dering our Saviour is made to fpeak of the reformation of his audience, as what ought by all means to be avoided, and to affign it as the very reafon of his addreffing them in parables, that by fo doing he might not run the hazard of reclaiming them. So that the plain, natural and eafy meaning of the text is, that our Saviour addrefled himself to the multitude in parables, because, confidering their great averfion to moral inftructions, this gradual, infinuating method was moft likely to an fwer the end aimed at, namely, their reformation and amendment and for the very fame reafon, fables, parables, and allegories have been made ufe of by inany others who have applied themselves to the inftruction and reformation of mankind.' As an inftance of this, we are referred to the parable of the poor man's ewe lamb addreffed by the prophet Nathan to King David; here we have, proceeds the Writer, an illuftration drawn from real fact of the meaning of thefe phrafes, "fecing they fee not, and hearing they hear not," the meaning, I fay, of thefe phrafes as defigned to fignify and denote the tendency and usefulness of parabolical reprefentations: how aptly do thefe terms exprefs the very conduct of David upon this occafion?" feeing he faw not, and hearing he heard not :" he immediately faw the iniquity and barbarity of the rich man's proceedings; his heart was in a moment fired with indignation at the thought of it; - he pronounced the fevereft fentence of condemnation against the man; but he was not at firft aware that this was an exact description of his own conduct:-and for this very reafon he was brought at length to perceive it the more forcibly; without at all apprehending himself to have been concerned in the affair, he pronounces a fentence of condemnation, which he could not decently retract, when he afterwards found it in reality to be pronounced against himself.' He proceeds to anfwer an objection to his explication of the text, which arifes from the manner of St. John's citing the words of Ifaiah, and which it may be fuppofed will by no means admit of such an interpretation; but for this we muft refer the reader to the fermon itself. In a note are produced fome inftances from ancient Greek writers of the ufe of phrafes equivalent to that in the paffage under confideration: and in a farther note fome inftances are also produced in which the word (undle) tranflated left, in the text here confidered, is ufed for poffibly or peradventure and to other proofs of this kind is added Luke iii. 15. where' we read, that "all men mufed in their hearts (le) whether he were the Chrift or not." "Whether or not ;" that is, in other words, if poffibly or peradventure he were not the Chrift.' But though there is great appearance of truth and reafon in what is here faid, it must be acknowledged that the point is ftill debateable; and furely it cannot greatly furprize us to find, REV. June 1771. either Gg either in natural or revealed religion, fome difficulties particularly relating to the methods of the divine government, to which we must be willing to fubmit, without being able at prefent either to remove or explain them. In the difcourfe on the parable of the tares, among other judicious and animated reflections, after having confidered the bleflings imparted to mankind by Chrift as intended by the expreffion, he who fowed the good feed is the fon of man,' we read as follows: But muft it not nevertheless increase and heighten our forrow on account of the abounding and the triumphs of iniquitie, to confider that it abounds and triumphs, notwithstanding all that has been done by this moft illuftrious meffenger of heaven and friend of human kind, in fowing and cherifhing, by the moft excellent principles and doctrines of his religion, the feeds of pietie and virtue in our world? When we reflect upon the glorious defign and happie tendencie of the chriftian fcheme, when we view it in its original fimplicitie and godlike form,-when we confider by what a varietie of motives arifing from the great truths it inculcates, from the bright and fpotlefs example, from the endearing love and unparalleled condefcenfcion of our great redeemer, its moft excellent laws and precepts are enforced, and when we attend to those marks and fignatures of divine and heavenly authoritie which dignify and confecrate the whole, we can fcarcely forbear being elated at the thought of thofe moft benign and falutarie effects which we cannot but think muft needs appear in every age of the chriftian world, and in the conduct of every chriftian profeffor. But, alas! how foon do we find ourfelves checked