Vou. VI.J 
long feries of years on all commercial 
{ubjects, and the inimitable franknefs 
with which he carries his point in rea- 
foning on matters of the frit importance 
to the ftate and the individual citizen, 
«© The Commercial Academy; being a 
manual calculated for the ufe of young 
tradefinen of every defcription; by C.C. 
ILLING, in two fmall volumes 8vo, As. 
this is a mere compilation from other 
works on this diveriified fubject, and as 
the author, though generally accurate, 
has fometimes committed errors, even in 
fpelling technical words—a circumitance 
not a little derogatory trom an elementary 
book—we cannot fpeak in very com- 
mendatory terms of his labours: yet, 
upon the whole, it is ene of thofe pub- 
lications which, if placed in proper 
hands, may be read and uled with ad- 
yantage. 
DIVINITY. 
With refpe& to the prefent ftate of 
theology in Germany, we have already 
delivered our opinion in the former Re- 
trofpect ; and we have now only to add, 
that from the nature of the fubfequent 
works, the reader wil] be ftill more fully 
fatisfied with the fentiments we have be- 
fore exprefled, * The Critique of the 
Chriftian Revelation, or the only poffible 
Point of View in which Revelation can be 
confidered,” pp. xvi. and 458. 8vo. 1798, 
is a new, ingenious, and bold attempt to 
prove, ‘ that there is a pure original 
idea of revelation in the human mind; 
that there is a pure original claim of man 
to the exiftence of a revelation ; and that 
there is a pure original belief of revela- 
tion which precedes that claim: thus the 
author endeavours to jultity @ priori the 
belief in myfteries and miracles. His 
arguments, however, are more [pecious 
than convincing. ‘“* Commentarius criti- 
cus in textum Graecum Nowi Teffamentt. 
Particula 1.” pp. 168. 8vo. 1798, auc- 
tore I. I. GRIESBACH, is a valuable 
commentary on the firit twenty chapters 
of the gofpel of Matthew, It is written 
in elegant language, and well deferves to 
be read by the ftudent in divinity who 
wifhes to acquire a more correct know- 
ledge of what aie called the facred writ- 
ings. ‘¢ Lhe Chriflian Profeffor of Re- 
ligion, in his moral Exifience and Adiious ;” 
a book of inftruction for the moral detti- 
nation of a chriftian teacher in churches 
and ichools, relative to his private life as 
well as his official duties, by F. H.C, 
SCHWARZ, vol. 1, pp, xxxil. and 350. 
8vo. 4798. The title is fafficiently ex- 
preffive of the defign of this work ; and 
z 
Retrofpect of German Literature... Divinity, Se. 
545 
we fhall only remark, that it well de- 
ferves a careful perufal of the divines of. 
this country, particularly by thole jie 
cure gentlemen who, altogether againt 
‘the intention of their humble Mafter,: 
confume the fruits of the land, without 
lending any affiftance to cultivate the 
vineyard of the Lord. © ‘¢ Inflructions, 
together with Queftions direéted to Chil- 
dren; adapted to the whole year, by J. 
Lauper, D. D. &c. vol. 1. pp. 450. 
vol. ii. pp. 580. 8vo. ‘This is another 
fpecimen of the accommodating fpirit of , 
the times, to facilitate or rather prevent 
the trouble of reflecting, when young 
preachers, for want of talent or erudition, 
are unable to compofe their own fermons. 
In fhort, this fpecies of trafic deferves 
fevere animadverfion; although the Ger- 
mans have not yet arrived at that degree 
of refinement in the fale and ciréulation . 
of fermons, which is now pretty common 
in this country, to hawk about what are 
called manufcrist fermons; that is, dif- 
courfes printed with writing-types, and 
ftitched wp in blue paper, at 1s. per 
piece, or 10s. 6d. per dozen!!! The iat : 
article we fhall mention in the lit of | 
fermons, is rather a phenomenon upon 
the ecclefiaftical horizon, and as fuch is 
intitled to particular notice: ‘¢ Sermons 
delivered on fome Sundays ond Holidays of 
the Year, chiefly on the Text of the car- 
refponding Gofpels,” by a Roman Catholic 
Curate, 8vo. pp. 148, Thefe difcourfes 
may with juftice be called ‘ contributions 
towards religious improvement,’ (illu- 
mination) as the author expreffes him- 
felf in the title-page; for they abound 
with excellent remarks; the exegefis 
contained in them is generally correé&t ; — 
and the author every where proves himfealf 
an enlightened, convincing, and popular 
orator. Before we conclude this depart- 
ment, we think it our duty to announce 
a very fuccefsfal tranflation of “* The 
Book of Fob” into German rhyme, by 
S. €. Paps, and accompanied with 4 
preface by the Aulic Counfellor Excu- 
HORN, pp. xxii. and 114. 8vo. This is 
the firit attempt ever made to tranflate 
Hebrew poetry into German verfe; and, 
confidering the difficulties connected with 
fo arduous an undertaking, the prefent 
verfion has far exceeded our expectations, 
and may, with very few exceptions rela- 
tive to the harmony and ftructure of the 
verfes, be ranked among the claffical pro 
duétions of the German mules. : 
JURISPRUDENCE. 
As the laws of treafon are hitherto 
rather indefinite, many queftions have 
fo ae been 
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