Imatges de pàgina
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ne pas jurer à faux? L'amitié ou l'inimitié à l'égard du coupable, la compaifion vis-à-vis de fon prochain en général, l'amour, la haine, fes propres intérêts, &c. Quelle imprudence, ou pour miex dire, quelle cruauté d'expofer les hommes à faire de faux fermens! Pourquoi les condamner ou abfoudre à caufe d'un témoig. mige, qui ne nous donne la moindre vidence? O Juges muniffezvous de preuves & de témoignages phyfiques dans vos jugemens, & non pas de morals. Un homme d'honneur ou un bon Chrétien,

doit affirmer ou nier par un ouï ou un non. O vains & infenfés mortels, oferez-vous appeler Dieu à témoin, comme vous appelleriez François & Pierre ? Le prier & le remercier, c'est tout ce qui vous eft permis.'

Oaths. An oath is an affirmation in which we call the Supreme Being to witness. The witnefs of men is underflood only by the tenfe of hearing; in what manner then do we expect the witness of God to be manifefted? or how is a phyfical truth to be proved to us by fomething that is invifible. To call upon the Deity to witnefs a falfhood has fomething in it which makes the greatest villains hudder and tremble, and this is the bafis upon which we have founded the fanction of an oath. But are we fure that all men feel this horror for a falfe oath? Are all men juft and wife? And if all men were fo, how many obftacles would they not have to overcome before they were fecured from fwearing falfely. Friendship or enmity with regard to the culprit, general compaffion towards their fellow citizens, love, hatred, their own interefts, &c. What imprudence, or rather what cruelty is there in thus expofing men to take a falfe oath? Why will you either condemn or abfolve them by an evidence which is totally void of all proof? O ye judges, furnish yourfelves with physical proofs in your verdicts, and not with moral ones! A man of honour, or a good Chriftian ought to affirm or deny by a yes, or a no. O vain and prefumptuous mortals, dare you call upon God to bear witnefs as you would call upon Francis and Peter? To pray to him and give him thanks is all that is permitted to you.'

The name of Calepin, which ferves for the title, is taken from Calepin, an Auguftin monk, who wrote a dictionary which he called by his name, as if we were to fay a Johnson.

Duties of Man, or Civil Order Public Safety: being plain Thoughts of a plain Mind on Things as they are, and what the Well-being of the Community now requires of every good Citizen. By one of the People. 8vo. 35. fewed. Richardfon. 1793.

HE author thus avows his intentions:

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The direct object of this publication is to mitigate or aid in ap5

pealing

peafing that faftidious and reftive humour, which fometimes accompanies the most unexceptionable meafures of government. The great mafs of men, as well as individuals, when crofs or peevish, may be foothed into good-nature or won by kind ufage. It is this liberal, candid, and commanding principle of unanimity, thefe pages are meant to inculcate. They are meffengers of courtesy to all, and of difrepect to none; they fue for peace, and their errand fhould make them welcome; they come to promote harmony, by` allaying difcord; to prevent difcontent, by exciting complacency; and to ftrengthen the faftenings of general fafety, by fhewing that it is every's man's intereft, as well as his duty, to be quiet. This is their only aim, which, however imperfectly profecuted, augurs fo well to the best bleffings of fociety, that he cannot be a good citizen, who does not with it to fucceed.'

We do not exactly difcover the pertinency of the title to the book, which is altogether a defultory performance, fhewing a confidence on fome topics that but ill-accords with the apparent measure of the author's knowledge; no inconfiderable fhrewdnefs in the difcuffion of others, and, on the whole, a capacity equal to a better production.

In defence of monarchy, we meet with the following obfervations:

While it is fo much the rage to flander and run down kings, let it not, alfo, be forgotten that the inftitution is venerable for its antiquity; that, of all other fituations, it gives ampleft fcope for exerc fing, in their fulleft latitude, the best qualities of our nature; and he, who raites the royal functions to all the luftre and magnaninity of which they are capable, is an object of the highest utility that can tread the theatre of humanity.

