Art. 65. The political and religious Conduct of the Diffenters vindicated. 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. 5 d. Dilly. 1777.

It appeared doubtful to us whether the letter which occafioned this publication required an anfwer; it certainly did not deferve one, unless it be one in such a strain as is here offered. There is a neceffary imperfection which cleaves to humanity. All bodies of men have their defects as well as individuals, and it is not difficult, generally, to point them out. But the letter-writer's charges were plainly the effect of chagrin, prejudice, and paffion: and his cenfures confequently 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 employed; and sometimes the writer feems to glance at circumstances 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 with, 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 indifcriminate 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 used unkindly enough before, that you must add your mite to the ungracious doings? If in the paths of private of 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.'

"

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This pamphlet appears to have been written by Mr. B. Thomas, of Malmfbury. 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 fhort appear to be worthy the wisdom 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 ousness. 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 righteoufnefs The fcope of the hemeftic therefore,

according

*See Review for October laft, p. 325.

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

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SERMON S.

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-composed discourse, 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 infiitution. We hope his well timed and forcible persuasions have been followed by fuit, able effects.

Hi.

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 discourse is John iv. 23, 24. The hour cometh, and now is when the true worshippers shall worship in spirit and in truth, &c. The Preacher does not neglect the opportunity which the text may be fuppofed to prefent, of defending fome of his peculiar tenets, but without cafting cenfures on others. His fermon is plain, fimple, and ferieus; and the following paffage may be given as a fpecimen : The liberty of worshipping God according to the dictates of confcience, has been reftricted, for many ages, in every Christian country, and is even at this day fully and fecurely enjoyed in none. We are thankful however to his over ruling providence for the prefent 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

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CORRESPONDENCE.

1}

WE

E deem an apology neceffary to the Author of the Treatise on Gess, 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 subject 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 diflinguifhed 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 tranfcribing 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 fchool 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 indif cretion, or want of judgment, in that particular.

L..

ERRATA in the Review for May.

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

--

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

374, 14, 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' Hengril.

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

-

386, title of Art, XII. for de Efpanna, x. 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, &c. t.
you have the cyder and the pye into the bargain.

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

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FOREIGN LITERATURE.
(By our CORRESPONDENT s.)

UNITED PROVINCES.

ART.

I.

HE very learned, lively, and ingenious Mr. HENNERT,

THE 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 fubjects 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 university 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 first 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 fay 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 first part of the Bibliotheca Critica are; 1. Ciceronis Opera omnex Edit. J. A. ERNESTI.-2. Platonis Philebus et Sympofiume Recenfione J. F. FISCHERI-3. A New Syftem or Ana

yfts of Mythology, by J. BRYANT.-4. Vetus Teftamentum ex Editione KENNICOTI-5. Differtatio de Vita et Scriptis Longini, Præfide D. Runkenis.-The fecond part is published; but we have not yet had time to perufe it.

III. G. G. Schillingii De Lepra Commentationes, &c. i. e. Confiderations on the Leprofy, by G. SCHILLINGIUS, revised by J. D. HAHN. 8vo. 1778. Both the Author and Reviser of this work are well known in the republic of letters. Profeffor HAHN, who must not be confounded with the late laborious, but heavy phyfician of Vienna, who had a name fomething like this, is one of the moft efteemed profeffors in the chemical and medical fciences, that at prefent maintain the university of Leyden.

IV. Lex Hominum Communis fecundum Mentem Hugonis Grotii propofita et dijudicata: i. e. The univerfal Law of Nature or of Mankind, as it is reprefented by Grotius, examined by HENRY LEWIS WICHERS. Groningen. 8vo. 1777-This is a very judicious examination of the principles of Grotius, and in many refpe&ts, the piece is worthy the attention of those who have a tafte for natural jurisprudence, the important science of man, in his moral conftitution, relations, and deftination. GERMAN Y.

V. GESCHICTE Gustav. Adolphs, &c. i. e. The Hiftory of Guftavus Adolphus King of Sweden, drawn from the MSS. of M. ARKENHOLTZ, and the beft Hiftorians. 2 vols. 8vo. Bref law. 1777. This is rather an old work, corrected and revifed, purged from errors, and difengaged from fabulous and trivial relations, than a new hiftory. In the year 1764 an author, named Mauvillon, published, in French, the Hiftory of Gufta vus Adolphus; it is this work, altered and improved in various refpects, that is here prefented to the public, and, indeed, by the corrections and additions, and by the change introduced in to the order of the narrations, it may juftly pafs for a new and excellent work. The accefs which the Author has had to the papers of Mr. Arkenholft is fufficient to procure an high degree of credit and regard to his work. This worthy man, though not diftinguifhed by his merit as a writer, yet had all the merit that is neceffary to conftitute an excellent guide: he knew perfectly the hiftory of Sweden: he was laborious in his researches after anecdotes and MSS. no circumftance that could yield information efcaped his attention. Befides, our Author has con fulted the beft Swedish hiftorians, the registers of the fenate, the archieves of the kingdom, fo that nothing has been wanting to render this hiftory of Guftavus fuperior to any account we have yet had of that great monarch.

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