ward Maltby, D.D. 4to 2s. Cambridge, printed; Ca dell and Co., &c. London. 1806. The fubject of this difcourfe is judiciously chofen, with reference particularly to the younger part of the preacher's audience, the ftudents in the univerfity of Cambridge. The neceffity of employing opportunities offered, and the impoffibility of recalling them when neglected, are well explained and inforced. The heads of the difcourfe are thefe, 1. That to every individual is allotted the performance of his peculiar work or employment. 2. That a diftinct and proper feafon is affigned to each individual for his work; and alfo for each part of his work. 3. That they are in a fatal error, who fail to improve their opportunities of gaining the knowledge, and difcharging the duties, fuited to their refpective stations. From the part in which application is made to the particular cafe of the author's hearers, we fhall felect a very admirable fpecimen. men. "Thus briefly have I attempted to point out your duties. As to opportunities, you have here unbounded leifure for the acquifi. tion of knowledge;--you have an ample fupply of books, in every language and every fcience. Here emulation ftimulates exertion, and honourable distinction rewards it. Nor, in addi. tion to other means of improvement and incentives to industry, must we forget the leffons and the example of good and great Can you then be too often or too ferioufly reminded, that thefe opportunities have their appointed bounds? When this pe riod of probation is paft, other fcenes, other duties await you. In the world, upon which many of you foon muft enter, a fucceffion of cares, with which you are now unacquainted-ɔf occu-pations, for which you are unprepared-muft deprive you of the means for acquiring knowledge which are here fo largely af forded, and may fruftrate any determinations you have formed for a more vigorous and effectual profecution of your ftudies. "In an Affembly of Chriftian Youth, many of them prepar ing for the office of Religious Inftructors, it furely cannot appear unfeafonable to enforce the proper employment of time, even in the various purfuits of human fcience, from religious motives. Already have I endeavoured to fhew, that induftry in our worldly callings may, and muft, be inculcated, upon the principle of obedience to that God, who has affigned to his creatures their feveral ftations in life. And, it were eafy to prove that every ftudy, by which the powers of the human mind are invigorated and enlarged, has a tendency to improve us in the belief and practice of true Religion, Whatfoever extends the limits of our knowledge, whether in the natural or in the moral world, can not fail to fupply additional proofs of the wifdom, power, and goodness of the Deity. The abftrufe fciences, by exercifing the faculties in the art of reafoning, enable it to grafp more firmly the various arguments for the truth of Christianity and ever thole thofe ftudies, by which the fancy is warmed, and the taste matured, difpofe us to eftimate more justly, and to feel more exquifitely, the lofty imagery, the appropriate diction, and the winning fimplicity of the Sacred Writers. This indeed is the end, to which every part of knowledge fhould be ultimately directed; nor can we fet forth, in a fairer or more ftriking point of view, the advantages of polite and recondite learning, than by fhewing that it affords the cleareft perception of the excellency, as well as truth, of Revealed Religion." P. 17. The talents and learning of Dr. M. are well known, not only at the university but in the world at large; and this difcourfe will certainly not tend to diminish the estimation, in which they are fo justly held. ART. 28. A Treatife on Religious Experience: in which its Nature, Evidences, and Advantages are confidered. By Charles Buck. 12mo. 330 pp. 35. 6d. Williams and Smith, &c. 1805. Our expectation has been agreeably difappointed in this book., From its title we looked for fomething enthufiaftic and delufive; and though we had formerly praised the author, as a man of diligence and found understanding, we feared that now he must have deviated into lefs fecure paths, with those whom imagination governs more than reafon. We have not found it fo, on perufing his book. There is much in it, on which every chriftian may meditate with advantage, and little that can give offence to any. True it is that he appears to be a diffenter, but one who is neither bigotted nor uncharitable, as we fhall prefently take occafion to fhow. EXPERIENCE fignifies, in his book, nothing miraculous or preternatural; but fuch an obfervation applied to religion, as