356 
after nature. The text is professedly a 
compilation of facts from the best authori- 
ties, but originally written throughout, in 
astyle adapted to the subjects. To avoid 
the dull didactic and elementary manner, 
the whole is divided into Lectures, adapt- 
ed to family-reading, or for students of 
all degrees. In a word, it is the fascina- 
ting work of the Abbé la Pluche, revised, 
amended, and modernized; and is likely 
to meet with as favourable a reception as 
that work, and, like it, form an essential 
part of every library for the remainder of 
this century. Somethiug of the kind was 
wanted to rescue us from that ascendancy 
of novel and frivolous reading which has 
enervated and disgraced the taste and 
literature of the age. Nothing can be 
more likely to effect this purpose than 
rendering the study of nature attractive 
and popular, by means of sach a work as 
the present. 
The Publishers of the previous work, to 
forward the same object, have endeavour- 
ed to place the study of Nature on the 
footing of Geography, and have arranged 
the whole of the engravings in ‘‘ Nature 
Displayed” in a FOLIO ATLAs, with such 
copious descriptions as will enable those 
who use it to acquire much knowledge, 
and gratify much curiosity, with little 
labour of thinking. This volume they call 
the Atlas of Nature; and it is one of the 
most curious, interesting, and instructive, 
collections of graphic curiosities ever 
seen. It is sold by itself, and persons who 
subsequently desire the whole text, may 
purchase it separately also. 
On the recent memorable trial of Mrs. 
Wricut, the lord chief justice said, 
that, “ the defendant was not called upon 
to answer for any reasonable or fair dis- 
cussion on the truth of Christianity in 
general, or any of its peculiar tenets: the 
law permitted that every subject, however 
sacred, should be freely, yet moderately 
and temperately, discussed.” We quote 
this passage, because it is printed, very 
appropriately, as a motto toa pamphiet, 
entitled, The new Trial of the Witnesses, or 
the Resurrection of Jesus considered, on 
Principles understood and acknowledged 
equally by Jews and Christians.” ‘Through- 
out the whole of his work, the author ap- 
pears ‘to have kept his motto continually 
in view; for, though his arguments ter- 
minate in infidelity, they are conducted 
in a manner so calm and dispassionate, 
that even a jury of fanatics would find it 
difficult to pick out a single sentence that 
could be twisted so as to offer the 
slightest insult to the religion of the 
country. The evidences are candidly 
examined; and, if the decision be erro- 
neous, this error must have been of the 
head and not of the heart. The writer 
seems to have had no experience in the 
Literary and Critical Proémium. 
[Nov. 15: 
technicalities of authorship, or in the su-~ 
perintendance of the press; and he has 
been obviously unfortunate in his choice 
of a printer; but these are minor consi- 
derations. Onthe proof of the resurrec- 
tion the whole fabric of Christianity is 
erected; and a case is here brought for- 
ward, supported with much ingenuity and 
no little research, such as imperiously ealls 
for refutation, But this is not all—it 
seems to be determined that the cffice of 
“ Christian advocate” shall be no longer 
asmecure; and another larger volume is 
now before us which has already attracted 
much of the attention of those who choose 
to employ their reasoning faculties in po- 
lemical investigations :—“ Not Paul, bat 
Jesus, by Gamaliel Smith, esq.” is the 
strange title of the extraordinary .work 
of which we now speak. Mr. Bentham 
(for no other mortal could assume the 
style and manner of this book) here under- 
takes to demonstrate that St. Paul was 
a pretender; and that his religion, as un- 
folded in his Epistles, is not the religion: 
of Jesus! “ Whosoever,” says he, “ put- 
ting aside all prepossessions, feels strong 
enough, in mind, to look steadily at the 
originals, and from them to take his con- 
ceptions of the matter, not from the dis- 
courses of others; whosoever has this 
command over himself, will recognize, if 
the author does not much deceive himself, 
that by the two persons in question, as 
represented in the two sources of infor- 
mation—tle Gospels and Paul’s Epistles ; 
two quite different, if not opposite, re- 
ligions are incnicated: and that, in the 
religion of Jesus, may be found all the 
good that bas ever been the result of the 
catmpound so incongruously and unhappily 
made; in the religion of Paul, all the mis- 
chief which, in such disastrous abundance, 
has so indisputably flowed from it.” A 
summary of the “ pian of the work,” is 
prefixed to the volume; but, notwithstand- 
ing that it is concise as well as plain, it is 
nevertheless too long for insertion in our 
pages. We must, therefore, content our- 
selves with general observations, which we 
do with the less regret; because, we are 
persuaded that the book must acquire an 
extensive circulation ; not only on account 
of the celebrity of its author, but of the 
novel and minute investigation of the 
character and writings of the most illus- 
trious of the apostles of Christianity. The. 
divine raission and ihe doctrine of Jesus 
are no where impeached. These are sa- 
cred by “the law of the land,” and it 
remains to be seen whether Paulism (as Mr. 
Bentham wouid call it) must be considered 
as equally sacred.® The standing objec- 
tion to the warfare of infidels, is their 
making vse of the arrows of ‘ridicule. 
Ridicule, of itself, is certainly no test of 
truth ; but, as assuredly, it is no argument 
mv 
