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THIS, as might be naturally expected from fuch a Speaker, is

read on the much-difcuffed fubject of an Union with Ireland. It is totally devoid of declamation, tinfelled metaphors, and all the other meretricious embellishments with which the harangues of many modern orators are, unfortunately for their hearers and readers, fo copiously bedizened; it makes a direct appeal to the judgement, by a fair, candid, temperate, and manly difcuffion of the fubject, wholly unmixed by ufelefs digreffions. His remarks on the probable effects of what has been called Catholic Emancipation are entitled to particular attention:

"The Speaker acknowledged, that he was anxious for the removal of the moft obnoxious grounds of complaint againft what was termed the Proteftant Afcendancy; but he fought for the attainment of this defirable object, by no other means than thofe of a legislative Union; and not at the hazard of thofe formidable confequences, which Catholic Emancipation, with all that belonged to it, was, in his opinion, calculated to produce. Indeed, if the Catholics were true to their confcience and their creed, the Proteftant establishment must be expofed, by fuch a change, to immediate, and, perhaps, inevitable danger; and the ftate of the Proteftants, under fuch circumftances, be rendered worfe than that of the Catholics during any period of the prefent and preceding century. If actuated by intereft and paffion, (by which he did not imagine that they were likely to be more or less influenced than others,) they could not be fupposed to poffefs, without exercifing it, the power of recovering that property of which they conceived their ancestors to have been wrongfully deprived: and if, under the prefent circumftances, the inconveniencies arifing from the difcordant proceedings of diftin&t Legislatures have been regarded with anxiety and apprehenfion, fuch fenfations could not but be applicable, in a far ftronger degree, if political power was poffeffed by thofe, between whom, and the Parliament of Great Britain, a greater variety of differences, from various caufes, might be expected to arife, and on points lefs capable of reconciliation and adjustment." Pp. 12, 13.

In combating the objections to the competency of Parliament to form an Union, the Speaker adopts the fentiments of Blackstone refpecting the plenitude of power enjoyed by that auguft body. Many readers may, perhaps, fart at the language which he employs on this occafion, when he afcribes to the Parliament "the power and the right-to new model the Conftitution, and to alter the fucceffion to the Crown, and the established religion of the country.” (P. 33.) But it must not be forgotten that he here put an extreme cafe, in order to fhew the fallacy of the arguments which had been ufed by his opponents. It will not be denied that what has been done once, may be done again. We do not wifh, however, to dif cufs the abftract queftion of right; nor is it neceffary to urge the bar, fupplied by the Coronation Oath, to the exercife, at leaft, of a right to alter the established religion of the country, fo long as we have the happinefs to pollefs fuch a Monarch as now fways the fceptre of these realms.

ART.

.ART. XVI. A Letter, addreffed to a Member of the Irish Parliament, on the Subject of the propofed Union between Great Britain and Ireland. 8vo. Pp. 24. Price 1s. Murray and Highley. London. 1799.

THE line of argument adopted by the author of this pamphlet is nearly the fame with that taken up by the Speaker of the House of Commons, in the fpeech reviewed in the preceding article. His ftyle is correct and claffical, and his obfervations befpeak an upright and independent mind; anxious for the profperity of his country, and eager to promote the welfare and happiness of every defcription of his countrymen. He is of opinion that the conceffions made by the Parliament of Great Britain to Ireland, in the year 1782, far from tending to allay the animofities that prevailed between the different parties in the fifter kingdom, only ferved to widen the fubfifting breach. His remarks on the plea, that the independence of Ireland would be destroyed by an Union, are highly pertinent and judicious, and will convey to our readers a juft idea of the style and manner of the whole pamphlet :

"It is unfortunate for the caufe of truth, that mifreprefentation is reforted to, where candour calls for impartiality. In the question under difcuffion it is most peculiarly the cafe. Union is ftigmatized with the title of feudal flavery, and the outcry againft it is as great as if we had propofed to reduce the Irifh to the ftate of Helots. But need I point out to your Lordship that there is in fober reasoning, as well as technical precifion, a wide line of diftinction between an incorporate Union and a fœderate alliance. In the former cafe, upon an infringement of the fundamental and effential conditions of the Union, the two contracting ftates are left in ftatu quo prius. But nothing of this kind can take place in a fœderate alliance, when one Sovereign, upon bended knee, does homage to the other, and from that day forward becomes his vaffal of life and limb and earthly worship.'

·

"I affert, then, that the Union aims at no facrifice of Irish independence, but rather renders it more folid and lafting. But what is this boafted independence, but a phantom, formed to delude and mislead the people? Can Ireland be called an independent ftate, when convulfed with internal diforders, which he is unable to quell? when attacked by enemies from without, which fhe is unable to keep at bay? having a Parliament that has loft the confidence of the people? without an army?-without refources?-and fubfidized and fupported by Great Britain, at an annual expence of more than feven millions? Why will the be fo blind as to prefer any longer the fhadow of independence to the fubftance of it? Why, in one word, purfue the eccentric path of a comet, marked with bloodfed and conflagration, when the laws of Nature have given her a fixed and regular orbit in the fyftem, and have conftituted her the enlightening companion of a larger planet?" Pp. 8-10.

