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in his "Address to Young Persons," that " the manner in which the Holy Spirit now gives his assistance is not attended with any certain signs, but is secret and unknown, and cannot now be distinguished from the ordinary operations of the mind;" Mr. A. asserts that the distinction made by divines between the extraordinary and ordinary gifts and operations of the spirit is a mere modern distinction, unsupported by the Scriptures; and that every text on this subject clearly shews that its effects were manifest and evident to the person under its holy influence. For this purpose, he adduces passages contains ing the word Spirit, without appearing to consider that this term is employed in various senses in the N. T.-He contends that, in the Apostolic days, sinners were converted to God without the operation of the Spirit;' and when John, iii. 5. seems to oppose his hypothesis, he explains the word Spirit here to mean the revolution of the Spirit in the word of God.' Why may it not mean this in other places? Is there not a distinction made in the N. T. between miraculous gifts, for which Simon offered money, and the fruits of the spirit, holiness, goodness, and truth?

How far the promise of the spirit extends to the present times, is a question which admits of dispute. It must be confessed that the secret of upknown influence or effect, for which the learned Bishop contends, is very like no influence at all; and yet it cannot be denied that it is possible for the eternal Spirit to operate on the mind in a silent and imperceptible manner. We should consider, at the same time, what is gained to religious pleasure and conscious satisfaction by this admission. Does the mention of "giving the Spirit" always imply the peculiar presence of the Spirit of God to the mind, or is it not a strong Orientalism? The Gospels teach us, by their parallel places, that "giving the Spirit" is synonimous with "giving good things.' When the doctrine of divine influences is maintained, it should be done with great caution; for, in the hands of enthusiasts, it has been the source of the most extravagant follies that have ever disgraced religion.

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The substance of this pamphlet was published many years ago, in a tract noticed in our lxiiid vol. p. 555. Mo-y Art. 38. Thoughts on Christian Communion, addressed to Professors of Religion of every Denomination. 2d Edition enlarged. By John Fawcett, jun. 12mo. 6d. Wills. 1798.

Benevolence, brotherly-love, or, as this writer seenis to choose, Christian communion, (though he does not particularly explain the term,) are certainly excellent qualities; and to promote them is the design and tendency of this pamphlet. We conclude from its title, and from the remarks towards its end, that Christians of all sentiments and opinions are here included. Christianity forms itself on an extensive scale; and happy will it be when its multifarious divisions concur in the common cause of advancing practical truth, piety, charity, and all virtue!

Art. 39. An Apology for Brotherly Love, and for the Doctrines of the
Church of England, in a Series of Letters to the Rev. Charles
Daubeny; with a Vindication of such Parts of Mr. Wilberforce's
• Practical

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Practical View,' as have been objected to by Mr. Daubeny, in his late Publication, entitled, A Guide to the Church.' Also, Some Remarks on. Mr. Daubeny's Conduct in bringing a false Quotation from a Pamphlet, entitled, Five Letters to the Rev. Mr.. Fletcher, written by Sir Richard Hill in the Year 1771.' By Sir Richard Hill, Bart, M. P. 8vo. pp. 269. 5s. Boards. Cadell jun. and Davies. 1798.

Brotherly love can certainly need no apology, whatever some may think with regard to the articles of the church: but the author's meaning is plain; and, although we do not agree with him in sentiment, we peruse his writings with a kind of prejudice in his favour, because we consider him as a benevolent, worthy, and ingenious man. He professes himself a friend to liberty and the right of private judg ment, and he appears to rejoice that the spirit of bigotry and intole rance has been laid low, while that of peace and universal good-will has risen in its stead. Zealous for the doctrine of the established church, and favourable to its discipline and forms, he yet regards the latter as not essential, and so far pleads in behalf of those who dissent from it. I must (says he) ever esteem the doctrines of our church, to be of much greater consequence than her walls.' A short extract from the preface may afford the reader a proper view of Sir Richard's design and manner:

I shall readily obtain credit, when I say, that in the following letters, I have paid no court to the fashionable system of divinity, which now passes so currently for truth, and even for the doctrine of the church of England. To give offence, I would never wish; yet to steer about, halve, and trim in a matter of the most essential consequence, for fear offence should be taken, would be still more my abhorrence.'

