Christianity at firft, without a fair hearing; it must be proper for us to confider fome of those confolations, which should support a chearful frame of mind under these difcouragements; and which ought, alfo, to convince others, that all religious confolation is not confined to those who have embraced the doctrines of Calvin and Athanafius, which we conceive to be corruptions of Chriftianity. "To these confolations there is, I think, aftrong allufion in 2 COR. i. 3,4. Bleffed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, the Father. of mercies, and the God of all comfort, who comforteth us in all our tribulations, that we may be able to comfort them that are any in trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God." By a ftrange diftortion of this text, Mr. Ifaac forces it into the service of his own fect; as if it were intended to afford comfort to Unitarians, exclufively. This mode of interpretation is rather fingular: the expofitions of other texts that occur, in favour of Unitarianifm, have no claim to novelty. "As the Holy Jefus, by his piety and virtue, obtained the full approbation of the Deity, thofe who imbibe his likenefs fhall not fail in the end. This is the confolation whereby we are comforted of God." "The doctrine, fome of whofe comforts we are contemplating, represents the ever-bleffed Deity, as pointing out to his creatures the path which leads them to peace and happiness; and when they have ftrayed from this path, and wandered in others, which lead to ruin, it represents him as feeking them, and encouraging their return, with the affurance, that he will forgive, not for a competent fatisfaction, a full equivalent, or a vicarious facrifice; but freely, without money and without price." "Is the God of Christ your God! Is his Father your Father? What can you with befides, unless you wish to be where Jesus is, to fee bis fmiling face? If our Lord, who fays you stand in the fame relation to God, as he himself did, in proportion to your virtue, was not left of the Deity; neither fhall you be left; but you fhall receive every neceflary aid in the present state, and have all things to work together for your good; and be finally conveyed to his prefence, to be monuments of fovereign grace, and redeeming love, when time fhall be no more! Doth not this reflection inspire you with comfort, even under the abuses you receive from thofe who have, by mistake, corrupted the original doctrine of the Gospel of Jefus Christ ?” These are a few of Mr. Ifaac's obfervations; which are, indeed, but ill adapted to the genius of the Chriftian religion. Mr. Ifaac's "Pure Chriftianity," is no Chriftianity at all. The doctrines of our Saviour's DIVINITY and ATONEMENT are the two grand effentials of our faith. They are features prominent throughout the Scripture: they are difcriminating lines, that have ftrongly marked our religion, through all the revolutions of the church. The Arian, though difallowing the Divinity of Chrift, yet leaves not the human nature to stand by itself: he adds another nature to the human; believing our Saviour to be an angel-man. But وو But the Unitarian rejects" all that the prophets have told 118. With him, our Saviour was a mere man to him, the atonement is an abfurdity: and to him, the Trinity is a monftrous fiction-an infult to common fenfe. Thus ftripped of its diftinguishing characteristics, what is there in Chriftianity, that could render it a fubject worthy of fo particular a Revelation from Heaven; of fuch a series of prophecies from the firft ages of the world to the period of its appearance; of fuch mighty figns and wonders as were wrought to introduce and establish it? Natural religion had long before inculcated into men, the morality of Unitarianifm, if not a fuperior morality. The danger of departing from the written word of God may be clearly feen in the conduct of those self-sufficient reafoners--those half believing Chrifians. We have too frequently obferved, that attempting to try the Scriptures by the teft of his philofophy, the Arian rifes into a Unitarian; and, to complete the triumph of reason, the Unitarian mounts up into a Deift. This is the regular gradation with the more arrogant; whilft they, whom we have termed half believers, either too indolent, or not fufficiently at leisure to purfue a series of argumentation, unite in the pious with,. that, for the fake of Chriftian harmony, our religion might be fo modified, as to fuit all parties, and to accommodate, if pofsible, even "Jews, Turks, Infidels, and Heretics." Thus, in fhort, as a * late devout and learned prelate hath obferved, if our governors were inclined to frame a new liturgy and conftitution according to this liberal fyftem, we should have " a religion without a Redeemer, without a fanctifier, without grace, without a facrifice, without a prieit, without an interceffor." Such is Mr. Ifaac's pure Chriftianity, which deems itself peculiarly entitled to the Confolations of the Gospel! ART. XVI. A Sermon preached in the Parish Church of Brading in the Isle of Wight, on Feb. 27, 1799. Being the Day appointed. for