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MONTHLY

CATALOGUE,

For SEPTEMBER, 1765.

RELIGIOUS and CONTROVERSIAL.

Art. 11. Reliquiæ Sacra: or, Meditations on Select Pallages of Scripture; and Sacred Dialogues between a Father and his Chil dren. By the Reverend Mr. Richard Pearfall, late Minister at Taunton, Somersetshire. Published from his Manufcripts, defigned for the prefs; by Thomas Gibbons, D. D.

6s. Buckland.

12mo.

WE have no his lifetime; fee Review, Vol. IX. p.

E have already given our Sentiments of fome of Mr. Pearfall's

232; and Vol. XIX, p. 595. We have obferved, that the Reader is not to look for elegance or fpirit in the works of this Author; but, at the fame time, it is allowed that they have their merit. His general and leading view, is to raise the thoughts of his readers, from natural to fpiritual and divine objects; to warm their hearts with gratitude to the Great Parent of the univerfe, and to his Son, our gracious and compaflionate Saviour. He is not always happy in the tranfitions he makes from carthly to heavenly things; and there are fome very forced conceits to be met with in his performance: but the goodness of his defigns will, in a great measure, with candid renders, atone for the manner in which they are executed. Our chief objection is to the horrible reprefentations he fo often gives of the eternal wrath and vengeance of the Almighty, against bis poor offending creatures. He lays great ftrefs on the eternity of hell-torments; and feems rather defirous of terrifying than perfuading finners to repentance. His fyflem, we allow, is what many will fet down as thoroughly orthodox; but orthodoxy itself is not, at all times, nor with all men, the fame thing and therefore, we doubt not, but there are many good Christians who will receive very little edification from fuch a reflection as the following, taken from his letter addreffed to the members of his congregation at Taunton, wrote but a little while before his his death :

To be delivered from the curfe of the law, is a most inestimable privilege, and to behold Jesus bearing that curfe in his forrows unto death, is as important and glorious a fubject of contemplation as is poffible; an incarnate GOD dying, our furety paying the dreadful debt, the tremendous juftice of God Almighty fatisfied, and sheathing its flaming fword, the wrathful throne of an offended deity fprinkled and turned into a mercy-feat, are fubjects fit for angels themselves to gaze upon, and admire.This fhort extract will ferve as a fpecimen both of the Author's principles, and of his manner of writing.

Art. 12. Strictures on the Commentary and Conference of the Reve rend Mr. Dodd, Chaplain in Ordinary to his Majefty: With Reflections on the Reverend Mr. Heathcote's Life of Reafon.' By Mr. Antininny T. 8vo. 2s. Folingby.

Some furdy Hutchinfonian hath bere made a vigorous attack on

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Mr. Dodd's Biblical Annotations:--poor Mr. Dodd! never was culprit-commentator fo unmercifully belaboured!

Mr. Antininny hath alfo moit triumphantly reafon'd against Reason :alas poor Reafon!

Mr. Heathcote, too, how terribly he is trimmed!

Heathcote!

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-poor Mr.

In good faith, Mr. Antininny feems to be one of the most formidable champions in the whole army of modern Cabaliftical Decypherers' and we will have nothing to fay to him, left, the next time this Goliah thinks proper to brandish his weaver's beam, our jackets fhould likewise come in for a dufting.

Art. 13. An Attempt to reflore Scripture Forms of Worship; or a Friendly Dialogue between a common Unitarian Chriflian, converted by fome late Writings, and an Athanafian. 12mo. 4d. Worcester, fold by S. Gamidge.

In this Dialogue, the Unitarian has greatly the advantage of the Athanafian; who becomes fo far a convert to the opinion of his opponent, as to renounce the authority of councils, fathers, creeds, &c. and to declare his determination, to give the New Teßament a ferious review, in order to a due confideration of all thofe paffages which refer to God the Father, the Son, and the Holy fpirit.-This is a plain, fenfible piece, and is published by the pious Author, with a view to its being diftributed among the common people, by thofe well-difpofed perfons who can afford to purchase and give away fuch little tracts, in order to help forward the glorious work of another reformation: which, adds he, with great truth, though the times are favourable in feveral refpects, is very much obftructed by irreligion on one fide, and fuperftition and enthufiafm on the other.'

