The opinion of the general predominance of misery in human life,

Has been maintained by men of such different sentiments, and seemingly after such calm and impartial enquiries, that every endeavour must be laudable which tends to invalidate a tenet, that bears so hard on the benevolence of the great Creator of the world. Indeed, it does not appear that the defenders of this opinion had any bad intentions in what they advanced, or even that they saw the ill effects of so dangerous and fatal a principle. Their view of things does, however, tend to exhibit such an unlovely picture of the Deity, as to raise in us strong doubts of his benevolent disposition For it is very erroneously concluded, that the goodness of God would be sufficiently established, if his creatures were to be made happy in another state, though they were miserable here. I say erroneously concluded: for, whence do they infer this happy existence in another state?-from the attributes and perfections of the Deity? There is but one perfection from which this inference can necessarily be drawn; and that they have taken away. If it be alleged by them, that, so far from taking that perfection away, they even necessarily suppose it beforehand; this will lead to nearly the same conclusion: as it cannot be deemed either more wicked or more foolish, to rob the Deity of this perfection, than to invest him with it, on grounds contradicted by experience and observations. Such a conclusion is also equally unreasonable with regard to themselves: for, to assert and hope, that a Being whose malevolence they only see here, will pour down blessings on them hereafter, is, in effect, nothing else than to assert against experience, and to hope against reason. If it be objected still, that it never can be justly said, that we see no goodness in the Deity, when there are so many visible marks of it displayed over the whole creation ;-what creation does this mean the inanimate? That is not a proper object of this perfection. The brute part of it? That they are not competent judges of. And man they have consigned to misery. In other words, what they understand of God's works they have pronounced wretched: and from what they do not understand, they cannot argue at all. Nor can they extricate them. selves from the present difficulty by saying, that the wisdom of God is manifested in making up for the defects of his workmanship: for if this wisdom has already exerted itself in sundry contrivances to make us unhappy, frail, indeed, must be the foundation of all our future hopes. More rational, in that case, would our trust become, if levity and caprice, instead of stability and unchangeableness, were attributed to the divine character; seeing that infinite power and immutability, in such a Being, can only serve to exclude every glimpse of comfort, and cover us at once with horror and confusion.' pp. 1-4,

The next sentences considered in connexion with this boldly foolish strain of sophistry, will justly excite surprise.

If there be yet any other method of justification, by which the system of these abject complainers can be freed from its malignity,

let it not be denied them. But let them not, as some have done, have recourse to the scriptures for support, when in reality it is not there.

This point, then, it is necessary in the first place to consider: and I enter upon it the more willingly, as, I am persuaded, that every examination of these writings will tend to discredit this opinion, and convince us of the truth of that maxim, so excellent against every dangerous tenet, "let God be true, but every man a liar."' p. 5

The singularity,' which the preface prepared us to expect in this performance, will begin to be conspicuous. To us it to consist in this-that a work undertaken in grave appears sincerity, for no insidious purpose, but obviously with a pious intention. by a sound Christian Divine,' as Professor Martyn styles him, of the national Church, should assume at the outset, as a reason of its being undertaken, that the essential character of the Deity is involved in the degree of temporal happiness which his creatures, (fallen creatures we suppose he would not deny them to be,) shall be found generally to possess-that on the predominance of happiness here, rests the only evidence of the Divine benevolence! that to rob the Deity of this perfection cannot be deemed either more foolish or more wicked, than to invest him with it, on grounds contradicted by-experience and observations!! One is utterly at a loss to conceive how any man having the slightest reverence of the Almighty on his mind, could bring himself to hazard so dangerous, so impious a position. In what school of theology could such a divine have studied the evidences of the moral government and the exhibition of the revealed attributes of God? with what disposition of mind, different from that of an Epicurean or a Stoick Philosopher, must this Christian have accustomed himself to contemplate the character of the High and Lofty One who inhabiteth Eternity? or to approach the sacred mount of the Divine Presence?'-Oman, who art thou, that repliest against God? shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus?'

But our readers may wish to see a specimen of our author's examination of the sacred writings, in support of his reasonings.

The book of Job was written under such peculiar circumstances of severe distress, that it is no wonder if some parts of it should have an air of sorrow, and take their colour from the sad situation of the unhappy complainer. And yet, notwithstanding this, there is no assertion in it so strong for the opinion we are considering, as to be incapable of a milder and more favourable interpretation.

Thus, when it is said, that "man who is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble;" what is there more in this, than what the slightest inspection into human affairs must lead us immediately to acknowledge? No one can deny that this transitory being is exposed to numberless evils of the natural kind, which we could neither foresee nor prevent; and, moreover, that there will always be a considerable addition to these unavoidable evils, arising from the passions and perverseness of men. Still, there are such blessings intermingled with these, or succeeding them with such quick and speedy relief, as to enable us to pass our span of being with some tolerable comfort and satisfaction.

The same sense might very reasonably be given to that assertion, "man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upward," supposing it really to relate to the condition of human nature: but as the context gives it a quite different meaning, and as this meaning is adopted by various commentators, I shall willingly dismiss it, and pass on to another testimony in the sacred writings; which as it is seemingly more cool, deliberate, and circumstantial;-as it is given on the experience of more than an hundred years; and as it relates to a person, whose unhappiness, if granted, would necessarily infer that of the greatest part of mankind;-does, on all these accounts, require a much closer examination.