a General Faft. By the Rev. Legh Richmond, M. A. 8vo. Pr. 43. is. Rivingtons.. FROM the strong words of the evangelift, "Except ye repent, ye fhall all likewife perish," the preacher enforces, in impreffive and energetic language, the abfolute neceffity of immediate reform. He maintains that the prefent state of general virtue is "oppofed to the doctrines and precepts of the Chriftian Gospel ;" and he takes a brief review of the prominent vices of the age. "High ranked among thefe ftands the duellift; and although his offence be a monstrous compound of affaffination and self-murder, yet, in thefe days of encreafing depravity of morals, it is confidered as a mark of ignominy and difgrace not to refent an injury, however trivial, even unto blood, and to be prepared on all occafions, to unite * Dr. Horne. the B the character of a murderer to that of fuicide. Can there be a greater proof that we fear men rather than God, when we thus openly apoftatize from the first principles of religion, in conformity to the customs of the world? If fuch fanguinary doctrines prevail to fo great an extent, that few men of the higher orders of fociety at leaft can be found to disclaim them, is it not ample teftimony that religion is known only by name, to a large multitude of thofe, who, from their rank and fituation, ought to be the patterns of virtue and piety? * "I confider it as altogether unneceffary to enter into any proof of the heinousness of this crime; it is the frequency of it which I now adduce as a conclufive teftimony of the reduced state of general morals. The ftatutes of Chriftian morality enjoin to love even your enemies, to blefs them that curfe you, to do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully ufe you, and perfecute you :' for if ye forgive not men their trefpaffes, neither will your Father forgive yours.' Compare these precepts with the fentiments which custom fanctions amongst us, and say whether they can be deemed to be a pious, or a moral people, who thus wilfully facrifice their virtue to maintain reputation, and for the flighteft injury will murder a friend, rather than make an unprincipled world their enemy." He thus defcribes the fpecies of reform which is wanted. "The radical reformation, which is fo loudly called for must commence in the human heart; till religion has established her throne there, all declamation against the depravity of the age, and all schemes of moral amendment will be fruitless and unprofitable. Much of what we have been fo induftriously taught, by the preceptors of profligacy and fashion, must be unlearned again and extirpated from the heart: many an evil paffion, which we have fondly indulged, must be mor tified and vanquished; and thofe frivolous purfuits and diffipated pleafures which corrupt the heart and poifon the fountains of life muft be rejected and despifed, before we can hope to prefent ourselves and our fervices as an acceptable facrifice to the Lord.' If, as individuals, we commence this reform, with the gracious affiftance and bleffing of God, it cannot be long before the joyful fruits shall appear in the renewal of national morals; the anger of an offended Deity may thus be turned from us and his Divine favour reftored." On the difference between genuine and fpurious liberality the author's obfervations are appofite and forcible. "In the prefent age we read and hear much of liberality of senti * "It may be inftanced as a proof of the melancholy prevalence of fuch principles and practice, that no lefs than four cafes of Clergymen being concerned in duels, have appeared in the public prints within the space of the last year. A most excellent reproof was lately delivered from the bench to one of these offenders by Mr. Juftice Grofe, whose fentiments on the occafion did equal honour to the feelings of the Chriftian, the Judge, and the Man." † Matt. v. 44. vi. 15," ment ment in matters of religion and politics, it is therefore of consequence that we should form juít notions of a subject perhaps oftener talked of than understood. Genuine liberality of principle is what all muft love, honour, and cherish, except the contracted mind of the bigot or the fanguinary difpofition of the perfecutor; to the due exercife of liberality, in humble dependance on the will of God, we owe every blef fing both civil and religious, which has fo long characterized the profperity of this country. But when, under the plea of candor and liberality, licence is demanded for the affiduous propagation of principles fubverfive of religion and virtue; when the purity of Chriftian belief is corrupted, and the only barrier which is able to check the progrefs of profligacy and vice overthrown; when confpiracies against the peace and happiness of mankind are foftered, and unprincipled men claim a right to circulate pernicious opinions on matters of infinite importance: when all this is to be tolerated without control under pretence of liberality, it is high time to look with fufpicious eye upon fuch a principle, to fift it thoroughly, and to exhibit its true colours. We shall foon discover that it is a prefumptuous, selfwilled' licentiousness, which veils itself under the delufive title of liberality; a licentioufnefs which feeks to propagate vice and irreligion with fedulous affiduity, leads to the profeffion of absolute scepticifm, and terminates in the total annihilation of every religious principle in the heart : it is the effects of fuch misnamed liberality, that have fo lately deluged the plains of Europe with blood, and filled its cities with mourning and lamentation; by its fruits let it be known; it evidently declares itfelf to be the offspring of that philofophy and vain deceit, whereof the Apostle commands us to beware, as being after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world and not after Chrift.' (Col. ii. 8.)