Ir can scarcely be expected that the occasional papers of any writer, however eminent, would hold an equal rank with his ostensible and more elaborate performances, which, besides the superior care bestowed upon their composition, are generally on subjects of more permanent importance. Yet as these ephemeral productions tend to display the literary history and diversified talents of their author, and incidentally exhibit the religious sentiments and peculiar tact of cotemporary characters, they are found to possess a high degree of interest, and provide for the curious and inquisitive a greater variety of amusement and The miscellaneous effusions of Mr. Fuller's pen were extremely numerous. In one form or another 23, dele the word of fusions of Mr. Fuller. 1, Note, read, Rhode 6, for difference read is, In one form or ano... 7, for Review read R in nearly all ti po 3, bottom, for conside the occasional at, would hold more elaborate care bestowed on subjects of ese ephemeral history and incidentally uliar tact of to possess the curious usement and Fuller's pen or another he religious aters, whose ance; but during the space of about thirty years, and during the process of intellectual and literary improvement, they possess of course various degrees of merit. A large proportion of them are in answer to queries on doctrinal or casuistical difficulties, and some few on practical and experimental piety; but in all, the peculiar turn of the writer is sufficiently apparent, and will easily be recognised by those who are conversant with his larger works. Some of them are indeed in the Author's best stile, and display all that discrimination and force of reasoning, for which he was so much distinguished. The materials which compose the present volume are chiefly derived from a monthly miscellany, published about five and twenty years ago, and of which I was the editor and proprietor. Mr. Fuller took a considerable interest in the work, and wrote a great variety of pieces on purpose for it, most of them at my particular request. These having been printed solely at my expense, ought to have been considered as my exclusive right, though a principal part of them have been added, unceremoniously, to the posthumous volume of the Author's works. The fugitive pieces were however so numerous, that it was found necessary to conceal the writer under a variety of signatures; several of them of course escaped detection, being known only to the author and the editor. But after the lapse of so many years it was found extremely difficult to identify all the papers, either from recollection or from internal evidence, and some of them must have been consigned to oblivion, had I not accidentally preserved the shorthand originals from which several of them were transcribed for the press, and examined nearly two hundred letters which contained occasional references to those which had appeared, both in my own and in other magazines. As it is interesting at all times to know the opinion which eminent men entertain of cotemporary writers, I have introduced Mr. Fuller's Review of some treatises by the Rev. Abraham Booth, Rev. Thomas Scott, and the Rev. Charles Jerram, on subjects which engaged very general attention at the time they were published, as well as some others which will be found not a little interesting to the pious and intelligent. To these might have been added, Reviews of several minor publications, the offspring of the day, but which appeared less deserving of a place in this collection. A few papers have been extracted from other periodical works, which occasionally received Mr. Fuller's contributions, in order to preserve as far as possible the scattered remains of this valuable writer; but several of them, I apprehend, are still left behind, especially in the journals of the north of England. The only remaining source from whence the present volume has been supplied, are some private letters addressed to myself, or sent to be transcribed, but which were not intended to be printed. On examining these |