may equally be used in other objects of purfuit, "the judge, the ftatefman, the general, the merchant, the mafter, the mariner," he says, "are all respected in proportion to their experience;" namely their experience, in their refpective purfuits." So in religion," he adds, "it is experience that is more advantageous than bare theory." P. 28. All this is perfectly true. "I am no advocate," he fays elfewhere, for vifions, revelations, and fingular impulfes." The utmoft he allows is, that, "there have been fome inftances of extraordinary experience, and fingular manifeftations, which ast fome would think (it) complete enthusiasm to believe, so I think, on the other hand, it would be incredulity to deny." P. 148. He then cites the opinion of Dr. Watts, with one or two inftances, which, indeed, are not decifive, but which it is not important to conteft. British Critic, Aug. 1803. BRIT. CRIT. VOL. XXIX. JAN. 1807. That That this author is not bigotted or uncharitable, the follow. ing admirable paffage will very pleafingly evince. "Farther, let us afk, whether our experience teaches us to bear with others? To talk of happy communion with God, of enlargements of mind, and animation of foul in his fervice; of fresh difcoveries of the perfections of God, of the extensive views we have of his word and providences, and yet to be contracted and bigotted as it refpects others, is a ftrange thing. • The wifdom that is from above is firft pure, then peaceable, gentle, and eafy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, without hypocrify.' James iii. 17. What shall we fay then of thofe, who are perpetually railing against others, and that, because they do not happen to agree with them in every inferior circumstance? What can we think of the experience of thofe who are ready to exclude every body from the kingdom of heaven but thofe of their own party? Can their experience of divine love be very great, who take a pleafure in fearching out, and talking of the infirmities of others? Let us not deceive ourfelves if the fpirit of malignity, envy, illiberality, oppofition, predominate in us, however we may talk of our intercourfe with heaven, we evidently manifeft we are still of the earth. These are not the difpofitions of the gofpel; for the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, lung fuffering, gentlenefs, goodness, faith, meeknefs, temperance: against fuch there is no law.' Gal. v. 22, 23. The more communion we have with God, the more we shall pity the weakness, and bear with the infirmities of his people. Reader, if thou art a poor bigotted foul, fpeaking well of nothing, but what is of thine own party; taking pleasure in puzzling the weak with unneceffary and ufelefs fubjects, and quarrelling about trifles, how dwelleth the love of God in thee?" P. 283. In the 11th chapter there are fome admonitions respecting "experience books," and "experience meetings," (that is, jour nals in which a man records his own experiences, and affemblies in which men meet to relate them) which, though they ftill maintain the temperate manner of the author himfelf, ftill fhow that he is connected with those to whom fuch practices are familiar. We fear they must in general much contribute to generate and inflame a vain enthufiafin: though could they ufually be conducted, as fuch a man would conduct them, they might not be very objectionable. To conclude, though this book is made for persons who in fome things think differently from thofe of our communion, particularly towards the latter end, where the subject laft mentioned is handled; yet we fee no reafon why religious perfons of any defcription may not derive advantage from it. Much ferioufnefs and fincerity of mind, much reflection on reli gious fubjects, much knowledge of the human heart, and of the manner manner in which divine grace affects and improves it, are here difplayed; and, on a work which poffeffes thefe qualities, he can be no very fincere christian, who can venture to pronounce a gene. ral condemnation. MISCELLANIES. ART. 29. The Genuine Art of Gauging made eafy and familiar; exhibiting all the Principal Methods actually practifed by the Officers of his Majefty's Revenue of Excife and Customs: Alfo, the eftablished Rules for finding the Areas and Contents of Stills, of Wafb Backs by Ordinates, of Coppers, Cisterns, &c. either when full or part empty; with Brewers and all other Utenfils of an irregular Form, &c. And Inftructions for Gauging by the Callipers, as practifed both in the Port of London, and all the Out Ports. To which is added, the Method of afcertaining the Strength of Spirituous Liquors by the Hydrometer, with a Variety of Information on different Points connected with the Subject. A Work that will be found useful not only to young Officers, Surveyors, and Supervifors of the Excife and Cuftims, but also to Au&ioneers, Brewers, Brandy Merchants, Cyder Dealers, Diftillers, Glafs Makers, Maltfters, Rectifiers, Soap Makers, Starch Makers, Sweet Makers, Victuallers, Inn Keepers, Vinegar Makers, Wine Merchants, &c. And more or less to Perfons of every Defcription. By Peter Jonas, late Supervisor of Excife, &c. 8vo. 395 PP. 95. Dring and Page, Borough. 