delights of walking with God, and can appeal to him for the rectitude of his intentions, and the purity of his means, whose highest object and aim were to be honest rather than rich, who has observed and meditated on the ways of God with man, may here revel in religious and intellectual pleasure. But I had not advanced very far, before I observed, with all this ardent piety and enflamed devotion, this apparently genuine spirit of christianity, such shrewd, "knowing" intelligence, such acquaintance with the deformities and depravities of the human mind and heart, as appeared to me inconsistent with the innocent speculations of a female mind, and such as would have indicated rather a disposition capable of entertaining the uncharitable opinions, the artful subtlety, and the shrewd cunning which she has manifested on different occasions in private life, than that mild disposition, that christian charity, that gentle and humble spirit, which she so zealously inculcates. If her conduct to individuals, a conduct that would disgrace a fairer fame, and depreciate excellence superior to her talents, could be forgot, the enjoy ment and profit of her reader would be greater. When he reads (p. 66, vol. 4) "He had that "sort of sense, which good men call cunning, "and knaves call wisdom. He was too prudent "ever to do any thing so wrong that the law could "take hold of him; yet he was not over scrupulous about the morality of an action when the prospect of enriching himself by it was very

great, and the chance of hurting his character "was small;" he who can forget secret accusations against Mr. Bere, literary robbery from Mrs. Cowley and Mrs. Yearsley, her secret calumny against the latter, by her letters to London, who can read p. 72, and not consider her as vain, ambitious, violent, and high-minded.

In p. 76, at the imaginary school where the Miss Bragwells were educated, “Religion was "not learned, because christianity was an edu"cation fit to be taught at charity-schools," it is intended to praise themselves and their own seminary, at the expence of others. But if they taught so much and so refined a system of the gospel, and such pure morality, they have not been very successful in the impressions they made on the late Mrs. Robinson, alias Perdita, who in her life written by herself, and lately published, tells us, she had her instruction from them, and with the other young ladies, attended the Miss Mores to the theatre. But in H. More's mind, many revolutions, counter-revolutions, progressions, and retrogradations have taken place since those days, and her present state of mind and principles are not yet fixed, they being indeed, non-descript. God give her grace to repent, with a repentance not to be repented of.

Upon the subject of the Farmers, let me transcribe a few sentences, to contrast with the lady's prose sentiments, and secret accusations in private letters and otherwise.

"Goodness is not a single act to be done; so that a mari "can say, I have atchieved it, and the thing is over; but it " is a habit that is constantly to be maintained; it is a con"tinual struggle with the opposite vice.”

This is all very well. But the scriptures are misunderstood in the following sentences.

6

'

6

6

"The change the Gospel requires is of quite another "cast: it is having a new heart and a right spirit;' it is being God's workmanship;' it is being created anew "in Christ Jesus unto good works;' it is becoming new "creatures ;' it is old things being done away, and all "things made new;' it is by so learning the truth as "it is in Jesus;' to the putting off the old man, and "putting on the new, which after God is created in righ"teousness and true holiness;' it is by partaking of the "divine nature.' These," she 66 says, are not her words, nor words picked out of any fanatical book; they are "the words of that Gospel you profess to believe; it is not "a new doctrine, it is as old as our religion itself. Though "I cannot but observe, that men are more reluctant in believing, more averse to adopting this doctrine, than al66 most any other : and indeed I do not wonder at it; for "there is perhaps no one which so attacks corruption in "its strong holds; no one which so thoroughly prohibits lazy Christian from uniting a life of sinful indulgence “with an outward profession of piety."

66

"a

Mrs. Inkle, one of her characters, is taught to

say

"To cheat the weary hours, I looked about for some "books, and found, among a few others of the same cast, "Doddridge's Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul. "But all those sort of books were addressed to sinners; now as I knew I was not a sinner, I threw them away ❝in disgust. Indeed they were ill-suited to a taste formed by plays and novels, to which reading I chiefly trace my “ruin; for, vain as I was, I should never have been guilty

F

"of so wild a step as to run away, had not my heart been "tainted and my imagination inflamed by those pernicious "books."

Reader! dost thou not shudder at reading this passage, when thou recollectest that one volume of her works consists of plays or tragedies, that she has republished them lately! I leave it to you to say what sort of a woman she is, when you have thought of all her actions!

In page 282, she makes Mrs. Inkle say—

"O! it is an awful thing to think what a sinner man or woman may be, and yet retain a decent character.”

No man who did not recollect Mrs. Cowley and Mrs. Yearsley's treatment, could think it possible, H. More, bearing so decent a chacter, could be so wickedly mean as to write to a Bishop secret accusations against one clergyman, and to her" old friend," that another had published a political pamphlet of evil tendency, when she had no proof of the one or the other.

'TIS ALL FOR THE BEST, is a pious story, which merits my approbation. My chief objection to my author is, her practice regularly giving the lye to her professions. In p. 305, the expression, "This we thought a fortunate circumstance," is improper and unscriptural in so serious a work. But I have seen a letter of Mrs. More's, this pretended enemy to French philosophy, inviting friends to her "civic feast," and grand saturnalia, containing the words unlucky and misfortune, and in which she said, "something must be sacrificed "to liberty and equality."

.

The observance of the Sabbath is spoken of with much strictness and reverence; but though she enumerates many things which are done on Sunday, which she says ought not to be done, she forgot to prohibit armies and fleets to fight, mackarel to be sold, and dinners cooked on the Lord's day. Her accusations of Mr. Bere, I believe, were dated on Sunday!. H. More is not yet but half a saint.

Mrs. Simpson, one of the characters in this story, is taught by our author to say

66

"I not only forgive him heartily, but I remember him in my prayers, as one of those instruments with which it "has pleased God to work for my good. Oh! never put "off forgiveness to a dying bed! When people come to "die, we often see how the conscience is troubled with "sins, of which before they hardly felt the existence.— "How ready are they to make restitution of ill-gotten gain; and this perhaps for two reasons; from a feeling "conviction that it can be of no use to them where they "are going, as well as from a near view of their own responsibility. We also hear from the most hardened, of "death-bed forgiveness of enemies. Even malefactors at Tyburn forgive. But why must we wait for a dying bed to do what ought to be done now? Believe me, that "scene will be so full of terror and amazement to the soul, "that we had not need load it with unnecessary business."

66

66

Instead of seeking for a christian reconciliation with the Curate of Blagdon, whom she has so much injured, and apologizing to the public and the neighbourhood of Cowslip-Green, for the disturbance and division she has created, the lady is still indefatigable, using influence and solicitation with all she can get at, or by any means move to