plaint on this head, are thofe, he fuppofes, who would be perfectly content, on fome days of fate-appointment-fuch as the martyrdom of the BLESSED king; the refloration, &c. &c. to listen to doctrines and maxims of the most dangerous and pernicious tendency; fuch as, paffive obedience and non refiftance-the divine and hereditary rigas of kings, &c. &c.'- How far the Doctor's apology will be admitted, must be left to the determination of his readers. VI. Preached and published for the Ufe of the Parishes of Boneleghe and Lushleigh, in the County of Devon. By Robert ripe, A. M. Chaplain to the Earl of Egremont. Evo. 6d. Exeter printed for Thorn. It is in vain for a man to fay that he publishes a fermon for the use of his parishioners. When it is fent abroad into the world, it invites the reading, and virtually appeals to the judgment, of every one. Mr. Tripp must not think of fhielding himfelf beneath the modest pretence of his title-page. He fufficiently difcovered his weakness, by preaching fuch a futile, puerile fermon, even to the poor fouls of Boneleghe and Lushleigh. His publishing it betrayed his vanity, and exposed that incapacity for literary compofition, which, but for this unlucky ftep, might never have got beyond the walls of his parish churches. VI. A national Change in Morals, in Meafures, and in Politics, necefCadell. fary to national Profperity. 8vo. 1 s. If we mistake not, this Sermon was announced in the public papers, as the performance of a Cheshire clergyman.' The Author informs us, in his preface, that he hath no connection either with the leaders of, or the dependents on, adminiftration; with those who diftribute, or thofe who enjoy the honours and emoluments of office. Much lefs does he think, and much less has he to do with the demagogues or their dupes; with the political empirics, or the fubjects of their impofition; with the original venders, or the fmall dealers in fedition; with the rebels, their agents, accomplices, or affociations.' This Sermon bears a ftriking resemblance of the malignant fpirit which infpires the writings of that political empiric,' Dr. Shebbeare. The fame indifcriminate abuse of all the members of the Oppofition-the fame infolent and prefumptuous arraignment of fecret motives, which are the notorious characteristics of Dr. Shebbeare's productions, difgrace the Sermon before us. If it be really the compofition of a clergyman, and if it was indeed preached to any congregation of Christians, we are forry for it. His zeal for the government hath led him to tranfgrefs all the bounds of modelly and candour. He converted the pulpit into a theatre of scandal and defamation. He forgot the very first defign of a day of humiliation; and in his rage to caft out one devil, took with him feven other devils more wicked than the first." This Writer, who calls the gentlemen of the Oppofition, a needy and noify party,'-who are inceffantly morofe, querulous, and croaking, a rancorous, unrelenting, malignant, difappointed, defperate faction, whofe fole mortification is to be out of place, and whose bitterett vexation is never to be credited by thofe they threaten ;' defcends fo low, fo very low in the vocabulary of abufe and fcurrili ty, 334 ty, as to call the Americans- YANKIES. And all this, gentle reader, in a fermon !—in a fermon too, on a lowly and contrite Fastday! VIII. Preached at Charlotte Street Chapel, Pimlico, &c. By the 8vo. I s. Rev. Richard Harrison, Minifter of the said Chapel. Bew. This performance breathes a spirit of piety. The Author, after lamenting the corruptions in faith and practice, which have crept into the church, and in his opinion, have made a moft alarming progrefs among the Diffenters (once eminent for their ftrictness and orthodoxy!) informs his Readers, that the very fathers and guardians of the church are asleep, while its enemies are quietly, but boldly and publicly, fowing the tares of herefy and infidelity amongst us.' Mr. Harrison's zeal, indeed, makes him “fear where no fear is." In the catalogue of national and crying fins, he hath produced the general neglect of the holy feafon of Lent,' as a striking and cor. roborative proof of the degeneracy of our church.' Verily this is an alarming confideration! IX. The Neceffity of making God our Friend at this alarming Crifis; Seriously urged.-At the Parish Church of Kirk-Heaton. By the Rev. John Sunderland. 8vo. 6d. Huddersfield printed, and fold by Brook, &c. A tolerably decent difcourfe.