all that are immediately cognizable by civil judicatories. As however it is unquestionable, that opinion has great influence on practice, fo the open profeffion of fuch opinions as are manifeftly fubverfive of the natural or civil rights of the fociety, or of the rights of individual members of the fociety, is undoubtedly to be regarded as an overt act which falls under the cognizance of the magiftrate. It is only in this view that opinion ought ever to be held as coming under his jurifdi&tion. Confidered in a religious view, as true or falfe, orthodox or heterodox, and confequently as affecting our fpiritual and eternal interefts, it is certainly not of the department of the fecular powers. Yet this diftinction has not always been ob. ferved. And thofe in power, from confiderations of a fpiritual natare, which were totally without their province, have thought themfelves bound, by the most facred ties, to do all they could, for the encouragement of their own opinions, because supposed to be found, and for the fuppreffion of every opinion as unfound, which flood oppofed to them.

Hence that spirit of intolerance which has for many centuries proved the bane of Chriftendom, and which ftill continues the bane of many countries in Europe, as well as in other quarters of the globe. Nothing can be more evident, than that if the magiftrate is entitled, nay obliged, by all the weight of his authority, to crufh opinions, merely becaufe erroneous, and conceived by him pernicious to the foul, this obligation must be inherent in the office of magistracy, and confequently incumbent on every magistrate. Now, as his only immediate rule for what he is bound to cherish, and what to crush, is, and can be no other than, his own opinions, and (the magiftrate having no more claim than private perfons to infallible direction) as the fame variety of fentiments may be, nay in different ages and nations has been, in thofe of this rank as in those of any other; it will be found, on this hypothefis, the duty of rulers to fupprefs and perfecute in one country, and at one period, what it is the duty of rulers in another country, or even in the fame country, at another period, to cherish and protect. This confequence, how abfurd foever, is fairly deducible from the aforefaid principle, and ought therefore to be held a fufficient demonftration of the abfurdity of that principle. One of the many unhappy confequences which has flowed from the iniquitous but general practice of acting in conformity to that falfe tenet, is, that the minds of parties, even those whofe differences in opinion are merely fpeculative, and could never, if left to themselves, have affected the peace of fociety, have been exasperated against one another. Jealoufy and envy have arifen, and been fostered by mutual injuries. Every feet has been led to view in every other a rival and an enemy, a party from which, if raised to power, it would have every thing to dread. And as this almost equally affects both fides, each has played the tyrant in its turn. As men's conduct is influenced more by paffion than by cool reflection, all have been very flow in difcovering the falfity of the principle, the magiftrate's right of interfering, when there is no vifible danger to the ftate; this right, though fometimes controverted by the weaker party, the prevalent fect has always affirmed and defended, thinking itself entitled to a monopoly of the principle, as being

L 4

being alone, in its own account, on the fide of truth. The remem brance too of injuries received, instead of opening their eyes, and fhowing them the ruinous confequences of that radical error, has but ferved to rivet them in it, and make them avail themselves of it in their turn. Nay, fo inconfiftent a creature is man! those who but a little before ftrenuously maintained the right of private judgment, are no fooner raised to power, than they obftinately refuse that right to others. As they have been accustomed to look on the other party as enemies, and have been badly treated by them, they think they derive hence an additional right to perfecute them from the law of retaliation.

This, I acknowledge, renders religious fects in another view, an object of attention to the magistrate. A party whose avowed principles, confidered by themselves, have nothing hoftile to fociety, may, from its firength and habitual enmity to the predominant fect, endanger the public peace. Hence it may happen, that civil go. vernors, though perfectly indifferent which of two fects they fhall favour, may find it incompatible with the fafety of the state, to give equal countenance to both: perfect equality, where there is recipro cal hatred, could not long fubfift, without giving rife to reciprocal hoftilities. The utmost vigilance could not always prevent this ef fect, which might, in the end, overturn the conftitution. But where the public tranquillity has been long the fole object of the magiftrate, there is hardly any risk of his adopting those measures which cause men's minds to rankle, and produces in their breasts that most unlovely and unchriftian difpofition one towards another.

