ART. XVI. Effay on the Happiness of the Life to come. Small Svo. 3s. 6d. Crutwell, Bath; Cadell, London. IT T is with fome degree of trepidation, that ferious men take up a work upon a fubject like the prefent, fo difficult to handle judicioufly, fo dangerous to handle indifcreetly; fo likely to be deformed by the touches of enthufiaftic or licentious fancy; and fo much better left untouched, than treated with the flightest impropriety; which, for one whom it perfuades to any ufeful end, will give caufe for difguit, perhaps for mockery, to numbers. We are happy to perceive that in the work before us no apprehenfions of this kind are justified. The whole is rational and fcriptural, and tends to exercise the thoughts of those who read it, in a manner no lefs profitable than delightful. As the original work of Monfieur de Villette, from which this effay is profeffedly extracted, has not fallen into our hands, we cannot undertake the task of comparison ; but if it be, as we fufpect from the above-cited expreffion, much more bulky than its offspring, we cannot but commend the judgment with which a complete body, fo fair and wellproportioned, has been compofed out of diffected parts. The only poftulate affumed, as the foundation for this effay, is drawn chiefly from the evangelical doctrine of the refurrection of the body; from which, as well as from other intimations in the gofpel, it is prefumed, "that we fhall poffefs in heaven our prefent faculties, and enjoy many of our prefent pleasures, though improved and refined beyond all human conception." Page iii. Such is the ground-work of the effay, and its object is thus fatisfactorily explained. « To familiarize the joys of heaven to our imagination, without degrading them by too clofe a comparison with our prefent pleafures;-to place them in fuch a point of view, as to warm the heart without dazzling the understanding;-to reprefent our occupations in the celestial abodes, as holding fuch affinity with our earthly purfuits, that, in order to be admitted to the privileges of the former, we must observe the strictest rectitude in the objects of the latter ;to direct our views in every event beyond the narrow bounds of time, to a happy eternity, where that which is in part fhall be swallowed in that which is perfect;-thefe are the views of the Translator, as they evidently were thofe of the Author." Pref. p. vi, up The pleasures we are taught to look for in an heavenly state, are properly diftributed under two general heads; 1. The pleafures of knowledge, and 2. Thofe of fentiment. Under the first divifion are ftated the impediments which in our present ftate obftruct our knowledge, and the imperfections which un der der the most favourable circumftances ftill attend it, notwithftanding the defire of gaining it is one of the most active of our natural faculties. The fuperiority of the pleasures to arife hereafter from this fource, is therefore eafily explained by the mere removal of thofe known imperfections. All this is elegantly as well as clearly thown: "Those who fail upon the ocean, fome leagues from land, fee only the coafts. Thofe who have the cleareft eyes, with the best inftruments, difcern in this confused landscape only fome objects, which are loft to others, and which strongly excite curiofity. Night comes on and veils the profpect from their fight. During their fleep the veffel approaches the port, and at fun-rife cafts anchor. They land; a thoufand beautiful and magnificent obj Ets prefent themselves on every fide, infinitely excelling all which the diftant view had induced them to imagine. "Thus we shall enjoy in heaven, to a degree beyond all conception, the pleasures of novelty and furprife, of finding our curiofty fatisfied, or at least ourselves provided with means to enable us to fatisfy it for if we were to fuppofe that God would difplay to us at once, all which we hope to know through eternity, this would be, according to my ideas, to fuppofe that he would rob our knowledge of one of its greatest charms. "In proportion as the truths we are to learn fhall become more difficult to comprehend, we fha 1 doubtless acquire talents adapted to them; and thus we fhall go on from ftrength to ftrength, with regard to the pleasure of acquiring and poffeffing knowledge, as in every respect we fhall rife from glory to glory. "The ftudies requifite to advance in this manner will not be oppreffive labours. The affiftance which may be neceffary to us, an infinite number of beings more intelligent than ourselves, and full of celeftial goodness, will be eager to offer. If they are now "minif tering fpirits, fent forth to minifter for them who fhall be heirs of falvation," will they not then rejoice to affociate with