this charge, joined to that of a perfonal friendship with one or two families who are diffenters, Mr. Smith has fince suffered a disappointment, with respect to a good living, of which he had obtained a promife.-The Narrative, as it stands fupported by the evidence of the Sermon, leaves us no room to question the facts as here ftated; nor to doubt the truth of the favourable report, which we have heard, refpecting the character and conduct of the good and fenfible curate of Sheffield.

SINGLE SERMONS.

Art. 62. A Difcourfe on the Wisdom and Goodness of God in the Formation of Man. Preached in a Country Parish. 8vo. 6d. Dilly. 1794.

A juft recommendation of this discourse may, with propriety, be inferred from a part of the introductory paragraph: Nothing is more likely to give us ftrong impreffions of the wifdom and goodness of the Creator, and to produce in our minds proper fentiments of gratitude and piety, than a ferious confideration of the make and frame of the human body.' The whole of the Sermon may be confidered as an illuftration of the text-" I will praife, thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Pf. cxxxix. 14. The unknown author, or, as he modeftly ftyles himself, the editor, obferves, in a fhort fupplementary paragraph, that he has adapted the obfervations of fome eminent philofophers and divines to the capacity of common readers, for whose ufe this publication is principally intended.'

Art. 63. Difboneft Shame the primary Source of the Corruptions of the Chriftian Doctrine. Preached at the Gravel Pit Meeting, in Hackney, April 6th, 1794. By Thomas Beliham. 8vo. is. Johnfon.

Mr. Belfham is a determined enemy to the cowardly and temporizing maxim, "Think with the wife, and speak with the vulgar;" and he here exhibits the apostle Paul as a pattern of that manly fortitude which avows and profeffes the truth, without regarding confequences. This example of intellectual heroifm is contrafted with the cowardice of thofe early profeffors of Chriftianity, who, not being able to support the contempt and odium which attended the profeffion of a new religion, founded by a crucified Jew, endeavoured to obviate this odium; fome by denying that Chrift in reality fuffered French Nation to obtain for themselves a free Government, his difappointment and chagrin must be proportionably great, if he is confiftent, in obferving the monftrous abfurdities, and horrid exceffes, which have difgraced the progrefs of the Revolution; how, in almost every particular, they have violated the principles they pretended to eftablish, and, from whatever caufe, have failed in the completion of their glorious defign! I do not hesitate then to fay, that I confider "the example of France a warning to Britain," and her infidious offers of affiftance to rebellion in any country, as endangering the peace and liberties of the whole civilized world. Any attempts to introduce into this kingdom a fimilar fyftem of folly and tyranny, I would deprecate as the worst of all national calamities.'

10

on

on the crofs, and others by reprefenting him as poffeffing a divine nature, and being in fact either the first of created spirits, or truly and properly God; hereby laying the foundation of thofe corruptions of the Chriftian doctrine, which have ever fince fo generally prevailed in the church. This account of the origin of these doctrines is ably and learnedly fupported.

Without returning to the beaten inquiry whether this account be the true one, we heartily join with the author in the general point which his difcourfe is intended to establish, that nothing is more injurious to the propagation of knowlege than difhoneft fhame, or timid apprehenfion, in those who, nevertheless, call themselves friends to free inquiry and lovers of truth.

Art. 64. Preached on Sunday, Feb. 23, 1794. By Jeremiah Joyce, Twenty-three Weeks a Prifoner. in the Tower of London. To which is added, An Appendix, containing an Account of the Author's Arreft for "TREASONABLE PRACTICES;" his Examination before the Privy Council, his Commitment to the Tower, and subfequent Treatment. 8vo. Is. 6d. Printed for the Author; and fold by Ridgway, &c.

From our Saviour's prediction concerning himself, Mark, xiv. 27. Mr. Joyce has given a good fermon on the argument for Chriftianity founded on PROPHECY: which, as he remarks, is a fpecies of evidence that has been regarded by men of confiderable eminence in the literary world, as the only infallible criterion by which to judge of the divine origin of our religion.-On this great and most interesting fubject, particularly on the prediction of Chrift concerning him'felf, as comprized in the text above mentioned, the ingenious author has formed the present difcourfe. In his Appendix, he has given a circumftantial account of his examination before the Privy Council, on a charge of high treafon. He has alfo added the examination of Mr. Bonney; who was acquitted at the fame time with Mr. Joyce, Mr. Kyd, and Mr. Holcroft.

Art. 65. Preached at Worcefter at the Mufic Meeting, Sept. 10, 1794. By Robert Lucas, D. D. 8vo. IS. Rivingtons.

