Art. 34. The Fatal Compliance; or, the Hiftary of Mifs Conftantia Pembroke. 12mo. 2 Vols. s. fewed. Jones. Mifs Pembroke is just such another Mifs as the rest of the Miffes Her story who in the characters of novel-heroines. top their parts is told in natural, eafy language; fome of the letters (for the epitolary form is become the high mode of modern romance) are sprightly; and none of them are ill written.

Art. 35. The British Moralift; or, Young Gentleman and Lady's Polite Inftructor. Being a new Collection of Novels, Tales, Fables, Vifions, Dreams, Allegories; felected from the most celebrated Moderns that have been published during the last ten Years. To which are added, I. Rules for acquiring true Politenefs. II. Parallels between ancient and modern Characters. III. A concife I 2mo. 2 Vols. os. RobinView of the British Constitution.

fon and Roberts. 1771.

The Editor intends this compilation as a fupplement to the feveral collections which have been made, for the profitable amufement of the British youth. The pieces which it contains are detached from the moral and entertaining productions of Johnson, Hawkefworth, Sterne, Langhorne, Shenftone, Goldfmith, Brooke, &c. The articles are not ill chofen; and there is a great variety of them; fo that the book cannot fail of being agreeable as well as ufeful to young Readers.

2 S.

RELIGIOUS and CONTROVERSIAL. Art. 36. The Chriftian Minister's Reafons for baptizing Infants, and for adminiftering the Ordinance by fprinkling or pouring of Buckland. 1771 Water. By Stephen Addington. 12mo. The fubject of this little tract has been long the cause of great difpute in the Chriftian world; happy, could we add, that it had not been the occafion of much rancour and ill-will! The champions on the oppofite fide of the queftion to our Author have, fometimes at leaft, defended their arguments with fuch warmth and confidence, we had almost faid prefumption, that, judging alone from thence, it must have been concluded that their opinion was most clear and certain, and that of their opponents utterly indefenfible. But the fair and unbiaffed mind muft perceive, that this is very far from being the true ftate of the cafe; fince, though an ingenious perfon may offer fomething plaufible on almost any fubject, it would then be impoffible to fay fo much as is faid, with the force of found truth and reason, in oppofition to the Antipado-baptifs, who, notwithstanding all, frequently continue to contend for their own favourite scheme, with that pertinacious zeal which might lead one to fuppofe, that the whole of religion confifted in or depended upon this, after all, very questionable point.

The performance before us is written with candour: it confiders most of the principal arguments which are used by the Pado-baptifts, both as to the mode and the fubjects of baptifm, attended also with a few fuitable criticisms on fome parts of fcripture. If there are any parts of the work which are not fully conclufive, or to be regarded chiefly as an argument ad hominem, or probable reafons, there are others which appear on the whole very fatisfactory, and at leaft en

tirely

tirely fufficient to fhew, that the practice of infant-baptifm is proper, allowable, and juftifiable; we apprehend, therefore, that we may venture to recommend this fmall Treatife, among others, particularly one published fome years ago by Mr. Towgood of Exeter, to the perufal of those who wish to be more entirely fettled on this point.

The following obfervation, though not new, may be laid before our Readers, Of all the different fects,' fays this Author, into which the church was divided in the third and fourth centuries, and which were always ready to detect and oppofe every thing in each other, that did not appear authorised by the word of God, not one ever upbraided the other with baptifing infants as an innovation; but, though of very different fentiments on many other doctrines of the gospel, in this they all agreed; and those whofe other principles would have inclined them to oppofe the practice in their day, and to have difputed the divine original of it, if its divine original could have been questioned, even they declared, that they never heard nor read of any, whether true Chriftian, heretic, or fchifmatic, who denied baptifm to infants.'

The controverfial part of the book is concluded with thefe obfervations, We have not met with one text in the whole Bible, that requires the immerfion of the whole body in Chriftian baptifm.-Not one in which Chrift commanded his minifters to baptize believers, much less believers only.-No command, either from him or his apoftles, to baptize fuch again in adult years, who were baptized in their infancy, nor any word that authorifes to call a fecond washing baptifm.-Nor have we met with a fingle inftance recorded in the New Teftament, in which the defcendants of Chriftian parents were baptized in adult years.'

