But when thy manly Soldier came,
I faw, I mark'd each fpeaking face:.
Each eye was fix'd, illuftrious Dame,
And every finger mark'd his martial grace!
Great GRANBY-Rutland's noble fon

Through all the crowd-was heard aloud,
And every voice and heart was one:
"Safety on his helmit play :

Conqueft mark his falchion's way."

7

Art. 15. The TIMES. An Epifle to Flavian. 4to. Is. 6d. Pottinger.

This Medley, which our Bard has chofen to chriften The Times, might, with equal propriety, have been called by any other name. His Picture of the Times, reprefents Times paft, as faithfully as it delineates the prefent; and will probably bear as just a resemblance to the future. It is, in truth, like one of thofe fign post Daubings, which may ferve as well for the Duke of Marlborough, as the King of Pruffia, or fome unborn General. Our Bard, by affecting ease, becomes flovenly: like thofe fair Nymphs who, to avoid being formal, grow flatternly. His fentiments are, for the most part, trite, and his verfification flat and unharmónious;

fectante in lavia nervi

Deficiunt Animique:

we may here and there, however, perceive faint glimmerings of genius, which only contribute the more to expofe the poverty of the piece. An Author who neglects to improve natural talents, has, therefore, lefs title to indulgence. Nec rude quid poffit video Ingenium- But let the following fpecimens determine the Reader's judgment. In his epiftolary Addrefs to his friend, he perfuades him to quit rural retirement; and contrafts the follies of the country with thofe of the town. Speaking of the Paflions, he says

Yes! non existent, and from paffions free,

Are much the fame. Without their impulfe, we,
Like hips becalm'd, would have no fteerage-way :
Paffions are gales that hold the fails in play.

By his ufing would for fhould, one might fufpect our Poet to be a foreigner: yet, from his intimate acquaintance with our British Bard, we are induced to conclude him a native. That paffions, however, are the gales of life, and what effect they have on our conduct, Pope has already fung, with fuch fuperior ftrength of thought, and harmony of expreffion, that unless our Poet could have dreffed his borrowed fentiments in better array, than he found them, it would have been prudent in him, never to have adopted them.

After fatirizing the follies of the Chace and the Turf, with other ruftic amusements, which have been frequently ridiculed with much more elegance and keennefs, our Bard proceeds to the follies of the town, and, among others, expofes that of Levee hunting, which many, like him, we imagine, have defcribed from defcriptions, withut eves having been eye-witneffes to the fcene.

Would

Would you convince yourself how low can fall,
Whoe'er of Intereft is the dirty thrall;
Go to that Levee, where, with her own gold,
A paffive nation's vilely bought and fold,
Or to that, where, for ever on the prance,
Like Pegafus in ftone, with no advance,
Our great State Genius feems to gaping crowds,
Upon the start for foaring-to the clouds:
At both of beggars waits a fplendid band,
Who mighty foolish look. You'll fee them ftand
In rows, with not one jot a nobler air,
Than hireling drudges at a Statute Fair:
Nor at their begging, you to wonder need:
The Poor in Spirit, are the Poor indeed!

We are afraid, however, that our Author is as forry a Politician as he is an indifferent Poet, or he would have known, that our State Genius, as he petulantly chufes to call him, has made more frequent and fuccefsful advances for the honour and intereft of his country, than the moft zealous Patriot could have expected.

Our Bard concludes his poetical Farraga, with fome reflections on female follies.

If Women would be taught to take and hold,
They may what to avoid's their game, behold
In that Fritilla who fo much in vain,

Of Man, unconftant Man! is heard complain.
But were the to herfelf but better known,
That not the Men in fault are he would own.
Vain, filly, with a tolerable face,

For years had fhe fatigu'd each public place;
Many Gallants, but not one Lover made,
Since of Efteem she no foundation laid;
Nor had the been, with all her airs, above
The treating that coarse feeder-kind of Love,
That, of a furfeit dying, leaves no heir,

But hate, and cold contempt worfe yet to bear.

