able part of the Chriftian fyftem. He feems to have taken his notions of our religion from the writings of certain Calviniftic divines, who have imagined, that original fin, irrefiftible grace, imputed righteou nefs, vicarious atonement, vicarious punishment, &c. were fome of the most effential doctrines of the gofpel. Thefe, we confefs, are entirely néw; but every rational advocate of Chriftianity is at this day very clearly convinced, that they are nothing but the dreams of injudicious writers, without any foundation in Scripture.

Mr. Gilpin introduces his Lectures with the following short hiftory of the Catechiẩm :

It was among the earliest cares of the firft promoters of the reformation, to provide a catechifm for the inftruction of youth' But the fame caution, with regard to the prejudices of mens was neceffarily to be used in this matter, as had been used in all the other religious tranfactions of thofe times. At first, it was thought fufficient to begin with fuch common things, as were acknowledged both by Papifts and Proteftants. The firft catechifm therefore confifted fimply of the creed, the ten commandments, and the Lord's prayer: and it was no eafy matter to bring even thefe into general ufe. They were received by the people, in the midft of that profound ignorance, which then reigned, as a fpecies of incantation; and it was long be-` fore the groffness of vulgar conception was even enlightened enough to apprehend, that the creed, the ten commandments, and the Lord's prayer, meant fimply to direct their faith, their practice, and their devotion.

This was all the progrefs, that was made in catechetical inftruction from the beginning of the reformation, till fo late a period as the year 1549. About that time a farther attempt was made by archbishop Cranmer, as it is commonly fuppofed. He ventured to add a few cautious explanatory paffages; which was all the prejudices of men would yet bear. The great prudence, indeed, of that wife and good man, appeared in nothing more, than in the eafy movements, with which he introduced every change.

In the year 1553, a farther attempt was hazarded. A ca techifm was published by authority, in which not only the creed, the ten commandments, and the Lord's prayer were more fully expounded; but a brief explanation alfo of the facraments was added. This bold work, however, was not ventured in the English tongue; but was published in Latin, for the use of fchools. Archbishop Wake, whofe authority I chiefly follow, fuppofes this catechifm to be the first model of that, which is now in ufe.

• Thus the matter refled, till the reign of Elizabeth. In the mean time, the violent measures of her predeceffor, had tended greatly to open an inquifitive temper in the age; and to abolish its prejudices. Men began to have fome notion of thinking P 2

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for themselves; and it was no longer neceflary to obferve that extreme caution, which had hitherto been obferved, in addreffing them on religious fubjects. The catechifm therefore was now improved on a more liberal plan; and having undergone fe-veral reviews, was at length published by authority, nearly in its prefent form, in the year 1563. It ought to be mentioned, that the perfon principally concerned in this work, was Nowel, dean of St. Paul's.'

This work being chiefly calculated for young readers, we only fubjoin two short extracts, as a small fpecimen of the author's propriety of fentiment and manner of writing.

In the phrafe of the world, good company means fashionable people. Their ftations in life, not their morals, are confidered: and he, who affociates with fuch, though they fet him the example of breaking every commandment of the decalogue, is fill faid to keep good company.-I fhould with you to fix another meaning to the exprefion; and to confrder vice in the fame deteftable light, in whatever company it is found; nay, to confider all company in which it is found, be their flation what it will, as bad company.

The three following claffes will perhaps include the greatest part of thofe, who deferve this appellation.

In the first, I fhould rank all who endeavour to destroy the principles of Chriftianity-who jeft upon fcripture-talk ́blafphemy-and treat revelation with contempt.

A fecond clafs of bad company are thofe, who have a tendency to deftroy in us the principles of common honefty and integrity. Under this head, we may rank gamefters of every denomination; and the low, and infamous characters of every profeflion.

A third class of bad company, and fuch as are commonly mot dangerous to youth, includes the long catalogue of men of pleafure. In whatever way they follow the call of appetite, they have equally a tendency to corrupt the purity of the mind.

