In the fecond volume M. de Vergy affects to imitate the style, and manner of the late Mr. Sterne: but he cannot be compared with the witty and fentimental author of Triftram Shandy, without appearing to confiderable difadvantage by the comparison. His ramblings diftract the attention, without imparting the leaft entertainment to the mind, and his indelicacies are of a much worse kind than thofe of the original whom he endeavours to copy.

25. The Life and Adventures of Mad. de la Sarre. 8vo. 2s. 6d. Jewed. Johnfon.

This performance contains the real hiftory of a lady of genius and learning, who was, in confequence of her uncommon merit, advanced to a much more elevated station than she had reason to expect, being married to the marquis de Rougemont, by whom she had three fons and four daughters. The narrative is interefting, though barren of incidents; and the style harsh and disagreeable.

26. Vocal Mufic: or, The Songfter's Companion. Containing a new Collection of the greatest Variety of Songs, Cantatas, &c. with the tune prefixed to each. 800. 3s. Horsfield.

This is not only the best, but the cheapest collection we have feen; the editors have been careful not to infert any thing low or indecent; and the mufick being prefixed gives the work a fuperior claim to the approbation of the public. 27. Meditations upon the Attributes of God and the Nature of Man. 8.00. 15, Law.

The author of these meditations feems to be no contemptible reafoner on metaphyfical topics. The fubject on which he has employed his thoughts, in this pamphlet, may be collected from the following extract, which contains the conclufions deducible from the fyftem which he endeavours to establish..

According to the preceding fyftem, thofe actions of men, which from the appearance, and under the confideration of their being free agents, in the fenfe abovementioned, are accounted vicious, finful, and wicked, must be attributed to the imperfection and weakness of the fuperior principle of their intelligent nature, that has not acquired fufficient ftrength and authority to regulate their actions and affections, as the rule of right, which we conceive to be adapted to the human nature, and their own particular nature and circumstances requires: confequently fuch actions are in their proper idea wrong, disproportionate, below the dignity of a man, mean, defpicable, bafe, and brutish.

And the appearance of natural evil in the world is entirely owing to a partial view of things; we fee and feel fufferings and mifery, but not the good and happiness, which are neceffarily connected with them, as the effect with its caufe. Could we view both together, we fhould clearly fee, that the happiness, proceeding from the fufferings, vaftly exceeds them: and then there would be no appearance of natural evil in the universe.

• It

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It is alfo from a partial view of things, that any creature appears to us imperfect. On comparing the nature of one creature with that of another, of an inferior order, without confidering them as parts of a whole, this will feem to want fome perfections, which that is poffeffed of; but every individual, confidered as a component and neceffary part of an immenfe univerfe, has all the perfection that is confiftent with the rank it holds in the order of being, and with the relations it bears to every other being, and to the whole. And if it was in any respect whatever different from what it actually is, the whole univerfe, on account of the connections of every one of its component parts with every other, and with the whole, would be in all refpects different, from what it is at prefent, and confequently be lefs perfect. For as the univerfe is the production and effect of an infinitely perfect caufe, it must, not only in the whole, but in every part of it, how inconfiderable foever, be exactly proportionate to the perfection of that cause.

It therefore neceffarily follows, that there is no real abfolute vice, evil, or imperfection in the univerfe. And God, who furveys, and who alone can poffibly furvey the whole of being, and the whole of every particular being, not fucceffively or partially, but at once, fees that every thing, which he has made, is very good, and he perfectly approves of all his works.'

In the latter part of this tract, the author endeavours to reunite the Scripture-doctrine of future punishments with these conclufions. What he fays upon this head is as follows:

Wherever we read in fcripture of everlafting punishment eternal torments, we must interpret fuch paffages by the fame rule, which we conftantly use in interpreting those other texts in the fame fcriptures, that attribute to God, hands, arms, eyes, grief, hatred, repentance, and other human parts and paffions. This rule is to abstract from them every thing, which we clearly perceive to be inconsistent with the idea of a being, infinite in all respects, and abfolutely perfect in wisdom, power, and goodness. By everlafting punishment then we shall understand extreme mifery, that can have no end, before it has compelled and neceflitated those, who have brought it upon themfelves, by degrading every thing into a fubordination to their own prefent pleafure and intereft, to make God their ultimate end, and regulate their actions and affections by the great eternal rule of right, which is the fupreme law of every intelligent being, and the ground of his own particular happiness; and also of the order, harmony, perfection, beauty, and happiness of the universe.'

