fcripture alfo. That experiment the deift himfelf commonly thinks too hardy. But he rejects it in effect by garbling it. "This great doctrine is fupported alfo by the analogy of God's moral government, under which we all act as a kind of redeemers and mediators among each other, in our own little temporal affairs. "Nor is it a weak argument in favour of this doctrine, when we appeal to our own feelings. We must be conscious, when we look into ourfelves, of fuch unworthiness, as muft entirely difqualify us for the divine favour, without some better introduction than our own. It is an opinion ftrongly implanted in our nature. Guilt always wishes for fupport," P. 22. We should object to this paffage, only the mention of the Deift, an animal unknown in general to country congregations, and better concealed from their view than exhibited, though it be merely to expofe him. The fifth Sermon, on "Many are called, but few chofen", is calculated to be eminently useful, efpecially where enthufiafts have been endeavouring to circulate their false notions of election. The Sermon on Balaam is alfo of a very edifying kind. Their general character is that of clear and found inftruction, conveyed in neat language, but - without any attempt at ornament, any further than as illuftration may convey inftruction. Of the Hints for Sermons, we cannot give a better idea than by inferting one of them entire : and for this purpose we fhall felect one, wherein the author moft wifely and judiciously touches a fubject, on which many modern divines have allowed themselves to write and to talk, in our opinion, very prefumptuously. "And thefe fhall go away into everlafting punishment.-Matt. xxv. 45. "The eternity of future punishments hath occafioned much controverfy among divines. Inftead of taking part with either fide, I am rather inclined to chew the impropriety of bringing the queftion at all into difcuffion. "In the first place, as enquiries of this kind muft end, as they be gan, in uncertainty, it is ufelefs to difcufs them. We can know nothing on the fubject but from fcripture, and we fee fcripture is not fo decifive as to prevent difputes. "Secondly, enquiries of this kind argue fome degree of distrust in providence. God Almighty has declared himself in numberless pafiages of fcripture to be a righteous judge-a juft rewarder, and a juft punisher of all our actions. What need we enquire farther? Do we diftruft his word ?-When a man makes me a promife, if I believe him to be an honeft man, I fimply take his word. But if I have any doubt, I begin to enquire how he means to perform what he promised, Let us not then fhew fuch diftruft to God. He has affured us that he is a righteous judge. Let us therefore depend upon his word, without enquiring into the means he propofes. "I would obferve farther, that the difcuffion of fuch a queftion ap pears alfo to have a bad tendency. Notwithstanding all the influence of eternal eternal punishment, vice cannot be kept in awe. Would you thea Boolen a tie, which does not at all appear too ftrict? It injures certainly no man to have his fears imprefied in this cafe; but has rather a good tendency. If it were once fairly eftablished, that future panifhments were not eternal, it might fet the inclinations of many a licentions man at liberty, and open a wide door to fin. It may, no doubt, be the fecret with of many to find fuch a theory right; but I fuppofe, in ge neral, the converts to it would be fuch as wifhed rather to eafe their fears, than to cure their infidelity. As thefe therefore will be the chief perfons who will attend to your arguments, I fhould think it would be of more fervice to religion, to leave them to their own conjectures. They become nice cafuits for no reafon but to become fafe finners. "To thefe confiderations against examining this infcrutable point, let me add, that it has the appearance of prefumption alfo, and a caft of irreligion. Far be it from me to mark with thofe characters many good people, who have taken up this argument. Things appear to different perfons in different lights. I only mention the idea, under which & Brikes me. God feems plainly, for his own wife reasons, to have left this great point uncertain at leaft-or, if not uncertain, lean ing rather towards the pofitive fide. Whatever his reafons are, it is not our bufinefs to enquire. We ought to fhut up all our enquiries with that reverence that is due to the infcrutable counfels of God. "To conclude: as the mind of man muft think, it will naturally fall on this as