fermon, however, is all, except a very few pages, theological, and not political; and as well worthy of the attention of the intelligent Chriftian, as if it had not been occafioned by any temporal event.

Should we be accufed, as by fome of our readers, we probably fhall be, of having devoted to this publication a larger proportion of our journal than we ufually allot to the review of two octavo volumes of fermons, we beg leave to reply, that the fermons of Bishop Horfley are of a very fuperior order to those which usually come before us. We have, indeed, no hesitation whatever to fay, that no fuch fermons have iffued from the British prefs fince the commencement of our critical labours; and that whenever we fhall have the good fortune to meet with two fuch volumes again, we fhall with pleasure review them with the fame minutenefs, and allot to them an equal proportion of our pages. No church has produced a greater number of valuable fermons, adapted as well to the library as to the pulpit, than the Church of England; but of late years our preachers feem to have confidered the excellence of a fermon as confifting wholly in the difcuffion of fome moral queftion, in fmooth and well turned periods. To give to our readers an adequate view of fuch fermons, neither time nor labour is requifite. The text generally ftands at the top of the difcourfe as a mere motto; and the question is dif 'cuffed, or the duty enforced, by arguments, which have very little dependence on it. Widely different from this was the practice of the late Bifhop of St. Afaph. Confidering, and juftly confidering, the illuftration of the facred text as the only way in which perfons uninspired can preach the word of God, he feems to have made it a rule, in every difcourfe, either to prove the truth of fome Chriftian doctrine, or to explain fome obfcure or ambiguous paffage of Scripture; and then to deduce from fuch doctrine or paffage, the practical inferences which naturally flow from it. This is, indeed, Gofpel preaching in the beft fenfe of the phrafe: it is likewife performing what every Clergyman of our Church undertook to perform when he was admitted into the order of priesthood; but let it never be forgotten, that this is fomething very different from wrefting the fcripture, to make it fupport the peculiar doc trines of any artificial fyftem.

In the fhort advertisement prefixed to thefe fermons, Mr. Horfley informs us, that, among other manufcripts of his fa ther's, all ready for publication, he is in poffeffion of a tranf lation of the book of Pfalms, accompanied with notes, critical and explanatory; "that it will extend in bulk to two vo lumes quarto: that in justice to his family, he cannot venture

to draw the expences of fuch a work on himfelf, without the profpect of a fund to answer them; but that he will proceed to the prefs, the moment that one hundred names fhall be found as purchasers." If, after the Bifhop's tranflation of Hofea, fo generally and fo juftly admired, any doubt could have remained of his qualifications for tranflating and illuf trating the book of Pfalms, that doubt must now be completely removed; for we know not where any portion of fcripture is fo finely illuftrated as the forty-fifth Pfalm is in the first volume of these fermons, When, in addition to this fact, we call to mind the eminent fervices rendered by the Bishop to the cause of Chriftianity in general, and of the Church of England in particular; the refpect profeffed for his talents, his learning, and his zeal, by every true fon of the Church; and take into our confideration fome other circumstances, which, as they are generally known, need not be ftated; we cannot fuffer ourselves to entertain of our countrymen fo unfavourable an opinion, as that they will not vie with each other in giving to the fon of fuch a prelate every encourage ment to publifh, not merely the critical tranflation of the Pfalms, but a uniform edition of all his father's theological works. Even the controverfy with Priestley, might, by a few additional notes, be rendered as ufeful at prefent as it was twenty years ago; for the race of Unitarians is far from extinet; nor has their zeal abated. In the mean time we must take leave of Mr. Horfley, hoping foon to have occafion to pay our refpects to him again as the biographer of his father and the editor of his works; and affuring him of all the aid and encouragement that we can give him, we heartily with him fuccefs in thefe and all fuch laudable undertakings.

ART. V. A Letter to the Conductor of the Critical Review, on the Subject of religious Toleration; with occafional Re marks on the Doctrines of the Trinity and Atonement. By Herbert Marfh, D.D F.R.S. Margaret Profeffor of Divinity in the Univerfity of Cambridge. 8vo. 37 pp. with PP of notes. Is. 6d. London, Rivingtons; Cambridge, Deighton. 1810.

8

WHETHER it was worthy of Dr. Marfh to enter into

any thing like a laboured controverfy with the conductor of the Critical Review, appears to us to be at least doubtful. We readily acknowledge, indeed, that when an author loses credit with the public, he ceases to be useful;

E

BBIT. CRIT. VUL. XXXVÍ, JULY, 1810. ~

that

that every author is in danger of lofing credit, if he fuffer the calumnies of reviewers to pafs current without contradiction; and that the firft part of Dr. Marth's Lectures has been grofsly mifreprefented, and their author bafely calumniated in the Critical Review. It was therefore proper to refute thefe calumnies, to correct thefe mifreprefentations, and to expose to public view the contradictions maintained by the reviewer, that the Lectures might not be prevented, by the clandeftine arts of a Socinian, from producing the general good which they are unquestionably calculated to produce. This, however, might have been done as effectually, and we think with greater dignity, merely by reprinting, in one column, the paffages to which the reviewer objects, and which are fo perfpicuoufly and accurately compofed, that they cannot really be mifunderstood, and placing over against them, in another column, and without any comment, the view of them given by this illiberal and intolerant Socinian. The cool contempt difplayed by fuch a reply, would probably have carried equal conviction to the minds of his readers in general, and certainly would more have galled the mind of his reviewer, than a letter, from which that re. viewer, whether fairly or not, may draw the inference that he has been at least able to ruffle Dr. Marfh's mind. Such is our opinion; but Dr. Marfh has judged otherwise, and perhaps more correctly. Be this as it may, certainly no victory was ever more complete, than that which he has here gained over his antagonist, whom he has convicted of wilful falfhood and mifreprefentation; of ufing opprobrious language; of palpable contradictions; and of a fpirit as intolerant (as indeed the fpirit of modern liberality generally is,) as any that ever dictated a papal bull, or prefided in the court of Inquifition. For the merits, however, of the controversy, we muft refer our readers to the letter itfelf, after furnishing them with the following fpecimen of the author's ftyle of compofition and argument.

