Графични страници
PDF файл
ePub

felves for a moft extraordinary quickness in compofition, fo little convinced of the neceffity of labour or art, that the first ftroke of the pen hath actually whifk'd them through a whole fermon before they have had the power to ftop; and, what is ftill more extraordinary, we have heard of those who have fent fermons to the prefs, verbatim et literatim," as they dropped from the pens of their respective authors in the "fhort interval between morning and evening fervice!"— -as they themselves have informed us,-pretendedly to afk the reader's indulgence, but in reality to excite his admiration !

The Sermons now offered to the public by Mr. Mainwaring, are the very oppofite to thofe hafty and futile productions. They are the compofitions of labour and art, as well as of judgment and genius. The former may indeed be thought by fome readers to be too predominant; but we think no impartial critic will deny their having a very confiderable claim to the latter. The Author informs us, that they were calculated for the university;' and that confideration is fufficient to excufe the Author for the more than ordinary pains which he appears to have taken, to render them worthy of the attention of men of judgment and learning.

We fhall felect a few paffages from his fourth fermon,' preached on the 29th of May, as a specimen of his fentiments on certain nice points of politics and religion, which will also give our Readers fome idea of the Author's ftyle and manner of compofition.

Our civil conftitution, from the natural oppofition between the members of which it is compofed, contains in it the feeds of continual difcord; and our facred fyftem, though excellent, like the other, on the whole, never pretended to be free from faults, or to have attained the utmost perfection of which even human ordinances may poffibly admit. Both will have faults fufficient, in the best of times, to exercife the controverfial and reforming fpirit-a fpirit which, when infpired by charity, and directed by good fenfe, does the office of a prophet or an apoftle! Though not fond of detecting abufes, or expofing the authors, no tendernefs for eftablished fyftems, no fear of disturbing fettlements, can reftrain it, when the rights of nature are plainly violated, and oppreffion is avowed. It will kindle the coldeft difpofition, and animate the dulleft, with all the ardors of enthufiafm. This principle indeed hath been fo difgraced by vifionaries, that men of fenfe, when they feel its divine energy, are afraid to acknowledge it. Yet this alone gives fuccefs to many of their nobleft undertakings, by feizing thofe happy conjunctures, and improving thofe critical moments, which, when once loft, are never to be retrieved. What a pity fuch a generous principle fhould often be excited for wrong purposes, and fometimes commit the greatest exceffes, even while it executes the decrees of reafon and juice!'

APP. REV. Vol, lxiii,

N n

The

The Author's reflections on the character of Charles II. are elegant and fenfible:

It is indeed furprising, that, educated in the fchool of adverfity, and endowed befides with a good understanding, he should have derived no benefit from his own experience, or the recent effects of his father's errors. But it is quite natural, that one whofe only ferious purfuit was pleasure, and whofe licentioufnefs in pursuing it made Majefty contemptible, fhould fhun the controul of faithful minifters, and select the most unfit to advife and govern him. While fuch men as Southampton and Clarendon were his keepers, there were fome lucid intervals in the madnefs of his policy; which [policy], had he lived a little longer, would have forced things back into its former channel, and have ended in the ruin of himself or his kingdoms. The very circumftance which feemed to threaten the greatest mifchief, was the chief fecurity: [viz ] that habit of profufion, which left no room for other and more pernicious applications of the public treafure. The precipitate undifguifed bigotry of his fon produced the REVOLUTION; an event by far the most important in the course of our history, yet compaffed at once, not only without bloodshed, but without the leaft breath of difcord; in a manner indeed, if not really miraculous, yet not to be imputed to any known caufes, or › paralleled in any other hiftory, or explained from the intervention of any human art or contrivance.'

[ocr errors]

The Author's warm attachment to the Revolution hath led him to exprefs himself in language that will be deemed too ftrong and unguarded. But every true friend of liberty will admire the principle which dictated the following reflections:

The heroic prince, who had lately refcued, and now governed, the people by their own defire, had no fhare in their affections! He had indeed but one method of engaging them. But his wife and virtuous conduct was not fufficient! His meritorious fervices were requited by ill humours! his generous defigns mifconftrued and obftructed!'

