THE BRITISH CRITIC, FOR JANUARY, FEBRUARY, MARCH, APRIL, PRINTED FOR F, AND C. RIVINGTON, 1800. PRINTED BY T. RICKABY, PETERBOROUGH COURT, FLEET STREET. PREFACE. N the body of our work we review others, in our Prefaces we, in fome degree, review ourselves: for, turning our eyes back upon the pages of the preceding half year, we examine what Articles, among the number we have noticed, were truly worthy of our attention; and we then offer fuch a lift as we fhould probably form, were we allowed to choose our collection, and to reject all books, from which we might expect or experience difguft. We occafionally do yet more; for modifying our own obfervations, if we find reafon to fuppofe that we have, in any inftance, been too cold in our praife, we contrive to heighten it in the general commendation; if we have been on the other hand too fevere, we can 'qualify or mitigate the fentence, by a very few words of recapitulation. We prefume not on being fo infallible as never to have occafion for fuch meafures; yet fuch is our general care, that this fecondary ufe of our Preface is very feldom exemplified. Servatur ad imum, Qualis ab incepto procefferat, et fibi conftat, DIVINITY. If the prefent age has been doomed to fee many impugners of the faith, it has produced alfo feveral zealous and very able defenders of it. The Rev. David Simpfon took up the facred doctrine of the Trinity, and wrote for it what he ftyled an Apology It was a valuable and fcriptural defence, but he funk beneath the labour of it, and left his work a monument to his praise in this world, and the pledge of his reward in a better. A much wider range of argument was taken up by Dr. Hey, whofe Norrifian Lectures in Divinityt embraced the whole extent of that exalted science. It is a work difplaying fuch extent of reading, fuch acutenefs of remark, and generally fuch foundness of understanding, as feldom can be united in one author. The blemishes that may be obferved in it, are neither numerous nor important enough to weigh materially against its fingular merits; we had it long under our confideration, and never mean to have it out of our reach. It will be recurred to as a ftore-house of materials by every diligent divine, and will make this Profeffor's pupils as numerous as the future ftudents of Theology. Two other divines, whofe abilities are as undoubted as their piety is exemplary, have condefcended to the humbler tafk of writing books of eafy introduction, The Bishop of London, by his Summary of the principal Evidences, cuts off the firft approaches of infidelity, and enables thofe to prove their faith, who might otherwise be unftable through mere ignorance. Mr.. Gisborne, in his Familiar Surveys, offers an admirable guide to the hiftory of true religion, which he has deduced from the earlieft periods to the prefent hour. A view fo general, and fo judicious, cannot fail to attract the notice of youth, and direct it to thofe objects which beft deferve attention. For the use of ftudents alfo, but of thofe only who have bathed in Grecian ftreams, Profeffor White of Oxford produced his Diatefaron, a digeit of the four Gofpels into one + Vol. xiv, p. 496; xv, No. II. p. 1473 No. VI. p. 623. * No. I. p. 13. No. III. narra narrative, founded on the excellent Harmony of Archbishop Newcome. Similar attempts have been elfe where made, but never any one with greater judgment, so much clearness of arrangement, and fo much elegance of form. Addreffed to fcholars only, but to them with irrefiftible weight of argument, is the valuable tract of Mr. Granville Sharp on the Definitive Article. The reader will find here a new and strong, but altogether grammatical proof, of the divinity of our blessed Saviour; fhowing by the clearest analogy of language, as used in the New Teftament, that feveral paffages which have been otherwife tranflated, do, when rightly understood, moft clearly and directly affert that fundamental doctrine, ftyling him, in exprefs terms, both Lord and God. The long filence of gainfayers on this fubject, feems to prove that there is nothing to be faid in contradiction to it. Among works of a more common kind, feveral ufeful volumes of Sermons have been mentioned by us. In this clafs the difcourfes published by the Bishop of Meatht, juftly claim the foremost place; the fpirit of his compofition, the importance of the subjects, and their particular reference to the ftate of Ireland, at the time when they were preached, confer upon them an unufual degree of intereft. The Sermons of Mr. Graves, of Claverton‡, are fuch as his previous reputation might lead us to expect: the fubjects are important; and the manner of treating them demonftrates that, though a ftrong original bent in the author's mind had led him to poetical and humourous effufions, he could command his pen to ferious fervice, whenever duty made it requifite. There is indeed in all his productions of humour, a direction to serious and important ufe, which raises them very far above the trifles of mere laughers. Mr. E. Whitaker's useful defign of Family Sermons§, form No. I. p. 70. No. IV. p. 438.. + No. IV. p. 373. ‡ No. VI, p. 666. |