thus ardently to promote every prudent and enlightened plan to diffuse the pure doctrines, and the moral influence of the Gospel of his Saviour! it is not merely their temporal advantages, but their eternal consequences, that he contemplates. It is not the present convenience of his brethren alone that he seeks, but their immortal felicity. The prosperity of his country, however dear, the honour of his church, however respected, the propagation of his peculiar creed, however revered, do not limit nor confine his benevolent designs. With an expanded heart and enlightened soul he can embrace the widest and the best interests of his kind. He looks with delight to the spiritual improvement and moral regeneration of men of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation. Confiding in the promises of God, and listening to the suggestions of charity, his soul exults in the prospect of the conversion of nations, and the salvation of a world."

The subject of this Sermon having a relation to one of the most important points of christian theology, has been the principal reason for our going so much farther back than we intended, in order to review it. We recommend it to the perusal of young Clergymen, as a pleasing exhibition of the design of Christianity, and as calculated to remind those who, with a becoming zeal, are endeavouring to enforce its neglect ed doctrines, to keep in view the great end of every doctrine, the restoration of failen man to the image of his Maker. He who estimates the importance of doctrines by their bearing on this grand end, will, like our author, give no man reason to charge him with being an abettor of a licentious system. His great moral object will be obvious in all his doctrinal discussions. On the most theoretical points there will be a practical tincture in his discourse, which will shew to discerning minds that he is aiming not to nourish or to gratify a spirit of theological speculation, but to ❝ turn men from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God."

We do not, however, think the Sermon without fault. In some places the istyle is turgid, and the reasoning wants logical precision. The frequent and illjudged recurrence of antithesis has also a very unpleasant effect. But, upon the whole, it certainly has great merit, and is calculated to answer a very useful purpose.

To the Sermon is added an Appendix, containing an interesting account

of the Society for propagating Christian Knowledge in the Highlands and Isl

ands of Scotland.

XXIV. A Call for Union among the Members of the Established Church, enforced by a Brief Review of the injurious Tendency of Controversies and Contentions among real Christians. Bristol, Bulgin; London, Matthews, 1802. pp. 16. Price 6d.

THE author of this short and well written tract pleads the cause of Christian unity with force and discrimination; and we sincerely wish that his peace. ful counsel may obtain a hearing. To the careful and candid consideration of all men engaged in religious controversy we recommend the following observations:

"Religious dissentions ought to be religiously conducted. Whatever be the character of our adversary, whether he be weak, ignorant, proud, peevish, or even insolent; we are still bound by the obligations of the Gospel to deal with him charitably. Surely, then, we ought not to quarrel, for accidental and trivial offence, than that of not seeing every thing differences, with those who give us no other with our eyes. If they follow the same guide with us, observe the same rule, and have the same end in view; let not our charity, which ought to be sufficient to cover a multitude of sins, prove too weak to bear with a few infirmities." (p. 5.)

After shewing, by an induction of particulars, the variety of evils which attend strife and contention in any community, whether civil or religious, he thus proceeds:

"Uncharitable contentions must also incur

the anger of the Almighty, inasmuch as they ness. They exhaust that zeal, consume that are bitter foes to the power and life of godlitime, and waste those talents which ought to be dedicated to far better purposes. They impel us to provoke one another, not to love and good works, but to enmity and every evil for the peace of our Jerusalem, many seem to work; and hence, instead of uniting in prayer vie with each other in introducing the distractions of Babel.

"I am aware of the objection, that we are required to contend for the truth, and that carnestly. The position is just; and assuredly,

when truth is at stake, lukewarmness is cowardice, and neutrality is treachery. Yet, let these two observations accompany and limit the concession: first, that it is not every truth, but only great and necessary truths which demand, or will always warrant, an earnest vindication; and, secondly, that the same lawgiver, who has required us to be earnest, has also commanded us to be gentle. All Chris

tian graces, like moral virtues, may consist together; and it can never be necessary to suspend one, in order to make room for the exercise of another. There is no more occasion that we should cease to be gentle when we wish to be resolute, than that a man should lose sight of the rules of economy when he begins to be generous.

