from the mind of man; and, to accomplish their infernal purpofe, they have pursued a mode at once the most impious and the moft artful that could be imagined. The existence of a Deity is fo obvious a deduction of reafon from the works of creation, that a direct attempt to propagare Atheism as a fyftem, muft defeat itself by its own abfurdity. But the end, which is unattainable by direct, may be accomplifhed by circuitous means. Therefore thefe impious men directed their attacks against revealed religion, the truth of which, inftead of being abfolutely demonftrable by reafon, depends upon a more remote, though when complete, as it is in the prefent inftance, an equally convincing fpecies of proof-hifiorical teftimony. They knew, that if they could banish from Christendom the particular form in which religion had been there inculcated, and in which alone it had obtained belief and excited veneration, they would in effect deftroy its fubftance, and leave the mind a total void of dark and hopeless Atheism. They alfo felt and indulged a peculiar and infatiable animofity against the Chriflian religion, on account of its immaculate purity, which, though admirably calculated to promote the happiness of man in this life, was at direct variance with the vices, in the indulgence of which they had determined that their happiness should confift; and they were fully aware that the fame corrupt propenfities by which they were enflaved, would facilitate their fuccefs in endeavouring to weaken a retraint, fo unwelcome to a very large portion of mankind. With thefe views and advantages they fet themfelves to work; and having a perfect knowledge of the nature of man (except indeed as an im mortal being) and of the machine of fociety; having alfo perfect acquaintance with the channels by which literature afforded an access to the human mind; they laboured with indefatigable industry, but for a great number of years with concealed efforts, not only to make profelytes to their fyftem, and to eftablish fecret focieties of infidels, but to destroy by fubtle and fceptical difquifitions, and particularly by the most powerful of all weapons, raillery and ridicule, all fenfe of religion in mankind.” P. 125.

But this was attended by its natural effect, a profligacy of practices refulting from a corruption of principles. The heart being tainted with the poifon of infidelity, the venom showed itfelf in broad fpots upon all the extremities.

"The difciples of this fect," as Mr. Bowles proceeds to note," in furtherance of their original plan, framed and propagated an entire new fyftem of morals, to which has been given the name of Modern Philofophy; a philofophy, which attacks the foundations, while the infidel fcheme aims its blows at the main pillar of civil fociety; a philofophy, which tends to extinguish all the feelings of Nature, by. reaching its votaries to facrifice their first, their strongest affections, at the thrine of general humanity; a philofophy, which holds up graritude to contempt, and which defpifes the facred impulfe of paternal love and filial piety; a philofophy, which expofes to fcorn every antient ufage, every established inftitution, every local attachment, and which would facrifice in one rafh moment the collective wisdom of pat ages; a philofophy, which undermines the very foundations of

virtue,

virtue, by making vice appear amiable, by adorning guilt with attractive qualities, and rendering it an object of pity and of love, and by adorning even thofe crimes which ftrike at the very existence of fociety, fo as to make them not only lofe all their deformity, but to call forth the tendereft fympathy of mankind; a philofophy, which inculcates to every individual, that his own cafual and capricious notions of right and wrong are to fuperfede thofe ancient rules, which are taught by divine wifdom, or established on the bafis of human experience; and which have hitherto been regarded with reverence, and confidered as the tefts and the bulwarks of morality; a philofophy, which maintains the most criminal and deftructive actions to be juftifiable, provided their perpetrator has fo depraved a judgment and fo vitiated a heart, as fincerely to think them meritorious. Can Hell's vast magazine of mifchief contain a more potent engine of deftruction, than this horrid fyftem; which tends to effect a complete fubverfion of every existing eftablishment, a total revolution in the political and moral world ?" P. 127.

Mr. Bowles then goes on to fhow how favourable the state of fociety was for receiving that poifon of modern infidelity, and that venom of modern philofophy. The wealth, which commerce had been long diffufing through the civilized world, had generated a luxurious mode of living; and this mode was now inflamed by thefe new allies which it fo readily adopted.

