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have been repeatedly gratified by that ingenuoufnefs which, always open to conviction, acknowledges and corrects errors with gracefulness.

In the "Effays, moral and literary," there occurred fome exceptionable opinions, which the amiable author, at the fuggeftion of his critics, very readily retracted; and in feveral of his other works we have obferved improvements, in points which vanity or faftidiousness would not have reconfidered or retouched.

The treatife immediately before us will certainly do credit to the good intentions of the writer, whilft it deferves praise for the religioufness that pervades it, and alfo for the main doctrine it labours to establish; though it contains paffages of a tendency which we do not altogether approve :

"In this book," fays Dr. Knox, "I have endeavoured to maintain a sense of the real dignity and importance of the most folemn act of worship, and the most facred rite of our religion. I have been particularly careful to confirm my opinions on the authority of Scripture, and the fanction of the pious and learned defenders of the faith, from the earliest ages to the times in which we live. I have certainly given long and great attention to the fubject, and am not without hope that I fhall afford fome information to thofe who, from want of leifure or opportunity, or inclination, have hitherto little confidered, or understood, the nature and efficacy of the Eucharift. If I fhould be fo fuccefsful, I'fhall be rewarded with the fatisfaction of knowing, that I fhall have contributed to the permanent happiness of my fellow-creatures, and the real welfare of my country."

In the introductory fection, Bishop Hoadley's notions of the Sacrament, which were lately revived by Dr. Bell, are cenfured as erroneous. The next fection furnishes us with confiderations on the Sacrament in general, and the word Sacrament in particular. Here, we are informed, that "the very name-Sacrament-implies mystery," that "the Eucharift, in its name and nature, as myftery, contains fomething in it fupernatural, which can be nothing else than an inward and fpiritual grace, the confequence of which must be pardon"and that man, wretched as he is by nature, ought to approach the holy mystery, and accept the bleflings of grace, with the lowlieft proftration of mind and body"-and that, confequently, Dr. Bell is guilty of a grofs miftake, whilft he reprefents the Lord's Supper as " a rite of the plaineft nature, perfectly intelligible to every capacity, and as a fimple memorial of our Lord, but more efpecially of his death, and the general purpose for which he died; having no other benefits annexed to the celebration, nor any other evils to the omiffion of it, than thofe neceffarily attending the celebration or omif

NO. XII. VOL. III.

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fion of any other pofitive rite, under the Chriftian difpenfation.*" In the third fection, the author cites various paffages from Bishop Pearce, Dr. Sykes, Dr. Balguy, and Dr. Bell, refpecting the Sacrament, and enters his folemn proteft against their opinions. According to Dr. Pearce, we have no reafon to expect that pardon and grace are annexed to our worthy receiving." Dr. Sykes fays, there are no other ends of the Sacrament than thefe two:-"To commemorate the death of Chrift," and "to be a fign of friendfhip among Chriftians." In Dr. Balguy's mind," the benefit obtained by the Sacrament is only the profpect of salvation.” Dr. Bell's idea, that "the Lord's Supper is fimply a memorial of our Lord," has been already noticed. Though we agree with Dr. Knox, in lamenting that fuch a depreciating scheme as the above thould ever have been conceived by Chriftian divines, much lefs publifhed to the world, yet, we think, that his conclufion that follows is fearcely juftified by the premifs:

"Thus," fays the Doctor, "nothing myfterious being allowed to the moft folemn act of Chriftian devotion, the Chriftian is to go to the eucharistical table with nearly the fame freedom and familiarity as to the meal which he daily partakes of, in the family or convivial

circle."

In prayer there is furely no myfterioufnefs. It is an að of devotion perfectly plain and intelligible to every capacity. But, if the Chriftian go to the Lord's table with nearly the fame familiarity as to a common meal, because he fees nothing mysterious in the Sacrament, he may enter the church with the fame freedom as his own dwelling-house, because he perceives nothing myfterious in prayer. We may, doubtlefs, feel the impreflion of awe and reverence where we are fenfible of no myitic obfcurity. In his fourth fection, therefore, where he confiders the opinion," that the Eucharift is a mere memorial," Dr. K. is wrong in afferting, that, according to the ideas of the above-cited authors, "the remembrance of a friend, at a convivial table, is an act nearly as religious as the reception of the Sacrament." The fifth fection, referring a part of the fixth chapter of St. John to the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper;-the fixth, confidering the Lord's Supper as a feaft after a facrifice ;-the feventh, noticing the catachrefis, by which the Sacrament is itself called a facrifice;-the eighth, deducing grace and pardon, as the

Practical Enquiry, P. 34.

prefent

;

prefent benefits of the Eucharift, from the fixth chapter of St. John;-the ninth, maintaining that the vouchfafers of grace, in more abundance than ordinary, is the most important benefit annexed to the reception of the Eucharift the tenth and eleventh, intimating our union of Christ and the twelfth and thirteenth, treating the doctrine of remiffion of fins, are all perfectly fcriptural and rational: at leaft, we have "fo learned Chrift." In the fourteenth and fifteenth fections, the petition for bread, in the Lord's Prayer, as referred to the bread of life, is explained in a very fatiffactory manner. The fixteenth, feventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth fections, on the expreflions of Body and Blood -on the true knowledge of Chrift, attained in worthily receiving the Sacrament; on the love of Chrift to man, of man to Christ, and of man to man, exhibited in the Eucharift, and on the ancient Liturgies, are pleafing, pious, and judicious. The rites of Christianity, as oppofed to morality, in the twentieth fection, is a fubject, in treating which the author has not difcovered his ufual judgement :

"The obfervation of the moral duties," fays he, "will not excufe the neglect of the positive. If a preference must be given, (which is certainly not required in practice, though it may be admitted in argument,) it is certainly due to pofitive dutics, becaufe they are exprefly confidered, and not merely collected by reasoning, or the fitnes of things, as it is called, or propriety.".