-The Preacher, indeed, feems to be a better Chriftian than a Politician. Witness the following paffage: • As the prefent war has not been entered upon from a vain principle of ambition-to gratify the refentment of an angry, or the pride of an afpiring monarch, but in defence of the plaineft rights and privilegesand after every other method of reconciliation had been tried in vain, fo it behoves us, especially at this juncture, to beware of encouraging any measure of defigning men, which may tend to weaken the hands of government.'-Can any one, acquainted with the history of the American fyftem of affairs, lay his hand on his bofom, and feriously utter fuch language as this? Let others do as they please. We CANNOT and amidst the folemn devotions of a Faft-day, we fhould have esteemed it the most impious piece of mockery to the allfeeing God, had we joined in fuch an affertion. X. Preached in Hackney-church, and published at the Requeft of the congregation. 8vo. 6d. Dilly. A ferious expoftulation with finners, to turn from their wicked ways. XI. To a Congregation of Proteftant Diffenters, at York, and publifhed at the Requeft of the Audience. By Newcombe Cappe. 8vo. 1 s. Johnfon. This Sermon abounds with ftriking fentiments, and we wish others, who have thought proper to exhibit to the world their faft-day declamations, had been inspired with the piety and candour of this fenfible and amiable minifter. With paying this juft tribute to the abilities and temper of Mr. Cappe, impartiality obliges us to remark, that his language is very far from being a proper model of pulpit eloquence. We could quote paffages remarkably pleafing and elegant, in point of ftyle; but Mr. Cappe Cappe is fo much of a mannerist (as the painters fay), that in a abole piece he becomes tirefome. One fentence frequently involves in it feveral diftin&t ideas, and on that account becomes obfcure. In reading it, we often lofe the beginning before we arrive at the end, and are obliged to review the paffage, in order to collect its meaning. Mr. Cappe may charge all this to the account of our dulnefs, and not to his want of perfpicuity. It may be fo. Perhaps we are dull; but the misfortune is, that there is not, poflibly, one of an hundred readers of fast sermons but may be as dull as ourselves! XII. The Character of a true Patriot briefly delineated-to a Society of Proteflant Diffenters, at Prefcot. By the Rev. John Wilding. 8vo. Is. Johnson. An illustration of a patriotic character, from the example of Nehemiah, prime minifter of the Jews, after the captivity. XIII. Virtue and Patriotism founded on Religion: Preached at Yarmouth. By Thomas Howe. 8vo. 6d. Law. A pious and candid difcourfe, and not deftitute of animation. XIV. Profeffors admonished in the Day of Calamity; or, The Lord's Controversy with Ifrael; at the Meeting-Houfe in Little Moorfields. By W. Bennet. 8vo. 6d. Buckland. This difcourfe is formed (and we believe with a very honeft and godly intention) on the old puritanical model. The Preacher hath adopted all the cant phrafes of the nonconformists of the last century, fuch as the ingathering of the people to king Jefus-the withdrawment of God's gracious comforting presence-the crying fins of drefs and fashion, cards and playhouses, &c.' In this difmal picture which he hath exhibited of the present times, he hath drawn a flattering outline of puritanism, in order to aggravate their deformity by the contraft. The Puritans (fays Mr. Bennet) were an ornament to their caufe, the glory of their churches, and the terror of their enemies.' Terrible indeed, when they had the art of frightening the old women of both fexes by the awfulness of their vifages, and the deep and direful tone of fpiritual commination! Their terror was fomething more than the form of mock authority, • "When in the faddle of one fteed, "The Saracen and Chriftian rid." The late very learned Bishop of Gloucefter appears to have been indebted to thefe lines of Hudibras, for a curious, and as many thought, original, delineation of puritanism, in his "Doctrine of Grace." Speaking of the gradations of enthufiafm, from the Precifian to the Methodist, he obferves, that "the methodist is now an apoftolic independent, and the independent was then a Mahometan methodist."