one egg to another. Perfonating Mr. B-n-r-d, he offers fome humourous reflections on his being elected a member of the fenate, on his presentation at St. James's, on the meeting of parliament, and on the Spanish convention. He ridiculously magnifies a Member of Parliament, to the Five hundred and fifty-eighth part of a King; and, like the wicked Peter Pindar, has a fly stroke at Majefty. His fentiments of the Spanish convention may be gathered. from the following tale; which, if not perfectly fweet, has at leaft the merit of being short: A tale this convention recalls to my mind, Which, though not very nice, to the purpose you'll find. Hodge fet himself down, and concluded the feat. We might each have been well, neither lofer nor winner, Nor have had to digeft this unfavory dinner. Much like this feems the cafe between England and Spain, No intimation is given that this elegant little work will be continued. Moo-y. Art. 52. The Dictates of Indignation. A Poem on the African Slave Trade. By an Under Graduate, Oxford. 4to. pp. 28. Is. 6d. Rivingtons. This poetical under-graduate vents his indignation on the abettors of the flave-trade, in tolerable blank verfe. His anger is prompted by his humanity. His fentiments do credit to his heart: but they are fuch as the Mufe has often repeated on this fubject. Mr. Wilberforce is pronounced immortal, and the Chriftian God is called the God of Wilberforce. This will remind the reader of that well known initance of the bathos, "Dalhouffy, the great god of war, D: Art. Art. 53. An Epistle to Peter Pindar. 4to. pp. 38. 2s. Richard fon. 1790 From this rather tedious and fomewhat obfcure epiftle, we collect little more than that it contains an angry invective against Peter Pindar.-Facit INDIGNATIO verfum; and, as in many other cafes, INDIGNATIO is here but an indifferent poet,-though fuperior to the generality of Peter's antagonists. O. Art. 54. Moral Dramas intended for private Reprefentation. By Mrs. Hughes.; 12mo. Lane. 1790. PP 244. 35. fewed. We have already noticed fome poetry by Mrs. Hughes; see our 71ft vol. p. 386;-the prefent dramas merit a fimilar character. If the writer does not reach the fublime, neither does fhe fink into the mean her flight is even, though not very vigorous. O. Art. 55. The Political Songfter, or, a Touch on the Times, on va rious Subjects, and adapted to common Tunes. The Sixth Edition, with Additions. By John Freeth. 12mo. pp. 196. 3s. 6d. fewed. Birmingham, printed for the Author. 1790. Either the times have been uncommonly fruitful in events fuitable to the poetical Mule, or fhe has been extremely notable during the last fix years; for fince we formerly faw this collection*, her labours have extended from twelve-pennyworth to the prefent refpectable price. We do not recollect whether this is the first appearance of honeft John Freeth's portrait as a frontispiece to his compofitions: but character appears fo strongly marked in the countenance, that we are perfuaded it is a good resemblance; and if M. Lavater were to pafs judgment on it, he would at once discover the difpofition and genius for fuch compofitions as are now before us. This embellishment must be very acceptable to those who have enjoyed his humour, and have heard him fing. In our former mention of this collection in its infant state, we hinted that John was a publican in Birmingham; in which capacity he merits diftinction, and ranks with Taylor the water-poet, and Ned Ward of facetious memory. He not only gives us a view of his countenance, but also a sketch of his political principles. His hobby-horfe, for thirty years paft, has been, he fays, to write fongs on all remarkable events, and to fing them to his friends. That is, the minister for the time being, (to fhew his impartiality,) conftantly ferved him for a Pegafus, or a hackney-nag; for he adds, that meafures, not men, have always claimed his principal attention.' This declaration, indeed, may have a ftill farther allufion to his honefty, in always furnishing full Winchester measure to his customers, without diftinction, whatever might be their party attachments which is certainly much to his credit: but nothing in this world is permanent; poor John growing infirm, confines himself to finging his paft compofitions, and refigns the arduous task of invention, to bards of younger years.' He may reft fatisfied, however, on this fcore, for there are few who have fung fo merrily, through all political viciffitudes, as John Freeth of Birmingham. * Rev. vol, ixxi. p. 386. THEOLOGY THEOLOGY and POLEMICS. Art. 56. The Use and Propriety of Local and Occafional Preaching. A Charge to the Clergy of the Diocese of Carlisle, in the Year 1790. By William Paley, M. A. Chancellor of that Diocese. 