Review.-Dr. T. Rees's Sermon on the Trinity.

always granted to divines in the interpretation of the Pentateuch, that some modern "orthodox" names might

be cited to countenance some of the

boldest positions of the sermon, and that the interpretation of the history of the creation as allegorical, an interpretation adopted to evade philosophical difficulties, has the sanction of some of the most eminent Fathers.

ART. IV.—Objections to the Doctrine of the Trinity, stated in a Discourse delivered at Poole, on Wednesday, June 27, 1821, before a Society of Unitarian Christians, established in the South of England, for promoting the genuine Knowledge of the Scriptures and the Practice of Virtue, by the Distribution of Books. By Thomas Rees, LL. D., F. S. A. 12mo. pp. 48. Longman and Co.

DR.

R. T. REES applies the solemn expostulation of his text, Isaiah xl. 25, to the believers in the doctrine of the Trinity, and after stating this doctrine in the words of the autho

rized formularies of the Church of England, proceeds to substantiate the following objections to it: 1. It multiplies the number of deities, and consequently of the objects of divine worship. 2. It derogates from the perfection and dignity of the divine attributes and character. 3. It introduces confusion and perplexity into divine worship. 4. It is repugnant to the Scriptures, and introduces the utmost confusion of ideas into the account given in the sacred oracles of the history of Jesus Christ and of the plan of human salvation under the Gospel dispensation. Having ably urged these objections, and shewn that they are fatal to the doctrine in question, the preacher examines the plea for this and other irrational dogmas that they are mysteries, and exposes its futility. Some pertinent notes are added. One of these consists of representations of Trinitarianism by Trinitarians, in a series of extracts, supplied by our correspondent Benevolus, XVI. 637 and 715, on which Dr. T. Rees remarks,

"In the preceding extracts the idea which most shocks the pious mind is that of the death of God, which some of them expressly inculcate; and it is deeply to

be lamented that such a notion should

113

be incorporated with the language of our country by a Lexicographer whose work is generally regarded as the standard of correctness and good taste. In Johnson's Dictionary we find the word DEICide, compounded of two Latin terms which never were placed in so unholy a conjunction by the Pagans, to whom the Latin language was native. I shall transcribe the article; but it can need no comment.- DEICIDE, (from Deus and Cado, Lat.,) The murder of God! the act of killing God! It is only used in speaking of the death of our blessed

Saviour.

"Explaining how perfection suffered pain,

Almighty languish'd, and Eternal died;

How by her patient victor Death was
slain,

And Earth profan'd, yet blessed with
Deicide.
"PRIOR."

ART. V.—An Address to Protestant Dissenters, commending the Practice of Sitting while Singing the Praises of God in Public Worship. 2nd ed. 12mo. Hunter. 1821.

HIS tract was first published in 1807, occasioned by a publication entitled, "An Appeal to Serious Dissenters of every Denomination, concerning the present irreverent Posture of Sitting while Singing the Praises of God in Public Worship, &c.; by A Layman ;" and this second edition appeared in 1817, but is now republished with an additional Preface, which consists of gossip relating to Dr. Collyer, and his clerk, and certain other personages. Notwithstanding this unpromising introduction, we have found some sound sense in the address. The author is a sturdy Nonconformist, and sets himself against new-fangled practices by which Dissenters imitate Methodists, who themselves imitate the Church of England. The question that he discusses is confessedly one of mere expediency, and if the custom of standing in prayer (which appears to us to be the most decent and reverent posture in a public assembly) be retained, there can be no doubt, that to exact the same posture in singing also would be to many worshipers inconvenient, and to some, whom we need not particularize, distressing.

CRITICAL NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS.

ART. I.-Additions to the Historical
Memoirs respecting the English,
Irish and Scottish Catholics, from
the Reformation to the Present Time.
By Charles Butler, Esq., of Lincoln's
Inn. 2 vols. 8vo. Murray. 1821.
THE
HE "Historical Memoirs" have
been already brought before the
reader (XV. 48-51). This continua-
tion consists of additional matter, and
of a proposed new arrangement of the
whole work, by which it may be read
in chronological order.

Prefixed to the present volumes is a chapter of upwards of 50 pages, entitled "The Author's Works and some of his Reminiscences." Here the writer may incur with the censorious, the charge of egotism, but so amiable is his vanity, that we should rejoice to hear that his "Reminiscences" were continued and enlarged. Amongst them we find the following candid remark upon the celebrated Code Napo-

leon:

"The writer apprehends that the five codes of law, compiled under the eye of Buonaparte, though in some respects justly objectionable, will always be honourable to his memory. He himself thought so favourably of them, as to express to a friend of the writer a wish, that he might descend to posterity with these in his hands."-P. xix.

Referring to a tract in his Horæ Biblica, entitled, "Historical Account of the Controversy respecting 1 John v. 7," he says,

"The arguments against the authenticity of the verse are very strong; but

the admission of it into the Confession of Faith presented by the Catholic bishops to Hunnerie, (Hunneric ?) the Vandal King, is an argument of weight in, its favour. The statement of these by the writer, was allowed by Mr. Porson, the late learned adversary of the verse, to be very strong, and he promised the writer to reply to them."-P. xxxvi.

Reasoning on the decree of the Council of Constance relating to the nullity of safe-conducts granted to heretics, Mr. Butler puts the following

case:

"If a person should now publish,

within any part of the united empire of Great Britain and Ireland, a work against the Trinity, and make some place beyond the seas, his residence; and his Majesty should grant him a safe-conduct to any part of his cis-marine dominions, both in

going and returning, would this safeconduct protect the offender against the process of any of his Majesty's civil or spiritual courts ?"-III. 103.

