in for a fhare of the wholefome difcipline which is here justly beftowed on both parties,-under the fimilitude, as Bunyan would say, of The Hiftory of James Tory, and Will. Whig; who, by turns, managed the great estate of Lord ; and were, each, in their turn, defpotic, and oppreffive to the tenants. Art. 47. THEOLOGY and POLEMics. Obfervations on the Reverend Doctor Hurd's, (now Lord Bishop of Worcester's) Two Dialogues, on the Conftitation of the English Government, addressed in a Letter to the Right Hon. Edmund Burke. 8vo. pp. 92. 2s. 6d. Stockdale. 1790. Of the Bishop of Worcester's Moral and Political Dialogues, thofe which profefs to delineate the English Conftitution are particularly open to objections; and in an age of political inquiry, like the prefent, we should have been furprized, had they escaped animadverfion. The writer of thefe Obfervations very ably, and we think fuccefsfully, combats the pofitions which the Right Rev. author of the Dialogues endeavours to establish. The Bishop regards the inquiry into the principles of the English Conftitution, as a queftion of FACT to be tried by authority and precedent only; and he confiders our prefent fyftem of liberty to have had its origin in the feudal policy: his opponent, however, contends that there is no neceffity to plead prefcription in fupport of the natural rights of mankind. Was liberty, (fays he), only a day old; nay, had it never exifted, we have as full and as abfolute a right to it as if it had been established and delivered down to us from the remoteft ages.' As a juftification of his rejection of Dr. Hurd's pedigree of the English Conftitution, settled at the Revolution, he further remarks that the military oligarchy of the feudal government was neither erected on the principles nor productive of freedom; and that the great events of the Revolution were brought about without any reference to or thought of the feudal fyftem. This we think is indifputable. Facts, or a coincidence of circumftances, in the hiftory of a country, may contribute to the developement of the principles of liberty: but furely they do not give them their Being, any more than the mild gales and fhowers of the fpring, which call forth the dormant powers of the vegetable world, create the principle of vegetation. This writer reprobates Mr. Burke's account of the Settlement of our Conftitution in 1628 as " a Revolution not made but prevented;" and he condemns the Bishop of Worcester's Two Dialogues, which maintain that the principles avowed at the Revolution, were avowed only to ferve a turn, as libellous and infulting to the memories of the great actors on the political ftage of the last century. Thefe obfervations deferve the attention of the Bishop of Worcefter, and should be read with the Dialogues. Mooy. Art. 48. A Letter to the Right Reverend Samuel Lord Bishop of St. David's, on the Charge he lately delivered to the Clergy of his Diocese. By a Welch Freeholder. 8vo. pp. 31. 6d. Johnfon. 1790. This Welsh freeholder may be a plain ruftic,' in as much as he may wear a plain brown coat, or more probably a black one, with comfortable Comfortable worsted stockings, like us poor Reviewers: but he is not a plain ruftic in the fenfe of illiterate and uninformed. He fhews himself to be intimately acquainted with the ftate of the controverfy between the Bishop of St. David's and Dr. Priestley, and to be a zealous Unitarian and Diffenter. Influenced by zeal, he has made a fpirited, but, in our opinion, a premature attack on the Bishop of St. David's; for hearing that the charge which provoked his wrath, was foon to be published, he might have waited till its publication, before he offered his ftrictures on it. At prefent, the reader cannot be fure of the accuracy of the Freeholder's statement. In his letters, he fometimes fports a little irony: but, for the most part, he appears in the character of a controverfial knight-errant, who is ambitious of breaking a lance with the Bishop of St. David's, or with any of the defenders of the Eftablishment, or of the Trinity; and he here throws down his gauntlet and fettles the law of the combat. Moo-y. Art. 49. An Anfwer to a Letter from a Welsh Freeholder, to the Right Reverend Samuel Lord Bishop of St. David's,_on_the Charge he lately delivered to the Clergy of his Diocefe. By a Clergyman of the Diocese of St. David's. 8vo. pp. 30. 6d. Williams. 