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Art. 62. On Confumptions, and their Cure. By N. Godbold. 8vo. 18. Almon.

: We must confider this as Mr. Godbold's advertisement of his Vegetable Balfam; the nature and virtues of which are best known to himself.

THEOLOGY, &c.

Art. 63. The Divinity and Pre-existence of our Lord and Saviour Fejus Chrift demonftrated from Scripture; in anfwer to the first Section of Dr. Priestley's Introduction to his Hiftory of early Opinions · concerning Jefus Chrift; together with Strictures on fome other Parts of that Work; and a Poftfcript relative to a late Publication of Mr. Gilbert Wakefield. By John Parkhurst, M. A. 8vo. 2s. 6d. Payne. 1787.

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Mr. Parkhurst does not examine, at length, the validity of Dr. Priestley's appeal to the Fathers, but keeps the controverfy concerning the perfon of Chrift chiefly upon the ground of Scripturelanguage. His principal arguments in defence of the doctrine of the Trinity, are drawn from the plural termination of the word commonly used in the Jewith fcriptures to denote the Creator of all; whence he concludes that the doctrine of a plurality in Jehovah is taught in above two thousand places in the Old Teftament; and from the appellation of Jehovah given to the Meffiah by the jewish prophets. He likewife quotes many paffages from the New Teftament, which, as he understands them, exprefsly teach that Jefus was very and effential God.'. We find nothing, in what Mr. Parkhurft has advanced, 1ufficiently new and fatisfactory to merit a particular quotation. The paffages of fcripture to which he refers have already been frequently examined by writers on both fides of the queftion, and explained in a manner fuited to their respective fyftems. His reafoning from the miracles of Chrift, to prove his proper divinity, will, we apprehend, be generally thought inconclufive.

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The Author's remarks upon Mr. Wakefield, are chiefly intended to defend the plurality of the Hebrew name of God against the ob fervations of that able linguist, and caft no new light on the main question.

In fhort, it appears to us, that Mr. Parkhurft will be acknowledged, on all fides, to have done but little towards bringing the prefent controverfy to an iffue.

Art. 64. Reafons from Prophecy, why the fecond Coming of Chrift, and the Commencement of the Millennium, is immediately to be expected. 8vo. 6d. Sold at the Millenium Prefs, Spitalfields. Some honeft man, who has probably little to do with what is now paffing on this globe, here amufes himself with computing the time, when Chrift will begin his reign of a thousand years on earth, and concludes from many calculations, and from earthquakes, meteors, hurricanes, rainbows, and haloes, that the millennium will begin immediately. For our parts, we own, we are too much taken up with attending to what is, to have leifure for vifionary fpeculations concerning what is to be.

Art.

Art. 65. An Abridgment of a Difcourfe on Self-Dedication. By John Howe, A. M. And the Temper of Jefus toward his Enemies, "and his Grace to the chief of Sinners, in his commanding the Gospel to begin at Jerufalem. By B. Grosvenor, D. D. To which are prefixed the Lives of the Authors. izmo. Is. Buckland. 1785.

Mr. Howe and Dr. Grofvenor were doubtless excellent men, and did much good in their day but if, through a change of public opinions and tafte, their works are paffing away, it will not be in the power of a zealous Editor to stop the natural course of things. E. Art. 66. Thoughts on various Caufes of Error, particularly with regard to modern Unitarian Writers. By the Rev. John Weddred, Vicar of St. John Baptift, Peterborough. 8vo. Is. Rivington. Every Author has a right to argue on his own principles, provided he fairly propofes them. This writer's poftulatum is, that Unitarianifm is an error; and, on this ground, he proceeds to affign the caufes which pervert the judgment, and influence the pens of Unitarians. But his affertions are too general, and his mode of reafoning is too lax, to produce much effect.

E. Art. 67. The Sum of Chriftianity: in four Books: containing the Faith, Temper, Duty, and Happiness of a true Chriftian, as held forth in the Scriptures. By Mr. William Dalgliefh, Minifter of the Gospel at Peebles. 8vo. 2 Vols. ios. 6d. Boards. Edinburgh, printed; and fold by Dilly, in London.

