may from thence undoubtedly infer that our religion is of God.—He concludes his first fermon with fhewing that the narrative is a faithful one; and with anfwering fome objections.

Having confidered the hiftory of the first publication of the gospel at ferufalem, the figns and miracles that attefted it, and the wonderful fuccefs which it met with, he pursues the history fill farther, in his fecond, and enquires how the gospel was propagated, and what reception it met with in the Gentile world.-He takes a fhort, but clear and diftin&t view of the many disadvantages which the apoftles laboured under; confiders the nature of the word preached, the condition of the preachers, the firong prejudices and prepoffeffions of the Heathen world, to whom they preached, and fhews that it was morally impoflible it could have met with fuccefs without the divine affiftance and atteflation. It appears, however, from undoubted authority, that it grew and prevailed every where, that in the compafs of a few years the gofpel was published among all nations, and, as the prophet had foretold, the name of Chrift was great among the Gentiles from the rifing of the fun even unto the going down of the R. fame. Art. 62. A Calm Inquiry into rational and fanatical Diffention. With a Word to the Methodists, on the Name, Origin, &c. of their Profeflion. 8vo. I S. Bew.

It feems to have been the principal intention of this writer, who profeffes himself a rational Diffenter, to free himfelf and his brethren from the difgrace of being allied to that numerous tribe of fana tics, who have appeared under the banners of Whitefield and Wefley. He expatiates, with no great degree of calmnefs indeed, but with much appearance of reafon, on the inconfitency of their principles and practices, with that liberal and independent fpirit which ought to diftinguish diffenters. It were to be wished that the Author had extended his idea farther, and drawn a line of separation between ra

tional diffenters, and fanatics and enthufiafts of all denominations. E. Art. 63. Conjectures upon the Mortality of the Soul. By a Freethinker. 8vo. IS. Wilkie.

The doctrine of the immortality of the foul, is here-not attacked, as the title feems to intimate-but defended. The defence, however, is of too fuperficial a nature to entitle the Author to much confideration from the judicious and ferious friends of true religion, who will certainly think fo important a fubject deferves a manly and phiE. lofophical difcuffion.

Art. 64. Every Man his own Chaplain; or Family-worship regulated and enforced. With Directions for Reading, Singing and Prayer, fuited to Chriftians of all Denominations, and neceffary, for all Families. By the Author of Walking Amusements for Cheerful Chriftians, &c. 12mo. 9d. Buckland, &c.

Sufficiently plain, and fufficiently orthodox, to fuit the taste of thofe for whom they appear to have been defigned. Those who wish for any other qualities in their forms of devotion than plainnefs and, orthodoxy, will not be fatisfied with the helps offered them by the,

Author of Walking Amufements, &c. See Rev. vol. liii. p. 359. E.

Art.

Art. 65. The political and religious Conduct of the Diffenters vin-
dicated. In Anfwer to a Letter addreffed to the whole Body of
Proteftant Diffenters. By the Author of a Letter to the Bishop of
Landaff. 8vo. I s. 6d. Dilly. 1777.

It appeared doubtful to us whether the letter which occafioned this
publication required an answer*; it certainly did not deferve one,
unless it be one in such a strain as is here offered. There is a ne-
ceffary imperfection which cleaves to humanity. All bodies of men
have their defects as well as individuals, and it is not difficult, gene-
rally, to point them out. But the letter-writer's charges were plainly
the effect of chagrin, prejudice, and paffion: and his cenfures con-
fequently partial, and unjustifiable. This Author fuppofes him to
have been formerly at least one of the number of diffenters and a
minifter among them. Ridicule and fatire are here chiefly employ-
ed; and fometimes the writer feems to glance at circumftances which
may be well known to the fuppofed letter-writer, though not to the
generality of readers. But while this pamphlet is written with fome
farcaftic humour, reafon and argument are by no means neglected.
I wish, my good Sir,' fays the Author, I had had the pleasure of
your acquaintance; I think I could have finished the matter in very
few words; I would have asked you, with all meeknefs and humility,
how you could addrefs a community of Chriftians with fuch indifcri-
minate abufe? Thoufands whom you never knew, nor may ever have
the honour of knowing, fuffer under the lafh. Did
you think the
diffenters were not ufed unkindly enough before, that you must add
your mite to the ungracious doings? If in the paths of private or
public virtue, they experienced a rigorous dealing from their rulers,
did it follow in confequence, that you must join the gang? But it
is your motto," Let the ftricken deer go weep," and it is the motto
of every coward.'

This pamphlet appears to have been written by Mr. B. Thomas, of Malmsbury.