The following picture of this fort is refpectfully fubmitted to republican contemplation. It is faid to be a fragment of one of the Ptolemys, found at Thebes by the best among the Roman emperors, which, for its excellence, he ordered to be placed every night under his head, and which he left, as an ineftimable treafure, to his fon Commodus, who made the fame miferable ufe of thefe divine fayings, as of his father's amiable example.

"I never exalted the proud rich man, neither hated the poor just man."

"I never denied juftice to the poor, for his poverty; neither pardoned the wealthy for his riches."

"I never gave reward for affection, nor punishment upon paffion."

I never fuffered evil to efcape unpunished, neither goodness unrewarded."

"I never denied juftice to him that afked it, neither mercy to him that deferved it."

"I never

"I never punished in anger, nor promifed in mirth."

I never did evil upon malice, neither good for covetoufnefs." "I never opened my gate to the flatterer, nor mine ear to the backbiter."

"I always fought to be beloved of the good, and feared of the wicked."

"I always favoured the poor, that was able to do little; and God, who was able to do much, always favoured me."

The view which the author has given of the effects of the late profecutions, and the progrefs of French politics, is amongst the beft parts of his work.

In confequence of the diforder raging in a neighbouring kingdom, of many libellous publications inceflantly degrading the prefs in this, and of the palpable affiduity adopted for circulating these among the lower orders of fociety, his majefty, from paternal regard for the welfare of the country, and with the concurrence of parliament, feveral months ago iffued his royal proclamation, stating the illegality and danger of feditious writings, and calling upon magiftrates in every part of the country to aid the executive power in fupreffing their pernicious effects.

This meafure was feverely arraigned as fuperfluous and nugatory. It has, nevertheless, been of fubftantial advantage to our internal tranquillity. It might provoke an idle curiosity after the work it prohibited, but difgraced it, and prepared the public to regard it as inimical to its beft intereft, chimerical in its principles, calumnious in its fpirit, infidious in its tendency, and recommended to general acceptation by nothing but republican dogmas, bitter farcafms, rough language, blunt affertion, invidious statements, and whatever can excite in the vulgar and ignorant discontent with their condition, antipathy to the government under which they live, diflike, abufe, and refiftance to their rulers and fuperiors.

• Government, therefore, have done wifely in following so closely this hoftile publication. The beft way, it is faid, of keeping a mad dog from biting is by running hard after him. The book, which had done fo much mischief, was at laft fairly run down, and abfolutely overwhelmed in obloquy and contempt. The whole refpec tability of the nation at the fame time boldly stepped forward to counteract its effects; and, by furrounding the throne with a profufion of loyal addreffes, food pledged for the fafety of our confti. tution both in church and state.

This had probably been decifive but for the new and extraordinary afpect which French affairs fuddenly affumed. All hopes in the combined army, bringing things to an agreeable iffue, quickly failed, They only drilled and united the nation they meant to subdue, and provoked exertions which ultimately covered themselves with difgrace. They wafted, in floth, the primeft months of fum

mer,

mer, in the finest country in the world, without ftriking a blow, and, melted down by thoufands, without fuffering annoyance. While vapouring at the head of the best troops in Europe, and hectoring by their manifeftoes, a revolution, very different from what they meditated, actually took place in one day. Monarchy was forthwith annihilated, the royal family imprisoned, and a national convention decreed. The country immediately collected its ftrength, rofe as one man, and flocked to its defence, in fuch immenfe numbers, and under fuch impreffions of ardour and enthusiasm, as effectually fupplied their want of difcipline.

Thus roufed and cemented by one fpirit and in one fyftem, they drove their invaders beyond the frontiers. Happy for them, and for the tranquillity, perhaps, of Europe, had they pushed the advantage no farther, and, with the moderation of true wisdom, checked their ardour in the moment of victory, stood on their defence, confulted their own interior regulations, and interfered with the policy of no other nation. Here, however, their evil genius still prevailed, and plunged them in a feries, of fresh enormities, by inducing them to indulge a fpirit of foul retaliation and revenge. They rushed like tigers after the confederate forces, overspread their territories with disorder and confternation, and wherever they came were hailed as deliverers and embraced as brothers.

