effects, either in checking any tendencies towards fcepticifm, or in confirming their pious belief.

The "Layman's Proteft against the profane Blafphemy, falfe Charges, and illiberal Invective of Thomas Paine, &c. by J. Padman, Jun." is drawn up with ability and fpirit, and will fecure to the author an honourable mention among the advocates for revelation. Some of its best friends, however, will conceive, that he has fometimes contended for points which had better been kept out of fight in repelling the common enemy.

Our laft remark is applicable to Mr. Scott's "Vindication of the Divine Inspiration of the Holy Scriptures, and of the Doctrines contained in them, &c." and Mr. Fawcett's "Summary of the Evidences of Christianity." So far as the authors confine themselves to the general principles of evidence, in which all Chriftians agree, they merit attention, and praife. But the former of thefe gentlemen appears to lefs advantage when maintaining the doctrine of plenary in fpiration, and the tenets of fyftematic theology; and the latter, in the manner in which he explains and defends the miraculous gifts communicated to the apostles.

Mr. John Jones's "Vindication of the Bishop of Llandaff's Apology for the Bible, in a Series of Letters addreffed to Mr. Macleod," we cannot clafs among the able and judicious treatifes which have appeared in this controverfy. For it contains too much irrelevant matter, and too little polemical dexterity.

Mr. Evans, in his "Attempt to account for the Infidelity of the Jate Edward Gibbon, Efq. founded on his own Memoirs, &c." infifts on the neglect of that gentleman's religious education, the difguft

which he received from obferving the corruptions of Christianity, and the love of eminence by which his mind was heated and inflamed, as the immediate caufe of his fcepticifm. Refpecting the powerful operation of the first and fecond caufes, we entirely coincide in opinion with the author, while we do not conceive that he has fatisfactorily illuftrated the operation of the third. But be this as it may,

we think that the manner in which Mr. Evans has executed his attempt, on the whole, does him credit as an advocate for rational Chriftianity: and we recommend to the ferious enquirer, the reflec tions which accompany it, "on the beft means of checking the prefent alarming progrefs of fcepticiim and irreligion, including an account of the converfion and death of the right hon. George lord Lyttelton."

Mr. Roberts's "Obfervations on the Principles of Chriftian Morality and the Apoftolic Character, occafioned by Dr. Paley's View of the Evidences of Christianity," confift of strictures on that work, chiefly originating in the author's zeal for his own peculiar views of Chriftian doctrine, and of apoftolic infallibility. They difcover, however, but little force, or precifion; and, in our estimation, leave the principal merit of the archdeacon's performance unimpeached. For we must ever confider it as a most important recommendation of Dr. Paley's plan, that he carefully preferved the feparation between evidences and doctrines, as inviolable as he could, and made it his grand object to offer a defence of Chriftianity, which every Chriftian might read, without feeing the te nets in which he had been brought up attacked or decried.

Mr. Cobbold's "Effay tending

to

to fhow the Advantages which refult to Revelation, from its being conveyed to us in the Form of Hiftory," obtained for the author the honour of the Norriflian prize, in the univerfity of Cambridge, and is published in purfuance of the directions in the will of the donor. As an academical exercife it was not unworthy of that diftinction: but it would probably have done the author more credit, had he attended to the obfervations of preceding writers on the fame fubject. An enlarged edition of this effay, after Mr. Cobbold has digefted their remarks, might prove a very ufeful employment of his leifure hours.

Mr. Jerram's Effay tending to fhew the Grounds contained in Scripture for expecting a future Reftoration of the Jews," was rewarded with another of the Norriffian prizes. In this effay the author contends, that the covenant of God with the Hebrews, the true meaning of their prophetic writings, and the progreflive nature of the Chriftian difpenfation, all concur in establishing the probability of their return to the feats of their ancestors, after their reception into the Chriftian pale. And he fupports his hypothefis with ingenuity, and commendable modefty.

The "Manual of the Theophilanthropes, or Adorers of God, and Friends of Men, containing the Expolition of their Dogmas, of their Morals and their religious Practice, &c." is a curious and interefting publication, if we examine the circumstances which occafioned its production, or the confequences with which the inftitution to which it belongs will moft probably be followed. Among the former we may reckon the temporary chaotic ftate with respect to religious fub

