The author writes with a good intention, and has uttered feveral home truths: but, in fome of his facts, he is not quite accurate. When he fays that our prefent Metropolitan was the fon of a butcher, he is mistaken. His uncle was a butcher at Gloucester, but his father was a farmer, or grazier, as we have been credibly informed. When the biographer writes his life, thefe circumftances will be related, not as things which degrade, (for no circumftances of birth can degrade a great mind,) but as having contributed to display his virtues, and, of course, to exalt his cha racter: "Worth makes the man, and want of it the fellow; Moo-y. Art. 68. Vindicie Landavenfes: or, Strictures on the Bishop of Landaff's late Charge, in a Letter to his Lordship. 4to. Is. 6d. Cadell, &c. 1792. The author of thefe ftrictures manifefts a moft candid and liberal mind; and though we are not convinced by his arguments, we have been highly pleased with the Chriftian temper with which he propofes them. He endeavours to justify the teft and corporation acts by comparing the ftate to a club, which latter, he obferves, has its rules: but the queftion is not, whether a club or a ftate fhould or fhould not have laws and regulations, but whether it be politic to frame more restrictive laws than the object avowed in the focial compact, whether of a club or a nation, requires? If an agricultural fociety were to be formed, would it be wife to make it the first rule of admiffion, that every member profeffes his belief in the fexual fyftem of Linné, or in the doctrine of phlogiston? fince a man may be a good farmer, without a knowlege of either. In like manner, an individual may be a good member of the state, and able to do his king good fervice as a citizen;-though he cannot believe all the Thirty-nine Articles; and the queftion here is, Ought the government to exclude men from the duties and privileges of good citizens, on account of points of belief which cannot affect their good citizenship? ་ We should willingly reafon more at length with this amiable writer, would our limits permit. He concludes his ftrictures with this truly Chriftian exhortation: Let us banish anger and evilfpeaking, and ftudy peace with all men; affured, that one breach of the law of love is of more importance in the fight of God than a thousand fpeculative errors which disturb not the quiet of others, or a thousand fpeculative truths, which have no influence on our felves.' Moo-y. Art. 69. Sermons, by Thomas Mutter, D. D. Minifter of the Thefe difcourfes, as we learn from the editor's advertisement, were compofed without any view to publication, and appear nearly in the fame ftate in which they were delivered. A few of them are on moral topics, which are treated in a plain and useful Kk 2 way; way but they, for the most part, turn on fubjects that more immediately belong to what is ufually termed the orthodox fyftem of theology. They are generally written in the ancient textual method, with all the formality of divifion, fubdivifion, and improvement. The author appears to be a man of a candid spirit; and though he adheres pretty closely to the established creed, he lays more ftrefs on rectitude of conduct than on foundness of faith. On the fubject of religious freedom, his fentiments are manly and liberal. We quote the following paffage as a fpecimen of his manner of writing: Every man hath a right to make a confcientious inquiry about We will of God toward him-about the part affigned him to act by the Supreme Governor-about the truths propofed to his understand. ing, and the rules prefcribed for his conduct. Every man ought to examine, it is his duty to examine candidly, the various schemes of religion that may be offered to him, to reject what he may think wrong, and to embrace, after inquiry, what appears worthy and proper to be embraced. Every man hath a right to worship God in the way his confcience dictates. The hand of God hath given us thofe liberties, and the hand of man cannot take them away. To talk of force in this affair is a perfect abfurdity. How prepofterous it is for man to lay his commands on a thing not fubject to man's jurifdiction. The chief may order us to embrace this or that fyftem of opinions; this or that form of worship; confcience fmiles at this order. The human mind will think its own way, will fee with its own eyes, and will take its own courfe, in fpite of all the orders of men, and in oppofition to all the ftatutes of human authority by which they may be inforced. What was it that produced our Reformation from papacy? or what is it that fupports this glorious fabric? It is freedom of inquiry: Take away this-the Reformation goes with it; popery and implicit faith will brandifh their fword again over a benighted world. Thefe are rights inherent in men, liberties beftowed on human nature by its Creator; to hold them facred and treat them with reverence, and to endeavour to hand them down incorrupted, is a point of effential juftice.' 