It is admitted, that when the public peace is in danger, it is his duty to interpofe. Sedition or rebellion is not entitled to take fhelter in religious fentiments, nor can the plea of liberty of confcience juftly avail any man, for invading the liberty or property, facred or civil, of another. So much for what appears to be the original rights of the civil power in what concerns fects in religion. It must be owned, however, that there are many particular circumftances, which, when they occur, ought, in a great measure, to reftrain the exertion of a power otherwife warrantable. When parties are already formed, and of long continuance, though their fundamental principles be unfriendly to the rights of fociety, their num bers, and weight, and other confiderations, may render an indulgence, otherwife unmerited, the more eligible meafure, because in its confequences the lefs evil. It may however be remarked in paffing, that though there be feveral prudential confiderations which may render it proper to extend favour to those whofe tenets, or temper, or both, how that they but ill deferve it, no confideration can give the magiftrate a right to perfecute any party whofe principles, viewed in a political light, are nowife unfriendly to the rights of their fellow.citizens, or of the ftate, and whofe difpofition and conduct is peaceable and inoffenfive.'

He now proceeds to apply these principles to the cafe in hand; he confiders the character of Roman Catholics with great impartiality;-he neither exaggerates nor extenuates their faults:—in a word, he pleads the cause of toleration in the true fpirit of to

leration. He is of opinion, that fo inconfiderable a party (for both in number of people and in property, their proportion is fo very small as not to be worth mentioning) can be of no danger to the conftitution of this country; especially when it is confidered, that it is not proposed to admit them into any, even the lowest offices of magiftracy or legislation, or any place of public truft; and that, if at any time any unforeseen evil or danger fhould arife from them, the legiflature, of which they can make no part, and on which, confidering their very great inferiority in all respects, they can have no conceivable influence, have it always in their power to give a timely check to it.

In the laft chapter, our Author points out the proper and christian expedients for promoting religious knowledge, and repreffing error. And here, as through the whole Address, indeed, the reader will find that candor, moderation, ferioufnefs,

and liberal spirit, which becomes a truly Proteftant divine. R.

FOREIGN LITERATURE.

ART. XIII.

Meditationes Phyfico-Chemica de Origine Mundi, &c. Phyfico-Chemical Meditations on the Origin of the World. By Job. G. Wallerius, Profeffor of Chemistry, Metallurgy, &c. 8vo. 6 s. fewed. Stockholm. 1779. Imported by T. Lowndes.

T

HE reputation which this Author has juftly acquired, by his mineralogical writings, is well known. In what degree it will be increased by the prefent publication, we shall not undertake to determine. Without entering into the merits of his theory of the earth, we cannot avoid obferving, that he is much too diffuse in reciting, as authorities, the opinions of the ancient philofophers, facred writers, and others, on the natures of the different elements, and other fubjects, with which they certainly were very little acquainted; and that he himself imitates their mode of philofophifing fomewhat too closely, in his own investigations relative to the matters which are the particular objects of this treatise;-the accounting for the first formation of this globe, and the nature and various modifications of the elements which conftitute it.

The Author commences his fyftem, by treating of fire and light. The latter, he fays, is a fubftance, not inflammable, nor calorific, nor aerial, much less terreftrial; of the greatest fubtilty and mobility, and always tending upwards.' - The ancients afcribed to it a fpiritual or divine origin.- Leibnitz,' be adds, likewife contended, that it ought to be confidered as a spiritual fubftance: and why not? We call the most fubtile and active fluid in the animal body by the name of animal Spirits; and who can deny that thefe fpirits derive their first

4

origin

origin from the matter of light? This appears to be the cafe, when the eyes of a paffionate man inflamed by anger, or by love, feem to be on fire; or when the eyes frike fire, in confequence of a violent blow.'-This is one of the many fpecimens that occur in this treatise, of the lax mode of philofophifing adopted by the Author; and which, not long fince, we took occafion to expofe, when we had the work of a preceding, otherwife refpectable, theorift (M. Buffon) under confideration *. Were this mode univerfally adopted, the lights which we owe to the Experimentalifts of this and the last age would foon be obfcured; and the philofophical world would again be involved in all the wordy darknefs-of the Peripatetics.

