B. fays, "there is no fpecies of cruelty fo unfeeling, none fo delibe rately and fyftematically barbarous, as religious enthufiafm." P. 9. On this we remark, that if a due portion of the cruelties committed in the name of religion, were placed to the account of ambition and avarice, very grand deductions would be made from the enormities produced by religious enthufiafin.

ART. 32. The Favour of God the only Security in National Danger. A Sermon, preached in the Parish-Church of St. Lawrence Jewry, on Sunday, the 12th of Auguft, 1798, before the Guildhall Volunteer Af fociation. By William Lucas, M. A. Rector of the united Parishes of St. Mary Magdalen and St. Gregory, Old Fish-Street, and Chaplain to the Affociation. 4to. 20 pp. 15. Robinfons. 1798.

If plain good fenfe, and found doctrine, were all the qualities in a fermon requifite to justify the publication of it, we could not object to the printing of fach a fermon as this. But, on thefe terms, moft of the fermons, we doubt not, preached in the Church of England, might be committed to the prefs. We look for higher pretenfions; and, among thefe, for gravity and dignity of thought and style, indifpenfable in the pulpit beyond all places whatever, but in this difcourfe fometimes overlooked; as at p. 20: “upon that bettom, I have endeavoured to justify the language of religion"—" whether there may be even here, behind the curtain, fome fecret working of natural causes." P. 11.

ART. 33. Self-Defence not inconfiftent with the Precepts of Religion, The Subftance of a Sermon, preached at Harkstone-Chapel, before the Tavo Troops of North Shropshire Yeomanry Cavalry, September 25, i 1798, the Day of the Prefentation of their Standard. By the Rev. Richard de Courcy, Vicar of St. Alkmond's, Shrewsbury. 4to. 40 pp. Cadell and Davies. 1798.

IS.

A very patriotic and animated oration, of which the text is Luke xxii, 36, not pleading for war in general, or for the tempers which lead to it, but fhowing that under our circumftances it is as juft as it is inevitable." This is the proper fpirit of a Chriftian inftructor; and it is that which appears to have animated the clergy in general, in their exhortations on occafions fimilar to the prefent. We shall give a specimen of the piety and loyalty of the preacher.

"It is our bufinefs to have recourfe to all the rational and appointed means of prefervation; to implore the bleffing of Heaven on his Majefty's arms by fea and land; and, to prayer and fupplication to add our firm affiance in God's all-protecting providence and bleffing, that He will guide us through this tremendous ftorm, and conduct the veffel, in which Britain's ALL IS EMBARKED, in full triumph to the harbour of peace and fecurity; not only without lofs, but with an increafe of glory-her confiitution unfhaken; her religion uncorrupt; her liberty and laws inviolate; her commerce free and unimpeded to every part of the globe; her MONARCHY, in fpite of republican France, increafed in ftability and fplendour; her fubjects more enamoured of their country and conftitution than ever; her arms crown

cd

ed with victory; and her KING (ferus in cœlum redeat!) reigning in the hearts of a free and loyal people!" P. 22.

ART. 34. A Sermon, preached in the Parifb-Church of Great Dunmow, Effix, on the 29th of November, 1798, the Day of General Thankf giving to Almighty God for our late Naval Victories, and other providential Bleffings. By the Rev. J. Howlett, Vicar. 8vo. 25 pp. Is. Richardfons. 1798.

In fpeaking from Exod xv, 6, Mr. H. after noticing the bondage of the Ifraelites in Egypt, their paffage through the Red Sea, and the deftruction therein of Pharaoh and his army, proceeds to enumerate the events which his hearers were affembled to commemorate. He dwells principally upon the grand and leading one, the glorious victory of Lord Nelfon." P. S. And his remark is ftriking, that this victory was obtained" near the fpot where Mofes overthrew the Egyptians, and accomplished the total deftruction of Pharaoh and his hofts. The mouth of the Nile is little more than feventy or eighty miles from that part of the Red Sea, where the Ifraelites paffed fafely over, and where their ene ies, endeavouring to follow, were overwhelmed and drowned." P. 8. The preacher next adverts to an occurrence lefs fplendid, but not lefs important to our immediate domeftic tranquility, the сарture and difperfion of the enemy's fleet in the Irish Seas. "Had they indeed fafely effected a landing, in all probability they would not f nally have fucceeded, but must have fallen victims to the mad ambition of their employers. Previous to this, however, rivers of innocent blood must have flowed, myriads of lives been loft, and long would it have been before order, tranquility, and peace could have been estab. fifhed, whereas now we have, comparatively, fair and promifing hopes of their speedy restoration." P. 18. In a note, p. 21, the liberality of our countrymen towards the widows and orphans of those brave men who fell, is juftly stated to have done little lefs" honour to Britifh humanity, than the victories themselves to British valour. And it must furely give an exalted conception of our wealth, and our almoft inexhaustible resources, that, under the heaviest preffure of the most expenfive war that Great Britain ever knew,-when we are annually paying our millions and tens of millions, and by voluntary contribu tions, are raifing millions more at home and abroad, in the east and weft, the north and the fouth, to the fartheft extremities of the British empire, now extended alinoft from pole to pole;-when likewise bodies corporate, as well as private individuals, at much expence and great inconvenience to themselves, are levying military corps, horfe and foot, for the poffible contingent defence of the kingdom;-we can ftill, upon every fresh emergence requiring fresh exertions of bounty, open our hands, and readily beftow our thoufands and tens of thoufands, to relieve the diftreffed, and confole the afflicted. Must not this appear aftonishing in the eyes of our enemies? Muft it not diminish their boafted confidence of fo eafily fubduing us?" The abundant harvest of 1798 is then spoken of as "a matter of unmixed fatisfaction and pure complacency." P. 22. The whole difcourfe is plain and useful. ART.

