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fous. p. 107. One Thomas Thany, a fuller, nicknamed Blue-beard'. p. 110. For a few days, they behaved tolerably well. p. 171. She endured a long and dolorous confine-. ment'. p. 196. I fhall by and by inquire'. p. 205. Nor was he a niggard in the diftribution of his bounty'. p. 214. ' Both Richard and his Queen were fo much affected with this news, that, as a contemporary hiftorian tells us, they almost run mad'. p. 273. Convening the lieges with the greatest expedition'. p. 326. There were no fewer than three infallible heads of the church, and keepers of the keys of the kingdom of heaven, at once, who gave one another very bad names which was not the worst proof of their infallibility'. p. 329. The primate narrated to him'. p. 338. The clergy, in their convocations in this period, fometimes meddled with things that feem to have been a little out of their road'. p. 379. This made the PEOPLE /pies upon one another'. p, 380. Edward IV. for example, not only carried on trade like a common Merchant, but alfo folicited charities, which he called benevolences or free gifts, like a common, or rather like a sturdy beggar'. p. 405. "They and their adherents would certainly go to the devil'. p. 538. The French fled before them like Sheep'. p. 562. Three of the best hours of the day were confumed in gormandizing';

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ART.IV. The Doctrine of a Providence, illuftrated and applied in a Sermon preached to a Congregation of proteftant Diffenters, at Nottingham, July 26, 1784; being the Day appointed for a General Thankfgiving, on the Conclufion of the late Destructive War. By the Rev. George Walker, F. R. S. 8vo. 1s. Johnson, 1784, HERE are no kinds of compofition more difficult to be treated of in a critical view, than those in which the fpeculatift feems to have no model of fuperior excellence, that he can set before him, by which to measure his ideas, Particular notions have ever gone before general ones; abftraction is an operation of the mind pofterior, to obfervation, Even Ariftotle, the firft of critics, feems to have derived the principles, delivered in his poetics, almost wholly from the study of Homer, Perhaps this is the reafon, why nothing has ever been well faid upon the composition of fermons.

There is indeed a fet of people, who, it may be, fimply to difplay their maftery in that polite language, are continually holding up to us the French preachers as the standard of perfection. But perhaps a man of exquifite and refined judgement would receive lefs fatisfaction in the perufal of their fermons, than of any other of those compofitions, which have obtained fo elevated a fame with a

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good humoured nation, who regard their own attainments as the ne plus ultra of human excellence. It is now, we believe generally agreed, that the reputation of the French fermons muft ftand or fall with Maffillon. His defcriptions indeed are frequently vivid, strong, and pathetic. But the tafte in which he writes is extremely corrupt. He is ever upon the ftretch after a dignity he never reaches. His ftyle is uniformly fonorous, bombaftic and turgid. He has the fombrous fwelling manner of Dr. Young, without having the terrible fublime of Dr. Young to bear him

His amplification, a figure that continually recurs upon us, is heavy, tautological, and fomniferous beyond all bounds. Indeed, if the French ever attained the true ftyle of pulpit eloquence, it was in Boffuet; who however has left as nothing in that kind but a volume of funeral orations.

But there is another confideration, which, in our opinion, as effectually, and ftill more unquestionably, excludes the French preachers from ever being regarded as the models of perfection. It is, that to a juft and elevated ftyle of preaching, a great and fublime morality is indifpenfibly neceffary. It is here that the clergy of almost all countries have failed. They have inculcated too much the Blifil mo-. rality. They have laid more stress upon external forms, and regularity of demeanor, and the decencies of common life, than upon the virtues of the heart, comprehenfive benevolence, generous rectitude, a noble difdain of private ease and private emolument, and all thofe qualities, that level the diftinctions of artificial life, and bid mortal natures emulate the divine. But if this be the cafe in protestant countries, how much more in fuch a country as France, where their beft divines can harangue the multitude for an hour together upon the devil of St. Bernard, St. Anthony's pig, and the little finger of St. Francis Xavier?