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POLITICAL.

Art. 14. A Pair of Spectacles for short-fighted Politicians; or, a Candid Anfwer to a late extraordinary Pamphlet, entitled, An Honeft Man's Reafons for declining to take any Part in the new Adminiftration. 8vo. I S. Williams.

This optical politician does not, like the Honeft Man, fee the prefent adminiftration in the light of a flimfy cobweb, which every puny fly may break through. On the contrary, he regards it as a strong edifice, that promiles not the short date of a few months only, but an increafing and permanent fecurity. It may, fays he, it will, no doub, receive additional buttreffes and new ornaments; but the foundation and groundwork will fill continue the fame; a foundation, I truft, not to be fhaken by the impotent blafts of envy and malevolence, built as it is, not on bellow ground, but on the united favour of the crown, and the almost universal approbation of the people.'-All this, however, is merely the Author's private opinion, not argument. In fhort, those who only have recourfe to thefe political fpectacles, to affift them in gaining

* See Review for July, F. 76.

an infight into the merits of this minifterial difpute, may truly be faid, as the apole exprefies it, to fee through a glafs darkly.

Art. 15. A Letter to the Common-Council of London, on their late very extraordinary Addrejs to his Mriety. 8vo. 15. Nicoll.

The addrefs on which this pamphlet is founded, hath been so much the topic of public and private animadverfion, that we cannot fuppofe any of our Readers unacquainted with this famous cbf-d'œuvre of the great city.

It was, certainly, a very ftrange and unaccountable procedure! How, in the name of commix fenfe, could the common council entertain the thought of fo cavalierly treating the king, in a congratulatory addrefs to his Majefty, on the birth of another prince?

But we need not expatiate on the abfurdity of their conduct; they have been pretty well chaflifed for it already, not only in the fpirited pamphlet now before us, but by a whole army of writers, in the pubfic papers :-befide the universal cenfure paffed on them in all companies, as well in the city, as out of it.--Yet, while we condemn the misbehaviour of thofe few reprefentatives of the citizens, concerned in drawing up and prefenting this ridiculous and obnoxious paper, let us not indifcriminately involve their conflituents in the fame fentence; for we are well fatisfied, that the offenfive part of that addrefs, is by no means agreeable to their fentiments. The paragraph in queftion appears rather to have been the fole atchievement of one factious citizen, who had, fomehow, gained a great afcendency in the councils of his brethren; (an afcendency which we thall not here pretend to account for) but who pofibly hath, by this rafh behaviour, effectually opened the eyes of thofe who have fuffered themselves to be hood-winked, and guided, till they have found themselves in the fituation of the tlind led by the blind.

Art, 16. Remarks on the Importance of the Study of Political Pamphlets, Weekly Papers, Periodical Papers, Daily Papers, Political Mufic, &c. 8vo. 8vo. IS. Nicoll.

Attacks the political writers, in a train of irony, not unlike that of h great Swift; nor much, if at all, inferior to the fpirit and energy of that admired writer. The main drift of the Author, is to ridicule the popular clamour raifed against the Scotch: which he does with temper, humour, and pleafantry,

Art. 17. The Merits of the New Administration truly stated; in
Answer to the feveral Pamphlets and Papers published against
them. 8vo. IS.
Is. Williams.

In this fenfible defence of the New Miniftry, the pretended charges against them, contained in the feveral papers and pamphlets lately pubhed on the fubject, (and which the Author confiders as maliciously urged

gents of their late predeceffors in power) are reduced to the folonfiderable number, viz. That the new minifters are under of the favorite ;-which appears to be falfe. That they nded to the crown by the D- of C--;

which does

does them honour. That they are disavowed by Mr. Pitt;-which has not yet been proved. That they are young ;-which is partly true and not pertinent. And that their adminiftration will not be lifting, which is more than either they can deny, or their enemies affirm, with certainty.

