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places the Mahometan indulges the most profound veneration for the holy city which contains the tomb of his prophet: the Ebionite glows with equal enthusiasm on contemplating the prospect of Jerufalem.'

This fermon is altogether compofed in a ftrain of fublimity and eloquence which we have never feen excelled. The eulogiums on the beneficial effects of Chriftianity in reforming the convert nations, are at once pregnant with information, and adorned with the moft fplendid decorations of fancy and

nius.

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Mr. Kett next proceeds to obfervations on the character of an hiftorian in general, applied to the author of the Decline and Fall of the Roman empire;' and to a particular review of fome ftriking mifreprefentations contained in his fifteenth and fixteenth chapters.

Having with much precifion defined the general duties of an hiftorian, and offered the tribute of applaufe to Mr. Gibbon's matchlefs brilliancy of style and imagination, the acutenefs of his judgment, the ftrength of his reafon, and the extent of his learning,' Mr. Kett alledges that among the various inftances of misreprefentation with which this particular part of the hiftory of the Decline and Fall abounds, there are five which immediately force themselves on our notice.' The first is ftated to confift in affigning a visionary cause for the propagation of Chriftianity; the fecond, in an attempt to invalidate the truth of prophecy;' the third, in an unwarrantable charge of uncharitableness against the primitive Chriftians;' the fourth, 'in drawing wrong conclufions from facts;' and the laft, in selecting paffages manifeftly inconclufive, and fuppreffing others of the fame writers, more decifive and equally connected with the fubject. After a minute examination of thefe charges, candour obliges us to confefs that Mr. Kett has established them with a force of reafoning which the advocates of the Roman History will find it difficult to repel.: and it must also be allowed, that Mr. Gibbon has at length met with an opponent who is able to encounter him with his own weapons; having added to a profundity of polemic learn ing, the various arts and fascinations of style and compofition. This attack fhould be read as well by the friends as foes of the hiftorian. His credit as an author and as a man is at stake; for a dispassionate review of his infinuations against Christianity induces Mr. Kett to proclaim that the hiftorian of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire is a confummate adept in the arts of mifreprefentation, and that, deferting the open path of truth, he has attempted to lead his readers into the intricate labyrinths of error."

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From the infidious and refined opponent of the Chriftian caufe, our author turns to an antagonist of a different defcrip tion; to one, whofe general plan of attack upon the divinity of Chrift is conducted with a fingularity of enterprize, of which it is fruitless to search for another inftance,' who poffeffes an undaunted boldnefs, which no oppofition has intimidated; an inflexible perfeverance, which has been tried in many a polemical field; and a refined fophiftry which can elude the grafp of confutation.' The three grand principles which form the bafis of the Hiftory of the early Opinions concerning Chrift, are ftated to be, 1. That the apoftolical fathers held the fimple humanity of Chrift; 2. That Justin Martyr corrupted the pri mitive faith by the adoption of the Logos of Plato; and 3, That the paftors of the church maintained a corrupted faith, whilft the illiterate Chriftians continued to maintain the fimple humanity of Chrift.' The first of thefe pofitions is clearly difproved by quotations and deductions from the earliest fa thers: but we do not perceive any great advantage gained by this demonftration. That the fathers efteemed Chrift more than man is apparent; but to make Mr. Kett's triumph of any confequence, he fhould have proved, in conformity with the creeds and articles, that he was coequal with God. Not an expreffion is cited which may not be fairly applied to a human creature highly favoured by the Divinity.

In his oppofition to the fecond charge, Mr. Kett is abundantly more fuccefsful. He purfies the enemy with unremitting vigilance into his moft fecret retreats, and expofes-but in a tone fomewhat too triumphant-fundry mifreprefentations of importance.

The refutation of the third charge difcovers our author's fingular dexterity in polemics; fince he turns Dr. Priestley's principal quotations and arguments against himfelf, and ftrips him of the most effective weapons with which he had commenced the combat. A more formidable or concife oppofition to the antiquity and fcriptural authority of Unitarianifm we have never feen.

In Sermon VII. Mr. Kett confiders the evidences given by the earliest fathers of the church to the books of the New Teftament.' It is afferted by the noble author of the Letters on History, that the fathers of the first century either made ufe of different gofpels from ours; or the paffages which refemble thofe which occur in our gofpels, were preferved by unwritten tradition. Thefe affertions Mr. Kett corrects with his ufual accuracy of reafoning and extent of information; and contends that the revolutions of feventeen centuries have left the New Teftament in the fame ftate as in the primitive times. On this fubject he inclines to the opinion that the

apoftles

apostles were in their writings endowed with fupernatural affiftance; fo far as to be guarded from error in the grand outlines of their narration, in the ftatement of precepts, and the developement of doctrines.'

The laft fermon recapitulates the general arguments, draws an analogy between the primitive church and the church of England, and concludes with practical inferences. The labours of our own reformers are recorded in elegant language; and the excellence of our established fervice is beautifully illuftrated.

We were induced to make feveral extracts from the two laft difcourfes; but our article is already fufficiently extended. Seldom have ecclefiaftical fubjects been illuftrated with fuch claffic brilliancy, and fo ftrongly fupported by authorities. -Mr. Kett's Bamptonian Lecture is a model for the ftudent in literary compofition; as well as a monument of honour to himself, and to the caufe he defends, are perennius.

In the next edition fundry errors must be corrected. In p. 10, line 8, read worldly: in p. 163, line 4, a fubftantive is wholly wanting to the adjective ecclefiaftical:' p. 166, line 23, read opinion: p. 229, line 14, are mentioned the Latin converts of Praxeas, who he had made in Italy:' p. 261, line 15, a quotation from Irenæus has no mark of diftinction: and p. 290, line 15, omit to.

