make any critical obfervations upon the Lectures themselves would be idle and fuperfluous; the public voice, and public. gratitude, have ftamped their value. We fhall content ourfelves with pointing out the plan which the learned prelate has purfued. The first volume contains fourteen Lectures. The firft is employed in giving a Compendious View of the Sacred Writings; having done this, in a moft perfpicuous and fatisfactory manner, the preacher concludes with thus declaring his future intentions. "Since then the utility, the abfolute neceffity of reading the Scrip tures is fo great, fince they are not only the best guide you can confult, but the only one that can poffibly lead you to heaven; it becomes the indifpenfable duty of every one of you most carefully and conftantly to peruse these facred oracles, that you may thereby "become perfect, thoroughly furnished to every good work." They who have much leifure should employ a considerable share of it in this holy exercife, and even they who are moft immerfed in bufinefs have, or ought to bave, the Lord's day entir ly to fpare, and should always employ fome part of it (more particularly at this holy feason) in reading and meditating on the word of God. By perfevering fteadily in this practice, any one may in no great length of time read the Scriptures through from one end to the other. But in doing this, it will be adviseable to begin with the New Teftament firft, and to read it over moft frequently, because it concerns us Chriftians the most nearly, and explains to us more fully and more clearly the words of eternal life. But after you have once gone regularly through both the Old Testament and the New, it may then he moft ufeful perhaps to felect out of each such paffages as lay before you the great fundamental doctrines and moft effential duties of your Chriftian profeffion; and even amongst these, to dwell the longest on fuch as exprefs these things in the most awful and striking manner, fuch as affect and touch you moft powerfully, fuch as make your heart burn within you, and stir up all the pious affections in your foul. But it will be of little ufe to read, unlefs at the fame time alfo you reflect; unless you apply what you read to those great purposes which the Scriptures were meant to promote, the amend ment of your faults, the improvement of your hearts, and the falvation of your fouls. "To affift you in this most important and neceffary work is the defign of thefe Lectures; and in the execution of this defign I shall have these four objects principally in view. Firft. To explain and illuftrate thofe paffages of Holy Writ, which are in any degree difficult and obfcure. "2dly. To point out, as they occur in the facred writings, the chief leading fundamental principles and doctrines of the Chriftian religion. 66 3dly. To confirm and ftrengthen your faith, by calling your at tention to those strong internal marks of the truth and divine authority of the Chriftian religion, which present themselves to us in almoit every page of the Gofpel. 4thly. 4thly. To lay before you the great moral precepts of the Gofp 1, to prefs them home upon your confciences and your hearts, and render them effectual to the impo tant ends they were intended to ferve; namely, the due government of your paffions, the regulation of your conduct, and the attainment of everlasting life. "Thefe are all of them objects of the very laft importance; they are worthy the attention of every human being; and they will, I think, be better attained by a familiar and practical explanation of the facred writings, than by any other fpecies of compofition whatever. "The plan of inftruction adopted by our bleffed Lord was unqueftionably the very beft that could be devifed. It was not a regular fyftem of ethics delivered in a connected series of dry effays and differtations, like those of the ancient heathen philofophers; but it confifted of familiar difcourfes, interefting parables, fhort fententious maxims, and occafional reflections, arifing from the common occur rences of life, and the most obvious appearances of nature. All these various modes of inftruction are fo judicioufly blended and mixed together in the hiftory of our Lord's life and converfation, delivered to us in the Gofpel (as all the various forts of pleafing objects are in the unornamented fcenes of nature) that they make a much deeper im. preffion both on the understanding and on the heart, than they could poffibly do in any other more artificial form. "An expofition of Scripture, then, muft at all times be highly useful and interefting to every fincere difciple of Chrift; but must be peculiarly fo at the prefent moment, when fo much pains have been taken to ridicule and revile the facred writings, to fubvert the very foundations of our faith, and to poison the minds of all ranks of people, but especially the middling and the lower claffes, by the most impious and blafphemous publications that ever difgraced any Chriftian country. To refit these wicked attempts is the duty of every minifter of the Gofpel; and as I have strongly exhorted all those who are under my fuperintendence to exert themselves with zeal and with vigour in defence of their infulted religion, I think it incumbent on me to take my share in this important con elt, and to fhew that