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This mixture of falfhood, encomium, prefumption and conjecture, as our Author terms it, is, fays he, repeated and diverfified every day in order to make the impreffion, which a plain and interefting truth would have made upon the understandings of men, without repetition or ornament.' He confiders each of these charges; premifing that the only one which, in his opinion, deferves confideration, is that of the favorite's influence: upon which the greatest refs has been laid, as being the most popular.-What he fays upon this capital article, as well as upon the others, is fpecious, if not fully fatisfactory; and, to fay the leaft, deferves to be well attended to. The Writer gives us to understand that he has a feat in the houfe; which may be true; but whether true or not, this is a circumftance that can neither add to, nor detract from the merit and weight of his reasonings.

MEDICA L.

Art. 18. The Practice of Inoculation impartially confider'd; its fignal Advantages fully proved; and the popular Objections against it confuted: In a Letter to Sir Ed. Wilmot, Bart. By John Andrew, M. D. 8vo. I S. Exeter printed, and fold by Wilfon and Fell in London.

Published by Dr. Andrew, with the view of obviating the prejudices which have obftruded the practice of inoculation in the city and neighbourhood of Exeter. To his own account of the practice, and his great fuccefs therein, he has added the fentiments of Dr. Huxham *, and several other eminent phyficians, relative to this very interesting fubject,

* As communicated in private letters to the Author.

POETICA L.

Art. 19. Original Poems on feveral Subjects. By William Stevenson, M. D. 8vo. 2 Vols. 5s. Hawes, &c.

Whatever may become of Dr. Stevenfon's poetical character, he is certainly a man of good fenfe and found judgment; for he advises his readers not to take up his poems till they have dined well, and drank plentifully. We heartily recommend the Doctor's prefcription to every reader of these Original Poems; though hard is the fate of us Reviewers, who, it is well known, never dine at all.

Specimen of Dr. Stevenfon's poems: from his Character of Churchill's Writings:

Not nature juft in ev'ry part,

But tranfcripts of the writer's heart;
Vagaries of a troubled brain,
Ineffably abfurd and vain.

R 4

Wild

Wild thoughts, made wilder by his pen,
Stuff'd into characters of men.

As Rome's great fatirift describes
A moniter form'd from various tribes,
With which his reader's eye he feasts,
Women and fishes, fowls and beafts.
Thus C—————————l's frantic pencil draws,
Exalts with blame, damns with applause,
Nor ftrange, himself fo little man,

So little human in his plan,

As Mr. Churchill is not living, to return this blow, the Author, to avoid the imputation of meanness, on account of this pofthumous at tack of our late dreaded fatirift, declares that what he has let fall, with regard to Mr. C. was written before that gentleman's decease.

Art. 20. Kimbolton Park, a Poem. Folio. Is. Dodfley,

The fubject of this poem feems to have given more occafion to reflection than defcription: and the poem itself appears to have proceeded rather from the gratitude of the Author than the importance of the ob. ject. Kimbolton is a feat of the Duke of Manchester, if we mistake not, in the neighbourhood of Huntingdon, and was the place where Catherine, queen of Henry VIII. retired, after being divorced from her cruel and brutal hufband. The poet avails himself of that circum ftance, and throws it into the following pathetic verses:

When hapless England felt a tyrant's sway,
And that fierce tyrant fell to luft a prey,
Here fill'd with grief, an injur'd princefs filed
From fhort-liv'd grandeur, and divided bed:
Oppreffion fpread her horrors o'er the plain,
And all thy fwects, Kimbolton, bloom'd in vain,
For not the fragrant breath of rofy morn,
Nor tuneful lark on rifing pinions borne,
Nor all the verdure of the blooming spring
Can to the broken heart loft pleasure bring.

In England then the fons of freedom flept,
And drooping virtue o'er their afhes wept;
In vain for right the Royal Stranger cried;
That right his flaves enjoy'd her Lord deny'd:
Yon inmolt grove of heard her mournful tale;
Her forrows fpread along this filent vale;
'Till Fate in pity call'd her to the shore,
Where luft and tyranny opprefs no more.

Sentiments of great humanity and goodness of heart are scattered through different parts of the poem; and, though not without fome weak, inaccurate and unpolished lines, it is upon the whole a pretty performance.

Art. 21. A Tranflation of the Pfalms of David, attempted in the irit of Chriflianity, and adapted to the Divine Service. By Christopher

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