church of England and Ireland.-In ancient writers, the catholic. church taken in two fenfes: the general one, in which it was put for all faithful churches united into one body, under Chrift; and the particular, when it was used for a particular church.—The Roman church, in ancient times, was confidered only as a parti cular church. Separation from the communion of the Bishop of Rome, justified from ancient examples.-Account of the Greek church. Obj. from St. Auftin, anfwered.-Our charge of idolatry against the church of Rome, justified.—Objections concerning infallibility, anfwered.-Fallacy ufed by Romish writers, that the church in communion with Rome, was the catholic church.Neceffity of fucceffion of doctrine, as well as fucceffion of bifhops. -Council of Trent not general.-Foreign appeals unknown in ancient times. Our church juftifiable in charging fectaries with difobedience to her; notwithstanding the allows them to examine her doctrines by fcripture.-True method of preventing fchifms. -Infallible judges and general councils cannot prevent fchifms.Romish fchifms and diffenfions.-Apology for the difputes among the divines of our church-Ambiguity of the Trent decrees.— Uncertainty of the Romish faith.-Church of England offers all fatisfaction to mankind that it follows the true fenfe of fcripture. -Certainty and fafety of the communion of our church, and manifeft hazard of falvation in the Romish church.-1. As to the pofitive articles of our faith.-Novelty of the Trent creed -2. As to infallibility.-Pope's fupremacy.-Prayers to faints.Images.-Prayers in an unknown tongue.-Tranfubftantiation.Half communion.-Purgatory, &c.-Conclufion. Romanists difguife their religion in proteftant countries, and why.-Account of the effay for catholic communion, proteftant apology, &c.-Abfurdity of the Romanifts proving the infallibility of the church of Rome, until they prove that its doctrine and difcipline are agreeable to fcripture and antiquity.-Church of Rome receives the interpretation of fcripture, not from the fathers, but from the prefent Roman catholic church.-Pope's infallibility and temporal dominion, doctrines of the prefent Roman church.--Impracticability of an union between the church of England and Rome, until, the Bishop of Rome's authority be abolished." Of all the fubjects here enumerated, it is but juftice to fay, that they are treated in the clearest and most mafterly way; and, though the words of other authors are every where interwoven, this is done with fo much fkill, that no judicious reader can ever be offended at it. It would make no bad lecture on the English Divines, merely to read over, with proper comments, the names of thofe authors, whose works are here quoted in the margin. Potter, Wake, Stillingflect, Sherlock, Bennet, Bingham, Hickes, Brett, &c. &c. befides the modern writers of eminence on thefe fubjects: Daubeny, 8 Bifhop Bishop Skinner, Le Mefurier, &c. In a word, this is a book which we should earnestly wifh to fee in every Proteftant family throughout England and Ireland. If there can be a human remedy for the religious evils which we feel or fear, here it is to be found. As a fhort fpecimen of the execution of the work, we shall give the third fection of chap. I. in which the author defines the Catholic Church. EACH III. The catholic church is the one univerfal fociety of all christian people, distributed into particular churches (under lawful governors and paftors), HOLDING COMMUNION WITH OTHER. What thefe lawful governors and paftors are, I fhall fully explain hereafter. By particular churches holding communion with each other, I mean, owning each other as parts of the fame body, and admitting each others members, as occafion ferves, into actual communion with them in all their religious offices. The communion which particular churches are obliged to, as they are fimilar parts and diftributions of the catholic church, is, that they fhould not divide into feparate churches, fo as to exclude each others members from communicating in each others worship, whenever they have occafion to travel from one church to another. For fo long as there is no rupture between diftant churches, no declared difowning of each other, no express refufal of any act of communion to each others members, they may be truly faid to maintain all neceffary communion with each other. "The catholic church is one by the communion of all its parts, and therefore they who break communion with any one part, must neceffarily difunite themfelves from the whole. For when two churches feparate from one another, it must be either because the one requires fuch terms of communion as are not catholic, or because the other refuses fuch as are. Now that church which