The other fermons in this collection are more of a practical and theological nature, and are particularly calculated to give rational entertainment and inftruction to the ftudent and the divine.

James II. was Charles the Second's brother, not his fon, as he is here called by a mistake fomewhat unaccountable in fuch an author as Mr. M.

ART. VIII.

Letters from a Tutor to his Pupils. 8vo. 3s. fewed. Robinfon.

1780.

HIS anonymous Tutor addreffes his Pupils on a variety of interesting topics. His ftyle, though fometimes defective in grammatical nicety, is eafy and familiar, equally adapted to the subjects he has felected, and to the capacities of

thofe

those whom he wishes to profit by his inftructions. The manner, however, in which those subjects are treated, though they often merit a very ample difcuffion, is too frequently fuperficial; and his fentiments, though agreeably expreffed, feldom contain any thing fingularly new or striking. Thofe Letters which we think the leaft exceptionable, are on subjects of tafte, literature, and morals; though even here we meet with opinions rather fanciful than ingenious, and with many paffages we do not altogether accede to: for inftance, the following:

What can be the reafon, why the French people are fo much lefs troubled with diftempers, and are fo much more lively in their fpirits, than the English? A gentleman of learning, with whom I had the pleafure of converfing at Paris, made this obfervation on the fubject: "You English people give no reft to your faculties; you take three meals every day, and live in conftant fulness, without any relief: Thus nature is overcharged, crudities accumulated in the veffels of the body, and you fall early into apoplexies, palfies, infanity, or hopeless ftupidity. Whereas, if we are guilty of any excefs, our meagre days, which are two in a week, bring us into order again; and if thefe fhould be infufficient, the feafon of Lent comes in to our relief, which is pretty fure to anfwer the purpose."

It is much to be lamented, and we are fuffering for it in mind and body, that in these latter days of the Reformation, we have been fo dreadfully afraid of fuperftition, that we have at length difcarded every wholesome and neceffary regulation; and because we do not whip our skins like the monks of antiquity, we ftuff them till they burit. The confumption of animal food in England is by far too great for the enjoyment of health, and the public good of the community. The price of provifions becomes much more unreafonable; our fishery is neglected; and no one benefit arifes, but that of putting money into the pockets of phyficians and lawyers, which they never fail to do, who, with conftant fulness, are fick in their bodies, and quarrelfome in their tempers. The calendar of the church of England, which is moderate enough in its reftrictions, would be of infinite service to us, if it were duly obferved. I once met with a wife and good man, far advanced in years, and of an infirm confti-' tution, who affured me he neither ufed nor wanted any other phyfician. If we were to adopt his rule, nature would have that feafonable relief which is neceffary; our health and our fpirits would be better; fuicide, a growing and tremendous evil, would be lefs frequent; our fishery would have better encouragement, a matter of no fmall weight to a maritime people, whofe navigation is their natural defence; provifions would be cheaper; the nation in general would be wifer; and perhaps we should also have a better claim to the bleffing of Heaven, if we fhewed a more pious regard to the wholefome regulations of the Chriftian church; which are now fo fhockingly neglected, that our feafts and merry-meetings are on Wednesdays and Fridays (perhaps on Good-Friday itfelf), when our forefathers of the Reformation, who kept up to what they profeffed, were praying and fafting.'

Nn2

Such

1

Such a medley of folly and falfe argument fince the days of monkish fuperftition, is fcarcely to be met with. To imagine there is lefs intemperance in gratifying the appetite with fish than flesh, is as abfurd and ridiculous as to fuppofe, that fafting one day will make a man more temperate the next; but to presume that the Supreme Being can be delighted with voluntary mortification, by which no moral purpose is anfwered, is not only abfurd but impious.

