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and learned criticifm, a variety of phrafes and paffages feem to be here rationally explained, which have for ages been, and still are, mifapplied by numbers of Chriftians.

Art. 60. An Evangelical Summary of corroborative Teftimonies concerning the holy Birth, virtuous Life, painful Death, and glorious Refurrection and Afcenfion of Jefus Chrift. By a Member of the Church of England. 8vo. 1s. 6d. Evans. 1788.

It

Simple truth has fometimes more efficacy than a long train of argument and elaborate proof. On a principle of this kind we may fuppofe our author offers this performance to the Public. confifts of a collection of paffages from the Evangelifts on the fubjects mentioned in the above title, each fubject being introduced by a quotation from the Old Teftament, of prophecies relative to it. He very properly concludes that a cool and thoughtful attention to thefe topics is likely to convince us of the truth of Christianity, and confirm a practical adherence to it. The intention is good; and the introduction contains feveral pertinent and useful remarks. He appears to be a young adventurer who wishes to ferve the cause of Chriftian piety and virtue.

Art. 61. An Addrefs to the Deifts; or an Inquiry into the Character of the Author of the Book of Revelation. With an Appendix, in which the Argument of Mr. Hume against the Credibility of Miracles is confidered and refuted. By one who thinks, with that eminent Judge, Sir Matthew Hale, That Religion is the first Concern of Man. 8vo. 2s. Rivingtons. 1788.

The principal intention of this piece is, to vindicate the character of the Author of the Book of Revelation from the charges of enthufiafm and impofture, and to prove that many prophecies in that book have been actually accomplished. Those who are acquainted with the writings of Mede, Lowman, and others, on this fubject, will not find much new matter in these remarks. The Appendix adds little to what was long ago offered in reply to Hume by Dr. Adams. The work is, however, written with clearnefs and candour; and the laudable views of the Author are farther evinced by his declaration, that it is intended to give the whole receipt of this publication, to the Society for promoting Chriftian Knowledge, for the purpose of carrying on their religious defigns.'

Art. 62. An Effay on the Church. 8vo. 25. Gloucefter printed; fold by Robinfons, &c. in London. 1787.

This cry against herefy and fchifm might have paffed in the days of Sacheverel, but it will have little effect in the present day, in which the pofition, ftrenuously denied by this writer, is almoft univerfally admitted, that all men have a right to judge and chufe for themselves in matters of religion.

SINGLE SERMON S.

I. Preached to the Convicts under Sentence of Death in Newgate,
April 20, 1788. By the Rev. Edward Barry, M. D. Affiftant
Preacher at Fitzroy and Bethel Chapels. 4to. 15. Bew, &c.
A poet of the first order, if we rightly recollect, among the Me-
thodifts, has the following couplet, or fomething very like it :

"Believe,

"Believe, and all your fins forgiven;

Only believe, and yours is heaven."

Dr. Barry's fermon is, with refpect to the doctrinal part, all fet to the fame tune. Such doctrine, no doubt, must be comfortable to poor wretches fo circumftanced as thofe were to whom this pious preacher had the goodness to addrefs his difcourfe; but fome (and thofe not men of thallow reflection) have questioned whether it is altogether right, thus to free the moft flagitious outcafts of fociety from the terrors of an after-reckoning; fince it is too well known, that most of them make little account of their punishment in this world.-Inftead of the "fearful looking for of [future] judgment," they are enraptured with the profpect of a joyful flight to the expanded arms of a loving Saviour,' longing to embrace his long loft children! Surely this is not the way [humanly fpeaking] to check the alarming progrefs of moral depravity: to which, one would think, no kind of encouragement ought to be given.-Chriftian charity, however, will have much to fay on this fubject; and we muit leave the question where we found it; having neither leisure nor opportunity to give it fo ample a difcuffion as it feems to deserve.

II. The happy Tendency and extenfive Influence of the Chriftian Dif penfation. Preached at Salters-Hall, April 7th, 1788, before the Correfpondent Board in London of the Society in Scotland (incorporated by royal Charter) for propagating Chriftian Knowledge in the Highlands and Iflands. By Robert Winter. 8vo. 6 d. Cadell.

