ployed in draining and breaking up These discourses it seems were in- moned to appear before the privy council at Dominica, where, after presenting for examination the two discourses which had given such offence, he declared it to be his "deliberate and final determi nation to desist not only from preaching in that colony on the same or similar subjects, but from ever preaching in it more." appointment, and returned to his native He accordingly resigned his country. How dreadfully vitiated must place where it can be considered as a be the state of the public mind, in a crime for a preacher of the gospel to point out to his audience the duty of a master to provide his slave with neces sary food and raiment; not to exact perform; nor to employ him solely for from him more labour than he is able to his own emolument, in works which will assuredly ruin his health, and bring him to an untimely grave. and the issue of the trials of three persons In an appendix we have the minutes their slaves, and of a fourth for extreme of colour at Roseau, for the murder of barbarity; and we have also some authentic documents of cruelties inflicted by persons who do not come under that description, and who are generally esteemthe author, in a note, draws the followed respectable characters; from which ing very obvious, yet striking conclusion: green tree, what shall be done in a dry? "If these things be done in a from acting with detestable barbarity, If persons reputed good do not refrain the cruelty of those who are notoriously what bounds can we reasonably set to wicked?" the pamphlet itself, the contents of which, But we refer our readers to and the inferences to be drawn from it, it behoves every friend to humanity, and to the real interests of his country, very seriously to consider. ART. XLIII. Christ's Warning to the Churches to beware of false Prophets, who come AN advertisement informs us that these discourses have been very popular in New England, having in a very short time after their publication gone through six editions. For their popularity they must have been indebted to some local circumstances with which we are unac quainted, rather than to any intrinsic merit in themselves. Their republication in Scotland, we suppose is occa sioned by the increase of the seceders; and perhaps the diffusion of Methodism in North America was the cause of their original appearance. SINGLE SERMONS. ON THE LATE THANKSGIVING. ART. XLIV. Preached before the Lords dience, and by a preacher of episcopal ART. XLV. Preached at the Parish Church of St. George, Hanover Square, on Tuesday, June 1, 1802, being the Day appointed for a General Thanksgiving. By HENRY REGINALD, Lord Bishop of Exeter, Rector of that Parish. 4to. pp. 12. AFTER exhibiting a just and striking view of many of the calamities which distinguished the late war, the right reverend preacher urges upon his hearers the duty of offering thanksgiving to God, and of conducting themselves in a manner becoming good citizens and true patriots. It is a temperate well-written discourse, in every respect suitable to the occasion. ART. XLVI. Religious Principle the Source of National Prosperity: a Sermon preached in the Parish Church of Rich mond, in Surrey, on Tuesday, June 1, 1802, &c. To which are subjoined, (in the Form of No'es) Essays on various Subjects connected with the Occasion. By the Rev. EDWARD PATTESON, M.A. formerly of Trinity College, Oxford. 8vo. Pp. 183. OF this annotating age, Mr. Patteson will be deservedly esteemed a distinguished ornament. Of one hundred and eighty-three pages of which this pamphlet is composed, forty-six only are occupied by the discourse; the remaining one hundred and thirty-seven are filled with notes, or, as the author chooses to call them, Essays, printed in a small type. The character of this work is not less extraordinary than the form in which it appears. The reasoning upon many of the topics which it embraces is just and accurate, but there is an intermixture of such bold and unwarrranted assertion, as is not easily reconcileable with the power of just discrimination, which the author on some points displays. Thus, for instance, he attributes the late revolu tion in France, together with all its consequent evils, not only to the influence of principles disseminated by the illuminati, but to "a deliberate experiment, intended to demonstrate by facts, and at whatever cost, that both religion and government might safely be dispensed with, and that the benefits of society were attainable without them," p. 40. In the heavy charge of conducting this experiment, Mr. Patteson indiscriminately implicates "Condorcet, Bailly, Roland, Brissot, and others, the immediate pupils of Rousseau, whom, with a few more of