Since Louis d' Ors run current round, Art. 14. A Nofegay and a Simile for the Reviewers; a Lyric f Whimsical banter, in the ftile of the two ftrange kind of Lyric Epiftles (and, we fuppofe, by the fame Author) mentioned in the Review for May laft, page 437. The Writer is a merry Wag, and mingles fo much good humour with his anger, that, we imagine, no body can be difpleafed with his prefent of a Nofegay, altho' it only confifts of a bunch of Nettles.- N. B. It does not feem to have been intended for the Monthly Reviewers; fo that they have nothing to thank him for. RELIGIOUS and CONTROVERSIAL. Art. 15. A Letter to the Rev. Mr. B―n, an eminent Diffenting Minifter in Norwich; occafioned by the Perufal of two Volumes of Difcourfes* which he lately published. By a Believer in God and a Future State. 8vo. 6d. Wilkie. The defign of this Epiftle, the Author tells us, is to fhew, that he cannot receive Chriftianity upon Mr. B-n's terms. He acknowleges his belief in one God, an impartial future judgment, and a future fate; but confeffes, that he is no Believer in Chriftianity, to the morality of which, however, he has no objection. He charges Mr. B-n with affirming, that the Chriftian religion is only a difcovery of a future ftate of exiftence, and of a judgment which is to be exercifed towards men by Chrift Jefus; which cannot be defended, he thinks, without treating the New Teftament with a partiality and violence no true Chriftian can fupport. Nothing, he reprefents, could have influenced Mr. B-n to have confined the term Gospel to a future ftate, and judgment by Christ, contrary to its general acceptation with the Writers of the New Teftament, and the univerfal fenfe of the Defenders of the Chriftian fyftem, but an unjustifiable fondness for fingularity, or a confciousness of its being a hard task to defend the whole of the religion of Jefus. He endeavours to fhew, that the doctrine of atonement, of the corruption of human nature, of the influences of the Spirit, &c. are doctrines of Chriftianity, and concludes his Epiftle in the following manner. Thus have I given you some specimens of the doctrines of the Gofpel, that are evidently deducible from it, if you will take it in its eafy and natural interpretation. Thefe, with many others I might For an account of thefe excellent Difcourfes, fee Review, vol. XXII. p. 14. 87 ⚫ have produced, you have omitted in your late performance. As you appear to be a man of great frankness, boldness, and integrity, you will not diflike to be reprefented as you really are. Now, Sir, I fhall not point out the abfurdity of these doctrines, • because you will acknowlege it too notorious to men of enlarged thought. It is your business then, if you think it worth your attention, and are able, to fhew me and others-That the books of the New Teftament do not contain thefe doctrines, by true criticism, ⚫ and pertinent interpretations, otherwife I continue to reject Chriftianity upon your terms. I fubmit what is here proposed to you with great plainness, unto every impartial perfon who may give this pamphlet a perufal. Let ⚫ them compare it with the Gospel in any language, and judge whe<ther I have given it any forced interpretations, or treated it with ri ⚫dicule, as fome of my brethren have done. If in my animadverfions upon your performance, there are any expreffions too fevere or contemptuous, and below a Gentleman ⚫ and Scholar, you will be pleased to obferve, they are every one ⚫ borrowed from your own writings. I use them with the fame authority you do. It is lawful to fight a man with his own weapons. A perfon ge'nerally fees his own faults beft in another. You may affure yourfelf, that what I have written concerning the fenfe of the Scripture, is not taken from any Creeds, Confeflions, Catechifms, or Systems, to maintain the intereft of a party, but what has been fuggefted, as far as I can judge, by the most apparent and easy fenfe of the Gofpel. If it does not contain thefe doctrines, I could affirm, I think upon a death-bed, that it must be all an inexplicable riddle, never intended for the common ufe of mankind, and unintelligible to all, but the moft accomplished Scholars, And, indeed, liable to be moft wretchedly abufed too, by far the greater part of thefe, as the history of the Church will < demonftrate. But if this be the character of a Revelation from Heaven, I am dreadfully mistaken: or if this be the doctrine of Infpiration, you must allow me the liberty of rejecting it. • Permit me to add, I cannot poffibly conceive how you can preach • Chriftian morality from Chriftian principles, if you reject these tenets. Because it is inconteftibly evident to me, that the New • Testament Writers fetched moft of their arguments to inforce it, ⚫ from the redemption of Chrift, and excited men to action with ab'folute promises of affiftance from the influences of the Spirit. I take my leave of you, by heartily wishing you fafe to the heavenly state, where I hope you will meet with a fincere worshipper ' of the great God, and a believer of a future ftate.' Art. 16. A Sketch of Moral Philofophy; or an Effay to demonftrate the Principles of Virtue and Religion upon a new, natural, and eafy Plan. By John Taylor, late of Norwich. 8vo. Is. Waugh. This Sketch, we are told in the preface, was originally defigned for young Students, as an introduction to the reading of Wolfton's Religion Religion of Nature delineated, and is now publifhed chiefly for their ufe-The Author's principal defign in it is, to establish and explain the principles relating to the foundation, or primary reason, of Vir Now the primary reafon, or foundation of Virtue, we are told, is that principle, which being fuppofed, Virtue, or action morally right, neceffarily refults; and which being taken away, there remains no ground, nor reason for Virtue. This principle, according to the Doctor, fhould have the following properties. It thould be fo demonftrative, as to lay the mind under the fame force of evidence as any demonftrated propofition in Euclid. 