-The Saracen and Chriftian! Admirable compofition! But fo it was. CORRESPONDENCE. UR Correfpondent, Philo-Martinus, who points out to us an fecond paragraph of our account of Dr. Duncan's late publication of Mr. Baxter's pofthumous work, [See our Review for January last, p. 58] fhould have reflected that a Monthly Reviewer may not be able, with all his wits about him, to exprefs, in the compafs of four or five lines, the precife meaning which his Author has at large conveyed, perhaps in as many pages; fo as to escape the piercing eye of an author, or of an attentive and warm friend. The Reviewer's meaning, in thefe two fentences, would, however, to a lefs ftrict reader, most probably appear to be this:that Dr. Dun. can originally conceived a defire of mixing in the Priestleyan controverly respecting the Soul; but wished to divert the attention of the Public from the metaphyfical confideration of the subject. In fact, the Reviewer, in the firft of these two fentences, ufes the phrafe" the late controverfy concerning the materiality of the foul" merely as a general name or title, by which he meant to defign the controversy refpeâing the foul: and it is not a "palpable abfurdity," as our Correspondent chooses to exprefs himself, to fay that Dr. Duncan wifhed to write on the fubje&; though he disliked the metaphyfical turn which the controversy had taken. But even the paffage, literally taken, can scarce, except by the captious, be faid to involve a palpable abfurdity. A man may furely "conceive a defire of offering his fentiments on the fubject" of a metaphyfical con. troverfy; and yet, very confiftently, wish to diffuade the Public from attending to the fubject heretofore metaphyfically treated; and may recommend a better mode of treating it. If this implies an abfurdity, the guilt is Dr. Duncan's, not the Reviewer's. Our Correfpondent makes a remark likewife on our note at the bottom of p. 6o; where he thinks we have left too much to the fagacity of our Readers. The Reviewer has not, at prefent, access to the book itself; but would willingly here fubjoin the context with which our Correfpondent has favoured us in his letter, were it there prefented in fuch a manner as to throw light upon the subject. T. S. recommends to our notice, a mifcellaneous publication, by Mr. Charles Graham, of Penrith. The book has not been advertised for fale in London; but if it fhould fall in our way, we muft, in courfe, mention it to our Readers: meantime, the specimen which this Correfpondent hath fent us, excites no impatience in us to perufe the other compofitions of a perfon whofe natural capacity fo evidently wants the advantages of literary cultivation. Without thofe advantages, it cannot be expected that illiterate mechanics' will ever arrive at any eminence in the republic of letters; or that their writings fhould be confidered as a valuable addition to our libraries which are, indeed, greatly over-flocked with the compofitions of minor poets, and minor profe-writers, of every clafs and denomination. ++ We acknowledge the receipt of B.'s communications; but he has mistaken the plan of the Monthly Review. Our Journal is not fupported by contributions from perfons unknown. Our Correfpondent's expreflion. THE MONTHLY REVIEW, For M M A Y, 1780. ALT. I. The Hiftory of the Establishment of the Reformation of Religion in Scotland. By Gilbert Stuart, LL. D. 4to. 10 s. 6 d. Boards. Murray. 1780. Fall events in the hiftory of Scotland, the reformation of religion is the most curious, and the most important. When we confider the nature and magnitude of the event itself, the wonderful means by which it was effected, and the many extraordinary circumftances by which it was accompanied, there is reafon to expect that, as this great revolution is fufceptible of a high degree of hiftorical ornament, it ought to have been treated with the most industrious exertions of cultivated genius. But if a subject peculiarly adapted to entertain the fancy, and to intereft the paffions of the reader, should not have met with an eloquent, it was ftill to be wished that it should meet with a comprehenfive and an impartial hiftorian. Yet in the general hiftories of Scotland, the introduction of the reformed religion is not explained with that circumftantial minuteness which the fubject requires; and in the books written profeffedly concerning ecclefiaftical affairs, there is often an improper mixture of prejudice and controverfy, which renders the perufal of them tirefome and difagreeable to the generality of readers. In order to remedy thefe defects, Dr. Stuart has given to the Public the performance before us, in which it has been his earneft endeavour to exercife that precifion, which is not usually expected from the general hiftorian, and that impartiality which is never to be found in the apologist of a faction.' The origin, progrefs, and final establishment of opinions, which produced a total change in the religious, and a confiderable change in the civil ftate of half the nations of Europe, have been illuftrated by the ingenious labours of feveral of the most VOL. LXII. eminent Z |