"Thus," as Mr. Bowles fubjoins, "three great and powerful caufes of corruption, either of which would fingly be more than fufficient to make the moral and focial world one fcene of ruin, have been long operating with combined force, and with reciprocal re-action. Their effect has been various in different countries. Germany has been the principal fchool of the new philofophy, and its literati have laboured indefatigably to deluge Europe with works of all defcriptions, and chiefly with plays and novels, which most artfully inculcate their pernicious fyftem. In France, luxury and infidelity have established a joint dominion, and have not only reduced the people of that country to a state of degradation, depravity, and mifery, of which no example is to be found in history, but [which] have rendered them the fcourge of the whole earth. The British nation, favoured by their " quiet good fenfe," by their admirable fobriety of character, by their detached fituation, and by their religious and moral habits, have been lefs injured by the impious and diforganizing fchemes of modern infidels, than their continental neighbours. But their unrivalled profperity has expofed them in a moft dreadful degree, to the moral ra vages of luxury; while the new philofophy has not only made a confiderable progrefs among them, but even infected the fources, from which the principles of the rifing generation are derived. They bave feen among them affociations, formed for the promotion of fcepticism and atheifm; public harangues, under the pretence of difcuffion, have been delivered for the fame purpofe in the heart of their metropolis; and the prefs has been employed to circulate the poifon throughout the humbleft walks of life, and to corrupt the mind of the peafant and

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BRIT. CRIT. VOL. XVII, MARCH, 1801.

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the artifan. Still, however, this favoured country, happily for itself and the world, poffeffes more religion and virtue than can be found throughout the rest of Christendom. It is in this refpect the very reverfe of France, the most corrupt of all modern nations; and the Supreme Being feems to have preferved with the most striking justice, a difference between the fate of the two countries, which remarkably correfponds with their refpective merits. The one feems, according to the ufual courfe of Providence, to be felected as the fcourge of those which are lefs wicked than itfelf; while the other is made the bulwark of the focial world, to preferve it from total destruction.” P. 132.

Yet even in this island the author points out many evils, poJitical or moral, which are co-operating with infidelity and philofophy, to throw the world at lait into all the horrors of anarchy.

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Happily for mankind," he fays, " they are not yet arrived at this ftate of extreme depravity. If that explofion," which has fhaken the focial edifice to its foundations, "had been delayed until the human race had approached the laft flage of moral corruption; until the volcanic elements of infidelity, luxury, and vice, had acquired fufficient force to produce it; without the concurrence of extraordi nary political caufes, it would have been fatal in the firit inftance, and the barriers of fociety would have fallen at the firf blast of the trum, pet of anarchy. But the deleterious influence of human depravity was a neceffary, though it has not been the fole, caufe of the evils which we have now to deplore, and of the ftill greater dangers which we have to apprehend. Without that influence, the French Revolution could not have proved fo general and fo grievous a fcourge to mankind." This dreadful Revolution has derived, if not its exiftence, at least its main force, from the vitiated state of fociety. To this it is indebted, for the most atrocious and deftructive character which it has affumed; for the production of fuch monfters, as Robespierre, Marat, Le Bon, and Buonaparte; and for the dreadful ravages, by which it has defolated a great part of the earth. The great progrefs which it has made in fo fhort a fpace of time, is evidently owing to the decay of religious and moral principles. If thofe principles had been in a flourishing ftate, the attack (if it could have taken place) could not have been fo violent, and the defence would have been unfpeakably more vigorous. But unhappily the influence of thofe principles was greatly enfeebled, and the oppofite ones had attained a very high degree of force, when mankind were furprifed by this terrible conflict. Hence it is, that the Revolution has made such astonishing advances towards the overthrow of all focial establishments; and, to judge from prefent appearances, it will accomplish that overthrow, unless it be refifted by means very different from thofe which have been hitherto employed." P. 149.

A prediction very alarming to the fpirits of all, who have any reverence for religion, any respect for their country, any regard for their own true interefts!

The means to prevent this prediction from being realized, are pointed out by Mr. Bowles, and we fhould be happy to follow him through them all. But we must remember the limits of a Review. We have, indeed, indulged ourselves more than we can generally allow, in making extracts from a pamphlet; for the fake of our readers in particular, and for the fake of the public in general. Yet we cannot refrain from making one extract more. The paffage is near the clofe of this fecond part, and the extract fhall be a fhort one.

