the principal events of ecclefiaftical hiftory, (which, from the fecond century down to the reformation, is indeed little more than the hiftory of fuperftition, fraud, and cruel bigotry,) are briefly fketched; and the horrid annals are closed with an eloquent and pathetic account of the maffacre of St. Bartholomew, and of the revocation of the edict of Nantes. In all that the author has advanced on these fubjects, we moft cordially acquiefce: however we may differ from him in particular opinions, we admire the zeal with which he pleads for the interefts of humanity, and the rights of confcience; we fympathize in his refentment of the injury done to mankind under the pretext of religion; and our indignation is confirmed, by our conviction, that what has thus been perverted into a fource of vice and mifery, is the nobleft gift of God to his rational creatures, calculated to promote their highest virtue and happiness. The obfervations which are here offered concerning the importance of religion to fociety, are highly deferving of praise; and we readily acknowlege that we have feldom feen this fubject treated in a more mafterly manner: the author's reflections on the immortality of the foul alfo difplay much good fenfe and folid reafoning; and we feriously recommend thefe chapters to the perufal of those pretended philofophers, whofe vifionary fyftems tend to fubvert every fundamental principle of moral obligation, and of natural religion. These gentlemen we should be glad to fee converted, were it only to rational deiẩm; and perhaps the arguments of a writer, whom they cannot accufe of prejudices in favour of revelation, may have more. weight with them than the best reafoning of Chriftians; and may induce them to acknowlege with him, that every viciffitude of human affairs, every circumftance of life, calls on man to remember his dependance on the Deity; to humble himfelf before his preferver and benefactor; and to addrefs him in expreffions either of fupplication or of gratitude.' From the general fentiments of a Supreme Being, and of our dependence on him, which this writer fuppofes to have been impreffed on the foul by its Almighty Author, combined with the natural attachment of mankind to objects of fense, he accounts for the general prevalence of idolatry, with which he feverely and juftly reproaches the church of Rome; and he -expofes the wretched fophiftry of thofe arguments, by which her divines endeavour to vindicate the adoration of images. Hence he proceeds to make fome excellent obfervations on the incomprehenfibility of the Deity, which are not unworthy of the attention of fome Proteftants, as well as of Roman Catholics. From thefe he justly concludes, that our inability to form ade quate quate ideas of the divine nature, is no valid argument against the exiflence and perfections of the Supreme Being. The following chapter treats on revelation and miracles: the objections here ftarted are by no means either new or formidable; most of them have already been anfwered by Proteftant writers, who, at different times, have had occafion to defend the facts on which Chriftianity is founded: there are, indeed, none of these objections but what may eafily be obviated by those who adopt a liberal and rational mode of explaining the bible; whereas thofe Chriftians, whofe notions are more contracted; who maintain the verbal infpiration of all the fcriptures, and thus hold every part of the canon as of equal authority; who think that the ftory of Pharoah's magicians, of Balaam's afs, of Jofhua ftopping the fun in its course, and the extraordinary actions of Samfon, muft be believed and defended as real miracles, will find that they thus weaken the evidence of revealed religion, and muft leave many objections without a fatisfactory anfwer. With refpect to the refurrection, and the effential facts of the gofpel, the author's reasoning is fophiftical and abfurd; for, in order to acquiefce in his hypothefis, we must admit a fuppofition of impofture, totally inconfiftent with the character which he afcribes to Jefus and his apoftles; and we muft adopt a mode of accounting for the existence of Christianity, which, to us, appears more incredible than all the miracles recorded. With regard to fome particular doctrines, whether held by the Romish church, or by fuch Proteftants as diftinguifh themfelves by the appellation of orthodox, many Chriftians will allow his objections to be valid; and will inform him, that