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thority to these injunctions, by expreffing them partly in terms borrowed from the facred fcriptures, of which we find a vast number of citations, alfo, in the writings of his difciples. To this auftere difcipline, he added the pretended art of lo purging and refining that faculty of the mind, which receives the images of things, as to render it capable of perceiving the demons, and of performing many marvelous things by their affiftance. This art, which the difciples of Ammonius called theurgy, was not, however, communicated to all the fchools of this fanatical philofopher, but only to thofe of the first rank.

The extravagant attempts of Ammonius did not cease here. To reconcile the popular religions of different countries, and particularly the Chriftian, with this new fyftem, he fell upon the following inventions: 1ft, He turned into a mere allegory the whole history of the gods, and maintained that thofe beings, whom the priests and people dignified with this title, were no more than celeftial minifters, to whom a certain kind of worship, was due; but a worship inferior to that which was to be referved for the fupreme deity. 2dly, He acknowledged Chrift to be a most excellent man, the friend of God, the admirable thearge; he denied, however, that Jefus defigned to abolish entirely the worship of demons, and of the other minifters of di-, vine providence, and affirmed, on the contrary, that his only intention was to purify the ancient religion, and that his followers had manifeftly corrupted the doctrine of their divine mafter.

This new fpecies of philofophy, imprudently adopted by Origen and many other Chriftians, was extremely prejudicial to the caufe of the gospel, and to the beautiful fimplicity of its celestial doctrines. For hence it was, that the Chriftian doctors began to introduce their fubtile and obfcure erudition into. the religion of Jefus, to involve in the darkness of a vain philo-: fophy, fome of the principal truths of Chriftianity that had been revealed with the utmost plainnefs, and were indeed obvious to the meanest capacity, and to add, to the divine precepts of our Lord, many of their own, which had no fort of foundation in any part of the facred writings. From the fame fource arqfe that melancholy fet of men, who have been diftinguished by the name of Myftics, whofe fyftem, when feparated from the Platonic doctrine concerning the nature and origin of the foul, is but a lifeless mass, without any vigour, form, or confiftence. Nor did the evils, which fprung from this Ammonian philofophy, end here, For under the fpecious pretext of the neceffity of contemplation, it gave occafion to that flothful and indolent courfe of life, which continues to be led by myriads of monks retired in cells, and, fequeftred from fociety, to which they are neither ufeful by their inftructions, nor by their examples. To

this philofophy, we may trace as to their fource, a multitude of vain and foolish ceremonies, proper only to caft a veil over truth, and to nourish fuperftition, and which are, for the moft part, religiously obferved by many, even in the times in which we live. It would be endless to enumerate all the pernicious' confequences that may be justly attributed to this new philofophy, or rather to this monftrous attempt to reconcile falfhood with truth, and light with darknefs. Some of its most fatal effects were its alienating the minds of many, in the following ages, from the Chriftian religion, and its fubftituting in the place of the pure and fublime fimplicity of the gospel an unfeemly mixture of Platonifm and Chriftianity.

The number of learned men among the Chriftians, which was very fmall in the preceding century, grew confiderably in this. Among these there were few rhetoricians, fophifts, or orators. The most part were philofophers attached to the Eclectic fyftem, though they were not all of the fame fentiments. concerning the utility of letters and philofophy. Thofe, who were themselves initiated into the depths of philofophy, were defirous that others, particularly fuch as afpired to the offices of bishops or doctors, fhould apply themselves to the study of human wisdom, in order to their being the better qualified for defending the truth with vigour, and inftructing the ignorant with fuccefs. Others were of a quite different way of thinking upon this fubject, and were for banifhing all argumentation and philofophy from the limits of the church, from a notion that erudition might prove detrimental to the true fpirit of religion. Hence the early beginnings of that unhappy conteft between faith and reafon, religion and philofophy, piety and genius, which increased in the fucceeding ages, and is prolonged even to our times with a violence, that renders it extremely difficult to be brought to a conclufion. Thofe, who maintained that learning and philofophy were rather advantageous, than detrimental to the cause of religion, gained, by degrees, the afcendant, and, in confequence thereof, laws were enacted, which excluded the ignorant and illiterate from the office of public teachers. The oppofite fide of the question was not, however, without defenders; and the defects and vices of learned men and philofophers contributed much to increafe their number, as will appear in the progress of this hiftory.'

In treating of the Afcetics, our learned Author obferves, there is a particular confideration, which will enable us to render a natural account of the origin of that auftere difcipline they impofed upon themselves, and which is drawn from the genius and temper of the people by whom it was first practifed. It was in Egypt, he fays, that this morofe difcipline had its rife; and it is obfervable, that Egypt has in all times, as it were by an immutable

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With regard to the prefent collection, the induftrious Author has himself given a very fair and impartial account of it in his preface. Some of the articles, fays he, are of a ferious, and others of a jocofe turn; but certainly none of a loofe or immodeft caft: for as they are intended principally for, our youth, of both fexes, the compiler would have thought himfelf highly criminal, had he introduced even a fingle thought which might contribute to deprave their morals. The variety is very great; and the compiler himfelf perceives a wide difference in the materials of which this book is compofed; fome articles having infinitely more merit than others. However, he hopes that the whole will not be rejected on that account; but that fuch as are of real value, will compenfate for thofe which may be judged otherwife. In a repofitory of jewels, every ftone is not a diamond. Some of the articles introduced here are found in other books of the fame fort; but a greater number, he believes, never appeared in English before.The original here is the French, all the English being tranflation. This the compiler has fometimes attempted in a free manner, and fo as, if poffible, to give his verfion the air of an original; except on fuch occafions as he judged it of more utility to the pupil, to keep clofe to the French idiom.--Altho' this fmall performance is calculated more immediately for youth, yet it may be judged noways unfit for the perufal of perfons of riper years; as containing reflections and obfervations on men and things, worthy the notice of the graveft and most intelligent perfons. Some will perhaps think that many of thefe maxims may be ufeful to fchools, for making of Latin exercises.'--Thus far our honeft Compiler; to whofe account we have only to add our opinion, that his book feems very well calculated to answer, in general, the useful purposes above-mentioned.

