pounds, than to let a young man be presented to the living, either by himself or the bishop. These several methods the law authorizes him to purfue, and fo he may probably recover the purchase money, if not fatisfy his creditors, and help his family but now, as a good man more conscientious than the reft of my brethren, I can have no concern with it; only as wishing well to the cause of Christ, and having an ardent defire that faithful gofpel preachers be fettled in every county, if all other methods fail befides presenting out and out; I would recommend Mr. H- to the patron but then obferve the confequence: he shall not give a bond of refignation, nor shall he refign during life, nor will he or I make your friend the leaft acknowledgment by way of compenfation, or even to manifest our gratitude; and therefore you will confider also, that should my affiftant be prefented, his youth and his good habit of body, (which will be ftrengthened and confirmed by his shooting and courfing with me two months in the year at the rectory, which is an excellent sporting county) will render the advowfon but little worth afterwards: in fact, the advowfon will then be of no fervice at all to H―, he may indeed affift your friend in the difpofal of it, but it will be to a vast difadvantage, and probably be attended with his utter ruin."

, you

Such an addrefs as this, Sir, would have been like the counfellor, the friend, and the good man, and would have been fuited to the patron's capacity and circumstances; or if you would not speak as a lawyer, when you found that through your recommendation he was inclined to prefent Hfhould have told him before Mr. B, it was the worst flep he could poffibly take, and that the advice you had given him was for H- intereft not his, but would rather effectually defeat all his views. This declaration, Charity to the man and his family, and Justice to his creditors bound you to make; nay, in juftice to yourself and affiftant, to fave your religion from that reproach, and yourself from that clamour, fatyr and difgrace, which it is furprizing you could not foresee would neceffarily take place on the man's ruin; you fhould have openly made this plain declaration, as you well knew K's circumftances and views; if you abfolutely intended no compenfation or refignation, you should not have fuffered H to be inducted, or fo much as prefented.'

These observations are unexceptionably just and unanswerable.

24. Remarks

23. Remarks on the Answer of the Rev. Mr. M—n, to the Faithful Narrative of Facts, relating to the late Prefentation of Mr. →s, to the Rectory of Al-w-le in Northamptonshire. By a Byftander. 8vo. Pr. 6d. Lee.

H

There are some very pertinent and judicious remarks in this pamphlet; but the extract we have given in the foregoing article renders it unneceffary for us to enter into any particular account of its contents.

24. A Letter to the Rev. Mr. Madan, occafioned by reading two Pamphlets relative to the Prefentation to the Rectory of Aldwinckle. By the Widow of the late Mr. Fleetwood. 8vo. Pr. is. Williams.

Mr. Fleetwood, who was patron of the living of Aldwinckle, died in 1747; and Mr. Kimpton, having married one of his fifters, was appointed his executor. The manner in which the widow was treated by this executor, is the fubject of the present letter; by which it appears, that Mr. K. has been guilty of injuftice and inhumanity, and, by keeping her out of above four hundred and fifty pounds, has thrown her into the deepeft distress.

As this affair has no relation of the prefentation of Mr. Haweis to the rectory of Aldwinckle, we are to fuppofe, that the fole intention of this addrefs is to excite the commiferation of the public in behalf of the widow.

25. The Priest in Rhyme; an Epiftle to the reverend and learned Mr. Br-w-r. Concerning the Presentation of Mr. H-s to the Living of Al-nk-le, in Northamptonshire, &c. Sc. 410. Pr. 15. Cooke.

The following lines will fufficiently fhew the defign of this epiftle, and the genius of the author.

Thus have I told you, as I chofe,
In limping rhime half verse half profe;
As well both what I'd have him do,
As what the world expects of you.
Take good advice then from an heart,
Intirely free from fraudful art;
Utter the truth with confidence,
And vindicate your innocence ;
Left men fufpect that you went share
With M-d-n, in this black affair
And, like fell gamblers at the Sun,
(Whofe fafeft play is Three Poll one ;)

Have all united thus to glean,

And take the wretched K-p-n in.'

The reflection on Mr. Madan in this paffage is unjust and abfurd.

26. A Sermon preached in the Cathedral Church of Sarum, before the Vifitor, Prefident, Governors, and other Encouragers of the General Infirmary, on their firft Anniverfary, Thursday, Sept. 17, 1767. By Thomas Greene, D. D. Dean of Sarum. To which is added, the Prayer, pronounced by the Rev. Dr. Dedwell, on laying the Foundation- Stone. 8vo. Pr. 6d. Fletcher.

Dr. Greene, on this occafion, has taken for his text the following words of king David-Who am I, and what are my people, that we should be able to offer fo willingly after this fort? Fr all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee. Thefe words, he fays, at the fame time that they fet forth a moft amiable picture of humility and gratitude in king David, do likewife convey to us a moft ufeful leffon of inftruction ; teaching us, in the first place, to guard against self-sufficiency and confidence in our riches, and to look up to him, upon whofe bounty and goodness we depend wholly for the enjoyment and prefervation of them; and fuggefting likewise to us the best and most powerful motive to employ our wealth in such a manner, as will be moft acceptable to God, and moft conducive to the honour and glory of his name.

In this difcourfe thefe confiderations are illuftrated and enforced in a perfpicuous and agreeable manner.