Hi Art. 66. A Critical Essay on Jeremiah, xxxiii. 16. latter Part. Wherein the Mifinterpretations of that facred original Text are confuted; its true one given and defended. Intended as a Specimen of a criticel Differtation on many difficult Texts in the Old Teftament. By Manoah Sibly, Teacher of Greek, Hebrew, &c. 12mo. 3 d. Keith. 1777.

One might fuppofe Mr. Manoah Sibly to be a Jewish Rabbi, from the Hebrew with which he has decorated his title page; but which we have thought it unneceffary to copy. He fpeaks with much confidence of the vowel and accentual characters, which he fays are tactical, grammatical, rhetorical, and logical, and in short appear to be worthy the wifdom of God, and no mere human invention.' The text he criticizes is thus rendered in the common English bible; And this is the name wherewith she shall be called, the Lord our righte eufness. He produces ten different verfions (including the above) of the paffage, and fhews them to be all objectionable. The tranflation which he offers and endeavours critically to fupport, is as follows; • And this is what he shall preach (call, cry aloud, proclaim) unto her, Jehovah is our righteousness" The fcope of the hemeftic therefore,

* See Review for October laft, p. 325.

2

according

according to him, is to fet forth Our righteousness, that Jehovah is our righteoufnefs that as fuch he should be preached, and that, unto her, i. e. to Judah and Jerufalem.'

SERMON S.

Hi.

I. Preached in the Cathedral Church of Lincoln, on Opening the New County Infirmary, before the Governors, and published at their Request. By James, Lord Bishop of St. David's, and Dean of Lincoln Cathedral. 4to. I S. Crowder, &c.

This is an ingenious, fenfible, well-compofed difcourfe, in which the duties of the poor, and the obligations of the rich to mercy and good works, are reprefented with judgment and energy. The welldefigned charity appears to be in danger of fuffering, in confequence of fome diffenfions among thofe to whom it looks up for fupport. The right reverend Preacher, in a very proper manner, glances at this, though he utterly waves entering into the caufe, and earnestly recommends that every litle difpute should be forgotten, and all unite in a diligent labour to fupport the laudable intitution. We hope his well-timed and forcible perfuafions have been followed by fuit-, Hi. able effects.

II. Preached at the opening of the New Chapel in Effex-ftreet,
March 29, 1778. By Theophilus Lindsey, M. A. 8vo. 6d.
Johnfon.

The text of this difcourfe is John iv. 23, 24. The hour cometh, and now is when the true worshippers shall worship in spirit and in truth, The Preacher does not neglect the opportunity which the text may be fuppofed to prefent, of defending fome of his peculiar tenets, His fermon is plain, fimple, but without cafting cenfures on others.

&c.

and ferieus; and the following paffage may be given as a specimen :
•The liberty of worshipping God according to the dictates of
confcience, has been reftricted, for many ages, in every Chriftian
country, and is even at this day fully and fecurely enjoyed in none.
We are thankful however to his over ruling providence for the pre-
fent opportunity, which, under him, is conceded to us by the fpirit
of the times. We cannot but wish to fee it improved into an
acknowledged right, perfuaded that it would be productive of great
good to man. It is a right to which all men have the ftricteft claim,
as much as to breathe the air, or enjoy the warmth of the fun. It is
what no human laws can abridge or prefcribe to; what no man can
alienate, or give up and transfer to another. And it is not only the
Jew, the Mahommedan, the worshippers of the true God; but the
heathen idolater, who bows to his grim idol, must be allowed,
equally with the Chriftian, to follow the dictate of his own mind in
his religious worship, till he is better informed.'

We have only farther to obferve, that the prayers which were used
before and after the fermon, are published with it.
III. The Subftance of a Sermon preached at his Majesty's Chapel at
Whitehall, Feb. 27, 1778, being the Day appointed for a General
Faft. By John Hey, B. A. Fellow of Sidney Suficx College,
Cambridge. 8vo. I S. Beecroft, &c.

Religion and politics well connected by clofe reafoning. The
Preacher is fuperior to the violence of party.

COR

Hi.

p?

CORRESPONDEN C. E.