they confider thefe myfterious tenets as of mere human invention, for which the gospel is not refponfible. His cavils againft fome paffages of the New Teftament fhew, that he has been led by commentators of the Romish church, to misunderstand their meaning. Of this kind are his obfervations on the texts which the advocates for a monaftic life interpret fo as to justify their gloomy fuperftition and bigotry. Other objections relate to fuppofed inaccuracies of the feveral Evangelifts, whch have been repeatedly obviated, and which, even if admitted, will not at all invalidate the truth of Chriftianity. After dwelling largely on all that can be urged against revelation, the author adopts the argumentum ad hominem; and attempts to fhew, that the Meffiah promised to the Jews was not to be a God incarnate; that Jefus never made a claim to this title; and that his apoftles never afferted him to be fuch. The party here attacked will doubtless feel their fpiritual pride mortified by the boldnefs of one, who prefumes to controvert their favourite opinions, by arguments deduced from the very fcriptures which he rejects; while other Chriftians, of whofe creed incomprehenfible myfteries make no part, will think his reasoning just on the whole, and will only with that a few paffages were expunged, which do not immediately relate to the controversy. In the latter part of the work, after fome excellent obfervations on the propriety of public worship, and on the manner of conducting it, the writer lays down the plan of reformation which, in this refpect, he wishes to adopt. The fafts and feftivals of the church he condemns to oblivion: but he appoints" every Sunday as a day of rest and devotion. Four Sundays in the year, one in each feafon, he would have diftinguished by more than ufual folemnity, as inftituted for the purpose of national thanksgiving and prayer. An hour in the morning, and another in the evening, he thinks fufficient for the public fervice of religion, which ought to be in the language of the country, and to confift in hymns of praife, in offerings of incenfe and of the fruits of the earth, and in public exhortation to piety and virtue. In fhort, what he wishes to establish is, natural religion in, its beft form, and as modern deifts have improved it, by the affiftance of the revelation which they affect to defpife. The moral difcipline which he prefcribes is ftrict; and he inculcates a regular attendance on public devotion, as an indifpenfable duty. He propofes the entire abolition of every monaftic vow, and would permit religious houfes of each fex, only as feminaries of education, or as hofpitals; allowing the members of them to quit their retirement and marry when they think fit on which occafion he would allot them a certain fum, to enable them to establish themselves in fome useful occupation. His regulations, with regard to parochial clergy, to canons, and bishops, (for all these he would retain under certain conditions, which would increase their utility,) are, in the main, very judicious. In fhort, his whole plan, though it may appear a little Utopian, is, beyond all comparison, better calculated to imprefs honourable fentiments of the Deity, and to promote the religion of the heart and life, than the irrational doctrines and abfurd fuperftition of the Romish church; and, were there no alternative between an adherence to these, or a profeffion of this author's scheme of natural religion, we thould not hesitate to prefer the latter; which, if it does not include all the articles of our faith, yet neither inculcates any thing repugnant to them, nor infults our reason with infcrutable myfteries. We are thankful, however, that a better resource than either of thefe is offered to our choice: Chriftianity, purified from the corruptions with which human inventions have deAPP. REV. VOL. III. N n formed formed it, affords us the best means of worshipping the Deity in spirit and in truth; and, without debafing the mind, by enjoining the obfervance of fuperftitious ceremonies, or the belief of unintelligible doctrines, confirms the hopes of natural religion, by a pofitive affurance of the benevolent intentions of God with regard to his intelligent offspring. Convinced of the excellence of the gofpel, we furvey, with complacency, the progrefs of free inquiry; nor are we at all alarmed at the moméntary triumph of deifm over error and fuperftition; being perfuaded that this victory will be the means of