quence. He laments among other things the difufe of bag-wigs and fwords, and coaches and fix, and rural hofpitality. But the greatest lamentation feems to be founded on a certain mysterious and inquifitorial commiffion which, it feems, took place in 1806. At the fame time he allows that two of the greatest luminaries of the law were employed in it, and that the object of the enquiry was "an illuftrious foreigner!" It is not difficult to guess, to what investigation the author here alludes, but till we are more correctly informed as to the particulars of it, we cannot pretend to judge what bearings it had, or could poffibly have, upon the general rights of British fubjects. Delicacy was the apparent reafon for the fecrecy attempted, but not entirely kept; and perhaps there are excellent reafons why the fame referve should still be maintained. DIVINITY. ART. 27. A Sermon on the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, by the Rev. James Rudge, A. B. Curate and Lecturer of St. Anne, Limehoufe. Second Edition. 12mo. 6d. Rivingtons. 1811. However a congregation may be impreffed by the perfuafive eloquence of the preacher, unlets its good effects are manifefted by their frequent appearance at the Lord's Table, it is to be feared that it will prove but of little avail. The author of this difcourfe details a plain but fatisfactory account of the inftitution of the Sacrament, the importance of its object and the neceflity of frequent appearance at the Holy Communion; that he has done this well and effectually is fufficiently manifeft by his difcourfe having come to a fecond edition, before it prefented itself for our examination. We very much approve of the publication of fuch difcourfes as the prefent, in a cheap and convenient form. ART. 28. The Dignity and Duty of Magiftrates; a Sermon preached before the Honourable Mr. Juftice Grofe, and the Honourable Mr. Baron Thomson, at the Affizes, in St. Martin's Church, Leicester, on Thursday, Auguft 8, 1811, by Thomas Ford, L.L. D. Vicar of Melton Mowbray, and heretofore Student of Chrift Church, Oxford. 8vo. pp. 24. 1s. 6d. Rivingtons. 1811. Dr. Ford, in what he calls his Premonition, acknowledges that this fermon is founded (at least) on one of Bishop Sanderfon's. He confeffes the plagiarism, and is contented to express no other with as to its fuccefs, than that it may be the means of intro ducing the fermons of that excellent prelate to the ftudy of the younger brethren of the miniftry. We have before had occafion to exprefs our fentiments upon this modern mode (as we must call it) of republishing in the way of abridgement the fermons of our ancient ancient divines, particularly, as Dr. F. calls them, the Apoftolic Fathers of the English Church, fuch as Bishop Andrews, Babington, Browning, Hall, Taylor, &c. That it is good to preferve fuch difcourfes and exercifes from oblivion, and to fecure the benefit of fuch able and excellent admonitions to the people of all ages, there can be no doubt; we are only fearful that in the mode of republication lately adopted, the enemies of the church may find occafion to fufpect the living clergy of a lack of abilities or induftry, in the way of original compofition. Be this however as it may, it behoves us to fay of this fermon, that whatever share either Bishop Sanderfon or Dr. Ford may have had in it, the publication altogether is excellent in its way, fo much fo, indeed, that we could fcarcely point out a better model for an affize fermon from the whole ftore of our reading in that line. Much, of course, we conclude to be exclufively Bifhop Sanderson's own, from the Premonition of the author, but the close of it bears allu. fion and reference to events fo recent, and of fuch immediate and temporary intereft, that in tranfcribing it, we apprehend we fhall be doing but common juftice to the author, who has certainly managed moft admirably to blend his own thoughts with thofe of his learned prototype, and we are certain we should pay Bishop Sanderfon himself no bad compliment, were we to affign to him every expreffion and fentiment, which is not temporary, in the following eloquent and impreffive peroration. "Continuance of bleffings is too apt to extinguish that grati tude towards the author of them, which it ought to cherish; but in the prefent enumeration of them, it is happily not the cafe. Juftice is not lefs regarded, because it maketh these awful proceffions annually, but the more revered and admired on that very account: for juftice is one of those rivers, the freams whereof make glad the cities of God; refreshing every foil through which it floweth, the wilderness as well as the fruitful field; and the