BISHOP HOUGH.

THIS excellent prelate will ever be had in grateful remembrance by all true Protestants in general, as well as by members of the Church of England in particular, for his noble stand against Popery. After his advancement to the episcopacy, many pleasant stories are told of his good humour and munificence, among which is the following.

As he was much beloved by the gentry and clergy of his diocese, his hospitable table was much frequented. A neighbouring gentleman used to visit him with his lady, who was of a very particular disposition. She happened to dine there once when she was pregnant and near her time. At dinner soup was served up in a noble silver turenne. When she came home, she was, or pretended to be, much indisposed. Her husband, who was good and affectionate, requested to know if she longed for any thing, or what could remove her illness. She said she was ashamed to own it, but that she longed for the silver turenne which she had seen at Bishop Hough's. Her husband endeavoured to prevail with her to put aside such thoughts, as quite unreasonable, and the denial of which could be of no bad, consequence; but she continued for some days so indisposed, and so ruffled, that she prevailed on her husband to go to the bishop, and acquaint him with it. He did so reluctantly, and, with great concern, told his lordship that he could not possibly reason her out of her whim. The good prelate told him, that he would most readily gratify his lady in any thing which was within his power, rather than that any ill should happen to her. He accordingly sent the turenne, which was most joyfully received, and many thanks returned. After she had happily lain in, and was got abroad again, the Bishop wrote her a polite letter of congratulation, requesting the return of the turenne, as he himself longed for it; at the same time saying, that whenever she should be in a like condition, and again longed for the turenne, it should be at her service.

HINT TO ANTIQUARIES.

THE eminent Dr. Stukely, whose industry and ingenuity as an antiquary are universally known, was once engaged

with

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with some other curious persons on a tour in Hertfordshire, in quest of old remains. In their progress they came to a place called Cæsar's stile, situated on the brow of an eminence. No sooner was the place named, than the doctor stopped all of a sudden, and after an attentive survey of the neighbouring ground, pronounced it directly to be the scite of a fortified pass, which Cæsar had left behind him in his march from Cowey-Stakes to Verulam. Some of the company demurring to this opinion, a debate arose, and an aged labouring man coming up, the doctor asked him with great confidence, "Whether that was not called Cæsar's Stile ?" "Aye, Master," said he," that it is; I have good reason to know it, for many a day did I work upon it for old Bob Cæsar, rest his soul. He lived in yonder farm, and a sad road was it before he made this stile."

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DR. JONATHAN SHIPLEY, BISHOP OF ST. ASAPH.

THIS amiable prelate, whose daughter was married to Sir William Jones, was a man of great liberality. A violent Welch squire having taken offence at a poor curate, who employed his leisure hours in mending clocks and watches, applied to the bishop with a formal complaint against him for carrying on a mechanical business. His lordship having heard the complaint, told the squire he might depend upon it, that the strictest justice should be done in the case: accordingly the mechanical divine was sent for a few days after, when the Bishop asked him, "How he dared to disgrace his diocese by becoming a mender of clocks and watches?" The other, with all humility, answered, "To satisfy the wants of a wife and ten children!" "That wont do with me," rejoined his lordship, "I'll inflict such a punishment upon you, as shall make you leave off your pitiful trade, I pro mise you;" and immediately calling in his secretary, or dered him to make out a presentation for the astonished curate to a living then vacant, worth one hundred and fifty pounds a year.

ION

REVIEW OF NEW PUBLICATIONS.

A new Form of Catechetical Explanation of the Grounds and Precepts of the Christian Doctrine, from the first Principles of Natural Religion, under the Gospel Covenant; designed principally for the Senior Classes of Schools, or others of riper Years, &c. By the Rev. WILLIAM SANDFORD, Vicar of Castlerea, in the Diocese of Elphin. 12mo. pp. 374. 3s. Rivingtons.

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ELIGIOUS education is of the utmost importance; and in this respect, as in all others, a strict regard should be had to method and system, the better to furnish the juvenile mind with a clear and connected knowlege of that doctrine which is to be his rule of life and hope of salvation.

Many excellent books have been written for the express purpose of grounding youth in the principles and duties of religion; but, with the exception of Archbishop Secker's Lectures on the Church Catechism, we have not met with any one so fully adapted to that end as the volume before us.

The author has compressed within a moderate compass the best answers that have been given to the various doubts of sceptics and attacks of infidels; and he places the great proofs of our religion in an order and language the most likely to produce permanent satisfaction in the unbiassed mind.

The arrangement is such, in fact, as to render the volume a preparatory body of divinity; and it may be read with advantage by those who have gone through larger works, and even by those who have pursued an extensive course of theological study.

The arguments of each section are broken into a few plain questions for the exercise of the pupil; but these are very judiciously placed at the foot of each page, so as to prevent the order of reading from being interrupted.

