III. "O had I always lov'd thee fo, Thro' flowery vales and verdant meads; Still ebbing onward till it laves Eternity's unruffled waves ?" P. 51. Into the mouth of this perfonage the principal narrative is properly, and almoft of neceffity thrown, and it is told with great vigour and effect. To prevent multiplying our citations, we fhall only refer to the remorfe and frenzy of Chriftian, as a fine though tremendous picture of the vengeance which guilt very commonly executes upon itself. It is an awful, and what makes it more important, a true leffon! The extraordinary events that follow, the double maf facre, and the prefervation of the narrator would, if invented, be pronounced too improbable; but they are, we have every reafon to believe, founded in fact, and therefore only ferve to justify the apparent paradox of Ariftotle, that "it is probable that many things fhould happen, contrary to probabi lity." So extraordinary are the eventful turns of human life, particularly under unufual circumftances. The conclufion of the tale is pleafing as unexpected, and the mind of the reader refts, with delightful complacency, on the little Paradife in the Pacific Ocean. It is fuperfluous to repeat our praises. If Mifs M. has ever been injudicious in following her model, it is only now and then, when the copies his peculiarities too clofely; the fe inftances, with a very few double rhymes, which have too much the air of burlefque, and three or four words errone oufly accented, form all the deductions we should make from the fingular merits of the tale. The notes, which occupy the volume from page 191, are not fuperfluous, but neceffary. 1 ART. ART. VI. Sermons, by Dr. Charles Webfler, Founder of, and Lecturer at, St. Peter's Chapel, Edinburgh, and Chaplain to the Right Hon. William Lord Gray, and afterwards Phyfician to his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, and to his Majefty's Forces in the Weft-Indies; including his Sermon on Public Worship and Inftruction, preached at the Opening of St. Peter's Chapel, with an occafional Prayer. 211 pp. Hayden. 1811. THIS HIS is a pofthumous publication, and, as it should seem, intended as a vehicle of liberality and benevolence to three orphan daughters, whose names are fubfcribed to a neatly written dedication to the Countess of Cholmondeley. The work itfelf is introduced by a lift of fubfcribers, fo numerous and fo highly respectable, that one of the ends propofed by the printing of thefe Sermons cannot fail of being accomplished; neither will the reputation of the deceafed author be in any danger of difgrace, for thefe Difcourses are evidently the production of very confiderable talents. If no profound theological erudition be difclofed, the language is forcible, the doctrine inculcated found and inftructive, and undoubtedly must have made a strong impreffion on the audience. There are fixteen fermons, including two fragments, and, with the exception of the firft, were none of them compofed with a view to publication. As the firft, therefore, was written with more reflection, and probably received the author's careful and final correction, it feems a matter of juftice to take one fpecimen from this:-the text is from Levit. xxvi. 2. "Ye fhall keep my Sabbaths, and reverence my Sanctuary; I am the Lord." A fuccinct but fatisfactory account is given of the origin, progrefs, and confirmation of the different modes of public worship, which exhibits extenfive reading and deep contemplation on the subject. After a fuitable exordium, the author obferves, "Public worship refts not folely on the footing of a pofitive law. It is recommended to us by the general confent of mankind, our own fenfe or decency, and the established rules of fociety, as a merciful appointment of reft and thought amidst the Jabours and diffipations of life, as a public teftimony of reverence due to the Almighty, as an evidence of our faith to our fellowworshippers, and as a connecting principle of our common relations, neceffities and bleffings. The principle of piety, like our other affections, acts in fociety with peculiar force, and is greatly ftrengthened by fympathy. What we feel together, we feel with double force. Each is affected by that fum of devout expreffion to which each contributes, but which no one fingly can fupply. The The flame fpreads from breast to breaft: a divine enthusiasm is caught the facred ftillness of the day, with all the affairs of this world at a ftand; the folemnities of public homage, with decorations fuited to our feelings and to the place; the living voice of the people, the animating fwell of facred mufic, the proftrations of deep humility, the exulting expr fiions of pious joy, all that is affecting in the warmth of zeal, or delightful in the beauty of holinefs, confpire to touch, to raife, to fubdue the heart, to form a tafte, and to confirm a habit of devotion. The fight of a worfhipping affembly, engaged, notwithstanding their difference of condition, in addreffing the fame cominon Father, imploring the fame mercies, and acknowledging the fame bleflings, reprefents to us all men as equal, or ra her as nothing in the fight of God, as equally dependent on him, as expofed to the fame infirmities, wants, and forrows, yet as partakers of the fame bleffings, candidates for the fame happiness, and heirs of the fame hopes: a view of our connexion with God and our fellow-creatures, which muft tend greatly to improve our humility, benevolence, and mutual forbearance. "To aid and enforce our natural fentiments of moral duties, our Sabbaths and our Sacraments are fubfervient; and, fuited to our embodied ftate, as expreffive of a temper of subjection and obedience to the will of God, the only steady principle of virtue, as commanded and complied with by the Author and Finisher of our faith, they are parts of one whole, of which none are to be neglected, and aids which we all need, as fallible, probationary, and immortal beings. To obferve them, therefore, is not weaknefs, is not fuperftition, is not preferring rites to mortality; but declaring, that obedience to the appointments of God is an indif. penfable duty, and that a neglect of them is a thoughtlefs or determined difavowal of revelation. "Since, then, it is fo reasonable a fervice, fince there are fo many and fo great advantages refulting from fuch a worship, a regard to it is both our