready to make the variations in the evangelical narratives a ground of objection against their genuineness and inspiration. To To reconcile these alleged discrepancies has been the object of all the harmonists. So early as the second century of the Christian æra, Tatian compiled a Harmony of the Gospels. Since his time nearly two hundred are said to have been published, each professing to give the true chronology and just arrangement of the events of the evangelical histories. As might naturally be expected from so many works on one subject, various principles of arrangement have been adopted. Bishop Marsh arranges the harmonies into two classes:-"Those who have taken it for granted that all the evangelists have written in chronological order, and those who have admitted that in one or more of the Gospels chronological order has been more or less neglected"to which Mr. Townsend adds a third class, those who have supposed that the chronology has been neglected by the four evangelists.

Chemnitius, a celebrated harmonizer of the 16th century, considers the Gospels as so many letters written by different persons on the same subject, and that the variations are occasioned by the different impressions produced by the events on the minds of the writers, or the various associations connected with their occurrence or remembrance. This remark furnishes a clue to many of the chronological difficulties, and accounts for many of the variations in the Gospels. We think, with Dr. Cook, in his Inquiry into the books of the New Testa

ment, that "there are no marks of an intention, on the part of any of the evangelists, to give their narratives in a regular chronological order. The Evangelist John (xx. 30, 31.) expressly asserts that the purpose of his writing was to make such a selection of facts as might be good ground of faith in the divine mission of Jesus Christ: but he no where affirms the, chronological order of the selection. Luke also declares the purpose of his writing to Theophilus, that he might "know the certainty of those things in which he had been instructed." But for this purpose it was not in the least necessary to frame regular chronological narratives; and accordingly what was not necessary has not been effected, the connexions carrying forward the arrangement of events in the Gospels, being not merely those of time, but of the various associations, such as similarity in the facts themselves, vicinity of place, &c. &c. by which it is possible that the human mind may be guided in recollecting and classifying things that are past. And such, perhaps, on the whole, is the impression made on most readers by the narratives of the evangelists."

Although it may have formed no part of the plan of the evangelists to write an accurate chronological account of the events of our Saviour's life, yet there must, unquestionably, be some general order observed in their narratives, and some prominent facts, which must be related in due sequence to each other. The birth, baptism, death, resurrection, and ascension of our Lord, would form the outline of their plan, and serve as convenient places for the arrangement of those events which they designed to narrate. Chemnitius has laid down some important rules for determining the order of events, which have been duly regarded by

most of the "subsequent harmonists, as Pilkington, Newcome, Doddridge," and which we would gladly quote, did not our limits require us to be sparing of quotations, and did we not hope that our readers will possess this "arrangement" of the Scriptures, in the preface to which they are fully quoted.

Little difficulty has been experienced in arranging the facts related in the Gospels previous to the time when Christ entered on his public ministry; but on the duration of his ministry various opinions have been formed. Some have contended that it lasted only one year, others between three and four years. Sir Isaac Newton endeavoured, though we think unsuccessfully, to prove that it lasted between four and five years. Doddridge, and many others, have advocated the second number we have specified. A later, and, to us, a more probable opinion is, that an interval of only two years and a half elapsed between Christ's baptism by John and his crucifixion. The number of passovers which our Saviour attended is the "datum" from which our conclusions must be drawn. Hence, according to the different hypotheses respecting these passovers, conclusions have been drawn respecting the duration of our Saviour's public life. Sir Isaac Newton contended for five passovers; Doddridge, and others, for four; Benson, in his "Chronology of our Saviour's Life," for three only. The hypothesis of the immortal philosopher is considered, generally, to be untenable, and the difference between the others is occasioned by the different interpretations of the "feast" mentioned in John v. 1. The reasonings of Benson seem conclusive in favour of the "feast" being that of pentecost, and not that of the passover; and consequently, taking the Evangelist John for his

guide, "which is indispensably necessary for the scripture chronologist or harmonist," he considers that our Saviour's ministry lasted only between two and three years. For this latter opinion, Mr. Townsend, in his notes on chapter 3, section 13, strenuously contends, and therefore has adopted the chronology of the "beloved disciple" as the basis of his harmony. He has availed himself of the arrangement of the general facts of the Evangelical History, by the celebrated Eichorn, though their principles of arrangement differ essentially, as being the most correct, and as being perfectly agreeable to the order adopted by Mark and Luke.

In addition to the chronological arrangement of the events in relation to the passover, Mr. Townsend has adopted an historical arrangement of chapters and sections, according to the "gradual development of the dispensation of Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, which began with the revival of miracles immediately before the birth of Christ, and terminated with the closing of the canon of the Scriptures of the New Testament, and the cessation of the miraculous gifts."

The whole of the New Testament is divided into fifteen chapters, of which the following are the titles. 1. From the birth of Christ to the temptation. 2. From the temptation to the commencement of the more public ministry of Christ, after the imprisonment of John. 3. From the commencement of Christ's ministry to the mission of the twelve apostles. 4. From the mission of the twelve apostles to that of the seventy disciples. 5. From the mission of the seventy to Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem. 6. From his entry into Jerusalem to his apprehension. 7. From the apprehension to the crucifixion. 8. From the death of Christ to his ascension. 9. From the ascen

sion to the termination of the period in which the Gospel was preached to the proselytes of righteousness and to the Jews only. 10. On the arrival of the time of, and the conversion of the Gentiles or proselytes of the gate. 11. The period for preaching to the idolatrous Gentiles, and Paul's first apostolic journey. 12. Paul's second apostolic journey. 13. His third journey. 14. Paul commences his voyage to Rome as a prisoner. 15. From the commencement of the fifth and last journey of Paul, to the completion of the canon of inspiration, with a brief survey of the history of the christian church to the pre.. sent time.