Thus, among the proofs which the Author adduces, to fhew the great difference, and even contrariety, between the nature of light and that of fire; he urges, that Light not only enjoys af illuminating property, without producing any change whatever in the parts of the illuminated body; but likewise, a cherishing or refreshing (refocillante effectu) and, as it were, revivifying quality: that is, a property nearly contrary to that of heat, and fire; by which, according to their different degrees, bodies are not only more or less changed, but are often deftroyed.'

According to the Author's system, no heat, or fire, exifts in the folar rays. Some of his reafons for maintaining this propofition are because, when the Almighty faid, "Let there be light, &c." fire could not then exift: for at that time, no bodies had been created on which it could act. To render the folar rays capable of producing the fame effects on bodies, as are produced by fire, it is requifite that there fhould be a folid inflammable matter, on which they might exert their action; for the fun's rays produce heat folely by their action upon bodies. But paffing over the Author's mode of reasoning on this fubject, we need only obferve, that this propofition is equally true with refpect to culinary fire, when exhibited in the form of luminous rays; particularly when the burning and luminous body is placed, for instance, in the focus of an elliptic fpeculum.

No fire, the Author continues to fay, exifts in the folar rays; for Boerhaave found that, even when collected into a focus, they would not produce any detonation with nitre. But furely the learned Author cannot be ignorant, that neither the rays of common fire, nor even an ignited body in contact with nitre, will produce any fuch detonation, without the prefence of phlogifton, or of an inflammable fubftance. If he means only to prove, that there is no phlogiston in the folar rays; he is con

See Appendix to our 51ft volume, pag. 519.

tending

tending for a propofition that no one, we apprehend, will oppofe: but that this is not his intention, is pretty evident from many of his arguments; fuch as the diminution of the folar heat at the tops of mountains; its not bearing a conftant relation to the latitudes of places, or to the greater or less obliquity of the folar rays; and other matters totally unconnected with this particular circumftance.

Some of the remaining proofs of the difference between folar and common fire are that the folar rays, in themselves, are certainly of the fame quality in vacuo, as in the air; but that though, when collected into a fcus, they will fire gunpowder in the air, they will only caufe it to melt and fume in vacuo. They have therefore, argues the Author, no heat, but that which they acquire from the air, or from certain substances floating in it. But is it not true likewife, that common fire applied to gunpowder, will produce the fame effects, under the fame circumstances?That the folar rays, how much foever concentrated, will not produce fire, without the acceffion of a combustible matter;-but will common fire act without fuch an acceffion? That the folar rays have for many ages acted, and continue to act, without any diminution, and without any pabulum, or smoke: whereas, common fire is continually on the decline, requires a renovation of the pabulum, and is attended with effluvia. But if,' fays the Author, the fun be an ignited body, who fet fire to this immenfe mass of matter? How could the whole of it, altogether, and at once, burft into Same? Matters exposed to the action of common fire are only kindled fucceffively. Who will dare to fay, that God first created this immenfe globe, and then fet it on fire; which must be the commencement of its deftruction? To fuch abfurdities must those be reduced, who confider the fun as being an ignited body. The abfurdities, however, depend only on the manner in which the Author chufes to ftate the circumstances.

From the confideration of fire, the Author proceeds to that of water. Thales himself fcarce afcribed greater univerfality to that element. He contends that, at the time of the creation, the whole of the air that furrounds this globe was produced from water; and that earth likewise owes its origin to the tranfmutation of water into that fubftance. He affirms, that water, while boiling on the fire, and as long as a drop of it remains, is converted not only into a denfe vapour, which returns to the ftate of water again, but into a still rarer vapour likewise, which is real or permanent air; but we do not here meet with a fingle proof of this ftrange propofition.

From the confideration of common air, the Author is led to treat of fixed air. He propofes the queftion, whether, in the proceffes for obtaining it, it fhould be confidered as eductum, vel

productum;