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of hope, and the motive to obedience. Having thus explained the apostle's determination, he vindicates it on these grounds;-because the doctrine of the cross, thus explained, contained all he was commissioned to declare, because it contained all that was conducive to the happiness of man, and because nothing could be added to it without weakening or destroying its efficacy.

There are several passages in this lucid and judicious discourse, which we should gladly quote. The following, in particular, deserve attention.

• We mean not to justify any persons whatever in using unnecessary terms of distinction, more especially if it be with a view to depreciate others, and to aggrandize themselves: but still the distinctions which are made in Scripture must be made by us; else for what end has God himself made them? Now it cannot be denied that the Apostle characterizes the great subject of his ministry as the gospel; nor can it be denied that he complains of some teachers in the Galatian church as introducing another gospel, which was not the true gospel, but a perversion of it. Here then he lays down the distinction between doctrines which are truly evangelical, and others which have no just title to that name. Of course wherever the same difference exists between the doctrines maintained, the same terms must be proper to distinguish them; and a just view of those distinctions is necessary in order to our being guarded against error, and established in the truth.'

• We do not mean to say, that there are not different degrees of clearness in the views and ministry of different persons, or that none are accepted of God or useful in the Church, unless they come up to such a precise standard: Nor do we confine the term Evangelical to those who lean to this or that particular system, as some are apt to imagine; but this we say, that, in proportion as any persons, in their spirit and in their preaching, accord with the example in the text, they are properly denominated evangelical; and that, in proportion as they recede from this pattern, their claim to this title is dubious or void.'

'Now then we ask, What is there in this which every Minister ought not to preach, and every Christian to feel? Is there any thing in this enthusiastic? any thing Sectarian? any thing uncharitable? any thing worthy of reproach? Is the Apostle's example in the text so absurd, as to make an imitation of him blame-worthy, and a conformity to him contemptible? Or, if a scoffing and ungodly world will make the glorying in the cross of Christ a subject of reproach, ought any who are reproached by them to abandon the gospel for fear of being called evangelical? Ought they not rather, like the Apostles, "to rejoice that they are counted worthy to suffer shame," if shame it be, for Christ's sake? The fact is indisputable, that the Apostle's commission was to preach Christ crucified; to preach, I say, that chiefly, that constantly, that exclusively: and therefore he was justified in his determination to "know nothing else:" consequently, to adopt that same resolution is our wisdom also, whether it be in reference to our own salvation, or to the subject of our ministrations in the church of God.' pp. 14-18.

Art. XVI. The Village Pedagogue, a poem, and other Pieces, together with a Walk from Newcastle to Keswick. By a Country Schoolmaster. 12mo. pp. 100. Preston and Heaton, Newcastle,

1810.

ONE word, but we must fetch it from France, will very aptly express

the character of these miscellanies-naiveté- The author discovers so much honest simplicity in all he says, so much earnestness on trifling themes, and so little effort on grave ones, that the reader is drawn forward with a constant smile on his countenance. We cannot express the good will we felt on laying down this little book more strongly, than by saying, that, if we could exchange our hoary locks for the curls of infancy, our author is the very first person we should pitch upon for a pedagogue.'

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The principal poem in this collection is not composed on a very perspicuous plan, but is partly didactic, and partly auto-biographical, just as best suits the the author's purpose. There are several passages we should like to amuse our readers with. Perhaps the following will bear extracting as well as any.

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Perhaps to thee the Squire may have consign'd
His fav'rite grandson, with the strictest charge,
"On no account correct my darling boy."
All fear of chastisement thus done away,
Behold this sprig of quality, in lieu
Of conning o'er with care his lesson brief,
At ev'ry window busily employ'd,
Domitian-like, in immolating wasps ?