well as other topics; and every mind will have its own fentiments. All therefore that I contend for is, that when the fubject is fo uncertain, and a mistake fo dangerous, we fhould rather think in private, than run the risk of misleading others, in a point which, if proved, might be of dangerous confequence; and can hardly in any light be of importance. The only real ground of the enquiry is, to vindicate the juftice of God; but he, whofe faith is fo ungrounded, as to ftand in need of to precarious and uncertain a vindication, I fear is in the ftate of thofe perfons, who, if they believe not Mofes and the prophets, neither will they be perfuaded though one rofe from the dead. If the number lefs intimations, which God hath given us of his wifdom and goodnefs in the revela tion of his will, have no effect upon them, I fhould not hope for much good from their being convinced, that future punishments are not eterzal." P. 397. On this fubject, for the very wife reafons here alledged, we do not invite, but, on the contrary, moft earnestly deprecate further difcuffion; which would be r ART. IV. The true Hiftory of the Conquest of Mexico, by Captain Bernal Diaz del Caftillo, One of the Conquerors. Written in the Year 1568. Tranflated from the original Spanish, by Maurice Keatinge, Efq. 4to. 514 Pp. 11. 5s. Wright, 1800. THE original of the work here prefented to the public, has been already reviewed by a critic of no common note: we mean Dr. William Robertfon, the hiftorian of America. As his opinion coincides with our own, and probably with that of every other reader of the Hiftoria Verdadera de la Conquefte de la Neuve Efpagna, we fhall take the liberty of fubjoining it. When Bernal Diaz, who had been an adventurer in each of the expeditions to New Spain, and who was the companion of Cortez himself in all his battles and perils, "found that neither he himself, nor many of his fellow-foldiers, were once mentioned by Gomara, but that the fame of all their exploits was afcribed to Cortez, the gallant veteran laid hold of his pen with indignation, and compofed his True Hiftory. It contains a prolix, minute, confufed narrative of all Cortez's operations, in fuch a rude, vulgar style, as might be expected from an illiterate foldier. But as he relates tranfactions, of which he was witness, and in which he performed a confiderable part, his account bears all the marks of authenticity, and is accompanied with fuch a pleasant naiveté, with fuch interesting details, with fuch amufing vanity, and yet fo pardonable in an old foldier who had been (as he boafts) in a hundred and nineteen battles, as renders his book one of the molt fingular that is to be found in any language." Robertfon's America, vol. ii. P. 418. Such is the original of the work now before us. The Englifh reader, however, who approaches the tranflation with an idea of finding in it the "prolixity, rudeness, and confufion," obferved by Dr. Robertfon, will be very agreeably difappointed. The magic hand of the tranflator has removed them all, and prefented us, without the moft trifling deviation from the fenfe of the original, and without the fmallest diminution of its bewitching naivetè, with a clear, comprehenfive, and confiftent narrative, as entertaining as it is fingular," as inftructive as it is important. No violent means have been adopted to effect this beneficial change. The Hiftoria Verdadera confifts, if we recolle& rightly, of two hundred and twenty chapters; each of which, except the firft, from the garrulity incident to old age, and ef fentially eternal punishment, vice cannot be kept in awe. Would you then Joofen a tie, which does not at all appear too ftrict? It injures certainly no man to have his fears imprefied in this cafe; but has rather a good tendency. If it were once fairly eftablished, that future panifhments were not eternal, it might fet the inclinations of many a licentions man at liberty, and open a wide door to fin. It may, no doubt, be the fecret with of many to find fuch a theory right; but I fuppofe, in ge neral, the converts to it would be fuch as wifhed rather to eate their fears, than to cure their infidelity. As thefe therefore will be the chief perfons who will attend to your arguments, I fhould think it would be of more service to religion, to leave them to their own conjectures. They become nice cafuits for no reafon but to become fate finners. "To thefe confiderations against examining this infcrutable point, let me add, that it has the appearance of prefumption alfo, and a