• What

In the Letters on the Ufe of History and on Parties, this Writer attempts to revive the exploded doctrines of the Filmerian school; doctrines which, if rightly confidered, are a libel on every government now exifting. His attempt, however, is not likely to be very fuccefsful; his mode of reasoning on these fubjects being as weak as it is difingenuous. Perhaps the influence of prejudice to blind the understanding, was never more confpicuous than in the letter on Private Judgment. we call private judgment,' fays he, is the judgment of a private perfon against the fenfe of the public, and in oppofition to established laws and regulations: in other words, it is the judgment of an individual against the judgment of the fociety to which he belongs. They fay, every individual must have a liberty to exercife this judgment: and so I fay likewife: for nothing can be enacted by public authority, which private judgment cannot arraign and condemn, if it is fo difpofed. When public authority has determined that two and two make four; thoughts are free; and an individual may deny that, or any other pofition whatever, and no law on earth can hin der him from fo doing; for no fociety can make a law that shall hinder a man from being a fool. For himself, and within his own mind, where every man holds an oecumenical council, he will judge of things as they appear to him; and no body alive can help it; and therefore we are obliged to allow that every individual has a liberty of private judgment; that is, he has an actual liberty of contradicting all mankind, and of judging in opposition to all the law and all the reason in the world.'

According to this wife and curious argument, Luther, and the rest of the reformers, were fools; nay, the first Christians (after the ceffation of miracles at leaft) were fools too; and all mankind, thanks to this polite and charitable writer's difcovery, ought to have been Jews or Pagans to this day! Among the many feeble and forgotten opponents of Dr. Blackburne, who have defended this indefenfible ground, we doubt whether the feebleft of them ever advanced any thing more futile, illiberal, or bigotted than the concluding letter of this volume.

ART.

ART. IX.

A New Treatise on the Art of Grafting and Inoculation. Wherein the different Methods are copiously confidered, the most fuccessful pointed out, and every Thing relative to these ancient, healthful, and agreeable Amufements exhibited in fo clear and comprehenfive a Manner, as will enable those who are perfectly unacquainted with this Department of Gardening, to become Mafters of it in a very fhort Time. To which are added, Directions for chufing the beft Stocks for that Purpose; and many curious Experiments lately made by the Author. Calculated, in a peculiar Manner, for the Ufe and Advantage of the Gardener, as well as for those who would wish to make this rural and pleafing Exercise a Part of their Amusement. By an experienced Practitioner in that Branch of Gardening. 8vo. 1s. Fielding, &c. 1780.

TH

HIS tract, as the Author, with much confidence, afferts in his Preface, is the refult of reiterated trials, accumulated experience, and a long and unwearied application to this kind of amufement, which has engaged the attention of the Author for many years paft, and enabled him to produce fomething new on the fubject, worthy the acceptance of the public.'

With refpect to the original matter, which, from the above paffage, we were taught to look for, we must acknowledge ourselves in a great measure difappointed. The Writer, however, seems no way ignorant of his fubject; and to novices in the arts which he profeffes to treat, his book will furnish every information that is neceffary. That part of his work which ought to have been experimental, is merely conjectural. But as fome of his conjectures are ingenious, we shall make no apology for laying them before the Reader.

[ocr errors]

"Tis probable, that, if the bud of a quince were skilfully inoculated into fome early apple fock, the fame might be hafened as to maturity: also later grapes of a more delicate tafte, artificially inoculated into more early, might do the fame. And 'tis not unlikely, if accurate trials were made of this nature, but melons inferted into pompions, might make them both more early and more large, espe cially if the feeds of pompions were to be brought up in hot beds, to be ready early in the fpring, while the others are alfo fostered in the fame, till they were fit for inferting. Again, 'tis probable, if the prolific buds of oranges (trained up from their feedlings in hot beds, or other fuitable foil) were inferted in fome fort of trees that grow well with us, and feem fomewhat to refemble them; as, for instance, in fome choice apples (as pippins or pearmains), or in quinces, we might have oranges grow frequently with us in England; for the reafon why fuch tender trees do not fructify with us, is the want of a competent heat, or the effect of our intenfe cold or froft in the winter-feafon, which reaching the roots of fuch weak trees, ftints them, and prevents their fruit bearing, by fufpending the fermental action

Nn 3

of

« ПредишнаНапред »