Befides thefe three claffes, whom we may call bad company, there are others who come under the denomination of ill-chofen company trifling, infipid characters of every kind; who follow no bufinefs-are led by no ideas of improvement--but spend their time in diffipation and folly-whofe highest praise it is, that they are only not vicious.-With none of thefe, a ferious man would with his fon to keep company.'

After a concife explanation, the author gives us this accurate paraphrafe of the Lord's Prayer:

O thou beneficent Being, our creator, preferver. and father, have mercy upon the whole race of mankind. May we all have just fentiments of thee. May thy true religion be eftablifhed throughout the world; and may men feel its influence;

live fuitably to its precepts; and emulate, in their obedience, the bleffed fpirits of heaven.-Grant us fuch a fhare of this world's good, as thou feeft moft proper for us. We afk not for wealth, or power. Grant us the neceffaries of life-the reft we fubmit to thee and may we never, through the influence of the world, forget our dependence upon thee.-Grant, O Lord, that we may make ourselves proper objects of thy mercy and forgivenefs. May we have a thorough fenfe of our own unworthinefs; and may that lead us to contrition, penitence, and steady refolutions of amendment. And may we never prefame to afk thy forgiveness in an unforgiving temper.-Amidit all the temptations and difficulties of this world, be thou prefent with us. Let us not be tempted above our strength; but let thy gracious Spirit always conduct us. May we exert our own best endeavours in refitting the temptations which arife from the various deluding objects of the world; and may thy gracious aid render thofe endeavours fuccefstul. So that finally having finished our, course, we may, after this ftate of trial upon earth, be received into the eternal manfions of thy heavenly kingdom. Hear our petitions, O Lord, which are put up in the fulleft confidence and faith in thee. We acknowledge thy power, and truft in thy goodness, for a proper fupply of all our wants."

Before we quit this article, we fhall take the liberty to make fome curfory obfervations on two or three paffages, which we fhall entirely fubmit to the confideration of the learned author.

St. Paul, fays Mr. Gilpin, feems to lay the whole stress on faith, in oppofition to works, Rom. iii. 28, &c.—But it is plain, that St. Paul's argument requires him to mean by faith, the whole fyftem of the Chriftian religion, and by works, which he fets in oppofition to it, the moral law.*

We do not apprehend, that faith in this place (viz. Rom. iii. 28.) means the whole fyftem of the Chriftian religion: for fuppofing, that good works or Chriftian virtues are to be com prehended under the idea of gospel faith, the apoftle's argument is reduced to a mere quibble; and means no more than - this, that juftification may indeed be obtained by faith alone without works, becaufe in the very notion of faith works are included.

The truth is, the words of St. Paul- Man is juftified by faith without the deeds of the law, or without the works of law' are peculiarly applicable to the firft promulgation of Christianity; and only inean, that all mankind were entitled to the bleffings of the gospel covenant, by faith in Christ, without being obliged to plead a prior obedience to law. This juftification by faith alone, without any previous works, is mentioned, Eph. ii. 8. Tit. iii. 5. and in feveral other parts of St. Paul's Epiftles. There is however another justification

or falvation, which is not without works, but is the reward of an obedient and holy life. St. James fpeaks of it, when he fays, by works a man is juftified, and not by faith only,' c. ii. 24. This two-fold fenfe of the word justification shews us at once the confiftency of the two apostles.

Suetonius, fays the author, informs us, that the emperor Claudius drove all the Jews from Rome, who, at the inftigation of one Chrift, were continually making difturbances.'

Thefe words are ufually applied to Jefus Chrift; but probably the hiftorian refers to fome of thofe falfe Chrifts, of which our Saviour forwarned his difciples; that is, to fome impoftor, who might, at that time, by pretending to be the Messiah, have excited tumults, and expectations of independency, among the Jews.

Juftin Martyr and Tertullian, fays Mr. Gilpin, in their Apologies, ftill extant, one of which was made to the fenate of Rome, the other to a Roman governour, both appeal to the records of Pontius Pilate, as then generally known, which we cannot conceive fuch able apologists would have done, if no fuch records had ever exifted.'