cast of irreligion. Far be it from me to mark with thofe characters many good people, who have taken up this argument. Things appear to different perfons in different lights. I only mention the idea, under which & Brikes me. God feems plainly, for his own wife reasons, to Eave left this great point uncertain at leaft-or, if not uncertain, leaning rather towards the pofitive fide. Whatever his reasons are, it is not our bufinefs to enquire. We ought to fhut up all our enquiries with that reverence that is due to the infcrutable counfels of God. "To conclude: as the mind of man muft think, it will naturally fall on this as well as other topics; and every mind will have its own fentiments. All therefore that I contend for is, that when the fubject is fo uncertain, and a mistake fo dangerous, we fhould rather think in private, than run the risk of misleading others, in a point which, if proved, might be of dangerous confequence; and can hardly in any light be of importance. "The only real ground of the enquiry is, to vindicate the juftice of God; but he, whofe faith is fo ungrounded, as to ftand in need of lo precarious and uncertain a vindication, I fear is in the ftate of thofe perfons, who, if they believe not Mofes and the prophets, neither will they be perfuaded though one rofe from the dead. If the numberlefs intimations, which God hath given us of his wifdom and goodness in the revela tion of his will, have no effect upon them, I should not hope for much good from their being convinced, that future punishments are not eterzal." P. 397. On this fubject, for the very wife reafons here alledged, we do not invite, but, on the contrary, moft earnestly deprecate farther difcuffion; which would be more likely to unfettle many minds, than to improve even a fingle chriftian. The weight of Mr. Gilpin's fuggeftions, let thofe in particular estimate, who have been prone to indulge in fuch fpeculations; and without neceffity to hazard the publishing of their notions, with as much eagernefs as if Religion itself depended on the difcuffion. ART. ART. IV. The true Hiftory of the Conqueft of Mexico, by Captain Bernal Diaz del Caftillo, One of the Conquerors. Written in the Year 1568. Tranflated from the original Spanish, by Maurice Keatinge, Efq. 4to. 514 PP. 1. ss. Wright, 1800. THE original of the work here prefented to the public, has been already reviewed by a critic of no common note: we mean Dr. William Robertfon, the hiftorian of America. As his opinion coincides with our own, and probably with that of every other reader of the Hiftoria Verdadera de la Conquefte de la Neuve Efpagna, we shall take the liberty of fubjoining it. When Bernal Diaz, who had been an adventurer in each of the expeditions to New Spain, and who was the companion of Cortez himself in all his battles and perils, "found that neither he himself, nor many of his fellow-foldiers, were once mentioned by Gomara, but that the fame of all their exploits was afcribed to Cortez, the gallant veteran laid hold of his pen with indignation, and compofed his True Hiftory. It contains a prolix, minute, confused narrative of all Cortez's operations, in fuch a rude, vulgar style, as might be expected from an illiterate foldier. But as he relates tranfactions, of which he was witness, and in which he performed a confiderable part, his account bears all the marks of authenticity, and is accompanied with fuch a pleasant naiveté, with fuch interesting details, with fuch amufing vanity, and yet fo pardonable in an old foldier who had been (as he boasts) in a hundred and nineteen battles, as renders his book one of the most fingular that is to be found in any language." Robertfon's America, vol. ii. p. 418. Such is the original of the work now before us. The Englifh reader, however, who approaches the tranflation with an idea of finding in it the "prolixity, rudeness, and confusion," obferved by Dr. Robertfon, will be very agreeably disappointed. The magic hand of the tranflator has removed them all, and prefented us, without the moft trifling deviation from the fenfe of the original, and without the fmalleft diminution of its bewitching naivetè, with a clear, comprehenfive, and confiftent narrative, as entertaining as it is fingular," as inftructive as it is important. 46 No violent means have been adopted to effect this beneficial change. The Hiftoria Verdadera confifts, if we recollect rightly, of two hundred and twenty chapters; each of which, except the firft, from the garrulity incident to old age, and ef fentially |