557 in the New Church on earth which is now about to be established by tit Lord; and is particularly described in the 21ft chapter of the Revel? tion. The Old Christian Church, it is faid, which was formerly founde by the Lord, is now at its period, or confummation, in confequen of its fucceffive corruptions in life and doctrine; for where genuin charity and genuine faith are extinguished, there the Church is at a end; inafmuch as charity and faith, operating in the heart an actions of men, alone conftitute the life and existence of the Church. It hath therefore pleafed the Lord of his mercy, to the end that his kingdom may ftill remain on earth, and that he may thence be fupplied with members for his glorious kingdom in heaven, to begin at this time the establishment of the New Church which he had foretold, and to reveal the doctrine of that Church in our Author's writings. This doctrine is called, Heavenly, because it is founded on the fpiritual sense of the word of God; and was revealed to our Author, as he exprefsly declareth, immediately from the Lord, out of heaven, while he was reading the Word.' Poffibly, when the doctrine here taught is ftripped of its peculiar garb, it will be found to mean nothing more than that real piety, integrity, and goodness of heart, which all good men muft plead for, and earnestly wish to fee univerfally prevail. The Tranflator and Editor of this Tract has, we fuppofe, different views of the fubject, and firmly believes in its Author as an infpired Prophet, raised up to reform the Church. As we fhall not difpute with him on this head, we will only add, that while we cannot but confider the late Count Swedenborg as an enthufiaft of the first order, we must also regard him as a molt extraordinary, and, indeed, a moft WONDERFUL man! Art. 11. An Efay explaining Fefus's true Meaning in his Parables, from the Occafion of his fpeaking, and the Application of them. By William Ashdowne. 8vo. 1s. 6d. Canterbury, printed. London, fold by Macgowan. 1780. We have had many wild and arbitrary interpretations of our Saviour's parables, and of other parts of fcripture, through a failure of attending to their immediate connection and defign. Thus far we agree with this Writer: But we must acknowledge ourselves disappointed when we came to look over the pamphlet, which bears few marks of ingenuity or learning. The tyle is negligent, defective, and unpleafant; and the obfervations are often trite and uninteresting. Our Author mentions, more than once or twice, the parable of the prodigal, as having fhared with others in mifinterpretation; and he writes concerning it, and two preceding parables in St. Luke's gofpel, in this manner: The conclufion and application which Jefus leaves with his accufers and the people was, that if the steps thefe feveral perfons had taken in feeking and finding what they had loft, and the reciprocal joy it excited in them, and those who were their friends, was perfectly natural and therefore juftifiable; and likewife the conduct of the father towards the returned penitent fon, they could not but acquit him of having acted reproachable to his prophetic character, in receiving and eating with publicans and finners, as in doing that he was feeking and finding, and alfo faving the loft fheep of the Houfe of Ifrael, At the fame 6 me he leaves his reprefentation of the angry and murmuring fon gainst his father, as a juft draught of the principle and conduct of is unjuft accufers, to their own reflections upon it, as well as that f the people's.' Mr. Afhdowne feems pleafed with his difcovery, that our Lord, in thefe parables, intends folely to vindicate his conduct in affociating with publicans and finners; and obferves, in fome kind of triumph, we may with certainty infer, that the ufual explanation given by moft expofitors, that by the undutiful fon, Jefus defigned to reprefent the Gentiles; by the father, his Father; and the reception the fon met with, that of a finner's acceptance with God; the angry murmuring brother, the Jews murmuring againft the Gentiles being received into the kingdom of God-are all equally alike wholly foreign to the intention of the fpeaker, and therefore void of truth, as not in the leaft comprehended in the true occafion of his fpeaking the parable.' But though we agree with this Writer, that fanciful commentators and preachers have too often obfcured what they pretended to elucidate, and wandered wide from the truth of fcripture; though we alfo allow him to be right as to the immediate occafion of these parables, we must yet confefs that we do not perceive any thing unjustifiable or improper in fuppofing them to have a farther view, and