to revife your quotations, and thereupon, either to confess ingenuously, that you have at left mifapplied his fenfe; or elfe to give up your caufe as indefenfible, fo far as your citations from this author are concerned. As to the reit, we fhall foon follow you, by a fair examination of all your specious pretenfions in favour of the holy fee. Implicit faith is not nor ever will be, the faith of protelants. Chriftian, catholic faith, founded on reajon, and the genuine fenfe and defign of fe ipture, is our principle.

So fare-ve well, Sir, you and your adherents. All the harm that we proteftant Chriftians with you, is, to seek tru:h and peace; to divest yourfelves of prejudices; to renounce falfhoods; to decline supkistry; to abhor cruelty; to practile charity; and to forsake your errors.' This honeft, open, and candid addrefs is followed by proteftants,

a word to One or more able and worthy divines of our church, (fays our Author) and perhaps fome other learned English protestants, will, it is hoped, before it be much longer, lay open to you at large, many grols and palpable mifreprefentations of facts, and perverfions of doctrine, fo difhonourably and yet artfully fcattered throughout Mr. Phillip's two bulky volumes; to which the Author, I fuppose, expects from us the fuccumbency of an implicit faith: which we will never grant him, nor to any other emiffaries of Rome, fo long as we have our eyes open, our judgment clear, and our hearts devoted to truth and bonefty.

Wait therefore a while, my ferious, fenfible, and fedate countrymen, and you will fee the happy iffue of the affair now in agitation; which will be difcuffed with fairness, elucidated with clearness, and then left to all rational men to judge of. What is here laid before you, is only an intermediate preparative to what you may in due time expect, to more effectual purpote, from much abler hands.'

Thefe paffages fufficiently fhew our Author's honeft purpofe in this fmall performance, which confits of extracts from Bishop Taylor's works, on the following fubjects:-faith, creeds, her fe, occafional communion, and toleration, with fhort obfervations occafionally interfperfed.

In the appendix we have Pope Pius's creed, with fome fpecimens of popish intructions to the vulgar; taken from the curious catechism of Father Henry Turbervil, called an Abridgment of Chriftian Doctrine; which hath been much cried up by the members of the Romish church, and had a great run among them, more particularly in England, being reviled, approved, recommended and licented, by Dr. W. Hyde, Profellor of Divinity in the English College at Doway, and Cenior of Books.

As a review of our proteftant principles and privileges is, at all times, useful, and, at prefent, highly expedient, we beg leave to recommend this performance to the peru al of our Readers. It is juftly entitled to their favourable notice, as it will bring many important truths to their remembrance, and put them upon their guard against the fubtle infinua tions, and crafty dengus of our avowed and inveterate enemies. Art. 2. A Review of Dr. Mayhew's Remarks on the Anfwer to his Obfervations on the Charter and Conduct of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, By Eaft Apthorp, M. A. Svo. Is, Rivington,

We

We are glad to find this controverfy grow cooler as it grows older. Mr. Apthorp's Reply to Dr. Mayhew's Remarks, of which we took notice at the time of its publication, is penn'd with more moderation and decency than is common in difputes between diffenters and thofe of the establishment. Of our Author's candor take the following specimen:-after citing Hooker's noted obfervation on the anabaptifts, he adds, from himself, a general remark on the difference of behaviour in common and focial life, between the members of the established church and fome of our fectaries. The people of our communion, fays Mr. Apthorp, are generally frank, open, fincere; they deteft hypocrify and affectation; they think for themfelves, and fpeak what they think; and in their actions are focial, generous, and free. There is likewise

among them a politeness and elegance, which to a cenforious eye may look worldly and voluptuous. These things may be aggravated by gloomy or formal perfons, into a total want of ferioufnefs. God forbid, that by expreffion or example, I should seem to countenance levity or licentiousness in any; to which, I fear, we are all too much inclined: and it were well, if our accufers would abate fomething of their stiffnefs, and our own people of their freedom of behaviour, and meet their diffenting brethren half-way. To exprefs my impartial judgment, if the one excel in the religious, the other no less excel in the focial virtues, which never ought to be feparated: and I moft heartily wifh, that the reproaches of our friends in that communion, may animate our zeal to adorn our own; and that we may henceforth quit every emulation, but that of excelling in virtue, piety and benevolence.'

