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ble instance of the author's powers of recollection: they were written by his relative and amanuensis Mr. Curtis, to whom Mr. Robinson, while sitting, or walking about the room smoaking his pipe, dictated every sentence, the texts of scripture, stops, the different characters, italicks, capitals, &c. They were then revised by the author; but little alteration was made in any of them, before they were sent to the press.

This volume may be pronounced an unique: the discourses are admirably adapted to teach people of all classes, to think for themselves on the most important truths of revelation: they are so plain that they may be understood by a person of the most limited capacity, at the same time persons of education must be edified in the perusal. They abound in natural eloquence; and there are passages which for simplicity and beauty united, may vie with the most celebrated writings of the age.* Although there are occasional expressions which may offend the ears of a polite audience, they are not in the preacher's usual style; they were purposely adopted to suit the most illiterate, ignorant, and lowest class of the human race.

The manner in which Mr. Dyer has attempted to degrade the merit of these discourses, and the author's other works, is as futile, as it is unworthy of the writer. These sermons he observes" are

Ses in particular, Discourses, II. III. p. 37, 38, 53, 54, Ed. 1805. Also the Morning Exercise-Industry.

distinguished by a kind of aukward and spurious orthodoxy-such sentiments and language as even "Calvinists might think savoury meat, and such as "heretics could sit down to with pleasure; some"times the preacher talks like a child of grace, at "others so much like the pupil of nature, that some "have scarcely considered him a believer! In "short these sermons exhibit, what many of our "author's works exhibit, a man attempting to re"concile incongruities, and to perform impossibi"lities. A Calvinist and Socinian might unite "in saying of them what the ingenious author of "the Indian Cottage says of error:-I cannot bet

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ter compare it, than to the glare of a fire which destroys the dwellings that it enlightens."*

Such remarks as these only serve to shew that a sceptic is by no means qualified to judge of the writings of a christian divine. That there may

* Mr. Dyer, in order to persuade his readers that Mr. Robinson was 66 much like a pupil of nature, (in plain language an infidel) scarcely to be considered as a believer," refers us to the sermon-The christian religion easy to be understood, and 'desires us to compare it with the confession of the Savoyard Curate in Rousseau's Emilus. After comparing the one with the other, I beg leave to assert, that Mr. Dyer could not have referred to evidence which more completely refutes what he has advanced than that contained in the sermon and the confession. The confession is a mass of contradictions, and the work of a professed infidel. One instance amidst many which might be adduced, shall suffice to prove how unfortunate Mr. Dyer has been in referring to such documents. The division of Mr. Robinson's discourse is as follows.-Christianity is not a secret but a revealed religion-All of you are capable of understanding

be a difference in sentiment, in two or three passages, from what the author expressed in some of his former writings, is readily acknowledged; but these are comparatively trifling, and by no means affect the great truths of christianity. Nothing can warrant the insinuations against Mr. Robinson's character as a sincere christian: if "some "have considered him scarcely as a believer," the "some" are, it is not improbable, confined to Mr. Dyer, and to two or three Calvinists and Socinians, who must be pleased with the efforts of their ally to persuade the world that Mr. Robinson was scarcely an honest man; for it is impossible he could be such, if while preaching and writing these discourses he was not very firmly convinced of the truth and importance of christianity. Sneering at that exalted devotion which is one chief excellence of the discourses, may be in character with a writer who has no idea of the love of

it—and there is every reason in the world why you should apply yourselves to the thorough knowledge of it.... There is nothing in christianity but what might be understood if it were properly attended to. What says the Savoyard curate? After some fine encomiums on the morality of the gospel, he adds-Avec tout cela, ce meme evangile est plein des choses incroyables, de choses qui repugnent á la raison, et quil impossible a tout homme sensé de concevoir ni d'admettre:-positions which it was the express design of Mr. Robinson in the above sermon to refute and expose. That Mr. Dyer had read both the sermon and the confession I cannot doubt; but he must surely have forgotten the contents of the one or the other, or both, when he wrote the above remarks.

God shed abroad in the heart, or of a minister's preaching, writing, and acting under the constraining influence of the love of Christ. There are many however, who heard some of these as well as other discourses of our author, whose understandings enlightened, and whose affections raised, however they may be ridiculed as "chil"dren of grace, fond of savoury meat," by those who speak of what they understand not, reflect with satisfaction and delight, on hours when their feelings were similar to those of the two disciples while conversing with our Saviour after his resurrection: Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?

The preface to the Village Sermons contains an explanation of the circumstances which attended their delivery, designed as an apology for their peculiarities: the author illustrates his grand design by a tale in which the principal characters are a quaker and a roman catholic; a tale so beautiful and affecting, that there are I believe few persons of christian sensibility who can read it with dry eyes. With respect to the different human explanations of doctrinal points which generally prevail amongst christians, the author confirms the opinion he had given some years before in the preface to the third volume of Saurin, and in his Doctrine of Toleration &c. that "they ought not to be considered of such importance as to divide christians by being made standards

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"to judge of the truth of any man's christianity: "he thinks virtue and not faith the bond of union,

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though he supposes the subject ought to be properly explained. His design therefore in these "discourses was to possess people of a FULL CONVICTION of the truth of a few facts, the belief of "which he thought would produce virtue, and

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along with that personal and social happiness." He adds " His ideas of this subject do not "meet the views of some of his brethren: but "while he wishes they may enjoy their own senti"ments, he hopes they will not deny him their

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friendship because he hath it not in his power "to think as they do." What the author so feelingly deprecates, soon came to pass this excellent volume of sermons, so very superior to all other Village Sermons, with the equally excellent preface, served the more effectually to deprive him of the friendship of those he had long esteemed, and to convert some of them into open ene mies: what a melancholy instance of the little influence of the genuine spirit of christianity on the ministers of his own denomination! But no misrepresentation, no slander could prevent the increasing reputation the author was acquiring by this publication: the edition was shortly out of print; and since his death there have been published four large impressions; with an additional sermon, prepared by him for the press, entitledNo man may punish Christ's enemies but himself; and which for the grandeur of its sentiments, and

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