ART. 35. Public Mercies acknowledged and improved. A Sermon, preached at the Meeting-Houfe in Hanover-Street, Long-Acre, Novem ber 29, 1798, being the Day appointed for a General Thanksgiving. By Robert Winter. 8vo. 30 pp. Cadell and Davies. 1798.

Mr. W. first reminds his hearers" of those recent facts relative to our country, which lay a proper foundation for gratitude to God; and then fuggefts the most fuitable improvement that can be made of them." P. 10. Under the first head, he premises a few juft remarks, in vindication of the love of one's country; and then he enumerates the recent causes for our thankfulness to God; namely, our deliverance from the apprehenfions of an invafion, the cessation of the mutiny, the happy change of circumftances in Ireland, the abundant harveft in 1798, our naval victories, and particularly that at the Mouth of the Nile. It must be confeffed, that the triumphant fongs of victory lofe much of their melody in the ears of humanity, and efpecially of religion." P. 15.-" Ir mere victory, I should think it hard for a man of feeling, and harder for a Chriftian, very greatly to rejoice." P. 16. It is not pure unmixed joy which ought to be encouraged on fuch an occafion: it is the fhining of the fun; but it is the tranfient (plendour of a tempeftuous day. Clouds lower, and ftorms defcend, even amidst the beams of the light of the world." P. 16. Nevertheless, the effects of victory" should be reviewed with thankfulness, even though the means of producing them excite our fympathy and regret." P. 17. These are fentiments worthy of a Christian preacher, and widely different from the infidious lamentations of thofe declaimers, who would fecretly rejoice, if, inftead of giving thanks for a victory, we were deprecating the confequences of a defeat. The enormities of French licentioufnefs, and the certain prevalence of them in Britain, in cafe of a fuccefsful invasion, are fpoken of by the preacher (p. 18, line 7) with that abhorrence which becomes a real lover of his country.

The fecond head of difcourfe is pious, judicious, and inftructive; and the whole Sermon is fuch a one, that if all meeting-houfes refounded with leffons like thefe, the state would feel new ftrength from them, inftead of any caufe for fufpicion or alarm.

POLITICS.

ART. 36. The Conduct of Great Britain vindicated against the Calumnies of Foreign Enemies and Domeftic Confpirators, fince the Era of the prefent Way with France. By Charles Tweedie, Junior. 337 pp. Stockdale. 1799.

This is the work, as the Dedication profeffes, “of a very juvenile pen; but it is a pen laudably directed to the honour of the writer's country. He firft undertakes to prove, and, we think, proves clearly, that the wanton aggreffions of France were productive of the war. He next confiders the charges of difafter and difgrace in the conduct of it by ministers, and refutes thofe charges. Thirdly, he details at

large

large our feveral attempts at negotiation, and fhows they were frultrated by the conduct of France. Laftly, he makes feveral generalreflections emanating from the whole. In the courfe of the work, there are juft obfervations on feveral of the arguments of Mr. Erkine's well-known pamphlet; to a great part of which, this tract affords a fatisfactory anfwer. Mr. T.'s chief fault is that which is frequent in juvenile and ardent writers, and which his maturer judgment will probably correct. He is too ambitious of ornament, and confequently too profuse of metaphors, and not always judicious in the application of them. The intention of this tract, however, and, in fome refpects the execution, is highly deferving of praife.

