MONTHLY CATALOGUE, For SEPTEMBER, 1765. Art. 11. Reliquiæ Sacra: or, Meditations on Select Paffages of Scripture; and Sacred Dialogues between a Father and his Chil dren. By the Reverend Mr. Richard Pearfall, late Minifter at Taunton, Somersetshire. Publifhed from his Manuscripts, defigned for the prefs; by Thomas Gibbons, D. D. 6s. Buckland. 12mo. WE fee Review, Vol. IX. P E have already given our Sentiments of fome of Mr. Pearfall's 232; and Vol. XIX, p. 596. We have obferved, that the Reader is not to look for elegance or fpirit in the works of this Author; but, at the fame time, it is allowed that they have their merit. His general and leading view, is to raise the thoughts of his readers, from natural to fpiritual and divine objects; to warm their hearts with gratitude to the Great Parent of the univerfe, and to his Son, our gracious and compaffionate Saviour. He is not always happy in the tranfitions he makes from earthly to heavenly things; and there are fome very forced conceits to be met with in his performance: but the goodness of his defigns will, in a great measure, with candid readers, atone for the manner in which they are executed. Our chief objection is to the horrible reprefentations he fo often gives of the eternal wrath and vengeance of the Almighty, against his poor offending creatures. He lays great ftrefs on the eternity of hell-torments; and feems rather defirous of terrifying than perfuading finners to repentance. His fyftem, we allow, is what many will fet down as thoroughly orthodox; but orthodoxy itfelf is not, at all times, nor with all men, the fame thing: and therefore, we doubt not, but there are many good Chriftians who will receive very little edification from fuch a reflection as the following, taken from his letter addreffed to the members of his congregation at Taunton, wrote but a little while before his his death: To be delivered from the curfe of the law, is a moft inestimable privilege, and to behold JESUS. bearing that curfe in his forrows unto death, is as important and glorious a fubject of contemplation as is poffible; an incarnate Gov dying, our furety paying the dreadful debt, the tremendous juftice of God Almighty Satisfied, and fheathing its flaming fword, the wrathful throne of an offended deity fprinkled and turned into a mercy-feat, are fubjects fit for angels themselves to gaze upon, and admire. -This fhort extract will serve as a fpecimen both of the Author's principles, and of his manner of writing. Art. 12. Strictures on the Commentary and Conference of the Reve rend Mr. Dodd, Chaplain in Ordinary to his Majefty: With Reflections on the Reverend Mr. Heathcote's Ufe of Reafon.' By Mr. Antininny T. 8vo. 2s. Folingsby. Some fluidy Hutchinfonian hath bere made a vigorous attack on Mr. Dodd's Biblical Annotations:- -poor Mr. Dodd! never was culprit commentator fo unmercifully belaboured! Mr. Antininny hath alfo molt triumphantly reafon'd against Reason :alas poor Reafon! Mr. Heathcote, too, how terribly he is trimmed! Heathcote! poor Mr. In good faith, Mr. Antininny feems to be one of the most formidable champions in the whole army of modern Cabalistical Decypherers; and we will have nothing to fay to him, left, the next time this Goliah thinks proper to brandish his weaver's beam, our jackets should likewise come in for a dufting. Art. 13. An Attempt to reflore Scripture Forms of Worship; or a Friendly Dialogue between a common Unitarian Chriflian, converted by fome late Writings, and an Athanafian. 12mo. 4d. Worcester, fold by S. Gamidge. In this Dialogue, the Unitarian has greatly the advantage of the Athanafian; who becomes fo far a convert to the opinion of his opponent, as to renounce the authority of councils, fathers, creeds, &c. and to declare his determination, to give the New Teftament a serious review, in order to a due confideration of all thofe paffages which refer to God the Father, the Son, and the Holy fpirit.-This is a plain, fenfible piece, and is published by the pious Author, with a view to its being diftributed among the common people, by thofe well-difpofed perfons who can afford to purchase and give away fuch little tracts, in order to help forward the glorious work of another reformation: which, adds he, with great truth, though the times are favourable in feveral refpects, is very much obftructed by irreligion on one fide, and superstition and enthu hafm on the other.' POLITICA L. Art. 14. A Pair of Spectacles for fhort-fighted Politicians; or, a Candid Anfiver to a late extraordinary Pamphlet, entitled, An - Honeft Man's Reafons* for declining to take any Part in the new Adminiftration. 8vo. Is. Williams. S. This optical politician does not, like the Honeft Man, fee the prefent administration in the light of a flimfy cobweb, which every puny fly may break through. On the contrary, he regards it as a strong edi fice, that promiles not the fort date of a few months only, but an increafing and permanent fecurity. It may, fays he, it will, no doub, receive additional buttreffes and new ornaments; but the foundation and groundwork will still continue the fame; a foundation, I truft, not to be fhaken by the impotent blafts of envy and malevolence, built as it is, not on hollow ground, but on the united favour of the crown, and the almost univerfal approbation of the people.'-All this, however, is merely the Author's private opinion, not argument. In short, thofe who only have recourfe to these political fpectacles, to affist them in gaining an infight into the merits of this minifterial difpute, may truly be faid as the apoftle expreffes it, to fee through a glafs darkly. Art. 15. Letter to the Common-Council of London, on their late very extraordinary Addrefs to his Majesty. 8vo. 1 s. Nicoll. The addrefs on which this pamphlet is founded, hath been so much the topic of public and private animadverfion, that we cannot fuppofe any of our Readers unacquainted with this famous chef-d'œuvre of the great city. It was, certainly, a very ftrange and unaccountable procedure! How, in the name of common fenfe, could the common council entertain the thought of fo cavalierly treating the king, in a congratulatory addrefs to his Majefty, on the birth of another prince? But we need not expatiate on the abfurdity of their conduct; they have been pretty well chaftifed for it already, not only in the fpirited pamphlet now before us, but by a whole army of writers, in the public papers :-befide the univerfal cenfure paffed on them in all companies, as well in the city, as out of it.