The arrangement of the apostolical history and epistles is regulated by the generally received opinion respecting the Apostle's journies and correspondence. We are by no means satisfied with the author's reasonings in favour of his arrangement of the Epistles of John after the Apocalypse. On the author's own principles, as expressed in page 25 of the preface, viz. "that the principal object of an arrangement of the New Testament ought to be, to place before his readers the gradual development of the dispensation of Christ, and of the Holy Spirit," we should conceive that the Apocalypse ought to have closed the canon of inspiration, since the aphoristical and benevolent sentiments of the apostle are unquestionably more easily to be understood than the sublimely, mysterious communications of the prophet. And besides, much as may be said in favour of the Epistles being placed after the Revelations, on account of their sentiment breathing only love and charity to God and man, the closing verses of the Apocalypse seem to render it much more appropriate as the conclusion of the N. S. No. 26.

sacred canon, than an Epistle addressed only to a private individual, and which contains remarks only, or chiefly, of a private nature.

The chief argument of the author in favour of the canon being closed by the Epistles is, the difference observable between the style of the Apocalypse and the Epistles, the former being more Hebraistical than the latter. The difference is occasioned, our author conceives, by the Apostle having resided at Ephesus after his liberation from Patmos, and conversed familiarly with the Grecians in that renowned city. Admitting, however, that the Apostle did reside at Ephesus, yet, as Mr. T. allows that the Apocalypse was not written till 97 or 98, the interval between the writing of it and the Epistles could not have been sufficiently long to have occasioned the variety in the style. The advanced age of the Apostle, also, at this time, would render any change in his style improbable. We think the difference easily accounted for by the difference of the subject on which he wrote.

With respect to the plan of our author's harmony, we shall allow him to speak for himself.

"All the Harmonies which have hi

therto been submitted to the world have been formed on one of two plans. The arranged in parallel columns, by which

contents of the four Gospels have been

means the whole of the sacred narrative is placed at one view before the reader; unbroken story, in which the passages or they have been combined into one considered by the harmonizer to be unnecessary to the illustration of the parrative are arbitrarily rejected.""My object has been to unite the advantages of preserved as in the first, while the evanboth plans. Every text of Scripture is gelic narratives are formed into one con. nected bistory, as in the second-every passage which is rejected from the continuous history being placed at the end of each section, to enable the reader to decide on the propriety of the order which has been adopted by the arranger."-Preface, pp. 23, 24,

N

This plan is highly satisfactory. The labour of compilation and transposition have been incredibly great.

This arrangement of the New Testament is enriched with copious notes, and in many instances with critical and learned dissertations on various difficult and controverted passages and subjects of this portion of holy writ; as the logos, the incarnation, the temptation, the miracles, the demoniacs, the resurrection, the proselytes of the gate and of righteousness, the election of the apostles, the apostolic decrees, the dates of the Epistles, the mysteries of the Revelations, &c. &c. The notes may, in part, be considered as forming a perpetual commentary on the New Testament. The reading, research, and labour of the author, in compiling many of the notes, seems to have been immense. Into a single page is compressed the substance of many a "massive tome." The principal biblical works of every age and nation have been laid under contribution for this important work. The various opinions on controverted subjects, quoted from different authors, are, so far as we have been able to ascertain, correctly given. In some cases, their variety of opinions may occasion some difficulty in forming a decision. But the remark of Mr. Orme, in his Bibliotheca Biblica, under the head of "Pole's Synopsis," is applicable in the present case. "The reader may occasionally be perplexed by the multiplicity and variety of interpretations; but he will seldom consult it in vain, or often find it hard to make up his mind to the view he should adopt."

There are two copious indexes to the New Testament; but we would suggest, that in the next edition, a third index, resembling the second in the Old Testament,

by which any passage might be found at first sight, without being obliged to look through the dif ferent chapters and sections, would be particularly useful.

The work is excellently "got up," and forms an important addition to the numerous and valuable biblical works already published.

Among the multifarious observations which are scattered throughout these volumes, there are many on which, did our limits allow, we should animadvert at some length. But we must forbear. We cannot, however, close this lengthened article, without adverting to the author's opinions on the disputed subject of church government and discipline. We have frequently been surprised, and we must confess, in in some cases, amused, at his direct and inferential reasonings in favour of national establishments, diocesan epispocacy, and all the et cetera of those important subjects.

We candidly confess, that we have not been convinced by the reasonings of the author on the discipline of the national church. In fact, we are at a loss, in some passages, to conceive whence the author obtained his views of a Christian church; certainly, in our opinion, not from the Scriptures, at least, not from the New Testament, which states plainly and unequivocally, that the kingdom of Christ is not of this world; and which the word "church," applies either to a separate congregation of believers, or the whole body of believers throughout the world, as subject to the rule of the Lord Jesus Christ.

"My Bible," says the author, " my only religion, has taught me that Christ descended from heaven, neither to form separate congregations of good and devotional individuals, but to unite the world under one ecclesiastical domination. He came

to make every separate kingdom one great religious family, and thus to extinguish