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Art. 48. A Synodal Charge, delivered to the Clergy of the Diocese of Abo, in the year 1774, by the Moft Reverend Father in God, Charles Frederick Mennander, D. D. Lord Archbishop of Upfal, at that time Lord Bishop of Abo. Tranflated from the original Swedish by the Rev. L. T. Nyberg, Rector of Flo, Sweden. 4to. 1 s. 6d. York, printed; London, fold by Robinson, &c. 1779:

Every inftance in which the principles of piety and virtue are diffufed, and recommended with fincerity and candour, will give pleafure to a devout and benevolent mind. To fuch perfons, the production before us will be acceptable, not merely as a kind of curiofity from a foreign country, but as a proof that advocates for the caufe of religion are ftill to be found in different parts of the world. Mr. Nyberg modeftly afks for that allowance, to a tranflation by a foreigner, which we are perfuaded every English reader will find it no difficulty to grant. He fends it forth to the world, we are told, with a humble defire of doing good to the hearts of mankind, efpecially of thofe who are intrufted with the facred office of the miniftry.' It is added, that the near affinity of the Swedish church to that which is established by law in this ifland, inclined the editor to think, that a tranflation of this excellent charge might not be unacceptable to the English reader.' As a farther motive for his publication, Mr. Nyberg mentions the benefits which many of his acquaintance, as well as himself, have received from the perufal. We think with him, that it is calculated to advance the nobleft purpofe, and we wish that clergymen, of every denomination, may attend to, and act on, the confiderations which are fuggefted in it. Art. 49. An Appendix to the Second Edition of Candid Reflections on the different Manner in which many of the learned and pious have expreffed their Conceptions concerning the Doctrine of the Trinity; Addreffed to the Rev. Minifters and Gentlemen, Managers of the Independent Fund in London; occafioned by an anonymous Letter to the Author, Benjamin Fawcett, M. A. 8vo. 6d. Buckland. 1780.

It is to be wished that the public were lefs frequently troubled with difputations of this kind, which are not only too private, but too perfonal, for general infpection. While we rather lament this, we' muft obferve, that the intention of Mr. Fawcett's Candid Reflections appeared to us to be excellent, and we thought their tendency equal to their good defign. By fome other perfons the fubject has been viewed in a different light: But Mr. Fawcett and his connections have not, we apprehend, been treated with all that fairness and candour which truth, reason, and chriftian piety may require. We fhall, however, add nothing farther to the account of the pamphlet before us, than the following quotation from one part of it; I have now, fays the Author, been led to illufirite the fentiments of my Candid Reflections, more than I ever expected to have done, by a direct application of them to particular cafes. This advantage I owe to the Letter addreffed to me. Indeed I am indebted to it on many accounts. So far as it has the appearance of

See Review for Nov. laft, p. 394.

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argumentative, it convinces me of no falfe quotation, or falfe reafon ing. It in no degree difproves, what my Candid Reflections have fo fully pointed out, That thofe who are called orthodox, differ among themfelves, more than fome of them differ from the reputed beterodox. Nor does it produce any folid reafon, why there fhould not be that moderation and indulgence, which I recommend, among perfons of different fentiments.

Art. 50. A-Remonftrance addressed to the Proteftant Affociation; containing Obfervations on their Conduct, and on their Appeal to the People of Great Britain. By William Jeffe, Vicar of HuttonCranfwick, Yorkshire, 8vo. 1 S. Rivington. 1780. Di

This is a defultory performance-light and frifky-we mean, Spiritually fo-for fpiritual gaiety, with a countenance bedimpled with the fmiles of grace, is quite a different thing from carnal hilarity, which is attended with, wit, and humour, and good fenfe.

The Author, after amusing himself with the imagined fpeculations of the affociators concerning him, and informing them, that they are all in the wrong in their conjectures both of his principles, and the defign of his Remonstrance, proceeds to inform them what he is, and what his opinions and motives are. He enters on this delectable fubject of HIMSELF with an lo triumphe! and affigns one of the moft fingular reafons for his exultation that vanity or folly could give, Permit me (fays he) to boast of myfelf a little, in hope of gaining a more candid, at least, a more patient attention to this addrefs.' A man's boafting of himself is doubtless an original method of conciliating the favour of an enemy! Mr. Jeffe, we find, hath many things to boat of He boats of his having been nurfed under the Alma Mater of one of the two Univerfities. He boafts, that he is

a clergyman too, and the fon of a clergyman, of the Church of England. He boats too, that he is no bigot.He may boaft, that he is an author too. But, as friends, we advife him to moderate his triumphs at 3074 1 bas

Mr. Jeffe fets a high value on perfecution, and attributes the prefent languishing ftate of religion to the want of that fovereign remedy for lukewarmnefs. I am perfuaded (fays he) that the ftate of the church would be far better, were the cutting north wind to blow; than it is under the enervating, foft influence of the fouth wind of worldly eale, liberty, and honour. I have four children [another boaft!] whom I love with fuch affection as the pencil of a Rubens would fail to exprefs; but were I apprehenfive that my children, or children's children, would fhed their blood in the true fpirit of martyrs in confequence of the late act, I would not apply to Parliament to restore the penal ftatutes against the Papifts: I would rather look up to my great Matter, and pray that he would make their lives and deaths the means of glorifying his name, and edifying his church.