In what particular fenfe the Author understands the word (believer) in the above paffage, we know not; but fhould this, or any other part of his performance be liable to any juft objection, we must leave it to him to vindicate himself. Hi. Art. 37. A Letter to the Rev. Mr. Crman, occafioned by his Sermon preached at Sud-y, May 25, 1769. Published at the Requeft of fome of the Clergy. 4to. 6d. Evans. 1770. This Letter-writer is very angry with Mr. Cr-man *, and at the fame time profeffes himself very forry for that gentleman's mistake infancying himself a reformer.' when he is what the devil is faid to be, an accufer of his brethren? This Mr. Cr-man is informed how little he understands his duty when called upon to preach at a vifitation; that an attempt in one of his rank to inftruct the clergy at that time is impertinence, prefumption, and impudence.' Surely this Writer is here under fome little mistake himself; we have ourfelves heard, what we thought very ufeful and proper admonitions addreffed to the clergy on fuch occafions, nor can we fuppofe this to be unfuitable or unbecoming, if performed with modefly and decency. But the preacher who is here attacked feems to have failed in thefe laft effential requifites, having, we are told, loaded his brethren with the lackeft accufations, and most undeferved calumnies.' The publication of his fermon, notwithstanding, is faid to have been re

* See Rev. vol. xli. p. 80. The first Sermon in the lift.

quested

quefted by the archdeacon, and fome of the clergy. The Author of the Letter is defirous it fhould be known, that though he thought the preacher deferved fuch a punishment, he was not one of the number who folicited the favour; and he has been informed, he says, that the request was a piece of pleafantry' in fome of the clergy, and ow. ing to a story they had heard of Charles the Second, who, when any of his chaplains preached a fermon more than ordinary foolish, commanded him to print it.' I acknowledge,' fays he, this was carrying the joke too far, but even animis cæleftibus iræ,-by their rafh requeft, and your not having the fear of ink before your eyes, they have told their own fhame, or yours, to formidable pofterity, and published it in the annals of Grubftreet.' But, however impertinent or impudent, groundlefs or undeferved may be the charges alledged in Mr. Cr-man's fermon, this Letter-writer does not greatly attempt to exculpate the clergy, or the patrons of livings, but chiefly aims (if that be any vindication) to fhew, that Mr. Cr-man is culpable equally with others, or in a greater degree, in the very inftances he has condemned. Art. 38. The Acts of the Days of the Son of Man, or the Hiftory of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift. Comprehending all that the four Evangelifts have recorded concerning him. All their Relations being brought together in one Narration, fo that no Circumftance is omitted, but that ineftimable Hiftory is continued in one Series, in the very Words of our English Verfion. 12mo. 2 S. Lewis. 1771.

Hi.

This work appeared first in the German language. The Author, we find, is Samuel Lieberkühn, M. A. who made ufe of Luther's verfion of the New Testament, altering here and there a word agreeably to the original, or to render the fenfe of the paffage more clear.' The Tranflator adheres ftrictly,' he tells us, to the English version in ufe, inferting in fome places a few words for the fake of connection, or by way of illuftration.' There is no doubt but thousands have read the detached history of each Evangelift in the facred writings with great advantage, nevertheless, though it is not poffible to obtain perfect exactness as to the order of time and place, it must be acknowledged that fuch a harmony as can be gained in this respect is of real utility. It might be withed,' obferves this Writer, that we could arrive to a certainty touching the order of time in which the matters followed upon each other. But as the Evangelifts have not obferved the fame order of time in their relations, it has proved a fubject for many controverfies among the learned. Some affert, that all the four Evangelifts have wrote according to the true order of time, which obliges them to repeat the very fame tranfaction two or three times. Others are of opinion, that Mark and Luke; and others, that Matthew has kept clofeft to the order of time. But we will not enter here into this controverfy, for this obvious reafon, we cannot determine any thing pofitively. In this harmony we have made the Evangelist Matthew our rule, as to the order of time, and we have herein chiefly followed the late Dr. Bengelius, and his harmony of the four Evangelifts; and he had many learned men who were his fore-runners in this method. In this arrangement it is laid down as a rule, that we reckon no more than three Eafters from the baptifm to the death of our Saviour, which John plainly fhews in his gospel. Secondly, that we tranfpofe the relations of Mark and Luke in fome places, and

range

range them according to the order of Matthew. All this has folid reafon for its fupport, and on this account is more followed at prefent.'

In this manner the Author fpeaks of his performance, which we think may be read with fatisfaction and advantage by those who cannot easily confult larger or more elaborate works of this nature. Hi. Art. 39. A Letter to the Monthly Reviewers, containing Cenfures and Refentment, for many Instances of their strange Misbehaviour, efpecially their Title-page Remarks on the EXEMPLAR, or an Expofition of the Prophecies now fulfilling. With a brief Recital or Plan of the Work, and fome Additions. 8vo. I s. Printed for

the Author, and fold by Stevens in London. 1771.

