pleasure? is it not because they have voluntarily, and pre• fumptuously turned out of the way, which they knew to be the nearest and most direct road to conduct them to their trueft happiness? Upon the whole, if there be more good than • evil, more happiness than mifery in this fyftem, as there undoubtedly is, by the univerfal confeffion, the conclufion is infallible, that the Author of this fyftem is a good Being. For the end, defign, and intention of a powerful Being, of a Being whofe will is not arbitrarily and partially determined fometimes by one attribute, and fometimes by another, but, in every inftance, by the harmonious concurrence of them all with his wisdom, may ever be collected with the utmost cer<tainty, from the most predominant appearances in his works. Though, therefore, we fhould not be able, as certainly we are not, to penetrate the fecrets of the divine nature and economy, to folve all the nice and intricate objections, raised by fubtle and peevish Metaphyficians, concerning the origin, extent, and confequences of evil, and perfectly to reconcile them with our notions of infinite goodnefs and forefight; yet whilft we perceive fuch a multitude of phenomena entirely agree, able to our ideas of goodness, we may, and we must, conclude, if we will argue juftly, that an equal portion of goodnefs is diffused throughout the whole creation, even in those inftances wherein it may not be fo plainly obvious to our obfervation; the difference we must humbly impute to the defect of our comprehenfion, and not to any defect of the divine attributes. For a Being of unlimitted power, and perfect wisdom, muft always act confiftently with himself; nor can he be fometimes good, and fometimes evil, but muft continually be the fame, both yesterday, to day, and for ever.'

After treating of the divine Perfections, our Author proceeds to the confideration of Providence, and a future State, pointing out, in a clear and eafy manner, as he goes along, thofe duties which are incumbent upon all who profefs to believe the great principles of natural religion, and then goes on to the external and internal evidences of Chriftianity, which he lays before his Readers at full length, and in a very diftinct and fatisfactory manner. Two thirds of his performance, indeed, are employed upon this important and interefting part of his fubject, which, in our opinion, he has treated in a very judicious manner, with great candour and moderation. There are no marks of a bigotted attachment to party fchemes or notions, but many proofs of an ingenuous and manly freedom of thought. He concludes his work with a ferious and fenfible addrefs, both to Believers and Unbelievers; part of what he fays to the former we shall here infert, and with it conclude this article.

But

But upon whatever motives,' fays he, the oppofers of Christianity may be fuppofed to act, whether they are inspired by vanity, or malevolence, or a defire of ftilling the clamours of an uneafy confcience: it certainly behoveth all those who are really convinced of the divine authority of the Gospel, to endeavour to do it honour in all things. To you, therefore, do I now especially addrefs myself, who are Chriftians indeed, and not in appearance only: it is your duty, as you refpect the glory of God, the credit of that name by which you are called, your own happiness, and the welfare of fociety, tɑ enquire, to know, and to make use of the best and most effectual means to baffle the arguments of the adverfaries of your faith, and to reduce them, if poffible, to a perpetual filence, • A warm and honeft heart, a heart full of zeal for the interefts of religion, will be ready to reply at once; purfue and punish thefe baptized infidels, as pefts of fociety, and the common enemies of mankind. Let them feverely fuffer, as manifeft ⚫ opposers of the truth, either in their pockets, or their perfons. -But what will you do to lay them under a legal conviction? or how will you be able to diftinguifh juftly betwixt real and affected doubts; betwixt an impartial fearch after truth, and malicious cavalling; between confciencious fcruples, and fo• lemn ridicule? It is impoffible for the wifeft body of written laws to reach to every kind and degree of prophaneness and blasphemy; and fo fkilful is the fcorner become in the most crafty ways of communicating his fentiments to the public, that he is able to throw a contempt upon the established religion by mere winks, hints, and infinuations; that by a pretended approbation and defence of the Gofpel, he can expofe it to the laughter of the vicious, and the indifferent; that he can affront his Maker by quoting his own words; and, like Judas, come to Christ with a hail and a kifs, at the fame time that he is bafely intending to betray him. Are you then, for erecting a court of juftice for the particular trial of blafphemy and irreligion? Are you for fetting up a high commiffion court, a court of judicature with a full authority to receive all complaints against the oppugners of the ef ablished religion; to enquire into the feries, tenour, and connection of their books and difcourfes; to examine the motives, ways, and manners how the offenfive expreffions were uttered; to confider the antecedent characters and behaviour of the accufed; and, at their difcretion, to determine whether they are guilty of prophaneness or not? Such a method of proceeding with infidelity, might, indeed, be of effential service to the cause of true religion, could we be fure of a court of inviolable integrity; could we be fure to have men continu ally prefiding in it free from all danger of corruption; men upright

upright and impartial; men of a found and well-informed understanding; men of true magnanimity, void of felf-intereft, and without malice on the one hand, or mistaken zeal on the other. But until this fundamental point can be fecured, every person of candour, benevolence, and experience in the hiftory of the world, will be against an arbitrary and defpotic power, as well in Church as State, as well in Religious as Civil Matters, under whatever amiable fhape or form it may appear, or for whatever good purposes it may be piously intended. We have feen the Roman Pontiffs defacing, and • almost destroying, the Chriftian inftitution, by the exercise of fo exorbitant a jurifdiction over the confciences of their • brethren; and should any other fet or fociety of men, (in the • prefent ftate of human weaknefs and imperfection) be ever intrufted with fo extenfive an authority, we fhall foon fee them paffing on from infidels to heretics; from fcoffers at the ⚫ common faith, to honeft enquirers after truth; from bold blafphemers to modeft Diffenters. It will not be long before we feel them growing into all the cruelty of an Inquifition; and, perhaps, upon any unexpected turn of public affairs, infolently punifhing what they were originally intended to protect; and branding that profeffion of faith as fchifm, which it is now prophaneness to oppofe. Let it be added, likewife, that nothing can be more repugnant to the fpirit of genuine Christianity, than for its doctrines to be either proved, or maintained, or propagated by force and violence, The religion of the mild, gentle, humble, felf-denying, and benevolent Jefus utterly difclaims, and condemns all harsh • methods of proceeding, where the rights of confcience are concerned; his Gofpel needs not any fuch fupport; and the • defenders of it (were they thoroughly acquainted with the ftrength of their cause) might justly hold them in contempt.'

