fined a thousand pounds to the king :-That his fentence fhall be seen to be executed by the sheriffs of London and Middlesex, and that the former committee shall draw a warrant to this purpofe, which fhall be fubfcribed by the speaker.'

Before this fentence, however, was executed, the king fent down to the houfe a roll of parliament of the first of Henry IV. by which it appeared, that unless the king gave them special authority, the commons had no right of judgment. This ftartled the house, especially thofe members who were lawyers, and who had been strenuous advocates for the judiciary power of the commons: at laft, even Sir Edward Cooke feemed to admit that the commons can judge in no cafes but in offences committed by their own members, or against their privileges. The lords, however, having taken the matter to themfelves, inflicted a still heavier penalty upon the delinquent, viz. "That he fhall be degraded from his gentility, ride on Monday next from the Fleet to Cheapfide on horseback without a faddle, with his face to the horse's tail and the tail in his hand, and there to ftand two hours in the pillory, and then to be there branded in the forehead with the letter K :-That on Friday following he fhall ride from the 'forefaid place in the fame manner to Westminster, and there ftand two hours more in the pillory, with words in a paper in his hat shewing his offence: -To pay for a fine to the king the fum of five thousand pounds, and to be a prifoner in Newgate during his life."

The two houfes, however, proceeded upon very different principles. The lords punished the offence against the king's daughter and her husband, and the commons the disrespect which the delinquent had expreffed against the elector palatine's right to be king of Bohemia, a title which they knew James abhorred in his heart.

Our plan will not admit of our giving any farther extracts from this curious publication, which we think it almost needlefs to obferve, deferves a place in every collection, printed or unprinted, of parliamentary records.

II. Sermons by F. Webb. In Two Vols. Small 8-vo. Pr. 6s. Baldwin.

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O fpecies of compofition requires a greater delicacy of taste and judgment, than difcourfes intended for the pulpit. The Chriftian orator fhould exprefs himself with grace and dignity. His fubject ought to be interefting, his method clear, his fentimentsjuft, his terms pure, and his language eafy, natural, and majestic. No

thing can be more abfurd than to debase the sublime topics of religion by trivial thoughts and a vulgar ftile. On the other hand, it is equally faulty to foar into the upper regions, beyond the reach of a common capacity. The former kind of writing may be compared to a filthy torrent, which defiles the herbage over which it flows; the latter to a cloud, which flies over the ground that requires its moisture: true eloquence, to ufe a fcripture allufion, is like the dew of Hermon defcending on the bill of Sion.

The author of thefe difcourfes poffeffes a warm imagination, and expreffes his ideas with perfpicuity and fpirit. But his diction has an air of constraint; every period feems to be meafured; and his fentences are loaded with epithets. The following paffage feems to be fitter for a poetical defcription than a fermon. Formed different from the beats of the field, man walks erect, has an open expreffive countenance: his eye takes in the extensive profpect of nature; he views with pleafure the verdant field, the falling valley, the rifing hill, the pointed promontory, the fpacious ocean, and the barren defart.' Again Man is not only enabled to furvey the fpacious theatre on which he is placed, but he can exalt his views and raise his wondering eyes to the infinitely expanded heavens. He there, with unspeakable delight, plunges his aftonished fight into the immenfity of nature, views not only the fun refulgent in his glory, but all the starry host marshalled in orderly array by the Omnipotent, whofe glory the heavens declare, and whofe bandy-work the firmament fheweth.' In an address to the young, he fays, Yours is the time of pleasure, but remember it is on its rapid wing. The flowery path of joy invites your hafty feet incautious where they tread; the rofes of delight court your finifhed fenfes, and their gay appearance prevents your difcerning the dangerous thorns that befet them; nor dream you of the invenomed fting of the ferpent remorfe, that lurks beneath their luxuriant growth, &c.' In this manner the author has crowded his fentences with a multitude of words, which tire the reader, or, in the language of Horace, lafas onerantibus aures.

If the reader fhould have no diflike to this poetical stile, he will meet with entertainment in these discourses.

In the first the author confiders the nature, being, make, and end of man, and the difpenfations of God refpecting the human race; from thence he infers the defign of God in the creation of man, and the duties of man to his Creator.

In the fecond he confiders the ftate of man in this world, and endeavours to vindicate the juftice of God, and reconcile us to the station in which Infinite Wisdom has placed • If we were to meet with no trials, where, fays he, would

would be our fortitude -if no temptation, where our virtue ?-if no afflictions, where our refignation ?-if no difappointments in our worldly pleafures, what would become of our attention to heavenly realities ?—If riches and the pleasures of this world did not decay, where would be our defires of a treafure that waxeth not old, eternal in the heavens ?-If we were to meet with no ill treatment from others, how would the godlike difpofition of forgivenefs be formed?-If we found no difficulties, how could we fhew our patience ?-If here were no toil, fhould we long for eternal reft that remains for the people of God?'

In this manner the author juftly displays the use and propriety of all providential difpenfations, and fhews that apparent evil may be productive of real good.

In the third difcourfe he makes fome ufeful remarks on the Chriftian courfe; in the fourth he fhews that we can have no fecurity against greater, if we have yielded to lefs temptations; in the fifth he points out the nature and reasonableness of difinterested and univerfal charity, and recommends to the compaffion of the opulent the poor widow and the indigent man of merit, in a pathetical manner. In the fixth he confiders the nature and authority of conscience, and describes the character of one who is approved, and that of another who is condemned by the atteftation of his own confcience.

