upon him our nature, and to difcharge the condition of the covenant of works, by perfect obedience to his will. This is the foundation of the covenant of grace. Chrift is the me

diator of this new covenant, which office divides into three branches; that of prophet to teach men its conditions, and to give them the law of the gofpel; that of priest to atone for their fins, and that of king to fupport them by his grace here, and to reign over them in glory hereafter. Thefe extraordinary truths were communicated to the world by revelation, of which prophefies, miracles, &c. are the infallible teft. The patriarchs and ancient Jews had them by promife divinely afcertained: Chriftians have them in actual enjoyment, confirmed by stronger evidences. The Holy Scriptures which contain this revelation, are proved to be ancient, authentic, and uncorrupted; and the writers of them have been capable and credible witneffes, and honeft relaters of what they have advanced.-The condition of the covenant of grace, I mean the part incumbent on men, is divided into-+ Faith- Obedience- § and Repentance. And fince these cardinal duties are above the Capacity of our native powers, our Saviour hath promised to affift our endeavours, by the influence of Divine grace, and to intercede with his Father in heaven.He hath further appointed efficacious means by which we may apply for this fpiritual affiftance by the inftitutions- of a holy worship-** baptifm++ and the eucharift.

Such are the extraordinary means, through which we are to advance to the end of our religion, and Chrift, we plainly fee is the only way to it.-This illuftrious end, which is no less than the perfection and happiness of our immortal fouls, commences in a future, unchangeable period, and in an unknown region, fituate beyond the barrier of the grave. Incompatible with the unhallowed fcenes of this world, the reward of our religion is referved for a more perfect and exalted state. Its bufinefs is opened here, and here the characters which appear and disappear on the stage of life, receive their decifive caft: but its confummátion reaches into a future world. Let us then lift up the veil which feparates the mortal from the immortal ftate, and, by that infallible light held out by revelation, let us look at, and contemplate the iffue of things. And fince the high rewards which are promised to the righteous, and the punishments equally tranfcendant which are denounced against the wicked, are the immortal fanction which enforces every doctrine and precept of

Difc. IV. Hebr. ii. 3, 4. † V. John, iii. 36. ↑ VI. 1 Cor.

xii. 31.

VIII. Joba, xiv. 16.

§ VII. Aas, iii. 19.

**X. Gal. iii. 27.

¶ IX. Luke, xv. 13. xi. 26.

tt XI. 1 Cor.

Our

our religion; a review of them as they ftand in the irreversible decrees of God, may form no improper conclufion to these Difcourfes. Devote we, therefore this occafion to contemplate*the refurrection, future judgment, and the kingdom of the just.'

We imagine that this fpecimen will not greatly prepoffefs the judicious Reader in favour of thefe Difcourfes. The Author flatters himself too much, when he fuppofes that he hath had the good fortune to adopt a ftyle that is fimple, nervous, and fuited to the fubject.' It is too affected to be fimple; and too verbose to be nervous. On the whole, the predominant feature of thefe Difcourfes is vanity; the next is orthodoxy;-both are enlivened with a certain degree of elegance and vivacity, which may pafs them off with fome readers for fine Difcourfes.

ART. X. The Belle's Stratagem; a Comedy, as acted at the Theatre Royal in Covent-Garden. By Mrs Cowley. 8vo. 1s. 6d. Cadell. 1782.

A

ND what, enquires a lady, was the Belle's Stratagem? We cannot give a more precife anfwer to that question, or more properly commence our examination of the Comedy before us, than by tranfcribing a Scene in the first Act, which ferves as a key to the reft of the drama.

Enter Letitia.

Letitia. (gives her cloak to her maid) Order Du Quefne never to come again; he fhall pofitively drefs my hair no more. [Exit Maid] And this odious filk, how unbecoming it is! I was be, witched to chufe it. (Throwing herself on a jopha, and looking in a pocket-glass, Mrs. Racket flaring at her.) Did you ever fee iuch a fright as I am to-day ?

Mrs. Rack. Yes, I have feen you look much worse.

Letit. How can you be fo provoking? If I do not look this morning worse than ever I look'd in my life, I am naturally a fright. You shall have it which way you will.

Mrs. Rack. Just as you pleafe; but pray what is the meaning of

all this?

Letit. (rifing) Men are all diffemblers, flatterers! deceivers !Have I not heard a thousand times of my air, my eyes, my fhape-all made for victory! and to-day, when I bent my whole heart on one poor conquest, I have proved that all thofe imputed charms amount to nothing for Doricourt faw them unmov'd-A hufband of fifteen months could not have examin'd me with more cutting indifference. Mrs. Rack. Then you return it like a wife of fifteen months, and be as indifferent as he.

Letit. Aye, there's the fting! The blooming boy, who left his image in my young heart, is, at four and twenty, improv'd in every grace that fix'd him there. It is the fame face that my memory, and my dreams conilantly painted to me; but its graces are finished,

* Disc. XII. A&ts, xvii. 30, 31.

and

and every beauty heightened. How mortifying, to feel myself at the fame moment his flave, and an object of perfect indifference to him!

• Mrs. Rack. How are you certain that was the cafe? Did you expect him to kneel down before the lawyer, his clerks, and your father, to make oath of your beauty?