It is pleafing to fee amusement and charity taking each other by the hand, and a mufical affociation rendered fubfervient to fo meritorious a defign as that of providing for the relief of diftreffed clergymen, and the widows and orphans of deceased clergymen. The diocefes of Worcester, Hereford, and Gloucefter, have fet a laudable example of this kind to the rest of the kingdom; and Dr. Lucas has contributed his part toward the good work by preaching and publishing, for the benefit of the charity, an excellent fermon; in which religion and its minifters are ably vindicated against the affertion of their adverfaries, and the more neceffitous among the latter, together with their widows and orphans, are forcibly recommended as worthy objects of charitable affiftance.

Mr. Joyce does not feem to deliver this as his own particular fentiment; for he refers to the evidence of miracles as fufficient for this great purpose.

Art.

Art. 66. Delivered at Taunton, Sept. 3, 1793, before the Society of Unitarian Chriftians, established in the Weft of England, for promoting Chriftian Knowlege and the Practice of Virtue, by the Diftribution of Books. By T. Kenrick. 8vo. 6d. Johnfon. 1794The text, Matt. xiii. 33. which predicts the univerfal prevalence of the Chriftian religion, and probably the manner of its diffufion, encourages Mr. K. to cherish the moft ardent hopes of the fuccefs of Unitarianifm; which he preaches with the boldnefs of one who is convinced that it is the truth, and with an enthusiasm which leads him to perceive, in the prefent age, circumstances fingularly propitious to its advancement. Hence he exhorts Unitarians to hope; and to recommend their doctrine by an attention to their moral conduct. In the last particular, they may with certainty be right.

Art. 67. Mary Magdalene. Preached at the Chapel of the Hofpital, Blackfriars-road, March 23, 1794. By the Rev. William Williams, B. A. Curate of High Wycombe, Bucks. 8vo. 6d. Rivingtons. Declamatory, but fuited to the immediate occafion, and on the whole useful; no doubt, appearing to greater advantage from the pulpit than in private perufal. We have been fometimes furprized 20 obferve, when generally received opinions have been proved very doubtful, if not entirely mistaken, how preachers and other writers will yet take them up as certain truths. Whether Mary of Magdala was the finner to whom much was forgiven is queftioned by numbers, and many of the best judges have rejected the fuppofition. Mr. Williams takes it for granted that the was the perfon: but, among other motes at the end of the pamphlet, he candidly offers different interpretations, with references to feveral authors. Among thefe we did not obferve the remarkable and fenfible letter written on this fubject, many years fince, by Dr. Lardner to Jonas Hanway, Efq. and which certainly merits particular notice.

Art. 68. Counsel from Heaven to God's People in a Time of Danger and Calamity. By W. Moore, Minifter of Glafs-houfe-yard Meeting, Alderfgate-street. 8vo. pp. 38. 6d. Matthews. 1793.

This title indicates a Calviniftical difcourfe, but it is of a practical and ufeful kind, adminiftering fome confolations which may prove beneficial to virtuous minds in feafons of danger or diftrefs.-Concerning comments on paffages in the book of Revelation by Bishop Newton, or others, we país no judgment. That myftical prophecy has often proved Nebulofum rete, entangling and confounding the inquirer.-One fentence we extract from this fermon, because it is ftriking, affecting, and probably true: The quantity of human blood fpilt, and the many thoufands flain on both fides in the prefent war, (many of whom never had an interment,) is left to be calculated when we get more leifure; and when it is known, it will astonish all the world!'

To prevent any mifapprehenfion, it feems proper to add that this writer is adverfe to any meafures which tend to ferment the public fpirit, or to disturb peace and order: he recommends all to think with humility, to speak with diffidence, and with a spirit of piety, on national affairs.

CORRE

CORRESPONDENCE.

The doubts of A. Z. concerning the authenticity of the "Report made by Saint Juft," (Rev. O&t. p. 104,) are entitled to respectful notice. Whether the publication be or be not fpurious, we believe no perfon in this country can at present demonstrate. When we reviewed the work, we did not doubt its authenticity; and we have not fince heard any argument which induces us to change our opinion. A.Z. cannot believe the report to be genuine, because it is so improbable that Saint Juft, or the Committee of Public Safety, should publish a libel on every neutral nation, whom it is fo evidently their intereft to keep in good humour.' We admit the weight of this observation: but, were we to believe only fuch relations of events in France, for the last three or four years, as were confiftent with probability, we should reject many which are now received as indifputable. Was it probable that such language would be applauded in the Convention, in the addreffes of public bodies, and in the fpeeches of the Prefident and the most distinguished members, as was calculated to irritate those powers whom it was the intereft of the French to conciliate? Yet was not fuch language generally ufed and applauded at the bar and in the body of the Convention? Were not kings, without exception, reprefented as devouring monsters, and their troops as the fatellites of defpotifm? How often has the hall of the Convention refounded with applaufe, when some member has faid that France would not difarm until the world should have been purged of kings; until governments founded on the rights of man were every where eftablished; and until all Europe fhould have been municipalized? Were not the Grand Seignor and the Kings of Sweden and Denmark involved in this menace? Yet was it not the intereft of the French republic to avoid giving offence to these princes?

