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CONTENTS of the FOREIGN ARTICLES,
in the APPENDIX to this Volume.

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ANQUETIL, M. his Intrigue du Cabinet,

&c.

BENCIVENNI's Effay on the Royal Gal-
lery of Florence,
BERTHOLON de St. Lazare, his Memoir
concerning a Counter-Earthquake, and a
Counter-Volcano,
556
CHOISEUL'S Travels through Greece,
Chap. V.

DECOUVERTES de M. Marat, &c.

DE GUIGNES, M. his Inquiry into the

Foundations of the Ancient History of

China,

595

577

DELABORDE'S Effay on Mufic,
Dr Luc's Letters, philofophical and mo-
ral,

527

DEUX Memoires. See GUENEE.
DISSERTATION contre l'Ufage de Bouil-
lons de Viandes dans les Maladies Fe-
briles,
571

EPILOGO, &c. See RATTI.
ESSAY concerning the land of Otaheiti,

581
FLORENTINE Gallery, Account of, 572
GUENEE, Abbé, his Memoits concern-
ning the Fertility of Palestine, 565
HISTORY of the Royal Society of Medi-
cine,
511

MISSIONARIES, their Memoirs con-
cerning the History, &c. of the Chi-
nefe, Vol. V. and VI.

519

MOREAU, M. his Moral and Political
Difcourfes on the Hift. of France, 583
MUSIC. See DELABORDE.

See OBSERVATIONS.

OBSERVATIONS fur la Mufique,

OBSERVATIONS fur la Nature, & fur le

Traitement de la RAGE,

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LE GENTIL's Voyage in the Indian

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THE

MONTHLY REVIEW,

For JANUARY, 1780.

Art. I. Lectures on the universal Principles and Duties of Religion and Morality, as they have been read in Margaret-Street, CavendishSquare, in the Years 1776 and 1777. By the Rev. David Williams. Printed for the Author, and fold by Dodfley, &c. 2 vols. 4to. Subfcription 11. 1 s. 1779.

MR

R. Williams is a gentleman of fo fingular a caft of character and principles, that we fhould be tempted to pay a particular attention to him on that account; fuppofing he were even more deficient, than we imagine him to be, in qualities of higher importance and eftimation.

The introduction to this curious performance opens with a definition of infanity. We did not immediately perceive the Author's defign in fetting off fo oddly. We doubted not, however, of fome defign, at the bottom: Mr. Williams feldom fays or does any thing, even in the moments of the pureft fimplicity, without fome reason.

The

It appears then, that Mr. Williams gives his Readers a definition of infanity, for the fole purpose of convincing them that he himself, however extraordinary, is not mad. inftitution of a form of public worship (fays he) on those principles which arife immediately from nature, in a community where almoft every thing in morals, religion and polity, are decided upon by authority :-the refolution of a man to be the author of it, who doth not covet fufferings, and has not the difpofitions of a martyr:-the idea of leaving the plan to fuc ceed by its merits in a country where every thing is rendered fuccessful by money or protection:-these have been urged as proofs of infanity: and perhaps they may be. But the application of them to me hath been owing to an unacquaintance with the following facts, which imply the hiftory of an inftitution of public worship on the universal principles of morals. VOL. LXII. I quitted

B

I quitted the customary offices of the profeffion to which I was educated, for reafons which have been already affigned [viz. in the Appendix to the fecond edition of Eflays on public Worship]. But either because religion is effential to the human mind; or because the habits of a profeffion are, like all others, very difficult to be fufpended-I could not reft fatisfied out of my employment. On intimating my fituation, I had hopes given me of the moft flattering encouragement. But on feeing my plan extended beyond the limits of the Chriftian church [i. e. feeing the plan was purely a deiftical one-as the Author fhould have faid in plain language], they were withdrawn, and my papers were put up: for I had none of the views of Reformers and Apofiles: and it was my intention not to engage, until it appeared to be for the fervice and pleasure of others, as well as my own.'

