the Hebrews, in a well-known paffage, muft believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently feek him.' But this binds us, to whom the mystery hid from ages has been made known, not only to a general belief in God, but to a belief in the.. great work of our redemption, in the atonement, the Divinity of our Saviour and of the Holy Ghoft, and if there be any other doctrine explicitly laid down, and directly connected with our falvation. Whatever there is for which we are exprefsly enjoined to give God thanks, and to render him praise and honour, most evidently must be taken as neceffary to be believed; and without that belief we cannot be confidered as keeping the com mandments." P.. 5.

He next obviates fome objections by Calvin to the fenfe in which he understands his text; refutes the inferences drawn by the Church of Rome from the fame text; and, in oppofition to the Antinomians, proves, that we are as much bound, as were the Jews, to ferve God according to fuch commandments as he has given us; and that they, though they faw the promises only afar off, were not deftitute of that faith which is become our inheritance. Having proved that fuch was the doctrine of the primitive Church, until the rife of the herefy of Pelagius; and that St. Austin, in his eagerness to confute him, ran from one extreme to another, introducing into the Church the doctrines of individual election, partial redemption, and irrefiftible grace, he adds, that the firft promulgation of the Predeftinarian fyftem was not received with univerfal or even general affent, but was fuffered to fleep for feveral centuries without being of material injury to the cause of religion.

"About the middle of the ninth century, however, we have what I may call a fecond epoch. It was then that Gotefcale, a monk (as Pelagius was) who, we are told, was defined to a convent before he could have an opinion of his own, who would have retreated but was not allowed to do it, whofe mind therefore had naturally become doubly impatient and reftiefs, and prepared for every extreme, ftarted up, and again brought forth into notice St. Auftin's doctrine, but without any of his qualifications. He difplayed to view, and taught the tenet of reprobation in its moft abfolute fenfe (which St. Austin had not done), and dreifed out in all the horrors with which it teems*. Thus nakedly prefented to the fight, it caused immediate and almost universal difgut; and the man was not only condemned as being in a dangerous error, and

• It is on this account that Gotefcalc is fo highly praised by Dr. Haweis in his Hiftory of the Church!-Rev.

even a blafphemer, but cruelly perfecuted; and though afterwards: fome perfons of note were found to support his cause, he continued under the sentence of condemnation, and was in confinement nearly, if not quite, to the time of his death." P. 21.

The controverfy thus revived, was continued in the fchools and cloyfters down to the æra of the reformation; but during all that period, the practice of the Church of Rome was notoriously abhorrent from the predeftinarian system.

"She held not only that men might have fuch merits as enti tled them to falvation, but that they might have even a furplufage of this claim, arifing from the good works which they had done, She determined particularly that this was the cafe with all those whom the declared to be faints; and upon that founded, as you know, her doctrine of indulgences and pardons, which by the application of these works, as they were called, of fupererogation, might be fecured for thofe whom the might deem worthy of that benefit." P. 23.

Thefe abufes, which brought on the Reformation, were op pofed by Luther, much in the fame way that the errors of Pelagius were oppofed by St. Auftin. So far from allowing that man could merit any thing from his Maker, Luther de nied even the freedom of the human will, an opinion how. ever which he is faid to have abandoned, and which was never received by the Lutheran churches, at least after they were modelled into a determinate form. The prefent author traces the refult of the predeftinarian doctrines; examines the proofs brought from feripture in fupport of thofe doctrines; fhows that the election taught by St. Paul in his Epifles to the Ga latians and Romans relates only to God's dealing with the Jews as a nation; explains in the moft fatisfactory manner what is faid of God raifing up Pharaoh, of his loving Jacob and hating Efau before they were born, and of his dealing with men as the potter does with clay; fhows that Auftin, Luther, Calvin, and indeed every other author, who has adopted this fyftem, is perpetually contradicting in one place what he has advanced in another; and concludes this part of his fubject with juftly obferving, that whatever predeftination St. Paul fpake of, was evidently founded on God's foreknowledge, which of itself would overturn Calvin's fyftem.

Mr. Le Mefurier next examines the doctrine of affurance, as maintained by the Welleian Methodifts; fhows that their leading or diftinguifhing tenets-" Conviction of or for fin," and experiences," as far as these words and phrases have any meaning, are but new names for repentance and faith, only distorted and exaggerated; points out the mifchief and. delufion

delufion refulting from this jargon-especially as employed " in their clafs meetings," or " bands," as they are called; and fhows that fuch doctrines and practices receive no countenance from fcripture, or the articles and homilies of our Church. Among the wonderful inftances of what they call conviction for fin, extracted from their own records, and published in the notes at the end of this admirable fermon,' we fhall lay the following fpecimen before our readers, and then take leave of Mr. Le Mefurier for the prefent, affuring him that we fhall be happy to meet with him foon again, laa bouring thus ufefully in our great Maffer's vineyard.