2. It fhould be an univerfal principle, at all times, and in all places, to all moral Agents invariably the fame; otherwife Virtue will be uncertain and precarious. 3. It should be perfectly confiftent with liberty or freedom of choice. Otherwife it will, in its own nature, be destructive of Virtue or Morality.-The Sketch now before us is an Effay towards reprefenting the foundation of Morality in a manner agreeable to thofe properties. As the Doctor proceeds in an analytical method, by Definitions, Axioms, Corollaries, Propofitions, &c. it is impoffible to give our Readers a regular abftract of what he has advanced. We fhall content ourfelves therefore, with referring those who are fond of fuch enquiries to the work itself, which is written with judgment and accuracy; fhews that the Author has thought much upon his fubject, and may be of great fervice to young Students, for whofe ufe it is principally intended, as it will naturally lead them to purfue their enquiries into moral subjects, in a more clear and diftinct method than is generally done. Art. 17. Tyburn Saints, doubtful Characters. A Letter infcribed to the Rev. Mr. John Stevens, occafioned by his Sermon on Ro bert Tilling, late Coachman to Samuel Lloyd, Efq; who was hanged at Tyburn, April 28, 1760. 8vo. 6d. Henderson. Contraverts Mr. Stevens's myftical notions of Christianity, and blames him for the improper ufe he made of his office, in attending He obferves, that upon the unhappy Fanatic above-mentioned. the religion of a Hottentot is every whit as good as Mr. Stevens's account of Chriftianity; and cautions him againft bringing reproach and scandal on the Cross of Chrift, by treating the doctrine of a crucified Jefus in a manner most difhonourable to God! thereWe are forry to see fo by rendering it a reafon of offence,' &c. much good fenfe expended to fo little purpose: for, talking reafonably to fuch men as this Mr. Stevens, is but cafting pearls beforethose who are utterly ignorant of their value. Art. 18. The Reafon, Defign, and End of the Sufferings of This Difcourfe, we doubt not, was honeftly defigned to conciliate the minds of Deifts to the Gospel-fcheme, but it does not feem to us to be fufficiently calculated to answer the end propofed by it. THE MONTHLY REVIEW, For AUGUST, 1760. Account of the prefent Unof the Ingenious in many Vol. LI. Part I. for the Philofophical Tranfa&tions, giving fome A GREEABLE to the method we have before taken, of specifying the feveral papers under different claffes, and which we intend to purfue in giving an account of the Philofophical Tranfactions, we shall arrange the articles contained in this volume, under the feveral heads to which their fubjects respectively appertain; beginning with the MATHEMATICAL. ART. 1. The greatest Effect of Engines with uniformly-accelerated Motions, confidered. By Francis Blake, Efq; F. R. S. Moft Writers on the Maximum, or the greatest effect in a given time, of Engines, fuppofe the working parts of the machine to retain their direction, and be uniformly moved, therein, as in the action of grinding; where the fums of the resistances and impulfes being brought to balance, the latter are juft fufficient to prevent a decay of motion in which cafe, the load of an engine, when the effect is a Maximum, and the force a current, is determined by computation to be four ninths of the weight which would cause the engine to reft. But, this problem being fuited only to an uniform ve locity both in the lever and obftacle, Mr. Blake has confiderVOL. XXIII. H ed ed in this paper, the cafe of an uniformly accelerated one in repeated vibrations; which is adapted to the Steam-engine, and is of no lefs importance than the other; determining that the load, to be raised for the greatest effect in the Steam-engine, will be just half of what is fufficient to balance the atmosphere. Art. 4. A new improved Silk Reel. By the Rev. Samuel Pullein, M. A. The great point in reeling Silk from the Cocoons, is to prevent, what is called in the Silk countries, the Vitrage, or the ticking together of the threads on the Reel; which, on account of the natural gum of the filk, foftened by the heat of the water out of which it is reeled, it is apt to do. To prevent this, feveral contrivances have been made in the Reel; all which, however, were defective. The advantages of Mr. Pullein's over thofe in ufe, are obvious; but, as it is impoffible for us to make his defign understood without plates, we refer the curious to the Transactions themselves, for a compleat account of this ingenious contrivance. Art. 13. A Letter from Edward Delaval, M. A. and Fellow of Pembroke Hall, Cambridge, to Mr. Benjamin Wilson, F. R. Š. containing fome Electrical Experiments and Obfervations. It is with pleasure that we fee a rational and philofophic theory of Electricity making its way into the world, by the help of a number of well-imagined, accurate, and properly digefted experiments. As we fhall have occafion, however, to take notice of this fubject again, in a fubfequent article, we fhall pafs over thefe experiments as tending to the fame purpofe. Art. 18. An Experimental Enquiry concerning the natural Powers of Water and Wind to turn Mills, and other Machines, depending on a circular Motion. By Mr. J. Smeaton, F. R. S. This very long paper is divided into three parts: The first treating of Under-fhot Water-wheels, and the relation betwe n then Powers and Effects; the whole illuftrated with Drawings of the Model by which the Experiments were nade; and rendered ufeful by Tables, adapted to a regular theory formed thereon. The fecond part treats in like manner, of Over-fhot Water wheds; and the third, of the Conftruction and Effects of Windmill-Sails. But it is impoffible for us to give here any |