It is impoffible to endure this coarfe and infipid defcription of a Coquette, when we recollect the following lines of Pope, which our Bard has murdered by his imitation.

"Fair to no purpofe, artful to no end:

Young without Lovers, old without a Friend," &c.

In short, our Poet, at beft, only rifes to Mediocrity, which, in Poetry, as Horace fays,

Non Homines, non Di, non conceffere Columne.

The following lines, with which we fhall clofe this article, are of the middling cast.

Be apathy the boast of Stoic Drones !

Who vie for Senfelesnels with stocks and fiones,

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Ani

And would have life resemble glacial feas

Where all the veffels ice-bound lie and freeze.

Senfeleffness, however, includes fo many hiffing letters, that we may venture to pronounce it a word-Quad Verfu dicere non eft.

RELIGIOUS and CONTROVERSIAL.

Art. 16. A Warning to the World; or the Prophetical Numbers of Daniel and John calculated, in order to fhew the Time when the first Refurrection of the Martyrs, and the beginning of the Millennial Kingdom of Chrift will take Place, &c. By the Rev. Mr. Richard Clarke, late Minifter of St. Phillip's in Charles-Town, South-Carolina; and Author of the Effay on the Number 7*. 4to. Is. Townfend.

See our Appendix to the XXth Vol. of our Review, p. 611.

Art. 17. Reafons wherefore Chriftians ought to worship God in Singing his Praifes; not with the Matter and Senfe of Dr. Watts's Pfalms and Hymns; but with the Matter and Senfe of David's Pfalms: Because God hath commanded the latter, but not the former. 8vo. 6d. Cooper.

A weak and wrong-headed attempt to fet afide the use of Dr. Watts's Pfalms, &c. in Diffenting Congregations. What this namelefs Writer objects against Dr. Watts's book, is, for the most part, fuck wretched cavil and cant, that we fhall not affront the fenfe and tafte of our Readers, (or run the hazard of impeaching our own) by taking any farther notice of this pamphlet.

Art. 18. Sin deftroyed, and the Sinner faved: Or, Juftification by imputed Righteousness, a Doctrine fuperior to all other, for promoting Holiness of Life. Defigned as a Vindication of a Sermon, entitled, Encouragement for Sinners, or Righteoufnefs attainable without Works; from the Objections raised against it by Academicus, in a Letter to the Author. With an introductory Epifle to the Governors of St. George's Hofpital, Hyde-Park-Corner. By the Rev. Richard Elliot, A. B. and late of Bennet-College, Cambridge. 8vo. 1s. Withers, &c.

The great principle that runs through this wretched performance is, that the heart of fallen man can have no godly difpofition in it; no holy principle of action; and confequently, can bring forth no good fruit in the life and converfation, except it be divinely generated (the Author's own words) and produced there by the facred doctrine of justification, without works, by the free grace of God, through faith in Chrift, well understood, and heartily believed. No man's obedience, according to this hopeful Divine, can be true, or his love to God fincere, who makes his repentance, faith, and obedience,

obedience, the conditions of his acceptance with God, and the ground of his confidence. In a word, we are told, that a man may be eminently diftinguiflied for his knowledge, piety, morality, and works of charity, &c. and yet, after all, be damned. A damn

able doctrine this!

In the introductory epiftle, Mr. Elliot tells us that he had lately the honor of being difmiffed from the Chaplainship of St. George's Hofpital, for an obftinate adherence to the truth of the Gospel, and the doctrinal articles of the established Church.

Art. 19. Methodism Examined and Expofed: Or, the Clergy's Duty of guarding their Flocks against falfe Teachers. A Difcourfe lately delivered in four Parts. By the Reverend Mr. Downes, Rector of St. Michael, Wood-Street, and Lecturer of St. Mary-Le-Bow. 8vo. 1 s. 6d. Rivington.