generally to fignify that compailion and favour which a finner will meet with from the Great Father of mercies, when he repents and returns to his duty. Our Lord himself teaches us this, when he fpeaks, at the very time, of joy in heaven over a finner who repents. On the whole, though Mr. Afhdowne's remarks on the mifinterpretation of fcripture are often very just and worthy of attention, yet it does not appear that his performance will yield the reader all that fatisfaction and improvement which might be expected from the nature and defign of his undertaking. SERMON S. I. Preached at the Affizes at Eaft Grinstead, Suffex, March 20th, 1780, by William Gwynne, B. A. Mafter of the Grammar School at Lewes. 4to. 1 S. Cadell. From Rom. iii. 18. There is no fear of God before their eyes.-Mr. Gwynne delivers a very feasonable and uteful difcourfe. He confiders a principle of piety as the fpring of an upright and virtuous conduct; and which, fo far as it really prevails, creates a juft confidence between man and man. It is therefore peculiarly fuitable to the occafion of his discourse, to recommend the careful cultivation of this principle, at all times, as he very properly does, to judges, juftices of peace, juries, witneffes, &c. &c. II. Preached at the Aflizes at Hortham, in Suffex, Auguft 11th, 1780 By William Gwynne, B. A. Master of the Grammar School at Lewes. 4to. i s. Cadell. This, like the former, by the fame Author, is a good and useful difcourfe. It is ufhered in by a dedication to Lord Mansfield, in which Mr. Gwynne feems rather to run into that adulation and flattery which he profeffes his defire to avoid. The subject of the Ser mon mon is implied in the words of our Lord, Have peace one with another. From which he directs and recommends, with fenfe and judgment, the cultivation and exercise of a peaceable temper and practice, in the different views in which it may be confidered. CORRESPONDENCE. To the AUTHORS of the MONTHLY REVIEW. IN the Preface to the late edition of Mr. Jeremy White's Treatife The Preface to this fingular treatise is a most beautiful picture of an enlarged and liberal mind. It is too diffufe and metaphorical; but it abounds with paffages uncommonly elegant, and a kind of Platonic fublimity blended with the purity and benevolence of Chriftianity, ftrongly characteristic of an ardent and vigorous fancy, under the influence of evangelical truth. 1 The Author was a ftrong Neceffarian, and, confiftently with his prin ciples, he adopted the fcheme of univerfal charity. Dr. Priestley fomewhere fays, that a Neceffarian is under the frongest obligations, by his own fyftem, to exercise candour to all men. Mr. Sterry thought the fame, and expreffes his fentiments on this head with equal energy and impartiality. I will beg leave to communicate to the numerous Readers of your excellent Journal, one or two striking paffages from this curious Preface, leaving it to them to make their own reflections on it. A pofthumous work, published in the year 1675, fol. • St. St. Paul fays, Sin deceived and then flew me. No perfon is willingly deceived in his apprehenfions of truth, or disappointed in his expectations of good. But fin, by its deep and myfterious enchantments, changes itfelf into the most alluring refemblance of the heavenly image. ... Yet still in the midst of these enchantments-yea under the power of darkness and death itfelf, as the Athenians had an altar infcribed, "To the Unknown God," furrounded with altars proflituted to the fervice of falfe divinities, fo the understanding and will, according to the proper qualities of their nature, exist in EVERY fpirit, as altars in a temple, burning with their own facred fire, and afpiring to the higheft heaven, through all the clouds of darkness that obfcure and opprefs them.' 66 Charity beareth all things-or, as it may be rendered, comprehendeth all things. It throws a luftre, a pleafing comeliness, on every object, and comprehends every being in its good wishes. Nothing is abandoned by it; for it believeth all things and hopeth all things." Like its divine principle in the Godhead, it hath an unrestrained complacency in all his works, and pronounceth them GOOD. It believeth all things to be the tabernacles of the Divinity, like that in the wilderness, which, though moving through the barren defert a land of graves-of fiery ferpents, and beafts of prey, yet anfwer to their ORIGINAL pattern on the Mount: and though covered with a coarse tent, that hath felt the fury of the elements, yet within are filled with the prefence of Jehovah himself-the glory of Him who is all in all.' Let not any man rafhly question the close contexture of the whole