4to. PP. 31. IS. Faulder. Whatever comes from the pen of Mr. Paley, will be certain of exciting attention. We took up this Charge with a confidence of finding in it fome diftinguishing merit; and to those who are acquainted with his former productions, it will be almost unneceffary to add, that we have not been difappointed. It is not filled with those common-place remarks, with which we generally meet in difcourfes delivered to the clergy by their fuperiors. His idea is, indeed, taken from one of the charges of Archbishop Secker: but he has expanded it with much ingenuity. By local preaching, Mr. Paley means fermons adapted to that particular ftate of thought and opinion, which clergymen fhall perceive to prevail in their congregations; and by occafional preaching, he means the adaption of fermons to the service of the day, to the feafons of the year, and to fuch impreffive and inftructive events, as the course of Providence is inceffantly fupplying. Left he should be misunderstood, he diftinguishes between local and perfonal preaching. The latter he wifely condemns, as improper and ineffectual; as he does likewife the remoteft reference to party or political tranfactions or disputes; juftly obferving, that the Chriftian preacher has no other province than that of religion and morality.' Local preaching includes alfo an allufion to local circumstances in fermons. This was the common practice of Chrift in his inimitable difcourfes: but in the application of this rule, much judgment is requifite; for without it, what was defigned to be ferious might become ludicrous, and even difgufting. Many inftances of this fort occur in the fermons of the Methodists; and the writer of this article takes the liberty of mentioning one, to which he himfelf was accidentally a witness. Being on a vifit, during the last fummer, at Southampton, he popped his head into a Diffenting, or rather Methodist chapel, where the preacher, in defcribing the final procefs of the Last Day, (in allufion, no doubt, to the bufinefs of a master of the ceremonies at the rooms,) introduced the etiquette of the Laft Judgment. Moo-y. Art. 57. Parochialia: or Inftructions to the Clergy, in the Dif charge of their Parochial Duty. By the Right Reverend Thomas Wilfon, D. D. Lord Bishop of Sodor and Man. 12mo. pp. 196. 2s. bound. Dilly, &c. The legacy which this good prelate has left to his reverend brethren, is, we fear, of too antiquated a nature to be of much ufe to divines of the prefent day. The ftyle of life which the majority of those who are able, now deem it incumbent on them to affume, is little fuited to fuch an intimate and folemn attention to their pastoral charge as is here pointed out to them. They are too much men of the world, to confine their views to the difcharge of duties that can be transferred to fubftitutes, and furrendered to the more officious and humble Methodifts; and too much men of pleasure, even even to refide where pleasure is fcarce, and where more may be expected from them than they have either time or inclination to grant. We ftill hope there are many valuable exceptions to this well-founded cenfure; and however low and obfcure their fituation may be, they are the brightest ornaments in the church, and will make a proper ufe of this well-intended manual. N. Art. 58. Maxims of Piety and of Christianity. By the late Right Reverend Thomas Wilton, D. D. Lord Bifhop of Sodor and Man. 12mo. PP. 285. 2s. 6d. bound., Dilly. These maxims are detached from the Bishop's works at large, in order to render them more extenfively known among young perfons whofe engagements in life allow them but little time for reading; and this fententious form of writing, where truths are happily expreffed, ftrikes the mind with more force than argumentative illuftrations. In fuch a collection as this, the merit will generally be various. N. Art. 59. An Addrefs to his Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury, as a Vifitor of Colleges in the Univerfity of Oxford, and as Primate of all England. By a Country Clergyman. 4to. pp. 72. 25. Robinfons. 