Publications of this kind are far from being new to the world. Bodies of divinity, fyftems of faith, rules of practice, the Chriftian life, whole duty of man, &c. &c. have abounded, and, in their different ways, we hope, may have their ufe. They vary in their form and order, but they profefs to be founded on the fcriptures, and to have the fame great end in view. This author has chofen to add to the number, and he propofes by it, we doubt not, what others profefs, the advancement of religion and virtue. He pleads, in favour of his work, that no Chriftian writer, that he knows of has collected the articles and truths of Chriftianity from fcripture, and explained them in the natural order and connection here propofed.

It is very true, that the fame ideas are differently reflected by different perfons, and that the fame fubjects undergo a variety of forms and defcriptions,, and hence an advantage refults to readers. Some are more engaged and impreffed by one method, fome by another. Objects placed in feveral lights, may produce varying and striking effects of pleasure, pain, or usefulness: but it is doubtful whether fyftems of religion, fo far as they relate to doctrine and fpeculation, are beneficial; whether they do not tend to mislead the mind, or render it bigotted and uncharitable. Some general principles are plain, and highly important; but abfolute decifions on points that have always been difputable are not neceffary, nor very modeft, or becoming. Syftems, and explications of Scripture, are not. Scripture; they are human ftill, and therefore fallible. Mr. Dalgleish, very confiftently indeed, as a minifter of the eftablishment

eftablishment in Scotland, feems to found his work on the Scotch confeffion of faith: but furely he will acknowledge that there may be very pious and good Chriftians who, after very serious and careful attention, cannot confent to every article which he appears to confider as effential.

With fome exceptions of this kind, the publication before us may be confidered as calculated for general benefit. The account of the Christian Spirit and character, the obligations to virtue and piety, their neceffity, and their advantage, is in general, very commendable: but all is, in fome measure entangled with the aforefaid confeffion. Mr. Dalgliesh confiders, judiciously and properly, the duties which mankind owe to each other, but we have not obferved that he takes particular, notice of that fpecies of benevolence and charity which confifts in candid and friendly difpofitions to thofe of very different religious fentiments. The work will, no doubt, be ac ceptable to those with whofe fyftem it concurs; and a great part of it may be ferviceable to others, and to all, though they fhould not entirely correfpond, in fome inftances, with the opinion of the writer. Hi

Art. 68. Effay on the Chriftian Character: being an Attempt to afcertain the Nature of that Affection which the Author of Chriftianity hath made the Characteristic of his Difciples. By Samuel Copland, D. D. Minister of the Gofpel at Fintray. 8vo. 3s. fewed. Dilly. 1785.

"A new commandment give I unto you, that ye love one another, &c. By this hall all men know that ye are my difciples, if ye have love one to another." John, xiii. 34, 35. This being a capital principle in the fchool of Chrift, it muft, Dr. Copland obferves, be of great importance for every Chriftian to acquire a diftin&t knowledge of this grace of love, and attain an habitual eafe in its practice. With this view he here communicates the refult of an enquiry begun and carried on for his own private inftruction. In parfait of his defign he inveftigates the object of this love and its qualities; whence he infers, that, though univerfal good-win and beneficence are warmly inculcated by the Author of our holy religion, this is not the principle which he immediately recommends as the badge of his followers: What then is it? fome of our readers are inclined to afk. The answer is, It is a particular affection to our fellow Chriftians, to thofe who are pious and virtuous, increasing in proportion as they excel in fuch a temper and habit. This concurs, with the fentiment of our Lord," Whofoever doth the will of my Father who is in heaven, the fame is my mother, my fifter, and brother." Had fuch a fentiment, fays this writer, proceeded from the lips of fome perfon of rank and opulence, or had it been uttered by an ancient Greek or Roman, all the ftores of rhetoric had been ranfacked to difplay its grandeur, &c.

Dr. Copland profecutes his fubject in a fenfible manner, but with detail of words, and of reasoning, more than appears to us to have been neceffary; by which means he may be thought, by fome readers, to have rendered his performance fomewhat tedious,-not to Say dull, Hi. SER

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SERMON S.

I. Preached at St. Peter's, Colchester, June 26, 1787, for the
Benefit of the Sunday Schools in that Town. By Thomas
Twining, M. A. Vicar of White Notly, Effex. 8vo. 15.
Robinfons.