The French preachers difmiffed, it will fcarcely be expected from the critic, to be more partial to the English ones. We have had indeed an Atterbury, we have had a Sherlock, and ftill more lately a Blair. These writers, especially Sherlock, have perhaps carried the cool elegance of our language. as far as it will go. All that ingenious difquifition, perfect purity, exact fymmetry of period, and the fofteft cadences could do, has been performed. But thefe gentlemen have forgot, without one exception, that they were writing speeches, to be addreffed to an audience.

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Lord Chesterfield has told us that a polite man must only fmile, and that to laugh out is the height of vulgarity and ill manners. There is a fet of critics, who with the laft of abfurdities, have invented principles analogous to this, for the government

government of philology. They have decided, that every. thing beyond the laws of fimple elegance, is a tranfgref fion of tafte. They have given a name to this fpecies of writing, and call it claffical compofition. But they could not have adopted a name that led more completely to their own detection. What will these men fay to Demofthenes and Cicero, to Pindar and Longinus ? Are their compofitions tastelefs and indefenfible? And yet it is not in the mind of man to conceive of more vigorous and daring flights, than their writings exhibit. Nothing indeed but the height of frigidity and idiotifm could have found any analogy between the true fublime, and the style of a Hervey, a Klopstock, and The man who relishes most the unrivalled imagination of a Rouffeau, or the fublime majesty of a Gray, will ever be found to be he, who holds the affected, the turgid, and the bombaftic in the most unconquer

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able abhorrence.

Thefe reflexions could at no time be more properly brought forward, than as introductory to our difcuffing the merit of a preacher, who, for ourfelves we do not hefitate to fay, has approached nearer to the ftyle of a genuine and popular oratory, than any of the most celebrated divines of France or England. They have been more elegant, more polished, more refined, beyond comparison, than our author; many readers would pronounce their productions, as mere compofitions, to merit a higher rank; but few of their admirers, we apprehend, would choose for the fubject of their contraft the particular accomplishment we have juft fpecified.

Mr. Walker poffeffes a most happy and vigorous imagination. This talent however does not feduce him to wander in the attractive field of rhetoric and imagery. It does not detract from, but increase the dignity of his compofition. It is happily fubordinate to that manly vein, which is every where characteristic of the author. This is indeed his leading excellence. There is an energy, a burning fpirit in his language, which has feldom been furpaffed. Along with this, his ftyle of writing, is rude, harth and incondité. There are certain defects, which feem chiefly calculated to fet off to advantage their correfpondent beauties; and this is among the number. We are not however idle enough to imagine, that Mr. Walker's productions would be intrinfically the worse, if their ftyle had been more mellowed and harmonious. But this apology may at least be made; that the defect fits lefs ungracefully upon him, than it would perhaps upon any other man; and that it is lefs incompatible with the form of popular addrefs, than with almost any other of the productions of literature.

The

The history of Providence, which forms the primal fubject of the prefent difcourfe, is very masterly, and full of reflexion and philofophy. One of its most original ideas confifts in the great ftrefs that is laid upon the melioration of the manners of modern times, effected by the irruption of the northern nations. This event is coupled by our author with the promulgation of chriftianity, as conftituting along with it the two things, which "have given as it were a new "face to the globe, and a new character to man.'

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Though, not refined or learned themfelves,' fays Mr. Walker, our Northern ancestors brought with them a ftrength of genius, and a finer principle of humanity, which has enabled them to surpass their masters both in wifdom and in manners. Till these rude nations revealed themfelves to the South, the estimation of the female fex was utterly unknown, and how great an effect this has had on the good temper and beft felicity of human life may be known to every one, by comparing the state of domestic manners among the earlier Afiatics, the Greeks and Romans, with the focial and domeftic character of even the rudest European nation That freedom, which they feemed to annex to a citizen from the moment of his birth, has not been exterminated by all the selfishness and cruelty of ambition; legal liberty, that wonderful idea, fprung out of their familiar practice; and where legal liberty appears to be done away, it's influence is ftill felt in a fyftem of manners and nfages derived from the fame fource, which controuls the rude hand of power, foftens, tempers, and gives the law even to defpotiím it felf. It has broken, apparently for ever broken, the fyftem of great and monstrous empires, by that firm tone, which it has given to the human mind, that capacity of equal refiftance which it has communicated to man, wherever their character has established itfelf.