In the following obfervations, introduced in the difcuffion of the queftion of Parliamentary competency, the fentiments of the author perfectly concur with our own:

"The greater part of the authorities to be found in our law books apply to the power which Parliaments have of making laws in general. The question in the fhape it is put by Locke is, 'That a Legiflature cannot transfer its power into other hands; for it being but a delegated truft, they who have it cannot transfer it to others.' But the idea of this kind of contract was never thought of till the revolutionary periods of British hiftory, when it entered the brains of the mad enthufiaits

NO. XII. VOL. III.

X

enthufiafts of the times, and tinged even the writings of grave philofophers. The abfurdity of the idea may be perceived in the abfurd consequences which Rouffeau has fairly deduced from it. Its refutation, à priori, may be found in än effay of the philofophical Hume on the original contract.

"The learned and elegant author of the Commentaries on the Laws of England obferves, that Locke and other theoretical writers, call the power of governments a delegated truft which may be resumed; but,' fays he, 'thefe notions can never be practically adopted, nor can any legal fteps be taken for carrying them into execution. For this devolution of power to the people at large includes in it a diffolution of the whole form of government established by that people, and no human laws will fuppofe a cafe which at once must deftrog dll law. I think, therefore, my Lord, that, in this ftage of the argument, I may affert, with fome plaufibility, though I do it with great deference, that Locke was a greater metaphyfician than politician; that his ideas are fitter for the closet than for the hand to carry into execution; and that if he had been invefted with any commanding authority under government, he would have felt himself as awkward as Guicciardini did in the cabinet, or Machiavel in the field." Pp. 17-19.

ART. XVII. Obfervations on the Speech of the Right Honourable John Fofter, Speaker of the House of Commons of Ireland, delivered there, April 11, 1799. By a Gentleman at the Bar. 8vo. Pp. 63. Price rs. 6d. Downes. Hatchard. London. 1799.

FAR be it from us to put any bar to the claims of this gentleman at the bar; we are willing to admit them in the fullest extent; and, though we cannot fay much in favour of his ftyle, we readily acknowledge the ftrength of his objections to many of the pofitions laid down by Mr. Fofter. He is, indeed, the boldeft advocate we have yet met with, on this fide of the queftion. He contends that, as, by the Act of 1782, the Parliament of Great Britain gave legiflative independence to Ireland, it has an indifputable right to take it away, when it has been found that the end for which it was given has not been produced; he maintains that the legiflative independence of Ireland forms no part of the Constitution; and he quotes, in fupport of his own pofitions, a well-known writer, upon whofe treatment, by a late Parliament, his remarks are certainly juft, but whofe authority can, as certainly, be of no avail to him in the prefent inftance. We are not difpofed to question the right of Parliament to take away what it has given, but we conceive that, on the point in queftion, the exercife of fuch a right would, to fay the leaft of it, be a flagrant breach of faith. On the whole, though we cannot subscribe to many of the pofitions here laid down, we must allow that the author has fucceeded in expofing the defects of the fpeech which is the object of his attack.

We have obferved, in this pamphlet, an unusual number of orthographical and typographical errors.

ART. XVIII. A Letter to the Pope, on the probable Cause of the War; and that it waits on his Holiness to invite the Bleffings of Peace. An humble Attempt, (as far as Fallibility can go,) from the cool Reflections of Religious Reafon, not dictated by

ardent

ardent Paffions, nor warped by plaufible Infinuations of Preju dice. By Chriftophilus. 8vo. Pp. 35. Price 1s. Richardson, London. 1799.

THIS rhapfody is evidently the production of fome well-difpofed fanatic, who writes and reafons in the true ftyle and spirit of a Methodistical field-preacher. The author had, probably, heard that one of his fuperiors had, on a remarkable occafion, unaccountably prefumed to afcribe the miseries of the prefent war to the fuperftitions of the Roman Catholic religion, vainly endeavouring, by a train of fallacious argument, and inconclufive reafoning, to fupport his ill-founded pofition; and, therefore, hoped, under the shelter of fuch authority, to introduce his miferable jargon to public notice. The following paffage will fuffice to fhew the fum and substance of the argument of Chriftophilus:—

"By parity of reafon, this brings us home to the main fubject, which is, to eftablish an idea that these deftructive wars arofe from, and are directed to sweep away, the fuperftitious practices of Popery. And, fecondly, if the head of the Romish church will abolish all that is wrong, and ftrive to establish all that is right, in religion and virtue, that then the gradual defignation of Providence being answered, all the evils by which we are furrounded will, like the darkness of night at the approach of the rifing fun, be difperfed, and peace and happiness reftored in the regions of fuffering Europe." Pp. 30, 31.

