little attention that has hitherto been paid to any improvements of this nature, after the good effects of them have been fo fully illuftrated in the cafe of the villains in Europe. At the same time it affords a curious fpectacle to obferve, that the fame people who talk in fo high a strain of political liberty, and who confider the privilege of impofing their own taxes as one of the unalienable rights of mankind, fhould make no fcruple of reducing a great proportion of the inhabitants into circumstances by which they are not only deprived of property, but almost of every right whatfoever. Fortune perhaps never produced a fituation more calculated to ridicule a grave, and even a liberal hypothefis, or to fhow how little the conduct of men is at bottom directed by any philo. fophical principles.'

With regard to the author's language, it is correct, clear, and fimple. These qualities give it an elegance and a beauty, which, though it may not dazzle the imagination fo much as a more figurative and ornamented fille, will not, perhaps, on that account, give the lefs pleasure to a reader of genuine tafte. Few books have been published of late years that are more entitled to the public favour and approbation.

V. Sermons on different Subjects, by the late Reverend John Jortin, D. D. Archdeacon of London, Rector of St. Dunstan's in thẹ Eaft, and Vicar of Kensington. 8vo. 165. Boards. White, Continued.

IN every volume of thefe difcourfes the author difplays a

clear head and a folid judgment, a rational way of thinking, and a more than ordinary knowledge of the human heart. The generality of preachers, on the common topics of mora lity, employ abundance of unneceffary pains in proving indifputable propofitions, and elucidating points of doctrine which require no elucidation. But this manly and judicious writer very feldom, if ever, defcends into thefe futilities. On every fubject he touches, he produces a variety of fenfible and important obfervations, which are not only calculated to rectify the heart, but to fatisfy the reafon, and inform the understanding of the most intelligent readers. On this account, we are perfuaded, that in future times, this collection of fermons will have a place in the ftudies of the learned, while the dif courfes of one of his more eminent cotemporaries will be only found in the clofets of old women.

In the first fermon of the third volume, the author fhews the malignant nature of evil habits; in the fecond, he proves the truth of this obfervation of Solomon, he that walkerb uprightly, walketb furely and in the third, he exhibits a divifion of our duty into its feveral parts, according to their order and importance. Moral goodness, he obferves, or virtue, or righteoufpefs, is the prin

cipal part of religion; the next to it is faith, or a belief of christianity; and the laft, a right ufe of the means which may ftrengthen our faith in Chrift, and promote the practice of righteousness; namely, repentance, prayer, an acquaintance with the fcriptures, pious meditation, an open profeffion of our religion, and a partaking of the Lord's Supper.

The fourth fermon confifts of Practical Obfervations on the Hiftory of the penitent Thief, recorded by St. Luke, ch. xxiii. 42, 43. The pardon of this criminal having been pronounced by our Saviour, Dr. Jortin, by way of inference, allows, that it is reasonable to conclude, that to every finner who fincerely repents, the fame favour will be extended. But then, left any fhould make perverfe inferences from this example, and fatally delude themfelves with groundless expectations, he confiders this incident in another light, and fhews, that it contains little comfort, and little encouragement to old and noto'rious offenders.

It is most probable, he thinks, that this criminal had not been a robber, in the ufual fenfe of the word, but only one who had joined in fome revolt against the Romans. For, firft, he fays, in ancient writers, the word thief or robber is often applied to those who were engaged in infurre&ions. Secondly, at that time there had been feditions in Judea, and Barabbas had been active in one, whose pardon the Jews had obtained of the governor. Thirdly, his punishment was crucifixion, a punishment not in ufe among the Jews, but often inflicted by the Romans upon flaves and foreigners, who had rebelled against them. Laftly, Chrift himself fuffered under the unjuft imputation of rebellion, and was condemned for it by the Roman magistrate, else he could not have been crucified; and it is probable, that the two who were crucified with him fuffered for rebellion. The man then may be fuppofed to have been guilty of fedition against the Roman government. This was a crime, and yet it was a crime into which a person might have fallen, who had his good qualities, and who had led a regular life. The Jews were at that time under the jurifdiction of the Romans. But the Roman governors were ufually bad rulers of the provinces. Now who knows what provocations this penitent thief might have received from such governors Oppreffion will make a wife man mad. So fays fays Solomon, who was a wife man, and a king too. Or he might have been influenced by his relations and friends, and over-perfuaded and drawn in unawares; or he might have had little hand in the fedition.