jects, to which the mafs of men's minds in France had been reduced on the overthrow of their tyranni. cal and fuperftitious religious eftzblifhments; the victory which good fenfe and the remains of informa tion derived from Christianity gradually obtained over atheism and irreligion, enforcing a conviction of the neceffity of morals and piety to the well-being of ftates as well as individuals; and the voluntary af fociations which fubfequently took place in Paris, and afterwards in other parts of the republic, for fupporting the worship of God on a plan which fhould not oppofe the dogmas of any fect, and for the diffemination of virtuous and useful knowledge. The creed of the Theophilanthropes, or rather Theophilanthropists, confifts of two articles only: the first declaring their belief in the doctrine of the existence of God, the fecond in that of the immortality of the foul. Their moral fyftem, which is borrowed from Chriftianity, inculcates the love of God and of man; the rational obligations of piety, and the outlines of thofe duties which the gospel chiefly infists on and recommends. The fanctions and motives, however, by which they en force them are comparatively cold and unimpreffive. Their manual, befides the expofition of their principles and níorals, contains a collection of hymus,a liturgy for every decade of the French year, and a felection of moral leffons from the fcriptures as well as other ancient and modern writings, which are read at their meetings by each head of a family in his turn. At fuch meetings, likewife, occafional moral difcourfes, in the ftyle of fermons, are delivered, after having been fubmitted to the previous infpection of a committee of direc

tion. The Theophilanthropifts alfo have forms for the celebration of the births of children, of marriage, and of burials. For our parts, we cannot but confider the establishment of fuch an institution in France, where we understand it is daily gaining numerous converts, to be an important era in ecclefiaftical history. It has already greatly contributed to ftem the torrent of irreligion and immorality. And it is preparing a foil, in which the fimple and pure principles of chriftianity, now when it will have free accefs to the reflections of ferious and thinking men, will take root and flourish vigoroufly. It would be injuftice to its divine origin and excellence, were we not firmly to entertain fuch a pleafing conviction.

Mr. Shepherd's "Critical and practical Elucidation of the Morning and Evening Prayer of the Church of England." is a work of confiderable merit, from which the orthodox member of the church will receive much edification, and readers, who may differ widely in opinion from the author, curious information and entertainment. The object of it is, to establish the fuperior excellence of our national liturgy, over all other liturgies, for promoting the purposes of devotion, and to affift the churchman to enter into the full spirit of its exhortations, prayers, creeds, &c. In purfuing that object, the author has .fhewn himself to be poffeffed of an abundant fhare of ecclefiaftical information, great ingenuity, and, on the whole, a becoming impartia lity and candour. The introduction contains a minute and accurate hiftory of the church fervice, from the Primer of Henry VIII. in 1535, to the laft revifion under Charles II. in 1661. The rest of the work

1797.

is partly critical, partly controver fial, and partly practical. Mr. Shepherd's critical and controver fial abilities are particularly exercifed in defence of the doxology, and Athanafian creed, and in elucidating the fenfe of abfolution. How fuccefsful he has proved, his read-' ers must determine for themselves. His ftyle and language, in general, are correct and perfpicuous.

Dr. Glaffe's "Courfe of Lectures on the holy Festivals, with practical Remarks on each, and Exhortations to a more devout and folemn Obfervance of them," is drawn up in the form of fermɔns, in popular and elegant language; and was un-. dertaken by him with the design of reviving that religious zeal, which he conceives to have fuffered a lamentable abate nent from an inattention to the days fet apart for the commemoration of thofe fints and martyrs, whofe names our English reformers chofe to retain in their calendar. His plan has been, "to lay before the reader, in a very comprehenfive view, the lives, the characters, the writings, and the fufferings, of thofe eminent fervants of God," and to deduce fuch practical reflections as may be ufeful to Chriftians in general. The outline of this plan was fuggefted to him by Mr. Nelfon's well-known book, and he has drawn his information from the fame fources with that author; but he has materially improved, in point of felection and application, on the labours of his predeceffor. But how much fo ever we may be difpofed to com. mend the manner in which Dr. Glaffe has executed his work, or to honour him for the piety of his motives in engaging in it, we are more than doubtful of the utility of the object which he had in view, as far as the interefts of genuine

fcriptural

fcriptural religion are concerned. For we are fatisfied, that were all the faints' days to be fecularized and forgotten, the caufe of Chriftianity could not poffibly fuftain any injury. If the cafe be otherwife, the authors of the fole directory which we can admit to be binding upon Chriftians, were incomplete inftructors, and in their conduct unfafe models to be copied by us; and we are alfo convinced, that fimple and incautious readers, from the perufal of the numerous ftories and anecdotes which the Doctor's pian led him to introduce, are in danger of confounding fcripture hiftory with doubtful traditions, and legendary tales.

Mr. Armstrong's treatife, entitled "Catechetical Lectures; or, The Church Catechifm explained," contains a brief and practical, but not always the most clear and intelligible, or judicious illuftration of the fenfe of the catechifm. Moft of his readers, we apprehend, will concur with us in the opinion, that archbishop Secker's, or Gilpin's catechetical lectures, or Lewis's explanation of the catechifm, by way of queftion and anfwer, fuperfeded the neceffity of our author's labours.

