itself. But if real wifdom is not to be found in the arts of cunning, or the ftrokes of wit, or the learning of philofophy, nor in the affemblage or conjunction of all thefe, whither shall we go for it? Where is it to be found? And where is the refidence of understanding? Muft we afcend up into heaven to bring it down from thence? Muft we go a pilgrimage to Rome or Jerufalem; or vifit ftill remoter places in order to find it? Or muft we fearch for it in the cabinets of princes, or the cells of hermits, or the closets of the curious? Or does it lie hid in ancient manufcripts or foreign languages? No: the word is nigh thee, fays the apoftle, in thy very heart. The all-wife Creator is continually speaking to us by the language of confcience, by the voice of univerfal nature, and by the revelation of his word: faying," the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding. Here is the real wifdom of man, of univerfal use, adapted to every capacity and condition, equally beneficial, equally neceffary to the learned and unlearned, the rich and the poor without this, all the accomplishments of wit, art, and policy, are but like pompous ornaments laid out upon a miferable cottage that is falling to ruins; for how vain and infignificant all other attainments are without this wifdom, will evidently appear to an impartial judgment; For what avails all other knowledge, if men do not know their own good, if they remain ignorant of the only thing abfolutely neceffary to themfelves? What is that prudence and fagacity worth which does not enable men to fee their own danger or to avoid their own deftruction? What that ingenuity and wit which does not fecure us from being entangled in the worst perplexities and troubles? What are all the highest endowments and abilities which do not fave us from the lowest contempt and mifery? Where is the benefit of wisdom which neither teaches men to feck their own happiness, nor to fhun the most dreadful evil that can befal them-in a word, which does not fecure them from the folly of ruining themselves for ever?' The fecond volume begins with a fermon on the miraculous origin of the Chriftian religion. Here the Author, I. treats of the appearance of our Saviour in the world, as an event predicted by the ancient prophets. II. The wonderful and mysterious nature of that tranfaction. Here he observes that in refpect to the fcheme, procedure, and apparatus of human redemption, there muft neceffarily be much more beyond than within our understandings.' On this fentiment he enlarges with great clearness and energy; warmly reprobating the conduct of fuch as pretend to a knowledge of myfteries. He obferves, further, that as all other fubjects, fo in religion, our concern and bufinefs lie in those things which we can under Q4 stand ftand, and not in thofe which cannot be understood; that the mere clearly and fully any point is revealed, the more import at it is; and the lefs clearly it is revealed, the lefs important; and that what is an abfolute myflery is of no use or importance at all. In the third part of this difcourfe we have the followdug pileges: We inny cafly colle from the holy fcriptures a plain, intelligible, and content account of human redemption, fufficient to our knowl.dge, faith, practice, comfort, and joy; if we can but reft contented with it, and not vainly pry into thofe Jaaret things which belong, as Mofes declares, unto the Lord our God, and not unto us.-- That the Almighty Father of the univerfe, from whom all good originally proceeds, and who in fulfilling the purpofes of his goodnefs, always employs fit perfons and means, not willing that men fhould utterly perish at death, but intending that they fhould be raifed again to another life; in order to the exccution of this moft merciful and benevolent defign, was pleafed to introduce into this world, a perfon in form and condition like that of the loweft of men, but in virtue and wifdon far fuperior to the higheft, fuftaining the nobleft and beft character that could be exhibited in human nature; and in honour and reward of his perfect obedience to death, even the death of the crofs, raifed him from the dead, exalted him to honour and dignity, invefted him with an ample dominion, and gave him the power of raifing all men from the dead, the authority of judging and difpofing of them in the future ftate, and the glory of difpenfing to all good men the rewards of eter nal life. This account and view,' proceeds our Author, is plainly expreffed in the holy fcriptures, and is eafily understood: all the figurative and more obfcure language