This doubtlefs is unparalleled generofity!-a generofity to which we honeftly profefs ourselves ftrangers. Were we apprehenfive, that the late indulgence granted to the Papifts, would be the means of

deluging England again with the blood of the martyrs" (as the Affociators exprefs their fears) we fhould not look forward to fuch an event with the calm complacency of good Mr. Jeffe. We should not

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fidered. 8vo. 6d. Edinburgh printed, and fold by Cadell in London. 1780.

The Author of this pamphlet expresses a surprise, as well as an anxiety, at the reflections which have been thrown upon those who food forth in oppofition to the late intended Bill for the relief of the Roman Catholics in Scotland, by a repeal of the laws which had hitherto been a restraint on them in that country.'

The defign of this performance is to vindicate the zeal of the Scotch proteftants in their oppofition to popery, and to fhew the impolicy of freeing the Papifts from thofe reftraints which the wifdom, as well as the piety, of our forefathers had laid on them.

The author reafons fhrewdly on the political part of the queftion: but when he pretends to foretel, from the Revelations, how, and by what terrible means, the whole ftyftem of popery, and its great inftruments, will be demolished, he lofes himfelf in a labyrinth of theological hypothefis, and fhows more what he wishes, than what he can demonfirate.

We totally difapproved of the oppofition which was made in Scotland to the Bill in favour of the Roman Catholics. It was begun in malice, and ended in outrage. What a difgrace will the remembrances of fome late events in Scotland and England stamp on the annals of Prosemantifm! The pretence of religion only aggravated the guilt of fedition and the facred name of Liberty was infulted and blafphemed, when rudely mixed with the outcries of licentioufnefs. -There is more of the crafty politician in this pamphlet than the meek chriftian, and more of the bigotted fectarian than either.

PAMPHLETS relative to the late RIOTS, &c.

I. A Plain and Succinct Narrative of the late Difturbances, &c. By William Vincent, of Gray's Inn. 8vo. Is. Fielding and Co. To this narrative, which appears to be fufficiently circumftantial and exact, is prefixed, an abstract of the act lately paffed in favour of the Roman Catholics; as alfo, an account of the Bill, as moved for in Parliament by Sir George Saville; with the obfervations of Sir George and Mr. Dunning on the Papift penal laws. The author has likewife added fome anecdotes of the life of Lord George Gordon: with whose commitment to the Tower this narrative concludes.

II. A Narrative of the Proceedings of Lord George Gordon, and the Perfons assembled under the Denomination of the Proteftant Affociation, &c. to the Time of his Lordship's Commitment to the Tower, &c. Svo. 18. Wallis.

This narrative likewife contains an abftra&t of the late aft, on which the difturbances were founded; alfo, the addrefs prefented to his Majesty, on this occafion, by the Roman Catholic peers, &c. III. Confiderations on the late Disturbances. By a Confiftent Whig. 8vo. 1 s...Almon.

The Confiderer warmly arraigns, and totally condemns the principle of the petition, framed by the Proteftant Affociation,-vindicates, both on religious and political ground, the late act in favour of the Roman Catholics, commonly flyled Sir George Saville's Bill,

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-jufly execrates the horrid proceedings of the mob,-and then deduces the following general conclufions:

1. That the Proteftant religion had nothing to do in the late disturbances.

2. That the prayer of the petition by no means meets with general approbation; and that neither from the numbers or character of the fubfcribers, the object of their petition, or the manner of their proceedings is it to be raifed to a level with thofe petitions that have been prefented in a conftitutional manner, by the reprefentatives of feveral of the counties from their conftituents, praying for a redress of their grievances.

3. That the late A&t, in favour of the Papifts, has not been properly reprefented to the people; that nothing can be further from the truth than, that it amounts to an abfolute repeal of the penal laws, or the establishment of the Popish religion; that fo far from their numbers having encreafed in confequence of the mitigation of the penal laws, they have decreased confiderably, both in this kingdom and Ireland. And,

• Laftly-That neither juftice nor found policy can justify the repeal.'

IV. Fanaticism and Treason: or a Difpaffionate Hiftory of the Rife, Progrefs, and Suppreffion of the Rebellious Infurrections in Jane, 1780. By a Real Friend to Religion and to Britain. 8vo. Kearfly.

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This warm inveftigator of fanaticifm, treafon, and rebellion,' who thus cries aloud and fpares not, has given a very elaborate and fuccinct account of what has happened; but he is as much at a lofs to affign the cause which has produced fuch lamentable effects, as any of his brother authors, who have obliged the public with their narratives, &c. on this unhappy occafion. Yet our hiftorian feems eager to fix the charge Somewhere; and we heartily with the were able to do it with certainty, that the fecret, the real authors of fovmuch diabolical mifchief (whoever they are) may be brought to exemplary punishBut this gentleman is not fufficiently difpaffionate in his inquiries; abounding more in declamation than argument. He writes, however, in a ftrain fuperior to our common fcribblers to the times, and his manner is frequently entertaining, even on this horrid subject. His view is, obviously, to vindicate the proceedings of government, in every stage of this ugly bufinefs; and he points with eagernefs at many gentlemen in oppofition, of whom he more than -hefitates diflike,

Willing to wound, but yet afraid to strike!

On the whole, though intemperately written, and containing, perhaps, fome unfair fuggeftions, and though it has much the appearance of a minifterial production, yet this pamphlet deferves to be diftinguished from the mob of catchpenny things, that will naturally spring from this new raised hot-bed of fedition.

* It would have been as well if the Author had omitted this word in his title page.

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