the same literary class, he tells us (p. 163) France has to thank for all her miseries." But Mr. P. goes still higher, and informs us, that our own excellent and enlightened countryman, Mr. Locke, was, in reality, one prime mover of the French revolution: for "nothing," says our author," appears to be more certain than, that this great writer and profound thinker, was as truly the political father of the Voltaires, Rousseaus, D'Alemberts, &c. as that they were the parents of the Mirabeaus, La Fayettes, Baillys, Condorcets, and Seyeses." "It is true," he tells us in a preceding page, that were Mr. Locke now living, it is not easy to conceive with what indignation he would hear his own writings quoted in support of the tenets which these philosophers have maintained, and that it is certain that no such doctrines of atheism and anarchy as have lately infected all Europe are directly to be found in his writings, yet we are as sured it is no less certain, that they contain principles from whence (without such cautions and limitations as Mr. Locke has not thought proper to annex) they are but too easily deduced." The following representation of the state of France previous to the revolution, though not unexampled, is, we apprehend, unsupported by fact: “Had such a train of events been preceded by a tyranny, odious in itself, supported by a corrupt and overbearing hierarchy, and rendered intolerable by personal brutality, we should look no further for an adequate cause than to a sudden burst of public indignation; nor should we discover any distinct indications of character, in proccedings natural, in such a case, to any people upon earth. But, on the contrary, the civil power, in that country, was confined by constitutional and customary restraints; the duties of the prince towards his people had been unequivocally acknowledged, by the late sovereign, on various occasions; and, however some ignorant or interested persons may have misrepresented it, the general system of public administration, during the whole of the late reign, had been tolerant and mild. Under good princes, worse constitutions had made nations happy; and, in the same country, as well as in many others, real and heavy abuses of power had been patiently endured. Perhaps, indeed, the ecclesiastical government of the country might be the less free from imputation of despotism, as having been vested in priests, accustomed to exercise, over the consciences of the people, such a degree of influence as, in protestant countries, is wholly unknown. Yet was this rather the influence of persuasion than of force; for the instruments of spiritual power, most liable to abuse, had long since been abolished: and, in a coun'try almost entirely catholic, the disabilities laid upon protestants, however grievous, could never have become the object of general discontent. We are compelled, therefore, in order to deduce any certain inference from the facts before us, to search for some cause, strongly predisposing the minds of the people to an impatience of any religious or political restraint." In justice to Mr. Patteson we must observe, that there are many subjects discussed by him with great judgment and ability, and many passages which discover a well informed mind, and a correct taste. Thus, speaking of the blessings of peace, he observes : "But not in these temporal blessings alone do we discover the benefits resulting from the discontinuance of war. Amidst the calm and tranquillity of peace, order and decency naturally flourish; the laws are more perfectly observed, the magistrate more cheerfully obeyed; and religion, the best friend, even in this life, of human happiNo longer occupied with fears for the safety ness, resumes her mild and soothing sway. of his country, with jealousy for its honour, with ambitious views for its wealth and ag grandizement, every member of the community finds his mind more open to the remembrance of his God, and to the only true and mortal life. By narrowing the field of anxiproper objects of solicitous concern in this ety, and by promoting the composure of the passions, a state of peace is highly favourable, not only to the abstracted exercise of piety, but to that holiness of life, which is the end, the proof, and the perfection of piety: and, if that be not a just source of felicity, let all earthly events be held equally joy, which expedites the passage to future indifferent!" The text which the preacher has chosen is Psalm cxlvii. 