Mr. Meredith's "Select Effays on fcriptural Subjects" are intended for the edification of that clafs of Chriftians who confider the diftinguishing truths of the gofpel to be the doctrines of the everlafting and unconditional election of God's people, the imputation of the merits of Chrift to believers, and their confequent completeness in him, the final perfeverance of the faints, and the other tenets of the high orthodox school. To readers lefs found in the faith, they are not likely to prove very interefting. The topics which the author undertakes to elueidate are, the nature of our Lord's

prophetic office, the office of the holy Spirit, the nature and defign of the gofpel miniftry, fafting, and the human nature of Christ.

Mr. Parry, in his "Enquiry inte the Nature and Extent of the Infpiration of the Apoftles, and other Writers of the New Testament,&c.* contends for the opinion, that the apoftolic writers were under the infallible guidance of the fpirit of God in all that they have written for the inftruction of the churches, though every word they wrote might not be dictated to them; and that on no other ground can we render their teftimony to the facts recorded in the gofpel, valuable or ufeful to us. His argument is managed with precision and dexterity, and clothed in perfpicuous and pleafing language; and, what is more to the author's praife, the whole appears to have been written in the fpirit of that genuine candour which refults, not from an indifference. to truth, but from a liberal and enlarged acquaintance with it.

Mr. Dore's Effay on the Refurrection of Chrift, in which Proofs of the Fact are adduced, its Import explained, and its beneficial Influence illuftrated," if it may be thought to throw no nay light on the important fubject, contains a well-written and perfpicuous fummary of the arguments generally produced in its fupport, which we confider to be fatisfactory and conclufive. The author's practical ap plication of the doctrine is the most valuable part of his little treatise, and is highly to be commended for its pious and ufeful tendency.

Mr. Wilberforce's "Practical View of the prevailing religious Syftem of profeffed Chriftians, the higher and middle Claffes in this Country, contrasted with real Chriftianity," is a work which

breathes

breathes throughout a spirit of ardent piety, and manifefts the author's unquestionable and zealous attachment to what he conceives to be the genuine interefts of religion. We wish we could add, that his piety were unalloyed by euthufiafm, and his zeal for godlinefs undebafed by dogmatifm and uncharitablenefs. That there is too much ground for the author's complaint of a laxity, or an indifference, in principles and manners, in the claffes mentioned in the title-page, few, we apprehend, will attempt to deny; although many will differ widely from him in their ideas refpecting the extent of the evil, its caufe or caufes, and the methods proper to be purfued to effectuate a cure. For, according to his views of real Christianity, not only infidels and the immoral, but the greater part of profeffed Chriftians, even thofe who lead a fober, righteous, and godly life, if they are deftitute of certain affections and feelings which Mr. Wilberforce and the felect clafs with whom he affociates imagine they experience, and ftill more fo if they are unhappily tinctured with Unitarianifm, which in the abundance of his candour and spiritual humility he denominates a fort " of half-way houfe" to infidelity: all these numerous defcriptions of perfons are directly or indirectly profcribed by him, as in a state of alienation from God, and, confequently, in the broad road to perdition. After having reprefented the evil to be fo enormous, he finds its cause in a "mistaken conception entertained of the fundamental principles of Chriftianity," and employs a confiderable part of his work in endeavouring to illuftrate that fact. The neceffary cure for this evil Mr. Wilberforce defines to be vital Christianity, or such a stedfast be

lief of thofe doctrines refpecting the corruption of human nature, our Lord Jefus Chrift, and the holy. Spirit, which the church of England teaches in her articles, her homilies, and liturgy, united to certain exercifes of the affections, and paffions arifing from that belief, and not unconnected with an obedience to the practical precepts of the gofpel. All his expectations of the reftoration of public and private virtue, of the falvation and perma< nence of our ecclefiaftical establishment, and of the British conftitu tion, he founds on the reception, and triumph of his fyftem over unbelief, heretical pravity, and a dry unanimated religion. Under the influence of thefe impreffions, he is earneft and eloquent in his exhortations to the claffes for whom his work is principally intended, to "lay afresh the whole foundation of their religion," that they may prove "inftruments of drawing down on their country the bleffings of fafety and profperity." Such is the purport, and fuch is the fpirit of Mr. Wilberforce's treatise, which is in every part of it more declamatory than argumentative. To thofe who entertain fimilar views of Chriftianity with the author, it will prove highly acceptable; but it is neither calculated to make any good impreffion upon infidels, nor to meet with the approbation of fome of the moft enlightened and beft friends to ferious religion, among orthodox, as well as heterodox believers.

Mr. Gilbert Wakefield, in his "Letter to William Wilberforce, Efq. on the Subject of his late Pub lication," expofes in brief, but ftrong and pointed terms, the inconfiftency of that gentleman's religious principles with the fyftem of the goipel; and vindicates the latter from the fufpicion of inculcating

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