tioners invited the attention of their brethren--that perfons of the most oppofite opinions, with refpect to the doctrine of the articles, might unite in a declaration, that every attempt to effect an uniformity of fentiment concerning the fenfe of fcripture, by other means than the force of argument, and rational conviction, was utterly unwarrantable, and bore too striking a refemblance to that fpirit of intolerance, which forms the diftinguishing character of Antichriftian Rome-and, laftly, that many members of our church might be truly fenfible of the inexpediency of requiring this fubfcription-might addrefs acompetent tribunal with a view of effecting an abolition of the practice, and yet continue to hold and to accept preferment, without violating the dictates of confcience, and with great advantage to the Chriftian caufe. "My objections, my Lord, to the accepting and the holding of preferment in the church of England, bear no relation to the caufe of the petitioning clergy-the reafons which influenced me in the forming of the refolution, now communicated to your Lordship, are entirely my own. "After the most ferious and difpaffionate inquiry, I am perfuaded, my Lord, from the concurrent teftimony of reafon and revelation, that the SUPREME CAUSE of all things is, not merely in Effence, but also in Perfon, ONE. "By the force of the fame evidence I am convinced, that this Almighty Power is the only proper object of religion. "The Liturgy of the church of England is obviously founded upon the idea, that in the Divine Nature is a TRINITY of Perfons, to each of which every fpecies of religious adoration is addreffed, as well as fuch powers afcribed, as are the incommunicable attributes of God. "Under my perfuafion of the erroneoufness of this doctrine," I cannot any longer with fatisfaction to myself officiate in the eftablished fervice: and as I certainly can have no claim to the emoluments of my profeffion, unless I am willing to perform the duties of it, I therefore refign my preferment. "But, my Lord, although I find myfelf under an obligation to renquish my prefent ftation in the church of England, I do not renounce the profeffion of a CHRISTIAN. On the contrary, penetrated by the cleareft convictions of the high importance, and divine authority of the gofpel, I will labour to promote the advancement of fcriptural knowledge with increaf ing zeal; and will ever be ready to unite, with heart and hand, in any juft and 1 gal attempt to remove that Burden of Subfcription to Human Formularies, which I efteem one of the most powerful obftructions to its progress. "I am, &c." We cannot avoid expreffing our concern, that the church of England should be deprived of fuch valuable members, for want of rendering her terms of admiffion, and forms of worship, more agreeable to the Chriftian ftandard. The celebrated Mrs. Barbauld, indeed, obferves, in her late ingenious Effay on the Devotional Tafte, &c. that we learn to refpect whatever refpects itself; and are eafily led to think that fyftem requires no alteration, which never admits of any." "It is this circumstance, the fays, which gives a dignity to the church of Rome.' Without envying this lady her admiration of the church of Rome, or difputing the propriety of it, we muft declare it as our opinion, that the conduct the deems fo refpectable, is very unfuitable to the character of a reformed establishment. Such a conduct, in a Proteftant establishment, which is obliged, by its original principles, to be as conformable as poffible to the holy fcriptures, rather deferves, perhaps, to be termed foily and obftinacy, than dignity. The refufal of alterations, fo favourably fpoken of by Mrs. Barbauld, is extremely prejudicial to the church of England. It not only excludes from her miniftry a number of able and worthy men, who might be her ornament and fupport, but contributes, likewife, to promote a fpirit of irreligion and infidelity. The progrefs of infidelity on the one hand, and of enthufiafm on the other, may, poffibly, in time, bring on a crifis, in which the church of England will with that fhe had learned more truly to refpect herself, by admitting thofe alterations, which would have added to her purity and perfection, and have secured her real dignity. The following remark, which was, by accident, left out of our account of Dean Tucker's Humble Addrefs, may be supplied in this place, viz. In the first Article of this Month's Review, at p. 4, between the first and fecond paragraphs, add (after the words "procured in other places,") It fhould, alfo, be remembered, that our returns from Germany and Holland, confift chiefly of linnens, of which a great part is confumed by the Colonifts, who eventually pay a confiderable duty for them to government, But fhould the Dean's projected feparation take place, the people of America would fupply this part of their wants by a cheaper and more direct channel, and would thereby greatly leffen thofe exports, which are now the Author's boaft: for it was clearly proved, in the Houfe of Commons, when a late application was made for new bounties on British linnens, that any diminution of our ufual importation of Dutch and German linnens would proportionably leffen the amount of our exports to those countries.