word in the margin of Ezek. xl. 43. Dr. Chandler adopts the fame interpretation. We cannot but take notice here how differently Dr. Durell underftands the paffage, who fuppofes the word to fignify "fheep-folds," and thinks the verfe, together with the next, carries in it a reflexion on some of the tribes of Ifrael which did not affift Deborah in the battle against Sifera. When there is a variety of criticism on the fame text, it ferves chiefly to confound the Reader. However that which Dr. Horne adopts, feems probable and fatisfactory. In the commentary on this Pfalm he acknowledges his obligation to the late Dr. Chandler, whofe admirable expofition of its literal, or historical fenfe, in his Critical Hiftory of the Life of David, he fays, he has followed, and alfo his very ingenious divifion of it into five parts, founded on the fuppofition of its being performed at the removal of the ark.'

Ver. 14. When the Almighty fcattered kings in it, it was white as fnory in Salmon.

The purport of this difficult verfe feems to be, that all was white as fnow, i. e. all was brightnefs, joy, and festivity, about mount Salmon, when the Almighty, fighting for his people Ifrael, vanquished their enemies, in or about that part of the country.'

XC. ver. 11. Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, fo is thy wrath.

Houbigant renders the verfe thus," Quis novit vim iræ tuæ; et, prout, terribilis es, furorem tuum"- "Who knoweth," or confidereth," the power of thine anger, and thy wrath in proportion as thou art terrible" that is, in other words, notwithstanding all the manifeftations of God's indignation against fin, which introduced death, and every other calamity among men, who is there that knoweth, who that duly confidereth and layeth to heart the Almightypower of that indignation; who that is induced, by beholding the mortality of his neighbours, to prepare himself for his own departure hence? fuch holy confideration is the gift of God, from whom the pfalmift, in the next verfe directeth us to request it.

CX. ver. 7. He fhall drink of the brook, or, torrent, in the way, and therefore fhall be lift up his head.

The means by which Chrift fhould obtain his univerfal kingdom, and everlafting priesthood, feem here to be affigned." In his way" to glory, he was to drink deep of the waters of affliction; the fwollen torrent" occurred in the way and prefented itself between him and the throne of God. To this " torrent in the way" the Saviour defcended, bowed himself down, and "drank" of it for us all, "and THEREFORE, did he lift up his head," that is, he arose victorious, and from the valley in which the torrent ran, afcended to the fummit of that holy and heavenly mount, where he reigneth, 'till his enemies be made his footstool." St. Paul hath expressed the fame fentiment in literal terms; "He humbled himfelf, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross: WHEREFORE, God alfo hath highly exalted him." Phil. 11. 8.'

Dr. Horne obferves on the above verfe that the Hebrew word fignifies, in general," a current of water," which may be either turbid or overwhelming, or a clear and gentle ftream. Hence, fays he, arifes an ambiguity in the interpretation of the words, which may be expounded either of the fufferings Chrift tafted, or of the refreshments he experienced; either way the fenfe is good, and true, as it relates to Meffiah. The idea of á "brook in the way, or the road," feems to favour the expofition of afflictions and fufferings. But, it is added, I advance it, as becomes me to do, with great deference and fubmiffion, fince Bishop Lowth and Mr. Merrick are of a different opinion.' Dr. Durell, we obferve, is of the fame opinion with this Author.

CXIX. ver. 118. Thou haft trodden down all them that err from thy ftatutes, for their deceit is falfhood.

The dreadful judgments which God, from time to time, in all ages of the world, hath executed, and which he ftill can and will execute on impenitent finners, afford a kind admonition and a powerful motive to obedience. As no force can counteract the power of God, fo no "cunning" can deceive his wifdom, but will always, in the end, miferably deceive" thofe who truft in it, and employ it against the counfels of heaven," their deceit, or fubtilty, is falfhood" it will fail and ruin it's owners. Of this, hiftory furnishes inftances in abundance. And it will be evident to all the world, when fimplicity and innocence fhall reign triumphant, with the Lamb, on mount Sion; and deceit and guile fhall have their portion with the ferpent, in the lake of fire.'

CXX. ver. 3. What shall be given unto thee, or what shall be done unto thee, thou falle tongue? 4. Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper.

