him in his own opinion; when he reflects what should be the unblameableness of his flock, and contemplates the success of his best endeavours for them. He need not be told the faults of his brethren, he feels frailties enough of his own. He wants not the detail of the delinquencies of his people; he knows what is his own responsibility, and what has been his own exertion. If he has, haply, the applause of his own conscience for his diligent and unwearied attention to every part of his holy office; he knows, that even then, when his own heart condemns him not, he is not herein justified he may not acquit himself: for he that judgeth him is, his master and Lord. 1 "Would to God, the charity of earth were as merciful as the judgment of heaven! Was our situation but rightly appreciated, how much less favourable would be our reception among men :› how much more extensive would be the benefit of our labours to them? But let any man judge, how distressing, how discouraging it must be; to be always speaking truth, and never to be regarded; to be earnest for the good of others, and repaid with contempt: to be zealous for our religion, and yet derided: to be circumspect in our conduct, and still defamed to be innocent in our amusements, and evil reported of: to be diligent in our calling, and yet lightly esteemed. The candid mind indeed will condemn such treatment as shameful and most unworthy: and he who dwelleth on high, will laugh it to scorn. Our care is to be approved of by him, as his faithful stewards: and our comfort is, that his approval will bring a man peace at the last." This vifitation fermon is dedicated to Archdeacon Coxe, at whofe requeft it was printed, and it well merited the diftinction conferred upon it by fo able a judge. A LETTER to the Right Rev. Dr. Beilby Porteus, Lord Bishop of London, on the fubject of his Citation of the Writer before the Spiritual Court, on an unfounded Charge refpecting certain Doctrines contained in his Vifitation Discourfe, preached before Dr. Gritton, Archdeacon of Effex, at Danbury, July 8, 1806 By FRANCIS STONE, M. A. Rector of Cold Norton, Effex. 8vo. pp. 42. 15. 6d. Eaton.. TH HIS modeft gentleman treats his diocefan very cava. lierly for exerting himself as became his funétion in watching over the flock committed to his charge, and in preferving preferving the fame from the defigns of thofe "wolves in fheep's cloathing," who can fubfcribe what they do not believe, and who tell the people from the pulpit that their creeds are contrary to common sense, and that the prayers they repeat are idolatrous. The Rector of Cold Norton wishes to have the power to deftroy the faith of the church; but at the fame time he is very anxious to enjoy his portion of her revenues. He clings faft to the temporal benefits of his living, and he honeftly tells us that he would fain be a bishop if he could, in which case he would "introduce a bill into parliament for the purpose of conceding to the clergy, the optional public ufe of two liturgies, namely, the prefent Trinitarian liturgy, or a public form of prayer on the Unitarian plan, fuch as is ufed in Effex-ftreet Chapel." This is an exceffive act of liberality to one class of men, but what regard would be paid by it to a congregation of Trinitarian Chriftians who have always profeffed their belief in the divinity of the Son of God, and trufted for falvation only to the merits of his atonement. Pour fouls! when their good old minifter dies, and one of Mr. Stone's friends is appointed to fucceed him, they are to burn their prayer books, and learn a new liturgy, the exiflence of which they never heard of before. Not only fo; but they must get rid of their old religious notions, and no longer hope or pray for the remiffion of fins and the attainment of everlast ing life, through the mediation and fufferings of the Re deemer. Now this generous conceffion amounts to this, that the men of no religious principles are to obtain church preferment without being tied to any conditions; the unity of faith and the edification of the people must be fet afide, that the Unitarian minifters may be provided for, out of those revenues which were originally fettled for another cause, and for the maintenance of a very different set of men. 66 It is curious to obferve in what a light, manner fubfcription to articles of faith is treated of by this miferable fophift. Honeft Will. Whiston was juftly indignant with Dr. Clarke, for faying that an affent to the Liturgy and Articles may and must be given to them in fuch a fenfe as may make them confiftent with the Scriptures and with themselves; and not in fuch a fenfe as the words may most obviously fignify.' This would in fact be to quibble away all folemn declarations whatever, and to open a wide door to every kind of equivo cation cation and perjury. But Mr. Stone goes even farther than this; and is not afhamed to avow, that his prior fubfcription to the articles, which (by the bye) was a condition extending to his future conduct as a beneficed clergyman, does not in any degree bind him afterwards. In what fchool he has learnt this trick we know not, unless it be in that goodly one which taught, That faints may claim a dispensation To fwear and for/wear on occafion, and that Oaths are but words, and words but wind, As fhadows to a fubftance do. Theftatute of the 13th of Elizabeth," is called by Mr. Stone, old and obfolete, because it was enacted two or three centuries ago; fo according to this the ftatute law of this realm is only binding in proportion to its youth, and that when once an act becomes old it may be violated with ima punity. The law and morality of this Unitarian Rector are quite fuitable to his gospel and his reafoning. It is odd enough that this defpifer of human authority fhould be eager to fhelter himself under it. He quotes an anonymous pamphlet, written, as he fays, by a bifhop, in which it is maintained that fubfcription to the thirty-nine articles is to be confidered as to an old, obfolete ftatute, virtually, though not ipfo facto, repealed." 