little hills rejoice on every fide. Such bleffings have we, by the mercies of our God, enjoyed for above half a century, under the favoured reign of George the Third: whom may it please the Almighty God, the King of Kings, and Supreme Difpofer of all events, at this very alarming period, to fupport, fuccour, help, and deliver, under the most direful, moft defponding, and almoft incurable of maladies, to which human nature is fubject! We would blefs God, that our dear Monarch hath hitherto been fo fignally preferved, the father of his people, among us; and that a long and convincing experience hath begat in us that affurance and confidence, which made duty a delight, and improved loyalty into affection. Nor fhall the memory of his high character be cafily effaced or forgotten, whilft princely grandeur, united with all gracious condefcenfion, public integrity, domeftic virtues, and perfonal goodness, have a name and praise among men. To expatiate upon his mild and merciful government, were to apply to P 3 all all who have their feelings about them; all who have ever known or heard what hath been his unwearied attention to the welfare and indulgence of all ranks and orders in his dominions; to the improvement of arts, advancement of feiences, encouragement of induftry and agriculture, patronage of newly inftituted" charities, and augmentation of old ones; what his fteady adherence to ecclefiaftical polity, and civil freedom; what his munificent reward of merit; what his diftinguishing promotion of honour; and, not the least, that first act of his reign, the emanation of his own great fpirit-I mean, the fecuring to his people the fountain of law clear, and its current free, by the dignity, independency, and per manency of the JUDGES for life. "And when his days fhall be expired, and himfelf called to exchange a corruptible crown for an incorruptible, let us indulge the animating affiance that his fucceffor, our prefent gracious Regent, may be frengthened in his kingdom, as Salomon was after David; and that the God of his father may be with him, and magnify him exceedingly. Then fhall we continue to enjoy, under his aufpices, that national profperity, which is the product of just government and dutiful subjection. "What part all faithful fubjects are bound to contribute to the public good, their refpective ftations and opportunities must point out to them. Some, by their eminence, and more enlarged un. derstandings, are called to the honourable office of advising the Sovereign in affairs of ftate: they will do it according to their beft information, and with a fixed attention to the common in. tereft, and that of their mafter; which good policy will never put afunder. Others have to fight the king's battles, and to go forth against his and their enemies: with what alacrity and refo lution, thofe enemies themselves be witneffes. We, the clergy, have a part affigned us; and a part it is of no trifling confidera. tion and account. It is to form the principles of the rifing generation; to teach men betimes to reverence authority; to obey magiftrates; to honour all men; love the brotherhood; fear God; bonour the King. In a word, to make good men and good fub. jects, that we may live a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and bonefly, our land may be the joy of the whole earth. And ye, Oye truly honourable and much honoured perfonages, before whom I fpeak, the Lord that loveth judgment, direct your work in truth; make you fo zealous for his name, fo faithful to your Sovereign, fo righteous in your decifious, fo merciful in your fentences, and fo firm in your proceedings, that the multitudes who fee and hear you may ever hail your entrance, delight in your prefence, keep your charge, abide by your judgment, fend you forth with their prayers and thanks, and above all, that we may have reason to transfer our thoughts from your temporal tribunal to the judgment feat of Chrift, to which we are all cited, and before which we must all appear; for behold! He cometh, he cometh is judge the earth! with righteousness to judge the world; and the people with his truth! To Him be glory for ever and ever. Amen." This fermon was published at the requeft of the High Sheriff and Grand Jury, and it certainly well deserved fo public and dif. tinguished a mark of praise and approbation. ART. 29. Scripture Directory; or an Attempt to affift the unlearned Reader to understand the General History and leading Subjects of the Old Teftament. By Thomas Jones, Curate of Creaton. 12mo. 2s. 6d. Seeley. 