and reftrained, and all our pleafing profpects borne down by that swelling torrent of iniquitie which fpreads itself on every fide; and it will be no fmall addition to that concern which we must feel in our minds upon fuch a view, to confider that the fpring, from whence this overpowering and impetuous torrent took its rife in the chriftian world, was no other than the early corruption of those who affumed the chara&er of being the principal fupporters and abettors of the chriftian faith. When men flept," to use the language of the parable we are now difcourfing upon, and which in all probabilitie was in this particular intended to be prophetic; when thofe, whofe peculiar bufinefs it was to inculcate the truths and doctrines of the gofpel in all their moral force and energie, fell into a lethargic ftupiditie as to the great interefts and purposes of vital religion, but at the fame time were extremely active in purfuing the dreams of their own bewildered imaginations, then of courfe did the tares spring up apace." When thofe whofe proper character it was to be the helpers of the joy" of others, began to claim "dominion over their faith," to erect the idol of church-power, to 6 · make make the vain and abfurd attempt of eftablishing an uniformitie of opinion, and to contend with furious pride and bitternefs, whose fhould be the ftandard, pursuing at the fame time with unbounded and unfatiable eagerness worldly emoluments, riches and honours, it is natural to imagine, what was indeed the cafe, that all kind of fordidnefs and iniquitie in temper and behavior fhould gain ground. And at that very time, when there was more occafion than ever for hearing the principles of christianity inculcated in their highest puritie and with their utmoft moral force, did they adulterate and enfeeble it by the introduction of the moft unintelligible myfteries, and the fubftitution either of abfolutely unmeaning founds and phrafes, or elfe of directly immoral and licentious doctrines, in the room of that true and real "doctrine" of Chrift, which is "according to godliness." In the fermon on the parable of the muftard-feed, the remarks (quoted chiefly from Sir Thomas Brown) on the expreffions of its being the leaft of all feeds, and growing up to a large tree, may be acceptable, as fome may be at a lofs how to remove the difficulty, and to others it may not be difagreeable to be reminded of the explication. Nothing could more expreffively reprefent the-ftabilitie, enlargement and triumphs of Chrift's kingdom, than a fair and fpreading tree rifing out of the very fmalleft of feeds. The propriety of this expreffion, with refpect to the feed of muftard, has been very fufficiently juftified by a learned writer, (Sir Thomas Brown) when he obferves, that "though it be not fimply and in itfelf the smallest of feeds, yet we may very well believe it to be the smallest of feeds of plants that are apt to grow unto a ligneous substance, and become a kind of tree." He obferves likewife, that "the parable may not ground itself upon generals or implie any or every grain of muftard, but point at fuch a peculiar grain, as, from its fertile fpirit and other concurrent advantages, has the fuccefs to become arboreous." The expreffion alfo, as the fame author goes on to obferve, that it might grow into fuch dimenfions, that birds might lodge in the branches thereof, may be literally conceived, if we allow the luxuriance of plants in India above our northern regions. And he mentions upon this occafion what is recorded in the Jewish ftorie, "of a muftard tree, that was to be climbed like a fig tree." It would be easy to add further extracts from this and other fermons in the volume before us, which would be accepted, we doubt not, with pleafure, by many of our Readers; but as our limits will not, at prefent, allow us to enlarge, we must here refer to the difcourfes themselves, of which only the first volume is yet published. G g 2 ART. IV, ART. IV. Principles of Penal Laws. 8vo. 5s. Boards. White, &c. 1771. HE neceffity of fuppreffing thofe diforders which arise in fociety from the paffions and intercourfe of men, gives birth to criminal jurifprudence. It is long, however, before the right of revenge is wholly wrefted from the individual and entrufted to the magiftrate, and before the magiftrate acquires full authority to enforce his decifions. The point of honour, for example, ftill leads to the practice of duelling; and all the efforts of legislation and government have been unable to abolifh it. If we would throw any light on the subject of crimes and punishments, we muft attend to the