• Confider then the cafe of the man, on whom we are difcourf ing. As foon as he was taken, he knew that the moft cruel death

G4

would

would enfue, and under this fad profpect he continued till his crucifixion: fo that his fufferings were as great as can eafily be conceived, and nothing worfe can befall a man here below. If he had escaped this calamity, he would probably have joined himfelf to the firft Chriftians, and been as ready to do and to fuffer for the fake of the Gofpel as any of the difciples. When he came to die, he expreffed no defire to live and to escape punishment, he feems to have poffeffed himself, and to have suffered with conftancy and refignation. He thought Chrift to be the Meffias, he knew that the Prophets had foretold his everlasting kingdom, and he faw him perithing like a malefactor, and in all appearance forfaken of God as much as of men. But he had faith, and it was a great degree of faith at fuch a juncture, to believe that God would till make good his promifes to this very perfon, and that he fhould ftill in God's appointed time receive power and majefty and dominion; and he humbly and modeftly befought him to think of his poor fellow-fufferer, though unworthy of fuch a favour, when that glorious time fhould come. He received a gracious anfwer, and Chrift from his cross, as from his throne, granted him more than his request.

Now what hopes can an habitual offender build upon a case so fingular, and attended with fo many extraordinary circumstances? what comfort can he find from the example of a man, who probably was not fo guilty as he, and who received fo fevere a correction in this world? Great things are faid in Scripture in favour of repentance and reformation, and they are conftantly reprefented as certain means to appease the divine displeasure. But when this repentance is delayed till no reformation can appear, what shall we fay of it? How far it may profit, God only knows. It becomes not us to fet bounds to his goodness: but this we must fay, that these are favours which can only proceed from his hidden mercies, and which he hath not exprefsly promifed in his Gospel One would willingly indulge the pleafing hope that there may be undifcovered treafures of compaffion in the fecret counfels of God, without which the condition of fo many would be fo deplorable, But then let us live, as if we had no fuch hopes; left by prefuming too much, and performing too little, and propofing to enter into peace and rest upon the cheapest terms, we should at laft find ourfelves deluded and excluded.'

The fifth fermon contains remarks on the pernicious conse◄ quences of finful anger, and fome directions how we may reftrain it. The fixth is an illuftration of thefe words in the fecond chapter of Samuel, Them that honour me, I will honour. The good, fays our author, will most probably be honoured in this life, and certainly in the life to come. Their virtues naturally tend to produce this effect, and the favour and blef fing of God is often vifibly and remarkably extended to them.

But the most perfect honour that we can conceive is the esteem which a perfon obtains from many who excel in wifdom and power and goodness, and which shall continue for ever.

Of all creatures who poffefs understanding and reason, we seem to be the lowest in rank; fuperior to us are innumerable beings, inhabitants of other and better worlds, the leaft of whom furpafs us in knowledge power and virtue, and who poffefs thefe ex cellencies in various degrees, according to their feveral orders,

Such are all who have gone before us in the ways of righteoufnefs, and have put off their mortal bodies, and the host of angels, whom God fends forth to minifter unto them who fhall be heirs of falvation.