In this fentence, Dr. K. feems to intimate, that the moral duties are merely collected by reafoning on the fitnefs of things, and not, like the pofitive duties, exprefsly commanded. But he ought not to have forgotten, for a moment, that the moral duties, whilft they are fuggefted by nature, and confirmed by reafon, are enforced by Scripture in language the moft unequivocal. From the tenor of his writings, however, we do not believe that Dr. Knox means to exalt the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper above pure and practical morality. If we did, we fhould afk him, whether he deemed the perfon who regularly attended the Sacrament, but, in the common conduct of life, was a mere negative character, more worthy of the kingdom of Heaven than his two Quaker phyficians, who never attended the Sacrament at all; yet, whom he applauds as eminent examples of Chriftian philanthropywhofe integrity and beneficence, whofe generofity, affiduity, and tendernefs, (fee P. 257,) are the themes of his heartfelt gratitude? Afcribing the above incautious paffage to a momentary enthufiafm, rather than the determined reference of an inftituted rite, to all the moral virtues, we fhall forbear to expoftulate, or to argue with our "elegant effayift" on the Lubje&.

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fubject. The prefervation of folemnity in external worship, the neceflity of preparation for the Sacrament, the obligation to frequency of communion, the adminiftration of the Sacrament to the fick and dying, internal, or fpiritual communion, the small number of perfons who receive the Sacrament, diligence in defending the myfterious doctrines of Christianity, more expedient, from the circumftances of the times-the Church, as diftinguished from the world-and the erroneoufnefs of the idea, that the maintenance of the dignity of the Catholic Church, and the rites of Chriftianity, is unfavourable to civil liberty-are the topics which are difcuffed, from the twenty-first to the thirtieth fe&tions, (inclufive,) and which, we have no fcruple in adding, are handled with ability. The "Conclufion," which fpeaks warmly to the heart, contains these remarkable words :

"No Divines, that I know of, teach, that the use of the outward Sacrament is of any avail without inward faith and repentance, or entire obedience. The reception of the Sacrament is not a fingle duty, but a fyftem of duties. The outward part is the leaft and the lowest part; and, feparate from a good heart, it is no duty at all.”

To this treatife is added an Appendix, containing texts from the New Teftament, relative to the inftitution of the Sacrament; paffages in the fixth chapter of St. John; an examination of young perfons, altered from Bifhop Wilson; prayers compofed and ufed by Dr. Johnfon; prayers from Bishop Wilfon; devotional affistance, &c. from Bishop Kenn; the Lord's Prayer, as referred to the Eucharift; and paffages from the Vulgate, where Sacramentum is used for arcanum and myfterium.

In our revifal of the work, we have, once or twice, expreffed difapprobation; we have pointed out an instance or two of intemperate zeal; of declamation that has occupied the place of reasoning, or fcriptural proof. And we might have animadverted on feveral paffages, where the author pays too great a regard to the argumentum ad hominem, and fhelters himfelf behind the authorities of celebrated names, as if confcious (might his adverfaries fay) of the weakness of his caufe.

Yet, on the whole, as literary cenfors, we have been highly pleafed with thefe "Confiderations ;" and, in a humbler character, fhall eagerly re-perufe them for instruction and edification.

If the work poffefs not the merits of Dr. Knox's claffical writings, it is well arranged, perfpicuous, familiar, and pious.

ART.

ART V. Sermons preached at St. Mary's, in Oxford, in the Year 1798, at the Lecture founded by the Rev. John Bampton, M. A. By Charles Henry Hall. B. D. Chaplain to the Lord Bishop of Exeter, and late Student of ChristChurch, Oxford. 8vo. Pp. 277. Price 5s. Rivingtons. Hatchard. London. 1799.

So comprehenfive is the inftitution of this lecture, that it affords ingenious divines an opportunity of exercifing their talents in almost any manner which may contribute to the fupport and stability of the Chriftian religion. If novelty cannot be expected, we must confider that the objections of unbelievers are not new. But, furely, it is ufeful to methodize and comprefs what is fcattered throughout a variety of voluminous writers, fome of whom are little known, while others muft be poftponed till a more diftant feafon. It is useful, in thefe days of infidelity, to furnish young minds with a reason of the hope that is in them, till they have an opportunity of entering profeffedly on theological studies.

The defign of this author is to explain what is meant by the fcriptural expreffion, "the fulnefs of time," or, in other words, to point out the previous fteps by which God Almighty gradually prepared the way for the introduction and promulgation of the gofpel.

We are by no means inclined to think that it can be proved, by any arguments whatever, that God might not have granted the Chriftian revelation fooner, if it had fo pleased him, and yet we are willing to admit, without hefitation, that it was granted under circumftances peculiarly favourable to its promulgation, and at the time when it was foretold. God is not accountable to man why he does not grant this or that particular bleffing, but after certain feafons, and upon certain conditions. All things have their beginning and their progrefs, and the reader of thefe difcourfes will be gratified in contemplating a harmony in the whole plan of the divine œconomy, for the ordinances of God and the tranfactions of man, the inftitutions of the law and the fate of empires, have all been fubfervient to the great purpose of eftablishing the Chriftian religion.

In difcourfe the first, the author fhews that a clear knowledge of a future ftate was referved for the gofpel difpenfation, and owns that we fhould not take upon us to know the times and the feafons, when we are ignorant of fo many of the common appearances in nature. But, he feems to weaken his reafoning, when he fays

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