It is remarkable that chriftianity, which was almost a contem porary event, has wonderfully co-operated with the whole fpirit and genius of these manly fons of the North. Chriftianity is in all it's application to the human mind, favourable to liberty, to hu manity, to generofity, to order, and to law. By ridding it of the debafements of fuperftition, and introducing to it a fublime and moral religion, it has conduced to rid it of all contracted and contracting prejudices, to give a vigour to the mind, and carry it through all the lengths of rational and liberal enquiry. It has fallen in with the focial and domeftic liberty of the North, it embraces the ab; horrence of flavery in all it's forms, it teaches to man his individual as well as relative importance in the world of God; in fine it difcovers in the very counfels and will of God himself, a fanction of all the manly and generous maxims of our Northern progenitors.

The contemporaneous production of thefe two great operating caufes of the improvement of man, is no feeble argument of a Providence, attentive to the good of man, in thofe fcafons which to it's wifdom feem fit. We limit the bleffings of chriftianity to thofe countries where it's name is owned; but chriftianity is felt where it's name is formally rejected. The religion of Mahomet

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is indebted for every excellence it has to boast of to the discove ries of the gospel, and thefentiments and the manners which are peculiar to christianity, and to Chriftian nations, have fpread, and are fpreading into thofe countries which own neither the Chriftian nor the Mahometan name. The Ruffians on the East, and the British Americans on the Weft, inay probably be the inftruments of Providence to extend boththe name, and all it's bleflings over the whole globe.'

This paffage, which exhibits, in a striking point of view, the comprehenfion of our Author's mind, belongs however to the cooler part of his difquifition, and is accordingly thrown by him into a note. It behoves us before we proceed to any minuter criticifms in which we may indulge ourfelves, to lay before our readers a fpecimen of his manner, when he affumes theftyle of energy and eloquence. It is thus that he fpeaks of the immediate occafion of that day's folemnity.

Under this acknowledgment of Providence, as the fecret controuler and director of the great events of this world, we are affembled to thank God. To thank him! why fo our rulers have at length thought fit, and I would to God, that they had never had a worie thought. Whether they feel the gratitude, which they invite, I pretend not to decide; but I fear the national temper does not kindly accord with the invitation. There is a fenfe of national humiliation, of national lofs, of national affliction, that beats back the thought of gratitude. It requires a very enlightened and elevated piety, fuch as the mafs of a people never reach to, to find a motive to thankfulness in the very bolom of fuffering. Gratitude is a chearful act, and does not readily fpring up in a defponding breaft. We have no victories to proclaim, no triumph over our old implacable foe, no addition of territory, of wealth, of com merce, to our beloved country: but all is a fad tale of ruined armies, humbled fleets, empire loft, finking commerce, diffipated treafure, oppreffive taxes, factious politics, with every fymptom of na tional decline. Whatever therefore be the language of the proclama tion, I would not affect to turn nature out of her courfe, and fpeak the language of joy in the very ear of forrow, Whatever be the general bleflings of peace, and however fpecious the topic of its praife, it may be a national evil, and be abhorrent to all fense of national gratitude; but yet, with the moft unpalatable circumstances, it may be an evil wifely chofen.

And

Who can forbear to acknowledge the hand of Providence, in the fate of this country. If national and individual crime be the defer yed object of providential punifliment, we have enough of crime of every defcription, which might justify Providence in a feverer pu nishment than it has yet been pleafed to inflict upon us. the finger of Providence appears to be vifible in the ordering of it; no gradual decline marks the ordinary courfe of human events, but a ftrange and precipitate descent from the highest glory and profperity proclaims the venerable power, which meant to humble 3. By the most irreligious minds, and which are little apt to take God into any account, the fall is contemplated with astonishment, and

they