Travels through Cyprus, Syria, and Paleftine, with a General Hiftory of the Levant. By the Abbe Mariti. Tranflated from the Italian. Vol. III. 8vo. 65. Boards. Robinsons. 1792.

IN our Review for Auguft laft, we concluded our account of the two preceding volumes of this work, not without fome apprehenfion that the abbe Mariti had then completed his plan. But we have now the pleasure to perufe an additional volume, in which he treats largely of what he had formerly only mentioned, the celebrated city of Jerufalem.

He begins with giving an account of remarkable places in the neighbourhood of Bethlehem, which he had not before vifited. Setting out on the 24th of April in the morning, with few attendants, he directed his courfe towards the eaft; and in a valley furrounded by mountains, at the distance of a mile from the city, he obferved the ruins of one of thofe four menafteries erected by St. Paula. Advancing a little farther, they arrived at a small, but delightful and fertile plain, abounding with excellent paiture; the appearance of which is fo much the more agreeable to the eye, as all the furrounding country is covered with mountains. In this plain was formerly a church,

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church, called the Church of the Angels, but at prefent, the Church of the Shepherds, faid to have been built by St. Helen, in remembrance of thofe fhepherds to whom the angel appeared and announced the birth of our Saviour. Nothing now re mains of this edifice but the fubterranean part, which has been ufed as a place of worship, and the defcent to which is by a modern ftair-cafe, conftructed of ftones taken from the ruins. It is still entire; thirty-two feet in length and twenty in breadth. The altar, which is feparated from the gallery, ftands in the eaftern fide. It has fuffered much from the injuries of time; but plainly appears to be of great antiquity. The pavement has been of Mofaic work.

The traveller obferved that the walls had been painted with various figures, which are now almost defaced, except in one corner, where he could diftinguish a few sheep, and fome cottages, in the back-ground, which are still in pretty good prefervation. In the northern part of the wall there is a waterciftern, well conftructed; but at prefent it is of no ufe, being rent and deftroyed in feveral places. Under the vestibule there were alfo bafons and veffels, in which the ancient Christians ufed to wash their hands, face, and mouth, before they enter ed the church.

Among the furrounding ruins our author obferved the tomb of a religious Mahometan, who, from a refpect to this spot, ordered his body to be depofited in it. It is worthy of remark, that the Mahometans in this country entertain a parti cular veneration for those places which have been celebrated by any action connected with the history of Jefus Christ,

In this plain, near the abovementioned church, ftood the town of Edar. At the diftance of half a mile behind the Church of the Shepherds, the travellers found a village, called the Village of the Shepherds. According to vulgar tradition, it was thus named because the fhepherds, who were feeding their flocks when the angel announced to them the birth of our Saviour, were inhabitants of it. Thofe who refide in it at prefent are thepherds, or poor Chriftians of various fects, with a few Mahometans.

The travellers afterwards directed their courfe towards Beth lehem; but turning a little to the fouth, and afcending part of a small eminence, they arrived at a plain, where they found a few trees and fome ruins, faid to be thofe of a house in which Jofeph spent the early part of his life, before he went to Nazareth. Formerly there was a church at this place, said to be built by St. Helen; but it was deftroyed about a century ago. On the road to Bethlehem, they went to fee a grotto fituated on the fouth fide of the city, and called the 'Grotto of the Vitgin's Milk. The inhabitants of the neighbourhood have a tradition,

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tradition, that Mary retired hither to avoid the perfecution of Herod; and that the fuckled her fon here for fome time. Above this grotto there was a fourth monaftery, built by St, Paula, as ftill appears from the ruins. There was here also a church dedicated to St. Nicholas; and a chapel dedicated to the fame faint was feen here entire in 1375.

The travellers, after repofing themselves at Bethlehem, fet out again upon another excurfion; when they visited David's Well, which is fituated at a little distance towards the west. This well, or ciftern, is a large fubterranean cavity, which seems to have been formed partly by nature and partly by art. It is called David's Well, because he expreffed a ftrong defire of drinking water brought from it, as mentioned in the fcriptures.

At the distance of a quarter of a mile from this well are the ruins of thofe aqueducts which conveyed water to Jerufalem, and which form a part of thofe proceeding from Solomon's cifterns; but in this place the construction of them is fomewhat different.

When the travellers had proceeded about half a mile towards the weft, they found on the left fide of the road the fepulchre of Rachel, Jacob's wife, who died here in child-birth of her fon Benjamin. It stands in a very rocky plain, and is built in the fhape of a fmall chapel. It is fupported by four pilasters, which form the fame number of arches, open from the top to the bottom; and over thefe arifes a little cupola, in the figure of an inverted bafon. In the middle of this edifice ftands a large wooden coffer, raised about feven feet from the earth. It is entirely empty; but fome fimple people ftill believe that it contains the body of Rachel. Near it are two other fepulchres, in which are depofited the bodies of religious Mahometans, who, from a refpect for Rachel, and the patriarch Jacob, defired that they might be interred here.

This fmall edifice is conftructed wholly in the Turkish taste. In the neighbourhood of Jerufalem there are other Mahometan fepulchres of the like kind; but as our author has seen such monuments not only in Palestine, but in Syria and the island of Cyprus, he is inclined to believe, that Rachel's tomb is not, as fome imagine, of very great antiquity.

A little to the weft of this fepulchre the traveller obferved various ruins, among which is a tower, called by the inhabitants the Tower of Jacob. He could easily perceive that there had once been a large village here, with a caftle, in which, as thefe people fay, Rachel died.

The ground on which this village and castle ftood, abounds with fand and rocks, and the earth is of a reddish colour. It produces excellent crops of barley; and olive-trees thrive allo

extremely