1792. SINGLE SERMONS. E. Art. 70. Preached at All Saints, High-Wycombe, Bucks, Jan. 1, By William Williams, of Worcester College, Oxford, Curate of the faid Church. 8vo. PP. 29. Is. Deighton. The parable of the prodigal fon is here fpiritualized, and made the foundation of an addrefs, to finners in a flate of alienation from God.' It reprefents all men as naturally prodigals, and urges the neceflity of returning to God,' in that ftrain of eloquence which is ufual among the followers of Calvin and Whitheld. Art. 71. God manifeft in the Flesh. Preached at High-Wycombe, Bucks, Dec. 25, 1791. By William Williams, Curate of All Saints, Saints, High-Wycombe. Published by Requeft. 8vo. pp. 28. Is. Deighton. 1792. The doctrine of the Trinity is here ftrenuously afferted, and many paffages of fcripture are quoted to prove it: but we do not find, what, indeed, we could not expect, that the author has advanced any thing that is new on this exhaufted fubject. E. Art. 72. Occafioned by the Death of John Thornton, Efq. late of Clapham, Surry; containing Obfervations on his Character and Principles. 8vo. Is. Johnson. 1791. The character of this gentleman has been, for many years, esteemed and refpected. We doubt not that all who have known him, will allow the propriety of the delineation which is here made. The difcourfe is well written, and bears evident marks of the author's good fenfe, and of diligent attention to his fubject. One fentiment runs through the whole, to which we cannot avoid objecting. We truft that we are neither uncandid, nor biaffed by any party-view, when we exprefs our difapprobation of this writer's appearing, at least, to affert that Mr. Thornton's exemplary bene. volence, probity, and piety, are to be afcribed to what has been deemed orthodoxy of opinion. That his eminent virtue was produced and improved by the principles of Christianity, we have no difficulty in acknowleging: but if our author would perfuade us that the Calviniftical explication of thofe principles alone could produce fuch an effect, we not merely hefitate, but declare our full diffent.-Worthy and excellent characters have abounded, no doubt, among all the denominations of Chriflians,-even among Roman Catholics, to whom, perhaps, as much as to any, this writer might be difpofed to object.-Perfons who are far removed from what he regards as orthodox, will acknowlege and act on the *conftraining love of Christ, and the infinite mercy of God hereby difplayed. It is not furely charitable, nor Chriftian, to confine religious and virtuous conduct to any fet of principles which depend on human explications.-The principles of divine revelation, if we carefully attend to them and act on them, will, though in fome refpects differently received, operate to the most valuable purposes; and it has not been without reafon that fenfible and upright perfons have expreffed their fear, that this purpose has been obftructed and narrowed by those who have dogmatized about articles of faith, and by thefe means have led men aftray from real piety and righteousness.-Let us direct this author to one character, which the perufal of this pamphlet has brought to our recollection: It will be no degrada tion to Mr. Thornton's merit, however confiderable, to clafs him with Mr. Thomas Firmin+; like him, in the mercantile line; like him, alfo, eminent for rectitude, philanthropy, and activity in * The text of this difcourfe, 2 Cor. v. 14, 15. ufeful ufeful and worthy parfaits, and actuated in all by the principles of Christianity,-illustrating, in his own conduct, their excellence and efficacy. He has been dead nearly a century, but his me mory furvives with honour; as, we doubt not, will that of Mr. Thornton, to many diftant years :-but Mr. Firmin, it is well known, was, though an established Christian, an Unitarian and Sodiman in principle. It will not be improper, before we close this article, just to ob ferve, that Mr. Thornton's extenfive, and, it may be faid, Surprizing beneficence, (as was that of Mr. Firmin,) was greatly affifted by a wife frugality and economy in the conduct of his affairs. Diffipation and extravagance leave no room for benevolent attentions; if they feem to take place, it is thoughtlessly, often without any right principle in the bestower, or deftitute of much service to the receiver, and not unfrequently in contradiction to the claims of justice and honesty. H. Art. 73. Preached at the opening of Bridwell Chapel, near Ulculme, Devon, 4th Jan. 1792, by Joshua Toulmin, A. M. To which is prefixed, an Address delivered on the fame Occafion by John Williams. 