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Salvation, bath appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodlines and worldly lufts, we should live foberly, righteously, and godly in this prefent world. But what was the confequence?- -He was univerfally hiffed.Nobody knew him, or would own they knew -They fell immediately to their clamouring concerning the hypoftatical union, eternal generation, everlasting fanship, neceffary emanat on; abufing, calling names, and denouncing damnation one upon another for not believing in these unintelligible and curious fubtilties, just as they themselves believed."

him.

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After many arguments against the folly of deferring a life of virtue and of trusting to a death bed repentance, the Author at laft collects the fcattered rays of his former reafonings into one ftrong point of light in the fifth fection; in which he fhews, that there is nothing. either in reafon or revelation that juftifies a death-bed repentance, or in the lealt intimates its acceptableness, but the very contrary. He afks if fuch have any reafon to hope for the rewards of holiness, who have never qualified themfelves for them; or whether it is fit and just in God Almighty to connive at and overlook all the heinous and enormous vices of an whole life, merely for a few inactive wifhes and prayers at the end of it?" With as much reafon (fays he) might a day-labourer expect and demand the wages of an whole day, who had trifled it away in idleness and floth, and only worked an hour in the evening."

He then apologizes for thefe peremptory declarations, in the following manner : "Far be it from me," fays he, "to speak diflonourably of God, or charge him with want of clemency and mercy. I flatter myself, no one, in the whole univerfe of rational beings, can entertain more generous and enlarged thoughts of the divine benevolence and the extent of it, than myself. And I can truly affert, that there is nothing that ever excites in me greater horror, deteftation and contempt, than thofe rigid, gloomy, and illiberal principles, by what numbers foever embraced, and by what venerable names foever efpoufed, that would confine the divine goodnefs to an inconfiderable number, and to an inconfiderable party, and exalt his other perfections at the expence of it. But, at the fame time, I must freely declare to my Reader, that the mercy and goodness of God are not lavifhed indifcriminately, but are folely confined to fincere penitents and holy perfons. There are ends of government to be fubferved, which require the exertion of this attribute in a proper and just limitation, and in fuch an exact measure as neither juftice nor wifdom may be violated by it. For how could either the wisdom or justice of God be conferved, or the great ends of his moral administration be an- . fwered, if the rewards of piety and virtue were beftowed with an undiftinguithing hand, and the penitent of an hour, whom the fear of death had made fuch, were equally entitled to the divine love and regards, as he, who had spent the whole of life in an uniform and steady virtue ? It is impoffible-God cannot be thus unjuft. He cannot, in confiftency with the great principles of his equity and wisdom, approve of thofe, whofe lives have been one continued infult upon his laws, and for a few broken petitions, extorted merely by pain,

break

break at once all the rules of unerring rectitude, expunge all their crimes, and make them the heirs of an happy immortality, equally with thofe, whofe whole lives have been an ornament to religion. Nothing can be more improbable, nothing more impoffible. We fee this is not done in any civil fociety or government upon earth. Will the law release a murderer, becaufe he is racked with convictions of his guilt, and promifes never to commit murder again? Will a juft judge be prevailed upon by the importunity and prayers of a robber or an affaffin to acquit him? The laws of human fociety would ceale to awe and restrain mankind, were their fan&tions and punishments to be remitted and annulled, when any offender teftified his remorfe, and itrove to move compaffion. And if the laws of a well-ordered fociety, that condemn the criminal to death, are never difpenfed with and repealed for any proteftations of future amendment, if every equitable and impartial judge pronounces the fentence of condemnation, whatever vows and forrows may be expreffed to avert it; will the divine laws of the fupreme Ruler of the univerfe accept of vifionary refolutions, accept of a mere frivolous intention for the performance, or will the great Judge of all flesh confider that as done, which hath not been done, be prevailed upon by noify importunity, or the loud accents of grief and remorse, to break the established laws of his government, and, after an whole mifpent life, to approve them as true penitents and good chriftians, merely for a few momentary compunctions?"

