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and by his creatures; and therefore it could not be unfit that he fhould have respect to his own glory in the creation. But this is not all; the manifeftation of his power and glory was an inftance of love and mercy. As his creatures are thereby taught to think worthily of him, to fear and honour him with all dutiful obfervance; and are induced to imitate his imitable perfections, and to fall down with humble adoration of such as are beyond the fsphere of any created being; on all which their felicity depends.'

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In the latter part of this work Mr. Martin has made fome remarks on a treatise, entitled, A Free Enquiry into the Nature and Origin of Evil. The author of that Enquiry afferts, that many evils will unavoidably infinuate themfelves, by the natural relations and circumftances of things, into the most perfect system of created beings, in oppofition to the will of an Almighty Creator, by reafon they cannot be excluded without working contradictions."

In oppofition to this notion, our author obferves, that it is not credible that Infinite Wisdom fhould bring a thing into exiftence, out of nothing, and yet not be able to give it a nature that might be governed, and rendered fuitable to his will. He then proceeds to fhew, that natural evils might have been excluded without working any contradiction, if the Deity had thought it expedient. But there were fufficient reafons for the prefent conftitution of things. 'God's wisdom and holiness, he fays, faw it beft and worthieft that man fhould be virtuous, and then happy from being fo; he could not be virtuous without a probation; he could not have a probation without freewill; his free-will could not be proved without a temptation and trial. Under these circumftances, while man maintained his faith and integrity, every thing about him conspired to make him happy: as foon as he rebelled, the fluices of evils were thrown open upon him : the ways and means for the effeating this were as easy to the Deity, as they were infinitely various; perhaps a small different direction given to matter, the heightening or leffening fome law of motion, fome new pofition to the earth we live upon, might be fufficient to awaken the dormant mischiefs, and wonderfully hurt the eafe, the accommodations, or the life of its inhabitants. Thus man was at once punished for what was paft, and taught to return to better obedience, if he would at length learn and be wife. In this order of difpenfations, we fee nothing but what is worthy of God; we fee a provifion made for all events; we discover God's righteousness in reftraining natural evils, till moral ones made them neceffary: in the whole we diftinguifh his mercy, even in punishment; aiming his judgments for our recovery,.

and bowing all nature to his great and holy purpofes. How incomparably jufter and better fuited to the nature and attributes of the Deity, is this reprefentation of things, than that which exhibits him ftruggling with the ftubbornness of his materials, and forced, in fome measure, to fubmit to their inflexibility at laft!'

In attempting to account for the introduction of moral evil,' the Free-inquirer argues, that "if mifery could not be excluded from the works of the Creator by infinite power, these miferies must be endured by fome creatures or other, for the good of the whole; and if there were none capable of wickednefs, they must then fall to the share of the perfectly innocent; here, fays he, the Deity is obliged either to afflict innocence, or be the cause of wickednefs: he has plainly no other option. What then could infinite wifdom, juftice, and goodness, do in this situation, more confiftent with itself, than to call into being creatures formed with fuch depravity in their difpofitions, as to induce many of them to act in fuch a manner, as to render themfelves proper fubje&ts for fuch neceffary fufferings, and yet at the same time, endued with fuch a degree of reafon and free-will, as to put it in the power of every individual to efcape them by their good behaviour ?" This notion, our author observes, labours under much greater inconveniences than it would remove. 6 For, firft, fays he, this account of moral evil sets off with the glaring abfurdity, that fin, the greatest of all evils, and the higheft poffible difhonour to the creation, is in this way called in by the Creator, as a remedy for evils of a much lower kind than itself, of a mere phyfical nature, and which infer no moral defilement; a piece of management fo unworthy the all-wife God, that it more refembles the ignorant rashness of fome bold empirick amongst ourselves, who fhould cure a pain in the finger, by driving the malady to the heart. 2dly, This remedy, thus devifed, to the dishonour of the Deity and his work, is incompetent to effect the end it is pretended to anfwer. This is faid to be, that there might not be wanting wicked perfons, whom the natural evils of the world might be justly inflicted upon, and fo the good and virtuous might thereby escape them. Is it fo then that, by this difpofition of things, good men efcape the evils of life, and bad inen fuffer them? On the other hand, is there not ordinarily one event to the righteous, and to the wicked? Does a plague, or an earthquake, make diftin&tions? or do the fufferings of wicked men any more leffen the afflictions of the virtuous, than thofe of the virtuous relieve the wicked? It is fufficient to afk thefe queftions; the facts are clear, and anfwer for themselves, demonftrating at once, fuch a courfe of things, as is utterly VOL. XXIII. February, 1767.

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repugnant to the end in this inquirer's fcheme. But turn the tables; and fay, as our fore-fathers have wifely and justly faid before us, not that fin was contrived for the fake of natural evils, but that natural evils were called forth to punish fin; and nothing is more worthy of the Deity, nothing more eafily understood by any plain honeft man, nothing that he fo inftantly diftinguishes the reasonableness and juftice of-3dly, Neither is the method lefs daring and obnoxious, in which this remedy is fuppofed to be introduced into the world. God, feeing the multitude of natural evils, infeparably cleaving to his material creation, did, as the Enquirer frequently tells us, bring into being creatures formed with evil difpofitions, by indulging which they would become morally evil, and fo might in juftice have the natural evil laid upon them. Thus we fee the end affigned, unworthy of God; the means, or fin, by which he was to bring about that end, the moft contradictory to his holiness; and the punishment inflicted, inconfiftent with bis juftice; whence, inftead of being eafed from any difficulties on our own account of evil, from the abufe of free-will, we are involved in all the mazes of predeftination, nor can this fcheme of neceffity in the leaft relieve us.'