One or two extracts will be sufficient to confirm what we have said upon this performance.

The first shall be on the institution of the Sabbath, (page 73.)

"The Sabbath is mentioned above as having been observed Vol. XI. Churchm. Mag. for Aug, 1806 T long

long before the delivery of the law, where it is given as a coinmandment; and some have thought that it was only then instituted. But there are many proofs of its having been observed since its first institution at the creation.

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"1st. Moses says in Genesis, ii. 3, and God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.'

2dly. In Genesis, viii. it is said twice of Noah, and he stayed yet other seven days, and again sent forth the dove out of the ark;' probably having implored God's blessing in an especial manner.

3dly. We find frequent instances of the early division of time into weeks of seven days, as in Gen. xxix. a week' is dedicated to the nuptials of Leah; and the term of time appropriated to such feasts we find in the book of Esther to be 'seven days,' the marriage feast of Vashti having lasted seven days.' Joseph mourned seven days' at the interment of his father; and it appears from Exodus vii. 25, that God observed ‘¿çven days' after he had struck the river, to change the waters into blood.

4thly. It is evident from Exodus, xvi. that the Israelites observed the Sabbath before the delivery of the law; for on the miraculous supply of manna, they were ordered to gather a dou ble portion of it the sixth day, and the reason is given: 'tomorrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath unto the Lord; six days shall ye gather it, but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, there shall be none,' ver. 23, 26.

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"5thly. The first word of the commandment which enjoins the - observation of the Sabbath, remember,' seems to carry the idea of keeping in mind that which was no new custom, i. e. not to let it drop, as they had done in their Egyptian bondage: member' cannot well be supposed to be chosen merely as emphatical, for the first or second commandment surely would have had that preference."

The ninth section of the third chapter in the first part contains an excellent view of the peculiarities of the Mo'saic law, as contrasted with those of Pagan nations.

"There are some peculiarities in the civil code of Moses which merit particular notice.

They were forbid to plow, sow, or prune, every seventh year, which was called the Sabbatical year; (the land by a special act of Providence producing a treble portion every sixth year,) Lev. xxv. 21: and what the land produced spontaneously the seventh year belonged as much to strangers, orphans, and the poor, as to the proprietor.

"The motive of this law was, to inspire the Israelites with humanity to strangers and slaves, and to teach them dependance upon God. Insolvent debtors too were discharged from debts contracted for the necessaries of life; the great end of which was, to prevent the distressed Hebrew from flying to Gentiles and forsaking his religion, this privilege being refused to strangers.

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"Every fiftieth year was a year of jubilee, with the same privileges as the sabbatical year, and some additional ones. slaves and prisoners were decreed free by sound of trumpet, all' law-suits ended, and all lands sold or mortgaged were restored to their old proprietors. And usury was prohibited by law.

"The chief design of the privileges annexed to the jubilee year was, to preserve the equality at first established in the Hebrew republic; and the great object of that equality was, to attach men to a country where their estate could not be alienated for more than half a century; and so prevent their emigrating to idolatrous nations.

"The law against usury being founded upon equality of property, was calculated for the Hebrews only, who had little commerce, and therefore little just reason for borrowing: occasional distress alone could justify it; and the prohibition was intended as an indulgence to those in such cases, who might be able to borrow, when no usurious mode of putting out money could clash with them.

"Now to shew the superiority of the Jewish laws in general over those of Heathen nations, or the ideas of their legislators, it will be sufficient to remark, that the Mosaic code requires the belief of one God, who created the world, and rules it by his providence; to love and fear him, to be thankful for his bounty, and to trust in his mercy; to be just and charitable, and to love our neighbour as ourselves: none of which were taught by law

in other nations.

"To specify some examples of the Jewish laws being more beneficial to society than those of Pagan nations,

"1st. Incestuous marriages, so common in Egypt, Persia, Arabia, and even in Greece, were prohibited by Moses, as contrary to good policy, and the source of confusion in private fa

milies.

2dly. In the Hebrew republic a woman who had killed her child, or a father who had exposed his new-born infant, would have been treated as murderers; whilst among Greeks and Romans, the laws allowed them to put them to death.

Romulus required every citizen to preserve all his male children and the eldest female; and permitted him to destroy his other females, and to expose weak or deformed children.

"Aristotle maintained that the authority of a father over his children was so absolute that he could do them no injustice; and the old Roman law gave them [him] the power of life and death over them.

"3dly. The old Roman law allowed her husband to repudiate his wife for taking his keys; or if she had the smell of wine on her, he might kill her, or if taken in adultery.

"4thly. Plato ordained that there should be a community of wives in his republic; according to which, incestuous commerce See Millot's Elements of History,