The above character of the diffenters feems to be drawn rather from thofe of the laft than thofe of the prefent age; though, for ought we know, it may bear a nearer likeness to the New-England diffenters of our own time. With refpect to the apprehenfions of the latter, concerning the projected introduction of epifcopacy among them, Mr. A. thinks, and endeavours to fhew, that their fears have very little if any real foundation. The plan for this purpose, as laid down by Bishop Butler, in 1759, is in our Author's opinion, the fame, or nearly the fame, with that mentioned in the Answer to Dr. Mayhew's Obfervation, (supposed to have been written by a very high dignitary of our church) and he believes it is the only one intended to be put in execution. The fcheme is this:

I. That no coercive power is defired over the Laity in any case: but only a power to regulate the behaviour of the Clergy who are in epifcopal orders; and to correct and punish them according to the law of the Church of England, in cafe of misbehaviour or neglect of duty, with fuch power as the commiflaries abroad have exercised.

II. That nothing is defired for fuch Bishops, that may in the least interfere with the dignity or authority or intereft of the Governor, or any other officer of flate. Probates of wills, License for marriages, &c. to be left in the hands where they are: and no fhare in the temporal government is defired for Bithops.

⚫ill. The maintenance of fuch Bishops not to be at the charge of the colonies.

See Rev, Vol. XXX. p. 284.

• IV.

IV. No Bishops are intended to be fettled in places where the government is in the hands of Diffenters, as in New-England, &c. But authority to be given only to Ordain Clergy for fuch Church of England congregations as are among them, and to Inspect into the manners and behaviour of the faid clergy, and to Confirm the members thereof.'

This fcheme our Author pronounces to be fuch a fimple and beautiful model of the most ancient and moderate epifcopacy, that it should not only remove all the Doctor's apprehenfions, but the fcruples of every rational and learned diffenter against that apoftolic form of government. This point we leave the learned Writer and his Antagonist to fettle at their leifure.-In regard to the particulars here controverted, relative to the charter and conduct of the fociety for propagating the gofpel in foreign parts, we refer the curious Enquirer to the tracts publifhed on both fides.-Were the matter to be referred to the decision of Peter and Paul, and James and John, we may readily guess in what ⚫ manner it would be determined.

Art. 3. Thirteen Sermons on the Parable of the ten Virgins. With three others on Perfonal and Family Religion. Preached at Warsham in Dorfetfhire. By S. Reader. 8vo. 5s. Field.

Though thefe Sermons have neither elegance of composition, nor Sprightliness of fentiment to recommend them, the serious Chriftian, who reads with a view to improve the temper and difpofition of his mind, will perufe them with pleasure and advantage. They are, indeed, plain, fenfible, ufeful difcourfes.

Art. 4. Letters on the Eloquence of the Pulpit. By the Editor of the Letters between Theodofius and Conftantia. 8vo. 1s. 6d. Becket.

If from the affiftance of philofophy, (fays the ingenious Author of thefe letters) from an attention to nature, to the powers of expreffion, and the propriety of elocution, I fhould be fo happy as to ftrike out any ufeful hints for promoting the eloquence of the pulpit, my candid brethren will not, I hope, refufe their indulgence to the defects of a work, which, fubmitted to their judgment, is entirely at their fervice.'

That the eloquence of the pulpit ftands much in need of being promoted is obvious to every competent judge; whoever, therefore, endeavours to increase the flock of pulpit oratory is ufefully employed, and juftly entitled to the favourable regards of the public. As to the merit of our Author's work, we fhall only observe, that it contains feverai just and pertinent obfervations, but fcarce any that are new: the fubject, indeed, is treated in too fuperficial a manner to be of much ufe to those who afpire after the character of pulpit orators.

In his first letter, the Author treats of the fubjects of compofition, and tells us, that the subject of a difcourfe from the pulpit ought always to be adapted to the genius and manners of the congregation before which it is delivered. Narrative, or historical fermons, which have a moral tendency, bid faireft, he thinks, for a favourable hearing, and are most kely to be fuccessful.

"The mind (fays he) is kept awake by a story; and, if it be well

told,

fold. it will not fail to leave a proper impreffion.-The power of abftracted thinking is the lot of few; and attention to moral inftruction, conveyed in a series of fentiments, is generally vain.-The ideas that are received are evanefcent; and the doctrine is, literally, like the dew, which, under the first sunshine, evaporates, and is gone.-But to judge of the tendency of principles from effects related, is practicable to the meanest capacity; and the hiftory of an event fecures the remem. brance of its moral inftruction, by refting undiffipated upon the mind. -There are many ftories in the facred writings, pregnant with the most interefting morality, fome of which have been, and others may be, made the most proper and effectual fubjects for the pulpit.

