from the rev. Mr. Blair; one from the rev. Mr. Farmer; three from Dr. Oliver; two from Dr. Newton; three from Dr. Lardner; two from Dr. Secker, bishop of Oxford; two from Dr. Herring, archbishop of Canterbury, erroneously printed Dr. Secker; one from Dr. Ayfcough; two from Dr. Grey; five from Dr. Hunt; two from the earl of Halifax; eighteen from Mr. Neal; five from Mr. Baker; feven from Mr. Weft; two from Dr. Maddox, bishop of Worcester; one from Dr. Sherlock, bifhop of London; one from Dr. Cotton; one from the rev. Mr. Hildefley; two from the dutchefs of Somerfet; and one from fir George Littleton, afterwards lord Littleton; the reft are from Dr. Doddridge.

It cannot be fuppofed that all thefe letters fhould poffefs an equal intereft.-The firft eight, by Dr. Clark, may be recommended as containing many important hints refpecting the courfe of ftudy neceffary to be purfucd by a candidate for the miniftry. Those between Dr. Doddridge and Mr. Hughes are curious, as difplaying the private traits of two amiable characters. In letter 15th, however, we difcover Dr. Doddrige difpenfing the warmest confolations of piety to alleviate an evil, which to a man of fenfe will hardly appear a very heavy one, a blank lottery ticket! Letter 17, from Dr. Dod drige to a young lady who had broke her arm, and letter 18, to another young lady, who was preparing for a voyage to the Eaft Indies, are early fpecimens of that ardent piety of fentiment and language which distinguished the Dr's fubfequent works. The latter we would recommend (though perhaps in vain!) to young ladies who are about to take a trip to the Eaft.

Mr. Barker's twenty-four letters contain fome curious information refpecting the Diffenting intereft. They are written in a lively, pleafant ftyle. The following paragraph from Letter 28, is worth tranfcribing.

The diffenting intereft is not like itfelf; I hardly know it. It used to be famous for faith, holiness, and love. I knew the time when I had no doubt, into whatever place of worship I went among Diffenters, but that my heart would be warmed and comforted, and my edification promoted. Now I hear prayers and fermons, which I neither relifh nor understand. Evangelical truth. and duty are quite old-fashioned things. Many pulpits are not fo much as chafte. One's ears are fo dinned with reafon, the great law of reason, and the eternal law of reafon, that it is enough to put one out of conceit with the chief excellency of our own nature; because it is idolifed, and even deified. How prone are men to extremes !'

This was written in 1744. How applicable to the present day requires no proof!

Mr. Barker's account of an attempt at a comprehenfion, as it was called, deferves attention.

As for the comprehenfion, so much talked of in town and country, the utmost I know of that matter is this: Mr. Chandler, while on a visit to his friends at Norwich, happened to hear the bishop deliver a charge to his clergy, which he thought not very candid towards the Diffenters. One expreffion in it appeared to him invidious, which was," that the leaders of the rebellion were Prefbyterians, as appeared by the conduct of thofe lords in the Tower, who, during their imprisonment there, fent for Prefbyterian confeffors." Mr. Chandler, on his return to London, wrote a letter to the bishop, complaining of his charge, and particularly of that expreffion. His letter was written very handfomely, and it brought a very civil, refpectful answer. After the bishop came to town, Mr. Chandler, at his defire, made him a vifit; in which they had much difcourfe; and amongst other things, there was talk of a comprehenfion. This vifit was followed, at Dr. Gooch's defire, with another, when the bishop of Salisbury was present; who foon discovered his fhrewdness, but faid, "Our church, Mr. Chandler, confifts of three parts, doctrine, discipline, and ceremonies. As to the laft, they fhould be left indifferent, as they are agreed on all hands to be. As to the fecond, our difcipline

-

And as to the firft, what is your objection?" Mr. Chandler anfwered, "Your articles, my lord, must be expreffed in fcripture-words; and the Athanafian creed difcarded." Both the bishops answered, "They wished they were rid of that creed, and had no objection to altering the articles into feripture-words." "But what should we do about re-ordination?" To which Mr. Chandler replied, "None of us would renounce his Prefbyterian ordination; but if their lordships meant only to impose their hands on us, and by that rite recommend us to public fervice in their fo ciety or conflitution, that perhaps might be fubmitted to." The two bishops, at the conclufion of the visit, requested Mr. Chandler to wait on the archbishop; which he did, and met the bishop of Norwich there by accident. The archbishop received him well; and being told by Dr. Gooch, what Mr. Chandler and he had been talking on, viz. a comprehenfion, the archbishop faid," a very good thing. He wished it with all his heart, and the rather, because this was a time, which called upon all good men to unite against infidelity and immorality, which threatened univerfal ruin; and added, he was encouraged to hope from the piety, learning, and moderation of many Diffenters, that this was a proper time to make the attempt." "But, may it please your grace, faid Dr. Gooch, Mr. Chandler fays, the articles must be altered into

the

the words of fcripture." "And why not? replied the archbishop. It is the impertinences of men, thrusting their own words into articles, instead of the words of God, which have occafioned the most of the divifions in the chriftian church, from the beginning to this day." The archbishop added, that the bench of bishops feemed to be of his mind; that he should be glad to fee Mr. Chandler again, but was then obliged to go to court.

And this is all I know of this affair. I have fmiled at fome who feem mightily frighted at it; who are very angry with Mr. Chandler, and cry out, "We wo'n't be comprehended, we wo'n't be comprehended." One would think they imagined, it was like being electrified, or inoculated for the fmall-pox. But most of thefe fault-finders, I apprehend, are angry with Mr. Chandler for an expretion he made use of in his fecond vifit, when urging the expediency of expreffing the articles in fcripture-language, he faid, it was for others, not himself, he fuggefted this, his own Confcience not being diffatisfied with them as they now ftood, for he freely owned himself to be a moderate Calvinift.'

