REVIEW OF BOOKS.

PROBATQUE CULPATQUE,

Lectures on Scripture Facts. By the Rev. William Bengo Collyer. 8vo. pp. 594. 12s. boards.

This gentleman is among those preachers and writers who seldom comprehend their own meaning, and who' therefore cannot be presumed to convey very distinct ideas to others. Fortunately the congregations which usually assemble under this class of declaimers, are sufficiently satisfied if they have, what is termed amongst them, a good hearing,' and glossing the whole over with the term evangelical, they go home as well satisfied with the preacher, as the preacher is with himself, and to be more so is not often necessary, nor perhaps often possible.

In these Lectures we have the most common-place' sentiments, dressed up in a profusion of gaudy and af⚫fected ornaments; with this is mingled much of that sound without sense, and phrase without meaning, which too often pervade the discourses of those who assume to themselves the exclusive title of Gospel Preachers.

The following passage which we give as a specimen of the style, was probably considered by this Lecturer as very sublime No doubt it made the old women stare, they had possibly never heard any thing so fine.

"Is there a spirit in man?

"1, How high is his destination! It was not designed to be immured in these walls of flesh for ever. The harps of angels invite us to our rest. Departed saints attract us forwards. The voice of God himself calis us home. It is the combined testimony of the scriptures, of reason, of conscience, that this immaterial principle is destined for the enjoyment of God for ever. He who buries his expectations here, forgets his dignity. Like his divine Lord, the Christian passes through this world in the shape of a servant, in te world of spirits he shall appear in all the majesty of an Heir of glory. Yonder sun shall be extinguished; those stars shall fade; the beauties of the creation shall be blotted out; the trump of God shall announce the dissolution of Nature; the Heavens shall be wrapped together as a scroll, all shall be consumed; all shall he destroyed; the whole globe shall be a mass of ruins; but at that instant the concealing curtain shall fall; the new creation shall

burst upon the enraptured sight; the redeemed spirit shall be pat in possession of its everlasting habitation, and the man shall enjoy God for ever.-Such is the high destination."

This affected style which apes to be eloquent, is as distant from all true taste as it is from all real meaning. But before we conclude we will dissect this passage in order that others may be enabled to estimate the value of this sort of declamation.

"It is the combined testimony of the scriptures, of reason, of conscience, that this immaterial principle is destined for the enjoyment of God for ever." With the meaning of the phrase enjoyment of happiness or of heaven' we are well acquainted, but we know not, nor does any one else know the meaning of the phrase the enjoyment of God,' it would well become all who addresses a congregation from the pulpit, not to profane the name of the MOST HIGH GOD, by using it in a manner thus unmeaning and familiar.- He who buries his expectation here forgets his dignity, this is true, but this remark is obviously taken from another writer, of different sentiments from the lecturer himself, for he can never consistently talk of the dignity of Man, who is perpetually preaching up his original corruption. When, Mr. Collyer, in future, declaims against the natural depravity of Man, it may be useful to him to recollect his own words he forgets his DIGNITY.

• Like his divine Lord, the Christian passes through this world in the shape of a Servant.'---That the character of a christian is to be known by his shape we never before knew, or wherein the shape of the servant differs from that of the master, we are at a loss to tell, that the character of the true christian will manifest that meekness and humility of mind which his Divine Lord exhibited, seems to be the sentiment intended to be expressed, if it had been put in the shape of common sense.--- Yonder Sun shall be extinguished; those stars shall fade.'---The Lecturer seems to forget that he could not point to both the Sun and Stars at the same instant, as they would not both be visible at the same time;--- The Trump of God shall announce the dis solution of Nature.' It is said in the Scriptures, that the trumpet shall sound, but Mr. Collyer should have knowu that the trump is a quite different instrument; it is te Jew's harp, and is the ancient term by which that instrument was known, and is known at present by all who are conversant with the subject.--- All shall be consumed, al shall be destroyed, the whole Globe shall be a mass of ruins.'

This is saying the same thing three times over; 'but at the same instant the concealing curtain shall fall, thus it seems that after all shall be consumed, and all shall be destroyed, there will still be a curtain left, and this cur tain is to fall for the purpose of concealing the nothing that remains.

There are still defects in abundance, both in the matter and the manner of these Lectures, if we were in clined to point them out, but the concealing curtain shail fall.

Fashionable World Reformed. By Philokosmos. 2s. 6d. 12mo. Wilson, St. Paul's Church Yard, 1807.

