been too often directed, by human hands, to the most wretched purpofes, and made the inftrument of bigotry and barbarifm. While, therefore, we acknowledge the learning and ingenuity of this Author, and may in fome points agree with him, we apprehend he muft give the fubject a very careful review, before much credit will be derived to him from the weight and ftrength of his reafoning.

Art. 54. Sermons on different Subjects. By the late Rev. John Jortin, D. D. Archdeacon of London, &c. The Third Edition. 7 Vols. 8vo. 11. 15 s. Boards. White. 1787.

Dr. Jortin's Sermons paffed under our notice in the 44th volume of our Review, p. 362, and 47th volume, p. 247. The prefent edition, published by his fon, Mr. Rogers Jortin of Lincoln's Inn, is enriched with a Life of the Author, by Dr. Heathcote, which was first published in the octavo Biographical Dictionary *. As the prefent editor furnished the materials of this account, its authority is unquestionable. Dr. Jortin was a man highly refpectable for his learning and abilities; and we are glad to fee that the Public have done juftice to his memory, and his merit, by repeated demands for new editions of his truly valuable writings.

Art. 55. Sermons by the late Reverend Dr. James Paterfon; one of the Clergymen of St. Paul's English Epifcopal Chapel in Aberdeen. 8vo. 6s. Boards. Edinburgh, printed; London, fold by Meffrs. Robinfons. 1786.

It will require very little more to recommend this volume to the notice of the humane and charitable, than to transcribe a paffage from the Advertisement to the Public, which, though anonymous, we doubt not is authentic. It is as follows: Dr. Paterfon's fituation was in every period of his life far removed from affluence, but he was never heard to regret on his own account the narrowness of his fortune. For his family, however, he felt, what he felt not for himfelf; and the profpect of the circumftances in which, on his deathbed, he faw them about to be left, gave his heart many a painful pang. If thefe circumftances fhall be rendered in any degree more eafy by the fale of the volume which is now offered to the Public, no injury will be done to the memory of a man, who, to ferve a benevolent purpose, would at any time have facrificed all pretenfions to fame as an author; and to thofe readers who poffefs that benevolence of heart which fo ftrongly marked his character, any apology for a work published with fuch a view is furely unneceffary: by fuch men the following difcourfes, were they much less accurate than they are, would be perufed with indulgence, and they do not claim their applaufe.'

It is farther and properly obferved by the unknown Editor, that though, thefe difcourfes are not compofed with all the accuracy, which, had they been prepared by their Author for the prefs, the Public would have had a right to expect; they are not, in the opinion of those who have feen them, without merit.' They certainly are not; they are plain, practical, and rational, and while they can hurt none, they may be serviceable to many.

* In 12 volumes octavo; fee Rev. for March laft, p. 210.

Art.

3 Vols.

Art. 56. The Pofihumous Works of the Rev. Thomas Adam, late Rector of Wintringham. 8vo. 12 s. Boards. Buckland, &c. 1786. We have frequently, in his life-time, announced the publications of this truly pious and orthodox divine: See, particularly, his "Paraphrafe on the Eleven first chapters of St. Paul's Epiftle to the Romans," Rev. vol. xlv. p. 400; and his " Evangelical Sermons," Rev. vol. lxvi. p. 315. It is well known that our theological ideas do not well accord with thofe of fuch writers as Mr. Adam, and others, the followers of William Law, Hervey, and the rest of those good Mytics, whofe private characters we revere, while we cannot, as friends to rational religion, but difapprove their fentiments. It will not, therefore, be expected that we fhould recommend the volumes now before us; but we fhall, nevertheless, fairly enumerate their contents, for the fatisfaction of thofe of our Readers who are fond of what they term Evangelical compofitions.-Vol. I. Confifts of Private Thoughts on Religion, and Sermons on different Subjects to which is prefixed, A Sketch of the Author's Life and Character Vol. II. Contains An Expofition of St. Matthew's Gofpel, with fuitable Lectures and Prayers.'-The IIld volume continues the Expofition, Lectures, and Prayers; to which are added, more 'Sermons on different Subjects.'-We repeat, what we have before obferved with respect to Mr. Adam, that his productions are thofe of a fenfible man [according to his principles], who defired to deliver the true fenfe of Scripture, as far as he could attain it, and to advance the cause of Chriftian piety, agreeably to the notions which he had formed. There is no doubt but his practice was truly confcientious, and his example edifying, especially to those of his own peculiar perfuafion.