1811. ous, 140 PP. Abridgements and Compendiums of the Bible are very numerclearer but we do not recollect any one that is executed upon plan than this, or more likely to be inftructive. The author first gives a view of the order and principal fubjects of each book, then a brief table of the contents of each chapter, and lastly, general obfervations on the tendency of the book, and the things principally to be learned from it. It is perfectly evident that, with this book by his fide, every reader of the Bible (which every Chriftian ought to be) will gain with greater ease and accuracy a general notion of its contents, and will be more able to study that holy book, as the author judiciously recommends, "in a regular: manner." That is, going fteadily through it, from beginning to end, and endeavouring to fix the fubftance of the whole in the memory. ART. 30. Conferences between the Danish Chriftian Miffionaries refident at Tranquebar and the Heathen Natives of Hindoftan, from the original Manuscript. By an Officer in the Service of the Honourable East India Company. 55. Johnfon. 1812. 12mo. We should probably not have distinguished this volume by any notice, had we not thought it our duty to caution our readers against being impofed upon by thefe pretended conferences, introduced as they are with the ftale and hacknied subterfuge of their being found in a recefs or closet. The writer, whoever he may be, appears either to be very ignorant of the genuine Chriftian doctrine, or to have grofsly and wilfully mifreprefented it. He must alfo he very little acquainted with the religious creed of India, and the state of morals among the inhabitants of Hindooftan. Having faid thus much we dil mifs this publication to its deftined obfcurity. ART. 31. Perfonal Reform, the only fure and eff anal Bafis of The very worthy and fenfible author of this difcourfe has P 4 ceafed ceafed, fince it was published, to teach and to instruct*, except by what he has thus left in print. His very laborious compilation on the fubject of fuicide, in two volumes, 4to. and three other detached difcourfes, are the memorials which he has left of his zeal, diligence, and ability to do good. The importance as well as the truth of the pofition maintained in the prefent difcourfe, will be allowed by all reasonable perfons; and the manner in which it is enforced by the author, is calculated to be highly ufeful. We infert a fhort fpecimen, premifing that the text is, "Phyfician heal thyself." "Before then we prefume to fet up for reformers of others, it would better become us to examine our own hearts, and deeply to enter into the views and principles of our own general con duct: how far, for inftance, we are difpofed to do our own duty as individuals in our respective stations and callings; and thus to contribute by the rectitude of our own Chriftian morals to the general good of fociety. Before we prefume, in particular, to meddle in fuch matters of ftate as are evidently above our fphere of management, having perhaps neither experienced an education fuitable thereto, nor being endowed with an enlarge ment of knowledge and understanding capable of conducting the fame-before (I fay) we prefume to cenfure and revile our public governors, we fhould do well to confider, how far we ourfelves have deferved ill or well of the public by our own private 'conduct. Thou therefore, who mayeft take upon thee to exclaim, "My go, vernors are employed in a fyftem of corruption," art thou fure. that thy own hand was never ready, nor would be ready, to re ceive a proffered bribe in any fhape beft adapted to the gratifi. cation of thy own feelings and paffions? If thou exclaimeft, "The elected reprefentatives of the people are apt to serve their own interests alone," look to the days of election itself; observe the venality of the great body of electors; examine what is going forward among them, and then judge whether the corruption be all on one fide. "Thou crieft out, "My governors are faithlefs and deceitful:" art thou then the conftant promoter of truth and fincerity in thy own perfon at home? Thou com plaineft, "My fuperiors are haughty and fupercilious:" art thou always kind and gracious to thy family, domeftics, and inferiors? Thou who exclaimeft, "My governors are imperious and tyrannical," art thou at all times mild, merciful, and moderate at home?" P. 1 . 12. The author was already difabled, by long illness, from delivering his difcourfe himself, but he dedicated it to his parishioners of St. Nicholas, in Rochester, for whom it was com pofed to prove to them, that though he had been long confined to his houfe, his thoughts and his pen were ftill employed in their fervice." This picture of a declining minifter is always 8 * See Gent. Mag. Dec. 1811, p. 592. affecting |