1790. If the Welsh Freeholder treats Dr. Horfley and the Established Church with too little ceremony and refpect, this clergyman fufficiently retaliates on him and on the whole Diffenting fquad. He calls the Welsh Freeholder's hand, a band of imbecility. This certainly is not true. Neither of the combatants is deficient in fhrewdnefs and fpirit. He ftates the reason of the rejection of the Freeholder's letter by the Editor of the Gloucefter Journal to be its deficiency in point of compofition; a palpable mifrepresentation; and he treats it with his utmost contempt, by ftyling it a thing. Dr. Priestley is held up as a propagator of anarchy and Scepticism; Mr. Lindfey, as a Scaramouch; the learned Diffenters, as venders of periodical criticifm; and the members of a philofophical body as < volcano men, and cullers of fimples, who, with their hardy and circumnavigating prefident, have nearly exiled fcience and philosophy from the precincts of the Royal Society.' Such ventings of rage may be gratifying to the writer, but can afford no pleasure to the difpaffionate reader. Neither the Clergyman's nor the Freeholder's letter can promote the end of the commandment, which is charity. Art. 50. An Answer to the Bishop of Comana's Paftoral Letter. By a Protesting Catholic. 8vo. pp. 36. Is. Faulder. 1790. This publication feverely comments on the Bishop of Comana's Paftoral Letter, addreffed to the clergy, fecular and regular, and to all the faithful of the Northern District; in which he condemns the newly propofed Oath of Allegiance. The protesting Catholic, who is far from being a contemptible writer, treats the Bishop with little ceremony; and he laments that, in England, a prelate should be under the neceffity of calling himself, Bishop by the Grace of the Apoftolic Sue! The distinction between the Catholic and the Popish religion religion is now ftrenuously maintained; the former is faid, and no doubt with truth, not only to permit but exprefsly to command her children to be dutiful fubjects: but the latter does not. The former is called an amiable matron; the latter, an ambitious termagant, who has often encouraged her children to commit almoft every fort of crime. It is against this odious Popish Religion, that the Catholic Diffenters proteft; and hence they acquire the title of Protefling Catholics. Moo-y. Art. 51. Sermons for Prisons. To which are added Prayers for 2s. 6d. Thefe fermons are infcribed to the memory of the late Mr. Howard. The author apologizes for this publication. We think it needs no apology. The fubjects are well chofen, and difcuffed with judgment: they are as follow: The Prifoner of Hope. Use of Solitude in Prifons. On Refignation in Prifons. On the Influence of Evil Company. The Penitent Thief. On the last Judgment. To thefe are added, Prayers, Leffons, and Exhortations, by Bishop Wilson and others. We are of opinion that this is a very proper book to be put into the hands of prifoners; and that if they were kept apart, it would be productive of very beneficial confequences. Br.....w. Art. 52. The Grounds and Reasons of the Truth of Christianity, by way of Question and Anfwer; defigned for the Ufe of younger and lefs inftructed Chriftians. By the late Rev. Mr. Milway. 12mo. PP. 43. Is. 6d. Johnfon. 1790. We are informed, by the Editor, that Mr. Milway was laid afide for fome years towards the clofe of an advanced life from public fervice.' This being the cafe, he was defirous of employing his time in promoting thofe important interefts of mankind to which his former labours had been devoted; he therefore compiled this compendious abstract of the Principles and Evidences of Religion: which his widow published after his death exactly as he left it.-We have read this Dialogue with pleasure, and recommended it particularly to our young readers. Mr. Milway owns himself indebted to the following authors: Grotius de Veritate. Dr. Clarke's Boylean Sermons on Revealed Religion. Lardner's Sermons on the State of the Jewish People; and his Credibility. Chandler's Sermons on Miracles. Chandler on the Defcent of the Holy Ghoft. Grove on the Refurrection of Chrift. Art. 53. The Catechifm of the Church of England: with the Epifles and Gofpels; in English and French: collected for the Use of Schools, and printed fo as to facilitate the true Pronunciation of the French Part to Beginners. With an Introduction, containing the principal Rules extracted from the " Essay on pronouncing and reading French." By Mr. Des Carrieres, Teacher of the French Language. 12mo. Pp. 120. Is. 6d. Bound. Robinfons. This work is a courfe of leffons on M. des Carrieres's Rules; which, how much foever it may promote piety, will, we apprehend, afford 5 but but little help in learning the pronunciation of the French language, without the affiftance of the author, or fome other French teacher. E. Art. 54. Elays meant as an Offering in Support of Rational Religion, efpecially as founded on Ideas of the abfolute and perfect Benevolence of the Deity, and his all-comprehending Providence. By a Layman. izmo. pp. 170. 2s. 6d. fewed. Johnson. 