flights of unhallowed love and fpiritual concupifcence; with which fome of our modern books of devotion abound *. There are none of those rhetorical flourishes, that pompous imagery, that falfe glare of human eloquence, with which an affected pedant, or an oftentatious philofopher would have embellished their compofitions. There is, on the contrary, an amazing energy of thought, a pleafing fimplicity, a profound refpect for the Deity, a folemnity and compofure which gives us a noble and exalted idea of the rational and manly genius of true devotion.

To return from this digreffion.-Though fome of these compofitions are not calculated to warm and animate the heart, yet they are fober, rational, and manly forms of devotion; in many refpects fuperior to what we find in former collections. As a fpecimen take the following prayer for confolation on the death of friends. We make choice of this in particular for no other reason, but because it may be suitable at one time or another to the fituation of every reader, and is upon a subject which naturally interests our affections, and suggests the most pathetic fupplications.

For Confolation on the Death of Friends.

O most wife and merciful Father, who haft bleffed us with comforts, to make our paffage through life more easy, and haft furrounded us with dangers, to make our conduct through it more careful; give us grace to use the bleffings that we are favoured with, as those who remember the uncertainty of their continuance, and the certainty of that account which is fhortly to be given of them. Make us truly fenfible that we are not worthy the leaft of thy mercies, whilft they are continued to us; and that thou doft in wisdom and justice remove them from us. Prepare us in our beft days to expect these feafons of affliction, and to behave under them as those who be

* Some writers in their pious manuals feem to be fond of fuch expreffions as, my Sweet Saviour, my dear Jefus, the lovely bridegroom of my foul, the fruition of the Godhead, and the like, which are in reality more fuitable to an amorous voluptuary, than the refpectful worshipper of a pure and fpiritual Being. Thefe rapturous flights of fan&tified gallantry have no foundation in the religion of Chrift, but owe their rife to the diffolute imagination of nuns and friars, the fanatical brain of Methodifts and Moravians, or the filly conceits of pious, but injudicious writers. The reader will find this kind of impertinence very juftly expofed in the Letters from Philemon to Hydafpes.

VOL. XXIII. March, 1767..

lieve

lieve that they are fent to us by thy wife Providence. Bless us more particularly with thy fupporting grace, when Thou toucheft us in our most important temporal concern; when 'Thou takeft from us our nearest and dearest friends. O be Thou our friend in this great trial of our patience, when all thy own great gifts, of natural affection, of reafon, and of religion, concur to aggravate the diftress, obliging us to feel the calamities of others, and to admit a compaffionate grief for the lofs that has been fuftained. Make us apply the fame good gifts in the relief as well as the expreflion of our concern. Give us grace not to forrow as those that have no hope, but to moderate and exprefs our grief, as those who firmly believe what we profefs to believe, and who rejoice in the knowledge of thy holy revelation. Make us earneftly afpire after that happy immortality, which we hope (and believe) our deceafed friend has already attained; and grant that the very diftress, which his removal from us occafions to us, may be applied as an useful means to wean us more effectually from all worldly affections, and to enforce a holy refolution of spending the remainder of our days in thy more immediate service. Grant that this juft fentiment may not wear off with the present occafion, but may be the conftant ruling fentiment of our lives; that we may again hereafter, in a more durable station, rejoin our former partners in piety and virtue, and may receive with them our joint reward; where our affection to particular perfons will either be fwallowed up in a total dedication of our faculties to Thee, the great fource of all comfort and delight; or where, if it will then contribute to our happiness, we shall be bleffed with the moft perfect knowledge and enjoyment of all our pious and virtuous friends. Difpofe of us, we beseech thee, in thy own wife and good method; but bring us fecurely in the end to thy glorious prefence, through the merits and mediation of our Saviour Jefus Christ.'

V. Sermons and Difcourfes on various Subjects and Occafions. Volume the Third. By Dr. William Warburton, Lord Bishop of Gloucefter. 8vo. Pr. 55. Cadell.

TH

HE literary character of this learned prelate is fo univerfally known, that we fhall proceed, without any introduction, to give our readers a fhort account of thefe difcourfes.

In the firft, (which was occafioned by the earthquake at Lif ton) the author endeavours to fhew, that the general cala

4

mities,

mities, effected by natural or civil caufes, are to be ascribed to God's displeasure against fin; that this doctrine is agreeable to reafon and to religion, under the prefent conftitution of things; that it tends moft to the glory of God, and to the peace and happiness of man; and laftly, that that vain philosophy, which difcards this principle from its creed, difhonours Providence, and moft diftreffes human life.

These calamities, we are told, are principally defigned as alarms and warnings to a carelefs, inattentive world; and their moral purpose is rather general example than particular vengeance: for the attaining of which end, it is fufficient for us to believe, that thofe who fuffer are finners deferving punishment; not that they are greater finners than those who have escaped; poffibly much lefs, as the prefervation of these was néceffary for the carrying on fome other great and infcrutable defign of Providence, in the more general government of the moral

world.'

The fecond fermon was preached before the Houfe of Lords, on the thirtieth of January, 1760. The text which his lordfhip has chofen on this occafion, is this paffage in Ifaiah, chap. xix. The princes of Zoan are become fools, the princes of Noph are deceived; they have alfo feduced Egypt.The Lord hath mingled a perverfe Spirit in the midft thereof. This difcourfe contains feveral acute and pertinent obfervations on the fpirit and conduct of the parties concerned in the grand rebellion.