Mr. Winter has chofen a fubject (Luke ii. 32. A light to lighten the Gentiles) proper for the occafion, and has difcuffed it in a judicious and pleafing manner. His difcourfe has none of the frippery of falfe eloquence, but is in that ferious and manly ftyle which is peculiarly fuited to addreffes from the pulpit.

III. Preached at Great Baddow, Effex, on Whit-Monday 1788, being the first Anniverfary Meeting of a Society of poor Tradefmen and Labourers in that Parish, formed for their mutual Support in Sickness and Old Age. By A. Longmore, LL. B. Vicar. 4to. 1s. Robinfons.

Societies of this kind, properly conducted, may prove highly beneficial. The preacher offers feasonable and ufeful advice on the occafion, from As iv. 32. He makes fome juft obfervations on the community of goods among the early Chriftians, and urges the neceffity of fobriety and induftry, if men would pafs comfortably through the world; and on the other hand expofes the mean nefs and difhonefty of that intemperance or improvidence by which many fuffer themfelves to become burthenfome to their neighbours.

IV. Read in the Chapel at Belvoir Caftle, after the Funeral of his Grace the Duke of Rutland, late Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. By the Rev. George Crabbe. 4to. 1s. Dodfley. 1788. High panegyric! Happy the man by whom the eulogium is justly merited! How far this was the cafe, in the prefent inftance, we pretend not to judge. What more immediately concerns us is, that good admonitions are here conveyed to us in fuitable language.

CORRE

CORRESPONDENCE.

To the MONTHLY REVIEWERS.

GENTLEMEN,

I AM much obliged to you, for having taken notice, in your valuable literary journal, of a German publication of mine, relative to a View of the prefent State of Politics, Literature, Arts and Com merce in Great Britain. It has, however, put me into a kind of embarraffment, on account of a wifh which it has excited in fome of your readers, that it might be tranflated into the English language. I never had the vanity to fuppofe, that my book, which was written merely for the benefit of my own countrymen, could convey any information to Englishmen; and had, therefore, not the leaft intention of publishing it in English. But as I find, that other perfons have formed a ferious defign of printing a tranflation of my work, I have refolved, fince it is to be done, to perform the task of a translator myfelf. I am undoubtedly the most proper interpreter of my own words; and as I am about to publish a new edition in German, with corrections and additions, I fhall be able, at the fame time, to introduce them into the English translation. As the appearance of my book, in an English drefs, will be chiefly owing to the attention which the Monthly Reviewers pay even to foreign publications, I hope, Gentlemen, that you will do me the favour of inferting thefe few lines, at the end of one of your monthly publications, that no other tranflation may be attempted and rendered useless, by that which I have refolved, though fomewhat unwillingly, to undertake myself. I am,

New-Inn, Sept. 6, 1788.

GENTLEMEN,

Your most humble Servant,
F. A. WENDEBORN.

**Adolefcens accufes us of having betrayed the truft tacitly repofed in us by the public,' becaufe we have not condemned the writings of M. Herrenschwand with all the afperity which he thinks they deferve. We are not, however, convinced that this charge is well founded; nor has Adolefcens fuggefted one reprehenfible particular concerning that writer, which had not been previously noticed by ourselves. If we have not adopted that knock-down style which Adolefcens feems to wish for, it is because we deem it altogether improper in a work which we hope will ever be diftinguished for all the lenity that is confiftent with the ftrictest impartiality. Were we to adopt the ftyle that would prove agreeable to the friends, or that would please the envious opponents of the feveral authors whofe works come under our inspection, the Monthly Review would foon fink into merited contempt. We must therefore refolve to difregard the reprehenfions of the two claffes of men juft named, and fpeak of the works that come before us, as they are;

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Nothing extenuate, nor fet down aught in malice." Can Adolefcens be ferious when he calls upon us to ftigmatife M. Herrenfchwand as a plagiary, becaufe, on various occafions, his ideas