-Far be it from me to depreciate the value of true philofophy or pure liberality of fentiment, but it is the facred duty of a chriftian paftor in these dangerous times, to warn his flock, that many are the ravening wolves who wander about for prey in fheep's cloathing;' wherefore they must not believe every fpirit, but try the fpirits whether they be of God, because many falfe prophets are gone out into the world.' (1 John iv. 1.) It is of the first con fequence that we enable ourselves and others to distinguish that false philofophy which defcendeth not from above, but is earthly, fenfual, devilish, from the Divine wisdom which is pure, then peaceable, gentle and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrify.' (Jam. iii. 15. 17.) The philofophy of the chriftian teaches him to lay the foundation of his liberality in an humble spirit and zeal for the glory of God; and his fyftem of po litics makes the trueft liberty to confift in obeying Him, whose service is perfect freedom.” We heartily concur with the author in his ideas of the profligacy of the age, and of the destructive confequences which may be expected to refult from it. In fhort, we fee no other alternative but that prefented to public contemplation, by a diftinguished writer whofe practice and precepts are never at variance-REFORM or RUIN. ART, ART. XVII. Juftification by Works, as afferted by St. James, not inconfiftent with St. Paul's Doctrine of Juftification by Faith; a Sermon preached at Tiverton, on Wednefday, July 31, 1799, at the primary Vifitation of the Right Reverend Henry Reginald, Lord Bishop of Exeter. By Daniel Veyfie, B. D. Rector of Plymree, Devon, and late Fellow of Óriel College, Oxford. Publifhed at the Request of his Lordship and the Clergy. 8vo. Pr. 21. Leigh and Sotheby. 1799., THE honourable teftimony borne to this discourse by so respectable an audience, as the Bifhop and Clergy, at whose request it appears in print, fhould feem to render fuperfluous every other commendation. In some instances, the Preacher who would confult his own reputation, would act moft judiciously, in declining to publifh, though folicited by his hearers. In making this obfervation, it is far from our intention to discourage modeft merit, or to derogate from the excellence of the numerous discourses that iffue every year from the prefs; in which are difcuffed, with fo much ability, the most important fubjects in religion and morals, by Divines of the national Church; which, in no point, either of diction or reasoning, are inferior to thofe of the Preachers of any Communion. We would only be understood to remark, that difcourfes, which are beft adapted for the impreffive and animated delivery of the Preacher from the pulpit, are not always alike calculated to affect, in the fame manner, the mind of the reader who perufes them in his clofet. The perfuafive eloquence of the orator, or, perhaps, fome peculiar circumstances, that accompanied the delivery of the Sermon, and cannot be conveyed to the Reader, combined to produce an effect, which forms no juft criterion of the intrinfic merit of the difcourfe. Whatever depended more on the manner than the matter will be loft in the perufal. But in dif courses addreffed not to the paffions only, but the understandings, of the hearers, (and fuch hearers as those of which Mr. Veyfie's audience was compofed; who were fully competent to appreciate the force of his arguments, and were not to be mifled by the fafcinating charms of elocution, and to mistake found for fenfe) in fuch difcourfes, which will ftand the teft not only of the ear, but of the eye, the fair fame, not fought for, but obtained, by the preaching, will not be loft by the publication; and, what is far more important, the good design of the Preacher will be more extensively diffused. Mr. V. appears to us, as he did to his learned auditory, to reconcile, in a very fatisfactory manner, the declaration of St. Paul," that a man is juftified by faith, without the deeds of the law," with the affertion of St. James, in the text of this discourse, (ch. ii. v. 24.) "that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only." Without enumerating the various expofitions that have been given by different writers, with a view to reconcile the feeming dilcordancy of opinion in the two Apoftles, Mr. V. ftates, in a clear |