I wish not to throw burthens on others of which I am not willing to bear my full proportion. As long therefore as my health and the various duties of an extenfive and populous diocefe will permit, and the exigencies of the times require fuch exertions, I propofe to continue annually these Lectures. And I fhall think it no unbecoming conclufion of my life, if these labours of my declining years fhould tend in any degree to ren der the Holy Scriptures more clear and intelligible, more useful and delightful; if they fhall confirm the faith, reform the manners, confole and revive the hearts of those who hear me; and vindicate the honour of our divine Mafter from thofe grofs indignities and infults which have of late been so indecently and impiously thrown on him and his religion." Vol. i, p. 21. *«About this time, and for fome years before, The Age of Reafon, and other peftilent writings of the fame nature, were diffeminated through almost every diftrift of this country with incredible industry." < The fecond Lecture treats of the arrival and offerings of the wife men at Jerufalem; and we are told that, for fome valuable obfervations in this as well as in the third and thirteenth Lecture, the author is indebted to the late excellent Archbishop Secker. The conclufion of this Lecture is in a remarkable degree animated and happy. The third Lecture reprefents the history and doctrines of John the Baptist. It is furely impoffible to perufe the following apoftrophe without the det peft emotion. "We hear, indeed, a great deal of the good nature, the benevolence, the generofity, the humanity, the honour, and the other innumerable good qualities of thofe that reject the Gofpel; and they may poffibly poffefs fome oftentatious and popular virtues, and may keep clear from flagrant and difreputable vices. But whether fomne gros depravity, fome inveterate prejudice, or fome leaven of vanity and felf-conceit, does not commonly lurk in their hearts, and influence both their opinions and their practices, they who have an extenfive acquaintance with the writings and the conduct of that clafs of men will find no difficulty in deciding. If however this was the decifion of man only, the juftnefs of it might be controverted, and the competency of the judge denied. It might be faid, that it is unbecoming and prefumptuous in any human being to pafs fevere cenfures on large bodies of men; and, that without being able to look into the heart of man, it is impoffible to form a right judgment of his moral character. This we do not deny. But if he who actually has that power of looking into the hearts of man, if he who is perfectly well acquainted with human nature, and all the various characters of men; if he has declared, that men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil, who will controvert-the truth of that decifion? On this authority then we may furely rely, and may reft affured, that whatever pretences may be fet up for rejecting revelation, the grand obftacles to it are, indolence, indifference, vice, paffion, prejudice, felf conceit, pride, vanity, love of fingularity, a difdain to think with the vulgar, and an ambition to be considered as fuperior to the rett of mankind in genius, penetration, and difcerument. It is by removing thele impediments in the first place that we muft prepare men, as St. Jonn did, for embracing the religion of Chrift. Thefe (to make ufe of prophetic language) are the mountains that must be made low; thefe the crooked paths that must be made ftraight; thefe the rough places that must be made plain. Then all difficulties will be removed, and there will be A HIGH WAY FOR OUR GOD. Then there will be a fmooth and eafy approach for the Gospel to the understanding, as well as to the heart; there will be nothing to oppofe its conqueft over the foul. THE GLORY OF THE LORD SHALL FULLY BE REVEALED, AND ALL FLESH SHALL SEE IT." P. 78. Lecture the Fourth is on the temptation of Chrift in the Wilderness. In this, after a careful and ferious examination of the evidence and arguments, the Bishop concludes, that the temptation temptation is not to be understood as a visionary representation, but is to be literally interpreted. The fifth Lecture fets before the reader the choice of the Apoftles, with the beginning of Miracles. If the arguments against Miracles had not repeatedly received the most entire and complete refutation, and in particular from Adams, Campbell, and Paley, the fincere believer might confidently make his appeal to the conclufion of this difcourfe, as fufficient to fatisfy every mind unprejudiced on the fubject. Lectures VI. and VII. are employed upon our Lord's Sermon on the Mount. A fpecimen of purer eloquence cannot eafily be found in any writer on facred fubjects, than the fullowing extract exhibits. Having now brought thefe Lectures to a conclufion for the prefent year, I cannot take my leave of you without expreffing the great comfort and fatisfaction I have derived from the appearance of fuch numerous and attentive congregations as I have feen in this place. That fatisfaction, if I can at all judge of my own fentiments and feelings, does not originate from any felfifh gratification, but from the real intereft 1 take in the welfare, the eternal welfare of every one here prefent; from the hope I entertain