and choose rather to repose itself in atheism than to live under the government of a being, in whose ears the eternal yellings of his miserable creatures, who had been set by him in slippery places, knowing that they would fall, though there was a possibility that they might stand, is not inharmonious. Whereas, says the Doctor, when punishments are proportionable to the crimes of the delinquent, who can deny the justice of the infliction?-they are then the chastisements of a kind father; the end of whose correction, be it ever so severe, is the good of his offending child, sufficient to bring about his reformation, and to deter his brethren from committing the same crimes? All rational creatures would kiss the rod and adore the goodness and mercy of him who thus kindly leads through deserved misery into unmerited happiness; in which, alone, we can suppose him to take pleasure? This idea is amiable and lovely; it draws us, by the gentle cords of affection, to obedience, and deters us from committing crime, which both reason and scripture assure us shall have its due and just reward;—we shall all most certainly, if we run in debt, be cast into prison, from whence we shall not escape till we have paid the uttermost farthing, or till that our Lord Jesus shall be pleased, from his infinite love, to pay it for us.

But the orthodor have a short answer to all difficulties. -"The scriptures positively pronounce eternal misery to all impenitent sinners." The Doctor would answer, that if he could perceive that clearly, it would greatly stagger his faith; but, says he, I cannot let my clear and settled idea of the justice and goodness of God depend on a doubtful and critical meaning of words and phrases. I meet with the word eternal frequently, meaning, in scripture language, an indefinite time. If I take it in that sense, when it relates to future punishments, our ideas of God's moral character remain holy and perfect; if I take it in

the other sense, I dread to let myself conceive how they are changed. But I hope my good friend will be able to set all these things in a clear light.

I return you my hearty thanks for your sermon. Mr. Allen and I talked it over yesterday, and we think that the true state of the case, and the real motives to thanksgiving on that particular occasion are set forth in a much better light in your sermon than in any we have seen; and we have both of us reviewed several from eminent hands. I shall be very glad when that on education is published, as I have had much occasion to consider that subject.

My best respects, and those of my whole family wait on Mrs. Doddridge. I congratulate you on your children's great proficiency, especially your son's, which is extraordinary. I am, dear Sir,

Your most obliged and affectionate humble Servant,

W. OLIVER.

FROM GILBERT WEST, ESQ. LL. D.

DEAR SIR, Wickham, June 17th, 1749. THOUGH I have for some time recovered the use of my hand, yet the sudden changes of the weather, almost from one extreme to another, " Extremes by change more fierce,” threw me back a little, and rendered my advances to entire health more slow than they would otherwise have been; and this must be my excuse for not sooner answering your last kind letter: though I think, that having supplied you with enough of my writing to last you even longer than the time which has passed since my receiving yours, I might have held my hand, and spared you for a longer season; which, probably, I should have done, out of indulgence to myself at least, as I am too indolent to love writing, had I not thought it necessary, upon the intimation of your intention

VOL. V.

K

to make me a visit at Wickham, to acquaint you, that I shall be extremely glad to see you, having many things to talk with you about, and to consult you upon; so that I am rejoiced to hear that you design me the pleasure of your company for a longer space than your business would allow you to give me last year. I hope, therefore, you will carry this part of your promise also in your mind, and so order your affairs as to be able to perform it to my satisfaction. The Archbishop is not yet settled at Croydon, and, I believe, will not reside there before next summer; however, he will be there sometimes incognito, when I shall endeavour to catch him, and acquaint him with your intention of waiting upon him there. I have not seen Mr. Lyttelton since I had your letter. He has been much taken up with very important affairs, parliament, &c., and settling matters in order to a second marriage. The lady he has pitched upon is Miss Rich, the eldest daughter of Sir Robert Rich: she was an intimate and dear friend of his former wife, which is some kind of proof of her merit; I mean of the goodness of her heart, for that is the chief merit which Mr. Lyttelton esteems; and, I hope, she will not in this disappoint his expectations: in all other points she is well suited to him; being extremely well accomplished in languages, music, painting, &c. very sensible, and well bred. I thought this short account would be acceptable to you, who interest yourself so much in every thing that concerns Mr. Lyttelton.*