ART. 37. Review of a Publication entitled the Speech of the Right Honourable John Fofter, Speaker of the House of Commons of Ireland, in a Letter to him by William Smith, Efq. M. P. A New Edition. 8vo. 93 pp. Reprinted for Wright. 1799.

*

We have already noticed, in terms of high but well-merited approbation, the Addrefs of Mr. Smith to the people of Ireland in favour of an Union; a tract equal perhaps, in ftrength of argument, to any publication which that important difcuffion has produced. The Letter now before us, though written (as the author informs us in great hafte) is no way inferior to his former work, and contains, in our opinion, a complete refutation of the principal arguments in the Speech which it profeffes to review, In our + account of that Speech we expreffed our fentiments refpecting a great part of the reafoning it contains, and feel gratified at finding the opinions we then threw out, coincided in feveral refpects with this able anfwer. Mr. Smith admits that the Settlement of 1782 was final as to the claim of the British Parliament to legiflate for Ireland, but infifts (and, as we think, with incontrovertible reafoning) that it cannot be deemed preclufive of any fu ture arrangement by the two independent Legiflatures for an incorporate Union. Though to us the truth of this propofition feems clear on the mere statement of it, yet as the arguments for the contrary opinion occupy a confiderable part of Mr. Fofter's Speech, we will refer our readers to the 10th and 11th pages of Mr. Smith's Anfwer; which feem perfectly conclufive.

After commending the Author's reafoning and style in this paffage, we fhall only add that almost all the material arguments of the Speech reviewed by him are combated with equal force. Having already occupied fo much space with this fubject, we are concerned we cannot (confiftently with our plan) enter into a fuller account of this very able and meritorious tract. But we can fafely recommend it to all who have perufed the Speech of Mr. Fofter, as affording a folid anfwer to nearly the whole of his objections to the national measure in question.

* See Review for September laft, P. 264.

+ See Review for October, laft P.

ART. 38. The Politician's Creed; or Political Extracts & being aft Answer to thefe Queftions, what is the beft Form of Government? "and what is the beft Adminiftration of a Government? By a Lover of Social Order. Vol. III. 8vo. 516 pp. 5s. Robinfons, &c. 1799. On the whole this is certainly a useful performance. The feveral parts may be traced in our different volumes. (Vol. vii. p. 32z, and Vol. x. 82) Dr. Thornton, who now seems to avow himself as the author, has given much more original matter in this part than in the preceding two, which confifted principally of extracts. A confiderable quantity of original information is here collected, tending to throw a light upon fome important queftions. On the fubject of Mendicity, we differ from Dr. T. only respecting the remedy. We think as he does of its very pernicious nature; but we would cure it, not by hardening the hearts of the public against the appearances of diftrefs, but by employing a regular magiftracy either to relieve or punish, as the occafions may require: and thus remove the objects from the public eye.

ART. 39. Thoughts on the Interference of Great Britain with the Por litical Concerns of the Continent. 8vo. 74. pp. 15. 6d. Debrett, $799.

To juftify the interference of this country, in the continental war of the prefent period, this author looks back to her conduct on former occafions; and fhows that our wifest Ministers have always thought it neceflary to keep a watchful eye upon the other powers of Europe. The pamphlet breathes throughout a strong spirit of patriotism, but nothing in it can have much more weight than the aphorifm of BACON in the title page. "Let princes keep due centinel, that none of their neighbours do overgrow fo (by increafing of territory, by embracing of trade, by approaches, or the like,) as to become more able to annoy them than they were before."

ART. 40. A Country Parfon's Addrefs to his Flock, to caution them against being misled by the Wolf in Sheep's Clothing, or receiving Jacobin Teachers of Sedition, who intrude themselves under the fpecious pretence of Inftructing Youth, and preaching Chriftianity. By Francis "Wallafton, Rector of Chifleburst in Kent. 8vo. 43 pp. 15.

Wilkie.

1799. ART. 41. The Origin and Infidious Arts of Jacobinifm; a Warning to the People of England; extracted from a Country Parfen's Addrefs to bis Flock. By Francis Wollaston, Rector of Chislehurst in Kent. 12mo. zd. or is. 6d. per Doz. Wilkie, Bremner, Hatchard. 1799. Alarmed at the intrufion of perfons, fent out from a fociety called the Union Society at Greenwich, and undertaking to teach and preach in his parish, the Rector of Chislehurst published the former of thefe tracts, expreffing among other things his fufpicion that fome Jacobinical defign was concealed under this nominal Union. So much of the former pamphlet as contains this infinuation, or accufation, is perfectly retracted in the fecond: but the more important part, which is an ab

ftract