1791. The fpirit of free inquiry is diffused among our established clergy; and it would be doing them injuftice to reprefent them as infenfible to thofe defects which fubfift in the fyftem of education at our univerfities, and in the formula of our public piety. Some clergymen content themselves with avowing their fentiments in the narrow circle of their friends, while others are prompted boldly to deliver them to the world. To the latter clafs the writer of this letter belongs. His object, in the first part of it, is to expofe the prevarication practifed at our univerfities, in the interpretation of the ftatutes which the members of colleges fwear to obferve: in the remaining part, he contends for the expediency of a reformation of the liturgy. Though profeffing himfelf a firm believer in a Trinity in Unity, he is zealous for expunging, as an opprobrium theologia, the Athanafian creed; and for making a few other alterations, fo that the book of Common Prayer may be generally acceptable. Highly as he appears to refpect the learned and pious among the Diffenters, he gives it as his opinion, that this bufinefs fhould not be conducted by a conference with any denomination of them, but that the church fhould have the dignity to reform itself; and fo enlarge the terms of her communion, as to invite, by true Chriftian moderation, all who name the name of Chrift, to unite in one common form of worship. If this Country Clergyman, whofe Addrefs, on the whole, we have perufed with confiderable fatisfaction, any where departs from the principles of Chriftian charity, it is in calling the Socinians only Deifts in difguife. In the fhort lift of Diffenters whom, in p. 62, he compliments as virtuous men, able fcholars, and found divines, two were avowed Socinians, viz. Fofter and Lardner;-and could modeft Fofter, and the venerable author of the Credibility, be Deifts in difguile? No fooner, we are perfuaded, will this liberally minded writer perufe this gentle hint, than he will wish that, by dropping a tear upon the paffage, he could blot it out for ever. Moo-y, Art. 60. Evangelical Motives to Holiness: or, An Attempt to fhew, that those who cannot rely on good Works feel most powerful Engagements to abound in them. By Jofeph Cornish. 12mo. Pp. 24. 6d. Robinfons. 1790. This little tract is plain, ferious, and well intended. It proves that good works, though not infinitely meritorious, are good things; and confequently, as the fong goes, if you are wicked, it is not a good fign. The title is rather aukwardly and imperfectly expreffed. A better phrafe might have been ufed, than feeling powerful engagements; and as to the whole period, Mr. Cornish does not mean to fay that the want of reliance on good works is in itself a reafon or motive to the practice of them, but that notwithstanding the Chrif tian cannot rely on them, he is convinced of its being his duty and interest to practise them. The word nevertheless is wanting before feel. Mr. Cornish's laft evangelical motive to good works is, that they are neceffary,-neceffary to everlasting happiness; and having demonftrated this, he has diminished our intereft in the question relative to their merit. Do Art. 61. The Friendly Conclufion: occafioned by the Letters of Agnoftos to the Rev. Andrew Fuller, refpecting the Extent of our Saviour's Death, &c. By D. Taylor. 12mo. pp. 27. 3d. Ash. 1790. Very little is requifite to be faid by us, on the prefent fmall performance. We may exprefs our fatisfaction that this unpleasant fquabble is (as we truft,) terminated. Some things in this pamphlet look like freedom of thought; as when the writer fays, That any man in the prefent age fhould be blamed for the fin which Adam committed in Paradife almoft fix thousand years ago, requires very clear and pofitive proof, and fuch as I firmly believe no man will ever be able to produce.' In another place, speaking of the • univerfality of our Saviour's death,' a doctrine which he approves, he farther remarks, that this is the doctrine of the established church.' If it is, we are rather at a lofs to reconcile it with the 17th Article. There is indeed a method of fpeaking concerning the offer of falvation to all men, which is faid to leave it certain that none shall enjoy it but a chofen few: but this is fuch idle playing with words, fuch trifling with, and tantalizing of mankind, that it is, furely, unworthy of any farther attention. MISCELLANEOUS. H. Art. 62. A Letter from Mrs. Gunning, addreffed to his Grace the REV. APRIL 1791. with |