requires finful or uncatholic terms of communion, does hereby exclude, not only one, but all parts of the catholic church, from its communion (because they are all equally obliged not to communi. cate with any church on finful terms of communion); but, in doing fo, feparates itself from the communion of the catholic church. And fo on the other hand, that church which refufes communion in any other church upon lawful and catholic terms, does hereby separate itself from the communion of all parts of the catholic church. All thofe particular churches therefore, into which the catholic church is diftributed, must be in communion with each other, otherwise they are so far from being diftributions of the catholic church, that they are only fo many fchifms and divifions from it. "But it must be observed, that in a divided state of the church, there may be different communions, and yet both remain parts of the catholic church, as in the excommunications of old, about keeping Eafter; and in cafe of a precipitate fentence, when one X BRIT. CRIT, VOL, XXXIX; MARCH, 1812. bishop takes upon him to excommunicate others, for little or no cause, and against the advice of his brethren." P. 11. That we do not extract more, from so very excellent a book, is only because the whole is fo connected in argument, that it is difficult to detach parts without great injury to them. We hope, however, to fee this work repeated in editions beyond number; one at least of which will give it to us in a more dignified fize and form, with a type more accommo. dated to eyes that may be impaired either by weakness or age. For our own parts, had both thofe obftacles flood in our way, which happily they do not, we must have read on, through every kind of inconvenience, till we had concluded a work (to our feelings) of such intereft. May it prosper! ART. X. The Projector; a Periodical Paper, originally publifhed in Monthly Numbers, from January, 1802, to November 1809. Revised and Corrected by the Author. 8vo. 3 vols. 11. 7s. Payne, &c. &c. 1811. FOR many a year did we fee THE PROJECTOR, in the pages of our worthy friend SYLVANUS URBAN, yet not once were we induced, by curiofity, or any other motive, to read a fingle paper; which will not perhaps be thought extraordinary by thofe who recollect, with what a glut of reading Reviewers are always fupplied. Nor does this total neglect imply the flighteft reflection on the merit of the papers. Had we read one, we fhould probably have read more; and had we read three or four we fhould probably have been defirous to do what we have now done, that is, to perufe the whole; and, if we mistake not, fhould have waited with additional impatience for the monthly fheets which were to treat us with a new Projector. But had it even happened otherwife, we will not contend that our indifference would have been expreffive of our real opinion of the papers. We might have been fplenetic, or weary, or prejudiced against anonymous wit, or fifty other accidents might have turned us afide from a production, which we never expected to be called upon to review. Among thefe latter caufes, fo far as they are not peculiar to Reviewers, fome perhaps may have operated to prevent the PROJECTOR in the GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE from obtaining the celebrity it deferves. There is a great reluctance in the world to praife any thing, or even to be pleafed with any thing, unless they have good authority for being fo: unless the production has the fanction of fome approved author's name, or has been praifed by fome acknowledged critic. Nor is this caution at all fuperfluous; for how often other otherwife would a certain clafs of readers be betrayed in o good humour, without waiting for the fafhionable cut and flath, which is to authorize them to turn up their notes, and to cry out, fuff! We, however, as critics, have official authority to pronounce our opinion, without waiting for any extraneous fuggeftion; and, as we do not belong to that clafs of critics who delight in making unfavourable reports, or calculate their chief profits from the gratification of malignity, we allow ourselves to fay without referve, that the papers of the Projector are remarkable for novelty and variety; that they are animated by an almoft perpetual vein of quiet humour; and that they feem almoft to have brought to perfection the use of the famous oratorical figure called good-humo red irony. The only objection indeed, which we have ever heard made to the papers is, that they are almost too uniformly comic, and exhibit not that variety, and frequent contraft of ftyle, which proved fo clearly the fertility and addrefs of former effayifts. For this peculiarity, which does