caufe in all the inftances here mentioned, the language correfponds, though not to the truth of things, yet to common conception and Outward appearances. These popular modes of speech are understood to exprefs thofe appearances only; and being used only in defcribing them, no one is fo abfurd as to mifconftrue them into affertions or declarations of men's real opinions on the feveral fubjects to which they refer. This again is as just an answer to Dr. Worthington as to Pope Urban. To have a demon, was a phrafe that was as much underflood to exprefs an outward effect amongst the ancients, as the phrafe, to have St. Anthony's fire, is fo understood amongst us. The former, therefore, might be used by those who did not believe in the power of demons, with as much propriety as the latter is by those who do not believe in the power of St. Anthony. You are not to learn any man's fyftem of aftronomy or phyfic, from his describing certain celeftial appearances, or bodily distempers, in the language of the vulgar; but from the account he proffedly gives of that fyftem. Proceed, Sir, by the fame rule in judging of the real fentiments of the apolles on the fubject of poffeffion; form your judgment by their profeffed doctrine concerning demons, not by their defcriptions of demoniacs; in which they might, very innocently, adopt the popular language, without defigning to eftablish the doctrine on which it was originally founded. This they have done on other fubjects: they might, therefore, do it on this. They have done it on all fubjects not included in their commiffion.'

27

Our Author farther adds, that there is one very peculiar reafo for believing that the founders of Chriftianity did use the popular language on the fubject of poffeffions, without intending to eftablish the popular hypothefis concerning it, because it is allowed that they do, at other times, fpeak both of demons and bodily disorders, in mere conformity to the vulgar opinion concerning them, without defigning to give their fanction to

it.

In the fifth letter, Mr. Farmer refutes Dr. Worthington's other proofs of the reality of poffeffions, drawn from the hiftory of the New Teftament demoniacs. And in the fixth and last letter, the question is examined as it ftands on the footing of reafon, experience, tradition, and fuch parts of revelation, as had not hitherto come under confideration. The conclufion of the whole is, that the antidemoniac fyftem does no prejudice to revealed religion, and that the vulgar hypothelis has not a fingle recommendation. Befide expofing the miracles defcribed, by the difpoffeffion of demons, to contempt, it fubverts the fundamental principle of all true picty, the fole dominion of Jehovah over the course of nature, contradicts the fcripture doctrine concerning the demons or gods of the Heathens, deftroys the evidence of revelation, or the force of thofe miracles which were wrought to atteft its divine original, and cafts the greatest reflection on the character and conduct of Chrift and his apoftles.

1

After having heretofore given our opinion fo freely on the queftion concerning the demoniacs of the New Teftament, few readers will be surprised at our faying, as we do say with the fulleft conviction, that Mr. Farmer hath obtained a compleat victory over his antagonist. But this is not the only, nor, indeed, the principal merit of the prefent work. It contains much more additional matter than could have been expected upon a fubject which the Author had before fo amply confidered; and it exhibits a perfpicuous and judicious epitome of what had already been advanced in the course of this interesting enquiry.

As Dr. Worthington will probably appear again in the controversy, we would wish him not to be offended at our honeftly fuggefting to him a little whole fome counfel.-Though we never entertained an high idea of the Doctor's judgment, we had a fincere refpect for him, on account of the piety, learning, and candour difplayed in his earlier performances. It is, therefore, with concern, that we have feen him, in his late publications, manifeft a bigoted and uncharitable difpofition. If he could be perfuaded to correct this difpofition, and to return to his former good temper, he would affuredly find that, in fo doing, he would contribute much to his own personal satisfaction, and not a little to his reputation and esteem in the learned and Chriftian world.

K. ART. II. Letters on the Prevalence of Chriftianity, before its civil Eftablishment: With Obfervations on a late History of the Decline of the Roman Empire. By Eaft Apthorpe, M. A. Vicar of Croydon. 8vo. 5 s. fewed. Robfon. 1778.