This way of interpretation will, he apprehends, fully`vindicate the attributes of God, and confirm, and inforce the gofpel promifes and threatenings of happinefs and mifery in a future ftate.

28. Grace Triumphant. A Sacred Porm, in Nine Dialogues. 8vo. 25. Johnson.

Evander, the principal chara&er in thefe Dialogues, was a Deift. He thought reason the best guidé of mankind, and was happy under the influence of her authority. But a gloom and dejection fucceeded his ferenity and chearfulnefs: the importance of religion presented itself to his mind; he acknowledges

its truth and the goodness of his Creator in revealing it to man; but he fears that his long courfe of infidelity is fo heinous a fin, that it cannot be expiated by the merits of his Redeemer, and confequently, that it will not be forgiven by his God. At length by the repeated advice, and confolation of a pious friend, and by irradiations from above, he recovers from his melancholy fituation; he embraces a lively faith in Chriftianity; and acquires a vigorous, and fublime fatisfaction, far fuperior to that which he had felt before.

This poem confifts of nine dialogues; and it comprehends the space of three years; for Evander was fo long a prey to these terrors, and this defpondency. The firft dialogue is a converfation between him and Sylvia his wife; in it we are informed of his past tenets, and the prefent ftate of his mind,-The fecond dialogue paffes between him and his friend Mezentus; who is likewise a profeffed Deift, as Evander had been. This gentleman attributes his friend's religious perplexity to corporeal malady; he advises him to quell its effects by the exertion of reafon; by having recourfe to his fenfible and benevolent moral theory; and by refting affured of the lenity and goodness of his Creator, fo eminently displayed in the phyfical fyftem, and in the government of the universe. In the third dialogue Æneas endeavours to calm Evander's mind by dif ferent exhortations; by perfuading him to adopt the precepts of Christianity, and rely firmly on its promifes.-Sylvia, in the next dialogue, adminifters comfort to her husband of the fame evangelical ftrain with Æneas's.-Thefe characters are the interlocutors in the reft of the dialogues; the turn of which may be known by our account of the preceding part of this

poem.

The work, we doubt not, is well intended; but we do not think it can be of material fervice to the cause of religion. Its author is rather an enthufiaftic fectary than a rational divine. It is warm and vifionary, not fenfible and argumentative it lays too great a ftrefs on mere faith and devotion, like many preachers who infeft our church, the contempt of all wife and virtuous men. The author ftrenuously defends the principles which he hath efpoufed; but he makes the patrons of the other fide very weak difputants, to avoid the hazard of their clofer oppofition; this is the cafe in moft books of dialogue.

29. Letters to the Author of Remarks on several late Publications relative to the Diffenters, in a Letter to Dr. Priefly. By Jofeph Priefly, LL. D. F. R.S. 800. 15. Johnfon.

The Remarks which have given occafion to thefe Letters, are mentioned in our Review for July laft.

-Dr. Priestly in this

reply

reply infifts, that a vindication of the Diffenters is at this time peculiarly feasonable; and that the diffenting interest may be juftly called the caufe of truth, religion, and liberty. He repeats the charge of idolatry against the church of England, for paying divine worship to Jefus Chrift; and again afferts, that the worship of the one living and true God is known among the diffenters only. He endeavours to shew, that a deliberate fubfcription to articles of faith, which a man does not believe, is an immorality of the most dangerous nature. He confiders the studies proper to form a Chriftian divine, and the method of conducting reformation. He offers fome remarks in defence of the pamphlet entitled, A Free Address to Proteftant Diffenters, as fuch; points out fome inconfiftences, in the view which his antagonist has given us of the principles of the Diffenters; and before he takes his leave of him and the public, on this occafion, makes this obfervation; There is fomething fingular in my fate as a writer. I attack the prejudices of the Diffenters, and behold a clergyman of the church of England ftands up in their defence; and when, in defending the principles of the Dif fenters I unavoidably come too near the church of England, a Diffenter appears on their behalf.'

