there is more hope of a fool than of fuch: nor must we ever expect mankind to become more moderate, humble, and peaceable, 'till fuch impious tenets are entirely banished from every Christian community.

Wherefore, good Chriftian people, I do heartily pray, some regard may be paid to our moft folemn devotions, whereby we may ferve God acceptably, with reverence and godly fear. And, I may juftly hope, none of my good brethren, or the ftate, will find any reafon to blame me, for pointing out fome fuch pious and useful improvements as may judiciously take place in our godly ritual of devotions; which, I moft earnestly befeech. Almighty God, may hereafter greatly increase our peace, and the community, in which I fincerely remain a true Proteftant.'

If this had been called a pertinent and curious letter' by any one except the Vicar of Stotfold, the encomium might. have done the writer fome credit, or excited fome people's curiofity to read his performance; but when he takes upon him-: felf to pass these compliments on his own production, he unfortunately fuggests to the reader's imagination a very different idea of his judgment and abilities.

34. An Expofition of the Church Catechism, in a new Method; adapted both to the young Chriftian, and the Adult; wish Variety of original Notes: To which are added, Four Sermons, on Confitmation, Education, The Choice of a Wife, and a Friend. With Morning and Evening Prayers. By the Rev. James Penn, Vicar of Clavering cum Langley, in the County of Ellex, and ChapLain 10 the Right Hon. Earl Gower. 12mo. Pr. 3. Horsfield The Church Catechifm itself is intended for children, and may therefore be supposed to require no elaborate expofition. Mr Penn's performance confifts chiefly of practical observations, is plain and concife, and feems to be properly calculated for private families.

35. A Catechism for Children and Young Perfons. By Jofeph Prieftly, LL. D. F. R. S. 12mo. Pr. 6d. Johnfon.

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In this Catechifm the author has introduced no fcholaftic terms, or controverted points of divinity; but has confined himself to fome plain queftions and answers, relative to the first principles of natural and revealed religion, or thofe truths which have a tendency to influence the hearts and lives of men 36. Sermons for the Ufe of Families, By William Enfield.12me, Pr. 3. Johnfon.

This writer treats of the following useful fubjects, viz. The influence which the notice of the world ought to have on our conduct,

conduct, domestic peace, fraud, bigotry, compaffion, submis-fion to Divine Providence, the danger of choofing vicious companions, the duty of the rich, the temper of Chrift, the imitation of God, and happiness.

In thefe difcourfes there is an ease and elegance of ftile which has given us pleasure in the perufal.

From the following paragraph the reader will be able to form a competent idea of the author's manner of writing.

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Compaffion is a debt which one human creature owes to another—a debt, which no diftinction of fect or party, no imperfection of character, no degree of ingratitude, unkindness, or cruelty will cancel. When we fee that a fellow-creature hath need of our affistance, to enquire to what country he belongs, what religious tenets he profeffes, or what party name he wears, betrays the moft contemptible bigotry and weakness; but to deny him our charitable aid, or to treat him with the leaft degree of indifference or neglect, because he happens to profefs a religion, or belong to a fociety different from our own, is unpardonable inhumanity. He who can with-hold the tear of compaffion, or delay the offices of charity, 'till he hath fatisfied himself concerning fuch trifles as these, hath a narrow contracted fpirit-a cold unfeeling heart-which can never do honour to any religion or any fect. The object who folicits my notice may be a Mahometan, a Pagan, a Jew, or a wild Barbarian; but what have I to do with his religion, or his country? It is enough for me, that I am affured he deferves my pity, and needs my affiftance. He may have been a person of vile and abandoned character; he may even have greatly injured or offended me; but is he, on that account, the less my brother, or the lefs in need of my kindness? If I fee him in diftrefs, it is not now a time to call to mind his faults, or to upbraid him with his conduct: the more unworthy he is of my friendship-the greater affronts he hath offered me the better opportunity I have of manifefting my difinterested benevolence, and my forgiving temper.

As thefe difcourfes are of a practical nature, it will not be neceffary for us to give our readers a particular account of their contents. They are faid to be the firft productions of a wot of Volant: young author.

37.

A Sermon preached before the Incorporated Society for the Propar ・gation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts ; at their Anniversary Meeting in the Parish Church of St. Mary-Le-Bow, on Friday February 20, 1767. By the Right Reverend Father in God, John Lord Biftop of Landaff. 8vo. Owen and Harifon. From these words of St. Paul-How shall they believe in him, of whom they have not heard? and how fhall they bear without

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without a preacher ?his lordship takes occafion to confider the expediency of a standing miniftry for the fupport and propagation of Chriftianity, the state of religion in America, the good purposes for which the fociety was eftablished, the dif advantages attending the want of bifhops in our colonies, &c. Speaking of the firft colonifts, he fays, Upon the adverturers what reproach could be caft, heavier than they deferved? Who, with their native foil, abandoned their native manners and religion; and e'er long, were found in many parts living with out remembrance or knowledge of God, without any divine worship, in diffolute wickednefs, and the moft brutal profligacy of manners. Inftead of civilizing and converting barbarous Infidels, as they undertook to do, they became themselves Infidels and Barbarians. And is it not fome aggravation of their fhame, that this their neglect of religion was contrary to the pretences and conditions, under which they obtained royal grants and public authority to their adventures? The pretences and conditions were, that their defign was, and that they fhould endeavour, the enlargement of commerce, and the propagation of Chriftian faith: the former they executed with... fincerity and zeal; in the latter most notoriously failed.'.