Every good man, therefore, howfoever flighted and overlooked by thofe amongst whom he dwells, acts in a great theatre, and has numberless fpectators and applauders of his conduct. To be approved and commended by thefe holy and wife and impartial judges, this is true honour; and this honour every righteous perfon enjoys, who like those bleffed Spirits is performing the will of God, and filling up with integrity and dignity the offices of his ftation. His honour indeed is not perfect in the prefent fhort life, for he is not acquainted with thefe fuperior beings, and knows not when they observe him, and what they think of him. But as foon as he departs hence, he goes to the invifible world, and converfes with the fpirits of juft men made perfect, and with the angels, who congratulate him upon his deliverance from mor tality, and his conftancy in running the courfe fet before him. Then he enters into the poffeffion of true and eternal honour, which fhall be increased in the great day, when he thall receive the approbation of Chrift the judge of the world, and of the God and Father of all. This is honour in the ftricteft fenfe, or rather this alone deferves to be called honour. The marks of diftinction which mortal creatures confer upon each other, when compared to this, appear vain, and trifling and contemptible beyond all expreffion.'

The feventh is an excellent difcourfe on the proper boundaries of human knowledge. Secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong unto us, &c. Deut. xxix. 29.

According to the account of this judicious writer, among the things which are fecret, may be placed, 1. A complete knowledge of nature, of the vifible world, and of the effects of matter and motion. 2. Among the things pertaining to religion which have occupied the minds of men to no purpofe, we may reckon what has been called abfolute predeftination, or the everlasting decrees of God concerning the falvation and deftruction of particular perfons. 3. Another fecret is an acçurate knowledge of God, of his nature and perfections. 4. Among the things which we must not expect thoroughly to understand is God's providence, the manner in which he prefides over rational beings, the reafons of his conduct, the ends which he propofes, and the methods by which he accomplishes them, and how far he is affifting, hindering, or permitting, in all events. 5. Under this head, which concerns the myfteries of Providence, may be placed the reafons for which God beftows profperity upon one perfon, and adverfity upon another. 6. The future condition of the righteous, and of the wicked, is one of those things of which we cannot have a diftinct and particular knowledge. 7. Among those things

which

which are hidden from us, we may place many difficult - parts of the fcriptures, and particularly thofe predictions which are yet unfulfilled. Laftly, the knowledge of things to come, of the good and evil which will befal us in this life, and of the time when our life will end, are fecrets which God hath concealed from us. Here then our curiofity is to be repreffed, and turned to more fuitable objects, namely, the truths which God has revealed, the duties which he requires, &c.

In the feventh discourse, the author explains the nature of the fin which our Saviour calls blafphemy against the Holy Ghoft. In his account of this crime, he takes the common interpretation. A blafphemer against the Holy Ghost, he says, was one who faw the miracles of Chrift, and by fome very wicked motive maliciously afcribed them to Satan, and probably finned against conscience. This offence fhall never be forgiven; that is, the blafphemer's amendment is very improbable. Or, if the words are to be understood in a rigid sense, Chrift, he thinks, might fpeak as a prophet, who forefaw the future behaviour of fuch finners.

1.

In the ninth fermon, he examines how far, and in what fense the love of the world is forbidden by St. John, 1 Ep. ii, 15, or when we may be faid to love the world too much. He fays, we love the world too much, when, for the fake of any profit or pleafure, we wilfully, and knowingly, and deliberately tranfgrefs the commands of God, and become openly and habitually wicked and vicious, and live addicted to fenfuality, to intemperance, to fraud, to extortion, to injuftice. 2. When we take more pains to obtain and fecure the conveniences of this life, than to qualify ourfeives for the rewards of the next. 3. When we cannot be contented, or patient and refigned under low or inconvenient circumftances. 4. When we cannot part with any thing that we poffefs to those who want it, who deferve it, and who have indeed a right to it. 5. When we envy thofe who are more fortunate and more favoured by the world than we are, and cannot behold their fuccefs without repining. 6. When we honour and esteem, and favour perfons purely according to their birth, fortunes, and fuccefs, measuring our judgment and approbation by their outward appearance and fituation in life; and lastly, when we omit no opportunity of enjoying the good things of this life, when our great bufinefs and ferious employment is to amuse and divert ourselves till we contract an indifference for manly and rational occupations, deceiving our felves all the while, and fancying that we are in a fafe condition, because we are not fo bad as feveral whom we could name, nor guilty of fuch and fuch vices with which the world abounds.

The