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was not worth copying, denominated a modern sect "Deists calling themselves Unitarians :" but this calumny will never pass current for argument; on the contrary it is bad policy to have recourse to it; because the public will be inclined to believe that no sect would condescend to persecute or even to abuse another, if a triumph over it could be obrained in the field of reason and sound logic. We give this hint to prevent all parties from calling names, when they ought to employ persuasion. The age is awake to this stale trick; it recoils on those who use it; and the party abused glory in it as a demonstration of their strength and importance.

Let us now attend Mr. P. through the leading subjects of this volume. On the first, intitled Augustus Casar and the Wise Men, the doctrine of which is that Augustus Cæsar was an instrument in the hand of Providence for ushering in "the Prince of Peace," we make no remark: but we must observe relative to the second, on The Unknown God, that the preacher sports a lucubration,' a mere "Midsummer Night's Dream," to his Cornish hearers, in the place of authentic Scripture-truth; since he tells them that Socrates, the Grecian sage, before he suffered, erected the very altar noticed by St. Paul,' he should have added, in order to interest them in the fiction, that this altar was afterward brought into Britain, and is noticed by Dr. Borlase in his Antiquities of Cornwall! Equally hypothetical is the suggestion in the 4th sermon, that Joseph of Arimathea is the same person with the young rich man in the Gospel who came to Christ. -The sermons which profess to exhibit incidental proofs of our Saviour's Divinity do not sufficiently discriminate between proofs of a divine mission, and characters of Divinity but let not Mr. P. suppose that we mean to attack his orthodoxy. His practical discourses, nevertheless, are more consonant to our taste than those which are doctrinal; and though we cannot subscribe to all that he advances in them, we are often pleased. His manner is peculiar, and generally striking. Sermon 13th, on the coming of Christ's Kingdom, he gives as specimen of what he calls his preachment, or of his ordinary mode of preaching; and we suppose that others also rank in this class. In another discourse, on the universality of the Christian religion, he endeavours to shew its fitness for this purpose:

If we consider its doctrines as they respect the conduct, no one will doubt of their practicability in every climate, and under every circumstance. They interfere not with political concerns; they nei ther prescribe a form nor oppose themselves to any form of government, but enforce a general obedience to the higher powers. Whilst they contribute to the well-being of the individual, by refining his

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reason, and improving his nature, they evidently promote the publie good. They teach us not only philanthropy, but an unlimited benevolence and, to encourage us in the exertion of it, propose the divine goodness as the object of our imitation. In short, "whatsoever things are true-whatsoever things are just whatsoever things are decent-whatsoever things are pure-whatsoever things are lovely -whatsoever things are of good report"- these things Christianity enjoins us to regard and to practise.'

How far he is justified in representing the idea of a Providence as instinctive, (see sermon 14.) we shall refer to his own reconsideration of the subject: but we do not object to his calling the Bible the history of a particular providence.' Mr. Polwhele seems partial to instinctive feelings: and hence, in the 15th sermon, on the Public Worship of God, he remarks that we feel instinctively the force of social worship.' Professing to come home to the exact cases of his parishioners, he penetrates the motives of those who frequent as well as of those who for sake the house of God; and the reasons for not going to church are thus examined;

With people of this description, and others who would resent, perhaps, the charge of wilful negligence, a very trivial accident is cause enough for absence. At one time, their attendance is prevented from a doubt, when or where the service will be performed (though a message to the minister would have soon removed the doubt;) at another, from the rising of a dark cloud at the hour of prayer; at a third, from an indisposition to appear in public; a sort of fastidiousness, it seems, to be soothed only in privacy. But I can hardly conceive, that they whose delicacy shrinks into itself, too sensitive for observation, possess the genuine feelings of the Christian. Sensibility and affectation have a very different origin: And they, who are ashamed to pray in public, very seldom, I suspect, repeat their prayers in private. We thank not such characters for their visits. And, to their own minds, their irregular attendance can create only dissatisfaction, from the consciousness of inconsistency, and from their indifference to the church-forms and ceremonies, and consequently from the experience of a long and tedious service ;-to say nothing of the admonitions and censures which frequently occur in sermons, and which the neglecters of the sabbath will be prompt enough in applying to themselves, not with the disposition of patient hearers, not with the humility or self-abasement of Christians, but with the feelings of wounded pride, malevolence and revenge.

In the mean time, curiosity carries many to the church, who have rarely been seen within its wails. The report of a celebrated preacher has a strong effect on heedless minds. I never knew a strange clergyman preferred to the regular pastor, simply for edification. It is not the doctrine it is the novelty of elocution that decides the choice. But curiosity hath no sort of predilection for churches, To-day, it has led you hither: To-morrow, it will hurry you to the conventicle. At the latter, you will meet with high gratification;

tification; while folly and ignorance presume to explain texts, which wisdom and learning would deem incomprehensible, and at an awful distance revere.

From the same motive, I once witnessed the appearance of persons at church, for the first time I believe in the course of their lives. They had habitually neglected and mis-spent the sabbath. Yet a few musical instruments led them thither: when the novelty was over they disappeared. I doubt not, such persons would shrink with horror from the idea of the exclusion of their bodies from the church after death. But I scarcely think that a clergyman would perform his duty too rigorously by shutting the church-door against the corpse of him, who in his life-time had never entered it.'

What could induce the author to print the last sentence of this extract? Would he advise clergymen to exceed their duty, and wreck their vengeance on a heretic's lifeless corpse? Had Mr. P. forgotten his sermon on Christian prudence? The good church-goer is thus described:

With respect to the church, he has no wish to have its rites or its ordinances submitted to his own convenience, but leaves all to the regulation of his spiritual guide, whom he treats not as his minister, but reveres as the minister of God.