In our Catalogue for January 1769, in mentioning the Exemplar, an huge, expofitory quarto, on the vifions of Daniel, and the Revelation of John, &c. &c. we gave the very uncouth and verbose title-page, as a fufficient fpecimen of what every Reader of difcernment and taste had to expect from the Author. Such brevity of notice, however, seems to have given no fmall offence to the Gentleman who had been at the pains of writing, and perhaps the expence of printing this great volume: but it is natural that every author whose work (ineftimable in his fond eye!) a Reviewer does not approve, fhould conceive himself and his learned labours to be ill-treated, and that he should complain of the envy of critics, and the malignity of criticism. This Letter writer, accordingly, in the fulness of his avowed refentment, conficers the Monthly Reviewers as a fet of very bad people, enemies to religion, infidels, &c. But we hope it does not follow, that every man who diflikes the plan, or diffents from the principles of any pioufly intended book among the thousands of wrangling and contradictory ones with which the Christian world hath been troubled), is therefore irreligious, or an infidel! In brief, we ftill think of the Exemplar as we thought before; and this Letter from our difobliged Friend and Correfpondent, has only ferved to confirm us in the Idea, that he is a good Man, but not a good Writer. Art. 40. The Methodists vindicated from the Afperfions caft upon them by the Rev. Mr. Haddon Smith. By Philalethes. 8vo. I s. Bladon.

It is currently fuppofed that the Methodists are an ignorant and illiterate fet of people, who are incapable of offering any arguments worthy of attention, in fupport of their religious principles or practice. But the prefent Writer's manner of repelling the attack made upon the Methodiflical party by Mr. Smith, is far from contemptible, and we much question if the Rev. Curate of Bethnal Green will be able to stand his ground againft the efforts of an antagonist, who is well furnished with weapons, offenfive and defenfive, and who knows how to employ them, either in his own caufe, or in that of others: for he declares, that he is not, himself, a Methodift.

MISCELLANEO U S.

Hi.

Art. 41. Ten Dialogues on the Conduct of Human Life. To which is added, Zara, a moral Tale. Small 8vo. 2 S. Carnan. Thefe Dialogues are held between a young lady and a gentleman, and treat of ambition, love, avarice and prodigality, anger

* See Review for Qober laft, p. 327.

and

and rage, hatred and revenge, envy, jealoufy, compaffion, fociety, company, &c. With refpect to the tale of Zara, if young perfons, for whofe ufe this publication is calculated, do not read the narrative and overlook the preceptive parts of it, which may too often be the cafe, they may collect variety of good fentiments from it. N. Art. 42. The Knowledge of the World, and the Attainments useful in the Conduct of Life. Tranflated from the French of Monfieur Callieres, Secretary of the Cabinet to Lewis XIV. one of the Forty Members of the Academy, and Minifter Plenipotentiary at the Peace of Ryfwick. 12mo. 2 s. 6 d. fewed. Baldwin, &c.

The knowledge here difplayed, is that of the French world as it food more than half a century fince. M. Callieres was a fenfible man, but his rules for pleafing in converfation will only enable perfons to talk all day long without faying one word to any profitable purpose; and many of our countrymen are not fo far behind their neighbours, but that they can perform this already without any inftructions from them. The Tranflator indeed anticipates this objection without obviating it fatisfactorily; for it is difficult to conceive how a company, who fet out with a principle of yielding to, and complying with, each other's foibles, can ever affert opinions of their own, or talk like men of fense. N. Art. 43. The Conduct of the Royal Academicians, while Members of the Incorporated Society of Artifts of Great Britain, viz. from the Year 1760, to their Expulfion in the Year 1769. With fome part of their Tranfactions fince. 8vo. I S. Dixwell. 177. It appears, from this publication, that the Royal Academicians, while a part of the Incorporated Society of Artifts of Great Britain, obftructed the order of that Áffociation, and ufurped, by their addrefs, the fupreme direction of it; that the arbitrary measures they profecuted, gave rise to a powerful oppofition against them; and that the check, which was thus given to their ambition, induced them to erect a feparate institution, to which they had the influence to procure the Royal Sanction. We would not, however, advise the Readers of this pamphlet to adopt all its conclufions, before they know what the Royal Academicians have to urge in their defence.

Art. 44. The Merchant's Complaint to the Lawyers at the Devil. Shewing the Hardships, Inconveniencies, and Injuftice, to which every honest Man of Property is expofed, from Jew Bail, sham Pleas, Demurrers, Writs of Error, and Injunction Bills. With fome Hints for redreffing thofe Grievancés. By a Merchant of London. 8vo. Is. Wilkie. 1771.

We are here prefented with fome ftrictures on the disadvantages attending the forms of procedure in our courts of law. They are judicious, and worthy of an attentive perufal: and we wish they may give occafion to any remedy of the abufes enumerated in this complaint. st. Art. 45. A Vocabulary adapted to the new Latin Accidence; defign

ed to exercife Children in the Application of the Grammar Rules, while they are acquiring a Copia of Words. 12mo. Is. Lowndes. 1771.

The Author of this fmall performance feems to fuppofe it unqueftionably certain, that the public must be well acquainted with the New Latin Accidence, of which fome account was given in the Review for