After fome other obfervations on the Free Enquirer's account of the Origin of Evil, this writer proceeds to examine the following charge against Revelation, viz. "If God ever condefcended to aflift our reafon with his infinite wifdom, even the religion refulting from that fupernatural affiftance must still be deficient, in almoft every one of the principal requifites neceffary towards accomplishing the great and beneficent ends for which it was defigned; muft want univerfality to render it impartial, authenticity to make it demonftrable, perfpicuity to make it intelligible, and policy to make it ufeful to mankind." On each of these articles he makes fome remarks; and in order to prove the authenticity of our evangelical hiftory, he takes great pains to evince, that the books of the New Teftament have been tranfmitted to us without interpolation, and that no fpurious writings have been taken by the church into the canon of Scripture.

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Mr. Martin is a fenfible writer, but his work would have been read with more pleasure, if all the fubjects of which he has treated, had not been before difcuffed by many eminent writers.

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VI. The History of Miss Pittborough. In a Series of Letters. By a Lady. z Vols. 8vo. Price 6s. Cadell.

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HIS hiftory opens with a letter from its heroine Mifs Pittborough to her fifter Mifs Nancy Pittborough. These two young ladies, though both formed by nature to be amiable women, are in their characters as oppofite to each other as light and fhade, earth and air. The former is a fprightly, generous, undefigning, accomplished beauty, with every grace and virtue which can adorn her fex, but capricious and indocile. With the best of hearts fhe has an intractable temper; and, though void of affectation, fhe is a finifhed coquet, fond of admiration, and intoxicated with applaufe. Mifs Nancy her fifter lives in the country; is beloved by, and loves, an honeft worthy gentleman, to whom he is on the point of giving her hand in marriage; and practises all the folid duties of domestic life, is a dutiful child, an affectionate fifter, and a valuable fenfible friend. During Mifs Pittborough's refidence in town with her aunt, Mrs Hutchens, (a good-natured affectionate woman, but mother to a vixen daughter) fhe becomes acquainted with colonel Dingley, who falls in love with her, while fhe is far from being infenfible to his fine perfon and accomplishments. The fentiments of her fifter Mifs Nancy, whom the makes her confidante on this occafion, are expreffive of the author's very moral and inftructive plan, as well as the delicacy and elegance of her ftile.

Mifs NANCY PITTBOROUGH to Mifs PITTBOROUGH.

I wish, my dear fifter, that like the travelled pidgeon,, you may not foon repent quitting your peaceful happy home : dangers, difafters, innumerable await you; and many schoolboys, perhaps, already suspend a fatal fling to wound, at least, your repofe.

• With what unfpeakable rapture fhall I receive you once more into our innocent retreat, if you should be fo fortunate as to efcape the evils that threaten you.

That ever vivacity fhould render any one unamiable :-but yours, like the beauty of a rofe, is not without the hidden, thorn.

"Your first letter is a too just emblem of your heart, warm, inconftant, vain.-How do you neglect the purpofe of your being, and abufe one of the beft of underftandings! and with endowments that would enable you to fhine, on every benevo lent, every rational occafion, aim at no higher excellence, than the taudry trim that fashion can beftow.

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You, my dear, are an inconteftible inftance that vanity is far from being the product of any particular foil: had you been bred in the gay metropolis from your earliest infancy, you could not have been a more finished coquet; nor would your fimple misjudging heart have felt a ftronger flutter at a beau.

And shall it be faid that my fifter, whofe education has been most unexceptionably delicate and prudent-who has not only received the cleareft definition of propriety and decorum, but has been carefully inftructed in every religious duty :shall it be said, that fhe, taken by the eye and the ear, fancy, idle degenerate fancy, her fupreme judge and monitor---suffered her inclinations to be enslaved by the empty charms of the martial strut, and martial habiliments !

I fhall never forgive myself for promoting this journey, if an improper connexion fhould be the confequence: but it has ever been my weakness to give you, at all times, and upon all cccafions, the preference, I, in many degrees your fuperior, in the article of gravity at least, should have been in no danger from fuch an excurfion; as I fhould have played a timorous, cautious, and confequently fure card: for I am convinced there are more young women undone by felf-confidence and credulity, than by any real propenfity to error.

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Excufe me, but this is not the only circumftance I lament: -and can you, who have ever piqued yourself upon your fpirit and refolution, tamely submit to be fashion-led; even beyond what is confiftent either with decency, or your own private tafte? Is it not a severe reflection upon your boasted firmnefs, to want courage to go hand in hand with propriety; at the fame time that your attempt to exculpate yourself, by charging the whole blame upon the fashion-mongers (as you gayly ftile the original inventors), juftly expofes you to the imputation of meannefs. They indeed spread the fnare ; but they cannot force or furprise you into it; as they have no power over your judgment, or inclination. They cannot render folly other than folly; and though the general practice may familiarize it, in fome degree, and leffen what is prepofterous, its unfuitableness and pernicious tendency will ever remain.

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Your perfon, whatever eftimation you may fet upon it, will, I fear, prove your greateft misfortune :-it is impoffible to behold it with indifference: the bloom of health and peace that glows upon your cheek-the agreeable vivacity that fparkles in your eye-with the arch fmile, occafioned by a rather becoming dimple, that plays about your not ill-fhaped mouth, muft procure your vanity a perpetual feaft. But, my dear filter, fit loofe I befeech you to every flattering infinuation.—It, is innocence and good humour that enlightens your countenance; deprive

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