This confeffion is a very frank one: and we give him full and unreserved credit for the truth of it. The children of light are not always wife in their generation. But Mr. Williams, who had renounced all pretenfions to their character, was refolved not to act on their plan. The heroic paffion of foulfaving (as Lord Shaftesbury ironically termed it) mingled not with his principles, and had no fhare at all in the inftitution in Margaret-Street.' Aos 8 5w- Give me where to ftand (as Mr. Williams might be fuppofed to fay) But I will have folid ground or I will lock up all my instruments. I have not the wings of the Apostles. I cannot work by their faith; nor live on their hopes."

But though Mr. Williams did not chufe to venture his bottom on the fanciful ftocks of reformation, nor to launch his veffel, like a vifionary Apoftle, into the air;-though he wished like a prudent man of this generation, to ferve and please himself as well as other people; yet he recoils at the idea of having his plan injurioufly degraded,' by feeing it claffed amongit the unadvifed projects of an individual for his own emolument and advantage.'

After reprobating the defigns of fanatics and miffionaries, in their attempts to reform churches and kingdoms, he tells his Readers, that his business hath not any thing in common with fuch defigns. The liturgy on the univerfal Principles of Re ligion and Morality, was firft intended as a gratification and pleasure to a fmall number of perfons who could worship on no other; to be publicly ufed, on the fuppofition that it would afford the fame gratification and pleasure to great numbers in the fame circumstances, and bring me fome recompense for my trouble in ufing it.

When the defign was made public, the expectations entertained by fome, and the apprehenfions of others, were equally

ill-founded and extravagant. Nay, the opinions formed on the fteps which have been hitherto taken, are not the most judicious. Experiments may be to the public as fallacious as fables: they often occafion as many errors, and are always expected to prove too much. If the Inftitution in Margaret-Street were only to prove, that a liturgy may be drawn up, on principles which all mankind acknowledge, and may be used without offence, even to fectaries and bigots, it would deferve confideration and refpect. A bishop quitting his diocese, and attended by both Houfes of Parliament, in the fame experiment, might have given it more eclat, but not more certainty. In the prefent cafe, it is a discovery made by a private man, at fome rifque, and at fome expence. It holds up to the world a fact which hath at all times been deemed incredible;-the importance of which to morals and policy may be understood, when men raise their thoughts from the elementary to the intellectual world; and the benefits which may be enjoyed in future by persons who might not have undergone the apprehenfions, anxieties, and inconveniencies by which it hath been afcertained.

"That good men of all nations and all religions:-that believers in Mofes, Chrift, and Mahomet, Free-thinkers, Deifts, and even Atheists, who acknowledge beneficent principles in nature, may unite in a form of public worship, on all the great and most important truths of piety and morality, can no more be a queftion: for it is demonftrated; not by the arts of logic, or the declamations of oratory in books, but by a stated, public fervice, to which any man may have recourfe for fatisfaction.'

Mr. Williams proceeds to ftate the ufe of his discovery for the benefit of preachers and politicians. The principal use arifes from the freedom of communication, which, as he obferves, conftitutes the bonds by which all aflòciations, all clubs, and all parties, are held together.' In the illustration of this profound remark, the Author hath thrown out hints which feem to mean fomething; but we acknowledge ourselves unable to get to the bottom of them. And in truth they must be very deep!-quite out of common reach, fince feveral perfons,' he informs us, eminent for their knowledge in the present science of politics, have not understood him.'

For our parts, we fee nothing very extraordinary in this Gentleman's experiments or discoveries. Whether it be, that our thoughts are not yet raised from the elementary to the intellectual world,' or that we have yet fome little predilection remaining for Chriftianity, or from whatever caufe it may arise, we prefume not to determine; but we must acknowledge, that we cannot fee the great utility of this project (confeffedly a Utopian one) of uniting the moft heterogenous parties, from the orthodox believer down to the fpeculative Atheist. No plan of

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