Should any one suppose it possible, that by bitterness of contention some good purpose may perchance sometimes be effected; let him remember, that as "the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God," so neither can it accomplish the reformation of his creatures. It is a blind and crooked policy, which teaches us to attempt the cure of one fault in our neigh bour by committing another, and perhaps a greater ourselves; and we must be no ordinary adepts to the faculty of self-deception, if we can seriously persuade ourselves, that by in dulging against an antagonist the excesses of our passions, we are likely to correct the eccentricities of his opinions." (p. 9, 10.)

No one can have paid common attention to the general spirit and style of controversial divinity, without perceiving that the cause of Religion has been thereby deeply injured.

Nor from this censure do we mean to exempt the conduct even of all those who have zealously contended for the soundest doctrines. Not to mention more recent, and therefore more invidious instances, let any one take a superficial view of the volumes written about the year 1772, respecting the Calvinistic and Arminian controversy, and he will feel the full force of the following remarks, with which we shall close our extracts.

"In speaking of religious controversies, it is proper to distinguish, by an especial emphasis of censure, one fault, of which many who engage in them are notoriously guilty; I mean that of charging upon an adversary opinions, which he not only does not maintain, but disa

vows and abhors. Instances of this common vice of disputants might easily be referred to. The reader will perhaps recal some of them, in which Arminians have arbitrarily branded all Calvinists with the titles of Fatalists and Antinomians; while, on the other hand, some Calvinists have unjustly imputed to some of their Arminian adversaries a presumptuous opinion of human merit, and a total denial of the doctrines of divine grace. It may also be remembered, how frequently a decided prefe. rence of the Established Church has been stigmatized as bigotry by one party; while a liberal spirit of toleration is decried by another party as a species of latitudinarianism, which

indicates a latent attachment to the conventicle. Indeed, if we were to estimate the sentiments of certain writers, by the spirit which

characterizes the more animated periods of their compositions, we should be led to conclude that they considered it as a certain truth, that all who do not entirely coincide with themselves are at once destitute of understanding, heterodox in their faith, disloyal in their principles, and immoral in their practices.

"Another fault which prevails among controversialists, and which is not less disgraceful to those who are guilty of it, than injurious to those who suffer by it, consists in charging upon the principles of any set or party of men the errors of some few individuals who belong to it. This mode of arguing from particulars to generals is reconcilable neither to good logic, sound morality, nor genuine Christianity. It indicates a grossness of conception in the intellect, or a relaxation of principle in the heart, and must inevitably bring all those who adopt it, into the wretched dilemma of acknowledging either an unfortunate incapacity for discrimination, or a culpable disregard of integrity." (p. 12, 13.)

XXV-Sermons, on Evangelical and Practical Subjects; designed chiefly for the Use of Families. By SAMUEL LOWELL 8vo. pp. 396. 7s. 6d. Boards. Ogle, &c. 1801. THESE Sermons are sixteen in number; all of them on subjects of an useful kind, which Mr. Lowell has treated with great seriousness. We have much pleasure in adding, that the doctrines which they inculcate are sound and scriptural, and that they contain much solid and valuable instruction.

We conceive it our duty, however, while we acknowledge that the principles and tendency of these Sermons are excellent, to declare, that we cannot recommend them as good patterns of pulpit composition.

We were led by the title page to expect great plainness of manner in handling the momentous truths of Religion. The Sermons are offered to the public,

as

designed chiefly for the use of families." But we much doubt whether there are many families, to all of whom, and particularly to the servants, these discourses would be sufficiently intelligible. If only a few words above he level of their attainments had occurred, to notice them might have savoured more of fastidiousness than of sound criticism; but the Sermons throughout are written in a far too turgid style, and with far too little attention to simplicity of diction. Sometimes, indeed, an idea cannot be expressed by any familiar

term: the preacher therefore, from mere necessity, permits the difficult word to stand. But we apprehend that Mr. Lowell is not entitled to this apology for his frequent use of high-sounding terms.