The testimony I mean, is that of the patriarch Jacob before Pharaoh: "Few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and I have not attained to those of my fathers:"-a testimony full and express for the opinion we are confuting, if we did not see that it was made up of such jarring and inconsistent materials, that it cannot well be interpreted according to the letter.

For, in the first place, his days were not few in respect of his immediate ancestors; whence it becomes probable that they were just as untruly said to have been evil.

'And, in the next place if we run over the principal events of Jacob's life, we shall find that it was as little defective in point of happiness, as it was in point of duration.' p. 11-13.

In the same style of exposition, Dr. S. observes in regard to 'some parts of our excellent liturgy, and especially that remarkable sentence in the burial service of our Church, where we thank God for delivering our brother out of the miseries of this sinful world,' that it is not intended thereby

That the state and condition of this world is actually a miserable one; for this is contradicted by other parts of the liturgy; we are only supposed to thank God for delivering our brother from a very dangerous state of probation and trial where there was great variety, both of temptations to corrupt, and afflictions to subdue him; where the blessings of life were sown, indeed, thick enough to make him easy while among us, but vain and trifling in comparison of that more exalted bliss which we hope he has now obtained.' P. 22.

With these extracts, in lieu of any observations of our own,

which might, perhaps, be thought unnecessary, we are tempted to contrast the following paragraph from Jeremy Taylor. It has been, we think, justly pronounced one of the most sublime passages in English literature.

He that is no fool, but can consider wisely, if he be in love with this world, we need not despair but that a witty man might reconcile him with tortures, and make him think charitably of the rack, and he brought to dwell with vipers and dragons, and entertain his guests with the shrieks of mandrakes, cats and screech owls, or to admire the harmony that is made by an herd of evening wolves, when they miss their draught of blood in their midnight revels. The groans of a man in a fit of the stone are worse than all these; and the distractions of a troubled conscience are worse than those groans and yet a careless merry sinner is worse than all that. But if we could from one of the battlements of heaven espy how many men and women at this time lie fainting and dying for want of bread, how many young men are hewn down by the sword of war, how many poor orphans are now weeping over the graves of their father, by whose life they were enabled to eat; if we could but hear how 'many mariners and passengers are at this present in a storm, and shriek out because their keel dashes against a rock, or bulges under them; how many people there are that weep with want and are mad with oppression, or are desperate by too quick a sense of constant infelicity;-in all reason we should be glad to be out of the noise and participation of so many evils. This is a place of sorrows ' and teurs, of great evils and a constant calamity; let us remove from hence, at least in affections and preparations of 'mind.' (Holy Dying, c. i. § 5. p. 40. 8vo. edition.) Ă treatise on human happiness!'-we are prompted to exclaim after reading such a passage, or when contemplating the realities which it depicts: surely the very title of such a work argues a strange want of acquaintance with the general state of the world. True, it is a gloomy picture: but it is on this darkened theatre that we behold that Religion which cometh down from heaven, appear in brightest glory it is in this wilderness that we hear her voice crying, Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.'

But justice requires that we should give our readers some further account of Dr. Stevens's work. The 2d chapter resolves the general causes of the prevailing opinion of the predominance of human misery' into 1. Human Pride. 2. Self interest and partiality. 3. The circumstance that sufferings strike more strongly than the opposite satisfactions. 4. That

our complaints are made in old age; and 5. The general expectation of eternal future bliss." Dr. S. justly remarks, on this last head, that

We may be certain, however artifice may disguise it, that either such a state of celestial glory, beaming full on the human sight, and accessible to all, will raise in us some contempt of this dim scene of faith, eye of mortality; or else, that it is not seen by us with that which did once so animate and lift up the hearts of the whole Christian world,' p. 51.

The more particular causes of this prevailing opinion are enumerated in the 3d chapter. 1. A pensive and melancholy disposition.-2. An ingenious and thoughtful turn of mind. 3. Delicacy and fastidiousness. 4. A slight and superficial view 5. A natural tendency to pity and compasof human nature. sion; and 6. Aggravation.' The 4th and 5th chapters profess to account for the difficulties on this subject, and to answer the objections against the Dr.'s statement. We have not room to expose the various absurdities and contradictions which are involved in this strange attempt to prove, that men are happy, really, sufficiently happy, if they would but think themselves so; that they are gloomy and desponding mortals, who murmur, without gratitude, and complain without reason,'There is one passage, however, which cannot be passed over without strong reprobation. It occurs in the 3d chapter, where, speaking of a pensive and melancholy disposition, as on the whole unfriendly to the general happiness of man,' and at the same time, as a leading cause, it seems, of the false opinion of the prevalence of unhappiness, he says,

It would be idle in us here to enlarge on the the shade it casts over the sprightlier joys and satisfactions of life, when it so often renders even life itself an insupportable burden.

Nay, so fatal is its influence, and so dreadful its fury, it has forced from some who were deeply affected with it, this singular observation, that, instead of consigning those to eternal torments, who where driven on by it to destruction, it were more reasonable to expect for them some extraordinary compensations at the hand of the Almighty.

. I will not defend an opinion so dangerous in its tendency And as this. Yet surely we may say, without any fear of offence, that the sentiment is merciful, generous, and humane. wherever this quality was so inherent in the constitution, as not to be overcome by strong resolutions and virtuous struggles, it were more charitable to hope for some particular indulgences towards it from the Throne of Grace, than to consign to endless misery those unfortunate wretches who have fallen victims to its power.

Far different from this was the mildness and humanity of that sweet enthusiast, (Hartley) who, being persuaded that the very prospect of