For my own part, (continues he) might I at all prefume to argue from the little experience I have had in the pulpit, I should not hesitate to pronounce thofe the most efficacious difcourfes that narrated fome pathetic, or inftructive ftory from the facred writings. I have obferved the meaneft capacities endeavouring to lay hold of the feveral circumftances of fuch relations.-Nay, even anticipating the event, and by that means preparing themselves for the inftruction that followed.

• Controverfial fubjects have already been excluded the pulpit, and the fewer difcourfes we have merely doctrinal, the better. Some fuch, however, may be neceffary, but it can only be with regard to the plain and fimple effentials of faith; to fuch, therefore, in the name of peace and reafon, let them be confined.'

The fubject of the fecond letter is the ftyle of compofition: and here our Author tells us, that the capacity of the audience ought always to be a leading confideration in forming the ftyle. There is fcarce any thing, he fays, in which we are fo apt to form a wrong eftimate of the capacity of the illiterate, as in their knowlege of words.-Terms that reading or fpeaking have familiarized to ourselves, we naturally conclude must be obvious to others, and we very often exprefs ourselves to the vulgar in fuch terms, that, from the knowlege of one half of our words, they are obliged to make out the meaning of the reft. Their cafe, fays Mr. Langhorne, is the very fame with his, who reads an author in a language with which he is but flightly acquainted, without the help either of a dictionary or a tranflation.

The unlearned, our Author obferves very juftly, can only gather their knowlege of words from the frequency of their use in converfation. -If we confider their expreffion, we fhall find that it extends not beyond the ufual and neceffary terms of actions and things; confequently, if we would render ourselves intelligible to fuch people, we must confine our language to thofe very terms and phrafes that they commonly make ufe of..

Here, however, continues he, it may be observed, that there is not, on this account, any neceffity for degrading our compofitions, by low, or ludicrous images. It is the mere diction, not the imagery of the populace, that we are to adopt.'

He makes a diftinction between fermons that are to be preached, and thofe that are to be read. Sermons written to be heard, fays he, fhould be conceived in fuch a fiyle as generally prevails in conversation : fermons written to be read, may adopt elegance of other compofitions: for though there may be few readers who are not hearers of sermons, there are certainly many hearers, who never read: and as the latter

would

would be altogether unedified by a difcourfe which literary attentions had rendered intelligible to the former, fo it were likewise most defirable with regard to difcourfes delivered from the pulpit, that the former fhould give up their expectations of elegance there, and liften with patience to the plaineft compofitions intended for the benefit, and adapted to the capacity of the latter.'

The fubject of the third letter is elocution: it contains only a few general obfervations on two leading circumftances in fpeaking, viz. tone and time.-Our Author concludes his work in the following manner :• To reconcile the low and illiterate to thofe humble allotments which Providence has affigned them, and to teach them an acquiefcence in the fairer hopes of futurity, ought to be the first, as it would be the nobleft and most reasonable pride of every preacher.-To render the condition of human life happier, or more agreeable to his fellow-creatures, is the greatest virtue of which man is capable.-In this he imitates the Supreme Being in his beft and molt adorable attributes; and he who preaches the gofpel of Chrift to this purpofe and effect, is a true and faithful reprefentative of his Mafter."

POLITICA L.

Art. 5. Authentic Accounts of the Hiflory and Price of Wheat, Bread, Malt, &c. from the coming in of William the Conqueror, to Michaelmas 1745. And also a true Relation of the most remarkable Dearths and Famines which have happened within the faid Time. 4to. Is. 6d. R. Davis.

A re-publication of a tract written by John Penkethman, and printed in 1638; and containing, with much fuperfluous matter, fome curious particulars on the above-mentioned important fubjects.

Art. 6. An Account of the Care taken in most civilized Nations for the Relief of the Poor, particularly in Times of Scar city and Diftrefs. By the Rev. Richard Onely, late of Chrift's Church, Cambridge. 4to. Is. R. Davis.

As Mr. Onely appears to have well confidered his fubje&t, we cannot but recommend his tract to the serious atention of the public: notwithstanding there are many fenfible writers, who view the cafe of the poor, with respect to the price of provisions, in a very different light.

Art. 7. Thoughts on the Difmiffion of Officers, Civil or Military, for their Conduct in Parliament. 8vo. I S. Almon. Written with a view to the notorious difmiffion of General Conway. The Author takes that fide of the question which every friend to the freedom and independency of parliament muft take; and, though he treats the fubject with coolness and judgment, he writes with fpirit; and he expreffes himself with that elegance and decency which at once speaks the man of letters and the gentleman.

Art. 8. A Letter to the Right Honourable the Earl of Ln Concerning a Regency. Interfperfed with many curious Anecdotes ;

and