more moral by perufing them? Yet this is one entire head of this author's morality, which is no further difcuffed. Religion seems to him to confift only in a man's raifing in himself the ideas of God and eternity, for his welfare. All modifications of religious opinions appear to him totally infignificant. If it was a miferable wafte of time to write fuch a book, it is fo, in fome degree, to write an account of it, and therefore we fay no more; but leave it to that oblivion which gaped for it, when it issued from the prefs.

MEDICINE.

ART. 25. Some Obfervations upon Diseases, chiefly as they occur in
Sicily
By William Irvine, M. D. F. R. S. Ed. of the Royal
College of Phyficians of London; and Phyfician to his Majefty's
Forces. 8vo. 120 pp. 5s. Murray. 1810.

The difeafes treated of in this interefting publication are principally fevers, dyfentery, phthifis, hepatitis, rheumatism. The defeription of their fymptoms, and the method of practice pur-. fued, mark the accurate obferver, and rational practitioner. We regret to state that death has fnatched him from his well-merited reward, for he could not have continued in the carcer of practice which he had fo aufpiciously entered, without foon attaining dis. tinguished eminence in his profeffion, which will even yet derive benefit from his fhort-lived but glorious exertions.

DIVINITY.

ART. 26. A Jhort Diffuafive from a Common Sin, enfily avoided; with a prefatory Address to the Clergy of the Church of England. 12 pp. Rivingtons. 1808.

12mo.

A fhort Diffuafive from the Common Sin of Swearing, a fin which ought certainly to be checked as much as poffible by every man who has any fenfe of duty towards his great Creator, and more efpecially by him, who is particularly employed in God's fervice. The author's intentions therefore appear to be good; but we are forry to obferve that he accufes his reverend brethren themselves of violating the divine precept, "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain ;" an accufation not founded on fufficient grounds, as fuch a deviation is in truth very rarely to be met with; and a tract intended for circulation among the lowest claffes of society, as a diffuafive from this fin, is not the proper vehicle for conveying reproof to another class, who are not likely to be, and are indeed very rarely contaminated by it.

ART. 27. Chriftian Righteousness: a Sermon, preached in Trinity College Chapel, on Sunday, March 24, 1811. By the Rev. T Young, A. M. Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. 8vo. 25 PP. 1s. Deighton, Cambridge; Cadell and Davies, Lon don; Parker, Oxford. 1811.

A foundly argumentative and very inftructive difcourfe: fhowing, I. that the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharifees," here intended, is not what they practised; on which point there can be no doubt; but, what they taught. The conclufion is, "That although Chriftians are not under the law, but under grace, yet fo far are they from being releafed from the obligation of the moral law, as a rule of duty, that it is bound upon them by ftill ftronger ties, and greater and more perfect righteousness required of Chriftians by the Gofpel, than of Jews by the law.” P. 7. II. The preacher confirms and illuftrates "from other parts of the Chriftian Scriptures, this much-neglected, and fomewhat difparaged truth, that Chriftians are to be a holy nation, a peculiar people, diftinguished from all other people by the holinefs and purity of their lives and converfation." P.8. III. An objection is anfwered; that "this is a very formidable reprefentation of that which is called the Covenant of Grace; if there be fo much of difficulty, and fo much of danger, in the profeffion and ftate of a Chriftian." P. 13. Another objection is then answered: "But if these things be fo, if a greater degree of righteousness be required in the Chriftian than in the Jew; and fo required as to be made a condition of our entering into the kingdom of heaven; how then is the cafe of the Chriftian under the Gospel better than that of the Jew under the law." P 16.

The conclufion of this difcourfe (and indeed every part of it) may be recommended to the attention of our countrymen, in thefe days; when fo many men are wandering about, decrying the importance of the practice of chriftian duties: "No one furely will fuppofe, that, in thus preffing the neceffity of good works, we are leading men to place their hopes of falvation on their own righteoufnefs. We have heard much of felf-righteous Chriftians; but for our own parts we have met with no one that thought to merit heaven by his own righteoufnefs; and we hope that very few are to be found, fo utterly ignorant of chriftianity, and of themselves. Not all the merits of all the fons of men are able to raise one brother to heaven. That all we have to hope for is mercy, all we have to cry for is mercy, we feel and profefs. Yet are we anxious for this above all things, to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and fpirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God **, left after calling Christ our Lord in this world, we should in that day be rejected by him, with that terrible but

* z Cor. vii. 1.
U u

T. CRIT. VOL, XXXVIII. DEC. 1811.

juft

juft fentence, I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity.'

"Both Jew and Chriftian are required to work: yet works are not in the fame fort a condition of the new covenant as of the old. The Jew was to work, that he might merit the rewards of the law the Chriftian is to work, not that he may merit, (Chrift alone has merited) the rewards of heaven; but that he may by his obedience approve himself a fit object of the riches of God's mercy, and obtain thofe rewards which Chrift has merited for him. That the Jew might merit, the law would accept of no lefs than perfect, abfolute, and uninterrupted obedience; and therefore by the law, without reference to the Saviour who was to come, juftification was impoffible. Upon the Christian, as foon as he embraces the faith of Chrift, juftification is beftowed as a free gift; and his fincere, though imperfect, obedience for the future is through the mercy of God accepted, and for the merits of Chrift will be everlaftingly rewarded, with a happiness infinitely furpaffing the defert of his labour, yet ftill in measure proportioned to the degree in which he has abounded in the work of the Lord." P. 19.

In another edition of this Sermon, which we hope will be called for, we wish to fee the words " enter into, the kingdom of heaven," more diftinctly explained; for the ufe of readers in general.