R

Cafes and practical Remarks in Surgery. With Sketches of Machines of fimple Conftruction, eafy Application, and approved Ufe. By Benjamin Gooch, Surgeon. 8vo. 4s. Wilfon

and Durham.

TH

HIS excellent practical treatise truly fulfills all its titlepage profeffes, which is not the cafe of every book that falls under our confideration, fome of them relying more on a good front, than on much internal merit. The cafes are fuch only as have prefented themselves to the Author's own know

lege

lege or infpection, a majority of the fubjects of them having been his patients at first, and a few of them fuch as he was confulted about by neighbouring Surgeons. They amount to about fifty altogether; and when we confider the manifeft veracity they were related with, the judgment and accuracy with which they are treated, and the general fuccefs, even of very difficult and rare cafes, it must difpofe every rational lover of this useful branch of healing, to wifh, that the truly candid and sensible Author's opportunities had enabled him to oblige his brethren with a greater number of them.

One of the cafes is an inftance of the fuccessful application of the Trepan to the occipital bone; which has been confidered as a very hazardous operation, on account of the danger of wounding the Cerebellum, or of opening a Sinus, from the unequal thickness of the fcull in that part: both of which were happily avoided in this operation, the furrow of the bone being carefully attended to in the fawing, and raised by the Elevator as foon as it became moveable. The fymptoms had been very alarming to the eleventh day, the Trepan, from different accidents, not having been applied before; and we are told, that • fix hours after the operation he gave fignal proofs of the improvement of his reafon; and the pain and heat of his head 'foon abated.' In brief, he recovered, which it is not at all likely he could have done without this exquifite operation, as the dura mater, expofed by it, was highly inflamed; and an orifice was discovered which difcharged a fetid gleet. We may apply on this occafion a fenfible reflection of Mr. Gooch's, on his happily accomplishing what appeared to him, and his Collegues one of the moft tedious and dangerous operations they had ever feen. This reflection occurs page 30, viz. There ⚫ are but few difficulties that occur in operations, but what we may be able to furmount, if we can preferve a calmness and ⚫ prefence of mind.' This operation was the extirpation of nineteen ftrumous glands from the Axilla of a woman, some of the fize of large potatoes, and others no larger than filberts; and eight more, of different magnitudes, fituated under the pectoral muscle.

This book contains twelve copper-plates, fome of them in'cluding more figures than one. Seven of them reprefent different chirurgical machines of Mr. Gooch's invention, and feem excellently adapted to the ufes for which they were intended. Indeed, a good mechanical turn, on occafion, feems a neceflary qualification for a Surgeon, certain accidents feeming curable folely by fuch applications, of which we fee an inftance page 24, plate 2. Four of the plates exhibit morbid parts, or

extraneous

extraneous bodies, removed by operation. The fifth plate, page 56, gives the fize and figure of a vaft Calculus, weighing near fifteen ounces. The patient, aged forty-eight, was cut in June 1746, and died in April 1751, the very large wound never healing entirely.

Befides our Author's pertinent reflections on each cafe, there are feveral fhort Differtations on chirurgical fubjects, fuch as, miscellaneous Remarks upon Luxations, Amputations, weak and distorted Limbs, &c. in all which there appears fomething material, and excellently well intended, the benevolent Author concluding his fhort and fenfible Preface with declaring, That ⚫ his having done any kind of fervice to a profeffion he highly regards, and in which he has spent the better part of his days, ⚫ will afford him as great a pleasure as he is capable of enjoying ⚫ in his valetudinary state.

One circumftance, which often occurs in this treatise, must delight every lover of candour, namely, that great portion of it with which our Author treats his neighbours and collegues in Surgery. Any previous mifmanagement by others in his profeffion, is mentioned but in a very few inftances, and the name of the Surgeon in fuch is wholly fuppreffed.

Upon the whole, we can truly recommend this plain, valuable treatife to all young Surgeons, which feems not unworthy the inspection and favour of the experienced. For this reafon, and because the price is reasonable, confidering the number and goodness of the plates, we have given no cafe at length, as a fpecimen of the manner of relating them; tho' the laft in the book, concerning an extraordinary inftance of the flexibility and diffolution of the bones, which reduced a woman of five feet fix inches ftature, to a corps of three feet four inches, is very curious and surprizing. We have met, indeed, in fome of the German Ephemerides, with a very fimilar cafe, occurring at Sedan in France; and read alfo, that many cattle in fome parts of Norway, Jutland, or both, are frequently brought into this ftate, by eating an early fpring-grafs, there called from thence, Gramen offifragum; the antidote for which is faid to be dry pounded bones, which fuch cattle are affirmed to devour greedily, and to recover by them. But we leave the proof of this to reft on the Relator, whofe name does not occur to us.

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Poems