In the first part of this difcourfe, Mr. Downes gives a short account of the rife and pedigree of the fect called Methodists, and fhews that their notions coincide with many of the oldeft and rankest herefies that ever defiled the purity, and difturbed the peace of the Christian Church from its firft inftitution; particularly, thofe of the Simonians, the Gnoftics, the Valentinians, the Donatifts, the Predeftinarians, and Montanifts. In the fecond he fhews, by fome general remarks upon their doctrines, how ftrangely they have corrupted the truth and purity of the Gofpel, and points out the feveral artifices they make use of, in order to fupport their opinions. In the third and fourth parts he confiders, wherein the Clergy's care confifts, in order to preferve themfelves and their flocks from being led away by thofe deceitful workers, the Methodist-Preachers.ihe whole is written in a sprightly and fenfible manner.

Art. 20. A Letter to the Monthly Reviewers, from the Author of Sophron. 8vo. 6d. Dilly.

In this Letter the Author of Sophron, endeavours to vindicate his performance against the cenfure we paffed upon it, and defires us to re-confider the defign of his work, and to weigh the arguments with which he supports his notions-We have re-confidered his work, and weighed his arguments, but find not the leaft reafon to alter our opinion.

Art. 21. An Efay on the Divine Prefcience, and Man's FreeAgency. Delivered at a Conference, in which a celebrated Doctor in Divinity was President, April 2, 1741. 8vo. 6d. Noon.

We have in this fhort effay a few thoughts on a very abstruse subject, on which the Author, in our opinion, has thrown no new light. He has, indeed, rather multiplied difficulties than removed them. That Man is a Free-Agent he endeavours, very briefly, to prove, from the difpenfation he is placed under, and the sanctions of

Bb. 3

the

the divine laws, and then goes on to fhew, that the contingent ac tions of men cannot be certainly, and infallibly fore known by the Great God from Eternity. It is moft abfurd, fays he, and a mani. * feft contradiction for one Being to fay, that an action, whether ♦ good, bad, or indifferent, will be certainly and infallibly performed by another; which, at the fame time the Agent, being every way free, may refufe to perform, nay, may determine against it, and do the direct contrary: and therefore, no fuch contingent ac tion of any one Free-Agent, can be certainly and infallibly foreknown by another; becaufe, there is no fuch thing as certainly and infallibly fore-knowing that any one action will be, and that it will not be at the fame time.'

He now endeavours to fhew, wherein true Prescience confifts, and how far the actions of Free-Agents may be fore-known by the Deity; hear the whole of what he advances upon this point, it will render any farther account of his eflay unneceflary.— First, as God not only fees and knows all our words and actions; but also, fecondly, the very springs of action in the moft fecret workings of our minds; and thirdly, as he knows the very thoughts and intents of our hearts, as well as the propenfity of every Agent, to that which is good or evil, from the whole courfe of past conduct; together, fourthly, with all the circumftances or occurrences, which are likely to come in the way, or may poffibly happen from • without us: it may therefore, juflly be faid, that in fuch cafes, God does fore-fee, or fore-know, what a Free-Agent will do, even before the action is performed by him, because he fees their thoughts, intents, and purposes afar off; that is, as foon as the mind begins to move towards the performance of any action. And fuch fore-knowledge is no way incompatible with the free agen cy of any being; nor implies the leaft neceffity, or impulfe, from order of caufes to be laid on, or fet before the man, exciting him to, the performance of any action, by any prior ordination, or eternal decree of God.'.

any

Art. 22, A Defence of the confcicus fcheme, against that of the Mortalift. Occafioned by Mr. Peter Peckard's obfervations on Mr. Fleming's Survey, &c. Wherein an immediate refurrection of the just, is fhewn to be confiftent with a general rejurrection and judgment of all the dead. By Caleb Fleming, 8vo. ys. Noon.

In this defence Mr. Fleming advances fome farther reafons in fupport of a future confcioufnefs; but thofe who are not already convinced by what he has offered in his Survey, will not, we apprehend, be convinced by his Defence of it.

Art. 23. An impartial By-tander's Review, of the Controverfy concerning the Wardenship of Winchester-College. 8vo. is. Baldwin.