The prayer annexed is very fenfible, and proper for the occafion on which it was pronounced.

27. Faith, Hope, and Charity, defcribed and recommended, in Tro Sermons. By C. Atkinfon, Minifter of Deane in Bedfordshire. 8:20. Pr. 15. Payne.

In thefe difcourfes Mr. Atkinfon has treated a plain, practical fubject in a finooth fiile, and a lively manner.

28. The Duty of decorating religious Honfes, deduced from the Example of Mary's anointing our Saviour; being a Sermon preached ot the first public Meeting of the Trufices of the Rev. Mr. Hanbury's Charities at Church-Langton, Leicestershire. By the Rev. Mr. Atton, Vicar of Weston with Sutton. 800. Pr. Is. Robinfon and Roberts.

This is a pious and useful fermon; but there is a want of elegance, and a certain quaintnefs in it which is not in the tafte of the prefent age.

30. A Guide

29. A Guide to the Liturgy; or, a fhort Explanation of Morning" Prayer, and of the holy Communion, according to the Liturgy of the Church of England: with an Account of the Feafts and Fafts, the Contents of the Pfalms of David, and the Occafion for which they were wrote. The whole laid down in an eafy and familiar Manner never before attempted.

12mo. Pr. 6d. Cabe.

This is a short and superficial performance, much inferior to a little tract of the fame nature by Clutterbuck. A fourth part of it is taken up with the titles, or contents of the Pfalms, extracted from the Bible.

When the author comes to the Athanafian creed, he fays, Let us firmly believe, and devoutly ufe this form, bleffing God for these clear explications of the fublime myfteries of the, Trinity and Chrift's incarnation; in which we must strive to understand as much as we can, and supply the rest with filence, fubmiffion, and adoration.'

In this paffage the author feems to be guilty of a small contradiction. For if thefe fublime myfteries are clearly explained, as he fays they are, we may thoroughly underftand them, which he says we cannot. And this latter intimation, no doubt, is very true. For the good bifhop Beveridge, speaking of the Trinity, fays, "It is a mystery which I cannot possibly conceive; yet it is a truth which I can easily believe. Yea, therefore, con tinues this orthodox divine, it is fo true, that I can eafily believe it, because it. is fo high, that I cannot poffibly conceive it."

30. A Letter to the Rev. Mr. Caleb Evans, occafioned by his curious Confeffion of Faith, at his late Ordination among the Independent Baptifts in Bristol: in which his marvellous Creed is conFidered, and his abufive Cenfures of other Minifters and Churches are expofed. Being a feafonable Rebuke to an uncharitable Baptift. By E. Harwood. 8vo Pr. 15. Becket.

The reflections which Mr. Evans has paffed upon other minifters and churches in his confeffion of faith, and his creed, which is Calviniftic in the true fublime, are examined and expofed by this writer with uncommon spirit, in a stile superior to what we generally meet with in controverfial writings.

31. Doubts concerning the Authenticity of the Laft Publication of the Confeffional, and the current Editions of certain Books cited in it. Addreffed to the Author of that Learned Work. 8vo. Pr. 1s. Rivington.

This ingenious writer, having observed that in the Confeffional there are apparently feveral falfe quotations, mifreprefentatious,

Cc 3

fentations, and inconfiftences, humorously and ironically pretends, that the learned and accurate author of that work is not to be cenfured; but that the current editions of the books which are cited in it are extremely faulty, and perhaps not genuine; or that the publisher has impofed upon the author, and adulterated his true fterling with a baser metal.

1

The paffages in question are fairly cited and compared.

32. A Defence of a Charge concerning Subfcriptions, in a Letter to the Author of the Confeffional. By T. Rutherforth, D.D. F. R. S. 800. Pr. 25. Beecroft.

In this defence the learned profeffor has taken, one by one, all the paragraphs in his Charge, that have been attacked by the author of the Confeffional, and minutely examined the animadverfions of that writer.

Readers who admire polemical difputes, or what the celebrated author of the Divine Legation calls, *" the subtilty of fchool moon-fhine," may find amusement in this Letter.

33. Obfervations on National Establishments in Religion in general, and on the Establishment of Christianity in particular. Together with fome occafional Remarks on the Conduct aud Behaviour of the Teachers of it. In a Letter to the Author of An Essay on Eftablishments in Religion. 8vo. Pr. 1s. 6d. Bladon.

The author of the Effay on Establishments having afferted, that " corrupt as religion was, from the firft ages, every government drew fuccours from it, without which they could never have attained to any confiderable degree of greatness or power;" this writer replies, that focieties, inftead of being bettered, are curfed by a corrupt religion: and he confirms his affertion by many examples.

That Greece and Rome made fuch a figure, is not, he says, to be imputed to their fuperftition, or, as fome may call it, their religion, but to their legiflators, their philofophers, their generals, who, for the most part, were men of understanding, who defpifed the fuperftition of their country, and inculcated on the minds of thofe they had influence over, the noble principles of the love of virtue, their country, their friends, and a contempt of every deviation from honour.

The author then confiders the utility of Chriftian establish

ments.

Popery is indifputably attended with pernicious effects: and protestant establishments, he thinks, have not in very many

*Vid. Pref. to Mrs. Cockburn's Remarks on Dr. Ruther forth's Effay on Virtue.

places