On the present occasion, Mr. Daubeny and I meet on fair ground, and the church of England is the field of our controversy. To this church Mr. Daubeny professes to guide his readers. I, as well as he, professes myself to be a steady member of the church of England but I positively deny that salvation is confined within her pale, and that her external constitution and polity ought to be the pattern to all other churches, though I am as much a friend to con formity, unity, and concord, and as much averse to what the Scripture deems schism, as Mr. Daubeny himself can be.

Mr. D. also expresses his high approbation of the doctrines of the church of England. Here again I meet him with open arms: but in comparing his creed with that of the church herself, and bringing it to the test of our articles, homilies, and liturgy, here a mighty difference appears between us, and either he or I must be a dissenter and schismatic indeed: but to which of us the charges belong must be left to the candour of the reader.'

Sir Richard laments that what he terms fashionable preaching does not accord with his ideas; yet he may console himself by the thought that fashion varies, and that fashionable men vary with it, and that therefore the mode which he prefers may again prevail : indeed he intimates something like an expectation that this will be the case. He has however proved, beyond dispute, that Mr. Daubeny's

Daubeny's sentiments do not comport with the articles of our estab lishment; and he appears also to have the advantage over Mr. D. respecting the pretended quotation from a former publication by the Baronet, who ingeniously discovers that it was taken from the life of Mr. Lackington the bookseller.

We should farther observe that, while Sir Richard Hill is a strenuous advocate for the doctrine of election, in the calvinistic sense of the word, he wavers on the horrible subject of reprobation, or at least is desirous of expressing it by the milder term of preterition. He is devoted to what has long been called old divinity. High praise is due to our first reformers from popery, for they had true merit: yet it is wonderful that it should not have occurred to this respectable writer that they were not inspired, nor infallible; that, emerging as they did from the regions of darkness, they were not entirely emancipated from prejudice, bigotry, or ignorance. Great were their atchievements! yet they left much to be accomplished by their successors. Sir Richard often professes his charity and liberality of sentiment; and we trust that it extends to those whose opinions are very different from his own, and is by no means restrained by certain points which he characterises as essential and fundamental.

After this brief notice, we must take our leave, without attending to several other particulars; and we would conclude by inserting a short maxim from the writings of a divine in the English church, who was eminent in the last century: "Give me a religion that is grounded on right reason, and divine authority; such as when it does attain its effect, the world is the better for it."

Art. 40. The Rights of Protestants asserted; and Clerical Incroach ment detected. In allusion to several recent Publications in Defence of an exclusive Priesthood, Establishments, and Tithes, by Daubeny, Church, and others. But more particularly in Reply to a Pamphlet lately published by George Markham, Vicar of Carlton, entitled "More Truth for the Seekers."

Lane, &c. 1798.

8vo. 8d.

It seems now to be Mr. Markham's turn to suffer persecution but as Hob says in the farce, "Turn and turn about's the fair thing.""-Whether the contest be yet closed, we cannot say: but, imagining that our readers are satisfied with regard to this tithe controversy, [and certain that we are,] we shall not enlarge on the present occasion.

Art. 41. The Universal Restoration; exhibited in a Series of Extracts from Winchester, White, Siegvolk, Dr. Chauncy, Bishop Newton, and Petit-pierre; some of the most remarkable Authors, who have written in Defence of that interesting Subject. Svo. 2s. 6d. Boards. Lee and Hurst.

The chief part of this volume is appropriated to five dialogues written by Mr. Winchester; who remarks that more persons refuse to believe in revelation, because it is commonly thought to contain the doctrine of endless misery, than from any other cause; and num

* We are glad, however, that it is only literary persecution.

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bers have embraced it immediately, on being fairly convinced that
it was not necessary to understand it in that light.'-In another
place he says, some have believed it, yea wrote (have written) on
it secretly, for many years, and yet to the day of their death have
not openly avowed it, because it is not popular.'
This conclusion is

not, perhaps, perfectly candid; since it is easily apprehended that
the motives to caution may be benevolent and virtuous. It must be
acknowleged that the arguments here offered, though not delivered
in the most captivating style, are very powerful: but woe to him who
rashly concludes and acts, without regarding the whole that is to
be said on the point.

The late eminent Dr. Newton is here introduced among other
writers; and extracts are selected from the sixth volume of his
posthumous works. These and other parts of this compilation
merit an attentive perusal :- but the appearance of the book has
nothing attractive;bad print, bad paper, bad style, and numerous
errata; with additional errors (we apprehend) in the very list which
is given of errata.