From Solomon's words, The rich man's wealth is his ftrong city the deftruction of the poor is their poverty, Mr. Twining forcibly recommends to the attention and encouragement of his hearers, a charitable inftitution, whose object is, to refcue the poor, as far as human means can do it, from that worst evil to which their poverty exposes them, the want of a proper education; and, in doing this, to rescue the Public alfo, from the bad effects of that want.

The difcourfe is very well written, and happy it is for the inftitution of Sunday Schools, that it has found, among the number of its able advocates, so very able an one as Mr. Twining.

II. The Duty of a Minifter: Preached at the Vifitation at Leeds,
June 24, 1784. By the Rev. Miles Atkinson, B. A. 8vo. 6d.
Wallis, &c.

According to Mr. A. the doctrines which Chriftian teachers should continually enforce, are, the fall of man; his moral depravity; the neceffity of converfion; the facrifice and interceffion of our Redeemer; the willingness of God to forgive, &c.; the eternal happinefs of those who believe and are converted; and the everlafting mifery and torment which must be the inevitable portion of all who will not come to Chrift, that they may have life.

We leave it to our Readers to determine, whether this mode of preaching is agreeable to the Apoftolic injunction: These things I will that thou affirm conftantly, that they which have believed in God maintain good works-but avoid foolish questions.'

E.

Thanks to Oxonienfis.-The Reviewers are obliged to him for his hint; the purport of which is under confideration.

+++ Our Conftant Reader's letter is tranfmitted to the continent, for an answer to his inquiries concerning articles of Foreign Literas ture. With refpect to the domeftic publication which he mentions, it certainly never was criticised in the M. R. The omiffion was occa fioned by the long, lingering illness, and, at laft, the death of the Gentleman to whom the confideration of that work was referred; by which means, both the tract, and fome account of it, which he had prepared, were loft: and it was deemed too late to put the fubject into other hands.

$ts Bishop Newcome's Reply to Dr. Priestley's fecond Letter, on the duration of our Saviour's ministry, was published in 1781, or 1782, by G. Robinson, price 2s.

The Letter concerning Dr. Franklin's invition of the Swim wing Anchor, will be answered in our next,

Errat: this number

in

P. 135. (.A.fr. bot. For percussor, r. precursor.

THE

MONTHLY REVIEW,

For SEPTEMBER, 1787.

ART. I. Philofophical Tranfactions of the Royal Society of London. Vol. LXXVII. For the Year 1787. Part I. 4to. 8s. fewed. Davis. 1787.

ASTRONOMICAL and MATHEMATICAL PAPERS.

An Account of a new Comet. By Mifs Caroline Herfchel.

ON

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N the firft of Auguft 1786, Mifs Herfchel difcovered a comet between the 54th and 53d Urfæ Majoris, and the 14th, 15th, and 16th Coma Berenices, and makes an obtufe triangle with them, the vertex of which is turned to the south.'

Remarks on the new Comet. By William Herschel, LL. D. From the defcription which his fifter gave of the comet, Dr. Herschel endeavours to ascertain its place.

Obfervations on Mifs Herfchel's Comet. By the Rev. Francis Wollafton, LL.B.

Mr. Wollafton recites a number of obfervations of the comet's place, from Aug. 5, to Sept. 21, 1786. The telescope that he ufed was fitted up with his new invented fyftem of wires, which he recommended in a former article *.

Determination of the Heliocentric Longitude of the defcending Node of Saturn. By Thomas Bugge, Profeffor of Aftronomy at Copenhagen.

This accurate obferver hath here given us an account of a series of obfervations on Saturn, in order to afcertain the longitude of that planet's node.

The culmination of Saturn was observed with a fix-feet achromatic tranfit inftrument, and the planet was compared with o and of Sagittarius; the meridian altitude was taken with a fix-feet mural quadrant: from thefe the Author calculates the right afcenfion and declination, and the geocentric longitude and latitude, which are true, within 4 or 6 feconds: as thefe longitudes and latitudes are compared with the tables of Halley and De la Lande, the errors of the tables are corrected. The

* See Rev. vol. lxxv. p. 216.
O

VOL. LXXVII,

heliocentric

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