à

His lordship has drawn the following character of king Charles the First He had many virtues, but all, of fo unfociable a complexion as to do him neither service nor credit.

His religion, in which he was fincerely zealous, was overrun with fcruples: and the fimplicity, if not the purity, of his morals, was debased by casuistry.

• His natural affections (a rare virtue in that high ftation) were fo exceffive as to render him a flave to all his kin: and his focial, fo moderate as only to enable him to lament, not to ́preferve his friends and fervants.

His knowledge was extenfive, though not exact; and his courage clear, though not keen: yet his modefty far furpaffing his magnanimity, his knowledge only made him obnoxious to the doubts of his more ignorant ministers: and his courage, to the irrefolution of his lefs adventurous generals.

• In a word, his princely qualities were neither great enough nor bad enough to fucceed in that most difficult of all attempts, the enflaving a free and jealous people.'

The third fermon was preached before the Incorporated Society for the Propagation of the Gofpel in foreign Parts. We

have given a fhort account of this difcourfe in a former Review. *

The fourth is an illustration of these words of Solomon, Anfwer not a fool, &c. The caufe affigned, fays his lordship, of not answering, forceably infinuates, that the defender of religion should not imitate the infulter of it in his modes of difputation; which may be comprized in fophiftry, buffoonery, and fcurrility. For what could so much aflimilate the answerer to his idiot-adverfary, as the putting on his fool's coat, in order to captivate and confound the rabble?

The cause affigned of answering, plainly intimates, that the fage fhould addrefs himself to confute the fool upon the fool's own principles, by fhewing, that they lead to conclufions very wide from the impieties he would deduce from them. And if any thing can prevent the fool from being wife in his own conceit, it must be the dishonour and the ridicule of having his own principles turned against him; while they are fhewn to make for the very contrary purpose to that for which he had employed them.'

In the fifth fermon the author endeavours to expose the egregious folly, and to unmask the extreme corruption of heart, which can affume the buffoon, or the philofopher indifferently, to laugh at mifery and death, and make a mockery both of law and religion.

In the fixth, which was preached before the king in 1765, we have a comparison between worldly and fpiritual pursuits.

In private ftations, he fays, the deferving candidate for the world's favour is eternally croffed by thofe two capital enemies of merit, Ignorance and Envy. It is hard to say, whofe malignancy is moft baleful. For if Ignorance be less active, its ill influence operates fooneft. Rifing merit requires early protection and fupport. Ignorance is the winter of the moral world; which fixes the finer and gentler fpirits in a torpid inactivity; and either deftroys, or greatly retards the earliest and moft vigorous productions of the human mind. And thofe

:

natures of a more hardy texture, which can struggle through its inclemencies, fcarce ever attain to half their growth or maturity while thofe, who, by a rare felicity in their early culture, escape the feverity of this froft of Ignorance, no fooner begin to rife high in the view of men, than they are assaulted from the quarter oppofite, from the dog-ftar rage of Envy.

Nor are the deferving to expect better treatment from the patronage of their judges; from thofe whofe condition enables

* See Vol. xxii. p. 393.

+ Prov. xxvi. 4, 5.

them,

them, or whofe ftations intrust them to confer thefe rewards, They are often ignorant; and as often corrupt. And even fuch of them who have good intentions, are commonly of fo narrow minds and contracted views, as never to feek, or never to reach, a merit become eminent; but content themfelves with giving that to mediocrity, which is due only to fuperior talents: while the corrupt are even vigilant to fupprefs merit, as a thing troublefome to them, both in their natural dispositions and civil purfuits.

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"encounter.

If we turn from private to public life, we fhall find, that the ambitious adventurer has ftill more formidable dangers to Here, every man has every other leagued again him; and all ranged under the banners of those leading paffions, malice and felfithness. Malice will leave no means of calumny and flander untried or unemployed, to arreft him in his courfe and felfifhnefs will fecretly put in practice every art of fraud and hypocrify, to divert and draw him from the goal.

Such is the common iffue of human affairs and hence hath arifen, in every age and place, that uniform complaint of defeated virtue, and of merit neglected; of integrity vainly ftruggling with corruption, and of wisdom fuccumbing under the bauble of folly.'

His lordship proceeds to fhew, that, in the purfuit of fpiritual acquirements, all things are as promifing and eafy, as they are difcouraging and difficult in the difaftrous projects of worldly ambition. Inftead of anxiety, toil, labour, oppofition, oppreffion, and final difappointment, here, fays he, all is peace and pleafure; joy in believing, divine affiftance in obtaining, and full fecurity in poffeffing.

In the feventh difcourfe we are told, that the wedding garment in the parable means nothing but faith in Chrift; and that juftification by faith alone is the conftant language of the Gospel.

The eighth is a fhort difcourfe on the benefits of herefy.

The ninth is a fermon which was preached at Bristol, November 29, 1759; the day appointed for a public thankf giving for victories obtained by the British arms.

In the tenth the learned writer endeavours to prove, that the demoniacs mentioned by the evangelical hiftorians were really poffeffed with devils. He obferves, that the punishment. of the tempter was predicted at the fail, and that we find the accomplishment of this prediction on many occafions. These words of our Saviour-I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven -give us, he fays, a ftrong and lively picture of the fudden. precipitation of that prince of the air, where he had long held his empire, and hung like a peftilential meteor over the fons