Ere long, with young Domitian comes the Squire,
With brow contracted making long complaints,
"He cannot find his boy at all improv'd,

"A boy of his quick parts, 'tis wonderful indeed!"
Shouldst thou the truth reveal, how time was spent,
How deaf an ear he lent to thy reproofs,.
"The fault lies all with thee, nothing more clear:
"No easier task, than to keep boys in awe.
"And due subordination by a threat;
"At home his William is quite tractable,
"And quite sufficient is a word or nod."
No mention made of all the cherry tarts,
The currant-jelly, and the citron cake,
Which every hour are introduc'd to bribe
The imp to good behavior, and restrain
The pamper'd cockerel within, due bounds,
Thus situated, no resource is left,

Except the counsel of thy Reverend Friend,
Whose influence may possibly obtain,
That the young fav'rite may be given up
Wholly to thy discretionary power:

So shall the rapid progress of the boy

Secure to thee the grandfather's esteem,' pp. 11, 22.

We have already alluded to the great inequality of this writer's

compositions. Those who have taken measure of his poetical

ca

pabilities by the foregoing extract, will scarcely be prepared to encounter such a talent for description, as is evinced in the lines below.

• Bethink thee, at this solemn midnight hour,
When nought disturbs the silence, but the brook
That murmurs at thy feet, the distant sound
Of thund'ring cataract faintly heard,--
Or melancholy beat of swelling surge
Against the high and rocky coast, which braves
Atlantic billows, steady and unmov'd

As innocence itself, the screech owl's yell,—

--

The village mastiff barking at the moon, &c. p. 20.

We break off abruptly, because the conclusion of this exhortation to thoughtfulness very sensibly falls off; the poet proceeding to tell us with more diffuseness than felicity, how this sweet hour,

Is in the great metropolis employed.’

We shall conclude our notice of this publication with one more extract exhibiting, as we presume to think, considerable strength both of thought and diction, and highly commendable in point of sentiment. We find it in the midst of some rubbish on a lamb.'

• Ancient of Days! once cloth'd in flesh and blood, Revil'd, rejected, and despis'd of men;

He to the cruel smiters gave his back,

His cheeks to those who plucked off the hair,
Like a poor sheep before her shearers dumb,
A man of griefs, in fellowship with woe!
Now, constituted Judge of quick and dead,
Sole Treader of the wine-press, lo, He comes!
The Lion of the Tribe of Judah comes,
In garments red, to trample in his ire,
And pour a fiery deluge on his foes!
Ah! who can paint the terrors of his day?
Ah! who can stand before his chariot-wheels?
In vain shall mountains be invok'd to hide
The guilty head, the hills invoked in vain.
In that day Heav'n shall tremble like a leaf,
This rolling orb be moved from her place,
The sun be darken'd in his going forth,
The moon and stars divested of their light.

With thunder, earthquake, whirlwind, and with storm,
All the ungodly shall be smitten down,

Even as grass before the mower's scythe:

Death shall they seek, but death they shall not find!
Thrice happy they, who on their foreheads bear
The seal of the Omnipotent; whose robes
Are washed white in the REDEEMER's blood,
Who in triumphant strains exulting sing,
Where, where is now thy victory, O Grave?
Insatiate Archer, where is now thy sting" p. 43.

Art. XVII. A Sermon occasioned by the death of Mrs. Trimmer: preached at New Brentford, Middlesex. On Sunday, January 6, 1811. By the Rev Thomas Tunstall Haverfield, Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Oxford. 8vo. pp. 22. Price ls. 6d. Hatchard. 1811.

THE excellent person whose death gave occasion to this sermon, is

well known to the public by a series of useful compositions, designed chiefly for the instruction of young persons, and those in humble life. But it appears, also, that her character in private life was most exemplary-: that her habitual frame of mind was humble and pious, her manners cheerful and engaging; and that, like Doras, she was a "woman full of good works and alms deeds." Mr. Haverfield's text is Psalni cxii. 6. As a specimen of the style of this discourse we insert the following paraphrase.

The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance, every voice shall be exalted in their praise, every tongue shall pour forth its grateful tribute to their memory, every heart shall melt at the recollection of their virtue and benevolence; and although those voices must fail, those tongues be dumb, and those hearts cease to beat; yet there is a record wherein their merits are written, which never shall pass away, which shall one day be read before men and angels, when generations which are past, and which are as yet unborn, shall be told what were the lives of the righteous, and shall witness their glory and everlasting reward in heaven.'