work of God, through all the feveral parts and conduct of it, by an invariable union of caufes and effects, because he meeteth with a HELL as well as a heaven, as one of the extremes of this work. Divine love (which tranfcends all human wisdom) knows how to joint even hell into its work, with fuch furprising skill, that even this shall be beautiful in its place, and add a grandeur, a fymmetry, yea, a love linefs to the whole.' I must acknowledge, that the luxuriance of Mr. Sterry's language is in fome degree repreffed in the above extracts; but his idea is moft fcrupulously preferved, and no liberty taken but fuch as was neceffary to give his fentiments their proper energy. I am, Gentlemen, Your conftant Reader, L. K. The Letter figned A Polygamift, is in every view improper for infertion in our Journal, especially as the Writer of it hath propofed a continuation of his remarks. We cannot make the Monthly Review the vehicle of litigation. Our work would be endless, if we held ourfelves bound to anfwer every captious querift who might think proper to call us to an account for delivering an opinion that fuited not his own. We are, nevertheless, always difpofed to avail ourselves of the hints, corrections, and animadverfions of our learned and intelligent Readers; and hall, with equal deference and gratitude, kifs the rod of the more fober critic. We wish we could compliment our prefent Correspondent Correfpondent with this appellation; but that "impartiality" for which he compliments us, forbids it. His observations have no claim to criticism; they are vague, trifling, and impertinent and notwithstanding the Author talks with abundant vanity of his various and extenfive reading,' yet we must freely tell him, that his reading doth not appear to have had the happieft influence either on his un derstanding or his manners. Our Correfpondent, before he thought proper to act the critic on our remarks on Mr. Madan's Thelyphthora, fhould have taken care to have understood them. That he doth not, will appear from the following paffage of his Letter. Addreffing himself to the Reviewer of Madan's treatife, he fays- Polygamy, you allow, might fuit a state of innocence, which, in my opinion, is faying much in its favour.' Now, unfortunately for this Critic, the Reviewer hath faid no fuch thing-fo far from it indeed, that he confiders the primitive inftitution of marriage, which limited it to one man and one woman, as a proper model for connubial contracts, efpecially under the refined difpenfation of the gofpel, which exprefsly inftructed its profeffors to regulate their conduct in this refpect by that practice which had its fanction from the age of original innocence. The Reviewer thinks, that the practice for which Mr. Madan is fo zealous an advo cate, had its origin in that licentioufnefs of principle, and depravation of manners, which fucceeded the Fall, and may july be numbered among those many inventions which man fought out, when he ceafed to be upright. If our Correfpondent will be at the pains to revife the paffage [p. 282. Rev. for Octob.], which he hath fo haftily caught at as a conceffion in favour of Polygamy, he will be convinced that he hath totally misapprehended the whole fcope and tenor of the argument; for the Reviewer is not fpeaking of Mr. Madan's doctrine of Poly.. gamy, but of his loofe, unguarded, and dangerous position, refpecting the forms and ceremonies of marriage. Our Correfpondent talks of his anatomical preparations: from hence, and from fome other paffages of his Letter, we prefume he is a perfon of fome medical profeffion: but if we were to tranfcribe that part of his Letter, in which he fpeaks of thofe "infallible marks of pure and genuine modern virginity, which he hath often met with in the courfe of his practice," his brethren would confider him, either as wantonly humorous or gravely ridiculous. Our Correfpondent's reflections on the cafe of Dinah are nugatory and fuperficial. "It was, fays he, an abfolute rape, or to fay the leaft, a mere cafual rencounter in the fields." This faving claufe will by no means avail our Critic; on the contrary, it annihilates the whole force of his argument. If it was only a cafual rencounter in the fields,' Dinah was to all intents and purpofes, on Mr. Madan's fcheme, the wife of Sechem. The very act itself, whether cafual or concerted, made her fo; and no powers under heaven could diffolve the union. Vid. Exod. xxii. 16, 17. Deut. xxii. 28, 29. and above all Mr. Madan's reafonings on thefe texts, in Thelyph. vol. I. 24-29. Our Correfpondent's affertion, that it was an abfolute rape, is a mere gratis dictum, The Hebrew word by no means denotes force |