Art. 42. A Letter to the Church of England, pointing out some po-
pular Errors of bad Consequence; by an old Friend and Servant
of the Church. 8vo. 18. Hatchard. 1798.

This pamphlet has the merit of good paper, good print, good style,
energy of language, &c.-but what shall we say, on the whole, of
the performance?-High-churchman, a name for such a length of
time generally discarded as implying ignorance, bigotry, &c. is with
this writer the only good churchman;-and at the same time that
he rejects human authority, he insists on its exercise in the church of
England! We once were inclined to think that, under the conceal-
ment of art, we were perusing the product of a Jesuit's- pens and
that the professed design of favouring the church of England was far
exceeded; and there are expressions or sentiments, occasionally occur-
ring, which might favour such a suspicion:-but we venture not to
pronounce.

POETRY and DRAMATIC.

Art. 43. Sentimental Poems, on the most remarkable Events of the
French Revolution. Dedicated to his Serene Highness the Prince
of Condé. By a Foreign Officer, and translated by an English
Nobleman. Under the Patronage of their Royal Highnesses the
Prince of Wales and the Duke of York. Large 8vo. pp. 120.
Flattery, in French and English: elegantly printed, and orna-
mented with neat engravings. The book is, indeed, very HANDSOME!
Art. 44. The Noble Lie; a Drama, in One Act; being a Continua
tion of the Play of Misanthropy and Repentance, or THE STRANGER:
now acting with the greatest Applause at the Theatre Royal,
Drury Lane. Translated from the German of Kotzebue, by
Maria Geisweiler. 8vo. IS. Sold at No. 54, Pall Mall, &c.
1799.

See our account of two translations of the Stranger, Review
June 1798, p. 188.

REY. MAY, 1799.

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This small piece is not unworthy of the Muse of Vienna. It affords a pleasing picture of rural simplicity and domestic happiness; exemplified in the felicity of a virtuous and amiable married couple, -people of condition, retired to enjoy the tranquillity and innocence of a rural situation in Switzerland; and this picture furnishes the moral of the drama. The translatress seems to merit encouragement. We understand that this is her first literary attempt. The German, we suppose, is her native tongue, as she professes to have a thorough knowlege of it :-but we find very few defects in her English ;none, indeed, that are very material.

IS.

Art. 45. The Epiphany: a Seatonian Prize Poem. By William
Bolland, M. A. of Trinity College, Cambridge. 4to.
Rivingtons. 1799.

This is the second instance of Mr. Bolland having gained the
Seatonian prize. His first successful poem was on the subject of
Miracles; a theme far more fertile than the present :-but the sacred
subjects suggested by the vice-chancellor, the master of Clare-Hall,
and the Greek professor for the time being, in the spirit of the
pious Founder's Will, (dated Oct. 1738,) having been discussed and
illustrated during a period of 60 years, are so far exhausted, that
the executors of this Will seen unable to furnish the candidates with
new materials for the exercise of their talents, within the limits of
the Testator's original intentions.

The Epiphany, (pava,) or appearance of the three wise-men,
kings, or Magi, who came to adore and bring presents *to the in-
fant Jesus, is mentioned by only one of the four Evangelists, St.
Matthew. Indeed the fathers of the church, divines, and other eccle-
siastical historians and commentators, are not perfectly agreed about
the origin of the feast of the Epiphany. Some assign it to the birth
of our Saviour himself,-some to the arrival of the Magi to do him
homage, and some to the Star that was seen in the east, by which
they were guided to his residence in Bethlehem. Mr. Bolland seems
chiefly to adhere to this last opinion: celebrating

That wondrous Star, that, in the eastern sky
Majestic rising, to Judæa's land

Trac'd its illumin'd path to mark the clime,
From whence, as erst by holy Prophet told,
To Israel should a mighty Prince be born,
The King and Saviour of a fallen race.'

Though little either of originality, or of remarkable ingenuity,
is discoverable in this short composition, the verses are smboth; and
the ideas are as poetical, perhaps, as propriety and religious reverence
for the sacred text will allow.
Art. 46. Lines suggested by the Fast, appointed on Wednesday, Feb.
27, 1799. By Charles Lloyd, Author of Edmund Oliver, &c.
4to. is. Longman.

Dr B....y

Did the custom of eating twelfth-cake, and choosing king and queen, originate in the Magi presenting "gold, frankincense, and myrrh?"

The

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