In Mr. Coftard's three letters are some criticisms on different texts, and a poetical fable, which is pretty at least. Dr. Warburton's letters, which follow, will be ferviceable to his future biographers. He was at this time a parish priest, but there is much of the BISHOP OF GLOUCESTER in his letters, much of that haughty confidence which he difdained to conceal, or mollify*.' His friendship for Dr. Doddridge was, however, fincere and warm; and his last letter, which appears to have been written a very fhort time before Dr. Doddridge's death, will not be read without a portion of that tenderness which the author felt. His remarks on various cotemporaries are fometimes juft, but always Warburtonian, and his contempt for his adverfaries was equally forcible, whether expreffed in private or public. Dr. Miles' letters contain nothing particular. Thofe from col. Gardiner confirm the account of his picty given by Dr. Doddridge in his Life, but will not probably be much relifhed now-a-days. Mr. Jones' letter contains notices of some useful books, and breathes throughout a catholic fpirit.-Dr. Jennings dilates on news and chit-chat in a very agreeable manner. Mr. Blair, author of the poem, entitled the Grave, mentions that this performance was offer ed to two bookfellers, who would not run the risk of publishing it. The fpirit of the trade has become lefs illiberal fince. Dr. Lardner's letters contain fome curious remarks on parts of Dr. Doddridge's Family Expofitor. Dr. Secker's (bishop of Oxford) letter, does honour to his candour. He expreffes a

Dr. Johnson.

very favourable opinion of the Diffenters, and a defire of union with them, wherein indifferent things may be altered or LEFT FREE.' Archbishop Herring's letters are little more than cards, yet they ferve to fhew the high refpect he entertained for his correfpondent. Dr. Ayfcough informs Dr. Doddridge of his having prefented his Rife and Progrefs of Religion to the princess of Wales, who received it very graciously. He adds,

I thank God, I have one great encouragement to quicken me in my duty, which is, the good difpofition of the children intrusted to me; as an instance of it, I must tell you, that prince George (to his honour and my fhame) had learned feveral pages of your little book of verfes, without any directions from me; and I must fay of all the children (for they are all committed to my care), that they are as conformable and as capable of receiving instruction as any I ever yet met with.'

Our readers need not be told that this PRINCE GEORGE is our prefent SOVEREIGN. Dr. Ayfcough was domestic tutor in the family.

Dr. Grey's letters are not worthy of notice, unless as teftimonies of his friendship for Dr. Doddridge. Dr. Hunt's letters are more interefting; he mentions, among other anecdotes, that Mr. Littleton refufed the honour of LL. D. which was offered him at Oxford, for his book on St. Paul's converfion he faid,

That he chose not to be under any particular attachments; that, if he should happen to write any thing of the like kind for the future, it might not appear to proceed from any other motive whatsoever, but a pure defire of doing good.'

Mr. Neale difplays a great regard for the interefts of Chrif tianity. He gives fome account of Dr. Watts's will and MSS. and comments on the events of the day with much good sense, One anecdote has fome pleafantry.

Mr. Pickering, not being able to preach at his lecture about a fortnight ago, appointed Mr. Rogers in his ftead, who took for his text fome paffage of St. Paul, wherein we are said " to be dead to the law" which he explained in the high Antimonian sense; the clerk afterwards fung the following lines:

"The men that keep thy law with care,

And meditate thy word,

Grow wifer than their teachers are,

And better know the Lord!"

Mr. Baker's letters refpect his employment as a teacher of the deaf and dumb, and give fome account of the first experi

ments

ments on electricity, &c. &c. The remaining letters in this volume, from Mr. Weft, bishop Maddox, &c. are highly creditable to the piety and talents of their refpective writers.

Those written by Dr. Doddridge himself, as they chiefly relate to his purfuits, and the state of his mind under various occurrences, will be most valuable to fuch of his admirers as are refolved

To lofe no drop of that immortal man.'

Many of them, however, exhibit inftances of a small foible in his character, as Dr. Kippis delicately terms it, which was that of representing with too much parade the various employments and bufinefs wherein he was engaged.' We could blame him for another foible, perhaps the oppofite, that of brooding in a melancholy mood over the inutility of his life and labours. But it is not our province to criticise a character which has been fo long before the public. No man can say that Dr. Doddridge lived in vain; if he loft time in youth (which does not appear to have been the cafe), few men knew better how to redeem it; and, from the Letters before us, it appears that he died univerfally lamented.-This volume, we hope, will be ufeful in another refpect. It will fhew in what perfect peace, and pure friendship men of different churches and perfuafions, bifhops and diffenters, may live, if their minds are untinctured by faction, and their labours devoted to one grand object confcientiously pursued.

MONTHLY CATALOGUE.

SLAVE

TRADE.

Clarendon's accurate and copious Account of the Debates of the House of Commons on Mr. Wilberforce's Motion for an Abolition of the Slave Trade. 8vo. 6d. Cooke. 1792.

THIS very fingular debate, and its unexpected decifion, deferves

to be carefully recorded. The prefent account is felected from a periodical work called the Senator; and the accuracy of the report we have no reafon to impeach. It feems very nearly to coincide with the ufual diurnal records.

An Antidote to popular Frenzy, particularly to the prefent Rage for the Abolition of the Slave Trade; with a View to the probable Confequences, both prefent and remote. By J. Scattergood, Merchant. 8vo. 6d. Gardner. 1792.

A history of different popular manias; with the frequently repeated arguments against the abolition of the flave-trade. It comes too late; treafon has done its work.

Thoughts