12, 13, 14. The leading subjects of the discourse are the evils of war, the advantages of peace, and the proceedings and character of the people with whom the usual freedom of communication is restored to us, by the termination of hostilities. The notes or essays, upon miscellaof the sermon, are in number no fewer neous subjects, suggested in the course have one on the interference of the clergy in than thirty-three. Amongst them we affairs of temporal policy another, on the natural defence of Great Britain: another, on the reality of the scarcity: another, on the inquisition and the order of the jesuits: and another, on the danger of an ill directed study of the scriptures. A little further application of the preacher's ingenuity would have produced an essay upon every single sentence in the sermon. Formerly notes were subservient to the text; but in this age of revolutions, the text is in great danger of becoming nothing more than a vehicle for notes, ART. XLVII. The Instability of worldly - Trinity in the Minories, and Lecturer of St. Dunstan, Stepney. 4to. pp. 23. FROM Ezek. xxxvii. 3, Mr. T. takes occasion to shew the various dangers and calamities to which we were reduced during the late dreadful contest, both from external and domestic foes; to congratulate his countrymen upon their unexpected deliverance, and to enforce profound gratitude to God, a high regard for the civil and religious privileges we enjoy, and an earnest endeavour to avoid those sins which have exposed us to the righteous judgments of the supreme ruler of events. This discourse is not destitute of animation; but can scarcely be judged to possess those excellencies which are necessary to entitle it to public notice. ART. XLVIII. The Necessity of future Gratitude and Circumspection, to proce a due Sense of past Mercies. A Sermon, preached on Tuesday, June 1, &c. By the Rev. Sir ADAM GORDON, Bart. M. A. Rector of West Tilbury, Esser, and Prebendary of Bristol. 8vo. pp. 41. AN uninteresting, desultory discourse from Psalm cxviii. 24, published, as the Rev. Baronet informs us in a preface, to make those of his parishioners, who on this, as well as " on former occasions of a like public nature, have, from distance or disinclination," absented themselves from the service of the day, acquainted with the sentiments of their ART. XLIX. A Thanksgiving Sermon for the Peace. Preached June 1, 1802. By the Rev. J. H. WILLIAMS, LL.B. Vicar of Wellsbourn, Warwickshire. 8vo. pp. 36. VERY different from the preceding is the character of this discourse. It is a plain, sensible, and well meant endeavour to allay every remaining sentiment of animosity, and to promote the growth and influence of those dispositions which will ensure a continuance of the blessings of peace. The text is taken from Rom. xiv. 19; and the preacher manifests throughout a truly liberal and enlightened mind, and a spirit becoming his profession. ART. L. Reflections and Exhortations, adapted to the State of the Times. A Sermon, preached to the Unitarian Congrega tion at Hackney, June 1, 1802, Sc. By THOMAS BELSHAM. 8vo. pp. 23. THE first part of this excellent discourse is occupied in proving, that we have just reason to be thankful for the returning blessings of peace, in opposi tion to those who have represented it as insecure, and depreciated the value of their services by whose conciliatory measures it was effected. The preacher then directs the attention of his hearers to some serious reflections which the interesting scenes through which we have lately passed naturally excite. He exhorts them to reflect with gratitude on the peculiar felicity of this country in having been preserved from those aggravated calamities which desolate the seat of war; and on the excellence and the stability of the British constitution, which has so happily weathered the late revolutionary storm. He points out to those who direct the councils of a nation the wisdom of temperate reform; and to those who compose the great body of the people, the danger of substituting refined speculations for practi cal wisdom, founded on experience. These very judicious reflections are followed by a few hints concerning the duties which are incumbent upon us in present circumstances, both as members of civil society and individuals: and these are in general "to follow after the things which make for peace, and things whereby one may edify another." The temper with which this discourse is composed, is worthy of a Christian minister, a good citizen, and a loyal subject; and it affords a complete refu tation of those malevolent calumnies which are yet too industriously propagated by illiberal and bigoted persons against a numerous class of our countrymen, who, conscientiously dissenting from the established church, are "not insensible to the general excellence of the British constitution, nor to the great benefits which they, in common with their fellow subjects, enjoy under it." ART. LI. A Sermon, preached at Mill · Hill Chapel, in Leeds, on the late