In the charter of the fociety before which this discourse was preached, it is alledged, "that many of his majesty's subjects in the colonies wanted the administration of God's word and facraments, and feemed to be abandoned to atheifin and infidelity."

The truth of this reprefentation we have no reason to difpute. and we are mistaken if there are not reflections of the same nature in the fermons of some presbyterian divines in America, who have had occafion to mention the depravity of their countrymen; yet his lordship for having reprefented them in a fimilar light, is warmly attacked by fome writers of that denomination, who pretend that he has caft an undeferved reproach on the American colonies. For which fee the two following articles.

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38. A Letter to a Friend, containing Remarks on certain Paffages in a Sermon, preached by the Right Reverend John, Lord Bishop out. of Landaff, February 20, 1767; in which the bigheft Reproach is undefervedly caft upon the American Colonies. By Charles Chauncy, D. D. Paftor of the firft Church of Chrift in Boston, 8vo. Pr. Bladon.

In this Letter the author endeavours to refute every paffage in his lordship's difcourfe which is fuppofed to caft any reflection on those colonies which are comprehended under the name of New England. He maintains that the charge which his lordhip has brought against the first adventurers, has no founda

tion in fact; that some of them were exceeded by few, in point of natural or acquired accomplishments; that by far the greater part of them were eminently holy men, pious towards God, jealous of the honour of Christ as fole head of the church, fober, juft, kind, meek, patient, difengaged in their affections to things on the earth, and entirely refigned to Providence ; that they forfook every thing near and dear to them in their native land, from a regard to him who is king in Sion; that there is no fact relative to the country more certain, than that these adventurers fo far remembered and knew God, as to make it one of their firft cares to provide for the carrying on, maintaining and upholding the worship of him, wherever they extended their fettlements; that their pofterity have taken the like care all along to the prefent day, &c. &c.

In the poftfcript this writer quotes the following paffage from the prefent bishop of Gloucefter's Sermon, preached before the fociety in 1766 *. But though the zeal of the first colonifts (rekindled by this violent remove to the other hemisphere) kept religion alive and active, yet their poverty difabled them from fupplying fuel to the vital flame; I mean, provifion for a PREACHING MINISTRY. Infomuch, that, without the kindly affiftance of their mother-country, this new Chriftian commonwealth had been, as the Roman hiftorian expreffes it, of the imperial city in its cradle, res unius ætatis. Again't this danger, a timely aid was provided. And the founders of our fociety, &c.'

On this paragraph Dr. Chauncy makes these remarks:

We doubt not his lordship's thorough acquaintance with the hiftory of other more important countries, even from their first rise; but the ftory of this has certainly been below his notice. Otherwife he would have known, that fome of the "firft colonists" were men of ample fortunes for that day. He would have known alfo, if it was their unhappiness to be poor, that, notwithstanding their poverty, they did in fact " fupply fuel to the vital flame," that is, make provifion for a PREACHING MINISTRY; infomuch, that," without any kindly affistance of their mother-country," they had a fufficiency of ministers for the performance of the public offices of religion, wherever they extended their fettlements. He would have known farther, that there had been nearly the revolution of an age, if a century may be fo called, and an increase of churches to fome hundreds, with pastors at the head of them, before the ex

See Critical Review, vol. xxii. p. 393-core

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iftence of that incorporated body which was to fapply a preaching miniftry, without which religion could not be kept alive. And he would have known, moreover, that, fince the incorporation of this fociety, the growth of churches, and their fupply with minifters, at least in the New England colonies, has been more than ten times greater, without any help from them, than where they have afforded it at an immenfe expence.'

This writer tells us, that throughout an extent of territory more than five hundred miles in length, comprehending seven provinces, the four New-England ones, and thofe of New York, the Jerfeys, and Pensylvania, there are not, according to the best information he could procure, more than eight or nine epifcopal churches which fupport themselves; that all the reft, to the amount of about fixty, chiefly made up of converts from other denominations of Chriftians, are upheld in their exiftence by the fociety at home, at the expence of not less than fome thousands fterling per annum. But that the congregational and prefbyterian churches only, without any charitable help from abroad, and in oppofition to all efforts to prevent it, have increased to the number of five hundred and fifty, and go on increafing, as much in proportion beyond the epifcopal churches, as they exceed them in number and ability,

This is mentioned with an air of triumph, and evidently defigned to infinuate, that all attempts to epifcopife the colonies would be attended with little fuccefs.

This Letter is accompanied with a Supplement, containing an answer to the plea of T. B. Chandler, D. D. rector of St. John's church, in Elizabeth town, in New Jerfey, and miffionary from the society for the propagation of the gospel, &c. for American bishops. In this piece the author, who stiles himself a prefbyter in Old England, has attempted to fhew, that the reasonings of Dr. Chandler are fallacious, and his claims indefenfible.

$39. A Letter to the Right Reverend Father in God, John, Lord Bishop of Landaff; occafioned by fome Paffages in his Lordship's Sermon, on the 20th of February, 1767; in which the American Colonies are loaded with great and undeferved Reproach. By William Livingston. 8vo. Pr. 6d. Buckland

This writer confeffes himself indebted to Dr. Chauncy for feveral of his obfervations. He attacks the bishop with acuteuefs and fpirit.