effecting its fall. We look on the religion of nature to be the best preparative, and the most certain guide, to that of Chrift; for though it may please the mind newly emancipated from the fhackles of ecclefiaftical tyranny, it is too fimple to become popular, and too unfatisfactory to be permanent. In fhort, to ufe the words of one of the moft judicious, becaufe one of the moft liberal, advocates of Chriftianity, and one of the greatest ornaments of our prelatical bench, "We trust the day is not far diftant, when deifm will be buried in the ruins of the church of Rome; for the taking the fuperftition, the avarice, the ambition, the intolerance, of Antichriftianifm, for Chriftianity, has been the great error, upon which infidelity has built its system, both at home and abroad *." THI Sow. ART. VII. Zeno. Over Ongeloof en Zeden. i. e. Zeno. An Effay on Infidelity and Morals. 810. 80 Pages. Amfterdam. 1790. 'HIS work is levelled at a fpecies of infidelity, not lefs deftructive of natural, than of revealed religion; and is intended to fhew, that unbelief,' with refpect to a future ftate of retribution, is fatal to the interefts of virtue, destructive of moral obligation, and thus highly detrimental to the happiness both of individuals and of fociety. We cannot fee with what propriety the author has entitled his effay Zeno: for though the Stoics maintained, that virtue was to be loved and practifed for its own fake, without any view to reward, yet in no refpect do they resemble our modern infidels, who feem more worthy to be clafled among the groveling herd of Epicurus, than among the stately philofophers of the porch. The fubject is certainly of great importance: but as fuch, it has been fo frequently difcuffed by writers on morals, that, to the man of reading and ftudy, little can be offered concerning it, but what must have already occurred to him. There are, however, many perfons, who, deluded by the fpecious pretences and pompous declama * See the Bishop of Landaff's excellent Apology for Chriftianity. fions of thefe enemies to all religion, may need the conviction which this effay is well calculated to produce: but, fuch being for the most part very fuperficial reafoners, we apprehend that this author goes rather beyond their depth; and we think he might have been more ufeful, had he treated the fubject in a more popular and familiar manner. Sow. ART. VIII. Sermons fur divers Textes de l'Ecriture fainte, &c. i. e. Sermons on feveral Texts of Scripture, by the late Rev. CHARLES CHAIS, Paftor of the French Church at the Hague, and Fellow of the Philofophical Societies of Haarlem and Dublin. Vol. II. 8vo. 440 Pages. Hague. 1790. IN N the Appendix to our feventy-eighth volume, we recommended the first volume of M. CHAIS's fermons, as excellent models of pulpit eloquence: the fecond well deferves the same praise : it contains twelve difcourfes, of which, as we then gave fpecimens of the author's ftyle and manner, we fhall only mention the fubjects. Thefe are, The immutability of God, Pfal. cii. 25. 29. The Christian glorying in affliction, Rom. v. 3, 4, 5. : The temper of mind with which we ought to enter on the ftudy of religious truth, Prov. ii. 1-5.: The Chriftian's confidence in God and Chrift, 2 Tim. i. 12.: The vanity of human life, and its purfuits, Pfal. xxxix. 6, 7, 8.: The teft of religious opinions, 1 John iv. 1.: A faft-day fermon, from Zeph. i. 12. The danger of irrefolution, James i. 8. The advantages and dangers of opulence, Prov. xiv. 24. Against compliance with the corrupt manners of the age, Exod. xxiii. 2.: On fins of infirmity, Prov. xx. 9.: On genuine piety, Pfal. ii. II. ART. IX. Ueber den Ursprung der Pyramiden in Aegypten, und den Ruinen in Persepolis: i. e. An Inquiry into the Origin of the Pyramids in Egypt, and the Ruins of Perfepolis. By SAMUEL SIMON WITTE, Profeffor of the Law of Nature and Nations, at Rostock. 8vo. 190 Pages. Leipzic. 1789. THIS HIS inquiry affords a remarkable inftance of a paffion for hypothefis; as nothing furely can well be more extraordinary and unexpected, than that which Profeffor WITTE here maintains. According to him, we have been moft egregiously mistaken in looking on the Egyptian pyramids, and the magnificent ruins of Perfepolis, Palmyra, and Balbec, as monuments of human art; for we are here told that, like the Giant's Causeway in Ireland, they are nothing more than bafaltes thrown up by volcanos; and that they must be confidered as Nn 2 the |