of feripture only contains more various and pathetic reprefentations of the fame things; and all the characters and titles afcribed to our bleffed Lord are defigned to recommend him the more to our esteem and confidence, our obedience and imitation. The judgment and difpofal of men is committed to a perfon who has approved himfelf moft qualified and moft worthy of the high office; and that immortal life which is the reward of integrity, in overcoming the temptations of this life, is beftowed by one who hath himfelf experienced the trials of human nature, and who, by his own conqueft over fin and death, rofe to life and glory, and became the author of our eternal falvation. The nobleft end then is obtained by the best means, the greatest happiness, by the greatest virtue and as in this life we often ice that Providence makes the wifdom and virtue of one perfon an advantage to many; fo in regard to another life, by the obedience of one many are made made righteous, by the glorious undertaking of one mediator, and the dominion he was found worthy to receive, all good men obtain the poffeffion and inheritance of immortality.' The remainder of this volume is partly moral and partly cri tical. As to Mr. Bourne's criticifms, we have only to obferve, that they are frequently new, and always plain, rational, and judicious. The different fermons in this collection are fhort, but it is a pregnant brevity that diftinguifhes them. The divifions are natural; ufclefs digreffions are avoided; and by this means the Author has crowded a great fhare of good fenfe into a narrow compafs. We may add, that thefe, like Mr. Bourne's former difcourfes, are well calculated for the ufe of private families. Α VIII. FOREIGN LITERATUR E. NETHERLAND S. Morgan. BREGÉ de l'Hiftoire de la Hollande et des Provinces Unies, &c. i. e. An Abridgement of the Hiftory of Holland and of the United Provinces from the earliest Times. 4 vols. 8vo. Leyden. 1778. This is but a mean performance; it is even below mediocrity, and evidently of the catch-penny kind. It is little better than a tranflation of a dull infipid extract, that was made, many years ago, in a Dutch literary journal, of a heavy work in twenty volumes 8vo, which was compofed by a fenfible, but not always an impartial writer, and publifhed at Amfterdam under the fingular title of the Hiftory of the (or our) Country. Even this large work (as we are credibly informed) is extremely defective in the effential points of information, candour, and good materials, except in thofe parts of it that regard the early periods of the Dutch hiftory. Its flender epitome, now before us, is the production, as we learn from the title page, of M. L. G. E. KERROUX. II. Differtation fur la Comparaifon des Thermometres, &c. i. e. A Differtation on Thermometers comparatively confidered, by M. VAN SWINDEN, Profeffor of Philofophy in the Univerfity of Francker. 8vo. Amfterdam. 1778. Mr. VAN SWINDEN, whofe character, capacity, and almoft unparalleled application and industry render him an ornament to the Univerfity of Franeker, has given us, in this work, by far the most compleat and interefting treatife, that has yet appeared upon the fubject. It is divided into two parts. The first contains the principles, on which the comparifon of Thermometers is founded; and here, after having treated of Thermometers in general, he fhews how the dilatation of the fluid of which they are compofed, came to be employed as an univerfal and permanent meafure, the conditions previously previously requifite to its anfwering this purpose, and the manner in which it is neceffary to proceed in placing the fixed points, which ferve as a bafis to the fcales. In a following chapter he marks the differences that take place in Thermometers compofed of different fluids; a point of the higheft importance, though either omitted or fuperficially treated by all preceding writers, except that ingenious and indefatigable obferver of Nature, Mr. DE Luc, whofe celebrated work our Author has followed, and in fome measure abridged. In the laft chapter of this firft part, Mr. VAN SWINDEN, after fome general confiderations on the comparison of different Thermometers, points out the precautions that are to be ufed in the graduation of the fcales, and fhews a series of new obfervations, how Thermometers, which agree in one part of the fcale, may differ confiderable in all the others: He fhews morcover how neceffary it is to double these precautions when the Thermometers are graduated which are compofed with fpirit of wine, and when the fame fixed points are not conftantly employed. In the fecond part our ingenious and laborious Author treats of the comparison of the different Thermometers, that are actually in ufe or have been heretofore employed by natural philofophers. The details here are curious, learned, and interefting; the defcriptions accurate and clear, the obfervations frequently new and important; but as even a fuperficial account of the contents would carry us too far, we must refer the inquifitive Reader to the differtation at large. III. It is alfo to the fame Author the public is indebted for the following work: Obfervations fur Froid Rigoureux du Mois de Janvier 1776, &c. i. e. Obfervations on the fevere Cold in January 1776. 