"Mr. Charles Kyte's cafe was fomewhat more extraordinary (than those which had just been ftated), for, he says, I was only four years of age, when God first influenced my heart by his Holy Spirit, and when I was between five and fix, about feven o'clock on Saturday morning, I was deeply convinced of fin, while God fpake in awful Majefty by thunder and lightning.' (The Me-, thodift's Magazine, January, 1804). Yet notwithstanding this great step, he continued thirteen years after that in a wretched and deplorable ftate, though with very good difpofitions. For, though he had made it a rule to go to Church on the Sabbath day, at least once, yet, till he was twenty years of age, he never heard one gofpel fermon from any true Minifter of Jefus Chrift!' This is their charitable way of treating the regular Clergy! However, then, it feems, he went to hear the Methodist Preachers, at Mr. Ward's, in Oxhill. Of course things went on better. But what fhall we fay of Mrs. Eliza Byron She,' as her husband tells us, had from her early years the fear of God before her eyes, and an earnest defire to serve the Lord to the beft of her knowledge. This, with the preventing grace of God, saved her from running into thofe fins and follies which enfnare many. But it was not until the was fourteen years that she was deeply convinced of the finfulness of her heart and life," (and life too!) and of the need of a new birth. It is true, he had not a fingle fin, in the eye, of the world, to be convinced of, nevertheless the was made truly fenfible that mankind are fallen creatures, unholy and unhappy, and that nothing fhort of Divine power can restore them to either the favour or the image of God. But how to attain this fhe knew not. She had regularly attended Divine worship with the fa mily in the Church of England. Befides hearing, fhe had atten tively perufed the facred volume; had ufed frequent and fervent prayer, and retirement from the bustle and vanity of her young companions. One would think that by fuch endeavours the Grace of God might have been obtained; but no!-Her friends too were unable to help her. It was all as yet to little purpose. The good foe fought was not to be gained by these things; that is, by going to Church, by reading the Scriptures, by fervent prayer and

medita.

meditation; In this diftrefs fhe was at a lofs where to go and what to do.' At length it pleafed God to direct her steps to the Methodist chapel, in St. John's, near Helfton, &c." (Idem. 58.)

M. Le Mefurier has furnished us with many other inftances. of Methodistical conviction for fin, and fudden converfion from darkness to light, more extravagant even than thefe; and in the accounts which are given of fuch convictions and converfions, by those who have experienced them, it is always infinuated, and often expressly faid, that the Gospel is not preached in the Church; that the Methodist teachers are men f God; and that the Methodists themselves are people of the Lord! Though we have the highest authority for faying, that if a prophet "bear witnefs of himself, his witnefs is not true, yet fuch is the credulity of the good people of England, that they fuffer the falfe witnefs thus borne by the Methodistteachers in their own favour, and against the regular Clergy, to alienate their minds from the pureft Church at this day established in any country under Heaven. In vain are our ears ftunned, as the ears of the prefent writer frequently are, by exaggerated accounts of the proligacy and lukewarm indif ference of a few individual Clergymen. In a numerous body of men, whether clerical or lay; there will always be found fome individuals, whofe conduct is reprehenfible; but the conduct of the National Clergy at large may challenge a com-, parifon with that of any other body of men equally numerous on the face of the earth; the doctrines and worship of the Church is not flained by the profligacy of a few of her individual Minifters; where fuch profligate Minifters are really found, let their conduct be fairly reprefented to their respective Diocefans; and if due attention be not paid to fuch reprefentations, it will then, but not before, be time to confi der of the expediency of deferting our parish-churches for the conventicles of Methodifm,

ART. VII. The London Medical Dictionary: including, under diftinct Heads, every Branch of Medicine; viz. Anatomy, Phyfiology, and Pathology, the Practice of Phyfic and Surgery, Therapeutics, and Materia Medica; with whatever relates to Medicine in Natural Philofophy, Chemistry, and Natural Hiftory. By Bartholomew Parr, M. D. Fellow of the Royal Societies of London and Edinburgh, and Senior Physician of the Devon and Exeter Hofpitals. 400. 2 Vals. 1686 pp. 61. Johnfon, Rivingtons, &c. London.

ART

ART. VIII. The Edinburgh Medical and Phyfical Dictionary, containing an Explanation of the Terms of Art in Anatomy, Phyfiology, Pathology, Therapeutics, Surgery, Midwifery, Pharmacy, Materia Medica, Botany, Chemistry, Natural Hiftory, c. c. as employed in the prefent improved State of Medical Science: and alfo, a copious Account of Difeafes, and their Treatment, agreeably to the Doctrines of Cullen, Monro, Hunter, Fordyce, Gregory, Denham, Saunders, Home, and other modern Teachers in Edinburgh and London. To which is added, a copious Gloffary of obfolete Terms, calculated to affilt thofe who have occafion to refer to the Writings of the Ancients. In two Volumes, with many Plates. By Robert Morris, M. D. James Kendrick, Surgeon, F. L. S. and others. 4to. 41. 4s. Bell and Bradfute, Edinburgh; "Oftell, London.

S both thefe Dictionaries include the two great branches of Medical Science, Phyfic, and Surgery, we have thought it neceffary to give them a feparate confideration as to each object. The former we fhall difcufs in the prefent article, the furgical part will be confidered next month.

To readers who have the command of extenfive libraries, a ponderous dictionary, which profeffes to embrace feveral fciences, can offer few attractions. The leading articles treated of in thefe volumes, have already been collected and arranged in diftinét fyitems, and we cannot hope to derive additional inftruction from their prefent combination. Whe would now think of fearching in a Medical Dictionary for information on Chemistry, when he can confult the fcientific works of Murray, of Thompfon, and of Fourcroy; who would look into a Medical Dictionary for inftruction in Surgery and Anatomy, when the fyftems of Bell and of Cooper åre open to him; or who would neglect the many excellent fyftems of Botany, and treatifes on Materia Medica, which are within the reach of every ftudent? Before a large dic tionary, like this before us, can be compofed, before it is fairly out of the printer's hands, in the prefent progreffive ftate of medical, and more especially of chemical fcience, new works on the fubjects of which it treats, will have rendered fome of its contents ufelefs. The fcience of Medicine cannot remain stationary; new facts are continually brought to light, more correct deductions formed, and erroneous opinions refuted. Scarcely twenty years have elapfed fince the laft edition of Motherby's dictionary, which forms the basis of the prefent publications, iffued from the prefs; and in this short space of time, the improvements which have taken place