1790. Thefe Effays afford a fingular example of an open and ingenuous temper. The author, fome time ago, published, in the Gentleman's Magazine, Remarks on the Doctrine of Philofophical Neceffity; in which he treated it as a dangerous error. Thefe remarks are here republished, and Second Thoughts are fubjoined; in which the writer expreffes his full conviction of the truth and importance of the doctrine, and affigns his reafon for the change which his opinions have undergone. He alfo declares himself a convert to Dr. Priestley's doctrine concerning the perfon of Chrift. The Effays, which touch on various theological fubjects, are fenfibly and candidly written, but offer nothing fufficiently new to merit particular notice. E. Art. 55. Sermons, by the late Rev. John Logan, F. R. S. Edinb. One of the Minifters of Leith. 8vo. pp. 427. 65. Boards: Robinfons. 1790. The following volume, (fays the editor,) is the work of a man of genius; but as it is a pofthumous publication, and was not prepared by the author for the prefs, the candid public will make the proper allowances.' Thefe difcourfes, certainly, bear undoubted marks of the writer's ability, though, perhaps, they are rather too diffuse and declamatory: but they contain good fenfe, and tend to the promotion of Chriftian virtue. Had the author revifed them, for publication, they would, we are perfuaded, have made a better appearance. A great part of this volume is farther employed in giving an account of the celebration of the Lord's Supper in the Church of Scotland for this purpofe, the whole Service of a CommunionSunday in complete detail,' is inferted from Mr. Logan's manufcripts. Several pertinent and useful reflections, and fuitable prayers, are here inferted: yet, from the perufal, we are somewhat confirmed in the opinion which we have long entertained, that the Scottish Church, as well as other establishments, inculcates fome unfcriptural ideas concerning this Chriftian inftitution. H. Art. 56. A brief Expofition of the Doctrine of the New Church; which is meant by the New Jerufalem in the Apocalypfe. Tranflated from the Latin of the Hon. Emanuel Swedenborg, a Native of Sweden. Originally published at Amfterdam in the Year 1769. 8vo. pp. 183. 3s. Hindmarsh. Pity us, gentle reader, for being obliged to toil through the ftrange effufions of this Prince of Visionaries, whom his tranflator and editor has dignified with the respect-commanding title of an inspired writer! "To laugh were want of goodnefs or of grace, But to be grave exceeds all power of face." This Hon. Gentleman often informs us of things, to know which he must be inspired: but fince we are infidels enough to doubt his divine appointment to the office of a Prophet, we read his predictions with other feelings than thofe of reverence; and must look on the belief of them, which fome profefs, as an evidence of the facility with which mankind are deluded. One of Baron Swedenborg's fingular pofitions, is, that the accomplishment of the last judgment was effected in the fpiritual world in the year 1757;' another is that the interior parts of Africa are to form the center of the New Church. They whofe minds are capacious enough for the admiffion of this new faith, may admire the Baron's Expofition of the Holy Scriptures; which, if we credit him and his difciples, are written according to the appearances of truth, not according to real truth.' Till this fpiritual luminary appeared, we knew nothing of the real truth; the whole body of Chriftians were prieft ridden, and, in fact, worshipped no God at all. Preface, p. 33 As a fpecimen of Swedenborgian illumination, take the following paffage : Afterwards there came a voice from Heaven to fome on Earth there. Note, By Earth, here is to be understood the earth in the fpiritual world, which is of a fpiritual origin, the existence whereof, together with its correfpondence with the earth in the natural world, is conftantly declared by our author in all his fpiritual experience.' Reader, understandest thou what thou readest? Moo-y Art. 57 An authentic Narrative of fome particular Occurrences, Relates to a late Diffenfion among the Baptifts at Plymouth and Dock, in confequence of which, a divifion of the intereft, and a feparation, took place. The fubject being unfit for particular difcuffion in a literary journal, we fhall only farther obferve, that we here meet with fome very juft ftrictures on an impropriety not unufual among the anabaptifts in many parts of this kingdom, and perhaps elsewhere, viz. their choice of tradefmen and fhop-keepers for their minifters; a practice which appears to be justly reprobated by the writer of thefe Letters: but we believe it is not now fo common as heretofore. Art. 58. Meditations and Refle&ions on the most important Subjects; or, Soliloquies on Life, Death, Judgment, and Immortality. 12mo. pp. 40. Is. Crowder. If thefe meditations in any degree refemble thofe of Hervey among the Tombs, it is more in the pious fpirit which they breathe, than in their literary embellishments. E. MISCEL |