It will probably be thought a defect in this piece, that the compofition, in fome places, appears to be too much laboured; and that the Author has faid nothing concerning the thief on the cross which we rather wonder at, as arguments are often drawn from thence, in favour of the efficacy of fuch a late repentance. Perhaps the Author judged this inftance beneath his notice; but is he to learn that many ignorant, and many wicked perfons think it not beneath their notice?

From thefe fpecimens our Readers may difcern the fpirit and tendency of this little effay, which we recommend to their ferious perufal.

Our Liverpool correfpondent will excufe our not writing, verbatim, his paper on the subject of the foregoing article. He will fee what use we have made of his obfervations: to which we could have no objection, so far as they were coincident with our own idea of Mr. H's performance.

Art. 2. Fifty-four Sermons, preached by the late Rev. Mr. Thomas Bradbury, Minifter of the Gofpel. Many of which are on very interefting Subjects, being preached in critical Times, on Days of public Humiliation or Thanksgiving; but chiefly on the Fifth of November, in Commemoration of the glorious Revolution by King William. 8vo. 3 vols. 15 s. bound. Buckland, &c.

The defign of this publication, we are told in the preface, is not fo much to erect a monument to the name of the venerable deceased Au

thor,

thar, as to keep up a grateful sense of the divine Power and Goodness manifefted in the glorious Revolution, which for more than fixty years he celebrated with a religious joy.

As to the merit of the Sermons, it confifts in an ardent zeal for the g'orious memory of King WILLIAM, the divine right of the Revolation, &c. and an uncommon dexterity in applying the prophefies of the Old Testament to the downfal and deftruction of the French King, the Tory Ministry, &c.- -The Author's receipt for a thirtieth of January Sermon, is a very curious one, and may ferve to divert our Readers. I have read, fays he, many a thirtieth of January very little Sermon, and they are so much the fame, that I can observe new in them, but a tranfpofition of terms: let any one take a few rattling words of his materials, fuch as Schifmatics, Atheists, Rebels, Traitors, Mifcreants, Moniters, Enthufiafts, Hypocrites; Lord's Anointed, Sacred Majefty, God's Vicegerent, Impious, Blafphemous, Damnation; ftir thefe together in a warm head, and after a very little fhaking, bring them out, fcum and all, distribute them into feveral periods, and your work is half done: if fuch expreffions as Religion, Confcience, Juftice, Privilege of Parliament, innocent Blood, Liberty and Property, come in your way, take off the crudities from fome of them, by foftening epithets, call it mock Parliament, falfe Religion, pretended Confcience; and tell the world roundly, that their Privileges, Trade, civil Rights and Liberties, are chimeras; that fuch talk fmells rank of forty-one, and is a certain mark of a Villain, and an Enemy to the Government."

It may

be proper to acquaint our Readers, that of the fifty-four Sermons here printed, feven only are new to the public.

MEDICA L.

Art. 3. Rules for the Prefervation of Health: Containing all that has been recommended by the moft eminent Physicians. With the eafteft Prescriptions for the moft Disorders incident to Mankind, through the four different Periods of human Life. Being the Refult of many Years Practice. By John Fothergill. 12mo. 2s. 6d. Thruth.

Dr. Fothergill, to prevent the public from being impofed on, repeatedly difavowed this compilation, by Advertisements in the newspapers; but had he omitted this act of juftice to the public and to himself, we apprehend few would have fuppofed him the Author of fuch a catch-penny farrago; notwithstanding his name has been, with fo much effrontery and falfehood, inferted in the title. It is a poor, meagre, collection of obfervations, precepts, and cautions, from various medical Writers; fuch as any Apothecary's Journeyman might have put together, with an equal manifestation of judgment and erudition.

Art. 4. Practical Obfervations on Cancers and Disorders of the Breaft, explaining their different Appearances and Events. To

which

which are added, a hundred Cafes fuccessfully treated without Cutting. By Richard Guy, Surgeon, and Member of the Corporation of Surgeons in London. 8vo. 2s. Owen,

&c.