This hypothetical reasoning affords but a poor apology for the trucebreakers of Constance; and the case proceeds upon the supposition, which we are astonished that so eminent a lawyer as Mr. Butler should have indulged, that impugning the Trinity is still a punishable offence in law.

du Chevalier Folard sur Polybe," pubHe quotes from the "Commentaire lished in 1727, the following remarkable prediction of the French Revolution:

Europe, by means at once so subtle and "A conspiracy is actually forming in efficacious, that I am sorry not to have come into the world thirty years later, to witness its result. It must be confessed that the sovereigns of Europe wear very bad spectacles. The proofs of it are mathematical, if such proofs ever were, of a conspiracy."-III. p. 111, Note.

Of the Act of Toleration, Mr. Butler says,

under which this act was passed, we civil liberty gained by it considerably : must admit that the general cause of if we view it without reference to these, we shall be more scandalized by the niggardliness than edified by the liberality of the boon which the Protestant Dissenters then received from the new government."-IV. 223.

"If we reflect on all the circumstances

He quotes, from Dalrymple, a curithat King William obtained a report ous document, from which it appears, of the numerical strength of the three denominations of Church-of-Englandlics, in England, in order to found men, Dissenters, and Roman Čathoupon it some measure of union. It is stated in this that the number of Freeholders was 2,599,786, of whom the Nonconformists were 108,676, and the Papists" 13,856. The following is

Critical Notices.-Stewart on the Progress of Philosophy in Europe. 115

a part of this report, which, though probably not at all accurate, is of some importance:

"An account of the province of Cauterbury. In the taking of these accounts we find these things observable: "1. That many left the church upon the late indulgence who before did frequent it.

"2. The sending for these inquiries hath caused many to frequent the church. "3. That they are Walloons chiefly that make up the number of Dissenters in Canterbury, Sandwich and Dover.

"4. That the Presbyterians are divided, some of them come sometime to church, therefore such are not wholly Dissenters upon the third inquiry.

"5. A considerable part of Dissenters are not of any sect whatsoever.

6. Of those that come to church very many do not receive the Sacrament.

7. At Ashford and at other places we find a new sort of heretics, after the name of Muggleton, à London taylor, in number thirty.

"8. The rest of the Dissenters are Presbyterians, Anabaptists, Independents, Quakers, about equal numbers, only two or three called Self-willers profes

sedly.

9. The heads and preachers of the seve

ral factions, are such as had a great share

in the late Rebellion."-IV. 254, 255.

Two sections of chapter lxxviii. are devoted to the Socinians and the Unitarians, between whom Mr. Butler makes the just distinction. These are meagre, but edifying, from the candid spirit which they breathe. The historical sketch prefixed by Dr. T. Rees to his translation of the Racovian Catechism is quoted as an authority.

The Section on Deists is very brief. Atheists are brought in at the conclusion. Amongst these is placed Toland, of whom the writer says, (IV. 366,) he "would have disgraced any creed." This censure is much too strong, and appears to us to savour of bigotry. Toland, we know, though he wrote against Spinoza, used a mystical Pantheistical jargon, but he solemnly disavowed the imputation of atheism, and was, we are inclined to believe, rather a sceptic than a positive Deist. Lord Molesworth's constant and generous friendship for him is of more weight in favour of his character than all the traditionary scandal that can be put into the other scale. With

all his indiscretions, it must be conceded to the memory of Toland, that he was a zealous, active and consistent friend to the constitutional liberties of England.

The author has evident pleasure in relating the liberality of the British nation towards the French emigrants, whom the Revolution drove into England. Amidst other benefactors to these exiles, he names in the following anecdote the late Lord Chancellor, Earl Rosslyn:

"It was mentioned at his Lordship's table, that the Chancellor of France was distressed, by not being able to procure the discount of a bill which he had brought from France. The Chancellor of England,' said Lord Rosslyn, is the only person to whom the Chancellor of France should apply to discount his bills.' The money was immediately sent; and, while the seals remained in his hands, he annually sent a sum of equal amount to the Chancellor of France."-IV. 374.

Mr. Butler has taken little notice of Dr. Milner's late outrageous attack upon him. [Mon. Repos. XVI. 119.] He has, however, sufficiently vindicated himself by quoting from the varying pages of the different works of his calumniator, and by translating an

Apologetical Epistle of Dr. Poynter, vicar apostolic for the southern district, to his eminence Cardinal Litta,” which occasioned a reprimand to be given to Dr. Milner from Rome; followed, so lately as April, 1820, by a brief from His Holiness, in which "he complains of the turbulence and violence of Dr. Milner's conduct, and orders the sacred congregation to make this known to him; to exhort him to reform, and to threaten him with removal from his vicariat, if he do not." IV. 469, Appendix. This public reproof must put the Catholicity of the haughty Vicar Apostolic of the midland district to a severe

test.

ART. II.-Dissertation, exhibiting a

General View of the Progress of
Metaphysical, Ethical, and Political
Philosophy, since the Revival of
Letters in Europe. By Dugald
Stewart, Esq., F. R. S. S., London
and Edin., &c. &c. [Prefixed to

New Publications,

NEW PUBLICATIONS IN THEOLOGY AND GENERAL LITERATURE.