8vo. Is. Johnson. This chapel has been erected at the fole expence of Richard Hall Clarke, Efq. of Bridwell. It is intended for divine worship on the Unitarian plan. Mr. Williams, the minifter of the place, as we conclude, prefents a fair and free declaration of that view which he and his affociates take of Chriftianity, at the fame time that he afferts the right of private judgment, and claims the forbearance and candour of those brethren who may diffent from their opinions.-The subject of Mr. Toulmin's fermon is the promise of Chrift's prefence with his difciples, Matth. xviii. 20.-Dr. Priestley's paraphrafe of the words feems nearly, if not entirely, to include the meaning affigned to them in this difcourfe. It is here quoted, as follows," Whenever fo few of you are affembled, as Chriftians, for any purpose that refpects my religion, it is the fame thing as if I myself were there : fo that your prayers and your acts will have the fame force as mine." Mr. Toulmin obferves, the gracious promise holds forth an affurance of the good effects, which fhould follow the affembling together in his name.'-He adds, in a note, Bishop Pearce thus gloffes the words:'-but the Bishop feems to limit the promise to the apostles, and does not appear wholly to coincide with this account: his concife comment indeed leaves the reader ftill rather uncertain and perplexed.-Mr. Toulmin apprehends it may be thought, that too much time and labour have been given to explain a phrafe, the meaning of which is not far to feek. And certainly this might be faid, if a conclufion had not been drawn from the text, which entirely confounds the character of Chrift with that of the Being who fills heaven and earth.' He proceeds to draw fome practical inferences from his fubject: but we have only farther to remark, both as to the addrefs and the fermon, that while they plead for purity of worship, they urge, with energy and animation, ་ animation, that practical influence of piety, and that integrity of life, devoid of which every other kind of zeal is bafe and contemptible. We fhould obferve, that a liturgy is to be used in this chapel. The prayers which were delivered on this occafion immediately before, and after, the fermon, are here printed. H. CORRESPONDENCE. To the MONTHLY REVIEWERS. GENTLEMEN, 14th July, 1792.❜ PLEASE to accept my thanks for your attention to my remarks on a paffage in Ariftotle, in your Review for May. I certainly meant de and not da. I cannot quite coincide with you in opinion in your obfervation on the laft conjecture I offered: for although" the form of the phrafeology be preceptive," it does not neceffarily follow, that it is the precept of Ariftotle; it probably was the rash decifion of fome Pfeudocritics at Athens, (the law he had just been mentioning,) who guided the popular voice. Statim non poeta titulo falutandum eft, (fic enim perperam populus jubet,) etiamfi imitationem perfecit. But my prefent motive for troubling you, was to point out what appears to me to be a palpable mistake in the third volume of the tranflation of Mariti's Travels, noticed in your laft Appendix, p. 525. It is respecting the Cypress, as it is there termed. It feems that the Abbé intended to defcribe the Cyprus, and not the Cyparifus. Mariti fays, that there is a general refemblance between this tree and the Liguflrum (the Privet); but this does not correspond at all with the Cyparifus. In Ainsworth, the Cyprus is thus defcribed: "A bufh or tree, much like to that we call Privet, of the flower of which, in the Isle of Cyprus, they made a very Sweet oil," Plin. 12. 24. Cyprus is uted alfo in the Vulgate edition of the Bible, to denote Camphire. Ainfworth, apud voc. The Greek Lexicon alfo mentions Kujos as fignifying a tree. In Mariti's 2d vol. p. 35,5, he fays, "The thrub known in the Hebrew language by the name of Copher, the Latins call Cyprus, being common in that Iland." Copher, ex Heb. quod propriè picem fignificat. Camphire, G. ex Plin. vid. Ainfw. ap. voc. Copher. In the Song of Solomon, chap. i. ver. 14. according to our tranflation we read, My beloved is unto me as a cluster of Camplire in the vineyards of En geddi;" according to the Vulgate, I think, "Botrus Cypri dilectus meus in vineis Engaddi-Borg-racemus--a bunch or cluster."-" The Botrus Cypri (fays Mariti,) has been supposed to be a kind of rare and exquifite grapes tranfplanted from Cyprus to Engaddi: but the Botrus, (he adds,) is known to the nations of Cyprus as an odoriferous fhrub called Kenna (Chenna) or Alkanna, Copher, and Cipre, vol. i. p. 333 and 334. Pliny, 27. 4. fpeaks of an herb called Botrys, which, according to Ainsworth, is the Oak of Jerufalem, or Ambrofia. However this may be, there can be but little doubt that Cypress is a mif-translation. 'I am, Gentlemen, refpectfully "'Your obedient fervant, LAVENENSIS. Lavenenfis is entitled to our thanks for the accuracy of the foregoing obfervations. The fhrab, of which the Abbé Mariti speaks, is well I figured |