us, when purified from the corruptions of mortality, we shall be " as the an cr gels which are in heaven ?" Our own efforts, provided they do not fatigue us, contribute much to our fatisfaction. Our exertions being thus the fource of our pleasure, nothing will difcourage us; for can we fail to have a ftedfaft hope of fuccefs? Upon what could a fear of difappointment be founded? Whatever then may be the length of the attentions requifite to attain to a certain point, the hope, or rather affurance of fuccefs, will fupport, animate, and fill us with joy. "Our progrefs, always equal to our faculties, and not retarded by involuntary interruptions, will be great and rapid. In a world where we shall be freed from all the cares which are here requifite for our fubfiftence, our clothing, cur lodging; where we shall fleep no more; where there fhall be no more forrow, nor crying, nor pain ;" where all, far from molefting us, or deranging our plans of ftudy, will favour them; it is evident that we must have undisturbed leifure to execute them." P. 47• The fecond head of the Pleafures of Sentiment, affords more fubject for difcuffion; and occupies the 2d, 3d, and 4th parts of the effay. Among thefe are numerated, gratitude and love to God; the recollections of his paft goodness to us; the retrofpect of past evils, and the expectation of increafing good; the absence of all tormenting paffions, and of all dangerous temptations; the delight of feeing others happy; and the happinefs of being beloved and efteemed by multitudes, all amiable themselves, all eftimable; the revival of ancient friendships, and the cultivation of new, by no means incompatible with the general love prevailing in that happy ftate; the internal fentiments of felf-approbation, with the anticipation of its everlasting continuance; the feeling of perfect fecurity from all poffibility of misfortune. Thefe and other topics, intimately connected with them, are well arranged and fenfibly handled, in a manner very animating, and very ufeful. The recapitulation of the whole in the conclufion, is executed fo well, that we fhall doubtless benefit, as well as gratify our readers, by giving it at large. "In heaven, our glorified bodies will be no longer fubject to infirmity or decay all pofitive evil will ceafe. Our faculties, being perfected to a degree of which we can at prefent form no idea, will bring to the foul an endless variety of delightful emotions. In the enjoyment of eternal youth and health, endued perhaps with modes of perception, at prefent as incomprehenfible to us as are the pleasures of vifion to a man born blind, our fenfes will no longer be at variance with our reafon: the corruptible body will no more press down the foul, but will be the inftrument of its happiness. We fhall enjoy the pleafure of acquiring and poffeffing knowledge, unallayed by any of those inconveniences which accompany them on earth. culties, talents, and affiftances, will always be equal to the ftudies in which we shall employ them: a firm confidence of fuccefs in our enquiries and researches will make them fo eafy to us, that they will be productive of pleafure, unmixed with the flightest degree of fatigue; and being fecure of an eternal duration, we fhall not fear any impediment to our advancement in those fublime attainments, which will be the objects of our purfuit in the realms of immortality. Our fa "The Supreme Being will always be the principal object of our meditations. Here below we fee him darkly; but then we shall see him face to face. The attributes of GOD, the wonders of creation, the conduct of Providence, the great defigns of the Most High, and all thofe beautiful, fublime, and infinitely diverfified objects, in the contemplation of which we feel every moment the weakness of our earthly faculties, will be displayed before us in all their luftre. "At the fight of that immense store of pleasures, of which God will have given us poffeffion, our boundless admiration will be accompanied with the fweeteft emotions of gratitude and love. By the recollection of the past, those evils, which can exift no longer but in our memory, memory, will be admirably inftrumental in enhancing the value of our happiness, and procuring us a more exquifite enjoyment of it. During this delightful retrospect, we shall look up to that Being, who is the curb.r and finisher of our faith, with tranfports of gratitude and love, of which with our most ardent fenfations of piety on earth can give us but a fant idea. "From reflecting on the paft, we fhall naturally proceed to meditate on the future, and to enjoy the delightful anticipation of thofe degrees of glory and felicity which we fhall not at firit poffefs. Admitted into the prefence of GoD, honoured