"I acknowledge your right to propagate your own opinions with all the force which argument can give them: I difpute not your privilege of directing all the powers of reafon against the tenets of the established Church. But I do difpute your right to load with opprobrious names the members of that Church, becaufe they contend that its doctrines are conformable with Scripture. I do difpute your right to brand, as intolerant and as bigots, the defenders of the faith, for which Cranmer wrote, for which Cranmer died. Or may the test which you apply to religious creeds, be fo feverely rigid, that all who fubfcribe not to your articles, muft be condemned as weak or vicious? Does

the

the Church which you condemn, impofe a teft like this? Or is character of lefs value than emolument? While you pretend to be the advocate of free inquiry, fhall you prefume to vilify a creed because it is not your own? Univerfal toleration was once the theme: but toleration is now applied in a more restricted fenfe: it now means the endurance of every thing, and of any thing, but THE DOCTRINES OF THE ESTABLISHED CHURCH. How long they will be endured, I know not. The affailants are numerous, and active on every fide: they are provided with all the implements of warfare, with all the means of influencing the public opinion. There is hardly a religious. fect which is not provided with fome literary journal, in which its own authors are invariably commended, and the advocates for the Church of England invariably condemned. And though they diffent from each other, they all agree in oppofing the eftablishment. For this purpofe mutual jealoufies fubfide; and the very difcord which divides them from the Church, becomes among themselves a bond of union. To this formidable and systematic warfare what do we oppofe? That we are able to oppofe, cannot be doubted, when we confider that the clergy of the Church of England are, without exception, the moft learned body in the kingdon. Both claffic and fcientific knowledge is furnished by the clergy. And can it be fuppofed, that men like theje are without the ability to defend the doctrines to which they have fubfcribed? No! But we want either the zeal which animates our opponents, or the courage to ftand forward in defence of our own caufe. We are afraid of being thought intolerant, if we do but affert that our articles are true; we are afraid of being charged with bigotry, if we are not ready to concede every thing to those who are ready to concede nothing to us: we are afraid of being branded as perfecutors, if, while we are ready to grant toleration to all, we choose that no exception fhould be made for ourselves. This is not unknown to the Critical Re. viewer. You, Sir, are well acquainted with that noble maxim, that when confutation is difficuit, an adversary must be filenced by abuse you are well informed of the benefits which refult from a copious application of those terms of reproach, which are calculated to please the ears of the vulgar: and you are equally kilful to apply them, in proportion as the importance of your adverfary makes him more obnoxious. You know, likewife, that one effe&ual mode of degrading a religion is to degrade its moft diftingu fhed profeffors. I do not affect, Sir, to defpife the cátumny which is diffeminated in a public journal: I do not affect to difregard the credit, which, if an author lofes, he mult ceafe to be pfeful and ftill lefs am I indifferent to the decifion of that tribunal to which I now appeal. But though I am not indifferent to praise, I am lefs indifferent to duty. And here I have a confcious fatisfaction, of which no man can deprive me.

I enjoy the consciousness, that I execute my office to the best of my ability, devoting to it my time, and even facrificing my health. I enjoy, likewife, the confcioufnefs which arifes from an honeft difcharge of it,the confcioufnefs of not betraying the cause which I approve, the caufe which has been entrusted to my care, and which I am pledged to defend.”

ART. VI. Dramatic and Narrative Poems. By John Joshua, Earl of Carysfort, K. P. 2 vols. 8vo. 11. Is. Mackinlay. 1810.

F the phrase of "the mob of gentlemen who write with eafe," was appofite in the time of Pope, it is certainly much more fo at the prefent day. Among our modern writers of poetry, refinement feems another word for imbecility, and rhythm is fo fmooth, fo foft, fo melifluous that whilft the ear receives no cause of offence, the underftanding has no refting place, and we glide along from page to page, without any improvement of our time, or addition to our flores of information. At intervals, however, as in the prefent inftance, fome better and more congenial spirit prefents itself, to roufe us from the fomniferous lethargy which the perufal of modern poetry has a tendency to excite, and gladly and thankfully do we exult, when any new ftar appears in the poetic firmament, to cheer us on our way.

Thefe two elegant volumes from the pen of Lord Caryffort, contain seven dramatic and narrative poems. In the first volume are found the four dramatic pieces on the subject of Caius Gracchus, Monimia, the fall of Carthage, and Polyxena. At the end of each piece are fome concife, but judicious obfervations, explanatory of the fubject, and of the motives and intentions of the noble author. In the first of these poems, the Caius Gracchus, are many very. ftrikingand impreffive paffages, and the interview between the mother and the fon, between Cornelia and Gracchus, cannot be perufed without the deepest emotion. Its pathos, noble fentiment, and beauty of language, cannot easily be furpaffed the fame may be faid of many parts of Monimia, particularly of the conclufion.

The fall of Carthage is upon the Grecian model, and has its chorus and femichorus. From this the fubjoined extract cannot fail of leaving a very favourable impreffion with the reader; indeed, in the whole of this poem there is a great deal of original thinking,

CHORUS