In the preface, alluding to the manner of Mrs. T.'s death, Mr. Haverfield says, She was summoned from a world of trouble and sorrow, by one of the most gentle calls that ever was sent from heaven to a human being: while sitting in her chair, perusing the letters of a deceased friend, she sank as it were into a tranquil slumber, and so peaceful was her end, that the moment when the soul was separated from the body could not be exactly ascertained. This event, so happy, for herself, and so afflicting to all her friends, took place on Saturday, December 15, 1810.'

:

Art. XVIII. Carlton House Fete, or the Disappointed Bard in a Series of Elegies. To which is added Curiosity in Rags, an Elegy. By Peter Pindar, Esq. 4to. pp. 29. Price 2s. 6d. Walker. 1811. A Stupid and disgusting catchpenny. The bard calls himself, "dis appointed;' and so we dare say he will be, in good earnest, when he comes to settle accounts with his publisher.

Art. XIX. Dunkeld: the Prodigal Son: and other Poems, including Translations from the Gaelic. By Petrus Ardilensis, 12mo. pp. 186. Price 6s. boards. Baldwin, 1811.

DUNKELD is a descriptive poem, composed in a measure not very unlike Grongar Hill, in which Petrus Ardilensis, taking his station on the classic ground of Birnam, celebrates, with due enthusiasm, the various beauties of the valley which gives name to his performance. The Prodigal Son' is an attempt, not the wisest in the world, to graft a fictitious story on the Scripture parable. The prodigal is seduced by the artifices of a discarded menial, and, after some

preliminary adventures, is taken prisoner by a foraging party of Arabs, till he is at length rescued by the friendly interference of a Simoom, &c. How much the effect of the parable is improved by this treatment of it, we need not say. Of the remaining poems the most considerable are two fables and three translations from the Gaelic. The volume on the whole is respectably written, but stands a better chance, we think, of being perused by the author's friends than by the public.

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Art. XX. A plain Statement of some of the most important Principles of
Religion as a Preservative against Infidelity, Enthusiasm, and Immorality.
By the Rev. Thomas Watson. 8vo. pp. viii. 168. Price 6s. boards.
Longman and Co.
1811.

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HAD Mr. Watson attended to that important part of self-knowledge which consists in making a right estimate of our own abilities, we should never have seen this plain statement'. His former works, notwithstanding many obvious deficiencies which led us to suspect the nature of his creed, contain much useful information on subjects of general interest to the friends of revelation; and if he had published only his Popular Evidences' and his. Intimations,' he might have left the word in tolerable credit, and ranked with the useful, if not with the profound advocates of Christianity. We find him shrewd and sensible enough, in his attempts to prove the existence of a God-to unfold and illustrate his essential perfections-and to enforce the general principles of virtue and religion. But he has ruined his fame by venturing among polemics: as soon as the minuter points of controversial theology come before him, he betrays as much ignorance, want of discrimination, and propensity to declaim with virulence against fanaticism, as ever appeared in primary charge, or a visitation sermon.

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Mr. Watson is particularly anxious to promote the interests of morality. He thinks that in every age there appears to have been a conspiracy against the moral duties of the gospel; and those who are in the conspiracy in the present day are, according to him, the Methodists who substitute inward feelings for religion,' and the Calvinists, who discard all reliance on the merit of good works!' "Of all cants, the cant of the hypocrite is the worst." And what is it but arrant hypocrisy in this man, to represent himself as the only rational advocate of morality, and those whom he denounces as conspirators against it; when he must know, that the most active, self-denying, benevolent, upright, useful members of society, are amongst the very people whom he calumniates ? We are told that those who recommend the divine virtues are held up as the worst heretics.' We ask, where is this sect to be found? Surely all parties recommend the divine virtues ;'-though there are some who do more than recommend them; who practice them, and teach others the effectual method of practising them too, by adducing as motives, the very principles condemned and misunderstood by Mr. Watson. He often tells us, that a good life is every thing;' though we are reminded in one place that a firm belief of the great truths of religion is the best foundation of a good life'-a sentiment which we firmly maintain, and which, if consistently regarded, might have saved Mr. W the trouble of much unmeaning and contradictory assertion. Because it is VOL VII. 4 G

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