in fome degree belong to them, there is, in our opinion, a fufficient apology to be made. The Projector being to publifh his papers in a magazine, the contents of which are ufually mere matters of fact, either ancient or modern, or di putes of individuals upon points of opinion, was of neceflity obliged to be lively, if he would hope to fix attention. His office was to relieve the drynefs of difcuffion, and to make amends for the dulnefs of narrators and defcribers. Contraft was not wanted in the papers themselves, when it was fure to be found in the pages before and after them; and we should rather admire the genius of the author who could always find means to be lively, than complain of a talent, which they who cenfure will not very eafily imitate. There are, however, exceptions to the remark; and among our specimens of the work we shall not fail to bring forward one of the graver caft. It happens indeed that one of the firft paffages which we have marked, as peculiarly good, is of this clafs. It is the conclufion of a paper (No. 21), in which the author had been making fome humourous propofals for embodying the fair fex, in the prefent war. He concludes it thus. "I have been led into thefe defultory remarks, partly by the incident mentioned in the beginning of my paper, but chiefly with a view to contribute my thare of contempt for thofe principles and practices, that foily and diffipation, which more or less have been aiding the prefent diforganized ftate of Europe. Very recent experience has demonftrated that we have yet a party, although small, and I truft, impotent, who ftill perfilt in circu X 2 lating Tating opinions fubverfive of the order of fociety, and calculated to produce what they have already produced in other quarters, national flavery and humiliation, and individual poverty and mi. fery. With fuch men it is impoffible to argue, and it would be folly to temporize. If we did not know how "defperately wicked" the human heart may be, to what could we refer fuch conduct, unless to lunacy or fatuity? "With their utmoft induftry, however, they have not been able to darken the prefent profpect. Indirectly perhaps we are indebted to them; fince they have contributed to quicken the exertions and roufe the spirit of their indignant fellow fubjects. And fuch, indeed, has been the confequence of the menaces of the enemy and the artifices of his agents, that in a very short time the nation will be placed out of the reach of all probable danger.Among others who have contributed to this juft and neceffary caufe, in a very confiderable degree, are the Clergy. It is with great pleafure I now frequently hear difcourfes from the pulpit, exprefsly adapted to the circumftances of the nation, and pointing how the paffing events are to be confidered in a religious view. This is highly feafonable. The prefent is not the time when public licentioufnefs ought to prevail without refiftance. It is impoffible to read, unconcerned, the heterogeneous intelligence which fome of our newfpapers afford-a fhort paragraph refpecting the danger of the nation, and a lengthened column of infipid trash relating to a dance, or a rout. This frivolous fpirit, we truft, is not English; and it is, therefore, peculiarly becoming in the teachers of facred truth, to direct the public attention to objects of higher importance, and to thefe refources in a time of dangers, which are beyond all human power or contrivance. "The eventful history of the last ten years is an awful leffon to all nations. And now we are again,[1803] and perhaps more clofe. ly than ever, to contend with a nation which has hitherto been a fcourge in the hand of God-a nation bent on no melioration of the condition of fociety among any people-a nation once dyed in the blood of its king, its nobles and citizens, under the pretext of regaining liberty, and now fo bigoted to flavery as to be de termined to fpread it and its accompanying miferies over the ha. bitable globe. This is evidently not the work of man, as man. It is irreconcileable with the lowest wisdom, and would be refifted by the fhalloweft understanding. The enemy are blind agents in the hands of a fuperintending Providence, who acts for wife, although to us, mysterious purpofes. Happy will it be if, by imploring the Divine aid, and exhibiting a thorough reformation, we fhould become the highly favoured people appointed to check the cateer of mad ambition, to restore peace to the distracted nations of Europe, and to bid the fword return into its sheath.When we recollect our many patt deliverances, we may humbly hope that one greater than all may yet be in referve; and if we truly and unfeignedly prize the religious and civil privileges 1 which. : |