These remarks are the suggestions of an intelligent and active mind; and we hope the fashionable world will attend to the author's observations and "reform it altogether." This little tract contains Reflections on Comedy; 2 on Tragedy; 3 on the Managers and performers; 4 on po liteness in Company, on Dress, and on Behaviour at Public Amusements; 5 on Polite Conversation in Company 6 on Politeness in Religion, and against Super stition; on Devotion, and on proper behaviour at Public Worship.

We shall be glad to receive a few more hints from so sensible a writer as Philokosmos. His remarks on Tragedy will be found in another department of our work.

Rhymes, original and translated; chiefly in the Epigrammatic Style By Fleming John Brisco. 12mo. 5s. Richardson,

1807.

The Author apologizes for the length of his preface; but it contains so much good criticism, and so just an estimate of the merits of many eminent authors, that we found it rather brief than tedious, and were sorry when we reached the end of it.

The Volume says Mr. Brisco) is chiefly Epigrammatic; but to that epithet I attach every meaning that the arcient or modern world have ever affixed to it. Those pieces which strictly answer the idea an English reader forms of an epigram, 1 have numbered; but a Greek, or Koinan, would, with few exceptions, style my whole Volume, Epigrammatic."

The epigrams are of all kinds, good, bad, indifferent, and excellent. Take two or three for a specimen;

Tom steals old author's writings leaf by leaf,

For the same purpose as old gold the thief;

Which each may claim, to modern shape coin'd down,

As theirs, and pass as current through the town.

Lucinda writes a foolish tale;

The story's trite, the thoughts are stale:
The mottos then are good, and why?
Because they none of them apply.

You think he's judging what you said,
When Tom in silence shakes his head :
The cause of this you much mistake,
Its weakness makes his noddle shake.

There is nothing so difficult to write as an epigram. We have therefore very few epigrams that are good. In this Volume which consists of 174 pages, there are of course many choice specimens ;---but if the author had been satisfied with fewer examples, his work would have pos sessed more uniform excellence.

Eversfield Abbey. 3 Vols. 9s. Crosby and Co. 1807.

The style of this novel is good, and the moral unexcep❤ tionable. The incidents are recommended by probability and the interest well preserved; but in contrasting the two characters of Agnes Eversfield and Mary Hotham, the author has a little " o'erstepp'd the modesty of na ture," such extreme cases very rarely occur.

The Impenetrable Secret; Find it out. By Francis Lathom. 12mo, 6s. 2 Vols. Lane and Co.

This is indeed a Secret worth the finding out. The mystery is concealed with extraordinary ingenuity, but though it is not penetrable 'till we arrive nearly at the last page of the volume, the interest is kept alive from the beginning of the work; and the consistency of the whole story is in no instance violated. Mr. Lathoin is a novelist of the first order.

Human Life; a Poem, in five Parts. Large 800. 63, Cadell. 1807.

A Picture of Life which reflects very little credit on the delineator. The characters are overcharged; the colouring gaudy and coarse, and the light and shade either too brilliant or too obscure. We got through the five parts with great difficulty.

Oddities and Outlines. By E. M. large &co. 2 vols. 8s. Carpenter.

Ingenious, entertaining, and abounding with interest and variety.

Affection; with other Poems. By Henry Smithers, of the Adelphi. Imperial 8vo. 17. 1s. Miller, 1807.

Resumed from page 42.

We gladly resume our account of this beautiful moral and highly interesting poem. Part H. as we observed before, is of a religious nature, and is thus arranged :

66

God.

Affection traced to its source, the benevolence of

In Creation-In the happiness of Paradise-enduing man with powers of reasor-with the gift of speech and in the wonderful conformations of nature.

"In Providence-In the cominon blessings of lifein fitting the mind for perceptions of beauty and sublimity--in fixing so strongly the desire of happiness— in the appointment of a Sabbath of rest-in the sympathetic feelings-in the pleasures of religion-particuarly in times of distress-in the support it renders to the martyr at the stake-Apostrophe to England-Bigotry inconsistent with Christianity.

66

"In Redemption.-Commencing with the prophecies and promises-flowing with increasing strength till their ac complishment in the Saviour of the world-What benevolence in his life and actions-at the marriage of Cana—~ in his mild reproof to his sleeping disciples-at the grave of Lazarus-in the happy effects of Christianity-aboJishing human sacrifices--and in promoting all the charities of life-Mary at the sepulchre, an Episode.- On the comforts which Christianity affords in adversity-