Art. 57. Dying Advices to the Affociate Congregation of Haddington. By the Rev. Mr. John Brown, their late Paftor. 8vo. 12 Pages. Price 1 d. Edinburgh, Paterfon. 1787. The late Rev. Mr. Brown, of Haddington, appears to have been a very good man; and we have no doubt but that the Affociated Congregation of that place are a very good fort of people. Yet, if we credit their paftor's account of them, they are ftill, as the faying is, no better than they should be; nor was the fhepherd much better than the flock; for he tells them, that he fears many of them will go down to hell with all the Gospel fermons and exhortations they have ever heard-to affift their confcience in upbraiding, knawing, and termenting them. And of himself he fays, I fee fuch weakness, fuch deficiency, fuch unfaithfulness, fuch imprudence, fuch unfervency and unconcern, fuch felfishness in all that I have done, as a minifter or a Christian, as richly deferves the deepest damnation of hell.'— Why will Chriftian preachers thus expofe themfelves, and their re

*We might here add, that he was, in a certain degree and cha racter, a man of genius; as is evident from many ftriking paffages in his Private Thoughts, &c. which manifeft an original turn of thinking, and a firength of expreffion, well fitted to make a lasting im preffion on the minds and memories of his readers.

ligion,

ligion, to the ridicule of those who, in their education, have not contracted prejudices favourable to fuch ftrange effufions of miftaken piety!

I. The dying Believer's Confidence in his exalted Redeemer.-At the Meeting-houfe in Butt Lane, Deptford, Oct. 16, 1785. On Occafion of the much-lamented Death of the Rev. John Olding, who, after having been thirty-one Years Paftor of the Church affembling in that Place, fell asleep in Jefus, in the 64th Year of his Age. By Stephen Addington, D.D. 8vo. 6d. Buckland, &c. This difcourfe is in the true, but now almoft antiquated manner of the Puritans. It will however be as acceptable to one clafs of antiquarians, as a book printed in the Old English Black letter is to

another.

II. The first and fecond Advents of our Saviour Jefus Chrift, confidered in a Sermon preached Nov. 27, 1785, being Advent Sunday. By John Kennedy, Rector of Langley in Kent, and Vicar of Godftone in Surry. To which are added, fome Obfervations on the Advantages arising from the Establishment of Sunday Schools; and fome Hints for rendering of ftill greater Utility to the Nation at large thefe truly Chriftian Inftitutions. 4to. Is. Wilkie, &c. The chief merit of this difcourfe is, that it is intended to promote a very laudable and ufeful defign.

III. At St. Giles's, Reading, Dec. 21, 1786, for the Benefit of the Girls Charity School. By William Bromley Cadogan. 8vo. Is. Rivington. 1787.

The text is, In thee the fatherless findeth mercy. The Sermon is orthodox; and the preacher warmly perfuades us to the practice of charity in general, but more especially that fpecies of it which is calculated, by giving religious inftruction to the rifing generation, to connect the good of mankind with the glory of God.' This gentleman's compofitions are in particular requeft with the Methodists.

IV. The Perfections and Majefty of the Deity difplayed by the Operations of Nature-On Occafion of the Thunder Storm, which happened Aug. 9th, 1787. By a Proteftant Diffenter. 8vo. 1 S. Gardner.

If, by drawing the attention of an audience to the greater phenomena of nature, to thofe extraordinary operations of the elements, which ftrike the mind of man with unusual awe, any good can be done in the way of religious inftruction, it is right to embrace the opportunities afforded by fuch means. This pious preacher firft attempts to raise the hearts' of his hearers to an affecting fenfe of the Majefty of the Deity, from a view of the difplays in his glory recorded in his word, or those proofs of them which have been vifible to our own eyes.' Secondly, to fhew the confequences of fuch an habitual perfuafion upon faints and finners' and he concludes with drawing fome practical inferences. His thoughts,' he fays, were turned to this fubject, from a fincere defire to reinvigorate upon the thoughtless and inattentive, thofe awful and affecting impreflions

which appeared to seize almost every individual, during that alarming ftorm,' &c. &c. The defign of this difcourfe, no doubt, was commendable, but the preacher does not always express his ideas in the happiest manner as our Readers may obferve, in the few words here quoted.