DIVINITY.

ART. XIX. Family Lectures; or, a copious Collection of Sermons, feleted from the most celebrated Divines, on Faith and Practice. 2 Vols. 8vo. Pp. 1891. Price 11. 8s. All the Bookfellers. London. 1799.

TH

HE authors, whofe united labours furnish this collection of fermons, are entitled "the most celebrated divines." Their names are as follow:-Adams, Allen, Atterbury, Barrow, Balguy, Batty, Beveridge, Bentley, Bellamy, Blackall, Brown, Ball, Bundy, Burnet, Calamy, Clarke, Coney, Delany, Duke, Fothergill, Gibson, Hickman, Hort, Hoadley, Hopkins, Horne, Hole, Horbery, Harvest, Ibbot, Jortin, Kennet, Leland, Littleton, Lucas, Lupton, Moor, Mofs, Newlin, Newton, Orr, Porteus, Ridly, Rogers, Sharpe, Sherlock, Swift, Stebbing, Stephens, Snape, Seed, Secker, Stillingfeet, St. John, Tillotfon, Tilly, Terry, Tottie, Trapp, Wake, Wilfon, Webfter, Waterland.

On running our eyes over this lift of names, with the word "celebrated" at the head of them, we could not fupprefs a smile; and, in transcribing them, the pen, even of our amanuenfis, "hitched" in a name or two. But, turning to the difcourfes of a

X 2

few

few obfcurer writers, (we beg the compiler's pardon,) we judgeď them well deferving their respective stations.

In his advertisement, the editor fpecifies fome of the reasons which induced him to think that the above compilation might be extenfively ufeful :

"It must always happen, either from indifpofition, diftance of abode, or inclemency of weather, that many ferious perfons will be prevented from attending places of worship and religious inftruction, on the days confecrated to devotion. For thefe, family lectures are particularly adapted. It is reasonable to fuppofe, that many pious perfons, who traverfe the great deep, confined to a narrow habitation, where they can never hear the cheerful chiming of their parifh bell, muft wish to employ a part of the day appointed for meditation, in reading good fermons, and that a volume, containing a great variety, at a moderate price, muft to them be highly acceptable. It is the cuftom of many families to employ a part of the Sunday evening in the reading of a fermon. To all fuch, a collection, in which a great choice is prefented in a compact form, cannot fail of being found convenient. At fchools, there is no doubt but that fuch a book will be fingularly ufeful. It may be added, that, to young students in divinity, a collection of fermons, exhibiting a great choice of good models, may be beneficial."

To "Family Lectures" Dr. Knox, the compiler, has affixed a preliminary difcourfe, from which the following extracts, we think, will be acceptable to our readers :

"There is nothing of which the enemies of Chriftianity are fo apt to accufe its friends as of prejudices. They attribute an humble and reverential acceptance of the gospel to the prepotiefiions of early youth. To the fame cause they afcribe many moral and Chriftian duties, and have fometimes fhewn that they would not be reluctant to exterminate all virtue and all religion, by fixing on them the odious appellation of inveterate prejudice. But it is certain that these pretended enemies to prejudice are powerfully actuated by the very errors which they cenfure. They condemn Chriftians, without hearing with patience, or confidering with candour, the merits of their caufe. Indeed, there is too much reafon to think, that many have rejected the fcriptures, and, confequently, all the doctrines derived from them, who have never bestowed on the books which contain them a fingle perufal. At a time of life, when all impreffions are deep and permanent, they heard fome filly witticifm or fophiftical argument, tending to deride or to invalidate the Chriftian, religion. They immediately concluded that its doctrine was contemptible, and its proofs unfupported, and could never afterwards prevail upon themfelves to give it a due examination."

"Similar prepoffeffions have prevented perfons of careless minds from receiving improvement from the inftructions delivered from the pulpit. Sermons, or preaching, are, indeed, in the eyes of many avho appear to themselves, or would appear to others, men of brilliant and lively parts, fynonymous with all that is tedious or difagreeable."

"Yet the efficacy of preaching and the utility of fermons are abundantly evinced by actual facts; by proofs which the wit of the fcorner is not able to invalidate. The good characters and beneficent actions which have been produced by them, are evidences of their utility, which no talent for ridicule can deftroy."- "Preaching may be, in thefe times, as it always was, one of the moft effectual methods of national reformation. The poor have the gospel preached unto them-the poor, who, in the eyes of our common father, are at least equally. eftimable with the moft opulent potentates who glory in earthly grandeur. Their poverty frequently precludes the poflibility of inftruction, in the ordinary modes of comprehenfive education. Whither fhall they repair for light to lighten their native darknefs. The philofopher is, perhaps, deeply engaged in metaphyfical contemplation, and cannot stoop to the humble office of inftructing the poor. The men of the world are engaged in avarice, pride, and fenfuality. Where, then, are there children of God, but outeafts of men, to feek for inftruc

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