Thanksgiving for Smaller mercies. I believe I had naturally a turn for the mathematics, and dabbled in them a little way and though I did not go far, my head fleeping and waking was stuffed with diagrams and calculations. Every thing I looked at, that exhibited either a right line or a curve, fet my wits a wool-gathering. I bought my name-fake's [Newton's] Principia, but I have reason to be thankful, that I left it, as I found it, a fealed book.' p. 232.

;

A sketch of the author's character. I think my fentiments and experience are as orthodox and Calvinistical as need be and yet I am a fort of fpeckled bird among my Calvinist brethren... It is impoffible I should be all of a colour, when I have been a debtor to all forts; and like the jay in the fable, have been beholden to most of the birds in the air for a feather or two. Church and meeting, methodist and Moravian, may all perceive fomething in my coat taken from them. None of them are angry with me for borrowing from them, but then why could I not be content with their colour, without going among other flocks and coveys to make myself such a motley figure? Let them be all angry; if I have culled the best feathers from all, then furely I am finer than any. p. 344, 346,

These extracts will be fufficient to give our readers a competent idea of this work. It is written in the canting strain; and will probably be read with avidity by the groaning brethren of the tabernacle.

An Efay on Infpiration: confidered chiefly with respect to the EvanBy Gilbert Wakefield, B. A. 8vo. 25. Sewed.

gelifts. Johnson.

Nfpiration is generally fuppofed to be fuch a fupernatural illumination of the mind, as prevents all error and misconception. The defign of the prefent Effay is to refute this notion for which purpose the author endeavours to prove,

1. That infpiration, in this fenfe, is unneceffary.-The only qualifications, he thinks, which are requifite to eftablish the authenticity of any hiftorical narration, are a found understanding, competent information, and integrity of heart; and thefe qualifications the gofpel-hiftorians eminently poffeffed, Why then, he fays, fhould we fuperinduce an unneceffary fuccedaneum ?'

2. That it is inexpedient and improbable.

3. That it is difclaimed by the facred writers themselves.— On this head he obferves, that St. Luke's expreffions, in the introduction to his evangelical hiftory, are in effect a pofitive

and

and literal difavowal of all extraordinary affiftances, and appear to be decifive in the prefent queftion; and that St. John fpeaks of what he had teftified of Jefus, and his achievements, as of things, which were tranfacted in the presence of the difciples; as objects therefore of ocular inspection, not of intuitive difcernment.

An objection to this opinion is ufually drawn from John xvi. 13, which the author ftates and folves it in this manner: This is part of our Saviour's last addrefs to his difciples, and was defigned to confole them under their forrow at his departure. It is an inference from the preceding verfe, which will conduct us to a true interpretation

I have yet many things to fay unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.

But when He, the Spirit of the Truth is come, He will guide you into all the truth.

As if he had faid, "Ye have many things to learn, and much to rectify, with refpect to your notions of my character, and that of my difpenfation. But your prefent mifconceptions and inveterate prejudices incapacitate you for a circumftantial and unreserved reprefentation of the true ftate of these important matters. When the Holy Spirit, whom Ĩ fhall be authorised to fend after my afcenfion, fhall come unto you, he will gradually enlighten your understandings, and purge the groffness of your conceptions. He will take you by the hand, and conduct you to the knowlege of thofe gofpeltruths, which are now fo imperfectly apprehended by you, or are contrary to your perfuafions."

What relation this paffage has to a permanent and plenary infpiration refiding in the evangelifts, though ufually alledged in fupport of this doctrine, I confefs myself unable to difcover. The business of the Holy Spirit, we fee, was to expand their hearts to more liberal conceptions, to correct their prejudices, and to remove their ignorance: to inftruct them, in short, in what they did not feel and know, and had therefore no concern with matters of actual experience and obfervation.'

Here, we prefume, the author makes fuch conceffions as would fatisfy a reasonable opponent.

He proceeds to fhew,

4. That the foregoing doctrine of infpiration is inconfiftent with the writings of the evangelifts. Under this head he points out two or three paffages, which he thinks are contradictory. The firft concerning the death of the daughter of Iairus; the fecond relating to the account of the two malefactors; and our Saviour's promise to one of them, in St. Luke.

VOL. LII. Nov. 1781.

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5. That it is detrimental to the cause of revelation- Be caufe this opinion places the credibility of the gospels upon a foundation very different from that of every other authentic and accepted hiftory, by fuperinducing an extraneous motive of belief, which evacuates at once every species of atteftation, historical, prophetical, and moral.'

In the last fection he confiders the character and pretenfions of St. Paul.

The refult of his obfervations is this:

When St. Paul fpeaks and directs in his own apoftolical character, his word is of the highest poffible authority, and is impreffed with more marks of credibility and of a divine origin, than any other writings of the New Teftament: and that his epifties, as far as they have been tranfmitted to us entire and uncorrupted, contain truth, evangelical truth, without any mixture of error.

But facts are of more importance in authenticating the Chriftian revelation, than arguments and opinions, though advanced by apoftles themfelves: and the contracted plan of epiftolary writings, and their unavoidable defects, arifing from our ignorance of the complicated circumftances under which. they might be compofed, and from many other particulars, render the gospel hiftories, which exhibit the life of Jesus, as they are a more exact and copious delineation of Christianity, a more fecure and eligible rule of conduct.'