Why fhould it not have occurred to thefe mighty reftorers of liberty and equality, that the miseries of war were likelier to fall on the innocent than the guilty, that the few who raised and conducted the prodigious engine of death, which threatened their extinction, would certainly feel little or no perfonal inconvenience from all their efforts, and that, in fact, the poor creatures, whofe rights they wifhed to rescue, would be the only fufferers in the conteft. And what avails it me, that he who oppreffed me is humbled, or hath it no longer in his power, or that the fetters cuftom made easy, are torn from my limbs, while my life is loft in the fcuffle ?

It was this unexpected emergency, however, that gave energy and acceptation to principles perfectly incompatible with every component part of the British conftitution. The mob in this country, fired by the example and temerity of the mob in that, inftigated by fome more wicked and daring than others, might aflail the govern, ment or throw the public into confusion by furprize. This was the lefs unlikely, from the language fo boldly and publicly held by thefe proud republicans. They denounce courts and vow eternal hofti lity to kings. They deem liberty and royalty incompatible. They boast of standing alone against the coalition of kings. They traduce all monarchs as defpots. They wage war not againft cottages, but palaces; the poor, but the rich; or thofe who obey, but those who command.

Their politics are inimical to all the orders of fociety which they wish to extirpate. They fight as infidiously as they govern, by endeavouring

deavouring previously to fow fedition in every country they attack. They affect to befriend the people whom they excite and stimulate to infurrection, and then join them in expelling their legitimate rulers. They tempt them to become traitors as an indifpenfable requifite to their receiving the privilege of equality, or wearing the cap of liberty.'

Sermons on various Subjects. By William Sellon, late Proprietor of, and Preacher at Portman- Chapel; Minifter of Saint James, Clerkenwell; and Joint-evening Preacher at the Mag dalen-Hofpita'. 8vo. 65. Boards. Boards. Rivingtons. 1792. THE late Mr. Sellon was a popular preacher; the best in

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our opinion that we ever heard; but the volume before. us affords a proof how much a fermon gains by that elegant and impreffive manner of which he was mafter. We do not mean to infinuate that thefe difcourfes are deftitute of merit; on the contrary, they are, perhaps, more adapted to popular ufe, than if the subjects were lefs familiar, or the fstyle more elevated above common language. We have heard most of them from the mouth of the excellent preacher whose name they bear; and if we had then been lefs charmed, we fhould now, perhaps, have perufed them with fuperior fatisfaction: we then thought them almoft perfect compofitions and only regret that they are lefs fo in the clofet than they appeared from the pulpit. The fubjects are: On the fuperior Excellency of a Middle Sate On Spiritual Pride-On Religious Friendship-On Faith and Obedience-On the Duty of Public Worship-On a Future State-On the Crucifixion - On the judicial Appointment of Chriftianity-On the Influences of the Spirit-On the Duty of Self-examination-On the fuperior Excellence of the Gofpel-On Meeknefs-On the Excellency of the British Laws-On our Love of Christianity--On the Partiality of Self-judgment-On the Magdalen Chaty On the Joy of Angels over Repentant Sinners-On the Dutics of Parents and Children-On the Dangers of a mutable Temper-On the dreadful Confequences of a diffipated Life -- On the Conformity of our Lives to the Precepts of the Gofpel.

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Several of thefe difcourfes were preached at the Magdalen Chapel, and are well adapted to the occation. They are plain, practical, and impreffive; and the addrefies to the penitents are ftriking and pathetic.-As a fpecimen, we shall felect a few paffages from the fermon on the miferies attendant on a

*It must however be remembered, that thefe Sermons were not intended by the author for publication. Many triling inaccuracies would probably in that cafe have been corrected, and the language in many inftances have been improved.

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