Having reafoned thus on general grounds, to fhew that the relation of an event ought not to be confidered as falfe merely because it violated probability, we will now endeavour to fhew that there are circumftances which countenance the opinion that the Report of St. Juft is not spurious. We there find it stated that the value of the diamonds, employed in prefents at the Porte, might be estimated at 30 millions of livres. No doubt, if any fuch were prefented, they were taken from the Jeweloffice at Paris, and formerly belonged to the Crown. It is well known that the most valuable of them had disappeared; the Garde Meuble was faid to have been broken open, and its contents carried off by thieves. There was fome mystery in the bufinefs. The diamonds were certainly carried off; fome have fince been recovered: but we believe that the moft valuable have not found their way back. Camille Defmoulins, fince beheaded, charged the late minifter Roland with being a principal in the robbery. At all events, no one has yet heard of the jewels having been at market: on the other hand, we have been told by a gentleman, (whom we know to be a man of honour and veracity,) that his fon, who is at Conftantinople in a public capacity, faw, at an audience with one of the Ottoman ministers, a most valuable diamond in his turban; which, having often feen it before, he knew to be one of those belonging to the King of France, ufually kept at the Garde Meuble.-It will be recollected that St. Juft, in the Report, inveighed most bitterly against Tilly, the French minister at Genoa, for having raised the expectations of his country fo high, which he afterwards dilappointed, and for having drawn fo much money from her treafury to fo very little purpose. It is now a matter of notoriety that Tilly has been recalled from Genoa, and carried back a prifoner to France; fome accounts fay that he was feat bome in irons.➡This last event, we admit, could not have weighed

with us when we reviewed the Report, as it had not then occurred: but we may be allowed to refer to it now, as helping to confirm the opinion which we then formed.

We might purfue the argument farther: but on the ground of proba-bilities and circumftantial evidence we have faid enough; and no pofitive proofs, we apprehend, can be adduced.

+++ Mr. Heffe will find that, at page 5 of the Introduction to his Vocabulary of the German Tongue, the dative plural of the fecond declenfion is afferted to terminate in e, which, we repeat, is never the cafe; all datives plural terminating in n.

We are alfo ftill of opinion, in contradiction to Mr. Heffe, that Bifchoff is moftly written with ff; that auflösen means to diffolve, not to refolve that it is no error to write the dative fingular of Begriff with an e final; and that the compound Liebesfeuer is correct, whereas Liebe-feuer would not be fo. Our reliance is on Adelung.

We have not feen, nor are we likely to fee, the paper mentioned by Candour; neither, if we happen to obferve them, do we accustom ourselves to notice any remarks addreffed to us in the newspapers. On the fubject of Candour's attention, we have had argument enough; -we now want fact.

* At the fuggeftion of a friend to the Abbé Gaultier, we remark that the work of Madame de la Fite, published under the title of "Réponses à Demêler," &c. (See Rev. for July 1794,) is indebted for its leading ideas to a previous publication of M. Gaultier, entitled,

A Rational and Moral Game;" reviewed in our Seventh volume, New Series, p. 297. The Abbé is therefore entitled to all the praise of invention which belongs to this method of inftruction.

SSA Friend' observes that, in enumerating works on SYNONYMY, (See Rev. Nov. Art. I.) we omitted to mention one which was published in London in 1766, entitled, "The Difference between Words esteemed Synonymous," &c. 2 vols. 12mo; the author of which, he remarks, has the honour of the firft enterprize in this way, which the Reviewer feemed to regret fhould have been ufurped by a female.' By turning, however, to our xxxvth vol. p. 150, we find that our opinion of that performance was very far from favourable.

1st To SAINTFORT.-A tranflation of Scheyers on practical Hydraulics is in contemplation, as we are informed by a Correfpondent.

tilt X. Y. Z.'s queftion, we believe, muft be answered in the negative.

In the last Rev. p. 254. Art. IV. 1.9. for teftatas, r. teftata. P. 328. Art. 18. 1. 4. read thus: a fubftantive treafon by the ftatute 25 Edw. III.; a confpiracy, &c.—and, 1. penult. read, Edward III. 3d Institute, &c.