CORRESPONDENCE.

*Mr. Blanchard feems to have been too hafty in adopting the fentiments which his friends have fuggefted. We deemed his Syftem of Short-hand a good one, and confequently, in our review of it, we gave it the praise which we thought it really deserved. The latter part of the paragraph, which gives offence, is mifconftrued by Mr. B.'s friends: the omiffions which we noticed were in the explanation and not in the short-hand. See our Review for July, p. 84.

+++ We have received a long letter from the Editor of the Improved Latin Ortbography. (See Review for Auguft, p. 165.) Our thoughts and his do not coincide. We think that the Latin ought to be fpelled as the best Latin writers of the Auguftan age have fpelled it. Mr. S. B. thinks not. Our Readers may determine for themselves who is right.

Itt The favour of Amicus Juratiffimus, dated Sept. 20, is entitled to our kind acknowledgments; but we do not think it adviseable to ftand forth in the way which he intimates,—or in any mode of notoriety. To be deemed ufeful to the Public, by our literary labours, is our highest ambition; and to remain unknown, is our constant wish, Thus contented to live-not unwilling to die"

66

In purfuance of the requeft of Clericus, whofe letter is dated in September laft, we have collected fome particulars relative to QUINTUS SEXTIUS, the Pythagorean philofopher; and we propofe to publish them in a future Review, not having room in our prefent number.

sts We are forry that the requests of J. S. and W. B. muft not be complied with. It is painful to us, to be obliged, so often, to reject the applications and inquiries of Correfpondents, whom we cannot anfwer without fubjecting ourselves to inconvenience, the extent of which might be extremely difagreeable.

The "FINAL FAREWELL," in our next.

Mr. Young's two letters coming to hand too late in this month for proper confideration, will be duly attended to in our next. +++ Mr. T. B. Clarke is defired to accept our hearty thanks for his public defence of the Review.

1* Dr. Hamilton, and other Correfpondents, hereafter.

THE

MONTHLY REVIEW,

For NOVEMBER, 1787.

ART. I. Philofophical Tranfactions. Part I. For the Year 1787 Concluded from Page 181 of our Review for September.

Experiments of the Production of dephlogiflicated Air from Water with various Subftances. By Sir Benjamin Thompson, Knight, F. R.S.

W

HEN the fresh leaves of healthy vegetables are expofed, in water, to the action of the fun's rays, a quantity of dephlogificated or pure air is produced. This fact, difcovered by Dr. Ingenhoufz, is generally confidered as an inftance of the purification of the atmosphere by the vegetable kingdom, and even alleged as an argument in fupport of that beautiful theory. It is fuppofed that phlogisticated or fixed air is imbibed by the leaves, and decompofed by the powers of vegetation; that a part of thofe airs, which conftitutes their impurity with regard to animal life, is retained as nourishment to the vegetable; while the pure air, fo effential to animals, is thrown out, as being, to the vegetable, excrementitious.

Among many facts brought to prove that the air in queftion is really thus elaborated in the veffels of the plant, particular ftrefs is laid on the production of the air continuing only for a short time, till the leaves change their colour, for after that period no more air has been obtained. This is conceived to be owing to the powers of vegetation being then deftroyed, or, in other words, to the death of the plant; and hence it is inferred, not only that the leaves actually retained their vegetative powers for fome time after they were feparated from the flock, but that it was in confequence of the exertion of these powers that the air, yielded in the experiments, was produced.

Plaufible as this account appears, Sir Benjamin has proved, by a great number of experiments related in this paper, that it is erroneous. Indeed the circumftances of the leaves of a plant, accuftomed to grow in air, being feparated from the ftem and confined in water, are, as he obferves, fo unnatural, that we can hardly conceive the fame functions to be performed in fuch VOL. LXXVII. different

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