In the feventh he confiders the ftory of Naaman, and from thence proceeds to fhew the neceffity of attending to the proper means of virtue and religion; and the dangerous tendency of fubftituting rites and ceremonies, or any thing elfe in the room of true religion; and the vanity of expecting that great and fignal deliverances will be wrought for us, which the providence of God neither vindicates nor fupports. In the eighth he deduces feveral obfervations from the condut of the keeper of the prifon converted by Paul and Silas; and in the ninth, he shews the nature, importance, and effects, of an acquaintance with God.

The author's intention in the tenth difcourfe is, to bring into one point of view all the great and interefting events, that lead to the illuftration of the divinity, greatnefs, and glory of Jefus Chrift, in proof of the wifdom of God in the difpenfations of his providence, and the authority and divine original of our holy religion.'

In the eleventh he endeavours to afcertain the true meaning of the word mystery, and explain what we are to understand by God being manifeft in the ff.

There has not, he obferves, been any word (except orthedoxy) that has been fo much mifunderstood, and confe

quently

quently fo mifapplied, as the word Mystery: for it has generally been fuppofed to fignify fomething incomprehenfible. When once this doctrine was established, it was but applying the word to any part of religion, and it at once prevented all enquiry, cut fhort every difpute, and folved every difficulty. The church of Rome has ever found this one of its best expedients to keep the people in ignorance, and establish them in error. But if the gofpel be fairly, and impartially examined, it will be found to contain nothing that will countenance fuch abfurdities as thefe. It would be altogether unreasonable to talk of revealing a mystery, if the thing in itself were totally inexplicable; and yet myfteries in the fcriptures are fuppofed capable, not only of being comprehended, but fully underflood. Our Lord himself tells his difciples, that to them it was given to know the mystery of the kingdom of heaven. St. Paul makes mention of his own knowledge of the mystery of God; and thinks it no impoffible thing, to make known the mystery of the Gospel to others: nay, the apoftle ufes the expreflion as for the whole bufinefs of his apostleship, when, in his epiftle to the Coloffians, he says,Whereof I am made a minifter according to the dispensation of God, which is given to me, for you to fulfil the word of God: even the myftery which hath been hid from ages, and from generations, but now is made manifeft to the faints: to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is, Chrift in you, the hope of glory: whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may prefent every man perfect in Jefus Chrift: whereunto I alf labour, friving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily. So alfo, in his afcription of praife to the only wife God, in the close of his epistle to the Romans, he thus expreffes himfelf-Now to him that is of power to establish you according to my Gofpel, and the preaching of Jefus Chrift, according to the revelation of the mystery which was kept fecret fince the world began, but now is made manifeft, and by the fcriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nȧtions, for the obedience of the faith, be glory, &c. Without reciting any other paffages wherein the word is to be found thus understood and interpreted (all of which the text juft quoted will fufficiently explain) it is obvious to remark, that the Myftery here spoken of, is certainly the Gospel itself-and while it was hid for ages and generations, could not poffibly be known or explained: and thus far, and no farther, did the mystery reach for when it was made known to the faints, it was publifhed with convincing power and teftimony, fupported by an authority evidently divine, containing nothing mysteriously unintelligible, unless the most manifeft difplays of the perfections

of

of God, and the plaineft directions to man in the way of duty, and affurance of falvation, can fo be esteemed.

Subftitute only what the apoftle fays, was kept Secret, instead of mystery, and the argument will appear extremely easy-for who is there but perceives, that the effence of a fecret confifts in its not being disclosed; or that when the fecret is revealed, it ceases to be fuch? and in a fimilar fenfe, and no other, can the Gospel be called a inystery; which, by the apostle's arguments, plainly appears; by which we are to understand, the privileges and doctrines of the Gospel, and the method taken to reveal these to mankind, to be the mystery so often, and variously spoken of in the facred writings.

As a divine revelation muft neceffarily fuppofe the neceffity of mankind being better inftructed and informed, it is reafonable to suppose, that it fhould disclose things of which they were before entirely ignorant, and make farther discoveries of thofe things which were either imperfectly understood, or faintly believed. Now these things, before they were made known, could not by their very nature be comprehended: but as foon as they were revealed, they ceafed to be fecrets or mysteries, and became the objects of men's reafon, comprehenfion, and faith.'

This is certainly a rational explanation of the word mystery. But it is objected, that there are things above our comprehenfion, which yet we firmly believe; that we cannot explain the nature and perfection of God, and yet we believe thefe exift. Mr. Webb replies, there is an effential difference in believing that a being does exift incomprehenfibly great, and believing any thing incomprehenfible, for no better reafon, but becaufe it is fo.

The reality of God's existence, and the reality of his perfections, are objects of belief, not the mode of the existence of God, or the manner in which he poffeffes thefe excellencies of

nature.

God, he thinks, may be properly said to be manifested in the ff, because in confequence of the incarnation of Christ, each attribute of the divine nature is most confpicuously displayed.

Sir Ifaac Newton endeavoured to prove that the text in which these words occur, is corrupted. The orthodox will gain no advantage by Mr. Webb's explication.

The propriety of the humble ftate in which the Meffiah appeared, is examined in the twelfth difcourfe; the hope and falvation of true Chriftians is confidered in the thirteenth; indifference in religion is the subject of the fourteenth; and in the fifteenth, the duties of public worship are recommended as the moft effectual means of promoting virtue and religion.