-Yet, while we condemn the mifbehaviour of thofe few representatives of the citizens, concerned in drawing up and prefenting this ridiculous and obnoxious paper, let us not indifcriminately involve their conftituents in the fame fentence; for we are well fatisfied, that the offenfive part of that addrefs, is by no means agreeable to their fentiments. The paragraph in question appears rather to have been the fole atchievement of one factious citizen, who had, fomehow, gained a great afcendency in the councils of his brethren; (an afcendency which we fhall not here pretend to account for) but who poffibly hath, by this rafh behaviour, effectually opened the eyes of those who have fuffered themselves to be hood-winked, and guided, till they have found themselves in the fituation of the blind led by the blind. Art. 16. Remarks on the Importance of the Study of Political Pamphlets, Weekly Papers, Periodical Papers, Daily Papers, Poli tical Mufic, &c. 8vo. Is. Nicoll. Attacks the political writers, in a ftrain of irony, not unlike that of the great Swift; nor much, if at all, inferior to the spirit and energy of that admired writer. The main drift of the Author, is to ridicule the popular clamour raised against the Scotch: which he does with temper, humour, and pleafantry. Art. 17.. The Merits of the New Adminiftration truly flated; in Aufwer to the feveral Pamphlets and Papers published against them. 8vo. is. Williams. In this fenfible defence of the New Miniftry, the pretended charges against them, contained in the feveral papers and pamphlets lately publifhed on the fubject, (and which the Author confiders as maliciously urged by the agents of their late predeceffors in power) are reduced to the following inconfiderable number, viz. That the new ministers are under the influence of the favorite ;-which appears to be falfe. That they are recommended to the crown by the D- of C --which * Written by Kelly, does does them honour. That they are disavowed by Mr. Pitt;-which has not yet been proved. That they are young ;-which is partly true and not pertinent. And that their administration will not be I fting, which is more than either they can deny, or their enemies affirm, with certainty.' This mixture of falfhood, encomium, prefumption and conjecture, as our Author terms it, is, fays he,repeated and diverfified every day in order to make the impreflion, which a plain and interefting truth would have made upon the understandings of men, without repetition or ornament.' He confiders each of these charges; premifing that the only one which, in his opinion, deferves confideration, is that of the favorite's influence: upon which the greatest ftrefs has been laid, as being the most popular.-What he says upon this capital article, as well as upon the others, is fpecious, if not fully Tatisfactory; and, to say the leaft, deferves to be well attended to. The Writer gives us to understand that he has a feat in the houfe; which may be true; but whether true or not, this is a circumstance that can neither add to, nor detract from the merit and weight of his reasonings. MEDICA L. Art. 18. The Practice of Inoculation impartially confider'd; its fignal Advantages fully proved; and the popular Objections against it confuted: In a Letter to Sir Ed. Wilmot, Bart. By John Andrew, M. D. 8vo. Is. Exeter printed, and fold by Wilfon and Fell in London. Published by Dr. Andrew, with the view of obviating the prejudices which have obstructed the practice of inoculation in the city and neighbourhood of Exeter. To his own account of the practice, and his great fuccefs therein, he has added the fentiments of Dr. Huxham and feveral other eminent phyficians, relative to this very interefting Lubject. * As communicated in private letters to the Author, POETICA L. Art. 19. Original Poems on feveral Subjects. By William Stevenfon, M. D. 8vo. 2 Vols. 5s. 2 Vols. 5s. Hawes, &c. Whatever may become of Dr. Stevenfon's poetical character, he is certainly a man of good fenfe and found judgment; for he advifes his readers not to take up his poems till they have dined well, and drank plentifully. We heartily recommend the Doctor's prefcription to every reader of thefe Original Poems; though hard is the fate of us Re viewers, who, it is well known, never dine at all. 1. Specimen of Dr. Stevenfon's poems: from his Character of Churchill's Writings: Not nature juft in ev'ry part, But tranfcripts of the writer's heart; Vagaries of a troubled brain, Ineffably abfurd and vain. R 4 Wild Wild thoughts, made wilder by his pen, As Rome's great fatirift defcribes As Mr. Churchill is not living, to return this blow, the Author, to avoid the imputation of meannefs, on account of this pofthumous attack of our late dreaded fatirift, declares that what he has let fall, with regard to Mr. C. was written before that gentleman's decease. Art. 20. Kimbolton-Park, a Poem. Folio. Is. Dodfley. The fubject of this poem feems to have given more occasion to reflection than defcription: and the poem itself appears to have proceeded rather from the gratitude of the Author than the importance of the object. Kimbolton is a feat of, the Duke of Manchester, if we mistake not, in the neighbourhood of Huntingdon, and was the place where Catherine, queen of Henry VIII. retired, after being divorced from her cruel and brutal husband. The poet avails himself of that circum ftance, and throws it into the following pathetic verfès: When hapless England felt a tyrant's fway,' For not the fragrant breath of rofy morn, In England then the fons of freedom flept, Sentiments of great humanity and goodness of heart are scattered through different parts of the poem; and, though not without fome weak, inaccurate and unpolifhed lines, it is upon the whole a pretty performance. น. Art. 21. A Tranflation of the Pfalms of David, attempted in the Spirit of Christianity, and adapted to the Divine Service. By Christopher |