Letit. No; but he should have look'd as if a fudden ray had pierced him; he fhould have been breathlefs! speechless! for, oh! Caroline, all this was I.

Mrs. Rack. I am forry you was fuch a fool. Can you expect a man, who has courted, and been courted, by half the fine women in Europe, to feel like a girl from a boarding-fchool? He is the prettieft fellow you have feen, and in courfe bewilders your imagination; but he has feen a million of pretty women, child, before he saw you; and his firft feelings have been over long ago.

Letit. Your raillery diftreffes me; but I will touch his heart, or never be his wife.

• Mrs. Rack. Abfurd and romantic! If you have no reason to believe his heart pre-engaged, be fatisfied; if he is a man of honour, you'll have nothing to complain of.

Letit. Nothing to complain of! Heav'ns! fhall I marry the man I adore, with fuch an expectation as that?

Mrs. Rack. And when you have fretted yourself pale, my dear, you'll have mended your expectation greatly.

Letit. (paufing.) Yet I have one hope. If there is any power whofe peculiar care is faithful love, that power I invoke to aid me. Enter Mr. Hardy.

• Hardy. Well, now; wasn't I right? Aye, Letty! Aye, Coufin Racket! wasn't I right? I knew 'twould be fo. He was all agog to fee her before he went abroad; and, if he had, he'd have thought no more of her face, may be, than his own.

Mrs. Rack. May be, not half fo much.

Hardy. Aye, may be fo:-but I fee into things; exactly as I forefaw, to-day he fell desperately in love with the wench, he! he! he!

Letit. Indeed, Sir! how did you perceive it?

Hardy. That's a pretty question! How do I perceive every thing? How did I foresee the fall of corn, and the rife of taxes? How did I know, that if we quarrelled with America, Norway deals would be dearer? How did I foretel that a war would fink the funds? How did I forewarn Parfon Homily, that if he didn't fome way or other contrive to get more votes than Rubrick, he'd lofe the lectureship? How did I- -But what the devil makes you fo dull, Letitia? I thought to have found you popping about as brifk as the jacks of your harpsichord.

Letit. Surely, Sir, 'tis a very ferious occafion.

Hardy. Pho, pho! girls fhould never be grave before marriage. How did you feel, Coufin, beforehand? Aye!

Mrs. Rack. Feel, why exceedingly full of cares.

Hardy. Did you?

• Mrs. Rack. I could not fleep for thinking of my coach, my liveries, and my chairmen; the taste of clothes I should be prefented in,

distracted

distracted me for a week; and whether I fhould be married in white or lilac, gave me the most cruel anxiety.

'Letit. And is it poffible that you felt no other care?

Hardy. And pray, of what fort may your cares be, Mrs. Letitia ? I begin to foresee now that you have taken a diflike to Doricourt. Letit. Indeed, Sir, I have not.

Hardy. Then what's all this melancholy about? A'n't you going to be married? and, what's more, to a fenfible man? and, what's more to a young girl, to a handfome man? And what's all this melancholy for, I say?

Mrs. Rack. Why, becaufe he is hand fome and fenfible, and because she's over head and ears in love with him; all which, it feems, your foreknowledge had not told you a word of.

Letit. Fye, Caroline!

• Hardy. Well, come, do you tell me what's the matter then? If you don't like him, hang the figning and fealing, he fha'n't have ye; and yet I can't fay that neither; for you know that eftate, that coft his father and me upwards of four core thousand pounds, must go all to him if you won't have him if he won't have you, indeed, 'twill be all yours. All that's clear, engrofs'd upon parchment, and the poor dear man fet his hand to it whilst he was a-dying." Ah!" faid I, "1 fore"fee you'll never live to fee 'em come together; but their first fon fhall be chriftened Jeremiah after you, that I promife you:"-But come, I fay, what is the matter? Don't you like him?

Letit. I fear, Sir-if I muft fpeakI fear I was lefs agreeable in Mr. Doricourt's eyes, than he appeared in mine.

Hardy. There you are mistaken; for I asked him, and he told me he liked you vaftly. Don't you think he must have taken a fancy to her?

Mrs. Rack. Why really I think fo, as I was not by.

Letit. My dear Sir, I am convinced he has not; but if there is fpirit or invention in woman, he shall.

Hardy. Right, Girl; go to your toilette

Letit. It is not my toilette that can ferve me: but a plan has ftruck me, if you will not oppose it, which flatters me with brilliant fuccefs.

Hardy. Oppofe it! not I indeed! What is it?

Letit. Why, Sir-it may feem a little paradoxical; but, as he does not like me enough, I want him to like me ftill lefs, and will at our next interview endeavour to heighten his indifference into dislike. Hardy. Who the devil could have foreseen that?

Mrs. Rack. Heaven and earth! Letitia, are you ferious? Letit. As ferious as the most important bufinefs of my life demands.

Mrs. Rack. Why endeavour to make him diflike you ? Letit. Becaufe 'tis much eafier to convert a fentiment into its oppolite, than to transform indifference into tender paffion.

Mrs. Rack. That may be good philofophy; but I am afraid you'll find it a bad maxim.

Letit. I have the ftrongest confidence in it. I am infpired with unufual fpirits, and on this hazard willingly take my chance for happiness. I am impatient to begin my measures. [Exit Letitia." REV. April 1782. Ú

In