Some render the first of these two verfes a little differently; "What shall a falfe tongue give thee, or what fhall it add to thee?" the fense will be much the fame, whether the pfalmift be fuppofed to addrefs his question to the falle tongue, or to him who is the owner of it. The purport of the question plainly is this; what profit or advantage, do you expect to reap from this practice of lying and flandering; what will at laft be it's end, and its reward? Then followeth the answer, "Sharp arrows of the mighty One," who is the avenger of truth and innocence; with a fire that burns fiercely, and burns long, like that which was made of "juniper," or fome wood ufed in those days, remarkable for increafing and retaining heat. Punishments justly inflicted on a tongue, the words of which have been keen and killing as arrows, and, which, by it's lies and calumnies, hath contributed to fet the world on fire. We read in the -gofpel of one, who exclaimed, Send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame."

The above is a good explication of the verfes, but may it not be questionable whether the words, " Sharp arrows," &c.

are not a continuation of the question in the former verfe, and a lively representation of the nature of malice, flander, &c. and the injuries received from them?

At the conclufion of the commentary on the hundred and twenty-fecond Pfalm, we have this obfervation:

• Theodore Zuinger, of whom fome account may be found in Thuanus, when he lay on his death-bed, took his leave of the world, in a paraphrafe on the foregoing Pfalm, giving it the fame turn, with that given to it above, viz. as the Chriftian's afpiration after the heavenly city, and his wishes of celestial peace to the Church on earth. I have never been able to get a fight of the original; but one may venture, I believe, to fay, that it has loft nothing in a tranflation of it by the late learned and pious Mr. Merrick; which is fo excellent, that I muft beg leave to prefent it to the Reader. Some of the lines are retained in his more literal poetical verfion, published in 1755. It may ferve as a finifhed fpecimen of the noble and exalted ufe which a Chriftian may and ought to make of the Pfalms of David.' This pleafing copy of verfes accordingly follows, but it is of too great length for us to infert in our work.

CXXVII. ver. 2. It is vain for you to rife up early, to fit up late, to eat the bread of forrows: for fo be giveth his beloved fleep.

The pfalmift doth not, certainly, intend to fay, that labour and diligence are vain, but that they are fo, except the Lord be with the labourer: the bufinefs is not to be done by all the industry and pains, all the carking and caring in the world, without him; whereas, if his aid be called in, if part of our time be fpent in prayer, not the whole of it in prayerlefs toiling and moiling, our work will become eafier, and go on better, a folicitude and anxiety for it's fuccefs and completion, will no longer prey on our minds by day, and break our reft at night; we fhall chearfully fulfil our daily tasks, and then, with confidence and refignation, lay our heads on our pillows, and sleep," God will "give to his beloved" a sweet and undisturbed which fhall fit them to return, every morning, with renewed vigour and alacrity, to their ftated employments. This feemeth to be the import of the verfe. An obfcurity has been occafioned in the translations, by rendering the adverb,-fo; "fo he giveth his beloved Heep," in which form this last part of the verse will not connect with what goes before. But if the adverb be tranflated (like it's kindred Hebrew particle) "furely he giveth his beloved fleep;" or, as Dr. Hammond renders it "fince he giveth his beloved fleep;" the difficulty will vanifh, and the fenfe appear to be as above. Nor can we eafily find a more profitable piece of inftruction, with regard to the management of all our concerns, temporal and fpiritual.

From the above fpecimens the Reader will perceive that this is a very pious performance. The Author appears to poffefs that unaffected goodness of heart which is of fterling worth. His ftrain of theology indeed will not perfectly fuit every tafte; efpecially as the fhort prayers, which are occafionally introduced, are generally, if not entirely addreffed to Chrift (often

under

under the appellation, Jefu) which, to fome perfons, will not feem quite fcriptural and juftifiable. Yet, on the whole, his publication has great merit; it recommends to our attentive regard, an important part of the facred writings; it illuftrates them; and it prefents to our view a great number of pleafing, folid, and edifying reflections. The Pfalms appointed for the public fervice of our Church, on particular days, are here in that view explained, which is one ufeful part of thefe volumes; for it must often have been painful to many to hear them repeated by numbers on thofe occafions, who cannot be supposed, in fome inftances, to have proper, if any, ideas to the words they utter, or to fee any propriety in their being appointed for those times.