ART. 28. Chrift's Refurrection, the Canfe and the Pattern of Our's. A Sermon, preached in Trinity College Chapel, April 14, 1811, being Eafter-Day: by the Rev. T. Young, A. M. Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. 8vo. 25 pp. Is. Deighton, Cambridge; Cadell and Davies, London; Parker, Oxford.

1811.

The preacher shows ift, that "The refurrection of Chrift is the caufe of our refurrection; because, by rifing from the dead, he obtained the right and the power to raise the dead." P. 7. 2dly, How the refurrection of Chrift is the pattern of our refurrection." P. 10. An important diftinction is made, under this head. "Chrift's refurrection, as we have endeavoured to explain, is both the cause and the pattern of our's; but as it is the caufe, and as it is the pattern, it is of very different extent. As the caufe, it extends to the refurrection of all, both good and bad, just and unjust as the pattern, it extends to the refur. rection of the juft only. In confequence of Chrift's refurrection all fhall come forth from their graves, both they that have done good, and they that have done evil; but they only that have done good fhall come forth to the refurrection of life, and be con. formed to the fimilitude of Chrift's refurrection.” P. 11.

We concur with the preacher, in ftrongly recommending to attention the 15th chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians; which is very remarkable: "Remarkable, not only as giving the most particular and circumftantial account of the refurrection of any that we meet with in the whole Bible, but for the occafion to which it is applied by our church. Whatever other leffon of the Scriptures may be heard with indifference, this will hardly fail to arreft the attention, connected as it is with fo many occafions of the tendereft concern, and affociated with ideas the moft folemn and affecting. To fome of us, in all probability, the hearing of this chapter has conveyed no fmall confolation and there can be no doubt but that for this very reafon it was felected by the Church, as peculiarly calculated to adminifter There are gloconfolation, where confolation was moft wanted. rious things revealed in it concerning the refurrection; things which, if fully believed, and felt as they ought to be, will difarm death of its terrors, and enable the Chriftian to meet it, not only with decent fortitude, as a heathen might do, but with that heavenly joy and blessed serenity which belongs only to the departure of a Chriftian.

But then, whilft we perceive and acknowledge thofe glo. rious hopes, it is of great moment that we remember for whom they were intended, to what fort of perfons they apply. For it will appear, on examining the chapter of the text, that the refurrection of the dead there contemplated by St. Paul, is the refurrection of the juft, and of the just only; it is that refurrection which our Saviour called the refurrection of life, in oppofition to the refurrection of damnation; it is that refurrection after which St. Paul, in another place, reprefents himself aspiring with the most ardent affection, and most earnest endeavours, "if by any means he might attain unto the refurrection of the dead †.” Now to the refurrection of the dead, taken in a general fenfe, he could not help attaining: if he had ftriven to be wicked, as much as he ftrove to be righteous, he would neverthelefs have attained to it, against his will. But the refurrection at which he was aiming, as the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jefus, was the refurrection of the juft; and this is the refur rection which alone is defcribed in this chapter." P. 12.

The conclufion of this difcourfe, from p. 16, is truly inftructive, and would be heard with great advantage, we truft, by any attentive congregation.

ART. 29. Commentaries on the Corruptions and erroneous Doctrines of the Roman Catholic Religion. By the Rev. James Lovell Moore, Vicar of Bengeo, and Curate of the perpetual Curacy of

Denbam, Suffolk. 12mo. 110 pp. Sold by the Author at Bengeo. 1810.

The Vicar of Bengeo combats our Romish opponents with zeal, but not with that precifion or knowledge of the arts of contro verfy which are neceffary in fuch a conteft. The outline of his tract is not amifs, but we could with that the filling up of it had been committed to fome other hand. His Commentaries indeed, if fuch they must be called, are too brief and jejune for the illuftra. tion of fo vast a variety of subjects as are comprised in his twelve chapters. We wish that we could fpeak more favourably of a work well fuited in its defign to the neceffities of the times.

ART. 30. Gataker's foort Catechifm, in forty Questions and Anfwers; first published in 1637. Republished, with Alterations, for the Ufe of Schools. By Edward Pearfon, D.D. 12mo. 8 pp. zd. Hatchard. 1810.

The late excellent and justly lamented Mafter of Sidney had been long indefatigable in printing fuch short tracts for circulation as were likely to confirm good principles. Gataker's Catechifm he certainly did not mean to recommend in preference to that of the Church; but, from its extreme concifenefs, he probably thought that it might be taught with advantage either before or after the other.

ART. 31. The Fafts and Feftivals of the Church of England, abridged from the Works of the excellent and pious Mr. Neljon: inter/perfed with Dialognes, adapted to the Capacity of Youth. By Elizabeth Belfon. Svo. 372 pp. 78. Newman and Co.

1810.

This little work would perhaps be better defcribed as " Dia. logues adapted to the Capacity of Youth, in which are interwoven Mr. Nelfon's Explanations of the Fafts and Festivals," for the whole has the form of dialogue. It would have been a strong recommendation to the book, if the paffages quoted from Nelfon, in his own words, had been diftinguished by inverted commas, which, perhaps, was intended; but, by fome inadvertence, the inverted com.nas appear every where, and confequently make no diftinction at all. The work, however, is pious and useful, and deferves an honourable place among the very numerous publications calculated for the inftruction of young perfons. In our opinion, the Dialogues would be improved, in another edition, if the author would omit a large proportion of the dears and loves addressed by the good mother to her children; which, though they may be very natural, are rather tiresome in the perutal. The book has certainly confiderable merit, and we can, without hesitation, recommend it.