In difcuffing this point of theological controversy, our author has made feveral new and ingenious remarks, though the fubject has been anticipated by Le Clerc, and other eminent writers.

The paffages however, which he has produced, do not fufficiently fupport the doctrine, for which he contends. There is no occafion to give up any of them, as inconfiftencies. Satisfactory anfwers have been, or may be, given to his objections. For inftance: with refpect to the pretended contradiction between the evangelifts, relative to the two malefactors, it has been very properly obferved, that the plural number is frequently employed for the fingular. Thus Matt. xxi. 7. They brought the afs and the colt, and they fet him, επάνω αυτών, upon them, infead of επανω ἑνος εξ αυτων. Vide Glaflii Gram. 3. 17.

In many cafes, it is very difficult to determine, what is a contradiction in two different writers. We may be eafily deceived by figurative expreffions, but more especially by the reprefentation of different circumftances, attending the fame

events.

Be

Be this as it may, it feems inconceivable, that the apoftles fhould be endowed with the gift of tongues, miracles, and prophecy, and yet not have fufficient illumination to avoid abfurdities and contradictions, in compofing thofe important writings, which were to be the comfort and edification of all Chriftians to the end of the world.

A general Efay on Tactics. With an introductory Discourse, upon the prefent State of Politics, and the Military Science in Europe. To which is prefixed, a Plan of a Work, entitled, the Political and Military Syftem of France. Tranflated from the French, of M. Guibert. 8vo. 14s. in Boards. Millan. IT may juftly appear furprifing that, though tactics, or the art of war in general, be one of the firft fciences with which mankind became acquainted, yet its principles have hitherto hardly ever been established with any tolerable degree of certainty or precifion. But many are the causes which have contributed to retard the progress of this art. The great variety of weapons, armour, and inftruments of war, the cuftoms, and even the particular phyfical qualities of different nations, the genius or prejudices of commanders, the fluctuation of manners, the diverfities of climate, and a number of other circumftances, have all had more or lefs influence on the difcipline and regulation of armies. And to thofe rather than to fentiments of univerfal benevolence, is it owing, that a fcience, which has for its object the destruction of the human fpecies, should be later in attaining perfection, than those which are calculated for the prefervation or convenience of it.

This work is introduced with a preliminary difcourfe, confifting of two parts. The former contains a review of modern politics, their parallel with thofe of the ancients, their defects, and the obstacles which they occafion to the grandeur and riches of a ftate. In this difcourfe, the author discovers a clear and penetrating judgment, and establishes his obfervations with fentiments that are liberal, and with a force of argument peculiarly striking and perfuafive. For the fatisfaction. of our readers, we fhall prefent them with the following paffage.

Let us caft our eyes over Europe, and view more in detail thofe pernicious effects. The minifters of Spain extirpated the Moors. They forgot that they were men, and without a numerous population a kingdom could not profper. They invade a new world, poffefs themselves of rich mines, and never perceive all the while that Spain remains defolate and her lands uncultivated. They are tyrants over the Low Coun

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tries; they forefee not, that they are going to revolt, and how much it is out of their power to make them return to their yoke. An error in calculating, that beyond certain circumfcribed limits the greatnefs of a ftate is but defenceless and weak; an error in not knowing where to fix the boundary to what may be animated and defended; they would throw their arms over all, the Low Countries, Franche Comté, Rouiffillon, Italy, Portugal, and all escape them..

Let us come nearer to our own time. The minifters are not more skilful. Richelieu was defirous to extend the power of his mafter, or more properly speaking his own. He was urgent to deprefs the nobility and to deftroy their prerogatives, which made them more the vaffals than the fubjects of the fovereign. Let him, if he meant to effect that, have applied vigorous methods; let him openly have attacked thofe pretenfions, which the nobility might have employed as reftraints to the ftrength and happiness of a monarchial fyftem; let him have" extended authority by authority, I should have admired, Ishould have extolled his genius. But in order more effectually to deftroy that nobility, he corrupts it, he degrades it, he forces it to quit its refidence; because he is fenfible that its poverty and fimplicity fupports its vigour; he lures it to the court, where he forefees it will fhortly ruin itfelf by luxury, and that afterwards it will be dependant on the fovereign, by the favours it will be neceffitated to fupplicate. This fatal fyftem was put in practice by Louis XIV. and his minifters. The manners of the kingdom were changed. The degradation of the nobility brought on the flavery of the fubjects. The burthen of that nobility corrupted and kept in pay once more falls on a languishing people, which ought to have been fup, ported by it. Soon, there remained nor national spirit, nor energy, nor virtue; was this the Richelieu, whofe fplendid pompous monument adorns our temples; of whom the frenzy of our eloquence is continually refounding the unmerited praife; and hiftory, where facred truth fhould find a fanctuary, inftead of proving that statues and panegyrics are almost always the monuments of prejudice or flattery, eternizes his unjust reputation, it gives the appellation of fublime, to'a fyftem of politics, of that ambitious man, who enfeebled his country in hopes of adding ftrength to its government: as if a good and fane government, inftead of debafing its country and being burthenfome to her, ought not, on the contrary, by the self-fame motion, attempt to exalt herfelf, when the rifes, even above her.

Colbert, with a happy gift of great genius, miftook the true interefts of France. He turned it into a mercantile state.

He