7

are

are of the fame fort with fome of those who have preceded him in the fame walk? According to that mode of reafoning, even Dr. Adam Smith (a writer of the highest refpectability) and every other perfon who, in modern times, has treated that fubject, might be branded with the fame odious epithet. It is fcarcely neceflary for us to add, in this place, that we are by no means admirers of M. Herrenfchwand's mode of reasoning, as we have repeatedly faid fo already; but it does not follow that we should not wish to see him treated with all manner of justice, and fair play, in the arduous ftruggle that awaits him, fhould he proceed in the undertaking that he hath chalked out for himfeif.

**We agree, entirely, with our Correfpondent Bis, as to his explanation of the paffage in Habakkuk; but he fhould have obferved that in our Review for June laft, p. 483. to which he refers, it was by no means our object to give the full force and exact meaning of the verse, but merely to compare it, as to the use of two fingle words which it contains, with another verfe in which the fame words occur. At the fame time, we must remind him that our expreffion, to which he objects, may be fully juftified from Isaiah, i. 16. Prov. xv. 3. Jerem. xvi. 17. Pfal. x. 14.

+*+ We are obliged to Mr. Woodhouse for his attempt to illuftrate a paffage in Milton's Comus; but he appears to be very unfortunate in his explication. The true meaning is, no doubt, as given in the Review for last month, page 101. It rather furprises us, that a man of common understanding fhould fall in with the idle ftory of the London apprentices bolting their victuals *. Whoever believes fo great an abfurdity, will, we queftion not, with equal facility, bolt down the other ftory-" As how a London 'prentice killed two lions at once, by thrusting his hands down their throats, and tearing their hearts

out."

vants.

This nonfenfe ufed to be fathered on the Kentish farmers, and their fer

**The request of J. A. fhall be complied with as foon as poffible. The conclufion of our account of Warton's Edition of Milton will appear next month.

We cannot yet inform A Conftant Reader,' whether Mr. Jani has completed his edition of Horace. We have been disappointed in our expectation of intelligence on this head from abroad; but will renew the inquiry, as opportunity may ferve.

* Mr. Rothwell's English Grammar was reviewed in our Number for July laft, page 74.-Other letters in our next.

ERRATUM in our laft.

P. 113. 1. 41. read, on one of the fame groupe of islands.

THE

MONTHLY REVIEW,

For OCTOBER, 1788.

ART. I. A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America. By John Adams, LL. D. Member of the Academy of Arts and Sciences at Boston. Vol. III. 8vo. 6s. Boards. Dilly. 1788.

IT

T is an old faying, that the character of a King cannot be known till after his death: it is equally true, that the character of a book cannot be ascertained till after it is entirely completed. The first volume of the work before us iffued from the prefs as a complete work; and confidered in that point of view, it was doubtless a moft defective performance; a fecond volume afterward appeared, without any intimation that the work was not finished; and ftill it could only be viewed as very imperfect; now, at length, a third and concluding volume comes forth, in which the whole plan is completed; and it is, of course, now only that we can judge of its real merits. Had we known that the work was meant to be continued, we should have suspended our judgment till the whole came before us. But being published in this way, without any intimation of the extent of the plan, we have been drawn in to decide fomewhat prematurely, and have reason to complain that the Author mifled us, and probably many others.

Still, however, the work appears to us to have been arranged in a fanciful manner. Had the order of its materials been reverfed, had the two laft letters or chapters been placed at the beginning, as the text, and had all the others been printed as notes, illuftrations, or authorities, that might have been occafionally confulted by thofe who were ignorant of the hiftories of which they treat, the book would have affumed a natural and proper form; but it would, perhaps, have been yet more acceptable, and more extenfively useful (because it would have been more generally read), had thefe hiftorical details been entirely omitted. The volume now before us is a continuation of the account of the Italian republics in the middle age; viz. of Piftoia, Cremona, Padua, Mantua, and Montepuleiano-the acVOL. LXXIX.

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