-Thefe acts of Pilate, fays he, are often treated with contempt, for no reafon that I know. I never met with any thing against them of more authority than a fneer. Probable they certainly were, and a bare probability, when nothing oppofes it, has its weight. But here the probability is ftrengthened by no fmall degree of pofitive evidence; which, if the reader wishes to fee collected in one point of view, I refer him to the article of "Chrift's fuffering under Pontius Pilate," in Bishop Pearfon's Expofition of the Creed,' &c.

Notwithstanding what bishop Pearfon has urged in their defence, the probability is on the contrary fide. Their very exiftence can hardly be proved from either Juftin Martyr, or Tertullian, Juftin mentions των επι Ποντιο Πιλατε γενομέ vav anjov, actorum, quæ facta funt fub Pontio Pilato. Ápol. ii. and again refers to the fame acts or tranfa&tions, when he says, εκ των επι Ποιιο Πιλάλα γενομένων ακτών μαθεῖν δυνασθε. Poteftis cognofcere ex actis, confectis fub Pontio Pilato. It is very probable, fay the advocates for thefe acts, that Pilate wrote to Tiberius an account of Chrift; for Tertullian fays, • Ea omnia fuper Chrifto Pilatus, & ipfa jam pro fuâ confcientiâ Chriftianus, Cæfari tunc Tiberio nuntiavit.' Apol. c. 21. And, in another place: Tiberius annunciata fibi,ex Syriâ Paleftinâ, quæ illic veritatem iftius divinitatis revelarant, detulit ad fenatum, cum prærogativâ fuffragii fui.' lb. c. 5. These are all the teftimonies we have in favour of the A&s of Pilate, till we come to Eufebius, who tells us, that Pilate communicated

the

the miracles of Chrift to Tiberius, and that Tiberius propofed to the fenate, that he should be placed among the gods; for which Eufebius quotes Tertullian. Eufeb. Chron. ed. 1606, P. 391, &c. Tertullian however fays not a fyllable about any writings or record, but makes ufe of an expreffion, which rather implies a mere verbal information, nunciavit. And it is obfervable, that Eufebius has not given us the leaft extract from any fuch record, or epiitle. The teftimony therefore chiefly depends upon Juftin Martyr; but by what means he obtained a fight of the imperial records, or the governor's letter, or whether there were any genuine records, or not, is very problematical-Pearfon concludes with obferving, that thefe Acta, in the time of Maximinus, were adulterated, and filled with many blafphemies again ft our Saviour, as appears by Eufebius, Hift. Eccl. i. 9. ix. 5.' And Dr. Lardner speaks the fentiments of almost all the learned, when he says: The acts and letters which we now have, are manifeftly fpurious.' Heath. Teft. Vol. I.

There are some speculative points in the course of this work, particularly in the eighth Lecture, which are very controvertible.

Thefe Lectures, however, upon the whole, form a useful and agreeable compendium of the principles and doctrines of the Chriftian religion. Mr. Gilpin does not, like many preceding commentators, overwhelm the text he attempts to explain, and tire his readers with a minute and tedious exposition, or a long train of quotations from Scripture; he dispatches every article with great conciseness; he explains the difficulties which occur, in a few sentences; in the argumentative part, he produces only the most obvious and striking reafons; and fubjoins only two or three short and pertinent inferences at the conclufion. The ftyle, in which he writes, is perfectly correct, and diftinguished by an elegant fimplicity, which is extremely proper and agreeable in this fpecies of compofition.

Remarks on that Kind of Palfy of the Lower Limbs, which is frequently found to accompany a Curvature of the Spine, and is fuppofed to be caused by it. Together with its Method of Cure. To which are added, Obfervations on the Neceffity and Propriety of Amputation, in certain Cafes, and under certain Circumstances. By Percivall Pott, F. R. S. 8vo. Is. 6d. Johnson.

MR R. Pott begins thefe Remarks with apologizing for having haftily communicated to the public his obfervations on the use of opium in mortifications of the toes and feet; as if any apology could be requifite from a perfon fo eminent in his profeflion. Thofe obfervations, though recent, were so far