of mankind, as even the most favage difpofitions were compelled to difcern and to feel." P. 156. From the fame excellent fermon we are induced to make another extract. "Moreover, in following what is good, according to the Gospel, a man is fure to learn, what he can only learn from that great fource of true and important knowledge, namely, the real value of things which are held good in vulgar eftimation; and the juft and proper judgment which candour would make of the evils of life. And as there is no doubt but the opinions of men upon these matters are too commonly erroneous, and their purfuits and actions, in confequence of fuch opinions, as commonly abfurd, so there is all reafon to conclude that, where the judgment of worldly advantages and inconveniences is right, and the conduct is agreeable to fuch judgment, the effect which good or evil will produce, must be very different from that which they would have upon perfons directed by erroneous opinions to abfurd pursuits and actions. Pride, for inftance, generally derives its joy (and indeed its fubfiftence) from fuch objects as a Chriftian knows to be infignificant, unworthy or perhaps hurtful; and therefore, though a proud man, thinking to opprefs a follower of that which is good, fhould take from him the things which pride enjoys, he does not take from him what he would enjoy: be, the Chriftian, would probably reject, if it were offered to him, what his oppreffor thinks it a triumph to deprive him of. We judge not of things as they are, but as we are: and the proud presume they shall hurt others moft by denying, what they feel it would hurt themselves moft to be denied. And the cafe is exactly fimilar with fraud, malice, falfehood, avarice, ambition, and the like; their feveral objects are to them important, and they confequently fuppofe the want of thofe objects a great and real lofs; whereas the true state of the fact is precifely the reverfe: the objects of fraud, malice, falfehood, avarice, and ambition are probably difre garded, or even held in abhorrence by the follower of that which is good and therefore the taking from him what thofe vices pursue, is but taking that for which he cares not, He diftinguishes too justly between real and imaginary good and evil, to feel what wicked men feel from loffes or injuries, becaufe he judges not, as they judge; and therefore, though it is certain that when they opprefs and trouble him, they do him no lefs wrong, yet it is equally certain that they harm bim lefs, than by the fame conduct they would harm any others, who were not, like him, the conftant followers, and-because the constant followers--the beft judges of that which is good." P. 161. The conclufion of Sermon X, preached at a vifitation, demands attention from the clergy in particular. "That we may commend ourfelves to that confcience which will infpire the opinions men are likely to form of the true belief, from its vifible and conftant effect upon the conduct of thofe who profefs it themselves, and who wish to recommend it to others-it will be neceffary that, as partakers of a gofpel of peace and good-will, we should be, be, in every thing, with every man, in thought as well as in act, in public and in private-not ftudious only, not only obfervant-but fend alfe-if 1 may ufe the expreffion-fond of peace and goodwill; that in profeffing to worship a God of purity in fpirit and in truth, we fhould preferve general fimplicity and innocence in our whole carriage;-that both our lives and our converfation fhould be far removed from all contention, all morofenefs, all prefumptive fuperiority, all hardnefs of heart, all harfhnefs of judgment, or arrogance of decifion;-that, in enjoying and boafting of a Revelation which reprefents to us our God, as commiferating our frailties and offences and our Saviour, the Son of God,' as appearing in our likeness, as teaching for our improvement, as dying for our redemption, and as rifing again for our future juftification, and our everlafting falvation, we fhould walk like men, who having freely received these best tidings humanity could be bleffed with, would freely communicate them; like men, who have a difpenfation upon earth, which can lift their thoughts to heaven; like men, who having fo glorious inftruction for being, and fuch convincing and engaging motives to be-are therefore-better-in the fight of God and man! "As these are truths which will be readily admitted, it would be unneceffary, I perfuade myself, to defcribe how peculiarly we, my Chriftian brethern, to whom our refpective appropriated offices in the church of God, interwoven as they are with the political conftitution of our country, have been committed-how peculiarly we are concerned in the general obligation, to exhibit in our lives and converfations, the full and effective evidence of truths fo obvious and fo important! All our confcience, as teachers of the Gospel, is as much bound by the obligation, which we are under, to commend the excelJence and power of our holy religion thus properly to men, as all the confcience of men is, to approve and embrace the religion which fhall come fo recommended to them by our behaviour and example.-He, himself, upon whofe divinity our faith is founded; and to whofe honour, all our endeavours fhould be devoted, called, and never was word more juftly applied ;-he called his Gofpel Light; and he gave us together with it a precept, whofe force it is impoffible not to perceive and acknowledge, when he delivered it fo ftrictly in charge to us, to let our light fine before men, that they might fee our good works; and that, being convinced by the operation of his holy light upon our confcience,and compelled by the correfponding teftimony of their own, they might glorify their Father which is in heaven: while they fhould find by the experiment of our blameiefs, vigilant, and affectionate miniftration, that the evangelically zealous labourers in the Lord's harvest, far from ufurping or feeking dominion over the faith of men, are earneftly fetting forth the word of truth, in the fpirit of meekness; and can render themselves, by animated piety, by inftructive condefcenfion, and by exemplary intercourfe among their brethren-what it will be, as well their glory, as it is evidently their duty, to appear-helpers, at once, of the joy, and promoters of the falvation of mankind!" P. 187. Sermon Sermon XIII, on Heb. xi, 4, preached upon the anniverfary of Mr. Raine's Charity, is foundly eloquent and inftru&tive. "Men may, in fpeculation, infer the probable duration and prof perity of