Particular cautions and instructions to the frequenters of public worship are given at the end of the discourse, in which this rule is laid down: To your minister absolving you from your offences, look up with reverence as to an ambassador from God.'-Fearful, however, that he had not sufficiently magnified his office by this demand of reverence during divine worship, Mr. P. hints in a note at the decorous behaviour of some congregations before the service: At the entrance of the clergyman and his family, the congregation, before decently seated, all rise, (just as in borough-towns, at the entrance of the mayor and corporation) and stand in a respectful attitude, till the minister is settled in his pew.'- After this, can Mr. Polwhele say with his divine master, " I seek not honour from men ?" If he be not a high churchman, it is evident that he can have no objection to be high in the church; and if he practises the lessons which. he gives to the clergy in the last two sermons of this volume, he is intitled to rank above most of his brethren.

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ART. VIII. The Truth and Consistency of Divine Revelation, with some Remarks on the contrary Extremes of Infidelity and Enthu siasm, in Eight Discourses delivered before the University of Oxford, at St. Mary's, in the Year 1811, at the Lecture founded by the late Rev. John Bampton, Canon of Salisbury. By John Bidlake, D.D. of Christ Church, Oxford, &c. 8vo. pp. 250. 63. Boards. Murray. 1811.

FROM the commencement of the Bampton-Lecture to the preaching of the series of discourses now offered to us, thirtyone volumes of Bamptonian sermons have issued from the press; and it may be justly presumed that the subjects specified by the founder are so far exhausted, that little novelty can be expected in future discussions. Dr. Bidlake's compositions are very fair specimens of pulpit oratory, but exhibit nothing of that prominent mérit in originality or in argument which can intitle them to any detailed notice from us. He traverses ground often traversed before, and has urged nothing against either infidels or fanatics in which he has not been anticipated. This observation we do not offer as a censure on the lecturer, but as an apology for dismissing his volume with more brevity of criticism than sermons of this class have usually obtained.

Dr. B. proposes to shew, that the evidences of revealed religion are capable of a very high degree of demonstration; that the scheme of divine revelation is grand, comprehensive, consistent, and harmonious in its general design; agreeable to the attributes of the Deity, and to the analogies of his economy in his natural and moral world. In the course of this plan, occasion will be taken to answer some charges of inconsistence, which are urged against the clergy, by the two opposite characters of unbelievers and fanatics.' This is the preacher's general plan; and in the subdivision of his undertaking he first endeavours to depict the character of Infidelity: he next ingeniously vindicates the doctrine of a particular Providence, and the perpetual agency of a First Cause: hence he passes to a desultory view of the Mosaic and Christian Dispensations, erroneously observing in his account of the sacrifices under the former that the law of Moses required only the blood of the lamb;' (p. 89.) and in the next page he adduces the building of the ark as a proof that the Jews were not without skill in the arts.' To these discourses is subjoined a lecture on Miracles and Prophecy as striking evidences of Christianity; and then in conclusion Dr. B. inveighs against the errors of Fanaticism, and vindicates some of the Articles of the Established Church against the misrepresentations of mistaken zeal.' Though in his head-title to these sermons, the Doctor specifices Enthu

siasm as a grand object of his attack, at p. 159. he sings the praise of Enthusiasm as a laudable ardour, friendly to virtue, dignified, sentimental, and generous,' contrasting it with Fanaticism, which is the real object of his pointed animadversions but we very much suspect that Fanatics will not be brought to reasonable terms by being charged with gloominess and spiritual pride, any more than Infidels will be converted to the faith by being accused of arrogance and the affectation of superiority in assuming the solemnity of doubt.'

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When Dr. B. proceeds to comment on Article xvii. on Predestination and Election, we cannot think that he is correct in saying that no allusion is made to any determinate number of persons.' "A choice made out of mankind, in the divine decrees, before the foundation of the world," must signify per sons chosen; the phrase means, as far as words can mean any thing, some taken, and some left. It is very true, as the lecturer next remarks, that there is no mention of Reprobation,' and by this fortunate omission the Church just avoided the gloomy rock of Calvinism: but the article respecting Election is so worded, that the non-elect are removed only a hair's breadth from Reprobation; for how thin is the partition between divine dereliction and absolute reprobation, if man in his natural state be incapable of thinking or doing any good thing? It is well observed by Dr. B. that it was contrary to the intention of our blessed Lord, that men should enter on subtle disquisitions on the divine counsels;' and had the framers of the articles not speculated on the eternal purposes of God, they would have saved the Church much fruitless and perplexing controversy. In treating on the article respecting what is termed Original Sin, Dr. B. does not discriminate between a corrup tion or deterioration of nature, and the transmission of guilt; the former is agreeable to analogy, the latter is absolutely impossible. Perhaps he is indiscreet in contending so warmly for the correct wording of the Articles; since he must be sensible that, were they to be revised by the present episcopal bench, assisted by the most learned of the clergy, they would probably undergo considerable alterations for the better. Though Dr.Bidlake declaims against fanatical preachers, he seems to be ignorant of one of the chief causes of their success; otherwise he would not have dissuaded the clergy from extemporaneous preaching, as conducive to the degradation rather than to the improvement of the mind.' In the senate, and at the bar, what is the character of our oratory? Reading is not eloquence; and unless our clergy will practise extemporaneous preaching, or at least preaching without reading, they must submit to the mortification of seeing crowds go to Methodistic chapels.

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