WE

E deem an apology neceffary to the Author of the Treatise on Gases, for having hitherto, by mere accident, omitted to acknowledge the receipt of a letter with which he favoured us fome time ago, containing obfervations on fome parts of our Article relating to that performance, in our Review for February laft, page 121; where he thinks we have, rather inadvertently, charged him with innovation in this fubftitution of the term, Gas for Air, and with inconfitency in the use of it. Though we have given full attention to what he alleges in behalf of the nomenclature adopted by him, we cannot with propriety difcufs that fubject afresh, after having, in that very Article, thought it neceffary to apologize for the little we faid relating to it. The Public, after all-Quem penes arbitrium eft, &c.-will, in due time, determine whether Gas, or whether Air, is hereafter to be employed as the Generic term, to defign the elastic fluids, as diftinguished from mere Vapours. In their determination, as foon as we know it, we fhall undoubtedly acquiefce; on the very fame principle that has induced us to employ and defend the latter term;-the conftant ufage of our predeceffors and cotemporaries.

We shall only add that, in the first page of his letter to us, the Author has rather mifapprehended our meaning. At page 125, after tranferibing the account of his experiment made with vitriolic acid and minium, we only modeftly expreffed certain fufpicions and doubts, with the fole view of inciting the Author or our other Readers to further experiments. -Such have fince been made on this very fubject; and we apprehend that the Author, by this time, is not unacquainted with the fingular refult of them.

B...y.

14+ The Master of Truro school disclaims all knowledge of the publication of a poem, called, the Fate of Llewellyn, by one of his young gentlemen; he is, therefore, not chargeable with any indifcretion, or want of judgment, in that particular.

ERRATA in the Review for May.

L..

P. 340, par. 6, 1. penult, for objects defcribed, r. objects are di
Scribed.

-

341, par. 2, 1. ult. for pay in advance, with fulfilling, &c. t. deferted without, &c.

374, 1. 4, for that, r. which.

376, par. 4, 1.9, for thence follows, r. thence it follows.

384. in the title of Art. VI. for de Hongrie, r. d' Hongril.

ib. In the title of Art. VII. for Succes, r. Succés.

386, title of Art, XII. for de Efpanna, r. d' Espanna.
ib. Title of Art. XIII. for Gefchicht, r. Gefchichte.

387, for Bucherkunde, r. Bücherkunde.

399, Art. 50, for you have the advantage of the pye, Sc. t. you have the cyder and the pye into the bargain.

Vid. Review, February, p. 161, Art. 31.

1

FOREIGN

TH

FOREIGN LITERATURE.
(By our CORRESPONDENTS.)

UNITED PROVINCE S.
ART. I.

HE very learned, lively, and ingenious Mr. HENNERT, profeffor of philofophy and mathematics in the univerfity of Utrecht, whofe Latin works are or furely ought to be well known in the mathematical world, has lately published in French, a small work entitled Differtations Phyfiques et Mathematiques; i. e. Differtations relative to Natural Philofophy and Mathematics. 8vo. 1778. The fubjects of the five differtations that compofe this inftructive volume are-1ft, The elliptical Motion of Comets.-2. The true Anomaly of Planets.-3. The Occultation of the Stars by the Moon, and, more especially, that of Saturn, which happened the 8th of February 1775.-4. The Motion that a Body affumes when it has arrived at the Center of Attraction-and a Review of Attraction confidered as an univerfal Principle. 5. The Figure of the Earth relative to the Moon's Parallax and to Navigation. These subjects are treated with the true fpirit of a philofopher, and in a manner that does honour to the extenfive knowledge and fagacity of Profeffor HENNERT, who is an ornament to the univerfity of Utrecht, and one of the first-rate mathematicians of the prefent age.

II. Bibliotheca Critica: i. e. The Critical Library, Part I. 8vo. Amfterdam. 1777. This undertaking is intended to revive the tafte for ancient literature, which feems to be on the decline in many countries, and it deferves particular notice. It is faid to be carried on by a felect fociety of learned men, most of them (if not all) profeffors, who, without confining themselves to any ftated periods of publication, propofe giving from time to time (as occafion and matter are furnished) accounts of fuch new productions, as relate to Oriental, Grecian, or Roman erudition. If we may judge of their tafte, learning, and critical acumen by this firft fpecimen of their labours, they may, without prefumption, claim a place among the first-rate critics of our time. Their Latin ftyle is pure and elegant, and their judgment feems both juft and impartial upon the whole. We lay upon the whole-for if they praife with warmth, and, indeed, juftly, they fometimes cenfure with a degree of afperity, that, in our opinion, affects more or lefs their candour and generofity, as appears in their account of the very learned and worthy Mr. Bryant's Analysis of Ancient Mythology. The publications, reviewed in this firft part of the Bibliotheca Critica are; 1. Ciceronis Opera amex Edit. J. A. ERNESTI.-2. Platonis Philebus et Sympofium e Recenfione J. F. FISCHERI-3. A New Syftem or Ana