8vo. Amfterdam. 1777. This work is divided into two parts. The firit confifts of meteorological obfervations, a branch of philofophical inquiry, that seems to be cultivated with increafing zeal and ardour, the importance of which is, from day to day, more clearly perceived and acknowledged, and which is likely to receive great improvements from the fagacity, and induftry of Profeffor VAN SWINDEN. The fecond part contains philofophical obfervations of various kinds, relative to the depth of the froft in the earth-the intenseness of the cold in cellars, houfes, and fubterranneous places-the thickness of the ice, which is not alwa, s proportioned to the degree of cold,-the congelation of rivers, lakes, &c.-The artificial congelation of different liquors-the effects of froft upon men, plants and animals. The Author has not only collected, a great number of facts, but has compared them with other facts of a fimilar kind; and difcovered uncommon fagacity in thefe difquifitions. He propofes publifhing a work, fimilar to this, on all the fevere winters of the prefent century. FRANCE. FRANCE. IV. Hiftoire Naturelle de la Province de Languedoc, &c.—A Natural Hiftory of the Province of Languedoc, relative partly to Mineralogy and partly to Agriculture; published by order of the States of that Province. By M. GENSSANE, of the Royal Society of Montpellier, &c. 8vo. Paris. 1777.-This is the fecond volume of a curious and laborious work, compofed by a learned man, whofe poft as Commiffary and infpector of the mines, &c. of Languedoc, feconding his ardent industry in the pursuit of natural knowledge, has furnifhed him with the best opportunities of examining the objects he defcribes. V. Effai fur les Machines Hydrauliques, &c. i. e. An Efay concerning Hydraulic Machines, containing, Refearches concerning the Manner of calculating and afcertaining their powers, and improving their Conftruction-a new Method of building Ships-the "Defcription of feveral new Machines, which are adapted to carry the Science of Hydraulics to an high Degree of Perfection-and a great Number of interefting Experiments. By the Marquis DE CREST, Colonel in the regiment of Auvergne. 8vo. Paris. 1777. This ingenious work, which M. Montucla, the cenfor, has reprefented to the academy, as, in all refpects, worthy of the approbation of the learned, and the efteem of the public, is divided (we mean the volume now before us) into fix chapters. The first contains general confiderations on the refiftance of Fluids-the fecond, third and fourth treat of the wheels of water-mills, &c.-the methods of calculating their powers, and the experiments, which confirm the Author's theory; the fifth contains facts relative to the refiftance of fluids, confidered with respect to the careening fhips, and the form that the builder ought to give them.-In the fixth the Author lays down a general method of calculating the powers and effect of every hydraulic machine that is defigned to raife water to a certain height; this method, will be ufeful in eftimating the merit of new inventions. A fecond volume is expected. VI. La Marine des Anciens Peuples, expliqueé & confidereé par rapport aux lumieres qu'on en peut tirer pour perfectionner la Marine Moderne, &c. i. e. The Marine of the Ancients illuftrated and confidered with refpect to the Lights that it may adminifter for the Improvement of that of the Moderns; with Engravings of the Ships of War employed by the Ancients. By M. LE ROY, Member of the Royal Academy of Infcriptions and Belles Lettres, Profeffor and Hiftoriographer of the Academy of Architecture. 8vo. Paris. 1777. It is fingular enough, that with all the difadvantages under which the ancients laboured with respect to the formation and improvement of their marine, there is no theory relative to that branch, but what is derived from the principles they have tranfmitted to us. Notwithstanding which, it is |