-But granting, as we readily do, that Great Britain has other valuable channels of trade befide that to Ame rica, can it from thence be justly inferred that we ought therefore wantonly to reject the benefits refulting from our American commerce? MONTHLY CATALOGUE, For JANUARY, 1776. AMERICAN CONTROVERSY. Art. 11. Some Reasons for approving of the Dean of Gloucefler's Plan of feparating from the Colonies. With a propofal for a further Improvement. Conant. 8vo. I S. 1775 Th HE reafons here offered are fuited and intended to ridicule the plan in question, and they cannot fail of fuccefs. The following extract will ferve as a fpecimen of this ironical production, viz. This inimitable plan is addreffed by the author of it, with a modefty which is the characteristic of real genius, to perfons only of a certain defcription; to country gentlemen, whofe great and enlightened minds having no other biafs than the trifling confideration of a thilling or two to be deducted from the land-tax, in cafe an American revenue fhould be effected, make them unqueftionably the propereft and most unexceptionable judges. There is a fimplicity in the idea of renouncing our American Colonies, which clearly evinces it to be the conception of a great mind. It is obvious when explained; and yet the genius of one perfon only in the nation was capable of difcovering it. How fuperior is it to the foolish defigns of thofe fhort-fighted politicians, who imagine the strength of a nation to confift in the magnitude of its dominions, the number of its people, and the extent of its commerce! and how preferable to the wild fyftems both of miniftry and patriots! if we adopt the meafures of government, we fhall fpend millions, wafe the most precious blood of our fellow-fubjects, and, after all, reap nothing but misfortune and dif grace. If we gratify the wishes of oppofition, and repeal our acts; what is it but to confefs, like children, that we have done wrong, and to return to the old dull fyftem of colony-government, which we have pursued uniformly ever fince their etablishment? but if we renounce America, all thefe difadvantages will vanish our honour will be in fecurity, the lives of our countrymen will be preferved, and our treasures will remain undiffipated One fimple manifefto of the nature the Dean recommends, will, as it were by magic, put an end to all our troubles at once, and relieve this unhappy nation from that weight of foreign dominion, under which it is almost entirely crushed. • Befides the facility with which fuch a project may be executed, confider the effect of it. It will punish the Americans more feverely than can be done by the utmost exertions of your ficet and army.When they find you abandon them, that you will make no more regulations of their commerce, that you will no longer oblige them to refort to your ports, and will not appoint governors to fuperintend their provinces, but leave them to their own discretion; they they will fink into abfolute defpair. When the act is delivered to the congrefs, there will be as great confternation among them, as among the States of Holland, when they received the edict of pacification from Spain, by which the declared that she would no longer carry on the war against them, but punish them by cutting them off from her empire, and leaving them to their own independence. -The demagogues will be filent.-Mr. Adams will, for once, feel for his unfortunate country, and Mr Hancock will read the fatal ftatute with more difmay, than he did the eloquent proclamation by which his head was profcribed.' That the abfurdity of the Dean's plan may, however, be rendered more evident, our Author proposes, a further improvement' by feparating likewife from Ireland, and with great juftice fupports the propriety of this feparation by the very fame arguments, and often in the fame words, which are employed by the Dean to convince us of the expediency of feparating from the Colonies. Art. 12. The Speech of his Grace the Duke of Manchester, against the Bill for probibiting all intercourfe with the Colonies. 