"If," fays this dignified monitor concerning GoD," as there feems abundant reafon to conclude, HE be now difplaying in a fignal manner his vengeance against a guilty world; if he be vindicating his laws, which have been broken, and his religion, which has been con temned; if he be inflicting his fatherly chattifement, for the correction and improvement of his difobedient children; we may be fure that his prefent awful difpenfations will, like all his means, be adequate to the accomplishment of the end which they are intended to produce. But how far, both in severity and duration, they are to be carried before they answer their intended purpose, is a confideration, which at all events muft infpire us with dread; but which is peculiarly calculated to excite alarm, if we reflect on their failure hitherto to produce any material effect. This is perhaps the most awful fymptom attending our fituation. Already has the vifitation lafted ten years; already has it laid in ruins half the establishments of the civilized world, and convulfed all fociety to its foundations. Already has it produced carnage, and defolation, and anarchy, not to be equalled in the hiftory of the world; and yet mankind do not feem to be roused, luxury and diffipation have experienced no abatement, and vice has not flackened her career. Even in the most virtuous country of Europe, in the very midst of fo dreadful a fcene, incredible to relate! an attempt to pass a law to refrain the crying fin of adultery, has failed of fuccefs. In short, in the midft of all its fufferings, the world feems to exhibit the fhocking spectacle of a hardened and impenitent race, determined to brave the vengeance of the Almighty, to defpife his threats, and to defy his wrath." P. 172.

Too dreadfully juft, we feel, is this picture of the civilized world! May it become lefs and lefs juft, under the correcting hand of GOD! May we of this kingdom particularly, fet the example to people of other nations! And, as we have once faved them from deftruction by our military prowels, may we finally fave them by what is infinitely better for ourselves or for them, by our religious example!

Mr. Bowles goes on to a third divifion, the origin of the war; but we are compelled to leave him here. Yet we cannot part with him, without giving him very high commendations for his work. We have previously recognized much of Mr. Burke in this author. He has not indeed thofe brilliant flashes, and that deep tone, which fo often mark the productions of Mr.

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Burke.

Burke. But he ftill has much of his vivacity, much of his vigour; and he has what is infinitely more to his honour, the fublimity of foul which delights itfelf with religion, which loves to bend in the delicious fervour of devotion to GOD, and which is happy to feel the beams of his favouring eye, pouring their radiance upon it.

ART. XVI. An Analysis of a Courfe of Lectures on the Principles of Natural Philofophy. By C. H. Wilkinfon, Surgeon, of the Society of Arts, Member of the Philofophical Society of Manchefter, and Lecturer on Experimental Philofophy at St. Bartholomew's Hofpital. To which is prefixed, an Effay on Electricity, with a View of explaining the Phenomena of the Leyden Phial, &c. on mechanical Principles. 8vo. 220 pp. 5s. Allen, Paternofter-Row. 1799.

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Y intention," this author fays, " in the following pages, to endeavour to explain the phenomena of electricity on mechanical principles, to regard electricity as a fluid fubject to laws common to all other elaftic fluids, and to render unneceffary the use of the terms attraction and repulfion, to which no clear or distinct ideas can be annexed."

We cannot understand how Mr. Wilkinson can explain the phænomena of electricity without ufing, or without annexing, any diftinct ideas to the words attraction and repulfion, at the fame time that he regards electricity as an elaftic fluid; for what elfe is an elaftic fluid, or how can it otherwife be defined, than a fluid whofe particles are repulfive of each other?

The Eilay on Electricity is divided into various fhort fections, and in thofe fections the hiftorical, the defcriptive, and the theoretical parts of electricity, are intermixed without much regularity, and frequently with fome obfcurity. Speaking of conductors and non-conductors, he says,

"Some experiments which I have made induce me to believe that bodies poffefs different degrees of electricity that the most perfect conductor poffeffes the largest quantity of electricity, and the most perfect non-conductor the least quantity.

"It is a circumftance well known to electricians, that in a tube exhaufted about 100 times, very fmall portions of electricity are visible, [which] from the refiftance of the air being confiderably diminished, become more diffused, and pafs through a larger fpace.

"In a glass receiver, about fix inches in diameter, and fourteen long, I made a quick revolution of a cushion, which communicated by a brafs rod to the top of the receiver, and made it rub on a piece of plate glass fixed on a stand, elevated to about the centre of the receiver;

the