Day of WE cannot exhibit the character of this very eloquent discourse better, than by citing one or two passages from many of equal force and beauty. Describing the horrors of war, the preacher ob. serves: "In a single battle, thousands who, a few hours before, were strong in the pride of youth, and whose hearts heat high with fond ideas of glory, are stretched on the plain, weltering in their blood; some pale and lifeless, never again to behold the beauty of the setting, or the splendour of the rising sun; others writhing in agony, unable to rise from the ground, with nothing before them but the sad prospect of a sure and lingering death. What profits now the firm array in which they were lately marshalled, or the exact discipline in which they then trusted, or the past exploits of which they once boasted? They are laid in the dust: one grave is destined to receive them; the sod, still moistened with their bleeding wounds, will soon cover them; no solemn knell will accompany their burial: no sacred rites will consign them to their native earth; no pious kinsman, or regretting friend, will follow them to their long home, or raise a monumental stone to keep them in remembrance they will be thrown together in promiscuous heaps, and, though concealed for a while from human view, their mouldering bones will in future times be cast up by the peaceful plough, and seen with a transient sigh, or thrown aside with unfeeling indifference by the labouring peasant." The extent of the late contest is thus admirably described: "Such are the miseries of actual war, Such they have been felt in their full extent through more than half the German empire, and in almost every part of the Dutch republic, over the fertile plains of the Belgic provinces, on all the frontiers and deep in the bosom of France, amidst the rugged rocks and charming vales of the Swiss cantons, in the northern districts of Spain, throughout the whole length of Italy, up nearly all the known course of the Nile, under the burning sun and amidst the pestilential vapours of a West Indian clime, to the verge of the Southern Cape, within the entowered walls of swarthy Seringapatam, and as far as the spicy isles of the distant Ind," ART. LII. Reflections on War. A Sermon, preached at the Baptist Meeting, Cambridge, on Tuesday June 1, &c. By ROBERT HALL, A, M. 8vo, pp. 41, FROM the same appropriate text which was chosen by the preceding preacher, Ps. xlvii, 8, 9. Mr. Hall takes occasion to describe with much eloquence the horrors of war, and the aggravated evils of the late bitter and profracted contest; and to point out the urgent reasons for grateful joy which are suggested by the restoration of peace. This sermon having been preached for the benefit of a benevolent society instituted at Cambridge, some excellent observations on charity to the poor are introduced towards the close. We are happy to learn that "the good which has arisen from the exertions of that society, is more than equal to its most sanguine expectations;" and we most heartily concur with the author of this discourse, in ardent wishes for the establishment of similar institutions in other parts of this kingdom. ART. LIII. The Prospect of future universal Peace, considered in a Sermon preached in the Baptist Chapel in Taunton, June 1, 1802, &c. By JOSHUA TOULMIN, D.D. 8vo. pp. 26. THE object of this discourse, which is evidently the production of an enlightened mind and a benevolent heart, is to shew the reasonableness of the expectation of future universal uninterrupted peace. The preacher argues first, from the circumstances in the state of the world which seem to beget the hope of that time when men shall" learn war no more," such as the evils of war-the direction of the mind of youth to pacific pursuits, the diffusion of philanthropic sentiments, and the extension of commerce. Secondly, from the more universal progress a strange but not uncommon solecism) and influence of Christian principles. And thirdly, from the predictions of holy scripture. The hope is pleasing, but we fear the day is yet far distant which shall see it realized. ART. LIV. An Estimate of the Pence; a Discourse delivered at Newbury, June 1, 1802, c. By J. BICHENO, M.A. 8vo. pp. 31. THE text chosen by this preacher is Ps. ii. 11, Rejoice with trembling." Though the return of peace is a proper subject of fervent joy, yet he perceives that there are circumstances in the present state of things, which should check or moderate our transports. He exhorts his hearers to rejoice because the restoration of peace is the work of God; because it puts an end to a war which some think originated in error, stops the progress of many crimes and miseries, and affords us an opportunity for repentance |