by his approbation, we fhall fee in Him, and in every thing around us, the great fyftem of univerfal felicity, a felicity for ever extending, and for ever increasing. Gob, who knows our hearts, will place objects before us to exercife our noblett virtues, in all their variety, delicacy, and ardour. Happy in ourselves, and in the happiness of myriads of our fellowcreatures, exulting in the profpect of an eternal augmentation of excellence and felicity, we fhall enjoy thefe ineftimable bleffings with a warmth, an energy of fentiment, which it is impoffible to feel in this imperfect ftate. We fhall be fecure of finding, in each of the bleffed, every difpofition and affection towards us which can gratify our focial feelings, and our natural defire to love and to be beloved. Strengthened by our progres in knowledge, in virtue, and in amiable fentiments; animated by the prefence of our heavenly Father; free from all impediments; fecure from all indifference; our affection for each individual of the bleffed will be more ardent and tender, than that which we now feel for the most beloved friend: while we have the greatest reason to hope, that every tender and virtuous attachment formed on earth, if the object of it be really deferving of our esteem, will be renewed with augmented ardour, and be enjoyed for ever. No envy, no jealoufy, can ever difturb our focial happiness. Every one will be contented with his own lot, every one will fincerely rejoice in the fuperior exaltation of others; and thus we fhall in fome measure appropriate to ourselves all the happiness of heaven. At the first fight of a glorified fpirit, we fhall feel a reciprocal attachment; and fhall for ever rejoice in the bleflings of mutual love. "When we shall reflect on the numerous temptations we have overcome, and the various afflictions we have endured, in our progrefs towards that felicity to which we have at length attained, we shall enjoy the approbation of our own confcience, and that approbation which on earth had seldom been more than a confolation in adverfity, will become in heaven a pure and delightful pleafure;-a pleasure which we shall anticipate in an everlasting futurity; for we shall be fecure of preferving it inviolate, and of augmenting it continually, in the constant exercife of virtue. "All these bleffings will be accompanied with the certainty that they are ours for ever. In heaven, where pain and forrow are no more, and death is swallowed up in victory, we shall feel a fweet fecurity that every danger is paft: while futurity prefents an endless perfpec tive, a boundless field for the exercise of the nobleft virtues, and the enjoyment of conftantly increafing happiness." P. 166. In various parts of this delightful little work, we find citations from English authors, evidently and very honourably denoting the hand of the tranflator; they are chofen in general with taste, and introduced with judgement. The writings of Milton, Young, Thompson, Armstrong, Dr. Beattie, Mifs H. More, and the author of the Pleafures of Memory, are the fources whence these pleasing ornaments are taken. We are not inclined to object to any thing in a tract which has given us fo much pleasure, nor indeed is there any thing material to which we could object if we had the difpofition; but we think it right to hint to the author, male or female,* in cafe of a revision, that the expreffion here below is not fo elegant in English, as ici bas may be in French; and that it occurs rather too frequently in the latter part of the effay, in places where it might with cafe be varied. *We fufpect the latter: and Mifs Bowdler, of Bath, particularly falls under our fufpicion. ART. BRITISH CATALOGUE. POETRY. 17. The South Downs, a Poem. 8vo. 2s. Symonds. N a fhort advertisement prefixed to this poem the author informs us, that it is a maiden effay," and feems to expect cenfure from profeffional critics; but defires that it may not be " unaccompanied IN by inftruction." Our with is always to give this tendency to our remarks; and where it is fo particularly requested, we furely ought not to neglect it. In this fpirit we shall give the author two articles of advice; one refpecting his poetry, and the other on the fubject of his temper. We give him credit for a poetical turn of mind, worthy of cultivation; but we think it neceffary to fuggeft to him, that without care and study, nothing can be written that will be worthy to be read, much lefs to live. We inform him, therefore, that fuch lines as thefe, "And at each look discover something new." "And all our wealth fhe nearly calls her own." With a prodigious number more, difperfed through this poem, are mere profe: that he ought not to offend against usage and grammar, by |