blots, and those blots too generally known. It is still more objectionable to follow them beyond the grave, and to fix their place in the mansions of the blessed. Every good purpose which a preacher can have in view may be attained by more general views, and by allusions less peremptory, which will secure him from the suspicion of flattery, and from the presumption of asurping the prerogative of God. Horrible it is in a frail mortal, armed with no authority but that of fanaticism, to doom his fellow creature, how vicious soever we may esteem him, to perdition. Though less revolting, it is no less presumptuous and dangerous, peremptorily to fix even a hero, and that hero fallen in the arms of victory and in the cause of his country, in heaven; presumptuous, because judgment belongs not to us; dangerous, because if such a hero have frailties or vices, which are too glaring to be concealed from public notice, the preacher will instantly be considered as giving his sanction to them, or as considering them as wholly indifferent. The eleventh sermon from St. Matth. xi. 5, "The Gospel preached to the Poor," was preached before the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, and was of course published at that time. It comes not, therefore, under our cognizance. A note subjoined to it we recollect, produced much angry and ill-timed controversy; but as the obnoxious note has been, for some reason or another, withdrawn, the general sentiments of the sermon are not of a sort to call forth any opposition. The twelfth and last sermon from Jer. xii. 15, “On the Compassion of God," was "preached at St. Paul's, New York, Sept. 22, 1766; being the first Sunday after the English Churches were opened on General Howe's taking possession of the town; and the day subsequent to the attempt to destroy New York by fire." It was published " at New York in 1766, by particular desire of the congregation." This too is beyond the reach of our critical tribunal. Affecting, we doubt not, it must have been to those who heard it, and curious and interesting it still is as a record of scenes and feelings long since past and forgotten in more recent events of still greater moment and of nearer interest. The charge subjoined to these sermons was delivered at the annual visitation of 1810, and is every way worthy of the office and character of a Christian Bishop. It is not the first charge of the Bishop of Meath which we have read with satisfaction, The visitations of the Irish Bishops are, we believe, in general, annual. We have seen several charges of the Bishop of Meath, which prove that he does not "consider them as anniversaries of mere form, or suffer them to pass over in repetitions of official questions." The questions to which the Bishop directs the the attention of his reverend audience respect the spiritual nature and moral importance of their sacred office, and the acquirements, the zeal and the industry which are necessary to the due discharge of it. Personal propriety of conduct we justly consider as a primary requisite in the clerical character. With this foundation, aided by professional zeal mixed with discretion and sobriety, much may be done by a Clergyman in his ordinary intercourse with society-much may be done on some occasions by a dignified silence--much by mild reproof, and much by reflections apparently casual. Even the exercise of parochial discipline, of public reproof, and private reprehension, require in these days an eminent degree of discretion. But though the difficulty is considerable, the duty is not to be neglected nor performed in a careless or imperfect manner. To those duties, the Bishop adds that of private instruction, to which accidental circumstances give occasion-poverty, youth, age, sickness, domestic calamity; and that also to which the public institutions of the Church direct our attention, as confirmation and a first communion. To give such instruction its full value, the Bishop strikingly exhibits what a Clergyman should not be, and by a just contrast, what he should be, in order to enable him to take advantage of every occurrence and to give its full effect to every admonition. He then passes to the public service, to the reading of our admirable Liturgy, and to the composition and delivery of sermons. The younger Clergy he allows to make occasional selections from the sermons of others; but with discretion and a just attention to the circumstances, the attain anents and wants of their audience. On all be inculcates the indispensable obligation of original composition, and points out the means by which a facility in writing sermons may be best attained. He, with great propriety and earnestness, warns his Clergy against a new mode and manner of preaching, against a miserable imitation of a vicious model, for as such we must always esteem even Kirwan himself. The following passage we think excellent. "An attempt has been lately made in this country to form a school of this false and tinsel pulpit eloquence. The great master of that school, although possessed of great natural powers to move the passions, to amuse the fancy, and to please and captivate the ear, yet was unqualified from the course of his early studies for filling the pulpit in the character of a Protestant parochial minister. He was uneducated and unexercised in that species of eloquence that peculiarly belongs to it. His attempt was to introduce the declamatory, florid, and highly ornamental style of the French preachers, and their theatrical manner, and vehement gesticulations, in the place of that sober, modest, chastened style, manner manner, and delivery, that distinguished the fathers of our Church; that are suited to the spirit of our reformed religion; less impassioned, but more lastingly impressive; full of weight and gravity, and necessarily adopted by all who address the understanding, the reason, and the conviction, befere they attempt the heart and its affections. His discourses were like most French discourses, pictures of the age, and invectives against its follies and disorders, more than vehicles for conveying gospel truths, and gospel principles, or than enforcements of gospel duties. They pleased, they amused, they produced the momentary effect the orator proposed to himself by playing on the imagination, and working on the feelings of his auditory; but all they retained of his most admired flights of eloquence, on leaving the Church, was the brilliant expression, the splendid painting, the bold invective, the vehement appeal to the passions. These were the thunders by which he broke the slumbers of the pulpit,' (an affected and invidious phrase so often quoted) and kept those awake who probably would have slept with the young man in the Acts of the Apostles, if St. Paul himself preached the gospel to them *. "This extraordinary man, for such he doubtless was, had