“While he was thus conspicuous” (alluding to his exertions in Parliament against the measures of Sir Robert Walpole), “he married (1741) Miss Lucy Fortescue, of Devonshire, by whom he had a son, the late Lord Lyttelton, and two daughters, and with whom he appears to have lived in the highest degree of connubial felicity: but human pleasures are short; she died in childbed about five years afterwards, and he solaced his grief by writing a long poem to her memory. He did not, however, condemn himself to perpetual solitude and sorrow; for, after a while, he was content to seek happiness again by a second marriage with the daughter of Sir Robert Rich; but this experiment was unsuccessful.”—Lives of the Peets, by Dr. Johnson, vol. iv. p. 492.

I am glad to find, that what you have read of my book hath met with your approbation: though I cannot but observe, that your impatience to look into it shows that you came to it with a favourable prejudice; which, though it might bias your opinion, is however a proof of your friendship for the author, and, as such, very agreeable to me: lætus sum laudari (and I will add), et amari a laudato viro.* I have received and read your dedication to Mr. Hervey, with which I was indeed, as you very rightly imagined I should be, very much pleased: and I doubt not, but I shall have the same satisfaction from the perusal of your sermon, which I have not yet received. But I shall say no more at present upon these and many other points, which I want to talk with you upon, as I hope soon to have the pleasure of seeing you here. In the mean time assure yourself that I love, honour, and esteem you, and that I am,

Dear Sir,

Very sincerely and affectionately yours,

G. WEST.

* On the Translation of the Odes of Pindar, and on the poetical talents of Mr. West, the following observations are made by Dr. Johnson. "Of translations I have only compared the first Olympic Ode with the original, and found my expectation surpassed both by its elegance and its exactness." He does not confine himself to his author's train of stanzas, for he saw that the difference of the languages required a different mode of versification. "A work of this kind must, in a minute examination, discover many imperfections; but West's version, so far as I have considered it, appears to be the product of great abilities. His Institution of the Garter is written with sufficient knowledge of the manners that prevailed in the age to which it is referred, and with great elegance of diction; but for want of a progress of events, neither knowledge nor elegance preserve the reader from weariness." His Imitations of Spenser are very successfully performed both with respect to the metre, the language, and fiction; and being engaged at once by the excellence of the sentiments, and the artifice of the copy, the mind has two amusements at once."

FROM THE REV. JOHN BARKER.

Walthamstow, July 4, 1749. I HAVE several reasons for writing so soon again to my dear and reverend friend, the first of which is to congratulate him on his birthday: what you say of it is hardly civil; had you said it to an enemy, it had been exceptionable, but to a friend it is intolerable. What! have you prayed, and preached, and written so many useful, learned, profitable books, at forty-seven years of age, and yet call your next birthday "the forty-eighth year of an unprofitable and sinful life?" Give me leave, Sir, to bless God for your life and labours, and to tell you, that I know not a more profitable, or a less sinful life than yours in this world; and I pray God may prolong it for his glory and the good of his church.

The Disquisitions you mention I have read very carefully, and I suppose they will hardly fail of gaining the attention of the public. The authors have laboured a point which is plain, and even obvious; strange, that it is still a point to be laboured. I wonder, very shame has not long ago reformed the liturgy; for convenience sake, it need not be

* I find the work here referred to thus mentioned by the Rev. William May, author of The Family Prayer Book, in a letter to Dr. Doddridge, dated June 7th, 1749, “I suppose you have heard of a book, published this week, entitled, Free and Candid Disquisitions, relating to the Church of England, and the Means of Advancing Religion therein, addressed to the Governing Powers in Church and State, and more immediately directed to the two Houses of Convocation.' If you have not been apprised of the authors, I believe myself to be very well informed when I say, that the book is the performance of Gilbert West and George Lyttelton, Esquires."

Mr. West and Lord Lyttelton were both sincere and zealous churchmen, and advice from them on such a subject is, therefore, the more important. The following extract from a letter of Mr. West's to Dr. Doddridge will show the truly catholic character of his sentiments on such subjects.