Under these circumstances the author, we will suppose, does not entertain a contempt for the ignorance and petulance' of his adversaries; but a diffidence with respect to the equity and propriety of his own determinations.

Since the appearance of this pamphlet, the author of the Remarks has published A Second Letter to Dr. Priestley, and the Dr. has answered it. Both these pieces are comprized within the compaís of eight pages, and given to the purchasers of the former Letters.

30. The Duties of religious Societies confidered, in a Sermon preached at the Ordination of the rev. Philip Taylor, at Liverpool, June 21ft, and of the rev. Robert Gore, at Manchester, Auguft 23d, 1770. By the rev. William Endfield; with an Addrefs on the Nature of Ordination, by the rev. Richard Godwin; Mr. Taylor's and Mr. Gore's Answers to the Questions proposed to them; and a Charge, delivered on the fame Occafions, by the rev. Philip Holland. 8vo. 15. Johnson.

Sermons, addreffes, charges, and confeffions of faith, at the ordination of diffenting minifters, are things of course, as much as the exercises which are ufually performed for degrees in the schools at Oxford and Cambridge; and the former, by continual repetition, are become almoft as uninterefting to the public in general, as the latter. All that can be faid on the pieces now before us is, that they are respectable performances on trite fubjects.

3.2. The Herely and Heretic of the Scriptures completely deferibed; that Defcription boneftly improved, and to the Cenfure of the Public modeftly fubmitted. 8vo. is. 6d. Buckland.

The author of this treatife undertakes to exhibit a complete defcription of herefy and heretics. For this purpose he examines every paffage in the New Teftament in which thefe words occur. He proceeds in this difquifition with great form and regularity; and proves, in the firft place, that herefy has relation to fentiment; and that an heretic is a dogmatist, or a man who has taken up a peculiar fet of opinions. But, he fays, this account is only general and introductory, and obferved for the fake of diftinction of ideas and precision; and not as the very fubject described in fcripture. Upon this ground he proceeds to fhew, that the herefy properly intended in fcripture, is error in the faith, and a reception of religious doctrines oppofite to those we are taught in the gospel; and that an heretic is one who believes and propogates such doctrines. This notion, he thinks, is effential to herefy and the character of an heretic; but is not the whole of the account. Accordingly he farther obferves, that wickedness is connected with herefy, and impiety always included in the character of the heretic. He therefore infers, that whatever error in the faith is the offspring of wicked lufts and carnal affections, does for that reafon become herefy; and that whoever holds, propagates, and eagerly defends any mistaken doctrines in religion, at the inftigation of, and with a view to gratify fuch lufts and affections, is afluredly the very heretic of the holy fcriptures.

In this tract the learned reader will find no critical enquiries into the meaning of particular paffages, terms, and phrases in the original text of the New Teftament, which probably, in differtations of this kind, he may think a defect. 33. The Methodifts vindicated from the Afperfions caft upon them by the rev. Mr. Haddon Smith. In a Series of Letters to that Gentleman. By Philalethes. 8vo. Is. Bladon. In the first of these letters the author endeavours to prove, that Mr. Smith has perverted the fense of these words of St. Paul, 2 Cor. iv. 2. My doλuvtes Tov Xoyov 78 Oe8, in applying them to the Methodists, that thofe people cannot be said to bandle the word of God DECEITFULLY, who mifinterpret the fcriptures through ignorance and not through defign.-This, by way, is little better than a difpute about words: for though a Methodist, who pretends to explain the fcripture before he is qualified to understand it, may not be chargeable with deceit, he is certainly guilty of great impertinence and prefumption.

the

The defign of the fecond letter is to fhew, that if the Methodists handle the word of God deceitfully, Mr. Smith does

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