Dr. Horne expreffes himself with great candour and modefty concerning the reception of his work, and the different explication which many efpouse. As to himself, he fays, From the most fober, deliberate, and attentive furvey of the fentiments, which prevailed on this point, in the firft ages of the Church, when the apoftolical method of citing and expounding the Pfalms was fresh on the minds of their followers, the Author cannot but be confident, that his Commentary, if it had then made its appearance, would have been univerfally received and approved, as to the general defign of it, by the Christian world. He has written, it is added, to gratify no fect or party, but for the common fervice of all who call on the name of Jefus, wherefoever difperfed, and how foever diftreffed on the earth.—Enough has been given to the arts of controversy. Let fomething be given to the ftudies of piety and a holy life. If we can once unite in thefe, our tempers may be better difpofed to unite in doârine. Many may be of a different opinion from the Author, who confcientiously believe the doctrines and practice the duties of the gospel, whether they fee them fhadowed out in the Pfalms or not.Many learned and good men, whom he does not therefore value and refpect the lefs, have conceived strong prejudices against the fcheme of interpretation here purfued. Such will enjoy their own liberty, and permit their brethren to do the fame.-— From the Public the Author is now to expect the determination of his fate. Should its fentence be in his disfavour, nothing farther remains to be faid, than that he has honeftly and faithfully endeavoured to serve it, to the utmost of his power, in the way in which he thought himself best able, and to give the world fome account of that time, and thofe opportunities, which, by the Providence of a gracious God, and the munificence of a pious Founder, he has long enjoyed, in the happy retirement of a college.'

Here we conclude the Article; having given the Reader, we hope, a juft and fair view of this publication.

ART.

TH

ART. II. Metallurgic Chymiftry, being a Syftem of Mineralogy in general, and of all the Arts arifing from this Science. To the great Improvement of Manufactures, and the most capital Branches of Trade and Commerce. Theoretical and Practical. In Two Parts. Translated from the original German of C. E. Gellert, by J. S. with Plates. Svo. 6s. Boards. Becket. 1776. THE work of this eminent Chemift, now prefented to the English reader, appears juftly entitled to the character given it by the tranflator, of " The moft concife Affemblage of ufeful Chemical Knowledge which has hitherto been published.' By the term Metallurgic the Author does not mean what relates folely to Metallic bodies, ftrictly fo called, but to all foffil fubftances. The fcope he takes is therefore fufficiently comprehenfive, and indeed includes the greatest portion of what is chiefly valuable in chemistry.

The theoretical part of the work confifts of three divifions, under which, the nature and properties of mineral bodies; the chemical agents, or inftruments; and the operations of chemistry, are severally explained and decribed. The firft of these heads is rendered fomewhat confufed by intermixing a chemical with a foffilogical claffification. Thus earths and tones, which are abfolutely the fame in chemistry, are diftributed into different claffes; and in like manner metals are feparated from their ares, though chemiftry confiders them only as different forms of the fame bodies. On the other hand the clafs of falts, being made to comprehend all the acids, alkalies, and neutrals, many of which are artificial fubftances, and many others, fubjects of the vegetable and animal kingdoms, is not a mineralogical but a chemical divifion. The fame may be faid of fulphur, confidered as the inflammable principle, exifting in the feveral forms of bitumen, brimftone, refins, oils, and balfams. These objections to the method, however, do not affect the matter of this part of the work; which, as well as the two other general heads, is either extracted from the most approved Authors, or added from the writer's own obfervations and reflections. We fhall just remark with regard to an extenfive table of folutions annexed, that there may be danger of its misleading the lefs attentive reader, from the manner of placing the articles in each column, which is juft the reverfe of that used in the common tables of affinities. In this, the fubftances which have the greatest affinity with that at the head of the column are, less naturally, placed the most diftant from it.

The proceffes of which the practical part of this volume confifts, appear, as far as may be judged without actually trying them, to be judiciously contrived and accurately directed. They are in general fuch as are the foundation of the principal arts and manufactures of which mineral fubftances are the ob

jects,