intereft and duty; and when our conduct in general correfponds with our devotions offered up in the fpirit of fincere humility and benevolence, in that blessed name, befides which there is none other given under heaven among men by which we can be heard or faved; when we pour out the free libations of our hearts as well as lips, and pay our Maker the daily tribute of our obedience, then it is we burn the pureft incenfe, and make the most grateful offering to heaven. "It is not, however, to devotion alone, that the Sabbath and Sanctuary are dedicated, but likewife to religious and moral inftruction. That facred book, the code of our faith, the charter of our hopes, and the rule of our life, the holy fcripture, which we profefs to believe, and which here we read, explain, and enforce, affords every aid and encouragement to devotion and obedience, applies to the feelings, and supplies the wants of the human heart, the want of knowledge of a Deity and duty, the want of a revelation `revelation and a Saviour; wants which the most enlightened of the heathens often deplored. It teaches us, that the power of that eternal Being who made the world ftill upholds it; that the wifdom which planned ftill directs it; and that the goodnefs which prompted ftill provides for the happiness of all its creatures. It details the hiftory of our origin and fall, and of the great events and characters of antiquity, illuftrating the ways of a progreffive, and benevolent Providence. It enforces our religious, relative, and perfonal duties by laws written ftom the mouth of God; and it aids us in the path of perfection by history, allegory, the beauties of poetry, and the maxims of wifdom. The promifes, the prophefies, the rites and facrifices have their only mean. ing and completion in that divine perfon, the glory of the Father, in whom dwelt bodily the fulness of the Godhead, and in whom all the rays of revelation, with fo much confiftence and splendour, unite. To show virtue in a living form, and man in the exprefs image of his Maker; to unite the glory of the Son of God with the grace of the Son of man; to demonftrate the Almighty's abhorrence of fin; to exhibit a model of perfection, and at the fame time to announce the acceptance of fincerity in its flead; to fave us from fin and death, Jefus Chrift affumed our nature, fuffered, and died. In proof of his miffion, he wrought miracles of power, wifdom, and goodness, fulfilled prophecy, and foretold future events. To confirm the wavering hope of immortality, he rofe from the dead, and, poffeffed of universal dominion, afcended into heaven, to fend the Comforter to his church, which, as he phefied, grew and spread, and filled the world with its branches, diffufing around them the fpirit of humanity; and at last he will return to judge the world in righteoufnefs." P. 17. The fubjects of the other Difcourfes are mifcellaneous, but are all calculated to do ferious fervice to the `cause of religion, and may be perufed with effential benefit. We are informed that they are printed as they were originally compofed, and are a felection made from a greater number. Dr. Webfler is reprefented as poffeffing high literary endow ments, as greatly esteemed in his own country and among foreigners, as an ornament to fociety, and an invaluable friend. We can very readily believe all this, as this volume will be found to contain ftrong internal evidence of its truth. ART. VII. Travels in various Countries of Europe, Afia, and Part the 760 pp. FEW EW modern publications have excited more of public curiofity and animadverfion, than this very curious and interesting volume of Travels. In one respect all readers 5 appear appear to be agreed, that the narrative is highly interesting and important, and the detail of the author's progrefs through the countries he describes, communicated in a very animated and entertaining manner. If any proof were wanted of this being the general, we might fay the univerfal, feeling, it is fufficiently afcertained by the unufual circumftance of the volume's pafling through two editions in the quarto form, in a very fhort period of time. The only circunftance which has occafioned perplexity, doubt, and difpute; and which indeed has been the particular reafon why we have so long delayed our notice of a book, from which we have derivei fo much and fuch pleating information, is the reprefentation which is here found of the Ruffian character. As this is a prominent feature, and occafionally introduced with a force and boldnefs almoft bordering upon caricature, we felt it a fort of duty both to the public and to Dr. Clarke to paufe a little and employ fuch means as were in our power from affiduous enquiry and invelligation to ascertain the real fact. We will candidly acknowledge that the refult of our examination has not been entirely fatisfactory. We have communicated with fome of the most intelligent and important individuals of different ranks, fome of whom have long been refident in, and others have frequently vifited the Ruflian Empire; with lome who have been led to that quarter of the globe from curiofity and for information, with others who have been long fixed in Ruffia by official fituations, or by fpeculations of commerce. Of these, fome have informed us that what is here faid by Dr. Clarke by no means outstrips the truth and fact, while others have frongly complained of mifreprefentation and prejudice. It is very certain that Dr. Clarke experienced much perfonal ill treatment in Ruflia, had unexpected and unreafonble obftructions thrown in his way, and was in fome degree perfecuted with a fort of vindictive temper. Allowing this treatment to operate on a temper, perhaps conftitutionally warm, though univerfally acknowledged to be ainiable, unneceffarily irritated and injurioufly provoked, the common feelings of human nature, will explain and to a certain degree juftify, what to fome readers has appeared to be malignant representation. Of malignity we know Dr. Clarke to be utterly incapable, and it is a matter of common juflice to him to state, that after due deliberation and a confiderable interval of time, he in his fecond edition retains, and not only retains, but vindicates all the opinions and affertions which are exhibited in the firfl. To the weight of his own he adds the highly refpectable authority of the late much lamented Lord Roy. fon, 1 |