different appearances they exhibit in the different periods of fociety. We must trace them from their infant ftate, in a rude community, to the condition and afpect they aflume in a refined age. It is only from a careful obfervation of their progrefs, that we can arrive at the prin ciples of penal law. Our Author has followed a very different method. He fets out from an affumed period of perfect civilization; and while he feeks in the hiftory of mankind for facts and examples by which to fupport and confirm his reafonings, he perceives not that he is led into mistakes, by applying to lefs cultivated ages the ideas of his own times. It must be improper to reafon directly from the criminal regulations of a Saxon monarch, to those which are now eftablished in England. It is neceffary, in this refpect, that we examine the ftate of the intervening periods of our history. The prefent publication confifts, therefore, of detached obfervations, and contains no regular chain of causes and effects. It difcovers, notwithstanding, a confiderable fhare of ingenuity and genius, and may be read with profit and amufement. The following obfervations on corporal punishments, and on infamy, will give our Readers an idea of our Author's manner and merit. We are told, fays he, that in Sparta it was thought a very difgraceful fentence to the criminal, to lofe the privilege of lending his wife to another man, or to be confined to the fociety of virgins. The authenticity of the fact is immaterial, if the inference be admitted, which is, that in a moderate and virtuous government, the idea of fhame will follow the finger of the law; and that whatever fpecies of punifhment is pointed out as infamous, will have the effect of infamy. Exiftimatio eft dignitatis illæfæ ftatus, legibus ac moribus comprobatus, qui ex delicto nofiro, auctoritate legum aut minuitur, aut confumitur. The punishment of strang ling ling is deemed honourable.by the Ottoman family, who think it infamous that their blood fhould be fpilt upon the ground; in England it is thought a more refpectable death to be beheaded. Let legiflators then remember, that the ftamp of ignominy is intrufted to their difpofal; and let them ufe with economy and difcretion this beft inftrument for the promotion of morality and the extirpation of vice. Shame lofes its effect, when it is inflicted without juft and cautious diftinction; or when by the wantonnefs of oppreffion it is made familiar to the eye. The fenfibility of the people under fo extravagant an exertion of power, degenerates into defpondency, bafenefs and ftupidity: their virtue is of forced extraction, the child of fear, with all the meanness of the parent entailed upon it. it. The tranquillity of fuch a ftare, fays Montefquieu, is the mournful filence of a city which the enemy is about to ftorm. The prefent Emprefs of Ruffia is aware, that immoderate efforts are the symptoms of infufficiency, and have always more fury than force; that the fecurity of the Prince decreafes in proportion to the exorbitance of his defpotifin, and that the national fenfibility is the beft fpring of national power. But a few years ago, prior to the reign of the late Empress Elizabeth, it was no more difgrace to a Ruffian nobleman to receive a public flogging from the hands of the hangman, than it is at this moment to a miferable Japonefe to pay with his skin the cofts of a civil action, thought nugatory by the judge. The Mufcovites no longer wed their wives with a whip instead of a wedding ring; and Ruffia rifes into the refpect of Europe. The Japonefe ftill fubmit to the daily difcipline of the lash; and Japan continues the contempt of the world.-The cudgel (fays Du Halde) is the governor of China; the Chinese (fays the writer of Lord Anton's voyage) are eminent for timidity, hypocrify, and dishonesty. Corporal punishments immediately affecting the body, and publickly inflicted, ought to be infamous in the ettimation of the people; fo fhould degradations from titles of honour, civil incapacities, brandings, and public exhibitions of the offenders: all which penalties ought to be applied with great caution, and only to offences infamous in their nature. • In any cafe, to affix a lafting, vifible ftigma upon the offender, is contrary both to humanity and found policy. The wretch finding himself fubjected to continual infult, becomes habituated to his difgrace, and lofes all fenfe of fhame. It is impoffible for him to form any irreproachable connection; for virtue, though of a focial nature, will not affociate with infamy. Yet this practice of branding hath prevailed in every known Gg 3 |