that fome ufeful impreffions may have been made upon your minds; and from the evidence which this general earneftnefs to hear the word of God explained and recommended affords, that a deeper fenfe of duty, a more ferious attention to the great concerns of eternity, has, by the bleffing of God, been awakened in your fouls. If this be fo, allow me most earnestly to entreat you not to let this ardour cool; not to let these pious fentiments die away; not to let thefe good feeds be choked by the returning cares and pleasures of the world. But go, retire into your closets, fall down upon your knees before your Maker, and fervently implore him to pour down upon you the over-ruling influences of his holy spirit; to enlighten your understandings, to fanctify your hearts, to fubdue your paffions, to confirm your good refolutions, and enable you to refift every enemy of your falvation. "The world will foon again difplay all its attractions before you, and endeavour to extinguish every good principle you have imbibed. But if the divine truths you have heard explained and enforced in thefe Lectures have taken any firm root in your minds; if you are seriously convinced that Chrift and his religion came from heaven, and that he is able to make good whatever he has promised and whatever he has threatened, there is nothing furely in this world that can induce you to rifque the lofs of eternal happiness, or the infliction of neverceafing punishment. Leaft of all will you think, that this is the precife moment for fetting your affections on this world and its enjoyments; that these are the times for engaging in eager purfuits after the advantages, the hor ours, the pleafures of the prefent life; for plunging into vice, for diffolving in gaiety and pleafure, for fuffering every trivial, every in. fignificant object, to banish the remembrance of your Maker and Redeemer Redeemer from your hearts, where they ought to reign unrivalled and fupreme. Surely amidst the dark clouds that now hang over us, thefe are not the things that will brighten up our profpects, that will leffen our danger, that will calm our apprehenfions, and fpeak peace and comfort to our fouls. No, it must be fomething of a very different nature; a deep sense of our own unworthinefs, a fincere contrition for our paft offences, a proftration of ourselves in all humility before the throne of grace, an earnest application for pardon and acceptance through the merits of him who died for us (whose death and fufferings for our fakes the approaching week will bring fresh before our view) an ardent defire to manifeft our love and gratitude, our devotion and attachment, to our Maker and our Redeemer, by giving them a decided priority and predominance in our affections and our hearts; by making their will the ruling principle of our conduct; the attainment of their favour, the advancement of their glory, the chief objec of our wishes and defires; and purfuing other things only in fubordination to the great and momentous concerns of eternity. Thefe are the fentiments we ought to cultivate and cherish, if we with for any folid comfort under calamity or affliction, any confidence in the favour and protection of heaven; thefe alone can fupport and fuftain our fouls in the midst of danger and diftrefs, at the hour of death. and in the day of judgment. "And how then are these holy fentiments, thefe heavenly affections to be excited in our hearts? Moft certainly not by giving up all our time and all our thoughts to the endlefs occupations, the never ceafing gaieties and amufements of this diffipated metropolis; but by withdrawing ourselves frequently from this tumultuous fcene, by retiring into our chamber, by communing with our own hearts, by fervent prayer, by holding high converfe with our Maker, and cultivating fome acquaintance with that unfeen world to which we are all haftening, and which, in one way or other, must be our portion for ever. "Many of those whom I now fee before me have, from their high rank and fituation in life, full leifure and ample opportunities for all these important purposes; and let them be affured, that a trist account will one day be demanded of them, in what manner, and with what effect, they have employed the talents, the time, and the many other advantages, with which their gracious Maker has indulged them. "And even those who are most engaged in the bufy and laborious fcenes of life, have at least one day in the week which they may, and which they ought to, dedicate to the great concerns of religion. Let then that day be kept facred to its original deftination by all ranks of men, from the higheft to the lowest. Let it not be profaned by needlefs journies, by fplendid entertainments, by crouded affemblies, by any thing in fhort which precludes either ourselves, our families, or our domestics from the exercise of religious duties, or the improvement of those pious fentiments and affections which it was meant to infpire. Let me not, however, be misunderstood. I mean not that it fhould be either to the rich or the poor, or to any human being whatever, a day of gloom and melancholy, a day of fuperftitious rigour. and of abfolute exclufion from all fociety, and all innocent recreation. I know of nothing in scripture that requires this, I know of no good effects |