In our Review for Dec. 1759, we gave an account of, with fome ftri&tures on, Mr. Guy's former treatise on this fubject: to which the obfervations now before us are intended as a filemental publication. He here gives a farther detail of his fuccefs in the application of Plunket's Noftrum*; and it must be confeffed, that many of the cafes now recited, as well as thofe in his former collection, appear to merit the fullest and most candid regard of the public.- -Our Author

hath likewife fome remarks on the effects of Hemlock, with feveral inftances, tending to fhew the inefficacy of that medicine in cancerous cafes he thinks many perfons have been injured, and some facrificed by it. Mr. Guy is not a good Writer; but we believe he has cured a great many cancerous diforders.

The fecret of this famous Poultice was purchafed by Mr. Guy.

POETICA L.

Art. 5. Love in a Village; a comic Opera. As it is performed at the Theatre - Royal in Covent-Garden. 8vo. Is. 6d. Newbery.

When an Author is modeft and fenfible enough to judge fairly of his own performance, the candid Critic can have little farther to fay. "If this Opera is confidered merely as a piece of dramatic writing, it will certainly be found to nave very little merit: in that light, no one can think more indifferently of it than I do myfelf." Thefe are the words of the Author, in his Epittle dedicatory to Mr. Beard, on whofe opinion he venture, farther to affert, that fome of the fongs are tolerable; and the words better adapted, confidering the nature of the airs, than could be expected, fuppofing any degree of poetry preferved in the verfification. To this opinion we alfo readily fabfcribe; acknowleging, that notwithstanding this piece afforded us no great pleasure in the perufal, we were very agreeably entertained at the reprefentation.

Art. 6. The Requeft. A Poem. 4to. Is. Caflon.

The honeft man who has made this Request, might be a Poet by his wants and his wishes, for he wants an eftate, and wishes for one; but it is not any ill-conditioned estate that he would take up with; not fucn a one as is liable to quit rents, or renewals, or fines arbitrary upon the death of the Leffor, or Lord of the Manor. No, it is an eftate "from incumbrance free," that he wants: a threwd Fellow, no doubt!

He would not willing lie under any obligation, for he looks upon gratitude to be a greafy bufinefs.

Like oil, fill uppermost the favour lies.

Heart of oak! he cares not where he lives, not he; though it were in the moon, or in one of Jupiter's fatellites, provided the air be good :

As for my refidence-no matter where,

Provided I can breathe a wholesome air.

Then, as to Happinefs, from his defcription of her, one would take her to be the Rector of a good fat living in the country, for he tells you, that the

regards not refidence.

But read a little farther, and you would take her for Dick the Oftler, at the White Hart, as this Poet declares, that the

Embraces Peg

This, however, is not the cafe; for he is neither Dick nor the Doctor, but an arrant Whore: as will be proved in the fequel.

Embraces Peg-frakes hands with honest John,

And values not what bed fhe lies upon.

Our judicious Bard has certainly no mistaken idea of this fame Happinef, notwithstanding thefe feeming inconfiitencies, for he concludes that a good dinner is very effential to it:

Much real joy have I in focial treat.

In the next place, he is fo obliging as to inform us of his amufements, and to tell us how he employs his time. He makes verfes, you may be fure; and this he calls feking the Mufe; but this only when he is in the right cue for it:

If happy thoughts arofe, I'd feek the Mufe.
Delighting chiefly in the moral page:

But who, alas! efcapes the Critic's rage!

Sly Rogue! Do you obferve the dafh, Reader, at the beginning of the last line? Depend on it, there is fomething about Critics in that dafh. But, poor man! he is quite une fy about a little matter of fame. Hear how pitifully he complains,

How very few allow a little fame!

Alas! it grieveth us to the heart that there fhould be fuch niggaily cruel Critics.

But ho! what's here? the man has changed his note.-- looking how far it was to the end of his poem, we found the laft verie in quite a different train. Hear him:

I bid defiance to the breath of Fame.

Does he fo? Is this the fuppliant Wight that was fo lately whining for a little fame? Surely there is no faith, se truth in man!

We

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