R. Gibbon's Roman Hiftory, above referred to, is al

Mlowed, by all readers who have any pretenfions to tafte,

to poffefs great merit; but that the ingenious Author should have fedulously thrown out fufpicions and infinuations unfavourable to the Chriftian revelation, and this under the specious appearance of having a refpect for it, has been matter of general complaint, among the friends and advocates of our religion. He could not, it is urged, but know, that the objections which, with an affected caution, he has brought forward, are not fuch as have been fuggefted only to himself. Believers in and defenders of the gofpel, have long fince perceived, confidered, and replied to them, in the moft fatisfactory manner and wherefore, then, it is afked, fhould fo noble a work as Mr. Gibbon's Hiftory have been difgraced by an apparent want of candour, or of a due attachment to the best interests of mankind? Chriftianity is univerfally acknowledged to be a fyftem of the moft benign tendency; and therefore, it is prefumed, no attempt to weaken its credit, and leffen its influence,

сад

can be thought to wear a very benevolent afpect. One benefit, however, we may obferve, has accrued to the Chriftian world, from Mr. Gibbon's attack: it hath produced a number of learned and able defences; among which we muft rank the Letters now before us.

In this performance, Mr. Apthorpe difcovers much erudition, as well as good fenfe and piety. It confifts of four letters, addreffed to Dr. Backhoufe, Archdeacon of Canterbury. The firft contains a brief view of the controverfy concerning the truth of the Christian religion. The fecond treats on the study and use of hiftory. The third prefents us with characteristics of the past and prefent times. Toward the clofe of this third letter fome of Mr. Gibbon's objections are confidered; and with the fame view, the establishment of Paganifm is difcuffed in the fourth. Each letter is followed by a large collection of remarks and quotations to illuftrate and confirm his subject; and to the fecond letter is added, among other things, a methodized catalogue of hiftorians, felected from the fourth volume of the works of Voffius, the Bibliotheques of Fabricius, Du Fresnoy's method of studying hiftory, chronology, and geography, &c. The Author fpeaks of it as a brief, defective, and contracted catalogue, but we are perfuaded that any person who wifhed to enter deeply into this study would find it an useful directory, containing a greater number of volumes in this fcience, than most, perhaps, of those who are confidered as learned men, in the prefent day, have laboured through.

Mr. Apthorpe feems to have been folicitous to crowd his book with learning, and authorities; perhaps beyond what was abfolutely requifite; fuch adjuncts are, however, inftructive and useful, and are not foreign to the main defign of the Author, who takes a large compafs before he directly attacks fome of Mr. Gibbon's reflections. The obfervations on hiftory, its ufes, the qualifications of an hiftorian, &c. in the second letter, would afford fome acceptable extracts, but we shall select a few paffages from the third, which characterizes different periods of the world, and which will, perhaps, prove more interefting to the generality of our Readers.

Of the three centuries, which have nearly elapfed fince the revival of learning and the reformation of religion, I think, fays our Author, we may difcern three diftinct characters, corresponding in fome degree to the several powers of the human. mind, invention, judgment, memory; which, though all are blended, and, in fome degree, infeparable in the operations of intellect, and in the ftate of fociety refulting from thofe operations, yet may juftly be applied to characterize each of the preceding ages, from that quality which predominates in each.

E e 4

Your

Your fagacity will anticipate the ufes of this fpeculation, refpecting the manners and principles of our own times.