SERMONS.

1.The Wisdom and Righteousness of the Divine Providence, illuftrated from the Character of Job.-At Honiton, Aug. 25, 1765; being the firit Sunday after the late dreadful fire. By Richard Harrifon. Buckland, &c.

The profits arifing from the fale of this difcourfe, are to be applied toward the relief of the jufferers.

1. Baptifm a Divine Commandment to be obferved. At the baptim of the Kev. Mr. Robert Carmichael, Minifter of the Gospel at Edinburgh; C&t. 9, 1765. By John Gill, D. D. Keith.

CORRESPONDENCE.

The Remarks on Voltaire, figned PHILALETHES, are more proper for a Magazine than the Review. We are far from thinking them impertinent, or unworthy of a place in any mifcellaneous pubfication; but we fhould deviate too much from the immediate bufiness of a literary journal, were we to admit every original effay that may be fent us.

The fecond letter from Tamworth, figned alfo Philalethes, is. acknowledged. The Reviewers are obliged to the Writer for his kind hints; to which they will pay all due regard; but beg leave to decline the continuance of the little controverfy they have had with him: the farther pursuit of which would lead them too far beyond the boundaries of their plan.

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Continuation of the Account of Mr. Maclaine's Tranflation of Dr. Mofheim's Ecclefiaftical Hiftory.

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AVING, in our Review for Auguft laft, given a general account of the plan of this valuable work, together with fome extracts from the learned Author's hiftory of the first century of the Chriftian church; we now proceed, without pretending to perform the laborious task of giving a regular abftract of fo elaborate a compilation, to lay before our Readers fome farther extracts from fuch parts of the work as we think are both entertaining and inftructive, in order to enable them to form a juft idea of the abilities and judgment of the Author.

In treating of the ftate of letters and philofophy during the Tecond century, our Author obferves that, under the reign of Trajan, they came forth from the retreat where they had languished during the favage tyranny of his predeceffors, and, by the aufpicious protection of this excellent prince, were, in fome measure, reftored to their former luftre. This happy revolution in the republic of letters, was, indeed, but of a fhort duration, as it was not fupported by the fucceeding emperors, who were, for the most part, averfe to literary purfuits. Even Marcus Antoninus, who furpaffed them all in learning, gave protection and encouragement to the ftoics alone, and, after the example of that fupercilious fect, treated the arts and fciences with contempt. And here we fee the true reafon, the Hiftorian fays, why the writers of this century are, in general, fo much inferior to thofe of the former, in point of elegance and purity, eloquence and tafte.

This degeneracy of erudition and tafte, however, did not amount, we are farther told, to an utter extinction of them; for, even in this century, flourished men of genius and abilities, who fet off, in the moft advantageous manner, the learning of the times in which they lived. Among the learned Grecians, VOL. XXXIII,

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the first place is due to PLUTARCH, a man of vaft erudition, whofe knowlege was various but indigefted, and whose philofophical tafte was corrupted by the sceptical tenets of the academics. There were, likewife, in all the more confiderable cities of the Roman empire, rhetoricians, fophifts, and grammarians, who, by a variety of learned exercises, feemed zealous in forming the youth to the arts of eloquence and declamation, and in rendering them fit, by their talents and their acquifitions, to be ufeful to their country. But the inftruction acquired in these schools was more fpecious than folid; and the youth who received their education in them, distinguished themselves at their entrance upon the active ftage of life, rather by empty declamation, than by true eloquence; more by pompous erudition, than by wisdom and dexterity in the management of public affairs.

The ftoical fect, the Author obferves, was not in the highest efteem, during this century; the rigour and aufterity of its doctrines being by no means fuited to the diffolute manners of the times. The Platonic schools were more frequented for several reafons; and particularly for thefe two, that their moral precepts were lefs rigorous and fevere, than thofe of the Stoics, and their doctrines more conformable to, or, rather, lefs incompatible with, the common opinions concerning the gods. But of all the philofophers, the Epicureans enjoyed the highest repu<tation, and had the greatest number of followers; because their opinions tended to encourage the indolent fecurity of a voluptuous and effeminate life, and to banish the remorfe and terrors that haunt vice, and naturally incommode the wicked in their fenfual pursuits.

Towards the conclufion of this century, fays our Author, a new fect of philofophers arose of a sudden, spread with amazing rapidity through the greatest part of the Roman empire, fwallowed up almost all the other fects, and was extremely detrimental to the cause of Chriftianity. Alexandria in Egypt, which had been, for a long time, the feat of learning, and, as it were, the center of all the liberal arts and sciences, gave birth to this new philofophy. Its votaries chofe to be called Platonics, though, far from adhering to all the tenets of Plato, they collected, from the different fects, fuch doctrines as they thought conformable to truth, and formed thereof one general fyftem. The reason then, why they distinguished themselves by the title of Platonics, was, that they thought the fentiments of Plato, 'concerning that most noble part of philofophy, which has the deity and things invifible for its objects, much more rational and fublime, than those of the other philofophers.

What gave to this new philofophy a fuperior air of reason and dignity, was, the unprejudiced spirit of candour and impar

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