4to. 1 s. Kearily. Rational, manly, and difpaffionate; favourable to our Colonies, but just to our conftitution. The arguments ufed by his Grace, are, in fubftance, the fame with those advanced in the Lord's Proteft againit the fame bill. POLITICAL. Art. 13. Remarks upon the Refolutions of the House of Commons, with Refpect to the Poor, Vagrants, and Houfes of Correction. By a Justice of the Peace within the County of York. 8vo. 6 d. Nicoll. 1775. The Author modeftly apologizes for the freedom he has taken in venturing to offer his opinions, in oppofition to thofe of one great branch of the legislative body of the kingdom; but his apology was needlefs.--The Public are greatly obliged to every individual who, in a matter of fuch univerfal concernment, ftands forth, to propofe his hints and obfervations, for the benefit of his country. He is no friend to the plan of county workhouses; and is appre-. hen five that the propofed alteration in the poor laws may be productive of mischiefs greater than thofe which it is intended to remove. His remarks are folid and judicious; and, confequently, worthy the attention of the gentlemen concerned in the projected amendments in this important branch of our police. Art. 14. A Difcourfe on the Conftitution; extracted from a late. eminent Writer, and applicable to the prefent Times. 8vo. 1 s. Robinfon. 1776. The editor, at the conclufion of a very abfurd preface, informs us, that he never met with any difcourfe, on the fubject of allegiance, better calculated to open the eyes of the people than that, which is here published; and, therefore, he would recommend the ferious confideration of it to all thofe who wish well to their country, especially at this time, when fo many with ill to it. It was written,-he fays, by a gentleman eminently skilled in the English law, who had ftudied the conftitution with integrity of mind, and has reprefented it with very great ability. The defign of the difcourfe, thus ftrongly commended, is to prove the exploded doctrine of paffive obedience and non-refiftance. Who was its author we do not recollect, nor are we folicitous to inquire. Whoever he was, whether Judge Jefferies, or any other bale inftrument of tyranny, it merits nothing but contempt, or execration. What are we to think of thofe who are endeavouring to bring to light productions which had juftly funk into oblivion; and who are aiming, by this means, to revive the infamous tenets and maxims of flavery? Is their conduct to be ascribed to folly or villainy? They cannot, furely, intend to fupport a government which is founded on the principles of the Revolution! MISCELLANEOUS. Art. 15. The Trial of Reginald Tucker, for the wilful Murder of bis Wife, at the Affizes, held at Wells, for the County of Somerset, August 25, 1775. Taken in Short-hand by Jofeph Gurney. 4to. I s. Kearfly. -- Shame on the Gothic ignorance of a barbarous age! What, hang a philofopher, for only killing a woman who was no philofopher! "Damnant quod non intelligunt." CIC. 4to. 6d. Art. 16. The Trial of Edward Ely for the Murder of Charles Bignel, in the Kingdom of Sweden, in the Year 1720. Bell. Ely was a furgeon's mate, on board the Worcester, one of the fleet in the Baltic, under the command of Sir John Norris, in the year abovementioned; and Bignel was firft lieutenant of the fame fhip. This trial is now reprinted, on account of the fimilarity of fome of the circumftances of Ely's cafe, with those attending the affair between captain Roche, and lieutenant Ferguson, at the Cape of Good Hope. Art. 17. A folemn Declaration of Mr. Daniel Perreau; addressed to the Public. Written by Himself; and published at his dying Requeft. 8vo. 1 s. Evans. 1776. The unhappy brothers, to the last moment of their lives, protested their innocence of the crime for which they fuffered the just penalty of the law. It were dreadful to disbelieve these folemn declarations, and awful appeals to Heaven; and yet, what man in the full poffeffion of his fenfes, can credit them! Let us hope that time will throw fome light upon thefe dark proceedings. Art. 18. An Addrefs to the Members of the Senate of Cambridge. By John Jebb, M. A. 8vo. 3 d. Wilkie. 1776. We have formerly mentioned, with approbation, the attempts of our ingenious and worthy Author to introduce a scheme of public examinations into the university of Cambridge. Though his • Tucker, it seems, had once the honour to receive a premium for the invention of a new ventilator. laudable |