In the fixteenth century the minds of men were agitated with a religious ferment, in part occafioned by the revival of learning, but chiefly by the difcuffions relative to church government and reformation in the preceding age, which led the way to the great revolution begun by Luther. The age of the reformation may be confidered as the age of invention. A spirit of enterprize and of heroifm characterized the princes of that age. Leo X. and the Popes his fucceffors, Solyman the Magnificent, the Emperor Charles V. Francis I. Henry VIII. and Queen Elizabeth, were the moft eminent fovereigns that had ever been contemporaries on the thrones of Europe. Every circumftance at this period concurred to excite the fpirit of invention, in religion, literature, and the arts. The three capital dif coveries, of printing, the compafs, and artillery, were now applied with emulation to enlarge the efforts of the mind.-Theories in religion, long loft or fuppreffed, were brought to light by the learning, genius, and induftry of the reformers. The fcriptures, now first published and tranflated, opened a new world of science, and Christendom was aftonished to find the religion of the New Teftament fo directly appofite to that of Papacy. The spirit of invention exerted its powers in the fine arts of poetry, painting, fculpture, architecture, revived on the ancient models, by a just and bold imitation of nature, rather in her great and fublime, than in her beautiful and delicate exertions. Imagination feizes the fublime and the auguft by its native efforts aided by novelty and admiration; while the correct and elegant refult from the flow procefs of imitation, art, and experiment. In Italy, while painting animated the canvas with unrivalled expreffion, and lent its aid to tottering fuperftition; poetry revived from its long flumber of twelve ages. It found or formed a language fuited to its fine conceptions, and gave models of excellence to the rest of Europe. The dark fide of this century fhocks us with a portentous atheifm, arifing from the detection of Popish fuperftition, from the firft efforts of philofophy, and from the literary profligacy of thofe humanifts, who imbibed and propagated all the corruptions of Paganiẩm, thro' an exceffive fondness for the Greek and Roman claffics. Popery exerted all its efforts to maintain its authority by its partial decifions and relentless perfecutions. In the reformation itself, free enquiry, abfurdly connected with a spirit of dominion, produced innumerable fchifms, while a spirit of fanatic fedition clouded the firft dawn of liberty, and portended the enthufiafm and long civil wars, that agitated the next age,

The

-

The feventeenth century was the age of erudition and criticifm, of eclectic and experimental philofophy, of a rational and fcriptural theology. The prevailing character was the cultivation of judgment and the powers of reafon; but with exceffes or defects in each department of fcience. Literature and criticifm, efpecially the verbal part of each, were carried to excefs and ancient elegance was loft and encumbered in the retinue of her critics and commentators.-The preceding age, on the diffolution of the religious foundations, had difclofed the rich treasures of literature, the copying of which was one of the best employments of the monaftic orders in the middle ages. Different nations had their specific merit in this revival of true fcience. The Italians excelled in criticism on the writings of their renowned ancestors; the Dutch and Germans in antiquities and literary hiftory; the French in ecclefiaftical learning; the English in philofophy and theology. In philofophy all the ancient fects were revived and cultivated: ftoicifm by Lipfius and Gataker; the Epicurean fyftem by Gaffendus; Platonism, both in its original form, and in that which the fchool of Plotinus had fraudulently fet up in oppofition to Chriftianity, was cultivated perhaps to excels in England; and produced a re fined and philofophic enthufiafm. Yet in the laft age, philofo phy knew its province, and held itfelf in due fubjection to religion, The eclectic, which alone has truth for its object, was fo fuccefsfully introduced by Lord Bacon, as to have happily become the reigning philofophy.'

Mr. Apthorpe proceeds to speak in very high terms of the feyenteenth century, as the age of true and profound erudition, when science of all kinds was reduced to a rational and moral certainty, founded on experiment, evidence, and juft criticism. Theology, he apprehends, attained to fo high a degree of perfection, that perhaps, he says, all the dogmatic or polemical difcuffions of late might fafely be decided by an appeal to the judgment of the great divines, efpecially of the English church, in the last century; and farther he adds, I am firmly perfuaded that the best remedy for the errors of the prefent century is to revert to the principles of the laft.

We fincerely join with our Author in his eulogium on this period; it produced many learned, eminent, and excellent men in different denominations of Chriftians, to whofe labours the world has been much indebted, and from whose works we still receive great benefit: but we fuppofe that to erect any of their decifions as an abfolute standard of faith, is unneceffary, unfuitable to the spirit of the gospel, and what few or any of them would have wished. As upright and candid enquirers after and lovers of truth, they were probably, at times at leaft, doubtful themselves on fome points which the fcriptures have not clearly.

and