Another objection to many of the Sermons is, that they are encumbered by too much extraneous matter. The discourse on the Parable of the Sower, is a striking instance of this fault. On a text affording so much room for reflection, the Preacher's care ought to have been, to free his Sermon from all irrelevant matter. But, as if the passage were steril of materials, Mr. Lowell, before he proceeds to the immediate subject of his text, introduces a variety of topics, such as, the labours of Christ as a teacher; the rationality of Christian instruction; the importance of Christian doctrine; the superiority of the teaching of Christ to that of any other instructer, &c.; which, though perhaps not absolutely irrelevant, have no immediate relation to his subject, are unnecessary to the main design, and serve only to distract attention.

Such a mode of procedure is productive of another very serious inconvenience, of which these Discourses afford several instances: it leaves no room for an application of sufficient length.

We infer from the principles which Mr. Lowell has avowed in these Discourses, that he will not be offended with the freedom of our remarks.

We can say with great truth, that we very reluctantly point out the faults of any work, in which the genuine principles of Christianity are maintain ed, as they are in these Sermons. And we can with equal truth declare, that our strictures would not have been carried so far, if we had not wished to take so fair an opportunity of guarding young Clergymen against the imitation of this author's manner. There is a sort of finery in his compositions, with which some are likely to be captivated, but which all must studiously avoid, who wish to be intelligible and impressive.

to the leading points of Christian doctrine, than has been afforded in this case. It ought not to satisfy a Preacher, that the doctrines of the Gospel are actually to be found in his Sermon ; they ought to be placed in such a light that it should be impossible to overlook them.

In order to justify our strictures, we produce the following passages, selected from many of a similar kind :

"Nothing contributes more to raise the gently-pleasing emotions of the heart, than the united affections of a well regulated family; and when those affections are drawn together, by the superior attractions of Christianity, enjoyment has all the security it can receive, in a world of vicissitude." (p. 1.)

"The waters of strife rush in with impetuous violence; and the family, which ought to have been an asylum of peace and love, becomes the horrid haunt of jealousy and contention. The heart is wrung by a thousand pangs-despondency presses down the soullife becomes a burden-and the prospect of eternity tremendous. Moralists propose plans of reformation, and urge their advice by all the flowers of rhetoric, and all the soft insinuations of a graceful oratory. Listening throngs attend. They say, "the orator has spoken well," "Resolve, and re-resolve, but die the same," (p. 14.)

"The religion of Jesus is a system which opposes the depraved passions of the human heart, and instead of administering consolation to a man devoted to sensual pleasures exhibits a thousand horrors. Various sophisms have been invented against its authenticity; and in proportion as men feel their passions interested in the cause of infidelity, they become unbelievers. Desire and sentiment have a closer connexion than we sometimes imagine; and "our passions resemble prisms, which divide every ray, and colour every object with an artificial hue" (p. 144)

"The mind overcome by a consciousness of guilt, contemplates the justice of the skies with fearful apprehensions--dreads the forked lightnings-and thrills with horror, lest the encircling flame should enwrap the soul in everlasting perdition.” (p. 175.)

Speaking of Belshazzar, he observes,

"Alas! a burning sense of guilt drys up the spring of hope, and abandons his soul to the terrors of despair. Thus conscience maintains not an uniform flame-but occasionally bursts out as an eruption from Etna, or Vesutius-presents in one moment a thousand horrors and opens the abyss of ruin at the sinThe gloom of midnight strikes him with terror. The lonesome solitude affrights him. He starts at his shadow-hears voices which sound only in the ear of guilt