1806. This author, in the extenfive title of his book, has taken par ticular care not to omit any thing which might be deemed alluring to the purchafers of his publication; but fince no work was ever published upon the Spurious art of gauging, he might, at leaft, have omitted the epithet of genuine, which is utterly fuperfluous. In the preface, Mr. J. fays, that as the other works extant upon the fame fubject, had begun to grow in fome respects obso lete, fo that a new work was demanded, he has endeavoured to supply the defect by the publication of the present. The table of contents is very ample; but, as a large part is tranfplanted into the title-page, we fhall not here repeat it. If this author promises a great deal in the title page, he pro. mifes much more in the preface. To be mafter of the principles upon which the various problems of menfuration and of gauging depend, is, according to him, neither more nor lefs than to be acquainted with the greatest part of the mathematics; namely, with all the train of reafoning from the very firft notions, or ax. ioms, up to the properties of plain and folid figures, both regular and irregular; to which, indeed, the fize of the pre fent volume is abfolutely inadequate; the reader, therefore, H 2 muit muft not expect to find any thing like the above mentioned train of reafoning in the work; but he will find a vaft number of ufe. ful rules clearly laid down, regularly arranged, and fully explained by means of examples, and likewife by various wood cuts, which are intermixed with the letter-prefs. After the rules neceffary for the management of decimal fractions, which occupy the first part of the work, fome tables are inferted, which exhibit the values of the decimal parts of a pound fterling, the decimal parts of a pound troy, the decimal parts of a hundred weight avoirdupois, and the decimals of diverse meafures of capacity, of extenfion, &c. This is followed by the methods of extracting the fquare and the cube roots, together with Sir I. Newton's general method of extracting roots of all other denominations. The use of the fquare and of the cube roots is, at the fame time, fhown in a va riety of inftances, fuch as in the method of finding a mean proportional between two given extenfions, the determinations of the fides of fimilar plane figures, and fimilar folids, the menfuration of an elliptical area, and fo forth. Next to the arithmetical part, this author describes feveral fcales, or mechanical contrivances, useful for expediting the men. furation and calculation of extenfions, capacities, &c. Thefe are the fliding rule, the ullage rule, and the new invented cafting rule for fpirit.dealers, and other tradefmen. The nature of the lines that are drawn upon those rules, and their application to the various purposes for which they are intended, are described and exemplified in a variety of ways. In page 73, this author begins to treat of what he exprefsly calls menfuration, wherein he fhows, in the first place, how to measure the areas of plane rectilinear figures, and then the areas of circles and their other parts. He then lays down fome of the most important properties of the circle, on which he founds certain fubfequent propofitions, which are only problems; fuch as to find the areas, the circumferences, the areas of fectors, and other particulars belonging to circles. These are followed by the methods of eftimating the capacities of veffels, the contents of folids, the capacities of fpheroids, and other figures of the conie kind. All thefe rules are illuftrated by proper examples. Among these problems, a great many tables are interfperfed, which are of vaft affiftance in practice. In page 16, the foregoing problems are more immediately applied to the menfuration of utenfils, or veffels of victuallers, common brewers, diftillers, &c. The fection on ullaging commences with the following paragraphs. "The ullaging, of a cafk, is to find what quantity of li quor is either drawn out, or what remains in the cafk: and this has two cafes; viz. " I. Το |