for some time many imitators among the younger clergy, who were ambitious to share in the celebrity he had acquired. But like all imitators, they copied all his faults and imperfections, without that fascination of genius that, in him, covered them all. Fortunately they were trained at the same time in our great seminary of learning preachers of no ordinary talents, who adhered to the old school, and filled the collegiate pulpit, and frequently the pulpits of the capital, unseduced by the innovating spirit of the day. Having amply stored their minds out the Scriptures, and deeply imbibed their spirit, they borrowed from their eloquence, and as far as human talents could, took it for their model. Having thoroughly studied the character and genius of our reformed Church, they adopted the manner of the great men who enlightened and adorned it in its best days; who being dead yet speak, and by their sermons instruct the present, and I trust in God will instruct many future generations. The example of these our learned brethren of the college t, whom I need not name to you, and the respect and deference with which the youth educated under their auspices and inspection look up to them, have not been without their effect; and very few of this new school remain * "I have been informed by a most competent judge on all subjects, and who was in the habit of following Dean Kirwan, on reading this passage to him, that he observed a great improvement, as well in the matter of his sermons, as in the manner of his delivery, previous to his much lamented death." t Among the most distinguished, were Doctor Graves, and Dr. Magee," to to vitiate our taste, or to prefer gratifying the itching ears of such as are ever hunting after novelty to the applause, and, what is much more desirable, the edification of those, who, to use the words of the prophet, ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and are satisfied to walk therein," P. 493. The Bishop next proceeds to point out the permanent studies which ought to occupy the time and attention of parish Mimisters, and the subjects on which they should chiefly discourse to their people. He warns them against allowing any acris mony of controversy to infect their pulpits; but he entreats them never to lose sight of the vow by which they are pledged r to employ their utmost endeavours, that there should be no place left among their people for errors of Religion." He particularly warns them against the delusions of enthusiasm, both within and without the Church, and against the self-commissioned preachers of those sectaries, whose schism is sanctioned by clerical enthusiasts. He does not, however, encourage pulpit controversy even on such points, as it seldom does good, and often increases the evil which it is intended to cure. When this becomes necessary, as he allows it sometimes will be, he recommends it to be performed at once with zeal and discretion, and especially by a clear detail of scripture truths, as they are opposed to the errors of delusion. In a note towards the close, the Bishop very properly remarks the danger which may arise to our establishment from certain new schemes of education to the exclusion of all religious instruction. Every novelty, however palpably dangerous, is sure in this country of zealous supporters, who generally utter the most violent declamation against all who cannot concur in plans which are not only new, but of doubtful tendency. The Bishop of Meath has had his share of abuse, in this way, from men who at the same time, by a singular absurdity, begin and end all their virulent harangues with paramount claims to liberality. The danger of the system alluded to we hope is over; we would not insult its departing spirit; as to the danger itself we partly owe an institution (the National Society), which we trust will ultimately tend to confirm the foundations both of Church and State. The Bishop finishes his Charge by a forcible appeal to the best feelings of his audience, so threatened from within and without; certain, that whatever may be the issue, this is their duty; and that by the performance of it, they will at least deliver their own souls. us. We have little more to add with respect to the volume before Of the general style we have already given our opinion. We may find many awkward' expressions, many vulgar phrases, some Come sentences colloquial and undignified, and some which border on indelicacy, which a man much conversant in our old English Divines may readily employ without reflection, but at the same time are not suited to the age, which we now therefore consider as superior in real delicacy of feeling to the days of our great grandfathers. We find also several new words, such as ensavage, brutified, unresistible, &c. &c. which are altogether without authority in this country, and which have no claim to adop tion on account of their sound or their signification. These faults are not of great importance. The book is on the whole a good book. We shall be happy, therefore, if the influence of the Bishop's name and rank in the Church procure it that attention which it merits both in England and Ireland. ART. II. The Origin, Object, and Operation of the Apprentice Laws; with their Application to Times past, present, and to come. Addressed to the Committee of general Purposes of the City of London, by the Committee of Manufacturers of London and its Vicinity. Extracted from No. V. of the Pamphleteer. Is. 1814. THE subject of the Apprentice Laws has lately been brought before Parliament by Mr. Serjeant Onslow, and their proposed repeal has given rise to much discussion as to their policy and utility. We have therefore been induced to present to the notice of our readers this little tract, in which they will find the narrow views of the framers of the statute of Elizabeth fully exposed, and its mischievous effects clearly pointed out. It is somewhat singular, that this Statute should have remained in force for so long a time, and stand even at this present day unrepealed in the statute-book, since it is evident that, from its very first enactment, judges and juries have set their faces against many parts of it; and the most obnoxious of those parts have indeed never been acted upon, till of late years they have been used by the journeymen in different trades, which fall within their operation, as the means of extorting exorbitant wages from their masters, and of course heightening the price of manufactured articles, to the injury of the consumer. Although we are willing to admit, in its full latitude, "interdum vulgus rectum videt, est ubi peccat," and think that nothing is more easy than to lead the multitude astray for a time, especially when there is any show of liberality or reform in what is proposed for their consideration; yet we are inclined to believe both from our own observation |