particular ftates, from their fituation, from their forms of government, from the improvable genius, and from the enterprifing and enduring courage of their natives; in all which diftinctions this our country has, perhaps, fcarce her equal under heaven; and fo far as fpeculation goes, the inference is juft and reafonable; but experience, the univerfal experience of mankind, has proved inconteftibly, in the rife and in the fall of the greateft nations that ever rofe or fell, how entirely the manners of a people determine the fortunes of a people. Aware of this, the wife and good citizen, whofe charitable deed now calls upon your attention, applied his generous gift to the encouragement of virtuous, though humble emulation, in the children whom he adopted, as it were, for his own. Avail yourfelves of the salutary example; teach your children all that becomes good men, and good fubjects; fave them from the contagion of faflionable levity and diffoluteness; inure them to frugality, to integrity, to fimplicity; inftruct them early to diftinguish between devotion and enthusiasm, between accomplishments and affectations, between liberty and licentioufnefs; make them Chriftians, and you will make them patriots, of courfe; you will have the comfort of feeing them worthy partakers, and the merit of leaving them fit and able defenders of that invaluable inheritance, a proteftant church, under an English constitution." P. 243. We shall add one more extract, from Sermon XIV, on Ifa. xliv, 20, preached upon a fait-day. "We thall moreover bear too ftrong a refemblance to those who have a lie in their right hands, if, while we make a formal confeffion of that visible relaxation of manners and debasement of fentiment, and of that open increase of fantaftic extravagance, which may fo juftly be called epidemical among us, we continue ftill, by our unguarded expreffions or heedlefs behaviour, to countenance and concur with the prevailing infatuation. It is harder, I will allow, to be fingularly good and grave: but is it not for that reafon more honourable? We fee conftantly individuals affecting to take the lead in matters of tafte, as it is called, and of pleasure, and ftanding forth the avowed patterns of idle, and frequently of vicious innovations; till fashion in a short time authorifes, what folly or diffoluteness begun; and the world appears at laft, in the livery of a trifler or a profligate. "You must do as others do," is the language of indolence and diffipation. But might not the fame argument be as forcibly pleaded in behalf of truth, prudence, and religion, whenever thy appear? Would even a fingle perfon here and there determine not to be born down by the ftream, is there not hope, that the fenfibility, perfeverance, and probity of fuch fingle perfons, operating gradually on more, might in fome degree stem, and in time interrupt and turn, the current? The fepa Ꭰ BRIT. CRIT, VOL. XII. JULY, 1798. rate rate vice and levity of individuals makes up the idea of general de pravity and does not the idea of general reformation include as evi dently the aggregate refult of feparate seriousness and virtue? Every man can, and every man ought, for himself at least, to endeavour to amend his own life; till he hath done that, his complaints of the public depravity, however juft they may be in fact, (and indeed they are only too juft,) will be like the voice of him that faith, " It is evil, it is evil, and goeth ftraightway and doeth the fame things." His confeffion to God may indeed be true;-evil, there is enough; -but his behaviour in the world being fo inconfiftent with his confeffion in the church, makes even that which is truth in his mouth be a lie in his right hand." P. 271. A paffage, extracted from the Preface, will perhaps be acceptable to our readers. ૬ "As a fpecimen of his manner, where he aimed at impreffive concifenefs, it may be agreeable to the reader to fee the following lines, written in a copy of the Book of Common Prayer prefented by him to his daughter. MY DEAR MARY, Confult, Your Underftanding for your Belief; The Contents of this Book, SAMUEL BISHOP." P. xi. We agree with the editor, that thefe fermons are plain and practical; they contain juft and pious fentiments, expreffed in a manly and forcible ftyle; and they breathe the genuine fpirit of candour and Chriftian charity." "The reader will probably notice in them a peculiar turn of thought." We would rather fay, a peculiar manner of viewing and confidering any fubject. For Mr. B. does not (as preachers fometimes fay) take occafion from a text to do this or that, with which the text has no concern; but he actually finds fuch occafion, where ordinary readers would not be aware that it exifts. While he thus difplays his ingenuity, he is by no means unduely fanciful. He is always a found, as well as eloquent inftructor. His fentiments are fo natural*, and his A fingle exception occurred to us, at p. 330; where we find an antithetical conceit; " In providing for a ftate that is to have no end, can it ever be too foon to make a beginning ?" I ftyle ftyle fo perfpicuous, that an audience the moft learned, or most polifhed, might attend to him with delight and instruction; and yet the plaineft congregation might perfectly understand, and be truly edified by his difcourfes. We recommend this volume as fingularly fit to be read in thofe well-ordered families, where religious and moral inftruction are happily combined with an attention to all liberal, and really valuable accom plishments. ART. VII. Julia; or Laft Follies. 4to. Rivingtons. 3s. 6d. 1798. IN N this fmall but elegant collection, we feem to trace the hand of a master, not exerting itself in mighty efforts, but fporting with fkill and grace. If fuch are his laft follies, we would with for "more laft dying words ;" and advife him to furnish, if he cannot find, the precedent of the cycnea cantio twice repeated. Unless our judgment much deceive us, thefe little poems proceed from the heart as well as the fancy, and refemble the pocket-book which Prior makes Cupid lofe to Ganymede, fill'd with good verfe from real lovers." We select the following fpecimens of the author's abilities: 65 LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP. The wretch, who on the rugged fhore, I happier, near the green fea rove, And fmile, though distant far from home, Whilft wandering on the waters' brink, I listen to the ftormy wind, The fweets of Friendship and of Love. Loved pair! whofe praife, whofe worth to fing, Whether ye wander on the fhore, Whilft tempefts rage and billows roar; |