66 Who this prelate was he forbears to name, nor do we think it worth while to enquire after him; the opinion he has expreffed neither reflects credit upon his judgment nor his prineiples. A ftatute in force and continually acting upon thofe for whom it was made, is not old and obfolete, neither can it be faid to be virtually repealed without flatly contradicting the common fenfe of mankind. Every perfon matriculated of our universities, every candidate for holy orders, and every parfon inftituted to a benefice, muft declare his affent to thefe articles, and fubfcribe them ex animo. If this is not a living ftatute, we fhould be glad to know what can be called fo. But perhaps in ftiling the thirty-nine articles" obsolete,” and faying that they are "virtually repealed," it is only meant that a man may according to the new morality fubfcribe them, as articles of faith, and publicly read them in the face of the congregation, followed by a declara VOL. XIV. Chm. Mag. Jan. 1808. K tion tion of his affent to them, while he is refolved to preach against them as "old wives' fables." So much for the liberal cafuiftry of this bifhop, whoever he was, and the excellent inftructions which, according to this, he gave to those who came to him for his paftoral advice, "that they might very confcientiously believe one thing and fubfcribe ex animo their faith in the contrary," merely on the ground that the ftatute they figned is not of modern date, but was drawn up and enacted by a fet of bigoted unenlightened men, in convocation and parliament affembled, above two hun dred years ago. We are glad to see that Mr. Stone's former publisher has not fuffered his name to appear in the title page of this fcandalous, pamphlet; which fhews in what eftimation the Rector of Cold Norton's conduct is held among the confcientious men of the Unitarian perfuafion. On Singularity and Excess in Philological Speculation; a Sermon preached before the University of Oxford, at St. Mary's, on Sunday, April 19, 1807. By RICHARD LAURENCE, LL. D. Rector of Merfham, Kent. 8vo. pp. 41. 15. 6d. Rivingtons. TH HIS is an admirable difcourfe on an important fubject, and reflects additional credit on the learned author, whofe Bampton Lectures on Calvinifm have completely decided that controverfy, and established his reputation. In this feasonable Sermon before the fame learned body, Dr. Laurence" furveys the fingularities of thofe, who, in their elucidations of religious truth, have been ftudious of deviating from the path of vulgar obfervation; and, captivated by a fondnefs for deep research, have preferred, in fome inftances fanciful, in others conjectural, hypothefis to plain and folid argument." The extravagance of " etymological fpeculation," is firft confidered, and thus ingeniously expofed. "It is certainly an object of importance to verify the facts and opinions recorded in the Old Testament; which cannot perhaps be better effected, than by proving the inspiration of Moses and the Prophets, by shewing that those "holy men of God spoke as they they were moved by the Holy Ghost." And of this abundant proof, arising both from internal and external evidence of the most convincing kind, has been repeatedly urged. But there are writers, anxious to adduce a more ingenious species of testimony, who have had recourse to a different mode of reasoning, and have endeavoured to demonstrate the truth of Scripture by pointing out, that it was so generally received and greatly revered by all antiquity, as to have been adopted for the basis, upon which superstition raised almost the whole structure of Pagan mythology. This argument has been prosecuted with a labour, which has seldom been equalled, and with a minuteness, which perhaps has never been exceeded. All the stores of Oriental as well as Grecian literature have been explored to establish probable etymologies. Resemblances of names and characters have been studiously sought for, where none more immediately appeared; and the most trivial coincidences swelled into imaginary importance. The fancy has been stretched to the utmost, in order to apply the fable of the poet, and the reverie of the philosopher, to some fact, occurrence, or doctrine recorded in the sacred Writings. Nor has conjecture been idle in supplying any little circumstance to complete a correspondence, where a deficiency of the kind existed. It signified nothing how polluted the stream of mythology might be, while it was deemed possible to ascertain the purity of the fountain, from which it was supposed to flow. Scarcely perhaps will it be conceived that the characteristics, which distinguish the god Silenus, were derived from the page of revelation; and yet a writer (Bochart) of extensive learning, and profound research, has expressly so derived them, asserting that the Heathen deity was intended to represent the divine Shiloh of Scripture, and even extending the comparison to a long string of parallels. Those who go in quest of a similitude to prove some favourite point, will easily find one; especially if their imagination be warm, and their views comprehensive; but tortured etymologies, and equivocal allusions, although they may amuse the original discoverer, will never satisfy a cool and unprejudiced enquirer. "In support indeed of the theory under consideration it may be alleged, that there are many circumstances in the mythological fables of the heathens, which clearly evince a coincidence with sacred history, scarcely possible to have resulted from chance. But, while this is readily granted, and even strongly urged, we should recollect, that, by penetrating too deeply, we shall never obtain that, which is to be found only on the surface; and that, by attempting to prove too much, we expose ourselves to the harsh censure of proving nothing. In enquiries of this description, there is doubtless something fascinating, particularly to youthful and ardent minds, but little perhaps satisfactory and solid, little to expand the intellect or convince the judgment." The |